'Blink'

[Maister]

I'm about half way through Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink. Interesting read so far. He doesn't weigh the reader down with volumes of supporting studies etc. but the essence of what he argues for - that in many circumstances our instinctive/instantaneous first impressions are frequently more accurate assessments of situation than carefully conducted research/decision making - he argues for quite compellingly. One could say it appeals instinctively (yuk yuk).

Even being only half way through, I'd readily recommend the book to any fellow planner.

[The One]

My first impression is that he is wrong.

ha ha ha.....I beat Imaplanner to this one too.....

[wahday]

I ALMOST got this book last week. I get the New Yorker and like Gladwell's style. He really has a knack for making complex topics accessible but not dumbed down. Well, now I know what my next book will be (I was also considering "Tipping Point," also by Gladwell)

What I got instead is something called Off the Grid by Nick Rosen. Not particularly well written (or maybe he just needed an editor) but interesting subject matter. He traveled the country interviewing various people who live off grid and essentially telling their stories. Doesn't hold together all that well, but its interesting to hear these peoples' narratives. Most are fringey outsider types, but they definitely run the range from those preparing for the apocalypse to Libertarians to California weed growers.

Anyway, I'll give Blink a read next. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Maister]

I ALMOST got this book last week. I get the New Yorker and like Gladwell's style. He really has a knack for making complex topics accessible but not dumbed down. Well, now I know what my next book will be (I was also considering "Tipping Point," also by Gladwell).

Interesting. I bought "Tipping Point" last weekend on the strength of "Blink" so far.

[fringe]

I read Tipping Point a cpl of yrs back.

Also a New Yorker reader, I see Gladwell there regularly, and he has pretty good cred as a journalist/scholar.

[Maister]

Finished Blink. The most disturbing message I found that Gladwell makes a pretty solid prima facia case for, is that our species appears to be almost hardwired to discriminate on the basis of race and gender (he never actually uses the phrase 'hardwired' but the effect he describes in the studies cited, certainly looks like that duck and walks like that duck).