A favorite of the Slashdot crowd, Paul Graham takes time to craft his words in ways which make my synapses smile. Many of the essays in his book Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age essays have appeared online previously. I’ve noted a couple before. The book collects fifteen essays, all springing from thoughts on technology or experience as a technical wizard in a world which has increasingly rewarded those skills. But the insights are not limited to the realm of computing. There are individual essays (chapters) here that I want my wife and others to read, both because I wish I could write like this (and think like this?) and because I agree so wholeheartedly with many of the insights. I like to imagine myself as a leading edge, or an early adopter, but I’m not blazing a trail that I know of… I’m just paying attention to a strange subculture which (I believe) is showing the world of the future a few years early. Graham is even further out, both explaining parts the past and maps the future. He prescribes. That’s bold, because you can be wrong. You have to risk being wrong to do something great. The words in this book, at least, are great.
For others, substitute yourself. You can read most of (all? I can’t be bothered to check) the essays on Graham’s website if you want to get a sampler before diving in on the inexpensive purchase. Or you can just trust me and read the book.