• Do you depend on Gmail or Google Calendar? Did you know they’re not ready for production use yet?
• The Rockridge Institute, a progressive think tank (THE progressive think tank for many) abruptly closes its doors because there wasn’t enough money coming in. But as a part of their exit, the description of “The Big Job” to be done is compelling, and so life goes on.
• I love a good idea I’ve never heard of before, and this place has lots of them
• Can you survive for 24 hours without your computer? I didn’t think so.
• One of the best YouTube videos I’ve seen in a long time: An Engineer’s Guide to Cats
• The Palladium-Item will be updating its website this week – and once again wiping out any archive of past reader discussions in their forums. I can’t decide if this is a blessing or a shame, and it’s probably both. I hope the new beginning represents a new mode of conversation, but I won’t hold my breath.

• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. A great, compelling story that is so rich and enjoyable. Reminds me of how I felt reading A Prayer for Owen Meany or To Kill a Mockingbird. I can also recommend Monk Kidd’s The Dance of the Dissident Daughter.
• The Soul Tells A Story: Engaging Creativity With Spirituality In The Writing Life by Vinita Hampton Wright. I couldn’t enjoy this one as much, perhaps because it seemed to define spirituality a little too differently than I do, and the resulting instructions/advice just didn’t feel as applicable. It also wasn’t as tightly structured as I would expect a book on creative writing to be.
• Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World by Bruce Schneier. My review of Secrets and Lies is at the Summersault Weblog.
• The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Another really fun book that will appeal to fans of the “Narnia” and “Harry Potter” style of adventure-telling. Also coming out in December on the big screen as a motion picture starring Dakota Blue Richards and Daniel Craig – worth a see.
• The Assault on Reason by Al Gore. My review of The Assault on Reason is in my last weblog entry.

Now reading:

• Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision and Whose Freedom?: The Battle Over America’s Most Important Idea, both by George Lakoff. If you read this blog with any regularity, you already know I’m a fan of his stuff.
• Codes, Ciphers, Secrets and Cryptic Communication: Making and Breaking Sercet Messages from Hieroglyphocs to the Internet by Fred B. Wrixon. Nothing gets me up in the morning like a Bifid Cipher.
• The Woman and the Ape by Peter Hoeg. Highly recommended by Anna Lisa, and I’ve always enjoyed books with large primates as main characters.

I’ll post reviews of these as I can. Your own reviews, recommendations and comments welcome!