It was another quiet Saturday night in Rexburg. As I rode through town with Officer Maybee of the Rexburg Police Department, he explained that vigilance is his primary job. “Even though this is America’s Family Community, we still need to be careful. We need to be prepared.”
And prepared he is. The console in his Dodge Interceptor bristles with buttons and switches. The center console contains a police radio, controls for the sirens and lights, and an electronic lock for guns. Additional lights, built into the lights atop the car, include specialized spotlights, illuminated arrows for directing traffic, and others. There's a lot of equipment in the cab of the car, including a locking gun rack with an AR-15 and a pump action shotgun.
There's a camera mounted to the windshield, peering forward and back at the same time. It's tied to a system that automatically records when the siren is turned on. Microphones throughout the car are capable of recording any word said in the car by an officer, a passenger, or the arrested perpetrator. The back seat is separated from the front by heavy Plexiglas.
As we drive around town, he points out minor traffic violations committed by nearly every third driver. “There’s a lot of stuff we don’t pull people over for most of the time,” he tells me. Apparently many stops are made to give the officer a reason to look into the vehicle - it lets the officer check the driver against open warrants, spot drugs or alcohol, or anything else that's out of the ordinary. There are a multitude of reasons to pull people over; driving violations, lights out, backing up without watching behind the car, etc.
After a couple hours of quiet driving, I’m given a tour of the police department offices. As we enter the rear of the building, I’m struck by how small a space the police operate in. He shows me a holding cell, a small Plexiglas cell that was no more than 5 feet by 8 feet. It's under constant surveillance by video camera.
Booking happens right there, with mug shots taken right by the holding cell. Suspects stand in front of a wall while holding a date number display. They have a counter of equipment for breath analysis. It looked like bubbling jars of water. Apparently the process is more complicated than simply blowing into a tube; the equipment has started malfunctioning and won’t be fixed until a specialist from Boise has a chance to come look at it.
The finger print machine was surprisingly high tech - there's no paper or ink involved, instead they use a system similar to a flat bed scanner, where fingertips are pressed against the glass. They're recorded digitally and fed into a state cataloging system, compared against other prints already in the database.
The interview rooms are small, suffocatingly so. It's a tiny, cramped room, and it's under both video and audio surveillance. The microphones concealed in the ceiling are sensitive enough to pick up even a whisper - there is no privacy in the interrogation room.
There's a standing file of open warrants, so that names can be immediately checked as they are called in from traffic stops or brought into the station. There's a separate system to interface with federal and national information databases. It's used for cross-referencing finger prints. I ask Officer Maybee if it’s like CSI. He just laughs.
“You know, on those TV shows, they can go to any computer and check these things in a few minutes.” He chuckles again. “It’s not really like that.” Not only is special access required to check prints against other databases, but it’s often a long grueling process. Biometric information, the unique identifiers that allow a computer to distinguish between various sets of prints, is not as speedy a science as one might hope. Generally, biometric data only helps to narrow the search. Most of the checking is done the old fashioned way – a human visually comparing one set against another.
In the office with the print computer, there's a board on the wall displaying some of the more unique weapons and items that have been confiscated. The board is covered in knives, clubs, pistols, drug pipes, even throwing stars. It’s a grim reminder that even in Rexburg crime can occur; and it’s neither kind nor graceful.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Sleep and The College Student
Just last week, the National Sleep Foundation observed National Sleep Awareness Week. As daylight savings time shifts our clocks and our sleeping patterns, everyone has lost a little sleep, and college students may be especially vulnerable.
While the average person needs between 8 and 9 hours of sleep, college students instead get an average of 6.5 hours a night according to one survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation.
The problem isn’t restricted to students either. Another NSF survey conducted in 2005 found that more than 30% of drivers have not only driven while drowsy, they have fallen asleep at the wheel.
A study published in August 2008 in the Public Library of Science by Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi suggests that sleep plays important functions in consolidating new memories, discarding unimportant information, and allowing the brain to prepare for future demands. “Sleep may be the price you pay so your brain can be plastic the next day,” say Cirelli and Tononi.
Several studies have linked lack of sleep to difficulties in recalling information, performing complex tasks, and increased difficulty in learning while sleep deprived.
“Getting enough sleep everyday is as important to your health as eating healthy and being physically active. Physicians should regularly ask all patients about sleep, diet, and physical activity habits.” says Woodie Kessel, MD, MPH, Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS (ret.) who was a member of the 2009 Sleep in America poll taskforce. “Sleep is as vital as eating right and exercising to our health.”
The techniques for improving sleep are simple, but effective.
While the average person needs between 8 and 9 hours of sleep, college students instead get an average of 6.5 hours a night according to one survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation.
The problem isn’t restricted to students either. Another NSF survey conducted in 2005 found that more than 30% of drivers have not only driven while drowsy, they have fallen asleep at the wheel.
A study published in August 2008 in the Public Library of Science by Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi suggests that sleep plays important functions in consolidating new memories, discarding unimportant information, and allowing the brain to prepare for future demands. “Sleep may be the price you pay so your brain can be plastic the next day,” say Cirelli and Tononi.
Several studies have linked lack of sleep to difficulties in recalling information, performing complex tasks, and increased difficulty in learning while sleep deprived.
“Getting enough sleep everyday is as important to your health as eating healthy and being physically active. Physicians should regularly ask all patients about sleep, diet, and physical activity habits.” says Woodie Kessel, MD, MPH, Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS (ret.) who was a member of the 2009 Sleep in America poll taskforce. “Sleep is as vital as eating right and exercising to our health.”
The techniques for improving sleep are simple, but effective.
- Only use the bedroom for sleep, not for school work! The more activities you bring into bed, the more difficult it is to simply sleep.
- Go to bed at the same time each night, and wake at the same time each morning. This includes weekends and days off. One day of sleeping in can throw off your sleep patterns for days.
- Avoid exercising within three hours of going to bed. Exercise causes a release of several hormones that promote energy and mood, but the energizing qualities of these hormones will keep you up longer than you would normally be.
- Try exercising shortly after waking to utilize those hormones in the morning.
Friday, February 6, 2009
How to Beat Procrastination with Mind Control
A new study could hold the solution to all of your procrastination woes. Don't put off reading this, read it now. It might just change your life. Even if it doesn't, it will change the way you think.
Procrastination is not a new problem. Marcus Aurelius wrote about it, inviting readers to "Think of all the years passed by in which you said to yourself 'I'll do it tomorrow'." Buddha taught to avoid it, calling procrastination a bargain against death.
The putting off till tomorrow what should be done today has probably been discussed and dissected since the second day of human history, when man first thought to himself, 'Dang, I really should have finished this yesterday!'
A new study, published by the Association for Psychological Science, has found that our tendency to procrastinate is largely tied to how we think about a task. Do you think of your upcoming projects in vague, non-specific terms? Chances are high that you'll put it off, waiting till the last minute - if you get around to it at all.
The research shows that thinking about upcoming projects in a concrete, task oriented manner is the key to beating procrastination. "As a result," the study says, "individuals are quicker to identify opportunities to act, initiate responses, and complete assigned tasks prior to a deadline."
The idea isn't necessarily new. Productivity expert David Allen, author of the best seller Getting Things Done, describes such thinking as a core element in the GTD system. His system describes finding 'next-actions', breaking down projects into smaller steps.
Productivity blogger (and GTD devotee) Merlin Mann explains this pretty well. "How you articulate an activity or how you choose to frame a project within the context of your larger life and work will say a lot about how successful you can be," writes Merlin. "This starts with simple things like beginning next actions with a physical verb."
So, in the spirit of these new findings, here's a quick list of steps to take in order to make this new thought process a habit.
1. Figure out what needs to be done in the near future.
Look at assignments that are due in the next week. These might be major projects or just regular assignments. Initially, limit yourself to the projects that are coming up soon, the items that you should be working on right now. As you make this a habit you'll naturally begin to apply these steps to every assignment you get, as each comes in.
2. Find a 'finish line' for each project.
First and foremost, you need to have a concrete idea of what you're trying to accomplish. If you don't know what you're trying to do, it'll be a whole lot harder to get it done, and far easier to put it off. Lacking a defined end definitely falls into the category of abstract thinking, and that's what gets you into procrastination trouble.
3. Figure out at least three steps that must be taken to complete each project.
Start with your end goal and work backwards. If your end goal is to have a snack, your plan might include such steps as getting off of the couch, walking to the fridge, opening the fridge, extracting from the fridge your snack of choice, and then returning to the couch to enjoy said snack.
If it's a writing assignment, look at the parts that will need to be assembled to make your finished piece of writing. You'll need to find a specific topic, relevant research, and a properly structured piece of writing about your topic and research.
4. Simplify your steps into a checklist.
Take your list of steps and make each item as basic and direct as you can. Don't obsess over it, but jot it down onto a short checklist. In the writing assignment example your list may look something like this:
- Find/brainstorm a topic
- Find x number of relevant details about the topic.
- Write a 600 word essay, using the research above.
5. Use this same process as part of your regular planning.
The findings of this study are important not because it explains why some people might have procrastinated in an isolated incident, but to explore also how our own thinking leads us to put things off.
If you want to apply this to your own life, find a way to change your own thinking. Maybe it's a sticky note that you put in your planner. You could use a detailed organizational system like Getting Things Done, or something as simple as jotting things down in a planner and adding a couple of "action steps". However you do it, this simple change in your thought processes should lead to higher productivity, and less stress.
Procrastination is not a new problem. Marcus Aurelius wrote about it, inviting readers to "Think of all the years passed by in which you said to yourself 'I'll do it tomorrow'." Buddha taught to avoid it, calling procrastination a bargain against death.
The putting off till tomorrow what should be done today has probably been discussed and dissected since the second day of human history, when man first thought to himself, 'Dang, I really should have finished this yesterday!'
A new study, published by the Association for Psychological Science, has found that our tendency to procrastinate is largely tied to how we think about a task. Do you think of your upcoming projects in vague, non-specific terms? Chances are high that you'll put it off, waiting till the last minute - if you get around to it at all.
The research shows that thinking about upcoming projects in a concrete, task oriented manner is the key to beating procrastination. "As a result," the study says, "individuals are quicker to identify opportunities to act, initiate responses, and complete assigned tasks prior to a deadline."
The idea isn't necessarily new. Productivity expert David Allen, author of the best seller Getting Things Done, describes such thinking as a core element in the GTD system. His system describes finding 'next-actions', breaking down projects into smaller steps.
Productivity blogger (and GTD devotee) Merlin Mann explains this pretty well. "How you articulate an activity or how you choose to frame a project within the context of your larger life and work will say a lot about how successful you can be," writes Merlin. "This starts with simple things like beginning next actions with a physical verb."
So, in the spirit of these new findings, here's a quick list of steps to take in order to make this new thought process a habit.
1. Figure out what needs to be done in the near future.
Look at assignments that are due in the next week. These might be major projects or just regular assignments. Initially, limit yourself to the projects that are coming up soon, the items that you should be working on right now. As you make this a habit you'll naturally begin to apply these steps to every assignment you get, as each comes in.
2. Find a 'finish line' for each project.
First and foremost, you need to have a concrete idea of what you're trying to accomplish. If you don't know what you're trying to do, it'll be a whole lot harder to get it done, and far easier to put it off. Lacking a defined end definitely falls into the category of abstract thinking, and that's what gets you into procrastination trouble.
3. Figure out at least three steps that must be taken to complete each project.
Start with your end goal and work backwards. If your end goal is to have a snack, your plan might include such steps as getting off of the couch, walking to the fridge, opening the fridge, extracting from the fridge your snack of choice, and then returning to the couch to enjoy said snack.
If it's a writing assignment, look at the parts that will need to be assembled to make your finished piece of writing. You'll need to find a specific topic, relevant research, and a properly structured piece of writing about your topic and research.
4. Simplify your steps into a checklist.
Take your list of steps and make each item as basic and direct as you can. Don't obsess over it, but jot it down onto a short checklist. In the writing assignment example your list may look something like this:
- Find/brainstorm a topic
- Find x number of relevant details about the topic.
- Write a 600 word essay, using the research above.
5. Use this same process as part of your regular planning.
The findings of this study are important not because it explains why some people might have procrastinated in an isolated incident, but to explore also how our own thinking leads us to put things off.
If you want to apply this to your own life, find a way to change your own thinking. Maybe it's a sticky note that you put in your planner. You could use a detailed organizational system like Getting Things Done, or something as simple as jotting things down in a planner and adding a couple of "action steps". However you do it, this simple change in your thought processes should lead to higher productivity, and less stress.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Introducing - Me!
Pleased to meet you - my name is Brian Westover. I'm a student in Comm 240, Intro to Journalism, taught by Brother Williams. This blog will be my official blogging outlet for the class, and all of my posts for the class will go right here.
This is not my first blogging venture, however. Once upon a time, I was regularly posting at thewriterspot.blogspot.com, and there's a good possibility that I'll post these entries there as well, and resurrect that blog. It was a blog about freelance writing, and my trying to learn the business. Writing is, after all, what I want to do for a living.
My ultimate goal is to work regularly with one or more magazines, ideally writing about health, science, and self-improvement topics. I think I’d prefer magazine writing over hard news journalism, if only because it would be less stressful. This is however, just a general direction, and I’ll likely wind up doing something very different. Given the present economy, I’ll probably be happy for any job I can get.
Last but not least, here are a few facts about me that aren’t writing related:
- - I’m married, and have been for two and a half years. My wife’s name is Jessica, and she’s great.
- - I’m working full time at RadioShack. It’s a crappy job, but it pays the bills.
- - I started out as an engineering major, and I hated it – a lot.
I guess that’s about it for me. I am looking forward to this semester, and everything this class can teach me.
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