2021 November. In a hurry.
Another busy month. Even with some effort to get some time for myself, I'm still busy and in a hurry.
Books I'm reading #
- Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems by Martin Kleppmann. I'm at chapter 9 with a cadence of a chapter per week. It's a great read, but not an easy one. Still recommend you give it a try.
Books I've read #
- Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S.A. Corey. The final book of the series. I highly recommend it.
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. If you liked The Martian, you will probably like this one. I can recommend it.
- Król by Szczepan Twardoch. This one is by a Polish author, but there seem to be some translations. I have a hard time rating this book. I'm not a fan of the author's style, but the plot, politics, and culture were fascinating. It's also one of those books you have to read cover to cover to get it, so I would say stick to it if you started it.
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer. I bought it because of the title, and it has some good ideas, but it has a little too much Christianity and not enough practical action items for me. It seems like a good intro to minimalism and more present living for Christians. For more helpful advice, you may look elsewhere. But, it's perfect for what's it's trying to do, and I appreciated how well it's written.
- Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life by Jim Benson, Tonianne DeMaria Barry. It's an introduction to Kanban for your work and personal life. I'm not sure I've picked much from the book, but your mileage may vary.
Elsewhere on the Web #
Chesterton's Fence: A Lesson in Second-Order Thinking
A core component of making great decisions is understanding the rationale behind previous decisions. If we don't understand how we got "here," we run the risk of making things much worse.
"I just sit in my office and read all day." - Warren Buffett
But, this article is how it is far from the full story of Warred Buffett's success. Worth reading.
As we chatted, she casually mentioned an interesting development they'd noticed at the clinic. A few years earlier, seemingly all at once, the number of students they served significantly increased. Even more curious, the students all seemed to be suffering from the same cluster of previously-rare anxiety-related issues.
I asked her what she thought explained this change.
She responded without hesitation: "smartphones."
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