Book Recommendation

Permanent Record

by Edward Snowden read

Edward Snowden’s memoir, Permanent Record. The book details his upbringing, his role as a systems administrator and engineer for the CIA and NSA, and the series of technological developments and policies that led to his whistleblowing decision in 2013. It is a crucial, first-hand account of the creation of the system of global mass surveillance and the personal cost of exposing it.

Quote

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

— Steve Jobs (Apple, 1997)
Book Recommendation

Steve Jobs

by Walter Isaacson read

Walter Isaacson’s riveting, detailed biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with family, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—it offers a raw, unfiltered look at the creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

Book Recommendation

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

by Mark Manson read

A counterintuitive guide to living a good life. Instead of promoting relentless positive thinking, Manson argues that the path to resilience and happiness lies in learning to better handle adversity, accepting our limitations, and choosing to care only about what is truly meaningful.

Video Find

Apple — Think Different (Steve Jobs Narration)

The legendary "Think Different" commercial narrated by Steve Jobs himself. While the aired version of the campaign was voiced by Richard Dreyfuss, this version—narrated by Jobs—was released later and serves as an intimate, powerful statement of Apple's core philosophy and respect for the crazy ones who change the world.

Video Find

3Blue1Brown — Neural Networks

Grant Sanderson’s brilliant visual introduction to the mathematics of deep learning. Using intuitive animations, the series breaks down what a neural network actually is, how gradient descent works, and the core calculus behind backpropagation.

Book Recommendation

The Universe in a Nutshell

by Stephen Hawking read

Stephen Hawking’s visually rich sequel to A Brief History of Time, delving into the cutting-edge developments in theoretical physics. The book guides readers through supergravity, M-theory, hologram cosmology, and the search for a unified theory of everything. Hawking illustrates these mind-bending concepts with clarity, revealing the universe's astonishing architecture.

Video Find

Neural Networks: Zero to Hero

Andrej Karpathy’s masterclass series on building neural networks from scratch in Python. Starting from basic backpropagation up to building a full GPT-style transformer, this playlist is widely considered one of the most accessible and thorough resources for understanding deep learning from first principles.

Book Recommendation

A Brief History of Time

by Stephen Hawking read

Stephen Hawking’s landmark work in popular science, designed to introduce non-scientists to the profound mysteries of the cosmos. The book explains complex astronomical concepts such as the Big Bang, black holes, general relativity, and quantum mechanics in clear, accessible language. It remains a definitive guide to humanity's ongoing quest to understand the origin and ultimate fate of our universe.

Book Recommendation

Human Compatible

by Stuart Russell read

AI pioneer Stuart Russell’s compelling analysis of the long-term risks posed by superhuman artificial intelligence. The book dismantles standard arguments downplaying AI risk and proposes a new foundation for AI development centered on provably beneficial machines. Russell argues that we must rebuild AI around the core principle of machines that are uncertain about human preferences, ensuring they always remain subservient to humanity.