Learning Languages - The Master book

Hi!

First post is on learning languages. I love to learn just enough to start to be able to read newspapers, maybe understand pop songs, order in restaurants, etc.

The most important tool for this undertaking is...

How To Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own By Barry Farber

This little book is just the right advice for taking the plunge, and concentrating on why you want to learn. Just a little bit every day. The "Crash course" language widgets in the sidebar have most of the things you would need to follow the instructions in the book. But get the book first and decide if you want to be able to read newspapers, get dates, write essays or just find the nearest train station in your target language.

Very good at the "utilitarian" language learner, as opposed to people that just want to pass the two semesters of foreign language credit they need to graduate.

More on the other stuff in the widget in later posts! Get that Farber book now!

Welcome! The first post

Hi!

This blog is at least 5 years in the making. I first came up with "Accidental Hobbyist" as a name, based on a good friend of mine (thanks, Steve!). I was commenting that I don't really seem to have a single outside interest. He replied that I did - I collect hobbies.

I just about wore out my ancient copy of the Whole Earth Catalog looking at everything from beekeeping to (apiaries) to model railroading (Z-scale trains - really!). You can imagine the effect of a broad band internet connection in the time of Make Magazine.

So, posts to follow will cover sports (triathlon, being the most gadgety, a fave) to agriculture, winemaking, learning various languages, games, building robots and generally trying to make sense of the mounds of books and gear I've collected since Amazon.com opened and added the "one click order" button.

If you have a topic or hobby or language or game or technology or generally anything geek-tastic that you don't think I will be covering, let me know. I'll do it.

Enjoy!