Book reviews

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, by Charles MacKay, Andrew Tobias.

This book was written by a London lawyer in 1841. I kept seeing it referenced in finance books I was reading, so I searched for it. At the time it was out of print, but it has since been brought back into print. Its 740 pages are as relevant today as when written. The author has a brilliant, entertaining writing style. What is amazing is that if you read the book then read the news, it is apparent that the crazy things happening today are the same crazy things that happened hundreds and thousands of years ago. I've been telling everybody I know to read this book for years. Read it; you won't be able to put it down. JWD Buy the Book Today!

The Battle for Investment Survival, by Gerald M. Loeb.

This is an investment classic. In broad terms, investors in the stock market fall in a range from those who buy and hold to those who time the market habitually, for better or worse. Loeb believed in timing the market, because downside protection is the cornerstone of the sophisticated market operator. Thus, the battle to protect capital, to survive in the opportunistic jungle of the stock market. This book is a favorite of many investment professionals. JWD Buy the Book Today!

Mathematics for the Million, How to Master the Magic of Numbers by Lancelot Hogben.

If a person could read only one book on mathematics, this should be it. While it serves as a useful reference, its best use is to sharpen you mind. Albert Einstein said about it: It makes alive the elements of mathematics. H.G. Wells called it a book of first-class importance. Reading it will certainly teach even the smartest person somthing, and most of us much, much more.

This is a heavyweight tome, not light reading. It takes you through calculus and number series among numerous other topics. For long stretches though it entertains the mind in a refreshing way. I resolved to read it every few years, because it will never grow stale. A true classic. JWD Buy the Book Today!

The Loom of Language, An Approach to the Mastery of Many Languages by Frederick Bodmer, edited by Lancelot Hogben.

The book is by a brilliant philologist. In it, he tells the history of every major language on the planet, discusses such interesting topics as how the alphabet was discovered once, then all existing alphabets derived from the original. He teaches the elements of the teutonic and romance languages in an organized fashion. This is a key book for anybody interested in languages. If anybody knows of a better book of this genre, please let me know. JWD Buy the Book Today!

Challenger, A Major Malfunction, by Malcolm McConnell.

This book's epilogue is dated November 1986, which means the writer did a lot of work to put this factual account together. It is an account of the politics and greed that led to the Challenger disaster. The behavioral aspects of the account are all too likely to repeat themselves. Much of the account takes place at Kennedy Space Center, and the descriptions are remarkably accurate--an exhibit of consummate journalism. When Challenger exploded, resulting the deaths of seven of America's finest people, some of the crew survived until the crew capsule hit the ocean surface. I downloaded off the Web a few years ago a transcript purported to be the final words of the astronauts on the way down, starting where the official transcript ended. Near the end of this book, mention of how many personal egress air packs [emergency air] had been used is consistent with this unofficial transcript. (Everytime I read this transcript it brought tears to my eyes, and a certain reverence made me feel I should not have been reading it.) The book Challenger is a must read for anybody interested in the space program as a career, although the facts therein will hit too close to home for many. Engineers to a man saying "don't launch," overruled by management everywhere; politics and egos blocking communications. Unfortunately, this book is out of print. If you like, Amazon.com will try to find you a used copy, but I suggest you try your local library too. Also, an excellent journal article on groupthink is: Group Decision Fiascoes Continue: Space Shuttle Challenger and a Revised Groupthink Framework, by Moorhead, G., Ference, R., & Neck, C. (Human Relations, Vol. 44, No. 6, 1991). If interested, you might find it at your college library.

Another good book on the Challenger disaster is The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at Nasa, by Diane Vaughan. It's worth reading. Anyone in a responsible decision-making position needing to show leadership--or what's more, do the right thing--in a risky situation would benefit from these books. Somehow, bankers come to mind, not to mention those responsible for the safety of others. JWD

Textbooks and Technical Books

Digital Signal Processing, Principles Algorithms and Applications by Proakis and Manolakis

This is simply the best book available to teach you the basics of digital signal processing, recommended for students and professionals who need to quickly get up to speed in DSP. Buy now and learn DSP!

Compact Disc reviews

Back to Back by Thomas Dolby.

Remember the Golden Age of Wireless? The Flat Earth? Aliens Ate My Buick? The great Thomas Dolby is releasing something on 1 January 2000 or thereabouts. I don't know if this is a single or whatever, but if it's Dolby, it's good! JWD

Aquarium by Aqua

If you heard the single Barbie Girl, you might have paused to listen to the effervesence. This album is europop, with a slick scandinavian production style. It's a party-album sound, with a certain beauty to the lightheartedness of it all. JWD If you'd rather just have the Barbie Girl single, that's available too.