I liked it a lot better than I thought I would. The Tom Wopat narration was excellent. Good trivia and background info. Black Bart and The Lone RangerI liked it a lot better than I thought I would. The Tom Wopat narration was excellent. Good trivia and background info. Black Bart and The Lone Ranger really stood out....more
Suspenseful, compelling story of American leadership gone wrong. One Ambassador and three support personnel left without adequate security cover lost Suspenseful, compelling story of American leadership gone wrong. One Ambassador and three support personnel left without adequate security cover lost their lives in Libya....more
What a great book. Fascinating how he wove his stories together. I especially like how printers got credit for inspiring optics which led to reading gWhat a great book. Fascinating how he wove his stories together. I especially like how printers got credit for inspiring optics which led to reading glasses and ultimately microscopes and telescopes. Also air conditioning.
Taken from Metalurgists review on Amazon 11-20-14:
1. Glass - The first innovation, the development of glass and how it impacted society, starts with the natural pieces of glass found in the Libyan Desert, and goes on to how men eventually learned to make glass. This required the concurrent technology of furnace building and the segregation of the Venetian glassblowers to the island of Murano because of the fires that these furnaces tended to cause. These glassblowers arrived from Constantinople when it fell to the Turks and their segregation led to the cross fertilization of ideas and techniques. The concept of one innovation leading to another in a different field is discussed in terms of the development of the printing press, which made books readily available, which in turn resulted in many people realizing that they were farsighted and could therefore not read them. Previously, Johnson contends that this deficiency was not readily apparent because people did not require the ability to see small things close-up, although I personally find this a bit of a stretch since tasks like sewing would have also required this skill. Books resulted in the development of spectacles and spectacle makers who experimented with the lenses resulted in the invention of the microscope and telescope, which in turn altered our concept of the microscopic world and the cosmos. Glass also led to better mirrors, which in turn altered one's view of self.
2. Cold (as in refrigeration) - Here the story begins with Fredric Tudor's idea (obsession) to bring ice from the frozen lakes and ponds of New England to the tropics, and how this ultimately led to a very highly profitable business, but not before he first went broke trying to perfect this scheme. Ice eventually led to refrigeration and to changes in the living patterns in the US and now in much of the rest of the world because tropical climates were now made more habitable. Cold is also the story of frozen food and how this has changed eating habits.
3. Sound - This chapter discusses the importance of sound and how it led to the concepts of recording it. The different field discussed was how recordings led to the acceptance of Jazz music, and to ultrasound and how this has changed the ratio of male to female children in China.
4. Clean - This chapter deals with sanitation, chlorination of water, and how this has led the development of mega cities. It has also led to the development of advertising through the need to sell soap and to advertising of soap through soap operas on the radio.
5. Time - This chapter discusses how Galileo's observation of the swinging of a pendulum in a church led to clocks, and how accurate clocks transformed navigation and promoted trade. It also goes on to discuss how the development of railroads led to the need for better time keeping and eventually to time zones, atomic clocks and to the GPS system.
6. Light - This is about lighting, from candles to light bulbs to neon signs. One of the concurrent technologies that are discussed is the ability to remove Neon gas from the atmosphere and the need for signage in Las Vegas....more
Thin biography. Very little to do with his death or who might have perpetrated it. A lot of detail on the man was left out. Very little on the D Day iThin biography. Very little to do with his death or who might have perpetrated it. A lot of detail on the man was left out. Very little on the D Day invasion and Patton's role. I think I learned more about Hitler's death than I did about Patton's....more
Cool interplay between Irving Berlin and Woody Guthrie and their keystone National Anthems. American the Beautiful on the one hand and Guthrie's answeCool interplay between Irving Berlin and Woody Guthrie and their keystone National Anthems. American the Beautiful on the one hand and Guthrie's answer (initially satirical and in some versions socialist) This Land Is Your Land.
Berlin's song is reverent and Gurhrie's is secular and with the personification of the wind—pagan. the first is lovely and easier to sing than our official National Anthem and the other is more fun to sing.
A lot went into the history of both men and the history of American Anthems specifically and pop music history in specific. Black face, so called Heb songs and other popular music used vernacular and stereotypes in their lyrics and music.
Both men participated insome of these snide song types. On the other hand both did a lot to bring the races and cultures together. Berlin was a civilian commander of a military company and led the first fully integrated command in the US military....more
Good story teller. Kyle is passionate, but not pedantic. Great model to teach history. A life well lived but cut short too soon. I'm sad we lost his pGood story teller. Kyle is passionate, but not pedantic. Great model to teach history. A life well lived but cut short too soon. I'm sad we lost his point of view....more
Put me off right from the start. The editors preface contained a screen against his Intelligent Design opponents. We are anti-intellectual, anti-scienPut me off right from the start. The editors preface contained a screen against his Intelligent Design opponents. We are anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, myth based, narrow minded, and unintelligent. Jerk.
The rest of the book is pretty good. He eschews explorers biographies and birthrates and sticks with big picture stuff. Great. This is the stuff of conversation and connection. The other crap is what we have Google for.
Annoying: the chapter teasers are repeated twice and sometimes three times. Why?...more
Previously unfamiliar with the Short Life biography. I like it. Let's look for some others. Sometimes a biographer will put in everything about their Previously unfamiliar with the Short Life biography. I like it. Let's look for some others. Sometimes a biographer will put in everything about their subject....more
Listened to all 100 episodes as podcasts. Interesting and informative. This took a long time as I did not listen to more than a couple segments in a rListened to all 100 episodes as podcasts. Interesting and informative. This took a long time as I did not listen to more than a couple segments in a row....more
It was ok. Interesting to hear about the inner workings on the White House. Charming to hear about Churchill in American so near the beginning of AmerIt was ok. Interesting to hear about the inner workings on the White House. Charming to hear about Churchill in American so near the beginning of American involvement in the War....more
Perhaps this is too close to my reading of Unbroken, but I will try it anyway. Listed as one of the best books of the year. I wanted to read somethingPerhaps this is too close to my reading of Unbroken, but I will try it anyway. Listed as one of the best books of the year. I wanted to read something else that other people might be talking about.
It was great that the author could get the interviews with some of the principals before the they died.
They handled the adversity with the ablomb that seems common with people from that generation....more
Great, brutal biography of Louis Zamperini. War hero, olympic miler, and POW The Torrence Tornado went through hell while adrift for many weeks on a lGreat, brutal biography of Louis Zamperini. War hero, olympic miler, and POW The Torrence Tornado went through hell while adrift for many weeks on a leaking, smelly raft in the Pacific and then as a prisoner in several Japanese POW camps.
Once liberated he suffered because of the years of torment by his captors. Suffering physically and from PTSD, he found solace in alcohol. Eventually it ruined his marriage and nearly his life.
His redemption from alcohol and his demons came at the instance of his wife to attend a Billy Graham rally. There he met God.
He gave up alcohol and tobacco and became a Christian motivational speaker. Celebrated, he finally found peace....more
Ok, now what am I supposed to do with this? Leave my church? Start an organic church?
The authors fail to paint a picture of how to think of church. TOk, now what am I supposed to do with this? Leave my church? Start an organic church?
The authors fail to paint a picture of how to think of church. They fail to teach how to read the Bible. Anybody can teat down, but try building something.
I don't see the institution as being a conspiracy, rather things grow into natural patterns over time. Could we shake some of these from our churches and thoughts and start afresh? Yes, but it would be hard. It would be like imagining a world without the wheel. We have the wheel so it is nearly impossible to unthink it. That is the knowledge problem.
Negative material. Nothing uplifting. It is nothing but all you know about Church and Christianity is wrong. Come on guys give me something positive I can hang my hat on.
Basically the authors are making three points:
1) A great deal of what we do in church today does not come from the New Testament.
2) Much of what is practiced originated out of Greco-Roman customs and traditions (paganism, not Judaism), and/or human-made inventions.
3) Many of these practices actually hinder the church from being what God designed her to be....more
Except for the Jordan Years, I have never been a big NBA fan. I was in high school when Bird and Magic were playing in College, so I should have a conExcept for the Jordan Years, I have never been a big NBA fan. I was in high school when Bird and Magic were playing in College, so I should have a connection with them. But, I don't.
So I came to basketball in the stands watching grade school girls. Had I watech these guys when I was younger, I would have seen that the Lady Bobcats playing a similar, ball handling/passing/defense game as Larry and Earvin.
So, I feel like I missed something special. I would have a deeper appreciation for the game if I would have watched them play.
There was a lot in the book I forgot and tons I never knew. They were honest even when it did not make them look the best. Both being such big personalities, their teammates and adversaries would have their own take, but it would only deepen the picture of these two competitors....more
Good stuff although I feel some of the slave atrocities were sloughed off. Fascinating how New York and Massachusetts profited from the slave trade upGood stuff although I feel some of the slave atrocities were sloughed off. Fascinating how New York and Massachusetts profited from the slave trade up to the beginning of the War Between the States....more
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