Reddit mentions of "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character

This book about Richard Feynman is a really fun and casual read. I tend to give it to a lot of scientists as a gift.

https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Youre-Joking-Mr-Feynman-ebook/dp/B003V1WXKU

If you're interested in Feynman's life and his great stories: "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" and "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" are great reads. The guy was a goddamn rockstar.

Perhaps you're looking for "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" by Richard Feynman?

• Amazon
  
• WorldCat

For anyone else that was suddenly compelled to go check out the book because of this exchange...

Amazon

Fiction Books

Cryptonomicon - Very few books make up a cypher system based on playing cards, have a story that spans WW2 through the present day and in large part revolve around creating an alternate digital currency, a data haven and startup life.

Neuromancer - this is the book that created cyberpunk and that inspired all those bad movie ideas about hacking in 3D systems. That being said, it marked a real turning point in SciFi. Without this book "cyber" security specialists would probably be called something else.

Snow Crash - This is much more breezy than the other two but still has very recognizable hacking/security elements to it and is just fun.

Non Fiction

Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman - This isn't a book about technology so much as deduction and figuring things out (while being hilariously entertaining).

I included all these here in large part because they are what inspired me to get into development and sysadmin work and I bet that I'm about 20 years older than you if you're just getting into the field - so there's a decent chance that your coworkers are into them too.

As an engineer in a research position: I'd give you my upvotes for the next 100 days if I could.

Here's how you (the reader of this thread) can start: Read Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman, a nice book with anecdotes about the life of a particularly gifted scientist with lots of wit and perspective on how actual science is different from sudo science. It's a very entertaining book and IMO a great way to get some basics about the world view of a true scientist. It has lots of examples of fields other than physics that he did some investigation in, and maybe you'll find something that particularly interests you.

I pretty much only read non-fiction, so I'm all about books that are educational but also interesting :) I'm not sure what your educational background is, so depending on how interested you are in particular subjects, I have many recommendations.

Naked Statistics and Nate Silver's Book are both good!

Feeling Good is THE book on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

The Omnivore's Dilemma is good, as is Eating Animals (granted, Eating Animals is aimed at a particular type of eating)

Guns, Germs and Steel is very good.

I also very much enjoyed The Immortal Live of Henrietta Lacks, as well as Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman :)

edit to add: Chris Hadfield's Book which I haven't received yet but it's going to be amazing.

There are some notable/deserving winners of the Nobel Prize, like Richard Feynman (shared Physics Nobel award in 1965).

Feynman was brilliant in many ways! He was also a great practical joker.

His book, Surely Your Joking, Mr. Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character is worth a read!

Feynman had a varied career from working on the Manhattan Project during WW2 to determining the cause of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (1986)

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character

And that's why people drafted against their will would fake illness at MEPS.

If you ever get around to reading "surely you're joking, mr feynman" he talks about draft dodging during WW2 IIRC.

Stop second-guessing your choice of major. Keep your eyes on what you actually want, and remember that the steps along the way will all build there eventually. Check in on your plans when you're picking classes each semester, to make sure you're still on course and still want that ultimate goal. The REU and some lab time will all help.

Try reading some science-related books, not actual science but stuff about scientists themselves or stories about specific scientific discoveries. Like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Double Helix, Eighth Day of Creation, The Disappearing Spoon, and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman. Your school should have copies of most of them, and they aren't textbook-heavy (though not quite as light as fiction novels).

Don't forget to stay at least a little rounded. Someone on just about every recruitment weekend for grad school will ask about your hobbies. I'm pretty sure they're required to do so :) Or you'll discover you and your interviewer both do ceramics and can chat about that, leaving a stronger impression than if you were yet another person talking about science. It's good to be done with the requirements, but make sure you keep up something outside your major, even if it's just ultimate frisbee.