Authors
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problogic
- Tuesday Tunes: Out-of-this-world rock band names
- Riding the rails of interstellar discovery at the Very Large Array
- Majestic “mesa” cities and towns around the globe
- Canada’s next supergroup – A Short Walk to Pluto
- Two migration tales of strength, hardship, and tenacity
- An out-of-this-world visit to the Very Large Array (VLA)
- Albuquerque is a national leader in water conservation
- The buzz about America’s “bee-friendly” cities
- Tallest buildings of Greater Washington, DC
- New Mexico’s protected wildlife areas along the Rio Grande
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Category Archives: reading
Forget the latest planning buzzword and just plan
First it was “context sensitive solutions,” then “cool cities,” followed by “third places,” and most recently it has been the term “15 minute city.” All of these terms (and a myriad of others) are principally buzzwords meant to promote and … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, Advocacy, books, branding, business, cities, civics, civility, Communications, consumerism, culture, education, history, land use, literature, marketing, opinion, placemaking, planning, politics, product design, reading, Social media, third places, urban planning, writing, zoning
Tagged buzzwords, cities, concepts, fads, history, ideas, land use, language, opinion, planning, trends, writing
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Living amid an “Ecology of Fear”
I recently read Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster by the late Mike Davis. It is an intriguing book that switches from whimsical to dark and foreboding at the turn of a page. In fact, the … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, Africa, Animals, archaeology, art, Asia, book reviews, books, branding, business, Canada, Cars, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, climate, climate change, commerce, Communications, culture, demographics, density, diversity, economic development, economics, ecosystems, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, film, fun, futurism, geography, Geology, government, Guns, Handguns, health, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, India, industry, infrastructure, injustice, land use, Latin America, literature, marketing, money, movies, music, natural history, nature, opinion, planning, politics, pollution, poverty, psychology, racism, reading, Religion, revitalization, schools, Science, Science fiction, Sexism, Small business, social equity, Social media, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, technology, Television, theaters, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, transportation, Travel, unemployment, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, weather, Wilderness, Wildlife, Women, writing, zoning
Tagged authors, book reviews, books, California, culture, culture wars, diversity, dystopia, environment, extrapolative, fear, geography, history, hope, inclusivness, literature, Los Angeles, maps, Mike Davis, opinion, planning, safety, security, The Ecology of Fear, writing
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The “unity of drought” must supersede myths and self interest
*A small commission is earned from purchases that are made using the above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. _______ The book Water is for Fighting Over: and Other Myths About Water in the … Continue reading
Posted in art, book reviews, books, cities, civics, civility, climate, climate change, economic development, ecosystems, education, engineering, environment, futurism, geography, Geology, government, health, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, injustice, land use, landscape architecture, literature, Maps, Native Americans, natural history, nature, opinion, planning, politics, reading, recreation, rivers/watersheds, Science, social equity, spatial design, Statistics, topography, urban planning, water, water conservation, weather, writing
Tagged book reviews, books, collaboration, Colorado River, drought, ecology, ecosystems, environment, John Fleck, myths, Rio Grande, Southwest, water, water conservation, watersheds, writing
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15.3 million footsteps from Istanbul to Xian!
Over the course of four years (1999-2002), author and retired journalist Bernard Ollivier trekked the ancient Silk Road on foot from Istanbul, Turkey to Xian, China. He accomplished this monumental 7,500 mile (12,000 km) feat by overcoming aches, pains, illnesses, … Continue reading
Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, archaeology, architecture, art, Asia, book reviews, books, China, cities, civics, civility, commerce, Communications, Cuisine, culture, diversity, education, entertainment, environment, family, fun, geography, health, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, injustice, land use, Language, literature, Maps, military, natural history, nature, opinion, pictures, place names, placemaking, politics, pollution, reading, recreation, Religion, Statistics, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transportation, Travel, walking, weather, Wildlife, Women, writing
Tagged Asia, Bernard Ollivier, book reviews, books, cultures, hiking, travel, walking, writing
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Creating LA’s starlit aura – “The Mirage Factory”
What an outstanding book! Perhaps, my favorite the best city biography ever read. Author Gary Krist simply nails it with The Mirage Factory. It’s entertaining, enthralling, infuriating, and thoroughly engaging to read. You will definitely learn some amazing and eye-opening … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, branding, business, Cars, cities, civics, commerce, Communications, consumerism, culture, demographics, economic development, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, film, fun, geography, Geology, government, highways, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, industry, infrastructure, injustice, land use, marketing, movies, music, nature, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, product design, racism, reading, Religion, rivers/watersheds, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, technology, theaters, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, Women, writing
Tagged book reviews, books, California, Gary Krist, history, LA, Los Angeles, silent films, The Mirage Factory, urban biographies, water
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“RESET” – Where planning intersects sci-fi and John Lennon
Imagine if you will, a place and time where society has barely survived nuclear armageddon (the Last War) and reestablished itself in four (4) distinct, unique, climate-controlled, and self-sustained cities in the Mojave Desert – Callisto, Lysithea, Europa, and Elara. This utopian society was founded by an omnipotent Planner by employing wisdom derived from the lyrics of John Lennon’s most enduring song – “Imagine.” Continue reading
Posted in archaeology, art, atomic age, book reviews, books, cities, Civil Rights, civility, culture, entertainment, futurism, government, health, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, literature, Love, planning, reading, Science, Science fiction, songs, spatial design, sustainability, urban planning, Women, writing
Tagged books, Buddhism, cities, Imagine, John Lennon, planning, Reset, Sarina Dahlan, sci-fi, science fiction, writing, zen
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“Project Hail Mary” – Science fiction at its very best!
I cannot express enough accolades about Andy Weir’s newest novel, Project Hail Mary. The book is simply outstanding. It’s one of those books that is hard to put down and you never want to end. I don’t want to give … Continue reading
Posted in aerospace, art, Astronomy, aviation, book reviews, books, Communications, culture, entertainment, environment, fun, futurism, geography, Geology, humanity, inclusiveness, literature, nature, Outer Space, place names, product design, reading, Science, Science fiction, Statistics, technology, transportation, Travel, writing
Tagged Andy Weir, astronomy, books, dystopian, literature, outer space, planets, Project Hail Mary, Science, science fiction, writing
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One planner’s guide to non-fiction books about specific cities
Nearly every city has at least one unique story to tell about itself and some cities are filled with many interesting ones. The story(ies) may be due to conflict or upheaval, its unique culture or geography, a natural or human … Continue reading
Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, bicycling, Biking, book reviews, books, cities, civics, civility, climate change, commerce, culture, demographics, economic development, ecosystems, environment, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, literature, nature, place names, placemaking, planning, reading, revitalization, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, third places, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, writing
Tagged book reviews, books, cities, literature, reading
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“Just Mercy” Will Rip Your Heart to Shreds
* A small commission is earned from purchases that are made using this visual link to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. In all my years, I have never read a more disturbing, yet compelling book. … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, charities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, culture, diversity, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, injustice, literature, politics, poverty, reading, social equity, Statistics, writing
Tagged Bryan Stevenson, crime, Equal Justice Initiative, inequality, injustice, justice, law, punishment, reviews
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Driving and striving to survive a broken ‘Merica
I will never, ever look at a recreational vehicle, van, motor home, or campground the same way again. Not since reading Jessica Bruder’s engrossing, informative, and heartbreaking new book entitled Nomadland. I have long imagined, envied, and eagerly anticipated my … Continue reading
Posted in Advocacy, ageism, art, book reviews, books, Cars, civics, civility, consumerism, culture, demographics, economics, Economy, family, geography, health, Health care, history, homelessness, Housing, human rights, humanity, Labor, literature, logistics, minimalism, politics, poverty, product design, reading, shopping, social equity, Statistics, transportation, Travel, unemployment, Women, writing
Tagged book reviews, books, homelessness, houseless, Jessica Bruder, literature, Nomad land, nomads, van dwelling, workamping, writing
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Panethos 