Insights on technology, productivity, programming, and good reads.
This year, I read extensively (see the full list here). Below are the most impactful insights from 12 books that fundamentally changed how I see myself and the world. Some require context, but the core message speaks for itself. 1. Simple Rules – Donald Sull“The one-movie-per-month rule worked because, like all time-pacing rules, it gave […]
We’re drowning in data and starving for insight.
We wear complexity like a badge of honor. Fifty-slide decks. Hundreds of KPIs. Intricate org charts. We think this proves we’re sophisticated.
But complexity is often where confused strategies hide.
The Universe’s Lesson
E = mc². Three letters, one number, one operator. It explains energy and matter—from stars to reactors.
F = ma. This equation built bridges and sent us to the moon.
They’re powerful because of their simplicity, not despite it.
Kristen Cox and Yishai Ashlag wrote *The World of Decorating the Fish* because they kept seeing smart organizations investing massive resources into initiatives that produced marginal improvements. Busy teams. Impressive presentations. Negligible results.
Their central metaphor is perfect: we’re decorating raw fish instead of cooking it. We’re making things *look* better without making them *be* better.
**Are You Decorating?**
If you respond with “it’s complicated,” you’re decorating.
This year’s reading explores human behavior, societal structures, and personal effectiveness. Insights challenge us to rethink motivation (Drive, Flow) & irrationality (Predictably Irrational), while exposing hidden systems of power (Caste, The World is Flat).
I couldn’t look away from the Titan documentary. As someone who’s built teams and pushed boundaries, watching Stockton Rush felt uncomfortably familiar—the drive, impatience with bureaucracy, absolute conviction you’re revolutionizing an industry. But Rush crossed a line that cost five lives, showing how passion can become perilous.
The next time you see a leader who is calm, steady, and quietly resilient, give them the ultimate compliment: call them a donkey. Donkeys are often dismissed as slow, stubborn, or even ‘dumb.’ But they are intelligent, disciplined, and take pride in keeping their space clean and orderly.
The race to “solve all diseases” has begun, and AI is leading the charge. A Historic Moment in Medicine Something remarkable is happening in pharmaceutical labs around the world. For the first time in history, drugs designed entirely by artificial intelligence are about to be tested in humans. Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs will begin these groundbreaking […]
Tokyo vs Bengaluru transport comparison reveals more than infrastructure gaps—it exposes how private vehicles serve as status symbols in developing economies, while mature cities embrace shared mobility as civic responsibility
Like origami masters who transform simple paper into art through deliberate folds, successful businesses grow through Sterner’s 4S principles: Simplify complexity, Start small, Move slow, Practice short bursts.
Achievement isn’t about having the best ideas or talent—it’s about developing the right habits. Stanford professor Bernard Roth reveals how design thinking can redesign your life, turning ‘trying’ into ‘doing’ through consistent action.