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Tuesday, 17 June 2008

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Tuesday, 25 October 2005

Yesterday my coworker got a book about personal finance from the financial planning library. Last night I didn't have much to do and the book came up in my mind. So I read through the financial planning mailing list and found it most recommended. The books that most people recommend are as follows (in the order of popularity):

They also recommend http://www.techuncovered.com/. I haven't read any of these. If you have, please share your comments with me.

Monday, 03 October 2005

Another lazy weekend. Watched two movies: "ET" and "Shall We Dance" (well if watching movies causally on TV also counts, then two more: "When Harry Met Sally" and "Office Space").

The impression that I got from "ET" is that Steven Spielberg really knows how to tell a story. Telling a good story is always the single most important element in a movie.

"Shall We Dance" is not particularly good or bad but it's a happy movie that served its purpose tonight. Btw, Richard Gere is really charming. Some of his better movies include "Chicago" and "Unfaithful" (I like the latter in particular). Check them out.

Btw, here are some preliminary comments on the three books that I'm reading. "Man-Month" is definitely a classic but too dry. "Singularity" is definitely thought-provoking but too long. "Crowds" is just like "The Tipping Point" which I gave up after the first three chapters.

I spent most of my weekend on the following book. Finished a bit more than half. A good book on the industry that I'm working in.

(Per my friend's suggestion, I joined the Amazon.com Associates Program but I guess it won't pay me much since (1) not many people read my blog and (2) most of you may just borrow it from me instead of buy it from Amazon. )

Tuesday, 27 September 2005

I have read quite a lot of books in the last three months. Time to share.

1. iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business

If you are interested in Steve Jobs, Apple, or Pixar, you definitely want to read this book. It gives a close description on Steve Jobs and through which you can learn more about Apple and Pixar.

2. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

I highly recommend it. It tries to answer questions like "what do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?" and "how is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real-estate agents?" via serious economic and statistic analysis. The two authors came to Google to promote their books. Too bad that I went to the talk too late and couldn't get a copy (I borrowed it from my coworker). More info here: http://www.freakonomics.com/

3. Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity

You can find most of the articles in the book here: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/navLinks/fog0000000247.html. If you like software development, read the whole book. Otherwise, just read the last section where he talks about business strategies and random stuff about computer industry.

4. The Best Software Writing I: Selected and Introduced by Joel Spolsky

Another book by Joel Spolsky. You can learn a lot of other good writers who write about software from it.

I'm reading the following books and 'll post something about them once I finish them.
1. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, 20th Anniversary Edition (another book about software development)
2. The Singularity Is Near : When Humans Transcend Biology (a book on how to approach the world like "Ghost in the Shell")
3. The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations
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