Ian Robertson

Introduction

This has been a unique summer. I graduated from BYU in April, and I've had a chance to spend more time this summer reading and learning, which has been great. One of my goals for now and the future is to spend more time reading, especially for fun and personal learning. I think in the current media world, our attention is a very valuable thing that can either compound, or just kind of stay stagnant.

In this blog post, I will talk about the books I've read this summer and some of things I've learned from them. A lot of the books I've read this summer tend towards the "Self Help" genre, for better or worse. I'm listing the books in the order I started them. Most books I have finished, but some I am still reading. I tend to have a few books I read concurrently based on the setting. For example I have my commute book, my before bed book, etc.

A lot of these notes are just quick thoughts I am jotting down, more for myself than anyone reading this. If I have more detailed thoughts about a specific book they may come in a different blog post. Another skill I want to work on is processing and working through books after I read them, hopefully through writing and maybe discussion with others.

Book One: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

This book was given to me as a graduation gift by my wife's uncle. In one of my last semesters I took a Russian Literature class, and started to become familiar with some Russian works. This has been a stretching read for me. It was the first book I started this summer.

Book Two: Range by David Epstein

The Power of Abstractions

Grit vs. Match Quality

Do some things come more naturally to us than others? Is something being difficult a good indicator that it's the wrong profession for you? How do you know when you're good at something?

I think match quality is important, but it's also important to pick your career based on what jobs are available, what pays well, what is convenient for you and your family. One of the chapters pushed back on Angela Duckworth's book Grit. I think there's more nuance in finding things that come naturally to us and working on problems that are inherently hard. I think it's more a matter of interest. Can you commit yourself to learning about this problem for 40 years.

That's another point I liked is that while we ourselves are changing and elastic, the career we pick is likely going to shift dramatically over the course of an entire career, especially in a field like computer science. Just since when I started my undergrad to now, computers can talk. There are always new things to learn. Being employable is very related to being able to learn new complicated things quickly, and provide value with them.

Book Three: The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and David Thomas

I loved this book. I liked that for the most part it focused on high level engineering principles instead of nitty gritty technical details. I think that makes what this book says valuable across a constantly shifting tech landscape, which is what the authors intended.

Broken Windows

I was familiar with the broken window theory, and I thought the sections they devote to it were super helpful. The decay of software and its corresponding maintenance cost is extremely critical to good engineering. One of the indicators of good software is that it is flexible and easy to change, as requirements and contexts inevitably change. Broken windows state that the quality of code will rise to the standards of the current code. People, (myself included) rationalize a change, or commit to the current form of abstractions or habits in a codebase. All the time I look at how someone else has done something, and copy their strategy without spending time to improve. If you see something that doesn't work, or is bad practice, improve it proactively, or else your future code will suffer.

After reading this section, I immediately noticed places in a project I was working on that could be improved. Small improvements compound. I think this principle is even more true with agentic coding. The codebase becomes the first-class documentation that claude is going to refer to when it comes to architecture and building new features. Agentic coding can only rise to level of the existing code quality, and can very quickly go downhill. By fixing broken windows it provides better context for humans and agents about what to do next.

Book Four: Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury

This book was a gift from my wife's Grandfather. I like how it kind of demystifies negotiation by positing it as a collaborative effort more than a swindling effort. In a good negotiation, both parties can feel confident and heard when they are trying to achieve their goals. I've only gotten through the first couple chapters, but there are things you can employ in professional and personal settings.

Positional Bargaining vs. Negotiating based on merits

One of the first points in the book is to avoid negotiating based on positions. If you immediately dig your feet in the ground and get attached to a specific outcome, you may completely miss out on solutions that would align with your interests, what you actually want. Identifying your actual interests, and being willing to listen to the other persons interests allow both parties to create opportunities for mutual gain. There can very possibly be a solution where both parties get exactly what they want, and give up only secondary options.

Book Five: Deep Work by Cal Newport

I've seen this one recommended a lot and decided to pick it up. The author mentioned a lot how they were writing this book in the free time they had while being a full-time professor, and honestly I could tell. I feel like you could read the introduction and the Rule #1, and you'd get most of what Deep Work had to offer. A lot of chapters felt drawn out in order to get to a publisher-mandated page count rather than actually providing good tips or interesting commentary.

I did appreciate Newport's points about the ability to master new complex topics being a key difference maker in the knowledge economy. I think this is even more true with the rise of AI. Being able to understand what's actually going on when an LLM generates your code will still be an important skill. I think it raises the bar for understanding, from a necessity to a deliberate exercise.

Many of the practical tips are useful, if somewhat drawn out. His points about being deliberate about where we give our attention are very important. When we choose the lowest and most frictionless outlet for our attention, we will be astonished to see the months and years go by and nothing much has happened. However, if we choose to focus on outlets that are productive or fulfilling, such as learning a new skill, reading a good book, maintaining a relationship, or learning a hobby, we grow as an individual and have more substance in our life. These people also have more opportunities in life because they are more complete people.

Also, with all things, consistency is key. Doing something regularly, especially when it comes to working or learning, will compound so much more. I personally have tried to read more regularly, and found that my daily commute makes a great time to read uninterrupted.

Book Six: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

I was somewhat embarrassed to read this book on the train because I don't think its title has aged very well, and it comes off as kind of "salesy". However I still found there are some excellent points in communication that I pulled out of it.

Smile and remember peoples names

This was a good reminder for me, as I was starting a new job and meeting new people. As you're having introductions with lots of new people, it makes a difference by just trying to be friendly. When I smile and try to bring energy to an interaction, I feel more confident and leave the interaction feeling more energized. This is something I'm still working on, but makes a huge difference.

Also I think it also makes a huge difference and makes people feel more valued when you greet them by name in follow-up interactions. I definitely notice when other people do this.

Book Seven: The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

This was the first time I had tried a more business heavy book, and as soon as I picked it up I could tell it was going to be a more challenging read. I haven't had much practice reading business heavy books, but I got the hang of it after a while. I found this one really interesting, and I thought Christensen was an excellent writer.

Disruptive vs. Sustaining Innovations

One of the central points to the book is the power and chaos introduced from disruptive innovations. These are solutions to problems that usually start out inferior to existing solutions. They are made from common components or technologies, but don't initially offer the same level of performance of the state-of-the art solutions in the market. Therefore top firms are unlikely to invest time and resources into developing these solutions, primarily because their target customers aren't going to buy something that doesn't meet their required level of performance. Top firms focus on sustaining innovations instead. Which provide small boosts in performance that keep the technologies competitive and keep existing customers.

The dilemma occurs because these disruptive technologies also have the characteristic that their rate of improved performance is faster than the existing or sustaining innovations. Eventually these disruptive solutions can quickly bypass the performance required by customers and move upmarket, invading the incumbent top firms. The paradox happens because great firms listen to customers, but their customers don't want a solution that can't provide for their needs. But by not focusing development on these new technologies, they will eventually be left in the dust, when they are able to provide for their needs.

Cost Structures

One of the reasons I found interesting for this was because disruptive innovations usually need to look for customers in different markets than where the current top firms are selling. By looking in a place where the weaknesses of the solution instead become strengths, e.g. ruggedness, cheapness, etc. They can create new cost-structures that reward the disruptive innovation and allow it to grow. Then, at the same time the technology matures, it can invade the markets of the existing top firms it initially couldn't compete in and knock them out.

This was my first time reading a business or strategy book and I really enjoyed it. I especially thought Christensen did a good job sharing real life stories about this pattern, for example with the disc drive industry, honda motorcycles, hydraulic diggers, and electric cars. I definitely would love a follow-up with how Tesla has turned an electric vehicle into a commercially successful product, and now how BYD is threatening the existing automakers because it can produce an amazing electric vehicle for a fraction of the price of its American and Japanese competitors like Ford and Toyota.

Thanks for Reading! The next books I'm readng are Thinking Fast and Slow by David Kahneman, and the Road by Cormac McCarthy.

All writing is my own. I used Claude for spellcheck.