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Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
91–100 of 341 posts
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#92How to win friends and influence people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influen... I have to keep reminded myself to apply the rules, but very sound advice.
I occasionally revisit this book every few years as a refresher. Every time I do, I end up making close, life-long friends by applying the techniques in this book. I'd say this is a must read for just about anyone.
The book actually tells you to read it 3 times ;)
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#93"The Power Broker" by Robert Caro. Nobody has ever captured the nature of power on an individual level to the depth and breadth that Caro did on this book. (except perhaps his epic treatment of Lyndon Johnson) Over something like 1,100 pages you get to track the career of an aspiring reformer as he transitions to skilled and trusted government official, to someone who manages to grow to the point that he is more powe…
I adore this book. It also took me 6 months to read. I think about it often while wandering around the city, imagining the areas before and after Moses' steel-and-concrete hand, imagining the old neighborhoods, trying to envision what could be next, what could have been, what could be.
Lately I've been reading Foucault and I find that many pieces of The Power Broker are incredible examples of Foucault's post-modern/post-structuralist theory of power: power relations as a sort-of amorphous "lines of force" that move between people through society, occasionally emergent as structural domination/power, rather than as some sort of antagonistic relationship between rulers and ruled. This conception of power makes sense when you consider Moses operating at an intersection between (and attempting to leverage) many different "fields" of powers: government politicians, wealthy private estates, union high-ups, the news media, etc.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#94American Psycho , Bret Easton Ellis. I learnt everything I know about fashion and business cards from this important book.
Lol
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#95Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov When frustrated by technology, it's pretty cool to read some things in this collection of short stories and think "We're actually in the future. We just aren't great at making robots walk yet."
Asimov's "Complete Stores Vol. 1" was probably the book that most influenced my childhood. As I get older and see more of the intersection of life and technology, I find myself drawn back to his stories. Lately, the stories "Franchise" (politics and technology) and "All The Troubles Of The World" (an AI that, gasp, isn't trying to destroy humanity) have appealed to me, but I've had many favorites come and go over the years.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#96A River Sutra, by Gita Mehta.
It's a book I've re-read many times over the years, and drawn something different and new from each reading. It's hard to articulate why it's so important to me, but I've learned a tremendous amount from it. Highly recommended!
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#97"The Power Broker" by Robert Caro. Nobody has ever captured the nature of power on an individual level to the depth and breadth that Caro did on this book. (except perhaps his epic treatment of Lyndon Johnson) Over something like 1,100 pages you get to track the career of an aspiring reformer as he transitions to skilled and trusted government official, to someone who manages to grow to the point that he is more powe…
I just ordered this book from Amazon a few days ago after constantly reading recommendations to read it. I am looking forward to cracking it open.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#98The Inner Game of Tennis. My tennis coach gave me his copy, from the mid 80s, which was tattered and had clearly been read many, many times. It taught me so much about life, and how to be successful. My tennis coach was also my life coach when I reflect back on those days. He grew up in south central LA, rode his bike to the closest tennis courts and sometimes as far as Beverly Hills. He'd wait outside the courts unt…
Vintage 60 Minutes TV coverage of TIGoT (12 min): https://youtu.be/ieb1lmm9xHk
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#99Antifragile - Nassim Nicholas Taleb He puts into words concepts of life so close to us yet so foreign sounding that makes us rethink everything in our lives. When you ask people "What is the opposite of fragile", they usually answer robust, which Taleb proves to be incorrect by introducing a new concept, the Antifragilty. It entangles so many things in economic, academic, science, finances and other systems with seve…
Which Taleb's book should I read first?
Fooled by Randomness,first; and The Black Swan (2nd edition) second. These are books about statistics and decision theory. They might not meet some people's expectations about "non-technology" which usually means no equations and no mathematical reasoning. While not written by Taleb, How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff makes a good introduction for Taleb's books.
Re: Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?
#100I've got a tie between two books: 1) Design of Everyday Things by Dan Norman This book ruined my life. I highly recommend it. Every engineer, manager and designer should read this. Maybe every human. I think of this book every time I try to pull a push door, every time I reach the bottom floor of a stairwell and notice the design that might save my life one day, and every time I try to struggle to operate a televisio…
Both are great books. Influence helps me a lot to deal with my 3 year old. Should be on the parenting section on bookstores.
I also like The Soul of a New Machine, The Prince, The Art of War and On Human Nature.