Category: books
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Microcosmographia Academica
The Microcosmographia Academica is a satirical pamphlet on the bureaucratic politics of the “tiny academic world” published in 1908 by Trinity College, Cambridge professor FM Cornford. It is a short and savage excoriation of groupthink, inaction, sycophancy and other procrastinative tendencies found in academia or any group of humans finding themselves in a hierarchy. Cornford…
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It is your mind that changes you — a review of Hitch-22
I purchased Christopher Hitchens’s bestselling memoir as soon as it was available in 2010. It took until now for me to read it. I sincerely regret the belatedness. Now, with just a few days until the first anniversary of his death on 15 December, I can say I have somewhat made amends by reading Hitch-22,…
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How I read
After listening to The Incomparable #116 (“Very Well-Read Hobos”) I was surprised that the panel did not mention — what is to my mind — the greatest appeal for reading digital books: guilt-free, searchable annotations. While toiling away on my master’s thesis I had to travel to and from Japan (for family reasons). I did…
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LeanCoffeeKL 60: Startup Communities
This morning’s #LeanCoffeeKL discussion about Brad Feld’s book Startup Communities (my review here) had a great turnout. We had 20 people representing the local startup and tech communities come out at 8am to discuss this book. Pretty amazing considering only two of us had read it. It was particularly encouraging to have the CEO of…
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Peer Progressivism — a review of Future Perfect
To my knowledge, Future Perfect: The Case For Progress In A Networked Age is Steven Johnson’s first attempt at pamphleteering. The other books of his that I have read — The Invention of Air, Emergence and Where Good Ideas Come From — have been about telling the stories of complex concepts in an engaging way.…
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Startup Communities
In the past few days I have devoured Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City by Brad Feld. Rather than write out a synopsis of the book, just check out the Startup Communities Book Trailer and watch Brad draw out the Boulder Thesis in about 3 minutes. If you want more, check out…
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Organization of No Organization
Remarkable that two books released this month advocate eschewing hierarchy for network-based approaches to changing society. The books in question are: Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age A deep review of Brad Feld’s book is forthcoming, and I am only part way…
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The Information Diet
During the first weekend of my information fast I read The Information Diet by Clay Johnson. I felt pretty sheepish when I came across this comment criticizing fasting: For most, I think this will yield an unsuccessful outcome. By the end of the fast, you’ll be so eager to plug back in that — like…
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Steven B Johnson’s new book on the internet and politics
I have read a number of his works, including Emergence: And so, over time, a book I had written about social insects and video games and software algorithms started to feel more and more like a book about politics… I look forward to this book and hope it goes beyond the aspect of political organization…
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[REVIEW] Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends Are the Key to Influence on the Social Web
Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends Are the Key to Influence on the Social Web by Paul Adams My rating: ★★★★★ Great little book giving an overview of a wide array of research on social networks and how information passes through them. Though near the end it gets a little too evangelical for permission marketing…