jastram.de Blog - Books

What book to read next...?

micky@alum.mit.edu (Michael Jastram) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:08:59 -0400

I read quite a few SciFi classics lately. I just found this incredible chart, and I may actually use it to pick my next book to read.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Book)

micky@alum.mit.edu (Michael Jastram) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:06:52 -0400

Recommended: This is a classic from Robert Heinlein, one of my favorite SciFi authors.Storyline: The moon is a prison colony and becomes independent with a help of a computer that gained consciousness.

Triiibes Q&A Book complete

micky@alum.mit.edu (Michael Jastram) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:03:40 -0500

I've been lucky enough to be part of an exciting experiment. Several months back, Seth Godin set up an invitation-only website called Triiibes. This accompanied the preparation for his new book Tribes. To get a glimpse on what's going on there, check out The Daily Triiibunal.

This group is inspiring, and moreover, productive! Together with the book launch in October, the group released the first accompanying eBook, the Tribes Case Book. And they just released the second one, the Q&A Book. Especially the second one is amazing in quality and done just by volunteers who are passionate about Tribes. Check the books out, they are free and quite amazing.

Book Reviews: Feynman vs. Watson

micky@alum.mit.edu (Michael Jastram) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:18:56 -0400

Recently I read the biography of Richard Feynman, "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman" and just now the biography of James Watson, "Avoid Boring People". Feynman won the Nobel Prize in Physics 1965 and Watson the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

The Feynman book I can wholeheartedly recommend the Watson-Book not at all!

Feynman starts off a little slow, but the book gets really interesting and shows a man who is truly passionate about physics. He couldn't care less about the Nobel price and was even considering to turn it down. The book is entertaining and shows a man with integrity and passion.

Watson starts off slow and stays slow. His book almost reads like a telephone book, with far too many names and facts that are irrelevant to the story. Although I really enjoyed the science parts of the book. But after the discovery of the double helix (after the first 3rd of the book) it really goes downhill. Watson starts to complain about not getting enough salary, he says really nasty things about some people, and in generall comes across as petty, self-centered and back-stabbing.

Don't forget: Summer is book-reading time!

Free Ebooks!

micky@alum.mit.edu (Michael Jastram) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:17:59 -0400

Find yourself completely free eBooks at ChangeThis - and thank Seth Godin for starting it a long time ago.

The Homer Multitext Project

micky@alum.mit.edu (Michael Jastram) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:16:50 -0400

Very cool - the The Homer Multitext Project aims to digitize old text. Amongst them is the oldes manuscript of the Iliad, which is in the process of being photographed and scanned in 3D.

Book Review: Built to last

micky@alum.mit.edu (Michael Jastram) — Sat, 12 May 2007 10:20:37 -0400

Not quite a recently published book, but Built to Last is definitely a classic. It has been on my list of books to read, and finally got to it. It's a six-year research project trying to figure out what makes a company visionary. For a research book, it's a very exciting read, and it's full of a number of good insights.

Intuition by Allegra Goodman

micky@alum.mit.edu (Michael Jastram) — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 10:12:46 -0500

I just read the book review - sounds really intriguing. Set in a Harvard laboratory, a scientiest seems to have found the cure for cancer - but are the results real? Could be set at Steward Schreiber's Lab...