This is not a product related post, but hey, it’s a start of the new year.
Recently I saw a few posts on social where my colleagues and friends shared the list of books they read in 2016 or plan to read in 2017. I thought this was a great idea, especially if one could share what one learnt from each. I started making a list of books I read, but realized I actually saw a good deal of TV in 2016. So why not reflect on what I watched.
In addition to watching the election drama, these are some notable TV shows I was able to binge watch. As product managers, we seek inspiration from all around and these shows were enlightening.
Halt and Catch Fire – Heard about this show on Marc Andreessen’s podcast with Tim Ferris. HCF is an AMC TV series about the early days of the PC industry. Season 1 starts in the early 80’s and shows the transition of an analog electrical company in Dallas, TX into the PC business. The protagonists (the engineers and the business visionary) split up to create their own companies selling PC clones, video games and the early packet switching networking. For those who lived through the early days of personal computing, might see themselves as one of the characters. Personally, I lived through that era when PC’s were becoming mainstream in the mid 80’s, so I was totally into it. More than the nostalgia, it was fascinating to see the interplay of technology, people and money. Nothing has changed since then, only the technologies have evolved.
Game of Thrones – While I like period dramas (Downton Abbey) and Sci-Fi (Star Trek), I am not too much into magic and fantasy. But GoT has a way of gripping you, dragons or not. Everyone is familiar with Game Theory, esp when 2 parties are involved (made famous by the Prisoners Dilemma). Mathematically, you can derive a desired set of outcomes along two axes easily. Now imagine, there are 6 or 7, and sometimes more, kingdoms vying for the same objective (the Iron Throne). Game theory takes a complex multidimensional angle.
Something more benign happens in the real world (i.e. bleed cash flow instead of real blood). We and our competitors are vying for the same (customers’) wallet, and sometimes you compete and sometimes you co-opt or ignore. Knowing which to do with whom requires that same multidimensional thinking. Here’s a good book on Game Theory.
Homeland (Season 5) – Steve Blank wrote this blog post called ‘No business plan survives first contact with a customer’. Homeland portrays some of the same challenges but at a more serious level. No policy on the Hill survives first contact on the ground, would be the equivalent when it comes to fighting terrorism. Homeland does a good job juxtaposing policy and ground reality. For those who help build product and company strategy, it is imperative to understand ground realities before you build product strategy. More on that in a separate post.
House of Cards – Skullduggery. Can’t tell if Washington is really like this or is it more like “West Wing”. HoC shows us the limits of human ambition and sheer animal instincts that drive them. Obviously, this is not something us mere mortals would do. That’s why we are not in politics.
The Good Wife – I love legal drama. The Good Wife has a healthy mix of legalese, politics and humanity. Very cleverly written, this show tackles some of the hardest issues confronting society. For instance, the case of an accident by a driverless car. Who do you sue for damages? My favourite episode was about gay rights and the religious freedom. If you want a dose of this popular drama, watch this episode. Laws were written by humans, and the laws are not perfect. Navigating the gray zones of the legal systems is what makes GW an interesting show to watch.
Madam Secretary – Not great, but a decent show. Really helped appreciate the difficult job of the state department which has to deal with 200 countries on issues as complex as trade, terrorism, trafficking. Responding to complex situations based on who is on the other side is a complicated task.
Still watching
Untold History of the United States – by Oliver Stone. Dispels some of the myths we know about the US. (e.g. Who really won WW II? Who started the cold war?)
Oh, I did read a few books along the way. Most insightful was the Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance. A must read for those still in shock after the US elections.
Here are some books on my Kindle that are planned for 2017
- Innovators
- Wright Brothers
- Thomas Jefferson – Art of the Deal
- Team of Rivals
- Operation Paperclip
- Truman
- Accidental Superpower
- Harry Potter Series (per request from my son)
Looking forward to an enlightening 2017.
Happy New Year.