4 ms·

mattmight is a University professor, and presumably advises graduate students in his department. So he's in a slightly different role than your average joe pro

mattmight is a University professor, and presumably advises graduate students in his department. So he's in a slightly different role than your average joe programmer or even rock star computer scientist at the latest startup of Y-combinator fame. In my masters program, there were about 16 books that I saw in every single one of our professors' offices. Over my coursework there, I had to buy about a dozen of them for specific courses. Before graduation I bought the others. While I haven't read every single one of them from cover to cover, I have extensively referenced every one of them. His list should serve the same purpose for the audiences he's identified.

adamnemecek 13y ago
Care to share the list? I think that I can guess what might be on it, but I'm still curious.
stiff 13y ago
Even in this position, or maybe especially in this position, I think it is downright harmful to suggest that there are books every student should read, like there is some canonical set of books that will make a great researcher of you and the world would become a better place if everyone would read the same set. I shared this view for a good while and I deeply regret it, you should instead focus on your problem domain and on problem solving, choose your lectures independently, don't get too bound or too concerned about books in general, and stay deeply critical of anything you read - e.g. you should deliberately look for holes even in the most praised works instead of admiring them blindly. That's the way you can progress and not just keep copying what others have done. And it is very good that not everyone has to and not everyone does read the same books. In the end it is not about the fucking books anyway.
- Retric 13y ago
  He did not give a list of books for everyone to read just suggesting 4 books to be used as references for graduate level writing which I find hard to argue with. Along with one for presentations and persuasion which you are going to do so I doin't think there is as much to argue with as you might think.
seanmcdirmid 13y ago
I got my PhD at that same university in that same field (PL, but before Might's time as a professor there), and I didn't read any of those books (I read TAPL afterwards). My adviser tried to get me to read one of the writing style books, but I seemed to have figured it out by myself :) People are diverse. There are no must have books but there are many books appropriate for your context (writing your first paper, need help with style? Read that book, or let your adviser beat it into you). It is OK to provide a list of things nice to read, even better if you list the demand context where the book will be useful. But to use an absolute...that could confuse incoming grad students.
mathattack 13y ago
Can you name the 16?

adamnemecek 13y ago

Care to share the list? I think that I can guess what might be on it, but I'm still curious.

stiff 13y ago

Even in this position, or maybe especially in this position, I think it is downright harmful to suggest that there are books every student should read, like there is some canonical set of books that will make a great researcher of you and the world would become a better place if everyone would read the same set. I shared this view for a good while and I deeply regret it, you should instead focus on your problem domain and on problem solving, choose your lectures independently, don't get too bound or too concerned about books in general, and stay deeply critical of anything you read - e.g. you should deliberately look for holes even in the most praised works instead of admiring them blindly. That's the way you can progress and not just keep copying what others have done. And it is very good that not everyone has to and not everyone does read the same books. In the end it is not about the fucking books anyway.

Retric 13y ago
He did not give a list of books for everyone to read just suggesting 4 books to be used as references for graduate level writing which I find hard to argue with. Along with one for presentations and persuasion which you are going to do so I doin't think there is as much to argue with as you might think.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago

I got my PhD at that same university in that same field (PL, but before Might's time as a professor there), and I didn't read any of those books (I read TAPL afterwards). My adviser tried to get me to read one of the writing style books, but I seemed to have figured it out by myself :) People are diverse. There are no must have books but there are many books appropriate for your context (writing your first paper, need help with style? Read that book, or let your adviser beat it into you). It is OK to provide a list of things nice to read, even better if you list the demand context where the book will be useful. But to use an absolute...that could confuse incoming grad students.

mathattack 13y ago

Can you name the 16?