The Art of Thinking Clearly - Rolf Dobelli

Ever since the blogs and books of Tim Harford introduced me to the intriguing world of Behavioural Economics, I have been on the lookout for more stuff on this subject. "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli is another excellent book in this series.

The book has 99 chapters, each precisly 2 and half pages long. Each chapter begins with a real-world example (sometimes companies offer us free gifts like free sachets of shampoo), the economic principle behind the action (Reciprocity) and why they do it (accepting a free gift subsconsciously makes us feel bound to purchase whatever the company wants to sell later). In a few cases, the author also provides 
advice as to how to avoid the pitfalls (don't accept anything for free). The book makes for a very informative reading and opens our eyes to how the world around us operates. 
A must-read for everyone, but especially so for those who interact with other people on a regular basis.

[Book] Hit Refresh: by Satya Nadella

A boy from a middle-class family in Andhra Pradesh, son of a Marxist father and Sanskrit scholar mother, emigrates to United States at the age of 21 for higher education. He then joins a software company, rises through the ranks and after a span of 28 years becomes its CEO. All of this made possible through sheer talent, hard work and equally importantly, a culture that rewards meritocracy.

Such is the inspiring life story of Satya Nadella, the current CEO of Microsoft.
However, when Satya took the helm, the company was facing an existential crisis. Once the dominant and belligerent player in the arena of software industry, it was now trailing behind Apple and Google. Its ambitious products like Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows Phone, acquisition of Nokia, had failed to make any improvements in market share. 

In his book "Hit Refresh", Satya narrates how all this came to be, and what he plans to do bring Microsoft back to its glory. This is a story of how a company, just like an individual, sets out to retrospect, introspect and seek its soul.
Along the way, Satya has had to make some unpopular decisions (one of it being to sideline the Windows Phone, driving away many of its loyal users like me), but he explains his reasoning and over-arching strategy behind it.

Of course, the journey has just barely begun, and the results are yet to come in. But that's what makes this book unique and exciting; it would have been easy to write a book after he retired, with a perfect 20/20 hindsight. By sticking out his neck now, Satya has shown he means business.

Apart from developments unique to Microsoft, this book also covers Satya's thoughts about a vast range of topics, with emphasis on artificial intelligence and quantum computing. He writes about the much-sensitive issues of privacy and security, as well as the importance of a global framework for creating AI. One of the important takeaways from the book is that next age would be about the shift from know-it-alls to learn-it-alls. 
This book was released just last week, and I was eager to read it after reading a splendid review by Bill Gates on his site, GatesNotes.

[Book] Master Algorithm: by Pedro Domingos

The folks working in the field of Information Technology and related industries would be well aware of 'Machine Learning'. Hardly a day goes by without us reading one or the other news about how the machines are getting better at analyzing, predicting, and in some cases taking over the various fields once dominated by us. 

If like me, you too are a newbie to this Next Big Thing, and wondering about where you can get a bird's eye view, this book is a good place to start.

In 'The Master Algorithm', author Pedro Domingos begins with real-life, familiar examples of how ML pervades our lives even today. Next, we get an overview of various high-level methodologies that comprise ML. The book concludes with an insight into a 'master algorithm', a mind-boggling concept, one that means the rise of learning machines that would create more learning machines.

This book makes for a persuasive and captivating read. Of course, it barely scratches the tip of a giant iceberg, and the author is quick to admit that the current techniques may not only evolve vastly but in many cases, there could be completely unforeseen breakthroughs. 

No matter what your area of work is, one thing seems certain: Machine Learning is going to impact all of us, it is here to stay and evolve into general artificial intelligence. 
As humans, we better be scared... And be better prepared.

[Book] Mossad: Greatest Missions of Israeli Secret Service

Mossad, the secret service of Israel, is widely regarded as the deadliest agency in the world. Be it the daring rescue of Israeli hostages from the Entebbe airport, or the abduction of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann from Argentina, or the 'Operation Wrath of God' that destroyed Black September terrorists... Missions of Mossad have been the stuff of folklore, yet these are just the tip of a vast iceberg. 
For six decades since its inception Mossad has been conducting equally daredevil yet clandestine missions.

And this book covers 20 of best of them. 

This is a world of legendary spymasters like Isser Harrel, Meir Amit, and Meir Dagan, from whom even James Bond could borrow a few notes and tips. We meet the intrepid commandos of Sayeret Matkal, who would make acts of Mission: Impossible seem like kids play. We learn of fantastic gadgets and poisons that seem like the stuff of science fiction. And, we come to admire the gutsy politicians like Golda Meir and Benjamin Netanyahu who put country first and foremost. 

Reading this book was never a dull moment. The only thought after finishing it was: Wish there had been an equally detailed book about missions of India's secret service, RAW.

[Book] Deep Thinking : Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov is a multifaceted personality. He is an author of several critically-acclaimed books, much sought-after orator, political opponent to none other than the mighty Vlad Putin... And, did I mention that he is a former World Chess Champion and widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time?

I have been a die-hard Kasparov fan (except when he was playing against the Indian chess prodigy V. Anand), and yet I was reluctant to pick up this book, thinking it to be some half-baked pseudo-science. 

Boy, was I so happy to be proved thoroughly wrong!

"Deep Thinking" has three main threads running in parallel throughout the book. 
At the core of it, Kasparov writes about his chess 'wars' with Deep Blue, the IBM supercomputer. 
On top of this, he elaborates the history of chess-playing machines: Deep Junior, Hydra, Fritz, et al. 
Encompassing this, he muses about machine learning, human-machine interfaces and artificial intelligence in general. 

You need not be a chess pro or an AI expert to enjoy this book. Kasparov has an engaging writing style, and his razor-sharp, no-holds-barred approach makes for a delightful read!

[Book] The Decision Book

Ever wondered why our past experiences don't make us much wiser? 

or, why being structured actually makes a person more creative? 

What does our phone contact list say about us? 

Would you like to know how to choose a gift? 

Are you aware of your "Johari window"? 

Struggling with problems of converting your group of employees into a cohesive team? 

What's a "long tail"? How to determine if a business proposal is worth investing in? 

And most importantly, why do printers seem to break down just before an important deadline?

Well, as it turns out, there are proven statistical models and matrices that answer all these questions and much more. "The Decision Book" by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschappelr puts together a collection of 50 of them. 

Some of them are quite well-known and straightforward, such as Eisenhower matrix, the SWOT analysis, or the Pareto principle. But many are fairly complicated, with exquisite names such as Uffe Elbaek model, or the Sinus Milieu model.

Whether you are a student of management, a professional in a managerial position, or like me, simply interested in mathematical models and personal productivity tools, this book is definitely for you.

[Book] चार नगरांतील माझे विश्व : Dr Jayant Naralikar

It is rare to see an autobiography of an Indian scientist. It's even more rare to see an autobiography of Indian scientist in Marathi. So, coming across चार नगरांतील माझे विश्व by Dr Jayant Naralikar was something special.

Dr. Naralikar is well known for his Quasi-Steady State Theory, an alternative theory to Big Bang Model of the origin of the universe. 
In his autobiography, Dr. Naralikar narrates his life as a sequence of his living in four cities: His childhood and formative years in Benaras (Varanasi), doctoral and research years with Fred Hoyle at Cambridge, a professorship at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, and as Founder- Director of IUCAA, Pune. 
The narrative is extremely detailed, running about 600 pages, and has a good collection of photographs, and a superb index. In fact, I read the book primarily using the index rather than the traditional start-to-finish approach.
The book has received a Sahitya Academy award.

[Book Review] Tap Dancing to Work : Warren Buffett

Frankly, I wouldn't have picked this book in a library, forget about buying it. 
But when Bill Gates writes a compelling review of a book on his site Gates Notes and your wife brings the review to your notice, you better read the book. 

Last weekend, I finished reading "Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything", compiled by Carol Loomis, editor of Fortune magazine... and am glad I did read it!

Here are some excerpts...

There is never just one cockroach in the kitchen.

~ Warren Buffett in "Tap Dancing to Work", implying that when you notice a defect/bug/fault, almost always many more exist.

You are never right or wrong just because people agree or disagree with you. You are right because your facts are right and your reasoning is correct.

On management:

I have seen too many companies in which the top management should rather focus on managing the business rather than managing each other.

On his senior managers:

Jack and Bill only do two things: Set clear goals and clear obstacles... including themselves. That's just what any manager should do.

On career:

When selecting a career, choose the work that you would do if you were independently wealthy and didn't have to work for a living. 

On success:

Most people have 400-horsepower of IQ or talent and through sheer laziness they make do with 100-hp output. I would rather have a 200-hp engine and get 150-hp through hard work and focus. 

And, here's the last one... 

Why some smart people succeed and most don't? It's because people get in their own way. Success needs talent, focus, hard work and perseverance; but it's also much to do with rational, logical thinking... doing the right thing no matter what the temptation to do otherwise be.And more than anything, success is about your habits and character. I have one small suggestion for you: Write down the names of five successful people you admire and five good habits you'd like to learn from them. Next write down five habits that you really hate in others. If you make those five good habits your own and avoid those five bad ones, you would go a long way to be successful.

Sharing more excerpts would diminish the ROI for those who wish to read it. 

हाच माझा मार्ग (Haach Maajha Marg) - Sachin Pilgaonkar

हाच माझा मार्ग (Haach Maajha Marg), the autobiography of Sachin Pilgaonkar is perhaps one of the most detailed memoirs written by a contemporary Indian film star, and rightly so… His repertoire across Hindi and Marathi films spans a staggering 50+ years. 

The book measures about 320 pages and almost each page has a photo, many of them quite rare ones. Text is lucid and we get to read many behind-the-scenes, personal stories about movies and movie legends. The author shares his feelings, views and thoughts candidly and at times bluntly, which is great for a book about film industry notorious for its hypocrite ways.

The problem with this book is, after a while, it starts sounding a bit too much of "I, Me, Myself". At first glance, this may seem inevitable in an autobiography, but in the hands of a good editor, so many sentences could have been written in a much better way to make Mr. Pilgaonkar appear less of a narcissist. 

Secondly, and more importantly,  nowhere in the book does the author offer any deep, substantially meaningful insights into the soul of the industry he worked in for 50 years. The book reads more like a chronology of films and events than a retrospection of a thoughtful veteran.  

Daemon and Freedom - Daniel Suarez

Do you love technology-focused, fast-paced thrillers with multiple plots converging at the conclusion? 
Did you enjoy the movie "Transcendence" but wanted the story to be on a grander scale? 
Do you feel -- or rather, fear -- that rogue artificial intelligence (AI) will one day overpower humanity? 

You should read these two novels. 

And if you are a fan of FPS and MMORPG type video games, you must definitely read them.

AI has been featured in many books and movies, but the one in these novels is truly novel, something we haven't seen before. What makes it even more terrifying is, unlike other sci-fi components that require a leap of technology (wormhole, quantum computing, time machine), this one practically exists in our modern world. The author worked as cyber security adviser to many Fortune-500 companies, and he draws on all his expertise in depicting the technical details.

"Daemon" and "Freedom" constitute a two-novel series. If you read one, you gotta read the other.

Economics books by Tim Harford

Economics wasn't a subject we had much exposure to in our school and college, and as a result, the concepts of monetary economics remain rather fuzzy. However, its cousin seems much more interesting and exciting: The Behavioural Economics, partly because it relates more to our day-to-day lives and contains intriguing stuff such as Game Theory (developed by John Nash of " A Beautiful Mind").
During the last three weeks, I have been reading two superb books by a British economist, Mr. Tim Harford, and enjoying them thoroughly.

[Book] The Productivity Project: Chris Bailey

It's ironic that a book about productivity should turn out to be a colossal waste of our time. The author claims to have spent one YEAR trying out and refining the productivity tips and techniques, but I am sorry to report that he shouldn't have bothered. 

The few worthwhile pointers the book contains are either covered in other books in much better detail (Getting Things Done by David Allen, for example) or are really common sense (meditate, don't procrastinate, etc.) 
Many of the ideas are downright detrimental. To discuss a few...

• The author suggests to turn off the phone during sleeping hours.
  Really? What if our parents need to call us? Or a friend needs urgent help in the middle of the night?
• The author recommends 'forcing' ourselves to check email just thrice a day.
  Oh, poor you! If email is so bothersome, you should actually reconsider whether to work in a place that uses email.
• The author suggests declining any meetings that go beyond our 'predefined weekly meeting quota' (say, 4 hours).
  Seriously? Try telling your boss that you can't attend a meeting, or try telling a client that you won't participate in an escalation discussion because "it's beyond my weekly meeting quota".

There's no denying the point that emails, smartphones, meetings can be distracting and a time-hog, but if a 'productivity technique' relies upon just ignoring them or shutting them off, it needs to be scrutinized closely. 

• I could go on, but here's just one more:
  The author suggests having an assistant, someone who can be paid $15-30 per hour -- or even more, if h/she is good enough. Dude, that turns out to be about two thousand rupees per hour!

And there are contradictions galore… At the beginning, the author suggests allocating less time for important tasks (yeah, you read it right), so that we would 'focus more on them'. But what about the associated stress? And what about "single tasking for extended duration' that you preach later on? And what to do with the spare time 'saved' by not working on the tasks that matter? 

Usually, I don't post negative reviews. But it is books like this that taint the productivity genre as a whole.

[Book] Dark Sun - Richard Rhodes

You know that a book is going to keep you busy reading for a while when the page count is 750, excluding the 40 pages with photographs. You know that the book is likely to be well-researched when the list of books referenced (bibliography) runs 35 pages and footnotes for chapters take up 110 pages. You know that the author has done a splendid job with writing when, after finishing an 850-page book you are desperate enough to immediately order another 800-page beast of a book by him. 

"Dark Sun" is that book, and Richard Rhodes is the author. His "Making of Atomic Bomb" chronicled the invention of nuclear weapons; in the "Dark Sun" he takes us further, to the dawn of thermonuclear... The hydrogen bomb. It's a script apt for a movie thriller, full of espionage, betrayal, works of genius, and torture. It tells the story of spies like Klaus Fuchs and the Rosenbergs, the brilliance of physicists like Ulam and Kurchatov, the belligerence of military leaders like LeMay and Beria. 

The sinister shadow of mushroom cloud looms large across each page, and it doesn't even have a silver lining... Instead, it ends in the heartbreaking tragedy of espionage trial of a giant of science like Robert Oppenheimer by paranoid bureaucrats and jealous colleagues. 

[Book] Faces - Gautam Rajadhyaksha

As a teenager, whenever I browsed through film magazines, there was a class of photos that stood out distinctively. The photos, mostly -- but not always -- in black & white, had their subject glowing in a soft focus, seemingly at peace with themselves and the world. They were shot at such a close range that threatened to expose every pimple and every mole, but instead made them look even more serene. And, no matter which magazine, one thing was common: The tagline that said "Photograph by: Gautam Rajadhyaksha"

Some of us friends had a rare chance to get a glimpse of the maestro himself during a photo exhibition titled "Faces" in Goa, the year was 2000. Fast forward a decade, and many of those photos had made it into a coffee table book with the same name. (Marathi edition is similarly titled "चेहरे"). For five years I tried to get the book but in vain. Apparently, only a limited copies were printed and most of them for private circulation only.

At last this year, I found it with a vendor at National Book Exhibition, but only after fighting tooth and nail with another customer. I felt sorry for him, but I deserved this one... After all, I have waited 15 years.

[Book] Algorithms to live by: The Computer Science of human decisions

Do you like algorithms? And, like me, do you often get confused and frustrated with how to deal with humans in a rational, logical way? And.. Do you often wish there were computer algorithms to deal with human behaviour and interactions? 

If your answer to these questions is No, then don't read this book.

"Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions" attempts to reduce complex, often chaotic human actions and decision-making processes to a set of well-defined mathematical rules. 
For example, how many houses you should look at before deciding which one to buy? (Short answer: 37%). Or which is the best way to sort your books? Or to schedule interviews of candidates so that you get the best person in shortest time? Or how to use the concept of caching to organize your papers in an optimum manner?

The book is full of such examples of how to use the mathematical theories that are commonly used in computer algorithms, into our day to day lives. The authors, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths, have taken care not to faze and daze the reader with too much jargon, which makes this book an easy read. 

The only complaint I have about this one is: Even after reading 370 pages, I wanted more of it. That, perhaps, is less of a complaint and more of an acknowledgement of how good this book is. 

Books on Project Apollo

My fascination with the Project Apollo Moon landing missions started in 1992 when my father handed me a book titled The Story of Apollo 11. Over the last 20+ years, I have read every book, every NASA publication and every astronaut biography I could get; and yet, two of the best books I read were just last two weeks. 

"Apollo: The Race to the Moon" by Catherin Cox / Charles Murray and "A Man on the Moon: Voyages of Apollo" by Andrew Chaikin are two most comprehensive, detailed accounts of what is widely considered one of the most notable achievements of human race. 

The two books, each running 500+ pages cover the same subject, but from two different perspectives. Chaikin interviewed all the astronauts, and he focuses on their careers, their selection into NASA, the fierce competition among them, rigorous training and details each Moon mission in detail. Cox and Murray provide a detailed account of the NASA technology management for Apollo program, development of Saturn V, Apollo spacecraft and the art & science of mission control. 

There is practically no overlap between the two books, and each one stands as a must-read book on its own. 

[Book] The Making of Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes

There are books; there are good books, and then there are masterpieces. But "The Making of Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes is a not just an ordinary masterpiece; it's a magnum opus of epic proportions. 

There are scores of tomes written about the Manhattan Project, but this book is universally acknowledged as THE definitive history of the subject. And rightfully so, because it is multiple books rolled into one:  Scientific discoveries, political intrigue, technological and engineering difficulties, and the thoughts and actions of political leaders, scientists and military staff associated with the project. 

It's a beast of a book, 800 pages of text (set in small typeset) plus 60 pages of photos, and it covers a huge time span, from the beginning of 20th century culminating in the atomic bombs that literally obliterated the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

While you feel a sense of wonder and excitement reading about giants of physics, such as Einstein, Fermi, Oppenheimer and many others and how they solved complex issues, the last hundred pages make you weep reading about the immense suffering of civilians that were slaughtered by bomb. 

Like a true historian, the author narrates actions and events in a non-partisan way, without taking sides or assigning blame. It should come as no surprise that the book has won a number of literary awards, including Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction . 

Thing Explainer - Randall Munroe

This was a book, which, after I finished reading it, filled me with an overwhelming sense of regret: I should have read this 20 years ago... Never mind the fact that the book was only published last year (2015)

From nuclear bombs, computer data centers to tectonic plates, from dishwashers, space shuttles to Large Hadron Collider, from animal cells to skyscrappers... This book explains more than 60 complex technical, physical or biological phenomena using just a thousand common words, and beautiful line drawings. It distills the essence of each of these topics to its bare bones and teaches us about them without using incomprehensible jargon.

And, what makes it even more enjoyable is the wry humor that fills every page. For example, consider this entry for the Saturn V rocket, describing its rocket nozzles: "Fire comes out of here. These should point to the ground when you're going to space. If they start pointing to space, you're having a bad problem, and you will not go to space today."

This book is truly one of its kind, and worth every penny. I love pizza and often use it as a standard to compare prices. Skip a medium-size pizza and buy this book; the knowledge gained will last a life time, for you and your kids.

O Jerusalem!

Just finished reading "O Jerusalem!" by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins; and also its Marathi counterpart "इस्रायेल छळाकडून बळाकडे" .

Both these books portray a chilling, intriguing story of how the state of Israel came into being; its struggle to maintain its independence against the wrath of Arab countries and its victory in the Sixty Day War. Reading this history reveals a stark contrast between the iron will and pragmatic vision of Israeli leaders as against the ghastly errors of judgement made by the Indian national leadership at the time of our independence. 
These books are not an easy read; but exactly for this reason, they should be read.

[Book] Aurangzeb - Sir Jadunath Sarkar

 I read "Aurangzeb" by Sir Jadunath Sarkar. 

Apart from chronicling the life of this last true Mughal emperor in complete detail, the book provides a comprehensive insight into political, social, economic, cultural, and geographical aspects of life and times of people during his reign. 
I have some reservations about the tone of language at a few places, especially in relation to Marathas, but it cannot be denied that this a well-researched book based on a huge number of original, authentic sources.

Incidentally, the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) has undertaken a project to translate major historical treatises into Indian languages, and under this scheme, this book has been translated to Marathi by Professor Kolarkar.