Ask HN: Books Similar to Code by Charles Petzold?
Code is an awesome book, especially for someone like me who never went to college. I am looking for similar books not just in Computer Science but in other fields as well. Please suggest.
one of my favorite science writers ever. some people like his science fiction better. but i prefer his non-fiction books. try Asimov on Physics or Asimov on Chemistry. these two are my favorites.
don't bother getting new books, get used ones. or rent it from a local library (which is how i discovered Asimov). also keep in mind that the information in these books might be outdated but not necessarily wrong.
1. Computer Science: The Pattern on the Stone is a nearly perfect, foundational explanation of how computers work.
2. The Mind: Brain Rules (John Medina) is a fast, well-organized read on the fundamentals of how your brain works (and how to work it).
3. History: From Dawn to Decadence (Jacques Barzun) is a dense but brilliant read on the how the past 500 years made the modern world we live and think in.
4. How to Live: A New Earth (Eckhart Tolle). Don't reject it as 'new age-y'; this book may change how you see yourself. If it turns you off, substitute Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.
Complexity a Guided Tour by Melanie Mitchell (https://melaniemitchell.me/BooksContent/CAGTReviews.html)
The New Turing Omnibus by A K Dewdney (https://www.amazon.com/New-Turing-Omnibus-Sixty-Six-Excursio...)
The Society of Mind by Marvin Minsky (https://www.amazon.com/Society-Mind-Marvin-Minsky/dp/0671657...)
Creating Mind: How the Brain Works by John E Dowling (https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Mind-How-Brain-Works/dp/0393...)
The Manga Guide to ... (series) from No Starch Press (https://nostarch.com/catalog/manga)
The Cartoon Guide to ... (series) from Larry Gonick (http://www.larrygonick.com/)
Physics for Everyone (series) from Mir Publishers an old Soviet publisher (https://mirtitles.org/2011/06/03/physics-for-everyone/)
Note that one of the Mir PDF scans is a little bad, but I think someone will probably republish these soon if possible.
Of the list, I've read Goedel, Escher, Bach", and What is Mathematics Really* and can recommend them wholeheartedly. GEB is a bit of a project, but it will bend your mind in a good, math-y way. I first read it in high school, so the material should be pretty accessible.
And I'll throw in The Little Schemer and Understanding Computation. They come from a different direction than Code/nand2tetris. When I got that they all sort of meet in the middle, I found it mind-blowing.
And dyslexia in general, is it like the mind can‘t stop and „go back“ to the word you just wrote? Or is it more that the eyes don‘t notice when reading what you wrote?
Curious to know if fonts like OpenDyslexic actually help, and if programmers with dyslexia use those sorts of fonts. https://opendyslexic.org/
Furthermore, has anyone with dyslexia attempted to use a screen reader the same way that people with vision impairments do?
Curious to hear from some dyslexic programmers on here