This week, we finish our discussion of Some Assembly Required by Neil Shubin.

• How did you like the book?

• What was a new thing you learned?

• Would you recommend it to a friend?

And then for some logistical stuff:

• What kind of books would you like to see in the next vote?

• All the book club lurkers, you having a good time? No need to comment, just fave the post if you’re all good.

In a week I’ll send out the vote on the next round of books!

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This week, we continue our discussion of Some Assembly Required by Neil Shubin. Still plenty of time to get your hands on that one, we’re wrapping up in two weeks!

• How are you liking the book so far?

• What’s a new thing you learned? What did you think about the parts about heredity?

• Have you got a favorite person or scientist you learned about?

We’ll finish up in two weeks, and then vote on the next round of books!

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We’re back!

This week, we kick off our discussion of Some Assembly Required by Neil Shubin. Still plenty of time to get your hands on that one.

Let’s kick us off talking about expectations:

• How much of the history of life would you say you knew about before reading the book?

• Beyond Darwin, how much of the early history of evolutionary science did you know about?

• What are you hoping to get out of the book?

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Today we wrap If Then!

We’re done with If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future by Jill Lepore. Simulmatics has gone to Vietnam, and we’re in the fall part of the rise and fall of Simulmatics.

Here’s some ideas to kick us off:

• What did you think about the book?

• By the end, it wasn’t exactly clear what Simulmatics was actually offering ARPA for their money. Can you possibly believe that a technology company might oversell their offerings?

• What did you make of the Simulmatics corporation’s Vietnam pivot?

• How do you assess the character of the people who ran Simulmatics?

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We’re going on break over the holidays, and will resume with Some Assembly Required by Neil Shubin in January! Have an excellent holiday.

We continue discussions with part two of If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future by Jill Lepore. Things are getting heavy in the sixties and with the good people of Simulmatics.

Here’s some questions to kick us off:

• What did you think about Simulmatics and the people who worked there? As the company formed, what stuck out to you?

• What did you think about their work melding politics and data? How about that New York Times deal?

• What did you think of the anti-computing protests at California universities?

Any other thoughts on what we’ve read so far?