Sinfest

[Snorri]

[Snorri]

I'm reading End this Crisis Now by Paul Krugman at the moment but I don't know if I should recommend it...


because I can sum the entire book up with: "austerity now is dumb, governments should be spending!" repeated over and over. It is thoroughly agreeable, he is totally correct but there is little else to the book. (unless you really like laughing at all the guys who are wrong.)
_________________

[Sam]

I don't want to end up the resident gladwell apologist but really Gladwell is ultimately unlike the Freakonomics dudes. His shit stands the test of time, to the extent that his journalistic observations are at the forefront of the future collapse of american football, and he created an era of redshirting compliments of his statements in Outliers.

[Snorri]

[Dogen]

I'm not anti-Gladwell, but I don't put much stock in his work either. Mainly because he depends on a lot of anecdotal evidence and tends to oversimplify material, sometimes to the point of making things seem more cut and dry than they really are (that certain things always/never happen, happen a certain way, etc). I think Outliers was my least favorite, in terms of oversimplification. But it obviously appeals to a lot of people, so I may just be pedantic.

Random books I like (bearing in mind where my interests lie...):
Seven Sins of Memory by Daniel Schacter, is a great book about how memory works, and the processes behind everything from losing your car keys to false eyewitness testimony. Memory is really cool, and a lot different than most people think.

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by my personal hero Daniel Kahneman, about how thinking works, depicting the brain as two characters, one slow, logical and methodical, the other fast and lazy. The two appear seamless, but a lot (sometimes a majority) of our thinking is done by the fast and lazy system, which is why people often suck at logic problems, jump to irrational conclusions, or act emotionally. Ten pages in and you'll recognize every time you switch to the slow system (it feels effortful).

Sway, by Ori and Ram Brafman. The subtitle says it all: "The irresistible pull of irrational behavior." Why we so frequently find ourselves compelled to make irrational decisions, even when rational ones are easy.

The Mind's Eye, by Oliver Sacks. He has lots of good books, all essentially the same style. He presents unusual medical conditions as case studies, showing you how real people cope with things like prosopagnosia (the inability to recognize faces) or losing the ability to read or speak. He writes compassionately and light on jargon.

A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness, by V.S. Ramachandran. Like Sacks, but more steeped in the neuroscience, for those who like the science behind behavior.

Your Inner Fish, by Neil Shubin, about the evolution of the human body, including common characteristics between people and fish (and worms and...)

All of these have the benefit of being written by experts in their fields - psychologists, neurologists, Harvard brain researchers, paleontologists, Nobel prize winners, etc. Only the best for me!
_________________
"Worse comes to worst, my people come first, but my tribe lives on every country on earth. I’ll do anything to protect them from hurt, the human race is what I serve." - Baba Brinkman

[Usagi Miyamoto]

Gladwell's work is fascinating, but the more I know about the subject he's writing about, the more problematic I find his essays. He's got lots of interesting, non-obvious insights, and does some really valuable journalistic work, but he's a serial criminal in his statistical intuition, even when he's writing about statistical intuition. Stephen Pinker coined the term "Igon value problem" to describe the kind of shallow, facile metaphorical understanding conveyed by Gladwell in his review of What the Dog Saw. Ever since, I've noticed that follow-up reporting on areas that Gladwell reported on first, seem to behave like a common problem in science generally, where the first results in some area appear significant, and the subsequent results seem never to hit those same peaks.

But I still read him. He's fascinating. I just keep my skeptical glasses on.

I will enthusiastically second Dogen's recommendation of Thinking Fast and Slow.

And if you haven't picked up Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel yet, it's really interesting reading.
_________________
The reward for a good life is a good life.

[WheelsOfConfusion]

I'm a compulsive non-fiction reader but I have a hard time picking favorites out of anything, especially if I haven't been reading it in a while.
- I'll second Your Inner Fish (inb4 "I'll second YOUR inner fish!") and Guns, Germs, and Steel.
- Anything by Carl Sagan that you haven't already read.
- I haven't read Goldacre's Bad Science, but a book in a similar vein is Voodoo Science by Robert Park. Remember when the Science Channel used to actually cover science, and they had these brief 3-minute segments in the commercial breaks where Cigarette Smoking Man would tackle some pseudoscience? Park was frequently featured in those little featurettes, debunking things like homeopathy and magnet therapy.
- If you want a break from all the science and skepticism you're getting bogged down with, Infinite Worlds by Vincent Di Fate is an excellent examination of commercial sci-fi art over the last century+. It helps that Di Fate is himself a decorated sci-fi art veteran who clearly loves the history of this field and brings his own insight as a professional, a fan, and semi-historian. After the brief run-down of sci-fi literature and art history, the rest of the book is devoted to mini-bios of the important artists with plenty of their work on display, accompanied by commentary. A little light on the reading side, but gorgeously packed with examples of art from every era and major artist, in all kinds of print media. Kind of coffee-table-bookish, but worth your while.

[ShadowCell]

Breaking the Spell by Daniel Dennett is worth a read. it's an evolutionary perspective on religion, and as far as atheist treatments of religion go, it's a lot gentler than the likes of Richard Dawkins.

The McDonaldization of Society is also interesting.

Pyongyang by Guy Delisle is also pretty fascinating. it's a graphic novel about a French-Canadian animator's time in a studio in North Korea, and the bizarre farcical experience of guided tours and such from his state-approved guides and translators.

and Harry Frankfurt has a neat little essay called "On Bullshit."

[Martian Kyo]

[Mr Gary]

I haven't read any of Goldacre's books but his journalism & tv appearances are always great.
_________________

[Vox Raucus]

Awesome suggestions, thanks guys! I'm compiling a list and checking out what's available at the local library. I'll start with Thinking, Fast and Slow as it's in at the local branch and I won't have to wait for it.

I think that Usagi expresses my feelings on Gladwell nicely.
_________________
I come from Downtown, born ready for you / Armed with skill and determination / And grace, too

[Dennis J. Squidbunny]

I've been reading Homicide by David Simon and its a fucking incredible, heart breaking, thrill ride mostly centred around typing.

[Samsally]

Lol, oh god, me and books lately.

Okay, so my favorite non-fiction books are all basically instruction books for various crafts with the exception of my all time favorite. Not actually gripping story-wise, but I fucking love them anyway so there.

Stitch 'n Bitch by Debbie Stoller. It's the only thing that actually got me to learn how to knit (despite having been taught by like three different people, apparently I'm a visual learner).

Patterns for Theatrical Costumes; Garments, Trims, and Accessories from Ancient Egypt to 1915 by Katherine Strand Holkeboer. I'm not even going to pretend, this book is like 85% pictures. BUT THEY ARE USEFUL PICTURES you can use them to make awesome costumes.

And last, my favorite, The Unfashionable Human Body by Bernard Rudofsky. Basically good luck finding this one, I got it from a professor who was retiring and wanted her books to keep getting read. It's older than dirt and full of really bizarre information about fashion through out history. The author is cynical as hell and often kinda sarcastic about it.
_________________
Samsally the Gray

[Mr Gary]

Denno, avoid The Corner mate.
_________________

[Dennis J. Squidbunny]

I started watching some of The Corner but it didn't grab me. I seriously can't recommend Homicide enough though. I'm a huge fan of The Wire and just recently watched the first season of Homicide the TV show and really enjoyed it.

David Simon is just really fucking good.