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Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

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Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

#271

Post by candu »

kitbrennan wrote: post #113

`Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance` The book looks at what it means to say something has 'quality'. It didn't teach me any new philosophical methods or theories, but it did make me look at my own work differently and start asking: how can I make something with the highest quality? What compromises that quality? What is a method that leads to the highest quality? Translating that to my business life: in the st…

I'd definitely n+1-th this recommendation, if only because I strongly dislike dualistic thinking and have an enormous soft spot for anything that picks it apart.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

#272

Post by arkj »

Osmium wrote: post #66
Evgeny wrote: post #56

For the mind: http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine Not only a description of the Stoic philosophy, which is, unfortunately, not very well known today, but also a great practical guide to a variety of techniques that can be included into daily activities easily, and will increase happiness. For the body: http://www.am…

> A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine I read this, and have nothing bad to say about it per se. I think Stoicism in the classic sense is very under-appreciated these days, and it's good to have a book to serve as an introduction. But I personally found it to be very repetitive. The historical context part is worth reading in my opinion, but apart from that you'd be better off re…

Marcus Aurelius is an overrated bad philosopher. a) he takes a high moral position but persecuted christians in his kingdom (he is just a fascist in modern terms)

b) he should have chosen to write in his native tongue instead he chose greek (according to jean-luc marion, wrote in bad greek), which makes me think he was just a pretentious guy who wanted to join the ranks of the great greek philosophers.

And yes, I've read Meditations.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

#273

Post by ctrager »

jmduke wrote: post #150

Looks like it's my turn to provide the cliche hipster answer: The Wind Up Bird Chronicle , by Haruku Murakami: http://www.amazon.com/The-Wind-Up-Bird-Chronicle-Novel/dp/06... If you're familiar with Murakami, it's par for the course and considered one of his pivotal novels. If you're not: surrealist, dreamlike modern fiction often centering around ideas of masculinity, post-war fallout, and urban ennui. Incredibly st…

My wife is Japanese. We chose "Haruki" as the middle name for our son.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

#274

Post by ctrager »

johnnyg wrote: post #92

Caesar's Commentaries, by Julius Gaius Caesar Teaches that while technology will change and political systems will be distinct and nuanced, the human animal is just about the same. When I see something that people did then that they still do today, I find that I can predict what a group of people is likely to do in a given situation in the future. This both blows my mind as things "click" and makes me sad. In either…

And about 300 years before him, Thucydides

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

#277

Post by tedks »

cpplinuxdude wrote: post #161
Evgeny wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you'd be better off reading something like Marcus Aurelius' Meditations instead, or some of the other classics. Incidentally, I'm trying to read Meditations now, but it's not an easy reading and it goes very slowly. Maybe I'll be able to put in on my 2015 list of influential books?

Meditations is not a book you read cover to cover. It's rather repetitive, and says the same things in different ways, hence the name: meditations. It's a book you dip into. I was once introduced to the esoteric art of bibliomancy; and as much as I can't take such a practice seriously, it does seem to work on books that are simply fantastic. Open up meditations, at any page, read it for 10 minutes and put it down. Th…

The certainty is that you will feel nice, deep feelings of enlightenment, but that has very little to do with the content of the book used in your enlightenment-ritual.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

#278

Post by tedks »

davidw wrote: post #139
kitbrennan wrote: post #113

`Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance` The book looks at what it means to say something has 'quality'. It didn't teach me any new philosophical methods or theories, but it did make me look at my own work differently and start asking: how can I make something with the highest quality? What compromises that quality? What is a method that leads to the highest quality? Translating that to my business life: in the st…

I haven't read the book, but isn't quality something of a continuum dictated mostly by economics? In other words, if you put huge efforts into making quality products that are really more than most customers need, and it costs you do to so, you're likely going to go out of business. That, or you'd do best to find a niche where people really do need that kind of quality.

Yes, the "quality" referred to in the book is a spiritual, metaphysical quality that does not exist in reality, but makes for decent reading.

I've read the book and I think it was crap. It didn't have a good story and it didn't have a good message. It was so bad I've forgotten entirely why I didn't like it, because I've forgotten the whole thing.

I'm sure this will get downvoted; it seems that HN has gotten pretty religious lately. I guess it's the effect of coders getting old and searching for order in a chaotic world.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

#279

Post by rahimnathwani »

joshux wrote: post #249

1. Body by Science - changed my view about exercising. HIIT for 12 minutes a week seems more doable and fun for a busy life. And it actually works. 2. Mini Habits - the only routine building method that worked for me.

> Body by Science

It's interesting - Body by Science apparently advocates the use of Nautilus machines. This is the polar opposite of that recommended in Starting Strength, which several others in this thread have recommended.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?

#280

Post by trendyy »

rcconf wrote: post #51

The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing. Learning about the financial system really changed my perspective on how to deal with money in the long term. It has had immediate effects on my life. I learned about taxation in detail, opened an account on a discount brokerage, changed saving patterns, and have made a portfolio for the next 10 years. I have a spreadsheet of how much I can spend and componentize my bank cards. One…

Would this book be helpful for those who live in the UK? Or is it very US specific?
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