YC's Winter Reading List

Post by adrienne » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 1:41 AM UTC

anigbrowl wrote: post #31

tomcam wrote: post #5

In case you're wondering about how we knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, sexist, racist, homophobic conservatives really think, "Strangers in their own land" is not a good representation. Anything by bestselling authors such as Mark Steyn Dinesh D'Souza, Mark Levin, or Ann Coulter would be a much closer approximation. Reading "Strangers in their own land" would be like one of those people writing a book about why Hil…

In case you're wondering about how we knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, sexist, racist, homophobic conservatives really think Spare us the martyrdom schtick. Mark Steyn Dinesh D'Souza, Mark Levin, or Ann Coulter would be a much closer approximation Oh come, you have much greater intellectual heavyweights on the right. Why not cite William S. Lind or Paul Weyrich, or the brilliant strategic analysis of the Council fo…

Post by adrienne » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 1:45 AM UTC

ashark wrote: post #38

overcast wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My first experience with Stephenson was Snow Crash, and it was an abomination. I tried Cryptonomicon next, and while slightly more coherent, it was the end of the line for me and this guy. Stephenson likes to write like he's smarter than he really is, plots that are literally everywhere, and characters I really don't care about. Let's not forget the third person present tense writing style. Regarding Gibson, I only r…

If you didn't care for Cryptonomicon , you're probably right to stop. I've read four of his novels and that's the only one that didn't fit the pattern of [promising first 1/3], [2/3 section is bad but I'm holding on that it'll go somewhere], [3/3 goes off the rails entirely, no payoff for suffering through the middle third]. Cryptonomicon was consistently OK , at least. The Diamond Age was the most frustrating of the…

Post by anigbrowl » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 1:56 AM UTC

protomyth wrote: post #69

anigbrowl wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The two books I mentioned were debated as much for their content as for the provocative title, though I might add that the use of a provocative title to maximize sales by manufacturing controversy is hardly something to be celebrated, but rather represents the decline of political discourse. Regardless, I don't think that unhappiness of a work's subject with the portrayal therein necessarily carries any weight. Demon…

"The two books I mentioned were debated as much for their content as for the provocative title, though I might add that the use of a provocative title to maximize sales by manufacturing controversy is hardly something to be celebrated, but rather represents the decline of political discourse." I also notice that I didn't say if I agreed or disagreed with the practice, nor have I read either book. Marketing is quite a…

Post by eli_gottlieb » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 2:02 AM UTC

redthrowaway wrote: post #107

aggie wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem I have with the GOP's obstructionism was not that it was checking power, but that it was purely political. They obstructed policies that had been supporting by conservatives in the past, just because they didn't want Obama to be seen as having succeeded with anything. That is not what the checks and balances were designed for.

A lot of conservatives saw it as their duty to stand athwart Obama's agenda and yell, "Stop!" And quite frankly, they succeeded. I think you're unfairly discounting how much of that was ideologically driven, rather than the result of simple partisanship.

Post by eli_gottlieb » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 2:03 AM UTC

laxatives wrote: post #142

tomp wrote: post #64

I cannot recommend Manna enough (I assume it's similar to the online version [1]). It portrays a version of the future that I believe is achievable by continuing open-source software development and extending it to (more and more powerful) AI. [1] http://www.marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm

Manna is an interesting story, but its incredibly poorly written. It starts out great, but the last few chapters feel like they were written by a high school student realizing their deadline is approaching and is still 5 pages short of the minimum requirement.