The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World by Niall Ferguson

Another book that could be a blog?

While Niall Ferguson's book does present some interesting history on how a system of money and finance came into existence, it is probably something that could be better read in a condensed format somewhere else.

This book is peppered with self-aggrandizing comments, and "I-called-its", that makes it a bit tough to believe, and would probably work better in an informal personal blog than a formal history. It is true that no history is completely objective, but the author should at least have that intention.

As one final note the book lacks consistency. It jumps from one event to another with no set reason, and seems to accelerate to current times (1990-2008) and stay there for over half the book. Any explanations of financial products, like puts, options, swaps, bonds, etc...are not easy to understand, and might as well be left out.
In closing, save your credit and just google blogs on the financial crises, or finance history, you will find much the same material, and at least you will have visual aids.

100 Great Businesses and the Minds Behind Them by Emily Ross and Angus Holland

This is one of those magazine type books, that is in fact composed of interesting factoids and stories summarized from a sprinkling of magazine articles.

The book is somewhat inspirational, a tour of mini-biographies, and food for cocktail party talk.

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

This is a personal development book that stresses the importance of attitude and the necessity to eliminate limiting beliefs.

The phrase "limiting beliefs" more or less means that you will only achieve as much as you think you can, as you will only go as far as your greatest goals.

Other advice in the book entails keeping a busy and varied schedule, eliminating negative people from your life, and trying to achieve more than you thought possible.

Despite the good advice nature of the book, I did find myself getting bored with it, and oddly, dwelling on negative thoughts. So while the concepts were nice, I guess it didn't work so much in terms of turning my mentality around, or inspiring me...

Animal Collective - My Girls

Oh Animal Collective, why are you so awesome?



Lyrics from their site:

---

Isn't much that I feel I need
a solid soul and the blood I bleed
With a little girl, and by my spouse
I only want a proper house

There isn't much that I feel I need:
a solid soul and the blood I bleed.
But with a little girl, and by my spouse
I only want a proper house

I don't care for fancy things
Or to take part in a pressured race.
But to provide for them when they ask
I will, with heart, on my father's grave

On my father's grave
I don't mean
To seem like I care about material things,
Like our social status,

I just want
Four walls and adobe slabs
For my girls

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Rich Dad Poor Dad is a book that conveys several key lessons which can be summarized as follows:

1. Save First, Spend Later


2. Build Assets (Things which make you money like stocks, businesses, rent, interest etc...)


3. Limit Liabilities (Things which take money out of your pocket like your car, house, pets etc...)


4. Most trained professionals, or intellectuals, are one skill away from creating a lot of wealth, and that skill is sales

Another beautiful point Kiyosaki makes is that people who start businesses really have no interest in working for money. They have interest in creating win win opportunities that generate money for them.

He gives an example of when he and a friend were kids and his friend's Dad, his Rich Dad, offered them jobs. He dared them to accept, and kept on raising the hourly wage to ridiculous levels, something like $700 an hour. The result is that the kids didn't accept, the amount of money was too ridiculous, and it spoke to the part of them that couldn't be bought. At the point that they stopped caring about money, they knew they could find opportunities, and add value to people's lives. It really is a beautiful thought.

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Hourglass X

The tenth edition of the hourglass blog carnival on the science of aging is now up.

Go check it out. Now.

http://ouroboros.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/hourglass-x/

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

Waiting for Godot is characterized as a tragicomedy in two acts. It is a play that deals with the perception of reality while depicting human nature. The play deals with themes of life made useless by repetition, of how people will hold out for a goal they believe will save them, and then spend their lives in meaningless distraction waiting for their ship to come in. This false belief also leads people to accept abuse, both from others and from themselves, to delude themselves, and then forget, only to delude themselves again.

The play revolves around a fast paced, often insensible, dialog between two characters that is somehow entrancing and entertaining. A must read for anyone interested in motivating themselves towards concrete goals, and ready to dust off the meaningless minutia of life.

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