{"id":5807,"date":"2017-12-21T14:00:21","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T19:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/?p=5807"},"modified":"2021-01-11T17:04:17","modified_gmt":"2021-01-11T22:04:17","slug":"a-few-of-my-favorite-things-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/a-few-of-my-favorite-things-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"A few of my favorite things; a look back at 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
After all, there’s more to life than white papers.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the habits of highly effective people is to “sharpen the saw.” That means taking time off to refresh and renew yourself.<\/p>\n [Tweet “Take time off to refresh and renew; you can start with some of my favorite things.”]<\/p>\n Coming back to work with fresh insights from books, movies, and even commentaries on political developments can keep you sharper.<\/p>\n Draining the Great Lakes<\/strong> by National Geographic<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n I’ve been telling everyone about this amazing documentary. Thanks to new technology called “multibeam scanning” the bottom of all the Great Lakes have now been mapped better than ever before.<\/p>\n Want to see an underwater waterfall that would dwarf Niagara Falls? Evidence of prehistoric caribou hunting? The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald at the bottom of Lake Superior?<\/p>\n This 42-minute documentary shows all that and more. I especially love how the visualizations show the water receding and drying up across the lake bottoms.<\/p>\n P.S. This documentary came out in 2011, but I just found it late in 2017. I hope it was uploaded to YouTube legally.<\/p>\n The Last Days of Night: A Novel by Graham Moore<\/a><\/p>\n This is a dramatization of the real-life story of the epic battle over the electrification of the United States in the 1890s. Some reviewers say it creates a whole new genre: the historical legal thriller.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The book features the larger-than-life characters of Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla… and the lawyer who ties them all together.<\/p>\n Along the way, the author suggests many parallels between that era and the dawn of the internet age a century later.<\/p>\n And check out this passage, where he describes the lawyer’s work.<\/p>\n “Paul was a professional builder of narratives. He was a teller of concise tales. His work was to take a series of isolated events, and … craft from them a progression… a beginning, a middle, and an end… That was the business of Paul’s stories: to present an undeniable view of the world.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Sounds a lot like what white paper writers do, right?<\/p>\n Anyway, if you’re interested in inventors, the history of technology, New York City, or any of the people named above, you will likely enjoy this cracking good tale.<\/p>\n Kind of Blue<\/strong> by Miles Davis<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a>My fav in this category didn’t change this year.<\/p>\n It’s got to be music without words, because singing scrambles my brain when I’m trying to write. And though I love Bach\u2014and can listen to him when I’m editing\u2014I prefer jazz as a work soundtrack.<\/p>\n Miles Davis is one of the most prodigious musical genuises who ever lived. Three of his albums are in the top 25 best-selling jazz records of all time<\/a>, but Kind of Blue<\/em> is the undisputed top of the list.<\/p>\n It’s quiet and contemplative and perfect for writing. In fact, I’m listening to it right now.<\/p>\n Outlander<\/strong>\u00a0based on the books by Diana Gabaldon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n This may seem a strange category, but I don’t watch regular TV: There’s just too many commercials!<\/p>\n Hint<\/strong>: Want to find some more hours in your week? Cut the cable and stop watching network TV. When I did that, I recovered a couple hours a day.<\/em><\/p>\n I used to think Outlander<\/em>\u00a0was chick-lit, but this series changed my mind. Apparently half the audience is men, and I can see why.\u00a0It’s a stirring recreation of Scottish clan life in the mid-1700s with thrills, intrigue, and action enough for any guy.<\/p>\n Not to mention the torrid love scenes!<\/p>\n On Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>, both critics and viewers score all three seasons so far well into the 90s.<\/p>\n Homo Deus<\/strong> by Yuval Harari<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a>Down through the ages, our three biggest problems were always starvation, disease, and war.<\/p>\n But in the 21st century, we may actually eliminate all three.<\/p>\n So says eclectic author Harari in this far-ranging discussion.<\/p>\n This book’s mind-expanding coverage raises many\u00a0 philosophical issues.<\/p>\n This book on humankind’s future follows his previous work\u00a0Sapiens<\/em>, which looked at humankind’s past<\/a>. I’m looking forward to reading that next.<\/p>\n You might prefer to read those in the order he wrote them, to understand the past before you move into the future.<\/p>\n Long-overdue reckoning on sexual harassment<\/strong><\/p>\n We’ve heard about many men in high places crashing to earth for their terrible mistreatment of women.<\/p>\n Now it’s time for the rest of us men to re-examine our\u00a0 behavior towards women, in the workplace and everywhere else.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To help get you started, this link goes to a good discussion on CBC between two male journalists and an activist<\/a>. There’s no male shaming and no backlash, just a thoughtful, honest discussion.<\/p>\n This is what I expect, I should add, from my favorite radio program of the past few years, The Sunday Edition on CBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here’s the thing. As a father of two girls, I want them to grow up in a world where they don’t have to face catcalls on the street, putdowns at school, and sexual predators in the workplace.<\/p>\n Don’t you? Doesn’t everyone?<\/p>\n And if you’re a father to young boys, please teach them that “no means no” even if they’re at a party or on some sports team.<\/p>\n If you don’t teach them that, who will?<\/p>\n Open letter to George Clooney<\/strong> at Today’s Parent<\/a><\/p>\n
\nFavorite documentary<\/h3>\n
\nFavorite fiction book<\/h3>\n
\nFavorite music to write by<\/h3>\n
\nFavorite Netflix series<\/h3>\n
\nFavorite non-fiction book<\/h3>\n
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\nFavorite (?) political development<\/h3>\n
\nFavorite project of the year<\/h3>\n