Consumed in 2017
Another year, another 17 books, 6 shows and 3 movies consumed. Here’s this year’s highlights.
Books
The Zen and Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance
The author is a tormented soul on a quest to define quality. You’re his passenger, driving shot gun on a CB77 Super Hawk, in for an exhausting intellectual journey through the high mountains of reasoning. You will often fear getting lost and feel slightly anxious that the driver might drive of a cliff any moment, but he won’t. Once you see the top of the mountain for the first time, you’ll be happy he doesn’t make it too easy on you, and you’ll be more appreciative of the road that took you there.
Throughout the process of fixing the machine things always come up, low-quality things, from a dusted knuckle to an accidentally ruined “irreplaceable” assembly. These drain off gumption, destroy enthusiasm and leave you so discouraged you want to forget the whole business. I call these things “gumption traps.”
Peace of mind isn’t at all superficial to technical work. It’s the whole thing. That which produces it is good work and that which destroys it is bad work.
It’s the style that gets you; technological ugliness syruped over with romantic phoniness in an effort to produce beauty and profit by people who, though stylish, don’t know where to start because no one has ever told them there’s such a thing as Quality in this world and it’s real, not style.
The Soul of a New Machine
The type of writing I wish there was more of. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to experience building a mini-computer. It makes one appreciate how much we’re standing on the shoulders of giants. So much has changed in 40 years and even more hasn’t changed at all. People will be people.
Adopting a remote, managerial point of view, you could say that the Eagle project was a case where a local system of management worked as it should: competition for resources creating within a team inside a company an entrepreneurial spirit, which was channeled in the right direction by constraints sent down from the top. But it seems more accurate to say that a group of engineers got excited about building a computer.
In the sixties there was proposed a “National Data Bank,” which would, theoretically, improve the government’s efficiency by allowing agencies to share information. The fact that such a system could be abused did not mean it would be, proponents said; it could be constructed in such a way as to guarantee benign use. Nonsense, said opponents, who managed to block the proposal; no matter what the intent or the safeguards, the existence of such a system would inevitably lead toward the creation of a police state.
Winter is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped
I’ve been trying to get better educated on the history of world politics and long-lasting international conflicts. Growing up in Western Europe with very little direct conflict, you’re never really taught why other parts of the world seem to be so messed up and why they’re so angry at us.
Although you might find Kasparov to be a bit too convincing, he has good reasons to hold strong opinions and is in a unique position to shed light on what’s been happening under the Putin regime. It’s like listening to someone who just escaped an abusive relationship. I was remembered of Hintjens’ The Psychopath Code more than once.
Like a weed, evil can be cut back but never entirely uprooted. It waits for its chance to spread through the cracks in our vigilance. It can take root in the fertile soil of our complacency, or even the rocky rubble of the fallen Berlin Wall.
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, compromises on principles are the streetlights.
He and his junta have turned the country into a petro-state, and exporting natural resources to an insatiable global market doesn’t require entrepreneurs or programmers, let alone writers and professors.
Putin and his defenders abroad bragged about Russia’s rising GDP, but it was like taking the average temperature of all the patients in a hospital.
The hypocrisy of condemning weak dictatorships while embracing strong ones destroys American and European credibility and undermines any attempt at global leadership; in fact, it seems to encourage smaller autocracies to aspire to greater ambitions.
Shows
Westworld
In a not so distant future, the rich will be spending their free time visiting amusement parks inhabited by lifelike robots. Once you pay your entry ticket, you can be the protagonist of any story you want. Maybe you want good value for money and go on an epic quest chasing a bad guy to the edge of the park, or maybe you just want to drink, gamble and maybe kill a few randoms for fun in the saloon just feet away from the drop-off point? Like playing Red Dead Redemption post-virtual reality.
The setting, cast and especially the story line are out of this world. Reading up on fan theories after the show is half the fun. It’s amazing how many plausible theories were put out and how a small community is able to dissect every little scene looking for hints to figure out the park’s mysterious past.
This show made me question if I understood what it is that makes us human. Aren’t we all just the result of our pre-programmed genetics and the events we experience throughout our lives?
Stranger Things 2
I just finished watching this one last night. It’s like reading a really good Stephen King novel, but in color. I noticed yesterday’s season finale was 61 minutes long; good things do happen when you’re not constrained to TV time.
Podcasts
Commutes have gotten earlier and longer this year. I’ve cut back on the technology podcasts in favor of a more broad range of topics.
The Joe Rogan Experience
It’s a bit like sitting in on a conversation between two people at a bar. One person is a talkative and enjoyable guy, not afraid to ask questions and the other is happy to drop knowledge on a specific (and often fringe) topic. Topics range from diet and fitness, to economy and politics. Some episodes that stood out for me recently are the ones with Colin Moriarty and Nina Teicholz.
Conversations with Tyler
The same concept, being a one-on-one conversation covering a wide range of topics. However, this one is more formal and often a bit (too?) academic. This podcast on Marcroeconomics, Mentorship and Avoiding Complacency might give you a good idea on what to expect.
Dan Carlin’s History X
Extremely thoroughly researched lectures on important periods of our history. The Destroyer of Worlds is a 6 hour long, but captivating piece on the history of nuclear warfare and filled in a lot of gaps for me.