Daily Thoughts 5/31/2009

Argosy All-Story Weekly cover A. Merrit, The Metal Monster (1920) A. Merritt wrote a number of classic fantasy novels, The Moon Pool, The Ship of Ishtar, and The Metal Monster pictured here.

I finished reading Robots Have No Tails by Henry Kuttner. Itis a collection of five short stories with two introductory essays, one by C.L. Moore, and one by F. Paul Wilson. The stories are about Galloway Gallagher, a drunken scientist and inventor. They are "gadget stories", or stories based around creating a new device. In each story, the scientist gets in trouble with the law and some shady business and has to figure out how a device he invented while drunk works so he can solve his problem. The stories are melodramatic and funny. If you want some light humorous reading these stories are entertaining. The cover art of the book very much reflects the content of the stories. Unfortunately, this book is not listed on Amazon. This is a link to the book, http://paizo.com/store/fiction/planetStories/v5748btpy83xa

I spent a little time reading at the laundromat while my clothes were in the washer first, then the dryer. I am currently reading The Toyota Way 14 Management Principles From the World's Greatest Manufacturer by Jeffrey K. Liker. The book seems quite biased in favor of the Toyota Production System. The author has taught many different companies about the methods of lean production and continuous improvement as practiced by Toyota. What I found interesting was that Sakichi Toyoda who was one of Japan's most prominent inventors was very influenced by Samuel Smiles 1859 book, Self- Help. This is a link to the project Gutenberg e-text. http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext97/selfh10h.htm . I am finding The Toyota Way quite interesting. The beginning is as much a book about industrial history as it is about management.

Web Bits

A link to an article about Book Expo America's Day of Dialog between librarians and publishers. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6661514.html

Read This If You Don't Want to Die!!!

Normally, I'd have a rough time limiting my pet peeves to one or two, but the spate of alarmist e-mails I received within the past two weeks helped me make a quick decision. Does anyone else get annoyed by the "Eating fruit after dinner will cause it to rot in your digestive track and make you deathly ill" kind of message in their inbox?

I get more of these than I think I should, and some of them more than once. My SPAM filter won't keep them out because they're always forwarded to me by someone I know. So I routinely receive warnings about drinkng a hot beverage after a meal to melt all that unhealthy fat in my food (all food goes to body temperature by the time it leaves the stomach so a got drink is still just a drink), personal ID info being stolen off of hotel key cards (a woman I know who owns a hotel says we're lucky if the card remembers how to open the room door), and the dangers of being kidnapped from a mall after someone sprays perfumed knock-out gas in my face at the local department store (can anyone even point me to an actual news article regarding this?).

Being a tad neurotic, I do my best to find an expert to refute these things. Then just for grins, I send that anti-alarmist information back to the original sender plus everyone on the list. Never helps, though, and I still get the same e-mails back in my inbox at some later time.

I suppose I could look at these things as being the tabloid news articles of the Net. But none of them is anywhere near as amusing as something like "65-Year-Old Grandmother Gives Birth to Alien Triplets!" so I open them, gnash my teeth, find a way to prove them false, and send the corrected messages on their way. Perhaps instead of using fact against fiction, I ought to just augment the fiction? Next time I get an e-mail warning me never to heat water in the microwave because it could blow up in my face, I ought to add to it that microwave-heated water also causes plantars warts and dandruff. Hmmm. Wonder if that would come back to me as another warning?

Alarmist e-mails are definitely one of my pet peeves. And please don't get me started on those things that want me to send them to 10 friends in the next 10 seconds if I don't want to get hit and killed by a garbage truck...

Your Carry-on Must Fit in the Overhead Bin or Beneath the Seat in Front of You...

In many ways, a pet peeve is the best kind of pet to have. You don’t have to feed it or walk it or anything. Other people do that for you. My biggest pet peeve is people who, when they fly, believe they have to bring everything they own onto the airplane and try to stow it.

It’s called checked luggage, people. Look into it.

This isn’t the third world. You don’t have to bring your suit case, your overnight bag, your duffel, your shopping bags, your umbrella, your purse, your goat and two chickens on board.

This is a semi-round tube of aluminum where a half inch one way or the other could make the difference between an uneventful flight or a knee crushed by a drink cart.

Yes, I know airlines are notorious for loosing baggage, and I know that certain items are too fragile or valuable for you to check. But do you HAVE to bring on a tote bag with your jeans and t-shirts?

People, people, people! They even have Walmart stores in China now. Look into it and next time you fly, CHECK YOUR BAGS!

P.S. And don’t get me started on those people who HAVE to unclick their seatbelts, jump up and open the overhead bins before the planes reach the gate because they are SO important, they HAVE to be the first ones off the plane…sheesh!

Daily Thoughts 5/30/2009

The Adventures of Tarzan Starring Elmo Lincoln. This film is based on The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Edgar Rice Burroughs is considered the creator of the planet story with his Martian tales.

Paizo Press is reprinting many of the original Planet Stories from the original pulp magazine. I picked up a copy of Henry Kuttner's short story book, Robots Have No Tails about a drunken amoral inventor. The stories have a mix of sarcasm and dark humor.

The Planet Stories series includes books by Leigh Brackett, C.L. Moore, Michael Moorcock, and Henry Kuttner some of the better pulp science fiction writers. Many science fiction writers consider Henry Kuttner to be one of the best science fiction writers of his time period.

I am also reading The Toyota Way 14 Management Principles From The Worlds Greatest Manufacturer by Jeffrey K. Liker. It is about the principles behind Toyota's management practices including kaizen and lean manufacturing.

This afternoon, I read The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein on http://www.netgalley.com/ . I enjoyed reading the book, the one issue I have with Net Galley is that you cannot adjust the font size in their online reader. The book itself was a very quick read. It was nicely illustrated with easy to read text and explanations.

Netgalley currently has 176 titles in their database of galleys. Most of these are for forthcoming items. This may be a good place to look for featured forthcoming books for libraries.

After looking at Libdrone's blog, I noticed that there was a search box on his blog http://libdrone.info/ . I decided to add my own. My blog is now searchable.

Book Expo America 5/29/2009

Charlotte Bronte 1854 Photograph. I just like the photograph.

Book Expo America 5/29/2009

Today I am going to Book Expo America. I look forward to being there for a day. A lot of it will just be walking around and looking at the different exhibitors and collecting catalogs. There should be a lot of galleys to get as well as some unique things to look at that are just coming out in print. I really enjoyed it two years ago, I am hoping this year will be even better.

I got to the convention and registered. It was a positively gigantic, the Jacob Javits Center is huge. I registered and started my wandering around to the different booths. I did not go to any sessions I just checked all the exhibitors. I walked and walked for six hours. I did stop for a little bit to go to the librarians lounge where I picked up two cups of coffee and some snack mix. I also picked up the latest Library Journal and the latest Publishers Weekly. Baker and Taylor was sponsoring the librarians lounge. They sponsored it the last I was there as well. It was a nice chance to rest my feet. I did not eat at the show, I had a big breakfast before I went there.

By the end of the day, I had 35 pounds of books and catalogs which I had gotten for free. I decided not to take them on the subway and had them shipped using the shipping service which the conventions offers. I carried them home last time and it was not easy. Plus they had the usual knick knacks and freebies, a variety of fancy pens, a cup from Cambridge University Press, some earbuds from Audible-- which is an electronic audiobook producer, a brain squeeze toy, cloth carry bags, plus lots of little candies in bowls.

I was surprised that I did not see Del Rey, Baen, or most of the large science fiction publishers. There was Pyre, Tor, and Orbit. Also most of the comic book publishers did not come. I saw Fantagraphics, Marvel, NBM, Oni and a few others. There were no manga publishers. I guess most of them are going to the New York Comic Con. Still, I got a few nice samples that were not galleys that I plan to add to the collection like Scott Pilgrim Volume 1 which is a Canadian manga. Scott Pilgrim is going to be made into a movie. If you like classic high quality reprints of comic books, Hermes Press has an excellent reprint edition of Buck Rogers. http://www.hermespress.com/

There were two really interesting contemporary art books which are coming out. One is Ron English Abraham Obama which is about the different art centered around the Obama campaign. Another is Banksy's Bristol Home Sweet Home by Stephen Wright illustrated by Banksy.

I also got a few catalogs for forthcoming books including the Fall 2009 Nolo Catalog for law, and the Fall 2009 Jist Catalog for career books. I got lots of catalogs. I also started writing down a few websites once I realized it might be easier to just take down the name of the website instead of carrying a catalog home. Moon Books has a nice website for their travel books http://www.moon.com/ . Also Early Word http://www.earlyword.com/ lists many of the forthcoming book catalogs on their website.

I noticed that some of the books being sold also include a subscription to a website. The new MLA Handbook, 7th Edition includes access to a website with the full text of the book that is searchable in addition to the print book. http://www.mlahandbook.org/fragment/public_index;jsessionid=4B84C5DED670CE0648C38482B8A9A184

You also learn about different things. Netgalley was hosting bloggers at their booth. I got to meet Natasha Maw, the person behind Maw Books for a few minutes http://blog.mawbooks.com/ . I also registered for the http://www.netgalley.com/ and requested to look at a galley which I saw at the O'Reilly Media booth, The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein.

Most of the material which I picked up was nonfiction books. They were not giving away as many advanced uncorrected proofs as before. Many they were only showing during the show. I think this will help Netgalley considerably. Paper is becoming more expensive.

I was surprised at the number of audiobook people at the show. They comprised many more booths than the last time I was there. Overdrive had a very big display announcing their ability to sell books for the Iphone. Overdrive seems to be the partner of choice for public libraries.

If you want to see some of the titles which I saw you can to the New Title Show Case which is a website which will show many of the titles being exhibited at Book Expo. Many of these titles are in the exhibitors booths. http://newtitleshowcase.com/

I went to the African American Pavilion, the Graphic Novels Pavilion, wandered through the childrens book area and even went to look at some of the meeting rooms. Rodale was not showing on the floor, they had put aside a meeting room for business, also Saint Martins, Tor Books, and a few other publishers were in separate meeting rooms, not on the main floor. It looked like some of the publishers were there strictly for rights, signing authors, and other business. There was a very large area set aside for Arabic publishers this year.

As I was wandering, I recognized a few people from Brooklyn Public Library and other places. I also recognized some of the dealers in the comics section. Maybe I will see them again when I go to the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival on June 6, 2009 in Manhattan, New York. http://www.moccany.org/

Nuts!

Diet? I don't need no stinkin' diet!

So many PET PEEVES, so little time. Okay, here’s the latest.

Squirrels. And, no, I don’t consider them pets...just peeves! Not ordinary squirrels. These pests climb my almost three-story deck to feast on sunflower seeds meant for the cardinals, golden finches, woodpeckers and various other colorful birds that are, in turn, meant to entertain us.

Instead of yellow, red, and blue birds, we get ugly gray squirrels hanging on the feeder...feeding their ugly appetites.

It’s gotten so bad, that my husband spotted one the other day spread-eagled, all four feet clinging to the feeder...fast asleep! The brazen little varmint got so dang full, he had to take a nap!

Imagine his surprise when sweet dreams about rivers of acorns were interrupted by a plastic flyswatter bopping him on the head. Mr. Piggy Squirrel turned into Rocky, the Flying Squirrel.

I can just hear him complaining about the management: “What kinda B & B is this, anyway? Can’t a guy have some lunch and take a little nap in peace?”

Please...anyone, let me know if you have a solution, or if you just want to post your pet peeve of the week. Comments always welcome!

Author, Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning series, “Cynthia’s Attic.” The fourth book in the series, The Magician’s Castle, will be published by Quake, Dec. 1.

Eu não resisti...

Olá meninas!
Eu tinha dito que só mostraria o escritório completinho, mas não aguento...
Também não dava pra continuar sem postar!
Pra começar, vejam como estava o caos total que eu encontrei:

E agora, só algumas coisinhas que fiz...

Um organizador de diversos tipos de clips:

E um relógio-propaganda ganha nova cara:

Jô, obrigada pelas dicas, foram ótimas! E Paula, ainda estou organizando as coisas (ai como eu demoro!), mas em breve te conto os resultados. Uma coisa é certa: meu trabalho está rendendo muuuuuiiiito mais!

Espero que tenham gostado. Amanhã tem mais um pouquinho.

Beijos!

I grew up in a small sleepy town outside of Philadelphia and became a lawyer because people told me I couldn’t make a living as an artist. But I was always looking for a way to express my passion. I traveled the world and visited over 250 museums looking for inspiration to help me develop a unique artistic idea.

Meanwhile I had acquired major carpentry skills renovating an 1860’s house in the Adirondack Mountains of New York with my wife in a kind of homesteading experiment. I tried my hand at script writing and novels but I found my personal passion when I discovered the works of Piet Mondrian, minimalist paintings featuring bright primary colors, and Ellsworth Kelly, whose paintings broke out of the rectangular mold and also often used bold bright colors.

So I began creating complex wood structures in 3 dimensions, representing important and widely recognized cultural symbols, like hearts, peace signs, Adam and Eve, stiletto heels, sports cars, and more. These wood frameworks often take many hours to conceptualize and even longer to construct, employing as many as 67 specially cut pieces of wood, 140 saw cuts including 53 curves and angles other than right angles, 236 pilot holes for 236 screws, and 12 bolts and nuts and 24 washers to assemble the various parts into the completed shape. I use a variety of tools to create this framework so it is not only strong, but lightweight. Then I evolved techniques to stretch artist’s canvas over these unusually shaped internal frameworks. Then I choose carefully the right colors, shades, and textures to enhance the meaning of the symbol and engage and excite the viewer.

The work can be tedious and frustrating, but the end result gives me the creative satisfaction I have craved all my life.

To see some of my work, please visit my website at www.jayrolfe.com/.

My Pet Peeves

It really irks me when I go to a buffet and see people dip the serving spoons into the dishes, spoon food onto their plates, return the spoon,then lick their fingers, then pick up the next serving spoon and do it all over again. AND IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!! Honest, these are normal-looking, clean-cut, well-dressed adults. Why they lick their fingers as they go, like a cat, is beyond my understanding. I want to run up to them and say, "WHY DON'T YOU JUST LICK ALL THE HANDLES??? IT'S THE SAME THING!!!" They must think they get a little bit of food from the handle on their hands, so they think they will be clean and lick it off. Yuck! What a disgusting and unhealthy habit. Just watch. You will see this - it happens all over this civilized country in buffets. Bottom line- after you've filled your plate, think of everyone's saliva on your hands: Go to the restroom and wash your hands before you pick up that dinner roll or chicken wing or slice of pizza or taco shell.
My second pet peeve doesn't upset me as much, but it shows a sloppy attitude and poor use of the language. When someone offers a person a drink or something, and that person doesn't want it, they often say: I'm okay. NOT THE CORRECT ANSWER. No one asked how he or she was feeling. The correct answer is either "Yes, please." or "No, thank you." When I ask my grandchildren if they'd like an ice cream cone or a root beer float, sometimes they say, "Sure." Again, wrong answer. That sounds like they're doing me a favor and letting me make them a treat. To break that habit (undoubtedly learned at school) I now say, "Would you like an ice cream cone-Yes, please or No, thank you?" I think they're getting it.

Marlis Day is the author of middle-grade mystery/fantasy, The Secret of Bailey's Chase. Buy it at Quake or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Marlis at www.marlisday.com or check out her blog at http://wwwmarlisday.blogspot.com

Daily Thought 5/28/2009

Portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne

Daily Thoughts 5/28/2009

Tomorrow I am going to Book Expo America. I have already charted out which booths I would like to go to based on booth number in order. I also have two sessions which I am interested in attending. It is best to plan going to both the booths and the conference sessions. The conference sessions give you a chance to rest your feet. There are also two pavilions I am specifically interested in seeing, the African American pavilion and the Graphic Novels pavilion.

Web Bits

Digital Content Providers Expand Distribution
Platforms, iPod Compatibility http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6661095.html

Ready, Set, Galley Grab!: Our Guide to BEA 2009's
Giveaways http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6653197.html

Fool's Gold Why The Internet Is No Substitute for a Library by Mark Y. Herring, McFarland and Company, North Carolina, c2007

Fool's Gold Why The Internet Is No Substitute for a Library by Mark Y. Herring, McFarland and Company, North Carolina, c2007

This book provides clear arguments to why the internet and also ebooks are no substitute for a physical library.

He argues against the uncluttered, unauthoritative, often inaccurate nature of the information made available on the internet. Mark Y. Herring abhors internet pornography, spam, the presence of hate sites, and plagiarism rampant on the web.

There are reminders that internet sites disappear quickly; a phenomenon called link rot and are not cited or footnoted like in books. There is an excellent set of footnotes at the back of the book with extensive, often ironic commentary.

Some of the most striking ideas were that Wikipedia is a secondary source; copyright has not been sorted by Google and the best electronic information is still in propietary databases.

I do not agree with some of his points,especially the ones on book, this book was written in 2007, so it was just before the advent of the Kindle and the expansion of many of the archives of free information on the web like wikimedia.

Also, his statements about the pure decline of reading because of the internet are starting to change. People have become much more aware of the decline in reading. This may be in part because of books like this. This is a link to the latest National Endowment for the Arts study
http://www.arts.gov/news/news09/ReadingonRise.html

This book was ironic and coherent; a strong statement against web evangelism. It gives solid arguments on why we should keep a physical library and not just turn everything over to the internet.

Mark Y. Herring, the author, is the Dean of Library Services at the Dacus Library, Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He has written extensively for Library Journal and other academic publications.

Daily Thoughts 5/27/2009

Mark Twain's Joan of Arc, 1894

Daily Thoughts 5/27/2009

Web Bits

Kirkus Reviews is now on Twitter. http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etwitter%2Ecom%2Fkirkusreviews&urlhash=kV6-&_t=disc_detail_link

Why Do They Call Them "Pet" Peeves?

by Pam Ripling

Why do they? I can't answer that. Nothing sweet or cute about the things that bug me. But since you've asked, here's the short list of mine:


Guys who leave the seat up. Seriously. Did their mothers teach them nothing?

Barracudas in parking lots. You know who I mean. You’re waiting for someone to back out, even have your blinkin’ blinker on, and some rude yahoo comes out of nowhere and jams into the spot before you can get your foot on the gas. No matter how small your car is, theirs is smaller.

People who drink from the carton. The epitome of low class kitchen mates. Argh!


Someone else’s undone laundry clogging up the system. It’s in the dryer, it’s in the washer, it’s on the floor. Owner of said laundry is somewhere playing Warcraft. And I’ll bet all his guild-mates do the same thing.

Trying to order a Starbuck’s coffee and saying it out of order. “Uh, I’d like a decaf-grande-non-fat-latte…” Barrista calls out with smug smile, “Grande Latte Decaf Skinny…” And of course I still don’t have it right. They make me feel small and stupid. Should go back to getting coffee at the grocery store deli.

People at book fairs who say they don’t read. Huh?

The California budget crisis. Need I say more?

Teachers who assign homework on weekends. It should be outlawed.

And that’s only a few. You should ask me when I’m really cranky!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

Daily Thoughts 5/26/2009

Victor Hugo, by Rodin, 1890

Daily Thoughts 5/26/2009

Today was a quiet day to rest.

You Pokin' my Pet Peeve?

My biggest pet peeves are really bad stories. I know, that’s obvious coming from a writer, but hey, I wouldn’t be one if I hadn’t accidentally decided to judge books by their covers alone. (Big Mistake!)

Not just books, I’m talking about stories in general. Like movies. I absolutely despised “She’s So Lovely.” If it weren’t for the magnificent talent of Robin Wright Penn, hubby Sean Penn and John Travolta, I would have let my son use the DVD for target practice.



The way that movie ended made me want to write to all three actors and beg they never bring such an awful story to the big screen again. We had Ed Wood for that.

Great actors only make you pay attention in hopes the story actually turns out great. Sort of like listening to a long joke that ends on a craptacular punchline.

Legends of the Fall, Titanic and Million Dollar Baby are others I won’t watch again—all for a very different reason. The endings. Now, I don’t want to give any spoilers here, but I am a totally happily-ever-after kind of gal and those were five-hanky movies.

Then you’ve got the cop out ending that makes you wonder if they lost the last few pages of the script and decided just to wing it. I like movies that make you think, but gosh—save me from the ones that make me not know what to think! Give me some kind of closure. It’s like being robbed—only you don’t know what was taken.

Give me a great story, with a triumphant ending, and I’m a happy camper. Mess with my heroes and heroines, and watch out—you’ve just poked my pet in the peeve! Does it poke your pet peeve too? :)


J.R. Turner is the author of the Extreme Hauntings series. The first book, DFF: Dead Friends Forever is available at Amazon.com, Kindle, Fictionwise, and Echelon Press.com

Daily Thoughts 5/25/2009

Daguerrotype of Emily Dickinson.

Daily Thoughts 5/25/2009

I just finished reading Escape From Hell by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It is a sequel to Inferno. After finding the exit to hell in the last novel, Inferno, Allen Carpenter, a science fiction writer returns to hell to try and help some people escape. He believes that some people are redeemable.

This hell is the hell of Dante's Inferno. The whole novel is one of poetic justice. The authors, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle throw various modern day villains into hell, including Kenneth Lay, the people who watched the levees in hurricane Katrina, Anna Nicole Smith, and other sundry characters. I especially like the motorcycle riding preacher, Aimee in this story.

The novel is not scatological or prurient. It is primarily philosophical, ironic, and sometimes darkly funny. Allen Carpenter visits the different places in Dante's Inferno and attempts to rescue people. The best part of the novel is when he rescues Sylvia Plath from her eternal state as a tree. Sylvia Plath travels with him through the whole novel. There may be some philosophical points of contention, the novel will not be agreeable with everyone. I did enjoy reading it very much. It is clearly a fantasy novel. I hope they write another sequel featuring Allen Carpenter, Dante did write Purgatorio.

Happy Memorial Day. Today is Memorial Day in the United States. I watched the parade go by my house. They had the usual groups, the veterans associations, the fire, police, ambulance, boy scouts, girl scouts, the sports leagues, the mayor, and the local car club. The car club had a number of old Chevrolet Impala's, Fords, a few army trucks, and some sports cars. Remember those who fought for your country.

I read some more of Fool's Gold by Mark Y. Herring. In the last chapter, he was railing against the Paperless Society. I don't think paper will ever completely disappear. What I think is happening is that people are getting much greater control over what they will put on paper. It is very easy with all the reviews of books all over the web and in print magazines to get reviews of books. There is also another phenomenon that is happening; the ability to look inside the book or sample a book. Many publishers are giving away the first set of chapters for a book. Amazon has their look inside the book program, and Baen gives away the first several of their science fiction books.

I think this selectivity is fueling print on demand which is the fastest growing segment of the book publishing industry. This is an article from Library Journal on On Demand Books. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6659232.html?industryid=47175

Where To?

Let's face it...there really isn't a facet of life that computers haven't infringed upon. The GPS is a prime example of this. You don't have to call where you're going to ask for directions, or even download a set from Yahoo! maps. All you have to do now is plug in the address to this cute little talking box on your dashboard, and away you go.

That's the way it's supposed to work, anyway. My GPS, formerly known as Harrison, is, as are most of the things that are associated with me, a few steps outside of the norm. Harrison and I have gotten into rather heated arguments on virtually every trip we've ever gone on together. I imagine it would be rather amusing to be in a car passing me on the highway, watching me scream red-faced at my windshield.

Harrison: In .2 miles, take ramp on right to Rt. 22 west.
Me: No, Harrison, I told you already. I don't WANT to go on the highway. I want to go the back way, the way we went last time, remember?
(Passing ramp.)
Harrison: Recalculating.
Me: There ya go. You'll see. This way is so much easier.
Harrison: In 500 feet, make left, then stay right to take ramp to Rt. 22 west.
Me: NO, Harrison. We are going the back way. 309 all the way. It's Memorial Day weekend, for crying out loud, we're not going on the highway, it's suicide.
Harrison: Recalculating.
Me: Got it now?
Harrison: In .3 miles, make right, then make right.
Me: Harrison, we are NOT turning around. No highway. NO.
Harrison: Recalculating.

And so on. But Saturday...Saturday was the final straw. Saturday was the day when, beyond taking control of my directional destiny, Harrison tried to take control of my retail destiny.

On my way home from a friends house, I decided to stop at Lowe's to pick up a ShopVac, after the horrendous flooding that happened in my basement last week--Lowe's specifically, since Home Depot doesn't offer the ShopVac brand. I looked up the address in my phone, which was 2650 MacArthur Road, entered it into my GPS, and began driving. Remember that address; it'll be important later.

As is usual with Harrison, I had absolutely no idea where he was taking me, but I knew enough to be confident that he would, at least, get me within a stone's throw of my destination. But when I finally recognized where I was...well, something was wrong. Then Harrison spoke up.

Harrison: Arriving at destination, 1270 MacArthur Road, on left.

Ladies and gentlemen, would you like to know what exactly is at 1270 MacArthur Road?

Home Depot.

I did not search on Lowe's or home improvement stores in my GPS. I input the EXACT ADDRESS, 2650 MacArthur Road, into the system. There is absolutely no reason why Harrison would get confused as to which home improvements store I was looking for, since I didn't say anything about a home improvements store. And I find it to be a little too coincidental that, on this road, where there's a store every 500 feet for about four miles on each side of the road, it would "accidentally" misdirect me to the only other home improvements store on that stretch. Apparently Harrison not only realized that I was trying to go to Lowe's, he decided that Home Depot would be better for my needs.

I hate computers.

Oh, and P.S.--Harrison's name is now Hal.

Buy Surviving Serendipity at Amazon or Quake Direct!

Daily Thoughts 5/24/2009

Richard Wright photographed by Carl von Vechten. Richard Wright wrote a book of Haiku called Haiku This Other World. As the restrictions on this collection expired in 1986, the Library of Congress believes this image is in the public domain However, the Carl Van Vechten estate has asked that use of Van Vechten's photographs "preserve the integrity" of his work, i.e, that photographs not be colorized or cropped, and that proper credit is given to the photographer.

Daily Thoughts 5/24/2009

I have been reading more of Fool's Gold by Mark Y. Herring. It is an entertaining book. I rather like some of his arguments. You pick up some of the common arguments against using the internet as a pure research tool. He reminds us that Google has a separate search engine for more scholarly articles http://www.google.scholar.com/ . Most pages with databases or deep repositories of knowledge are hidden from standard search engines. They reside in a place called the deep or invisible web. Complete Planet has a search engine specifically designed to find pages with databases built into them http://www.completeplanet.com/ Incy Wincy is another search engine which can reach into the invisible web http://www.incywincy.com/ .

As I read this book I am learning many arguments that will be useful in why we should keep a library and not just have everything put on the internet. There are many secondary uses that are not just about resisting change. Libraries are in an environment of budget cuts and have to be able to justify their existence.

Right now, I am reading the section on Google and digitization. Mark Y. Herring correctly states that the main benefit of digitization is increased access. The moment an item is put on a website in digital format it instantly becomes available to anyone who has a web connection. This will become a tremendous boon for all the classics of literature and all the works in the public domain. Suddenly they will become available all over the world. This is the real advantage of scanning, much more so than preservation. Because the information is public domain it also is public property to manipulate and build on. I look forward to seeing the creative use of this material.

I took a short break from reading serious material and tried out one of the previews on the Baen previews, In The Stormy Red Sky by David Drake. It is military space opera, part of the RCN (Royal Cinnabar Navy) series featuring Captain Leary and Adele Mundy. The story reminds me a little bit of the Master and Commander series of naval fiction written by Patrick O' Brian. There are seven free chapters. http://www.webscription.net/chapters/1416591591/1416591591.htm?blurb

Web Bits

If you go to Stanza the most popular free ereader produced by Lexcycle with over a million downloads for the Iphone, one of the main highlights is places to get ebooks. Many of these books are public domain or free. http://www.lexcycle.com/faq/where_to_get_books

This is also interesting. It is in its early stages. You should be able to get many public domain books available as print on demand. http://www.publicdomainreprints.org/

There is a corollary idea that goes with giving away free books on ereaders. This cannot be proven yet. If you give away an ebook by an author, you are likely to increase demand for their books that are in print. I might even say that if you give away a free ebook, the reader is going to look for more print books for free. Libraries are places with a lot of free material. I think the increase in the availability of free material in the public domain through the internet will increase library use.

Re-Inventing the Wheel

So here I am folks, rapping up the week of teen-inventors. I’ve been running circles around my PC, driving myself crazy trying to come up with reasonable and fun blog. Why am I not writing about a group of teens in Utah who invented a new automotive air conditioning system, using Peltier chips? I don’t like to write about something that’s already covered on the Internet just for the sake of having something to write about.

I must warn you though. DON’T take everything I write serious!



My son (nineteen) is an inventor; just look what he built at age eleven. It took me a few minutes to find it in the garage which is full of his inventions. He is very good with his hands ya’ know.

I wish he could fix our car though. I got a phone call from the dealership this morning. They are saying the repair will be costly due to a missing throttle actuator and control module. The car was garage kept. I have no clue how these parts could have ended up missing. I think they are trying to rip me off.

Back to my son. Currently he is working on something very nifty and he said this device will take care of a lot of problems and might even fix the car once and for all. When I tried to peek at it to take pictures for the blog he got very mad and slammed the door in my face. “It’s a surprise.” He yelled through the closed door.

What I did see though was a circuit board taped to five, ten inch, pink looking sticks that had “CAUTION” printed on them. Some wires leading to a battery pack.
I’m very proud of my son and I understand his explosive temper when I tried to get some pictures. I mean somebody could be trying to copy his invention if I had uploaded pictures here, right?
Did I mention his new invention is remote controlled?

I made up the part with his current invention and the broken car. Hope you got a good laugh out of it. Did you catch it?


Martin’s Blog
Martin on Twitter

Stretch Yourself. . .

Teen inventors, teen creators, teen thinkers. Essentialy, they're all the same, coming up with new and creative ways to solve problems and have fun. The thing is, every teen has it in them to make something.

But where do you start? Some schools have classes you can take, i.e. industrial technology (IT), wood shop, and even automotive technology. All of these classes allow you to take things apart, put them back together again, and even build completely new things! At my high school, I am lucky enough to be in the Project Lead the Way program which focuses on teaching engineering skills.

Most projects involve designing and and building a structure or machine to suit a problem. Below is a video of one of our recent projects. We had to build the most efficient bridge in the class. It had to weigh as little as possible while holding as much as possible. The bridge itself is made of balsa wood and the load deck is made of fiberglass. The metal piece hanging down is attached to a bucket. Weight was added to the bucket until the bridge broke. This bridge placed 5th out of the 12 bridges in the class.

But the great thing is this, you don't have to wait! You can use you creativity outside the classroom every day. So get out there and let's see what you can build!

Iris Black

enter Sam's Space now!
read Just One of the Guys!

Daily Thoughts 5/23/2009

Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was a British poet. She is known for her poem Goblin Market.

Daily Thoughts 5/23/2009

Harvey Pekar has a new graphic novel called The Beats A Graphic History. It is on the New York Times bestseller for graphic novels. I am looking forward to reading it soon.

I picked up two books I had on hold, Mind Over Ship by David Marusek a science fiction novel and Fool's Gold Why The Internet Is No Substitute for a Library by Mark Y. Herring.

I did a little bit of entering orders this morning in Baker and Taylor and filed some law looseleafs. It has been a fairly quiet day.

I also had some carrots and apple sauce instead of food from the snack machine. It is a first step.

I have started reading Fool's Gold by Mark Y. Herring. Mark Y. Herring is famous for writing the article, Ten Reasons The Internet Is No Substitute for a Library. http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/resources/selectedarticles/10reasonswhy.cfm I find his contrarian view quite refreshing.

I got my confirmation today for going to the Book Expo America next Friday, May 29. I also almost missed that the Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art Festival was on June 6 and June 7. This is very affordable, $10 for the day. It is almost entirely independent and small press comics. The show usually has some very interesting and offbeat work. Top Shelf, Fantagraphic, DC Vertigo, Oni Press, NBM, and other independents usually are there. The feeling is more arts oriented than than fandom. It feels like crafting for comics. There are usually people selling rubber stamps, t-shirts, small toys, mini-comics and similar things. http://www.moccany.org/

The Quality Library A Guide to Staff Driven Improvement, Better Efficiency, and Happier Customers by Sara Laughlin and Ray W. Wilson

The Quality Library A Guide to Staff Driven Improvement, Better Efficiency, and Happier Customers by Sara Laughlin and Ray W. Wilson

This book is about library processes and how to analyze them using numbers and charts. There is a focus on changing the process before criticizing the person which I find to be an interesting philosophy.

This book was hard for me to follow because it is focused on numbers and charts more than qualitative processes. At times it seems very bureaucratic. However, even if you do not get the numbers, it does show you how to track a process from beginning to end in a library. There are some simple diagrams like the quality circle in the book which is a circle of study, act, plan, do.

The back of the book has two appendixes. One of these is a list of common library processes. The other is a list of common measurements used to track library activities. I found the list of common measurements to be quite interesting. It includes qualitative measures like customer satisfaction, new ideas implemented, community skills developed in addition to the pure numerical measures like circulation of books, head count, and number of reference questions answered.

The most useful part of the book was the opening chapter. It included a way to map a library as a system. This map included mission, vision, values, measurements, inputs, outputs, and feedback loops. This book will help you understand a different way of looking at a library; the viewpoint of the library as an efficient system.

Notícias do escritório

Olá meninas!

Nesse momento meu escritório está uma verdadeira bagunça! É balde, lata de tinta, escada, forro no chão...ufa! Mas a coisa tá andando...
Prometi a mim mesma que não iria postar nenhuma foto antes que fique pronto e é com muita dificuldade que me esforço para cumprir essa promessa! Essa arrumação já vai levando bem mais que os três dias que eu pensei a princípio, mas eu também já vou inventando mais coisa... É aquela história: difícil é começar, mas quando começa não dá vontade de parar. Cada hora surge mais uma idéia na minha fértil cabecinha e aí é mais um dia de bagunça arrumação.

Tenho visitado vocês, mas sem deixar recado por causa da correria que estou no trabalho, nem tenho feito hora de almoço... Então, me desculpem e continuem me visitando e deixando os recadinhos que eu tanto gosto de ler.

Beijos!

Daily Thoughts 5/22/2009

Society of Illustrators Poster, 1913

Daily Thoughts 5/22/2009

I have been reading reviews from the internet. I took some time to look at Powell's bookstore and The Strand Bookstore online. The Strand was showing Burn This Book Pen Writers Speak Out On The Power of the Word, Edited by Toni Morrison. The book looks very interesting. style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">

I also spent some time going over the patron request sheet for new titles and wrote down some suggested titles for ordering.

Today was another quiet day. I filed some law looseleafs, made a few business calls, and entered some orders into Baker and Taylor. I also reviewed the process of ordering phone books for the library with a part-time librarian. Phone books are increasingly becoming a thing of the past. I usually use Worldpages online to look up phone numbers. Also many of the directories like the Thomas Register of manufacturers have moved online http://www.thomasnet.com/ and are easier to use in the online form.

I have been keeping a diary for the week on what I am eating on the recommendation of the book Emotional Eating. Something I noticed was that I was spending too much time near the snack machine. I started bringing my own snacks to work to replace eating peanuts and chips from the vending machine. I'll have finished tracking my diet for a week by tomorrow. I tend to eat when I get bored or worried.

Steamy Creativity

Wait...What did you think I meant?

With each passing day, teens are given more opportunities to express themselves creatively. The internet is full of limitless ways for today’s teen to be creative. Blog away, you can say whatever you want on your own blog and not only is it fun and easy, but it’s free too! Being the astute young person that you are, (I mean you’re reading this blog right?) I’m sure you’re already aware of this. My point is go crazy with it. Think outside of the box. Don’t try to copy other people’s blogs. Do what you want to do and what fires you up the most.



I’m going to take this moment to showcase one of my favorite creative oddities on the web. While I hate leading you to another site, check out http://brassgoggles.co.uk/blog This wonderful little blog is made by some good ole chaps in the United Kingdom. The focus is to highlight people’s creativity from around the world when it comes to all tangible things steampunk. Here you will see home made machines, fashion, art, toys, and generally anything and everything that can be converted to look steampunk in style. By the way, yes this laptop works.




In my latest young adult short stories, tentatively called “The Young Alchemists”, I too celebrate the creativity of teens (With a steampunk emphasis of course) through my characters Knox Wallingford, and Lizzy Strauss who themselves are creative diamonds in the rough. As amateur inventors these two unlikely friends find common ground not only in their idols but in their love of making things.



So go forth! Make something, a blog, a website, or an organization to petition the local government to get out of school early. Whatever you do, always make sure it is you and hopefully you have found some of this week’s blogs on Teen Seen not only entertaining, but inspiring.

Nick Valentino

http://nickvalentino.blogspot.com

Daily Thoughts 5/21/2009

N.C. Wyeth in his Studio, ca. 1903-04, He was a student of Howard Pyle and illustrated Boys King Arthur. I like the style of illustration he uses.

Daily Thoughts 5/21/2009

I may actually have a use for Twitter. A while ago I was discussing web sites for collection development on Twitter. Some of the twitterers mentioned a number of young adult web sites for collection development.

The Harris Poll: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_k12.asp

Bulletin For the Center of the Childrens Book http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm YALSA book awards

Today has been a quiet day. I am having someone replace plastic book covers on the book. They get old, wear out, and have things spilled on them. Also, they need to be cleaned sometimes. I am doing little mundane things like this today.

I also spent some time ordering a few titles from the Indiebound bestseller lists which are designed for independent bookstores. I rather like them, they are put together by the American Booksellers Association.

So Many Ideas....

So many awesome ideas for stuff we all know and love came from young inventors.

Did you know that...

* George Parker, a founder of Parker Brothers, home to old favorites like the Monopoly game, created his first game at age 15?

* Here's a cool trivia question - Can you guess the length of time of the longest Monopoly game played? (Answer is at above link.)

* Frank Epperson was only 11 when he invented the first Popsicle.

* Don't forget that the creators of Google, Facebook and MySpace were all under 25.

It's never too late to invent something and be creative. Who knows where it will lead?

Fun Stuff to Do:

* Check out these fun Monopoly facts - and get a free Monopoly screensaver, too

* Learn about other inventors at The Inventor of the Week

* Read about more interesting inventions by young inventors

-- By Chris Verstraete, whose 13-year-old character, Sam, in Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery, invents nothing but excuses...

Daily Thoughts 5/20/2009

Howard Pyle. Illustrator and writer of many books. I like his Book of Pirates.

Daily Thoughts 5/20/2009

A copy of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century 1910 by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill came in. This is one of my favorite graphic novel series. The main characters are Mina Harker and Alan Quatermain with other classic characters from early adventure, science fiction, and fantasy novels. The drawing is superb and the writing is very entertaining. It is also a graphic novel for adults. The story is quite violent and dark with occult elements in it.

I finished shifting the 700s. I created quite a bit of space for the library aides and other staff to move the 600s. They are relocating some of the shelving currently which is a very big project. I'm going to start working on weeding the 780s soon. I also have to work on the oversize 700s which will be a big project for weeding.

Today was also the collection development meeting. We sat around and discussed what we planned on ordering. I put my 300s, 800s, and fiction suggestions. The ordering process is starting to smooth out very nicely. Hopefully, we will soon have some better analysis for the purchase alerts and holds soon.

Tomorrow we are having the Baker and Taylor representative come to train us for Title Source 3. One of our staff said it was the best way to order video games from Baker and Taylor. We are also going to have some workflow training for ordering which I think will be very interesting.

Channel That Creativity

Rather than channel surf - channel your talent into a solution for a problem or situation you'd like to improve. For example:

Teens have managed to harness the energy of hamsters to charge their cell phones. The nocturnal running might bother some, but it can be a positive for everyone.

And who knew the Bubble Wrap folks (Sealed Air Corporation) sponsors a competition for young inventors? In January they announced the most recent three - here's the link for their creative solutions. What cool kids! (and they won a trip to NYC plus prize money).



People who are not yet adults have all kinds of fresh ways of looking at life and coming up with solutions both functional and fun...you did know there's a kit to make the mentos/diet pop rocket easier, right? Steve Spangler did the marketing and all the pertinent lessons (so parents would buy with the idea that it's a teaching thing), but KIDS started the phenomenon.

There's all kinds of talent in YOU! You've just gotta find the right channel to let it all out (and you'll use your creativity for the power of good, right?)

Regan

who channels her creativity into stories like the Pixie Chicks and more from Quake and Echelon Press!

Got Game How The Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever by John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade

Got Game How The Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever by John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade

This book identifies the strengths which computer gamers have to help business. Through surveys they identify the attitudes which gamers have which will help them succeed in business; an urge to win, a willingness to fail then move on, the ability to try again, the urge to be on top, and immersion in a computerized environment.

The authors tend to mention, but gloss over some of the less desirable traits which many gamers exhibit, a tendency to not read manuals, be a little sloppy, be very egocentric, and demand high compensation. There is very little which talks about how to solve these problems. The surveys given to gamers also seem to be very simplistic at times.

Instead of focusing on problems, the book looks to aim at bringing out leadership traits. It points out the strategy involved in many computer games as well as the focus on team work and exploration in some of the larger virtual worlds.

I found quite a bit in common with what many of the surveys which they did asked. I could identified many of my own personal characteristics in this book. I think Got Game would be particularly useful for business people to read who work in computer or high technology industries. It is aimed at managing gamers.

Some people will have a hard time with this book. Many people do not see any value in playing computer games. They find them counterproductive. There is quite a bit on the value of playing games.

Daily Thoughts 5/19/2009

Edward Lear, illustrator for A Book of Nonsense

Daily Thoughts 5/19/2009

I walked up to my local library. I am very glad it is still open. I picked up a few books to read, Escape From Hell by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. This story is a sequel to Inferno about a man who escapes from Dante's version of The Inferno. It is a bestseller in the science fiction and fantasy category. The second book which I picked up was The Quality Library A Guide To Staff Driven Improvement, Better Efficiency, and Happier Customers by Sara Laughlin and Ray W. Wilson.

I have started reading Escape From Hell. Quite frankly, I am not finding the setting to my taste. It is interesting, but not quite what I want to read about. The initial meeting between Sylvia Plath and the main character in hell is surprising.

I have also had the chance to read the first chapter of The Quality Library. This book is very eye opening. It has a lot of things in it about library processes which I have not spent much time thinking about. There is worksheet which includes mission, vision, values, measures, inputs, outputs, suppliers, customers, processes and feedback mechanisms for a library. It is very interesting looking at the single filled out sheet for the Pace University Library from April 2004.

I am on my third day of keeping a food diary. I am supposed to write everything down for a week before I can use it to make any analysis of what I am eating with the book Emotional Eating. Writing everything down changes what you are doing. I ate a half a package of salted cashews instead of a whole one.

Latecomer

I've been housesitting for the past 2 weeks and have done very little painting as a result.  In addition I never made the deadlines for Karin's DSDF Diana challenge, nor the one for the Masters Challenge.

I did finish the Companion of Diana e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y, but have to confess that I'm nowhere near finished the Masters one.

This is my version of Diana's companion (I'm not even going anywhere near the Manhattan taxis!)

Teens as Inventors

Some people are scratching their heads at this title, probably thinking, "Huh?"

Because when the word inventor is brought up, a teen is probably not the first picture that pops into one's mind. Most likely, it's the picture of an adult that does.

But that is where one would be wrong. Because, all of you teens out there, you can be inventors too! One of the keys to being an inventor is creativity - the ability to think outside the box to form new ideas that have not previously been, well, thought-of or invented. And creativity is something that teens definitely have!

So I guess the message that I'm trying to get across here is that a person, or you, don't have to be an adult to be an inventor. One simply needs some determination to succeed. Remember, Thomas Edison didn't invent the lightbulb on the first try.

What about all you guys? What's your opinion on teens as inventors?

Alyssa Montgomery
Author of Where Are You?, Mr. Mysterious, and 9:53 PM (from the Heat of the Moment Anthology).

Daily Thoughts 5/18/2009

Portrait of English illustrator Aubrey Beardsley (August 21, 1872 – March 16, 1898) by photographer Frederick Hollyer

Daily Thoughts 5/18/2009

I was reading through Pop Goes The Library and came across a section on using PDAs for roaming reference. It adds one more reason for me to get an Iphone. Every day, there seems to be another reason to get an Iphone for library work.

Pop Goes The Library also mentioned ICV2 which is a website about popular culture. It includes many articles on graphic novels, films, manga, and toys. Quite a few of the reviewers are librarians. I have seen their magazine at both New York Comic Con and Book Expo America. They may be a good source for purchasing teen graphic novels and manga. http://www.icv2.com/ I am adding them to my sidebar.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is the kind of book where parts of it are useful because it has lots of tips and suggestions and parts of it don't match with what you are doing. If you are looking for new ideas to try out this book is very good. It gives lots of suggestions of new things to try. This is the main thing which seemed helpful about this book. There are also a lot of links to interesting websites as well.

I also added the Powells Review A Day Archive which is a very nice list of reviews. http://www.powells.com/review/all.html

I have a new computer at work. It is a nice feeling.

Web Bits

Books are being born digital more and more. An article from Library Journal. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6657392.html

Linked Data is blooming, an article and speech about Tim Berners Lee's idea.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/linked_data_is_blooming_why_you_should_care.php

Some Self Referential Marketing

The Invention of Teen

I suppose when God did the whole Adam and Eve thing, He couldn't really be expected to consider everything. I mean, sure, there's a lot to be admired. Beautiful sunsets, stars, a beautifully thrown curve ball.

But you can tell He got a bit tired on the sixth day, which caused a few minor mistakes like the creation of politicians, the New York Yankees and people who don't wash after going to the bathroom.

And then He had some left over parts, which led to the platypus, an egg laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed mammal with a poisonous spur and a fondness for reality television.

Most of all, it's obvious ... because of the way it turned out ... that He didn't think through one particular invention ... something we laughingly call, 'Teen.'

It probably sounded like a good idea at the time ... take a human at the peak of their emotional and physical being, strap 'em to a lawnmower or a dishrag ... and spend Sunday in the hammock.

But in this case, the chemistry just didn't work out as planned. He didn't figure on emotions ... a pretty good invention, itself ... if you're a girl ... accidentally getting all jacked up by something called hormones, which He had created to assist in growth and all that.

God's pretty quick on the uptake, so He immediately knew He would have to find somewhere to put them so they wouldn't be a danger to the family pets. So He created something called Junior High and High School.

These places were a sanctuary to store teens after they learn everything they really need to know ... which they learn in elementary school ... and makes it safe for the rest of humanity and the animal world.

(oops, I gotta run. My teen just got home ...)

Norm

www.fangface.homestead.com
www.fangplace.blogspot.com

Daily Thoughts 5/17/2009

Stage adaptation of It Can't Happen Here a novel by Sinclair Lewis. WPA-- Works Project Administration

Daily Thoughts 5/17/2009

I've started reading Pop Goes the Library Using Pop Culture to Connect With Your Whole Community by Sophie Brookover and Elizabeth Burns. The book starts with the distinction between popular culture and high culture. I like to think of high culture as a source of philanthropy and prestige, and popular culture as a source of circulation and government money. Public libraries need both of them to survive in equal measure. Sometimes they meet in unusual ways. Oprah's Book Club is an example of how high culture and popular culture can intersect. Some of the selections; East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Love In the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez represent high culture.

I spent some more time reading Pop Goes The Library by Sophie Brookover and Elizabeth Burns at the laundromat. I usually sit and drink coffee while the laundry spins. I got up to the section on technology. My favorite part of the book are the quotes from practicing librarians at the ends of the chapters.

China Mieville has a new book coming out The City and The City. He is a very popular author for fantasy novels. I liked Un Lun Dun his young adult novels. I didn't like some of his other novels despite their popularity. I found some of the philosophy annoying. Allan Steele also has a new novel in his Coyote series, Coyote Horizon. I have enjoyed the series about colonization of an alien world.

I put the book, The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker on hold. I am interested in the idea when I was reading The Kaizen Way, that there is a logical way to integrate discontinuous innovation with continuous improvement.

How My Piano Teacher Improved Her Life

My embarrassing moment actually lasted nearly a year. It wasn't the sort of thing that caused heavy, temporary blushing. No, this was the sort of thing that caused long-term, avoid my mother at all cost and if caught try to change the subject kind of embarrassment. In a sentence, my piano teacher quit on me.

My parents wanted all their kids to have a musical background. My oldest brother, poor thing, got saddled with an accordion. The brother after him got an organ, with foot pedals, toggles, a split keyboard, and a very temperamental music instructor. My older sister got piano lessons. And shortly after I started first grade, so did I.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE music. I write to it, drive to it, clean the house to it, you name it. The problem with learning any musical instrument is that it requires practice and there were so many other more interesting things to do: reading, writing, bicycling, reading, skating, reading, and reading. By the time I was in fifth grade, my piano teacher discovered, to her horror, that I had never learned to read music. I was just memorizing what she showed me and playing it back to her. When the music got a bit more complicated, well, oops. Busted.

The woman must have had the patience of several saints. She persevered with this incredibly lackluster student through what must have been literally years of sheer torture. By high school, I could play reasonably well (for a fourth year student), but there were still so many other more interesting things than practicing: reading, boys, writing, boys, martial arts, boys, writing, boys, reading, and boys. Did I mention boys? At any event, by twelfth grade, and the woman deserves some kind of medal, I sat down for my usual half hour lesson, muddled through what she asked, and then said "See you next week."

She took off her glasses, smiled at me and said, "No, I think this is it." Bless her heart, she never said "I am so out of here." No, she said very politely, "I think we've taken this as far as we can go." Leaving me the fun job of explaining to my mother why she no longer needed to budget for piano lessons.

No one else in the family had their teacher quit on them. No one I've ever TALKED to had their piano teacher quit on them, so I guess that's kind of a unique attribute I have. Although earning that attribute meant ducking my mother for quite some time.