Lecture (Level 3) – Tiny satellites show us the earth as it changes in near-real-time

by Will Marshall

a space scientist and cofounder of Planet Labs, an American earth imaging private company based in San Francisco.  He was a scientist at NASA Ames Research Center where he helped to formulate the Small Spacecraft Office.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

Vocabulary:

iconic:  famous, well-known
galvanized:  made people excited
fragile:  easily broken or destroyed
static:  not moving, still
scalable:  able to increase production
ultra:  very very
resolution:  quality of the image
humanitarian:  helping people
mission:  reason, goal
launched:  put into space
capability:  ability to do lots of things
bonded:  held together
democratizing:  making democratic
founders:  people who create a company
passionate:  serious and excited
glints:  shines brightly for a moment
data set:  amount of information
rotates:  spins, turns
scan:  take a picture of
crop yield:  amount of food grown
deforestation:  cutting down forests
universal access:  ability for everyone to get

 

Lecture (Level 2) – How to control someone else’s arm with your brain

by Greg Gage

a neuroscientist and engineer who is passionate about helping students understand how our brains and our neurons work, because as he said, “We still know very little about how the brain works, and we need to start inspiring kids early to want to know more.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

Vocabulary:

organ: important part of the body
complex: complicated, not simple
access: interact with
neurological disorder: problem with the brain, mental illness
affordable: inexpensive
DIY: do it yourself
demonstration: showing something
electrodes: pads that read and send electricity
neurons:  brain cells
motor cortex: part of the brain that controls movement
spinal chord: nerve in the backbone
free will: ability to choose
weird: strange

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

How to negotiate effectively

Negotiating with someone means bargaining or trading to get what you want while at the same time giving the other person what he wants. This may sound easy, but unless you follow a few rules, things will not go very well for you, and you’ll give more than you get. Think of negotiating as a game that you can win because you have learned the rules. Using these rules, you have a better chance of getting what you want. Here they are:

Rule 1:

Before you start the process, do some research online to find out what a reasonable price for the item is. If you are selling, you want to start your negotiation at a price above that; if you’re buying, you want to start at a price below that. Let me explain by using an example.  You want to sell your used smartphone.  If you determine that a used smart phone is worth $200, then you want to ask $250 for it.  Someone would love to buy it from you for $150.  If you asked for only $200, which is the real price you’re willing to sell it for, the other person would still only offer you $150, knowing that you would come down a little to meet his offer. You would then probably sell it for around $175, which is not what you want. You need to give yourself some “wiggle room” and ask for more than you’re willing to take.

Rule 2:

Get the other person to tell you his opening price first.  This gives you an advantage because you now know his starting position before he knows yours.  If his number is $50 lower than you want, then counter his offer with a price that’s $50 higher than you want.  He says, “I’ll give you $150 for the phone.”  You look dissatisfied, and after pausing for five seconds, you say, “I can’t do that.  I’ll give it to you for $250.”  Looking dissatisfied is a major part of negotiating.  The more dissatisfied you look, the higher the other person will make his second offer.

Rule 3:

When the other person comes up in his counter offer, you come down by the same amount. Continuing with our example, he now says, “Well, I could come up another $25. How about $175?”   You counter by looking disappointed again, and then say, “I could come down to $225, but that’s as low as I’m willing to go. By saying this last part, you’re telling him that the negotiations are getting tougher, and you’re not going to come down much more.  If he’s not an experienced negotiator, he may agree to pay your price of $225. However, if he understands that the negotiation isn’t finished yet, he’ll suggest “splitting the difference.” He’ll say, “I’ll tell you what. Let’s split the difference, and we’ll both be happy.” At that point you can agree to sell the phone at $200.

Rule 4:

If he doesn’t seem willing to split the difference, then you can offer a little something extra to make him feel like he’s getting a good deal.  You could say, “I’d be willing to throw in the phone case if you’ll agree to $200.” Often, this is enough to seal the deal.

Rule 5:

If there’s a long silence in the negotiation, do not say anything.  The first person who speaks is the person who’s willing to make a concession and meet the other person’s price.

Rule 6:

The last rule is that you can’t seem desperate to make a deal.  You must always look like you’re willing to walk away with no deal.  Sometimes if you’re not happy with the price, walking away is the only thing you can do.

So there are the six simple rules that you can use the next time you negotiate with someone.   Of course, practice makes perfect, so go out into the world and practice this process until you get good at it.  Being a good negotiator will save you or make you lots of money in a short time.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the above lesson.

Vocabulary:

bargaining: the process of agreeing on a price.
process: the steps you take to do something
reasonable: correct for both buying and selling
item: the thing that is being sold.
determine: decide through research
wiggle room: room to move up or down
advantage:  opportunity for success that the other person doesn’t have
counter: say your price in response to his price
dissatisfied: not happy
tougher: harder
splitting the difference: going half way between his price and yours
throw in: include
seal:  successfully conclude
concession: a thing that is given up
desperate: having an urgent need
deal: agreement

Pronunciation Exercise:  Listen and repeat the vocabulary above on the audio file below.

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

Lecture (Level 2) – The single biggest reason why startups succeed

by Bill Gross

an American businessman who serves as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Idealab, a company that creates companies.   He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing. 

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

Vocabulary:

factors:  reasons
startup:  a new company
human potential:  What’s possible for a person to achieve
systematic:  with a plan so nothing is forgotten
instincts:  feelings
misperceptions:  wrong beliefs
execution:  doing the job
punched:  hit with a fist
adapt:  change in response to something happening
revenues:  money from sales
funding:  money from others to get a company started
timing:  the correct time to start something new
competitors:  other companies selling the same thing
attributes:  good qualities
definitive:  the correct answer
gaining traction:  becoming more successful
recession:  bad economic period
revenues:  money coming in
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

 

Lecture (Level 3) – Let’s use video to reinvent education

by Salman Khan
the founder and faculty of the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org), a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere.  He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an M.Eng and B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in mathematics from MIT.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

Vocabulary:

montage:  series of pictures
blow your mind:  give you great joy
remotely:  from a distance
feedback:  saying what’s good and what’s bad
profound:  important
automated version:  recorded video
notion:  idea
concept:  idea
viewership:  people who watch
dawned on me:  was realized or understand by me
supplement:  addition to a person’s learning
home schoolers:  students who are educated at home
one size fits all:  every student does the same thing
humanize:  make more gentle and kind
primitive:  simple
paradigm:  model, pattern
analogous to:  similar to
unicycle:  a one-wheeled bicycle
mastery:  being able to do something well
gutted:  threw away, got rid of
proficient:  able to do it
data:  Information
diagnose:  figure out, find out
grandiose:  including everything
self-paced learning:  learning at the speed of each student
gifted:  smart, intelligent
remediate:  learn things you should have already learned
peer:  student
merit badges:  indications of success
leaderboards:  lists of the top students
collaboration:  working together
radical:  so very different

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

Talk (Level 1) – Success secrets for Canadian immigrants

by Nick Noorani

a well-known authority on the successful integration of immigrants in Canada.  He’s originally from Mumbai, India.  His book, Arrival Survival Canada, is a best seller among immigrants to this country.

 

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

Vocabulary:

founder:  the person who starts an organization or business
author:  writer
resources:  the things that are necessary
guide:  source of information
flip burgers:  have a low paying job
faced with:  have something in front of you
my take:  my understanding
gleaned from:  learned from
qualified:  able to do the job
invaluable:  very expensive
value:  importance
brushing up: practicing, learning (idiom)
skills: abilities
embrace:  take into your heart
resume:  information about yourself that helps you get a job
take a deep breath:  relax (idiom)
positive:  hopeful for a better future
been there:  I’ve had that same experience (idiom)
sociable:  friendly
network:  large group of people you know and who they know
negativity:  hopelessness
risks:  things that you’re afraid to do
play safe:  not take any risks (idiom)
volunteering:  working for no money

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

Lecture (Level 2) – A cyber-magic card trick like no other

by Marco Tempest
a Swiss magician who lives in New York City.  He is known for his multimedia magic and use of interactive technology and computer graphics in his presentations.  He stars in the eight part television series “The Virtual Magician,” which has been broadcast in over 50 countries.

Preview the vocabulary below, and then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

Vocabulary:

illusion:  something that is not real
data:  information
cyber:  using technology
symbols:  pictures that represent things
interpreted:  understood
lunar:  of the moon
tide:  the level of the ocean
coincidence:  two things that are the same for no reason
total:  add together
mischief:  playful action
pogo stick:  a toy that jumps you up and down
exaggeration:  saying that something is better than it really is
evil:  very bad
supernatural:  not natural
odds:  chances that something will happen
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

Lecture (Level 2) – How to buy happiness

by Michael Norton
a social science researcher and associate professor at the Harvard Business School.  His research was featured in the New York Times Magazine Year in Ideas issues of 2007 and 2009.

 

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

Vocabulary:

experiment:  a test to see if something is true
ruined:  broken and not repairable
debt:   owing money
bug:  ask repeatedly
fantasizing:  creating a story in your head
extort:  get money to not share a secret
antisocial:  not liking to be with other people
prosocial:  doing things for other people
affluent:  having lots of everything
correlated:  related
charity:  organizations that help people
dominate:  have the most wins
league:  a group of teams that play together
benefit:  do good things for

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

 

Lecture (Level 2) – And for my next trick, a robot

by Marco Tempest
a magician and performance artist from Zurich, Switzerland who combines video, computer graphics and other technology with his magic. He has a television series called “The Virtual Magician,” which has aired in some 49 markets worldwide.

 

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

 

Vocabulary:

Victorian:  the period of British history from 1837 to 1901, the reign of Queen Victoria
illusionist:  a person who does what looks like magic
automaton:  robot
indistinguishable (from):  looking the same (as)
anticipate:  predict what’s going to happen
unpredictable:  surprising, unexpected
irrational:  not logical, not a result of good thinking
proximity:  nearness
abracadabra:  (a magical word)
pioneer:  one of the first people to do something
artificial intelligence:  a smart machine
code:  a set of rules that you must follow

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

 

 

Lecture (Level 3) – Hidden miracles of the natural world

by Louis Schwartzberg

an American director, producer, and cinematographer who is a pioneer in time-lapse cinematography. He has been filming time-lapse film non-stop for over three decades. He focuses on connections between humans and the subtleties of nature and environment.

 

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Your Score:  

Your Ranking:  

Vocabulary:

intersection:  where things come together
curiosity:  wanting to know something
explore:  find out things we don’t know
portals:  entrances
the invisible:  things you can’t see
expands our horizons:  teaches us things we don’t know
transforms our perception:  makes us look at things differently
time lapse:  taking pictures over time so you can see movement
organisms:  living things
in motion:  moving
data:  information
imitate:  do the same thing
robotic:  machine
magnify:  make bigger
species:  kinds of animals
elastic:  able to stretch
patrol:  move around and look for problems
transform:  make totally different
© 2014 Ambien Malecot