This page is a list of some of my favorite and most useful resources, books, podcasts and materials. These things have been very useful to me in building a business, a state of mind or opening new experiences. I hope they’re useful to you as well. If there’s anything that should be on this list, send me an email. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
The Invincible Robots Podcast
Podcasts
Freakonomics
Produced by one of the co-authors of the well-known book “Freakonomics,” this show takes a look at ideas from an economics perspective and helps you think about things in a new way.
My favorite recent episode is Should America be Run by…Trader Joes? They discuss the role choice plays in commerce and he interviews the researcher behind the Paradox of Choice, which I discussed in Overwhelm: Why having fewer options is better for everyone.
Business Wars
This podcast is produced in a series. Each series of 3 to 6 episodes dives into a business rivalry between famous companies like Nike vs. Adidas, Red Bull vs. Monster, Coke vs. Pepsi.
Being a tech nerd, my favorite so far is Browser Wars (Netscape vs. Microsoft)
American Innovations
A great podcast for entrepreneurs that tells the stories behind some of the greatest innovations such as nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, the polio vaccine and DNA. If you’ve ever wondered who the science and tech world was built, you’ll love this podcast.
Best podcast player: Overcast. Not only does it let you play at 1.5x or 2.0x, it uses an algorithm to take out dead air and pauses between sentences. It also normalizes the sound so if one person in the podcast is talking louder than the other, they’ll sound the same.
Books
I read about 30-40 books a year. I began writing summaries as a refresher on the great things about that book and to remember the important facts. See the list.
Bry Cox and I discuss our favorite business books.
Travel & Living Abroad
Paris – I’ve lived in Paris on and off for a total of about 3 years. It’s one of my favorite cities. When friends travel there, they often ask me for a list of recommendations. Here’s my list!
Rome – I’ve lived in Rome twice for a couple of months each time and love to visit. After all, I’m named after the most successful and beloved Roman Emperor of all time (Trajan). Here’s my list for Rome.
