It is currently Sun May 19, 2013 12:09 pm


Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 2591 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:57 pm 
Passionate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:47 pm

Posts: 2674

Location: Half dead in Panama

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.

_________________
"Get your feet off the furniture you Oxbridge tw*t. You're not on a feckin punt now you know"


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:31 am 
Passionate
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 1:37 am

Posts: 3268

Location: Nr. Sydney (Australia)

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.

_________________
It's not a sport unless it's played by sports.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:51 am 
Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2005 10:09 am

Posts: 4067

Location: Enfield.....Duh!

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.

_________________
"You're Gemini, and I don't know which one I like the most!"


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:44 pm 
Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:15 pm

Posts: 4756

Location: Cromwell Country

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


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:49 pm 
Legend
User avatar

Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:11 pm

Posts: 8215

Location: Silly London

crap about NGOs and how they are funded

f
f
s

_________________
"Young people, nowadays, imagine money is everything."

"Yes, and when they grow older they know it."


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:04 pm 
Immortal
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:42 am

Posts: 16327

Location: Vagantes numquam erramus

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.

_________________
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:12 pm 
Immortal
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 9:35 pm

Posts: 33595

Location: Further back than Dr Who.

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:

_________________
Image

Who can explain it, who can tell you why? Fools give you reasons, wise men never try.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:40 pm 
Reliable

Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:47 am

Posts: 654

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.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:42 pm 
Legend
User avatar

Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:11 pm

Posts: 8215

Location: Silly London

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.

_________________
"Young people, nowadays, imagine money is everything."

"Yes, and when they grow older they know it."


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:03 am 
Passionate
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 1:37 am

Posts: 3268

Location: Nr. Sydney (Australia)

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.

_________________
It's not a sport unless it's played by sports.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:08 am 
Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2005 10:09 am

Posts: 4067

Location: Enfield.....Duh!

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:

_________________
"You're Gemini, and I don't know which one I like the most!"


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:11 pm 
Immortal
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:42 am

Posts: 16327

Location: Vagantes numquam erramus

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..

_________________
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:15 pm 
Immortal
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:04 pm

Posts: 14293

i've just finished a doctor who book. took me over a month. stop laughing at the back 8)

_________________
http://www.twitter.com/hisroyalginger


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:31 pm 
Immortal
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 10:19 pm

Posts: 26550

Location: Drifting into the arena of the unwell.

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.

_________________
Ian Ayre, who suggested that the leading clubs should receive a larger slice of the money from overseas TV rights, as the average fan in Kuala Lumpur “isn’t subscribing… to watch Bolton.”


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:57 pm 
Legend
User avatar

Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:11 pm

Posts: 8215

Location: Silly London

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.

_________________
"Young people, nowadays, imagine money is everything."

"Yes, and when they grow older they know it."


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:29 pm 
Immortal
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:42 am

Posts: 16327

Location: Vagantes numquam erramus

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: )

_________________
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu May 01, 2008 12:33 am 
Passionate
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 1:37 am

Posts: 3268

Location: Nr. Sydney (Australia)

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.

_________________
It's not a sport unless it's played by sports.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu May 01, 2008 1:19 am 
Legend

Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:37 pm

Posts: 8368

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.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu May 01, 2008 2:10 am 
Passionate

Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:52 pm

Posts: 2375

Location: Xanadu

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


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu May 01, 2008 7:20 am 
Immortal
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:42 am

Posts: 16327

Location: Vagantes numquam erramus

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,

_________________
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 2591 posts ] 

It is currently Sun May 19, 2013 12:09 pm

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group