A very interesting book about people who tend to prefer their own company over others. When I first saw this book, I was surprised to see the subtitle – why do loners need a manifesto anyway? – but my doubts were answered soon after. Even before I’d read the first page. The first three people […]
In terms of chronology, this is the oldest authorized Star Wars fiction novel. Written by the writer of the KOTOR games, it describes a period even before the Old Republic when the Sith and the Jedi were numerous and warring against each other – and the story is about how the well known Sith principles […]
I thought Guns, Germs and Steel was a brilliant book; and this work from Jared Diamond far surpasses it. We hear many important messages all the time, but there’s nothing like a good story to add impact. Except, maybe, a true story. Or maybe a dozen true stories. If you pick up this book in […]
A great book. The author clearly feels that the Indian national character has some fundamental problems – we are free-riders, seek to serve self over society, are way too intelligent for our own good. These traits lead to the phenomena which plague Indian society – things like corruption and it’s general acceptance, unhealthy levels of […]
The water you touch in a river is the last of that which has passed and the first of which is coming. Thus it is with time present. Life, if well spent, is long. — Leonardo da Vinci Science books are a lot of fun, and this one was no exception though it’s a bit […]
A major distinguishing feature of Buddhism compared to other religions is that the story of the worshiped one is that of a normal human. One not gifted in any particular way or blessed by any God – just of one who tried his hardest to attain the truth. Buddha is the retelling of this story. […]
If you own a Mac, you have got to try this out: a software called Nocturne by the same people who made QuickSilver. The software does a very simple thing – inverts your entire screen, giving the appearance of night vision. Looks great. Not only that, it is actually effective when using the computer in […]
This is a non-fiction book on neuroscience. I nearly got scared too, but on the back cover was a recommendation from The Economist and so I decided to pick it up and give it a try. Turns out to be a wonderfully written, eminently layman-readable and a very interesting book. The author examines a number […]
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
When I’m trying to publish a research paper, write code, make an argument, or even write a blog post, keeping it simple is one of the best ways of making an impact, not to mention being understood. Yet, as I and no doubt all of you – have often discovered, the process of creating simplicity […]
I guess everyone knows this, but I’ll say it anyway – nobody does humour like the British. The book is a diary of one Adrian Mole – a man with two failed marriages and with a kid from each, who somehow ends up making the worst possible political, emotional and financial choices. His genius lies […]
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