The Nexus Trilogy, by Ramez Naam. Rereading it at the moment, my favourite modern sci-fi series by far.
Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
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Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#22‘Simulacrum and simulation’, ‘understanding media’, and ‘society of the spectacle’ right now. My focus this summer is on everything ever written about media and society. I am currently looking for works on social trends in response to radio and television.
Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#23‘Simulacrum and simulation’, ‘understanding media’, and ‘society of the spectacle’ right now. My focus this summer is on everything ever written about media and society. I am currently looking for works on social trends in response to radio and television.
You might want to check: Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator -- written by the PR guy who kept American Apparel in infamy.
Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#24Taleb's Technical Incerto. Imminently readable and accessible probability theory. His postulates concerning fat tail vs normal distributions can readily be translated into quick and dirty computer simulations. Thereby demonstrating such hidden insights as "black swans are not more frequent in fat tails, but merely more consequential"! Other than recent technical papers, I am pretty much trying to eschew anything publ…
People probably recognize the individual books rather than the Incerto collection. http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/
Skin in the game is the latest, it is on my reading list. Taleb is an arrogant *hole, but I love following him on Twitter and reading his books. A genuinely great opinions.
Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#25The Bitcoin Standard, by Seifedean Ammous (just published). Incredibly fascinating journey through the history of money, past present and an outlook with digital currencies in mind.
A good companion book might be : The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute
It has a lot of insight on how bubbles can grow -- and pop.
Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#26The Nexus Trilogy, by Ramez Naam. Rereading it at the moment, my favourite modern sci-fi series by far.
Never heard of it and I consider myself a huge sci-fi fan. What would you compare it to?
Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#27For a nonfiction book, The Millionaire Next Door was a game changer for how I though about wealth accumulation. It's the findings of a statistical analysis of the life and habits of millionaires. Deep Work had the similar effects on my work habits as the former did on my finances. If you're looking for a fun fantasy read, Elantris by Brandon Sanderson is one of my all-time favorite standalone novels.
> It's the findings of a statistical analysis of the life and habits of millionaires.
I have not read The Millionaire Next Door, but that seems fraught. Does it avoid survivorship bias? E.g. Playing the lottery is a 'habit' common to all lottery winners, but it's also common to all lottery losers, of whom there are many more. If you only studied the winners though, the lottery might start to look like a wise investment. Maybe the habits common to millionaires are counterproductive for the average person and only helpful to the lucky few.
Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#28'Malazan: Book of the Fallen' by Steven Erikson (that is actually 10 huge books).
I've only read 2 books and a half so far and it is brilliant!
I'm not a big fan of fantasy books (prefer hard sci-fi), but Malazan just blew my mind. One of the best things I've ever read.
Not an easy read though, be prepared!
Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#29For a nonfiction book, The Millionaire Next Door was a game changer for how I though about wealth accumulation. It's the findings of a statistical analysis of the life and habits of millionaires. Deep Work had the similar effects on my work habits as the former did on my finances. If you're looking for a fun fantasy read, Elantris by Brandon Sanderson is one of my all-time favorite standalone novels.
I'm a huge Brandon Sanderson fan, but find that Mistborn is a better entry point for people these days - though it (and the Cosmere) are among my own personal my all-time favorite fantasy books, so perhaps I'm biased in that.
I agree with this but feel the need to add that the Stormlight Archives is his best work yet
Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?
#30Ficciones by Borges.
A real classic, each story is intriguing and some center on incredibly creative ideas.