Michael T. Starks

Category: Storytelling

  • Teaching

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    I love teaching! The bulk of my experience with teaching is in teaching physics. This feels comfortable. It feels important. It’s certainly doable for me. I’ve also taught several math classes, which makes sense to me. I haven’t done such a good job at teaching other stuff. Teaching online classes has a certain appeal. But…

  • Access to Great Content

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    Reading or listening to good books is one of my favorite activities. Yesterday, Malcolm Gladwell’s Revenge of the Tipping Point was released on Audible. I started listening as soon as I could. If his first book, The Tipping Point, was about the phenomenon of social contagion, this book promises to be more about the causes…

  • Under the Spell of the Ocean

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    I love walking along the beach, listening to the ocean waves. Walking in sand is slower than walking on pavement. The ocean waves have their own rhythm. They beckon me to slow down, to appreciate the wonders of nature, to ignore the chattering of my monkey mind. The salty air is nourishing. I could get…

  • The Origins of Taste

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    As we bumble our way through childhood, we begin to notice some cool things that touch our hearts. I learned how to ride a bike, and this gave me access to a much larger world than my own backyard. I could ride to two different parks, my elementary school, and more. Along the way, I…

  • The Longing

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    I love the experience of looking forward to something. It can be anything. Today, I’m looking forward to seeing the ocean. While I’ve seen the ocean before at Ocean City, Maryland, I long to see it again. To feel the sand and water beneath my feet while walking along the beach. To hear the waves…

  • Jimmy Buffett

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    I’ve enjoyed listening to Jimmy Buffett songs most of my life. I’m proud to say he’s one of my heroes. I have good memories of my Aunt Mae listening to Jimmy Buffett. I think she’s the one who first introduced me to his music. I love so many of his songs. The ones I’ve listened…

  • Curvature of Earth

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    If you look at a tall sailboat on open water heading toward the horizon, you’ll notice that the bottom of the boat is no longer visible when you can still see the top of the sails. This is great evidence indicating that the Earth is round. Yesterday, I noticed something interesting, which may also indicate…

  • Estate Planning

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    While I don’t love the idea of planning for what might happen when I die, I recognize the importance of doing what I can to make things easier for my surviving family members. Lori Trawinski wrote about her experience as an executor in the AARP article My Mom Died. Then Came the Ordeal. She has…

  • Clutter

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    I want to make a more concerted effort to eliminate clutter. For me, the following amount of clutter on my desk is fine. However, it’s not unusual for my desk to look like this. Or worse! One strategy to eliminate clutter is to throw it all into a box or a bag. Then, you can…

  • Who’s Who

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    Apparently, I’ve been listed in Who’s Who again. While I haven’t purchased the services that would let me confirm what the listing looks like, I have downloaded this fancy PNG. Some honors are more meaningful than others.