Top Shelf Reading Picks:

I have another new entrant on my must-read book list, and it’s not just because I’m quoted in it!  How To Be A Geek Goddess:  Practical Advice for Using Computers with Smarts and Style by Christina Tynan-Wood was not only informative, but also funny and entertaining.  Much to my surprise, I sat down and read this “how to” book in nearly one sitting.  It’s witty and engaging, and you’ll find yourself exclaiming “Oh! I wish I’d known that sooner!”

No matter what level you are with regard to computers, you’ll find help here–for both software and hardware issues.  I’m pretty darn good at using computers, but I learned a few new tricks.  And I’m even planning to buy a copy for my mom, although I’ll have to caution her not to do what she always does with books, which is to read the end first (the last chapter has tips on finding good girl porn online–yes, this book does cover everything).

Here are a few tidbits:

On pricing of technical stuff:  “Tiny and cute costs more than roomy and functional.  (Isn’t that also true of underwear?)”  But seriously, Tynan-Wood walks you through what type of computer to buy, how to buy it and what all the OS/RAM Ports/Monitor info means and even what type of laptop/desktop you should get.

How to resize a picture.  “In either Vista or XP, click on the Start button, look for Accessories, and the Paint.  Once you have Paint open, use File>Open to open your image.  Then click Image in the menu bar and choose Resize/Skew . . .”

Tips for recycling old computers–go to cristina.org; or freecycle.org/) and data disposal (good thing to do before donating a computer)–tolvanen.com/eraser/.

When downloading software, we always get the choice–save or run.  Which should you do?  Her answer:  Choose save for any program bigger than a few MB, just so you have a backup if installation doesn’t work out.  Otherwise, you can just “run.”

Lists of free software.

Explanations of SMTP, URLs and all the other gobbledygook.

For those trying to run a business, she has all sorts of recommendations from grandcentral.com (I’ve already reserved my phoneline there for my company to have a virtual receptionist); to billcollectorinabox.com (if you need to start collection proceedings).

I’ve taken her recommendations and installed netnanny.com on my son’s computer, and she has other suggestions for kid-safe e-mail addresses and how to prevent your kid from downloading software.

And if you read the social networking section . . . you might notice a quote from yours truly!

Top Shelf Bottom Line:  If you have ever felt intimidated by any aspect of your computer, go buy this book.  It not only covers the fundamentals; it’s also a whole lot of fun.

On a slightly different note, I attended a lecture tonight in my town’s high school auditorium by professor David Blight, author of A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom.

The following is from our town’s library site.

David Blight’s A Slave No More is in effect a memoir–the story of two slaves who made their break for freedom during the chaos of the Civil War. After reconstructing their childhoods as sons of white slave holders through their climb to black working-class stability in the north where they reunited with their families, Blight then reproduces the men’s accounts of their own emancipation in their original language. One of the men, John Washington, eventually retires here to Cohasset [Mass.] where he spends the last five years of his life with his son’s family on North Main Street; he died in 1918 and is buried in Woodside Cemetery. Author David Blight is professor of American History at Yale University.

I put that short blurb there because I admit that I have not yet read the book, despite it being part of our Cohasset Reads Together program. However, I wished I had. Nevertheless, hearing Blight speak was a wonderful glimpse into the book. And since my last book review was based on a professor’s lecture, I thought I would quickly jot down some thoughts about what made this an amazing story and why I think it’s relevant.

The ups and downs of the small town.  OK, I live in a small town. Really small town: population 7,000, and you can’t ever leave the house without seeing someone you know. I love that about this place. The one big detractor from this town is that my being 1/2 Pacific islander increased the town’s non-white population to about 2 percent, if that. So for a town like ours to find out a former slave lived out his last years right on North Main Street is a bit surprising.  And intriguing enough to bring out a couple hundred folks to listen to a lecture on a cold winter night.

I’m going to start attending more library lectures.  At a time when movies cost $10/seat plus $20 in refreshments, going to a free lecture where the speaker captivated an audience, especially when I found myself sitting among friends and neighbors, was a great recession-proof entertainment strategy.

So why this speaker, why this book on a blog for entrepreneurs?  John Washington, one of the slaves who left behind a narrative of his life, was unique. He was literate. His mother was literate. But he spent his first years being a slave boy in Virginia (carrying a stool around to sit next to and attend to his mistress’s every whim) and then later shipped out to work in bars, factories, hotels, etc.  He eventually escaped during the fall of Fredericksburg and the Union soldiers gave him his freedom.

John Washington went on to be a bartender and painter living in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC, married his sweetheart (who had been born free) and had five children–all of whom finished high school and college. Some even got master’s degrees and many were educators.  One of his sons moved to Cohasset to work on the Old Colony railroad, and that’s who John lived with for his last few years.

How did he manage to walk away from being a slave to raising a family of solidly middle-class educators?

1.  Patience and perseverence. He waited for his opportunity to arise and was ready when it happened.

2.  Preparation. When he met the soldiers, he was prepared with newspapers and other information to help them.

3.  Skills. He was smart, literate and could do everything from work in a factory to being assistant manager of a hotel.

4.  Optimism. While Blight never said it, I sensed that John Washington had to be an optimist.

So what does this have to do with being an entrepreneur? The above-listed traits are what also distinguish many of the most successful entrepreneurs.  And, according to Blight, the theme of the book is “never say never.”

For more from Blight and John Washington’s overlap with Abraham Lincoln, see this Boston Globe Op-Ed piece.

Top Shelf Bottom Line:  Sometimes we need to step out of our myopic world to find great role models. A must-read for civil war buffs.

When I first watched Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture in November 2008, I was blown away.  For those who haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor, skip that lame reality show tonight and spend an hour learning about reality by watching the video.

Click here to read my thoughts on my original viewing. 

For those of you who have never heard of Randy Pausch and are not among the 8 million individuals who have watched his video on YouTube, Dr. Pausch was a Carnegie Mellon Professor diagnosed with terminal cancer when he was asked to participate in their Last Lecture series.  His topic for his “Last Lecture” was about realizing and enabling childhood dreams. 

His dreams ranged from being in zero gravity to becoming an NFL football player and an Imagineer with Disney.  Even his dreams that he didn’t achieve yielded lessons we all need to hear, especially entrepreneurs.

When he passed away in July, 2008, I learned there was a book about The Last Lecture.  I figured that it would be the same content, so didn’t pick it up.  Then last month in my library they had the book on cd and I figured with all that was wrong with the world, I needed to put everything back in perspective.  I’m so glad I did. I was delighted to find that it covered some of the same items, but there was so much more. 

Memorable parts for me (from the book, some are in the lecture, some aren’t):

1. The chapter on what he learned trying to become a pro football player.  I played this part for my 9 year old son while on a car ride.  He asked to stay in the car to listen to the whole chapter even after we had arrived at our destination.  I may purchase the book to take on our trip this summer to read other parts to him.  Or I may hold onto it and give it to him when he’s able to read it himself.
2. His description of his parents and childhood.  This had particular significance to me as he grew up in my town in Columbia, MD and went to my rival high school.  Columbia was a very unique place back in the 70’s and 80’s, and when I found out at the end of the video that he went to Oakland Mills high school, it didn’t surprise me.
3. “Experience is what you get, when you don’t get what you wanted.”  I loved this quote and it has even more meaning in this economy where many of us have to make different choices than expected.
4. The value of feedback.  He has sections on this and you realize that too much of corporate America and academia function without feedback.  Many of his other ideas on teaching are useful for entrepreneurs and managers who want to enable employees to succeed.
5. I enjoyed the parts about his family life.  This best part of the book for me, was the stories of how he and his wife met, got married, had kids, faced a terminal illness, and even dealt with the fact that he wanted to spend the last months of his life writing a book.   It’s a bit “Marley & Me” in these parts  (except the elephant in the room is a terminal illness and not a psychotic lab), but it makes one think, how the heck would I handle a curveball like that in my life?  I don’t think I could be as upbeat as he was, but at least I would have a good role model.
6. The career advice at the end of the book.  There were great stories of persistence and how going the extra step could make a difference for someone in a job hunt or otherwise pursuing their dreams.

Topshelf Bottom line.  This is a must read for everyone who needs to put things back into perspective so that they can go out and chase down their own childhood dreams.  Share it with your kids.