false 14 6 5 true 6237051 read 1 true 2511693 currently-reading 0 true 2511692 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76899355 to: 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated (Paperback) by Donald E. Knuth
A truly beautiful book. The thesis Professor Knuth begins with is "can one gain a sufficient understanding of the Bible (and my extension, Christianity) by a study of random verses?" His answer is "yes." He chose the 16th verse of the 3rd chapter of each book of the Bible because he knew that John 3:16 was a winner, and if all the others were less interesting, he'd have at least one "good one" to talk about. Turns out all of them were very good, each in its own way. In all he studied 59 verses, reading each one in different versions of the Bible and then studied as much commentary about each verse as he could find. This commentary alone would be worth the effort of reading the book, but to top it all off, he found 59 world-class calligraphers to depict each verse in a new font/style. It was very refreshing to hear a self-admitted scriptural novice spouting such profound observations regarding the scriptures and gospel principles. I really liked his way of showing how the various translations of the Bible differed and how many translation and transcription errors were obvious to him. Despite these issues, he concluded (as most Christians would, I believe) that the overall message of the Bible is what God would want us to have. This is fun book to read and a great one to display on one's coffee table. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76899285 to: Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About (Center for the Study of Language and Information - Lecture Notes) by Donald E. Knuth
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45260473 Mike 's review of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Jamon wrote: "I am in middle of NNT "fooled by Randomness" It has a black swan chapter....in your opinion do you think I should read Black Swan as well? Jamon"


It might be more of the same. I have not read Fooled by Randomness, but a co-worker who really liked Black Swan and then bought the other book, found it to be along the same lines. Once, you've convinced me that I can't know the unknowable, there not a lot more you can say, is there? However, if you like his writing style (which I do), you may want to consider reading Black Swan as well...

MG
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45260473 to: The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (Hardcover) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Life changing book. "The first step to wisdom is knowing what we don't know" may sound like a line from the 1970s TV show "Kung Fu," but it is an important theme in NNT's book. It's hard for me (being a product of an MBA program where we learned to look at everything as a bell curve) to fully embrace his ideas, but I feel a better man for knowing his views.

Uncertainty is a big part of my job as a financial advisor (fee only, no commissions) and NNT's perspectives are useful in my work. Taken to the extreme, one may feel that all life is in vain; I don't think he'd agree with that, but he does say very clearly that our lives are not the linear, well-planned stories that our personal histories might suggest. There is something about the human mind that craves the simple, logical narrative, whether it be about the history of nations or of a person. NNT accepts this craving, but then explains really what happens in life - we are more a product of the rare and unexpected events (cancer, early death of parent, etc.) in our lives than the planned ones.

This book is likely to generate lots of discussion among friends who like to debate or some deeper introspection about your own life's trajectory.

Highly recommended!! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31895759 Life and Fate (Paperback) by Vasily Grossman
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31895278 to: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (Paperback) by Michael Lewis
I'm not a huge fan of baseball (still smarting from the '94 strike...) but I am a big fan of contrarian thought. Michael Lewis does a great job of illustrating how one person, with a new, wacky idea, could shake up an old industry like major league baseball. There is a bit of "revenge of the nerds" appeal here too. The smart guys who knew how to slice and dice the numbers in new ways gained valuable insights on how to manage a team in a very profit fashion. A great book for anyone who hates the NY Yankees =) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23306253 to: Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises (Wiley Investment Classics) by Charles P. Kindleberger
One of the classic "must reads" for anyone interested in investing. The cycles of boom/bust and greed/fear are constantly renewing and re-inventing themselves, but the basics remain the same. This book spells these concepts out clearly and forcefully. Before you invest in any asset class (again) do yourself a favor and read this gem. ]]>