What has given me new perspectives.
A list of things that have shaped how I think, feel, and see the world.
Books
- Deep Human — Crystal Lim-Lange and Greg Lim-LangeI found this while navigating the early LLM wave in 2022. It reminded me there are other parts of being human besides just using my brain.
- Nonviolent Communication — Marshall B. RosenbergOpened my eyes to how often we miscommunicate with each other, and how much changes when we learn to empathise properly.
- Good Strategy Bad Strategy — Richard RumeltHelped demystify the big word "strategy", and gave me a clearer way to separate strategy from tactics.
- The Phoenix Project — Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George SpaffordA fun story that revealed a lot of the pitfalls and patterns that still show up in software development today.
- Rich by Retirement — Joshua GierschMy introduction to the difference between investing and gambling, and the importance of boring investing.
People I learn from
- Alok Kanojia — HealthyGamerGGHelped me a lot during periods of stress, and opened my eyes to meditation and better self-understanding.
- Sam Harris — Waking UpDeepened my journey into meditation, self-awareness, and understanding how the mind works.
- Simon Willison One of the people who inspired me to write more. Also one of my favourite people to read for understanding AI.
Ideas I keep using
- Cynefin Framework Useful when I need to ask whether a problem is obvious, complicated, complex, or chaotic before choosing how to act.
- Kegan's Subject Object Shift A frame I keep returning to for noticing the assumptions I am inside of, not just the thoughts I am having.
- Five Types of Conversation A reminder to notice what kind of conversation I am actually in before trying to move it forward.