Dr. Zachary Beck

Moraine Airpark.

This is the shot you can’t get from the press site. This camera was sitting a few football fields from the SLS rocket at Pad 39B for days before launch, baking in the Florida sun, surviving rain, humidity, and whatever else the Cape threw at it. No photographer behind the viewfinder. Just a camera, a sound trigger, and a bet. The way pad remotes work: you set your camera up days in advance, dial in your composition, lock everything down, and walk away. You don’t touch it again until after the launch. The shutter fires on sound activation with a @MiopsTrigger smart+ trigger. With SLS, the four RS-25 engines ignite six seconds before the solid rocket boosters, so the camera is already firing before the vehicle even leaves the pad. You get home, pull the card, and find out if you nailed it or if a bird landed on your lens two days ago and left your a present and you got 400 photos of soemthing crappy. There’s no formula for protecting your gear this close. Some photographers build wooden boxes with doors that pop open. Some use plastic bags and tape. Some do plastic or metal barn door rigs on hinges. I tend to leave mine open just in plastic rain covers because boxes limit my composition and setup time, but that means your cameras are more exposed to the elements and whatever energy and debris comes off the pad. You’re basically gambling a camera body every time you set one. That’s what I love about this genre. There’s no playbook. You make it up as you go. Every time is an adventure. 📸 credit: me for @SuperclusterHQ - Artemis II pad remote | ~1,000 ft from Pad 39B | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Artemis II livestream really makes you appreciate @SpaceX’s launch broadcasts. Bad camera tracking, no onboard cameras, countdown timer disappeared, NASA even showed people in the crowd instead of stage separation lol. The screen also blacked out twice during the first 10 seconds of the launch.

@coreyganim I can’t get it to read my Google Drive although connections says it’s connected.

Best Cowork setup guide I've seen. How to fully implement in under 15 minutes: Setup (do once) □ Download Claude Desktop → claude. com/download □ Sign in → Click "Cowork" tab at top □ Create folder: ~/Claude-Workspace/ □ Inside it, create: /context, /projects, /outputs Context files (this is the leverage) □ Create context/about-me.md → Your role, what you do, what success looks like □ Create context/brand-voice.md → Paste 2-3 examples of YOUR writing → List phrases you hate ("leverage", "I hope this finds you well") □ Create context/working-preferences.md → "Ask questions before starting" → "Show plan before executing" → "Never delete without confirmation" Plugins □ Click Customize → Browse plugins □ Install: Productivity (everyone needs this) □ Install: One for your role (Sales, Marketing, Finance, etc.) □ Type "/" to see available commands Connectors □ Settings → Connectors □ Connect your top tool: Slack, Google Drive, or Notion First task □ Paste this to verify setup works: "Read all files in context/. Tell me what you know about me and how I prefer to work." Then try: □ "Organize this folder by type and date" □ "Create a report from these scattered notes" □ "Draft a doc based on this template" The compounding trick: After every session where output missed the mark, update your context files. Hope this helps!

We get leadership backwards. The hardest person to lead isn’t your team… it’s yourself. No one sets your deadlines. No one holds you accountable. No one tells you to keep growing. If you can’t manage you, you can’t manage them.

“Hold fast.” It’s an old nautical command—grip the line, no matter the storm. Great leaders do the same. They don’t drift with pressure or chase the wind. They anchor to principle. When the waters rise, they don’t panic. They stay grounded—and steady everyone else.

“Trust your instruments.” Every pilot learns it early—and usually the hard way. When visibility drops, instincts can fail. In uncertainty, you fall back on preparation, values, and systems you trust. Leadership is no different. That’s how you stay level in the clouds.

Trust doesn’t come from control. It comes from clarity. The best leaders don’t react from pressure. They respond from purpose. When your values are clear, your decisions don’t waver. People don’t need you to be perfect…they need to know who you are.

Busy is a state. Purpose is a direction. You can fill every hour and still feel empty. Or do less—and feel fully aligned. The difference isn’t your calendar. It’s your clarity. I stopped asking, “How much can I do?” And started asking, “What’s worth doing?”

A few years ago, I thought leadership meant having the answers. Now I know it’s asking better questions, listening longer than is comfortable, and making space for others to shine. Progress starts with humility.

We don’t need better pitches. We need better conversations. The best cases don’t just tell a story— they reflect shared values. When donors see themselves in the mission, the ask becomes an invitation.

People don’t give just because you ask. They give when they care about the same things you do. Shared values matter. They want to know you believe what they believe. But that’s not enough. They also need to trust you. No trust? No gift. No connection? No reason to give.

Goodnight, Campus 🌙

Thank you Lt. Col. Beck for hosting Ohio IEL Fellows at the Pentagon. Great briefing on the importance of the @SpaceForceDoD and the important role that educational leadership plays in national defense. (In case you cannot tell, he also happens to be my big brother) #WPS24

Carrying on morning traditions @WSJ

Have to share about my new friend Rob. On the par 5 11th hole (pictured below) he was the recipient of an errant shot to the thigh - a hard line drive from short distance. I heard the loud thud, and then in slow motion saw Rob collapse to the ground. I thought our loop was over at that point. But Rob had other plans. He got up gingerly and took a look at the damage - an instantaneous black and blue (also picture below). Instead of being angry, he assured the other player he wasn't mad. He even tried to accept blame for walking ahead of his shot. At this point I give an honorable mention to his wife. She said Rob was fine, and then stepped up and ripped her shot 180 yards down the fairway. After all, as she said, we had to keep up pace of play. (If we weren't both married and she wasn't 74, I might've proposed right then). With a look of determination in his eye, Rob hit his second shot to about 120 yards away. Then his third shot rolled just off the green. He chipped his fourth shot to within a foot, and finished with a tap in par. After accepting a conciliatory beer from the player who hit him, he then proceeded to go and par the 12th hole for good measure. Loops with older couples aren't always the most memorable, but this is one that I'll look back upon fondly!

Election Day in Ohio. Noah, his bunny, and I cast our votes (kids voting) on the way to work.

@MorningstarInc a long time ago I had a nice looking index chart hanging in my office. Students loved it. It's now widely out of date. How can I order a new one?