I read some great, great books in April!
All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior
This is the book that I wish someone had given me once upon a time. It does a really nice job of describing the challenges of the various stages of parenthood. In my experience, the book is very insightful and authentic. The last chapter does a really nice job of highlighting the joys of parenthood -- make sure you read the last chapter. Grade: A-
Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis
Get a copy of this book and read it! It is a book about the impact of high frequency trading on the stock market and about a group of individuals fighting against this influence. I found it to be incredibly interesting. A must read. Grade: A
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed
An incredible book about a troubled women that decided to hike the Pacific Coast Trail. Extraordinarily good. I would love to hike even a part of the PCT someday. Grade: A
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
March Book Reviews
Wow -- I found some great books this month!
Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow
An interesting book about the changes in the size and scope of the US military since about WWII. The focus was on changes under Reagan and G. H. W. Bush. I learned some interesting perspectives on history while reading -- mostly history that I lived. I didn't agree with all of Ms. Maddow's conclusions, but many seemed to be supported by the data. Interesting. Grade: B
Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists that Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe by Mario Livio
I love Mario Livio's writing, including "The Equation that Couldn't Be Solved" -- one of my all time favorite non-fiction books. This books was excellent, but not what I expected. I thought it was going to be about failed experiments or mistaken analysis that accidentally led to a breakthrough -- e.g., like the discovery of penicillin. Instead, it was mostly about mistaken assumptions by great scientists that were later shown to be incorrect. It was still a great book, but I think they should have picked a different subtitle. The mistakes themselves didn't change our understanding of the universe, instead, when others corrected the mistakes -- that changed our understanding. It was comforting to see that everyone makes mistakes, however. Grade: A-
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
An incredibly well written book about teenage cancer. Should be released as a movie in a few weeks, but I'm guessing the book will be better. Masterfully written book, but it will rip your heart out and stomp on it at times. Grade: A-
The Second Machine Age: Work Progress and Prosperity in a TIme of Brilliant Technologies by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
Excellent book about the technological changes that have resulted from the development of computers and networks. The book explores the changes, the rate of change, the impacts of change (hint: a few big winners and many loosers), and offers suggestions for better handling the changes. I feel like the book should be required reading for everyone under 40, especially those with children because it will help us to prepare for those changes. It should also be required reading for teachers, so we can better prepare the next generation for the challenges they will face. Grade: A-
Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow
An interesting book about the changes in the size and scope of the US military since about WWII. The focus was on changes under Reagan and G. H. W. Bush. I learned some interesting perspectives on history while reading -- mostly history that I lived. I didn't agree with all of Ms. Maddow's conclusions, but many seemed to be supported by the data. Interesting. Grade: B
Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists that Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe by Mario Livio
I love Mario Livio's writing, including "The Equation that Couldn't Be Solved" -- one of my all time favorite non-fiction books. This books was excellent, but not what I expected. I thought it was going to be about failed experiments or mistaken analysis that accidentally led to a breakthrough -- e.g., like the discovery of penicillin. Instead, it was mostly about mistaken assumptions by great scientists that were later shown to be incorrect. It was still a great book, but I think they should have picked a different subtitle. The mistakes themselves didn't change our understanding of the universe, instead, when others corrected the mistakes -- that changed our understanding. It was comforting to see that everyone makes mistakes, however. Grade: A-
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
An incredibly well written book about teenage cancer. Should be released as a movie in a few weeks, but I'm guessing the book will be better. Masterfully written book, but it will rip your heart out and stomp on it at times. Grade: A-
The Second Machine Age: Work Progress and Prosperity in a TIme of Brilliant Technologies by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
Excellent book about the technological changes that have resulted from the development of computers and networks. The book explores the changes, the rate of change, the impacts of change (hint: a few big winners and many loosers), and offers suggestions for better handling the changes. I feel like the book should be required reading for everyone under 40, especially those with children because it will help us to prepare for those changes. It should also be required reading for teachers, so we can better prepare the next generation for the challenges they will face. Grade: A-
Sunday, February 23, 2014
February Book Reviews
The Undercover Economist Strikes Back: How to Run -- or Ruin -- an Economy by Tim Harford
I enjoy books about economics, and while I've read probably 10+ books on issues related to microeconomics, I've only read a few macroeconomics related books. However, of those that I've read, this is the best macroeconomics book. It is very readable and easy to understand due to the creative question and answer format of the book, and it is written from a fairly balanced perspective. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about macroeconomics. Grade: B+
Love & Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality by Edward Fenkel
This book is about 50% autobiographical: telling the story of a Jewish mathematician growing up in the USSR. This autobiographical half of the book is very interesting. The other 50% of the book is a summary of Fenkel's mathematical research and the Langlands program. This half is also interesting, but pretty difficult to digest. I've learned and taught a lot of mathematics -- I'm basically at the level of a graduate student, but I did not understand all of the presented information. An interesting book, but the math is a little overwhelming at times. Grade: B-
Sycamore Row by John Grisham
A classic John Grisham novel with a recurring character from his very first book -- A Time to Kill. This isn't his best book -- I still put A Painted House as his best book, and it won't be his best selling, but it still one of his 10 best -- maybe even in the top 5. It is a little slow at times, but it is also an incredibly moving story at times. Grade: B
I enjoy books about economics, and while I've read probably 10+ books on issues related to microeconomics, I've only read a few macroeconomics related books. However, of those that I've read, this is the best macroeconomics book. It is very readable and easy to understand due to the creative question and answer format of the book, and it is written from a fairly balanced perspective. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about macroeconomics. Grade: B+
Love & Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality by Edward Fenkel
This book is about 50% autobiographical: telling the story of a Jewish mathematician growing up in the USSR. This autobiographical half of the book is very interesting. The other 50% of the book is a summary of Fenkel's mathematical research and the Langlands program. This half is also interesting, but pretty difficult to digest. I've learned and taught a lot of mathematics -- I'm basically at the level of a graduate student, but I did not understand all of the presented information. An interesting book, but the math is a little overwhelming at times. Grade: B-
Sycamore Row by John Grisham
A classic John Grisham novel with a recurring character from his very first book -- A Time to Kill. This isn't his best book -- I still put A Painted House as his best book, and it won't be his best selling, but it still one of his 10 best -- maybe even in the top 5. It is a little slow at times, but it is also an incredibly moving story at times. Grade: B
Sunday, January 26, 2014
January Book Reviews
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger by Marc Levinson
This book was published a few years ago, but since it focused on the rise of shipping contains in the 3 or 4 decades following World War 2, it was still interesting and timely. I read most of the book while traveling to and from Istanbul, Turkey, so I was able to see shipping containers and the specialized docks that were built to service these massive ships. I really enjoyed this book and I learned a lot. Fascinating book that is highly recommended. Grade: B+
Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing by Vaclav Smil
I picked up this book after reading how much Bill Gates enjoys books by Vaclav Smil in Wired Magazine. The first 2/3's of the book was interesting because it focused on the historical rise and decline of manufacturing in the US. The last third of the book was less interesting because it discussed why the decline was such a serious problem. I found this section of the book unpersuasive and a little dry. Overall, a good but not great book. Grade: B-
A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life by James Bowen
This book was a smash hit in England back in 2011. It is the story of James Bowen who finds a cat and this cat motivates him and helps him to improve his life. The book is enjoyable and inspiring. I think that it would have been so easy for the authors (James Bowen and Garry Jenkins) to add a bunch of drama to the story by exaggerating some of the events that are described. Instead, there was only limited drama and this made the book seem more authentic to me. Very enjoyable and now I know what busking is. Grade: B
Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman
I read this book for the second time and it was still interesting and funny. Richard Feynman was interested in so many different things (art, language, music, physics, etc.) -- he was amazing. As a scientist, he always seemed to focus on doing a few great things instead of many small things. I think that every researcher and scientist should read this book because we all (especially me) could benefit from being more focused on quality and integrity over quantity. Grade: A-
This book was published a few years ago, but since it focused on the rise of shipping contains in the 3 or 4 decades following World War 2, it was still interesting and timely. I read most of the book while traveling to and from Istanbul, Turkey, so I was able to see shipping containers and the specialized docks that were built to service these massive ships. I really enjoyed this book and I learned a lot. Fascinating book that is highly recommended. Grade: B+
Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing by Vaclav Smil
I picked up this book after reading how much Bill Gates enjoys books by Vaclav Smil in Wired Magazine. The first 2/3's of the book was interesting because it focused on the historical rise and decline of manufacturing in the US. The last third of the book was less interesting because it discussed why the decline was such a serious problem. I found this section of the book unpersuasive and a little dry. Overall, a good but not great book. Grade: B-
A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life by James Bowen
This book was a smash hit in England back in 2011. It is the story of James Bowen who finds a cat and this cat motivates him and helps him to improve his life. The book is enjoyable and inspiring. I think that it would have been so easy for the authors (James Bowen and Garry Jenkins) to add a bunch of drama to the story by exaggerating some of the events that are described. Instead, there was only limited drama and this made the book seem more authentic to me. Very enjoyable and now I know what busking is. Grade: B
Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman
I read this book for the second time and it was still interesting and funny. Richard Feynman was interested in so many different things (art, language, music, physics, etc.) -- he was amazing. As a scientist, he always seemed to focus on doing a few great things instead of many small things. I think that every researcher and scientist should read this book because we all (especially me) could benefit from being more focused on quality and integrity over quantity. Grade: A-
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Late Fall Book Reviews
The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jarrod Diamond
I loved the previous two book by Jarrod Diamond that I read -- "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and, especially, "Collapse." The book was not as good as either of those classics, but I still enjoyed it. It looked at changes that happen in societies when the transition from Traditional to Modern. Specially, the book explores the treatment of children and elderly, warfare, justice, multilingualism, diet, etc. The book is pretty long, and, personally, I thought the first half was pretty slow (and could have been condensed), but the second half was much more interesting to me. A very good book, but not a classic. Grade: B
The App Generation by Gardner Howard and Katie Davis
This book examines differences between the current "App Generation" (i.e., my kids) and other recent generations. It was interesting at times, but I thought most of the observations were relatively obvious and I was frustrated by the reliance on observational and interview data rather than broader, quantitative data. Grade: C-
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King
A very interested biographical look at an series of important events in both the life of Thurgood Marshall and also US race relations in general. I learned a lot from this book. It was disturbing, moving, and provocative. Highly recommended. Grade: A-.
I loved the previous two book by Jarrod Diamond that I read -- "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and, especially, "Collapse." The book was not as good as either of those classics, but I still enjoyed it. It looked at changes that happen in societies when the transition from Traditional to Modern. Specially, the book explores the treatment of children and elderly, warfare, justice, multilingualism, diet, etc. The book is pretty long, and, personally, I thought the first half was pretty slow (and could have been condensed), but the second half was much more interesting to me. A very good book, but not a classic. Grade: B
The App Generation by Gardner Howard and Katie Davis
This book examines differences between the current "App Generation" (i.e., my kids) and other recent generations. It was interesting at times, but I thought most of the observations were relatively obvious and I was frustrated by the reliance on observational and interview data rather than broader, quantitative data. Grade: C-
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King
A very interested biographical look at an series of important events in both the life of Thurgood Marshall and also US race relations in general. I learned a lot from this book. It was disturbing, moving, and provocative. Highly recommended. Grade: A-.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Midterm #3 Review solutions
- dew pt = 72.7 C, superheat = 17.3 C, condensed water = 0.325 mol H2O/mol feed
- exit stream: y_benz = 0.166, y_tol = 0.064, y_N2 = 0.77, 1.3 mol total/min
- mol in = 0.021 mol/breath, mols out = 0.0223 mol/breath, H2O lost = -0.0013 mols/breath
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