Favorites
- Books, talks, shows, films and ideas I keep coming back to.
- They’ve shaped how I think and what I build.
Ways of seeing
Infinite Games
Simon Sinek, video
“An infinite game is one with known and unknown players, changeable rules, and no end. The objective is not to win—the objective is to keep playing.”
Software engineers will become scientists
Alex Atallah
An essay that shaped how I think about the work I want to spend my life doing.
The Third Door
Alex Banayan
When the prescribed path is closed, make another entrance.
First Principles
James Clear
Reduce a problem to what is true, then rebuild from there.
Abundance Mindset
Stephen R. Covey
“There is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody.”
Connecting the Dots
Steve Jobs, video
“…you can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
Everything Happens for a Reason
My essay
“…setbacks can serve as stepping stones to success, ultimately leading us down paths we might never have imagined possible.”
A Person of Value
Naval Ravikant
“Networking is overrated. Become first and foremost a person of value and the network will be available whenever you need it.”
Books
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned
Kenneth O. Stanley & Joel Lehman
A case for following novelty and stepping stones instead of optimizing every move toward a fixed objective.
Open Innovation
Henry Chesbrough
Let more people contribute, verify the work, and carry it further than one lab can.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Ben Horowitz
Practical lessons for building and leading when there are no easy answers.
I’ll add more as I go.
My writings
Entropic
Essay
Treat disorder, collisions, and unexpected conversations as creative fuel.
The Odd Path
Essay
A life becomes yours when you stop optimizing it for other people’s expectations.
Mindful Speech
Essay
Try to make words truthful, useful, kind, and non-agitating.
Joy of Learning
Essay
Education is not a phase or a credential. It is a lifelong way of moving.
Shows
The Big Bang Theory
CBS
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady’s sitcom for CBS, which ran for twelve seasons (2007–2019).
Young Sheldon
CBS
Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro’s prequel to The Big Bang Theory, about Sheldon’s childhood in Texas (2017–2024).
Silicon Valley
HBO
HBO’s comedy about Richard Hendricks, a programmer who founds a startup called Pied Piper.
Kiteretsu
Fujiko F. Fujio
In Kiteretsu Daihyakka, a boy inventor builds gadgets from his ancestor’s encyclopedia of inventions.
Doraemon
Fujiko F. Fujio
A robotic cat from the 22nd century helps a boy named Nobita with gadgets.
Films
Kung Fu Panda
Inception
Spider-Man
The Matrix trilogy
Iron Man
Good Will Hunting
Now You See Me
The Prestige
The Dark Knight trilogy
Jobs
Searching for Bobby Fischer
The Thinking Game
“It’s just a good thinking game.”
Big Hero 6
Your Name
Castle in the Sky
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Hanuman
Doraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops