Operating manual for spaceship earth
by R. Buckminster Fuller · first published 1969
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, accessible entry point to Fuller's worldview, with a big-picture view of why the world is the way it is and how to nudge it better; still seen as prescient and a good fit for readers wanting fresh perspective.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Edited and re-released by Fuller's grandson, Jamie Snyder, this edition is true to the original manuscript but adds helpful footnotes providing a modern context to some of the figures and predictions throughout the book.
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* Thinking fast and slow - how to think and make decision and how to consider bias. * Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth - specialisation is for insects. * Propaganda - 1928 book by the inventor of public relations and modern media. Know how they influence you. * The war of art - being a professional. Honesty I don't…
on “Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?” ↗Can't remember which book this quote is from, but "Critical Path" and "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth" are great food for thought: http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Path-Kiyoshi-Kuromiya/dp/0312... http://www.amazon.com/Operating-Manual-Spaceship-Buckminster...
on “Are you paid to look busy?” ↗Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth - R. Buckminster Fuller It turns out Bucky was a lot more than the man who invented Bucky Balls, this book was written in 1971 and is still incredibly accurate. As an aside, I have been logging the…
on “Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?” ↗…world. 3) Anything really is possible with infinite time and money, use those goals as vectors to move your life forward. In terms of recommendations I was pretty blown away by Buckminster Fuller's An Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth[1] as he has such a great way of looking at things differently and to pull you out of your own preconceptions. I would also recommend an encyclopedia, because frankly it is a great way to get answers…
on “What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?” ↗Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth By Buckminster Fuller I first read it when I was ~25 and it made me think about the way the world is, the historical reasons it is this way and how we can nudge it towards being better. It frustrates…
on “Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?” ↗Data Intensive Applications This and Object Prototypes (You Don't Know JS Series) Fall: Or Dodge in Hell Fortress Marin Count Zero Become What You Are (Alan Watts) Swords and Circuitry Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth The High Sierra of California Trees of Power I highly recommend Data Intensive Applications, as have many others on HN. If you live around San Francisco, and don't know the history of the shore batteries…
on “Ask HN: Books You Read in 2019?” ↗Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth - R. Buckminster Fuller
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗…species, in which it would be determined whether or not man was a mistake of nature, or its greatest accomplishment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_science_revolution There's no one book, but his "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth" might be a place to start if you're interested. > The book relates Earth to a spaceship flying through space. Noting the lack of any user manual to help Earthians steward this ship, Fuller offers some…
on “From Cyberpunk to Solarpunk: Technics and the Cities of the Future” ↗Book recommendation: Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth - by Buckminster Fuller Just the first chapter will blow your mind.
on “Generalists vs specialists – Who has a greater chance of success? (2019)” ↗i'd recommend reading operating manual for spaceship earth if you haven't already
on “Tablets” ↗…the right time, but examples abound when you pick the "wrong" specialization, just to see it subsequently automated. I never really understood what Buckminster Fuller was trying to get across in his Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, until recently. The amazing thing is he addressed these concerns quite presciently in the 1960s--he saw this coming. The only advice I can give is always be learning and adapting and apply it in creative…
on “Sympathy for the Luddites” ↗Marshall McLuhan's "Gutenberg Galaxy" and "Understanding Media". Buckminster Fuller's "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth" (and other books and essays of his).
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗…thought * The Death and Life of Great American Cities * The Philosophy of Andy Warhol * Influence by Robert Caldini * Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human * The Art of Looking Sideways * Cosmos * Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth * The Theory of Moral Sentiments And just specifically for computer UX, Smashing UX Design is a pretty good crash course.
on “Ask HN: What are the best resources to learn Product Design?” ↗Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Euclid, Elements of Geometry Fuller, Buckminster. Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth Greene, Robert. The 48 Laws of Power Kernighan & Ritchie. The C Programming Language The King James Bible Polya, George. How to Solve It
on “Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?” ↗I’d start with “Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth.” He has a really interesting, albeit super rambling type of prose that is an acquired taste (I personally love it). This particular book is a great introduction to his worldview without being too exhausting.…
on “Everything I Know – 1975 Lectures by Buckminster Fuller” ↗