Wanderlust tagline, A History of Walking, is a bit misleading because it feels very superficial as a history book. The book is better described as a collection of musings and digressions around the subject of walking in the context of cultural history. Walking and it’s influence on the world and human thought In Wanderlust: A […]
Thoughts on: “Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman
Sometimes you need something completely different. This was a palate cleanser book for me. —————————– Engineers are too logical at times, while people are not. As a game developer, you something hear people complaining: “They are playing it wrong!” when you first let people outside your project group play the game for the first time. […]
Thoughts on: “American Kingpin” by Nick Bilton
A failed physicist libertarian created the “Amazon of drugs” on the dark web, banking on the anonymity of Bitcoin and Thor (a web anonymous browser). His name was Ross Ulbricht and the site name was “the Silk Road”. —— He wanted to challenge the government led “war on drugs”, which he saw as a huge […]
Quick Review: Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
Turning Pro is about the struggle against Resistance that keeps us from pursuing our creative endeavors. It is this Resistance that makes us hate ourselves, and that breeds undirected discontent. Amateurs and Professionals The world is made up of amateurs and professionals. They are both dealing with the same material (the pain of being human […]
Thoughts on: “Advice not Given” by Mark Epstein
“When we let the ego have free reign we suffer – but when we learn to let go, we are free.” —— Dr. Epstein explores where psychotherapy and Buddhism can complement each other in the persuit of mental wellness. —— The Buddha and Freud, Dr Epstein says, came to a similar conclusion. Ego is the […]
Quick Review: The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“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: “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 […]
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 […]