james giella 

behind the curtain 

a running list of things i return to, recommend, and actually use. last updated august 2026 

physical 

  • - Sony A7 IV
  • - Sony RX100
  • - iPhone 17 Pro Max
  • - MacBook Pro 14-inch
  • - Kindle Paperwhite
  • - Oura Ring
  • - Bose QuietComfort Headphones
  • - Bellroy Via Backpack
  • - Away Bigger Carry-On
  • - Common Projects Achilles Low

digital 

  • - Final Cut Pro
  • - Notion
  • - ChatGPT Plus
  • - Claude Pro
  • - Lovable
  • - beehiiv
  • - Epidemic Sound
  • - YouTube Premium
  • - Spotify Premium
  • - X Premium
  • - The New York Times
  • - The Wall Street Journal

podcasts 

  • - Morning Brew Daily
  • - The Journal

books

  • - The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
  • - The Defining Decade by Meg Jay, PhD
  • - Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
  • - The Evolution of Desire by David M. Buss, PhD
  • - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, PhD
  • - The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant
  • - The Story of Art by E. H. Gombrich, PhD
  • - Scaling People by Claire Hughes Johnson
  • - Atomic Habits by James Clear
  • - Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
  • - Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
  • - Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charles T. Munger
  • - Influence by Robert B. Cialdini, PhD