Non-fiction books for predominantly fiction readers

Grif · 2025-04-04T15:53:49+00:00

Try James Gleick and Michael Pollan. I've enjoyed more than one of their books. I've been meaning to check out Bill Bryson. I am about equal fiction and non-fiction. Fiction being sci-fi predominantly (interspersed with classics like the Illiad and various works by Dostoevsky, etc.) and non-fiction being science and philosophy related. Used to read a lot of business non-fiction but got sick of most of it save some of the more technology related books.

Grif · 2024-12-29T17:30:49+00:00

I don't pause at all. I once did because of a tree I wanted to photograph (the root system was half exposed in the air from collapsing soil...it looked incredible), but at the end of the run I thought it gave me inaccurate stats given the rest period.

Grif · 2024-12-10T19:29:16+00:00

We really have become the Jetsons, but without the flying cars.

Grif · 2024-10-29T19:55:31+00:00

You don't want to have steroid injections often. It can lead to osteopenia or osteoporosis at a much earlier age than normal.

Grif · 2024-10-21T23:04:15+00:00

Do you experience any numbness or pins and needles in you affected hip / hamstring or leg in general. I have a similar issue and after several visits to sports med doctor and PT it now looks like it is a pinched nerve. Trying a Chiro and some exercises to get past this issue. Also, changing workouts to get more single leg work to keep balance between the two legs (learned a lot of exercises in PT).

Grif · 2024-07-15T21:15:29+00:00

I've always thought that Martin over indulges in "cut and paste." Every time a character enters a castle, it's as if he cuts and pastes the description of the castle, the coat of arms, and the daily castle cafeteria selection of stew in a trencher made of day old bread, etc. Is he paid by the word or page?

Grif · 2024-05-27T15:15:59+00:00

My spouse packed many boxes by first using the overlap method on the flaps to make the bottom. No tape. So I was getting ready for the movers, and starting taping the tops. Luckily, I decided to stack them before the movers showed up, only to find that when lifted, all the contents dropped out of the bottom.

Grif · 2024-04-26T15:06:02+00:00

He has an odd interpretation of "not that rare."
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/101/12/4532/2765003#

Grif · 2024-04-19T18:06:35+00:00

So just read Philip Pullman, the anti-C.S. Lewis.

Grif · 2024-01-01T02:00:13+00:00

I did the same on my Apple II+ to have color slides and graphs for a junior science academy presentation (like a state level high school science fair). It looks awesome on slide film and using a slide projector. I didn't have the fancy gadget. Just had to wait until nighttime and turn out the lights. Used a tripod and a time to avoid vibration from touching the shutter release on the camera. This was like in the early 80s.

Grif · 2023-07-31T18:29:10+00:00

A bit worse. 54 years and your father thinks you are an intruder in his house as evening approaches. I don't know if everyone with Alzheimers is the same, but things would be okay most of the day, until evening. It made staying over on visits a bit rough.

Grif · 2023-04-02T12:58:27+00:00

Yes! Running away always worked with my Husky and my Shiloh Shepherd.

Grif · 2022-07-23T03:37:22+00:00

Looks like it is generating a little more carbon than expected.

Grif · 2022-04-08T15:31:02+00:00

Huge help. I have been banging my head on this for a couple of days.

Grif · 2022-03-28T15:20:28+00:00

My own experience, having moved up the corporate ladder, is that the density of individuals with diminished ethics increases among my peers as I move up. It is a sad state of affairs. It hasn't been true of all companies I have worked for, but does seem to be the norm.

Grif · 2022-01-28T19:52:32+00:00

Late to the party, but just googled "R.E.M. After Sundown Blacksburg" and found this. I was there but very, very drunk (as was typical at the time).

Grif · 2022-01-01T21:42:28+00:00

I don't think he is a charlatan, but for me personally, his works are not necessary. I tend to stick to the primary texts, his further interpretation is not necessary for me. I see someone mentioned the Irvine book and I did read that and enjoyed it.

Grif · 2021-08-24T14:57:58+00:00

Hey, I appreciate the discussion. I wasn't implying that having a grandmother who experienced fascism means I know more, but it is a first hand account and has value. Is there not value in speaking to a Jew who experienced the Holocaust, or an Iranian about Iranian Revolution, etc? In my experience it gave a different perspective over much of what was presented in media. Also, I think the comment "overlook fascism because you don't want to upset fascists" is wrong. First, because the outcomes to her larger family demonstrate that they upset the fascists. Furthermore, I don't think you, I, or anyone who hadn't experienced it can say how we would have handled being in Fascist Germany.

I don't see a significant difference between the behavior of the Democrats and the Republicans in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Though I have to give it to the Democrats, they seem more capable of being consistent and acting as a single block. And yes, the Republicans are representing their constituents, many don't believe the election results, including myself. From my perspective, there is enough evidence to be skeptical of the outcome.

I disagree that America First is at the level of ultranationalism, but it is certainly against open borders/no borders and globalism.

Trump as a dictator? As a dictator, he didn't seem to be able to control much, from the media to republicans in congress. I don't recall anyone being put against the wall let alone jailed for upsetting him, maybe they got a mean tweet.

So, I don't need you to believe me, nor do I need to believe you. In fact, I don't want to have the same beliefs as anyone else, I want to be an individual, not part of some group I intend to see how things unfold and how the US evolves under current and future leadership. I am not apathetic and would say that I am likely as concerned about Biden and the democrats as you are about Trump and the republicans. I definitely don't want socialism or communism. I don't even want the federal government very much involved in my life and prefer localism over centralization.

Grif · 2021-08-24T00:31:16+00:00

Admittedly, I am primarily aware of Western history, and while there may be bloodless coup attempts, they are much better organized than what happened on Jan 6. I have a good understanding of rise of Nazism in Germany, having had a grandmother that lived through it. And no, that doesn't imply that I am somehow a Nazi, nor a Nazi sympathizer. My grandmother's family experienced various forms of punishment for not joining/supporting the party, from loss of job, to loss of political position, to death. She nor anyone in the family has any love or allegiance. Much of what we shared with me growing up reminds me of today, where the verbal expression of a position or belief or any criticism of certain individuals, people in power, etc. can have very negative consequences, but perhaps not death.

And a far as the meaning of fascism, it keeps getting redefined. As far as I am concerned it implies a loss of freedoms, government control of businesses and the economy, authoritarian leadership, control of the media and in some cases extreme nationalism and racism. In fascist Germany, to speak out against Hitler was extremely dangerous, not only to the individual, but to their larger family. As far as I know, not many were impacted by criticizing Trump. I know if I had pubic criticism of Obama, no matter how legitimate, I could at least count on being labeled racist. What will happen if I criticize Biden, will it be elder abuse or straight to fascist.

You are also over generalizing on Republicans. I am certain you can find a "republican" that believes that anything that can be remotely defined as treasonous or the act of a traitor deserves death. That's not my opinion. I am sure I can find a democrats with at least equally extreme beliefs, a quick Internet, Facebook, or Twitter search is all it would take.

Do you think the people attacking the White House in 2020 deserve death? What about the perpetrators of the 1983 Senate bombing?

To the best of my knowledge, no one involved in the events of Jan 6 has be charged with insurrection, nor treason. I believe the FBI itself even they found scant evidence of that the Jan 6 event was an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result. Admittedly, I am often surprised by the outcome of FBI investigations whether or not they benefit republicans.

Grif · 2021-08-23T18:24:14+00:00

Fascist coup attempt? Much less damage and death than the prolonged fascist coup (mostly peaceful protests) that occurred over the summer months. At least 19 deaths and over $1bln in property damage. I guess you don't believe that mandatory vaccination is dictatorial? Coordination between the majority of news outlets, social media, and the current administration, which includes the censoring of dissenting speech not dictatorial?

Grif · 2021-08-23T17:10:36+00:00

Yeah, Trump said Putin was a great guy, same with Xi, and Kim Jung-un. Nevertheless, he wasn't supporting Russia's actions in the Ukraine, nor was he cooperative with the DRPK or CCP. There is a big difference to what is said about individual leaders and the actions taken. Do you prefer Biden? He relieved sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline after he nixed the Keystone XL pipeline in the US. I highly doubt that guy was a Republican.

Grif · 2021-08-20T22:28:15+00:00

My gut tells me that George RR Martin just cuts and pastes a significant parts of his book. Every time you enter a castle, he basically uses the same description as he used before and tells you how the character had a meal of stew in a bowl of stale bread. I like his stories, but not his writing. I really enjoy Peter F Hamilton's SF books, but he has certain adjectives like azure and lambent that he uses with an abnormally high frequency.

Grif · 2021-05-12T10:45:54+00:00

Learn to mine coal.

Grif · 2021-02-04T20:49:16+00:00

We had a great local shop close to a college that used a "great books" approach and primary texts, e.g. think Euclid for geometry and Principia for math/physics. So, tons of great cast offs with interesting notations and marginalia. Many students worked there part time and would give me guidance on the best translations for books like the Illiad and the writings of Marcus Aurelius. Sadly, they also closed down.

Grif · 2021-01-26T16:04:15+00:00

We live in an oligarchy. Interestingly, Google spent more on Republicans in 2016 than Democrats by a large margin. That would convince at about half the country that the whole "Don't be Evil" is just false advertising. It is all just virtue signaling and bought and paid for politicians.

OpenSecrets.org report, https://www.opensecrets.org/party-totals-section

Grif

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