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The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
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Average Rating:  out of 60 Reviews
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Price: $24.95
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Sale: $14.20
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Manufacturer: Pantheon
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780375424045
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Hardcover
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Author: Leonard Mlodinow
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Publisher: Pantheon
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Dewey Decimal Number: 519.2
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Publication Date: 2008-05-13
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Reading Level: 272
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Description: Amazon Guest Review: Stephen Hawking
Published in 1988, Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time became perhaps one of the unlikeliest bestsellers in history: a not-so-dumbed-down exploration of physics and the universe that occupied the London Sunday Times bestseller list for 237 weeks. Later successes include 1995’s A Briefer History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, and God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs that Changed History. Stephen Hawking is Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.  In The Drunkard’s Walk Leonard Mlodinow provides readers with a wonderfully readable guide to how the mathematical laws of randomness affect our lives. With insight he shows how the hallmarks of chance are apparent in the course of events all around us. The understanding of randomness has brought about profound changes in the way we view our surroundings, and our universe. I am pleased that Leonard has skillfully explained this important branch of mathematics. --Stephen Hawking
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: An excellent read |
Date: 2008-12-22 |
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Details: Mlodinow puts concepts of mathematical randomness in terms that anyone can understand, and makes a lot of interesting points. One of my favorites is that in string of 100 million truly random coin tosses, there will be at least 10 non-overlapping runs of all heads or all tails. What this tells us is that if one considers the jillions of events that happen to each of us in a lifetime, at some point there will be a string of events that all seem to "go your way" or the opposite. But this is the result of pure randomness - not "good luck" or prayer or whatever.
Another interesting concept is that of coaches or teachers who admonish their charges when they do poorly and reward them when they do well, citing the improved results of the former action and concerning themselves with the reduction of prowess in the latter. Mlodinow points out that a team or a pilot or whatever will have an average performance, but will naturally have games or tests that will result in above- or below- average results. If a given result is above average, then odds are the next time it will fall back to the norm. If the result is below average (a player's bad performance, a lost game) then odds are the next time he will do better - whether or not the coach yells.
In all, some fascinating stuff in this book about everyday life situations and how our all-too-human minds do not have the makeup to recognize the inherent randomness of it all. |
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Review Summary: Unexpected and not so random pleasure |
Date: 2008-12-21 |
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Details: Leonard Mlodinow is a person of vibrant intelligence. He is also an excellent story teller. The combination makes truly an excellent book. A reader with knowledge of randomness approaching zero may find this book illuminating, certainly engaging. The text is sparkled with humor, anecdotes, the author's knowledge and passion is almost palpable.
I only wish that the author extends his work into more modern and complex aspects of that field. So, Leonard Mlodinov, will we hear from you again? The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives |
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Review Summary: Great Read |
Date: 2008-12-11 |
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Details: I hated probability and statistics in college, but this book is still an enjoyable read. There are a lot of references to situations that are commonly experienced by the every day person. Granted, this is probably more suited to the educated person who has recognized and pondered some of these ideas previously, but maybe other people will find some of the explainations insightful if not amazing. |
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Review Summary: Amazed at the ratings for this book |
Date: 2008-12-08 |
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Details: I am amazed at the high reviews on this book. Not only does the author not really discuss what he says he sets out to do, he woefully falls short of real world examples and he seemingly contradicts himself.
If you are looking for a book on the history of probabilities and statistics, this may be up your alley; however, the title and summary strongly implies how our intuition and lack of experience provides us with false information. The author does touch on this, but falls way short, instead providing us with the historical events leading up to discoveries in probabilities and statistics.
Even when the author does provide examples, they are very irrelevant (the chance that a girl is named Florida (just try not to think of 'Good Times')?). Further, there is no discussion of chaos theory with not enough discussion of the Butterfly Effect.
I will be the first to admit that I am not a statistician or probability expert, but when the thesis is that randomness rules our lives and then we are informed that most of us fall within the bell curve, that seems to me that randomness really plays a backseat to what typically happens.
Even his discussion of sports falls way short. The author uses only baseball to discuss randomness, which is truly the most random game and difficult to win in a short series (which is why the better football and basketball teams usually win, but this is not discussed). Though his discussion of the uselessness of CEOs is interesting, the maxim still holds true in sports that you have to change something and you can't fire a 12- 25- or 55-person team, so you have to fire the coach.
The writing is also leaden, the jokes fall way flat, and the end of the book is a huge letdown (you are stuck with the randomness of the world). And even though this may have some truth to it, people make their own luck by at least putting themselves in a situation to succeed.
For a better discussion of mathematics, statistics and probability, you'll be better served with something by Gladwell or 'Freakonomics.' |
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Review Summary: 6 Stars |
Date: 2008-12-01 |
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Details: Nutshell review - This is a really great book - one of my favourites. Mlodinow writes an intelligent and elegant book on how random events in our lives play a much larger role than what we usually give credit to. Random events account for more than our innate ability and skills and we should be thankful for those random events that have a positive impact on our lives. This is an excellent book written in a very accessible style. 6 stars. |
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