Scott J. Pearson

Relativity: The Special & General Theory by Albert Einstein

By Scott J. Pearson | December 28, 2020December 28, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

“The universe of these beings is finite and yet has no limits.” – Albert Einstein, in chapter XXXI So says one of the great thinkers – perhaps, the great thinker – of the twentieth century in explaining his general theory of relativity. While there was much mathematical in its derivation, Einstein explains it in common language to the educated reader in this short work. He also explains the special theory of relativity here. While such…

Management-Business

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

By Scott J. Pearson | December 28, 2020December 28, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

My boss is so much a fan of this book that she gave it to me free this month. She reads it every year in pursuit of further mastery of her work and life. Although the obvious application is to the realm of employment, Allen’s approach is applicable to one’s personal/private life and even to stay-at-home parents. It’s about keeping the “projects” in one’s life moving forward without causing stress. Allen’s system runs off on…

Le Morte d’Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table

By Scott J. Pearson | December 27, 2020August 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

King Arthur’s mythic Round Table – with Queen Gwynevere, Sir Launcelot, and the famous sword Excalibur – resounds through England’s history. They might be fable, or they might have a historical root. Either way, they make for a good telling and national myth. Sir Thomas Malory recorded these tales in book form in the late fifteenth century, and Keith Baines adapted these for modern languages in the mid-twentieth century. Their storytelling power remains full of…

Biography-Memoir History Leadership Politics

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

By Scott J. Pearson | December 26, 2020September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

In this work, Goodwin charts the lives of four influential US Presidents – Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. Having written leading biographies previously of each of these, she combines her insights to profile the character of leadership, at least in an American form. She distills prior deep study of these presidents into an interwoven narrative that highlights how their personal narratives enabled them to meet the challenges of their times…

History Software-Technology

Leonardo to the Internet: Technology and Culture from the Renaissance to the Present

By Scott J. Pearson | December 17, 2020December 17, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Many people hold one of two views of technology and culture. Some think that technology determines how society evolve. Others contend that human affairs express themselves in the technologies they produce. Misa contends that technology and culture evolve together in a mixed group; neither determine the other. He makes this case by examining this evolution, as his title promises, from the days of Leonardo until the present. Generally, Misa sees the history of technology moving…

Research-Education

Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches

By Scott J. Pearson | December 16, 2020December 16, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

The academic field of research methods describes how different approaches to research can yield insight and results. Historically, quantitative (i.e., numerical) approaches have dominated. Recently, qualitative (i.e., descriptive in words) approaches have increased. Also recently, mixed methods approaches have combined the two to tell interesting stories more expeditiously. In this work, Creswell and Creswell delineate all three methods and help the reader make the most of their research efforts. The fact that this book is…

Science

Ancient Bones: Unearthing the Astonishing New Story of How We Became Human

By Scott J. Pearson | December 14, 2020January 4, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

Though a fan of science in its many forms, I am much more familiar with the early days of Christian Biblical history than with scientific history of the human species. I have studied it, but the ground seems to be slowly shifting in this realm. Böhme details these shifts in this work as he summarizes the evidence over the last 20-30 years. She does so through a lucid, suspenseful, and engaging manner. She questions many…

Family Kids

Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

By Scott J. Pearson | December 13, 2020December 13, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

J.R.R. Tolkien is most well known as the author behind the famed series The Lord of the Rings. He was also an Oxford don (in the field of Anglo-Saxon literature) and a family man who was widely adored for his overactive imagination. He wrote little publicized letters to his children every year at Christmastime by posing as Father Christmas (the equivalent of Santa Claus), replete with this trademark imagination and with drawings and paintings. His…

Fiction-Stories

Your Story, My Story: A Novel

By Scott J. Pearson | December 8, 2020December 8, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

This novel, originally composed in Dutch, profiles two famous English-language poets. Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes romanced, married, and had two children together. While the children were extremely young, Plath committed suicide after Hughes had an affair. This tale, written from Hughes’ perspective (apparently later in life), imagines how his inner life was haunted by her downfall. It accurately captures human nature and the depths of two poets’ struggle with the unfolding of life and…

Biography-Memoir Healthcare History Science

Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher

By Scott J. Pearson | December 5, 2020December 5, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

The surgery of organ transplantation has taken off in the past fifty years. However, the ability to apply these gains to the nervous system has lagged behind due to the limitations of nerve regeneration. As told in this book, during this time, Robert White, MD/PhD, sought to pioneer head transplantation onto a new body. He was successful in transplanting a monkey’s head onto another’s body. However, he retired and died before his dream could come…