innovation - Book Reviews

Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

“Goddamn airplane is made out of balonium.” Fighter pilot John Boyd had an extremely low tolerance for bullshit. In a remarkable three decade career of military service, Boyd exhibited near-mythical talent, range, and insight. As a tragic genius, he has few parallels in American history. He began as an unbeatable

4-stars

The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future

2020 Democratic candidate Andrew Yang lays out his universal basic income plan and an optimistic vision for the future.

4-stars

Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science

"The scientific method is the most reliable way of discovering the truth." That's how I responded when a friend recently challenged me to state my core beliefs. As I ranted about Popper on "falsifiability" and our conversation descended into the depths of definitional disputes, I realized

business

The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation

"The Idea Factory" is a fascinating look at the lives of some of the key men who shaped Bell Labs and created its greatest inventions. The scale of Bell Labs’ impact is truly incredible and this book does a good job of explaining the history of the institution

innovation

The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age

"The Digital Doctor" is an interesting take on the history of Electronic Health Records and how they're changing medicine for better and for worse in America. I'm not particularly interested in this specific topic, but the book is valuable as a case study of the challenges of integrating

science

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" is a difficult, dense read that requires a fairly broad familiarity with the history of science. Often overly professorial in tone and frequently repetitive, the book is a tough slog. Yet this book is one of the cornerstones of the field of the

5-stars

Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age

I was looking at my highlights for Paul Graham's "Hackers and Painters" and it seems like I basically highlighted the entire book. It's that good. At its core, this is a book about how changes in technology (particularly computer tech) have changed economic and social realities... and the