You sound like a female version of me.

I've got a few little solutions. These are things I try to do when I want to be in a better mood. They work best if you build habits around them - well, some of them - you'll see what I mean as you're reading. Also, most of them can be mixed, and work well together! :-)

1. Music, music, music! Put on a good tune. Build a playlist with all your favorite, happy, upbeat songs. Listen to the songs that make you feel good, no matter what other people say about the songs or the people who sing them. If Friday by Rebecca Black gets you pumped, then listen to that shit! I myself tend to go through phases when I get bored with the music I've got... Right now I'm on a Coheed and Cambria kick. If you drive a lot, buy or make CDs and listen to them when you drive - the radio just doesn't cut it anymore, not for me. Maybe consider investing in a decent pair of headphones or other gear - I bought some Sony studio monitor headphones like these, and I swear by them. They sound amazing, but I also hate earbuds which is another reason that I really like them. People say they look tacky because they're so big, but fuck 'em. And I'm not a sound buff by any means, but they're leaps and bounds better than just listening through computer speakers. Be careful, though, because it works both ways - you can use music to accentuation your negative emotions as well as the positive ones, so you want to try not to do that... Not too much, at least. There's nothing wrong with a good soul searching song now and then, but every so often I find that I have a tendency to listen to sad songs just because I'm feeling sad. If that happens and you recognize it, try to snap out of it and go back to happy songs.
   
   
2. Exercise and general wellbeing. This is something I really need to work on myself. Try to do things that get your heart going, and try to do them outside when you can. A good jog on a nice day can do wonders. You can even do this while you listen to music if you like... but sometimes soaking in the atmosphere can be helpful, too. Oftentimes I find that I just need to go outside the house and get some fresh air, and it's always nice. I like to drive with the windows down at every chance I get. If you find that you're often couped up, in your house or at work or whatever, make it a point to get some fresh air at some point in your day. Just five minutes will help. Sometimes a walk around the neighborhood can calm your nerves. Any time I find myself annoyed or angry, I almost always go outside to think, or go driving or something. Fresh air is your friend! Also, as others have already mentioned, make some changes in your diet. Eliminating caffeine is a great idea, and something I need to implement, as well. Try to cut down on fast food, and take your vitamins if you don't already.
   
   
3. Do things. That probably sounds vague, but it's pretty straightforward. People tend to be crabby when they're bored out of their minds. My job is boring, and then I come home and be even more bored, and all that boredom piles up until you just want to explode. Try to make plans, even if they're plans with yourself. Set goals to be accomplished, maybe chores around the house or something like that... Go shopping for things you need. And of coarse, making plans with other people is always great. You mentioned a boyfriend... Make it a point to do something with him as often as you can, even if it's just watching a movie. Basically this boils down to keeping yourself busy, but not to the point of stress. Try to have something to put your mind to. If you have a hobby, try to practice it as often as you can. If you don't, consider finding one. Read. Do homework... keep yourself busy!
   
   
4. Alcohol and other drugs. Before I say another word, keep in mind: all things with moderation! And this one's totally up to you, if you don't feel comfortable, but for me it's simply true - but it affects different people in different ways. First, a nice buzz can always be relaxing. I don't like to get drunk much anymore, but having a few drinks or one particularly strong drink does a number on my nerves. I find it easier to interact with people after a drink or two. Alcohol eliminates a lot of those annoying thought processes that cause you to over-analyze everything, like what you say to people and what they say to you. It's a +1 to charisma, if you'll excuse my nerdy video game reference. Again, this is a little alcohol, not shitfaced drunk. Don't look to alcohol as a means to drink your problems away... That's when you run into problems. This is just a method for calming your nerves and culminating your thoughts a little. Also, this might help with your sleeping problem for that very reason... Just a thought. Secondly, there's a certain plant that, when smoked or otherwise ingested, may help you become a more calm individual. Sadly, this plant is not legal in most of the world. So... Just gonna leave that there. And let me be frank - you can't ever rely on drugs or alcohol to fix you. They're simply there to help, should you decide to utilize them, but you ultimately have to initiate the change yourself. Be responsible and everything should work out fine.
   
   Well, that's all I got. Hope there are some helpful nuggets in there for you.

If you like to read about stuff like this, try "How to talk to anyone" by Lyle Lowndes. The title and premise/self-help style may seem kind of cheesy, but it's really useful if only so that it helps point out the things you may have noticed but don't keep in mind during day-to-day conversations.

I'm not sure if you ever have moments where you can ramble away a perfectly cogent thought, but pay attention to those times when you stop 'thinking' and put those words together in a smooth, receptive manner that is very much in context with the current scenario. If you can do that all the time, or very frequently, then I think that will help you the most. Two things that may help you:

1. Best advice I've ever gotten from a lady-friend and this is her advice to all men everywhere: Take it down a notch. Just one. So however/whatever you were planning on doing/saying to that girl? Just take it down one notch (there are times such as big events one-time-scenarios where you can maintain normal notch capacity)
   
   
2. Sometimes the most important thing is not saying something, or stopping to formulate your thoughts for a moment. There are times I'll want to burst out into conversation with the immediate response that comes to mind...over time I've learned to sort of filter myself unless I'm a bit excited. Sometimes, it's classier to say nothing or to do something subtle rather than say the first thing that comes to mind. Sometimes it's good to store that thought for a later moment in time when it's better formulated or when it is even more prevalent in a conversation. This can make circular conversation far easier and it's always impressive to link the current topic with a previous one with said audience (it shows you pay attention, that the discussion is more relevant than they possibly realized, and that engages people).
   
   P.S. Engage.
   
   http://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Anyone-Success-Relationships/dp/007141858X
   
   Also, a current book I'm reading to sort of see the patterns people play out is "The Games People Play" by Eric Bernes (I think I got his name right). This book was sort of a breakthrough on psychology and the way we interact with each other. At the very least, these two books can give you ample information to communicate with people about human communication.
   

Wow.

OK, so I'm not used to such reasonable and cogent responses on reddit. Especially since I was being all ass-holey. You'll just have to give me a moment or two.

...

OK, yes I read what you posted. To be honest, it struck me as being a bit defensive (not by you, but by those who have a chip on their shoulder concerning foie gras). I'll be even more honest... I don't like pate, so even if there was a "humane/free-range" variety of foie gras (and in fact, there is ), I still wouldn't eat it. I just listed it because, along with sow-stalls and battery farms, it's considered a poster-child example of the "evils" of modern industrial farming.

I'm an omnivore. I eat meat. I actually often consider going vegetarian for both health reasons (our guts do not handle the huge amount of meat with which we stuff ourselves) and for ethical reasons (I don't really like the idea of killing other creatures). But then I smell the wonderful aroma of a lamb roast, or friend bacon and my resolve crumbles. Therefore, when I do decide to eat meat, I make a personal decision to only eat meat and meat products that I know come from producers that minimize (or at least reduce) the suffering of the animals concerned. I'm sorry, but in all that I have read and heard, foie gras is a product that is produced cruelly. I will concede there is an interesting article here on this argument.

These are the same reasons I don't eat veal (animals forced fed milk; their locomotion reduced; quite often the flesh is dyed etc). It just doesn't appeal to me.

When I eat chicken, I choose free-range. The same for eggs and, most definitely, the same for pork. It's a personal decision and it's not something I crusade about or indeed try to convince other of. As such, I think I'm perfectly entitled to hold such views.

I read The Ethics Of What We Eat and I would recommend it as a reasoned and reasonable approach to this problem. I have heard good things about The Omnivores Dilemma, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Thank you for restoring my faith in reddit a bit.

For politics there's a lot of heavy heavy stuff which is good but if you want something light and more story orientated but still good try Confessions of an Economic Hitman It's about how America came to dominate and exploit the third world.

If you can handle something a little heavier I'd suggest the free on-line copy of A People's History of the United States. It's an upbeat history of ordinary people struggling for their rights against the rich - stuff you don't get told at school.

Many people will suggest George Orwell's 1984 which is also free on-line but I'd read only half way through if you want to keep it a bit lighter because the ending is pretty goddam nasty and all the buzz words that the book entered into the English language (apart from "Room 101") are in the first half of the book.

For a great book on pre-history try Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel. Famous book with ideas you'll find very useful in conversations. It answers the question as to how come it was White Europeans going and beating up on everyone else instead of vice versa?

If you're not a conservative (and why would you be) you'll enjoy Bob Altemeyer's The Authoritarians. It's his research on why some people seem to act in irrational ways and it's free on-line again. Bonus: his writing style is very easy to read and it's short.

I agree that we probably are coming from different sets of values, but I believe there is enough of an overlap for us to make headway. But there's only so much I can try to communicate through typed comments on reddit, so this will be my last post.

> but this is still based on a meat-inclusive diet so my point still stands that meat eating has been historically important to humanity.

The fact that it was historically important in no way justifies the continued eating of meat.

If we're talking about people in third world environments, of course I'm not going to deny them a potential food source. If this is about starvation, then it's about food. What you've been reading in my comments has more to do with the ethics of eating meat when there's so much more available to you (i.e. in the first world such as the US).

I think we're on the same page on managed commons. I just wish that the standards they're forced to follow were based on what's ecologically feasible than what the companies controlling food production/catching/distribution think makes a large enough profit. (I'm a capitalist as long as business practices are transparent.) (On another note, you might be interested in Dan Barber's TED talk for an idea on sustainable fishing practices. It's the sort of thing I think we're going to have to move towards.)

Clearly, our views on the nature of both human and animal rights are different. If you'd like to get a better look into the reasoning behind my thinking, these two books really made me change the way I view how humans produce and consume food. Give them a read if you're interested. They'll make much more articulate arguments than I'm capable of making.

Also, if you get a chance, I highly recommend this book if you're interested in global poverty. It blew my mind.

Don't make saving your entire life in your 20s. It's important, sure, but only in balance with everything else, namely travel. It all depends on the lifestyle you want to live when you're old. If you want to be in the millions when you retire, your life will be pretty dull when you're young if you're just making average money, but if you get serious (talk to a financial adviser) about your finances at a reasonable age when say you're 30... you'll have no problem being better off than most who don't. For me, in my late 20s, it's travel, travel, travel. I have a degree in finance, I have a great job right now, but I'm saving up to travel long-term (1+ years) throughout central and south america in just over a year, will possibly teach English abroad elsewhere afterward, namely India. With no real responsibilities I think it's important for Americans (specifically) to live entirely out of a pack on their back for a sustained period of time. No all-inclusive resorts. Go somewhere where your money goes far (most of Europe is expensive). Couchsurf, bring a hammock - no one cares if you set it up between 2 palm trees on the beach - hostels, locals; it forces you to meet people and figure out who you are and what you want to do with your life. You can try to go with a friend, but you will meet so many great people along the way that it's not entirely necessary. It's also extremely cheap to do. Read Vagabonding or The 4-Hour Work Week . But I am one who just can't make up my mind what I want to do in life. Honestly, I just want to climb rocks, but that's not exactly practical since I'm not Chris Sharma . I have some business ideas in the works but I'll probably end up going back to school so I can teach and have 3 months off in the summer, preferrably psychology or the psychology of religion. But I think I could also be content organic farming in my later days... or writing, I write a bunch, and plan to use the trip as the muse for a Karouac-esque tale. See so I have no clue. But that's the fun of it. Just shotgun your interests and figure it out. Love life. Go live it. Don't let anyone tell you you're crazy because your values are different. They will come around. Also, no soda - water, water, and coconut water.

Been there and it's actually fairly depressing / draining. I had about 3 - 4 hours of work per day, but needed to be there for 8 hours. Here is how to get the most out of the situation:

1: Learn about automation. I'm certain that AutoHotKey for Windows can replace 20% of all office workers in the US. You have 4 hours a day to get great at it. Do so, and make the 4 hours you used to spend on actual work take 2 hours. It'll come in handy later.

2: Perfect your finance automation, since credit card sites and such don't LOOK like screwing around, you likely won't have any trouble. Get auto deposit set up, figure out your benefits and maximize them. 401k match? Automatically max it. Direct deposit, auto-pay on your credit cards, etc. Reduce the number of things you ever have to worry about again. Ramit Sethi's book will walk you through this shit and costs like $10.

3: Now you have even more free time at work, and you SHOULD be increasing your nest egg because once everything is automated it's really hard to fuck it up. You've now got 6 hours a day to explore new jobs, learn new skills, start a side business, or research something until you're an expert.

OK, so not everyone wants to do step 3. If you aren't over-supervised, you can plan vacations, your meals and groceries, activities for after work, etc.

"I met [our host] through [mutual activity]. What about you?"

This book is a tad corny, but it changed me from a socially awkward penguin into a socially awesome penguin.

Also, BODY LANGUAGE IS KEY. If you are nervous, you will tend to 'close yourself' by crossing your arms, tightening your shoulders, looking away from people, etc. To 'open' your body language, think about the movements you make when you hug someone you like. You open your arms, turn your body and head toward them, smile a little, and turn your hands and palms a little more outward, exposing the palms. This is a 'vulnerable' position that shows you are not a threat.

Finally, make eye contact and smile, not awkwardly, but a little, to show you are happy to be there. Eye contact: if you haven't met someone yet, make eye contact for two seconds. If you are talking with someone, make more eye contact.

Hi, I found solid, readable, nicely structured and simple advice in Ramit Sethis Book "I will teach you to be rich", available here, for example: amazon .

The good thing is that he concentrates on a few pieces of important puzzle parts, driving the importance of some core issues home without getting into lots of details which could ultimately distract somebody from implementing the important parts.

The most important chapters are about

• How to use Credit Cards properly (mostly to build credit, something I don't really get because I am not an american probably)
  
• How to save for old age
  
• How to make a budget you can actually use and work with
  
  ... and a few other things, like negotiation, how to handle debt etc.
  
  It's really a good book which concentrates on the important stuff, and also a kind of checklist where you can implement one chapter after the other until you are done.
  

My list:

• Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel - travel, see the world, experience new things
  
• How to Win Friends and Influence People - make friends, enjoy people
  
• Starting Strength - get fit, look good
  
• Esquire The Handbook of Style: A Man's Guide to Looking Good - dress well, look good
  
• The 4-Hour Workweek - work on your own terms

I'm gonna forego all the other threads about good books and best books because, on reddit, the list always seems to be the same. Not knocking it, as I've contributed to it, and because I agree with most of the choices I find each time. But I'm going to list a few books I read in the past ten years of so that don't fit the reddit norm, and because they struck a chord with me.

1. Trout Fishing in America -- Richard Brautigan.
   
   A great drunk writer.
   
   
2. At Home with Jamie -- Jamie Oliver.
   
   I've been working to cook from scratch, and this book has helped me understand the beauty and satisfaction to be had in working all day to create one meal.
   
   
3. Understanding by Design -- Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
   
   As a teacher, this has been instrumental to my work. Learning how we learn and learning how to teach others to learn is succinctly broken down into necessary parts.
   
   
4. World War Z -- Max Brooks
   
   By far the best book I've read in ten years.
   
   
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time -- Mark Haddon
   
   Just plain, good storytelling, and with a narrator who'll question your capacity to understand other narrators.

You definitely want to do different things; all kinds of different things. Read, draw, exercise, write; try to pick up new skills; buy a book of different sorts of puzzles (spatial, math, crosswords, whatever) and do a couple puzzles as part of your morning routine; work on things you're not good at and things you are good at.

A few days ago (or thereabouts) a Redditor recommended this book to me because I mentioned that I was having difficulty getting back into drawing - I used to be an art student (high school), and a few bad experiences at school shot my motivation. It's set up to help with things like boosting creativity and problem solving through drawing. Drawing is often seen as something innate, or a rare skill, but the book takes the approach that everyone is able to draw well, it's just a matter of learning how to see things properly. This "new seeing" is really just a different way of understanding the spatial relationships things have with each other via artistic qualities (line, value, colour, etc). Such a process can definitely help with becoming a better thinker because it allows you to understand problems in different ways.

(I spent a little extra time on the book, both because I'm really enjoying it so far, and also because drawing is something that I've found most people disregard because they "can't do it" - I call shenanigans.)

Is he a fan of How I Met Your Mother? If so:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005PL9ZL4/?tag=047-20

Paraphernalia from a favorite show or game is always good. =)
If not, maybe go for something he can value as he leaves for college and beyond. Something that will last.

One of my favorites for something like this is a nice Zippo (even for non-smokers) or a good hunting knife or something.

This is the heart of the matter, entirely. In his book The Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker refers to this as 'Loan Sharking'. Feigning niceness in order to create a sense of obligation.

And the reason it comes off as 'creepy' is because people have a finely tuned sense of intuition that has been honed over many, many generations. Our brains are constantly absorbing and reading subtle signals in vocal inflection and body language and looking for inconsistencies and patterns.

This is why you may get a gut feeling from time to time that a certain person or situation 'just isn't right'. Somewhere along the way, it's likely that you've picked up on a red flag. You might not be able to verbally articulate it (like CrashCourseInCrazy has here), but you'll know something isn't right. Trust that feeling and get the hell out.

I'm a test case, in a way. I got insanely lucky, and got married to the love of my life right out of high school. Somewhere between ten and twenty years later, we're still as happy as can be.

I interact with women in the workplace or out in public nearly precisely the same as I interact with men (barring the effect of social conditioning). I open doors. I'm polite. I'm nice. With me, there is never any expectation that it's going anywhere, and there's never any flirtation.

And you know what? I've never once been accused of being creepy. I get told that I'm 'nice'. Never told that I'm creepy.

OP, it's how you're handling yourself.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain plus drawing supplies to get started. I went from drawing very crappy to this. But there were a lot of ancillary benefits as well:

• I learned that the ability of the human mind to learn new skills is really incredible
  
• I learned to see things like never before. Everything from my reports at work to my photographs of my kids improved.
  
• As an engineer I can communicate my ideas 10 fold better than before.
  
• Oh yeah, I can draw cool portraits

Drawing is typically seen as something that people are either innately good at or innately bad at. That's crap. Get a good book like this one (which you can probably find from your local library if you want to give it a try without committing any cash; I borrowed it from my library then decided that I needed to own it and found it used for $10), and practise.

This is the best suggestion here. Cheap, you can do it anywhere, rewarding when you make progress, and everyone loves pictures.

I've generally found that written and audio material by Leil Lowndes to be quite useful.

Her book How To Talk to Anyone categorizes different types of conversation (for example: one-on-one conversations, phone calls, dinner parties), and breaks down small conversational aspects of each category into discrete chapters (e.g. how to enter into a small group holding a conversation, how to ask what the group is discussing, how to start small talk, how to resuscitate a dying conversation, etc.). Each chapter also has a small TL;DR portion that summarizes the chapter's contents into a paragraph or two.

If you can get a hold of it, she has CDs under the "Verbal Advantage: Conversation Confidence" moniker with (mostly) the same information as in the aforementioned book. Although I'd still recommend the book over the audio CDs (as I believe it's probably cheaper and easier to reference), there's a specific set of CDs called Listening to Win which discusses the nuances of listening as a tool for more effective conversations.

None of these answers are good. The reason why light skinned people have succeeded more than to darker skinned people is because of geography. Before I start, it is face that the farther you get from the equator, the lighter skinned people get. Now, while I don't remember exactly what diseases, I do remember that the farther you get from the equator, the lighter skinned you generally become, and vice versa. That was a simple answer.


Now, people started farming around nine thousand years ago in many places around the same time, like in China, North America, and the Middle East. However, while farming was a big advancement and led to to things like villages, war, and diseases, which are very, very important for the development of humanity, there were two big factors to how successful a civilization got. The second was how many domesticated animals you had in your area. In the middle east, where humanities first big civilizations started, you had four domestic animals. They had sheep, cattle, pigs, and horses. In other places, you only had one dmosticated animal. For example, the Inca had one domesticated animal, which was the llama. The Middle Eastern's got lucky, because they had horses, and cattle, two very strong animals. This allopwed them to have a plow, which revolutionized farming and was used from prehistory all the way up to the industrial revolution. Not only that, but they could move faster on their horses, which allowed them to hunt and war better. About a thousan years after the middle easterns developed farming, they started migrating because their land was similar to the US's in the 30's. Some of them went west, to conquer Europe, and some East, to conquer China. I can elaborate further, but I am a mere freshman. If you want more information I reccomend:

Bill Nye's The Eyes of Nye, Episode 108, "Race"

Guns, Germs, And Steel. Also a documentary on Netflix.

Mankind, the Story of All of Us. A truly wonderful History Channel documentary that was released this year, covering all of humanities's achievements.



Also: This was all of the top of my head, so please tell me if something I said was inaccurate or wrong. And if you want me to elaborate more on something, ask.

Anything technical relating to an interest you may have; fiction is good, but reading about topics like fuel cells or woodworking and then experimenting with it is just as fun / well-rounding.

As for history, "Lies My Teacher Told Me" is required reading for anyone wanting a better understanding of US history.

Aeropress. $23 and you can make coffee or incredibly great faux mochas: faux espresso mix with milk and add sugar/cocoa and heavy whipped cream. Incredibly good tasting and quick enough to make every morning.

$400-500 televisions as computer monitors. Everything is 10000x better on the big screen, except crappy low-bitrate video.

Netflix. I don't use them, but when I did they beat every other legal movie solution hands down.

Steam. It's imperfect in several ways, but no other gaming service is even in the same league. Buying 10 great and recent games for under $50 on a Steam sale in five minutes and then having them all automatically downloaded and installed for you? Wow.

Never help someone more than they are willing to help themselves. Since he likes to read, give him a good book to read. One that sounds gimicky like he's used to but that actually gives good advice on saving and investing through out your life instead of get rich quick.

Example: I will teach you to be rich

I'm in the exact same position as you. After some searching around, I picked up the highly recommended Drawing With the Right Side of the Brain, and I've made a ton of progress in the span of about a week. It seems like a pretty great starting point.

Apologies for this blatant attempt at hijacking the top comment, but this is a pretty decent book on the subject. I'm sure you can find a free pdf of it with minimal digging.

If you liked John Dies at the End you might enjoy this, this, this or this.

Happy reading!

Have you read The Gift of Fear? Great book, even for law enforcement. Battered women literally become addicted to the feeling of relief when the man acts sweet and apologetic the next day. Like, chemically addicted to the sensation.

EDIT: The Gift of Fear seriously, if someone reading this feels like they could benefit from knowing how to protect themselves but can't afford a $2 used book, I'll buy it for you. PM me.

World War Z

Although a lot of redditors have read this book, I don't think the average redditor has. In case someone hasn't heard of it, this is a New York Times Best Seller zombie novel. Obviously it has ultra violent zombie carnage, but it is intelligent and very well written. Many redditors will enjoy it for it's social commentary and geo-political backdrop

How to talk to anyone: http://www.amazon.ca/How-Talk-Anyone-Success-Relationships/dp/007141858X/ref=pd_sim_b_4

Gives you some tips on how to talk to people. The tips won't make you sociable but it will give you confidence on how to approach certain situations and the more practice you get, the better you'll be at it.

There's lots of interesting things you'll never understand; quantum physics is going to be one of them unless a Grand Unified Theory (or a subset of that which reconciles quantum theory and relativity) is discovered.

If you haven't read it, try A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking; you may enjoy it.

There's an excellent book by a guy with decades of experience managing this kind of thing professionally. I strongly suggest you read it. Some of his advice is counter-intuitive, but convincing when explained. The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker

Check out this book by Rolf Potts.

Its called Vagabonding and is all about cheap long-term travel around the world.

It was an inspiration for me, and I truly recommend you check it out if you're interested in traveling outside your comfort zone.

It's a quick read but is also filled with many helpful links and real-world examples of what to expect and how to make the most of travelling.

Time is simply what we call a fourth dimension, in addition to length, width, and depth. As beings that perceive four dimensions, the one we label time is the one that we perceive differently from the others. This video can help to explain the concept, and goes on to explain further dimensions as well.

Stephen Hawking discusses the nature of time and its perceived directionality in one of his books, which is a relatively easy read. Some of the discussion relates to the idea that entropy increases in our universe (that we constantly move toward a universe that is less ordered).

I am caught with trying to understand if you are asking an existential or scientific question. If you were asking if perception of time by humans is absolute, I would have to say that it is not. Clearly a year feels much longer to a 7 year old than a 70 year old. If you are asking for an existential proof that the memories you have really happened or if you exist as an entity that merely believes in a fiction that something you choose to call "the past" has occurred, that is something that I can't answer for you.

The beginning of the wikipedia page on time actually covers some interesting concepts as well.

Notice how a lot of these are about finances? Learn how to take care of your money now and your 60 year old self will thank you later. I recommend the book I Will Teach You To Be Rich. Also, nothing is more valuable than a good work ethic.

The best coffee I've had comes out of an Aeropress. It's very highly rated on Amazon, and I've heard a few coffee-oriented foodies praise it.

Also, my friend Nik is one of the guys over at Tonx Coffee, a company that provides a subscription-based freshly roasted bean delivery service. He's a pretty good guy, but I haven't personally subscribed yet.

Sony MDR-V6

Sounds great, looks great, lasts forever.

There is a book called Lies My Teacher Told Me that has a chapter that talks about how these high school text books are written. It is very leftwardly slanted, but overall a pretty good read.

EDIT would you consider doing an AMA?

I thought this book was a great introduction to such things, with real practical advice: http://www.amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Be-Rich/dp/0761147489

And to address your concrete question: IRA simply stands for "Investment Retirement Account," which is any account that you're using to save for retirement. You're probably thinking "Roth IRA" when you say IRA.

The difference between a Roth IRA and a 401(K) is when they are taxed. Simply put, with a 401(K), you put money in the account before taxes, and you don't pay taxes on that money until you withdraw it - then you pay taxes on the money you withdraw.

A Roth IRA, on the other hand, you fund with after-tax money, so there's no tax deduction as you make contributions, BUT you don't pay taxes when you withdraw the earnings, so it's free money.

Smart savers will have both types of account, as there are advantages and disadvantages to both (think about employer contribution matching, for example).

You can always afford it if you make travel a priority. You don't need thousands of dollars to travel, you just need a shift in priorities. I recommend reading Vagabonding to help shift your awareness. It'll help you prepare for where you eventually want to be -- living in another country. In the mean time, it'll teach you how to prioritize your life for what's important to you. Maybe that's travel, maybe not.

• The song of the dodo (if I were to recommend a single book that nobody else would recommend you, it would be this one)
  
• Collapse
  
• Guns, germs and steel
  
• Too big to fail
  
• Freakonomics
  
• Surely you're joking, mr. Feynman
  
• Gödel, Escher, Bach - an eternal golden braid
  
• A walk in the woods
  
• A brief history of time
  
  You will notice the absence of A short history of nearly everything, which is a good book, but frankly it didn't speak very much to me. Bryson is almost only interested in geography.

Where Did I Come From?

What's Happening To Me?

Two of my favorite books growing up. My WASP-y parents certainly weren't going to have "the talk" with me. When my mother discovered I'd had sex (by reading my journal) her response to me was, "What are people going to think?".

My mom was a conflicted feminist. At least she made sure I had the facts about sex and puberty, even if I later left her clutching her pearls over me actually having it at 16.

I reference the character Raven in Snow Crash. He carries with him a nuke set to go off should he die. It's in the best interests of those around him to keep him alive.

As long as the US gov't is more fearful of the contents of that insurance file, they'll do everything they can to keep the nuke from going off. It's pretty safe to assume that Assange's "nuke" will go off if he fails to check-in to something periodically. The US is best letting him check-in.

It's roughly what happens in the first chapter of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Good book, I recommend it :)

In California of the near future, when the U.S. is only a "Burbclave" (city-state), the Mafia is just another franchise chain (CosaNostrastet Pizza, Incorporated) and there are no laws to speak of, Hiro Protagonist follows clues from the Bible, ancient Sumer and high technology to help thwart an attempt to take control of civilization

The AeroPress is a wonderful single serving coffee press. You can even use it to coldbrew. I love mine.

I got this book a few months ago and it has changed the way I use money, for sure. I highly recommend it. It's designed for people in their 20s and 30s, which is nice for a book on finance.

First, create a budget. Make sure you are spending less money each month than you are earning. If this isn't possible, you should prioritize finding a job that pays more, or find a way to cut down expenses.

What really helped me was paying off my debt in the order of smallest debt to largest debt. This is known as the debt snowball.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You To Be Rich is a good introduction to money for folks in their early 20s. I think he suggests putting the money in no-load index funds.

His blog of the same name is a fun read. Ramit also posts on reddit from time-to-time.

Ramit: I used your referral for that Amazon link. I expect a commission. ;)

It is an actual physiological response that's meant to keep us safe. The Gift of Fear is a good book on the subject.

I have a pair of Sony MDR-V6s that are twenty years old. Until my sister sat on them and broke the hinge on one of the earcups, they worked perfectly. They're still beautiful, sound-wise. They cost $65 new on amazon (be sure to check out the reviews.

Compare to iPod earbuds that are $30 and last three months.

I love my coffee so much! I'm so obsessed with it that I roast my own and brew with an Aeropress. It tastes so damn good!

Already I've been limiting myself to one or two mugs a day. But I'm slowly, reluctantly, arriving at the conclusion that I'm going have to give it up completely. It does "give" me energy (that's actually not true, it's just borrowing my own energy from the future). But it also brings anxiety along as part of the package. I find myself vaguely worried at work that I'm not doing well enough, sometimes even as people are praising what I've just done.

This message is going to get buried, but I hope by chance you read it. Two books on food changed my life and helped me eat a very healthy diet and lose weight and keep it off permanently:

http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266444146&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/End-Overeating-Insatiable-American-Appetite/dp/1605297852/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266444075&sr=8-1

God, I love Reddit. It has led me to read really awesome books like The Devil in the White City and The Killing Joke. Now, I guess I'm going to read Perfume. Thanks for the book suggestion.

I think this belongs in r/firstworldproblems.

That being said, I would do this: Save the $35. Let your dad buy you shitty $10 headphones while you save up enough money to get some quality, high-end headphones instead of some pretty good midrange ones.

I currently use these, they were recommended to me by an audio engineer that I work with: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Headphones-Voice/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1302905167&sr=1-1

The next time I buy headphones, though, I'm going for these:
http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-SR80i-Stereo-Headphone/dp/B000G3LCQC

Or, if you're really wed to earbuds:
http://www.amazon.com/YUIN-PK2-Yuin-Pk2-Earphones/dp/B001B484D4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1302905422&sr=8-1

I was quoting from the bro code by Barney Stinson.

A book every bro and himym fan should know by heart!

• Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick
  
• 1491 by Charles C Mann
  
• Omnivore's Dilemma and Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
  
  I found these books very educational. They definitely have changed my worldview on the history of agriculture, human ecology, and economics.
  They really make you think that if Anglo-Western style capitalism or agriculture were non-existent, the world would be just fine.
  
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-Story-Courage-Community-War/dp/0143111973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321693822&sr=8-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelations-Americas-Before-Columbus/dp/1400032059/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321693987&sr=1-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321694010&sr=1-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-View-World/dp/0375760393/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321694049&sr=1-1

Go with the classics like Where the Wild Things Are and stuff like that.

Also, Go the f*ck to sleep is hilarious
http://www.amazon.com/Go-F-Sleep-Adam-Mansbach/dp/1617750255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348457141&sr=8-1&keywords=go+the+fuck+to+sleep

I had that too! It's still around

I did have some misconceptions though. I thought that the guy peed in the girl while the girl peed at the same time and that if a guy and a girl's pee met outside the body, like in the sewer, it would create some sort of sewer monster. I had an active imagination.

read World War Z. It's such a dark and bleak book, but if you're a zombie enthusiast you will thoroughly enjoy it. Of course, this is assuming you aren't driving. If so, audiobooks.

hehe, that's a cool one. I'm gonna wish for this, if you're a fan of How I Met Your Mother you know what I'm talking about.

Oh come on, you didn't even look.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Bro-Code-Barney-Stinson/dp/143911000X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342948794&sr=8-1&keywords=bro+code

It's actually quite good, and hilarious.

http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0743296281/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323382768&sr=8-1

This is a pretty good one.

• "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond
  
• "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" by Michael Pollan
  
• "The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language" by Steven Pinker
  
  Isaac Asimov wrote quite a few books on physics, some more textbook-y than others.

np, I'm halfway through reading an ebook version of How to talk to anyone. pm me if you want a copy of it.

Some of the stuff I already did unconsciously. A lot of the things in the book are extremely good, and I can already see results in both my confidence and in other peoples reactions.

Also there are a lot of stuff in the PUA (pick up artist) books like The Game but you should assume that they take it too far. If you do read PUA stuff I would remember the points and not the pointers.

I highly recommend you get and read the book The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. This guys knows more than the rest of us ever will.

Get a nice beefy set like these by Koss.

Or any monitor style headphones like the Sony MDR-V6

The Devil in the White City <About a real serial killer, possibly America's first

Maniac <Not a movie for everyone, but I found even the horrible actress and music kind of fascinating. Special FX are great. Spinell is amazing.

I'm into the same subject, I will add more if I can think of anything.

50 dollars worth of Dunkaroos would make anyone happy

Hario Minimill

Aeropress

Find a local coffee roaster. You now have the best cup of coffee you have ever had.

For sure. You don't even need fancy equipment like espresso machines or those Nespresso pods to make amazingly good coffee!

Get yourself an Aeropress for $30 and you can make espresso quality coffee for no more than the price of the coffee beans/grounds.

Add to that a small hand grinder for a similar price so you can freshly grind your own beans and you have all you need to make cheap amazing coffee!

I used to spend $4 every work day (AUD prices), on coffee, $8 if I felt like 2 of them. That is a minimum of $80 per month! I now pay $18 for a 500 gram bag of gourmet coffee beans that lasts about the same amount of time.

Instant Coffee is certainly a LOT cheaper again, but also tastes awful by comparison.

This is a great book about the Gift of Fear. Your whole body was in alarm mode and you need to pay attention to it. As he is a late bloomer, at best he is just clueless and was hoping you'd be interested as well and is just awkward. At worst... well, most rapes are done by people the victim know.

Don't ever be alone with him, and, honestly, I'd tell you to tell some adult about this. If you are close to your parents, speak with them. Otherwise someone else. Then if you ever find yourself in a bad situation, you can tell him honestly that you have already spoken about his behavior to XYZ and will start screaming soon. OR, as the book will tell you to do, run.

I'm in a similar situation, only I'm ten years older. Exacerbated by a cult upbringing that left me subconsciously distrustful of anyone outside the cult, and after leaving it I have two friends. A guy I work with that I'm not very close to anymore, and my ex-girlfriend who's my best friend.

I'm in therapy, and one of the things he's suggested is reading this book-

http://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Anyone-Success-Relationships/dp/007141858X

I'm not sure how much it's helped, but it at least is helping me understand other people and why they do the seemingly meaningless things they do. I guess I'd recommend it.

Get this thing and a good thermometer to make the best coffee http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0047BIWSK/ref=asc_df_B0047BIWSK1808081?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0047BIWSK It's like a french press but for the 21st century. I just put my water in the microwave and set it for the specific time I figured out.

Sony MDR-V6 Studio Monitors.

Best cans I've ever owned.

It depends on how much you're willing to spend. I just got a pair of these and I love them. They sound incredible and I love the coiled cord because it doesn't get in the way, but it's accommodating if you need to get up and move around your desk.

The AeroPress. Cheapest and easiest espresso maker ever. Works very well, and saves unknown amounts of time and money.

Well, my favorites are

The Moviegoer

The Road

A Confederacy of Dunces

Rendezvous with Rama

Watchmen

Snow Crash

Slaughterhouse-Five

Cat's Cradle

The Big Sleep

The Maltese Falcon

American Gods

A Clockwork Orange

Preacher

Fahrenheit 451

1984

Akira

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Lolita

Love in the Time of Cholera

Naked Lunch

Animal Farm

The Sandman

At the Mountains of Madness

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Brave New World

We

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

There is a book that shares this theory, called "The Gift of Fear."

Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond

Have you ever wondered why the world is the way it is? This book basically answers that question. It's so broad-reaching it's amazing.

There is a really great book called Lies My Teacher Told Me. The prologue to the book has some really good info about Helen Keller's later life, and some theories as to why American history writers would prefer she died at 13.

It's not fiction but it's good for traveling - Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Not from my childhood, but a good read

Go the F**k to Sleep

On a more serious note, Weaveworld by Clive Barker is one of the best books I've ever read.

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. It's a fantastic book about American History.

Dan Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness. I recommend this book to everyone I know. It has changed me for the better in so many ways.

It's cliche but, Michael Pollans In Defense of Food.

Lastly, Janet Fitch White Oleander.

Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. Here's my brief review.

Edit: I also really enjoyed The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. One of the best-written books I've ever read, a historical look at how geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Basically how we (societies) can all come from the same place and yet be so drastically varied from place to place over the course of thousands of years. Not only is it immensely interesting and thoughtful, but the writing is exquisite.

Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis (okay, okay, that's 11 books total. But worth every penny)

Or for text book, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Edits: fixed link.

Lots of people do this. You might enjoy reading Vagabonding

1 Read - Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180)


2 Visit - http://www.vagablogging.net/


3 Enjoy

Pretty much the first thing I ever remember reading was this, so I guess I never really had any misconceptions.

Get the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain http://www.amazon.com/The-Drawing-Right-Side-Brain/dp/0874774241

You'll be amazed at yourself.

Why hello there good sir!

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen

and

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Yodeling pickle

or

Liquid ass

Choose wisely my friend

If you can learn to write, you can learn to draw. Writing is just drawing letters. Like anything else, it boils down to learning a few basics and then practice, practice, practice.

If you are serious about this, Betty Edwards' book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is an excellent introduction to drawing, especially geared for people who want to learn to draw but think they can't.

You'll want to read [Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You to be Rich] (http://www.amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Be-Rich/dp/product-description/0761147489). It covers several of the topics everyone here seems to be interested in and is written in a colloquial style befitting early-to-mid twenties.

Read Vagabonding

Great resource for the whole 'drop my current life to start a new one' mentality, even though it involves mainly travelling the world, not setting up shop somewhere.

That book is Where Did I Come From? My mother (a single mom) gave me that book on a two-hour car trip, and made me read it out loud. That was my "talk," and nearly the grand total of sexual discussion with my mother in the 30ish years since.

This is probably a good place to start.

And even better homemade grind yourself coffee with a $25 Aeropress is anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar.

Suit up!

Credit to this post

Jared Diamond - Guns Germs and Steel would disagree, it's incredibly interesting, you should consider reading it.

Read the following two books. They will help you quite a bit.

How to Talk to Anyone

How to Be a People Magnet

pick up a copy of "the omnivore's dilemma"... you'll dig it and it will help answer a lot of your questions.

http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292624352&sr=8-1

I think it is everywhere in our food: King Corn and The Omnivore's Dilemma

edited for clarity

enjoy =)

i used to have a pdf version that i uploaded to google docs to share but don't' know where that is anymore. i'll link to it if i can find it again.

I agree with this. My parents gave me <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-Did-Come-Peter-Mayle/dp/0818402539/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289074515&sr=8-1">Where Did I Come From?</a> as a kid, and I'm totally going to give that to my parents.

The only drawback was that I got in trouble in preschool for drawing naked people like I saw in the book.

Devil in the White City. Very cool book.

They read me this book when I was like seven or eight.

Buy it now, thank me later.

I recommend these for the same reasons stated in the reviews at the bottom of the page:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Series-Headphones/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=pd_sim_e_2

This will get the job done. Go read coffeegeek,they'll agree.

I love how these kind of "gotcha" questions are always couched in a willful misunderstanding of what the actual scientific theory states.

Read a book, shitbird.

When my brother was stationed in Iraq (Air Force as well), I used send him stuff that would make him laugh or take his mind off of things.


The Bro Code book (http://www.amazon.com/The-Bro-Code-Barney-Stinson/dp/143911000X)


A plastic multi-colored slinky


Uncle John's Biggest Ever Bathroom Reader (a huge book of facts)


You Might Be A Zombie (and other bad news)


Along with soooooooo many cookies

I second everything said here. I can't recommend Ramit's book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, enough (also see his blog. If I could only have one personal finance book this would be it. I wish I would have read it when I was 18.

The north would also be a great place to hide from zombies. I like to think they'd just freeze out there in the cold, and we could go out popping heads every once in a while, a la World War Z.

Reminds me of the way once I attempted to explain the possibility of a >3D universe literally encompassing the concepts described in Hawking's "turtles all the way down" anecdote.

It involved diagrams of hyper-turtles and everything. Most of my effort went into making sure that every turtle in my diagram looked ridiculously happy.

EDIT: I was also drunk at the time these events took place :D

Snow Crash

Open-world adventure/mystery game split between dystopian west coast and The Metaverse; player gets to move between the two whenever they want. At least two playable characters; Hiro and Y.T., or a new RPG player-character.

Tons of minigames including pizza-delivery, information brokering, skateboard couriering, racing (IRL and Metaverse). Main story could be a sequel to the novel.

Virtual Reality. Swords. Guns. Cars. Skateboards. Italian Mafia. Hackers. Cults. Drugs. Sumerian Myths. Nuclear Powered Robot Dogs. Why aren't you excited yet?

I'm assuming you've read World War Z, right?

You should also check out the Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant. Kind of a fresh take on the way it handles zombies, in my opinion.

You should also read The Passage: A Novel, by Justin Cronin - which I just found out is going to be a trilogy and that the second one comes out October 16th!

Whilst you may not have much money, this book would be the best read anybody in this situation could have.

http://www.amazon.com/Other-Survival-Signals-Protect-Violence/dp/0440508835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309731262&sr=1-1

It really breaks down threats, and the behaviours we should look for and use to predict others future actions.

well, I'm in a somewhat similar situation. Except she's not pregnant. All I can say is this, as soon as you can.

I can recommend Michael Pollan's books:

• The Omnivore's Dilemma
  
• In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
  
  He talks about why a lot of current nutritional science is flawed (poor data, biased funding, etc...) and concludes that while humans can survive and thrive on a wide variety of diets, the modern western diet is not one of them. His advice boils down to "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
  
  It's a good read because he's not really trying to push any one particular diet. The books are more concerned with how and why the western diet and modern nutritional science got to be the way they are.

Amazon has it!
http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Assets-Novelties-LLC-Mister/dp/B000OCEWGW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321856121&sr=8-1

Weird thing is the headphones Dre would actually use in a studio can be had for like half the price of Beats, you can get a pair of Sony MDR-V6's for $70 or the later model Sony MDR-7506's for $85, these things are pretty much industry standard for audio quality and can take some punishment.

These still exist fyi
right here

If it's just one or two people you'll be making coffee for, I'd recommend the Aeropress. I've used everything from a percolator to a moka pot to a french press, and it blows everything else out of the water. Seriously. Beyond the taste and operation, cleanup takes literally 5 seconds.

Conversation skills can be developed like any other. Read this book. It was written several decades ago (she mentions a Rolodex in one anecdote), but most of the tips are still applicable. It's really a Dummie's Guide to Conversation.

a brief history of time, http://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Time-Stephen-Hawking/dp/0553380168

edit: Sorry, i forgot to remind you not to buy from amazon either.

edit 2: Actually if you want it, pm me your address and I'll ship you my copy

Suit Pajamas. Here the link to Amazon for your convenience. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005PL9ZL4/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?tag=047-20

Can't go wrong with Sony V6 http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Headphones-Voice/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324022214&sr=1-1

Oh they do. A solid 8 pounds of dunkaroos for $40 can be found [here] (http://www.amazon.com/Dunkaroos-Cinnamon-Vanilla-Frosting-Sprinkles/dp/B000EMOCL2)

This is little consolation in light of these unspeakable events, but I just wanted to recommend a book to anyone who either knows a victim or might find themselves being victimized sometimes. I used what I learned in this book to save my own ass when two guys wouldn't let me off the subway late at night in NYC and it worked. I think it should be required reading for just about everyone.

The Gift of Fear

I would listen to your gut feeling. It's very important to realize that your subconscious can process a lot more information than your conscious mind can. Even if you quit the job, you can find another one -- it won't be as bad an effect on your life than if something bad connected to this guy happens.

So here are my recommendations:

1. Keep a handwritten diary of everything this guy says or does that bothers you. Make notes of incidents that happened long ago as well.
   
   
2. See a sexual harassment lawyer about this case, and see what he says. As soon as you file a formal sexual harassment complaint against the guy at your company, they have to respond and make the environment safer.
   
   
3. Don't ignore the warning signs. This is a typical mistake people think -- they have some kind of warning sense, but they just ignore it b/c of low self-confidence.
   
   If you're sick with worry and dread, listen to your subconscious and take care of yourself. There is an excellent book called "The gift of fear" by Gavin De Becker which deals with these issues.
   
   What's bothering you seems not to be so much his legal status but that he's clearly not a well-balanced individual.
   
   
   You can always just open random computers at other people's desks to the megan's law page with his picture if you want to build consensus. Normally I wouldn't be for this type of "behind the back" activity but you do have to pay attention to warning signs and take care of yourself, and building consensus is a great way to help deal with this.
   
   
   Does he seem to take any kind of a personal interest in you?

http://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/

http://amzn.com/007141858X

http://amzn.com/B008GAT3BI

This book. It works.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Anyone-Success-Relationships/dp/007141858X

$10 book (or zero if you're a pirate) can change your outlook on conversations.

It isn't really 'unsolved' but it's fascinating...

H.H. Holmes.
Go read Devil in the White City.

There's also a new theory that Holmes may have also been Jack the Ripper.

You should read this

TED

Guns Germs and Steel

http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552

Read 'Guns, Germs and Steel'.

A Brief History of Time

Economics:

• The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
  
• Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
  
  Sciences:
  
  
• A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
  
• Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter

"Unearthing Atlantis"

"Noah's Flood"

"Guns, Germs, and Steel"

"A Brief History of Time"

Snow Crash

Alternatively

Snow Crash! Keywords: ninja, cyberpunk, hackers, augmented reality, linguistics, religion, malignant memes, corporate-run America

Also, Petersburg, by Bely. Ulysses + Metamorphosis + House of Leaves?

For some reason, this whole story reminds me of Snow Crash.

read this book

Snow Crash

>Yes because for 60 years they've been living under US protection

You believe everything you where told in school don't you?

I too believed some of the lies my teacher told me.

This should be required reading for all high school grads.

http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180

Yourself. Get the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. It will teach you how.

Also check out The World Awaits

Where Did I Come From?
http://amzn.com/0818402539

From this book

This book: http://www.amazon.com/New-Drawing-Right-Side-Brain/dp/0874774241

Start Here - There are also videos available.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

Best drawing book ever written.

Try this: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Read "Drawing on the right side of the brain." http://www.amazon.com/New-Drawing-Right-Side-Brain/dp/0874774241

http://www.amazon.com/Bro-Code-Barney-Stinson/dp/143911000X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321386692&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Playbook-Suit-Score-chicks-awesome/dp/1439196834/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321386692&sr=8-2

Should be somewhat self evident:

Bro Code

The Bro Code is the code of conduct that was documented by Barney Stintson (Neil Patrick Harris) on the hit TV show "How I Met Your Mother."

A copy of the Bro Code written by Barney Stintson can be found on Amazon.

Done.

http://www.amazon.com/Bro-Code-Barney-Stinson/dp/143911000X

Bro Code or any of Barney's other books.

In summation: http://www.amazon.com/The-Bro-Code-Barney-Stinson/dp/143911000X

Any questions?

Everything is here

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1617750255