The Backgammon Chronicles
Robert Wachtel
Mentioned 1 month ago
677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves?
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Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engin...
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Books
635
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In the Game until the End Volume II
Robert H Wachtel
Mentioned 1 month ago
677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves?
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
Richard P. Feynman
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The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update)
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
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The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update)
What Do You Care What Other People Think
Richard P. Feynman
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The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update)
The Grasshopper - Third Edition
Bernard Suits
Mentioned 2 months ago
675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?
Rules of Play
Katie Salen Tekinbas
Mentioned 2 months ago
675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?
Interaction of Color
Josef Albers
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675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?
The Wealth of Nations (Modern Library)
Adam Smith
Mentioned 2 months ago
674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?
Adam Smith’s America
Glory M. Liu
Mentioned 2 months ago
674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte
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673. What Is Money?
Hard Times
Charles Dickens
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673. What Is Money?
Most Recommended
Hot Seat
A Hot Firefighter, Big, Crazy Family, Opposites Attract MM Romance (The Hot Cannolis)
It was primarily a defense of Jeff Immelt's performance as CEO of GE, which he rated substantially higher than his critics did, and was written in response to the negative media coverage.
"
Jeff Immelt's new book is called Hot Seat what I learned leading a great American company
— Episode: 452. Jeff Immelt Knows He Let You Down
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Episode: 452. Jeff Immelt Knows He Let You Down
It was primarily a defense of Jeff Immelt's performance as CEO of GE, which he rated substantially higher than his critics did, and was written in response to the negative media coverage.
"
Jeff Immelt's new book is called Hot Seat what I learned leading a great American company
In Hot Seat E-Ray, after Lehman Brothers went bankrupt I knew it presaged not just the beginning of a down cycle for GE But the destruction of our business model
At the beginning of your new book, Hot Seat You write about the inspiration for the book
Jeff Immelt's book, co-written by the journalist Amy Wallace, is called Hot Seat
Coffin Man (Charlie Moon Mysteries)
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Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?
Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
It was suggested that during a difficult period, individuals might find comfort in rereading books like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, highlighting the idea that different approaches to comfort can be valid.
"
And there are other people who are like, no, I'm going to reread A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And I don't know that there's anything more right about either of those approaches as long a...
— Episode: 445. Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Famil...
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Episode: 445. Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar?
It was suggested that during a difficult period, individuals might find comfort in rereading books like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, highlighting the idea that different approaches to comfort can be valid.
"
And there are other people who are like, no, I'm going to reread A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And I don't know that there's anything more right about either of those approaches as long as this isn't getting in the way of the rest of your life.
The House of God
It is a cult novel, written in 1978, that is still popular with medical students today. It was said to show the emotional toll of the profession, and how it can lead to burnout and the loss of compassion.
"
There is a cult novel published in 1978 called The House of God, which is still popular among medical students.
— Episode: 444. How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis...
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Episode: 444. How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis?
It is a cult novel, written in 1978, that is still popular with medical students today. It was said to show the emotional toll of the profession, and how it can lead to burnout and the loss of compassion.
"
There is a cult novel published in 1978 called The House of God, which is still popular among medical students.
Before The House of God, I loved old people. Now they were no longer old people. They were gomers.
A gomer is doctor slang for get out of my emergency room.
I did not, could not love them anymore. I struggled to rest and cannot, and I struggled to love and cannot, for I'm all leeched out like a man's shirt washed too many times.
Subprime Attention Crisis
Advertising and the Time Bomb at the Heart of the Internet (FSG Originals x Logic)
It was described as being about how big tech monetizes our attention, and the author expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of online advertising, even while working at Google.
"
Huang recently published a book called Subprime Attention Crisis, Advertising and the Time Bomb at the Heart of the Internet. It's about how big tech monetizes our attention.
— Episode: 441. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Pa...
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Episode: 441. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 2: Digi...
It was described as being about how big tech monetizes our attention, and the author expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of online advertising, even while working at Google.
"
Huang recently published a book called Subprime Attention Crisis, Advertising and the Time Bomb at the Heart of the Internet. It's about how big tech monetizes our attention.
And I will sort of measure the success of the book based on how much it pisses everybody off.
Hush
A Motorcycle Club Romance (The Vikings MC
It was mentioned as a book about media and sonic self-control, discussing how sound has always been a challenge to our sense of autonomy.
"
He is a scholar of sound at Miami University in Ohio and the author of a book called Hush, Media and Sonic Self-Control.
— Episode: 439. Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ear...
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Episode: 439. Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears
It was mentioned as a book about media and sonic self-control, discussing how sound has always been a challenge to our sense of autonomy.
"
He is a scholar of sound at Miami University in Ohio and the author of a book called Hush, Media and Sonic Self-Control.
Awakenings
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The Little House 75th Anniversary Edition
A Caldecott Award Winner
It was mentioned as a children's book that illustrated a hypothetical scenario of increased housing density, which contrasted with the reality of single-family homes dominating urban landscapes.
"
The book Vigdor is talking about is The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. I would recommend it.
— Episode: 435. Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive...
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Episode: 435. Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive?
It was mentioned as a children's book that illustrated a hypothetical scenario of increased housing density, which contrasted with the reality of single-family homes dominating urban landscapes.
"
The book Vigdor is talking about is The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. I would recommend it.
Fear City
New York's Fiscal Crisis and the Rise of Austerity Politics
It was mentioned as a book about New York's fiscal crisis in the 1970s, where it was argued that the crisis was mainly caused by the national recession, deindustrialization, and suburbanization trends, not just government spending.
"
That is the historian Kim Phillips Fine, author of the book Fear City, which is about New York's fiscal crisis.
— Episode: 434. Is New York City Over?
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Episode: 434. Is New York City Over?
It was mentioned as a book about New York's fiscal crisis in the 1970s, where it was argued that the crisis was mainly caused by the national recession, deindustrialization, and suburbanization trends, not just government spending.
"
That is the historian Kim Phillips Fine, author of the book Fear City, which is about New York's fiscal crisis.
Superman
Brainiac
Ken Jennings discussed his book 'Brainiac' in which he interviewed numerous people about their trivia knowledge and explored the phenomenon of trivia obsession.
"
There seems to be, and I don't think I knew this until I wrote Brainiac and interviewed just dozens of people like this.
— Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You...
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Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird” | P...
Ken Jennings discussed his book 'Brainiac' in which he interviewed numerous people about their trivia knowledge and explored the phenomenon of trivia obsession.
"
There seems to be, and I don't think I knew this until I wrote Brainiac and interviewed just dozens of people like this.
Maphead
Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks
Ken Jennings mentioned writing 'Maphead' about individuals with unique geographic fascinations and how this influenced his memory, filing information based on location.
"
I did not understand this about myself until I wrote a book about my childhood love of maps and geography. I wrote a book called Maphead about people with weird geographic quirks and...
— Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You...
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Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird” | P...
Ken Jennings mentioned writing 'Maphead' about individuals with unique geographic fascinations and how this influenced his memory, filing information based on location.
"
I did not understand this about myself until I wrote a book about my childhood love of maps and geography. I wrote a book called Maphead about people with weird geographic quirks and hobbies.
Planet Funny
How Comedy Took Over Our Culture
Steve Levitt found Ken Jennings's book 'Planet Funny' to be humorous and engaging, even managing to make his 16-year-old son laugh and read it.
"
I was laughing so loud that he's like, Dad, what are you doing? And I said, well, I'm just reading this book.
— Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You...
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Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird” | P...
Steve Levitt found Ken Jennings's book 'Planet Funny' to be humorous and engaging, even managing to make his 16-year-old son laugh and read it.
"
I was laughing so loud that he's like, Dad, what are you doing? And I said, well, I'm just reading this book.
And I handed him the book and he starts laughing out loud and won't give me the book back.
It's Not Supposed to Be This Way
Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered
Steve Levitt analyzed Ken Jennings's book about the lies parents tell their children. He found it surprising that many of these common sayings are not true and based on flawed reasoning.
"
You've written a book about the lies we tell our children.
— Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You...
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Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird” | P...
Steve Levitt analyzed Ken Jennings's book about the lies parents tell their children. He found it surprising that many of these common sayings are not true and based on flawed reasoning.
"
You've written a book about the lies we tell our children.
I actually went through all of the ideas in that book and I tallied up your judgment of whether the things that we tell our kids are true or false. And two thirds are false and one third are true.
Genetics for Smart Kids
A Little Scientist's Guide to Cells, DNA, Genes, and More! (Future Geniuses Book 3)
Steve Levitt praised the 'Junior Genius Guides for Smart Kids' series as engaging for both children and adults, appreciating the way they presented complex information in a fun and accessible manner.
"
You have a series of books for, you call them the Junior Genius Guides for Smart Kids.
— Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You...
Listen on Audible
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Episode: “Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird” | P...
Steve Levitt praised the 'Junior Genius Guides for Smart Kids' series as engaging for both children and adults, appreciating the way they presented complex information in a fun and accessible manner.
"
You have a series of books for, you call them the Junior Genius Guides for Smart Kids.
And these are just incredible books because there are a lot of books written for kids that are kind of interesting, but are kind of childish or whatever. But your books are, first of all, interesting even to adults.
Like I was just reading the one about the human body, and it starts out talking about the elements in the body and how if you ground up a human body and sold it, that it would go for 160 bucks for the elements.
Kidnap
Inside the Ransom Business
It was mentioned as Anja Shortland's published work focusing on 'tricky markets' such as Somali piracy and Taliban protection schemes, suggesting they are fundamentally markets.
"
Shortland has written a book called Kidnap Inside the Ransom Business.
— Episode: 432. When Your Safety Becomes My Danger
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Episode: 432. When Your Safety Becomes My Danger
It was mentioned as Anja Shortland's published work focusing on 'tricky markets' such as Somali piracy and Taliban protection schemes, suggesting they are fundamentally markets.
"
Shortland has written a book called Kidnap Inside the Ransom Business.
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.