What I'm Reading

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 07:35:03 -0800

A few years ago, an article appeared in Wired magazine about the long tail and how it was manifesting itself on the Internet and how it was affecting the economy in a very broad and global way. I thought it was a ground breaking article which stated everything that we had been thinking about and working on in a very elegant way.

Now those thoughts have been put down in a book and expanded upon. The Long Tail is a great book, a fast read, and so relevant and important for the Internet age.

From Google to Amazon and others, capitalizing on the long tail of markets and customers is the money making way of the future, and it shows the demise of some traditional ways of marketing products and reaching customers.

If you're on the Internet, this book is not one to miss.

Buy it from amazon.com

Smart Mobs by Howard Rheingold

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 06:53:58 -0800

I picked up this book while cruising through Barnes and Noble and noticed it was already about 3 years old. The topic looked interesting, so I thought it might be worthwhile to read it. Boy was I right!

While the observations he makes are many years old now, many of the points are still relevant. Also, in my new company David Shen Ventures, LLC, I am finding that the ideas presented in this book are sparking my creativity with some of the companies I am working with now.

Rheingold's observations and conclusions about communities and cultures in a connected world are very insightful. They may seem more common now but I love his interpretations of the underlying reasons and causes behind the behaviors that are out there now, given that we are in such a connected world.

Sometimes books from years past are worth reading again...!

Buy it from amazon.com

The Weather Makers, Tim Flannery

Sun, 28 May 2006 16:23:24 -0800

I wanted to learn more about global warming, and this book was highly recommended. Tim Flannery paints a scary picture, showing how humans have upset the balance of carbon and other important gases in our atmosphere, and disrupted the environment which can have wide ranging results through our climate and thus into every part of our lives.

As a result, many animal species are threatened with extinction, through the cascade of effects from the simple rise of carbon dioxide by what seems to be small amounts. Will humankind follow to extinction as the earth attempts to right the balance in itself?

At some point, we're going to need to switch from carbon based fuels to something else. We're harming the earth faster than it can repair itself. And we may be the victims of our own actions.

Buy it from amazon.com

Outbound Flight, Timothy Zahn

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 16:18:32 -0800

Another piece of the Star Wars puzzle, as characters/situations in previous books are finally brought to the forefront in their own novels.

This is the story of Outbound Flight, an ill-fated journey to explore galaxies beyond their own. Filled with intrigue from all corners, and all bound together by a mad Jedi turned to the dark side, this space voyage could only be doomed.

This is also the story of the discovery of the Chiss, a blue skinned race whose combat skills are legendary. Honor and rules bound, they nevertheless find ways to break those rules in pursuit of keeping their borders safe...

Buy it from amazon.com

Undercover Economist, Tim Harford

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 16:10:39 -0800

I never really liked my Economics course in college. It was full of really dry graphs that I never really came to grips with and I was amazed I got through that class.

But now reading Undercover Economist, I am finding that economics is much more interesting than my idiotic textbook made it to be. So many real world applications, and so many ways to make the world better if people really understood the underlying motivations and drivers as they set policy for society.

It's always nice to have people explain supposedly dry subjects in a more interesting way and in a way that one can relate to. One can't help but think on how education as a whole couldn't be transformed if teachers could teach like how this author brings economics to life?

Buy it from amazon.com

The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 05:14:36 -0800

Once again I read these books well after they come out, like Freakonomics and Tipping Point. But I am glad I picked this one up. It is a great read on how the collective wisdom is often much better than the singular. I am now obsessed with decision markets and the use of a stock market/gambling application can be used to predict the future with uncanny accuracy.

Buy it from amazon.com

Between Two Worlds, Elizabeth Marquardt

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 19:52:11 -0800

This book is the first I've seen which approaches the subject of divorce from the perspective of the children involved. Too many books are written from the perspective of adults looking in on divorced families, and most of them focus on what parents should do. Instead, this book gathers information from actual surveys of children who have gone through divorced households, and compares them with children who have not gone through divorced households. There are some very unique insights coming from it, especially when told through the eyes of the children. I hope to learn a lot as this is a classic case of being able to put oneself in someone elses shoes.

Buy it from amazon.com

Dark Lord, James Luceno

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 12:29:00 -0800

Okay, so what happened to Darth after he gives that ridiculous yell of despair at the end of Episode III? Despite the shortcomings of his fall to darkness in the movie, the book of post-Episode III happenings is not bad, and it shows how he learns to use his cyborg/android body to the maximum. Of course, it also tells the story of the few remaining Jedi who escaped Order 66 and how he is hunting them down. What was really interesting to me was the building of his relationship with Darth Sidious and how complex the Sith Lord/Dark Apprentice relationship really is. I look forward to the next book in the Post III/Pre IV era.

Buy it from amazon.com

Synthetic Worlds, Ed Castronova

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 05:55:23 -0800

A great overview of the world of cyberspace and how the lines are blurring between the real and virtual for people who seemingly inhabit both worlds at the same time. It talks about social, political, and economic implications of virtual worlds, and the technologies used to create them. Fascinating read for those interested in online gaming, virtual economies and goods.

Buy it from amazon.com

I Read Incessantly

Sun, 20 Nov 2005 19:58:46 -0800

I crave knowledge and brain stimulation, and reading is one of my favorite ways of doing so. Look here for my current reading list.