121–130 of 184 posts
Books about Richard Feynman, or essays, etc. by him. "Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman!" in particular. I guess, this is unfair, as eventually he did get into software/hardware, but....
I don't get it, am I the only hacker that ever has problems with relationships? I've done more than my fair share of stumbling (including one divorce) and at the age of 32 only now do I feel like I am "getting it". Nonetheless, I'd recommend the book _Conscious Loving_ by Gay and Kaithlyn Hendricks. Instead of the superficialities preached by the Venus books, etc they get to the heart of the matter by having us exami…
The Mystery Method by Mystery - About half is a real down-to-the bits theory of love and attraction. The other half is advice about how to pick up dates at bars. I only wanted the first part, but both are fascinating. After reading this, it's like the veil was lifted and I could see the fnords.
The Game by Neil Strauss - The story of field research into practical romance by a great writer and a peek at the author of the first book above. The author masters seductive romance and discovers that it is not the same as love. In the end, though, he needed the first to have a chance at the second.
Once you accept that love and romance are hard and not free, these two books are a start at finding and building a quality relationship. Of course, you'll have to ignore that they market themselves as manuals on how to avoid one.
Richard Dawkins' "Selfish Gene" and "God Delusion" are excellent reads.
There are a number of problems with the God Delusion. The attitude its abhorrent, some of the arguments are bad, and its too long. Not worth it, IMO. There must be better pro-atheism books out there.
Pale Fire, by Nabokov. A story of insane obsession, which I'm sure many HN readers could relate to...
Pale Fire, by Nabokov. A story of insane obsession, which I'm sure many HN readers could relate to...
Ficciones, by Borges Very imaginative short stories bordering on the philosophical, some of them hilarious.
Borges constantly wove themes of what is too much knowledge, how are we ensnared and consumed by it, and ultimately how are beauty & wonder itself contained in that paradoxical process from which all things flow.
I just finished and enjoyed: The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein The four pillars consisting of investment theory, history, psychology and business. I ascribe to the indexing model of investing and this book helped crystallize my view point as well as provide an interesting overview of investment history. Plus I'll throw in one of my favorite, bloody gems of a book: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
The Road was also another excellent book by Cormac McCarthy. I'm not sure about his other books but this one was a really easy read.
No Country For Old Men is more accessible and I'd definitely recommend it. The Road is also a must.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
This is not a good source of information. The author repudiates the key themes in the sequel.
However, I think the Chautauqua theme is enlightening. For me, the book was a "mind-shaper", if you'll allow me such a term. It didn't convince me, but what it taught me was tangential to what the book was actually saying.
I guess another way of saying it is that, for me, the journey taught me something very valuable, whereas the destination was a bit silly.
Books about Richard Feynman, or essays, etc. by him. "Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman!" in particular. I guess, this is unfair, as eventually he did get into software/hardware, but....