Review: Storie dimenticate. Per una geografia segreta del Ticino

Storie dimenticate. Per una geografia segreta del Ticino by Carlo Silini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a gem of a book. Having grown up in Ticino, I was still completely ignorant about almost every story in this book, and many of them are quite interesting.

From the village being slowly uncovered in Tremona, to the large quarries in Mendrisiotto, to the story of the Ciani brothers, to the witch trials in Val di Blenio, to the "sculpture town" of Ligornetto, to discovering Faido was all posh during the Belle Epoque, to reading about the various plans Italy had to invade Switzerland, and Switzerland had to invade Italy(!), to learning about that weird castle in Torricella, to learning about gay art in the 1930s, to reading more about the Sanitorium in Agra, to the origin of the Jewish cemetery I would always drive by on the highway there in Lugano Sud.

I do wish they had something about the Castle of Trevano. I'm still wondering what that was about and why they demolished it.

But regardless, 5 stars.



https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: L'assassino è all'ultima pagina

L'assassino è all'ultima pagina by Elena Molini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A murder mystery for book lovers. If I had the time I'd love to read through it again in detail knowing what the goal of the "Frankenbook" was. I'm also amazed at how much time must have gone into creating this.

https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: New Tricks

New Tricks by David Rosenfelt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Still fun and still funny. David Rosenfelt does not disappoint.



https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: Bullet Train

Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Non-stop action, intricate (but in a great way) and satisfying ending.




View all my reviews

Review: My Annihilation

My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was interesting but very confusing and unreliable. It might have been a bit too much for me. There was hypnosis, brainwashing and some sort of inception going on.


https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: L'intelligenza artificiale per il futuro dell'Italia: Competenze, casi d'uso e valore nell'Europa che innova

L'intelligenza artificiale per il futuro dell'Italia: Competenze, casi d'uso e valore nell'Europa che innova by Giuseppe Di Franco
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Part of me wishes there were sources for all the data in this book, since I found myself wondering where many of the numbers came from. As far as I can tell, they all check out, but still.

This book is sort of a catch-all about technology and its potential in Italy in the near future. Obviously AI seems to permeate every crack and crevice, if not in fact then in terms of possibilities.

Of course, detailing all the possibilities without once mentioning how to mitigate the issues that we are seeing every day (Hallucinations, toxicity, IP issues, confidentiality, Agents going rogue, etc. etc.) seems a bit naive.

It is interesting to read about the possibilities, as well as what is being worked on. Also, despite coming out this year, it feels a bit out of date at points (it mentions Leonardo, but I thought there were better computers out now in Italy).

Anyway, I’m still waiting for a more practical, actionable book about AI possibilities in Italy. I guess we’ll see…


https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: Danubio

Danubio by Claudio Magris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'll admit I didn't read this in one go, but I came back to it from time to time, which I found the most pleasurable way to go about it. It was like stepping back on this meandering journey that follows the Danube but also meanders through history and literature.

Well, ideally I could read this while actually traveling to the places he mentions as well, so I can see and witness them first-hand, but I don't anticipate that happening anytime soon.

Still, the erudition was, at times, a bit much for me, and there seemed to be a huge concentration on World War II (although they were good, and I also enjoyed the parts about Sissi).

All in all it's a great read, but also an endeavor. And maybe that's the point.




View all my reviews

Review: Troppi assassini per una cena

Troppi assassini per una cena by Giulia Gambazzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ok, I always have the issue, with murder mysteries, of keeping the characters straight. I was proud of myself for keeping them straight in this novel (and the author did a good job of portraying them), but then the murder mystery "personas" started taking over, and criss-crossing back and forth, and it became way too much. I bookmarked the page with each person's character, but it was still a lot. I'm guessing that was part of the point.

Otherwise it was good, with twists and turns I didn't really expect, although some of them seemed a bit stretched (and we still use "cenci" here in Tuscany!)

https://4201mass.blogspot.com/


View all my reviews

Review: Viaggio in Italia

Viaggio in Italia by Gianrico Carofiglio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fun, light read. A trip around the main cities of Italy, this reads more like personal observations and thoughts from each city rather than an in-depth study, but it is also an excellent overview of these cities at a glance.

I am a fan of Carofiglio's detective novels, and it turns out I'm a fan of his other work as well.




https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: Competere o sparire: Per un nuovo paesaggio europeo

Competere o sparire: Per un nuovo paesaggio europeo by Mario Draghi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Whatever you think of him politically, there’s no denying that Mario Draghi is an extremely accomplished economist. This book is a wake-up call to Europe. With the US turning inward, and China continuing to control its companies and output, and Russia posing a threat to the East, the EU has to unite if it wants to grow rather than stagnate. In fact, he basically argues it could become a beacon of stability in the world, but only if it makes changes.

Some interesting points:

Almost 30 percent of “unicorns” in Europe have transferred abroad after getting funding.

Internal market barriers in the EU are equal to a tariff of around 45% in the manufacturing sector and a tariff of 110% in the service sector.
Internal market barriers in the EU are equal to a tariff of around 64% for machinery and 95% for metals.


GDPR regulations have increased the cost of data for European companies by 20 percent.
GDPR has mainly penalized Small technology companies, decreasing profits by around 12%, reducing VC investment by around 1/4.


In 2023 EU countries spent almost 190 million Euros in state aid, which is 5 times more than was geared toward IPCEI (important projects of common european interest).

EU countries spend around the same as the US, in terms of percentage of GDP, on R&D, but only 10 of this is on a European level.



https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews