Even more than <i>Cosmos</i> I regard <i>The Ascent of Man</i> as the documentary series that had the biggest impact on me - I was probably only 8 when it was shown on the BBC, but I can still remember watching it, particularly this:<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0PDGZKGAWs" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0PDGZKGAWs</a><p>NB The Leó Szilárd he mentions was the Hungarian physicist who had the original idea for an atomic bomb while crossing a road in London in 1933, as Richard Rhodes described it:<p><i>"The stoplight changed to green. Szilárd stepped off the curb. As he crossed the street time cracked open before him and he saw a way to the future, death into the world and all our woes, the shape of things to come."</i><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le%C3%B3_Szil%C3%A1rd" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le%C3%B3_Szil%C3%A1rd</a>
Here's Alan Kay talking about The Inner Game of Tennis <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50L44hEtVos" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50L44hEtVos</a>
Years ago I interviewed Alan at his home in LA. First thing that struck me about his house was the BOOKS, books everywhere, bookshelves everywhere, shelves in every room, every hallway, stacked everywhere, just nonstop books. Of course, as we were walking through the house before we even sat down, I asked about the books. He proudly told me he read a new book every day. On every subject under the sun.<p>I knew it was gonna be a great interview... it was.
Three talks by Alan Kay that I highly recommend, particularly the first two: <a href="http://pfraze.github.io/2014/03/31/the-mandatory-alan-kay.html" rel="nofollow">http://pfraze.github.io/2014/03/31/the-mandatory-alan-kay.ht...</a>
On several occasions, Kay has mentioned Molecular Biology of the Cell as an outstanding example of how modern technology can be used to create textbooks in the aid of comprehension rather than spectacle. An example of vulgar abuse by Kay's standards would be any of the massive, technicolored tomes with names like Calculus or College Physics.
I read <i>The Inner Game of Tennis</i> based on Alan Kay's description in a youtube video. It is an excellent book.<p>I am glad to see Csikszenmihalyi on the list as well. Flow is a very powerful concept; we all know it, but understanding it and using it effectively is a different matter entirely.<p>After reading <i>The Miracle of Mindfulness</i> by Thich Nhat Hanh, I realized that all three books are actually talking about the same subject from different perspectives.<p>To this list, I would add:<p>anything by Robert Grudin, but especially:<p><i>Time and the Art of Living</i> and <i>The Grace of Great Things</i><p><i>How to solve it</i> by G. Polya<p><i>Conceptual Blockbusting</i> by James Adams<p>Nice to see the Mortimer Adler recommendation as well, but I think his <i>How to Read a Book</i> should be a prerequisite for serious reading.<p>As I've gotten older, I've come to the conclusion that true understanding requires the kind of depth that comes from knowing one's self intimately. It's a lot harder than it sounds, especially for a technologist.
How does one even go about reading 5000 books? I know it only says his library is 5000 books, but what's the point in amassing a library if you haven't read it? That would be nearly two books a week for 50 years. Imagine if even 5% of those were text books.
He should have listed Sussman's and Abelson's classic "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" in the "Computers" section: <a href="http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html" rel="nofollow">http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html</a>
Did you all see at the bottom: "COMPUTERS (most of the good stuff is still in papers, here are a few books)"<p>Most of the good stuff is still in paper!