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Maybe off topic, but any advice on getting better at reading? I find myself to have too short of an attention span and end up dropping bookings quickly.
[0]https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Intelligent-Touchstone/...
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I read a good deal more than my peer group; my current reading queue is more measured in feet at this pages, and I expect to get through it . I'm radically uninterested in 'social' or 'web' as it pertains to reading. A command line tool that interacts with org-mode to take notes and serve as a memex UI would be useful to manage sourcing and linkage of ideas.
I agree with your point on 'social' (although perhaps not 'web' ha), GoodReads seems to have the social end of reading pretty well fleshed out. What's not really solved right now, imo, is the organization of what you're reading and what to read next. Goodreads does a pretty awful job of this. A command line tool is definitely interesting! Although you wouldn't be able to access your "reading list" from a phone/anywhe…
I don't read entire non-fiction books anymore but just search for it's summaries or notes. Most non-fiction books revolve around a few central ideas. Once you internalize this you realize it isn't necessary to read the entire book. You just need to read the summary and notes that someone else has written. For eg : I'm currently going through the book notes that Derek Sivers has written and just posted this last night…
I don't read entire non-fiction books anymore but just search for it's summaries or notes. Most non-fiction books revolve around a few central ideas. Once you internalize this you realize it isn't necessary to read the entire book. You just need to read the summary and notes that someone else has written. For eg : I'm currently going through the book notes that Derek Sivers has written and just posted this last night…
Derek Sivers has phenomenal book summaries. https://sivers.org/book - changed my life - read summary first, if really good, buy and read book - cons are 1) makes you think less about content 2) may be too easily forgotten 3) retention isn't as high as reading a book that hits theme over and over with a sledgehammer 4) ignore books with bad review that may be useful to you
I wonder if anyone has techniques / software (voice to text) they would share..
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A big advantage of taking the time to read a book, even if the book has just one central idea, is that it forces you to spend 5+ hours thinking on that idea. No summary can do that for you. I'd even go so far as to say that it's not even important which book or idea you spend that time on; just spending time with your own thoughts and imagination will teach you things no non-fiction or summary can. I do agree that su…
It also depends on how you approach the notes. I for example make notes of the notes and then re-visit them frequently over the next few days. This helps me visualize and concretize the ideas in different ways since I'm revising them at different times. In the interim I'm trying to incorporate them in everyday life.
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What you say sounds intriguing. Do you have any examples of the wide gap between high-value content vs. low-value mentioned in 3? Any pointers to high-value content since you mention there is much?
I have many ideas on this subject; I'm going to spend more time writing this than editing it, but I'll try to structure it so it's easier to skim ... I hope it's helpful and not too long! > any examples of the wide gap between high-value content vs. low-value A few spring to mind: * Science: Compare IPCC reports with almost any discussion on climate change. If you take the time to read just the IPCC 'summary reports…
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I think if books were more useful, people would have a better attention span for them. Reading a book won't automatically improve your life. Usually it's just another form of time-wasting.
"...if books were more useful..." ...[great pause]... I am not capable of replying in a way to meaningfully improve your outlook in life. Good luck to you sir. ...[close browser and go for walk]...
Please don't get me wrong: I love reading in general.
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Derek Sivers has phenomenal book summaries. https://sivers.org/book - changed my life - read summary first, if really good, buy and read book - cons are 1) makes you think less about content 2) may be too easily forgotten 3) retention isn't as high as reading a book that hits theme over and over with a sledgehammer 4) ignore books with bad review that may be useful to you
I've tried taking notes of my reading in the past, but struggled because they either (1) were incomprehensible sometime later or (2) interrupted my flow of reading I wonder if anyone has techniques / software (voice to text) they would share..
It's ironic that people are arguing that books are a waste of time - on HN.
There are certainly too many one-idea books, but there are also many extraordinary, irreplicable works: A Pattern Language, Thinking Fast and Slow, The Landscape of History, The Modern Firm, The Diffusion of Innovations, Bowling Alone, The Life You Can Save, And the Band Played On, and on and on.
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Derek Sivers has phenomenal book summaries. https://sivers.org/book - changed my life - read summary first, if really good, buy and read book - cons are 1) makes you think less about content 2) may be too easily forgotten 3) retention isn't as high as reading a book that hits theme over and over with a sledgehammer 4) ignore books with bad review that may be useful to you
I've tried taking notes of my reading in the past, but struggled because they either (1) were incomprehensible sometime later or (2) interrupted my flow of reading I wonder if anyone has techniques / software (voice to text) they would share..