Politics

Politics Remixes: Election Day EP cover art. Image via Virgin/EMI. "We live in a society." -Internet meme In 2005, Korn released their seventh studio album, See You on the Other Side. The first without guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, and the last to feature drummer David Silveria. It was a critical and commercial success, with hit … Continue reading Politics →

…To Be Loved

Papa Roach, circa 2006. From left to right: Jerry Horton, Jacoby Shaddix, Dave Bucker, and Tobin Esperance. Image via Geffen. "Technique has taken over the whole of civilisation. Death, procreation, birth all submit to technical efficiency and systemisation." -Jacques Ellul "...To Be Loved" was the lead single from Papa Roach's 2006 album, The Paramour Sessions. … Continue reading …To Be Loved →

Phobia

Cover artwork for Phobia. Image via Hollywood Records. "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." -Michel de Montaigne Breaking Benjamin's third album, Phobia, elevated the band from a promising grunge-revivalist combo to one of hard rock's biggest … Continue reading Phobia →

Nature and Selected Essays

Nature and Selected Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson Penguin (5 December 2003) Amazon If you enjoy reading the essays of Seneca and Montaigne, then Ralph Waldo Emerson works nicely as a next step. He complements them while setting his works apart in a uniquely American way. I am referring to an emphasis on drive and … Continue reading Nature and Selected Essays →

The Fun of It

The Fun of It: Random Records of My Own Flying and of Women in Aviation by Amelia Earhart Academy Chicago Publishers (1 April 2006) Amazon Amelia Earhart, the first woman to make a nonstop solo transatlantic flight. Her first memoir, 20 Hrs. 40 Min., focused mainly on her flying across the Atlantic as a passenger. … Continue reading The Fun of It →

The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs

The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs by Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro Yale University Press (18 May 2012) Amazon A great book for those who like language, folksy wisdom, or the way ideas are spread. The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs is a collection of sayings that emerged or became more common during … Continue reading The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs →

The Roman History: The Reign of Augustus

The Roman History: The Reign of Augustus by Cassius Dio (translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert) Penguin (1 June 1987) Amazon Another one for those who like to think about the Roman Empire. The Roman History by Cassius Dio is an excellent intersection of history and philosophy, and one of the most important surviving accounts of how … Continue reading The Roman History: The Reign of Augustus →

The Book of Dead Philosophers

The Book of Dead Philosophers by Simon Critchley Knopf Doubleday (10 February 2009) Amazon I wish we had this book when I studied philosophy during my VCE and undergrad years. The ones assigned -- aside from all the photocopied extracts of Plato and Nietzsche -- I'd honestly forgotten until I was drafting this post. Sophie's … Continue reading The Book of Dead Philosophers →

You Can Negotiate Anything

You Can Negotiate Anything: The World's Best Negotiator Tells You How to Get What You Want by Herb Cohen Bantam Dell (1 January 1984) Amazon A bestselling text on negotiation, You Can Negotiate Anything was first published in the 1980s. It became an instant classic, credited as bringing negotiation out of the boardrooms of the … Continue reading You Can Negotiate Anything →

King of All Excuses

Front cover for the "King of All Excuses" single. Image via Elektra Records. "Everyone is lying -- about what they make, about how confident they feel, about how hard they work, about how well things are going. Stop comparing yourself to these lies. Stop thinking about them at all." -Ryan Holiday The fourth and final … Continue reading King of All Excuses →