Reading 1/11/2007
The Artist & the Mathematician by Amir Aczel
Lay readers interested in mathematical history will learn a lot they didn't know from
Aczel's latest book, which focuses on a group of French mathematicians who in the
1930s decided to publish their collective work under an imaginary name. But readers
may also get the feeling that this able math and science popularizer is running out of
suitable topics. It's not that the contributions of the Bourbaki school weren't important-
their rigorous approach to proofs and emphasis on set theory provided the basis for
what became known as the New Math- it's just that this curious story isn't as inherently
dramatic as, say, that of Andrew Wiles's solving Fermat's Last Theorem.
Roger’s thoughts – As you know by now I love this stuff. Wears on you after the ¾ mark.
The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
As he did so memorably for baseball in Moneyball, Lewis takes a statistical X-ray of the hidden
substructure of football, outlining the invisible doings of unsung players that determine the
outcome more than the showy exploits of point scorers. In his sketch of the gridiron arms race,
first came the modern, meticulously choreographed passing offense, then the ferocious
defensive pass rusher whose bone-crunching quarterback sacks demolished the best-laid passing
game, and finally the rise of the left tackle the offensive lineman tasked with protecting the
quarterback from the pass rusher whose presence is felt only through the game-deciding absence
of said sacks. A rare creature combining 300 pounds of bulk with "the body control of a
ballerina," the anonymous left tackle, Lewis notes, is now often a team's highest-paid player.
Lewis fleshes this out with the colorful saga of left tackle prodigy Michael Oher.
Roger’s thoughts – Great read on multiple levels – football strategy changes over the years + college education
challenges.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men-Hawley Crippen, a
very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly
supernatural means of communication-whose lives intersect during one of the greatest
criminal chases of all time.
Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova
Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies
competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners, scientific advances dazzled the public
with visions of a world transformed, and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious
displays of wealth.
Roger’s thought – Larson does it again. A fabulous peek into lifestyles of the 1900’s and the way he weaves two
totally different activities into a common story is amazing.
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The Smart Money by Michael Konik
Sports betting is a huge, unregulated industry: Each year, bookmakers pocket profits
of more than $16 billion. Only a few gamblers have mastered the art of beating the
odds. At the top of this well- heeled heap is Rick "Big Daddy" Matthews, a super-
savvy gambler who runs a sports gambling organization known as The Brain Trust, or
The Brains. For seven years, the author of this book was one of The Brains. In The
Smart Money, he relives those high adrenaline-days and nights and, perhaps more
important, shares some sport gambling secrets.
Roger’s thoughts – As you know I cannot get enough of these glimpses into the under belly of gambling. Well
worth it if you have any interest in the sports betting world.
Little Red Book of Sales Answers by Jeffery Gitomer
Salespeople are looking for answers.
They want them now.
They want them fast.
They want them free. Buy this book: You'll get two out of three.
Every salesperson on the planet, at some point during their sales day, needs an answer
or 10 about what to do in a given selling situation. But there's a big difference between
AN answer and THE BEST ANSWER. Jeffrey Gitomer has compiled 99.5 best answers
to the barriers salespeople face every day.
Roger’s thoughts – I really like Jeffery’s writing style. Nothing earth shattering – but good reminders. I
recommend his books and ezine.
Unfair Advantage – Sell with NLP by Duane Lakin
The Unfair Advantage is a "workshop- in-a-workbook." It contains practical
ideas and exercises for applying NLP (neurolinguistic programming) to sales
and marketing. It includes "how-to" ideas for selling face-to- face,
telemarketing, direct mail, and other real- world situations. Included are
examples of scripts and techniques that have produced proven sales increases
in direct sales and in telemarketing. It is a theory- free collection of
techniques based on a workshop that has been presented to CEOs and sales
professionals in over 500 companies in North America and England.
Roger’s thoughts – The best NLP book I’ve read. Great format and exercises!
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Power to the People by Pavel Tsatsouline
Pavel was a physical training instructor for Soviet Special Forces and holds a Masters Degree (or
equivalent in the old Soviet education system) in what would probably be called Kiniesiology in the
United States.
Pavel has a unique and very effective writing style. He is at once entertaining and informative. His
books are some of the few, if not only, on physical training that I actually LIKE to read. So many
training books are just complete and total bores. Not this one. Pavel’s playful Russian personality
shines through on every page. Besides that, the book is loaded with interesting sidebars. The most
unusual aspect of this work is that it contains the information one would expect from a text book yet
has the functionality of a cookbook. It’s a difficult line to walk but Pavel pulls it off.
Roger’s thoughts – A reread – I’ve had this book for 5 years. His weightlifting thoughts are so simple and they
work!
Strength Stretching by Pavel Tsatsouline
The iron elite knows that ‘being tight’ is critical to making that big lift. At the same time you
can’t put up a big squat, bench press, or deadlift without having just the right amount of
flexibility and only in the right places. A paradox. Ignore stretching altogether — and lose
power to the joints that ‘don’t bend easy’. Do stretches designed for fighters or other athletes —
and toss away strength by the bucket… because you’ll lose your crucial ‘tightness’. Either way,
a dead end.
Not any more. Enter Strength Stretching by Pavel, the only flexibility program custom
designed to up your squat, up your bench, up your dead!
Roger’s thoughts – This guy is a crackup! Love it and use it every other day.
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