Recommended List
[ Home ] [ Tech Writings ] [ Recommended List ] [ Software ] [ Personal Stuff ]

 

 

A few things that I recommend to others, mainly non-fiction books and useful items.   Fiction and food tend to be subjective, so aren't listed.

 

[ amazon.com ] The links from the books go to Amazon.com.  I've ordered a few hundred US$ in books from them, and have nothing but nice things to say.  I've heard some people accuse them of spamming, but I haven't had that experience.

Amazon has an "Amazon Associates" program, where if you direct people to their web site you get a percentage of any sale that results.  This struck me as a conflict of interest -- it's hard to take somebody's recommendations seriously when they're getting a piece of anything you buy -- so I have included two kinds of links.   Clicking on a book title takes you to Amazon.com with the Amazon Associates identifier, and if you buy something I get a (very small) piece.  The separate "[non-assoc]" link takes you there without the identifier.

If you're looking for "out of print" or "publisher special order" books, you may have better luck at Barnes & Noble.  And if you're looking for something really unusual -- perhaps an incunabulum? -- try Bibliofind (which, I see, is now partnered with Amazon).

Required Reading

Every once in a while I find a book that makes me want to spam everybody I know with messages about how wonderful it is. Most of the people who have read these agree: they are absolutely worth reading.

  • Money.  If you manage the money for yourself or your family, read Personal Finance for Dummies, by Eric Tyson (now in its 5th edition). Don't let the name throw you. Even if you think you've got your act together and know it all, there are probably a few things that you hadn't really thought about. Here's a message I sent out to my friends right after reading it.  He also has a Home Buying for Dummies that I used when buying a house, and would recommend as well.  [non-assoc]
  • Software.  If you're a software engineer, read Writing Solid Code, by Steve Maguire. I was a little reluctant to buy into the "Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs" concept, having used several not-so-bug-free Microsoft products over the years, but the book is easy to read and extremely useful (if becoming a bit dated).  [non-assoc]
  • Software.  The best book I have read on C/C++ is Thinking In C++ Volume 1, 2nd Edition, by Bruce Eckel.  Besides presenting both languages in a precise and easy-to-read manner, it has proved invaluable time and again as a reference due to its wonderful index.  The full text of the book, as well as that of volume 2, is available on the author's web site.  [non-assoc]
  • Weight lifting.  If you lift weights, read The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique, by Stuart McRobert. No hype, no advertisements for food supplements, no "8 weeks to bigger biceps" routines. Just lots of detailed information on which exercises are safe and effective, and how to perform them correctly. (If you can't find the book at amazon.com, try the CS Publishing web site at http://www.hardgainer.com/.)  [non-assoc]
  • Interpersonal relationships.  I'm an introvert.  When a friend of mine told me about The Introvert Advantage, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I found it to be very enlightening, so much so that I wrote a book review for Slashdot.  [non-assoc]

Recommended Reading

Read it, liked it, would recommend it to others.  Didn't have me doing backflips though.

  • Weight lifting.  Brawn, by Stuart McRobert, could be viewed as a companion volume to The Insider's Tell-All Handbook.   While the latter focuses on technique, Brawn is about pretty much everything else.  How to lift, how much, how often, how to eat, how to breathe, how to live if you want to get big.  The focus is on the drug-free and genetically typical lifter.  If you have an innate ability to get huge, or are pounding the steroids, just keep on working every body part six days a week and you'll keep growing.  If you're like the other 85% of the population, this book can save you years of frustration.   The only thing I disliked about it is that he comes off like a broken record at times, especially in the early chapters.  [non-assoc]
  • Compact disc.  Ken Pohlmann's Principles of Digital Audio will tell you pretty much everything you wanted to know about digital audio, and then some.   This is a very large, very technical book.  I used to recommend his earlier The Compact Disc Handbook, but that's not as thorough and much harder to find.  [non-assoc]
  • Money.  If you want to learn some fundamental market theory without reading a text book, try A Random Walk Down Wall Street, by Burton Malkiel.  The book discusses theories about why markets behave as they do, details what risk measures like "beta" really mean, and explains how careful portfolio selection (with and without derivatives) can greatly reduce risk without impacting performance.  The author comes from academia, and the writing style does reflect that, but this isn't a textbook and if you are interested in the topic you won't become bored.  [non-assoc]
  • Data compression.  My all-time favorite book on the subject is Text Compression, by Timothy C. Bell, John G. Cleary, and Ian H. Witten.  It leans heavily on the theory side rather than the implementation side, but not so much so that it's unintelligible to mere mortals.  This book is becoming harder to find.  [non-assoc]
  • Interpersonal relationships.  My brother gave me a copy of Dale Carnegie's classic How to Win Friends and Influence People as a Christmas gift one year.  It was far more interesting and useful than I expected it to be.  It's not about how to fool others and get your way through trickery and deceit; it's about how to interact with people in a way that is constructive and non-threatening.  Most of the "how to get along with others" courses and books draw something from this work.  Unless you live in a shack in the woods, this book will do you some good.  (People who find themselves in Usenet flame wars should read this!)  [non-assoc]

Miscellaneous

  • Furniture.  Metro wire shelving.  I see these everywhere now, from the kitchen in the local Chinese restaurant to sets on Star Trek.  These are shiny chrome steel shelving units that can hold several hundred pounds per shelf.  They don't require dusting, and you can use cable ties to strap things to the top (or underside) of each shelf.  On one 5-shelf unit, I have all of my computer equipment, plus a TV and VCR, and small storage bins for cables and spare parts.  My monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers are on a regular desk; all of the cable clutter is off on the racks, neatly tied up.  If you have lots of stereo or computer equipment, this is much cheaper than rack-mounting and is every bit as convenient.  The shelves I bought were Grainger item 4W638 (5' wide, 6' high, 2' deep).  (Looks like the current item number is 7D296.)
  • General Knowledge.  If you haven't been to the How Stuff Works web site, you're really missing out.  The site has detailed but easily understandable explanations of everything from car engines to tornadoes to how flush toilets work.

Comments on Printers

  • HP2000C.  Great printer.  I've had one for years and it has held up wonderfully.  The only breakdown I've had was due to a known weakness in a spring anchor.  I bought a replacement part (C4530-67818 "Ink Supply Station SVC") for about US$50 and fixed it myself.  The only downside to this printer is that HP doesn't seem interested in providing WinXP drivers.
  • Epson 1280.  Great output, unpleasant printer.  The photo-quality output really is photo quality, on the occasions when the printer actually decides to work.  I have wasted countless hours trying to unclog the print heads, not to mention countless dollars on wasted ink and paper.  If an HP print head gets clogged to the point of uselessness you can just replace it, but with the Epson it would be cheaper to buy a new printer.  There are many sites that will sell you cleaning kits; if you buy this printer, stock up on the cleaning fluid, because you will need it.  (Be sure to get a kit with a syringe so you can do the "cleaning fluid in the ink port" trick.)

Both printers connect to my various machines through Ethernet, using Epson and HP print buffer devices attached to the printers.  Some parts of the software have difficulty getting status information, but the error status and ink levels are visible from at least one screen.  (This applies equally to both printers, though they're broken in different ways.)

Updated Thursday, January 11, 2007