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Book Recommendations

• A random walk down wallstreet

  A random walk down wallstreet - Burton Malkiel

  A short introduction to everything wall-street and investment related, from investment theories, approaches, such as charting, foundational analysis, and the downsides, and the statistical success of each. A break-down of previous investment bubbles (such as the financial crisis 2008), and what investment moves, vehichles and engineering which led there.

• The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

  The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - John C. Bogle

  A writeup from the founder of Vanguard, and the inventor of index-funds, on what the theory behind them are, the idea, and why you probably wont, and most people wont beat the market.

• Fooled by Randomness

  Fooled by Randomness - Nasseem Taleeb

  An interesting read on randomness vs outcome. Which is something I have had in mind for a while, but this helps crystalize it. Good decisions can lead to bad outcomes, and visa-versa for poor decisions.

• The Wealth of Nations

  The Wealth of Nations - Adam Smith

  A surprisingly good read. Goes into depth on what economy is. How it functions, what it's required ingredients are. Where the basics, like money, capital, investments and resources (including human) come from. What and how equilibria are from, and how they function (for instance, how wages are generally set - you are not going to get rich off of them). And describes the concepts of comparative advantage and free trade.

• The Most Important Thing

  The Most Important Thing - Howard Marks

  A book about the psychology and experience of investing over a long time-period (40 years), and the requirements of an investor, and the risk vs reward thinking that goes into it. A write-up on contrarianism. And musings on life in general. However, not much new here, which I have not read before.

  An okay read, all in all. Smart man. Probably would have been better if I had not read a other similar books previously.

• And yet.. Essays

  And yet.. Essays

  Forty something essays, collected from his writings in various, mainly american publications, such as Vanity Fair and The Atlantic. His writings are as usual witty, and their take on politics, and the public discourse is principled and dynamic, however, with a conservative slight. All in all a good read, but never a book I am going to re-read.

  However, it did make me interested in reading more of Hitchens.

• The Fight of His Life - Inside Joe Bidens White House

  A look into the first two years of the Biden presidency.

  A book on the first two (trying) years of the Biden presidency. A look into his goals, motivations, failures and successed. Notably, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, his Infrastructure bill. The wrestling with the Maga movement, and the extreme elements of his own party. His relationship to the vice-President Kamala Harris, and her strengths and weaknesses, as well as his somewhat strained relationship to Obama.

• Nuts!

  The story of Southwest Airlines

  Semi-required reading for my first real job at Northern.tech. It is the story of how one can build a different kind of company. A more human company. Yet the company kicks ass.

• Thinking Fast and Slow

  A history on the research and the results of human biases

  Written by the nobel laureate of the economics prize, the book has a long foray into the way in which we human beings process information. In short, there are two systems we rely on. Type I, and type II, in which the former is fast, but takes a lot of shortcuts, while the latter is slow, but mroe reliable, and is under out control. The book further goes into biases which human beings succumb to, and how they can be proven. Showing the differences between type I and II, while also showing a multitude of biases in which we all have.

• Musk - Walter Isacsson

  The Elon Musk biography. Interesting read. Mad man. Genius. Seems to be losing himself in fame as of late. Let's hope he still manages to continue his original mission

• The letters from Warren

  A summary of buffets letters to his shareholders over the years. Delivered and compiled by a college proferssor, giving out knowledge by themes, instead of years. A good read, if you want to learn how this man thinks.

Computers

• Operating Systems - Three Easy Pieces
• The wizard book <- Absolute gem
• Database Management Systems (3rd edition)
• Designing Data Intensive Applications
• Computer systems - from a programmers perspective
• Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach
• The Shellcoders Handbook
• Readings in Database Systems
• Designing Data Intensive Applications
• The Joy of Cryptography - Mike Rosulek

  Read: 2024

  A simple introduction to theoretical cryptography, spanning through one-time-pads to symmetric, then finally assymetric cryptography. It is a proof based, based on visual proofs, structured book, which builds chapter by chapter, on the previous proofs and knowledge.

  The thing which surprised me the most is how easy it is to get modern cryptography wrong. One error, which allows an opponent to create an oracle, and your cryptography is broken, allowing the attacker to leak on bit at a time. Given be it a side-channel, or a timing attack makes no matter. Also, reusability, and low entropy (randomness) is a no-no.

  All in all a great book. Highly recommend it. Took me from knowing nothing, to having at least some understanding of what is going on. At least now I can recognise the terms used in modern cryptography, and know what they are.

  Perhaps most importantly. It has inspired me to learn more cryptography.

• The MoonMath Manual

  Read: 2024

  An introduction to zero-knowledge proofs

• Planning Algorithms - Steven M. LaValle

  Read: 2018-2019

  An absolute gem, and the book that took me through my masters thesis. Read from cover to cover. Necessity when reading through research papers on the subject.

Financial, Business, Economy

• A short history of economics

  Pretty much what it says it is.

• Poor Charlies Almanac

  A collection of wisdom from the late Charlie Munger. As usual, Charlie is harsh. But if you decide to keep going still, there are plenty of good advice in there, in how to
  think
  .

• The Innovators Dilemma

  A book on the seemingly recurring theme, of big profitable, well-run businesses, failing to adapt to a new and disruptive technological change. The book presents a thesis, that the value structures inherent in a well-run business, actually stacks the incentives against jumping on to a new disruptive technology. Usually due to the technology, being, at least in the beginning, a poor fit, for more profitable markets. Instead the new technology takes a chunk out of a new, and smaller market, and then progresses to develop, until it covers the required needs of the markets, companies further up the foodchain are serving. At this point, it is usually too late, and good well-run businesses might actually fall out of favour at this point.

• The Intelligent Investor
• One Up on Wall Street - Peter Lynch A lot of clever observations, and expressions by a Wall Street legend, and free thinker. Giving insights into the advantages you might actually have as a small player, as opposed to a large investing institution.

Novellas

• Wuthering heights
• Helge Ingstad
• The Great Gatsby
• Crime and Punishment - Dostoyevsky
• The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
• Papillon - Henri Charriere

  Read: 2016

  Papillon is a autobiography about escaping the french overseas prison-system in the early 19th century. It is a story about hope, human perceverance, and resourcefullness. As we follow Henri's continuous attempts at escaping what he deems an unjust punishment, and an unjust convition (although he was a proper criminal, he did not commit the crime he was sentenced for).

  It is not just a story about escape, and survival, but about coming to terms with his previous life, his regrets, and desires. As such, his escapes, which in the end are successful, are as much about escaping his old self, as it is escaping the long arm of the law.

  All in all a highly worthwhile read.

• Digital Signal Processing

  The Mammoth from my college days. Not a favourite for anyone involved. Although, I actually came to like it. Dreaded the course going in. Went out, thinking it was pretty cool.