“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” – Randy Pausch (RIP 25 July 2008)
I first blogged about Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch back in 28 July 2008, 3 days after his death from pancreatic cancer. So moved was I by the video of his last lecture (do watch it if you haven’t done so), that I bought the book. Of course, this was way before the recent death of the more famous Steve Jobs of Apple.
Fantastic Beasts – the newest phenomenon from the wizarding world of Harry Potter (Image from Geek Tyrant)
Have you watched the latest blockbuster movie Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them?
J.K. Rowling’s latest installment – a prequel to the much beloved Harry Potter series – swept cinemas around the world with much critical acclaim. Based on a 2001 book written under her pen name Newt Scamander, it is the newest piece of the Harry Potter universe.
Creators of the highly popular book Freakonomics, hosts of the Freakonomics radio podcasts, University of Chicago economist Steven D. Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner join forces yet again in Superfreakonomics. Written in the same fast-paced and witty style, the authors combed through prodigious scientific and research data to present findings that astound, amaze and amuse.
Tackling the fields of behavioural economics, criminology, psychology, sociology and other fields, Superfreakonomics examines taboo topics and sheds new light – and answers – while challenging conventional wisdom. Reading through the easily digestible volume, one learns why walking drunk is more dangerous than driving drunk (shorter average number of miles before accidental death), why department store Santas are like prostitutes (seasonal demand), and how capuchin monkeys actually behave like humans when given the right monetary incentives!
Published in 2009, Mitch Joel’s book on business strategy in the age of social media titled Six Pixels of Separation is a laudable effort to tie in the disparate threads of the online world for those keen to experiment in this space.
Covering a broad expanse of concepts and ideas – from crowdsourcing, community building, content creation, to platform specific strategies – the book provided a good introduction to the world of social media and digital engagement.
Are you tired of running the rat race? Wonder how you can better fulfill your life dreams and live more abundantly?
Part self help book, part fable, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by leadership guru Robin Sharma is a slim novel that packed powerful life and leadership lessons.
Are you feeling the entrepreneurial (or intrapreneurial) itch lately? If so, Small is the New Big may be the right up your alley.
With 184 “riffs, rants, and remarkable business ideas”, Small is the New Big by uber marketing blogger Seth Godin is a collection of management mantras for entrepreneurs. Written in his usual snappy style, the book isn’t organised into sequential chapters. Instead, entries are written in an alphabetical manner without following any particular logic.
RIP Mr Ingvar Kamprad (courtesy of Ikea website)
{UPDATED 29 JANUARY 2018} The world is moaning the passing of Mr Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Ikea and IKANO. According to the Ikea Group website, he passed away at the ripe old age of 91 years after a short illness.
A pioneer and entrepreneur who could make the traditional and staid world of furniture retailing sexy, Kamprad was one of the world’s best known retailer. His methods in furniture retailing have been emulated by numerous competitors around the world.
Malcolm Gladwell has an uncanny talent. Like a detective, he weaves compelling yarns, spinning together sources of information from psychologists, food testers, doctors, animal trainers, criminologists, and other experts to challenge common notions.
With journalistic brilliance honed by his years in the New Yorker, Gladwell proffered radical answers to challenge age-old notions in his latest bestselling volume What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures. A compilation of 19 essays on a wide range of topics – espionage, war, hair colour, kitchen appliances, homelessness and more – the volume blended pop psychology, sociology, management and current affairs in a highly readable prose.
Pirate DJ, music buff, and magazine publisher Matt Mason’s book The Pirate’s Dilemma – How Youth Culture is Reinventing Capitalism is a fascinating tour-de-force of the world of youth culture, content piracy and the future of commerce. Written from an insider’s perspective – Mason himself was once voted pirate of the year by Business Week – the book traces the development of various music genres over the decades and how they impacted societies.
Defying the class action suits launched by record companies and copyright owners around the world, Mason declared that piracy isn’t a sin but instead, a necessary ingredient for innovation and invention. By allowing others to adapt and modify original content and spread it freely around, piracy helps to foster change in popular culture in all its forms – fashion, food, hairstyles, movies, games, software and even enterpreneurship.
How does one leverage on the power of social communities? What does it mean to build a “Social Nation”?
I found out the answers to these and more after reading Barry Libert’s breezy volume Social Nation. The CEO of Mzinga, Libert declares in his book that organisational success lies with tapping on the collective power of employees, stakeholders, partners, and customers – both online and offline. To do so, one needs to develop social skills to complement one’s other strengths (physical, informational, and emotional).