The 21st Century Brain

Steven Rose is a Biology professor and this book is written from that neuroscience perspective, with especially interesting insights on the biological structure of the brain.

It also looks at the history of the science of the subject, evolutionary perspective on understanding brains/minds, the embryonic perspective as well - which in some senses mimics evolution duriong teh nine months.

He doesn't really answer the brain/mind question satisfactorily for me.  Still attempting to say there is something more than just a switched on brain but not explaining what it is.

Final part of teh book is a very interesting look into possible futures where people take mind enhancing drugs or genetically select offspring and the implcations for some of these choice society will have to face up to.

Get a dog - Don't work like one

A thought provoking book that actually doesn't mention getting a dog, however it does describe strategies to think about what you want from life and stop working towards other people's priorities.

Ideas I liked:
p9 spend one lunchtime a week doing something different.
p71 visit www.dalailama.com
p73 list of attributes of top 20 successful entrepreneurs
p82 List of possible career drivers and as an exercise it suggest you force rank them for yourself
p107 Comment son a personal creativity course 'Creative and Personal Mastery'
p115 Quotes from Richard Branson essence of business stripped bare 25 core values for work
p164 perhaps the strongest pint for me is that happiness comes from a positive mental outlook: Happiness is a decision - we can have it now or we can wait for it to 'happen' to us some time in the future
p223 Finally the book ends with 74 ideas to Get a Life.