February 2012
22 posts
FEBRUARY 6th
MISSION: Read about the Council of Foreign Relations.
SOURCE: Anonymous
DETAILS: I read a few different articles, watched a youtube video, then finally CFR’s own video. There are a lot of conspiracy theories on what the Council on Foreign Relations does and the influence that it has had on American politics. The list of members is an impressive one, however the video I...
FEBRUARY 3rd
MISSION: Talk to a stranger about religion.
SOURCE: Marie
DETAILS: I chatted with a girl at a bar for a few minutes. She was raised Catholic, but isn’t particularly religious. We talked about God, the afterlife and how religion has positively and negatively effected history. Nice conversation.
STATUS: Complete
FEBRUARY 2nd
MISSION: Learn something you shouldn’t know.
SOURCE: Zack
DETAILS: It’s surprisingly easy to find information on flammable and explosive household items and what you can do with them. I’m probably on a government list right now for my Google searches.
STATUS: Complete
FEBRUARY 1st
MISSION: Say “hi” to a beautiful woman.
SOURCE: Erica
DETAILS: Her name is Melody. Met her at T.B.D. in Brooklyn. Amazing smile.
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 30th
MISSION: Go to Omegle.com. Chat with a stranger.
SOURCE: Max
DETAILS:
Me: what’s up?
Stranger: Nothing. You?
Me: procrastinating/trying to sleep
Stranger: that’s me every night. ya know what normally helps?
Me: what’s that?
NOTE TO ALL: Never ask an open ended question like this to a stranger over the Internet. Upon reading the answer I turned off my...
JANUARY 29th
MISSION: Get a slice of pizza at Di Fara’s in Brooklyn. It is the best.
SOURCE: Ricardo
DETAILS: I didn’t make it before closing. Got to go back.
STATUS: Incomplete
JANUARY 27th
MISSION: Look up GFAJ-1.
SOURCE: Elliot
DETAILS: In December of 2010 Felisa Wolfe-Simon discovered a bacteria in Mono Lake, California that when starved of Phosphorus, can incorporate Arsenic into it’s basic DNA and continue growing. Until this discovery, the six elements that life depended on were Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulfur. So if...
JANUARY 26th
MISSION: Find an old person. Ask them what the most significant event that they witnessed in their lifetime was.
SOURCE: Anna
DETAILS: I met an old lady with a Polish accent walking her dog in Greenpoint, Bk. I said hello with a smile and asked her the above question. She thought for a moment, then answered, “9/11. This country… the entire world… everything...
JANUARY 22nd
MISSION: Complete a NY Times Crossword.
SOURCE: Brandon
DETAILS: Not even close.
STATUS: Incomplete
JANUARY 21st
MISSION: Go on a blind date.
SOURCE: Jen
DETAILS: Last minute plans fell through. I’ll have to try again.
STATUS: Incomplete
JANUARY 20th
MISSION: Physical Challenge - How many push-ups can you do in one minute?
SOURCE: Walt
DETAILS: 37
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 19th
MISSION: Watch the Beatles’ Let It Be video.
SOURCE: Mark
DETAILS: Amazing song. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdopMqrftXs.
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 18th
MISSION: Meet an actor/director/author/entertainer (hopefully someone famous). Get an autograph.
SOURCE: Anonymous
DETAILS: This is something I’m going to have to get back to. No stars were easily accessible.
STATUS: Incomplete
JANUARY 17th
MISSION: Read the Communist Manifesto.
SOURCE: Tyler
DETAILS: People talk about Communism a lot, but I don’t think I know anyone who has actually sat down and read the Manifesto. Parts of it were interesting. Parts of it were confusing. One part that I definitely disagree with was the idea that change cannot come without a revolution: “The elimination of social...
JANUARY 16th
MISSION: I saw that you donated to a few charities… Go to givewell.org and research which charities are best. Make a donation.
SOURCE: Peter
DETAILS: I went to www.givewell.org and clicked on “Top-rated Charities.” This site ranks charity organizations and tells the reader which ones are best/most efficient. The number one charity was Against Malaria Foundation...
January 2012
33 posts
JANUARY 15th
MISSION: Find out what your reaction time is.
SOURCE: Mel
DETAILS: You can find an online reaction time test here: http://getyourwebsitehere.com/jswb/rttest01.html. Mine is 0.3272 seconds.
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 13th
MISSION: Go to howcast.com and watch, How to Detect a Lie.
SOURCE: Cynthia
DETAILS: Cool website. There were eight things to watch for in the How to Dectect a Lie video.
1) Touching face/nose
2) Excessive blinking/no eye contact
3) Not using contractions or pronouns
4) 1/2 Smile
5) Closed body posture
6) Growing uncomfortable if there’s a pause in the conversation
7)...
JANUARY 12th
MISSION: Read the article, The Art of Smiling.
SOURCE: Gloria
DETAILS: Good article: http://thinksimplenow.com/happiness/the-art-of-smiling/. The effects of smiling to strangers, at work, and just keeping a general smile on your face is discussed in this article. I could probably use a couple of these tricks. When I get busy or my mind is on work, I sometimes forget to smile.
...
JANUARY 11th
MISSION: Listen to Memory Lane by Nas and read the lyrics as you do so. This song is an all time classic.
SOURCE: Eddie
DETAILS: Classic indeed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXBFG2vsyCM.
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 9th
MISSION: Watch the documentary, Star Suckers.
SOURCE: Cal
DETAILS: Very interesting take on global media outlets. I thought the film was a little harsh on celebrities who work with charity organizations. Overall, however, I think the it painted an accurate picture of our media organizations and our addiction to the idea of fame.
STATUS: Complete
JANUARY 8th
MISSION: Take the Superhero quiz online to find out which superhero you would be.
SOURCE:
DETAILS: The quiz can be found here: http://www.thesuperheroquiz.com/result.htm?a=80&b=55&c=45&d=50&e=40&f=77&g=55&h=90&i=60&j=40&k=70
I took it and my results came in like this:
You are The Flash (fast, athletic and flirtatious).
The Flash (90%),...
JANUARY 6th
MISSION: Talk to a complete stranger. Find out their story.
SOURCE: Bob
DETAILS: I completed this Mission while having lunch at a country club in Bradenton, FL. I started chatting with one of the waitresses there. She told me that she was a student at the University of South Florida, and that on the weekends she’s actually a cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
STATUS:...
JANUARY 5th
MISSION: Write a fan mail letter to Christina Aguilera. Ask her for an autographed picture.
SOURCE: Ellen
DETAILS: After a quick search for Christina Aguilera’s, I was able to find a fan mail address in California. I wrote a quick note saying that I was a big fan and that I would love an autograph.
STATUS: Compete
JANUARY 3rd
MISSION: Read The Seven Habits of Highly Happy People.
SOURCE: Taylor
DETAILS: I found this article here: http://www.marcandangel.com/2008/06/05/the-7-habits-of-highly-happy-people/
The Seven Habits:
1) Be a part of something you believe in
2) Share time with friends and family
3) Reflect on the good
4) Exploit the resources you Do have access to
5) Create happy endings...
JANUARY 2nd
MISSION: Try to detect an undercover Federal Air Marshal at JFK.
SOURCE: Jim
DETAILS: I was an hour early for my flight to Sarasota, so I took that time to walk around and see if I could spot an Air Marshal. After a while, I spotted a guy who was taking a circular path throughout the terminal. He could have been killing time and waiting for his flight, but he seemed to be looking...
JANUARY 1st
MISSION: Write down your New Year’s Resolutions.
SOURCE: Anonymous
DETAILS:
1) Get Daily Mission Project the book, off the ground.
2) Do what I can to improve the content of Daily Mission Project.
3) Get my National C Coaching License.
4) Take a big trip. Skiing in Colorado? Safari in Zimbabwe? Iceland?
5) Improve planning & communication habits.
STATUS: Complete
DECEMBER 31st
MISSION: Think about 2010. What was your happiest moment? Share.
SOURCE: Kim
ANALYSIS: I think my happiest moment of 2010 was when my friends took my out on the town for my birthday. We got drinks at the Frying Pan, then randomly ended up in a limo heading across town dancing and singing to Lupe Fiasco’s Out of My Head. Thanks to everyone that made it out.
(Shoutout to the...
DECEMBER 29th
MISSION: Watch a David Blane trick.
SOURCE: Gary
ANALYSIS: Check it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5YMrqQ7oO8&feature=related.
What’s with the two strikes of the knife?
STATUS: Compelte
DECEMBER 28th
MISSION: Just take a few moments to truly be thankful for all that you have.
SOURCE: Anonymous
ANALYSIS: A home, my health, good friends and family, a couple jobs, a couple hobbies. Thankful for sure.
STATUS: Complete
DECEMBER 27th
MISSION: Watch “S*** Girls Say,” on youtube.
SOURCE: Jamie
ANALYSIS: There are three short videos that can be found on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-yLGIH7W9Y). They are all pretty silly and entertaining. My favorite part is the end of part three where the two main characters are both telling each other stories at the exact same time.
STATUS: Complete
DECEMBER 26th
MISSION: Meet a stranger. Ask them what they got for Christmas.
SOURCE: Emma
ANALYSIS: I saw girl wearing a Cornell sweatshirt walking the streets of Ithaca, NY.
“Happy Holidays,” I said to her.
“You too,” she responded.
“Get anything good for Christmas?”
“Skies! And lots of Wine,” she answered.
“Nice.”
...
DECEMBER 25th
MISSION: Take a few minutes to remember some good Christmas memories.
SOURCE: Pete
ANALYSIS: When I was six or so, I remember getting a new set of Legos. My older brother and I were so excited that we ripped the package open and began playing with them immediately. We building something incredible, when for some reason, the entire tree fell over, right on top of us and our Lego...
DECEMBER 23rd
MISSION: Donate money to every charity bell you hear when you are out Christmas shopping.
SOURCE: Anonymous
ANALYSIS: I ran into four Salvation Army bells today. Three were at Pyramid Mall in Ithaca and the fourth was outside of Northside Liquor, downtown. I gave a dollar and all change at each location.
STATUS: Complete
DECEMBER 21st
MISSION: Youtube, “the greatest speech ever made.”
SOURCE: Anonymous
ANALYSIS: I was confused when I saw this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WibmcsEGLKo) because it looks like a Hitler look a alike is giving a really positive and inspirational speech. Turns out the speech is given by Charlie Chaplin in his film, The Great Dictator. The film was the first major...
DECEMBER 20th
MISSION: Read about Stephen Hawking’s alien warning. What do you think?
SOURCE: Michael
ANALYSIS: I a few articles and learned how Stephen Hawking once warned us that if aliens do stop for a visit, there is a good chance that they will be less than friendly. He talks about the possibility of a more intelligent and technologically advanced race roaming like nomads around the...
