Weather

The book I read to research this post was Weather For Dummies by John D Cox which is an excellent book which I bought from kobo. This book tells you all the basics of weather forecasting as well as looking at weather systems in general around the world. A lot of it is focused on the weather in the USA and there isn't all that much on the weather in Europe which could be because they have a fairly mild climate. Apparently in the North West Pacific is an area called Typhoon Alley which gets loads of hurricanes and the US protectorate of Guam is in this area. In the USA in an area by the Gulf of Mexico which includes Texas & Kansas is an area called Tornado Alley. Tornadoes are rare outside this area. A lot of hurricanes come into the USA from the Atlantic & Pacific. Thomas Jefferson was the 1st person to realise that hurricanes actually travel from 1 area to the next. He couldn't understand why the hurricane didn't travel in the direction it was blowing. We know now that there are strong winds in the upper atmosphere that direct the hurricane around. These winds or thermals often blow at 100 MPH & in times of storms can reach 210 MPH. They are caused by the change in temperature between the different parts of the atmosphere. It's interesting that some of the biggest supercomputers in the world are used to predict the weather. They often have huge amounts to process involving things like temperature measurements around the world and some of these supercomputers can simulate the complete weather system around the world.

Home Music Recording

The book I read to research this post was Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies by Jeff Strong which is a very good book which I bought from kobo. This book assumes you are a musician who can play an instrument and now a bit about how sound is formed etc so it skips some topics. I'm not a musician but am interested in recording various friends making music so was interested in this. You have various options when it comes to recording like you can use a computer and have things like your mixers and equilizers in software form, which if you already have a computer is probably your cheapest option. Another option is buying a standalone recording studio which makes it difficult to upgrade. One thing they suggest is to start with buy the essential stuff to do your recording and you can add to it at a later date. Digital recording is the way to go whether you use a computer hard drive or a storage in a box, often called a SIAB solution. You need plenty of microphones and a lot of people use the various types of cardoid microphone for instruments & dynamic or something similiar for voice. The dynamic tends to record midranges so is no good for recording operatic vocals. You can put a pair of tights over a mike to protect it from dust. You might in some cases need a pop filter to stop crackle noises getting in the recording. The best interface for computer recording equipment is USB 3.0 which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0. Some storage devices use proprietary formats for storage when ideally you want to use a format like MP3 or AIFF that can be exported. The best MP3 encoding software which is also free is probably the iTunes software. It's probably the easiest to use too. 

Personnel Management

The book I read to research this post was Personnel Management Made Simple by Shaun Tyson et al which is a good book which I bought from a local secondhand bookstore. This book is interesting but I felt needlessly complex & was written in the days prior to books like the For Dummies. If you can get a more accessible book get that. Having said that most of this book I was able to understand. In large companies they will often have a Personnel Management department & a moderately sized company will usually employ a Personnel Manager. There main role is to make sure everyone is able to do their job & will often sort out things like absence from work, training, pensions & if someone leaves the company they may help them get employment. One really good use which isn't covered in this book is if someone is off work sick the Personnel Manager should interview them, after all they should make sure they are ready to come back to work. A lot of companies have this in place and it helps cut down on absenteeism. After all it's quite easy in Britain to take a couple of sick days off work. You don't even have to see a doctor. Part of the reason you train people in your company should be so they have professional qualifications that enable them to get a job should they ever leave. 

Golden - Lady Antebellum

I am reviewing the album Golden by Lady Antebellum which is a very good album. Lady Antebellum formed in Nashville in 2006 & they are a country music trio & they have a female vocalist called Hillary Scott. She apparently appeared on Pop Idol twice but never made it past the 1st round. She knew one of the group and made contact with him again via Myspace. Most of their singles have been number 1's on the country chart. Their name at least the Antebellum comes from the architectural style of the big houses in the Deep South that used to have slaves. Golden appeared in 2013 and is their latest album. They have won quite a few Grammy's not to mention other awards. 

Fred Dibnah

The book I read to research this post was Fred by David Hall which is an excellent biography of Fred Dibnah which I bought from a local secondhand bookstore. Fred Dibnah died a few years ago but was an institution in Britain where he appeared in television programmes like Fred Dibnah Steeplejack & Fred Dibnah's World of Steam to name a few. His programmes were a celebration of the skills that defined Britain in the Industrial Revolution. He himself learnt many of these skills, most famously steeplejacking & pointing brickwork on chimneys. He taught himself the art of demolition & collected many stories which often featured in his television programmes. He fully restored a steam roller, even building a complete boiler because the insurance company weren't satisfied with the restored one. I remember him saying in one of his programmes that on steam trains it would be easy for the boiler to become warped due to the extreme working temperatures were it not for the thick rivets that keep its shape. He built a fully working artificial coal mine in his back garden in Bolton, complete with bricked 100 feet face & steam powered winding machinery. Unlike the museums where the winding machine is normally slowed down, his winding machine was authentic. He was born in Bolton in 1938 & wasn't greatly academic but did 3 years in art school. He liked drawing things like steam engines. I really enjoyed reading this story and it keeps your interest throughout.