(Part 2) Top products from r/IAmA

I was trying to keep my comment brief so I realized it was going to sound much easier than it actually was. You are very correct, it took a ton of work and I was very motivated. I would love to elaborate a little more.

First when I committed to really take it serious I already knew how to program, but my skills where REALLY rough. My code was horrific, but it didn't matter because it was my own little hobby. So the first thing I knew I had to do was actually study the basics and good practices. I bought this Java book, http://amzn.com/0596009208, and I absolutely loved it. I just consumed it cover to cover.

My days were very busy. At my current job I typically worked 50-60 hours a week, so all my studying happened in the evening and late at time. It's hard to say how much time I put into studying, but it was all I did outside of work. I never really thought I was wasting my time. I had a unnatural belief that I would be able to turn these new skills into something useful.

After I finished that book I moved on to making my first Android app. It was a rewrite of one of the Python programs I created. I didn't buy and special books for this. The problem with the mobile field is that the technology was progressing so fast that books became outdated quickly. I did all my Android learning from Google searches and StackOverflow. I was in love with developing. At this point It was very common for me to work until 2-3am and I would be getting back up at 5am to get on the road for my current job. It's actually really crazy how you body can get use to this after you do it for an extended period of time. Of course I realize this wasn't healthy at all, but in my mind I would only be doing it until I could make it my profession. I never doubted myself that I wouldn't make this a reality.

After my first Android app I created another one that is the app that was for a niche market that I still work on to this day. Within three months this app had over 30k users and I was getting a ton of requests for an iOS version. I knew I didn't have time to teach myself iOS dev and continue to improve my Java/Android skills, so I kept pushing it off.

So now I really felt I had markable skills. I figure if I could do something that made someone else money, I'm hirable. But the problem was how do I convince someone that I could do this. I never went to College so you have to prove your worth in other ways. Luck have it there was a software development company in the small town I lived in, and I decided I wanted to work there, but how!. That is when I came up with the idea that I would pay them to make the iOS version of my successful Android app. My plan was simple, I would impress them with my Android app and what I didn't all on my own and during the development process I would be there as much as they would allow letting me work along side of them. I figured by the time they were finished they would want to hire me. Guess what...

They hired me! I successfully did it. I was so elated. I was making really good money doing what I currently did, so I took a 50% pay cut. This wasn't easy since I have multiple kids under the age of 5 at the time and my wife was stay at home. My wife was absolutely amazing during this change and I owe so much to her supporting me.

In all it took me about two years to get to this point. It took me about another 2 years to get to making what I was before the career switch. The rest of the story isn't probably as interesting as getting to this point. Basically I started teaching myself iOS development right away among other other types of development.

Ah I didn't really mean it like that. I meant that having advanced technology is a sign of being around a long time which would've given them time to transition out of primitive behavior -- like we are slowly doing. But maybe their technology progressed at a more exponential rate than ours and their social evolution wasn't as fast. This is all so speculative and we only have one example (us) so it's really just a fun guessing game.

You make a good point about how long it takes us to advance morally. But the key idea is that we ARE advancing. A great book on this is The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Stephen Pinker. Things now are immensely better than they were even 100 years ago.

One unnerving thought is how little our treatment of animals has progressed. Arguably, it has gotten worth with our factory farming methods. Perhaps this is insight into how we would treat other species. We have a threshold for what we deem as worthy of protection laws based on our interpretation of intelligence. Will that threshold be raised if we advance our intelligence through artificial means? Do beings of lesser intelligence deserve and equal chance at life as those of higher intelligence?

Hopefully you can find some helpful answers, guidance, or a starting point in these responses.


From OP:

>The exact four books I read are:

>Learning Obj-C

>Learning Java

>iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

>Android Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

>However, I would now recommend learning Swift instead of Obj-C. At the time when I was looking into iOS books, good books on Swift were few and far between.

From u/AlCapwn351 in regards to other sources to learn from:

>www.codeacademy.com is a great site for beginners (and it's free). It's very interactive. W3schools is good for learning stuff like JavaScript and HTML among other things.

>When you get stuck www.stackoverflow.com will be a lifesaver. Other than that, YouTube videos help and so do books. Oh and don't be afraid to google the shit out of anything and everything. I feel like an early programmers job is 90% google 10% coding.

>Edit:

>It's also good to look at other peoples code on GitHub so you can see how things work.

Thanks.

>At what point do you think you have a problem with porn? And fapping?

After reading "No More Mr Nice Guy" this book was spot on in describing me as a person and I simply knew that it was right when I read in it about sexual problems guys like me have.

>Do you think that those problems are the reason why you are virgin?

You mean fapping/porn/alcohol? Partially yes, but I think my social anxiety/retardedness are much more of a problem. This is why I mentioned therapy, I still have a long way to go and I won't be able to do it alone.

>Do you think that with all of those things out of your life you'll be more successful at getting your sexual needs met in a more healthy manner?

I hope so, I simply think that those were steps I needed to make if I ever want to be happy. If you're interested this post talks about this in more depth, point 1) is especially relevant I think.

>What is your opinion on those things in moderation? Do you think you are capable of enjoying them in moderation?

Alcohol - no way, I am a son of an alcoholic. Porn - the post I mentioned above should clarify this. Masturbation - yep, I intend to go back to fapping this week and continue to do it once or maybe twice a week in a healthy manner.

The scene certainly has its characters. It takes a certain type to spend hours studying words and playing a board game. The top players probably tend to be a little obsessive about it (out of necessity, really), but there are perfectly normal people who play at every level. The competitive scene has a whole range of players with different abilities, most of whom are pretty normal. Some take it very seriously, others just play for fun.Word Wars followed around some of the more eccentric players since that's more interesting to a wide audience. It can be a hobby or obsession. Just depends on the person. For me it was somewhere in the middle.

It was mentioned somewhere else in this thread, but Word Freak is a great book on the subject.

When you design a multiplayer game, you're trying to design incentives and rules to channel players' competitive energy and aggression into an experience that's fun and fair for everyone. That's true of a community-based site as well.

Back in the 90s me and my friend and CounterPAC cofounder, Zack Booth Simpson, were working on a game called Netstorm. At that time John McCain and Russ Feingold were just starting their campaign finance reform effort. We got to thinking - it's great that they're doing that, but there's a paradox in the government trying to regulate itself. The guys with money are always going to react faster than the legislators and regulators.

That made us wonder whether you could have a private organization that would be on the "good guy" side. We had various ideas, but no time or money to make it happen.

Now I do have the money, and I stepped back from Kongregate to make the time.

> Also as a British reader - where can I find more info on PACs and the American political system?

I love this essay Lessig wrote last month: https://medium.com/@lessig/whats-so-bad-about-a-superpac-c7cbcf617b58.

His book is great too: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446576433/

1. Yes, it is possible, but it is very hard. You will not have access to the leverage that an established firm is able to employ. It takes money to make money.
   
2. See one of my other posts - I had a sub 3.5 GPA, Math and Econ. Comp Sci will get you in the door if you are a talented programmer. Personal trading experience is not terribly impressive to prospective employers in this field.
   
3. The best book on trading that I have read is Trading and Exchanges by Larry Harris. It won't tell you how to make money, but it is a good introduction to trading. A must-read for anyone interested in the field.

We seem to be programmed in our culture - perhaps by western religious and philosophical traditions - to accept dualism, which is the notion that mind and body are separate. However, several centuries of scientific progress have demonstrated more or less incontrovertibly the material basis of consciousness, thought, emotion, memory, and personality.

You ARE your brain. That is all there is to it.

What is particularly fascinating is how individual parts of the brain can be altered (i.e. damaged) with the result that parts of you are altered.

Oliver Sacks has several fascinating books that discuss case studies of neurological deficit, written for a popular audience, and they are each wonderful. Here are two of them:

http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Mistook-His-Wife/dp/0684853949

http://www.amazon.com/Anthropologist-Mars-Seven-Paradoxical-Tales/dp/0679756973/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319305698&sr=1-1

That's cool. I used to play around with malware (analyzing it via a debugger, writing it) and learned quite a bit about security (I'm sure you know how many idiots there are out there armed with PHP and an introduction book.)


Some questions, then:

• What is your main OS?
  
• Do you do security consulting professionally? (e.g. pen testing)
  
• How "secure" would you say most people are? (Heh, banking on public wifi)
  
• Ever set any malicious program into the wild?
  
• What security books do you recommend? (I see Malware Analyst's Cookbook being recommended)

I was also a movie theater employee, and I can confirm that this oil is NOT what makes the popcorn amazing. Here it is (or at least some similar variant): flavacol
This is some amazing tasting salt material which is grated extremely finely, giving it a huge surface area to volume ratio, thus allowing it to dissolve into the popcorn easier than typical salt.

Hello! It looks like this post is somewhat active so I'll ask my question here. I've been looking for a vacuum to replace our $50 Eureka and am currently eyeing a couple of different Miele vacuums on Amazon.

Miele S2121 Delphi

Miele S2121 Capri

I currently have enough credit to cover either of the vacuums, and want to make the best purchase I can. Any other specific models I should be considering? Our apartment has medium carpet, hardwood floors, and concrete, with the potential for pets in the future.

Also, is there any downside to buying a Miele on Amazon instead of with a local dealer?

EDIT: I've been combing through your comments on other questions, and have been looking more specifically at s6 and s8 models. S6 is probably more within my reach. Model recommendations?

You should read Ghost Wars.

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Wars-Afghanistan-Invasion-September/dp/0143034669

Its astoundingly good. It won a Pulitzer, and deservedly so.

The book ends on September 11th, 2001.

Its on Audible too, and one of the more enjoyable listens

Another great one is The Outpost -- you might know it as Outpost Keating -- incredible book.

But Ghost Wars is required reading IMO.

Theres a book by a Green Beret, who was known as 'Red Beard' or something like that... Can't think of the name... It was really a book about winning hearts and minds of the locals. What actually worked with tribal elders in Taliban territory and what didn't. I dont think a single round gets fired in the entire thing... but I couldn't put it down. I'll reply again if it comes to me. Really great insights.

There are some really good books about it. I think Robert Monroe might be helpful: http://www.amazon.com/Journeys-Out-Body-Robert-Monroe/dp/0385008619

There's also a really old book that is still extremely interesting and a great read: http://www.amazon.com/Projection-Astral-Body-Sylvan-Muldoon/dp/1447402251/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318623003&sr=1-1

Nope. Not until you find consistent work. A lot of it is paying out of your own pocket or borrowing from friends and family. But the more you do, the more experience you'll have and the better you'll be at doing it for a living. While I don't really care for him as a director, I respect him as a filmmaker, I'd recommend you read robert rodriguez's book for inspiration: http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-without-Crew-23-Year-Old-Filmmaker/dp/0452271878

Well, here's the rub about film. Making movies is just like being in a band or doing art. You actually don't need to go to school to do it, especially college. In fact, the money you'd spend on college is much better spent purchasing a nice camera and some editing software and maybe flying to LA.

Robert Rodriguez has a famous book about how he managed to do just that.

The most important thing is networking, hard work, and being in the right place at the right time. You'll need to be in Hollywood, rubbing elbows with studio people and getting part-time gigs as PAs on films. Eventually you'll produce your own movie, and with any luck it can get entered into shows and people will start noticing you.

Yes.

Hacking Exposed

Shellcoders Handbook

Reverse Engineering

Malware Analyst's Cookbook

Gray Hat Python

Gray Hat Hacking Second Edition

Writing Security Tools & Exploits

Sockets, Shellcode, Porting and Coding: Reverese Engineering Exploits and Tool Coding for Security Professionals

Professional Penetration Testing

These are definitely some books you could start with. Once you've gone through those, you'll know more then a lot of them out there :)

There's these reddit threads on r/netsec:
http://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/d3hua/how_to_get_started_in_netsec/
http://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/ekyjw/interested_in_learning_about_network_security/

http://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/es4si/what_are_some_good_netsec_books_out_there/
http://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/g6r71/getting_started_in_network_security_a_list_of/

There's also loads of blogs and websites around, if you go hunting or look at some of these netsec threads, you'll find loads more material.

1. Objective-C because there were no good books on Swift at the time, and I wanted to learn to code for iOS first.
   
   
2. I'm best with Obj-C, rather than Java and PHP, likely because I learned it first. I'm not sure if everyone falls in love with the first language they learn but I sure did.
   
   
3. I mentioned this elsewhere, but I'll paste that comment below (note: I may have linked the wrong version for one of the books).
   
   
4. Up!
   >
   > The exact four books I read are:
   >
   > Learning Obj-C
   >
   > Learning Java
   >
   > iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide
   >
   > Android Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide
   >
   > However, I would now recommend learning Swift instead of Obj-C. At the time when I was looking into iOS books, good books on Swift were few and far between.

People recommended The Gift of Fear to Melissa elsewhere ITT. I would recommend it to you as well. Internet hug.

Do not adapt anything. Write in your voice because more than the intellectual curiosity, there is the outsider's interest in experiencing you.

EDIT:

Take a look at some of the books by
Oliver Sacks. His book An anthropologist on Mars is a good start.

Python is great, there are tons of resources online for learning it, because the OSS community is in love with it.

Also Django is python for web apps if you are so inclined.

As for C, the "C bible" is a must have. Read this book and do the examples and thats all you need really.

http://www.amazon.ca/Programming-Language-Brian-W-Kernighan/dp/0131103628/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267067483&sr=8-1

Whoops

The Capri has a "Turbo Plus" powerhead, is that an air powered - like the dyson Animal? The Delphi does have an electric powerhead.

Capri

Delphi

Thanks again :)

It's not magical, although I can understand why you'd use that word. I'm sure you've heard all the stories about people leaving their bodies during operations, after a car crash, things like that. Well, it's the same thing, except he is able to induce this state at will. It's not that rare, but it is very difficult for most. I can't do it. But then, I don't want to, because one of the drawbacks is you might start doing it spontaneously and have no control over it.
This book explains it all:
http://www.amazon.com/journeys-out-body-robert-monroe/dp/0385008619

There are later, far more advanced studies, but Journeys Out of the Body, along with Dr. Raymond Moody's casual study called, Life After Life, pretty much got the ball rolling on the topic in the 1970s. (I've also read books about obe's written in the late 19th century.) I found the first one the more interesting of the two.

I have just been reading a book called "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker. This dude knows more about this kind of thing than the rest of us put together. I strongly recommend you take immediate precautions for your safety (locks, maybe even staying at a friend's house, etc.) and read the chapter called "I was only trying to let him down easy" in this book. Much of what he recommends is not what I would have guessed, and likely no what you would guess. Even if you don't follow his advice, you need to know what he has to say here.

Well .. kind of..

But For £5.95 you can know the truth my friend: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-White-Suit-Ben-Collins/dp/000733169X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381180052&sr=1-1&keywords=the+man+in+the+white+suit

Might not be of any interest to you, but The Aquariums of Pyongyang is an interesting account of escape from NK written by the escapee himself.

I read a in The Aquariums of Pyongyang that often it's not just the offender, but also his/her family that are sent to labor camps.

Is that true? If so, how was your dad's family able to escape going?

I have two books for you to read:

Influence: Science and Practice

Republic Lost

They both lay out very good reasons for why downplaying the potential sway that dinners, parties, or other favors have on your behavior is not a good idea.

http://www.monroeinstitute.org/

If you want experiments conducted in a scientific manner under controlled circumstances read about Robert Monroe. He pioneered and audio technique to get the two hemi-spheres of the brain to sync: http://www.amazon.com/Journeys-Out-Body-Robert-Monroe/dp/0385008619

Pretty interesting stuff.

Do you have any finance/trading experience? I think one of the best introductory books is: Trading and Exchanges

On the technical side, you can check out one of the many open source projects and go from there. If you'll be more specific on what you want to learn and what you want to do, I could elaborate.

Read this. I'm in the process of writing a feature-length script now, and hopefully producing it and making it with a friend of mine.

Thanks! I'll check these out... and maybe I'll reread the Dark Tower series, so friggin' great.

<>

Edit:

Amazon links:

The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley


Abundance Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler


Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker

Stephen King's Dark Tower Series

Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles)

Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series

(yeah, these are smile.amazon.com links... if you aren't already supporting some organization with your Amazon purchases, how about my kid's school's PTA?)

Dude, please. Read. This. Book. No More Mr. Nice Guy

Best one out there: https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Language-Brian-W-Kernighan/dp/0131103628/

Yeah, probably fair enough.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

OP's book was the best of the ones I've read on NK and its policies and prison camps. I recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Aquariums-Pyongyang-Years-Korean/dp/0465011047

Here, this will help you, trust me.

Would these be good for dog hair?


http://www.amazon.com/Miele-S2121-Canister-Vacuum-Cleaner/dp/B003VVX5NE/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1413912310&sr=1-5&keywords=Miele

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006CO18RM

The problem is that there really isn't a great way besides talking to people in the industry since it changes so often and sometimes even the exchange doesn't understand some of its nuances. The best book I can recommend is Trading and Exchanges

This is a tell all...pretty messed up stuff. Great read.

[Escape From Camp 14] (http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Camp-14-Remarkable-Odyssey/dp/0670023329)

I used to be a manager at an 18 screen. The secret to movie theater popcorn is a combination of "popping oil" and a special orange powdery salt called Flavacol. It can be found online and at some Wal-Marts. It was engineered to make move theater popcorn smell, look, and taste the way it does. [http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Medal-Prod-Flavacol-Seasoning/dp/B004W8LT10]()

you might be interested with this book: http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Camp-14-Remarkable-Odyssey/dp/0670023329

Link on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Gift-Fear-Gavin-Becker/dp/0440226198

That would actually be a high frequency trader. Traders buying and selling help provide liquidity - ie the ability of others to buy and sell as they want. There are many books about how markets and trading actually work. My favourite is Trading and Exchanges.

Your snide comment is mainly a distaste for what is known as front running. It is illegal.

There's a book called An Anthropologist on Mars that has a story about a professional painter who got in a car accident, had temporary amnesia, and became mono-chromatically colorblind as a result. He was so proficient, that he had memorized every pantone code. It's fascinating reading his descriptions of what he sees.

Yoink!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Man-White-Suit-Stig/dp/000733169X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1345397779&sr=8-4&keywords=the+stig

read this

http://www.amazon.com/No-More-Mr-Nice-Guy/dp/0762415339

> Flavacol

https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Medal-Prod-Flavacol-Seasoning/dp/B004W8LT10?th=1

For reverse engineering:

1. http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Reverse-Engineering-Reversing-Obfuscation/dp/1118787315/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450459302&sr=1-1&keywords=reverse+engineering
   
   
2. http://www.amazon.com/Reversing-Secrets-Engineering-Eldad-Eilam/dp/0764574817/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450459302&sr=1-2&keywords=reverse+engineering
   
   
3. http://www.amazon.com/IDA-Pro-Book-Unofficial-Disassembler/dp/1593272898/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450459302&sr=1-7&keywords=reverse+engineering
   
   For malware analysis and malware techniques
   
   
4. http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Malware-Analysis-Hands--Dissecting/dp/1593272901/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450459302&sr=1-10&keywords=reverse+engineering
   
   
5. http://www.amazon.com/Malware-Analysts-Cookbook-DVD-Techniques/dp/0470613033/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450459367&sr=1-2&keywords=malware+analysis
   
   
6. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Memory-Forensics-Detecting-Malware/dp/1118825098/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450459367&sr=1-5&keywords=malware+analysis
   
   For programming
   
   
7. Complete Reference C and Complete Reference C++
   
8. NASM Manual
   
   
9. Intel Software Developer Manual (http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/architectures-software-developer-manuals.html)
   
   This should be enough for you to get started.

you should read this book.

read his book. http://www.amazon.com/The-Man-White-Suit-Collins/dp/000733169X

> Miele


I wanted an Xbox One for Christmas but instead I'm going to get THIS.

Thoughts?

Have you read Lawrence Lessig's "Republic Lost"? http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Lost-Money-Corrupts-Congress/dp/0446576433

Just buy some decent quality popcorn (use 1/4-1/2 cup): http://www.amazon.com/Snappy-White-Popcorn-4-Pounds/dp/B00382UXU4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394636740&sr=8-1&keywords=popcorn

Get some pure coconut oil (use 2-4 Tablespoons): http://www.amazon.com/Viva-Labs-Organic-Virgin-Coconut/dp/B00DS842HS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1394636782&sr=8-3&keywords=coconut+oil

And some flavacol salt that's used by some movie theaters (use 1/2-1 teaspoon): http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Medal-Prod-Flavacol-Seasoning/dp/B004W8LT10/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1394636795&sr=8-6&keywords=coconut+oil+popcorn

And that's it! Get a big pot and put it on the stove... put the coconut oil in and let it melt. Add the flavacol salt and stir a little. Put one kernel in and wait until it pops... once it does just put all the corn in and turn it off when it stops popping every 3 seconds or so. Best popcorn around.

I know I missed the AMA, but if you are an aspiring filmmaker, a cinephile, or even just perpetually broke, you absolutely must read Rebel Without a Crew, R.R's origin story of sorts, which follows the making of Desperado on an impressively minute shoestring budget.



He was 23 at the time. As a 23 year old man who has made a lot of mistakes and has no idea what he's doing in life, this book is one of the few inexhaustible sources of hope I have.

> > Yeah the CIA is just super.

I don't even understand what your metaphor means anymore, re: the distributor. Saddam was a monster, and also the powerbroker for Mesopotamia. He was a monstrous asshole. And we took him out...and opened a political void into which dozens of smaller, even MORE MONSTROUS people are now rushing. It's not gone well.

It's not even about Machiavellian tactics. From a realpolitik perspective, Iraq was a total failure.

I read "WORD FREAK" maybe 10 years ago, and have re-read it a couple times since, because it completely changed my understanding of the game.

The people in the book all seemed insane, so I'm wondering if any of them are still around the scene?

Have you read Lawrence Lessig's thoughts on how money corrupts congress?

If so, do you agree that this sort of lobbying and corruption is a problem?

If so, is there anything that you can do, and what is it?

(Entire book here, and a Google talk about it here)

For number 3, here are some good books that will go a long way to answering this question:

Nothing to Envy (stories of ordinary citizens who eventually fled)
http://www.amazon.ca/Nothing-Envy-Ordinary-Lives-North/dp/0385523912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383083638&sr=8-1&keywords=nothing+to+envy

Escape from Camp 14 (this one is about a prisoner camp inmate who escaped)

http://www.amazon.ca/Escape-Camp-14-Remarkable-Odyssey/dp/0670023329/ref=pd_sim_b_2


The short answer is that many people are starting to (illegally) cross between the border of North Korea and China to trade, as well as escaping permanently. There are smuggling businesses that you can hire to get you or a loved one out. If you have the money, this will involve a fake passport and even a plane flight all the way to South Korea. If you are poor, the trip is much more harrowing and dangerous.

The amount of people defecting seems to be growing by quite a bit each year.

I'll add a few more that don't deal directly with overall ME history:

​

1. Ghost Wars - It's really two stories: 1) The USA's involvement in Afghanistan in the 1980s. and 2) The aftermath of the war (i.e., the rise of the Taliban and AQ). There's a second volume called "Directorate S" which I have not read yet (I plan on reading it soon).
   
   ​
   
   
2. This one is covers recent events in Egypt
   
   ​
   
   
3. I read a book review of this one and it is on my list.
   
   ​
   
   
4. The Looming Tower This will overlap nicely with "Ghost Wars"
   
   ​
   
   ​
   
   ​
   
   ​

What is your opinion on the decline of war in the world? Because iit turns out we live in the most peaceful time in human history.

Here is a video summary of my argument, easier to understand, but I have transcribed the important parts here.

This chart shows deaths in wars by millions since 1950

This chart shows the increase in world population, which is going against the trend in deaths in war

If war was getting worse, these two charts should be in line with each other or at the very least, maintain their respective ratios. Instead what we see is that as population increases, deaths by war go down, meaning the percentage of people dying directly because of a war is declining.

The following maps show conflicts that were ongoing in the years 2013-2014.

This is a map of countries that have had conflicts that led to the death of more than 10,000 people.

This is a map of countries in orange where there were conflicts that killed more than 1,000 people

This is a map of countries in lighter orance where there were conflicts that killed more than 100 people

A lot of conflicts had to do with colonial rule or taking back control from another country who had usurped the rule for an area.

This is a map from 1845 of areas that were under colonial rule

This is a map of today of areas that are under colonial rule today

Having countries govern themselves takes away a lot of tension and potential for conflict. Additionally, most wars of the 19th and 20th century were fought for resources, including land. However, nowadays, it's more profitable for countries to negotiate trade deals instead of entering into wars over resources.

If you still don't believe that we live in the most peaceful period in human history, you can check these non-partisan, non-religious links to studies into the subject.

• http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/st_war_peace.html
  
• https://thinkprogress.org/5-reasons-why-2013-was-the-best-year-in-human-history-392c4888e603#.h9etk6zhn
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010
  
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts
  
• http://www.pcr.uu.se/research/ucdp
  
• http://www.historyofwar.org
  
• http://www.warsintheworld.com/?page=static1258254223
  
• http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100312400
  
• http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/globally-deaths-war-and-murder-are-decline-180950237/?no-ist
  
• http://www.hsrgroup.org/docs/Publications/HSR2013/HSRP_Report_2013_140226_Web.pdf
  
• https://www.fastcoexist.com/3027220/despite-what-seems-like-a-lot-of-violence-the-world-is-actually-getting-safer-every-day
  
• http://www.hiik.de/en/
  
• http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21589431-bringing-end-conflicts-within-states-vexatious-history-provides-guide
  
• http://www.economist.com/content/inner-turm