Matthew

This is a textbook, written as dryly as most textbooks are. Good for someone interested in a degree in cryptography, but very boring for the casual listener. Quite a bit of the text describes written exercises that don't lend themselves to listening. From now on, I will not take audibles recommendations without researching potential titles on my own.

I honestly don't know how to describe this book. It has a few laugh-out-loud moments, but mostly I found myself listening with half-smile and dumb-founded look on my face, trying to comprehend what I was hearing. Imagine David Sedaris, living as an animal.

A solid introduction to the world of internet marketing. A little out of-date already, but the fundamentals presented here are very useful. Makes a great starting point for a business looking to start utilizing the various marketing channels on the internet, such as blogs, social media and search engine ranking.

I didn't realize this book was about the history of the discoveries leading to the theories involving the 4% universe, I was expecting more of the theories themselves. Still, it was very interesting learning about the people involved in the discoveries, especially when Saul Perlmutter recently won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the work described in this book. However, it did tend to drag a little at some points.

Battelle's book provides a very interesting history of Google and it's predecessor technologies for searching and navigating the Internet. A good read for anyone interested in a general understanding of the landscape of the Internet. Battelle is not the best reader, he probably should have let a professional handle it...

Some interesting ideas, but Gleick goes off on too many tangents for my tastes and tended to drag in parts. It was hard for me to identify the unifying idea of the book. I actually didn't finish listening to the second half...

Truly an inspiring book! The author's insights into motivating and productively interacting with other people helped me think about social situations in an entirely new light. The authors do a very good job narrating their own work, and the bits of classical music add a wonderful touch.

Fascinating book! The examples and explanations of the principles governing the behavior of large groups of people constantly surprised me. It's almost like Freakonomics, but which much more in-depth and data-driven analysis.

Although I thought this book would go into more depth about AI, the philosophical questions about what it means to be human and conscious that Brian Christian brings up were quite interesting and thought-provoking. I started to get a little lost in the final chapters, but overall, this was an enjoyable listen.

Full of interesting tidbits, this might make you look at many things in the world in a new light. I agree with other reviewers that some of the research is questionable, but I think that's part of the authors' point: data can be interpreted differently by different people. Looking at the data behind commonly used statistics can often reveal a different side to the story. As a bonus, it's also quite entertaining.

This is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read/listened to. It not only offers insights into how to run a successful business, it also provides guidance on how to live a fulfilling life.