An important book, though also a seriously flawed one. As sara1968 observes, the author's penchant for puns and sarcastic comments often get in the way of his message. But the message is an important one: that the "religious right" has often abandoned the teachings of Jesus in favor of a doctrine that emphasizes certain ritual sins (particularly homosexuality) while giving a free pass to sins that have real victims (particularly economic sins). McElvaine takes way too long to make his point, his evidence is often hard to find due to his sarcastic writing style, he is not much of a Biblical scholar (he tends to misinterpret the Hebrew Bible and the writings of Paul), and his last couple chapters take off on a feminist tangent that has little to do with the rest of the book (but may summarize an earlier book). Still, McElvaine gets the right idea--that the behavior of the religious right needs to be examined from the viewpoint of the Bible--and therefore this book is a step in the right direction.
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"Endless Blue" does what the best SF does: picks up a contemporary issue (in this book, race), and drops it into a different world where we can see it in a new way. Wen Spencer postulates a future in which the human race has genetically engineered "Reds" and "Blues," who are stronger, faster, more adaptable and perhaps even smarter than regular humans--and therefore are ruthlessly pushed into duty as soldiers and slaves. A space ship full of humans and Reds drops into that time-honored SF plot device, a "Sargasso of space," the place where ships end up when their hyperspace drives malfunction (which Spencer portrays in a vivid and creative manner), where everyone must confront what it means to be "human." This is the kind of thing that could, in lesser hands, become boring and preachy. Instead, Spencer's story is fast-moving and filled with exciting action and interesting characters. A good read, and something to think about afterward.
One of the best screeds I've read in a while. Strausbaugh hooked me when he described the devolution of our space program--going from the glory days when we were "banging the moon" with huge white phallic rockets, to the current day when we're just "taking the shuttle in and out of the garage." From there he builds a convincing case that we are becoming a nation of fat, unambitious, hyper-sensitive, politically-correct, always-victimized, fundamentalist, anti-intellectual Sissies living in a virtual reality he calls "Fundadome." Strausbaugh's taking on a mindset and a culture, not any specific politician or group, so he skewers George W Bush and Al Gore, Christian and Muslim fundamentalists, corporatists and "bullsheviks" with equal glee. He's politically incorrect, a bit over the top at times, and consistently rude and impolite, but I think he's on to something. He doesn't really offer any detailed remedies beyond get off yer butt, turn off the computer and get out into the world (well, he offers one alternative that's properly insane, but I don't want to give it away). Maybe that's all we really need.
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(5 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
In the epilogue, the author remarks that art museums typically display paintings with little historical information beyond the artist's name and the date painted, as if paintings exist outside history. The book that precedes this epilogue demonstrates that paintings (at least this one!) have histories every bit as fascinating as the art itself. But Joanna Pitman doesn't just trace the dry facts of who owned the painting and when; she ties the history together with a theme: how fine art in general, and this painting in particular, brought a form of legitimacy to its owners, and how some rulers, entrepreneurs and nations were willing to pay dearly to get this legitimacy. A fascinating little bit of history.
If you're looking for step-by-step instructions for managing projects, this book will probably disappoint you. Matter of fact, if you're looking for a textbook that'll help you prepare for your PMP certification, you'll still probably be disappointed. This book isn't about charts and schedules and tools; it's about people--how we see (and often miss) things that are going on around us, and how we decide what, if anything, we're going to do about what we see. It's more a series of autobiographical stories, interpreted to find lessons about life (not just managing projects). As such, it may be more valuable than a shelf full of books about charting and planning and tracking--at least as long as we insist on employing human beings in our projects.
(Full disclosure: David Schmaltz is a friend of mine, and I reviewed his draft of this book before it was published. However, he didn't ask me to write this review, and in fact he doesn't have the slightest idea what I'm writing here. My opinions are my own.)
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Dan Starr has commented on (5) products.
Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America by Robert S Mcelvaine
Dan Starr, August 19, 2008
An important book, though also a seriously flawed one. As sara1968 observes, the author's penchant for puns and sarcastic comments often get in the way of his message. But the message is an important one: that the "religious right" has often abandoned the teachings of Jesus in favor of a doctrine that emphasizes certain ritual sins (particularly homosexuality) while giving a free pass to sins that have real victims (particularly economic sins). McElvaine takes way too long to make his point, his evidence is often hard to find due to his sarcastic writing style, he is not much of a Biblical scholar (he tends to misinterpret the Hebrew Bible and the writings of Paul), and his last couple chapters take off on a feminist tangent that has little to do with the rest of the book (but may summarize an earlier book). Still, McElvaine gets the right idea--that the behavior of the religious right needs to be examined from the viewpoint of the Bible--and therefore this book is a step in the right direction.(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Endless Blue by Wen Spencer
Dan Starr, August 19, 2008
"Endless Blue" does what the best SF does: picks up a contemporary issue (in this book, race), and drops it into a different world where we can see it in a new way. Wen Spencer postulates a future in which the human race has genetically engineered "Reds" and "Blues," who are stronger, faster, more adaptable and perhaps even smarter than regular humans--and therefore are ruthlessly pushed into duty as soldiers and slaves. A space ship full of humans and Reds drops into that time-honored SF plot device, a "Sargasso of space," the place where ships end up when their hyperspace drives malfunction (which Spencer portrays in a vivid and creative manner), where everyone must confront what it means to be "human." This is the kind of thing that could, in lesser hands, become boring and preachy. Instead, Spencer's story is fast-moving and filled with exciting action and interesting characters. A good read, and something to think about afterward.Sissy Nation: How America Became a Culture of Wimps and Stoopits by John Strausbaugh
Dan Starr, June 9, 2008
One of the best screeds I've read in a while. Strausbaugh hooked me when he described the devolution of our space program--going from the glory days when we were "banging the moon" with huge white phallic rockets, to the current day when we're just "taking the shuttle in and out of the garage." From there he builds a convincing case that we are becoming a nation of fat, unambitious, hyper-sensitive, politically-correct, always-victimized, fundamentalist, anti-intellectual Sissies living in a virtual reality he calls "Fundadome." Strausbaugh's taking on a mindset and a culture, not any specific politician or group, so he skewers George W Bush and Al Gore, Christian and Muslim fundamentalists, corporatists and "bullsheviks" with equal glee. He's politically incorrect, a bit over the top at times, and consistently rude and impolite, but I think he's on to something. He doesn't really offer any detailed remedies beyond get off yer butt, turn off the computer and get out into the world (well, he offers one alternative that's properly insane, but I don't want to give it away). Maybe that's all we really need.(5 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
The Dragon's Trail: The Biography of Raphael's Masterpiece by Joanna Pitman
Dan Starr, September 18, 2007
In the epilogue, the author remarks that art museums typically display paintings with little historical information beyond the artist's name and the date painted, as if paintings exist outside history. The book that precedes this epilogue demonstrates that paintings (at least this one!) have histories every bit as fascinating as the art itself. But Joanna Pitman doesn't just trace the dry facts of who owned the painting and when; she ties the history together with a theme: how fine art in general, and this painting in particular, brought a form of legitimacy to its owners, and how some rulers, entrepreneurs and nations were willing to pay dearly to get this legitimacy. A fascinating little bit of history.The Blind Men and the Elephant: Mastering Project Work by David Schmaltz
Dan Starr, August 14, 2007
If you're looking for step-by-step instructions for managing projects, this book will probably disappoint you. Matter of fact, if you're looking for a textbook that'll help you prepare for your PMP certification, you'll still probably be disappointed. This book isn't about charts and schedules and tools; it's about people--how we see (and often miss) things that are going on around us, and how we decide what, if anything, we're going to do about what we see. It's more a series of autobiographical stories, interpreted to find lessons about life (not just managing projects). As such, it may be more valuable than a shelf full of books about charting and planning and tracking--at least as long as we insist on employing human beings in our projects.(Full disclosure: David Schmaltz is a friend of mine, and I reviewed his draft of this book before it was published. However, he didn't ask me to write this review, and in fact he doesn't have the slightest idea what I'm writing here. My opinions are my own.)