Below are some of my favorite articles and videos. I have learned a tremendous amount from these amazing individuals and I hope this page furthers your learning.
The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius: Paul Graham believes that to produce great work you need to be obsessive. His idea is similar to James Carse’s Infinite Games. Many people who play the game at the highest level can keep going because they love the game.
Advice: Patrick Collison is the co-founder and CEO of Stripe. This is a list of fantastic advice for any young person. I have taken many of them to heart. My personal favorite from the list is “Make friends over the internet with people who are great at things you’re interested in.” The internet is a fascinating place and it allows you connect with pretty much anyone. Leverage it.
How to Digest Books Above Your Level: This article by Ryan Holiday shaped my reading methods. His writings also introduced me to Stoic philosophers such as Marcus Aurelius Seneca, Epictetus, and many more. My favorite books by him are The Obstacle is the Way and The Daily Stoic.
Runnin’ Down a Dream: Bill Gurley is a venture capitalist and general partner at Benchmark. The talk centers around 3 people – Bobby Knight, Bob Dylan, and Danny Meyer. Gurley shares 5 pieces of advice: 1) pick a career you are passionate about 2) hone your craft constantly 3) develop mentors in your field 4) share ideas with your peers and 5) pay it forward. Here’s the transcript.
Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006 and passed away in 2008, aged 47. He gave an upbeat lecture called Achieving Your Childhood Dreams in September 2007 when he had about 3-6 months of good health left. The talk is full of wisdom, humor, and practical life lessons.
The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Richard Hamming was a mathematician, computer scientist, and professor. There are so many nice lessons in this talk. My main takeaway is that you need to keep learning because the skills that got you through one decade won’t be enough to get you through the next decade. For example, the unforeseen invention of transistors made vacuum tubes obsolete. He ends the talk with a beautiful quote from Socrates: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Here’s the transcript.