http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys

The technique was originally developed by Sakichi Toyoda and was later used within Toyota Motor Corporation during the evolution of their manufacturing methodologies.

The five whys is a question asking method used to explore the cause/effect relationships underlying a particular problem. Ultimately, the goal of applying the 5 Whys method is to determine a root cause of a defect or problem. The following example demonstrates the basic process:
My car will not start. (the problem)
Why? – The battery is dead. (first why)
Why? – The alternator is not functioning. (second why)
Why? – The alternator belt has broken. (third why)
Why? – The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and has never been replaced. (fourth why)
Why? – I have not been maintaining my car according to the recommended service schedule. (fifth why, root cause)

Cool! I ask that all the time, ha. No wonders Toyota Motor Corporation is set to be no. 1 automaker in the world soon.

By Valeria Maltoni

Good stuff!

Forget your “but’s”, “maybe’s”, and all the other defeatist thoughts — it doesn’t take extraordinary talent to be creative. It takes discipline. Set daily routines for yourself, and transform what you thought was just a stroke of genius, the spark of a rare moment into a habit — your creative habit.
It takes work, and it takes commitment. When you decide to blog for money it takes healthier doses of both — do a reality check with Darren Rowse and ProBlogger. The good news is that it is possible for you, too. If you are willing to loosen up a little.
To be creative, you need to know how to prepare to be creative. It’s about much more than quality of presentation, it’s about being able to bridge between what you see in your mind and what you present to the world — skill is how you build that bridge. And you build your skill with practice.

Thanks to Don who posted a link to Google’s news archive. I decided to explore a little further and saw this great chart generated by Google. So I made this chart with a bit of ASL history.

ASL history chart.

1816 – Sign language from France was brought to the United States by Thomas Gallaudet, now known as American Sign Language.
1880 – ASL was banned in the 1880 Milan Conference.
1960 – Dr. William Stokoe Jr. published Sign Language Structure, showing that ASL is a complex natural language in its own right with an independent syntax and grammar.
1988 – Deaf President Now (DPN) began protest, selecting Dr. I King Jordan as Gallaudet’s first deaf president.
2000 to now – Another protest at Gallaudet University. Deaf blogsphere emerged. Videophone is invented.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain

Something’s going to change…

This confirms it. I’m convinced that American Sign Language is the fastest growing language in the nation right now.

via The Detroit News

Starting this fall, Michigan State University students can live in a dorm where American Sign Language will be the primary mode of communication, university leaders announced Thursday.
MSU’s ASL Living/Learning community will be housed at Snyder-Phillips Hall and will be one of the most innovative programs in the nation, officials say.

Color By Hand: The American Sign Language Spectrum

Very cool. Someone made a very nice post, using colors to learn American Sign Language, on their website, colourlovers.com.

Click on the link or image to see the video.

CNN/Money on Google

Cool!

Cool, my boss, Dennis Hwang, is in this video.

Workaholics

The passionate worker doesn’t show up because she’s afraid of getting in trouble, she shows up because it’s a hobby that pays. The passionate worker is busy blogging on vacation… because posting that thought and seeing the feedback it generates is actually more fun than sitting on the beach for another hour. The passionate worker tweaks a site design after dinner because, hey, it’s a lot more fun than watching TV.

That describes me perfectly; love to tweak my page. I’m planning to redesign my website. :-)

I just got back from a weekend trip in South Lake Tahoe where I snowboarded at the Sierra resort. Two days worth of snowboarding!

On this map, I drove to Fremont Bart station in Fremont, then took the BART to Embarcadero station to meet a friend there. Then, we drove in his dad’s Volvo S40 station wagon over the Richmond bridge, which means I’ve gotten on all five bridges around the Bay Area—the Golden Gate, the Oakland Bay, the San Mateo-Hayward, and the Dumbarton bridge. Cool! Then, through Sacramento on I-80, then US-50 to South Lake Tahoe.

Wow, Lake Tahoe is a huge lake! Definitely lots of area to be explored around there.

Big thanks to my friend, Mike, for driving us.

Man, I feel bad for her and her supporters. She’s worked hard and fell short. She’s not gonna get the nomination. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a showdown between Barack Obama and John McCain. Young vs the old, heh.

An emotional Clinton vows to fight on

“Some of us put ourselves out there and do this,” she said, her voice breaking and her eyes glistening with tears, “against some pretty difficult odds and we do it, each one of us, because we care about our country.”

techdigest.tv

viable.net

One of the more interesting products on show at CES Unveiled this afternoon was Viable’s video phone aimed at the deaf and hard of hearing amongst us.

The newly-established company’s put a lot of time and money into developing the phone, which is completely portable and wireless. With a 10.2″ touch screen, the unit has a USB port, audio and video inputs and outputs and the usual visual and audio alerts you’d expect for high quality two-way video conferences. At 30fps, it’s not too shabby.

What’s fascinating is the phone was developed by deaf people, for deaf people. Even the man on the stand telling me about it was deaf himself, and using sign language, communicated via a translator.

True Life: I’m Deaf

Do you have severe or total deafness? Are you a deaf student, about to graduate and go out into the world on your own for the very first time? Or are you currently attending a school for the deaf but about to transition to a mainstream school? Perhaps you’re trying to find a job but experiencing difficulty because you are deaf? Are you hoping to get a cochlear implant or to be fitted for a hearing aid to significantly improve your ability to hear? Are you a member of an advocacy group, fighting to gain more rights or assistance for deaf people?

If you fit any of these descriptions, MTV and Gigantic! Productions want to hear your story.

MTV’s True Life is a long-running, award-winning documentary series where young people share their stories in their own words. We hope that, by allowing people to tell their stories and communicate directly with their peers, we can impact the way people interact and engage with the world they live in.

If you appear to be between the ages of 16-28, and would like to share your story, please email us at casting@gigantic.tv and be sure to include your name, location, phone number and a photo.
Since 2001, Gigantic! Productions, a New York City-based production company, has been producing hard-hitting, award-winning documentary programming for networks such as MTV and CMT. Please visit our website: www.gigantic.tv

That’s cool they’re looking for a deaf person to be in their documentary. I know a few who would be a good fit for this.

Deaf Porn Gives Viewers an Eye-Opener

WN: You use deaf performers to create adult entertainment for an audience that includes deaf, hard of hearing (HH) and hearing people. What is unique about the performers’ interaction that viewers won’t find in mainstream porn?

Capone: Deaf Bunny uses deaf and HH actors and actresses primarily to connect with the majority of the viewers, who are deaf and HH. ASL is the common thread of the deaf community and the social behaviors — such as eye contact, body language, facial expressions and vocals (deaf people are loud!) — are unique to our culture. You won’t find that in mainstream adult movies.

Ha, I find it very funny. The guy sure knows how to give good answers to the questions she asked.

Makes me want to work out every time.