Tag Archives: books

Steve Jobs

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Finished reading Steve Jobs, the official biography by Walter Isaacson, over the long weekend. The biography is very personal with Jobs himself confiding directly to Isaacson his opinions, his thoughts, his motivations, his aspirations. This is further supported by close friends and business associates, even rivals and enemies. Of course, given Job’s intense privacy, you still feel you’re not getting everything. But I guess this is as close as you can get.

Even better, this book is not just about Steve Jobs. Because they’re closely intertwined, it is also about the companies he founded, Apple, NeXT, and Pixar. Creativity and innovation are Job’s hallmarks and it provides a glimpse of the creative and innovative processes in those companies. One thing you note is that in these companies, it’s not just Jobs coming up with ideas. A lot, including many that he initially rejected, also came from his colleagues. A definite read not just for fans and admirers of Jobs but also for any student of business.

A Dance With Dragons Is Out!

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Alex told me that book five of the Song of Ice and Fire, A Dance With Dragons, is out. I knew that  the US release was supposed to be July 12 but it somehow skipped my mind. But now it’s out and I can’t wait to get reading. Just as well since I’ve run out of TV episodes to watch, books to read, and I can’t seem to get the momentum to play through Infamous, my PSN welcome back freebie. Thanks, Alex!

UPDATE: Finished the book. Definitely better than the previous book A Feast for Crows. As intended, while the previous book focuses on the south, this book focuses on the north (and across the narrow sea). Although there’s an overlap in narrative (notably the POVs of Cersei and Jaime), it simply brings together the two separate threads into one book as teaser for the next. The book itself got all the elements that was missing in the previous one, i.e. big things happen, and when it ends, I’m left satisfied and yet looking forward for more. Looks like it’s going to be a long wait.

A Feast For Crows

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Finished A Feast for Crows last night. More like a feast for flies. This book is where things became mundane. Pretty much nothing happens. Good thing it’s short. Things did start to pick up towards the end. But then it ends… in multiple cliffhangers. What’s really disappointing is that it seems you can skip quite a lot of this book and it wouldn’t have mattered much. We’ll have to see on the sixth book because while this book focuses on what happens on the south, the fifth book focuses on what happens in the north. I just hope fifth book is not of the same content as this.

A Storm of Swords

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The Song of Ice and Fire continues. I finished the third book A Storm of Swords yesterday. True to its title, there are battles, skirmishes, and breathtaking sword fights everywhere. In the north (including north of the Wall and even on the Wall itself) , in the South, and even in the East. Yes, Daenerys’ storyline is finally picking up steam (guess it just needed the fire from those dragonlings). Nothing epic like the Battle of the Blackwater at the end of A Clash of Kings but just as well since the book is already long without having to be burdened by a long narrative for a single battle. In fact, sometimes the pacing becomes a bit ponderous and the twists and turns start seeming like a soap opera. But somehow George Martin redeems himself at key sections and kept it compelling enough to turn the next page. Or two. Or chapter. Or book.

The iPad 2 That Reading Bought

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I had thought of getting Jeanne an iPod touch but I’ve pushed back the purchase time and time again. But recently, Michelle and I have been reading ebooks a lot and although it’s reasonable on the iPhone because of its retina display, it’s not exactly ideal on Michelle’s Nokia 5800 where your squint at the small low-resolution display and tapping the not-so-sensitive resistive touchscreen so often. And there’s also Jeanne taking over the iPhone especially when I’m reading. And yet, the display is too small and she ends up hunching over it. So I finally decided to get an iPad. Now Michelle can read on the iPad, Jeanne can play with a bigger screen, and I have the iPhone all to myself. Now that’s a win-win-win situation! :P