Co-founder of Microsoft and of the Gates Foundation. Writes Gates Notes on global health, energy and climate, and on whatever they have been reading.

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  A Promised Land

  Their words

  A Promised Land is a refreshingly honest book.

  gatesnotes.com

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  The Overstory

  Their words

  On the contrary, I loved following Powers’ characters as they became more and more passionate about their love for trees.

  gatesnotes.com

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  Under a White Sky

  Their words

  Despite these reservations, I still recommend reading Under a White Sky.

  gatesnotes.com

Co-founder and partner at Union Square Ventures in New York. Has written the AVC blog almost every day since 2003, on venture capital, startups, music and crypto.

• Likedrcmnd.app

  Startup CXO

  Their words

  It is the kind of book you will keep by your desk and pull out from time to time to figure out how to approach an issue or to help one of your senior leaders figure out how to do that.

  avc.com

Software engineer; co-founder and former CTO of Tailscale, previously on the Go team at Google.

• Usestheir ownrcmnd.app

  Tailscale

  Their words

  All the sockets between my computers are over Tailscale, so whenever I grab the laptop and leave the house, the connections to my VMs and NAS remain stable.

  usesthis.com

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Vim

  Their words

  For writing software I full-screen a terminal and use Vim. Ctrl+Z for a shell.

  usesthis.com

• Mixed onrcmnd.app

  VS Code

  Their words

  Every now and again I go searching for a replacement IDE. VSCode came closer than anything else in the last two decades to replacing Vim, but somehow I am back here.

  usesthis.com

American backpacking guide, writer and endurance athlete who has hiked more than 30,000 miles; author of The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide and publisher of gear reviews and trip-planning tutorials at andrewskurka.com.

• Likedaffiliate linkrcmnd.app

  Somewear Global Hotspot

  Their words

  Conclusion: If you expect to regularly carry the device but not a smartphone, which is the case with very few people, the inReach is the better option. Otherwise, the Somewear is more attractive: its seamless messaging and cost-savings more than offset the 0.5-ounce weight penalty and its slightly larger size.

  andrewskurka.com

• Recommendsaffiliate linkrcmnd.app

  Gaia GPS

  Their words

  And for your mapping, I highly recommend instead the Gaia GPS or CalTopo apps.

  andrewskurka.com

Economic historian writing on the Industrial Revolution, the Great Divergence and the origins of modern growth.

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective

  Their words

  The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective is the best book on the country’s adoption of sustained economic growth at the turn of the nineteenth century, full stop.

  blog.daviskedrosky.com

Obesity researcher; wrote The Hungry Brain, on why the brain overeats, and reviews nutrition evidence.

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Publishing a standing list of your own mistakes, and correcting them, is part of doing science honestly.

  Their words

  I make mistakes, and acknowledging and correcting them is an important part of how I grow.

  Mistakes page for The Hungry Brainstephanguyenet.com

Co-founder and partner at Union Square Ventures in New York. Has written the AVC blog almost every day since 2003, on venture capital, startups, music and crypto.

• Likedrcmnd.app

  The New Builders

  Their words

  My friend Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride have written an important book about the changing face of entrepreneurship in the US.

  avc.com

Co-founder of Y Combinator and Viaweb; essayist at paulgraham.com.

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  The Copernican Revolution

  Their words

  but I also recommend his Copernican Revolution

  paulgraham.com

Founded CD Baby in 1998 and sold it in 2008, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. Since then a writer and speaker: five books and 550+ articles, published first at sive.rs, which they hand-code and keep free of advertising.

• Likedrcmnd.app

  Getting Things Done

  Their words

  Classic book with near-cult following. How to manage every last itty bitty tiny thing in your life. Keep your inbox empty. Re-read 16 years later. Still great.

  sive.rs

Writer and illustrator behind Wait But Why, a long-form blog of stick-figure-illustrated explainers on science, technology and society, and author of the book What's Our Problem?

From one piece Mailbag #2 3 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Watching a film for the first time is exciting because part of the brain immerses itself in the plot as if experiencing it firsthand.

  Their words

  Many films are the most fun the first time because a part of our brains loses itself in the plot and actually experiences what the characters are experiencing, to an extent.

  Mailbag #2waitbutwhy.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  People should feel free to enjoy art they love regardless of the artist's personal failings or beliefs.

  Their words

  I think in most cases, we should feel fine loving the art we love, regardless of who the artist is, what they did, or what they believed.

  Mailbag #2waitbutwhy.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Extending the human lifespan past its natural ceiling will require deep genetic engineering, not just better healthcare.

  Their words

  Clearly something other than the current type of healthcare advances will be needed to crack through the natural human lifespan ceiling-it'll take some deeper recoding of the human genome.

  Mailbag #2waitbutwhy.com

Writer and illustrator behind Wait But Why, a long-form blog of stick-figure-illustrated explainers on science, technology and society, and author of the book What's Our Problem?

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  Hardcore History

  Their words

  Currently hooked on Dan Carlin's Hardcore History . 100 people recommended it to me and I kept putting it off and finally listened to the 6-part WWI series and that was that for me.

  waitbutwhy.com

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Gravity Blanket

  Their words

  But Instagram has gotten pretty good at it and now I own a gravity blanket , a moon pod , stretchy jeans , a great hoodie , and like 19 fidget toys and physics toys and other stupid things that make me happy .

  waitbutwhy.com

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Moon Pod

  Their words

  But Instagram has gotten pretty good at it and now I own a gravity blanket , a moon pod , stretchy jeans , a great hoodie , and like 19 fidget toys and physics toys and other stupid things that make me happy .

  waitbutwhy.com

Aeronautical engineer and former fighter pilot; analyses aircraft design and airline economics at Leeham News.

From one piece Bjorn’s Corner: The challenges of hydrogen. Part 31. Wrap-up: Where we stand 3 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Sustainable aviation fuel cannot be scaled to the size of the fleet, because its feedstock competes with growing food.

  Their words

  There won’t be enough of it for the 25,000 planes flying each day, the feedstock will compete with food production.

  leehamnews.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  A hybrid-electric airliner ends up heavier and more complex than the aircraft it replaces and delivers no fuel saving at all.

  Their words

  Now you have a carbon fuel burning aircraft that is more complex and heavier than the plane that it replaces, and if you do your sums carefully, you find that there are no fuel efficiency gains and, therefore, no environmental gains.

  leehamnews.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Battery-electric airliners do not work even on optimistic assumptions, and the arithmetic said so before anyone built one.

  Their words

  Having done the sums before hitting the keys, I was a skeptic. It just didn’t work, even with optimistic assumptions around the parameters for the aircraft and its batteries.

  leehamnews.com

Founded CD Baby in 1998 and sold it in 2008, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. Since then a writer and speaker: five books and 550+ articles, published first at sive.rs, which they hand-code and keep free of advertising.

• Likedrcmnd.app

  Several Short Sentences About Writing

  Their words

  The 2nd-best and most-radical book about great writing. It tells you to focus entirely on the sentence, an approach that was already my favorite, which is why I bought this book. It recommends you boldly eliminate transitions and conjunctions, split compound sentences, don't save your point for the end, and revise by deleting. This is the first book I've seen printed as one sentence per line —…

  sive.rs

Co-founder of AngelList. Writes and podcasts at nav.al in short, aphoristic pieces on startups, wealth and judgement rather than long essays.

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  The Beginning of Infinity

  Their words

  I’m currently stuck in a loop where, at least in science, I’m only going to read The Beginning of Infinity and The Fabric of Reality over and over again until I understand them fully.

  nav.al

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  The Fabric of Reality

  Their words

  I’m currently stuck in a loop where, at least in science, I’m only going to read The Beginning of Infinity and The Fabric of Reality over and over again until I understand them fully.

  nav.al

Economic historian writing on the Industrial Revolution, the Great Divergence and the origins of modern growth.

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Feedly

  Their words

  I use Feedly to follow most of the usual economics blogs, as well as dozen or so journals

  blog.daviskedrosky.com

Singaporean writer and author of FRIENDLY AMBITIOUS NERD; blogs at visakanv.com about ambition, writing and thinking in public.

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  Understanding Comics

  Their words

  Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud: I believe I first saw this book being recommended highly by Bret Victor aka worrydream. I think I then encountered a few screenshots of it on the Internet that made me really like it. It's very worth reading even if you don't really care all that much about comics.

  visakanv.com

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  Masters of Doom

  Their words

  I was really excited when a friend sent me this book, because it gets right into the details of the history and production of these games that meant so much to me.

  visakanv.com

• Likedrcmnd.app

  The Nasty Bits

  Their words

  The Nasty Bits, by Anthony Bourdain. I read this book not too long before Anthony Bourdain died. I remember really enjoying his voice, his style, his sense of flair.

  visakanv.com

American author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything Is F*cked. Writes essays and book reviews at markmanson.net.

• Recommendsaffiliate linkrcmnd.app

  Shoe Dog

  Their words

  A must-read for anyone who wants to start a business, has started a business, wishes they started a business or has ever thought about starting a business.

  markmanson.net

• Mixed onaffiliate linkrcmnd.app

  Why We Sleep

  Their words

  A flawed but really useful book. Some of the data here is exaggerated, it appears.

  markmanson.net

• Recommendsaffiliate linkrcmnd.app

  Greenlights

  Their words

  I was impressed with the depth and insight in this memoir. I hate to say it, but you rarely expect much from celebrity books. This one delivered though.

  markmanson.net

Economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury. Author of Slouching Towards Utopia and writer of the Grasping Reality newsletter.

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  Freedom from the Market

  Their words

  Mike Konczal of the Roosevelt Institute has a wonderful new book: Freedom from the Market

  braddelong.substack.com

Co-founder of AngelList. Writes and podcasts at nav.al in short, aphoristic pieces on startups, wealth and judgement rather than long essays.

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  Direct Truth

  Their words

  It moves around. Keep coming back to I Am That, Direct Truth, Vasistha's Yoga, Jed McKenna, and Ashtavakra Gita.

  x.com

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  Vasistha's Yoga

  Their words

  It moves around. Keep coming back to I Am That, Direct Truth, Vasistha's Yoga, Jed McKenna, and Ashtavakra Gita.

  x.com

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  Ashtavakra Gita

  Their words

  It moves around. Keep coming back to I Am That, Direct Truth, Vasistha's Yoga, Jed McKenna, and Ashtavakra Gita.

  x.com

Technical educator, conference speaker and developer relations engineer based in Ottawa, Canada. Author of the Anubis bot filter and of over 400 articles at xeiaso.net.

• Mixed onrcmnd.app

  MacBook Air (M1)

  Their words

  This is an amazing laptop. Its battery life is iPad tier. I can run iPad and iPhone apps seamlessly.

  xeiaso.net

Essayist; writes Astral Codex Ten, previously Slate Star Codex.

• Our readingkorrents.com

  If negative emotion comes from underweighting sensory evidence, that explains EMDR: it forces high-precision attention onto something the mind usually represses.

  EMDRPsychotherapy

  Their words

  First, it justifies various psychotherapies - EMDR and coherence therapy seem to come out especially well here - that focus on trying to get the brain to pay unusually precise attention, under unusually safe conditions, to something it usually represses.

  The Precision Of Sensory Evidenceastralcodexten.com

Co-founder of Y Combinator and Viaweb; essayist at paulgraham.com.

• Likedrcmnd.app

  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

  Their words

  AI was in the air in the mid 1980s, but there were two things especially that made me want to work on it: a novel by Heinlein called The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

  paulgraham.com

Obesity researcher; wrote The Hungry Brain, on why the brain overeats, and reviews nutrition evidence.

From one piece Does energy imbalance (calories in > out) cause obesity? 4 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Body fat is biologically regulated, so losing weight provokes a starvation response that pushes the weight back on.

  Their words

  This is a phenomenon I call the “starvation response”, and it happens because body fat mass is biologically regulated.

  stephanguyenet.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Insulin levels do not predict who gains weight in ordinary life, which is hard to square with insulin being the primary cause of obesity.

  Their words

  In people living their normal lives, circulating insulin level, and the insulin response to carbohydrate, don’t reliably predict who will gain weight and who won’t.

  stephanguyenet.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  The brain, not insulin or fat tissue, is what ultimately controls the energy balance equation.

  energy

  Their words

  However, whichever side of the energy balance equation is giving orders, the brain appears to be the commander-in-chief of the equation as a whole.

  stephanguyenet.com

Makes Asianometry, video essays on the history and economics of semiconductors and East Asian industry.

From one piece How TSMC Might Spend $28 Billion 3 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  TSMC raises capital spending when it believes a wave of demand is coming, rather than after the demand has arrived.

  Their words

  I think TSMC thinks a fat pitch is coming.

  How TSMC Might Spend $28 Billionasianometry.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  TSMC's real advantage over its foundry rivals is that it can outspend them, not that it is technically ahead.

  Their words

  Unlike Chartered and SMIC, they have the power of the purse and they leverage it like few other companies can.

  How TSMC Might Spend $28 Billionasianometry.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  TSMC's 2021 capital spending was far larger than the industry expected, and the size of the jump was the news rather than the profit.

  Their words

  Well, this $20 billion in retrospect was far too little.

  How TSMC Might Spend $28 Billionasianometry.com

Technology writer and podcaster; former Macworld editor-in-chief, writes Six Colors and hosts podcasts on Relay FM and The Incomparable.

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Audio Hijack

  Their words

  I record all my podcasts using Audio Hijack.

  usesthis.com

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  Ferrite Recording Studio

  Their words

  On the iPad, I write using 1Writer or Drafts, and edit podcasts using the Apple Pencil and Ferrite Recording Studio, which is the best podcast editing app I've found on any platform.

  usesthis.com

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  Uplift V2

  Their words

  I recently bought a new desk, the Uplift V2, with a reclaimed wood desktop, and I love it.

  usesthis.com

Founder and president of the Roots of Progress Institute; writes the history and philosophy of progress, after a career as a software engineering manager and founder.

• Our reading nowkorrents.com

  The case for a technological slowdown since about 1970 is not convincing.

  On changing their mind

  When I first heard the stagnation hypothesis, I was skeptical. The arguments weren’t convincing to me.

Founder and president of the Roots of Progress Institute; writes the history and philosophy of progress, after a career as a software engineering manager and founder.

From one piece Technological stagnation 2 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Stagnation does not mean no progress; it means progress slower than the late 1800s to mid-1900s peak.

  Their words

  Stagnation just means slower progress. And not even slower than that pre-industrial era, but slower than, roughly, the late 1800s to mid-1900s, when growth rates are said to have peaked.

  Technological stagnationrootsofprogress.org

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Progress used to run in several industries at once and now runs in one, which is what the slowdown actually consists of.

  Their words

  It’s that we went from five simultaneous technology revolutions to one.

  Technological stagnationrootsofprogress.org

Writer and consultant on formal methods and software correctness; author of Practical TLA+ and Logic for Programmers.

From one piece We Are Not Special 5 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Because software is the cheapest part of a system to change, other disciplines lean on it to paper over their own physical problems, and that reliance has killed people.

  Their words

  Rather than fix a trad issue with trad engineering, Boeing opted for the software kludge, and then people died.

  We Are Not Specialhillelwayne.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  The one uncontested difference between software and other engineering is velocity: changing software costs seconds where changing a physical system costs weeks and thousands of dollars.

  Their words

  We can change software much faster than anybody else can change their systems.

  We Are Not Specialhillelwayne.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Software's real advantage over physical engineering is consistency: a component does what it is specified to do every time, while physical materials only fall within a tolerance.

  Their words

  Software is far more consistent than any other kind of engineering.

  We Are Not Specialhillelwayne.com

Writes Nintil, long researched essays on metascience, biology, economics and whatever he has decided to read the literature on.

From one piece Fund people, not projects IV: Scientific egalitarianism and lotteries 3 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  The cost of grant peer review is dominated by the time researchers spend writing applications, not by the reviewing itself.

  Their words

  The cost of peer review is largely dominated by applying for grants, not peer reviewing.

  nintil.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Reviewers can tell the obviously good from the obviously bad, but there is a messy middle where they cannot tell at all.

  Their words

  The way I see this is that reviewers can identify what's obviously not great and what is obviously great (Perhaps identifying the latter is easier than the former). But there is a "messy middle" where it is unclear what to fund.

  nintil.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Pre-grant peer review predicts which research will have impact substantially better than chance does.

  Their words

  I have reviewed before the effectiveness of peer review at figuring out "what's good" in the context of grant awards, finding that peer review as currently practiced does substantially better than chance at predicting future impact, especially for the most impactful of the papers; but at the same time is is far from perfect, leaving plenty of variance unexplained.

  nintil.com

Co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management; author of the Oaktree memos.

From one piece Something of Value (memo to Oaktree clients) 3 beliefs · oaktreecapital.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Readily measurable indicators of cheapness are no longer sufficient on their own to produce a sustainable investing edge.

  value investing

  Their words

  Not only are the traditional staples of classic value investing (readily discernable quantitative measures of cheapness in the here-and-now) no longer likely to produce a sustainable edge on their own, but the world has gotten more complex, with many more dynamics that can drive a decoupling of near-term metrics from valuation, both to the positive and negative.

  Something of Value (memo to Oaktree clients)oaktreecapital.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  The value-versus-growth distinction does not serve investors well in a fast-changing world.

  Their words

  My extensive discussions with Andrew led me to conclude that the focus on value versus growth doesn’t serve investors well in the fast-changing world in which we live.

  Something of Value (memo to Oaktree clients)oaktreecapital.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Value investing should mean buying whatever offers the better value proposition on all factors, not buying one side of the value/growth divide.

  value investing

  Their words

  Rather than being defined as one side of this artificial dichotomy, value investing should instead consist of buying whatever represents a better value proposition, taking all factors into account.

  Something of Value (memo to Oaktree clients)oaktreecapital.com

Makes Asianometry, video essays on the history and economics of semiconductors and East Asian industry.

From one piece TSMC, Briefly Explained 2 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Only TSMC, Intel and Samsung can still manufacture at the leading edge, and that is a duopoly rather than a monopoly.

  Their words

  This leaves just TSMC, Intel, and Samsung Foundry as the last competitors in the industry capable of doing work at the leading edge.

  TSMC, Briefly Explainedasianometry.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Rising cost, not lost skill, is what drove all but three firms out of leading-edge chip manufacturing.

  Their words

  But over time things got more and more expensive and people started dropping out.

  TSMC, Briefly Explainedasianometry.com

Writes Nintil, long researched essays on metascience, biology, economics and whatever he has decided to read the literature on.

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Good scientists can be shortlisted from their publication record, leaving human reviewers only the job of choosing among them.

  Their words

  This is a fortunate conclusion, because it means that it's possible to use bibliometrics to select a candidate set of sufficiently good scientists, and then use human reviewers to select among them.

  nintil.com

Co-founder, chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management. Hosts the Masters in Business podcast for Bloomberg and wrote How NOT to Invest.

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

  Their words

  This was my holiday gift this year to a few friends who I know love to cook.

  ritholtz.com

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  Open: An Autobiography

  Their words

  It is rare that a sports book captures my attention, rarer still when a sports autobiography does. But “Open” delivers a compelling life story superbly told by an athlete. Desire, motivation, and competitive drive him to the the highest levels of professional tennis, but he loses his interest, and was so often unhappy, confused and unfulfilled by his achievements. As an autobiography, it is bluntly honest, sometimes painful, but most of all a fascinating compelling read.

  ritholtz.com

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life

  Their words

  His tales of Coach Fitz, what leadership truly is, and how the world has changed makes for a wonderful read. Oh, and its Michael Lewis.

  ritholtz.com

Programmer, teacher and speaker; long-time Microsoft developer-community figure, host of the Hanselminutes podcast and author of the hanselman.com blog.

• Likedrcmnd.app

  Markdown Monster

  Their words

  While I love VSCode, Markdown Monster does one thing incredibly well. Markdown.

  hanselman.com

• Likedrcmnd.app

  Fiddler

  Their words

  Fiddler - The easy, clean, and powerful debugging proxy for checking out HTTP between here and there. It even supports sniffing SSL traffic.

  hanselman.com

• Likedrcmnd.app

  Ditto Clipboard Manager

  Their words

  WindowsKey+V is amazing and close but Ditto keeps pushing clipboard management forward on Windows.

  hanselman.com

Co-founder of Microsoft and of the Gates Foundation. Writes Gates Notes on global health, energy and climate, and on whatever they have been reading.

• Likedrcmnd.app

  Range

  Their words

  I learned this from reading a good, myth-debunking book called Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.

  gatesnotes.com

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  The Spy and the Traitor

  Their words

  The book is every bit as exciting as my favorite spy novels.

  gatesnotes.com

Designer, illustrator and CSS developer known for single-div CSS illustrations, a yearly portfolio redesign, and a set of single-topic side-project sites.

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Kap

  Their words

  Other software I use to build stuff includes Netlify for hosting, GitHub for version control and collaboration, SVGO and TinyPNG for optimization, Kap for screen recording, GoatCounter for analytics, and Chrome and Firefox dev tools.

  usesthis.com

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Talky

  Their words

  For communication, I use Slack for work and community text chat, Talky for video calls, DropBox Paper for writing, Trello for task management, and regular old texts and phone calls for chatting with family.

  usesthis.com

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Trello

  Their words

  For communication, I use Slack for work and community text chat, Talky for video calls, DropBox Paper for writing, Trello for task management, and regular old texts and phone calls for chatting with family.

  usesthis.com

Professor at Carnegie Mellon working on self-driving-car safety; writes Safe Autonomy on how autonomous vehicles are and are not shown to be safe.

From one piece Number of miles as a self-driving car progress and safety metric (Metrics Episode 1) 3 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Nobody can drive the billions of representative miles that would prove a self-driving system safe before deploying it, so deployment always precedes proof.

  self-driving cars

  Their words

  But nobody will ever get to the billions of representative miles necessary to say anything compelling about expected safety until after they actually deploy their fleet.

  safeautonomy.blogspot.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Every mile of public-road testing adds risk, so each one has to earn its keep.

  Their words

  Even if you have the best possible safety drivers, every test mile adds some risk. Hopefully that risk is no worse than human driver vehicle risks, but that’s a different discussion.

  safeautonomy.blogspot.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Miles driven measures how well funded a self-driving company is, not how safe it is or how far ahead.

  self-driving cars

  Their words

  But having a ton of miles doesn’t mean you’re ahead, it just means you’re well-funded and you’re out there operating.

  safeautonomy.blogspot.com

Writer and novelist. Publishes essays and book notes at nateliason.com; author of the novel Husk and of Crypto Confidential.

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  Antifragile

  Their words

  The book that’s had one of the greatest influences on my thinking. If you enjoy the content on this site, you’ll love Antifragile.

  nateliason.com

Free software developer; maintainer of sway, wlroots, aerc and scdoc, and founder of the SourceHut (sr.ht) software forge.

From one piece A few ways to make money in FOSS 2 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Venture capital is the wrong money for an open source business, because its constraints make it hard to stay true to the mission.

  open sourcestartups

  Their words

  The fast route — venture capital funded — is going to impose constraints on your business that will ultimately make it difficult to remain true to your open-source mission.

  A few ways to make money in FOSSdrewdevault.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Making a living from your own open source means running it as a business and acquiring business skills, not waiting to be funded.

  open source

  Their words

  And yes, you are building a business. You need to start thinking of your project as a business and of yourself as a business owner.

  A few ways to make money in FOSSdrewdevault.com

Technical educator, conference speaker and developer relations engineer based in Ottawa, Canada. Author of the Anubis bot filter and of over 400 articles at xeiaso.net.

• Likedrcmnd.app

  ZSA Moonlander

  Their words

  I like the Moonlander. It gets out of my way and lets me focus on writing and code.

  xeiaso.net

Founder and CEO of Get Lighthouse, a management-coaching software company, and previously a product lead at KISSmetrics. Writes about leadership, management and product at jasonevanish.com.

• Likedaffiliate linkrcmnd.app

  Not Caring What Other People Think is a SuperPower

  Their words

  I follow Ed Latimore on twitter. He writes a lot of interest things there, so I was curious to pick up his book to see what he'd say in a longer form. This book is like getting beers and talking life with Ed for about 5-6 hours. Lots of truisms and life lessons that should resonate in the world we live in today. It's no Earth-shattering, but it is a great way to get more good ideas in your head.

  jasonevanish.com

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  Bossypants

  Their words

  Not only is Tina Fey a very funny writer, it's fascinating to have the opportunity to climb inside the head of a successful female leader. Reading the internal drama within Tina's head as she thought about whether she wanted a second child while considering how it would affect the 100+ employees that worked for her on 30 Rock was priceless. As a manager, it gives me an understanding and level of empathy I wouldn't have had otherwise.

  jasonevanish.com

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  Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

  Their words

  A lot of people have raved about this book in Silicon Valley, so I wanted to see what it was all about. It's a great interpretation of the history of man. Unfortunately, it has about 10% of the citations it deserves for the subject matter. I found it a really interesting set of ideas for how to think about how we evolved. I felt there was some inaccuracies, but appreciate having the perspective of an expert.

  jasonevanish.com

Creator and editor of BladeReviews.com, a pocket knife and EDC tool review site he founded in 2010 and wrote single-handedly for its first five years.

• Recommendsaffiliate linkrcmnd.app

  Silky Pocketboy

  Their words

  I like the Pocketboy and it's staying in my bike bag for the long haul. Recommended for people who need a small high-performance folding saw to cut through whatever is in your way.

  bladereviews.com

American senior staff engineer working on developer and user experience and open source; writes at adamdehaven.com.

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Nomad Goods Card Wallet Plus

  Their words

  Nomad Goods Card Wallet Plus - A slim leather wallet for cards and folded cash.

  adamdehaven.com

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  Benchmade Mini Griptilian

  Their words

  Benchmade Mini Griptilian - There's always a use for a reliable knife. A bonus in going with Benchmade: they will sharpen and clean your knife for free for life; just mail it in.

  adamdehaven.com

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  Stowa Flieger Classic 40

  Their words

  Stowa Flieger Classic 40 - When I'm not wearing my Apple Watch, this classic Pilot watch is on my wrist. Sapphire crystal, blued steel hands, and a date window at the 6 o'clock position. Perfect.

  adamdehaven.com

Software developer and entrepreneur; co-founder of Heroku, author of The Twelve-Factor App, and a researcher at Ink & Switch.

From one piece making computers better 2 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  The tech industry's economic and intellectual energy is directed away from human flourishing rather than toward it

  energy

  Their words

  The economic and intellectual horsepower in Silicon Valley and the wider tech world seems to be pointed away from these goals.

  making computers betteradamwiggins.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  The Information Age could be a species-level shift comparable to the Industrial Revolution

  Their words

  I find it plausible that the Information Age will be a species-level shift on par with the Industrial Revolution.

  making computers betteradamwiggins.com

Member of technical staff at Anthropic. He has led ML/AI teams at Amazon, Alibaba and Lazada, and writes about LLMs, recommender systems and engineering at eugeneyan.com.

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Bear

  Their words

  For those, I use the free version of Bear

  eugeneyan.com

• Recommendsrcmnd.app

  MacDown

  Their words

  For a free Markdown editor (on Mac), I can't recommend MacDown highly enough. It has a simple interface with an editor and preview pane and it just works.

  eugeneyan.com

• Usesrcmnd.app

  Kindle

  Their words

  To read books, I use the Kindle.

  eugeneyan.com

Founder and president of the Roots of Progress Institute; writes the history and philosophy of progress, after a career as a software engineering manager and founder.

From one piece Progress: Fluke or trend? 3 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Progress is not natural or automatic: it happens only while people believe it is possible and desirable, and it can stop.

  Their words

  Progress isn’t natural; we make it happen through choice and effort, and we only do so when we believe it is possible and desirable.

  Progress: Fluke or trend?rootsofprogress.org

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Progress is not driven mainly by material resources, so running out of them is not what would stop it.

  Their words

  I don’t think progress is primarily driven by material resources.

  Progress: Fluke or trend?rootsofprogress.org

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Two centuries of progress were a trend with real causes rather than a fluke, and can continue far into the future.

  Their words

  A foundational conviction of this project is that progress is a trend with definite, substantive causes, and that it can continue far, far into the future.

  Progress: Fluke or trend?rootsofprogress.org

Polyglot and language coach; teaches translating back and forth from a text as the core exercise.

• Our reading nowkorrents.com

  His bidirectional translation method applies to every language he sets out to learn.

  On changing their mind

  When I first developed my Bidirectional Translation method, I applied it to each and every language I decided to learn.

Polyglot and language coach; teaches translating back and forth from a text as the core exercise.

From one piece The Only True Way to Learn a Language 4 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  People persist with the method they enjoy rather than the one that is supposed to be best, and that is what decides the outcome.

  Their words

  In general, people will stick with the learning strategy that they like best, not the one that everyone says is best.

  The Only True Way to Learn a Languagelucalampariello.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  A method you hate will end in burnout however well it works for other people, so it should be abandoned rather than endured.

  Their words

  For your health and sanity, do not force yourself to learn a language using a method you hate, no matter how good other people say it is. Trying to do so will only lead to disappointment, and ultimately burnout.

  The Only True Way to Learn a Languagelucalampariello.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  There is no best method in general, but there is a best method for each particular learner, and finding it is the work.

  Their words

  While there is no absolute best and fastest way to learn a language, there definitely is a best and fastest way FOR YOU, personally, to learn a language. A method that is tailored to your likes and dislikes, your learning style, and your schedule.

  The Only True Way to Learn a Languagelucalampariello.com

Working on @ampcode. Writing registerspill.thorstenball.com. Once authored interpreterbook.com and compilerbook.com.

• Our readingkorrents.com

  A small amount of obscure code that almost no one understands or knows about is critical infrastructure, and removing it would cause widespread system failure.

  Their words

  Others are the golden threads of this world, holding it together at the seams with no more than a dozen people knowing about it. Remove one of these and it all comes crashing down.

  How can you not be romantic about programming?thorstenball.com

Writer and novelist. Publishes essays and book notes at nateliason.com; author of the novel Husk and of Crypto Confidential.

• Lovedrcmnd.app

  Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

  Their words

  Such an incredible book on becoming a better chef, with little tricks and methods I use almost every day now. Plus the recipes in the back are delicious!

  nateliason.com

Working on @ampcode. Writing registerspill.thorstenball.com. Once authored interpreterbook.com and compilerbook.com.

From one piece No, typing can be the bottleneck 2 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Discomfort or effort in typing that makes someone avoid writing things down is a genuine bottleneck that should be fixed, not dismissed.

  Their words

  If you're not comfortable typing a lot and you'd rather not write something down then typing is the bottleneck and you need to fix it. Typing is not something you should need to think about.

  No, typing can be the bottleneckthorstenball.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  The effort typing requires, not raw typing speed, is what determines whether it becomes a real obstacle to writing.

  Their words

  It doesn't matter if you can type 90 words per minutes or 130, but if it takes you effort to type something and, if given the choice, you'd rather not do it, then we have a problem.

  No, typing can be the bottleneckthorstenball.com

Photographer and writer based in Malaysia who publishes long-form camera, lens and photography-book reviews, essays and photoessays at blog.mingthein.com.

From one piece Full circle 3 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Planned creative work is limited by one's means and imagination, while serendipitous work is unbounded by chance and the subconscious.

  Their words

  Planned images are limited by one's means and imagination. Serendipitous ones are unlimited by chance and one's subconscious.

  Full circleblog.mingthein.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Creative work should feel liberating and produce order and beauty from incoherent parts.

  Their words

  Anything creative (except perhaps accounting) should come with a sense of liberation and the satisfaction of having made order and beauty out of incoherent parts.

  Full circleblog.mingthein.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  The best position for a photographer is as an amateur, free from client expectations.

  Their words

  the very best position to be in as a photographer is an amateur: a person who engages in the activity for the love of it, without the constraints of shooting to a client's expectation

  Full circleblog.mingthein.com

Working on @ampcode. Writing registerspill.thorstenball.com. Once authored interpreterbook.com and compilerbook.com.

From one piece But does it help you ship? 2 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Building automation that doesn't address the actual bottleneck to shipping adds noise rather than helping ship.

  Their words

  If what's holding you back from shipping is, say, getting more customer input, or a brittle release process, or flaky monitoring, or missing tests, then all the bot does is to add noise. It doesn't help you ship.

  But does it help you ship?thorstenball.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Automated tooling that works nearly all the time still imposes an ongoing maintenance cost, because it breaks unpredictably at the edges.

  Their words

  Another thing that needs to be fixed when it ultimately breaks down, another bit of automation that works 99% of the time, but starts making funny noises when you slip into the 1%

  But does it help you ship?thorstenball.com

Photographer and writer based in Malaysia who publishes long-form camera, lens and photography-book reviews, essays and photoessays at blog.mingthein.com.

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Books are almost always better than their film adaptations.

  Their words

  I suppose in a nutshell it is also why the book is almost always better than the movie...

  Photoessay: Ambiguity, part Iblog.mingthein.com

Sociologist and founder of Bismarck Analysis; writes on live players, institutional decay and why societies lose knowledge.

From one piece Why Civilizations Collapse 4 beliefs, in the piece's order there

• Our readingkorrents.com

  We behave as though we already live in a scientifically planned society that cannot collapse on any timescale worth worrying about.

  Their words

  We act as if we are already living in a scientifically-planned society, immune to collapse on a time scale that any of us have to worry about.

  Why Civilizations Collapsesamoburja.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  In a dysfunctional society the loss of working knowledge becomes routine, and attempts to reverse-engineer what was lost do not always succeed.

  Their words

  That knowledge never should have been lost in the first place, but in a dysfunctional society, such loss of knowledge becomes the rule.

  Why Civilizations Collapsesamoburja.com

• Our readingkorrents.com

  Societies rarely recognise their own collapse while it is happening: Roman and Mayan thinkers left almost no reflection on theirs.

  Their words

  Despite being an excellent epistemic opportunity, civilizational collapse seldom inspires introspection among thinkers living through it. Mayan or Roman thinkers don’t seem to have reflected on their ongoing collapse.

  Why Civilizations Collapsesamoburja.com