I thought I would have liked this book. I’m interested in the person and the era. However the frequent lapses into comparing Leonardo to other innovators, art critique, and other information kept making me lose my focus. It’s been sitting in the queue for about 4 months and I still haven’t had any motivation to get back to it. Bailing.
Continues to make me think that writing code is similar to the construction industry. Construction in 1870s was also very similar to what it’s like today. Interesting story, engagingly writes. Recommended by Doug Field.
How did I not read this book earlier? A rare book that avoids the trap of explaining too much and predicting too little. The foundation of other good books such as ‘superforecasting’ and ‘nudge’, easy to read through and USEFUL. Highly recommended.
Was more interested in the autobiography than the principles part, but most principles seemed either obvious or lacking evidence.
The narrator is so compelling, these books are just fun. I’m going to read every book in this series.
Learned a ton in this book. Perfect companion for a week long trip in the Greek islands. Probably a must read if you never took a course in the classics.
2026: OH MY GOD IT’S AN ALLEGORY FOR HUMANITY’S FIRST CONTACT WITH AI Original read: 2018 I…. didn’t get it. Maybe I’ll like the movie better?
It feels like this is the thesis that Pinker wanted to develop when he wrote ’the better angels of our nature.’ The fist half of the book, which dealt with how life has been getting better over time seemed both obvious, but also interesting in providing a concise overview for such a sweeping thesis. However I found the last part outlining both why the world has gotten better (hint: humanism and enlightenment principles) and what that should mean for the way we approach society today. ...
The thesis of this book is that cities should be designed around pedestrians and more livable spaces rather than cars and commutes, and that this sort of design would make people happier. I wanted to like this book, and I even agree with the thesis, but the author’s approach was infuriating and left me less convinced than when I started. He often relies on anecdotes about super-commuters who bike through piles of snow and live happy, healthy lives. That may be great, but I can tell you that none of the residents in the 8 properties I own fit this category. The best parts are about acknowledging why people want privacy and want to drive, and I wish the entire book were an honest accounting of why people drive despite the obvious drawbacks, and the right way to think about urban design in a way that can accommodate these desires while improving on our suburban, low-density status-quo. ...
Fun, but I didn’t really like the protagonist, and this wasn’t as interesting as the ancillary series.