I’m an economist?!?!?

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Paul Corbosiero

I’m an economist. You’re an economist. We’re all economists!!!

No, this isn’t a take on Oprah. There are no monetary giveaways here. Or are there? When someone says “economy”, I’m willing to bet more than 75% of the population thinks of one or more of the following:

  • The stock market/Wall Street
  • Gas/oil prices
  • Interest rates
  • 2008 global recession (maybe?)

While those are all major players in the economy, you don’t have to be a day-trader, or energy guru, or work in finance to be an economist.

You may be thinking, “Well Paul, I’m a doctor. I’m an engineer, or I’m a project manager, so surely, I am not an economist!”

I’m here to change your mind. We are all economists. We apply economics every day without second thought. Here’s how that works:

It’s 10pm, and you’re deciding whether to wake up at 5am to go to the gym, or sleep in until 6:30am. To gym or not to gym? If you wake up at 5 and head to the gym, you’ve made the decision that working out is more important to you than the extra 90 minutes of sleep, and vice versa.

Next is breakfast. Do I skip it and just go with coffee, or do I go for a breakfast sandwich, or go with a yogurt?

Throughout the day you continue to make decision after decision which hopefully provides you with some benefit. In economics, this is called “utilization”. It’s the idea that you make rational choices based on what will bring you the most benefit, satisfaction, and maybe even happiness.

The counterpart to that decision is called opportunity cost. In the example above, the opportunity cost of going to the gym at 5am is not getting an extra 90 minutes of sleep. It is the next best alternative to your decision that you don’t get to do.

Writing this blog right now has opportunity costs. I could be focusing on a project I’m on, or working toward renewing my PMI credentials, but I’ve chosen to write this blog at this very moment instead.

Each decision we make also has downstream effects on everyone else. Say after the gym I choose to head to the local bagel shop and purchase a delicious breakfast sandwich. I’m not only taking time to drive there, but I’m also voluntarily handing over my hard-earned money to buy the sandwich. By doing so I am contributing to the bagel shops financial stability to remain open and provide other customers with bagels, coffee, muffins, and so on. Because of this mutual, and beneficial exchange (my money for their bagels), I gain satisfaction and happiness by enjoying a yummy breakfast sandwich, while the employees of the bagel shop are paid and remain employed.

On the other hand, if most people decided to go elsewhere for breakfast, the bagel shop would likely go out of business, or may need to let go of some employees. If the shop does go out of business, loyal patrons would no longer be able to enjoy their favorite breakfast sandwich or bagels.

Let’s continue with this scenario. The bagel shop goes under and now 10 people are out of a job. Those 10 seek unemployment benefits from the state. They also struggle to pay their bills, can’t buy enough food for them or their families and end on a poor diet. That poor diet leads to diabetes, or high blood pressure, and increased risk of stroke. One of them ends up in the emergency room because of a stroke and oh, by the way, they have bad health insurance. So now the providers who care for the patient aren’t fully reimbursed for their services, so they fight the insurance companies for better reimbursement rates, which then falls back on us during open enrollment where our insurance premiums go up $150 per paycheck, and now we’re taking less money home each pay period, which results in us not being able to have the luxury of heading to our favorite bagel shop because we no longer can afford it.

ECONOMICS IN A NUTSHELL!

There are 4 economic principles covered in that whirlwind scenario. First, there is no such thing as a free lunch. When you take the time to do one thing, you give up the opportunity to do something else (opportunity cost). That is time you will never get back. It’s like going to the movie theater and watching an awful movie. Or maybe even reading this blog.

Second, there are at least 2 sides to every interaction. Paying for a bagel provides satisfaction and eliminates and empty stomach while the employees of the bagel shop receive paychecks and the ability to use that money on things they want or need.

Third, the law of unanticipated influences, better known as the “butterfly effect”. How was I to know by no longer buying breakfast at the bagel shop it would lead to higher insurance premiums for me?

Finally, the law of unintended consequences. How was I to know that not buying from the bagel shop would lead to one of their employees getting sick? That was not my intention at all!

I could go on. I tend to geek out about economics, but here are the takeaways:

  1. You apply economics with every decision you make throughout the day, with the hope that each decision provides some benefit or utility to you.
  2. Economics is not just about the stock market, oil prices or interest rates, but rather the sum of all our decisions that directly or indirectly impact the stock market, oil prices, and interest rates (if we don’t purchase Apple products, their stock is going to tank, and less people will invest and lose lots of money).
  3. Everything you do impacts the economy. If you eat healthy, exercise almost daily, and get plenty of sleep, you’re likely staying out of the hospital, which helps lower health system costs. If you smoke or drink excessively, chances are you may develop chronic diseases which taxes our health system by having others pay into the cost to cover your care.

Whether or not you believe me, you and I are economists, and our decisions effect everything around us.

Posted in Learning, Planning | 1 Comment

Summer Must Reads

Posted on June 6, 2024 by Bridget McLaughlin

With low temperatures and rainy days hopefully in the past, it’s time to look ahead to the upcoming summer days. Hopefully for most this means getting to enjoy the outdoors and other hobbies alike. Personally, my ideal summer day would be sitting by the water and reading a good book. Finding the perfect place to set up my beach chair is easy, but picking the right book can be difficult. With endless options and genres to choose from it can be overwhelming at times to decide which book to grab off the shelf or download on Kindle. Here are some suggestions to help you get you going on your summer reading list.

The Will of the Many by James Islington

An unpredictable plot, a hero’s journey that shocks you, one completely original that you won’t see coming until it explodes in your face. At an elite Academy, a young fugitive uncovers mysteries and world-changing secrets you’ll never see coming. If you consider yourself a fan of fantasy or science fiction, I cannot recommend this story more. Fair warning, this is the first book in an unfinished series, and you will be left with questions.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This book is a love letter to computer games and the journey through of life and friendships. Two childhood friends come together as creative partners of video game design where success brings more than what’s expected. Spanning thirty years from Cambridge, MA, to Venice Beach, CA, these two friends experience life using the world of video games. The last 100 pages feels too real. I encourage all to pick this one up!

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

A classic for a reason. This is a comfort read filled with relatable wisdom, wit, and an appreciation for the beauty in life. Follow these sisters on their coming-of-age journey into an obsessive society. I also recommend the film adaption with Emma Thompson if reading is not your thing.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

This book cover may be what you will find under the definition perfect beach read. An overworked book publicist’s plans for the future hit a snag when she discovers the roommate she’s been falling in love with, lives seven years in the past. Perfect for contemporary romance lovers. 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

The author takes the expected good superhero archetype and twists it to create Eli and Victor – two best friends and academic rivals, turned extra-ordinary. When their senior year thesis moves from academic to experimental, things go horribly wrong. This is a villain origin story. Highly recommend to thriller, fantasy, and dark academia genre readers alike.

Posted in Fun, Work Life Balance | 1 Comment

The Future of Workplace Conversations

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Brock Anderson

Regardless of what role you are in or how long you’ve worked somewhere, everyone has had to have difficult conversations with their boss, peer, or vendor. These workplace stressors can negatively impact your quality of work and, most of all, your enjoyment with your role/company. As we are moving into a more digital world, companies have been out to solve a wide range of issues with AI integration. A segment of this work has been in AI integrating with work, whether it’s to help streamline your work, prepare for interviews, or aid in strategy. But a topic that hasn’t quite been explored nearly to the same extent as others is a training module that will allow you to train/practice having difficult conversations with your boss, peers, or vendors. 

This new tool is called conversation AI and if you peruse Google trends the way I do, you will have noticed that over the past six months it has exploded in Google search popularity. Various companies have rolled out enterprise tools for conversation AI (Google, Microsoft, IBM, Mind Tools). Multiple articles have come out from companies who have implemented these tools to test groups within their organization and their post-pilot surveys have shown that on both the manager and employee side, they have seen vast improvements in communication effectiveness, which in turn has increased employee performance as well as enjoyment with their job/company. 

The primary difference between a conversation AI tool versus ChatGPT is that with a conversation tool, you are adding parameters and information which helps the tool create conversation examples. Say you feel like you are ready and qualified for a promotion. You will fill out a series of prompts (tenure, job level, accomplishments). There is even a way to upload previous performance reviews to give the AI full context. The AI tool will then give you tips to help you reshape your communication style, suggest ways to think more broadly about your approach, provide guidance on what to say and what to avoid, and ultimately enhance the effectiveness of your conversation. Naturally, this isn’t a perfect replacement for human interaction, but used as a thought partner, it can be a useful tool to help you get out of your own head and think about the challenge in front of you differently. Because successful feedback centers around context and language; positioning your message and choosing the right words to convey your thoughts effectively. 

  

The future of this tool will continue to get more and more realistic. At the latest IBM product showcase, they showed a virtual persona they are hoping to unveil at the end of 2024. This persona will integrate with Zoom and a couple of other virtual meeting platforms and this persona will be a real-time conversation with AI centered around workplace conversation training. This premium product will incur a predicted high cost to implement at the enterprise level but will be exciting to see how it will change the landscape of the inevitable difficult conversations in the workplace.  

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Can we relate?

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Tim O'Leary

Project managers are driven by project success. PMs look to processes to manage success and they look to outcomes to measure it. Some measure success by project deliverables, others by the long-term impact of the project, some by project efficiency, like schedule and cost, yet others measure success by adhering to a project culture or a project vision. However you measure success, there is a lot to do before closing out a successful project. We comb through requirements, we look at risks, then research those risks, then we weigh them, and then we host meeting after meeting after meeting regarding them…but seriously, what is it that we depend on to be successful? In a selfish act of self-preservation, I’ve tried to answer that question many times.

I have worked on lots of different projects, different types, different sizes, and for different types and sizes of organizations. From world-class cancer institutes (that’s us) to one-machine clinics in the middle of nowhere, and everything in between. Throughout, there has always been one common thread to success. You guessed it, PEOPLE. But it is not their expertise that does it. It is the relationships. I believe that the relationships we make with the people on our project team are central to our project’s success. Simple, right? Here are some of my ideas about building good relationships. 

– Relationships rely on communication. Building effective communication takes an active, generous listener. Listen with intention and make sure you understand what the speaker is saying and if you don’t, ask questions, lots of specific questions. Being an active listener shows intent and interest.

– When listening, look for common ground. A common topic or interest is a great way to connect with a person. Finding even the most distant connection is a great way to start a relationship. Take note of anything that is shared between you, your team members, and your team itself.

– Being part of a team is rewarding, but we are individuals first. Recognize that each member of the team is unique and that they may have their own intentions and individual goals. If we listen and communicate well, we can find that we have shared goals. Find a shared goal and find ways to highlight those shared goals during your communications. Look for opportunities to lead those shared goals and if you can, commit to delivering on a shared goal.

– Relationships require attention. Be attentive to your colleagues and recognize how your team and team members communicate. Be willing and flexible to meet their communication needs.

– Be respectful. That is an obvious one, but when communicating about project issues or problems we should be especially respectful and avoid blaming. Blame doesn’t do your project or relationship any good. Remember, and this is important, remember to include a hefty amount of praise at the same time. Explaining poor outcomes with respect, honesty, and a bit of praise will highlight the problem while not damaging or jeopardizing the relationship. 

– Strong relationships depend on trust. Building trust takes time. Put the time in by being in touch with your team routinely and making yourself available to them. Always pick up the phone, always respond to a message, and be willing and eager to meet with your colleagues and team even when it may be inconvenient.

– Be kind whenever possible. All of us have personal lives and many of us at one time or another may be carrying a heavy load or going through something. Being kind takes effort, but it is easy if you practice.  

So, there you have it, my first blog post is in the books. Was it a success? Maybe, but we all measure success differently and that’s a good thing. Projects are different though. Project success is defined and finding a path to shared success isn’t easy, but it is vital. Vital to the project’s success, and vital for us to find purpose. When we share success, we thrive. I often remind myself that relationships are our connection to the world and that they are foundational to who we are. Project management is no different, except that projects have end dates and relationships don’t have to.

    Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

    Zoom Or Teams

    Posted on April 26, 2024 by Doug Miller

    I was just about to give in to the almighty Microsoft and start migrating some standing meetings from Zoom to Teams to take advantage of the integration of chats, notes, documents, etc, but I’m having second thoughts after some recent updates to Zoom functionality.  If you haven’t seen or used the new features, here are some of the highlights from the past few months:

    Improved voiceprint tool to set up your personalized audio isolation – use this feature to create a personalized audio profile that Zoom will use to promote your voice and screen out other noise and sounds around you. Haven’t tried this yet but luckily most of my Zoom calls are done in a quiet environment.

    Improve your video lighting – the new portrait lighting setting will dim your background while brightening you to make you stand out more.  This feature doesn’t seem to do a lot, at least not when applied from my home office.

    AI Companion meeting summary – this feature, once enabled, will be available from within a meeting that you are hosting.  If you select to turn it on once you have started your meeting, Zoom will send you a meeting summary once the meeting had ended via email.  Participants will be notified once you turn this on and will need to consent to its use.  The summary will include a quick recap, next steps, and paragraphs broken up by topic summarizing what transpired.  So far I’ve had mixed results with this tool as the AI Companion can struggle with acronyms, (we use a few of those, right?) names, clinical and technical terms, etc.  But I have to say it does an OK job documenting the main topics from a meeting, giving you an outline from which to build more comprehensive and precise notes.  Hopefully this technology gets better.

    AI whiteboard content generation – this new AI based feature added to the whiteboard tool allows users to generate visual ideation for an improved collaborative experience.  Open the whiteboard tool and click on the AI Companion icon to launch –

    Type in a topic and Zoom will provide you with options to generate a series of stickie notes, table, text, mindmap, or flowchart that will be refinable and editable.

    My examples below show the flowchart and mindmap created for “software testing scripts.”

    There are too many options and features to promote collaboration to list here.  I suggest you explore for yourself.

    Multi-speaker video layout – attendees with their video on will have their videos highlighted and enlarged over others when they are speaking, while still providing a view of other participants in a gallery view below.

    All screens mode – hosts can request all participants share their screens at the same time in this mode which will present the host with a scrollable side by side view of participant video and their desktop share.  The host can also share this comprehensive view with all participants if they choose.  Have not tried this feature – have to think it’s going to severely impact bandwidth.

    New meeting wallpapers – I know, we’re all kind of ‘been there done that’ with custom backgrounds but this new feature allows the meeting host to apply these to all attendees.  I haven’t tried it yet. 

    They have also updated icons and added other UI changes including the ability to customize in meeting toolbars by dragging and dropping icons.

    Again, these are just a few of the new or enhanced features in Zoom Workplace (the new app name) that I found interesting from the past few months – there are plenty more to explore.  Go to the Zoom support page for the full listing here.  Now it’s Teams turn to counter all of these new additions!  Although I see there is a Zoom app that integrates into Teams…..best of both worlds maybe?

    Posted in Communication, Innovation, Productivity, Training, Uncategorized | Tagged | 3 Comments

    Digital Spring-Cleaning: Photos 

    Posted on April 10, 2024 by Tate Forgey

    It’s that time of year for our (somewhat) annual “Digital Spring-Cleaning” public service announcement. As always, you can revisit all the installments in the series for easy-to-follow tips to tidy up your digital life. Since this is the fifth entry, we have already covered a lot of obvious topics like changing passwords, sorting through your inbox, and updating software. So, in the last couple of posts we have done deep dives into browser clean-up and physically cleaning your devices. This time we are going to tackle the elephant in the room, or rather that picture of an elephant that is blurry, dark, and identical to the fifteen other ones you took but is somehow still on your phone ten years later.   

    Photo management is something almost no one does well. So, if you actively suppress an occasional nagging thought that you really need to better organize your photos, you are not alone. The reason seems obvious; most of us have fantastic cameras with us wherever we go, but the ubiquity of cellphones has led to more than just an overload of travel, family, and pet photos. If you look through your camera roll right now you may see things like a scanned document, or a screen shot of a website you want to reference, or the picture of frozen blueberries you texted your wife to make sure they were the ones she wanted. It’s a lot. The good news is that there are improving toolsets at our disposal and some approaches that may make dealing with this technical debt a little easier.  

    Top Tips for Spring-Cleaning Photos 

    First, a quick disclaimer. There are a lot of things to consider about a photo management system that we are not going to cover here. Getting your photos in the same location so they can be organized in the first place, whether you choose to primarily use apps on your phone or download photos to a computer and use third-party software, and how (and in how many places) you back up your photos are all important things to think about as you look at your own photo management practices. The best methods will be different for different people. These tips are more in the spirit of “Spring-cleaning” to get your arms around a photo library that looks like a teenager’s bedroom. As you interact a little more with your photos you may find you have a renewed interest in dealing with these other issues head on. 

    The first tip for tidying anything is always the same – do it often 

    Before we get to the fun stuff, the uncomfortable truth is that this will take at least a little work. We all know that but have a hard time doing it. The tools we are about to discuss are great, but constant curation of your library helps nip the problem of photo sprawl in the bud. Something that works for me is to use the same thing that got me into this situation to help get me out of it, which is that I always have my phone with me. That means I can always do a little curation of my most recent photos. For instance, any time I go on a trip that involves a plane ride back, I take part of that time to go through the photos I took on the trip and delete the ones that are duplicative or just bad. Anything done later will be made easier by this. So, next time you find yourself doom-scrolling on a social media app, consider switching over to the photo feed you have already created for yourself and do a little pruning. Getting in the habit of looking at the photos you have just taken helps you stay engaged with the process of cleaning them up.  

    AI and organization tools in photos apps have been getting better 

    With that first perennial tip out of the way, the fact is that tools for searching and organizing our photos have been getting better and better. You may know that apps like Apple Photos automatically index faces so that you can search for a person, but did you know that now includes pets? Or did you know that it performs optical character recognition (OCR) so that you can search for any text that appears in a photo? No matter what ecosystem you use for your photos, the tools have universally improved. So, the flip side of the first tip is that there may be things you can do right now to help you interact more effectively with your photos that don’t require any clean up. For instance, one of the main benefits of a better organized photo collection is the ability to find that photo you know you took but seems lost in the sea of your library. I think most people try to find that photo by scrolling chronologically back through their camera roll, which can be frustrating. However, with the built-in organization of modern photo management software, there is probably a better way to find that photo by searching for a person, place, or item. Instead of tackling your whole photo library, it may make more sense to invest a little time in learning how to use those tools more effectively. (Learn how to search on iPhone, Mac, or in Google Photos.) 

    Supercharge photo management with a smarter approach 

    If we combine these first two tips, things get interesting. Certainly, you’ll want to stay on top of removing photos that you know are duplicative or bad, but dealing with the remaining photos can still seem daunting. However, in addition to the tools that automatically categorize photos, you can create your own metadata by adding keywords, which enables some extremely efficient organization. This can be a lot faster than trying to physically move photos into different folders or albums and is much more flexible. As an example, THIS blogger has a great system where she uses lightning-fast keyboard shortcuts to apply keywords that act as categories to drive further action (e.g., if the photo stood for a task) or as criteria for smart albums. It is worth watching the video to see just how fast this can be. This culling process requires a little bit of set up, but it pays off by lowering the effort it takes to review our photos while providing a lot of options to leverage that work. It separates the types of photos you have in your library into buckets that are meaningful to you and designed by you to enable the specific actions you think are important. In my opinion, using smart albums to organize your photos in addition to the smart organization features already present in modern photo software transforms the concept of what it means to organize your photos.  

    That’s a Wrap 

    The set of habits you use to keep your photo collection manageable will likely depend on how serious you are about photography and how you want to enjoy your photos, but we have more tools than ever to help. They are easy to use or maybe already there without you having to do anything. So, don’t overthink it. Like the cellphone in general, the technology that put incredible cameras in all our pockets created a situation that is simultaneously amazing and a little overwhelming. But it has never been easier to preserve beautiful images that may someday spark a distant memory. That may even happen when you go through collection to organize it! 

    Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

    March is Women’s History Month!

    Posted on March 23, 2024 by Meagan Turner

    Happy March Friends!

    St. Patrick’s Day was this past weekend, the flowers are blooming, trees are budding, birds are returning, and the equinox is quickly approaching.  Spring has certainly sprung here in Boston and we are already more than halfway through Women’s History Month!  I thought I’d use my airtime on our blog to highlight some notable and interesting discoveries by women during this important month.

    Throughout history, women have made and contributed to groundbreaking discoveries that have profound impact on our daily lives. From everyday conveniences to life-saving medical advancements, creativity and ingenuity overcame. Let’s take a moment to shine a light on just a few that I’ve come across while researching this blog.

    •      The Electric Refrigerator – In 1914, Florence Parpart, an American inventor, patented an improved electric refrigerator design. Her innovation featured a more efficient cooling system, making refrigeration more accessible to households and transforming the way people stored food.

    •      The Medical Syringe – Letitia Mumford Geer, an African American inventor, patented an improved medical syringe in 1899. Her design featured a disposable needle, enhancing safety and hygiene in medical procedures and saving countless lives in the process.

    •      The Fire Escape – Anna Connelly, an American inventor, patented one of the earliest versions of the fire escape in 1887. Her design included a bridge-like structure that allowed people to escape safely from burning buildings, improving public safety in urban environments.

    •      The Windshield Wiper – Mary Anderson, an American inventor, patented the first effective windshield wiper in 1903. Her simple yet ingenious device provided drivers with clear visibility in adverse weather conditions, paving the way for safer transportation.

    •      The Dishwasher – Josephine Cochrane, an American entrepreneur, invented the first commercially successful dishwasher in 1886. Her invention revolutionized kitchen hygiene and efficiency, freeing people from the drudgery of manual dishwashing and setting new standards for household convenience.

    •      Radioactive Elements – Marie Curie, a pioneer in the field of radioactivity, discovered the elements polonium and radium in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her groundbreaking research laid the foundation for modern nuclear physics and earned her the distinction of being the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.

    •      Computer Programming – Ada Lovelace, often regarded as the world’s first computer programmer, developed the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. In the 19th century, she collaborated with Charles Babbage on his Analytical Engine, a mechanical general-purpose computer. Lovelace’s visionary insights into the potential of computing laid the groundwork for modern programming languages.

    •      DNA Structure – Rosalind Franklin, a British biophysicist, made significant contributions to the understanding of DNA structure. Through her X-ray diffraction images of DNA, Franklin provided crucial data that helped James Watson and Francis Crick elucidate the double-helix structure of DNA, one of the most pivotal discoveries in the history of biology.

    •      Computer Compiler – Grace Hopper, an American computer scientist and naval officer, developed the first compiler for a programming language. Her work on the A-0 System in the 1950s led to the creation of the first compiler, which translated mathematical code into machine-readable binary. Hopper’s pioneering efforts revolutionized computer programming, making it more accessible and efficient.

    •      Kevlar – Stephanie Kwolek, an American chemist, invented Kevlar in 1965 while working for DuPont. This high-strength, lightweight material has numerous applications, including body armor, bulletproof vests, and industrial equipment. Kwolek’s invention has saved countless lives and has become indispensable in various fields requiring strong, lightweight materials.

    •      CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing – Jennifer Doudna, an American biochemist, and Emmanuelle Charpentier, a French microbiologist, made groundbreaking advancements in gene editing technology. Their discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 system has revolutionized genetic engineering, offering unprecedented precision and versatility in manipulating DNA sequences. This breakthrough holds immense promise for medical treatments, agriculture, and scientific research.1  

    These are only a few of the remarkable women that have used their innovative spirit and inventions to transform the world as we know it.  Their contributions have not only improved daily life but have also paved the way for progress in a variety of fields. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let us use the comments to honor other women and their contributions and legacies.

    1“Innovative inventions by women” . OpenAI, ChatGPT 3.5, 3/16/2024, chat.openai.com

    Posted in Fun, Learning, Motivation | 2 Comments

    What is Leap Day and Why Do We Have It?

    Posted on February 28, 2024 by Michael Kusmin

    February 29.  Why do we add an extra day in the month of February?  Do you really know why Feb 29 exists?  What are the odds of being born on this day?  Did you know that legally, it’s a day that doesn’t exist?  When does a person born on Feb 29 turn 18 – on February 28 or March 1?  Please read on to learn more about this notable day of our calendar.

    Why February 29 exists

    First of all, why does February 29 exist?  The concept of a leap year and the addition of an extra day to February (February 29) is rooted in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun and the need to keep our calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year.

    The Earth takes approximately 365.25 days to complete one orbit around the Sun. To account for this, the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE, included a leap year with an extra day every four years. While this approximation was close, it still slightly overestimated the length of the solar year.

    To address this discrepancy more accurately, the Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. The Gregorian calendar refined the leap year rule. According to this calendar, the year number must be divisible by four – except for end-of-century years, which must be divisible by 400.  This means that the year 2000 was a leap year, however, the year 1900 and the upcoming end-of-century years 2100, 2200, 2300, 2500, 2700, 2900, and 3000 are not.

    This adjustment better aligns the calendar year with the solar year, making it more accurate. The introduction of the Gregorian calendar was gradual, and different countries adopted it at different times. For example, Great Britain and its colonies adopted it in 1752.

    As a result of these rules, the average length of a year in the Gregorian calendar is very close to the solar year, making it a more accurate representation of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The addition of February 29 every four years helps maintain this synchronization and avoids the drift over time with respect to the event that the year is supposed to track such as seasons.

    Born on February 29?

    If you are born on Feb 29 then you may call yourself a leapling, leaper, or leapster.  Most years you will celebrate your birthday on Feb 28. Some choose to celebrate on March 1.  (More about this later in the blog.)

    The odds of being born on February 29th are 1 in 1,461, or 0.068%. That makes leaplings a minority, with only about five million leaplings in the whole world (out of about 8 billion people on the planet.)  In the US, it is just 187,000 people born on this day. 

    Here are a few famous people who share this special birthday – Ja Rule (Rapper), Tony Robbins (Author), Mark Foster (singer), Dinah Shore (singer), and Jimmy Dorsey (musician).

    And for the most famous of the leaplings, the DC Comics calendar confirms that Superman’s birthday is also on February 29.

    Notable Guinness records

    What are the odds?  There are 2 families (one in Norway, and one in Utah) on record to have 3 children, all born on Leap Day. 

    In Ireland, there is the Keogh family.  Grandfather, son, and granddaughter were all born on February 29.  For you math geeks, the odds of three generations of the same family born on the same day are 133,225 to one.  Mathematicians have calculated the odds of three generations of the same family all being born on February 29 at 3.11 billion to one!

    Legal considerations

    Here, I have to lean on Lena J. Marderosian, Esq.’s article to navigate the modern day legal aspects of February 29 on our calendar.  This is an excerpt from her comprehensive legal review.

    Leap year birthdays can complicate things on official levels. When do Leaplings celebrate their birthday? In terms of parties and birthday dinners, the decision, of course, is up to them. Many, known as “strict Februarians,” choose to celebrate on February 28 as this is in the same month as their actual birthday. However, when it comes to legal matters—like being old enough to get a driver’s license or buy a car—it’s more complicated, and March 1 may be the better choice. Consider the following:

    • Drinking: If you are born on February 29, a day which usually occurs only once every four years, then your 21st birthday will not fall on a leap year. In the U.S. you must be 21 years old to legally drink. Since February 28 is not February 29, you cannot legally drink until after 11:59 pm on February 28. So technically, bouncers should not let 21-year-old leap year babies into bars until March 1.
    • Driver’s License: Leaplings often face problems with their driver’s licenses showing invalid expiration dates, such as Feb. 29, 2015, which was not a leap year. However, according to California’s Department of Motor Vehicle blog, “For a person born on February 29 with a driver’s license or ID that expires in a leap year, we’ll use the same date, February 29. If it expires in a regular year, we’ll use February 28 as the expiration date.” However, hospital and medical records, as well as life insurance policies, which use one’s birthdate as means for identification, do not always have such consistent rules to follow in determining a Leapling’s birthdate.
    • Social Security/Medicare: Leaplings need not worry—even though their birthday only comes once every four years, their benefits are not affected. The Social Security Administration doesn’t really care what day of the month you were born in, only the month and year. So even though a Leapling’s actual date of birth doesn’t come every year, the month certainly does, and the Social Security Administration counts February as the Birth Month in this situation.
    • Other legal matters: Those of us in the legal field know that calculating deadlines is extremely important in many areas, including determining statutes of limitations, contractual computations, and even criminal sentencing. In fact, California Government Code §6803 defines a “year” as 365 days. As for the 366 days in a Leap Year, Section 6803 provides that the added day, and the day immediately preceding it, “shall be reckoned together as one day.”

    If this legalese piqued your interest, here is an article that researches specific legal cases in Massachusetts impacted by February 29.

    Computer glitches

    In the early days of computers, imagine trying to sign up for an online subscription and the program says your birthday is invalid.  YouTube would shut down your account if you entered February 29.  At Toys“R”Us (remember them?) kids could sign up to receive personalized birthday cards from Geoffrey the Giraffe.  For a short time, leap day babies were left out of the fun due to programming issues. It was quickly resolved.

    Traditions

    Here are some interesting traditions surrounding February 29.  Traditionally, a woman could ask a man to marry her on February 29th. But what if the guy said no? If she was turned down in Denmark, she would be given 12 pairs of gloves; if spurned in Finland, she was given material for a new skirt. If the proposal was rejected in Scotland, the man was fined and the government got the money!

    In Scotland, it used to be considered unlucky for someone to be born on leap day, just as Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day by many. Greeks consider it unlucky for couples to marry during a leap year, and especially on Leap Day.

    Leap Day deals

    Everyone seems to want to get in on the action.  I suggest you Google February 29 discounts.  Here is one I wish I could take advantage of.  At Krispy Kreme, after the purchase of the 1st dozen doughnuts, you can get the 2nd dozen for $2.29.  If you are lucky enough to be a leapster, you get a dozen doughnuts for free on your birthday.

    Conclusion

    Lastly, I will end this blog post with this additional tidbit of information. What date is rarer than Feb 29? Feb 30.  Swedes and Hobbits celebrate Feb 30. What??  In 1712, Sweden and Finland added an extra leap day to February to help catch up their old Julian calendar with the new Gregorian calendar.  On the other hand, Hobbits celebrate Feb 30 every year.  In Lord of the Rings universe they celebrate twelve  30-day months every year.

    Whatever you do this Feb 29, be sure to make the most of your extra day this leap year.  

    Posted in Fun | 2 Comments

    The Future of Digital Health

    Posted on February 22, 2024 by Islam Zinxhirija

    In recent years, technological advancements have been transforming the healthcare industry at a rapid pace, revolutionizing the way patient care is delivered and managed. From telemedicine to artificial intelligence, these innovations are not only improving the quality of care but also enhancing the overall efficiency of healthcare systems worldwide. In this blog post, we will cover some key ways technology is reshaping healthcare and discuss the potential impact these advancements will have on the future of medicine.

    1. Telemedicine allows patients to consult with healthcare providers remotely, improving access to care, especially in remote areas.
    2. Wearable devices like fitness trackers and smartwatches enable individuals to monitor their health metrics in real time, promoting proactive health management.
    3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms healthcare by enabling more accurate diagnostics, predicting patient outcomes, and streamlining administrative tasks.
    4. Robots are being used in surgeries, patient care, and logistics, improving precision and efficiency in healthcare delivery.
    5. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices, such as smart pills and connected medical devices, are improving patient monitoring and treatment observance.
    6. Big data analytics enable healthcare providers to gain valuable insights from large datasets, leading to improved patient outcomes and more efficient healthcare delivery.

    The integration of technology into healthcare is opening a new era of possibilities, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance patient care, improve outcomes, and streamline healthcare delivery. By embracing these advancements and leveraging them effectively, healthcare providers can not only improve the quality of care but also make healthcare more accessible and affordable for all. As we continue to witness the evolution of technology in healthcare, the future holds immense promise for a healthier, more connected world.


    Here is a twist, this blog post was written by AI. All I had to do was give it links to the websites and ask it to summarize the content into a blog post along with an introduction and conclusion. However, some areas needed to be tweaked like the title of the blog post for clarity and style. For example, the introduction needed to be more engaging to draw the reader in, and the conclusion was changed to be more specific about the potential impact of technology on healthcare. AI can assist us in our work by quickly summarizing data from multiple websites and suggesting improvements in our writing. Overall, AI can be a valuable tool in our work, but human judgment and editing are still necessary to ensure the final output meets our needs.

    References:

    Future of Healthcare: 10 Ways Technology is Changing Healthcare. Mesko, B. 11/2023.

    https://medicalfuturist.com/ten-ways-technology-changing-healthcare/

    The 10 Biggest Trends Revolutionizing Healthcare in 2024. Marr, B. 9/2023

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/10/03/the-10-biggest-trends-revolutionizing-healthcare-in-2024/?sh=1dba77a71d13

    Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Future of Digital Health

    Swan Song

    Posted on February 7, 2024 by Ron Munroe

    This blog post is one of the few in my blogging history that has been easy to submit on time. For most of my blog posts, it has been a struggle. More on that in a bit, but first a little historical perspective.

    Our group, the Project Management Office (PMO) in the IS department, started this blog a little over 12 years ago. A fellow group member, Meagan, did the very first post titled Blogging about Blogging on November 14, 2011. Since then, the PMO has created 279 blog posts and I’ve done 28 of them. I like to write, so this blog became a wonderful reason to write something every few months.

    What usually caused me to be late for some blogs was my struggle to come up with something to write about. I have often spent hours or days trying to identify a subject that would adequately inform, interest, or entertain our readers. When I finally picked one, I was usually able to write the blog pretty quickly.

    This blog post is different though. It will be on time because picking what to write about has been easy. It is the result of what has been my preoccupation for weeks. The subject of this blog revolves around the fact that this is going to be my last blog, and the reason is because I’m retiring in the Spring. Yikes!

    More history. I started working at Dana-Farber almost exactly 16 years ago on Feb 4, 2008 in the role of project manager. I was attracted to the job because I had been in a similar role at the Boston Globe for the previous seven years and liked it. I left because our group was laid off. I joined Dana-Farber because I was impressed by the people I had met in interviews, was drawn to Dana-Farber’s mission, and felt very comfortable with my new manager, Deb Cote. My positive first impressions of Deb were substantially reinforced over the ensuing years; she’s been a great manager and friend.

    I’ve liked so much being a member of the PMO. With Deb’s guidance, we managed to find team members over the years that had good chemistry with the group, supported each other and were very good project managers. We built a high-functioning PMO and contributed to our customers, in part by leading over 160 projects to completion. Many of them were huge projects that meant a lot to Dana-Farber. The PMO team members also helped Deb’s training team to deliver hundreds of Project University classes to learners from across the institute over the last decade. And our team also had some fun and good food along the way.

    I’ve been lucky to have worked at Dana-Farber for this many years. It’s the longest tenure I’ve had at any job. It’s an honor to end my career here.

    Posted in Accomplishments, Communication, Team | 8 Comments