Author: way0utwest

I had meant to check what was up with my Toshiba laptop since I was curious. I gave up last week and ordered a Lenovo after they hadn’t updated the status on my machine. But I was wondering if it was coming back, more as curiosity as to what is going on with their service.

I shipped it back last Monday, that’s now 6 business days, and they should have had it for 3. The status on my case number is “closed” and there are no notes. I would call, but I’m busy, and this blog post is about all it’s worth.

Coincidentally, I got a shipment notice today for my Lenovo laptop. I’ll have this one well before the Toshiba is fixed.

I saw a blog post from my friend Paul Randal recently in which he recounted the books he’d read in 2009. It’s an impressive list, 100 books, that he compiled in his travels. Paul and his wife, Kimberly, travel a lot, and I think if I were in a similar situation, I’d read 100 books a year as well. However it got me wondering how many I’d read. I’ve tracked them in the past, but since I moved my blog and started using the Kindle and iPhone, I haven’t been doing it. My totals in the past were:

• 2008 – 47
• 2007 – 65
• 2006 – 68
• 2005 – 112
• 2004 – 59
• 2003 – 42
• 2002 – 47
• 2001 – 43
• 2000 – 49
• 1999 – 49

2008 is also wrong as I got the Kindle in September and started to read on there, forgetting to track books since I was busy and reading quicker on there. I went to my Amazon Kindle account and noticed a few books that are missing, so I’ll need to add those back.
However.
This post is about 2009, so in terms of looking over 2009, here’s what I have:

• 54 ebooks from Amazon
• 6 ebooks from Barnes and Noble
• a total of 68 books
• of the 68, 19 were re-reads
• 1 classic from the Gutenberg project. I started a second (War and Peace) that has not been completed.

I don’t have the breakdown of books, though they’re mostly fiction. Of the books I read, I think that a few stood out.
The Count of Monte Cristo – I grabbed this, along with a few other Gutenberg project books when I first got the Kindle. I struggled with it, and I have to say the first 100 pages barely held my interest. However I plugged away, and eventually really enjoyed this book. The story is amazing and I was surprised how much was happening in there. I ended up really enjoying it.
The Snowball – I noticed this at the 2007 PASS Summit when Andy Warren and I were walking around the bookstore. He needed books for the ride home, and since I had the kindle I was just keeping him company. I actually made a note and bought this on my way home, starting it then, but finishing it in 2009. I’ve read a lot about Warren Buffet over the years, but this was an amazing look at the guy. Made me realize that not only am I nothing like him, I wouldn’t want to trade places at all.
Grift Sense – Not sure why I picked this up, but it captivated my interest and I read all the books by James Swain. It deals with cons and casinos, and I loved it. Looking for a similar series from someone else.
It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, USS Benfold – This caught my eye in a bookstore and I decided to try it. It’s fantastic, and it shows how someone can really transform a group with good leadership.
The Clone Republic – I got back into Science Fiction in 2007 with Old Man’s War, which I think is one of the best books I’ve read. This series, which I started on an Amazon recommendation was great as well. Not an all time favorite, but really enjoyable.
The full list, as best as I can determine, is:

1. Hear No Evil, James Grippando
2. Nine Dragons, Michael Connelly
3. The Night Monster: A Novel of Suspense, James Swain
4. The Merchant of Death, D.J. MacHale
5. Pursuit of Honor: A Novel, Vince Flynn
6. Long Lost, Harlan Coben
7. The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown
8. Sucker Bet, James Swain
9. Midnight Rambler: A Novel of Suspense, James Swain
10. Deadman’s Bluff: A Novel, James Swain
11. The Night Stalker: A Novel, James Swain
12. Dark Watch, Jack Du Brul
13. Skeleton Coast, Jack Du Brul
14. The Doomsday Key: A Novel, James Rollins
15. First Family, David Baldacci
16. A Plague of Secrets, John Lescroart
17. Killer Summer (Walt Fleming), Ridley Pearson
18. Havoc, Jack Du Brul
19. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen (Stephanie Plum Novels), Janet Evanovich
20. The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly
21. Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher, No. 11), Lee Child
22. Gone Tomorrow: A Reacher Novel, Lee Child
23. Cemetery Dance, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
24. Dance of Death, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
25. Wheel of Darkness, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
26. Wicked Prey, John Sandford
27. Private Wars, Greg Rucka
28. Walking Dead: A Novel of Suspense, Greg Rucka
29. Patriot Acts, Greg Rucka
30. Critical Space, Greg Rucka
31. The Lost Fleet: Relentless, Jack Campbell
32. Valiant, Jack Campbell
33. Courageous, Jack Campbell
34. Fearless, Jack Campbell
35. Dauntless,  Jack Campbell
36. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin
37. To the Nines (Stephanie Plum, No. 9), Janet Evanovich
38. Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plum, No. 10), Janet Evanovich
39. Helfort’s War Book 2: The Battle of the Hammer Worlds, Graham Sharp Paul
40. The Da Vinci Code: A Novel, Dan Brown
41. The Clone Alliance, Steven L. Kent
42. Rogue Clone, Steven L. Kent
43. Helfort’s War Book 1: The Battle at the Moons of Hell, Graham Sharp Paul
44. Hard Eight (Stephanie Plum, No. 8), Janet Evanovich
45. Seven Up (Stephanie Plum, No. 7), Janet Evanovich
46. Hot Six (Stephanie Plum, No. 6), Janet Evanovich
47. High Five (Stephanie Plum, No. 5), Janet Evanovich
48. Four to Score (Stephanie Plum, No. 4), Janet Evanovich
49. Three Plums In One, Janet Evanovich (three books, #s 1, 2, and 3 of this series)
50. Fleet of Worlds, Edward M. Lerner
51. The Clone Republic, Steven L. Kent
52. Boys Will Be Boys, Jeff Pearlman
53. The Billionaire Who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney Made and Gave Away a Fortune Without Anyone Knowing, Conor O’Clery
54. Along Came a Spider, James Patterson
55. Atomic Lobster, Tim Dorsey
56. The Bodies Left Behind: A Novel, Jeffery Deaver
57. Teddy Roosevelt, Edd Winfield Parks
58. The Clone Elite, Steven L. Kent
59. It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, USS Benfold, Captain D Abrashoff
60. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, Alice Schroeder
61. Grift Sense (Tony Valentine Series #1), James Swain
62. Funny Money (Tony Valentine Series #2), James Swain
63. Deadman’s Poker (Tony Valentine Series #6), James Swain
64. Sacred Stone (Oregon Files Series #2), Clive Cussler
65. Mr. Lucky (Tony Valentine Series #5), James Swain
66. The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas

I started out 2010 with a vacation after New Years and finished 2 books I’d started in 2009 early, plus re-read 4 more since I didn’t have an Internet connection and it was convenient. As of Jan 25, I’ve got 16 books done, but that’s with a week’s vacation.
It will be interesting to see where 2010 takes me. I’ve started rewriting book reviews on my blog, so I’ll be able to track things.

I’m not sure how this book got on my radar, but it turned out to be fairly interesting. It’s written by a professor at Harvard that uses Game Theory and readily available information about the world to both predict what will happen in a general sense, and to guide his consulting clients to make decisions based on those predictions.
It’s an interesting idea, kind of unbelievable, and smacking of the way predictions are made in Foundation. However as I read, and learned about both big predictions on the world stage, as well as small ones in a lawsuit, it seems that there is possibly some value and truth here.
The book talks about using insights into how people behave, along with good guesses about their beliefs, to simulate how they behave in rounds of negotiation. By simulating their interactions, and even randomly shocking the system, Prof. de Mesquita seems to be able to do a good job of predicting outcomes. Not exact dates or times, but general events, like if I offer to do X instead of holding out for Y in a lawsuit, what is likely to happen from the other side. Or how can North Korea be convinced to shelve nuclear armament plans? How can Israel and Palestine find peace?
It tends to delve into the bigger world stage issues, but it’s also very current, having been completed in the summer of 2009. If you are curious about how BI could help, and how game theory could be used, it’s worth a read. No technical details, but enough information to pique your interest.

In the end, that was what made the difference. I was typing along one night on my spare Acer and the cursor kept jumping. I was getting too close to the touchpad, and it kept picking up my hands, jumping the cursor. I type rapidly, and it kept causing me to get text in different places in the document, which is really frustrating. It slows me down while raising my blood pressure.

So in looking at laptops, that got me thinking that I want a 15” machine again, not a smaller one. Having more space for my hands to work on the keyboard was important. But I remember having issues at times with the Toshiba, especially as I work in bed quite often.

I was debating between the Lenovo and the Dell, spending more time than I needed considering things, but then I noticed the little sick in the middle of the Thinkpad keyboard.

I had a Thinkpad years ago when it was IBM, and I really liked the trackpoint pointer. I know lots of people didn’t, but I found it handy. So I was sure that a Lenovo was the way to go. I could use the Trackpoint and turn off the touchpad. That will help me be much more productive.

Then my wife said she had a trackpoint on her Dell. Sure enough, she does, though she’d lost the rubber cover and never used it. I checked for other machines, and there are a few that have them, but not many. So I chatted with a Dell rep and found that they have a few Lattitude models with them. Unfortunately those seem to be older technology, with DDR2 memory and limited options. I’m not an extreme performance person, but I want to be sure that I can process video and I didn’t want to go with older technology if I’m spending $1500.

So I decided on a Thinkpad W510. It’s got the trackpoint and plenty of power, and the same price as the Latitude or the Thinkpad T510.

Because of the little trackpoint.