NPR solicited the input of its listeners to rank the top science fiction and fantasy books of all time. Over 60,000 people voted for the top picks which were then compiled into a list by their panel of experts.
The result? A list of 100 books with a wide range of styles, little context, and not much help for you to actually choose something to read from it.
The folks at SF Signal have, once again, come to the rescue. This flowchart is designed to help you follow your tastes, provide context, and guide you to the right book for you.
I went to see the newest Harry Potter movie this weekend. Apparently a bunch of other people went too, because it conjured up box office records.
The movie was great. But what left me in wonder was thinking about how it came to be. The scope and scale of the series is literally amazing.
Even just for this movie, the number of people listed on the credits was astounding.
Yet, think about how many people were involved in producing the movies, books, and merchandising. And that's not including the theme parks, promotion, and the eco-system that forms to support a project of this magnitude.
When did it become real ?
Was it when the first book came out?
Perhaps it was when J.K. Rowling got a contract to have the book published?
Even earlier ... how about when she finished writing the book ... or
It is arguable that it became real when she started thinking about it.
On some level, Rowling probably agrees. Here is a quote she wrote from Dumbledore, in response to Harry asking whether something was real or happening in his head.
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry; but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
The real magic of creation happens in the mind.
In a very real sense, there is "infinite possibility" ... because in every moment there are an infinite number of possibilities. To a great extent, though, our automatic habits preclude seeing them. This may seem to make it is easier to focus on the path taken; but it unconsciously limits the future.
What would have happened if, back in the early 1990s, J.K. Rowling had the idea for Harry Potter ... but thought she couldn't write a book (or even if she did, who would read it?). Her "new world" didn't exist yet, while her "old world" didn't have a path from there-to-here.
Einstein spoke to this. He said:
“You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.”
There's magic in choosing a path that energizes you. Reality is what you bring to it, and what you hold in awareness.
Passover is this week, so Jewish people are once again getting ready to teach the story of Exodus to their children. This happens during the meal featured in DaVinci's Last Supper.
Part of the tradition is to present the information in way tailored to the audience. For example, the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child and the child unable to ask ... each perceive the story and how it relates to them differently.
Coincidently, I just read an interesting book, written by a friend of mine, that weaves the archetypical learners in the Passover Seder into a business fable about communication and persuasion.
The book talks about how you tailor your message to those four personality types. For example, a business might look at creating different messages for wise, cynical, simple and disinterested buyers.
The book's title, "ROAR!", is an acronym for the persuasion model:
Recognize the type;
Observe from their perspective;
Acknowledge who they are;
Resolve their need.
The book also provides a strong approach to bringing empathy and differentiation into your value proposition. This is equally important in an elevator pitch or tough conversation with a stakeholder.
Don't let the cartoons fool you; you can learn a lot in a little over 10 minutes. I really like the visualization technique (of drawing what is spoken); it is surprisingly effective.
In today's business environment, is it optimal to entice people with a sweeter carrot, or threaten them with a sharper stick?
In his book, Drive, Pink calls for a different approach ... one that is built much more around intrinsic motivation. Around the desire to do things because they matter, because we like it, because they're interesting, because they are part of something important. The new operating system for our businesses should revolve around three elements: autonomy, mastery and purpose.
In other words, the main point is that when someone is already intrinsically motivated, applying extrinsic motivation (in the form of reward for good behavior or punishment for bad behavior) is self-defeating because it detracts from the intrinsic motivation, which is a much more powerful force.
It is 106° here in Texas. That is sit-in-the-shade (or better yet, air-condtitioning) and read a book weather.
One of the recent news stories reminded me of a good book, worth recommending.
Spies Among Us.
The allegations were shocking: four couples living in the U.S. under assumed false identities while secretly working as covert Russian spies on long-term, "deep-cover" assignments to obtain information on nuclear weapons.
Behind the scenes, they were known as "illegals" — short for illegal Russian agents — and were believed to have fake back stories known as "legends."
U.S. authorities say they sometimes worked in pairs and pretended to be married so they could blend into American society as the couple next door. Aside from fake identities, authorities say, they used Cold War spycraft — invisible ink, coded radio transmissions, encrypted data — to avoid detection.
It sounds like a story right out of a Nelson DeMille novel.
Wait, it is the plot-line of one of his best books, The Charm School, written in 1988.
The plot is simple and compelling. Two U.S. diplomats in the Soviet Union discover that many of the U.S. pilots shot down over Vietnam (and classified as Missing-In-Action) ended-up at the KGB-run "Mrs. Ivanova's Charm School". There, the Soviets forced the pilots to teach aspiring Russian spies how to act, speak, and pass as Americans. Once discovered, the embassy and US government have to decide how to react. With Glasnost on the table and the two countries trying to work together, this revelation can destroy everything.
If you are looking for a fun book to read, this is a great story. I recommend it.
We're all embedded in vast social networks of friends, family, co-workers and more. Nicholas Christakis tracks how a wide variety of traits -- from happiness to obesity -- can spread from person to person, showing how your location in the network might impact your life in ways you don't even know.
His work shows how phenomena as diverse as obesity, smoking, emotions, ideas, germs, and altruism can spread through our social ties, and how genes can partially underlie our creation of social ties to begin with. His work also sheds light on how we might take advantage of an understanding of social networks to make the world a better place.
Christakis explains that he and James Fowler (co-author ofConnected) have become obsessed
with trying to figure out how and why we form networks and how and why
they affect us.
Once you start mapping these networks -- they’re so intricate and so beautiful and so interesting -- you just can’t help but wonder why we humans make them. Why does a spider weave its web? Why does the web have a particular kind of shape? It’s not a coincidence. You look at these webs and you think, “My God, what purpose do they serve? And, how do they affect us?”
We started using 37signals' web-based applications: Basecamp (for project management), Campfire (for work-group chat), and Backpack (for knowledge management). These are simple, focused tools designed to help you collaborate, get organized, and to get things done.
The software is terrific, and so is the philosophy behind it. 37signals got so much positive feedback from their blog … they parlayed it into a best-selling book.
Why Is the Book Relevant?
Rework is about the business, design, programming, and marketing philosophies of a developer that makes web-based software used by millions of people.
What's In It For Me?
It is easy to find value, fresh perspectives, and inspiration in this practical book. At less than 300 pages, it's a quick read too. Each chapter is only a page or two, so it's a great airplane or nightstand book.
Also, they proudly present ideas in bold strokes; clearly favoring provocative over wishy-washy. For example, 37signals proclaims it builds software products with the least number of features necessary. In other words, their products intentionally do less than their competition.
Here is a Partial List of the Essays in the Book.
This list will give you a sense of the book and its tone. Click the image for a more complete list.
I don't agree with some of what they preach. Yet, it is easy to get lots of value quickly from the book. Another way I know it is good, is that it is making its way around the office; and I often hear people referencing it and referring to it. All-in-all, it is worth reading.
I've been reading a pretty good new book that is an interesting mix of stories, life-lessons, and business content. It combines a behind the scenes peek into the situations, emails, checklists, sample interview questions, and "Happiness Framework" that led to some surprising results.
For example, here are Zappos' Core Values from which they develop their culture, brand, and business strategies:
In 1999, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an adviser and investor, and eventually became CEO.
In 2009, Zappos was listed as one of Fortune magazine's top 25 companies to work for, and was acquired by Amazon later that year in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.
So, you might guess that he learned a few things about what worked, and what didn't.
In his first book, Tony shares the different business lessons he learned in life, from a lemonade stand and pizza business through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Ultimately, he shows how using happiness as a framework can produce profits, passion, and purpose both in business and in life.
