How to Eat Sushi!

Ever since I first started working for Mitsubishi, I have been a tremendous fan of sushi! (I had never really tried it before I started taking business trips to Japan.)

Here is an excellent post full of tips for how to eat sushi:

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While there really are no absolute requirements, other than general politeness, there are certain behaviours that may make your dining experience more pleasant, and the staff more attentive and interested in you. While some of the tips to follow may be obvious to some, I hope that they may offer some insight to those who love sushi, but perhaps only have it occasionally.

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This post has some truly excellent advice on eating in a Japanese restaurant. Some of these concepts took me years to clue into while others are new to me.

Also, be sure to check out the Sushi FAQ to learn more about this wonderful delicacy!

Hattip to lifehack.org for pointing to this.

Four Generations of Family!

Speaking of special memories, here is a picture taken today of four generations from both sides of my family.


(click image for larger view)

As far as I know, this is the first time we've ever had four generations of family members gathered together during my lifetime. Ages ranged from 2-years old (my nephew, Grady) to 90 (my great-Aunt Ruth). It's very neat getting everyone together like this, especially from both sides (Mom's and Dad's) side of the family.

Seven of us take off together for a trip to the beach in Delaware tomorrow. The seven of us also made a trip to Estes Park in Colorado last summer. I hope this wonderful trend continues!

Ring Dance!

Here is a video I took of an Indian "Ring Dancer" at the Grand Canyon last summer. This was during a 30-day trip I took across the country with my Dad. We drove 11,000 miles through 27 states in 30-days, visiting national parks, historical sites, and lots of relatives along the way. This trip with Dad was one of the best experiences of my life and something neither of us will ever forget.

A lesson I have learned in life is to make the effort to make special memories with those you love. You will never regret it. We can loose our health and our wealth, but the joy of memories spent with our loved ones can never be taken from us.


(click on play icon to view video)

This video was one of Dad's favorites. I hope you enjoy it too!

What's Wrong With Business Bestsellers?

Here's an excerpt from an article on what is wrong with business bestsellers:

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In general, the business book genre reflects and reinforces our desire to make careers fill a place in our souls that they cannot truly fill. As human beings we want more out of life than jobs can provide-and thank God for that-but many or most of us don't know where else to turn. The business book genre as we know it is born of that emptiness; and it issues in emptiness as well. The lonely hunger of atomized individuals invites the empty promises of (mostly unwitting) false prophets. Whatever faults Americans had in the generations before we acquired a taste for these books (and no doubt we had many), we do not seem to have gained in self-understanding or happiness.

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The author, Peter Hansen, takes a thoughtful look at some of the advice offered in many best-selling business books and concludes a lot of it is bunk. I have bought into, led organizations, and taught others in several countries based on ideas found in serveral of these books. I've been a particular fan of "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. I think there's still some good insights in some of these books, but cannot disagree with much of what Hansen says.

OUCH!

Read the whole thing...

Hattip to Tyler Cowen for linking to this.

P.S. -- In related news, it looks like even the SWOT analysis (the mainstay of business schools) may be wrong...

Greg Mankiw on Studying Economics

Greg Mankiw links to some advice for graduate students studying economics:

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Because there appeared to be much interest in the advice I offered undergrads in a previous post, let me provide the same service for graduate students in economics.

But rather than doing the work myself, I will outsource the task to some of my colleagues in the profession:

• Don Davis gives some guidance about finding research topics.
• John Cochrane tells grad students how to write a paper.
• Michael Kremer provides a checklist to make sure your paper is as good as it can be.
• David Romer gives you the rules to follow to finish your PhD.
• David Laibson offers some advice about how the navigate the job market for new PhD economists.
• John Cawley covers the same ground as Laibson but in more detail.
• Dan Hamermesh offers advice on, well, just about everything.
• Assar Lindbeck tells you how, after getting that first academic post, to win the Nobel prize.

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Also see his previous advice for undergrads and his recommendations for math courses future economists should take.

Here are Romer's rules for getting out with your PhD in five years:

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• Don't clutter up your life with other activities; just write.
• Don't carry out a thorough and comprehensive search of the literature; just write.
• Don't attempt to make sure that every page you write shows the full extent of your professional skills; just write.
• Don't write a well-organized, well-integrated, unified dissertation; just write.
• Don't think profound thoughts that shake the intellectual foundations of the discipline; just write.
• If you don't have a paper started by the spring of your third year, be alarmed.
• If you don't have a paper largely drafted by the fall of your fourth year, panic.
• Have three new ideas a week while you are getting started.
• Don't try to game the profession, work on what interests you.
• Good papers in economics have three characteristics:
• A viewpoint.
• A lever.
• A result.

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Panda Cam!

Here's a video I recently took of Tai Shan, the baby Panda at the National Zoo. He got stuck up in a tree and this is a video of him trying to figure out how to get down:



Is he cute or what???



You can see the National Zoo's two panda cams here and here.

See photos of Tai Shan here.

Light Blogging...

Sorry for the light posting recently. I just wrapped up my first year of school and have been in the process of moving out of my apartment, checking residents out, recovering from exhaustion, preparing for my trip to Alaska, hanging out with friends, and playing with my new iPod.

I hope to resume more regular posting soon...