Paras’s Bookshelf

This #book is as niche as it can get. It’s about the history of Lean, the math formalisation system that’s enabling AIs to solve Millennium Prize problems. Lean started as an attempt to do formal verification of software in order to find bugs. But it was quickly adopted by...

“How can a man so genius be so stubborn!” This line from the biography of Gödel perfectly summarises the personality. The man shook the world of math by proving how formal systems contain truths that can never be proven. Yet, he refused medical treatment consistently and...

This highly unusual #book is the first one I’ve read on the philosophy of technology. It sketches key principles behind how technology arises, develops and evolves. Plus its link with economy and human needs. The best part of the book was historical anecdotes on different…

Cybernetics was AI before AI. This #book, written in 1950, anticipated the AI safety and alignment problem. Using metaphors such as asking a genie for a wish that is grossly misinterpreted, Wiener urged humans to never abdicate moral responsibility to machines. The 75 year old…

Claude Shannon, a juggler, a tinkerer, the Einstein of communications - the man is an inspiration on how to live a life full of curiosity. Reading this #book, it’s clear that Claude never boxed himself into a category. He will build things with his hands, prove theorems, and…

What a #book! A sci-fiction comedy with a cat that talks in a dungeon with monsters and achievements. The main protagonist has no pants. It’s honestly a weird kind of book, but extremely entertaining and well-written. Doesn’t fit into traditional categories and that’s why I…

I just finished this tremendously readable and provocative #book: Escape from Shadow Physics. The book is about foundations of quantum mechanics. To be precise, it’s about why we should not give up on trying to find a deeper theory of quantum mechanics. The usual story in...

I read the #book Principles of Neural Design recently. It’s extremely dense, which you’d hate or love depending on how much you’re in awe with how our brain works. I totally loved it! The book is unique in trying to explain the wondrous complexity of brain using few unifying…

This is one crazy sci-fi #book. Won’t give spoilers but the story is nuts. The writing is superb. The book has genetics, AI, space, consciousness - the whole shebang. It’s a big book - 500+ pages but highly readable.

What a phenomenal #book. If you’re interested in the “hard problem” of consciousness, this is one book to read and re-read. I came across the author via a scientific article where he (along with Karl Friston) apply the free energy principle to consciousness. Of course, the...

Drop everything and read this #book. Seriously, this sci-fi is leagues apart from any other sci-fi book that I’ve read (except perhaps Ursula’s writings). Immensely imaginative, the book has several interconnected stories, each equally mind blowing. And all those stories come…

What a phenomenal #book! The author goes into excruciating detail on how language could have evolved. The first half of the book is dedicated to how our folk intuitions about language evolution are wrong. Consider animal calls. They’re often just about here-and-now to…

This #book makes a convincing case that consciousness arose during the Cambrian explosion 550 million years ago when prey-predator dynamics kickstarted an arms race to better represent the environment in order to outsmart the other. The book is full of detailed figures of how…

Such an inspiring autobiography! This #book is the story of Helen Keller, a deaf and blind person who went on to becoming the first blind person to get a college degree and the. ended up founding the mighty ACLU. I found the her life’s story a fascinating insight into the…

What an insanely good #book. Goes into a lot of details about what fundamental laws of our universe are and how if they were even slightly different, universe would have been inhospitable to structure (such as atoms not forming at all, or everything becoming a black hole)...

What a marvellous #book on two of the greatest scientists in our history. It’s astounding how they overturned the accepted wisdom of the day inherited from Newton - that forces acted at a distance. Faraday never wrote a single line of mathematics, yet he constructed a precise…

What a phenomenal #book; I’m sure I’ll re-read it several times in my life. I have been on a journey to sharpen my intuitions about truth, reality and pragmatism, and this book delivers! Some notes: - Reality is mind-framed but not mind-controlled. We can think about what is…

What an amazing read! Probably my last #book of the year. Typical for Japanese literature, there’s no hero. No villain. No rags to riches. No moral. Just characters and their collective unfolding. The book felt like the writer wanted an excuse for writing a cluster of…

What an absolute treasure of a #book! Written by a poet, every line in it is perfectly crafted. It reads unlike most non-fiction books, and yet it is about work and how our identities are crafted by it. The book uses the metaphor of a voyage to help create a sense of...

What the hell did I just end up reading! This #book is the most intelligent science fiction I’ve read but it’s also most challenging. The author doesn’t care to explain all the complicated creatures and systems he’s imagining - the reader has to piece it together as she reads…

What an absolute gem of a #book on the philosophy of mathematics! The book asks an innocuous question - what are we doing when we’re doing mathematics? Are we discovering entities, or creating new ones? What is a proof anyway? What happens when we find out that mathematics is…

An intriguing #book. In it, the author - a philosopher - argues that finetuning of our physical constants is an evidence of a purpose in our universe, which includes emergence of life and realization of value. I don’t agree with it because we are in a realm of philosophy, and…

What an amazing, amazing #book! Written by three psychiatrists, it blends science and poetry to describe how hopelessly we humans (and all mammals) are dependent on love. In it, you’ll find many insights - how our attachment styles are formed during childhood, why reason is…

A really beautiful memoir! This #book is a breezy read into the life of someone who lived a deeply curious and infinitely interesting life. He’s an inspiration, and this book is perfect for bedtime reading as it’s easy and lively.

This #book is about how our memory isn’t a recording device, but rather a tool evolved to help us navigate our lives better. A perfect memory will likely be very energy inefficient, so our brain has evolved all sorts of tricks which lead to memory failures. When we are…

What a magnificiantly charming #book! Accounts for the deep friendship between two historical giants - David Hume and Adam Smith. Even though their ideas changed the world, as people, they were both deeply committed to friendships and the good humour that comes with it.…

Ursula is a masterful writer, and this #book is one of her best. The characters and concepts are beautiful, but overall I liked her other famous book “Dispossessed” better.

A fascinating #book with a ridiculously simple but powerful message: plan your life in a way that maximizes experiences. Use money as a tool, and not an end in itself. Time and health are more important. Strongly recommended it for both young people, and those addicted to…

What a mind blowing #book! Smolin makes a convincing case that new universes are born in black holes, and laws change a bit each them this happens. Consequence: a natural selection of laws that get tuned to produce maximum number of black holes.

A juicy #book that starts from Mao and his mistakes, and traces in great detail the changes China saw with Deng coming to power. It’s fascinating how China grew not because of its one party rule, but despite it. The book is written by academics, so lots of details.

Oh my, what a masterpiece. this #book is a philosophical masterpiece disguised as science fiction. By the time you connect the dots on how the book is written, your mind is totally blown. Strongly recommended!

Recently, I read this beautiful #book, named Life as No One Knows It, by @Sara_Imari and had a minor revelation that maybe we’ve been looking at life from a completely wrong lens. My notes 👇

This #book is a fascinating account of why India, unlike Pakistan, never had a military coup. First, India diversified military composition while Pakistan inherited British legacy - major Punjabi dominated army. A military composed of minorities feels threatened, hence chances…

I’m conflicted by this #book. On one hand, it covers all my favorite topics: evolution, self-organisation, entropy, life, universe, consciousness, information, computation But, it’s highly repetitive. If you like grand narratives, you can’t get grander than this.

This is an insane sci-fi #book. Strongly recommend it. Premise is simple: protagonist’s dreams change actual reality. Consequences are head-spinning. So well written. Loved it!

This #book won the Pulitzer Prize! It’s a really long book (450 pages), and not all chapters are worth reading. But the chapter on Pragmatism is entirely worth buying the book for. I was always a fan of William James, but now I know my favourite new philosopher: John Dewey.

I love Derek’s writing. Short essays, few words, powerful wisdom. This #book is a collection of an infinite number of essays that you can finish in a day. Very easy read but timeless advice. PS: I wish more blogs appear as printed books!

This is a really good #book. It aligns with my worldview of a curiosity-driven life, where actions are what matters while outcomes are merely stepping stones to something new and amazing. It’s a playbook on how to play infinite games in life.

How can a #book be bad and good at the same time? The story is really unemotional, but everything is rooted in real science so that’s exciting. I love hard sci-fi, but I love it even more when writing is fantastic. This book is a bit bland, had high expectations.

My favorite author talking about what I can learn from my favorite cat, Orbit. If you love cats and philosophy, this #book is for you.

My first #book of 2025. It’s long but extremely readable and funny. It’s crazy how historical trends can turn against you and how bloodthirsty our species can be. Highly recommended!

This is my third re-reading of this #book. Absolute masterpiece. Shatters the myth of progress, and urges us to embrace the moment to moment impulses that we share with animals. Go read it!

Wonderful graphic novel on a beautiful soul! Highly recommend this #book if you’re a Vincent fan (like me).

i strongly recommend this #book if you’re entering into your 40s, 50s or beyond. talks about acceptance of the inevitable changes that happen to us as we age, and what makes midlife a difficult period for people addicted to professional success.

This is my dad’s favourite fiction #book, and it really lives upto the strong recommendation he gives for it. Quintessentially 60s American vibe - Vietnam war dodgers travelling around the world, taking drugs and listening to new music, pissing off the previous generation. ❤️

The philosopher is amazing! But the #book is so so. I ought to read the original writing of Bergson. He was one of the most famous philosophers in the world during time. Wrote about time and life’s meaning - two of my favorite topics, and William James (my fav philosopher)…

What a fun read! This #book is the ultimate story of greed, how FTX, TerraUSD, Celsius etc scammed billions out of people who wanted easy returns. It’s funny how we never learn from a financial crisis. The lure of profits blinds us so easily that we stop seeing obvious flaws.

How to achieve success without trying to shoot for it! My notes from the #book "Why Greatness Cannot be Planned" by @kenneth0stanley and @joelbot3000 🧵

Read this #book if you want to know the very basics of ML and neural networks, and loved math as a student. The math here is very simple, so this is a good intro / refresher about the very basics of the field.

They did it because they were aggressive, ambitious, organised and technologically advanced. A lesson on what it takes to dominate. This #book is a page-turner. Highly recommended!

This is a fantastic #book on the “secrets” of doing mathematics by @davidbessis The key insight is that doing mathematics is all about developing intuitions so that a lot of truths become as self evident as 1+10=11.

This #book does exist. Actually, it pushed me to think about a few things in new ways. One is the difference between universe and world. The latter is a super-set and includes non-physical entities like ideas.

This #book is meant for programmers - it builds up the idea of dependent types from grounds up and introduces the beautiful Howard-Curry correspondence in which programs are proofs. I didn’t read the book entirely but it pushed me to understand the value of types. More below..

An ok #book. Introduces computational logic in accessible terms, but still a bit slow for my taste. Gives multiple angles on how to build logical reasonign systems like Cyc.

What a wonderful little #book. Teaches the basics of functional programming and recursion via Scheme, which is a version of Lisp. They say you should learn lisp not because you will ever use it in production but it changes the way you think. I agree.

Don’t mind the title, this #book is seriously good. It expands on Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy which says most of our misery comes from our “musts”. When we say we “must” get what we want, we set ourselves up for failure because the world doesn’t owe us that.

Highly recommend this #book. It’s true that in biology, nothing makes sense except in the light of evolution. This book starts from why intelligence evolved in single cells and what forcing functions pushed it to eventually be capable enough to send rovers to Mars.

What an amazing #book. It combines two of my favourite topics: investing and evolution. Competition for an edge exists both in natural world and business, so there are lots of parallels. Highly recommend it, I will re-read it for sure.

An ok #book. The only interesting idea I learned from it is that our universe can’t be pure mathematics as the same phenomena can be described by different types of mathematics, so which one is true? We ought not to confuse model (math) with reality (universe).

What a man! - Writes math papers in teens - Formalizes quantum mechanics - Helps build atomic bomb - Kickstarts game theory - Invents modern computers - Kickstarts cellular automata - Proposes self-replicating machines Read this #book for knowing what one life is capable of.

An ok #book. TLDR: you don’t have to fight or ignore emotions. Feel them, but try creating space between your emotions and your impulsive reactions to them. I liked the “Happiness Trap” way better as that’s explicitly based on ACT paradigm.

Excellent #book on how our mental capacities and personality predispositions are more or less baked in. This happens due to two factors: - The variation in genome that drives brain development program - The inherent randomness in brain develokment (what gets wired where)

A beautiful #book on a beautiful country. I learned this from the “Art of Travel” that visiting a place becomes much more enriching once you pre-immerse yourself in it. You look at things with a keener sense. Thanks to this book, my trip to Bhutan ended up being rich.

This #book is a fantastic summary of cognitive principles we tend to use. It explains why our deviations from perfectly logical thinking is actually rational (given that brain works on limited energy and time, and that we live in a world with certain structure)

This #book is a mix of stories and big ideas on what the more-than-human world looks like and why it matters. I’m a fan of big ideas, but stories don’t interest me much. If you haven’t read a lot about animal intelligence or ecology previously, I’d recommend the book.

This is a #book worth re-reading several times. Highly, highly recommend. The author is a professor and professional poker player, so she understands the inherent randomness in the world and how to grapple with it while making important decisions in life.

This short #book can be finished over a weekend. It promotes dialling down on pseudo-productivity in knowledge work where we measure ourselves against number of hours in a day we remain busy. Instead, it suggests: - Do fewer things - Work at natural pace - Obsess over quality

An excellent #book. Talks about how we get anxious about status because of the modern conception of meritocratic-based success, which makes us feel like a failure if we haven’t “made it” while completely ignoring how big a role luck or circumstance plays in it.

My favourite living philsopher! Alain writes so well, all his writing is full of wisdom and poetry. I highly recommend this #book!

this #book is the world’s first graphic novel. The author has most famous comics awards named after him. Had 4 different stories, not very coherent, but worth reading just because it was a pioneer in this genre.

Not worth reading if you’ve have read pop-psychology books in the past. The ideas in this #book are good but I didn’t find a unifying theme besides cognitive biases exist. This book seems to be the younger brother of “Thinking Fast and Slow”

This is a fantastic, perspective shifting #book. It urges us to ask the question: “is it true?” (And how true is it?), instead of asking “can I believe it?” (Which is what we end up asking to feel better). This book goes into my re-read list. Highly recommended!

If you want wise tweets in print, buy this #book. Not much new to learn here, but a lot of common sense.

Beautiful comic #book, umm.. “graphic novel” Expressed the miserableness of when your childhood hobby turns into a job.

Finished reading this beautiful #book It (successfully) argues how all current alternatives for answering deepest fundamental questions on reality and consciousness are bizarre (defined as having shocking non-commonsensical consequences).

Finished these two #books. Weird, quirky and fun! Thanks to @sia_steel, I have an endless supply of graphic novels at home.

This #book on gamification is bit dated but contains many, many examples of how it’s applied in different projects. It doesn’t talk about nuances though - I wish it had a theory of gamification done well or bad. Also, ignores today’s reality of how distracted we all are.

A fantastic graphic novel. This #book is quirky af. Fantastic art, and a great story about confusion of being an artist. Recommended.

What a beautiful and inspiring #book about what lies at the other side of the black holes. Rovelli is a scientist-poet like no other. This is a perfect physics book: short, eloquent, revealing and lyrical. Highly, highly recommend it.

A beautiful, poetic #book about making a-middle-of-nowhere your home and finding community in it. Thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel.

Mostly focused on the last part of th #book which is about what neuroscience has discovered about effective learning. TLDR: attention, active learning, errors/feedback and meaningfulness are the keys to learning

I wish this #book was much more meatier. The key part - holographic principle - was rushed towards the end and had a very high-level overview. Intrigued, but didn’t feel satisfied. Will have to watch some lecture on YouTube.

The first half of this #book was very, very good. The second half felt like the publisher told the authors: this is not enough, add some random studies and factoids. Overall, I recommend it just for the first half. It’s fascinating!

This graphic novel on Naxals is drawn and written by my friend @sumitdrew, better known as @bakarmax_ Superbly humorous, but sensitive to realities. Highly recommend this #book. All history and other complicated topics must be taught visually.

William James is my spirit philosopher! Can’t believe how modern he was. I’m half way through this classic #book, but already can give a super high recommendation.

This is the most intelligent #book I’ve read on game designer. Highly nuanced, and yet practical. Strongly recommend it not just for game designers, but for anyone who wants to understand what makes people tick.

TLDR of this #book - Innovation starts with observing behaviours, not with ideas - Brainstorming works when you try to come up with a hundred ideas / hour - Assemble teams around projects (Hollywood style) - Prototypes are the gateway to discovering what works

All classics should be graphic novels. Brave New World is much more a prediction of our world than 1984. This #book predicted how all of us will get so lost in pleasures that we’d forget freedom.

Such a sweet and sad #book. This novel is for gamers who want to feel nostalgic. It’s about love, it’s about death and it’s about the endless cycle of creation and obsolescence. If you love fiction, you’ll love this one.

Finished reading this #book, and realised all complicated subjects should be taught with humor and visuals. It makes everything so easy!

@rasagy 30/ This #book is an ethnographic study on gambling in Las Vegas, done over 10 years. Super fascinating to see how tech is designed to keep people addicted (and how solutions don't seem to help).

Started reading this #book on the history of UX.

On capitalism and global warming. Some note from this #book.

@Kzoeps This #book

Finished reading the #book. Highly, highly recommended it.

A beautiful graphic novel. This #book details the life of Hannah Ardent, the Jewish philosopher who tried to understand how humans can inflict terrors like holocaust on each other.

Wonderful #book. If you’re new to UX, you’ll learn many new ideas. My favourite one is that aesthetics correlate with usability: we find beautiful things easier to use.

Beautifully illustrated graphic novel on the life of Kusama, a radical Japanese artist. #book

Skimmed the #book. Lots of interesting data on how humans behave on dating sites (and outside of it).

What an insanely useful #book! Highly recommended (if you can find a copy).

1/ It's a decent introductory #book if you have not delved into behavioral science before, but if you have, most of the ideas in the book won't come across as surprising or new. Nevertheless, made some quick notes.

This #book is a quick 15 minute read by the director of Saatchi & Saatchi

Finished reading this #book. Quick read, will recommend.

Notes from the #book “The Practice” by Seth Godin.

Decent #book. Goes deep into why we are suckers for stories - they serve an evolutionary purpose of helping us navigate the social world. To bore someone, tell them facts. To make them act, tell them a story.

Reading “The Practice” by @ThisIsSethsBlog #book He makes a good point that one should imagine his creations as a generous act for someone else (instead being about himself).

@dinesh_kv This #book

Go read this #book.

This graphic novel is about personalities behind the search for truth in mathematics. I highly recommend this #book. Features Russel, Wittgenstein, Cantor, Gödel and many others.

What a heart-wrenching story of what humans are capable of doing to other humans. #book Unbelievable and scary. Strangely makes one grateful for what one has.

Discovered a new cafe, reading the #book and here are my notes on marketing. 🧵

What a breathtakingly beautiful #book. It’s “Things I have learned in my life” by Stefan Sagmeister. Thanks @sia_steel for keeping this around in the house!

What a wonderful #book. This “comics” reveals how comics is much more than our naive assumptions about it. Good comics is an art!

Like the author, I don’t like the term “gamification” but we’re stuck with it. Gamification implies you can make anything fun by applying points or badges, but that’s not true. This #book expands on that. Most fun games will remain fun even if you remove points from them.

1/ After a barrage of recommendations on my twitter, I finally ended up reading @oliverburkeman's Four Thousand Weeks. The central premise of the #book is simple: everyone has got about four thousand weeks to live, and spending that limited time chasing efficiency is…

How to host great parties. This short #book talks about how networking sucks and why throwing parties is a much better alternative to it. My notes in 🧵

Finished reading this #book. It's a dated book – it describes advertising in the age when digital channels didn’t exist. But that doesn’t make it irrelevant. Highly recommended.

This introductory #book on Internal Family Systems (IFS) by the founder of IFS gives a new perspective on what it means to “fix yourself”. I highly recommend reading about IFS, if not from the book, maybe an online article.

What a transformational #book. Highly, highly recommend it. Not religious, very little woo-woo. Tons of practical advice. If any part of you feels even slightly broken, pick it up.

Finished this #book by @oliverburkeman Highly, highly recommend it. It’s an anti-productivity book that will teach you what cats have always known: you don’t *have* time, you *are* time. So any notion of utilising it “well” is basically intensely personal.

What a beautiful #book. How do I describe it? Let’s say this is a book that happens when you’re interested in both fiction AND the story of how 20th century quantum mechanics was discovered. Strong recommendation.

Tldr of this #book: talent throws through targeted struggle. You don’t get good by practising but seeking and practising things that you’re terrible at.

Carvakas in India were probably the first aesthetic sect in the world. This #book is an excellent introduction to their philosophy.

This #book is about, well, writing books. By the author of the famous “Mom Test” @robfitz has written a short but mega useful guide on writing non-fiction.

This is the third #book on habit building that I’ve read lately. More sciency than others - the author is a researcher herself, so quotes lots of real world studies demonstrating how habits are built and broken.

What a wonderful #book. @bjfogg makes the science of habit building accessible. The key idea is to start extremely small and focus on repetitions of those small actions (along with celebrating those small actions).

This #book can be read in <1 day and can be summarised in one image.

What an incredible #book! @ID_AA_Carmack is truly a legend and this book captures his journey so well. The book is a page-turner and an absolute delight for engineers to read.

What an incredible #book by @sguyenet. Talks about how we’re evolved to eat foods that make us fat and how the food industry takes advantage of our vulnerability. Highly recommended. Full of insightful science!

What a wonderful #book by @RobertLustigMD. Details what processed food does to our body and mind. A calorie is not a calorie. What you eat matters a lot more than how much you eat (partly because type of food determines your satiety).

A well-researched and easy to understand #book on nutrition. Highly recommended. TLDR: cut down on sugar and refined carbs. High-fiber, high-protein diet is ideal. Avoid trans and saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are good though.

Was about to leave this #book in between but then I saw the title again :) Jokes apart, a typical self-help book. Decent techniques and frameworks for those who abandon projects in between. Quick read.

Finished this excellent #book by @JusticeHarvard. My notes in this 🧵

Who thought a scientific book could be a page-turner! This wonderful #book by @GZuckerman traces how multiple covid vaccines were developed in record time (1 year). My notes and musings in the 🧵

Finished reading this #book on animal consciousness. This book is more journalistic in style than a strictly scientific account. I've been diving deep into the subject, so didn't learn a lot of new ideas but someone who's curious about animal consciousness, it's a good overview.

Finished reading this #book. Simple but powerful message: we complain too much and if we stop complaining, our outlook towards life will become more positive. Describes the 21 day no complaining challenge I talked about earlier.

Recently finished "The Spike: An Epic Journey Through The Brain in 2.1 Seconds" by @markdhumphries a 🧵 with my notes on the #book

This #book was recommended by a Twitter-friend. It’s a rumination on the old Japanese aesthetic of preferring shadows, darkness and stillness (in contrast to the western bling). It’s rather short (70 pages) but if you’re a Japanophile, you’ll enjoy it.

Finished this #book by @neurograce. Covers quite well the importance of approaching understanding the brain from a quantitative point of view as only then can we be precise about our claims. She sprinkles a bit of biography of main characters and covers all the important topics

Notes from the #book "Dreams of a final theory" by Steven Weinberg, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1979 for unifying electromagnetism and weak nuclear force. a 🧵

This #book is all about ants. How they make slaves, milk aphids, do agriculture, do warfare, navigate, communicate with each other and so on. It’s so fascinating to learn that such sophisticated behaviours are powered by such tiny brains.

A great introduction to the beauty of particle physics, this #book goes one level deeper than most pop-science books. The author introduces the essential topics (Lie groups, symmetries, gauge theories) in a relatively simple way. Highly recommended!

What happened during the first three minutes of the Big Bang? A 🧵 thread with my notes from the #book

Had high hopes from this #book on introduction to category theory. The author spends far too much time on personal anecdotes and far little time elucidating what exactly is category theory ans why it’s useful.

This short 80 page #book is a transcript of theoretical physicist Nima Arkani-Hamed talking about how fundamental physics is done these days. The conversation was an exciting behind-the-scenes view of the cutting edge in fundamental physics. My 📝 notes in this thread.

Read this #book the second time. It’s written beautifully and, for a science book, is full of poetry. However, it’s so short that for beginners not enough explanations and for people who know basics, not enough technical juice. Will still recommend it highly.

Had high expectations from the #book but didn’t really rock my worldview the way I was expecting to. The idea of defining phenomena in terms of counterfactuals is interesting but I didn’t feel from the book that it’s a breakthrough paradigm in science.

This #book talks about how meritocracy shouldn’t be the goal of a society. It’s a controversial idea but arguments that the author makes are worth analysing. My notes and thoughts in 🧵

Read this #book the second time and feel like now I finally understand the basic ideas behind quantum mechanics. Highly recommended it to anyone who wants to go beyond the pop-sci (and often hand-wavy) explanations in QM that never do justice to its beauty.

This #book is about how we’re surrounded by microbes both within and outside us. It makes you question where does your “self” end and microbes begin. Became a bit repetitive in the middle, couldn’t finish but will still recommend it.

Finished reading The Mind is Flat by @nickjchater and here are my notes from the #book. (brace yourself for 50+ tweets 🧵)

This #book is a really short (30 page) graphic novel on what pain is and how we can reprogram our brain to reduce or eliminate it. Honestly, when I was ordering it I thought this was a proper non-fiction book on pain but the comics format turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Just finished this beautiful #book by @MerlinSheldrake on fungi. Highly recommended! A short thread on things that struck me from the book.

A nifty little #book on what we should eat. Beautifully illustrated and full of aphorisms like “don’t eat something you can’t pronounce”. The main message can be summed up as: “eat food, mostly plants, not too much”.

This #book by @tobyordoxford contains a powerful message: the most urgent project we need to undertake as a humanity is to safeguard our future from existential risks. Simple but rigorous explanation of such a delicate topic. Highly recommended.

This is a powerful #book by @AzraRazaMD on the current state of cancer research. The core point is that the best treatments we have for cancer is from 1970s (chemo, radiation, surgery). Recent treatments cost ~$100,000 and increase life span by mere months.

This #book on the nature of intelligence makes a compelling hypothesis: each column of neurone in cortex in our brain is a separate tiny little brain. Very compelling work by Jeff Hawkins of @Numenta.

Monday blues take another meaning after reading this #book @AstroKatie explores various ways our universe is going to end (spoiler: we don’t know how but it certainly will end) Written with wit, it forces you to confront the ultimate destruction of everything Photo @sia_steel

A really fascinating #book on consciousness and dreaming. I got so many new ways to think about from it. Highly recommended. This book is definitely going into my re-read list.

A hauntingly beautiful #book. @esmewang lucidly writes about her experience with schizophrenia, and her struggle to retain some semblance of identity during periods of delusions. Mental disorders are terrible. We need to accelerate our understanding of mind to find cures.

A good quick read. This graphic #book makes a compelling case of why U.S seems to never get rid of its war and military ambitions. TLDR: it’s profit and power, but mostly profit.

This #book read like a paper dumbed down. Some good insights in bits and parts, but overall not worth it.

What a beautifully written #book. This book is more about growing old than running. Also, my first memoir in a long while. What other such books will you recommend?

This #book is a good introduction to panpsychism - a philosophical view that the intrinsic nature of matter is consciousness. Very intriguing.

1/ This thread is my reflection on the #book Factfulness. 📚 I loved the book so I'm giving away 10 copies of it. Retweet the thread and I'll randomly pick 10 people to send the book. If you're a student without income, fill this form to get priority:

A beautiful #book. Mathematics is not a subject, but rather a way of thinking. This book is an interesting tour of how mathematics can help you think clearly and know for sure what you should be uncertain about Somewhat focused on US (politics, culture), but I recommend it.

Finished reading this #book. Consider it as the “Lean Startup” equivalent for scaled up companies. Very practical, hands on guide to process of innovating that prioritise discovering willingness to pay for a product before building anything.

Such a beautifully written #book. Each page has multiple quotable lines. Planning to write my notes on the book soon, but the big idea in it is that constraints - and not absolute freedom - is what leads to human flourishing. Highly recommended reading multiple times.

Wow, what a magnificent #book. So happy to have stumbled across this via @slatestarcodex review of it Consider this book as the scientifically accurate version of Sapiens, which is written by an actual professor of anthropology (and not a historian)

This beautiful #book takes my favourite question (“why there’s something rather than nothing”) to a whole new level of analysis and makes a convincing case that the correct question to ask is rather: “Is there a reason-for-the-existence-of-the-world?”

A compelling #book that argues that it’s not *necessary* that any new physical theory has to be simple or beautiful. These are aesthetic criteria imposed by humans, and the universe may very well be ugly (full of unexplainable constants).

Reading this #book by @paulg. Will keep sharing notes in this thread as I go along.

I love books that can be read in a sitting and feel solid while holding. This #book is compact but full of inspiration to aim at achieving beauty in your work.

Just finished this #book on the history of Bayes theorem and I highly recommend it. In case you’re wondering what is it, keep reading. (A thread on Bayes theorem)

Beautiful, compact intro to the wonderful hope that one day we will have an Einstein of consciousness studies who will illuminate the mysteries. Read this #book by @annakaharris

Notes from this classic #book on architecture that I read recently. (A thread)

An amazing #book. Can be read by the lay person. Wonderful explanations of quantum mechanics and interaction of photos and electrons. Highly recommended.

My notes and interpretation of the #book “Being Ecological” by @the_eco_thought It’s a short book that I read back to back, twice. I highly recommend it.

Not an insightful #book. The point that brain alone isn’t enough for consciousness is a trivial one, as there is no clear boundary between where brain ends and where body/universe starts. Moreover, there was no mention of how qualia is generated (redness of red).

A good, no-nonsense #book that relies more on common sense to design a system rather than torturing the data long enough to fund spurious patterns that work in theory but fail in practice.

Such a bad #book. The central insight is good, but perhaps it should be an essay not a book. Bad use of the word ‘entropy’ throughout the book. To see what is the key idea in the book, it’s essentially that ‘profits are surprising’ which I talk about in

Fantastic #book. While natural selection preserves innovation, the key question is: where does innovation come from? The usual assumption is evolution’s task is searching needle in the haystack. And that’s wrong.

A decent #book but too verbose. Thankfully, each chapter comes with a summary at the end of it so I could do with just the summary for last few chapters.

What a lovely #book. The first non-Western science fiction I’ve read. Blends history of China with a super-interesting story. Highly recommended. BTW, know any other non-western sci-fi?

A really good #book by @lopezdeprado Will need another reading. Explains the dark and voodoo art of algorithmic trading. Though requires basic knowledge of ML and trading as a prerequisite.

What a wonderful and charming #book. Tells the story of how solving the problem of figuring out longitude in the seas was perhaps what made the British empire. What’s amazing is that figuring out a method for longitude was the world’s first crowd sourced competition.

When pop-science books start sounding the same, it’s time to roll up the sleeves and dive into the theory directly. Wonderful #book. Cleared up so many concepts. Reality isn’t made for our intuition but it’s surprising that math is able to penetrate in it.

What a #book to end the decade Even though I didn’t fully comprehend everything in it yet, it certainly provided me with deeper understanding that cannot be had from popular science books PS: principle of least action is mysteriously amazing. Read:

I love #books written by journalists and this is no exception. Wonderfully written book, gives a well-rounded perspective on how lives of billionaires could be equally tragic, and how multi millionaires are still not satisfied and gossip about people richer than them.

Finished this #book by @seanmcarroll It’s on quantum mechanics. Unlike many other books that keep treating history of QM, I like that the author gives a taste of what’s latest in fundamental research but it’s too surface level. I wish he dedicated more pages on the latest.

A lazy bed time read. I don’t know why the author picked this topic to write and I don’t know why I picked to read. This #book could have been a blog post.

Even though the #book was written in 1998 and detailed speculative manias from 1600s onward, it still could describe (to me) why and how the 2000 year dot com boom and bust and 2018 cryptocurrency boom and bust would have happened I highly recommend reading it. Very well written

What a wonderful #book by @sant0nair. I can almost visualise this book getting adapted for a movie. The early days of Indian stock market and scams are described beautifully. I highly recommend it.

A beautifully written #book. I wish all business books were this concise. Highly recommended.

A good #book that can be read in a couple of hours. Covers basics of value investing in simple words.

I had high hopes from this #book. Very basic stuff. Not recommended.

What a gem of a tiny #book by @aswathdamodaran. TLDR: valuation of a stock really depends on three things: - Post-tax earnings per share of a company that can be given to shareholders - Growth in those earnings over time - Risk (or predictability) of those earnings

Decent #book. Although all the cases boil down to “Buffet thought intrinsic value of stock was much more than the price that was being offered”. A good deal is when you get more than what you pay. Obvious advice has made @WarrenBuffett the richest investor in the world.

What a wonderfully written #book! Did you know about Humboldt? He defined how we see ecology today and inspired Darwin to go on his epic trip. He has more roads named after him across the world than any other scientist. Absolutely loved the book.

Good set of essays in this #book by @mjmauboussin The diversity of topics touched is fantastic though I wish there was more depth. Recommended.

A good, short #book chronicling pre-Berkshire day’s of Warren Buffet’s investment philosophy. Can be read in 1-2 days. Recommended.

Good overview of something I wasn’t aware of. OOO is less a theory in scientific sense, more a way of looking at the world. Good short #book.

The central message of this wonderful #book is that humans feel special and apart from animals when they’re also just another animal. We preach morality and purpose but in reality we live, eat, fuck and die.

What a phenomenal #book by @AnandWrites. Highly recommended. Will try to post my notes in future, but till then this thread might do as a summary of the central argument of the book:

Recently finished reading the excellent #book "The Soul of The Marionette" by John Gray. It's is a short metaphorical essay on progress in human life. (a thread with my notes on the book)

I recently finished The Enigma of Reason, written by @hugoreasoning and @dansperber. It's about how reasoning evolved in humans. Here are my notes from the #book.

40/ This tweet-thread was inspired by a new #book that I finished reading. It’s called Everything is Fucked by @IAmMarkManson. It’s a good book with many interesting ideas but I disagree with the last chapter on how AI will finally solve everything for humanity.

In that spirit, I recommend Prosperity without Growth (just finished reading it) Excellent #book on future of our economy by @ProfTimJackson [PDF]

@dotmanish I’m reading this #book

A brilliant sci-fi #book which explores a wide range of concepts. From multiverses to consciousness to logic, this book has it all. Recommended if you are up for reading a 1000+ page engrossing book.

1/ Recently finished Menon’s translation of Bhagavad Gita, the holy #book of Hindus. There’s a lot to like about it, but it leaves a few issues unresolved. Here are my notes on Gita.

Done Dana Done #book

Just finished this #book. Perhaps the best one I read this year (along with Nonzero: the logic of human destiny). My review and notes coming soon. Meanwhile, enjoy @slatestarcodex's excellent review of the book:

1/ This #book is a really quick read. Here are my (brief) notes.

A fantastic #book. A quick behind the scenes read on how a Nobel prize winning science happens. Also an eye opening tale of rivalry, politics and envy involved in academia. Makes me more sure of the fact that basic human nature is orthogonal to professional achievements.

A good #book, although writing style wasn’t something I enjoyed a lot. But it did shatter some myths about how science has historically progressed.

Fantastic #book by one of my favorite scientists @seanmcarroll. It’s both sad and exhilarating that with Higgs Boson detection, our knowledge of every day reality is complete via the standard model. What’s next?

What a delightful read. @carlorovelli is my favourite new scientist. His writings are like scientific poetry. A highly readable #book introducing loop quantum gravity.

A wonderful #book. Writing could have been engaging, but the ideas are mind blowing. Recommended.

This is one hell of a #book. If you want your mind to be twisted, turned and thrown away to infinity, read this sci-fi. I really enjoyed it and perhaps, maybe perhaps, it isn’t fiction :)

Quick read, but convoluted. This #book is worth reading.

An absolute charming #book. Will write a summary of the book soon. Recommended.

Fantastic #book covering history of existentialist thought. I really enjoyed deep dives into lives of all these philosophers.

Wonderful #book. @jordanbpeterson writes really well. His ideas are what you already know, but put in a way that fills your soul with hope and energy. Highly recommended.

Not impressed by this #book. What I dislike about the AI debate is underappreciation of economic argument to human misery AND potential robustness of human race against self inflicted harms If we have learned anything from nuclear bombs, it’s that we can use then to reduce wars

Not a fan of writing style in this #book and requires some background to grasp what the author is talking about. But overall, quite an interesting intro to algorithmic information theory.

1/ I finished @nntaleb's new #book Skin in the game, and here are my learnings, insights and notes. Warning: this thread is going to be huge.

Highly recommended #book. The author writes simply but delivers the essence of Vipasna meditation.

This is one hell of a #book. Written before the blockchain world, it demonstrates clearly how a decentralised system can do unstoppable harm. Highly recommended.

An OK #book. Doesn’t go in depth, simple explanations though. A quick two hour read.

Lovely #book. Didn’t know improvisation could be so much fun. This book is full of insights about human nature (creativity, spontaneity, self worth). Highly recommended! Thanks @vgr for the recommendation.

Surprisingly sensible #book. Well written and quick go read. Recommended

Good ideas but average writing and below average organising of ideas. This #book can be avoided. Go for some macroeconomics videos or courses instead

Finished reading this collection of essays #book by @vgr - fantastic dig at the infinite game of life from various angles. Recommended.

A beautifully written #book by @SamHarrisOrg . I love the fact that he values non-intellectual modes of engaging with the world. There’s definitely more to life than hard, cold logic but dropping it entirely and embracing religious dogma is not the only step. Recommended.

Part memoir, part pop-science, this #book from the father of behavioural economics is a must read. I highly recommend it. Full of insights for further reading and thinking.

What a beautiful #book. Long but gripping. Full of little gems of wisdom. Recommended.

This is one of those #books which make it evident that they have to be read multiple times. This one is like rose with multiple layers of fragrance. I can see how it could’ve inspired @harari_yuval Sapiens. Thanks @vgr for recommendation on your blog.

Wow, what a #book. Highly recommended. I love that they are making a movie on it too. Hope they don’t screw it!

Finally read the #book that everyone keeps talking about. Highly recommended

Read a biography after so long. Absolutely loved this #book

What a terrible #book. They knew how bad this was and that’s why it came in shrink wrap cover so people couldn’t read before buying.

Wow what a #book. Simple ideas that makes humans tick. Highly recommended.

This little #book is all about my recently-favourite subjects: Economic moats. Read it, not many people pay attention to the concept

Available on the internet as PDF, this short #book gives an unconvential view of money as something that’s rooted in irreversibility of time

A fantastic #book. If your job depends on getting the future right, read it.

Read this #book after multiple recommendations on HN. A refreshing take on innovation, information monopolies and regulation.

This tome of 1800 pages is life altering. If you read a single #book this year, let this be the one. Thanks for writing it @ESYudkowsky

This #book is a quick 2 hour read on one of my favourite subjects: evolution. PS: did you know all human embryos start as females?

I had to resist constantly gulping my favourite liquid with each page. This #book is hilarious

What an inspiring story! Really well written #book. Almost a page turner!

A nice quick read. Intriguing. Only 90 pages in this #book

Marketing as I love it, empirical and theory based. This #book is a gem, I ordered part 2 as well. Thanks for writing it @ProfByron

This is one fantastic #book. Highly recommended as an intro! I love books with such clear concepts

Gets slightly repetitive but overall this #book is worth a read

When in Japan, do business as Japenese do! A very interesting #book. Even though written in 1980s, still relevant today

I love #books that have a simple but powerful message. I wish someone analyses parallels of business with biology much more strongly

Highly recommended #book. Talks about value of ecosystem where products are embedded.

A great quick read. This #book talks about darn difficult is it to interview customers and how to avoid all the biases that creep up

Each page of this #book was a joy to read. Talks about sharpeners, meetings, door knobs and what not! Loved it.

This is one of the best business fundamentals #books I have read in a long while. Highly recommend. Will re-read it some day.

A marvellous #book. Explains very simply and clearly what is to think and live in a nonlinear world. Highly recommended.

Finally finished this #book. Humorous, packed with immense practical stuff, I highly recommend reading it

Not a good #book. All of the book is probably just a couple of paragraphs. Avoidable

This is one hell of a #book by @alanklement <- the most practical book on jobs-to-be-done that I have come across. Thanks for making it free

Highly recommended #book. There are so many basics that leaders at companies forget. This is a must read for new leaders and managers.

Disturbing, gripping and very human. In 200 pages, this #book tells how humans turn into savages. (Photo by @sia_steel)

Good writing is actually invisible. When words flow in this #book you don't notice them. Recommendation by @sia_steel

It will be a management classic. This #book is a gem of common sense. @claychristensen is a sage.

A fantastic #book on strategy. I really like how they structure the process. Highly recommended

An Ok #book. Nothing much to talk about. Should be helpful for a startup, not a more mature company

A number of good concepts but otherwise rambling #book.

Interesting #book. Not very engaging as it explores multiple threads but worth a read.

A totally avoidable #book!

What a beautiful #book. Fantastic summary of a diversity of topics. Totally accessible to a lay person. Highly recommended.

A beautifully written #book. Talks about dealing with mental illness but the sentences aren't heavy. They're rather playful.

This #book is a quick read but very well written. If you have tons of confidence in your decisions, read it to get humbled.

Despite the jokes contained, this #book isn't well written for the lay but interested reader. I still recommend it for topics it explores

Good concept, but probably not worth an entire #book

Interesting #book.about what's wrong with string theory and the way science is done.Fascinating view of life of today's theoretical physics

Depressed of no depressed, you will do yourself a HUGE favour by reading this #book. It's a masterpiece

Underrated #book. Very interesting take on what science is, where progress comes from and should governments fund it. Drawing by @sia_steel

This #book deserves a movie. Fantastic story of invention plagued by competition, patent disputes and secrecy.

This is a #book that should have been an article. And this is my cat :)

Read this beautiful #book on the recommendation of lovely @sia_steel

Imagine an organisation where people don't hide their weaknesses and their fears. This #book is path breaking

Finally read this classic SF #book

This #book requires some background in scrum and Kanban but it's absolutely a gem. Must read

I highly recommend his #book to everyone who is a manager, leader or an aspiring leader. Shows so many possible blind spots.

This #book has too convoluted writing for my taste, and maybe that's the point

Wow, what a #book. Common sense in hindsight but simplicity is what makes it amazing.

A quick read but an OK #book. Less examples than I was expecting

Few good tips on productivity in this #book but otherwise :/

If you have to read only one #book on what great managers do, read this one. Wish I had read it years ago.

Nice 15 minute read. Had assumed it was all hype, but this #book actually has some good advice.

This #book is recommended reading at Apple. Very refreshing.

A business #book in the clothes of a novel written by a physicist. Talks about inefficiencies in an org. Recommended

A fantastic #book. Relevant to startups that have grown organically and often wonder why there aren't enough leaders

A nifty little #book. Lays down clearly many of the Amazon's principles that I've come to admire.

A completely avoidable #book. Thank me for saving you from the trouble

A lot of fluff, but this #book contains some nuggets of insights. A quick one day read.

This #book by @DavidDeutschOxf could easily be one of the most influential books of this century. Very inspirational

The best business #book I've read so far. Talks about how the very things that lead to success prevent further hits

Wow, what a #book. Life changing in many ways.

A fantastic #book. Talks about how it could even make sense to pay your customers (for multisided platforms).

Written humorously, this #book packs a ton of insights about why organisms die. Highly recommended.

Had to skim through this #book in the middle. Inspiring story but a bit self indulgent for my taste.

Interesting #book but not very cohesive. A bit rambling

Good management at big companies leads to downfall. What an excellent #book. Worth reading twice

Contains almost everything worthwhile to know about a lot of stuff. LOVE this #book. Please buy and read today.

Couldn't read the entire #book (skipped last chapter). This is meta commentary on history of economic thought

This 1964 edition is my dad's copy. Miller writes beautifully and this #book describes America of 1940s as decadent

An OK #book with some insight. Biggest learning: shameless confrontation of reality is the topmost trait

What a wonderful #book to finish in Leh. Candid and inspiring story behind one of my favourite scientists.

This #book goes in my re read list. An absolute gem.

Wow, well written. So fascinated by Amazon. This #book is a must read.

Been waiting to read and finish this #book. A fantastic explanation that makes a lot of sense. Highly recommended

What a fantastic #book. Highly recommended

@jonronson writes lucidly. This #book is recommended.

@jonronson writes lucidly. This #book is recommended.

Well written. Short and sweet #book

I wish there was more structure in this #book. Great insights but not very tightly written

Nothing like finishing a #book on a holiday. Very funny book about conspiracy theoriests

Wow, what a #book. Shattered so many myths about free speech. Highly recommended

Wow, this #book packs a lot. Got recommendation from Tegmark's Mathematical Universe. Requires re reading.

Humorous but couldn't finish the #book. A bit of a drag in the end and too long

Interesting topic in this #book. Social media amplifies human emotions - both good and bad.

Had high hopes with this #book but couldn't finish. Very bland writing.

Deeply unsettling, yet exceedingly beautiful #book. Highly recommend reading it twice.

What a magnificent #book. I will highly recommend it.

I wish this #book had more science.

Alternative history where Germany and Japan won world war 2. Interesting #book but could have been exhaustive

Very insightful #book on how theory of evolution was perhaps inevitable. Written like a novel, a page turner.

What a start of the year, what a delightful #book

If you know a bit of biology, this #book is gold!

Fantastic #book.

Some very repetitive topics in this #book but interesting anecdotes about Quran and Sikhism.

Was hoping for a more compelling storytelling in this #book

Finally! This #book

Wow, what a lucidly written #book. After Zero to One, perhaps my favourite business book.

I highly recommend this #book. Packed with tons of insights. Loved each page of it.

Just one word for this #book: wow!

If you are as fascinated by Google as I am, this #book is a must read.

What a hilarious #book. He writes so well.

Oh goodness, what a #book. Blown away by it.

What an amazing #book. Makes me want to become a palaeontologist.

Tons of overgeneralisations and BSing in this #book but very interesting anecdotes.

First time I read this #book, I was 15 and it appealed on romantic level. This time, it gave a deeper satisfaction.

Not a beach #book. Full of cliched business teaching. Had to finish to calm my frustration. now I can enjoy my beer.

A good refresher but shallow writing in this #book

Interesting #book. Written like a thriller. shows how detailed oriented a person has to be to do something big.

A great refresher on the limits of life we can imagine. From simulated organisms to organisms on Titan. Great #book

What an amazing #book. Several new perspectives on happiness.

Nothing out of ordinary but a good summary in this #book

First edition of this #book came out in 1942 but the lessons contained hold so much true even today.

What an amazing end for this #book. Truly a masterpiece!

Fascinating read. This page turner #book explains how human incentives play today at the Wall Street

My second time reading the #book. This is how books should be written.

Key lesson: revenue growth comes from additional services and products. Good #book but somewhat academic.

Existensalism meets management theory. What a unique #book.

Binge Sunday reading. Finished this #book. Thanks @sanketnadhani for this. Highly recommended.

This is one hell of a #book. Amazing read. Personal stories give so much insight into the real China.

Couldn't finish this #book. Too self-indulgent for my taste. Start was interesting though.

One hour read. This #book can be avoided though. Has basics but is fluffy and suffers from confirmation bias.

This #book's key message: 'cost innovation' is not an oxymoron. (Though not a single mention of India)

Wow. The last chapter is mind bending and full of hope. Excellent #book

A new record. Finished a non trivial #book in a day.

Done with this classic #book

A classic management #book. Talks more of what not to do, rather than what to do.

Ironically, didn't get bored at all by this #book. Excellent insights into such an important phenomena.

Fantastic #book

This #book is worth reading a couple of times.

Finished this #book while in Silicon Valley. Heavily focused on one character but captures the tech cowboy angle.

What a mind bending, wonderful scifi #book

Probably the best #book on management I have read so far. Will wrote a review soon.

Finished reading this #book. Okayish - not a great read.

One of the most authentic and honest #books on the wonderful startup experience.

Finished another #book. 3d printers will be as ubiquitous as inkjets in 5 years. Agree?

Quite a decent read for one hour investment #book

Just finished with this #book. Fascinating to hear that one is never done, even after founding something like Twitter

My fellow mates, read this brutally honest #book on being a startup CEO.

Just finished this #book. Insight: products and services always get better, cheaper and more customised.

Done with this #book. Hilarious and it almost made me consider finance as an interesting career option.

Just finished with this #book