Monthly Archives: January 2020

On The Restraint Of Wit

Posted on January 26, 2020 by nathanalbright

Sometimes, very frequently in fact, I enjoy exercising a razor sharp wit about what is going on.  While wit is hard to recognize in online communications or writing, it tends to sparkle in personal conversations where a twinkle in the … Continue reading →

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Book Review: A Pattern Language

Posted on January 26, 2020 by nathanalbright

A Pattern Language:  Towns, Buildings, Construction, by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, with Max jacobson, Ingrid Fiksadahl-King, and Shlomo Angel There are some books that are bad because they are incompetent, because the author has no idea what they … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Kant And The Platypus

Posted on January 26, 2020 by nathanalbright

Kant And The Platypus:  Essays On Language And Cognition, by Umberto Eco I happen to like much of what I have read from Umberto Eco [1], and this book is no exception to that general enjoyment.  Unlike many people in … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Semiotics: The Basics

Posted on January 26, 2020 by nathanalbright

Semiotics:  The Basics, by Daniel Chandler As someone who is deeply interested in communication, I found this book to be deeply interesting, largely because the author managed to (perhaps unintentionally) reveal how it is that a society that takes communication … Continue reading →

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A Love Song For No One

Posted on January 25, 2020 by nathanalbright

One of the more humorous aspects of life is the way that one’s reading can occasionally bring to light aspects of one’s life by putting it in a larger context.  For me, I find those books in strange circumstances.  For … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Disraeli: The Victorian Dandy Who Became Prime Minister

Posted on January 25, 2020 by nathanalbright

Disraeli:  The Victorian Dandy Who Became Prime Minister, by Christopher Hibbert I must admit that I had mixed feelings about this particular book.  The author did a good job at writing about the life of Benjamin Disraeli, a man who … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Downing Street Years

Posted on January 25, 2020 by nathanalbright

The Downing Street Years, by Margaret Thatcher A great many political memoirs are full of obfuscation and self-deception and a distinct lack of detail as the author tries to paint themselves as some sort of transformational leader who is somehow … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Winston Churchill: British Prime Minister & Statesman

Posted on January 25, 2020 by nathanalbright

Winston Churchill:  British Prime Minister & Statesman, by Sue Vander Hook For a variety of reasons I have always been fond of reading books by and about Sir Winston Churchill, that great war leader of Great Britain who nonetheless had … Continue reading →

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On Editors

Posted on January 24, 2020 by nathanalbright

I have a confession to make:  I really dislike dealing with editors.  I am not sure if writers in general have a toxic relationship with editors but I tend to find my relations with editors to be greatly irritating and … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Backlands

Posted on January 24, 2020 by nathanalbright

Backlands:  A Novel, by Victoria Shorr This book seems custom-made to make into a movie.  I do not consider that a bad thing, even if this story is not precisely the sort of story I am most fond of.  There … Continue reading →

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