Continuing with some notes from Dan Coyle’s The Talent Code. The single most important factor in developing any skill is effective practice — what Coyle calls “deep practice.” He gives three rules for deep practice:
Rule 1: Chunk it up. Break down the skill into its component parts. Chunking takes place in three dimensions:
a. Absorb the [...]
Archive for May, 2009
Deep practice
Posted in I've got talent like Britain!, if you do it you might get it on May 30, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Happy Birthday G. K.
Posted in G. K. the Great, Literature on May 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today is the birthday of one of the most gifted (and most quoted) essayists of the 19th century, G. K. Chesterton. His more well-known books include The Napoleon of Notting Hill, Heretics, The Man Who Was Thursday, Orthodoxy, The Ball and the Cross, What’s Wrong With the World, and The Man Who Knew Too Much. [...]
On the invocation of the saints
Posted in help me (St.) Rhonda, prayers to the gods on May 27, 2009 | 25 Comments »
Picking up on something alluded to earlier regarding the practice of the Roman (and Orthodox) uncatholic Church:
Whenever someone warns against or condemns the invocation of the saints, you’re sure to hear this response in one form or another: “Look, ‘praying’ to the saints is the same going to another believer and requesting them to pray [...]
The Talent Code
Posted in be a pro, gifts and talents on May 26, 2009 | 2 Comments »
My copy of The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle finally arrived last Friday. It’s a pretty quick read and very interesting. Coyle offers the following formula for greatness:
1. Ignition — the spark that gives a “vision” strong enough to motivate you to devote yourself to being able to do *that* (whatever *that* may be).
2. Master [...]
Doubt
Posted in the moving pictures on May 22, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Saw this the other night. Moving. Thought provoking. Based on the play written by John Patrick Shanley, the story revolves around a new priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who wants to add “humanity” to the orthodoxy of the Roman Church. He is portrayed as a friendly, compassionate, all-round good guy and, by contrast to his nemesis, [...]
The Council of Nicaea
Posted in creeds and councils on May 20, 2009 | 12 Comments »
Today is the anniversary of the convening of the council of Nicaea. The council met in the city of Nicaea in Bythinia, in 325 A.D. and was attended by more than 300 bishops from around the world. Many of the bishops came still bearing the scars of tortures they had endured at the hands of [...]
Finally! we found one
Posted in scientists jumping to unfounded conclusions, the evolution of stupid on May 19, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Did you hear? They’ve finally found the missing link! Balloons and cupcakes for everybody! The picture above is it. Yep. Believe it or not. That’s her. Ida. The 97% complete lemur monkey skeleton. They say she’s 47 million years old but, really, I don’t think she looks a day over 23 million. Remarkable. The 8th [...]
Wish I was . . .
Posted in Uncategorized on May 17, 2009 | 2 Comments »
an English muffin
bout to
make the
most
out of
a toaster.
Jacob and Flannery
Posted in Flannery O\'Connor, Lost on May 14, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I’ve been thinking that Jacob (on Lost) was a bad guy. But last night we saw him reading Flannery O’Connor (“Everything that Rises Must Converge”). So HOW can he be a bad guy?
He’s so cool he would kill your tomato plants.
Yogi cool
Posted in Yogi is the man on May 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today is the birthday of Yogi Berra, former catcher (and manager) of the New York Yankees. Yogi was famous for his “Yogisms” (“Wow, this is like deja vu’ all over again!”). Here are some other things he has said:
“You can observe a lot just by watching.”
On “Yogi Berra Appreciation Day” in St. Louis: “I want [...]
For all the saints
Posted in N. T. Wright, on fire for Jesus, purgatory on May 8, 2009 | 36 Comments »
Let me commend N. T. Wright’s brief little book For All the Saints. The occasion for his writing was the “mixed message” he believed the Anglican church to be sending by its observance of All Souls Day after All Saints Day. But along the way, Bishop Wright addresses the question of the intermediate state for [...]
Tithing anyone? anyone?
Posted in robbing God, tithing on May 7, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Just saw a report on the amount of charitable giving among politicians and it provoked me to do a little googling. Here are some of the things I found. On the charitable giving of our Vice President, Joseph Biden during the year 2007:
“The Bidens reported earning $319,853 last year [2007], including $71,000 in royalties for [...]
The sweat of genius
Posted in I'm too lazy to be a genius on May 6, 2009 | 3 Comments »
David Brooks wrote an interesting article in the April 30 NY Times on the nature of “genius” (“Genius: The Modern View” — and thanks to Jon Barlow for the heads-up). Following two recent books (The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle; and Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin) Brooks draws this conclusion:
“The key factor separating geniuses [...]
Novels of 09 (so far)
Posted in books, novels on May 5, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Just to keep track, here are some of the novels I’ve been able to read so far in 2009 (ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 stars)
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. Powerful story of an Orthodox Jewish artist and the struggles he has living within the Hasidic community and exercising his [...]
Relaxin a while . . .
Posted in Uncategorized on May 3, 2009 | 5 Comments »
livin in style.
ARCHIVES
-
RECENT POSTS
RSS Feed- Robert Spenser on Islam November 12, 2009 Steve
Meta
