Saturday, July 28, 2007

Work Less Live More!

I just chanced upon this book titled "Work Less, Live More The New way to Retire Early" by Bob Clyatt, an alumni of MIT Sloan. I just perused through a few pages it sure does have a few interesting tag lines. Maybe one of my readers can pick it up and let us know more about it :)

It reminded me of the incredible lifestyle of Louise Hornor and Sean Welsh. See the link below

Our Odyssey

Now, this is what I call living life in your own terms. Fabulous!

Friday, July 20, 2007

A Partnership of Minds

I am impressed with the article carrying the same title as this post and written by David Brooks in today's New York Times. I quote

"...It emphasizes how profoundly we are shaped by relationships with others, but it's not one of those stifling, collectivist theories that puts the community above the individual.
It exposes the errors of those Ayn Rand individualists who think that success is something they achieve through their own genius and will-power.
It exposes the fallacy of New Age narcissists who believe they can find their true, authentic self by burrowing down into their inner being. There is no self that exists before society.
It explains why it's so hard to tackle concentrated poverty. Human beings are permeable. The habits that are common in underclass areas get inside the brains of those who grow up there and undermine long-range thinking and social trust.
It illuminates the dangers of believing that there is a universal hunger for liberty. That universal hunger may exist in the abstract, but we're embedded creatures and the way specific individuals perceive liberty depends on the context.
It lampoons political zealotry. You may be a flaming liberal in New York, but its likely you'd be a flaming conservative if you grew up in Wyoming."

And further

"..In the information age, it seems fitting that we'd see people bonded by communication. It's not exactly new to say that no man is an island. But Hofstadter is one of hundreds of scientists and scholars showing how interconnectedness actually works. What's being described is a vast web of information - some contained in genes, some in brain structure, some in the flow of dinner conversation - that joins us to our ancestors and reminds the living of the presence of the dead."

Monday, July 09, 2007

Ingrid Bergman

I watched Ingrid Bergman's The Passion of Anna today.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Existing - Fyodor Dostoevsky

I recently picked up Fyodor Dostoevsky's Greatest Short Stories (also progressing albeit slowly on my study books). The story I started with is titled 'White Nights' and the basic plot is about a man aged 26, living in Petersburg (St.?) who has never dated a woman in his entire life and suddenly has this chance encounter with an amazing woman during one of his lonely walks around the city in the middle of the night. My first foray into existential literature - I must say it strikes me as very honest and interesting. I especially liked the bits about how a person leads an almost detached existence amidst so many people around her/him in the big city.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

On Difficulties

Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable.
Theodore N. Vail