Finished reading: Better Small Talk: Talk to Anyone, Avoid Awkwardness, Generate Deep Conversations, and Make Real Friends by Patrick King 📚 I didn’t expect much from this book, but it actually was pretty solid, and a thorough look at a very specific topic. It gave me some concepts that help me better understand how small talk works. These are things I felt, but now can put in a broader context. I’d recommend it. 5/5
Finished reading: The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm 📚I finally finished this short book. A few years ago I received it from a colleague who said he’d look for copies in second hand book stores and than occasionally give the book to people around him. It’s (clearly) set in the ‘50s (showing through the emphasis on religion and roles within marriage), but that doesn’t take away from the general ideas shared. It also pairs nicely with the myth/religion/science themed books I’ve read over the past few years. I should have finished this book earlier though. It’s really a quick read/ listen4/5
Finished reading: Magisteria by Nicholas Spencer 📚 — I enjoyed this book. It provides me with a lot of context beyond the simple historic moments in time. I find it helpful to have a long view of how we ended up where we are today, with an account of the various recurring ideas and themes throughout history. 4/5
It has been a 100 days since I picked up language learning again. The streak is a strong motivator, and so are family, friends and colleagues, all learning their own languages. My last streak was 56 days. I aim to make it to a full year. 2/3 to go.
It’s a strange to realise that we’ll soon head into autumn. People are still in their shorts and shirts, skirts and tank tops.
2 weeks from now the days will get shorter the fastest; 4 minutes less each day between sun rise and sun set. I’m enjoying this while it lasts.
This should cross-post to several locations now. Adding an image of the dog to see how that turns up at the various ends.
And after posting: it made it to the various locations.
Currently reading: Magisteria by Nicholas Spencer 📚
Science and region found themselves in various inconclusive — sometimes beneficial, sometimes fracturing — conversations. Whether it was anthropologists plumbing the depths of the past, freudians the depths of the mind, or soviet cosmonauts the depths of space, region and science seemed inextricably entangled and this sense of entanglement only seemed to grow as evolutionary biologists declared that humans were basically genes, neuroscientists: they were basically brain activity and Silicon Valley techno-utopians that they were basically algorithms.
Finished reading: A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr 📚I picked this up after someone blogged about it and finished in with a few days 4/5
Finished reading: Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon 📚This was my summer read. I found it being discussed aa influential in the youth of some of the people I have in high regard for their thinking, without much other additional context. It’s unlike most of the other things I’ve read; disorienting, at times very graphic. Someone described it as an LSD trip. I understand that metaphor. It took about one month to finish, and I am happy I picked the holiday for this read, as it might have otherwise easily stretched out over months. I would recommend it to some people. I guess it requires a specific type of taste. 4/5
Finished reading: EMPOWERED by Marty Cagan — recommended by colleagues; read in order, and see the thoughts about the role of product management develop. I finished the first book, and still have a little to go in the second. I wonder if I should get these in hard copy, because this really is a dense book which I might want to reference in the future. That doesn’t work too well with the audiobook version. 4/5 📚
Finished reading: The Sound of the Future by Tobias Dengel — great examples, and process, but it likely turned old quite quickly as the world is moves on and the technology evolves. There is some mention of the LLM hyped models, but it feels like this is mostly leaning on the smart assistant era where Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri were in the spotlight. Still, it’s a good read, and the author speaks from experience, that’s absolutely clear. 4/5📚
It’s a hot summer night with more stars to see than back home.
Morning commute, Amsterdam
Lynn told me the spelling of the name of this store indicates it’s owned by a family from either Singapore or Hong Kong.
Just unboxed a new vacuum cleaner! Our robo vac wasn’t cutting it, especially with multiple floors.
My daughter’s thrilled about the new one – it’s not ‘smart’ like the robo, which she’s been side-eyeing ever since it announced her dining spot always needed extra cleaning after diner.
Finished reading: Collaborating with the Enemy by Adam Kahane 📚 4/5
Finished reading: Red Notice by Bill Browder 📚— this book was recommended by a friend a few months ago as a fascinating read on Russia, and mentioned in a podcast as a book a good book to understand ‘the Russian’. While there’s obviously no single way to understand a whole country, this book indeed was a fascinating read. I finished it in little more than 3 days and wonder if I should just continue reading Freezing order by the same author too. 5/5