A recent event reminded me I should read Daniel Pink’s book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. I picked it up in August to read, but since my copy is a hard back the Georgia heat would warp it, so I left it forgotten in the bedside table. So here I am, thoroughly…
As an information technology professional, when a web site has performance problems, I sigh, gnash my teeth, and gripe just like everyone else. However, twenty minutes later I realize I have been there and feel bad for those having to deal with the mess. Also, should I feel hurt that I am not among the…
The Read 52 books goal is done over a couple months early. The last couple years, I read over 21,000 pages and at this point have read 18,027. Guess this means selecting shorter books helped me hit the number easier. It also means I should get in another 3,000 pages before the end of the year…
Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe by Simon Singh My rating: 4 of 5 stars This one falls along the lines of the Elegant Universe as a history of science. Going back to Greek philosophers and moving through developments in understanding the Universe, Singh explains the findings and the contemporary reactions. And also how…
This passage comes from the book Big Bang. [George] Gamow was infamous for his limericks and his sometimes offbeat application of physics. On one occasion, he argued God lived 9.5 light years from the Earth. This estimate  relied on the fact that in 1904, at the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, churches across Russia had…
One of the many times at the beach as a teen, I recall a horseshoe crab and something blue on the sand near it. Years later I learned their blood is blue. Our blood is red due to hemoglobin which contains iron. Iron binds with oxygen to make rust. Rust is red. So our blood…
I found 50 Experiences of Racially Mixed people (PDF) interesting. That Americans consider race to be a singular identity makes sense. Claiming to be biracial or multiracial makes no sense in that paradigm. The experiences listed were very familiar. Number 28, “You have been mistaken for another person of mixed heritage who does not resemble you,” brought…
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple My rating: 4 of 5 stars The format is a form I enjoy: A collection of emails, letters, and notes. They form the clues as to why Bernadette disappeared. Microsoft corporate culture and its effect on Seattle prominently features in the story. Work recently gave us little glass…