SPQR by Mary Beard (2015)

Another birthday present that sat on my stack for 4 months. This book is the foundation of amateur and professional understanding of the early roman empire. Mary Beard uses wonderful examples and anecdotes to illuminate the complex ideas, opinions, and daily lives of the people of ancient Rome, their moires, customs, social interactions, and international relations.  The book explains in wonderful prose the evolving attitudes of the ancient people in all stations of life, from the starving slaves to the elite nobles. One must read it slowly to ponder the depth of the revelations and refer back to the maps and photos scattered throughout the book.  5/5 Stars.

Cursed Knowledge

This idea, to record things we learn that we wish we never knew, is great. The collection of cursed knowledge nuggets is similar to but narrower than the"WTF" collection in my bullet journals.  Thanks, Cory.

Task Force Hammer by Craig Alanson (2024)

I am surprised at how terrible the copy editing is.  A simple grammar checker could have mixed almost all of the errors.  The story ends in a cliffhanger, so if you don't like the "Perils of Pauline" style abrupt cliffhanger endings, wait for the next book to be published  before starting this one. Parts of some of the B stories in this one are a little boring, but Skippy and team are still fun. 4/5 Stars.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (2016)

One of my kids was reading this book and I saw the Hugo + Nebula nominations on the cover, so I picked it up and read it.  It's not long. The magic system is unfortunately extremely inconsistent and despite fantastic character building and world building, good story-telling and stylish prose, I did not like it and probably won't finish the trilogy.  2/5 Stars.

The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey (2006)

Some folks at work suggested this book so I picked it up and read it.  The over-hyped rhetoric and constant aphorisms are an embarrassing distraction from the key points that are quite good.  Here is my summary:

• Trust among individuals and teams affects speed and costs.
• Five "waves" of trust: 
• self trust, 
• relationship trust, 
• organizational trust, 
• market trust, and 
• societal trust.
• Trust is based on character (integrity and intent) and competence (capabilities and results).
• There are 13 key behaviors that build trust: Talk Straight, Demonstrate Respect, Create Transparency, Right Wrongs, Show Loyalty, Deliver Results, Get Better, Confront Reality, Clarify Expectations, Practice Accountability, Listen First, Keep Commitments, Extend Trust.
• Low trust creates a "trust tax" that slows everything down and increases costs. High trust creates a "trust dividend" that speeds things up and reduces costs.
• Trust can be built quickly through consistent behavior and delivering results. It can also be restored if lost.
• Extending "smart trust" balances trusting others with good judgment about risks.
• Building trust is a key leadership competency

The book is in six parts:

• Part 1 - The First Wave: Self Trust: Covers the "4 Cores of Credibility": Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, Results
• Part 2 - The Second Wave: Relationship Trust: Explains the 13 behaviors that build trust in relationships
• Part 3 - The Third Wave: Organizational Trust: How to create trust in organizations through alignment
• Part 4 - The Fourth Wave: Market Trust: Building trust and reputation in the marketplace
• Part 5 - The Fifth Wave: Societal Trust  
• Creating value and contributing to society
• Part 6 - Inspiring Trust: How to extend "smart trust" and restore lost trust

The ideas are worthwhile but wading through the hype is painful. 4/5 Stars.

Omega Rising by Joshua Dalzelle (2013)

A colleague at work recommended this series so I picked up and read the first book.  The writing is ok and flows well. The story is a little melodramatic and shallow. The space aliens are a little too anthropomorphic.  The plot is fun.  I am finding it hard to suspend my disbelief but I am curious what happens next in the story. 3/5 Stars.

Glory Season by David Brin (1993)

I started reading this book when it came out but I got busy and never finished.  Some of the politics, sociology, and biology are highly relevant 31 years later.  Other ideas are dated and irrelevant today.  I did not enjoy the detailed metaphors in the Conway's Game of Life variant of core wars game that took up a ot of the story.  Some of the female characters are not compelling. 3/5 Stars.

Not Till We Are Lost: Bobiverse, Book 5, Audiobook (2024)

I like the Bobiverse books.  This one rambled in too many details of too many different B plots and threads that were too esoteric.  All-in-all, the story is still a fun romp, reminiscent of  the fun light books that Robert A Heinlein wrote towards the end of his career.  Taylor introduces new technology in the bobiverse magic system and new existential threats to all life in the galaxy to keep his "space opera vibe" going.  4/5 Stars.

Less toxic & more-effective nanoparticulate MRNA vaccines & therapeutics

Everyone has personal experience with the  'miracle" vaccines used from 2019 - 2021.  The MRNA delivery mechanism for those and other MRNA medications uses nanoparticles in which the MRNA is embedded.  These nanoparticles can cross the cell membrane about 7% of the time so relatively large doses are needed for delivery.  These nanoparticles are also highly toxic and cause severe side effects that are frequently as bad or worse than the ailment they are meant to prevent or treat.  The nanoparticles also suffer from long tissue persistence, exacerbating their toxicity.  Many MRNA  therapeutics could be unlocked if the persistence and toxicity could be limited.

This new research paper, that was published in Nature, explains experiments that show promise of an approach the authors discovered to mitigating nanoparticle persistence and therefore the toxicity issues.

Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier (2020)

This book is much better than I expected. The author is a journalist who does a very good job of presenting the science through the words and interviews with the thought leading scientists themselves.  I did not appreciate or enjoy some of the social commentary and politics, but she does present highly relevant and astute observations. 5/5 Stars.

The Singularity is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil (2023)

I loved this sequel to the 2005 obook.  Kurzweil has fun, zany ideas that are very entertaining and sometimes compelling. 5/5 Stars.

Home Coming by Joel Shepherd (2024)

This new installment in the series is fantastic!  The story and character arcs are much more aligned to the overall saga than the last volume.  The action and combat are cool and exciting. The new magic system components are great.  I can't wait for the next one. 5/5 Stars.

Forgotten Ally by Rana Mitter (2013)

Great history book that fills in many gaps of what most of us outside of China were never taught about the Japanese invasion and 8-year war in China during the second world war.  The tragedies, suffering, devastation, and depravity of all of the leaders during that era in that theater of the war are eye-opening. There were no "good guys" in that conflict.  5/5 Stars.