Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business by Jeff Howe

Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business I have to admit that my life experiences prior to reading this book led me to the bias that crowds almost always produce worse results than rational individuals acting independently. While that may still be true in (the frequent) cases where crowds suffer from conformity and "groupthink", this book made me reconsider my thinking about the value of crowds the rest of the time. Here is the common sense reason described in the book: Continue reading

Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain If you find the study of economics and finance is best suited as a treatment for insomnia rather than pleasurable reading on a relaxing Sunday night, then you're like most people. As it turns out however, finance and economics doesn't have to be dry or boring, it just has to be approached the right way, which is why the authors of Continue reading

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Book review of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly. When I first heard about this book, I went through my usual routine to access the book through my overdrive library account. I was delighted to find that the audio book was indeed available, except that I ended up being number 142 for ten copies. Ugh, a long wait indeed. I got impatient, because I was really looking forward to reading this book. Continue reading

Why Your Pet Needs An All Natural Soap Too

What's the first thing your dog or cat does after a bath? Mine lick themselves clean! Yep, all those chemicals used in pet cleaning products go straight into your pets mouth. Lovely huh? I must be honest, sometimes my dogs eat healthier than I, their bed is bigger than mine, relative to their body size, and they don't work half as hard as I do. Continue reading

Do You Really Need A Sunscreen?

If you look at any commercial sunscreens you will see a lot of disclaimers, including that sunscreen does not prevent cancer, and the best approach to protect skin is to avoid the sun by wearing appropriate clothing. That may all be true, but that is not always practical, and that is not the whole story. Here is the rest of the story. So, do you really need a sunscreen? The answer is: Continue reading

What If – Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions – by Randall Munroe

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Despite my recent book reviews, I don't strictly read health related books, I read some for enjoyment as well, though usually the ones I recommend are based on facts, so I don't write reviews often on "silly" books. But sometimes you need a break, Continue reading