Linux Journal | December 2012 | Issue 224 - ACM Digital Library

COLUMNSAT THE FORGEWeekly” (http://rubyweekly.com),“JavaScript Weekly”(http://javascriptweekly.com),“StatusCode” (http://statuscode.org),“Python Weekly”(http://www.pythonweekly.com)and “Freelancing Weekly”(http://freelancingweekly.com).I don’t really read all of the linksthey present, but that’s sort of thepoint. There’s no way I would havetime to find all of these links, letalone read them, on my own.Other BooksThere’s not much room left for me torecommend my favorite non-computerbooks of the year. I was very excitedto teach a Ruby class in Beijing in June2012, and I prepared for that trip inpart by reading some books. I alreadyhad recommended Peter Hessler’sCountry Driving, so it made sense forme to read (and now recommend)his two other books, Oracle Bonesand River Town, both of which wereas fascinating and deep as they werefunny. I also read Postcards fromTomorrow Square by James Fallowsand Dreaming in Chinese by DeborahFallows; I didn’t think that they werequite as strong as the Hessler books,but I still enjoyed them a great deal.I also managed to learn a bitof Mandarin through ChinesePod(http://chinesepod.com), whichnot only helped me learn some ofthe language and customs, butalso provided my children withhours of entertainment (or torture)as they listened to their father tryingto mimic the sounds.When I was younger, I thoroughlyenjoyed Raymond Smullyan’s writing,a logician and mathematician whowrote some great books of logicpuzzles. I decided to get two of hisbooks for my children to enjoy withme, and although I perhaps wore outmy welcome with an overdose, we allenjoyed thinking through the puzzlesin What is the Name of this Book?Finally, if you’re interested inunderstanding a bit about how thebrain works and allows us to followsuch puzzles, Thinking, Fast andSlow by Daniel Kahneman has beena pleasure to read, not only becauseof his insightful descriptions ofhow people think, but also for hisdescriptions of many great psychologyexperiments through the years, thedesigns of which are as interesting tome as the results they provided.■Reuven M. Lerner is a longtime Web developer, consultantand trainer. He is also finishing a PhD in learning sciences atNorthwestern University. His latest project, SaveMyWebApp.com,went live this spring. Reuven lives with his wife and children inModi’in, Israel. You can reach him at reuven@lerner.co.il.WWW.LINUXJOURNAL.COM / DECEMBER 2012 / 37