What TNW is reading (week 9)

Stoner – John Williams

Stoner is a tenderly written novel that follows the life of a young professor, from the time he enters university, through his marriage and academic career, and ultimately his death. Published in 1965, it sold fewer than 2000 copies and was soon out of print and forgotten.

It was only rediscovered 50 years later, when it became an instant hit overnight, with The New Yorker even calling it “the greatest American novel you’ve never heard of.”

Despite having a simple premise, Stoner is a remarkable case of flawless literature, an honest and earnest book about how ordinary, modest life can still make for a beautiful story.

Unique in its quiet perfection and not a single wasted sentence in the entire novel, I’d compare Stoner to an Edward Hopper painting – a superb illustration of petrified characters in their solitude and desolation, something that stays with you for days on end.

That said, all I can hope for is that it doesn’t grab the attention of some trivial Hollywood director and turned into a bad flick.

Vince Dinga, PR Manager

Stop Trying To Be Somebody – Jon Westenberg

“When you’re only working to be somebody, rather than focusing on doing the work for its own sake, it’s going to suffer. The quality will be low and the level of effort you put in is going to be noticeably lacking.”

I was recently talking to a friend about this tendency of people to compare themselves to others – compare abilities, financial situation, educational background, etc. The implications of this need to always be someone and compare yourself are well described in this article.

The piece questions our eager to became something without thinking about the work needed to achieve it, it makes you think about the importance of the path to your goal and how you can make the journey to it more successful.  It is a good reflexion for us to think if we are doing our best and going in the right direction to become who we want be.

Renata Ilman, PPC Specialist

Google self-driving car crashes into a bus – Engadget

The most interesting article I read this week was about the Google self-driving car colliding with a bus. The whole incident was pretty lame (15 mph) but the topic is fun to think about.

This is the first time Google is (partly) to blame for an accident, all other incidents were other people’s fault. But statistically, autonomous cars are involved in more than average incidents – they drive correctly and carefully at all times, but this inhuman behavior is confusing to the other drivers.

How will they solve that issue? Maybe become a bit more human. Google stated that it already included in the software that buses are “less likely to yield”. Surely there is still a bumpy road ahead.

Otto Rottier, Lead Developer at Index.co

Palo Alto – James Franco

I got this book for my birthday last month, it’s not that big and has a nice cover so i thought i would give it a try while’s traveling by train.

The short stories are about different groups of teenagers in and around Palo Alto, California. Every story is written from a different young narraters point of view and contains a variety of high school memories from drugs, sex to drunk driving. The stories are short but immediately find a way to suck you in there and make you want to keep on reading. It is written in a way it feels like you’re there with them. Original and fun to read.

It is an easy, no-nonsense read that I fairly enjoyed and highly recommend if you’re looking for something light and fun. A good choice before turning in early or whilst commuting.

Yoni Consenheim, Designer

This is a #TNWLife article, a look into the lives of those that work at The Next Web.