Geek Sublime

Geek Sublime starts with great potential. The author details his experience at the intersection of the literary and computer world. Writing computer code can be similar to writing literary works. There are good writers and bad writers. Early on, coding was a "female" profession. It was considered to be similar to typing up a memo that was dictated by the male boss. The algorithm created by the "guy" was important. Coding it into the computer was simple. However, it soon became clear that coding computers is a skill and an art form of its own write. There is also a great thrill in getting a computer to do things. 

Computer programmers can also be a difficult to work with bunch. Even in open source communities that depend on working together, there can be plenty of battles. Programmers will often look down on others that use "higher level" languages that allow them to more easily do things. However, today almost everyone uses differing degrees of abstraction from machines. Even low level assembly language has taken us a few levels above the electrical switches that are operating on microchips.

The also spends time exploring differing cultural attitudes, especially with regards to India and the United States. In India, engineers and computer programmers are highly respected. Males and females both enter the field. In America, it tends to be dominated by Geeky males. 

Finally, the book takes a detour into Indian cultural and religious views. This part strayed from the original theses and lost me. Bits on Sanskrit were somewhat interesting, though seemed a little out of place. However, bits on Tantra seemed even more out of place. Perhaps a nice readers digest version could focus on the good parts without drifting too far.

One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com

One Click is a "pop biography" of Bezos. It provides a concise biography of Bezos and a history of his company. While it does provide some childhood background on Bezos, it seems to be rather shallow in his portrayal as a person. We get a lot of "facts" of a guy who was a bright programmer who decided to start his own company. He made lists, analyzed and calculated what would be the best field to go in, and where would be the best place to locate the company. This makes Amazon the alternative to many other Silicon Valley start ups that seem to start with the engineering first. Amazon seems to be a business foremost, with some good technology behind it. The "appearance" is important. (It wants an ethos of "cheap" even if it is spending more money to do so.)

The book provides a quick, easy to read introduction to the company and the founder. There are some views of people that feel they have been "used" by Amazon, but little hard-hitting commentary on the company or its influences. There are also few details on its growth. The major new fields and growth are covered, but the reason or background are missing.