Post #990063

2026-03-27 16:25 UTC

I just heard that Tracy Kidder passed away this week. I read his THE SOUL OF A NEW MACHINE as a young teenager and it’s probably one of a handful of books I can point to as having a significant impact on my life, starting with going to engineering school. I’ve read most of his books but this one is closest to my heart. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/25/tracy-kidder-dies-aged-80

Replies (6)

@debcha@saturation.social 2026-03-27 16:28

[that’s my own copy, bought secondhand decades ago, the 1982 mass market paperback edition of a Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book, which seems like a period piece in itself] If you haven’t yet read it, you can think of it as a prequel to HALT AND CATCH FIRE?

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@marinheiro@ciberlandia.pt 2026-03-27 16:40

@debcha@saturation.social I thought it was amazing, it helped decide a change of career for me.

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@unchartedworlds@scicomm.xyz 2026-03-27 17:26

@debcha@saturation.social Aaah, that's a loss. Thanks for sharing the news.

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@clive@saturation.social 2026-03-27 23:28

@debcha@saturation.social I read it in college too, and it was a template for my thinking about how to do immersive long form journalism about technology! Love love love that book

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@dualkei@hachyderm.io 2026-03-28 01:45

@debcha@saturation.social As a CS undergrad doing much of my coursework on a VAX at the time, this book really connected with me too.

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@rmi@cloudisland.nz 2026-03-28 02:36

@debcha@saturation.social When I am emperor, this book will be compulsory reading in high school, along with yours.

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