Mikey Fazed

Excellent Tips, actionable tips

Revisado: 01-28-24

I really like most of the tips Leil gives in this book. For example we all know that poor posture is bad for our bodies and minds, her tip is to check your posture before you walk through a doorway. I’ve been trying it and it’s working.

Another tip she gives is to have slow, controlled movements which project confidence and trustworthiness. She compares the fidgety, quick movements of a bootleg jewelry seller on the street (who is always on the lookout for the police), to a salesperson at a fancy jewel store - their movements are slow and controlled, no need for glancing over their shoulder for cops!

Some of the tips are from the late 90s (write on the back of their business card) but could pretty easily be adapted to modern times (write facts about people in the notes app).

The only thing I didn’t love is her writing style which occasionally uses too many alliterations, which I find found grating at times. She says things like “Whether you’re a seafood slinger in Seattle, or a porcupine procurer in Poughkeepsie…” I made up the second one, but you get the idea.

All in all, I think her advice is very sound and I feel more prepared to conduct small talk in the future.

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Fair and balanced view of an icon.

Revisado: 06-21-23

I am not religious, so I have no "skin in the game" when it comes to this book. I just love to read about influential historical figures. From reading the other reviews, two things are extremely clear: many LDS members dislike the book since it is not a complete hagiography of Young, and many LDS critics dislike the book since it is not a pure critique of Young.

I liked Turner's balanced view of a complex man's life - detailing both the good and bad things that he did. I loved the narration by Stephen Hoye. I actually liked his readings of Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker series so much that I searched for other books that Stephen read and it led me here.

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A balanced and well researched take

Revisado: 06-04-23

I am not religious, nor a historical scholar but I love to read about influential figures in history. Whatever you think about his church, you have to put Joseph Smith in the list of Top 25 most influential Americans.

As an agnostic, some of the passages made me chuckle, like “Did Joseph come up with celestial marriage to fill his own carnal desires, or was he truly acting on a prophecy from God?”

All laughs aside, I learned a lot about the terrible treatment inflicted on the Mormon people by the citizens and government of Missouri. I had no idea the governor told them to fight their own battles, or that the people who killed the smith brothers never got punished.

There were a few chapters I skipped due to lack of interest: the priesthood revelation, and the detailed look at smith finances. But overall I found the book very interesting and a worthwhile read.

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Fascinating, Gripping Tale of Espionage

Revisado: 11-12-21

The first few chapters are about his boyhood growing up in East Germany, you can skip them if you're in a rush. I never knew much about East Germany, so I enjoyed them.

Jack/Albrecht goes into amazing detail on how the KGB operates, and how much time and thought they put into everything they do: he said he walked around for 3 hours before picking up a package to ensure he wasn't being followed. Even if you are the best and brightest, it's possible that a mole/turncoat will give your identity to an enemy government.

I have no idea how he kept all of his double/triple lives straight in his mind, I have trouble remembering what to do in my single life!

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Delightfully Old-Timey, Insightful view into the Great Depression

Revisado: 08-26-21

“I’m only human; same as you.”

I heard about Plennie Wingo on The Dollop podcast, which makes fun of odd historical events, and got this audiobook. The writing is impactful and memorable without being challenging or pretentious. The narrator has a slight southern drawl which is perfect for our story about an out of the box thinking Texan.

I have to be honest, this book gave me a more meaningful look at a regular persons view of the Depression than the Grapes of Wrath. It’s easy to dismiss the publicity stunt craze of this time as a passing fad, but this book made me realize how some people had no other option to make a living.

I first thought of Plennie’s stunt as a failure, but then I realized that he accomplished a world record purely on grit and good manners. People still know his name 90 years later. Shine on, my man.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Crazy Tale of Fraud and Intimidation

Revisado: 09-05-20

It’s amazing to me what the Theranos story looks like in the hands of a 2x Pulitzer Prize winner (Carreyrou) vs the uncritical, fawning praise of the original Theranos stories which were just advertisements for the company.

Actual journalists ask questions and challenge their subjects. The Forbes story just printed Holmes’ every word without talking to any scientists and asking if any of it were possible.

The performance isn’t too bad but is a little on the robotic side so I gave it 4 stars.

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Honest Tale of Heroism Against Corruption

Revisado: 08-28-20

Theranos is a scam story that hit me a little harder than most, I worked in pharmaceutical blood testing for 5 years (for a reputable company, not Theranos). When all of the hype articles were coming out, I knew right away that Elizabeth's device was not going to work. The real machinery (ones that actually work) that I used for my job had to be inspected, cleaned and calibrated regularly by a professional, not a regular Joe. Blood is like Elmer's glue - it's thick and dries quickly into a sticky mess. The Theranos device would very quickly get clogged up with nasty blood residue. Also one drop of blood contains very little useable information in it, you can run one test (like a glucose reading for diabetes) on one drop but that's it. 200 tests with a drop? Imagine a car salesman telling you his new car uses one drop of gasoline and never needs to be inspected or have its oil changed. Get out of here.

I was very upset that the journal articles in Forbes, Business Insider etc never talked to an independent scientist and asked them if any of this was possible. All the articles did was unquestioningly parrot everything Elizabeth said and instead focused on her voice, black clothing, and idol worship of Steve Jobs. Most tellingly though, there were NO SCIENTISTS ON THE BOARD. Lots of big names were involved: Walton, DeVos, Slim, Shultz, Mattis etc. But they are heavy hitters in government, business, military, not legit scientists.

I was really moved by Tyler's story and very let down how his grandfather cared more about his money than his own family or doing the right thing. Very proud of this young man!

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An excellent how to guide on getting focused

Revisado: 02-24-16

I've followed Cal's blueprint on how to improve focus when doing deep work, and also worked to minimize shallow and useless work, too.

I really enjoyed this, I've listened to it twice now.

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Informative, not too science heavy

Revisado: 03-17-15

This book goes into a ton of science but you don't have to be a scientist to appreciate it, it's explained for the layperson. That said, it seems like diet, exercise, not smoking, and sleep are the only things we have going. The book is funny and informative but there's no magic pill against aging if you're looking for one.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Pretty good - a little short

Revisado: 02-16-15

There was probably more she could have gone into but it contained useful info. I liked the inclusion of scientific data into her presentation.

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