3 ms·

- "Rationality: From AI to Zombies" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWron

- "Rationality: From AI to Zombies" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. - "On Intelligence" and "I am a Strange Loop" - how mind works. - "Rework", "Zero to One", "Start Small, Stay Small" - insightful startup advice. - Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google) - On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy. - Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis). Also collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]: [1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... [2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of...

sorenn111 8y ago
The Selfish Gene has been the most influential book on my life. Especially when Dawkins makes the point about pre-darwininan philosophy needing rethinking. His point being that natural selection/evolution is such a profound notion that it should be embedded into the underpinnings of philosophy itself.
- mirceal 8y ago
  You know, when I first saw (many years ago) an animation of DNA replication my first though was: hey, this looks like code. Imagine my suprise seeing this Dawkins fellow comparing DNA to code in the beggining of the “The Blind Watchmaker”. Great minds... something something.
  - TeMPOraL 8y ago
    Hah, I remember learning about how DNA works in secondary school. You know, there's this "reading frame" that reads "triplets of nucleotides"... just like a CPU reading machine instructions! Might have had something to do with me reading an intro book to x86 ASM at that time.
- pergadad 8y ago
  For me the comparison of gene and meme blew me away. In short: There are not one but two things in you yearning/working to be reproduced: your genes (not body) and your memes/meme complexes. Thosr memes that are not good at getting reproduced die out, just like for genes. The book is now around 40 years old but still stunning in its insightfulness.

sorenn111 8y ago

The Selfish Gene has been the most influential book on my life. Especially when Dawkins makes the point about pre-darwininan philosophy needing rethinking. His point being that natural selection/evolution is such a profound notion that it should be embedded into the underpinnings of philosophy itself.

mirceal 8y ago
You know, when I first saw (many years ago) an animation of DNA replication my first though was: hey, this looks like code. Imagine my suprise seeing this Dawkins fellow comparing DNA to code in the beggining of the “The Blind Watchmaker”. Great minds... something something.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  Hah, I remember learning about how DNA works in secondary school. You know, there's this "reading frame" that reads "triplets of nucleotides"... just like a CPU reading machine instructions! Might have had something to do with me reading an intro book to x86 ASM at that time.
pergadad 8y ago
For me the comparison of gene and meme blew me away. In short: There are not one but two things in you yearning/working to be reproduced: your genes (not body) and your memes/meme complexes. Thosr memes that are not good at getting reproduced die out, just like for genes. The book is now around 40 years old but still stunning in its insightfulness.