Books

My companion on the commute home is almost always Dave Ramsey -- he's the man on personal finance and to a certain extent, personal responsibility. Since I listen to him everyday, I was curious to browse his book, The Total Money Makeover.

It was what I expected: a concise, easy to understand plan for getting one's financial house in order. Dave is an anti-debt guy through and through. He lays out simple and effective steps to get your financial life under control and moving in the right direction. I'm already going that way, so a lot was review. I will however keep this book tucked away and ready for anyone who's in trouble and doesn't know where to start. It's not technical, just a plan. There's no doubt that doing his proverbial Baby Steps will get things done.

So, read it. It's not exciting since it's so practical. But it you don't know how or where to start spending less than you earn, this is the book.

Lone Survivor

I have no idea how to write a review compelling enough for a book like this. It's the eyewitness account of Operation Redwing, a SEAL team insertion of four men into the mountains of Afghanistan. Marcus Luttrell was the sole survivor of the absolutely unbelievable battle against a smart, well-armed force operating in familiar terrain. In particular, it details the actions of Lieutenant Michael Murphy, the nations most recent Medal of Honor recipient.

Sometimes, when you look around, and see stuff falling apart, and you wonder what happened to all the heroes. Well, they're out there now, dealing with the cold, the heat, the rain and the danger. There's hope after all..

Read this book -- I mean it. I don't care if you're into military history or not, it's the least you could do.

True story about a M.I.T. blackjack team that took Vegas for a ride. Very exciting book, the math is intertwined with the plot and is easy to understand. To give you an idea of how much cash these college kids were bringing in: they kept it in laundry baskets.