David Foster Wallace gave [a magnificent commencement speech](http://ryskamp.org/misc/david-foster-wallace-kenyon-commencement.html) where he noted that the most important thing an education gives you is the ability to think for yourself, instead of just being on an autopilot that someone else programs: > I submit that this is what the real, no bullshit value of your liberal arts education…more
I bought this book for my girlfriend, who studied Latin America for years before being assigned to work with Africa. I thought that a story by a native African would be an interesting contrast to her experience coming from the outside. Meanwhile, I was reading The Paradox of Choice. We decided to switch books midway…more
_The Paradox of Choice_ has been on my radar for a long time ([over a year](http://ryskamp.org/brain/design/paradox-of-web-choice)), but I just recently read it. What took so long? Well, I had so many books on my shelf waiting to be read…and because there were so many I couldn’t pick just one to read. What if I was…more