Carlo Rattis TED talk explains how we can use sensing data to improve our living environment.

From the TED summary:

With his team at SENSEable City Lab, MITs Carlo Ratti makes cool things by sensing the data we create. He pulls from passive data sets like the calls we make, the garbage we throw away to create surprising visualizations of city life. And he and his team create dazzling interactive environments from moving water and flying light, powered by simple gestures caught through sensors.

There are some interesting data visualizations here, too.

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Tags: Carlo Ratti, Ratti

Apparently, there is a critical lack of things to talk about on TV and they are running out of people to say stuff:  .

My old favorite restaurant, the Radial Cafe on DeKalb, has changed hands and WXIA was reporting on this as a sign of the times.  A career food guy lost his corporate job and bought the restaurant as his job.  Buying a job.  I didnt say in the interview that I prefer starting from scratch instead of buying, but still job well done.  He is feeding his family.

Coincidentally, I used to eat at Radial everyday.  They had a fried chicken, bacon, provo cheese sandwich there named the Jim Beach!

 

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Tags: Critical, Critical Shortage

What should an applicant do when placed on the waitlist at his or her dream school?  While most applicants regard the waitlist in a negative light , the best approach is to view the glass as being half-full .  In all cases, getting waitlisted is much better than getting denied.

Here are a few tips to help you navigate this often difficult and mysterious process:

1) Know your file.  Before you can develop a waitlist strategy, you need to understand where you may have fallen short in the application process.  Read over your file with a critical eye and try to identify any weaknesses. Talk to anyone you know who might be able to give you feedback .

2) Familiarize yourself with the school’s waitlist rules.  Do you need to opt in in order to be on the list?  Are you allowed to submit supplemental materials to bolster your case or inform the committee of changes to your candidacy?  Does the school offer a chance for feedback via a phone session or interview with a waitlist manager?

3) Follow the waitlist rules.

CASE A: Schools that accept supplemental materials.  If a school hints that you may want to provide a supplemental essay or recommendation letter, then by all means, take this offer seriously and get something together for the committee.  Approach these materials in the same way that you would approach the application process .  If you have several items you wish to send, it may make sense to spread them out over the course of a few weeks to demonstrate steady interest.

CASE B: Schools that do not accept supplemental materials.  This may sound obvious, but if a school indicates that they do not want supplemental materials, then you should respect their guidelines.  In other words, do not send along a new recommendation or an essay if the program has clearly indicated that you should not do so.  There may be exceptions to this – for example, if a dramatic change has taken place in your candidacy – but in most cases, you should simply follow the rules.

4) Consider a school visit.  It may make sense to visit the school, particularly if you have not been before.  So many different things can happen on a visit:

a) You never know when you’ll have that chance meeting with an admissions officer who is willing to give you a little feedback .

b) A school may take note of your visit and view it as a potential sign of your interest.

c) You may interact with students or professors who can better inform you of opportunities at the school and provide you with helpful content for any waitlist materials you go on to submit.

d) By visiting, you may find out that school X is really not for you, enabling you to move on and remove yourself from the waitlist.

Just as there are a number of waitlist to-do items, there are also countless things to avoid doing.  We’ll devote another post to that at a later date.  Please contact the Clear Admit offices for questions about waitlist strategy and our related services .

In addition, for valuable guidance about being on the waitlist, check out the Clear Admit Waitlist Guide.  This guide will teach you to understand the ground rules of a program’s waitlist policy, formulate a plan to address weaknesses in your candidacy, craft effective communications to the admissions committee and explore every opportunity to boost your chances of acceptance.  This 22-page PDF file, which includes school-specific waitlist policies and sample communication materials, is available for immediate download.

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Tags: Waitlist

  How to Prove Triangles Congruent – SSS, SAS, ASA, AAS Rules

Congruent triangles are triangles that have the same size and shape. This means that the corresponding sides are equal and the corresponding angles are equal.

We can tell whether two triangles are congruent without testing all the sides and all the angles of the two triangles. In this lesson, we will consider the four rules to prove triangle congruence. They are called the SSS rule, SAS rule, ASA rule and AAS rule. In another lesson, we will consider a proof used for right triangles called the Hypotenuse Leg rule. As long as one of the rules is true, it is sufficient to prove that the two triangles are congruent.

 

 

Side-Side-Side (SSS) Rule

Side-Side-Side is a rule used to prove whether a given set of triangles are congruent. 

The SSS rule states that 

If three sides of one triangle are equal to three sides of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

In the diagrams below, if AB = RP, BC = PQ and CA = QR, then triangle ABC is congruent to triangle RPQ.

 

 

Side-Angle-Side (SAS) Rule

Side-Angle-Side is a rule used to prove whether a given set of triangles are congruent. 

The SAS rule states that 

If two sides and the included angle of one triangle are equal to two sides and included angle of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

An included angle is an angle formed by two given sides.

    Included Angle                         Non-included angle

For the two triangles below, if AC = PQ, BC = PR and angle C = angle P , then using the SAS rule, triangle ABC is congruent to triangle QRP

 

 

Angle-Side-Angle (ASA) Rule

Angle-side-angle is a rule used to prove whether a given set of triangles are congruent. 

The ASA rule states that 

If two angles and the included side of one triangle are equal to two angles and included side of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

Angle-Angle-Side (AAS) Rule

Angle-angle-side is a rule used to prove whether a given set of triangles are congruent. 

The AAS rule states that 

If two angles and a non-included side of one triangle are equal to two angles and a non-included side of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

In the diagrams below, if AC = QP, angle A = angle Q, and angle B = angle R, then triangle ABC is congruent to triangle QRP.

 

 

The following video will explain three ways to prove triangles congruent – A lesson on SAS, ASA and SSS,

 

Using Two Column Proofs to Prove Triangles Congruent

Triangle Congruence by SSS - How to Prove Triangles Congurent
Side Side Side Postulate
If three sides of one triangle are congruent to three sides of another triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

Triangle Congruence by SAS – How to Prove Triangles Congurent
SAS Postulate
If two sides and the included angle of one triangle are congruent to two sides and the included angle of another triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

Prove Triangle Congruence with ASA Postulate
Angle Side Angle Postulate
It two angles and the included side of one triangle are congruent to two angles and the included side of another triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

Triangle Congruence by AAS Postulate
Angle Angle Side Postulate
It two angles and a nonincluded side of one triangle are congruent to two angles and a nonincluded side of another triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

 

 

 

 

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Tags: Aas Rules, Prove Triangles Congruent, Rules, Triangles Congruent

The Choice, a blog related to college admissions from the New York Times, has started providing posts to help students in India.

India Ink provides college admissions information specifically directed at some of the issues facing international students in general, and Indian students in particular.  The first few articles are from admissions officers at highly selective colleges in the US.

For my readers in India, this can be a good resource to provide general information about college admissions in the US. Of course, you can also contact me with your questions to get more specific answers.

 

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Tags: College Admissions, Students