Tag Archives: Book Review

Paul and Dan on The Book of Joy

Posted on March 19, 2022 by dan

Paul and Dan on The Book of Joy (by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams) We talk about my cancer, faith as foundational to hope and hoping for faith, Paul and my different religious backgrounds, faith as a … Continue reading →

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Paul and Dan on Atlantis

Posted on February 11, 2022 by dan

Paul and Dan on Atlantis (by Carlo and Renzo Piano). We talk about architecture, beauty and goodness, optimism and pessimism, civil society, not being cool, and conversation in general.  

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Paul and Dan on Deep Work 4/4

Posted on February 4, 2022 by dan

Paul and Dan on Deep Work (by Cal Newport). I push back and say what I like about Deep Work. We discuss being driven to distraction, unplugging, lentil soup with spearmint (it’s just not for me), and the difference between … Continue reading →

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Flights of Foundry Specbio panel

Posted on January 9, 2022 by dan

This is the video of the specbio panel I moderated last year at Flights of Foundry. I’m a little slow getting started, but my guests had some excellent things to say, so  please skip ahead a few minutes and hear … Continue reading →

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November Newsletter: The Scarf

Posted on December 10, 2021 by dan

I fell through the door with a sense of desperation. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong back there in the building, just my office with my computer on the big table and my backpack and slightly uncomfortable chair. I had sat … Continue reading →

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4 Star Book review: Paleocene 3

Posted on September 15, 2021 by dan

Full disclosure: the author sent me this comic, asking for an honest review. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t review it, but I did, so I am 🙂 I had heard about the Paleocene comic series, but I hadn’t … Continue reading →

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May Newsletter: Waste and Sacrifice

Posted on June 1, 2021 by dan

There’s a certain mental trap. You’re drawing a map of a far-future Quebec. Or maybe you’re trying to determine a sound change from Proto-Indo-European to Ancient Thracian. In this case,  I was rejiggering an outline. Wealthgiver had hit a block. … Continue reading →

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Paul and Dan discuss Becoming Fluent

Posted on May 21, 2021 by dan

And now for something completely different. My friend and mentor Paul Venet and I discuss the book Becoming Fluent and our experience learning and teaching languages.

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March Newsletter: I Got Chipped!

Posted on April 1, 2021 by dan

My GP is a real pro. I barely felt the needle go in. I looked away anyway, and I kept examining the wall while she gave the jab to Pavlina. I’ve been seeing a lot of needles go into a … Continue reading →

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Four Star Book Reviews: Semiosis

Posted on November 4, 2019 by dan

Semiosis by Sue Burke Semiosis is less a novel than a book of short stories, each of which recounts another generation of the history of a human colony on an exoplanet. I had trouble with the beginning, but after I … Continue reading →

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