2019 Year in Review

Apparently I missed doing one of these last year. Oh well. This year has been difficult and challenging and pretty amazing all rolled into one. First, I read (and listened) to a lot more books than I realized. That's amazing. I grew up a voracious reader and somehow got out of the habit. Needless to say, I think I'm back in the groove and just need to keep up the habit!

Books

Audio

• It Burns (Marc Fennell)
  • Short and fascinating story about the hottest of the hot peppers. Sounds boring I know, but I was pretty captivated on my way home from Burning Man by it.
• Extreme Ownership (Leif Babin, Jocko Willink)
  • Pretty much required reading/listening if you're a leader in any capacity. The intro and acknowledgements are pretty similar. Don't hesitate fast forward through those and read them later. To a non-military person it's very "hoo-rah" b.s. that detracts from the actual work itself.
• The Dichotomy of Leadership (Leif Babin, Jocko Willink)
  • While it would still make sense without the first book, I'd seriously consider reading Extreme Ownership first because this book builds on the last and does a deeper dive into the nuances of leadership and the balance therein.
• When Breath Becomes Air (Paul Kalanithi)
  • Wow. This one is a hard read/listen. Can't recommend it highly enough, but damn. It really puts into perspective the fragility and strength of being human.
• Crash Test Girl (Kari Byron)
  • This was a great read. While I hesitate to compare it to Adam Savage's book (they were both MythBusters), it's really fun and I can't get enough of reading biographical-like books.
• Everything is F*cked (Mark Manson)
  • Hold onto your seats for the (from my perspective) rapid left turn the end of the book makes. Beyond that, there's a certain cadence to Manson's writing that I really enjoy.
• Every Tool's a Hammer (Adam Savage)
  • Can't say enough good about this book. Savage is definitely someone I look up to and this is a fun, idiosyncratic look at his process, how he thinks about things, etc. If nothing else, the chapter on lists and list making was potentially life-changing for me.
• Spy the Lie (Michael Floyd)
  • Was a bit disappointed in this sadly. It's interesting, but I wouldn't go out of my way to re-listen to it.

Dead-Tree

• Every Tool's a Hammer (Adam Savage)
  • Yes, I listened to and read this book. It's absolutely worth doing both. I find I get better comprehension and retention by reading but listening to Adam really drove home his passion for making.
• What If? (Randall Munroe)
  • Anything by Munroe is considered mandatory ready for me. Smart, funny, and just all around a good time.
• How To (Randall Munroe)
  • Same with this one. Really hoping that Munroe continues to write books (and XKCD comics!)
• Deep Work (Cal Newport)
  • Newport puts into words very eloquently what I've felt for a long time about the kind of work that I do (software development) and exactly why open offices and manager schedules destroy my productivity.
• Street Freaks (Terry Brooks)
  • The last time I read Terry Brooks was probably in middle or high school with the Shannara books. This is a complete depart from that to a cyber/bio punk future that I really enjoyed.
• The End of Night (Paul Bogard)
  • Very sad but meaningful read. Definitely makes you wonder what else we've lost as a society as we've lost the night sky.
• A Burglar's Guide to the City (Manaugh)
  • A book that I'd wanted to read for quite some time, but sadly it didn't stick with me. Definitely some interesting ways of looking at architecture but the book meandered a bit.
• The Scene that Became Cities (Caveat Magister)
  • Started reading this at Burning Man this year and immediately stopped when I realized what I was doing (spectating instead of participating). For anyone that wants to learn more about the culture and philosophy that underlies a lot of Burning Man, required reading.
• Outgrowing God (Richard Dawkins)
  • Honestly, I was hoping for more with this one. It felt surprisingly shallow and uninspiring. I've been slowly distancing myself from "spiritual" practices for some time now. Mostly because I haven't been able to get much out of it. I was hoping for more of a guide, I guess?
• Practical Lock Picking (Deviant Ollam)
  • If you want to understand locks and how they provide only the facade of security in our world, mandatory reading. Any talks by Deviant are also incredibly eye-opening and highly recommended.
• Simple Minded (Daniel Vincennie)
  • Not entirely sure if this is fiction, half fiction, or non fiction. It felt like a fever dream and if that was the author's intention, it worked really well.
• The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide (James Fadiman)
  • Not just for psychadelic explorers, but helpful guide for anyone facing a different/difficult/challenging mindset or someone that wants to provide support to someone going through difficult "stuff".

Podcasts

• Accuracy Third
  • This podcast really got me through the year and was primarily responsible for giving me the confidence to go to Burning Man for the first time.
• Critical Role
  • I finally finished Campaign 1! Looking to Campaign 2... I think I'm going to wait a bit before I dive back in. Don't get me wrong, I love this podcast, but 3-4 hours per episode means there's not a lot of time for other listening.
• Something Else
  • Brand new podcast, really looking forward to seeing where this goes.
• Mormon and the Meth Head
  • Got turned onto this one by my significant other. Haven't had as much time to listen to it as I'd like but it's highly recommended.
• The Important Thing
  • Rands in Repose's podcast. Again, not as much time as I'd like to be able to listen to it. It'll probably fill in at least some of the time that I was spending on Critical Role.

Cool Stuff Done

• Burning Man
  • Really deserves its own blog post/series. Amazing and challenging in all the ways I needed.
• 3D Printing
  • This is an entire hobby all its own. Very cool technology that's coming up to the point where it's almost ready for a consumer audience, not just a hobby audience.
• D&D 5e
  • Continued playing awesome games with my (now) standard gaming group. For anyone that hasn't played D&D (or other tabletop role playing game) I highly recommend it.