Author Archives: Harry Katz
Thank You for Being Late
Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of AccelerationsBy Thomas L. FriedmanFarrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2016 It’s a good thing Tom Friedman is an optimist. Reading his latest book, Thank You for … Continue reading
Beethoven’s 9th
I can’t remember when, or even if, I’ve ever listened to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 from start to finish. I’ve certainly never heard it performed live. Until last night. We attended a performance of the Ninth by the Seattle Symphony … Continue reading
How Will You Measure Your Life?
How Will You Measure Your Life? By Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth & Karen Dillon HarperCollins, New York, 2012 Clayton Christensen is best known for his groundbreaking book The Innovator’s Dilemma, probably one of the most important business books ever … Continue reading
Post-Election Reading
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in CrisisBy J. D. VanceHarperCollins, New York, 2016 The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott WalkerBy Katherine J. CramerUniversity of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2016 Before … Continue reading
The Grid: The Fraying Wires between Americans and Our Energy Future
A PhD in cultural anthropology might seem like an odd background for someone writing a book about our national electricity grid. But Gretchen Bakke sees the grid as more than just generating plants, transmission wires, substations, poles, meters, outlets and … Continue reading
State-wide Blackout in South Australia
Yesterday the entire state of South Australia, about 1.5 times the area of Texas, suffered an electricity blackout due to a severe storm that knocked out major transmission lines. Photo: Electranet Network Services Here’s an interesting report on the causes … Continue reading
The Chemistry of Burning Stuff
Whenever we burn fossil fuels, be it gasoline, natural gas or charcoal, one of the byproducts is carbon dioxide ( CO2). That’s a big worry these days because the huge amounts of carbon dioxide we’re putting into the atmosphere is … Continue reading
Swainson’s Thrush
They’re back! Swainson’s Thrush have returned to the North Cascades forests. I’m not a birdwatcher – glasses too thick – so I’ve never seen this bird close enough to identify it by color or markings. But I sure have heard … Continue reading
Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto
Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto By Lesley Hazleton Riverhead Books, New York, 2016 Lesley Hazleton does not like the word “the”. At least not when it’s used in discussing matters of religion, faith, or spirituality, such as the meaning of life, … Continue reading
Vibrator People
The Amtrak Cascades from Seattle to Portland slowed to a hissing stop alongside a BNSF freight train somewhere in open country south of Olympia, Washington. Through my rain-streaked window I saw this message painted on the side of the adjacent … Continue reading
Unsolicited Feedback 