Ian Morris’ “War! What Is It Good For?” tackles the complex relationship between war and societal development. He contrasts Hobbes and Rousseau’s views, asserting that war fosters larger, more organized societies that ultimately reduce violence. While acknowledging the human costs of conflict, Morris argues that understanding war’s historical role is vital for future peace.
Continue readingSome thoughts on a book that was garbage – and why that is a good thing. Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte, Jennifer Aquino, et al. [1]. An excellent survey of the world of trash and the disposal of other unmentionables.
This blog is part of my ongoing effort to remember what I have read. I have tried to write it for your enjoyment, but its primary purpose is, better recall of this worthwhile book.
Continue readingThe Jetsons would have us believe that flying cars and moving sidewalks are just around the corner. It turns out that the Jetsons live in an unhealthy environment in which the citizens would be fat, isolated and unhappy. The book, the Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, by Jeff Speck [1] gives an alternative, and brighter future.
This blog is part of my ongoing effort to remember what I have read. I have tried to write it for your enjoyment, but its primary purpose is a better recall of this worthwhile book.
In my ongoing effort to remember what I have read, some notes (aka memory jogs) on the book “Co-Opetition”, by Adam M. Brandenburger, Barry J. Nalebuff [1]. First published in the mid-1990’s, this is not a new book. But, with increasing global competition and the rise of the virtual business place due to COVID, perhaps one that should be revisited.
Continue readingIn my ongoing efforts to remember what I have read, some notes on the book, The Halifax Explosion by Ken Cuthbertson.
Have you ever heard of the ‘Peter Principle‘? It was a satirical management theory developed by Laurence Peters in the late 1960’s. At the center was the maxim that everyone rises to their level of incompetence. You get promoted based on past good work until you are in a position in which your skills, experience and aptitude are no longer aligned with the job functions. Meant to be tongue in cheek, what happens if we don’t have to stay incompetent – what happens if we can become a different person?
This is the basis of the book, ‘What Got You Here Won’t Get You There‘ by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter.
Continue readingIn my ongoing effort to remember what I have read, some notes on the book: Happy Accidents; Serendipity in Major Medical Breakthroughs in the Twentieth Century by Morton A. Meyers.
A slight break from my other projects and to make good on noting interesting reads. In this case: “Glock; The Rise of America’s Gun” by Paul M. Barrett.
In my ongoing effort to remember what I have read, some notes on The Drug Hunters: The Improbable Quest to Discover New Medicines; Donald R. Kirsch, Ogi Ogas.
The popular media portrays pharmaceutical companies as fat cats scheming to make the most money from those unfortunate enough to require their product. While there are some cases of this, drug companies are better compared to gold-prospectors who find enough mineral wealth to pay the bills with the occasional strike-it-rich dream to keep them motivated.
Tile Mosaic – Graz Austria
New drugs are very difficult to find and bring to market. By one estimate, only 1 in 20 (5%) of all projects are funded by a pharmaceutical firm. Of these funded, only 1 in 50 yields a drug. In other words, if a drug prospector has an idea for a cure, there is only a 0.1% chance it will become commercially viable. Drug companies spend most of their effort on creating copy-cat drugs of those already approved. For original research, the focus is on drugs treating chronic conditions in which the medication needs to be taken for months, years or decades. A quick cure is a bad business model if your return on investment chances are less than 0.1%
Kirsh breaks drug hunting into a series of time frames, the earliest being simple trial, error and superstition from our early ancestor days. Botanical origins trace the role the emerging fields of science had on identifying plants that could cure disease. Industrial and Synthetic eras continue the use of science to better hone drug finding.
Kirsh is an insider with a sympathetic view (mostly) of the drug industry and thus makes a good commentator. He provides some excellent examples of both well-known discovery stories (penicillin, quinine for malaria) and those less well known (the birth control pill and a cure for syphilis).
The conclusion of the book is that drug research is not an engineering process (although copying an existing drug to create a copy cat is pill is) it relies more on luck and artistic merit; it is akin to knowing how to develop a block buster movie:
“…drug companies can never be sure that they will get a drug that works the way they hope it will. The reason is as simple as it is profound: there still are no clear scientific laws, engineering principles, or mathematical formulae that can guide an aspiring drug hunter all the way from idea to product… The thing about trial and error is that if you keep on trying and keep on being willing to make errors, eventually you will find something that works. …Big Pharma must price their few successful drugs to cover the immense costs from their myriad unsuccessful drugs.”
A good read for those interested in history, business, medicine or how did that pill get to the bottle in your bathroom.
In my ongoing effort to remember what I have read, some notes on an excellent, although time-warped, book: Winning Decisions: Getting It Right the First Time; J. Edward Russo, Paul J.H. Schoemaker.
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Organizational Biology 