Exploring Extreme Programming
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond. Penguin, 2005.What makes a society fail? Diamond looks at a variety of societies, current and past, to explore this, with a framework of several factors, but especially focusing Continue reading Review – Collapse, by Jared Diamond
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow. Tor, 2003. What happens when reputation is more important than money, when death is yesterday’s problem? A group of people have decided to maintain Disney World. Is it better to change or Continue reading Review – Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow
Mabinogion Tetralogy, by Evangeline Walton. Overlook. 2003. This is an under-appreciated work of fantasy. It’s based on the Mabinogion, a set of Celtic myths found in Welsh documents. The version I bought 25 years ago was in four separate volumes, Continue reading Review – Mabinogion Tetralogy, by Evangeline Walton
Mythology, by Edith Hamilton. Back Bay Books, 1998. Hamilton works through the basic myths, mostly from Greek and Roman sources. Topics include “The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes”, “Stories of Love and Adventure”, “The Great Heroes before Continue reading Review – Mythology, by Edith Hamilton
The Dark Tower and Other Stories, by C.S. Lewis If you want to complete your collection of C.S. Lewis fiction, this volume will do that. (Note that about 1/3 of it overlaps with the stories included in Of Other Worlds by the Continue reading Review- The Dark Tower and Other Stories
Structured Systems Analysis: Tools and Techniques. Chris Gane and Trish Sarson. Prentice Hall, 1979. This is one of the classic books on systems analysis: data flow diagrams, data dictionary, and so on appear. It does a decent job explaining these Continue reading Review – Structured Systems Analysis: Tools and Techniques
Interview with coach Declan Whelan. Continue reading Coach Interview: Declan Whelan
The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development, by Donald Reinertsen. Celeritas Publishing, 2009. Lean product development can be looked at as flow-based product development. Reinertsen draws on a variety of areas (economics, queue theory, control theory, Continue reading Review – The Principles of Product Development Flow (Reinertsen)
The Legends of Dune series: The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade, and The Battle of Corrin (or the Box Set), by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson. Tor Books, 2003-2005. This series is called “Legends of Dune.” It’s set thousands of years before “Dune,” when people Continue reading Review – Legends of Dune (series)
The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. (3-volume set) By Phillip Pullman. Laurel Leaf (pub.), 2003. It’s hard to review this series without giving away too much, but here goes: The Golden Compass:This story is set Continue reading Review – The Golden Compass series