Author Archives: Harry Katz
So, Anyway …
So, Anyway …By John CleeseCrown Archetype, New York, 2014 I’m proud to say I’m a huge fan of Monty Python. Have been since my early teens. I can still recite a few of their sketches and sing, sort of, the … Continue reading
The End of Night
If Vincent Van Gough were alive today he couldn’t possibly paint The Starry Night. That’s because our modern obsession with more and brighter lighting has obliterated the stars and threatens to banish night itself. This is one of many poignant … Continue reading
Ada’s Algorithm
Lady Ada Lovelace has a good claim to being the first Woman in Tech. Born in 1815, she was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron. She’s best known for her collaboration with Charles Babbage, inventor of the Analytical Engine, … Continue reading
The Bone Clocks
The Bone ClocksBy David MitchellRandom House, New York, 2014 The Bone Clocks tells the story of a decades-long war between the Horologists and the Anchorites – two groups of mystics who take very different approaches to achieving immortality, or at … Continue reading
The Imitation Game
I’m sure the Imitation Game takes all sorts of liberties with the story of Alan Turing’s life and his contribution to breaking Nazi codes during WWII. It’s not a documentary after all. But the broad outlines of the story and … Continue reading
Cautious Optimism for 2015
2014 was a tumultuous year filled with tragedy, disaster and violence. Each new crisis dominated the headlines only to be quickly elbowed aside by the next: ISIS, Gaza, Ukraine, Ferguson, Malaysia 370, AirAsia 8501, Boko Haram school kidnapping, Peshawar school … Continue reading
Book Review: The Geography of Thought
The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently … And WhyBy Richard E. NisbettFree Press, New York, 2003 The Geography of Thought got me hooked with an intriguing observation right on page one: Westerners tend to view the … Continue reading
25 years after the Velvet Revolution, Czechs “red card” their president
Perhaps democracy has been slow to take root in some ex-Communist countries, but today, on the 25th anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution, it seems to be alive and kicking in the Czech Republic. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/world/europe/-reverently-and-defiantly-czechs-honor-their-revolutions-anniversary.html?_r=0
How We Got to Now
Steven Johnson starts off How We Got to Now with a very cool story: One little-known consequence of the invention of the printing press in 1450 by Johannes Gutenberg was that thousands of people suddenly discovered they were farsighted. Before … Continue reading
For Whom The Wall Fell
On the heels of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, here’s a sobering post from economist Branko Milanovic of the City University of New York. He tries to determine which countries have successfully transitioned from communism … Continue reading
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