Andrew Elliott – Is that a big number?
Charming book with some nice perspectives that preaches to the converted
The initial strength of the Hanseatic League was the fluidity of the institution, but that also limited the degree to which it could scale its power
Carsten Jahnke – Die Hanse (read in German)
Nice to read as an example of a successful alternative power structure (in the sense of Graeber en Wengrow), that is nonetheless is firmly rooted in proto-capitalist principles.
The strive for ever greater precision has been a driving force behind all landmark engineering achievements
Simon Winchester – The perfectionists
Nice collection of anecdotes which struggles to become more than just that.
The careful study of ancient wrecks reveals much about how – through the ages and across civilizations – engineers have solved for the same challenges in different ways
Richard Steffy – Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks
It would be worthwhile research topic to map the development of ship building to the principles of disruptive innovation as laid out by Clayton Christensen.
When structuring your tech-heavy organization it helps to think in archetypes of team roles and interaction modes
Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais – Team Topologies
An elegant little book that provides a refreshingly clear view on how to make Conway’s law an effective principle for organizing products and platforms.