RASC Observer’s Handbook, 2019 by Edited by James S. Edgar (BR00142)

Posted on March 12, 2019 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

This is the annual observer’s guide published by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

WHAT I LIKED

Each year, the Observer’s Guide is produced and sold to amateur and professional astronomers across North America, and those astronomers vary considerably in their capacity and interests. It’s hard to serve any “one group”, but as I am at the intro stage to the hobby, I’ll review from that perspective. Some highlights include:

List of observatories, star parties, planetaria (pp 11-14);
Observable satellites of the planets (pp 25-26);
Observing artificial satellites (p 38);
Overview of filters (pp 64-67);
Deep-sky observing hints by Alan Dyer (pp 85-87);
Lunar observing (pp 158-161);
The brightest stars (pp 274-283, 285); and,
The deep sky (pp 307-337).

Of course, it also has the key reference materials:

The Moon (pp 148-157);
The Sun (pp 184-193);
Dwarf and minor planets (pp 241-251); and,
Double and multiple stars (pp 291-294, 296-297).

And it has specific highlights for the year:

The Sky month-by-month (pp 94-121);
Times of sunrise and sunset for 2019 (pp 205-207);
2019 transit of Mercury (pp 139-143);
The planets in 2019 (pp 211-229); and,
Comets in 2019 (p 264).

I’m happy too that some of the errors in URLs published last year have been corrected.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

I still find the pages on telescope exit pupils (pp 50-53) to be incredibly dense. I keep meaning to find a more basic set of explanations online for it, but never get around to it. I would add the next section on magnification and contrast in deep sky observing (pp 54-57) as equally confusing. I have to believe that dense text can somehow be explained more easily to the newbie into some basic guidelines for common scopes and ages of users. Equally, I’m not thrilled with the astrophotography section (pp 91-93) which still shows as the “big cameras” are best, in the same way that many photography websites ten years ago suggested the professionals would never go digital. There is an emerging market for people sharing prime shots they take with their smartphones — souvenir quality shots, not NASA shots — and it is almost completely ignored by the section (grudgingly it says “even cell phones”). I also find that the economic bias of last year towards higher end binoculars and scopes continues. But those issues are mostly me just being picky — they aren’t enough to reduce the overall rating.

MY RATING

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

Excellent edition for the year.

Disclosure: I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the editor, nor do I follow him on social media. I am, however, a member of RASC.

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Change: What Really Leads to Lasting Personal Transformation by Jeffrey A. Kottler (BR00118)

Posted on December 17, 2018 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

Kottler reflects on the literature and personal experiences as a psychologist about the elements that lead people to not only make changes in their life but also sustain those changes over the long-term

WHAT I LIKED

I had the pleasure of hearing Kottler speak as an honoured guest at my wife’s university graduation ceremony, and he intrigued me enough on the subject of “change” — what we know and what we don’t know — that I bought his book. It was the perfect book for me at this point in my life, as I’ve been wanting to make a significant change that has been holding me back for at least 30 years. I’m great at the day to day goal-setting stuff, but I needed to understand large scale change on a deeper level, and this book was ideal for that education. At the beginning, I was struck by a central question — when does an alteration in attitudes, beliefs, behaviour, thinking, or feeling “count” as change, and how long does it have to last in order to qualify? In shorter terms, when does a temporary change become permanent and sustainable? Chapter 2 was an eye-opener — hidden benefits from my current approach that resist change. Not the obvious ones but more internal ones that might even seem like positive traits in someone (being strong, standing up for oneself disguising some issues with temper, for instance). And some baby step coping techniques. Chapter 3 dealt more with the conditions that allow you to transition from temporary to permanent change, almost pre-conditions in some cases. Other chapters were relatively straight-forward: the power of story-telling (chapter 4); hitting bottom in various forms (chapter 5); how you react to trauma and whether it can be a positive catalyst (chapter 6); the limits to psychotherapy (chapter 7); change through physical travel or spiritual journeys (chapter 8); moments of clarity (chapter 9); and resolving conflicts in relationships (chapter 13). The last chapter — Why Changes Don’t Often Last (Chapter 14) — was one that I was most looking forward in the book, and while he goes into various spins and examples, most of it seems to come down to varying forms of fear. It certainly did for me, and I find the chapter fantastic for presenting it quite concisely. In the end, the price of the book is worth it just to get the 7 pages at the end, if you have time for nothing else (308-315). I managed to use it create a six-part “to do” list / game plan for the change that I’ve been wanting to make, and for the first time in my life, I’m doing it. I’m six months in and it seems to be holding. It’ll take another 18 months to “finish”, but the book helped me get there. Onward to the journey!

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Several chapters didn’t really sing as well as the rest. Being happy (chapter 11) and transformation while helping others (12) were relatively bland, and a chapter on the importance of social capital (chapter 10) seemed almost like an afterthought.

MY RATING

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

It gave me the courage to get unstuck after 30 years.

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RASC Observer’s Handbook, 2018 edited by James S. Edgar (BR00114)

Posted on November 11, 2017 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019 2

PLOT OR PREMISE

This is the annual observer’s guide published by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

WHAT I LIKED

One of the most obvious challenges for an Observer’s Guide of this kind is balancing the needs of newbies and moderate amateurs with the needs of advanced astronomers, photographers, and outright astro-physicists. However, I’m on the newer end of the spectrum, and I found the typical wealth of information such as using the handbook for teaching purposes and resources (p 17); observable satellites (p 25); filters (p 64); deep-sky observing hints (p 85); the sky month by month; and overviews on planets, dwarf planets, satellites, the sun, and various star options before getting to the deep-sky lists (which could benefit from better presentation). However, I think my favorite section was on the Moon. The entire handbook is “made” just having the info from Bruce McCurdy on lunar observing starting on page 158 as it is perfect for me. Relative shifts per day (p 158), Canadian content (p 160), the Hadley Rille (p 161), and the lunar certificate (p 161) are all great elements for me to try to see in the coming year.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

I was surprised to see a number of errors in included URLs. While it is hard to stay evergreen, these were links that had not changed from last year and when I went back to the RASC website, the links worked just fine. Somehow they got edited in publication and never tested. Even links to the actual RASC website were wrong. There are also some highly technical pages on magnification, telescope parameters, night myopia, and exit pupils, and while correct, they are presented so densely that re-reading them left me more confused than informed. Finally, there is a strong economic bias that creeps into the texts in a few places — on binoculars, the only ones they mention as being good cost around $1500, and when talking about using Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes (often bought as they are quite portable), recommends just putting it in your backyard observatory, assuming of course you have the money to have a house with a backyard with room and resources to build an observatory. In addition, there are numerous editing choices made throughout the text such as lists sorted by one variable instead of by one that might aid organization. I’ve already found myself copying lists from previous years online into spreadsheets so I can resort them into a more usable format.

MY RATING

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

Solid guide but some editorial and tone issues throughout.

Disclosure: I am a member of RASC.

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Using HTML 4 (4th edition) by Lee Anne Phillips (BR00096)

Posted on January 9, 2017 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

Good resource, short on tutorial and long on information.

WHAT I LIKED

Good for syntax and great appendix sections.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Not quite as detailed as other books, and not much theory.

MY RATING

Original: October 10, 1999

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

Good resource.

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The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating an HTML 4 Web Page (3rd edition) by Paul Mcfedries (BR00095)

Posted on January 8, 2017 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

Good overview from beginning to end

WHAT I LIKED

A bit dated at the point of reading (1999), with some of the “new features” old hat, and as well, some of the “old features” had changed. However, the approach is light, and easy to follow, from beginning to end, and what makes this such a great resource is the CD-ROM disk that comes with it, containing some great software and sample coding to save the tired typist.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

n/a.

MY RATING

Original: October 10, 1999

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

Good overview.

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HTML Web Magic (2nd edition) by Raymond Pirouz (BR00094)

Posted on January 8, 2017 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

Instead of going through all the bits and pieces (which it does very quickly), Pirouz instead has focused on some elements that spice up web pages.

WHAT I LIKED

A programmer wouldn’t necessarily want to use all of them, but a new designer will find some really great tips and tricks here. Definitely a fun read as you can say to yourself, “ah-hah, so THAT’s how they do that!”.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

n/a.

MY RATING

Original: October 10, 1999

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

Great resource.

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HTML: The Complete Reference by Thomas A. Powell (BR00093)

Posted on January 8, 2017 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

A reference guide for HTML

WHAT I LIKED

Good as a simple reference / encyclopaedia tool.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Not so great for learning the intricacies from the bottom-up, short on tutorial or theory side.

MY RATING

Original: October 10, 1999

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

Good simple reference.

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Get Your University Degree at Home by Kevin Paul (BR00051)

Posted on March 20, 2016 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

Having met the author when I was a student at the University of Victoria when he was the Director of Graduate Admissions, I had a lot of confidence in his ability to present a no- nonsense approach to the idea of Distance Education. And for the most part, he delivered. [Note: This review is of the 1999 edition, vastly out of date now 20 years later).

WHAT I LIKED

The book does a pretty good job of giving an overview of those universities where it is possible to do the majority of the degree through distance education (correspondence, audio tapes, video tapes, fax, e-mail, internet lists, etc). And there are some sections for the uninitiated to figure out if distance education is for them. Some notable highlights, in my opinion, include:

Athabasca University: its primary method is distance ed;
California State University (Dominguez Hills): it has an interesting MA in Humanities (Art, History, Lit, Music, & Philosophy are the core courses);
City University: some campus centres around the world;
Heriod-Watt University (Edinburgh Business School): one of the UK systems with solid academic credentials but only for the truly independent learner;
Ohio University: offers two methods: independent study (with interaction and support) or truly independent study (with little support, no interaction but at half the cost);
Open University (Open Learning Agency): a strong presence in British Columbia;
Queen’s University: Only three BAs available by this method, but strong MBA program offered through regional centres throughout Canada;
Regents College (University of the State of New York): perhaps one of the better “”credit for life”” univs.;
University of London: Similar to HWU in Edinburgh, this offers a great deal (financially and academically) but is for the serious learner only who can work alone;
University of North Dakota: Offering an MSc in Space Studies, which alone is enough to be worth noting;
University of South Africa: Has a huge selection of courses available, perhaps more than any other univ in the book, and has reasonably solid international credentials;
University of Waterloo: as always, a solid choice regardless of the medium; and,
Vermont College of Norwich University: has an interesting mentoring program tailored to adult learners, but the residency requirement might be difficult;

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

The majority of the book is all-too-brief overviews of each university. He covers them all — but the most useful tool is missing from the book. There are appendices that list, for example, the universities offering each degree. However, what is missing is a simple table that would help the reader narrow down the search. The table would list:

degree available, perhaps broken by section?;
estimated cost of the degree? (the overviews list the cost of a unit/credit, but then fails to tell you how many units/credits it takes for a degree);
if there is a notation on the transcript that the degree was obtained through distance education?;
if there is a residency requirement? (many people would eliminate a huge number of places solely on that basis alone); and,
if they give credit for life experiences? (this would aid those who would select/deselect on that basis from both sides of the argument)

The overviews give you a lot of info, but a nice index would improve the process.

MY RATING

Original: June 8, 1999

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

No-nonsense approach to distance education.

Disclosure: I used to know the author as Director of Graduate Admissions at the university where I was a student.

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When Is Enough, Enough by Laurie Ashner and Mitch Meyerson (BR00029)

Posted on March 2, 2016 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

The premise of this book is that there are many people who never feel satisfied, nor take the time to feel satisfied, and are always looking forward to the next obstacle, next project, next item on their to-do list — and whatever they have done, or accomplished, is never enough.

WHAT I LIKED

There is a lot to like in this book. Some highlights:

– Never-enough thinkers act compulsively…unsure about what they really want, they stay in constant motion. (p.2)
– Having been taught not to depend on other people, you take more than your share of the blame for what goes wrong in your relationships, at work, and in your family. (p.4)
– Realize that if you could “just do it”, you would have done it. (p.5)
– There’s a saying in Twelve Step programs: Your best thinking got you here. (p.9)
– When we suppress our painful feelings, we lose our happy feelings too. (p.32)
– You get an illusion of security from having all of these untapped talents. (p.47)
– Depression indicates that the self system has had to retreat to a lower level of functioning in the face of its inability to meet higher goals. Depression also serves as a communication, a message to the world at large that the self system can no longer be counted upon, that it has ceased to function in some significant degree, that one has lost hope, and that help must come from the outside. In other words, the self says, “enough is enough”, and retreats away not only from the feelings that are most troublesome, but all feelings in general. It’s a concept that goes far toward explaining why depressed people often feel, “What’s the use?” (p.67)
– You have an emotional thermostat turned high to nuances, a sensitivity to a lot of surplus information other people filter out and disregard. This sensitivity is your strength at times. But it has an enormous cost. (p.84)
– We meet the right person when we become the right person. (p.144)
– There’s an interesting fact about blaming oneself which explains why so many people are so willing to take it on. If one is at fault, then one can always do better. As long as one is responsible, one always has hope. (p.208)

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Some of the approach gets a bit repetitive in trying to emphasize or illustrate certain points.

MY RATING

Original: October 27, 2004

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

An excellent self-help resource.

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Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction by Tom Raabe (BR00013)

Posted on February 5, 2016 by PolyWoggMarch 24, 2019

PLOT OR PREMISE

A mixed-tone argument that you can be “addicted” to reading and owning books, with some examples of book hoarders from years-gone-by.

WHAT I LIKED

There are some really good “humour” lists, kind of like a Letterman top ten list for:

Moving when you have a lot of books;
A Biblioholic’s test (how big is your problem);
The snobbish Discovery Index (I knew the author when..);
Reading in restaurants;
Latin explanations of literary taste: “De gustibus non est disputandum” — Everyone to their own non-disputable tastes; and,
Ten Commandments for the Book Handler.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

The author can’t seem to decide what the book is — a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek ode to book hoarders everywhere or a serious tome about an actual mental illness. The book starts out with a light-hearted look at those who feel an overwhelming urge to buy books i.e. “biblioholics”. By the end, however, he treats it like a real mental illness that requires awareness and treatment. Either approach could work, but bouncing between one and the other wears out really fast. Perhaps this would have been better as a collection of small articles for a small newspaper, and even then, in dire need of an editor to give it better focus and less repetition. But even in a series of newspaper articles, I suspect the reader would tire of the subject matter very quickly — the metaphor is dragged out far past its prime.

MY RATING

Original: February 18, 2001

Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

Well-researched, but yawn…

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