This book has been an extremely helpful, science-backed reminder of the value of pranayama, which I started learning in 2011, and which is becoming a This book has been an extremely helpful, science-backed reminder of the value of pranayama, which I started learning in 2011, and which is becoming a key to my successful management of life with LAM, a.k.a., lymphangioleiomyomatosis (lim-FAN-je-o-LI-o-MI-o-ma-TO-sis)....more
I made a goal this year to read more books outside my professional genre and personal interests, hoping they'd help me think outside the box for challI made a goal this year to read more books outside my professional genre and personal interests, hoping they'd help me think outside the box for challenges I face at work and home. This book doesn't disappoint.
Through stories that apply physics to everyday occurrences and personal experiences, professional physicist Helen Czerski makes science less an intimidating series of definitions and formulas and more a confidence-building set of DIY problem-solving tools.
It's already helped me (1) figure out how to keep my glasses from fogging up above my COVID mask; (2) more effectively keep warm while running outside early in the morning; and (3) think of a research project about whole grains that, if I pursue and figure it out, could lead to a really delicious kitchen patent....more
This is one of the best longform pieces of journalism I've read in a while. It's not Obermayer and Obermaier's Panama Papers, but it's up there with AThis is one of the best longform pieces of journalism I've read in a while. It's not Obermayer and Obermaier's Panama Papers, but it's up there with Andy Greenberg's Sandworm, and David Hoffman's Oligarchs.
I first watched the HBO documentary 'The Inventor', which briefly sketches the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her Silicon Valley blood-testing company Theranos, and the fraud committed along the way. Then I picked up the Bad Blood audiobook after my boyfriend convinced me that it goes into a lot more compelling detail. He was right. Not only did I get a firm grasp of the facts and circumstances in the Theranos case as told by the whistleblowers, but I armed myself with the best modern example of why lying is not good for business. I feel a sense of justice knowing that Truth won in this case, even though the people who worked to bring it to light suffered (one even developed clinical depression and committed suicide), and despite the number of immensely powerful people Holmes had on her side.
At the end of the book, John Carreyrou, the WSJ journalist who published the front-page article that started Theranos's unraveling, writes: “A sociopath is often described as someone with little or no conscience. I’ll leave it to the psychologists to decide whether Holmes fits the clinical profile, but there’s no question that her moral compass was badly askew. I’m fairly certain she didn’t initially set out to defraud investors and put patients in harm’s way when she dropped out of Stanford fifteen years ago. By all accounts, she had a vision that she genuinely believed in and threw herself into realizing. But in her all-consuming quest to be the second coming of Steve Jobs amid the gold rush of the 'unicorn' boom, there came a point when she stopped listening to sound advice and began to cut corners. Her ambition was voracious and it brooked no interference. If there was collateral damage on her way to riches and fame, so be it.”
Indeed. I'm looking forward to following the criminal trial of Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani starting on 27 October 2020....more
I gave this three stars because the text isn't exactly useful. But it's AMAZING as a desk reference for anyone wanting to know the origins of western I gave this three stars because the text isn't exactly useful. But it's AMAZING as a desk reference for anyone wanting to know the origins of western apothecary classifications, including the metaphysical properties of gemstones.
And what a find for creative writing. The catalog of medical practices and materials in Physica wasn't dubbed a source of witchcraft or pagan practices--it was sanctioned by the Church! And if you're into modern herbal remedies, some of it still comes through in what we do today! The short stories just begin to write themselves, don't they?...more
David Ignatius outlined his research for a lecture I attended few years ago. His sources were impressive. Now that I've finally read the book, I can hDavid Ignatius outlined his research for a lecture I attended few years ago. His sources were impressive. Now that I've finally read the book, I can his research paid off. He does a great job giving a layman’s view of how quantum computing is supposed to work; why nation-states covet its practical applications; and the commonplace business, contract, and security frustrations of researchers and program managers for whom quantum is their day job.
The story was also helpful laying out the roles and responsibilities of different federal agencies in this space, even if the characters who represented those agencies sometimes were cartoonish. (Ahem--my FBI Deputy Director doesn't speak in a Texas drawl and make generalized assumptions about people on the basis of their skin color.)
It's also an easy read. I would definitely recommend this book to friends asking me for a basic, non-technical starter explanation on what all the fuss over quantum is about. 4 stars!...more
Loading...
