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Interesting (Non software) books? | pstinnett: I've been reading The Lost City of Z by David Grann. Really enjoying it:* The Lost City of Z* http://www.amazon.com/Lost-City-Deadly-Obsession-Amazon/dp/0... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | olalonde: The Stranger (L’Étranger) by Albert Camus is an excellent novel. I'm sure many HNers can relate to the main character. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | aufreak3: "The Logic of Failure" by Dietrich DornerThis is a particularly good book that ought to be spread around more. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | dhyasama: "Money Ball" by Michael Lewis is great. It's about evaluating talent in new ways to exploit market inefficiencies in baseball. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | borismus: The Innovator's Dilemma |
Where are the Wakemate reviews? | gnemeth: Hey Guys,Greg from WakeMate here - Because we have not publicly shipped any units yet, there are no reviews of units just yet. We will be shipping out the first units at the end of the month so you should be seeing some reviews soon. More detailed information will be posted to our website and blog. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | Apreche: The Prince of Nothing series of books by R. Scott Bakker |
Interesting (Non software) books? | fisadev: +1 to Snow Crash |
Interesting (Non software) books? | gcheong: 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology |
Interesting (Non software) books? | pyronicide: Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:Behavioral Economics: Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely
Nudge - Richard Thaler
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath
Economics: The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb
Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb
Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow
Psychology: Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater
Management: The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam |
Should I comment in HN or on individual blogs? | icey: I almost always comment on HN because I like the people here. Some people post on both the blog and here. Some people just post on the blog.It's really up to you; I don't think there's anything wrong with posting in both places if you want. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | btilly: I don't know what you mean by "related to software". I'm going to take a narrow definition that you mean related to the process of writing, designing, tracking, etc. So something like Information Rules on the economic theory of pricing software products is OK. Or a classic on managing software developers like Peopleware is OK.Some other general business books I like include The Innovator's Dilemma, The Innovator's Solution and First, Break all the Rules. A non-software specific design book I highly recommend is The Design of Everyday Things. Even though it is geared towards manufacturing related industries, I'm also very fond of Winning at New Products.If you haven't already you should learn more about negotiation. Even if your only negotiation is negotiating a new job every several years, reading a book on it is very worthwhile. If you can negotiate yourself an extra $1000 bonus, once, the book has paid for itself with interest. The two books I recommend there are Start with No and Bargaining for Advantage. I'd recommend the first if you need a general purpose bargaining strategy and aren't experienced. I'd recommend the second if you're an experienced bargainer who is looking to improve.A few years back I read The Prince by Machiavelli. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.For general interest for anyone who likes math I strongly recommend The Mathematical Experience by Davis and Hersch. My summary of it is that Godel, Escher, Bach is the book that non-mathematicians have on their coffee table book, while The Mathematical Experience is the one that mathematicians have.Lots of people gave sci-fi recommends for you. To those I'll add Peter Hamilton's Reality Dysfunction series and Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series. Furthermore if you haven't seen it yet, go to an IMAX and see Hubble 3D. If you ever dreamed of space, you need to see it. Really.For random science fact, I like Jared Diamond. I like virtually everything by Stephen J. Gould. I recently re-read Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and still love that.I could list more, but that's enough for the moment. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | ktf: Pale Fire, by Nabokov. A story of insane obsession, which I'm sure many HN readers could relate to... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | ckopec: I just finished 'A song of ice and fire' series by George R.R. Martin and it's an amazing read. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | dschobel: I'll repost my suggestion from the last "great reads" thread on HN.----------------------------------------The Bet by Anton ChekhovYou can read it here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtmlIt shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. It's so fantastically misanthropic, I cannot recommend it enough.The polemic against society at the end is just epic. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | ColemanF: The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-first Century by Thomas P. M. Barnett.It's like The World is Flat on steroids. It's probably even more pro free trade. It's the most optimistic look at world affairs I've ever seen. The idea is that trade ties countries together and makes them stop fighting. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | zen53: Recent reads I'd recommend...Seth Godin's LinchpinViral Loops by Adam L. Penenberg |
Interesting (Non software) books? | awolf: Atlas Shrugged bu Ayn Randhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrugged |
Interesting (Non software) books? | sshumaker: Guns, Germs and Steel - It will change the way you think about the course of human development and the forces of history.The Innovator's Dilemma can be summed up in two paragraphs but is still worth reading - it explains why giant companies fail to keep innovating.Stumbling upon happiness - how people's perception of what makes them happy has little basis in what actually makes them happy - and why. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | a-priori: I recommend The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. |
Should I comment in HN or on individual blogs? | vijaydev: if your comments can lead to insightful discussions, why not both? Doing in HN is more fun because more people tend to respond to your point |
Interesting (Non software) books? | pinstriped_dude: Can everyone commenting on this thread also add 2 lines on -1) What the book is about
2) Why do you recommend it? |
Interesting (Non software) books? | makmanalp: Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely: http://www.predictablyirrational.com/Interesting book on why people act irrationally. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | pwk: The Gold Bug Variations, by Richard Powers: a love story that touches on music, genetics, history, art... lots of themes that HN readers might appreciate. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | chasingsparks: A lot of the classics mentioned can be found for free in .txt, .html, or ePub via Project Gutenberg.http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page |
Interesting (Non software) books? | JangoSteve: My favorite non-software books (I've mentioned these a few times around HN before):* Atlas Shrugged (also good: The Fountainhead) by Ayn Rand* Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath* Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Freedman* The Plague by Albert Camus |
Interesting (Non software) books? | lionhearted: If you're talented and get frustrated with stupid people, you have to read "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa. I mean, you have to.Musashi was one of the greatest (maybe the greatest) swordsman of all time. He invented a Japanese longblade/shortblade mixed style of swordsmanship, at one point fighting himself out of an ambush when he was attacked by over 30 men. He was undefeated in over 60 duels, including defeating arguably the second best swordsman in Japan at the time while fighting with a wooden oar he carved into a rough swordlike shape.Here's Musashi's Wikipedia page:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_MusashiThe book by Eiji Yoshikawa is historical fiction - it's period accurate and follows all of Musashi's most well known story. It fills in some other details we don't know of Musashi's life - how he might have trained, some minor scuffles with bandits of the day, and it added a love story.The book is exceptional. Musashi has immense amounts of raw talent, but is in conflict with himself in the world, arrogant, keeps getting into problems and trouble until he comes to more mastery and wisdom. Seriously, I read a lot, and this is hands-down my favorite book of all time. It's a hell of an enjoyable read, really pleasant and beautiful, fun and adventurous, but also filled with deep wisdom. It's a great swashbuckling story, but also teaches you about thinking critically, tactics, strategy, training, tradeoffs, and so on. Just a masterpiece. Easily the most influential book of my life.No affiliate link:http://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Eiji-Yoshikawa/dp/4770019572Whilst on subject, I'll also recommend Husain Haddawy's translation of Arabian Nights, which is uproariously funny and also contains a lot of wisdom, and "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber, which I consider the Bible of small business. I buy a copy of E-Myth and make anyone I'm going to partner with read it before I'll do business with them.Arabian Nights:http://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Norton-Critical-Edition...E-Myth:http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou...Edit: Wow, that's quite a few upvotes pretty quickly. If you pick a copy of one of these and enjoy it, feel free to shoot me an email if you want to chat about it. These books have been huge for my life, and not enough people read, so I don't get to talk books as much as I'd like. Also, people with similar tastes feel free to make recommendations either commenting here or by email. Lurkers too! I'm always looking for great books. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | davi: Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape
Brian Hayeshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393329593/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp...This book is a "how it works" guide to the infrastructure of modernity: the power grid, mining, steel production, etc. Great photographs & readable text. I read it cover to cover and was enriched thereby. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | wallflower: "How Buildings Learn: What happens after they're built" by Stewart Brand (ok, it's about systems and software arch)"Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination" by Neal Gabler (This is awesome because the 1st third is about his multiple failures)Any David Macaulay book (breathtaking deconstruction construction)Any book on child crafts and games, vintage better. (The writing is superb and a lot of activities are excellent)Any book on network marketing (I'm not involved but have been pitched many times. The talk about funnels for recruiting is realistic). |
Interesting (Non software) books? | tfh: Here is what comes to my mind a my all favorite books: * no exit - jean-paul sartre
* brave new world - adolous huxley
* 1984 - george orwell
* foucault's pendolum - umberto eco
* l'etranger - albert camus
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - jules vernes |
Interesting (Non software) books? | torial: I have found "The Goal" by Eliyahu Goldratt to be very insightful. It is written in a novel like format, with the purpose of teaching a certain way of attacking problems.http://www.amazon.com/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement/dp/08... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | abyssknight: Cory Doctorow's collection of stories called "Overclocked" was a nice distraction. Check it out if you get a chance. I believe it's actually out there on his site for free. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | andrewcooke: Hayek's Challenge by Caldwell - http://www.amazon.com/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biograph...I wrote a review on Amazon that you can read there for more details, but in short: this book describes the themes that interested Hayek, their historical context, and how attitudes to them evolved.I consider myself "left wing" and Hayek is no great hero of mine (when I read the book I was barely aware of him - I think he is more famous in the USA than Europe), but that doesn't stop this being one of my favourite books. The range covered is huge, the historical background of the times is fascinating, and Hayek is a much more complex thinker than you might imagine from the way he is treated in current popular culture.Vaguely related, "Machine Dreams" by Mirowski is another absorbing, thought-provoking book on the history of Economics (simplifying hugely - the influence of the cold war on the rise of "free market economics"). The style can be a little frustrating, but it's worth the effort. http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Dreams-Economics-Becomes-Scien... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | NEPatriot: The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield - how to overcome yourselfGates of Fire - same as above, the story of the stand at ThermopylaeAgincourt & 3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfareStrengthsFinder 2.0 - Tom Rath - take a test and discover your strengths/things you love to do, focus on on doing those |
Interesting (Non software) books? | cromulent: My favourite read of the last few years was The Tyrannicide Brief.I moved house 15000 km recently and this was one of the few books that came along (the others are in storage). Most of the other ones are mentioned in other comments.From the New Yorker review:In 1649, after Oliver Cromwell and his army had taken King Charles I prisoner, they had to decide what to do with him. The easiest option, according to a contemporary, was assassination, "for which there were hands ready enough to be employed." Instead, a lawyer named John Cooke was given the brief to prosecute him. (Other lawyers left town to dodge the job.) At the time, there was no language for what Charles was charged with: as king, he was the law, so prosecuting him seemed a logical absurdity. Robertson, a lawyer involved in the prosecutions of Augusto Pinochet and Saddam Hussein, credits Cooke with helping to make those proceedings possible; he "made tyranny a crime." But Cooke himself was executed after the monarchy was restored. His heart and genitals were fed to stray dogs, and his head, at King Charles II's direction, was displayed at the entrance to Westminster Hall. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | alex_c: I recently enjoyed "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art". As the title promises, it's a great look into the economics of contemporary art - what forces determine the ridiculous prices you hear about.http://www.amazon.com/Million-Stuffed-Shark-Economics-Contem... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | enduser: King Warrior Magician Lover, by Robert Moore and Douglas Gilette. It is a deeply insightful book about the path to a mature masculine psyche written by a highly respected Jungian psychologist (Moore) and a mythologist and counselor (Gilette).I recently finished reading this book and their four subsequent volumes, each of which goes into great detail about the four archetypes. Reading them has given me much stimulus for thought and personal growth.http://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscover... |
Should I comment in HN or on individual blogs? | ScottWhigham: It depends on who I want to have a discussion with. If the original poster (OP) is the blog author, then I'm probably going to comment in whichever environment I think I can talk with the author. If the OP is not the author and I want to talk to the author, then I'd comment on the blog. If I want to rant/rave but not really to the author specifically, then to HN.But that's me - do what you want. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | r7000: Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series.A very enjoyable description of the pinnacle of pre-Industrial technology. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | boundlessdreamz: if you are into fantasy the mistborn series is awesomeness redefined :) |
Interesting (Non software) books? | MikeCapone: A few that I've read recently and liked:Predictably Irrational by Dan ArielyMostly about cognitive biases. Helps you think better by knowing your shortcomings.Whole Earth Discipline by Stewart BrandAbout protecting the environment, but with interesting takes on nuclear power, GMOs, cities and slums, etc.Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary TaubesMade me re-think a lot of things about food. Despite the "pop-science" title, this is a well researched book that looks at countless studies from the past 150 years.American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheier by Martin Sherwin and Kai BirdA biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating man.The Blank Slate by Steven PinkerA must read. Evolutionary psychology. |
Should I comment in HN or on individual blogs? | pedalpete: I rarely find myself commenting on the blogs for two reasons1) I don't want to have to fill out all the info they request (unless it is a blog I regularly find myself going to2) I don't want to have to remember to go back to the blog to see further discussion and comments.HN just makes it so easy to go back and see the threads that I found interesting and I can then read what other HNers have said. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | kingsley_20: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiAMZN blurb: You have heard about how a musician loses herself in her music, how a painter becomes one with the process of painting. In work, sport, conversation or hobby, you have experienced, yourself, the suspension of time, the freedom of complete absorption in activity. This is "flow," an experience that is at once demanding and rewarding--an experience that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates is one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have. The exhaustive case studies, controlled experiments and innumerable references to historical figures, philosophers and scientists through the ages prove Csikszentmihalyi's point that flow is a singularly productive and desirable state. But the implications for its application to society are what make the book revolutionary. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | Mongoose: The Art of War is definitely worth at least one read. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | barnaby: Lately I'm into reading Biographies of Entrepreneurs.Reserved "Founders at work" at the library, but currently reading "Match King" the biography of Ivar Kreuger. After failing a bunch of times, he figured it out: put on a show and pretend you're successful then other people buy in. Problem is he took that too far.Surprisingly, good to read as an entrepreneur, both inspirational AND _cautionary_. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | GvS: I can recommend Zamonia series by Walter Moers: The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear
Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures
The City of Dreaming Books
Awesome fantasy books. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | mattdennewitz: david foster wallace: oblivion |
Names for printers and conference rooms | grinich: Some good comments here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=834817 |
Interesting (Non software) books? | apgwoz: Books about Richard Feynman, or essays, etc. by him. "Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman!" in particular. I guess, this is unfair, as eventually he did get into software/hardware, but.... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | samlittlewood: - David Marr: "Vision"The foundations of computational neroscience - and lots of practial demonstrations of how your eyes and brain work.- Daniel Dennett "Consciousness Explained"How the mind works?- J.E Gordon: "The new Science of Strog Materials" & " Structures, or why things don't fall down."How is 'stuff' strong/hard?- Steve Grand: "Creation" & "Growing up with Lucy"The programmer behind the game 'Creatures' and his adventures in artificial life.- Joseph Campbell: "The Hero with a Thousand Faces"Never look at Star Wars in the same way again.- David Deutch: "The Fabric of Reality"Many worlds or mad as a box of frogs?- Richard Leakey & Roger Lewin: "The Sixth Extinction"We're doomed - maybe- Braitenberg: "Vehicles"Emergent behaviour from simple rules- Ian Wilmut, Keith Cambell & Colin Tudge: "The Second Creation"How Dolly the Sheep was made. Takes you through the background such that you can read & understand their paper which appears at the end.- John Brunner: "The Shockwaver Rider"Snowcrash - hah! - 1975 and this dude got it already.Other general authors:Martin Gardner, Greg Egan (lots of free stuff on his site). |
Interesting (Non software) books? | zupatol: Ficciones, by BorgesVery imaginative short stories bordering on the philosophical, some of them hilarious. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | ErrantX: Risk: the science and politics of fear. By dan GardnerI've recommended, and reviewed, it here before. Basically it is a pop-science look at how humans react and view fear. Brilliant read with lots of good referecing to scientific papers etc.It was almost as revelatory to me as the selfish gene. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | theblackbox: Herman Hesse - The Glass Bead Games (though I would hazard to say any of his famous five are worth reading - haven't got round to them all myself yet, though)I read The Glass Bead Games after I happened across Timothy Leary's "The Politics of Ecstasy" (a good read but not great - his ignorance/arrogance get's in the way all too often). The thing that switched me onto HH was TLs insistance that the man had achieved enlightenment: I figured that was not to be missed!HH won the Nobel Proze for literature shortly after it's publication, and I cannot overstate the majesty of this book - it is simply awe inspiring. Easy to read, with a persuasive storyline that seduces the reader into an abominably utopian world of intellectual rule (Epistocracy?).I won't ruin it for any readers. The basic thrust of the tale is the student becoming the master in a world where the highest grand masters (of "the game") are revered with something approaching religious zeal.It changed me. Fundamentally. Before reading it I was naive and starry eyed about what education could achieve, now I'm more aware than ever that humanity, educated or not, is still just a many faced beast. All these trappings of wealth, power, and intellect are just reigns temporarily thrown around this rampaging behemoth.It's not so much an epiphany of despair or futility, strangely it is somehow quite the opposite. It's a realease. I can't quite explain it. It's something that sends me into wild flights of lyrical rhetoric about the nature of humanity and my own part in it. I don't think there is anything better that you can ask from a book. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | grosales: If you'd like to understand a little bit about how our brain might process and understand numbers, get "The Number Sense" by Stanislas Dehaene |
How do you feel about affiliate links in comments? | _delirium: I can't speak to the HN consensus, but on some comment areas/lists I've moderated in the past, we generally tried to allow ones that were there in good faith. It's a fine line, though. It's ok with me if someone was going to recommend a book anyway, and throws in their affiliate link rather than giving the exact same link without an affiliate code. But does this subtly induce people to include more Amazon links than they might have otherwise? To recommend books that are only sort of apropos, or even kind of a stretch? To link Amazon when the author's site about the book, a Wikipedia article on it, or a relevant Google Books excerpt would otherwise have been the obvious links? In book-related discussions, does it induce people to recommend books they think will be popular or eye-catching (or at least get clicks), as opposed to ones they genuinely think are good?I think the answer is probably yes to all of those, but with the right people/context/community it probably isn't bad enough to be fatal. And I agree that if someone does recommend me a book that I do end up buying, it seems fair to give them 4% or 6% or whatever, especially since if they didn't get it, that amount would just go to Amazon.I guess in summary: previous experience leads me to believe "maybe, it depends". |
ASk HN: Best small business banking practices? | oogali: Do they have TD Commerce out there? They have been absolutely wonderful for me.Reasons:
- 1st year free checking, $50/year afterwards,- they generate debit cards on the spot in the branch,- 7-day banking, branches open late 4 days out of the week,- 24-hour customer support number, always answered by a human[ long story warning ]Why do I really love Commerce?When I started banking with them, I was spending a lot of time with a client in DC. I'd drive down to DC for the week, and drive back to NY. I'd park in a garage that was $10/day. It wasn't 24 hours, but it did the trick.This one particular Friday, I left the client's office late (about 7:45pm). The garage was cash-only so I had to go to the ATM. My Citibank card had some sort of fraud block on it, so I couldn't take money out, and I had forgotten my newly-issued Commerce PIN.So I had a bum card from Citibank, and the ATM ate my Commerce card because I tried so many times in desperation. I called Citibank, and after navigating the IVR, a rep said they could not help me until Saturday morning when a branch opened. Overnight hotel stay? I'm on ramen money at this point.Next option was Commerce: I'd been a customer a total of probably 3 weeks at this point, so I didn't expect much. I called Commerce, who transferred me to the local branch which was still open (they close at 8pm). I explained the predicament I was in (garage closes in 5 minutes, don't want to do overnight hotel stay).Commerce promptly blew my mind. The person on the phone said if I could make it there in the next 5 minutes, she'd withdraw $100 from my account and have cash waiting for me at the branch so I could be on my way.I jumped in a cab, got to the branch, collected my $100, paid the taxi. The rep issued me a new debit card on the spot, set my PIN (to something I could remember this time). Caught a taxi back to the garage, and arrived there at 8:02pm.The garage guy left a note saying I should call him on his cell if I arrive back before 8:15pm. I called him, paid the garage, and set out on my journey back home.So, if it hadn't been for Commerce, I would have had a really bad weekend. Instead, I had hands-down, the best clutch performance by a bank for someone who was too new to fall into the "loyal customer" category. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | akkartik: Two scifi books about turning rationality into a religion: Anathem and Altered CarbonMy all-time scifi list started out in a reddit comment: http://akkartik.name/blog/2006-06-02-08-13-58-soc |
Names for printers and conference rooms | c1sc0: We're using names of cities right now. In the previous company I worked we used names of countries for the conference rooms. Pretty boring & completely disfunctional. |
How do you feel about affiliate links in comments? | josefresco: An old trick for a lot of forums posters is to include both links, one with .. and one without and give users a choice (if you trust me use the affil link, if not the regular). Although I cringe in recommending this practice overall as I can easily foresee HN being overrun by stealthy affiliate marketers. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | 3pt14159: I like this science book about the elements so much I wrote a blog post about it:http://zachaysan.tumblr.com/post/315148493/the-elements-a-pe... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | aantix: I don't get it, am I the only hacker that ever has problems with relationships?I've done more than my fair share of stumbling (including one divorce) and at the age of 32 only now do I feel like I am "getting it".Nonetheless, I'd recommend the book _Conscious Loving_ by Gay and Kaithlyn Hendricks.Instead of the superficialities preached by the Venus books, etc they get to the heart of the matter by having us examine ourselves for personal projects, secrets that we are hiding and other subconscious developments that lay at the root of our psyche. We our worlds truly are in our head and our relationships are manifestations of those thoughts. I finally found a book that helps me peal back those layers and helped me figure out why I had been fucking up over so many years... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | zwieback: Moby Dick is one of my all time favorite classics. Should appeal to engineers and entrepreneurs as well as being a great read. The form is very unlike other classics of its period. |
How do you feel about affiliate links in comments? | davidw: I'd say go for it. We can downvote ones we think are not acting in good faith. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | mattwdelong: A few books I have in queue;The Wealth of Nations - Adam SmithRework - 37 SignalsOgilvy on Advertising / Confessions of an Advertising Man -
David Ogilvy |
Interesting (Non software) books? | dkimball: You might be interested in _War and Peace and War_, a theory of history focusing on social capital as a driving force, and in _The Fourth Turning_ -- which looks at changes over four-generation intervals, and which, written in 1997, made some surprisingly good predictions about the 2000s (the Aughts?).Both of these are in the tradition of Oswald Spengler's _Decline of the West_ and Arnold Toynbee's _A Study of History_; I'd recommend the abridged version of the latter, and I'd observe that if you can make it all the way through either of these you have more stamina than I do... |
Interesting (Non software) books? | michaels0620: Christopher Logue's War Music
http://www.amazon.com/War-Music-Account-Books-Homers/dp/0226...
It's the beginnings of a modern retelling of Homer's Iliad. If you like it there are two other short books (All Day Permanent Red and Homer Cold Calls).Don't be scared off by it being poetry. It is easily understandable and has an economy and elegance of phrasing that I have yet to see elsewhere.I've always thought that poetry and coding have a lot in common. A focus on structure, economy, and elegance as well as working with the language to best effect. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | Element_: A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill BrysonA Briefer History of Time - Stephen Hawking |
Interesting (Non software) books? | Estragon: Human Smokehttp://books.google.com/books?id=8HKQEJlAl9gC&printsec=f...Churchill, Hitler, and "the unnecessary war": how Britain lost its empire and the West lost the worldhttp://books.google.com/books?id=PYESsQRyIIMC&printsec=f...Both books are iconoclastic looks at how WWII came to be, and whether it was truly a "just" war. The second is by Pat Buchanan, but neither book is crazy or racist. Both are extremely well-researched and documented. Pat Buchanan's book is explicitly in response to the "just war" trope which was used to justify the US occupation of Iraq, but I think I see the same motivation in Human Smoke.The most interesting single tidbit I learned from the two books was that Roosevelt was an anti-semite:http://books.google.com/books?id=8HKQEJlAl9gC&lpg=PP1...(I looked that vignette up in Morgenthau's memoirs. The story he tells there was meant to justify to the younger Morgenthau Roosevelt's policy of restricting emigration to the US by Jewish refugees.) |
Interesting (Non software) books? | bmj: Some influential and interesting books on how humanity interacts with technology (and vice-versa): * The Technological Society, Jacques Ellul
* Tools for Conviviality, Ivan Illich
* Shop Class as Soulcraft, Matthew Crawford |
Review my side project - Reel Roulette | trevorturk: I've just released a small side project website that came from an idea I had with a buddy during our plan ride to SXSW Interactive.It's supposed to be a gimmicky and easy way to find motion designers. Basically, you can upload "reels" and people can view random ones and vote on ones they like. It's kind of like Chat Roulette, except with no penises (so far).You can read more about the making of the site here:http://almosteffortless.com/2010/03/26/reel-roulette/The thing that makes me happy about this site is that it was built in about 30 hours of work between 3 people. I know it's nothing too special and has plenty of room for improvement, but people seem to be enjoying it so far.I'd love to hear any ideas you may have about improving the site, and I'm pondering potential ways to make money from the thing without spoiling it. It's been fun as-is, but it would be nice if we could justify spending more time on it than we already have by way of making some cash.Any feedback is more than welcome. Thanks! |
Interesting (Non software) books? | detcader: Before anything, read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. Then try the Salmon of Doubt by him. Salmon of Doubt is a must, but it's made more accessible by reading Adams' fictional works first. |
Review my side project - Reel Roulette | faramarz: If I press Like this Reel, will it actually like the vimeo video? I ask this, because then it would be syndicated on my action stream both at vimeo and elsewhere (fb, friendfeed etc)If that's not currently possible, I suggest looking into it. As user, I would like the action of Liking this reel be reflected on the source file.If you do that, it's easy to see vimeo being interested in your product/feature/mashup or at least you can attract active vimeo users, whom discovering and liking is a large part of their activity. |
Review my side project - Reel Roulette | b14ck: I love the website. The design looks great (don't change it!) and I like the simple, intuitive interface.I spent about 10 minutes flipping through reels, and linked a friend. Now he's going through reels. We probably won't get much work done for the rest of the afternoon :D |
Names for printers and conference rooms | hga: Two early ones (mid-80s) for laser printers:Treekiller (obvious).Software Hoarder (at Unipress software, the legit licensees of Gosling Emacs, which was also the start of GNU Emacs).Me, I've always used the names of anime gals (home or work). |
Interesting (Non software) books? | adw: "Real Fast Food" by Nigel Slater.Yes, it's a cookbook. Bloody good one, though, and you've gotta eat. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | jlees: The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. A really interesting analysis of modern narrative structure rooted in mythology. It'll appeal to HN readers; it's an analytical way of breaking down every story ever told. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | ptn: Freakonomics. |
How does a Jr. to Mid-Level programmer find work? | JMyste: You should consider contacting "head hunters" / employment agencies. They will match your skill set with client's budgets. If you have two years experience, you should be able to find something that way, even though I agree that senior level developers are the going thing right now. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | tsally: When I recommend books I make a coffee shop recommendation and an airport recommendation. Both books are excellent, but the coffee shop book requires slower reader and more mental effort to get the benefit.Coffee shop:Plowing the Dark by Richard Powers. The book follows to parallel stories: one of a company that invents virtual reality and another of a teacher that gets taken hostage by terrorists. It's an incredible book and the reason why I decided to study computer science.http://www.amazon.com/Plowing-Dark-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/B...Airport:Moving Mars by Greg Bear. Mars is a colony of Earth and the book follows a struggle for Martian independence. Also an incredible book.http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Mars-Novel-Greg-Bear/dp/0812524... |
Where do you buy your health care? | subpixel: I'm a former Freelancers Union member and though the plans are quite good in NY, they're not so hot outside of that area. The fact is they aren't a union and they aren't an insurance provider either. They're a membership organization that negotiates group eligibility and rates. There are other types of groups that do this as well, perhaps one where you live that has better relationships with your state's dominant HMOs.I have private coverage purchased directly from my local Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I don't recommend this route, it's low-cost, but the coverage is full of loopholes. The advantage of a group like Freelancers Union is that the plans are vetted for "gotchas" and providers don't want to piss off thousands of customers who are semi-organized.If you do go the retail route, be very careful. I'd liken the experience to buying electronics out of the back of a truck. |
Names for printers and conference rooms | wmf: Our first conference room was the War Room (gentlemen, you can't fight in here...) so naturally the second was called the Peace Room. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | protomyth: Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds - I like the process and form |
Review my side project - Reel Roulette | raffi: These were a lot of fun to watch. I have no stake in this scene but enjoyed clicking through and seeing what folks came up with. I get a similar feeling watching http://www.demoscene.tv/ |
Interesting (Non software) books? | JoelMcCracken: "How to Read a Book", by Mortimer J. Adler.This book was very important for me, as it gave me a new way of approaching both books and almost everything in life. It also gives a rather thorough collection of the most important books of western culture, ordered by authors then dates.If you ever wanted to know how to read more effectively, this book is it. It teaches you how to mark up a book in such a way that you'll be able to remember what you need from it after a few minutes of review. I highly recommend it. My life would have been much poorer without having read it. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | cosmok: The Complete Stories (of) Franz Kafka, The Corrections by Jonathen Franzen |
Review my side project - Reel Roulette | jasonlbaptiste: it seems the new tagline dejour for side projects is: chat roulette for "x" with no pensises. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | rubinelli: Getting Things Done and Making It All Work. Very down-to-Earth, techie-friendly productivity system. It reduces the whole life-balancing act to a schedule, a handful of lists, and simple algorithms. It also scales down well, in my experience. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | aik: I very much wish I would have read the below books in (or pre) high school. I'm not sure if they have the same effect on everyone, but for me they were huge in redefining elements of my life that needed to be fixed/unlearned/enhanced.All related to having a passion for learning and life in general:"Art of Learning" by Josh Waitzkin"Mastery" by George Leonard"A Mathematician's Lament" by Paul Lockhart"Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman" by Richard Feynman |
closed million+ monthly forum coz of spammers, now what? | csomar: So you don't want to re-open it? and also you have a 1 million page view/month forum? (I estimate the unique visitors to 500K).My Question is: Are you ready to open another one? If yes, you already have the server that handle such traffic and the traffic that will boost your forum.Put up a new forum, make an ad, or something that attract the organic traffic to your new forum and fire up new discussion with a new community.I'm just giving arbitrary numbers: Let say you have 500K unique per month, only 10% follow your ad -> 50K unique, only 10% register and become active member -> 5K, in one year that's already 60K. If 1/6 is active daily, you forum will get around 50K post per day, that's in one year :DGood luck! |
Interesting (Non software) books? | jlangenauer: Walden, by Henry David ThoreauOne of the few books I've read 3 or more times. An important discussion about determinining what is important in life, and what is just the details. |
A source for market researches that don't cost thousands. | ig1: "Market research" is a huge field, is there something specific you're looking for ? |
I break the chain every day starting form 3rd day what to do? | amock: Your question is very unclear. What chain are you talking about? |
Interesting (Non software) books? | dnsworks: - How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06...
- Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-As-I-Knew-Him/dp/0486292320
- Soul Of A New Machine (It's about hardware!) and Mountains Beyond Mountains, both by Tracy Kidder
- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer |
Please review my cross charting fitness app | kmb128: A mobile app for the gym would be nice. It looks like you're only charting the number of reps. What about weight and time spent per exercise? Caloric intake? |
Review my side project - Reel Roulette | JayTillz: Pretty good idea. Do you offer stats for people with reels coming through your app? |
Interesting (Non software) books? | AmericanOP: PIHKAL- the autobiographical account by the bay area chemist who invented MMDA. Incredible story of invention and scientific exploration. It also contains the most authentic love story I have ever read. |
Setting Goals | jojopotato: I don't think that goals themselves are a bad idea, they give you something to aim for and a sense of completion once you get there. Personally I've found that setting short term goals ( < 1 week away ) has helped keep me on course.That being said, the company I work for requires us to set SMART goals every quarter and account for >= 70% tied to individual bugs. This is a complete nightmare for me because the goals that are defined for us don't conform to SMART at all and everyone ends up fudging their hours to meet the 70% requirement. |
Forums with quality discourse | sendos: Straight Dope message board http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb is pretty good |
Review my side project - Reel Roulette | cschneid: Sorry for being disconnected, but is there a 2 line explanation of what I'm watching? They're visually entertaining, but I don't get much beyond that. |
Interesting (Non software) books? | rudders: I think that if you want a deep, and very enjoyable read you should try Isaac Asimov's Foundation saga. It's so complex and presents a network all of Asimov's many ideas all collected under one store. Very insightful. |
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