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Education Innovation Reading Technology Vietnam War

Latest Read: The Imagineers of War

The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World by Sharon Weinberger. Sharon has written for Wired, Slate, the Financial Times and the Washington Post Magazine. Furthermore, Sharon is the former editor-in-chief of Defense Technology International. Today Sharon is an executive editor at Foreign Policy.

The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World by Sharon Weinberger

Obviously the simply amazing stories within The Pentagon’s Brain (my review) inspired me to read Sharon’s book. The Imagineers of War is a very worthy reading experience all by itself.

Unquestionably both books combine for an amazing one-two punch of DARPA history. The most astounding impact of DARPA technology? Many weapons developed for Vietnam are today a cornerstone of US troop technology in Afghanistan: precision weapons, drones, robots, and networked computing.

The first half of The Imagineers of War reveals the very large, looming role of William Godel. He certainly casts a long shadow across DARPA’s early history. However only Sharon can address Godel’s departure and later accusations that may have crippled DARPA.

For the most part, Sharon provides a deep dive into the lives of key players at DARPA. Godel is certainly no exception. Severely injured fighting as a Marine in World War II, he began working as a spy in 1949. Besides Godel’s assignment, he was recruiting former German scientists held in Soviet-controlled East Berlin. Godel is unquestionably acknowledged by American military leaders as an emerging key resource along with Edward Lansdale and William Colby.

Part One:

The opening chapters address the bombing of Nagasaki to post World War II goals. One focus was securing Germany’s key physicists including Wernher von Braun from the Soviets. The role of von Braun’s departure is quite amazing. His team was working at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency in Huntsville Alabama. This team would design Jupiter-C missiles. Then Sputnik changed everything.

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Education Innovation Network Reading Technology Vietnam War

Latest Read: The Pentagon’s Brain

The Pentagon’s Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, America’s Top-Secret Military Research Agency by Annie Jacobsen. Her narrative is certainly compelling, describing the historical launch of ARPA. The name of the organization first changed from its founding name to DARPA in March 1972. Yet it was changing back to ARPA in 1993, only to be reverted back in March 1996.

The Pentagon’s Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, America’s Top-Secret Military Research Agency by Annie Jacobsen

This book is addressing five categories of time: Cold War, Vietnam War, Operations other than war, War on Terror, and Future War. Researching newly de-classified materials make Annie’s book difficult to put down.

Cold war events beginning with Sputnik led to the formation of ARPA. Without over exaggerating, this group would be changing the world. There are so many brilliant physicists, scientists, and mathematicians, this book is literally a Who’s Who of brilliant minds called upon to drive the Pentagon’s mission.

Annie is a master storyteller. She clearly reveals Eisenhower’s administration was ill prepared for post war technology challenges.

Cold war hysteria in the State Department was certainly ripe after China fell to Mao in 1949. France would be defeated by an Asian guerrilla force in 1954. Certainly Sputnik only added to that hysteria in 1957.

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Design Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: The Art of Gathering

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker. In the year of COVID why would anyone consider reading a book about gathering? Admittedly it crossed my mind when I received notification from my library. On the contrary this book taught me how to make gatherings a great memorable experience.

The Art of Gathering

Priya is a professional meeting facilitator and certainly has been accumulating a deep understanding how creating meaningful gatherings creates an amazing impact. Yet this is an area we have been overlooking since office meetings began with Powerpoints.

Subsequently I never realized how much we have all lacked advice for making others feel comfortable, engaged, and authentic in social and business gatherings.

As you can see, one may view this book as simply focusing on gatherings. Yet Priya is delivering a solid book on leadership.

Constructing meaningful gatherings is revealed to be a core leadership skill. Priya shares meaningful examples she has facilitated. For all those reasons she breaks down the “how and why” gatherings can work so well.

Decide Why You’re Really Gathering

Her journey to create memorable events begins with a simple challenge. For this purpose many of us are unaware of what is actually required to fully commit to gatherings.

For business meetings this is why defining a clear purpose and an agenda is critical. This includes prepping your guests prior to the event, and establishing meeting rituals from start to finish.

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Education Reading

Latest Read: Loonshots

Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall. This is a very well written book inspiring readers to realize their crazy ideas can be transformational. Safi holds a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford. Continuing his research, Safi focused on condensed matter theory as a post-doctoral research fellow at UC Berkeley.

Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries

Safi joined McKinsey & Company advising investment banks and pharmaceutical companies. Departing after three years to co-found Synta Pharmaceuticals, he led the company for the next thirteen years. Safi was named Ernst & Young New England Biotechnology / Pharmaceutical Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008.

Loonshots has certainly become one of my favorite reads of 2020. As an engineer in the biomedical marketplace Safi provides a lightning rod of innovation and inspiration.

The most important message however is one’s dedication to ideas that will change the world. Loonshots (even as a fun term) is filled with historical lessons proving crazy ideas actually “need to die three times” before changing world markets.

In addition keys to successful Loonshots under development is the awareness they are very fragile. Fail fast and pivot is a key message to learn. At the same time it becomes clear solving puzzles and mysteries lead to game changing insights.

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Education Reading

Latest Read: Caste

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. This book proves yet again when fully revealed history is painful. Caste is one of the most powerful books I have ever read.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

Isabel is certainly forcing America to grapple with an understanding that our country was founded upon a coded class (caste) structure originating from India.

India’s caste system is based upon ancient Hindu text suggesting Manu, was an all-knowing man. One day he was approached by men asking “Please, Lord, tell us precisely and in the proper order the Laws of all the social classes as well as of those born in between.” So developed a caste system of classes including the highest, untouchable class across India.

Accordingly from this point forward Isabel delivers America’s caste system. Isabel developed a metaphor: America’s caste in the form of an old house that requires evaluation of the basement structure after severe weather. As you know an old house needs constant inspection.

Isabel is simply spot on with class events across our society. This book becomes more important now than ever to understand and comprehend our house’s aging framework.

Her book documents time after time how African Americans have been cruelly abused by a class system. Isabel’s analog is that caste is the bone and race is the skin.

400 years of caste in America

Indeed, this book’s structure reveals 400 years of caste in America. Surprisingly this began with the slave trade prior to the pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth Rock in August 1619. In fact a Dutch slave trade ship arrived in America destined for the Caribbean. Isabel carries this forward to the Charlottesville car attack in August 2017. For more than 400 years caste is still shifting the foundation of America’s house.

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