I’ve been slowly exploring the excellent blog, Zen Habits — one of the inspirations for this blog — and author Leo Bautista has a wonderful post entitled Best All-Time Children’s Books. It’s an extensive list, and I agree with his choices, at least for the ones I happened to have read.

I thought I’d write my own little post on books that I recall first borrowing from the library:

• Henry Huggins - by Beverly Cleary. I distinctly remember reading this book in 4th grade, when I first got my very own library card. It was great fun to imagine the seemingly ordinary life of young Henry Huggins, where nothing happens until the day he comes home with a stray dog. The various situations he gets in are fun, yet filled with the kind of lessons every child should learn. I believe these were the first books where I became fully immersed in the world of the characters, feeling what they were feeling, and experiencing their challenges and how they overcame them. I read many of the other books in the series (such as the Mouse and the Motorcyle, and really became aware of how to find books by author. Zen Habits recommends the Ramona series, which I have not read, but it seems anything by Cleary is good. I noticed that many of Cleary’s books have been recently reprinted with new illustrations. I’m partial to the original, but still, I would highly recommend any of her books.
• The Mad Scientists’ Club - by Bertrand R. Brinley. I was enthralled with books that really emphasized independence from adults. It was a chance to escape into a different world, into a kid’s world, and to see things from their perspective. Since I WAS a kid at the time, it was easy, and appealing. And in this book and others in the series, I got to do that. It really helps that the title was really enticing: mad scientists as in bwah-ha-ha-ha, and a exclusive club — how much more of an invitation does a kid need? In this series, a band of kids often uses science as a way to pass the time but sometimes achieving something more. Whether it’s pranks or something heroic like rescuing, the series is truly entertaining. If you’re really interested in learning more, there are a couple of websites worth checking out:
  • www.MadScientistsClub.com - looks like the official website by the author’s son, Sheridan Brinley
  • www.PurpleHousePress.com - a site dedicated to bringing back great children’s books from years past
• Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint - by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin. Here was another series of books that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on: Danny Dunn. With young Danny always being headstrong — his strongest trait — and always rushing into things, his friends Joe and (later in the series) Irene who help him, and Professor Bullfinch the absent-minded scientist who’s usually the raison d’etre for the invention or “MacGuffin” in each story, each book presented a fun adventure replete with scientific premises and what-not. It was really, really hard for me to put any of those books down.
  

It’s a short list for now, but I would say these stories are great for ages 9 through 13 or so. I think the key feature for all of them was how engaging the stories were, how each world drew me in. There are a lot of great books today, but of course these were the ones I actually read as a child.

I actually remember getting my own library card in the 4th grade, and always wanting to visit my local branch every week or so — one might be hard pressed to find kids like that in today’s world of high-speed internet and Nintendo and Playstations.

I happened to drop by my old neighborhood recently and popped into the library on a whim, and everything is so different now: computer terminals everywhere, and it’s quite a bit more noisy than in the ol’ days.

Anyway, I feel these books really helped shaped and developed my appreciation for fun, involving stories, and set the stage for my my burgeoning childhoold curiosity of science.

If you have some favorite childhood books, I’d love to hear about them.

I hope to continue writing about them as periodic topics in the future.

I admit it. I grew up on TV.

When I look back on my childhood, which didn’t seem like such a long time ago, there were plenty of times when I found myself in front of the o’ tube.

Star Trek: TOS - The Original Series

Of the many shows I watched, one was Star Trek (although they were reruns). It was that show that introduced me to science fiction, and it was appealing because it DID feature science, cool gadgets, theories and technology all in a package that was entertaining and fun. It wasn’t until years later did I realize it was also hokey and um…geared toward the male audience.

Core Philosophies

Despite it all, I can point back to that show (and later the The Next Generation) as what really helped to form and develop some of my basic core philosophies:

1. Open-mindedness - In Star Trek mythos, it’s called IDIC - Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations - I would say it was one of the show’s basic premises, even though IDIC is more prominently mentioned in novels (yes, I read some of those, too!) But the show really hit home the idea that there are lots of things out there in the world, and as humans, and even as an individual, we should be open to new possibilities.
2. Balance of Logic with Practicality and Intuition - The entertaining interplay between Captain Kirk, First Officer Spock and Dr. McCoy helped to really point out how a balance of logic, intuition and practicality usually helps to make smart and wise decisions.
3. Consequences of Our Actions - Episodes like The City on the Edge of Forever and Mirror, Mirror help set the stage for all alternate timeline storylines, which really drilled home the fact of how events can play out from certain key events, and if those key events had occurred differently, then mostly likely the subsequent events would forever be altered. This really helped me realize that we should always consider the bigger picture when we decide on a course of action.
4. We Should Seek Knowledge - I really loved the idea that if, somehow, we have all our energy needs met, then we’d be left with nothing else to do but to explore. But you know what? We don’t need to wait — we can explore each and everyday, and teach that to our kids as well. By exploring and learning, we may well one day find a way to say, fully harness the “limitless” power of our sun. Yeah, stuff of science fiction, but stranger things have happened.
5. Let Others Learn - Many episodes dealt with the Prime Directive, which to me means just because you feel you’re superior either in stature or knowledge, doesn’t mean you should dictate what everyone should do. I’ve taken that philosophy in Parenting where I often try to teach the older brother not to blurt out the answer he obviously knows, when it’s his younger brother who’s thinking things through by himself.

Looking Forward

Well, I guess that’s about it for now. I know there’s a new Star Trek movie being made — keeping fingers crossed that it’ll be good. In the meantime, though, it’s cool to reminisce and realize how much of a positive impact that show had.

On myself, AND on a part of society.

Fascinating, really.

Over the holidays, I had the pleasure of putting on a puppet show with the kids.

It was my honey’s idea was to engage the kids in something different than their everyday Bionicles or videogames. They were first resistant to the idea, and during rehearsals everyone got frustrated, but in the end everyone agreed it worked out well.

The Steps to Putting on a Home Puppet Show

First of all, it’s hard work. We had to:

• Build a puppet stage - my honey did most of it, constructing a serviceable puppet stage out of cardboard that she had saved.
• Write a script - again, here my lovely partner came up with the script. She said it was actually the hardest part, to come up with something that was easy for the kids to say or read, and that also had a good lesson for them to take away.
• Rehearse -Rehearsing got a bit frustrating at times, but the idea was to instill in the kids that everything worthwhile takes effort and practice. The more you practice, the better you get.
• Let me take over - The original idea was for the kids to do the whole show: read the script and act with the hand puppet. However, it turned out that was a lot harder for them to read and emote with their spoken voices AND try to remember they’re supposed to manipulate the puppet as well. The younger brother actually kept turning his hand toward himself, meaning that Winnie-the-Pooh always had his head turned away from the audience. In the end, I stepped in to do the puppetry. Luckily, I was raised on the Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Mr. Rogers and so things worked out. It was a lot of fun, actually.

The Effects of a Puppet Show

Afterwards, when I reflect on what we did, it’s clear that kids can learn a lot from puppet shows because (and why Sesame Street has been around so long):

• It’s entertaining - so it’s easy to broach different ideas and not seem like you’re trying to preach. It’s no wonder shows like Sesame Street and such are popular.
• It’s memorable - in this case, because the kids were directly involved in the production, I think it will be a fondly remembered experience in years to come. We shall see. At least they love watching the video of the show.
• It teaches them timing - Well, at least they were introduced to the idea — they can still use a lot of practice, but now they have at least one beginning lesson on how to emote and act.
• It provides a sense of accomplishment - Again, because they were involved, it was obvious the experience provided a big boost to their self-esteems. They were beaming during the applause.

It was hard work, but a lot of fun, and I’m glad for the experience, both for myself and for the kids.

We’ll have to see if we’ll do more in the future.

Okay, we all know that smoking is an unhealthy habit. We know that smoking usually leads to health problems and a probably an early death (unless your first name is George and your last name is Burns).

We also know that it’s often glamorized in film and other media, and that nicotine is highly addictive, blah, blah, blah.

I’m not here to talk about all that, although I just did.

What I would like to point out is the bigger picture on why one should not smoke:

Smokers are Litterers

Smokers litter like there’s no tomorrow — probably 8 out of 10 smokers will throw their butts on the ground. Ech! Quit smoking and you’ll be beautifying not only your lungs, but the environment you share with fellow humans.

Smoking Profits Others at Your Expense

Smoking is one of the ultimate exploitation of the masses. When you think about it, whoever owns the tobacco fields, manufactures the cigarettes, distributes and sells them also know the ill effects of their products (if they say they don’t, they’re lying). But they don’t care about you, they only care about profit for themselves. Therefore, if you are someone who is totally against big corporate “evil”, then quitting smoking will make you less of a hypocrite (even more so if you’re a doctor).

Smoking is the Ultimate Selfishness

So odds are that smoking will put you into the hospital at some point. For lung cancer or emphysema or heart ailments — whatever — you’ll be in one of those rooms, lying in bed, on a respirator no doubt.

BUT, guess who else will be there, if you’re lucky: your loved ones.

Not only will you be suffering, but they will suffer even more if they truly love you (but maybe they don’t, but that would mean you have other issues). You will see the pain and sorrow in their faces as they look over you.

When you smoke today, it’s a sure investment in a loved one’s future anguish (and that return on investment is a pretty sure thing, better than some Internet stocks, I’d wager).

That, my friend, is the final reason to quit today: Don’t just quit for yourself, quit for your loved ones.

I have never smoked, but have often thought about the people I’ve known who do (or did). I hope that you find these ideas different from all the other information out there on how quitting smoking would only benefit you.

In the end, our own actions often have a ripple effect, and smoking is something that truly affects other people as it does the smoker. As such, it’s something over which you totally have control, that is, if you want to.

If you need help quitting, try these sites:

• CDC site
• WhyQuit

If you wish, please comment, and if you like to keep reading about ideas to live a more positive life, subscribe to my RSS feed.

One thing that I do to minimize my impact (at least a little) on the environment is my driving habit.

Rather than trying to convince everyone to drive a more fuel-efficient car, use public transportation, or walk more, I will share a few simple tips to drive more efficient.

A Few Simple Tips

1. Ease off the Accelerator - yes, it’s a “rat race” out there, but I try not to be in such a rush to get to places. On freeways, I stay close to the speed limit (when it is safe). Past studies have shown that gas-powered cars becomes less efficient once past the 45-60 mph speed. On city streets, I avoid constant hard acceleration and deceleration.
2. Being Patient - I get my share of drivers who cut me off, grab the right of way at a 4-way stop. But instead of getting worked up over these apparent slights, I let them slide. I know a lot of people are in a hurry, but what I do for my ease of mind is to leave just a bit earlier than when most people would. Making that a regular habit results in a more stress-free driving.
3. Corollary to #1: Use less Brakes - in big cities, certain streets have timed lights that will change to green in sequential order, and I find that if I drive at the optimal speed (determined by a little bit of experimenting), I almost never have to brake. But, if I were into heavy acceleration, not would I waste more gas, I end up braking more, thus wearing out my brakes faster. Worn out brakes have to be replaced, meaning the old brake pads will go into a landfill, with the added bonus that my wallet would be lighter sooner.
4. In a mall parking lot, I park at the first available spot - The times I’ve gone to malls I often see drivers circle around the lot many, many times, obviously looking for a spot that’s 50 feet closer to the store entrance. Meanwhile, I’ve already taken a spot near the back and am already on my wait into the store. Time is money, right? Instead of wasting gas circling, I take the first available spot and also get my circulation going.

I know these are just a few simple tips (compared to dumping the SUV or something) but they are certainly more than do-able, and would only require a slight effort on your part.

Positive Effects of Driving More Efficiently

Imagine if everyone employed such tactics in their driving: the cumulative effect would be more than a little significant. For me, I know that when I drive efficiently:

1. I help to produce a safer, calmer, healthier driving environment for everyone else out there on the road - Oh, and for pedestrians, too.
2. I reduce excess waste of gas - A good thing
3. I reduce the rate of junking my brakes - For instance, I’ve only gone through two sets of brake pads with 130,000+ miles on my car
4. I save money - the result of the above two

Well, there you go — some simple ideas on how (and why) driving efficiently is a good thing.

Try it, feel free to let me know how it goes.

Critical Thinking is explained in depth here on Wikipedia while Dictionary.com defines it as thus:

“The mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion.”

I was formally introduced to the subject in a college English course, where one of the main texts was Carl Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.

What I recall from the book was the Sagan’s plea for us to really think and use logic to employ a healthy skepticism to ideas, products and entities out there that may or may not be all they seem.

Critical Thinking from Star Trek

It was a really good eye-opening course, even though, when I think about it, the concept was not foreign. It wasn’t as if I had never practiced critical/analytical/deep thinking. I would say one of my earliest influences was the character of Spock from Star Trek: The Original Series (in re-runs, though — I’m not that old), a show which often used the cold logic of Spock and the emotion and intuition of Captain Kirk as points of contention in deciding courses of action.

It ultimately introduced to me the idea of finding a balance between logic and emotion in decision-making.

The Crux of Critical Thinking

The way I see it, critical thinking is:

• the ability to see the big picture (Seeing the forest for the tree)
• the ability to predict consequences (envisioning the domino effect of one action)
• the use of logic to confirm or refute a statement that sounds factual
• the ability to weigh multiple points of view

Healthy Skepticism

By regularly practicing critical thinking, one will learn to be open-minded, but yet ready to ask:

• Is what I’m seeing/hearing really possible or make sense?
• Would there be an ulterior motive for x’s claim?
• Is a statement made with a certain bias that skews the true facts?
• Is my own bias and emotions coloring my own decision about xyz subject?
• Am I privy to all the information that is available to make a true judgment?

Critical Thinking is Learning

In the end, it’s about learning the “truth” about something. Hopefully, most of the time the truth that you conclude after using critical thinking is really true.

In future posts, I will touch on topics that affect people on a daily basis, as many bloggers do, but hopefully with a well-thought out, bigger-picture-view that many may not have noticed. And, by no means am I an expert — I just think I think a lot — so I will welcome comments and discussion.

Hope you’ll join in!