Hacker News Books

Of the top of my head some books I gave my brother included Salt, Siddhartha, and Shantaram. There were others that didn't start with an S as well.

This came out almost a decade ago to critical acclaim. I finally picked it up and am about halfway through. It is a very engaging read about the surprisingly large role that salt played in human history.

I'd love to see a good adaptation of Red Mars / Blue Mars / Green Mars.

I think the Coyote series by Allen Steele could be fun if done right.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142001619?keywords=Salt&qi...

While I put off reading it for months (neither title nor cover appealed to me), once I started it proved to be one of the most fascinating books I've read.

So it isn't just the cheap stuff.

I do have a note about the source, though:

> Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky

This book vectors the myth that Romans were paid in salt.

This is not true:

http://kiwihellenist.blogspot.com/2017/01/salt-and-salary.ht...

(Wikipedia has, of course, been fixed. The printed material never will be.)

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
https://amzn.to/2L2DO4N

While this this sounds pedantic (who besides me would get excited about a good explanation the origins of "the Hanseatic League"?) but Kurlansky really makes it fascinatingly rich reading.

Specific areas after that...

"Brilliant" by Brox on the history of lighting.

"Salt" by Kurlansky.

"The Master Switch" by Wu on telecoms and broadcasting.

"Ascent of Money" by Ferguson has some critics, but it's got some great historical anecdotes on the history of financial tools, like fractional reserves and insurance, weirdly captivating.

Those are all economic history... If you really want a pop intro to econ principles, maybe Planet Money? Pretty much everyone should listen to Planet Money anyway, it's just great radio.

[1] http://docs.saltstack.com/

(Edit: I just noticed he has also written The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation... that's definitely on my list now!)

If you need answers fast, the HN search feature lists hundreds of answers for "ask hn favorite book', 'ask hn best book' on multiple topics, fiction and non-fiction.

I quite liked the 'Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?' https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087418

Personally I added the audio book 'Salt: A World History' for my next long flight.

Water For A Thirsty Land

https://www.worldcat.org/title/water-for-a-thirsty-land-the-...

I once believed that salt mines were a perfect storage place for environmental/nuclear crap. That is, until I read

"Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky

https://www.amazon.com/Salt-World-History-Mark-Kurlansky/dp/...

British towns in the 19th century collapsed when salt miners removed subterranean salt by pumping water in and brine out:

https://www.google.com/search?q=salt+mining+in+19th+century+...

Here's a nice picture(scroll down to see the leaning houses):

http://nbgecko.blogspot.com/2012/10/wadihs-weekend-part-2.ht...

Turns out that if you pour water into a salt deposit, dissolve the salt and pump out the brine, the terrain above may collapse (salt columns were supporting it). Any remaining brine not pumped to the surface may travel who-knows-where underground to dissolve other salt deposits.

England went through decades of lawsuits and legislation wherein landowners cried for recompense of their collapsed lands from salt producers. The salt producers claimed it wasn't their mining that caused the collapses and the landowners usually lost.

Fast forward to oil/gas fracking in Texas, Oklahoma and other states:

most gas/oil deposits are under salt domes. Fracking injects water (and other chemicals) into the subterranean structures, the salt dissolves and the oil/gas is freed to rise. As in England, the brine that is not removed is free to travel miles underground, removing structure that has lain dormant for eons and collapsing the land above. But fracking also uses chemicals, not merely brine, and so the chance of pollution (esp. of water wells) is increased. The frackers say it does no harm. But funny sounds are coming from below and fracking chemicals are showing up in places (e.g., water wells) where they are not wanted:

https://www.google.com/search?q=fracking+chemicals+migrate&b...

http://devopsu.com/books/taste-test-puppet-chef-salt-stack-a...

In the book, I implement an identical project with each tool so you can see what each one is like to work with.

I definitely had some big surprises when writing the book. Spoiler: Ansible was by far the simplest, easiest to understand, and quickest to get up and going.

To get a discount for the book release, just sign up on the mailing list: http://devopsu.com/books/taste-test-puppet-chef-salt-stack-a...

Salt: A World History - Mark Kurlansky

"Oil Drilling into a Salt Dome: Catastrophic Failure: Evidence Lake Peigneur 1980 Disaster BP"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhwjSI3UOIw

This is why fracking is associated with earthquakes. Salt mining has a long and well-documented history of damaging subsurface and consequently surface structure, especially in 19th-century England.

Frackers were "whistling past the graveyard" by denying that fracking caused earthquakes. They've essentially replicated the history of salt mining associations and corporations who destroyed homes and even towns in their rabid search for salt profits:

"Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky

"Northwich sinks!":

http://jsbookreader.blogspot.com/2011/09/northwich-sinks.htm...

"Extraction of Bastard Brine in Northwich":

http://www.cheshirebrine.com/history/extraction-of-bastard-b...

[1] http://www.startalkradio.net/show/the-salt-of-the-earth-part...

[2] http://www.startalkradio.net/show/the-salt-of-the-earth-part...

(I cannot remember if it was part 1 or part 2, so I linked both parts.)