Fall of Civilizations

Fall of Civilizations: Stories of Greatness and Decline by Paul Cooper

What causes civilizations to fall? What are some of the big civilizations that fell. This book explores many of the different failures, from ancient times up to Easter Island. Much was based on a podcast that he has. He does explore different reasons for failure. In the case of Easter Island, he rejects the "resource depletion" argument, and instead focusses on the European discovery. They dropped off diseases and took away many of the residents, leaving the culture in poor condition. Later a sheep ranch used the land, denuding what remained. Other cultures had different reason for collapse. The book goes somewhat chronologically, though it is covering individual experiences rather than a coherent narative.

Best Offer Wins: A Novel

Best Offer Wins: A Novel by Marisa Kashino

A couple in DC is trying to buy a house. Alas, they get outbid in all their offers. They want to have a family, but getting the house first is a priority. The book is told primarily from the perspective of the Asian wife. Then they hear from a friend that a house in Maryland is coming on the market. The woman decides to scope it out. She absolutely loves it. She even decides to sneak in the back yard for a look. She stays too long and almost gets caught by the owner. However, she manages to get out just in time, but does run into him. She decides she will try to get the house as a "pre-listing" transaction. She stalks the owners and discovers that they are a gay couple with an adopted Asian daughter. She  tries a yoga class that one attends.  They actually hit it off and end up getting invited to dinner. At dinner she pushes things too far about an offer and end up getting discovered and kicked out. That is still not enough. She hunts for dirt on the couple. She discovers that somebody had bad things to say about one of the men (a university professor who published a book.) She traced all the students in his program at the time to see if she could find who it was. (She had previously been a journalist, so had connections as well as desire to do it.) She travelled distances to find dirt to potentially use it against them. She found he plagiarized a student. However, the student realized that she was a fraud and didn't give her the evidence. She tried to use this against the men. However, they eventually called her bluff.

Then the novel takes a very macabre turn. She realizes that her husband had been having an affair. She kills the woman involved and takes her body to the basement of the house. She framed it as having been done by a friend of hers. (She had the friend tour the house and used the friend's car and dressed like the friend when committing the crime.) Then, right before the police were ready to catch the friend, she gave her various drugs to make it look like she committed suicide. It helped wrap everything up. It also left the house available to them as the only people willing to put in an offer. The book ends with the woman discovering another affair from her husband and makes us wonder what she will be doing.

The book is a fast moving case of desperation in a crazy housing market.

Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman's Bank

Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman's Bank by Justene Hill Edwards

The Freedman's bank was formed at the end of the Civil War to give former slaves a place to save their money. It was initially charter to be a very safe savings bank in a single location. It would invest in government bond and pay a small amount of interest. It expanded to other locations. Many of the leaders were white men who desired to help the blacks. The bank later expanded to many other locations. Many of the clients were using it as a place to store money until they could buy land. Transactions tended to be small. The bank later ran into money issues. It had difficulty making the promised interest payments. It spent money on opulent buildings. The solution seemed to be to go into other money making ventures, such as making loans. It was restricted to making "safe" loans to those with significant land as collateral, and was forbidden from loaning to those controlling the bank. Alas, the first restriction ended up restricting loans to most of the black patrons and the second restriction was flouted. After a banking panic hit, the bank hit huge issues. Advance notice was required for withdrawals. (Though certain mostly white business customers could get money out easily.) The bank eventually failed. Even in failure, there were some last minute loans to friends. Almost none of the outstanding loans were paid back. The clients only received a few cents on the dollar and now were resistant to dealing with banks. It is a typically case of bank failure caused by greed, tho. This probably set back the financial condition of the freed slaves, though was only a small part of the many negative policies during reconstruction. 

Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places

Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places by Paul Collier

The author of the book appears quite full of himself, but has a good message. Places that are not succeeding need help. The help is best when it comes within. External groups can (and should) support the process, but do so in a hands off way. Throwing dollars at a poorly functioning location can often make things worse. People do not like being told what to do. Leaders may capture benefits for themselves or create "trophies" that make things worse in the long wrong. Instead, the local groups need to adopt policies that work best for them. Aid without strings may be useful for helping implement the changes. (Though this may not be necessary.) Many of the most well-functioning egalitarian states were backwaters at one time. They suffered from many of the problems modern basket-cases do now. They may be able to There have been successful authoritarian regimes and failed democracies. Singapore has boomed through a time with a single ruler. Rwanda has gone from civil war and genocide to tourist haven. South Africa has fallen down, despite dropping apartheid and allowing global electoral participation. Each place has their own special cases and most adopt appropriately.

How to Lead When You're Not in Charge

How to Lead When You're Not in Charge by Clay Scroggins and Andy Stanley

While the content is generally applicable, many of the examples are related to the author's experience as a southern church pastor. There is the story of how chic fil-a started serving milkshakes. (A local manager decided to experiment with ways to do it. He did not keep quiet about it, but did not spend too much time bragging. He had built up trust with the higher ups and was able to demonstrate how it worked well.) In another example, the church team advocated taking off Memorial Day Sunday after seeing another church do that with success. At first, the attempt was shot down. However, they later presented evidence and built up a solid case for giving volunteers some time off so they could come back stronger for the summer.

The core message is that leadership and authority are different. Leadership does not need authority. A position of authority works best for somebody that is already a leader. True leadership requires understanding others and helping them to achieve their maximum potential - whether they are above you or below you in the hierarchy. Being positive is key. Even when you seek change, doing it from a position of positivity is the best way to get it done. 

Eradication: A Fable

Eradication: A Fable by Jonathan Miles

A person is hired to eradicate goats from an island to disturb the ecological balance. He had no previous experience in the field and struggles with the activity on a physical and philosophical level. He discovers that there are other people on the island illegally fishing for sharks. Should people be playing god? There are some interesting questions explored, but the narration feels distant.

The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination

The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination by Stuart A. Reid

Democratic Republic of the Congo had a rough start. The region was originally the Belgian King's private realm. It covered an area including many different ethnic groups. White Belgians helped build up the economy with western industrialization. However, the natives were for the most part left out. Only low-level service jobs were open to them. Eventually Belgium was encouraged to turn over power. Alas, things didn't go rail. Many people expected the benefits of the "good life" that the Belgians had without putting forth the effort. There were different people competing for power. Eventually voters selected a prime minister. Alas, things went downhill. The military revolted against their low pay and Belgian leadership. The leader also got caught in cold war machinations and internal conflict. The prime minister and president both relieved each other of their office. The CIA was concerned that the prime minister may be a Soviet tool and plotted his assassination. Eventually he was killed in a plausibly deniable way. A UN plane with the secretary general also crashed around the same time (most likely due to natural causes, but rumoured to have other factors involved.) A new strongman leader was installed and the country stagnated.

The book paints a compelling narrative. However, some of the key names sound similar, make it difficult to keep track of who is who. There is extensive coverage of the UN and the challenge of keeping legitimacy with many competing forces. The CIA plot doesn't come until the end.

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals by David Hume

What are morals and where do they come from? Hume has an analysis of the morals people have and why they exist. Despite having some nice insights, I had trouble staying interested in the book. The librivox narration was not too bad.

The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation

The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation by Carl Benedikt Frey

What is the impact of technology on society? The answer is tricky. In the short term, current occupations are destroyed. Those that spent much time developing skills find those skills irrelevant. The skilled artisans must fight for new positions once their past jobs are eliminated. In the long run, society is usually better off. People have access to more lower priced goods. Those who lost their livelihood eventually find new work (or leave the workforce.)  New career opportunities appear.

The book details many cases of technology change through history. The response has differed depending on implementation. Workers were not thrilled when skilled jobs were replaced by unskilled children. When workers have been able to benefit from increased technology they are happier with the changes. Social safety nets also increase the willingness of people to adopt the changes.

The Big Store: Inside the Crisis and Revolution at Sears

The Big Store: Inside the Crisis and Revolution at Sears by Donald Katz

Sears was the Amazon.com of its time. It started as a mail order company with a giant catalog. It then went into the physical store business. It was a huge business that dominated the retail sector. However, it became stuck in its ways and started to fade as shopping habits changed. It went through various attempts to improve its financial position. Attempts at international expansion fizzled out after showing potential. Acquisitions and non-retail business lines also showed potential. Sears invested heavily in computer systems. The company also realized that they sat on a treasure-trove of data that would allow cross-selling insurance and other financial products. 

The book primarily covers the Telling leadership of the company. He started shortly after the move to the Sears tower and had a "different" style of leadership. The book ends with the choosing of Brennan as the new leader. There are many different personalities involved, with the ups and downs of a company trying to find its way. Seas seemed to be finding its way through the struggles at the end. It is interesting toread about "classic" business practices. However, the book was written in 1987. Since then Lampert acquired the company and fully drove it into ground. Will this be the fate of Amazon? Despite Sears being nearly non-existant, past components like Allstate are still thriving.

Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life

Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life by Alex Mayyasi, Alex Goldmark, Erika Beras , Mary Childs , Sarah Gonzalez , Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi and Kenny Malone

Planet Money is an NPR show and podcast that discusses interesting money matters. The audiobook has some highlights which are then translated back to an audiobook. The stories are nice bite-sized pieces that explore economics and money. There are anecdotes and examples illustrating various economic points, including those that appear somewhat counter-intuitive.

Recovery: How We Can Create a Better, Brighter Future After a Crisis

Recovery: How We Can Create a Better, Brighter Future After a Crisis by Andrew Wear

Bad things happen. We can choose how to behave afterwards. In many cases, people have recovered from tragedy to create something much better than existed before. Germany grew to be a power after war devastation. The roaring twenties boomed after the Spanish Flu. There are many cases of cities that had a big growth spurt after the destruction of a fire. The book includes many examples of positive recovery and looks forward to future improvements as society deals with struggle. It has the tone of a grandfather discussing the past.

Violent Saviors: The West's Conquest of the Rest

Violent Saviors: The West's Conquest of the Rest by William Easterly

A common antebellum argument in favor of slavery was that the slaves were much better off than they would be had they not been slaves. Materially, this is likely true. Despite this, many slaves would go through great efforts to escape slavery. People value their freedom even more than their material comforts. The book provides many examples that come down to this same point. These stretch from colonial periods up through the cold war and modern times. Western leaders still have trouble grasping the importance of self-determination, even if something else seems "better". This is a problem both at home and abroad. Many programs seem to make people better off, but they fail if the people don't want them. Sometimes this "progress" ends up being fleeting (such as neighborhoods destroyed for freeways). Other times it could be something they would adopt - as long as they had control.

The Nightingale

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

During German-occupied France, two girls tried to live their lives. Their lives were changed with the Nazi occupation and gradually clamping down on rights. They work in different ways to help the resistance. They help guide allied soldiers to Spain to return home and also shelter Jews in their home. One is caught and spent time in a concentration camp. The book is told as flashbacks from the modern woman who is in poor health. She has not told her children much about her efforts or her the assumed name she had. Her son only learns when they are there to talk with others. This provides a bit of sentimentality towards a past life, even when it is something you would like ot have forgotten.

The Forest on the Edge of Time

The Forest on the Edge of Time by Jasmin Kirkbride

Some time travelers are sent to different points in time to save the world from ecological destruction. Unfortunately, once of them damages the time machine. One is back in ancient Greek. There she struggles with the culture that includes slavery, but also realizes there are advantages to being back here. The book also explores some time travel paradoxes. Can you really complete your mission if you know all about the past and future? It reminded me a bit of Brandon Sanderson's time travel novella.

Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs

Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs by Gina Keating

Netflix was founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in the late 1990s. They had worked at a software company together that was acquired by IBM. Randolph was the primary force behind the initial idea and wanted to do something Amazon with video. Netflix was somewhat lucky that the potential competitors like Amazon and Blockbuster were inept, allowing Netflix to grow. An "activist investor" was busy trying to pull money out of Blockbuster preventing them from putting enough money into the DVD delivery operation to compete with Netflix. Blockbuster also had to struggle with the possibility of cannibalizing their existing store's revenue model - including the reliance on late fees. Netflix had optimized fast delivery of DVDs through the mail system to locations where their customers were. This seemed simple, but was difficult for others to copy. This book was written more than a decade ago, so only touches the surface of the pivot to streaming. Netflix did not do things perfectly, but was able to learn from mistakes and pivot to continue succeeding.

The Cruel Prince: The Folk of the Air, Book 1

The Cruel Prince: The Folk of the Air, Book 1 by Holly Black

For a romantic-ish fantasy, this book was surprisingly readable. A girl has an interesting family background with plenty of death and destruction. She is a human that later goes to live among he fairies. Things are bad there with a pretender to the throne managing to sneak around a curse by killing the leaders in the process of transition. In the middle of this the girl escapes and has brief romantic flings. It isn't a great book, but it beats most of the other fantasy drivel out there. 

How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations

How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations by Carl Benedikt Frey 

The big theme of innovation is centralization vs decentralization. The two need to be balanced to drive innovation and progress. Decentralization helps innovation. However, too much decentralization leaves anarchy and little ability to spread the innovations. Centralization provides rules of law and helps support processes and carry out big project implementation. However, centralized organized are prone to keep with the status quo and have little room for innovation.

Big companies rarely innovate as much as small ones. Entrenched big firms benefit from regulation. They like to keep their position. Their location at the forefront of technology is usually short lived.

The discussion of progress is well researched though it is wordy.

Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods

Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods by Michaeleen Doucleff

While this book makes sense, it has a "snake-oil sales" tone. Everything bad is related to screens and ultra- processed food. Sure, there is plenty of negativity with those. But can we really single them out like that? Books were once "bad" and now they are the solution here. There author comes across as a San Francisco Waldorf mom that is really trying to relate to others. The book is primarily a journey with her and her young daughter as they fight screens and "pood". It is a two-way process. You can't have parents addicted to screens and expect the children to avoid them. It is important to have other activities that can be used and provide the interest.

The book spends time discussing dopamine and how things were wrong. It helps drive desire. The fulfilment can be a downer. Slots are an example of crazy addiction. I was playing a stupid phone came for a bit while playing it. I hated it but was still playing. Just the badness it describes. For food, the processed food gets us all the energy in a hurry. We consume the calorie dense junk food quickly and then come back for more and more. Real food takes more work, but gives a better payoff. The discussions all feel sound. But are we missing part of the argument?

High Output Management

High Output Management by Andrew S. Grove

This is an older management book from a boss at Intel. The chip business was booming in the day, though there were plenty of pivots and changes that the company went through. There are some insights that seem funny today. Email was seen as a powerful tool that helped enable communication throughout the company. This would give American companies the similar "real time" communication similar to Japanese companies where everybody sits at a table together. Well that has come and gone. We have even gone through the open office trend, instant messaging and other real time communication tools. Now the college is often to get more focussed.

There was some good discussion on 1:1 meetings. It is good for both sides to take notes. Look at problems. Plan actions and get to the bottom of things.

In spite of the changes in technology many key aspects of management remain similar.

Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City

Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City by Bench Ansfield

Government and industry attempted to end redlining, but instead created a moral hazard that lead to apartment destruction. Special "high risk" insurance pools were available for landlords with few questions asked. If the apartment burned down, they could pocket the money and stop worrying about the headache of maintaining the building. Arsons were rarely investigated, and eve when they were it was assumed that the low-income tenants were behind them. (Though this did not stand up well in comparison to public housing where there were no arsons.) According to the author, the landlord would often hire arsonists to burn down the buildings.

The book ended with communities fighting back against arson and then gentrification. The author did identify the root cause of "unintended consequences" leading to destruction. However, they didn't quite draw it back far enough. Why was it more valuable to burn down buildings? Were there other regulations (such as rent control or tenants rights) that made the buildings less profitable? Did the end of redlining actually make things worse? If gentrification is bad, does that mean people want to live in slums? Should we let neighborhoods get better and worse?

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao

Sam Altman is not a good guy and we are trusting him with what could be existential technology. He has had issues with family members. He is a smooth talker with many connections in Silicon Valley. He was ousted from OpenAI for very valid reasons. Alas, there was not sufficient backbone to keep him out and he returned stronger than ever. Despite being called OpenAI, the company is very secretive. As a startup they were able to skirt the law and train their models on other people's IP. They would also outsource data annotation to many poorer companies, leaving some destruction in the wake. They also worked on massively scaling up hardware to accelerate improvements. Alas, this requires huge data centers and massive amounts of water. 

Some people got tired of OpenAI and went to form Anthropic. Google and Microsoft have gone all-in on their AIs. It is nice to see Open AI demoted in importance. Alas, the AI arms race is still ongoing. What will the impact be on humanity?

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams

In its early days Facebook was run like a fraternity, with little respect for how it would impact the world. It was all about maintaining engagement. Government relations only came later as a reluctant necessity. The author of this book came from a diplomatic background. She liked Facebook and thought she could make a difference. Things did not go well. Facebook was not ready for her and she was not ready for Facebook. The book is a hatchet job on Facebook, with attacks especially on Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg. Her ire is especially strong on Sandberg. As an executive, Sandberg preaches female empowerment and mixing motherhood with work. However, in practice she wants work to dominate. She mandated international travel late in pregnancy and required her to get a nanny. Zuckerberg is portrayed as a clueless guy who doesn't get the importance of political hobnobbing - until he decides he wants to run for president.

There are legitimate concerns exposed in the book. However, there is also a significant clash of culture and personalities. I'm sure the other side would have plenty of valid counterpoints. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Automatic Noodle

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

In the San Francisco of the future, robots and humans live together in a not-quite peaceable manner. Many things, such as owning a restaurant, are reserved for humans. Some robots have been working at a restaurant when the owner disappears. They decide they would like to run the restaurant themselves. They manage to work through some technicalities to get "authentic noodle" set up. They rely on a review site to help customers find them. However, they are dependent on good ratings. Somebody later tries to review-bomb them to bring them down. This person is part of the anti-robot group. Eventually, they find them and restore their reputation. However, in the process they learn that they do not depend on the service and take pride in the "automatic noodle" name they have been given by their detractors. The book has a lighthearted approach to working together even with differences.

Summer War

The Summer War by Naomi Novik

There is some realistic fantasy with some magic and siblings and lack of love. It was easy to fall asleep