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Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

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Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#61

Post by fao_ »

pbnjay wrote: post #14

For sci-fi recs: I recently read The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu (a trilogy) and thought it was really good. Also just started another sci-fi trilogy with A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge which has some really fun and interesting (if hand-wavy) ideas about deep space physics.

The Three Body Problem is one of my main reasons for learning Chinese :)

Vernor Vinge single handedly became one of my favourite writers (along side Clarke and Lem) with his short story True Names. I didn't find Rainbow's End as easy a read, I'll probably reapproach it after finishing The Star Diaries or Snow Crash, though.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#62

Post by mercutio2 »

freddie_mercury wrote: post #54
kazinator wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A book about a Korean family saga is named after Japanese gambling machines? Bizarre.

Bizarre as in "couldn't be bothered to google a summary to see that is about a Korean family in Japan"?

And, further, it’s frequently considered low class to be associated with Pachinko in Japanese culture, so it’s very common for Pachinko parlor owners to be Korean-Japanese.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#63

Post by openfuture »

msadowski wrote: post #60

Can anyone recommend some book about Africa? I would like to gain some insights about life there, ideally fact based, maybe some history? Doesn't need to be the whole continent as well, would love to start with any particular country. This year I decided to read at least one book a month the ones I found most inspiring were: * Factfulness - how we can misinterpret the data and how most of us have a wrong idea about t…

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters is a must read and It's our Turn to Eat is also quite good.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#65

Post by ram_rar »

1. The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday Its all about stoic philosophy and teachings by Epictetus

2. Examined Lives from Socrates to Nietzsche by James Miller Biographies of, some of the most famous philosophers.

3. The Soul of a new machine by Tracy Kidder its about 2 competing computer design teams juggling between engineering quality and time to market.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#66

Post by christianbryant »

I spend most of my days reading technical journals and books, so I like to take a break once in a while and read more general writing. The two below are the only books I pledged to finish this Summer.

1) Challenging Sociality: An Anthropology of Robots, Autism, and Attachment by Kathleen Richardson

From the Introduction: This book explores the development of humanoid robots for helping children with autism develop social skills based on fieldwork in the UK and the USA. Robotic scientists propose that robots can therapeutically help children with autism because there is a “special” affinity between them and mechanical things.

2) Wandering Towards a Goal: How Can Mindless Mathematical Laws Give Rise to Aims and Intention? Edited by Anthony Aguirre, Brendan Foster, Zeeya Merali

From the Introduction: This collection of prize-winning essays addresses the controversial question of how meaning and goals can emerge in a physical world governed by mathematical laws. What are the prerequisites for a system to have goals? What makes a physical process into a signal? Does eliminating the homunculus solve the problem?

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#67

Post by treme »

cirgue wrote: post #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.

Mcluhan's work would be right up your alley then.

Medium is the Massage; Gutenberg Galaxy would be my top 2 recommendation given what you wrote.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#68

Post by jjcm »

If you're into sci-fi, the Bobiverse trilogy was an absolute pleasure to read. Kinda a silly name, but really tickled me in a similar way that The Martian did. Good mix of entertainment plus some more heady things to leave you thinking.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#69

Post by openfuture »

kovrik wrote: post #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!

This series is amazing if for no other reason than the ambition! They actually use GURPS (a dungeon and dragon like dice system) to decide important events and write the story based on the results, also the two dudes who created the world are PhDs in Archeology and all the different cultures are based on actual human civilizations.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#70

Post by mojoe »

pbnjay wrote: post #14

For sci-fi recs: I recently read The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu (a trilogy) and thought it was really good. Also just started another sci-fi trilogy with A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge which has some really fun and interesting (if hand-wavy) ideas about deep space physics.

Those two are fantastic, and if you like Vernor Vinge check out "A Deepness in the Sky" -- I think it's his best work, and is much more plausible (centered around slower-than-light travel).

I have a few more recommendations in that vein here: http://compellingsciencefiction.com/blog/2016-12-18.html

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