Content that I'm obsessed with

A constantly updating collection of content that I highly recommend to others.

Movies

Everything Everywhere all at Once - at moments you're not sure exactly what you're watching, in the best way possible. Stunning visual effects, sharp dialogue, and a modern hero's journey. All playing out in the setting of mother reevaluating her relationship with her daughter and considering other choices she could have made along the way.

Charade - a time capsule for an older Hollywood. Fast banter with twists and turns that keep you guessing for two hours. My introduction to Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, which shocked my parents but it's better late than never.

TV

White Lotus (HBO) - episodic exploration of racial tension, power imbalance, and a manic supervisor. All backed by beautiful hawaiian views and the sound of waves. In the end, Quinn was the only one that really had a holiday.

Prehistoric Planet (Apple TV+) - incredibly photorealistic rendering of dinosaurs. Cites broad research on lifestyles and mating patterns of different animals, not just their visual presence. Genuinely as if Planet Earth was filmed eons ago.

Jury Duty (Amazon) - a miniseries about a fake court case, except there's one jury member who's not in on the joke. Directed by the same people that did The Office. Strong improvisation talent with enough deep laughs that you'd never know you were watching a trial.

Books

After the Fall (Ben Rhodes) - an exploration of modern american society and democracies around the world. I find Ben to be one of the crispest thinkers on international relations out there. This book is both personal and poignant about political failures we've made since the fall of the berlin wall and the machinations supporting and fighting against the liberal project.

The Idiot (Elif Batuman) - a college coming of age story playing out with the added complications of email. It's a simplified world of the challenges we face today in meeting and developing relationships online. It also explores themes of language either being enabling or limiting - sometimes the constraints give you descriptive power, sometimes they limit you from saying what you really mean.

Lords of Finance (Liaquat Ahamed) - a chronology of the development of the worldwide financial system in the 20th century, that led to the core system that we're still operating within today. Discusses the why of both policy and personalities that dropped gold for floating currency and why central banks might not be a bad idea.

The Mom Test (Rob Fitzpatrick) - an immensely practical book on need discovery, highlighting the early traps that many founders encounter when doing user research. The book is oriented as a "how-to" guide with example questions and cautionary tales that is worth revisiting every cycle of product interview conversations.