One book that has a profound influence on me was:<p><i>The Four Steps to the Epiphany</i> - Steve Blank<p>Also looking back to my youth, I think that reading <i>The Soul of a New Machine</i> by Tracy Kidder was one thing that influenced me to pursue computing as a career.<p>Orwell's <i>Nineteen Eighty Four</i> also helped shape my worldview in many ways.<p>Movies? Hmm... good question. There's no question that The Matrix has been a big influence on me on <i>some</i> level, but I'm not sure it reaches the level of "transformed my life".