[SLOT: the last two or three books you actually finished]
now — july 2026
The Search for Modern China
China is the current obsession, and Spence writes history the way I want systems explained: people first, the machinery visible behind them. Reading in print, pencil in hand.
finished lately
Boyd
The foundational text for how I think about tempo and competition. OODA is load-bearing vocabulary here, and I reread my highlights more often than I reread most books.
Certain to Win
Boyd translated for business, by the man Boyd trusted to do it. Shorter and sharper than the biography if you only read one.
Meditations on Moloch
The essay I hand people when they ask why good teams build bad things. Coordination failure explains more of the world than malice does.
The Craig Mod essay canon
No single piece, the amalgamation. Walking, publishing small, and making quiet work sustainable. The membership-model essays rewired how I think about audience.
Full log — 4 more entries
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
A Wild Sheep Chase
How to Take Smart Notes
[SLOT: the rest of the log is yours to fill]