June’s Must-Haves

Each month I’m going to provide a list of resources (podcasts, talks, blog posts, books, music etc.) that I consider to be must-haves. There’s no doubt that you’ll see recurring themes or resources throughout these posts.

Not all of them have to do with software development, and some are just for fun, but by and large these are resources that will directly help you as you build your technology business.

Here’s the June 2016 Must-Haves:

• Codacy – One of the primary drivers for me writing this blog series is to help make sense of the development process. Codacy is a product I ran across about a year ago and I’ve become a fan. When you hook up your projects to Codacy, they’ll give you reports on code quality, test coverage, and conformity to standards for your project’s languages that will help you keep track of your project. Even if you’re not all that technical, their reporting will give you a starting point for discussions with your development team on their work.
• Tom Tunguz Newsletter – I’ve been reading Tom’s blog for close to two years now. Particularly if you are building a SaaS product, Tom’s insights on the market as well as how to instrument your business are second to none. Tom is a VC ad Redpoint. I’ve seen him speak in person. He’s top shelf.
• The Exponential View – Azeem Ahzar curates one of the very best newsletters on future tech I’ve ever read. He routinely covers in depth topics around AI, machine learning, and macro trends in computing that you need to be aware of. Reading his newsletter takes me a couple of hours a week, every week, and it’s always worth the time.
• Inevitable – The latest book from Kevin Kelly, who in my opinion is the pre-eminent futurist of our time. Inevitable lays out the twelve ideas that will shape our future world. What makes Kevin unique is that he’s been right on these things over and over again. I would also recommend that you listen to Kevin’s interview with Tim Ferriss. All three parts. It’s AMAZING.
• Halt and Catch Fire – One of the best shows of the last 10 years. You can watch the first two seasons on Netflix. And, as a kicker, it’s all about building tech startups (albeit from a very different era…).
• The 1975 – One of my favorite bands of the last year. These guys remind me of the music I grew up listening to with a nice modern sound. If you liked New Order or Erasure back in the day, you’ll love The 1975.

I hope you enjoy this month’s Must-Haves!