Flint for Dreams » Books

Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President by Ron Suskind

Paul — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:22:38 +0000

Well, what can be said about Confidence Men by Ron Suskind? It feels like a documentary with an overt biased angle, but still does provide some insight in the financial crisis, the subsequent bailout, and Obama's presidency. It is an issue which is easy to pick at. However, Suskind seems to draw more on emotions and vague situations that clarity and hard facts, statistics, and so on. Suskind's writing style is also very unique, he gives you the impression of being the fly on the wall, to tell it like it is. Well, just to show you, I will now write the rest of this review in Suskindian style.

[ start suskind ]
Rom Suskind had to do something, he knew he had to write, he had to write a book. But a book about what? That was the question. What hot button issue could Ron write about? Critics had wondered for ages what Ron would write about and now, Ron was deciding. He decided to write about the financial crises and the bailout. Yes, no one understood that issue well, and Ron could write about it. That is what Ron did, he wrote about the crises, and politics, and Obama. He used a keyboard and typed it. That is what he did. After that, he went on a promotional tour to sell the book, The Daily Show, and other shows like that. He wanted to sell copies of his book. So he did a promotional tour, and copies sold. Ron Suskind made money from his book. That is what happened. Obama just stood by while Ron Suskind made money from his book. Obama didn't even try to stop him. Is it even legal to make money from a book like that? At least, that is what Ron Suskind did. And that is the story of Ron Suskind's book: Confidence Men.
[ / end suskind ]

California: A History by Kevin Star

Paul — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:22:38 +0000

California: A History by Kevin Star is a book which covers the history of California including the discovery and settlement by the Spanish up to the recent governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The book covers the boom of California, how it grew to be one of the largest economies in the world, and several of the problems it may face in dealing with its growth and diversity. My own experience living in San Francisco California contradicts a lot of what this book asserts and I can not completely agree with the general tone or feel of the work.

The book does, however, give a report of how California came to be, and while it may not be very compelling or inspiring, is still worth a read if you care about California.

I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards

Paul — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:51:37 +0000

I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards presents an insight into how google was run as a startup that differs from the monumental "Greatest Hits" Books that represent most of the other google books I have read. The book is still very inspiring and intimate. Facing a mid-life crises, it is great to watch how Doug turns from being a big company guy to a start-up guy, then leaving Google when it became a big company, though he had millions of dollars from stock options to help with a new journey.

Douglas is an English major and his writing is excellent. This is a great book. To get a feel for the content read this interview with him on Amazon.com.

Purple Cow by Seth Godin

Paul — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:21:16 +0000

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin states that the best marketing is built into the product, stimulating word of mouth. While it is a good book, it makes many assertions about effective advertising without the data to back it. In a way, Seth is selling you on his theory. That said, there are many good insights and ideas in this book that might stimulate you to think outside the box when creating or marketing a new product.

The key points from the book are:

Don't be boring
Safe is risky
Design rules now
"Very good" is "bad": ie, The opposite of remarkable is "very good" since "very good" is the expectation.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Paul — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:11:21 +0000

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller is a well written book, and Helen Keller is no doubt a literary genius. The book also reveals what the world must be like for the deaf and blind and Helen shows readers a new world of deep sensuality.

I had now the key to all language, and I was eager to learn to use it. Children who hear acquire language without any particular effort; the words that fall from others' lips they catch on the wing, as it were, delightedly, while the little deaf child must trap them by a slow and often painful process. But whatever the process, the result is wonderful. Gradually from naming an object we advance step by step until we have traversed the vast distance between our first stammered syllable and the sweep of thought in a line of Shakespeare.

The book also discusses Helen's disillusionment with University and higher education, as well as the importance of her teacher and friends in her life. The book is a good read, though it does tend to run long at times.

New Miss India by Bharati Mukherjee

Paul — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:34:42 +0000

New Miss India by Bharati Mukherjee is an inside look at what it must be like to be a village girl in India fleeing arranged marriage in a small Indian town for a call center job in booming Bangalore (the Silicon Valley of India). The story taught me about the struggles on Indian people, and particularly Indian women. It brought to light the lack of social justice, the prevalence of corruption, organized crime, and the abandonment of traditional values in India which have good and bad consequences. I recommend this book for these insights despite the sometimes annoying or predictable scenes Mukherjee uses that are more like scenes from a movie as opposed to creative fiction.

In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy

Paul — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:21:12 +0000

In the Plex by Steven Levy is a great look at the evolution of Google and everything it does to operate and try to retain a start-up culture. The book is entertaining and inspirational. A good read.

How I Made $2 Million as a Stock Operator & Created a Hedge Fund by Timothy Sykes

Paul — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 09:43:35 +0000

How I Made $2 Million as a Stock Operator & Created a Hedge Fund by Timothy Sykes is an honest story of a talented stock trader who tried to expand his operation by starting a hedge fund. Most people are not sure what a Hedge Fund is, and the main reason is that Hedge Funds are subject to a lot of regulation which prevents discussion of Hedge Funds to anyone but the very wealthy.

As Tim points out, this violates freedom of speech and also stifled his ability to find investors and raise capital as a start-up hedge fund. Tim's story details trades he made, including how he turned ~10K into ~2 million. It is interesting to hear stories where he made or lost 100K on several trades. This story details what would happen if you ever really did make a killing on a series of great trades, and the result is at once surprising and realistic!

This is a recommended book for anyone who is interested in trading or in getting a more honest perspective on the finance industry. As someone who is also in a burgeoning start-up I enjoyed hearing the challenges Tim went through with networking, raising funds, being in a big city, dealing with the loneliness of operating without a team, and also getting lost in the joy of growing an independent project.

Visit Tim's website for more information about him. It seems he has started several websites that help to keep track of different trader's performance, and also provides detailed information to traders.

Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky

Paul — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:40:35 +0000

Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky is a look at how media is changing from a more passive for of consumption to one of interaction. It also gives examples of how media is now being used to spark social movements and create things of real value. Take for example Wikipedia and political groups on Facebook.

Shirky feels that this age of tapping into the resource of collective intelligence, social networks, and crowd sourcing is just coming into age, and their true potential has yet to be reached.

This book is a great read for anyone active in media, and gives good advice on the fundamentals of creating online communities.

The Second Coming of Steve Jobs by Alan Deutschman

Paul — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 05:15:06 +0000

The Second Coming of Steve Jobs is a book about Steve's forced departure from Apple, his starting of NeXT computers to "take revenge" on Apple, and also how he happened to buy Pixar, really the entrepreneurial and creative project of other visionaries, but also a company that still benefited from Jobs's deal making, marketing, and financial genius.

The book is thought to take a bit of an over-critical look at Jobs. Emphasizing his claimed short temper, verbal abuse of employees, and at the same time, his stunning leadership. The book leaves you feeling Jobs is a guy who knows what he wants and does what he has to to get there. The book was published in 2000, and it is remarkable that the author found Jobs had revived Apple even then. This is before the total market dominance of the iPOD, and now iPhone, and iPAD. Though iPhone is receiving some pretty good competition from Android.

It was interesting to read this book walking around San Francisco. The city where Jobs staged so many events, and how he conceived to put computers in ever person's hands. He really popularized the personal computer, and with the iPAD his vision is still growing. The book talks about how Jobs views the computer as a tool to accelerate human advancement, and even something that could cure cancer. He really believes in what he is doing in a sense that is greater than selling catchy devices.

Listening to the story one can only wonder what would have happened if Jobs had stayed at Apple. Would he have dominated the industry with his then innovative point and click OS, preventing the rise of Microsoft? Or would he have drove the company into the ground with his uncompromising attention to the detail of absolutely everything? Living in San Francisco I have heard that Jobs is the only executive who has the design team report directly to him, and that every team on Apple has a designer. According to the book Jobs would obsess over the design of internal components in his computer, parts that would not even be seen by common users. Why? Other than that he wanted to create great products, and of course, now he has.

Jobs is a health freak, I was glad to hear, especially as author of HealthAliciousNess.com Jobs is also a good friend of Larry Ellison the CEO and Found of Oracle software, and also, contrary to popular belief, a friend of Bill Gates. It is interesting to think how close all the tech moguls really are, and what an impact their projects have had across the world.