I am a self-taught guy, having started in my first job at IBM Oslo, when I was 18 years old, as punched card machine operator, and plug-board ‘programmer'. I did night studies in sociology/philosophy for 10 years at University of Oslo. I read about 30 books a year, and I’m 82 in 2023. I have spent most of my career as an independent international consultant to corporations and governments, while building up my ideas of useful methods to solve problems. In retirement, I love to spread my ideas, and learn more. I also write about 5 new books a year, when at my Oslofjord Summer cabin. They're all digital and free or free samples.
I wrote...
Competitive Engineering: A Handbook For Systems Engineering, Requirements Engineering, and Software Engineering Using Planguage
CE defines ‘Planguage’ my planning language, as well as associated processes, including Evo (a value delivery process), and Spec QC, a process for quality control of specifications. It covers the process of engineering value increases into any system type. Requirements, designs, an incremental value delivery process (Evo), and a specification quality control process. I tried to write the book in a technology-independent, timeless, generic way, so it can be used for anything forever. Each of the 10 chapters is summarized by 10 generic principles, which I intend shall stand the test of time.
The book, like all my works does not ‘wave arms’, and ‘exhort you to do good stuff’, like too many books I see. I specify the detailed rules, processes, principles. I give detailed examples and diagrams.
My father was an inventor. That is what is says on his tombstone. Over 100 patents.
His products today in building supply shops and in real buildings. And some crazy inventions that did not make him famous, but he had fun with.
So I guess I have a born sympathy for the lone inventor, who against many odds, manages to do interesting useful work and industrialise it successfully. This is not about Dyson, but written by him. Hopefully he will inspire the next generation of inventors.
Dyson has become a byword for great design, brilliant invention and global success. Now, James Dyson, the entrepreneur who made it all happen, tells his remarkable and inspirational story in Invention: A Life of Learning through Failure.
'By continually challenging ourselves, investing in the future and experimenting, we can continue to make the future. We must never stop. Never, for one second become comfortable.' James Dyson
In this spirited autobiography, James Dyson interweaves his own life story with a wider exploration of the importance of invention. On the way, the reader encounters challenging and inspirational characters, radical inventions, adventurous engineering,…
I am structurally advised to admire a man who spouts almost as many ‘principles’ of his business methods as I do.
He, like the others here, is a person who has created a very successful business (in the financial industry, Bridgewater). So there is some proof that his ideas are worth listening to.
He has a more recent book that I also admire, for its political analysis (but I am only allowed a small quota of suggestions).
He not only shares his wisdom in a great book, but he campaigns, daily on social media for his ideas; typically with one new principle each post! He might seem to be promoting his books, but I know he is an idealist sharing his ideas. He does not need the book income (neither do I). He just wants you to read more of his ideas!
He is in that last quarter of your life, Indians call it Seva, give-back time.
From Ray Dalio, the legendary investor and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Principles—whose books have sold more than five million copies worldwide—comes a guided reflection journal that empowers readers everywhere to develop their own principles for success in work and life.
“Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior that gets you what you want out of life.” —Ray Dalio
In his #1 New York Times bestseller Principles, legendary investor Ray Dalio introduced millions of readers around the world to the unconventional approach he developed as the founder and builder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest…
From my notes after I read it, “Great content and organization. Triggered me to write and plan a 2022 Book.”
There was specific practical content like removing vacation policy, removing travel and expenses policy. An opening the books, which showed the practices behind the no rules idea, and their consequent results in the business. As a consultant, these give me a tool for discussion with clients. What if you did the same?
Again a great leader, and successful businessperson, using persistence and imagination to deal with the forces against change.
Hard work is irrelevant. Be radically honest. Adequate performance gets a generous severance. And never, ever try to please your boss.
These are some of the ground rules if you work at Netflix. They are part of a unique cultural experiment that explains how the company has transformed itself at lightning speed from a DVD mail order service into a streaming superpower - with 125 million fervent subscribers and a market capitalisation bigger than Disney.
Finally Reed Hastings, Netflix Chairman and CEO, is sharing the secrets that have revolutionised the entertainment and tech industries. With INSEAD business school professor Erin…
No surprises. Self-made businessperson, with persistence and imagination.
This book is unusual. It is literally written by Bezos over decades of developing Amazon. It is mainly his annual reports to the shareholders! So it gives a continuous picture of the growth of the empire.
My favourite practical tip, is his executive meeting process. Meeting begins with a 6-page (with a 1-page summary) briefing, to reread for the first 20 minutes of as meeting in silence, then discussed. No presentation with slides and pretty pictures, and soothing ambiguous words.
The briefing is the result of hard work, in advance, crafting it to be useful. Wow!
In Jeff Bezos's own words, the core principles and philosophy that have guided him in creating, building, and leading Amazon and Blue Origin.
In this collection of Jeff Bezos's writings—his unique and strikingly original annual shareholder letters, plus numerous speeches and interviews that provide insight into his background, his work, and the evolution of his ideas—you'll gain an insider's view of the why and how of his success. Spanning a range of topics across business and public policy, from innovation and customer obsession to climate change and outer space, this book provides a rare glimpse into how Bezos thinks about…
I have read many Musk books, and seen many Musk videos. So this is just one of many.
I have extracted the methods, Musk uses, in a collection. I have to admit, one reason I like them, is that they are essentially the same as my own, in Competitive Engineering! Just great engineering and management.
But, Musk, as yet, has not written his own methods book, or even articles or slides. So we have these biographical books, and videos, as the only evidence of his methods.
But his methods are clear enough in essence. “Fanatic on metrics” (source March 1, 2023 Investors video). Frequent, early, automated, measurement of results. Empowerment to increment towards a super-competitive product, service, and organizational results. Visions of the very best qualities, by far(example Safety).
Three Tesla models are top 3 of the 50 safest cars currently rated for safety! I value my family’s lives. Relentless eternal continuous incremental improvement, day by day (notmodel-year by model-year!). I drive my 3rd Tesla (3, Perfect!), and am in my 5th round of Tesla Investment (best ever winnings, better than lotteries). Of course, buy low, sell high!
And, if you did not know, Elon is not in it for the money! And not even for the exciting technology. No, he is an idealist. He really does live to work for the salvation of the human race! Technology and money are merely tools for that vision.
The dramatic inside story of the first four historic flights that launched SpaceX-and Elon Musk-from a shaky startup into the world's leading edge rocket company.
In 2006, SpaceX-a brand-new venture with fewer than 200 employees-rolled its first, single-engine rocket onto a launch pad at Kwajalein Atoll. After a groundbreaking launch from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Falcon 1 rocket designed by Elon Musk's engineers rose in the air for approximately thirty seconds. Then, its engine flamed out, and the rocket crashed back into the ocean.
In 2007, SpaceX undertook a second launch. This time, the rocket rose far…
What happens when a novelist with a “razor-sharp wit” (Newsday), a “singular sensibility” (Huff Post), and a lifetime of fear about getting sick finds a lump where no lump should be? Months of medical mishaps, coded language, and Doctors who don't get it.
With wisdom, self-effacing wit, and the story-telling artistry of an acclaimed novelist, Elizabeth Benedict recollects her cancer diagnosis after discovering multiplying lumps in her armpit. In compact, explosive chapters, interspersed with moments of self-mocking levity, she chronicles her illness from muddled diagnosis to “natural remedies,” to debilitating treatments, as she gathers sustenance from family, an assortment of urbane friends, and a fearless “cancer guru.”
Rewriting Illness is suffused with suspense, secrets, and the unexpected solace of silence.
By turns somber and funny but above all provocative, Elizabeth Benedict's Rewriting Illness: A View of My Own is a most unconventional memoir. With wisdom, self-effacing wit, and the story-telling skills of a seasoned novelist, she brings to life her cancer diagnosis and committed hypochondria. As she discovers multiplying lumps in her armpit, she describes her initial terror, interspersed with moments of self-mocking levity as she indulges in "natural remedies," among them chanting Tibetan mantras, drinking shots of wheat grass, and finding medicinal properties in chocolate babka. She tracks the progression of her illness from muddled diagnosis to debilitating treatment…
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