Book: Robert E. Howard's - Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian

Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian: The Complete Weird Tales Omnibus by Robert E. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Ramblings

Well, this turned out quite the post after playing around with Statista.com and looking at the COVID-19/Influenza numbers. First of all it's great it's just numbers no agenda as far as I can tell, which is a rarity these days. A couple of odd things I noticed, Belgium despite the lockdown, has a relatively high number of deaths per Captia, as do the next couple of countries, with Sweden as the non-lockdown country coming in at #6:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111779/coronavirus-death-rate-europe-by-country/

Based on this, I don't think we have data to support that a lockdown is effective in spreading the virus, but also not what the economic impact is due to it. Switching to the US, and comparing that to the Influenza numbers, which I didn't realize were almost as high in the 50s, 60s and 70s and then came down again. But even in the 90s there are numbers significantly higher then the current COVID-19 numbers for the U.S. https://www.statista.com/statistics/184574/deaths-by-influenza-and-pneumonia-in-the-us-since-1950/

Is there nothing to worry about, certainly, but not just COVID, but the regular flu as well, among other things. Is that downplaying the novel virus? I think we're downplaying the other viruses because they aren't in "fashion" or "new". My questions is why do we have a single track mind, and now everything focuses on the "Coronavirus" to the detriment of everything else. What if we tracked influenza deaths, and had it on the news as much as COVID19, with a browser showing you the numbers first, would we not drive flu vaccinations up to prevent them? If we tracked suicides the same way, and raise awareness, would we not safe some of those who were desperate enough to wanting to end their lives? Many life choices would improve live expectancy, from drinking, smoking, eating/exercising, corresponding to Drunk Drivers, Lung Cancer, Heart Attacks, etc ... so many causes, many much more preventable, but as a society we've "chosen" this to be the focus of our attention. Leading Causes of Death per Captia. https://www.statista.com/statistics/248622/rates-of-leading-causes-of-death-in-the-us/

Yet, we only track COVID19 and cower in fear, instead of coming out to help one another (there are examples to the contrary and I applaud them). It's not just the length of life, it's also quality of life. Slave holders of old had all reasons to keep their "property" alive to maximize their investment, but most didn't care much for the quality of their lives.

I've been reading a book, called Overdiagnosed, written in 2011, which does make that point: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8343437-overdiagnosed

There is a balance, and we tend to overdo it, if left to our own devices and are guided by fear. The "cure(s)" result in side effects, which need another cure, instead of looking at the big picture, and in the end we make ourselves sicker.

We need to improve health care, make it available and affordable to all, as a human right/service, in any country that has the means to do that. Health care shouldn't be for profit and have the funding of the common, as the "marketplace" isn't a solution when you are fighting an illness. There are other areas of society that would fall into that category, you don't want to pay the highest bidder for policing or fire fighter/rescue ...

We need to control and regulate, what's in our medicine and food, that the common man wouldn't even be aware of s/he is exposed, and research the long term impact. On the other hand we need to allow people the freedom to live their lives meaning fully, and come to an agreement on where ones freedoms ends, and the next ones begins. Regulating the distance people keep from each other (with consent to clarify), where they go, and what clothing items or personal protection they wear, should really be ones personal freedom, as much as what to read, watch ... and what to belief or not to belief (yes that's aimed at my religious friends).

Maybe there should be an increased share of cost for the individual to the common total cost, based on our life choices, just like an insurance company would do, but only on those choices - not any pre-existing conditions. Be that Drinking, Smoking, Wearing/Not Wearing a mask, driving a big SUV increasing pollution, ...

Do good and reduce your "debt" to society, help your neighbor, care for the sick and elderly, teach the children, be kind and supportive to someone in need, protect the weak and disenfranchised. Let's throw crime in too, steal from others, and work to repay not punish, kill someone and give (maybe an organ) to safe a life.

By now, I suspect, I've offend people on both sides, and I can say the left hates me as much as the right. Leaders really don't need to be popular, they need to do the right thing, even if it's not popular, that's the problem with democracy. Maybe a system of government based on merit would be better, with checks and balances, to keep everyone honest and not abuse the system, and opportunities for all to participate, with the skills and knowledge they have (sounds a bit like the old Chinese system). Merit, could be the new "currency" in a future society (that's where I get the Trekkies on my side).

We need an "Architect" as leader, who isn't an expect but see the big picture, surrounded by trustworthy people who are experts and have expertise and knowledge, to provide input into that big picture. King Arthur, is the mythological equivalent, maybe an Artifical Intelligence the futuristic counterpart, to bring in Camelot 2.0. The leaders we want, are the ones, who actually don't want to be leaders, just like the best Heroes are the reluctant ones. We need King Arthur, any of the Greats, Alfred, Alexander, Ashoka or Peter; Maria Theresa or Joseph II to thrown in some Austrians, or Pericles or Socrates, not Biden or Trump (or Kurz).

So here it is vote for me as your reluctant architect (and future world dictator), who everyone will despise, it will be the last vote you ever need. All your actions will be tracked via a mandatory handy phone app or your in home smart electronics, so don't think you can avoid "voting" for me either ;-).

Book: BitCoin Standard

The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking by Saifedean Ammous
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Author certainly has a political agenda, which is somewhat contrary to my own liberal views, and he can be a bit condescending, but I think we all need to listen to the ones we don't necessarily agree with to understand where they are coming from. And personally he has made a number of good points, that maybe obvious to someone with an economics background, but weren't to me. Certainly I can't say I agree with all the points being made, and at times he brushes counter arguments aside a bit to easily with arguments such as "... if one would do that they would harm themselves as they have invested in bitcoin ...", which by itself isn't enough. It's not like that stopped counterfeiters from making fake money because it would harm the value of the currency they are duplicating. Overall a good book and highly recommended, and I might have to invest in bitcoin myself

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Book: 101 Fun Games To Play with Friends, Family & Children

Games: 101 Fun Games To Play With Friends, Family & Children by Ace McCloud
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Even this book was only one hour, and it was an hour to long. It was rambling about games pretty much everyone one knows, and little to no detail in case you don't. I was struggling through it, while I no problem completing most courses within a week, this took me three months. That says it all.

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Book: Of Dice and Men

Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It by David M. Ewalt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed a good bit of it, especially the history of TSR, but somehow was expecting a bit more still.
As the author said up front, maybe I failed my gather information check ;-)

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Book: Make it Stick

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We'll see how much of it will actually stick ;-)

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Year: 1920

1920

Book: Bygone, Badass, Broads

Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World by Mackenzi Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Some hidden gems in there but overall to little detail, as can be expected in 5 minute sections about each "Broad", but then a good chunk of that is wasted on unnecessary feminist rhetoric other then sticking to the facts.

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Book: The Fall of Gondolin

The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good Story, but a bit repetitive as it's the same story a couple of times over

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Book: Pirate Women

Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas by Laura Sook Duncombe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's okay, not to bad, but really a bit heavy handed on the feminism.

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Book: Under the Black Flag

Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David Cordingly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Had the paper copy for ever and never read it, it's a good refresher on the history of Pirates.

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Lockdown for Life

How many deaths could be prevented by a lockdown

- Motor Vehicle Accidents (Annual about 30.000 in the US alone)
- Flu Related Deaths (Annual about 50.000 in the US alone)

Course: Thinking About CyberSecurity

Thinking about Cybersecurity: From Cyber Crime to Cyber Warfare by Paul Rosenzweig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Book: Sawbones

The Sawbones Book: The Hilarious, Horrifying Road to Modern Medicine by Justin McElroy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Based on Episodes from the Podcast
https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/sawbones/

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Book: How we'll live on Mars

How We'll Live on Mars by Stephen L. Petranek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Course: The Pagan World

The Pagan World - Ancient Religions Before Christianity by Hans-Friedrich Mueller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once you get used to the Professors distinct style it's pretty good.
May your nights and studies be auspicious


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Book: Game of Thrones Psychology

Game of Thrones Psychology: The Mind Is Dark and Full of Terrors by Travis Langley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Actually Pretty Good, more a Psychology book then a Game of Thrones reference book

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Book: The Art of Seduction

The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I personally like Robert Greene's style, the Machiavellian approach to life lessons, so different from my own I might add, combined with the historical references. If you like the 48 Laws of Power, the Art of War you'll like this one too, even some of the examples overlap between the books.

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Book: Raising Human Beings

Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child by Ross W. Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Book: Batman and Psychology

Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight by Travis Langley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't grow up on Comic Books and really know characters like Batman more from my sons, so I had a lot to learn, and it was interesting putting that in context with the little psychology I knew.

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Book: The God Delusion

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed it for being direct and challenging believes, but he can come across as a bit condescending, especially if you do follow any of the mainstream religions. On the other hand Atheists don't have nearly as many spokesmen as the religious community. He clearly is not a fan of conservatives like George W. Bush or Tony Blair nor religious leaders the likes of Pat Robertson.

QUOTES

“A child is not a Christian child, not a Muslim child, but a child of Christian parents or a child of Muslim parents. This latter nomenclature, by the way, would be an excellent piece of consciousness-raising for the children themselves. A child who is told she is a 'child of Muslim parents' will immediately realize that religion is something for her to choose -or reject- when she becomes old enough to do so.”

“Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you.”

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Book: How to Build a Car

How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer by Adrian Newey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A good mix of technical details, sports history and personal autobiography. Adrian's personal story is interesting and moving, and he doesn't shy away from the hard topics, his mistakes and faults, including his guilt involving Senna's Crash in 1994. Great respect for the man, but then I'm also a Red Bull Racing fan, at least in part as I'm Austrian. The following are the Teams, Engineers and Drivers who make an appearance in the book:

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Book: God is Disappointed in You

God Is Disappointed in You by Mark Russell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Author is trying hard not to offend Christians, while still making the point that most of what's in the Bible is pretty absurd. It's a good read to refresh you knowledge of that's actually in the "good" book.

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Course: The Real History of Witches and Witch-Hunting

The Real History of Witches and Witch-Hunting by Thomas A. Fudge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Actually really good once you get used to the lecturer, It covers the history of witchcraft, the heroes who opposed the villains (Witch-Hunters) and their victims

There are a number of specific Laws, Trials and Books referenced:

The last lecture especially should be something we all should listen to, relating how modern day witch hunts are still happening such as the Satanic Ritual Abuse and related Daycare Sex Abuse Hysteria of the 1980s and 1990s:.

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Book: The Teenage Brain

The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults by Frances E. Jensen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wish I could have liked it a bit more, and the beginning was good, but some chapters just didn't apply to me and my children, such as drug usage, concussion, etc. There are parts of the books that I wanted to skip forward, but I wasn't sure if I may miss something important among the long stories to make her point. Not bad, but could have been better.

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Book: Get Well Soon

Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Overall a good book, and I really enjoyed the time with the author, who's commentary lightens up the mood, just a bit but not to much to take away from the seriousness of the topic. I was aware of some of the material, like the black death, dancing plague and Cholera but others especially more modern ones I didn't know as much about such as Polio, LE and Lobotomy (not really a disease). In most books I read Woodrow Wilson, who I at first thought was a great liberal president, comes up as a rather negative character, this is no difference. 

The Chapters line up for the most part with specific diseases or outbreaks:

 

Diseases affect people, so there are as usual the references to the Heroes, Villains and Victims:

In some way Typhoid Mary is maybe the most interesting character, as I'm not sure if she was a villain or a victim of society. A short biography of her life is shown below. What do you think?

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What if we'd treat the annual Flu like the Coronavirus

Think back to January 2019, and imagine the news would have reported the flu outbreak like the Coronavirus in 2020.


Superbowl Cancelled!!

My Digital Brain

Library

Audible

My latest binary threshold crossed, 1100, in my Audible Library, and no I'm still working on "reading" them all. New milestone reached on Friday, 13th 2020, while the world is going to "hell" with the Coronavirus Panic. 1111, this will be the last time it will be one number across the board, as 2222, is still another 1111 away. Maybe when I retire.

A not quite complete listing of it's contents:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6247417-christian-loidl?shelf=status-own-audible

Beliefs

How does what we belief, define us? 

The following are the five major areas of beliefs I have identified, along with their schools of thought in human history:

Personal

Social

Political

Religious

Scientific

Do those five areas more or less completely define who we are. What's missing, on the map of beliefs?