Dan Fusselman

A unique take on AI

Reviewed: 01-04-25

Harari describes AI as an alien intelligence. He has a very distinct way of looking at AI, information networks, and algorithms. Many believe that we will one day be ruled by algorithms.
Harari describes problems from AI that could occur. He also describes dire problems from algorithms that are already happening. This book serves as a warning to humanity to take a more cautious, measured look at the path that we’re on.

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How to survive the robot revolution

Reviewed: 08-09-24

The pace of change has gotten extremely fast. Thomas Friedman confronts the dizzying pace of technological change and also offers prescriptions for how society should deal with these changes.

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How the Future of Transportation is Being Built

Reviewed: 12-30-23

We can no more resist changes in transportation, than calvary officers could resist a change to tanks and armored vehicles.

This book is hardly a treatise on global warming. It points out many of the pitfalls of the transition to EVs. It talks about the cobalt mines in the Congo, monopolies, Chinese state investment, the hazards of ocean mining. However, it isn’t a doomed book about the infeasibility of the EV shift. Rather, it is a straightforward, well researched book about the mining and production companies that are in this space. Who are the key players in lithium, cobalt, and nickel production? Who is getting rich and are different companies structuring their economies to deal with the industrial change? It was a very informative book about the mining of resources and production of clean energy materials.

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An extremely insightful, eye opening view of societal change

Reviewed: 10-21-23

Alvin Toffler is a genius who is able to put words to and describe so much of the seemingly chaotic change of our era. He describes where we came from as a civilization and what is going on at this time. Despite being decades old, the book continues to describe current political impasse and breakdown in a very diagnostic way.

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Information dense, gripping, and controversial

Reviewed: 05-18-23

The book is highly informative about the power that current demographic trends have on larger economic/geopolitical trends.

Demographics may not be destiny, but it’s pretty close.

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A very detailed historical book about energy

Reviewed: 09-12-20

Through out the existence of civilization, energy has played an enabling role for our survival and technology. Vaclav Smil starts with fire (using foraged wood) and it’s role for hunters and gatherers. He examines agricultural methods in different civilizations; how many calories per hectare and how many calories were needed for survival. He follows humanity as it moves from wood to coal to petroleum and looks at the impact on society.

This book is a bit niche and can be weighty at times. It’s best enjoyed if you are really looking at studying the role of energy throughout history. Smil does a great job at detailing specific historical data although it can get a bit bogged down for amateurs.

Lastly, you will want to increase the speed of the audio. The narrator reads so slowly.

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Change the Speed

Reviewed: 07-07-19

The book is great. The speed of the narrator is too slow. Change the audio speed to 1.25 for a significantly better listening experience.

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56 people found this helpful

How Regional Subcultures Explain the US

Reviewed: 05-18-19

American Nations should be required reading for every political science major. Why do so many other Americans not get it when discussing public policy? Colin Woodard explains that the differences in political beliefs and voting preferences have cultural causes. According to Woodard, the US is actually made up of 11 distinct subcultures which are generally geographically defined. Due to their origins and unique histories, these subcultures have vastly different values and views of the American experiment. Woodard reveals the roots and origins of these different subcultures including when and why they migrated to the US. He discusses how major American events, like the American Civil War, impacted and shaped these distinct nations.

While Woodard may have drawn heavily from Joel Garreau, he puts a unique twist on the idea of North American subcultures.

After reading American Nations, you will have an increased understanding for why Americans vote the way we do, why the US political system is so divided, and why politicians use certain types of rhetoric. It's an eye opening book that is a must read for anyone seeking to understand American or Canadian politics.

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