Mgccl's Ivory Towerso tired

Is it me or is MIT Press really awesome? I can't believe how many amazing books come out from MIT press. A lot of the more serious books in my book list are from MIT Press.

I can't say anymore about those book anymore than why I want to read them.
Learning list for this Winter and Spring 2010. I will keep this page updated so I know how far I am from all my goals(apart from long term goals of finish SICP/
CLRS/TAoCP/CM before college ends,(TAoCP before college ends? not likely...))

• Textbook/official courses
  • The Algorithm Design Manual
    CSE 373. I'm currently doing this book and I'm up to chapter 3. I liked the interview problems exercises, particularly this one:
    

    Write a function to perform integer division without using either the / or * operators. Find a fast way to do it.

    My algorithm is where . This book and the following book can be founded on SpringerLink. If you are in a university, you might able to get the pdf version for free. Plan: Finish every exercise in the book before semester starts.

  • Programming Challenges
    CSE 392. I have read half of the book. Plan: Finish it during the semester
  • Linear Algebra Done Right
    MAT 310. I haven't signed up for the class yet, waiting for academic overload. Plan: Finish it during the semester, do all exercises.
  • Applied Combinatorics
    AMS 301. OMG it's applied. hmm, I wonder if this book is as valuable as it's price. Plan: Finish it during the semester, do only required exercise and ones that look fun.
  • An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning
    MAT 200. I'm done with the book, but haven't checked the exercises. Plan: Do the exercises as the class goes on
  • Introduction to the Theory of Computation, Second Edition
    CSE 350. This is by far the most expensive book I saw. Done 100 pages, then I got distracted. Plan: Finish the book and exercises before semester starts
  • First Course in Probability, A (8th Edition)
    AMS 311(waiting for 19 credit limit). Plan: Do it as the class goes on
  • Mathematical Analysis I (Universitext) (v. 1)
    I'm weak in every math discipline, especially analysis. During Putnam, I skipped every single problem that is analysis related. Here is a book will bring me back to my knees(or feet?)
    Plan: Hopefully, finish half of it before spring semester ends. For some reason I found it much harder than any other math text I met.
• Non-textbook books
  • Philosophy of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy)
    Done!
  • The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
    I did read some 'pop' science books, like a long time ago. This one is on my list because I need stronger 'pop' science books so I don't read about things I already know.
    Plan: Finish it some time before spring ends
  • Proof and Other Dilemmas: Mathematics and Philosophy (Spectrum)
    I like philosophy and math, well said.
    Plan: Read it in bed, although it is not a bed time reading material
  • Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy (FSG Classics)
    DONE! with the book. Good read. I first learned about the book from Matrix67, mainly because it's self-reference aroused my interest(due to my love for GEB). Then I noticed it also concerns with philosophy. Nice. Someone suggest me to read A History of Western Philosophy instead. Yeah, I will try that one when I'm free.
  • The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind
    Done! This book is on my reading list for so long. I can't wait to read about how people lose themselves in a crowd.
  • Reasoning About Knowledge
    Plan: Read it sometime before spring ends.
  • Reasoning about Uncertainty
    Plan: Read it sometime before spring ends.
  • The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit, Twentieth Anniversary Edition
    Done!
  • Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning
    Sure, Pólya's stuff is not that hard in today's society...
    Again, Matrix67 introduced me to this book because of the problems in it. He recommended the problems, because those are arranged in a way such that every problem helps solving later problems. Hmmm... sounds like a... inductive experience...
    Plan: Read it during the semester
  • Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job, 2nd Edition (Programmer to Programmer)
    Done! The puzzles in this book are limited, and almost way too trivial. All of them can be solved in less than 10 minutes.[ha, these are nothing compare to ACM]. Although implement them was a problem. If I was doing the implementation during a interview, my program will have lot of bugs. Well, at least it taught me the interview process.
    All the rest are puzzle books either related to math or logic. because I want to train my brain and not fail during job interviews. btw Mensa have some interesting puzzle book titles, I want to check them out.
  • Puzzles for Programmers and Pros
    These puzzles are not ez. Although not impossible.
    Plan: I can wake up and find a puzzle everyday. keep it in mind while waiting for something, which prevent me from daze off and look around like a creeper.
  • Entertaining Mathematical Puzzles
    Done! I saw this book in the SBU math libray, so I picked it up and did it. Like the title said, it is entertaining. Most problems are trivial, because I have seen them at places.
  • The Moscow Puzzles: 359 Mathematical Recreations (Math & Logic Puzzles)
    Currently doing this one in my spare time, done 50 problems already(all of those are all brainteaser kind puzzle require only a little math) and I saw at least 1/3 of the puzzles before. Hmmm... this start to raise a question, when did I do so many puzzles? I never tried a puzzle book until like few days ago.
    Plan: Finish before the semester starts.
  • 536 puzzles & curious problems
    Plan: Finish before the semester starts.
• Non textbook material
  • Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? with Michael Sandel
    DONE! Amazing video lectures. I dislike how Sandel talks really really slow. Go watch it if you like to think about... stuff...
  • ADUni's Theory of Computation
    A supplement for CSE 350.
    Plan: Finish it before semester starts.
  • ADUni's Algorithms
    Goes together with the CSE 373 and long term goal of complete CLRS.
    Plan: Finish it before semester starts.
  • ADUni's Object-oriented Program Design and Software Engineering
    Since I do not intend to do CSE 160, I will use this to cover w/e I'm going to miss.
    Plan: Finish it during the semester.

A few more to squeeze in if I have time or the mood: Hacker's Delight, The Princeton Companion to Mathematics, What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods, Conceptual foundations of international politics, Evolution, ecology and behavior, Literary Theory, The Future of Human Health,Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time,Riot at the Calc Exam and Other Mathematically Bent Stories.

Now to my 2nd topic.
While I was trying to search for "Proof and Other Dilemmas" on the local library, I stumbled upon this epic work.
Proof by Seduction(Historical romance novel). OMG did someone take the joke by Brown Sharpie to a whole new level?[Link to the proof by seduction comic].
There is no way this is a coincidence. The pun was totally intended.
Yes, I was right, here is a passage from the author's website where she explains about the title.

There”s a method of mathematical proof called a “Proof by Induction.” Induction is a method of logical thinking, and it’s closely related to another kind of logical thinking (deduction).

Ahh, I knew!
Oh wait, what does she mean by induction is related to deduction? Wasn't she just talking about mathematical induction a sentence before? Did she get induction and mathematical induction mixed up? Did she forget to create a new paragraph to eliminate the confusing?
She later states

The nitpicky amongst you will note that Gareth, as a scientist, really only employs the method of inductive reasoning, not ever a proof by induction. This bothered me to no small extent, but ultimately “Proof by Seduction” is a much, much better title than “Proof by Seductive Reasoning” and elegance won out over the desire to have an arcane pun that was both arcane and nitpicky.

Oh, I see.
Really? Calling the book proof by seduction and not letting the main character do at least one proof by induction? That's just outrageous. I'm sure anyone can squeeze a proof of rational number can be written as a product of factorials and it's reciprocals in their novel.
Still, it's awesome to see a epic pun become a title of a book.