Monday, April 29, 2024

Pathogenesis : A History of the World in Eight Plagues

Jonathan Kennedy
online access from EBSCOhost Ebooks
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “gripping” (The Washington Post) account of how the major transformations in history—from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism—have been shaped not by humans but by germs

“Superbly written . . . Kennedy seamlessly weaves together scientific and historical research, and his confident authorial voice is sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman.”—The Times (U.K.)


According to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, Professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires.

Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through sixty thousand years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. Bacteria and viruses were protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals, the growth of Islam, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the devastation wrought by European colonialism, and the evolution of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower. Even Christianity rose to prominence in the wake of a series of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries: Caring for the sick turned what was a tiny sect into one of the world’s major religions.

By placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past—and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

時間管理的30道難題:為什麼列出待辦清單更拖延?幫你克服拖延、養成習慣、達成目標!

電腦玩物站長Esor
online access from HyRead ebook
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***「沒有人不會時間管理,只是為什麼做不到?」
***「最經典的時間管理問題,最現實的解決辦法!」

* 年度目標為什麼不會開始?因為我的目標常常不是我的目標!
* 事情為什麼永遠不照計畫?因為你沒有設定好要解決的問題與成果!
* 愈重要的事情愈會拖延?困難的任務就是會拖延?比看得見的拖延,更可怕的是你看不見的拖延?
* 為什麼事情都卡在一起?為什麼時間不知不覺流逝?工作時間常常被打斷怎麼辦?
* 忙碌也是一種惡性循環?壓力大的時候怎麼轉換?
* 零碎時間如何有效利用?隔離干擾真的能更專注嗎?人生與工作如何平衡?

***「目標選擇術」、「子彈行動力」、「時間掌控權」、「流程改進法」
為自己打造一個你也可以做得到的時間管理系統

你覺得自己快被工作上的雜事搞昏頭?你常常後悔自己拖延的壞毛病?你有很多想做的事情,但卻缺乏成就感?你感到生活一團亂?但是當你讀了很多時間管理方法後,卻覺得大多數都很難「直接開始做」,或者看了一些感性勵志的成功書,卻發現自己永遠做不到那些方法。

電腦玩物站長嘗試過各種時間管理技巧、工具後,去蕪存菁,跟他一起打造一套完整的個人時間管理系統,不僅有理性的方法論,也有感性的觀念,還有人生管理的技巧。

你不只會在本書學會時間管理方法,更會學會如何重新愛上自己,如何跟自己對話,如何為自己前進的思考!這就是為自己奪取更多「優質的時間」。

電腦玩物站長 Esor 是台灣數位工作教學的專家,也是許多讀者心中的時間管理達人,看過他的時間管理文章、上過他的時間管理課程的朋友,最常看到的回饋就是:「跟那些講大方法的時間管理不一樣, Esor 的時間管理是符合人性而且具體可行,讓我回去就可以立刻試試看的方法!」

而這本書將結合他多年親自實驗、改變自己的方法,結合他在時間管理課堂上講過與沒講過的心法,用有系統的論述,帶讀者一步一步跟著實驗與改變。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)


Monday, April 22, 2024

Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet

Hannah Ritchie
online access from EBSCOhost Ebooks
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This "eye-opening and essential" book (Bill Gates) will transform how you see our biggest environmental problems—and explains how we can solve them.

It’s become common to tell kids that they’re going to die from climate change. We are constantly bombarded by doomsday headlines that tell us the soil won’t be able to support crops, fish will vanish from our oceans, and that we should reconsider having children.

But in this bold, radically hopeful book, data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that if we zoom out, a very different picture emerges. In fact, the data shows we’ve made so much progress on these problems that we could be on track to achieve true sustainability for the first time in human history. Did you know that:
- Carbon emissions per capita are actually down
- Deforestation peaked back in the 1980s
- The air we breathe now is vastly improved from centuries ago
- And more people died from natural disasters a hundred years ago?

Packed with the latest research, practical guidance, and enlightening graphics, this book will make you rethink almost everything you’ve been told about the environment. Not the End of the World will give you the tools to understand our current crisis and make lifestyle changes that actually have an impact. Hannah cuts through the noise by outlining what works, what doesn’t, and what we urgently need to focus on so we can leave a sustainable planet for future generations.

These problems are big. But they are solvable. We are not doomed. We can build a better future for everyone. Let’s turn that opportunity into reality.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

心理摩擦力 : 為何人們抗拒改變?不是你不努力, 是你不懂人性阻力 (The Human Element)

大衛.尚塔爾 (David Schonthal), 洛蘭.諾格倫 (Loran Nordgren)
online access from HyRead ebook
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想要推動創新,都該先看這一本!
從科學和實務的角度清楚說明,
如何說服他人放下對現狀的執著。


你曾提出新點子,別人卻反應冷淡?
或是困惑「產品不錯,偏偏賣不動」?
身為主管想推新政策,員工卻很消極?

很多時候,問題不在於產品「不好」、說法「不漂亮」,更不是想推動的事情「不夠重要」,而是因為演化使人具有抗拒改變的傾向,也就是「心理摩擦力」。

兩位作者深入研究人類行為的心理成因,並透過行為設計,促成200多項創新產品與服務的推行。他們認為「子彈鑲上黃金可以增加價值,但無法減少風阻」,若希望產品(子彈)精準擊中目標,必須降低風阻,也就是4種心理摩擦力:

1、慣性
想像你在荒島上,發現了香蕉和一種新奇的橘紅色水果,為了活下去,你會吃哪一種?
經過演化,人類成了習慣的動物,偏愛熟悉的事物,也影響了他們挑選產品的動力……

2、惰性
有56%的路人願意填寫一份5題的問卷,請猜猜看,如果問卷改成20題,會有多少比例的路人願意填?
一般人會猜32%,但實際上,只有11%的人會寫!
人類對省力的渴望,決定了消費者會被推向你的產品、還是推開!

3、情感阻力
Tinder如何打敗Match.com?
Match.com雖然是市場先行者,卻因為無法讓使用者跳脫最大的恐懼——被對方拒絕的可能——讓Tinder有了可趁之機,它訴求「輕鬆一滑,便能匹配」,確保對象對你一定有興趣。
該如何找出隱藏的情感阻力,以區隔出獨特的市場定位?

  4、反彈
如果學校要寫email向校友募款,哪種訴求的效果最好?是利他、利己,還是「利他+利己」?
研究顯示,前兩種訴求都有加分,但若兩者湊在一起,卻會有反效果,因為推得太用力,讓人感覺被逼迫,就會引發反彈。
而誰能夠確定新產品會不會激起反彈?

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)

Monday, April 15, 2024

Career Forward: Strategies from Women Who've Made It

Grace Puma, Christiana Smith Shi
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
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A USA TODAY bestseller, this groundbreaking, empowering guide for women—from former PepsiCo COO Grace Puma and former Nike President of Consumer Direct Christiana Smith Shi—shows how to prioritize a career path, build professional value, and enjoy a full life both in and out of the workplace.

At a time when many long-held workplace structures and beliefs are changing, Career Forward is a beacon for women aspiring to achieve success and satisfaction in rewarding careers. Drawing on decades of experience reaching the top of Fortune 500 companies, Grace Puma and Christiana Smith Shi show women how to maximize their career journeys, get paid what they’re worth, navigate the shifts that occur in any company, build a leadership identity, and have a full life in and out of work.

The authors challenge negative stereotypes about female ambition, and urge women to be bold, follow their dreams, and seize the chance to lead “big” lives. The secret is to focus on career first, job second. Instead of chasing a better job title or a salary bump, the goal should be a long-range career path that leads to success. “Career forward” means keeping a focus on the future and recognizing that being good at your job is often not enough—that you should take every opportunity to boost your connections, take on “difficult” assignments, and work actively to broaden your skills.

Packed with personal anecdotes and wisdom from women who’ve been there, and featuring quizzes and checklists for self-evaluation, Career Forward provides a wealth of valuable lessons, including the value of thinking of yourself as a “growth stock” and, instead of chasing the elusive work-life balance, living a well-rounded 360-degree life that fully embraces both. Offering a refreshing response to anyone who wonders whether working hard is really worth it, Puma and Smith Shi’s emphatic answer is “yes,” because by correctly following the blueprint in Career Forward, the rewards will far outweigh the effort.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

哈佛商業評論推薦必讀AI趨勢

哈佛商業評論
online access from iRead eBook
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隨著ChatGPT引爆AI應用的無限可能,企業也進入AI轉型戰。當生成式AI顛覆商業遊戲規則,帶領組織AI轉型,學會與AI共事,才能不被市場淘汰。

本書收錄《哈佛商業評論》近期探討AI最重要的文章,從經營、行銷、轉型、人力資源、產品定價等各個面向探討所有經理人必須了解的AI趨勢,包括:
.ChatGPT如何改變機器與人類協作的工作方式
.正確應用AI行銷的方法
.成功採用機器學習的策略
.利用演算法為產品定價有什麼問題
.聰明使用機器人的策略
.如何培養員工的「數位心態」,加速企業轉型
.啟動AI轉型萬無一失的方法
.降低AI產品帶來的道德風險
.人工智慧啟動的新市場與新商戰模式

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)