Category: Non Fiction

Born to Run — Christopher McDougall

By 5t4n5

Born to Run -- Christopher McDougallAs a bare foot runner myself i’ve been meaning to read this book for a very long time, but it just kept on sitting in my to-read pile always being overlooked for some exciting fiction to read instead.   But now, finally, i dived in and got it read.

And it’s really good.   Christopher has a way of writing that is just captivating and really takes the reader into the depths of the Copper Canyons to meet the Tarahumara and to experience a world that was left behind a long time ago.

To be able to look back in time in this way with the Tarahumara and to see just what super healthy, wonderful, running machines, Natural humans truly are when they’re not pampered by modern appliances and poisoned by modern diets.

This book is a must for anyone who runs, especially for anyone who is even thinking about taking up running, and also for anyone remotely interested in Human evolution and what makes a Homo sapien so special amongst all other animals.

So if you haven’t read it yet, just do so.   It’s wonderfully written and a super page turning read meeting some really interesting characters (all true life characters) along the way.   It’s not only a great read but a great journey.

And, having enjoyed his writing soooo much, i’m now very much looking forward to reading Christopher’s other books.

Bye for now.

Christopher’s Page

#running #christophermcdougall

Musashi’s Dokkodo — Miyamoto Musashi

By 5t4n5

Musashi's Dokkodo -- Miyamoto MusashiJust before Musashi died, he wrote a set of precepts for his favourite student.   In this book the precepts are discussed one by one by five martial artists from different backgrounds and careers.

A really good look at Musashi and his ideas with five different interpretations of both the man, the legend and his precepts.

A must read for those of us who are interested in Japanese culture, especially from the feudal era.

Bye for now.

Musashi’s Page

#japan #miyamotomusashi

The Molecule of More — Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long

By 5t4n5

A rather interesting book all about dopamine, and how it controls us and shapes our world.

Me thinks everyone should read all the books they can about neurotransmitters, this being a fairly good one.

The annoying thing to me is that while there’s quite a lot of discussion on how our genetics affect out dopamine levels and responses, there is a complete lack of discussion on epigenetics, as though they have no influence whatsoever.   There’s also a complete lack on how diet and lifestyle affects dopamine and other neurotransmitters.   So while this is a fairly good look at dopamine in general, i wouldn’t take it all at face value because there’s simply too much left out, IMHO.

But lots of people just want to blame the genes they were given and take the “It’s not my fault” path, so maybe this book is written for them.

Bye for now.
 

#5t4n5 #danielzlieberman #michaelelong

Pastel Painting Atelier — Ellen Eagle

By 5t4n5

A super good book with Ellen taking us through everything she knows about art and her own approach to working on a artwork, from conception to completetion.

I would consider this book a must read for pastelists, but also i would think that a lot of artists of other mediums would also really enjoy it and get a few take-aways.

It’s also full of some wonderful art works, both by Ellen and others that she has something to point out about.   I would rate it very highly as just a book to look at the pictures if that’s also your thing, as there are a lot of wonderful pictures to browse.

#art #painting #pastels #elleneagles

Will I Live to See My Utopia? — P. Djèlí Clark

By 5t4n5

Will I Live to See My Utopia? — P. Djèlí ClarkInspired by the TV show Watchmen.   You can read it over at Uncanny.

An interesting and thought provoking essay by one of my favourite writers.   Djèlí is a historian by day and he provides lots of links for you to learn things with.

And for those of you who haven’t watched Watchmen yet, then seriously get the fuck out from under that rock you’ve been living under and turn the computer on and find it.   Seriously good TV.

#watchmen #tv

Dreams Must Explain Themselves — Ursula K. Le Guin

By 5t4n5
Click here to go to the Amazon page of this book.Click here to go to the Amazon page of, Dreams Must Explain Themselves -- Ursula K. Le Guin

National Book Award Acceptance Speech
Dreams Must Explain Themselves
A Citizen of Mondath
From Elfland to Poughkeepsie
Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons?
Is Gender Necessary? Redux
Introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness
The Space Crone
Introduction to The Word for World is Forest
Close Encounters, Star Wars, and the Tertium Quid
Shikasta by Doris Lessing
It was a Dark and Stormy Night: Or, Why Are We Huddling about the Campfire?
The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five by Doris Lessing
Some Thoughts on Narrative
Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino
World-Making
The Princess
Facing It
A Non-Euclidean View of California as a Cold Place to Be
A Left-Handed Commencement Address
The Sentimental Agents by Doris Lessing
Whose Lathe?
Theodora
Science Fiction and the Future
Prospects for Women in Writing
Bryn Mawr Commencement Address
Heroes
The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction
The Fisherwoman’s Daughter
Things Not Actually Present: On The Book of Fantasy and J. L. Borges
Prides: An Essay on Writing Workshops
Indian Uncles by Ursula Kroeber Le Guin
The Writer On, and At, Her Work
Dogs, Cats, and Dancers: Thoughts about Beauty
Introducing Myself
Off the Page: Loud Cows, a Talk and a Poem about Reading Aloud
Reading Young, Reading Old: Mark Twain’s Diaries of Adam and Eve
All Happy Families
The Operating Instructions
The Question I get Asked Most Often
Rhythmic Pattern in The Lord of the Rings
A Matter of Trust
On the Frontier
Old Body, Not Writing
The Critics, the Monsters, and the Fantasists
Collectors, Rhymesters, and Drummers
About Feet
The Writer and the Character
Cheek by Jowl: Animals in Children’s Literature
Why Kids Want Fantasy, or, Be Careful What You Eat
National Book Award Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Acceptance Speech

~~~~~~~~

Ursula’s Page

#scifi #ursulakleguin

Why Work? — Collection

By 5t4n5
Click here to go to the PM Press page of this book.Click here to go to the PM Press page of, Why Work? a collection.

Introductions

Beyond Waged Labour — Nina Power – 2016
In Praise of Idleness — Bertrand Russell – 1932
Useful Work versus Useless Toil — William Morris – 1885

The Problems of Work

The Tyranny of the Clock — George Woodcock – 1944
The Problem of Work — Camillo Berneri – 1938
The Art of Shovelling — Ifan Edwards – 1947
Measuring Misery — John Hewetson – 1954
The Wage System — Peter Kropotkin – 1888
‘Who will do the Dirty Work?’ — Tony Gibson – 1952
The Dominant Idea — Voltarine de Cleyre – 1910

Alternatives and Futures

Reflections on Utopia — SP – 1962
Collectives in the Spanish Revolution — Gaston Leval – 1975
Significance of the “Self-Build” Movement – 1952
Leisure in America — August Heckscher II – 1961
The Other Economy: The Possibilities of Work Beyond Employment — Denis Pym – 1981
Visions: Six Drawings — Cliff Harper – 1975

Production: Need vs Profit

Editorials from Freedom Newspaper – 1958–1962

Changing Times

Wrinklies and Crumblies Discuss Punks and Joblessness — Colin Ward – 1996
Beyond an Economy of Work and Spend — Juliet Schor – 1997
Dark Satanic Cubicles: It’s Time to Smash the Job Culture! — Claire Wolfe – 2005
On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs — David Graeber – 2013
Work — Prole.info – 2005

#johnquail

The Power of Chowa — Akemi Tanaka

By 5t4n5
Click here to go to the Amazon page of this book.Click here to go to the Amazon page of, The Power of Chowa, written by Akemi Tanaka.

A quite enjoyable Japanese wisdom book with a rather different perspective, that of a Japanese woman who at times comes across as the outsider, shunned in some ways by conservative Japanese society for standing up — and standing out — as an independent woman, while at the same time Akemi is very clearly a traditionalist in all the ways that truly matter.   At least that’s the view i get on Akemi from these pages.

And why shouldn’t strong-minded, independent women take the very best of tradition and leave the worse of it behind?   Surely that’s the point of evolution, to take what is the best, that which benefits the most and to leave behind and slough off those very things that hinder, bind and stifle all of us ultimately; and in doing so build stronger and more resilient societies for the future.   Of course, there will always be tension between which side of this coin things fall on, the ultra conservative who blindly want to maintain everything, regardless of worth and value, while on the other side those who want to cast of everything they see as old and done.   Or maybe there’s a middle way, a way of Chowa?

It’s from these two different perspectives that Akemi takes us on this journey to discover Chowa, that balance and harmony within and without that we could all use a good dose of in our crazy modern lives.

Definitely another one of those books that i feel everyone who reads it with an open mind can find some small nugget to take away to help improve themselves, their lives and their environments.   I certainly feel it was worth the read and feel others will do so as well.

Akemi’s Page

#japan #akemitanaka

Context — Cory Doctorow

By 5t4n5
Click here to go to the Craphound page of this book.Click here to go to the Craphound page of, Context, written by Cory Doctorow.

Download for free/donation over at Craphound.

Jack and the Interstalk: Why the Computer Is Not a Scary Monster
Teen Sex
Nature’s Daredevils: Writing for Young Audiences
Beyond Censorware: Teaching Web Literacy
Writing in the Age of Distraction
Extreme Geek
How to Stop Your Inbox Exploding
What I Do
When I’m Dead, How Will My Loved Ones Break My Password?
Radical Presentism
A Cosmopolitan Literature for the Cosmopolitan Web
When Love Is Harder to Show Than Hate
Think Like a Dandelion
Digital Licensing: Do It Yourself
New York, Meet Silicon Valley
With a Little Help: The Price Is Right
You Shouldn’t Have to Sell Your Soul Just to Download Some Music
Net Neutrality for Writers: It’s All About the Leverage
Proprietary Interest
“Intellectual Property” Is a Silly Euphemism
Saying Information Wants to Be Free Does More Harm Than Good
Chris Anderson’s Free Adds Much to The Long Tail, but Falls Short
Why Economics Condemns 3D to Be No More Than a Blockbuster Gimmick
Not Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
Why I Won’t Buy an iPad (and Think You Shouldn’t, Either)
Can You Survive a Benevolent Dictatorship?
Curated Computing Is No Substitute for the Personal and Handmade
Doctorow’s First Law
Reports of Blogging’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Streaming Will Never Stop Downloading
Search Is Too Important to Leave to One Company—Even Google
Copyright Enforcers Should Learn Lessons from the War on Spam
Warning to All Copyright Enforcers: Three Strikes and You’re Out
For Whom the Net Tolls
How Do You Know If Copyright Is Working?
News Corp Kremlinology: What Do the Times Paywall Numbers Mean?
Persistence Pays Parasites
Like Teenagers, Computers Are Built to Hook Up
Promoting Statistical Literacy: A Modest Proposal
Personal Data Is as Hot as Nuclear Waste
Memento Mori
Love the Machine, Hate the Factory
Untouched by Human Hands
Close Enough for Rock ’n’ Roll

Cory’s Page

#corydoctorow

You Can’t Own Knowledge — Cory Doctorow

By 5t4n5

You Can't Own Knowledge, written by Cory Doctorow.You can read for free at FREESOULS.

If the block caps bothers you, you can copy and paste the text into a word program, select all, set font, set size font, and it’ll come out normal for you to read.   I have no idea why someone would block cap their whole website apart from a few letters and make it so impossible to read.   I suppose it’s someone without any sense thinking they’re being really arty and avant-garde or something — well you ain’t, you’re just being a twat.

Cory’s Page

#corydoctorow