The purpose of this site may be summarized in the words of the late Dr. Laurence J. Peter (author of The Peter Principle and other books): "The best intelligence test is what we do with our leisure time."These links take you to some of the best resources on the Worldwide Web (by my definition!). Many of them will lead you to enormous selections of further resources, enough to provide a complete education. In a nutshell, this is "The Smart Person's Guide to the Internet."
If you are new to Web-surfing, start with the Library of Congress. For the heck of it, take a look at my son James's site. Note that I have also provided full text of several of my own papers, including a 130 page overview of the Internet--what it is and the policy issues associated with it. (You'll find that in the "some of my papers" section.)
Bookmark this page now for easy return. Trust me on this. Scan this page from time to time for the "new" icon (
), marking (relatively) recently added items. (Actually, none of them is recently added now ... I need to delete the "new" icons.)
People around the world who score high on Dr. Peter's "best intelligence test" are discovering Ken Umbach's Award-Winning Home Page. To quote one enthusiastic visitor to this page:
Simply no adjectives have been yet invented to capture the description of your web page! It thrills me!! Thank you for introducing me to this online cascade of info! I have been looking for such a waterfall! and true to your word, it is worth being bookmarked ......and has been duly noted!!!
Another who recently discovered the site wrote:
Your site left me breathless. I don't know where to start first! What a fabulous resource. Has anyone ever gotten lost in your links and never returned :-).
Yet another enthusiastic visitor wrote:
I join those who say "Very impressive Web site!"
Just recently arrived the following:
Your web site is totally awesome!!!! One could spend days, weeks, maybe even months on your site alone. Thanks for the education and the entertainment!
This recently from a visitor from Switzerland:
Well done. Bloody impressive, and I am glad you put your free time to such
great use. Your quote at the top is completely right. But curl up with a
good book on C++...here we part company :)
And this, not from e-mail, but posted on a Web page with a link to this page:
This guy is very arrogant about his site but he is right!
These are all actual, direct quotations from e-mail received about this page. I would not have the brass to make them up. Feel free to drop me a note if you would like to add your own endorsement. In fact, send me a note in any event. I have recently renewed the subscription for this site, but always have to weigh its continuation with an eye to its usefulness.
Don't look for games here (though it isn't ALL serious). My idea of fun is to curl up with a good book on C++ programming (or, more recently, Java and the Microsoft J++ compiler), new ideas in physics and cosmology, or the transition of the Roman Empire into the Middle Ages. (Ok, ok, lately I am reading a lot of mystery books -- everyone needs a break. And even more lately, I am reading books on business and investing -- stay tuned for recommendations. As of September 26, 1999, I am STILL dawdling about revising this intro. and posting new book recommendations. I am a slacker ....) By the way, click here to see a doodle pad applet written in Java -- my first (and probably last and only) little project (it is out of a book, but it is a start, eh?) The applet does not work on all platforms, I am told. Proof that the cynics may be right -- the Java slogan is not "Write once, run everywhere," but rather "Write once, DEBUG everywhere."
Sometimes a classic hits the spot. In that vein, this year's reading has included Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit. Don't let anyone fool you ... books like that (and certainly that one in particular) are classics not because someone declared them to be, but because they are really, REALLY good. I have laughed so hard at some of Dickens's sly characterizations and turns of phrase as to nearly hurt myself. The book has something for everyone -- romance, humor, satire, mystery, and more.
As a result of interest piqued by the recent San Francisco School Board brouhaha over multicultural reading lists, I followed up Martin Chuzzlewit with Richard Wright's Black Boy, a stunningly forthright and powerful autobiography featuring possibly the clearest and most elegant writing I have ever seen. This book is a tour de force that should be on everyone's reading list. It could as well have been titled "The Making of a Black American Writer" for its insights into Wright's growth as a writer who had to fight upstream all the way against prejudice and poverty. The Library of America edition of Wright's Later Works includes Black Boy and The Outsider.
One of these days, I will post my entire list of recommended books. When I do, it will also include Timothy Ferris's The Whole Shebang: A State of the Universe(s) Report and Lee Smolin's book The Life of the Cosmos. Both were published in 1997. I highly recommend both to anyone with an interest in how the universe works. These are serious books, but written for a general audience. Unfortunately, neither has illustrations or photographs, which could have been very helpful, especially for Ferris's book. (A large-format book titled Galaxies, by Ferris, published several years ago and now out of print, had many wonderful photographs of galaxies and other astronomical objects.) Anyway, you can purchase these from Amazon books online (links are provided -- click on the titles) or from any good bookstore.
Also recommended, and abundantly illustrated, is Kip S. Thorne's Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy. Thorne covers some of the same territory as Ferris and Smolin, but also much that they do not really deal with. Thorne also spends much time on the personalities in the field of astrophysics and carefully explains and illustrates difficult concepts. All in all, it is simply a splendid book. (It was published in hardback in 1995 and in a quality paperback edition in 1996.)
Also, while I am at it, is Philip Kitcher's The Lives to Come: The Genetic Revolution and Human Possibilities (Simon and Schuster, 1996). This is an introduction to genetic diseases, the place of gene therapy in medicine, genetic testing and its implications, and especially the ethical issues surrounding the entire area. Kitcher writes clearly and he handles the ethical complexities and contrasting viewpoints with great care. The topic will only become more important, not less, and I highly recommend the book for those who are concerned about where it is all going.
On another topic, a fascinating book that combines business with technology (and many personality studies as well) is Jim Carlton's Apple: The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders. This is a history of the ups and downs of one of America and the the world's most famous computer companies, by an award-winning reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Equally fascinating is Inside Intel: Andy Grove and the Rise of the World's Most Powerful Chip Company, by Tim Jackson. This is a terrific book for folks interested in the computer industry or in the personalities involved in making businesses successful.
FYI, I am REALLY going to update the book comments and links! I have been reading some great books lately ... check back soon. Really. Honest! I AM GOING TO UPDATE!!! (Yes, yes, I know I wrote all that MANY MONTHS ago and still have not updated ... sigh. I have been doing other stuff. But I really will. Honest! More months have gone by, but I still intend to update!!!!! And here it is late 2001 -- and still no update. Alas.)
This site is the undertaking of Kenneth W. Umbach, Ph.D., and is not sponsored, paid for, or otherwise the product of any agency, organization, or other individual. The site is provided as a public service. Except as otherwise explicitly stated, no affiliation with linked sites or endorsement of or by those sites is expressed or implied. I am not responsible for the content of any site to which these links may take you that does not begin with "home.inreach.com/kumbach".
This site is now in association with Amazon.com. Amazon's selection and service are excellent, as I can attest from personal experience. Amazon.com is also great research tool when you need to track down specific books or a list of books on a particular topic. I am pleased to offer links directly to Amazon to facilitate ordering books recommended here.
Ken Umbach's Award-Winning Home Page is January 1998 winner of the "Absolute Bestus Web Site" award from D.R.U. Computer Consulting.
