4 ms·
I used to commute in silence or listening to the radio for my daily Silicon Valley drive (237 Milpitas to Mountain View), and by the time I got to work, I'd be
by unpythonic 9y ago
I used to commute in silence or listening to the radio for my daily Silicon Valley drive (237 Milpitas to Mountain View), and by the time I got to work, I'd be angry, frustrated, and cognitively spent.
Listening to audio books has allowed me to relax, enjoy the reading, and get to work excited about the day.
I treat the time as a chance to "read" those books which I wouldn't normally spend either my work hours nor my free time hours on. It's a chance to get informed on topics that are only slightly related to work, but expand your mind in ways that will make you a better thinker, and thus a better programmer.
The books I've found particularly good on audio are:
* Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
* Thinking, Fast and Slow
* How Not to be Wrong
* Ready Player One
* Neuromancer
- oddlyaromatic 9y agoThinking Fast and Slow was really good, I've listened to it a couple of times. As a framework for thinking about working and learning it really clicked with me. I think I've been gently influenced by this book in many ways, including how I set my expectations about other people, and what "system" they might be employing at any moment. This has helped reduce my overall stress levels and increased my patience with myself and others. Even if the science isn't 100% perfect (is it ever?), these are usable models that approximate behavior and can be practical when taken with a grain of salt.
- j_s 9y agoAnd if you're looking for meaningful books to listen to, there was a solid discussion 2 days ago: Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models? | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15155833 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15155833
- taejavu 9y agoDo you mind sharing where you have found an audiobook of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? Doesn't look like it's available on Audible or Scribd.
- 1001101 9y agoMy local library has it via Overdrive. It's on my holds list (#6 on 5 copies - any day now :) ) YMMV.
- unpythonic 9y agoI got mine from Audible at the link below. If you do use it, please SKIP THE INTRODUCTION. If you haven't read or listened to the book before, it gives away some major plot points as part of the author's update. https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Zen-and-the-Art-of-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Audiobook/B002VA8G6M https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Zen-and-the-Art-of-M...
- taejavu 9y agoThanks. Not available in Australia unfortunately: "We're sorry. Due to publishing rights restrictions, we are not authorized to sell this item in the country where you live."
- jsilence 9y agoMullvad VPN
- hanley 9y agoI made this mistake and I'm 1/4 of the way into the book. Can't tell yet how big of a mistake it was.
- colechristensen 9y agoI've been doing audiobooks on commute for the last year or so and have particularly enjoyed these as well: * anything by & narrated by Bill Bryson * The Phoenix Project * We Are Legion (We are Bob) * SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome * The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language
- ransom1538 9y agoIf you have an audible account - * The Hard Thing About Hard Things * The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck * Rework These books were amazing in audible format. (I have listened to a hundred or so).