The Price of a Squaw - Terry C. Johnston

This short story relates a brief but important event in Kit Carsons life. When he arrives at a gathering of trappers, traders and tribes, he sees a beautiful Indian maiden. He quickly decides to make her his wife. There is just one problem. A large French problem, renown for his fighting prowess and brutality.

Johnston tells the story with a straightforward and simple style. The dialogue moves the story along at a brisk pace. There is no deep elaboration of costume or scene. Johnston does a good job of reminding us that the plot is what makes a story compelling.

If you get the chance take a few moments to read about how Kit deals with his problem. A brief investment of time will deliver a rewarding and entertaining image.

Dark of the Moon - John Sandford

I have been hoping that John Sandford would write another Kidd novel. When I saw that the title did not include the word "Prey" I thought my hopes were realized. While Lucas Davenport was not the central character in this work, neither was Kidd. Instead Sandford has started another series. This one featuring a supporting character in many of the Prey novels.

Virgil Flowers is a cop. He is a good cop but, he moves to the beat of his own drum. Working for Lucas Davenport, he gets the freedom live his life and work the job on his terms. All Lucas cares about is results.

When Virgil finds himself in the boonies investigating the death of a rich, elderly and not well liked member of a small community he feels the pressure on his shoulders. Not enough pressure to prevent him taking time to romance the communities most eligible bachelorette. Still, Virgil manages to push the right buttons and draws out the killer.

Virgil is a distinctly unique character from Lucas Davenport. This is truly a testament to the skill of John Sandford. Far to often, the spin off character is a cookie cutter of the original. I don't know if I like Virgil yet. I will have to give him one or two more novels before I can decide.

Raise the Titanic - Clive Cussler

Naturally, this story begins on that fateful January night in 1912. When the Titanic strikes the iceberg, a passenger corners one of the porters forces him to be a guide. Near the bottom of the Titanic is the cargo hold this passenger has chosen for his final resting place.

Flash forward to present day. The President has a secret agenda and a legacy that depend on the cargo that went down with the Titanic. Enter our hero, Dirk Pitt. The task of salvaging the cargo falls on his shoulders.

First things first, Dirk must find the Titanic at the bottom of the North Atlantic. The activities of National Underwater and Marine Agency do not go without notice. The Soviet Union are quickly interested in the NUMA ships scouring the sea. Things become more complicated when the CIA makes the President aware of the possibility of capturing one of the USSR's top spies. And all the President has to do is allow information to slip out about what Dirk and his people are actually after.

This fast paced adventure is thoroughly entertaining. Cussler has tapped into a story that captures the imagination and makes time stand still. This is Dirks best tale yet.

Killing Rommel - Steven Pressfield

This was a book I listened to on my last trip to the Philippines. At least, I listened to most of it then. I found this book in NetLibrary. After charging my MP3 player, the licence for it was no longer valid and I was unable to finish listening to it until I visited the NetLibrary site with my MP3 plugged in and requested the licence again.

Despite those travails, I thought it worth the effort. I found the plot and the storytelling quite compelling. Although it was billed as a biography on NetLibrary, it is really a work of fiction. The central mission described in the book never happened. The main characters are fictional.

The book itself, develops like a biography would. Giving us a rather complete background of the main character, Lawrence Chapman. Describing in some detail the pivotal developmental moments in his early life and schooling before dropping us into World War II. Chap is assigned to the Long Range Desert Group shortly after he arrives in North Africa. This group did exist at the time and carried out missions beyond enemy lines.

Many of the descriptions of events are accurate even though the story itself is fiction. We are treated to an experience of what life was like for the men of the LTDG. We get exposed to the passion they had for their role in the war and a feel for the turmoil they experienced when taking time to think about their families and friends.

This was a terrific book. Not the biography I was expecting but an accurate and compelling portrayal of life during the desert campaign of WWII. I highly recommend it to any history or WWII buff.

FeedReader3

I made another attempt at using an aggregator to streamline my web surfing. This time I tried FeedReader3. There are no frills with this. The left side contains the list of feeds you have set up and the right side displays the feed you choose to read.

I used it for a couple months and found it quite user friendly and functional. Adding a feed is as simple as cutting and pasting. Organizing the feeds is easy as well with the folder setup. If the feed you are reading includes pictures, they load very quickly within the applet. You also have the option to open the feed you're on in a browser window. Quite useful if you want to explore the site.

I did have some technical difficulties. Fortunately, they did not involve my computer being taken over by addware as another aggregator is prone to do. Rather, it impacted the functionality of my browser. When I would navigate within my browser I would occasionally experience an unrecoverable error. This only happened when the FeedReader3 was active. I would also receive an exception error in the aggregator itself. I decided to try repairing the aggregator to fix the problem. Unfortunately, when I went to add/remove programs it was not in the list.

It turns out, that the FeedReader3 is installed in the root directory. The only option you have is to delete the program and reinstall it. After deleting the program I no longer experienced the error in the web browser. It has been a couple weeks now and I still haven't reinstalled the FeedReader3. It worked out OK. I found nothing on the support pages of the website about the errors I was experiencing so I am not going to reinstall it. Maybe it was something unique to my system, maybe not. Either way FeedReader3 was not a WOW experience. I can and will live without it.

If I hear about another aggregator that has a strong following, I will certainly give it a try.

Million Dollar Hold'em - Johnny Chan, Mark Karowe

Million Dollar Hold'em is a unique book. Written by a world champion at no limit, this book focuses on the concepts necessary to be successful in fixed limit games. There is a lot you won't find in this book. You won't find an introduction to hand rankings or the rules governing how to play Texas Hold'em. This book is aimed at people who have an innate understanding of these things.

The structure of this book is unique as well. Johnny presents a concept. He presents it succinctly and then proceeds to demonstrate it. The vast majority of this book is a recap of hands that have been played. Using these hands to demonstrate the concepts presented. For someone with experience at the tables, this is a very effective method. Often I was able to think back to a hand I played earlier in the week or month and say, "That's what he was doing." Or sometimes, ok maybe more than sometimes, "That's why he called my bluff."

This treatise can be very enlightening. Also of key importance, Johnny assumes the reader has the skills to identify what kinds of plays people are fond of. What kinds of risks other players are willing to take. Most of these concepts work or don't work because you have more than just a guess about how your opponent will react. If you are struggling to identify who is tight aggressive and who is weak passive at a table there is very little this book can help you with.

You always hear that poker is a people game, not a card game. This book shows you just how true that statement is. Is you understand the people you are playing with, this book will help you improve the decisions you are making against them and ultimately, when you make good decisions you will make money.

Final Presidential Debate

I watched the debate this past week. This debate focused on domestic policy. America is in the middle of an economic crisis and the plans that these men put forward to address this issue is likely to be the deciding factor for a significant number of voters. It was this specific issue that prompted me to stay at work and watch the debate in the break room rather than make the 45min drive home.

I was more than a little disappointed in both candidates. Obama is a slick talking, charismatic politicians politician. McCain, not so much. When the topic turned to economics I was ready to hear some courageous talk about how to fix the situation. McCain struggled to articulate any word with more than 2 syllables. Obama deftly ignored the topic completely while using words that are typically associated with economics. In the end, I came to a conclusion about each candidate.

John McCain. He has a plan. I don't know what it is or how it would work. He struggled to put forth examples of what the plan entails but, he couldn't put together a complete sentence that made sense. Let alone that paragraph that would be necessary to convey a concept.

Barak Obama. He has no plan. He knows what he wants but, it has nothing to do with helping the American people. It has everything to do with helping Barak. He is polished and articulate. To bad he has nothing to say.

I should have just gone home. I have no idea which candidate to vote for. I want to vote against them both. After this debate, I weep for Americas future.

King Rat - James Clavell

I reread (sorta) King Rat the other day. Clavell is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I had a paperback copy that fell apart years ago so, I was excited when I stumbled across it with my torrent program. This time I thought I would let the Stephen Hawking-like Microsoft Reader tell me the story.

I have always found the way Clavell weaves stories together very appealing. In this case, there is no tie to his previous (chronologically) novels. But there is a tie to his next novel, Noble House.

I am very appreciative of the fact that he doesn't go overboard with description. The story is in the characters and he lets them weave the fabric. Very little time is spent describing the environment and yet, I have a vivid image in my minds eye of what Changi prison looks like and how it smells.

Set near the end of WWII, King Rat is a brave exploration of life in a POW camp. The characters are vividly developed and their plight is not glorified. Clavell focuses his attention on the internal battle the individuals wage within themselves. Battling to hang on to their sanity. Balancing their survival needs against their personal morality.

Unfortunately, this brilliant writing does not come through when Microsoft Reader is vocalizing the words. There is no emotion of course and the cadence is so consistent I found myself tiring quickly. After only a few chapters, I gave up on having the story read to me and read it myself. I am sure this feature of the reader has its audience. People who are suffering eye ailments for instance. But if your need for auditory consumption of written material is more long term, I suggest regular audio books.

Phantom Prey - John Sandford

Lucas Davenport gets thrust into the middle of series of murders he would rather have nothing to do with. At the same time he is on the team trying to get the Twin Cities ready for the republican convention. Preparing for security of the participants and crowd control with a limited police staff is quite a daunting task in and of itself.

The daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur goes missing and presumed dead. Shortly afterward, her friends begin to show up murdered. After Weather runs into the mother at their gym, she convinces Lucas to get involved in the investigation.

Sandford uses this story to explore the world of Goth. Lucas meets and talks with a number of different people within this subculture and we get some insight into who they are and how they think. And just like most groups, they have their factions and clicks and competing philosophies. Sandford is taking his art to a new level. He is no longer just telling a suspenseful tale. He exploring the sociological aspects of society. In the decades to come, Sandford may well be required reading in many universities and high schools.

Iceberg - Clive Cussler

It was a windy Saturday in Arizona and the college football was not compelling. I pulled out my laptop and let myself be entertained with another of Dirk Pitt's adventures.

This time Dirk finds himself in the North Atlantic searching for a very special iceberg. Inside the iceberg is a ship. Dr Hunnewell, travelling with Pitt, has several explanations as to how a ship could become encased in an iceberg. And since we are here for an adventure, I refuse to think about how plausible any of his theories really are.

Finding and identifying the ship within the iceberg solves one big mystery and leads to several more. Unfortunately for Dr. Hunnewell and NUMA's Special Projects Director, they are not the only ones interested in the iceberg. And the other interested parties are not pleased that they have competition.

The damsel in this story is a beautiful Icelandic princess. Well, technically she isn't a princess but, Dirk is still smitten. When he discovers just after meeting her that he has competition for the lady's heart as well, he employs a most unusual strategy to displace her fiance.

All my college teams took a pounding. Never the less, I had an enjoyable Saturday afternoon thanks in no small part to Dirk.

E*LEADER - Robert Hargrove

This is an interesting perspective on corporate leadership. The traditional company has everyone working in one location. Ok, maybe that isn't exactly true. These companies often have offices in several locations but, everyone working for them lives near and works in that location. More and more companies are employing people without much consideration to their geographic location. When you are managing a team of people who don't commute to the office, there are some unique challenges you will encounter. Hargrove argues that in order to be an effective leader in this environment there are some fundamental changes to the leadership philosophy that must be embraced.

One of the key changes I took away and am recognizing in my own job has to do with how the leader approaches decision making. Successful leaders in an e-economy need to be "sourcing" leaders rather than "reactive" leaders. Basically, in the traditional leadership profile there is a significant emphasis on understanding what is working, what has worked and how to keep it working. This is reactive. Letting history guide your decision making and influence your creativity. A sourcing leader envisions the future with no concern for history. Often these ideas are initially considered impossible. They have little to no resemblance to traditional processes or models.

In this sourcing style of leadership, the team has a more important role. The team must have more decision making ability. To create the future requires the team to be able to not only think outside the box but be empowered to blow the box up. With this emphasis on changing the culture of the team and the leader, Hargrove envisions companies becoming embattled in "talent wars."

The survival of companies in the e-economy will be more dependant on individual contributors. Getting and keeping the top talent is a critical key to success. Once you have the talent, the real test of the leader begins. Your talent must be able to effectively work together. Your talent must gain shared vision on where they are going. Your talent must trust each other and their ideas. Your talent must be willing to admit that someone else may have a better idea and abandon their competing concept.

This is a very interesting perspective of the leadership role in an evolving 21st century economy. I am employed in a tech firm and we have recently taken action to blow up a support model that has been very effective for 25 years. The new support model we are using has very little recognizable from 6 months ago. It is quite an adventure as we are tweaking and refining it.

I found this book very helpful personally. I have a better understanding of why our company is changing in the manner it is. If you are in a company that is making changes that seem to make absolutely no sense, you might give this book a read. It may not apply but, it just might. And even if it doesn't, the concepts will really make you think.

The Dragonhead - John Sack

John Sack does a masterful job portraying the life of Johnny Kon. Johnny Kon began life as Yu Kon in Gongjalu, 1943. He grows up poor in the rural area of China. When he is 16 his father sends him to Hong Kong to get a job and send money to support the family. In Honk Kong, Yu becomes Johnny.

His motivation is simple. Johnny Kon wants to take care of his family. This never changes. He is a janitor in a Hong Kong furrier when the owner gives him the opportunity to sell a fur to a customer the owner does not believe will buy. Johnny sells the coat and is immediately promoted to salesman. Johnny is smart and learns the business. Soon, he has broken out on his own and runs Johnny Kon Furs.

It is the early 60's now and Johnny has a friend that introduces him to American GI's visiting Hong Kong. This friend recommends Johnny to all the Americans who wish to buy fur coats and fur hats to send to their wives and girlfriends and mothers in America. Quickly Johnny realizes he can sell more if his is in Vietnam the he can waiting for the Americans to visit him in Hong Kong.

When the Americans leave Vietnam, Johnny is selling much more than just fur. He and his wife and 2 boys are living in Cambodia. On a trip to Hong Kong with his wife, their boys are killed by the Pol Pots forces. Johnny eventually blames the Americans for the death of his children. If the Americans had not abandoned Vietnam, he reasons, Pol Pot would not have become so strong and so brutal. Johnny swears to have his revenge.

It is this quest for revenge that leads Johnny Kon to become one of the most respected and feared leaders in the Chinese mafia. Dragonhead is a compelling look at the decisions he made and their consequences. His story is one well worth reading.

Sharpe's Triumph - Bernard Cornwell

In the fall of 1803 Richard Sharp is still in Seringapatam India. 4 years after we were introduced to the private he hasn't moved very far. Rewarded with Sargent stripes for his role in freeing prisoner of war Colonel McCandless from the Tippoo's dungeons, he has continued to serve her majesty's army by helping Major Stokes maintain the defenses of Seringapatam.

Our story begins with Sharpe sent on an errand to retrieve and transport back 80,000 rounds of musket cartridges from a nearby fort. While he is there, a surprise attack wipes out the defenders and most of the women and children in the fort. Sharpe survives by accident. Having taken a glancing blow on the head from a musket ball, Sharpe is assumed to be dead given the huge quantity of blood that poured from his head.

When Sharpe returns to Seringapatam and reports what occurred, he finds out that the man who lead the raid, Major Dodd, was recently a Lieutenant in her Majesty's army. Having signed on with the Mahrattas, he was immediately promoted and promised a fortune for his services in helping to defeat the British.

Shortly after Sharpe has settled back into his routine at Seringapatam, Colonel McCandless arrives and takes Sharpe back to the war. McCandless has been tasked with capturing Major Dodd and returning him to the British army to stand trial. Never having seen the man, McCandless requisitions Sharpe to aid him in this perilous mission.

Cornwell continues to paint a vivid and accurate picture of this period in history. Using the backdrop of actual events and battles, he places his characters in situations that allow us to witness the history through the eyes of people involved rather than through the dry recitation of history books filled with dates and names. We get a feel for life at the time.

Absolute Certainty - Rose Connors

There is always a bit of risk when a lawyer writes a crime novel. Especially when the protagonist happens to be a lawyer. The level of detail that goes into the lawyerly aspects of the story can easily get out of control. Fortunately, Rose is able to balance the plot and the law fairly.

This is a modern story told in an innocuous setting. Marty Nickerson is district attorney for Barnstable county MA and a divorced mother of a teenage son. In this tight-knit community on Cape Cod, she finds herself arguing a string of murder cases while trying to raise her son and take care of family and friends directly impacted by loss of loved ones.

The story is filled with a rich and diverse cast of characters. She endeavors to develop each character fully even when they have a fairly minor role. For a first novel, this is exceptional work. I am looking forward to reading her future efforts.

I say reading but, I listened to this one. Bernadette Dune read the book. She makes a good effort to keep the voices of the characters distinct. Sometimes though, she struggles with the males and they all seem to be the voice of retirees who smoke 2 packs a day and have for the past 50 years. She does, however, do an excellent job of pacing. The story is compelling and moves at a brisk pace.

Rose Connors is an up and coming author. I recommend you start reading her now rather than waiting until she has 15 or 20 novels on the shelves.

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

I have not read Ayn Rand before. Going to school in northern California, I heard a lot of positive things about her work. It is generally agreed that Atlas Shrugged is her masterpiece.

Well, it certainly is a piece. I have to dispute the masterful part though. Some of my disgust probably has to do with the fact that I consumed this work in audio form rather than written. With a book I can start skimming the pages when the author gets into a rut. With an audio book it is a bit more difficult. Especially if you are driving at the time. I listened to an almost 2 hour description of a train ride in the Rockies. A boring description of the mountainsides and the feel of the train on the tracks with next to no dialogue, internal or otherwise.

Which brings up another major problem with this book; the dialogue. The tripe that came out of her characters mouths was mind numbing. Her penchant for having them voice in minute detail the reason they were doing or thinking what they were at every single opportunity made me daydream fondly of steering my car underneath a semi.

This was her last work of fiction. From here she went on to develop her philosophy of objectivism. I have not and do not intend to read these later works but, I trust she did a better job with them. Her transparent and clumsy effort to develop such a philosophy in fiction fell terribly short in my opinion.

More than 1000 pages. I cannot express how grateful I am that this was never assigned reading during my formal education. I forced myself to listen to it through to the end. I couldn't do it all at once and honestly, I only got through the last 25 hours or so because I had no other books on my MP3 player and I was in the middle of a trip to the Philippines.

BITE magazine

I happened upon BITE completely by accident. My wife and I had finished some shopping in SM mall and hopped in a taxi to go home but, the taxi broke down just as it was turning out of the mall. So we walked back to get in the taxi line again but decided it was too long. Instead, we decided to have some coffee in a cafe overlooking the sidewalk. When the line was reasonable, we would get back in it.

There was a line in the coffee shop too. Standing there, the cover of the magazine caught my eye. I had decided to grab a copy as an impulse buy. When I got to the front of the line and ordered, I reached for a copy about to ask the cashier to add it to my bill when i noticed FREE was printed in large letters across the bar code. What a score.

BITE is really little more than a monthly pamphlet. The September issue I grabbed is about the size of a business envelope and only 40 pages. It focuses on topics important to the youth of today. Concerts, online gaming, that sort of stuff. This issue had an expose of the skateboarding scene in downtown Cebu.

Overall, I found the writing to be quite good. The magazine is published in English so I was able to digest it quite easily. The magazine is able to distribute for free because they are liberal with their add space. Unlike most US publications that do this, they keep content pages free of adds and the add pages free of content. This makes it much more enjoyable and easy to read. I also find myself taking the time to look at the adds when they are grouped together like that.

Next time you find yourself in Cebu City Philippines, try and pick a copy up. Until then, you can view it online. Some of the site is still under construction but, they are doing a very professional job. It is easy to navigate and organized well. Also the clutter is kept to a minimum on each page.

I guess it was actually pretty lucky that our taxi broke down. If it hadn't, who knows when, if ever, I would have found this wonderful magazine.

Power Hold'em Strategy - Daniel Negreanu

In the tradition of Doyle Brunson, Daniel has brought together a collection of world class poker stars to write the "Bible" of poker. Unlike Super/System, this book focuses exclusively on Texas Hold'em. More specifically, on No-Limit Texas Hold'em.

The authors attack the game from a number of angles. Tournament and cash games. Internet and live games. Playing at short-handed tables, shifting gears and playing small ball. There is very little time spent on limit games. Usually limit games are mentioned only to point out the strategy being discussed has no chance of working in a limit game.

Evelyn Ng provides a good and in depth discussion of basic big bet strategy for playing tournaments. She is quick to point out that there are problems with the strategy she advocates but, it is designed for the player who has little to no tournament experience.

Eric Lindgren provides an insightful piece on Internet cash games. What to look for and how to protect yourself. His advice goes beyond how to manage your game but has implications for how to manage your life successfully.

Daniel's "chapter," it takes up half the book, focuses on a strategy he calls "Small Ball." The explanations and examples are very well put together. This is definitely the most enlightening part of this treatise. Without a doubt this is a worthwhile investment of your money and your time. If you play no limit hold'em, buy it today and start digesting it tonight.

NetLibrary

I have been travelling a fair amount for work and have found audio books to be a good way to fill those stretches where I cannot find a radio station that appeals to me. My local library subscribes to a couple providers.

NetLibrary allows you to download the audio books and transfer them to your iPod or other MP3 player. The ebooks are delivered in a single file. This is nice if your MP3 has bookmarking capability. You can mark your spot and return to it later. If your MP3 player doesn't have bookmarking capability this can be a pain.

You will need to remember how far into the book you were and then fast forward to that spot if you listen to anything else or if your MP3 doesn't resume from the spot it was shut off at.

I bought a new MP3 player for a trip I recently made to the Philippines. I bought it because it has a battery life of 24 hours. It charges via the USB port on my computer. I loaded a couple books onto it from NetLibrary and was off. Once in the Philippines I needed to charge it so connected it to my computer.

Here is the problem with NetLibrary. The licencing process needs to validate every time the MP3 connects to your computer. Your computer must be connected to the Internet because the licence is not on the computer but is validated against the NetLibrary website. Needless to say, this was more than a little inconvenient.

Personally, I will not be using NetLibrary again. There must be better options out there. If you have any suggestions, let me know and I will give them a try.

Death and Honor - WEB Griffin and William E Butterworth IV

Another WWII story set in Argentina. Beginning with a short status check of the war in Europe and Asia during the summer of 1943, we get an understanding of the political climate in neutral Argentina. This chapter of the Honor Bound series spans 22 June to 12 August 1943.

Major Frade of the Marines has been on assignment to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) for some time now. An aviator who has been grounded due to injuries, he leaped at the chance to play an active role again in the war. While it is not as glamorous or thrilling as dogfights are, he has an important job to do.

We pick up where Secret Honor left off. The Germans are still trying to land their secret cargo in Argentina. Due to some good sleuthing and key contacts, Frade is able to determine what this cargo contains and why it is so important. While this plot continues to unfold, a new wrinkle is introduced by the Commander in Chief.

FDR has decided that he wants an airline in Argentina that is controlled by the US. With Frade's history as a Naval Aviator, Argentine ancestry and personal friendship with Howard Hughes, he is the perfect candidate to establish and operate South American Airlines.

Things do not go smoothly. But in typical fashion, Frade finds a way. He continues to be his arrogant and flippant self. Somehow managing to charm the ones he needs to and earning the respect of his opposition. There is nothing spectacular about this installment, it ends as the others have. Leaving you wondering what will happen but resting assured that there will be another story to read.

Sharpe's Tiger - Bernard Cornwell

My library has a number of Cornwell's books. I have read a few of them and enjoyed them all. The Sharpe series is not well represented though. I have a slightly compulsive habit of reading a series in order whenever possible. Fortunately, I have been able to locate and download all but 2 of the books in this series. The missing titles come late in the series so I have hopes that I will locate and acquire them in a timely manner.

Sharpe's Tiger introduces us to Richard Sharpe in 1799. A private in Her Majesty's army who is contemplating desertion. But where can he run to in India? Add in the fact that he is in love with a Sargent's widow and running really isn't much of an option.

Mary Bickerstaff is a beautiful woman. And Sharpe isn't the only one with designs on her. Sargent Hakeswill has already blocked Sharpe's attempt to get permission to marry her. But Hakeswill has no desire to wed rather, he sees a business opportunity. He goads Sharpe into hitting him in front of witnesses. After a verdict of 2000 lashes, Hakeswill is certain he will be able to arrange the sale of marry into a local brothel. With Sharpe dead, there is no one left to protect her.

General Harris has a suicide mission he needs a volunteer for. Sharpe appears made to order for the job. After a mere 200 lashes, he has the punishment stopped and Sharpe brought to his tent. Sharpe agrees to the Generals offer on condition that he be made a Sergeant should he be successful.

The story is told with great detail and admirable attention to historical accuracy. The fact that this is a series and this is the first chronologically, we know that Sharpe will be successful. Watching him attain that success is quite enjoyable.