Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating and inspiring man. Also interesting to note the similarities between him and others like Steve Jobs, as well as the differences (space and solar power vs. ipods and ipads).

Will be curious to read a follow-up in a few years. The author seemed a bit star-struck at times, but otherwise written well.

Some of my notes:

- Would go into a dreamlike state when concentrating in childhood
- Had a compulsion to read
- "churned through 2 sets of encyclopedias"
- had photographic memory

Detroit had been separated from its own can-do culture: "Tesla tried to lease a small office in Detroit. The building's owner wanted to see 7 years of financials. Then he wanted two years' worth of advanced rent. Tesla could have bought the building outright".

Scolded an employee for missing a work event to see the birth of his son.


Musk: "The sixty billion dollar bullet train they're proposing in California would be the slowest bullet train in the world at the highest cost per mile... It's meant to allow people to go from LA to San Francisco in about 2.5 hours upon its completion in - wait for it - 2029."


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The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Sonia Soto (Translation)

The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some of it was rough around the edges, and I had some issues with the whole ending/denouement, but all in all it was a satisfying read.

I liked many of the asides and quotes, such as the one about Marquis de Paulmy and the Comte d'Artois. Or the discussion about why Death carries a scythe while the devil has a pitchfork:
"Because Death reaps, but the Devil harvests"

Also, this introduction happened at the party, which made me happy: "Look who's arrived. You know him, don't you? Professor of Semiotics in Bologna..."

3.5 stars





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Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip E. Tetlock, Dan Gardner

Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip E. Tetlock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How many political forecasters have their past predictions analyzed before they're invited to make more predictions on TV? How many viewers check how accurate Jim Cramer has been over his career?

Some other notes I took:
- Medicine: from Ancient Greece to George Washington, bloodletting wasn't questioned.
- Galen said: "with my medications only the incurable die" --> confirmation bias (if they live it's thanks to him, if they die it's not his fault).
- Modern scientists (and all forecasters) need to ask themselves: what would convince me I'm wrong?
- The more ideological, the worse the predictions, and the less they admitted it.

Much of the material seems to build off of Daniel Kahneman's work, but still very good.


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Principles: Life and Work

Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I wish (hope?) more successful people would do something like this: lay down the principles by which they live their life.

Some gems in there, including finding ways to use disagreement to get the best ideas (if someone convinces you to change your mind it means you learned something, while the other person hasn't improved. Also, if you don't want the other person to feel bad, you might not give them all of your information, and their decision will be sub-par). Also the section about getting news from the media, and the part dealing with asking yourself whether you have the right to have an opinion.

The first part is his life story, which was probably more useful to me than the rest, since it gives his reasoning for many of the principles. I could have done without the neuroscience section.

The second half, Work Principles, should be Workplace Principles. Since I work alone I didn't find much there for me. Still, the first two parts (biography and Life Principles) were worth the price of the book.

Chances are, anyone who enjoys this interview will enjoy the book: https://tim.blog/2017/09/13/ray-dalio/


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After the Quake by Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin (Translator)

After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think short stories aren't enough to enter into the Murakami mindset, at least for me. Once again, there was probably quite a bit of symbolism that was over my head. I usually don't mind this as long as I can feel the odd ambience that pervades his books. This wasn't necessarily the case for these stories. The last story was probably my favorite. "Landscape with flatiron" might be second.


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