It has been a year since I last wrote and posted here. That is my bad...however, I'm back! 2023 was an exciting year. It was a year of growth, new experiences and building a foundation for work and life. I felt like I was in a box for a lot of the year, but I learned a lot about myself and others from dealing with that. 2024 has just begun, and I've been getting a lot of positive signals that this will be a great year. I also plan to spend more time writing, whether publicly online or personally, without an intention to be shared. Writing is such an enjoyable mental exercise that I regret not making more of an effort last year. Okay, let's get into my three favorite books of 2023.
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Keep Sharp: Dr. Gupta is currently my favorite medical author. He has a lot of merit, being a physician and CNN chief medical correspondent. Being a public figure who communicates a wide range of medical issues to the general population is quite a challenge. It is an exercise in using appropriate vocabulary and breaking technical concepts into digestible information. That's what Dr. Gupta showcases in this book.
Mental deterioration is something that I have noticed in loved ones as I've gotten older. Even though I'm pretty young, I strongly value my mental acuity and get emotional thinking about my brain regressing while being powerless to fight back. Dr. Gupta describes actions to combat mental deterioration and lays it out in a 12-week plan. This plan reminds me a lot of marathon training, where the focus lies in progressive overload.
The Innovator's Dilemma: My favorite business book that I have read so far. Regarding business, I like to obsess about learning about applying concepts and ideas in the science and technology sector. This book focuses on that sector and dissects examples throughout history. The author, Clayton M. Christensen, details the various components of a company, such as competitors, employees, and local/global trends. Reading and digesting this book can be quite a doozy, but I appreciate the passion for the content that oozes through Mr. Christensen's writing. Especially for those who enjoy being in the weeds of the day-to-day grind, understanding the tough decisions that business leaders have to juggle is essential when being more empathetic of managers and makers.
A City is Not a Computer: This was a great backdrop to some enjoyable problems. Technology is all around us, and cities are increasingly embracing it. This might mean adding more screens for information consumption. This might mean adding sensors to gather more information about how people live in cities. This might mean having politicians make decisions based on dashboards visualizing city trends and metrics. It's interesting to think about what the future could look like in urban areas and the path humans will take. The author, Shannon Mattern, is very opinionated and firmly stands against computational decision-making in urban areas. Her outlook has a lot of truth, but I found it essential to acknowledge that it is just her opinion. As a techno-optimist, I am more open-minded to what computers can enable and help produce for urban settings.
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This past year, I read a lot of nonfiction. It was tough, and it made switching to fiction even harder. In 2024, I plan to hit a healthy balance of nonfiction with fiction sprinkled throughout the year. The more I read books, the deeper I appreciate this habit that only recently started to stick.
Happy New Year! I plan to publish more pieces this year as I embrace being a lifelong learner.