Today I ordered used copies of the following books:
The Design of Design: Essays from a Computer Scientist
by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.
Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports, 3rd Ed.
by Howard Schilt
Fooling Some of the People All of the Time, A Long Short (and Now Complete) Story, Updated with New Epilogue
by David Einhorn
The Financial Numbers Game: Detecting Creative Accounting Practices
by Charles W. Mulford
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
2015-09-15 Tuesday - How Bad Do You Want It (Success)?
“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.”
Sunday, September 06, 2015
It Was The Best of Times...
I have so many fond memories from my life...
Going fishing upon the lakes of Arkansas with my grandfather Jim...
Trying to catch catfish late after midnight with my father on the banks of Lake Greers Ferry
As a small boy, walking in the 10 acres of woods behind our home, with my Great Dane...
The first time I drove my Honda 100 motorcycle to junior high school
My first car...bought used in 1978...a white 1957 Chevy Bel Air
The sense of adventure and freedom as I left home at 18 to join the Army in 1980
The first time I saw the truly majestic expanse of the Milky Way from a dark plain in Oklahoma
The thrill that filled my body as I walked onto the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on that first Fall day in 1984
My year of frequent traveling to Sydney Australia..
The times I have lived in Germany and England...
The night train to Prague, from Warsaw...in deepest winter
Seeing Jimmy Buffett live in concert in Las Vegas...
Sailing to Mexico in 2004...
The friendships that have spanned decades...
The joy that has filled my life from my love affair with books...
The deep satisfaction I have found in the work that I do...and the treasures that are the exceptional colleagues who have befriended me along the way...
I have made more than my fair share of mistakes in life...but what a wonderful life it has been thus far...
Going fishing upon the lakes of Arkansas with my grandfather Jim...
Trying to catch catfish late after midnight with my father on the banks of Lake Greers Ferry
As a small boy, walking in the 10 acres of woods behind our home, with my Great Dane...
The first time I drove my Honda 100 motorcycle to junior high school
My first car...bought used in 1978...a white 1957 Chevy Bel Air
The sense of adventure and freedom as I left home at 18 to join the Army in 1980
The first time I saw the truly majestic expanse of the Milky Way from a dark plain in Oklahoma
The thrill that filled my body as I walked onto the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on that first Fall day in 1984
My year of frequent traveling to Sydney Australia..
The times I have lived in Germany and England...
The night train to Prague, from Warsaw...in deepest winter
Seeing Jimmy Buffett live in concert in Las Vegas...
Sailing to Mexico in 2004...
The friendships that have spanned decades...
The joy that has filled my life from my love affair with books...
The deep satisfaction I have found in the work that I do...and the treasures that are the exceptional colleagues who have befriended me along the way...
I have made more than my fair share of mistakes in life...but what a wonderful life it has been thus far...
2015-09-06 Sunday - On The Value of Peace
We live in a world that does not know peace.
Here in America, we are largely sheltered from the wars, chaos, and privations that are common to everyday life in far off and distant lands.
In our country, there are more people concerned with what is happening in the lives of pseudo-celebrities (who are only celebrities, because they are famous for being famous - or infamous - for living exaggerated lives of no accomplishments, no talent, no taste, no discretion, no humility, no sense of decorum, no sense of moderation, no sense of their proper place in the world) - than those who are concerned with what happens outside of our own borders...and how our country, in large measure, behaves en masse as over-indulgent revelers who have crashed a party to which we were not invited - and with a host that grows weary of our collective shenanigans.
This reflects a world that is out of balance.
As one who has spent time studying the ways of wind and waves, and who knows deep in his bones the silent ways of wood and glen - I also know that Mother Nature abhors such conditions as now permeate the civilization in which we now claim as our time.
It is only a matter of time before Mother Nature sets the scales aright.
The peace that we enjoy today on our shores, in the context of centuries of history, is but a fleeting pause in the natural order of the world.
We stumble on in the dark wee hours of the night...enjoying the merriment...but when the morning comes...the hang-over will be severe, our head will ache, our mouths will be filled as with cotton...and the price for our indiscretions as a nation will come due.
Time is not our ally at this stage of the game.
I would that there were words that could wake this somnolent nation from its delirium - but the clock has ticked past midnight, the bottles have been emptied - the poison already fills the veins. There is no turning back the clock, nor averting the accounting which is overdue.
Future generations will look upon our future, as their past. They will hopefully learn lessons from these dark days in our nation's conscious.
The Constitution of these United States - will endure. The Spirit of Freedom will arise again. Men will renew their faith with the spirit that was embedded in the Declaration of Independence.
Here in America, we are largely sheltered from the wars, chaos, and privations that are common to everyday life in far off and distant lands.
In our country, there are more people concerned with what is happening in the lives of pseudo-celebrities (who are only celebrities, because they are famous for being famous - or infamous - for living exaggerated lives of no accomplishments, no talent, no taste, no discretion, no humility, no sense of decorum, no sense of moderation, no sense of their proper place in the world) - than those who are concerned with what happens outside of our own borders...and how our country, in large measure, behaves en masse as over-indulgent revelers who have crashed a party to which we were not invited - and with a host that grows weary of our collective shenanigans.
This reflects a world that is out of balance.
As one who has spent time studying the ways of wind and waves, and who knows deep in his bones the silent ways of wood and glen - I also know that Mother Nature abhors such conditions as now permeate the civilization in which we now claim as our time.
It is only a matter of time before Mother Nature sets the scales aright.
The peace that we enjoy today on our shores, in the context of centuries of history, is but a fleeting pause in the natural order of the world.
We stumble on in the dark wee hours of the night...enjoying the merriment...but when the morning comes...the hang-over will be severe, our head will ache, our mouths will be filled as with cotton...and the price for our indiscretions as a nation will come due.
Time is not our ally at this stage of the game.
I would that there were words that could wake this somnolent nation from its delirium - but the clock has ticked past midnight, the bottles have been emptied - the poison already fills the veins. There is no turning back the clock, nor averting the accounting which is overdue.
Future generations will look upon our future, as their past. They will hopefully learn lessons from these dark days in our nation's conscious.
The Constitution of these United States - will endure. The Spirit of Freedom will arise again. Men will renew their faith with the spirit that was embedded in the Declaration of Independence.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
2015-08-20 Thursday - Riding Tidal Forces
There are times when your ship is caught in a strong flood or falling tidal surge - and the best thing to do is to ride it out (or in, as the case may be)
Likewise, there are forces in life - and knowing when to swim with them, and when to swim against - is the beginning of wisdom.
The are times though, when the tide will take you to places you don't want to be - and that's when you need to know when to drop your anchor and hold tight.
To paraphrase Tully Mars, "sometimes, you just need to catch a little neutral"
There is much wisdom to be gained in understanding the ways of a boat....and in divining the dreamtime and songlines of Jimmy Buffett's character - Tully Mars.
Likewise, there are forces in life - and knowing when to swim with them, and when to swim against - is the beginning of wisdom.
The are times though, when the tide will take you to places you don't want to be - and that's when you need to know when to drop your anchor and hold tight.
To paraphrase Tully Mars, "sometimes, you just need to catch a little neutral"
There is much wisdom to be gained in understanding the ways of a boat....and in divining the dreamtime and songlines of Jimmy Buffett's character - Tully Mars.
Monday, August 10, 2015
2015-08-10 Monday - Days Sliding Away
The days seem to slide into the dust bin faster with each passing year.
The path ahead is clear - the steps between...the here...to..the then...well known...
One step at a time, always moving forward...
Finding rhythms within the moment...the dance of life...moving between earth and sky...
Always a sailor...with intervals of living among the land-dwellers...biding time...until circumstance returns the captain to his ship...
Wind and wave call to my soul...the songs of the dolphin echo in my mind...
For now, I navigate the chart-less obstacles...within concrete shoals and reefs...tides of human folly tugging at the ship...trying to suck one's spirit into their maelstrom...
But I have the light of Jimmy Buffett's music that gleams in even the darkest moment...as a beacon that always points to my True North....
That one particular harbor waits...
The path ahead is clear - the steps between...the here...to..the then...well known...
One step at a time, always moving forward...
Finding rhythms within the moment...the dance of life...moving between earth and sky...
Always a sailor...with intervals of living among the land-dwellers...biding time...until circumstance returns the captain to his ship...
Wind and wave call to my soul...the songs of the dolphin echo in my mind...
For now, I navigate the chart-less obstacles...within concrete shoals and reefs...tides of human folly tugging at the ship...trying to suck one's spirit into their maelstrom...
But I have the light of Jimmy Buffett's music that gleams in even the darkest moment...as a beacon that always points to my True North....
That one particular harbor waits...
Sunday, May 31, 2015
2015-05-31 Sunday - New Library Additions
In the last week I've visited the Mercer Island Thrift Store, and the Seattle Goodwill Store and picked-up the following additions to my library:
Artificial Intelligence
Patrick Henry Winston
Linear Algebra and its Applications, Third Edition
David C. Lay
The Basic Practice of Statistics
David S. Moore
This Time is Different, Eight Centuries of Financial Folly
Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff
Wall Street, A history
Charles R. Geisst
The Gathering Storm
Winston S. Churchill
Unfolding The Napkin, The Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures
Dan Roam
Getting the Second Appointment, How to Close Any Sale in Two Calls
Anthony Parinello
Rainmaking Made Simple, What Every Professional Must Know
Mark M. Mraia
Mechanics of Materials, 2nd Edition
Ferdinnd P. Beer, E. Russell Johnston, Jr.
Home and Workshop Guide to Sharpening
Harry Walton
A Reverence for Wood
Eric Sloane
Dead Center, A Marine Sniper's Two-Year Odyssey In The Vietnam War
Ed Kugler
Catch Me If You Can
Frank W. Abagnale
Kokoro
Natsume Soseki, translated by Edwin McClellan
Bulfinch's Mythology
Thomas Bulfinch
The Portable D.H. Lawrence
D.H. Lawrence
Essays and Sketches of Mark Twin
Selections by Stuart Miller
I. Asimov, A Memoir
Isaac Asimov
The Art of the Interview, Lessons from a Master of the Craft
Lawrence Grobel
Writer to Writer, A Practical Handbook on The Craft of Writing, From Idea to Contract
Bodie and Brock Thoene
Better Chess For Average Players
Tim Harding
Grandmaster
Warren Murphy and Molly Chocran
The Last Theorem
Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl
I'm Not Anti-Business, I'm Anti-Idiot
Scott Adams
It's Not Funny If I Have to Explain It
Scott Adams
Seduced by the Sea, More Stories From Seafaring Kiwis
Edited by Tessa Duder
I also picked-up two DVD collections:
Artificial Intelligence
Patrick Henry Winston
Linear Algebra and its Applications, Third Edition
David C. Lay
The Basic Practice of Statistics
David S. Moore
Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff
Wall Street, A history
Charles R. Geisst
The Gathering Storm
Winston S. Churchill
Unfolding The Napkin, The Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures
Dan Roam
Getting the Second Appointment, How to Close Any Sale in Two Calls
Anthony Parinello
Rainmaking Made Simple, What Every Professional Must Know
Mark M. Mraia
Mechanics of Materials, 2nd Edition
Ferdinnd P. Beer, E. Russell Johnston, Jr.
Home and Workshop Guide to Sharpening
Harry Walton
A Reverence for Wood
Eric Sloane
Dead Center, A Marine Sniper's Two-Year Odyssey In The Vietnam War
Ed Kugler
Catch Me If You Can
Frank W. Abagnale
Kokoro
Natsume Soseki, translated by Edwin McClellan
Bulfinch's Mythology
Thomas Bulfinch
The Portable D.H. Lawrence
D.H. Lawrence
Essays and Sketches of Mark Twin
Selections by Stuart Miller
I. Asimov, A Memoir
Isaac Asimov
The Art of the Interview, Lessons from a Master of the Craft
Lawrence Grobel
Writer to Writer, A Practical Handbook on The Craft of Writing, From Idea to Contract
Bodie and Brock Thoene
Better Chess For Average Players
Tim Harding
Grandmaster
Warren Murphy and Molly Chocran
The Last Theorem
Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl
I'm Not Anti-Business, I'm Anti-Idiot
Scott Adams
It's Not Funny If I Have to Explain It
Scott Adams
Seduced by the Sea, More Stories From Seafaring Kiwis
Edited by Tessa Duder
I also picked-up two DVD collections:
- BBC Video: Black Adder Remastered, The Ultimate Edition
- BBC Video: Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Friday, May 29, 2015
2015-05-29 Friday - Tools I Use to Enhance My Memory
Earlier this year I arrived at a new client's office with my usual assortment of mobile office tools, which include:
2012 Addendums
2013 Addendums
2014 Addendums
2015 Addendums
p.s.
It should also be worth noting that I have journals going back over 25+ years - and they have survived much better than any of the electronic storage mediums that have fallen by the wayside...back-up media for which there are no longer devices being sold, cables that have connectors that are no longer supported on current devices, backup versions that are no longer compatible with current OSs or tools, etc. The journals survive. They are still legible, and because there are separate journals by year, by client engagement - I have a relatively small set to comb through when I need to find something. I've never had a journal 'crash' - and become inaccessible.
- laptop
- 6-outlet extension strip
- digital voice reorder
- dongle for controlling my laptop during slide deck presentations
- pico led projector
- Record Book (carried in most office supply stores) - which I use as an engagement journal
My favorite record book is the Staples Black Record Book, 10-7/16" x 8x3/8" (item 217695, model 18658/26510) - which has 300 pages. Today's online price is $64.79
Since the work I do is important to my clients - and I value having quality tools - I don't mind spending the extra premium for a tool that will look good, and last a very long time. The weight and heft when I pull out my journal book is pleasant thing in my mind - and is intended to create and communicate a visual message to my clients: I take my work seriously, and I value the things you may say - so I am going to be sure I capture them in a well organized way.
A comment was made by a younger person that I was going "old school" by writing notes in the journal - as opposed to just typing them into a laptop. I felt certain that the comment had an underlying dig of ageism - and so I didn't want to let it just lie there.
I took a moment to explain that I have found through personal experience that if I write something down, rather than typing it - I tend to remember it much better. I also mentioned that I transcribe my notes to .txt files as a further step in helping me learn the material - and to helping me organize information - and allowing me to rapidly search for information later. Further, I explained that my web searches of cognitive research studies conducted at some universities were actually found to support my own experiential observations that the act of physically writing something down - did indeed result in better memory retention.
The look in the other fellow's eye told me he wasn't buying it.
That has bugged me since then.
So I've wanted to capture some links to have handy the next time someone makes such a remark...
"New research by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer (Princeton, UCLA) demonstrates that students who write out their notes on paper actually learn more."
- http://www.intechopen.com/books/advances-in-haptics/digitizing-literacy-reflections-on-the-haptics-of-writing
- http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/were-only-human/ink-on-paper-some-notes-on-note-taking.html
"Writing stimulates a bunch of cells at the base of the brain called the reticular activating system (RAS). The RAS acts as a filter for everything your brain needs to process, giving more importance to the stuff that you're actively focusing on at the moment—something that the physical act of writing brings to the forefront."
"During one study at Indiana University published this year, researchers invited children to man a "spaceship," actually an MRI machine using a specialized scan called "functional" MRI that spots neural activity in the brain. The kids were shown letters before and after receiving different letter-learning instruction. In children who had practiced printing by hand, the neural activity was far more enhanced and "adult-like" than in those who had simply looked at letters."
"It seems there is something really important about manually manipulating and drawing out two-dimensional things we see all the time," says Karin Harman James, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Indiana University who led the study."
Washington University Memory Lab
2011 Addendums
- Better Learning Through Handwriting, University of Stavanger
2012 Addendums
2013 Addendums
2014 Addendums
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thinking-about-kids/201407/step-away-the-keyboard-how-our-hands-affect-our-brains
- http://www.businessinsider.com/handwriting-helps-you-learn-2014-12
- https://hbr.org/2015/07/what-you-miss-when-you-take-notes-on-your-laptop
- http://www.businessinsider.com/branson-attributes-some-of-his-most-successful-companies-to-note-taking-2015-2
"The dullest pencil will always remember more than the sharpest mind."2017 Addendums
- https://hbr.org/2017/07/the-more-senior-your-job-title-the-more-you-need-to-keep-a-journal
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/timmaurer/2017/02/08/5-reasons-why-non-digital-time-management-is-more-productive/
- "It’s really 'a mindfulness practice that’s disguised as a productivity system'"
- Paul Graham: Writes and Write-Nots
- Handwriting is a Fine Motor Skill That Benefits Us by Stimulating Our Brain, Gina Rich, Washington Post
- source: Alex B's comment on LinkedIn
p.s.
It should also be worth noting that I have journals going back over 25+ years - and they have survived much better than any of the electronic storage mediums that have fallen by the wayside...back-up media for which there are no longer devices being sold, cables that have connectors that are no longer supported on current devices, backup versions that are no longer compatible with current OSs or tools, etc. The journals survive. They are still legible, and because there are separate journals by year, by client engagement - I have a relatively small set to comb through when I need to find something. I've never had a journal 'crash' - and become inaccessible.
Friday, May 22, 2015
2015-05-22 Friday - One More Day
We are all flawed and frail human beings. Yet within each of us is a powerful force - an ability through our words to ignite a conflagration of light in the spirit of others that may help drive back the darkness that seeks to creep into every person's thoughts and hearts.
There is iron in the words I write - the iron of truth - and that truth comes from a place of love, hope, and light.
Powerful medicine for the ear that can hear.
When a young man, still in my 20s, I went in search of my best friend from high school - someone I had lost touch with for a few years. It was Christmas Day...his birthday...and the night before, I had spent Christmas Eve watching Bill Murray in the movie, Scrooged
The movie had re-filled me with hope, it renewed my belief in the power of helping others, it renewed my belief in the redemptive and healing power of reaching out to re-connect with someone.
As I walked up to the front door - of the house of my friend's Uncle - I was filled with hope...that he would be there visiting...or that I would be able to get his number...that I might be speaking with my friend in just a few minutes...
My friend. That incredibly bright light of intellect and adventure - with whom I bonded as a brother. We shared many adventures in our youth.
After knocking on the door, I heard footsteps inside approaching...a smile had already begun to grow on my face...
Once the door opened - the somber silence of the interior was like a dark foreboding shadow that inscribed in my heart the truth that my ears then only waited to hear.
My friend was gone. He had decided that life was too much of a burden for his hyper-sensitive soul. His decision to "check-out" haunts me to this day.
His was a bright and beautiful soul.
I miss my friend.
I do not know if there is life beyond this. If we are to believe in the teachings of some religions - those that choose to "check-out" are banished to a place that is not congruent with our idea of a good after-life.
I desperately hope that was not my friend's fate. But if it is, I have made a promise that once my time on this earth is done - I will go in search of him - and seek to redeem him from his plight, if that has indeed been his fate.
I have a ritual that I perform to his memory...
It is my hope that he can hear me - and finds some comfort in the words and energy I send out into the universe in his memory...
When I am in a restaurant or bar - if I am alone - with my first glass of wine, I raise a toast...but it is much more than that...it is a talisman...an invocation...an incantation of power...a warding of protection sent out across all the 'verses that may exist...and thus do I speak, ever so softly...
I wish I could have taught my friend an important lesson I have learned in this life...perhaps the most important of lessons...
No matter how bad things may get, no matter how bleak the situation seems - hold on for just one more day.
There is incredible power in words. These words - as spoken by the Giant, Saltheart Foamfollower have always been a source of resiliency and comfort for me - when my mind has been troubled by something:
Be a force for good - give a kind word - smile - reach out to people - find some way to bring light into the heart's and mind's of the people who enter your sphere of influence today.
It is within your power to give encouragement - a kind word, or act of kindness, might make all the difference in their fight against a darkness that may be their interior reality in this moment. Speak words of encouragement...words of power...of hope...of ideas that uplift.
People that look for miracles are misled. Be someone else's miracle. If there are angels...they are within us...they speak to us with whispers of thought...urging us to manifest them in our actions and our words...it is simply a choice we make.
2020-04-15 Addendum:
Other writers have expressed similar thoughts - but, far more eloquently than I have the capacity to write:
There is iron in the words I write - the iron of truth - and that truth comes from a place of love, hope, and light.
Powerful medicine for the ear that can hear.
When a young man, still in my 20s, I went in search of my best friend from high school - someone I had lost touch with for a few years. It was Christmas Day...his birthday...and the night before, I had spent Christmas Eve watching Bill Murray in the movie, Scrooged
The movie had re-filled me with hope, it renewed my belief in the power of helping others, it renewed my belief in the redemptive and healing power of reaching out to re-connect with someone.
As I walked up to the front door - of the house of my friend's Uncle - I was filled with hope...that he would be there visiting...or that I would be able to get his number...that I might be speaking with my friend in just a few minutes...
My friend. That incredibly bright light of intellect and adventure - with whom I bonded as a brother. We shared many adventures in our youth.
After knocking on the door, I heard footsteps inside approaching...a smile had already begun to grow on my face...
Once the door opened - the somber silence of the interior was like a dark foreboding shadow that inscribed in my heart the truth that my ears then only waited to hear.
My friend was gone. He had decided that life was too much of a burden for his hyper-sensitive soul. His decision to "check-out" haunts me to this day.
His was a bright and beautiful soul.
I miss my friend.
I do not know if there is life beyond this. If we are to believe in the teachings of some religions - those that choose to "check-out" are banished to a place that is not congruent with our idea of a good after-life.
I desperately hope that was not my friend's fate. But if it is, I have made a promise that once my time on this earth is done - I will go in search of him - and seek to redeem him from his plight, if that has indeed been his fate.
I have a ritual that I perform to his memory...
It is my hope that he can hear me - and finds some comfort in the words and energy I send out into the universe in his memory...
When I am in a restaurant or bar - if I am alone - with my first glass of wine, I raise a toast...but it is much more than that...it is a talisman...an invocation...an incantation of power...a warding of protection sent out across all the 'verses that may exist...and thus do I speak, ever so softly...
"Shane Barner,
Wherever Ye May Be,
Under What-So-Ever Conditions Ye May Exist,
Peace Be Upon You And About You My Friend.
The Memory of Your Friendship is Not Forgotten.
Hang In There Buddy, I'm Coming."
I wish I could have taught my friend an important lesson I have learned in this life...perhaps the most important of lessons...
No matter how bad things may get, no matter how bleak the situation seems - hold on for just one more day.
There is incredible power in words. These words - as spoken by the Giant, Saltheart Foamfollower have always been a source of resiliency and comfort for me - when my mind has been troubled by something:
"Stone and Sea are deep in life,
Two unalterable symbols of the world:
Permanence at rest, and permanence in motion;
Participants in the Power that remains."
Be a force for good - give a kind word - smile - reach out to people - find some way to bring light into the heart's and mind's of the people who enter your sphere of influence today.
It is within your power to give encouragement - a kind word, or act of kindness, might make all the difference in their fight against a darkness that may be their interior reality in this moment. Speak words of encouragement...words of power...of hope...of ideas that uplift.
People that look for miracles are misled. Be someone else's miracle. If there are angels...they are within us...they speak to us with whispers of thought...urging us to manifest them in our actions and our words...it is simply a choice we make.
2020-04-15 Addendum:
Other writers have expressed similar thoughts - but, far more eloquently than I have the capacity to write:
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
2015-05-12 Tuesday - Recent Library Finds
I spent yesterday afternoon - and far into the evening in the exquisite Bellevue Public Library.
Serendipity led me to pick-up the excellent book Of Dice and Men, by David M. Ewatt - which provided a rich glimpse into the history of the origins of the cult of Dungeons & Dragons - and in particular, an insight into one of the key originators: Gary Gygax
I did a quick read of Usable Usability, by Eric Reiss - and highly recommend it to anyone who feels they lack the necessary and sufficient insights into visual design principles (such as myself).
I also had a chance to do a quick read of Single Page Web Applications, by Michael Mikowski and Josh C. Powell - and highly recommend it. It is one of the better books I've ever read put out by Manning - and kudos to the editor who shepherded this to bring it to market.
I brought home two other books to read over the coming weeks...
Serendipity led me to pick-up the excellent book Of Dice and Men, by David M. Ewatt - which provided a rich glimpse into the history of the origins of the cult of Dungeons & Dragons - and in particular, an insight into one of the key originators: Gary Gygax
I did a quick read of Usable Usability, by Eric Reiss - and highly recommend it to anyone who feels they lack the necessary and sufficient insights into visual design principles (such as myself).
I also had a chance to do a quick read of Single Page Web Applications, by Michael Mikowski and Josh C. Powell - and highly recommend it. It is one of the better books I've ever read put out by Manning - and kudos to the editor who shepherded this to bring it to market.
I brought home two other books to read over the coming weeks...
Ian Stewart's letters to a young mathematician
and
Clay Breshears' The Art of Concurrency, A Threadmonkey's Guide to Writing Parallel Applications
Monday, May 11, 2015
2015-05-11 Monday - Talks by Sagan and Feynman
Two interesting video series on Youtube currated by Reid Gower - including talks by Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnazaabF3nhnIEax6tYG-PA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnazaabF3nhnIEax6tYG-PA
Monday, April 13, 2015
2015-04-13 Monday - Currently Reading
Today I completed reading: "Galapagos, Preserving Darwin's Legacy" http://www.amazon.com/Galapagos-Preserving-Darwins-Tui-Roy/dp/1554074843
Now I'm starting on: "The Essential John Nash"
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-John-Nash/dp/0691095272/
2015-04-13 Monday - Learning Mandarin
I have several books that I've acquired to help me in my quest to gain some working proficiency in the Chinese Mandarin language. However, a piece of software that I picked-up some years ago (then marketed by by Transparent Language as 101 Languages of the World) has long been a favorite - in particular, for the very helpful voice analysis capability:
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
2015-04-08 Wednesday - New Client Engagement
Last night I signed a one year contract for a new client engagement that will return me to the world of large-scale high performance e-commerce (e.g. 1M+ transactions per hour).
While I was reviewing said contract last night - a former colleague reached out to see if I was available to take a multi-year leadership role in some new initiatives his company is launching - but that would have required leaving Seattle again....much too soon.
And so, I shall abide yet a while longer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Wednesday, April 01, 2015
2015-04-01 The Life of Riley
I'm enjoying a break between consulting engagements - and the phrase "The Life of Riley" came to my mind.
I haven't had a break between client engagements since my last sailing sabbatical in Mexico (back in 2007)...so I am a bit overdue for a bit of downtime.
I'm using this time to do some deep dives in various technology areas.
My day begins around 7am...I spend the morning dedicated to read/study/practice (and do a bit of trading in the markets) until about noon - then I head to the spa for an hour of meditation in the whirlpool.
My afternoon is spent (again) dedicated to read/study/practice.
Evenings are spent writing, doing market research, working on a new responsive web design for my corporate web site, and continuing development and refactoring efforts on some stock analysis tools I began working on back in 2006.
When hungry, I eat. When tired, I sleep.
I am learning, growing, recharging the battery...
I am becoming more adept, more skilled - the knife more sharp...
The tide has gone out...but it will return....
The good captain makes ready his ship...
I haven't had a break between client engagements since my last sailing sabbatical in Mexico (back in 2007)...so I am a bit overdue for a bit of downtime.
I'm using this time to do some deep dives in various technology areas.
My day begins around 7am...I spend the morning dedicated to read/study/practice (and do a bit of trading in the markets) until about noon - then I head to the spa for an hour of meditation in the whirlpool.
My afternoon is spent (again) dedicated to read/study/practice.
Evenings are spent writing, doing market research, working on a new responsive web design for my corporate web site, and continuing development and refactoring efforts on some stock analysis tools I began working on back in 2006.
When hungry, I eat. When tired, I sleep.
I am learning, growing, recharging the battery...
I am becoming more adept, more skilled - the knife more sharp...
The tide has gone out...but it will return....
The good captain makes ready his ship...
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
2015-03-25 Watson, The Game is Afoot...
Well, a planned 12 month client engagement ended unexpectedly this week (due to their budget issues) - after only 2 months.
That was disappointing - but not wholly unexpected. One learns how to read the signs after many years in the world of professional services consulting...
I have initiated a few inquiries for some possible new client engagements...and so,
"Come, Watson, come! The Game is Afoot!"
- Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
"Improvise, Adapt, Overcome": These words ring in my mind as I sit in the Frolik bar having a martini this evening...(seeking some high speed wifi to download several large .iso files for the new Microsoft Windows 10 preview - no joy so far)....
- Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge, as Gunny Highway
That was disappointing - but not wholly unexpected. One learns how to read the signs after many years in the world of professional services consulting...
I have initiated a few inquiries for some possible new client engagements...and so,
"Come, Watson, come! The Game is Afoot!"
- Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
"Improvise, Adapt, Overcome": These words ring in my mind as I sit in the Frolik bar having a martini this evening...(seeking some high speed wifi to download several large .iso files for the new Microsoft Windows 10 preview - no joy so far)....
- Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge, as Gunny Highway
2015-03-25 Wednesday - Seattle Fast Wifi Resources
Although I have a 30 GB data plan with AT&T - there are times when I need to download large GB files - and the speed of the AT&T broadband device just isn't up to snuff...and sadly, nor are most public/free wifi services (or coffee shops). This is my placeholder for the search for good, reliable, fast, cheap | free wifi resources:
Seattle Public Library
- their wifi seems to have some bandwidth regulating rules in place - when trying to download a large .iso file - it seemed to hang after about 20-22MB...pausing/restarting would get another 18-22 MB...and then hang.
Bellevue Public Library
- it seems that the King County Libraries must have a consistent data bandwidth usage / throttling policy - as I also experienced seriously degraded download capabilities once I had reached 80-100MB - eventually, it seemed as if I was blocked even after 4-20 MB after repeated attempts to download a 100+ MB file from the Intuit Turbo Tax site.
Motif's Frolick
- download speed varies wildly/erratically between ~70kbs to almost 488kbs
2015-04-01 Wednesday Update...
well...I have found a great high speed wifi location - but I am not going to announce where it is...it is just a few blocks from where I am staying...and in a bit of an unusual location...with up to ~2.4+ mbs download speeds...
2015-04-06 Monday Update
Some interesting news recently regarding Wi-Fi in the Seattle area:
Seattle Public Library
- their wifi seems to have some bandwidth regulating rules in place - when trying to download a large .iso file - it seemed to hang after about 20-22MB...pausing/restarting would get another 18-22 MB...and then hang.
Bellevue Public Library
- it seems that the King County Libraries must have a consistent data bandwidth usage / throttling policy - as I also experienced seriously degraded download capabilities once I had reached 80-100MB - eventually, it seemed as if I was blocked even after 4-20 MB after repeated attempts to download a 100+ MB file from the Intuit Turbo Tax site.
Motif's Frolick
- download speed varies wildly/erratically between ~70kbs to almost 488kbs
2015-04-01 Wednesday Update...
well...I have found a great high speed wifi location - but I am not going to announce where it is...it is just a few blocks from where I am staying...and in a bit of an unusual location...with up to ~2.4+ mbs download speeds...
2015-04-06 Monday Update
Some interesting news recently regarding Wi-Fi in the Seattle area:
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
2015-02-25 Wednesday - Win, Lose, or Draw
This is my 6th
week working with a new client in the Internet TV / Digital Media
space - and it has been such a welcome and
joyful change... Every day, learning something new, challenged,
hands-back-on-code, working with bright and interesting people - a team of highly skilled, seasoned, and oh-so-experienced people.
So, my favorite new hangout is a bar in Seattle near the waterfront - at the Four Seasons, about 1/2 way between the office and the condo on my walk home in the evening - where I enjoy looking out over Puget Sound, watching the ferries departing from the docks just down the hill, and the Seattle Ferris Wheel is big-and-large-and-in-charge in the floor-to-ceiling windows
I'm having a a light dinner and a vodka martini as I write this - unwinding after a long day - celebrating the small victories of this week...
Win, Lose, or Draw...I have lived a good life. I have drunk deep from the cup and relished every moment of my existence on this wonderful spinning blue marble.
I have risked it all on tosses of the proverbial coin...with both wins and losses both accounted for in the ledger of life.
I have but a few regrets...
I am loved, I have deep long lasting friendships that span decades, I have the most precious of physical possessions (my treasured library of books) - and I have my health.
Life is good.
If Death were to take me this night - I would count my life as well lived.
Filled with adventure - and filled with both the highs and lows - that have provided the spice and flavor to this spirit as it has wandered upon this material plane of existence.
(Tolkien, J.R.R. 1974. The Return of the King. Lord of the Rings, Collector’s Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin: 308):
I am the captain of a seaworthy vessel that can cross oceans.
I am, the Dread Pirate Roberts...
So, my favorite new hangout is a bar in Seattle near the waterfront - at the Four Seasons, about 1/2 way between the office and the condo on my walk home in the evening - where I enjoy looking out over Puget Sound, watching the ferries departing from the docks just down the hill, and the Seattle Ferris Wheel is big-and-large-and-in-charge in the floor-to-ceiling windows
I'm having a a light dinner and a vodka martini as I write this - unwinding after a long day - celebrating the small victories of this week...
Win, Lose, or Draw...I have lived a good life. I have drunk deep from the cup and relished every moment of my existence on this wonderful spinning blue marble.
I have risked it all on tosses of the proverbial coin...with both wins and losses both accounted for in the ledger of life.
I have but a few regrets...
I am loved, I have deep long lasting friendships that span decades, I have the most precious of physical possessions (my treasured library of books) - and I have my health.
Life is good.
If Death were to take me this night - I would count my life as well lived.
Filled with adventure - and filled with both the highs and lows - that have provided the spice and flavor to this spirit as it has wandered upon this material plane of existence.
(Tolkien, J.R.R. 1974. The Return of the King. Lord of the Rings, Collector’s Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin: 308):
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
I am the captain of a seaworthy vessel that can cross oceans.
I am, the Dread Pirate Roberts...
Friday, February 20, 2015
2015-02-20 Friday - Tidal Forces
Inertia grows as the years accumulate...
Against the hands of Father Time, a constant struggle to maintain...
A battle that is doomed to failure...
But still, the spirit whispers, "not yet..."
Resisting change is to stand as a stone in the middle of the river...
to be worn down by time and circumstance.
To embrace change is to accept the forces and find a rhythm within the changing tides...
To be carried by the river is to find sustenance to endure until the morning light comes yet once more...and in the end, to be rejoined with Mother Ocean.
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