by Jorge Luis Borges Literature on literature though short fictions. I wil go as far, as to say that I have learned more about how text and stories works though this one book than anything else read or watched. In my opinion, a must-read!
by Ken Thompson Excelent paper on the mutual trust and fundamental uncertainty in compiled software, that do not require any academic prerequisites other than a small amout of intelligence, although a little experience in C along programatic thinking does help with a few details. Just read it!