Steven D. Ward's Blog, page 6
April 2, 2014
On Self-Defense
I’ve deliberately waited a couple days before posting this because everyone with Internet access is, by now, sick and tired of all the silly April Fool’s Internet stories and emails going around. I did this because I find them as annoying as everyone else, and because the theme for this month’s email is no laughing matter.
I haven’t mentioned it to you guys before, but a hobby of mine that I am particularly passionate about is Brazilian JiuJitsu. I have a long way to go on my journey with the...
March 30, 2014
Review: On the Warrior’s Path: Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts Mythology
On the Warrior’s Path: Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts Mythology by Daniele Bolelli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It took me some time to really get into this book, but when it did I couldn’t put it down.
The book might best be described as a series of meditative essays related to martial arts. Sprinkled throughout the author’s musings are several interesting bits of history and philosophy related to martial arts, but make no mistake, you are getting a whole lot of Danielli Bolleili philosop...
March 26, 2014
Review: Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won’t Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care
Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won’t Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care by Marty Makary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The primary takeaway I have from this book is that the free market in medicine is not functional in the absence of transparency and accountability. People have an expectation that medical care is fairly standardized across hospitals and doctors. This book thoroughly documents the fact that this is far from true.
Case after case is given that just added fuel t...
March 25, 2014
Review: Thinking, Fast and Slow
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Make no mistake, there are many revelations about the human mind contained in this book. That being said, it is not the most readable book out there. I started out with the ebook version because it was quite reasonably priced on Amazon, but after several months of trying to get into it as my bedtime reading book, it was turning out to be too effective as a bedtime book and was putting me to sleep just a few minutes after I wo...
March 22, 2014
Review: The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler
The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler by Thomas Hager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I can’t believe I had never heard anything about this story before. It really is just a fascinating story all around and gives an interesting back story to what I’ve been learning recently about World War I.
Although I didn’t really feel like I’d learned as much from the story as I had from The Demon Under the Microscope by...
March 21, 2014
Review: You Are Now Less Dumb: How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself
You Are Now Less Dumb: How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself by David McRaney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I bought this book immediately after finishing You’re Not as Smart as You Think, counting on it to basically be more of the same. This is true to an extent, but there were some key differences with this one.
The first thing I noticed was that there are fewer chapters, and each one is typically longer than in YNSYT. This isn’t necessari...
March 18, 2014
Review: The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor’s Heroic Search for the World’s First Miracle Drug
The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor’s Heroic Search for the World’s First Miracle Drug by Thomas Hager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fascinating history, not just of the sulfa drugs, but of the remaking of modern medicine for better (turning doctors from poorly paid people that could only predict and console into the practical scientists they are today) and for worse (human trial research methods being pioneered in nazi death camps, the rise of giant...
March 16, 2014
Review: Bad Science
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read Bad Science immediately after finishing Bad Pharma and found it in many ways to be even better, although that’s a bit like comparing apples to oranges. I was surprised by the humor in Bad Science that helped to break up the denser parts of the book but was much less present in Bad Pharma, I suspect because BP was all business and a very serious charge against the pharmaceutical industry.
I almost skipped Bad Science because, based on...
March 15, 2014
Viktor Frankl
Man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked.
-Viktor Frankl
March 12, 2014
Review: Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence
Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence by Rory Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Other reviewers hit the nail on the head in regards to this being a must-read for any martial arts practitioner. I would only add that it is probably a bit on the intense side for someone just starting out in a martial art as a casual hobby.
For these people, that would like to know more about self-defense but looking for a lighter read, I’d recommend The Disaster Diar...
