The 2017 National Electrical Code is Onerous
Colin here. If you are in telecommunications, you need to read the 2017 National Electrical Code that goes into effect in July in many parts of the country. It is one scary code. Every device connected to the electrical network…
Should Overbooking Be Allowed?
United’s forced removal of a passenger has become an Internet sensation, but the truth of the matter is overbooking and forced removals are actually pretty common — and United isn’t even the worst at it. Overbooking seems wrong. There’s X…
Books March 2017 Dark Matter + 2
Completed three books in March. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a quantum physics thriller. There’s very little I can say here that won’t ruin some surprises, so I will keep it brief. The science provides a nice back drop, but…
iSchadenfreude
Finally – Apple is falling. I take a little joy in this post because it’s been hard being a PC type during the rise of Apple. I will be the first to admit that Apple devices have offered a superior…
Books October 2016: The Big Short +1
Two books this month, and in both cases it was the movie that caught my attention.I generally prefer to start with the book because it has more than two hours of content, and movie adaptations cut too much out. However, after…
Books Sep 2016 Abundance + 2
These are the books completed in September – a good month. Still Foolin’ ‘Em by Billy Crystal: There are not much television shows I remember from high school, but Soap is one of them. What no one could know back…
August 2016 Books Elon Musk +5
August was a banner month for completed books. The list appears long, but I think I read Coraline in July and forgot to include it in last month’s post, and several of these books are short. Elon Musk – Tesla, SpaceX, and the…
Books July 2016 – the Orbital Perspective +3
MIT AI Course by Marvin Minsky: Marvin Minsky is one of the legends of Artificial Intelligence. His 1988 book on AI, Society of Mind, remains required reading – and it’s not really about AI. Minsky portrays the mind as a “society”…
Books June 2016 Stranger in a Strange Land + 2
Books completed in June. Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein: Classic science fiction that’s been on my list for a very long time. I think it’s held up well, but who knows. I Really enjoyed the book which is more about…
My New E-Bike
I’ve always loved biking. Growing up in California meant I could ride my 5-Speed Schwinn (yellow Sting Ray with a banana seat) to school year round. In high school I rode a green Centurion 10-speed. In College I got my…
spikɪn ɪŋglɪsh
I was asked by a Chinese student why English spelling is so irregular and complicated. It got me to thinking. You know, English spelling was not “standardized” until the late 1800s. Before then, you could spell things phonetically. Just look…
Books May 2016: Undeniable + 2
My May reading list had these three books: Undeniable by Bill Nye the Science Guy. Nye decided to write this book after debating evolution vs. creationism. This is an excellent book that exceeded my expectations. Man’s understanding of evolution has significantly…
The Nest
In April I finished a book that is currently number 3 on the NY Times Best Seller list, The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. It’s the second time I have been surprised about this book. The other surprise was when my husband, who…
Books April 2016 – Exponential Organizations +2
Books completed this month. The Giver by Lois Lowry: Technically a book for young readers, but like Watership Down it’s really for adults. It takes place in a future in a society that is nearly perfect. Seems like most future books are dystopian. This little…
Books March 2016
Just one book this month (and barely at that). Between Enterprise Connect, family activities around Spring Break, and a longer than usual book – it was a single book month. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a Pulitzer Prize winning book….
Avenue of Mysteries
I’m old enough to remember when John Irving’s The World According to Garp was a huge bestseller, 45 years ago. Though I’ve read other books by Irving over the years (e.g., The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany), it…
Books Feb 2016
Continuing with my second monthly installment of books I recently completed. Future Crimes: Inside the Digital Underground and the Battle for Our Connected World: I really enjoyed this book and it was a real eye opener. I consider myself fairly…
Books Jan 2016
Books I completed this month. Under the Banner of Heaven: This is my second Krakauer book. The first was “Into Thin Air” which retells a disastrous year on Everest. “Under the Banner of Heaven” is also documentary style, but instead of Everest…
How Autonomous Cars Will Eliminate 10M Jobs
I thought this post about Autonomous cars was very good. I met Zack at an event hosted by another local Futurist Thomas Frey. I agree with most of Zack’s conclusions, especially regarding how people are underestimating the impact and rate of impending change…
New From Apple: The iPager
The team in Cupertino did it again. This device is amazing – the new iPager from Apple. Many people were expecting a watch, or iWatch. “Watches are ridiculously obsolete” says an Apple employee who works in the same building that…