What are you reading tonight?

Harry Genshaw · **Posted:** Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:57 pm

Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:

WSC have released some cracking books - Tor! is a very readable history of the German game.

Great shout. Another good footy book is Pete Davies' All Played Out about the 1990 world cup and the English press in particular.

At the moment I'm reading 'After the Reich' - by Giles McDonagh. Germany at the end of the 2nd World War is a fascinating subject imo and theres a whole raft of recently translated books coming across from Germany at the moment.

Dujon · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:31 am

enfieldwhite wrote:

Oh and TD? You're only the fourth person I know to have read the Thomas Covenant Chronicles. Have you started on the third trilogy yet?

You can add a fifth, enfield. I've read the two triliogies (I didn't know there was a third) plus the small (yes small!) Gilden-Fire which recounts the doings of Korik Bloodguard and his cohorts after they split from Covenant to head for Seareach (The Illearth War).

I find Donaldson so bloody frustrating with his constant introspection of dear Thomas but I couldn't help but follow him through his trials. Maybe I'm a latent masochist. The collection is still on my bookshelves (sans Lord Foul's Bane and The Illearth War, which I lent to a member of my staff who subsequently resigned due to illness and didn't return them) and have read them all twice. I must check out some second hand book shops to see if I can find copies to fill in the blanks.

enfieldwhite · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:51 am

Dujon wrote:

enfieldwhite wrote:

Oh and TD? You're only the fourth person I know to have read the Thomas Covenant Chronicles. Have you started on the third trilogy yet?

You can add a fifth, enfield. I've read the two triliogies (I didn't know there was a third) plus the small (yes small!) Gilden-Fire which recounts the doings of Korik Bloodguard and his cohorts after they split from Covenant to head for Seareach (The Illearth War).

I find Donaldson so bloody frustrating with his constant introspection of dear Thomas but I couldn't help but follow him through his trials. Maybe I'm a latent masochist. The collection is still on my bookshelves (sans Lord Foul's Bane and The Illearth War, which I lent to a member of my staff who subsequently resigned due to illness and didn't return them) and have read them all twice. I must check out some second hand book shops to see if I can find copies to fill in the blanks.

Got the first two in hard back (the second copy signed by the man himself) As I said the third book is due out late '08/ '09

Must look out for Gilden Fire as I haven't read that.

Other Donaldson must reads is the 'Gap' series. Five sci-fi volumes centred around 3 main characters. None of them pleasant. SD likes his anti-heroes it seems. Also The mirror of her dreams is a pretty good read.

David Lee's Hair · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:44 pm

Rubbish sent by recruitment agency's.Why would I want to take a £10k pay cut :conf:

Why email me saying we have a job that will suit me then!!??!! :evil:

I hate them!!! I really really do.

Hiowever on the plus side started reading Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld, only just started really but thus far (and recommendations I've had previously) seems a damn good read

Verbal · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:49 pm

crap about NGOs and how they are funded

f
f
s

Lord Kangana · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:04 pm

On recommendations from here, have borrowed my Sister's copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Have read about 30 pages so far. Quite strange, seems quite good though. I'll let you know.

TANGODANCER · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:12 pm

Lord Kangana wrote:

On recommendations from here, have borrowed my Sister's copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Have read about 30 pages so far. Quite strange, seems quite good though. I'll let you know.

Was it written by Norwich Union claims department? :mrgreen:

WhiteArmy · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:40 pm

Lord Kangana wrote:

On recommendations from here, have borrowed my Sister's copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Have read about 30 pages so far. Quite strange, seems quite good though. I'll let you know.

I read it while on holiday a couple of years ago, a Citeh fan gave it to me to read. Really enjoyed it, he recommended another one but i forgot what it was by the time i got home :whack:

As a p.s. This particular Citeh fan owned the chippy thats right on the opposite corner at the theatre of shite.

Verbal · **Posted:** Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:42 pm

Lord Kangana wrote:

On recommendations from here, have borrowed my Sister's copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Have read about 30 pages so far. Quite strange, seems quite good though. I'll let you know.

As I've said before, quality book. Hope you enjoy it man.

Dujon · **Posted:** Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:03 am

enfieldwhite wrote:

Must look out for Gilden Fire as I haven't read that.

Other Donaldson must reads is the 'Gap' series. Five sci-fi volumes centred around 3 main characters. None of them pleasant. SD likes his anti-heroes it seems. Also The mirror of her dreams is a pretty good read.

If you do, enfield, don't pay too much for it. Whilst my copy is a hardback (the others are all paperbacks) it's less than a hundred pages long, printed in a large font and uses a wide margin format. It is also sprinkled with quite a few full page b&w sketches. Take out the sketches, format it to the paperback standard of the trilogies and I'd be surprised if you finished with more than 25 pages. You have been warned*.

I noticed just the other day that the local library has one (or two) of Donaldson's S.F. books on the shelf. I resisted the temptation (it could be like scratching an itch) but I might have a look if they are still there - just to satisfy my curiosity.

-edit-

*I just had a shufti at my copy. There are 8 illustrations (and they are pretty ordinary at best; page fillers in my opinion). The foreword begins on page 7, the narrative itself on page 15 and ends with one and a half sentences on page 94.

enfieldwhite · **Posted:** Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:08 am

Dujon wrote:

enfieldwhite wrote:

Must look out for Gilden Fire as I haven't read that.

Other Donaldson must reads is the 'Gap' series. Five sci-fi volumes centred around 3 main characters. None of them pleasant. SD likes his anti-heroes it seems. Also The mirror of her dreams is a pretty good read.

If you do, enfield, don't pay too much for it. Whilst my copy is a hardback (the others are all paperbacks) it's less than a hundred pages long, printed in a large font and uses a wide margin format. It is also sprinkled with quite a few full page b&w sketches. Take out the sketches, format it to the paperback standard of the trilogies and I'd be surprised if you finished with more than 25 pages. You have been warned*.

I noticed just the other day that the local library has one (or two) of Donaldson's S.F. books on the shelf. I resisted the temptation (it could be like scratching an itch) but I might have a look if they are still there - just to satisfy my curiosity.

-edit-

*I just had a shufti at my copy. There are 8 illustrations (and they are pretty ordinary at best; page fillers in my opinion). The foreword begins on page 7, the narrative itself on page 15 and ends with one and a half sentences on page 94.

Oooooh can't wait! :wink:

I do recommend the Gap series although be warned, it's more violent than SOTWA's missives! :shock:

Lord Kangana · **Posted:** Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:11 pm

Verbal wrote:

Lord Kangana wrote:

On recommendations from here, have borrowed my Sister's copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Have read about 30 pages so far. Quite strange, seems quite good though. I'll let you know.

As I've said before, quality book. Hope you enjoy it man.

Read it.

Brilliant...

but is it just me, or are some of the probability questions in it, well, questionable? The car and the goats one has me particularly irked..

hisroyalgingerness · **Posted:** Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:15 pm

i've just finished a doctor who book. took me over a month. stop laughing at the back

Bruce Rioja · **Posted:** Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:31 pm

Lord Kangana wrote:

Verbal wrote:

Lord Kangana wrote:

On recommendations from here, have borrowed my Sister's copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Have read about 30 pages so far. Quite strange, seems quite good though. I'll let you know.

As I've said before, quality book. Hope you enjoy it man.

Read it.

Brilliant...

but is it just me, or are some of the probability questions in it, well, questionable? The car and the goats one has me particularly irked..

I've got it on the 'yet to read' shelf where it's been for over a year. Must make more of an effort.

Verbal · **Posted:** Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:57 pm

Lord Kangana wrote:

Verbal wrote:

Lord Kangana wrote:

On recommendations from here, have borrowed my Sister's copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Have read about 30 pages so far. Quite strange, seems quite good though. I'll let you know.

As I've said before, quality book. Hope you enjoy it man.

Read it.

Brilliant...

but is it just me, or are some of the probability questions in it, well, questionable? The car and the goats one has me particularly irked..

As it did me, googled it and saw this... http://www.curiouser.co.uk/monty/montyhall2.htm

its still a bit weird though.

Lord Kangana · **Posted:** Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:29 pm

Verbal wrote:

Lord Kangana wrote:

Verbal wrote:

Lord Kangana wrote:

On recommendations from here, have borrowed my Sister's copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Have read about 30 pages so far. Quite strange, seems quite good though. I'll let you know.

As I've said before, quality book. Hope you enjoy it man.

Read it.

Brilliant...

but is it just me, or are some of the probability questions in it, well, questionable? The car and the goats one has me particularly irked..

As it did me, googled it and saw this... http://www.curiouser.co.uk/monty/montyhall2.htm

its still a bit weird though.

But my argument with it is that once you have revealed one of the goats, you have introduced an element of certainty into an otherwise theoretical probability - therefore the actual (rather than theoretical) probability isn't based on all 3 doors, but only 2. To illustrate my point, imagine if the first door opened was the car. That changes the odds of finding the car behind the other 2, doesn't it?So revealing the goat changes the odds again.

I know I'm getting carried away, but I'm just not satisfied that people aren't just simply in awe of her.

Edit: And Ive played the game, and it only seems to prove my point http://www.curiouser.co.uk/monty/montygame.htm

(I'm getting carried away aren't I :oops:

)

Dujon · **Posted:** Thu May 01, 2008 12:33 am

Look at it this way. The doorkeeper knows where the car is. You pick a door. There is a two to one chance that you got it wrong.

The doorkeeper then opens a door to reveal a goat - which s/he knows is a door to a goat. The chances of your selected door being the correct door is still the original 2:1 against even though you are now aware that the open door is a path to goat land. That's pretty poor odds on a 50/50 bet, so change it. Doing so gives you the reverse odds, i.e. 2:1 in your favour; which is how it works.

Tombwfc · **Posted:** Thu May 01, 2008 1:19 am

When you make your original choice, if you decide to stick, to win the car you have to have chosen the door with the car behind it = A 33% shot. Thats the only way you can win.

When you know one of the doors has a goat behind it, it's 50/50 between the two remaining doors.

But, if you decided to change, to win the car you'd have to have originally chosen a door with a goat behind it, which was 33% more likely at the time you made the choice.

So you're 33% more likely to win having chosen to swap. Atleast, i think so anyway.

jmjhb · **Posted:** Thu May 01, 2008 2:10 am

Journals relating to Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time, very boring

Lord Kangana · **Posted:** Thu May 01, 2008 7:20 am

Dujon wrote:

Look at it this way. The doorkeeper knows where the car is. You pick a door. There is a two to one chance that you got it wrong.

The doorkeeper then opens a door to reveal a goat - which s/he knows is a door to a goat. The chances of your selected door being the correct door is still the original 2:1 against even though you are now aware that the open door is a path to goat land. That's pretty poor odds on a 50/50 bet, so change it. Doing so gives you the reverse odds, i.e. 2:1 in your favour; which is how it works.

Oh, I see how its meant to work, but I played the online game (and didn't let it do the simulation) and you get all kinds of results like 10;1 against off 20 tries and the like. I understand its probability an all that, but I'm a natural cynic when it comes to theory versus practice,

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