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My Favorite Books of 2016

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Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#71

Post by et-al »

roymurdock wrote: post #5

I really like the way he limits his list to 4 books. Most other thought leaders/influencers/CEOs do lists of 10, 20 "hot topic" books that you know they probably haven't read. I find the volume also diminishes the individual importance of each book on the list. I'll have to pick up String Theory (I love that Bill Gates reads DFW) and The Grid per his recommendations.

> I really like the way he limits his list to 4 books.

I've been doing this when friends ask for recommendations to cities. Google and guidebooks are already at their disposal, so a manageable list of 3-5 options with some personal insight is better than a comprehensive, but impersonal list of 20.

And if folks haven't read DFW's Roger Federer as Religious Experience in String Theory, you can read it on the Times web site (but you should also look into reading the rest of his works):

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/sports/playmagazine/20fede...

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#72

Post by Cyph0n »

xenihn wrote: post #44
Cyph0n wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the word "mundane" is out of place. Whoever isn't fascinated by the modern power grid is slightly dead inside. The same applies to a ton of other "mundane" things, like road and rail networks, sewage systems, garbage disposal and recycling, and so on. I think a better term would be "rarely noticed".

>Whoever isn't fascinated by the modern power grid is slightly dead inside. The same applies to a ton of other "mundane" things, like road and rail networks, sewage systems, garbage disposal and recycling, and so on. I feel like the vast majority of people have absolutely no interest in learning about these things, even in a calamitous context.

Definitely, but how does that relate to the power grid being a mundane system?

Are you saying that we're supposed to take the word of the majority when deciding if something is "mundane"? In that case, almost everything we're discussing and upvoting here on HN is "mundane", because <90% (just a guess) of humans actually give a shit.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#73

Post by andrewtbham »

knz wrote: post #3

"Honorable mention: The Grid, by Gretchen Bakke. This book, about our aging electrical grid, fits in one of my favorite genres: “Books About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating.” " The author of this book was on NPR/Fresh Air in August. It was a great listen/read if you are interested in the subject. http://www.npr.org/2016/08/22/490932307/aging-and-unstable-t... I heard it a couple of days after a weather re…

> I think you would also come to see why modernizing the grid is so complex and so critical for building our clean-energy future.

I strongly suspect the grid will be severely diminished by distributed renewable energy.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#74

Post by minikomi »

WheelsAtLarge wrote: post #16
knz wrote: post #3

"Honorable mention: The Grid, by Gretchen Bakke. This book, about our aging electrical grid, fits in one of my favorite genres: “Books About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating.” " The author of this book was on NPR/Fresh Air in August. It was a great listen/read if you are interested in the subject. http://www.npr.org/2016/08/22/490932307/aging-and-unstable-t... I heard it a couple of days after a weather re…

Here's one that may fit into your list of must read books. Twinkie, Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger. This book is about the ingredients that go into a Twinkie and how they are created. Super informative on the ingredients of everyday foods.

Coming from the other end, is Christien Meindertsm's PIG 05049

    Christien Meindertsma has spent three years researching all the
    products made from a single pig. Amongst some of the more 
    unexpected results were: Ammunition, medicine, photo paper, 
    heart valves, brakes, chewing gum, porcelain, cosmetics, cigarettes, 
    conditioner and even bio diesel.
http://www.christienmeindertsma.com/index.php?/books/pig-050...

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#75

Post by Cyph0n »

GavinMcG wrote: post #62
Cyph0n wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the word "mundane" is out of place. Whoever isn't fascinated by the modern power grid is slightly dead inside. The same applies to a ton of other "mundane" things, like road and rail networks, sewage systems, garbage disposal and recycling, and so on. I think a better term would be "rarely noticed".

Aren't we all slightly dead inside, then? I'm sure there are things you take no interest in, until it's pointed out to you.

Agreed: nobody is interested in everything. If someone was talking about the 19th century Slovakian art movement, I'd probably zone out.

But there are some complex systems that form the basis of civilization that just cannot be simply dismissed as "mundane", at least in my opinion. Systems that, without their presence and correct end-to-end operation, would result in absolute collapse of civilization. Systems that have been developed and perfected through the work of countless scientists, engineers, and laborers over the span of decades.

The power grid falls into this category, while the aforementioned 19th century movement does not.

Of course, I'm probably not aware of all such systems, and I'd definitely be delighted when someone points one out. Heck, I only learned about the complexity of HDTV standards throughout history on a HN thread today! It does not fall under the category I noted above, but I still found it deeply interesting.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#76

Post by ForrestN »

ForrestN wrote: post #70

Flagged for undesirable ideas/politics: "Myth of the Strong Leader, by Archie Brown. This year’s fierce election battle prompted me to pick up this 2014 book, by an Oxford University scholar who has studied political leadership—good, bad, and ugly—for more than 50 years. Brown shows that the leaders who make the biggest contributions to history and humanity generally are not the ones we perceive to be “strong leaders…

I guess people didn't get the memo

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#77

Post by danieltillett »

Cyph0n wrote: post #75
GavinMcG wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't we all slightly dead inside, then? I'm sure there are things you take no interest in, until it's pointed out to you.

Agreed: nobody is interested in everything. If someone was talking about the 19th century Slovakian art movement, I'd probably zone out. But there are some complex systems that form the basis of civilization that just cannot be simply dismissed as "mundane", at least in my opinion. Systems that, without their presence and correct end-to-end operation, would result in absolute collapse of civilization. Systems that ha…

I am interested in everything - even 19th century Slovakian art movements.

I love talking to people who are interested in anything other than themselves - it really doesn't matter what as long as they are interested in something enough to have learnt and thought about the topic in some depth.

The real shame is so few people are interested in anything at all.

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#79

Post by praneshp »

jlarocco wrote: post #50
melvinmt wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"My extension that blocks website content seems to block website content…" That's how I interpret complaints by adblock users.

"Good thing there are millions of other websites with book suggestions which work just fine with ad-block turned on..." That's how I interpret pages that don't work at all when I have adblock turned on. Seriously, if a website is so crammed with tracking shit and advertising that it can't even display text when I have ad-block on, then good-riddance.

All of them with sources as credible as Bill Gates?

Re: My Favorite Books of 2016

#80

Post by giarc »

scrame wrote: post #59
eldavido wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This surprised me. Microsoft was started in the mid-70s. I'm in my early 30s and wasn't aware software was getting used in business much until the late 70s/early 80s. I guess there were mainframes and not minicomputers? Still, surprising a high school kid would get a coding job in the early 70s.

Bill Gates went to an affluent high school that was one of a handful to have a computer students could use, as well as a computer club, this was in the late 60s I believe.

In Paul Allen's (auto?)biography he mentions that it was a group of mothers from the school that paid for the computer (or maybe the teletype terminal). I might be getting details mixed up, it's been a while since I've read his book.
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