Sunday, December 17, 2006

Two Small Books


Two small books....different topics...both worth reading.

Placitas NM 12-17-06









Beautiful day for a hike...sunny and almost 60 degrees....a trace of snow on the trail...

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Lord Beaverbrook

"No man in any party trusts Max."
David Lloyd George

"A devoted tiger--very scarce breed."
Churchill to Edward VIII

"Try ridding yourself of this microbe....
Exorcise this bottle Imp."
Clementine Churchill to
Winston Churchill

"Hitler likes you very much."
Rudolf Hess, 1941

Quotes from the back cover of Lord Beaverbrook a life
by Anne Chisholm and Michael Davie
Knopf, 1993

Beaverbrook was a second tier player and a great observer of British politics. His books are not only fascinating but quite entertaining.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Kim Crawford, Marlborough NZ

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc...2004 and 2005....2006 is even better....

Primary Sources

An Ambassador's Memoirs by Maurice Paleologue and My Mission To Russia by Sir George Buchanan....both ambassadors to the Russian Court of Tsar Nicholas II both writing about their experience in Russia during the time leading up to the revolution. Absolutely fascinating!

B.H. Liddell Hart


The Rommel Papers, T.E. Lawrence, Strategy, The German Generals Talk, The Real War 1914-1918, Sherman...all by Hart all great stuff on strategy, tactics and management....


Thursday, December 14, 2006

Insignia + Parts Express + Pass Zen

Nice cheap speaker system....Insignia bookshelf...list $49...on sale at BestBuy for $45 or $39....two sets in parallel

add a Parts Express 12" sub ~$170 delivered...and you have a nice < $300 speaker system...great for internet radio.


Top view of a Pass Zen Class A amp which is driving the Insignia speakers.

franco-prussian war/byzantine empire



Howard's book on the Franco-Prussian War is quite good (things haven't changed much)....now it's on to Norwich's 3 volumes on the Byzantine Empire.

audiotron/behringer src2496



Unfortunately Turtle Beach gave up on the Audiotron....it's a very nice internet radio tuner but since the FW has not been updated for 2-3 years it's becoming obsolete.

The Behringer src2496 below it is a nice inexpensive toy...runs up to 24 bit/96 khz....too bad it does not do 192 khz...