Amy Wallace (1955–2013)

I first came across William James Sidis back around 2000 on the internet, on the site by Dan Mahony. Unfortunately that site, sidis dot net, in all its Web 1.0 glory, is slowly dying since the 2016 death of Mahony. This is the only book-length biography of Sidis, written without notes, citations, or a bibliography by one Amy Wallace, a churner-outer of nonfiction books of trivial quality. It is well-written, well-researched, and well-interviewed, but it is not scholarly and a little too chatty. But, with Mahony’s death and the death of all people remotely connected to Sidis, this will probably be the best biography we’ll ever get. Mahony collected some fine research and tracked down everything he could about Sidis, from newspaper accounts to memoirs to interviews and even the papers saved by his family members, especially Sidis’s sister. But, aside from collecting it and presenting it, he never truly analyzed it or synthesized it, and never produced a biography in any real sense. Maybe someone will.

So, how is the book. It is a chronological and sometimes thematical narrative biography of William James Sidis, a child prodigy, son of Boris Sidis, a pioneering psychologist, and Sarah Sidis, a stern mother with an unused M.D. (gotten at a time when few women even attended college), and godson of the august scholar William James. Sidis had prodigous memory skills, learned languages easily, read voraciously and precociously, and, most notedly, had tremendous mathematical skills. He graduated Harvard as a teen, lectured on the fourth dimension, and even published an obscure book on cosmological physics. And, by age twenty or so, did nothing with it. He disdained academia, he hated his mother, he never mentioned his father. He retreated into menial jobs as a comptometer operator, devolved into socialistic and anarchistic politics, lived cheek by jowl, wrote drivelous history, and, most famously, or infamously, collected and wrote about street car transfer ticket collecting (inventing a hobby and study he coined “peridromophily”). Shunning his childhood publicity and a conscientious objector, he died young and mostly alone at the tail end of the Second World War. It’s a sad but engrossing tale. As a “gifted” kid myself, I understand some of his hobbies and self-world. But his total retreat from manners, society, and the like I find inexplicable.

Nice images (more on Mahony’s site), index, but no notes or bibliography (again, the late Mahony has a sort of bibliography on his link-deathing website). Good, interesting, but could be so much better. The thrust of Wallace, and Mahony, is that the prodigy didn’t burn out and destroy his gifts, he just channelled them into unexplainable anti-social pursuits. Creeping under the surface is a non-condemnation condemnation of his odd upbringing; that Sidis’s parents raised a damaged prodigy. Let the reader decide.… (more)

This book is, hands-down, one of the best I've ever read in terms of exciting me toward more creative work and building something of a business with it.

It's a book on creativity in a workplace by Ed Catmull, one of Pixar's founders. Amazing inspiration and advice re: building a creative enterprise that never loses sight of its vision and its inspirations.

Confession: My expectations of this were low because I assumed John Lasseter to be the creative voice of Pixar and the author to be all business; I stand corrected now and in awe of Mr. Catmull's focus and drive and creativity of his own.

Highest recommendations on this one.… (more)

Listened to an audio version of this book. What a rollicking ride this book is! Thoroughly enjoyed. This book appeals to three core aspects of me:

1. A startup enthusiast building products with awesome teams - Many of us have brilliant and innovative ideas. But to get them executed and build it with a team is a different level challenge. Pixar guys have done it again and again. It worth paying attention to their wisdom in managing the team, building a culture to foster creativity, giving feedback with candour in brain trust meetings.

2. Thriving in complex systems: We all have a few mental models of work. When things are different from our perception and many of factors (more team members/stakeholders) come into play, one can easily lose the plot. Ed Catmull's stoical suggestion of embracing uncertainty and trusting the team while failing/experimenting is really refreshing to hear.

3. Steve Jobs fan: Ed Catmull has known Steve for 20 years and has seen the transformation of Steve from a brash-bullying-brilliant man to a sensitive-observant-thoughtful man. That alone is worth the money.… (more)