October was cybersecurity awareness month. While it is technically over, we are in an actual state of war every time we log onto the web. With Phishing, Spearhunting; Spoofing and more, you must be aware of every click. With this in mind, I actually picked up a book to learn more about Information Technology and Protection.
Adventures of an IT Leader was the BEST text book I have read on this subject. Written as novel, each chapter reviews a challenge that the brand new head of IT is facing. You are engaged, and feel the tension and confusion as each challenge arises to be dealt with. The conditions that are challenging are realistic, and the people delivering the information are engaging also. This was an excellent way to put in front of any person, be they a “techie” or not, to understand.
This made me think of all the other books I have read that have engaged me over the years around technology. Here are some of the ones that still come to mind easily:
Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder Followed Data General’s creation of a minicomputer in one year in the late 1970s that brought on the tech revolution.
He, She, and It by Marge Piercy Fiction that predicted what AI can do – in 1991 it even predicted that we would be talking to our houses.
The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford. Just as the Adventures book, this is an engaging and easily accessible way to learn how to handle DevOps.
Permanent Record by Edward Snowden The story of how he helped build and then bring down a system similar to “Big Brother”
1984 by George Orwell – The book that introduced us to “Big Brother”
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline A Young Adult novel about hiding in the internet, and how it can take over your life.
Mr Penumbra’s 24 hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – A novel about how data can be both useful and not.
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez Unconscious Bias in the collection of data.
Enjoy!!
The Source 4 Books 