More choice excerpts from {{Coolidge}} by {{Amity Shlaes}} (review): The constant apprehension was, so long as then-existing legislation remained in force, that the unit of existing monetary relations would be changed. Such an apprehension is the surest ground for panic which can be offered. The panic which resulted when this fear became more specific was …
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what to automate
I have been in the world of automation for quite a while. Specifically in the realms of server, datacenter, and cloud automation – but I’ve been interested and/or involved in other tasks that tend towards automation (even for a short period of time) for far longer than just my post-college time in the world of …
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programming your home by mike riley
{{Mike Riley}}’s entry in {{The Pragmatic Programmers}} series, {{Programming Your Home}} – automating with {{Arduino}}, {{Android}}, and your computer – was a lot of fun. While I am not really in a position to do many of the mini projects given in the book (wrong type of house plus we rent), reading some of the …
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first experiment follow-up
I’ve been attempting a “reactive”/”consumptive” reading experiment recently. The first book I tried it on was the {{Henry Petroski}}’s horrid {{To Engineer is Human}} (my review). That turned into a failure as I couldn’t stomach his writing, and so “reacting” to it was going to pretty much be an exercise in futility. So I’ve ditched …
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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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35 great questions, part 5
Part 5 of 5 in my condensed reprint of Inc’s article, “35 Great Questions” from the April 2014 issue. (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) Who have we, as a company, historically been when we’ve been at our best? –{{Keith Yamashita}} What do we stand for – and what are we against? –{{Scott Goodson}} …
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the ultimate measure of financial success
How many times have you heard someone suggest that all their financial problems would magically disappear if they only made more money? But high incomes can’t guarantee financial freedom; there are countless examples of people who earned millions yet still ended up bankrupt. The common thread among folks who get into financial trouble — no …
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germline by t c mcarthy
As promised when I finished {{Mira Grant}}’s {{Newsflesh}} trilogy, I did read {{Germline}} by {{T C McCarthy}}. I wasn’t able to get into the second book of the trilogy ({{Exogene}}), and haven’t attempted the last ({{Chimera}}) – but {{Germline}} was amazing. A quick disclaimer first – this book is most certainly NOT for the faint of stomach, …
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be royal in your own fashion: act like a king to be treated like one – law 34 – #48laws by robert greene
Law 34 The way your carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a …
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lobachevsky – by tom lehrer
{{Tom Lehrer}}, for those who don’t know, was a fantastic satirist and musical humorist in the 20th century. Lobachevsky is one of my favorites of his (YouTube edition): [spoken] For many years now, Mr. Danny Kaye, who has been my particular idol since childbirth, has been doing a routine about the great Russian director Stanislavsky and …
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the announcer’s test
{via wikipedia} One hen Two ducks Three squawking geese Four Limerick oysters Five corpulent porpoises Six pairs of Don Alverzo’s tweezers Seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array Eight brass monkeys from the ancient, sacred crypts of Egypt Nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic old men on roller skates with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth …
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35 great questions, part 4
Part 4 of 5 in my condensed reprint of Inc’s article, “35 Great Questions” from the April 2014 issue. (part 1, part 2, part 3) Did my employees make progress today? –{{Teresa Amabile}} What one word do we want to own in the minds of our customers, employees, and partners? –{{Matthew May}} What should we stop …
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back to our normal pace
This past Saturday we slowed back to more our “typical” pace going through Daniel 6. So next Saturday we’ll still be in the same chapter.
automatically extract email attachments with common linux tools
I had need to automatically process emails to a specific address to pull attachments out, and this is how I did it: $ yum install mpack $ cat extract-attach.sh #!/bin/bash rm -rf ~/attachtmp mkdir ~/attachtmp mv ~/Maildir/new/* ~/attachtmp cd ~ munpack ~/attachtmp/* rm -rf ~/attachtmp $ crontab -l */5 * * * * ~/extract-attach.sh Why, …
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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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setting up an unreal irc server on centos 6
Ever want to run an IRC server? I recently set one up at irc.datente.com using a Digital Ocean VM running CentOS 6.5 x64. Here’s what I did, if you want to replicate the process for yourself (full documentation available from Unreal’s website): acquire CentOS 6.5 x64 server (as I mentioned, I used Digital Ocean) `yum …
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conference connectivity
My friend Trent posted last week, “[m]eeting organizer Protip: select a location that gets cell phone service.”. I am fairly certain I disagree. I disagree with Joel Spolsky on this, too. If you are organizing a meeting, conference, or the like, there should ONLY be connectivity if you want your attenders to ignore the meeting – …
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35 great questions, part 3
Part 3 of 5 in my condensed reprint of Inc’s article, “35 Great Questions” from the April 2014 issue. (part 1, part 2) Are we changing as fast as the world around us? –{{Gary Hamel}} If no one would ever find out about my accomplishments, how would I lead differently? –{{Adam Grant}} Which customers can’t participate …
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print-at-home plans
Someone needs to start a business selling print-at-home furniture/home-improvement plans that include parts lists (and, ideally, costs) from their local Lowes / Home Depot / TrueValue / Ace / etc. Most folks who want to tackle small projects don’t want to buy books or magazines that may (or may not) include what they’re interested in …
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Daniel 6 (NASB)
{Daniel 5} It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. Then this Daniel began distinguishing …
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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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35 great questions, part 2
Part 2 of 5 in my condensed reprint of Inc’s article, “35 Great Questions” from the April 2014 issue. (part 1) What counts that we are not counting? –{{Chip Conley}} In the past few months, what is the smallest change we have made that has had the biggest positive result? What was it about that small …
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you don’t need ideas – you need questions
Paul Graham asserts that startup ideas aren’t what’s important – and, in fact, think you need an “idea” is a major roadblock. Convert your thinking from “idea” to “question”, and you have a potential curiosity to explore, tweak, develop, and deliver. Your best work is going to come when you’ve thought about the problem but didn’t …
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discover each man’s thumbscrew – law 33 – #48laws by robert greene
Law 33 Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usually an insecurity, and uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage. –{{Robert Greene}}, {{The 48 Laws of Power}} (review)
don’t blog
to “compete” with others. There are great reasons to blog – but there are also lousy ones to do it. If you’re writing because you’re trying to ‘keep up with the Joneses’, so to speak, you’re doing it wrong. Don’t blog because others do. Don’t blog because others do it better. Blog because you want to. …
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