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dr.Pep
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Copyright © 2023 Pepijn van der Laan.
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Since the invention of the micro processor, chip production has become of imminent strategic importance for both the USA and other geopolitical power blocks

Since the invention of the micro processor, chip production has become of imminent strategic importance for both the USA and other geopolitical power blocks

Chris Miller – Chip war

Nice historical overview, very topical in an era where technology significantly affects the Ukraine war and the power play between the USA and China around Taiwan.

Protective parenting and the quest for emotional safety hurt the mental resilience of gen Z

Protective parenting and the quest for emotional safety hurt the mental resilience of gen Z

Greg Lukianov and Jonathan Haidt – The coddling of the American mind

The writers provide valuable life lessons for individuals, but (unfortunately) do not discuss the broader societal function of protest movements.

Polls are certainly not perfect, but they are much less bad than public opinion suggests

Polls are certainly not perfect, but they are much less bad than public opinion suggests

G. Elloitt Morris – Strength in Numbers

The explanation of combining online and offline methods is insightful, though somewhat superficial

Aging populations and the breakdown of global trade make that very bad things are going to happen all over the world, but less so in the USA

Aging populations and the breakdown of global trade make that very bad things are going to happen all over the world, but less so in the USA

Peter Zeihan – The end of the world is just the beginning

Highly entertaining read with a lot of black humor, but incomplete in its analysis (e.g. of risk of internal conflicts in the USA and likelihood of collaboration between states in Europe).

Politicians need not believe in conspiricy theories to spread them

Politicians need not believe in conspiricy theories to spread them

Russel Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum – A lot of people are saying

January 2020: The book spells out the scary power of herd mentality in a post-truth world (indebted to Harry Frankfurt and Fernbach and Sloman).

March 2022: In the perspective of this book, it is curious to see how far Putin can stretch his narrative on the Ukraine invasionfor his domestic audience.

Anything, from a generic concept to a highly personal experience, can be rated on a five-star scale

Anything, from a generic concept to a highly personal experience, can be rated on a five-star scale

John Green – The anthropocene reviewed

Although the book is charming at times, reviewing an era through the personal experiences of one arbitrary writer in the early 21st century is a lost cause right from the start.

From Anime to the Karaoke machine and the Gameboy, Japanese design has had an outsized influence on pop culture

From Anime to the Karaoke machine and the Gameboy, Japanese design has had an outsized influence on pop culture

Matt Alt – Pure invention

Highly entertaining book, providing entertaining facts and refreshing perspectives.

The US postal service is a success story of the benefits of public funding

The US postal service is a success story of the benefits of public funding

Winifred Gallagher – How the post office created America

In theory a fascinating topic, but in practice a boring read; as I should have expected because the Post leveraged rather than drove innovation.

A start-up in retail should resolve significant friction in the value chain and/or the consumers’ lives

A start-up in retail should resolve significant friction in the value chain and/or the consumers’ lives

Christiane Lemieux and Duff McDonald – Frictionless

Story on repeat: X had a frustration, X is so privileged that she can raise at least a couple of $100k from friends and family, and X starts an amazing company to solve the problem – at least in theory – for herself and the rest of the world.

China’s debt-fueled economic growth cannot continue in the same way

China’s debt-fueled economic growth cannot continue in the same way

Dinny McMahon – China’s great wall of debt

October 2021: Apparently, the financial troubles of Evergrande are the first cracks in the wall.

July 2019: Interesting perspective on China’s impressive rise over the past years, providing more context to the recent trade war with the US and contrasting the view of Kai-Fu Lee.

Do not start a restaurant, unless there is nothing else you can do

Do not start a restaurant, unless there is nothing else you can do

David Chang – Eat a peach

Entertaining and endearing, despite the writers (sometimes painful) personality flaws

Like in other instances of decolonization, forming the USA has been a murky affair largely dependent on chance

Like in other instances of decolonization, forming the USA has been a murky affair largely dependent on chance

Colin Woodard – American nations

The book is more about political realities than about cultures, with little attention given to the role of black people (apart from them being enslaved).

Fishermen tend to kill the thing they love

Fishermen tend to kill the thing they love

Mark Kurlansky – Cod

Everything you always wanted to know about the economic, cultural, historical, and culinary significance of cod.

Never trust data scientists, in particular when they do not have data

Never trust data scientists, in particular when they do not have data

Jill Lepore – If then

The writer never really succeeds in making the Simulmatics story seem important, partly because due to endless digressions about the bad marriages of the men who founded the company and partly because she avoids any substantial assessment of the actual models they used.

Truly understanding strangers is difficult, but failing to do so may cause grave harm to individuals as well as society as a whole

Truly understanding strangers is difficult, but failing to do so may cause grave harm to individuals as well as society as a whole

Malcolm Gladwell – Talking to strangers

Gladwell once more makes his well known point that prejudice is often subconscious and institutionalized (cf. also Blink), this time inspired by a BLM atrocity.

Kill Powerpoint, have to 2-pizza teams, and get your core values straight

Kill Powerpoint, have to 2-pizza teams, and get your core values straight

Colin Brayer and Bill Carr – Working backwards

Somehow, there is no mention of pee bottles or other excesses concerning operational staff in the book.

The left terrorizes the right while bathing in victimhood

The left terrorizes the right while bathing in victimhood

Gad Saad – The parasitic mind

The purposeful one-sided rant makes the book lose all credibility, in particular since the arguments can easily be reversed – especially in the wake of Trump’s desperate challenge the US election outcome.

It is not political philosophy, but political geography that led Democrats in the USA to embrace the knowledge economy

It is not political philosophy, but political geography that led Democrats in the USA to embrace the knowledge economy

Jonathan Rodden – Why cities lose

In the US election system, geographic concentration puts democrats at a fundamental disadvantage.

Over the past decades, most economists have been forced to flex their opinion on the efficient market hypothesis

Over the past decades, most economists have been forced to flex their opinion on the efficient market hypothesis

Justin Fox – The myth of the rational market

The book resists the temptation to get lost in juicy stories, but focuses on the evolution of ideas.

The escalating polarization in USA politics may well lead to an exit of California or Texas from the union

The escalating polarization in USA politics may well lead to an exit of California or Texas from the union

Daivd French – Divided we fall

January 2021: After the Capitol attack (6 Jan. 2021) it became clear how close we actually were to this type of scenario.

November 2020: The hypothetical scenarios are well crafted and unfortunately not as far-fetched as one might hope.

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Copyright © 2023 Pepijn van der Laan.
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