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Saturday, June 27, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
Brida
Brida by Paulo CoelhoMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
A girl in search of her path in life, a man in search of his soul mate, a confused but supportive boyfriend, and a witch. The start of a bad joke? No, just the main protagonists in Paulo Coelho's book.
The scene is Dublin, Ireland, and Brida is a young girl who realizes that she has been a witch in her previous lives. Somewhere along the way there is the struggle to find your soul mate. To help her along the way are two teachers following different paths - the Tradition of the Sun and the Moon. It is a confusing read, with a lot of seemingly random things happening and Brida just following different suggestions by her teachers. Does she know what she wants to do? Not really, but somehow you get the feeling that she is at least moving forward in her quest.
In the end, it turns out that the teacher is the one who learns something new, Brida finds her way forward, and everyone ends up quite happy. There are some nice quotes and moments, but in the end, I wouldn't recommend this one. Read other books by Paulo Coelho instead.
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Saturday, May 02, 2015
The Bahá’í Calendar
In a Message dated 10 July 2014 the Universal House of Justice “call[ed] upon the Bahá’ís of the East and West to adopt, on that auspicious occasion [21 March 2015], the provisions that will unite them in the common implementation of the Badí‘ calendar.”
Many questions have been raised about the upcoming changes; the answers to some have been put together in a presentation which you can download here.
This presentation is neither complete nor exhaustive; it is only a beginning which I hope will be as useful for others to read as it was for me to put together.
Many questions have been raised about the upcoming changes; the answers to some have been put together in a presentation which you can download here.
The adoption of a new calendar in each dispensation is a symbol of the power of Divine Revelation to reshape human perception of material, social, and spiritual reality. Through it, sacred moments are distinguished, humanity’s place in time and space reimagined, and the rhythm of life recast. Next Naw-Rúz will mark yet another historic step in the manifestation of the unity of the people of Bahá and the unfoldment of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order.
This presentation is neither complete nor exhaustive; it is only a beginning which I hope will be as useful for others to read as it was for me to put together.
Friday, May 01, 2015
Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty
Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Muhammad YunusMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you think there is no good left in the world, you should read Banker to the Poor. Muhammad Yunus takes us through his experience, going from a university teacher to a worker at the grassroots level, lending money to the poorest of village people, to help them get started through offering microcredit loans.
It's a fascinating story, of how an initial $27 helped 42 people get their life back on track again, to break free from the vicious circle of poverty. The Grameen organization has now spread and grown to more than just a bank, and reading the book gives a lot of hope, of how one man desiring to do good can actually accomplish it despite everyone and even the system working against him.
The only thing that made me uncomfortable while reading the book was how everything seemed to flow and progress so smoothly. Setbacks and negative experiences were dealt with in one paragraph, and the following success was given much more space. It would have been interesting to read a bit more about the problems and reflections on those experiences. All in all though, it's a very good book and well worh reading.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael PollanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Fire, water, wind and earth - the four elements, and four different ways of filling our stomachs. Michael Pollan takes the reader on a tour of his investigation of and experimentation with food, and it is a fascinating and captivating read.
Reading about barbeque, slow-cooking meals, baking bread, and making pickles/cheese/bread through fermentation with the help of some experts in their fields brings some saliva to the mouth. There's a lot to digest (pun intended), and there's a lot of science to back up the many interesting claims and points that he raises, such as the pros and cons of pasteurization.
What I didn't like was the deep forays into his experiments, which made the book a lot longer than it needed to be. While it can be interesting to read some experiences, when they take up more than half the book, it feels like it could be cut down a bit. Limiting that to some extent, this is still a book that is well worth reading and might make you want to try out some recipes and change your eating habits too.
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Have Hope
This year's Ridván message from the Universal House of Justice had a beautiful paragraph, inspiring courage and giving hope to the Bahá'ís around the world:
We wish to address some additional words to those of you in whose surroundings marked progress is yet to occur and who long for change. Have hope. It will not always be so. Is not the history of our Faith filled with accounts of inauspicious beginnings but marvellous results? How many times have the deeds of a few believers—young or old—or of a single family, or even of a lone soul, when confirmed by the power of divine assistance, succeeded in cultivating vibrant communities in seemingly inhospitable climes? Do not imagine that your own case is inherently any different.
I thought a simple picture taken by Shadi Formoso with the words "have hope" would serve as inspiration.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Friday, April 03, 2015
User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product
User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product by Jeff PattonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Writing stories is simple, but not easy. In User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product, we get the rundown on why doing it is a good idea, and how to do it. While it feels like story mapping is something we can just step up and start doing after hearing about it, having a guideline such as this by Jeff Patton is very helpful.
The first few chapters explain the basics, on how to get the big picture, plan for small releases and quick learning, and are really all that is needed to get started. However, reading through the latter parts of the book help understand some of the pitfalls, and guidelines on how to have a successful process. Of course, story mapping is something that might only come naturally after having done it many many times.
I like the way the narrative is written, although at times it can get a bit too jovial in the narration. Overall though, it strikes a good balance in being informative and entertaining, and is definitely worth reading if you're interested in how to develop better products.
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