I’ll add Anathem to my “to-read” list =)

I thought Anathem was good at first, but there were some philosophical tangents in the middle that bored me and almost made me quit reading. I feel like it could have been a better book with some more radical editing. I liked the basic premise, though.

What did you like in particular about the wisebread article? I found it a little strange, and possibly not great advice, though I’m not confident I entirely understood his point. What did you find appealing?

Thus far, my favorite Stephenson work has been “Cryptonomicon”. I’ve also read “A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer” and “Quicksilver”, which were OK reads, but not as tight as “Cryptonomicon”. I plan on reading “Snow Crash” when the moons align and the library has it in.

I completely concur about the lack of time to read. I make time to do it, but I always remember the carefree days of my youth when I could stay up very late untying a good yarn. Now with a wife and kids and job, there’s just not time for that any longer.

Great article by Ben Stein. Unfortunately, his statement of “We are more than our investments. … We are what we do for charity. We are how we treat our family and friends. We are how we treat our dogs and cats. We are what we do for our community and our nation” rings a little false when you consider that he was the driving force behind the movie Expelled!, which tried to link scientists to Nazis, and glorified intelligent design. I used to be an admirer of his, but now I can’t get over what a hypocrite he is.

Trent, if you really want a few more hours in the day, you have to start hiring.

I’ve read your experiences with hiring. You hired one person to review comments, and that person didn’t work out, so you gave up.

I’m assuming you’ve read “E-Myth”? You’ve created a job for yourself, not a business.

Bad employees are everywhere. You’ll likely have to hire more than once to find the right person. And, a lot of times, when you do find the right person, they leave later. That’s life.

You need to explore what your priorities are. Would you prefer to spend time manually approving every comment, or would you prefer to read? If you would prefer to read, then it’s time to hire…and find the right person. Plus, it makes great blog fodder. (I know…I write about business!)

Hiring, and finding the right person, will not only help you find more free time, but it will also give you new writing avenues to explore as you overcome fears related to having someone else work on your business.

The question to you is: Are you going to continue to wish you had more time to do the things you love, or are you going to take steps to make that time appear?

-Erica

And I was saying to read the other side to see how BAD of a president Davis was. He fought with state governors seemed to do everything possible to mess things up yet he went to his grave thinking he did everything right.

Lincoln was a shrewd and master politician. He was highly intelligent could use political moves to the country’s benefit. I mean, the Emancipation Proclamation for example was Lincoln’s finest political move in that he did it to keep Europe out of the war (which almost happened.)

On the other hand, Davis was a highly stubborn man who would appoint friends and keep incompetent people on while removing those more qualified (Joe Johnston etc.) If he gave his word he would never break it etc.

I’m not saying to agree with Davis (History has proven otherwise) but it is interesting to contrast the two men who were, at one point in time, the two opposites on the political coin.

Team of Rivals was published in 2005, and I’m betting work started on it years earlier. Great propaganda writing, Doris Goodwin should be commended for her ability to see the future so clearly. Or maybe it’s a big liberal plot. Or maybe Lincoln’s approach has some merit.

Or maybe the book written by the president of the Confederacy has a wee bit of bias?

This book is the reason I started savoring red wine. You’ll see!

After you’re done with Rivals you might want to check out The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government by Jefferson Davis to contrast the two sides. I really think if we had swapped presidents the South would have won the war.

Oh, and kudos for mentioning ikeahacker. I love that blog.