Canon
Books, comics, thinkers, movies, TV series and games that shaped how (or at least made me) think. From Munroe to MacGyver and The Egg. Not necessarily a "best-of" list, just some things that stuck or I consumed way too much of.
Books
- Bobiverse · Dennis E. Taylor
Hey, with IPv8, we should be able to address every galaxy in the universe.
- The Expanse · James S.A. Corey
My life has become a single, ongoing revelation that I haven’t been cynical enough.
- The Three-Body Problem · Liu Cixin
Do not answer!
- Made to Stick · Chip Heath and Dan Heath
- Influence · Robert Cialdini
- The God Delusion · Richard Dawkins
- The Culture Map · Erin Meyer
- Off to Be the Wizard · Scott Meyer
- Algorithms to Live By · Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths
- Freakonomics · Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
- The Egg · Andy Weir
In this universe, there’s just you and me.
- Project Hail Mary · Andy Weir
Listened to the audiobook multiple times. Beautiful story, and the alien bromance was a great unexpected plot surprise (in the book at least).
- Antifragile · Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.
- Meditations · Marcus Aurelius
- Mythos · Stephen Fry
- Norse Mythology · Neil Gaiman
- Thinking in Bets · Annie Duke
- Factfulness · Hans Rosling
When we have a fact-based worldview, we can see that the world is not as bad as it seems—and we can see what we have to do to keep making it better.
- Je hebt wél iets te verbergen · Maurits Martijn and Dimitri Tokmetzis
- The Cathedral and the Bazaar · Eric S. Raymond
- Utopia for Realists · Rutger Bregman
Growing up
- Suske en Wiske · Willy Vandersteen
- Donald Duck
- Asterix and Obelix · Goscinny and Uderzo
- User Friendly · J.D. Frazer
- De Schippers van de Kameleon · Hotze de Roos
- De Fabeltjeskrant
- Sesamstraat
- Het Klokhuis
- Ghostbusters II · 1989
- Knight Rider
- Airwolf
- The A-Team
- MacGyver
The best way to beat a problem is to make it work for you.
- Miami Vice
Even just the soundtrack! The intro, In the Air Tonight, Crockett’s Theme, Take Me Home...
- The X-Files
I’ve seen the life on this planet, Scully, and that is exactly why I’m looking elsewhere.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
Engage
- The Matrix · 1999
Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.
- Fight Club · 1999
This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.
- Jurassic Park · 1993
- Caesar III · 1998
- Civilization
- Mario Kart
- SimCity
Thinkers
- Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- Daniel Kahneman
- Simon Sinek
Explainers
- Frans Verstraten
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Randall Munroe · xkcd
- Derek Muller · Veritasium
- Kurzgesagt
- Michael Stevens · Vsauce
- Cleo Abram
- EposVox
- Hannah Fry
- Jeff Geerling
- Jono Bacon
- Kyle Hill
Roko’s basilisk
- Steve Mould
- Matt Parker · Stand-up Maths
- John and Hank Green · Vlogbrothers
On screen
- Marvel's Avengers saga · Phases 1 to 3
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
- Doctor Who · 2005 onward
Spoilers
- Memento · 2000
Memory can change the shape of a room.
- Silicon Valley
It’s not magic, it’s talent and sweat.
- Black Mirror
Thanks to the technological revolution, we have the power to rage and accuse, spout bile without consequence.
- Mr. Robot
The world is a dangerous place, Elliot, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
- The Expanse · TV series
Space is too fucking big.
- Project Hail Mary · 2026
Grace Rocky Save Stars
Games
- Minecraft
Selfhosting my kids’ Minecraft worlds with all of teh mods
- Factorio
The factory must grow.
- Satisfactory
FICSIT does not waste.
- Timberborn
A post-apocalyptic lumberpunk beaver colony builder and terraforming sim