Daanii
San Mateo County Libraries
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Daanii's rating:
Added Mar 20, 2024
OppenheimerOppenheimer, DVD
DVD - 2023DVD, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Feb 14, 2024
The End of Race PoliticsThe End of Race Politics, BookArguments for A Colorblind America
by Hughes, ColemanBook - 2024Book, 2024
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Holds: 0 on 3 copies
Holds: 0 on 3 copies
Daanii's rating:
Added Dec 21, 2023
The Capitalist ManifestoThe Capitalist Manifesto, BookWhy the Global Free Market Will Save the World
by Norberg, JohanBook - 2023Book, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Dec 21, 2023
Comment:
Johan Norberg titles his book in a homage of sorts to The Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Those two writers noted that the free market produced more innovation and growth in a short period than all generations before combined. Johan Norberg takes that as his theme for this book.
I'm writing a book on how to speed up innovation in the carmaking industry, and this book gave me plenty of fodder to chew on and digest. I wish I could write as well and as convincingly as Johan Norberg, but I can't.
The section on Mariana Mazzucato and her theory that government moonshots drive innovation particularly impressed me. He shot that theory down in flames.Johan Norberg titles his book in a homage of sorts to The Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Those two writers noted that the free market produced more innovation and growth in a short period than all generations before…
THE ART OF MILITARY INNOVATIONTHE ART OF MILITARY INNOVATION, BookLessons From the Israel Defense Forces
by Luttwak, Edward N./ Shamir, EitanBook - 2023Book, 2023
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Holds: 0 on 2 copies
Holds: 0 on 2 copies
Daanii's rating:
Added Dec 20, 2023
Comment:
This book is published by Harvard University Press, and that might tell you something about the tone of the book. It does have an academic whiff to it, but that scent is not too pronounced. The book is readable if not gripping, and the points made are made well. The book taught me a lot about how innovation can speed up when the pressure is high, as quite literally, the Israeli Defense Force has to innovate or die.
One key topic in the book is the difference between macro-innovations and micro-innovations, and how they are generated differently. A macro-innovation the book's authors also call a "true innovation", as it brings something into existence that never existed before. It's going from zero to one, as Peter Thiel likes to say. A micro-innovation, on the other hand, is an improvement on something that already exists. Going from 1.1 to 1.2.
Another way to look at it is that micro-innovations are steps, and macro-innovations are leaps. But that may be a little bit deceiving, since with innovation even making a lot of micro-innovations is rarely going to get you as far as a macro-innovation will. Just like repeatedly jumping up and down is not going to teach you how to fly.
So macro-innovations are almost always more innovative than micro-innovations. Trouble is, while you can grind out micro-innovations by many iterations of trial and error, macro-innovations require creativity and inspiration that cannot be forced. So big, bureaucratic organizations tend to do best at micro-innovations, while small, agile organizations tend to do best at macro-innovations.
This is top down versus bottom up. Optimization versus true innovation. In one case an organization can try lots of small changes to see which ones work best. (And that's not necessarily a bad thing -- some big improvements in profits can be made that way.) In the other case a lot of small organizations can each try a big change to see which ones work best work best. (And that's a great thing -- where industries can innovate at a feverish pace even as many companies fail.)
That's the basic idea, and the Israeli Defense Force aids innovation by nurturing the bottom up approach. They don't issue edicts from the top down so much as let soldiers at all levels exercise their creativity so that the best ideas bubble up from the bottom. That puts power in the punch of a small military, and teaches lessons that militaries around the world can learn from.
This book was written before the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack by Hamas fighters that caught the Israeli Defense Force by surprise. Hamas had its own clever innovations, like using bombs dropped from electric hang gliders on Israeli sentry posts, that allowed it to inflict its horrific blows. Lessons from that tragic war (and from the innovations by the Ukrainian army in their war against Russia) will be learned by those who want to be better prepared for the future.This book is published by Harvard University Press, and that might tell you something about the tone of the book. It does have an academic whiff to it, but that scent is not too pronounced. The book is readable if not gripping, and the points made…
The Deadly Rise of Anti-scienceThe Deadly Rise of Anti-science, BookA Scientist's Warning
by Hotez, Peter J.Book - 2023Book, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Nov 29, 2023
Comment:
Peter Hotez lays out a real problem. He has taken a very public stand on a controversial subject, and has been and is being attacked personally for it. Nasty emails and tweets, even death threats. Not attacking his science, but attacking him, personally, and (apparently) his family. No one deserves that, and he is quite right to protest.
But Peter Hotez turns this problem political. He sees a vast, rightwing conspiracy funded by autocrats to spread misinformation, to attack not just scientists but science itself, and to threaten truth, justice, and the American way.
That's disappointing, because science should not be political. Clearly it has become that, but it needn't be and it shouldn't be. We have pretty good answers to all the easy scientific questions, and are left with a lot of complex, messy questions that are tough to answer. Making them political makes it even tougher.
We saw that with the panic of the Covid-19 pandemic. Politicians had the backing of scientists to impose measures like masks, school closures, lockdowns, vaccines, social distancing, testing, and contact tracing. And scientists claimed to know that the SARS-CoV-2 virus spilled over from animals to humans rather than being engineered in a lab. But it turns out that those scientists were offering their opinions, not science.
Physicist Richard Feynman pointed out how little even expert opinion counts in science when he said, "science is the belief in the ignorance of experts". Science relies on data like experiment results (which does not depend on politics), not on opinions and beliefs (which do).
Just as politics should not masquerade as science with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic, so too with regard to other hot-button issues like climate change and evolution. People who disagree with the scientific consensus should not be denigrated as deniers simply because they disagree.
Dwight Eisenhower is famous for warning in his farewell address in January 1961 of the dangers of the "military-industrial complex". But he also warned of the domination of the nation's scholars by federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money.
He said, "Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite."
This scientific-technological elite seems to be rallying around Peter Hotez and lauding his book. One such scientist, Jeremy Farrar, praised the book on Twitter but apparently didn't even bother to read it.
And not reading this book might be wise. The book is in the genre of autohagiography -- Peter Hotez writing about how great Peter Hotez is. I'm pro-science, but this book has little to do with science and a lot to do with self-promotion.Peter Hotez lays out a real problem. He has taken a very public stand on a controversial subject, and has been and is being attacked personally for it. Nasty emails and tweets, even death threats. Not attacking his science, but attacking him,…
The Geek WayThe Geek Way, BookThe Radical Mindset That Drives Extraordinary Results
by McAfee, AndrewBook - 2023Book, 2023
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Holds: 0 on 6 copies
Holds: 0 on 6 copies
Daanii's rating:
Added Nov 17, 2023
Comment:
Sometimes I'll watch a movie that I enjoyed or was impressed by and then look at Rotten Tomatoes and find that my opinion is shared by few others. The same thing happened with this book The Geek Way.
After I read this book and then looked at what other people thought of it, I was surprised to see this book isn't being read much. The book does have its faults, one fault being that it is far from academic and based on opinion and gut feelings presented as fact. Maybe a geek writing a book about geeks and geekism is too geekish to catch on.
But Andrew McAfee looks at how to do business in a fresh way that inspires people in business to shake off bureaucracy and sclerosis and be curious and creative instead. That's a message people need to hear, especially in the carmaking industry where I work.Sometimes I'll watch a movie that I enjoyed or was impressed by and then look at Rotten Tomatoes and find that my opinion is shared by few others. The same thing happened with this book The Geek Way.
After I read this book and then looked at what…
PlanePlane, DVD
DVD - 2023DVD, 2023
Added Oct 23, 2023
Master of ChangeMaster of Change, BookHow to Excel When Everything Is Changing--including You
by Stulberg, BradBook - 2023Book, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Oct 06, 2023
Comment:
My expectations exceeded reality, so I was unhappy with this book. (If you read the book carefully you will see that definition of happiness, reality minus expectations.) I thought there might be some analytical rigor to Brad Stulberg's analysis, but there's not.
Brad Stulberg does tell a good story, but storytelling alone sells books without giving anything of value to the world. It's entertainment, not education.
One thing that soured me on the book was his political attack on Donald Trump and his supporters. It's certainly fine to hate a politician, but when you care so little for objectivity to slant your story regarding one person, the objectivity of all your stories become suspect. You lose the trust of readers.My expectations exceeded reality, so I was unhappy with this book. (If you read the book carefully you will see that definition of happiness, reality minus expectations.) I thought there might be some analytical rigor to Brad Stulberg's analysis,…
Domestic ExtremistDomestic Extremist, BookA Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War
by Keenan, PeachyBook - 2023Book, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Sep 25, 2023
Ultra-processed PeopleUltra-processed People, BookThe Science Behind Food That Isn't Food
by Tulleken, Chris vanBook - 2023Book, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Sep 15, 2023
Comment:
This book is full of interesting stories and facts, but it has a big problem.
Thr book's author Chris van Tulleken makes big claims about how eating ultra-processed foods causes obesity, disease, and a variety of other problems. But he never backs up those claims with any scientific or medical evidence.
In short, this prestigious doctor is selling snake oil. Don't buy it.This book is full of interesting stories and facts, but it has a big problem.
Thr book's author Chris van Tulleken makes big claims about how eating ultra-processed foods causes obesity, disease, and a variety of other problems. But he never backs…
Added Aug 07, 2023
Everything Trump Touches DiesEverything Trump Touches Dies, BookA Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever
by Wilson, RickBook - 2018Book, 2018
Daanii's rating:
Added May 11, 2023
Comment:
Whatever you think about Donald Trump, screeds like this don't help. It's a shame to see Rick Wilson make many millions of dollars -- "generational wealth" -- off of this.
Preventing the Next PandemicPreventing the Next Pandemic, BookVaccine Diplomacy in A Time of Anti-science
by Hotez, Peter J.Book - 2021Book, 2021
Daanii's rating:
Added May 10, 2023
Comment:
Too much about Peter Hotez. There's some interesting information in this book, but it doesn't get enough emphasis amid the name-dropping and the political asides. An addition to the autohagiography genre.
Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's AutismVaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism, BookMy Journey as A Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad
by Hotez, Peter J.Book - 2018Book, 2018
Added May 10, 2023
If I Built A CarIf I Built A Car, eBook
by Van Dusen, ChriseBook - 2005eBook, 2005
All copies in use
Holds: 0 on 1 copy
Holds: 0 on 1 copy
Daanii's rating:
Added Apr 20, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Apr 20, 2023
Comment:
This book is interesting and thoughtful, and (unusually for a book of this type) doesn't overstate what it can deliver. But Peter Attia doesn't deliver much. He says we need to be careful of our diet and to exercise, but what we should eat and do for exercise will vary from person to person so he can't recommend a "one size fits all" solution. That doesn't help much -- I already knew that.
I do appreciate that Peter Attia recognizes that doctors can't really do much to treat most diseases. Heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes. These diseases will kill most of us but in most cases a doctor can't do much more now than they could in years past.
There are a lot of things that we could do in the US that we aren't doing. We spend much more money than any other country on healthcare and our results in terms of healthspan and lifespan are lower than much poorer countries. But spending more money on healthcare isn't going to help.
It's a big problem, and Peter Attia lays out the problem well. Unfortunately, he doesn't really have a solution. I listened to an interview of him where he said that he just works with his patients in the hope that one of them will come up with a solution. Given that, I'm not sure why he wrote this book.This book is interesting and thoughtful, and (unusually for a book of this type) doesn't overstate what it can deliver. But Peter Attia doesn't deliver much. He says we need to be careful of our diet and to exercise, but what we should eat and do…
Soldier SecretarySoldier Secretary, BookWarnings From the Battlefield & the Pentagon About America's Most Dangerous Enemies
by Miller, Christopher C.Book - 2023Book, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Mar 26, 2023
Comment:
This book was written by a ghostwriter in a rush, and that shows. It's disorganized and unpolished. But it's well worth reading for those who want to hear from someone who climbed to head the Defense Department for 73 days but is not an elite bureaucrat. Refreshing and insightful.This book was written by a ghostwriter in a rush, and that shows. It's disorganized and unpolished. But it's well worth reading for those who want to hear from someone who climbed to head the Defense Department for 73 days but is not an elite…
American MoonshotAmerican Moonshot, BookJohn F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race
by Brinkley, DouglasBook - 2019Book, 2019
Daanii's rating:
Added Mar 03, 2023
Comment:
Douglas Brinkley likes John Kennedy, and this book is a 450-page paean to him. (His like for John Kennedy is also apparent in his 800-page book Silent Spring Revolution that just came out last November.) Nothing wrong with that, but it does color his writing. His lack of objectivity and his drowning the reader in droning-on detail makes the book a bit of a chore.
But I'm quite interested in the topic of moonshots, and American Moonshot is a great book to get history on what John Kennedy thought about space and why he shot for the moon. (Though he never used the term "moonshot".)Douglas Brinkley likes John Kennedy, and this book is a 450-page paean to him. (His like for John Kennedy is also apparent in his 800-page book Silent Spring Revolution that just came out last November.) Nothing wrong with that, but it does color…
American MoonshotAmerican Moonshot, BookJohn F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race
by Brinkley, DouglasBook - 2019Book, 2019
Added Mar 03, 2023
Invention and InnovationInvention and Innovation, BookA Brief History of Hype and Failure
by Smil, VaclavBook - 2023Book, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Feb 25, 2023
Daanii's rating:
Added Feb 10, 2023
Comment:
A debut novel from an experienced writer, Lessons in Chemistry is better than I expected. The book reminds me a lot of John Irving and his books The World According to Gary and A Prayer for Owen Meany. Similar writing style.
Daanii's rating:
Added Jan 23, 2023
Comment:
Edith Eger's book is at times inspiring and insightful. At other times it reads a little oddly, either drifting off into ramblings and inconsequential detail or telling improbable tales. (Her story of her encounters with Dr. Josef Mengele, for example, seems unlikely.)
Part of the reason for the shifting style might be that the book was written by a professional "coauthor". Though I can understand why people hire ghostwriters, I prefer either an authorized biography or an actual autobiography. Melding the two too often creates a jumble where it's hard to know whose thoughts are whose.
That said, I very much enjoyed the book and admire Edith Eger for her choices.Edith Eger's book is at times inspiring and insightful. At other times it reads a little oddly, either drifting off into ramblings and inconsequential detail or telling improbable tales. (Her story of her encounters with Dr. Josef Mengele, for…
Daanii's rating:
Added Jan 15, 2023
Comment:
The New York Times highly recommended this book so I was looking forward to reading it. It started slow for me but then I got into it a bit and the pages almost turned themselves.
But that didn't last as it got rather tedious and the plot seemed not to advance much. I gave up on the book for a month or so. When I went back to it I had forgotten the plot so I went to the end and worked back, skimming through it. I'm glad I didn't slog through the entire book. It wouldn't have been worth it.
One oddity. The book's set in England but they Americanized the version sold here. For example, when it talks about money the figures are in dollars. That was a mistake.The New York Times highly recommended this book so I was looking forward to reading it. It started slow for me but then I got into it a bit and the pages almost turned themselves.
But that didn't last as it got rather tedious and the plot seemed…
Escape From Model LandEscape From Model Land, BookHow Mathematical Models Can Lead Us Astray and What We Can Do About It
by Thompson, EricaBook - 2022Book, 2022
Daanii's rating:
Added Jan 04, 2023
Comment:
Very disappointing. The book takes a political slant on a subject that should not be politicized. Erica Thompson includes an apology for her white woman middle-class privilege in a book about how mathematical models work. What does privilege have to do with models?
And that's not all the wokeness. She encourages us to evaluate models based on the "diversity" of the people who made the model. She says that the social and political content of models is at least as important as their mathematical and statistical content. That's just silly.
There are some good thoughts mixed in with the bad but the book as a whole is best avoided by anyone who is interested in the subject of models. Find a book on the subject that gives an objective view, not one tainted by political beliefs.Very disappointing. The book takes a political slant on a subject that should not be politicized. Erica Thompson includes an apology for her white woman middle-class privilege in a book about how mathematical models work. What does privilege have to…
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