Today was supposed to begin with the Keynote addresses --- starting at 8:30 a.m. Well, despite a timely departure, there were delays getting to the Convention Center (the bus took the wrong route and several wrong turns). This prevented an on-time arrival -- kind of like flights to a meeting where one experiences delays. And, even when my busload of folks arrived at the Convention Center, it was like we were at the bottom of a ski slope where one then needed a chairlift or gondola to get to the point where one begins the actual activities.
The world is changing every day, perhaps every minute. We see young entrepreneurs and business leaders breaking all norms and challenging the status quo in different ways.
When I left DC this morning, an icy rain was falling. By way of contrast, Orlando, FL, where the HIMSS conference is being held, is muggy and hot. Although I much prefer cold weather generally, the conference is housed in a massive conference center – as in massive. So, I am indoors in an air-conditioned place that actually could be anywhere. That’s not unique for conferences in general although other events pale in size. There are over 40,000 attendees in attendance. More on that later.
“I’m too stressed/occupied/exhausted/overworked/overburdened”— if this is something you often talk to yourselves or your mates, well, you’re definitely a person trapped inside the “too busy” circle.
As the director of marketing and communications at a leading IoT software company, I am always interested in the latest and greatest Internet of Things products. I am also slowly turning my Philadelphia row homeinto a smart home. We all have seen the smart home product displays in major box stores like Home Depot and Lowes. These are usually door locks, thermostats, lights, cameras, alarms, and more. However, when most people think of smart home products they do not immediately think of smart sound machines. As the father of two young children under five, I really enjoy a good night's sleep. As a resident of Philadelphia living in a row home with shared walls, my wife and I have been using a simple white noise machine for the past five years.
I spend a good deal of my current professional life writing books (including children's books -- see @kidbooksbykaren) and helping children and their families appreciate the enormous power of reading. Indeed, reading is one key skill for ascertaining educational success. Starting in infancy, we recognize reading develops vocabulary, imagination, memory and creativity.
Engaging in higher order thinking is not a random process. One of the hallmarks of higher order thinking is that the thinking is directed toward accomplishing something. In order to direct our thinking, we must plan so that we have a direction to go.