Category Archives: Books

High Output Management

High Output Management is one of the most disappointing books I’ve ever read, and in some places it flat out pissed me off.   The focus is always on output. Everyone and every team produces output. A manager’s job is … Continue reading

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More From Less

More From Less is a book about dematerialization Demawhat?  No, it’s not some sort of Star Trek transporter technology. Dematerialization is the phenomenon of producing the same goods from less material and energy. It’s real, it’s important, and Andrew McAfee … Continue reading

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Growth

People used to think growth was a good thing.  Politicians, economists and business leaders brag about healthy or robust growth in jobs, GDP, and profits.  But that’s changing.  These days, growth is often described as excessive, uncontrollable, and unsustainable.  In … Continue reading

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Talking to Strangers

I’ve read most of Malcolm Gladwell’s books and quite a few of his New Yorker articles.  I love his podcast Revisionist History.  He is a terrific writer and storyteller.  Though he has a tendency to wander off on maddening digressions, … Continue reading

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How To Be An Antiracist

How To Be An Antiracist By Ibram X. Kendi One World, New York, 2019 Donald Trump says he’s not racist. In fact, he claims to be the “least racist person that you have ever met.” In his latest book, How … Continue reading

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Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing By Delia Owens G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 2018 I don’t read much fiction these days, but it’s summertime and the last book I read was about the history of calculus, so I figured I’d try … Continue reading

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Infinite Powers

Okay, I admit it, even for me this is a geeky book.  Infinite Powers:  How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe is about the history of calculus and its impact on science, technology, and society.  Infinite Powers:How Calculus Reveals … Continue reading

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Losing Earth

Losing Earth By Nathaniel Rich Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, New York, 2019 The Sunday New York Times Magazine devoted its entire August 1, 2018 issue to a single article called Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change by … Continue reading

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Diversity Explosion

In 2011, more minority babies were born in the United States than white babies for the first time.  In 2015, 24 of the largest 100 metropolitan areas in the US were already minority white.  By 2040 there will be no … Continue reading

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Endeavour

Endeavour:  The Ship and the Attitude that Changed the World By Peter Moore Chatto & Windus, London, 2018 Pop quiz:  What does “endeavour” mean to you? a)  To attempt, to strive, to exert oneself towards achieving some goal, b)  The … Continue reading

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