I just re-read "Microserfs" and "Generation X" by Douglas Coupland. I actually read both of these years ago when they first came out. I am amazed at how prescient they were. So many themes and ideas that I had buried away were right there on the printed page. Looking back over the past decade of my own life I can see that even though I wasn't aware of it, these books had a profound influence on my dreams/ideas/aspirations.
Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
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Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#42"Daemon" and "Freedom" by Daniel Saurez. Very enjoyable reads, and chock full of not-too-distant futurism. They display an enormous amount of thinking about how social networks and the massively increased availability of data about our lives are changing the ways we interact with each other. Sprinkle in mysteries that play out in both reality and MMORPGs, lots of interesting devices, and a terrifying peek at what a t…
I liked Daemon. A rogue AI story that doesn't depend on strong AI.
This talk by him was interesting (which was how I found out about the book): http://fora.tv/2008/08/08/Daniel_Suarez_Daemon_Bot-Mediated_...
Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#43Pale Fire by Vladimir Nobokov. Superb meta-literature.
Bloody amazing book. I just reread it a few weeks ago.
Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#44Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut. I've read a ton of books in my life, but for some reason never took the plunge into Vonnegut. I was utterly awe struck by this book. I think every person has a small list of things that they wish that they had created (well, the ability to create them that is). Breakfast of Champions immediately found its way onto my list. The only problem is that such a book makes me embarrassed to have the audacity to ever put pen to paper (or fingers to M-x as it were). I'll keep trying though.
Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#45"Switch" by Chip and Dan Heath. Website here: http://heathbrothers.com/switch/. I don't tend to go out of my way for self-help type books, which this may or may not be. The authors leverage a lot of research and rhetoric that was already familiar, plus some that was not. It was pleasing to learn some new vocabulary, such as "Fundamental Attribution Error" and "Ego Depletion." Since my kids were born, it has been very apparent that the better a human is at manipulating others, the more likely that human is to survive. But we tend to think of manipulating behavior as having negative connotations. "Switch" is full of stories about effecting change by manipulating behavior. Positive stories. As a parent, I found the reminder to look for positive ways to reinforce desired behavior invaluable. And, personally, I found the notion that behavior is highly attributable to environmental forces something of a relief.
Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
I second this book too although I read several years ago. AND it's relevant in our startup life in a surprising way. I often found myself make much better decision when I'm a bit detached, which is one of 'the' lessons people learned from that accident. So now in our startup, my business partner does all the client/customer/user communication works and I had the precious opportunity to sit back and observe.
Along the theme of "unexpectedly resonant books for startup entrepreneurs", can I submit "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain? (Medium Raw, a 2010 book, was also pretty good --- although probably only if you're into the high-end restaurant scene).
Kitchen Confidential seconded. The account is surprisingly honest and also funny. Lots of tips on how to manage a business, how not to start a venture, now to keep on trying after failure, team interactions etc.
Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#47Reworked by the 37Signals guys.
It fit with what I needed at the time. It gave me some great new ideas and confirmed others I had already been both coming up with on my own and brewing from others around me. I will probably re-read it again soon.
Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#48"The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage" by Clifford Stoll was a great read.
The title gives away the premise of the book, but to think - it was all put into motion because of a $0.75 accounting discrepancy.
Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#49The Alchemist
Heard about it for years, always wrote off as too esoteric but as an entrepreneur it seriously resonated and somehow made it all seem a little more manageable.
Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why
#50"Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices" By Peter Drucker
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887306152
In Japan the book “What if the Female Manager of a High-School Baseball Team read Drucker’s ‘Management’" (By Iwasaki Natsumi) is incredibly popular. So I decided to read the original Drucker book and see for myself. Drucker's historical perspective by itself is interesting enough to warrant checking this book out. Although the advice is more focused on management in large companies, I think it lays a good foundation for those of us lacking MBAs.