Tag Archives: goods/services

In the Plex

Posted on January 6, 2019 by smellincoffee

In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives pub. 2011 Steven Levy 437 pages Full disclosure: I was a passionate Googler ten years ago, an early adopter of anything that the Mountain Brook, CA firm produced — … Continue reading →

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Insanely Great

Posted on December 20, 2018 by smellincoffee

Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, The Computer That Changed Everything © 1994, 2000 Steven Levy 304 pages Apple Computers had already made its mark before 1984, by pioneering personal computers long before IBM entered the consumer market.  … Continue reading →

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The One Device

Posted on December 13, 2018 by smellincoffee

The One Device: A Secret History of the iPhone pub. 2017 Brian Merchant 416 pages Love them or hate them, smartphones have revolutionized society like few other inventions. Entire sectors of the economy now exist which wouldn’t be there had … Continue reading →

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The Perfect Thing

Posted on December 12, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness pub. 2006 Steven Levy 304 pages I’ve never had an iPod, but given that Audible was doing a sale this week and that I seemed to be doing an … Continue reading →

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Jobs

Posted on December 11, 2018 by smellincoffee

Steve Jobs © 2011 Walter Isaacson 656 pages The past twenty years have been an amazing ride for Apple Computers, in which the ailing and speeding towards bankruptcy company suddenly metamorphosed into the most valuable company in the world, responsible … Continue reading →

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How the Post Office Created America

Posted on July 5, 2018 by smellincoffee

How the Post Office Created America:  A History© 2016 Winifred Gallagher336 pages Once the conduit of revolution, then a mainstay of communities both rural and urban, the post office has fallen on rough times as of late.   Amid speculation that … Continue reading →

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Stuff Matters

Posted on May 29, 2018 by smellincoffee

Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World© 2014 Mark Miodownik272 pages Stuff Matters begins with a photo of the authorhaving coffee on the roof of his London flat, the table before him scattered with papers and the … Continue reading →

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The Silent Intelligence

Posted on February 26, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Silent Intelligence: The Internet of Things© 2013 Daniel Kellmereit, Daniel Obodovski166 pages A couple of years ago I created a Digital World label in recognition of the fact that the Internet was no longer a discrete service that one could … Continue reading →

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Grocery

Posted on January 10, 2018 by smellincoffee

Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America© 2017 Michel Ruhlman324 pages Let’s go shopping! There’s a few errands to take care of first — an homage to dad, a quick review of the history of grocery stores — … Continue reading →

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Conquest of the Skies

Posted on November 7, 2017 by smellincoffee

Conquest of the Skies: A History of Commercial Aviation in America© 1979 Carl Solberg441 pages If ever you wanted a history of commercial aviation in the United States, Conquest of the Skies is it. Beginning with the origins of flight … Continue reading →

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