Bad Choices

A relatable, interactive, and funny exploration of algorithms, those essential building blocks of computer science—and of everyday life—from the author of the wildly popular Bad Arguments Algorithms—processes that are made up of unambiguous steps and do something useful—make up the very foundations of computer science. But they also inform our choices in approaching everyday tasks, from managing a pile of clothes fresh out of the dryer to deciding what music to listen to. With Bad Choices, Ali Almossawi presents twelve scenes from everyday life that help demonstrate and demystify the fundamental algorithms that drive computer science, bringing these seemingly elusive concepts into the understandable realms of the everyday. Readers will discover how: • Matching socks can teach you about search and hash tables • Planning trips to the store can demonstrate the value of stacks • Deciding what music to listen to shows why link analysis is all-important • Crafting a succinct Tweet draws on ideas from compression • Making your way through a grocery list helps explain priority queues and traversing graphs • And more As you better understand algorithms, you’ll also discover what makes a method faster and more efficient, helping you become a more nimble, creative problem-solver, ready to face new challenges. Bad Choices will open the world of algorithms to all readers, making this a perennial go-to for fans of quirky, accessible science books.

If we are kind people, we care about others, including others who tend to hurt themselves. We all have friends or family members who have potential but squander or even ruin their lives from things like drug abuse, unwise spending decisions, or poor dietary habits. Concern for others often motivates us to endorse laws or private interventions meant to keep people from harming themselves even if that’s what they want to do in the moment. However, it is far from clear that such paternalistic measures are, on net, benign, and they tend to violate an understanding that we should let adults make their own decisions. In this little book, William Glod argues that it’s OK to allow people to make bad choices. It’s OK even if those choices risk causing a lot of harm. Most defenders of paternalism agree that some bad choices are not harmful enough to require laws to stop them. However, Glod goes further. He argues that some people might want – and deserve – the freedom to make truly bad choices because such freedom is the only way they can act responsibly. He also argues that some "bad" choices may not even be bad, even if we can't know with confidence a person's true desires. In addition, the book explores choices that are bad because they might impose high monetary costs on others, arguing that mandatory insurance may be a better solution than eliminating the choice. Finally, it explores the potential pitfalls of paternalistic laws and policies – and how unintended, costly consequences can sabotage the most well-intended plans. Key Features Introduces key concepts for understanding paternalism and freedom of choice for undergraduates and general readers Discusses how many of our preferences are not easily understood by others, and shows how assumptions of what our true preferences can often backfire Explores ways in which people may want the freedom to make mistakes Examines the unintended consequences and associated problems of many paternalistic laws and regulations

"Why Good People Make Bad Choices" takes readers on a journey of self-discovery by way of new insights about the human condition. The text describes how to create integrity and recognize it in others, create peace of mind, transform unwanted behavior or thoughts, and more.

An analysis of how findings in behavioral economics challenge fundamental assumptions of medical ethics, integrating the latest research in both fields. Bioethicists have long argued for rational persuasion to help patients with medical decisions. But the findings of behavioral economics—popularized in Thaler and Sunstein’s Nudge and other books—show that arguments depending on rational thinking are unlikely to be successful and even that the idea of purely rational persuasion may be a fiction. In Good Ethics and Bad Choices, Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby examines how behavioral economics challenges some of the most fundamental tenets of medical ethics. She not only integrates the latest research from both fields but also provides examples of how physicians apply concepts of behavioral economics in practice. Blumenthal-Barby analyzes ethical issues raised by “nudging” patient decision making and argues that the practice can improve patient decisions, prevent harm, and perhaps enhance autonomy. She then offers a more detailed ethical analysis of further questions that arise, including whether nudging amounts to manipulation, to what extent and at what point these techniques should be used, when and how their use would be wrong, and whether transparency about their use is required. She provides a snapshot of nudging “in the weeds,” reporting on practices she observed in clinical settings including psychiatry, pediatric critical care, and oncology. Warning that there is no “single, simple account of the ethics of nudging,” Blumenthal-Barby offers a qualified defense, arguing that a nudge can be justified in part by the extent to which it makes patients better off.

The new laugh-out-loud, deliciously relatable story of female friendship from the bestselling author of HOT MESS 'So VERY funny' Marian Keyes 'Furiously, fiercely funny, warm and uplifting' Daisy Buchanan 'Warm, nostalgic and laugh-out-loud funny' Beth O'Leary 'Ferociously funny' RED Magazine 'Heartwarming, heart-shattering and hilarious' Isy Suttie *** Two friends. Two decades. One big mistake... Nat and Zoe have always shared everything. Hopeless crushes, emergency tampons, messy sex stories, work triumphs, those days where you can't stop crying in the loos, those days where you can't stop dancing on the bar. They even share the same birthday, FFS. The struggle is real, but they'll always have each other. Except best friends forever is a hard promise to keep... Eye-wateringly hilarious, tender and true, this a story about growing up, falling apart, and the friendships that hold us together. *** Praise for Bad Choices: 'Brutally funny, painfully accurate, unfailingly warm and wise' Lauren Bravo 'Genius...I loved it' Lindsey Kelk 'Funny, sad, moving, joyous... One Day for people who make their friends the priority' Caroline Hulse 'Outrageously good' Helly Acton 'Utterly hilarious, moving, relatable and full of nostalgia and heart. Perfection' Lia Louis 'Full of heart, nostalgia and classic Lucy Vine comedy' Olivia Beirne 'A laugh-out-loud read about growing up, falling apart and the special bond that is female friendship' CLOSER 'Deliciously entertaining' Sara Ella Ozbek 'Lucy at her most divine' Hannah Doyle 'Hilarious and extremely relatable' Anna Bell 'Lucy never fails to make me laugh out loud' Paige Toon

Globally, our food system contributes to resource and habitat depletion, climate change, pollution, social injustice, economic hardship for small and medium farmers, and a public health crisis. The environmental, social, and public health costs of this current system are not properly acknowledged. Agriculture is the leading user of land and water, and a significant contributor to greenhouse gases, while farmers and agricultural and food workers are struggling to make a living. Diet is implicated in one in five deaths worldwide and diet-related illnesses are the leading cause of deaths in the US. Unhealthy diets occur across all countries and all income levels. Despite this, we are told it is the consumers’ fault. Putting the blame on individuals deflects attention from the policies that created the problems in the first place. With a focus on US policies, this book examines how our global food system has given us bad choices.

A choice is just the first step of your future course. In some cases we even take that step with our eyes closed. Ever feel like you need a road map for your life? Imagine how your students must feel when not only do they need a map, they've also never been taught how to read a map! This session will take your students on a journey through the adventure of decision-making. It is designed to break down the common situations that children and teens alike find themselves in when facing choices.

In her best-seller, 10 Bad Choices That Ruin Black Women's Lives, relationship expert Dr. Grace Cornish has written a lively, provocative guide for black women everywhere who want to shed the duds and find the studs who will treat them with respect. According to Dr. Cornish, six out of every ten black women are either in bad relationships, share a man, or are celibate. The problem is not the women themselves, she explains, but the bad choices they keep making. In this frank and refreshing book, Dr. Cornish speaks to unique aspects of the African-American female psyche by targeting ten of the most common and foolish choices black women make in their lives regarding men, and how they can correct these problems. Relying on case studies, interviews, and the letters she has received, Dr. Cornish gets to the heart of the matter by illuminating why black women, no matter how smart, savvy, and successful, continue to lose at the dating game, and how they can face, erase, and replace the problems that have kept them from finding true love.