In the Devil’s Garden
by Stuart Lee Allen

A fantastical romp through the seven deadly sins and the foods that most encourage them. Bizzare dishes run rampant, including rare little birds drowned in liquer and eaten whole, fish in scalding sauce served wriggling, psychoactive Absinthe, even “man’s milk” (you don’t want to know). Next to them on the forbidden list: tomatoes, potatoes, corn, beef, rye, wine, beer, and chocolate.

This is truly a must-read for anyone who cares about what goes into their mouths, what stays out, and the history behind the food on your table.

A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw.

The screw and the screwdriver are implements that seem to have appeared spontaneously, as each is practically useless without the other. The clues to thier origin are scattered throughout Western history, and are pieced together as Rybczynski tells about how he came to write the New York Magazine article ‘’Most Useful Tool of the Millennium.’’

This book is short and to the point, and stuffed with stories of the technological advancements that brought about the advent, popularity, and finally the exquisite precision of the helical screw.

Tidbits

• In England, the square-tipped screwdriver is more popular than the Phillips (popular in the States). In my own experience, the square-tipped driver is the perfect tool for removing stripped (damaged) Phillips screws.
• The helical water pump has been used since ancient times.
• The first screws were made by hand on lathes, which themselves needed screws to be constructed.

Pollan takes a new look at the symbiotic relationship between man and domesticated plants, this time from the plant’s perspective. Plant species that get picked up by humans thrive, at the cost of other plants and sometimes we humans ourselves.

The book goes into detail about four such human-friendly plants: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato.

Tidbits

• Apples and apple trees grown from seed look and taste completely different from their parent plant. All Golden Delicious apples are clones of the original Golden Delicious apple tree.


• Johnny Appleseed was a wealthy land tycoon, as well as a cooky hermit.


• A mad desire for tulips nearly caused economic collapse.


• Cannabinoid (THC) receptors are found all over the brain, as well as immune and reproductive systems. Their study has advanced neurobiology since the ‘60s.


• Potatos are surprisingly high in vitamins B and C.



This is a positive must-read. You will never look at Johnny Appleseed the same way again.

Other books by Michael Pollan:

Every American should read this book. It captures a bit of the spirit of exploration and a kind of Manifest Destiny too often suppressed by the sedintary American lifestyle.

From Hagakure.

1. Remeber, harmony in all aspects of your project is difficult.

   Great patience is required to overcome this.

   
   

   Master Ittei said, “In calligraphy it is progress when the paper, brush, and ink are in harmony.” Yet they are so wont to be disjointed!

   
   

   
   


2. 
   

   Don’t reinvent the wheel

   
   

   Take a lesson from me; don’t get stuck pursuing a tricky solution. Look to what others have done and try to improve on it, but don’t reinvent the wheel (yeah, I know you hear that all the time).

   
   

   Learning is a good thing, but more often it leads to mistakes. It is like the admonition of the priest K?nan. It is worthwhile just looking at the deeds of accomplished persons for the purpose of knowing our own insufficiencies. But often this does not happen. For the most part, we admire our own opinions and become fond of arguing.

   
   

   
   


3. 
   

   Listen to old people

   
   

   This is less about coding and more about life. Listen to old people. They have done things you will never do in times you could never see. Pay attention. There are less than 50 WWI vets alive today. 1100 WWII vets die every day. When they are gone, they are gone forever.

   
   

   When you are listening to the stories of accomplished men and the like, you should listen with deep sincerity, even if it’s something about which you already know. If in listening to the same thing ten or twenty times it happens that you come to an unexpected understanding, that moment will be very special. Within the tedious talk of old folks are there meritorious deeds.

   
   

   
   


4. 
   

   Keep your eyes on the prize

   
   

   Planning is essential to a succesful project, but when the planning phase is complete and the battle begins, you must not take your eye off of your goal. See it through completely and swiftly; be dilligent and unfailing in your aim. If you want great word-of-mouth advertising, turn a client’s project around ahead of schedule and on budget. Your profit margin increases, as does the satisfaction of the client.

   
   

   
   

   According to what one of the elders said, taking an enemy on the battlefield is like a hawk taking a bird. Even though it enters into the midst of a thousand of them, it gives no attention to any bird other than the one that it has first marked .
   

   
   

   Moreover, what is called a tezuke no kubi is a head that one has taken after having made the declaration, “I will take that warrior wearing such and such armor.”

   
   

   
   


5. 
   

   Youth is the time for the hardest work

   
   

   Work hard while you’re young, folks. No amount of caffiene will fuel a 16-hour code binge when you’re old.

   
   

   Save your money. Invest! Your retirement should not consist of asking if I want fries.

   
   

   Shida Kichinosuke said, “At first it is an oppressive thing to run until one is breathless. But it is an extraordinarily good feeling when one is standing around after the running. More than that, it is even better to sit down. More than that, it is even better to lie down. And more than that, to put down a pillow and sleep soundly is even better. A man’s whole life should be like this. To exert oneself to a great extent when one is young and then to sleep when he is old or at the point of death is the way it should be. But to first sleep and then exert oneself . . . To exert oneself to the end, and to end one’s whole life in toil is regrettable.” Shimomura Rokurouemon told this story.

   
   

   A saying of Kichinosuke’s that is similar to this is, “A man’s life should be as toilsome as possible.”

   
   

   
   


6. 
   

   Honesty is the best policy

   
   

   Clients should know up front the benifits and drawbacks to the changes they are requesting. Don’t assume clients understand the ramifications of a new cart checkout process on the user’s experience, or the irrelevance of a new XML-based export. Let them know why the latest round of changes will put the project behind schedule 2 weeks. If they know up front, they won’t feel like you were hiding it when a deadline gets pushed back (unless they are jerks).

   
   

   
   Hirose Denzaemon was then about twelve or thirteen years old. When he sat down in front of the physiognomist, he said in a bristling voice , ‘’if you read cowardice in me, I’ll cut you down with a single blow !”

   
   

   When there is something to be said, it is better if it is said right away. If it is said later, it will sound like an excuse. Moreover, it is occasionally good to really overwhelm your opponent. Also, in addition to having spoken sufficiently it is the highest sort of victory to teach your opponent some- thing that will be to his benefit. This is in accordance with the Way.

   
   

   
   


7. 
   

   Plan ahead

   
   

   The phrase, ‘’Win first, fight later, ‘’ can be summed up in the two words, “Win beforehand.” The resourcefulness of times of peace is the military preparation for times of war. With five hundred allies one can defeat an enemy force of ten thousand.

   
   

   
   

   For me, this speaks to the benifits of a good code archive. If you alredy have an app or killer solution to a problem waiting in the wings, you have already completed much of your task.

   
   


8. 
   

   Continue to spur a running horse.

   
   

   
   

   Managers: push your developers, no matter how well they are doing. Reward them well when they excel, and then push again.

   
   


9. 
   

   Learn by asking questions.

   
   

   To ask when you already know is politeness. To ask when you don’t know is the rule.

   
   

   
   


10. 
    

    Be skeptical

    
    

    People with intelligence will use it to fashion things both true and false and will try to push through whatever they want with their clever reasoning. This is injury from intelligence . Nothing you do will have effect if you do not use truth.

    
    

    
    

    If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is (except Gmail – Gmail rocks).

    
    


11. 
    

    Be quick

    
    

    Lord Katsushige always used to say that there are four kinds of retainers. They are the “quick, then lapping,” the “lagging, then quick,” the “continually quick,” and the ‘’continually lagging.’‘

    
    

    The “continually quick” are men who when given orders will undertake their execution quickly and settle the matter well. Fukuchi Kichizaemon and the like resemble this type.

    
    

    The “lagging, then quick” are men who, though lacking in understanding when given orders, prepare quickly and bring the matter to a conclusion. I suppose that Nakano Kazuma and men similar are like this.

    
    

    The “quick, then lagging” are men who when given orders seem to be going to settle things but in their preparation take time and procrastinate. There are many people like this.

    
    

    Other than these, one could say that the rest are ‘’continually lagging.”

    
    

    
    



May your tasks fall before your sword like weeds before the farmer’s hoe.

References:

• Hagakure EBook
• Wikipedia: Bushido
• Ninjas are freakin’ cool

The Trial and Death of Socrates/Four Dialogues

Plato

Finally! I finished it! Also, I understand why Socrates was so persecuted. The guy was simply unbearable; from a personal perspective, he would be difficult if not impossible to converse with. Throughout, he reminded me of an overzealous Mormon, who means well but can’t help insulting you. In the context of the public life of Athens, such a character would be unbearable for the political elite, and it would be only a matter of time before he was brought up on charges of some type.

Anyhow, the book is fantastic. The way Socrates leads his questions and aswers are masterful.

Also, the book is only like three dollars. Buy it. If you don’t read it, you can just leave it on the coffee table and impress people with how worldly and cultured you are. Just like I did for years.

Notes

• 10: Contrary to Socrates, visibility preceeds being seen. This may be a translation error, but I fear it is a false answer to the question of whether a tree falling makes a sound if nobody is around to hear it.
• Daedals and Tantalus are familiar names.
• What are the comedies of Aristophanes?
• What are the “trysus-bearers,” as opposed to mystics?

The Monk in the Garden: The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics

by Robin Marantz Henig

An excellent and touching book that gives insight into the troubled life of Gregor Mendel.

Though in-depth scientific information was lacking, Henig’s dealing with the intricacies of Mendel’s life and the controversies that arose after his death was compelling. She brings to life a man about whom I knew only his work.

An excellent read for the scientifically uninitiated, or the burgeoning biochenistry student seeking connection with the past.

Bookmarks

• 141: Lamarkism


• 177:

  And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful tha the risk it took to blossom.
  — Anaïs Nin, 1903–1977

• 181 What are endosperm and xenia? Has the double-pollenation question been answered?


• 234 Reread biology textbook for refresher on meitosis and meiosis.