Technical book time!
I haven't been reading very much lately.
Okay, not quite true. I haven't been reading very many technical books lately. I've been reading a lot of magazines, mostly to catch up with my two foot stack of unread magazines. Now that I'm mostly caught up with them (I have two non-programming, non-bead magazines to read to be caught up, which in my book is "mostly caught up").
The problem I have is, however, that I'm currently unable to read a technical book without wanting to take notes. "Oh," I think when I read these books, "I want to remember this, must write it down." Then I go off to find a pencil or computer, and invariably either decide the effort is too great, or become distracted with some other task, and don't return to the technical book I was reading. Taking notes helps me remember what I'm learning. It allows me to play with the knowledge, turn it over, pound on it, take it apart and see how it works. It's how I learn.
Recognizing the great, grand folly of not keeping up with technical fads and the language of the year or the acronym of the hour, I've decided that I will read at least two technical books a month, striving for four if possible. Recognizing also that this has to fit into the hour a day of exercise, personal blog a day, professional blog a day, letter to my children every two weeks, the magazine a day, the two dog walks a day, two home-cooked meals a day, and one good cuddle a day from the hubby schedule, too, I'll need to be agressive with my tasks.
No, I don't over schedule my life. Why do you ask?
The first book up is Bulletproof Web Designs by Dan Cederholm. Mike raved about it so much I bought my own copy. He wanted to buy a copy for our design partners (who we contract out for website designs), too. If he likes it this much, I should read it.
So, I did. And wrote up my notes.