Week 4 Reading Reflection

What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

It wasn't much of a surprise, but one of the most pleasant parts of the reading was the creative process. I do find the creative process to be subjective however. For example, I wouldn't expect J. Cole's creative process to be the same as Kendrick Lamar's, or even for the two to have the same steps in their respective processes. This doesn't prohibit them from creating creative works that a lot of people can enjoy. I do both spoken word, sing and rap and my creative process is something entirely different, but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate someone else's process. 

Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I think that I wasn't very perplexed with the reading this week because I was so interested by the discussion regarding the creative process, only helped me understand it more.

If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

The first question I would ask is if he allowed someone else to write that section, would he think that the section about the creative process would come out different, because of my belief of how the process is different to everyone else. My second question is does he think that someone's process can evolve, because I feel like mine has.

Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

There wasn't anything I disagreed with, just felt like everyone's creative process is different. Especially since creativity manifests in different forms across multiple disciplines, I wish the author would have collaborated with multiple people from multiple disciplines to get a more holistic approach to the creative process.

Top 5 World Problems

“If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” 
-T.S. Eliot

Ranking the World's Biggest Problems

1. Colorism across cultures causing discriminatory practices.

2. Fear of Disease

3. Governmental Instability 

4. Extinction Across Species/Ecosystems

5. Worldwide Income Inequality

Ranking the World's Biggest Solutions

1. The solution to extinction (legislation/policy)

2. The solution to fear of disease (better tracking, prevention)

3. The solution to governmental instability (soft power increase)

4. The solution to colorism (better understanding of other peoples and cultures)

5. The solution to income inequality (promoting economies to be more efficient and fair)

The reason why I chose income inequality as both the most important and the most difficult problem and solution is because it is the one issue that directly affects every person on Earth. How we move to solve those issues can determine almost all the other issues I listed, from being more responsible with our ecosystems to resolving issues with governments that can be economically and politically unstable.

-Oliver

Identifying Local Opportunities

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America."
-Bill Clinton

1. Portable Water Purification System
Title: Stabenow tells CNN state had 'no sense of urgency' in water crisis
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A938A7020620A0?p=AWNB
Story Description: On the 23rd of January, Molly Young reports that the state of Michigan was very lackadaisical in responding to the situation in Flint.
Problem Description: High levels of lead poisoning in the waters of Flint, Michigan have led to massive damage in the city's infrastructure (estimated at 1.5 billion dollars) and have poisoned hundreds of people
Who Has the Problem: Residents of Flint, Michigan

2. High Speed Rail System
Title: EPA's proposed ozone rule will slow down North Texas Commuters
Link: http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/other-voices/article56156110.html
Story Description: The story chronicles how non-compliance increased regulations on air quality in Northern Texas could lead to a decrease in federal funding for roads and bridges, which could increase congestion.
Problem Description: Currently North Texas is currently over the federal requirement when it comes to transit emissions. This has raised the issue of what ways could circumvent these new proposed regulations
Who Has the Problem: Commuters in Northern Texas

3.Public-Private School Care Program
Title: Fixing School Funding: Illinois' antiquated school aid formula doesn't work
Link: http://illinoistimes.com/article-13787-fixing-school-funding.html
Story Description: The story goes into detail of effects of not increasing funding for public education
Problem Description: Currently 67% of Illinois school districts are reporting deficit spending, which has led freshman state senator Andy Manar from Bunker Hill to write a bill that reworks how funding works.
Who Has the Problem: Tax payers of Illinois, students of public school districts in Illinois

4. Permanent Fresh Food Market in east Gainesville
Title: Groceries Continue Opening in West Gainesville, East Remains a Food Desert
Link: http://www.wuft.org/news/2015/09/14/groceries-continue-opening-in-west-gainesville-east-remains-a-food-desert/
Story Description: The story chronicles the disparities in the amount of groceries stores in west Gainesville as to east Gainesville
Problem Description: The USDA currently classifies large amounts of eastern Gainesville and Alachua County as 'food deserts' or regions that go without areas to get fresh, healthy food for its citizens.
Who Has the Problem: Residents of eastern Gainesville

5. All inclusive Homeless Shelter (Housing, Basic Job Training)
Title: Former Homeless man helps others now living on the streets
Link: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article56351340.html
Story Description: The story talks about Paul Johnson as he works to combat homelessness in St. Augustine, Florida
Problem Description: There is a problem in evaluating how many homeless people are in St. Augustine and how effect previous efforts have been to combat it
Who Has the Problem: Homeless population of St. Augustine

Very Short Interview No. 1 with Vivian Filer

I had the opportunity to interview Vivian Filer, who is a member of the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center Board of Directors, and storyteller. She has overseen the careful and deliberate construction of the Cotton Club since its reconstruction project began over 10 years ago. The Cotton Club is intended to serve as a museum and community center that will address some of the economic needs in eastern Gainesville.

OT: Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you Ms. Filer.

VF: Thank you for having me.

OT: So what has been the hardest part in the construction of the Cotton Club?

VF: Just the time. We've been at this for over ten years, and over that time funding has kind of ebbed and flowed, so its a matter of securing consistent funding to finish the project. The project moves at the rate at which we receive funding.

OT: How exactly do you want the Cotton Club to influence Gainesville?

VF: I want the stories that have been lost to time about how vibrant a community eastern Gainesville was to be retold. The big performers like James Brown and Bo Diddley that came to Gainesville on the Chitlin' Circuit to perform created memories here in Gainesville that need to be told, and the Cotton Club will do that while addressing those needs.

OT: One aspect about the Cotton Club that you want to remain iconic?

VF: There is the large tree that sits outside the Cotton Club and in between the corner and the church. Once the landscaping is completed, I want to turn that area into a place where people can tell stories, that honor the tradition of passing information orally. I'm a storyteller myself, and I can just picture large crowds gathering under that large tree to hear not only stories, but spoken word performances, musicians and the like.

OT: Thank you so much again Ms. Filer and I'm looking forward to interviewing you again at the semester.

VF: Thank you.

Not just this time, but each time I have the opportunity to speak with Vivian, she makes everything seem like she's telling a story. To be honest, that is her gift of speech, and hearing her speak helps me with my spoken word pieces, my stories and just being articulate as possible in communicating my thoughts to other people.

-Oliver

World's Biggest Problems

"We are the change we are looking for; we are the change that we seek."
-President Barack Obama

1. The United States accounts for 5% of the world's population, but uses 25% of the world's energy.
Since there is ever increasing consciousness regarding sustainability, this has been and will be an issue that will have to be addressed by energy providers, consumers and politicians. The solution to it is extremely complicated. However, regardless of how the situation is addressed moving forward it will be solved because a focus will be put on not being wasteful in extracting copious amount of non-sustainable energy, but instead by maximizing the effectiveness of the energy resources we already have. 

2. Colorism across cultures causing discriminatory practices.
The concept of colorism goes back centuries, especially in black and Latinx communities that promote the concept of certain people being inherently superior to others due to lighter, more fair skin complexions and hair textures. This has to be solved with education on how equal opportunities for all people yields a more efficient workforce as well as progressive policies that afford all peoples with the necessary opportunities.

3. Extinction Across Species/Ecosystems
The extinction of species can lead to the destruction of ecosystems. This can lead to the decline of food sources for human. To preserve those ecosystems, and in turn these food sources, there has to be an active effort to preserve these ecosystems, including forming more sanctuaries and regulations on what work can be done in these areas.

4. Worldwide Income Inequality
This is a very broad topic in itself. However, in many developing countries the bottom half of people control less than ten percent of the wealth in any particular country. For the United States this can be particularly troubling, with one out of four of these people being affected in Asia, which as a region happens to be an economy that it is looking to work with, signing emissions deals and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This could be troubling, with the U.S. partnering with an economy that isn't as efficient as it could be.

5. Lack of Water
Currently, less than one percent of the world's water is safe to drink. With the amount of people in the world increasing, there's less water to go around. This has to be combated with new technologies that are created to treat larger amounts of unclean water faster.

6. The Prevalence of Armed Conflict
As the world becomes more and more developed, armed conflicts, regardless if its between nations or through independent organizations have a larger chance of hurting innocent civilians. Nations have found more damaging ways to harm each other, with crippling power structures through attacks in cyberspace and utilizing soft power (diplomacy) through sanctions more frequently.

7. Fear of Disease
Ebola is a disease that has been tracked since the 1970's. However, the recent outbreak has again raised the issue of world governments being effective at isolating and effectively treating infected areas and infected peoples. This has to lead in faster medical advances in being to identify potentially fatal diseases in people, especially in remote areas faster.

8. Information
With the advent of social media and the internet has come literally hundreds of thousands of platforms that people utilize to spread information. This could potentially lead to larger levels of misinformation among larger groups of people, or people being censored. This has to be solved as technology firms and companies work with world governments to ensure that policies are put in place to prevent this.

9. Governmental Instability 
Unstable governments that are prone to collapse could potentially create power vacuums that are filled by fanatic organizations that survive because of disorder. This problem becomes tricky to solve, with moral dilemmas on whether to keep up potentially corrupt governments or endure the consequence of allowing these independent organizations to flourish.

10. Unmotivated People
In several countries, there are several laws on the books that restrict the dissemination of information, voting, organizing into unions and striking. This is a problem by itself, but the problem is exacerbated when there aren't people to fight these issues. This problem will only be solved as long as there are people ready to fight for these rights.

-Oliver

My Bug List

"I've got 99 problems."
-Jay Z

Twenty Problems in 20 Products/Services-

1. Android Phones- Why hasn't there been an equivalent to Facetime developed for Android devices as a default option to video chat? Yes, you can download Skype or use the video feature on Facebook Messenger, but it hasn't been developed as a default.
One of the things that sets apart Android from IPhone is this specific application, or in this case lack thereof.

2. Scooters- Some scooters will shut down as part of a factory default, without any real explanation as to why.
Manufacturers are largely unable to explain these problems, and instead remedy the situation by issuing recalls to these products.

3. "Hoverboards"- I put this one in quotations, because I don't understand why they're called hoverboards. They don't hover.If anything, they're segways without handle boards.
For branding, it's more effective to show that we've made a lot of technological advances. 

4. Playstation/Xbox- Why aren't the PS4 and Xbox backwards compatible? It's 2016, I should be able to play my PS2 games on a PS4. Just saying.
Playstation and Xbox have tried to address this issue by re-releasing games as DLC. However, you still have to pay for them, which is redundant if you already own the game.

5. IPhones- Why does Apple feel the need to create new chargers every model? They don't recreate an entirely new phone, so why recreate a charger?
There are a variety of reasons why this occurs, but it boils down to generating more revenue.

6. Bookstores- Why aren't there more spaces to actually sit down and read? It doesn't make sense that a lot of floor space is being dedicated to toys and no to chairs or more books.
The main explanation is to appeal to a larger demographic, but compromises the main intention of the book store.

7. YouTube- Since they are partners with Google, is there any way that YouTube Red can come default on new models of Android phones?
This could be a possibility  in the future, but as of right now YouTube Red is a subscription-based service.

8. Chipotle- Specials need to become a thing. My chicken, double rice, double bean combo is good, but I'd like to see what unique dishes the restaurant itself can come up with.
The first allure of Chipotle is the fact that the consumer has free creative control over what they eat. However, combinations are limited.

9. Chipotle pt. 2- Why don't you have a drive-thru? It would be very convenient for a lot of people that are on the go.
The spaces that Chipotle restaurants are built into are very small, tight areas. So in the future it would be better to build these buildings into areas that would have space to allow for this.

10. College/Universities- Universal textbook plans. I feel like universities should work with publishers to be able to purchase certain editions of textbooks as a bundle. (Currently doing a study into this one).
Currently distribution deals are not structured this way. Professors that publish through the university itself are under different deals entirely. This would boil down to homogenizing the way deals are set up proportional to the volume of material being released.

11. Chip Companies- Why do you leave half of the bag empty? Air is free outside, I don't want to pay for that.
Similar to the charger, its to maximize revenue. 

12. Dunkin Donuts- Specifically the location at Target Copy, why do you run out of biscuits by 2 pm? I'd like to enjoy my chicken biscuit...with a biscuit.
The location at Target Copy has to share its space with a Firehouse Sub, Sushi-to-Go and Target Copy itself. This boils down to being able to maximize storage space.

13. Timberland- Nike and Adidas largely give you the opportunity to customize the design and color scheme on a pair of shoes. Even though they make a different kind of shoe, why can't I have the same ability to customize a pair of boots?
Specifically with Timberland, it is because they are not in the same exact markets as Nike and Adidas. This boils down to creating a "customization system" that will garner the most attention and revenue.

14. My Apartment Complex- The fact that I haven't had WiFi for six months is terrible.
Tenants do not have a contract with the cable company. Instead the contract is with the complex itself, which then distributes the rights to the internet. However, when the signal isn't sent to the room, its not an issue that I can solve directly, but have to do business through the apartment complex.

15. Chick-Fil-A- Why don't you deliver food? I'd love to enjoy that chicken and Polynesian sauce without having to get up all the time.
There are independent delivery companies that do this, but their success could mirror how Wal-Mart has cut out the middle man and become its own distributor to its stores.

16. UF- Is there any way to put desginated bike lanes that run through Turlington? Peak foot traffic hours make it unreasonable for people to ride their bikes through Turlington.
This could be a matter of composing a bill that passes through Student Government Senate.

17. Rappers- Why are they called mixtapes (which are free) then subsequently released on platforms like "Apple Music," which forces consumers to pay?
This is a result of exclusive licensing deals, which largely cover how material will be released. This would have to be resolved individually with artists.

18. Retail- For stores like Nike and Adidas that give you the option of having an "ID," why hasn't there been an in-store sign-in that tells you outfits and shoes that you may like based on previous shopping patterns?
This is technology that is very prevalent in-online, but has not yet translated into in person shopping. This could help a customer who may be browsing to narrow down what exactly they're looking for.

19. Ikea Furniture- Why aren't spaces to hold electronics or certain types of furniture carved into the desk itself?
There are prototypes with smaller, independent companies being developed, but a larger company would have more success. 

20. NFL- Why hasn't the league tried to make a sustainable amateur league that they can make money off of instead of relying almost exclusively on college football?
It's tried before via NFL Europa, but had to fold because the market in Europe was not yet developed to enjoy American football.

This list was more difficult to construct than I thought. I found success however when I really focus not only "fixing bugs" but trying to create solutions, which led me to address concerns far outside my immediate circle of influence.

-Oliver

My Entrepreneurship Story

“I believe that the community - in the fullest sense: a place and all its creatures - is the smallest unit of health and that to speak of the health of an isolated individual is a contradiction in terms."
-Wendell Berry

My first significant experience with entrepreneurship was having the privilege of being an intern at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, apart of the IA Fall Internship Experience.

The opportunity to preserve the legacies of legends in soul and blues like James Brown, B.B. King and Bo Diddley was, and is an honor that I could not pass up. In doing so I have the opportunity to help the Board of Directors secure grants, develop two business and marketing plans an even moving to develop a new website. All those experiences have been instrumental to my understanding of what entrepreneurship is.

More importantly it has helped me more clearly define who exactly am I trying to achieve prosperity for.

Working at the Cotton Club is more than just a chance to be an intern, or even revitalize a community. Working at the Cotton Club is the first step to providing an economic voice to a region of Gainesville that has lacked it for several decades. To me that is the definition of being an entrepreneur. Less about making a single person or small group of people rich, but giving a region the opportunity to accumulate long term wealth from a variety of industries.

That global picture is far bigger than the Cotton Club. The revival of eastern Gainesville will be contingent on not just me as an entrepreneur but entrepreneurs from all generations and walks of life determined to see the success of this community. That is not just not cultivating a business, but a tradition of teaching and creating entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial minds.

-Oliver

My Introduction, My Story

"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way."
-John Maxwell

My story doesn't start during this moment at Launch Into IA.

My story doesn't even start with me.

My story, or at least how I've come to interpret my life and the work I feel impressed to do in it starts with my grandfather on my father's side. Despite being equipped with just a 6th grade education he still understood the inherent value of receiving an education and instilled the belief of a better life through a good education to my father and all of his children. With his life, the product of being just three or four generations removed from the world's first successful slave revolt and black republic exemplified the conviction and fortitude necessary to raise leaders of people from all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds.

By the time my father married my mother he was more than just a physician. He was, and is a visionary destined to redefine the standards within medicine. His work ethic was known to be unparalleled, his knowledge base was to be envied by his colleagues and his drive to bring about the most efficient form of medical care provided from a physician was not to be understated.

However, leaders are not always recognized for what they maintain in their comfort zone, but what they create in times of crisis.

In having my siblings while trying to refocus the trajectory of their lives by living in South Florida is the personification of that axiom.

As his father before him my father, alongside the wise counsel provided by my mother made sure to instill the values of a good education in my brother, myself and my siblings. Without fail, they exemplified the benefits of not only receiving a good education with my dad working to renew his board certification and my mother going back to school to earn her bachelor's and now her master's degree.

Being a witness to that work ethic motivated me to come here to the University of Florida. Even though I'm far from the best in math or most sciences, their commitment to serving disadvantaged populations through healthcare was in part the motivation I needed to move to serve similar populations through community engagement and public service. Despite having a lot of growing to do, I can confidently say that after just one year studying what I love in political science, being an appoint official in on campus politics, running a campaign in local politics, preserving the history of people of color in Alachua County as well as musical legends that have graced this county with their talent I am not the person I was before.

Even though I focus on the work that needs to be done and not necessarily the positions that open up, I am confident in my ability to make my voice heard.

Even though I cannot predict what life will throw in my direction, I am confident that you like the person you'll see respond to those situations.

-Oliver

Entrepreneur's Mantra

The following is a a link to my recital of the Entrepreneur's Mantra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk71UGaCLXE

Sample Post One

Here is a sample post for Intro to Entrepreneurship.