4 outfielders? I do like the hand-drawn alignment toward the end. Also Fangraphs.
Rounding the Bases 20170818
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Author Archives: admin
Book Review – Better Than Before
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of our Everyday Lives
by Gretchen Rubin, 2015
Listened to this book on tape with Maria. I think of this book as a more colloquial/conversational version of the book The Power of Habit. Some of the examples were engaging and I liked some of the emphasis on personality differences. We found out that Maria is a mix of habit personality types, with a strong emphasis on Rebel, which makes getting her to adopt a habit or conform to expectations difficult. I am a Questioner, meaning that I will only adopt a habit or conform to expectations if I think the habit/expectation is useful. It’s why I think New Year’s Resolutions are silly.
However, the book was just too long, and I ended up finding the author’s voice and writing style annoying. Authors, please do not do the audio for your own recorded books! Might be better in writing.
Energetic 20170817
Bigger and bigger wind turbines.
Whereas 82 percent of offshore turbines ordered between 2001 and 2005 were under 3 megawatts, today there are no machines of that size on order.
Instead, 71 percent of orders are for products 5 megawatts or greater, and 16 percent are for turbines of 8 megawatts or greater. “Despite long project cycles and R&D timelines, commercial demand continues to favor the largest turbines,” says the report. “The next generation of 12-megawatt-plus turbines will gain market share within the next five years.”
Real News 20170816
Colorado 14er (and many surrounding acres) for sale. Anyone have $21 million to loan me for the down payment?
Rounding the Bases 20170811
Pitching Joey Votto inside is leading to his power surge.
Winners and losers in Disney/BAMTech deal.
29 highest paid MLB players all-time. Look at the difference in dollars between #1 and #2.
Nerlens Noel contract stalemate. I expect Mark Cuban to win most deals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlAYur_YAaU
Book Review – The Little Book of Hygge
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living
by Meik Wiking, 2016
Review by Maria:
How do people who spend more than half the year in dark, cold, wet weather consistently rank among the top countries for “happiest citizens”? The Little Book of Hygge took us through steps the Danes take to keep their sanity all year around: spend lots of quality time with close friends and family, treat yourself frequently (whether with a chocolate, bath, picnic, barbeque – anything works), and create cozy, warm, safe spaces into which to retreat (think candles, blankets, soft lighting, and nooks to curl up in). The author, a researcher for the Happiness Research Institute (headquartered in Denmark, of course), boils it down to creating “everyday happiness”. We listened to this on audiobook on the last part of our drive home from New Mexico (the author, who narrates it, has a very hygge-ly voice); when we got home I immediately lit candles and we lowered the lights. It’s a short, quick read and worth picking up, especially for anyone who endures winter.
Energetic 20170810
Wyoming rejects a proposed coal mine. Wyoming produces 40% of the US’s coal.
More than 2 dozen states now have Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS).
Real News 20170809
Book Review – The Switch
The Switch: How solar, storage and new tech means cheap power for all
by Chris Goodall, 2016
Good up-to-date description of solar prices, technology, and potential. Covers the potential to get almost all of our power from the sun. Discusses the drawbacks and barriers, including what happens when the sun doesn’t shine. Batteries for short-term storage. An interesting idea that I hadn’t known about is power to gas for long term storage. Basically, use hydrolysis to generate hydrogen from water, and combine that with carbon-based molecules (either drawn from the air, see Climeworks, or captured from existing industry/power generation) to form energy-rich gases like methane. The gas can then be stored in existing infrastructure to be burned over dark winters in the northern parts of Europe and Canada where they don’t get enough sunlight to run entirely on solar power. Good read, with highlights of some early-stage companies trying to bring about a solar-powered future.