Category: Books

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Book Review: Little Brother

I was going to write that Little Brother was a great science fiction story … and then I started wondering whether it was really science fiction or not. It takes place a year or two in the future but I think all of the technology in it is possible today.

Little Brother reads like a science fiction story – Cory Doctorow’s got a bit of Robert Heinlein’s style – his characters even talk in the same way. I enjoyed the book – staying up past my normal bedtime to finish it.

I would have preferred a slightly more subtle style of explanation. The main character spends most of the book explaining everything from cryptography to churros to us. I think the story would have been more compelling if the character had just expected us to know what cryptography was and given us more subtle clues. That said, I understand that Cory is trying to educate readers and I appreciate that.

The book was possibly cooler because I’ve met Cory and I know all the technology in the book is possible.

(And for those that wonder, I ran across the Little Brother in some blog or another, checked it out on Amazon, and added it to my Paperbackswap wishlist at some point in the past. It arrived last week and as a hardback fiction book, it got add to my books to read "when I don’t have travel planned but I’m really busy pile." It will soon be shipped off to one of the 62 people waiting for it on Paperbackswap.)

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3 ways Amazon makes it really easy for me to give them money …

Amazon has perfected one part of the sales cycle: they have made it very easy for me to give them money. Anyone selling anything should think about their models.

First, they had Amazon Prime shipping. I pay $79/year. (I think it was more like $69/year when I signed up.) In exchange, when I order a book from Amazon, I don’t pay shipping and they deliver it in two days. (And often by the next morning.) So if I want a book, I just go online, find it, hit "Buy now" and it shows up tomorrow morning. It’s easier than getting in my car and driving 10 miles to the bookstore. (And cheaper now that gas is so expensive. Cheaper once I’ve already spent that $79/year that is.) So I give my money to Amazon instead of the local (chain) bookstore, because it’s easier. I also buy more books because it’s easy. (And before you tell me to use the library … most of the time my local library doesn’t have the books I want to read and when they do, there’s always a waitlist for them. That said, I love libraries. I still go hang out in them.)

Then they introduced Subscribe & Save. I never even think about diapers now. When we need them, they show up on the door step. Not only do I not pay shipping but I get a 15% discount. So I give my money to Amazon instead of to the local grocery store because it’s easier.

Then came the Kindle. Now I don’t even have to wait for the next morning. I just hit a button and I can read the first chapter and if I like it, I hit another button and they charge my credit card and I get the book. So once again, I give Amazon my money because it’s easier than waiting for my turn on Paperbackswap or going to the local bookstore.

And they’ve encouraged me to tell all of you about it, because if you click through and buy any of these (very addictive) products, they’ll give me a payback. You have been warned!

(And if they listened to me, I have ideas for how they could make it even easier for me to give them money. For starters, their wishlist functionality is so bad, I use several other tools to manage my wishlists. Also, my Kindle needs to be open source so that I can get all the features I want. But even without all those they are doing a pretty good job of making it really easy for me to give them my money.)

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I love my Kindle

I did it. I broke down and bought a Kindle. I like it because:

  • It’s light – it really does weigh about the same as a paperback.
  • I can carry several books in a very small space. I always read at least one fiction and one non-fiction book at the same time and this way I can carry them both around.
  • I can really easily take notes by highlighting sections of text or typing in a note. I really like that. (I’d like it if I could use the Kindle a bit more like a journal – that’d be great.)
  • The screen works really well. It looks good.
  • I can really quickly look up any book on Amazon, see the ratings, read the reviews, download a sample. So no more writing down a title to look up later.
  • The wireless works really well. It works in my parents’ town in South Dakota where my cell phone won’t work!
  • It comes with a browser – I can check my gmail account (rather awkwardly.)
  • I can get any book I want (that’s available for the Kindle) instantly.
  • The battery lasts a long time.
  • I’ve been reading the newspaper again. The New York Times shows up every morning. (But I’m also on vacation which means I have more time to read the paper.)
  • The screen saver. They show covers of old books, pictures of authors, tips, … and for some reason I like them.

Things I’d improve on:

  • The keyboard is too small to work as a real keyboard, too big to use your thumbs.
  • The browser is really awkward.
  • I’d like to highlight a title in a book and search Amazon for the book. (One of the books I’m reading now constantly refers to other books.)
  • It takes a second to turn the page. (The Kindle 2 is much better.)
  • It takes a couple of seconds to unfreeze the screen. (Again, the Kindle 2 is better.)
  • The buttons for previous page and next page are too easy to hit accidentally. (Luckily you can freeze the screen.) The Kindle 2 solved this by changing the buttons. If you’ve used a Kindle 1, it takes a bit to get used to but it works better.
  • A journal function. Right now I just take a note in whatever book I happen to be reading but it shows up as a note in that book.
  • I want an easy way to view “My Clippings” (my highlights and notes) on my computer. Right now I have to sync my Kindle and manually copy the file over.
  • International wireless. I’m going to miss the daily paper when I travel internationally. (Which is now available! But it looks like they might charge an extra fee to download it when traveling internationally.)

Overall, I’m very happy with my Kindle. And Amazon is making a lot of money as I bought a lot of books for it!

You can also see my list of accessories you might want and my review of covers for the Kindle 2.

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Book Review: Get a Life, You don’t need a million to retire well

Get a Life: You Don’t Need a Million to Retire Well was a different type of retirement book. Not only was it not all about money but it was targeted at people in their 40s. The author, Ralph Warner, interviewed a lot of happy retired people and realized that it wasn’t money, it was health, friends and family and activities that kept them happy. So his advice? Make friends, stay close to family and develop lots of interests.

I found the chapter on friends interesting. He points out that most of us have no problem making friends when we’re younger but that we lose those skills as we grow older. We make lots of acquaintances but fewer friends. He says we need to keep working at that. He also recommends making sure you have friends of different ages (particularly younger was his point) and friends of your own. He warns that any friends you have as couples will probably drop out of the picture if anything happens to your spouse.

He had lots of good interviews with happy retired people and quite a few suggestions on how to acquire new hobbies, make friends, stay close to family, etc. He did have a chapter or two on money but that definitely wasn’t what the book was about.

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Book Review: Raising Financially Fit Kids

I’ve been looking for a book that would explain how to teach kids about money – in ways appropriate to their age. I found it. Raising Financially Fit Kids is a great book for walking you through how to teach kids about money. The author breaks finances down into ten basic skills, and for each age group she provides a great chart that lists ways to teach your kid that skill at that age. It’s exactly what I was looking for. For example, my seven year old blows his money as soon as he gets it. How do I start explaining saving, budgeting, investing … how much can he or should he be able to understand at this point? The book explains that.

The author has a great idea around advisors. She suggests putting together a team of advisors that will help teach your kid and she has concrete suggestions and even a sample letter you can use to ask them to help and let them know what you are expecting.

If you have kids, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Raising Financially Fit Kids.

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Why I’m never going to buy a Kindle

I want a Kindle. I think they are cool because:

  • You can carry around 100s of books in the space of one. I routinely carry 4-5 books with me on long trips – in my carry-on. I always carry at least two: one fiction and one non-fiction.
  • You can take electronic notes. Notes, quotations, highlighting and underlining are all stored electronically. You can then search for that particular quote or stat you are looking for.
  • It always looks like you are working! Nobody can tell if you are reading a novel or reviewing a document for work.

So why don’t I buy one? I have two shelves full of books I haven’t read yet and it seems like a waste to rebuy them on the Kindle, so I’m waiting until I’ve read them. The problem is, every time I finish a book, I swap it for a new one, so I’m never going to get to buy a Kindle!

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Applying what I learned in the book First, Break all the Rules

I think one of the best ways to learn is to immediately apply what you are trying to learn. So last night I jumped on the perfect opportunity to practice skills from First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. As you’ll see, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Jacob, our 7 year old, plays baseball and while he’s quite good, he doesn’t take it very seriously. This drives his dad (Frank) nuts. (It would probably drive me nuts too but I think Frank has it more than covered, so I try to stay out of it.)

So last night, when I overheard Frank telling Jacob yet again that he’s doing really good, but if he’d just apply himself … I decided to intervene.

My first attempt to show different people have different talents or drivers failed miserably. I told Frank (in front of Jacob) that he might just have to deal with the fact that Jacob doesn’t want to be first. (I meant that Jacob might play baseball to hang out with friends instead of winning.) Jacob broke down crying. So after I tried to reassure Jacob and at least got him to stop crying, I tried again.

"Dad likes to play baseball because he’s really good at it, and he likes to win. If he wasn’t good at it, he probably wouldn’t play. I don’t like to play softball because I’m good at it – or I wouldn’t play. I play because I get to play with my friends and have a beer afterwards." He thought the beer part was funny and we agreed that he probably shouldn’t play for a beer. Then I asked him why he liked playing baseball and he said because it was fun. It took several back and forths before he decided it was fun because he learned things. I asked, learn things like in get better at them or learn completely new things. He said to get better but Frank interrupted with "I think you’re saying what you want me to hear." So we tried asking, "at baseball camp last week what was one really fun thing you did?" He said the bunting contest – he didn’t know how to bunt before and learned how during the game. So now maybe we can work on getting Jacob to take baseball "seriously" by focusing more on what he’s learning instead of how fast he’s running or how much better he is doing than the others. We’ll see, it might take a few rounds.

One of the main points of the book wasn’t just to figure out what your
employees are good but to help them figure out what they are good at:
self-discovery.

The initial Frank/Jacob conversation started because Frank was wondering why Jacob had been monkey for so long during monkey in the middle that afternoon – he though Jacob wasn’t trying hard enough. I suggested that Frank could teach Jacob a way to throw over anyone’s head no matter how tall they were (assuming that Jacob would like to learn and practice a new technique more than he wants to "win"). Jacob said that would be neat. Now I just hope Frank knows a way to throw like that. If he doesn’t, I know the challenge will be motivating enough to him that he’ll find a way!

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Book Review: First, Break All the Rules

I’d recommend First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently to all new managers – well, to all managers for that matter. The first point the book makes is that who you work for is more important than the company you work for, your job description or even your paycheck. I agree, 100%.

We have said that an employee may join a company because of its prestige and reputation, but that his relationship with his immediate manager determines how long he stays and how productive he is while he is there. We have said that the manager is the critical player in turning each employee’s talent into performance. We have said that managers trump companies.

The next main point they make is that everyone is different and you should spend your time finding the perfect role for them and the perfect way for them to accomplish their goals. Don’t waste your time trying to improve your employees’ weaknesses. Get them the skills they need or find them the resources or partnerships they need, and put them in the right roles – where their talents and drives match the job they have. They break talents and skills into skills, knowledge and talents. The first two are teachable but "talents" are inherent. I saw their talents more as drivers. A talent was more than just what you are good at but what motivates you do what you do well.

The authors define 12 questions that measure the key things needed to attract and keep good employees:

What do I get?

  1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
  2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

What do I give?

  1. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
  2. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
  3. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
  4. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

Do I belong here?

  1. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
  2. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
  3. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
  4. Do I have a best friend at work?

How can we all grow?

  1. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
  2. This last year have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

According to the authors, managers should spend their time making sure the first two sets of questions are answered: "what do I get?" and "what do I give?" They also point out that most organizations aren’t set up to treat people like individuals (in the sense that we all have different talents) – instead they try to get everyone to do a job well in the same way – nor to reward people in their current role without promoting them out. They offer suggestions for how managers can work within existing company policies. They also provide a section on what to do if your manager is still working on becoming a perfect manager – a section how to manager yourself and help your manager work best with you.

First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently is well worth reading for anyone who is a manager, aspiring to be a manager or frustrated with their current manager.

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Book review: The Hungry Gene

The Hungry Gene: The Science of Fat and the Future of Thin is another good history of eating, or rather obsessing about weight. It’s not as detailed as Good Calories, Bad Calories but she made some good points. Here are the two messages I took away. (I’m sure there were more in the book.)

  1. Our genes influence how fat we get – not just how we process food but also what types of food we like and how much of them we eat. She gave an example of an island in the Pacific where the inhabitants were decimated by famine. The survivors were genetically inclined to use all calories "effectively" – they eat lots of fatty foods, enjoy being sedentary, and put on lots of fat – food storage. Today with plenty of convenient fatty foods they are very fat. Her point seemed to be that it’s only a matter of time before we are all fat in today’s society. If you are skinny now it’s because you are lucky to have good genes or you have time and money to work at being skinny.
  2. Until we treat "Big Food" like Big Tobacco, the situation will continue to get worse. Food companies exist to make money and they make money when we eat lots. They will continue to lobby for laws and situations that enable them to sell us lots of food.

The Hungry Gene was an easy to read, absorbing book. I found myself reading it long after I should have been in bed!

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To keep or to share: how much do you love your books?

I admit, I like to keep books. Even those I’ll never reread. They have information, fun stories, excitement and knowledge. It’s hard to give that away. (Plus I love book stores and libraries – what could be cooler than having one in my house?) But as Seth Godin says:

Hoarding books makes them worth less, not more.

Paperbackswap and Amazon have made it much easier for me to give away books. When I list my book with Paperbackswap I know it’s going to to someone who’s going to read it – someone who really wants to read it. And with Amazon around, I know I can get a copy of the book again tomorrow if I need it.