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My Favorite Books of 2016

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Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#31

Post by jrowley »

intro-b wrote: post #6
anonbanker wrote: post #2

Another great list from billg. I consider Bill Gates to be a modern eugenicist, and quite possibly one of the most damaging influences on technology, vaccines (I'm pro-vax), and education. But here I am, reading another list of his favorite books of the year. They're always interesting.

can you elaborate on your first point? i've read fringe theories relating modern healthcare philanthropy with a sublimated form of eugenics, but they've all struck me as somewhat polarized and devoid of evidence

I wouldn't call it eugenics, but there certainly are some ethical concerns about Gates funded research in India on cervical cancer. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25101547

The TLDR is that the researchers did not prepare subjects sufficiently before they consented to study, so they did not give informed consent. This most likely has lead to the avoidable death of 254 women.

Disclosure: I'm friends with the author.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#32

Post by WheelsAtLarge »

maxxxxx wrote: post #13
roymurdock wrote: post #5

I really like the way he limits his list to 4 books. Most other thought leaders/influencers/CEOs do lists of 10, 20 "hot topic" books that you know they probably haven't read. I find the volume also diminishes the individual importance of each book on the list. I'll have to pick up String Theory (I love that Bill Gates reads DFW) and The Grid per his recommendations.

Whatever I know Gates is a reading machine. I am sure he has read everything he recommends. When Jon Stewart did the Daily Show I always wondered if he had read guests' books because he had pretty detailed questions.

I suspect he reads some of the books but ultimately that's why he has producers to make sure he looks good. I'm sure he has read many of them and the producers read the books he has not.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#33

Post by Isamu »

maxxxxx wrote: post #13
roymurdock wrote: post #5

I really like the way he limits his list to 4 books. Most other thought leaders/influencers/CEOs do lists of 10, 20 "hot topic" books that you know they probably haven't read. I find the volume also diminishes the individual importance of each book on the list. I'll have to pick up String Theory (I love that Bill Gates reads DFW) and The Grid per his recommendations.

Whatever I know Gates is a reading machine. I am sure he has read everything he recommends. When Jon Stewart did the Daily Show I always wondered if he had read guests' books because he had pretty detailed questions.

Every host of a major show has a staff to help research and put together the show.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#34

Post by jrowley »

jrowley wrote: post #31
intro-b wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

can you elaborate on your first point? i've read fringe theories relating modern healthcare philanthropy with a sublimated form of eugenics, but they've all struck me as somewhat polarized and devoid of evidence

I wouldn't call it eugenics, but there certainly are some ethical concerns about Gates funded research in India on cervical cancer. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25101547 The TLDR is that the researchers did not prepare subjects sufficiently before they consented to study, so they did not give informed consent. This most likely has lead to the avoidable death of 254 women. Disclosure: I'm friends with the a…

More info on this from one his follow up papers:

> If, at any time during the past 15+ years, the 138,624 Indian women in unscreened control groups had been told the simple truth that “even screening women once in a life-time at an appropriate age in low-resource countries may reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by 30%,” these women would have left their control groups and obtained screening on their own. To suggest, as do Sankaranarayanan et al, that Indian women would knowingly consent to be randomly assigned to more death – instead of to more life – is to suggest that Indian women are unimaginably stupid. [0]

0. http://ijme.in/index.php/ijme/article/view/2094/4581

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#35

Post by qwertyuiop924 »

While these all do look like excellent books, none of them really seem to be of particular interest to me.

Except maybe "The Grid". Technical infrastructure is always fascinating and awe-inspiring.

...Which brings me to one of the two books that I reccomend on HN every time the subject comes up, because they're just that good.

Exploding the Phone, a fascinating dive into the world of phone phreaking that really needs more attention. It not only discusses the people and culture of the phreaking scene, but also the technology that drew them to the phone. It really manages to capture a bit of the magic that entranced people of the time: If you're not a little bit in awe of the A4 crossbar switch by the end of it... You should be.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#36

Post by maxxxxx »

kloncks wrote: post #15
maxxxxx wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whatever I know Gates is a reading machine. I am sure he has read everything he recommends. When Jon Stewart did the Daily Show I always wondered if he had read guests' books because he had pretty detailed questions.

This question has been asked a lot. He's impressive in that more often than not, he reads the books cover-to-cover.

Do you know that for sure? He certainly makes that impression.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#37

Post by Uhhrrr »

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.

In one bio ("Hard Drive", maybe?) it mentioned that he'd just go on a boat for a week with a huge stack of books once in a while.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#38

Post by [deleted] »

anonbanker wrote: post #2

Another great list from billg. I consider Bill Gates to be a modern eugenicist, and quite possibly one of the most damaging influences on technology, vaccines (I'm pro-vax), and education. But here I am, reading another list of his favorite books of the year. They're always interesting.

[deleted]

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#39

Post by [deleted] »

mcheshier wrote: post #20
anonbanker wrote: post #2

Another great list from billg. I consider Bill Gates to be a modern eugenicist, and quite possibly one of the most damaging influences on technology, vaccines (I'm pro-vax), and education. But here I am, reading another list of his favorite books of the year. They're always interesting.

Seriously? You're going to have to cite sources on this. His foundation's progress on Malaria alone has saved countless lives around the world. However he earned it, the fortune he amassed is being spent helping those who need it most... in 100 years, he will probably be remembered as one of the greatest philanthropists of all time.

[deleted]

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#40

Post by imron »

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…

The very next sentence was:

> I find this topic fascinating is because my first job, in high school, was writing software for the entity that controls the power grid in the Northwest

I wonder if somewhere in bowels of a northwest utility company there is a machine silently chugging away, running code written by a teenage Bill Gates, helping deliver electricity to the masses.

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