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John Locked account

john@books.paladyn.org

Joined 2 years, 5 months ago

Retired scientist, I read a lot, fiction and non-fiction, on a wide range of subjects, though science, politics, philosophy, law, science fiction and historical detective stories are favourites.

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Samantha Harvey: Orbital (EBook, 2023, Vintage Digital) 5 stars

A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments …

For the first time ever you’ve been overtaken, say ground crews. You’re yesterday’s news, they joke, and Pietro jokes back that better yesterday’s news than tomorrow’s, if they know what he means. If you’re an astronaut you’d rather not ever be news.

Orbital by  (Page 10)

Until the problems with the Boeing Starliner Calypso, when astronaunts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams unexpectedly extended their stay on the International Space Station, the crew changeovers happened largely unreported by the mainstream media.

quoted Desperate Undertaking by Lindsey Davis (Flavia Albia, #10)

Lindsey Davis: Desperate Undertaking (2022, St. Martin's Press) No rating

However, he had an interesting job. He could be proud of this, because he had invented it himself. Like all the best jobs, it was one that had never existed before he came along, and really it did not need doing.

Desperate Undertaking by  (Flavia Albia, #10) (77%)

Although the book is set in ancient Rome, there are still jobs (or posts) to which this is relevant, reminding me a little of Parkinson's Law

Charles Brian Handy: THE GODS OF MANAGEMENT (Paperback, 1991, RANDOM HOUSE BUSINESS BOOKS) 4 stars

Memorable way to categorise organisations.

4 stars

The book uses four Greek gods to describe different styles of management culture. Zeus represents the club culture, revolving around one central leader, flexible and dynamic, or wilful and arbitrary - depending on that leader. Apollo embodies the role culture, organised, structured and stable, or hidebound, slow and expensive - depending on whether it evolves. Athena symbolises the task culture, focussed around achieving some goal, great if the goal is well understood and desired by the whole organisation, but at risk of fracturing under disagreements. Dionysus designates the existential culture, almost a non-culture in which a group of individuals share some resources because it is convenient for them, but not necessarily a common goal - they can become an Apollo culture if the management of the shared resources becomes non-trivial.

The book covers the evolution, advantages and disadvantages of these four types, though it does not relate them to political …

reviewed The God patent by Ransom Stephens

Ransom Stephens: The God patent (2010, Numina Press) 4 stars

Interesting mixture of physics and philosophy, and corporate and theological greed.

4 stars

Content warning The final part reminds me of Transactional Analysis, as per [I',m OK, You're OK](https://books.paladyn.org/book/2795/s/im-ok-youre-ok)