City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering

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.Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Dan Ariely

February 07, 2008

At first glance, the title of Dan Ariely's book seems to be an oxymoron. (It certainly catches one's attention.) Can irrational thought and/or behavior be predicted? Perhaps if it is repetitive? (The judgment and behavior of at least some people can be repetitive and thus predictable.) So I began to read his book with curiosity but also, yes, with some skepticism. Here are a few of my reactions. First, he learned a number of "lessons" from what he calls "experiments" in his life, each of which struck him as being counterintuitive. For example, everything is relative...even when "it shouldn't be"...or in fact isn't. That is, our mind can "play tricks" on us and thus we tend to see what we expect to see, hear what we expect to hear, ... Read More:
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.Building Construction Illustrated
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Francis D. K. Ching

February 08, 2008
This book is a recommended reading text for one of my design classes. I don't know what I'd do without it! If only it had dimensions (i.e. wall thicknesses, etc.) it would be absolutely perfect!
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.Wikinomics Expanded Edition
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Don Tapscott, Anthony D. Williams

April 22, 2008
recently read a book called, Wikonomics - how mass colaboration changes everything by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams. It is a book about the social networking and collaborative sites that are becoming very popular. I found the book highly interesting since I try to follow trends and try to figure out what opportunities are available in which trends.

Wikonomics points out that many times traditional business is afraid of open source projects like Linux and Wikopedia but others see a corneacopia of participation and economy. The thesis behind the book is that the collaborative social networking type sites actually increase business opportunity and do not take away business opportunity.

The book had a number of possible subtitles including: ... Read More:
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.Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: William McDonough, Michael Braungart

September 01, 2001
This is an extraordinary and unlikely book. It is not printed on paper, but on a waterproof polymer with the heft of good paper and more strength, a substance that reflects the right amount of light, yet holds the ink fast. It seems like an impossible fantasy, but so does much of what the authors propose about design and ecology. They speak with the calm certainty of the ecstatic visionary. Could buildings generate oxygen like trees? Could running shoes release nutrients into the earth? It seems like science fiction. Yet, here is this book, on this paper. The authors make a strong case for change, and just when you're about to say, "if only," they cite a corporation that is implementing their ideas. However, it's hard to believe their concepts would work on a large scale, in ... Read More:
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.The Design of Everyday Things
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Don Norman

September 05, 2002
"The Design of Everyday Things" by Donald A. Norman is said to be one of those great usability books. I bought mine at a major usability conference, believing the hype. My conclusion: Useful, but overhyped.

Norman takes a theme that says, "Look at history and you will see how the objects we use daily are sensible and functional. Now, design websites and software likewise," and develops a complete book.

Rats. I gave it all away. Now you do not need to buy the book, nor read any its 257 pages.

Really, that's more or less all there is to the book.

It is easy to read, but, in the end, becomes repetitive and is deficient in assisting the reader with application. It points out a problem we need to understand, but offers no solution. It is worth reading, but lacks as an instructional tool. ... Read More:
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.Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

August 22, 2007
I tend to carry a lot of pessimism into a book such as this, partly because Im exceedingly individualistic, partly because I consider the vast amount of sociological self-help books to be pure hokum, and partly because I know that I am personally way too messed up in the head to be radically improved by the contents of a single book. I also have a latent fear that a book such as this is somehow going to be a manifestation of that infernal Who Moved My Cheese? book. Believe it or not, however, I found Influencer to be a valuable read, as it provides a lot of fascinating insight into the workings of the human mind. Whether you call it motivation or manipulation, it is the authors contention that you can change virtually anything by understanding and implementing the types of techniques and strategies they identify and expound upon in ... Read More:
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.Here Comes Everybody
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Clay Shirky

February 22, 2008
This is a book I could hardly put down. Shirkys style is easy to read you feel like you are listening more than reading. The content is fascinating to those of us interested in how technology transforms our behaviour and our society and if you are not already interested in such topics, you especially need to read it. Your world is changing and a lot of it is for the better and Shirky makes it very understandable. The book is full of well researched and relevant examples.

I found especially useful his discussion of the formation of networks and online communities. His description of the actual social capital thus created is compelling.

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.Law for Professional Engineers, 4th Cdn edition
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Donald L. Marston

February 15, 2008
This is a book I could hardly put down. Shirkys style is easy to read you feel like you are listening more than reading. The content is fascinating to those of us interested in how technology transforms our behaviour and our society and if you are not already interested in such topics, you especially need to read it. Your world is changing and a lot of it is for the better and Shirky makes it very understandable. The book is full of well researched and relevant examples.

I found especially useful his discussion of the formation of networks and online communities. His description of the actual social capital thus created is compelling.

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.Reinforced Concrete Design: A Practical Approach
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Svetlana Brzev, John Pao

October 27, 2005
This is a book I could hardly put down. Shirkys style is easy to read you feel like you are listening more than reading. The content is fascinating to those of us interested in how technology transforms our behaviour and our society and if you are not already interested in such topics, you especially need to read it. Your world is changing and a lot of it is for the better and Shirky makes it very understandable. The book is full of well researched and relevant examples.

I found especially useful his discussion of the formation of networks and online communities. His description of the actual social capital thus created is compelling.

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.Designing Interactions
City Travel Guides > Books > Engineering
by: Bill Moggridge

October 01, 2006
This is a book I could hardly put down. Shirkys style is easy to read you feel like you are listening more than reading. The content is fascinating to those of us interested in how technology transforms our behaviour and our society and if you are not already interested in such topics, you especially need to read it. Your world is changing and a lot of it is for the better and Shirky makes it very understandable. The book is full of well researched and relevant examples.

I found especially useful his discussion of the formation of networks and online communities. His description of the actual social capital thus created is compelling.

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Used Price: CDN$ 21.99