“I make a claim against many of our habits of thought, that our world is dominated by the extreme, the unknown and the very improbable.“ This black swan is about our blindness to randomness. Especially when it comes to large deviations and what Nassim Taleb calls a “black swan” event. What is a The Black […]
Thoughts on: ”Eat & Run” by Scott Jurek
Scott Jurek runs and eats! By running I mean 100 mile runs (that’s 160km!) and 24 hour races. By eating I mean only plant based foods. —————- Endurance has been a theme in my reading for a while and this is the latest latest entry. I was led to this ultra marathon legends autobiography because […]
Thoughts on: “Deng Xiaoping” by Alexander V. Pantsov
Deng Xiaoping led China through far reaching reforms in the post Mao era and is often credited as the force behind China’s spectacular economic growth. The expansion of the Chinese market and opening up the country to international trade is a part of his legacy, but also less glamorous deeds, such as the massacre on […]
Quick Review: Fables of Fortune by Richard Watts
Richard Watts has worked as a legal counsel for the super rich for many years. In his book, Fables of Fortune – What Rich People Have That You Don’t Want, he shares stories for this hidden world, showing that it might not be all roses after all. This is not a psychological study of the […]
Recovering from depression induced by “Superintelligence”.
“Superintelligence” was a great and valuable read but it left me depressed. There seems to be so many dangers with AI and just so much time for us to get a grip on the control problem before It arrives. To lift myself up I started to read “How to Live: or a life of Montaigne” […]
Thoughts on: “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer
“Into Thin Air” is Jon Krakauers gripping first hand account of the May 1996 Mt. Everest disaster. Standing on the top of the worlds highest mountain he couldn’t see any signs of a deadly storm coming in. But he was wrong. When the group arrived at base camp, the mountain had claimed 5 lives and […]
Thoughts on: “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall
4 years ago I was in the worst shape of my life. I felt that something needed to be done and that it was time to get my priorities straight. — About this time I found this book and it really sold me on long distance running. It was a perfect fit for me. I’m […]
Thoughts on: “Walk Like a Buddha” by Lodro Rinzler
“All of you are perfect as you are, and you can use a little improvement” Zen Master Suzuki Roshi This is a very practical and accessible book about how to apply the teachings of the buddha to different aspects modern life. It has a question/answer format like: What would the buddha do in this and […]
Thoughts on: “Thank You for Being Late” by Thomas L. Friedman
As a professional within software development I really felt the increase in the speed with which new technologies replace older one in recent years. We are barely able to get familiar with the basics of the latest tech before it’s considered “old” and in need of replacement. Thanks to Moore’s Law, the law that says […]
Thoughts on: “Principle-Centered Leadership” by Stephen R. Covey
Stephen Covey, of “7 habits”-fame, shares his formula for what he calls principle-centered leadership. The book has start with broad, general and timeless guidelines to enhance the life you lead. You will have heard a lot of it before, but it’s these fundamentals we tend to forget in our busy everyday life. A refresher might […]