Probably my favorite novel. And, unfortunately, more relevant than ever.
A quote:
If the entire world were to become a police state obsessed with recovering old secrets, then vast resources might be thrown at the problem of factoring large composite numbers.
Excellent book. The first time I started reading it, I couldn't grasp it and stopped after a few pages. But then picked it up again in 2015 and read it in one sitting. It's a wonderful little book. To be honest, I don't think I can sum up how it felt but it was liberating. I remember keeping the book on my chest and getting lost in thoughts about what the purpose of life is. It was really deep, I was on a totally different plane with my thought process. I read it again last year on a flight but couldn't finish it and it didn't evoke the same emotions but it has a very special place in my heart.
Mostly re-read the parts of the book that talk about the 80s (the creation of the PC, DOS, Windows, the PC clones, Microsoft and Intel outsmarting IBM, Microsoft bullying the rest of the industry, etc.).
Well, ditto. I can recommend 'Hard Drive' just by its sheer writing/research quality. Apparently the book came out of a series of articles in "The Seattle Times", back when newspapers employed quality writers/researchers.
It gave me
a) a whole new understanding of the computer hardware/ecosystem I grew up with
b) a re-newed insight into why Gates was a horrible, horrible monopolist who held back software development for the world quite a bit. My best guess is by about 5 years. (And that estimate is actually quite generous towards Mr. Gates.)
I don't think you'd be surprised in the large by anything in 'Gates', though there may be a story here or there that 'Hard Drive' didn't present, and vice versa. I'll make a point to read 'Hard Drive' as well, I find the perspective helpful.
There were several books mentioned in HPMoR that seem like good recommendations. I know for a fact that Feynman's Lectures on Physics is superb. See http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/ for the texts.
It's the 13th book of Terry Pratchett's superb Discworld series, but it's the perfect entry point for anyone who hasn't read any of them because it doesn't require any exterior context, and it's pure Pratchett in his prime.
I honestly can't recommend it, and the rest of the series, highly enough. If you haven't experienced Pratchett's work then I implore you, beg you, to get a copy of this book today.
Oh absolutely! I own at least one copy, and usually multiple copies, of everything Pratchett ever published, ranging from a first edition of The Carpet People through to all of the Discworld Collector's Library hardbacks that have been produced so far, and even all of his collaborative works like The Long Earth series and Good Omens et al.
Collecting Pratchett's books is probably the nearest thing I have to a drug addiction.
I think it doesn't matter a great deal, the plot of each individual book is usually pretty freestanding, so it's a question of whether you want to watch the characters develop chronologically or not.
Some of the Discworld series, like Small Gods, can be read stand alone with out problems, but I think it's a good idea to read the first book of a main character first. Rincewind, the incompetent wizard, starts with the first book in the series, "The Colour of Magic". My favourite, Sam Vimes, is introduced in the book "Guards! Guards!"
Ah, well, this is a bit of a contentious question in the Discworld community, with no clear correct answer.
Discworld has a number of major story arcs which are generally able to be read separately although they often overlap, and so some people prefer to follow one of the many Reading Guides out there to determine which books to read and when.
But a lot of us disagree and say that you should go to the very first book, The Colour of Magic, start there, and read the whole series in order, because it lets you experience Pratchett as he evolves from a pretty good writer into one of the best fantasy authors of all time. Plus you get to experience the Discworld itself evolving, as the Disc is broadly an allegory of Earth in the 1700s / 1800s with many of the same technological progressions.
It's important to note, though, that the first few books in the series can be tough to get through if you don't already have an appreciation for what's coming, and some readers are put off by them, but please, please don't give up, you have no idea what you're missing right now.
God, I envy you so much. If I had three wishes, I would genuinely spend the third one on forgetting the Discworld series just so I could once again experience the joy of reading it for the first time.
We have a winner, folks! I'll order the first book this week and take it from there. I've read quite a bit of sci-fi and I can appreciate good world building, so I won't be giving up that easily. Thanks for the advice.
I would also highly recommend reading The Annotated Pratchett[1], which provides insight into the many fascinating real-world events, objects, people, myths, legends, and more that Pratchett subtly (or not so subtly in some cases) referenced in his work.
Don't get ahead of yourself of course, wait until you've finished reading the entire book before you read its corresponding APF entry so as to avoid spoilers :)
Consider Phlebas is one of the few books I have read more than once. The Culture series is unparalleled. Surface Detail is probably my pick for #1, as Consider Phlebas isn't really set within the Culture proper, so stands in its own category in a sense.
Banks often used conflict as a plot device, but (from memory) only Consider Phlebas and Use of Weapons include much actual warfare.
You could try The Player of Games (my personal favourite) or The Hydrogen Sonata, which has a fairly peaceful storyline. And The State of the Art - a collection of short SF stories - is very good too.
The Audible version of this is excellent, one of my favorite Audible purchases. The narration reminds me of British comedies and sets the right tone for the book.
For those put off by the title, Felix Dennis is/was a billionaire and makes a point of differentiating himself from people becoming wealthy giving advice about how to become wealthy.
He dropped out of high-school and bummed cigarettes and crashed at friends, apparently. He talks about several lessons and how he remained associated with several people who've helped him when he was "nothing". The case of a banker who agreed to open a bank account for him despite being broke out of sympathy/pity.
Dennis likes to write poetry and some of the passages are intense and tear worthy (van Gogh passage). The style is to the point, tells it as it is (He doesn't hesitate to state that his employees are not likely to become wealthy working for him and that he encourages them to fly on their own. He also talks about the less flattering aspects of doing business and says that even between friends, they were on good terms because none of them depended on the venture to survive. He also says never to give shares of your company to anyone and to remain in control).
In his subsequent book, 88, he states that people didn't get that "How to Get Rich" was a cautionary tale about what it takes to become wealthy, which is obvious from many passages in the book. [One of which is when he says he'd rather have stopped at £30 million and wrote poetry while young, instead of pursuing becoming rich at an old age).
It's a worthy read in style and content.
Dennis is buying forests the Government can't take care of in a philanthropic effort to save them.
He kind of trashes Steve Jobs in the book basically predicting Steve's hubris will lead to the downfall of Apple. Quote:
But with Steve Jobs, Apple will always attempt to mould
the universe to fit Steve's vision of Apple, and will pay the price again and again and again
Feels like he wrote this just before the IPhone. Another excerpt:
Without Jobs, Apple could never have risen from obscurity to become a world-class brand. But with Steve Jobs, Apple will always attempt to mould the universe to fit Steve's vision of Apple, and will pay the price again and again and again. 'Lesser' companies and men will filch their ideas, connect,connect, connect, and beat Apple at its own game.
Steve Jobs is not a monster. He is an all-American maverick and a world-class marketing genius. But until a man or woman as powerful as he is arrives at Apple (over his dead body), who is determined to break the cycle he has indulged in for so many years, Apple will remain merely an icon of awe. It
will not become a company of the size that truly could (and
should) 'bury' monsters like IBM.
Not quite Nostradamus there but give him credit for trying.
On my first run through this book and I already want to re-read it again. It has had an amazing effect on helping me re-focus on my work and re-familiarize myself with the value of deep focus / work.
That's a book I reread in sections without ever having read it in its entirety. It's among the books I can open up when I want something to read and be satisfied reading five to thirty pages because any rereading provides a new experience ...that's what makes rereading a good book interesting (or maybe what makes a good book): it is a different book because of how I have changed.
Bill Gates famously said that anyone who finished TAOCP should send him their resume, but to me, anyone who has read and done all the SICP exercises would be a good hire, and it is a far more achievable task.
I had been programming for about 10 years or so when I read it and did all the exercises. It seriously leveled-up my abilities, in my opinion.
Most notably, Blood Meridian. It had probably been more than fifteen years since I last reread it. What was unusual was that as soon as I reread it, I turned around and reread it again.
[edit] Among programming books: How to Design Programs...I've got a print copy. There's a lot of sophistication and relevant experience behind its programming fundamentals content (e.g. tests and documentation before (2002) tests and documentation became the new black).
223 comments
[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 370 ms ] threadhttps://www.amazon.com/People-Over-Profit-Purpose-Successful...
A quote: If the entire world were to become a police state obsessed with recovering old secrets, then vast resources might be thrown at the problem of factoring large composite numbers.
Considering it was written in 1999 still feels very contemporary.
3rd time; learned something knew every time.
https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Drive-Making-Microsoft-Empire/dp...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41611.Hard_Drive
Mostly re-read the parts of the book that talk about the 80s (the creation of the PC, DOS, Windows, the PC clones, Microsoft and Intel outsmarting IBM, Microsoft bullying the rest of the industry, etc.).
It gave me
a) a whole new understanding of the computer hardware/ecosystem I grew up with
b) a re-newed insight into why Gates was a horrible, horrible monopolist who held back software development for the world quite a bit. My best guess is by about 5 years. (And that estimate is actually quite generous towards Mr. Gates.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man's_Search_for_Meaning
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101869.The_Atrocity_Arch...
There are 7 books in the series now, and hopefully I'll finish the re-read not too long before the next one comes out!
How do you continue learning more types of stuff that the book teaches you?
Also, Eliezer Yudkowsky wrote a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25131230-rationality
http://www.hpmorpodcast.com/
No affiliate link: https://www.amazon.com/Clash-Eagles-Trilogy-Book/dp/11018853...
Edit: corrected author's name
https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Network-Perl-Paul-Barry/d...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34484.Small_Gods
It's the 13th book of Terry Pratchett's superb Discworld series, but it's the perfect entry point for anyone who hasn't read any of them because it doesn't require any exterior context, and it's pure Pratchett in his prime.
I honestly can't recommend it, and the rest of the series, highly enough. If you haven't experienced Pratchett's work then I implore you, beg you, to get a copy of this book today.
Collecting Pratchett's books is probably the nearest thing I have to a drug addiction.
I think it doesn't matter a great deal, the plot of each individual book is usually pretty freestanding, so it's a question of whether you want to watch the characters develop chronologically or not.
Discworld has a number of major story arcs which are generally able to be read separately although they often overlap, and so some people prefer to follow one of the many Reading Guides out there to determine which books to read and when.
But a lot of us disagree and say that you should go to the very first book, The Colour of Magic, start there, and read the whole series in order, because it lets you experience Pratchett as he evolves from a pretty good writer into one of the best fantasy authors of all time. Plus you get to experience the Discworld itself evolving, as the Disc is broadly an allegory of Earth in the 1700s / 1800s with many of the same technological progressions.
It's important to note, though, that the first few books in the series can be tough to get through if you don't already have an appreciation for what's coming, and some readers are put off by them, but please, please don't give up, you have no idea what you're missing right now.
God, I envy you so much. If I had three wishes, I would genuinely spend the third one on forgetting the Discworld series just so I could once again experience the joy of reading it for the first time.
I would also highly recommend reading The Annotated Pratchett[1], which provides insight into the many fascinating real-world events, objects, people, myths, legends, and more that Pratchett subtly (or not so subtly in some cases) referenced in his work.
Don't get ahead of yourself of course, wait until you've finished reading the entire book before you read its corresponding APF entry so as to avoid spoilers :)
[1] https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/
I understood a lot more of the jokes this time through, I think I was in Elementary school the last time I read it :)
That moment of realization; d'oh!
Is Phlebas typical of the whole Culture series, or are the other books a different kind of story?
Thank you.
I consider Excession to be the best of the lot.
You could try The Player of Games (my personal favourite) or The Hydrogen Sonata, which has a fairly peaceful storyline. And The State of the Art - a collection of short SF stories - is very good too.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Greatest-Entrepreneurs/d...
In the UK: http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Business/How-to-Get-Rich-Audiobo...
He dropped out of high-school and bummed cigarettes and crashed at friends, apparently. He talks about several lessons and how he remained associated with several people who've helped him when he was "nothing". The case of a banker who agreed to open a bank account for him despite being broke out of sympathy/pity.
Dennis likes to write poetry and some of the passages are intense and tear worthy (van Gogh passage). The style is to the point, tells it as it is (He doesn't hesitate to state that his employees are not likely to become wealthy working for him and that he encourages them to fly on their own. He also talks about the less flattering aspects of doing business and says that even between friends, they were on good terms because none of them depended on the venture to survive. He also says never to give shares of your company to anyone and to remain in control).
In his subsequent book, 88, he states that people didn't get that "How to Get Rich" was a cautionary tale about what it takes to become wealthy, which is obvious from many passages in the book. [One of which is when he says he'd rather have stopped at £30 million and wrote poetry while young, instead of pursuing becoming rich at an old age).
It's a worthy read in style and content.
Dennis is buying forests the Government can't take care of in a philanthropic effort to save them.
This interview gives a flavor of the style:
http://www.inc.com/articles/2008/07/dennis.html
But with Steve Jobs, Apple will always attempt to mould the universe to fit Steve's vision of Apple, and will pay the price again and again and again
Feels like he wrote this just before the IPhone. Another excerpt:
Without Jobs, Apple could never have risen from obscurity to become a world-class brand. But with Steve Jobs, Apple will always attempt to mould the universe to fit Steve's vision of Apple, and will pay the price again and again and again. 'Lesser' companies and men will filch their ideas, connect,connect, connect, and beat Apple at its own game. Steve Jobs is not a monster. He is an all-American maverick and a world-class marketing genius. But until a man or woman as powerful as he is arrives at Apple (over his dead body), who is determined to break the cycle he has indulged in for so many years, Apple will remain merely an icon of awe. It will not become a company of the size that truly could (and should) 'bury' monsters like IBM.
Not quite Nostradamus there but give him credit for trying.
Eye opening reading for everyone who works in IT, science or any industry that requires long chunks of deep attention.
Great book - highly recommend it.
I love it. It's about doing the impossible, one step at a time
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorverse#Honor_Harrington_se...
https://www.amazon.com/Schiit-Happened-Worlds-Improbable-Sta...
Goldmine of information about practical things you have to deal with when starting HW startup.
All the content of the book + extra chapters are available in forum format and you can read it here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/701900/schiit-happened-the-story-of...
I had been programming for about 10 years or so when I read it and did all the exercises. It seriously leveled-up my abilities, in my opinion.
[edit] Among programming books: How to Design Programs...I've got a print copy. There's a lot of sophistication and relevant experience behind its programming fundamentals content (e.g. tests and documentation before (2002) tests and documentation became the new black).