They say everything is bigger in Texas. I say even Texas is not big enough for McConaughey and his ideals. This is the story of a Southern boy pouringThey say everything is bigger in Texas. I say even Texas is not big enough for McConaughey and his ideals. This is the story of a Southern boy pouring out 35 years of his view of life into what he calls as an “approach book”.
This is definitely not a must read. Certainly not suited for everyone’s taste. Many parts are poorly written, unrelatable, philosophical and too “preachy” to my full liking.
But parts of it are certainly unique, funny, raunchy and interesting. I am impressed that he preserved the scraps of paper that he scribbled 35 years ago. I loved the fact he chose to be authentic and vulnerable in the book. I loved the fact that he was willing to share the dirty details of his childhood and parents. I loved the fact that he admits being lost is his entire 20s and 30s. I loved he didn’t exaggerate his struggles in Hollywood and make it sound like a rags to riches story.
Matthew McConaughey is a Hollywood showman and an entertainer. He’s got style, great story telling skills and a strong original Southern accent. These are his strengths and these are the only things you should expect from the book....more
The reason why this book so great is because 1) It is simple 2) It is prescriptive 3) and the author shows courage to take a stand on achieving financThe reason why this book so great is because 1) It is simple 2) It is prescriptive 3) and the author shows courage to take a stand on achieving financial independence through stock markets.
Most advices on subjects like career, marriage, health are extremely vague and writer rarely risks themselves to provide any tailored advise. JL Collins is different. He is very opinionated, doesn’t mind looking bad and cant get more prescriptive than this.
If you are living and working in the United States, this is a MUST read. It helps you to gain perspective and helps dive deeper into some of the internal workings of US financial system.
The book is more about achieving financial independence by keeping it dead simple and on auto pilot. If you are someone like me who works at one job and don’t want to fiddle with multiple income streams, this book is a gem. There are a few downsides for this book.
The book is extremely US centric and all the examples around IRA, 401K may not applicable to a non-US reader. Since it is very prescriptive, almost all the advices are elaborated using US financial instruments.
To fully appreciate this book, you should have indulged in some sort of wealth creation activities before such as stock picking, investing in properties or something else and burnt your fingers. It also assumes you are familiar with basic economics and wealth building options out there.
I would argue this is one of the best foundational investing books as it helps you to build the right mindset and also provides all the “real numbers and stats” to create your own plan....more
I have not read anything like this before. It made me cry. It is emotional, inspiring and remarkable all at the same time.
Ana and Curt Warner are no I have not read anything like this before. It made me cry. It is emotional, inspiring and remarkable all at the same time.
Ana and Curt Warner are no ordinary couple. After all, Curt was a professional football player with Seattle Seahawks. Even for a couple like them, raising children with ASD is no easy thing. This books shows you the kind of power unconditional love and hope can bring to your life. It also educates you on Autism and the challenges parents with Autistic children face on a daily basis. While awareness of mental health and conditions like Autism are increasing in the world these days, I really wonder how do parents with less fortunate circumstances will deal with such challenges. Personally, it inspires me to be a better parent and a husband. There are plenty of occasions where Curt and Ana shows how they built the foundation of their family by cultivating empathy, strength and respect for each other.
In summary, this is a story of love and courage. And how a family stuck together to overcome seemingly impossible hurdles every single day with unshakeable trust, love and hope for each other. ...more
Why is everybody so hyped about SpaceX? Will Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic ever send a tourist to space? What is Jeff Bezos doing in space? Why is everybody so hyped about SpaceX? Will Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic ever send a tourist to space? What is Jeff Bezos doing in space? Where is NASA these days?
These were some of the questions that prompted me to pick up this book. The book lacks technical depth or nail biting storytelling but it does a good job in keeping novices like me engaged and immersed.
The focus is definitely on Musk and his baby SpaceX and to a lesser extent on Bezos and his clandestine Blue Origin. Both Musk and Bezos are Internet prodigies who have no formal training or professional experience in rocket science. Making humans a multiplanetary species is a grandiose vision and probably no other challenge comes close to its level of difficulty or complexity. This could probably be the reason why these highly successful men are willing to risk their reputations and endure the pain of a long, tedious, expensive space journey with little or no guarantee of success in their lifetime.
In fact, what I found more interesting is to learn about men who attempted to conquer the final frontier before Musk and Bezos. Stories of people like Andrew Beal who started Beal Aeropspace and Burt Rutan, the winner of Ansari X Prize, are inspiring and they laid the foundation for Musk and Bezos. They also exposed politics in the industry and the battles that lay ahead of anyone attempting to challenge the status quo enjoyed by NASA, Boeing and Lockheed.
In summary, this is a great introduction to anyone trying to understand what is happening in space right now and how it is possibly going to change mankind in the future by making human beings as a multiplanetary species. ...more
Drug traffickers go digital! What the 29 year old “Ross the Pirate” built in just 2 years will put Pablo Escobar to shame. That too did it from his beDrug traffickers go digital! What the 29 year old “Ross the Pirate” built in just 2 years will put Pablo Escobar to shame. That too did it from his bedroom in Austin, beaches in Sydney, cafes in San Francisco and used United States Postal Service to deliver his goods.
This is a classic case of person’s strong ideology taking over one’s identity. With misplaced ideals and extreme hunger for power, a person can go any length to carry on his mission.
One thing that amazes me is how secure today’s technologies are. Here is a guy with little programming background but smart enough to understand the power of Tor, PGP encryption and Bitcoin who built a drug cartel. More often than not, the weakest link is the human negligence, which led to his demise. If not, I would argue the technology would not have let him down.
This may not be the best book I have read, but author does a good job with his fast and crisp storytelling. It has many interesting characters. FBI, DEA, IRS, NYPD with their own heroes and all of them are entertaining.
If you are someone who wants to learn about the dark side of the internet aka ‘Dark Web’, what masks cybercriminals wear to work, this maybe a good start. The book could very well been a good crime novel. But this is a true story with real characters making it more interesting....more
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