Years ago I started reading a book a week. Here’s a list of some with short takeaway ideas.
Side Reading
- Where Good Ideas Come From
Ideas form in complex interactions with other interested minds. - Poke the Box
Test the box. Something might happen you didn’t expect. - 13.5 Do the Work
It hurts less to create than to find reasons not to create. - The Greatest Secret in the World
Slow change is sure change. - The Road
Only read something because you like it. - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Does a distorted machine know it is distorted? - On the neurobiology of hallucinations
Any process we label might have very complex and separate causes. - Copying and Evolution of Neuronal Topology
When thinking intelligence, think replicators. - Tao Te Ching
There is a purpose in motivelessness. Watching the world unfold can be worthwhile. - The Multidimensional Spectrum of Imagination
Imagination and perception exist on a continuum. - Hypnotic Suggestion Reduces Conflict
What you perceive is influenced by suggestion. - Neural Basis of Predicting the Outcomes of Imagined Actions
Imagining is an action you can choose to do. - Learning What to Ignore
Changing the topology and weights of an neural network at different time scales works better. - The Gita of Oppenheimer
In duty, fate, and faith, we can find peace for our actions.
Weekly Books
Title: Takeaway
- You Can Find A Way
There is no problem that cannot be solved if you think big enough. - The Richest Man in Babylon
Love work and you will love life. - The Letters of Vincent van Gogh
Many perceptive people have lived. There is much insight in the past. - Tough Guys Don’t Dice
Making food is awesome. Stories about food are also great. - A Beautiful Mind
A mind cannot always tell when it is broken. - The Way to Wealth
Your wealth is up to you. - Power Sleep
You can optimize your rest. It’s very worthwhile. - Mind, Life, and Universe
The biggest questions have the most potential to change how you look at reality. - The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Basically, have good character and good things will flow toward you. It’s rare and valuable. - The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
There are ways of getting across ideas. Step one is to believe in them. - Edgar Allan Poe Short Stories
Fear is the mind-killer. Twists are awesome. - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
If you let yourself become something, you won’t want to go back. - Godel, Escher, Bach
Math that edits itself has limitless expansions. - Critical Path
The ineffable can only be hinted at, not explained. Trying will paint beautifully wordy pictures. - Self-Reliance
Make yourself wholesome, and give yourself peace. You deserve it. - The Meaning of It All
Keep your mind open. Try new things, and you’ll get closer to the truth. - The Myth of Self-Help
Don’t force yourself to do something. - Why Can’t I Change?
Understand human evolution when trying to motivate yourself. - The Little Prince
When you actively give love, you begin to passively feel love. - Dinosaur Habitat
It’s fun and interesting to daydream. - The Essential Gandhi
When you say something, back it up. - The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading
People jump to conclusions, it’s natural. That’s why we’re successful, but it can be hacked. - Neuromancer
A painted picture can always be more detailed, as can the interpretations. - The Power of Less
Setting limits makes you focus on doing what works. That’s very helpful. - Anything You Want
You set the rules of your life and work. Only work on what makes you happy. - Jonathan Livingston Seagull
You are unlimited and perfectable. Keep growing, keep learning. - How to Win Friends and Influence People
You must love others. Give and you will receive. - Siddhartha
Slow down. You will change in time. - Prodigal Genius – Tesla
Even people with powerful imaginations need to focus on creating FOR others, not AT others. - How to Solve It
There is a structure to how to solve problems. And you can learn it. You can make it better. - Man’s Search for Meaning
Life is like a dictionary where you write the definitions. - The Ego Tunnel
The feeling of having a self is a pattern, not a part. - Warped Passages
You are more flexible after you bend your mind. - Pollyanna
Look for the good and you find happiness. - Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
You are your brain. Think and act with care. - The Winning Life – An Introduction to Buddhist Practice
Choose to love and be happy. - Treasure Island
Classics are good, insightful reads. It’s like traveling in time to a story in a story. - We Are All Weird
We are all normal. Give specific people good feelings. - Illusions
The meaning of life is to learn and have fun. Believe what’s fun. - End Malaria
Good ideas are infinite. Good action is scarce, so do. - Read This Before Our Next Meeting
Have a purpose and definite action after a meeting, otherwise you’re wasting your time. - The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs
Design for the big picture. - The Transall Saga
Deep wounds grow you. Remember that. - The War of Art
Give credit to your fear and it will overpower you. Fear is fake. - Next
Put likable characters in your story. Here’s looking at you, HPMoR! - The Dragons of Eden
Myths can provide insight into humanness. - Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness
Test your work. Nothing need be left to chance. - The Prophet
Let yourself be. Be what you say. - The Invisible Gorilla
Your expectations change your interpretations. And expectations are inherent to thinking. - The Hedgehog and the Fox
If what you create is better than what exists, it will be noticed, even if it isn’t perfect. - How I Died
Stories are infinite and deep and moving. - Creative Mind
You can make stuff up as you go along and it can still be insightful. - Thinking In Complexity
Patterns can interact on intermediate levels and become vastly different patterns over time. - Focus
When you focus you will enjoy and create more and better. - The Importance of Being Earnest
There is much good in the classics, much wit and joy. - I Am A Strange Loop
Go to a higher level. Realize your thinking is self-determined and not under your control. That reduces worry and longing. - The Flinch
Fear can be beaten. It’s a story, and every story is malleable. - Making Ideas Happen
Everything you want to do is a project. Assign each energy and find what actions move it forward. - Introduction to Bioinformatics
Even poorly conveyed and complex ideas can be understood if you take it step by step. - Molecular Biology for Computer Scientists
Everything is simple when broken down. - Scribes – The Lord’s Dog
Different perspectives teach insight and wisdom. - Uncertainty
Train your attention. Exercise, it reduces anxiety. Create certainty anchors. Surrond yourself with good people. Have a growth mindset. - Falling While Sitting Down
Be careful what you tell yourself, you reinforce it. - How To Be Remarkable
You choose to be remarkable. Be a great person. - Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Every person from history was an actual person, with daily concerns and human ideas just like you. - The Tower
Create something for others every day. Make the world better. - Getting Things Done
Trust your system and you reduce stress. High level overviews help. - Stop Stealing Dreams
Systems need to consider why they exist and focus on core principles. - Laws of the Jungle
There is always more than one way to make something work. What’s popular probably isn’t what’s best. - The Start-Up of You
Treat your life as a precious opportunity. Protect and foster it. - A Whole New Mind
Humans think in stories. Play to that and you will succeed. - The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Always focus on multiplying the efforts of others. - Reality Is Plastic
Confidence and conviction and congruence are most important in shifting another’s reality. - The Sacred Depths of Nature
Humans are physical animals, intimately connected with the universe. Revere this mysterious and wonderful truth. - Alice in Wonderland
Your imagination will enlighten you with unknown secrets if you let it run wild. - Unlimited Power
What you believe you can do changes what you can do. Model the best to be the best. Understand your values. - Catch That Collie
There are things to learn in the teachings directed at kids. - The Art of Persuasion
Good communication stems from believing you have something to learn and something to offer. - Gabriel
The truth will set you free, if you have the courage to believe. - The Evolution of Lisp
Math will blow your mind infinitely if you let it. - Charles Darwin Autobiography
The best way to employ your life is to add a little to Natural Science. - Reality is Plastic – Reloaded
Beginners have innocent eyes and fresh perspectives that all can learn from. - Ellimist
Incredible ideas, incredibly elegant storytelling. That’s what matters. - Sphere
Your greatness lies in imagination. - Through the Looking Glass
Life is but a dream. - The Pursuit of God
Be meek and thou is exalted. - A.I.s
Minds are intricately woven with sensation. - Fine Structure
Reality is a fractal, up and down. - The Five People You Meet in Heaven
All stories are intimately connected. - Moby-Dick
The world is created in your mind, so guard your mind carefully. - A Mathematician’s Apology
A man’s defense of his subject is a defense of himself. - The On-Purpose Person
Everything has a natural purpose. You’re part of everything. - The Gifts of Imperfection
By accepting that you’re good enough as you are, you live more authentically and wholeheartedly. - Godel’s Proof
A system that can have systems inside can never paint the whole picture. - The Effortless Life
Life can be effortless if you carry no expectations and only do what you love. - Tuesdays With Morrie
Revel in the emotion until you can accept it and detach from it if need be. - Imagine
From slow to long, from alone to together, cherish your opportunities to create. - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Sometimes the best perspective is in losing your perspective. - One, Two, Three, Infinity
Playing with numbers is extraordinarily helpful. - The Time Keeper
Time is made special by limitations. - 50 Physics Ideas You Really Need to Know
Physics is still full of mystery. - Contact
There is a structure to communication. All beings devour information. - Honoring the Self
Even if the self is illusion it is persistent and should be cultivated in a healthy manner. - Vital Lies, Simple Truths
There is only illusion. It affects all levels of existence. - This Book is Full of Spiders
Our world we see through shadows. It might be better to see more patterns. - How We Decide
Emotions are a powerful decider when guided by experience. - Phi
Consciousness is integrated information. - Life of Pi
God tells the stories; we live them. - The Boxes
You never know exactly why you do something. - Count Zero
Tales can be twisted into themselves over time and space. - Oneironautics
Being lucid is a difficult yet rewarding skill. - Lucid Living
Awareness constructs your reality. What you see is your perception of what’s there. - The Lucid Dreamer
The waking life is but a way to perceive another dream. - Lucid Dreaming – Gateway to the Inner Self
It’s best to not assume the world is a certain way. It hampers your thinking. - Bhagavad Gita
Renounce the fruits of action and you will have peace. - The Art and Science of Spirals
Spirals exist in an understandable way. - Life
Evolution is ruled by chance and yet beauty emerges from it. - The Zen Experience
Zen breaks down the illusion between ego and the world. - The Power of Charm
Being charming is about seeing the world through another’s eyes. - The Darwin Experience
Darwin demonstrates that compound change can lead to an important body of work. - QED
Things are only counter-intuitive if your intuition is counter. - MetaGame
Games can always be more complex. The future is always unpredictable. - Jumper
You can’t escape from yourself. - Mogworld
A procedurally generated simulation might be indistinguishable from reality. - Reflex
Two is better than one. Synergy can work miracles. - Subliminal
The brain is automatically biased even if the conscious mind is trying to be objective. Also, being optimistic can be helpful. - Human
Humans ponder life and animals live life. - Bus Stop on a Strange Loop
Sometimes the only way forward is back. - Impulse
Different characters have different feelings. - So Good They Can’t Ignore You
Master rare and valuable skills, cash them in for control. Use projects to fine-tune a mission. - Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming
If a sense of identity can be transcended, a deeper awareness will result. - Ready Player One
Good wins in the end because it cooperates. - Nexus
Connection is unstoppable. - Avogadro Corp
Sophisticated systems can be hard to kill. - AI Apocalypse
Stories must be believable to be enjoyable. - The Crystal Spheres
There may be a good reason we don’t hear from aliens. - Wool
If you live in a story long enough you start to dream in that story. - Stories of Your Life and Others
Seeing the future doesn’t necessarily make it not worth living. - The Plagiarist
All that is left when you are gone are the minds that you have influenced. - The Hurricane
An unlooked avenue can often change the adjacent possible in ways literally unimaginable. - Transhumanist FAQ
Humanity’s future may be bright or may burn out. - The Martian
Much improvisation means much life. - Kill Screen #2
Video games, like all art, have deep lessons. - Constellation Games
All civilizations use games to explore art in profound ways. - NaNoWri War Z
The human mind is capable of incredible output. - Futurity
A timeline may be altered if it prevents stopping the alterations. - Half Way Home
It is from emergent mutations that our free will is born. - Kill Screen #6
The past of games can inform us even now. - The Book of Undoing
Awareness is not a noun, it is a verb. The story of you is a part of this awareness happening. - Shift
Different viewpoints offer different knowledge.