Recommendations you can check.
Writer and engineer behind the blog Melting Asphalt; co-author with Robin Hanson of The Elephant in the Brain.
19 things
On TyrannyBook Timothy Snyder
Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny. Great (and short!) book. Probably preaching to the choir, but it's a great sermon.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
Algorithms to Live ByBook Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths
I wanted to hate this book. I expected it to be a vapid popularization of trivial ideas from computer science. Mostly, I was jealous that the authors had identified such a great idea for a book, and I was hoping they would botch the job. Buuuuut they didn't. The book was great.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
The Beginning of InfinityBook David Deutsch
David Deutsch, The Beginning of Infinity. Even better than Fabric of Reality (thanks Mills, David, Andy). Deutsch offers the most compelling left-brain worldview I imagine it's possible to construct, given our current understanding. Of special note are (1) his emphasis on knowledge as a physical phenomenon, and (2) his ideas on the evolution of creativity. Probably going on the all-time greatest list.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
Master of the SenateBook Robert Caro
Robert Caro, Master of the Senate (HT: Kevin Kwok, Alok Singh). I made it about two-thirds of the way through, so given my track record, I'll count this one as "finished." It was great!
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
Big HistoryCourse David Christian
David Christian, Big History [audible.com lecture series]. Probably my favorite Audible lecture series to date.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
Hardcore HistoryPodcast Dan Carlin
Also not "reading" material, but there's some truly amazing content out there — in particular, Hardcore History and EconTalk. These two podcasts have both been around for a while, but for some reason I didn't start listening to them until just recently, despite many recommendations. Well, let me add one more voice to the chorus: these are both excellent.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
EconTalkPodcast Russ Roberts
Also not "reading" material, but there's some truly amazing content out there — in particular, Hardcore History and EconTalk. These two podcasts have both been around for a while, but for some reason I didn't start listening to them until just recently, despite many recommendations. Well, let me add one more voice to the chorus: these are both excellent.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
Rational RitualBook Michael Chwe
Michael Chwe, Rational Ritual. Read half of it, then got distracted — but it's very good.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
Every Cradle is a GraveBook Sarah Perry
Sarah Perry, Every Cradle is a Grave. More unsettling to my worldview than anything else I've read in the past few years. Not sure how many of Perry's conclusions I agree with, but they're extremely thought-provoking.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
The Machinery of LifeBook David Goodsell
David Goodsell, The Machinery of Life. Spectacular book for developing intuition of what goes on inside a cell. The text is OK but the illustrations are absolutely stunning and make the book worthy of a strong recommendation.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
The Dictator's HandbookBook Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith
The Dictator's Handbook. Very good, highly recommended.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
The Story of Human LanguageCourse John McWhorter
John McWhorter, The Story of Human Language [audible.com lecture series]. Awesome lecture series. A more accurate title might be "The Sociology of Language." Discusses the way languages are used and how they evolve in human populations. Also, McWhorter is an excellent lecturer, one of my favorites. His sentences are precise, dense with information, and spiced with a nice, dry wit and colorful turns of phrase. Highly recommended.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
3Blue1BrownOther Grant Sanderson
I recommend PBS Space Time (astrophysics), 3Blue1Brown (math), and Caspian Report (geopolitics).
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
PBS Space TimeOther
I recommend PBS Space Time (astrophysics), 3Blue1Brown (math), and Caspian Report (geopolitics).
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
SapiensBook Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Harari, Sapiens. Read half of it, then lost interest. I'm ambivalent about this book. On the one hand, it provides a useful, somewhat contrarian perspective on human history. (For example: the agricultural revolution probably sucked for the people who went through it.) On the other hand, it's full of sweeping pronouncements that I can't fully endorse.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
ScaleBook Geoffrey West
Geoffrey West, Scale. I'm strongly ambivalent about this book. On the one hand, the topics he covers are extremely important, and he brings a fresh/deep perspective to them. On the other hand, the book is poorly-written. It suffers from long-winded digressions, weird jabs against non-physicists, and (most disappointing of all) a surprising dearth of explanations for the phenomena he describes. Also I think he overstates the case for some of his big claims.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent LifeBook Peter Godfrey-Smith
Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life. One of the most disappointing books I've read in a long time.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
The End of AlchemyBook Mervyn King
Mervyn King, The End of Alchemy. Not recommended.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
The GeneBook Siddhartha Mukherjee
Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Gene. See tweetstorm. Bottom line: not recommended.
His running "Reading Archive" page, where he logs each book, lecture series and podcast he finishes with a short verdict. The page carries no date; the newest entry on it is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny (published February 2017), so it was last extended around then.
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