Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursdays – Online Learning

Tags

Codecademy, Learn daily, Learn something, Masterclass, Study.com, Udemy, YouTube

Today, I’m thankful for online learning. Not only is online learning inexpensive or even free, it provides me a way to continue learning throughout my life. My tastes change from time-to-time, and it’s nice to be able to find anything I want, whenever I want.

If learning new things interests you, here are a few, I recommend:

• YouTube.com
• MasterClass.com
• Codecademy.com
• Udemy.com
• Study.com

I realize that some may be on a tight budget, particularly now if you are unemployed because of COVID-19. If that’s the case, stick with free online tutorials and YouTube, which are all free. I recommend university lectures, since the information you are learning comes from accredited institutions, like Harvard, MIT, Yale, etc.

Some of my previous recommendations like Coursera and EdX are no longer on my list of recommended sources. Coursera is free, but requires interaction between you and other students. If no one in your class responds to your postings, you don’t get credit until they do. I’m also not a huge fan of deadlines. I’m learning to learn, not earn a degree. Coursera operates like a traditional college in this respect. EdX turned me off with their ID certification process and their lack of dependable IT support. I tried to take an Algebra course on EdX and I either could not log onto the site some days or there was some other unpredictable glitch that no one would respond to within a reasonable amount of time. Avoid Coursera or EdX if either of these issues troubles you.

I love to write, read, and learn. Learning is something I include in my daily schedule. I am very pleased with Study.com. It has a terrific interface and is reasonably priced. It requires a monthly fee of $39, but the service you get is amazing. I opted for the $59 per month option, but again, if your budget doesn’t allow for any expenses for this kind of thing, you can find some terrific stuff on YouTube. Jordan Peterson’s lecture series on Personality and his Maps of Meaning course are awesome! Even if you are not a Jordan Peterson fan politically, he is a brilliant mind and both courses do not reflect his political views. Like anything, obviously, a course is a matter of choice and need. I have also watched Harvard lectures on WWII, Yale lectures on happiness, and MIT lectures on Python and artificial intelligence. All of them are highly informative.

Learning is something that anyone should aspire to, even if you’ve been out of school for a while. Lectures don’t come with graded assignments, they literally just teach you. It is terrific. As a person with a father who is afflicted with dementia, I want to do everything I can physically and mentally to avoid the same fate, if possible.

On another note, I purchased a year’s subscription to Curiosity.com. This is a great site for documentaries and only costs $20 a year. If you are a fan of getting pizza delivered, sacrificing one pizza for an entire year of learning is worth it in my opinion. You can watch documentaries on space exploration, anthropology, history, climate change, and many other topics I find to be absolutely fascinating.

So today, I’m grateful for all the services that are available online to teach us something new. Thank you Study.com, Curiosity.com, Masterclass.com, Udemy.com, YouTube.com, and Codecademy.com. You stretch me each day and make me a better, more learned individual.

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – It’s Great to Learn New Things

Tags

Coursera, family, God, Learning, Life, Reading, Udemy, Writing

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Today I am grateful for the ability to read, write, and learn. Think about some people on the planet that are illiterate or have suffered from a traumatic brain injury or a learning disability that precludes them from learning the same way you and I learn. My wife is a special education teacher, and she works with these kids every day.

I am grateful for my interest in learning new things. I truly enjoy learning something I didn’t know yesterday. I enjoy taking a trip with an author and walking through the mental libraries they have created in their books. “Look here”, they say. “Look there. This is really important.” I am also grateful for the free repositories of books online and my local library. So many books to read and so little time.

Online learning is also a terrific thing. Think about it. You can learn a great deal by reading other people’s blogs, reading books, and attending classes and webinars, most of which are absolutely free. Why learn you ask? It adds to you. It provides you with skills that you can continue to earn a living with. It gives you a wide berth of experiences through other’s eyes that you may not have the ability to do on your own.

I recently read a book about finding out what you love to do. Think about how many people are in jobs they hate. Can you imagine going to a job that stressed you out and made you unhappy? We all have to make a living one way or another. People who are trapped in a job they hate is a really bad place to be in. Yet, many do not take advantage of the learning opportunities that are available to them. I am grateful that I am not one of these people.

I am always looking to improve. I want to improve my physical body; I want to improve my spiritual practice; I want to improve my skill set, and I want to build my knowledge. I am grateful I have that drive to do these things, day in and day out. Recently, I started listening to albums on Spotify, starting with various jazz artists. I also enjoy the classics, but wanted to start with Jazz. I listened to albums by Miles Davis and Bill Brubeck. Wow! What a treat. I am going to listen to Dizzy Gillespie next. It will be a nice treat. When I listen I put in my earphones, close my eyes, and picture myself in some speakeasy, listening and watching the band and the people there. It is terrific how music takes you places when it is really good.

I hope each of you can find things in your lives you are grateful for. It is a great feeling to sit back and think about all the things that contribute to your life and how nice it is to have them. Gratitude for God, for family, for your life, with all of its difficulties, and the rich experiences each of our lives contain, if we only look and appreciate them. Life is too short to be pissed off or afraid all the time. Take some time each day to express your gratitude for even the smallest thing. It will change the way you engage with the world and interestingly, when you have cultivated the gratitude habit, the world will give you more things to be grateful for.

Life is grand.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

Tags

Amazon Prime Video, Codecademy, Coursera, Goals, Movies, Netflix, TV Series, Udemy

Well, folks. Another week is almost gone. Before you know it, you’ll be bombarded with trick or treaters knocking on your door or hitting your doorbell. For me, Halloween is the beginning of my favorite part of the year—the Holidays! This year, I’m going to be good and continue to push forward with my weight loss. Last year, I took a hiatus from lifting and dieting and I paid for it, although it was fun eating all the cookies, cakes, and pies that go along with the holidays in my home.

This week is a week to reorganize my priorities. As you’ll see below, I’ve been binging quite a bit. I’m not neglecting my writing or my exercise, but I would like to do some more work on my learning sessions and my spiritual pursuits, which suffer a bit when I’m so engrossed in the next great series (It doesn’t help that my brother and sister keep passing along great shows to watch). Anyways, I hit the gym early today for my cardio. Tomorrow will be another cardio day. Then it’s off to week 3 for the Shortcut to Size program I’m on currently.

I’m up to a 14,000 word-count on my book and continue plugging away at it. One day at a time and I’ll get there! I’m also really enjoying my Calm Meditation App (see below in apps). My daily practice is really helping me with calmness and focus.

I had to help my Dad set up a new computer today. He loves YouTube. His other computer died yesterday, and I wanted to get it up and running for him. It took a while because we decided to use Mom’s laptop since she doesn’t use it much and it had a whole truckload of updates to do (around 6 hours or so).

One last thing. I baked my first batch of egg bites today, so I can get up nuke my eggs and eat them straight away. I love breakfast—but hate having to make something, particularly when I want to go to the gym. The batch I made today was just scrambled egg yolks, salt, and pepper. I’ll make another batch tomorrow and experiment with additives like cheese, bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and kale. These are really easy to make and because I can bake 12 at a time, I can food prep my breakfast for the entire week in about 30 minutes.

Below are the things I’m doing to improve and change. I hope all of you have a great week!!

Exercise Program:

Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size – (www.bodybuilding.com) – I’ve done this workout before and returning to it because it is just a good all-around weight routine. It’s 8 weeks in length, a 4-day split with 3 rest/cardio days mixed in.

Books:

Armor, Steakley – Recommended by an Army Buddy. A terrific book so far.

Ethics, Aristotle – Very dry, but required reading if you are seeking to learn from one of the world’s greatest philosophers. I enjoyed this book and found it really cool to find the quotes I like in the book.

The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell – This is my bible. I finished it and will re-read again. This book is a permanent fixture on my reading list.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe – Still plugging away on this one. I’ve put it on hold, not because it is a bad book but due to the nonfiction reading, I’m taking on (I love nonfiction books more than fiction).

Classes:

Web Development Path – Codecademy – Currently learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and REACT.

De-mystifying Mindfulness Course – Coursera

Documentaries:

Movies:

Fun:

Ozark – Netflix (in the cue) – Re-watching Season 1 to remind me what’s going on. I’ll kick into Season 2 when I’m back on track with this one.

Madam Secretary (Netflix) – I just finished season 4 of this show and have to say I really liked it. If you like Designated Survivor or West Wing, this show is right up there.

Haunting of Hill House (Netflix) – I just finished this one and if you’re in the Halloween mood like I am you’ll enjoy it. This is not scary because of gore or anything, it is just eerie. You will have to pay a lot of attention as there is a lot of jumping back and forth between characters and time periods. I had to watch a few episodes over again to catch what I missed. Great cast and good writing.

The Man in the High Castle, Season 3 (Amazon Prime) – All I can say is: “Wow!”

Interesting Apps:

Calm App – This is a meditation assistant application and comes packed with all kinds of great features, soundscapes, and guided meditations. There are so many features available I do not have enough space to tell you about it. All I can say is try it out if you like Headspace or any of the other meditation apps that are out there. By far, this is the best app I have ever used. Annual price: $59.99. The price is well worth it.

I hope all of you are having a terrific week! See you tomorrow for Funny Friday!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

Tags

Coursera, Education, Learning, Martin Luther King, Netflix, Poetry, Reading broadly, Thinking Critically, Udemy

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Read more at – https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_king_jr_402936?src=t_intelligence

Learning is a great thing! I enjoy picking up new things, learning about different topics, learning about myself, and opening my mind to other ideas, peoples, places, and concepts. Recently, I began reading poetry. Wow! I really enjoy it. If you want a great venue for poetry, check out this website: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/

I’m also enjoying a new app I found (mentioned earlier on this blog). It is called www.curious.com. This one will cost you money—29.99/year, but for me, it’s worth it. You get daily puzzles (up and down words, Unolingo, crosswords, and Ken Ken). You get podcasts about money, science, business, culture, art, and you get access to what I would label minicourses. These courses aren’t the best quality, but you may find a cool topic that you haven’t found elsewhere. I like this site and have made going through what is called the daily challenge part of my daily ritual. Check it out. You may join me.

As mentioned earlier, I will begin my character development this upcoming month. Like Benjamin Franklin, I will begin with a new character trait in October and add one new trait each month, focusing on the new one and maintaining the previous one. This will be a 12-month adventure. I’ll be updating you on my progress on Sundays, which will be labeled Series Sunday. On Sunday, I’ll be giving you an update on my progress weekly. This will keep me honest and help me chronical my challenges as I tackle each new character trait.

Learning does cause us to think more deeply. It opens us to new ideas and new ways of looking at things. At times I run across ideas or topics that really upset me. These are the times I push myself through the material and really pay attention to my internals. Each time I read a new chunk of content that I disagree with it changes me just a little. Some of the material gets through. I consider this to be one of my important learnings. Open-mindedness is truly a great thing. I recommend this to everyone. Read broadly—read books and articles written by people you disagree with. You will learn something—I promise.

Books:

Rediscovering Americanism and The Tyranny of Progressivism, Mark R. Levin – Decent book, but heavy on the quotes. I don’t know what this guy really thinks because 80% of the book is literally a copied quote from one of the folks he cites. I wouldn’t waste your time on this one.

Ethics, Aristotle – Almost done with this one.

The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell – This is my bible. I finished it and will re-read again. This book is a permanent fixture on my reading list.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe – Still plugging away on this one. I’ve put it on hold, not because it is a bad book but due to the nonfiction reading, I’m taking on (I love nonfiction books more than fiction).

The Science of Success: What Researchers Know That You Should Know, Paula Caproni. I just started this book in conjunction with the author’s course on Coursera.

Classes:

Western Heritage, Hillsdale College – I finished this course. Since Hillsdale has altered its online format (no quizzes, no discussions, etc.), I have decided not to do their courses anymore. I enjoy engaging in a course not just watching videos. If you still care to pursue some of the online courses on Hillsdale.edu, you have been warned. I’m going to focus on courses offered by Coursera and Udemy going forward. I learn more when I am engaged by the content, not an by being an inactive participant.

The Science of Success: What Researchers Know That You Should Know, Paula Caproni, University of Michigan, Coursera. – I started week 1 yesterday. A buddy of mine recommended this one and I’m glad he did. This is a good course so far.

Documentaries:

Movies:

Venom (Another Marvel Movie) is scheduled to come out on the 5^th. I cannot wait. This one looks terrific!

Fun:

Ozark – Netflix (in the cue) – Re-watching Season 1 to remind myself what’s going on. I’ll kick into Season 2 when I’m back on track with this one.

Jack Ryan – Amazon Prime (in the cue) – Still pending.

Interesting Apps:

I didn’t find anything new in the iPhone app realm this week.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

Tags

Books, Coursera, Courses, Hillsdale College, Movies, Netflix, Reading, Udemy, Weightlifting, Writing

I don’t know about you folks, but weightlifting is therapeutic for me. It relaxes me, helps me build on my focus, and I just feel so accomplished when I walk out of the gym. Currently, I am doing a full body workout. Here’s what it looks like:

Exercises are all 3 sets of 10. Since I am working out every day I am not working to failure, simply burning off energy and stimulating the muscles. It’s working quite well. I’ll provide you with weigh-in results on Monday.

• Leg Press
• Standing Leg Curl
• Leverage ISO Row
• Seated Back Extension
• Leverage High Row
• Machine Bench Press
• Machine Shoulder Press
• Leverage Shrug
• Dip Machine
• Machine Preacher Curls
• Calf Press on the Leg Press Machine
• Ab Crunch Machine
• Elliptical Trainer (25 minutes)

I also got a good start on my book. I’m currently working through content ideas using an online app called Asana. It works well. I’m going to keep plugging away on the content headings, ideas of what I want to talk about and continue organizing. The goal is to get this skeletal outline completed by the end of the month. In August, I begin the actual writing.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Books:

The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell

The Orion Plague, David Vandyke – Finished. This is a book in a series. If you are interested, check out David’s books on Amazon. He’s terrific!

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe

The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace D. Wattles – Just finished this one. It is old but has some interesting points in it.

The Spiritual Exercises of ECK, Harold Klemp

In My Time, Dick Cheney – Enjoyed this book. I like memoirs and things, particularly when I served under this guy as the Secretary of Defense and the Vice President.

Kobo: A Story of the Russo-Japanese War, Herbert Strang

The Dual Between France and Germany, Charles Sumner

Classes:

Public Policy, Hillsdale College

Learning how to Learn, Coursera

Mini-Habits Course, Udemy (putting this one on hold until August)

Documentaries:

The Staircase, (Netflix Currently) – Just finished this one. This is worth a watch if you like a courtroom drama.

Movies:

None are on my hit list this week.

Fun:

Hell on Wheels (Currently on Netflix) – Finished. This is one heck of a ride. If you like a lot of plot twists and enjoy a good Western, I highly recommend.

The Hollow (Currently on Netflix)

The West Wing (Currently on Netflix)

Workout Routines and Other Weightlifting Knowledge:

https://www.bodybuilding.com/

For access to every supplement on the market, access to the top trainers in the world, and gain access to their training routines, this is the one-stop, shop for anything related to fitness. This one will cost you if you want access to the trainers and their workout routines. It runs me about $8.99 per month.

Well, that’s it for this week folks! I hope some of this information has been helpful to you.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

Tags

Books, Coursera, Hillsdale College, Movies, Netflix, Online Classes, Podcasts, Udemy, Weight Loss, Weightlifting

Hello, all! Welcome to another Thinking Thursday, where I’ll give you an idea of what I’ve learned this week, what I’m watching and reading.

This week has been tough. I’m in week 8 of Kris Gethin’s Hardcore Trainer and have literally lost between 1 and 2 pounds daily since Monday, considering the very restricted carbohydrate intake. Today, I’m only allowed a little over 70 grams. Not much. This is the equivalent of about 10 rice cakes. I’ve started the workout routine at 245 pounds and now weigh 229 lbs, with 3 more days to go.

My body thrives in a very, low carb intake type of diet, so I’m all in. This is the last week, then I’ll take a slight breather, raising my carbs up about 50 grams per day and reducing my cardio sessions from 55 minutes twice a day to 45 minutes twice a day.

I’m heading to my sisters this upcoming weekend to go to a comedy show. I’ll have access to one of the gyms I’m a member of while there, but don’t want to be in the gym the entire time I’m at my sister’s house (that’s no fun for her). Anyway, I’ll be lifting daily and hitting my cardio, but taking it a little easy, as I’ve decided to hit this hardcore trainer for another 8 weeks starting on July 3, 2018, when I’m back home. That’s about it on the weightlifting front.

Books I’m reading:

• The same as last week.

Movies I’ve seen:

• Solo (not a bad movie if you’re a Star Wars fan). They really did a great job with this one. I’m not going to drop any spoilers here because it is still in the movie theater and you may not have had time to see it yet.

Netflix:

• Still watching Hell on Wheels, The West, and The Hollow

Classes:

• Public Policy Course
• Learning How to Learn (week 3) I finished the Nonfiction Book writing course on Udemy and will be using the process this instructor used to write his book. I wanted to watch this to get some better ideas on how to start and put together the framework of the book, before getting too far into the writing. I’ve already knocked down quite a lot of content this year but wanted to really get a better handle at formulating the book into an order that would be readable. Subsequently, I’ll be kicking off this book project next month.
• Mini Habits Course is in the hopper. I’ll update here when I begin doing this one.

Podcasts:

• The Tim Ferris Show
• The Knowledge and Mileage Podcast

I wanted to add this to my weekly list because I’m a big fan of Tim Ferris and Kris Gethin, who is currently one of the weightlifting trainers I follow on Bodybuilding.com.

Well, this is it for my week thus far. I’m headed to the gym to knock out Lower Back, Upper Abs, and Hamstrings today. Today is Day 53 of the Hardcore Trainer and I’m stoked!!

Until next time…

Dave