Favorites

Below is a collection of my favorite books, articles, software, ideas, and more. I hope you find it helpful.

9 Jun 2021 — 4 min read

Exercises

A question Peter Thiel likes to ask: “If you have a 10-year plan of how to get [somewhere], you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?”

Quotes and Stories

“A little bit of slope makes up for a lot of y-intercept” - John Ousterhout

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." - Napoleon Hill

Sāi Wēng lived on the border and he raised horses for a living. One day, he lost one of his prized horses. After hearing of the misfortune, his neighbor felt sorry for him and came to comfort him. But Sāi Wēng simply asked, “How could we know it is not a good thing for me?”
After a while, the lost horse returned and with another beautiful horse. The neighbor came over again and congratulated Sāi Wēng on his good fortune. But Sāi Wēng simply asked, “How could we know it is not a bad thing for me?”
One day, his son went out for a ride with the new horse. He was violently thrown from the horse and broke his leg. The neighbors once again expressed their condolences to Sāi Wēng, but Sāi Wēng simply said, “How could we know it is not a good thing for me?” One year later, the Emperor’s army arrived at the village to recruit all able-bodied men to fight in the war. Because of his injury, Sāi Wēng’s son could not go off to war, and was spared from certain death. (source, h/t Carey)

"If good happens, good; if bad happens, good." - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

"Although men are not laboratory animals, they often behave as though they are. Sometimes they are put in cages and treated like rats, manipulated and sacrificed at the will of their masters. But many times the cage has an open door, and a man has only to walk out if he wishes. If he does not, it is usually his script which keeps him there. That is familiar and reassuring, and after looking out at the great world of freedom with all its joys and dangers, he turns back to the cage with its buttons and levers, knowing that if he keeps busy pushing them, and pushes the right one at the right time, he will be assured of food, drink, and an occasional thrill. But always, such a caged person hopes or fears that some force greater than himself, the Great Experimenter or the Great Computer, will change or end it all." - Eric Berne

Ninety percent of success can be boiled down to consistently doing the obvious thing for an uncommonly long period of time without convincing yourself that you're smarter than you are.
— Shane Parrish (@ShaneAParrish) August 8, 2021

I’m always shocked by smart, young, driven people who choose a company because of “mentorship”.

Yes, it is good to have some guidance, but most driven folks succeed through figuring sh*t out on their own.

Being around smart young people >>> mentors, even for energy alone.
— Alexandr Wang (@alexandr_wang) February 29, 2020

Chrome/Brave Extensions

‌‌Video Speed Controller‌‌
‌DF Tube‌
‌News Feed Eradicator
BlockSite
Pause
OneTab

iOS Apps

Audible‌
‌Speechify‌
‌6 Pack Promise‌
‌MyFitnessPal/Cronometer
Strong
Medito
#blockit

Mac Apps

iTerm2
Brave Browser‌
‌Flycut‌
‌Qbserve‌
‌Magnet‌
‌Freedom‌
OmniDiskSweeper
Obsidian
Itsycal

Misc

‌Uni-ball Air Micro‌
‌Hydro Flask
Brain.fm
Monopoly Deal (card game)
Spyfall
Awair Element
WHOOSH! Screen Cleaner

Last updated Summer 2023

Books

Podcasts

Articles

Videos