I must admit that as a married man, I really shouldn’t be reading a book about pickup artists. But there is a certain vicarious thrill to be had from Neil Strauss’s The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists; really far more than just a guide to picking up women. It’s a master class […]

George Pendel’s Strange Angel is about pioneering Rocket Scientist Jack Parsons, who played a pivotal role in the creation of Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). A self-taught explosives expert, Parsons also led a double life: He was fascinated with the occult, and was chosen by Aleister Crowley to lead the local chapter of the Ordo […]

Andy Hertzfeld, one of the creators of the original Macintosh computer, recently published a book, Revolution in the Valley, about his experiences at Apple in the late 70s and early 80s. The book is full of fascinating anecdotes and valuable lessons about software management, many of which seem awfully familiar to me. Andy’s love of […]