Currently Reading

• The Case for Space: How the Revolution in Spaceflight Opens Up a Future of Limitless Possibility by Robert Zubrin

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• Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
• The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts
• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
• We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman
• Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

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• Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning by Elliot Ackerman
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China by Ezra F. Vogel
  As paramount leader, Deng did not see his role as coming up with a new ideology, but rather as managing the disruptive process of devising and implementing a new system. He would have ultimate responsibilityand he needed to make sound judgement calls.
  He needed to provide hope without raising expectations that were unrealistic, as Mao had done in 1958.
  When he did not know something, he readily admitted it. He had an inner confidence that allowed one to get directly into substantive issues.
  He did not dwell on what might have been or who was at fault for past errors; as in bridge, which he played regularly, he was ready to play the hand he was dealt.
  During difficulties, Deng was sustained partly by the warm and close relations with his wife and family and by a certain inner confidence that came from overcoming past hardships.
  althought he could be witty, with colleagues he was usually formal. He did not take and interest in their personal lives.
  He was known for thinking about big issues, and for leaving details to others. He was not a micromanager.
  I have never attented a university, but I have always considered that since the day was born, I have been in the university of life. There is no graduation date except when I go to meet God.
  Chinese leaders should praise Mao and keep him on a pedestal, but they also should interpret his teaching not as a rigid idealogy, but as a successful adaptation to the conditions of the time.
  But on issues he cared about, like major personnel appointments, his repuation, and managing relationships, he was as shrewd, devious, and cunning as ever.
  The four modernizations (of agriculture, industry, science and technology, and national defense) were the most important issues of the time.
  If what a person did was 70% correct, that is very good. If after my death people say what I did was 705 correct, that would be quite good.
  He wanted to study how Japanese organized workers to maximize their dedication and efficiency, which he summed up as "management."
  Just making things isn't enough. We need to raise the quality.
  What was needed for China to achieve economic modernization? Deng listed 4 requirements:
  - Firm and consistent politicial message
  - Political stability and unity
  - Hard word with a pioneerings spirit
  - contingent of officials with both unswerving socialist orientation and professional knowledge and competence
  He believed competition from foreign companies wouldn't destroy the Chinese economy but rather stimulate businesses to become stronger. He also did not worry if a substantial percentage of those who went abroad did not return, for he believed that they too would continue to help their motherland.
  He was absolutely determined not to allow Reagan to reach agreements with Taiwan that would make it more difficult to regain the island in the long run, and he let his visitors know unequivocally that China would be watching carefully what Reagan did and said.
  Most armies around the world don't spend much on personnel. They spend most of their funds on equipment. We have a very bad situation. We spend too much on personnel. We have too many people directing things and not many people to fight.
  Youth who had opposed their government in 1989 were now passionately supporting their government's claims that China was being mistreated by other countries --> patriotism trumps internal quarrels often, nothing was more effective than revival of anti-Japanese sentiment that had promoted Chinese patriotism during WW2.
  His goal was not to produce social equality but to sift out the ablest and provide them with the best education possible via the national examination system.
  Although Deng and Chen Yun never split openly, it was understandable that their relationship had an edge to it, as they have become the magnets for two opposing views on China's modernization: move more boldy or avoid taking dangerous risks.
  
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
  Mnookin, predictably, started fumbling because the frame of the conversation had shifted from how I’d respond to the threat of my son’s murder to how the professor would deal with the logistical issues involved in getting the money. How he would solve my problems. To every threat and demand he made, I continued to ask how I was supposed to pay him and how was I supposed to know that my son was alive.
  If you know how to affect your counterparts system 1 thinking, his inarticulate feelings, by how you frame and deliver your questions and statements, then you can guide his system 2 rationality and therefore modify his responses
  The majority of the interactions we have at work and home are negotiations that boil down to the expression of a simple, animalistic urge: I want.
  Negotiation serves two distinct vital life functions—information gathering and behavior influencing
  A successful hostage negotiator has to get everything he asks for without giving anything back of substance, and do so in a way that leaves the adversaries feeling as if they have a great relationship
  The goal is to identify what your counterparts actually need (monetarily, emotionally, or otherwise) and get them feeling safe enough to talk and talk and talk some more about what they want
  When people are in a positive frame of mind, they think more quickly, and are more likely to collaborate and problem solve (instead of fight and resist). It applies to the smile-er as much as to the smile-ee: a smile on your face, in your voice, will increase your own mental agility
  Ask “is now a bad time to talk?” Don’t gun for a direct yes right away. Either answer is “yes it’s a bad time” followed by suggestion of better time or “no” and full attention given
  
• Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
  The novel explores themes of consciousness, alien life, and the nature of reality.
  Solaris centers on a sentient ocean that defies human comprehension. Despite extensive study, scientists cannot decipher its nature or intentions. This highlights the limitations of human cognition when faced with entities that do not conform to human logic or experience.
  The ocean manifests physical representations of the scientists' deepest regrets and traumas. For instance, protagonist Kris Kelvin encounters a replica of his deceased wife, forcing him to confront unresolved guilt. These manifestations serve as a mirror to the characters' psyches, emphasizing the inescapability of personal guilt and memory.
  The replicas, while physically identical to real humans, lack authentic memories and autonomy. This raises questions about what constitutes true identity and humanity. Is it our memories, our consciousness, or something more intangible?
  Set aboard a remote space station, the novel delves into the isolation experienced by the characters. This physical and emotional seclusion prompts deep existential introspection, questioning the very essence of existence and the human condition.
  
• The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan
  Science alerts us to the perils introduced by our world-altering technologies, especially to the global environment on which our lives depend.
  Science teaches us about the deepest issues of origins, natures, and fates—of our species, of life, of our planet, of the Universe.
  Argumentation cannot suffice for the discovery of new work, since the subtlety of Nature is greater many times than the subtlety of argument.
  Do corporate research departments or outside research contractors ever find a product to be more dangerous than the tobacco corporation has publicly declared? If they do, is their employment continued? Part of the success of the tobacco industry in purveying this brew of addictive poisons can be attributed to widespread unfamiliarity with baloney detection, critical thinking, and the scientific method.
  Gullibility kills. Surely this, that he was verily guilty of the death of those men. It is admitted that he did sincerely believe in the soundness of his ship; but the sincerity of his conviction can in nowise help him, because he had no right to believe on such evidence as was before him. He had acquired his belief not by honestly earning it in patient investigation, but by stifling his doubts … began to see how easy it is to be fooled by your own desire to believe.
  Placebos can be astonishingly effective, especially for colds, anxiety, depression, pain, and symptoms that are plausibly generated by the mind. Conceivably, endorphins—the small brain proteins with morphinelike effects—can be elicited by belief. A placebo works only if the patient believes it's an effective medicine. Within strict limits, hope, it seems, can be transformed into biochemistry.
  The Harvest Moon festival is an important holiday in traditional Chinese communities in America. In the week preceding the festival, the death rate in the community is found to fall by 35 percent. In the following week the death rate jumps by 35 percent. Control groups of non-Chinese show no such effect.
  You might think that suicides are responsible, but only deaths from natural causes are counted. You might think that stress or overeating might account for it, but this could hardly explain the fall in death rate before the harvest moon. The largest effect is for people with cardiovascular disease, which is known to be influenced by stress. Cancer showed a smaller effect. On more detailed study, it turned out that the fluctuations in death rate occurred exclusively among women 75 years old or older. The
  Harvest Moon Festival is presided over by the oldest women in the households. They were able to stave off death for a week or two to perform their ceremonial responsibilities.
  A similar effect is found among Jewish men in the weeks centered on Passover—a ceremony in which older men play a leading role—and likewise, worldwide for birthdays, graduation ceremonies and the like.
  Science itself is irrational or mystical. It's just another faith or belief system or myth, with no more justification than any other. It doesn't matter whether beliefs are true or not, as long as they're meaningful to you.
  We are all flawed and creatures of our times. Is it fair to judge us by the unknown standards of the future?
  If we were not aware of our own limitations, though, if we were not seeking further data, if we were unwilling to perform controlled experiments, if we did not respect the evidence, we would have very little leverage in our quest for the truth.
  It seems foolish to complain about reductionism. It is not a deficiency but one of the chief triumphs of science.
  The development of objective thinking by the Greeks appears to have required a number of specific cultural factors. First was the assembly, where men first learned to persuade one another by means of rational debate. Second was a maritime economy that prevented isolation and parochialism. Third was the existence of a widespread Greek-speaking world around which travelers and scholars could wander.
  Fourth was the existence of an independent merchant class that could hire its own teachers. Fifth was the Iliad and the Odyssey, literary masterpieces that are themselves the epitome of liberal rational thinking. Sixth was a literary religion not dominated by priests. And seventh was the persistence of these factors for 1,000 years.
  In a world in transition, students and teachers both need to teach themselves one essential skill— learning how to learn.
  Every now and then, I'm lucky enough to teach a kindergarten or first-grade class. Many of these children are natural-born scientists—although heavy on the wonder side and light on skepticism. They're curious, intellectually vigorous. Provocative and insightful questions bubble out of them. They exhibit enormous enthusiasm. I'm asked follow-up questions. They've never heard of the notion of a "dumb question." when I talk to high school seniors, I find something different. They memorize "facts." By and large, though, the joy of discovery, the life behind those facts, has gone out of them. They've lost much of the wonder, and gained very little
  skepticism.
  Something has happened between first and twelfth grade, I'd guess that it's partly peer pressure not to excel (except in sports); partly that the society teaches shortterm gratification; partly the impression that science or mathematics won't buy you a sports car; partly that so little is expected of students; and partly that there are few rewards or role models for intelligent discussion of science and technology—or even for learning for its own sake.
  Those few who remain interested are vilified as "nerds" or "geeks" or "grinds." What about college and university? There are obvious steps to take: improved status based on teaching success, and promotions of teachers based on the performance of their students in standardized, doubleblind tests; school courses can attract quite the wrong sort of person into science—unimaginative boys and girls who like routine.
  Those who made the accommodation between their real memories and what the leadership wished them to believe exercised what Orwell described as "doublethink."
  
• Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas by Frederick Douglass
  - Slaves thought that greatness in their masters was transferable to themselves. It was considered as bad enough to be a slave; but to be a poor man slave, was deemed to disgrace, indeed. Even in slavery there was hierarchy.
  ⁃ There's a whole system to being a good overseer. I bet they even had classes. They are always right and cannot give an inch to their slaves. "If one slave refused to be corrected and escaped with his life, the other slaves would follow suit."
  ⁃ Good people were dosed with the "fatal poison of irresponsible power."
  ⁃ When he learned to read, he was narrowly watched — slave owners knew that it was dangerous for slaves to read because it would open their eyes to their horrible situation. This is exactly what happened when Frederick Douglas learned to read.
  ⁃ One funny thing that Frederick Douglas did when he was trying to learn to write. He would go up to people in the street, say he can write better than them, they would say "I don't believe you let me see you try it", then he would get lots of reps in writing.
  ⁃ "He that know his masters's will and don't act on it, shall be beaten with many stripes."
  ⁃ One particularly cruel master had the faculty of making slaves feel that he was ever present. He seldom approached the spot where they work openly — he would even crawl in the grass to surprise them.
  ⁃ A slave who would work during the holidays was considered by masters as scarcely deserving them. He was regarded as disobeying the favor of his master. It was a disgrace not to get drunk on Christmas.
  ⁃ "It may be that my misery and slavery will only increase my happiness when I get free. There's a better day coming." Very optimistic.
  ⁃ "The religion of the south is just a covering for the most horrid crimes."
  ⁃ "Whenever my condition was improved, instead of it increasing my contentment, it only increased my desire to be free and sent me to thinking of plans to gain my freedom." I wonder if this is the same for most humans or if Fredrick was unique.
  ⁃ When Frederick Douglas got to the north he expected everyone to be poor because they don't have slaves and the people in the south who didn't have slaves were very poor. But he was surprised at how luxurious the north was despite abolition. He thought that you had slaves to be rich."
  
• Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company-and Revolutionized an Industry by Carlye Adler and Marc Benioff
  Focus on revenue generation and market share in the early stages of rapid growth, with profitability as a secondary goal. Don't settle for mediocrity; seek out and hire the most talented individuals available. Establish a strong company culture that aligns with your values and attracts like-minded individuals.
• Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World by Kuan Yew Lee and Henry Kissinger
  China's leadership is methodically pursuing economic growth and technological advancement, emphasizing a "peaceful rise" strategy to avoid the pitfalls of direct confrontation with established powers.
  Despite China's rapid progress, Lee identifies several internal challenges that could impede its ascent:​
  - Innovation Constraints: He observes that China's cultural and political environment may stifle creativity, limiting its ability to produce groundbreaking innovations. ​
  - Demographic Pressures: Lee highlights concerns about China's aging population and the long-term economic implications of its previous one-child policy.​
  - Governance Issues: He questions the sustainability of China's centralized governance model, suggesting that increased openness and adaptability may be necessary for continued growth.
  He advises established powers to engage with China constructively, recognizing its aspirations while encouraging it to become a responsible stakeholder in the international system.