Category Archives: non-fiction
The Signal and the Noise
An awesome read from Nate Silver, a guy who has done some fascinating things. His advice on in a nutshell: make forecasts, not predictions; avoid over-confidence; challenge your heuristics; and fill your knowledge gaps whenever possible. Read reviews from the … Continue reading
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The Half-Life of Facts
In The Half-Life of Facts (2012), author Samuel Arbesman argues that “everything we know has an expiration date. It’s basically an argument in favor of Internet search engines over rote memorization, and a reminder that the world changes as much … Continue reading
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Bananas
Peter Chapman’s Bananas (2008) tells the story of how the United Fruit Company pretty much ran Central America for a good part of the 20th century. A good read that will help explain why “Banana Republics” became the norm in … Continue reading
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The Quants
“The Quants” (2010), by Scott Patterson, brings to mind the adage “To err is human, but to really screw things up you need a computer.” The subtitle tells you what you need to know: How a New Breed of Math … Continue reading
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The Fish that Ate the Whale
The well told story of the Russian immigrant who competed against, sold out to and then took over the United Fruit Company. By Rich Cohen, author of the memoir “Sweet and Low” and “Tough Jews.” Read reviews from the NY … Continue reading
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Dealers of Lightning
Michael Hiltzik tells the story of the Xerox scientists and engineers who established the company’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), where many of the fundamental innovations underlying computer networking, graphics, and Internet were invented. Xerox could have been on the … Continue reading
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The Invisible Gorilla
In The Invisible Gorilla (2010), psychology professors Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons build on their famous “Invisible Gorilla” experiment that won them the 2004 Ig Nobel Prize. Their web site provides a good synopsis of the book: Reading this book … Continue reading
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Modern New York
In Modern New York (2012), Crain’s New York columnist Greg David offers an insightful history of New York City and its economy since 1965. David demonstrates how tourism has filled the gap left by the decline of the city’s manufacturing … Continue reading
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Fooling Houdini
Fooling Houdini (2012) is an interesting peek into the history and subculture of magicians. I found the author’s side trips into the world of three card monte and psychology much more enjoyable than his forays into clown school and his … Continue reading
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Over Time
Quite simply, the best sports book I have ever read. Deford’s stories are often fascinating, and his ability to put them into the perspective that 50 years of sports writing provides makes this a quite enjoyable read. Read reviews from … Continue reading
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