Updated as I go. No star ratings — the note is the rating.

Reading

Thinking in Systems — Donella Meadows 2008

The book I recommend most; changed how I read every codebase and org chart since.

The Design of Everyday Things — Don Norman 1988

Still the clearest explanation of why so much hardware UX fails.

Seeing Like a State — James C. Scott 1998

Made me rethink how AUTOSAR-style standardization trades local knowledge for legibility.

The Pragmatic Programmer — Hunt & Thomas 1999

Reread every couple of years; ages better than most engineering books.

Chip War — Chris Miller 2022

The geopolitics behind every microcontroller on my desk.

Watching

Chernobyl — HBO 2019

Formula 1: Drive to Survive — Netflix 2024

The Bear — FX 2024

Kiki’s Delivery Service — Miyazaki 1989

Blade Runner 2049 — Villeneuve 2017

For All Mankind — Apple TV+ 2019

Star City — Apple TV+ 2026

Landman — Paramount+ 2024

MobLand — Paramount+ 2025

Silo — Apple TV+ 2023

Tulsa King — Paramount+ 2022

Dutton Ranch — Paramount+ 2025

Listening

Blackstar — David Bowie 2016

The album that got me into signal chains, not just songs.

In Rainbows — Radiohead 2007

Still the reference mix I test new headphones against.

Kind of Blue — Miles Davis 1959

On loop during long simulation runs.

Currents — Tame Impala 2015

Proof a bedroom setup can sound like a studio.

The Dark Side of the Moon — Pink Floyd 1973

The record that started the tube preamp build.