Not only a good math joke, but evidence of some nice lateral thinking.

Math Joke.

I just got this via email and don't know the copyright or the origin of this. If someone knows whether I should give credit to someone, please let me know. But it's too funny not to blog.

By Joichi Ito joi_nospam_@nospam_ito.com. [Joi Ito's Web]

2:52:17 PM •  • comment  

Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life
Allen, David

I'm definitely a fan of David Allen. His first book, Getting Things Done, should definitely be on your reading list, as should his new blog. Ready for Anything is an organized collection of David's periodic essays and reflections on getting things done. Each is only a page or two long, but contains distilled wisdom and helps prod backsliders like me into action.

10:53:47 AM •  • comment  

The Man Who Folded Himself
Gerrold, David

This is a book that's been recommended to me off and on over the years. It's in print again and after getting hooked on Gerrold's War Against the Chtorr series last summer I read this back in January. I think I like Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps" a little bit better, but this is definitely a keeper in the time-travel sub-genre. What it does nicely is to explore the human dimension relentlessly.

10:39:21 AM •  • comment  

Deception Point
Brown, Dan

More from Dan Brown. He's not Tom Clancy quite yet, but he's working in territory that I find interesting in its own right. Here he explores how power and scientific knowledge interact. For those, like me, who bias toward science and the rational and don't naturally pick up on the human and the natural, Deception Point helps you remember why those with high EQs are typically in charge of those with high IQs.

10:28:50 AM •  • comment  

Digital Fortress : A Thriller
Brown, Dan

I thought The Da Vinci Code was ok but ultimately implausible and I thought the ending was pulled out of a hat. On the other hand, there's no question that Dan Brown can write a good page turner, so I went looking for his earlier books (what can I say, when it comes to reading I am a gourmand not a gourmet). Digital Fortress was Brown's first book, I believe, and I found it much more satisfying than the Da Vinci Code. What I found particularly interesting is how he explores how technical plausibility collides with the human dimensions of fear and paranoia in large organizations. His canvas here is the NSA, but the lessons are worth thinking about in more mundane contexts. So you get a nice thriller that moves and some food for thought about how digital technology affects big organizations. A nice twofer.

10:22:06 AM •  • comment