Author Topic: What is ES reading?  (Read 80462 times)

charlie

  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 7896
  • Karma: +84/-53
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #180 on: September 19, 2011, 06:16:18 PM »
It'd be sort of logical to stop the movie at the end of the regular season because Beane's strategies are basically not applicable in the playoffs.

Sure they're applicable. The results are just too difficult to weed out with such a small sample size.

Govtcheez

  • Town Idiot
  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 4717
  • Karma: +9/-52
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #181 on: September 19, 2011, 08:28:37 PM »
It'd be sort of logical to stop the movie at the end of the regular season because Beane's strategies are basically not applicable in the playoffs.

Sure they're applicable. The results are just too difficult to weed out with such a small sample size.
That's sort of what I meant - they even say in the book that the goal of Moneyball is to make the playoffs and once you're there you're on your own because there are too few games for it to balance out

edit: Obviously, having players that are OBP heavy is beneficial in the playoffs, but 1) the "moneyball" tactics aren't useful in the playoffs because there are no roster changes and 2) relying on statistics to work out in the long run doesn't work in in the playoffs because they're far too short
« Last Edit: September 19, 2011, 08:34:43 PM by Govtcheez »

charlie

  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 7896
  • Karma: +84/-53
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #182 on: September 19, 2011, 08:52:18 PM »
The best part of the book was all the inside dirt on how the GMs interact. I enjoyed me some of that stuff.

charlie

  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 7896
  • Karma: +84/-53
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #183 on: November 10, 2011, 04:10:28 PM »
The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow

Overall I enjoyed it, as it gives a good overview of the current state of science in regards to the major theories of the universe. I was disappointed with how the book ended, though. They hinted throughout that the science provided a more profound answer to questions like how did the universe begin and what happened before that. But while the answers they gave might be true, they left as many questions as they answered.

Anyway, a good read if you're interested in modern physics and such but don't have time to actually follow the developments of the last decade or so.

Jake

  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 8650
  • Karma: +83/-18
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #184 on: November 11, 2011, 12:41:04 AM »
I slowed down a bit with soiaf and I'm in the middle of book 3. Started rereading catch 22 . What an awesome read.
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Jake

  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 8650
  • Karma: +83/-18
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #185 on: December 13, 2011, 10:08:24 PM »
my guy from Peoria lent me Patriots on CD today. I listed to two disks on my way home. VERY simple writing; def not something I would pick out on my own. I think I will continue listening to it because of the real life survival tips and techniques coming in the zombie apocalypse I have mentioned in a different thread.

The author is def not an obama lover...there is a scene where the main group of characters are approached by "communist". The leader of the group tells them that their political views make no difference; but they certainly do to the author because the communists turned out to be murderous cannibal looters with kids' limbs stored in bags for food!!! oh yeah. git some.
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

kermi3

  • ?
  • Ass Wipe
  • Posts: 5513
  • Karma: +56/-22
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #186 on: December 13, 2011, 10:46:47 PM »
Just got through The Help and Name of the Wind as great audio books.  The Help was really good - LOVED Name of the Wind and it's sequal.  about 80 ours of auio book bliss for less than a dollor an hour - kept me entertained in all my down and commute time for about 6 weeks.  Working on a Ted Conover now, but don't know if I'm sold on it.

Also reading Becoming a Master Student (excellent) and Not Much Just Chillin': The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers as professional books...
govtcheez03:  i kind of look for it - i seek out stupidity and annoy it until it either gets better, gets banned, or goes away on its own

Govtcheez

  • Town Idiot
  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 4717
  • Karma: +9/-52
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #187 on: December 14, 2011, 07:15:49 AM »
my guy from Peoria lent me Patriots on CD today. I listed to two disks on my way home. VERY simple writing; def not something I would pick out on my own. I think I will continue listening to it because of the real life survival tips and techniques coming in the zombie apocalypse I have mentioned in a different thread.

The author is def not an obama lover...there is a scene where the main group of characters are approached by "communist". The leader of the group tells them that their political views make no difference; but they certainly do to the author because the communists turned out to be murderous cannibal looters with kids' limbs stored in bags for food!!! oh yeah. git some.
One of the reviews on Amazon made me laugh
Quote
This has to be one of the worst edited books I have ever seen. You can tell it was written in the 1990s and updated recently; they mention the election of Barack Obama. But they did a lousy job of updating the text. The time lines, ages and historic events are screwed up. For example on page 22, it says that Todd and Mary found the ranch on vacation trips to Idaho in 2001 (happily married at the time). On the same page it states the idea for a group retreat was formed in 2006, while Todd and T.K. were in college. Later, it says that Todd started working from home in 2008, using a PC with a 20 gig hard drive and a dial-up modem. Dial-up in 2008? Especially for a corporate sanctioned telecommuter? That may have been the standard in 1988! On page 35, Kevin graduates college in 2007 and starts as a junior programmer. Next paragraph Kevin is starting SECOND career as freelance programmer in 2002. I guess he started his freelance in high school? Also, Doug states his age as 22, but he was born a year after his parent got married, soon after his fathers return from Vietnam. Let's see...The Crunch hits in 2009, so that means Doug was born in 1987, that means his father got home from Vietnam around 1986 or so. Delayed demobilization? POW release? These are just a few of the examples of bad editing and updating.
Last night I finished The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.  I don't know what I felt about it.  All of the characters are selfish, horrible people, but I really found myself empathizing with them a few times.  The book made me very uncomfortable in a few points, especially reading it this close to Christmas with all the family gatherings that entails

Jake

  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 8650
  • Karma: +83/-18
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #188 on: December 14, 2011, 08:09:57 AM »
That review is spot on! I noticed some of the same inconsistencies. I still cant figure out the age of some characters
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

charlie

  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 7896
  • Karma: +84/-53
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #189 on: January 08, 2012, 11:58:43 PM »
Finished the full Hunger Games trilogy over the last week. Overall I was happy, it was an interesting story that held my attention 'til the end. Still I share some of govtcheez' qualms. I had forgotten that it was mentioned here that its audience was teenagers/young adults. One of the biggest annoyances was that the protagonist acted and thought like a teenage girl. Yes, of course that's what she was, but it still was bothersome when you're putting yourself in her place and can't figure out at she's thinking.

I think I'm done with fiction for awhile. I got lots of non-fiction for Christmas to see if I can get through.

Govtcheez

  • Town Idiot
  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 4717
  • Karma: +9/-52
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #190 on: January 09, 2012, 07:10:19 AM »
Last night I finished The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.  I don't know what I felt about it.  All of the characters are selfish, horrible people, but I really found myself empathizing with them a few times.  The book made me very uncomfortable in a few points, especially reading it this close to Christmas with all the family gatherings that entails
The other day I finished another book by this author, Freedom.  Same feelings of uncomfortableness but I actually liked most of the characters in this one.

Govtcheez

  • Town Idiot
  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 4717
  • Karma: +9/-52
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #191 on: February 01, 2012, 07:40:31 AM »
I finished the new Elmore Leonard book, "Raylan", last night.  It's supposedly a novel about Raylan Givens, who is the main character in the show Justified, but it's really set up as 3-4 short stories that were generally taken from the show.

It was awful.  AWFUL

ober

  • Ashton Shagger
  • Ass Wipe
  • Posts: 14305
  • Karma: +73/-790
  • mini-ober is taking over
    • Windy Hill Web Solutions
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #192 on: February 02, 2012, 11:26:58 AM »
Just started Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol.  Decent so far. 
Holy shit I'm fucking sad.  I started this book 6 months ago!!  Nothing like a business trip to get you back into reading.  I'm over halfway through and this book is really good, a total page turner.  I really go through phases of reading.  Either I'm reading a lot or I'm not reading AT ALL.

ober

  • Ashton Shagger
  • Ass Wipe
  • Posts: 14305
  • Karma: +73/-790
  • mini-ober is taking over
    • Windy Hill Web Solutions
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #193 on: March 21, 2012, 01:13:06 PM »
I finished the Lost Symbol.  Good book, good twists.  I'd recommend it.

I'm now onto a new series: Incarceron (finished) and the follow-up Sapphique.  Interesting idea, that a prison/world was created to work completely on its own with nothing coming in or going out.  The first book was pretty good but the writing is not so great.  It's confusing, doesn't give you enough 'world' detail so you end up trying to fabricate how the place feels on your own without much help from the author.  It is frustrating at times but the storyline is good enough to stick with it.

Perspective

  • badfish
  • Jackass In Charge
  • Posts: 4635
  • Karma: +64/-22
    • http://jeff.bagu.org
Re: What is ES reading?
« Reply #194 on: March 26, 2012, 11:58:30 AM »
Took a little vacation and managed to read a book, yay!

I read "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", it was a good read. There are some sick rapes, but they serve to really develop some of the characters. The book reads like a modern sherlock holmes, with the mystery slowly unfolding and all of the clues leading your mind in various directions. I'm very curious to see the movie now, I bet they butchered it...