Resolution No.1 2009 Complete

November 21, 2009 in Books / Novels / Writing by Ez | No comments

I recently completed my first resolution for the year 2009: Read 10,000 pages of science, economics, health, history, or policy books.

Check the Reading page for the master list.

Titles in bold are the ones I recommend. (They also are probably the ones I quote the most.)

  1. Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection - John T. Cacioppo, William Patrick – 11-JAN-2009 – 124 pp (started before Jan 1st, so count after) – Related book web site and blog, book Twitter
  2. The Long Tail, Revised and Updated Edition: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More - Chris Anderson – 26-JAN-2009 – 254pp (378 total) – Related book web site, TED talk
  3. Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less - Barry Schwartz – 31-JAN-2009 – est 236pp (614 total) – Related TED “Paradox of choice” talk, TED “The real crisis? We stopped being wise” talk
  4. The World Without Us - Alan Weisman – 19-FEB-2009 – est 369pp (983 total) – Related book web site
  5. Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy and the New Science of Desire - Martin Lindstrom – 01-MAR-2009 – 297pp (1280 total) – Related book web site
  6. The Trojan War: A New History - Barry Strauss – 02-MAR-2009 – est 288pp (1568 total) – Related author site, blog
  7. Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America - Thomas L. Friedman – 09-MAR-2009 – est 421pp (1989 total) – Relatedauthor site, author’s New York Time articles feed, first chapter
  8. The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet - Neil deGrasse Tyson- 09-MAR-2009 – 216pp (2205 total) – Related podcast with Dr. Moira Gunn
  9. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness-Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein – Done – 271pp (2476 total) – Related book web site, blog,
  10. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries - Neil deGrasse Tyson – Done – 306 pp (2882 total) – Related video about book
  11. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 - Steve Coll – Done – 721 pp (3603 total) – Related NPR: All Things Considered, New Yorker Update
  12. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - John Medina – Done – 312pp (3915 total) – Related the Rules, author speaking engagements, blog
  13. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates -Cordingly, David – 2009-MAY-10 – 244pp (4159 total) – Related review, review
  14. FDR - Jean Edward Smith – 2009-MAY-30 – est 636pp (4795 total)
  15. Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body - Shubin, Neil – 2009-MAY-30 – 205 pp (5000 total) – Related Quirks and Quarks interview, Tiktaalik music video, Colbert Report 2008-Jan-14 interview,
  16. The Logic of Life - Tim Harford – 2009-MAY-30 – 217 pp (5217 total)
  17. Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions -Lisa Randall – 2009-JUN-11 – 471 pp (5688 total)
  18. The Omnivore’s Dilemma - Michael Pollan – 2009-JUL-08 – 415 pp (6103 total) – Related web site,
  19. Germs, Guns, and Steel - Jared Diamond – 2009-JUL-08 – 427 pp (6530 total) – Related video,
  20. Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800 - Jeff Sypeck- 2009-JUL-29 – 228 pp (6758 total) – Related web site,
  21. The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America - Walter R. Borneman – 2009-AUG-24 – 308 pp (7,066 total) – Related web site (really impressed I found it on the 5th page of results),
  22. Skin: A Natural History - Nina G. Jablonski – 2009-AUG-29 – 179 pp (7,245 total) – Related TED: on breaking the illusion of skin color,
  23. Einstein: His Life and Universe - Walter Isaacson – 2009-SEP-09 – 600 pp (8,045 total) – Related Einstein’s God video,
  24. My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey - Jill Bolte Taylor – 2009-SEP-18 – 203 pp (8,248 total) – Related my blog post,
  25. The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins – 2009-SEP-24 – 356 pp (8,604 total) -
  26. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2006 - Brian Greene and Tim Folger – 2009-OCT-09 – 310 pp (8,914 total) -
  27. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2007 - Richard Preston and Tim Folger – IN PROGRESS – 310 est pp (9,224 total) -
  28. The Quantum and the Lotus: A Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet - Matthieu Ricard – DONE – 306 est pp (9,530 total) – Related TED: On the habits of happiness,
  29. Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell - DONE – 299 pp (9,829 total)
  30. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2008 - Jerome Groopman and Tim Folger – DONE – 310 pp (10,139 total)

GOAL MET


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Nolan House Shed

November 10, 2009 in Uncategorized by Ez | No comments


Nolan House Shed
Originally uploaded by Ezra S F

Was saving this for tomorrow. However, I noticed a photo of me taking this photo posted today. So I posted mine too.

I enjoyed exploring this house and environs.


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Like a Post-Apocalytic Movie

November 8, 2009 in Art / Photography by Ez | No comments


Like a Post-Apocalytic Movie

Originally uploaded by Ezra S F

Yesterday I met with some other Flickrites to check out the Bostwick Cotton Gin Festival. There were easily a couple thousand people there, which is impressive for a town of 354.

(The photos I’ve posted so far at writing this post are just of Bostwick. Estimate I’ll end up posting another dozen before I’m done.)

We didn’t stay for the parade, but instead ventured over to the Nolan House (Evan’s awesome photo of the house). There were some donkeys and mules next to an old store. Then we stopped at Rutledge, a fertilizer factory in Newborn, and Mansfield. It was a fun, productive day.


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You’re So Vain

October 31, 2009 in Personal / Relationships by Ez | No comments

You probably think this blog is about you.

Well… Maybe….

I’m not even sure this blog is about me. Probably it is not about you. Instead, it making a generalization. You know, those statements which are based on false reductionist approaches and assume some random event represents the key to solving everything.

Anyway.

Stop taking things personally.

Unless derogatory language is used to directly describe you (specifically named or tonal inflection used on a noun which can only refer to you), something is not a personal attack.

Your operating system of choice… is… not… you. Unless you were the creator, in which case you do have the right to think of yourself as the operating system. Ironically, the creators seem to be the only sane ones.

The science fiction serials or soap operas you watch… are… not… you.

The software of the human brain seeks to identify when others have wronged us in some way. This justifies violence or at least harsh words. Except, this software was designed for interactions thousands of years ago when we operated in small tribal groups where we knew the people with which we daily interacted. Someone who wronged us would be someone who knew where we slept. Not a faceless entity anywhere on the globe. We have laws because the software is incapable of handling the modern social dilemmas of one-off interactions.

So stop acting like Cro-Magnons.

Start acting like you have compassion. Because through such acting, your software will start actually having compassion.
:)


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Green is Pretty?

October 30, 2009 in Green by Ez | No comments

Weird dream this morning before I woke:

I was walking around familiar places in my home town with a woman I know from there and her niece. Every where we went, sites looked way prettier than they appear now.

In every commercial area between the road and parking lots were 10 feet tall berms with decorative trees along the top and azalea bushes at the base. Every parking lot had its own holding pond for the water the lots displace.

Buildings were multi-story and huddled together in bunches. Even the corner gas station I visited most days after school was now just the first floor with the Walgreens down the road now occupying the second floor and the offices catercorner on the third through fifth floors. Every building was somewhere between light and dark brown.

Signs were no bigger than 4′ x 2′. None of these huge monstrosities one can see from miles down the road.

Philosophically, I would not portray myself as politically green. The environment falls pretty low when ranked against things I consider politically important. (Not even in the top 5 or 10.)

Also, I am lazy. Don’t make me have to exert disciplined behavior to effect change. Just change it in small steps towards what it should be. I’ll notice, but the small steps ensure I’ll be upset for maybe 24 hours and over the course of a few weeks will no longer care.

Hopefully the politics are not invading my sleep?


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Watson Mill Covered Bridge Panorama

October 26, 2009 in Art / Photography by Ez | No comments

Took this yesterday. Dunno why I didn’t think to take this previously.

Check out the large version.


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Integrating With Facebook

October 25, 2009 in Interweb by Ez | No comments

At least a couple years ago, I set up the Facebook Notes app to import this blog’s posts as notes. By setting this up, a number of friends have taking to commenting on my posts. I get far more comments on Facebook than I do here.

However, this was a horrible way to get traffic to this blog.

  1. All of the text and images go into Fb Notes. Nevermind the terms of service. People looking at my blog posts think I wrote it in Facebook. Unless they are observant enough to see “View Original Post” links in tiny text, they have no idea about the blog which was originally the point. When I cross post stuff to multiple blogs I make it obvious the other places it exists.
  2. Embedded videos get stripped from Fb Notes. Lately, I have been posting embedded TED Talks videos here. So I have to think about how to change my posts to accommodate Facebook.

So, I discovered some friends who are also photographers on Facebook use an app called NetworkedBlogs. (They are Flip!Photography, Invisible Green Photography, and Stylized Portraiture.) Once configured, this app will post to my and friends’ (on my behalf) Facebook Walls a link to my wall. The format of the posts look similar to when a link is posted, such as a thumbnail.

The setup is also fairly easy. Enter the location, description, category, and email for your blog. Prove it is yours whether by having others verify it belongs to you or placing code on the site. Finally, go to “Feed Settings” link and click “Auto-publish to personal profile”.

I am hopeful this solves my problem. If so, then I have another blog to setup. (Someone asked to buy that domain. I guess I asked too much for it?)


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TED Talks: Taryn Simon

October 24, 2009 in Art / Photography by Ez | No comments

My favorite quote from Taryn is, “Photography threatens fantasy.” Disney uses intricate interior design, photography, and video to construct fantasy. Advertisements, magazines, weddings, and portraits are about showing others the ideal instead of the reality. Have you seen the Dove Evolution video? (This one has music and singing by a Baha’i musician Devon Gundry.) What about the Ralph Lauren photo?

Reality bites. Hard.

(See Taryn Simon photographs secret sites on the TED site)

TED About this talk: Taryn Simon exhibits her startling take on photography — to reveal worlds and people we would never see otherwise. She shares two projects: one documents otherworldly locations typically kept secret from the public, the other involves haunting portraits of men convicted for crimes they did not commit.

Also: Taryn on Charlie Rose, Discomfort Zone (Telegraph)


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Useful User Agents

October 21, 2009 in Blackboard Vista by Ez | No comments

Rather than depend on end users to accurately report the browser used, I look for the user-agent in the web server logs. (Yes, I know it can be spoofed. Power users would be trying different things to resolve their own issues not coming to us.)

Followers of this blog may recall I changed the Weblogic config.xml to record user agents to the webserver.log.

One trick I use is the double quotes in awk to identify just the user agent. This information is then sorting by name to count (uniq -c) how many of each is present. Finally, I sort again by number with the largest at the top to see which are the most common.

grep <term> webserver.log | awk -F\” ‘{print $2}’ | sort | uniq -c | sort -n -r

This is what I will use looking for a specific user. If I am looking at a wider range, such as the user age for hits on a page, then I probably will use the head command to look at the top 20.

A “feature” of this is getting the build (Firefox 3.011) rather than just the version (Firefox 3). For getting the version, I tend to use something more like this to count the found version out of the log.

grep <term> webserver.log | awk -F\” ‘{print $2}’ | grep -c ‘<version>’

I have yet to see many CE/Vista URIs with the names of web browsers. So these are the most common versions one would likely find (what to grep – name – notes):

  1. MSIE # – Microsoft Internet Explorer – I’ve seen 5 through 8 in the last few months.
  2. Firefox # – Mozilla Firefox – I’ve seen 2 through 3.5. There is enough difference between 3 and 3.5 (also 2 and 2.5) I would count them separately.
  3. Safari – Apple/WebKit – In searching for this one, I would add to the search a ‘grep -v Chrome’ or to eliminate Google Chrome user agents.
  4. Chrome # – Google Chrome – Only versions 1 and 2.

Naturally there many, many others. It surprised me to see iPhone and Android on the list.


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NRA Poll

October 20, 2009 in Gov't & Politics by Ez | 1 comment

The National Rifle Association needs better pollsters. It might help to keep off the list people who are going to analyze your question for how it might be used and provide an answer just to be contrarian.

An “Andy Bush” (I think that was the name) asked in a phone poll:

Do you think 3rd world dictatorships and Hillary Clinton should determine US gun rights?

Apparently I was supposed to forget their own VP Wayne LaPierre in a recorded message (portrayed as live) described the United Nations as a bunch of 3rd world dictators. LaPierre has for years claimed the UN deliberations about buying the illicit arms in African war torn areas somehow means taking American firearms but omitted anything about Africa from his message. Shame on me for being well read to know the background information so as to not be completely swayed by the spin. In the recorded message he also described the United States Congress as willing to hand our country over to the dictators. (Whatever that means.)

This message and question are deliberately framed the so the only possible answer is “No.” At the time I could not see this question as possibly being shown in any publication as anyone would dismiss the question as so completely skewed the results are meaningless.

Such an attempt to manipulate me annoyed me, so I answered “Yes” just to waste as much of their time as they did mine. Andy Bush sounded confused when he asked me if I said “Yes”. He asked if I wanted to change my mind.

Next time ask me a legitimate question to get an real answer.


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