Meet the Life Hackers - New York Times is about "life hacks", techiques to deal with interruptions that most of us as office workers deal with every day. David Allen's Getting Things Done system, which I have been using devotely, is mentioned. I was ticked by two facts in the article: 1) that larger computer screens can make for greater productivity and 2) that being interrupted at the beginning of a task is more likely to cause someone to not finish a task than being interrupted at the end.

My latest Christian reading

Originally uploaded by Raymond Yee.

I'm one of the few people at First Pres who borrow these magazines from the library. Though I would love to be part of a big group of readers at FPCB, I'm also glad to have easy access to the magazines too.

I like to read this selection to get a (reasonably) wide spectrum of American Christian viewpoints. And maybe if it's not that wide, the range still makes for good reading. Check them out:

Books & Culture Magazine

The Christian Century

Christianity Today

First Things

BTW, I can commend a particular piece in B&C: Does Prayer Change God? by P. Yancey.

Get your flu shots

Originally uploaded by Raymond Yee.

These posters, seen on my way from church, are a good reminder for all of us to get flu shots this year.

Returning the NY books to BPL

Originally uploaded by Raymond Yee.

I highly recommend the Berkeley Public Library as a source of fravel books. Instead of buying guides that I'm not likely to ever use again, I like to go to the BPL where I can often pick up the most current edition.

I also learned in this recent trip to New York that physically compact guides are the most useful on the road, especially those with restaurant recommendations. It is when I'm up and about that I need information that I couldn't have prepared ahead of time.

After I got back from New York, I finally made it to the Berkeley Public Library to get my hands on some books on Henri Matisse. This latest kick all started when I read an essay by Hilary Spurling in the New York Review of Books. I did look for online resources, both free and commercially licensed, but have come to the conclusion that electronic coverage is superficial, certainly compared to the wealth of printed materials. Of course, there is nothing like seeing the works themselves -- but I don't quite have the time or money to start a world-wide trek for Matisse's art. At least not yet.

A word on the Matisse and Picasso theme here. I saw a number of books and a reference on the Wikipedia to the complex rivalry between the two major artist. Even though I was looking particularly for more insight into Matisse, I couldn't help seeing a lot of Picasso in New York. So I figure it might be helpful to try to understand both artists in order to better understand Matisse. Narratives involving conflict or back-and-forth between mighty figures are usually a lot of fun too!

-- from Raymond Yee - (?)

It's good to know that there are those who are comfortable enough to sleep in broad daylight on the Berkeley campus.