Monday, November 8, 2021

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment

Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass R. Sunstein
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From the Nobel Prize-winning author of Thinking, Fast and Slow and the coauthor of Nudge, a revolutionary exploration of why people make bad judgments and how to make better ones--"a tour de force” (New York Times).

Imagine that two doctors in the same city give different diagnoses to identical patients—or that two judges in the same courthouse give markedly different sentences to people who have committed the same crime. Suppose that different interviewers at the same firm make different decisions about indistinguishable job applicants—or that when a company is handling customer complaints, the resolution depends on who happens to answer the phone. Now imagine that the same doctor, the same judge, the same interviewer, or the same customer service agent makes different decisions depending on whether it is morning or afternoon, or Monday rather than Wednesday. These are examples of noise: variability in judgments that should be identical.

In Noise, Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein show the detrimental effects of noise in many fields, including medicine, law, economic forecasting, forensic science, bail, child protection, strategy, performance reviews, and personnel selection. Wherever there is judgment, there is noise. Yet, most of the time, individuals and organizations alike are unaware of it. They neglect noise. With a few simple remedies, people can reduce both noise and bias, and so make far better decisions.

Packed with original ideas, and offering the same kinds of research-based insights that made Thinking, Fast and Slow and Nudge groundbreaking New York Times bestsellers, Noise explains how and why humans are so susceptible to noise in judgment—and what we can do about it.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

余達之路—糖薑大王與戰後香港

余皓媛、區志堅
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香港人對九龍塘又一村並不陌生,它是一個寧謐而優美的社區,簇集了一排排的房舍、一所所優秀的學校,以及一條條以花卉命名的街道。而貫穿整個社區的「達之路」(Tat Chee Avenue),是殖民地年代香港極少以華人姓名來命名的街道之一,以表揚余達之先生對香港的傑出貢獻。

二戰後的香港百廢待興,而「糖薑大王」余達之,在開拓個人事業之餘,已為香港公共事務作出重要貢獻,更對推動整個社會的經濟、民生及教育發展都有抱負及承擔。余氏這種有別於只顧追求私利、絲毫不捨的狹隘商界作風,非常值得後人借鏡。他帶領香港工商業界走向國際、推動開發官塘工業區、銳意改善工人生活,更關注新一代教育,興學施教,為日後香港的騰飛,奠定了堅實的基礎。

本書記錄了早期香港歷史重要的一頁,兩位作者分別為余達之的孫女余皓媛,以及從事歷史教研工作的區志堅博士,透過史料追查與口述對照,期望與讀者一同在「達之路」上,回顧余達之傳奇的一生。

(摘錄自cityu.edu.hk/upress)


The "Post-War Hong Kong & the Story of Tat Chee Avenue" Exhibition presents an overview of the housing, education, and industry conditions in the 1950s – 1960s using historically valuable images, publications, and maps. It also introduces the history of Tat Chee Avenue and Yau Yat Chuen, as well as the specific contributions of U Tat Chee to their development. The exhibition is being held until 12 November 2021 at the Wofoo Foundation Gallery, Run Run Shaw Library, City University of Hong Kong. READ MORE

Monday, November 1, 2021

Face to Face: The Art of Human Connection

Brian Grazer
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Featured on CBS This Morning, Squawk Box, MSNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Forbes, Fast Company, The New York Times, and more.

“Reading Face to Face is like being a fly on the wall, watching Brian Grazer work his magic. Utterly entertaining, this is how you become Hollywood’s best producer.” —Malcolm Gladwell, author of Talking to Strangers

Legendary Hollywood producer and author of the bestselling A Curious Mind, Brian Grazer is back with a captivating new book about the life-changing ways we can connect with one another.

Much of Brian Grazer’s success—as a #1 New York Times bestselling author, Academy Award–winning producer, father, and husband—comes from his ability to establish genuine connections with almost anyone. In Face to Face, he takes you around the world and behind the scenes of some of his most iconic movies and television shows, like A Beautiful Mind, Empire, Arrested Development, American Gangster, and 8 Mile, to show just how much in-person encounters have revolutionized his life—and how they have the power to change yours.

With his flair for intriguing stories, Grazer reveals what he’s learned through interactions with people like Bill Gates, Taraji P. Henson, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Eminem, Prince, Spike Lee, and the Afghani rapper activist Sonita: that the secret to a bigger life lies in personal connection. In a world where our attention is too often focused downward at our devices, Grazer argues that we are missing an essential piece of the human experience. Only when we are face to face, able to look one another in the eyes, can we form the kinds of connections that expand our world views, deepen our self-awareness, and ultimately lead to our greatest achievements and most meaningful moments.

When we lift our eyes to look at the person in front of us, we open the door to infinite possibility.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

尋琴者

郭強生
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如貓印般音符的輕緩語言,演奏出一段迷人故事,傾訴了人、音樂與情感之間的靈魂歸屬,如此的蒼茫雪景與滄桑人生的互映,只有郭強生老師的《尋琴者》能乘載,這是一部令人眷戀的小說。──甘耀明(小說家)

《尋琴者》關於音樂與樂器的描寫很多,從小聽曲、唱曲的強生,有著善於審音的聽覺,他寫了一個聽覺小說,讓感情更純粹與空靈。這本書在談藝術,更在談創造小說的敘述藝術,然而愛情總是他作品中的終極藝術,因為不完美,甚至千瘡百孔,更能說明細緻純粹的情愛更是藝術,這是作者孤獨的藝術,也是悲傷的救贖。──周芬伶(作家)

讀《尋琴者》宛如聆聽一首跌宕的曲子,讓人不禁憶起孟若的《幸福與陰影之舞》、石黑一雄的《夜曲》、托瑪斯・曼的《魂斷威尼斯》、三島的《金閣寺》,甚至是恩田陸《蜜蜂與遠雷》……在這中篇裡,幾乎與所有音樂小說、與所有探討人性與命運之複雜的小說、與所有追求藝術與美的偉大小說,都彼此呼應著。如此具有啟發,如此難得。──盛浩偉(作家)

一位擁有過人音樂天分的鋼琴調音師,少年時的遭遇讓他放棄成為鋼琴家的夢想,人生也停留在逝去的時光與感情之中。
一位年逾六十歲的生意人,因為妻子死後留下的一架鋼琴與調音師相遇,兩人結伴踏上尋琴之路……

每個人都有與生俱來的共鳴程式,「有人在樂器中尋找,有人在歌聲中尋找,也有人更幸運地,能夠就在茫茫塵世間,找到了那個能夠喚醒與過去、現在、未來產生共鳴的一種震動。」你的一生是否也在尋覓能夠共鳴的靈魂?

金鼎獎、台灣文學金典獎、開卷好書獎得主郭強生,繼暢銷動人的散文書寫之後,重回小說領域推出《尋琴者》。這是郭強生首次嘗試音樂題材的小說,每個句子宛如音符精確而優雅,譜寫愛慕與寂寞的殘酷,只為追尋靈魂共鳴的無悔。全書哀傷而節制,讀完讓你掩卷嘆息。馬世芳力推:「這本書既寫出了深淵的黑暗,也寫出了那不可方物的至美。」

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)


Monday, October 25, 2021

Mastering 'Metrics: The Path from Cause to Effect

Joshua D. Angrist, Jörn-Steffen Pischke
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Joshua D. Angrist, together with Guido Imbens, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2021 “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships”.


Applied econometrics, known to aficionados as 'metrics, is the original data science. 'Metrics encompasses the statistical methods economists use to untangle cause and effect in human affairs. Through accessible discussion and with a dose of kung fu–themed humor, Mastering 'Metrics presents the essential tools of econometric research and demonstrates why econometrics is exciting and useful.

The five most valuable econometric methods, or what the authors call the Furious Five--random assignment, regression, instrumental variables, regression discontinuity designs, and differences in differences--are illustrated through well-crafted real-world examples (vetted for awesomeness by Kung Fu Panda's Jade Palace). Does health insurance make you healthier? Randomized experiments provide answers. Are expensive private colleges and selective public high schools better than more pedestrian institutions? Regression analysis and a regression discontinuity design reveal the surprising truth. When private banks teeter, and depositors take their money and run, should central banks step in to save them? Differences-in-differences analysis of a Depression-era banking crisis offers a response. Could arresting O. J. Simpson have saved his ex-wife's life? Instrumental variables methods instruct law enforcement authorities in how best to respond to domestic abuse.

Wielding econometric tools with skill and confidence, Mastering 'Metrics uses data and statistics to illuminate the path from cause to effect.

- Shows why econometrics is important
- Explains econometric research through humorous and accessible discussion
- Outlines empirical methods central to modern econometric practice
- Works through interesting and relevant real-world examples

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

且聽下回分解──阿濃談中國古典小說

阿濃
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在我寫了「中國文化系列」七本後,終於決定介紹一下中國古典小說,這是一個龐大的文學載體,高度、寬度、深度都渺無邊際,有人畢生研究一部《紅樓夢》,還未能「吃透」,因此我完全沒有學術研究的野心。

我有點像在一次全國性試菜大會上,遍嘗京菜、滬菜、粵菜、川菜、湘菜、魯菜、淮揚菜……把我當時所想、所感、所發現說出來,目的在引發大家也有一試的興趣。

我做的是每一樣試少少,目的正如《呂氏春秋》和王安石說的「嘗鼎一臠,旨可知也。」吃鍋裡的一片肉,整煲的滋味也可知道了。當你覺得味道不錯時,就會一鍋又一鍋的大嚼。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)