Retro Review: The Happiness Project

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

OUR RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: The Happiness Project, published by Gretchen Rubin

WEB ADDRESS: http://thehappinessproject.com

BLOG'S DESCRIPTION: I'm working on a book, THE HAPPINESS PROJECT--a memoir about the year I spent test-driving every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study I could find, whether from Aristotle or Martin Seligman or Oprah. On this daily blog, I recount some of my adventures and insights as I grapple with the challenge of being happier.

OUR REVIEW: There's not a lot of happiness in the world today, unfortunately. Of course, with all the earthquakes...in Haiti and Chile, the lousy economy, the conundrum of global warming (is it or isn't it man-made?), everyone is just a bit tense, if they're paying any attention at all to what's going on in the world. But even those who aren't - teenagers who spend all their time playing violent video games, or even just practicing their skateboarding skills... are they happy?

Then there's girls...hard to be happy when you're going to be teased at school for being overweight, or for not having a boyfriend, or any of a hundred things some clique finds it necessary to tease you about. Then there's the fact that girls start obsessing over their weight at the age of six, and this new government "anti-obesity" project is just going to exacerbate matters.

Oh...there's lots of things to feel tense about, which is why The Happiness Project is so important, and why I recommend it highly.

Here's a few sample paragraphs:

I’ve always been a bit of a humbug when it comes to “personal development”, happiness fluff and life-changing inspirational yaddayadda…

That’s because I’ve known for a long time that all these damn lists, personal improvement systems and anti-systems, productivity tips, self-righteous self-help gurus and on and on are mostly just more noise added to the online eco-system of “average” — more stuff to read and follow, more stuff to “TRY” when really you should be out there cutting your teeth and “DOING.” I’ll talk a bit more on my own experience with this, but first let’s get to the point:

There ARE a number of exceptions to the rule of general mediocrity and fluff online…
One of the true stand-outs is Seth Godin. It’s been remarkable for me to watch Seth in recent years, as he dives deeper and deeper into his own real natural genius. His short, brilliant, and to the point 14-page manifesto, Brainwashed: Seven Ways to Reinvent Yourself is indispensable for anyone who’s struggling to change the world, grasp their own genius, and stand in their greatest personal power...

I highly, highly, recommend this blog.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-We needs must love the highest when we see it
-Finish the projects you've started. Or call an end to them.
-Nice paradoxes to contemplate as you consider happiness
-Happiness and the visits of a gazelle
-The extraordinary happiness of completing a project: "Four to Llewelyn's Edge"

Retro Review: Aviation Law Monitor

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

OUR RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Aviation Law Monitor, published by Mike Danko, Danko Law Firm

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.aviationlawmonitor.com/

BLOG'S DESCRIPTION: Insight and commentary on aviation accidents and the law

OUR REVIEW: An excellent blog that every pilot should read. There's no such thing as "accidents" anymore, in the eyes of the law (if indeed there ever was one). Now, regardless of whether an aviation crash is an unavoidable "act of God" or pilot error or what have you, people will come out of the woodwork to sue the pilot, the aircraft manufacturer, the airport from which the plane took off, probably the people who fueled the plane, and the airport at which the plane was supposed to land, not to mention each and every flight instructor the pilot involved ever had, andthe companies that provided the engines or the instruments for the planes, and so on ad nauseum. (It's only a matter of time before the parents of a pilot are sued, for not preventing him/her from taking lessons in the first place!)

Mike Danko is an attorney who specializes in Aviation Law, and he goes into great detail into each aviation accident. Don't worry - he doesn't use a lot of legalese. As long as you know your aviation, you can follow his reports easily. Each report comes complete with a variety of maps, photos of runways, and so on.

Anyone concerned with the future of general aviation should read this blog.

Here's some sample paragraphs:

Once the pilot has reached a safe altitude and has established radio contact with air traffic control, the pilot may attempt the approach procedure again. He may obtain a clearance to fly a different approach procedure from the opposite direction, or he may opt to fly to a different airport where the weather is better.

Investigators report that the accident aircraft, N4175A, "went missed" on his first approach to the airport, and that the accident occurred near the completion of its second approach. On the second approach, the aircraft had successfully descended beneath the clouds. We know that because

a witness on the ground saw the aircraft maneuvering. The witness saw the aircraft suddenly burst into fire, and then saw the aircraft crash. Investigators say that the aircraft exploded in flight because it hit a tree while maneuvering, and the tree ruptured a fuel tank.

The question is not why the aircraft hit a tree. Rather, the question is why the aircraft was maneuvering at all. The approach should have lined up the pilot for landing straight ahead. No turns should have been necessary.

It is true that pilots are permitted, once the runway appears before them, to circle around to land in the other direction if the surface winds require it. But this accident occurred after dark. "Circling to land" in poor weather at night is a challenging undertaking. There is a risk of losing sight of the runway, becoming disoriented in the dark, inadvertently re-entering clouds, or hitting obstacles that are hard to see. That's why the "night circling approach to minimums" is considered the most dangerous of all instrument approaches. Most pilots will not attempt a circling approach at night unless there is no other option. Here, there was an option. If the winds required landing in the other direction, the pilot could simply have flown the other available approach procedure which brings the aircraft straight in to the runway from the west.

The NTSB will now take over the accident investigation. It will be difficult. Air traffic control tapes are often useful in reconstructing accidents such as this one. But there is no control tower at Pine Mountain Lake, and so the pilot would not have been communicating with any air traffic control facility in the final stages of the flight.

RECENT ARTICLES:
NTSB Preliminary Report on Saratoga Crash at Pine Mountain Lake in Groveland, CA (Feb 25, 2010)
-San Jose Mercury News Coverage of the Cessna 310 (Tesla) Crash at East Palo Alto (Feb 25, 2010)
-Piper Saratoga Crash at Pine Mountain Lake Airport in Groveland, CA (Feb 22, 2010)
-Cessna 310 (Tesla) Crash at East Palo Alto: NTSB Probale Cause Investigation) (Feb 20, 2010)
-Eurocoptr EC135 Crash at Cave Creek, Arizona (Food Service of America): Possible Tail Rotor System Malfunction (Feb 18, 2010)

Retro Review: Science Codex Space and Astronomy

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Science Codex Space and Astronomy

WEB ADDRESS: http://sciencecodex.com/ (Main page, from which there are link to all their disciplines)

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Science Codex posts articles on the latest science findings from all over the world.

MY REVIEW: Whereas NASA Watch concentrates on the space programs - of other countries but mostly of NASA, Science Codex Space and Astronomy deals with astronomy news and space technology in general.

The posts are well-written. They are written for the well-read layperson - if you're not well-read, this is not a problem, with the ease of the internet you can always look up any terminology you are unfamiliar with. However, because the articles are written for the layperson, much of the terminology used is defined within the article. For example, DHA = docosahexaenoic acid. This is the Omega-3 fatty acid that has been shown to kill neuroblastoma cancer cells.

Here's a few sample paragraphs:

The next treatment for cancer might come from fish says a new research report published in the March 2010 print edition of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org). In the report, scientists show that the omega-3 fatty acid, "docosahexaenoic acid" or "DHA," and its derivatives in the body kill neuroblastoma cancer cells. This discovery could lead to new treatments for a wide range of cancers, including neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, colon, breast, and prostate cancers, among others.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Strenthening NASA's suborbital program
-Researchers fishing for cancer cure discover active DHA derivatives
-New 'alien' invaders found in the Milky Way [that'd be alien galaxies, not beings)
-CeBIT 2010: Intelligent energy management for the home
-Wild 2: First measurement of the age of cometary material

Retro Review: NASA Watch

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: NASA Watch, published by Keith Cowling

WEB ADDRESS: http://nasawatch.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: NASA Watch is the leading industry news site for NASA with over 13 years experience. We cover daily news including space exploration, policy, budgets, commercial space, congress and much more.

MY REVIEW: It is absolutely imperative that people keep up with the space programs - albeit not only of the United States but also of other countries as well. Somebody is going to establish bases on the Moon, somebody is going to establish bases on Mars. Hopefully it will be by peaceful means, and for peaceful uses. In any event, NASA Watch is an excellent blog, chock full of all kinds of information, written for the layperson.

Of course, new readers may have to do some research on acronyms used. Who is ATK, for example? I think it's Alliant Techsystems - a company I actually used to work for, back when it was a defense subscontractor located out of Minneapolis, and not ATK Spacecraft systems, located out of Hampton, Virginia.

I cannot recommend this blog highly enough.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Canadian Space Agency waits for government direction
-Robert McCall [space artist obit]
-Acts of Desperation [ATK sniping at NASA)
-Congressional Flak on NASA's plans
-JSC Job Loss Update (re Obama's termination of the Constellation Program. JSC = Johnson Space Center)

Retro Review: Nanny Goats in Panties

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Nanny Goats in Panties, published by Margaret Andrews

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.nannygoatsinpanties.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This blog humorously observes the planet and its occupants, complains vociferously, participates in ironic self-destruction, and displays the occasional ruminant. With or without undergarments.

MY REVIEW: Well, the unifying theme of this blog is the author's liking of goats. And the photos she shares do make them look cute. (Well, babies of any species...well, most mammalian species, anyway, look cute). Other than that, she blogs about her day, and yes, it is indeed humorous. She does have a sharp sense of humor. Indeed, her entry entitled "The Dangers of Shopping Alone" is hilarious.

If I were the type of person who liked to have a smile with my morning coffee, before getting on with my day, I'd love this blog. It's a lot more amusing than those silly "Joke a day" blogs.

But then most humor blogs I've reviewed, such as Midlife Musings, to name only one, are funnier than those pointless "Joke a Day" blogs.

So I'd say give this blog a chance (in particular seek out "The Dangers of Shopping Alone" in the archives, if you're reading this review much after March 1, 2010).

Here's some sample paragraphs:

California is from Mars, Arizona is from Venus
Oh sure, when we checked in to the Hilton hotel in Tucson, Arizona, it seemed innocuous. Pretty, even.

We should have known when we bore witness to grass at this so-called hotel, that something was afoot. I don't know if you non-Arizonians know this, but people in many parts of Arizona, especially the desert-like Tucson area, do not have grass. Let alone the green variety.

What, you don't believe me? Have I ever lied to you? Okay, one time! But I was protecting not only myself but the poor frog too. I mean we were both young and stupid and he had his tadpoles to think of. I'm not proud of what I did, but we both moved on and I was sort of hoping you'd have more compassion than you are displaying right now, quite frankly. Also? I can't walk into my laundry room with the swamp photo wallpaper without breaking down, but I must soldier on because it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

So, besides that one time, have I ever lied to you? If you're hesitating, let me help you. The answer is no. I haven't. In fact, I have proof of said lack of grass in Arizona. Here is my Tucsonian friend's front yard, sans grass:

RECENT ARTICLES:
-The Dangers of Shopping Alone (March 1, 2010)
-Goat Thing of the Day: Goat-Minded Sheep (Feb 25, 2010)
-California is from Mars, Arizona is from Venus (Feb 22, 2010)
-Goat Thing of the Day: A Belated Valentine. And Childhood Goat Trauma (Feb 19, 2010)
-Tucson, Arizona is a Big Bully (Feb 17, 2010)