Learning from Hamas Apologists

Dan Gardner's post about how we are all susceptible to losing our own capability to reason is fantastic.  How can these very smart people defend their support of such atrocities?  Gardner explains the thought process and phenomenon well.  One unique element of the Hamas Apologist example that Gardner is missing from this analysis is the Quranic concept that deception is essential to the righteous struggle for all good people to overcome the abomination of the world outside of strict Sharia law.  The intelligent, articulate Hamas Apologists have a slightly richer set of beliefs and motivations than the people from the past secular examples Gardner cites.  I highly recommend Gardner's post.  It explains a lot.

The Killing Star by by Charles Pellegrino & George Zebrowski (1995)

Amazing story, great subplots and themes. Odd, distracting theology and mysticism. 5/5 Stars.  Fantastic!

Vivid Tomorrows by David Brin (2021)

I finally bought and read this book.  David does cover the Zeitgeist of the public and world leaders -- how cinema and TV are correlated  with policies and priorities. But most of the book is David's repeated rants about how important civilization, civics, and society are.  We do not spend enough time celebrating the progress in all measures of better lives and outcomes.  The Enlightenment and Humanism that led to better forms of governance, social justice, and society are only rarely put on TV and cinema.  The fantasy and most sci-fi on our screens is about feudal societies, patriarchies, monarchies, and evil institutions.  David thinks we should celebrate how well we all work together.  The essays are worthwhile, of course.  David's ideas are always worth reading. 4/5 Stars.

The Final Detail by Harlan Coben (2023)

Great mystery; tightly-woven.  Big hearted characters.  Fun, gritty action. 5/5 Stars.

The Trials by Linda Nagata (2015)

The ongoing story has some more interesting twists, as more clues emerge about the mysterious awe-and-wonder AI ("The Red").  Melodramatic, fun. 5/5 Stars.

I will find you by Harlan Coben (2023)

Gritty, violent thriller with fun big hearted bad guy characters.  The story is a little bit too melodramatic but the ending makes it worthwhile. 4/5 Stars. 

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson (2023)

Fascinating biography of Elon's life so far.  The deep horrors and darkness of Elon's internal demons that cause much of his subjective experience to be so miserable are the most interesting parts.  The reader can't help but feel sorry for him.

". . . electric cars and I'm sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you also think I was gonna be a chill, normal dude?"

We don't (yet) hear much about x.ai, his 7th companyI; I personally find it likely Elon will create a half dozen more companies in the next 30 years. 4/5 Stars.

Israel in 2048: The Rejuvenated State by Michael Oren (2023)

Oren is a pragmatic politician with deep understanding of the difficult politics in the middle east. He has what most westerners might consider an odd take on informal international agreements. His concept aligns with Ibn Khaldum's The Muqaddimah (Introduction)  as well as modern middle eastern statecraft.in general. This book outlines a handful of serious issues and Oren's vision for addressing them.  I always enjoy Oren's analysis.  This book is somewhat less well researched as his history or fiction books but is good, none-the-less. 4/5 Stars.

Interstellar by Avi Loeb (2023)

Professor Loeb is a great astronomer, scientist, and organizer.  He has some interesting philosophical ideas and fun speculations about society and the nature of existence. This book sometimes drifts into odd rants unrelated to his speculations but his reformulations of the Drake equation and sci-fi ideas are fun.  3/5 Stars.

The Six types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni (2022)

I am still catching up on all the Lencioni books.  This one popped up in my queue.  I did not like it as much as most of his books.  He is over-selling this idea and the book reads like an over-hyped sales pitch.  It is obvious to most of us that we should do what we love, especially within our chosen profession.  It is somewhat less obvious, but easily understood that we should seek out others who are talented, passionate, and competent at areas our "day job" work requires so that the team we form is optimized for performing the entire mission and attaining the outcomes required.  And there is likely some strong academic literature that verifies this common sense.  But Lencioni's claims and hyperbole detract from his ideas. This is a good, short story / idea but among the worst I have read by Lencioni. 3/5 Stars.