Showing results by author "Gary Smith" in All Categories

We live in an incredible period in history. The computer revolution may be even more life-changing than the Industrial Revolution. We can do things with computers that could never be done before, and computers can do things for us that could never be done before. But our love of computers should not cloud our thinking about their limitations. The AI Delusion explains why we should not be intimidated into thinking that computers are infallible, that data-mining is knowledge discovery, and that black boxes should be trusted.

Freakonomics showed how economic calculations can explain seemingly counterintuitive decision-making. Thinking, Fast and Slow helped listeners identify a host of small cognitive errors that can lead to miscalculations and irrational thought. In What the Luck?, statistician and author Gary Smith sets himself a similar goal, and explains - in clear, understandable, and witty prose - how a statistical understanding of luck can change the way we see just about every aspect of our lives.

In Decade of the Wolf, project leader Douglas W. Smith and acclaimed nature writer Gary Ferguson describe the journey of 31 Canadian gray wolves that were released in 1995 and 1996 into Yellowstone National Park and the people who faithfully followed them. The wolves have not only survived but completely changed the ecosystem, spilling a fresh measure of wildness across the world's first national park.

As Nobel Prize-winning economist Ronald Coase once cynically observed, "If you torture data long enough, it will confess." Lying with statistics is a time-honored con. In Standard Deviations, economics professor Gary Smith walks us through the various tricks and traps that people use to back up their own crackpot theories. Sometimes, the unscrupulous deliberately try to mislead us. Other times, the well-intentioned are blissfully unaware of the mischief they are committing.

The bloody two-day battle of Shiloh changed the course of the American Civil War. The conflagration at Shiloh had its roots in the strong Union advance that resulted in the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee. The offensive collapsed General Albert S. Johnston's advanced line in Kentucky and forced him to withdraw to northern Mississippi. Anxious to attack the enemy, Johnston began concentrating Southern forces at Corinth, a major railroad center just below the Tennessee border.

Daily Strength, a year-long devotional, walks Christian men through Scripture passages that speak to their most pressing issues. Featuring content from the ESV Men's Devotional Bible, each daily devotion features a short summary of a Bible passage with a thought-provoking message from from one of more than forty contributors. Arranged canonically from Genesis to Revelation with short introductions to each Bible book, Daily Strength encourages and enlightens men throughout the year while equipping them for moral and spiritual transformation.

There's no reason your money should be sitting in a bank account. By learning value investing, you can reap the rewards of consistent, reliable gains that can make you a millionaire by the time you retire. Don't just work for your money - put your money to work for you and retire in style.

A swamp warrior who served five tours in Vietnam tells it like it was in Death in the Jungle.

Follow Steelgrave carefully as he uses courage and skill to uncover a murderous scheme of international proportion. Travel down the dark alleyways of intrigue through Italy and the United States. Will there be justice and light at the end of this literary journey, or will the last chapter be Warren's obituary?

Warren Steelgrave cared deeply for her and swears to avenge her death and clear his name. Warren untangles a web of deceit, at first benign, then grown malignant by greed and evil. Professional criminals have become involved with international spies and mafia accomplices. Steelgrave’s sworn vengeance and “willingness” to find justice has put him and his loved ones in grave danger.

Churchill was far from transparent about his religious beliefs and never regularly attended church services as an adult, even considering himself “not a pillar of the church but a buttress”, in the sense that he supported it “from the outside”. But Gary Scott Smith assembles pieces of Churchill’s life and words to convey the profound sense of duty and destiny, partly inspired by his religious convictions, that undergirded his outlook.

This is an audiobook of short stories of everyday human emotional experiences. Stories of profound loss, of great friendships, of growing old with a dog, of going to war, and of course, stories of deep romantic love. I hope the stories encourage the listener to do some introspection on what it means to be human. I believe the poems, like all art, will mean more to some than to others.

The integration of Major League Baseball in 1947 was a triumph. But it was also a fight. As the first Black major leaguer since the 1880s, Jackie Robinson knew he was not going to be welcomed into America’s pastime with open arms. Anticipating hostility, he promised Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey that he would “turn the other cheek” during his first years in the league, despite his fiercely competitive disposition.

Tasked with finding common ground and building friendships between the world's two largest countries and arctic neighbors, a young Canadian diplomat finds himself on his first overseas assignment in Moscow, the Soviet capital. It's the early 1970s and a Cold War between communism and capitalism, the west and the east, is simmering-while the ice rink is just starting to heat up. Smith opts for sports diplomacy, throwing off his embassy black tie dress codes and donning the blue and white sweater of the Moscow Maple Leafs.

Kimberly Johnson is a decorated detective in the Dayton, Nebraska, and a serial killer. She believes most people have unhappy lives because of being domesticated. From our birth, parents, teachers, ministers, and society in whole domesticate us to what they feel is best for us and society. There is no pattern to the killings of an undomesticated. Typical serial killers are somewhere between domesticated and undomesticated; their patterns and signatures allow them to be profiled and caught. Kimberly is undomesticated and therefore has no pattern to her killings.

Some 100,000 soldiers fought in the April 1862 battle of Shiloh, and nearly 20,000 men were killed or wounded; more Americans died on that Tennessee battlefield than had died in all the nation's previous wars combined. In the first book in his new series, Steven E. Woodworth has brought together a group of superb historians to reassess this significant battle and provide in-depth analyses of key aspects of the campaign and its aftermath.

In Purpose Driven Achievement, Gary Smith lays a solid foundation upon which you can build a successful, profitable, and enormously impactful life. Unlike other books, this work is not a one size fits all, but rather a "proven concepts individually applied" collection. It will help anyone live a more fulfilled and successful life.

The son of an Italian crime family goes missing, and Warren Steelgrave is thrust into a terrorist plot that threatens not only America but the life of the woman he still loves. He must broker a deal between the local Mafia boss and the FBI to foil the insidious plan of an extremist cell that has no regard for the lives of innocent people or even for their own lives. Warren is at first perceived by the terrorists as a mere pebble in their path of Jihad, but they soon realize that he too is willing to sacrifice everything to stop them.

In book eight of the award-winning Warren Steelgrave series, Warren is concerned about the growing distance between himself and Cindy O’Brian, the love of his life. Warren decides to go to Italy without her, hoping the separation will benefit them. Once in Italy, the FBI is waiting for him. The FBI is looking for Warren’s good friend, Jack Sullivan. They know Jack is finishing a new book involving stock market manipulation and the death of stockbroker George Daily. Jack has the information the FBI needs and is concerned for his safety. They ask Warren to find him.

Warren Steelgrave has settled into his author's persona among new-found relatives and friends in a small village in Northern Italy. After three years, his possible soulmate and object of romantic memories, Cindy O'Brian comes back into his life. New adventures unfold involving the son of an old friend and the intrigue of the FBI, a crime family, and a long-lost secret for Nicola Tesla's "death ray". Warren is again willing to put his life on the line, but can Cindy accept the realization that the man she loves will always live a life separate even if they are together?