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hlau's reviews
115 reviews
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
5.0
I never knew what the 'rat race' meant. My dad, in his infinite wisdom, shared with me what the corporate world would be. In short, drudgery, haggardness, lack of fulfillment but with the potential for money.
Tim Ferriss skips to the last in his book but emphasizes the one thing that makes absolute sense: Do not defer what you can do now for when you'll be so aged and frail that all you'll have are regrets.
Debates on social security, 401Ks, IRAs and white sandy beaches aside, coming to grips with the reality of what it means NOT to retire will be harder than buying and reading this book. So DO it.
Tim Ferriss skips to the last in his book but emphasizes the one thing that makes absolute sense: Do not defer what you can do now for when you'll be so aged and frail that all you'll have are regrets.
Debates on social security, 401Ks, IRAs and white sandy beaches aside, coming to grips with the reality of what it means NOT to retire will be harder than buying and reading this book. So DO it.
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee
4.0
I first learned about Jennifer 8. Lee's now-famous book when her talk at a C3 conference came across my desk via a TED talk over two years ago. Simply stating that "...chop suey is perhaps the greatest prank played by one country on another..." endeared me to the twenty minutes that followed.
An unlikely book, TFC details the Chinese/Chinese-American restaurant business in a way that would shock many and nudge others in understanding the immigrant dilemma. Its legacy and pervasiveness throughout American culture is glimpsed here, with insight only someone whimsical enough to have '8' as a middle name could muster.
Lee approaches the phenomena of self-organizing networks in a way that is thought-provoking and sure to inform and entertain at the same time.
An unlikely book, TFC details the Chinese/Chinese-American restaurant business in a way that would shock many and nudge others in understanding the immigrant dilemma. Its legacy and pervasiveness throughout American culture is glimpsed here, with insight only someone whimsical enough to have '8' as a middle name could muster.
Lee approaches the phenomena of self-organizing networks in a way that is thought-provoking and sure to inform and entertain at the same time.
Just a Geek: Unflinchingly Honest Tales of the Search for Life, Love, and Fulfillment Beyond the Starship Enterprise by Wil Wheaton
5.0
It is a rare thing for me to discover a book that when I put it down all I can think of is when I can next get back to it. For more than a year I've been reading Wil Wheaton's blog, listening to his occasional podcasts with Chris Hardwick and was already aware of the reviews he'd done on season 1 of STTNG. But that is so much to say I knew of him as "that guy who was famous for being on Star Trek...a really long time ago."
He was Wesley Crusher. I didn't like Wesley. Not. At. All.
Much of his book is his account of his soul-searching journey from Star Trek to modern day. In it he describes how he lived and dealt with his inner demons of regret and self-doubt, pushing past anger to achievement and fulfillment. So much so that now as I see him as the part-time actor he self-declares I see so much dimension and history whenever I watch him on the Big Bang Theory, Leverage or Eureka. Wheaton's account helps to fill out the picture of a man and a geek I respect for having made the journey he has and more so for letting us glimpse it. Add to that he is a fantastic writer with a world-class geek mind and this book was a pure joy to read.
Wil Wheaton the guy, geek, writer, family man and actor is a world apart from Wesley Crusher.
He was Wesley Crusher. I didn't like Wesley. Not. At. All.
Much of his book is his account of his soul-searching journey from Star Trek to modern day. In it he describes how he lived and dealt with his inner demons of regret and self-doubt, pushing past anger to achievement and fulfillment. So much so that now as I see him as the part-time actor he self-declares I see so much dimension and history whenever I watch him on the Big Bang Theory, Leverage or Eureka. Wheaton's account helps to fill out the picture of a man and a geek I respect for having made the journey he has and more so for letting us glimpse it. Add to that he is a fantastic writer with a world-class geek mind and this book was a pure joy to read.
Wil Wheaton the guy, geek, writer, family man and actor is a world apart from Wesley Crusher.