Author Archives: Mike
Punching Out
In “Punching Out” (2011), Paul Clemens spends a year at the massive Budd Detroit Automotive Plant, Stamping and Framing Division in Detroit — the year after the plant has been shut down. He chronicles the plant’s press lines being disassembled … Continue reading
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We Live in Water
I very much enjoyed Jess Walter’s short story collection “We Live in Water” (2013). I often find short fiction to be unsatisfying. It can be difficult to get to know (and have any feeling about) characters in such a short … Continue reading
Exploding the Phone
Phil Lapsley’s “Exploding the Phone: The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws Who Hacked Ma Bell” tells the story of the underground “phone phreaking” culture of the pre-PC era. That group included Steve Wozniak (who wrote the book’s forward … Continue reading
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The Idea Factory
In The Idea Factory (2012), Jon Gertner tells the story of Bell Labs, the “idea factory” of the title. Bells Labs was established as the research & development arm of AT&T (once known as “Ma Bell”), which was committed to … Continue reading
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Trading Bases
I very much enjoyed Joe Peta’s Trading Bases: A Story About Wall Street, Gambling, and Baseball (Not Necessarily in That Order). The product of a horrible collision between the author and a New York City ambulance (not to mention the … Continue reading
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MoMath
We recently checked out a new museum that opened in New York City called the Museum of Math (or, for the cool kids, MoMath). It’s only been open for a few months, but it sounded interesting enough to build a … Continue reading
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Elsewhere
Richard Russo’s memoir “Elsewhere” (2012) is, quite simply, required reading for anyone who has enjoyed Russo’s work, especially his earlier books. Sadly, the decline of upstate New York cities like Gloversville, where Russo grew up, has only hastened since Russo … Continue reading
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The Signal and the Noise
An awesome read from Nate Silver, a guy who has done some fascinating things. His advice on in a nutshell: make forecasts, not predictions; avoid over-confidence; challenge your heuristics; and fill your knowledge gaps whenever possible. Read reviews from the … Continue reading
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The Half-Life of Facts
In The Half-Life of Facts (2012), author Samuel Arbesman argues that “everything we know has an expiration date. It’s basically an argument in favor of Internet search engines over rote memorization, and a reminder that the world changes as much … Continue reading
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Bananas
Peter Chapman’s Bananas (2008) tells the story of how the United Fruit Company pretty much ran Central America for a good part of the 20th century. A good read that will help explain why “Banana Republics” became the norm in … Continue reading
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