What Goes Up - Eric Weiner

For a book that could not be about a drier topic, Weiner did a wonderful job making the history of Wall Street an exciting read. Not only was it enlightening to read about many of the events that shaped modern Wall Street, but hearing it from the big shots made it credible. Throughout the whole book Weiner probably wrote only 20 pages himself; the rest of it is quotes from interviews with: Robert Baldwin, Michael Barone, Maria Bartiromo, Bruce Bent, Roger Berlind, Stephen Birmingham, Warren Buffet, Arthur Carter, James Cramer, Joseph Grano, Richard Grasso, Jerome Kohlberg, Peter Lynch, John Meriwether, Charlie Merrill, Michael Milken, Charles Schwab, and many more...

Weiner covered a plethora of topics ranging from the early days of the Our Crowd to the final days before publication and the IPO of Google.

This is not a read for the faint of heart. If you don't have a genuine interest in Wall Street and a curiosity about how it came to be, then this book probably is not for you.

Recommended

Shooting Aces

So I just saw Shooting Aces, a movie with a whole slew of famous actors, with the other offensive middies. What a cracked-up film! It was built around the Mob and the FBI's covert tactics to penetrate it since the 50's but ended up just being a fast-paced flick that was really quite absurd.

Just to emphasize my point the following occurs:

• A magician turns out to be the illegitimate son of an FBI operative undercover as a mob boss who needs to be killed so the old FBI agent can be saved with a heart transplant.
• A prostitute gets shot in the face with a canon.
• A neo-Nazi contract killer sits on a chain saw.
• A lesbian contract killer (who I think was Alicia Keys) leaves her partner to hook up with the magician's former body-guard who quits after getting sliced in the eye with a playing card.

What happened to good movies that did not need a ridiculous amount of violence or one-liners to make it worthwhile?

State of the Union '07

Immediately after I got back from practice two nights ago I plopped myself down in front of a TV and watched an encore of this year's State of the Union. However, the spectacle was not as exciting as I anticipated; not only did Bush really screw the pooch as far as his delivery is concerned, but the depth of the content of his speech was very disappointing.

I figured that this year's speech would be a good one since Bush was addressing such a skeptical crowd and since candidates have already begun their path towards being the next POTUS. I assumed that the topics that Bush addressed in the State of the Union would be some of the main topics debated in the upcoming election. I am growing tired of debates around foreign affairs, social security, and healthcare reform. Someone come up with an answer already and stick to it.

It amazes me that it has already been 2 years since he was elected - boy does time fly by.

Wild Fire - Nelson DeMille

While I'm not very big into fiction, DeMille captured my attention from page one. I found his writing style to be engaging, funny, and fast-paced.

The plot is built around current events (read: terrorism) and national security issues. I will say that while the beginning and middle were adequately filled with details and twists, the ending seemed somewhat forced and short - and a Hollywood ending at that. For as much build-up as DeMille did, I think the ending could have used a little more craft.

Regardless, a good read.

Recommended

Sub-Reality

So for the past few days I have been riffling through thousands of old family photos (like, old) and videos and it has given me a new sense of perspective. Not only has this given me a greater respect and awe for the importance and relevance of a family, but I also realized how different things are now from the way they used to be.

I've always been interested in World War II, but it never really sunk in with me that my Grandpa was so intricately involved in it. This was obviously instigated by the countless photos of him in uniform on leave or in his barracks.

Even-more-so, it is astonishing to think that my parents were born and raised in the cold-war era. When I hear about Cold War times, I feel like it is a non-reality, like nobody real had to go through it. But both my parents did for a majority of their lives. That's crazy.
So now I ask myself, what am I going through right now that future generations will be astounded by?

Website Updates

I have not been posting new content lately principally because I am converting a whole lot of old-media into digital format (i.e. over 100 hours of family videos, thousands of photos, etc.). Once I'm done converting all of this stuff, I will add some new features that will allow you to search for and browse through all of this material.

It will probably take me a month or two to develop a system that will work with everybody, so your patience is appreciated.

Long Semester

So this morning I will start what will be a miserable experience this spring; my walk to Mason Hall for my LHC 412 class (American Business History). While for many students, I may sound like a total pussy because Mason Hall is right across from the Union on central campus - not too far away.
However, in comparison to every class that I've taken since sophomore year (all located in the business school), Mason Hall is more than twice as far away - and it's winter!
I will have to tough this out though. I need this class to fulfill my minor in Modern History. Nuts.

#1 Employer

I just wanted to brag really quick; Google is Fortune's #1 company to work for in 2007. Be sure to check out their articles about some of the perks that will be available to me in a few short months.

Jackpot.

L-Ville's Last Day

It is 7am local time and I am packing up to head back to Ann Arbor in a few hours. It has only been a few weeks (16 days I think), but I feel like it's been an eternity.

I finished reading Empire last night and it only confirmed my hesitations in reading fiction. For whatever reason, I just don't get the same kick out of them compared to biographies or other non-fiction books. However, I started reading Wild Fire (a book given to me by my mother) and it is turning out to be very good - even though it's fiction.

I won't be returning to Libertyville until May 14th, at the earliest (I'll be coming back after the national tournament to have shoulder surgery). And then of course, after that I'll be headed out to California by the beginning of August.

It's always sad to leave my family, especially when so much of my future is unknown and I am unsure as to how often I'll be making trips back to Chicago.

iWoz - Steve Wozniak

I literally pulled this book off the shelf at Borders because I thought the cover looked interesting - proving that you can judge a book by its cover.

I didn't know very much about the story behind Steve Wozniak and his role with Apple other than he tucked his tail between his legs around Steve Jobs and investors. I knew that when it came time to ask who was the boss, he deferred that role to Jobs.

However, after listening to his side of the story and why he chose to stay out of management and pursued a career in engineering, I totally respect him 100% (and somewhat wish I had been an engineer...).

This book gives a first-hand recollection of his life filled with stories of pranks and how he developed the personal computer as we know it today. It also covers why he got out and what a brilliant inventor like him has been up to for the past decade. Overall, nice job.

Recommended

The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama

Barack uses his second book, The Audacity of Hope, to elaborate on 9 key issues that have faced him or are facing him as a senator, father, and a person. Some issues are very political in nature (such as foreign policy) while others are very personal (his role in family life and the future of it for Americans).

I found his story to be both compelling and inspiring, albeit wordy at points from his colorful language style. The examples he gives from his personal experiences not only strengthens the storyline of this book, but also my confidence in him as a politician.

One of my biggest concerns about Obama as a politician was his inexperience with foreign policy and high-level government in general. However, after reading his book my doubts have been calmed. I think Barack has made and will make a fantastic public servant for years to come.

Recommended

Empire - Orson Scott Card

As my first Science Fiction novel in a long time (I used to be a SF fanatic when I was younger), Empire really did not do anything that would entice me to pick up any more books of this genre with unbridled enthusiasm. While it was a mediocre book built on an intriguing plot, it just never sucked me in (at least not until the last 50 pages).

The plot involves the impending Civil War in America, the two sides being liberals and conservatives, and a chief mastermind who may or may not be behind it all. Sounds great, right? Eh, Card never really developed his characters enough for me to care what was going on. Moreover, it seemed that the only thing that was keeping this novel afloat was that there was action in every chapter - without it there would be nothing.

While I have always liked Card, specifically due to memories of Ender's Game, he really didn't do much for me this time. Regardless, I guess it was still worth the read.

Indifferent

Marley and Me - John Grogan

The only reason that I even considered buying this book was that it was a #1 New York Times Best-Seller. I started reading it with the connotation that it would be an emotionally charged chick book - I was right. Marley and Me was an extremely funny and fast paced recollection of an over-sized lab's life with a newly married couple.

This was probably the fuzziest book I have read in a few months and even though it only took me one day to get through, I could have read it cover to cover had I not had family plans while on vacation. It had a wonderful story to tell and Grogan told it in a compelling fashion. I caution you though, that as predicted, this book covers the entire lifespan of Marley, which only leaves room for one ending. Regardless, it was worth the read.

Highly Recommended