Category Archives: public policy
@War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex
In ‘@War,’ Shane Harris explains tells the emerging world of cyber warfare. It is a world of blurred lines – there are no national borders in cyberspace, and the roles of the military, law enforcement, and intelligence services are much … Continue reading
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The King of Sports
Gregg Easterbrook’s “The King of Sports” should be required reading by anyone who watches football — professional, collegiate or high school. He covers the financial hypocrisy of the NFL (the “Non-Profit Football League”), as well as the all-too-brief careers of … Continue reading
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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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The Watchers
In The Watchers: The Rise of America’s Surveillance State (2010), Shane Harris explains the modern world of “signals intelligence,” and how it got to be this way. To summarize the current state of affairs, some arm of the U.S. government … Continue reading
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Modern New York
In Modern New York (2012), Crain’s New York columnist Greg David offers an insightful history of New York City and its economy since 1965. David demonstrates how tourism has filled the gap left by the decline of the city’s manufacturing … Continue reading
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Visit Sunny Chernobyl
I have to thank Andrew Blackwell for the time and effort that went into researching and writing this fascinating book of industrial disaster areas (some still serving industrial functions) throughout the world. As I might want to visit some of … Continue reading
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The End of Money
David Wolman’s The End of Money: Counterfeiters, Preachers, Techies, Dreamers — and the Coming Cashless Society (2012) is an interesting look at our faith-based economic system. If you haven’t already thought the through the implications of an economic system based … Continue reading
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The Architect
The Architect: Karl Rove and the Master Plan for Absolute Power (2006) is an interesting (though uneven) review of Karl Rove and his ride to the White House by two veteran Texas political reporters. A non-believer who built a machine … Continue reading
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Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun
Paul Barrett’s Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun (2012) is an eminently readable history of the lightweight Austrian pistol. Somehow, the gun that’s “uglier than a sack full of assholes” has become the “Google of modern civilian handguns: the pioneer … Continue reading
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Moneymakers
Ben Tarnoff’s Moneymakers (2012) tells the stories of three counterfeiters who plied their trade during different periods of American history – the Colonial era, early America and during the Civil War. While their stories are interesting, I thought he did … Continue reading
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