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Welcome to our Monthly Roundup, where we curate a unique mix of articles, books, podcasts, and more that have captured the attention of the GreyNoise team. From deeply technical articles to literary treasures, join us on this eclectic journey through the media that sparks our curiosity each month. Explore + discover as we share the gems that have fueled our inspiration!
Louis Evans // Director of Product Marketing
Travel Light | Naomi Mitchinson (from Rich Horton's recommendation)
🐲 Thoughts: It's a Norse-inspired fairytale incongruously grounded in the very real history of the Byzantine Empire and Eastern Europe; beautifully humane and strikingly alien. It also might be the lost ancestor of all the princess-and-dragon subversions that are so (thankfully!) common these days.
Brianna Cluck // Researcher
👻 Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
Why I like it: It's a real page turner of a horror novel about quite literally facing your demons. Highly recommend it if you like horror, if you are socially awkward and want a relatable protagonist or if you like books about queer people taking down a conversion therapy camp.
Ronnie Villarini // Senior Software Engineer
🕰️ Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals | Oliver Burkeman
Thoughts: Great book that I think I'll keep coming back to; this is my second time, as I always seem to find something new. It's a nice, albeit brutal, reminder that life is short and time cannot be "managed" the way other productivity books would make it seem. You will always have to make sacrifices; just make sure you pay attention to what you're sacrificing.
🦥 Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout | Cal Newport
Why I liked it: In a similar vein, I read Slow Productivity, Not my favorite by Cal Newport, but it was still a good read. Probably not a lot in here that you haven't heard before but probably don't think about regularly. Still, there was some great insight, especially in regard to the difference between "obsessing over quality" and "perfectionism." Definitely recommend it for the the productivity nerds.
Frank Severic // Sales Development Rep
💰 The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation | Matthew Dixon + Brent Adamson
Why I like it: A recommendation by a co-worker, Mike Baker, exploring the results of a study done by CEB on behaviors and attitudes that drive performance in complex sales in-spite-of market fluctuations. The authors were surprised that they did not arrive at their hypothesis, so it makes a highly interesting read backed by research data.
⛽ Fossil Capital: The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming | Andreas Malm
Thoughts: This one is taking some time, clocking in at a thick 400 pages, but Andreas Malm did an impressive amount of cited research constructing a narrative that challenges the traditional thinking that energy production was driven by market forces, arguing instead their hypothesis that it was not economic incentive, but centralized control of labor and means of production. Malm offers a deep dive into the political and social ramifications of disrupting the status quo of fossil fuel-driven infrastructure.
