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cynicusrex's reviews
135 reviews
De Medische Wetenschap van House by Andrew Holtz
2.0
As a journalist he shouldn't have missed that Cameron is a woman, and that House wrote "not this leg" on his own leg. But it soon becomes apparent why these blatant mistakes were made; Andrew Holtz isn't really a fan. The book isn't about detailing every episode, but to expand upon the boons and pitfalls of modern medicine. Although the title is downright misleading, the first half was actually genuinely interesting. He even mentions Daniel Kahneman and the dangers of ubiquitous biases. Unfortunately, towards the end, the useful information is slowly replaced by a bashing of Gregory House, a bashing of doctors, and a crowning of nurses—who supposedly do the real doctor work anyway [sic]. This book could have been a wonderful exposition on the philosophy behind the leading characters and the medicine of each episode. It doesn't, though. So minus three stars for: using a misleading title, erring basic facts, and ending with a superficial subjective generalisation of doctors.
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess by Bobby Fischer
2.0
I assume this publication was hastily published to rake in on the Fischer hype. It starts off by praising a back then novel [really?] technique called programmed instruction, with which they expect to make up for the lack of content. From the title one certainly expects some theory, alas, it comes down to a collection of easy chess puzzles. Although I enjoyed them, a mere collection does not make a book.
I'd only recommend this book to beginners, after they've read [b:Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess|360163|Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess|Bruce Pandolfini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388623005s/360163.jpg|350279]. A guide that actually teaches, and can be called a book.
I'd only recommend this book to beginners, after they've read [b:Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess|360163|Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess|Bruce Pandolfini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388623005s/360163.jpg|350279]. A guide that actually teaches, and can be called a book.
Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess: Basic to Advanced Strategies with America's Foremost Chess Instructor by Bruce Pandolfini, Bruce Pandolfini
3.0
As a complete ignoramus in chess, the conversational approach of this book felt like a real conversation. The latter gets you through the pages pretty fast, while keeping its educational value.
The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny by Steve Kaplan
2.0
Underwhelming. It felt like reading an instruction manual, not a book. Nevertheless, it's probably a good practical guide for writing a subset of comedy that unfortunately—for me—doesn't capture the heart of comedy. I barely laughed as well, which I didn't expect given the subject.
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris
4.0
A beacon of light for the dark times to come.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
3.0
If I had read this book at release, I'd probably be bedridden. Sadly I couldn't enjoy this book as much. For one, I missed character development. But I'll give that a pass since most humans as individuals are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, especially if you want to move forward. This is obviously true in statistics—or should I say psychohistory—but I'm referring to the similarity in how Elon Musk's companies operate. He's sometimes seen as a brute because of his high expectancy and sometimes harsh treatment of employees. But if that's what it takes to save humanity, so be it. The same goes for Isaac Asimov I suppose. If you want to write a book spanning more than a dozen decades, one can't get distracted by a single character.
What annoyed me was the fact that many technologies or customs in this book have already proven to be inaccurate compared to our current technology. They still use coins, they still write encyclopedias, they use pocket calculators, religion is still a thing; although a sort of scientific one, they smoke cigars, people still have the same intelligence, people wear robes, frippery remains a major contributor to the economy. This might convince me in the course of ten decades in the future, but not ten millennia and then some.
This is still an amazing piece of literature for which I am probably still too young, inexperienced and ignorant to fully appreciate. Knowing this was written in the 1950's amazes me. Objectively the book is worth more than three stars, but for me it's not. He got the story right, but not the timescale.
What annoyed me was the fact that many technologies or customs in this book have already proven to be inaccurate compared to our current technology. They still use coins, they still write encyclopedias, they use pocket calculators, religion is still a thing; although a sort of scientific one, they smoke cigars, people still have the same intelligence, people wear robes, frippery remains a major contributor to the economy. This might convince me in the course of ten decades in the future, but not ten millennia and then some.
This is still an amazing piece of literature for which I am probably still too young, inexperienced and ignorant to fully appreciate. Knowing this was written in the 1950's amazes me. Objectively the book is worth more than three stars, but for me it's not. He got the story right, but not the timescale.
Gratis geld voor iedereen by Rutger Bregman
3.0
I continue to be dumbstruck that the idea of Universal Basic Income hasn't become self-evident by now. Unfortunately, it isn't, and this book should certainly help make this topic more accessible. The majority of data is straightforward, however, his writing occasionally obfuscates the point. Subjects like these should be communicated as concise as possible; as if each word costs an extra €10.
Another irritation occurred when I read that women are paid less than men for the same work, which is a myth. Ironically that statement has no source as a footnote, of which the book is replete*. The same goes for mentioning that smart people are less prone to change their mind. That paragraph was devoid of nuance, and lacked a specific source. Generalizations like that are usually misinterpreted and can be dangerous. Science is based on people testing new ideas and changing their minds accordingly. At least that's how it should be.
All in all, this book was a good read. It's a rich source of possible solutions to problems we will be hearing more of in the near future.
Another irritation occurred when I read that women are paid less than men for the same work, which is a myth. Ironically that statement has no source as a footnote, of which the book is replete*. The same goes for mentioning that smart people are less prone to change their mind. That paragraph was devoid of nuance, and lacked a specific source. Generalizations like that are usually misinterpreted and can be dangerous. Science is based on people testing new ideas and changing their minds accordingly. At least that's how it should be.
All in all, this book was a good read. It's a rich source of possible solutions to problems we will be hearing more of in the near future.
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts
2.0
I took away some important new insights from this book, but I found it to be too repetitive.
The Matrix captures the essence of this book quite simply: "Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth." Neo: "What truth?" Boy: "There is no spoon."
The Matrix captures the essence of this book quite simply: "Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth." Neo: "What truth?" Boy: "There is no spoon."