How Innovation Works: Serendipity, Energy and the Saving of Time


Matt Ridley - 2020
    Forget short-term symptoms like Donald Trump and Brexit, it is innovation itself that explains them and that will itself shape the 21st century for good and ill. Yet innovation remains a mysterious process, poorly understood by policy makers and businessmen, hard to summon into existence to order, yet inevitable and inexorable when it does happen.Matt Ridley argues in this book that we need to change the way we think about innovation, to see it as an incremental, bottom-up, fortuitous process that happens to society as a direct result of the human habit of exchange, rather than an orderly, top-down process developing according to a plan. Innovation is crucially different from invention, because it is the turning of inventions into things of practical and affordable use to people. It speeds up in some sectors and slows down in others. It is always a collective, collaborative phenomenon, not a matter of lonely genius. It is gradual, serendipitous, recombinant, inexorable, contagious, experimental and unpredictable. It happens mainly in just a few parts of the world at any one time. It still cannot be modelled properly by economists, but it can easily be discouraged by politicians. Far from there being too much innovation, we may be on the brink of an innovation famine.Ridley derives these and other lessons, not with abstract argument, but from telling the lively stories of scores of innovations, how they started and why they succeeded or in some cases failed. He goes back millions of years and leaps forward into the near future. Some of the innovation stories he tells are about steam engines, jet engines, search engines, airships, coffee, potatoes, vaping, vaccines, cuisine, antibiotics, mosquito nets, turbines, propellers, fertiliser, zero, computers, dogs, farming, fire, genetic engineering, gene editing, container shipping, railways, cars, safety rules, wheeled suitcases, mobile phones, corrugated iron, powered flight, chlorinated water, toilets, vacuum cleaners, shale gas, the telegraph, radio, social media, block chain, the sharing economy, artificial intelligence, fake bomb detectors, phantom games consoles, fraudulent blood tests, faddish diets, hyperloop tubes, herbicides, copyright and even – a biological innovation -- life itself.

Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World


Bruce Schneier - 2015
    Your online and in-store purchasing patterns are recorded, and reveal if you're unemployed, sick, or pregnant. Your e-mails and texts expose your intimate and casual friends. Google knows what you’re thinking because it saves your private searches. Facebook can determine your sexual orientation without you ever mentioning it.The powers that surveil us do more than simply store this information. Corporations use surveillance to manipulate not only the news articles and advertisements we each see, but also the prices we’re offered. Governments use surveillance to discriminate, censor, chill free speech, and put people in danger worldwide. And both sides share this information with each other or, even worse, lose it to cybercriminals in huge data breaches.Much of this is voluntary: we cooperate with corporate surveillance because it promises us convenience, and we submit to government surveillance because it promises us protection. The result is a mass surveillance society of our own making. But have we given up more than we’ve gained? In Data and Goliath, security expert Bruce Schneier offers another path, one that values both security and privacy. He brings his bestseller up-to-date with a new preface covering the latest developments, and then shows us exactly what we can do to reform government surveillance programs, shake up surveillance-based business models, and protect our individual privacy. You'll never look at your phone, your computer, your credit cards, or even your car in the same way again.

Business Model Generation


Alexander Osterwalder - 2010
    You will learn how to systematically understand, design, and implement a new business model or analyze and renovate an old one.2) Co-created by 470 strategy practitionersBusiness Model Generation practices what it preaches. Co-authored by 470 Business Model Canvas practitioners from 45 countries, the book was financed and produced independently of the traditional publishing industry. It features a tightly-integrated, visual, lie-flat design that enables immediate hands-on use.3) Designed for doersBusiness Model Generation is for those ready to abandon outmoded thinking and embrace new, innovative models of value creation: executives, consultants, entrepreneurs and leaders of all organizations.

Rethinking the Internet of Things: A Scalable Approach to Connecting Everything


Francis Dacosta - 2013
    Billions of interconnected devices will be monitoring the environment, transportation systems, factories, farms, forests, utilities, soil and weather conditions, oceans and resources Many of these sensors and actuators will be networked into autonomous sets, with much of the information being exchanged machine-to-machine directly and without human involvement. Machine-to-machine communications are typically terse. Most sensors and actuators will report or act upon small pieces of information - chirps. Burdening these devices with current network protocol stacks is inefficient, unnecessary and unduly increases their cost of ownership. This must change. The architecture of the Internet of Things will entail a widely distributed topology incorporating simpler chirp protocols towards at the edges of the network. Rethinking the Internet of Things describes reasons why we must rethink current approaches to the Internet of Things. Appropriate architectures that will coexist with existing networking protocols are described in detail. An architecture comprised of integrator functions, propagator nodes, and end devices, along with their interactions, is explored. What you'll learn Teaches the difference between the "normal" Internet and the Internet of Things, Describes a new architecture and its components in the "chirp" context. Explains the shortcomings of IP for IoT. Describes the anatomy of the IoT. Re-frames key ideas such as reliability. Describes how to build the IoT Who this book is forThought leaders, executives, architectural, standards and development leaders in the evolving IoT industry

The Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained


Sam Atkinson - 2014
    From Adam Smith and Andrew Carnegie to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, The Business Book is perfect for college students, would-be entrepreneurs, or anyone interested in how business works.The Business Book is the perfect primer to key theories of business and management, covering inspirational business ideas, business strategy and alternative business models. One hundred key quotations introduce you to the work of great commercial thinkers, leaders, and gurus from Henry Ford to Steve Jobs, and to topics spanning from start-ups to ethics.

Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break Through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less


Joe Pulizzi - 2013
    No longer can we interrupt our customers with mediocre content and sales messages they don't care about.Epic Content Marketing takes you step-by-step through the process of developing stories that inform and entertain and compel customers to act--without actually telling them to. Epic content, distributed to the right person at the right time, is the way to truly capture the hearts and minds of customers. It's how to position your business as a trusted expert in its industry. It's what customers share and talk about.Once we hook customers with epic content, they reward us by sending our sales through the roof.Epic Content Marketing provides everything you need to:Determine what your content niche should be to attract and retain customersDiscover and develop your content marketing mission statementSet up a process for creating and curating epic contentLearn how to leverage social and e-mail channels to create--and grow--your audienceMeasure the performance of your content--and increase your content marketing budgetWith in-depth case studies of how John Deere, LEGO, Coca-Cola, and other leading corporations are using content to drive epic sales, this groundbreaking guide gives you all the tools to start creating and disseminating content that leads directly to greater profits and growth.Whether you're the CMO of a Fortune 500, a digital marketer, or an entrepreneur, Epic Content Marketing gives you the tools you need to vanquish the competition. Start your epic journey now!PRAISE FOR EPIC CONTENT MARKETINGFrom the man who invented content marketing. Listen to this guy. He really understands the new world of marketing. The concepts in Epic Content Marketing are usable all over the world--instantly usable and useful for any business. -- Don Schultz, the father of integrated marketing, Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, and author of 13 booksJoe Pulizzi's ideas are so consistently . . . well, epic (!) that they really don't need any endorsement by anyone. But here's mine anyway: You don't need MORE content. You need the right kind of content, strategically applied. For those organizations struggling to create a content marketing program that drives results, Joe delivers. Again. -- Ann Handley, coauthor of Content Rules and Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfsAs Joe shows us in his wonderful Epic Content Marketing, you must unlearn interrupting people with your nonsense. Instead, publish the valuable content they want to consume and are eager to share. -- David Meerman Scott, marketing strategist and bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing and PRThis is a brilliant canter through the rapid and ever-changing world of content marketing. Joe has managed to capture the right blend of art and science as he plots the major trends impacting all marketers right now. -- Jonathan Mildenhall, VP, Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence, Coca-Cola CompanyYou could say that Joe Pulizzi wrote the book on content marketing, but now it's more than just a saying. It's what you're holding in your hands. If you truly want to be successful at content marketing, Pulizzi is one of the few who can show you the way. -- Mitch Joel, President, Twist Image, and author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete"Joe Pulizzi may know more about content marketing than any person alive. He proves it in these pages. -- Jay Baer, New York Times bestselling author of Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help Not Hype"The future of successful brand building, and especially the art of solidifying the emotional connection between people and brands, will require expertise in Content Marketing. Epic Content Marketing gives all the details practitioners need without overcomplicating." -- Professor JoAnn Sciarrino, Knight Chair, Digital Advertising and Marketing, UNC Chapel Hill Joe Pulizzi is the godfather of our burgeoning profession of Content Marketing. He lays out the objectives, principles, and core strategies of our field in a way that's easy-to-understand, inspiring, and entertaining. If your company doesn't yet realize that it's a media company, with all the challenges and advantages that implies, you're missing the most powerful way to connect with your customers. -- Julie Fleischer, Director, Media & Consumer Engagement, Kraft Foods

The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators


Jeffrey H. Dyer - 2011
    This innovation advantage will translate into a premium in your company’s stock price—an innovation premium—which is possible only by building the code for innovation right into your organization’s people, processes, and guiding philosophies.Practical and provocative, The Innovator’s DNA is an essential resource for individuals and teams who want to strengthen their innovative prowess.

The Google Resume: How to Prepare for a Career and Land a Job at Apple, Microsoft, Google, or Any Top Tech Company


Gayle Laakmann McDowell - 2011
    Gayle Laakmann McDowell worked in Google Engineering for three years, where she served on the hiring committee and interviewed over 120 candidates. She interned for Microsoft and Apple, and interviewed with and received offers from ten tech firms. If you're a student, you'll learn what to study and how to prepare while in school, as well as what career paths to consider. If you're a job seeker, you'll get an edge on your competition by learning about hiring procedures and making yourself stand out from other candidates. Covers key concerns like what to major in, which extra-curriculars and other experiences look good, how to apply, how to design and tailor your resume, how to prepare for and excel in the interview, and much more Author was on Google's hiring committee; interned at Microsoft and Apple; has received job offers from more than 10 tech firms; and runs CareerCup.com, a site devoted to tech jobs Get the only comprehensive guide to working at some of America's most dynamic, innovative, and well-paying tech companies with The Google Resume.

Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age


Paul Graham - 2004
    Who are these people, what motivates them, and why should you care?Consider these facts: Everything around us is turning into computers. Your typewriter is gone, replaced by a computer. Your phone has turned into a computer. So has your camera. Soon your TV will. Your car was not only designed on computers, but has more processing power in it than a room-sized mainframe did in 1970. Letters, encyclopedias, newspapers, and even your local store are being replaced by the Internet.Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age, by Paul Graham, explains this world and the motivations of the people who occupy it. In clear, thoughtful prose that draws on illuminating historical examples, Graham takes readers on an unflinching exploration into what he calls “an intellectual Wild West.”The ideas discussed in this book will have a powerful and lasting impact on how we think, how we work, how we develop technology, and how we live. Topics include the importance of beauty in software design, how to make wealth, heresy and free speech, the programming language renaissance, the open-source movement, digital design, internet startups, and more.

Deep Learning with Python


François Chollet - 2017
    It is the technology behind photo tagging systems at Facebook and Google, self-driving cars, speech recognition systems on your smartphone, and much more.In particular, Deep learning excels at solving machine perception problems: understanding the content of image data, video data, or sound data. Here's a simple example: say you have a large collection of images, and that you want tags associated with each image, for example, "dog," "cat," etc. Deep learning can allow you to create a system that understands how to map such tags to images, learning only from examples. This system can then be applied to new images, automating the task of photo tagging. A deep learning model only has to be fed examples of a task to start generating useful results on new data.

Smashwords Book Marketing Guide


Mark Coker - 2008
    This popular book marketing primer has helped over 100,000 authors and publishers dramatically improve their book marketing results. The Smashwords Book Marketing Guide contains practical, easy-to-implement advice on how to market any book. 41 simple, do-it-yourself marketing tips explain not what you can do to market your book, but also explain the context and thinking behind each recommendation. The marketing techniques apply equally well to both ebooks and print books. Here's what you'll learn in the Smashwords Book Marketing Guide:Table of ContentsIntroduction: About the Smashwords Book Marketing Guide Background on SmashwordsSetting expectationsHow Smashwords helps authors and publishers market booksAdopting a proactive marketing mindsetMarketing starts nowHyperlinks help readers discover booksThe importance of authors helping authors41 Marketing Tips (all free to implement!)Tip #1 – Update your email signatureTip #2 – Post a notice on your web site or blogTip #3 – Contact your friends, family, co-workers and fansTip #4 – Post a notice to your social networksTip #5 – Update your message board signaturesTip #6 – How to reach readers with TwitterTip #7 – Publish more than one book to create a multiplier effectTip #8 – Advertise your other books in each book you publishTip #9 – Make it easy for your readers to connect with youTip #10 – Issue a press release on a free PR wire serviceTip #11 – Join HARO, Help-a-reporter-online for free press leadsTip #12 – Encourage fans to purchase and review your bookTip #13 – Write thoughtful reviews for other booksTip #14 – Participate in online forumsTip #15 – Experiment with couponsTip #16 – Write a blogTip #17 – Write guest columns for blogsTip #18 – Invite other authors to post to your blogTip #19 – Do Q&A interviews of other authors on your blogTip #20 – Join the conversation on blogsTip #21 – Organize a blog tourTip #22 – Use Google Alerts to discover where the conversations are taking placeTip #23 – Leverage YouTube videos to reach readersTip #24 – Print up business cardsTip #25 – Encourage your fans to become affiliate marketers of your bookTip #26 – Create a reader’s guide at the end of your bookTip #27 – Insert sample chapters from your other booksTip #28 – Do a sample chapters swap with another authorTip #29 – Invite other authors to join you at SmashwordsTip #30 – Promote your book to the top ebook listing sitesTip #31 – Read the Secrets to Ebook Publishing SuccessTip #32 – Upgrade your cover imageTip #33 – Share these marketing tips with your fellow authors! Tip #34 – Create an online calling card with About.meTip #35 – Create a presentation and upload it to SlideShare.netTip #36 – Join LinkedIn, post links to your booksTip #37 – Do a presentation at your local library on ebook publishingTip #38 – Tweak your Viral Catalysts to make your book more discoverable and desirableTip #39 – Link to every retailer to reach more readersTip #40 – Distribute your book as a preorderTip #41 – Publish a Smashwords InterviewOther Kindle Books by Mark Coker Smashwords Style Guide (how to format and produce an ebook)

The Ten-Day MBA : A Step-By-Step Guide To Mastering The Skills Taught In America's Top Business Schools


Steven Silbiger - 1993
    Features chapters on finance, marketing, accounting, strategy, quantitative analysis, operations, economics, organisational behaviour, and ethics, all revised to reflect the contemporary corporate culture and economic climate.

The Kindle Publishing Bible


Tom Corson-Knowles - 2012
    But you can outrank them on Amazon search every time! Why? Because 99% of Kindle authors don't know how to increase their search engine rankings in Amazon and Google. But I do - and I'm going to show you how in this book (it won't cost you a dime to implement these strategies by the way).Most authors (even the ones with publishers and big marketing budgets) have no idea how to do keyword research, tag their book, add the right search keywords when they publish their book or insert keywords in their book description without it sounding like it was written by a robot.For New Authors: Step-By-Step Instructions With Picture TutorialsIf you're a first-time Kindle publisher or technologically challenged then this book is for you! I even had my Grandma Ann Knowles follow the instructions step by step and she gave it a big thumbs up for easy to use instructions. The playing field has been leveled with ebook publishing - and if my Grandma can do it, I guarantee you can too!For Existing Authors: How To Sell More Books In 5 Days Than You Did Last MonthI'm going to share with you my KDP Select Free Promotion Marketing Formula for getting tens of thousands of readers to download your book in just 5 days. All you have to do is read the Marketing Formula instructions and follow them (it takes about 3 hours of work to get thousands of new readers).How To Sell On Kindle Using Your Book DescriptionIf you think your book is going to sell itself, think again! If you're a fiction author or novelist, you have to show your readers the story and engage them in it or they won't buy a book from an unknown author. And if you're a non-fiction author, you have to tell potential readers how your book is going to help them solve their problem fast or they'll click away, never having even downloaded your book. I'm going to show you the Show And Tell system for selling more books on Kindle by giving you readers what they want and overcoming objections in your book description!Kindle marketing isn't about having a big marketing budget or publisher behind you - but you still need exposure and a great offer. This book will help you with get more exposure with Amazon search and other great marketing tips.You also have to make buying your book an irresistible offer so that when browsers get done reading your book description they say, "I have to buy this book!" You can't do that without a strategic plan and a well-written book description.Bonus! Video interviews with best-selling Kindle authors as they share their coveted book marketing strategies.

The Science of Storytelling


Will Storr - 2019
    They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions, and shape our politics and beliefs. We use them to construct our relationships, to keep order in our law courts, to interpret events in our newspapers and social media. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human.There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story – from Joseph Campbell’s well-worn theories about myth and archetype to recent attempts to crack the ‘Bestseller Code’. But few have used a scientific approach. This is curious, for if we are to truly understand storytelling in its grandest sense, we must first come to understand the ultimate storyteller – the human brain.In this scalpel-sharp, thought-provoking book, Will Storr demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us, leading us on a journey from the Hebrew scriptures to Mr Men, from Booker Prize-winning literature to box set TV. Applying dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to the foundations of our myths and archetypes, he shows how we can use these tools to tell better stories – and make sense of our chaotic modern world.

Disruptive Possibilities: How Big Data Changes Everything


Jeffrey Needham - 2013
    As author Jeffrey Needham points out in this eye-opening book, big data can provide unprecedented insight into user habits, giving enterprises a huge market advantage. It will also inspire organizations to change the way they function."Disruptive Possibilities: How Big Data Changes Everything" takes you on a journey of discovery into the emerging world of big data, from its relatively simple technology to the ways it differs from cloud computing. But the big story of big data is the disruption of enterprise status quo, especially vendor-driven technology silos and budget-driven departmental silos. In the highly collaborative environment needed to make big data work, silos simply don't fit.Internet-scale computing offers incredible opportunity and a tremendous challenge--and it will soon become standard operating procedure in the enterprise. This book shows you what to expect.