My Favorite Books of 2016 • Hacker News Board

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#21

Post by samsolomon » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:02 AM UTC

bduerst wrote: post #18

Side topic: Does anyone know any good podcasts that fit his genre of “Podcasts About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating"?

99 Percent Invisible sounds like exactly what you're looking for. Most of the episodes are related to architecture or design.

http://99percentinvisible.org/episodes/

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#22

Post by jayess » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:03 AM UTC

ggregoire wrote: post #7

The content of the blog seems blocked by uBlock Origin. (More precisely: the scripts from gatesnotes.com, and the content is loaded in JS)

Same here. I see the picture of him but no text.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#23

Post by Kazooie » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:03 AM UTC

bduerst wrote: post #18

Side topic: Does anyone know any good podcasts that fit his genre of “Podcasts About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating"?

I only listened to the first few, but that is exactly the premise of Surprisingly Awesome: https://gimletmedia.com/surprisingly-awesome/

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#24

Post by donum » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:04 AM UTC

bduerst wrote: post #18

Side topic: Does anyone know any good podcasts that fit his genre of “Podcasts About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating"?

Chaos Radio Express (https://cre.fm/)

It's german though.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#25

Post by Rebelgecko » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:04 AM UTC

bduerst wrote: post #18

Side topic: Does anyone know any good podcasts that fit his genre of “Podcasts About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating"?

Check out 99% Invisible

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#26

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:06 AM UTC

melvinmt wrote: post #17

ggregoire wrote: post #7

The content of the blog seems blocked by uBlock Origin. (More precisely: the scripts from gatesnotes.com, and the content is loaded in JS)

"My extension that blocks website content seems to block website content…" That's how I interpret complaints by adblock users.

[deleted]

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#27

Post by Cyph0n » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:10 AM UTC

knz wrote: post #3

"Honorable mention: The Grid, by Gretchen Bakke. This book, about our aging electrical grid, fits in one of my favorite genres: “Books About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating.” " The author of this book was on NPR/Fresh Air in August. It was a great listen/read if you are interested in the subject. http://www.npr.org/2016/08/22/490932307/aging-and-unstable-t... I heard it a couple of days after a weather re…

I think the word "mundane" is out of place.

Whoever isn't fascinated by the modern power grid is slightly dead inside. The same applies to a ton of other "mundane" things, like road and rail networks, sewage systems, garbage disposal and recycling, and so on.

I think a better term would be "rarely noticed".

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#28

Post by SystemOut » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:10 AM UTC

kirk211 wrote: post #4

Here is my list: - Endurance: The story about an expedition to Antartica... gone wrong ( http://amzn.to/2g26L5i ) - Crucial conversations: Learn how to argue with people without starting fights. Allowed me to look at the situation more objectively ( http://amzn.to/2h8w4yN ) - Making of the atomic bomb ( http://amzn.to/2gJF6VU ) - Relentless: the personal coach of Michael Jordan talks about how you can become a cleane…

Huge recommendation for Endurance. I could hardly put that book down. It was a shame that the author died before it became popular finally. A cruel twist of fate due to when the book was released.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#29

Post by rubicon33 » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:15 AM UTC

I wonder, did he read this much when he was founding Microsoft? I ask because, as someone who would love to read, I feel like I never have the time. And strangely, I feel morally guilty for prioritizing other things like career growth etc.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#30

Post by arjunnarayan » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 12:18 AM UTC

rubicon33 wrote: post #29

I wonder, did he read this much when he was founding Microsoft? I ask because, as someone who would love to read, I feel like I never have the time. And strangely, I feel morally guilty for prioritizing other things like career growth etc.

You might want to read General Mattis on being too busy to read from when he was in the Marines: http://www.strifeblog.org/2013/05/07/with-rifle-and-bibliogr...