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piabo 's review for:
The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn
by Richard Hamming
informative
inspiring
reflective
It took me a long time to read it, but I am glad I did.
My first advice for everyone is to skip (or skim) all the chapters in the middle (coding theory to simulations) unless you are very interested in technical stuff. I skimmed them and don't think I missed out on a lot of important information for myself.
Second is that there is a lecture series based on this book that I have not watched myself. But just want to put out there in case anyone does not want to read but watch/listen: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2FF649D0C4407B30. Please tell me about it if you watched it.
The book talks about research style and attitude. A lot of this should be taught at university, and luckily my uni does it. But it is still nice to hear from such an accomplished person, who has been alive during and involved in much of the development of computation and computers. Very fascinating how much has changed during the lifetime of one individual and how forward thinking Dr Hamming must have been.
This really talks about habits of minds and foundational concepts, crucial if you want to do good research and discover new theories or see connections. Our world is complex, and being open minded and willing to look deeper and challenge the status quo is very important. Just accepting assumptions or following what other people have been doing is not always the best possible decision. There are biases at play that we have to identify if we want to advance our fields.
Definitely a good book for every aspiring or current researcher.
A few quotes I highlighted and want to remember: (These are from the skimmed chapters only, I do not understand why I did not write others down, I really need to work on my note taking habits!)
- "When you know something cannot be done, also remember the essential reason why, so later, when the circumstances have changed, you will not say 'It can't be done.'"
- "It has long been recognized the initial definitions determine what you find, much more than most people care to believe. The initial definitions need your careful attention in any new situation, and they are worth reviewing in fields in which you have long worked, so you can understand the extent the results are a tautology and not real results at all."
- "When something is claimed to be new, do not be too hasty to think it is just the past slightly improved - it might be a great opportunity for you to do significant things. But again it may be nothing new"
My first advice for everyone is to skip (or skim) all the chapters in the middle (coding theory to simulations) unless you are very interested in technical stuff. I skimmed them and don't think I missed out on a lot of important information for myself.
Second is that there is a lecture series based on this book that I have not watched myself. But just want to put out there in case anyone does not want to read but watch/listen: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2FF649D0C4407B30. Please tell me about it if you watched it.
The book talks about research style and attitude. A lot of this should be taught at university, and luckily my uni does it. But it is still nice to hear from such an accomplished person, who has been alive during and involved in much of the development of computation and computers. Very fascinating how much has changed during the lifetime of one individual and how forward thinking Dr Hamming must have been.
This really talks about habits of minds and foundational concepts, crucial if you want to do good research and discover new theories or see connections. Our world is complex, and being open minded and willing to look deeper and challenge the status quo is very important. Just accepting assumptions or following what other people have been doing is not always the best possible decision. There are biases at play that we have to identify if we want to advance our fields.
Definitely a good book for every aspiring or current researcher.
A few quotes I highlighted and want to remember: (These are from the skimmed chapters only, I do not understand why I did not write others down, I really need to work on my note taking habits!)
- "When you know something cannot be done, also remember the essential reason why, so later, when the circumstances have changed, you will not say 'It can't be done.'"
- "It has long been recognized the initial definitions determine what you find, much more than most people care to believe. The initial definitions need your careful attention in any new situation, and they are worth reviewing in fields in which you have long worked, so you can understand the extent the results are a tautology and not real results at all."
- "When something is claimed to be new, do not be too hasty to think it is just the past slightly improved - it might be a great opportunity for you to do significant things. But again it may be nothing new"