Review: Plato and the Nerd: The Creative Partnership of Humans and Technology

Plato and the Nerd: The Creative Partnership of Humans and Technology by Edward Ashford Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found myself somewhat ill-prepared to take on this detailed look at the state of computer engineering, though I have a(n aged) degree in it. Half of the book was very high level, explaining, for instance, the behavior of logic circuits. These basic descriptions were often followed by detailed college level math to tie the practical back to the theory. Note to self – avoid audiobooks with college level math formulas, these need to be seen to be understood. I got a few things out of this long book. In particular, the main point of the author, based on my occasional flashes of recognition, was that the digital world was not a perfect replicator of the physical world, because the digital word was discrete, with measurements taken at intervals, whereas the physical world was continuous, with changes that could occur between those digital measurements. Given this obvious weakness, the digital world can’t be counted on to perfectly model the real, physical world. BTW, I understood this before I picked this book up. The book references other books, including “Goedel, Escher, Bach” by Hofstadter, which I believe informed its style as well as some of the content. This might be one of those books that, if you want to listen to the audiobook, you have to follow along in a physical book in order to see formulas and highlight.

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Review: John Barleycorn: Alcoholic Memoirs

John Barleycorn: Alcoholic Memoirs by Jack London
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

London starts and ends this book with a diatribe for prohibition, but the large middle of the book contains his braggadocio and humorous accounts of getting and being drunk. For someone who seemed to relish the drunken life, London’s exhortations for prohibition feel like lip service. Well written, and makes me surprised that London lived as long as he did. This made me consider my own anecdotes of “epic-to-me” drunken nights, and I am but a piker compared to London. Quite a life.

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Review: Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool: A True Love Story

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool: A True Love Story by Peter Turner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A sad story, sadly told. The book is purportedly about Peter, who is taking care of a former lover through her decline with cancer. You would think you would feel sorry for Peter, or sad, but he doesn’t come across as very aware of what is going on, or very capable of handling the situation. Peter comes across as young and self-centered, but basically a good bloke. If anyone, you feel for Peter’s mom, who seems to handle the stress and do most of the work involved here. Interesting to read for the story of Gloria Grahame’s career, and for the culture clash of Hollywood acting elite and a blue collar Liverpool family, with a hometown actor, of “transient sexuality” I believe he said, that is the link between both. The personalities come together as you would expect – what an interesting mixture - and the book captures the strains.

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Review: The Snack Thief

The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I seem to be attracted to mysteries with grumpy detectives and a lot of descriptions of food. I've read the Swedish Wallander books, and that had a grumpy detective but with humorously lousy food. Burnt coffee and rusk, anyone? Here, Montalbano checks off on grumpy, but the food is described lovingly, respectfully, and tantalizingly. There's a mystery here that you have to pay attention to in order to follow the threads - Montalbano is covering multiple cases and a messy private life all simultaneously, so there's plenty to maintain interest. I am looking forward to continuing this series.

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Review: Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success: Connect With Customers and Get Results

Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success: Connect With Customers and Get Results by Colleen Stanley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the short topics, and the “action tips” for self improvement in these areas. What you find here are about what you expect if you’ve read sales books and EQ books (and books on introverts, not so strangely). I found the organization and the writing very good for this type of book, and would recommend it as a good review of process steps, attitudes, etc.

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Review: Abducting a General: The Kreipe Operation and SOE in Crete

Abducting a General: The Kreipe Operation and SOE in Crete by Patrick Leigh Fermor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fermor’s account of his kidnapping of a Nazi general from Crete, while entertaining in its action, provides the most value in describing the rugged landscape of the island, the people of Crete, and the impact of the war on the citizens. After Fermor tells his story, the book includes a number of his dispatches from Crete, where he was a spy. When reading these dispatches, you understand that Fermor was a young man, without the benefit of experience, but with a young man’s attempts to “do something” for the war effort. He describes various ideas that at times seem harebrained, often involving bombs. He also describes accidentally shooting a comrade. You see how the idea of kidnapping the commanding general and dragging him through the mountains makes a kind of sense. I enjoyed the story and the things I learned about Crete. I found the writing interesting, but more challenging than most of the popular books I read.

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Review: The Little Book of Alternative Investments: Reaping Rewards by Daring to Be Different

The Little Book of Alternative Investments: Reaping Rewards by Daring to Be Different by Ben Stein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stein and DeMuth start this volume with the understanding that the reader is willing to invest in non-traditional assets. By non-traditional, we aren’t talking stocks and bonds and cash interest-bearing investments. We are talking commodities, collectibles, gold, real estate, and other investments that have lower correlations to the market, the thought being that investing in multiple asset classes that have low return correlation is a way to have a higher return for a given level of risk. Most of the book takes these assets and combines them using hedge funds as examples of investments to handle this complexity. The authors include a large list of hedge funds and other investments, with short descriptions and short bits of financial advice. I believe that the kind of advice you would get often changes over time, as investment funds change styles, rules, ownership, expenses, and returns. This advice was probably good when written, but aging rapidly. Is it worth it to read the book given the age of the advice? I think the beginning, which describes the benefits and issues with different investment asset classes, is still good, but the second half could be skimmed unless you want to hear lists of various types of “styles”. I found the second half interesting, but overwhelming on audio. If you want to think through these investments, I’d recommend the paper book over the audio. If you want a lay of the land, listening to the audio of the first half would cover your needs.

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