What books are you reading? (Read 20,210 times)

Adart,,, Try my book its on CD and you can make the print as large as you like.

Its 315 pages and has maybe 60 or more pictures in it including a UFO I saw over Germany about 1981.

Lots of stories.  Two publishers wanted to publish it but would only allow 10 pictures and they would be black & white.

I turned them down and  just sell for a $10 donation and that includes shipping.

Anyone Interested just send me a private message for details.

Am reading Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas L. Friedman

Amazon Books 

Or, you can view his 1 hour video talk on the book here:

www.c-span.org/video/?419028-1/thomas-friedman-discusses-thank-late

The book is far more detailed and interesting than the overview video, which is very good, and is an excellent read for those of us who feel the accelerating rate of change in technology and world events has passed us like a "Bullet Train".  Especially, since 2007!

Excerpt from Amazon:

His thesis: to understand the twenty-first century, you need to understand that the planet’s three largest forces―Moore’s law (technology), the Market (globalization), and Mother Nature (climate change and biodiversity loss)―are accelerating all at once. These accelerations are transforming five key realms: the workplace, politics, geopolitics, ethics, and community.

Why is this happening? As Friedman shows, the exponential increase in computing power defined by Moore’s law has a lot to do with it. The year 2007 was a major inflection point: the release of the iPhone, together with advances in silicon chips, software, storage, sensors, and networking, created a new technology platform. Friedman calls this platform “the supernova”―for it is an extraordinary release of energy that is reshaping everything from how we hail a taxi to the fate of nations to our most intimate relationships. It is creating vast new opportunities for individuals and small groups to save the world―or to destroy it.

Pat P.

Mar 25, 2017 0:39:07 GMT 9 Jim said:

Mar 24, 2017 22:46:46 GMT 9 pat perry said:

Am reading Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas L. Friedman

Amazon Books 

Or, you can view his 1 hour video talk on the book here:

www.c-span.org/video/?419028-1/thomas-friedman-discusses-thank-late

The book is far more detailed and interesting than the overview video, which is very good, and is an excellent read for those of us who feel the accelerating rate of change in technology and world events has passed us like a "Bullet Train".  Especially, since 2007!

Excerpt from Amazon:

His thesis: to understand the twenty-first century, you need to understand that the planet’s three largest forces―Moore’s law (technology), the Market (globalization), and Mother Nature (climate change and biodiversity loss)―are accelerating all at once. These accelerations are transforming five key realms: the workplace, politics, geopolitics, ethics, and community.

Why is this happening? As Friedman shows, the exponential increase in computing power defined by Moore’s law has a lot to do with it. The year 2007 was a major inflection point: the release of the iPhone, together with advances in silicon chips, software, storage, sensors, and networking, created a new technology platform. Friedman calls this platform “the supernova”―for it is an extraordinary release of energy that is reshaping everything from how we hail a taxi to the fate of nations to our most intimate relationships. It is creating vast new opportunities for individuals and small groups to save the world―or to destroy it.

Pat P.

Ain't he the leadership textbook guru??? How many times did you fall asleep reading it? More likely destroy it. People too lazy to go shopping on foot causing a 70 year old Sears store to close, putting 30 people out of work, increasing the people on unemployment.... Drones delivering goods, McDonalds and their credit card only kiosks, UBER companies having no real investment of their own in products and services, automatic soda drink dispensers at drive through windows..... Now-a-days, as opportunities open for one, at least 2 others disappear..... Progress and change just for progress's and change's sake generally brings havoc

No, he's a journalist and author and I have read some of his books.  Didn't fall asleep or destroy it, but decided to read it because the video wasn't detailed enough to hear it all.  I like reading about technology and its effect on people who use it and how it changes history and economics for good or bad.  The rate of change in the world is about 100 times faster than the 50s & 60s when we went from analog to digital computing.  It's bringing a lot of progress and havoc, and that's what Friedman writes about in his columns and books.  He describes and graphs that rate of change in technologies and the rate of acceptability by adopters.  In 2007, the convergence of several technologies caused the rate of change (acceleration) to go "Supernova" as he describes it.  Some good and some bad.  Our world will never be the same again and I'd like to know where it's headed in the short time I have left.  I've tried bitching about it but it does no good and just makes me feel worse.

Fortunately, I'm a nostalgia drag racer, 50s-70s, and that fan base is growing.  Drag Racers today are using technology to make 10,000 HP with the same engines we made 2,000 HP with in the 50s-70s and I like to learn how they did it using new technology.  So I am a fan in both worlds.  Kind of like being a fan of the P-51 Mustang and appreciating the advances of the F-22 Raptor.  Or enjoying the use of the Forum but looking to see what's out there on social media.  I read somewhere that "being in a rut was like being in a grave with both ends kicked out."  Made a lot of sense and I haven't finished my bucket list yet.

Pat P

Mar 27, 2017 7:23:32 GMT 9 Jim said:

Mar 27, 2017 5:34:32 GMT 9 pat perry said:

Fortunately, I'm a nostalgia drag racer, 50s-70s, and that fan base is growing.  Drag Racers today are using technology to make 10,000 HP with the same engines we made 2,000 HP with in the 50s-70s and I like to learn how they did it using new technology.  So I am a fan in both worlds.  Kind of like being a fan of the P-51 Mustang and appreciating the advances of the F-22 Raptor.  Or enjoying the use of the Forum but looking to see what's out there on social media.  I read somewhere that "being in a rut was like being in a grave with both ends kicked out."  Made a lot of sense and I haven't finished my bucket list yet.

Pat P

www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/the-evolution-of-cell-phone-design-between-1983-2009

That's a lot of cell phone models 1983 -2009 as the CPUs, Operating Systems, Apps, cellular networks and data storage were in their primitive infancy.  By 2007 the smart phone usage exploded (supernova) because of all the new technologies converging in that year.

Here's a graphic of cell phone usage 2013-2017 and where the growth is taking place by continent.  By 2017 there will be 5 billion people using cell phones.  Note that North America is the smallest user. Cell phones have passed PCs in usage.   

www.statista.com/chart/1517/worldwide-mobile-phone-users/

There are some interesting things going on in some countries in digital banking via cell phone only.  Especially, in third world countries led by dictators where banking is controlled only by the government and no private banks are permitted.

You've probably heard the term Bit Coin.  It is made possible by block chain. Check it out: www.blockchain.com/

Some potentially scary stuff.

Pat P.

Pat P.