Summer 2017 Book List
I’ve made it a practice to share the best books I’ve read over the prior 6 months or so, and this year the crop of new releases has been particularly fecund; hence I’ve been reading a lot more than before. The following recommendations are all non-fiction, gravitating toward technology, business, self-improvement, philosophy and futurism. The books are not in any specific order, they are all worthy reads. I hope you enjoy them!
Steven Kotler’s prior book The Rise of Superman explored ideas around the state of "flow" achieved by high performing athletes, musicians, daredevils and others. With co-author Jamie Wheal, Stealing Fire explores the different ways people achieve flow states – through activities, meditation and psychotropic drugs. The book explores Navy Seal training, Silicon Valley’s obsession with Burning Man, the impact of prolonged meditation and the cutting edge work around psychedelics. The authors identify the state of “ecstasis” which Plato describes as an altered state where our normal waking consciousness vanishes completely, replaced by an intense euphoria and a powerful connection to a greater intelligence. Stealing Fire seeks to chart the different ways that people reach ecstasis, providing grounded perspective and insights for practical application.
Jonathan Taplin has had a fascinating career starting out as a roadie and manager for the likes of Bob Dylan and The Band, moving into film and journalism. Move Fast and Break Things is part memoir, part polemic against the corrosive impact that the big internet giants have had on the ability of journalists and musicians to make a living. His own stories are engaging and fascinating, and he eloquently lays out the economic and technological dynamics that have led to the dominance of Amazon, Google and Facebook in news, music and other media. He makes the argument that this internet behemoths should be subject to anti-trust provisions. I don't particularly agree with his political slant that the Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley “libertarians” specifically are the villains here – it becomes apparent throughout the book that there is plenty of blame to go around. He articulately outlines the dynamics at play, and even if his diagnoses don't always hit the mark, his impassioned arguments are timely and essential.
I first met Dave in 2012 when we collaborated on a report entitled Life 2.0 – Biohacking and the Quantified Self and he was starting to popularize Bulletproof Coffee. Since then Dave’s podcast has reached #1 on iTunes, he’s released The Bulletproof Diet and he’s expanded Bulletproof into a multi-line business. It's testament to the power of his fan base that he sold out the Gramercy Theater in NYC on his multi-city book tour. Head Strong is Dave’s latest effort to distill the massive amount of scientific research and cutting-edge practice into a two week program targeting brain health. Head Strong focuses on how anyone can improve brain function by targeting changes in diet, supplements and incorporating various hacks to improve sleep and get the most impact out of exercise. Dave’s focus is on helping us improve the mitochondria in our systems – the trillions of organisms that we carry around as part of our own biome. Dave’s own biohacking practices border on obsessive/compulsive (that’s why he’s so good at what he does) but here his recommendations are targeted at average folks who want to make quick, practical improvements to their own brain function.
Vivek Wadwha is a noted writer and futurist widely respected for his work on innovation and technology disruption. The title of the book - Driver in the Driverless Car – understates the sweeping scope of this book. Wadhwa provides a survey of key technological forces set to reshape business, society and entire economies in coming decades. The book addresses exponential cost curves in technology, the rise of AI- and the broader implications, the evolution of education through advanced technology, the merging of robotics and biology, advances in genomics, drone technologies, security and privacy, self-driving cars, smart homes and many other topics. The survey of technologies is similar to the Singularity University programs that seek to provide an interdisciplinary view of the discrete forces currently at play.
Wadhwa takes a humanistic approach in his analysis, identifying not just the technologies but the social and psychological impact of profound changes ahead. His approach is to present both the optimistic and the dystopian views of the future adjacently so the reader can make a balanced assessment of the implications. Overall the book takes a positive view of the benefits ahead from accelerating innovations and their combinatorial application; but he maintains a tempered view that progress can sometimes be zero-sum, and society needs to manage the risks and negative impacts of disruptive change. Highly recommended.
Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley - by Antonio García Martínez
Chaos Monkeys is an autobiography that follows the author’s trials, travails and successes from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Martinez is a terrific writer, whose approach can be highly informative (as when he details the nuances of startup fundraising or the principles behind Facebook’s advertising strategy) while maintaining an entertaining narrative. At times, his prose is laugh out loud funny, and some of his descriptions are blisteringly brutal (though he’s not completely cynical, as he evinces admiration for several figures along the way). The book’s marketing suggests a seamy tell-all, and there are plenty of crazy vignettes – but there’s an eloquent voice of insightful observations of the nature of the tech industry, and in particular the manic personalities that shape the Silicon Valley culture.
I've read a lot of books on Internet of Things, and this may be the best one yet. Maciej Kranz provides an overview of the what, how and why of IOT - what are the type of technologies and most relevant use cases, how organizations, technology providers and partners can create value in new ways, and ultimately why IOT approaches can transform the way that business is done. Kranz approaches technical topics with highly accessible language, and frames the opportunities not so much as vertical solutions, but as approaches to business problems that are common across different industries. This is more of a practical user's guide to commercial/industrial IOT, but it's relevant to anyone in business seeking guidance. Kranz lays out the key considerations in a broader context in a highly readable effort.
The Big Data Opportunity in our Driverless Future – by Evangelos Simoudis
Evangelos Simoudis has created an essential roadmap for innovators seeking to chart a course across the landscape of autonomous vehicles. The book outlines the scope of change afoot, as the combination of different technologies gives rise to the era of self-driving, connected vehicles. Starting with an outline of the automotive industry and all of the different players in the value chain, Simoudis provides a clear, in-depth explanation of the key stakeholders, the technologies involved, and the implications once Level 4 Autonomy (fully self-driving) vehicles hit the road, What I found most fascinating was the explanation of all of the different types of data that will be generated and analyzed across vehicle ecosystems. The book explains the technologies that will be needed, as well as the skill sets and perspective necessary to realize the unique value of data streams. Evangelos Simoudis brings a depth of expertise in big data and analytics to the subject that's unique - there will be new business models, and the economics of the value chain will shift depending on mastery of the data and insights from connected vehicles. What differentiates this book is the emphasis on innovation paths for the automotive industry participants, and prescriptive advice to help auto industry players bridge the divide with information technology.
Homo Deus – A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari’s writing is unique in that he’s a truly interdisciplinary thinker. His previous book Sapiens weaves together many different threads to provide an overview history of the human species. Homo Deus is another magnum opus this time focusing in the future. Harari has a historian's storytelling skill and he tends toward broad generalizations about human society - how humanity has conquered nature by not our own worst impulses. In the last section of the book he forecasts a future in which humans become adherents of a new analogue to religion – Dataism. The results of technological progress may extend human lifespans but there are dystopian political and social risks ahead. Harari is a witty and engaging writer, and his observations provide worthy food for thought.
This is a unique book of short essays and futuristic ideas collected by Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon. There’s a random aspect to this cornucopia of ideas, which draw from a panoply of contributors from the Singularity/Futurist community. The proposals read partly like a wish list of sci-fi like innovations, partly like a to-do list for nascent entrepreneurs, and partly like the results of a brainstorming session from a salon of friendly visionaries. The prose is accessible and the format lends itself to random samplings. Despite the esoteric veneer of this collection, the thinking is grounded in science and practical thinking and it makes an excellent resource for anyone looking for creative futuristic inspiration.
Reinvent Yourself – by James Altucher
James Altucher was a chess master, is a serial entrepreneur who has started over 20 businesses and failed at 17 of them and is an active angel investor. He’s a prolific blogger and writer who brings a confessional tone to his work that’s both insightful and sincere. Altucher’s life story has been marked by lots of ups and downs, and while his path isn’t necessarily a blueprint, his insights into the changing nature of the economy and the need to embrace change are highly relevant to anyone young and old. Reinvent Yourself outlines his own experiences and the thinking that led to his failures, and successes. He provides a wealth of tips and suggestions to help prime creative processes and embrace risk taking. He’s also priced his books to be accessible to anyone.
The Signals are Talking – by Amy Webb
Amy Webb is a futurist who has built a methodology for identifying emerging trends. The Signals are Talking provides an overview of how to gather data and insights from diverse sources, then apply specific methods to elicit their broader meaning. What’s helpful from her approach is how to think about forecasting future scenarios for industries, companies and societies, eliciting unexpected insight by connecting disparate domains. A useful read for anyone with an interest in forecasting the future.