Random thoughts, musings and things I think are interesting…

Your tax money at work: The Obama administration is spending $20 million on police body cameras, amid rising tension over police violence.The announcement from the Justice Department on Friday would create a new pilot program to equip police in dozens of cities with the devices, as the first step in a $75 million three-year effort…

I’ve stayed in lots of hotels and I can’t not reccomend this one more 😉

My daughter had to write a paper on Shakespeare’s play Julius Casear which focused on the impossibility of reaching moral ends through immoral means.  The term moral as its used here is not referring to some sort of religious dogma, but rather the classic greek concept of ἀρετή (areté): that which enriches life.  There are so many…

I recently received a copy of The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg as a birthday gift from my parents (no they don’t think I have terrible habits – it was on my Amazon wish list).  I finished it this morning and recommend it if you are looking for something to help you understand the…

My part time love affair with Half Price Books continues, although my collection of Tsundoku books may be growing beyond my comfort level.  Perhaps a reading sabbatical is in order?  I just finished The Death of Discourse, the was a chance discovery from my last trip.  It was an interesting read but it did ask far more questions…

In a classic example of podcast virality (or is it network effect?), I added the Tim Ferriss podcast to my pod catcher a few months back based on a recommendation on another podcast I listen to.  I have really enjoyed the shows I have listened to (especially the conversation with Matt Mullenweg).  The most recent episode mostly…

The great experiment in home schooling home educating autodidaction is coming to and end.  Qualitatively, I think it has been a success.  We more or less fell into the “unschooling” approach the year went on and it has paid dividends in the form of greater personal responsibility and renewed curiosity that is at the root…

Hadn’t heard of this before, but it fits in nicely with some of the concepts I am trying to wrap my head around in Godel, Escher and Bach (one of the books I am reading right now – although it has been on “pause” for a few weeks), specifically that meaning emerges from what Hofstadter…

I listened to the Tim Ferriss interview of Matt Mullenweg on my way up and back to Detroit last week.  I wasn’t a big 4 hour work week fan when it first came out, but I have to say his podcast has convinced me to add it to my Amazon wish list (it’s currently 838…