Tag Archives: book review

Why Nations Fail

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Harry Katz

Why are some countries rich and others poor? Why, despite the passage of nearly two hundred years since the Industrial Revolution, are some countries still struggling to provide basic necessities while others indulge in conspicuous consumption? Why Nations Fail: The … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Economics, History, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

How I Became a Tree

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Harry Katz

Sumana Roy wants to become a tree. There are many reasons for this but perhaps most important is that she’s tired of the pace of modern life, the way we’re regimented by schedules and clocks and calendars. She wants to … Continue reading →

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The Scout Mindset

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Harry Katz

It seems like every few months there’s another book published about how we can think better, think more clearly, think more long term, or just think again. Judging from the level of discourse here in the US, it doesn’t appear … Continue reading →

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Twitter and Tear Gas

Posted on September 12, 2021 by Harry Katz

The brutal murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020 sparked widespread protest across the US. In Seattle, where I live, demonstrations centered in an area called Capitol Hill. For nearly a month protesters occupied … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Computers and Internet, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Finding the Mother Tree

Posted on August 29, 2021 by Harry Katz

I’m not much of a hiker or outdoors person, but I’ve done enough walking through the forests of the Pacific Northwest to appreciate their beauty and complexity. I kind of knew, in a vague abstract way, that the trees and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Environment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Invisible Women

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Harry Katz

I strongly recommend Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men to half the people of the world – the male half. Women may not need to read this book as much because they are, unfortunately, living it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Health and wellness, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Atlas of AI

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Harry Katz

Whether you know it or not, artificial intelligence has become a pervasive force in our everyday lives. When your favorite online retailer shows you “products related to this item,” or the GPS system in your car guides you along the … Continue reading →

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The Overstory

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Harry Katz

A simple description of The Overstory by Richard Powers is that it’s a novel about nine people and their relationships with trees. Sounds weird, right? Well, The Overstory is definitely an unusual novel. But it’s much more, and much stranger … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Environment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Calling Bullshit

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Harry Katz

I knew I was going to like Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World right from the opening paragraph: “The world is awash in bullshit, and we’re drowning in it. Politicians are unconstrained by facts. Science is conducted … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Science and technology | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Climate Diet

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Harry Katz

Climate change is such an overwhelming problem it’s hard to know what individuals can do about it. It’s hard to see how we can have any impact at all. But there are meaningful steps we can take to both modify our … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Environment | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments