A Polish gentleman was walking through Krakow one afternoon, and found a curious object covered in dust and grime. As he was cleaning it, out popped a genie. “I am the Genie of the Lamp™. I will grant you 3 wishes. Choose wisely.” The gentleman asked, “3 wishes? Any 3 wishes?” “Yes, any 3 wishes …
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Category:history
the fishing’s great!
Several years ago, we lost my great-uncle Don. This is a story from him, as handed-down by my dad. We had been fishing all day. Rowed north and south across the pond. Rowed east and west across the pond. Saw turtles sunning themselves on low tree branches. It was hot. It was muggy. It was …
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facebook is aol
Facebook is AOL. Yes, that AOL. America Online. The one that advertised 20 years ago in conjunction with companies things like, “search AOL keyword ‘ford’”. That’s what Facebook is now. It’s AOL – but without the ISP aspect. Check that – Facebook is (or “has”) an ISP: just look at internet.org. So we’ve come full circle. The ISP …
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steam by andrea sutcliffe
{{Andrea Sutcliffe}}’s book {{Steam: The Untold Story of American’s First Great Invention}} was a pure joy to read. Being the second review I’m writing with my “new” system, I hope you find this book as interesting as I have. In 1784, {{James Rumsey}} designed a boat that could, by purely mechanical means, move its way …
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coolidge by amity shlaes
{{Calvin Coolidge}} is my favorite president. Has been for a long time. So when I saw {{Coolidge}} at my local bookstore recently, I was very excited to grab a copy and read {{Amity Shlaes}} rendition of his life. In just the first 18 pages is enough to inspire anyone to love the man we call …
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kingmakers by karl ernest meyer and shareen blair brysac
{{Karl Ernest Meyer}} and {{Shareen Blair Brysac}} present what should be a fascinating history of the modern Middle East in their recent book {{Kingmakers: The Invention of the Modern Middle East}}. I have been interested in Middle Eastern history (ancient and modern) for many years, and so was excited to see this book as I …
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why nations fail by daron acemoglu and james a robinson
I first came across {{Why Nations Fail}} at my local Half Price Books. After seeing it on the shelves a couple times, but still being unsure about whether I really wanted to read it or not, I reserved it at my local library. Now I wish I had bought it (and likely will) – {{Daron …
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to engineer is human by henry petroski
I’ve ogled {{To Engineer is Human}} by {{Henry Petroski}} for several years. So when I saw it at a local used book store for just a couple dollars, I snagged a copy. Along with some of his other works, such as {{The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance}}, I’ve found the titles interesting, and …
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automation {gp}
The way people moved up the ladder in IT during my early days (starting in 1975) was to take on new projects that allowed them time to master the new software and become the local expert. As you became the local expert on many new software products, management became very comfortable giving you more and …
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krakatoa: the day the world exploded, august 27 1883 by simon winchester
I have been interested in volcanoes for a long time. I first wrote about them for a college essay in 1999, but my attraction to them began far earlier. Most likely it was triggered by hearing from my mom that her wedding day was the first time she’d ever really had allergies – just 6 …
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the art of the essay
Paul Graham is one of my favorite essayists. The following are some excerpts from his excellent 2004 essay, “The Age of the Essay“. The most obvious difference between real essays and the things one has to write in school is that real essays are not exclusively about English literature. Certainly schools should teach students how …
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atlas of the year 1000 by john man
It was with great excitement I reserved {{Atlas of the Year 1000}} from my local library. {{John Man}}’s work did not disappoint (excluding the humorous typo of “a a” when only the single article use was intended). Starting with the Americas, then working Eastward to Europe, the Islamic region, and Asia before moving back west …
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redecentralizing school
I have a very long–term interest in education. As I look at the current public education “system” in the US, I can see a variety of major problems. The biggest problem, endemic of any system built around the premise that the only people who should be together all day long should all be “similar”. Somewhere …
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the basque history of the world by mark kurlansky
I have long been interested in the Basque people; first introduced to them nearly 13 years ago in an introduction to terrorism class (a year and a half before it was “cool”) with the separatist group {{ETA}}. So it was with great interest I grabbed {{The Basque History of the World}} by {{Mark Kurlansky}} off …
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ghosts in the fog by samantha seiple
For much of my life I have been interested in WWII – my grandpa Myers was in the Navy in the Pacific theater on a mine sweeper. My dad read extensively on the war, largely because of his father, and passed along an interest in military history – the navy in particular – and intriguing stories …
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1421 by gavin menzies
I enjoy histories – especially when delivered in the format that {{Gavin Menzies}} employed in “{{1421}} – The Year China Discovered America”. The only other history I have read in the past 5 years I can recall reading so fast was Gideon’s Spies. Gavin makes a compelling presentation, interpretation, application, and conclusion of a host …
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producing your own power by many
Rodale Press published a collected works book entitled “{{Producing Your Own Power}} – How to make Nature’s Energy Sources Work for You” in 1974. There are a host of now-humorous segments of the text: “The US government estimates that by 1980 1 percent of our country’s land will be covered with utility companies’ equipment” {viii}. The contiguous …
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ip addresses for sale
Microsoft is trying to buy ~650k IPv4 addresses from in-bankruptcy-proceedings Nortel (for $7.5m). What gets me is that IPv6 has been a standard for over a decade, and yet so few have moved to it. Way back when I was in college the first time – in 2000 – our networking professor told us we …
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gideon’s spies by gordon thomas
{{Gideon’s Spies}} by {{Gordon Thomas}} claims to be “the secret history of the Mossad”. From the myriad reviews on Amazon, I didn’t know whether to be expecting a massive work of historical fiction, or a insightful tour de force. After having nearly finished it, I don’t know if I have an opinion of whether it’s …
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