Tag Archives: nonfiction

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

Livewired

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Harry Katz

Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain left me feeling both awed and comforted by the astonishing capabilities of the human brain. Consider this: Your brain can listen to music, learn to play the violin, read sheet music, translate … Continue reading →

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The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Harry Katz

This is the first book in a long time that I DNF – did not finish. I was attracted to the book by its title: The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal About Aliens – and … Continue reading →

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The Code Breaker

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Harry Katz

If you think the digital revolution is having profound effects on human society, buckle up because the biotech revolution is just getting underway and it will redefine, even redesign, our species. Ever since the early 1950’s when James Watson and … Continue reading →

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Think Again

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Harry Katz

I’m a big fan of Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast. I even blogged about one of his episodes last year. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know is his latest book and the first one I’ve read. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sapiens

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Harry Katz

Last year, I read 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari, which I reviewed here. Several friends recommended I read Harari’s earlier book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Now I know why. It’s an excellent book. As the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, Science and technology | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

Posted on April 10, 2021 by Harry Katz

You’ve probably had the experience of being completely absorbed in an activity, totally focused, losing track of time, your body moving effortlessly, your mind clear of all distractions and worries. You were “in the zone.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this state … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Health and wellness, Inline skating | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sum of Us

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Harry Katz

In the 1920’s and 30’s, towns and cities across the United States built large, beautiful public swimming pools for their communities. Montgomery, Alabama was one such town. Its Oak Park pool was one of the largest in the region. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Law and justice, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Harry Katz

Around the world we humans are adding an average of fifty-one billion (51,000,000,000) tons of greenhouse gasses to Earth’s atmosphere every year. To avoid a climate disaster, we need to get to zero. 51 billion to zero. That’s how Microsoft … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Energy, Environment, Science and technology | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments