The Making of the Atomic Bomb

This was a life-changing book for me.

I haven't personally read it, but The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes seems to fit the bill.

The Making of the Atomic Bomb is in my top three non-fiction books I have ever read. Will I like The Dawn of Everything if I didn't like Harari's Sapiens? (I loved Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years)

Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights: The making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint. The dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved. The message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. "As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it" Other highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.

"The Alchemy of Air" by Thomas Hager. This covers the discovery of fertilizer, its strategic implications (it was the oil of its day), the creation in Germany of the Haber-Bosch process for producing fertilizer and gunpowder precursors from air, and how it fueled two world wars. An incredible story that is not widely known these days. "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes. This is an old one, but still a classic. The first half is like a scientific detective story about the discovery and development of quantum theory itself, in Germany and Denmark, and can be read by itself as an engaging history of physics. Then Hitler rises to power, we learn how most of the characters we've met so far escape to England and the USA, and the others except Bohr become part of the German nuclear project. It then becomes an engineering management history of the Manhattan project, and a fascinating look at the challenges they overcame. The final chapter is a sobering play by play description of what happened to the people of Hiroshima, and was hardest but necessary to read.

Seconded, phenomenal book and suggestion. IMO in a similar vein is 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', Richard Rhodes, another industry- and world-reshaping project.

I’ll echo the Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Recently, I finished the making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes. It’s quite long, but a fascinating view on physics, weapon development, and then the politics of the bomb. It’s a good exercise to compare with the current state of AI and see what things are similar and what are different.

Just finished my third reading of The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. It really ruined most other history books for me by setting the bar so high.

The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes

In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation. Cialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Guinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple Ekman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life Kahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow Mitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception Navarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People Nietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals Rhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb Sun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War Taleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness Wright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief

I read Cuckoo’s Egg and also liked “The Soul of a New Machine”, “SkunkWorks”, and “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”.

In no particular order. Empires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.

Offhand... 1. 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', R. Rhodes 2. 'Apollo: Race to the Moon', C. Murray, C. Cox 3. 'The Prize', D. Yergin 4. 'Are Your Lights On?', D. Gause, G. Weinberg 5. 'Becoming A Technical Leader', G. Weinberg

The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes were both great.

Currently reading "The Making Of The Atomic Bomb" and it's so comprehensive.

Not software books, but 'Apollo: Race to the Moon' by Murray and Cox, and 'The Making of The Atomic Bomb', Rhodes are my two favorite books about engineering projects and the people behind them.

1984 - because it was the first book in English that I read front to cover, with a dictionary by my side, and learned so much recurring essential vocabulary that after that effort I could read anything; by now I have read much more from the much larger pool of writings in English than in my mother language. And, of course, it made me look differently at so many things. Things Fall Appart - because it helped me understand how religions like Christianity and other initially subversive beliefs spread, and the sudden impact of Western culture on other cultures. Anthropology (Marvin Harris) - because it impacted the way I look at humanity, society and history, and also helped me understand that marxism is much more than an arguably failed political doctrine. The Bernstein Tapes about Critique of Pure Reason - I am still working through this, but has already impacted my conception of what knowledge is History of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russel) - because it made me understand the interwining between ideas and history. A desert island book…

All consumed as audiobooks. American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America - Colin Woodard; I learned much about early US history. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer Find Me - Laura van den Berg Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel The Dog Stars - Peter Heller Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing; I was fortunate enough to read this right before Seveneves, so the references made immediate sense. Endurance looks to be popular on this list/this year. How many were inspired by Seveneves? Seveneves - Neal Stephenson The Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson Crystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age - Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson; I highly recommend this book. Like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but for the transistor. Lots of background on John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain. I was unaware of the great legacy of John Bardeen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes; If you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb. Alas, Babylon - Pat Frank…

Concur. That book is something to chew on. The author doesn't oversimplify the science. I finished reading it 6 months ago and still often think about it.

The Making of Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, he stars with the science of the atom as it was figured out in the late 19th century and continues through the end of World War II

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco

"Godel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hopfstadter. I was in high school when it came out, and it really opened my eyes up to the field of computability. The philosophy was interesting, too. "Holy the Firm" by Annie Dillard. Not really about religion, more about our relationship to the world. A beautifully written little book. "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes. This one works on me at several levels: The physics (which are explained well), the sheer titanic scope of the Manhattan project, and the meta-knowledge that someone was able to write a book this good. "The C Programming Language", by Kernighan and Ritchie. Probably the single most influential book on programming that I've read.

The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes

The Feynman Lectures on Physics The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad A Latin/English dictionary for new company names