# Things I Won't Work With by Derek Lowe

7 Hacker News commenters recommended Things I Won't Work With by Derek Lowe and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Readers recommend it as an entertaining, accessible account of chemistry and lab hazards, with all 33 articles available to read.

## Why people recommend it

- Entertaining writing about chemistry (3 comments): "the "first hit is free" dopamine rush is his "Things I Won't Work With", a masterclass in bringing chemistry to life" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48549179)) "has written amusingly about why he won't work with it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47867518)) "the hilarious Things I won't work with series" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49054218))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Programming as Theory Building by Peter Naur](https://hackerapproved.com/p/programming-as-theory-building.md): 32 recommend
- [Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ur-fascism.md): 18 recommend
- [Politics and the English Language by George Orwell](https://hackerapproved.com/p/politics-and-the-english-language.md): 14 recommend
- [Right to Read by Richard Stallman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/right-to-read.md): 12 recommend
- [Meditations on Moloch by Scott Alexander](https://hackerapproved.com/p/meditations-on-moloch.md): 11 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Things I Won't Work With by Derek Lowe", https://hackerapproved.com/p/things-i-won-t-work-with/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).