Sunday, March 24, 2024

Whatever Happened to Tanganyika?: The Place Names That History Left Behind

Whatever Happened to Tanganyika?: The Place Names That History Left Behind by Harry Campbell

This is a short book with a page or two for various place names that are no more. The descriptions provide a brief description, complete with history and some dry British humor, The audience is clearly British. Some of the modern British political discussion went right over my head. The place names are a smattering of different ones that are "gone" for different reasons. Many of the cases are of colonial place names being replaced by "local" ones. (Though in more than one case, the local one is the name of a dictator, and the name disappears shortly after their death.)  The local one may not be without other controversy. (Madras to Chennai sparked some debate, and even questions over which is more "native")

Other times the political entity may no longer exist. There are islands that were once inhabited that no longer have permanent residents. There are countries like Yugoslavia that splintered off to individual countries. The other even threw in an April Fools "San Serriffe" place name.

The book is an ideal "bathroom reader", with many short section that can be thumbed through and read on their own.

Saturday, March 23, 2024

The Children of Athena: Greek Writers and Thinkers in the Age of Rome, 150 BC-AD 400

The Children of Athena: Greek Writers and Thinkers in the Age of Rome, 150 BC-AD 400 by Charles Freeman

Greek thought was popular in the Roman empire. Stoic thought was heavily influenced by the Greeks. The Romans had respect for the Greek thought and used it as the basis for their philosophies. This book explores the various philosophers at the time. Eventually Christianity came to supplant the Greco-Roman religion, but only after adopting some of the thoughts for themselves.

Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine

Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman

American cooking has various inspirations. Spices from around the world make it to America. Some may start up as exotic before being "Americanized" and adopted as local spices. This book explores 8 flavors: black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha. It also looks at flavors that may be the next "future" American flavor. 

The book explores origins of the usage and popularity of spices as well as having associated recipes. Black pepper was popular in the colonies. However, it took some effort to find the source to be able to import it directly into the USA. (Once it was imported, there was a lot of money to be made.) MSG is defended as a basic chemical that naturally results from other preparation. The research into the "Chinese restaurant syndrome" was likely due to other parts of food preparation.

It is interesting that many of these flavors were heavily associated with ethnic groups before they were seen as "American", making it a true melting pot.


Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes

Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes by Richard A. Clarke and R.P. Eddy

After a catastrophe, it is almost always possible to find the  ignored "Cassandra" that warned of the impending disaster. Alas, we can also find many that warned of imminent disasters that never have occurred. How do we find the true Cassandra's while not being fixated on the fakes. This book provides some analysis in identifying the signs of "valid warnings". It then spends covers a bunch of potential catastrophes. 

Sometimes, there may be valid concerns, but they are just not worth the effort. The earth will likely crash into the sun. However, this won't occur until billions of years from now. A meteor like the one that killed the dinosaurs is more likely, but still rare. However, one that causes significant damage is more likely. Once a couple Hollywood movies were made about it, there has been greater attention played to the possibility. New work has been able to better predict impacts. Responding would take more work.

Catastrophes can also be identified via extrapolation. The Iran's uranium enrichment operations were damaged by hacking devices. Russia was able to turn off Ukraine's power.  Damage has occurred at power plants due to bad settings and configuration. Combine these and a potential hacker could cause widescale physical damage via hacking Internet of Things devices. These devices need to be better secured. Things are improving, but there is still a long way to go, especially with medical devices.

How do we identify Cassandra's? Often they are people with significant expertise in the field, but without a significant social platform. There views may challenge common views and pose some difficulty. Engineers had alerted to dangers of the space shuttle's o-ring. However, there was pressure to launch at the time after previous delays. Cultural problems were identified as root cause.

There are many technological, political and natural catastrophes that could occur. Effectively prioritize efforts to prevent them is an ongoing challenge.

First Lie Wins: A Novel

First Lie Wins: A Novel by Ashley Elston

The novel gradual unfolds with narratives from different time periods. The narrator has assumed various identities and has worked a few jobs. She often does "dirty work", sometimes uncovering dirt on public figures. She gets assignments via a Mr. Smith with a computer voice on the phone. She also received packages from "George". She had been interested in the business. However, she also has realized there is no easy way out. Her employer has dirt on her and can easily get her in trouble.

She is involved in one case that really spooks her. Somebody has her history. She also ends up being tracked in a murder investigation. We learn that she had first become spooked earlier when the employer had multiple people attempt an art heist. She was able to get it (with the help of a computer geek friend she has. She decides to try to trace some of the others involved and found that many had disappeared or died. This lead to her attempt to work with her friend to trace Mr. Smith. 

Until the end, I was not sure where the novel was going. It seemed to bounce all over the place. However, it came to a satisfying ending, with all the pieces now making sense.

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard by Joseph Conrad

I read Nostromo after seeing it mentioned in The Company. The novel did deal with capitalist enterprises in South America, so there was some connection. It seemed "familiar". There were Italians and English involved in various parts of activities in this country. Things would seem familiar for a bit, then I would get lost. This is one of Conrad's longer books. I just did not have the patience to adequately engage with it.

The Poppy War: A Novel

The Poppy War: A Novel by R. F. Kuang

I enjoyed Yellowface, and thought Babel was decent. I had high hopes for Poppy wars. Alas, it was "too" fantasy. It takes place in a world resembling 13th century China, with events closer to Maoist China. A country finds itself oppressed by a larger federation. A peasant girl studies so she can have the chance to go to the elite military school. She gets the highest score and makes it. There she makes friends (and enemies) and studies the forgotten "magic" of the gods. There are battles and wars, with the other side pretty much dictating terms. The girl learns to channel more magical power, and even seeks to help free locked away gods to help fight for her. 

The novel proceeds slowly with the characters spending a lot of time questioning their motives. I had trouble caring enough. There is also drug use (hence the "Poppy" in the title.) However, it seemed more a side action than a core part of the book. 

At the end of the audiobook, there is a brief interview with the author. (Surprisingly, they also included "fluff" from the podcast episode.) The quick summary and the interview were my favorite parts. I enjoy it when an author describes part of their process and what they were trying to acomplish.

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea

The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge

The limited liability company has been one of the most important innovations of recent history. It has been around for a few centuries in some form, but has only really started to become prominent in the last two centuries. Limited liability is a key difference. Previously, individual business owners were personally liable for company debts. Partners shared the responsibility. With the company, stock-holders liability was restricted to the money they invested. This enabled greater investment from people of different income levels. It also lead to some initial bubbles (such as the south sea bubble) that lead to a pause in company formation.

Initially companies could only be formed by getting a specific charter from the government. Some of these companies were great exploration operations, complete with administration and enforcement arms. Later anybody could choose to set up a company as they desired. Companies proliferated. They were able to take on rights of humans. However, they could also outlive humans.

Everything has not been smooth sailing. There have been periods of excess with companies. This usually involves people extracting value from companies at the expense of others. This will often lead to periods of regulation. The company structure and its relationship to society to continues to evolve. This book provides a short overview of companies and their importance in our society.

Ten Secrets for Achieving a Successful Celestial Marriage

Ten Secrets for Achieving a Successful Celestial Marriage by Laura Nielson Denke

In this book, Laura presents the ten secrets of a successful marriage to a youngish couple and we get to observe. The style helps bring the narrative. We are not just presented with advice to follow, but see the process of the couple taking it in. Sometimes it is easy to follow the advice. Other times it is much more challenging. We see their real-world challenges as well as the stories of others who have faced struggles related to the points being discussed. 

The target audience is members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that have been married in the temple for eternity. Some of the "secrets" are very specific for the audience. Other "secrets" are more general. There are numerous references to general marriage experts such as John Gottman as well as religious leaders. 

Marriage is a two-party institution. Both most work together for success. Trying to change the other person is an exercise in futility. However, changing the way you behave can bring about some success, even if the other person is not fully engaged. If both are living the "platinum" rule, there is the highest chance of success.

It is also interesting to see details from the life of the author and understand how it relates. The book was written in the late 1990s, so some parts of it do show their time. (It was interesting to read about them receiving something by fax!) It is interesting how the world has changed in 25 years, though the principles of a successful partnership remain similar.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health by Gary Taubes

The author of Good Calories, Bad Calories is strongly in the "carbs are bad" camp, however, he presents his argument with a fairly open mind. He believes there is adequate science out there to support the low-carb diets. However, it has been suppressed. 

There are multiple reasons for this suppression. There are some researchers that have received money from companies that pedal sugary food. This leads them to favor sugar (as opposed to fat.) There was also a loss of key German nutrition research after the world wars. Scientists have jumped to conclusions after limited studies. Then they have seen repetition of their initial hypothesis. Government policy was put in place before the science was settled. This advocacy for low-fat diets ended up biasing future work. Science disciplines are also very narrow and don't communicate well, limiting the view of what he sees as the obvious solution.

The criticisms of science are all valid. The advocacy for low-carb diet is also fairly convincing. However, with the thoroughness, you could easily advocate for just about any diet. He goes for the Occam's Razoer argument. Carbs are the simple solution, so they must be true. However, he also ties it with the argument for hormones and genetics. If it is our body that is controlling weight gain it why bother with what we eat? How is it that exercise doesn't matter?  

There are also challenges about grouping things together. Are all carbs bad? Are the groupings appropriate? What are the causes and effects? Do people really eat because they or predisposed to get fat?

Nutrition is complex. People have been getting fatter recently. Modern processed junk food seems closely correlated. But is it causation? Or is there an external factor? 

The book is a good exploration of low carb diets by a science writer. Will we ever have a solution to diet that maximizes health while also preserving the environment and economy?

Another Fine Myth: Myth Adventures, Book 1

Another Fine Myth: Myth Adventures, Book 1 by Robert Asprin

The narrator is training with a wizard. He is struggling with some basic magic, but then things get really weird. There are people from various dimensions that are traveling around and participating in a significant conflict. They all seem to come from worlds that would be very "punny" from our point of view. They are "demons" (d-men - from other demensions), perverts (from perv), etc. The humor seems very 1980s. The narrator's mentor suffers an untimely exit, and he ends up being mentored by somebody new who is trying to help fend off a calamity. Story twists and turns, but it is mostly just a vehicle for jokes.

Cat's Cradle

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Cat's Cradle is one of Vonnegut's better books. The audiobook also includes a brief interview with the author, though that does not add much to the book. 

The story centers around an author who is trying to write a book about the experience of the nuclear bomb. He contacts the children of the scientist behind the bomb and asks what their experience was when the bomb went off. He received responses and got to know the family better. We learn that the scientist was a rather peculiar man. His wife and children also had their strange traits. The scientist had also been asked by the marines to invent something so they would not have to fight in mud. He had actually done it, though he had not widely shared it. This was "ice-9" a substance that is a "seed" that changes the crystallization and melting point of water, and can pretty much caused instantaneous freezing. Each of his children had a small amount. This would lead to the end of the world. 

The novel also ventures off to a nation where all religion is banned, especially the "national" religion. This religion is quite quirky and extremely contradictory. The leader of the company is on his death bed and a seemingly random outsider is asked to be leader. Leadership pays well and comes with dictatorial responsibilities, but nobody wants it. However, the old leader dies with ice-9 and most of the world gets iced over. The few survivors can survive by melting off ice.

There is some crazy science here (which is not fully explained) as well as plenty of social commentary, and just plaine zaniness.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova

This book starts with an interesting idea and then repeats them ad nauseam. The idea is that looking at things carefully like Sherlock Holmes can be beneficial in many aspects of life and business. It is helpful to understand biases and not jump to unwarranted conclusions. We should carefully observe things and understand what details our mind is "filling in". These are some good points and would make a nice magazine article. As a book, it goes on for much too long. I kept thinking it was over, but then it would continue on with different variations of the same points.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure

Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure by Tim Harford

Failure and adaptation are the key to success. In biological, species don't make a plan to change. They simply let random differences occur as they adapt to surroundings. Some of these changes end up providing an advantage that becomes replicated. Changes that provide a distinct disadvantage typically fade away. Sometimes these changes come outside the natural environment. English bulldogs are bred to be pleasing to people. In the process, it has become difficult for them to reproduce themselves without human intervention.

Governments and other organizations will often try top-down approaches to dictate the desired outcomes. These approaches may minimize failure, but also minimize breakthrough success. In the case of scientific research, NIH funds "low risk, low reward" research, while HHMI will fund high risk, high reward research. When comparing scientists with similar backgrounds, those with the HHMI tend to produce more significant research than the others. 

Talking telephones were shown in the 1960s Jetsons cartoon. Today, Zoom and other video calls are common place. However, a planning body didn't set out with a plan in 1960 to have talking phones in 60 years. Instead, a number of unrelated innovations ended up coalescing together. The public internet rose out of a network for the defense department and research. Video and audio compression algorithms, microchips, fiber optics and many other components were developed and evolved for different purposes. Eventually video calls could be created by combining a few of these components.

Dictating a desired outcome can often have a deleterious impact. Players may look for a workaround that meets the desired criteria without providing the sought benefits. The fuel economy standards (CAFE) were meant to encourage more fuel efficient vehicles. Instead, they resulted in SUVs and larger vehicles that were classified as "light trucks" and thus adhered to lower standards. A better approach to reduce gasoline use would be to simply make the cost more expensive. This would encourage greater efficiency as well as alternative approaches. GU24 light sockets and energy efficient construction also fall victim to similar mandates. In finance, we often seek regulation to avoid the last disaster, which just enables seeking more loopholes and a potential new disaster. 

The biggest challenge with adapting and letting things come about is with "big problems". Finding a vaccine or a cure for a disease requires a lot of work and effort. Prizes can often be a part of the solution for these big challenges. Allowing internal changes can also help. A skunkworks project may provide a solution, or it may spin people in a different direction. Allowing people with different interests and talents can also help as they look for a new way of doing things. We need to continue to adapt to succeed. 

A Broken Blade: The Halfling Saga

A Broken Blade: The Halfling Saga by Melissa Blair

There is a world of Elf's, Halflings and Humans. The non-humans have special strengths, but the human king uses them for his purposes. The novel centers around a woman who is one of the top fighters for the king. She carves the names of everyone that she kills in her skin as a memory of her actions. She is sent to go fight with rebels and ends up joining them and even falling in love (or is it lust?)

The story can be interesting, if a little slow moving. The world is somewhat confused. How can the humans subject the others if they are more powerful? And what about reproduction? There are hints of non-standard was, but they seem to have pretty standard sex drives. Somehow they can fall in love with each other, get drunk, and yet still have great talents. If that is so, why are they subjected to others? 

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment

Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat

Arya's older sister returns home to begin wedding preparations. Arya has a little resentment with this. She also is discouraged with the experiences in school. The student body president seems to put her in a lower position. Then a bunch of conflicts come up. Relationships get flipped around. Friends get mad at each other. They also have a goal to get a big school event planned. She eventually finds the boy that she like (who has been near her all this time.) The kids get into college and the family begins the process of reconciliation. The book was structured like a Bollywood movie. However, it would really need some music to keep the effect. Instead, it came across as a more typical teen romance, with the protagonistic and Indian in America. 

The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China

The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China by Philip Ball

Water has played a key role in the history of China. There have been great water projects in many eras of the China's history. Canals date from well over 2000 years ago. The modern Three Gorges Dam is one of biggest in the world.  Control of water for crops has contributed to strength of central government. China has had a navy and sailed through other nearby areas of Asia. However, they never had the bold exploration ambitions of Europeans. This was in part due to the great distances to travel and the lower importance of Chinese coastline.

This book has an interesting thesis. It does get a bit confusing as it is organized on topics, and will go through the history from one topic, then explore the same history from another point of view. There are certain areas (such as Maoist and modern China) that do get more coverage.

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human by Richard Wrangham

Humans adopted cooking. Then evolution move to favor those that cooked food. Cooking food allowed humans to devote fewer resources to the digestive system and more to other areas. This helped humans to later dominate. Today there are some people that advocate "raw" diets. However, these diets are rare and often result in caloric deficiencies. They also often require use of food that has been processed in some ways. Humanity's ancestors were likely able to live on this raw food, but today, people are quick to move towards cooking.

Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different

Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different by Philip Ball

Quantum mechanics is weird. It seems to go against how we observe in the world. In our normal everyday life, traditional physics does seem to do a good job. However, quantum physics help explain some of the details that tie things together. Observations are not "free". Anytime we try to observe something we change it in some way. This makes science challenging.

This book was one of the more clearly written ones on thee subject. It acknowledges the weirdness and does a good job elucidating principles in context.

Trust

Trust by Hernan Diaz

At the outset, I wasn't sure if this was a biography or a work of fiction. It is cleanly set in the real world of the late 19th and early 20th century. Most of the supporting cast is recognizable. However, I had never heard of the main characters. After a while, it became clear that it was not just a work of fiction, but a work of fiction within a work of fiction.

The first part of the book is a fictional story based on the life of business leader. He had started life as a precocious child. He was born into the family that had made a multi-generational fortune in tobacco. However, he did not smoke. He was intrigued by numbers and business. After the passing of his parents, he eventually sold of the family business and focussed on his own business. He was married to a woman that also had a precocious childhood. He made a great fortune and managed to get rich when everyone was failing. He even had great short positions at the outset of the 1929 stock market crash and made even more money there. He would later help prop up the economy and aid others. Eventually, his wife slid into insanity. He tried to bankroll therapies, but she was not cured, and escaped from the asylum.

The novel then pivots to the "real world". A young family is struggling during the depression. The dad is a printer and an anarchist. The daughter has skill typing and writing. She seeks employment and makes it through a few rounds of interviews at a Wall Street firm. She then discovers that her task will be to help write the autobiography of the "real" man that felt he was slandered in the fictionalized life. He especially is concerned with the way his wife was portrayed. She had died of a tumor, not insanity. He desired her to be portrayed as a faithful companion.

There are a few conflicts in the writing process. Then the businessman dies suddenly, meaning his account is never published. The girl later returns to the primary sources and discovers a secret diary that the businessman's wife wrote in during her final days. There she discusses her pain in the treatment as well reminiscences of her past. We learn that she had significant musical talents and experience. Her husband had taught her about finance and by looking at it from her music background, she was able to gain new insights in the market that would become immensely profitable. The couple were a great combination, making huge amounts of money. She also observed the arbitrage opportunity with the inputting of transactions by clerks. She proposed they pay one off to get this data and thus make huge gains.

The book leaves us with multiple accounts of the life of the businessman. What is the truth? All accounts are considered truthful in the eyes of the teller. The wife's account appears the most reliable. (Though you would think the paid off clerk would eventually squeal.) This would provide a good example of using "other sources" and going against traditions to gain advantage. It would also put the "honesty" to question. However, these were also reminiscences by somebody on their deathbed. Can we even have a fixed truth?

Friday, March 08, 2024

Good Material: A Novel

Good Material: A Novel by Dolly Alderton

A mediocre comedian broke up with his girlfriend. He struggles with his life. He still has mutual friends with her. Just when things can't get worse, a scathing review of his performance appears online. Eventually, he uses the breakup as a way of reinvigorating his comedy career.  At the end we learn of her side. She also brings up that she is looking for somebody that has the 10% that he lacked, but then realizing the other 90% is missing. I got lost a bit at the start, but book flowed nicely after I got a grasp of what was going on. The change of perspective at the end was a nice touch.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland

Alice lives in Australia. An accident takes the lives of Alice's parents when she is a young child. She goes off to live with her flower farmer grandparents. She tells stories to herself, falls for a Bulgarian, runs away and makes up a story of her life like she would like it. There are some cruel things that happen. The book can be slow moving and it is easy to get lost.

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Bretz's Flood: The Remarkable Story of a Rebel Geologist and the World's Greatest Flood

Bretz's Flood: The Remarkable Story of a Rebel Geologist and the World's Greatest Flood by John Soennichsen

Eastern Washington state has a bizarre landscape. There are "dry falls" and other large geological formations. J. Harlen Bretz believed these came from a large flooding event. Other geologists scoffed at this. (They were also reluctant to accept this because it could seem to give credence to the biblical flood.) Eventually, many of the old geologists died off and Bretz's view became accepted. Lake Missoula is seen as the source of this flood. 

Bretz was originally from the midwest. He taught high school in Seattle. He later returned east and taught at the University of Chicago and continued teaching and engaging in fieldwork. He lived into his late 90s as he finally saw his views accepted. 

Tuesday, March 05, 2024

Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, and Protect Memory for a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health

Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, and Protect Memory for a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health by Dr. Georgia Ede MD

I had hopes that this book would be a good analysis of diet and mental health. Alas, it was a diet book pushing the keto diet. The author would proclaim that we cannot trust any epidemiological studies because they are not good randomized, controlled studies. We also could not trust pronouncements of the benefits of certain diets because they had not been studied enough. Instead, we should just focus on an all-meat diet because it is "natural". We should trust that it is good because there have been no big studies on it. Wait? Didn't we just criticize other diets as being bad because there were problems with the studies? Oh, but for keto diets, the problems with the studies mean that they missed out on it being good. It just comes across as selective analysis to push a certain diet. 

There are some good points, but even they are not without issue. It is easier to get the nutrition we eat while just consuming meat without supplementation. But if the world would do that, we would probably be driven to cannibalism after we had used up all land and driven wild game to extinction. The author tries to spin other studies on their head. The compounds that plants produce that are supposed to help us fend off bad things? Well, plants make them to fend off pests, so they must be bad for us also.

At times the author does try to be balanced. There are even some attempts at vegetarian-type keto diets. But, it does feel half-hearted. The key point is that super-processed food is not so great for us. Beyond this book just schills a diet with confused and contradictory scientific logic.

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Welcome to the Monkey House

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut (Wikipedia)

This collection of Vonnegut short stories expressed many of the concerns of the day. The "modernization" of society and sexual revolution are key concerns. The titular story deals with a means of birth control that "numbs" people from the waist down to prevent excess reproduction (as an alternative to birth control.) 

Other ones that stuck was a story about a man with a lot of inherited wealth that lived as a pauper. He didn't want to use his wealth because working as a jazz pianist at a dive club provided him great joy. Another was about an anti-agining serum and a family that fought against each other in regards to the constantly changing will of grandpa.

There are a number of interesting stories in the collection. Vonnegut was a great short story writing.