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Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition) Review

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This is a great book written in very accessible language – somewhere between a textbook and an editorial column in a daily paper. The “weapons of influence” Cialdini describes provide an explicit decomposition of marketing tactics (’compliance professionals”) with an eye also out for consumers. As someone who works in the sometimes murky world of consumer research – I found the closing “Defense” passages to each chapter as enlightening as the Weapons themselves. Each chapter also features helpful summaries of the highlights. Nearly every page is supported by research experiments the author has collected throughout the ages. A little dated in some places – most of the photos are from the 70s/80s – - but highly recommended and thought-provoking.

Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science Review

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the author is a very good writer. pick up the book and skim for the anecdotal stories that form the central picture for each chapter. just enjoy them as an interesting observation about learning to be a surgeon. then read the last chapter “the case of the red leg”, then decide if you want to read the whole book.

Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation Review

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain Review

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This is a decent book with an optimistic message. We can alter our brain growth, chemistry and function by the simple expedient of moving ourselves and doing some exercise. The exercise will boost our physical and mental effectiveness, and counteract, or prevent entirely, our tendencies to be anxious, down, depressed, irritable, poor concentration or “hormonal”. Exercise will boost the function of our brains and our bodies to our own and our family’s, friends’ and colleagues’ benefits.

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science Review

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The Romantic Age (1750-1820) in Europe was a time when science and literature rubbed excitedly together, attracted by a shared love of Nature and an urgent desire to explore her secrets; it was a time when poets studied science, and scientists wrote poetry. “The Age of Wonder” exhibits a winding path across this landscape, from which sublime vistas and lively views open up on every side: explorers encounter Tahiti, and vice-versa; balloonists discern the patterns of village, forest, and river from an aerial perspective; astronomers pioneer the knowledge of deep space, and geologists the knowledge of deep time, while chemists transmute the chaos of nature into the order of its newly-discovered chemical elements.

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage) Review

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This review was originally posted in the Normal Eating newsletter and blog:

[...]

TAUBES’ BOOK AND THE REAL CAUSE OF OBESITY

I just finished reading Gary Taubes’ book, Good Calories, Bad Calories. It’s superbly researched and contains crucially important information, but it’s a hard read – long, dense, meandering, and repetitive. I fear that many people won’t get all the way through it. And while the extensive detail on studies is great, the forest gets a bit lost among all the trees. So here is a summary of the book’s main findings, which start with this revolutionary notion:

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession Review

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This is a great book. I play Tabla and this book just further enhances my practice.

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession Feature

• ISBN13: 9780452288522
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Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex Review

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I bought the book on a whim, the title intrigued me. I wasn’t disappointed…Mary Roach writes in such an engaging and witty style that even when presenting research (which could be dry and boring)you are entertained. Plus, I actually learned a bunch of things I didn’t know (I’m not sure that I NEED to know them, but I enjoyed reading them!) I’ll be reading her other books, “Stiff” and “Spook” soon.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex Feature

• ISBN13: 9780393334791

Introduction to Algorithms (MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) Review

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This text is widely considered the leading reference on algorithms in the field of computer science. It was the text that was used in my algorithms course when I was an undergrad computer science student at Wisconsin, and it was one of the only books I held on to because its contents are timeless. The text covers a wide breadth and depth of topics related to the design and implementation of complex algorithms. I found this book very useful for both theoretical projects I did in complexity theory as well as for practical applications in string algorithms, geometric problems, and data structures applied to computational biology.