Miles by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe

This is Miles Davis' autobiography. It is also something of a history of jazz. Miles knew and worked with the great names: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans and more.

I suppose it would not be fair if I did not say that this book contains obscene and profane language as well as explicit discussions of sex and drugs. These were, however, part and parcel of what Miles was, so their absence, perhaps at the hands of a less-than-understanding editor, would have been a serious offense. It is all here!

My only complaint is that the discussion of Miles' concerts in Japan (Agharta and Pangaea) are a bit sparse, but there is quite a bit of material on the musicians Miles worked with on these amazing recordings.

Review by Michael Patrick Jost

Windows: 1 of 14 Downloads "Malicious"

This statistic is from a recent article, which gives some useful history of the "security holes" in Microsoft and some suggestions about how to avoid problems associated with malware.

There is, of course, another, and very viable option: Apple Macintosh. I've used Macs since they came out, and have NEVER had a problem with malware.

Sprint, Tesla, and The Godfather?

I have not been happy with Verizon's Internet service for quite a while. Long story.

I decided to get a Sprint phone and use it as a hotspot. I had concerns about varying stories of data throttling at 5GB.

To test this, I downloaded a number of movies…and I'm happy to report that there has been no throttling.

So I'm wireless now. Mr. Tesla would be proud.

Among the movies…The Godfather Trilogy. I chose this as it was easily available and rather large. I'm glad I did.

I had forgotten how good the films and book were.

Even though there will always be debate as to whether certain characters are based on real people, the first two installments in the trilogy are almost certainly works of fiction, whereas the third and final installment reflects, quite accurately the Banco Nazionale del Lavoro scandal.

The stories are also excellent reminders of how technology is not a necessity for a well run intelligence operation. All parties manage to do quite well without computers or smartphones!

My only complaint, such as it is, is that the Sicilian dialogue in the films is not subtitled and I just don't have time to learn Italian!

Reviews by Michael Patrick Jost

Moby Dick: An American Epic

Herman Melville's Moby Dick often ends up, quietly, on "top books" lists, and with good reason.

Melville may never surpass Mark Twain as the greatest American author, but Melville's place in history is assured by having written the definitive American epic.

Moby Dick is part epic, part allegory, and part whaling textbook.

It is, in a word, great.

Norton has a very nice critical edition, but the Dover thrift edition, pictured here, is a great value.

"Look to Windward"!

Review by Michael Patrick Jost

Bruce Schneier: Secrets and Lies

Bruce Schneier writes great books. You can read my review of Secrets & Lies here.

Patrick Jost

Cryptography (The Nature and Power of Mathematics)

Read my book review here.

Patrick Jost

May 2009

Radio Free Jost is still on the air!