Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I really enjoy the opportunity to catch up on reading while traveling. Please share any good books in this thread that would be good for travel. I am hoping to finish my current book:

Tribal Leadership

this book was recommended by a former student, and I am really enjoying it. It is a business leadership book that I feel has a lot of applicability to achieveing that next level for FIRST teams. I am only 2/3rds of the way through it, but it has been very useful so far.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

If you have Mark Leon as an MC bring your math book.

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The Namesake

Confessions of an Economic Hitman

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Leadership and Self-Deception

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I'm bringing LINUX In A Nutshell By: Ellen Siever

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I always bring Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) when I travel...but that may or may not just be because it's a book that I've read many times and love to re-read. Being in a car or on a plane for many hours gives me an excuse to do it.

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Born to Run. It doesn't relate to Robotics, but it is a great book. Even if you are not a runner it does offer quite a bit of insight into the fact that all of the technology we are developing may not actually help us.

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I'll probably be working my way through "Eating the Dinosaur" by Chuck Klosterman.

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It's a quick read, but really good

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2360

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The Engineering Design of Systems: Models and Methods Dennis M. Buede.
A Practical Guide to SysML: The Systems Modeling Language Friedenthal, Moore and Steiner

OK, maybe not suggested for everyone, but that's what I'm reading.

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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is something you should read at Champs, so you can get inspired while you're getting inspired.

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I'll probably work my way through House of Leaves or Watchmen on the plane ride down. I find my brain works best when I let it take a trip to fantasy land now and again.

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Freakonomics. I don't remember the author....Steve somebody.

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A Big Little Life: A Memoir Of A Joyful Dog by Dean Koontz

Another inspirational book on the way to being inspired. Why not pull out all of the stops and strum the heart strings along the way? This is a lovely and enriching book.

Jane

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The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett.

My favorite book. A historical fiction, if you're into that sort of thing ;)
1,017 pages paperback, I read it in less than a day.

EDIT:

Also, there is another book if you're looking for something inspirational...same author, but the book catalogues the story of Ross Peroux (he ran for president way back).

On Wings of Eagles, Ken Follett

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Isaac, I love you for starting this thread. I'm frantically writing all these books down in my journal so I can download them to my Kindle when I get a chance.

My suggestion:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
And the rest of that series. Perfect for a robotics trip.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Me, too!

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I am reading Joel Rosenberg's Inside the Revolution to my family (they actually requested it) as we travel. We may get through it this season!

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Carolyn, Ender's Game is pretty epic.

I would also highly recommend The Last Lecture. Even if you've already read it. There's so many good thoughts packed in there.

Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward. Discusses their model of 5 levels of leadership, including a historical example of each level.

Tribes by Seth Godin is a great corollary to Tribal Leadership. It takes some of the network relationship concepts and applies them in more of a motivational, short story fashion.

I'm also currently reading The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly. It's taking a while to get through, but it is certainly powerful.

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Friedenthal came by and gave a lecture to my SysE Modeling class a couple of months ago. Smart guy and a good communicator. It's a good thing he's on the OMG standards board for SysML.

My book for the flight and downtime will be
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information in an effort to make the displays I work on more intuitive. It may also help with my PowerPoint skillz :rolleyes:.

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Cryptonomicon

Neal Stephenson

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Will probably finish up American Creation by Joseph J. Ellis (the Revolutionary and aftermath period is a favorite history bit of mine), and start Making Money by Terry Pratchett. If I'm not LANing.

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Last three issues of:
Popular Mechanics
PC World
Inc.
currently receiving them because I had to use up some airline miles before they expired and never get a chance to read magazines.

However.....after explaining to person beside me what FIRST and robotics is, falling asleep and being waked up every two minutes for about half an hour, waiting in line to go to the bathroom and doing some much needed maintenance on my blackberry.....I may get through a few articles in one of the above mags! :)

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Waldo & Magic, Inc. is a book containing those two novellas, one science fiction, one fantasy, by Robert A. Heinlein.

These stories are from the early 40s and it's amazing how the principal theme has developed. Decide for yourself if it's happening now.

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"The Body Has A Head" is by Gustav Eckstein Just the ticket to take your mind off Aluminum, cRio, pneumatics and . . . . wait, maybe it won't. The link contains the back cover's text. Just the book an engineer needs to read.

Someone leaving from BDL or greater Hartford area is welcome to digest my copy. PM me soon.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Since it is also one of my favorite movies...

October Sky

Definitely something for any STEM mind to read and watch. I honestly love it. I try to get as many kids on the team to watch this as I can.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

My World History and Chemistry book... anyone want them... ill give them to you for free... trust me, i don't want them

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US History for me. ;)

Also, Looking for Alaska by John Green. Probably my favorite of all time

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Isn't that the really, really weird book by Poe's brother?

Ender's Shadow is even better, IMO. Great series.

One of my favorite books ever. So, so very brilliant fiction.

---------------------------

Let's see, books I love that I'd like to share:

John Adams (biography) by David McCullough -- absolutely brilliant.

Crown of Stars (6 book fantasy series) by Kate Elliott.

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle -- postapocalyptic fiction at its very best.

Great Physicists by William H. Cropper -- an absolutely wonderful set of mini-biographies of the men and women who shaped and reshaped physics, from Galileo to modern day.

A Song of Ice and Fire (series, unfinished thus far) by George R. R. Martin. Very violent and stunningly well-written.

Neverwhere by Niel Gaiman (*everything* by Gaiman is worth reading, but I particularly recommend this, American Gods, and Anansi Boys)

Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath (whimsical detective fiction)

Afraid by Jack Kilborne (pen name of JA Konrath -- horror, quick read and not too deep)

Anything and everything by GK Chesterton, especially The Everlasting Man, Heretics, Orthodoxy, What's Wrong with the World, Eugenics and Other Evils, The Man Who was Thursday, and -- who am I kidding, everything the man wrote.

The Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia -- Eric was a frat brother of my brother Jake at Cornell, and "Jake Freivald" is a character in the book, as well as the recently-released movie "Repo Men" based on the book. Grotesquely violent and filled with black, very funny humor. Eric also wrote the rather brilliant book Matchstick Men, that has a Nicholas Cage movie that is nearly but not quite as brilliant based on it.

Quantum Mechanics: Historical Contingency and the Copenhagen Hegemony by James T. Cushing (not at all for the layman, but a great read for those interested in both physics and philosophy. If you aren't already well versed in both, don't bother.)

Black Sun Rising (and it's sequels, fantasy) by C.S. Friedman

The How to do it Book of Beekeeping by Richard Taylor, Organic Beekeeping by Ross Conrad, and The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum... If that's your kind of thing.

And of course, for those with access to the internet, I suggest reading my one published short story, A Taste for Life, at http://www.flashfictiononline.com/f2...-freivald.html -- along with dozens of other great short stories at flashfictiononline.com /shameless plug

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It's Steven Levitt. And yes, it's quite entertaining as long as you don't take it too seriously. Also, everything by Malcolm Gladwell is quite readable and interesting. For even more nonfiction goodness, try Predictably Irrational for some fascinating pop psychology. Oh, and I should also mention that Physics of the Impossible is one of those books that is so good that you wont even realize that you're learning.

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I LOVED Gladwell's Outliers. Its really interesting but should be read with a grain of salt, as a lot of his conclusions are questionable. Its still a fun read though.

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I know I'll probably have some LabVIEW documents, Python PDF's, and maybe some Linux docs.

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I'm probably going to bring Bruce Schneier's Applied Cryptography. I'll also most likely bring a copy of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, just because it's awesome.

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Because I used to live in NH, I took movies in the car. For those of you who are looking for movies, I would recommend:

Miracle
Rudy
The Rookie
Remember the Titans
The Dish

They are all really good inspirational movies. All of them are sports movies except The Dish--which is more of a "geeky" movie.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I'm probably going to take just Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It's actually one of the only books that we've been assigned that's actually good. And I don't want to read it all on Sunday when I get back for class on Monday.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I'll probably take some text books and study. Missing class while in Atlanta isn't going to be fun.

Oh, and may I recommend reading the most recent version of the Breakaway Manual? I heard it's quite the informative read. :p

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

If your going the movie route, may I recommend "the World's Fastest Indian", It is also a great inspirational/underdog movie with a fanatical mechanical twist. Anthony Hopkins is the man.

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My current favorites are Slaughterhouse 5 and Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut.

Slaughterhouse 5 is historical/science fiction with a lot of satire and black humor mixed in.

Bagombo Snuff Box is a collection of short stories written by Vonnegut.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Go old school inspirational. Get "Breaking Away" its a much better/more inspiration movie than any of those.

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What Happy People Know - best and most amazing book, especially if you are feeling burned out, or disgruntled or dissatisfied in anyway, or even if you are happy and just want perspective on life.

Emotional Intelligence - If you are just a technical thinker and go after everything logically, get frustrated with emotional types, or just want to understand more about people read this book to better understand yourself and what drives others.

Social Intelligence - How to interact with others, the science of how human interaction helps & hurts us. If you are a texting or email addict, READ THIS to see why you need other people in your lives. I love how it goes into the science behind emotional interactions.

And My Standard List of Leadership Recommendations:
How to Win Friends & Influence People
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Developing the Leader Within You
Developing the Leaders Around You
17 Essential Qualities of being a team player
100 Ways to Motivate Others
The Levity Effect
Crucial Conversations
Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office
It's Your Ship

And of course The Last Lecture

Other Favorites (Fiction)...
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Caves of Steel
Naked Sun
Robots of Dawn
I, Robot
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

I wish I had time to read on the plane... Im usually planning out schedules or planning out the next year!! Though when I traveled a lot for work, I started taking audio books with me... easier to listen to & carry while walking through an airport.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I will recommend my current read, The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right by Atul Gawande.

I also second the nomination of Born to Run. Aside from being a great book, it lead some of my runner / robotics kids (there are more than a few) to puzzle through an engineering question: What is the best way to precisely cut a steel belted radial tire?

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

While going through my bookshelf, I realized that I read on all ends of the literary spectrum...

A Separate Peace (By John Knowles) - I actually had read this book for my American Lit class this year, but I really enjoyed it. Largely about the difference in personalities between the two main characters, and very well written.

Cry of the Icemark (By Stuart Hill) - Even though it's a fantasy story, this is a very inspiring book in regards to leadership in the younger generation.

A Bend in the Road (By Nicholas Sparks) - I just really enjoyed this book. It's very addicting...

(also, for the girls - if you're looking for a laugh, get a copy of A Girl's Guide to Dating a Geek, and read it cover to cover. And then try and figure out what kind of geeks the boys on your team are, even if you have no interest in dating them. It's very fun :P )

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I might just get to watch I Am Legend for the first time on this trip! :p

I wish I had the time to read a good book like some mentioned. But textbooks and a paper are calling/have been imposed by the mother! :D

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I Am Legend the book is fantastic. Better than the movie IMO, and it's actually got some big differences plot-wise as well.

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You're asking for a miracle here :P If you find a way to get people on my team to read that, I'd be in a state of pure awe.

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One of the best books I've ever read - Ender's Game
I would also recommend Ender's Shadow.

I would also recommend staying away from the Twilight books. :P

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What Not to Read:

Poe's "A Descent Into the Maelstrom." If you have the imagination to really visualize his descriptions, this one could give you vertigo. Not good on a moving plane.

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I'm currently reading The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.

I need to get a lot of Java software development done while in Atlanta, but unless the flights have free Wifi I'll be catching up on reading. :)

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Totally great movie. (Don't tell anyone, but John has a 1910 Indian that his dad raced...)

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I beg to disagree. In all the Atlanta stress, one of the greatest comedies of all times could be helpful to get you through.

Vampires who sparkle...comic gold! xD

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Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity is Near

An excellent glimpse into the future when man transcends biology

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i would strongly tell you to stay away from those... my girlfriend force me to watch "New Moon" and let me tell you, it was one of the worst movies ive ever seen... she thought it was the best(of course) so i would look for some good action books... bring a laptop(can do almost anything on it... for me mainly checking my CD) but you can watch movies on the plane ride up... plus you can watch the match scores from all the other fields...

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This is probably a classic, but I have always enjoyed bringing "The Hitchhikers Guide" series on every trip down there! :D

Makes the time pass by quickly, and it is MY FAVORITE series!

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Do you think it means you're going to championships 42 times? Build a robot called Marvin? Recoil upon hearing Vogon poetry? Open a Milliways franchise? But above all - Don't Panic.

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:D Best book for Champs preparation I've read so far! Just as long as we remember to listen to the dolphins!

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How do you guys consistently design good robots without a clear understanding of what constraints you have? This isn't a rhetorical question, as you guys clearly do. I just assumed all upper level teams read the manual completely.

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I do. Some of our members do. But for the most part, mechanical people only read about the robot because the strategy people only read about the game and so on and so forth because they don't get that reading only a certain part matters. The manual is like the human body: you can function without certain pieces, but you'll never work to your fullest ability.

But I guess reading is too much for my team. I can't really blame them, some of the words have more than seven letters! :ahh: :rolleyes:

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I'm totally going to sound like a Shakespeare geek.... but I'm bringing King Lear.
It's small, I could spend forever rereading it, and I need to read it for my english class anyways, so...
But, then again, I also rigged up a way to carry a watercolor painting around with me, so I might be working on my AP portfolio in the stands. :D

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Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

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I loved Looking for Alaska. :)
As for me, I will be bringing Will Grayson, Will Grayson which is also by John Green and his friend David Levithan.

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Word of advice, NEVER tell someone their singing is worse than Vogon poetry...

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For all the budding rocket scientists (and those already fully flowered!) out there, one of my favorite books of all time is Orbit by John Nance.

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Fun read on the plane ride with friends is Stephen Colbert's I Am America (And So Can You!). Fun stuff, but he's no comparison to Jon Stewart's humor. ;)

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I've been meaning to buy that! It sounds amazing.

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The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene

It's a non-fiction read that explains the concepts behind M-theory and lots of other particle physics. It's hard to wrap your head around at points but you will learn a lot about the universe and it is a good introductory point to a very exciting major.

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On physics-books-written-for-the-layman, I recommend the following:

The Search for Schroedinger's Cat by John Gribbin
Schroedinger's Kittens by John Gribbin
QED by Richard Feynmann
Three Roads to Quantum Gravity by Lee Smolin
The Trouble with Physics by Lee Smolin

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

Richard Feynmann - a great read, anything he did.

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynmann!
What Do You Care What Other People Think?

All of these (and any others) are marvelously enjoyable reads.

And then there are volumes 1 through 3... :-)

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

I've also been writing a lot of these down for future reading, so thanks to everyone for posting what they are enjoying.
--------------------
I am on a travel book kick, and having enjoyed "Long Way Round" [documentary and book] by Ewan McGregor (yes, the actor) and his friend Charley Boorman about their 2004 round the world motorcycle trip from London to NYC "going east"; I have picked up Charley's book "Race to Dakar" about his attempt at the 2006 Dakar Rally. I enjoy the way Charley writes, and have been having trouble putting it down to actually get ready for Atlanta.

I do have a back-up if I finish it before Wednesday though... my copy of "Long Way Down" about Ewan and Charley's 2007 Motorcycle trip from the Northern-most point in Scotland to the Southern-most point in Africa arrived yesterday from Half.com

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An great nonfiction book is The Creature from Jekyll Island but don't let the name fool you. Its about a history of money up to the present day and the inner workings of the Federal Reserve. Its very eye-opening.

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Mostly I plan to be watching movies, but when I need a break, I'll be reading through the manual again, as I see to be the only person on my team who cares to do so. (I want an RTFM sticker or button badly, but it wouldn't be Graciously Professional.)

Re: Books to travel with to Atlanta 2010
 

First, read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
Then pick up Ender in Exile.
Then read the Ender's Shadow series.
Then, if you have more time, read the rest of the Ender's Game series (Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, etc...)
Great books. :D

And you can't leave out Isaac Asimov's Foundation series (it's not just a trilogy, I found out recently)
Hopefully your bus ride/flight isn't any longer than that, or maybe you're just a superbly fast reader.

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Excellent read. I would suggest Dawkin's recent book, The Greatest Show on Earth as a companion to The Origin of Species. His second chapter take a holistic view of the historical rise and acceptance of Darwin's ideas, as well as his shortcomings and mistakes. It's by far his most solid book, and makes the rest of his works look somewhat absent minded due to an impeccable focus and driving writing style.

My suggestion would be to pick a book from someone with an opposing world view to your own. Understanding those who disagree with you is crucial to self development. For example, if you are religion, grab an atheist book. Vis verse as well. If Democrat, read a Glenn Beck book. If Republic, go grab Obama's book. Reading from the other side is a fantastic way to understand more, as the two sides are sometimes in agreement more than one would think.

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CollegeBoard SAT Review book..... :)

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Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic by Alfred Lansing is the best book I've ever read. It's one of those books that you just cannot put down. It seems as if there is no current edition, but it is available for the kindle and I'm quite sure your local library will have it.

If you haven't heard the story, the Endurance is crushed by the ice pack. Her crew spend the next seven months on the ice pack (where you have two choices, warm and soaking wet, or cold and dry) or in the two rescue boats they brought along with them, culminating in an 800 mile journey across the worst seas in the world in a 22 foot boat trying to land on a small island. The crew who journeyed across the island remain the only people to have crossed South Georgia Island unassisted. Not a single man died. One guy lost his feet because he wouldn't wear the right boots, but no one died. Which is more than most successful Antarctic adventures could say!


TL;DR Read this book. You will like it. :)