April 2007
Illustrator CS3:
The appearance palette.
Lets take a closer look at the appearance palette and revisit the old “symbols” trick for those who missed it.
Update: Eureka! I was just shown something I should have figured out for myself: you can change the color of a symbol just by using the appearance palette (no need for the boolean trick I’ve recommended in the past!).
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, New Edition
by Jared Diamond
Truly, it’s absolutely fascinating, and the most thorough case I’ve yet seen for the preeminence of environmental factors in determining the evolution of a given society. I’ll warn you: it’s not for the faint of heart (or the short of attention span!). It’s chock-full of answers to the questions you’ve always asked yourself about how society came to be as it is, in very practical, earth-bound terms. This is not a philosophical walk in the woods, this is a down-to-earth explanation of historical realities. Highly recommended!
The Economist
The best news source I know. Read it. Love it. Also available in podcast form each month. My wife and I read it religiously!
http://www.economist.com/
Old School
I went to a garage sale last summer and found an old B&D drill from the 50’s, and the gal behind the table said “they don’t make ‘em like that anymore!” Obviously this is a true statement, but her tone implied that perhaps her old drill is somehow superior to a drill today. Lets think about that for a minute.
Freakanomics
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Another fun read, similar in flavor to the Gladwell books, but with much more complete logic, and a much better understanding of the foundational logic behind claims made. Concise and enthralling, I definitely recommend this one!