Hedgehog Skin

Hedgehogs are easily distinguished by their spines, which are hollow hairs made stiff with keratin. Their spines are not poisonous or barbed and, unlike the quills of a porcupine, cannot easily be removed from the animal. However, spines normally come out when a hedgehog sheds baby spines and replaces them with adult spines around the first year. When under extreme stress or during sickness, a hedgehog will lose spines.




A defense that all species of hedgehogs possess is the ability to roll into a tight ball, causing all of the spines to point outwards. However, its effectiveness depends on the number of spines, and since some of the desert hedgehogs evolved to carry less weight, they are much more likely to try to run away and sometimes even attack the intruder, trying to ram into the intruder with its spines, leaving rolling as a last resort. This results in a different number of predators for different species: while forest hedgehogs have relatively few, primarily birds (especially owls) and ferrets, smaller species like long-eared hedgehogs are preyed on by foxes, wolves and mongooses. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog)


Funny with hedgehogs, they're only good in doing one thing: their capability (and I would consider it as a talent) of defending themselves by rolling into a spiky ball.

In our world today, people are inclined to have more "talents". The more talented you are, the better. People who could do may tasks, like what super computers do, have more edge in getting jobs. Well, who would not want an employee who knows as many things as possible? Less people to hire, less money for salary.

BUT sometimes, a person who knows how to do many things does not necessarily mean he or she is an expert in doing all of those. He or she cannot really focus on what he or she must do, because there are so many options to take. The time in gaining knowledge from one thing takes a part of time off from learning another thing. The overall knowledge gained from these things sometimes is not adequate to finish tasks with high quality. Simply put, there's no specialization.

I am not saying that knowing too many things is bad, nor I say it is fully good. But isn't it better when you can do something and you're very good in doing it, than you know how to do several things but not really good in doing all of those?

I would admit, sometimes, I want to do loads of stuff. I wanna be a cowgirl. I wanna be a swimmer and diver. A painter may be. A vocalist or musician would be great also. But in wanting all of those talents and abilities, I am ending up doing things half-cooked. I must have to have focus on at least one thing and be good at it, be very good at it. I think that would be enough. ;)

I can't do everything. But if I can do great in something where someone cannot, and someone can do great in something that I cannot, that person and I can just team up and do those things. I believe that the whatever the finished product would be, it would be much much better. Two heads are better than one right? ;)

Thank you for our thesis advisers on teaching us non-acads stuff like what I'm just talking about here. Thank you for the passion, support and faith you have given to me and my partner. ;) And Sir Greg, thank you for telling us, "I want you guys to be successful!" You don't know how much inspiration you've given us with that statement. ;) And as you said, "It is good to build a 5$ circuit that will make you pass a subject, but it is much better to build a 5$ circuit that will save one life." :)

And for me...

Gotta focus.
Gotta find my forte.
Gotta find my hedgehog skin. ;)