Paul Watzlawick (1921–2007)

An early introduction to communications theory. Part one was by far the most interesting/valuable section of the book, with the basic outline of communication theory laid out pretty clearly. Part two, on disinformation, showed it's age rather badly, but was still useful for historical contexts. He left the rails entirely in part three, communication with animals and aliens. A worthwhile read, I suppose, but one I shan't be in a hurry to repeat.

Eines meiner Lieblingsbücher, welche ich jedes Jahr lese. (Mit 130 Seiten auch wirklich zu schaffen). Es ist witzig, lehrreich, kurzweilig und interessant. Besonders die Geschichte mit dem "Mann mit dem Hammer" war für eine seltene Gelegenheit, bei der mir ein Buch die Augen geöffnet hat. Jedem zu empfehlen, der Ironie zu schätzen weiß und ab und zu mal einen Tritt braucht, um sich von den eigenen Verhaltensmustern zu befreien.

Very true, very funny, and should you prefer NOT to be unhappy, you could always try to avoid the thought patterns Watzlawick describes.

This is another one of my all time favorites. Watzlawick uses espionage,communication with extraterrestrials and much, much more to illustrate how we construct "reality" in our minds.It definitely helps to keep some of these insights in mind the next time you encounter somebody who seems to live on another planet.
A fascinating eye opening read!