Daily Thoughts 5/10/2010

George Washington's Home, The Library, Mount Vernon, VA, postcard.

Daily Thoughts 5/10/2010

The next book in the Leviathan trilogy is Behemoth. It is a young adult steampunk novel set in Istanbul which should be very interesting to read. The book is coming out in October. I enjoyed reading Scott Westerfeld.

I am reading Dan Roam , The Back of the Napkin Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures, Expanded Edition. It is about visual problem solving. That is how to think through ideas using simple diagrams and pictures. It is very easy to follow. The author uses stick figures, squares, triangles, clean lines, and other simple methods to make it easy to understand what he is writing about. It is more than a book on just solving problems; it is also about how to pay attention to the world.

Today was very quiet. I am thinking about what I will do for Book Expo America. I have to look at the floor plans to check where I will be going as well as where I will be meeting people on the floor. I am going to plan out which sessions I am going to attend. I also have to figure out what I am going to do at the Book Blogging Expo on May 28 as well.

I also am thinking about what I should do to further my own training and education. There is going to be a webinar for Bookletters tomorrow which should be interesting. I have not done a whole lot of webinars. I am looking forward to reading a book called DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education (Paperback)~ by Anya Kamenetz. I am very interested in how online classes work, even online degree programs.

I am also considering reading Iron yoga : combine yoga and strength training for weight loss and total body fitness by Carillo, Anthony. When I had more time I used to lift weights. I now mainly do floor exercises every night. It would be interesting seeing how floor exercises would be combined with light weights.

The Marketplace of Ideas Reform and Resistance in the American University by Louis Menand

The Marketplace of Ideas Reform and Resistance in the American University by Louis Menand Louis Menand is critiquing the concept of a liberal education in todays world. He is doing this from the point of view of a professor inside the university system. The book is focused on what happened in fairly recent history.




There is a lot on the production and dissemination of knowledge. This is focused on teaching and research. Libraries are not that well covered in this book. There is more about the creative process of selecting what will be taught inside a university. A liberal education is often thought of as a way to teach people how to learn and grow on their own.


Louis Menand covers recent ideas; interdisciplinary education, the focus and creation of humanities degrees, and common beliefs of professors. Some of it is quite topical: the liberal bias in the professorship and how students are chosen based on the needs of the university are gone over.


This book is a quality title. It is a professor writing for a more general audience. The book is part of a larger series called Issues of Our Time edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Daily Thoughts 8/25/09 ( self education )

'Chaucer at the Court of Edward III' , Ford Madox Brown

Daily Thoughts 8/25/09

Frederik Pohl just received an honorary high school diploma from Brookyn Technical school. http://www.locusmag.com/News/2009/08/fred-pohl-earns-high-school-diploma.html
I sometimes think of the importance of having a high school diploma. I never finished high school. I tested out with a California High School Proficiency in the 11th grade and went to community college. Personal things made it important for me to be on my own. This is not for everyone. I have a masters degree, despite having not finished high school. This is also true of a couple of my cousins. Frederik Pohl is one of the best science fiction writers.

I like college far more than I liked high school. It is a place where you are going voluntarily to learn. I am even considering going back to college part time to get a masters in publishing to supplement my masters in library science. I just like the idea. New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies has a publishing program. There is quite a bit on electronic publishing which I am very interested in. http://www.scps.nyu.edu/areas-of-study/publishing/ I took the Introduction to Publishing course there and enjoyed it a lot.

For a while I worked at an internet service provider as a sourcer for human resources. One of the things I leanred there was the importance of self education. To effectively run an internet service provider you have to find a lot of people who are into serious self education in lots of technical subjects. The way you moved ahead in these places was to get various computer certifications, A+ computer technician, MCSE Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, MCSA Microsoft Certified System Administrator, CCIE Cisco Certified Internetworking Engineer, Java Sun Certification, A+ Network Security. These certifications were tests to show you new a particular subject. In addition to getting certifications technicians read a lot of computer manuals to stay up to date; perl, c++, and many other programs were popular.

A college degree did not guarantee technical proficiency. I try to make sure there are a decent amount of new computer books. This is also true of many other fields. There are all sorts of certifications ranging from stock broker to phlebotomist.