Benjamin Hysell - Software, Projects, and People » bookshelf

November Reading List

Benjamin Hysell — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:31:06 +0000

Just last night I finished reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and decided it was high time to update My Bookshelf with what I’ve been reading lately.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is not a breezy read, nor, sadly, does it have much to do with motorcycles or Zen. I should have paid more attention to the authors note, which I’ve included here:

What follows is based on actual occurrences. Although much has been changed for rhetorical purposes, it must be regarded in its essence as fact. However, it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It’s not very factual on motorcycles either.

That being said you will not be disappointed if you pick this book up.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig

I’ve tried to summarize this book for a couple of people, and have come up woefully short in every attempt. A few of the key points that I did extract from Zen are:

Where do ideas come from?
What is Quality? Is it subjective, objective, or something else?
Does our system of education really teach people anything, or are people rewarded for actually not learning and regurgitating?

However, the one idea that I’ve run into a few different times, in a few different texts can best be summed up by a webcomic from xkcd:

Deadeye Dick: A Novel by Kurt Connegut

I have thoroughly enjoyed every Vonnegut book I have picked up thus far, and Deadeye Dick did not disappoint. I enjoy Vonnegut’s pacing, sense of humor, and overall style. In true Vonnegut style, around 50 pages in he tells you how the book is going to end…I always may know the destination, but I never know how he is going to take me there.

If you are also working your way through Vonnegut’s collective works do not skip past Deadeye Dick.

Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai by Ben Mezrich

I have a thing with people named ‘Ben’…I’m sure its mostly me and not them, but I have a thing.

I have yet to met another person named ‘Ben’ that I liked.

It begs to be asked, if I ran into myself would I like me?

Think about the recursive loop that little meeting could spin into…

Or, or pickup Rigged by Ben Mezrich. This Ben might be one of the few I might enjoy if I were to ever meet him in real life.

You may or may not know Mezrich from his more widely known book 21: Bringing Down the House – Movie Tie-In: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions.

::…if you haven’t had the chance to enjoy Bringing Down the House, Mezrich’s first widely known outing, skip the movie they based off his book and grab yourself an excellent Vegas thriller.::

Mezrich brings his signature storytelling style to his latest outing. Mezrich starts with an Ivy league grad seeking direction in his life and places him in the middle of dark underground world full of colorful people and larger than life events.

When I pickup a Mezrich book by this point I know the formula, I just don’t know what he will plug in for characters, locations, and main ‘event’. In Rigged we start with a recent Harvard Business School graduate, graduating into one of the worst job market for MBAs, the fall 2002. Take said graduate and introduce him to a powerful person, head of the NYMEX, inject a little oil trading, and let the fun commence!

Its not a bad formula…I’ve grown to enjoy it.

My Bookshelf – Rigged

Benjamin Hysell — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:20:39 +0000

I’ve finished reading my Dilbert book and have kept my next book firmly planted in the ‘fun summer read’ category. Although I’m just starting Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai by Ben Mezrich, I can already tell it is excatly what I need for these long summer days. Check out my initial thoughts of Rigged in my updated bookshelf: http://benjaminhysell.com/my-bookshelf/.

Updated My Bookshelf

Benjamin Hysell — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:17:56 +0000

I’ve just finished Stumbling on Happiness and have moved on to Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!: Cartoonist Explains Cloning, Blouse Monsters, Voting Machines, Romance, Monkey Gods, How to Avoid Being Mistaken for a Rodent, and More by Scott Adams the creator of Dilbert.

I loved Stumbling on Happiness and thought about writing a full post dedicated to it, however after going through my notes,

::yeah, I was on a plane thumbing out notes about the book on my iPhone, I was pretty jazzed up about the book when I finished it, and couldn’t wait to get to a proper keyboard.::

…I realized I was recapping the whole book, and not as eloquently as the author. I highly suggest this book, pick it up for a fun summer read.

Check out my initial impressions of Scott Adam’s latest book here in my bookshelf:

http://benjaminhysell.com/my-bookshelf/

My Bookshelf Updated

Benjamin Hysell — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:47:58 +0000

I have had a busy writing night…

I have added a couple of new books to my bookshelf, one I finished a few weeks ago and one I’m still reading. I decided I was going to add these books even though they are not directly related to software, projects, or people. All work and no play will make Benjamin a very dull boy.

Check them out: http://benjaminhysell.com/my-bookshelf/

My Bookshelf

Benjamin Hysell — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:58:16 +0000

I’ve added two new tabs to the top of my blog, my book shelf and my anti-bookshelf.

I wanted to have a collection of books that I’ve talked about in my other posts in one place on my blog. These are books that I actually have sitting on my bookshelf in my office or at home. I give you my bookshelf:

http://benjaminhysell.com/my-bookshelf/

I also wanted to provide a place to list books that I have had the misfortune to purchase, and that given the opportunity I would never, ever buy again. These books also sit on my bookshelf because I don’t believe it getting rid of technical books, no matter how bad they are. I give you my anti-bookshelf:

http://benjaminhysell.com/my-anti-bookshelf/

I aim to keep these pages up to date with new books as I come across them.