Lisa's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 01 Oct 2016 02:11:55 -0700 60 Lisa's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Numbers Rule Your World: The Hidden Influence of Probabilities and Statistics on Everything You Do]]> 6633968 How long will your kids wait in line at Disney World? Who decides that “standardized tests� are fair? Why do highway engineers build slow-moving ramps? What does it mean, statistically, to be an “Average Joe�? NUMBERS RULE YOUR WORLD
In the popular tradition of eye-opening bestsellers like Freakonomics, The Tipping Point, and Super Crunchers, this fascinating book from renowned statistician and blogger Kaiser Fung takes you inside the hidden world of facts and figures that affect you every day, in every way. These are the statistics that rule your life, your job, your commute, your vacation, your food, your health, your money, and your success. This is how engineers calculate your quality of living, how corporations determine your needs, and how politicians estimate your opinions. These are the numbers you never think about-even though they play a crucial role in every single aspect of your life. What you learn may surprise you, amuse you, or even enrage you. But there's one thing you won't be able to deny: Numbers Rule Your World� "An easy read with a big benefit."
―Fareed Zakaria, CNN "For those who have anxiety about how organization data-mining is impacting their world, Kaiser Fung pulls back the curtain to reveal the good and the bad of predictive analytics."
―Ian Ayres,Yale professor and author of Super Crunchers: Why Thinking By Numbers is the New Way to Be Smart
"A book that engages us with stories that a journalist would write, the compelling stories behind the stories as illuminated by the numbers, and the dynamics that the numbers reveal."
―John Sall, Executive Vice President, SAS Institute "Little did I suspect, when I picked up Kaiser Fung's book, that I would become so entranced by it - an illuminating and accessible exploration of the power of statistical analysis for those of us who have no prior training in a field that he explores so ably."
―Peter Clarke, author of Keynes: The Rise, Fall, and Return of the 20th Century's Most Influential Economist "A tremendous book. . . . If you want to understand how to use statistics, how to think with numbers and yet to do this without getting lost in equations, if you've been looking for the book to unlock the door to logical thinking about problems, well, you will be pleased to know that you are holding that book in your hands."
―Daniel Finkelstein, Executive Editor, The Times of London "I thoroughly enjoyed this accessible book and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking to understand and appreciate the role of statistics and data analysis in solving problems and in creating a better world."
―Michael Sherman, Texas A&M University, American Statistician]]> 208 Fung 0071626530 Lisa 3 3.56 2010 Numbers Rule Your World: The Hidden Influence of Probabilities and Statistics on Everything You Do
author: Fung
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2010
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Self Illusion: Why There is No 'You' Inside Your Head [Extract]]]> 13384559 This is an extended extract from The Self Why There is No 'You' Inside Your Head.Most of us believe that we possess a self - an internal individual who resides inside our bodies, making decisions, authoring actions and possessing free will. The feeling that a single, unified, enduring self inhabits the body - the 'me' inside me - is compelling and inescapable. This is how we interact as a social animal and judge each other's actions and deeds. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances. Rather than a single entity, the self is really a constellation of mechanisms and experiences that create the illusion of the internal you.We only emerge as a product of those around us as part of the different storylines we inhabit from the cot to the grave. It is an every changing character, created by the brain to provide a coherent interface between the multitude of internal processes and the external world demands that require different selves.]]> 349 Bruce M. Hood 1780335881 Lisa 4 3.82 2011 The Self Illusion: Why There is No 'You' Inside Your Head [Extract]
author: Bruce M. Hood
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2011
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear]]> 202703 393 Jim Steinmeyer 0786714018 Lisa 3 4.15 2003 Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear
author: Jim Steinmeyer
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2003
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions]]> 7873438 "This book doesn't just promise to change the way you think about sleight of hand and David Copperfield—it will also change the way you think about the mind." —Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide and Proust Was A Neuroscientist

Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde, the founders of the exciting new discipline of neuromagic, have convinced some of the world's greatest magicians to allow scientists to study their techniques for tricking the brain. This book is the result of the authors' yearlong, world-wide exploration of magic and how its principles apply to our behavior. Magic tricks fool us because humans have hardwired processes of attention and awareness that are hackable—a good magician uses your mind's own intrinsic properties against you in a form of mental jujitsu.

Now magic can reveal how our brains work in everyday situations. For instance, if you've ever bought an expensive item you'd sworn you'd never buy, the salesperson was probably a master at creating the "illusion of choice," a core technique of magic. The implications of neuromagic go beyond illuminating our behavior; early research points to new approaches for everything from the diagnosis of autism to marketing techniques and education. Sleights of Mind makes neuroscience fun and accessible by unveiling the key connections between magic and the mind.

]]> 291 Stephen L. Macknik 0805092811 Lisa 4 3.93 2010 Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions
author: Stephen L. Macknik
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good]]> 9272404 A leading brain scientist's look at the neurobiology of pleasure-and how pleasures can become addictions.

Whether eating, taking drugs, engaging in sex, or doing good deeds, the pursuit of pleasure is a central drive of the human animal. In The Compass of Pleasure Johns Hopkins neuroscientist David J. Linden explains how pleasure affects us at the most fundamental level: in our brain.

As he did in his award-winning book, The Accidental Mind, Linden combines cutting-edge science with entertaining anecdotes to illuminate the source of the behaviors that can lead us to ecstasy but that can easily become compulsive. Why are drugs like nicotine and heroin addictive while LSD is not? Why has the search for safe appetite suppressants been such a disappointment? The Compass of Pleasure concludes with a provocative consideration of pleasure in the future, when it may be possible to activate our pleasure circuits at will and in entirely novel patterns.

]]> 240 David J. Linden 0670022586 Lisa 4 3.89 2010 The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good
author: David J. Linden
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things]]> 978957 336 Richard Wiseman 0465090796 Lisa 3 3.85 2007 Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things
author: Richard Wiseman
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2007
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error]]> 7811050 The Wisdom of Crowds and Predictably Irrational comes Being Wrong, an illuminating exploration of what it means to be in error and why homo sapiens tend to tacitly assume (or loudly insist) that they are right about almost everything. Kathryn Schulz, editor of Grist magazine, argues that error is the fundamental human condition and should be celebrated as such. Guiding the reader through the history and psychology of error, from Socrates to Alan Greenspan, Being Wrong will change the way you perceive screw-ups, both of the mammoth and daily variety, forever.]]> 339 Kathryn Schulz 0061176044 Lisa 4 3.93 2010 Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error
author: Kathryn Schulz
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts]]> 522525 Renowned social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson take a compelling look into how the brain is wired for self-justification.

Why is it so hard to say “I made a mistake”—and really believe it?

When we make mistakes, cling to outdated attitudes, or mistreat other people, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so, unconsciously, we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right—a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong. Backed by years of research, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-justification—how it works, the damage it can cause, and how we can overcome it.

This updated edition concludes with an extended discussion of how we can live with dissonance; learn from it; and perhaps, eventually, forgive ourselves.]]> 292 Carol Tavris 0151010986 Lisa 4 4.01 2007 Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
author: Carol Tavris
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)]]> 324748
In this iconic bestseller, popular business blogger and bestselling author Seth Godin proves that winners are really just the best quitters. Godin shows that winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt—until they commit to beating the right Dip.

Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out fun…then gets really hard, and not much fun at all. You might be in a Dip—a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac—a total dead end. What really sets superstars apart is the ability to tell the two apart.

Winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can beat the Dip to be the best, you’ll earn profits, glory, and long-term security.
Whether you’re an intern or a CEO, this fun little book will help you figure out if you’re in a Dip that’s worthy of your time, effort, and talents. The old saying is wrong—winners do quit, and quitters do win.]]> 80 Seth Godin 1591841666 Lisa 4 3.78 2007 The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
author: Seth Godin
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity]]> 1633
* Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty
* Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
* Plan projects as well as get them unstuck
* Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
* Feel fine about what you're not doing

From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.]]> 267 David Allen 0142000280 Lisa 4 4.00 2001 Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
author: David Allen
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking]]> 40102 The Tipping Point a classic, Blink changes the way you'll understand every decision you make. Never again will you think about thinking the same way.

Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant - in the blink of an eye - that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work - in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?

In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of "blink": the election of Warren Harding; "New Coke"; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren't those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing" - filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.]]> 296 Malcolm Gladwell 0316010669 Lisa 4 3.97 2005 Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike]]> 27220736
In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his lime green Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed $8,000 his first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of startups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all startups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable symbols in the world today.

But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, in a memoir that is candid, humble, gutsy, and wry, he tells his story, beginning with his crossroads moment. At 24, after backpacking around the world, he decided to take the unconventional path, to start his own business—a business that would be dynamic, different.

Knight details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream—along with his early triumphs. Above all, he recalls the formative relationships with his first partners and employees, a ragtag group of misfits and seekers who became a tight-knit band of brothers. Together, harnessing the transcendent power of a shared mission, and a deep belief in the spirit of sport, they built a brand that changed everything.]]> 400 Phil Knight 1501135910 Lisa 4 4.45 2016 Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
author: Phil Knight
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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]]> The E-myth Revisited 81948 Small business coaching. 269 Michael E. Gerber 0887307280 Lisa 4 4.06 1985 The E-myth Revisited
author: Michael E. Gerber
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1985
rating: 4
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]]> The Magic of Thinking Big 759945 The Magic of Thinking Big gives you useful methods, not empty promises. Dr. Schwartz presents a carefully designed program for getting the most out of your job, your marriage and family life, and your community. He proves that you don't need to be an intellectual or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction, but you do need to learn and understand the habit of thinking and behaving in ways that will get you there.]]> 238 David J. Schwartz 0671646788 Lisa 4 4.26 1959 The Magic of Thinking Big
author: David J. Schwartz
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1959
rating: 4
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]]> Rich Dad, Poor Dad 69571 195 Robert T. Kiyosaki 0751532711 Lisa 3 4.10 1997 Rich Dad, Poor Dad
author: Robert T. Kiyosaki
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1997
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference]]> 2612 The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people throughout the world think about selling products and disseminating ideas.]]> 301 Malcolm Gladwell 0316346624 Lisa 3 4.01 2002 The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2002
rating: 3
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