221–230 of 313 posts
It's a book on the history of math, focused around the story of math's struggle to deal with infinity. There's really nothing like it. (okay, technically I still haven't finished it, but it's still 2011)
http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Leviathan-Cooperation-Triumphs...
"Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger" by Peter Bevelin. Excellent read.
I've been trying to get a hold of this book for a while in the UK, but it seems very tough to get a copy of without paying through the teeth for international shipping. Anyone have any tips?
* Dune, by Frank Herbert
Re-read a classic fiction, Treasure Island by Stephenson. Of the non-fiction I read, and completed, this year, Endurance: Shackelton's Incredible Voyage by Lansing.
Make sure to check out "South" which is Shackelton's own telling of the journey.
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I'm not going to debate the merits of Rand's philosophy in Atlas Shrugged, but as a novel, I found it horrible. I found that all the characters fall into one of two groups, those who agree with Rand's philosophy, and those who don't, and there is no credible character that disputes Rand's philosophy. There is also a lot of repetition, as if the novel is simply trying to indoctrinate the reader.
There were grey characters too. Dagny Taggart did not truly agree with Rand's philosophy. In addition to that, Lord of the Rings must be terrible for the same reasons too. As well as most of the other popular books I can think of.
One character, although not a major character, which did not seem to fall into those two groups and which seemed to have some development potential was Cherryl Brooks, but as soon as she had a conflict to resolve, Ayn Rand chose not to develop the character, took the easy way out, and had her commit suicide.
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Tim Ferriss is like Wikipedia to me. It's a good place to start, but you will be mocked and humiliated if you only read that material.
I would hate to be involved in a community (academic or otherwise) that mocks what has been widely known to be a reliable source of information. Wikipedia, that is. Opinions on Tim Ferris vary greatly.
While wikipedia does have some errors, most of the mistakes seem to come in the form of someone sabotaging a disliked celebrity or organization's page. In light of this, it seems to me that most of the topics a student would be likely to write about for a term paper wouldn't be affected. Universities should always allow students to use wikipedia for one of their references, but they should also hold students accountable for the information they take from it.
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On a similar note I'd nominate Good Calories, Bad Calories as my book. Ferris gets my back up, especially the received wisdom that others quote from him, but Taubes really opened my eyes to the fact I could change what I eat and feel ten times better.
I'll just point out that Taubes is a charlatan, and most of his scientific claims have been debunked. See here, for one example: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-h...