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Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

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Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#161

Post by fredoliveira »

zackzackzack wrote: post #135
Aramgutang wrote: post #85

"The 4-Hour Body", by Tim Ferriss. Because of that book, within 3 months I went from running completely out of breath after 2 minutes of running, to finishing a half-marathon in 2 hours. And during the prior 3 months, I had lost 15 kilos by following the "slow-carb diet" described in the book. Reading it seemed to flip a switch in my brain: before, I would think of my body as something I had little control over, whil…

Tim Ferriss is like Wikipedia to me. It's a good place to start, but you will be mocked and humiliated if you only read that material.

I would hate to be involved in a community (academic or otherwise) that mocks what has been widely known to be a reliable source of information. Wikipedia, that is. Opinions on Tim Ferris vary greatly.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#162

Post by enko »

nyellin wrote: post #137
alinajaf wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who's made the transtion from muslim -> atheist, I was disappointed, confused and terrified when I first read a translation of the Koran. I'm genuinely curious as to what you've learned from it that's of any use, apart from perhaps, a deeper understanding of the thought-process and ethos of Islamic fundamentalists.

Your reaction seems very strange. Can you explain why you had never read the koran if you were muslim?

The obvious answer is that he/she was a child, and simply received the religion from the parents. As far as I can tell, most people are religious because their upbringing was, and of those most simply adopt an interpretation of the religion they were brought up under.

Even in adulthood I'd be absolutely astonished if even 50% of any major religion have read to completion the core text of that religion, indeed I would expect the number to be far lower.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#163

Post by ec429 »

naithemilkman wrote: post #136

a bit late to the party but ender's game for fiction, gantz for manga, founders at work for non fiction

I'd read Ender's Game some time before, but recently someone lent me the next three and they're similarly brilliant. Can't decide which is my favourite though; probably not Children of the Mind because the aiùa stuff is weird.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#166

Post by nfarina »

nyellin wrote: post #102

It isn't a proper book, but Eliezer Yudkowsky's Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality was incredible. Don't judge it by the fact that it is a fanfic.

This. His writing was life-changing for me in many ways. Incredibly accessible, useful discussion of various human logic fallacies. Fundamental misattribution error FTW!

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#167

Post by mquander »

DevX101 wrote: post #151
nyellin wrote: post #102

It isn't a proper book, but Eliezer Yudkowsky's Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality was incredible. Don't judge it by the fact that it is a fanfic.

How interesting will this be if i've never read the Harry Potter series? (i've seen a couple of the movies)

I was in roughly the same prior-Harry-Potter-knowledge state as you are and I enjoyed it.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#168

Post by timdumol »

DevX101 wrote: post #151
nyellin wrote: post #102

It isn't a proper book, but Eliezer Yudkowsky's Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality was incredible. Don't judge it by the fact that it is a fanfic.

How interesting will this be if i've never read the Harry Potter series? (i've seen a couple of the movies)

It's set in an alternate universe to the actual Harry Potter series, and starts from the events in the first book. You won't miss much from not having read the actual books.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#169

Post by yummyfajitas »

Aramgutang wrote: post #85

"The 4-Hour Body", by Tim Ferriss. Because of that book, within 3 months I went from running completely out of breath after 2 minutes of running, to finishing a half-marathon in 2 hours. And during the prior 3 months, I had lost 15 kilos by following the "slow-carb diet" described in the book. Reading it seemed to flip a switch in my brain: before, I would think of my body as something I had little control over, whil…

In a similar vein, I'd recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.

Before SS, my martial arts instructor always chided me: "Crazybear, don't power through the disarm. There are lots of guys bigger than you. Get the leverage right."

Now he tells newbies: "Don't power through the disarm, it won't work on a guy like Crazybear. Get the leverage right."

It's a simple how-to guide to getting strong. Just follow the program he gives and you become stronger - it's time tested and works well for pretty much everyone. Be really careful with deadlifts, particularly if you have back issues.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#170

Post by jmtulloss »

fredoliveira wrote: post #161
zackzackzack wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tim Ferriss is like Wikipedia to me. It's a good place to start, but you will be mocked and humiliated if you only read that material.

I would hate to be involved in a community (academic or otherwise) that mocks what has been widely known to be a reliable source of information. Wikipedia, that is. Opinions on Tim Ferris vary greatly.

What he means (I think) is that it's only a surface understanding. You won't be able to hold your own in a serious conversation with experts on the topic.
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