Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

YC's Winter Reading List

blog.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 223 posts

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#111

Post by graeme »

protomyth wrote: post #52
haliax wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm about 25% of the way through Strangers. The negative review you've given seems to be a content-free screed: most of what the writer criticizes is fairly innocuous phrasing (e.g. "my Tea Party friends" rather than "my friends"). The only substantive point is the claim that she lumps people into overly broad categories, but honestly, I've yet to see that. Do you have any sources that dislike the book and point out…

I guess if you considered the link I provided a "content-free screed" then I'm not sure what to say. Your example was not a good characterization of the review.

I read the review. Mostly, it seemed to be summarizing the book. Then, as the OP noted, there are a few nitpicks of phrasing.

Would you care to summarize the review?

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#112

Post by protomyth »

CalChris wrote: post #104
protomyth wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You didn't engage the content of the book. You just said you didn't like it because liberals did. That's content free. No, I think its a poor choice when you are trying to tell the story of a people so that you can gain an understanding of them and they don't like or agree with the book, but their opposite number does and sees it as a revelation. Living among the natives to write a book is an old ploy that has been…

Again, that's not engagement. That's judgment and whether you live 'there' matters not a whit. BTW before you can cite confirmation bias you have to engage the material. She did. You didn't.

This is pretty fruitless and really you are just jumping all over. If her going to live some place matters (as you seem to indicated in the comment you made), but my living here doesn't, then I am confused. I view the content of the book with a belief that she didn't look through her subjects eyes and thus failed to live up to an true description of the people. I'm a bit sensitive to that type of thing since I've seen it more than once from another culture I grew up in.

anyway, I'm done with this as I don't have an idea what your definition of "engagement" is and since I'm having flashbacks to running into trouble with the changing meaning of "socialize", I'll go think pleasant thoughts.

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#113

Post by d0m »

ArlenBales wrote: post #49

One genre that is always missing from HNer's and YC's recommendations is Fantasy. It feels like most people here read books to acquire knowledge and philosophy to apply to real life. Most fantasy books are read for entertainment and imagination. There's no hidden message to parse and put toward your next start-up project. That doesn't mean Fantasy books are a waste of time though if they're engrossing and entertainin…

Name of the wind very good! The second book wasn't as good IMHO. Will still buy the third : )

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#114

Post by metaphorm »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #101
metaphorm wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ok, but I think it's a valid opinion to express extreme aversion for Thomas Friedman.

Arguing that the whole list is less credible because Friedman's on it? I mean, it's fine if you want to maintain your own epistemic closure, but expecting everyone else to agree? And even you should read him, if for no other reason to be sure you understand what you're disagreeing with. Then, once you can actually state his position in a way that he would recognize as accurate, then disagree as much as you please.

"epistemic closure" is a phrase that bored philosophy majors use to try and disparage their opponents on political grounds. I should know, I'm a bored philosophy major.

now would you kindly speak to me like a real person?

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#115

Post by SerpentJoe »

redthrowaway wrote: post #47
TillE wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn't both of those publications vigorously oppose Trump? The "conservative intellectual" niche may be the most politically irrelevant group in the country.

>Didn't both of those publications vigorously oppose Trump? Yes. >The "conservative intellectual" niche may be the most politically irrelevant group in the country. Trump won the Presidency, not the Movement. The rest of the GOP, though shell-shocked, has not suddenly ditched conservatism and embraced Trumpism. The vast majority of the GOP members of the House and Senate, and those in state governments, are conservat…

Possibly because they won't be doing it, or at least not going so far as to unconstitutionally refuse to hold hearings on Supreme Court replacements.

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#116

Post by kashyapc »

Pleasantly surprised to see Lee Child mentioned there.

The Enemy (mentioned in the list) is a prequel, though. But it is special in the sense that it is narrated in first person. Special because (no, not a spoiler): Reacher, the protagonist, doesn't say much, but the internal thinking is described in a very attractive way through out (so readers naturally long to hear in first person). The most common thing you read in the books is: "Reacher said nothing". Heck, it's so common that there's even a book written with that phrase as the title; it shadows the author, Lee Child, to investigate what it takes to make the popular character -- http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529959/reacher-said-...

FWIW, other books from the author I enjoyed and recommend: Echo Burning, Die Trying, Tripwire, Persuader. (/me fondly recalls reading 17+ books (even saving money as a student 10 years ago to pre-order) until a few years of years ago; will resist making a comment on the Reacher movies; but makes a sincere please to read the books first, and ignore, as best as you can, the movies).

---

Related author: Robert Crais (characters: Elvis Cole and Joe Pike).

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#117

Post by CalChris »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #101
metaphorm wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ok, but I think it's a valid opinion to express extreme aversion for Thomas Friedman.

Arguing that the whole list is less credible because Friedman's on it? I mean, it's fine if you want to maintain your own epistemic closure, but expecting everyone else to agree? And even you should read him, if for no other reason to be sure you understand what you're disagreeing with. Then, once you can actually state his position in a way that he would recognize as accurate, then disagree as much as you please.

Saying the list took a dive when it came to Friedman is colorful writing and not epistemic closure. It did take a dive. This is 2016 and Friedman has been around for ever. He's been insistently wrong over and over again. The Iraq War. He was so wrong about that he even has a measurement unit named after him:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedman_Unit

He's on TV, he's in the NYTimes, he's on NPR, he has a book. Am I being closed minded if I say enough already? What has he ever been right about? What continued claim does he have on the national discourse?

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#118

Post by monk_e_boy »

Uhhrrr wrote: post #75

This is my favorite passage from Titan: With a talent for seeing things anew, Rockefeller could study an operation, break it down into component parts, and devise ways to improve it. In many ways, he anticipated the efficiency studies of engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor. Regarding each plant as infinitely perfectible, he created an atmosphere of ceaseless improvement. Paradoxically, the mammoth scale of operations e…

Sounds like all my bosses squeezing pay and hours. "You are working until 5:30, could you work until 6? 6:30? 7?"

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#119

Post by heymijo »

d0m wrote: post #95
heymijo wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Creativity, Inc. is also one of the best books on management. I say this with reverence for the work of Peter Drucker and W. Edwards Deming.

How does it compare to "pixar and beyond"?

I haven't read that one yet. Have you?

Re: YC's Winter Reading List

#120

Post by kqr2 »

Uhhrrr wrote: post #75

This is my favorite passage from Titan: With a talent for seeing things anew, Rockefeller could study an operation, break it down into component parts, and devise ways to improve it. In many ways, he anticipated the efficiency studies of engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor. Regarding each plant as infinitely perfectible, he created an atmosphere of ceaseless improvement. Paradoxically, the mammoth scale of operations e…

Also see the documentary The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power based on the book with the same name:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/prize-epic-quest-oil-money-po...

https://smile.amazon.com/Prize-Epic-Quest-Money-Power/dp/143...

Post reply on HN