false 15 137 134 true 5700037 read 1 true 615243 currently-reading 2 true 615242 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46720673 to: Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Hardcover) by Brian Wansink
This was an enjoyable & quick read that discussed many various external cues that influence how much people eat. There are a number of experiments described with fun storytelling that explain how various hyptheses were tested. Overall I felt the book more 'enjoyable' than 'pragmatic', though; there is not too much novel useful take-home advice (or perhaps too much of it: sometimes conflicting advice, not sure what to prioritize). ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4795458 to: The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene (Paperback) by Richard Dawkins
bookshelves: currently-reading
(Just re-read The Selfish Gene and now am re-reading this one.) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4795378 to: Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (Paperback) by Douglas R. Hofstadter
This is, in my opinion, the best book ever written. It is both a beautifully crafted work of art, as well as a treatise on a few of the most important points in mathematics, computer science, and minds. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46720673 Brian's review of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
by Brian Wansink

Darian wrote: "how come you didn't comment on this one or rate it?"

Oops, wrong shelf :) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45219826 to: CLR via C#, Second Edition (Paperback) by Jeffrey Richter
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44288334 Atomic Spectra and Atomic Structure, (Paperback) by Gerhard Herzberg
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42648277 to: Economic Facts and Fallacies (Hardcover) by Thomas Sowell
I only read about a quarter of the book and then just skimmed the rest.

The book is mostly a litany of facts and anecdotes that attempt to call into question of refute some popular or commonly-held beliefs or would-be facts about economics. I think the author's thesis is that you need to look very critically at the world lest you fall into fallacious reasoning/conclusions, but this thesis is obvious and the examples are complicated, wandering, mostly uninteresting and often unconvincing. There are a few pearls that actually did make me think some new thoughts about a particular situation/example, but in the end I am left with not feeling I've gained anything from the time I spent with this book in my lap.

One particular part I really hated was how he often goes on and on about how government interference has negative economic impacts. For example, discussion of how 'open space' laws impact housing prices. But he does not even mention the possibility that government is just another 'economic system' where the dollars are votes, and where (hopefully) whatever restrictions the government imposes are actually there because "that's what people want". Perhaps/probably people are mis-/under-informed and might make different voting choices with better information about all the implications. But the way I read the book, the author completely excludes huge real parts of the world (e.g. the notion that there is any reason/good coming from government) from his model, and thus gives the implication that e.g. 'goverment restrictions drive housing prices up and therefore all government meddling is bad'. The book "Natural Capitalism" seems like a partial antidote to this type of misguided/exclusionary reasoning.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41972198 to: Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines (Hardcover) by Richard A. Muller
Interesting and well-written. A mostly unbiased and well-informed discussion of the physics that underlie many 'political' issues, like terrorism, energy, nuclear weapons/power, space exploration, and global warming. A good read for those who want to sum up the science that weighs into these issues. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36697696 to: Microsoft Visual Studio Tips (Paperback) by Sara Ford
Sara is the queen of VS, and this book is a collection of her best tip-of-the-day blogs. Lots of keyboard shortcuts and intro to useful IDE functionality & extensibility that you otherwise may never have known exists. A useful read to be more productive inside VS. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31379788 to: The Periodic Table (Paperback) by Primo Levi
Thoroughly enjoyed it, and yes, Chromium was my favorite chapter. ]]>