Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Facebook Effect
I've been reading "The Facebook Effect". An excellent book on the history of Facebook. My own history with Facebook is less pleasant. I got an account in 2005 when Facebook was very new and restricted to students at select colleges. I did this for 2 reasons: (1) I didn't want a disgruntled student creating a fake, mean page for me, and (2) some students said that they preferred communicating over Facebook. Well, after 6 months I decided that I didn't like it. As a faculty member, it felt creepy being on Facebook, and it wasn't a good platform for communicating with students. For the next 4-5 years, I largely ignored Facebook until I started reading this book. It presents an interesting perspective on the history and philosophy of Facebook. I'm going to try using it at least a little once again now that I have a better feel for the purpose and pitfalls of Facebook. The book (as opposed to the website) is excellent. Grade: B+
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Book Review: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
There are basically two types of authors in the world: (1) great story tellers (e.g., Crichton, early Grisham, Cussler, and many others) and (2) great writers (e.g., Morrison, late Grisham, Franzen and many others). Only one writer that I have ever read is in both categories: Tolkien. I love books by category (1) writers -- they are fun to read. I do not enjoy books by category (2) writers because they are slow and nothing happens. Of course many people, including Oprah, love category (2) writers. Whatever. I found Freedom to have interesting characters, but the story was basically very long and very boring. Skip it. Grade: C-
Monday, September 27, 2010
Homework #4 Solutions
4.17) $14.39
4.21) 700 lb_m/hr
4.30) x_4 = 0.0398 kg S/kg
*note: you do not need to draw all 10 units and 20+ streams for (a), just draw maybe unit 1 and 4 to demonstrate that you understand the layout of the process.
4.21) 700 lb_m/hr
4.30) x_4 = 0.0398 kg S/kg
*note: you do not need to draw all 10 units and 20+ streams for (a), just draw maybe unit 1 and 4 to demonstrate that you understand the layout of the process.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Book Review: Wet Desert by by Gary Hansen
This is the first (and only?) book by Gary Hansen. It came out in 2007, but I had never heard of before now, and I only started it because Amazon was selling it for $0.99 on the Kindle (and it had a 5-star average review). It was the best $0.99 I ever spent. A very exciting and interesting book set on the Colorado river in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. I love that region of the country, and having a book take me back there was great. Hansen is a good writer and a great story teller. It amazes me (and makes me a little sad) that this book is #246,941 on the Amazon best seller list. Everyone with a Kindle should buy it! Every publisher should sell 3 year old books for $0.99. What do they have to lose? Grade: A-
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Quick Book Reviews
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
I read everything that Mary Roach writes, and it is all fantastic. I would describe Packing for Mars as the least edgy and eccentric book she's written -- her previous books were on the fate of the body after death (Stiff) and sex research (Boink), but I also think this is her best and funniest writing ever. The book explores a number of issues and experiences associated with travel in space and preparation for travel in space. It is interesting, funny, and enjoyable. Grade: B+
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
Any book that enjoys this much commercial success and this many weeks on the New York Times best seller list is a book I need to read. This book is very entertaining. It is basically a bunch of stories about Justin Halpern's dad. He always seems to say exactly what is on his mind, and it is always funny (and quotable). It has many, many laugh out loud till your side hurts lines. I did get sick of the Dad swearing every other word, but the book is definitely worth reading. Grade: B
I read everything that Mary Roach writes, and it is all fantastic. I would describe Packing for Mars as the least edgy and eccentric book she's written -- her previous books were on the fate of the body after death (Stiff) and sex research (Boink), but I also think this is her best and funniest writing ever. The book explores a number of issues and experiences associated with travel in space and preparation for travel in space. It is interesting, funny, and enjoyable. Grade: B+
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
Any book that enjoys this much commercial success and this many weeks on the New York Times best seller list is a book I need to read. This book is very entertaining. It is basically a bunch of stories about Justin Halpern's dad. He always seems to say exactly what is on his mind, and it is always funny (and quotable). It has many, many laugh out loud till your side hurts lines. I did get sick of the Dad swearing every other word, but the book is definitely worth reading. Grade: B
Friday, August 13, 2010
Book Trilogies
I just finished "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest", thus completing the Millennium trilogy. This made me think about where this trilogy ranks compared with other trilogies I've read. Let's start with an easy one:
Lord of the Rings Trilogy - score 10/10
- simply the best trilogy ever written although you could argue that it was actually one really long book instead of three separate books. It's my blog so I'm ruling this a trilogy.
Millennium Trilogy - score 8/10
- an epic, page turning trilogy from beginning to end. I loved it. It's hard to believe I read ~2000 pages in a few weeks. If LotR is really one single story spread across three books, then the Millennium trilogy is really two stories spread across three books.
Bourne Trilogy -- score 6/10
- very enjoyable at times, but also confusing and and a little dry. I know many people will disagree with this, but I think that Stieg Larsson (of the Millennium trilogy) is simply a better story teller than Ludlum. Not a better writer, necessarily, but a Larsson tells a more engaging story.
Hitchhiker's "Trilogy" -- score 5/10
- okay, there is roughly six books in this "trilogy", but I've only read 3 of them and "Trilogy" has appeared on the cover of every book since #3. They are fun and enjoyable, but a little boring at times.
The Border Trilogy -- score 2/10
- Three books by Cormak McCarthy set in the SW US and Mexico. Very boring, very depressing. No common characters or story lines, just a common setting and theme -- the depressing loss of a way of life.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy - score 10/10
- simply the best trilogy ever written although you could argue that it was actually one really long book instead of three separate books. It's my blog so I'm ruling this a trilogy.
Millennium Trilogy - score 8/10
- an epic, page turning trilogy from beginning to end. I loved it. It's hard to believe I read ~2000 pages in a few weeks. If LotR is really one single story spread across three books, then the Millennium trilogy is really two stories spread across three books.
Bourne Trilogy -- score 6/10
- very enjoyable at times, but also confusing and and a little dry. I know many people will disagree with this, but I think that Stieg Larsson (of the Millennium trilogy) is simply a better story teller than Ludlum. Not a better writer, necessarily, but a Larsson tells a more engaging story.
Hitchhiker's "Trilogy" -- score 5/10
- okay, there is roughly six books in this "trilogy", but I've only read 3 of them and "Trilogy" has appeared on the cover of every book since #3. They are fun and enjoyable, but a little boring at times.
The Border Trilogy -- score 2/10
- Three books by Cormak McCarthy set in the SW US and Mexico. Very boring, very depressing. No common characters or story lines, just a common setting and theme -- the depressing loss of a way of life.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Book Reviews
I have read a handful of books since last posting reviews, so here are a few reviews all at once.
The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely
A similar book to Ariely's first, Predictably Irrational, and also excellent. I really enjoy reading about Ariely's research in behavioral econcomics because sometimes I can guess the result and sometimes I'm completely wrong. He always comes up with a simple, creative experiment to test his ideas. I wish he had condensed the last few chapters a little, but, overall, Ariely is an excellent writer and researcher. Grade A-.
The Big Short by Michael Lewis
This book focuses on 3 or 4 people that predicted the bursting of the housing bubble in 2008 and made a lot of money by shorting housing bonds. What I found most interesting was the reasons that people gave for NOT believing the bubble was going to burst. The logic basically was, "I'm making lots of money and my model tells me I'm going to make more so I'm going to ignore my gut and obvious red flags and continue to hope the bubble doesn't burst." As someone that develops mathematical models, I can understand why people like models, but anytime people are a factor in a mathematical model -- do not trust the model. Mathematical models work well for molecules, not for people. Good book. Grade B.
Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis
His first book written about his time at Salomon Brothers in the mid 1980's. Feels a little dated at this point, but it is an interesting and funny look at what it is like to be a young kid trying to tell other people how to invest their money. The whole financial industry seems a little bizarre to me. Grade B-.
I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter
I don't read much fiction, but I occasionally enjoy a good sniper book by Hunter. This book follows Hunter's standard formula -- Bob Lee Swagger finds himself in the middle of a bunch of bad guys, and he has to use his brain, old muscles, and shooting skills to destroy the bad guys and save the good guys. An old, but good formula. Grade B.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Pretty much everything that could be written about this book has been written. It's very entertaining. I like how the author ties up nearly every possible loose end -- other authors like to leave parts of the plot unresolved, but I am not a fan of that approach. I'm looking forward to the movie -- mostly to see who will play Lisbeth Salander, which has to be one of the most challenging roles ever. Grade B+.
The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely
A similar book to Ariely's first, Predictably Irrational, and also excellent. I really enjoy reading about Ariely's research in behavioral econcomics because sometimes I can guess the result and sometimes I'm completely wrong. He always comes up with a simple, creative experiment to test his ideas. I wish he had condensed the last few chapters a little, but, overall, Ariely is an excellent writer and researcher. Grade A-.
The Big Short by Michael Lewis
This book focuses on 3 or 4 people that predicted the bursting of the housing bubble in 2008 and made a lot of money by shorting housing bonds. What I found most interesting was the reasons that people gave for NOT believing the bubble was going to burst. The logic basically was, "I'm making lots of money and my model tells me I'm going to make more so I'm going to ignore my gut and obvious red flags and continue to hope the bubble doesn't burst." As someone that develops mathematical models, I can understand why people like models, but anytime people are a factor in a mathematical model -- do not trust the model. Mathematical models work well for molecules, not for people. Good book. Grade B.
Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis
His first book written about his time at Salomon Brothers in the mid 1980's. Feels a little dated at this point, but it is an interesting and funny look at what it is like to be a young kid trying to tell other people how to invest their money. The whole financial industry seems a little bizarre to me. Grade B-.
I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter
I don't read much fiction, but I occasionally enjoy a good sniper book by Hunter. This book follows Hunter's standard formula -- Bob Lee Swagger finds himself in the middle of a bunch of bad guys, and he has to use his brain, old muscles, and shooting skills to destroy the bad guys and save the good guys. An old, but good formula. Grade B.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Pretty much everything that could be written about this book has been written. It's very entertaining. I like how the author ties up nearly every possible loose end -- other authors like to leave parts of the plot unresolved, but I am not a fan of that approach. I'm looking forward to the movie -- mostly to see who will play Lisbeth Salander, which has to be one of the most challenging roles ever. Grade B+.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)