Today's soundtrack is NAV: RECKLESS. This evening, I'm reading the fourth chapter of Dean A. Haycock's Murderous Minds, "A Problem Just Behind the Forehead." There are some genes associated with violence, antisocial behaviours, and reduced empathy. The presence of these genes does not always lead to psychopathy in an individual, but can predispose some people … Continue reading 07.27.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
07.26.2018: One Lesson of Python
Today's soundtrack is Phil Joel: The New Normal. This afternoon, I'm working on the third chapter of Al Sweigart's Automate the Boring Stuff With Python, "Functions." A function lets us define a series of code one time and then automatically run that code any time we want. We start by defining the name of the … Continue reading 07.26.2018: One Lesson of Python
07.25.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
Today's soundtrack is Tobin Sprout: Moonflower Plastic, a pleasant album that reminds me in parts of REM, albeit with rhythms that are a bit plodding at times. This evening, I'm reading the next section of Alain Stephen's This Book Will Make You Think, "Hobbes." Thomas Hobbes believed that society was best with an absolute monarch … Continue reading 07.25.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
07.24.2018: Special Edition – Website Update
Today's soundtrack is Panopticon: Revisions of the Past, an album that I found very hit-and-miss. I listened to it throughout the day, and found the interludes featuring babies laughing and crying to be alternately abrasive and cringey; the spoken-word sections didn't flow with the music and just left me confused, as they were in another … Continue reading 07.24.2018: Special Edition – Website Update
07.23.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
Today's soundtrack is Nine Inch Nails: Bad Witch, an album that isn't at all what I expected. I was initially disappointed by it; I was listening to it at a moderate volume while driving in the car with the windows down, and kept noticing that there were quietly repetitive sections. But later, I turned it … Continue reading 07.23.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
07.22.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
Today's soundtrack is The Misfits: Famous Monsters. This evening, I'm reading the first chapter of The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell, "My Religious Reminiscences." Russell's parents had "advanced opinions in politics, theology, and morals" (p. 31). During his teens, Russell considered theology, and rejected the concepts of "free will, immortality, and belief in God" (p. … Continue reading 07.22.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
07.21.2018: 30 Minutes of Songwriting
Today's soundtrack is The Feeling: Twelve Stops and Home. Today, I worked on coming up with a chorus for one of my songs. I don't think I've quite hit it yet. I'll need to come back to it with a fresh set of ears. I did some more marketing for my already-released album.
07.20.2018: 30 Minutes of Songwriting
Today's soundtrack is Hank Williams: The Lost Highway. I spent my time today working on more of my upcoming project. I was able to fix a few problem spots in a nearly-finished song that is now complete instrumentally.
07.19.2018: 30 Minutes of Songwriting
Today's soundtrack is Sigur Rós: Kveikur. Today's session was actually spent marketing my most recent album, "Watch the Stars," rather than writing new music. I had an idea that I'm hoping will get my music heard by more people in more places. We'll see how it pans out.
06.18.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
Today's soundtrack is The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: While We're At It. This afternoon, I'm reading the third chapter of A.H. Maslow's The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, "Self-Actualizing and Beyond." Maslow says that the beginnings of his study into what self-actualizing is began when he wanted to find out what made two of his teachers … Continue reading 06.18.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
06.17.2018: One Lesson of Math
Today's soundtrack is Codie Prevost: Radio. This afternoon, I'm studying for my polynomials test which I'll be taking tomorrow morning. My focus will be on factoring through decomposition, identifying perfect square polynomials, simplifying polynomials, and calculating through the Difference of Squares method. Also, because decomposition of factors is the most metal thing EVER, I made … Continue reading 06.17.2018: One Lesson of Math
07.16.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
Today's soundtrack is Passenger: The Boy Who Cried Wolf. This evening, I'm reading the first chapter of Anne Rooney's The 15-Minute Psychologist, "What Can We Learn From a Brain?" Because psychology analyzes the activities of the brain, psychologists have always tried to find the best ways of "monitoring our thought processes" (p. 17). Early scientists … Continue reading 07.16.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction
Steven Mills 