Skip to main content

Reading List

Books that I have read that have provide some insight and deeper understanding of the my career, the world, and my self


CYBER #

THE CODE BOOK

From the beginning of modern history, humans have been trying to hide their secrets

The urge to discover secrets is deeply ingrained in human nature; even the least curious mind is roused by the promise of sharing knowledge withheld from others. - John Chadwick

THE CUCKOO’S EGG

Incredible story told from the worlds first incident responder

The hacker didn’t succeed through sophistication. Rather he poked at obvious places, trying to enter through unlock doors. Persistence, not wizardry, let him through. - Cliff Stoll

PRACTICAL THREAT ENGINEERING

Detection Engineering: Developing detection for what you adversary wants

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs and the universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the universe is winning - Robert Cook

DIGITAL DISSENT #

10 ARGUMENTS TO DELETE SOCIAL MEDIA

The title says it all.

Social media is biased, not to the Left or the Right, but downward – Jaron Lanier

DIGITAL MINIMALISM

Just because technology makes something easier, does not make it better

All of man’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room - Blaise Pascal

REVENGE OF THE ANALOG

My favorite chapter… “Revenge of Board Games”

The digital world values analog more than anyone -David Lox

EXPERTISE #

IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND

In order to improve one’s mind, be receptive and welcoming to new ideas

No man is obliged to learn and know everything; this can neither be sought nor required, for it is utterly impossible; yet all person are under some obligation to improve their own understanding; otherwise it will be a barren desert, or a forest overgrown with weeds and brambles. - Sir Isaac Watts

PEAK

With the right mentor and deliberate practice, one can achieve greatness

This is a fundamental truth about any sort of practice: If you never push yourself beyond your comfort zone, you will never improve - Anders Ericson

MASTERY

One must devote their life to the journey towards mastery

Do not talk about giftedness, inborn talents! One can name great men of kinds who were very little gifted. They acquired greatness …. - Friedrich Nietzsche

SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU

Having a disciplined focus trumps passion.

You’re either remarkable or invisible - Seth Godin

FINANCE #

I WILL TEACH YOU TO BE RICH

Pay yourself first.

The 85 Percent Solution: Getting started is more important than becoming an expert. - Ramit Sethi

HEALTH #

BREATH

Better health is just a breath away

Prayer heals, especially when it’s practiced at 5.5 breaths a minute. - James Nestor

THE NATURE FIX

Basking in nature can have immense health benefits.

Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life. — JOHN MUIR

PHILOSOPHY #

THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE

Brimming with insight on to pursue an intellectual vocation

A vocation is not fulfilled by vague reading and a few scattered writings - A. D. Sertillanges

PRODUCTIVITY #

7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE

The habit that can change the world…. Seek First to Understand"

Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. - Stephen Covey

12 WEEK YEAR

To accomplish everything, Time Blocking is necessary

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but an habit - Aristotle

ATOMIC HABITS

Become 1% better each day.

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there. - James Clear

BUILDING A SECOND BRAIN

Structure and order to your knowledge will assist in the convergence of ideas

verum ipsum factum (We Only Know what we make) - Vico

DEEP WORK

To thrive in a distracting world, you must be able to focus deeply more than ever

Who you are, What you Think, Feel and do, is the sum of what you focus on - Winifred Gallaghe

HOW TO SOLVE IT

Planning is a Crucial step to solve any problem

Analogy pervades all our thinking, - George Pólya

ORIGINALS

Being original means to do something out of the ordinary

Becoming Original is not the easiest path in the pursuit of happiness but it leaves us perfectly poised for the happiness of pursuit - Adam Grant

SMART BREVEITY

Why It Matters -> Say more with less

The first sentence is your one—and likely only—chance to tell someone what they need to know and convince them not to move on. -  Jim Vandehei

WHEN

Nappuccinos are a game changer

Elite performers have something in common: They’re really good at taking breaks - Daniel Pink

SCIENCE #

QUANTUM SUPREMACY

Q-Day is coming. Are you ready?

Why are quantum computers so powerful? he asks. Because the electrons are simultaneously calculating in parallel universes. They are interacting and interfering with each other via entanglement. So they can quickly outrace a traditional computer that computes in only one universe. - Michio Kau

SOCIAL SCIENCE #

ASSHOLES

Understanding one’s perspective is a better tactic to confront a jerk

Assholes are a given fact of life. They are a fact of life we must somehow make peace with if we are to be at peace with life itself. - Aaron James

F YOU VERY MUCH

Politeness is the cure for rudeness.

Rudeness is a form of rebellion that we must rebel against - Danny Wallace

TRIBE

We all need the same thing in life; something to fight for and a sense of belonging

When people are actively engaged in a cause their lives have more purpose… with a resulting improvement in mental health. - Sebastian Junger