Thu Oct 01 12:36:25 1998
Subject: Re: reading list


>Once again, after reading the simple and easy to understand mini-tutorial
>about business, I jealouly covet Michael Stone's reading list, and wish he
>could download his brain to book form... reams and reams of
>easy-to-understand information. ;} Heh! 

*snort*

i wish, i wish, i *wish* my last girlfriend could see that last line. 
;-)   i'd share some of her opinions on the subject, but it looks like
the CDAII might pass.




>And if I was 18 again, a freshman
>in Bridgewater State College, I would finagle some type of internship
>program from him - or try to at least. 


not even gonna go into the ramifications of the 'i' word..


seriously, as regards the reading list, i've found that in any given
field, there are about a dozen authors who really have their heads
around the subject, and that they all tend to cite each other in their
bibliographies.   if you see one author mention another, or talk about
some other book, it's usually worthwhile to go find that book or author.  
you do that about a dozen times, and suddenly you find that you're
familiar with the core literature of the field.   

at that point, you're pretty much into what i call 'delta reading'..
staying up with the latest changes in direction, and expansions of hot
ideas.   the workload goes 'way down at that point, so you have time
either to specialize, or to start digging into a related topic.