I’m addicted to books. I like to read them, I like to collect them, I like to immerse myself and bathe in them.
Ok, strike that last part.
Generally I buy programming books, and since this book was sitting in the programming section, I figured I was safe.
Refactor Your Wetware: Pragmatic Thinking and Learning is a book that teaches you something within the first few pages and doesn’t stop until the book is closed. It goes in depth into our methods and modes of learning and expounds upon them not only with well written ancedotes, but with research and practical examples. From topics such as the Dreyfus Model to how our Right brain can solve problems when we’re not thinking about them, Refactor Your Wetware covers it.
Perhaps the biggest thing I learned from this book was the effect that our Right brain has on our problem solving ability. When he couldn’t solve a particular problem, Benjamin Franklin would take a nap with ball bearings in his hand; and once he fell into a deep sleep the ball bearings would fall and wake him up. It was this moment when his Right brain was at its most active, and it would help visualize the answer. This ancedote and more attest to the virtues of the right brain.
But Refactor Your Wetware doesn’t stop there. In true programming fashion, it deals with how to debug your brain and methods to remove bias from your every day thought. It effectively covers methods of learning and retaining information with proven processes. If you’re a knowledge worker of any sort, this book belongs on your bookshelf.