Check out the full list here
I can’t say I disagree with any of the titles but I can’t for the life of me understand why they left of The Digging-est Dog!
Read the full list here
As for my personal reading list, here you go. These are in no particular order of what I’m going to read next.
Anything I should add? Leave it in the comments section below.
If you didn’t hear, Google recently launched a video of how their ‘Project Glass’ might change how we interact during the day. Project Glass is a futuristic look at how technology could enhance our lives. By wearing the ‘Google Glasses’ you could interact with Google Maps, Google Chat, Gmail and a number of other services all without using your phone. The headsup display allows you to go about your day without staring down as you walk.
In concept its a pretty awesome idea. I’d love to see something like this come to market but as you can see below, there are already a few parody videos that show some of the potential downfalls that this new technology could throw our way.
How Project Glass might cause you to hurt yourself
What Project Glass might actually look like on an ad supported version.
March came and went. Can you believe it’s April already? The challenge is still going strong but I can feel the warm weather calling my name and making it much more difficult to stay on track. I think April and the rest of the warmer months are going to make this a little more difficult.
Here’s a look back on what I checked out in March.
Astronauts and Heretics
I’m glad I took a chance on it because it was great. Its very quick but the stories are good and a few of them (Seinfeld re-imagined as an episode of Star Trek!) are hilarious. All of them are in one way or another science fiction, but if you’re not into that sort of thing, don’t let it deter you from reading. I highly recommend checking this out, it’s cheap so there is not big commitment, it’s quick, so you don’t have to commit a lot of time to read it and most importantly it was good.
The Art of Non-Conformity
One of the ‘nonconformists’ views in the book that has been shared by lots of people is that you shouldn’t be waiting for retirement to have fun. Instead if you should find something that you love doing and then maybe you’ll never ‘have’ to retire and you can simply ratchet down how much you work…and if you work for yourself, you determine how much time you want to work and how much time you can spend on other things. It’s an idea that seems to be catching on with a lot of different groups. The book itself was good and I’d recommend checking it out. Read the full review here.
Robopocalypse
For those who haven’t read either, Robopocalypse retells the story of how the robots took control of their ‘lives’ and the majority of the human race (a la, The Terminator or Matrix – but keep in mind this isn’t an action story). It also recounts how the humans took back control and eventually defeated the robots. It’s told through the eyes of the man who lead the charge against the robots. Through his words, he tells the stories of several people from a variety of backgrounds who all influenced the demise and resurgence of the human race in one way or another. If it sounds too sci-fi for you, give it a shot anyway, its really a good book and a page turner.
Lone Survivor
If you’re looking for some non-fiction, this was easy to read and really was an amazing story about how this guy survived everything. It gets slightly political at times, which for me, taints his great story, but it’s not enough to completely overshadow a good book.
Snow Crash
The story surrounds a hacker named Hiro Protagonist, in a future world where the the internet exists in a more 3D world called the metaverse. In the metaverse, users plug in and walk around (kinda like the 80’s version of what 3D gaming would have been like). The hero of the story, is a hacker who helped create the metaverse and now becomes involved in a very complicated plot to create a new virus that is infecting hackers in the metaverse.
When this was first announced I thought it would kill the ebook market. But then again, books have always been free at the library and for some reason Barnes and Noble and Amazon do extremely well selling books. Also, the same day that checking out ebooks from a library was announced, I bought an ebook…go figure.
So far, I’ve checked out four books from the library and I have to say its pretty sweet. I’m trying to read 52 books this year (one a week) and if I were to buy 52 books, that would add up pretty quickly (If an average book is $10 for the kindle then I’d be out over $500 on the year.). And while it’s extremely convenient to check out a book from my living room, its’ oddly frustrating because there is still a wait to check out books!? how does that happen exactly? Does the library not have enough digital copies of the book? Why in the world would you put a restriction on this? I’m sure there is some sort of limitation that requires them to do this but it was a bit of a shock to me and somewhat frustrating when all the books you want to read are checked out or have a hold on them.
Regardless, I found a few books that I checked out and the process is incredibly easy. The hardest part is navigating the library site and actually finding something you want to read (and something that is available). After you have your selection, you are a few clicks away from reading a free book on your Kindle. This is all kinds of awesome.
On a somewhat relevant topic, Amazon does let its Prime members ‘rent’ books for free through its Kindle Lending Library. Not just old stale books that everyone has read or the ones no one wants to read. They are letting users read current books that are on the bestsellers list. Very nice! The only caveat to this is that Amazon only lets you ‘rent’ one book per month. Not bad, but if you read a lot you’re still going to have to buy some books or see if they’re available at the library. So pick and choose which you buy and which you rent. Happy reading.
This book interested me for a few reasons, one of which is that I love travel and the author is a travel junkie…so while reading, I’m also living vicariously through him. The other is that at it’s core, its really about finding something you love and creating a career from it.
Aside from all of the travel portions of the book one thing that I really enjoyed was his take on money and how he addresses it. Its nothing new but he quotes a study that says after you earn roughly $40k a year, you really don’t become more happy with more money that you earn. So then what do you spend your money on? In Chris’s case its travel and life experiences. I can’t argue against this but it made me think about what I spend my money on and what I want to spend money on.
One of the non-conformists views in the book that has been shared by lots of people is that you shouldn’t be waiting for retirement to have fun. Instead if you can find something that you love, maybe you’ll never ‘have’ to retire and you can simply ratchet down how much you work…and if you work for yourself, you determine how much time you want to work and how much time you can spend on other things. It sounds like a crazy idea but as the thinking goes, if you really enjoy your ‘work’, why would you want to retire?
I’ve always been a big saver with the goal being retirement… I think? But in today’s world you here more and more about people not retiring and working well into their golden years. What if I become that person who finds their true passion and wants to work well into retirement years? Then what am I saving for? There are some obvious answers to that question but reading this book can definitely make you take a close look at why you do some of the things you do.
I think what resonates so well with this book is the idea that you should be looking for something that makes you happy and you CAN make that a career. Whether its a job or your own gig that you love, find something that you are truly passionate about. When you find that something, saving for retirement might become less important as you feel less pressured into having to retire to enjoy your life.
The hard part then becomes….what do you do to make you happy and how can that sustain you? Admittedly I’m dragging my feet with this (partly because I like my job) but I’m always keeping my eyes open for that opportunity.
What is you’re passion and do you have any plans to turn that into a career?
Learn more about Chris and his mission here
Currently Reading...
Seth Godin - The Icarus Deception
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Grant Petersen - Just Ride
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Chad Harbach - The Art of Fielding
