Sometimes the book feels like a stream of consciousness: everything makes sense but no system or wider picture appears. Even within a chapter, it’s a Sometimes the book feels like a stream of consciousness: everything makes sense but no system or wider picture appears. Even within a chapter, it’s a narrative, not an analysis. Perhaps, I had the wrong expectations ...more
Essentially, a 6-hour special in the form of an audiobook. Also, a masterpiece. It's been a week since I finished it, but I've already spoiled a good hEssentially, a 6-hour special in the form of an audiobook. Also, a masterpiece. It's been a week since I finished it, but I've already spoiled a good half of the book to anyone who would listen ...more
На вырученные деньги он переиздал сочинение Фейхтвангера «Еврей Зюсс». Это был странный выбор для издательстПриятно читается, мгновенно забывается.
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На вырученные деньги он переиздал сочинение Фейхтвангера «Еврей Зюсс». Это был странный выбор для издательства под названием «Русская книга». Фима предполагал, что еврейская тема заинтересует нашу эмиграцию.
Книга вышла с единственной опечаткой. На обложке было крупно выведено: «ФЕЙХТВАГНЕР»....more
A self-help book in the form of standup is quite a weird format, but it works alright. The self-help content is surprisingly solid, but no insights herA self-help book in the form of standup is quite a weird format, but it works alright. The self-help content is surprisingly solid, but no insights here. The standup is top-notch if you are into that kind of comedy (I am). Even if you are not into audiobooks, give this one a try ;)
--- You call a cunt “mate” and you call your mates “cunts”. <…several chapters later…> I’m implying you think Jeremy Clarkson is a dick. Well, he’s not a dick, he’s a mate.
Because I’m on TV people will ask, “What do you prefer, stand-up or TV?” and it’s not even close. I enjoy doing TV, sure, but I didn’t do stand-up to get on TV. TV is great, but stand-up is my passion and I enjoy every part of it, the whole kit and caboodle.
Why? you ask. With TV, it’s a crap shoot. I’m not willing to put my life in the hands of a TV executive — are you crazy? What if someday someone comes along with better hair and teeth and the executive gives them my job? In stand-up, I’m in charge and with TV someone else decides whether or not I can play....more
I'm surprised how repetitive such a short book is. It doesn't go deep into why math is so important or how Naval has come to his principles — it just repeats the same statements over and over again.
Moreover, sometimes the book contradicts what it preaches: for example, it introduces Naval as "angel investor of the year" — what is it if not a status game?...more
A remarkable life told by a surprisingly good narrator. The first time in a long while that I've listened to an audiobook at 1.0x speed. Reading this A remarkable life told by a surprisingly good narrator. The first time in a long while that I've listened to an audiobook at 1.0x speed. Reading this book would have been a crime.
--- First-ever drum lesson: With every ounce of courage I could muster, I launched into my "greatest hits" montage of riffs and tricks <...>, crashing and smashing that cheap drum set like a hyperactive child having a full-blown tantrum in an explosion of raw, rhythmless glory. <...> After a few cacophonous minutes of disastrous soloing, he stopped me and said, "okay...first of all...you're holding your sticks backward." Lesson one.
When asked to perform at Ozzfest and trying to be "metal": Shit, some of us even had hair ABOVE our collars! <..> I sat there nervously, <...>, scouring our back catalog for anything without the word "love" or a George Harrison-style slide guitar solo.
Self-explanatory: At this point, all of the band members were procreating like rabbits, and our tour itineraries were now dictated by people who couldn't even chew solid food yet....more
Лучшая книга по, прости господи, саморазвитию, что я читал — без приписки «на русском». Прослушал аудиокнигу, а потом прикупил и текстовую версию, чтоЛучшая книга по, прости господи, саморазвитию, что я читал — без приписки «на русском». Прослушал аудиокнигу, а потом прикупил и текстовую версию, чтобы поглядывать.
Меня, как и Дашу Варламову, «подкупило сочетание рациональности и человечности». Ребята рассказывют приёмы из научных исследований, но не стесняются иногда признаться, что приём работает для них через раз. Обычно авторы скатываются или в достигаторство, или в сюси-пуси — здесь отличный баланс: делать, но без насилия над собой.
Подкупает лёгкий и простой язык. Тимур пишет «что предкам полезно — нам приятно», а не «получение удовлетворения является следствием эволюционного механзима».
Что могло бы быть лучше: более осторожные ссылки на научные источники, ведь не все упомянутые эксперименты хорошо воспроизводятся, а у результатов исследований может быть много интерпретаций.
Думаю, что каждому полезно понаблюдать за собой на длинной дистанции, порефлексировать в блокнот и написать такую книгу — пускай даже в стол....more
Took me freaking 30 MONTHS to finish, I don't even have a decent explanation why I didn't abandon the book. Sean Penn's Into the Wild, built on top ofTook me freaking 30 MONTHS to finish, I don't even have a decent explanation why I didn't abandon the book. Sean Penn's Into the Wild, built on top of the key Thoreau ideas, is much more meaningful, empathetic, and simply enjoyable than the original.
While the concepts are worth thinking about, the book is unbearable.
--- ...a guest is to be presented with the freedom of the house, and not to be carefully excluded from seven-eights of it, shut up in a particular cell, and told to make yourself at home there, - in solitary confinement.
...stumps warmed me twice — once while I was splitting them, and again when they were on the fire, so that no fuel could give out more heat.
Most of us know that Schabowski's made the announcement by mistake. But I haven't realized what a ridiculous series of events led to it. Pressure builMost of us know that Schabowski's made the announcement by mistake. But I haven't realized what a ridiculous series of events led to it. Pressure built by mass peaceful protests + incompetent bureaucrats + a few bits of luck = one of the best day in the human history.
Oh boy, we have to go back 60 years and look for long-abandoned treasure there. Here are my detailed notes.Oh boy, we have to go back 60 years and look for long-abandoned treasure there. Here are my detailed notes....more
We didn't start talking about the hardware and the software until we talked about what we wanted to do personally with such a system.
Bob Taylor
The ov
We didn't start talking about the hardware and the software until we talked about what we wanted to do personally with such a system.
Bob Taylor
The overview is decent, starting from the chapter on Licklider and friends. However, those folks in the 50s and 60s were so fascinating, that there is surely the potential for a better book.
Things that could have been better: * Cut everything before Memex in half: history of computing ≠ history of tools for thought. * Dedicate more time to ideas, concepts, and motivations instead of spending 3 paragraphs describing how funny Von Neumann was. * More illustrations! Not portraits but visual explanations: Jacquard's loom, Turing's machine,......more
Here are the oversimplified notes: - Background knowledge → chunking, more space for working memory. - Cumulative effect → learning gap A nice overview.
Here are the oversimplified notes: - Background knowledge → chunking, more space for working memory. - Cumulative effect → learning gap is getting bigger even when starting from a difference of 10K vs. 9K of facts. - The best way to make knowledge transfer from one context to another and form abstractions is to face different problems with the same deep structure. - There is no such thing as a visual/kinetic learner. - Intelligence is not fixed. Proof: rapid increase in IQs in the Netherlands. - Teaching need deliberate practice....more
The book is a pleasure to look at and to touch — just as the buildings it describes. It definitely nudges you to explore London looking for other hiddThe book is a pleasure to look at and to touch — just as the buildings it describes. It definitely nudges you to explore London looking for other hidden brutalist gems.
The book is far from perfect though: * The foreword doesn't contribute to the story. * Photos of interiors are missing. * A few buildings are mentioned but not portrayed — you have to look the photos up on the internet. Which is not a straightforward task, since not all of the buildings are clearly identified.
By the way, the authors are too optimistic about the current state of Alexandra Road Estate. I've just recently been there, and, unfortunately, it isn't bursting with life (but still magnificent).
Don't say that he's hypocritical Say rather that he's apolitical "Once the rockets are up, who cares where the
Discovered Tom Lehrer thanks to this book:
Don't say that he's hypocritical Say rather that he's apolitical "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department!" says Wernher von Braun
Some have harsh words for this man of renown But some think our attitude Should be one of gratitude Like the widows and cripples in old London town Who owe their large pensions to Wernher von Braun
--- "But when wit is involved, the designer never travels 100% of the way. The idea has to be 'seen' or decoded, and thiA great collection of examples.
--- "But when wit is involved, the designer never travels 100% of the way. The idea has to be 'seen' or decoded, and this demands an active recipient. <...> It is as if the designer throws a ball which then has to be caught. So the recipient is alert, with an active mind and a brain in gear."
"The most valuable accessory in my studio is a large wastepaper basket. Getting ideas is easy: deciding on the right idea and developing it is the difficult thing." — Abraham Games....more
The book is not revolutionary, but it's sound — certainly, belongs to a startup founder's shelf. Considering the topic and the audience, there is surpThe book is not revolutionary, but it's sound — certainly, belongs to a startup founder's shelf. Considering the topic and the audience, there is surprisingly little bullshit.
--- "If you haven't created and identified core value before you make your growth push, you'll either end up with illusory growth at best or market rejection at worst."...more
A few interesting inside stories for those who are at least barely interested in football.
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"This one time, Rino Gattuso, like me, was waiting for hiA few interesting inside stories for those who are at least barely interested in football.
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"This one time, Rino Gattuso, like me, was waiting for his contract to be renewed. I did the negotiating on his behalf by means of a single message. "Dear Ariedo, if you give me what I want, you can have my sister."
Rino found out and gave me a beating before ringing up Braida. "It's just one of Pirlo's stupid jokes," he said. I've always wondered if the response was, "what a pity"."...more
«Дежурная, когда мы уходили, пересчитала все полотенца, все простыни… Тут же их складывала в полиэтиленовый мешок. Наверное, сожглФизически больно.
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«Дежурная, когда мы уходили, пересчитала все полотенца, все простыни… Тут же их складывала в полиэтиленовый мешок. Наверное, сожгли… За гостиницу мы сами заплатили. За четырнадцать суток…»
«Самый крупный могильник возле реактора. Он хотел его снять — уже сейчас — спустя десять лет. Ему обещали за этот снимок большие деньги. И вот мы кружим с ним, кружим, и один начальник нас отсылает к другому — то карты нет, то разрешения. Мотались, пока до меня не дошло: нет этого могильника, он уже не существует в реальности, а только в отчетах, давно растащили по рынкам, на запчасти по колхозам и своим дворам. Разворовали, вывезли. Англичанин это понять не мог. Не поверил!»
«Встретилась нам бабка: — Детки, а молочко от своей коровки можно пить? Мы глаза в землю, у нас приказ — данные собирать, но с населением тесно не общаться. Первым нашелся прапорщик: — Бабуля, а сколько вам годков? — Да уже за восемьдесят, а может, и больше. Документы в войну сгорели. — Ну, тогда пейте.»
«Мне — двенадцать лет... Я все время дома, я — инвалид. В нашем доме почтальон приносит пенсию мне и дедушке.»
«"Вы", — говорит, — "тут как "черные ящики". <...> Мы думаем, что живем, как все... Ходим, работаем... Влюбляемся... Нет! Мы записываем информацию для будущего..."»
**spoiler alert** It took half a year, but I'm glad that I've made it through.
--- "If you are feeding me now for work performed, why did you not feed m**spoiler alert** It took half a year, but I'm glad that I've made it through.
--- "If you are feeding me now for work performed, why did you not feed me then when I needed it? Not one word in "The Ring of Bells," nor in "The Peri and the Pearl" has been changed. No; you're not feeding me now for work performed. You are feeding me because everybody else is feeding me and because it is an honor to feed me. You are feeding me now because you are herd animals; because you are part of the mob; because the one blind, automatic thought in the mob-mind just now is to feed me."...more
--- "He wondered what proportion oStill funny and clever, but I'm starting to get bored. Will take a break before So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.
--- "He wondered what proportion of the total number of tulips that grew on the Earth would be found witihin a radius of one mile from a windmill."
"The Somebody Else's Problem field is much simpler and more effective, and what's more can be run for over a hundred years on a single torch battery. This is because it relies on people's natural disposition not to see anything they don't want to, weren't expecting, or can't explain."...more
A break before #3 and #4 worked, and this one was a pleasure to listen to.
--- "I asked about buses but the man started to look at a calendar rathen thaA break before #3 and #4 worked, and this one was a pleasure to listen to.
--- "I asked about buses but the man started to look at a calendar rathen than a timetable, so I decided to hitch."
"If I had one Altairian dollar for every time I heard one bit of the Universe look at another bit of the Universe and say ‘that's terrible’ I wouldn't be sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin."...more
A decent overview of the movie business trends. Too many characters and biographical details that don't contribute to the story, but otherwise a coherA decent overview of the movie business trends. Too many characters and biographical details that don't contribute to the story, but otherwise a coherent narrative.
The book was published in March 2018, so let's test the author hypotheses against the 2019 box office: 1. Avengers: Endgame 2. The Lion King 3. Frozen II 4. Spider-Man: Far from Home 5. Captain Marvel 6. Toy Story 4 7. Joker 8. Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker 9. Aladdin 10. Jumanji: The Next Level
The number of original stories outside cinematic universes — zero. A trend well spotted by the author.
--- "Today, the simple truth is that there are two types of movie studios: Disney, and those that wish they were Disney."
P.S. Since the book publication, Disney has bought Fox for $71.3 billion....more
Eric had read a bunch of books on productivity and happiness and wrote a decent summary. Unfortunately for me, I've read the same books (Kahneman, DuhEric had read a bunch of books on productivity and happiness and wrote a decent summary. Unfortunately for me, I've read the same books (Kahneman, Duhigg, Newport, Gladwell), so discovered next to nothing. ...more
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