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Paul Graham

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Paul Graham (born 13 November 1964) is an English-born American computer scientist, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, and essayist. He is best known for...

Paul Graham (born 13 November 1964) is an English-born American computer scientist, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, and essayist. He is best known for his work on Lisp, his former startup Viaweb (later renamed "Yahoo! Store"), co-founding the influential startup accelerator and seed capital firm Y Combinator, his blog, and Hacker News. He is the author of several programming books, such as: On Lisp (1993), ANSI Common Lisp (1995), and Hackers & Painters (2004). Technology journalist Steven Levy has described Graham as a "hacker philosopher".

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@S___Elliott @CaitlinPacific Honestly. That could be the best essay written by anyone in 2021.
I noticed as I was reading it that there were a lot of different passages you'd want to use as pull quotes. So out of curiosity I tried marking them all. The thing is half pull quotes.
If you want to write well, read this, because this is what great writing looks like. Not just perfect sentences, but perfect honesty.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/08/caitlin-flanagan-secret-of-surviving-cancer/619844/
Article
I’ll Tell You the Secret of Cancer
I’ll Tell You the Secret of Cancer
It’s been almost 20 years since my diagnosis, and I’ve learned quite a bit.
www.theatlantic.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
This is one of the best essays I've read this year. To be honest, I'd been wondering why I was following a jazz critic. Now I know.
https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/how-i-became-the-honest-broker
Article
How I Became the Honest Broker
  • May 26, 2021
How I Became the Honest Broker
I rarely talk about my workaday life before I settled into music and writing. Those days are far too strange and confusing to convey without writing a whole book about them. And I’ll never write that book because a lot of it I’d rather forget.
tedgioia.substack.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
It's worth reading this whole thread. An excellent, thoughtful analysis by a fellow writer. https://twitter.com/nayafia/status/1393963178627936257
Tweet
I've been upset about what happened to Antonio and struggling to find a productive way to express why. Here's my best attempt: https://twitte...
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
Rereading Watson's Double Helix. I ignored this book in HS when everyone else was reading it, because I wasn't interested in Biology, but I've now read it 1.5 times as an adult and it's a great story.
Book
The Double Helix
The Double Helix
By identifying the structure of DNA, the molecule of life, Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry & won themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time, Watson was only 24, a young scientist hungry to make his mark. His uncompromisingly honest account of the heady days of their thrilling s
www.amazon.com
3 Recommenders 1 Collection
Recommended by Alan Kay, Paul Graham and Matt Ridley
I made the mistake of watching an episode of Big Bang Theory before resuming my rereading of Stanislaw Ulam's (excellent) autobiography, and now I'm hearing it in Sheldon's voice.
Book
Adventures of a Mathematician
Adventures of a Mathematician
The autobiography of mathematician Stanislaw Ulam, one of the great scientific minds of the twentieth century, tells a story rich with amazingly prophetic speculations and peppered with lively anecdotes. As a member of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1944 on, Ulam helped to precipitate some
www.goodreads.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
Every would-be startup founder should read this thread. https://t.co/tuOuLq8Qq1
Tweet
1/ The first 18 months of a startup:After starting my 2nd company in 2019, I decided I would write down useful lessons I learned or re-lear...
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
I've now read about half this book, and it's really good. He really got into the details of how hedge funds work and how they evolved. It's hard to imagine anyone will ever write a better book on the subject.
https://www.amazon.com/More-Money-Than-God-Relations/dp/0143119419/
Book
More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite
More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite
Based on author Sebastian Mallaby's unprecedented access to the industry, including three hundred hours of interviews, More Money Than God tells the inside story of hedge funds, from their origins in the 1960s and 1970s to their role in the financial crisis of 2007-2009. Wealthy, powerful, and pot
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
@sashachapin That's actually pretty good. As I read it I was thinking "I wonder if he'll mention knitting sentences together" and it was the first thing you mentioned. The only thing you got wrong was the reason for the "they are." That wasn't random; that was knitting too.
Article
Paul Graham Isn’t a Simple Writer, and Here Are Some of His Cool Tricks
Paul Graham Isn’t a Simple Writer, and Here Are Some of His Cool Tricks
Paul Graham’s writing often comes up in my coaching, especially with clients in the tech sector. He’s praised and envied by many. People wonder how he does it. And, the other day, he wrote something that purports to give us his secrets. It’s a typically brisk, well-crafted post called
sashachapin.substack.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
It's fascinating to read this guy because he's both very smart and has very little filter. You never know what he's going to say next. It's the parkour of writing.
https://t.co/eqHjFNIBHb
Article
SELF HELP 14
  • Mar 25, 2021
SELF HELP 14
How To Invest In Real Estate While Writing Poetry: The BRRRR Method
stephenstack.substack.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
Since it's World Book Day, here are some of the best books I've read recently:
I Want to be a Mathematician, by Paul Halmos
Barbarian Days, by William Finnegan
From Galileo to Newton, by Rupert Hall
The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective, by Robert Allen
Book
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
A deeply rendered self-portrait of a lifelong surfer by the acclaimed New Yorker writer Barbarian Days is William Finnegan’s memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates, it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of stud
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
Since it's World Book Day, here are some of the best books I've read recently:
I Want to be a Mathematician, by Paul Halmos
Barbarian Days, by William Finnegan
From Galileo to Newton, by Rupert Hall
The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective, by Robert Allen
Book
The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective
The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective
Why did the industrial revolution take place in eighteenth-century Britain and not elsewhere in Europe or Asia? In this convincing new account Robert Allen argues that the British industrial revolution was a successful response to the global economy of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He sh
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
I haven't read all the analyses of the famous NYT article on Scott Alexander, but this is likely to be the best. It's written with calm wisdom and a deep knowledge of both sides.
https://t.co/6bKqbEJ2q1
Article
The Framers and the Framed: Notes On the Slate Star Codex Controversy
  • Feb 25, 2021
The Framers and the Framed: Notes On the Slate Star Codex Controversy
The Framers and the Framed: Notes On the Slate Star Codex Controversy
scholars-stage.blogspot.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
A great thread about how Codecademy survived its early mistakes. If you are a recent graduate of an elite university, these are the mistakes you're going to make. https://t.co/hHLWxUpidr
Tweet
For @Codecademy's first 4yrs, we were in the 📰 every wk. Those weeks, we made $0. The past 4 years, we've been out of the headlines. Now, we'...
3 Recommenders
Recommended by Paul Graham
@shombuddho I bought Halmos's book on your recommendation, and it's fabulous, probably the best book I've read this year. Do you have any other recommendations?
Book
I Want to Be a Mathematician: An Automathography
I Want to Be a Mathematician: An Automathography
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
From its title and the fact that it's part of series, Rupert Hall's _From Galileo to Newton_ sounds like it would be a boring survey, but actually it's one of the best books I've read on the history of science.
https://t.co/PxsKnxzRlB
Book
From Galileo to Newton
From Galileo to Newton
The near century (1630-1720) that separates the important astronomical findings of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) and the vastly influential mathematical work of Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) represents a pivotal stage of transition in the history of science. As a result of the raging intellectual battl
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender
Recommended by Paul Graham
@MarkKatakowski Yes, that was a good book. I still leave the bathroom light on to deter burglars, as he recommended.
Book
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Alternate cover for ISBN 9780345350688 Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister. Here, th
www.amazon.com
2 Recommenders 1 Collection
Recommended by Paul Graham and Ryan Holiday
Curated in "Favorite autobiographical works"
Book
The Persian Expedition
The Persian Expedition
In this outstanding description of endurance and individual bravery, Xenophon, one of those chosen to lead the retreating army, provides a vivid narrative of the campaign and its aftermath.
www.amazon.com
1 Recommender 1 Collection
Recommended by Paul Graham
Curated in "Favorite autobiographical works"
Curated in "What should I read to learn more about history?"
Book
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
  • 1791
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
<b>Read about the fascinating life of Benjamin Franklin in this beautifully illustrated version of his autobiography.</b><br /><br />American icon Benjamin Franklin is known for many things: he published the famous <i>Poor Richard's Almanack</i>, helped found the world-famous University of Pennsylva
www.amazon.com
3 Recommenders 4 Collections
Recommended by James Clear, Paul Graham and Charlie Munger
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