Isaac Newton by James Gleick

A good introduction to the life and times of Isaac Newton. 

• The unwanted child
• The child tinkerer
• The alchemist
• The mathematician
• The Recluse
• The Politics of science and religion
• Explainer of gravity using geometry 
• Explainer of prisms and their optical properties
• Inventor of Calculus
• Head of Royal Mint
• Rich man

Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Faces by Ed. Emberley

Super book - makes it very easy for children to learn drawing faces

Super book - makes it very easy for children to learn drawing faces using simple shapes like dot, line, wave, oval, triangle, square etc.

The step-by-step approach is really good as the kid can see all the steps that go into making a cartoon face. It does get a bit repetitive (for parents) after some time but then children do like repeating the drawings so no matter.

Good book but a bit expensive - the author could've included other concepts besides just faces though

Multiple Intelligences (New Horizons) by Howard Gardner

If I remember right Rajiv Malhotra describes that Howard Gardner derived his "Theory of Multiple Intelligences" from exposure to Indian thought on cognition. Like most Western U-Turners there is no credits section which acknowledges the source of these ideas.

If you've already read up multiple intelligences then this book might update you on newer findings, research etc.
The author is too roundabout in what/how he says anything. It's almost like he's too afraid to say anything which can be misconstrued.
Finally he ends up reading like a "Law Professor".
Esp. for a book on multiple intelligences.
Very few visual aids too many words.
I'd have expected something which utilizes multiple intelligences to put the point across.

Maybe his first book "Frames of Mind" is better. Don't know yet but as he admits in this book that the earlier work was written for scientists/colleagues rather than general public.

I guess he just gave people a "scientific" terminology for things that were obvious to teachers (i.e. people learn differently) but unbacked by "science".

"Secret Teachings of Plants" by Buhner Stephen Harrod

The Universe in a grain of sand.

This book is simultaneously mind-boggling and touchingly simple and direct.

It explains using every-day words of scientifically brain-washed readers (like myself) about gentler, simpler, wholesome and ancient paths of Nature. The only way to communicate is to use terms commonly used by the readers.

Where it breaths and beats to its own ancient rhythms.
The only way to resonate with Nature's beats is to listen closely for resonance within the self - the Heart. The way we all once did in the womb - tuned to our mother's presence.

The first half of the book has these "science" based analogies which stick-on in the mind days after reading the book. Contrasting with this is the world of Nature, filled with rhythms and cycles of growth and sustenance.

In fact the contrast is so high that it forces you to wonder where we're headed with this over-dose of Technology and Science.

The Author makes it quite clear where we're headed as explained in his other book: "The Lost Language of Plants".

See also "The Secret Life of Plants"

Learn to Earn by Peter Lynch

How to go about learning, investing and earning as you go.

You'll appreciate this book best if you're totally new to investments (esp. in stocks), though the range of discussion is so broad as to include all kind of background information on many areas. This kind of experience can only come from an expert in the field. So it should be quite informative even for non-newbies.

This book is superb as it has the personal feel of a one-to-one talk.
As if the reader is having a talk with an expert investor uncle on how to go about investing for the future.

By the end of the book you end up feeling more knowledgeable and insightful than earlier as you start seeing the connections and patterns which were otherwise invisible before.

See also other books by Peter Lynch/John Rothchild: "Beating the Street" and "One Up on Wall Street".

[Book Review] Code Reading : The Open Source Perspective

Code Reading : The Open Source Perspective:

Source code reading is an activity meant to provide:

1. Insight into the design of a system
2. Relevant information for reuse of parts of a system (extension, modification, reuse of a systems aspects)
3. Debugging info on a system
4. Re-factoring and maintainance of a system.
5. Reverse Engineering of a system

The book could be reorganized for accessibility-at-a-glance. Thereby reducing the need to go through it entirely. Focus of the book can be made more action-oriented and rationale oriented.

However there is  an Appendix of maxims from the book chapters.I really didn't feel upto reading the book in its entirety.
So I confined myself to the maxims. These are not directly usable off-the-shelf.
They could be made more action oriented without being too generic or too specific.

Some reflection on the maxims alone helped to get insight into the Where, What, How and Why of code reading.

[BookReview] Why Programs Fail by Andreas Zeller

[BookReview] Hacking Firefox - More than 150 Hacks, Mods and Customizations

Simple easy-to-use how-to full of tips-n-tricks for automating, configuring and customizing firefox to your specific needs.
Table of Contents is good with 2 versions - At-A-Glance and Detailed so you can just scan it for your current needs without having to go through the entire book/index.
Gives enough background info to get you started and understand how firefox works.
This approach helps you tweak it just so.

[Book Review] Apprenticeship Patterns - Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman

First off - A Huge "Thank-You":
To both of Dave Hoover and Adewale Oshineye, for writing this Jewel-of-a-Book:
"Apprenticeship Patterns - Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman"
I Especially loved the long snaking road set in an emerald green landscape. "A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever"

It was the missing view of the jig-saw puzzle.A birds eye-view of a completed jig-saw puzzle.
The beauty of it - everything fitting in perfectly.

I'd been regularly using some of the patterns for as long as I can remember. Study The Classics and quite a few others. But somewhere there was a gnawing thought - That I was missing something.
It's been a long and wearying quest - "There's gotta be a better way".

Until I found this book:  
"Apprenticeship Patterns - Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman"
It was like an Emerald Oasis emerging from the burning sands (almost seemed like a mirage at first)

[BookReview] Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight (Rujuta Diwekar)

This book is not about weight loss but health gain - physical And mental.

"No food is bad.... all foods are good for health"
(eaten in moderation and at the right time)

What does time have to do with weight?
Everything.....
'Coz a stitch in time saves nine!!

"Dave: The less I eat, the fatter I get.
Lomper: So stuff yourself (regularly and in small portions) and get thin!"
[Adapted from The Full Monty]

(as explained in the book:"Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight"
- by Rujuta Diwekar)

----------------------------------
[Take-aways from the book]
1) The Body shares our attitude towards Money.
In times of Recession we save more and spend less. In times of plenty it's the reverse.

2) Body is stability based.
Unlike machines which short-circuit beyond some limits, our body adapts to whatever conditions happen in our life.

Sugar levels, rest and activity levels are resources which vary widely during any day.

The body uses fat and muscle as storage areas in response to fluctuations in supply.

If we fluctuate widely from drought to floods - under-eating, missing meals, irregular timings or overeating - the body tries to save up on supplies in the form of fat.

If we take care to stabilize the inputs like food and rest and ensure that the body never runs short of these supplies at any time during the day, it'll become calmer and stop saving up on fat in the body.

---------------

0) Cheap:
The cost of the book is quite low (Rs 156 with discount) and it's worth every paisa twice over.
You can order it online... about 3 days delivery time.

1) Holistic:
Unlike many other popular "diets" this is a holistic approach taking into account many things that happen in our lives and gives insight into how and why these affect our health and weight.
Distinguishes between malnutrition(starvation diets) and optimum nutrition.

a) For example it gives tips to very active sportspersons about when, what and how to eat to ensure accounting for their heavy energy and nutrient needs.

b) Its not just for "fat-people". It's for every human being...
Though all of us eat food we ALL need good nutrition (and rarely get it no matter how simple/rich food you eat) esp. in urban areas.

2) Useable:
It links up a whole encyclopedia of scattered info found in research studies, allopathy, yoga, physiology etc and makes all of those easily usable by common man.

To avoid information overload she gives 4 simple principles which if followed will help you to simply reorganise your diet and daily schedule to within 80% reach of optimum. For more you'd need to customize it with a dietician like Rujuta. This is hardly required for us "non-models".

3) Informative:
After reading the book it started making sense why body fat happens inspite of "not eating too much". Contains loads of useable info on properties of different kinds of foods.

4) Insightful:
It is an excellent book and gives lot of insight into what goes on in our body and mind.
For example Binge eating is a combination of mind and body pangs.

5) Background info:
It talks about how small things in our "modern lifestyle" and way-of-life contribute to health problems. And it means not just fat gain but other things as well...
If you want to understand what "health" is about this seems like a good book written by a dietician, yoga trainer.

6) Myth-busting:
I read this book slowly to "digest" what she's talking about.
I plan to reread this book a few times so that I can absorb the rich but simple information in it.
Many of the myths that I had in my mind about good diet were turned on their heads.

Genome

Genome is a story of our DNA told in 23 chapters with each chapter starring a chromosome.
Told from the human interest viewpoint it lets you in on secrets that are hidden far deep inside you. The stories told range from curious to horrifying to wonderful. Keep reading.
There's a war going on down there.

Did you know that the Y chromosome(which makes a male a male) tries to hide from its X Chromosome(the female counterpart) and constantly(over hunderds of years) changes form to escape detection!! This is just one of the stories told in this delightful and refreshing book.