Category: review
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My year in film, 2012
I have done my annual book review for a number years now, but this year I thought I would do films too. Around this time last year I was introduced to a movie social network/tracking site that I really like: Letterboxd. Check out their cool 2012 Year in Review. If you want an invite, just…
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My year in books, 2012
This year was a good one for books. I originally set 2012’s goal to 30. I thought with a new baby on the way I wouldn’t have as much time for reading. On the contrary, there was lots of manual labour giving me more time to listen to audiobooks. Since I didn’t read any more…
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From bits to atoms — a review of Makers
Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Chris Anderson Like others have mentioned, this book is pretty repetitive and drawn out. It is written in the shadows of his previous two books, but Anderson doesn’t seem to mind — cross-promotion abounds. Probably the most ingratiating bit is his constant construction of catchphrases. He writes as if…
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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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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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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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[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…