This page is for sharing some of my picks. Podcasts, products, apps, and whatever else I think is worth sharing. I'll tweet when I make modifications to this page, so stay tuned for updates.

Podcasts

Leadership

  • Programming Leadership - Marcus Blankenship’s podcast about leadership in the context of software development teams.

  • The Important Thing - Michael Lopp (@rands) podcast about leadership and other misc. topics.

  • Manager Tools - this is sort of the manager’s podcast, the starter pack of episodes is excellent if not looking for a more regularly published podcast.

Tech

  • The Talk Show (Weekly, 2 hours) - John Gruber discusses Apple and surrounding topics with a guest each week. He gets side tracked on baseball from time to time, but always entertaining.

  • Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP) (Weekly, 2 hours) - Marco Arment, John Siracusa, and Casey Liss (of who the hell is Casey Liss fame) discuss Apple, technology, and the tech industry. Really fun dynamic between the three of them.

  • Dithering (MWF, 15 minutes) - Ben Thompson and John Gruber have regular, concise conversations about the tech industry. Subscription required.

  • WVFRM (MKBHD’s Podcast) - Marques is a video guru that mostly does tech reviews, but has hundreds of incredible videos. His podcast is also great!

  • Cyber, Malicious Life, Darknet Diaries, and Hackable - Scary stories about hacking.

  • Privacy and OSINT Podcast - Great insight into ways to remain anonymous in a connected world.

  • Grumpy Old Geeks - Fun podcast for those that remember the earlier days of the internet.

  • Techmeme Ride Home - Great overview of what is going on in the tech world.

  • Home Assistant - A podcast about the increasingly powerful, and completely open, home automation platform.

  • Self Hosted - Great show about open source and self-hosted software solutions, increasing ownership of our content and putting privacy back into our own hands.

  • Honorable Mention: Automators, AppStories, , Exponent (RIP), Stack Overflow podcast, Compiler

Non-Tech

  • Prof G Show with Scott Galloway - Similar to Pivot, except Scott is solo and/or with a guest.

  • My First Million - Interesting (sometimes controversial) discussions about starting/owning businesses, I enjoy the brainstorming on ideas aspect of this show in particular.

  • Jordan Harbinger Show - Despite being daily and 60m+, I have grown to really love this podcast. Jordan is relatable, humble, and an outstanding interviewer.

  • Hardcore History (Quarterly, 2-4 hours) - Dan Carlin discusses historical events from a thorough and interesting perspective, his ability to bring the story to life is amazing (even for those who weren't keen on history in school).

  • Embedded (30-60 minutes) - Enthralling stories from reporters who dive deep into a culture or group of people, usually a very dangerous group.

  • Reveal (Weekly, 60 minutes) - From the Center for Investigative Reporting, uncovers perspectives and facts that often are overlooked in commonly reported stories, or fascinating aspects of things that have gone entirely unreported.

  • Freakonomics Radio (Weekly, 30-60 minutes) - From the folks behind the Freakonomics books, they discuss various topics and supporting data.

  • This American Life (Weekly, 60 minutes) - The NPR hit in podcast form. I have never been a faithful NPR listener, but this show is tremendously entertaining and covers a variety of topics.

  • Cortex - A fun dive into how CGP Grey lives and works. The way his mind works is endlessly entertaining.

  • Stay Tuned with Preet - Intelligent discussions on politics and other topics

  • What a Day, The Daily, and Up First

  • Intelligence Squared - Great debate to help you understand both sides of an argument, the ones you have a strongly held opinion on are the most interesting. Listen with an open mind!

  • Pivot - Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway provide highly entertaining commentary and bold opinions on technology and the technology/startup industry.

  • Crooked Media's whole lineup (mostly) - These have moved way down my list due to the regular 5-10 minute ad breaks. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I still enjoy a lot of the commentary, but these are hard to listen to sometimes. My favorite is Lovett or Leave It with honorable mention for Pod Save America - Excellent line of mostly rational and always entertaining political commentary (open and unabashedly biased toward the left).

  • Honorable Mention: Infinite Monkey Cage, Invisibilia, Criminal, Hello Internet, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: Ears Edition, The Important Thing, My Brother My Brother and Me

 

Mobile Apps

I have around 150 apps on my phone, and use approximately 75 unique apps each week. I have a tremendous appreciation for beautifully designed and appropriately functional apps. Here are some of my favorites (for iOS).

  • Tweetbot (RIP) - There are no words to express how wonderful Tweetbot was for Twitter. I am thankful for such committed and outstanding developers. Check out their Mastodon client, Ivory!

  • Ivory - This is, without question, my Mastodon client of choice. I highly recommend this app and I have a lot of respect for their (small) team. I also really enjoy the (open source) Ice Cubes app and am an avid supporter of both.

  • Overcast - I have been using the stock podcast player for several years now. I know it isn't perfect but I never needed more. Enter Overcast. Smart speed, voice enhancements, and a beautiful UI. You're crazy if you don't at least check this out. As of early 2022, I crossed the 10,000 hour mark for time save by Smart Speed (does not include the base speed increase). It’s hard to overstate just how thankful I am for an app that can give me so much of my own time back.

  • 1Password - With how easy it is to use secure passwords across all of your devices, there is no excuse for not using a good password manager. There is none better than 1Password, I cannot recommend this product highly enough.

  • Todoist - My wife and I share grocery lists, Costco lists, to-do lists, etc. We've found that Todoist has good syncing, 3rd party integration (ex: Siri and Alexa), sharing, features, design, and load time for our needs. I have strongly considered returning to iOS Reminders for this given how much that has improved… TBD.

  • Evernote + Scannable + Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1300 - I have gone almost entirely paperless, so I use Evernote heavily. I also use it for taking notes to sync across devices. Scannable does a surprisingly good job of scanning documents in, I basically always use PDF, but it's quite good in general. I have tried the alternatives (like Notion, Craft, Obsidian, etc… see this site for more) and just can’t find something that meets my needs.

  • Due - While $5 seems like a lot for a timer/reminders app, I have found it well worthwhile. The custom tones and snoozing capabilities of this app are really useful, I find myself forgetting things far less often.

  • Streaks - A very simple, yet useful and powerful, goal tracking app. I can't believe this is free.

  • Tailscale - A VPN that isn’t exactly a VPN, but is an absolute game-changer for anyone looking to securely and painlessly connect between devices from anywhere in the world.

  • Screens - An excellent VNC/remote desktop app for iOS and Mac.

  • Stock apps - I really like the simplicity and speed of several stock apps also. Notes for quick and easy things, Reminders for my own to-do list, iMessage, Mail (iOS), Calendar, and more. I have tried several highly regarded replacements for these, but found that the stock apps did the job nicely.

  • iMessage deserves its own call-out. I know there are sync issues between devices, but those used to be a lot worse than they are now (I use 4 devices with regularity - 2 Macs, iPhone, iPad). Generally speaking messages and messages being marked as read work perfectly as expected. iMessage feels so different than SMS. Part of it is internal bias of "blue bubbles" to be certain, but it just feels like an enjoyable communication experience. It's fast, media being sent is high enough quality, it's got great capabilities like leaving groups, muting alerts, finding/sharing location, and more. While challenigng to quanitify, I can safely say that iMessage is a genuine improvement to my life. I tried replacing it with SMS + Hangouts and would peg that experiences many orders of magnitude below iMessage. I have written a bit about iMessage/Hangouts and the tradeoffs.

 

macOS Apps

  • iStat Menus - Places the most useful information in your status bar. Thoroughly configurable and incredibly useful, all for a very reasonable price. [$18]

  • Tweetbot (RIP) - Desktop version of my favorite Twitter client. It will be missed.

  • VPN TBD - I used to love Cloak (rebranded to Encrypt.me), but it has gotten shady and does not score well on privacy. Proton VPN is one option, but it lacks the “auto-connect on unknown networks” that I loved so much with Cloak.

  • VS Code - A really nice text editor that is very customizable, but usable right out of the box. [Free]

  • Slack - If you aren't using Slack for work, you should be. If you aren't using it for your social circles, you probably should be there too. [Free]

  • iTerm + oh my zsh - If you use the command line at all, get iTerm (free) and install oh my zsh. The ability to customize is endless but well documented and once you switch you'll never go back. I am using the Crunch theme and really like the look of it. [Free]

  • Homebrew - Makes life a lot easier for installing and managing developer tools (among other things). [Free]

  • Better Touch Tool (BTT) - Allows powerful customization of gestures, taps, clicks, and more for the touchpad, a Magic Mouse, or a regular mouse. You can supercharge the speed of your navigation by finding gestures that work for you beyond the system defaults and make your life a lot easier. [Pay what you can model]

  • 1Password - The perfect companion to the iOS app, 1Password is hands down the best way to manage your passwords and secure data. By using 1Password, it becomes much easier to use highly secure logins to all of your services by eliminating the need for you to remember tens or hundreds of passwords. [$50]

  • IntelliJ - An amazing development environment for Java work, even the free version is incredibly powerful and feature-rich. It has great documentation and help and receives regular updates.

  • Fork - The best GUI git client I have ever seen.

  • Pixelmator Pro - To a non-graphic-designer, this is just as good as Photoshop, but easier to use and way cheaper. Their guides are outstanding and I use this more often than I ever thought I would. It has gotten me out of several binds - for example, we needed to order something that had fixed dimensions for a photo, we had one candidate photo and it simply could not be cropped to those dimensions. Using the AI features, I was able to extend the (highly complex) photo background to extend the image and fit into the crop without anyone ever noticing that the trees and grass aren’t “real”. [$40]

 

My Setup

  • Computer: 2021 MacBook Pro 16” M1 Max

  • Phone: iPhone (usually the latest iPhone Pro (non-Max) variant

  • Tablet: White iPad Pro 12.9” 256GB

  • AirPods: I can't imagine life without them anymore. If $159 seems expensive – you haven't used them yet. I know most people will disagree, but I have the AirPods Pro as well and I prefer the non-Pro AirPods. They are much more comfortable to wear all day every day (I tend to leave 1 in most of the time).

  • Backup Strategy:

 

Useful Technology & ServiceS

For one reason or another, often due to trial and error, I've found some useful items that might not be well known. Other items in the list are just things I find useful and wanted to share. 

  • AirPods - Worth many times their $159 asking price, AirPods are only second to my iPhone in favorite material objects I own. They are amazing for casual podcast/audiobook listening, non-audiophile music listening, working on projects at home (including very active ones), working out or walking the dog, or for conference calls at work. I've polled nearly everyone I've talked to on the phone (via voice call, Slack, call FaceTime, etc.) and found consistently perfectly quality, even in the face of daunting background noise. Their convenience is extraordinary and the ability to use a single earbud or both is something I take advantage of several times per day. With one or both in my hear for most of a waking ~17 hour day, I have never exhausted more than about 70% of the combined battery life between the pods and the case, and never been without at least one charged and ready to go. There is no product I recommend more highly than AirPods for iOS and/or Mac users (they work with any platform, but I cannot verify the experience). I have the AirPods and AirPods Pro, I prefer standard AirPods with no hesitation.

  • Home Assistant - I have only begun to scratch the surface here, but when I looked at HASS a couple years ago, it was very clearly geared toward people who had time to deal with it. It still sort of is, but much less so. The community for HASS has flourished, and the flexibility and power of the platform continues to impress me.

  • LucidChart - Excellent for diagrams, charts, and my favorite – mind mapping. They have a free trial and then a few plans that range from $4.95/mo to around $20. I was not sure it would be worth it until I started using it. Now I'm obsessed.

  • Logitech Harmony One - This universal remote is just about perfect. Highly customizable, logical button placement, and great battery life. With this remote I control my TV, AV receiver, cable DVR, Playstation 3, Apple TV, X11 IR module (controls my fans and ambient LED lighting when my TV/receiver turn on), and often more. Sadly these have been discontinued (mixed results, but it appears they are in fact discontinued), but you can still find them, or their newly spun-off next generation models. Update: I have heard very good things about the Harmony Companion.

  • Apple TV 4K - If you have a Mac, iPad, or iPhone, the Apple TV is a wonderful accessory. AirPlay works great and is really convenient. The new models are fast, Siri works really well, and for my basic usage, it is great. Feature for feature, there are good options for much less money, unless you want AirPlay.

  • Chamberlain garage door opener with motion sensor for the light - It seems trivial, but having the garage light turn on when you walk out there is extremely convenient. I am shocked that there isn't a more competitive market for these, but this one has been working pretty well. It is a little bit hyper sensitive, so it turns on for no apparent reason sometimes, but well worthwhile. The only down side is that in the split second where the motion sensor is triggered and turning the light on, you cannot open or close the garage door. ($25 from Amazon)

  • Nespresso - If you prefer espresso or espresso-based drinks, these are worth every penny. At approximately $0.70 per pod, it can seem expensive, but it's far cheaper than Starbucks or energy drinks. The environmental impact is not ideal because they do not support reusable pods like Keurig does. Make sure to buy the Vertuo line, not the Original line (Inissia), it is much quieter (the Inissia is weirdly loud) and it is the newer line so is more likely to have pods available for sale longer. I recommend the bundle with the milk frother, it's easy to wash and is the fastest, easiest, and cleanest way to get hot frothed milk for lattes.

  • Meh List

    • Nest Thermostat (Gen. 2) - I have one, but would shop around now that the market is full of good options. To call this device "smart" is an injustice to the concept of even the most basic intelligence. It is little more than a wifi-enabled thermostat (that is aesthetically pleasing).

    • Chamberlain MyQ - I am on the fence here... The idea is great, and the execution isn't unbearable, but there are days (exceedingly rare now, it used to be 1+ per week) when I get anywhere from 1 to 20 false alarms, and it is super stressful when you're out of town. The app is unattractive and the reliability just isn't there. Also as you approach the house and start joining the wifi network, you get stuck in limbo of the door trying to open, but failing, then randomly processing the request some time later (sometimes 20+ minutes, meaning your garage might just open randomly after you've gone to bed).

      • 2020 Update: The reliability and false-opening alerts have decreased to nearly zero. I am more bullish on this again…

    • Alexa - I keep trying, but I haven't found much use for this except for adding things to a grocery list (which requires a horrid IFTTT hack to do a 1-way sync, depending which app you use). I also have grown increasingly uncomfortable with the privacy aspects. If it delivered more value, I’d be more inclined to just deal with that.

 

Favorite Books/Artciles on Leadership or Business

  • Predictable Success by Les McKeown - Defines a model for the stages of growth for a company with a focus on understanding the types of people and strengths help at each stage and understanding which of those can prevent you from attaining the next stage or be problematic once you get there. This is a must-read for leadership of companies that are going from a handful of employees to 25, 30, or 50.

  • Start With Why by Simon Sinek - Many will find this book hard to digest if they aren't developing a physical product or if they haven't been influenced by modern "Valley" startup culture, but it is a mistake to dismiss it, plus it is short enough to knock out at 1.5x on Audible. Simon discusses how the most successful companies sell why rather than what.

  • Talking to Crazy by Mark Goulston - Dr. Goulston provides an excellent framework for identifying and navigating conversations or relationships with "crazy" people. He defines crazy as behaving or speaking independently of logic or factual reality, something that (essentially) everyone is guilty of to a degree.

  • Principles by Ray Dalio - An outstanding resource on how to approach everything in life with an open mind, humility, and curiosity. It also includes some good “reality checks” to practice catching ourselves when we think we’re doing this, but really it.

  • No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings - A fascinating and informative perspective on how Reed has run his business, lessons learned along the way, and how a unique approach like his cannot be halfway adopted. I’m very curious what the reality of working for Netflix is… for example, the stated policy is that they’re completely ok with you taking other interviews, they just ask that you give them the specifics of the offer so they can determine if they can compete (and if they want to, and to keep their market rate data fresh), but I have a hard time believing that across the organization the human tendency toward feeling slighted (the all-too-common, yet terrifically misguided, “why wouldn’t they want to work for me!?” response), has been suppressed.

  • Just about anything from Michael Lopp (@rands), here's a great list to get you started.

  • I enjoy Camille Fournier’s thoughts on leadership.

  • This list is really out of date… sorry!