Harley Hahn Newsletter #57

Harley Hahn Newsletter
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  HARLEY HAHN NEWSLETTER
           #57

    February 26, 2009

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"You don't really understand an idea until you
 explain it to someone else."

 -- Harley Hahn

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About the Newsletter
====================

I use this newsletter to keep in touch and to tell you about
new features on my Web site.

It has been a long time -- about two years -- since I sent
out the previous newsletter.  In that time, I have been busy
with a number of projects, the largest of which has been a
new book (described below).  Now that I have more time,
I will be adding new features to the Web site and, each time
I do, I'll send out a newsletter.

The design of the site will not change.  However, there will
soon be more interesting and thought-provoking essays and
other features for you to enjoy.

Today, let me celebrate the first newsletter in a while by
telling about two of my favorite new projects:

— the Harley Hahn Art Center
— my new book "Harley Hahn's Guide to Unix and Linux"

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Harley Hahn Art Center
======================

I recently reorganized all the art-related resources on my
Web site into a single area called the "Harley Hahn Art
Center".  Here you will find the following features:

- Understanding Abstract Art
- Paintings by Harley Hahn
- Art Factory mural
- Letter to Architecture Students
- An artist from Iran

Harley Hahn Art Center

Over the years, one of the most popular features on my Web
site has been my essay "Understanding Abstract Art".  Many
readers around the world -- including a great many students
and teachers -- have used this illustrated essay to learn
how to understand and appreciate a type of art many people
find confusing.

Understanding Abstract Art

If you are so inclined, you can look at pictures of some of
my own paintings:

Paintings by Harley Hahn

The next section describes the painting of a large
10-foot x 16-foot mural I painted at the Bell Arts Factory
in Ventura, California.  You can read about the mural and
see pictures of it as it was being constructed, as well as
the finished work.

Art Factory Mural

Next, there is a letter to architecture students I wrote at
the request of a teacher.  Some of her students were
"struggling with metaphor and literalism", and she wondered,
did I have an advice for them?  Well, it's never hard for
me to come up with some type of advice :-)

A Letter to Architecture Students

Finally, you can read about an artist from Iran who emailed
me a copy of one of his drawings. You can meet the artist,
and learn something about where he lives and what his life
is like.

An Artist From Iran

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Harley Hahn's Guide to Unix and Linux
=====================================

My latest book is a computer science textbook published by
McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Because the book is sold as a textbook, it is used by
teachers and students who are teaching (or taking) a course
in Unix or Linux. However, I wrote the book to work well for
anyone, so if you have any interest in teaching yourself
these systems, you will find the book useful.

The book also has a great deal of reference material, so if
you currently use Linux, or any type of Unix, I think you'll
find this a valuable addition to your personal library.

General information about the book

To help the instructors and students who use this book,
I created a special Web site which can be accessed for free.
Even if you are not a teacher or student, I bet you'll find
the site interesting and useful.  The contents are:

- Detailed information about the contents of the book
- The Unix Model Curriculum
- Course outlines
- The Unix Timeline for Students
- Internet resources
- Answers to all the exercises
- List of errors and corrections
- PowerPoint files

Instructor and student material

One of the features of which I am the most proud is the
"Unix Model Curriculum".  This is a brand new plan for
teaching Unix or Linux.  If you are planning to teach a
course or to teach yourself, this plan will be a great help.
You'll also find two interesting short papers discussing the
teaching of Unix.

Unix Model Curriculum

The "Unix Timeline for Students" is a chronological list of
the most important events in the history of Unix from the
point of view of a student.  If you use Unix or Linux, this
will help you develop a perspective of what happened when.

Unix Timeline for Students

-- Harley Hahn