Person
Every book David Patterson recommended on podcasts
David Patterson appeared on The Peterman Pod to discuss computer architecture, his Turing Award-winning research, and his career in academia. Throughout the conversation, Patterson discussed several influential books that shaped his professional and personal life. He mentioned the computer architecture textbook he co-authored with John Hennessy, noting that it was first published in 1990 and that power consumption was not treated as a significant issue in the first three editions. Patterson also discussed a career advice book written by Hennessy based on his university presidency, highlighting the core message that individuals are ultimately remembered for only a handful of major accomplishments in their lives. On the topic of career productivity and prioritization, Patterson referenced Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, specifically noting Covey's framework dividing tasks into quadrants based on urgency and importance. Additionally, Patterson recalled reading Studs Terkel's Working while finishing his PhD, explaining how Terkel's interviews with various workers about their careers informed his own views on meaningful work and professional fulfillment. Through these reflections, Patterson illustrated how foundational textbooks, management frameworks, and qualitative interviews provided enduring guidance throughout his long and distinguished career.
Books recommended by David Patterson
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Computer architecture : a quantitative approach
Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by John L.
Discussed“In fact uh we did a John and I eventually did a textbook and I was just checking and that came out in 1990 and we didn't even talk about power as an issue for the first three editions.”
Where to get it
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John Hennessy
Discussed“Uh I would do some other little things there. And John Hennessy, he he wrote a book too, a kind of a a career advice book based on his presidency. And one of the things he said in there, you know, you're only going to be remembered for the five or six things you've done in your life, not for”
Where to get it
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R.
Discussed“I think uh on the career side is one of the uh pieces of advice is uh by a he wrote this book the habits of very effective people I think and he has a little quadrant and he divides it of urgent and not urgent and important and unimportant and kind of there's so many things in our technology”
Where to get it
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Working
Working by Studs Terkel is a classic oral history featuring interviews with dozens of everyday workers discussing what they do all day and how they truly feel about their careers.
Discussed“Um but I think it's the you know I when I was finishing my PhD I read this book by studs Turkl called working where he interviewed all these people in their careers and they look back and what they liked and what they didn't like what what they felt about their careers”
Where to get it
Books David Patterson wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turing Award Winner: TPU vs GPU vs CPU, Computer Architecture, RISC vs CISC | David Patterson | The Peterman Pod | 2026-07-13 | 4 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“in fact he and I wrote a textbook at the end of the 1980s called computer architecture a quantitative approach”