The Day the World Ended

The Day the World Ended at Little Big Horn : a Lakota History
by Joseph Marshall III

We recently had an opportunity to drive to Montana for a funeral. Along the way we stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. A fascinating place. Most enlightening was the Indian Memorial. The quotes from Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull made a deep impression on me.



It's no surprise that a book on the New Non Fiction shelf jumped into my hands. I've read very little about this turning point in American history, so enjoyed learning something new. There were two nuggets in this book that I want to remember.

First, the Lakota apparently have no word equivalent to the English "authority." Their culture and governance had no need for such a word. The chiefs led by example and reputation. If a family in a chief's village didn't like what the chief was proposing, they voted with their feet. It was not unusual for a new family to appear in the village overnight. Villages were relatively small, and the next two were within a days walk. A nomadic life style allows that. Our sedentary style doesn't. If I don't like what the President does, it's a little more difficult to move to France.

The second nugget in this book has a little more impact on how I think about our country today. In the days before the battle at Little Bighorn, the Lakota people were doing their best. Women were cooking and caring for the household. The young people were learning the necessary skills from the elders. The hunters were bringing home plenty of food and supplies, even when the Buffalo was in steep decline because of the white man. Even the warriors did well, winning various skirmishes with the Long Knives. All were doing what they were supposed to do. And they were doing it well.

Their society was complex and well run. Elders made decisions. The tribe produced the food and goods necessary for a good life. They all traded with the white man for various supplies. And they were reasonably successful at creating a good life.

Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse knew their world was ending, but the common people really couldn't comprehend the change. Who among the Lakota or the Cheyenne knew the numbers of people and products that were massing to the east?

Then came the battle at Little Bighorn. And they won. Decisively.

But they lost the war.

Reading this, I jumped to comparing the life of a common Lakota family to ours. I work to bring home food and supplies, Judy maintains the home. The children learned their skills and created a life for themselves. And all did reasonably well. In fact, we feel darned good about it. I can only imagine that the Lakota did, too.

Do most of us not know or truly understand the masses of people and products that are gathering outside our borders? I was surprised to learn that the Mall of America in Bloomington is not even in the top ten shopping centers in the world today. New York is a small city compared to dozens around the world. India and China are educating thousands more people at the college level than we are.

Is there a comparison between the Lakota experience and ours. I believe there is some, and we need to be more aware than they were of the forces awakening in the world around us. Isolation and walls are not the answer. Fighting and wars are not the answer. Somehow, we must work with the rest of the world to avoid becoming an afterthought.

No, I don't have the silver bullet for this question. I'd like to vote for someone who has at least an inkling of a way to maintain our culture.

= = = = = =

Next is a book whose title drew me in immediately. We'll see if it's worth reading all the way to the end.

The thing about life is that one day you'll be dead
by David Shields

Super Crunchers

Super Crunchers : How Thinking by Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart
by Ian Ayres

Ian was on the BBC one night talking about this book. He's a very persuasive speaker. The stories he told convinced me to get this book from the library. It's quite the book.

This is one of the books that I did not finish. There was enough there for me to take home the one piece of information necessary from every book. Life got a little too complicated, then the library wanted the book back and wouldn't let me renew it!

The first thing Ian talks about is how corporations, governments and large institutions use data mining to improve their business. Think Wal Mart supply chain. When you purchase something at Wal Mart, the entire supply chain is notified and the replacement process starts. All the way back to inland China. They derive outstanding efficiency by doing that. This is not news.

The news to me is how the Internet can be used to do instantaneous market research. I should not have been surprised, because it's so simple.

Ever notice the little ads on virtually every page you load from the Internet? (Me, neither.) They are supplied by the likes of Google, Yahoo!, and many others. They can be related to the content of the page, perhaps from cookie crumbs you've left behind, or whatever.

The market research comes through supplying slightly different ads to the thousands of people looking at the page. For example, one might advertise "All inclusive vacations" and the other "Complete vacation packages." Then, by simply watching the click through rates for the two ads, the researchers know exactly which words have the highest impact. And the cost, almost nothing!

Compared to the dollars and days cost of the old focus groups, this is a great tool for research.

This wasn't a bad book, I actually did try to renew it. But I've moved on to

The Day the World Ended at Little Big Horn
a Lakota History
by Joseph Marshall III

The Post American World

The Post American World
by Fareed Zakaria

Newsweek has been my favorite for almost forty years. Fareed Zakaria has been a favorite columnist there ever since I noticed his articles. This is an excellent book. He digs behind the hyperbole and spin to help us understand what is happening in today's world.

By examining what is happening in China and India, by reflecting on this history of Great Britain, he comes to the conclusion that America is not fading into a has-been nation. Rather, the rest of the world is catching up to us.

That's a distinct difference.

China has a long ways to go before they really catch up to us. The author gets to the root of the fear mongering numbers so beloved by politicians For example: China graduates ten times as many engineers as American universities. Once you realize that someone with a two year degree in auto mechanics is called an engineer in China, it's clear that the numbers are misleading.

The last chapters discuss the role of America in policing the world. With our large military and vast influence, America is the one so many countries turn to for leadership. Who asks India to resolve a world problem? The author asks us and our elected officials in Washington to move away from fear as a political statement. Instead, he proposes that we work with the rest of the world, choose what we truly need, then compromise where necessary to accomplish our true goals.

Did I mention that Mr Zakaria is no fan of the current administration?

Enjoy the book. I bought it, and recommend that you might consider the same.

Why do I Love These People?

Why do I Love These People?
by Po Bronson

Our trip to my Uncle Melvin's funeral was quite productive on the reading front. This was the third book of the Montana series.

Much like the book The Art of Aging, this author uses vignettes of real people to illustrate his points. Each person or family faces a challenge or crisis event, and they figure out how to live through it and prosper.

Allow me to use my negative and twisted logic on you for a moment. This is a personal mantra, perfectly illustrated in this book.

1 - Life sucks - Every life is complete with massive and seemingly unsurmountable challenges. My life has been. People I know face tough problems. The person down the hall probably has challenges you've never faced.

2 - Get used to it - There is no way to live life to the fullest without those challenges. They are unavoidable. Even staying home causes ugly, difficult situations.

3 - Life is great - A good life is based on finding what's good in what you already have, then working for it. Those challenges? They are there as a challenge. A positive one. Every negative experience, and every positive experience, provide a base for a good life. It's all in what you're looking for.

The author quoted Shakespeare , "It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."

This book has good lessons, and is a nice read. If you find yourself on a twenty hour drive, pick up the CD.

The Art of Aging

The Art of Aging
by Sherwin Nuland

We read this as an audio book while driving to my uncle's funeral in Montana. It was a pleasant diversion. Dr Nuland gives examples of older people who exemplify the best of each trait. His lessons are thoughtful and worth remembering, but they are not revolutionary. You've heard every one of them before.

• Don't smoke, wear your seat belt
• Eat less ... (See In Defense of Food)
  
• Keep flexible through regular exercise
  
• You're losing it all the time ... you just don't notice until you cross a threshold
• Don't just learn from the mistakes you make, learn from your successes, too
• Keep a positive attitude
  

We enjoyed the stories, and got the message.

So, what have I done to change myself after reading this book? Something learned in childhood from my mother and grandmother. Remember how she always told you to clean your plate? Well, I'm always going to leave something behind. Depending on the serving size, my goal is as much as one-third to one-half of the meal. I've been doing this for a couple of weeks now and find that it makes no difference on how hungry I feel after a meal.

Maybe someday it will show up as a change to the reading on the bathroom scale?

= = = = Guy

unChristian

unChristian
by David Kinnaman

The author made the case that many of the non-Christian's negative observations of Christians were brought on by the Christians own behavior.

Those negative observations are:

• Hypocritical
• Too focused on getting converts
• Anti homosexual
  
• Sheltered
• Too political
• Judgmental
  

It would be difficult for me to disagree, as many publicly Christian people do exhibit these tendencies.

The author takes you through many examples of each trait, and offers suggestions for ways Christians can change their behavior to change the perception of the activities. Unfortunately, he offers no ideas on how to change the actual negative behaviors.

This is actually a book I did not finish. We were in Montana for an uncle's funeral. This book went to breakfast with me each morning. After reading the introductory chapters, the table of contents, and a chapter on being hypocritical, it lost my interest.

Check it out from the library, not a book store.

The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture
by Randy Pausch

First ... my apologies for running off at the mouth. This post far exceeds my personal limits for how much I would ever read in a blog posting. If you do nothing else, watch the video and get the book. Have you ever read a book cover to cover without getting out of the chair? This is one of those books.


You may have seen the popular YouTube video (watch video) about a Carnegie Mellon University professor who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. (See the lecture on Randy's home page, look on the lower left hand side of the page. Click to view.) The video is one of the most inspiring things I saw on the web in 2007. This is partly because I watched it while visiting my brother, who was recovering from kidney cancer surgery. Randy appears to be the kind of person I would love to be. I have much to be thankful for, but to have his positive outlook and creative energy would be icing on the cake.

His major goal for the last several months of his life has been to leave something for his three young children and wonderful wife. He believes they need something to help them remember who he was and how much he wanted to be there for them. This project has left something for all of us to look up to. His book is a very public part of the equation. The book is also called The Last Lecture, and is a quick and easy read.

This is where I'd recommend that you click over to B&N to order the book, or (even better) turn off the computer and head to your local book store for a copy of The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch .

Each chapter has a particular lesson, complete with plenty of personal stories.

• "When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you." Assistant coach
• "I don't believe in the no-win scenario." Wm Shatner
• Question from a guest: "What time does the park close?" Walt Disney World worker reply: "The park is open until eight PM."
• Pour the Coke onto the upholstery before the kids have an accident. It's only a car.
• "Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something." Randy

One of the more interesting chapters is about Time Management. The chapter apparently was good enough that he created a second video, which he considers at least as useful as the first. It's also on Randy's home page.

• Time must be explicitly managed, like money
• You can always change your plans, but only if you have one
• Ask yourself: Are spending yout time on the right things?
• Develop a good filing system
• Rethink the telephone
• Stand up when you're talking
• Hang up on telemarketers while you're talking. (Not when they're talking.)
• Call someone when they want to go to lunch
• Delegate
• Take a time out (do not do work email on vacation)
• Leave a very difficult, but possible, path for people to find your phone number

"Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think!" -Randy

Give your kids permission to break the rules now and then ... they don't always have to be in by bed time.

When Mom says "Stop leaning back in that chair," Tell her " If I break the chair, I'll replace the dining room set." How to meet people (work groups)

• Exchange contact info, pronounce their name correctly
• Find things you have in common
• Let everyone talk
• Check your ego at the door
• Praise each other
• Phrase alternatives as questions. Not "I think we should do A." Instead "What if we did A instead of B?"

As I was working on this review, I realized that every chapter wanted a piece of me. There's just too much to say about this book. Here's something you don't hear me say very often: You must read this book.




More pithy things I want to remember from the book.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." Seneca (Roman philosopher 5 BCE

Send a Thank you note. On Paper. Hand written. Do something on the same scale. If they did a big thing, do a big thing for them.

How to apologize

1. What I did was wrong.
2. I feel badly that I hurt you
3. How do I make this better?

Tell the truth.

No job is beneath you.

All you have to do is ask.

Make a decision ... Tigger or Eeyore?

However well they did on the project, the response is "Guys, that was pretty good, but I know you can do better." No matter how good it was!

Virtual world programming: http://www.alice.org

Blog #2

Mixing business and family can sometimes get complicated. Keeping a reasonable distance between the two seems prudent. Another blog seems like the right thing to do.

From now on, you'll see family photos and such on a different blog.

Follow this link to see the personal blog.

What we laugh at ...

Stevie Ray's Lecture


Saturday Judy and I went to the Minnesota CCFA Education Event in Bloomington. It was an excellent event, with a lot of information on how to handle IBD.

After the featured medical speaker, they brought Stevie Ray on stage. Who would have thought that a comedian would be able to give such a good message. No, he didn't get into "Laughter, the Best Medicine" and other material, but he did mention that. He has studied laughter professionally for years and told us many of the mechanics behind what causes laughter. Now I know why the "Ole and Lena" jokes during the sermons weren't funny. (That's another long story. Ask me sometime when I'm vulnerable.)

If your group is looking for a keynote speaker for your business meeting or convention, I'd recommend this guy. Every point he makes during the lecture is punctuated with funny stories, hilarious examples, and gentle picking on people in the audience. He even gives tips on who to pick out in the audience for a little fun!

I can't do his lecture justice, but I can relate some of the wisdom behind the stories.

Four laws of laughter:

1. Unexpected - There must be surprise. That's why babies laugh so often. Everything is a surprise, even when the spoon falls on the floor.
2. Recognition - Laughter comes easy if you can recognize yourself in the story they're telling.
3. Superiority - You have to laugh at someone! It helps if that person is socially higher than the speaker. Don't make fun of the sick, disabled, downtrodden. It's just not funny.
4. Delight - Happy people can laugh.

Given those laws, there is one more ticket that must be punched before you can garner laughter from someone. You've got to give them a cue that it's OK to laugh. Otherwise, they might think you're telling a sad story! Give them a cue and permission to laugh.

Now, if you're going to tell a joke ... There is the standard formula for that joke.

1. Premise - Set the stage. (Two penguins walk into a bar.)
2. Setup - Tell them what they need to know, but no more. Keep it short. Too much information (Tuesday, or was it Wednesday ... ) can kill a joke. People get tired and distracted sooner than you think. A story that goes over a minute is probably too long.
3. Punch line - This usually involves and exaggeration. Keep this part very tight, nothing extra.
   

If this guy is on the agenda for a conference you're attending ... go.

= = = = Guy

You're an author?

Here's an interesting article that hit home. As I work on my reaction to "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, this NYT article hits my RSS feed.

You're an Author? Me, too!

Apparently there are others in the world thinking like I do.

= = = = Guy

Have we lost our innovation edge?

Innovation Nation
by John Kao

Let me get this off my chest right now. This is not an uplifting book. The subtitle is "How America is losing its innovative edge, why it matters, and what we can do to get it back."

The author cites three major reasons for our loss of the innovation lead.

1. Education ... Since the reaction to Sputnik in 1957, we have let science and mathematics slide out of our schools. We are now paying the price with not enough scientists, engineers and technicians to fill industry's needs.
2. Infrastructure ... The failure to maintain our infrastructure is borrowing from the future to subsidize today's pleasures. Not that we have bridges falling down in the middle of major metropolitan areas or anything like that. Everything from sewers to mobile phones to the Internet seem to be falling behind someone.
3. Research ... There seems to be a shrinking pie of research dollars, both at the government level and in industry. The focus on stock prices and immediate ROI do not allow the bright people to think up the strange things. Who would have thought that Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation would lead to Blu Ray high definition DVDs? We need more of that kind of research.

That's not to say there is no hope. The rest of the book focuses on glimmers of hope, success stories, and possibilities for gaining the lead. I didn't get to that point before losing interest in the book.

One reason for my distraction is the book that came available at the library tonight. The title is a little too compelling for me to resist:

"Why is there something rather than nothing?"
23 Questions from Great Philosophers

The questions include "What is justice?" "Can we really believe what we see?" and twenty one others.

I am intrigued.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

= = = = Guy

Spring has arrived in Southern Minnesota!

Today we spent the afternoon with the grandkids at Oxbow park and zoo. Spring arrived Friday. My measure of real spring is when the worms come out onto the sidewalk in the morning. Friday was it. Saturday morning the bushes in the backyard started budding out in earnest, so as to be visible from the house.

After church the sun came out and the temperatures soared to near seventy. The grass is still short, the bugs aren't out in droves. Pretty much a perfect day. We had to run for the hats and sunglasses.

The kids ran from cage to cage (this is an old fashioned outdoor zoo) looking at the birds and animals. We had to lift them up to see this or that. They wanted to see everything twice.

Across the road from the main part of the zoo are the large animal enclosures. Elk, buffalo and deer. It's on a hillside so the kids were rolling down the slope. By the time they were done they could barely walk or even roll downhill very fast. They were excited and incredibly tired. So tired that we took a rain check on an ice cream stop.

Video of Gabbi rolling ... Forgive the quality, it's a very old cell phone.


As if that weren't enough ... Here's another video ...


One more, high quality video from Judy's camera:


Judy and I are more than ready for a glass of wine and a lengthy sit. There are some steaks in the fridge, coals in the grille, and time for it all.

Enjoy!

What rules you?

At Home in the World

A Rule of Life for the Rest of Us

Margaret Guenther

Religion and spirituality have perplexed me ever since high school when questions started popping into my head. Judy and I have looked in many places to find spiritual satisfaction. One recent detour in this direction has been an investigation into a local Benedictine Way group. We joined the group long after they found their own rhythm for the meetings and understanding of the Rule of St. Benedict. Part of the agenda for each meeting was a study of Margaret Guenther's book, At Home in the World.

The book is a fast and friendly read. Margaret is a wonderful combination of grandmother and priest. What could be better for someone on a quest? Who can't ask grandma what the deal is?

Loosely based on the Rule of St. Benedict, Margaret reminisces about her long and successful life, finding the lessons that have general application to most of us. An example that hit home for me is the sometimes oppressive solitude of an airport concourse, crowded with hundreds of people after a flight cancellation. Powerless. Herded. Alone. Alone in the crowd. This can be a productive time, a time for meditation, reflection, people watching, letter writing, or phone calls to a friend or family member who needs a call. Many of her life lessons are along these lines. There is goodness everywhere, at any time. It is our job to find that goodness and happiness.

What to do with this fast and friendly read about how to find happiness and satisfaction in life? What is the goodness I found in the book?

There are a couple of famous rules for monastic behaviour. The Rule of St. Benedict is probably the most familiar. But what about the rest of us? Are there rules for us? Margaret gives us a starting point. I take it as a starting point.

After thinking about this book for some time, it occurs to me that I have lived by many rules for years. The rules have come to me from books, parents, friends, magazines ... just about everywhere. A couple of them are ..

• Look them in the eye. If you can't remember their eye color you haven't connected.
• I can control the Now, not yesterday or tomorrow.
• Now that you've shared that, what would you like me to do when I get back to my desk?
  

So what? I'm back at my desk, having decided that a rule is not necessarily bad. How many rules have I been living under? Three dozen came to mind yesterday when I came home from the Benedictine group meeting. More pop into my head today.

And what do they mean? Why do I need to look someone in the eye? What does it mean to remember their eye color? My left brain keeps asking the right, just like a six year old child. "Why?"

This is starting to feel like another New Year's resolution, similar to the resolution to start this blog on what books I've read. Watch this space. More is boiling just under the surface.

And what's the next book? It could be The Third Jesus or Innovation Nation. We'll see how the spirit moves me. You have a vote, too.

Thirty Five Years

If you know me, you know I've been with IBM for almost thirty five years. A lot has changed since my first day in 1973. Walking through the manufacturing floor then was a marvelous task, so many people doing things you could understand! Now the floor is inhabited by people moving boxes from here to there and doing something with them.

The itJungle web site has a well written history of IBM that parallels my time here. I've worked on many of the projects mentioned. Pacific (System/38) was the first big project I was on, followed by Silver Lake and AS/400.

It's been a lot of fun.

= = = = Guy

Direct link to the article: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh040708-story05.html

Now for a little R&R

Here's a cute YouTube clip. Some days I feel like the big guy in this movie.




= = = = Guy

Life is good

Before going on the business trip to Nashville, Judy took me to Celtic Women at the Mayo Civic Center here in Rochester. It was beautiful. They put on a great, energetic show. That was Wednesday evening. Then Saturday it was the Grand Ole Opry. Another very well done and very professional show.

That was last week. This weekend Judy and I took the weekend off for a much needed time away. We had not simply gone away for years. The cares for Louie, Jim and Lucy simply took precedence over R&R time. This was our first foray into vacationing.

Just like the prior weekend, music played a major part of the time. On Friday night we went to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. The McNight Theater was playing Blues in the Night. The performance was knock your socks off excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed both the music and the venue. It's a very personal space, close to the stage.

This morning we got up early to go to church. The son of a friend goes to Central Lutheran, next to the convention center in downtown Minneapolis. More fabulous music. Two selections from Handel's Messiah and a rocking Bach postlude, Praeludium in G Major on their 108 rank pipe organ. The instrument had just been rebuilt and it was fantastic. They are hosting several recitals this summer, including an American Guild of Organists event. One of those recitals may make it onto our calendar.

The rest of the weekend was wonderful. No end to good food. Nice conversation. A beautiful hotel. Great places to shop. A wonderful museum with an exhibit of Russian Impressionism. And much more to do on our next visit.

Life is good. Very good.

Is what you eat related to how you feel?

In Defense of Food

Michael Pollan

Have you ever read the labels on food? You know the one, Nutrition Facts. “All” of the ingredients are listed, the percentages of daily diet for calories, fats, vitamins and more. I've always been a little compulsive about reading these labels. Judy rolls her eyes and groans when I read them aloud.

Michael Pollan, in his latest book, In Defence of Food, leads me to pay even more attention to food labels. Pollan uses a circuitous route, debunking “nutritionism” to the point where I find it hard to believe anything the food industry tells me.

Pollan builds his case layer by layer, starting in the early 19^th century, through the McGovern hearings in the 1970's that gave us our fear of fats, and into the ingredients and FDA approvals for food like substances. By the time he gets to the recommendations, I am ready to stop eating anything with the ubiquitous nutrition facts label. (It's not often that raw carrots or fresh fruit have those labels!)

In 1973 the food industry convinced the FDA to stop enforcing the 1938 law that required imitation foods be labeled imitation. For example, margarine had had to be labeled “imitation butter.” The feeding frenzy started immediately. Everything was open to adulteration (New! Improved!)

The second subtitle of the book is Eat Food, Not too Much, Mostly Plants. The second half of the book contains simple rules to guide you to a diet that promises to be much healthier.

His recommendations do not lower the cost of food, but they may reduce your lifetime medical expenses. He blames many western diseases (diabetes, heart disease, obesity ...) on our diet of food-like substances. A better diet should yield lower disease rates and significant medical savings.

Although Pollan never mentions Crohn's disease, the obvious conclusion I draw is the it could be caused by our American diet. The epidemiologic studies of Crohn's disease show almost exactly the same pattern as the diseases he claims are diet related. Maybe switching to an even healthier diet will ameliorate my disease symptoms?

I will try to follow Pollan's recommendations as much as possible. We eat close to them, but we have some ways to go. For example, I haven't darkened the door of a McDonald's for about two years. Now it's time to do more to improve my diet.

Good book. I recommend it.

The rules:

1. Don't eat anything your Great Grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.

2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, c) more than five in number, or that include d) high-fructose corn syrup.

3. Avoid food products that make health claims.

4. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.

5. Get out of the supermarket whenever possible.

6. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.

7. You are what you eat eats, too.

8. If you have the space, buy a freezer.

9. Eat like an omnivore.

10. Eat well grown foods from healthy soils.

11. Eat wild foods when you can.

12. Be the kind of person who eats supplements.

13. Eat more like the French, or the Italians, or the Japanese, or the Indians, or the Greeks, or ...

14. Regard non-traditional foods with skepticism.

15. Don't look for the magic bullet in traditional foods.

16. Have a glass of wine with dinner.

17. Pay more, eat less.

18. Eat meals.

19. Do all your eating at a table.

20. Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does.

21. Try not to eat alone.

22. Consult your gut. (That means pay attention to the full feeling.)

23. Eat slowly.

24. Cook, and if you can, plant a garden.

Simple rules, not too many, but they appear to go against the grain of “modern” habits. Let's go there.

= = = = Guy

Grand Ole Opry

This week I am in Nashville at the COMMON conference. I hosted a meeting for two days immediately prior to the major conference. Our meeting ended late Saturday afternoon. Over drinks a colleague suggested the Grand Ole Opry as something to do.

Well, everyone else already had tickets, so my option was to go alone. Not being a real loner, I almost didn't go. Good thing I didn't stay in the hotel to sleep.

What a great show on a late Saturday night. It started at 9:30 PM and went for over two hours. Those of you who know me know that's way beyond my bewitching hour. I'm tired now, but very glad to have been there.

I had been to the Grand Ole Opry about fifteen years ago to see our “friend” Lou Gerstner speak. This was a much better program. It's a beautiful auditorium with no bad seats. I had a great view from the mezzanine. The seating was a little unusual, think padded church pews. It would have been great to snuggle with Judy during the love songs, but that was not appropriate for the young lady I was seated next to. Same for the guy on the other side.

On the way in there are huge signs about no audio or video recording. The sign is thee just to increase your cynicism. I've never seen more camera phones in use (including mine), pocket video cameras, or expensive digital SLRs. When a name act was on stage there was a steady stream of fans to the stage to get a photo. There was even an usher to remind them to keep down so the front row people could see. The fans were almost as fun to watch as the acts. I don't get to many concerts, and the audience never did that at the operas I've been to.

The acts. Oh, the acts. I was drinking a Jack Daniels when the show was suggested to me. She said that the Charlie Daniels Band would be there. I thought it was Jack's brother, so it's got to be good. He was.

For those of you who have never listened to the live show on WSM, it is really four thirty minute programs, each with a performing host. Each show had three or four acts, plus one or two songs by the host. It is a real radio show, so we got to listen to the commercial announcements between the acts. Think Prairie Home Show with real commercials.

The first host was "Little" Jimmy Dickens, who was 87 years old, and proud of it. He's a tiny little guy, well worthy of his nickname. He opened with one of my favorites, “May the Bird of Paradise Fly up your Nose.” Excellent.

Jimmy then introduced Nel McDaniel who did “Stand up for America.” We were obligated to stand during the final verse, with American flags flying on the three huge TV screens. Phil Stacey followed.

After the obligatory Ribs and Chicken commercial, Jeannie Seely came on stage to host the second act and sing “Let me be your Hero.” He introduced Neal McCoy who sang about things that “Never Cross a Man's Mind.” Kellie Pickler was next. She did several songs, and I didn't take my eyes off the stage long enough to write down what she sang, but it was very good. The little girls clamored around in front of the stage with signs proclaiming their love for Kellie. At the end of the act she brought one especially cute little girl, maybe four years old, onto the stage. Way cute! Both of them.

Finally, there was a name I recognized! Vince Gill hosted the third act. Dare I say the crowd went wild! They knew him, too. He introduced Jean Shepard, another eighty something year old lady who did a very nice yodel for us. Next was a popular “local” group who performs every Monday night at some venue in downtown Nashvill: The Time Jumpers. They did bluegrass, and Vince played guitar with them. One of the songs was one of my old favorites, a Gene Autry hit from 1939, “South of the Border.” They are good, and if I am ever in Nashville on a Monday night, I will seek them out.

That section closed with the Grand Ole Opry square dancers. Hey, they are good. Not like the grandpas and grandmas we see coming to the convention in the basement of the Kahler Hotel in Rochester. These six people could move!

The last half hour was hosted by “Whispering” Bill Anderson who did an excellent rendition of “Hello, Mrs. Johnson.” He introduced Ralph Stanley who sang a perennial favorite, “The Unicorn Song.” We all sang along with the Green Alligator refrain. To offset that happy song, he also did “O Death.” That was a very emotional piece for me. I could see Louie, Jim and Lucy on their death beds all through the song. I do miss those old folks. They would have loved the show.

The last act was the Charlie Daniels Band. They were clearly the hit of the night. Outstanding. They played two numbers, “El Toreador” and then closed with “The Devil Came Down to Georgia.” He brought the house down.

Very professional. Excellent acts. Familiar songs. Fast paced pieces. Slow and painful pieces. A great evening. I'm still tired, but that's OK. It's well worth it to see those famous acts on a famous stage.

Other blogs

For those of you who might be interested in the blogs I'm following, you can see my favorite posts on my Google "Shared Items" page. This afternoon you will find several items, generally the last post from each of many of the blogs I'm following. They aren't necessarily the best of the blog, but you can see a sample of the blather I prefer.

The intent is for me to flag those posts that are most interesting, useful, or entertaining. My most recent posts to the Books and other pleasures blog will always be tagged.

Happy reading!

Warning - depressing book!

Limits to Growth : The 30 year update
Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, and Jorgen Randers



If you remember the population explosion scares of the middle twentieth century, you know the premise of this book, originally published in 1972. The limits discussed are those that limit human population and the happiness of the billions of people on the earth.

Perhaps you have heard of the Hubbert Peak for oil? That theory represents but one of the limits. There are limits to the amount of grain that can be grown, clean water extracted, pollution spewed, and metals mined. There are dozens of these limits involved in their environmental model, World3. The book is primarily a summary of the simulation runs they made with the model, with a serious comparison between the models they reported on in the 1970's and the runs they made immediately after the turn of the century. The comparisons are not promising.

This is not a book you will read for relaxation or inspiration. It reads much like those dimly remembered college textbooks. There are plenty of graphs and intricate diagrams. They feed the engineer in me. But they do not show a pretty picture. We have gone beyond several of the limits. Water, minerals, agriculture. The limits can show up as increasing prices for commodities like corn and oil. Perhaps you have noticed the price increases already.

In the first edition of the book, the authors were optimistic that enlightened people would take measures to reduce pollution, decrease consumption, and generally improve the world. They are no longer as optimistic. Consumption continues it inexorable exponential growth. Though the increase in pollution has abated somewhat, the curve has not turned down.

The World3 model computes several variables, two of which are population and "human welfare." Welfare representing what I would call the quality of life. In most simulation runs both tend to peak in the middle of this century. In some of the worst case scenarios even us boomers will see the impact in our daily lives. Examples of that impact are incredibly high gasoline prices and food prices. Even now, oil and food are just above their lowest real price in decades. We have it good. Today.

Today I came across a web site that illustrates the limits to growth concept perfectly. Visit The Story of Stuff to watch the video. Annie tells the story without the graphs and feedback diagrams. It is very entertaining and gives me hope we can improve our lot. She also has a blog I have added to my Google Reader.

All in all, this is a depressing book. To see scientific evidence that the world my granddaughter will live in is not as wonderful as the one we live in is ... well, depressing. I would hope that we all could do something to ease the pressure on our one blue green planet, but we don't do much. To my chagrin, I have not take the bus to work for over a year. Work has been too demanding. (Excuse!) Friends buy hybrid cars, but I remain to be convinced of the ecological benefit. (You can help me here!)

My next book is In Defense of Food - an eaters manifesto. Based on the first couple of chapters, science is not doing us justice. Anther book I have started, by Depak Chopra, promises to be more uplifting. Bear with me between now and then.

Enjoy your next book.

Ready to take a Leap!

Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives?

by Sara Davidson

One of my favorite ways to find a new book is to walk the aisles at Barnes and Noble in Rochester and look at book covers. They have so many, you'd think it would be impossible to find anything. Not so! Usually something jumps off the shelf and into my brain. That's when it is time for a cup of coffee and an hour of reading.

This book was one of those jumpers. The liner notes talked about what the boomer generation is going to do with retirement. Since I'm a boomer getting close to retirement, the topic seemed appropriate.

We (family, friends) have been talking about what to do in retirement for some time. This book should give us a preview of how to decide, what to expect, right? Oh, if it were so easy.

Davidson takes us through the lives of many of her friends, college roommates, acquaintances, business partners and more. They are all late fifties to early seventies and have generally gone through a significant change in life, often something one could call "retirement." But this generation is not the quit work and go play golf and tennis variety.

Some retire to volunteer in Bosnia or India, others try to make a go of singing country music in little clubs. One gal left the convent she had been in for thirty years. One guy moved in with a friend and is trying to make a go of tending bar.

There seemed to be no pattern, no formula, no trends. Maybe we could move in with friends? Maybe there's an "over-55" condo to move into? Nobody planned where they were going to end up. Nobody went to a class in how to retire. They just lived until the moment arrived. Serendipity happened.

I have invested significant time in discussions with myself and others about what to do when my days at IBM are complete. Nothing has jumped out at me yet, but having the discussions, reading the books, watching the job market ... all provide that background that will help serendipity show up. The lesson I took from the book is to do what you enjoy, examine the alternatives, and be ready to be surprised.

Enjoy!

Initial discussion

This is starting out to be a year of reading books. Last year circumstances dictated that I listen to books while driving to Wyoming and North Dakota. The driving days are pretty much over, so it's back to the old fashioned paper books.

I've found it useful to keep track of the books I've read, and thought it might be useful for you to see the list and my impressions of each book. As I finish more books the plan is to review them. Perhaps I will. Maybe you'll be interested in reading one of them. Maybe you have another recommendation.

There are several books on the shelf right now, some I've started, others are just home from the library. One that jumped off the shelf into my hands was Little Book of Atheist Spirituality. Who knows? Then there's the Limits to Growth - 30 Year Update. That one reminds me a lot of Children of Men and Soylent Green.

Below are the books from this year, so far. Each has been good in it's own way. Have you read any of them? (I know Linn and Rogene have, because they loaned me their copies.)

The other night Judy and I went to a concert by the Blind Boys of Alabama. Best concert we've been to in twenty years. Had to buy one of their albums. Glad we did. These guys are older then the hills. The three singers were with the original group that started in 1939. Wonderful gospel tunes. And blind they are!

Watch this space to see what happens. I may be more focused in the next post.

= = = = Guy

• Book list:
  

Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present by Cynthia Stokes Brown (February 17, 2008)

The world without us by Weisman, Alan. (January 31, 2008)

The Year of Living Biblically : One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs

The Invisible Wall : A Love Story That Broke Barriers by Harry Bernstein (January 13, 2008)


The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (January 6, 2008)