e&s (Engineering & Science) publishes 2-sentence article

The Fall 2016 edition of Caltech’s magazine e&S (Engineering & Science) includes my 2-sentence article under a heading of “In honor of Caltech’s 125th, we asked alumni: What’s your favorite Caltech story, personal or historical? Here are just a few of those memories.”

The magazine includes the following text. (link)

• As a math major and senior, I took graduate-level physics courses taught by Richard Feynman, Rudolf Mossbauer, and Kip Thorne. THREE GREAT TEACHERS teaching three great courses, each in a subject for which the teacher is, to put it mildly, well known.

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Follow-on note

The online version of the Fall 2019 edition of Caltech magazine includes an item about me in the article titled “Endnotes: Unexpected Jobs; What was the most unexpected job you ever had?” (link)

Attended Charles Townes 99th birthday event

I attended a celebration of the 99th birthday of Charles Townes, held on his birthday, July 28, 2014, at the University of California, Berkeley.

Charlie and I talked briefly, after the formal part of the event. (Photo below, by Taran Singh) I gave him a copy of “Physics Math Reset.” (Previously, we met via Caltech-related events, I provided him some computer advice, and he and I served on the advisory board for Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public policy.)

It was good to learn more about Charlie’s many accomplishments and interests.

At that event, I met Taran Singh, who is producing a film, Unturned Stones (and link), about Charles Townes. Taran and I plan to stay in touch, regarding the film and perhaps other matters.

It was also good to talk with various people who have had long-term relationships with Berkeley’s Physics Department.

Charles Townes and Thomas J. Buckholtz (photo by Taran Singh)

Spoke on Dark Matter and Dark Energy, for NextNow

Recently, I gave two “Shedding Light on Dark Matter and Dark Energy and More” talks for NextNow.  One talk was July 18 in Berkeley.  The other was July 27 in Portola Valley.  (Each municipality is in the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California.)  Here is a link to a video of the second talk.

I was pleased that “non-scientists” seemed genuinely interested and asked good questions.  I discussed (in non-science terms) research that attempts the following.

• Suggest descriptions of dark matter and dark energy.
• Explain quantum gravity and unify it with electromagnetism.
• Compute the mass of the Higgs boson and suggest masses of neutrinos.
• Suggest a basis for P violation, CP violation, … and reframe concepts of such violations.
• Predict undiscovered elementary particles and basic interactions.
• List known elementary particles and find new uses for the Standard Model.
• Provide other results.

I was one of several speakers (4 in Berkeley and 8 in Portola Valley).  Each talk was limited to 5 minutes.  11 of the 12 presentations each had 20 slides, with an automated change of slide every 15 seconds.  The format is called Ignite.  Other speakers discussed software and patents (Randy Farmer), a youth program based on sailing and discussing STEM {science, technology, engineering, and mathematics} (Ian Andrewes, The American Youth Sailing Force), the future of NextNow (Jay Cross), the practice of happiness (Randy Taran – Project Happiness), chocolate and writing (Birgitte Rasine – Birgitte Racine’s author web site), how to write books (Joel Orr), and why smart is sometimes dumb and dumb sometimes wise (Prasad Kaipa).

I would like to thank Bill Daul, Jay Cross, and Tammy Chan for offering these speaking opportunities and recording video.  Bill started NextNow years ago.  I have been privileged to be a member.  Various people, including Jay and Bill, are helping to try to even more invigorate the group.

Coincidentally, CreateSpace (an Amazon.com subsidiary) listed my book, Physics Small and Vast: Basic Interactions (via Create Space), earlier on the day of my presentation in Portola Valley.  And, the book is now available via Amazon at Physics Small and Vast: Basic Interactions (via Amazon.com), Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, and Amazon.fr.

Thomas J. Buckholtz talks with NextNow in Berkeley (photo by Jay Cross)

Thomas J. Buckholtz talks with NextNow in Portola Valley, July 26, 2013 (photo by Tammy Chan)

NextNow audience in Portola Valley (photo by Bill Daul)

Setting up for Thomas J. Buckholtz to speak for NextNow in Portola Valley (photo by Bill Daul)

Led Discussion on From Great Potential to Not-So-Great Results – What are we missing?

Recently, Mark Finnern and SAP hosted an “open mike” Future Salon.  I led a discussion on “From Great Potential to Not-So-Great Results – What are we missing?”  (link: https://t.co/shxaWiaF , starting around minute 26:20 and ending around minute 38)  People presented concepts.  There did not seem to be much disagreement with the concept that society can and should try to frame more important issues, solve more important problems, and capture more specific opportunity.  In response to a question, I mentioned opportunities to reconsider to what extent people and discussion focus on individuals and to what extent people and discussion focus on groups.  I also noted opportunities to consciously improve self-awareness and thinking skills.

Another person led a later session and recommended people’s focusing more on deciding what they want to achieve compared to trying to achieve what they think they want.

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Click for information about Thomas J. Buckholtz

Gave presentation for Phi Beta Kappa

Recently, I led an after-dinner session on “From Great Potential … To Not-So-Great Effects. What is society missing? What can we do about it?” for the Northern California Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

I very much appreciate audience members’ contributing much during the presentation, Cal Wood’s having invited me and being such a considerate host, the opportunity to help support Phi Beta Kappa’s scholarship fund, and my being able to enjoy some time at Asilomar State Beach.

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Published book “Create Crucial Insight”

Recently, I completed and made available a new book, Create Crucial Insight.

Insight matters.  People use insight to be aware, to plan, to achieve, and to appreciate achievements.  Needs for crucial insight range from personal to global.

Now, you can use Direct Outcomes checklists to create crucial insight – easily and quickly – throughout your work.  People use Direct Outcomes to frame issues, solve problems, and create opportunities.

Address pivotal questions such as the following.  “What services do our customers need?”  “What do we need to do?”  “How well do we need to do it?”  “Who best should do it?”  “What impact will it have?”  “What should we say?”  “What else should we consider?”  Gain crucial, situation-specific insight.

I wrote this book so that you can use Direct Outcomes, think well, create crucial insight, use the insight, do great, and thrive.

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Click for information about Thomas J. Buckholtz

Attended TiE event featuring Aneesh Chopra

On September, 19, 2009, I attended a  TiE Silicon Valley event featuring remarks by Aneesh Chopra (federal Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Technology, Office of Science & Technology Policy, U.S. federal Executive Branch), Dow Wilson (Corporate Executive Vice President and President, Oncology Systems, Varian Medical Systems), Dave Anderson (President and CEO, Headsprout), Scott Lang (Chairman, president and CEO, Silver Spring Networks, Zia Yusuf (Global Ecosystem and Partner Group, SAP), and Steve Wozniak (co-founder, Apple).

Mr. Chopra’s remarks focused on three areas of initiatives – building blocks of innovation (including secure infrastructure, research-and-development collaboration, and 21st-century workforce), innovation for national priorities (including healthcare information-technology, smart grid, and education technology), and open-government culture (including initiatives and platforms).  I was also intrigued by education-oriented remarks from Mr. Anderson and Mr. Wozniak.

After the formal program, I was pleased to have opportunities to …

• Talk briefly with Mr. Chopra.  During the formal program, I had submitted a written question regarding initiatives to foster the development of information systems that help people understand the appropriateness and risks of making decisions based on the information the people are using.
• Talk briefly with each of Mr. Anderson and Mr. Wozniak and offer to send each some thoughts about making better matches between learners and sources of learning. (See “Guide Your Learning Initiatives,” via this link.)
• Talk briefly with Mr. Lang about ‘smart metering’ and related services from energy utilities, based in part on my being cognizant of such an effort (regarding agricultural refrigeration facilities) when I led a company-wide innovation program for Pacific Gas and Electric Company during the 1980s.
• Be introduced to Kiran Kini Malhotra, Executive Director, TiE Silicon Valley .

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Co-produced video “From Outrage to Outcomes – Let’s produce pivotal progress!”

On August 27, 2009, LectureMaker posted a video featuring my presenting From Outrage to Outcomes: “Let’s produce pivotal progress!”.

There is much that society, businesses, and individuals need and want to achieve.

I hope many people will learn from, use, benefit from, and teach the presentation’s recipe for producing pivotal progress.  The presentation indicates needs for new progress (in education, healthcare, transportation, and politics and governance; throughout society; and specific to individuals), discusses why progress seems so hard to achieve now, provides the recipe, illustrates uses of the recipe, encourages people to act, and notes means for obtaining help.

From Outrage to Outcomes - "Let's produce pivotal progress!"

I will be happy to help foster communities that form to take positive action.

Also, perhaps people will consider sponsoring follow-on videos regarding specific challenges, opportunities, and means to improve how society and individuals try to achieve results.

Ron Fredericks (of LectureMaker) added considerable value by making suggestions about the presentation’s content and my delivery of that content, by adding effects to the video, by tuning the technical quality of the images and sounds, and providing a web-presence home for the video and related comments.  I recommend people contact him to explore producing high-quality videos.

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Click for information about Thomas J. Buckholtz.

Interviewed for TV members of the Virtual Worlds vSIG

On August 13, 2009, Frank Jewett and I interviewed, for two half-hour Issues Today TV shows, four members of the Virtual Worlds vSIG, an organization affiliated with the Venture Capital ~ Private Equity Rountable.  The interviewees were Stewart Guenther (co-leader of the vSIG and of the Roundtable), Jeffrey Pope (co-leader of the vSIG), Michael Gialis (Sun Microsystems), and Victoria Coleman (Samsung Electronics).

The wide-ranging discussion touched on topics such as definitions of ‘virtual worlds’ and ‘mirror worlds,’ major areas served by virtual-world technologies (such as education and various aspects of business), economic impact, venture investment, possibilities for using cellular phones to access virtual-world services, and the extent to which people are studying how behavior in virtual worlds may be influencing behavior in ‘the real world.’

The programs are scheduled to be shown worldwide at 8:30 PM (Pacific Daylight Time) on Tuesday August 25 and Tuesday September 1, respectively, via CreaTV San Jose and in San Jose and Campbell (two cities in Silicon Valley, California) via cable channel 15.  I would like to thank Gloria Guenther and the guests, without whom these shows would not have been possible.  I enjoyed learning from ‘everyone,’ both at a lunch before the shows were recorded and during the recording of the shows.

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Click for information about Thomas J. Buckholtz.

UC Santa Cruz announces Sales and Marketing course

The University of California, Santa Cruz, announced that it plans to offer my Sales and Marketing for Technologists and Engineers course via its Knowledge Services and Enterprise Management (KSEM) program and concurrently as a Baskin School of Engineering Seminar course.  The course is scheduled for late March through early June, 2009, at UCSC’s Silicon Valley Campus (at Moffett Field).  People can attend either at Moffett field or via telecommunications from a classroom on the main UCSC campus.

USCS developed for the course the following flyer .

I look forward to the prospects for teaching this course (number 22176; also ISM 280M) and contributing to the success of participants.  It was a privilege to teach a Leadership and Innovation course via UCSC during each of 2007 and 2008.  I believe the students demonstrated that they gained from perspective provided (including by themselves), discussion, Direct Outcomes achievement tools, and using the tools as part of homework and a project.

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Click for information about Thomas J. Buckholtz.