Personal

A week ago Sunday one of mentors passed away. Oliver Ludwig was my friend, teacher, mentor, brother, and advisor. He passed away after a three year long battle with cancer, and in true Doc fashion, kept it from most of us while he fought it. Only in his passing were we made aware of his condition.

I met Dr. Ludwig in sophomore year at Villanova, I was in his chemistry class. He had a unique way of teaching the class. Most teachers make you memorize stupid minutia in order to pass their tests. Doc (as he was affectionately known) had a different belief. All his tests and quizzes were open note and open book. His approach was practical. He wanted his students to learn and I felt he was quite effective. Most of the chemistry he taught me was review from my AP class, but there were some things that left a lasting impression.

He was the first teacher to explain the value of attending class. He had done the math figuring the yearly tuition rates, divided by the number of average credits a student takes, divided by the number of hours in class per semester, divided by the number of seconds in an hour, you end up with a cost per minute of a Villanova Education. You are paying for the teachers time, it is silly to skip class. I tried never to miss class if I could help it from that point on.

Another time he spend a few minutes at the end of class teaching us about surface tension by telling us a joke. He asked, how could get a pin to float on water. The answer is that you use a piece of cigarette paper and lay the pin on top of it, then float the paper on the water and the pin will stay on the surface of the water.

But I knew Doc as more than just a teacher. Doc was also for the facility advisor for Sigma Nu, the fraternity that I ended joining in sophomore year. He was part of the reason I joined. I had originally looked at joining the greek life in the middle of freshman year, but it just didn’t fit. I looked at some of the bigger groups, but missed some of the smaller groups. Sophomore year comes around and I met this guy named Bill Clark. He introduced me to the guys and when I found out that Doc was the advisor I was even more interested.

Doc was selfless as both a teacher and an advisor. He went out of his way to do the right thing and be helpful to as many people as possible. He was kind and reasonable and a generally great individual. When I pledged the fraternity, I was given the pledge name “little Doc”, mostly because I was a science buff just like Doc, but I’d like to think that we had more in common than just our passion for the sciences.

I’m going to miss him, his constant emails about random mathematical jokes. His newsletter that published so that we as a brotherhood could stay in touch. His regime and rule at the fraternity get togethers. I will be forever grateful for the lessons he has taught me and the friends he has helped me meet.

Taken by Aaron Meyers:

I took one picture in this video (if that), and they were nice enough to mention my name in the credits. Honestly, I was just happy to be a part of the event. I’m against hate and especially against religious persecution. This was an amazing experience, and while this video captures some of the magic, it doesn’t do it complete justice. The sheer number of people present on that little lawn was amazing. It was so hard to move around. There were so many people for the rally and maybe 10 for the WBC.

I had an epiphany this morning. Facebook is really stealing from us. Not in the normal sense of “Oh, I’m taking your purse and running down the street with it”, but more in the sense, “hey, you own this music, I’m taking it.”

Back up…. How did I get here? I was reading Merlin Mann’s FAQ. He talks about how he has a facebook account but hasn’t checked it in over a year. Also on this page he confesses that he is a “writer” or creator of content. I think the fact that he is a writer and the fact that he hasn’t used his facebook account in over a year are connected.

Facebook takes your content and displays it in a way that they want to. They put it in their look and feel (which I’ll admit is starting to get a bit cleaner, finally), and redistribute it to everyone on your friend list or everyone who if the you let the content be public. Your creative thoughts are broadcast to everyone, and do you see any profit from it? Nope. Do you have control over presentation or how you are represented? Nope.

I’m not including the time or addictive nature of facebook in this conversation. If you consider the time you spend entering comments, or reading others posts, you have even more of a determent to your life.

Starting immediately, I will be taking steps to capitalize on my content, more of it will be here on my blog zacharyc.com and various other local places. I’m also only going to check facebook once a day.

Part of the reason I haven’t been writing is because I have been reading more and more Merlin Mann these days. And while I’m not a writer, some of what he says resonates with me. I want to stop writing just for the sake of writing or putting more content out there. I want what I write to matter and be of good content. I want to produce worthwhile content.

This is not one of those meaningful posts, so if you want to skip the fluff, go ahead and skip this one.

A couple of years ago (okay, four at this point, but who’s counting) I posted an article on my new years resolution. My resolution was simply, “I will DO more!”. The article can be found on one of my legacy blogs: maczack.blogspot.com, along with other interesting things I wrote when I was young. To quote one paragraph that gave me the inspiration:

I recently re-watched the movie “Batman Begins” and was struck by a single line in the movie. “Its not who I am underneith, but what I do that defines me.” That really struck me hard, as I have always lived with the notion that it is enough to be a good person. This line means that being a good person is simply not enough. You have to do good things. I cannot succed at life if I am mearly a good/smart/intellegent/athetic person, I have to do things with my gift. I am not who I think I am, I am what I do with myself.

What I like about the “I will DO more!” resolution is that is easy to achieve. Okay, my goal might be to build a west coast version of the Empire State Building, but I’ll be happy with myself if I can just get the sketches down, because that is more than I have right now. People who talk about getting “in shape” have a notion of what they want to be at the end, and work towards that end. When they don’t see the end happing right away, they get discouraged.

One of my coaches at the moment has fundamentally altered my way of working. I no longer focus on the end result. I focus on the process. If I keep working the process, the end result will be better. I might not be a master of my craft now, but if I keep studying, someday I will. I’m no longer focused on being the best, or achieving this monumental accomplishment, I just focus on being better, doing better, achieving better. Eventually greatness will come.

I’ve been doing this “I will DO more!” type resolution for the past couple of years. Last years was “I will read more!”, and I did. This single unifying process that allows me to keep being productive every year.

This year, I’m a little stuck, there are bunch of new things I’d like to work on:

• Get in better shape
• Become a better programmer
• Be a better friend
• Become a better artist
• Write better articles
• Give more hugs

These are all important, to do each of them only requires minor steps in my general routine. So instead of one New Years resolution, this year I have six. Oh fun.

Just as a little aside, here are the books I read this past year (I’m sure I’m leaving some out, but they probably weren’t memorable):

• The Blind Side
• Code Complete 2
• The Cult of the Amateur
• Outliers
• The Creative Habit
• Web Form Design

I found out the other week that one of my many mentors throughout school has passed away. Father Thomas Martin O.S.A. was one of my college professors, who in my senior year, severely (in a positive way) changed my appreciation of the Catholic church.

I chose to go to Villanova because of their strong academic and athletics program. I knew I wanted to cheer in college, and I knew that I wanted to be successful academically. It was important for me that the school I choose have both a strong academic program and also a strong sports program to pursue both of my interests. The one downside I saw to Villanova was that it was Catholic. I, my friends, am quite Jewish. I was apprehensive to say the least. I was afraid of the religious classes I had to take.

My first religious class (1050 Christian Fundamentals) was that nightmare. The teacher was a closed minded Franciscan Nun. She was nice and all, but did not care about my views because I dissented too much. Despite my hand being almost constantly raised, I was almost never called on. I felt dejected and rejected from the class and the school.

My second religious class was of an optional nature, I could study any religion. I chose a southeast asian religion class where I thought I’d learn about Buddhism. I was wrong, while the class covered Buddhism, it mostly covered Hindu. I learnt a ton and enjoyed the class despite my initial disappointment about Buddhism instruction.

Finally my senior year rolled around and I had to take my last religious requirement. Again, it was required to be Catholic. I decided to take a class on Christian Spirituality. The teacher, Father Thomas Martin. I’m not going to dissuade with you images of me being the most prestigious student in the class. It was second semester senior year and I was already counting my way out. I spent much of the class browsing the internet on my laptop in the back corner next to Allan Ray (one of the star basketball players).

Despite my lack of academic interest in the class, the teacher caught my attention. He was very vibrant and energetic, and above all more open minded than any priest I had known before. He seemed to care about the fact that my religion was different and wanted to learn about it. He was quick, intellectually, and very considerate. I don’t remember how long it took, but after a short while I got into a habit of walking with Father Martin from class to his office. We had many interesting conversations, sometimes about the class topic or something I caught that was interesting, or sometimes just about my religion and his. He always talked to me with respect and kindness.

The most memorable of these conversations might be something that would get him in trouble. I once asked him about what happens to people who don’t believe in Jesus as the messiah, after death. I have my own deluded notion of Judaism. I believe that my responsibility is to be a good person here. I don’t believe in Jesus, and I don’t believe I should be concerned with the afterlife. If it exists, that is great, if it doesn’t then I’ll be remembered for how I am here. This is in stark opposition to anything Christian I have heard. According what I had heard at the time, if I died, I was going condemned because I didn’t believe in Jesus.

I posed the question of what would happen to me to this priest and I asked him for his honest opinion. I could take it, but I was curious. He turned to me and told me that he felt G-d would take care of all those who are good people, I might not believe in all the aspects of his G-d, but if I’m a good person that should be enough. I guess a part of me has always wanted to believe in the magical nature of the afterlife.

I felt like he had stepped outside of the realm of his role to come to down as a person and converse with me. He was awesome and will be truly missed. I had tried to connect with last October, but was unable to find time in our schedules. I didn’t know it was the last time I’d ever be able to shake his hand. I’ll miss him and remember his kindness forever.

Here is a collection of some other links:

• Fr. Thomas Martin, O.S.A.
• Fr. Tom Martin, OSA, Augustinian Scholar
• Father Thomas F. Martin, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Dies at 66
• Rev. Thomas F. Martin, O.S.A. (1943 – 2009) – Interesting note, that it turns out that Thomas Martin went to Tolentine College, and I had my class with him in building called Tolentine at Villanova
• His Personal Villanova Page

Just for some additional fun, here are some of the papers I wrote for his class:
John1 and Didache
Sailing Up The Wall of Ocean
The Life of Antony and Pythagoras Contrasted

Last night a friend invited me over to her place for a get together to celebrate the ending of passover and the ability to eat leaven bread. I, being only quasi Jewish, have been eating leaven bread for the entire passover period, but my religion is a story for another day.

I end up in this room, and she has a bunch of friends over, and we get to talking and somehow it comes up that my father was the president of J.Crew for a couple of years in the 90s, and she sparks up, stares at me and says “We must be cousins!”. Honestly, I was a little put off at first. I don’t know how to act. I’m not particularly close to my family, which is something I wish I could change, but finding random family across the country is weird, to say the least.

We went through a bit of history and by the end of the night we had solidified that we were indeed cousins, related through my grandmother on my father’s side. This was a very happy surprise, and while I wasn’t captured by it at the moment, the more I think about it the cooler it would be to have more family out here (3000 miles away from the rest of my family).

And while this is really cool, this leads in the rest of this post which is about the Small World theory. You better know it is as Six Degrees of separation. In which Stanley Milgram found that through an average of 6.1 mailings, someone in the middle of Nebraska or Kansas could connect to a person in Boston. You can read about the full experiment on the Wikipedia page.

My argument today is that world was much smaller than 6 degrees during the time of Milgram’s study, and that the world is only continuing to shrink over time (thanks mostly to technology).

First premise, the world was smaller when he did the study. The parameters of the Milgram study said that you should send the letter to the person you believe to most likely to have a connection to the Target. My belief is that people don’t know who is in each other’s address book. We might have a vague idea, but we are not the best at knowing how all these connections exist.

Sue, in Kansas, might have sent the mail to Paul in Pennsylvania because he is geographically closer to Boston. What Sue doesn’t know is that her friend Emily, two blocks down the road happens to have met the Target at a conference in New York. Paul doesn’t know the guy and has to forward the note on. Thus what was a one person connection is now greater than 1 connection.

Secondly, the world is getting smaller. With the invent of commercial air travel, I can easily move to California while still having a connection with my family in CT. I now know a ton of people in different parts of the country. I’m a one level connection to all my friends and family in CT.

If we are willing to allow connections to be electronic (working professionals who live in different countries but communicate via email), the computer industry has opened up our connections to many different networks. This doesn’t even include people who have met because of their online connection (online dating sites is an example).

I’m not going to venture a guess at the number of links between people, but I wonder if you started with Kevin Bacon, and counted the AVERAGE connection to him, you might have a better guess. Just a thought.