A place for the neat stuff the surrounds my life
SAT 11/16 5:30pm
Sooky Goldman Nature Ctr
Disappear with your kids into the evening shadows. Hear Franklin Canyon come alive on this adventure night hike. Warm clothes, flashlight recommended. Ages 8+. 2hrs WODOC
Nobody Strolls in LA
SAT 11/16 7pm
Sooky Goldman Nature Ctr
A slow evening ramble in the park. Rather than speed past nature, we'll stop and savor it. Bring a flashlight, all your senses and a capacity for stillness. 1.5hrs WODOC
Legitimate anti-terrorist need or overstepping of privacy bounds?
As usual, I haven't necessarily delved deeply into these books, but for some reason they interested me. Some are merely "flip-through" books. These are the one's that I just quickly scan to see what neat ideas I can glean.
If you can discern any patterns in this selection of books, drop me a line. I sure would like to know what it is. -- Douglas
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Marketing...
Handmade Christmas: The Best of Martha Stewart
American Country Building Design
You Won--Now What?: How Americans Can Make Democracy Work from City Hall to the White House
The River Reader (The Nature Conservancy...
Easy Country: A New Approach to Country...
The Acrylic Painter's Book of Styles and Techniques
Painting from the Source: Awakening the Artist Soul in Everyone
Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot
Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course
I can imagine that some parents and students do not wish to be contacted, and yet, parents have no ability to prevent it. There is a provision to allow students to "opt-out" of the program, but only if they know that there school administrators haven't already turned over their records. There is a particularly troubling quote from the article that points up the arrogance and demeaning nature of the provision.
"The only thing that will get us to stop contacting the family is if they call their congressman," says Major Johannes Paraan, head U.S. Army recruiter for Vermont and northeastern New York. "Or maybe if the kid died, we'll take them off our list."
Whether you have problems with the program or not, burying provisions such as this within 670 pages of text is a sure way to shatter trust between government and citizen. It also behooves all of us to be even more watchful of the work that is done in our names.
Via Mother Jones
How to Lie With Statistics
Like a burglar telling you how to protect your home, Huff exposes the ways in which statistics can be made to lie...if not dance on the head of a pin. An excellent book to help everyone understand how the media, science and business all manipulate statistics to their own best advantage.
Career-Op: Other People's Problems
by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine
It can be a hard lesson to learn, but when you succeed in your high-tech career, or life in general, there will be those around you who are less than enthusiastic about your success. Call it fair-weather friends or simple jealousy, but it can be difficult when those who supported you in the past suddenly show a different side,. Worse still, these people can cause you to doubt your own actions, even when you think you are doing what is best for you. Pressure from friends and acquaintances should never drive you to make career decisions that arenâ??t in your own best interest.
Microsoft released their latest updater for Office X. I combines all previous updates and includes several more enhancements and fixes.
Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity
by David Allen
While I realize that no one book is going to solve any particular problem I am always on the lookout for books from which I can take away at least one lesson.
I recently checked this book out from my local library and I have been very impressed with how much it has helped. I am a pretty well organized person and don't let a lot of things slip through the cracks but I seem to suffer from "analysis paralysis" when faced with too many projects and too many steps to accomplish these projects. I just kind of sit and stew, unable to figure out what to do next. This book has helped me with that significantly by helping me identify the "Next Action" in any particular project, move towards completing that and then move onto the next action.
Allen also breaks down your work into discrete areas so that you can accomplish tasks in those odd moments between meetings and phone calls, instead of wondering what to do next. Check out this book when you get a chance. I think there is more than one good lesson that can be taken away
Digital Photographer's Handbook
I came across this book at my local bookstore yesterday and was quite impressed with both its depth and its clarity. It covers almost all aspects of digital photography, whether you are shooting pictures using a digital camera or scanning in traditional prints, negatives and transparencies. It really helps to clarify some of the more confusing issues such as, resolution and print size, moire patterns on scans and digitally adjusting your photos to get the best results.
Fashion Square Sherman Oaks
Every Third Friday of the Month: 2:00 - 6:00p.m.
Fashion Square partners with The Children's Museum of Los Angeles on the third friday of each month to provide Fashion Square families with educational art activities.
Join us for an afternoon of free Arts and Crafts on dates below:
November 15, 2002: Cornucopia Creating
December 20, 2002: Pop-Up Holiday Cards
Each event will be held at Center Court (lower level).
I have uploaded some pictures from today's visit to the Slim Gauge Guild model train club in Pasadena. There is something about model trains that bring out the kid in everyone.
A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the most unusual and intriguing words in English
I have been receiving the author's daily email for over a year and have always enjoyed the unique words and themes chosen. AWAD is a great way to expand your vocabulary or just have fun with words.
