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[saelz8]

Just finished this the day before yesterday, great book!

A metaphor for the mind of humans he uses is that of your conscious self being a rider of a elephant. This is what you usually associate with you. The elephant is your unconscious emotional and automatic processes. The elephant is in control for the most part, and the research shows this reality. Like Hume said so long ago, we are really a slave to our passions, whether we think we are or not. (Cover of book)

Humans have a lot of cognitive biases, this makes it very hard to admit when we are wrong. These cognitive biases come out of our elephant. If we can't trust our judgement, we'll be paralyzed by fear and indecision. This can potentially get us killed. (Predators & War) My own example would be the apprehension you get while trying to pull of a difficult trick while skating, it can actually make it more likely you'll bail. That example is obviously less lethal. The elephant screens us to a lot of disturbing information, regardless of how accurate the information is. The rider evolved to serve the elephant, not the other way around. This gives the rider an illusion of control and judgement that is highly exagerrated. We can even know about this bias, and still not accept it because of our elephants need for security.

Humans react to negtive things faster, stronger and more consistently than they do positive things of equivelent levels. This was shaped by our history of avoiding predators and threats.

Everyone goes through a cortical lottery, very much genetically determined, like fat cells. This hugely influences your general degree of happiness. Cognitive therapy, meditation and prozac can help, but not everything works for everybody.

Happiness is a byproduct, it arises out of our progress toward goals, not their achievements. Happiness comes from between. (It's about the hunt, not the trophy)

Review/Summary (Searched for Review Summary)

I'm looking at this for my next book, after seeing Bacevich's interview on PBS.

Interview

I was going to get The Limits of Power, his newer book, but it's not available in paperback! (I hate HC)

What are you reading?

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

"I was going to get The Limits of Power, his newer book, but it's not available in paperback! (I hate HC)"


Why the dislike for hardcover?


I'm still undecided on what book I'm going to start reading.

 

[Futureman]

 

[saelz8]

"I was going to get The Limits of Power, his newer book, but it's not available in paperback! (I hate HC)"


Why the dislike for hardcover?


I'm still undecided on what book I'm going to start reading.

They are generally heavier, bulkier and expensive. I don't find them comfortable to hold since they are rigid and restrictive.

I have hardcover books, and have read a lot of them, but if I have a choice I always go with softcover. If softcover isn't available I'll tend to get something else in the meantime and wait until a softcover edition is available. I know it's kinda petty, but it's just preference really.

(I can't read anything too long on a computer either)

 

[Brad]

I'm about 550 pages into this

Is there something wrong with me if I find it king of boring?

 

[mr stroke]

about half way through and enjoying so far..

 

[BarrelMakingPenguin]

I'm only 100 pages in but I am really liking it so far.

 

[mr stroke]

your thoughts on this?

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Speaker for the Dead.

 

[Tinabina]

still working on this:

but this will be next:

 

[GDJustin]

It's been fairly interesting so far (I'm about halfway through). As a "man" she joins an all-male bowling league, goes to strip clubs, goes on dates.... it's basically her observations about how men treat other men differently than they treat women... they might not even realize they're doing it.

 

[Double D]

Preacher. I'm halfway through volume 2.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

It's been fairly interesting so far (I'm about halfway through). As a "man" she joins an all-male bowling league, goes to strip clubs, goes on dates.... it's basically her observations about how men treat other men differently than they treat women... they might not even realize they're doing it.

wow I might pick this up....

 

[Aurelius]

 

[VictimOfGrief]

Really great book.

 

[Danielsan]

About 150 pages in, liking it so far.

 

[Slavik81]

(In retrospect, the concept is so simple that I'm not sure if I should have purchased this book. That said, the examples are sometimes quite interesting.)

Speaker for the Dead.

I vaguely remember this being awesome.

 

[AlexMogil]

Because I am taking a distance learning class.

 

[TheExodu5]

A Game of Thrones (from A Song of Ice and Fire series):

I've had this book for a while, but I'm not an avid reader. I finally picked it up again and am about halfway through now. Pretty awesome book so far.

 

[Night_Trekker]

I just finished The Orchard Keeper. Today I'm starting on this:

 

[Undeux]

For fun:

For school:

 

[Dagon]

Just finished:

The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth about Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World: If you've read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, you'll know what to expect. The book seems hyperbolic at times and the numerous anonymous sources and obviously invented quotes don't help, but I'd imagine the truth isn't too far from this.

Now starting:

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions: Interesting so far. I can see myself thinking more about the way choices are presented in future.

At the same time, I'm preparing for class by reading:

Econometric Analysis

 

[disappeared]

still plugging away at The Road. I probably won't finish it until christmas.

 

[shift J]

About half way through it and enjoying it so far.

 

[Night_Trekker]

still plugging away at The Road. I probably won't finish it until christmas.

Seriously? I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days :lol

Your free time must be limited, I'm guessing.

 

[disappeared]

Seriously? I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days :lol

Your free time must be limited, I'm guessing.

Just a really slow reader, is all. That, and I usually find myself awake until two or three in the morning and by the time I go to bed I don't feel like reading. it's a shitty process.

 

[NekoFever]

To undermine what credibility I might have:

It's not bad, in fairness. I've read much worse tie-in novels.

I've got a bit of a list of shame going at the moment. When I finish this, which shouldn't take long, I'm going to finish off the last couple of stories in The Last Wish (first English-language Witcher collection) so that I've got that done for when the English translation of Blood of Elves comes out next month. Then I'm going back to Wizard and Glass - last summer I read all the way through the series up to halfway through that when I was on holiday and never got to finish. I'm going to go again from the start of that book and polish it off.

 

[Bliany]

Just finished

Which was my common reading book for school.

Restarted reading

because i took a long enough break to forget most of what was going on.

 

[Chris R]

I've been rereading the dune series... Its kinda not that much fun compared to some of the other books I've read, but I'm already so far in, I can't give up now

 

[BakedPigeon]

Wizards First Rule.

 

[Estival]

I've been alternating between the two because they're both short story collections. I'm liking them both a lot, but Chelsea's first book was better.

 

[afternoon delight]

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Murakami. I've been going through his novels ever since finishing Wind-Up Bird, and I can't stop. Something about his surreality and ability to render humanity makes me really intrigued, really satisfied. I love his work. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy is also occupying my time. I think his view of nature and humans at its core is amazing - if not bleaker than hell. Very real and dreamlike.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Speaker for the Dead.

Be sure to pick up Xenocide after - awesome awesome book (even though it starts out a bit slow - best of the 'Ender-saga' sequels. Skip Children of the Mind.

Have you read the Shadow saga?

 

[Ike]

American Psycho

 

[The_Shamess]

 

[99nikniht]

Just finished reading this and just like the rest of R A Salvatore's books my eyes were glued to this book for 12 hours straight

 

[DJ Crimson]

 

[AtticusFinch]

For pleasure:

For school (in italian, btw):

 

[IamMattFox]

Just finished:

It was pretty decent. Better than I was expecting, at least. The film is definitely better.

Just started:

I've read Horseman, Pass By and enjoyed it. I'm sure this hefty book will also be a goodun.

 

[weepy]

A Confederacy of Dunces

 

[PunjabiPlaya]

I've read about 3/4 of the book and I gotta say, it's pretty good stuff.

 

[Cheeto]

I don't know what GAF's popular opinion is on Grisham, but this is the first book I've picked up from him. So far about halfway through I'm liking it. It isn't a spectacular novel but it is definitely entertaining.

 

[SyNapSe]

I'm just getting into the third book, they get pretty long. The series has been very good so far, it takes a while to get going but after that it's enthralling.

 

[Snaku]

 

[Costanza]

 

[braimuge]

 

[Death_Born]

 

[braimuge]

wow I might pick this up....

yup me too, seems interesting

I don't know what GAF's popular opinion is on Grisham, but this is the first book I've picked up from him. So far about halfway through I'm liking it. It isn't a spectacular novel but it is definitely entertaining.

he's one of my fav authors...
if u wanna read a book by him go for:
A Time to Kill
Testament
Partner
The Client (one of the best)
and more, just cant remember...

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Finishing up Waiter Rant, which isn't what I'd hoped for based on the concept but is still fairly readable. Just started Wise Blood this afternoon.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/11/23/Junot_071123030000456_wideweb__300x375.jpg
[The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao]

The praise this has been showered with is intriguing and I've had a number of people recommend this to me at work, but the general idea, the content and writing style nearly give me a severely negative physical reaction yet I still (almost) feel compelled to give it a try anyway. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts once you're finished.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51iJP4rolHL._SS500_.jpg
[Soon I Will Be Invincible]

Oh man, I thought this was so terrible.

 

[Salazar]

Old Partisan Reviews.
Lord of the Flies - William Golding.
Pontoon - Garrison Keillor.
Homer's Odyssey - Simon Armitage. Check this out - it's incredibly good
Nobody's Perfect - Anthony Lane.
The Size of Thoughts - Nicholson Baker.
Theodore Rex - Edmund Morris.


Random articles from the Complete New Yorker on my laptop.

Reading is good this month.