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April 21, 2019  

My BIG, Very BIG — 471-Page — THINK Book — Now Available, Worldwide.

by Anura Guruge

Click to ENLARGE and study. Link to Amazon below.

Link to Amazon LISTING for this BIG boy.

The family. The BIG book differs from the other two in that it contains 365 sample answers. That is what makes it SO big.

So, for those that have made fun of me that my book are are on a diet, and keep on getting skinnier and skinnier.

Well I fixed that with this book. A full 471-pages long and we are talking good size 7″x10″ pages (and not ones that are small).

Took me 18-months to write and proof it. The longest I have worked on a book — ever!

Yes, I wrote it BEFORE my other two THINK books, BUT the proofing was a bitch. So, I spun the other two out and continued labouring on the BIG book.

Well, it is out. A true labor of love.

Check it out. I will arrange for FREE eBook downloads after Easter.

Related posts:
Check Categories ‘Books’, ‘Brains‘ & ‘THINK‘.

by Anura Guruge

 

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April 9, 2019  

‘Brainsway’, A Maker Of ‘Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation’ (TMS) Equipment, Filing For ‘Hail-Mary’ U.S. IPO.

by Anura Guruge

Click to ENLARGE and read here. This from Fidelity.

Click for my post that talks about ‘Brainsway’ & TMS.

Stock performance in Tel Aviv.

Click to ENLARGE and goggle. 

I was researching the intriguing ‘Pinterest‘ IPO when this caught my eye. I knew exactly who they were. So, I had to do a bit of investigating.

Wow. Their stock performance in Israel has not been stellar — and that is saying it kindly.

I would NOT touch this U.S. IPO. The stock, in Israel, right now, seems to be on a downward trajectory.

Also seems a bit late in the day to do an U.S. IPO. They went public in Israel 12-years ago!

During ‘dot.com’ I did a ton of work for a number of Israeli high-tech companies. Great folks to work with, but I kind of learnt one thing. It is not easy for outsiders to make money in Israeli companies. Yes, of course, there are exceptions.

This one does not fill me with optimism. But, you can check it out.

Related Posts:
Search on ‘pain’ & ‘TMS’.
Check Category ‘books’. 

by Anura Guruge

April 2, 2019  

‘The Road To Wellville’ By T.C. Boyle — Great Story, Brilliantly Told, But I Would Have Preferred Abridged Version!

by Anura Guruge

Click for Amazon listing.

I really can’t believe I said that. Abridge version! Coming from I. Yikes.

What can I say? A review printed on the back cover refers to the ‘bombastic language‘. They said that on the back cover. That about sums it up. I have been frequently accused of flowery, florid and dense writing. But, I think he takes this to extremes that even I would not dare. Shame, because it is such a great book, a wonderful FACTIONAL story. One that needs to be read — about Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (of cornflake fame), his ostentatious Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan and his outrageous cures which included radium inhalation.

I have had this book for awhile and had wanted to read it for a long time. I knew a bit about Kellogg’s quackery and wanted to get a better picture. To be honest this book does not give you the full story of Kellogg. His early days and how he wrested control of the Sanitarium from the Seventh-Day Adventists is glossed over. But, still I learnt tremendous amount — most of it which made me shudder.

I would love to recommend this book to a few people — but, alas, they would not thank me for it! Though the story is compelling it is hard work reading the words. It is like trying to eat and digest dry cardboard. Shame. Hence, why I would like to see an abridged version. The story told in its essence with 40% of the bombastic words eradicated.

All that said, I liked it because the story had me enthralled. So … I have told you how I feel. You might still want to give it a try.

Related Posts:
Check Category ‘Books’.

by Anura Guruge

March 20, 2019  

Cracks Me Up When I Get A Royalty Cheque For TECHNOLOGY Books I Wrote 15 Years Ago!

by Anura Guruge

Click to ENLARGE.

Happens this time every year. It comes out of the blue.

I am NOT complaining. It is NOT a big check BUT it can keep me in wine for 2-weeks. That is better than a kick-in-the-teeth any day of the week.

If these were NOT technology books it wouldn’t crack me up at all. But, these are books that are now 60% out-of-date! Yes, some of the basic principles will still be the same but a lot of water flows under the bridge over the course of 15-years when it comes to technology.

These books have a ‘Look Inside‘ capability and people can return them. That I am still getting royalties mean that people must still find some value in them. That pleases me. These were good books when I wrote them.

I also got pretty decent advances on each of the books. So, I am pleased. I am smiling.

SMILE.

Related posts:
Category ‘books’.

by Anura Guruge

March 19, 2019  

‘Olive Kitteridge’ By Elizabeth Strout — Magical Enough To Win A ‘Pulitzer’.

by Anura Guruge

It is not a novel. Essentially thirteen short-stories with ‘Olive Kitteridge‘ playing some role, major in some, fleeting in others, in each story. Beautifully crafted. The story and characters engage you. Draw you in. You want to know what happens to them.

All the stories are set in a fictional coast town in Downeast Maine. My wife of 16-years is from coastal Maine (albeit slightly further North). Over the last year six years I have been spending a fair amount of time in Maine — mainly in Acadia. So, the landscape and the nuances of the characters were familiar.

I found it interesting and absorbing — though typically I am not a huge fan of short-stories. The portrayal of the Mainers amused I. An overriding theme is their lecherousness and promiscuity — irrespective of age. Hmmm. I won’t comment on that.

Yes, as with the ‘Secret Lives of Bees‘ this book is hugely well known and has a huge following. I am, as ever, late to the party.

Related Posts:
Check Category ‘Books’.
Search on ‘Michener’.

by Anura Guruge

March 14, 2019  

‘Secret Lives Of Bees’ By Sue Monk Kidd — A Strangely Alluring & Satisfying Book.

by Anura Guruge

Don’t make fun of me for recommending a book that was published in 2003. Sorry. I very rarely read a book as soon as it is published — ‘The Da Vinci Code’ the one exception I can remember.

We appeared to have picked up a copy of this alluring book at our local ‘Swap Shop‘ where you can invariably find a good book or two. I think it had been languishing around the house for some time. Having read ‘Hawaii‘, ‘Miracle in Seville‘, ‘The Covenant‘ & ‘ Tales of the South Pacific‘ within the space of 10-months I needed a break from Michener. I saw the book, liked the title and started reading it.

Yes, of course, millions have obviously raved about this book ahead of I. The cover itself has the splash banner that says ‘A New York Times Bestseller‘.

To I it was a less intense version of “To Kill A Mockingbird“! Set slightly later in the South but a story that revolves around the racial inequality and tension of pre-Civil Rights USA. Very cleverly done. Kind of disappointing to learn that it is all fiction. It definitely feels very real.

You want to know what happens next. As such it is quite the page turner. Yes, there is some ‘fluff’, but that is ‘OK’. I assume it was meant primarily for a female audience. That bothers me none. I enjoyed it. I have some familiarity of Black Madonna worship around the world. So, I enjoyed that aspect.

They have made a movie of the book. I watched the trailer. Hhmm. Some actresses from “Hidden Figures” a movie that I have already watched twice. But, from the little I saw, it didn’t seem to jive with the book. So, I am not going to rush into watching it.

Highly recommended. If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and read it.

Related Posts:
Check Category ‘Books’.
Search on ‘Michener’.

by Anura Guruge

February 24, 2019  

James A. Michener, Based On His ‘Tales of the South Pacific’, Might Have Been A Closet Racist!

by Anura Guruge

Click to ENLARGE.

Do not get me wrong. I am a HUGE fan of James A. Michener, as the photo below of my little ‘shrine’ to him in my library amply testifies. Also, if you do a SEARCH of this Blog (using the included SEARCH feature) of ‘Michener‘ you will see that I rave about him.

I know he was a good man, had a good heart and was a true philanthropist.

But, I finished reading his acclaimed, award-winning ‘Tales of the South Pacific‘ (1947) and I was NOT impressed. There were parts in it which were very disturbing. Yes, I appreciate that he wrote per 1946 standards BUT his tone and timbre when he deals with non-whites is patently wrong and offensive.

He repeatedly calls Polynesians and Chinese SAVAGES. I show but three examples above. There are more. Go to Amazon and use the electronic ‘Look Inside‘ feature. You can search for words with that. Type in ‘savages’.

You could NOT get away with that today.

Polynesians and Chinese?

Yes, that I am Asian probably makes me a tad more sensitive than others.

I like Polynesians and Chinese. They are NOT savages.

He also is very dismissive of American blacks in the forces. YIKES.

I also question his sexual-orientation. He comes across as ‘not that partial to women‘. Yes, I know he was thrice married and his last wife was Japanese. But, he was more than happy to leave his first wife for long periods of time and he was childless. Hhhmmm.

I was looking forward to reading this book. I had just finished ‘The Covenant‘. Yes, there were bits in there that raised my eyebrows and hackles, but nothing like what I encountered, alas, with ‘Tales of the South Pacific’.

Click to access post.

The ‘Michener Corner’ in my study.
Separate from all the other books.

Related Posts:
Check Category ‘Books’.
Search on ‘Michener’.

by Anura Guruge

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