summer reading list

Below is my reading list for this summer, at least for now. The first three are readings for class, but the rest are by my own choice. If anyone has read or wants to read any of the selections and meet up to discuss, feel free to let me know.

Object-Oriented and Classical Software Engineering by Stephen Schach
Required reading for my Software Design and Implementation course.

Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-Oriented Design by Alan Shalloway and James Trott
Recommended reading for my Software Design and Implementation course.

Software Engineering by Ian Sommerville
Required reading for my Software Systems Development course.

Basic Photographic Materials and Processes by Leslie Stroebel, John Compton, Ira Current, and Richard Zakia
If this book had an alternate title, it probably would be Photography for Scientists and Engineers. I first heard about this book through a review on photo.net. I've finished chapters one and two and the book so far is both intense and interesting. Topics touched on included wave and particle theories of light, blackbody radiation, and atomic spectra. It's been a long time since first-year engineering chemistry.

Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, and Paul Fuqua
I've read reviews that this is one of the best books on understanding the theory and principles of light and how to apply it to photographic practice.

Envisioning Science: The Design and Craft of the Science Image by Felice Frankel
An interesting book on how to create photographic images for scientific publication. If I ever get my macro lens, I'll be practicing a few techniques. However, I'll need access to a microscope and some samples to try for the really interesting images.

Beautiful Evidence by Edward Tufte
The fourth and most recent in Tufte's series of books on analytical information design. Tufte recorded some notes on the book's production. In Tufte's words, "Beautiful Evidence is about how seeing turns into showing, how empirical observations turn into explanations and evidence presentations."

The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent by Richard Florida
Spotted this in the bookstore and couldn't put it back on the shelf. From the back cover, Florida describes the creative class as "skilled individuals ranging from money managers to makeup artists, software programmers to steadicam operators." I'm about halfway through the book and it's a really detailed analysis (with plenty of supporting statistical evidence) on what factors attract creative people to certain geographic areas.

The New Argonauts: Regional Advantage in the Global Economy by Annalee Saxenian
Saxenian describes the new argonauts as "foreign-born, technically skilled entrepreneurs who travel back and forth between Silicon Valley and their home countries--seek their fortune in distant lands by launching companies far from established centers of skill and technology." This book examines how the "brain drain" is becoming the "brain recirculation." Should be interesting -- I like reading about how geography and planning affects socioeconomic development.

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American Community by Robert Putnam
First heard of this book about social capital and communities through a friend, then again in a meeting/presentation with one of the co-founders of meetup.com. One of the things I kvetch about is the sense of community in an area, or the lack thereof, particularly in mass metropolitan sprawl. Finally getting a copy for myself to read.

Consumed: How How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole by Benjamin Barber
Through many discussions with a friend, we realized that we grew up in a context where capitalism can only do good (it was the good alternative to evil communism or lazy socialism). Although capitalism in history has served as a beneficial model for socioeconomic growth, there are limitations to the model when it is left unchecked. For example, in a hands-off capitalist system, how are broad issues like environment and safety addressed in the context of satisfying needs and profits? How are the needs of the few met when economic motivations encourage satisfying only the needs of the many? In addition, there is a broad perception that democracy (a political system) goes hand-in-hand with capitalism (an economic system). If so, how does one explain China, who has declared their economic system as capitalist, while standing firm on their communist political regime? Anyway, I'm hoping Barber's book addresses something that I noticed here at home and on travel -- how ordinary citizens drive their lives by consumerism. I'm vehemently for free society and enjoying some material wants and needs, but there is a line where excessive consumption starts becoming counterproductive and unsustainable. Barber is also the author of Jihad vs. McWorld, a piece I read for a course on Technology, Globalization, and Culture I took a little while ago.

The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as You Start, Grow, or Manage a Business by Martha Stewart
Almost a guilty read, but Harvard Business School's Working Knowledge website gave it a decent review. It will be a quick read with some insight on Stewart's background and motivation.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Somehow I left high school without reading this book. (I read Orwell's other book, Animal Farm.) A few friends told me it would be a good read and I'm finally going to pick it up. Besides, with Orwellian references peppering the news every so often, I figure I might as well get some first-hand understanding to what everyone is referring to.

Oriental Architecture, Volume 2: China, Korea, and Japan by Mario Bussagli
This book is supposedly part of a critically acclaimed series in World Architecture. However, it's out of print, so it won't be very easy finding a copy. I'm noticing there are actually very few books (in English) on East Asian architectural history. You can sort of tell by the title that the book was published in the 1970s. I did find an interesting website in my search for the book though, Asian Historical Architecture: A Photographic Survey is produced in part by one of my former professors.