2009 Reading
Foreign Affairs
I took a "Politics of National Security" course as an undergrad. And there I discovered Foreign Affairs. It's better than ever. On Kindle too!Thomas Reed: At the Abyss: An Insider's History of the Cold War
No more appropriate time to look at "strategic-thinkers" than now. Few of our national leadership class have an understanding of big power. (Especially the President).Dr. Nigel Chapman: Digital Multimedia
A big undergraduate level over view book. Well written, and with MPEG4 up to date. Still why don't these authors include collaboration environments and workflow models? (****)Robert Wallace: Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda
History, technology gadgets, and Spys! What a fun read! (*****)Anne Truitt Zelenka: Connect!: A Guide to a New Way of Working from GigaOM's Web Worker Daily
Just jumped into this. Those of us who consider ourselves "wired" and "technologists" won't remain so unless we run with the stream.National Geographic: National Geographic Atlas of the Middle East, Second Edition
Think you know Middle East Geography well enough? I don't! Just what kind of terrain and distances would Israeli jets have to fly over to get to Natanz, Iran? National Geographic Atlas of Middle East. Doesn't get much better. (****)James Bamford: The Shadow Factory: The NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America
Read this if you are: 1) A ham radio operator 2) a civil libertarian 3) interested in survellience and the law. 4) Left wing/Right wing/Nihilist or Post Political. It's about the Surveillance Industrial Complex! (****)George M. Piskurich: Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right (Essential Knowledge Resource)
Clear overview of visual instruction and learning. How to make it go! If you've done training or want to. Pick this up!Jonah Goldberg: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change
Liberal Facism? How could this be? . A smart read that rips the facade from the American left.Richard H. Thaler: Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Well it's a book about Change in life. NY Times BestSeller. Let's see if it lives up to the billing!Charles Wheelan: Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science
A brisk read. Clear conceptually and witty. If you took Macro Economics in College it's a big sweep view. If you went on to take Micro Economics it's a bit shallow. (***)William R. Forstchen: One Second After
EMP scenario. A bit light on the technology. A bit heavy on the "relationships". Still an enjoyable fast read. (***)Niall Ferguson: The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World
Timely and profound Economic history. It's Niall Ferguson for Chris sakes! Read and marvel at brilliance.Wes Simpson: Video Over IP, Second Edition: IPTV, Internet Video, H.264, P2P, Web TV, and Streaming: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Technology (Focal Press Media Technology Professional Series)
After Networking, understanding Video over IP is among the most important protocols of the era. Simpson's Book: Thorough and as enjoyable as a technical text gets. (****)David Halberstam: The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War
500 pages in Feb. 1 I met Haberstam once in DC. A towering figure in 20th Century American Journalism. This is not a book you read. You "live it". (****)
