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January 21
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J Wynia
gave  to:
The Last Lecture (Hardcover)
by
Randy Pausch
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my rating:
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J Wynia
gave to:
The Pleasure Of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman (Helix Books)
by
Richard P. Feynman
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August 08, 2008
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J Wynia
gave to:
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions (Hardcover)
by
Dan Ariely
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my rating:
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J said:
"Behavioral economics is a field that interests me deeply. For some reason, I'm drawn in whenever someone gathers data about not only *what* we do (rather than what we think we do), but why we do it.
When those things come together, it provid...more
Behavioral economics is a field that interests me deeply. For some reason, I'm drawn in whenever someone gathers data about not only *what* we do (rather than what we think we do), but why we do it.
When those things come together, it provides a model for understanding my own behavior and, when necessary, modifying it. This book hits one right up the middle in that way, as does the author's site.
He examines some of the behaviors we all exhibit that don't mesh with what a purely rational/logical behavior would be in the same situation. For instance, we nearly all have a completely irrational desire to avoid closing off options. We'll go to absurd lengths to keep our options open, even when 1-2 of those options are demonstrably better in every way.
That's an impulse I feel regularly that has bothered me. After reading this book, there's a lot of those kinds of things I see myself doing that bother me. Fortunately, now that I recognize them, I can actually stop and adjust my behavior. On the flip side, I also now understand other people's behavior a little better as well. That can help when you're working with others and need a better model in your head for how they're going to act in day-to-day situations.
Overall, definitely an eye-opening book and approach.(less)
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J Wynia
gave to:
The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, 20th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)
by
Frederick Phillips Brooks
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my rating:
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J said:
"Most of the stuff in Fred Brooks' Mythical Man-Month is stuff I've read in one place or another over the years. However, I'd never read all of it in one place and it had been a while. When I heard the audio of his presentation at OOPSLA 2007, I grabb...more
Most of the stuff in Fred Brooks' Mythical Man-Month is stuff I've read in one place or another over the years. However, I'd never read all of it in one place and it had been a while. When I heard the audio of his presentation at OOPSLA 2007, I grabbed a copy and read it through.
The details and examples are definitely showing their age, but the underlying principles, including the source of the title still ring true 35 years after he wrote them the first time. There are some myths of software development that just seem to have imbibed the zombie powder. They just won't die.
I've lost count of the number of project managers who seem to think that they're going to be the first to add people to a late project and speed it up. Re-reading these essays invigorates my desire to challenge that assumption more emphatically when it comes up.(less)
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J Wynia
gave to:
Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter)
by
Garr Reynolds
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my rating:
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J said:
"I've enjoyed the Presentation Zen site for quite a while. So, when I saw that the author of that site had put out a book, I had to take a look.
Like all of the stuff on his site and in conference presentations, etc. I've really found his mes...more
I've enjoyed the Presentation Zen site for quite a while. So, when I saw that the author of that site had put out a book, I had to take a look.
Like all of the stuff on his site and in conference presentations, etc. I've really found his message to be one that resonates with me. I'm still struggling with how to apply the "zen" approach to Powerpoint in more technical presentations, as opposed to the inspirational and conceptual presentations that dominate the examples, but it's clearly a direction in which to strive.
The book is in keeping with the website content, and bundles it together quite nicely. Much like the presentations themselves, the book makes really good use of white space, vivid photographs and nice layouts.
If you're still using the standard bullet-point layouts from Powerpoint (and the default Keynote layouts aren't really any better, FYI), you should definitely read this one.(less)
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J Wynia
gave to:
The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures (Hardcover)
by
Dan Roam
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my rating:
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J said:
"Given how much time I spend at a whiteboard, I've often contemplated how to more effectively use that tool. A really well drawn diagram, particularly if it's accompanied by both a good analogy and a good example ends up hitting nearly all of the lear...more
Given how much time I spend at a whiteboard, I've often contemplated how to more effectively use that tool. A really well drawn diagram, particularly if it's accompanied by both a good analogy and a good example ends up hitting nearly all of the learning styles in a given room.
The Back of the Napkin was recommended to me as a really good book for how to improve whiteboard diagrams. That recommendation wasn't ill-founded. This approach gives a nicely structured system for how to diagram most common business situations. By focusing on the who/what/when/where/how much types of questions, you clarify your own thinking as well as ending up with things that are fairly easy to draw out.
Fortunately, if you're concerned about your ability to draw, this book should help to alleviate some of those worries. That's because nearly everything he shows could be drawn by a typical elementary school child. So, "I can't draw" is not a reason to avoid drawing in this kind of context. (less)
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J Wynia
gave  to:
On Intelligence (Paperback)
by
Jeff Hawkins
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my rating:
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J said:
"A while back, I saw an episode of Wired Science on PBS, featuring Jeff Hawkins (he founded Palm Computing) talking about the area of study that's pulled him in repeatedly: neuroscience. His description of the neocortex, including its similarity in si...more
A while back, I saw an episode of Wired Science on PBS, featuring Jeff Hawkins (he founded Palm Computing) talking about the area of study that's pulled him in repeatedly: neuroscience. His description of the neocortex, including its similarity in size and thickness to a cloth dinner napkin and that thin layer of cells' pretty much *being* the thing that makes us human intrigued me. So, I bought his book.
On Intelligence is the book on this list that took me the longest to actually get through. It's not particularly long or even hard to read. However, every chapter led me to ponder quite a bit. As a result, I tended to read this one in fits and starts over a few months.
The central premise is his theory and the science to back it up focuses on the general algorithm for the neocortex. Oversimplified, every portion of the neocortex just watches for and stores patterns, combining them and replaying them. That goes for sensory input, our own motor control, etc.
Ever since reading this book, I've been seeing more and more in day to day life that fits with this theory. Should his model for how the brain works turn out to be completely right, it will be huge, particularly in the area of computer-based artificial intelligence.
I fully expect to continue mulling this one over for months and years to come.(less)
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J Wynia
gave  to:
Odd Hours (Odd Thomas Novel, Book 4)
by
Dean Koontz
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my rating:
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J said:
"Because I aim for rational, critical thinking in so much of the rest of my life, I enjoy my fiction, my TV and my movies with a strong dose of the impossible. In the case of Dean Koontz, that doesn't mean futuristic sci-fi, but often does mean granti...more
Because I aim for rational, critical thinking in so much of the rest of my life, I enjoy my fiction, my TV and my movies with a strong dose of the impossible. In the case of Dean Koontz, that doesn't mean futuristic sci-fi, but often does mean granting some rule of nature being bent or broken, bringing a bit of the supernatural to otherwise modern stories.
The "Odd" series is one of my favorites (and clearly one that others like too, given the sales figures). The latest isn't quite as enjoyable as the last couple have been, but was still enjoyable, nonetheless. If you haven't read any of this series, featuring Odd Thomas, the fry cook who sees dead people and hangs out with the ghost of Elvis in Pico Mundo, CA, you should definitely read at least the first one.
If you have been following the series, this one follows a similar story to the others, with Odd falling into the middle of a big mess, relying on his supernatural gifts and the guidance of the silent ghost of Frank Sinatra to work things out.
It's also worth noting that the audiobooks in the "Odd" series are particularly well done as well.(less)
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August 03, 2008
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J Wynia
is currently reading:
The Advent of the Algorithm: The 300-Year Journey from an Idea to the Computer (Paperback)
by
David Berlinski
bookshelves:
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J Wynia
is currently reading:
Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder (Hardcover)
by
David Weinberger
bookshelves:
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