Category: Reading

While it is a massive book, The Information is a fantastic read. It summarizes the evolution of information and communication through time. From the early pioneers of long range communication (early African drummers and later the telegraph), standardizing the English language through the publication of dictionaries through to the development of information theory (which had an odd start branching off from math).

Interesting tidbit: Ranchers, in the early days of the telephone, would connect through cattle fences together and run the phone line through the barb wire instead of running new wire.

A book about how we humans can miss the most obvious of things because they are outside the realm of our expected exceptions. The authors give six types of cognitive illusions:

• Illusion of Attention, in which we think we are paying attention when we are not; such as staring straight at a motorcyclist on the road and not recognizing the existence of the vehicle.
• Illusion of Memory, such as being able to accurately recall a very detailed memory, most of which is probably made up by your mind.
• Illusion of Confidence, such as distrusting a doctor who openly consults with reference material, even though such doctors are much better at making accurate diagnoses.
• Illusion of Knowledge, such as thinking you know everything about how a bicycle works but most people cannot draw an accurate, detailed diagram of it.
• Illusion of Causality, in which we falsely attribute some later events to earlier ones simply because they happened in a chronological order.
• Illusion of Brain Capacity, such as playing classical music thinking it will increase our brain power even though it really does not.

Interesting tidbit: talking on the phone leads to driver impairment whether they are hands free or not.

Gladwell presents a wonderful collection of stories that focus on how the underprivileged Davids of the world are not so bad off as we usually think in their fight against the Goliaths. Instead, whatever their disadvantages are, those very disadvantages often provide the perfect circumstances to beat excel. From physiological issues like dyslexia to life events like losing a parent and even the way in which authority is presented to us. Each of these would seem to seem to reduce one’s chances of success but those who suffer them and persevere are stronger than those who never face such challenges.

Interesting tidbit: The biblical Goliath was likely nearly blind.

Gladwell presents a vast collection of meticulously researched and well planned. While each chapter is self contained, the chapters cover a broad rand of topics from the Dog Whisper (the book’s namesake) to the fight against cancer.

Interesting tidbit: New York City’s crime rates rank among those of retirement communities.

Taleb takes us on a journey through life (with a money market focus) and points out a variety of situations and events that we attribute, incorrectly, to skill. Instead, much of what we chaulk to patterns is actually random noise with no real pattern.