----
How about this idea? "I cannot pick up (purchase, find, etc.) any more books, outside of my current collection, until I either write one publishable book or produce 50 podcasts. This rule may be relaxed if, upon having produced and published 11 podcasts, I've run out of material (hah!), but not otherwise." (Library books, audio-books, excluded).
Wow. Now there's a heady idea. And what do you think prompted that?
I've picked up too many books recently, with no clear idea as to what's going to be done with them. Am I a book collector? If yes, do these books have any collecting value? Or am I a bookworm, wherein its the contents of the books I'm more interested in? I clearly fall more into the latter camp than the former - a paperback generally holds as much interest for me as a hardback or digital tome (e.g., book-on-tape, selection from Gutenberg.org, etc.).
Two salient examples:
Last sunday (01.28.07) my wife and I went to pick up an item at an antique store near Latrobe, Pa...and this particular purveyor of "old" items has, dangerously, many stacks of interesting books. One such that caught my eye is _Mining Mathematics_, by Donald C. Jones, The Pennsylvania State College, 1968, Second Edition. One of my interests is the "language" of mathematics -- partially because I'm fascinated by things I'm a failure at (Latin, mathematics, women, etc.), because math is one of the basic issues underlying much of the sci-fi I read/view, and because it's a basic issue underlying the subtle art of investing. Seeing the title _Mining Mathematics_ intrigued me: is it about the mathematics of mining, e.g., digging in the earth for minerals, or is it about drawing a students interest to the study of mathematics by suggesting that we can derive something akin to mineral wealth by understanding facets of math?
As it turns out, it's a little of both - a book about learning mathematics...for the purpose of using mathematics in the mining industry. The foreward states:
"This book, MINING MATHEMATICS, has been designed to serve as a refresher study for those persons taking mining courses requiring a mathematical background. The material is limited to the mathematics normally required of individuals taking the State examinations for certificates for competency in mining. Persons requiring more advanced mathematical studies are referred to standard textbooks available from many publishers.
The original material of this book was developed by the author while serving in the capacity of supervisor of mining extension."
According to the TOC, the book's chapters cover: Fractions, Decimals, Per Cent and Percentage, Ratio and Proportion, Powers and Roots, Plane Figures, Solid Figures, Trigonometry, Problem Answers and Tables (this last covering sines, tangents and squares, etc....necessary tabular data before the advent of the digital calculator).
One of the coolest things about collecting books? The things (from other readers) you find inside of them! This book of Mining Mathematics was in use by a student of mine sciences...and I found the following letter exerpts in the back of this math book:
Feb. 21
Pam
I have just finished reading your last letter and I want to congradulate you on your new job
Feb. 23
Hello Pam,
How's Everything? I know It's great so you don't have to tell me. I'm doing pretty good considering we're on still on strike. I really didn't think that it would last this long, things are getting pretty wild up here because of it. I don' t know if it is effecting you or not, but I hope it ends soon for my sake, and of course the country's sake, because I am starting to go crazy. I didn't know being off work for 3 months would do this to me but I was wrong. I thought it was boring around here when I was working, well its twice as boring not work-ing and living around here. I'll tell you how boring it is when a person starts watching soap opera's, and begin to understand all that is going on in them, then you know you are bored, well I think so anyway.
Things really aren't that bad though. I'm still studyying (sorry), which I have a lot of time for.
Two letter fragments, which seem to suggest that the author of the letters is using the Mining Mathematics books for class-work. Hmmm, apparently the math isn't cutting down on the local boredom. ;-)
The second example is a book I picked up at the same antique shop the previous day. This particular antique shop is a warehouse of space devoted to tiny individual areas of items from each of a number of antique dealers who're renting the space from the proprietors, in the hope of having more eyes see their stuff. Some antiques stores that adopt this mini-mall method of retail focus on Victorian items, or furniture, or some other area. This antique store doesn't appear to have a particular focus - therefore, they have Victorian items, furniture, VHS and DVD videos, books, fiesta ware, etc. Naturally I gravitate toward that fourth class of items...and in one of those many little book stalls, I found an interesting little paperback nestled amongst several Pennsylvania history books: Robert J. Briarwood's Prehistoric Men (Seventh Edition, Scott, Foresman and Company, (c) 1964, 1967).
Now, this book had no inserts from previous readers...but I could tell from the title, and a brief perusal of it's contents, that the book was new enough to contain some interesting anthropological information...but early enough to be couched in a unintentionally sexest tone. I mean that back in the 1960's university lecturer's weren't thinking yet in the "he/she", "Prehistoric humans" versus "Prehistoric Men" attitude. Knowing this, this book can more easily be read, factoring in the idea that "men" means anything human -- as families of prehistory would not have evolved to present day without some level of cooperation between the sexes. The fact that I even point this out perhaps shows me to be sexest, in some form...but I hope that it just shows me to be moderately sensitive to these issues
Interestingly, Braidwood begins the preface in this seventh edition by stating that this is the first edition intended for general audiences, the previous six having been ...
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From Beijing 24 Curriculum by author
d. Twist Step, Brush Knee.
(TCC & Q, pp. 98-99)
i. Four part movement from White Crane.
(1) Turn left 30 degrees, right palm drops in front of face, palm facing the face.
(2) Turn right 75 degrees, right palm drops to relaxed position by right hip, left slaps
across, left to right, to center position.
(3) Right hand circles up to right ear, palm down and tilted forward; left hand circles down
and forward, palm down and palm edge out.
(4) Step left and forward, turn hips and swing arms across left and forward.
ii. Left hand brushes left knee, right hand thrusts forward (without straightening arm).
iii. Eyes follow right hand.
iv. 70%-30% Bow stance.
v. Repeat on right side. Repeat on left side.
The Books
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The creator of the dailypetabyte concept is also the creator of Silurian-Devonian Films.
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The content of these pages were inspired by the creative collision between the events that occurred at PodCampPittsburgh and the author's personal experiences and desire to help filter the human experience.
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