One Book At A Time – 2025

2025 has been a year of AI explosion, and honestly, it is a lot to keep up with. Every week brings a wave of new research papers, industry newsletters, blog posts, benchmark reports, and endless social media feeds.

With so much noise, finding time for long-form reading, both AI and non-AI books, has become a challenge. To stay ahead, I’ve developed a new routine: every Saturday, I upload my “must-read” papers and newsletters to Google NotebookLM. I generate an Audio Overview and consume it as a podcast during my Sunday morning jog. It’s the perfect way to complete my “reading” while staying active!

Despite the busy year, I managed to finish 7 books. While many are talking about Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari as the standout, my personal favorite was The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto by Benjamin Wallace – a fascinating 15-year quest to unmask the genius behind crypto.

Here is my full 2025 reading list:

  • The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto by Benjamin Wallace – It is now clear to me who Mr. Nakamoto is…
  • Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari – A compelling read that serves as excellent evidence that long-form reading remains vital.
  • The Singularity Is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil – For those working in the IT / AI industry, this is a must-read.
  • The Sweaty Startup by Nick Huber – This serves as a great companion to the book The E-Myth, which I first read nearly 30 years ago.
  • Make Meaningful Culture by Daniel Szuc & Josephine Wong – In the era of AI, fostering a meaningful team culture has become more vital than ever.
  • The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown – I have read all of Dan Brown’s books, and this one is quite good as well.
  • Storyboarding Essentials by David Harland Rousseau & Benjamin Reid Phillips – I chose to read this not for filmmaking, but to improve my skills in crafting more effective video prompts.

How are you tackling your reading list this year? Any AI tools helping you stay productive? 

#AI #ReadingList #NotebookLM #Books2025

How To Find Your Next Book To Read?

Christmas is around the corner and it’s about time to create my 2026 reading list.

I used to rely on the “Customers who bought this also bought that” feature. While efficient, it has a significant downside: homogenization.

Algorithms tend to feed us more of what we already know. If we all rely on the same suggestion engine, we end up reading the same books and thinking the same thoughts.

That’s not discovery; that’s reinforcement.

To find truly fresh ideas, I go offline. Before I download anything to my Kindle, I tour physical bookstores – specifically the Translated Books section.

The Logic:

If a local publisher is willing to acquire rights, pay for translation, and print physical copies, that book has passed a rigorous vetting process. It implies the content is valuable enough to justify significant financial risk outside its home market.

I browse the shelves to find these gems, then head home and buy the original English versions for my eReader.

It’s a powerful strategy that hasn’t failed me yet. How do you prepare your reading list?

ReadingList #BookLovers #Kindle #ContinuousLearning

AI vs Human Creation

We often describe AI as cold or synthetic. But that’s a misconception.

AI isn’t “creating” in a vacuum; it is remixing everything we have ever written, drawn, or coded. Its training data is, in fact, a mirror of us.

Because of this, I believe authentic human creation is more valuable now than ever before.

To celebrate that human touch, I am proud to share my sixth photo book. I’ve been embracing on-demand printing since 2008 to bring my digital work to life, but this volume feels special. It marks the finale of my three-part photo story:

👁️ Eyes like a shutter
🧠 Mind like a lens
❤️ Heart like a film

To me, there is something irreplaceable about the smell of ink and the weight of paper. While I use digital tools every day, seeing these three books side-by-side reminds me that some stories just need to be held in your hands.

I’d love to hear what you are working on. What is your latest creation?

HumanCreativity #AI #GenerativeAI #Creativity #Storytelling

The Hidden Risks: When the Safety Layer Becomes the Danger 

The devastation in Tai Po has left our city in mourning. Like many of you, I am heartbroken by the loss of life.

Experts have noted that the bamboo scaffolding itself likely wasn’t the primary culprit. While I have always admired bamboo for its flexibility and strength, this tragedy highlights a critical truth: structural integrity alone is not enough.

This offers a sobering reflection for the technology sector.

We often obsess over the “Bamboo” – our core logic, algorithms, and new AI features. Meanwhile, we treat the “Netting” – our security guardrails and compliance, as secondary wrappers.

But as this tragedy reminds us, system integrity isn’t just about the skeleton. It is also about the quality of the protection.

  • The Bamboo (Core): The functionality we build. It must be resilient.
  • The Netting (Protection): The governance we apply. If this layer is substandard or implemented merely to “pass inspection,” it doesn’t just fail to protect – it can become a hidden accelerant for disaster.

True engineering artistry isn’t just about building high; it’s about ensuring that every layer, especially those meant to keep people safe, is real, resilient, and fire-tested.

(Image: A photo I took years ago in Tsim Sha Tsui, a somber reminder today that the core holds strong only when the layers around it are sound.)

#EngineeringSafety #SoftwareArchitecture #RiskManagement

The City Never Stays Still

They say Hong Kong people walk fast, talk fast, and act fast. We’ve all seen the taxi drivers with a dashboard full of mobile phones, juggling orders in real-time. To the untrained eye, this intensity can sometimes be mistaken for impatience, mindlessness, or even rudeness.

But if you look closer, you’ll see something different.

You see a city running on an incredibly efficient engine. That rapid pace isn’t about rushing; it’s about a collective drive not to waste a single second. It is a refusal to miss a beat or forego an opportunity.

To me, this is the true spirit of Hong Kong, Asia’s World City: The ability to mobilize, adapt, and get the job done – in no time at all.

Here’s to the efficiency that keeps this city moving forward. 🥂

#HongKong #Efficiency #CityLife