I've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just

I've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just a bad idea (significantly reduces my "surface area"). OTOH, I really need to get back into a habit of reading books, every day. I used to go through a goodly number of non-fiction books on a regular basis (another good book, "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master" says you should read at least one non-fiction book in your field a quarter), but recently I've just lacked the discipline and habit to do so. I find myself reading a lot online, but so much of it is so low information and not in-depth enough. That said, I also try to partake of fiction, although in that regard I'm not doing great either, as I opt for a lot of passive fiction in the form of video. Fiction can be just as good for expanding the mind, even exercising empathy. Just reading speculative fiction (to give a broader term to science fiction) can exercise one's mind in visualizing things or give one new ideas. Heck, Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in "Snow Crash". ETA: There's some great "forgotten" fiction out there, which hasn't been turned into other formats yet. "The Stars my Destination" and "Lord of Light" are excellent. Which reminds me, another good source I've found for books is /usr/games/fortune