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Sideways – The City Google Couldn’t Buy – Josh O’Kane
This is a book about the hubris of Google thinking that despite what all levels of government told them about the Toronto Waterfront project, they would not be able to simply assume their way into more land and more tracking of people. It’s a good look at how Big Tech companies get us to believe…
Style: Non-fiction -
The Twittering Machine – Richard Seymour
This is a critical look at Twitter (now X) and it’s impact on the world. One of my favourite quotes is: An industry that monetizes ‘time on device’ is a chronophage of a different order, with the tick of the clock replaced by the click of keys or the tap of thumbs on screen. A…
Style: Non-fiction -
The Tyranny of Merit – Michael J Sandel
In The Tyranny of Merit, Michael J. Sandel takes a hard look at the oft-touted meritocracy. Does it work? Is it a valid way to “get ahead”? No it doesn’t really work, unless you’re already winning financially and have something to fall back on so that you get many attempts to show your merit. The…
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The Devils Curve – Arno Kopecky
What does Canada do with it’s mining interests on the edge of the Amazon? Arno Kopecky brings us a well researched book showing that we’re willing to destroy the land somewhere that’s not our backyard if it brings us profit. We’re willing to collude with terrible government regimes that violently remove their citizens as long…
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The Data Detective – Tim Harford
In The Data Detective, Tim Harford takes a good look at how statistics are presented to us in various mediums working to help readers develop the tools needed to evaluate the claims being put forward in society. If you’re going to follow one rule from the book, be curious. Don’t just take claims at face…
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A World Without Email – Cal Newport
Despite being a Newport fan, I’m not sure that this is required reading in the productivity genre. Newport does have some good ideas that you may be able to implement to cut your email workflow, but I don’t think he’s making the big leap in productivity that he feels knowledge work needs to see the…
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The Skin We’re In – Desmond Cole
Desmond Cole takes a look at a year of black activism in Toronto. He covers the colonial roots of Canada, how many of the institutions were built to remove rights from Indigenous peoples, and police black lives. He says that a central responsibility of policing is forcing black and Indigenous lives to conform to the…
Style: Non-fiction -
A Brief History of Misogyny – Jack Holland
Well researched and written walk through misogyny. One of the big notes relating to recent history is that we often fear Communism more than misogyny. We allow countries (like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan) to be our allies, just like in generations past you’d be friends with someone that beat their wife. The abuse of women is…
Style: Non-fiction -
BiblioTech – John Palfrey
The author talks about the future of libraries and the problems they’re facing with having a future. I think he relies to much on a digital future, which inherently costs more as book publishers charge per borrow instead of a library just being able to purchase a book and lend it many times with a…
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The Case Against Education – Bryan Caplan
Bryan Caplan argues that education much past early high school is mainly to signal to employers that you’ll sit and listen like a good replaceable robot. Unless you’re going to teach, when was the last time that high school physics was useful (never for me)? So why do we require students learn all this stuff…
Style: Non-fiction