# Books in the Box III

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2023-07-25
- Length: 1h 30m
- Episode: 22
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/acffcb3d

## Summary

Hosts Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal of Oxide Computer Company lead a community discussion on book recommendations, covering histories of Sun Microsystems, Silicon Valley, and Microsoft, as well as maritime disasters and Australian history. Guests including Steve Klabnik, Tom Lyon, Ian Grunert, and phillipov discuss titles such as 'High Noon', 'Making PCR', 'Moby Dick', 'Endurance', 'Built to Fail', 'If Then', 'Command and Control', and 'The Color of Law'. The conversation highlights how these books provide insights into organizational behavior, engineering failures, and historical context relevant to technology and business leadership.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=0) Introduction: Audio check and community banter
- [3:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=205) Sun Microsystems History: High Noon and the Planet Model
- [10:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=618) Silicon Valley and Biotech: A History of Silicon Valley and Making PCR
- [13:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=783) Sun Labs vs. Sunsoft: The Water Fight of 1992
- [16:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=1013) Early Internet and Business Failures: Cyberville and Built to Fail
- [18:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=1118) Nautical Themes: Moby Dick and Endurance
- [29:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=1781) Maritime Disasters: Into the Raging Sea and the El Faro
- [34:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=2084) Computing and Politics: If Then and The 1952 Election
- [40:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=2423) Microsoft History: Doom Guy, Startup, and Barbarians Led by Bill Gates
- [56:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=3369) Australian History and Nuclear Safety: The Fatal Shore and Command and Control
- [1:11:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=4290) Social Issues and Science Fiction: The Color of Law and Acts of the Apostles
- [1:19:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii#t=4780) Psychology and Quant Finance: Thinking, Fast and Slow and The Man Who Solved the Market

## Topics

- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Oxide Computer Company (company)
- Sun Microsystems (company)
- Sunsoft (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- Moby Dick (product)
- Endurance (product)
- Command and Control (product)
- The Color of Law (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep. 40 - Influential Media](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2025-06-05-ep-40-influential-media) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [The Cost Of Doing Business](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-08-28-the-cost-of-doing-business) (The Amp Hour)
- [Cultural Differences](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-08-19-cultural-differences) (The Amp Hour)
- [Dan Pink, Dual Core, level translators - Mumble Mumbo Jumbo](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-04-19-dan-pink-dual-core-level-translators-mumble-mumbo-jumbo) (The Amp Hour)
- [111 - 7 Books to level up for MedTech, BioTech and Combination Product Professionals with Subhi Saadeh](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-11-22-111-7-books-to-level-up-for-medtech-biotech-and-combination-product-professional) (Let's Combinate)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-07-25-books-in-the-box-iii. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Oxide and Friends.