Tag Archives: book review

The Optimist’s Telescope

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Harry Katz

Bina Venkataraman thinks we need to get way better at thinking ahead.  The decisions we make today will impact ourselves and our planet for generations to come. Her book, The Optimist’s Telescope, is about why we make reckless decisions and how we can develop the foresight to make better ones.  Continue reading →

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20/20 Foresight

Posted on January 4, 2020 by Harry Katz

What better way to start 2020 than a book called 20/20 Foresight? There’s an old Danish proverb that says, “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” Difficult for sure, but we do it all the time anyway. … Continue reading →

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More From Less

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Harry Katz

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

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Harry Katz

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

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Harry Katz

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

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Harry Katz

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

Posted on July 27, 2019 by Harry Katz

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

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Harry Katz

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

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Harry Katz

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

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Harry Katz

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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