Rationality: From AI to Zombies


Eliezer Yudkowsky - 2015
    Real rationality, of the sort studied by psychologists, social scientists, and mathematicians. The kind of rationality where you make good decisions, even when it's hard; where you reason well, even in the face of massive uncertainty; where you recognize and make full use of your fuzzy intuitions and emotions, rather than trying to discard them. In "Rationality: From AI to Zombies," Eliezer Yudkowsky explains the science underlying human irrationality with a mix of fables, argumentative essays, and personal vignettes. These eye-opening accounts of how the mind works (and how, all too often, it doesn't!) are then put to the test through some genuinely difficult puzzles: computer scientists' debates about the future of artificial intelligence (AI), physicists' debates about the relationship between the quantum and classical worlds, philosophers' debates about the metaphysics of zombies and the nature of morality, and many more. In the process, "Rationality: From AI to Zombies" delves into the human significance of correct reasoning more deeply than you'll find in any conventional textbook on cognitive science or philosophy of mind. A decision theorist and researcher at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, Yudkowsky published earlier drafts of his writings to the websites Overcoming Bias and Less Wrong. "Rationality: From AI to Zombies" compiles six volumes of Yudkowsky's essays into a single electronic tome. Collectively, these sequences of linked essays serve as a rich and lively introduction to the science—and the art—of human rationality.

Do Breathe: Calm your mind. Find focus. Get stuff done


Michael Townsend Williams - 2015
    

Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It)


William Poundstone - 2010
    People used to download music for free, then Steve Jobs convinced them to pay. How? By charging 99 cents. That price has a hypnotic effect: the profit margin of the 99 Cents Only store is twice that of Wal-Mart. Why do text messages cost money, while e-mails are free? Why do jars of peanut butter keep getting smaller in order to keep the price the “same”? The answer is simple: prices are a collective hallucination. In Priceless, the bestselling author William Poundstone reveals the hidden psychology of value. In psychological experiments, people are unable to estimate “fair” prices accurately and are strongly influenced by the unconscious, irrational, and politically incorrect. It hasn’t taken long for marketers to apply these findings. “Price consultants” advise retailers on how to convince consumers to pay more for less, and negotiation coaches offer similar advice for businesspeople cutting deals. The new psychology of price dictates the design of price tags, menus, rebates, “sale” ads, cell phone plans, supermarket aisles, real estate offers, wage packages, tort demands, and corporate buyouts. Prices are the most pervasive hidden persuaders of all. Rooted in the emerging field of behavioral decision theory, Priceless should prove indispensable to anyone who negotiates.

Steve Jobs Graduation Speech


Steve Jobs - 2011
    Here, word for word is that amazing speech to inspire you to find what it is that you "Love".

Denial: My 25 Years Without a Soul


Jonathan Rauch - 2013
    A memoir...

The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good


Robert H. Frank - 2011
    Darwin, after all, was a naturalist, not an economist. But Robert Frank, New York Times economics columnist and best-selling author of The Economic Naturalist, predicts that within the next century Darwin will unseat Smith as the intellectual founder of economics. The reason, Frank argues, is that Darwin's understanding of competition describes economic reality far more accurately than Smith's. And the consequences of this fact are profound. Indeed, the failure to recognize that we live in Darwin's world rather than Smith's is putting us all at risk by preventing us from seeing that competition alone will not solve our problems.Smith's theory of the invisible hand, which says that competition channels self-interest for the common good, is probably the most widely cited argument today in favor of unbridled competition--and against regulation, taxation, and even government itself. But what if Smith's idea was almost an exception to the general rule of competition? That's what Frank argues, resting his case on Darwin's insight that individual and group interests often diverge sharply. Far from creating a perfect world, economic competition often leads to "arms races," encouraging behaviors that not only cause enormous harm to the group but also provide no lasting advantages for individuals, since any gains tend to be relative and mutually offsetting.The good news is that we have the ability to tame the Darwin economy. The best solution is not to prohibit harmful behaviors but to tax them. By doing so, we could make the economic pie larger, eliminate government debt, and provide better public services, all without requiring painful sacrifices from anyone. That's a bold claim, Frank concedes, but it follows directly from logic and evidence that most people already accept.

TNT: It Rocks the Earth


Claude M. Bristol - 2012
    Legendary celebrities like Liberace and Phyllis Diller attribute their success to reading the book. “I didn’t get my start until I was 37. It was very, very difficult for me. I had a frequently unemployed husband and a house full of kids. My first advice to anyone is to read The Magic of Believing. It changed my life. Read it and absorb the ideas that he puts forth in the book. You won’t even think of your age or the obstacles in your way; you’ll think of your dream, and how to keep focused on your dream.” - Phyllis DillerThat life-changing book started with the book you’re about to read: T.N.T.—It Rocks the Earth.As Claude Bristol’s business associate wrote: “In T.N.T.—It Rocks the Earth, you are told exactly how to acquire a wonderful secret, that Power, or whatever you wish to call it, which, when accepted and developed through a process of right thinking, creates a philosophy of life which sweeps away all obstacles and brings that which every human desires: success, happiness and contentment.Do exactly as he says, put his plan into operation—and I also promise you that almost over night you will be transformed and the things for which you have wished all your life will be yours. Your fears, trials and tribulations will fade into the mists. The door of yesterday will be closed forever. A grand and glorious feeling will engulf you and you will smile, and when you do, the world will smile with you.I know it. I believe it and it is so.“– Frank W. CampThis 1932 hard-to-find classic will rock YOUR life!

Micromotives and Macrobehavior


Thomas C. Schelling - 1978
    And the subject of these stories—how small and seemingly meaningless decisions and actions by individuals often lead to significant unintended consequences for a large group—is more important than ever. In one famous example, Thomas C. Schelling shows that a slight-but-not-malicious preference to have neighbors of the same race eventually leads to completely segregated populations.The updated edition of this landmark book contains a new preface and the author's Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

This Is Russia: Life in the KHL—Doctors, Bazas and Millions of Air Miles


Bernd Brückler - 2013
    In his memoir, he tells us what it's like to be an import player in Russia, and the challenges he faced with the language, the culture, and the game.He tells stories about life at the "baza," a training base, and how they'd have to spend big parts of the season away from their families. (Unless they sneak out). His driver was also his buddy and a bodyguard. There's the travel, with hours upon hours on planes that are often antiquated, and there are the teammates, the doctors, the pills, the training camps, the saunas, and the money, oh, the money."What an awesome book. If you're a hockey fan, you will love it."—Thomas Vanek, New York Islanders"This is Russia... offers a fascinating first-person look at life in the KHL for a foreigner."—Chris Johnston, Sportsnet, Canada"It's been a long time since I have thoroughly enjoyed a book so much."—Michael Lorber, sports journalist, Kleine Zeitung, Austria

Be a Player: A Breakthrough Approach to Playing Better ON the Golf Course


Pia Nilsson - 2017
    Most golfers who want to improve their skills go to the range and work painstakingly on their swings, not realizing it’s often their performance state on the course that needs work, not their technique. Simple things such as awareness of your balance, tension, and tempo, as well as the ability to control mental, emotional, and social variables you encounter while playing can quickly take your game to a new performance level. Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, founders of VISION54’s groundbreaking and innovative golf program are here to help. Aimed at both the weekend golfer and the advanced player, each chapter presents a series of “human skills”—including assignments, explorations, and mini-lessons—that strip away the complexity surrounding swing technique and playing consistency—the conditional variations that plague golfers. Be A Player is the must-have book for any golfer who wants to unite technical skills and on-course performance seamlessly and effectively. With this cutting-edge text by your side, you will become a true student of VISION54 and a better player better on the course…where it matters most!

Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty


Abhijit V. Banerjee - 2011
    But much of their work is based on assumptions that are untested generalizations at best, harmful misperceptions at worst.Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo have pioneered the use of randomized control trials in development economics. Work based on these principles, supervised by the Poverty Action Lab, is being carried out in dozens of countries. Drawing on this and their 15 years of research from Chile to India, Kenya to Indonesia, they have identified wholly new aspects of the behavior of poor people, their needs, and the way that aid or financial investment can affect their lives. Their work defies certain presumptions: that microfinance is a cure-all, that schooling equals learning, that poverty at the level of 99 cents a day is just a more extreme version of the experience any of us have when our income falls uncomfortably low.This important book illuminates how the poor live, and offers all of us an opportunity to think of a world beyond poverty.Learn more at www.pooreconomics.com

You Can Achieve More: Live By Design, Not By Default


Shiv Khera - 2018
    Both success and failure have a limited lifespan. Successis neither a miracle nor a mystery. It does not depend upon special skills, formaleducation or superior intelligence. It is the natural outcome of consistently applyingcertain principles on an ongoing basis. The ultimate goal is to sustain success andeliminate failure. Acquiring facts is knowledge, understanding facts is comprehension, and the properapplication of facts is wisdom. The principles in this book can help you to: 1. Live by design, not by default2. Gain confidence and optimize your potential3. Become proactive and develop a winning attitude4. Balance your health, wealth and relationships5. Overcome day-to-day problems and make better decisions6. Make positive choices and avoid pitfalls The secret to a meaningful life is in your hands. Through inspiring ideasand basic values, this book will help empower you to Achieve More andbecome unstoppable.

The Golf Of Your Dreams


Bob Rotella - 1997
    The average female golfer's handicap was 29. Today, the average American male golfer's handicap is 16.2 and the average female golfer's is 29. American golfers have not gotten any better. World-renowned performance consultant and sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella now offers "The Golf of Your Dreams" for the golfer who is determined to get better but hasn't figured out how to go about it. Dr. Rotella's program is based on strategies found to be successful with tour players such as Tom Kite, Brad Faxon, Pat Bradley, and Davis Love III. Dr. Rotella knows that if you want to play your best golf ever, you must admit to yourself that you want to be good and that you have the necessary talent to play well. But that's not all. You must commit yourself to a process that will improve your game. In "The Golf of Your Dreams," Dr. Rotella provides tips on how to: Choose the right teaching professional Communicate your dreams and goals to your teacher Get your teacher to teach you as a student serious about improving Break old habits and develop new ones Practice efficiently and effectively so you can take your learning from the practice area to the golf course "The Golf of Your Dreams" will make you keenly aware of what you have to do in order to play the kind of golf you've always sensed you were capable of playing.

Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition


Wendell Berry - 2000
    Winner, Washington Post Book World"I am tempted to say he understands [Consilience] better than Wilson himself…A new emancipation proclamation in which he speaks again and again about how to defy the tyranny of scientific materialism" ---Colin C. Campbell, Christian Science Monitor"Berry takes a wrecking ball to E. O. Wilson's Consilience, reducing its smug assumptions regarding the fusion of science, art, and religion to so much rubble. --Kirkus ReviewsIn Life Is a Miracle, the devotion of science to the quantitative and reductionist world is measured against the mysterious, qualitative suggestions of religion and art. Berry sees life as the collision of these separate forces, but without all three in the mix we are left at sea in the world.

Adrift


Tristan Jones - 1980
    In his quest for the means to liberate his boat, he takes any work he can get.