THE NAMAZU READING LIST 2013 PART 1
READ LIKE A CATFISH FOR "IN DEPTH UNDERSTANDING
"Change is inevitable, and the warfighter who refuses to to stop living by the sword will die by the gun."(Lt.(jg) Matthew R. Hipple writing in "Cloud Combat", July 2012 issue of the Naval Institute PROCEEDINGS page 49)
http://www.usni.org/
Editor's note: If you are new to our publication you may find this a bit unusual. Namazu is our 3,000 year old Japanese giant catfish former demigod currently employed as a coastal environmental analyst with American Admiralty Books. If you would like to find his previous first person writings we have an index by date in our INDEX and SITE GUIDE. Namazu lives at the bottom of the Sea of Japan and tends to see things "in depth", his insights often stun. Namazu is drawing an ever increasing following and we were asked to publish his list of recommended readings. Namazu's reading suggestions are so extensive that we simply can't do it in a single list but so many people expressed interest in getting started that we decided to publish what he sends in the way of a reading list updated as soon as we receive new materials. We republish old recommendations and update his new ones annually in installments between July and Christmas. We then link the suggestions to book descriptions and vendors. But today Namazu again addresses maritime periodicals. His number one recommendation is again this year the U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE's monthly PROCEEDINGS. If you would like to know more about Namazu, the "Catfish Perspective"and the "Read like a Catfish " program read the black letter section below. If you are a regular follower of Namazu the black letter material has been presented before. You may want to skip to the next red letter paragraph to pick up on the remarks that Namazu recently sent over the hydrophones about periodicals.
People who have read "NAMAZU FULLY LOADED: THE FUTURE OF AMERICA" keep asking how this 3,000 year old catfish knows so much. Well, obviously being 3,000 years old gives one a unique and very deep historical perspective. While Namazu generally hangs out in the Pacific off the Sea of Japan he is a world traveler as his recent visit to our office demonstrated. Being able to take human form on rare occasions gives one an inter-species broad breath of perception. But how is he able to predict the future? Namazu says that the ability to predict the future was never in his union contract as a "demigod", a term he now describes as "unfortunate and inaccurate."He maintains that he uses the same type of analytic tools as human prognosticators but better quality, and of course he has that unique historical and global perspective. Namazu claims no future predictive accuracy much greater than the best computer enhanced, human team of forecasters. He does claim to use better data, some of it quite expensive as we learned in that little controversy over the "NAMAZU FULLY LOADED" references. We have asked Namazu to share with his fans a reading list that will help readers to master the Catfish perspective. He has promised to keep his suggested reading list within reasonable retail pricing and to stay away from suggesting some of the data bases that he occasionally accesses that costs thousands of dollars. So today we present the first installment of the 2013 NAMAZU READING LIST. This installment will include a number of repeat suggestions from last year.
Editor's note: Today Namazu wrote about maritime periodicals in general and one in particular, naming his favorite periodical and article in recent months. We did not realize that he had so much interest in naval affairs. Here is Namazu on maritime periodicals:
"When I was asked about what I read, and believe me when you've been around 3,000 years and have no arms or legs like my mortal catfish brethren, you really read a lot; I started with books that were related to my then most recent post, 'NAMAZU FULLY LOADED PARTS 1 & 2 :THE FUTURE OF AMERICA'. I'm really not through with that list yet but in the interest of Holiday season sales I did digress a bit at the request of management and named my favorite coffee table book, and I did agree with the editorial board's selection of maritime book of the year. I will get back to books shortly and I'll continue with selections related to my postings but need to say early on that books alone won't impart to you the catfish perspective. If you want to read like a catfish you have to read periodicals too. The maritime periodicals are what keep you up to date with what is happening out there right now and give you a glimpse into the future.
To the human mind lacking in the catfish perspective one might think that life at the bottom of the Sea of Japan is quiet, dark, and just about completely out of touch with the life of the surface and the coastal zones. But those of you who read some of my earlier material know that I was well aware of surface life early on, since the debris of war at sea, and the wreckage of ships caught in storms often led to trash descending from what I once considered the "sky" onto my living room floor. Periodic trips to the surface similar to whale "spy hopping" clued me in to humans and their shipping. On annual morphs into other forms I began adopting human characteristics and visited coastal communities and learned quite a bit more. Printing came much sooner to China and Japan than it did to the West, but it was thousands of years before anyone was putting out really reliable and timely periodicals on maritime subjects. Then one day in 1874 about a year after its founding I discovered the U.S. Naval Institute and ultimately the U.S.NAVAL INSTITUTE's PROCEEDINGS.
THE U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE'S PROCEEDINGS IS MY NUMBER ONE PICK IN MARITIME PERIODICAL READING. http://www.usni.org/
This publication accepts well written, properly researched and logically reasoned articles from naval, and maritime professionals from the U.S. sea services and other navies, coast guards, marine corps, and merchant marines around the world. Since the start of the twentieth century I've found the seafloor to be an increasingly noisy place. It began with engine and propeller noise and then escalated to the various forms of sonar which in the hands of human operators vice whales and dolphins is especially noisy and annoying to us fish folk. There are a lot of maritime periodicals out there. You can link into most of the really informative ones that publish E versions in the American Admiralty Books NEWS SERVICE, but my number one choice, the maritime periodical that I never miss and always read cover to cover every month is the NAVAL INSTITUTE's PROCEEDINGS.
My number one favorite article last year was CLOUD COMBAT Thinking Machines in Future Wars by Lieutenant (Jg) Matthew R. Hipple.page 49 of the July 2012 issue. I've seen the march of human technology since the very beginning. Mr. Hipple's grasp of the the very visible future of the technological potential impact on naval warfare dovetails with my thoughts on the economic future of America expressed in the 'NAMAZU FULLY LOADED' series. I described how technology is going to reduce the labor force needed to create the World's wealth and how things will have to change when the bulk of mankind can only find intermittent employment at best. In CLOUD COMBAT Mr. Hipple first paints a detailed picture of future developments in the growth of autonomous technologies in war and then confronts the questions of how to both exploit the advantages of these technologies and yet not remove so much of the human element from the targeting loop that war degenerates into a simple mechanized slaughter. He doesn't propose to have all of the answers for where the human mind must be in the targeting and attack decisions loops of the future, but he introduces us to the issue and forces us to think seriously about it. Mr. Hipple's description of the related technological "progress" raises our sense of urgency about the issue. Finally, he comes down squarely on the side of making progress on these technologies and adapting them to war fighting. I have to credit him with my favorite quote in at least the last year from the many fine PROCEEDINGS articles:
I join our Chief Editor Johnas Presbyter in urging every maritime professional, but especially every Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, USPHS, and Merchant Marine professional out there, commissioned, warranted, enlisted, licensed or unlicensed to join the U.S. Naval Institute and read religiously the PROCEEDINGS. Consider giving an annual membership to your new grad NROTC student, Midshipman, Cadet, newly commissioned ensign, or newly licensed Third Mate. A catfish spends a lot of time quietly on the bottom, then once in a great while makes quite a show on the surface. That is the entire legend of "Namazu the Earth Shaker". If you want to develop the 'Catfish Perspective", if you want to think like a catfish, you have to read like a catfish and catfish worth their salt are devoted readers and subscribers to the Naval Institute Proceedings: http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings
THE NAMAZU READING LIST IS NOT REVIEWED BY THE AMERICAN ADMIRALTY BOOKS EDITORIAL STAFF OR BOARD. THESE RECOMMENDED PUBLICATIONS ARE THE SOLE OPINION OF NAMAZU THE EARTH SHAKER
Editor's note: Today Namazu wrote about maritime periodicals in general and one in particular, naming his favorite periodical and article in recent months. We did not realize that he had so much interest in naval affairs. Here is Namazu on maritime periodicals:
"When I was asked about what I read, and believe me when you've been around 3,000 years and have no arms or legs like my mortal catfish brethren, you really read a lot; I started with books that were related to my then most recent post, 'NAMAZU FULLY LOADED PARTS 1 & 2 :THE FUTURE OF AMERICA'. I'm really not through with that list yet but in the interest of Holiday season sales I did digress a bit at the request of management and named my favorite coffee table book, and I did agree with the editorial board's selection of maritime book of the year. I will get back to books shortly and I'll continue with selections related to my postings but need to say early on that books alone won't impart to you the catfish perspective. If you want to read like a catfish you have to read periodicals too. The maritime periodicals are what keep you up to date with what is happening out there right now and give you a glimpse into the future.
To the human mind lacking in the catfish perspective one might think that life at the bottom of the Sea of Japan is quiet, dark, and just about completely out of touch with the life of the surface and the coastal zones. But those of you who read some of my earlier material know that I was well aware of surface life early on, since the debris of war at sea, and the wreckage of ships caught in storms often led to trash descending from what I once considered the "sky" onto my living room floor. Periodic trips to the surface similar to whale "spy hopping" clued me in to humans and their shipping. On annual morphs into other forms I began adopting human characteristics and visited coastal communities and learned quite a bit more. Printing came much sooner to China and Japan than it did to the West, but it was thousands of years before anyone was putting out really reliable and timely periodicals on maritime subjects. Then one day in 1874 about a year after its founding I discovered the U.S. Naval Institute and ultimately the U.S.NAVAL INSTITUTE's PROCEEDINGS.
THE U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE'S PROCEEDINGS IS MY NUMBER ONE PICK IN MARITIME PERIODICAL READING. http://www.usni.org/
This publication accepts well written, properly researched and logically reasoned articles from naval, and maritime professionals from the U.S. sea services and other navies, coast guards, marine corps, and merchant marines around the world. Since the start of the twentieth century I've found the seafloor to be an increasingly noisy place. It began with engine and propeller noise and then escalated to the various forms of sonar which in the hands of human operators vice whales and dolphins is especially noisy and annoying to us fish folk. There are a lot of maritime periodicals out there. You can link into most of the really informative ones that publish E versions in the American Admiralty Books NEWS SERVICE, but my number one choice, the maritime periodical that I never miss and always read cover to cover every month is the NAVAL INSTITUTE's PROCEEDINGS.
My number one favorite article last year was CLOUD COMBAT Thinking Machines in Future Wars by Lieutenant (Jg) Matthew R. Hipple.page 49 of the July 2012 issue. I've seen the march of human technology since the very beginning. Mr. Hipple's grasp of the the very visible future of the technological potential impact on naval warfare dovetails with my thoughts on the economic future of America expressed in the 'NAMAZU FULLY LOADED' series. I described how technology is going to reduce the labor force needed to create the World's wealth and how things will have to change when the bulk of mankind can only find intermittent employment at best. In CLOUD COMBAT Mr. Hipple first paints a detailed picture of future developments in the growth of autonomous technologies in war and then confronts the questions of how to both exploit the advantages of these technologies and yet not remove so much of the human element from the targeting loop that war degenerates into a simple mechanized slaughter. He doesn't propose to have all of the answers for where the human mind must be in the targeting and attack decisions loops of the future, but he introduces us to the issue and forces us to think seriously about it. Mr. Hipple's description of the related technological "progress" raises our sense of urgency about the issue. Finally, he comes down squarely on the side of making progress on these technologies and adapting them to war fighting. I have to credit him with my favorite quote in at least the last year from the many fine PROCEEDINGS articles:
"Change is inevitable, and the warfighter who refuses to stop living by the sword will die by the gun."
This year don't miss THE ASCENT OF CHINA's NAVY by Aaron Chase on page 16 of the April 2013 issue. This is a vital backgrounder for anyone trying to follow our series "HOW FAR WILL THE DRAGON SWIM?"
I join our Chief Editor Johnas Presbyter in urging every maritime professional, but especially every Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, USPHS, and Merchant Marine professional out there, commissioned, warranted, enlisted, licensed or unlicensed to join the U.S. Naval Institute and read religiously the PROCEEDINGS. Consider giving an annual membership to your new grad NROTC student, Midshipman, Cadet, newly commissioned ensign, or newly licensed Third Mate. A catfish spends a lot of time quietly on the bottom, then once in a great while makes quite a show on the surface. That is the entire legend of "Namazu the Earth Shaker". If you want to develop the 'Catfish Perspective", if you want to think like a catfish, you have to read like a catfish and catfish worth their salt are devoted readers and subscribers to the Naval Institute Proceedings: http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings
There are many other important maritime periodicals out there. Most have links in our NEWS SECTION, and I will address them over time. But any professional member of the navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, Marine Corps, or Merchant Marine really should be a member as well as a subscriber of the Naval Institute.
THE NAMAZU READING LIST IS NOT REVIEWED BY THE AMERICAN ADMIRALTY BOOKS EDITORIAL STAFF OR BOARD. THESE RECOMMENDED PUBLICATIONS ARE THE SOLE OPINION OF NAMAZU THE EARTH SHAKER
HERE ARE NAMAZU's MOST IMPORTANT CHOICES FROM LAST YEAR:
THE WAY OF THE SHIP: AMERICA'S MARITIME HISTORY REINVISIONED 1600 -200 by W. Jeffery Bolster and Alexander Keyssay (published 2007)
American Admiralty Books gives this history a rare "recommended" rating meaning that we think every marine professional should have this volume in his or her personal professional library. Click on the link below the book cover image to read more or to order.
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Ship-Americas-Reenvisoned-1600-2000/dp/0470136006/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353904516&sr=1-1&keywords=THE+WAY+OF+THE+SHIP
Check it out in our MERCHANT MARINE INTEREST SECTION or read about it at Amazon via the link above
THE NAMAZU PICK FOR MARITIME COFFEE TABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2012 |
| Illustrations, photos, drawings, plans histories and more on the schooner designs of William Burgess, Cox and Stevens, Samuel Crocker, the greats of American schooner design A reference work for yacht designers, and nautical historians ,and a work of art for the rest of us. If you have a serious sailor on your Christmas list just click on the book cover icon link below and put one of these babies in your Amazon shopping basket. http://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Schooner-Yachts-Rudolph/dp/0764340891/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353900463&sr=1-1&keywords=GREAT+AMERICAN+SCHOONER+YACHTS |
READINGS RELATED TO NAMAZU POSTINGS:
In this first installment Namazu reminds readers that oil isn't the first commodity to drive the global economy. In the ancient past other commodities have had serial central roles. The first step in understanding the role of oil in the global economy is understanding the rise and fall of predecessor central commodities. Namazu suggest that if you weren't actually alive and involved in ocean shipping for the last 3,000 years that the following books can help you to see the global economy from the catfish perspective: Click on the book cover icons to read more about, or to order the books.
SPICE THE HISTORY OF A TEMPTATION by Jack Turner
SALT: A WORLD HISTORY by Mark Kurlarshy
THE DEVILS MILK, A SOCIAL HISTORY OF RUBBER
CLAY, THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF HUMANKIND'S RELATIONSHIP WITH EARTH'S MOST PRIMAL ELEMENT by Suzanne Staubach
The one commodity that is presently driving the world economy and which Namazu sees as having a shift in its center of gravity towards the United States driving a strong economic recovery in the next several years is of course oil. To better understand the global oil based economy Namazu suggests the following.
AND THEN THERE IS OIL THE SUBJECT OF NAMAZU FULLY LOADED PARTS 1 &2: THE FUTURE OF AMERICA. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND OIL TO UNDERSTAND THE PRESENT AND THE NEAR FUTURE
Start with this primer : OIL 101 by Morgan Downey
(The Book covers are not hyperlink Icons a single hyperlink is at the bottom of the book covers, This link takes you to "THE QUEST" and all of the other hyper links can be found by scrolling down from there)
Then get deeper into the skull duggery:
CLICK ON THE "QUEST "ICON FOR THIS BOOK AND FIND THE LINKS TO THE REST BY SCROLLING DOWN AT THE" QUEST" SITE.
COASTAL ZONE EROSION AND PROTECTION
 |
| Click on the hyperlink below to read a description or to order |
BAYOU FARWELL by Mike Tidwell the story of the rapidly eroding Louisiana coast , the disappearing environment and human culture. Available as a book or on Kindle click on the above icon and then click on the book cover icon in Amazon to read excerpts.
Coastal Building Codes and Design:
NEW NAMAZU READING LIST SUGGESTIONS WILL BE PUBLISHED AS NAMAZU MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS
TO DEVELOP THE INCREDIBLY COMPLEX AND INSIGHTFUL CATFISH PERSPECTIVE.....
YOU HAVE TO READ LIKE A CATFISH! GO DEEP!
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