Category: Blog
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Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
This is the third of five books in the Foundation series. It introduces Asimov’s mentalics motif in the main; we meet many characters who like the Mule, have the power of telepathic emotional control over others. We learn a lot more about Seldon and his plan. The plan and those who execute it are forced…
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Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
This is the second book of Asimov’s Foundation Series. This is a worthy sequel to a great start. 10/10. One of my favorite parts of this book is the way he chooses words and phrases, which seems different from his other books. He might describe two politicians who hold the same office; one who is…
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Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asmiov’s Foundation series and especially this first book are perhaps his greatest achievement. It’s no wonder this series won the Hugo for “Best Series of All Time.” The core question seems to be, “What if history is not on your side?” or perhaps, “What role does an individual play in history?” The story…
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❤️ I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
This has been one of my favorite books since I was a child. When I heard the announcement that this year’s theme for Burning Man is going to be “I, Robot,” I decided to reread it. It’s still one of the best books I’ve ever read. I can not say this enough, THIS BOOK HAS…
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Defining Evil
This is an important word which serves to define the things we ought not to do. I choose to accept Philip Zimbardo’s very studied definition; Evil is intentionally acting or causing others to act in a way that dehumanizes, harms, or kills innocent people. The top two reasons people or groups become evil are the…
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Tim Ferriss – The 3 Critical Rules of Branding
What unique benefits does this company/product deliver and who are your 1,000 true fans? How can I turn my casual fans into die-hard fans? “Focus on what fucking matters and let the rest follow.” These are the fundamental questions he asks through his three rules of branding. This is a really great episode about differentiating…
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Sam Harris’ Waking Up Podcast – What Happened to Liberalism?
“The united front of the [American] left broke down over identity issues… There was a retreat to the universities… People on the left really abandoned electoral politics and instead develop this idea that all social change happens through social movements that are tied to identity. And we ended up with gender theory and race theory…
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This Week in Startups – Casey Winters and Jason Calicanis talk about CAC and Planning Sustainable Growth
In this great episode, Casey and Jason go in depth on topics around customer acquisition cost and how to measure the sustainability of your product or service’s key actions. This feeds into a great conversation about what steps to take before a growth phase to make sure you can survive it. This leads into a…
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❤️ Robert Greene – The 48 Laws of Power
This book was recommended by a friend. He said it reminded him of a shared favorite of ours, How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It reminds me of The Game by Neil Strauss. This book could be used for great evil, or for good. And like The Game, it will certainly…
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❤️ Tim Ferriss – The Four Hour Work Week
A few years ago, I made an unusual friend. He was a traveling houseless graphic designer who worked very little and made far more money than I did. Everything he owned fit into a small backpack, and he was essentially in permanent vacation mode, while working online whenever he wanted to. He introduced many interesting…