Thiel's sexuality had been known to close friends and family, but he didn't consider himself a public figure, and believed the information was private. This post would be the casus belli for a meticulously plotted conspiracy that would end nearly a decade later with a $140 million dollar judgment against Gawker, its bankruptcy and with Nick Denton, Gawker's CEO and founder, out of a job. Only later would the world learn that Gawker's demise was not incidental--it had been masterminded by Thiel.For years, Thiel had searched endlessly for a solution to what he'd come to call the "Gawker Problem." When an unmarked envelope delivered an illegally recorded sex tape of Hogan with his best friend's wife, Gawker had seen the chance for millions of pageviews and to say the things that others were afraid to say. Thiel saw their publication of the tape as the opportunity he was looking for. He would come to pit Hogan against Gawker in a multi-year proxy war through the Florida legal system, while Gawker remained confidently convinced they would prevail as they had over so many other lawsuit--until it was too late. The verdict would stun the world and so would Peter's ultimate unmasking as the man who had set it all in motion. Why had he done this? How had no one discovered it? What would this mean--for the First Amendment? For privacy? For culture?In Holiday's masterful telling of this nearly unbelievable conspiracy, informed by interviews with all the key players, this case transcends the narrative of how one billionaire took down a media empire or the current state of the free press. It's a study in power, strategy, and one of the most wildly ambitious--and successful--secret plots in recent memory.Some will cheer Gawker's destruction and others will lament it, but after reading these pages--and seeing the access the author was given--no one will deny that there is something ruthless and brilliant about Peter Thiel's shocking attempt to shake up the world.

    

    These days, linger over a Web page selling lamps, and they will turn up at the advertising margins as you move around the Internet, reminding you, tempting you to make that purchase. Search engines such as Google can now look deep into the data on the Web to pull out instances of the words you are looking for. And there are pages that collect and assess information to give you a snapshot of changing political opinion. These are just basic examples of the growth of Web intelligence, as increasingly sophisticated algorithms operate on the vast and growing amount of data on the Web, sifting, selecting, comparing, aggregating, correcting; following simple but powerful rules to decide what matters. While original optimism for Artificial Intelligence declined, this new kind of machine intelligence is emerging as the Web grows ever larger and more interconnected.Gautam Shroff takes us on a journey through the computer science of search, natural language, text mining, machine learning, swarm computing, and semantic reasoning, from Watson to self-driving cars. This machine intelligence may even mimic at a basic level what happens in the brain.

    A strategic plan helps crystalize the future of an organization--mapping a clear path from where the company stands today to where you wish it to be.It may sound complicated, but Brian Tracy knows how to make it simple. Throughout his career, he has shown countless leaders and organizations how to achieve stunning success. In this concise and practical book, he shares the most important lessons for strategic planning. Readers will discover how to:• Ask the five key questions vital to any strategic plan• Determine a corporate mission that lifts and inspires people• Gain valuable insight with market share/market growth and strategy/operations matrices• Define themselves in relation to their competition• Utilize the concept of "driving force"• Anticipate crises• Reposition their business with new products, services, and technologies• Measure success via clear financial objectives• And moreIncorporating examples ranging from Alexander the Great to IBM and General Electric, Tracy gives readers proven ideas for increasing their company's ROI and maximizing their strengths and opportunities. Powerful and portable, Business Strategy will help readers take control of their company's destiny.

    Along the way they supported the careers of many of the world’s great surfers – from Midget Farrelly to Michael Peterson, Tom Curren to Damien Hardman, Pam Burridge to Stephanie Gilmore, and of course Tyler Wright and Mick Fanning.Bestselling surf writer Tim Baker tells this implausible story in an irresistible series of ripping yarns, offering rich life lessons, a maverick business primer and a wild ride of adventure, good times and outlandish ambitions spectacularly realised.The Rip Curl Story will make you want to surf more, travel further, follow through on that great business idea and pursue your own Search.

    If you want to achieve maximum success in getting mistakes of the past deleted and restoring your good name so that you can qualify for the best loans at the lowest rates, then you need to follow the same steps taken by attorneys and certified credit consultants. "How do they do that?" people ask. This book reveals the answers, the details, and the steps you can take to repair your own credit in a manner that is legal and effective. Unless you just won the lottery and plan to pay cash for everything for the rest of your life, you need excellent credit and a high FICO score to get respect and the best financing.

    This book will show you what successful early risers do once they are up and teach you step-by-step how you can become an early riser.

    Volume 1 (this book) is a reprint of the original 1910 edition (published by Luzac & Co., London) of Sun Tzu on the Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World by Lionel Giles. The Chinese text, Giles' English translation, as well as his extensive notes are all faithfully reproduced. A Wade-Giles to Pinyin conversion table has been added to make the original classic more useful for the modern student. Volume 2, available separately, includes each chapter in Chinese traditional characters, the pinyin transcription, as well as the English translation.

    It reflects the latest information (in 2001), including the impact of global competition and rapid technological advances, that have accelerated trends such as shared service centres, outsourcing and just-in-time training. A number of actual company examples demonstrates how concepts are being used in several leading-edge organizations.

    Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods is one example. Richard Feynman’s “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” is another. Now comes Youngme Moon’s Different, a book for “people who don’t read business books.” Actually, it’s more like a personal conversation with a friend who has thought deeply about how the world works … and who gets you to see that world in a completely new light.  If there is one strain of conventional wisdom pervading every company in every industry, it’s the absolute importance of “competing like crazy.” Youngme Moon’s message is simply “Get off this treadmill that’s taking you nowhere. Going tit for tat and adding features, augmentations, and gimmicks to beat the competition has the perverse result of making you like everyone else.” Different provides a highly original perspective on what it means to offer something that is meaningfully different—different in a manner that is both fundamental and comprehensive.  Youngme Moon identifies the outliers, the mavericks, the iconoclasts—the players who have thoughtfully rejected orthodoxy in favor of an approach that is more adventurous. Some are even “hostile,” almost daring you to buy what they are selling. The MINI Cooper was launched with fearless abandon: “Worried that this car is too small? Look here. It’s even smaller than you think.”  These are players that strike a genuine chord with even the most jaded consumers. In fact, almost every success story of the past two decades has been an exception to the rule. Simply go to your computer and compare AOL and Yahoo! with Google. The former pile on feature upon feature to their home pages, while Google is like an austere boutique, dominating a category filled with “extras.” Different shows how to succeed in a world where conformity reigns…but exceptions rule.

    

    Yet with Mark Podolsky’s tried-and-true technique of raw land investment, you can become Dirt Rich without ever having to battle with a tenant, toilet, or termite. In this step-by-step guide, Mark breaks down his “ultimate subscription model” for creating passive income through the niche of raw land investment. Featuring details on common pitfalls, tips on cultivating an investor’s mind, and advice on working smart instead of hard, this handbook will show you how to obtain a life of fiscal independence, with the flexibility to work where you want, when you want, and with whom you want. Financial freedom is within your reach. It’s time to make your dreams a reality by starting to think dirty.

    How can large, diverse groups work together harmoniously and productively? Perhaps we could take what the bees do so well and apply it to our institutions." When Michael O'Malley first took up beekeeping, he thought it would be a nice hobby to share with his ten-year-old son. But as he started to observe these industrious insects, he noticed that they do a lot more than just make honey. Bees not only work together to achieve a common goal but, in the process, create a highly coordinated, efficient, and remarkably productive organization. The hive behaved like a miniature but incredibly successful business. O'Malley also realized that bees can actually teach managers a lot about how to run their organizations. He identified twenty-five powerful insights, such as: * Distribute authority: the queen bee delegates relentlessly, and worker bees make daily decisions based on local cues and requirements. * Keep it simple: bees exchange only relevant information, operate under clear standards, and use straightforward measures and feedback to guide their actions. * Protect the future: when a lucrative vein of nectar is discovered, the entire colony doesn't rush off to mine it, no matter how enriching the short- term benefits. Blending practical advice with interesting facts about the hive, The Wisdom of Bees is a useful and entertaining guide for any manager looking to get the most out of his or her organization.

    Efficiency expert Ari Meisel details his "Less Doing" philosophy, which will streamline your life, and make everything easier. In business and our personal lives, it often seems as if the only way to get more done is by putting in more time—more hours at the office, more days running errands. But what if there were a way that we could do less, and free up more time for the things and people we love? If this sounds like what you need, Ari Meisel—TEDx speaker, efficiency consultant, and achievement architect—has the program for you. In Less Doing, More Living , Meisel explores the fundamental principles of his “Less Doing” philosophy, educating the reader on:Optimizing workflow with twenty-first-century apps and toolsCreating an “external brain” in the Cloud to do all of your “lower” thinking—like keeping track of appointments, meetings, and ideasHow to use technology to live a paper-free lifeThe three fundamentals of wellness—fitness, sleep, and nutrition—and technological  approaches to improving these areas of lifeAnd so much more!This book will give readers new tools and techniques for streamlining their workload, being more efficient in their day-to-day activities, and making everything in life easier.

    Zip. Zero. Inside, he shows you how to get started and breaks day trading down by clearly explaining: -What computer equipment you'll need -How much money is required -The technical jargon of day trading -Key strategies you'll employ while trading -How you can manage risk Most important, Sincere lets you in on the biggest secret of all: how to master the mind game of day trading. Thousands of day traders have watched their bank accounts balloon thanks to Wall Street. Now you can get into the market and enter their coveted ranks.