December 2018

The Rabbit Hole by Blas Moros        Jump In.    My monthly newsletter covers the books I have read over the course of the month, the challenges I undertook as well as some other interesting articles, blog posts, interviews, tools, hacks, etc. Books All book notes from 2018 (55 total) Top books from 2018: Kiewit, Finite and Infinite Games, Effortless Mastery, Chimpanzee Politics, Boyd, Impro, Human Universals, A Treatise on Efficacy, John H. Patterson, 12 Rules for Life. All book notes I've deemed "worth re-reading" (44 total) All teacher's reference guides (11 total) Full list of books read in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 Any book, which is at all important, should be immediately re-read Teacher's Reference Guides Machine Learning - getting to know the basics in these topics was not only a lot of fun but I think really important as they will likely become pervasive and permeate every area of life. The language and terms used to describe these different topics also gave me some vocabulary and a new way to think about learning, AI, habits, training, and serve as great metaphors to think about other areas not directly related to AI/ML. Monthly Challenges Changed the routine up a bit this December. Rather than reading new books, I've reviewed what I've read this past year as well as the best things I've read over the past ~5 years or so (see links above under "Books"). My goal was to spot patterns across topics and time, making it a priority to reflect more deeply on what I've already read in order to let these great teachings sink in. Really enjoyed this practice and will likely keep up. Other Ron Shaich on short-termism Seth Klarman on Hard Choices Gwern on luck, timing, and being right (related: real reason Pets.com went out of business) Booms and nearsightedness Great overview on entropy by Farnam Street - great mental model to deeply understand Long Term Stock Exchange - a stock exchange focused on aligning incentives to be able to think longer term (i.e., longer term shareholders have more voting rights...). and here A Dozen Attributes of a Scalable Business - Tren Griffin iPhone productivity tips - highly recommend Only the paranoid survive Pretty incredible interview with Sir James Goldsmith (wiki) I've long loved the idea behind biomimicry and Synapse.bio is a goldmine - here, here, here A16Z - The Beginning of the End Becoming a magician In Praise of Passivity - complex systems are inherently hard to understand and, often, although unsatisfying, the best thing to do is nothing. The key dictum is "first, do no harm". The Upside of Stress - different from what is commonly believed and what I tend to believe and that is why it was worth watching for me How Lebron James Became Steph Curry - “He gravitates toward people who do something better than him,” Griffin said. “Three-point shooting was a real issue for him. It was something he cared a lot about.” Sequoia's Ethos The Untold Story of Stripe As we begin 2019, I'd love any recommendations on what to read, learn about, do, how I can improve the site, and anything else that might come to mind. I appreciate and am grateful for all your feedback and for the community we've built together these past 5 years. Amor Fati Amor. Blas "When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you." - African Proverb