Apr 1, 2008
I think that April Fool’s Day is an appropriate time to post a word or two about Todd Robbins’ last book “The Modern Con Man.” The author narrates the astounding audacity of George Parker as he ripped off countless numbers of residents and tourists - “selling” them city landmarks over and over again.
In fact, Parker was one of the most notorious con men in U.S history. He sold the Brooklyn Bridge, twice a week for years, convincing his “prospects” that they could become rich by charging a fee to access the roadway.
“Whether it’s winning $50 on a bar bet, scoring seats closer to the fifty-yard line, or finagling a free meal, The Modern Con Man ensures that aspiring low-risk grifters will always come out on top. Filled with humorous facts and tables, a glossary of con terms, illustrations, the history of the con, and easy-to-follow swindles, this is the perfect gift for the hidden flim-flam artist in your life.” link
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Mar 20, 2008
After Neil Gaiman’s novel, American Gods, Harper Collins continue its expriment. It has released the full text of Double or Nothing. You can read it for free online. It’s the story of how two friends risked it all to buy one of Las Vegas’ legendary casino.
“If Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn had come of age at the end of the 20th century looking for an all-American adventure, they probably would’ve headed for Vegas.
They’d have been hard-pressed to go on a wilder ride than the one taken by Tom Breitling and Tim Poster to the top of the famed Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino.
Call them the Odds Couple.
Breitling is the kid who lives next door if you grow up in Burnsville, Minnesota. He never saw a hundred dollar bill or The Godfather until he went to college.
Poster comes from a family of oddsmakers who reach for the Doritos on football Sundays and scream for the point spread. He was whistling Sinatra and booking games at his Las Vegas high school.
Their unlikely friendship began in college over an $8 veal parmigiana sandwich that led to a partnership in a hotel reservation business. Starting with a desk, a chair, a pillow, and a telephone, Tim and Tom grew a company that they sold during the dot.com boom for $105 million. This allows Tim to pursue his childhood dream of owning a casino and bringing back the glory days of Vegas.”
Link to the online book
via boingboing
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Mar 10, 2008
Vancouver fans of coffee-flavoured hot milk will find in the book entitled Starbucked , Taylor Clark story on how Starbucks spread across the world like some kind wood-panelled baby boomer friendly virus.
The book reveals interesting anecdotes such as the one of the woman ordering “decaf single grande extra vanilla 2 percent extra caramel 185-degree with whipped cream caramel macchiato.” According to the Starbucks Gossip Web site, a Seattle woman orders this drink every day at the height of the morning rush.
The Guardian book reviewer Steven Pooles says:
“Critics ascribe to it a policy of strangling independents by opening about 50 new coffeeshops all around them; but it did at least try this trick out on itself first, building its second outlet, in 1991, 15 yards away from the first one. Clark reports interestingly, too, on the cult-like company ethos, flowing downwards from its founder, Howard Schultz. In between insisting that Starbucks is all about “community” and “humanity”, Schultz likes to claim that he served the first ever latte in America, which might be news to generations of Italian-American cafe owners before him.” [The Guardian]
Technorati Tags: Starbucks
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Feb 29, 2008
The Lucifer Effect is a new book authored by Philip G. Zimbardo that summarizes more than 30 years of research on factors that can create a “perfect storm” which leads good people to engage in evil actions. Zimbardo is an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He is known for his Stanford prison experiment and his authorship of introductory psychology textbooks for college students.
In the The Lucifer Effect, the very lively 75 years old psychologist explains how Good People Turn Evil by providing, among other things a detailed chronology of the transformations in character that took place during the famous Stanford prison experiment.
« The Lucifer Effect raises a fundamental question about the nature of human nature: How is it possible for ordinary, average, even good people to become perpetrators of evil? In trying to understand unusual, weird or aberrant behavior, we often err in focusing exclusively on the inner determinants of genes, personality and character, as we also tend to ignore what may be the critical catalyst for behavior change in the external Situation or in the System that creates and maintains such situations. »
7 Social Processes That Grease the Slippery Slope of Evil. (according to Zimbardo)
- Mindlessly Taking the First Small Step.
- Dehumanizing of Others.
- De- individuation of Personal Responsibility.
- Blind Obedience to Authority.
- Uncritical Conformity to Group Norms.
- Passive Tolerance of Evil Through Inaction, or Indifference.
Technorati Tags: The Lucifer Effect, Stanford prison experiments
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online for free reading as an experiment to see free digital copies sell more print books.
