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Noise Preview

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by noted authors Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass Sunstein. This upcoming release certainly reminds me that I first read Daniel’s Thinking, Fast and Slow six years ago. This Noise preview is certainly a book everyone should read. I have found many references to Daniel’s work across a series of books that I have been reading over the last couple of years. I attribute the same embrace of Cass’ deeply insightful book Nudge, which I re-read just last year. Above all, they make a powerful 1-2 punch in Behavioral Science.

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass R. Sunstein

Noise looks to be just as compelling as the following premise: Consider two doctors in the same city giving the same patients different diagnoses. Additionally, consider two judges working in the same courthouse giving different sentences to people for the same crime. In addition, consider the impact of different food inspectors providing different ratings to indistinguishable restaurants.
In contrast, consider that the same doctor, the same judge, the same inspector, makes different decisions in the morning versus the late afternoon, or decisions made on Mondays versus Wednesdays. Following these examples of ‘noise’ the authors will reveal, a variability in judgments that should be identical.

I am very much looking forward to learning how noise makes impactful contributions to errors in literally all fields. Obviously ‘noise’ is located wherever people make decisions. Yet it appears most if not all of us are somewhat oblivious to the role of chance in our decisions. I certainly cannot wait to read this book!

2021 DLD Conference | Book Talk: Noise – A Flaw in Human Judgment

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Education Reading

Latest Read: The Last American Hero

The Last American Hero: The Remarkable Life of John Glenn by Alice George. What can you say to a boy growing up in Ohio during the 1970s about astronaut John Glenn? Back then the word ‘hero’ was simply enough.

The Last American Hero: The Remarkable Life of John Glenn

I can recall in grade school learning about John Glenn becoming the first American astronaut to circle the globe. The country was locked into a space race with the Soviet Union.

Recalling Neil Armstrong, another Ohio boy growing up just 80 miles south of my hometown would land on the moon. Glenn and Armstrong proved to me growing up in Ohio you could change the world.

The early life of John Glenn is interesting. His roots providing him with support and curiosity that served him well in life.

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Education Milwaukee Reading

Latest Read: When Pride Still Mattered

When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss. The writing talent of David Maraniss has aged very well over the last twenty years. This is a very amazing story of Lombardi’s life surrounding coaching and leadership. Yet, Vince’s complex life will certainly surprise new readers today.

When Pride Still Mattered : A Life Of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss

David tells a hard truth. It is striking to learn that Vince was distant to his wife and children. Today no NFL coach could get away with repeated public “Shut up Marie!” derogatory statements to his wife. Good grief I did not see that coming. Yet distant relationships with his son and daughter are also a surprise when Vince was so dedicated to his players.

David traces Vince’s life from birth to death. His early years will impress many football fans especially playing New York City high schools games against Sid Luckman. Vince was also attending college with Wellington Mara, another interesting element for fans of the game. At the same time his college life crisscrossed meetings with Frank Sinatra.

The writing throughout this book is powerful and extremely detailed. Maybe to a fault. Lombardi attended a catholic mass daily. His faith is a key element of Lombardi’s life. Author Terry Tibbetts writing A Spartan Game The Life and Loss of Don Holleder acknowledges Lombardi kept in his bible the prayer card for Don Holleder. A junior All-American coached by Lombardi at West Point, Major Holleder died during the Battle of Ong Thanh.

Similarly Lombardi kept prayer cards for two West Point quarterbacks killed during the Korean War. Most assuredly, Lombardi never forgot their sacrifices. There is much to Lombardi’s complex life and David Maraniss captures it all perfectly. Growing up in Ohio, the status of “Saint Lombardi” did not resonate for me. Only after 1997 was his lasting impact first recognized across the Wisconsin press and NFL media publications.

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Education Reading

HBO’s Chernobyl

In 2019 HBO released Chernobyl, a five part mini series addressing the nuclear disaster, cover-up, and the immediate impact on citizens living in the adjacent town of Pripyat. Today the series is available on HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.

Surprisingly this series gained widespread critical acclaim. Receiving 19 nominations, Chernobyl won Emmy awards for Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Directing, and Outstanding Writing. At the same time the series won Golden Globe awards for Best Miniseries or Television Film. In addition, actor Stellan Skarsgård won Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film. Likewise, Jared Harris won Best Actor at the British Academy Awards.

This is certainly a powerful series. This event, over 30 years ago has faded from our memory. Occurring prior to the internet, webpages, and social media Chernobyl has moved it to the background of history. Perhaps the best selling point for watching.

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Education Reading

Latest Read: Voices from Chernobyl

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich is a truly moving work. Svetlana most deservingly won the 2015 Nobel Prize and her work on the lives impacted by the Chernobyl accident is a deeply moving read.

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster

My previous reads, especially Chernobyl 01:23:40 and Midnight in Chernobyl acknowledge Svetlana’s powerful work.

I certainly wish one could read Voices from Chernobyl and not be affected by the horrors of the world’s worst nuclear accident. However her powerful writing makes this all but impossible.

This book’s storytelling also justifies her Nobel award. The interviews of innocent citizens certainly reminds me of reading The Pentagon Papers. The horrors so demoralizing I had to stop reading such horrific details of war for almost one month. That same impact begins especially within the opening chapters.

Svetlana begins the reader’s nightmare journey with Fireman Vasily Ignatenko and his wife Lyudmilla. The horrors of acute radiation poising above all, does not discriminate. Thus all those innocent firemen worked for over an hour trying to extinguish the exposed nuclear core fires.

Vasily is a proud, strikingly handsome young firefighter. His unit was the first to arrive at reactor number 4, and they all walked right into the exposed core without protective gear. With an exposed core radiation level at 30,000 roentgen per hour Vasily and his fellow firefighters unknowingly found themselves exposed to 5,600 years worth of radiation in just 48 seconds.

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