3 ms·

This was on HN quite some time ago: http://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/howtoread.pdf http://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/howtoread.pdf I find it valuable for a

This was on HN quite some time ago: http://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/howtoread.pdf http://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/howtoread.pdf I find it valuable for another reason: I'm always constrained for time, so I might not get through an entire book. If that book is deeply technical, it discourages me from continuing, because I have to take the time to re-skim what was read previously. I somewhat recently started trying the above method. With multiple iterations through the book, I can get an idea of the information and at the very least know where it find it and that it exists. Depending on the iteration, I'll have some notes to fall back on, or have some important concepts underlined.

function_k 9y ago
Great PDF on how to read.
cma 9y ago
This is also why you shouldn't just watch beginner tutorials on complex software like 3d modeling packages or digital audio workstations. Those are good, but you should also watch professionals use the tools on really complicated projects in person or in screencasts. While you won't be able to follow along fast enough and will be in way over your head, you will learn what's possible and be able to remember in the future when you run into a problem that needs complex radial symmetry, or whatever, that there a way that is much faster. It also broadens your notion of what is possible in the application, rather than trying to reason from the ground up of the simple tools you have learned in a beginner tutorial.
sevensor 9y ago
That's a good guide, but one thing I think it doesn't emphasize enough is the preface. If a book has a preface, that's usually where the authors make their case for why the book exists in the first place. It's worth paying extra attention to the preface, because it establishes the context of the entire work. The ToC tells you what's in there, and it might hint at why, and the intro might give you more historical background, but the preface is almost always short and sweet.
cs-student 9y ago
How does this work for mathematic books?

function_k 9y ago

Great PDF on how to read.

cma 9y ago

This is also why you shouldn't just watch beginner tutorials on complex software like 3d modeling packages or digital audio workstations. Those are good, but you should also watch professionals use the tools on really complicated projects in person or in screencasts. While you won't be able to follow along fast enough and will be in way over your head, you will learn what's possible and be able to remember in the future when you run into a problem that needs complex radial symmetry, or whatever, that there a way that is much faster. It also broadens your notion of what is possible in the application, rather than trying to reason from the ground up of the simple tools you have learned in a beginner tutorial.

sevensor 9y ago

That's a good guide, but one thing I think it doesn't emphasize enough is the preface. If a book has a preface, that's usually where the authors make their case for why the book exists in the first place. It's worth paying extra attention to the preface, because it establishes the context of the entire work. The ToC tells you what's in there, and it might hint at why, and the intro might give you more historical background, but the preface is almost always short and sweet.

cs-student 9y ago

How does this work for mathematic books?