Book Bits: 3 May 2025

● The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI
Anders Indset and Florian Neukart
Summary via publisher (Wiley)
The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI is a comprehensive exploration of how the fusion of biology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence can lead to the creation of Artificial Human Intelligence (AHI) as a conscious response to the unconscious development of superintelligence. Singularity highlights the tension between the boundless possibilities of technological advancement and the potential loss of human autonomy, control, and relevance. AHI may become essential in navigating this singularity and preventing the severe consequences that could arise. The convergence of humanity and technology, shedding light on the ethical, social, and scientific implications of this transformation is taken on with a fresh perspective.

● Drop Dead: How a Coterie of Corrupt Politicians, Bankers, Lawyers, Spinmeisters, and Mobsters Bankrupted New York, Got Bailed Out, Blamed the … as Usual (And It Might Be Happening Again)
Richard E. Farley
Press release for book
“Everyone who was anyone was in on the grift,” Farley writes in this incisive exploration of the forces behind New York’s 1975 fiscal crisis. The book provides not only historical documentation, but also an analytical framework for understanding similar dynamics at work today. “What makes this book particularly relevant is how closely the city’s financial and economic challenges mirror today’s fiscal and economic challenges,” says Farley, whose previous financial histories have established him as one of America’s foremost chroniclers of financial crises on Wall Street. “The institutional factors that caused the 1975 crisis evolved rather than disappeared, and we’re seeing the effects in the city’s current fiscal challenges.” Drop Dead meticulously dismantles long-accepted narratives about the 1975 fiscal crisis. The famous tabloid headline “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD” entered the collective memory as historical fact—suggesting President Ford abandoned New York. Farley reveals this was strategic messaging by political operatives, while the actual policy response was more nuanced: Ford ultimately provided federal assistance.

● The Sweaty Startup: How to Get Rich Doing Boring Things
Nick Huber
Summary via publisher (Harper Collins)
Filled with common sense and practical, actionable, advice, Nick Huber’s book reveals that you don’t have to be a genius with a world-changing idea to build a business empire and become a multi-millionaire. Business media, television and movies, and top college courses all tell entrepreneurs the same thing: To succeed in business, you need to have a revolutionary idea. To them, success is about changing the world through constant innovation. But the truth is, 99.999 percent of businesses that pursue this strategy will fail.

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