101 Things I Learned in Engineering School


John Kuprenas - 2013
    Far from a dry, nuts-and-bolts exposition, however, 101 THINGS I LEARNED® IN ENGINEERING SCHOOL probes real-world examples to show how the engineer's way of thinking can-and sometimes cannot-inform our understanding of how things work. Questions from the simple to the profound are illuminated throughout: Why shouldn't soldiers march across a bridge? Why do buildings want to float and cars want to fly? What is the difference between thinking systemically and thinking systematically? How can engineering solutions sympathize with the natural environment? Presented in the familiar, illustrated format of the popular 101 THINGS I LEARNED® series, 101 THINGS I LEARNED® IN ENGINEERING SCHOOL offers an informative resource for students, general readers, and even experienced engineers, who will discover within many provocative new insights into familiar principles.

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)


Peachpit Press - 2013
    Scott doesn’t just show you which sliders do what (every Lightroom book will do that). Instead, by using the following three simple, yet brilliant, techniques that make it just an incredible learning tool, this book shows you how to create your own photography workflow using Lightroom: Throughout the book, Scott shares his own personal settings and studiotested techniques. Each year he trains thousands of Lightroom users at his live seminars and through that he’s learned what really works, what doesn’t, and he tells you flat out which techniques work best, which to avoid, and why. The entire book is laid out in a real workflow order with everything step by step, so you can begin using Lightroom like a pro from the start. What really sets this book apart is the last chapter. This is where Scott dramatically answers his #1 most-asked Lightroom question, which is: “Exactly what order am I supposed to do things in, and where does Photoshop fit in?” You’ll see Scott’s entire start-to-finish Lightroom 5 workflow and learn how to incorporate it into your own workflow. Plus, this book includes a downloadable collection of some of the hottest Lightroom Develop module presets to give you a bunch of amazing effects with just one click! Scott knows first-hand the challenges today’s digital photographers are facing, and what they want to learn next to make their workflow faster, easier, and more fun. He has incorporated all of that into this major update for Lightroom 5. It’s the first and only book to bring the whole process together in such a clear, concise, and visual way. Plus, the book includes a special chapter on integrating Adobe Photoshop seamlessly right into your workflow, and you’ll also learn some of Scott’s latest Photoshop portrait retouching techniques and special effects, which take this book to a whole new level. There is no faster, more straight-to-the-point, or more fun way to learn Lightroom than with this groundbreaking book.

Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered


Ernst F. Schumacher - 1973
    Schumacher's riveting, richly researched statement on sustainability has become more relevant and vital with each year since its initial groundbreaking publication during the 1973 energy crisis. A landmark statement against "bigger is better" industrialism, Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful paved the way for twenty-first century books on environmentalism and economics, like Jeffrey Sachs's The End of Poverty, Paul Hawken's Natural Capitalism, Mohammad Yunis's Banker to the Poor, and Bill McKibben's Deep Economy. This timely reissue offers a crucial message for the modern world struggling to balance economic growth with the human costs of globalization.

In Praise of Shadows


Jun'ichirō Tanizaki - 1933
    The book also includes descriptions of laquerware under candlelight, and women in the darkness of the house of pleasure.

A Carpenter's Life as Told by Houses


Larry Haun - 2011
    Larry Haun is as much a historian and philosopher as he is a 60-year veteran carpenter. Larry's memoir would be equally at home on the bookshelves of home building and architecture enthusiasts as anyone on a spiritual journey."- Brian Pontolilo, Editor, Fine Homebuilding Magazine The unforgettable memoir of a legendary builder. You don't have to be a carpenter to appreciate this fascinating book that Publishers Weekly calls, "a first person timeline of 20th century American residential architecture... combining ...two literary styles: the memoir and the how-to book." A moving story of that place we call home. An early advocate for building lean and green and an avid blogger, Larry Haun tells his unique story in terms of twelve homes - built over the last 100 years. These are homes he knows intimately, drawing the reader in with detailed descriptions and thoughtful observations. "Just like any good carpenter, Haun brings his own artistic flourishes to the job of storytelling.... But where Haun's true personality comes across is when he describes the construction process for the many houses he has lived in and built--from his parent's 1,000-sq. ft. wood-frame house and the adobe and cob structures of the Southwest to the mid-century pre-fabricated and tract houses, and the more recent Habitat for Humanity homes he has donated his time to help erect." Publishers Weekly, 6/13/2011A delight to read. A great gift. This engaging memoir will appeal to anyone who appreciates a well-told story. A Carpenter's Life As Told in Houses explores our love of home - feelings so deeply rooted that they go far beyond wood and plaster and shingles. Share the author's deep connection to the natural world, his yearning for simplicity, and respect for humanity - and see why he believes that less is more.

Build to Last


Keith Callahan - 2018
    They aren't better than you or more deserving. They don't work harder than you, either. But they do understand the importance of developing leaders on their team in order to create sustained, long term success.You have the ability to change your mindset and to develop yourself and others on your team, as leaders.In his groundbreaking book, Build to Last, Keith Callahan lays out the intentional way successful network marketing professionals build - the way a CEO builds a business. The cornerstone of a build-to-last business is leadership and relationships. It's built by first becoming a leader yourself and then developing those you mentor into leaders.In this book you will learn:The mindset and philosophy of top network marketers How to identify and push past your limiting beliefsHow to lead yourself so you can lead othersHow to attract leaders into your businessHow to mentor and develop leadersHow to push those you're mentoring past their limiting beliefsHow to create financial and time freedomHow to earn a 6- or 7-figure income year after yearFollowing the detailed guidance Keith Callahan offers in Build to Last, he went from bankruptcy to 7-figure success in his network marketing business. During nearly a decade in the industry, he has mentored many people on his team of 30,000 distributors to 6- and 7-figure success.With Keith Callahan's book, you can build a network marketing team that allows you to help the most people and earn the highest, long-term, stable income. The end goal is a business that thrives for years to come and does so - here's the important part - with or without you.

Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need


Sasha Costanza-Chock - 2020
    It has emerged from a growing community of designers in various fields who work closely with social movements and community-based organizations around the world.This book explores the theory and practice of design justice, demonstrates how universalist design principles and practices erase certain groups of people—specifically, those who are intersectionally disadvantaged or multiply burdened under the matrix of domination (white supremacist heteropatriarchy, ableism, capitalism, and settler colonialism)—and invites readers to “build a better world, a world where many worlds fit; linked worlds of collective liberation and ecological sustainability.” Along the way, the book documents a multitude of real-world community-led design practices, each grounded in a particular social movement. Design Justice goes beyond recent calls for design for good, user-centered design, and employment diversity in the technology and design professions; it connects design to larger struggles for collective liberation and ecological survival.

Born to Ride: The Autobiography of Stephen Roche


Stephen Roche - 2012
    Victory at the World Cycling Championship in Austria completed a near-unprecedented ‘triple crown’ that included triumphs in the same year at the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. In April, against all odds, he fought his own team and an angry, partisan Italian crowd who spat at him on his way to taking the Giro. In July a superhuman effort at La Plagne saw him secure the yellow jersey just before he blacked out. Roche’s victory in Austria confirmed his virtuosity.Born to Ride, Stephen Roche’s first full autobiography, uses his best year as the starting point to explore the rest of his life. He doesn’t hold back as he examines the many ups and downs of his time on and off the bike, scrutinising victories, defeats, rivals, serious injury, doping allegations and agonizing family breakdown. At the heart of the book lies an enigma. For all his charm and rare, natural talent, beneath the surface lies an incredible tenacity and determination. Roche finally reveals himself as a smiling assassin; a master-strategist who lives to attack.

The Wicked Wit of Prince Philip


Karen Dolby - 2017
    In the seventy years since, his wit (and the occasional ‘gaffe’) has continued to endear him to the nation, as he travelled the world taking his unique and charmingly British sense of humour to its far-flung corners. Hailed as a god by a tribe in Vanuatu, the Prince has had his fair share of brickbats from the media nearer home, but his outspokenness never fails to raise laughs – and eyebrows.From notorious one-liners to less newsworthy witticisms and from plain speaking to blunt indifference, the Prince does what we all wish we could do now and again – forgets polite conversation and says what he thinks. In the year in which the Prince has stepped down from his royal duties, this joyous and timely book celebrates his wry humour and supremely wicked wit.

Being Miss America: Behind the Rhinestone Curtain (Discovering America)


Kate Shindle - 2014
    

Know Your Worth : Stop Thinking, Start Doing


N.K. Sondhi - 2017
    You would find yourself closely connected to these stories. They will encourage you to explore your own potential to inspire you, and to achieve your real worth. This book will also help you to understand the traits that keep you from achieving your dreams. The book lays down a process to help you emerge from the clutches of negativity and develop a positive approach towards life.By investing time in yourself, acknowledging your potential, setting a worthy goal, avoiding common traps, surviving bad days and harvesting the power of thoughts, you can be successful.Read this interesting book to Know Your Worth.-------------------------------------------------N.K. Sondhi:N.K. Sondhi’s first book was 'Management of Banking', which draws upon his experiences as a manager in the Punjab National Bank. He then turned to fiction writing, bringing forth the seen and unseen aftermaths of the partition of India in 1947 in his novel 'Cart full of Husk'. He followed it up with a short non-fiction, 'Forgotten City of Delhi (How Delhi became Delhi)'. He wrote his next book, 'A Match Made in Heaven: A 2000-year-old love story', based on the life of an Indian princess, who became first queen of Korea in 48 AD.Working with young people as he pursued social activities after his retirement, he sensed the restlessness among youngsters, who are facing a large number of problems due to stiff neck to neck competition in every field of life. Growing use of advanced technology has further alienated them from the main stream of the society. This has led him to initiate this book 'Know Your Worth' with the young and enterprising writer Ms. Vibha Malhotra.-------------------------------------------------Vibha Malhotra:Vibha Malhotra is the founder of 'Literature Studio' and editor-in-chief of the literary e-journal 'Literature Studio Review'. In the past, she has worked as an editor with Dorling Kindersley (Penguin Random House) where she has edited beautiful coffee table books on subjects such as history, nature, fitness, lifestyle, and travel.She is also a poet and a translator. Her work has been published in literary journals across the world such as Wasafiri, Muse India, Tipton Poetry Journal, The Luxembourg Review, Red Fez, and in dailies such as The Times of India and Ceylon Today. 'Know Your Worth' is her first work as an author.Vibha holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Newcastle University, UK. She teaches creative writing to all age groups. By Profession, Vibha is a Lead Software Engineer at Adobe Systems.-------------------------------------------------CONTENTS1. Acknowledge Your Superpowers2. Invest in Yourself3. Take Charge4. Set a Worthy Goal5. Identify Your Worst Enemy6. Turn Your Fear into an Opportunity7. Avoid the Common Traps8. Harvest the Power of Thoughts9. Watch Your Attitude10. Keep Your Communication Clear11. Be Mindful12. Surviving Bad Days13. Nurture Your Ecosystem14. Stay SuccessfulINVEST IN YOURSELF Now that you know that you have superpowers that are there within you and can be harvested whenever you need them, it is important to take time to really explore all your strengths and weaknesses. Only then can you be fully prepared to achieve your goals. But we are mostly clueless that understanding ourselves doesn’t have to be a slow, tedious process, it can always be sped up.All of us are born with inherent likes and dislikes. Even a fetus in the womb has its own taste preferences, resulting in the seemingly irrational food cravings that expecting mothers experience. These preferences, likes, and dislikes are clues to the things you will be good at. If a child enjoys painting more than singing, chances are that the child will be better at painting than he/she is at singing. You can think of these as clues that nature chose to expose to us so that we can carve a satisfying path for ourselves.Most of us, even as adults, have whims, and mostly we choose to ignore them. Even as children, we are rarely able to indulge in every whim. There are always limitations – in terms of time, finances, facilities etc. – to keep us from fully exploring what we are capable of. But these are not the only factors that stop us. The biggest factor, in fact, is our own inhibitions, especially once we are grown-ups. We are afraid of new experiences, afraid of disappointment, afraid of failure, afraid of making fools of ourselves. And this fear keeps us from taking advantage of opportunities to gather new experiences. Let us try to understand this with the example of a young girl called Shikha. Shikha and the Ideation CompetitionShikha was an editor at a publishing house. She was very good at her job and apart from being an excellent editor, she also often proposed new book ideas to the publishing house.The publishing house announced a competition in which teams would work together and come up with new book ideas that they would then present to a jury comprising of senior publishers from all over the world. The selected idea would then be converted into a book that would be sold all over the world.Shikha had never ever participated in a competition, let alone won it. She wasn’t at all confident of her abilities to work in a team. And the fact that the competition was about new book ideas was making her restless. By proposing new book ideas in the past, she had earned a reputation in that area. Her colleagues and even her boss thought of her as a creative thinker. Shikha was worried that if she participated in this competition and lost it, her reputation as a creative thinker would be tarnished too. Can you guess why she was so full of doubts? It was because she had always attributed her past achievements to good luck, and had never given herself any credit for the book ideas she had come up with. Thus, she was afraid of being exposed as someone who really did not possess any great talent.She was still in this state of dilemma when she discovered that her manager had already nominated Shikha’s name for the competition. Now she had no choice, so she decided to go with the flow. With each passing day, her desperation to win the contest increased, and by the time the date of the competition arrived, she found herself unable to sleep. She knew that she would do anything to win this competition. For the first time in her life she was this passionate about something. She wanted to give it her all.On the day of the competition, she was put in a team and the team started with discussing the various ideas that all members had. Shikha had a great idea, but when she saw more merit in the idea proposed by another team member, she voted for it to be taken up for further preparation and the final presentation. She was almost feverish with excitement. And when her team members were of the opinion that they should give their best and not really care if they win or lose, Shikha was single-minded about her goal of winning the competition. Her focus proved to be contagious and soon all her team-members too were bubbling with enthusiasm. Guided by their single goal, the group of strangers really became a team and the initial idea evolved to become something they all believed in. Though the team leader was someone else, everyone could see that Shikha was the driving force for the team. When it was time to present their idea, the team leader proposed that Shikha should do it. And the presentation left the judges mesmerized. When their team emerged the winner, no one was surprised. Their idea and their presentation of it were deemed to be the best.Once she was out of the competition frenzy, Shikha herself was surprised. She couldn’t understand what had come over her during the competition. But she was glad to discover this other Shikha. She had gone into the competition based on her creative thinking, but her team had emerged a winner because of her team spirit and leadership skills. Shikha was surprised to discover these two new skills in herself. She had never thought herself capable of what she had achieved. Most of us are like Shikha – capable, but afraid of failure and public ridicule. And this is why we do not take chances in life. We like to play safe. But one can never really truly understand oneself by remaining in a shell. Unless you experience new things, you can never experience a new you. Unless you take risks, you can never transcend your normal, day-to-day existence.But, what gives us the capacity to take risks? Our confidence on our strengths and abilities. And from where do we get this confidence? Unfortunately, it isn’t a commodity and you cannot buy it from a shop. Money can’t buy you confidence. You need to work hard to develop it. You need to test yourself, which is again done by putting yourself in situations that you feel are beyond your reach. So, this is once again a chicken-and-egg situation. But after you have been through some such cycles and are confident of the situations you can handle, you are in a better position to fix your goals.However, it is easier said than done. Unfortunately, life is not a fairy tale and this means that we will not succeed every time we take up a challenge. There will also be times when we fail. This is inevitable. We will invariably have to face problems, and this may shake our confidence. Dealing with failures is not easy. It is like a double-edged sword. If you take failures too seriously, they may end up crushing you. On the other hand, if you take them too lightly, you will not learn any lessons from them, which means that the risk that you took would go to waste. So, you need to recognize failures for what they are – failures. Nothing more, nothing less. If you fail in a challenge, it does not mean that you yourself are a failure. This is the most common mistake we commit. Failing a challenge means that you failed that challenge. You need to analyze the situation, see what you could have done better, and move on to the next challenge where you can test your learnings.This act of never giving up, will give you confidence and this confidence helps us realize our capabilities. And this, in turn, shows in our personality. We hold our head high. We walk with determination. We talk with conviction, and we are normally in a good mood. Confidence also gives us perseverance – the ability to keep going after a failure. If you haven’t invested in yourself, you are more likely to give up after a failure or two.Confidence helps us stay on our path and not go astray. Many hurdles and problems may block our way and discourage us, but if we have confidence, we will not let these hurdles stop us. Instead we will search for an alternate path to our goal. The Little Bird and the BranchOnce a little bird landed on a branch high up a tall tree. The jungle below was full of dangerous predators but at this height, they posed no danger to the little bird. Feeling safe and protected, the little bird rested, enjoying the beautiful view around, and feeling completely at peace. Just as the bird became used to the branch, a strong wind started blowing, shaking the entire tree. The tree swayed with such intensity that it appeared the branch would break and fall down.To other animals, this could be a matter of great worry, but the little bird was not worried. Do you know why? Because the little bird knew its own powers and strengths. Even if the branch was to fall down, the bird knew that it had wings and the ability to fly. And the bird was also aware that if this branch was to fall, there are many other branches that could be used instead. Therefore, the bird, though tiny in size, sat on the branch, braving the high wind. The animals below, all of them much stronger than the bird, were filled with much admiration for this courageous little creature who was braving difficult circumstances. The story of this small bird tells us a lot about our own self-confidence and courage. If one road is blocked there are others we can follow. And if there are no new roads, there’s always the earth on which we can make a new road.

Heidegger for Architects


Adam Sharr - 2007
    John Wilson, the work of Martin Heidegger has proved of great interest to architects and architectural theorists.The first introduction to Heidegger's philosophy written specifically for architects and students of architecture introduces key themes in his thinking, which has proved highly influential among architects as well as architectural historians and theorists. This guide familiarizes readers with significant texts and helps to decodes terms as well as providing quick referencing for further reading.This concise introduction is ideal for students of architecture in design studio at all levels; students of architecture pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate courses in architectural theory; academics and interested architectural practitioners. Heidegger for Architects is the second book in the new Thinkers for Architects series.

Home by Novogratz


Robert Novogratz - 2012
    See how they effortlessly mix contemporary furniture with thrift-store finds, and learn all sorts of tricks for creating a stylish home no matter what the obstacles: seven children, small spaces, or a tiny budget. From toddler-friendly bedroom for triplets to a beach retreat for two twenty-somethings, from a New Jersey basement to a Palm Beach cabana, Home by Novogratz proves that good design is just a book away.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities


Jane Jacobs - 1961
    In prose of outstanding immediacy, Jane Jacobs writes about what makes streets safe or unsafe; about what constitutes a neighborhood, and what function it serves within the larger organism of the city; about why some neighborhoods remain impoverished while others regenerate themselves. She writes about the salutary role of funeral parlors and tenement windows, the dangers of too much development money and too little diversity. Compassionate, bracingly indignant, and always keenly detailed, Jane Jacobs's monumental work provides an essential framework for assessing the vitality of all cities.

Design Thinking Workshop: The 12 Indispensable Elements for a Design Thinking Workshop


Pauline Tonhauser - 2016
    In this e-book you will learn what exactly is needed to run a successful Design Thinking Workshop which is fun and at the same time generates great results. In this e-book Pauline Tonhauser, founder of designthinkingcoach.de, shares her best practices.