Frictionless Decisions Community Update
Book Anniversary, New Frequency, Playlist Update, and Summer Book Recommendations
One year ago today (!), Frictionless Data was published. Whew! Thank you for reading!
I’ve spent three years now interrogating the question, “What’s the secret for connecting data to business decisions?” Writing on this subject led me to explore not just my own solutions, but also the work of thought leaders past and present. The weekly newsletters helped unpack additional innovations, like my Financial Master Data (FMD) series, the 00001010 Commandments of Data, and Shaping a Data Team. Thank you for letting me explore and develop these ideas with you.
I’d especially like to thank everyone who supported my work: pre-readers Bruce Kiddoo, Walter Curd, and Morgan Watts; creators Eric Cummings, Michael Cummings, and Mike Koelsch; Business Expert Press; TruGlobal; endorsers Bruce Kiddoo, Nishit Sahay and Ibrahim Shariff, and Jessica Talisman, MLS for recommending my newsletter.
Summer Writing
I’m taking the summer off from weekly newsletters! New, longer-form, client-specific material has been in the works for a while now; I’ll publish any ideas that emerge from that if they seem helpful to all my subscribers. You’ll continue to receive news roundups, book reviews, and a few rants from me throughout the summer, I’m sure. Also look for a webinar sometime this summer, focused on semiconductor solutions.
This is your chance to unsubscribe :)
Summer Listening
I hope you’ve had as much fun listening to 80’s hit songs as I’ve had researching them. They really do connect to these ideas about data strategy! Here are some favorites so far this year:
Secret Separation by The Fixx
Songs From the Edge of the World by Siouxie and the Banshees
Where’s My Mind? by The Pixies
See the Lights by Simple Minds
The Sun Always Shines on T.V. by a-ha
Summer Reading
Looking for a good book to read? Here are some of my favorites so far this year:
Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth
If the movie The Matrix were a non-fiction book, this would be it. You won’t find a writer thinking further outside the box than this Kingsnorth. It’s a mind-bender, a page-turner, and you will not come away unchanged.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Bradbury might have written this book yesterday. Get out your torches. Just one update needed: not only has reading disappeared but also writing. How did that happen? Well, all we care about now is speed.
Working by Robert Caro
Caro, probably America’s greatest biographer, invites you into the writer’s life. Yes, writing is work. This book inspires readers to understand their work as a calling, a craft, and…working.
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Those who’ve followed my writing for long might see how I gravitate toward the cognitive sciences. Here’s a classic. Find out the difference between the intuitive, automatic thought processes that help you make quick decisions (and repeat your biases) and those slower, contemplative thought processes where you evaluate and develop beliefs.
Chip War by Chris Miller
Do you love history, technology, economics, and…data? Throw in the epic story of the invention of semiconductors, and you’ve got a winner. You’ll see my review of this book later this summer.
Substack Recommendations
Here are the Substacks I read! You might enjoy them too.
CQL (Career Query Lessons) | Alejandro Aboy
Ale writes from the perspective of an AI and data engineer. He’s got great architectural vision, and if you’re interested in this space, he’ll help you think beyond the fear of falling behind. It’s a calming voice.
Intentional Arrangement | Jessica Talisman, MLS
I think I’ve learned everything I need to know about the fundamentals of AI knowledge management from Jessica’s work. Think of it like the Thomas Guide for AI.
The Incomplete Guide to AI | Yakov Shkolnikov
Yakov always thinks outside the box, and unlike me, he knows everything about the inside of the box. Fun reads!
ChinaTalk | Jordan Schneider
There’s a mountain of content here, so I focus on the semiconductor geopolitical posts. Chris Miller (author of Chip Wars) is a regular contributor.
The Abbey of Misrule | Paul Kingsnorth
Everyone working on the inside of the Machine should keep an eye on the motives of the Machine. Kingsnorth writes songs from the edge of the world, so to speak. If someone wrote a Substack about their journey to throw the Ring into the volcano, it would sound something like this.
AS ALWAYS, I’d love to hear from you, even if it’s just to introduce yourself or catch up. Understanding your business intelligence journey helps me help you. Reach out anytime via LinkedIn. Thanks! ZH
For the full story about making data flow faster and better, check out Frictionless Data on Amazon.
