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Hamming, "You and Your Research" (June 6, 1995)

securitylectures · lecture · Watch on YouTube

Productivity & self-improvementScientific method & science communicationTech pioneers & interviews

What it is

Richard Hamming's 1995 recording of his talk 'You and Your Research', drawn from his graduate engineering course. He discusses how great scientists pick important problems and build careers, drawing on his years at Bell Labs.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as career and research advice on choosing important problems and doing first-class work.

  • 11 people recommended it
  • 10 different months
  • 3 strong recommendations
  • first 2012, last 2023

What HN commenters said

  1. “So much sage advice as compiled over a very long and fruitful career.”

    Sage advice from Hamming's long career

    jgalt212, 2016-04 · Strong recommendation · in “Richard Hamming on Artificial Intelligence (1995) [video]”

  2. “the associated lectures he gave at the naval postgraduate academy are tremendous”

    Hamming's naval postgraduate lectures on engineering and learning to learn

    f00_, 2018-01 · Strong recommendation · in “Fifty Years of Shannon Theory (1998) [pdf]”

  3. “It's on picking the right problems.”

    Hamming on picking the right problems to work on

    gumby, 2019-01 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: What tech talk does everyone need to see?”

  4. “Hamming's talk on doing great research and career”

    sadga, 2012-10 · Recommendation · in “Richard Hamming: You and Your Research (1986)”

  5. “Single best is difficult, here are some favourites of mine”

    Listed among favourite technical talks

    stiff, 2013-04 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: What's the best technical talk you've heard?”

  6. “Keep learning - read Richard Hamming's _You and Your Research_”

    Hamming on lifelong learning and career success

    late2part, 2014-03 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: How do you earn your money?”

  7. “On this subject, Richard Hamming offers excellent advice”

    Hamming on working on the most important problems in your field

    JSeymourATL, 2017-02 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: Need advice for someone who just got first job as a software engineer?”

  8. “focusses on the selection of the problem you should work on as a researcher.”

    Hamming on selecting problems, applicable beyond academia

    nestorD, 2019-01 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: How did you decide what problems to solve in your lifetime?”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: richard hamming, bell labs, important problems, career, learning to learn

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