Recent Readings

There are periods like this, I am consuming books like fire.

Here are my recent readings with my comments, let me know your opinions and recommendations of other books you feel are worth diving into.

CREATIVITY INC.

I was not really motivated to read this. Pixar story, well well...

But I have been caught by Ed Catmull's analysis on what made Pixar an exceptional company out from nothing but passion.

There are very interesting teachings on start-up management, team management, creativity best practices in a "regular" company (as opposed to an artistic organization).

Catmull also highlight some tricks like the Brain Trust and how it must work, the Good Note comment system, honesty, cander etc...

Catmull is honest and avoid the usual business book bullshits. Fresh.

Strongly recommended.

GENETICS FOR DUMMIES

I did not follow a biology curriculum and as I had my DNA tested by 23andMe I wanted to refresh my knowledge on this to better understand what I could keep from a DNA analysis and what was less relevant.

I will share more about this precise topic in a few weeks. Genetics are an amazing subject.

FROM GOOD TO GREAT

How can we turn a good business into a great business ?

Interesting but astonishingly, I did not learned so much from this book.

Key teachings:

• finding a Level 5 CEO who is humble and dedicated to to its company.
• Hire the right team.
• Focus, focus, focus... (ok but on what ?).

Good book but not great.

ESSENTIALISM, THE DISCIPLINED PURSUIT OF LESS

There are sometimes some book where you know more than the author. Obviously the author is new to essentialism and talks to westerners. Living in Japan for a decade, deep into zen, kendo and kyudo, I noticed that I turned an essentialist deep to my bones.

Essentialism is essential. Read this book if you feel you are not in the essential of your life, business etc...

I stopped before the end.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ AT WORK

I am not a big fan of Annie but I recognize she made a great thing in her kind of photography. I wanted to know more about her.

Ok. Done.

THIS IS SERVICE DESIGN THINKING

Sometimes you read a book and it shouts at you "hey, you could write a book too". That's a book of that kind.

It is all in the title. A lot of cases. It ramps up the experience by learning what has been done elsewhere.

An interesting topic of mine in my career, evolving from technology to product design to interaction design to full service experience design.