January 11, 2008 -- Friday evening

Reading Kiln People, by David Brin. It was recommended by her partner. When he finishes a good book, puts it on her side of the bed. He's about ten books ahead of her, she said. Something good he recommended was The Baroque Cycle, a three-book series by Neal Stephenson.

Right now, one of her favorite books is Fooled by Randomness, by Nicholas Talib, about understanding human nature and the decision making process. It's an eye opener about how humans rationalize behavior. She read it two months ago and she still leafs through it every other day. It's made her more aware about how she makes decisions. She has developed a mantra--"rationalization trumps common sense." She now tries to make her decisions by removing emotion to make the best decision, not mistaking chance with skill or bringing emotion into the picture. It was written by a day trader, who, in his line of work, knows that rationalizing chaos is a coping mechanism that will work against you. So much of what works and what doesn't work has nothing to do with the individual who was in "control."

Another author she really likes is Michael Pollan, who writes about self-awareness and our impact in the world.

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