"BOOKS"

THE KEY TO LIFE IS TO BE ABLE TO ENDURE BOREDOM. IF YOU ARE IMMUNE TO BOREDOM, THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING YOU CANNOT ACCOMPLISH.

IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH PAYING ATTENTION AND THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE WHAT I PAID ATTENTION TO, AND TO BE AWARE OF THAT CHOICE, THAT FACT THAT IT’S A CHOICE... THERE WAS MORE TO MY LIFE AND TO MYSELF THAN JUST THE ORDINARY PHSYCHOLOGICAL IMPULSES FOR PLEASURE AND VANITY...

A MEDITATIVE READING EXPERIENCE

A STORY ABOUT LOVE.

FIGURE OUT HOW FICTION CAN ENGAGE A READER, MUCH OF WHOSE SENSIBILITY HAS BEEN FORMED BY POP CULTURE, WITHOUT SIMPLY BECOMING MORE SHIT IN THE POP CULTURE MACHINE.

BREATHE, DON'T THINK.

GIVEN OUR PAST RECORD AND OUR CURRENT VALUES, WE ARE LIKELY TO REACH OUT FOR BLISS, DIVINITY AND IMMORTALITY – EVEN IF IT KILLS US.

WE ARE HELPLESS AND INEFFICACIOUS AS PARTS OF A SYSTEM UNTIL WE RECOGNIZE THE EXISTENCE OF THE SYSTEM.

BRIEF, SURFACE-LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY AND ADVANCEMENT OF HOMO SAPIENS. PERSONALLY, I ENJOYED THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK MORE THAN THE FIRST.

"IF YOU BRING FORTH WHAT IS IN YOU, WHAT IS IN YOU WILL SAVE YOU. IF YOU DO NOT BRING FORTH WHAT IS IN YOU, WHAT IS IN YOU WILL DESTROY YOU."

"NOTHING IS MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS THAN A BAD MEMORY."."IN SOME WAYS THE WORLD HAS BECOME LESS EQUAL, BUT IN MORE WAYS THE WORLD’S PEOPLE HAVE BECOME BETTER OFF." "...PROGRESS IS NOT UTOPIA" "…POLITICAL TRIBALISM IS THE MOST INSIDIOUS FORM OF IRRATIONALITY TODAY..."

I DIDN'T FINISH THIS BOOK. THE TIME WASN'T RIGHT.

TEAM TOPOLOGIES HIGHLIGHTS HUMAN LIMITATIONS REGARDING COGNITIVE LOAD AND HOW THIS AFFECTS BOTH SYSTEM AND ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN. "TEAM-FIRST THINKING" IS INTRODUCED AS A FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE AND IS ENABLED VIA FOUR FUNDAMENTAL TEAM TOPOLOGIES -- STREAM-ALIGNED, PLATFORM, ENABLING AND COMPLICATED SUBSYSTEM -- AND THREE ACCOMPANYING "INTERACTION MODES" — X-AS-A-SERVICE, FACILITATING AND COLLABORATING. IT IS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT PROPER TEAM TOPOLOGIES SHOULD BE DYNAMIC AND EVOLVE — NOT BE BLATANTLY COPIED — ALONGSIDE THE COMPANY AND WON'T BE AS SUCCESSFUL IF THE LOCAL AND WIDER COMPANY CULTURE IS LACKING IN AREAS SUCH AS TRUST, EMOTIONAL SAFETY, VISION, FUNDING AND ABIDING TO INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES.

CRYING OF LOT 49 TELLS A STORY OF THE POWER AND VULNERABILITY OF OUR MINDS. AN ALREADY PARANOID WOMAN LOOKING FOR AN ESCAPE BECOMES OBSESSED WITH AND TRAPPED BY A CONSPIRACY THEORY ABOUT AN UNDERGROUND POSTAL CARRIER. SHE CONTINUES TO JOURNEY DEEP INTO SEAMLESS CONSPIRACY.

INFINITE JEST TAKES YOU ON A CHALLENGING, TYPE-2-FUN, MENTAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE LIVES OF A HANDFUL KEY INDIVIDUALS AS THEY REFLECT ON THEIR PASTS — MOSTLY TOUGH UPBRINGINGS — AND ALL-TIME-LOWS. ZOOMING OUT, A MAIN THEME IS "ADDICTION", BUT REALLY MORE GENERALLY, DEDICATING OUR LIVES TO SOMETHING, EITHER BY CHOICE OR NOT — WHETHER IT BE RELIGION, SPORTS, DRUGS, OR WORK — AND OFTEN STRUGGLING ALONE. THIS ISOLATED DEDICATION NUMBS US FROM THE DIFFICULTIES OF LIFE; WE OFTEN LATCH TIGHTER ON TO OUR ADDICTIONS RATHER THAN HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS AND LISTEN AND FEEL FOR OTHERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING AROUND US.

KAMAL TALKS ABOUT HOW HE FELT WORTHLESS AFTER HIS COMPANY FOLDED. IT WASN'T UNTIL HIS LIFE WAS REDUCED TO TELLING HIMSELF ALL DAY EVERY DAY TO "LOVE HIMSELF" THAT HE BEGAN TO HAVE POSITIVE FEELINGS FOR HIMSELF. BASICALLY, A STORY OF "BLIND FAITH".

POSES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT YOU _REALLY_ WANT TO DO. IF YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE QUESTIONING, YOU SHOULDN'T BE DOING IT.

IN LIFE, WE ARE JUST PLAYERS IN MANY GAMES. WE CAN CHOOSE TO PLAY THESE GAMES WITH A FINITE OR INFINITE MINDSET, WHERE WE TRY TO "WIN" OR "ACHIEVE" SOMETHING, OR PERPETUATE THE GAME, RESPECTIVELY. THERE ARE MANY EXTERNAL, SOCIETAL PRESSURES THAT TURN INTO INTERNAL PRESSURES, WHICH ENCOURAGE FINITE MINDEDNESS; WE MUST FIGHT THESE PRESSURES AND REMEMBER THE CAUSE THAT WE AIM TO PERPETUATE.

BELL LABS HAD ITS SHARE OF PERSONALITY CLASHES, ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIC MISSTEPS. MANY ATTRIBUTED THE SUCCESS OF THE LABS TO A COMBINATION OF TIMING, ENVIRONMENT AND CURIOUS AND DETERMINED FOLKS, BUT NOT GENIUSES. ULTIMATELY WHAT MADE BELL LABS' OPERATING MODEL SUCCESSFUL WAS A CLEAR, SHARED VISION.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH DIVERSITY. FOSTER A LIFE FULL OF CURIOSITY, ESPECIALLY IN POSITIONS OF 'POWER' AND EXPERIENCE. CHALLENGE 'NORMS' AND FEAR COMFORT.

THERE ARE A LOT OF ETHICAL 'GREY AREAS' REGARDING MONITORING DATA OF 'AMERICANS'. IF TERRORISM IS WHAT YOU FEAR, ARE YOU WILLING TO TRADE YOUR FREEDOM? FROM IT'S INCEPTION, THE NSA HAS IT'S FOUNDATION BUILT UPON EXERCISES OF POWER AND SECRETIVE, 'BACKDOOR' DEALS.

WHILE THE INTERNET MAY FEEL LIKE A BUBBLE OF OMNIPRESENT CONNECTIVITY, THE CORE OF THE INTERNET IS LOCALIZED TO RELATIVELY FEW PLACES; LIKE ASHBURN, VIRGINIA OR 60 HUDSON STREET IN NEW YORK CITY. THIS BOOK TAKES A JOURNEY TO THESE FEW PLACES THAT ARE THE FOUNDATION OF THE INTERNET.

COLVIN ANALYZES GREAT GOLFERS, MUSICIANS, CHESS PLAYERS AND MORE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DOMAINS TO DETERMINE WHAT MAKES THEM IDENTIFIABLY GREAT. TURNS OUT, THERE IS NO MAGIC, JUST AN EARLY START, PERSISTENT FOCUSED DELIBERATE PRACTICE AND MOTIVATION TO CONTINUE WORKING HARD.

JAMES P. CARSE DESCRIBES TWO GAMES. THE FINITE GAME WHERE THERE ARE BOUNDARIES, EXPECTATIONS, LIMITS AND PEOPLE ASSUME ROLES DEFINED BY SOCIETY AND THE INFINITE GAME WHERE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY CHALLENGE BOUNDARIES, EXPECTATIONS AND LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS.

A JOURNEY ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON A MOTORCYCLE WHILE DIVING INTO THE UNIFYING FACTOR BETWEEN SUBJECT AND OBJECT, NAMELY QUALITY. QUALITY IS NOT A _THING_, BUT AN _EVENT_ AT WHICH THE SUBJECT BECOMES AWARE OF THE OBJECT. QUALITY IS WOVEN INTO OBJECTS THROUGH THE ATTITUDE OF THE CREATOR.

BEN HOROWITZ, DESCRIBES HOW CULTURE IS DEFINED BY YOUR ACTIONS AS A LEADER. HE PRESENTS STORIES OF SAMURAI, PRISON GANGS AND SLAVE REVOLT TO DESCRIBE THE IMPORTANCE OF AND HOW TO BUILD A STRONG CULTURE.

AUTHOR, BRIAN KERNIGHAN TALKS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, HIS TIME AT BELL LABS AND THE MANY COOL PROJECTS SURROUNDING UNIX.

HOLD ME TIGHT DISCUSSES A PRACTICE KNOWN AS EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED THERAPY OR EFT FOR SHORT. EFT IS HEAVILY BASED ON JOHN BOWLBY'S ATTACHMENT THEORY. THE BASIS OF BOTH EFT AND ATTACHMENT THEORY IS THE INNATE NEED FOR CONNECTIONS AND CLOSENESS WITH OTHERS. IN HOLD ME TIGHT, AUTHOR DR. SUE JOHNSON DISCUSSES EFT IN THE CONTEXT OF COUPLES WITH MANY REAL WORLD CONVERSATIONS. SHE ALSO DESCRIBES HOW EFT CAN BE A SOLUTION FOR WHAT SHE CALLS 'DEMON DIALOGUES' OR CYCLICAL ARGUMENTS WHERE INDIVIDUALS ARE INDIRECTLY DEMANDING EACH OTHER'S ATTENTION AND LOVE.

CAMILLE FOURNIER IS WIDELY RESPECTED IN THE ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT AND WIDER TECH COMMUNITY FOR SHARING HER KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEBULOUS ROLE OF ENGINEERING MANAGER. IN THE MANAGER'S PATH, FOURNIER DEFINES COMMON DIFFICULT PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS THAT YOU WILL MOST LIKELY FACE AS AN ENGINEERING MANAGER AND HOW TO APPROACH THESE PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS.

"AN ORGANIZATION IS A COLLECTION OF PEOPLE WORKING TOWARD A SHARED GOAL." YET, IT IS OFTEN A CHALLENGE GETTING PEOPLE TO "GEL" AND HAVE EVERYONE WORK OPTIMALLY TOGETHER. THIS BOOK TALKS PROPOSES IDEAS THAT WORKED (OR DIDN'T WORK) FOR THE AUTHOR IN HIS CAREER MANAGING ENGINEERS.

BORN TO RUN TELLS A STORY OF DISCOVERY OF NOT ONLY THE BEST RUNNERS, BUT SOME OF THE BEST ATHLETES IN THE WORLD FROM DEEP IN THE COPPER CANYON OF MEXICO. INDIVIDUALS FROM AN INDIGENOUS GROUP, NAMELY THE RARÁMURI OR TARAHUMARA, WERE TAKEN AND THEIR RUNNING SKILLS WERE CHALLENGED IN SOME OF THE MOST DIFFICULT RACES IN THE UNITED STATES, WHERE THEY CONSISTENTLY PERFORMED BETTER THAN THE TOP RUNNERS.

BEN, THROUGHOUT THE BOOK, MAKES MANY GREAT POINTS ON THE TOPIC OF HIRING AND CULTURE. ONE OF THE POINTS THAT STANDS OUT MOST AND IF I HAD TO PICK JUST ONE POINT FROM THIS BOOK, IT WOULD BE THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE PERFECT PERSON FOR THE POSITION. OR, THE PERFECT PERSON FOR THE POSITION IN 18 MONTHS. BUT RATHER, THAT THERE IS ONLY THE PERFECT PERSON FOR THE POSITION AT YOUR COMPANY, _RIGHT NOW_.

AS SOFTWARE ENGINEERS, SOMETIMES WE ARE TOO CAUGHT UP IN _HOW_ WE BUILD SOMETHING, INSTEAD OF _WHAT_ WE ARE BUILDING.

PEOPLE IMAGINE THAT PROGRAMMING IS LOGICAL, A PROCESS LIKE FIXING A CLOCK. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. PROGRAMMING IS MORE LIKE AN ILLNESS, A FEVER, AN OBSESSION.