Monday, September 25, 2017

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Adam Grant, with foreword by Sheryl Sandberg
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2016 NAUTILUS AWARD Gold Winner

The #1 New York Times bestseller that examines how people can champion new ideas—and how leaders can fight groupthink, from the author of Give and Take and co-author of Option B

Originals is one of the most important and captivating books I have ever read, full of surprising and powerful ideas. It will not only change the way you see the world; it might just change the way you live your life. And it could very well inspire you to change your world.” —Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In

With Give and Take, Adam Grant not only introduced a landmark new paradigm for success but also established himself as one of his generation’s most compelling and provocative thought leaders. In Originals he again addresses the challenge of improving the world, but now from the perspective of becoming original: choosing to champion novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and buck outdated traditions. How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all?

Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt; how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children; and how leaders can build cultures that welcome dissent. Learn from an entrepreneur who pitches his start-ups by highlighting the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who overturned the rule of secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard who fires employees for failing to criticize him, and a TV executive who didn’t even work in comedy but saved Seinfeld from the cutting-room floor. The payoff is a set of groundbreaking insights about rejecting conformity and improving the status quo.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

紫禁城100

趙廣超
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香港出版雙年獎 藝術及設計最佳出版獎

《紫禁城100》講述紫禁城一百個關於建築空間、宮廷生活等故事,成功把中華文化的普遍意義,帶給廣大的海內外觀眾。

紫禁城(故宮)這個空間內建築的變化,其功能的演變,以及建築背後的思想、設計、藝術、功能等方面的因素,都在作者的關注範圍之內。書中圖片,全部是作者團隊繪製,精彩呈現故宮每一個元素美妙的細節之處。大到全景的地圖,小到瓷器上的一個紋理,無不在生花妙筆下活靈活現,精彩動人。圖片與文字結合,從肌理到內核,從紋樣到思想,一一深入剖析,細節呈現。

紫禁城(故宮)不僅是空間,也是人生活於其中的地方。這裏有前朝事,宮院事,花園事,心靈故事等等,事事非同尋常。人在空間內居住,也受空間的約束,這裏上演的既有帝王豪情,也有無奈辛酸,把一個文化中的活力、可能性和自身弱點,通過這些人物折射出來,引人深思。

此書內容不止如此,呈現的也不僅是紫禁城(故宮)的一百個細節,而是涉及方方面面,並且對文化的思考貫穿其中。正如作者所說:「歷史給我們留下這座六百年前的天下和宇宙的中心,明月清風,與我們一起見證這悠長的文化如何無有間斷。」文化的基因嵌入我們每一個人的行為之中,在有意無意之間,都會表露出來。而通過這本書,我們更能明白紫禁城(故宮)的基因,傳統文化的基因,看到文化如何不間斷地成長,看到故宮以及每一個人,如何更好地走向未來,走向下一個六百年。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)

Monday, September 18, 2017

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

Phil Knight
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In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.

Young, searching, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year, 1963. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is more than a logo. A symbol of grace and greatness, it’s one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world.

But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. Now, in a memoir that’s surprising, humble, unfiltered, funny, and beautifully crafted, he tells his story at last. It all begins with a classic crossroads moment. Twenty-four years old, backpacking through Asia and Europe and Africa, wrestling with life’s Great Questions, Knight decides the unconventional path is the only one for him. Rather than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own, something new, dynamic, different. Knight details the many terrifying risks he encountered along the way, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors, the countless doubters and haters and hostile bankers—as well as his many thrilling triumphs and narrow escapes. Above all, he recalls the foundational relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers.

Together, harnessing the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the redemptive, transformative power of sports, they created a brand, and a culture, that changed everything.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

太古之道 : 太古在華一百五十年

鍾寶賢
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香港出版雙年獎 商業及管理類最佳出版獎

在中國內地和香港,到處可以聽到「太古」這個名字:三里屯太古里、太古匯、太古城、太古糖等,但較鮮為人知的是,這個集團由施懷雅(Swire)家族擁有,創辦人約翰.施懷雅(John Swire)於1816年成立約翰.施懷雅父子公司(John Swire & Sons),其子約翰.森姆爾.施懷雅(John Samuel Swire)於1866年遠赴中國成立太古洋行。

現時領導太古的已是約翰.施懷雅的第六代曾孫,多年來太古業務不斷繁衍,從最初單單經營航運業務,到後來興辦船塢、建立全球知名的國泰航空、取得可口可樂的專營權等,這一切不但見證太古在落戶中國一百五十年間的變化和發展,也見證著幾代家族成員的默默耕耘。本書記載的就是太古由小型進出口公司演變為環球企業的發跡故事。

(摘錄自cp1897.com.hk)

Monday, September 11, 2017

The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

Edward B. Burger, Michael P Starbird
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The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking presents practical, lively, and inspiring ways for you to become more successful through better thinking. The idea is simple: You can learn how to think far better by adopting specific strategies. Brilliant people aren't a special breed--they just use their minds differently. By using the straightforward and thought-provoking techniques in The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, you will regularly find imaginative solutions to difficult challenges, and you will discover new ways of looking at your world and yourself--revealing previously hidden opportunities.

The book offers real-life stories, explicit action items, and concrete methods that allow you to attain a deeper understanding of any issue, exploit the power of failure as a step toward success, develop a habit of creating probing questions, see the world of ideas as an ever-flowing stream of thought, and embrace the uplifting reality that we are all capable of change. No matter who you are, the practical mind-sets introduced in the book will empower you to realize any goal in a more creative, intelligent, and effective manner. Filled with engaging examples that unlock truths about thinking in every walk of life, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking is written for all who want to reach their fullest potential--including students, parents, teachers, businesspeople, professionals, athletes, artists, leaders, and lifelong learners.

Whenever you are stuck, need a new idea, or want to learn and grow, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking will inspire and guide you on your way.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

我是街道觀察員 : 花園街的文化地景

郭斯恆
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香港出版雙年獎 生活及科普最佳出版獎

花園街是一條社區匯聚和生命舞台的街道

從排檔(攤販)的空間規劃看社區網絡的運作

花園街是一條充滿著生氣和活力的街道,因為她讓不同階層的人找到生存空間,他們能日復日地參與地方意義建築和編織花園街社區關係網。

內容先從城市和街道空間理論出發,然後再微觀花園街各樣元素和關係。之後,會剖析排檔三尺乘四尺的神奇空間,如何變身、如何運用細微配件擴展展示空間;此外,也會介紹排檔的十大武器等。另外,也會透過花園街排檔檔主的口述歷史細說花園街的變遷,以及觀察檔主以外,其他街道寄生者所扮演的角色。綜合各項分析,可全面了解街道作為社會區網絡是如何運作。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)

Monday, September 4, 2017

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Ashlee Vance
online access from EBSCOhost Audiobook Collection (audiobook)
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In the spirit of Steve Jobs and Moneyball, Elon Musk is both an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley's most exciting, unpredictable, and ambitious entrepreneurs - a real-life Tony Stark - and a fascinating exploration of the renewal of American invention and its new makers.

Elon Musk spotlights the technology and vision of Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, who sold one of his Internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius' life and work, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa and flight to the United States to his dramatic technical innovations and entrepreneurial pursuits.

Vance uses Musk's story to explore one of the pressing questions of our age: Can the nation of inventors and creators who led the modern world for a century still compete in an age of fierce global competition? He argues that Musk - one of the most unusual and striking figures in American business history - is a contemporary, visionary amalgam of legendary inventors and industrialists, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, and Steve Jobs. More than any other entrepreneur today, Musk has dedicated his energies and his own vast fortune to inventing a future that is as rich and far reaching as the visionaries of the golden age of science-fiction fantasy.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

香港好走系列

陳曉蕾
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香港出版雙年獎 心理勵志類最佳出版獎

《香港好走》系列包括《香港好走 怎照顧?》、《香港好走 有選擇?》、《平安紙》。

《怎照顧?》檢視香港現時的醫療和護理服務,老病死沒法避免,可是得到的治療和護理,是和所處的社會有關的。香港的醫院、院舍、寧養院、社區究竟提供了怎樣的支援?香港病人可否待在家中,甚至在家離世?而社區的基層醫療、社福機構正在編織一張怎樣的安全網?是否可讓香港人放心老去,平安好走?

《有選擇?》報導人生最後一程在香港的不同選擇:預設醫療指示、預設照顧計劃、不作心肺復甦法文件、持久授權書等等,深入探討病人、家人、醫護人員在各種醫護決定背後的想法和分歧。報導亦從病人自主權,梳理「安樂死」、「醫助死亡」、「終止無效治療」、「拒絕治療」等在香港的討論和實踐。

《平安紙》是一本教人寫遺書的著作,不過,它不是硬生生的那種,而是充滿溫度,因為它會細說自己一生如何度過,葬禮想怎樣安排,想哪些人出席,給他們什麼遺言,要不要用入侵性醫療等等,都一一考慮周全,並為使用者提供人生的指引,淡淡的。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)