Inspired by the 5-day design sprint created by Google Ventures’ Jake Knapp, Business Society Technology will lead a rapid prototyping workshop modified for “event prototyping”

First, let me talk a bit about Business Society. Business Society focuses strongly on developing the skills of its members (in addition to providing networking opportunities and a community of support). One of the ways we practice skill development is planning major events on campus. Our signature Fall event is the annual Haunted House at UC Merced. Business Society is the only club that does a Haunted House (we’ve got a monopoly) and we have 1,000 unique attendees over three days.

Anyways, we have a huge problem. We don’t have a signature Spring event. In the past we have hosted a Casino Night because we have connections with the Jerry Yang, the 2007 World Series Poker Champion, owner of the Pocket 8’s...

My friend is addicted to Flappy Bird. He plays Flappy Bird at meetings, meals and anytime he can. If he could, then I’m sure he would play it in his sleep. But Flappy Bird is just the latest game that everyone can’t stop playing, just like Candy Crush, Angry Birds and other games before (and after) it.

However, the trend of free addicting games is a new trend that exploded with the rise of the internet and mobile technology. Back in my Dad’s day, the most popular forms of gaming had a visible barrier to entry. In order to play games, you had to go to an arcade and insert coins to play. Every time you lost and saw the “Game Over” (or “Continue”) screen, you had to insert more coins to continue playing. Contrast this with the current state of games, there is no need to insert coins (pay money) to play these games.

So what are you actually paying to play these games?

Sure, there’s no...

When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own - not of the same blood or birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands, and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are obstructions.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations translated by Gregory Hays

During my undergrad, I’ve gone to a lot of club meetings and executive board meetings. I’ve led a few myself. And meetings suck. Some meetings sucked more than others. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had a good meeting, but they aren’t as frequent as they should be.

So, why do meetings suck?

I started doing reflection and note-taking on meetings I’ve gone to. And I realized that most meetings are a list of announcements. Sometimes it’s one person announcing a long list of news and updates. Other times, it’s a mix of officer reports and other random announcements. Regardless, when you spend half an hour (or an hour) updating people on what’s going on, then of course they’re going to be bored. Most of this information could be condensed to the essentials and take up less time. Most of this information should be sent in an e-mail.

The counterpoint is that the reason you (the meeting leader)...

Failure.

It is something I rarely deal with.

I don’t study for tests and I still pass them with A’s and high B’s. I don’t produce my best and I still receive plenty of appreciation for it. I don’t work hard at all and I still benefit from the work of others as if I did work hard.

So?

What have I learned from all of this.

Don’t study. Don’t do my best. Don’t work hard.

These are just a few examples from my life, where I see a huge gap between the amount of risk and effort I exert and the return I get from this risk and effort. Clearly, my successes have been either subsidized by the success of others or my successes have been watered down to make success more available for everyone.

However what is success? When everyone gets a trophy, does it matter who plays harder every minute of the game? When everyone gets an A, does it matter who studies harder for the test? When everyone...

Six years ago, we entered the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, appropriately coined the “Great Recession”. With a combination of a massive housing crash, a financial meltdown, and the underperformance of American manufacturing, we saw wealth vanish overnight. Average Americans lost their homes, their jobs, and their savings, and are still struggling to recover.

Fast forward to the present day, we face the echoes of the aftershock. Our economy recovers, but the fruits of its recovery belong to the wealthy. Our jobs return, but they are part-time jobs that underutilize talent and experience. Our lawmakers promise changes, but they are sharply divided and partisan gridlock prevents them from passing worthwhile legislation.

So where does that leave us? We can wait for our companies to give us “good jobs”, but will that happen when it is cheaper to pay someone out of...

It’s the weekend.

It’s a time to recuperate and relax after a week of hard work.

It’s a break.

However, I feel a void and I don’t know what to do with this time. Sometimes, I spend this time with others that I wouldn’t be able to spend time with during the week. Usually, I spend my weekends watching TV (plenty of re-runs, games, and other trivial things that come on) or doing something equally uneventful. I have found that even in this designated time of break and relaxation, I find myself subject my time to other people or do nothing.

Then it’s Monday again. Back to work. And like every Monday, I hear the standard “How was your weekend?”. The standard response: “It was okay” or “It was good” or some close variation. What kind of responses are those? We should say “I did nothing” or “I watched TV all weekend”. At least that would be different (and honest). Then again...