Hard to believe it was 1966. It sounds much more modern.
Borrow it from your local library if you haven't the means to get it from iTunes or Amazon.
One of my top 10. Even over "Magical Mystery Tour" which was released the year later.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
What makes Facebook so addicting?
I thought about that question on my walk in to work today. I think, in a sense, it brings us all back to the first day of school.
"Will you be my friend? I know so-and-so."
Acceptance and rejection, and a way to re-fight the psychological battles that, if one is normal, were probably lost 20 years ago or more.
Facebook allows us to interact in a much less threatening manner, since the interaction (note the irony of the name) is not face-to-face, and thus much less personal. If someone rejects you as a friend on Facebook, you are likely to not know at all, unless they preface it with a "Who the Hell are you?" private message.
So what about the "repairing psychological damage" aspect? Well, I think that due to personal, anecdotal evidence only. I have *far* more Facebook friends than:
1. I deserve to have, given what kind of person I have been in life.
2. I ever had in real life, or even will talk to in a year.
I think it is the perceived emotional risk of Facebook friending that causes some excitement. I say "perceived" risk since the actual risk of rejection is far lower than real life, and the cost of rejection is far lower than getting the cut direct in real life by someone you admire.
But then again, I could be full of it!
"Will you be my friend? I know so-and-so."
Acceptance and rejection, and a way to re-fight the psychological battles that, if one is normal, were probably lost 20 years ago or more.
Facebook allows us to interact in a much less threatening manner, since the interaction (note the irony of the name) is not face-to-face, and thus much less personal. If someone rejects you as a friend on Facebook, you are likely to not know at all, unless they preface it with a "Who the Hell are you?" private message.
So what about the "repairing psychological damage" aspect? Well, I think that due to personal, anecdotal evidence only. I have *far* more Facebook friends than:
1. I deserve to have, given what kind of person I have been in life.
2. I ever had in real life, or even will talk to in a year.
I think it is the perceived emotional risk of Facebook friending that causes some excitement. I say "perceived" risk since the actual risk of rejection is far lower than real life, and the cost of rejection is far lower than getting the cut direct in real life by someone you admire.
But then again, I could be full of it!
Monday, January 19, 2009
New For February List
I just LOVE LOVE LOVE Wynton Marsalis and can't recommend his book highly enough:
It's more than a book about Jazz. Although it is that - it is much, much more.
Wynton Marsalis would be my top dinner guest of all time.
Please take the time to read this book in February.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
February Reading List
Books and video suggestions for February:
On video:
Eyes on the Prize - Excellent documentary on the later years of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow focuses on the era from the end of the Civil War until Brown v. Board of Education. More or less where "Eyes on the Prize" begins.
Malcolm X - directed by Spike Lee (in my top 5 favourite movies of all time.)
In Print:
Seize the Time: They Story of the Black Panther Party by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale.
Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver.
Toward the African Revlution by Frantz Fanon.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley.
Have No Fear: The Charles Evers Story by Charles Evers and Andrew Szanton.
At Caanan's Edge: America in the King Years by Taylor Branch.
This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer - by Kay Mills.
Lay Bare the Heart: An Autobiography of the Civil Rights Movement - by James Farmer.
This Side of Glory: The Autobiography of David Hilliard and The Story of the Black Panther Party - by David Hilliard and Lewis Cole.
Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950's through the 1980's by Henry Hampton, Steve Fayer and Sarah Flynn.
Louis Armstrong: In his Own Words (Selected Writings) - edited by Thomas Brothers.
The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes.
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
Mississippi: An American Journey by Anthony Walton
That is all I have for now, feel free to comment on good suggestions that I have forgotten. I listed the books and movies I have seen and/or read, and enjoyed. This started out as a project for my local library. I am trying to get them to put up a display since they have most of these books/movies already and encourage people to read during Black History Month.
So I welcome any help I can get!
*Edit January 15th 7:30AM*
I forgot to add these books:
Will You Die With Me?: My Life and the Black Panther Party by Flores Alexander Forbes. I highly recommend this book. I read it last year during February. To see an interview with Mr. Forbes on YouTube, check here.
Dizzy: The Life and Times of John Birks Gillespie by Donald Magin. Diz may have been a clown on stage, but in life he was courageous and certainly no fool. Don't take my word for it - watch For Love or Country - The Arturo Sandoval Story.
Being a big baseball fan, I will also include:
Only the Ball was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Professional Teams by Robert Peterson
I Was Right on Time by Buck O'Neil, David Conrads, and Steve Wulf
A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports by Brad Snyder. I wonder how many multi-million dollar players realize the debt they owe to the late Mr. Flood? Curt Flood belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame solely due to the fact that his will and determination ultimately saved the game (my opinion.)
More as I think of them.
On video:
Eyes on the Prize - Excellent documentary on the later years of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow focuses on the era from the end of the Civil War until Brown v. Board of Education. More or less where "Eyes on the Prize" begins.
Malcolm X - directed by Spike Lee (in my top 5 favourite movies of all time.)
In Print:
Seize the Time: They Story of the Black Panther Party by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale.
Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver.
Toward the African Revlution by Frantz Fanon.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley.
Have No Fear: The Charles Evers Story by Charles Evers and Andrew Szanton.
At Caanan's Edge: America in the King Years by Taylor Branch.
This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer - by Kay Mills.
Lay Bare the Heart: An Autobiography of the Civil Rights Movement - by James Farmer.
This Side of Glory: The Autobiography of David Hilliard and The Story of the Black Panther Party - by David Hilliard and Lewis Cole.
Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950's through the 1980's by Henry Hampton, Steve Fayer and Sarah Flynn.
Louis Armstrong: In his Own Words (Selected Writings) - edited by Thomas Brothers.
The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes.
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
Mississippi: An American Journey by Anthony Walton
That is all I have for now, feel free to comment on good suggestions that I have forgotten. I listed the books and movies I have seen and/or read, and enjoyed. This started out as a project for my local library. I am trying to get them to put up a display since they have most of these books/movies already and encourage people to read during Black History Month.
So I welcome any help I can get!
*Edit January 15th 7:30AM*
I forgot to add these books:
Will You Die With Me?: My Life and the Black Panther Party by Flores Alexander Forbes. I highly recommend this book. I read it last year during February. To see an interview with Mr. Forbes on YouTube, check here.
Dizzy: The Life and Times of John Birks Gillespie by Donald Magin. Diz may have been a clown on stage, but in life he was courageous and certainly no fool. Don't take my word for it - watch For Love or Country - The Arturo Sandoval Story.
Being a big baseball fan, I will also include:
Only the Ball was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Professional Teams by Robert Peterson
I Was Right on Time by Buck O'Neil, David Conrads, and Steve Wulf
A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports by Brad Snyder. I wonder how many multi-million dollar players realize the debt they owe to the late Mr. Flood? Curt Flood belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame solely due to the fact that his will and determination ultimately saved the game (my opinion.)
More as I think of them.
Monday, January 12, 2009
February is Black History Month
I am compiling a list of books and movies for my local library to put on a display in the front of the library, reminding library patrons of Black History Month, and hopefully encouraging people to read some books they might not otherwise be exposed to. So I am looking for suggestions, in addition to the list I will post here in the near future.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Getting older
Time marches on, and nothing could remind me of that more strongly that my 40th birthday last week. No wait - it was this week. Evidently the speed time passes is a variable dependent upon how far up my ass my head is.
I'm on the old side in the business I am in - information security. Most of my colleagues are younger than me, some much younger. Only a few are my age or older. It's a surprisingly small community. Considering how large the Country as a whole is, it's strange that I keep seeing the same names all the time.
Being older than the people you work with can cause a bit of anxiety. Mostly, like most everything else that I don't understand, I dwell on it. Ponder it, mull it over until I think I pull something meaningful out.
I am a generation separated from most of the people I work with, which means there is a whole body of knowledge that we don't have in common. I could ask, but I would bet that the great majority of people I connect with on a regular basis have never:
* Gone to a drive-in movie.
* Popped corn on the stove.
* Warmed food in a saucepan, not the microwave (Radar Range to me.)
* Gone to a movie thinking that would be the only time you ever saw it. No DVD, no VHS, no anything. Just the lame "TV Version" in 3 years on ABC Movie of the Week.
* Heard the word inflation used other than in history class.
* Known a time when there was only one Star Trek, and one Star Wars.
* Dialed a phone number.
* Dialed the operator. We used to be able to click the handle holding the phone receiver and get an operator.
* Been broke, and have all your friends broke. Though this may be coming back into style now.
* Thought that a penny was real money!
* Known a president other than a Clinton or Bush. Soon to change.
* Thought male body hair was normal, not feral.
Let me think about this stuff some more. For now, I have to get some real work done.
*
I'm on the old side in the business I am in - information security. Most of my colleagues are younger than me, some much younger. Only a few are my age or older. It's a surprisingly small community. Considering how large the Country as a whole is, it's strange that I keep seeing the same names all the time.
Being older than the people you work with can cause a bit of anxiety. Mostly, like most everything else that I don't understand, I dwell on it. Ponder it, mull it over until I think I pull something meaningful out.
I am a generation separated from most of the people I work with, which means there is a whole body of knowledge that we don't have in common. I could ask, but I would bet that the great majority of people I connect with on a regular basis have never:
* Gone to a drive-in movie.
* Popped corn on the stove.
* Warmed food in a saucepan, not the microwave (Radar Range to me.)
* Gone to a movie thinking that would be the only time you ever saw it. No DVD, no VHS, no anything. Just the lame "TV Version" in 3 years on ABC Movie of the Week.
* Heard the word inflation used other than in history class.
* Known a time when there was only one Star Trek, and one Star Wars.
* Dialed a phone number.
* Dialed the operator. We used to be able to click the handle holding the phone receiver and get an operator.
* Been broke, and have all your friends broke. Though this may be coming back into style now.
* Thought that a penny was real money!
* Known a president other than a Clinton or Bush. Soon to change.
* Thought male body hair was normal, not feral.
Let me think about this stuff some more. For now, I have to get some real work done.
*
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
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