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Kabouter · Oct 12, 2009

AvidNobody said:
Came in here to recommend this.
If you were to read ONE book about why certain peoples around the world develop technology faster than other peoples, read THIS.

I thought David S. Landes' The Wealth and Poverty of Nations made a stronger case to be honest. Although Guns, Germs and Steel had some good points as well.

Salazar · Oct 12, 2009

Bryan Magee's 'Talking Philosophy' would be a useful book to pick up. He interviews fifteen influential philosophers, drawing out their different methods, opinions, concerns. It makes a great deal of complicated knowledge approachable, and shows the personalities within the theories, arguments, and pronouncements. Good book.

hack646 · Oct 12, 2009

Heres another website that has a lot of lecture courses TeachingCompany
Only downside is the price,

however, I'm sure there are other methods of gaining access to this material

platypotamus · Oct 12, 2009

I can't recommend trying to AVOID creating a real structure for yourself enough. I find I learn much more, and much more easily, but just following my curiosity where it goes.

NZer · Oct 13, 2009

To all those suggesting an instrument,
I do already play the piano (and have for many years) - for some reason it isn't really the outlet for me, nor am I that keen to pick up another instrument. Funny, because I love listening to music. Maybe it just isn't my outlet. Your mileage may vary.

Sports, on the other hand, are very much a part of my next-year-plan, but since I already play the sports I want to play (I just need to have more time to play them), I don't really need any suggestions, although I appreciate the effort. (And I also agree that for those who don't play a sport, getting one is great for your state of mind as well as your physique.)

And c'mon GAF, surely there are even more great resources out there that are essential to this thread!

RevenantKioku · Oct 13, 2009

acidviper said:
http://www.dansego.com/matrix/Images/JackingIn.jpg[IMG]
Unless you got one of these you are probably too old to add significant learning or retaining whatever you learn unless you have extraordinary motivation.[/QUOTE]
That age thing is complete bullshit. Motivation, now I'll give you that one. But you're pretty much never "too old".
And if you're looking to retain anything, I heartily suggest getting into an [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition_software#Computer_software_using_spaced_repetition"]SRS[/URL].

NZer · Oct 13, 2009

RevenantKioku said:
That age thing is complete bullshit. Motivation, now I'll give you that one. But you're pretty much never "too old".
And if you're looking to retain anything, I heartily suggest getting into an SRS.

whoa, that SRS is some (cool) crazy shit, but how would you possibly implement it?

Yes Boss! · Oct 13, 2009

Personally, I love the books of Henry Petroski. Good stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=henry+petroski&x=0&y=0

Fjolle · Oct 13, 2009

NZer said:
whoa, that SRS is some (cool) crazy shit, but how would you possibly implement it?

I think that the supermemo program is quite good (read an article about it years ago :lol), but i havent used it.

Also thread bookmarked till i have finished my thesis

Monocle · Oct 13, 2009

Great topic. My modest contribution:

Gutenberg.org and Literature.org, two exceedingly well stocked resources for free books, from classics to the highly obscure. These sites have pretty much everything you could want. From their archives I have the complete works of Shakespeare and selected works of James Joyce, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Marcel Proust, John Milton, Mark Twain, Bram Stoker, Charles Dickens, and many more. Another site in this vein is Google Books, although I believe it offers scans as opposed to plain text files.

A free collection of essays and journalism by George Orwell.

The Bible: King James Version (AKA the version everyone who wants to understand English literature needs to read).

The invaluable Richard Feynman lectures. Essential viewing.

Cosmos, Carl Sagan's superb series, available for free on Hulu.

TED. Lectures on all sorts of educational topics. Posted already, but too important not to mention again.

QualiaSoup's YouTube channel. Offers an array of remarkably accessible and well-produced illustrated presentations on topics related to science, reason, and religious misconceptions of (or misinformation about) these subjects. Watch the one on open-mindedness first.

Slate's archive of Fighting Words by Christopher Hitchensan always illuminating column by a prolific journalist of rare articulateness and integrity.

Salazar · Oct 13, 2009

Monocle said:
Slate's archive of Fighting Words by Christopher Hitchensan always illuminating column by a prolific journalist of rare articulateness and integrity.

His best collection of essays is 'Unacknowledged Legislation'. Truly his finest work. It's a shame he got involved in polemical atheism, really.

NZer · Oct 13, 2009

Monocle said:
The invaluable Richard Feynman lectures. Essential viewing.

Excellent post, and the quoted is actually recorded from my (and your?) university! "Douglas Robb" is a very familiar name to me... I spent eons in "his" lecture theatre.

And thank you all, this is exactly the sort of awesome the internet is capable of!

RevenantKioku · Oct 13, 2009

NZer said:
whoa, that SRS is some (cool) crazy shit, but how would you possibly implement it?

I use Anki pretty much every day for my Japanese studies.

ShallNoiseUpon · Oct 13, 2009

fora.tv is also another really good video site.

Tater Tot · Oct 13, 2009

y=mx + b

ShallNoiseUpon · Oct 13, 2009

Tater Tot said:
y=mx + b

When i was taught this, years ago, my teacher was a gentleman from Germany. He put it to song. I will never be able to get it out of my head. He also played accordion.

NZer · Oct 17, 2009

As both a reply and a bit of a bump (I think there's more life in this yet!) I am posting a link to a fantastic charlie brooker article that sums up so brilliantly how I'm starting to feel that it ought to be read by anyone in this read:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/05/charlie-brooker-cultural-diet

Cyan · Oct 27, 2009

From another thread: an excellent lecture on where the universe came from and where it will go.

Epic_Dave · Oct 27, 2009

Two awesome physics books by Michio Kaku

Especially had fun reading Physics Of The Impossible.

Cyan · Oct 29, 2009

Feynman seven-lecture series at Cornell on physics, beginning with gravity.

You have to install Silverlight, and some bits are slightly out-dated, but it's worth watching. Feynman is an awesome lecturer.

Salazar · Oct 29, 2009

Cyan said:
Feynman is an awesome lecturer.

James Gleick's biography of him, 'Genius', is a remarkably good book.

NZer · Dec 14, 2009

Ok, Epic Bump time! Stuck this link in the OP too
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/05/charlie-brooker-cultural-diet

because it captures how I feel so beatifully.

I am now on my break, setting things up for 2010. Bought On Food And Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (awesome so far).

C'mon GAF, there has gotta be more out there (although I admit there's already plenty in this thread). Thanks to all the contributors so far!

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