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Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

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Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#321
post #301
post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

USA culture has this idolatry for the Rich that looks like what the aristocracy always did: my "beloved" king, the kind princess... Like the philanthropy of the robber barons that made them respectable, but when they are still alive. I prefer the French approach to take care of aristocrats.

The French Revolution led to quite poor results for those fortunate enough to survive it. You might prefer the approach, but I doubt you’d enjoy the aftermath.

? Have you ever even opened a history book? Is this sarcasm?

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps not, but I think you can be "very successful" while remaining ethical. Most people want to be successful because success brings happiness. But there is a level of success at which happiness starts to plateau and yields diminishing returns of happiness.

Thank you for saying that. I get low-level irritated at the constant background murmur that success means that you had to screw someone over at some point.

It really boils down to your system of morality.

If your are willing to look at capitalism and free markets objectively[1], as just algorithms rather than moral systems (i.e. private property is part of an algorithm, not an "inalienable human right"), and you realize that it isn't moral that one's share of the pie be determined by the free market, that it isn't moral that the value of a person be determined by the free market, that it isn't moral to leverage your advantage or even hard work to grab a much bigger share of the pie even as others who because of birth circumstance get the thinnest slice or no slice at all, that it isn't moral to enjoy the fruits of cheap labor do to the desperation of the aforementioned, that it isn't moral to take advantage of your other advantages birth circumstances (e.g. being born within the borders of a wealthy country that keeps out those born in poor ones) to grab more, then you will find that material success (success as defined by capitalism) that is complicit in all the aforementioned does screw someone over.

Such a person will have a different definition of success: A life of contribution to the community done out of love and morality, not a coerced transaction leveraging one's advantages against those with less.

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[1]: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" ~ Upton Sinclair

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#323

"Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed" by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos. Details, among other things, the engineering challenges faced during the development of the F-117 Nighthawk and the SR-71 Blackbird.

An excellent read, no doubt. I've actually read it a couple of times. Ben Rich was a great writer.

It was written by Leo Janos, who also wrote Chuck Yeager's bio.

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I share your thoughts. Sometimes you just need to be at the right place, at the right time, solving the exact problem and this is troublesome, especially in this era when so much is already invented. Maybe I just have a wrong view, but I don't know how to decouple from this.

Success comes from hard work and perseverence. Success comes from being at the right place at the right time. Both of these statements can be true at the same time.

Combined with the willingness to exploit those two things to hoard as much as you can, without qualms about taking advantage of cheap goods and cheap labor even from those who work as hard as you but get less because of economic/power/freedom asymmetries, without concern for the Mathews Effect (that wealth breeds wealth, that poverty breeds poverty)...

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#325
post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The French Revolution led to quite poor results for those fortunate enough to survive it. You might prefer the approach, but I doubt you’d enjoy the aftermath.

? Have you ever even opened a history book? Is this sarcasm?

I am not being sarcastic. The revolution and subsequent wars caused extremely high casualty rates among French men, while the country isolated itself from international trade, and suffered negative economic consequences.

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#326
post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we're recommending Showstopper (which I do), I'd add Soul of a New Machine about Data General, where I worked for many years--but a bit later.

I have read that too, twice. I love the part that they talked about the microcode, and all others too. Maybe you should write a post about your experience too :) I'm sure it's going to be a blast to read.

As I say, I was a bit later--mid-eighties--but I knew Jim Guyer who was one of the microkids as I recall. Helped setup an interview for Command Line Heroes podcast. Do need to get back into writing. Next week. Really.

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#327
post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

? Have you ever even opened a history book? Is this sarcasm?

I am not being sarcastic. The revolution and subsequent wars caused extremely high casualty rates among French men, while the country isolated itself from international trade, and suffered negative economic consequences.

Have you held the nations that stayed aristocratic and the havoc they caused next to france? Getting rid of parasitic waterhead bodies of government is always a pro birthong pains included.

PS : Those wars started because the assembled aristocracy of f europe jumped the reforming nation.

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#329
post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not being sarcastic. The revolution and subsequent wars caused extremely high casualty rates among French men, while the country isolated itself from international trade, and suffered negative economic consequences.

Have you held the nations that stayed aristocratic and the havoc they caused next to france? Getting rid of parasitic waterhead bodies of government is always a pro birthong pains included. PS : Those wars started because the assembled aristocracy of f europe jumped the reforming nation.

Big part the French Revolution is not by chance called “la Terreur”.

You can acknowledge that the values the revolution promoted are good, aristocratic rule needed reform, while still being clear that revolutions are not a peaceful thing, especially not for poor or marginalised groups. 50.000 people executed is quite some birthing pains…

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#330
post #211
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's my problem with a lot of the literature on building successful businesses. They all seem to be offering a white glove path and don't talk about all the tactics ranging from shady to downright illegal that helped many of the biggest companies today to be where they are now.

When I was a kid, I read about Jack Welch and thought he was great. Later I learned of all the shenanigans he pulled, not just unethical, but illegal stuff. And the way he trampled people. Bill Gates is a respected philanthropist today, he too did all kinds of shady, ruthless stuff to get to the top. Everywhere I look, same story - Amazon, Facebook, Google... The only big company I think is okay is Costco - either th…

>Is it even possible today to become super successful without doing shady/unethical/illegal stuff?

No I don’t think it is - and I would argue it never was - for me it is morally reprehensible to be a millionaire.

But then again humans are complex creatures and who is without fault may throw the first stone

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