Friday September 08, 2006 5:20 am Regina, Saskatchewan. Day 24 of our trip to Virginia. Sunrise 6:23 Sunset 19.29 Hours of daylight: 13:06

A. Morning Musings

5:20 am It is + 6 C and clear. The forecast high is 19 C.

B. Plan

We will be staying in Regina today for a combination of genealogy, recreational reading and touristing.

C. Actual/Notes

5:30 am This is the first opportunity in quite some time to quietly sit at the screen and not be thinking about what is scheduled for the day. I have coffee on the go in the room and am about to see if it is ready.

Mmmm. Tastes great. Our trip is almost over. We will drive to Lethbridge tomorrow and unload the car. Meanwhile today is a rest day. A quick check of the Web and I see that Federer beat Blake to advance to the semi-final round in the US Open tennis tournament.

A couple of quick thoughts about our trip. We both agree that it has been great. The pace was perfect with just the right balance between driving and sight-seeing. We had a nice blend of bird-watching and historical sight-seeing (Amana, Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg). I was also able to buy a few books that should keep me busy for awhile.

I do feel that I need to be more structured in my Learning activities. The number of purchased books continues to outstrip the number of available hours. I also want to return to Tony Buzan's mind mapping software (which is PC only) an install this on my MacBook Pro.

7:20 am I began by googling mind mapping software and quickly found both an open source (free) product as well as the latest Tony Buzan software for the Mac. I have downloaded a 21-day free trial and am very impressed with this. Now to actually create a couple of files related to Learning.

I am delighted with this software! In our hotel room at the moment I have 2 books: "Unknown Quantity" which is a mathematics book on the history of algebra and "Atlas of Saskatchewan" which is a fantastic book that provides a series of maps and statistical displays for the following subtopics:

• archaeology
• history
• physical environment
• wildlife
• natural resources
• population
• economy
• urban

Not only is this a georgeous book, but it is one of the best examples I have seen of a comprehensive overview of a topic (in this case, of Saskatchewan).

Here is a slightly enlarged mind map:

With just this map in front of me, as well as the two books, I have a good sense of what to do next. I am going to begin reading the first few chapters of "Unknown Quantity". Then I will return to this mind mapping software and create a new map specifically for the book.

2:10 PM While Phyllis was doing some genealogy research, I revisited the Book & Briar Patch.

Here is a list of my latest acquisitions:

• Vital Signs 2006 - 2007 (2006) Worldwatch Institute
  • This looks like an interesting small book on the worldwide "trends that are shaping our future".
• State of the 2006 World: Special Focus on China and India (2006) Worldwatch Institute
  • A companion book to the first one listed. The pair should make for interesting reading.
• Science and the Akashic Field (2004) Ervin Laszlo
  • An attempt to integrate science and consciousness into one integral whole.
• Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos (2006) Ervin Laszlo
  • A sequel to the previous book. Once again, the pair should make interesting reading.
• What We Believe But Cannot Prove (2006) John Brockman (Ed.)
  • Brief statements by many of the world's leading thinkers. Should be stimulating.
• Programming the Universe (2006) Seth Lloyd
  • A description of the universe as a gigantic quantum computing machine.
• Pulse (2006) Robert Frenay
  • A look at a biologic perspective on machines and computers.
• Failed States (2006) Noam Chomsky
  • His latest attack on US foreign policy.

 

D. Reflection