Stuff I am Reading… and Watching..
Ok its been a while since I last posted anything major. I’ve spent a large chunk of that time reading – entirely non development stuff.
So what have I been reading?
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. This book was great. It covers ‘complementary’ remedies, scientific testing of drugs, MMR, AIDS and HIV, MRSA and how the media amplifies our fears. One of the key points behind the book is educating the reader about what science really is. Definitely one of the best books I have ever read.
The Logic of Life by Tim Harford. A very interesting read about when life seems to defy logic but actually is based on rational decisions. He talks about speed dating, casinos, racism and numerous other topics and how they can be interpreted using economics.
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. Another economicsy (made up word) book on rationality and the decision making process. Especially like the decoy effect, I hadn’t come across it before but now its something I am very aware of when buying things. Covers some interesting experiments including the infamous Pepsi Challenge and one which featured making people recall the Ten Commandments before tests and whether it made them less likely to cheat at maths tests.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. A book on snap decisions and how experts can make accurate snap decisions based on experience. Good, but repetitive and could probably be half as long!
Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. A fascinating book on the life of parasites,how they evolve and the wars between host and parasite. Its a book that might make you a little squeamish but is definitely worth a read. And as one of the Amazon reviewers pointed out it will change the way you see the world. The fact that some of your behaviour may not be down to you but the toxoplasmosis living in your brain is more than mildly unsettling.
As to what I’ve been watching?
I seem to live on the website of the TED Conference. The videos here cover some mind blowing topics like advances in microbiology, robots, technology, economics, biology, psychology, neuroscience, computing… As a good friend found, its one of those sites you sit down to look at just a couple of talks, 20 talks later you find its 3am in the morning!