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Tag Archives: nonfiction
The Court and The World
The Court and the World is about the increasing interplay between the Supreme Court of the United States and the people, laws and courts of foreign countries. And it’s written by an extremely well-qualified expert, Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice of … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Law and justice
Tagged book review, international law, nonfiction, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court
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Mindset
Everyone knows there are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people and those who do not. Well Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford, is clearly one 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
Posted in Books, Environment
Tagged astronomy, book review, darkness, light pollution, night, nonfiction, Van Gough
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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
Posted in Books, Computers and Internet, History
Tagged Ada Lovelace, Analytical Engine, book review, Charles Babbage, computers, nonfiction
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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
Posted in Books, Science and technology
Tagged book review, innovation, invention, nonfiction, science, Steven Johnson, technology
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Book Review: The Ideas That Conquered the World
The Ideas That Conquered the World By Michael Mandelbaum PublicAffairs, New York, NY, 2002 The Ideas That Conquered the World was published with some fanfare in 2002, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I can’t remember how … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Economics, History, Politics
Tagged book review, democracy, free markets, michael mandelbaum, nonfiction
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Book Review: David and Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book, David and Goliath, is really a collection of stories, variations on the theme of lopsided conflicts, of the weak prevailing against the strong. Apparent strength can mask great weakness, and there are often diminishing returns, even … Continue reading
Book Review: An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth
Remember Chris Hadfield? Sure you do. He’s the Canadian astronaut who sang Space Oddity from the International Space Station, from a tin can far above the world. Back on Earth and now retired, he’s written a book; An Astronaut’s Guide … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged astronaut, book review, Chris Hadfield, NASA, nonfiction, space
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Book Review: The End of Power
Moisés Naím uses a lot of words that start with “d” to describe what’s happening to power these days; dilution, dissipation, disruption, diffusion, and decay. The full title of his book is The End of Power: From Boardrooms to Battlefields … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Politics
Tagged book review, democracy, nonfiction, organizations, political science, power
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Religion for Atheists
Alain de Botton thinks religion is too useful to be left entirely to the religious. In his latest book, Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believers Guide to the Uses of Religion, he looks at some of the “best bits” of religion … Continue reading
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