Category Archives: Reviews

How Many Licks?: Or, How to Estimate Damn Near Anything by Aaron Santos

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Hong

It looked much more interesting when I saw his talk at Authors@Google. However, I found it rather monotonic. Some of the ideas were interesting, but got boring fast.

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Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Hong

I’ve always been interested in learning languages. That’s why I was interested in this Dr. Everett‘s book when I saw his talk on FORA.tv. The linguistic details on this obscure Amazonian language was a bit too much for me, but … Continue reading →

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The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One by David Kilcullen

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Hong

Another book I was made aware of through “Authors@Google” talks… This book gives a pretty good idea of what was wrong about the initial approach of the U.S. in Iraq and how and why the “Surge” worked. I think it … Continue reading →

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Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Hong

No wonder this book as been a best-seller for a long time. The book has a very good combination of academic and personal essay styles. Very easy to read and very convincing. Dr. Robert Cialdini explains, out of curiosity from … Continue reading →

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Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World by Alex (Sandy) Pentland

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Hong

Reading this book was more like reading a Ph.D paper. Besides, the idea seems interesting, but the arguments and evidence weren’t there to me. Quite disappointing.

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The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Hong

Dr. Kessler talks about a subject that I have been struggling with for my entire life. While some of the biological research results he talked about were interesting and enlightening, I am not sure if his proposed solutions are anything … Continue reading →

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The Numerati by Stephen Baker

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Hong

I thought the organization of the chapters were interesting. Some stories were interesting. However, ultimately, this book by Stephen Baker felt too light on details for me.

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The Parents We Mean To Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children’s Moral and Emotional Development by Richard Weissbourd

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Hong

I liked the fact that the book by Richard Weissbourd had a strong emphasis on the morality (as compared to the happiness). It’s something that I also feel that is lacking in the fast-paced, low-birth-rate world of today. The book … Continue reading →

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acer Aspire Easystore H340

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Hong

A Bit of Background I have been looking for a backup solution for home. Ever since I took up a digital camera in 2001, I have been accumulating quite a bit of slices of my life in the form of … Continue reading →

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Inventing the Movies: Hollywood’s Epic Battle Between Innovation and the Status Quo, from Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs by Scott Kirsner

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Hong

As a person who enjoys movie and technologies in audio-video entertainment, I really enjoyed this historical overview by Scott Kirsner. The main thread of his storytelling is the struggles between the innovators and the “preservationists” (or “status quo”), and mostly … Continue reading →

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