I learned a lot about the history of pockets, and more generally, about fashion and the ways it evolves to reflect how we see ourselves and each otherI learned a lot about the history of pockets, and more generally, about fashion and the ways it evolves to reflect how we see ourselves and each other. To me, the most fascinating things to learn about were the divergence of men's and women's clothes, and that pockets for women have been contested long before our time.
My one small criticism is that Pockets looks only at the Western world (without explicit mention of this scope). I'd be interested to learn whether the genderedness, contentiousness, and influence of pockets reaches the rest of the world and how that plays out.
I picked up Pockets after hearing Carlson speak on Articles of Interest. I think my college history profs would find this book clearly written with well-supported and reasoned arguments. Overall, I really enjoyed it....more
This book is striking because of the unsentimental way it tells the story of how Vladek, the author's father, survived the Holocaust. He wasn't particThis book is striking because of the unsentimental way it tells the story of how Vladek, the author's father, survived the Holocaust. He wasn't particularly cruel to anyone, but he wasn't particularly kind, either. He looked after himself first. It helped him to survive, but it also made him a difficult person in the aftermath. The honesty counters a collective idealized narrative about survivors.
There is no satisfying resolution, and the ripples of damage are apparent in the relationship between Art and Vladek. I like the moments of reflection from Art - how he feels about the story he is piecing together, the publicity, his father, mother, and the brother he never met. The book is a brutally genuine piece of art, and it is great because it humanizes the sweeping gestures of history.
However. I don't entirely understand the author's choice to depict nationalities as different animals. I suppose cats vs. mice is an obvious metaphor, but then why are the Polish pigs, the French frogs, the Americans dogs? It feels a little ... off ... from this cultural vantage point. Otherwise, it is definitely worth a read....more
Price, produce, place, and promotion can kiss my ass. It is all about the hygge.
I read this book as part of my self-compiled crash-course on Denmark bPrice, produce, place, and promotion can kiss my ass. It is all about the hygge.
I read this book as part of my self-compiled crash-course on Denmark before I take a trip there. The Little Book of Hygge is a fluffy, light-hearted read, and itself a hygge experience. It's a bit slow, repetitive, maybe a skosh boring, but overall a cozy kind of experience that is all about how the Danes seek out hygge in their lives.
I suppose one thing I appreciate about this book is that it's along the lines of a self-help book without being prescriptive. Where other books may pressure you into taking action and wrestling for control over your thoughts and being restrictive and clearing away all the things that slow you down, this hygge philosophy really is about slowing down, being maximalist, and enjoying what is in front of you....more
Bees! I was surprised that a "For Dummies" book is so highly regarded by the beekeeping community - it's been recommended in nearly every beekeeping fBees! I was surprised that a "For Dummies" book is so highly regarded by the beekeeping community - it's been recommended in nearly every beekeeping forum I've encountered. I felt it was a little bee-neath me to buy this, but I was wrong! This book is thorough and easy to understand.
I'm going to start my own hive this year, and thanks to this book, I'm less terrified for the arrival of my bees. The book covers bees, equipment, installing bees, keeping your hive healthy, harvesting honey, and manages to keep it interesting. I read this from cover to cover in a couple of days, and have been an obnoxious source of bee facts ever since. I continue to reference it as I get ready for my bee-utiful packet of bees....more
Petzold's Code is recommended everywhere as essential reading for students of computer science. "It's old, but that doesn't matter," they say. I suppoPetzold's Code is recommended everywhere as essential reading for students of computer science. "It's old, but that doesn't matter," they say. I suppose they have a point. Once you get into ICs, the principles haven't changed much in 20 years, just the size and speed of things.
The book gets very dense in the second half. I doubt I'd have had the will to keep going if I wasn't familiar with most of the principles. I'd say it's approachable if you are determined to learn this stuff, but it's not a text book or a how-to manual. Just a very dense overview of how digital electronics work.
I did really enjoy learning about the history of modern computing and the many inventors who helped it along. The progression from telegraph relays to integrated circuits was pretty neat. It was particularly interesting that Boolean Algebra was invented without binary code or anything digital in mind, but happened to work out rather handily for logic gates.
Anyway, if you're reeeeally interested or need a refresher, yeah, sure, give this a shot. Why not? ...more
I liked it...kinda. The thing that keeps me from *really* liking it is Hodgman's sweeping generalizations about only children, as if his experience asI liked it...kinda. The thing that keeps me from *really* liking it is Hodgman's sweeping generalizations about only children, as if his experience as an only child represents everyone's. It wouldn't bother me so much, except that he mentions it often as a defining characteristic. I'm entirely aware that it's all tongue-in-cheek, but dammit, it's personal - we're not all so coddled and helpless as Hodgman. Admittedly, it's probably the egocentric only child in me lashing out.
This book wasn't really for me. I wouldn't discourage someone from giving it a shot if they're struggling with calculus, but abstracting so far away fThis book wasn't really for me. I wouldn't discourage someone from giving it a shot if they're struggling with calculus, but abstracting so far away from the math was harder for me to grasp than the actual mathematical definitions.
I wanted to give this a try because in her book, A Mind for Numbers, Barbara Oakley emphasizes the power of visuals in deep understanding, and I've found that it helps. But damn, it can take some effort if you're not used to thinking in freeform associations. I guess what I found in reading this is that someone else's visuals don't really do it for me, so back to the old grindstone, I suppose....more
I passed Calculus! There's really no higher praise that I can give this book. Barbara Oakley is my hero.I passed Calculus! There's really no higher praise that I can give this book. Barbara Oakley is my hero....more
This book was not bad, exactly, just not what I was hoping for. Most of it is a repeat of On Writing Well. It was page after page of polished writing This book was not bad, exactly, just not what I was hoping for. Most of it is a repeat of On Writing Well. It was page after page of polished writing samples and analysis of why this sentence grabs you, or how this passage makes a technical subject accessible. It's more about learning to write than writing to learn. I'm disappointed because it falls short of what it claimed to be.
Not to completely disparage this book, the first two chapters do explain the benefit of using writing in subjects that are not typically writing-centric. The chapter on mathematics was also closer to what I was looking for, where a grade-school teacher uses writing to teach mathematics. The samples were rough, but they showed how students used writing to grasp mathematical concepts.
This book overemphasized the necessity of entertainment value and accessibility of writing. When you are student, it's important to write clearly, sure, but writing to learn shouldn't mean you have to write fantastic, engaging content like Rachel Carson. It is more about testing your thoughts in clear terms. The polishing should be secondary....more
This is who you call in case of trouble? I thought. The woman had all the authority of a crumpled leaf.
I've never read Sedaris before, but I think I uThis is who you call in case of trouble? I thought. The woman had all the authority of a crumpled leaf.
I've never read Sedaris before, but I think I understand the appeal. I picked this off of the Prime Reading catalog and was pleasantly surprised. It's kinda fluffy, pretty funny, and a bit insightful here and there....more
This book was packed with fluff, but I did gain some insight from the first few chapters. The most useful pearl of wisdom is that Agile is more about This book was packed with fluff, but I did gain some insight from the first few chapters. The most useful pearl of wisdom is that Agile is more about mindset than tools, and that that little mix-up is where businesses trip. You can have all the Agile-y software in the world, but you don't have Agile until you have the mindset.
I'm not a manager, but I have worked at a few companies that kind of half-heartedly try for Agile, and I think I'm starting to see what they're missing. I picked this up to see if I could absorb a thing or two, and I suppose I got what I hoped for out of this book, even if the last 3/4 of the book was only worth a skim....more
I kinda hated this book because it puts into words something I do pretty naturally, and maybe even a bit manipulatively. And, well, I do it because itI kinda hated this book because it puts into words something I do pretty naturally, and maybe even a bit manipulatively. And, well, I do it because it does work. People will indeed like you for constantly validating their pain. I know why I do it, too. Because I'm desperate for that kind of validation myself - but damn, I wish I didn't need it.
My counterpoint is that there is something to be said for blunt honesty. I appreciate people who tell you how they genuinely see the world, without being asked and without asking. I would say reading this book was kind of counter-productive for me for that reason. In my own life, I'm trying to be a little more honest about my feelings and that's hard to do when you're validating everyone all the time....more
"Here I must confess that I know nothing whatever about true underlying reality, having never met any." - Abbey
Desert Solitaire is all over the place."Here I must confess that I know nothing whatever about true underlying reality, having never met any." - Abbey
Desert Solitaire is all over the place. Sometimes it's a moment to quiet your mind and enjoy the prose and scenery. Other times, Abbey's environmentalist outrage and anarchist politics will raise your blood pressure. For all of his disdain for humanity, Abbey is unmistakably human - inconsistent and of two minds on just about every topic. He claims there's no special meaning to life, yet spends most of this book searching for meaning.
It's also historically interesting. I find it hard to imagine Arches so empty, when there were no paved roads to it, when Moab was just a prospecting town. Now it's a frantic crowd, a solid line of cars and people. I think it's great that people want experience it, but....it's hardly where you'll find solitude.
On a personal note, I've experienced the stillness of the desert on a solo camping trip somewhere in Nevada. It didn't seem transformative at the time, but the silence and solitude, the brightness of the stars, has really stayed with me since then. And I guess, I can understand Abbey, how he wanted to share it and wanted to keep it to himself....more
Good if you need a reminder that generally, humanity isn't so bad. I picked up this book because I follow Tanya Harrison and admire her for being bothGood if you need a reminder that generally, humanity isn't so bad. I picked up this book because I follow Tanya Harrison and admire her for being both a scientist and very much herself.
For All Humankind has eight biographies of regular people from all over the world who witnessed and were changed by the first moon landing. The book left me with some things to consider about how people with different economic and geopolitical perspectives viewed the moon landing as it happened. Also a bit of hope for the species, so that's something.
There is a bit of a problem of audience. For instance, in the intro, the authors explain that the "V" in Saturn V is the Roman numeral 5, so I kinda started out thinking that this is for kids. Later, they detail the chemistry and geology of the moon as if they are talking to fellow scientists. Flattering, but not what I was expecting.
It also would have been interesting to know how the authors selected who to interview. As it is, the biographies make a good narrative, but I can't help but wonder, just why these people in particular?...more
I'm at the "getting my feet wet" stage of API writing, and I found this book useful, but also a bit like being tossed in the ocean. The case studies aI'm at the "getting my feet wet" stage of API writing, and I found this book useful, but also a bit like being tossed in the ocean. The case studies assume you are very familiar with specific tools, many of which I have never used. I was hoping for high-level context, buuut something that's true of tech writing in general is that context comes with experience.
The authors did bring up some important considerations that I might have overlooked on my own. I gained the most from the helpful process tables.
If nothing else, it's pleasant to read books written by tech writers who share my enthusiasm for the field....more
For those times when you must prove to yourself that your first year of college doesn't define you as a person.
Well, I passed the precalc course that For those times when you must prove to yourself that your first year of college doesn't define you as a person.
Well, I passed the precalc course that required this text, but the text itself was hardly any help. The chapters were organized poorly, the authors emphasized proofs over actual problem solving, and the unnecessarily flowery language did nothing to help.
It was the required reading for the course, so it did at least give me an idea of what Khan Academy videos to watch and what to look up in the free Stitz-Zeagler Precalculus text.
I'm convinced people hate math because the books are badly written and not so much because they are actually bad at it. That's true in my case. I mean, it's not intuitive, but I can get there with a clear explanation and some drilling.
Now, to prove I'm not too dumb for calculus....more
Shins: the bane of my running existence. I picked up this book with injury prevention in mind, and, well, we'll have to wait and see if it delivers.
ThShins: the bane of my running existence. I picked up this book with injury prevention in mind, and, well, we'll have to wait and see if it delivers.
This book is technical, detailed, and comprehensive to the point of being overwhelming. You could read this cover-to-cover (and gain a lot of value from it!) but, in the interest of time, I eventually turned to the running schedules section of the book and built out a running, lifting, and stretching routine from there.
I would recommend this book to runners who want to target very specific things like form, nutrition, musculoskeletal components, pacing, heart rate, breathing... I say specific, but really this book offers just about everything you could hope for in a running book. I liked it so well, I bought a copy for my running partner....more