I’m currently reading a book that was recommended to me by a friend (and then, coincidentally, by a colleague several days after I’d bought the book!), the book deals with so called Black Swans, or highly improbable events, and their impact upon us. Unsurprisingly it’s called The Black Swan and is written by a chap called Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I’ve not finished reading it yet, but I recommend it to you nonetheless.

In fact, this book is quite timely given the current global financial state, and Taleb even points out the dangers a number of times, take this quote for example:

The government-sponsored institution Fannie Mae, when I look at its risks, seems to be sitting on a barrel of dynamite, vulnerable to the slightest hiccup. (Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, April 2007)

Whoops!

Potential spoilers below

Synopsis, from Amazon (UK):

“Suicide bombers are easy to spot. They give out all kinds of tell-tale signs. Mostly because they’re nervous. By definition they’re all first-timers. Riding the subway in New York at two o’clock in the morning, Reacher knows the twelve giveaway signs to look out for. Watching one of his fellow-passengers, he becomes sharply aware: one by one, she ticks off every bulletpoint on his list. So begins the new heartstopping new thriller starring today’s most admired action hero, the gallant and enigmatic loner Jack Reacher.”

I’ve been at home for the long weekend, and the kick-ass light in my parents house kind of inspired me to be a bit more creative than usual…