School starts today so not much time for anything else. But I do have a new book called "Why we Drive" by Matthew Crawford.

I am so enjoying this book. It isn't a novel but rather looks deeply at our society through the lens of this American. Much of his observations could be applied to any first world country. He puts words together in an order that makes reading a pleasure. I have borrowed this book from the on-line library at my local council but I think it is important enough to buy a hard copy. It is one of those books that explains so much of what is going on in our world today.
His thoughts on the company "Uber" ( the taxi replacement Company) is great. I, for one, refuse to use Uber and if I need a car will call a taxi. My children and most of my friends use their services all the time. After reading his explanation of their business model I understand what it is I didn't like about this Company but I never had any firm evidence or understanding for my beliefs. Now I do. He also shows that how much everything changes it stay much the same, reaching back to Greek of Roman writers to illustrate his point.
The review from Penguin books said,
"Driving, it turns out, offers a near-perfect embodiment of the broader changes being wrought by government and technology throughout our lives. In Why We Drive,the philosopher and mechanic Matthew Crawford shows the driver's seat to be one of the few remaining places where we still regularly take risk, exercise skill and enjoy freedom. But it is here too that we discover what we are losing to automation and the technocrats, and who will profit from the vision of progress they press upon us."
There is much debate here about the Federal Government insisting that Companies like Google and Facebook pay for the news that they copy from Australian Companies, both print and on-line. Trying to understand the broader picture of exactly what is taking place here, (Google has threatened to close it's search engines to Australia), has been my reason for my search for more information. There are far more academic books on this subject but this one is written in a way that is informative and interesting to read.
I am going to have to read his other book, "The case for working with your hands", after this.