Chip War

Over the last several decades, silicon computer chips have shifted from being parts used by fringe, nerdy, hobbyist groups to becoming integrated into almost everything we do. This is even more the case in the military. Where once bombs had to be launched by the dozens to even have a limited chance of hitting a target, today's precision-guided (thanks to onboard chips that make mammoth calculations) missiles are neccessary to win wars. Chips have become a matter of national security. Chip War makes this case to the reader, and provides details on the industry's evolution, with a focus on the countries that play a role in shaping this industry.

The Alice Network

Helping The Allies fight back against the Nazis was a vast network of spies embedded in the territories occupied by the Germans. With many of the men either dead or fighting on the front lines, a lot of this spy work was done by women. The Alice Network is a novel about one node of a spy network that actually existed.

Rules of Civility

I've enjoyed a couple of Amor Towles' other books, so I decided to grab his first novel, Rules of Civility

Karsan Value Funds: 2022 Q4 Results

Karsan Value Funds (KVF) is a value-oriented fund, as described here. Due to securities regulations, the fund is not open to the public at this time. Should that change in the future, there will be an announcement on this site.

For the fourth quarter ended December 31st, 2022, KVF gained $7.58 per share, increasing the value of each share to $47.11. This 22% pre-tax return trounced the mid-single-digit returns generated by the S&P 500, Russell 2000 and S&P/TSX indices. Currency gains helped returns by $0.29 per share in the quarter.

How The World Really Works

There's a lot of stuff out there about how we're on the verge of a climate disaster and therefore must stop all new fossil fuel projects. But it would also be a disaster if we stopped extracting this energy source as well. So says Vaclav Smil in his new book How The World Really Works

The End of the World is Just the Beginning

I take all predictions with a grain of salt, especially so when the predictor is so confident in his assertions. Predicting the future correctly is extremely difficult, and to do so without the requisite humility is a giant red flag. So I had a hard time getting through The End of the World is just Beginning.

The Eagle and the Viper

Following the French Revolution, Napoleon sought to conquer more lands. But fans of the French monarchy would not go quietly. From England and elsewhere, they plotted to have France's leader assassinated so that another Louis could be crowned in his stead. This was the backdrop behind the novel The Eagle and the Viper