[2026-02-02]

Overall, I prefer the older books - but a new one looking at pretty old ideas? Apparently, it works too

There’s a reliability in knowing what has actually happened with the world after predictions were made - to see the quality of narration, as well as a simpler enjoyment of storytelling through a lens of a different world.

Despite being available only like a couple of weeks - there’s hardly a novel idea inside, and it is great.

Beautifully designed cover, contains a loosely linked set of simple stories, or anecdotes, or explorations with the simple yet unexpectedly powerful narrative about the need of maintenance.

I think, in a way the book is structured similarly to a modern 1-idea non-fiction, reasonable, but certainly overwritten, could’ve been a blog post. Contrary to that note- it’s either perfectly sized for the theme, i.e. gigantic post: knowledgeable and unpretentious, punchy book.

Personally - the most exciting was the story of 3 different approaches to a boat race around the world. Not ‘be’ vs. ‘not to be’ prepared to maintain, but there’s also a fine distinction of ‘how’ added. And what I least expected to see is the ‘how’ continuity - a story with an example of AK rifle as a positive counter to the brittler US Vietnam war era rifle; the need to create a comics campaign all to make people maintain their weapon resonated a bit too much when I had to pass timed exercise on assembly/disassembly in high school.

My interpretation of it - being a book about life, which in many ways is a constant battle against decay. And stories are there to show that in many cases negligence to maintain means death - personal, or affecting thousands. Negligence to foresee the decay - while the most certain forecast one could make, costs dearly, as well as reluctance to prepare.

No need to go further, but I think it meant to leave the reader with a pleasant outlook - about the world of things that is still there because of care and maintenance, and their little personal world of things and mind.