Timothy M. Laseter

Fascinating and Frightening

Revisado: 12-21-24

Hegseth is clearly a patriotic American warrior. And he rightfully documents the shift of the pendulum towards progressivism over the recent past. Of course, the fact that a portrait of Robert E. Lee in a CONFEDERATE UNIFORM was on display at West Point until 2022 suggests that the pendulum needed to shift. I do not dismiss his assertion that the pendulum has shifted too far in some dimensions but his classification of “woke progressives” as the enemy within is disturbing.

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Another Timely Reminder

Revisado: 05-21-24

2034 offered a well conceived reminder of the nationalistic hubris that can trigger a world war. It also underscored the importance of our men and women in uniform who pledge to uphold the constitution. 2054 addresses a different set of emerging risks and again provides hope that our great democracy can survive. I only hope that the stories remain fictional and if not relatively far into the future so we can prepare.

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Thought Provoking

Revisado: 05-19-24

Excellent treatise on why America should return our focus to the common good and address poverty versus simply lambasting micro aggressions among the privileged. Check out the science fiction book called “I, Messenger “ (2023 expanded version) by Russell J. Marks to explore ways to find common ground.

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Surprisingly Simplistic

Revisado: 05-09-24

I was hoping for a more thoughtful and nuanced book given the author’s link to the arguably moderate Brookings Institute. I was thoroughly disappointed in the attempt to assert the current ideological divide is purely about race dating back to the issue of slavery at the nation’s founding.

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Fascinating Memoir

Revisado: 04-08-24

Learned much but am still confused about the diagnosis and skeptical that 1 in 25 people are sociopaths.

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Thought provoking

Revisado: 03-25-24

I’m not a big social media user (beyond LinkedIn and Strava) and accordingly have limited personal fear of my data being used to cause personal harm. But the author did a great job of framing the national security risks of data trafficking and the growing tensions between US and China. I was less convinced of the purely economic risks of bigger data pools to train AI but clearly see the threat of enhanced bioterrorism knowledge from mining US consumer data. Worth a read if you believe in thinking about the long term.

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Constitution or Ideology

Revisado: 12-23-23

One would think it is easy to pick but frightening how many in Congress care more about party and power than patriotic duty.

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Highly informative

Revisado: 11-14-23

A mix of personal stories and rigorous research. Learned a lot about transgender but still curious.

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Neurobiologist Turned Hubristic Ideologue

Revisado: 10-22-23

Interesting coverage of the critical issue of personal responsibility in society. Some classic citations of scientific studies (e.g., Phineas Gage) but many new ones of which I was unaware. For example, I was pleased to learn that voluntary exercise might be increasing my adult mental plasticity. Of course, that research was countered by a former student of the author. (Of course, I am curious how my decision to exercise could be “voluntary” or the student could be acknowledged as “great” given we have no Free Will and are merely the product of our random genetic make-up and our societal environment of which we have no control.)

Nonetheless, I do recommend the book, but caution readers to be careful of the author’s hubris and dismissiveness of other views. (In fairness, in his mind, we can not blame of praise him: he had no choice but to write this book in such a way!)

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Insightful on Black English today as well as my own White Southern

Revisado: 10-21-23

I now better understand the “code switching “ that I do with my siblings but differently with my adult kids raised outside of the south. And why everyone in my life thinks that I have an accent since my “standard English” mixes the many places and people I have experienced in my privileged (or blessed if you prefer) life.

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