On vacations: We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings. | |
— Erma Bombeck | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Sometimes I’m Confused |
2021 | You Need Me On That Wall |
Counting Bees And Chasing Clouds | |
2020 | Precious Life |
2019 | Nothing Is Too Difficult For Me |
Patterns Of Caring | |
2018 | And May Never Be |
2017 | Don’t Forget |
2016 | I Was A Percentage Man |
2015 | It Waits Patiently |
2014 | Unknown |
2013 | Explaining Love? |
2012 | Echoes of 1% |
2011 | Salaam, Egypt!! |
Where Do You Learn? | |
Posts Tagged ‘Reading’
Some Of Us Sit Quietly (Indoors), Read And Drink Coffee
Posted in Humor, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, tagged Coffee, Erma Bombeck, Humor, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, Saltwater, Sand, Skin, Vacations on January 31, 2023| 2 Comments »
For Some… Not All
Posted in Humor, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, tagged Daniel J. Boorstin, Humor, In Bed, Philosophy, Privacy, Quotes, Reading, Sex on November 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Reading is like the sex act – done privately, and often in bed. | |
— Daniel J. Boorstin | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Does Blogging Count? |
Another Notch | |
2020 | Even Being President For Almost Four Years |
#45: Crying About The American Voters | |
Dying Isn’t Much Of A Way To Make A Living Boy | |
2019 | And Autumnal Foliage |
2018 | Up Hill, Both Ways |
2017 | Trump Carnivores – The Revolution So Far |
2016 | Election Results |
2015 | Speak Louder |
2014 | Why I Frequently Give In |
2013 | Am Remembering |
2012 | Sustained Fear |
2011 | Commitment |
School Needs
Posted in Education, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Arithmetic, Business Skills, Education, Fortune 500, Free Thinkers, Inter-Personal Skills, Joshua Davis, Linda Darling-Hammond, Philosophy, Problem-Solving, Quotes, Reading, Stanford University, Teamwork, Wired Magazine, Writing on August 4, 2022| 2 Comments »
In 1970 the top three skills required by the Fortune 500 were the three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1999 the top three skills in demand were teamwork, problem-solving, and inter-personal skills. We need schools that are developing these skills. | |
— Linda Darling-Hammond | |
Professor, Stanford University | |
Quoted by: Joshua Davis | |
From his article: “Free Thinkers“ | |
Appearing in: Wired Magazine; dtd: November 2013 | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Dragging |
Maverick And Goose? | |
2020 | I’m Just Being Skeptical |
Setting My Feet Upon The Road | |
2019 | We’re Eating Faster And Enjoying It Less |
2018 | Great Views |
Day 8: One At A Time | |
2017 | Trump Supporters Will Always Find An Excuse |
2016 | More Posts |
2015 | A Last Request |
2014 | It Matters |
2013 | And You Are? |
2012 | Not Too Late |
2011 | Persistence |
2009 | Health Care? |
Silent Preferences
Posted in Humor, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, tagged David Samuels, Humor, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading on July 14, 2022| 5 Comments »
Reading requires a loner’s temperament, a high tolerance for silence, and an unhealthy preference for the company of people who are imaginary or dead. | |
— David Samuels | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | In Between |
Summertime Memories | |
2020 | A Poverty Of Attention In An Attention Economy |
Don’t Forget | |
2019 | Boxes |
2018 | Hoping For Better Come November |
An Honest Binge | |
2017 | Give And Keep |
2016 | No Change Here |
2015 | Campbell’s Law |
2014 | Dignified Values |
2013 | Unappreciated Skill |
2012 | Living Courage |
2011 | What’s Happening To Us? |
2010 | Toothbrush, Carbon and Monoxide Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair! |
The End Of Time
Posted in Family History, General Comments, Reading, tagged Big Bands, Family History, General Comments, Germany, Great Men Of Music, LIFE Magazine, Liverpool, Military Service, Newsweek Magazine, Reading, Time / Life Books, Time / Life Reading Program, Time Magazine, U.S. News and World Report Magazine on June 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
WAY back when I was starting high school (just before the meteor killed most of the dinosaurs), I signed up for a social studies / current events class. As our homework, we were expected to become familiar with current events by reading at least one “national” publication (as opposed to a local newspaper with national news). My mom always tried to encourage our reading so she signed up for three (four actually): Time Magazine, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report. The fourth was more for herself and the whole family: Life Magazine. | |
Thus began my (more or less) life-long subscription to Time Magazine… | |
We dropped the other two after the first year’s subscriptions ran out – but she kept me going on Time. There was a brief lapse while I was in the military and in training, but I picked it back up when I got stationed in Germany for my last two years. I was reading the “International / European” edition. I didn’t realize there was a “different” version until after I’d already subscribed. I just assumed everybody in the world got the same news – after all, our “national” version contained international and European news. But of course, this was a completely different focus / emphasis and I – being the ugly American – resented I wasn’t getting as much American news. | |
Anyway, I kept it up when I got out and went to college and, in fact increased my subscriptions to include the Time / Life book series on “understanding computers”, the book series on history and civilization, the book series “Reading Program” – (kind of a mini-“Great Books”) secondary works of famous authors, and two music series: “Great Men of Music” (classical composers) and “Big Bands”. I continued my weekly subscription when we moved to Liverpool and again upon returning to the Bay Area. | |
Now, however, my 50+ year relationship with Time has run its course. My subscription ended towards the end of last summer (2021). For whatever reason, they continued to send me issues until the end of January this year (2022), but I did not and will not be renewing my subscription. | |
There are three primary reasons for my non-renewal: 1) As of five years ago, I retired and funds are getting tighter. Now don’t get me wrong… I can still “afford” the subscription. I just choose to spend the limited discretionary funds on other things. 2) the magazine has gone from a weekly to a every-other-week magazine. They are under pressure to turn everything over to the internet and are apparently struggling to keep up staff, quality and quantity. The practical effect was the weekly was getting thinner and thinner. Their shift has “almost” restored the number of pages in any given issue, but it’s still only half as many pages of information. And, 3) the magazine has modified the typeface in their hard-copy. I’m fairly confident they explained / justified their reasons for doing this in one of their editor columns, but frankly, it (the magazine) is just less appealing to look at now. And so I’m moving on… | |
And just to make a long story (post) longer… Why now? If the subscription ended last year and the “bonus” issues back in January, why am I writing this (blog post) is the end of “Time“? | |
It’s purely personal. I get the issue in the mail. I take a quick glance to see if there’s anything I “NEED” to know about now. I read that. The issue then goes into my “throne” rack to be read cover to cover when I’m doing “something else”. So, now, at the end of six months, I’m all caught up and “moving” to other things… | |
I am continuing my subscription to “Wired” magazine and I will be occasionally be posting quotes from that source. I will miss the Red border and (regretfully) I’m sure my overall knowledge of current events will suffer / decline. | |
Back in the Principal’s Office of my high school, there was a framed question on the wall: “Time is passing… Are you?“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Best To Be Trained And Educated |
The Great Relief | |
2020 | Diversity And Uniqueness |
2019 | Ebb And Flow |
2018 | America: Paging #45 |
2017 | Near By |
2016 | Maybe Someday |
2015 | How’s The Cow? |
2014 | Mind Made Up |
2013 | On Purpose |
2012 | The Dream |
2011 | What Could Be More Comfortable? |
Desert Springs
Posted in Education, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, tagged Andrew Carnegie, Community, Deserts, Education, Libraries, Other Blogs, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, Springs on February 22, 2022| 2 Comments »
A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert. | |
― Andrew Carnegie | |
[Found at one of the blogs I follow: “I didn’t have my glasses on….“ | |
Located at: https://ididnthavemyglasseson.com/ | |
The specific post is at: https://ididnthavemyglasseson.com/2017/03/11/im-a-reflection-of-the-community-tupac-shakur/ | |
Please visit the original blog / site if you have a minute… — kmab] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Desert Springs |
2021 | And Usually The Former |
The Real Heir… | |
2020 | The Doggie Dab |
A Fork In The Road | |
2019 | #LyingDonald’s Problem With The News And Truth |
2018 | Oh, Hell |
2017 | No Welcome Mat Here |
2016 | Making It Up |
A Missed Beat | |
2015 | We Are All Explorers |
2014 | Still Trying To Cope |
2013 | Dear Diary (A good chuckle!) |
2012 | Conveniently Sequential |
2011 | King’s Speech Number Four |
Rational Probability | |
Overbooked
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Family and Friends, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, tagged Books, Neighbors, Nooks, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, Robert Southey, Rooms on February 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Give me a room whose every nook is dedicated to a book. | |
— Robert Southey | |
[We recently had a neighbor drop in. She had been discussing books with my wife and wanted to drop off one she had just finished and was recommending. (Readers are the biggest “pushers” in the world.) Anyway, the neighbor was saying she had far too many books and she needed to donate / give away some of them. My wife chuckled. The neighbor looked quizzical… I opened the door to one of my rooms and she saw a wall of books / LP’s / CD’s approximately 18ft long and shelved from floor to ceiling (mostly books). I said that’s only one of two rooms. My wife thanked her and said she’ll be happy to borrow some books. — kmab] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Overbooked |
2021 | One Month In: Learning To Play Guitar |
Cause The Melody Keeps Haunting Me | |
2020 | Working On My 2019 Tax Returns |
2019 | Three Beliefs |
2018 | He Found Them On-Line |
2017 | Maybe In A Future World |
2016 | Largely A Mystery |
2015 | Tools And Weapons |
2014 | Likes And Dislikes |
2013 | Pillars Of Learning |
2012 | Another JCoM Review |
Move It | |
2011 | Expected Value |
What Should Be Universal Exercise
Posted in Education, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, tagged Ability, At The Same Time: Essays And Speeches, Exercise, Literature, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, Susan Sontag, Training, Weeping on December 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Literature can train, and exercise, our ability to weep for those who are not us or ours. | |
–– Susan Sontag | |
From: “At the Same Time: Essays and Speeches“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | What Should Be Universal Exercise |
I’m So Glad | |
2020 | Trying To Keep On Keeping On |
Bending | |
2019 | Ooops (Again) |
2018 | Two Start Up Front |
2017 | I Love America Because… |
An Act Of God | |
And So It Came To Pass (Act Of God part 2) | |
2016 | As Far From |
2015 | Rocky 7 |
Just Like Politics | |
2014 | Game And Legend |
“Scientific” Pride In Humanity | |
2013 | Real Honor |
Catching Up | |
2012 | Thoughts And Communications |
2011 | But How Does Peter Feel? |
2010 | Name That Regret |
Four Fifths Of Music
Posted in 2021 Book Review, Book Review, Guitar, Guitar Stuff, Music, Reading, Reviews, tagged 2021 Book Review, Book Review, Guitar, Joseph Alexander, Music, Reading, Strong Book Recommendation, The Circle Of Fifths For Guitartists -- book review on November 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »
“The Circle Of Fifths For Guitarists” (2017©) — book review | |
This review is for the first guitar book (non-song book category) which I have finished reading. Hopefully, there will be many more in the future… | |
The book is written by: Joseph Alexander and is part of a series of learning about music / guitar titled: “Fundamental Changes“. There is an associated website at: www.fundamental-changes.com. It also has associated Facebook and Instagram blah-blah-blah… | |
Background: | |
In January of this year (2021), I decided to teach myself to play guitar. I’ve now purchased multiple guitars (acoustic and electric) and about a dozen books on learning music and learning how to play various genres of guitar. I am trying to “find” my voice on both hardware and in music. I am doing this (journey / vision-quest) “mostly” through YouTube, Wikipedia, Google and my local second hand bookstore. I am averaging about one hour a day of hands-on practice and another couple of hours exploring genres, music theory, musicians / bands / songs, and hardware reviews. Although I have (probably) over 300 hours of hands-on practice, I still consider myself to be a near complete-beginner guitarist. I have watched multiple hours worth of videos on “The Circle of Fifths” and given this book is only a little over sixty pages of material, I’ve spent far more time watching videos than I actually spent reading this book. | |
Review: | |
Having said this, the questions remain: is THIS a good book about the topic and would I recommend it to others? The answer to both is: “YES“. | |
First (good): this is not a particularly easy topic to cover / explain. I may feel this way simply because I’m such a beginner, but I’ve asked a few people who’ve “played” guitar in the past and they (mostly) said: “Just learn some chords and play songs. Nobody is interested in theory.” The problem is: I AM!! Not only am I interested in guitar (as a physical instrument), I am also interested in it as a means of musical expression. I seek to “Grok” guitar. This means I have to learn the how’s and why’s of just about everything “guitar”. Hence, my interest in the topic: “The Circle of Fifths” (TCoF). | |
Alexander has written a very easy to read explanation of TCoF and I feel this book significantly increased the depth and breadth of my understanding of this music tool. Obviously TCoF is a tool for all musicians and not limited to just use by guitarists. Having said this, the author appropriately makes the effort to explain things from / for a guitarist’s point of view. He defines words / terms when he first uses them, so ensuring the budding guitarist knows what he is talking about. Alexander also takes the time to briefly explain some things beyond the scope of the book and cautions readers when a side topic is going to get deep. Basically, he explains fundamental concepts clearly and then builds on the foundation to round out the reader’s understanding. | |
As mentioned earlier, there is an associated website with audio files which can be played to increase understanding by ear training and not simply expecting the reader to “understand” a point by reading about it. This is a book about practical application of theory to music (sound). | |
Second (bad): If that’s the good, what’s wrong? Well, my copy came to me with every third page glued together. Not consecutive pages, but facing pages and every other set: two pages open, two pages glued, etc. The glued spot was pretty uniform at about two inches in from the center / binding. Most were only spots. A few were lengths (a quarter inch to two inches) running from binding margin to the center of text. A couple were the full height of the page as well as being over an inch in width. Most could be pulled free. Three of the sets completely shredded the opposite page – which meant you couldn’t read the back of that page either, even though it wasn’t glued. Fortunately, the worst pages were at the extreme front and end of the book. When contacted, the response was: the books are printed and delivered by Amazon; take it back to them and they’ll arrange to give you another. If this was a hardbound book or more expensive, I would have done this. Weighing the cost versus my time, I just decided to live with what I have. And, after all, the book was still readable. Although annoying in multiple locations, I could figure out the missing words from surrounding context. | |
Third (bad): The book had a handful (less than five) of editing errors where either a word was dropped or an incorrect word was used. Only one was so bad (impactful) that I had to go back and re-read adjoining text to ensure I knew what the author was saying instead of what it looked like he was saying. I would add, I personally would NEVER buy this type of book in kindle format without having seen the complete book on whatever hardware version I owned. There is too much valuable information easily accessible by laying out two pages and seeing them next to each other in a readable size / format. In fairness, I am a “book” person, not an “ebook” person. Of course, with kindle I wouldn’t have had the glue issue. | |
Final recommendation: strong recommendation. If you are interested in learning a bit about music theory, how chords and keys are built and how chords work together to create music, this is an excellent beginner’s resource. Is it going to “vastly” improve MY music skills. Not in the immediate future. I’m not that good, yet. But I’ll get there some day and I believe reading this book will have helped me get there sooner than if I’d not read it. I will look for this author and series in my local used book stores where I can open and check the pages before I buy the book. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Misunderestimated |
The Sincerest Form Of Flattery | |
Four Fifths Of Music | |
2020 | Doctor’s Orders |
Make That Seven Orders… | |
2019 | Innocent |
2018 | Ripost |
2017 | Just Asking… |
2016 | And 4 |
How Tall Do You Stand? | |
2015 | More Prejudice |
2014 | Say What? |
2013 | Daring Errors |
2012 | Are You Comfortable? |
I Just Have To | |
In Flux | |
2011 | True New |
2010 | A Job Well Started Is A Job Half Done |
I See With My One Good Eye | |
Or Internet Access To My Blog
Posted in Humor, Quotes, Reading, tagged Diary, Oscar Wilde, Quotes, Reading, Train Rides, Travel on July 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train. | |
–– Oscar Wilde | |
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On This Day In: | |
2020 | The Spirit Of A Fighter, The Heart Of A Saint |
Corporate Cults | |
2019 | Most Hire |
Just The Three Of Us | |
2018 | Sounds Like #45’s White House |
2017 | Have We Started Winning Yet? |
2016 | Still Springy |
2015 | Well Concealed |
2014 | The History Of Warriors |
2013 | A Cult Of Ignorance |
2012 | Counting Valor |
Understanding Faith | |
2011 | I Can Hear You Now |
2010 | Inception |
Sift And Stir
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, tagged Eleanor Roosevelt, Philosophy, Quotes, Reading, Thinking on July 3, 2021| 2 Comments »
What counts, in the long run, is not what you read; it is what you sift through your own mind; it is the ideas and impressions that are aroused in you by your reading. It is the ideas stirred in your own mind, the ideas which are a reflection of your own thinking, which make you an interesting person. | |
— Eleanor Roosevelt | |
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On This Day In: | |
2020 | Role Reversal |
Time To Defend The Constitution (Part I) | |
Time To Defend The Constitution (Part II) | |
2019 | Right Or Wrong |
2018 | Open Doors |
2017 | When It Deserves It |
2016 | Expiation For Rest |
2015 | You’ll Get Through It |
2014 | A Special Kind Of Fall |
2013 | Very Rewarding |
2012 | MIB3 – The Team Is Closer Than Ever |
Yet | |
2011 | Little By Little |
A Chance Meeting Finds A Way
Posted in Other Blogs, Quotes, Reading, tagged Books, Bookshops, Cecelia Ahern, I Didn't Have My Glasses On, Magic, Other Blogs, Quotes, Reading on May 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I believe in the magic of books. I believe that during certain periods in our lives we are drawn to particular books — whether it’s strolling down the aisles of a bookshop with no idea whatsoever of what it is that we want to read and suddenly finding the most perfect, most wonderfully suitable book staring us right in the face. Unblinking. Or a chance meeting with a stranger or friend who recommends a book we would never ordinarily reach for. Books have the ability to find their own way into our lives. | |
― Cecelia Ahern | |
[This quote is available at multiple locations on the web, but I originally found it as a post on one of the blogs I follow: I didn’t have my glasses on…. | |
The specific post is: the magic of books. Which can be found at: https://ididnthavemyglasseson.com/2021/05/08/24719/ | |
Please give the site a visit if you have some spare time. — KMAB] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2020 | The Magnitude Of The Challenge |
2019 | Still Tearing, Still Being Rewarded |
2018 | Nothing More, Nothing Less |
2017 | Memorial Day – 2017 |
No Wonder I’m Smiling | |
2016 | Thinking Science Fictional |
2015 | Dawn Is Coming |
2014 | Back When I Was A Firebrand |
2013 | Pen In Hand |
Word Up! | |
2012 | Disturbing |
Trying To Keep Up | |
2011 | Unreliable And Selective |
2010 | Adult-Onset Athlete |
And Most Adults Don’t Either
Posted in Education, Quotes, Reading, Science and Learning, tagged Carl Sagan, Exploration, Quotes, Reading, Science Fiction, Scientific Literature, Scientists, Solar System, Ten-Year-Olds on November 28, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Many scientists deeply involved in the exploration of the solar system (myself among them) were first turned in that direction by science fiction. And the fact that some of that science fiction was not of the highest quality is irrelevant. Ten-year-olds do not read the scientific literature. | |
— Carl Sagan | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Eye On The Prize |
Everything That’s Precious | |
2020 | And Most Adults Don’t Either |
And It Burns, Burns, Burns | |
Just Dessert | |
2019 | Happy Thanksgiving (2019) |
2018 | And Smiles… |
2017 | Or Savor A Little Longer… |
2016 | Sometimes I Just Want To Smell The Flowers |
2015 | One Truth – Done Well |
2014 | Now In Imagination, On The Other Hand… |
2013 | No Plan, No Map |
2012 | Singing About Love |
2011 | The Awesome Power Of Truth |
Un-Wired
Posted in General Comments, Reading, tagged General Comments, Reading, Time Magazine, Wired Magazine on January 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »
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