Friday, November 13, 2015

Catchup

Notes from here and there

What have I gotten from the first half of "Sapiens"?

    A feeling of the sweep of history, some order and highlights that count

    Some worthwhile and intelligent comments on how things work with humans

    Some appreciation of the relation of fire, cooking, nutrition, human brain size and thinking ability


Learned today that Firefox, the browser I use the most, is now available on Apple phones and tablets.  I am trying Firefox sync again.  I have been using Google's Chrome and syncing it on devices, PC and Apple.  It is handy and comforting to have bookmarks for what I typically use right where I want them.


Blogs and emails from Google have emphasized that there is an ongoing mobile revolution in computing.  That means trying to make websites and apps well designed for use on cellphones, where there is much less space and computing power than on computers.


I have been looking at "Pious Property: Islamic Mortgages in the United States" by Bill Maurer.  It is a small book and not available for Kindle but a local library could probably find you a copy to look at.  It is quite beautiful and touching to read about Muslim immigrants who would like to be able to own a house, which seems to be part of being an American.  Yet, they may be forbidden from paying interest, just as Christians once were.  So, bankers have fashioned modified arrangements to enable money to be loaned and debts and rightful charges to be paid, enabling home purchase and ownership while still meeting the approval of Muslim authorities and scholars.





--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety

Twitter: @olderkirby

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