Cheaper by the dozen
by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., Ernestine Gilbreth Carey · first published 2002
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2010–2025first – last mentioned
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I'm an industrial engineer. The book that got me started on that path was Cheaper By the Dozen, which we listened to on cassette tape on most road trips >2 hours growing up. I was fascinated by the thought of taking a process or procedure and eliminating as much non-value add time as possible,…
on “Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions” ↗Funny, I've been a devoted fan of Taylorism ever since I read _Cheaper by the Dozen_ as a kid. To me it just means doing things better and faster each day. To you it seems like more of a harsh taskmaster?
on “The goal of standards is to improve our future actions” ↗I'm in operations and I also loved "Cheaper by the Dozen" as a kid. Have you ever read, "My Forty Years with Ford" by Charles Sorensen? He was the first COO of Ford and he talks about building the first modern assembly line, dealing with his difficult process…
on “Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions” ↗I was born with a heart defect, "Cheaper by the dozen" has a twist ending that dramatically changed the course of what I valued in life and spoke directly to me. Pretty much any well written fiction is worth a read, The Odyssey, Brothers Karamazov and Armor!…
on “Ask HN: Books that helped you become a better person?” ↗I would also suggest the childrens books Cheaper by the Dozen, The Musicians of Brennan, Morris' Disappearing Bag and The Red Badge of Courage. I'd maybe throw in some of the little house on the prairie books as well, especially the one where they all almost froze…
on “How to live an intellectually rich life” ↗…told the resolution, and then say “Huh. OK, if you say so.”) EDIT: While my mind's on random funny sentences, this one was an old favourite of my mother's (who taught me all the grammar I know) from Cheaper by the Dozen. It is the reaction of a child, whose bedroom is on the second floor, on being presented with an unacceptable evening's reading: “What did you bring that book you know I don't like to be read to out…
on “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” ↗"A lazy man, Dad believed, always makes the best use of his Therbligs because he is too indolent to waste motions." Cheaper By The Dozen, 1948, Frank B Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey I believe that there is precedent for this connotation, which granted is different than the denotation. This is the best example I have on hand…
on “Lazy people innovate” ↗…can't remember, that this was not just a gradual change but a specific one championed by, among others, Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernestine_Gilbreth_Carey), co-author of Cheaper by the dozen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheaper_by_the_Dozen). The Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resources#Origins_of_the... does not mention her, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resources#History…
on “Do It (2004)” ↗Interesting, since I just finished reading The Toyota Way. The mention of the Gilbreth's is always interesting too, with the Cheaper By the Dozen connection.
on “Love for Ohno, Hate for Taylor?” ↗compare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheaper_by_the_Dozen (1948) or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_and_His_Dog_(1975_film) (in a country with ~130m households, there'd have to be an awfully lot of these people to be more than a slow news day)
on “America's premier pronatalists on having 'tons of kids' to save the world” ↗…don't get stuck in them. Read them sure, but if you're the type of person who believes what they read and can't engage with it critically your better off reading more substantive and true works, like cheaper by the dozen or the boxcar children, or the musicians of brennan or read more interesting, modern, informed work like Wheeler.
on “Why Nietzsche matters in the age of artificial intelligence” ↗