Things I Like

A collection of books, music, tools, and other things that have influenced me or that I just really enjoy. Consider this a living document—I'll update it as I discover new favorites.

Books

Fiction

  • The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss Beautiful prose and a magic system that feels almost scientific. Still waiting for book three...

  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir A love letter to problem-solving and the scientific method, wrapped in a page-turner of a story.

  • The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin Thoughtful exploration of anarchism vs. capitalism told through compelling characters.

Non-Fiction

  • Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann The best book on distributed systems and databases I've read. Dense but incredibly valuable.

  • A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout Short, opinionated, and full of wisdom about managing complexity in software.

  • The Pragmatic Programmer by David Thomas & Andrew Hunt Classic for a reason. Advice that stays relevant regardless of which language you're using.

Music

Albums I Keep Coming Back To

  • In Rainbows by Radiohead Perfect from start to finish. "Weird Fishes" is a masterpiece.

  • Currents by Tame Impala Synth-heavy psychedelic pop that's impossible not to groove to.

  • Illinois by Sufjan Stevens Ambitious, orchestral, and surprisingly emotional for an album about a state.

  • Random Access Memories by Daft Punk A beautiful swan song. "Touch" makes me emotional every time.

Tools & Software

Editor

  • Neovim with LazyVim The learning curve is real, but the payoff in productivity and customization is worth it.

Terminal

  • Alacritty + tmux + zsh Fast, minimal, and exactly as customizable as I need.

Languages I Enjoy

  • Rust - Makes me think harder about my code in all the right ways
  • TypeScript - JavaScript with guardrails
  • Python - Still the best language for getting ideas into code quickly

Other Tools

  • ripgrep - Searching through code at ludicrous speed
  • fzf - Fuzzy finding everything
  • bat - cat with syntax highlighting and git integration

Podcasts

  • Oxide and Friends - Bryan Cantrill and guests discussing systems, hardware, and tech history
  • CoRecursive - In-depth interviews with programmers about their work
  • Song Exploder - Musicians break down how their songs were made

Websites I Visit Regularly

Last updated: December 2024