PG books free to a good home • Hacker News Board

Re: PG books free to a good home

#21

Post by byrneseyeview » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 12:47 PM UTC

noor420 wrote: post #19

I will sell them on ebay and donate the profits to charity.

I will hijack your shipment of books, and commit myself to studying them for years. After a long absence, I will emerge from my hideaway armed with a thorough understanding of Common Lisp. I will write a single macro, more profound than the deepest koan, more concise than the Reader's Digest Condensed Edition of a haiku. When executed, this macro will generate the source code to a second program -- a program so powerful it will be a Google killer that evolves into a Google killer-killer, all while running on a single 386, even if it isn't plugged in. My Series A will empty Fort Knox, exhaust the New York Fed, and leave me with the Crown Jewels of a thousand forgotten dynasties.

I will sell some of these on ebay, and donate the profits to charity. Top that.

Re: PG books free to a good home

#22

Post by iamwil » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 12:52 PM UTC

Dauntless wrote: post #17

rms wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like the stars and moon, the lambda calculus lists my parentheses

To express oneself in seventeen syllables is very diffic

  "Haikus are easy,
  but sometimes they don't make sense. 
  Refrigerator."

Re: PG books free to a good home

#23

Post by mhb » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 12:59 PM UTC

I've enjoyed reading On Lisp on-line, but would like the book so I can read in the bathroom. It's not worth $150+ for that convenience though.

Re: PG books free to a good home

#24

Post by ivankirigin » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 12:59 PM UTC

iamwil wrote: post #22

Dauntless wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To express oneself in seventeen syllables is very diffic

"Haikus are easy, but sometimes they don't make sense. Refrigerator."

Someone was wearing that shirt at demo day. Love it

Re: PG books free to a good home

#25

Post by gms » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 1:39 PM UTC

I have been losing sleep trying to find out what the missing figures from the online edition actually look like. Please put me out of my misery.

Re: PG books free to a good home

#26

Post by paddy_m » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 3:03 PM UTC

Maybe I'm in a part of the lisp echo chamber, but I have to wonder why on lisp hasn't been reprinted. pg any comments?

Re: PG books free to a good home

#27

Post by graywh » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 3:06 PM UTC

byrneseyeview wrote: post #21

noor420 wrote: post #19

I will sell them on ebay and donate the profits to charity.

I will hijack your shipment of books, and commit myself to studying them for years. After a long absence, I will emerge from my hideaway armed with a thorough understanding of Common Lisp. I will write a single macro, more profound than the deepest koan, more concise than the Reader's Digest Condensed Edition of a haiku. When executed, this macro will generate the source code to a second program -- a program so power…

Definitely too wordy.

And I find the statement about running on a single 386 unbelievable. You'll need at least 2.

Re: PG books free to a good home

#28

Post by j2d2 » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 3:14 PM UTC

anaphoric wrote: post #8

Students often express a vague interest in LISP when I teach AI. It would indeed be nice to have an extra book to loan out.

Practical Common Lisp is free online. Just give them a link.

Re: PG books free to a good home

#29

Post by lisper » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 3:18 PM UTC

OK, looks like kraemate is the overwhelming winner, though I have to give an honorable mention to byrneseyeview. Post (or email if you don't want it made public) your mailing address and I'll send them out today.

Re: PG books free to a good home

#30

Post by OtherMichael » Mon, Sep 08, 2008, 5:25 PM UTC

pavelludiq wrote: post #10

lisp is cool.

learning lisp is my refuge from my VB6-centric workplace.