Todd P Paul

The Tipping Point

With all my new found time due to a simplified life, I have tried to focus on reading more. Reading is something I enjoy, but does not come easy. I have to be fairly disciplined about it. My solution to this was to set a weekly reading goal. A few weeks ago I decided that goal should be 250 to 300 pages per week. This was lofty as most of my aspirations are, but so far so good. I just finished The Tipping Point. The premise is that social change happens based on the small things in cultures. Gladwell breaks down a few different cultural and social events and then works out the common threads. I thought the most interesting thing was the personalities - Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen - he worked out as key social change drivers. I will not spoil the read for you, but I would recommend it if you are into culture, change, groups, or any of the related ideas.

Maestro: Greenspan's Fed and the American Boom

I know I am a little behind on my Bob Woodward read, but a book on the FED and Alan Greenspan sounds a lot more interesting than State of Denial. Woodward does have a good writing still so I am sure it would be a good read, but I find it hard to get into political books. I think they are a little too subjective for me. In those type of books, you get one side (maybe not even remotely truthful, although Woodward is usually not too bad) and then the other side says, "No, that is not the way it happen." Then someone else interjects with another side and the downward spiral continues. Welcome to politics, where whoever "sounds" the most truthfully (and you likes the most) is telling the "truth".
I just finished with Maestro and I thought it was a very good read, if you are interested in a picture into how the FED rules the economy. Woodward starts with Volcker's (the last FED chief) exist and Greenspan's entrance and tells the story through 2000. It gives some pretty good insight into how decisions are made to control the economy at the FED and a little insight into Greenspan himself. It would have been nice to have the book cover the 2000 and 2001 economic decline. I would have liked to have a little perspective into that and the end of his last term. It is an easy read not technical, but I would only recommend it if you are already interested in FED watching or if you have a growing curiosity about the FED.