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treyhunner's reviews
523 reviews
The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer by Gretchen Reynolds
4.0
An enjoyable and quick read/listen overall.
This book reminded me how much I enjoyed The Joy Of Movement, which I should probably read again now that I'm exercising regularly. This was a bit more data and outcome focused I think.
After reading this I may focus my exercise routine a bit more on strength training and plyometrics.
This book reminded me how much I enjoyed The Joy Of Movement, which I should probably read again now that I'm exercising regularly. This was a bit more data and outcome focused I think.
After reading this I may focus my exercise routine a bit more on strength training and plyometrics.
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck
5.0
I really enjoyed this read. Below are some tidbits that I found interesting from various sections of this book.
Car Traffic (Step 1):
- Traffic studies are meaningless due to induced demand: increasing the supply of roadways lowers the time cost of driving which causes more people to drive and obliterates any potential reductions an congestion
- There is a strong correlation between a metropolitan area's average traffic speed and its fuel use: more congestion means less fuel per capita and less congestion means more fuel per capita.
Parking (Step 3):
- The subsidy for employer-paid "free" parking amounts to 22 cents per mile driven to work and reduces the price of automotive commuting by 71%. Eliminating this subsidy would have the same impact as a gasoline tax of somewhere between $1.27-$3.74 per gallon.
- There are half a billion empty parking spaces in America at any given time (as of 2010).
- When private parking is outlawed and public parking minimums are set, the amount of needed parking spaces can be limited.
Transit (Step 4):
- When there's more transit, even non-transit users walk more: when more than 25% of workers take transit, more than 10% walk and when fewer than 5% take transit, fewer than 3% walk. Cities tend to be setup to support either driving or everything else.
- Walkability benefits from good transit, but good transit relies *absolutely* on good transit
- Investments in transit aren't investments in reduced traffic. The only way to reduce traffic is to reduce roads or increase the cost of using roads.
Pedestrians (Step 5):
- On most streets, a road diet (a dedicated left turn lane in the center) doesn't increase a street's carrying capacity.
- Though road diets are great when done right, left-hand turn lanes inserted where they aren't needed or made longer than needed make for roads that are one lane too wide which often removes the parking lane.
- Widening street lanes doesn't increase safety, it decreases it (just like distributing guns to deter crime).
- Risk homeostasis explains why the deadliest intersections are the ones that drivers can navigate without paying close attention because they feel safe.
- Sidewalk design has almost nothing to do with pedestrian safety: what makes sidewalks safe is whether it's protected by parked cars.
Bikes (Step 6):
- Passing cars give more elbow room to bicyclists without helmets, but this risk homeostasis is deceptive because most bicycle fatalities are due to head injuries.
- Trees help keep neighborhoods cool, so less AC is needed but more importantly they're a very effective carbon sink. Urban trees are 10 times more effective than more distant vegetation at absorbing car exhaust before it hits the atmosphere.
Car Traffic (Step 1):
- Traffic studies are meaningless due to induced demand: increasing the supply of roadways lowers the time cost of driving which causes more people to drive and obliterates any potential reductions an congestion
- There is a strong correlation between a metropolitan area's average traffic speed and its fuel use: more congestion means less fuel per capita and less congestion means more fuel per capita.
Parking (Step 3):
- The subsidy for employer-paid "free" parking amounts to 22 cents per mile driven to work and reduces the price of automotive commuting by 71%. Eliminating this subsidy would have the same impact as a gasoline tax of somewhere between $1.27-$3.74 per gallon.
- There are half a billion empty parking spaces in America at any given time (as of 2010).
- When private parking is outlawed and public parking minimums are set, the amount of needed parking spaces can be limited.
Transit (Step 4):
- When there's more transit, even non-transit users walk more: when more than 25% of workers take transit, more than 10% walk and when fewer than 5% take transit, fewer than 3% walk. Cities tend to be setup to support either driving or everything else.
- Walkability benefits from good transit, but good transit relies *absolutely* on good transit
- Investments in transit aren't investments in reduced traffic. The only way to reduce traffic is to reduce roads or increase the cost of using roads.
Pedestrians (Step 5):
- On most streets, a road diet (a dedicated left turn lane in the center) doesn't increase a street's carrying capacity.
- Though road diets are great when done right, left-hand turn lanes inserted where they aren't needed or made longer than needed make for roads that are one lane too wide which often removes the parking lane.
- Widening street lanes doesn't increase safety, it decreases it (just like distributing guns to deter crime).
- Risk homeostasis explains why the deadliest intersections are the ones that drivers can navigate without paying close attention because they feel safe.
- Sidewalk design has almost nothing to do with pedestrian safety: what makes sidewalks safe is whether it's protected by parked cars.
Bikes (Step 6):
- Passing cars give more elbow room to bicyclists without helmets, but this risk homeostasis is deceptive because most bicycle fatalities are due to head injuries.
- Trees help keep neighborhoods cool, so less AC is needed but more importantly they're a very effective carbon sink. Urban trees are 10 times more effective than more distant vegetation at absorbing car exhaust before it hits the atmosphere.
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam M. Grant
3.0
I thought this would be more similar Julia Galef's The Scout Mindset. I'm glad I read both books because this didn't overlap The Scout Mindset as much as I expected it would.
I took a lot of notes in the first 3 chapters and on chapter 12 (teaching students to question knowledge) but most of the middle chapters didn't feel as noteworthy/actionable for me.
I expect I'll be referring back to many of the analogies (preacher, prosecutor, politician, and scientist modes), some of the mantras/pithy phrases, and a few of the studies referenced.
I took a lot of notes in the first 3 chapters and on chapter 12 (teaching students to question knowledge) but most of the middle chapters didn't feel as noteworthy/actionable for me.
I expect I'll be referring back to many of the analogies (preacher, prosecutor, politician, and scientist modes), some of the mantras/pithy phrases, and a few of the studies referenced.
Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Bruce Headlam, Malcolm Gladwell
5.0
I really enjoyed this, despite Malcolm Gladwell's overuse of aggrandized language. Gladwell is a pretty good story teller and listening to Paul Simon walk through his writing process and his inspirations kept me pretty well glued to this audiobook.
This was like a good multi-part podcast series without any advertising. I read it through Libby, as the San Diego County library had many copies available.
This was like a good multi-part podcast series without any advertising. I read it through Libby, as the San Diego County library had many copies available.
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
4.0
I really enjoyed Omphalos in particular.
Others that I'd listen to again are "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom", "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", and "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling".
The length of the stories was all over the place, which was a bit distracting at times.
Others that I'd listen to again are "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom", "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", and "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling".
The length of the stories was all over the place, which was a bit distracting at times.
The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven, and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work, and More by Diane Macedo
5.0
Best book on sleep I've read so far (only read 2 so far and this one references the other one).
Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better by Jennifer Pahlka
5.0
I really enjoyed this audiobook. If you work in tech and you're into public policy or interested in US politics, I'd definitely recommend this book.
Ezra Klein's interview with Jennifer Pahlka was a great summary but I think reading the whole book was worthwhile. Both liberals and conservatives have things to learn from this book.
A few favorite quotes:
"Culture eats policy"
"The waterfall methodology amounts to a pledge by all parties not to learn anything while doing the actual work."
"Government knows how to acquire technology. What we need to acquire are capabilities."
Also check out the website: https://www.recodingamerica.us/concepts
Ezra Klein's interview with Jennifer Pahlka was a great summary but I think reading the whole book was worthwhile. Both liberals and conservatives have things to learn from this book.
A few favorite quotes:
"Culture eats policy"
"The waterfall methodology amounts to a pledge by all parties not to learn anything while doing the actual work."
"Government knows how to acquire technology. What we need to acquire are capabilities."
Also check out the website: https://www.recodingamerica.us/concepts
The City We Became by N.K.; Mildner, N.K. Jemisin, Benjamin
5.0
This was a weird, fun book.
I didn't think it was my kind of book but after an hour or two I couldn't put it down.
I didn't think it was my kind of book but after an hour or two I couldn't put it down.