John's bookshelf: read en-US Mon, 28 Apr 2025 18:01:49 -0700 60 John's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Prometheus Rising 28597 284 Robert Anton Wilson 1561840564 John 0 4.25 1983 Prometheus Rising
author: Robert Anton Wilson
name: John
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, tsundoku, read-in-audio
review:

]]> I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) 41804
I, ROBOT

They mustn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...but only so long as that doesn't violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics, humanity embarked on perhaps its greatest adventure: the invention of the first positronic man. It was a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities—and unforeseen risks. For the scientists who invented the earliest robots weren't content that their creations should ' remain programmed helpers, companions, and semisentient worker-machines. And soon the robots themselves; aware of their own intelligence, power, and humanity, aren't either.

As humans and robots struggle to survive together—and sometimes against each other—on earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. Human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligences that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? And is humanity obsolete?

In l, Robot Isaac Asimov changes forever our perception of robots, and human beings and updates the timeless myth of man's dream to play god. with all its rewards—and terrors.
--front flap]]> 224 Isaac Asimov 0553803700 John 0 to-read 4.22 1950 I, Robot (Robot, #0.1)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: John
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1950
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career]]> 44770129
Learn a new talent, stay relevant, reinvent yourself, and adapt to whatever the workplace throws your way. Ultralearning offers nine principles to master hard skills quickly. This is the essential guide to future-proof your career and maximize your competitive advantage through self-education.

In these tumultuous times of economic and technological change, staying ahead depends on continual self-education—a lifelong mastery of fresh ideas, subjects, and skills. If you want to accomplish more and stand apart from everyone else, you need to become an ultralearner.

The challenge of learning new skills is that you think you already know how best to learn, as you did as a student, so you rerun old routines and old ways of solving problems. To counter that, Ultralearning offers powerful strategies to break you out of those mental ruts and introduces new training methods to help you push through to higher levels of retention.

Scott H. Young incorporates the latest research about the most effective learning methods and the stories of other ultralearners like himself—among them Benjamin Franklin, chess grandmaster Judit Polgár, and Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman, as well as a host of others, such as little-known modern polymath Nigel Richards, who won the French World Scrabble Championship—without knowing French.

Young documents the methods he and others have used to acquire knowledge and shows that, far from being an obscure skill limited to aggressive autodidacts, ultralearning is a powerful tool anyone can use to improve their career, studies, and life.

Ultralearning explores this fascinating subculture, shares a proven framework for a successful ultralearning project, and offers insights into how you can organize and exe - cute a plan to learn anything deeply and quickly, without teachers or budget-busting tuition costs.

Whether the goal is to be fluent in a language (or ten languages), earn the equivalent of a college degree in a fraction of the time, or master multiple tools to build a product or business from the ground up, the principles in Ultralearning will guide you to success.]]> 305 Scott H. Young John 0 3.94 2019 Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
author: Scott H. Young
name: John
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: thought-learning, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Essential Deming: Leadership Principles from the Father of Quality]]> 15854713
"The Essential W. Edwards Deming" is a collection of articles, excerpts, case studies, and other influential writings that reveal how Deming's ideas evolved over time and show how he worked through problems and challenges many people in his profession previously considered unsolvable.

Organized by theme, the book's covers such topics as the consequences of focusing on short-term goals, the problems with delegating quality, why "not" to focus too much on the bottom line, how to treat a business as a system, and eight misuses of statistics.

Joyce Orsini is a professor of management at Fordham University and the Director of Fordham's Deming Scholars Program.
Diana Deming Cahill, a retired elementary classroom teacher, accompanied her father, W. Edwards Deming, at numerous public and private seminars and consulting sessions, classes, and meetings at New York University and at companies in the United States, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.]]> 336 Deming 0071790225 John 0 4.07 2012 The Essential Deming: Leadership Principles from the Father of Quality
author: Deming
name: John
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, bus-process, read-in-print
review:

]]> Make Room! Make Room! 473850 300 Harry Harrison 0553564587 John 0 3.73 1966 Make Room! Make Room!
author: Harry Harrison
name: John
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1966
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, culturally-popular, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Software Mistakes and Tradeoffs: How to make good programming decisions]]> 58340657
In Software Mistakes and Tradeoffs you will learn how to:

Reason about your systems to make intuitive and better design decisions
Understand consequences and how to balance tradeoffs
Pick a proper library for your problem
Thoroughly analyze all of your service’s dependencies
Understand delivery semantics and how they influence distributed architecture
Design and execute performance tests to detect code hot paths and validate a system’s SLA
Optimize code hot paths to get the most improvement efficiently
Understand tight/loose coupling and how it influences coordination of work between teams
Clarify requirements until they are precise, easily implemented, and easily tested
Optimize your APIs for friendly user experience

In Software Mistakes and Tradeoffs you’ll learn from costly mistakes that Tomasz Lelek and Jon Skeet have encountered over their impressive careers. You’ll explore real-world scenarios where poor understanding of tradeoffs lead to major problems down the road, to help you make better design decisions. Plus, with a little practice, you’ll be able to avoid the pitfalls that trip up even the most experienced developers.
about the technology
Code performance versus simplicity. Delivery speed versus duplication. Flexibility versus maintainability—every decision you make in software engineering involves balancing tradeoffs. Often, decisions that look good at the design stage can prove problematic in practice. This book reveals the questions you need to be asking to make the right decisions for your own software tradeoffs.
about the book
Software Mistakes and Tradeoffs teaches you how to make better decisions about designing, planning, and implementing applications. You’ll analyze real-world scenarios where the wrong tradeoff decisions were made, and discover what could have been done differently. The book lays out the pros and cons of different approaches and explores evergreen patterns that will always be relevant to software design.

You’ll understand the consequences of certain decisions, like how code duplication impacts the coupling and evolution speed of your systems and how simple-sounding requirements can have hidden nuances with respect to date and time information. Discover how to efficiently narrow your optimization scope according to 80/20 Pareto principles and ensure consistency in your distributed systems. You’ll soon be able to apply the author’s hard-won experience to your own projects to pre-empt mistakes and take a more thoughtful approach to decision making.]]> 416 Tomasz Lelek 1617299200 John 0 3.97 Software Mistakes and Tradeoffs: How to make good programming decisions
author: Tomasz Lelek
name: John
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, tech-software-dev, tsundoku
review:

]]> Maxims 797329 126 François de La Rochefoucauld 014044095X John 0 4.07 1665 Maxims
author: François de La Rochefoucauld
name: John
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1665
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, thought-improve, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Learn Almost Anything in 48 Hours]]> 26242226 How to Learn Almost Anything in 48 Hours, Tansel demonstrates techniques to apply to learning a wide range of Studying Exams Speeches and Presentations Foreign Languages Music Theory and Practice Speed Reading New Technologies and Software General Knowledge, Trivia and Facts. Includes exercises to hone your skills at memory and train your brain to learn well and learn fast, this is the ultimate book for anyone ready to sharpen their mind and expand their knowledge.]]> 207 Tansel Ali 1743583435 John 0 considered-but-no 3.04 2015 How to Learn Almost Anything in 48 Hours
author: Tansel Ali
name: John
average rating: 3.04
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: considered-but-no
review:

]]> Liminal Thinking 30197119
You have a choice. You can create the world you want to live in, or live in a world created by others. If you are ready to start making changes, read this book.]]> 224 Dave Gray John 0 3.90 2016 Liminal Thinking
author: Dave Gray
name: John
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, order-from-chaos, read-in-print, thought-improve, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence]]> 55723020
In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain...and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

"Brilliant... riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued."--Beth Macy, author of Dopesick


INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
“Brilliant� riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick
As heard on Fresh Air]]> 304 Anna Lembke 1524746738 John 5 to-read 3.88 2021 Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
author: Anna Lembke
name: John
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark]]> 17349
Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.]]> 459 Carl Sagan 0345409469 John 0 4.28 1995 The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
author: Carl Sagan
name: John
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: science, read-in-audio, read-next, artifacts-of-merit, thought-improve, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul]]> 40881942 236 John Eldredge John 0 artifacts-of-merit, to-read 3.97 2001 Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
author: John Eldredge
name: John
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America]]> 49466745 “Larry Cunningham has done a great job at collating our philosophy.”—Warren Buffett
"Larry Cunningham takes Buffett's brilliant letters to a still-higher level by organizing them into single-subject chapters. The book begins, moreover, with an excellent introduction by Larry.”—Carol Loomis
“The book on Buffett—a superb job.”� Forbes
“Extraordinary—full of wisdom, humor, and common sense.”� Money
“A classic on value investing and the definitive source on Buffett.”� Financial Times]]> 345 Lawrence A. Cunningham 1531017517 John 0 4.55 1998 The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America
author: Lawrence A. Cunningham
name: John
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, fin-general, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder]]> 37822614 Experience is making a comeback. Learn how to repurpose your wisdom.

At age 52, after selling the company he founded and ran as CEO for 24 years, rebel boutique hotelier Chip Conley was looking at an open horizon in midlife. Then he received a call from the young founders of Airbnb, asking him to help grow their disruptive start-up into a global hospitality giant. He had the industry experience, but Conley was lacking in the digital fluency of his 20-something colleagues. He didn't write code, or have an Uber or Lyft app on his phone, was twice the age of the average Airbnb employee, and would be reporting to a CEO young enough to be his son. Conley quickly discovered that while he'd been hired as a teacher and mentor, he was also in many ways a student and intern. What emerged is the secret to thriving as a mid-life worker: learning to marry wisdom and experience with curiosity, a beginner's mind, and a willingness to evolve, all hallmarks of the "Modern Elder."

In a world that venerates the new, bright, and shiny, many of us are left feeling invisible, undervalued, and threatened by the "digital natives" nipping at our heels. But Conley argues that experience is on the brink of a comeback. Because at a time when power is shifting younger, companies are finally waking up to the value of the humility, emotional intelligence, and wisdom that come with age. And while digital skills might have only the shelf life of the latest fad or gadget, the human skills that mid-career workers possess--like good judgment, specialized knowledge, and the ability to collaborate and coach - never expire.

Part manifesto and part playbook, Wisdom@Work ignites an urgent conversation about ageism in the workplace, calling on us to treat age as we would other type of diversity. In the process, Conley liberates the term "elder" from the stigma of "elderly," and inspires us to embrace wisdom as a path to growing whole, not old. Whether you've been forced to make a mid-career change, are choosing to work past retirement age, or are struggling to keep up with the millennials rising up the ranks, Wisdom@Work will help you write your next chapter.]]> 272 Chip Conley 0525572902 John 0 3.83 2018 Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder
author: Chip Conley
name: John
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, career, tsundoku
review:

]]> The Nicomachean Ethics 19068 ‘One swallow does not make a summer; neither does one day. Similarly neither can one day, or a brief space of time, make a man blessed and happy�

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle sets out to examine the nature of happiness. He argues that happiness consists in ‘activity of the soul in accordance with virtue�, for example with moral virtues, such as courage, generosity and justice, and intellectual virtues, such as knowledge, wisdom and insight. The Ethics also discusses the nature of practical reasoning, the value and the objects of pleasure, the different forms of friendship, and the relationship between individual virtue, society and the State. Aristotle’s work has had a profound and lasting influence on all subsequent Western thought about ethical matters.

J. A. K. Thomson’s translation has been revised by Hugh Tredennick, and is accompanied by a new introduction by Jonathan Barnes. This edition also includes an updated list for further reading and a new chronology of Aristotle’s life and works.

Previously published as Ethics]]> 329 Aristotle 0140449493 John 0 4.00 -350 The Nicomachean Ethics
author: Aristotle
name: John
average rating: 4.00
book published: -350
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, thought-philosophy, tsundoku, read-in-audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error]]> 376964 252 Sidney Dekker 0754648265 John 0 4.13 2002 The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error
author: Sidney Dekker
name: John
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, read-in-print, systems, tactical, tech-software-arch, thought-improve, tsundoku
review:

]]> The Burnout Society 25490360
]]> 60 Byung-Chul Han 0804795096 John 0 3.87 2010 The Burnout Society
author: Byung-Chul Han
name: John
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, bus-org-culture, live-well, order-from-chaos, read-in-print, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever]]> 59644256
Backdoor access to Anom and a series of related investigations granted American, Australian, and European authorities a front-row seat to the underworld. Tens of thousands of criminals worldwide appeared in full view of the same agents they were trying to evade. International smugglers. Money launderers. Hitmen. A sprawling global economy as efficient and interconnected as the legal one. Officers watched drug shipments and murder plots unfold, making arrests without blowing their cover. But, as the FBI started to lose control of Anom, did the agency go too far?

A painstakingly investigated exposé, Dark Wire reveals the true scale and stakes of this unprecedented operation through the agents and crooks who were there. This fly-on-the-wall thriller is a caper for our modern world, where no one can be sure who is listening in.]]> Joseph Cox John 4 3.96 2024 Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever
author: Joseph Cox
name: John
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, inside-look
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Disappearance of Rituals: A Topology of the Present]]> 51650768
Avoiding saccharine nostalgia for the rituals of the past, Han provides a genealogy of their disappearance as a means of diagnosing the pathologies of the present. He juxtaposes a community without communication � where the intensity of togetherness in silent recognition provides structure and meaning � to today's communication without community, which does away with collective feelings and leaves individuals exposed to exploitation and manipulation by neoliberal psycho-politics. The community that is invoked everywhere today is an atrophied and commoditized community that lacks the symbolic power to bind people together. For Han, it is only the mutual praxis of recognition borne by the ritualistic sharing of the symbolic between members of a community which creates the footholds of objectivity allowing us to make sense of time.

This new book by one of the most creative cultural theorists writing today will be of interest to a wide readership.]]> 186 Byung-Chul Han 1509542752 John 0 on-my-radar 4.06 2019 The Disappearance of Rituals: A Topology of the Present
author: Byung-Chul Han
name: John
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: on-my-radar
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters]]> 177058906 Want to know what chaos theory can teach us about human events? In the perspective-altering tradition of Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point and Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s The Black Swan comes a provocative challenge to how we think our world works—and why small, chance events can divert our lives and change everything, by social scientist and Atlantic writer Brian Klaas.

If you could rewind your life to the very beginning and then press play, would everything turn out the same? Or could making an accidental phone call or missing an exit off the highway change not just your life, but history itself? And would you remain blind to the radically different possible world you unknowingly left behind?

In Fluke, myth-shattering social scientist Brian Klaas dives deeply into the phenomenon of random chance and the chaos it can sow, taking aim at most people’s neat and tidy storybook version of reality. The book’s argument is that we willfully ignore a bewildering but for a few small changes, our lives—and our societies—could be radically different.

Offering an entirely new lens, Fluke explores how our world really works, driven by strange interactions and apparently random events. How did one couple’s vacation cause 100,000 people to die? Does our decision to hit the snooze button in the morning radically alter the trajectory of our lives? And has the evolution of humans been inevitable, or are we simply the product of a series of freak accidents?

Drawing on social science, chaos theory, history, evolutionary biology, and philosophy, Klaas provides a brilliantly fresh look at why things happen—all while providing mind-bending lessons on how we can live smarter, be happier, and lead more fulfilling lives.]]> 335 Brian Klaas John 0 4.08 2024 Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters
author: Brian Klaas
name: John
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, order-from-chaos, thought-improve
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony]]> 753252
The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony is a masterful retelling of the ancient myths and fables we may only think we know. From the tale of Europa and the bull to the fall of Troy, Roberto Calasso weaves his way through the entire world of Greek mythology with a captivating sense of curiosity and intrigue that casts these classical stories in a whole new light for a modern reader.]]> 416 Roberto Calasso 0679733485 John 0 4.32 1988 The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony
author: Roberto Calasso
name: John
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, fiction, mythology
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Master Software Architecture: A Pragmatic Guide]]> 216954084 ISBN: N/A

The world of software architecture is enormously complex. In addition to the vast number of topics like business analysis, deployment strategy, evolution, and security, engineers must deal with various trade-offs when making architectural decisions.

Explore it with this simple and practical guide. Step by step, you will learn the key fundamentals and most critical parts of software architecture. This guide is all about real-world advice—no fluff, no unnecessary details. It's just clear, helpful content that you can use right away. The author also shares his daily methods for dealing with software architecture challenges.

Designed for all software engineers, this book is a comprehensive resource that caters to a wide range of professionals - from software developers and architects to tech leads and project managers.]]> 400 Maciej Jedrzejewski John 0 to-read 4.78 2024 Master Software Architecture: A Pragmatic Guide
author: Maciej Jedrzejewski
name: John
average rating: 4.78
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Einstein: His Life and Universe]]> 10884 675 Walter Isaacson 0743264738 John 0 4.16 2007 Einstein: His Life and Universe
author: Walter Isaacson
name: John
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, memoir-esque, read-in-audio, tsundoku
review:

]]> The Secret History 1133999 The Secret History portrays the 'great lawgiver' Justinian as a rampant king of corruption and tyranny, the Empress Theodora as a sorceress and whore, and the brilliant general Belisarius as the pliable dupe of his scheming wife Antonina. Magnificently hyperbolic and highly opinionated, The Secret History is a work of explosive energy, depicting holy Byzantium as a hell of murder and misrule.]]> 140 Procopius 0140455280 John 0 tsundoku 3.70 550 The Secret History
author: Procopius
name: John
average rating: 3.70
book published: 550
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: tsundoku
review:

]]> The Complete Tales and Poems 132314 Collected here is the ultimate Kindle edition of the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe—all of his tales and poems in one convenient, easy-to-use volume at a fantastic price.

Included in Edgar Allan Poe: The Complete Tales and Poems are:

The complete text of all of the tales and poems written by Edgar Allan Poe (over 125 works), each elegantly formatted for ease of use and enjoyment on your Kindle reader.
Links to free, full-length audio recordings of the poems and tales in this collection.
An individual, active Table of Contents for each section accessible from the Kindle “go to� feature.
Perfect formatting in rich text compatible with Kindle’s Text-to-Speech features.
A low, can't-say-no price!
The Complete Tales and Poems
All of Poe's tales, poems, and essays are included—over 125 works. Some of the most notable are:

Tales:
"The Fall of the House of Usher"
"The Masque of the Red Death"
"The Pit and the Pendulum"
"The Premature Burial"
"The Purloined Letter"
"The Tell-Tale Heart"
Poems:
"Annabel Lee"
"The Bells"
"The City in the Sea"
"A Dream Within a Dream"
"To Helen"
"Lenore"
"The Raven"
"Ulalume"
Other Works:
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket—Poe's only complete novel
Collected Essays
Additional Fan Resources
Also included are special features for any Poe enthusiast, including:

A list of films and television series, both directly and indirectly inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
A Reading Guide to fictional works that feature the historical Edgar Allan Poe as a character.
Links to free, full-length audio recordings of the major poems and short stories in this collection.]]> 1040 Edgar Allan Poe 040405109X John 0 4.51 1849 The Complete Tales and Poems
author: Edgar Allan Poe
name: John
average rating: 4.51
book published: 1849
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: fiction, to-read, culturally-popular, read-in-print
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch]]> 18114087 How would you go about rebuilding a technological society from scratch?

If our technological society collapsed tomorrow, perhaps from a viral pandemic or catastrophic asteroid impact, what would be the one book you would want to press into the hands of the postapocalyptic survivors? What crucial knowledge would they need to survive in the immediate aftermath and to rebuild civilization as quickly as possible—a guide for rebooting the world?
Human knowledge is collective, distributed across the population. It has built on itself for centuries, becoming vast and increasingly specialized. Most of us are ignorant about the fundamental principles of the civilization that supports us, happily utilizing the latest—or even the most basic—technology without having the slightest idea of why it works or how it came to be. If you had to go back to absolute basics, like some sort of postcataclysmic Robinson Crusoe, would you know how to re-create an internal combustion engine, put together a microscope, get metals out of rock, accurately tell time, weave fibers into clothing, or even how to produce food for yourself?
Regarded as one of the brightest young scientists of his generation, Lewis Dartnell proposes that the key to preserving civilization in an apocalyptic scenario is to provide a quickstart guide, adapted to cataclysmic circumstances.The Knowledgedescribes many of the modern technologies we employ, but first it explains the fundamentals upon which they are built. Every piece of technology rests on an enormous support network of other technologies, all interlinked and mutually dependent. You can’t hope to build a radio, for example, without understanding how to acquire the raw materials it requires, as well as generate the electricity needed to run it. But Dartnell doesn’t just provide specific information for starting over; he also reveals the greatest invention of them all—the phenomenal knowledge-generating machine that is the scientific method itself. This would allow survivors to learn technological advances not explicitly explored inThe Knowledgeas well as things we have yet to discover.
The Knowledgeis a brilliantly original guide to the fundamentals of science and how it built our modern world as well as a thought experiment about the very idea of scientific knowledge itself.]]> 352 Lewis Dartnell 159420523X John 0 to-read 3.74 2014 The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch
author: Lewis Dartnell
name: John
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Pedagogy of the Oppressed 72657 Pedagogy of the Oppressed was translated and published in English in 1970. The methodology of the late Paulo Freire has helped to empower countless impoverished and illiterate people throughout the world. Freire's work has taken on especial urgency in the United States and Western Europe, where the creation of a permanent underclass among the underprivileged and minorities in cities and urban centers is increasingly accepted as the norm. With a substantive new introduction on Freire's life and the remarkable impact of this book by writer and Freire confidant and authority Donaldo Macedo, this anniversary edition of Pedagogy of the Oppressed will inspire a new generation of educators, students, and general readers for years to come.]]> 183 Paulo Freire 0826412769 John 0 4.30 1968 Pedagogy of the Oppressed
author: Paulo Freire
name: John
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1968
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, political-vulnerability
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty]]> 12158480 Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?

Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are?

Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence?

Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories.

Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including:

- China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed andoverwhelm the West?
- Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority?
- What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More
philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions?

Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.]]> 529 Daron Acemoğlu 0307719219 John 0 4.06 2012 Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
author: Daron Acemoğlu
name: John
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, fin-economics, order-from-chaos, political-vulnerability
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking: Leading Your Organization into the Future]]> 150351874 192 Michael D. Watkins 0063357968 John 0 to-read 3.85 The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking: Leading Your Organization into the Future
author: Michael D. Watkins
name: John
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self]]> 16092850
It doesn't just happen automatically; it takes practice. New scientific research suggests that resilience isn't something with which only a fortunate few of us have been born, but rather something we can all take specific action to develop. To build strength out of adversity, we need a catalyst. What we need, according to Dr. Alex Lickerman, is wisdom—wisdom that adversity has the potential to teach us.

Lickerman's underlying premise is that our ability to control what happens to us in life may be limited, but our ability to surmount the suffering life brings us is not. The Undefeated Mind distills the wisdom we need to create true resilience into nine core principles, including:

—A new definition of victory and its relevance to happiness
—The concept of the changing of poison into medicine
—A way to view prayer as a vow we make to ourselves.
—A method of setting expectations that enhances our ability to endure disappointment and minimizes the likelihood of quitting
—An approach to taking personal responsibility and moral action that enhances resilience
—A process for managing pain—both physical and emotional—that enables us to push through obstacles that might otherwise prevent us from attaining our goals
—A method of leveraging our relationships with others that helps us manifest our strongest selves

Through stories of patients who have used these principles to overcome suffering caused by unemployment, unwanted weight gain, addiction, rejection, chronic pain, retirement, illness, loss, and even death, Dr. Lickerman shows how we too can make these principles function within our own lives, enabling us to develop for ourselves the resilience we need to achieve indestructible happiness. At its core, The Undefeated Mind urges us to stop hoping for easy lives and focus instead on cultivating the inner strength we need to enjoy the difficult lives we all have.]]> 278 Alex Lickerman John 0 3.96 2012 The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self
author: Alex Lickerman
name: John
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves: out-of-my-thought-bubble, thought-improve, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How F*cked Up Is Your Management?: An Uncomfortable Conversation about Modern Leadership]]> 36320754 This book has swears. Any honest discussion of management today needs a few. And it’s just what you’d expect from the creators of the internet famous blog, The Co-pour.

If you’re trying to lead a group of people today, the bad news is that it’s harder than ever. Your employees have impossible expectations of you, and your investors haven’t operated a business in over twenty years. The good news is that there’s hope. You can be the leader your people need, but you won’t get there without some discomfort.

How F*cked Up Is Your Management tackles a massive gap in the conversation about modern leadership. Through personal narrative, and candid storytelling, Melissa and Johnathan Nightingale distill the lessons they’ve learned and the mistakes they’ve made into a new management standard.

This book doesn’t gloss over the hard work, uncertainty, and stress that it takes for startups to get things right. It doesn’t glorify those things either. In addition to the swears, this book has thoughtful things to say on:



What to do when you double in size but haven’t doubled your output
How to interview better, hire smarter, and grow and retain the people you’ve already got
Why meritocracy doesn’t work and other cultural traps
How to build a non-toxic workplace culture and a diverse team
Why you don’t want superheroes on your team (and definitely don’t want to be one)
How to manage an employee up and when to manage them out
What to do when it all falls apart
]]> 219 Johnathan Nightingale 0995964319 John 0 3.91 How F*cked Up Is Your Management?: An Uncomfortable Conversation about Modern Leadership
author: Johnathan Nightingale
name: John
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, bus-management
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism]]> 35068832 From artist, activist, and Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova, a guerilla guide to radical protest and joyful political resistance.

The face of modern protest is wearing a brightly colored ski mask.

Nadya Tolokonnikova, founding member of the Russian activist group Pussy Riot, is a creative activist, professional protestor, brazen feminist, shocking visual artist, and force to be reckoned with. Her spontaneous, explosive approach to political action has involved jumping over barbed wire, kissing police officers, giving guerilla performances in crowded subway cars, and going on a hunger strike to protest the abuse of prisoners. She’s been horse-whipped by police in Sochi, temporarily blinded when officers threw green paint in her eyes, and monitored by the Russian government. But what made Nadya an activist icon overnight happened on February 21, 2012, when she was arrested for performing an anti-Putin protest song in a Moscow church.

She was sent to a Russian prison for 18 months and emerged as an international symbol of radical resistance, as calls to “Free Pussy Riot� resounded around the world. With her emblematic ski mask, black lipstick, and unwavering bravery, Nadya has become an emissary of hope and optimism despite overwhelming and ugly political corruption.

Read & Riot is structured around Nadya’s ten rules for revolution (Be a pirate! Make your government shit its pants! Take back the joy!) and illustrated throughout with stunning examples from her extraordinary life and the philosophies of other revolutionary rebels throughout history. Rooted in action and going beyond the typical “call your senator� guidelines, Read & Riot gives us a refreshing model for civil disobedience, and encourages our right to question every status quo and make political action exciting—even joyful.]]> 272 Nadya Tolokonnikova 0062741594 John 0 4.17 2018 Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism
author: Nadya Tolokonnikova
name: John
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: out-of-my-thought-bubble, on-my-radar
review:

]]> The Qur'an: A New Translation 45051653
This supreme status stems from the belief that the Qur'an is the word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad via the archangel Gabriel, and intended for all times and all places.

The Qur'an was the starting point for all the Islamic sciences: Arabic grammar was developed to serve the Qur'an, the study of Arabic phonetics was pursued in order to determine the exact pronunciation of Qur'anic words, the science of Arabic rhetoric was developed in order to describe the features of the inimitable style of the Qur'an, the art of Arabic calligraphy was cultivated through
writing down the Qur'an, the Qur'an is the basis of Islamic law and theology; indeed, as the celebrated fifteenth-century scholar and author Suyuti said, ‘Everything is based on the Qur'an�. The entire religious life of the Muslim world is built around the text of the Qur'an. As a consequence of the Qur'an, the Arabic language moved far beyond the Arabian peninsula, deeply penetrating many
other languages within the Muslim lands––Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Indonesian, and others. The first sura (or section) of the Qur'an, al-Fatiha, which is an essential part of the ritual prayers, is learned and read in Arabic by Muslims in all parts of the world, and many other verses and phrases in Arabic are also incorporated into the lives of non-Arabic-speaking Muslims.

Muslim children start to learn portions of the Qur'an by heart in their normal schooling: the tradition of learning the entire Qur'an by heart started during the lifetime of the Prophet and continues to the present day. A person attaining this distinction becomes known as a hafiz, and this is still a prerequisite for admission to certain religious schools in Muslim countries. Nowadays the Qur'an is recited a
number of times daily on the radio and television in the Muslim world, and some Muslim countries devote a broadcasting channel for long hours daily exclusively to the recitation and study of the Qur'an. Muslims swear on the Qur'an for solemn oaths in the law-courts and in everyday life.]]> Muhammad A.S. Abdel Haleem John 0 5.00 632 The Qur'an: A New Translation
author: Muhammad A.S. Abdel Haleem
name: John
average rating: 5.00
book published: 632
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: culturally-popular, tsundoku, read-next, read-in-audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle]]> 522465 208 Baltasar Gracián 0385421311 John 0 4.24 1647 The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle
author: Baltasar Gracián
name: John
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1647
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, thought-improve
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ultimate Guide to Navigating without a Compass: How to Find Your Way Using the Sun, Stars, and Other Natural Methods]]> 53681787 Learn how to navigate without a compass, even when it seems impossible! Whether we are walking or driving, whether in the woods, on the water, or in the city, it’s vital that we know where we are and are able to find our way around. But with society’s current dependence on modern tools and technology, many persons would have no idea how to navigate without a compass or GPS. In an emergency situation, that lack of knowledge could easily prove fatal. In The UltimateGuide to Navigating without a Compass, survival expert Christopher Nyerges provides readers with all the skills that they may need to navigate naturally. The book begins by describing the meaning of natural navigation, and then moves on to describe, in detail, the methods of natural navigation, including using the sun, the stars, the moon, and shadows. Additional topics How to read a mapHow to make a sun dialHow to make a star dialHow to use clouds to predict weather patternsHow to track celestial changesHow to gauge time through natural observationAnd much more! With helpful diagrams, illustrations, and sidebars,The UltimateGuide to Navigating without a Compass is the fundamental reference book for learning how to navigate by natural methods. ]]> 168 Christopher Nyerges 1510749926 John 0 3.92 The Ultimate Guide to Navigating without a Compass: How to Find Your Way Using the Sun, Stars, and Other Natural Methods
author: Christopher Nyerges
name: John
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: out-of-my-thought-bubble, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Social Physics: How Social Networks Can Make Us Smarter]]> 19419342 From one of the world’s leading data scientists, a landmark tour of the new science of idea flow, offering revolutionary insights into the mysteries of collective intelligence and social influence

If the Big Data revolution has a presiding genius, it is MIT’s Alex “Sandy� Pentland. Over years of groundbreaking experiments, he has distilled remarkable discoveries significant enough to become the bedrock of a whole new scientific social physics. Humans have more in common with bees than we like to We’re social creatures first and foremost. Our most important habits of action—and most basic notions of common sense—are wired into us through our coordination in social groups. Social physics is about idea flow, the way human social networks spread ideas and transform those ideas into behaviors.

Thanks to the millions of digital bread crumbs people leave behind via smartphones, GPS devices, and the Internet, the amount of new information we have about human activity is truly profound. Until now, sociologists have depended on limited data sets and surveys that tell us how people say they think and behave, rather than what they actually do. As a result, we’ve been stuck with the same stale social structures—classes, markets—and a focus on individual actors, data snapshots, and steady states. Pentland shows that, in fact, humans respond much more powerfully to social incentives that involve rewarding others and strengthening the ties that bind than incentives that involve only their own economic self-interest.

Pentland and his teams have found that they can study patterns of information exchange in a social network without any knowledge of the actual content of the information and predict with stunning accuracy how productive and effective that network is, whether it’s a business or an entire city. We can maximize a group’s collective intelligence to improve performance and use social incentives to create new organizations and guide them through disruptive change in a way that maximizes the good. At every level of interaction, from small groups to large cities, social networks can be tuned to increase exploration and engagement, thus vastly improving idea flow.

Social Physics will change the way we think about how we learn and how our social groups work—and can be made to work better, at every level of society. Pentland leads readers to the edge of the most important revolution in the study of social behavior in a generation, an entirely new way to look at life itself.


From the Trade Paperback edition.]]> 297 Alex Pentland 1101625570 John 0 3.87 2014 Social Physics: How Social Networks Can Make Us Smarter
author: Alex Pentland
name: John
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: tsundoku, order-from-chaos, personal-development
review:

]]> Steppenwolf 16631 Steppenwolf is a poetical self-portrait of a man who felt himself to be half-human and half-wolf. This Faust-like and magical story is evidence of Hesse's searching philosophy and extraordinary sense of humanity as he tells of the humanization of a middle-aged misanthrope. Yet his novel can also be seen as a plea for rigorous self-examination and an indictment of the intellectual hypocrisy of the period. As Hesse himself remarked, "Of all my books Steppenwolf is the one that was more often and more violently misunderstood than any of the others".]]> 256 Hermann Hesse 0140282580 John 0 to-read 4.15 1927 Steppenwolf
author: Hermann Hesse
name: John
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1927
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life]]> 58100575
Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs.

What can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and yes, success?

At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress. From Strength to Strength is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life.

Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach. By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn, such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress, we can set ourselves up for increased happiness.

Read this book and you, too, can go from strength to strength.]]> 270 Arthur C. Brooks 0593191498 John 0 considered-but-no 3.93 2022 From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: John
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves: considered-but-no
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Replace Yourself: The Tech Geek's Guide to Navigating Leadership]]> 51351456
The truth is, you already have the skills to be an effective leader, even if you don't realize it.

dzRob La Gesse, former VP at Rackspace, comesReplace Yourself, the leadership guide for software engineers that'snotwritten as a self-help book. Instead, Rob draws on his years of leadership experience to share lessons he's learned and mistakes he's made. He shows that stepping into a new leadership role, while scary, can level up your confidence and skills in a way you never thought possible.]]> 101 Rob La Gesse 1544503423 John 0 4.25 Replace Yourself: The Tech Geek's Guide to Navigating Leadership
author: Rob La Gesse
name: John
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves: bus-leadership, bus-management, tsundoku, read-next
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When You Are Engulfed in Flames]]> 1044355 When You Are Engulfed in Flames confirms once again that David Sedaris is a master of mystery and suspense.

Or how about...

when set on fire, most of us either fumble for our wallets or waste valuable time feeling sorry for ourselves. David Sedaris has studied this phenomenon, and his resulting insights may very well save your life. Author of the national bestsellers Should You Be Attacked By Snakes and If You Are Surrounded by Mean Ghosts, David Sedaris, with When You Are Engulfed in Flames, is clearly at the top of his game.

Oh, all right...

David Sedaris has written yet another book of essays (his sixth). Subjects include a parasitic worm that once lived in his mother-in-law's leg, an encounter with a dingo, and the recreational use of an external catheter. Also recounted is the buying of a human skeleton and the author's attempt to quit smoking In Tokyo.

Master of nothing, at the dead center of his game, Sedaris proves that when you play with matches, you sometimes light the whole pack on fire.
(front flap)]]> 323 David Sedaris 0316143472 John 0 4.08 2005 When You Are Engulfed in Flames
author: David Sedaris
name: John
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, essays-or-short-stories, thought-fun
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better]]> 20456644
In Smarter Than You Think Thompson shows that every technological innovation—from the written word to the printing press to the telegraph—has provoked the very same anxieties that plague us today. We panic that life will never be the same, that our attentions are eroding, that culture is being trivialized. But as in the past, we adapt—learning to use the new and retaining what’s good of the old.

Thompson introduces us to a cast of extraordinary characters who augment their minds in inventive ways. There's the seventy-six-year old millionaire who digitally records his every waking moment—giving him instant recall of the events and ideas of his life, even going back decades. There's a group of courageous Chinese students who mounted an online movement that shut down a $1.6 billion toxic copper plant. There are experts and there are amateurs, including a global set of gamers who took a puzzle that had baffled HIV scientists for a decade—and solved it collaboratively in only one month.

Smarter Than You Think isn't just about pioneers. It's about everyday users of technology and how our digital tools—from Google to Twitter to Facebook and smartphones—are giving us new ways to learn, talk, and share our ideas. Thompson harnesses the latest discoveries in social science to explore how digital technology taps into our long-standing habits of mind—pushing them in powerful new directions. Our thinking will continue to evolve as newer tools enter our lives. Smarter Than You Think embraces and extols this transformation, presenting an exciting vision of the present and the future.

]]> 343 Clive Thompson 1101638710 John 0 on-my-radar 3.89 2013 Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better
author: Clive Thompson
name: John
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: on-my-radar
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Are You Kindful?: How your Practice of Kindfulness can Build a Happy and Peaceful Nation]]> 197722757
Kindfulness is the radical act of being both kind and mindful. By combining these two qualities, we are able to bring good to the world. In the pages of this book, you will learn about the concept of kindfulness and how its presence can have widereaching impacts. But what makes this book even more valuable is the practical application of this concept.

You will first learn how to apply kindfulness toward yourself. As Bhante explains, "If you are not happy, calm, and kind, the people around you cannot be happy, calm, and kind." Once you can find grace within yourself, you will be ready to find it in others. And so, you will learn how to spread kindfulness beyond yourself and out into the world.

A simple shift in perspective can be revolutionary. This book is not a religious text. Though Buddhist, Bhante does not address the precepts of Buddhism. Rather, he addresses the principles of what it is to be a kind and good human being. These are lessons that will last a lifetime. These are lessons that can change the world.]]> 192 Bhante Saranapala 1039176569 John 0 4.40 Are You Kindful?: How your Practice of Kindfulness can Build a Happy and Peaceful Nation
author: Bhante Saranapala
name: John
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/14
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, live-well, thought-improve, currently-reading
review:

]]> Mindfulness in Plain English 64369 step by step through the myths, realities, and benefits of meditation and the practice of mindfulness. This expanded edition includes the complete text of its predecessor along with a new chapter on cultivating loving kindness. For anyone who is new to meditation, this is a great resource for learning how to live a more productive and peaceful life.]]> 208 Henepola Gunaratana 0861713214 John 0 to-read 4.13 1992 Mindfulness in Plain English
author: Henepola Gunaratana
name: John
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Writing to Learn: How to Write--And Think--Clearly about Any Subject at All]]> 585474 272 William Zinsser 0062720406 John 0 3.80 1988 Writing to Learn: How to Write--And Think--Clearly about Any Subject at All
author: William Zinsser
name: John
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, thought-learning, writing
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Security Analysis (Security Analysis Prior Editions)]]> 19078048 --From the Foreword by Warren E. Buffett

First published in 1934, "Security Analysis" is one of the most influential financial books ever written. Selling more than one million copies through five editions, it has provided generations of investors with the timeless value investing philosophy and techniques of Benjamin Graham and David L. Dodd.

As relevant today as when they first appeared nearly 75 years ago, the teachings of Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing, have withstood the test of time across a wide diversity of market conditions, countries, and asset classes.

This new sixth edition, based on the classic 1940 version, is enhanced with 200 additional pages of commentary from some of today s leading Wall Street money managers. These masters of value investing explain why the principles and techniques of Graham and Dodd are still highly relevant even in today s vastly different markets. The contributor list includes: Seth A. Klarman, president of The Baupost Group, L.L.C. and author of "Margin of Safety" James Grant, founder of "Grant's Interest Rate Observer," general partner of Nippon Partners Jeffrey M. Laderman, twenty-five year veteran of "BusinessWeek" Roger Lowenstein, author of "Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist" and "When America Aged" and Outside Director, Sequoia Fund Howard S. Marks, CFA, Chairman and Co-Founder, Oaktree Capital Management L.P. J. Ezra Merkin, Managing Partner, Gabriel Capital Group . Bruce Berkowitz, Founder, Fairholme Capital Management. Glenn H. Greenberg, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Chieftain Capital Management Bruce Greenwald, Robert Heilbrunn Professor of Finance and Asset Management, Columbia Business School David Abrams, Managing Member, Abrams Capital

Featuring a foreword by Warren E. Buffett (in which he reveals that he has read the 1940 masterwork at least four times ), this new edition of "Security Analysis" will reacquaint you with the foundations of value investing more relevant than ever in the tumultuous 21st century markets."]]> 700 Benjamin Graham 0071642935 John 5 4.51 1934 Security Analysis (Security Analysis Prior Editions)
author: Benjamin Graham
name: John
average rating: 4.51
book published: 1934
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Aging Brain 30985334
Not at all! While it's true that some functions in the aging brain decline, neuroscientists have discovered that many other brain functions remain stable - or even improve - as we age. Furthermore, nurture plays as significant a role as nature, and there are a number of strategies you can implement to stave off declining brain function, including:

Incorporating physical activity into your routine
Eating a healthy diet
Maintaining a vibrant social life
Reducing your stress
The science behind the aging brain tells a fascinating - and often counterintuitive - story. Is "aging" a disease or merely a natural occurrence that produces disease-like symptoms? If humans are biologically programmed to survive and thrive, why do we age at all? Is it possible (or even desirable) to "cure" aging altogether?

Delve into these questions and more in The Aging Brain. Taught by a neuroscientist and award-winning professor at the University of Michigan, these 12 eye-opening lectures will give you a wealth of new insights into what happens to the brain over time - as well as strategies to mitigate the effects of aging and enhance your quality of life into old age.

With a mix of scientific research and practical applications, Professor Polk brings cutting-edge science to life. He takes you down to the cellular and even molecular levels of the brain to show you why certain functions decline, how some aspects of brain aging are under genetic control, and what you can do to prolong your health and keep your mind sharp. Aging affects us all, but you have some control over how it affects you.]]> 7 Thad A. Polk John 3 4.08 The Aging Brain
author: Thad A. Polk
name: John
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/11
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, health, read-in-audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unfair Advantage: How You Already Have What It Takes to Succeed]]> 50714359
This innovative book shows how to identify your own unfair advantages and apply them to any project. Drawing on over two decades of hands-on experience, including
as the first Marketing Director of Just Eat, the authors offer a unique framework for
assessing your external circumstances in addition to your internal strengths.

Hard work and grit aren't enough, so this book explores the importance of money,
intelligence, location, education, expertise, status and luck in the journey to success.
From starting your company, to gaining traction, raising funds and growth hacking,
The Unfair Advantage helps you look at yourself and find the ingredients you didn't realise you already had, to succeed in the cut-throat world of business.]]> 256 Ash Ali 1788163311 John 0 3.99 The Unfair Advantage: How You Already Have What It Takes to Succeed
author: Ash Ali
name: John
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/10
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, read-in-audio, bus-entrepreneurship, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect]]> 60018618
Essential lessons in hospitality for every business, from the former co-owner of legendary restaurant Eleven Madison Park.

Will Guidara was twenty-six when he took the helm of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling two-star brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic room. Eleven years later, EMP was named the best restaurant in the world.

How did Guidara pull off this unprecedented transformation? Radical reinvention, a true partnership between the kitchen and the dining room—and memorable, over-the-top, bespoke hospitality. Guidara’s team surprised a family who had never seen snow with a magical sledding trip to Central Park after their dinner; they filled a private dining room with sand, complete with mai-tais and beach chairs, to console a couple with a cancelled vacation. And his hospitality extended beyond those dining at the restaurant to his own team, who learned to deliver praise and criticism with intention; why the answer to some of the most pernicious business dilemmas is to give more—not less; and the magic that can happen when a busser starts thinking like an owner.

Today, every business can choose to be a hospitality business—and we can all transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. Featuring sparkling stories of his journey through restaurants, with the industry’s most famous players like Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer, Guidara urges us all to find the magic in what we do—for ourselves, the people we work with, and the people we serve.]]> 288 Will Guidara 0593418573 John 4 4.42 Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
author: Will Guidara
name: John
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/09
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, bus-general, bus-org-culture, read-in-audio, super-skill
review:

]]> Get the Facts On Anyone 1967366 0 Dennis King 0760708444 John 0 on-my-radar 3.33 1992 Get the Facts On Anyone
author: Dennis King
name: John
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: on-my-radar
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Random Walk Down Wall Street]]> 900892
A Random Walk Down Wall Street is well established as a staple of the business shelf, the first book any investor should read before taking the plunge and starting a portfolio. With its life-cycle guide to investing, it matches the needs of investors at any age bracket. Burton G. Malkiel shows how to analyze the potential returns, not only for stocks and bonds but also for the full range of investment opportunities, from money market accounts and real estate investment trusts to insurance, home ownership, and tangible assets like gold and collectibles.


Whether you want to verse yourself in the ways of the market before talking to a broker or follow Malkiel's easy steps to managing your own portfolio, this book remains the best investing guide money can buy.]]> 464 Burton G. Malkiel 0393325350 John 0 4.05 1973 A Random Walk Down Wall Street
author: Burton G. Malkiel
name: John
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1973
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: fin-trading, read-the-summary, artifacts-of-merit, culturally-popular, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War]]> 7614750
The Iranians came to regard Cyrus as "The Father," the Babylonians as "The Liberator," and the Jews as "The Anointed of the Lord." The Greeks called him "The Law Giver," and a century after Cyrus's death, an admiring Xenophon of Athens wrote an epic account of Cyrus's many leadership principles at war and at peace.

By freshening the voice and style that Xenophon ascribed to Cyrus, Larry Hedrick has fashioned a more intimate Cyrus. A new generation of readers, including executives, managers, and military officers, can now learn from Cyrus's leaderships and wisdom in Xenophon's narrative.

]]> 320 Xenophon 142990531X John 0 4.22 -360 Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War
author: Xenophon
name: John
average rating: 4.22
book published: -360
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: deep-discount-buy, memoir-esque, read-in-audio, to-read
review:

]]> War and Peace 656
War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men.

As Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy brilliantly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature.


Tolstoy gave his personal approval to this translation, published here in a new single volume edition, which includes an introduction by Henry Gifford, and Tolstoy's important essay `Some Words about War and Peace'.]]> 1392 Leo Tolstoy 0192833987 John 0 to-read 4.14 1869 War and Peace
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: John
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1869
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade]]> 29238799 The acclaimed New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller from Robert Cialdini—“the foremost expert on effective persuasion� (Harvard Business Review)—explains how it’s not necessarily the message itself that changes minds, but the key moment before you deliver that message.

What separates effective communicators from truly successful persuaders? With the same rigorous scientific research and accessibility that made his Influence an iconic bestseller, Robert Cialdini explains how to prepare people to be receptive to a message before they experience it. Optimal persuasion is achieved only through optimal pre-suasion. In other words, to change “minds� a pre-suader must also change “states of mind.�

Named a “Best Business Books of 2016� by the Financial Times, and “compelling� by The Wall Street Journal, Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion draws on his extensive experience as the most cited social psychologist of our time and explains the techniques a person should implement to become a master persuader. Altering a listener’s attitudes, beliefs, or experiences isn’t necessary, says Cialdini—all that’s required is for a communicator to redirect the audience’s focus of attention before a relevant action.

From studies on advertising imagery to treating opiate addiction, from the annual letters of Berkshire Hathaway to the annals of history, Cialdini outlines the specific techniques you can use on online marketing campaigns and even effective wartime propaganda. He illustrates how the artful diversion of attention leads to successful pre-suasion and gets your targeted audience primed and ready to say, “Yes.� His book is “an essential tool for anyone serious about science based business strategies…and is destined to be an instant classic. It belongs on the shelf of anyone in business, from the CEO to the newest salesperson� (Forbes).]]> 432 Robert B. Cialdini 1501109790 John 0 artifacts-of-merit, to-read 3.98 2016 Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
author: Robert B. Cialdini
name: John
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mueller Report: Presented with Related Materials by The Washington Post]]> 44161076 The Washington Post, and the most complete and authoritative available.

Read the findings of the Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, complete with accompanying analysis by the Post reporters who’ve covered the story from the beginning.

This edition from The Washington Post/Scribner contains:

—The long-awaited Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election

�An introduction by The Washington Post titled “A President, a Prosecutor, and the Protection of American Democracy�

�A timeline of the major events of the Special Counsel’s investigation from May 2017, when Robert Mueller was appointed, to the report's delivery

�A guide to individuals involved, including in the Special Counsel’s Office, the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Trump Campaign, the White House, the Trump legal defense team, and the Russians

�Key documents in the Special Counsel’s investigation, including filings pertaining to General Michael T. Flynn, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, and the Russian internet operation in St. Petersburg. Each document is introduced and explained by Washington Post reporters.

One of the most urgent and important investigations ever conducted, the Mueller inquiry focuses on Donald Trump, his presidential campaign, and Russian interference in the 2016 election, and draws on the testimony of dozens of witnesses and the work of some of the country’s most seasoned prosecutors.

The special counsel’s investigation looms as a turning point in American history. The Mueller Report is essential reading for all citizens concerned about the fate of the presidency and the future of our democracy.]]> 728 The Washington Post 1982129735 John 0 4.20 2019 The Mueller Report: Presented with Related Materials by The Washington Post
author: The Washington Post
name: John
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: inside-look, politics, read-next
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Flow: Living at the Peak of your Abilities]]> 25616547
From the publisher: "In flow, everyday experience becomes a moment by moment opportunity for joy and self-fulfillment. Flow is the brain-child of a fascinating psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a renowned social scientist who has devoted his life's work to the study of what makes people truly happy, satisfied and fulfilled. While much of the study of psychology investigates disorders of the human mind, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi takes a different route."]]> Mihály Csíkszentmihályi John 0 3.77 1990 Flow: Living at the Peak of your Abilities
author: Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
name: John
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, personal-development, tsundoku
review:

]]> A Happy Death 15682 A Happy Death is a fascinating first sketch for The Outsider, but it can also be seen as a candid self-portrait, drawing on Camus's memories of his youth, travels, and early relationships. It is infused with lyrical descriptions of the sun-drenched Algiers of his childhood - the place where, eventually, Mersault is able to find peace and die 'without anger, without hatred, without regret'.]]> 144 Albert Camus John 0 3.89 1971 A Happy Death
author: Albert Camus
name: John
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1971
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, fiction, thought-philosophy, currently-reading
review:

]]> Out of the Crisis 566574 524 W. Edwards Deming 0262541157 John 0 4.00 1982 Out of the Crisis
author: W. Edwards Deming
name: John
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, bus-leadership, bus-management, bus-org-culture, bus-process, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management]]> 45303387 289 Will Larson 1953953336 John 0 4.08 2019 An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management
author: Will Larson
name: John
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, systems, thought-improve
review:

]]> <![CDATA[101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think]]> 32998876 450 Brianna Wiest John 0 3.74 2016 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think
author: Brianna Wiest
name: John
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: currently-reading, artifacts-of-merit, essays-or-short-stories, general-knowledge, live-well, personal-development, read-in-audio, read-in-print, thought-improve, read-a-bite-at-a-time
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance]]> 18222878 256 Steven Kotler 1477800832 John 3 3.86 2014 The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance
author: Steven Kotler
name: John
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/16
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, productivity, read-in-audio, thought-improve
review:

]]> Grimm's Fairy Tales 19351490
This compilation of fairy tales which includes the complete canon of over 200 tales has become a beloved set of classical stories the world over. Included in this collection are Hansel and Gretel, Briar Rose, The Fisherman and His Wife, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Tom Thumb, and many more. These stories are a delight to read and will rekindle up many childhood memories as they are reread. Presented here in this edition is the faithful translation of Margaret Hunt.]]> 688 Jacob Grimm John 0 4.21 1812 Grimm's Fairy Tales
author: Jacob Grimm
name: John
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1812
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: tsundoku, fiction, culturally-popular
review:

]]> The New One Minute Manager 22103881 The One Minute Manager® has helped millions achieve more successful professional and personal lives. While the principles it lays out are timeless, our world has changed drastically since the book’s publication. The exponential rise of technology, global flattening of markets, instant communication, and pressures on corporate workforces to do more with less—including resources, funding, and staff—have all revolutionized the world in which we live and work.

Now, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson have written The New One Minute Manager to introduce the book’s powerful, important lessons to a new generation. In their concise, easy-to-read story, they teach readers three very practical secrets about leading others—and explain why these techniques continue to work so well.

As compelling today as the original was thirty years ago, this classic parable of a young man looking for an effective manager is more relevant and useful than ever.]]> 112 Kenneth H. Blanchard 0062367544 John 5 3.76 1981 The New One Minute Manager
author: Kenneth H. Blanchard
name: John
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1981
rating: 5
read at: 2017/05/24
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: read-the-summary, read-in-audio, bus-management, bus-general, read-it-again
review:
Just read it again. And this tiny little book of basic plot and simple lessons is astonishingly motivating. Can't wait to start applying them.
]]> <![CDATA[Doublespeak: From Revenue Enhancement to Terminal Living : How Government, Business, Advertisers, and Others Use Language to Deceive You]]> 2151216 290 William Lutz 0060919930 John 0 3.69 Doublespeak: From Revenue Enhancement to Terminal Living : How Government, Business, Advertisers, and Others Use Language to Deceive You
author: William Lutz
name: John
average rating: 3.69
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, on-my-radar
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Capital: A Critique of Political Economy Volume 1]]> 325785 Capital, one of Marx's major and most influential works, was the product of thirty years close study of the capitalist mode of production in England, the most advanced industrial society of his day. This new translation of Volume One, the only volume to be completed and edited by Marx himself, avoids some of the mistakes that have marred earlier versions and seeks to do justice to the literary qualities of the work. The introduction is by Ernest Mandel, author of Late Capitalism, one of the only comprehensive attempts to develop the theoretical legacy of Capital.]]> 1152 Karl Marx 0140445684 John 0 4.28 1867 Capital: A Critique of Political Economy Volume 1
author: Karl Marx
name: John
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1867
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read, fin-economics, history, artifacts-of-merit, read-in-print, thought-philosophy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dictionary of Body Language]]> 40191067 208 Joe Navarro 0008292604 John 0 3.67 The Dictionary of Body Language
author: Joe Navarro
name: John
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: tsundoku, personal-development, thought-fun
review:

]]> <![CDATA[#TIL: Today I Learned: Funny, Entertaining, and Educational Facts and Trivia About Everything from Jane Austen and Albert Einstein to Barbie and The Buddha]]> 51086112 From Abraham Lincoln to Babe Ruth, movies and music to politics and biology, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Spignesi compiles five hundredfacts in this addictive bathroom reader trivia book.

From history and science to sports and literature, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Spignesi offers eye-opening trivia in 500 facts inspired by the viral social media acronym TIL used on Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, and Facebook. #TIL: Today I Learned is sure to intrigue even the most jaded know-it-alls and walking encyclopedias, including little-known anecdotes and stories involving some of history’s most famous people, places, and things, like:

Stephen King
Downtown Abbey
Elton John
World War II
Jennifer Aniston
John Wayne Gacy
Call of Duty
Salem witch trials
Benjamin Franklin
“The Star Spangled Banner�
Jesus Christ
James Bond
Alexander Hamilton
O.J. Simpson
Titanic
George W. Bush
KFC
Lord of the Rings
UFO sightings
“Bohemian Rhapsody�
Donald Trump
Star Trek
Stephen Hawking
Pocahantas
Oprah Winfrey
The Wizard of Oz
Genghis Khan
Vincent Van Gogh
And many more!]]> 216 Stephen Spignesi 1510755519 John 0 5.00 #TIL: Today I Learned: Funny, Entertaining, and Educational Facts and Trivia About Everything from Jane Austen and Albert Einstein to Barbie and The Buddha
author: Stephen Spignesi
name: John
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: tsundoku, productivity, read-a-bite-at-a-time
review:

]]> The Republic 12206461 "Republic" presents Plato's philosophical views on the nature of
justice and his vision for the ideal state.
THIS ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION - A concise introduction that gives the reader important background information - A chronology of the author's life and work - A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context - An outline of key themes to guide the reader's own interpretations - Detailed explanatory notes - Critical analysis and modern perspectives on the work - Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction - A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience
Simon & Schuster Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.]]> 568 Plato 1613820151 John 0 3.90 -400 The Republic
author: Plato
name: John
average rating: 3.90
book published: -400
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: tsundoku, artifacts-of-merit, ancient, culturally-popular, politics, read-in-print, thought-philosophy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[JumpStart Your Leadership: A 90-Day Improvement Plan]]> 22267707
Maxwell gives you clear leadership principles, prompts you to examine yourself, and provides actionable step to help you become the leader you've always wanted to be. And there is space for you to take notes and document your journey.

Maxwell says, "Leadership develops daily, not in a day." This portable volume will give you the tools to develop as a leader and activate your leadership potential.

Derived from content originally published in The 5 Levels of Leadership]]> 192 John C. Maxwell 1455561126 John 0 4.07 2015 JumpStart Your Leadership: A 90-Day Improvement Plan
author: John C. Maxwell
name: John
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: tsundoku, bus-leadership, read-in-audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Focus: A Monastic Guide for an Age of Distraction (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers)]]> 123923759
Distraction isn’t a new problem. We’re also not the first to complain about how hard it is to concentrate. Early Christian monks beat us to it. They had given up everything to focus on God, yet they still struggled to keep the demons of distraction at bay. But rather than surrender to the meandering of their minds, they developed powerful strategies to improve their attention and engagement. How to Focus is an inviting collection of their strikingly relatable insights and advice―frank, funny, sympathetic, and psychologically sophisticated.

This wisdom is drawn from John Cassian’s fifth-century CE Collationes, one of the most influential manuals for monks from late antiquity. The Collationes follow Cassian and his friend Germanus as they travel around Egypt, asking a series of sage monks how they can make their minds stronger. In response, these monks offer a range of techniques for increasing focus, including setting goals, training the body, managing the memory, using mantras, taking breaks, consulting others―and, most of all, being honest about yourself. As Cassian and Germanus eventually realize, we can’t escape distraction―but we can learn how to confront it and, eventually, to concentrate.

Featuring an engaging new translation by Jamie Kreiner and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Focus can help even the least monkish of us to train our attention on what matters most.]]> 288 John Cassian 0691208085 John 0 on-my-radar 3.56 2024 How to Focus: A Monastic Guide for an Age of Distraction (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers)
author: John Cassian
name: John
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/27
shelves: on-my-radar
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear]]> 95884
In Words That Work , Luntz offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the tactical use of words and phrases affects what we buy, who we vote for, and even what we believe in. With chapters like "The Ten Rules of Successful Communication" and "The 21 Words and Phrases for the 21st Century," he examines how choosing the right words is essential.

Nobody is in a better position to explain than Frank He has used his knowledge of words to help more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies grow. Hell tell us why Rupert Murdoch's six-billion-dollar decision to buy DirectTV was smart because satellite was more cutting edge than "digital cable," and why pharmaceutical companies transitioned their message from "treatment" to "prevention" and "wellness."

If you ever wanted to learn how to talk your way out of a traffic ticket or talk your way into a raise, this book's for you.]]> 350 Frank Luntz 1401302599 John 0 3.61 2006 Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
author: Frank Luntz
name: John
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, on-my-radar
review:

]]> Don Quixote 3836
With its experimental form and literary playfulness, Don Quixote has been generally recognized as the first modern novel. The book has been enormously influential on a host of writers, from Fielding and Sterne to Flaubert, Dickens, Melville, and Faulkner, who reread it once a year, "just as some people read the Bible."]]> 1023 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra John 0 3.86 1615 Don Quixote
author: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
name: John
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1615
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, fiction, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Big Questions of Philosophy]]> 40976872
This course gives you the tools to follow and create logical arguments while exploring famous philosophers' viewpoints on these important questions. Although progress has been made toward answers, brilliant thinkers have continued to wrestle with many big questions that inspire thoughtful people everywhere. These questions include: What is knowledge? Does God exist? Do humans have free will? What is right and wrong? How should society be organized?

Given the complexity of these big questions, it should be no surprise that many controversies are far from settled. In fact, by the end of these 36 lectures, you may be even less sure of the right answers to some of the questions than you were at the beginning. But being a philosopher means constantly testing your views - giving a reasoned defense if you believe you are right and modifying your ideas when you realize you are wrong. You'll discover that great thinkers before you have offered convincing answers to hard questions, philosophers after them have made equally persuasive objections, and then still others have refined the debate even further - causing the issues to come into sharper and sharper focus.

Join Plato, St. Anselm, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, Smith, Marx, Rawls, and many others in an exploration of fundamental questions. Get ready to think big!]]> David Kyle Johnson 1682767744 John 0 tsundoku 4.15 The Big Questions of Philosophy
author: David Kyle Johnson
name: John
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art and Business of Online Writing: How to Beat the Game of Capturing and Keeping Attention]]> 55189231 � From the #1 writer on Quora, 15x Top Writer on Medium, and Top 10 columnist for Inc Magazine�

What are the secrets to writing online?

Why do some writers accumulate hundreds of thousands, even millions of views on their content—and others write and write, only to go unnoticed?

Nicolas Cole, one of the most viral columnists on the internet with more than 100 million views on his writing, is pulling back the curtain. After becoming the #1 most-read writer on all of Quora in 2015,a Top 10 contributing writer for Inc Magazine from 2016 to 2018, and one of the most popular writers on Medium in more than 15 different categories, Cole went on to build a multi-million-dollar ghostwriting company publishing thousands of articles on the internet for more than 300 different Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, C-level executives, New York Times best-selling authors, Olympic athletes, Grammy-winning producers, and renowned industry leaders.

How?

By using his own personal toolkit of writing strategies, headline structures, formats, and proven styles, all of which were mastered over a 10-year period.

“This book contains everything I know about online writing,� says Cole. “From going viral, to building a massive library of content that will continue to pay you dividends well into the future.�

In this book you will

� Why you should NOT start a blog—and where you should be writing online instead.

� How to beat “the game� of internet publishing—and the 7 levels of success.

� How “going viral� on social platforms works (and how to not give up in the process).

� The Endless Idea How to never run out of things to write about.

� The Perfect How to write headlines people can’t help but want to read.

� How to create your own “Content Roadmap,� and position yourself as an influential voice in your industry or niche.

� How to turn proven online writing into longer, more valuable assets (books, ebooks, physical products, paid newsletters, companies, etc.).

� And the 1 habit very single writer today needs to master in order to become successful.

This book is the Ultimate Guide to writing in the digital age.]]> 340 Nicolas Cole 0998203483 John 0 tsundoku 4.41 The Art and Business of Online Writing: How to Beat the Game of Capturing and Keeping Attention
author: Nicolas Cole
name: John
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mind Management, Not Time Management: Productivity When Creativity Matters (Getting Art Done Book 2)]]> 54938047 OVER 40,000 COPIES SOLD“An exhilarating but highly structured approach to the creative use of time. Kadavy’s approach is likely to spark a new evaluation of conventional time management.�—Kirkus Reviews

You have the TIME. Do you have the ENERGY?

You’ve done everything you can to save time. Every productivity tip, every “life hack,� every time management technique.

But the more time you save, the less time you have. The more overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted you feel.

“Time management� is squeezing blood from a stone.

Introducing a new approach to productivity. Instead of struggling to get more out of your time, start effortlessly getting more out of your mind.

In Mind Management, Not Time Management, best-selling author David Kadavy shares the fruits of his decade-long deep dive into how to truly be productive in a constantly changing world.

Quit your daily routine. Use the hidden patterns all around you as launchpads to skyrocket your productivity.Do in only five minutes what used to take all day. Let your “passive genius� do your best thinking when you’re not even thinking.“Writer’s block� is a myth. Learn a timeless lesson from the 19th century’s most underrated scientist.Wield all of the power of technology, with none of the distractions. An obscure but inexpensive gadget may be the shortcut to your superpowers.Keep going, even when chaos strikes. Tap into the unexpected to find your next Big Idea.Mind Management, Not Time Management isn’t your typical productivity book. It’s a gripping page-turner chronicling Kadavy’s global search for the keys to unlock the future of productivity.

You’ll learn faster, make better decisions, and turn your best ideas into reality. Buy it and start reading today.]]> 201 David Kadavy John 0 3.92 2020 Mind Management, Not Time Management: Productivity When Creativity Matters (Getting Art Done Book 2)
author: David Kadavy
name: John
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: deep-discount-buy, productivity, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal]]> 68985
This groundbreaking New York Times bestseller has helped hundreds of thousands of people at work and at home balance stress and recovery and sustain high performance despite crushing workloads and 24/7 demands on their time.

We live in digital time. Our pace is rushed, rapid-fire, and relentless. Facing crushing workloads, we try to cram as much as possible into every day. We're wired up, but we're melting down. Time management is no longer a viable solution. As bestselling authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in this groundbreaking book, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully both on and off the job by laying out the key training principles and provides a powerful, step-by-step program that will help you

* Mobilize four key sources of energy
* Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal
* Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do
* Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals to make lasting changes

Above all, this book provides a life-changing road map to becoming more fully engaged on and off the job, meaning physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned.]]> 222 Jim Loehr 0743226755 John 0 3.98 2003 The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
author: Jim Loehr
name: John
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2024/07/19
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, productivity, personal-development
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior (Paperback)]]> 19795 341 David R. Hawkins 1561709336 John 0 artifacts-of-merit, tsundoku 4.13 1985 Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior (Paperback)
author: David R. Hawkins
name: John
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play: The Demise of Dysfunctional Selling and the Advent of Helping Clients Succeed]]> 176697 242 Mahan Khalsa 1883219507 John 4 4.16 1999 Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play: The Demise of Dysfunctional Selling and the Advent of Helping Clients Succeed
author: Mahan Khalsa
name: John
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/07/10
shelves: bus-consulting, review-my-notes, read-the-summary, read-it-again, read-in-print, read-in-audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mindreader: The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are]]> 59900650 Tired of guessing what they're really thinking? Read people in every situation--in person, on a screen, or in writing--using the new science of psycholinguistics, from a New York Times bestselling author and consultant to the FBI, CIA, and NSA.

What did your boss mean in that email? Is your mechanic stretching the truth? Whether you're engaged in a casual conversation or a high-stakes negotiation, it's critical to understand the subtext of a situation. But with so much interaction happening on screens--via email, texts, or video chat--we are losing the ability to interpret expressions and cues. Furthermore, since many are now savvy about the meaning of body language, it's become even harder to discern someone's true thoughts or intentions.

A leading lie-detection expert who instructs the FBI and other security agencies, noted psychotherapist David Lieberman, PhD, takes "people reading" to a whole new level. Drawing on the latest research in psycholinguistics--the cues embedded in spoken and written speech--he shows you how to apply his cutting-edge methods to countless everyday situations, including:

- Detecting the messaging behind passive language, personal or impersonal descriptions, and level of detail.
- Determining whether someone's account of any incident is the truth or a work of fiction.
- Finding out whether a potential hire, dating app match, or new babysitter is trustworthy or hiding something.

Nobody wants to be played a fool. Mindreader will help us identify who can be trusted, and who may be out to get us.]]> 240 David J. Lieberman 0593236181 John 0 3.85 2022 Mindreader: The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are
author: David J. Lieberman
name: John
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves: tsundoku, artifacts-of-merit, thought-philosophy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices]]> 51066664 Through a blend of compelling exercises, illustrations, and stories, the bestselling author of Thinking in Bets will train you to combat your own biases, address your weaknesses, and help you become a better and more confident decision-maker.

What do you do when you're faced with a big decision? If you're like most people, you probably make a pro and con list, spend a lot of time obsessing about decisions that didn't work out, get caught in analysis paralysis, endlessly seek other people's opinions to find just that little bit of extra information that might make you sure, and finally go with your gut.

What if there was a better way to make quality decisions so you can think clearly, feel more confident, second-guess yourself less, and ultimately be more decisive and be more productive?

Making good decisions doesn't have to be a series of endless guesswork. Rather, it's a teachable skill that anyone can sharpen. In How to Decide, bestselling author Annie Duke and former professional poker player lays out a series of tools anyone can use to make better decisions. You'll learn:

�To identify and dismantle hidden biases.
�To extract the highest quality feedback from those whose advice you seek.
�To more accurately identify the influence of luck in the outcome of your decisions.
�When to decide fast, when to decide slow, and when to decide in advance.
�To make decisions that more effectively help you to realize your goals and live your values.

Through interactive exercises and engaging thought experiments, this workbook helps you analyze key decisions you've made in the past and troubleshoot those you're making in the future. Whether you're picking investments, evaluating a job offer, or trying to figure out your romantic life, How to Decide is the key to happier outcomes and fewer regrets.]]> 240 Annie Duke 0593084616 John 0 3.97 2020 How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices
author: Annie Duke
name: John
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, thought-improve, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[RabbitMQ in Action: Distributed Messaging for Everyone]]> 13218023
RabbitMQ in Action is a fast-paced run through building and managing scalable applications using the RabbitMQ messaging server. It starts by explaining how message queuing works, its history, and how RabbitMQ fits in. Then it shows you real-world examples you can apply to your own scalability and interoperability challenges.
About the Technology
There's a virtual switchboard at the core of most large applications where messages race between servers, programs, and services. RabbitMQ is an efficient and easy-to-deploy queue that handles this message traffic effortlessly in all situations, from web startups to massive enterprise systems.
About the Book
RabbitMQ in Action teaches you to build and manage scalable applications in multiple languages using the RabbitMQ messaging server. It's a snap to get started. You'll learn how message queuing works and how RabbitMQ fits in. Then, you'll explore practical scalability and interoperability issues through many examples. By the end, you'll know how to make Rabbit run like a well-oiled machine in a 24 x 7 x 365 environment.

Written for developers familiar with Python, PHP, Java, .NET, or any other modern programming language. No RabbitMQ experience required.

Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.
What's Inside
========================================�====ձ> 312 Alvaro Videla 1935182978 John 0 3.88 2012 RabbitMQ in Action: Distributed Messaging for Everyone
author: Alvaro Videla
name: John
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: tsundoku, artifacts-of-merit, tech-software-dev
review:

]]> The Screwtape Letters 8130077
C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the unique vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to “Our Father Below.� At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewisgives us the correspondence of the wordly-wise devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. The Screwtape Lettersis the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.]]> 222 C.S. Lewis John 0 4.37 1942 The Screwtape Letters
author: C.S. Lewis
name: John
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1942
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, fiction, started-and-stopped
review:

]]> Gilgamesh 25305121
In the ancient city of Uruk, the tyrannical King Gilgamesh tramples citizens "like a wild bull". The gods send an untamed man named Enkidu to control the ruthless king, but after fighting, Enkidu and Gilgamesh become great friends and embark on a series of adventures. They kill fearsome creatures before Enkidu succumbs to disease, leaving Gilgamesh despondent and alone. Eventually, Gilgamesh moves forward, and his quest becomes a soul-searching journey of self-discovery.

Mitchell's treatment of this extraordinary work is the finest yet, surpassing previous versions in its preservation of the wisdom and beauty of the original.]]> Anonymous John 5
I read this out of curiosity due to it's age and although it's the first recorded telling of the tale of Noah's Ark, I wasn't expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised, it is a great little epic tale. It's very short and definitely worth the short time you'll spend on it.

The Stephen Mitchel translation (in audiobook format) has significant analysis at the end. This was interesting and I learned a bit.
]]> 4.00 -1200 Gilgamesh
author: Anonymous
name: John
average rating: 4.00
book published: -1200
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/11
date added: 2024/06/16
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, culturally-popular, fiction, read-in-print, ancient
review:
I read for just three days and nights; A six weeks' read for ordinary men. :-)

I read this out of curiosity due to it's age and although it's the first recorded telling of the tale of Noah's Ark, I wasn't expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised, it is a great little epic tale. It's very short and definitely worth the short time you'll spend on it.

The Stephen Mitchel translation (in audiobook format) has significant analysis at the end. This was interesting and I learned a bit.

]]> <![CDATA[The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness]]> 54898389 244 Eric Jorgenson John 4 4.40 2020 The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness
author: Eric Jorgenson
name: John
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/12
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, bus-general, read-in-audio, essays-or-short-stories, personal-development, motivating, live-well
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Conflict Management: Achieving Solutions for Life, Work, and Beyond]]> 40107033
You'll gain effective techniques for handling conflicts in your workplace, other organizational settings, or your personal life, whether you're dealing with supervisors, coworkers, acquaintances, close friends, or family members. You'll learn the best ways to analyze conflicts and work through the steps toward resolving them, including clarifying goals, handling difficult emotions, and negotiating agreements. And you'll grasp the fundamental tricks of the trade that experienced negotiators have long used to deal with even the most seemingly intractable moral and cultural conflicts.

While drawing on the latest groundbreaking research, Professor Dues has designed these lectures to be as practical as possible. Requiring no background in conflict management, negotiation, or psychology, they offer you not just knowledge, but strategies and tactics you can put to work in your own life right now. Best of all, you'll be able to see those strategies and tactics in action through 70 professionally acted dramatizations that illustrate different conflict situations at home and in the workplace.

You don't have a choice about becoming involved in conflict. You do, however, have a choice about learning to manage it successfully by using the invaluable tools these lectures can give you.]]> 13 Michael Dues John 0 on-my-radar 3.99 2010 The Art of Conflict Management: Achieving Solutions for Life, Work, and Beyond
author: Michael Dues
name: John
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves: on-my-radar
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy]]> 49219653 The New York Times bestselling author of Trumpocracy poses the essential question facing America today: How do we recover from the most corrupt, incompetent, and cruel presidency in modern history?

Donald Trump rose to power by offering the wrong answers to the right questions.

While the economy continued its growth trajectory under his administration, drug overdoses skyrocketed, the migrant crisis at the Southern border drastically escalated, the US trade deficit widened, and the federal deficit exploded. Distrust festers between the cultures and races of modern America; young men and women live increasingly apart; the United States has isolated itself from former friends and allies. After Trump is gone, these troubles will remain—and await the next demagogue to exploit the troubles of the modern American nation.

One of our most astute commentators, David Frum has closely observed American politics for more than four decades from vantage points in media and government. In Great Again, he revisits the many mistakes, corruptions, and lost opportunities of the past three years—to offer hope for the better nation we can be. Eloquent and practical, Great Again condemns the wrongs done by Trump’s rage and racism—and shows a way forward that liberals and conservatives can walk together.]]> 261 David Frum 0062978411 John 0 3.97 2020 Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy
author: David Frum
name: John
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/05
shelves: to-read, politics, read-in-audio, read-next
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Be a Friend: An Ancient Guide to True Friendship (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers)]]> 39204061 A splendid new translation of one of the greatest books on friendship ever written

In a world where social media, online relationships, and relentless self-absorption threaten the very idea of deep and lasting friendships, the search for true friends is more important than ever. In this short book, which is one of the greatest ever written on the subject, the famous Roman politician and philosopher Cicero offers a compelling guide to finding, keeping, and appreciating friends. With wit and wisdom, Cicero shows us not only how to build friendships but also why they must be a key part of our lives. For, as Cicero says, life without friends is not worth living.

Filled with timeless advice and insights, Cicero's heartfelt and moving classic--written in 44 BC and originally titled De Amicitia--has inspired readers for more than two thousand years, from St. Augustine and Dante to Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Presented here in a lively new translation with the original Latin on facing pages and an inviting introduction, How to Be a Friend explores how to choose the right friends, how to avoid the pitfalls of friendship, and how to live with friends in good times and bad. Cicero also praises what he sees as the deepest kind of friendship--one in which two people find in each other "another self" or a kindred soul.

An honest and eloquent guide to finding and treasuring true friends, How to Be a Friend speaks as powerfully today as when it was first written.]]> 188 Marcus Tullius Cicero 0691177198 John 4 Nature gave us friendship as an aid to virtue, not as a companion to vice
Think about that quote for a minute. Are my friends an aid to virtue or a companion in vice? What am I to them? Am I serving my friends as I should? Just one of the things to think about in this book. ]]> 4.10 -45 How to Be a Friend: An Ancient Guide to True Friendship (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers)
author: Marcus Tullius Cicero
name: John
average rating: 4.10
book published: -45
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/09
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves: relationships, thought-philosophy, read-in-audio
review:
Nature gave us friendship as an aid to virtue, not as a companion to vice

Think about that quote for a minute. Are my friends an aid to virtue or a companion in vice? What am I to them? Am I serving my friends as I should? Just one of the things to think about in this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Oxford Shakespeare: Complete Works]]> 1421
The drawing on the jacket, a reconstruction of the Fortune Theatre, 1600, is by C. Walter Hodges, and is reproduced from his study of the Shakesperian stage, "The Globe Restored."]]> 1166 William Shakespeare John 0 4.63 1623 The Oxford Shakespeare: Complete Works
author: William Shakespeare
name: John
average rating: 4.63
book published: 1623
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves: tsundoku, artifacts-of-merit, culturally-popular, fiction, thought-improve, read-next
review:

]]> A game free life 36168714 300 Stephen B. Karpman 0990586707 John 0 4.62 2014 A game free life
author: Stephen B. Karpman
name: John
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/07
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, order-from-chaos, personal-development, thought-improve, thought-psych
review:

]]> The Secret History 561444 The Secret History the other faces of the leading men and women of Byzantium in the sixth century. Justinian, the great law-giver, appears as a hateful tyrant, wedded to an ex-prostitute, Theodora; and Belisarius, the brilliant general whose secretary Procopius had been, is seen as the pliable dupe of his wife Antonina, a woman as corrupt and scheming as Theodora herself.]]> 205 Procopius 0140441824 John 0 3.87 550 The Secret History
author: Procopius
name: John
average rating: 3.87
book published: 550
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: to-read, ancient, history, inside-look, politics, read-in-print
review:

]]> The Plotters 39618887
Behind every assassination, there is an anonymous mastermind--a plotter--working in the shadows. Plotters quietly dictate the moves of the city's most dangerous criminals, but their existence is little more than legend. Just who are the plotters? And more important, what do they want?
Reseng is an assassin. Raised by a cantankerous killer named Old Raccoon in the crime headquarters "The Library," Reseng never questioned anything: where to go, who to kill, or why his home was filled with books that no one ever read. But one day, Reseng steps out of line on a job, toppling a set of carefully calibrated plans. And when he uncovers an extraordinary scheme set into motion by an eccentric trio of young women--a convenience store clerk, her wheelchair-bound sister, and a cross-eyed librarian--Reseng will have to decide if he will remain a pawn or finally take control of the plot.
Crackling with action and filled with unforgettable characters, The Plotters is a deeply entertaining thriller that soars with the soul, wit, and lyricism of real literary craft.]]> 310 Kim Un-Su 1925603768 John 0 3.58 2010 The Plotters
author: Kim Un-Su
name: John
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves: tsundoku, deep-discount-buy, read-in-audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger]]> 944652 512 Charles T. Munger 157864366X John 0 4.38 2005 Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
author: Charles T. Munger
name: John
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, fin-investing, read-in-audio, tsundoku, bus-general
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Aesthetic Theory: Essential Texts for Architecture and Design]]> 13068242
Plato � Aristotle � Vitruvius � Alberti � Kant � Burke � Fiedler � Nietzsche � Wilde � Bergson � Bell � Scott � Benjamin � Bataille � Sontag � Jameson � Scarry � Nehamas � Zangwill � Freedberg and Gallese

With an introduction and critical headnotes explaining the importance of each text, Mark Foster Gage offers a framework for a provocative history of ideas about beauty as they relate to contemporary thinking on architecture and design. In a world increasingly defined by sumptuous visuality, the concepts of beauty and visual sensation are not mere intellectual exercises but standards that define the very nature of design practice across disciplines and that are essential to the emerging worlds of design and architecture in the twenty-first century.]]> 338 Mark Foster Gage 0393733491 John 0 on-my-radar 3.83 2011 Aesthetic Theory: Essential Texts for Architecture and Design
author: Mark Foster Gage
name: John
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/28
shelves: on-my-radar
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fuzzy Data Matching with SQL: Enhancing Data Quality and Query Performance]]> 181704872 282 Jim Lehmer 1098152271 John 0 5.00 Fuzzy Data Matching with SQL: Enhancing Data Quality and Query Performance
author: Jim Lehmer
name: John
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, tech-software-dev, tsundoku
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shadow Cell: An Insider Account of America's New Spy War]]> 198493679 272 Andrew Bustamante 0316572144 John 0 to-read 3.25 Shadow Cell: An Insider Account of America's New Spy War
author: Andrew Bustamante
name: John
average rating: 3.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World]]> 203578835 How can we apply the teachings of the greatest ancient philosopher to modern life?

Socrates is the quintessential Athenian philosopher, the source of the entire Western philosophical tradition, and Godfather to the Stoics. He spent his life teaching practical philosophy to ordinary people in the streets of Athens, yet few people today are familiar with the wisdom he has to offer us.

How to Think Like Socrates is an accessible and informative guide to the life of one of the greatest thinkers in history, and the first book to focus on applying his ideas to our daily lives. Author Donald J. Robertson transports readers back to ancient Athens, expertly weaving together a page-turning account of a philosopher who eschewed material pleasures and stood by his beliefs, even in the face of controversy, with a steadfastness that ultimately resulted in his execution.

How to Think Like Socrates highlights the continuing value of the Socratic Method to modern life. As a practicing cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, Robertson also uses his expertise to reveal many parallels between the evidence-based concepts and techniques of modern psychology and the philosophy of Socrates and shows how his philosophical insights can guide and benefit all of us to this day.]]> 342 Donald J. Robertson 1250280508 John 0 to-read 4.13 How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World
author: Donald J. Robertson
name: John
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich]]> 17125 The only English translation authorized by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

First published in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich stands as a classic of contemporary literature. The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's forced work camps, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union and confirms Solzhenitsyn's stature as "a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dosotevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy"--Harrison Salisbury

This unexpurgated 1991 translation by H. T. Willetts is the only authorized edition available, and fully captures the power and beauty of the original Russian.]]> 182 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn John 4 3.98 1962 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
author: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
name: John
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1962
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/16
date added: 2024/03/15
shelves: history, inside-look, political-vulnerability
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer]]> 50209348
We are capable of so much more than we know—that’s the message at the core of The Art of Impossible. Building upon cutting-edge neuroscience and over twenty years of research, author Steven Kotler lays out a blueprint for extreme performance improvement and offers a playbook to make it happen.]]> 336 Steven Kotler 0062977520 John 5 4.18 2021 The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer
author: Steven Kotler
name: John
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/21
date added: 2024/02/21
shelves: personal-development, productivity, thought-improve, work-through, super-skill, read-it-again, read-in-print, read-in-audio, artifacts-of-merit, essential-knowledge, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick]]> 43565368 A landmark book about how we form habits, and what we can do with this knowledge to make positive change

We spend a shocking 43 percent of our day doing things without thinking about them. That means that almost half of our actions aren't conscious choices but the result of our non-conscious mind nudging our body to act along learned behaviors. How we respond to the people around us; the way we conduct ourselves in a meeting; what we buy; when and how we exercise, eat, and drink--a truly remarkable number of things we do every day, regardless of their complexity, operate outside of our awareness. We do them automatically. We do them by habit. And yet, whenever we want to change something about ourselves, we rely on willpower. We keep turning to our conscious selves, hoping that our determination and intention will be enough to effect positive change. And that is why almost all of us fail. But what if you could harness the extraordinary power of your unconscious mind, which already determines so much of what you do, to truly reach your goals?

Wendy Wood draws on three decades of original research to explain the fascinating science of how we form habits, and offers the key to unlocking our habitual mind in order to make the changes we seek. A potent mix of neuroscience, case studies, and experiments conducted in her lab, Good Habits, Bad Habits is a comprehensive, accessible, and above all deeply practical book that will change the way you think about almost every aspect of your life. By explaining how our brains are wired to respond to rewards, receive cues from our surroundings, and shut down when faced with too much friction, Wood skillfully dissects habit formation, demonstrating how we can take advantage of this knowledge to form better habits. Her clear and incisive work shows why willpower alone is woefully inadequate when we're working toward building the life we truly want, and offers real hope for those who want to make positive change.]]> 320 Wendy Wood 1250159075 John 0 on-my-radar, read-in-audio 3.72 2019 Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick
author: Wendy Wood
name: John
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/10
shelves: on-my-radar, read-in-audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Cambridge Companion to Dostoevskii (Cambridge Companions to Literature)]]> 74802 264 William J. Leatherbarrow 0521654734 John 0 4.04 2002 The Cambridge Companion to Dostoevskii (Cambridge Companions to Literature)
author: William J. Leatherbarrow
name: John
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/06
shelves: to-read, artifacts-of-merit, order-from-chaos, thought-philosophy, derivative, read-in-print
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Cambridge Companion to Plato's Republic (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)]]> 267182 562 G.R.F. Ferrari 052154842X John 0 3.73 2007 The Cambridge Companion to Plato's Republic (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)
author: G.R.F. Ferrari
name: John
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/06
shelves: artifacts-of-merit, read-in-print, thought-philosophy, to-read
review:

]]>