Non-Fiction on Dave Nelson

How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 01:18:31 +0000

I am getting organized, like in-general organized. I am creating to-do lists, setting goals, and closely tracking my progress. I am learning some new tools and working on building new habits and I am hoping that they will help facilitate some changes for the better.

I am starting with collecting all of the notes that I have scattered across many different hard drives and the Internet, so I thought learning how to take better notes would be a good idea.

Kindle Paperwhite

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 01:00:49 +0000

![amazon kindle paperwhite book reader](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61eAq6gg-XL._AC_SL300_.jpg?ssl=1" style=“float:right;margin:0 0 15px 15px)

While studying for the Amateur Radio license exams I decided I wanted a new Kindle to read them on. Looking at the different versions of Kindle’s available I chose the Paperwhite for its price, size, backlighting, and water resistance. We have an original Kindle Keyboard and it still works, but it is larger and heavier than the Paperwhite, is not water resistant, does not have a backlight, does not have a touchscreen, and is awkward to hold. I was hesitant to buy a new Kindle as I had not been using the old one very often until I started studying for the license exams which is what got me to use the old one a lot.

The Phoenix Project by George Spafford, Kevin Behr, and Gene Kim

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 21:00:20 +0000

It’s been awhile since I used Safari Books Online, O’Reilly’s online subscription service, to read something, so I picked The Phoenix Project which was recommended to me on my login page.

The Phoenix Project is a “novel” about DevOps and all that entails being implemented in manufacturing and retail environment where IT had always been seen as a necessary evil. I think a lot of people, both inside and outside of IT can relate to that. The back of the book is full of resources and information about where to learn more about DevOps, continuous deployment, and automation tools.

The No-Nonsense Technician Class License Study Guide by Dan Romanchik

Tue, 12 May 2015 20:00:45 +0000

To legally use a 5.8GHz video transmitter in the U.S. you need at least a Technician Amateur Radio license. It is not a hard test, but I wanted some study aids to make sure I only had to take the test once.

A little bit of searching on Amazon led me to The No-Nonsense Technician Class License Study Guide (2014 edition): For tests given starting July 1, 2014 [Kindle Edition] for a very reasonable price.

Learn Raspberry Pi with Linux by Peter Membrey and David Hows

Tue, 10 Feb 2015 14:00:22 +0000

This is the Raspberry Pi book I have been looking for. Instead of trying to push some advanced scripting language or Linux distribution, this book shows you how to use the most widely used distribution, Raspbian, and good old Bash scripts to do useful things with a Raspberry Pi.

Now 3 years old the lessons in Learn Raspberry Pi still hold up. Raspbian has been through some major updates and the new Model A+ and B+ computers have added to the Pi’s capabilities, but the Linux/Unix commands, SSH and VNC techniques, network information, Web Server installation (LAMP), and a decent chapter covering compiling XMBC on your Pi.

There & Back Again To See How Far It Is by Tim Watson

Tue, 03 Feb 2015 13:00:08 +0000

I think a review in CycleWorld led me to buy this hardcover book; it tuned out to be the most disappointing “motorcycle” book I have ever read.

The full title is “There & Back Again To See How Far It Is: Cultural Observations of an Englishman Aboard a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Across Small-Town America”

Just a really boring read with lots of semi-interesting tid-bits pulled from Wikipedia and Google Maps. I found very few “Cultural Observations”, information about a “Harley Davidson Motorcycle”, or feel that the author and his wife had travelled very far throughout the book.

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 13:00:09 +0000

I was looking for a book to read and found What the Dog Saw on the office bookshelf. I have really liked the Malcolm Gladwell books I read in the past so decided to give it a try.

This book is a collection of articles that Malcolm Gladwell wrote for the New Yorker covering a wide variety of topics.

My favorite articles include Cesar Millan the “Dog Whisperer”, the story of Grey Poupon, and Enron.

Tips from a Pro: Travel Photography by Nicole S. Young

Tue, 24 Jun 2014 20:03:46 +0000

This Tips from a Pro book from Nicole S. Young (Nicolesy) about Travel Photography.

I have known about Nicolesy for awhile now, she has been on various Leo Laporte podcasts and radio shows that I listen to, and I have always liked what she has had to say.

I read this book using Safari Books Online as a part of my subscription but at only $8 it is an easy one to pick up. It is very short with only 67 pages. I read it while eating lunch and watching my son play at a Chic-fil-A playground, probably an hour-and-a-half altogether.

The Art of Conflict Management by The Great Courses

Tue, 08 Apr 2014 04:00:08 +0000

These academic things always have such ridiculously long titles <sigh>, the full title is " The Art of Conflict Management: Achieving Solutions for Life, Work, and Beyond “.

I was looking for a non-fiction book to give a listen-to and I always give The Great Courses on Audible a look when searching for such a thing. I have listened to some of the Great Course lectures that I did not enjoy but a couple of them have been surprisingly good, so I am always willing to give them a try.

Getting Started with BeagleBone by Matt Richardson

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 11:00:11 +0000

After seeing a really cool telepresence robot using a BeagleBone at an Atlanta JavaScript Meetup I just had to get one.

I ended up buying a Beagle Bone Black (BBB) from MakerShed in a kit that included some components and a paperback of Getting Started with BeagleBone.

While waiting for the BBB to arrive I started reading the book on Safari Books Online and ended up never reading more than a couple of pages from the printed book. I was more comfortable reading the book on an iPad using the Safari Books Online app.

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson

Tue, 18 Feb 2014 05:00:04 +0000

Man-o-man, I like me some Bill Bryson. I think I would buy audio recordings of his compilations of the nightly news…

Oh wait, I think I just did.

“One Summer” really does feel like a compilation of newspaper articles from around 1927 sprinkled with insights and ideas that only come from hindsight.

I enjoyed this book more than At Home, but less than A Short History of Nearly Everything.

Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills by Professor Steven Novella

Tue, 04 Feb 2014 05:00:41 +0000

I believe that critical thinking is going to be the most important skill my son will ever have. The ability to think for himself and make good decisions quickly based upon what he knows while being able to change his decisions based upon new information when it is available.

[Your Deceptive Mind](http://www.audible.com/pd/Science-Technology/Your-Deceptive-Mind-A-Scientific-Guide-to-Critical-Thinking-Skills-Audiobook/B00D9473WC" title=“Your Deceptive Mind at Audible) is a part of [The Great Courses: Professional](http://www.audible.com/series/ref=a_pd_Scienc_c2__sa?asin=B00DNBDOUG" title=“The Great Courses: Professional Series at Audible) series and is made up of 24 lectures given by Professor Steven Novella.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 05:00:31 +0000

I received this hardcover book from Zappos while on the Zappos Insights Tour.

Outliers has been on my reading list for a long time and I am really glad that I finally got around to reading it. There are a lot of great insights in this book and I feel like I learned a lot.

My plans for my child’s education have changed significantly because of this book. The information about the differences in learning among children that are taught year-round versus children that take a long summer break makes a lot of sense to me and I now plan on teaching our child year-round.

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World by Robert Garland

Tue, 24 Dec 2013 05:00:43 +0000

I bought this audiobook from Audible and listened to it using the Audible app on my iPhone.

I was looking for something non-fiction and stumbled upon The Great Courses on Audible. After browsing around a bit I found The Great Courses: Ancient History which led to “The Other Side of History.” I was intrigued by the idea of learning about the lives of everyday people in medieval times.

13 Things That Don’t Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time by Michael Brooks

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 04:00:47 +0000

I bought this audiobook from Audible and listened to it using the Audible app and my iPhone.

This book did not impress me. To me the narrator, James Adams, sounds really bored throughout the book.

Maybe it has to do with my own opinion that “Science” knows a lot less than it thinks it does and that much of what is currently accepted as irrefutable truth will soon be recognized as being wrong. So a book of 13 things that science does not know is not very impressive to me.

Speedliter’s Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites by Syl Arena

Fri, 06 Sep 2013 04:00:49 +0000

I read this book on Safari Books Online using the Safari Books app on an iPad.

I am not a big fan of using flash in the type of photography I usually do, but I am trying to improve my skills with speedlites and strobes. I have an old Canon 550EX and a pair of Yongnuo cheapo flashes with Yongnuo wireless triggers.

The Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 5 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby

Fri, 30 Aug 2013 04:00:50 +0000

I read this book on Safar Books Online using an iPad and the Safari Books Online App.

This is the 4th Scott Kelby Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for Photographers book I have read, and they all have been worth the time.

These books have been where I have gotten most of my personal photography workflow from and why I made the switch from doing all of my post-production in Photoshop to doing it all in Lightroom. In fact I only open up Photoshop to do quick panoramas (I have other software I use for large intricate panos) and for extensive retouching or composites.

Photography Q&A: Real Questions. Real Answers. By Zack Arias

Tue, 20 Aug 2013 04:00:05 +0000

I bought this book from Safari Books Online and read it using the Kindle app on my iPad.

I really like Zack Arias as a photographer and a person. He is very open about what he does, why he does it, his triumphs, and his troubles.

Photography Q&A is full of questions that amateur and professional photographers have asked Zack with his honest and heartfelt answers. So much good information here, it is an amazing amount of information.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

Tue, 13 Aug 2013 04:00:10 +0000

I bought this book on audible and listened to it on my iPhone using the Audible app while traveling from Atlanta to Portland.

I have been working on loosing weight and getting in better shape over the last year. So far I have lost around 30 pounds, I am very happy about that. As a part of getting in shape I have been doing some running, mostly the run/walk/run thing, but for now I only average a 15-minute mile, a bit slower in the summer heat. So this is where my interest in running has come from.

Maintainable JavaScript by Nicholas C. Zakas

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 04:00:06 +0000

Maintainable JavaScript by Nicholas C. ZakasI read this book using Safari Books Online using various laptops and an iPad.

This is an amazing book.

Following a style guide while programming is common in many languages, but for me it is a new idea in JavaScript. Reading Douglas Crockford’s Style Guide http://javascript.crockford.com/code.html can teach you a lot, but Maintainable JavaScript teaches you not only the how, but also the why.

Adobe Fireworks CS6 Classroom in a Book: The official training workbook from Adobe Systems

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:52 +0000

I read this book on O’Reilley’s Safari Books Online using personal and work laptops along with the Safari Books app on an iPad.

I really like the Adobe Classroom in a Book series and have read many of them. They are great because they are based on real-world use and come with all of the files needed to build the projects used in them.

Pro jQuery by Adam Freeman

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:14 +0000

I read this book on [Safari Books Online](http://www.safaribooksonline.com" title=“http://www.safaribooksonline.com) using Firefox.

I am doing more and more with jQuery and went looking for a book that could show me the ins-and-outs of it and “Pro jQuery” is definitely that book.

I do not agree that this is a “Pro” book as it does not cover professional techniques for programming in JavaScript using the current best practices that you would find in a production environment, but this book is a great reference for jQuery and I could find none that were better.

Canon 5D Mark III: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Ibarionex Perello

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:42 +0000

I read this book on Safari Books Online using a web browser and an iPad.

I have read the “From Snapshots to Great Shots” for the 7D and the G12 and they were pretty good. So I decided to give the one for the 5D Mark III a try and it did not disappoint.

Unlike the books “Canon EOS 5D Mark III by James Johnson” and “Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide by Charlotte K. Lowrie” this book tells you not only about the features and functions of the Canon 5D Mark III but also tells you why you may choose one setting over another.

Two books about the Canon 5D Mark III

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:06 +0000

I read both of these books using Safari Books Online by O’Reilly Media.

They are very similar books and both of them are very similar to the owners manual that comes with the Canon 5D Mk III. But they do present the information in a way that is much easier to understand and retain than the manual.

What is missing here is an answer to the question, “Why would I use that setting instead of the other?” You will have to find some other book or better yet books to explain that. Even better, get out there and experiment like crazy. Buy a cheap mannequin off eBay to use as a practice subject and take pictures until your camera stops working.

Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Photographs of the Famous and Infamous by Brian Smith

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:52 +0000

I read this book using Safari Books Online from O’Reilly Media.

Brian Smith is an amazing photographer and has a personality to match. He is able to quickly make a personal connection with people from all walks of life and create photographs that highlight their personality and emotion.

“Secrets of Great Portrait Photography” gives us insight to the methods Brian uses to get close to his subjects and capture images that make the client, usually magazine creative directors, and the subject happy with the results.

The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:00:55 +0000

I bought this book from Audible and listened to it with the Audible app on an iPhone.

I really like Seth Godin, but I don’t like this book. The message is lost on me; it feels very repetitive; and it feels a lot like something I have heard before.

I recommend Re-reading Linchpin instead of reading this book.

From the publisher:

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:00:36 +0000

I am not sure how this book ended up on my shelf, it was probably on one of my “Dave Ramsey Recommends” buying sprees.

Poke the Box is all about getting started and executed on your ideas. For me it is kind of like having a personal cheerleader. This book picked up my spirits at a time when I was feeling down, now I hope I am able to put some of it to good use.

Mental Models by Indi Young

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:00:46 +0000

I read this book in a web browser, on an iPhone and on an iPad using [Safari Books Online](http://www.safaribooksonline.com/" title=“Safari Books Online Website) website and app.

According to this book “Mental models are simply affinity diagrams of behaviors made from ethnographic data gathered from audience representatives.” This book does a great job describing how to create a detailed mental model.

As a front-end developer with a deep interest in usability I have talked a lot about customer mental models, but my understanding of what the term meant was very limited. Now as a UX designer it is more important for me to have a more in-depth understanding, including how to discover, document, and share what our customer’s mental models are for our industry.

Parent Effectiveness Training: The Proven Program for Raising Responsible Children by Thomas Gordon

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 05:00:38 +0000

I bought this book from Amazon after reading a blog post by Jeff Atwood. Jeff does not mention this book in his post; he talks about the book “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk” by Adele Faber; which is based upon the research and lessons taught in the P.E.T book. So after reading the post I bought copies of both books and the P.E.T. book is the one I chose to read first.