Books
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The underlying message of Guillebeau's book, based on his popular blog, is that "You don't have to live your life the way other people expect you to." Those who are open-minded, ready to challenge the status-quo, hard-working, and personally responsible can lead lives of rare authenticity through radical goal-setting, the author counsels, rewriting motivational standards in edgier prose: "The pathway to world domination, or whatever it is you want to do, begins with clearly understanding what you want to get out of life." Although directed at readers of all ages, his message is likely to appeal most to those without dependents.
The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World (9780399536106): Chris Guillebeau: Books
If anyone is seeking a "recipe" for "optimal experience" do not read this book. This book is not a step-by-step self-help guide. Neither is it a pedantic overview of psychological studies replete with statistical analyses, i.e., hard data, proving "flow" exists. The simplest way to summarize this book is, it describes how different people create meaning in life with full intention and focus and thereby achieve an ongoing state of satisfaction and sense of fulfillment. The book begins with an overview of how people define and achieve happiness. Essentially, the author contends, most people are not happy because the universe was not created to make us happy but on the contrary, it serves to frustrate us and help us grow ...
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (9780060920432): Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Books
From the Inside Flap It is a cold, hard fact of business life that most startups fail. Even many of those entrepreneurs who ultimately succeed have stories of personal challenges, unsuccessful companies, and difficulties along the way.
Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup (9780470929834): Brad Feld, David Cohen: Books: Reviews, Prices & more
The Four Steps to the Epiphany (9780976470700): Steven Gary Blank: Books: Reviews, Prices & more
This book is required reading at our company - even for the engineers. Following its methodology, we were able to uncover flaws in our product and business plan and correct them before they became costly. Rapid iteration, customer feedback, testing our assumptions - these are all part of our company culture, thanks in no small part to this book. Essential reading for anyone starting something new.
Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers (9780470876411): Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur: Books
This book is very different as a business book. Instead of being filled with dense, usually overly wordy pages, it is beautifully laid out, the wording is kept to a minimum, and there are lots of illustrations. The book is focused on ways to think of the model for your business... with some nice guidelines for structuring the thought process... as well as a bunch of examinations of different types of businesses. It has good discussions on thinking through what is critical for the business, where the cost structures are, where the benefits are, and how to organize and present those ideas. It also has a number of cases studies of various companies that changed or invented new business models, such as Amazon's introduction of Web Services.Everything Bad is Good for You (9781573223072): Steven Johnson: Books
Johnson highlights the ways in which some pop-culture is in fact more intellectually demanding than that of the past. He points to TV programs such as Hill Street Blues, The Sopranos, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons, with their continuous stories, multiple plot threads, and their references to other pop-culture. He also wrote a great deal highlighting the depth and intricacy of many computer games. I could quibble on a few points. I think he gives cinema a little too much credit, basing his argument there primarily on a few intelligent films whose box office success ranged from weak to moderate.
Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation (9781594487712): Steven Johnson: Books
In my years as a Wall Street strategy advisor and as a life-long student of that which propels us towards our greatest potential, I am fascinated by an interesting structural tension when it comes to personal and professional excellence. We have at our finger tips, some of the greatest knowledge, tools and processes that can help propel people and organizations towards excellence and yet despite this vast wealth of information, many people (and the organizations they are associated with) struggle. After exploring many theories over the years, I think I just realized why this is the case and I am staggered by the implications. I have just finished reading "Where Good Ideas Come From" by Steven Johnson (author of "Everything Good is Bad For You" and "The Invention of Air") and found the ideas contained within to be of staggering profundity. A Different View on Creativity
Marty Neumeier's mission is to "incite business revolution by unleashing the power of design thinking." He does this by writing books, conducting workshops, and speaking internationally about brand, innovation, and design. His bestselling "whiteboard" books include THE BRAND GAP, ZAG, and THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY. His video, MARTY NEUMEIER'S INNOVATION WORKSHOP, combines highlights from all three books into a hands-on learning experience. Marty serves as Director of Transformation for Liquid Agency, and divides his writing time between California and southwest France.
Marty Neumeier: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
Seth Godin is the author of fourteen international bestsellers that have been translated into over 35 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. His Unleashing the Ideavirus was the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade. His book, Tribes, was a nationwide bestseller, appearing on the Amazon, New York Times, BusinessWeek and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.
Seth Godin: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
Fun Inc.: Why Play is the 21st Century's Most Serious Business (9780753519851): Tom Chatfield: Books: Reviews, Prices & more
"A thought-provoking read for those already won over to the delights of computer games, and an even more important introduction to them for those who remain sceptical." -- Observer "Tom Chatfield's Fun Inc. is the most elegant and comprehensive defence of the status of computer games in our culture I have read, as well as a helpful compendium of research. The numbers surrounding the sector are certainly thudding.