Henri Attan – Account Executive at Spreckley
A rather sassy French woman once said to me (in a flirtatious yet somewhat mocking tone): “I always see you with that book. You read a lot – are you a clever boy?” To which I replied: “Au contraire ma chérie. I read not because I am clever, but because I am somewhat mentally challenged, and have to make up for that deficiency with the wisdom of others.”
Holiday flirtations aside, getting a different perspective and absorbing the wisdom of others can never do any harm. The interlocking worlds of technology and business are remarkably fast-moving, and here at Spreckley we believe in getting ahead. In that spirit, here’s a selection of my favourite technology reads and listens for your delectation:
- Stratechery
Stratechery looks at the technology world through the lens of grand strategy, and often deals with that dynamic crescent where technology, business, culture, and politics meet. It’s particularly insightful on innovation, and how incumbents’ winning business models and ways of working are fundamentally unsuited to the new paradigms that arise from disruption. The associated podcast, Exponent, takes on similar issues as the blog but with the added value of nerdy banter.
Choice cuts:
Defining consumerization of IT
- Recode:Decode
Kara Swisher is something of a Silicon Valley legend, notorious for her incisive journalism and her combative interview style, as well as for having a black book that reads like a who’s-who of today’s major players in technology. On her podcast, Recode:Decode, she chats with a wide variety of prominent figures in the tech world. As always, she never shies away from the difficult issues and is not afraid to be a tad confrontational – which makes for a fun commute listen.
Choice cuts:
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker: How to stop AI from stealing jobs
How does tech fix its diversity problem?
- Babbage
As The Economist’s weekly podcast on science and technology, Babbage takes the intellectual curiosity and grounded analysis of its mother publication and applies it to the podcast format. Episodes are usually a brisk 20-30 mins, convenient for a lunchtime stroll, and feature an intriguing mix of guests.
Choice cuts:
One blockchain to rule them all?
- Techpinions
Despite the name Techpinions is definitely not pure assertion. With a host of contributors, it covers a broad range of topics, both providing the latest tech news and opinionated analysis. There’s also an informing yet conversational podcast.
Choice cuts:
Why Apple can’t lose the future services battle
Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 Investigation becomes the cornerstone for improved QA
- StartUp HandMeDowns
StartUp HandMeDowns does something rather different from the previous choices. The hosts interview successful startup mavens with the goal of uncovering the secret sauce to their success – often resulting in lively and banterous encounters. Whilst not directly about technology, a vast majority of the episodes touch on technological innovation.
Choice cuts:
Why we kidnapped a chef to explore JustEats inner brand voice – Mat Braddy
How I won 18 grants to get my Augmented Reality business off the ground – Silas Akekunle