Reviews and Comments

avatar for wkmlreads

wakamoleguy

wkmlreads@books.theunseen.city

Joined 3 years, 3 months ago

I'm a software engineer from the US. My reading cycles between sci-fi & fantasy, business & productivity, and occasionally denser nonfiction.

He/Him/His

Follow on Fediverse

This link opens in a pop-up window

reviewed A Mind At Play by Jimmy Soni

Jimmy Soni, Rob Goodman: A Mind At Play (2017)

"The life and times of one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century: Claude …

Follow Your Curiosity

Intrigued by the title, I sought this book out to learn more about Claude Shannon and how he lived his life. In the end, I think the title was a bit of misleading: curiosity was Shannon's driver more than play.

I can strongly relate to Shannon in this; while I may not be the genius pioneer of a new field, I believe strongly that curiosity and creative play (or tinkering as Shannon did) are truly enriching. And if you keep figuring out how things work and exploring ideas that you find interesting, then eventually one of them may truly be groundbreaking. It's not about ambition or fame or awards. It's about following your interests wherever they may lead.

In any case, the book itself was very approachable and I would recommend it to anybody who might be interested in the history of Information Theory.

started reading A Mind At Play by Jimmy Soni

Jimmy Soni, Rob Goodman: A Mind At Play (2017)

"The life and times of one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century: Claude …

This has been on my list for a while, and I picked up a physical copy at the library. The librarian directed me to the Biographies section, and mentioned her husband had worked at Bell Labs. There's a simple joy in little interactions.

Or maybe it's just from being out in December's meager sunlight for a few minutes. (Porque no los dos?)

finished reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash (1993)

Snow Crash is a science fiction novel by the American writer Neal Stephenson, published in …

Content warning Brief mention of a plot point. No major spoiler.

reviewed Product management in practice by Matthew LeMay

No cover

Matthew LeMay: Product management in practice (2017)

Concise practical advice

I went into this expecting a dense textbook detailing the ins and outs of product management. Instead, it was lighter, full of stories and anecdotes that helped make the advice sticky.

While the content boiled down to a few key points (Communication, Organization, Research, Execution), the presentation made this a pleasant read. The repetition through different contexts helped really drive in those key points.

Overall, this was valuable for my own practice as well as for building a better vocabulary about what product management REALLY is. Goal achieved.

finished reading Product management in practice by Matthew LeMay

No cover

Matthew LeMay: Product management in practice (2017)

I went into this expecting a dense textbook detailing the ins and outs of product management. Instead, it was lighter, full of stories and anecdotes that helped make the advice sticky.

While the content boiled down to a few key points (Communication, Organization, Research, Execution), the presentation made this a pleasant read. The repetition through different contexts helped really drive in those key points.

Overall, this was valuable for my own practice as well as for building a better vocabulary about what product management REALLY is. Goal achieved.