Mastering Revit Architecture 2014

 

I get asked all the time by Revit newbies to recommend a Revit book for learning. A quick look at Amazon & you will find loads of them! Now in my humble opinion the kind pin for everything to do with Revit Architecture, as a complete Bible, has & will to some extent always be the Mastering series from Wiley. It was the original must have book for Revit & I certainly believe it still holds that crown. I was fortunate enough to be invited by James, Eddie & Phil towards the end of last year to be part of the 2014 book & I was given the task of acting as the technical editor to the content. The 2014 version of the book was released in June & has been refreshed to align with current BIM trends. The book also acts as a great companion reference if you plan to study for the certified Autodesk Revit accreditation program. More details can be found on the Wiley website as well as Amazon.

Wiley Europe:-

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118521307.html

Wiley USA:-

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118521307.html

A Legend Passes On

One of Canada's most famous, most determined, and possibly most crazy, paddlers died of cancer this weekend. Don Starkell of Winnipeg was famous for several paddling achievements in his lifetime.  He was a marathon paddler at a time when racing canoes was a big deal and you could even make a living at it.  He paddled across Canada in 1967 as a member of Manitoba's team in the Centennial Canoe Pageant and features prominently in the book Journals of the New Voyageurs.  In 1980-82 he paddled with his son Dana (initially paddling with both sons in their custom-made canoe) from Winnipeg to the mouth of the Amazon, an incredible journey documented in his captivating book, Paddle to the Amazon.  A decade later he undertook another mammoth expedition, this time sea kayaking the Northwest Passage.  Again the journey was documented in his book Paddle to the Arctic, as well as in the book Kabloona in a Yellow Kayak written by the late Victoria Jason who joined him for much of the journey.

Each of the books mentioned are among the most interesting and captivating paddling-related books that I own.  If you read Paddle to the Arctic, you really need to read Jason's account (a rebuttal of sorts) as well.

Had I ever met Don in person, I am not sure that we would have gotten along.  However, despite his quirks and foibles (or more likely, because of them), it cannot be denied that Don was an amazing man.  His determination and ambition meant that he accomplished in his lifetime what very few would ever be able to undertake let alone complete.  He made the paddling world a more interesting and exciting place, and I thank him for allowing me to experience his adventures vicariously through his books.

Here is the link to the Winnipeg Free Press article about Don's death.

Edit: Here is a link to an article from Canoe & Kayak Magazine, it's a good one. 

The Fat Paddler Talks About His Book And Depression

In the video below, Sean Smith, author of the recently released book, The Fat Paddler, talks about some of his motivations for creating his blog and for writing the book.  I have been an occasional reader of the blog for years and so this book is high on my "to read" list.  It has been getting great reviews from around the paddling world (here's one and here's another).

Paul Quarrington

Author, screenwriter, and folk/blues musician, Paul Quarrington is dying of cancer. Quarrington's book, Fishing With My Old Guy is one of my favourites and I've enjoyed several of his other books as well, such as Whale Music and King Leary. I have thought that someday I'd like to spend time fishing with Paul Quarrington and David Carpenter, both literary fishermen (and not ones of the large-boat catch-your-limit-fast sort). Today over lunch I read his latest article for the National Post, the second instalment in his "Cancer Diary". Quarrington continues to be a very gifted person and this article is another fine example. He struggles to remain with us for a while longer, and for that we should be thankful.


January 21st, 2010 Update: Paul Quarrington's journey with cancer ended today. To quote from paulquarrington.org:

His brave battle ended on January 21, 2010.  He passed peacefully at home in Toronto in the early hours surrounded by friends and family. It is comforting to know that he didn’t suffer; he was calm and quiet holding hands with those who were closest to him.

Contributions to the Quarrington Arts Society are being accepted in his honour; visit http://www.quarringtonartsociety.ca

A lifetime of paddling adventures

A lifetime of paddling adventures - Winnipeg Free Press

Don Starkell, author of Paddle to the Amazon and Paddle to the Arctic, and a prominent figure in the books Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak and Journals of the New Voyageurs, claims to be a few kilometers away from having paddled the equivalent of three times around the world. See the link above for an article from the Winnipeg Free Press.

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World Book Day

It was World Book Day today apparently, so it seems like a good time to update the "What I'm Reading" feature.

Building Strip-Planked Boats, Nick Schade. Another boatbuilding book has been added to my library. This just-released book was written by the author of The Strip-Built Sea Kayak, the host of the Kayak Building Bulletin Board, and the designer of the Guillemot kayak I built. To be honest, I haven't really started to read this one, though it is on my nightstand and I have paged through it (and this is supposed to be a somewhat boatbuilding-related blog). It looks good so far. It's about twice as thick as his earlier book, which I used to guide me through the Guillemot build. The photos and illustrations are all black & white. I look forward to see which techniques he has updated from the earlier book, published about 15 years ago. I have noticed that he uses a different style of stems, which is a good improvement. The new book covers the building of a very sexy looking kayak, the small "wee lassie" canoe, and a dinghy. After I have actually read through it, I'll try to post some comments.

The Russlander, Sandra Birdsell. This book tells the story of a Russian Mennonite girl in the early 20th century. Katya is living through turbulent times, and there is tension growing between the wealthy Mennonite farmers and the Russian peasants. Currently, I'm about halfway through. The book occasionally makes reference to Katya as an elderly woman in Winnipeg and it appears that the story is her recollections. It's an interesting book so far.

The Unicorn's Secret: True Heart, Kathleen Duey. I've been reading this series of books with my 6-year old as bedtime reading for the past several months. Picked from the library as a chapter book that looked simple enough for her to understand, and featuring unicorns it was sure to have her interest. I am really enjoying the time spent with my daughter reading these books. This evening we finished the 6th book in the series and my daughter is eagerly anticipating the final two books.
The Egg In The Hole Book, Richard Scarry. I also read with my younger daughter today, and this is one of those we read. I asked her what she likes about this book and she said "the egg".

2 Books in 3 Days

A couple of weeks ago I was at my parent's house with the kids for a couple of days. Without any boats to distract me, I did some significant reading for the first time in a while and took advantage of my parent's book shelf. The first book, The Ketzer, was written by local author, David Carpenter. Carpenter is one of my favourite authors. His book, Courting Saskatchewan is an inspiring account of his love for his adopted home and I think everyone should read it. For those that have always lived here, it will remind you of why it's a good place to be and you will be able to relate to his stories. For those that have moved here, it will give insight into what aspects there are to love, especially beyond the city limits and their work (the reason most seem to move here). For those that have only heard of Saskatchewan and are aware of our highly inaccurate reputation as a dry, flat, and boring land, it will demonstrate with passion why that myth is so far off base. Another favourite book from Carpenter is Fishing in Western Canada, a Freshwater Guide. This guide has one important distinction from other books covering the topic of fishing: it doesn't assume that you have, or even want, a big fishing boat. Certainly, the book covers all the standard larger fishing waters in the region, but he also covers many smaller lakes and streams, waters that are accessible by canoe, waders, or belly boat. He also addresses the techniques relevant to these self-propelled activities. All of this is done with a good amount of humour making the book not only useful and informative, but also very enjoyable.

The Ketzer is a novella set largely in southeastern Saskatchewan. On the surface, it is about a group of family and their friends that hunts together. The book was easy to read and enjoyable enough, but I'm reserving judgment on this book. Perhaps I'll read it again to better understand the deeper meanings and what it says about relationships. You can listen to an excerpt from this book and others at David Carpenter's web site.

With The Ketzer finished in just a few hours, I turned to The Five People You Meet In Heaven, by Mitch Albom. This book was interesting and easy to read. It's unique in that it starts at the end of a man's life, who then goes to heaven and meets five people that influenced the direction of his life, starting as a young child and ending the journey as an elderly man. The book seems to be about the small actions that can, unknowingly, have profound effects on those around us.

Northern Saskatchewan Canoe Country

Robin and Arlene Karpan's new book, Northern Saskatchewan Canoe Country, is due out in just a few weeks. Quoted from the press release:

Northern Saskatchewan Canoe Country, a new book by writers and photographers Robin and Arlene Karpan, takes you on a visual journey along the north’s most spectacular rivers and lakes. The hardcover coffee-table book features 230 stunning images of the northern wilderness, complemented by stories on the rich history, the tremendous diversity of landscapes, and the Karpans’ personal experiences in canoeing and travelling the north.

I'm looking forward to seeing this one, and not just because my wife & I are in some of the photos! Robin and Arlene are friends of ours that we first came to know through serving on the executive of the Saskatoon Canoe Club. In addition to paddling some day trips, my wife and I did a fly-in canoe trip a few years ago with Robin and Arlene, Dave and John Bober, Ralph Zaffran, and Lloyd Beazely. We flew in to Hickson Lake then made our way to the Paull River and on down to the Churchill River and finished at Missinipe. A map of the whole route can be seen here at this link and a partial write-up can be seen here at my other site for the time being (eventually, I will move that stuff either here to pawistik.blogspot.com, or over to pawistik.net). I gather that this trip was the source of some of the material used for the book chapter "Rock Art to Rock Trout: Hickson Lake & Paull River."

The Karpan's own Parkland Publishing and have published numerous books of local interest, often featuring their remarkable photography. A book launch is currently being planned for May, possibly in conjunction with a Saskatoon Canoe Club event (once details have been established, and announcement will likely be made on the SCC web site).

Reading the River

Reading the River: A Traveller's Companion to the North Saskatchewan River, by Myrna Kostash with Duane Burton.

Like the last book I read, Late Nights On Air, this book is one I received for Christmas. I have only gotten about two pages into it so far but the night before last while starting to read, it occurred to me that there might be a reference in the book to a fellow boat builder, Robert Pruden (I had an inkling as I recall him mentioning something about it in the past). I checked the references at the back and sure enough, he was listed there. Robert is a fellow participant in the Kayak Building Bulletin Board boatbuilding forum whose posts are often entertaining and is (in)famous for paddling over a waterfall on the North Saskatchewan River near Saskatchewan Crossing shortly after the start of the first leg of his cross-Canada solo kayak trip. Robert also is famous on the KBBB for paddling his home-built kayaks mid winter amongst and on top of the ice pans of the partially frozen North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton. If I recall correctly, he uses picks in his hands to help pull himself up onto solid ice in order to effect his egress from the river. Whether it his story of going over the waterfalls, his winter paddling, or his paddling to Borden (just a few miles from here), I look forward to seeing what contribution he has made to this book.

[Regarding the section of river Robert ran, my book North Saskatchewan River Guide lists the approximate spot where Robert started as a canoe launch point and later says of this section: The rapids range from Grade II to VI (minimum intermediate canoeing skill)." However, it makes no mention of where those Grade VI rapids might be (uhhhh, that's also known as a waterfall, a big one). ]

I thought at first the book would be a guide with historical context of each section of the N. Sask. River. However, Reading the River seems to be more of an anthology, a collection of writings of historical and modern interest organised by region. I'll update this once I get into it.

Update Feb 11 '08: I am about 1/4 of my way through the book now, having read through to beyond Drayton Valley (the book is arranged geographically, proceeding downriver from the Saskatchewan Glacier) as of last night. In the Drayton Valley section was an a unique piece of literature, an excerpt from a forum posting by Robert Pruden, originally appearing on kayakforum.com, in the trips forum in May 2003. Robert's post was regarding a downriver paddle from Devon to Edmonton and was written the casual style typical of a blog posting and to Robert in particular.

Late Nights On Air

Late Nights On Air by Elizabeth Hay is a novel set in 1975-76 in the Northwest Territories. So far, most of the setting for the book has been a CBC radio station in Yellowknife. However, as of last night I am beyond midway through the book and four of the characters are setting off on a canoe trip, retracing the fatal journey of explorer John Hornby on the Thelon River. So far the book has dealt largely with the screwed up relationships of various characters with the backdrop of an impending gas pipeline through the north. My opinion of the book to this point is not all that positive, but now that the canoe trip through the barrenlands is underway, I am optimistic regarding it's potential. If nothing else, I now am interested in reading more about Joh Hornby and fellow travellers Edgar Christian and Harold Adlard.

Update: Jan 29 '08 - Well I finished off the book last night. In the end, the book was interesting and overall was not bad. I'm not sure I get it all though and I can't say it was one of my favourites. The canoe trip portion was good and I was interested as it's a region I'd really love to paddle some day (Thelon River through NWT and Nunavut). I'll get my wife to read it next so that she can give me her opinion. I am also very intrigued by the idea of living in the north as the characters in the book did. However, I am not all that intrigued by messed up people having messed up relationships.

Next up: Reading the River: A Traveller's Companion to the North Saskatchewan River, Myrna Kostash

What I'm Reading

There's a new feature here at Pawistik.blogspot.com which I've called "What I'm Reading." I have been wanting for some time now to add a list of books that I'm reading to my web presence with the occasional book review. I've finally taken a step towards implementing this. On the sidebar on the right I've added the "What I'm Reading" heading. Under that heading you will find a list of what is currently or has recently been on my bedside table with links to a post specific for that book. My intention is to write some of my comments on that particular book which will show up as it's own post here in the blog. I'll use the tag "books" so you should be able to use that tag to find all of the book posts easily once I figure out how to set that up.

The first book for the list will be Late Nights On Air by Elizabeth Hay.