Category Archives: Books
Data and Goliath
Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your WorldBy Bruce SchneierW. W. Norton & Company, New York, 2015 Whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, you’re being watched. Everywhere. All … Continue reading
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
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
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
Book Review: What If
What IfBy Randall MunroeHoughton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, 2014 I’m a big fan of xkcd, so when I saw this book by Randall Munroe, its creator, my instant reaction was “must have.” What If: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical … Continue reading
Book Review: Infinitesimal
InfinitesimalBy Amir AlexanderScientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2014 Amir Alexander proves there is no subject too small to write a book about. Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Mathematical Theory Shaped the Modern World is about the mathematics of the … Continue reading
Book Review: Love and Math
Love and MathBy Edward FrenkelBasic Books, New York, NY, 2013 You’ve probably seen those late night TV ads for Zumba or P90X or a dozen other fitness programs. Ever notice how everyone in those ads already looks slim, sculpted & … Continue reading
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