WanderingSalsero

Freakonomics.....a book I'd like for Christmas

I saw this book featured on the recent Glen Beck newsletter.  Looks cool. Check it out.

Alice is coming!

Do you use Wikipedia very much?

This has zero to do with salsa (not directly anyway).....but, do you use www.wikipedia.com ?  It's amazing to me how much good, reasonably precise information you can find over there very quickly. 

I was updating my profile on one of my relatively unused blogs, http://ruedacarruseles.vox.com/, and I decided to use a cute little trick I got from Dean Hunt.  I decided to write it in the  third person.

That got me to think about Julius Caesar just  now because he used to write in the 'third person'....e.g. in his "Caesar's Commentaries", the book he wrote about his campaign of 9 years in Gaul. 

So, knowing that Mr. No had been an officer in the Korean army Special Forces, I asked Mr. No, the Korean English teacher who sits right beside me, if he'd ever heard of 'Caesar's Commentaries'.  He hadn't.

So I tried to look it up on the internet to see if it was available.  I found a loose translation in the limited time I had but I suspect it probably could be found in a better translation.  It really is a good read if you're interested in military history and/or Rome and/or stuff like that.

Next I looked it up on Wikipendia.  That's where I found several threads that gave me some great information about Caesar, his assasination and the various characters, like Marc Anthony and Brutus who had been part of the conspiracy.  It was very interesting reading in a short period of time.

That's what I like about www.wikipedia.com .  There has been some discussion in recent years about the accuracy of Wikipedia information due to the fact that anybody can add to it.  I don't know how that works but supposedly Wikipedia has made some efforts to better validate the information that people enter, but........that's another story.  I still like Wikipendia.  The information is certainly as good as listening to what people say at your local convenience store.

Seth Godin......innovation

If you're at all like me, you don't have a chance to read as much as you'd like to (and know you should).  That's why I intend to give you some recommendations now and then about authors that I think you'll find interesting.

One of the authors who's been very prominent in the last several years is a guy named Seth Godin.  In short, he's a very critical, creative and innovative thinker who has written several best selling books one of which is "The Purple Cow".

He's also the guy who invented the idea of 'permission marketing' on the internet and the guy who produced Squidoo.com.

I get a newsletter having something to do with 'innovation' and today's newsletter mentioned that Seth has a new book called "Tribes".  It looks like a quick read and a book with lots of good food for thought.  And it reminded me of Salsa Eddy's 'Les Tribus' salsa team (does he still have it?).

The Wiki page on Seth is good too.  Here it is.  I think he's somebody that you should at least know who he is.

And here's a video I found (there were a bunch).

Superficiality by mandate?

Small post here as I'm finishing looking through Glen Becks recommended book list.  I saw something very well-said in the description of one of his books.......called "The Real America". 

Do you agree?

The Real Americaby Glenn Beck
There are some things people think but don't say.... "Political correctness is the classic Great Idea Gone Wrong. All it's done is shut us up. It hasn't changed anybody's mind. It hasn't changed our hearts. It's changed our faces. It's taken every opinion we have, it's taken every joke we have, and it's forced us to conceal it and hide it and bury it. It's made us superficial."

Here's the link to that book page:

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/books/14783/

P.S.  I hope nobody ever thinks I'm 'superficial'.

 

A book plot as mirror to the future?

I thoght this was interesting.  And not too hard to see as actually happening.

In noticing that Glen Beck had some recommended books on his site, I found one called "Moscow Rules" by Daniel Silva.

Here's the synopsis of the plot.

It talks about Russia awash with oil money and a resurgent Russia intent on getting even with the US for the defeat of the former Soviet Empire.

Gee.......could they think like that?

Hell yes they could.  Remember, Putin is X-KGB.

The kicker in the plot though is that one of these 'new' Russian leaders plans on selling some of their super sophisticated weaponry to Al-Queda.

Could that happen?

Sure.......but why would they do that?

I'll tell you why.  It's simple.

To let Al-Queda do Russia's dirty work.

I thought it was an interesting idea.  I wish I would make to time to read more.  This sounds like a good book.

Ann Coulter gives a whole new meaning to the concept of sex

I was just reading something I got in my email about Ann Coulter.  I knew she was hot but I didn't know who funny she was til just now!

Mindmapping......worthwhile?

My guess is that most of you folks have not heard of mind mapping but it's not totally new and I think it might be something I'd like to explore further.  And it might be something some of you would like too.

I've read recently that several very successful people use mindmapping as part of their basic success planning process.  That got my attention.

I read about mind mapping, somewhere, several years ago.  Matter of fact a pocket book on mind mapping was in my library up until the time I came over here (to S.Korea).  I think I browsed through the book but I know I never really got into it.

Just a few days ago I did a Google on 'mindmapping' and I was amazed at how many searches turned up.  Apparently it's pretty popular.

I also read recently that Jim Edwards, one of the web business guys whose stuff I read....I read that he mindmaps out all his activities and ideas and projects. 

In the article I read, he said he had some mindmapping software (although originally it was simply done on a piece of paper) that was kinda expensive but that recently he'd found a free program he uses that he likes better because it's easier to use.  He said he didn't use most of the features of the more expensive software product that he had.

I didn't make a note of the name of that free software but eventually I'll go back and find it.  Point is, for now, I recently downloaded another free program for mindmapping from a company called Exploratree.com

I have a hard time staying focused.  Of course the internet doesn't help that problem :-)  So...I am wondering if mindmapping might help me stay more focused.  I'll be playing with Exploratree and I'll keep you posted.

One aspect of it that I thought was interesting was that it can be done on a collaborative level....i.e. team members can all participate on the same project.  I think that could be good for a dance team to work on projects together.  Or maybe for groups of dance professionals to collaborate on a product or event together.

Meanwhile, if you use mindmapping or know of any good software of books about it, how 'bout letting me know?

Great idea for any type of fundraiser!

Produce and sell your own Blurb book.

Did you know there's a site, http://www.blurb.com , that'll let you make a first class book about anything you want? 

Jim Edwards hits close to the mark again!

Some of you might remember that I've mentioned one of my favorite internet thinkers and do-ers, Jim Edwards, before.  I'm still on  his mailing list.  I haven't bought anything from him in some time but he does publish very interesting newsletters and articles which I get and always make a point to read (and always enjoy reading).

Today I got an article from him about something that you've probably heard of.  The new Amazon 'Kindle'....that digital book reader.

I'll let you read the article (below) but I would like to specifically mention one or two things Jim says in the article.

He comments that some years ago he said that Amazon someday would be in the book publishing business.  I never thought about that idea but I can see where he might very easily be right.  The Kindle brings them very close to that.

Jim is right when he says that the  Kindle 'changes the game'.  I'd read some other  reviews of the product that said that it wasn't such a cool thing because of......whatever.  But then I thought about how many other 'inventions' have come upon the scene over the years which even though they might not have been technically perfect at first they nevertheless represented a radical departure in thought or approach.  Things like the VW, the Polaroid camera, ball point pens, the very first computers, etc.

I think Jim is right.  The Kindle is going to open lots of new doors not only for the mind but also for free enterprise.

For one thing, it could probably allow me to buy some books I've been wanting to get (from Newt Gingrich and Pat Buchannon) but haven't ordered becaused the shipping is so expensive over here.  I don't see any immediate application of it too salsa dancing.......yet.

Jim's article, below, is a quick read and I think you'll enjoy it.  Undoubtedly the Kindle will get cheaper as the months go by(I hope so anyway) and there'll most assuredly be other similar products. 

Whatever happens, it's going to have an effect on par with the invention of the printing press as far as putting current books and thought within easy and immediate reach of lots more people.  I especially like the fact that you get your downloads through cell phone networks and not the computer.