Some Articles and a Reading Schedule

Contemporary Nonfiction. Mon, Apr 7th, 2008 at 5:25 pm

This article from the NY Times describes the newfound importance of right-brained intelligence in the workforce. One more reason to get your M.F.A. NYT Story

Another update in the development of video games. Christopher Williams of Popmatters reviews NiGHTS. Popmatters story

We will be discussing The Tipping Point up to page 59 tomorrow. If you have not purchased the book from Border’s Midtown, today is the last day to use my educator’s discount on your purchase.

While reading (and journaling, marking, or post-iting), consider the "three agents of change" Gladwell describes on page 19: "the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context." He briefly describes them in the first chapter.

Do you see the Tipping Point in your own life? (Think homework, perhaps. At what point do you "shut down"?)
Are there other trends that this can be applied to?
Are there trends that the Tipping Point doesn’t explain? How do you explain those?

In Chapter Two, he explains "the Law of the Few" in more detail, labeling three types of people that generally make up "the Few": "Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen" (Gladwell 30).

Are you a "Connector"? I new 19 people from the list on 40. Suppose I should update my address book.
Do you know anyone who might be a Connector? What is your connection to him or her?

Talk to your parents and friends about this. See how well they do with the name test, or see what trends they remember—either national or local ones.