I’ve been obsessed with building and buying tools my entire life. My definition of a tool is quite broad. I hope you’ll find some of these helpful - use them wisely!
Ergonomics
- Kinesis Freestyle 2 (PC Version)
Gokhale Method ‘StretchSit’ Back Cushion for driving
Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World - Kelly Starrett - Okay so I will admit that I still do sit often, but I have a standing desk at both work and home now. I had tried and failed with standing desks twice before discovering this book, mostly because after a few days I would usually decide my back felt worse and quit. I will give full credit to Kelly for my current ability to work an entire day at the standing desk (which sadly often means ~12 hours (don’t do that)). What I like most about this book is Kelly’s rejection of much of the ‘nit-picky’ ergonomics advice (wrist angle should be less than x and greater than y). Instead the focus is on the principles of alignment and movement. Because of this book, I also wear Skins when driving long distances or flying, where sitting is unavoidable.
Music & Audio
Earasers Hi-Fi Earplugs - Saving your hearing is the hip thing to do. These are nearly invisible to others and do not ‘color’ the sound much. I wear them religiously at shows, movies, and on BART.
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Studio Headphones - A clear winner, recommended to me by the amazing ‘lines’ community: http://llllllll.co
monome grid - The musical instrument I have dreamt the most about in the last decade.
Rhythm Necklace - This is a really unique sequencer, which got me thinking a lot more about rhythm in geometric terms. It has also enabled me to play around with polyrhythm despite my lack of any form of percussive skills.
Health
Headspace - I found the host’s voice funny for the first few days, which made it hard to concentrate. Once I got over that, I got hooked. This app is a great way to learn / track meditation.
Becoming a Supple Leopard - Kelly Starrett - The mobility bible, this book has helped me so much. I do a few exercises from this book every day, and regularly consult the master when something feels out of balance.
Management
Radical Candor - Kim Scott - A useful and refreshing commentary on workplace feedback.
The Management Myth - Matthew Stewart - A thought-provoking, hilarious and at times infuriating commentary on the field of management, written by an ex-managment consultant turned philosopher.
Rework - Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson - A no nonesense, question everything approach to running a business.
Basecamp - A really amazing project management tool (from the authors above). I can’t recommend this software more highly.
Physical Science Books
Why You Hear What You Hear - Eric Heller - This is a really fun way to learn wave physics. This is one of my favorite physical science texts of all time.
Orfanidis - Electromagnetic Waves and Antennas - This is a free online book with a very useful MATLAB package included. This ‘hands on’ approach was really helpful for me.
Organic Chemistry - Maitland Jones - I’m very grateful to have been in Mait’s last orgo class at Princeton. This book is great, but you really need to do the attached problems.
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