Reading Antifragile by Nassim Taleb was eye-opening for me. I turn to the concepts of the book whenever I feel unsure about a decision or opinion.
Hitchhikers guide. 42 for the win always know where your towel is and don’t panic
The amount of times we answer 42 in our family… we just can’t help ourselves
I have a version of The More Than Complete Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy that’s genuine leather bonded with gold leaf page edges and builtin bookmark. It’s on display on a special shelf. Everyone who visits thinks it’s a bible, and in a way it is as it does have a lot of good advice about life, the universe and everything.
Protect me from knowing what I don’t need to know. Protect me from even knowing that there are things to know that I don’t know. Protect me from knowing that I decided not to know about the things that I decided not to know about. Amen.
Lord, lord, lord. Protect me from the consequences of the above prayer. Amen.
Walkaway by Cory Doctorow. I was interested in anarchism in my college years, but turned away from it because of what I perceived as the strongman problem. What happens when the psychopaths come for what you have?
Walkaway solved that. In a post scarcity society, you walk away. Let them have your shit. You can build new shit, better shit, avoiding the mistakes you made and making grander mistakes forever into the future.
This book brought me back into the fold. It was transformative, and in a really big way
You wouldn’t have post scarcity society in anarchism, though. And if that has been achieved before, it would be what they attack first.
You should read the book. Might just change your mind
I really should, that is true. I’ll put it on the list. I’ve read most of Doctorow’s older books already.
Including Down and Out In The Magic Kingdom? 'Cause Walkaway is the prequel
The Art of UNIX Programming by ESR
Not saying this book is 100% correct and perfect, but most parts of it is still relevant and refreshingly insightful even after 20 years. I sure learned a lot about great engineering and generally how to approch and tackle difficult problems from it.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The bible
I came here to say that. Sorry about the abuse you’re about to take. But we deserve it apparently. Sins of the fathers or “people like us” or something, I guess.
You literally only said “The Bible” and I already saw some frothing.
Have you bashed out any newborn babies’ brains on a rock today?
Chill.
The day has barely begun. Gotta go to the morning stoning first. Pushy people like you make us regular baby brain bashers look like weirdos.
Sorry. So at what point do we lust after our lovers, whose genitals are like those of donkeys and whose emission are like that of a horse?
I forgive you for posting that.
I forgive you for saying the bible.
We are not the same.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr. Victor Frankl. Saved me in so many ways.
Dune.
The Joy of Cooking
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
The Lord of the Rings trilogy, by Tolkien
I return to it ever couple of years, always in bad times and often in good times too. Everyone is trying to do the best they can, contributing what they can. Only few characters are at all malicious. Emotions are deep and powerful, portrayed lightly. The whole story is a great collaboration where wildly different people overcome their differences to reach a single, all-encompassing goal.
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
Not for most people but very much how I see the world and helps me get the best out of me.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
from Dale Carnegie. It’s cheers up on bad days and gives helpful tipps and story (to think about it) for the live.
The phantom tollbooth. Flatland.
