Blogcritics Author: Simon Young

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Book Review: Philosophy in 30 Days

Simon Young — Wed, 8 Feb 2006 21:28:15 EST

I've always been a philosopher of sorts.When I was 7 or 8 I remember looking in the mirror, wondering, "Why am I me and not someone else?"And then, "If I was someone else, how would I know?"The art of asking questions no one can answer is one way to define philosophy. So why is it so popular?That's one of the questions that Dominique Janicaud tries to answer in his ambitious Philosophy in 30 Days. Written for his teenage daughter, and therefore accessible to a wide audience, this book tries to introduce the basic 'big names' in philosophy. But more importantly, it encourages the reader to think philosophically.Knowing that philosophy can be a daunting subject, the thirty chapters are incredibly short, taking only five to ten minutes to read. Janicaud limits each chapter to a central thought, rather than overloading you with facts. Being a translation from French, there are some ideas expressed here that necessarily come across a little clunky in English. But generally the ideas behind the words shine through.The subject of religion comes up often in the book, first as Janicaud expresses the impossibility of a modern (or postmodern) mind to relate to the important philosophical works of St Augustine or St Thomas Aquinas, and then throughout the book, contrasting Jesus' claim that "I am the Truth" with other philoshopers' thoughts on the nature of truth.I am pleased to say that Janicaud showed true philosophical detachment in dealing with the subject of religion - not judging it, neither insisting on it nor insisting it is wrong. I say this because another book released around the same time (The Heart of Things, by A.C.Grayling) which claims to "apply philoshophy to the 21st century", completely ridiculed religion, showing a dogmatism which seems uncharacteristic of true philosophy.I started this book hoping for an outline of the great thinkers and their great thinkings, and this book in part does that, starting with Plato and spending quite a few chapters on Nietzche, the author's favourite philosopher. But Janicaud also warns that many philosophers' works cannot be boiled down into a few paragraphs, and instead gives a beginner's reading list for those with the time and inclination to go further.What this book does very well is bring up the great questions of philosophy - questions about nature, about existence, and even about philosophy itself - so the budding philosophical thinker can at least know the conceptual landscape in which he or she stands.Sadly, Janicaud himself died the day after this book's first draft was published. I'm glad for his sake and his family's that he wrote down what was very important to him while he still lived.

Simon Young is a journalist and screenwriter from Auckland, New Zealand. He maintains three blogs, Leadership Issues, I think I'm a Fundamentalist, and the DIY Film School. He also writes for magazines including Management and Marketing.

Book Review: How to Rule the World

Simon Young — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 05:43:02 EST

This premise of How to Rule the World is just so hilarious that it's hard for the book to live up to the funniness of its title. It's like Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun - I got it because it looked funny and interesting, and it just sits there on the shelf, assassinating my character to anyone who browses my books. (I have it next to Hitler and Churchill: Secrets of Leadership - a title rescued only by the fact Churchill is there.)But once you open the cover, How to Rule the World is not only entertaining but almost informative. There's a touch of seriousness in this manual to world domination - Andre de Guillaume has done wide-ranging research to give this manual the ring of authenticity.And the source material isn't just from the world's baddies - some fairly 'harmless' leaders are also quoted, which makes you wonder if the simple act of leading pushes you into dodgy moral territory.For example, an interesting quote from Margaret Thatcher: "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."Nice quote. But that is assimilated amongst references to Stalin, Hitler, Napoleon and Saddam Hussein. It's an unnerving effect that gets you thinking about the nature of power, manufactured consent, free will ... in other words, all sorts of things.Perhaps that's the book's intention - although aspiring despot de Guillaume claims the book should be "your constant companion on the road to supremacy".The more seriously a satirical book takes itself, the funnier the effect. How to Rule the World is only given away by the 60s kitsch look, which just shouts "laugh at me". I guess they had to do that to get the book printed.

Book Review: Nelson's Way- Lessons from the Great Commander

Simon Young — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 02:31:52 EST

I had this kind of book in mind when I started the Leadership Issues blog. Nelson's Way deconstructs the life story of a renowned leader, looking with a keen eye at lessons for our daily lives.The authors avoid the temptation to praise everything Nelson did and say "you should do this". Instead, we get a warts-and-all look at Nelson's life, from his great victories to his dubious dabbling in Neapolitan politics - and compare our own style of leadership with his.Particularly good are the (quite searching) questions at the end of each chapter, as well as modern reflections on Nelson's style from leaders in the military, business and academia.Nelson's Way does a great job at helping you understand the complicated naval world of the late 1700s and early 1800s. This is no mean feat, and the two authors' strong interest in naval history no doubt helps this. (I've found that the more familiar people are with a topic, the more clearly they can explain it, without getting bogged down in unneccessary details - if they're good communicators.)While the book follows Nelson's career chronologically, it's also arranged thematically, with plenty of reiteration and exploration of key concepts. One key theme that comes up repeatedly is Nelson's "frontline" style of leadership. He was acutely aware of the PR value of his actions, as well as being a glutton for glory.The book asks a question: are you the "frontline" hero type of leader that Nelson was? Or are you a quiet, in-the-background kind of leader? There's no right answer, and this book helps you understand the issues around either option.While many people separate leadership and management, Nelson's Way shows that one person can very successfully combine the two. He performed glorious feats which inspired a nation; he also made sure there was enough fresh lemon juice for his men.If you want to combine a rollicking naval story with some searching questions for yourself, check out Nelson's Way.

Book Review: Medici Money by Tim Parks

Simon Young — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:26:16 EST

It's not often you get to see a family business close-up over four generations. Thanks to the scrupulous accounting practices of 15th-century Florentines and the sparkling storytelling of Tim Parks, you can.Medici Money zooms in on the famous - or infamous - Medici banking dynasty, beginning with the prudent Giovanni di' Benci de Medici in the late 1300s to 'Il Magnifico', Lorenzo de Medici, who sent the company bankrupt, but in grand style.You'll often hear about the Medicis in connection with art, and while art plays an important role in this book, this is mostly about the intersection of commerce, religion and politics that took place in just under 100 years.Tim Parks, the author, is better known as a novelist, not as a historian, and his flowing prose is welcome relief to a reader used to wading through more academic accounts. What's best is that Parks realizes there are a lot of people and places to keep track of here, so he lays out the information carefully at the beginning. But in case you still get lost, he doesn't fail to remind you of who's who throughout the book. Parks is extraordinarily considerate to his readers.His intimate knowledge of Italian history and geography also comes out of every pore of this book (if books had pores). This is one of those books that, while covering roughly a century very quickly, makes you feel like you've been there and met the people.Medici Money is not just an idle look back either. Parks uses modern situations and parallels to help the reader who hasn't visited 15th-century Florence understand why seemingly trivial things like lending at interest were so important.If you're interested in history, politics, business, art or just people, this book is wide-ranging enough to interest you.

Book Review: The End of Oil by Paul Roberts

Simon Young — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 09:16:36 EST

If you haven't consumed any media in the last year or so, you may not have heard of Peak Oil.It's the name of both a theory that says Earth's oil reserves are running out very very soon; and a book explaining this theory and its implications to Western Civilisation (there won't be any if there's no oil).While Peak Oil's website gives the impression that the book is kind of scary-with-a-straight-face, The End of Oil comes across a lot more balanced.It begins with an analysis of energy crises our ancestors (I'm generalising here; he's talking about our European ancestors who developed the industrial society we now live in) went through, and how they solved those energy crises without killing each other.Then, Roberts looks at the state of affairs today, giving as much air time as he can to both sides of the argument: the ones who say we're running out soon while demand continues to grow exponentially, and the ones who say there are still hidden, untapped reserves in the world that will carry us through until we discover alternative sources of fuel.It is perhaps Roberts' fair-mindedness that makes this book seem a bit repetitive: we get the general arguments on either side, yet we're still treated to them as espoused by various people all over the world.Finally the book breaks through into possibilities for the future. Admittedly, I haven't read that part yet - the slow-moving first part of the book put me off. But the sneak peeks I have seen of the later chapters give me hope - not just for the future of the world, but that this book will eventually make interesting reading!If you want detail - lots of detail - about the current state (as at 2004/2005) of the energy industry, its big players and detractors, you'll really enjoy The End of Oil. In that respect, it's good journalism.If you simply want a clear picture of what's going on now, and what could happen in the future, perhaps you should consider skim-reading this book.Either way, it's fair to say this is a subject you should be interested in. We all use oil, whether we like it or not.

Book Review: iPod, Therefore I Am by Dylan Jones

Simon Young — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 09:11:30 EST

I'm kind of ashamed to admit it: I don't have an iPod. Yet.The trouble with all kinds of technology is that you can only win by waiting. It'll only get better, or the price will come down. But still there's this unavoidable feeling of missing out.The feeling didn't get any better when I read iPod, Therefore I Am by Dylan Jones. But while the book says a lot about the little white box, it says even more about the iPod's effect on society, and in that respect it's a fascinating slice of life - what the world was like in 2005.Sounds like a kind of frivolous subject, but this book actually knocked me off track from the other "current affairs" book I was reading, The End of Oil. (Maybe that makes me frivolous, I don't know.)Jones uses his very personal experiences with music to paint a picture of music's impact in the 20th century. He's vulnerable enough to let us see his slightly obsessive behaviour when it comes to music. Either he's got very little to lose, or he knows many of his readers will feel the same way about their music collections as he does about his.This book will open your eyes to a huge change in the way we consume media in the 21st century. It's not just iPods, but the iPod has led the charge in a user-controlled media world. Now we can dissect the magic moments of our lives, examine and reflect on why they inspired us so much.This is the era of the collector. Sure there were collectors before, but more than ever collectors have a sense of ownership. Even if the record companies disagree.I can relate, even though I don't have an iPod. Over the past few months I bought several Star Trek movies that had appealed to me as a kid. Seen as glimpses on TV, these films left me with a feeling of sheer wonder. Just a feeling.Now, 20 years later, I can do a frame-by-frame advance on the magical moments, identify the specific sections of music score that inspired me, and uncover all the special effects secrets with text commentary. If I can't find anything out on the DVD, there's always the internet.Okay, so I'm talking about DVD and internet, not iPod, but if the current trend is anything to go by, such distinctions won't mean much in ten years.Frivolous? I think not. You'll laugh as you read iPod, Therefore I Am, but you'll also reflect on the implications of a future that is already here.

Book Review: Foreign Babes in Beijing

Simon Young — Sun, 2 Oct 2005 07:16:04 EDT

China is an awakening economic giant. Whichever way you look at it, China is about to play a much more significant part in world affairs now than ever before. So it makes sense to know what China is about.Being a huge country of 1.3 billion people, that's no easy task. Foreign Babes in Beijing gives you a five-year slice of life in China's capital through the eyes of a Westerner who became part of the culture she observed.Rachel DeWoskin's memoir of her life in Beijing includes her friendships with Chinese who wanted to be American, Americans who wanted to be Chinese, PR people, film industry people, and just about anyone else you can imagine.The book gets its title from the soap opera Rachel ended up in, an experience that allowed her to see herself through Chinese eyes (at least, through the scriptwriter's eyes).As a way to get to know China, Foreign Babes in Beijing is incredibly subjective - which is great! Sure, a dry book of economic facts or history might help you understand the outline of the new China, but DeWoskin's slices of her life in Beijing give you a sense of the fragrances, colours and tastes of this ancient and very modern country. ed/Pub:NB

Book Review: The Art of Game Characters

Simon Young — Sun, 2 Oct 2005 02:41:50 EDT

Games are the new movies. That's what they say. And if I have too much of a life to actually play games, at least I can read a book about them! The Art of Game Characters, however, is not really as much about games as it is about the timeless art of storytelling. Storytelling has always had - always needed - strong characters.As a budding screenwriter, I'm keeping one eye on the game industry, because the same skills will be needed for games as for movies - only with games, you need multiple storylines to cover all the possibilities.As a writer, I was surprised to see lots of pictures in The Art of Game Characters. "Oh, that's right," I thought, "art and design are about pictures as well as words... " Such is my bias. Thankfully, this book covers both visual design and the more psychological side of character design in equal quantities. The author, Leo Hartas, has done a magnificent job, talking with game designers from the leading development houses to get a real 'state of the industry' snapshot of character design, as well as some 'secrets' from the designers behind today's most played games.There are some bits that a non-coder like me doesn't understand, like how many hexagons you need to achieve realistic movement. But that's no barrier; I'd say 90% of The Art of Game Characters is accessible even to non-gamers like myself.So, if you'd like to create the next Lara Croft, or you just want to understand how it's done, you can't do much better than The Art of Game Characters. ED/PUB:LM

Review: The Last Samurai

Simon Young — Mon, 5 Sep 2005 11:45:27 EDT

At last! I fulfilled another patriotic duty by seeing another film that was made in New Zealand! [The author is from New Zealand]The Last Samurai is the kind of story we don't get a lot of these days - an unashamedly romantic, epic piece.What's most unusual is the attitude toward war shown in this film. It doesn't glorify it, but it does distinguish between fighting with honour (the old Samurai way) and fighting for greed and cowardice (the imperial soldiers mowing down Samurai with a Gatling gun ... a horrifying, wonderfully done scene).Perhaps the best message from the whole film was the message inscribed on the sword given to Tom Cruise's character, Algren:"I belong to someone who combines the old ways with the new."(Or something like that - it sounded much more profound on screen!)And that's the heart of the film. Soulless, tortured Algren comes to fight against the Samurai, who are standing in the way of democracy and progress. He discovers true peace and in return, without really intending to, shows the Samurai leader that while a man may not be able to change his own destiny, he can sure try.As you watch this, look at the journeys taken by The Last Samurai's two main characters. It's a well-crafted movie, so believe me, as they go through their journey, you'll be coming along for the ride! PUB: TAS

Book Review: Sun After Dark by Pico Iyer

Simon Young — Mon, 5 Sep 2005 00:27:37 EDT

Time magazine's William Boyd says, "Pico Iyer is among the finest travel writers of his generation."I'd have to agree. Not that I've combed the breadth and depth of 'travel writing', but I have just loved Sun After Dark : Flights into the Foreign, Pico Iyer's latest book.I got it expecting vivid descriptions of exotic locales, and that I got, but more than that, Sun After Dark is an inner journey as well. I should say a series of journeys, as the book includes pieces from the mid-90s through to 2002, but in reality it's a unity: seeing the world through the eyes of Pico Iyer.Paradoxically, learning of a place that I'm seeing very consciously through the eyes, perceptions, memories of someone else, actually helps me understand that place more. Perhaps a bit like Being John Malkovich? Perhaps not quite, but surprisingly similar.Iyer takes you to deserted Yemen, magic (in both ways) Bali, and Cambodia's ancient capital of Angkor. He also introduces you to people: Leonard Cohen - now living with Buddhist monks in California; and the Dalai Lama - the rock star spiritual leader whose quest to free his country fades further in the background as the world demands answers to peace and happiness from him.In one remarkable chapter, Iyer also discusses the country that never existed until half a century ago - the land of jetlag.Iyer's writing is delightfully imperfect - he tends to use long ellipses in the middle of short sentences - and conversational.Want to go places? Start with Sun After Dark : Flights into the Foreign. I can't remember the last book I read that left me with such an urge to simply be myself.