Books

The War on Normal People, Andrew Yang

It was a thought provoking piece, and written very smoothly. Since I'm very pro-automation (for Chemistry specifically, but also elsewhere), I am also naturally pro-UBI. I think technological advances should be used to make our lives easier. 20 hr workweek please =3. I will say that Andrew Yang does come across as the tiniest bit unhinged in this book. Especially towards the end, I found myself going "hmmm..." 8/10 would read again

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, by Walter Isaacson

9/10. This was really an epic. It was beautifully written, and Isaacson has definitely has a distinct style. It's like super apparent as soon as you start reading. I'm not sure if it's because I don't read too many biographies, but it was definitely interesting. I really loved it, it was a really fantastic story about a beautiful discovery, the women who made it possible, and the vast pool of implications that the research had. I think bits and pieces of it were a bit scandalized, but the flair is very compelling.

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by John Ratey, MD

HmMMmm.. 8/10? It was a kind of smooth read, but it felt like I was going in circles a little bit. It was written as if there was a narrative, but in the end I think he just named a bunch of hormones (dopamine/serotonin, VEGF, HGH, etc), and talked about like 50 studies where it was shown that moderate-to-vigorous exercise was going to make your brain larger and would combat the effects of age-related-deterioration. In the end, his recommendation was essentially that one should do moderate intensity (65%-75% max heart rate) exercise for 0.75-1hr 6 times a week, and then high intensity (75% - 90% mhr) exercise/interval training on two of those days. (mhr calculated by taking 220-age). I wouldn't really say it's super necessary to read the book, if you're already convinced that exercise will make your brain larger. But it was a pretty pleasant read, and it definitely hit the themes home.

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, by Matthew Walker

9.5/10 (but only because I lowkey dislike non-fiction, no matter how good it is). This read was pretty smooth. I wonder if it's because I haven't read nonfiction in a really long time, but this book, Spark, and Code Breaker all had a kind of stylistic overlap that I'm not exactly used to. It has non-zero projection onto the journalism style. It's kind of interesting because these books all have a sort of human-tilt to their writing. Obviously, this is almost completely absent in scientific writing, but it's also notably different in fiction. It's just a different way the brain is connected.

I think this, as well as Spark and this Ezra Klein podcast, have started to change the way I think about the brain a little bit. I think the brain is far more plastic than I've been thinking. Apparently the NN in my head has to be nourished with like, sleep, exercise, correct food, correct lighting conditions, and all numbers of things to make it more effective. There are lots of things one can do to make the brain better. The two books have also convinced me that I should start recording more things about my life. (Thinking: exercise, sleep, air quality, subjective mood, some measure of work efficiency). I'll start with just trying to treat myself a little better.

Re: the book, it was quite a pleasant read, although I might just be a bit more used to the style at this point. I'd recommend it. It will convince you that sleep is magic, and you should sleep more.