Rory
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The latest: See some of the health issues blogs I’ve been reading. And some photography resources.
Also, I have a sample of my rocket fleet. Also starting on building guitar amps. Web resources contains information about the techniques I used to build this site. Click the links at the left to view. Also, a page dedicated to my late, great, EV1.
My newest toy is the Amazon Kindle
Books at my bedside
Here’s what I’ve either recently read, am reading, or intend to read (one of these days).
Red Moon - A Novel
by: David S. Michaels, Daniel Brenton
publisher: Breakneck Books, released: September 5, 2007
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Studio Techniques
by: Ben Willmore
publisher: Adobe Press, released: December 20, 2007
I think I have now spent more on books about Photoshop than on the software itself.
Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy
by: Douglas A. Anderson
publisher: Del Rey, released: August 26, 2003
Orphans of Chaos
by: John C. Wright
publisher: Tor Science Fiction, released: October 31, 2006
Picked it up free in a Kindle promotion. Started out promising, but ultimately became a gussied-up version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with a little inappropropriate adult-child sexuality thrown in. Not recommended.
Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases
by: Greenville Kleiser
publisher: Echo Library, released: July 10, 2007
Another dirt-cheap Kindle book (80 cents).
The Devil’s Dictionary
by: Ambrose Bierce
publisher: Filiquarian, released: November 7, 2007
Only 80 cents for the Kindle edition. Mencken’s cynicism feels quite at home today, even though he wrote this more than 125 years ago.
Light
by: M. John Harrison
publisher: Spectra, released: August 31, 2004
Three independent story lines that eventually converge. Easier to understand than the author’s “Nova Swing,” but popping among the three story lines, while interesting, seems to have little purpose.
Nova Swing
by: M. John Harrison
publisher: Bantam, released: September 25, 2007
Weirdly disorienting book. Would have made slightly more sense if I had read "Light" (by the same author) first, but still a fun ride. Even when you have no idea what is going on, the writing is extraordinary.
Meditations
by: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
publisher: NuVision Publications, released: February 26, 2008
The Host: A Novel
by: Stephenie Meyer
publisher: Little, Brown and Company, released: May 6, 2008
Invasion of the body snatchers, but this time, the invaders have good intentions. Good page-turner.
Out Of Whack
by: Jeff Strand
publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory, released: February 28, 2004
Started out fine, but became tedious and annoying well before the end.
Practical Demonkeeping
by: Christopher Moore
publisher: Harper Paperbacks, released: June 1, 2004
Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS3
by: Bruce Fraser, Jeff Schewe
publisher: Peachpit Press, released: November 17, 2007
Wonderful book. The authors really understand what is going on behind the interface.
A Dirty Job: A Novel
by: Christopher Moore
publisher: HarperCollins, released: April 1, 2007
Odd, static book that does pick up the action late, with a slam-bang finish. He wrote this after both his mother and mother-in-law died, and it includes some eloquent thoughts about death. Unfortunately, the second half of the book would have been unnecessary if the characters had guessed a secret that should have been obvious to them—it certainly was broadly hinted at throughout the text, and I suspect most readers will be annoyed at the characters’ obtuseness.
Island of the Sequined Love Nun
by: Christopher Moore
publisher: Harper Paperbacks, released: June 1, 2004
Lessons I learned from this book: cargo cults are cool, fruit bats can talk, and don’t play cards with Jesus Christ.
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels
by: Jasper Fforde
publisher: Viking Adult, released: July 24, 2007
First two books in this series were fine, but the last two (this is the fourth), are forgettable.
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book
by: Adobe Creative Team
publisher: Adobe Press, released: April 26, 2007
Photoshop is extraordinarily complex. Once you get familiar with it, this complexity helps you, because the vast set of tools and settings makes it likely that you will find a tool that makes your task easier. The problem is knowing where that tool is and how to use it!
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2007
publisher: Houghton Mifflin, released: October 10, 2007
Euclid in the Rainforest: Discovering Universal Truth in Logic and Math
by: Joseph Mazur
publisher: Plume, released: July 25, 2006
It’s Getting Ugly Out There: The Frauds, Bunglers, Liars, and Losers Who Are Hurting America
by: Jack Cafferty
publisher: Wiley, released: September 10, 2007
Jack Cafferty is unhappy. I get it. Enough already!
The History
by: Herodotus
publisher: University Of Chicago Press, released: January 15, 1988
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
by: Marshall Goldsmith, Mark Reiter
publisher: Hyperion, released: January 9, 2007
The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World
by: Alan Greenspan
publisher: Penguin Press HC, The, released: September 17, 2007
The Tolkien Reader
by: J.R.R. Tolkien
publisher: Del Rey, released: November 12, 1986
The Philip K. Dick Reader
by: Philip K. Dick
publisher: Citadel, released: April 1, 2001
The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
by: A. J. Jacobs
publisher: Simon & Schuster, released: October 4, 2005
Davis: Radical Changes, Deep Constants
by: John Lofland
publisher: Arcadia Publishing, released: October 11, 2004
Robert’s Rules Of Order Newly Revised In Brief
by: Henry M. III Robert, William J. Evans, Daniel H. Honemann, Thomas J. Balch
publisher: Da Capo Press, released: April 13, 2004
Machiavelli: The Prince
by: Niccolo Machiavelli
publisher: Cambridge University Press, released: October 28, 1988
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court
by: Jeffrey Toobin
publisher: Doubleday, released: September 18, 2007
The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference
by: Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, Brett Johnson
publisher: New Society Publishers, released: February 1, 2007
The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West
by: Mark Lilla
publisher: Knopf, released: September 11, 2007
Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age of Complexity
by: Karl E. Weick, Kathleen M. Sutcliffe
publisher: Jossey-Bass, released: July 3, 2001
Books that recently left my bedside
All finished with these!
Something Rotten
by: Jasper Fforde
publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics), released: July 26, 2005
Book 4 of the Thursday Next series, and one of the weakest.
The Well of Lost Plots
by: Jasper Fforde
publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics), released: August 3, 2004
Book 3 of the Thursday Next series, and a bit tedious in parts.
Lost in a Good Book
by: Jasper Fforde
publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics), released: February 24, 2004
Book 2 of the Thursday Next series. Bizarre story that literally travels through the pages of some classic texts.
The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel
by: Jasper Fforde
publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics), released: February 25, 2003
Book 1 of the Thursday Next series. Excellent twisted fable of an alternative universe where books are more than just words on a page.
Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
by: Dan Koeppel
publisher: Hudson Street Press, released: December 27, 2007
Should be retitled “History of banana republics.” Concentrates on the effects of banana production on Latin America.
The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers
by: Scott Kelby
publisher: New Riders Press, released: August 15, 2007
For people who already know photoshop, this book helps you become skilled with various techniques to improve digital photographs.
Photoshop CS3 Bible
by: Laurie Ulrich Fuller, Robert C. Fuller
publisher: Wiley, released: July 10, 2007
Linux Pocket Guide
by: Daniel J. Barrett
publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc., released: March 1, 2004
Concentrates on Red Hat Linux. For those using a significantly different distro (e.g., Ubuntu), this book omits a lot.
Adobe Photoshop CS3 One-On-One
by: Deke McClelland
publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc., released: June 15, 2007
Great intro to workflow for digital photographers. Good for beginners, but too shallow for anyone else.
The Dispossessed
by: Ursula K. Le Guin
publisher: Eos, released: December 1, 1994
A dystopic utopia. Hard to tell whether she wanted us to admire that world or not. Nice tale, less polemical than her usual.
His Dark Materials Trilogy
by: Philip Pullman
publisher: Laurel Leaf, released: September 23, 2003
I can see why the Catholic Church was upset with the movie—the church is evil in this book. Sort of the anti-Lion Witch and Wardrobe.
Second Foundation
by: Isaac Asimov
publisher: Spectra, released: October 1, 1991
Foundation and Empire
by: Isaac Asimov
publisher: Spectra, released: November 1, 1991
Foundation
by: Isaac Asimov
publisher: Spectra, released: October 1, 1991
Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume—Rocannon’s World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions
by: Ursula K. Le Guin
publisher: Orb Books, released: October 15, 1996
Nonprofit Strategic Planning
by: Shea Smith, Shea Smith III
publisher: Shea Smith III, released: June 20, 1997
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language
by: David Crystal
publisher: Cambridge University Press, released: February 13, 1997
Ubik
by: Philip K. Dick
publisher: Vintage, released: December 3, 1991
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t
by: Robert I. Sutton
publisher: Business Plus, released: February 22, 2007
A Canticle for Leibowitz
by: Walter M. Miller Jr.
publisher: Eos, released: May 1, 2006
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by: Barack Obama
publisher: Crown, released: October 17, 2006
Window Seat: Reading the Landscape from the Air
by: Gregory Dicum
publisher: Chronicle Books, released: March 1, 2004
Sunset Western Garden Book
publisher: Sunset Books, released: February, 2007
Finally! A new edition. A must-have for a gardener in the western USA.
Blue Trout and Black Truffles: The Peregrinations of an Epicure
by: Joseph Wechsberg
publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers, released: April, 1985
Saturday
by: Ian McEwan
publisher: Nan A. Talese, released: March 22, 2005
The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
by: Roger Penrose
publisher: Knopf, released: February 22, 2005
Just reading the table of contents (e.g., ‘twistor sheaf cohomology’) gives me a headache. Watch this space to see if I ever finish this book.
A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines
by: Anthony Bourdain
publisher: Harper Perennial, released: November 1, 2002
Hunter S Thompson meets the Galloping Gourmet.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by: J. K. Rowling
publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, released: July 21, 2007
Better than I thought it would be. Some of the many puzzles come crashing down around your head as the author tries to juggle too many things.
Gramophone Classical Good CD & DVD Guide 2006
publisher: Gramophone Publications, released: October 1, 2005
Wow! Great guide not only to the recordings but also to the music. This is a must for anyone interested in classical music, especially if you want to go off the beaten path.
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
by: Philip K. Dick
publisher: Vintage, released: December 3, 1991
The Pessimist’s Guide to History: An Irresistible Compendium Of Catastrophes, Barbarities, Massacres And Mayhem From The Big Bang To The New Millennium
by: Doris Flexner, Stuart Berg Flexner
publisher: Harper Paperbacks, released: July 1, 2000
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by: Philip K. Dick
publisher: Del Rey, released: May 28, 1996
Easy reading, but an extraordinary pastiche: detective story, postapocalytic science fiction, philosophical treatise, and sardonic take on humankind’s humanity (or lack thereof). Mind-shattering.
R.U.R.
by: Karel Capek
publisher: Penguin Classics, released: March 30, 2004
This play is the origination of the term: robot. Getting the robots to do mankind’s work (including fighting their wars), does not turn out well. Humans regress quite quickly, and in ten years time are almost entirely wiped off the face of the earth.
Unsolved Mysteries of History: An Eye-Opening Investigation into the Most Baffling Events of All Time
by: Paul Aron
publisher: Wiley, released: August 3, 2001
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Project Management with Microsoft Project 2003
by: Ron Black
publisher: Alpha, released: January, 2005
Trying to get my work projects more organized
Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story
by: Kurt Eichenwald
publisher: Broadway, released: December 27, 2005
Shakespeare’s Words: A Glossary and Language Companion
by: David Crystal, Ben Crystal
publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics), released: December 31, 2002
Water Gardens
by: Susan Lang, T. Jeff Williams
publisher: Leisure Arts, released: January, 2004
Encyclopedia of Water Garden Plants
by: Greg Speichert, Sue Speichert
publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated, released: April 1, 2004
Sarbanes-Oxley for Nonprofits: A Guide to Building Competitive Advantage
by: Peggy M. Jackson, Toni E. Fogarty
publisher: Wiley, released: April 21, 2005
I’m on the board of a not-for-profit, so this is pretty much required reading.
Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion
by: Edward J. Larson
publisher: Basic Books, released: October 2, 2006
“Inherit the Wind” is not historically accurate. The play even includes a disclaimer stating so. Yet many get all their knowledge of the Scopes trial through that drama. This text, winnner of the Pulitzer Prize, sets the record straight, and is great reading. It also sets the context for today’s creationism vs. evoution debate.
Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
by: Anthony Bourdain
publisher: Harper Perennial, released: January 9, 2007
Coke fiend, heroin addict, chef. Quite a volatile mixture. Some of the chapters are great, some are throw-aways.
Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home
by: Mario Batali
publisher: Ecco, released: May 1, 2005
Sophisticated yet simple recipes.
Siddhartha
by: Hermann Hesse
publisher: Shambhala, released: January 11, 2005
Hatchet Jobs and Hardball: The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang
publisher: Oxford University Press, USA, released: August 24, 2004
Dune
by: Frank Herbert
publisher: Ace, released: September 1, 1990
Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook: The Eight Best Practices of Task and E-Mail Management
by: Michael Linenberger
publisher: New Academy Publishers, released: January 1, 2006
Highly recommended. Quick ways to get out of Inbox purgatory without having to dramatically change the way you work.
The Connoisseur’s Guide to Sushi: Everything You Need to Know About Sushi Varieties and Accompaniments, Etiquette and Dining Tips and More
by: Dave Lowry
publisher: Harvard Common Press, released: October 5, 2005
Very in-depth look at seafood on sushi. Full of stories about the ingredients—their origin, etc. Concision is not the author’s strength, so be prepared for lots of extraneous stuff.
Twentieth-Century Type Designers
by: Sebastian Carter
publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, released: June, 1995
The Left Hand of Darkness
by: Ursula K. LeGuin
publisher: Ace, released: March 15, 1987
Science fiction without flash. Virtually all the action takes place in a very low-tech setting. Mainly a musing on what life would be like without gender differences, with a little side trip that takes jabs at communism. The book probably was very daring when written in the ’60s, but now feels a bit dated.
Cat’s Cradle
by: Kurt Vonnegut
publisher: Dell Publishing, released: September 8, 1998
a humorous look at the follies of mankind and our unthinking destructiveness
Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Windows & Macintosh
by: Katherine Ulrich
publisher: Peachpit Press, released: December 1, 2003
still trying to figure out Flash
Valve Amplifiers, Third Edition
by: Morgan Jones
publisher: Newnes, released: June, 2003
excellent for those who want to understand how to design vacuum tube amps
The Naked Corporation: How the Age of Transparency Will Revolutionize Business
by: Don Tapscott, David Ticoll
publisher: Free Press, released: October 7, 2003
Leading Quietly
by: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.
publisher: Harvard Business School Press, released: February 11, 2002
Dreamweaver MX 2004: The Missing Manual
by: David Sawyer McFarland
publisher: Pogue Press, released: December 1, 2003
there are many hidden features in Dreamweaver — this helps you use them
The Lathe of Heaven: A Novel
by: Ursula K. Le Guin
publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, released: September 1, 2003
Short, provocative tale of a man whose dreams change the course of history. A blend of science, science fiction, and Eastern philosophy.
The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind’s Greatest Invention
by: Guy Deutscher
publisher: Metropolitan Books, released: June 1, 2005
A difficult read, but fascinating.
The Tea Companion
by: Jane Pettigrew
publisher: Running Press, released: September 7, 2004
The first part, the history of tea, is useful. The second part, regarding varieties of teas, tends to focus on specific estates instead of specific types — not so useful for me.
Gilgamesh: A New English Version
by: Stephen Mitchell
publisher: Free Press, released: September 28, 2004
The best translation of the oldest extant written story (roughly 4000 years old) — a remarkably modern story about how arrogance and heroism do not mix well.
Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World
by: Bruce Schneier
publisher: Wiley, released: January 30, 2004
A sophisticated yet common-sense view of the threats with realistic approaches to dealing with them. A bit marred by some self-promotion near the end.
Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
by: Steve Almond
publisher: Harvest Books, released: April 4, 2005
Fun book about candy manufacturing. The author does get a little self-obsessed at times, and makes a fleeting (unsuccessful) attempt at making this serious literature.
The Rough Guide to Tuscany & Umbria 5
by: Rough Guides
publisher: Rough Guides, released: May 12, 2003
Great reference. Found some of the restaurant recommendations particularly useful.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by: J. K. Rowling
publisher: Scholastic, Inc., released: July 16, 2005
She’s trying too hard to tie all the loose ends together in this volume. Reads more like an attempt to explain the series than a novel.
The Dean and DeLuca Cookbook
by: David Rosengarten, Joel Dean, Giorgio Deluca
publisher: Random House, released: October 8, 1996
Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
by: Steve Krug
publisher: New Riders Press, released: August 28, 2005
Great book about Web site usability.
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
publisher: William Morrow, released: May 1, 2005
Easy and interesting read.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by: Gregory Maguire
publisher: Harper Paperbacks, released: November 6, 1996
Picked up a copy at Costco. My god! The strangest book you could imagine. Slow-paced, with big gaps in the narrative. I refuse to finish this book.
The Elements of Typographic Style
by: Robert Bringhurst
publisher: Hartley & Marks, released: December 1, 1996
a wonderful book about typographic design, very readable even for beginners
The Ultimate Tone
by: Kevin O'Connor
publisher: Power Press, released: 1995
a cookbook for tube amp design
The Little Black Book Of Sushi: The Essential Guide to the World of Sushi
by: Day Zschock
publisher: Peter Pauper Press, released: January 31, 2005
Pretty good, as far as it goes. But there’s not a lot of content in this book.
Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe
by: Leon M. Lederman, C. T. Hill
publisher: Prometheus Books, released: October 31, 2004
Shakespeare’s Insults: Educating Your Wit
by: Wayne F. Hill
publisher: Three Rivers Press, released: October 3, 1995
“In his sleep he does little harm, save to his bedclothes about him.” — Quotes like that abound in his writings.
Iliad and Odyssey boxed set
by: Homer
publisher: Penguin Classics, released: November 1, 1999
a lively translation
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life, First Edition
by: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, released: October, 2001
iconoclastic view of investing
Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Every Day
by: Albert Jack
publisher: HarperCollins, released: January 1, 2006
Uncritically tells stories about how various idioms arose. In many cases, sounds like author is dead wrong.
Letter Perfect: The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet From A to Z
by: David Sacks
publisher: Broadway, released: August 3, 2004
Series of articles on origin of each letter. Overall is very interesting. Does have some repetition as the book is adapted from a series of newspaper columns—seems like author didn’t carefully edit the results.
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