science

James Scurlock

James Scurlock is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand James Scurlock rather than just read about it. In short: James Duncan Scurlock (born September 15, 1971) is an American director, producer, writer and financial adviser. He is probably best known for his documentary Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders and his book, Maxed Out: Hard Times in the Age of Easy Credit.

Key takeaways

James Scurlock belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect James Scurlock to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of James Scurlock from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James Duncan Scurlock (born September 15, 1971) is an American director, producer, writer and financial adviser. He is probably best known for his documentary Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders and his book, Maxed Out: Hard Times in the Age of Easy Credit. His most recent book, King Larry: The Life and Ruins of a Billionaire Genius, is a biography of Larry Hillblom.

Biography Born in Seattle, Washington, he attended the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, studying finance, but left in his senior year without receiving a degree. While in college, he opened four restaurants, which he sold in 1994. He then moved to Dallas, where he published a successful investing newsletter titled Restaurant Investor and wrote freelance for several magazines. In 2002, Scurlock moved to Los Angeles, to pursue a career in filmmaking. His first documentary, Parents of the Year (2004), was featured in over 25 film festivals and won numerous awards, including the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Jury Awards at the Austin Film Festival, the USA Film Festival and the Palm Springs Short Film Festival. Parents of the Year was bought by HBO and broadcast extensively on HBO Latino. Scurlock's second short, Stumped! (2005), follows three eccentric citizens who run against Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor of California. His first feature length documentary was the critically acclaimed Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders (2006), which he also produced. Scurlock also wrote a major book based on Maxed Out. In conjunction with the global release of the film, his book, Maxed Out: Hard Times in the Age of Easy Credit (2006), was published through Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster. In 2008, Scurlock received The Ridenhour Book Prize for Maxed Out: Hard Times in the Age of Easy Credit. In early 2012, Scurlock released King Larry: The Life and Ruins of a Billionaire Genius, a biography of the DHL co-founder, Larry Hillblom.

Personal life James Scurlock lives in Palm Springs, California.

Publishing history

Film Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders

Books Maxed Out: Hard Times in the Age of Easy Credit ISBN 1-416-53253-6 King Larry: The Life and Ruins of a Billionaire Genius

References

External links "Washington Post" – "Maxed Out' Man James Scurlock, Right on the Money" The Wall Street Journal – "The Wallet – Inside the Brain of...James Scurlock, Director of Maxed Out" Saipan Tribune – "Filmmaker focuses camera on Hillblom" San Francisco Chronicle – "In debt up to our eyeballs" James D. Scurlock at IMDb

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James Scurlock

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what James Scurlock claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to James Scurlock before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about James Scurlock ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of James Scurlock

In research: James Scurlock appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses James Scurlock in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: James Scurlock is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1971 births, American documentary film directors, American finance and investment writers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James Scurlock outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study James Scurlock in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what James Scurlock means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain James Scurlock out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is James Scurlock in simple terms?

Why does James Scurlock matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study James Scurlock?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on James Scurlock.