Book reviews for November 2017

The Midnight Line (Jack Reacher, #22) by Lee Child

The Midnight Line (Jack Reacher, #22) by Lee Child

4/5

 

The Startup Way: How Entrepreneurial Management Transforms Culture and Drives Growth by Eric Ries

The Startup Way: How Entrepreneurial Management Transforms Culture and Drives Growth by Eric Ries

4/5

Normally I like to wait a few years before reading business books as the companies held up as shining examples of the one true way will have invariably foundered. No need to wait long in this case as Immelt is already out at GE and while it might be unfair to pin that on the lean startup movement it certainly gives you reason to pause while reading this book. Do I really want to fly on a plane with a Minimum Viable Jet Engine? Having said all that I actually liked the book. It's a recap of lean startup and broadens that thesis to cover strategy and innovation accounting for larger enterprises and (of course) humanity as a whole. Grandiose, but not totally crazy as the core of the movement is to use the scientific method in more places. You don't know, so test and learn.

 

Authority (Southern Reach, #2) by Jeff VanderMeer

Authority (Southern Reach, #2) by Jeff VanderMeer

3/5

 

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Fungus

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.

Fungus on a tree at Glen Canyon Park in San Francisco

Photo of some fungus on a tree in Glen Canyon Park, San Francisco.

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Fungus #photo #fungus Fungus on a tree at Glen Canyon Park in San Francisco, California. )

Sutro Baths Timelapse

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, February 19, 2022.

Sutro Baths in San Francisco

Timelapse of the Sutro Baths ruins at Lands End in San Francisco, CA.

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Sutro Baths Timelapse #timelapse #video #4k #sutrobaths #sanfrancisco A 4k timelapse of the ruins of Sutro Baths at Lands End in San Francisco, CA )

Backyard Visits

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, February 19, 2022.

A spider glows in infrared

I have a Nest camera in my backyard. So far it has caught zero criminals. It's not completely useless though as it has captured many raccoons, several skunks, eerie spiders glowing in the infrared lights, a couple of rats and one cat. Parkside police say I can stop calling now.

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Backyard Visits #etc #video #nest A Nest camera catches many raccoons, several skunks, eerie spiders, a couple of rats and one cat. )

The top four Petitions that will help to Impeach Trump

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Sunday, August 1, 2021.

The top four Petitions that will help to Impeach Trump

Democrats are being rather lame about pushing to impeach Donald Trump. Sure, they don't have the votes. But maybe next year they'd stand a better chance of getting them if they did a little less cozying up on deals that won't happen and a little more talking up impeachment. It would be nice if Mueller wrapped things up and dropped an incontrovertible bombshell but that doesn't and shouldn't matter. It would be nice if the various Congressional enquiries did their job but again that should be viewed as icing on the cake.

Trump assaulted equal protection and religious freedom by banning Muslims from travelling to the US. It doesn't matter what else Mueller turns up. Trump violates the Emoluments Clause on a constant basis. We don't need anything more from Congress. It's hard to see the Comey firing as anything other than obstruction of justice. Democrats need to start beating the drum and get Trump out of office. They're not going to do it without a big push.

You should sign all of these petitions today:

Need to Impeach. Over a million signatures already.

Impeach Trump Now. Over 1.25M.

Impeach Donald J. Trump: The Million American Petition on change.org.

Impeach Trump on Care2.

After all that signing don't forget to call your Senators and Representative and make sure they know how you feel as well.

(Photo by Jacob Morch on Unsplash)

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(Published to the Fediverse as: The top four Petitions that will help to Impeach Trump #politics #trump #impeach #petition Looking to Impeach Donald Trump? Here's a roundup of the most impactful petitions you can sign today to force the Democrats to take a stand. )

Important to you

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Sunday, October 23, 2022.

Book reviews for October 2017

Origin (Robert Langdon, #5) by Dan Brown

Origin (Robert Langdon, #5) by Dan Brown

3/5

 

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Millennium, #5) by David Lagercrantz

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Millennium, #5) by David Lagercrantz

3/5

 

Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1) by Jeff VanderMeer

Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1) by Jeff VanderMeer

4/5

 

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

5/5

 

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Round Top loop at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, July 31, 2021.

Round Top loop trail in Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

Round Top in Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

Labyrinth in quarry at  Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

Small garter snake at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

Round Top is a remnant of a 10 million year old volcano, tipped over by tectonic activity. It's pretty high at 1,763 feet. Unfortunately the peak is privately owned so you can't go right to the top but there is a 2.5 mile loop around the peak. You get views out to Mount Tam, Mount Diablo and even the Sierras and an occasional glimpse of the bay. The drive up is also spectacular.

Hike Starts at 37.8483327,-122.1986103 (Google Earth).

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Round Top loop at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve #hike #sibley #roundtop #map #volcano #snake Hike around Round Top Loop (a 10 million year old volcano) at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve with views out to Mount Tam, Mount Diablo and even the Sierras )

GGNRA Victory

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the National Park Service's effort to ban dogs from much of the GGNRA is dead:

"The National Park Service pulled the plug Thursday on a 14-year-long process for restricting dog access in the 80,000-acre Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 10 months after revelations emerged that agency officials had improperly corresponded about the process from their personal email accounts."

I've been fighting this for over six years. Some highlights from 2011, 2013 and 2016.

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(Published to the Fediverse as: GGNRA Victory #politics #nps #ggnra #dogs The National Park Service's 14 year effort to ban dogs from much of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area is finally defeated. )

End the Electoral College: Amendment, Compact, or Supreme Court?

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Wednesday, August 25, 2021.

Lawrence Lessig and Richard Painter write about the possibility of the Supreme Court taking on the Electoral College in USA Today:

"The Constitution is not going to be amended to remove the Electoral College. It’s possible that states will agree to a compact to allocate their votes to the winner of the national popular vote. But right now, the court should recognize that there is no principle in American law that could justify the unequal reckoning of the votes of citizens of the United States for president of the United States. Call it proportionality, or simple equality: it is an idea that needs urgent legal recognition, now."

It's an intriguing possibility, but they're short on specifics. Who needs to file suit to get this question in front of the court? Should I do this as I live in California and may as well not bother voting for President? If so, please get in touch guys.

I'm a big fan of the The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Until another option looks plausible please follow that link and take one the actions listed to support it.

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(Published to the Fediverse as: End the Electoral College: Amendment, Compact, or Supreme Court? #politics #npvic #scotus #electoralcollege #politicalreform Could a Supreme Court case end the Electoral College? If not then maybe it's time to support the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. )