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Not good not bad

Revisado: 05-14-24

Biggs’ work managed to cover a wide range, but he miscarried Japan after the WW2 in a number of ways, and also completely misunderstands Talebs black swans, going so far as to talk about the number of standard deviations out these events are.

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One turn too many...

Revisado: 11-19-23

I had read the original book, published in the 90s, and found it to be amazing. I was looking forward to The Fourth Turning is Here,, and came away disappointed. Perhaps it is because I'd listened to Howe on a bunch of podcasts, perhaps because he's a boomer, and perhaps because even though his books say "the current system is broken and corrupt and it should be replaced with a new system" his views are very much an institutionalist...

The primary holes I find in his theory this time around, though relate to fertility, lifespan, religion, education and the metaverse (or equivalent).

US fertility rates post-pill have basically plateaued, and hover right around replacement values. Historical cycles have not had this downward draft--while the rate may have been cyclical and economically affected, 3 kids was pretty normal even when I was growing up in the 70s. Add in the decline in lifespan and I'm not sure how that changes things--certainly changes the nature of the governmental pay as you go programs.

Similarly, religion was a key non-governmental force in most American life through the baby boom, with revivals periodically sweeping through things. In this case, though, the boomers (a prophet generation) arguably had rejection of the old religions while replacing it with "spirituality". So I think that could be different this time.

Education: I'm least sure about this one--perhaps right now it's more the credentialism than the education, but it has gone from promoting class mobility to restricting it to those who can afford to spend summers working at a non-profit.

Finally the metaverse/internet introduced non-geographic connections that are unlike anything in the past. As someone who spent literally hours talking to girls on a corded phone (yes, including the "you hang up first bit") the ability to drop out into elsewhere and communicate with your own tribe online may mix things up a bit more than Howe realizes.

Net-net, there are better books on the subject than this one.

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Excellent book next narrator on audible

Revisado: 06-01-23

Stephen Briggs knew Sir Terry quite well, and it is obvious in the narration of the book-for my family, we won’t buy a discworld audio book without him as the narrator. His tone
and inflection, matches the ironic humor that populates the book as Tiffany continues on her journey…

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Excellent Framework for talking about business

Revisado: 07-23-16

So I admit, I was skeptical. I started with "Wait, isn't this the guy that took the company that didn't exist and sold it to HP?" Hearing the story of how that happened, and how Horowitz navigated the challenges is one that as a former entrepreneur I could completely relate to. Well done!

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Good overview, very academic

Revisado: 07-23-16

TL;DR: I have lived in Japan 20+ years, so have some perspective. Worth listening too, but light on modern times.

So, it's a "Great Course" (tm). I get that. And perhaps a cultural history of Japan will space things out more, so that we spend a whole chapter on Shinto Gods and how things worked back before time really started. The one takeaway from that chapter was "even in Japanese mythology, decisions are made by committee and take time".

Professor Ravina's modern stuff is somewhat disappointing, though. More than most societies, Japan has undergone two complete transformations since the mid-1850s, and while the book talks about that, I believe half of the focus or more should have been spent on that, rather than on the older discussions.

The books I wish I could find on audible are George Bailey Samson's 3 volume series on Japanese history, followed by Christopher's "Japanese Mind". They would, of course, take up more time than these short courses, but would be worth it.

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Teenage American History humor....

Revisado: 11-08-15

Reading the description of this book, I thought "awesome, a funny but accurate portrayal of who Lafayette (not the pirate, the Marquis) was and what he did. What I got was...I don't know. A royal flaming mess? Someone trying to be funny and failing miserably?

I was reminded of being in high school American history class with a not so smart friend who was trying to be funny with pithy observations and obvious asides. Unique and interesting insight? Well, not in the first half of the book that I managed to get through before returning it.

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Excellent shorts perfect for listening to

Revisado: 06-13-15

Any time an author is willing to read his or her work I am more likely to read it. This is especially the case with neil gaiman, whose lilting voice is perfect for this series of short scary stories.

The writing covers a wide range, from Doctor Who to Sherlock Holmes, with a good dosage of American Gods is truly impressive. The story I liked the best though was a very short story that reminded me of the "ghost" stories we used to tell around the campfire-I won't put up any more of a spoiler than that...bravo Mr. gaiman.

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Star Wars meets Tolkien and Darth Sauron won....

Revisado: 03-18-13

The book's key premise was one that I quite enjoyed:

"What happens when the hero doesn't win." While the plot is moderately more complex than that, the world is one in which the bulk of humankind is enslaved and working as plantation slaves. Not a pleasant place to grow up.

Sanderson's approach to magical powers and the expenditure thereof is unique. Like any good modern fantasy writer, Sanderson's magic comes with substantial limitations, and like any great artist, painting on restricted size canvas provides greater creativity. His world is an oyster worth eating.

The "putting the band together" piece of the book goes well enough (perhaps more "The Sting" than the "Magnificent 7"), but one of the treats for those of us who used to play D&D was finding a sentient, conversant creature related to a gelatinous cube....while I won't spoil the fun by going into the details here, having this particular henchman made for good listening.

Finally, the interweaving of religion, faith and society is quite interesting--after all, if Darth Sauron is a god, what kind of religion would he have? Not a pleasant one, as it turns out....Sanderson's bad guys, while they lack depth (as in most fantasy milieus), are pretty scary SOBs. Enjoy thew world, and enjoy all 40 odd hours...

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Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones, and Way of Kings

Revisado: 09-23-12

Sanderson covers a substantial amount of ground in this solo effort--I first discovered him through the last of the Wheel of Time series, and thought I would try this as a follow-up. Treating Sanderson as a ghost-writer, though, would be a severe disservice. Not only does he have his own voice, the internally consistent world that he puts together has several interesting spins both on magic and on swordplay--I particularly like how magic is not clearly dominant, and how magical swords and armor don't just happen to be mithral mined by elves or some such.

Like any excellent fantasy novel for adults, the political intrigue is at least as interesting as the swords and sorcery, with a good mix of humor, honor and treachery. Unlike the Game of Thrones, however, this particular read is a bit more in the PG rated range than R. Tactics matter more than in Game of Thrones, and betrayal, when it occurs, was much less obvious to me (With GoT, I would frequently find myself thinking "No, don't go in there!!!, which didn't happen with this book).

Be warned, however, this book is not easy to put down, and may keep you up listening later at night than you intended to.

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I love George Carlin, but prefer smaller dosages

Revisado: 06-23-12

I've been a George Carlin fan since my teens and have enjoyed both his stand up and his occasional movie appearances (especially with Keanu Reaves). This book is classic Carlin, but it reminded me that too much of a good thing is, well, sometimes too much. Listen in small doses and it's brilliant. Go for a half an hour, and it's ok. Go for an hour, and the pieces of the book(s) which are dated really become obvious and annoying, and his with is less effective.

The best part of the book, though, is George's narration--given the way he wrote, it is hard to imagine anyone else doing an even adequate job. I would buy this book again, but I'd be a little hesitant to recommend it to a friend--too many other good things out there.

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