Blink

I read "Blink" a few weeks ago. As was "The Tipping Point" this work is extremely well written. The reasoning is excellent and it is presented in a very straightforward manner. I did however, prefer "The Tipping Point" as the material itself I found more compelling. I would highly recommend this book as well as the previous, though.

I guess I don't feel as I have as much 'take-away' from this piece. Can I effectively manage the subconscious super-analytic snap decision brain-power we all have...?

The Tipping Point

I am currently reading "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. It is mesmerizing.

The premise of the book is that change can happen sort of non-linearly, or as he describes it, geometrically; much like a virus.

He presents a variety of examples and suggests some elements that facilitate this sort of change in a way that is easy and entertaining, but also approachable for general readers like myself.

Here is his own description of the book.

http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/index.html

I have the book in paperback, and according to the heading, it is a national bestseller. This is not at all surprising to me.

I highly recommend reading this book.

History of the U.S. Economy in the 20th Century

I justed finished listening to the second lecture on audiobooks for this series on the history of the U.S. economy. The professor is fantastic. I previously have listened to 20 previous lectures relating to macro and micro economics.

This series delves into how some of the institutions we have today came into being and gives some color to the notion that some of these institutions that we hold as universal really have not been around very long.

You can download the audio to your ipod etc. It's not free but it is worth a listen if you have some time.

http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=529&pc=Business%20and%20Economics

Greenspan

I recently began reading "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World " by Alan Greenspan.

This book is a bit of departure from my regular fare; "1776" and "John Adams" by McCullough, "Founding Brothers" and "His Execellency: George Washington" by Joseph J. Ellis, "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow ... (the list goes on)

Anyway, being into U.S. history as I am, this book is chock-full of references to people I've heard of, and although I prefer my history aged, I can't help but be compelled.

An example is Greenspan mentions folks like Paul Volker over to Ayn Rand; Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton.

Check it out if you have a bit of time on your hands.