Reading: GeekDad Reading List

GeekDad put out a kid's books of the decade list. Looks like various ages, but certainly a slant towards fantasy and science fiction.

Also quote of the day from George Washington. "Better to offer no excuse than a bad one." Seems true for many things; from telling your parents how the hole managed to find its way into the wall, to telling your customer how you mishandled their order.

Music: Norah Jones Album

Denise has enjoyed the previous Norah Jones albums, here is the All Songs Considered interview on The World Cafe. Personally, it doesn't seem to have the same groove to it.

Work: Different Kinds Of Work

Fantastic post from Seth Godin. Do creative work, I love it. Do it with a smile on your face.

If your boss asks you to move a box from point a to point b, it's probably not okay to say, "I don't feel like it right now."

If you work on the chain gang and it's time to dig a ditch, you don't get a reprieve if you roll your eyes and say, "that's not what they pay me for."

And if you're a dishwasher, you don't get a chance to say, "I guess I'm just not the kind of person who's good at putting his hands into really hot soapy water all day."

And yet.

And yet when we ask you to look people in the eye, be creative, brainstorm, be generous, find a way to satisfy an angry customer, work with a bully, learn a new skill or bring joy to work, suddenly the excuses pile up. Is this a different sort of work? Is raising your hand in class too much to ask of you?

The jobs most of us would like to have are jobs like this. And yet we put up a fight when given the chance to do them well.

Birthday: Happy Birthday Christian

Happy Birthday Christian, thought you might appreciate some old school Atari video games on your lunch break. Isaac and I like Crystal Castle the best, wonder what your favorite is?

Presentations: Author Report - Mary Pope Osborn

Denise and I got to attend Isaac's Author Report presentation this morning. The author he presented on was Mary Pope Osborn, the author of the Magic Tree House series. The presentation was a small piece of a larger research project based on the district's IIM (Independent Investigation Method).

The most striking aspect of the children's presentation was the huge accumulation of interdisciplinary teachers involved in a single class project. The group of specialists included the English teacher, Librarian, Art, Computer Specialist, and Gifted and Talented Coordinator.

Isaac did an admirable job with his own presentation, speaking audibly (tough for 3rd graders) and looking at the audience every now and then (tough to find your place again after looking up isn't it).

After, Denise and I named the single piece of advice we would give a young presenter if we ever had the chance to contribute in the future. My advice was NEVER write out your entire speech and read it to the audience. Denise advised to engage the audience (not one kid told a joke?!?).

Reading: What Matters Now

This is a collection of essays freely given away and edited by Seth Godin. They discuss issues worth discussing during the next year.

I've read just a few, but my favorites so far are:
"We are too poor to afford education. But until we have education, we will always be poor" Nepalese Headmaster
"Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside."

Music: Holiday Music Acapella Style

Great collection of holiday acapella songs. Several winter holiday traditions represented in these songs. Christmas, Hanukkah, and even Winter Solstice (When the Christians and Pagans Met For Dinner).

Movie: Invictus

We watched the new rugby movie Invictus with Morgan Freeman and Matt Dammon yesterday. It turns out not to be a rugby movie at all. Instead, I found it to be a parable for forgiveness. Nelson Mandalla managed to forgive his and his people's oppressors in favor of a united country (perhaps conflict is not genetic).

Personally, I vividly remember this history through the rugby perspective of Afrikaan team mates. They frequently discussed South Africa's new president, flag and national anthem during the World Cup the movie shows. Their viewpoint was also stained by horrific violence.

The rugby turns out to be very ordinary. Most of the action scenes look like an over 50 old boys game with an unusual amount of grunting during the scrummaging. However, the forgiveness message is worth this complaint.

This is the powerful poem that drives the movie. Invictus by William Ernest Henley. Certainly Madalla practiced what he read.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Quote: War as Genetics

It pains me to see this quote from our President. He insinuates that humans are somehow genetically predisposed to conflict. I completely disagree. Let peace be an option, and the President could have just as easily pointed towards early man's capacity to build communities.

If you have trouble believing that we are predisposed to be peaceful, take a look at Howard Zinn. Maybe he could talk you into it.

Now these questions are not new. War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. At the dawn of history, its morality was not questioned; it was simply a fact, like drought or disease -- the manner in which tribes and then civilizations sought power and settled their differences. Barack Obama

Music: Govt Mule

This is a concert recorded in Philadelphia by Govt Mule. I thought it sounds very familiar, like "One Way Out." Turns out the lead singer, Warren Haynes, comes from the Allman Brothers.

TaeKwonDo: Impression Pattern

For Isaac's next test, he has an assignment to develop his own form they call an impression pattern. He chose, "Peace On Earth," in Korean, as the name of his pattern. Uncle Michael helped us with the pronunciation.

The phrase is "Jigu Pyeonghwa". The pronunciation is "gee-goo" pyoung ('young' with a P at the start)-hwah (like 'ha' with a W in the middle of it). (Thanks Uncle Michael)

Reading: Fantasy Poetry

How about some mythos poetry for reading material? This poem refers to the Cthulhu, which is referred to often in fantasy and science fiction web sites when speaking of particularly horrific or evil things.

Guitar: Effectology

Great series on guitar effects. This seems like it would certainly interest the young mind (and the old as well).

Development: Instructions for Google DNS

May try this on our home router for increased speed and better protection.

Jazz: A Love Supreme - Psalm

Finally, the conclusion.

Jazz: A Love Supreme - Pursuance

This is a live recording of his solo on Pursuance. You can definately hear the free jazz creeping in.

Also reading for Isaac's Thursday night reading.

Jazz: A Love Supreme - Resolution

Here's part 2, Resolution.

Jazz: A Love Supreme - Coltrane

Can't miss this in a jazz education. Part One of John Coltrane's Love Supreme. Listen for the main theme, then how it gets manipulated from one instrument to the next.

Development: Guide To Installing Chromium OS

This is a beta version of Google's Chromium OS. They describe it basically as only a browser. However, it might be interesting project with the netbook.

Philosophy: Immanuel Kant Through Comics

Douglas Wolk explains Kant's Critique of Aesthetic Judgment using superhero comics. He comments that, "Kant was a great thinker, and one of the very worst writers of all time." Wolk's commentary goes a long way in breaking it down.

Music: Weird Al Does Star Wars

The Star Wars saga set to "American Pie."