LEVEL.................IQ INTERVAL
Idiot............................. 0-25
Imbecile........................25-50
Moron...........................50-70
Borderline.....................70-80
Low normal...................80-90
Normal.........................90-110
Superior.......................110-120
Very superior................120-140
Near genius.................140 and over

All this time I've been calling politicians and steroid pumping athletes idiots, when in fact they're just morons. My bad.

I’ve had these thoughts before and I had them reinforced again when we visited Fork Union Military Academy this weekend where the 22nd MEU put on a show during its Community Outreach Day. They flew in with with style in a Super Cobra, a CH-53 Super Stallion, a Huey, and a V22 Osprey. The Marines off loaded lots of cool equipment for display. The students from Fork Union Military Academy as well as poolees in the Delayed Entry Program had the opportunity to talk with these American Heroes.

We couldn’t have had better role models. Not surprisingly, these Marines were sharp. My favorite part though, as I looked on with a little envy, was when two Marines from the MEU put on a martial arts demonstration, using their training from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). The Marine Corps has been teaching more advanced moves than when I was on active duty. It was impressive — even more so considering the Marines were green belts still moving up in the MCMAP system. GySgt Rose, the recruiter here in Harrisonburg, is a brown belt instructor, and I think everyone made a mental note never to pick a fight with him, which is the point of MCMAP when you think about it.

Here are some videos and pictures from Saturday:

Andrew looking through the scope of a sniper rifle.

Justin manning the 50 Cal.

The Fitness Platoon in front of the V-22

22nd MEU's Website: Link

I’d like to say “thank you” to the 22nd MEU for their professionalism and for the inspiration they provided for the young men and women following in their footsteps. It was appreciated more than they know.

Semper Fidelis.

I was just made aware of another self-educated American that has piqued my interest. Madam C. J. Walker is credited with being the first woman to become a self-made millionaire. (link) Becoming a millionaire is an incredible accomplishment for anyone, but especially so for a black woman in the early 1900s. She must have been quite a woman.

The little I've found online is an incomplete portrait of her at best. I'm going to check out On Her Own Ground by A'Lelia Bundles to get a better understanding of her life. (link)

I did find a quote attributed to her in a couple of places that I love:

"There is no royal, flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it for if I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard."
— Madam C. J. Walker

In the post he writes:

Albatross businesses are great to have but not easy to launch. Rather that the excitement of the big time launch and then the constant promotion and high expense of a typical business, an albatross business mucks around for a while, but since it's designed for effortless long flight, it gains steam and then keeps going.

I've been a big fan of Squidoo from the beginning. It aggregates various Internet technologies. This is important because it can help to make the disparate parts of the internet coherent in meaningful ways. I believe its full potential for education is not yet realized but is on its way.

I don't know this for sure, but I suspect Seth's comparison to an albatross is a jibe at an article Micheal Arrington wrote in 2006 predicting Squidoo's inevitable demise (link). The title of the article is "Squidoo: Seth Godin’s Purple Albatross?" In the article, Arrington makes a play on Seth's book the "Purple Cow" which is about becoming successful by being remarkable. I commented on the article back in 2006. So that you don't have to scroll, here is what I said back then:

It’s hard to see the value of some innovations when they are first introduced. This was true even for something as useful as the telephone. People at the time thought it could be a nice novelty but nothing more. After all, there was no infrastructure set up, the invention needed improvement and no one knew anyone else that had a phone.

Then all that changed.

I think the same is true for Squidoo. Unlike the telephone though, which required lines to be run all across the country, Squidoo needs high quality lenses to be developed, which over time, I’m confident will happen.

Will people get rich doing Squidoo? I don’t know. Can Squidoo make a difference in people’s lives? I know it has that power if we use it right. Whether it’s a Purple Cow or not isn’t up to Seth. It’s up to us.

I still believe those words to be true. Even more so in fact. Road maps for education are important. I've been studying the resources of Bryan Engram's lens on character animation for a while now (link). His road map made animation seem possible to me. It is what prompted me to take the 3D modeling course I just finished (link). All the while I have been studying the books Bryan recommended. It will take a long time to achieve the skill level I want, but the road map was the first step. It gave me a path to travel. I treat it like a college syllabus, and I'm grateful to Bryan for creating it. It was relatively easy for Bryan to do yet I don't think he understands what a profound affect it has had on me and can have on others.

My current project on Squidoo is to create resources for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams online. This is still in progress, but I'll be linking to them as they become more developed.

My most popular lens is titled "Learn to be in Illustrator" (link). It contains all of the resources no one in my sphere could provide for me as I struggled to learn the craft of illustration. If you are serious about learning illustration, the resources here are a great place to start.

I actually found out about Squidoo from my friend Corey who helped launch Squidoo and still works there. I've met a lot of the Squidoo team, although I haven't met Seth, and they are a great bunch of people. Most of what I know about running an Internet based business I learned from Corey. Here is a picture I did of the Squidoo team for Seth's birthday at Corey's request. As it's Squidoo's birthday, I thought it was appropriate to post it now:

Happy Birthday, Squidoo!

I saw Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of one laptop per child, in an interview last night. He said that his ultimate goal with this program, which will take a good 20 years to realize, is world peace.

I like his chances. I think it can work (and even wrote about it last year: link). I say the following with no exaggeration: If he pulls this off, Negroponte will go down in history as one of the greatest men who ever lived.

“But,” nearly everyone I have this conversation with seems to argue, “those people were exceptional.”

I always respond that being exceptional can only be seen in hindsight so we should assume it is all around us. Consider the following questions:

Would you have recognized Bill Cosby as exceptional when he failed the tenth grade and dropped out of high school?

Would you have recognized Benjamin Franklin as exceptional when he failed math in one of the only two years he went to school?

Would you have recognized Walt Disney as exceptional when he dropped out of high school then went bankrupt in his first business?

Would you have recognized Albert Einstein as exceptional when he dropped out of high school?

Would you have recognized Frederick Douglass as exceptional when he was trapped in slavery?

Would you have recognized Mark Twain as exceptional when he quit school after his father died?

Would you have recognized Thomas Edison as exceptional when his mom pulled him out of school because of problems with his teacher?

Would you have recognized Steve Jobs as exceptional when he dropped out of college after a semester?

We measure our idea of what it takes to be exceptional by what we see in the rear-view mirror. Now take a minute to look right in front of you.

What do you see?

I've found a surprising number of Marines I served with on TogetherWeServed.com: Link

If you're looking for a long-lost buddy, it's a good place to check. It's also a good place to get listed in case anyone is looking for you.

Happy Birthday and Semper Fidelis!

And in his own words:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

-- Thomas Jefferson

The Declaration of Independence is the pivot point in human history by which the world began the march to freedom and equality. American history can be best understood through the perfect storm that led up to the Declaration of Independence and by our struggle to live up to those words ever since. Where we have strayed, it has caused conflict. Where we have lived up to these words, we have prospered. When we have not lived up to the words in the Declaration, we have been reminded of our responsibility to them by great Americans. Abraham Lincoln invoked the words of the Declaration of Independence in the Gettysburg Address on the path to end slavery. Likewise, Martin Luther King reminded us of these enduring values during his "I Have a Dream" speech when attacking discrimination.

We still are not a perfect union, but yesterday’s election was proof that we are getting closer. Barrack Obama proved that in America racism is a barrier that can be overcome. In so doing, he reminded us how far we have come as a people. And when I say “people” I mean Americans -- all of us of every race, creed, or religion.

The strength of our nation rests in the recognition of human equality. By recognizing human equality we recognize the potential of all of our citizens. Recognizing human potential, however, and tapping into it are two different things. This election holds the promise of tapping into American potential in a way previously unseen in American history. President Elect Obama has proven there are no heights barred to an American based on race.

I think this will have a profound effect on improving dropout rates, as well as success in both the private and public sectors of our country as more Americans become engaged with the country’s challenges. Personally, I believe that many of the obstacles that have barred minorities from opportunities have been conquerable for some time. Although I am white, I’m in an interracial marriage. When I talk to my two girls, I have always sincerely communicated to them that they can accomplish anything they wish if they are willing to work hard enough for it. In America, anyone willing to work hard can do great things. The difference between yesterday and today is now everyone in the country believes this as well.

We often see those who are successful and ascribe their success to a modern day equivalent of divine right. From the outside it seems that somehow these people lead charmed lives far removed from the daily struggles the rest of us must slog through. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Steve Jobs, for instance, is seen today as a modern day Midas. He co-founded Apple Computers, led the team that developed the Macintosh computer, was instrumental in bringing computer animation to the mainstream through Pixar, revolutionized the music industry with the introduction of the iPod and iTunes, and continues to push the envelope of connectivity with the iPhone. At a glance, you might think that Jobs has led a charmed life. Although the things around Steve Jobs tend to turn to gold, the process to get them that way is anything but easy or instant.

At the age of thirty, Jobs saw his life’s work stripped from him when he was ousted from Apple, the company he co-founded. It was a devastating event in Jobs’s life. His friend, Mike Murray, was so concerned that he thought Jobs might attempt suicide. (It’s important to note that Steve Jobs never admitted to contemplating killing himself — just that the events were so traumatic that at least one rational person was fearful of the possibility.) Jobs was in tears and distraught over it. By 1986 Jobs only retained one share of the company he created. Midas’s gold had turned to ash.

Far more depressing than the example of Steve Jobs is that of Frederick Douglass. While striving to cling to his own sense of worth as a human-being he came up short — beaten by the slave system. In his first book, Douglass writes:

Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!

Sunday was my only leisure time. I spent this in a sort of beastlike stupor, between sleep and wake, under some large tree. At times I would rise up, a flash of energetic freedom would dart through, my soul, accompanied with a faint beam of hope, that flickered for a moment, and then vanished. I sank down again, mourning over my wretched condition. I was sometimes prompted to take my life, and that of Covey, but was prevented by a combination of hope and fear.

Being broken by Covey was the low point of Douglass's life. Recovering himself from the experience was the turning point that put him on the path to freedom.

The good news is that life is exceedingly tolerant of most failures and setbacks. George Washington had more than his fair share. Militarily he was routed by the British in New York at the beginning of the war. The defeat was so severe that if the British General, General Howell, had pursued Washington’s army with a little more vigor the Revolution would likely have been swiftly ended. Washington had suffered so many defeats, that the one thing he learned to be exceptionally good at was retreating. Through it all he learned to survive. He endured his way through the Revolution. Washington has the distinction being the losingest general ever to win a war. Though beaten repeatedly in battle he was never completely defeated; he, therefore, was able to win in the end. Persevering through failures, not avoiding them, is what carried the day.

The list goes on: Walt Disney was bankrupt by the age of 21. Benjamin Franklin found himself stranded in England when trying to get his first business started. Bill Gates and Paul Allen’s first business, Traf-O-Data, never got off the ground. Albert Einstein dropped out of high school before went on to earn his doctorate in Physics. Bill Cosby also dropped out of high school after failing the tenth grade; later he earned his doctorate in education.

Everyone has setbacks and failures, sometimes gut-wrenching ones. They can be useful. Our failures teach us if we are willing to listen. They are the feedback that let us know what we are doing isn’t working. Failure helps us size up our obstacles so that we can know the measure of effort required to overcome them. To overcome failure, we must overcome the fear of failure. And we must accept that failures are a part of the process even as we try our best to avoid them. Failures will happen. We will be upset, depressed, and even distraught when they do. Successful people, however, do not avoid failure; they can’t. Instead, they work through it. They learn from it. They overcome it. And if failure ever forces them to accept defeat, they regain their strength and renege on their acceptance.

Once in a while, they do cut their losses and move on, but only to apply their efforts to some other productive endeavor, and only after exhausting all possibilities. Based on the biographies of the non-degreed learners I’ve been studying, as a general rule, it’s okay to think about giving up on a goal that’s important to you only after pursuing it for about ten years without success. Because most breakthroughs occur at about the ten year mark, (the amount of time it takes to develop expertise, by the way) if you have pursued your goal for about ten years you might want to seriously evaluate whether or not your goal is reachable. Even then, it should not be a hastily made decision.

We see this with Thomas Edison and his failed Ogden mine in New Jersey. Determined to revolutionize the production of iron ore, Edison poured his time and money into the project. Only after success had eluded him for an entire decade did he decide it was time to cut his losses. Thomas Edison said, “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Before he gave up on the project, he made absolutely sure he was not close to success. It took him a full decade to be certain. Even then, he simply applied his efforts to other problems rather than avoid them altogether. The expertise he developed at the Ogden mine helped solve some of those problems.

Even Steve Jobs will consider throwing in the towel after ten years. Luckily, he is not too hasty. In December of 1985, only a few months after being ousted from Apple Computers, Jobs’s offer to purchase Pixar from George Lucas was accepted. The paperwork was completed early the next year. In 1994, after 9 years of struggling and $50 million in losses, Jobs was looking to sell the company if he could recoup his investment. Microsoft was interested in the buying the company, but Jobs reconsidered. Toy Story was in production and it was a project Jobs came to believe in. He believed in it so much that he arranged a successful IPO shortly after its opening. In 1995, what had been a $50 million, decade long bloodletting for Jobs, turned into a $1.1 billion windfall. Midas just had to keep his fingers on Pixar for a full ten years before it turned to gold.

Jobs, of course, returned to Apple Computers and led it through one of the most triumphant turnarounds in business history. Among other things, what I find admirable about Jobs is his resilience. Because his initial success with Apple Computers was nothing short of meteoric, one might have expected him to quit when early success eluded him at Pixar (the same can be said for his other start-up NeXT). After all, his business history might have scripted him in the belief that success will happen early or not at all. Although he did waiver slightly at the end, nearly selling Pixar, he persevered long after most reasonable people would have cut their losses, and long enough to achieve the success he sought for the company.

The experience helped shape his business philosophy. When the Internet bubble burst, Jobs, sounding a lot like Edison, made the following statement to an interviewer:

The problem with the Internet start-up craze isn’t that too many people are starting companies; it’s that too many people aren’t sticking with it. That’s somewhat understandable, because there are so many moments filled with despair and agony, when you have to fire people and cancel things and deal with very difficult situations. That’s when you find out who you are and what your values are.

To succeed, we must think of our goals on a ten-year horizon. Long-term thinking can be liberating because it puts short-term problems in the context of the larger journey. History teaches us that problems yield to time and effort. We must give ourselves the time to figure things out — to become experts at our problems. I won’t say you should never cut your losses. I will say that if you give yourself at least ten years before you consider it, it’s likely you won’t have to.