Scree – Page 315 – Craig Constantine

Eric Idle’s Rules for Reading →

Published June 9, 2013 · All posts on Jun 9 · Books

Rule 1: Never be without a book.
Rule 2: Skip all Prefaces, Forewords and Introductions.
Rule 3: If you’re bored with a book, chuck it. There are millions of books you will never get to read, so if one doesn’t grab you, put it down.
Rule 4: You don’t have to finish a book. You can always come back to it.
Rule 6: You may read several books at once.
Rule 7: You may skip and skim. This is not a class, this is life.
Rule 8: Try and buy from your local bookshop while you still have one.
Rule 9: There is no rule 9.
Rule 10: Enjoy!
~ Eric Idle from, Eric Idle Blog » Editorial

Elsewhere, this is 4ueibo1. — slipbox

Eric Idle’s – yes, that Eric Idle – ten rules for reading, from Editorial.

Onward! →

Published June 7, 2013 · All posts on Jun 7 · Books

We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. There are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions and pass them on. It is our responsibility to leave the men of the future a free hand. In the impetuous youth of humanity, we can make grave errors that can stunt our growth for a long time. This we will do if we say we have the answers now, so young and ignorant; if we suppress all discussion, all criticism, saying, ‘This is it, boys, man is saved!’ and thus doom man for a long time to the chains of authority, confined to the limits of our present imagination. It has been done so many times before.
~ Richard Feynman from, Richard Feynman on the Universal Responsibility of Scientists

Elsewhere, this is 4ubaie1. — slipbox

Feynman wrote several great, short books that are not hard science. This, and “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”, are great places to start.

Periodic table of Advice Animals →

Published June 3, 2013 · All posts on Jun 3 · Snark

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/advice-animals

This is a real thing from KnowYourMeme dot com.

Hero training →

Published June 1, 2013 · All posts on Jun 1 · Motivation

If you are in a crappy situation, struggling with weight loss, or struggling to change your diet, believe that the Hero version of you is waiting to develop. You’re in the ‘challenge’ part of the story right now. Without that, the Hero part will have no meaning.
Who wants to read the story about the awesome guy that got more awesome? Nobody!
~ Steve Kamb from, Hero Training 101: 4 Steps To Save The Galaxy

Elsewhere, this is 4unebo7. — slipbox

Thug kitchen →

Published May 31, 2013 · All posts on May 31

Seriously? Yes, this is awesome: http://thugkitchen.com/

High-fructos corn syrup is bad for bees? →

Published May 30, 2013 · All posts on May 30

Specifically, they found that when bees are exposed to the enzyme p-coumaric, their immune system appears stronger—it turns on detoxification genes. P-coumaric is found in pollen walls, not nectar, and makes its way into honey inadvertently via sticking to the legs of bees as they visit flowers. Similarly, the team discovered other compounds found in poplar sap that appear to do much the same thing. It all together adds up to a diet that helps bees fight off toxins, the researchers report. Taking away the honey to sell it, and feeding the bees high-fructose corn syrup instead, they claim, compromises their immune systems, making them more vulnerable to the toxins that are meant to kill other bugs.
~ Bob Yirka from, Researchers find high-fructose corn syrup may be tied to worldwide collapse of bee colonies

Timeless message for teens →

Published May 26, 2013 · All posts on May 26 · Society

The New Zealand Herald reports, Kiwi principal sends teen message viral… 53 years on

According to a 2010 post on the Pierce County Tribune website, the words come from a letter by Judge Phillip B. Gilliam of Denver, Colorado, published on December 17, 1959, which explains why the advice sounds somewhat dated.
…
Almost 15,000 people shared the link on their own Facebook profiles, attracting the attention of American news website the Huffington Post and fuelling the internet sensation.

Words for ~~teenagers~~ everyone…

Always we hear the cry from teenagers, ‘What can we do, where can we go?’
My answer is this: Go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons, and after you’ve finished, read a book.
Your town does not owe you recreational facilities and your parents do not owe you fun.
The world does not owe you a living, you owe the world something.
You owe it your time, energy and talent so that no one will be at war, in poverty or sick and lonely again.
In other words, grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbone, not a wishbone.
Start behaving like a responsible person.
You are important and you are needed.
It’s too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday.
Someday is now and that somebody is you.
~ Judge Phillip B. Gilliam of Denver, Colorado, published on December 17, 1959

Europa Report →

Published May 24, 2013 · All posts on May 24

The brilliance behind this no-nonsense approach is seen the second real problems occur. The first time you witness a member of Europa Ventures (this trip is privately funded) breakdown or let out a tiny yelp, it hits you. Hard. This is coupled by the fact that (almost) the whole movie is filmed from stationary cameras located inside the vessel.
~ IO9 from, Europa Report: At Last, a Space Thriller Worth Taking Seriously

I’m not a big fan of scary movies per se; Scary for scary’s sake? meh. But I do love me a suspenseful, scary space movie. Europa Report reminds me of Alien . . . <shudder>

Why Train? →

Published May 22, 2013 · All posts on May 22 · Parkour

Who can jump the furthest? Who can run the fastest or climb the highest? Who can face the most danger? Who can do the most twists in a somersault..? How could we get to a place in our minds where any of these things actually matter to us? Arbitrary things, all of them: quick to come and quicker to go; easily gained or lost, easily learned or forgotten.
~ Dan Edwards from, «http://www.parkourgenerations.com/article/meaning-strength»

When Should I Admit That I Don’t Understand →

Published May 18, 2013 · All posts on May 18

Too often we are embarrassed to admit that we don’t understand what we are told. We don’t want to appear stupid to the speaker or others in the audience. But more people should ask questions, because others may be just as confused but not want to speak up. There is no shame in not understanding something, and it’s a good lesson to remember that. Asking for clarification not only helps both the speaker and listener communicate more effectively, it is also a powerful tool in revealing bullshit.
~ Ben Bradford from, The Wisdom of Not Understanding

Elsewhere, this is 4uciso1. — slipbox

Bradford starts off talking about a terrible, new-agey, pseudo-science film which a friend was discussing with him. I’ve had that same conversation, about the same film. So I understand what he’s saying, and I understand the point he’s making. My issue with his assertion is that he doesn’t seem to make the distinction between when one doesn’t understand something versus when one doesn’t understand someone.

Something

This is an important distinction. When one encounters something dubious, confusing, or questionable, (such as the movie What the Bleep Do We Know,) admitting lack of understanding can lead to self-improvement. (yeah!)

[ walking out of a theatre ]
“Craig, what did you think of the movie?”
“Dude, I’m totally confused. How could Rosebud have been [redacted]? How did I miss that?!”
[ …conversation goes on. Happy friend. yeah! ]

Someone

On the other hand, when one encounters someone espousing dubious, confusing, or questionable ideas, one must tread carefully. Unilaterally saying, “I don’t understand,” to friends and family will come across as a back-handed insult. They will interpret, “I don’t understand,” to imply, “you are not making sense,” or worse, “you are stupid.” Bye-bye friends and family. (boo!)

[ entering the coffee shop ]
“Hey Craig, I saw this great movie! It was about a [redacted] named George Orwell and it was looking for some a citizen named Rosebud.”
“Dude, I’m totally confused. How can [redacted] be named George Orwell… I thought he wrote the movie script?”
[ …reflects negatively on friend. Friend is unhappy. boo! ]

Suddenly, (awesome film by the way,) I have to either smile and bear the nonsense, or start picking the nonsense apart bit by bit until my friend realizes they are confused and don’t understand.

I’ve sometimes, (often?,) been accused of lacking social skills. Nay, I suggest that some people’s signal-to-noise ratio is low, and I am simply not interested in fixing everyone I encounter.

(See also Megalomania. But, then, also Imposter Syndrome.)