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The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

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Re: The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

#21

Post by yesenadam »

kthejoker2 wrote: post #14
programmer_dude wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are some other life hacks you found enjoyable from the book?

He just had a very Feynman-like way (or Feynman had a Franklin-like way) of seeing the world. He sees confirmation bias, the dangers of saying yes, the power of positive thinking, failure as a teaching tool, the power of a nebulous "them", habit chaining ... But my favorite quote/section is on his 13th virtue, humility. Frankling was told by a friend to stop being so proud, and so he introduced a habit of always bein…

He ruled up a book with virtues—the ones he wanted to improve in—down the side of the page, the days along the top, and drew black dots at the end of each day next to each virtue he'd lapsed in. And tried to have less black dots with every day.

That was the most valuable thing I got from that book. I tried it once, decades ago.

Re: The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

#22

Post by bluehat »

zappo2938 wrote: post #20
dslama wrote: post #3

If you enjoyed the Franklin quote in this article, check out his autobiography. It is a gold mine of "life hacks", demonstrated via accounts of Franklin's remarkable life. It seems to be one of the original American self-help books :)

"I grew convinc'd that Truth, Sincerity and Integrity in Dealings between Man and Man, were of the utmost Importance to the Felicity of Life." I live my life according this. I've regretted many mistakes along the way. I have never regretted telling the truth. I might withhold the truth. I might knowingly let people assume things, but that is their own fault. I will not lie. The problem after reading this in high scho…

So much for Sincerity and Integrity in Dealings between Man and Man I guess :p

Re: The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

#23

Post by golergka »

yesenadam wrote: post #19
yesenadam wrote: post #9

He doesn't really mention that the reason chess players and musicians can take more with each glance at a position/page is that they see in chunks, not individual elements - that comes from learning the patterns, e.g. in chess "short-castled white king with pawn on h3", in music "C7 chord with melody on the 7th" etc. It's just like adding more layers to a neural network, each layer building things from the elements o…

Q. Who are the great programmers, with inimitable or at least unmistakable and unique styles? Is there such a thing, as happens with music improvisers, composers, artists, writers?

Usually, you have no choice but to follow the style set by the lead of your team, which he typically expresses in code reviews and design decisions.

So, extrapolating it further despite my lack of personal experience – perhaps, Linus?

Re: The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

#24

Post by savanaly »

golergka wrote: post #23
yesenadam wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Q. Who are the great programmers, with inimitable or at least unmistakable and unique styles? Is there such a thing, as happens with music improvisers, composers, artists, writers?

Usually, you have no choice but to follow the style set by the lead of your team, which he typically expresses in code reviews and design decisions. So, extrapolating it further despite my lack of personal experience – perhaps, Linus?

The analogy between music and programming holds at this stage. I can guarantee you all the musicians in this band [0] had their own distinctive style to some degree or another and would have even loved to have been paid to perform it but the fact is most professional musicians come in and have to be subservient to the style of the bandleader. And it's no different for coding.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNbsnBZOwqE

Re: The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

#25

Post by __strisk »

Most programming books do not let you pause to reflect. They just go on and on. Consider Fluent Python by Luis Ramalho. If you read through the book, you will not get much out of it. However, if after each chapter, you try to come up with a practical application of the concepts discussed, then you will have a better chance at building a mental model around the topics. The code presented is just a solution to a problem. You need to come up with more problems. Basically, don't be a passive learner. Be an active learner.

Re: The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

#26

Post by yesenadam »

savanaly wrote: post #24
golergka wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usually, you have no choice but to follow the style set by the lead of your team, which he typically expresses in code reviews and design decisions. So, extrapolating it further despite my lack of personal experience – perhaps, Linus?

The analogy between music and programming holds at this stage. I can guarantee you all the musicians in this band [0] had their own distinctive style to some degree or another and would have even loved to have been paid to perform it but the fact is most professional musicians come in and have to be subservient to the style of the bandleader. And it's no different for coding. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNbsn…

Well, in jazz, you have your own individual style, people hire you because they like it. Sure, in different settings you adapt, but you still sound like yourself. It's the same with classical soloists. The ones that are famous, are famous because they don't sound like anyone else. Just a lot like themselves. Same with singers (rock, jazz, classical) - all well-known singers are very recognisable, and a lot of them have weird, unusual voices.

Also, I find it strange, this talking as if programming and music don't exist in the world outside a setting of just having to do what the leader wants. I guess particularly because I've been programming and playing music all my life, almost all of the time doing exactly what I wanted every second. (Only music professionally)

Re: The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

#27

Post by zachrose »

yesenadam wrote: post #21
kthejoker2 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He just had a very Feynman-like way (or Feynman had a Franklin-like way) of seeing the world. He sees confirmation bias, the dangers of saying yes, the power of positive thinking, failure as a teaching tool, the power of a nebulous "them", habit chaining ... But my favorite quote/section is on his 13th virtue, humility. Frankling was told by a friend to stop being so proud, and so he introduced a habit of always bein…

He ruled up a book with virtues—the ones he wanted to improve in—down the side of the page, the days along the top, and drew black dots at the end of each day next to each virtue he'd lapsed in. And tried to have less black dots with every day. That was the most valuable thing I got from that book. I tried it once, decades ago.

He also wrote this epitaph for himself in his 20s:

The Body of B. Franklin, Printer; Like the Cover of an old Book, Its Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms. But the Work shall not be wholly lost: For it will, as he believ’d, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and amended By the Author.

And also essays on farting and choosing a mistress.

Re: The Benjamin Franklin method for learning more from programming books

#28

Post by el_cid »

mark_h wrote: post #10
bluehat wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gutenberg link, for the lazy http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/148

Standardebooks link for the lazy, and discerning: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/benjamin-franklin/the-auto...

Thank you so much for this site! What a gold mine.
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