Frank

Fascinating Insight into a Complicated Job

Revisado: 12-30-16

Robert Gates is someone many don't know and will likely never know and yet his contribution to the U.S. carries much historical significance. His role was wrought with daily impossibilties and emergencies that had life and death consequences around the world and it is admirable that he did this through numerous presidencies. This book offers great detail about U.S. decision making in multiple gulf wars as well as the political navigating that had to be done domestically. This was a very interesting inside look at his view of how everything worked.

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Irksome and Borderline Painful to Finish

Revisado: 12-30-16

Everything Michael Lewis has ever written that I've read has been thoroughly enjoying...except this. If you are a research psychologist or behavioral economist rooted in academia this may be a good book for you. I tried to find reasons to enjoy this book but couldn't because it felt like the story of two smart guys spending their lives measuring the bias of bias on decision making mixed with excessive academic research theory. The fact that Nobel prize talk, awards and accolades were constantly being thrown their way is notable. They clearly were sought after individuals with influential work in some circles, but I was left with a feeling that it was largely limited to those circles and nothing more. Based on the types of stories Michael Lewis typically covers, my biggest confusion is why he felt this was significant. If it was, it was lost somewhere.

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The Matrix, well ahead of its time

Revisado: 07-14-16

Not a huge sci-fi fan but was curious about this book because many reference it as part of the digital culture "origin story" that spawned things like the Matrix movies and other digital world creation stories. It's impressive that this book was written so long ago and still got so much right about the future. Yes, there's a bunch of tangent story lines and sequels I won't be reading but it's good to know the context behind books like this, which you can only get by reading them. I'd recommend it for that reason alone.

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A pioneer most will never know about

Revisado: 07-14-16

For the record: never done mushrooms and was concerned this would be some rambling hippy-dippy nonsense about pretty colors changing the world. It was none of that. It was far more methodical and scientific and while some of the concepts are no doubt...out there, it became clear the only reason they are still "out there" is because we've brushed this topic under the rug far too long. Whether this topic is uncomfortable for some people or not is noteworthy because books like this get stigmatized as just some guy on drugs. I've stigmatized things this way too. However, I'd say that McKenna is every bit a pioneer as Lewis and Clark and others exploring new frontiers. The only difference is that McKenna's frontier was the human brain and its ability to engage and communicate in alternate but somehow still natural realities. I have no idea if his experiences have legitimacy but what he's documented, analyzed and shared is something that at least deserves far more research. It's fairly well documented how little of our brain capacity we actually use and when you hear what's explained in this book and the history behind some of these plants, any rational person would ask whether topics like this begin to shed light on what is possible with the human brain. If your politics and religious beliefs tell you there's nothing more to learn about the human brain and how we interact with nature, that's fine. There will be a special place in history for you. Bottomline: this entire field of study deserves far more research.

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Practical Alternative to Atkins, Paleo

Revisado: 07-14-16

I'm not a fitness expert or nutrition expert. I like Krispy Kreme once in a while. And pizza. However, there's a common sense way to eat healthy and be active, which is shared in this book. Granted, it is similar to other trendy food and fitness movements so the premise is nothing new, but I give Mark Sisson credit for at least trying to take the best of all options and then share it in a way that seems practical. If for no other reason, I found this book beneficial because it reinforced what appears to be a new set of commonly held best practices about what's good, what's bad, what's food propaganda and a balanced modern day approach that takes normal working people things into consideration. If you like to stay in the know about different food and fitness approaches, it's worthwhile to get the perspective this book offers.

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Fantastic book, very well presented

Revisado: 07-14-16

Highly recommend for people with an interest in media history and the convergence of media, information, technology and the Internet. Much of the history covered isn't the boilerplate facts and figures many recite, but rather a detailed look at why things evolved the way they did, which many likely don't know. I learned more than I expected, which is great. And it raises issues about the the future of the Internet that need more awareness. I expected this book to possibly go off the rails getting hung up in net neutrality dogma, but it was anything but that. Tim Wu does a great job of not only being pragmatic but doing it in such a way where you realize just how much push and pull has happened to get us where we are now and what's at stake moving forward.

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Interesting Story

Revisado: 01-13-16

If you have an interest in American Christmas history at the turn of the century, this book is worth a read. While it focuses on the story of one man there are many details about Christmas culture in general back in that era that are interesting.

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80% Physics, 20% Christmas

Revisado: 01-13-16

My expectation was that there was going to be more "Christmas" in this book. There are some interesting explanations but it reads more like the physics of things in general with Christmas sprinkled in as a loose narrative to connect it all together. The author gets high marks for effort, but low marks for execution.

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Good Case Studies, Comparisons and Reminders

Revisado: 10-09-15

If you're a grizzled veteran you may find the case study examples and research reminders about behavioral change beneficial. If you are just beginning your career in advertising or marketing, I would recommend this as a must read. It's well thought out, the examples are relevant and the insight that is shared is valuable.

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Better Than Expected; Much More than the Title

Revisado: 03-30-13

First off...I'm a guy. I feel I have to say that so I don't lose too many man-points for listening to this book. I don't know much about Sheryl Sandberg and I may not agree with all of her points, but I'd recommend this book to anyone. It's a great listen. While it may seem like this topic should only be interesting to women, her approach and examples go well beyond that. The book may be framed around women's issues in the workplace, but I found the discussion about family issues to be equally as important, in particular, the balance between genders, families, stereotypes and careers. I'm sure Sheryl will take heat from both men and women by writing this book, however I can't help but think the world is now a slightly better place simply because she did. Five stars.

-Frank

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