User:ImperfectlyInformed/BooksRead

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< User:ImperfectlyInformed

This is a list of all the books I've read.

[edit] Books

[edit] Nonfiction (ascending from first read)

1. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

2. The Road Ahead by Bill Gates

Review: Mediocre.

3. Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee

Review: Interesting history and perspective.

4. Cybercareers by Mary E.S Morris and Paul Massie

Review: Underlined, most of all, the huge deluge of information in the world. There's way too much to even dent. It didn't do well on focusing, but tried to tell you to spread yourself thin. I don't think I could handle learning all these different esoteric combinations.

4) Extraordinary Minds by Howard Gardner

Review: I'm going to have to finish this book another time. At first, it was boring and unenlightening, but it's suddenly gotten better as it discusses intelligence in young children. He says there are seven kinds of intelligence, and I'm inclined to agree with him. At least to a point. He also says there are 3 types of prodigies: mathematical, musical, and chess. Makes sense, I guess. I've never known a true prodigy. I think they're dying out because literature and video games are being focused on more.

I am a powerful Introspector and Influencer. I'm not much of a Maker or Master. Hmm... Influencers don't sleep much. That's me.

5) The Creative Habit: Learn it and use it for life

Basic message: live, eat, and sleep your focus. The ideas will come. Write them down. Good advice. Some things are fresh, but it gets redundant. Only read halfway through it.

6) How To Argue And Win Every Time by Gerry Spencer

Review: Everyone wants to argue. I like that as a first sentence. Reminds me about my thinking that everyone needs a little chaos. This guy sounds like me, as I read further. Might have to pick it up again and read it closer. Time to speed read so I can get to packing. Read some interesting things about power(social power) - I'll have to finish it another time.

7) Germany: A Short History by Shuster and Bergstraesser

Because it was short, it tended to give names and positions without explaining them first. That made it difficult, but it did give me a better perspective on how Germany, and the Western Civilization in general, developed.

8) The Mind of Germany by Hans Kohn

I had trouble deciphering most of this book. I got some good information past page 200 when Wagner, one of the foremost anti-Semitic artist/philosophers, was investigated. It spent a lot of time on Goethe and told how the intellectuals slowly turned to nationalism. After page 200 it started talking about Neitzche, arguably the strongest influence on Germany, and certainly a major influences on Hitler. A few quotes from the author struck me:

"What attracted young men at the time even more than his writings was Neitzche's personality, the living example of protest against halfheartedness, mediocrity, and vulgarity of the time, his uncompromising and unsparing quest for self-realization."(pg 208)

Helped me to understand what Nietzsche goal was: to increase man's will to spiritual, moral, and physical power. But I still don't really understand, and I'll have to study.

Nietzsche was similiar to Kiekagaard, but most similiar to Henrik Ibsen and Ralph Waldo Emerson, according to the book.

9) Our Contempt For Weakness: Nazi Norms and Values -- And Our Own by Harald Ofstad

Overview: Didn't read it closely enough to come up with conclusions, but it was fairly self-explanatory stuff.

10) The Coming Generational Storm: What you need to know about America's economic future by Laurence Kotlikoff and Scott Burns=8

Full of equations, statistics, and financial data that I don't really understand, but still chilling in its description of America's economic future. I need to learn A LOT more about economics. That's mostly what it told me. Also exposed the troubles of Medicare, Social Security, and the aging population.

11) The Twilight of Atheism by Alister McGrath

I didn't finish it - I skimmed it. I used to think atheism/agnosticism was going to take over, and now I'm not so sure. I think his conclusion, that the age of the Atheism is ending, is wrong. Filled me in to the history of Atheism.

12) A Brief Introduction To The Genius Of Nietzsche by Richard Chessik

Sometimes I feel guilty about reading secondary sources, instead of examining primary literature, but I can always make decisions about his intrepretations. It's better than being misunderstood.

Nietzsche is all about living passionately, subduing nihilism, and enjoying life. It's also about re-evaluating values.

13) Economics Explained by Heilbroner and Thurow

I don't have many economics books to compare this to. It felt slow and convoluted at times, and it took me a long time to go through it. There weren't many graphs, but I hated each one that I ran across. I feel like I understand the economy better, but I still don't have a firm grasp on what makes it all tick.

Quote: To some, who fear the continued growth of very large scale business, the most significant aspect is that we have not managed to control business power. To others, concerned over the emergence of large labour unions, it is labor power that most dangerously eludes effective control. And to still others who are most worried by the growth of big government, it is the growth of public power that is the main problem.

14) Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt

Notes: I'm afraid I'm going to lose track of the thoughts I'm having while reading this book. It's extremely good and well-written. The thought comes to me that the private market fills demands and needs, but sometimes it is unecomonic for the private market to fill the needs of the poor. The poor are so depressed and unmotivated by their situation that they don't even try to work hard to fullfill their needs. Increasinly, in our world, they can't even find places to work hard and fill their needs. The market continues to cater to the rich's excess demamds, which are more like luxury wants.

The question is: if the poor were provided with their basic necessities of food and housing, would they feel satisfied enough not to work hard? I don't think so. The middle-class have those needs filled, but they're still ambitious and work hard. Then again, entrepeneurs are usually poor, desperate people. It's something of an enigma. The poor these days seem to be stuck in a rut, though. We need to give them basic necessities so they can concentrate on education. I need to study motivation - part of it is just where the poor's priorities lie, and whether we can change those priorities. I think it will become increasingly easy for the government to provide basic necessities to everyone at a very low cost.

We're moving farther and farther towards a society where people are self-satisfied materialistically but not spiritually/interpersonally. They don't work hard; they focus on sustaining friendships and trying to find deep meaning in their lives.

The main demands right now are entertainment and technology. Everything else is provided in increasing efficiency.

I finished it, after three or four days. Don't know if I can continue farther on this economics study - it is grueling. Hazlitt doesn't take into account the fact that the individual laborer is becoming more and more irrelevant, and the employers(capitalists) are sitting on huge piles of money. Eventually, Karl Marx's prediction will basically come true. It might not be violent, but the money will have to be evened out. Machines and computers will be doing the work.

15) Debunking Economics by Steve Keen=4

Didn't get very far in this book, but I found that I didn't like it. Horrible grammar.

16) Living with Nietzche by Robert Solomon

A book about taking Nietzche seriously and living a "rich inner life". I didn't get much out of it, actually, except that in some ways Nietzsche shouldn't be taken as a serious philosopher but as a teacher, something like Jesus.

17) The Socially Responsible Guide to Smart Investing By Samuel Case

The most important thing I learned from this book was the acronym SRI, and a few names that I should research. However, it's outdated, so I don't think the names will matter much.

18) The Conquest of America by Tzvetan Todorov

Interesting, but I found many things to disagree with. I read this for First-Year Seminar, and wrote an essay primarily about it.

19) Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

I didn't come away from this book with anything learned. He is a psuedo-intellectual. Still, better that than be an anti-intellectual. I wish more Christians were like him, but then again the Christians I remember growing up with were often like him.

20) The Ego and the Id by Sigmund Freud

Overwhelmingly dense. I got about halfway, and had trouble understanding it without Bunch's help. He uses a lot of strange terminology. I don't believe in the death instinct, and I think there's a lot of flaws here. The ego, id, unconscious, and superego all exist, but he comes to strange conclusions out of them.

21) Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant

Certainly has very interesting ideas, but it was difficult for me to get through. He doesn't seem to apply practicality much.

22) Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle

Great advice for living a good life -- the problem is, most of us can't live according to his maxims.

23) American Sphinx by JOseph Ellis

I disliked the rambling, "psychological" style of this book. It seems like I do understand the weakness of Jefferson's mind better, however. He was nearly a complete idealist. I hadn't realized that before. He believed in ending slavery, but kept his slaves forever. He subdued his problems. He slept with his slave but considered mixing races to be bad.

He believed in an agarian, stateless government. The Libertarian party holds to the same ideals, but a little more practically, it seems like. It's confusing to even think about all this stuff.

Thomas Jefferson is known as the apostle of freedom. He stood for the ideals individual freedom and limited government in the America. He didn't stand against slavery when it mattered. Limited government is a good ideal, but it doesn't quite work. Government should, however, be as little as possible.

Government should be as local as possible, I suppose.

24) Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud=8

I was fairly impressed with the analysis of this book. The oceanic feeling seemed off, but the ways to happiness was interesting. The origin of civilization was spotty, but interesting (provocative is not the right word). In the end, though, I came to the conclusion that he was right about civilization: there is the competing interests of the individual and the community, and most of our morals are just there to restrain the individual for a more perfect community. Somehow seems less noble then.

I don't know about the whole aggression/death instinct/remorse shit. I can't hardly remember feeling guilty about shit anymore. I just feel pissed off(jealous), intrigued, sad, or... I suppose shameful is similiar to remorse. It's guilt. But I just become angry and dissapointed when I can't get one of my goals. I don't have many criminal, immoral desires, really. I used to jerk off thinking about my mother and not feel guilty. That was one of the worst. I made of my brothers. Ect, ect.

I have trouble substantiating the death instinct, but aggression turned inward might poison a person. I become surly with anger. Others become stricken by sadness, regret, and guilt. How do these lead to neuroses? I'm not sure.

25) Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science by Charles Wheelan (written 2002)=7

This was a bit of an eye-opener into the truth of the economic principle that everyone is focused on maximizing their ulitity. Their is a rational goal behind every action, but the actions often seem irrational to other people, because we don't hold the same beliefs and values. Many people just don't have the same long-term values. They might not have enough courage to try new things because they're afraid it will end up just lowering their happiness and dissapointing them. What are the underlying goals behind everyone's actions? Sex, happiness, security, affirming one's worth, and staying alive. Some actions may not affirm one's worth. All are inextricably linked.

I also read a bit more about the advantages of globalization and stuff. It wasn't really structured well. I disagree with him on the stock market. Good read.

Capitalism reflects the society's drives and desires - it tends to be pulled into trivial pursuits by the desperate, hedonistic people. Socialism is the progressive way, and it tends to impose it's own values on the people. It would be best if we could have a capitalistic society that embraced more progressive pleasures. Maybe someday? Local action spurs... global change, or something like that. Who knows.

26) A Border Passage by Leila Ahmed(written 1999)=5

I didn't like this book. It was postmodern and intellectual, but somehow superficial in its philosophical analysis. She mentions that "nobody knows what the real truth is", and that "she couldn't find meaning", but those are just obvious observations. I just wasn't convinced, and very little of the book struck a familiar chord with me. I couldn't take her views about "oral Islam" and women in Islam seriously because she comes from a very privileged position.

27)1/12/04: Two Lives of Charlemagne edited by Lewis Thorpe=5

Vita Caroli by Einhard(written between 829-836 AD)=7

-It was a fairly good overview of Charlemagne. Before this I hadn't realized how powerful he was and how widespread his empire was. I also didn't realize he was so devoted to the "liberal arts", and how that spurred what was called the Carolingian Renaissance. Interesting historical info. As the editor says, some of the information could be skewed in its presentation of Charlemagne, but he still sounds like a great leader. I like the fact that he had 'endless energy', and devoted himself to learning. He exerted a powerful influence on Western Europe.

De Carolo Magno by Nokter the Stammerer (written 900 AD?)=5

I had trouble following this one. Too many anecdotes and allusions - it seemed to wander. It was interesting to read about Lewis the Pious, Charlemagne's successor. He was compared to Solomon - he ruled peacefully and wisely after David had done the conquering.

28)5/12/04: The Outsider by Colin Wilson(written 1954)=10

This is one of my favorite books.

"The Inquisitor's feeling about mankind is one of deep pity. Perhaps the Outsider can be aware of the depths of human misery, but these poor insects, leading their blinded lives, who would open their eyes to their own bondange and wretchedness? What good would it do, anyway? Give them bread and amusements; give them shallow little creeds to fight for and silly little superstitions to sing hymns about, but don't ask wisdom of them." (Wilson 185)

29)8/12/04: Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham (written 2004)=5

30)29/12/04: The Occult by Colin Wilson(written 1971)=6

I was sorely disappointed by this book. Colin Wilson connects his Outsider theme and the "abilities" of an Outsider with supernatural powers. I agree that many occultists and mystics are Outsiders, but I don't think the evidence is conclusive. It was basically The Outsider rehashed and worked into places it shouldn't be.

Perhaps my strongest reason for doubting is the fact that I've never seen anything remotely supernatural happen. I think our intuition for subtle cues and our ability to convince people of certain things are the strongest "supernatural" powers that humans inherently possess.

We may have some of the abilities that animals have, but I'm doubtful that it's really accessible.

Wilson also often talks about "the narrowness" of human vision and perspective. He discusses short-sight and living in the present on one hand, and living with the reality of death in mind on the other hand. It's all very confusing. Is it best to live desperately, knowing that you have a limited amount of time, or best to just enjoy life and its beauty - it's infinite "newness"?

31)1/2/05: How Computers Work by Ron White (first printed 2003)=6

I didn't finish it. I skimmed most of it. I seem incapable of fully understanding the basic hardwiring of computers, with transistors and the like. I'll keep struggling, but I may pursue higher-level computer details first.

32)8/1/05: Limits To Growth by Donella Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Dennis Meadows (2004 30-year update)=7

I was surprised by the sometimes aphoristic, philosophical style of this book, especially since it was created by scientists. The first page starts with an interesting observation:

"To overshoot means to go too far, to go beyond limits accidentally - without intention. People experience overshoots every day. When you rise too quickly from a chair, you may momentarily lose your balance. If you turn on the hot-water faucet too far in the shower, you may be scalded. On an icy road your car might slide past a stop sign. At a party you may drink much more alchohol than your body can safely metabolize; in the morning you will have a ferocious headache ..."

When operating with incomplete knowledge, we often make overconfident (or sometimes underconfident) mistakes. It's inevitable. I thought that was interesting - we're basically taking steps in the dark when we produce this amount of pollution and play around with this many different technologies(chemicals mainly).

I was struck by how close we came to catastrophe with the CFCs destroying the ozone layer. It's amazing that they managed to curb it so fast.

"Proof or no proof, probably nothing would have happened had it not been for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which hosted and prodded the international political process" (pg 193).

The book was profoundly optimistic about the hope for a new revolution:

"An age of expansion is giving place to an age of equilibrium... The theme of for the new period will be neither arms and the man nor machines and the man: its theme will be the resurgence of life, the displacement of the merchanical by the organic, and the re-establishment of the person as the ultimate term of all human effort." -Lewis Mumfor (pg 262)

The last part read like some sort of Environmentalist's Manifesto. That's not to say it wasn't good. It touched on the tools needed to save the environment: visioning, networking, truth-telling, learning, and loving.

Overall, however, the technical aspect was pretty weak, and I didn't hear too much that I hadn't heard before. To be honest, the data wasn't awfully compelling - I didn't seem to see too much recent data on the limit before our greenhouse gases destroy the atmosphere. I skimmed, however.

It did make me think that if I didn't take environmentalism seriously, I was just being naive and traditional - set in the rigidity of the system. The truth is out there.

33)12/1/05: How To Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathemtical Method by G. Polya (written 1945)

I skimmed this book. I didn't really get it - probably because I'm not much of a mathematician/scientist. Considering it has 5 stars from every reviewer on Amazon, I should read it again.

Here are just some of the questions that Pollya teaches as tools:

1. What is the unknown? What is the data? What conditions does the solution need to satisfy? 2. Do you know a related problem? Look at the unknown and try to think of a familiar problem having the same or a similar unknown. 3. Can you restate the problem? Can you solve a part of the problem. 4. Can you think of other data appropriate to determine the unknown? 5. Can you check the result? 6. Can you look back and use the result or the method for some other problem?

34)15/1/05: The Glass Wall: Why Mathematics Can Seem Difficult by Frank Smith(written 2002)=3

The premise is weak - that mathematics cannot really be understood in language. That isn't true. If I divide 5 by 2, I'm dividing 5 into two parts. There's a good reason I can't divide 5 into 0 because would be incomprehensible to divide something into 0 parts. I did find that I better understood math after this, though. Partly that's because he explains some basic concepts like functions over again. I didn't think about why dividing by 0 was illegal before. I guess I never really thought it through, just calculated.

35)19/01/05: The Examined Life by Robert Nozick(written 1990)=5

Not good. Way to circumlocutious about irrelevant things.

36)9/02/05: The Constant Circle by Sara Mayfield(published 1968)=7

The book was quite decent. It mixed in a few anecdotes with well-placed historical notes. It was a quick overview of the literary society of the 20s and 30s. Mencken was an interesting character, but I get the feeling that he wasn't really deep. He took Nietszche and adopted his ideas in a weird way.

37) The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek(published 1944)=3

Seemed psuedo-intellectual to me. He didn't use direct evidence, just showed how things "tend to happen". He also seemed to reduce everything down to one factor, overlooking alternatives. Sure, a command economy is bad (when it doesn't have a feedback system similar to price directing production), but government is not synonymous with command economies.

38) Math for the Million by Lancelot Hogben(published 1937)=9

Looked great. Too bad I didn't finish it.

39) Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell by George F. Simmons(published 1987)=8

Ditto.

40)28/2/05: Ralph Nader: A Biography by Patricia Cronin Marcello(published 2004)=7

I enjoyed reading about Ralph Nader's early history. He seems very similiar to me. A studier, but more a of a go-getter than me. The rest was more dry and complicated - I skimmed it. Still, it was concise and thorough enough.

41)8/3/05: The End of Work by Jeremy Rifkin(published 1996)=9

The book was rather impressive and comprehensive. He used a lot of statistics - I didn't glance around to fact-check any of them, so I tend to be a little uncertain about them.

Each of the sections can be summed up:

1.The End of Work: Modern technology is accelerating the end of work as we know it. 2.Trickle-down technology: the increased productivity isn't being shared well enough 3.visions of techno-paradise: historical dreams of technological utopia - feasible? 4.Crossing into the high-tech frontier: machines that think, computer possibilities 5.Technology and African-Americans: historical stats on their suffering 6.The Great Automation Debate: increased productivity and sacrificed jobs - productivity 7.Post-Fordism: the "lean" production model, the future of manufacturing 8.No More Farmers: Biology advances could mean all our food is grown in vats. Good? Sure. 9.Hanging Up the Blue Collar: Blue collar work doesn't exit anymore. Robots, machines. 10.The Last Service Worker: Call-operators replaced, retail, even writers 11.High-tech Winners and Losers: CEOs and high managers making all the profits 12.Requiem for the Working Class: Stress of new working conditions, job insecurity 13.The Fate of Nations: The growing unemployed poor among the technology 14.A More Dangerous World: Unemployment increases crime. 15.Re-engineering the work-week: spreading the working hours among more people. 16.A New Social Contract: NAFTA, corporations, the rise of the third sector 17.Empowering the third sector: paying people to do community service 18.Globalizing the social economy: the growth of voluntary organizations 19.Postscript: possibilities of the future.

All in all, it's an intriguing book. I wonder if I'll be able to slip into the knowledge-sector with a good job. And will the benefits of working become so little that I'll quit my job and live a life of leisure? Or will the unemployed be forced to do -something- in order to keep their benefits?

Interesting questions. I'm pretty convinced that Rifkin is spot-on in his analysis, though, and people don't see it coming.

42)5/4/05: Against Essentialism by Stephan Fuchs (published 2001)=7

I didn't finish this book - right now I'm in the middle of a very good description of the problem of Free Will. Impressive book on philosophy as well as sociology. Unfortunately, not many of the terms are defined - I feel lost and confused half the time, though I'm probably following him alright. I won't finish it. I want to read up on what he's commenting about first.

I wrote somewhere that the more one believes in free will, the more free they are. Stephan Fuchs backs that up - but at the same time everyone seems to act according to what the variables affecting them tells them to act(for example, reading this book may make me take more responsibility for myself). Reflexivity...it's caused by variables, but does that matter?

"When the genius is taken out of its natural habitat...he can look helpless and incompetent. As Berger (1995) says, the mind thrives within a familiar ecology; transported to a very different context or setting, especially one in which the genius...makes no difference, it may look hapless, foolish, and out of place. Behaviours...need cues, reinforcers, natural settings, and stimuli." (pg 250) -Creativity has been a major interest of mine, and this guy says it's all based on your environment.

43)20/4/05: The Prince by Niccolo Machievelli, trans. by Robert M. Adams (written 1513, published originally ?)=8

This edition was fairly pleasant. Perhaps what I've read in here has been absorbed subconsciously - mostly it seemed like common-sense analysis on human nature and advice on making the most of on'e s life. Easy reading and fairly educational. I found its comments as a primary source interesting. Mercenary Captains from England in Italy, treachery, revolution - fun stuff. Things were exciting in the middle ages.

44)22/4/05: Scorsese Up Close: A Study of the Films by Ben Nyce (originally published 2004)=9

I was extremely impressed by the book even if I haven't watched most of his movies. I love Goodfellas and Taxi Driver. I'll have to get the rest of his movies. He explores the themes of an outsider and religion in many of his movies - strangely enough, something I've been exploring. He's acutely perceptive of the customs and habits of gangs and criminals. He actually understands the shady underworld that exists, and attempts to show us how the people in there struggle with their lives.

45)4/5/05: The Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking by Ankit Fadia(originally published 2002)=9

The book is a bit dated, but the kid wrote it at the age of 16. It's full of tricks, and he appears to be a very competent coder. Very impressive. I skimmed most of it and just picked up the basics of hacking - port scanning, tools, binary, basics of viruses, ect.

I would've learned a lot more if I understood computers better.

46)4/5/05: Fire at Eden's Gate by Brent Walth (originally published 1994)=7

After reading this book, I didn't have a whole lot of respect for Tom McCall. However, it's a very decent history/overview of the political events during the time. Fairly readable, too.

47)14/6/05: The Natural Mind by Andrew Weil (originally published?)=8

While it seems biased in favor of drugs and is rather flippant about their long-term effects, it's helped to break down some barriers in my thinking that weren't really based on evidence or experience.

48)14/6/04: The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley (originally published 1944)=10

Stellar. I haven't finished it yet. I worry that if I achieved enlightenment, I would gain no real abilities. I would simply live like an ant and be satisfied.

"The world inhabited by ordinary, nice, unregenerateople is mainly dull (so dull that they have to distract their minds from being aware of it by all sorts of artificial "amusements"), sometimes briefly and insensely pleasurable, occasionally or quite often disagreeable and even agonizing."(pg 75)

"Shu and Hu are devotees of the apocalyptic religion of Inevitable Progress, and their creed is that the Kingdom of Heaven is outside, and in the future."(pg 77) -I am follow the religion of Inevitable Progress

In the charity chapter it occurred to me that this "good will for all things", "unconditional love", and what have you is all rooted in a powerful, perhaps even insidious meme. There is no enlightenment.(?)

I am an extreme cerebrotonic (pg 150-158).

"Fear, worry, anxiety--these form the central core of individual selfhood."

49)26/6/05: Einstein in Love by Dennis Overbye (published originally 2000)=7

"All society necessarily involves, as the first condition of its existence, mutual accomodation and restrain on the part of its members. This means that the larger it is, the more insipid will be its tone. A man can be himself only so long as he is alone, and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free." --Arthur Schopenhauer(pg 81)

"Bern was pleasant, he said, because he had no philistine acquaintances there--that is to say, family--and thus much free time." (pg 98)

50)31/7/05: An Incomplete Education by Judy Jones and William Wilson (originally published 1985, updated 1995)=8

It filled in some gaps. I lost interest near the end. I already knew lots of the information, vaguely.

51)2/9/05: A Preface to Philosophy, 7th Edition by Mark B. WOodhouse (published 2003)=6

OK. Didn't tell me much I didn't already know.

52)13/9/05: The WSJ Guide to Understanding Personal Finance, 3rd Edition by Kenneth M. Morris and Virginia B. Morris

53)10/15/05: Condensed Knowledge by Will Pearson, Mangesh Hattikudur, and Elizabeth Hunt(published 2004)=?

54) 10/8/05: Getting Even by Woody Allen (originally published 1966)=?

"I remember my reaction to a typically luminous observation of Kierkegaard's: 'Such a relation which relates itself to its own self (that is to say, a self) must either have constituted itself or have been constituted by another.'" (pg 27)

Too true.

"The universe is merely a fleeting idea in God's mind - a pretty uncomfortable thought, particularly if you've just made a down payment on a house."

"I am convinced that there is an enduring reality, beyond anything man has yet attained, in the juxtaposition of foodstuffs. Simply, simplify." -Earl of Sandwich

55) 10/?/05-11/22/05: Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche trans. by Walter Kaufmann(originally published 1952)=?

Great but confusing. Filled with pyschological insight rather than epistemological truths and deductive logic, it seems. Second time through, but I don't have time to dig into it as deeply as I'd like to.

56) 11/23/05: Marijuana as Medicine by Alsion Mack and Janet Joy (originally published 2001)=7

Fairly basic. It didn't tell me much that I didn't already know. Marijuana is very good for treating certain illnesses, better than I thought for pain, affects movement, increases blood flow to the frontal and lateral cortex but decreases it to somewhere else, as well as overbinds receptors at the hippocampus(lower short-term memory). Tolerance only lasts a week or so. Still a good overview.

57) 11/26/05: The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss(originally published 2005)

Overrated, but likely changed the way I view and interact with women permanently. Neg, neg, neg. And be bold.

58) 12/04/05: Ecstasy: The Complete Guide(originally published 2001)

After reading this book, I'd try some pure MDMA. But I'd rather try it in small amounts with a close friend. I thought about Jen as I read it.

59)12/28/05: The Wellsprings of Life by Isaac Asimov(originally published 1960)=10

A very good summary of evolution and biology by a masterful writer. Highly reccomended.

60) Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists by Raghuram G. Rajan & Luigi Zingales(originally published 2003)=7

I didn't finish this book, but I enjoyed the introduction of it. Some of it went over its head, but I can see how its basic thesis is correct: stable financial institutions and free trade are necessary for strong capitalism. Entrenched firms try to stop competition, but fair laws and strong financial institutions(to provide venture capital and such) allow competition to spring up.

Reminds me of a debate with Steiger. He said that these huge companies were leading to the fall of capitalism or something; I pointed out that if they raised prices too high, someone with a lot of money would start a new company and undercut the entrenched company.

61) 3/27/06: The Myth of Sysyphus by Albert Camus(originally published 1955)=?

I've read this with long breaks in between, and thus lost much of its meaning. It's hard to understand anyway.

62)4/13/06: The Dating Black Book by Carlos Xumas(originally published ?)=?

The book was average, perhaps a little below average at the level of mediocre. Canned advice.

63)4/13/06: Real World Seduction by Swingcat(originally published ?)=?

Again, another mediocre book, but this one had some techniques that I must say I was impressed with.

64) How to Drive Your Woman wild in Bed by Graham Masterson(originally published 1987)=7

OK. I didn't try the E-technique. It basically said just loosen up, pleasure your woman, and have fun. But make sure you pleasure her first.

65) The Twilight of the Idols(originally published ?)=9

Still hard to interpret in some parts, or perhaps I'm not willing to think far enough - how does Nietszche want us to "return to nature" exactly? What is overcoming the self all about really?

66) The Anti-Christ by Friedrich Nietzsche(originally published?)=9

Here he says:

"The world-historical stupidity of all persecutors has lain precisely in giving their opponents the appearance of honourableness - in bestowing on them the fascination of martyrdom."

Sounds a lot like the modern Zarquawi case. Will he become a martyr? Have they already become martyrs? Did that necessarily make them honourable?

"All great intellects are skeptics."

"Convictions are prisons."

Nietszche's analysis of society is astute and intriguing. I don't simply want to master one thing, but I don't feel myself capable of mastering all things - what is there left for me? I am happy regardless.

67) Optimum Sports Nutrition: Your Competitive Edge by Michael Corgan (originally published 1993)=10

Changed my life. Fuck Men's Health and other magazines. It's all right here.

68) Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (originally published 1937) = 8

Pretty darn good self-help book, especially for back then.

69) High Energy Habits by Bill Ford (originally published 1997) = 5

Pretty worthless. Basically: do the small things to get them off your mind and spend time on things that you enjoy to energize yourself.

70) Getting Things Done by David Allen (originally published 2001) = 10

Invigorating. I still need to finish it. I imagine I'll read it over again and again.

71) The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (originally published 1968) = 8

Fascinating look at how sorcery actually worked. There is some true knowledge here: the 'right' spot is important, and the four enemies are ones that must be conquered to live a rich life. I only got to 115 pages. Too busy to read any more.

72) Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (originally published 1995) = 10

Within this book there is perhaps a dozen profoundly interesting discoveries related to the power of emotions in people's lives. Optimistic and well-researched, it is an icon of hope.

The three pieces that I will personally apply to my life:

1. People who watch "bloopers" become more creative. 2. "Confessional" stories make you healthier. So much for the rants about the whiny blogs! 3. Alcoholics are high-anxiety people who only feel normal when they're drunk. Beware of that.

The only problem I encountered was in the way that he presented findings. Many findings must have been extremely difficult to quantify and therefore very subjective, i.e., children who received "emotional training" became 50-60% more popular. Things like that had me a bit suspicious.

I didn't fit into the temperament scheme all that well, but perhaps I am an example of how powerful environmental effects can be. I feel that I am by nature bold and was initially pressured to be timid, but perhaps it is the other way around. My mother was overprotective, I believe. Plenty of information in here for a young parent. If I ever have kids, I will force my wife to read this.

73) 9/06/06 The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy (originally published 1996) = 10

On the subject, it was incredibly enlightening and informative. To be wealthy, one has to be stingy. And invest. Gotta give this one to Dad! (He is a PAW, but he doesn't invest enough!)

74) Grow Young with HGH by Ronald Klatz (originally published 1997) = 9

When I began this book I was soon sucked into the idea that HGH was the new miracle drug, and the answer for immortality. I continued to be enamored with the idea, but I still balked at the idea of injecting HGH (not to mention I can't afford it). I bought up a bunch of amino acids and other pills recently, and started taking my Arginine and Ornithine again. Then I came across an article in "Best Life" that said that Klatz was a charlatan. He got his medical degree in the Caribbean, was never licensed in the US, and neglected to tell the negative effects that HGH had in the studies he cites.

The story goes deeper than that, I imagine, but it'll take a lot of research to find out the truth...if the truth is out there.

The discovery of this book comes soon after my discovery of the Bates method. I learned about it on Mercola. He wanted to charge $150, but I glanced across Amazon and saw this - I'd prefer to read about the method from someone I trust and respect, Aldous Huxley. I think that this method can clear up your vision. Mine recently went from 20/60 to 20/40. I don't know what caused it, but it seems like this has made my vision less blurry. Fascinating. This book comes soon after I ... 10/29/06 edit: had an eye exam and found that my vision had went from 20/60 to about 20/40. I can nearly read the 20/30 mark. My eyes never hurt anymore.

This book is without a doubt the most nonsensical, psuedointellectual book I have read in a long while. I plan on doing a blog post about it if I can collect my thoughts. At the same time it has some basic truths - obvious ones that don't get repeated enough.

Hubbard claims to a genius who 'knows more about philosophy than most professors of philosophy'. Here is an example of his logic: he argues that brutal instincts exist, and goes further to say "logically, if something exists, one can certainly do something about it." How he arrives at that logic I do not know - but it seems apparent that he's making some major assumptions. Other funny quotes:

"There isn't a person who hasn't tried very, very hard to help their fellow man - not one. Also, there isn't one who hasn't been cuffed for doing it."

His fundamental law of conflict: "For a quarrel to occur, an unknown third party must be active in producing it between two potential opponents."

"Knowingness is certainty." (I wonder what Hume would think of such a statement.)

Hubbard refutes the theory of evolution: "The idea of an 'accidental' 'combination of chemicals' coming alive, in all places, in a 'sea of ammonia' and then evolving into a thinking being of the complexity of man is more ridiculous than a Joe Miller joke book." Hubbard goes on to say that because 'biology' means, in Latin, life sciences but studies cells it is 'false'. Wow. Slam-dunk argument.

"We are not popular with the old witch doctors - the biologists, psychologists, and psychiatrists - because as we go on we show them up as frauds."

Oh, the irony: "How can one take such people seriously?"

Somewhere along the way he states that "Scientology can double your IQ easily."

More irony: "In the general study of the world and its affairs, we find out the only way that you can make a slave - as if anybody would want one - would be to develop a tremendous amount of mystery about what it's all about, and then develop an overwhelming charge on the mystery line. Not only develop a mystery, but then sell it real good; sell some bogus answer to the mystery. (pg 47)

The good (I guess):

"You can understand, too, some of you, why you were not acceptable in your own homes when you were young: you were too bright and too cheerful and this was too high above those around you." (pg 93)

"Man's difficulties are a compound of his cowardice. To have difficulties in life, all it is necessary to do is to start runing away from the business of livingness. After that, problems of unsolvable magnitude are assured. When individuals are restrained from confronting life they accrue a vast ability to have difficulties with it."

In some places it seems that Hubbard is trying - awkwardly - to channel Nietszche and Schopenhauer:

"The basic impulse of man is to produce an effect. In relatively high-toned beings, the very upper range of man and above, the impulse is to produce something out of nothing ... lower on the Tone Scale, the effect most desired is to make nothing out of something. The general range of man occupies this area of scale." (pg 114)

"The physical universe could be called a love-hate universe, for these two are the most prominently displayed features, and neither one has any great altitude, although many claim that love is all and that love is high on the Tone Scale, which it is not."

He does realize the importance of understanding words and definitions - basic. His example is of a "senior in science" who did not know what a BTU was. I don't know what kind of senior that could be.

Overall a strange book. Often he writes about crap that hard to understand because it simply doesn't make sense. The things he wrote that do make sense could be better stated by myself or my father.

Very concise and informative overview of Einstein's advances, as well as the philosophical implications of them. Some of it is difficult to understand: to understand exactly how gravity is a function of the space-time continuum I would have to study something a little more advanced, I think.

I found it interesting that centrifugal force mimics gravity and that a straight line is not necessarily the shortest distance between two points. I still don't exactly understand how time is ticking thousands of light-years away - slower, faster, or either or?

He does say that "causality and determinism" have been undermined by Heisenberg's uncertainly principle, which I don't really agree with it. It just says that we are a causal force, and we cause things to happen we try to observe - it's still just as deterministic.

A great book, I'm sure, but I only read the first quarter of it. It became too technical and cosmological - at this point I need to keep my mind on the earth. Perhaps later I'll investigate the cosmos. Nevertheless there was a lot of good general information in the beginning of the book.

He begins with a brief investigation into what science is, what we can know scientifically, and what has happened in science in the past few hundred years. I was fascinated by his predictions of the future and indictment of society: "I do not think that science and technology have been pursued asa effectively, with as much attention to their ultimate humane objectives and with as adequate a public understanding as, witha little greater effort, could have been established. It has, for example, gradually dawned on us that human activities can have an adverse effect on not only the local but also the global environment" (pg 41). It's clear where he would fall on the global warming debate, especially later, when he mentions the curious method that DuPont used to argue against harmful CFCs: "all conclusions about halocarbos destroying the ozoneosphere were 'theoretical'. They seemed to be implying that they would be prepared to to stop halocarbon manufacture only after the conclusions were tested experimentally. - that is, when the ozonosphere was destroyed" (pg 42).

He mentions a lot of good science fiction writers which I intend to look into. (added to my list of to-read books)

He then spends a long time refuting psuedoscience. I spent some time reading that, but eventually realized it wasn't worth my time - I'm never going to believe that stuff anyway. The psuedoscience that I am curious about - nutritionally related - he doesn't touch upon. The idea that primitive people absorb information from the rest of the world and then feed it back to us is more plausible than the idea that they were visited by an alien civilization.

Intriguing, but I can safely say that I understood very little of it. In the end, I suppose I always wonder what the practical implications of all these formal systems are.

One thing that interested me was the end, when the question of whether philosophy is just "important nonsense" comes up. In some ways it seems that it is just nonsense - but how can you say that after reading Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and dozens of other inspiring thinkers who make one view the world with fresh eyes?

Unfinished. Most likely the best, most comprehensive introduction to Nietzsche around.

81) Give me a Break by John Stossel (copyright ?)=5

At least we agree on something: paternalism and the war on drugs. But I can't forgive Stossel for falsely demonizing organic foods.

Full of plenty of aphorisms -- far too many to list. I posted one or two to my blog. I didn't read it thoroughly -- difficult to do so.

83) 1/16/07: Western Philosophy by R.J. Hollingdale (first published 1979)=10

Great concise overview of Western philosophy.

Didn't finish it, unfortunately, but I was impressed.

Great introduction.

86) 1/31/07: Environmental Science: A Global Concern by Cunningham et al 7th edition (copyright ?) = ?

Good, if general, book.

87) 2/09/07: A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (published 1940) = 8

Review on the blog.

-Took another stab at Nietzsche with The Portable Nietzsche by Walter Kaufmann. OK, but couldn't finish.

93) 2/19/07: Dissemination by Jacques Derrida (originally published 1972) = ?

The first time I looked at Derrida's writing. The introduction (not by Derrida) made more sense to me than he did. It seems to require an intimate knowledge of literature and Greek to decipher. He refers to Hegal and attacks the logocentric presumptions of philosophy or study in general, it seems.

94) 2/19/07: The Human Web: A Bird's Eye View of World History by J. R. McNeill & William H. McNeill (originally published 2003) = 8

I skimmed it. Decent.

95) 2/19/07: Selected Papers of Bertrand Russell (originally published ?) = 10

Great thoughts from a genius.

96) 2/19/07: The World as I See It by Albert Einstein (originally published 1949) = 10

The bulk of it is Einstein's argument for socialism, pacifism and disarmament. Einstein offers his thoughts on politics and later on economics. He at least seems to say that he prefers a centrally planned economy and especially thinks that the maximum hours worked should be reduced and minimum wage laws should be maintained.

97) 2/19/07: Ideas and Opinions by Einstein (originally written ?) = 10

Though I didn't read it closely, I know that it's still a classic. I'm hoping to read it more closely, especially the physics descriptions.

Surprisingly good overview of the science of digestion and immunology. Another review on the blog. Working on memorizing the classification system.

99) 4/17/07: Explaining the Atom by Selig Hecht (originally written 1947)=10

Masterful. (Finally finished it May 28th, but I'll have to come back to it after I've studied chemistry.)

100) 4/17/07: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (originally written 1936)=10

Great, simple advice for getting along with people.

Six Principles for Handling People: 1.Become genuinely interested in other people. 2.Smile 3.Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. 4.Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. 5.Talk in terms of the other person's interests. 6.Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking Principles: 1.The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. 2.Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong." 3.If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically. 4.Begin in a friendly way. 5.Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately. 6.Let the other person do a great deal of the talking. 7.Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers. 8.Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view. 9.Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires. 10.Appeal to the noble motives. 11.Dramatize your ideas. 12.Throw down a challenge.

Be a Leader: 1.Begin with praise and honest appreciation. 2.Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly. 3.Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person. 4.Ask questions instead of giving direct orders. 5.Let the other person save face. 6.Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise." 7.Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to. 8.Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct. 9.Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

101) 5/05/07: Mental Floss Presents Condensed Knowledge=9

Good, but I really need to get rid of this book.

102) 5/05/07: The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics=?

I began this book at least a year ago and never finished it. I'm afraid most of the time I spent reading it was wasted - it is much better to study these disciplines from the ground up. And that's what I'll do instead. Plus I should spend time on the urgent things now, and on memorization techniques.

I remember that I picked this book up with The Outsider, a book that I regret handing to Jennifer.

103) 5/05/07: A Short Life of Kierkegaard by Walter Lowrie (originally published 1942)=?

Not sure what to think of this book, especially since I read it so fast. I should spend my time reading Kierkegaard rather than about Kiekegaard - although this provides me with an outside perspective on his life. The book seemed light on philosophy.

104) The Five Rules for Successful Stock Investing by Pat Dorsey (originally published 2004)=10

Great book. Wish I could spend more time with it.

105) Shadows of Power: The Council on Foreign Relations and American Decline by James Perloff (originally published 1988)=10

Thoroughly well-researched and incriminating book. It is scary, and some of the footnotes are a little off, but I am more convinced than ever of an oligarchical conspiracy.

106) Letters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart (originally published 2006)=7

It was OK. Some good advice, namely read around your subject, as well as thoughts on what mathematics is as well as how to create mathematics.

107) The Man Who Stayed Behind by Sidney Rittenberg and Amanda Bennett (originally published 1993)=10

Great book by a philosophy major turned Chinese Communist.

108) Broken Contract: A Memoir of Harvard Law School by Richard D. Kahlenberg (originally published ?)=8

Pretty damn good.

109) 6/16/07: What Do I Do With My Money Now edited by Clint Willis (originally published 2003)=10

Lots of good tips/information.

110) 6/18/07: Technical Analysis of Stock Trends by Robert Edwards and John Magee, 8th edition (originally published ?)

Dense and difficult tome.

111) How Charts Can Help You in the STOCK MARKET by William L. Jiler (originally published 1962)=?

OK. I have to test the validity of all these TA claims.

112) The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman by Peter Rost (originally published 2006)

"All that is required for evil to triump is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

113) The Motley Fool Investment Guide by David and Tom Gardner (originally published 1996)=10

Some darn good advice.

Rule Makers:

1. Dominant Brand 2. Repeat-Purchase 3. Convenience 4. Expanding 5. Familiarity 6. Sales growth > 10% 7. Gross Margins > 50% 8. Net Margins > 10% 9. Cash > 1.5 total debt 10. Cash King Margin > 10%

Rule Breakers:

1. Top Dog/First Mover in Emerging Industry 2. Sustainable Advantage 3. Past Price Appreciation: Relative Strength > 90 4. Strong Management 5. Consumer Appeal 6. "Overvalued"

114) Take On The Street by Aurthur Levitt with Paula Dwyer (originally published 2002)=9

Good solid book.

115) In Defense of Globalization by Jagdish Bhagwati (originally published 2004)=5

Subpar.

116) A Beginner's Guide to Short-Term Trading by Toni Turner (originally published 2002)=9

Pretty good.

117) How To Separate The Noise From the Investment Nuggets by Maria Bartiromo (originbally published 2001) = 10

Pretty darn good for a journalist.

118) Investing Secrets of the Masters by Charles E. Babin & William J. Donovan (originally published 2000) = 0

Partisan spinning of Adam Smith at the beginning. Fairly obtuse -- bad intro to statistics.

119) 25 Greatest Management Decisions by Stuart Banier(originally published ?) = 5

Mediocre.

120) Value Investing with the Masters by Kirk Kazanjian (originally published 2002) = ?

Hard to say what to rate this book. I originally thought it was OK.

121) MAD Money by Jim Cramer (originally published 2006) = 8

Pretty good book.

122)

[edit] Textbooks

Very good precalculus book.

It gets the job done. I wonder whether Derrida's criticism of philosophy and the translation of pharmakon is applicable here.

Out of date and not all that great anyway -- not many models and graphs, lots of text.

Got the job done, but I have trouble believing there aren't better books out there.

As I said on Amazon, this book is plain terrible. The math has no examples and is displayed in an annoying font.

User:ImperfectlyInformed/BooksRead

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