I saw someone mention it in a HN comment before, but I'd like to restate it here since it is definitely one of those perspective-altering books: "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker.
The author is a professor and prolific researcher of the effects of sleep on the human body, and goes into nearly every nook and cranny of what sleep does for the human body. He has scared me off of my usual practice of sleeping 6 hours or less to get some work or studying done and to get more hours in the day. Throughout the book, the author cites a scientific study and article on nearly every page, so you know that these are real hard facts.
If you are curious about some common causes of ailments or what the function that consumes pretty much 1/3 of your lifetime does, I'd absolutely whole-heartedly recommend this book.
> Throughout the book, the author cites a scientific study and article on nearly every page, so you know that these are real hard facts.
This is almost discouraging to me. If spending too much time on HN has taught me anything, it's that citing a study (especially medical, nutrition, and psychology papers, among other fields I'm probably missing), is not nearly enough of a guarantee that some assertion should be called a 'hard fact'.
I tend to depend more on the force of overall coherence in an argument, as well as its fidelity with my own experiences. Of course this is a problematic heuristic in its own right, since it by definition limits your ability to believe counter-intuitive but true results—but I'm not sure what's better.
I think with enough reproductions of results in varied contexts, unintentional reappearance of results in overlapping or unrelated studies, applications being developed on top of results (treatments, engineering applications, other fields of study)—then you can start considering the result to be 'factual'.
But from the above description, the impression I get of the book is that it's probably one of these taking a bunch of new studies which can be read a certain way to push a hypothesis the author is in favor of, but it'll take a decade or more before we have a good sense of whether the whole thing was BS (or at least badly exaggerated) or not.
To offer some alternatives here are three books which I believe are relevant given these challenging times:
* Enlightenment Now (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35696171-enlightenment-n...): Offers a defense that our current institutions have delivered the goods and should be defended. The left doesn't need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We should continue improving the system we've got -- especially urgent today as they're under seige.
* Your Money or Your Life (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78428.Your_Money_or_Your...): Philosophy masquerading as personal finance. Challenges the reader to ask "What is enough?" and honestly evaluate whether they are living an integrated life that is consistent with their values. Lays out one way to help answer these questions and course correct as necessary.
* Stand Up! (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35989237-stand-up): A hand book and call to action to answer the "knock at the door" and step up to address "a world on fire". Especially useful for those interested in or actively leading volunteers.
If, like me, you're upset about the current state of affairs and unsure where to go from here I recommend the above as a small tonic and, hopefully, stepping stone.
This is Vis a Vis your first recommendation, and how it's associated with "left wing" politics. Its fascinating to me that I have a fairly sepcific idea of what you are talking about, without being able to specifically define the key concepts. Wtf is left/eight anyway, and how come we can classify politics this way in polities and topics that are novel to us?
Anyone got a "history of the left and the right" thats a good read?
Not everyone is ready for a philosophical smack in the head. I'm glad it was preserved beyond the commencement speech, because I can't imagine sitting there listening to this on graduation day and taking much away from it besides "don't forget to think." This is the kind of stuff that you have to find at the right time in your life.
FWIW, I have seen people use the image related to this piece (seen through a google search...) in the most annoying way to discredit peoples views on a subject because "they are a fish in the water."
I have not known the source of this garbage, so I hope it's a simplification of the actual source, but I will listen carefully :)
I'm in the middle of making the switch towards maximizing positive outcomes for others, having realized that I have enough for myself. The author paints a description of self-awareness here that I'll be sure to return to every now and again.
I'm really glad you took the time to highlight this speech as worth my time. It's short enough to be a "quick" read and deep enough that I'll be chewing on the message for some time.
I've read this three times now, yet I still don't see the profundity. It seems like a lot of obvious "how" -- of course your framing changes your outlook -- but no "why".
I can imagine everyone in traffic, or in the grocery store has a perfectly legitimate reason for why they're acting whatever bothersome way they're acting. But how does that help me accomplish my goal any more efficiently?
Happy to see some great books recommended there. Specifically, let me call out:
The Three Body problem.
The Lathe of Heaven.
And while I haven't read Parable of the Sower yet, everything I've read of Octavia Butler has ranged from really good to some of my favorite books ever, so I'm sure it's a good one.
One anti-recommendation (kind of): I recently read Finite and Infinite Games, after many (many) recommendations for it, and didn't particularly like it. Obviously I'm in the minority on this, but I really wonder what other people saw in it.
I found this book fascinating how the cultural revolution was weaved in to the story. It really highlighted my ignorance of recent Chinese history, and many times found myself turning to Wikipedia to learn more of the specific events mentioned. The English translation also includes several lengthy footnotes and see-also's when historical characters or events are mentioned, as I'm sure many western readers are less familiar with the details of the events and historical characters.
Without giving away anything, I also found the Egyptian scene truly awesome.
Completely agree with you about "Finite and Infinite Games".
Also read it recently and was disappointed. It's written in a style that I associate with continental philosophy. Obtuse language that can be difficult to follow.
That wouldn't be the end of the world if the underlying ideas were really brilliant, but I wasn't convinced.
I'm going to go against the grain here regarding The Three Body Problem, not because it's a bad book, but because it fails to live up to its billing in a subtle but disappointing way. The book is often touted as a "hard sci fi" masterpiece, and to me (and wikipedia and most definitions I've seen), "hard" means remaining faithful to the boundaries of plausible physics. T3BP almost entirely respects these limits, even while exploring daring and fascinating ideas, but (without spoiling anything) the author does make one very common concession. It's disappointing because he does so well otherwise that it feels very authentic and convincing. Then when the violation is revealed, it totally spoils the illusion and feels like such a let down.
I have to say, I just didn't "get" The Three Body Problem. I got the impression I was reading an allegory I didn't have the cultural background to understand - so much of the surface plot seemed like it must have some important meaning but I couldn't decipher it. It was an odd experience, but maybe the translation of words wasn't enough in this case for me to get the content.
Perhaps I'm the only person who finds this list disappointing. So much SciFi. So many works a hop and a skip from get-rich-quick stuff. Of course, when I was younger, I-ate-that-shit-up. Truly. And a second helping, please.
IDK, the world is under great stress on so many levels. The people at YC are wonderfully bright and well educated. Is this really the best they could come up with?
It's a mediocre teen-fiction, that starts off strong, but completely loses itself into an endless list of standard story tropes by the end. (trying not to spoiler, here)
It's only still popular now because the film has just left cinemas.
Yep, surprised at this. I think even if you enjoy it on some level you have to acknowledge that it is a thin spread of nostalgia on a slice of very weak plot and characterisation, with no real heart to speak of.
> An incredible primary-source portrait on a brilliant (but obviously deeply flawed) individual.
What is the obviously deeply flawed characteristic about him that Altman is referring to? I read Napoleon: A Life a few years ago and found him fascinating with character flaws like every other human being, but nothing that particularly struck me as "deeply flawed."
Yeah, I liked it -- was a good mix of biography/personal stories about Kahneman and Tversky and brought in some real-world examples of applied topics covered in Thinking Fast And Slow.
The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life by Nick Lane makes the case of the evolution of life from the vantage point of energy transfer.
I'm pleasantly surprised to see Robert Caro on this list. I have read all of his books, and they are some of the most profound expositions into the nature of power I have ever seen.
I gave up reading this book about halfway through. It drags out a lot with needless fluff; she spent about 3 pages just naming the bird! She seemed to really hate T.H. White's 'The Goshawk' so I decided to give it a read. I much preferred it (he names his bird in one sentence) and felt she'd read between the lines much more than there was in the book.
The three body problem:
This is a brilliant book until the end, which basically solves all of the interesting problems it's been building up to throughout the book with 'magic supercomputers that can do anything!', which is a shame because it had me hooked.
If you think Helen McDonald and thought she hated the book you saw only the barest surface of what she was trying to say. T.H. White lives in McDonald’s head. The Goshawk was if not the first book she read with any level of criticism and complexity. I can see why you’d put it down, it’s neither swift nor light reading, but the entire point of writing a memoir of grief combined with the taking of a goshawk, all overlaid and intertwined with the story of T.H. White’s life is to bring us a little closer to seeing the broken and bleeding human beings everywhere around us.
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
Interesting choice, Wizard of Oz. One question I've always wondered, what to do about narcissists who think someone else is the narcissist? Also, funny thing I've seen happen at work: there was someone this one (but influential) person didn't like because of office politics, and wanted to have that person be dismissed in social circles in the office. Easy job for them- label them as a narcissist. Honestly, everyone is a little selfish, so it's not hard to pick and choose behavior from any one person, and make it fit into that narcissism box.
Adversaries into Allies: Master the Art of Ultimate Influence
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box
Rejection Proof: 100 Days of Rejection, or How to Ask Anything of Anyone at Anytime
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection
Robert Caro's series on LBJ is IMO possibly the greatest nonfiction work of the last century. The depth of research, the quality of writing, and the study of politics and power are what make the series so enticing. Sure the volumes are long, but it never seems like necessary information or too much detail and it never drags. I highly recommend reading at least one of the volumes.
“Science have already proven we can grow all kinds of animal protein in labs. This book is the founding story of a revolution that will how we eat and the planet forever.” – Gustaf Alstromer
I believe it should be This book is the founding story of a revolution that will change how we eat and the planet forever.”
[+] [-] b_b|7 years ago|reply
The author is a professor and prolific researcher of the effects of sleep on the human body, and goes into nearly every nook and cranny of what sleep does for the human body. He has scared me off of my usual practice of sleeping 6 hours or less to get some work or studying done and to get more hours in the day. Throughout the book, the author cites a scientific study and article on nearly every page, so you know that these are real hard facts.
If you are curious about some common causes of ailments or what the function that consumes pretty much 1/3 of your lifetime does, I'd absolutely whole-heartedly recommend this book.
[+] [-] westoncb|7 years ago|reply
This is almost discouraging to me. If spending too much time on HN has taught me anything, it's that citing a study (especially medical, nutrition, and psychology papers, among other fields I'm probably missing), is not nearly enough of a guarantee that some assertion should be called a 'hard fact'.
I tend to depend more on the force of overall coherence in an argument, as well as its fidelity with my own experiences. Of course this is a problematic heuristic in its own right, since it by definition limits your ability to believe counter-intuitive but true results—but I'm not sure what's better.
I think with enough reproductions of results in varied contexts, unintentional reappearance of results in overlapping or unrelated studies, applications being developed on top of results (treatments, engineering applications, other fields of study)—then you can start considering the result to be 'factual'.
But from the above description, the impression I get of the book is that it's probably one of these taking a bunch of new studies which can be read a certain way to push a hypothesis the author is in favor of, but it'll take a decade or more before we have a good sense of whether the whole thing was BS (or at least badly exaggerated) or not.
[+] [-] craigcannon|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aschearer|7 years ago|reply
* Enlightenment Now (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35696171-enlightenment-n...): Offers a defense that our current institutions have delivered the goods and should be defended. The left doesn't need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We should continue improving the system we've got -- especially urgent today as they're under seige.
* Your Money or Your Life (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78428.Your_Money_or_Your...): Philosophy masquerading as personal finance. Challenges the reader to ask "What is enough?" and honestly evaluate whether they are living an integrated life that is consistent with their values. Lays out one way to help answer these questions and course correct as necessary.
* Stand Up! (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35989237-stand-up): A hand book and call to action to answer the "knock at the door" and step up to address "a world on fire". Especially useful for those interested in or actively leading volunteers.
If, like me, you're upset about the current state of affairs and unsure where to go from here I recommend the above as a small tonic and, hopefully, stepping stone.
[+] [-] dalbasal|7 years ago|reply
Anyone got a "history of the left and the right" thats a good read?
[+] [-] sgillen|7 years ago|reply
If you haven’t read it/seen it before so yourself a favor and go through it, it doesn’t take very long.
Seriously wish I could get these ideas into everyone’s head.
[+] [-] throwawaymath|7 years ago|reply
To save others a trip to the search engine: http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf
[+] [-] jackstraw14|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tudelo|7 years ago|reply
I have not known the source of this garbage, so I hope it's a simplification of the actual source, but I will listen carefully :)
[+] [-] unknown|7 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] gaurgo|7 years ago|reply
I'm in the middle of making the switch towards maximizing positive outcomes for others, having realized that I have enough for myself. The author paints a description of self-awareness here that I'll be sure to return to every now and again.
[+] [-] lintroller|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] adamiscool8|7 years ago|reply
I can imagine everyone in traffic, or in the grocery store has a perfectly legitimate reason for why they're acting whatever bothersome way they're acting. But how does that help me accomplish my goal any more efficiently?
[+] [-] dolzenko|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] anacleto|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] edanm|7 years ago|reply
The Three Body problem. The Lathe of Heaven.
And while I haven't read Parable of the Sower yet, everything I've read of Octavia Butler has ranged from really good to some of my favorite books ever, so I'm sure it's a good one.
One anti-recommendation (kind of): I recently read Finite and Infinite Games, after many (many) recommendations for it, and didn't particularly like it. Obviously I'm in the minority on this, but I really wonder what other people saw in it.
[+] [-] _fs|7 years ago|reply
I found this book fascinating how the cultural revolution was weaved in to the story. It really highlighted my ignorance of recent Chinese history, and many times found myself turning to Wikipedia to learn more of the specific events mentioned. The English translation also includes several lengthy footnotes and see-also's when historical characters or events are mentioned, as I'm sure many western readers are less familiar with the details of the events and historical characters.
Without giving away anything, I also found the Egyptian scene truly awesome.
[+] [-] nwj|7 years ago|reply
Also read it recently and was disappointed. It's written in a style that I associate with continental philosophy. Obtuse language that can be difficult to follow.
That wouldn't be the end of the world if the underlying ideas were really brilliant, but I wasn't convinced.
[+] [-] shmageggy|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rebuilder|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] reachtarunhere|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shry4ns|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jmondi|7 years ago|reply
A few others I would really like to see on this list would be:
- Principles by Ray Dalio
- Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
[+] [-] Gatsky|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ljw1001|7 years ago|reply
IDK, the world is under great stress on so many levels. The people at YC are wonderfully bright and well educated. Is this really the best they could come up with?
[+] [-] AnthonBerg|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Apocryphon|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] suckerburg|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Jaruzel|7 years ago|reply
It's a mediocre teen-fiction, that starts off strong, but completely loses itself into an endless list of standard story tropes by the end. (trying not to spoiler, here)
It's only still popular now because the film has just left cinemas.
[+] [-] KevanM|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sushid|7 years ago|reply
> An incredible primary-source portrait on a brilliant (but obviously deeply flawed) individual.
What is the obviously deeply flawed characteristic about him that Altman is referring to? I read Napoleon: A Life a few years ago and found him fascinating with character flaws like every other human being, but nothing that particularly struck me as "deeply flawed."
[+] [-] ljw1001|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ryanmercer|7 years ago|reply
- Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World
- Escape From The Deep: The Epic Story of a Legendary Submarine and Her Courageous Crew
- Ruthless River: Love and Survival by Raft on the Amazon's Relentless Madre de Dios (not as good but still worth reading).
[+] [-] westoncb|7 years ago|reply
I thought it sounded super interesting, but I'm getting mixed impressions from Amazon reviews.
[+] [-] swanson|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jseliger|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] koolhead17|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ms512|7 years ago|reply
I found the book accessible and compelling.
[+] [-] aestetix|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kraftman|7 years ago|reply
I gave up reading this book about halfway through. It drags out a lot with needless fluff; she spent about 3 pages just naming the bird! She seemed to really hate T.H. White's 'The Goshawk' so I decided to give it a read. I much preferred it (he names his bird in one sentence) and felt she'd read between the lines much more than there was in the book.
The three body problem:
This is a brilliant book until the end, which basically solves all of the interesting problems it's been building up to throughout the book with 'magic supercomputers that can do anything!', which is a shame because it had me hooked.
[+] [-] barry-cotter|7 years ago|reply
They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you.
[+] [-] mrexroad|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] klarrimore|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gustaf|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] deviationblue|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] idlewords|7 years ago|reply
It's also really, really, really long. I highly recommend the audiobook if you drive a lot.
[+] [-] henryw|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] allthing|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] AaronM|7 years ago|reply
“Science have already proven we can grow all kinds of animal protein in labs. This book is the founding story of a revolution that will how we eat and the planet forever.” – Gustaf Alstromer
I believe it should be This book is the founding story of a revolution that will change how we eat and the planet forever.”
[+] [-] chriselles|7 years ago|reply
End of World War II true story of a plane crash into remote New Guinea.
The survival/rescue/recovery mission is remarkable.
If you like Robinson Crusoe, The Martian, and Lost In Space, you’ll enjoy this remarkable true story.