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Making Software

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752 points calme_toi | 4 comments | 14 Apr 25 04:48 UTC | HN request time: 0.199s | source
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tenacious_tuna ◴[17 Apr 25 16:15 UTC] No.43718929[source]▶
This reminds me aesthetically of The Way Things Work [1] which was one of my favorite books as a kid. Having a similar wordly reference as an adult has been a goal for a while.

[1] https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-way-things-work-newly-revise...

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1. berelig ◴[17 Apr 25 16:36 UTC] No.43719207[source]▶
I've been looking around for a book like this that has scientific/engineering topics presented in a bite-sized fashion so a teenager (or even adults) can discover which ones pique their interests and are worth a deeper dive.

Would this book work or is it a bit too simple? Does anyone have another book to recommend?

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2. tenacious_tuna ◴[17 Apr 25 16:42 UTC] No.43719286[source]▶
it's been a couple decades since I've read it, but I'd buy it again as an adult. Like the peer comment says, "Engineering in Plain Sight" purports to be similar and I bought my dad a copy last christmas. Planning to spend some of my professionial development stipend on a copy this year.
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3. kridsdale1 ◴[17 Apr 25 17:13 UTC] No.43719679[source]▶
The Way Things Work is up to date. I loved it in the mid 90s and just bought a new copy for my kid this year. It has SSDs, OLEDs, Gravity Wave Detection, etc.
4. kobenni ◴[18 Apr 25 05:27 UTC] No.43725280[source]▶
For mathematics, there are the Princeton Companion to Mathematics and the Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics.