I still thing the best book I have read recently is The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, friend of Benoit Mandelbrot. Every scientist with a mathematical training should read it.
It begins "The personal character and career of one man are so intimately connected with the great scheme of the years 1719 and 1720, that a history of the Mississippi madness can have no fitter introduction than a sketch of the life of its great author John Law."
John Law introduced paper money into France, with similar results to those that occurred later when plastic money was introduced into the Western World.
Thanks Alastair. I have read Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds". I'll definitely second the recommendation to others as well.
One of these days, I'll get the Black Swan read.
I've been meaning to write a proper review, but will give mention now to Greg Craven's What's the worst that could happen?
if you like lighter reading, been reading Reynolds recently. pretty hard, but still quite operatic scifi. not very many inconsistensies with the real world.
If you're a politics junkie, I recommend "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime" by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin.
"The Emerald Planet" by David Beerling, Professor of Paleoclimatology at Sheffield University and Scholar at Yale would make a light summer read, and the 60 pages of scholarly notes could be studied on a second winter reading.
He shows how the evolution of plants fit into the new paradigm of Earth System Science.
I still thing the best book I have read recently is The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, friend of Benoit Mandelbrot. Every scientist with a mathematical training should read it.
ReplyDeleteAnother good read is a classic that you may not have heard of - Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds" by Charles Mackay (1840).
It begins "The personal character and career of one man are so intimately connected with the great scheme of the years 1719 and 1720, that a history of the Mississippi madness can have no fitter introduction than a sketch of the life of its great author John Law."
John Law introduced paper money into France, with similar results to those that occurred later when plastic money was introduced into the Western World.
Will we never learn :-(
Cheers,Alastair.
Thanks Alastair. I have read Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds". I'll definitely second the recommendation to others as well.
ReplyDeleteOne of these days, I'll get the Black Swan read.
I've been meaning to write a proper review, but will give mention now to Greg Craven's What's the worst that could happen?
UK - centered I know, but Silent Summer from Cambridge University Press may be of interest:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521519663
Enjoy your break.
Chris S.
if you like lighter reading, been reading Reynolds recently. pretty hard, but still quite operatic scifi. not very many inconsistensies with the real world.
ReplyDeletejyyh
a long time favorite of mine is 'definitely maybe' by strugatski brothers.
ReplyDeleteIf you're a politics junkie, I recommend "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime" by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin.
ReplyDelete"The Emerald Planet" by David Beerling, Professor of Paleoclimatology at Sheffield University and Scholar at Yale would make a light summer read, and the 60 pages of scholarly notes could be studied on a second winter reading.
ReplyDeleteHe shows how the evolution of plants fit into the new paradigm of Earth System Science.
Cheers, Alastair.