I have lately had the happy misfortune of picking up a book that contains ideas that stir the soul. It has rekindled the embers of ideas that have been long banked. It is a feast for the mind, but is a banquet that I enjoy even more when I do not eat alone. I am […]
Author: Lynn
Change the Election System
The 2016 South Carolina Republican primary highlights two very large issues I have with our election system. First past the post voting is “just about the worst possible system.” Take a look at this Stanford News article on ranked choice voting. “One advantage of the system we use in our national elections, the ‘first past […]
On Donald Trump’s Proposal to Ban Muslims from Entering the United States
We don’t need to sacrifice our principles to save them. We are stronger than that. I’ve studiously avoided wading into the 2016 Presidential election circus. I really haven’t had anything to say. Then Donald Trump proposed a “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out […]
Rejoicing in Our Gifts
The following is the talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, 19 July 2015. I am Lynn Taylor. There have been a lot of new families that have moved in after Donna and I arrived, so I’ll give a little introduction. We have four boys. Devon finishes his mission in Japan this November. Joshua […]
Another Angle on “Age of Ultron”: A Response to Sady Doyle
This is a response to Sady Doyle’s well-written article titled Age of Robots: How Marvel Is Killing the Popcorn Movie. As much as I’d love to have this conversation over shawarma, with all of the back-and-forth “getting to know and understand each other better” that an actual discussion allows, I’ll have to settle for a […]
Tools I Use – Feedly
I like to read content from a variety of websites. Some of these websites update regularly. Others are very infrequent. Remembering to check each one is a pain, and it takes precious time. Does that sound familiar? Wouldn’t it be nice to have all of those updates delivered to one place? And what if, in […]
On Writing by Stephen King
Do you want to be a writer? I’m not asking “do you want to write?” It’s not the same question. Rather “do you want to be a writer?” If so, you could do worse than reading On Writing by Stephen King. On Writing is part memoir that provides context for the evolution of an author […]
Effective Online Dialogue – Part 1
“Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.” ~John Adams In English class we learn that an author writes to inform, persuade, or entertain. With the ascendancy of social media, and its ability to turn anyone with an Internet connection into an “author,” I […]
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher
Dost thou love Shakespeare? Are you Star Wars fan? If you answered “yes,” once, then William Shakespeare’s Star Wars is recommended reading. If you answered “yes” twice, this is a must read! Ian Doescher masterfully retells Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in iambic pentameter. However, this is far from being a simple script […]
Recognizing Spiritual Promptings
Flying a jet aircraft in close formation is an exhilarating, sometimes terrifying experience. Hurtling through the air at hundreds of miles per hour, mere feet from another jet doing the same, takes a great deal of faith in your flight lead. In close formation, your entire world centers on the other aircraft. It is all […]