Federico
Summing it up with the author's words:
“Financial success is not a hard science. It's a soft skill, where how you behave is more important than what you know”
Short, to the point chapters with lots of insights and, above all, no “This is THE way to do things” narrative.
Merged review:
Summing it up with the author's words:
“Financial success is not a hard science. It's a soft skill, where how you behave is more important than what you know”
Short, to the point chapters with lots of insights and, above all, no “This is THE way to do things” narrative.
You find out you are going to die within days and every day you're given (not going into details to avoid spoilers) the choice to live one more day by making something disappear from the world, or to accept your death: what do you choose? and who do you want to say goodbye to?
Picked it up again after a long time. Useful insights for inexperienced investors, even though some of them are specific to US residents.
Interesting selection of math errors (and a good math refresher in general) showing how small errors can have big consequences.
Occasionally digressing too much (for my taste). I will most likely use it every now and then as a reference.
Even though the previous book could have been a natural conclusion to this series, I keep enjoying it and I inevitably end up reading each book in no time, only to wait a couple of years for the next one to be published...
A very enjoyable book, I just had to keep reading it until the end! It's a pity that I had never heard about Tyll before reading this book, I have the feeling that that would make the read even more enjoyable
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested”
This book definitely fell into the last category, at least for me: I had to read a few paragraphs, put it down, let it sink, and only then pick it up again... rinse and repeat.
The method described in the book is extremely interesting: trying to sum it up in my own words, it's about creating, over time, a web of notes (thoughts or references) that grows organically according to one's interests, feeding itself in doing so. These notes enable learning and thinking processes, storing thoughts so that they aren't lost, connecting them to other thoughts, and enabling one to review, contrast, or improve them over time.
The book is explicitly targeting “students, academics, and nonfiction book writers”: being none of those, I struggled to relate with some parts of it (which is why I didn't feel like giving it 5 stars).
A really interesting collection of lessons learned in a life spent building software and communities, and a stunning report from the trenches of terminal sickness...
Note: I didn't read the book in its entirety, I simply skimmed through its most salient parts.
The author presents several stories of outliers (people/organizations who stand out from the crowd) and then moves on to analyze them through several lenses (social, geopolitical, personal backgrounds) to prove that
- it's not only geniuses who become outliers: opportunity (being at the right place at the right time) and extensive practice (the famous 10000 hours to reach mastery) play a big role in it
- “practical intelligence” (e.g. knowing what to say at the right time to get the maximum outcome) is a learnable skill, not an inborn trait, and can play an important role in the person's success
- cultural legacies (the set of social and behavioral norms you grow up in) can work to your advantage or detriment
- different ways of parenting lead to different types of growth in children:
- “concerted cultivation” (being actively involved in the children's activities, promoting their interests, and teaching them to make their voice heard) gives them plenty of opportunities to develop their skills
- “accomplishment and natural growth” (leaving children to find their own interests and their way into society) leads to more independence and behavioral growth
- none of the two is inherently wrong
3.5 ⭐️
Interesting book centered around the multiverse, the first one that I read on the topic. I listened to it on Storytel and the narrator did a very good job. It didn't grow on me until about 1/3 in and I found some parts a bit slow or confusing. All in all, a nice sci-fi read!
I have conflicted feelings about this book: on one hand, several parts of it felt a bit over the top; on the other hand, I did finish it in just about two days, binge-reading it until the end...
I found the first few chapters very interesting whereas I cannot say the same for the last chapters and the conclusion
Between 3 and 4 stars, cannot make up my mind...
I'm conflicted about this book: on one hand, I enjoyed reading it and found a lot of inspiration; on the other, many parts of it sounded too idealistic to me.
3.5 ⭐️
Easy to read, interesting narrative choice (the whole story is narrated by means of a series of 1:1 interviews between two of the characters).
The author blends sci-fi (at times, with a hint of fantasy elements) and historical facts to spark reflections about the way we behave, where we are heading to, and how we come to terms (or refuse to, depending on the situation) about our past.
I'm kind of sad to have reached the conclusion of this series, it made for a very nice summer read!
De voedingsindustrie maakt ons ziek door veel suiker, zout, en vet aan ons eten toe te voegen.
Ten eerste verdienen bedrijven geld met ongezond voedsel die goedkoop is om te produceren, ten tweede verdienen ze geld met medicijnen die ons laten afvallen.
Bedrijven blijven zeggen dat “de consument wil het” en de Nederlandse overheid doet niet genoeg om ze onder controle te blijven: wij als samenleving draaien uiteindelijk op voor de kosten.
This book offers several practical tips about learning languages but to be honest I don't think there was a real need to write a whole book: the main takeaways could fit in medium-length blog post
3.5 ⭐️ The first third of the book felt very slow, mainly introduced the “universe” envisioned by the author, the characters, and setting up the stage for the story. Then the pace picked up but I only got really hooked at the last 200 pages or so, which I binge-read.
By the same author as the “Learning how to learn” online course, the book delivers its contents with simple language and provides strategies to improve how we learn. Each chapter explains one aspect of learning and then offers exercises to test it in real life. The techniques explained in the book include:
- recall as much as possible what you studied right after a learning session
- “enlist” the help of the brain's diffuse mode, avoiding cramming
- solve a problem using different approaches, rather than sticking to one
- interleave subjects
- use cues to change habits and avoid procrastination
- use spaced repetitions and memory techniques (e.g. the memory palace) to consolidate memories
A very interesting read although I could have done with fewer autobiographical pages