Michael T. Starks

Author: admin

  • We Do What We Can

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    Sometimes, we don’t know how to give others the help they need. Sometimes, we don’t know how to give ourselves the help we need. Often, our souls know. But it’s not always easy to hear the voice of our souls. I’ve found that playfulness helps. When we play, we remember who we are. We connect…

  • Owning DVD’s

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    I remember when I used to own a lot of records. I don’t have any of them anymore. I may have transferred some to cassette tapes, but I don’t even have a way to play cassette tapes anymore. I still have a lot of DVD’s, but I can’t remember the last time I played one…

  • Stephen R. Donaldson

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    For one of my classes in seventh or eighth grade, I needed to present a book report. I thought, “Why give a talk about one book when I could give a talk about an entire trilogy of books?” At the time, I was more excited about The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever than any…

  • Vacations

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    It’s important to get away from your typical daily routine. Even when we do work that we love, it’s good to take a break. This is especially true when we use the time to connect with family and friends. I just got back from a fun weekend trip to Breckenridge with family. And we made…

  • Martha Wells

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    Martha Wells is the most recent addition to my collection of heroes. This is entirely due to a series of books she has written called The Murderbot Diaries. While I know that she’s written other books, these are the only ones I’ve read so far. It’s been a long time since I’ve read science fiction…

  • Isaac Asimov

    —

    by

    admin
    in , ,

    I’ve read more books by Isaac Asimov than by any other author. Of course, I haven’t even come close to reading all of his books! He’s the first author to make me fall in love with science fiction as a genre. As such, he’s one of my earliest heroes. While I haven’t read any of…

  • Replays

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    There are movies and books that I return to over and over again. These are not the best movies and books that exist; they are the ones that are particularly meaningful to me. Movies that I watch or think about repeatedly include Bowfinger, Galaxy Quest, Burn After Reading, and Good Will Hunting. The first three…

  • Midlife

    —

    by

    admin
    in ,

    Today, I finished reading the book Midlife by Kieran Setiya. The author calls it a philosophical guide. I found parts of it very interesting and relevant to what I’ve experienced in my fifties. Here is a brief review of the ideas, based on a summary chapter in the book. Life can seem bleak, whether or…

  • Decision Making

    —

    by

    admin
    in , ,

    Often, decisions must be made based on incomplete information. Here’s an example. Suppose you need to get from Sioux Falls to Denver. Traveling by car, with a couple of stops, the trip would last at least ten hours and cost at least $50 in gas and food. While these estimates could be improved, the exact…

  • Be Curious

    —

    by

    admin
    in , ,

    Yesterday, I learned a bit more from the Original Series Tell a Great Story that Michael Lewis has on Masterclass. I was struck by the following quote that he shared. The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already, but the simplest…