The Black Swan

An excellent follow-on book to Fooled by Randomness, again a mixture of statistics and philosophy (but don't let that put you off).
Many people confuse the statement that "almost all terrorists are Moslems" with "allmost all Moslems are terrorists". Assume that the first statement is true, that 99% of terrorists are Moslems. This would mean that only 0.001% of Moslems are terrorists since there are around 1 billion Moslems and only say 10,000 terrorists overall in the world.
Your personal happiness depends far more on the number of happy events than their size so far better to have lots of mildly good things than one great thing in your life.
On the futility of budgets (p163)
Prediction requires knowing about technologies that will be discovered in the future. But that very knowledge would allow us to start developing them. Ergo, we do not know what we will know.
And his recepie for success: work hard in chasing opportunities and maximising exposure to them. (p209)

Microtrends

One of those books that doesn't seem that promising at first but the more you get into it the more interesting it gets. Published before the 2008 USA election but managed to predict a lot of teh underlying trends that in the end determined the outcome.

The message of the book is that you need to spot the small emerging trends not the great swings to get ahead of history.

Aong the journey some interesting quotes "hospital errors kill more people every year than either car accidentst or breast cancer", leading to a grwoth in self diagnosis and medication.

"In the USA today the top 1% of pets live better than 99% of the world's population.". "each year 600,000 prisioners are realeased from prision - a growth of 600% in 30 years"



This is written mainly from an American perspective but several chapters have a sidebar on the international parallel situations (and to be honest a lot of teh trends discussed can be directly translated.

Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion

One of the best books I have read in a long time, with 50 short items, each a revelation in itself taken from a variety of areas and building up to an overview of the many ways we are all influenced (even when we are adamant that things don't affect us)

Example titbits were how to get your teenage children to tidy their rooms (a small piece at a time)
Reduce theft of get communal areas tidied (have a mirror or pictures of eyes on the wall)
How to come across as more credible as a speaker (get someone else to read your bio - even if everyone knows you have supplied the bio)

Crucial Conversations

Not one of the better books I have read, though I probably should pay more attention to it as listening (and hence good communications) is an area I could always improve in.
I only caught part of the MD2MD session where I picked up the book and the basic message is reasonable but the presentation could be improved.

The Secret Life of Dust

Hannah Holmes has written one of those wonderful books that dives with great enthusiasm into an apparently mundane subject and uncovers so many tentacles and connections with other thoughts and ideas that you will be astounded.

A great book to source trivia pub questions from that I guarantee no-one will know the answers to!

The pig that wants to be eaten - 100 experiments for the armchair philosopher

A great book to dip into, especially for anyone who enjoys a good argument or who is trying to set a topic for a debating society.

Each chapter starts by outlining a particular scenario that is designed to then lead to a debate on a specific legal or moral or ethical point.

A particular favorite of mine is 'The poppadom paradox' where Sakisa savours the arrival of the poppadoms at her table in an indian restaurant. Her issue is that she believes she is a multiculturalist enjoying aspects of many other cultures - but to enjoy an experience fully she needs others (such as the indian waiter) to remain monoculturalists and play their role for her enjoyment as authentically as possible - but where does that leave Sakisa and her dream of a multiculturalist society!

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

A fascinating study into why human societies develop religion. Lewis Wolpert gives an explanation that belief was a by-product of the brain's development for using tools.

In essence, our brains are pre-programmed to have a tendency to accept religious and mystical beliefs because as our brains developed, they created causal beliefs of why the things around them were the way they were and did what they did. The better the organism was at this trick - the better it (and its offspring) survived.

Quite accessible as a read and he avoids technical jargon. Also not too dogmatic in the explanations.

The Stuff of Thought

A detailed study into how our brains function, based on a decomposition of the language structures we use.

Steven Pinker puts forward the argument that we are at a basic level merely a machine to process actions on objects.

Quite a technical read and reasonably theoretical in places - I wouldn't recommend it asa first book on the subject.

Willing Slaves

A book written from a slightly feminist perspective (but none the worse for that) looking at how the culture of working excessive hours is damaging our society.
It then shifts to looking at how some companies manage their staff, why this might be causing the recruitment and retention problems and how some other companies are overcoming this.
The book ends (p293) though on a real ray of hope that if those at the top of organisations want to change the culture then they can make a massive difference and they can break the cycle of excessive hours and no life!

Ryanair

A book that reveals why I wouldn't want to work for Ryanair but nonetheless you have to have admiration for those that do.

The wisdom of crowds

A detailed study on why, when and how, groups make better decisions than even teh best individuals.
The secret is to have a heterogenous mix in your group.

Shroom - A cultural history of the Magic Mushroom

Andy Letcher clearly loves his subject and gives an insightful study right up to the present day from both a factual and cultural perspective.

A must-read book for lovers of Psilocybe semilanceata, despite the governments best efforts to dissuade us otherwise.

Now, discover your strengths & Strengths Finder 2.0

A brilliant approach to staff development that focuses on teh things you are good at and making them better - rather than trying to bang your head against a wall and improve your 'failings'



Earlier version of thebook I first came across

I am a Strange Loop

Douglas Hofstader explores further the concept of self-recursive systems and how can we each sense that we exist as an 'I' inside our heads, and that this existence seems to be the most 'real' thing there is.

How can this 'I' arise from just a collection of particles, collected into neurons, containing symbols in a vast processing machine of our brain?

As ever, his books are very readable and not overly technical and thoroughly enjoyable

The hamster revolution (reclaim your life from email)

I picked this book up because the title caught my eye.
I can't say I have adopted all teh tips and tools in teh book but I have used enough of them to manage down the daily torrent of emails I receive to a manageable level. It also has a suggestion for a structured approach to filing emails and all your electronic work.
The overall message is that we get the emails we deserve!

The Mind Gym

A book packed with useful ideas on how to win back more time from some of the more common situations that steal it away from you.

A self scored questionnaire to help you focus on the most important chapters for you.

Seeing Red

A delightful little book at 134 pages, it appears to be going to be an easy read though in fact although it is more work than you expect, your efforts will be rewarded.

An in-depth explanation of what is going on in your brain and mind when you see red (my italics).

The book comes from a series of lectures that Nicholas Humphrey gave at Harvard in 2004 when he projected a red screen on the wall and then promised to explain in the next 3 hours what students were actually experiencing.

Darwin's Dangerous Idea

Daniel Dennett, explores how Darwinian evolutionary theory can be successfully applied to many fields beyond biology.

He looks at the evolution of language, culture, ethics and the origins of life itself.

As ever his books are very well written and a delight to read.

Mind the Gap

I heard Graeme Codrington speak at an MD2MD session and obtained a copy of his book that expanded on his ideas.
A really useful guide for any manager over 40 who want to understand why their younger recruits (and their children) sometime seem to be from a different planet!
Then the book packs loads of tips on how to get the various generations to interact more constructively.
I have implemented some of the ideas in this book and they really work and have improved our staff retention and morale.
Great quotes "we have many friends in life but only one set of parents, they are special - lets keep them that way" and "Half of all the people who have ever turned eighty are alive today"

The God Delusion

Well this is one of those books that tends to polarise its audience into love it or hate it (probably depending on your personal position in the arguments)
I unashamedly admit I come out firmly on Richard Dawkins' side and this is a great book for pulling out bits of argument to support your point. ON the other hand this is one of his more extreeme works and some have described it a s a bit of a rant.

It's a zoo around here

A great little book from Nigel (who is also a very entertainig speaker). I received this as part of a series of workshops whilst I worked for Wyko.
I have used the content myself in several workshops I have run and attendees really like it as it is easy to understand and start to recognise the traits in others.
The animal labels for teh 4 categories are also good fun (Lion, Monkey, Elephan, Dolphin).
The book itself is meant to be read in 4 ways (depending on your personal style).

Shut Up, Move On

I heard Paul McGee speak as part of a development program whilst I worked for Wyko. He could only cover a couple of sections from this excellent book during that session.
The title comes from Shut Up Move On and is all about putting life's events into perspective.
My personal favorite is to ask yourself "how important is this going to seem in a year's time?". THere are 7 SUMO habits in all.



SUMO your relationships is pretty much a slight rewrite with a slant towards relationships - I can't say it is really worth it or as good as the original.

Freakonomics

A great book that isn't really about economics at all but rather looking at everyday issues through a thought provoking lens of statistical economics.

As an example a whole chapter on how you can tell a persons likely skin colour and income level from the names they give their children.

Breaking the Spell - Relidgion as a natural phenomenon

Daniel Dennett studies the roots of religion and belief and why it evolved within society.

Why are such ideas so common across societies and so powerful within them? He doesn't contest religious beliefs but rather argues that we need to understand why the phenomenon is so deeply rooted.

The Paradox of Choice - Why More is Less

An insigtful book for anyone trying to sell. Schwartz explains why having more choice actually reduces the chances of a successful sale, or from th eother side why increased choice increases stress and decreases happiness.

As well as the explanation, he gives practical advice on how to survive in a world where the mantra of ever increasing choice is alomost unavoidable - or how to lead a more contented life.

Those who manage to be grateful for what they have, who experience and express gratitude - lead longer healthier lives and are more optimistic about the future. Such individuals are more alert, enthusiastics, and energetic and are more likely to achieve personal goals.