Super Rune

TIL: Ghost City Malaysia

Unknown — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

TIL I learned about the Forest City built by China in Malaysia for people in China to buy assets out side of China.

When China made that illegal the project turne into a ghost city with no citizens.

Quiet Leader

Unknown — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

You don’t have to be loud to be a good leader.
Up to 50% of people are introverts, and yet traditional leadership books focus on how to “fix” introversion so you can be a better leader. But what if being quiet made you a better leader? Introverts are naturally better listeners, more receptive to ideas, and better able to make employees feel motivated and valued so they perform better.
This book will help all introverts in business understand the value they add, help them become better leaders, and how to understand and overcome the extrovert bias they might encounter. Rather than changing your personality, Quiet Leader will help you use your strengths as an introvert to bring out the best in colleagues and team members, and give everyone - extroverts included - a better understanding of how to become better leaders themselves. With tangible examples and new ideas, you’ll find ways to enhance your introvert skills by adopting the strategies and tools provided.

Mysteriet om den sovende hjerne

Unknown — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Vi bruger omkring en tredjedel af livet på at sove, men ved stadig ikke meget om, hvad søvn egentlig er. I denne bog tager Peter Lund Madsen og Thomas Thaulov Raab dig med ind i søvnens verden. De gennemgår søvnforskningens farverige historie og forklarer, hvad der foregår i hjernen, mens vi sover og drømmer.

Du får desuden gode råd til, hvordan du forbedrer din nattesøvn, og en forståelse for, hvad der virker og hvorfor. Bogen har mindst to meget beroligende budskaber: Du sover formentlig mere, end du tror. Og du kan sagtens fungere normalt og bevare et godt helbred, selvom du i perioder sover mindre.

Peter Lund Madsen er speciallæge i psykiatri, hjerneforsker og videnskabsformidler. Thomas Thaulov Raab er mag.art. i litteraturvidenskab, forfatter og foredragsholder.

Kvinden i buret

Unknown — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

En smuk vinterdag forsvinder den unge, fremadstormende folketingspolitiker Merete Lynggaard sporløst. Medierne kaster sig over historien, og overskrifterne gætter på alt fra mord og selvmord til frivillig forsvinden. Politiet sætter straks en storstilet eftersøgning i gang, men uden resultat. Merete Lynggaard er som sunket i jorden.

Først da den hårdt prøvede vicekriminalkommissær Carl Mørck sættes i spidsen for politiets nyoprettede afdeling for ´Sager under særlig bevågenhed´, sker der et afgørende skred i efterforskningen. Og snart er Carl Mørck og hans assistent Assad på sporet af en hensynsløs forbryder, som drevet af had har lagt en helt afsindig plan. Spørgsmålet er, om Carl Mørck og Assad kan nå at forpurre den, eller om de selv vil blive ofre for den.

Radical Focus: Achieving Your Most Important Goals With Objectives and Key Results

Unknown — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Review

Praise for the Second Edition
"It has been five years since Christina published the first edition of Radical Focus. The book has gone on to become a favorite for thousands of product people working to learn how to empower their teams, and utilize the OKR technique... I think you will love [the second edition.] It will inspire you." - Marty Cagan, author of Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

"A master at getting things done, Christina offers a radically focused way to achieve one's goals." - Irene Au, Design Partner at Khosla Ventures

"Together with Doerr, Grove, and Drucker, Christina Wodtke is one of the four people who shaped OKR into the powerful tool it is today. With Radical Focus 2.0, she continues to teach us that success is about having an impact, not checking a box." - Felipe Castro, Founder, OutcomeEdge

"Everything good I've ever learned about OKRs I learned from Christina Wodtke and Radical Focus." - Jeff Gothelf, author of Lean UX, Sense & Respond and Forever Employable

Product Description

"Radical Focus is a must-read for anyone who wants to accomplish out-sized results. Christina does a great job showing both the why and the how of OKRs. Avoid the all-too-common mistakes by reading this book first." - Teresa Torres, author Continuous Discovery Habits
"This book is useful, actionable, and actually fun to read! If you want to get your team aligned around real, measurable goals, Radical Focus will teach you how to do it quickly and clearly." - Laura Klein, Principal, Users Know

The award-winning author of The Team That Managed Itself and Pencil Me In returns with a new and expanded edition of her landmark book on OKRs.

If you’ve ever wanted to know how to use OKRs, or why yours might not be working, Radical Focus teaches you everything you need to achieve your goals. The author pulls from her experience with Silicon Valley’s hottest companies to teach practical insights on OKRs in the form of a fable.When Hanna and Jack receive an ultimatum from the only investor in their struggling tea supply company, they must learn how to employ Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) with radical focus to get the right things done. Using Hanna and Jack’s story, Wodtke walks readers through how to inspire a diverse team to work together in pursuit of a single, challenging goal, and how to stay motivated despite setbacks and failures.Radical Focus has been translated into six languages and sold more than 50,000 copies. Now, the second edition of her OKR manifesto proves that Wodtke’s business strategies are essential in a world where focus seems to be a more and more unreachable goal. The updated version includes 22,000 words of all-new material designed to help OKR users in larger companies create, grade, and manage OKRs in ways that accelerate success and drive rapid organizational learning.Ready to move your team in the right direction? Read this book together, and learn Wodtke’s powerful system for attaining your most important goals with radical focus.

About the Author

Christina Wodtke has helped to grow companies like LinkedIn, Yahoo, Zynga, and the New York Times, as well as numerous startups throughout Silicon Valley. She's the author of the business-fable book Radical Focus, a book which uses the power of story to build a new approach to OKRs, as well as the author of Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web, Pencil Me In, and the upcoming Continuous Feedback. Christina currently teaches at Stanford on the HCI program in Computer Science. She speaks worldwide about humanity, teamwork, and the journey to excellence.

The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth

Unknown — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Conquer the most essential adaptation to the knowledge economy

Psychological Safety at Work: How to Ensure Learning and Innovation in the Knowledge Economy offers practical guidance for teams and organizations who are serious about success in the modern economy. With so much riding on innovation, creativity, and spark, it is essential to attract and retain quality talent—but what good does this talent do if no one is able to speak their mind? The traditional culture of “fitting in” and “going along” spells doom in the knowledge economy. Success requires a continuous influx of new ideas, new challenges, and critical thought, and the interpersonal climate must not suppress, silence, ridicule or intimidate. Not every idea is good, and yes there are stupid questions, and yes dissent can slow things down, but talking through these things is an essential part of the creative process. People must be allowed to voice half-finished...

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

Unknown — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Talent Code unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides tomorrow’s leaders with the tools to build a cohesive, motivated culture.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BLOOMBERG AND LIBRARY JOURNAL Where does great culture come from? How do you build and sustain it in your group, or strengthen a culture that needs fixing? In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations—including the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs—and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. Drawing on examples that range from Internet retailer Zappos to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade to a daring gang of jewel thieves, Coyle offers specific strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust, and drive positive change. Coyle unearths helpful stories of failure that illustrate what not to do, troubleshoots common pitfalls, and shares advice about reforming a toxic culture. Combining leading-edge science, on-the-ground insights from world-class leaders, and practical ideas for action, The Culture Code offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded. Culture is not something you are—it’s something you do. The Culture Code puts the power in your hands. No matter the size of your group or your goal, this book can teach you the principles of cultural chemistry that transform individuals into teams that can accomplish amazing things together.Praise for The Culture Code “I’ve been waiting years for someone to write this book—I’ve built it up in my mind into something extraordinary. But it is even better than I imagined. Daniel Coyle has produced a truly brilliant, mesmerizing read that demystifies the magic of great groups. It blows all other books on culture right out of the water.”—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Option B, Originals, and Give and Take “If you want to understand how successful groups work—the signals they transmit, the language they speak, the cues that foster creativity—you won’t find a more essential guide than The Culture Code.”—Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

June in music

Unknown — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Artist I have listened to:

Iron Maiden
Queen
Ray LaMontagne
JAY-Z
Alabama Shakes
A Tribe Called Quest
David Bowie
Tears for Fears
Doyle Bramhall II
Led Zeppelin

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Unknown — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

How to Win Friends and Influence People is the first, and still the finest, book of its kind. One of the best-known motivational books in history, Dale Carnegie’s groundbreaking work has sold millions of copies, has been translated into almost every known written language, and has helped countless people succeed in both their business and personal lives. First published in 1937, Carnegie’s advice has remained relevant for generations because he addresses timeless questions about the fine art of getting along with people: How can you make people like you instantly? How can you persuade people to agree with you? How can you speak frankly to people without giving offense? The ability to read others and successfully navigate any social situation is critically important to those who want to get a job, keep a job, or simply expand their social network. The core principles of this book, originally written as a practical, working handbook on human relations, are proven effective. Carnegie explains the fundamentals of handling people with a positive approach; how to make people like you and want to help you; how to win people to your way of thinking without conflict; and how to be the kind of leader who inspires quality work, increased productivity, and high morale. As Carnegie explains, the majority of our success in life depends on our ability to communicate and manage personal relationships effectively, whether at home or at work. How to Win Friends and Influence People will help you discover and develop the people skills you need to live well and prosper.

Marco effekten

Unknown — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

15-årige Marko har gennem hele sin opvækst været underlagt sin farbror Zolas uindskrænkede magt i den klan, hvor han tvinges til et slaveagtigt og kriminelt liv. Da han opdager, at Zola vil udsætte ham for bestialsk lemlæstelse for at øge hans indtjeningsmuligheder og for bedre at kunne styre ham, præsterer Marco det nærmest umulige: at flygte fra klanens jerngreb. En kort tid ser tilværelsen ud til at lysne for Marco, som klarer sig ved hjælp af sit kvikke hoved, sine særlige evner og en stærk overlevelsesvilje. Men da han tilfældigt falder over en uhyggelig hemmelighed, som Zola og klanen med alle midler vil forhindre kommer frem, tvinges Marco ind i en desperat kamp for sit liv.

Skal Marco bruge sin viden til at få gjort op med Zola og resten af klanen, der inkluderer hans far? Skal han involvere politiet? Kan han bevise noget?

Hvad Marco ikke ved er, at det ikke kun er familien, der ønsker ham slået ihjel. Det bliver imidlertid tydeligt for Carl, Assad og Rose, der langsomt hvirvles ind i sagen, som trækker dødsensfarlige tråde til korruption i bankverdenen, svindel på ministerielt plan - og langt ud i Afrikas jungle.

Carl kan ikke glemme Marcos brændende blik, og han rystes af de uanede kræfter, der er i spil omkring denne unge dreng.

Er opgaven denne gang større, end Afdeling Q kan kapere?

First Album in a Long Time Without Any Skips

Unknown — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been listening to this album, Loss by Gaerea. Every single song on this album has hit me hard. From Luminary to Stardust, every track is just… incredible. I favorited every single track one the album, and I even favorited the entire album. I can’t remember the last time I did that.

Rust, Copilot, and the Power of Small Models

Unknown — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I have a few hobby projects that I tinker with in my spare time. One of them is a Rust-based RSS/Atom feed reader. It scans feeds, fetches content, and generates static HTML pages to create a simple website. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s a project I enjoy working on, and it’s given me a chance to learn and experiment with Rust.

Bryd lydmuren - Lær at tænke som en jagerpilot

Unknown — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I Bryd Lydmuren fortæller Søren Sørensen, hvordan man lærer at tænke og præstere som en jagerpilot. Og hvordan han som introvert har indtaget sin plads i et high performance-team.

En jagerpilots arbejdsliv er delt ind i tre hovedområder – forberedelse, mission og debriefing.

Søren Sørensen gennemgår sine erfaringer med alle tre faser: fra uddannelsen på flyveskoler i USA og Danmark, fra tusindvis af flyvetimer som pilot og F-16-instruktør samt fra internationale udsendelser og chefstillinger i Flyvevåbnet.

Han beskriver desuden nogle af sine mest dramatiske oplevelser fra træning og kampsituationer. Som dengang han var tæt på at dø under en stor amerikansk øvelse, og da han måtte undvige et fjendtligt missil under Kosovo-konflikten.

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

Unknown — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Huffington Post • Financial Times • Success • Inc. • Library Journal***

From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, the Academy Award–winning studio behind Inside Out and Toy Story, comes an incisive book about creativity in business and leadership—sure to appeal to readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath. Fast Company raves that Creativity, Inc. “just might be the most thoughtful management book ever.”**

**Creativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation—into the meetings, postmortems, and “Braintrust” sessions where some of the most successful films in history are made. It is, at heart, a book about how to build a creative culture—but it is also, as Pixar co-founder and president Ed Catmull writes, “an expression of the ideas that I believe make the best in us possible.”

For nearly twenty years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as the Toy Story trilogy, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, WALL-E, and Inside Out, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner thirty Academy Awards. The joyousness of the storytelling, the inventive plots, the emotional authenticity: In some ways, Pixar movies are an object lesson in what creativity really is. Here, in this book, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired—and so profitable.

As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream as a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, where many computer science pioneers got their start, and then forged a partnership with George Lucas that led, indirectly, to his founding Pixar with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter in 1986. Nine years later, Toy Story was released, changing animation forever. The essential ingredient in that movie’s success—and in the thirteen movies that followed—was the unique environment that Catmull and his colleagues built at Pixar, based on leadership and management philosophies that protect the creative process and defy convention, such as:

• Give a good idea to a mediocre team, and they will screw it up. But give a mediocre idea to a great team, and they will either fix it or come up with something better.
• If you don’t strive to uncover what is unseen and understand its nature, you will be ill prepared to lead.
• It’s not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It’s the manager’s job to make it safe for others to take them.
• The cost of preventing errors is often far greater than the cost of fixing them.
• A company’s communication structure should not mirror its organizational structure. Everybody should be able to talk to anybody.

Praise for *Creativity, Inc.*

“Over more than thirty years, Ed Catmull has developed methods to root out and destroy the barriers to creativity, to marry creativity to the pursuit of excellence, and, most impressive, to sustain a culture of disciplined creativity during setbacks and success.”—Jim Collins, co-author of Built to Last and author of* Good to Great*

“Too often, we seek to keep the status quo working. This is a book about breaking it.”—Seth Godin

Leadership Step by Step: Become the Person Others Follow

Unknown — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Leadership literature is full of principles and ideas--but they rarely leave the page. Practice is what turns abstract concepts into useful skills.

Leadership Step by Step walks readers through what to do and how to do it in an integrated and comprehensive progression of exercises designed to cultivate key abilities, behaviors, and beliefs through experience. The 22 exercises in this hands-on book help you accomplish the inner work and gain the social skills required for great leadership.

Each chapter opens with a story demonstrating a leadership skill--and then guides you through the process of developing it. From basic solo assignments to advanced leadership practices, you'll learn to:

Build self-awareness
Manage emotions
Speak in your authentic voice
Create meaningful connections
Inspire others
Lead with empathy
Support teammates
And more

Powerful and practical, Leadership Step by Step will start you on the road to success. **

Review

"This is practical leadership training made perfect. Bravo!" -- * **Booklist, *starred review

Book Description

Learn how to lead. Leadership literature is full of principles and ideas—but they rarely leave the page. Practice is what turns abstract concepts into useful skills. Leadership Step by Step walks readers through what to do and how to do it in an integrated and comprehensive progression of exercises designed to cultivate key abilities, behaviors, and beliefs through experience. The 22 exercises in this hands-on book help you accomplish the inner work and gain the social skills required for great leadership. Each chapter opens with a story demonstrating a leadership skill—and then guides you through the process of developing it. From basic solo assignments to advanced leadership practices, you’ll learn to: Build self-awareness • Manage emotions • Speak in your authentic voice • Create meaningful connections • Inspire others • Lead with empathy • Support teammates • And more Powerful and practical, Leadership Step by Step will start you on the road to success.

The Art of Business Value

Unknown — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Do you really understand what business value is? Information technology can and should deliver business value. But the Agile literature has paid scant attention to what business value means―and how to know whether or not you are delivering it. This problem becomes ever more critical as you push value delivery toward autonomous teams and away from requirements “tossed over the wall” by business stakeholders. An empowered team needs to understand its goal!

Playful and thought-provoking, The Art of Business Value explores what business value means, why it matters, and how it should affect your software development and delivery practices. More than any other IT delivery approach, DevOps (and Agile thinking in general) makes business value a central concern. This book examines the role of business value in software and makes a compelling case for why a clear understanding of business value will change the way you deliver software.

This book will make you think deeply about not only what it means to deliver value but also the relationship of the IT organization to the rest of the enterprise. It will give you the language to discuss value with the business, methods to cut through bureaucracy, and strategies for incorporating Agile teams and culture into the enterprise. Most of all, this book will startle you into new ways of thinking about the cutting-edge of Agile practice and where it may lead. **

Modern Software Engineering: Doing What Works to Build Better Software Faster

Unknown — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Amplify Your Creativity, Effectiveness, and Personal Fulfillment as a Software Professional

In Modern Software Engineering, continuous delivery pioneer David Farley helps software professionals think about their work more effectively, manage it more successfully, and genuinely improve the quality of their applications, their lives, and the lives of their colleagues.

Writing for programmers, managers, and technical leads at all levels of experience, Farley illuminates durable principles at the heart of effective software development, He distills the discipline into two core exercises: first, learning and exploration, and second, managing complexity. For each, he defines principles that can help you improve everything from your mindset to the quality of your code, and describes approaches proven to promote success.

Farley’s ideas and techniques cohere into a unified, scientific, and foundational approach to solving practical software development problems within realistic economic constraints. This general, durable, and pervasive approach to software engineering can help you solve problems you haven’t encountered yet, using today’s technologies and tomorrow’s. It offers you deeper insight into what you do every day, helping you create better software, faster, with more pleasure and personal fulfillment.

Clarify what you’re trying to accomplish
Choose your tools based on sensible criteria
Organize work and systems to facilitate continuing incremental progress
Evaluate your progress toward thriving systems, not just more “legacy code”
Gain more value from experimentation and empiricism
Stay in control as systems grow more complex
Achieve rigor without too much rigidity
Learn from history and experience
Distinguish “good” new software development ideas from “bad” ones

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

Unknown — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can wok less hard and have more impact.

Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential. He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how—by saying less and asking more—you can develop coaching methods that produce great results.

– Get straight to the point in any conversation with The Kickstart Question

– Stay on track during any interaction with The Awe Question

– Save hours of time for yourself with The Lazy Question, and hours of time for others with The Strategic Question

– Get to the heart of any interpersonal or external challenge with The Focus Question and The Foundation Question

– Finally ensure others find your coaching as beneficial as you do with The Learning Question

A fresh innovative take on the traditional how-to manual, the book combines insider information with research based in neuroscience and behavioural economics, together with interactive training tools to turn practical advice into practiced habits. Witty and conversational, The Coaching Habit takes your work--and your workplace--from good to great.

The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You

Unknown — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Congratulations, you're a manager! After you pop the champagne, accept the shiny new title, and step into this thrilling next chapter of your career, the truth descends like a fog: you don't really know what you're doing.

That's exactly how Julie Zhuo felt when she became a rookie manager at the age of 25. She stared at a long list of logistics--from hiring to firing, from meeting to messaging, from planning to pitching--and faced a thousand questions and uncertainties. How was she supposed to spin teamwork into value? How could she be a good steward of her reports' careers? What was the secret to leading with confidence in new and unexpected situations?

Now, having managed dozens of teams spanning tens to hundreds of people, Julie knows the most important lesson of all: great managers are made, not born. If you care enough to be reading this, then you care enough to be a great manager.

The Making of a Manager is a modern field guide packed everyday examples and transformative insights, including:

*  How to tell a great manager from an average manager (illustrations included)
  When you should look past an awkward interview and hire someone anyway
  How to build trust with your reports through not being a boss
***  Where to look when you lose faith and lack the answers

Whether you're new to the job, a veteran leader, or looking to be promoted, this is the handbook you need to be the kind of manager you wish you had.

The Future is Now

Unknown — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Future is Now is an art book, a document that the Robo-President K3n3-DY has ordered everybody must have. It’s a compendium of the present future which will provide all the knowledge about Robo-City 16 and its dwellers. You will also explore exotic places outside the Robotic Union of Europe, like The Nation of the Sands, Harajuku Walled Island or the Independent States of Scrapland.

The Nikopol Trilogy

Unknown — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This critically acclaimed collection follows the incredible journey of Alcide Nikopol in the company of the vengeful god Horus of Hierakonopolis and Jill Bioskop, a mysterious woman with blue hair, from Paris to Berlin, Cairo to Equator City. The tale is a unique mix of science fiction, anxiety, humor, and strangeness from Europe’s premier comics creator, Enki Bilal.

This hardcover volume presents The Carnival of Immortals, The Woman Trap, and Equator Cold, three of Europe’s best-selling graphic novels of all time.

Tales From the Loop

Unknown — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In 1954, the Swedish government ordered the construction of the world’s largest particle accelerator. The facility was complete in 1969, located deep below the pastoral countryside of Mälaröarna. The local population called this marvel of technology The Loop. These are its strange tales.

Simon Stålenhag’s paintings of Swedish 1980s suburbia, populated by fantastic machines and strange beasts, have spread like wildfire on the Internet. The 2015 Kickstarter for the English version of the book raised over $320,000. Stålenhag’s portrayal of a childhood against a backdrop of old Volvo cars and coveralls, combined with strange and mystical machines, creates a unique atmosphere that is both instantly recognizable and utterly alien.

In this top-quality artbook, Simon Stålenhag’s first set of paintings are collected in book form—together with texts that tell the stories of the youth who lived in the shadows of the machines. In addition, three separate prints (format 260×230 mm) as well as a full-color map (format 520x340mm) of the land of The Loop are included in the book.

The Labyrinth

Unknown — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A world covered by ruins and ash, the remnants of an otherwordly phenomenon that has ravaged the earth’s atmosphere and forced the few survivors deep underground. Matt, Sigrid and Charlie leave the safe harbor of the enclave for an expedition onto the wastelands of the surface world. During their journey they are forced to confront dark secrets from the time before civilization’s fall.

Things from the flood

Unknown — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Loop is closed. Life is returning to normal when the pastoral countryside is suddenly flooded by dark water from the huge abandoned underground facility. Rumors spread in classrooms and schoolyards, stories about the flood and how it has brought something with it. One thing is clear: the past is not ready to be forgotten.

Simon Stålenhag is back. In his new artbook Things from the Flood, Stålenhag continues the stories of Tales from the Loop, memories of a Nordic childhood infused with strange machines and weird creatures from other dimensions. In Things from the Flood, Stålenhag moves his focus from the ’80s to the ’90s, the decade of great change when the outside world truly came to Scandinavia. These are tales of the trials of youth, of schoolyard hazings, of first kisses, of finding yourself—and robots.

The Electric State

Unknown — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In 1997, a runaway teenager and her yellow toy robot travel west through a strange USA. The ruins of gigantic battle drones litter the countryside, heaped together with the discarded trash of a high tech consumerist society in decline. As their car approaches the edge of the continent, the world outside the window seems to be unraveling ever faster—as if somewhere beyond the horizon, the hollow core of civilization has finally caved in.

System Collapse

Unknown — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.

Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.

Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.

Klara og solen

Unknown — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.

In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

Fugitive Telemetry: 6 (The Murderbot Diaries)

Unknown — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

Network Effect

Unknown — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It calls itself Murderbot, but only when no one can hear.

It worries about the fragile human crew who’ve grown to trust it, but only where no one can see.

It tells itself that they’re only a professional obligation, but when they’re captured and an old friend from the past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

Exit Strategy

Unknown — Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?

Rogue Protocol

Unknown — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

SciFi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is again on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

Artificial Condition

Unknown — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It has a dark past–one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot.“ But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks.

Control circle

Unknown — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

There are several types of control circles. This one focuses on you as person and I find that useful. This is about how I meet the world and how I let it come to me.

All Systems Red

Unknown — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid–a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.

The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership

Unknown — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The last lecture on leadership by the NFL’s greatest coach: Bill Walsh Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty. In the process, he changed the way football is played. Prior to his death, Walsh granted a series of exclusive interviews to bestselling author Steve Jamison. These became his ultimate lecture on leadership. Additional insights and perspective are provided by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and others. Bill Walsh taught that the requirements of successful leadership are the same whether you run an NFL franchise, a fortune 500 company, or a hardware store with 12 employees. These final words of ‘wisdom by Walsh’ will inspire, inform, and enlighten leaders in all professions.

Laws

Unknown — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

There are a wonderful list of laws in software development.

Some of my favourites are:

Parkinson’s law.
Murphy’s law.
Gilb’s law and Goodhart’s law go hand in hand.

All of the listed laws I have linked to are good to know of and some are quite scary.

Restore

Unknown — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

No one takes care of you but you. The manifesto I have linked to in the bottom makes a awesome point about it.

When I look back at my previous resignations I can recognize the that I couldn’t bounce back or couldn’t recognize my self any more.

I needed restoration. I needed a change.

I have too written declarations to myself in the middle of the night because my thoughts about work robbed me of my sleep.

Read for you self: Eject disk.

The Effective Manager

Unknown — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The how-to guide for exceptional management from the bottom up

The Effective Manager is a hands-on practical guide to great management at every level. Written by the man behind Manager Tools, the world's number-one business podcast, this book distills the author's 25 years of management training expertise into clear, actionable steps to start taking today. First, you'll identify what "effective management" actually looks like: can you get the job done at a high level? Do you attract and retain top talent without burning them out? Then you'll dig into the four critical behaviors that make a manager great, and learn how to adjust your own behavior to be the leader your team needs. You'll learn the four major tools that should be a part of every manager's repertoire, how to use them, and even how to introduce them to the team in a productive, non-disruptive way.

Most management books are written for CEOs and geared toward improving corporate management,...

Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses and Other Tricky Situations at Work

Unknown — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The ideal graduation gift for anyone about to enter the workforce, a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice from the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York's work-advice columnist.

There's a reason Alison Green has been called "the Dear Abby of the work world." Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don't know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You'll learn what to say when

coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it

you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit "reply all"

you're being micromanaged—or not being managed at all

you catch a colleague in a lie

your boss seems unhappy with your...

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

Unknown — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In her #1 New York Times bestsellers, Brené Brown taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she's showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead.
Leadership is not about titles, status, and power over people. Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognizing the potential in people and ideas and developing that potential. This is a book for everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference, and lead.
When we dare to lead, we don't pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don't see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it and work to align authority and accountability. We don't avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into the vulnerability that's necessary to do good...

Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World

Unknown — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We think we know what an autocratic state looks There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents.

But in the 21st century, that bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are underpinned not by one dictator, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, surveillance technologies, and professional propagandists, all of which operate across multiple regimes, from China to Russia to Iran. Corrupt companies in one country do business with corrupt companies in another. The police in one country can arm and train the police in another, and propagandists share resources and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.

International condemnation and economic sanctions cannot move the autocrats. Even popular opposition movements, from Venezuela to Hong Kong to Moscow, don’t stand a chance. The members of Autocracy, Inc, aren’t linked by a unifying ideology, like communism, but rather a common desire for power, wealth, and impunity. In this urgent treatise, which evokes George Kennan’s essay calling for “containment” of the Soviet Union, Anne Applebaum calls for the democracies to fundamentally reorient their policies to fight a new kind of threat.

Leadership and Self-Deception: The Secret to Transforming Relationships & Unleashing Results

Unknown — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Over two decades since first being published, Leadership and Self-Deception continues to help readers discover and overcome the persistent lies that are at the heart of the people-related dysfunction that plagues relationships and hinders organizational results. Told through an engaging story, this book reveals the ways we blind ourselves to our true motivations and unwittingly sabotage our efforts to achieve success and rebuild broken relationships.

Completely rewritten throughout, this fourth edition features important updates:

-A broader cast of characters who resonate with a wide and diverse audience
-Updated stories and examples that help readers immediately apply these timeless concepts to the modern workplace
-An individual study and group discussion guide to facilitate personal and team discoveries
-Practical guides to apply the tools on a personal, team, and organization-wide level

Explore the ideas that have helped millions of people and thousands of organizations sustainably transform relationships and results.

Functional skills

Unknown — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Creating a resume structured around functional skills sounds like a great idea. If you can add achievements to them too I think you are better positioned.

I can get behind this statement:

Landing your dream job comes down to highlighting your skills

Read for you self: This New Resume Trick Can Help You Finally Land a Job

Slash pages

Unknown — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I am having fun creating all kinds of supporting page to my website that has nothing to with the posts, but they should be informative to you the visitor.

Jeg er også vigtig

Unknown — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg er også vigtig - Husk dig selv som pårørende sætter fokus på det at være pårørende til en person med en langvarig alvorlig sygdom. Diana Lund Andersen har som pårørende selv savnet et sted at få råd og vejledning, derfor har hun skrevet denne bog.I bogen får du tips, inspiration og gode råd til:· hvordan du kan passe på dig selv· hvilke praktiske ting der kan være vigtige at få styr på som pårørende · hvordan dit netværk kan hjælpe dig som pårørende.I bogen finder du også 15 gribende beretninger fra pårørende, ud over Diana selv, som fortæller om deres oplevelse af at være pårørende.

“Det er kommet bag på mig, hvor meget det at være pårørende også slider på en. Fordi man hele tiden er på, uanset om du vil det eller ej”.Berit - Pårørende“Vi har ikke mulighed for at være sure - hvis vi mister vores datter nu, så skal jeg have noget at tage med, også selvom hun har haft det skidt. Vores indstilling til det er vigtig. De tider, vi har haft sammen, det vil være det, jeg har tilbage, hvis vi mister hende, så hvert øjeblik tæller” - Amelia

Ternet Ninja 3

Unknown — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Vi møder igen Aske, Sune, Jørn, Sirene og selvfølgelig T.N. Onkel Stewart, han dukker som altid op de mest usandsynlige steder. Og der er også nye karakterer med. Ligesom Anders Matthesen har overraskelser i ærmet - bl.a. afsløres det, hvem Askes biologiske far er.

Coffee Dripper

Unknown — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I received the Clever Dripper as a present for my birthday and it is the easiest way to brew a simple cup of filter coffee. No fuzz, just coffee.

Resilient Management

Unknown — Mon, 27 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Finding your bearings as a manager can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to fake it to make it, and you don’t have to go it alone. Lara Hogan shares her recipe for supporting and leading a tech team—from developing your mentoring and coaching skills, to getting comfortable with having difficult conversations, to boosting trust among teammates—while staying grounded along the way.

Takeover: Hitler's Final Rise to Power

Unknown — Mon, 27 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

From the internationally acclaimed author of Hitler’s Private Library , a dramatic recounting of the six critical months before Adolf Hitler seized power, when the Nazi leader teetered between triumph and ruin

In the summer of 1932, the Weimar Republic was on the verge of collapse. One in three Germans was unemployed. Violence was rampant. Hitler’s National Socialists surged at the polls. Paul von Hindenburg, an aging war hero and avowed monarchist, was a reluctant president bound by oath to uphold the constitution. The November elections offered Hitler the prospect of a Reichstag majority and the path to political power. But instead, the Nazis lost two million votes. As membership hemorrhaged and financial backers withdrew, the Nazi Party threatened to fracture. Hitler talked of suicide. The New York Times declared he was finished. Yet somehow, in a few brief weeks, he was chancellor of Germany.

In facinating detail and with previously unaccessed archival materials, Timothy W. Ryback tells the remarkable story of Hitler’s dismantling of democracy through democratic process. He provides fresh perspective and insights into Hitler’s personal and professional lives in these months, in all their complexity and uncertainty—backroom deals, unlikely alliances, stunning betrayals, an ill-timed tax audit, and a fateful weekend that changed our world forever. Above all, Ryback details why a wearied Hindenburg, who disdained the “Bohemian corporal,” ultimately decided to appoint Hitler chancellor in January 1933. Within weeks, Germany was no longer a democracy.

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

Unknown — Sat, 04 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The #1 New York Times bestsellerSent to the most violent battlefield in Iraq, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin’s SEAL task unit faced a seemingly impossible mission: help U.S. forces secure Ramadi, a city deemed “all but lost.” In gripping firsthand accounts of heroism, tragic loss, and hard-won victories in SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser, they learned that leadership—at every level—is the most important factor in whether a team succeeds or fails.Willink and Babin returned home from deployment and instituted SEAL leadership training that helped forge the next generation of SEAL leaders. After departing the SEAL Teams, they launched Echelon Front, a company that teaches these same leadership principles to businesses and organizations. From promising startups to Fortune 500 companies, Babin and Willink have helped scores of clients across a broad range of industries build their own high-performance teams and dominate their battlefields.Now, detailing the mind-set and principles that enable SEAL units to accomplish the most difficult missions in combat, Extreme Ownership shows how to apply them to any team, family or organization. Each chapter focuses on a specific topic such as Cover and Move, Decentralized Command, and Leading Up the Chain, explaining what they are, why they are important, and how to implement them in any leadership environment.A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership revolutionizes business management and challenges leaders everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win.

Mentor me, please!

Unknown — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I have always thought mentoring would be valuable, but I have never thought about in what context or even time frame.

American Gods

Unknown — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

“Mystery, satire, sex, horror, poetic prose....If you have enjoyed John Crowley's Little, Big or Stephen King's The Stand or the urbane horror fiction of Jonathan Carroll...then American Gods arrives just in time.”

—Washington Post

“Dark fun, and nourishing to the soul.”

—Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

It has been a decade since #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book) rocked the literary world with American Gods—his breathtaking tale of the war on Earth between old gods and new. For those who have yet to experience Gaiman's bestselling tour de force—a novel USA Today called “a powerful, searing force that makes readers confront what is real and what is not”—and for those eager to enter this astonishing world again, comes the Author's Preferred Text 10th...

Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management

Unknown — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Great management is difficult to see as it occurs. It’s possible to see the results of great management, but it’s not easy to see how managers achieve those results. Great management happens in one-on-one meetings and with other managers—all in private. It’s hard to learn management by example when you can’t see it. You can learn to be a better manager—even a great manager—with this guide. You’ll follow along as Sam, a manager just brought on board, learns the ropes and deals with his new team over the course of his first eight weeks on the job. From scheduling and managing resources to helping team members grow and prosper, you’ll be there as Sam makes it happen. You’ll find powerful tips Full of tips and practical advice on the most important aspects of management, this is one of those books that can make a lasting and immediate impact on your career.

Firefox Configuration

Unknown — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A fellow blogger vermanden shared his sensible Firefox setup and some of the setup were in the about:config category. There are a few configurations in there that I found interesting.

Product management theatre

Unknown — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Today’s Product Managers are under pressure from AI and has to redefine their role and become real product managers

On Lenny’s podcast Marty Cagan talks about how most of today’s product manager in reality is not product managers, but project managers, backlog administrators, products owners and so.

If you are one of those “product managers” you should according to Marty think hard about the job you have.

Delivering Value

Unknown — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I’m one of those people who thinks estimation is a waste of time and I am a supporter of the #NoEstimates movement. The reason being I don’t think it adds any value, and at best it starts a conversation in the team. It does not add value to the process or the products when we endlessly argue about if it should be a certain estimate. Estimates does not add value when team members cop out of the discussion or just agrees to whatever the first estimate is given. And this applies to estimates given in hours, story points or how many bananas the team can eat in a sprint.

SYSTEMANTICS. THE SYSTEMS BIBLE

Unknown — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Indispensable Handbook of Systems-behavior, written specifically for all of us who must daily cope with the Pitfalls, Foibles, and Failures of the Systems that make up our Modern World. GENERAL SYSTEMANTICS PRESS of Walker, Minnesota is proud to announce the revised and much enlarged THIRD Edition of SYSTEMANTICS, THE UNDERGROUND TEXT OF SYSTEMS LORE. Sixteen years in preparation, this THIRD Edition includes a new Preface, three new chapters, new AXIOMS, THEOREMS AND RULES OF THUMB, and many new Horrible Examples, for a total of 40 chapters covering the entire field from the PRIMAL SCENARIO to the FAIL-SAFE THEOREM and including the celebrated definition of GARBAGE that is fundamental to any real understanding of SYSTEMANTICS. The FIRST EDITION of SYSTEMANTICS was “highly recommended” by the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science Books and Films and has since been translated into Spanish, German, Hebrew, and Japanese. The SECOND EDITION WAS favorably reviewed in the Whole Earth Catalogue by Kevin Kelly: “The author is having fun with a serious subject… insights come in the form of marvelously succinct rules of thumb, in the spirit of Murphy’s Law and the Peter Principle.” And Computer Book Review remarks, “From ‘Function-and-Failure’ to ‘Management and Other Myths’, here’s a collection of witty observations… grown into mature rules of thumb.

Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life

Unknown — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

HOW DOES MAGIC HAPPEN? The Ogilvy advertising legend—“one of the leading minds in the world of branding” (NPR)—explores the art and science of conjuring irresistible products and ideas .

"Sutherland, the legendary Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, uses his decades of experience to dissect human spending behavior in an insanely entertaining way. Alchemy combines scientific research with hilarious stories and case studies of campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft and the like. This is a must-read." —Entrepreneur ("Best Books of the Year")

Why is Red Bull so popular, though everyone— everyone! —hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can) as on objective qualities (flavor, price, quality). The surrounding world, meanwhile, is irreducibly complex and random. This means future success can’t be projected on any accounting spreadsheet. To strike gold, you must master the dark art and curious science of conjuring irresistible ideas: alchemy.

Based on thirty years of field work inside the largest experiment in human behavior ever conceived—the forever-unfolding pageant of consumer capitalism— Alchemy, the revolutionary book byOgilvy advertising legend Rory Sutherland, whose TED talks have been viewed nearly seven million times, decodes human behavior, blending leading-edge scientific research, absurdly entertaining storytelling, deep psychological insight, and practical case studies from his storied career working on campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft, and others.

Heralded as “one of the leading minds in the world of branding” by NPR and "the don of modern advertising" by The Times , Sutherland is a unique thought leader, as comfortable exchanging ideas with Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler (both interviewed in these pages) as he is crafting the next product launch. His unconventional and relentlessly curious approach has led him to discover that the most compelling secrets to human decision-making can be found in surprising places:

What can honey bees teach us about creating a sustainable business?

How could budget airlines show us how to market a healthcare system?

Why is it better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong?

What might soccer penalty kicks teach us about the dangers of risk-aversion?

Better “branding,” Sutherland reveals, can also be employed not just to sell products, but to promote a variety of social aims, like getting people to pay taxes, improving public health outcomes, or encouraging more women to pursue careers in tech.

Equally startling and profound, Sutherland’s journey through the strange world of decision making is filled with astonishing lessons for all aspects of life and business.

Review

“This is a breakthrough book. Alchemy is wonderfully applicable to about everything in life. Furthermore, it is funny as hell.” (Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan )

“ Alchemy , as Rory Sutherland’s title promised, turns words into gold. Veins of wisdom emerge regularly and brilliantly from these pages. Don’t miss this book.” (Robert B. Cialdini, author of the million-copy bestseller Influence )

"So many of us are trained to focus on data and the logical, and Alchemy makes a great argument for the irrational. I think everyone could use a reminder that asking dumb questions, reframing old ideas, and, in turn, trying to create a bit of magic, can lead to unexpected solutions for some of our most difficult problems. Alchemy was a reminder of that and then some." (Inc., "Great Books for Anyone Who Wants to Get Ahead in Life")

"The most recent, and the funniest book on the subject is by Ogilvy Vice Chair Rory Sutherland. Alchemy is both a book on human behavior and a rallying cry to stand up against the spreadsheet mafia dominating most government and corporate policies today. ... Alchemy is full of examples of how human behavior runs contrary to the laws of economics from Sutherland’s work at Ogilvy." (Forbes, "Best Books on Consumer Behavior to Help You in Business and in Life")

“Buy this book. I loved it. It’s full of great insights.” (MATT RIDLEY, bestselling author of The Rational Optimist and Genome )

“BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT: wonderfully heretical, naughty, funny, and wise. Alchemy has furnished me with enough good stories and sage aphorisms to keep my lecturers to tired students going for another ten years.” (JULES GODDARD, London Business School)

“The don of modern advertising.” (The Times (London))

“Rory Sutherland’s Alchemy is a deeply original book.” (ROBERT TRIVERS)

"Sutherland is revelatory — and entertaining — in his anatomy of apparently paradoxical consumer choice in action. " ( The Times (London))

“Sutherland brings together complex theory with stories and plentiful humour to both captivate and entertain. It’s an important work for our era of apparent irrationality.” ( The Spectator (UK)) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Rory Sutherland is vice chairman of Ogilvy. A columnist for The Spectator , he is former president of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, the professional body for advertising, media, and marketing communications agencies in the United Kingdom. His TED Talks have been viewed more than 6.5 million times. He lives in London.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

How does magic happen?

Why is Red Bull so popular, though everyone—everyone!—hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can) as on objective qualities (flavor, price, quality). The surrounding world, meanwhile, is irreducibly complex and random. This means future success can’t be projected on any accounting spreadsheet. To strike gold, you must master the dark art and curious science of conjuring irresistible ideas: alchemy.

Based on thirty years of fieldwork inside the largest experiment in human behavior ever conceived—the forever-unfolding pageant of consumer capitalism— Alchemy , the revolutionary book by Ogilvy advertising legend Rory Sutherland, whose TED Talks have been viewed nearly seven million times, decodes human behavior, blending leading-edge scientific research, absurdly entertaining storytelling, deep psychological insight, and practical case studies from his storied career working on campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft, and others.

Heralded as “one of the leading minds in the world of branding” by NPR , Sutherland is a unique thought leader, as comfortable exchanging ideas with Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler (both interviewed in these pages) as he is crafting the next product launch. His unconventional and relentlessly curious approach has led him to discover that the most compelling secrets to human decision making can be found in surprising places:

· What can honeybees teach us about creating a sustainable business?

· How could budget airlines show us how to market a health-care system?

· Why is it better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong?

· What might soccer penalty kicks teach us about the dangers of risk aversion?

Better “branding,” Sutherland reveals, can also be employed not just to sell products but to promote a variety of social aims, like getting people to pay taxes, improving public health outcomes, or encouraging more women to pursue careers in tech.

Equally startling and profound, Sutherland’s journey through the strange world of decision making is filled with astonishing lessons for all aspects of life and business. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

How does magic happen?

Why is Red Bull so popular, though everyone--everyone!--hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can) as on objective qualities (flavor, price, quality). The surrounding world, meanwhile, is irreducibly complex and random. This means future success can't be projected on any accounting spreadsheet. To strike gold, you must master the dark art and curious science of conjuring irresistible ideas: alchemy.

Based on thirty years of fieldwork inside the largest experiment in human behavior ever conceived--the forever-unfolding pageant of consumer capitalism-- Alchemy , the revolutionary book by Ogilvy advertising legend Rory Sutherland, whose TED Talks have been viewed nearly seven million times, decodes human behavior, blending leading-edge scientific research, absurdly entertaining storytelling, deep psychological insight, and practical case studies from his storied career working on campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft, and others.

Heralded as "one of the leading minds in the world of branding" by NPR , Sutherland is a unique thought leader, as comfortable exchanging ideas with Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler (both interviewed in these pages) as he is crafting the next product launch. His unconventional and relentlessly curious approach has led him to discover that the most compelling secrets to human decision making can be found in surprising places:

- What can honeybees teach us about creating a sustainable business?

- How could budget airlines show us how to market a health-care system?

- Why is it better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong?

- What might soccer penalty kicks teach us about the dangers of risk aversion?

Better "branding," Sutherland reveals, can also be employed not just to sell products but to promote a variety of social aims, like getting people to pay taxes, improving public health outcomes, or encouraging more women to pursue careers in tech.

Equally startling and profound, Sutherland's journey through the strange world of decision making is filled with astonishing lessons for all aspects of life and business.--Entrepreneur, Best Books of the Year for Entrepreneurs --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Being agile in enterprise

Unknown — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This is an interesting podcast about how Google created a new product in an entirely new domain and how they did in an enterprise environment.

Sparring vs Coaching

Unknown — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the podcast 10 lessons on career, growth, and life Brian Balfour has a nice comment about sparring versus coaching.

I’m paraphrasing it a bit but you’ll get the idea

Have a sparring partner to get better. Coaching will only take you so far. Your sparring partner is in the arena with you and can give you timely feedback.

Did they say No?

Unknown — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

It is hard to say no, and what is the underlying reason not saying no.

One of my favourite Substack’s “The Beautiful Mess” had a post with a list of reasons on why the team didn’t say No.

I like most of them but this one below is the one that struck me most

Saying no takes confidence. It can be hard to draw the line if your confidence has been beaten down or never lifted up.

Which one is you favourite reason for people not saying No!

On micromanagement

Unknown — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I like this statement from Micromanagement: The Unpopular Truth You Need to Hear

…our collective aversion to micromanagement and how it might sometimes prevent us from effective management.

And it has me thinking about how the lack of trust and transparency is a symptom of micromanagement.

Alice

Unknown — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

From the national bestselling author of Bright Horses comes a mind-bending novel inspired by the twisted and wondrous works of Lewis Carroll...

In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside.

In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood...

Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago.

Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful. And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.

Review

Praise for Alice

“Careful, this white rabbit will lead you on a psychotic journey through the bowels of magic and madness. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed the ride.”—Brom, author of The Child Thief

“I loved falling down the rabbit hole with this dark, gritty tale. A unique spin on a classic and one wild ride!”—Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author of Alice in Zombieland

“A dark, delightfully disturbing fall down a rabbit hole of madness and mystery. This is not your mamma’s Alice…If you’re looking for a book that will make you feel like you were just on a bender with the blue caterpillar, I highly recommend Alice.”—R.S. Belcher, author of *Nightwise

“Christina Henry’s Alice takes the darker elements of Lewis Carroll’s original, amplifies Tim Burton’s cinematic reimagining of the story, and adds a layer of grotesquery from her own alarmingly fecund imagination to produce a novel that reads like a Jacobean revenge drama crossed with a slasher movie ."—The Guardian (UK)

“A horrifying fantasy that will have you reexamining your love for this childhood favorite. Smooth velvety prose blends well with the deliciously complex characters and interesting storyline...A world that is nothing like Lewis Carroll ever imagined.”— RT Book Reviews (top pick)

“Hands down one of the most imaginative and entertaining books I’ve read all year.”—Vampire Book Club

“A dark and deeply disturbing revisit of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Who wouldn’t like it?”— *Kirkus Reviews

“Henry retains all the surreality of Carroll’s tale but makes it even darker, leading readers down a scarier rabbit hole and into a city that’s fantastical, scary and frankly more satisfying than Carroll’s original...The writing is brisk, the story compulsive…A fun, chilling, exciting, magical read.”— The Oklahoman

About the Author

Christina Henry is the author of The Mermaid , Lost Boy , Alice , Red Queen , and the national bestselling Black Wings series featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle, Beezle.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER

If she moved her head all the way up against the wall and tilted it to the left she could just see the edge of the moon through the bars. Just a silver sliver, almost close enough to eat. A sliver of cheese, a sliver of cake, a cup of tea to be polite. Someone had given her a cup of tea once, someone with blue-green eyes and long ears. Funny how she couldn’t remember his face, though. All that part was hazy, her memory of him wrapped in smoke but for the eyes and ears. And the ears were long and furry.

When they found her all she would say was, “The Rabbit. The Rabbit. The Rabbit.” Over and over. When she acted like that they said she was mad. Alice knew she wasn’t mad. Maybe. Not deep down. But the powders they gave her made the world all muzzy and sideways and sometimes she felt mad.

Everything had happened just as she said, when she could say something besides “Rabbit.” She and Dor went into the Old City for Dor’s birthday. Sixteenth birthday. Sixteen candles on your cake, a sliver of cake and a cup of tea for you, my dear. They both went in, but only Alice came out. Two weeks later came Alice, covered in blood, babbling about tea and a rabbit, wearing a dress that wasn’t hers. Red running down the insides of her legs and blue marks on her thighs were fingers had been.

Her hand went without thought to her left cheek, touched the long thick scar that followed the line of bone from her hairline to the top of her lip. Her face had been flayed open when they found her, and she couldn’t say how or why. It had been open for a long while, the blood oozing from it gone black and brackish, the skin around it tattered at the edges. The doctors told her parents they had done their best, but she would never be beautiful again.

Her sister said it was her own fault. If she had stayed out of the Old City as she was supposed to, this never would have happened. There was a reason why they lived in the New City, the ring of shiny new buildings that kept the Old City at bay. The Old City wasn’t for people like them. It was for the filth you threw away. All children were warned about the dangers of straying to the Old City. Alice didn’t belong there.

The hospital where Alice had lived for the last ten years was in the Old City, so her sister was wrong. Alice did belong there.

Sometimes her parents came to visit, doing their duty; their noses wrinkled like she was something that smelled bad, even though the attendants always dragged her out and gave her a bath first. She hated the baths. They were icy cold and rough with scrubbing, and she was never permitted to clean herself. If she struggled or cried out they would hit her with the bath brush or pinch hard enough to leave a mark, always somewhere that couldn’t be seen, the side of her breast or the soft part of her belly, with a promise of “more where that came from” unless she behaved.

Her parents didn’t visit so much anymore. Alice couldn’t really remember the last time, but she knew it had been a long time. The days all ran together in her room, no books to read, no things to do. Hatcher said she should exercise so she would be fit when she got out, but somewhere in her heart Alice knew she would never get out. She was a broken thing, and the New City did not like broken things. They liked the new and the whole. Alice hardly recalled when she was new and whole. That girl seemed like someone else she’d known once, long ago and far away.

“Alice?” A voice through the mouse hole.

Many years before, a mouse had gotten into the wall and chewed through the batting between her cell and Hatcher’s. Alice didn’t know what had happened to the mouse. Probably got caught in a trap in the kitchens, or went out on the riverside and drowned. But the mouse had led her to Hatcher, a rough voice coming through the wall. She had really thought she’d gone round the bend at first, hearing voices coming from nowhere.

“Hey, you,” the voice had said.

She’d looked around wildly, afraid, and scuttled into a corner on the far side of the window, opposite the door.

“Hey, you. Down here,” the voice said.

Alice resolutely put her fingers in her ears. Everyone knew hearing voices was a sign of madness, and she’d promised herself she would not be mad no matter what they said, no matter how she felt. After several moments of happy silence she released her fingers and looked around the room in relief.

A great sigh exhaled from the walls. “The mouse hole, you nit.”

Alice stared in alarm at the small opening in the corner opposite. Somehow a talking mouse was worse than voices in her head. If mice were talking, then there really were men with blue-green eyes and long furry ears. And while she didn’t remember his face, she did remember she’d been afraid. She stared at the mouse hole like something horrible might suddenly emerge from it, like the Rabbit might unfold himself from that space and finish whatever he had started.

Another sigh, this one shorter and much more impatient. “You’re not hearing bloody voices and a mouse is not speaking to you. I’m in the room next to yours and I can see you through the hole. You’re not crazy and there’s no magic, so will you please come here and speak with me before I go madder than I already have?”

“If you’re not in my head and you’re not magic, then how do you know what I’m thinking?” Alice asked, her voice suspicious. She was beginning to wonder whether this wasn’t some trick of the doctors, some way to draw her into a trap.

The attendants gave her a powder with her breakfast and dinner, to “keep her calm,” they said. But she knew that those powders still allowed her some freedom to be Alice, to think and dream and try to remember the lost bits of her life. When they took her out of her room for a bath or a visit, she sometimes saw other patients, people standing still with dead eyes and drool on their chins, people who were alive and didn’t know it. Those people were “difficult to deal with.” They got injections instead of powders. Alice didn’t want injections, so she wasn’t going to say or do anything that would alarm the doctors. Doctors who might be trying to trick her with voices in the wall.

“I know what you’re thinking, because that’s what I’d be thinking if I were you,” the voice said. “We’re in the loony bin, aren’t we? Now, come over and have a look through the hole and you’ll see.”

She stood cautiously, still unsure it was not a trick, whether of her mind or the doctors. She crossed under the window and crouched by the mouse hole.

“All I can see are your knees,” the voice complained. “Come all the way down, won’t you?”

Alice lowered to her stomach, keeping her head well away from the opening. She had a vague fear that a needle might flash through the hole and plunge into her eye.

Once her cheek was on the ground she could see through the small, tight opening. On the other side was an iron grey eye and part of a nose. There was a bulge just where the rest of the nose disappeared from view, like it might have been broken once. It didn’t look like any doctor she knew, but Alice wasn’t taking any chances. “Let me see your whole face,” she said.

“Good,” the grey eye said. “You’re thinking. That’s good. Not just a pretty face, then.”

Alice’s hand moved automatically to cover her scar; then she remembered she was lying on that side of her face and he couldn’t really see it anyway. Let him think she was pretty if he wanted. It would be nice to be pretty to someone even with her fair hair all snarled and nothing to wear but a woolen shift. She heard the swish-swish of wool on batting as the grey eye moved away from the hole and became two grey eyes, a long broken nose and a bushy black beard with flecks of white in it.

“All right, then?” the voice asked. “I’m Hatcher.”

And that was how they met. Hatcher was ten years older than Alice, and nobody ever came to see him.

“Why are you here?” she asked one day, long after they were friends, or at least friends who never really saw each other.

“I killed a lot of people with an axe,” he said. “That’s how I got my name. Hatcher.”

“What was your name before?” Alice asked. She was surprisingly undisturbed by the knowledge that her new friend was an axe murderer. It seemed unrelated to who he was now, the rough voice and grey eyes through the hole in the wall.

“I don’t remember,” he said. “I don’t remember anything from before, really. They found me with a bloodied axe in my hand and five people dead around me all slashed to pieces. I tried to do the same for the police when they came for me, so I must have killed those people.”

“Why did you do it?”

“Don’t remember,” he said, and his voice changed a little, became hard. “It’s like there’s this haze over my eyes, black smoke filling everything up. I remember the weight of the axe in my hand, and the hot blood on my face, in my mouth. I remember the sound of the blade in soft flesh.”

“I remember that too,” Alice said, although she didn’t know why she said that. For a moment it had been true, though. She could hear the sound of a knife piercing skin, that sliding slicing noise, and someone screaming.

“Did you kill a lot of people too?” Hatcher asked.

“I don’t know,” Alice said. “I might have.”

“It’s all right if you did,” Hatcher said. “I would understand.”

“I really don’t know,” Alice said. “I remember before and I remember after, but that fortnight is gone, save for a few flashes.”

“The man with the long ears.”

“Yes,” Alice said. The man who hunted her, faceless, through her nightmares.

“When we get out we’ll find him, and then you’ll know what happened to you,” Hatcher said.

That had been eight years before, and they were both still there, rooms side by side in a hospital that had no intention of ever letting them go.

“Alice?” Hatcher said again. “I can’t sleep.”

She blinked away the memory, brought on by the moon and the sound of his voice.

“I can’t sleep either, Hatch,” she said, crawling along the floor to the mouse hole. It was much darker down here. There was no light in their rooms save that of the silver moon through the bars, and the occasional passage of a lamp by the attendant walking the halls. She could not see the color of his eyes, only the wet gleam of them.

“The Jabberwock’s awake, Alice,” Hatcher said.

It was then she noticed his voice was thin and reedy. Hatcher wasn’t often afraid. Mostly he seemed strong, almost relentlessly so. All day long she heard him in his room, grunting with effort as he went through his exercises. When the attendants came to take Hatcher to his bath, there was always a lot of noise, punching and kicking and yelling. More than once Alice heard the crunch of bone, the angry curse of an attendant.

She asked once how come he didn’t get injections like all the other troublemakers. He’d grinned, his grey eyes crinkling at the corners, and said the injection had made him wild, wilder than before, so after that they left him alone. He didn’t even get powders in his food.

Hatcher was never scared, except when he talked about the Jabberwock.

“There’s no Jabberwock, Hatch,” Alice said, her voice low and soothing. She’d heard tales of the monster before. Not often, although lately it seemed to be on his mind more.

“I know you don’t believe in him. But he’s here, Alice. They keep him downstairs, in the basement. And when he’s awake I can feel him,” Hatcher said.

There was a pleading note under the fear, and Alice relented. After all, she believed in a man with rabbit ears, and Hatcher accepted that without question.

“What can you feel?” she asked.

“I feel the night crawling up all around, blotting out the moon. I feel blood running down the walls, rivers of it in the streets below. And I feel his teeth closing around me. That’s what he’ll do, Alice, if he’s ever set free. He’s been imprisoned here a long time, longer than you or me.”

“How could anyone trap such a beast?” Alice wondered aloud.

Hatcher shifted restlessly on the floor. She could hear him moving around. “I don’t know for sure,” he said, and his voice was quieter now, so that she had to strain to hear him. “I think a Magician must have done it.”

“A Magician?” Alice asked. This was more far-fetched that anything Hatcher had said before. “All the Magicians are gone. They were driven out or killed centuries ago, during the Purge. This place is not that old. How could a Magician have captured the Jabberwock and imprisoned it here?”

“Only a Magician would have the skill,” Hatcher insisted. “No ordinary man would survive the encounter.”

Alice was willing to indulge his fantasy of a monster in the basement, but she couldn’t countenance this myth about a Magician. It didn’t seem wise to argue, though. Hatcher took no powders and had no injections, and sometimes he could get agitated. If he got agitated he might howl for hours, or beat his hands against the wall until they were bloody despite the padding.

So she said nothing, only listened to his shallow breath, and the cries of the other inmates echoing through the building.

“I wish I could hold your hand,” Hatcher said. “I’ve never seen you altogether, you know. Just bits through the hole. I try to put all the bits together in my head so I can see all of you, but it doesn’t look quite right.”

“In my head you’re just grey eyes and a beard,” Alice said.

Hatcher laughed softly, but there was no mirth in it. “Like the Rabbit, just eyes and fur. What would have happened if we met on the street, Alice? Would we have said hello?”

She hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but neither did she want to lie. Her parents lied. They said things like, “You’re looking well,” and, “We’re sure you’ll be home soon”—things Alice knew were not true.

“Alice?” Hatcher asked again, and brought her back to him.

“I don’t know if we would have seen each other to say hello,” she said carefully. “I lived in the New City, and I think . . . You seem like you were from the Old City.”

“Well, la-di-da,” Hatcher said, and his voice was hard. “Fancy girl wouldn’t soil her dainty hem in the Old City. Except you did. You got good and soiled. And now you’re here, just like me.”

His words were like knotted fists to her gut, and all the breath seemed to leave her for a moment. But they were true words, and she would not pretend otherwise. The truth was all she had left. The truth, and Hatcher.

“Yes,” she said. “We are both here.”

There was a long silence between them. Alice waited in the darkness, the moonlight shifting on the floor. Hatcher seemed to be walking the knife’s edge tonight, and she would not be the one to knock him off.

“I am sorry, Alice,” he said finally, and he sounded more like the Hatch she knew.

“Don’t—” she started, but he cut her off.

“I should not say such things,” he said. “You’re my only light, Alice. Without you I would have succumbed to this place long ago. But the Jabberwock is awake, and he makes me think of things I should not.”

“The sound of a blade in flesh,” she said, echoing the memory of his words.

“And warm blood on my hands,” Hatcher said. “I feel most like myself when I think those thoughts. As if that is who I really am.”

“At least you have some idea,” Alice said. “I never had the chance to find out. I lost my way first.”

She heard him shifting again on the floor.

“I feel like I’ve got bugs inside my skin,” he said. “Sing me a song.”

“I don’t know any songs,” she said, surprised by this request.

“Yes, you do,” he said. “You sing it all day long, and when you’re not singing it you’re humming. Something about a butterfly.”

“A butterfly?” she asked, but as soon as she said this, it came back to her, and she heard her mother’s voice in her head. This sound was so painful, piercing her heart, this remembrance of love that was lost to her forever. She began to sing aloud, to cover the memory with her own voice.

Sleep little butterfly

Now the day has gone

Sleep little butterfly

Soon the morning will come

Close your eyes and let the night go ’round you

He’ll keep you safe and warm

Sleep little butterfly

Soon the morning will come.

Her voice trailed off, her throat full of love and loss and pain. Hatcher said nothing, but she heard his breath go deep and even, and she let her eyes fall shut. She matched her breath to his, and it was almost like holding his hand as the night closed in.

Alice dreamed of blood. Blood on her hands and under her feet, blood in her mouth and pouring from her eyes. The room was filled with it. Outside the door Hatcher stood hand in hand with something dark and hideous, a thing crafted of shadow with flashing silver teeth.

“Don’t take him from me,” she said, or tried to say, but she could not speak through the blood in her mouth, choking her. Her eyes were covered with smoke then, and she couldn’t see Hatch or the monster anymore. Heat enfolded her body, and then there was nothing but fire.

Fire. Fire.

“Alice, wake up! The hospital is on fire.”

Alice opened her eyes. Hatcher’s grey one was pressed to the mouse hole, and it was wild with fear and anticipation.

“At last!” he said. “Stay low, away from the smoke, and get near the door but not in front of it.”

Alice blinked as he disappeared. The dream still clung to her brain, and her mouth was dry. Her shift clung to her body, and her face was wet with sweat. The odor of smoke finally permeated her nostrils and her fuzzy head, and there was another smell too—like cooking meat. She didn’t want to think what that might be.

Alice turned so she was flat on her back, and saw a thick blanket of smoke just a few inches from her face. The heat beneath made the floor an agony to lie upon, but there was no way to escape it.

The sounds filtered in then. The crack of flame, of heavy objects crashing to the ground. Horrible, horrible screams. And close by, the repeated grunts and pounding of someone slamming his body into the wall. Hatch was trying to break the door down in his room.

The noise was terrible. Alice did not think it was possible. The walls might be soft, but the doors were iron. He would kill himself.

“Hatcher, no!” she cried, but he could not hear her.

There was a sound of something crunching, but Hatcher did not cry out, and then there was no more noise.

“Hatcher,” she said, and her voice was soft and sad. Two tears leaked from the corner of each eye. There was no point in getting up then, if Hatcher was gone. The smoke and the noise told Alice that the fire was well under way. The attendants and the doctors would not bother to free the patients, especially when most families would be thrilled to be free of the burden of their mad relatives. So they would all burn.

Alice found she was not as distressed about this as she ought to be. Perhaps it was the powder in last night’s dinner, or the smoke that filled her lungs in place of air. She felt very calm. She would just lie there and wait until the fire came.

Her eyes closed again, and she drifted away, away to a place she had never been in real life, a silver lake tucked in a green valley, wildflowers dotting the shore. There was no smell of medicine there, or harsh burning soap. There was no smoke and no pain, no heartache and no blood. It was the place she always went, the place where her mind hid when the doctors asked questions she did not want to answer, or her parents sighed in disappointment.

Something grabbed her around the shoulders, and her eyes flew open in shock. It had been years since anyone touched her except to drag her to the bath. Hatcher’s face was close to hers, twisted in anger, and blood ran from a cut on the side of his head.

“I told you to get near the door, you silly nit,” he said, dragging her up to sitting and then immediately pushing her down to her belly.

“Follow me,” he said, crawling toward the door.

The open door.

She followed automatically, keeping his filthy bare heels in sight. She wanted to ask how he had gotten out, how he wasn’t battered and dead. But he was moving along with surprising quickness into the hall. He paused after a few moments so she could catch up to him. There was no one except the two of them, and the frantic pounding of other patients still trapped in their boxes.

It was then she noticed that his right arm hung at an odd angle and he was using only his left to pull his body along. “Hatch, what happened?” she asked. She was out of breath from just that short period of exertion.

“It came out when I broke the doorframe,” he said. “I’ll fix it later. We have to go. The floor is getting hotter, and he’s almost out.”

“Who?” Alice asked.

He started along again. “The Jabberwock.”

“Hatch,” she said, trying to keep up with him. Her lungs and throat were burning. “We’re going the wrong way. The stairs are behind us.”

“The stairs are on fire,” Hatch said. “I’ve already checked. We’ve got to go out this way.”

“But, Hatch,” Alice said, shaking her head from side to side to clear it. The smoke was getting to her. “We’re on the third floor.”

“We’ll go out the back to the river. Just keep up, Alice.”

“The river?” she said, and a faint alarm sounded in her head. There was something about the river, but she couldn’t recall exactly what it was.

Just then they passed the door of a patient who was repeatedly throwing himself against the iron and screaming. The cloud of smoke above them blocked the small viewing window, so Alice was fairly certain the man could not see them escaping. She felt a tinge of guilt all the same as they went by.

“What about the others?” Alice asked. “Shouldn’t we let them out?”

“There is no time,” Hatcher said. “And they would only be millstones in any case. They’ve no sense. We’d have to lead them from here like children. And then what? Would we take them with us? No, Alice, it’s best to leave them as they are. We must get away before he’s free.”

It was a cold thing he said, but true. Not the bit about the Jabberwock getting free, but the other part. She and Hatcher would not be able to safely lead the others to freedom without endangering their own lives.

Hatcher reached the end of the hallway before Alice did. He came to his knees, and she noticed he held a small ring of keys in his left hand.

“Where did you get those?” she asked.

“From the attendant at the top of the stairs. How do you think I opened your door?” he asked as he methodically fitted first one key, then another, then another.

“There was nobody in the corridor when we came out,” she said.

“I took his keys and threw him down the stairs. That’s how I knew the steps were on fire,” he said.

The fifth key clicked, and Hatcher pushed the door open, waving her inside the room.

A cloud of smoke followed them in before Hatcher was able to close the door behind them, but it dissipated quickly as the far window was open. The heavy, seething air of the City, hardly fresh, poured into the room. Still, it had been years since Alice had smelled anything but the rank asylum—unwashed bodies, laudanum, chloroform, vomit and blood and burning soap over it all. By contrast the soot and refuse outside seemed like a burst of clean country breeze.

Suddenly a head appeared in the window from outside. It was one of the attendants, a ginger-haired man with only half a nose. His eyes widened when he saw Hatcher and Alice in the room, and he started to climb back inside.

Before the man could get any further than throwing one leg over the sill, Hatcher was upon him. He punched the man in the face hard with his left hand, twice, three times. Then he kicked the man in the side so hard Alice heard ribs break. Finally he pushed the now-unconscious attendant out the window, looking out after the falling man to follow his progress to the river below.

He nodded in satisfaction before turning back to Alice. “I was the one who bit half his nose off. He was coming back to make sure we couldn’t get out—do you see? He would never have let us leave.”

CHAPTER

Alice nodded. She did see. The smoke must have gone up in her brain because everything seemed soft at the edges.

“There’s a ledge out here,” Hatcher said.

He went to the wall next to the window, grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, pushed his hanging right arm against the wall and did some kind of maneuver while Alice watched. When he turned back to her, his right arm appeared normal again. He flexed his fingers as if to ensure they were still functional. Throughout all of this he never made a sound, not even a hint that the process was painful, though Alice was certain it must have been. He held his hand out so she could join him by the window.

She approached him, and gasped in shock when his hand closed around hers. It seemed like an electric current ran from their joined hands up into her heart, which hammered in her chest. His grey eyes sparked, and he squeezed her hand tighter for a moment. When you are in an asylum, no one ever touches you in kindness, and Alice knew the shock was as great for him.

He said nothing as he released her. He climbed through the window and onto the ledge, and Alice followed him, because that was what she was supposed to do.

She swung her left leg over the sill. Her shift rode up, exposing her skin to the morning chill, and she shivered. She supposed it wasn’t so terribly cold out, but after the furnace of the burning hospital, the outdoors seemed frigid.

Alice ducked her head under the sash and saw the ledge Hatcher wanted her to reach. Below it, too far below for comfort, was the river, grey and putrid. Now that she saw it she remembered what she had forgotten before.

Hatcher moved on the ledge behind her, and his hands were at her waist, guiding her out until they stood side by side, their backs pasted against the brick exterior of the hospital. The ledge was barely wide enough to admit the length of Alice’s feet. Hatcher’s toes curled around the edge as if that grip could save him from falling.

His expression was fierce and exultant. “We’re outside, Alice. We’re out.”

“Yes,” she said, and her thrill at this prospect was much tempered by the sight of the river. Now that she was away from the smoke, her mind was clearer, and this plan seemed riskier than trying to climb down a set of burning stairs. The stench of the water reached her then, and she gagged.

Hatcher grabbed her hand to keep her from stumbling forward into the empty air. “We jump into the river,” he said, “and swim across to the opposite bank. We can disappear into the Old City after that. No one will look for us in there. They will think we’re dead.”

“Yes,” she agreed again. “But we’re not supposed to go into the river. It will kill us. All the factories dump their waste there. I remember Father speaking of it. He said it was an outrage.”

“Neither can we stay here,” Hatcher said. “If the fire does not consume us, then they will catch us in their nets and put us back in our cages. I cannot go back, Alice. I cannot spend the remainder of my life as a moth beating its wings against a jar. I would rather perish in the mouth of the Jabberwock than that.”

Alice saw the truth of this, and felt it in her heart as well. She did not want to go back inside the box they had made for her. But the river was so far below, churning with poison. What if their skin was seared from their bodies? What if they swallowed the river water and died writhing on the shore as the foul substance coursed in their blood?

As these thoughts occurred, a burst of flame caused a nearby window to explode outward, startling a huddle of soot-coated pigeons that had taken foolish refuge on the same ledge Alice and Hatcher perched on. The birds took flight, squawking in protest, and Alice looked at Hatcher, knowing he saw the fear in her eyes.

“Now we must fly,” he said. “Trust me.”

She did. She always had, though she didn’t know why. He squeezed her hand, and the next thing Alice knew she was falling, falling away into a rabbit’s hole.

“Don’t let go,” Hatcher shouted just before they hit the water.

His grip on her fingers tightened painfully, and she cried out, but he didn’t let go. Which was a very good thing, because as soon as the horrible muck coated her head, she reflexively loosed her hold, and if Hatcher hadn’t been holding her that way, she would have drowned.

He yanked her, coughing and gagging, to the surface, scooped an arm under her ribs and began paddling toward the shore. “Kick your feet.”

She fluttered her ankles weakly in the water. It felt thick and strange, with none of the fluid slipperiness water was supposed to possess. It moved sluggishly, the current hardly enough to push them a few inches off course. A noxious vapor rose from the surface, making her eyes and nose burn.

Because of the way Hatcher held her, she couldn’t see his face or the opposite shore that they approached. His breath was smooth and even, like he was unaffected by the miasma floating above the surface of the river. He pulled them both along with smooth, sure strokes as Alice floundered in the water, trying not to cause them both to go under.

She saw the asylum burning behind them, as tongues of flame emerged from newly opened windows. The distance and roar of the fire drowned out the sound of the inmates screaming. There were people running around the sides of the building, trying to stop the spread to the adjacent structures. She had never given much thought to the places around the hospital before.

On one side was a long, low building crouched against the bank of the river like a squat turtle. That must have been on the side that Alice’s room had been; else she wouldn’t have been able to see the moon. The edifice on the opposite side was huge, much bigger than the hospital, and the smoke belching from its chimneys seemed as thick and dangerous as that pouring from her former home.

“Put your feet down,” Hatcher said suddenly, and Alice realized he was walking now, not swimming.

Her toes sank into the muck, and the water was still up to her neck, but they were nearly there. A small knot of people was gathered a little ways down the bank on a jetty, pointing and exclaiming over the collapsing asylum.

“I see them,” Hatcher said in a low voice. “Over here.”

He guided her toward a place where the shadows lay thick despite the rising sun, away from the flickering exposure of the gas lamps set at intervals to alleviate the fog from the river and the factories. Alice fell to her hands and knees just out of the water, taking great gasps of air. Even a few feet from the river, the air was noticeably cleaner, though hardly what one would call “clean,” she thought.

Everywhere was the stench of the water, the reek of smoke and flame, the chemical burn of factory exhaust. Underneath it all was the smell of the morning’s cooking coming from the warren of flats just before them.

Hatcher had done much more than Alice to get them out of the burning hospital and through the disgusting river, yet he had not collapsed like she had when they emerged from the water. He stood beside her, still and calm. Alice rolled to her seat and looked up at him. He stared, transfixed, at the fiery structure across the water. He stood so still that she began to worry, and she struggled to her feet.

“Hatcher?” she asked, and touched his arm.

His hair and clothes were steaming now that they were onshore, and he was coated in the filth they had just crossed. His grey eyes glowed in the reflection of the fire, like the coals of hell, and when he turned those eyes on her she felt, for the first time, a little afraid of him. This was not Hatch, her constant companion through the mouse hole. Nor was this the man who had methodically rescued her from a burning building. This was Hatcher, the murderer with the axe, the man who had been found covered in blood and surrounded by bodies.

But he would never hurt you, Alice told herself. He’s still Hatch, somewhere in there. He’s just lost himself for a moment.

She put her hands on his shoulders, tentatively, and said his name again, for he stared at her but did not seem to see. Then his hands were at her wrists, his grip bruising the thin skin, and his iron eyes were wild.

“He’s out, he’s out, he’s out,” he chanted. “Now the world will break and burn and bleed . . . Everyone will bleed.”

“The Jabberwock?” Alice said.

“His mouth will open wide and we will all fall in, fall in and be devoured,” Hatcher said. “We must get away, away before he finds me. He knows I can hear him. He knows that I know what evil he will do.”

Suddenly there was a tremendous noise from the asylum, a sound like the very heart of the building crashing in on itself. Alice and Hatcher turned to watch, and all the walls collapsed like a melting sand castle. There seemed to be nothing but fire now, and the fire shot impossibly upward into the sky, well past the point where there was anything to burn. It filled the horizon, the wings of a monster outstretched.

Behind the flame was a darkness, a gigantic shadow that spread, as if something that was trapped was now free, reaching its arms toward the sun.

“Is that . . . him?” Alice asked. She’d never believed in the Jabberwock, not really. And perhaps there was no shadow at all. She was exhausted, and had spent some time breathing smoke and poison. Her brain might tell her there was a shadow when in fact there was none. That was the trouble with not being right in the head. You couldn’t always tell if your eyes were telling the truth.

Hatcher did not reply to her question. He stared for a moment at the tower of flame, and then grabbed Alice’s right wrist, tugging her up the bank. The mud inhibited fast progress, but they finally managed to clamber onto the narrow cobbled path that ran around and between the warrens of tilting structures stacked crazily against one another.

The Old City seemed to have no beginning and no end, a circling maze of stairways and narrow alleys connecting buildings that had been patched and rebuilt on top of crumbling ruins for centuries. There was nothing gleaming and new there, not even the children, who seemed to be birthed with haunted eyes.

Hatcher ducked into the nearest alley, pulling Alice after him. The rough stones scraped her bare feet, but she understood the need to disappear quickly. Aside from the question of the Jabberwock, Alice had recognized the distinctive brass-buttoned gleam of a copper’s uniform. Never mind if the asylum was naught but a cinder now. If they were caught out in their hospital whites, the police would drag them away. And Alice had a feeling Hatcher would not go quietly.

So they dipped and darted between the girls with their customers pressed up against the alley walls, or old men gathered in clusters around a shell game or a cockfight. Hatcher led them deeper into the Old City, to a place where the rising sun was blocked by the closeness of the buildings and the air was blanketed in fog from the factories. Mist rose from the cobblestones, hiding approaching figures until they were nearly upon you.

Which was how the men surrounded them.

Hatcher paused for a moment, seeing Alice out of breath and suffering. He did not pat or comfort her, but waited. In that moment that they were still, an enormous ogre loomed out of the darkness and swung a club at Hatcher. Alice opened her mouth to scream, but a filthy hand covered it and another hand latched on her breast, squeezing it so hard tears sprang to her eyes.

“What have we here?” a rough voice cooed in her ear. “A little lost lamb?”

She kicked out, tried to slip out of his clutch as Hatcher and the ogre—whom she now saw was a man, the largest man she had ever seen—disappeared into the fog. Her struggles were useless against her captor’s strength as he dragged her away.

His free hand moved from her breast to the hem of her shift, pulling it to her waist, his fingers on her thighs, and she went wild then, biting down on the hand that covered her mouth because she remembered—remembered a man over her in the flickering light, pushing between her legs, and it hurt, she screamed because it hurt, but he kept at it until she bled.

The man who held her now swore as he felt her teeth but he did not let go. “Little hellion,” he snarled, and slammed her forehead against the brick wall.

She went limp and dazed then for a moment, and something wet and sticky covered her eyes. Then she was on the ground on her belly, her bare thighs scraping against the stones, and his hands were on her bottom, pulling her legs apart.

Just go away, she thought. You’re not here; you’re in a green field in a valley, and the sun is shining down, and here comes someone smiling at you, someone who loves you.

Then the hands on her were gone and she heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh. She rolled to one side, her shift still up around her waist, and wiped the stickiness from her eyes.

Hatcher was pounding her attacker repeatedly with his fists. He had pushed the man’s back against the wall and was methodically reducing the man’s face to an unrecognizable blob of jelly. After several moments, Hatcher released the man, who fell limp to the ground. He did not appear to be breathing.

Hatcher turned to Alice, his chest heaving. He was covered in blood, his hands and his chest and his face. His eyes went from the cut on her head to her bare waist, and lingered there for a moment. Then he said, “Cover yourself,” and turned away to search the man’s pockets.

Alice pulled the shift down to her knees again and used the wall to help her stand. She leaned there for a moment and her body began to shake all over. When Hatcher turned back, her teeth were chattering. He held a small pouch in one hand.

“Full of gold,” he said, nudging the limp body with his toe. “Probably a slave trader. He would have used you and then sold you.”

“I th-th-think I w-w-was sold before,” she said. She had a memory of money changing hands, of seeing a smaller hand being filled with gold from a larger one.

“By the man with the long ears, or to him?” Hatcher asked.

She shook her head. There had only been that flash of terror, of memory best forgotten. There had been a man, but she couldn’t remember his face. Then her mind reasserted itself, keeping her safe.

He paused in front of her, a savage splattered with the blood of her attacker, and there was something about his face that was oddly vulnerable.

“May I . . . ?” he asked, and he mimed putting his arm around her shoulder.

Everything inside her clenched and cried no. Then the moment passed, and she remembered how he had stared at her bare legs but turned away instead of falling on her like a ravening wolf. She nodded, and saw relief on his face.

Coaching for Performance: GROWing Human Potential and Purpose - the Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership, 4th Edition

Unknown — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Over 500,000 copies sold. This major new edition is totally revised and updated with new material on coaching in a crisis and leadership for a difficult future. Coaching for Performance is the bible of the industry and very much the definitive work that all coaches stand on. This new edition explains clearly and in-depth how to unlock people s potential to maximise their performance Contains the eponymous GROW model (Goals, Reality, Options, Will), now established as the basis for coaching professionals. Clear, concise, hands-on and reader-friendly, this is a coaching guide written in a coaching style. It digs deep into the roots of coaching, particularly transpersonal psychology, a useful model for personal development and in-depth coaching. There are new coaching questions and fresh chapters on emotional intelligence and high-performance leadership. Whitmore also considers the future of coaching and its role in the transformation of learning and workplace relationships, as well as illustrating how coaching can help in a crisis.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Unknown — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts.

" Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.

Harry Potter og de vises sten

Unknown — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches.

Harry Potter og dødsregalierne

Unknown — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Harry Potter og Flammernes Pokal

Unknown — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Fourteen-year-old Harry Potter joins the Weasleys at the Quidditch World Cup, then enters his fourth year at Hogwarts Academy where he is mysteriously entered in an unusual contest that challenges his wizarding skills, friendships and character, amid signs that an old enemy is growing stronger.

Harry Potter og Fønixordenen

Unknown — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Harry Potter og halvblodsprinsen

Unknown — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes up the story of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at this point in the midst of the storm of this battle of good and evil.

Harry Potter og hemmelighedernes kammer

Unknown — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Harry receives a warning from impish Dobby as he packs for his return to Hogwars School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The warned disaster does strike and fresh torments and horrors arise in Harry's second school year. When the real trouble begins someone, or something, starts turning students to stone.

How to supercharge your engineering org

Unknown — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

…half of everybody working as a software engineer joined the industry in the last 10 years.

So I’m gonna get more prescriptive and more detailed in my communication. And that’s actually counterproductive. ’cause that’s actually not what people need. people need the foundations and the strategy and the system and the goal. they don’t need sort of the, the work divided down into smaller and smaller pieces.

Angels and Demons

Unknown — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

CERN Institute, Switzerland: a world-renowned scientist is found brutally murdered with a mysterious symbol seared onto his chest. The Vatican, Rome: the College of Cardinals assembles to elect a new pope. Somewhere beneath them, an unstoppable bomb of terrifying power relentlessly counts down to oblivion. In a breathtaking race against time, Harvard professor Robert Langdon must decipher a labyrinthine trail of ancient symbols if he is to defeat those responsible - the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years, reborn to continue their deadly vendetta against their most hated enemy, the Catholic Church.

Inferno

Unknown — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

*NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING TOM HANKS AND FELICITY JONES* Florence: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings. A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city. Only Langdon's knowledge of the hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers. With only a few lines from Dante's Inferno to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the Renaissance's most celebrated artworks to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat...

The Da Vinci Code

Unknown — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER • While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols.

“Blockbuster perfection.... A gleefully erudite suspense novel.” — The New York Times **

“A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure.” —** People

As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

ביקורת באתר Amazon.com

With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.

A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown ( Angels and Demons ) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh

מתוך Publishers Weekly

Brown's latest thriller (after Angels and Demons)is an exhaustively researched page-turner about secret religious societies, ancient coverups and savage vengeance. The action kicks off in modern-day Paris with the murder of the Louvre's chief curator, whose body is found laid out in symbolic repose at the foot of the Mona Lisa. Seizing control of the case are Sophie Neveu, a lovely French police cryptologist, and Harvard symbol expert Robert Langdon, reprising his role from Brown's last book. The two find several puzzling codes at the murder scene, all of which form a treasure map to the fabled Holy Grail. As their search moves from France to England, Neveu and Langdon are confounded by two mysterious groups-the legendary Priory of Sion, a nearly 1,000-year-old secret society whose members have included Botticelli and Isaac Newton, and the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. Both have their own reasons for wanting to ensure that the Grail isn't found. Brown sometimes ladles out too much religious history at the expense of pacing, and Langdon is a hero in desperate need of more chutzpah. Still, Brown has assembled a whopper of a plot that will please both conspiracy buffs and thriller addicts.

מתוך Library Journal

When Brown regular Robert Langdon is called in to investigate the murder of a curator at the Louvre, he discovers that the body is surrounded by strange ciphers evidently linked to the paintings of Da Vinci-and a powerful relic protected by the Priory, a secret society to which the artist belonged.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In a two-day span, American symbologist Robert Langdon finds himself accused of murdering the curator of the Louvre, on the run through the streets of Paris and London, and teamed up with French cryptologist Sophie Neveu to uncover nothing less than the secret location of the Holy Grail. It appears that a conservative Catholic bishop might be on the verge of destroying the Grail, which includes an alternate history of Christ that could bring down the church. Whoever is ordering the deaths of the Grail's guardians--modern-day members of an ancient society descended from the famed Knights Templar--must be stopped before the treasure is lost forever. To do so, Langdon and Neveu have to solve a series of ciphers and riddles while evading a tireless French police commander and a ruthless albino monk. Despite being hampered by clunky flashback sequences and place descriptions that read like tourist brochures, the story is full of brain-teasing puzzles and fascinating insights into religious history and art. Ultimately, Brown's intricate plot delivers more satisfying twists than a licorice factory. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

ביקורת

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

"Read the book and be enlightened." —The Washington Post Book World

“Blockbuster perfection.... A gleefully erudite suspense novel.” —The New York Times

“A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure.” — People

“Thriller writing doesn’t get any better than this.” — The Denver Post

"Dan Brown has to be one of the best, smartest, and most accomplished writers in the country. THE DA VINCI CODE is many notches above the intelligent thriller; this is pure genius."
—NELSON DeMILLE, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Intrigue and menace mingle in one of the finest mysteries I’ve ever read. An amazing tale with enigma piled on secrets stacked on riddles."
—CLIVE CUSSLER, #1 New York Times bestseller

"Dan Brown is my new must-read. THE DA VINCI CODE is fascinating and absorbing -- perfect for history buffs, conspiracy nuts, puzzle lovers or anyone who appreciates a great, riveting story. I loved this book."
—HARLAN COBEN, New York Times bestselling author of Tell No One

" The Da Vinci Code sets the hook-of-all-hooks, and takes off down a road that is as eye-opening as it is page-turning. You simply cannot put this book down. Thriller readers everywhere will soon realize Dan Brown is a master."
—VINCE FLYNN, New York Times bestselling author of Separation of Power

"I would never have believed that this is my kind of thriller, but I'm going to tell you something--the more I read, the more I had to read. In The Da Vinci Code , Dan Brown has built a world that is rich in fascinating detail, and I could not get enough of it. Mr. Brown, I am your fan."
—ROBERT CRAIS, New York Times bestselling author of Hostage

מתוך דש הספר

Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.

In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.

THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller…utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.

מתוך גב הספר

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.
In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.
THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller...utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.

על המחבר

DAN BROWN is the author of numerous #1 international bestsellers, including The Da Vinci Code, Inferno , The Lost Symbol , Angels & Demons, Deception Point, and Digital Fortress.

מובאה. © הדפסה מחודשת באישור. כל הזכויות שמורות.

Robert Langdon awoke slowly.

A telephone was ringing in the darkness--a tinny, unfamiliar ring. He fumbled for the bedside lamp and turned it on. Squinting at his surroundings he saw a plush Renaissance bedroom with Louis XVI furniture, hand-frescoed walls, and a colossal mahogany four-poster bed.

Where the hell am I?

The jacquard bathrobe hanging on his bedpost bore the monogram:

HOTEL RITZ PARIS.

Slowly, the fog began to lift.

Langdon picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Monsieur Langdon?" a man's voice said. "I hope I have not awoken you?"

Dazed, Langdon looked at the bedside clock. It was 12:32 A.M. He had been asleep only an hour, but he felt like the dead.

"This is the concierge, monsieur. I apologize for this intrusion, but you have a visitor. He insists it is urgent."

Langdon still felt fuzzy. A visitor? His eyes focused now on a crumpled flyer on his bedside table.

THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS
proudly presents
An evening with Robert Langdon
Professor of Religious Symbology, Harvard University

Langdon groaned. Tonight's lecture--a slide show about pagan symbolism hidden in the stones of Chartres Cathedral--had probably ruffled some conservative feathers in the audience. Most likely, some religious scholar had trailed him home to pick a fight.

"I'm sorry," Langdon said, "but I'm very tired and--"

"Mais monsieur ," the concierge pressed, lowering his voice to an urgent whisper. "Your guest is an important man."

Langdon had little doubt. His books on religious paintings and cult symbology had made him a reluctant celebrity in the art world, and last year Langdon's visibility had increased a hundred-fold after his involvement in a widely publicized incident at the Vatican. Since then, the stream of self-important historians and art buffs arriving at his door had seemed never-ending.

"If you would be so kind," Langdon said, doing his best to remain polite, "could you take the man's name and number, and tell him I'll try to call him before I leave Paris on Tuesday? Thank you." He hung up before the concierge could protest.

Sitting up now, Langdon frowned at his bedside Guest Relations Handbook, whose cover boasted: SLEEP LIKE A BABY IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS. SLUMBER AT THE PARIS RITZ.

He turned and gazed tiredly into the full-length mirror across the room. The man staring back at him was a stranger--tousled and weary.

You need a vacation, Robert.

The past year had taken a heavy toll on him, but he didn't appreciate seeing proof in the mirror. His usually sharp blue eyes looked hazy and drawn tonight. A dark stubble was shrouding his strong jaw and dimpled chin. Around his temples, the gray highlights were advancing, making their way deeper into his thicket of coarse black hair. Although his female colleagues insisted the gray only accentuated his bookish appeal, Langdon knew better.

If Boston Magazine could see me now.

Last month, much to Langdon's embarrassment, Boston Magazine had listed him as one of that city's top ten most intriguing people--a dubious honor that made him the brunt of endless ribbing by his Harvard colleagues. Tonight, three thousand miles from home, the accolade had resurfaced to haunt him at the lecture he had given.

"Ladies and gentlemen . . ." the hostess had announced to a full-house at The American University of Paris's Pavillon Dauphine , "Our guest tonight needs no introduction. He is the author of numerous books: The Symbology of Secret Sects, The Art of the Illuminati, The Lost Language of Ideograms , and when I say he wrote the book on Religious Iconology, I mean that quite literally. Many of you use his textbooks in class."

The students in the crowd nodded enthusiastically.

"I had planned to introduce him tonight by sharing his impressive curriculum vitae, however . . ." She glanced playfully at Langdon, who was seated onstage. "An audience member has just handed me a far more, shall we say . . . intriguing introduction."

She held up a copy of Boston Magazine.

Langdon cringed. Where the hell did she get that?

The hostess began reading choice excerpts from the inane article, and Langdon felt himself sinking lower and lower in his chair. Thirty seconds later, the crowd was grinning, and the woman showed no signs of letting up. "And Mr. Langdon's refusal to speak publicly about his unusual role in last year's Vatican conclave certainly wins him points on our intrigue-o-meter." The hostess goaded the crowd. "Would you like to hear more?"

The crowd applauded.

Somebody stop her , Langdon pleaded as she dove into the article again.

"Although Professor Langdon might not be considered hunk-handsome like some of our younger awardees, this forty-something academic has more than his share of scholarly allure. His captivating presence is punctuated by an unusually low, baritone speaking voice, which his female students describe as 'chocolate for the ears.''

The hall erupted in laughter.

Langdon forced an awkward smile. He knew what came next--some ridiculous line about "Harrison Ford in Harris tweed"--and because this evening he had figured it was finally safe again to wear his Harris tweed and Burberry turtleneck, he decided to take action.

"Thank you, Monique," Langdon said, standing prematurely and edging her away from the podium. " Boston Magazin e clearly has a gift for fiction." He turned to the audience with an embarrassed sigh. "And if I find which one of you provided that article, I'll have the consulate deport you."

The crowd laughed.

"Well, folks, as you all know, I'm here tonight to talk about the power of symbols . . ."

The ringing of Langdon's hotel phone once again broke the silence.

Groaning in disbelief, he picked up. "Yes?"

As expected, it was the concierge. "Mr. Langdon, again my apologies. I am calling to inform you that your guest is now en route to your room. I thought I should alert you."

Langdon was wide awake now. "You sent someone to my room?"

"I apologize, monsieur, but a man like this . . . I cannot presume the authority to stop him."

"Who exactly is he?"

But the concierge was gone.

Almost immediately, a heavy fist pounded on Langdon's door.

Uncertain, Langdon slid off the bed, feeling his toes sink deep into the savonniere carpet. He donned the hotel bathrobe and moved toward the door. "Who is it?"

"Mr. Langdon? I need to speak with you." The man's English was accented--a sharp, authoritative bark. "My name is Lieutenant Jerome Collet . Direction Centrale Police Judiciaire."

Langdon paused. The Judicial Police? The DCPJ were the rough equivalent of the U.S. FBI.

Leaving the security chain in place, Langdon opened the door a few inches. The face staring back at him was thin and washed out. The man was exceptionally lean, dressed in an official-looking blue uniform.

"May I come in?" the agent asked.

Langdon hesitated, feeling uncertain as the stranger's sallow eyes studied him. "What is this is all about?"

"My capitaine requires your expertise in a private matter."

"Now?" Langdon managed. "It's after midnight."

"Am I correct that you were scheduled to meet with curator of the Louvre this evening? "

Langdon felt a sudden surge of uneasiness. He and the revered curator Jacques Saunière had been slated to meet for drinks after Langdon's lecture tonight, but Saunière had never shown up. "Yes. How did you know that?"

"We found your name in his daily planner."

"I trust nothing is wrong?"

The agent gave a dire sigh and slid a Polaroid snapshot through the narrow opening in the door.

When Langdon saw the photo, his entire body went rigid.

"This photo was taken less than an hour ago. Inside the Louvre."

As Langdon stared at the bizarre image, his initial revulsion and shock gave way to a sudden upwelling of anger. "Who would do this!"

"We had hoped that you might help us answer that very question. Considering your knowledge in symbology and your plans to meet with him."

Langdon stared at the picture, his horror now laced with fear. The image was gruesome and profoundly strange, bringing with it an unsettling sense of deja vu. A little over a year ago, Langdon had received a photograph of a corpse and a similar request for help. Twenty-four hours later, he had almost lost his life inside Vatican City. This photo was entirely different, and yet something about the scenario felt disquietingly familiar.

The agent checked his watch. "My captain is waiting, sir."

Langdon barely heard him. His eyes were still riveted on the picture. "This symbol here, and the way his body is so oddly . . ."

"Positioned?" the agent offered.

Langdon nodded, feeling a chill as he looked up. "I can't imagine who would do this to someone."

The agent looked grim. "You don't understand, Mr. Langdon. What you see in this photograph . . ." He paused. "Monsieur Saunière did that to himself."

One mile away, the hulking albino named Silas limped through the front gate of the luxurious brownstone residence on Rue la Bruyere. The spiked cilice belt that he wore around his thigh cut into his flesh, and yet his soul sang with satisfaction of service to the Lord.

Pain is good.

His red eyes scanned the lobby as he entered the residence. Empty. He climbed the stairs quietly, not wanting to awaken any of his fellow numeraries. His bedroom door was open; locks were forbidden here. He entered, closing the door behind him.

The room was spartan--hardwood floors, a pine dresser, a canvas mat in the corner that served as his bed. He was a visitor here this week, and yet for many years he had been blessed with a similar sanctuary in New York City.

The Lord has provided me shelter and purpose in my life.

Tonight, at last, Silas felt he had begun to repay his debt. Hurrying to the dresser, he found the cell phone hidden in his bottom drawer and placed a call to a private extension.

"Yes?" a male voice answered.

"Teacher, I have returned."

"Speak," the voice commanded, sounding pleased to hear from him.

"All four are gone. The three s é n é chaux . . . and the Grand Master himself."

There was a momentary pause, as if for prayer. "Then I assume you have the information?"

"All four concurred. Independently."

"And you believed them?"

"Their agreement was too great for coincidence."

An excited breath. "Excellent. I had feared the brotherhood's reputation for secrecy might prevail."

"The prospect of death is strong motivation."

"So, my pupil, tell me what I must know."

Silas knew the information he had gleaned from his victims would come as a shock. "Teacher, all four confirmed the existence of the clef de vo û te . . . the legendary keystone."

He heard a quick intake of breath over the phone and could feel the Teacher's excitement. "The keystone. Exactly as we suspected."

According to lore, the brotherhood had created a map of stone--a clef de voûte . . . or keystone-- an engraved tablet that revealed the final resting place of the brotherhood's greatest secret...information so powerful that its protection was the reason for the brotherhood's very existence.

"When we possess the keystone," the Teacher said, "we will be only one step away."

"We are closer than you think. The keystone is here in Paris."

"Paris? Incredible. It is almost too easy."

Silas relayed the earlier events of the evening . . . how all four of his victims, moments before death, had desperately tried to buy back their godless lives by telling their secret. Each had told Silas the exact same thing--that the keystone was ingeniously hidden at a precise location inside one of Paris's ancient churches--the Eglise de Saint-Sulpice.

"Inside a House of the Lord," the Teacher exclaimed. "How they mock us!"

"As they have for centuries."

The Teacher fell silent, as if letting the triumph of this moment settle over him. Finally, he spoke. "You have done a great service to God. We have waited centuries for this. You must retrieve the stone for me. Immediately. Tonight. You understand the stakes."

Silas knew the stakes were incalculable, and yet what the Teacher was now commanding seemed impossible. "But the cathedral, it is a fortress. Especially at night. How will I enter?"

With the confident tone of man of enormous influence, the Teacher explained what was to be done.

When Silas hung up the phone, his skin tingled with anticipation.

One hour , he told himself, grateful that the Teacher had given him time to carry out the necessary penance before entering a house of God. I must purge my soul of today's sins. The sins committed today had been Holy in purpose. Acts of war against the enemies of God had been committed for centuries. Forgiveness was assured.

Even so, Silas knew, absolution required sacrifice.

Pulling his shades, he stripped naked and knelt in the center of his room. Looking down, he examined the spiked cilice belt clamped around his thigh. All true followers of The Way wore this device--a leather strap, studded with sharp metal barbs that cut into the flesh as a perpetual reminder of Christ's suffering. The pain caused by the device also helped counteract the desires of the flesh.

Although Silas already had worn his cilice today longer than the requisite two hours, he knew today was no ordinary day. Grasping the buckle, he cinched it one notch tighter, wincing as the barbs dug deeper into his flesh. Exhaling slowly, he savored the cleansing ritual of his pain.

Pain is good, Silas whispered, repeating the sacred mantra of Father Josemaria Escriva--the Teacher of all Teachers. Although Escriva had died in 1975, his wisdom lived on, his words still whispered by thousands of faithful servants around the globe as they knelt on the floor and performed the sacred practice known as "corporal mortification."

Silas turned his attention now to a heavy knotted rope coiled neatly on the floor beside him. The Discipline. The knots were caked with dried blood. Eager for the purifying effects of his own agony, Silas said a quick prayer. Then, gripping one end of the rope, he closed his eyes and swung it hard over his shoulder, feeling the knots slap against his back. He whipped it over his shoulder again, slashing at his flesh. Again and again, he lashed.

Castigo corpus meum.

Finally, he felt the blood begin to flow.

The Alchemist

Unknown — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Alchemist is a Brazilian novel about a shepherd named Santiago, an 18-year-old youth who abandons his life in Spain to embark upon an epic treasure hunt across Africa. Making several unexpected stops along the way, he uncovers profound truths about himself, the world, and the kingdom of God, which are fundamentally connected. Ultimately, he finds the treasure, but along the way he also finds love and personal fulfillment. At 16, Santiago, who had been studying to become a priest, had defied his parents’ wishes and set off to travel across Andalusia with a herd of sheep. The story picks up two years later. The boy has been leading his sheep all this time. Lovesick, he’s thinking about settling down with the daughter of a merchant he met the year before. As he contemplates the future, he feels anxious, hopeful, and full of questions…

1984

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Written more than 70 years ago, 1984 **was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, his dystopian vision of a government that will do anything to control the narrative is timelier than ever...

• Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read •

“ The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. ”

Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party that seeks power for its own sake and persecutes those who dare to commit thoughtcrimes. But as he starts to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the fact that Big Brother is always watching...

A startling and haunting novel, 1984 creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions—a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

About the Author

George Orwell (pseudonym for Eric Blair [1903-50]) was born in Bengal and educated at Eton; after service with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, he returned to Europe to earn his living penning novels and essays. He was essentially a political writer who focused his attention on his own times, a man of intense feelings and intense hates. An opponent of totalitarianism, he served in the Loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War. Besides his classic Animal Farm , his works include a novel based on his experiences as a colonial policeman, Burmese Days , two firsthand studies of poverty, Down and Out in Paris and London and The Road to Wigan Pier , an account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, Homage to Catalonia ; and the extraordinary novel of political prophecy whose title became part of our language, 1984.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

ONE

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him.

The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a colored poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine, and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran.

Inside the flat a fruity voice was reading out a list of figures which had something to do with the production of pig iron. The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. Winston turned a switch and the voice sank somewhat, though the words were still distinguishable. The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely. He moved over to the window: a smallish, frail figure, the meagerness of his body merely emphasized by the blue overalls which were the uni- form of the Party. His hair was very fair, his face naturally sanguine, his skin roughened by coarse soap and blunt razor blades and the cold of the winter that had just ended.

Outside, even through the shut window pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered every- where. The black-mustachio’d face gazed down from every commanding corner. There was one on the house front immediately opposite. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston’s own. Down at street level another poster, torn at one corner, flapped fitfully in the wind, alternately covering and uncovering the single word INGSOC. In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a blue-bottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the Police Patrol, snooping into people’s windows. The patrols did not matter, however. Only the Thought Police mattered.

Behind Winston’s back the voice from the telescreen was still babbling away about pig iron and the overfulfillment of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live— did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.

Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen. It was safer; though, as he well knew, even a back can be revealing. A kilometer away the Ministry of Truth, his place of work, towered vast and white above the grimy landscape. This, he thought with a sort of vague distaste—this was London, chief city of Airstrip One, itself the third most populous of the provinces of Oceania. He tried to squeeze out some childhood memory that should tell him whether London had always been quite like this. Were there always these vistas of rotting nineteenth- century houses, their sides shored up with balks of timber, their windows patched with cardboard and their roofs with corrugated iron, their crazy garden walls sagging in all directions? And the bombed sites where the plaster dust swirled in the air and the willow herb straggled over the heaps of rubble; and the places where the bombs had cleared a larger path and there had sprung up sordid colonies of wooden dwellings like chicken houses? But it was no use, he could not remember: nothing remained of his childhood except a series of bright-lit tableaux, occurring against no background and mostly unintelligible.

The Ministry of Truth—Minitrue, in Newspeak*—was startlingly different from any other object in sight. It was an enormous pyramidal structure of glittering white concrete, soaring up, terrace after terrace, three hundred meters into the air. From where Winston stood it was just possible to read, picked out on its white face in elegant lettering, the three slogans of the Party:

WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

Abaddon's Gate

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The third book in the NYT bestselling Expanse series, Abaddon's Gate opens the door to the ruins of an alien gate network, and the crew of the Rocinante may hold the key to unlocking its secrets. Now a Prime Original series.

HUGO AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SERIES

For generations, the solar system -- Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt -- was humanity's great frontier. Until now. The alien artifact working through its program under the clouds of Venus has appeared in Uranus's orbit, where it has built a massive gate that leads to a starless dark.

Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artifact. But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core. As the emissaries of the human race try to find whether the gate is an opportunity or a threat, the greatest danger is the one they brought with them.

Abaddon's Gate is a breakneck science fiction adventure following the critically acclaimed Caliban's War.

The Expanse
*Leviathan Wakes
Caliban's War
Abaddon's Gate
Cibola Burn
Nemesis Games
Babylon's Ashes
Persepolis Rising
Tiamat's Wrath
Leviathan Falls

Memory's Legion*

The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
The Sins of Our Fathers

Review

"A politically complex and pulse-pounding page-turner.... Corey perfectly balances character development with action... series fans will find this installment the best yet."―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Riveting interplanetary thriller."―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on Leviathan Wakes

"It's been too long since we've had a really kickass space opera. LEVIATHAN WAKES is interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written, the kind of SF that made me fall in love with the genre way back when, seasoned with a dollop of horror and a dash of noir. Jimmy Corey writes with the energy of a brash newcomer and the polish of a seasoned pro. So where's the second book?"―George R.R. Martin

"An excellent space operatic debut in the grand tradition of Peter F. Hamilton."―Charlie Stross on Leviathan Wakes

"If you like science fiction with great characters and set in real space, you'll enjoy this one."―Jo Walton, author of Farthing on Leviathan Wakes

"It gnaws at your soul."―Sun on Leviathan Wakes

"High adventure equaling the best space opera has to offer, cutting-edge technology, and a group of unforgettable characters bring the third installment of Corey's epic space drama (after Caliban's War and Leviathan Wakes) to an action-filled close while leaving room for more stories to unfold. Perhaps one of the best tales the genre has yet to produce, this superb collaboration between fantasy author Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck should reawaken an interest in old-fashioned storytelling and cinematic pacing. Highly recommended."―Library Journal on Abaddon's Gate (starred review)

"Politics, philosophical ideals, and humor mingle in a tale that will shock and surprise."―Publisher's Weekly on Abaddon's Gate (Starred Review)

"Literary space opera at its absolute best."―io9.com

"[T]he authors are superb with the exciting bits: Shipboard coups and battles are a thrill to follow."―Washington Post

About the Author

James S. A. Corey is the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. In addition to writing the novels and short stories of The Expanse, they wrote and produced the television series of the same name. Daniel lives with his family in the American southwest. Ty will tell you where he lives when and if he wants you to come over.

Caliban's War

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The second book in the NYT bestselling Expanse series, Caliban's War shows a solar system on the brink of war, and the only hope of peace rests on James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante's shoulders. Now a Prime Original series. We are not alone.

On Ganymede, breadbasket of the outer planets, a Martian marine watches as her platoon is slaughtered by a monstrous supersoldier. On Earth, a high-level politician struggles to prevent interplanetary war from reigniting. And on Venus, an alien protomolecule has overrun the planet, wreaking massive, mysterious changes and threatening to spread out into the solar system.

In the vast wilderness of space, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante have been keeping the peace for the Outer Planets Alliance. When they agree to help a scientist search war-torn Ganymede for a missing child, the future of humanity rests on whether a single ship can prevent an alien invasion that may have already begun . . .Caliban's War is a breakneck science fiction adventure following the critically acclaimed Leviathan Wakes. The Expanse Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis RisingTiamat's WrathThe Expanse Short Fiction The Butcher of Anderson StationGods of RiskThe ChurnThe Vital AbyssStrange Dogs

Cibola Burn

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The fourth book in the NYT bestselling Expanse series, Cibola Burn sees the crew of the Rocinante on a new frontier, as the rush to colonize the new planets threatens to outrun law and order and give way to war and chaos. Now a Prime Original series.

HUGO AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SERIES

Enter a new frontier.

" An empty apartment, a missing family, that's creepy. But this is like finding a military base with no one on it. Fighters and tanks idling on the runway with no drivers. This is bad juju. Something wrong happened here. What you should do is tell everyone to leave."

The gates have opened the way to a thousand new worlds and the rush to colonize has begun. Settlers looking for a new life stream out from humanity's home planets. Ilus, the first human colony on this vast new frontier, is being born in blood and fire.

Independent settlers stand against the overwhelming power of a corporate colony ship with only their determination, courage, and the skills learned in the long wars of home. Innocent scientists are slaughtered as they try to survey a new and alien world. The struggle on Ilus threatens to spread all the way back to Earth.

James Holden and the crew of his one small ship are sent to make peace in the midst of war and sense in the midst of chaos. But the more he looks at it, the more Holden thinks the mission was meant to fail.

And the whispers of a dead man remind him that the great galactic civilization that once stood on this land is gone. And that something killed it.

The Expanse
*Leviathan Wakes
Caliban's War
Abaddon's Gate
Cibola Burn
Nemesis Games
Babylon's Ashes
Persepolis Rising
Tiamat's Wrath
Leviathan Falls

Memory's Legion*

The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
The Sins of Our Fathers

Review

"The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire... only with fewer beheadings and way more spaceships."―NPR Books on Cibola Burn

"Combining an exploration of real human frailties with big SF ideas and exciting thriller action, Corey cements the series as must-read space opera."―Library Journal on Cibola Burn (Starred Review)

"The Expanse is the best space opera series running at full tilt right now, and Cibola Burn continues that streak of excellence."―io9 on Cibola Burn

"An excellent space operatic debut in the grand tradition of Peter F. Hamilton."―Charles Stross on Leviathan Wakes

"Literary space opera at its absolute best."―io9.com on Abaddon's Gate

"[T]he authors are superb with the exciting bits: Shipboard coups and battles are a thrill to follow."―Washington Post on Abaddon's Gate

"Riveting interplanetary thriller."―Publishers Weekly on Leviathan Wakes

About the Author

Den lille prins

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Den Store Asterix 1

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - the Original 1886 Classic

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone, in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.

The disturbing Mr. Hyde is making his repugnant presence known in late 19th Century London. But punishment for his vile acts are always parried by the good, and well-respected, Dr. Jekyll. Soon, the secret relationship between the two men will be revealed.

A classic that continues to be referenced today, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will forever be locked in literary history.

Erik Menneskesøn

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Fjenden i os selv

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Klokken tre om morgenen slår Sikkerhedspolitiet til mod en række familier i en forstad til Stockholm. Næste dag eksploderer nyheden om, at “al-Qaeda i Sverige” er uskadeliggjort, og at landet er blevet reddet fra den største katastrofe nogensinde. Ni personer varetægtsfængsles som terrorister, men derefter udbryder den store tavshed. Ingen ved, hvad der sker i efterforskningen.

Politiinspektør Ewa Johnsén-Tanguy, der er ansat i bagmandspolitiet, får til sin overraskelse et nyt job, nemlig at lede afhøringerne af de terrormistænkte. Dermed havner hun og hendes venner, bl.a. journalisten Erik Ponti, på hver sin side i krigen mod terror.

FJENDEN I OS SELV gør op med de love, som siges at have til hensigt at beskytte demokratiet, men som i virkeligheden skader demokratiet betydeligt mere end terrorismen gør.

Frankenstein

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Few creatures of horror have seized readers' imaginations and held them for so long as the anguished monster of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The story of Victor Frankenstein's terrible creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and inspired countless writers of horror and suspense. Considering the novel's enduring success, it is remarkable that it began merely as a whim of Lord Byron's.

"We will each write a story," Byron announced to his next-door neighbors, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her lover Percy Bysshe Shelley. The friends were summering on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland in 1816, Shelley still unknown as a poet and Byron writing the third canto of Childe Harold. When continued rains kept them confined indoors, all agreed to Byron's proposal.

The illustrious poets failed to complete their ghost stories, but Mary Shelley rose supremely to the challenge. With Frankenstein, she succeeded admirably in the task she set for herself: to create a story that, in her own words, "would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror — one to make the reader dread to look round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart.

Get Shorty

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Mob-connected loan shark Chili Palmer is sick of the Miami grind—plus his “friends” have a bad habit of dying there. So when he chases a deadbeat client out to Hollywood, Chili figures he might like to stay. This town, with its dream-makers, glitter, hucksters, and liars—plus gorgeous, partially clad would-be starlets everywhere you look—seems ideal for an enterprising criminal with a taste for the cinematic. Besides, Chili’s got an idea for a killer movie, though it could very possibly kill him to get it made.

Hobbitten eller Ud og hjem igen

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Jurassic Park

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Timeline, Sphere, and Congo, this is the classic thriller of science run amok that took the world by storm. **

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

“[Michael] Crichton’s dinosaurs are genuinely frightening.”** —Chicago Sun-Times

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price.

Until something goes wrong. . . .

In Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton taps all his mesmerizing talent and scientific brilliance to create his most electrifying technothriller.

Praise for Jurassic Park

“Wonderful . . . powerful.” — The Washington Post Book World

“Frighteningly real . . . compelling . . . It’ll keep you riveted.”—The Detroit News

“Full of suspense.” — The New York Times Book Review

LEGO manden: historien om Godtfred Kirk Christiansen

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Leviathan Wakes

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The first book in the landmark Expanse series, now a major television series. Leviathan Wakes is James S. A. Corey's first novel in the epic, New York Times bestselling series the Expanse, a modern masterwork of science fiction where humanity has colonized the solar system. Two hundred years after migrating into space, mankind is in turmoil. When a reluctant ship's captain and washed-up detective find themselves involved in the case of a missing girl, what they discover brings our solar system to the brink of civil war, and exposes the greatest conspiracy in human history.

Leviathan Wakes is the breakneck science fiction adventure that launched the epic bestselling Expanse series. The ExpanseLeviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis RisingThe Expanse Short FictionThe Butcher of Anderson StationGods of RiskThe ChurnThe Vital Abyss

Nemesis Games

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The fifth book in the NYT bestselling Expanse series, Nemesis Games drives the crew of the Rocinante **apart, and as they struggle to survive, the inner planets fall victim to an enemy's catastrophic plan. Now a Prime Original series.

HUGO AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SERIES**

A thousand worlds have opened, and the greatest land rush in human history has begun. As wave after wave of colonists leave, the power structures of the old solar system begin to buckle.

Ships are disappearing without a trace. Private armies are being secretly formed. The sole remaining protomolecule sample is stolen. Terrorist attacks previously considered impossible bring the inner planets to their knees. The sins of the past are returning to exact a terrible price.

And as a new human order is struggling to be born in blood and fire, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante must struggle to survive and get back to the only home they have left.

Nemesis Games is a breakneck science fiction adventure following the bestselling Cibola Burn.

The Expanse
*Leviathan Wakes
Caliban's War
Abaddon's Gate
Cibola Burn
Nemesis Games
Babylon's Ashes
Persepolis Rising
Tiamat's Wrath
Leviathan Falls

Memory's Legion*

The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
The Sins of Our Fathers

Review

"A standout tale of violence, intrigue, ambition, and hope. ... Corey cranks up the tension relentlessly in this fast-paced story of heroes and rebels fighting for freedom. With enough thrills and intrigue for three Hollywood blockbusters, the novel stands alone nicely, making it easy for new readers as well as diehard series fans to dive right in."―Publishers Weekly on Nemesis Games

"The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire...only with fewer beheadings and way more spaceships."―NPR Books on Cibola Burn

"Combining an exploration of real human frailties with big sf ideas and exciting thriller action, Corey cements the series as must-read space opera."―Library Journal (starred review) on Cibola Burn

"The Expanse series is the best space opera series running at full tilt right now, and Cibola Burn continues that streak of excellence."―io9 on Cibola Burn

"Corey's splendid fourth Expanse novel blends adventure with uncommon decency."―Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Cibola Burn

"An excellent space operatic debut in the grand tradition of Peter F. Hamilton."―Charles Stross on Leviathan Wakes

"Literary space opera at its absolute best."―io9.com on Abaddon's Gate

"[T]he authors are superb with the exciting bits: Shipboard coups and battles are a thrill to follow."―Washington Post on Abaddon's Gate

"Riveting interplanetary thriller."―Publishers Weekly on Leviathan Wakes

About the Author

Ringenes herre

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Valhalla den samlede saga 1

Unknown — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Valhalla genfortæller myterne fra nordisk mytologi, men tegneserien er også et eventyr i sig selv. I dette bind kan du blandt andet læse om, hvordan det hele begyndte, hvordan guderne kom til at se ud, som de gør, og hvor Quark kommer fra.

Leviathan Falls

Unknown — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The biggest science fiction series of the decade comes to an incredible conclusion in the ninth and final novel in James S.A. Corey’s Hugo-award winning space opera that inspired the Prime Original series.

Hugo Award Winner for Best Series

The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war against our universe has begun again.

In the dead system of Adro, Elvi Okoye leads a desperate scientific mission to understand what the gate builders were and what destroyed them, even if it means compromising herself and the half-alien children who bear the weight of her investigation. Through the wide-flung systems of humanity, Colonel Aliana Tanaka hunts for Duarte’s missing daughter. . . and the shattered emperor himself. And on the Rocinante , James Holden and his crew struggle to build a future for humanity out of the shards and ruins of all that has come before.

As nearly unimaginable forces prepare to annihilate all human life, Holden and a group of unlikely allies discover a last, desperate chance to unite all of humanity, with the promise of a vast galactic civilization free from wars, factions, lies, and secrets if they win.

But the price of victory may be worse than the cost of defeat.

Leading With Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, and Inspire Action on Your Most Important Work

Unknown — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 18 Minutes unlocks the secrets of highly successful leaders and pinpoints the missing ingredient that makes all the difference

You have the opportunity to lead: to show up with confidence, connected to others, and committed to a purpose in a way that inspires others to follow. Maybe it’s in your workplace, or in your relationships, or simply in your own life. But great leadership—leadership that aligns teams, inspires action, and achieves results—is hard. And what makes it hard isn’t theoretical, it’s practical. It’s not about knowing what to say or do. It’s about whether you’re willing to experience the discomfort, risk, and uncertainty of saying or doing it. In other words, the most critical challenge of leadership is emotional courage. If you are willing to feel everything, you can do anything.

Leading with Emotional Courage, based on the author’s popular blogs for Harvard Business Review, provides practical, real-world advice for building your emotional courage muscle. Each short, easy to read chapter details a distinct step in this emotional “workout,” giving you grounded advice for handling the difficult situations without sacrificing professional ground. By building the courage to say the necessary but difficult things, you become a stronger leader and leave the “should’ves” behind.

Theoretically, leadership is straightforward, but how many people actually lead? The gap between theory and practice is huge. Emotional courage is what bridges that gap. It’s what sets great leaders apart from the rest. It gets results. It cuts through the distractions, the noise, and the politics to solve problems and get things done. This book is packed with actionable steps you can take to start building these skills now.

Have the courage to speak up when others remain silent
Be stable and grounded in the face of uncertainty
Respond productively to opposition without getting distracted
Weather others’ anger without shutting down or getting defensive

Leading with Emotional Courage coaches you to build your emotional courage, exercise it effectively, and create an environment in which people around you take accountability to get hard things done.

Review

CEOs and Business Leaders

Leading with Emotional Courage is a trailblazing idea, inspirational manifesto and eminently achievable manual. Peter Bregman’s central idea, “if you can feel everything, you can do anything,” instantly became my motto for forging more productive and rewarding relationships in every aspect of my life. It’s ingenious, it’s intuitive, and it works.

Jeffrey Seller, Four time Tony Award winning producer of Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights.

**** Leading with Emotional Courage is a terrific guide that explains why and how we need to look inward before we can drive leadership forward. It will also help you connect on a deeper level with those around you―an absolute necessity if you want to get your most important work done.

J ames A. Forese, President, Citigroup

Peter is a master storyteller who offers compelling and important takeaways that really do make a difference. The principles in this book are the ones I believe in, and they are aligned with those that helped me and my tribe build a culture that resulted in a 93% employee engagement level at WD-40 Company.

Garry Ridge – CEO WD-40 Company & coauthor with Ken Blanchard of Helping People Win at Work

We must see ourselves ‘life size,’ as Peter Drucker instructed. Leading with Emotional Courage is a leader’s blueprint to do so.

Frances Hesselbein, Chairman, The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum, Former CEO of the Girl Scouts, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient

Becoming a Values-based leader requires you to first be capable of leading yourself. Peter does a fantastic job of demonstrating why emotional courage is absolutely key to your personal leadership journey. I learned a lot by reading Peter’s book.

Harry Kraemer, Jr, Professor, Northwestern Kellogg School of Mgmt; Former Chairman and CEO, BAXTER International

After reading this book, you will want to share it with your colleagues, your kids, and others in your life. Peter is a master at drawing readers in with self-evaluation, compelling stories, and concrete take-aways. This book will stay on my bookshelf as a reference.

Asheesh Advani , CEO, JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide

Leading with Emotional Courage is good for business, good for people, and good for the planet. Bregman’s book offers the communications tools environmentalists and other nonprofit leaders need to transform tough conversations into progress and action.

Mark R. Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy

Leading with Emotional Courage" brilliantly identifies the often unnoticed emotional undercurrents of high-stakes business situations and the dynamics of everyday interactions. By making conscious the unconscious, this book offers us control over our own decisions and actions, asking us to open our minds and be curious when emotions are provoked. It has helped me personally to turn some of my most counter-productive reactions into questions. With practical, real-life examples and bite-sized nuggets of information, this book is relevant to everyone, not just ultra-senior leadership.

Michael Thatcher, CEO, Charity Navigator

At the end of the day, Peter gives useful tools for people to own their unique strength and power to be bold leaders in the board room and at the kitchen table.

Randall Tucker, Mastercard Chief Inclusion Officer

Emotional Courage is the foundation for inspirational and effective leadership. Peter Bregman’s groundbreaking and timely book, Leading with Emotional Courage, does not merely inspire action, it cultivates it. Through concrete and actionable how-to’s and compelling stories, this book will change the way you make decisions, how you speak in a boardroom, and actually how you feel at the end of each day. Leading with Emotional Courage is right on target and surprisingly different than anything out there. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time!

James M. Citrin, Leader, Spencer Stuart CEO Practice, Author, You’re in Charge, Now What?

Authors and Thought Leaders

This is a brave and generous book about being brave and generous. Emotional courage isn't about getting what we want, it's about serving others. Peter Bregman is sharing useful magic here.

Seth Godin, Author, Linchpin

Emotional courage is the courage to feel. It’s what stands between us and the difficult things we must do as leaders. Emotional courage grows stronger when you practice it―by taking a risk, making a decision, or otherwise following through when you may not be comfortable doing so. It’s about getting out of your own way and having the emotional freedom to act. Want to know more? Then follow through and read this book!

Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The New One Minute Manager® and Servant Leadership in Action

Peter’s concept of Emotional Courage is a game-changer. It isn’t just another theory about productivity or leadership―it’s a truth you can feel. It affects every aspect of your leadership and every relationship in your life. The beauty of this book is that it helps you actually strengthen those critical mental-emotional muscles and will make even the most successful leaders better.

Marshall Goldsmith – The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Triggers

LEADING WITH EMOTIONAL COURAGE tackles a tough subject that isn't much talked about in the business world: the hard emotions that we all experience. If you courageously adopt the advice in this breakthrough book, you can begin the tough conversations that lead to real change, build more trusting relationships, and perhaps even become an inspiration to others.

Daniel H. Pink, author of WHEN and DRIVE

Want to learn how to brave the fears associated with difficult interpersonal exchanges on the job and elsewhere? Emotional Courage, brimming with applicable insights and lessons, is definitely the book for you.

Robert B. Cialdini, Author of Influence and Pre-Suasion

Change begins from within; so does leadership. Bregman’s insights help leaders gain personal confidence so that they can approach others with a clear purpose and bold, courageous actions. This marvelous book lets me feel like Peter is sitting next to me, coaching me how to be more effective. The insights resonate, the assessments inform, and the stories inspire.

Dave Ulrich Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Partner, The RBL Group

It's incredibly refreshing to get this sort of wise and kind advice from someone who specializes in helping leaders get "massive traction". Most voices you'd hear today urging "massive traction" would speak fast, hard, unrelenting exhortations couched in inspirational illustrations of super-human performance. As human-centered-designers, we at the Life Design Lab at Stanford aren't too keen on those driven voices. We're looking to help people be more human - not super-human, which is a very different, and frankly in-human, thing. Peter Bregman has a different voice. What other "massive traction-getting” coaches will suggest that compassion is a critical foundation of self-confidence or that you need to master irrelevancy if you're going to succeed (and better do so well before retirement)? I've been assigning students to read Peter's contrary ideas for years and I recommend this book to you. I finally got to share coffee with him face-to-face on Spring and had one of the best first dates of all time. Pull up a chair with this book and share a coffee with Peter. You'll have a lovely time and be better for it.

Dave Evans, Co-Founder, Stanford Life Design Lab, Co-author, NYT #1 Bestseller, Designing Your Life , Early Apple, Co-founder Electronic Arts

Emotional courage is the superpower of the 21st Century! We live in a world where it is far easier to avoid our feelings than it is to feel them. As such, emotional courage is becoming rare at the same time that it is increasingly valuable. The people who cultivate emotional courage―who are confident, connected, and committed to their purpose―will thrive. Leading with Emotional Courage is an accessible action plan for breaking through the emotional barriers that prevent people from doing what they want to do.

Christine Carter, PhD, Author of The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less and Raising Happiness

Engaging and relevant, Peter Bregman’s Leading with Emotional Courage provides a clear and practical framework to follow when facing emotionally-charged situations. He challenges us to face our fears and stand strong by offering both principles and skills that teach us how to confidently act before being acted upon. A superb read!

Stephen M. R. Covey, The New York Times and # 1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Speed of Trust and coauthor of Smart Trust

Leading without courage is not really leading at all. Bregman presents a compelling argument for the power of embracing difficult emotions.

Cal Newport, author of Deep Work

Leading with Emotional Courage is about putting your whole self into something. About embracing your fears, expressing your passions, showing your vulnerabilities, and engaging fully with others. It’s a book that you do not simply read. Instead, you experience it. It’s full of pathos and compassion, enlightenment and practicality. It’s like conversing with your best friend. You come away feeling refreshed, entertained, and wiser. Peter Bregman is a master storyteller, and he enlivens his sage counsel with scores of personal tales, joyfully told, each containing simple wisdom and hard truths. There are lots of how-to-do books on the market. Leading with Emotional Courage isn’t one of them. It’s a how-to-be book, and I guarantee you that you’ll want to be more like the person Peter describes once you’ve experienced this book. I highly recommend it.

Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge and the Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

There’s a line between the domineering, overbearing management style of decades past―less effective because it’s tone deaf to people―and an increasingly self-aware and people-oriented leadership style that can be less effective if it’s too wimpy to get the job done. Bregman offers a thoughtful guide to finding and walking that sometimes elusive line. Leading With Emotional Courage offers manageable, bite-sized insights into thought and behavior changes that can help any leader be empathetic enough to honor our shared humanity but still courageous enough to make the tough decisions and initiate the hard conversations essential to a thriving workplace.

Whitney Johnson, Thinkers50 Leading Management Thinker, Critically-acclaimed author of Disrupt Yourself

Peter Bregman gives nuanced advice on how we can navigate the complex landscape of our emotional life--to become better leaders, (and better human beings), by being more connected to ourselves and others.

Tal Ben-Shahar, Author of The Joy of Leadership

To be effective, leaders must move the heart, starting with their own. Bregman brilliantly highlights the often overlooked, but critical aspect of leadership – the courage to feel. Read this book to tap into the power of emotion and unleash your and your team’s true potential.

Sanyin Siang, Author, The Launch Book ; Executive Director, Duke University Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics

Emotional Courage is a wonderful reminder that if you are willing to feel everything you can do anything. The book, laced with Bregman’s own courageous honesty and openness, will help you build your confidence, bring out the best in others, and summon the emotional courage you need to succeed as a leader.

Liz Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts

In Leading with Emotional Courage, Peter Bregman provides us with a novel roadmap for how to embrace, rather than avoid, difficult emotions and, in so doing, live more fulfilling lives. The book is deeply insightful, a pleasure to read, and an indispensable guide for making discomfort and conflict a trusted ally and friend.

Andy Molinsky, Ph.D., Author of Reach and Global Dexterity

Government and Military Leaders

Cowardice, as characterized by excessive self-interest, has become pervasive across our society. Peter Bregman has given us the tools to be emotionally courageous. As leaders we want to have tough conversations that benefit our organizations, and Leading With Emotional Courage shows us the way. Readers will emerge from Leading With Emotional Courage with renewed enthusiasm for the day to day challenges of leading. Peter Bregman’s book promises to free a huge cohort of leaders from the anxieties that get in the way of doing what’s right, instead of what’s easy. Choosing the harder right over the easy wrong is one of the “Holy Grails” of leader development―and in Leading With Emotional Courage, Peter Bregman has captured that prize. Finally, a book to inspire those of us who lead through the conflict inherent to organizations.

Thomas A. Kolditz, PhD, Brigadier General, US Army (ret), Professor Emeritus, US Military Academy, West Point, Director, Ann & John Doerr Institute for New Leaders, Rice University

Leading With Emotional Courage is a great guide for practitioners who want to heighten their ability to influence others effectively. The book clearly identifies four elements associated with exhibiting emotional courage and provides tangible exercises in service of strengthening one’s competence in a given area. I recommend this book to anyone who is committed to becoming a better leader!

Bernie Banks, Brigadier General, US Army (ret), Associate Dean of Leadership Development, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management

Peter has spoken with such candor of the interior conversations we use to magnify or sabotage our leadership moments. It’s like having a workable path, where you are taught to watch yourself and learn to lead. Take this path; you’ll be larger for it.

Charlotte Beers, Former CEO Ogilvy, Former Undersecretary Of State

What a lovely mix of personal and professional anecdotes and straight talk about the importance of taking emotions – yours and your colleagues –into account in the task of leading an organization. As Bregman’s book so eloquently explains, as long as organizations are composed of humans and not robots, the fundamental challenge of corporate leadership is to get a diverse group of highly emotional creatures to work together effectively - which requires that leaders confront, head on, the need of everyone in the organization to have a sense of common purpose and connectedness. As leaders, we need the emotional courage to engage with our colleagues where they live, where the desire for affirmation and the fear of failure are constantly in play. I am grateful to Peter for writing this book.

Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Millstein & Co., Former Chief Restructuring Officer at the U.S. Department of the Treasury

Emotional courage is critical to getting anything important done. And Bregman’s book is the essential primer to developing it. If you lead - or aspire to lead - read this book. The world needs more people with emotional courage.

Mark Sanford, Unites States Congressman

From the Inside Flap

Leadership is showing up with confidence, connected to others, and committed to a purpose in a way that inspires others to follow. Whether you are in a company, a relationship, or acting in your own life—don't you want that ability?

The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 18 Minutes unlocks the secrets of highly successful leaders and pinpoints the missing ingredient that makes all the difference. It's not about knowing what to say or do. It's about whether you are willing to experience the discomfort, risk, and uncertainty of saying or doing it.

If you are willing to feel everything, you can do anything.

Leading with Emotional Courage is the essential guide for developing emotional courage and increasing your freedom to act. When you avoid feeling—and most of us avoid feeling—it's a huge drain on your productivity and directly affects your personal and organizational results.

Leading with Emotional Courage draws on the writings of Bregman's popular blogs for Harvard Business Review. Each short, easy to read chapter provides real-world practices for building your emotional courage muscle, giving you grounded advice for handling difficult situations while building your leadership presence. By building the courage to say the necessary but difficult things, you become a stronger, more effective person and leader. The incredibly practical Leading with Emotional Courage guides you to speak up when others remain silent, maintain your ground in the face of uncertainty, respond productively to opposition without getting distracted, and deal with others' anger without shutting down or getting defensive. It will transform your capability to act powerfully and courageously in your life, in your work, and in the world.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR
LEADING WITH EMOTIONAL COURAGE

" Leading with Emotional Courage is a trailblazing idea, inspirational manifesto and eminently achievable manual. Peter Bregman's central idea, 'if you can feel everything, you can do anything' instantly became my motto for forging more productive and rewarding relationships in every aspect of my life. It's ingenious, it's intuitive, and it works."
—Jeffrey Seller, Four-time Tony Award winning producer of Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, and In the Heights

"Peter's concept of emotional courage is a game-changer."
—Marshall Goldsmith, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Triggers

"Emotional courage is the superpower of the 21st Century!"
—Christine Carter, PhD, author of The Sweet Spot and Raising Happiness

"If you courageously adopt the advice in this breakthrough book, you can begin the tough conversations that lead to real change, build more trusting relationships, and perhaps even become an inspiration to others."
—Daniel H. Pink, author of WHEN and DRIVE

"Peter Bregman's book promises to free a huge cohort of leaders from the anxieties that get in the way of doing what's right, instead of what's easy. Finally, a book to inspire those of us who lead through the conflict inherent to organizations."
—Dr. Thomas A. Kolditz, Brigadier General, US Army (ret)

"Emotional courage is the future of leadership. This important book is right on target and—by the way—quite different than anything I've heard about or read out there."
—James M. Citrin, Leader, Spencer Stuart CEO Practice, Author, You're in Charge, Now What?

"The book, laced with Bregman's own courageous honesty and openness, will help you build your confidence, bring out the best in others, and summon the emotional courage you need to succeed as a leader."
—Liz Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts

"This is a brave and generous book about being brave and generous. Emotional courage isn't about getting what we want, it's about serving others. Peter Bregman is sharing useful magic here."
—Seth Godin, author, Linchpin

"After reading this book, you will want to share it with your colleagues, your kids, and others in your life."
—Asheesh Advani, CEO, Junior Achievement Worldwide

About the Author

PETER BREGMAN is the CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc., a company that helps senior leaders create accountability and inspire collective action on their organization's most important work. He is the bestselling author of 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done , named the best business book of the year on NPR, and selected by Publisher's Weekly and the New York Post as a top 10 business book. He is also the author of Four Seconds: All the Time You Need to Replace Counter-Productive Habits with Ones That Really Work , a New York Post top pick for your career in 2015.

What Makes a Leader?

Unknown — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

When asked to define the ideal leader, many would emphasize traits such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision--the qualities traditionally associated with leadership. Often left off the list are softer, more personal qualities--but they are also essential. Although a certain degree of analytical and technical skill is a minimum requirement for success, studies indicate that emotional intelligence may be the key attribute that distinguishes outstanding performers from those who are merely adequate. Psychologist and author Daniel Goleman first brought the term "emotional intelligence" to a wide audience with his 1995 book of the same name, and Goleman first applied the concept to business with a 1998 classic Harvard Business Review article. In his research at nearly 200 large, global companies, Goleman found that truly effective leaders are distinguished by a high degree of emotional intelligence. Without it, a person can have first-class training, an incisive mind, and an endless supply of good ideas, but he or she still won't be a great leader. The chief components of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill--can sound unbusinesslike, but Goleman found direct ties between emotional intelligence and measurable business results.

The Harvard Business Review Classics series offers you the opportunity to make seminal Harvard Business Review articles a part of your permanent management library. Each highly readable volume contains a groundbreaking idea that continues to shape best practices and inspire countless managers around the world--and will have a direct impact on you today and for years to come.

Leading Effective Virtual Teams: Overcoming Time and Distance to Achieve Exceptional Results

Unknown — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A proliferation of new technologies has lulled many into thinking that we actually have to think less about how we communicate. In fact, communicating and collaborating across time, distance, and cultures has never been more complex or difficult.

Written as a series of bulleted tips drawn from client experiences and best practices, Leading Effective Virtual Teams: Overcoming Time and Distance to Achieve Exceptional Results presents practical tips to help leaders engage and motivate their geographically dispersed project team members. If you‘re a leader of any type of virtual team and want to help your team members collaborate more effectively, then buy this book. You will learn how to:

Build trust and cultivate relationships, virtually, across your team
Design and facilitate virtual meetings that are focused and engaging
Influence without authority
Motivate and galvanize a virtual team for top performance
Blend asynchronous and synchronous communications for better virtual collaboration
Navigate cross-cultural and generational differences in the absence of vital visual cues
Assess skills, strengths, aptitudes, and preferences from afar
Handle other tough issues that can trip up virtual teams

The ideas in this book are based on Nancy Settle-Murphy‘s decades of experience working as a change management consultant, facilitator, and trainer for project teams around the world. Designed to be read section by section in any order, this book shares approaches and techniques to help you address some of the toughest challenges virtual team leaders face, including keeping team members engaged from afar.

Review

Organizations are only now beginning to realize that specialized skills and competencies are needed to lead effective virtual teams ... . I particularly enjoyed the practical tips that can be applied to almost any kind of virtual team. Nancy knows what works and shares it with us in a way that is both easy to read and apply. She covers the gamut, from building trust to cross-cultural tripwires, in a way that will work for virtual teams, whatever their makeup. ―Dr. Penny Pullan,Director, Making Projects Work Ltd.

Pseudoarbejde

Unknown — Thu, 25 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

For 100 år siden var alle overbeviste om, at vi i dag ville arbejde 15 timer om ugen. Det skete ikke. Og det var ikke, fordi effektiviseringerne udeblev. Vi arbejder stadig på livet løs. I denne bog begiver antropologen Dennis Nørmark og filosoffen Anders Fogh Jensen sig ud på en rejse for at finde ud af, hvad vi laver i vores arbejdstid. Det er blevet en rejse ind i det absurde, hvor meningen med arbejdet er forsvundet, og hvor løftet om fritid aldrig blev indløst. I stedet fik vi flere regler, kontroller, møder og ligegyldige PowerPoint-præsentationer. Bogens forfattere kommer fra hver sin politiske fløj, men bogen er ikke et møde på midten. Det er et opgør med en gammeldags måde at tænke arbejde på og et bud på, hvad enhver kan gøre som arbejdstager, leder, og hvad vi kan gøre som samfund. For det er på tide at tænke og handle anderledes, hvis ikke vi skal blive til grin overfor både vores fremtid og vores fortid og begå århundredets største dumhed. Men det kræver et opgør med et af vor tids største tabuer: Pseudoarbejdet.

The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation

Unknown — Fri, 19 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This book is the first practical, hands-on guide that shows how leaders can build psychological safety in their organizations, creating an environment where employees feel included, fully engaged, and encouraged to contribute their best efforts and ideas.

Perhaps the leader's most challenging task is to increase intellectual friction while decreasing social friction. When this doesn't happen and it becomes emotionally expensive to say what you truly think and feel, that lack of psychological safety triggers the self-censoring instinct, shuts down learning, and blocks collaboration and creativity. Timothy R. Clark, a former CEO, Oxford-trained social scientist, and organizational consultant, provides a research-based framework to help leaders transform their organizations into sanctuaries of inclusion and incubators of innovation.

When leaders cultivate psychological safety, teams and organizations progress through four successive stages. First, people feel included and accepted; then they feel safe to learn, contribute, and finally, challenge the status quo. Clark draws deeply on psychology, philosophy, social science, literature, and his own experiences to show how leaders can, and must, set the tone and model the ideal behaviors--as he says, "you either show the way or get in the way." This thoughtful and pragmatic guide demonstrates that if you banish fear, install true performance-based accountability, and create a nurturing environment that allows people to be vulnerable as they learn and grow, they will perform beyond your expectations.

About the Author

Timothy R. Clark is founder and CEO of LeaderFactor, a leadership consulting and training organization, and works with leadership teams around the world. He earned a triple degree and first-team Academic All-America honors as a football player at Brigham Young University and completed a doctorate in social science from Oxford University. He is also the author of Leading with Character and Competence.

Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance

Unknown — Tue, 02 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

About the Author

ERICA DHAWAN is a globally recognized leadership expert and keynote speaker helping organizations and leaders innovate faster and further, together. Erica has spoken, worldwide, to organizations and enterprises that range from the World Economic Forum to U.S. and global Fortune 500 companies, associations, sports teams, and government institutions. Named as one of the top management professionals around the world by Global Gurus, she is the founder and CEO of Cotential - a company that has helped leaders and teams leverage twenty-first-century collaboration skills globally. Her writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including Fast Company and Harvard Business Review , and she is the author of Digital Body Language and Get Big Things Done. She has an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, MBA from MIT Sloan, and BS from The Wharton School.

Product Description

An instant Wall Street Journal **Bestseller

The definitive guide to communicating and connecting in a hybrid world.**

Email replies that show up a week later. Video chats full of “oops sorry no you go” and “can you hear me?!” Ambiguous text-messages. Weird punctuation you can’t make heads or tails of. Is it any wonder communication takes us so much time and effort to figure out? How did we lose our innate capacity to understand each other?

Humans rely on body language to connect and build trust, but with most of our communication happening from behind a screen, traditional body language signals are no longer visible -- or are they? In Digital Body Language , Erica Dhawan, a go-to thought leader on collaboration and a passionate communication junkie, combines cutting edge research with engaging storytelling to decode the new signals and cues that have replaced traditional body language across genders, generations, and culture. In real life, we lean in, uncross our arms, smile, nod and make eye contact to show we listen and care. Online, reading carefully is the new listening. Writing clearly is the new empathy. And a phone or video call is worth a thousand emails.

Digital Body Language will turn your daily misunderstandings into a set of collectively understood laws that foster connection, no matter the distance. Dhawan investigates a wide array of exchanges―from large conferences and video meetings to daily emails, texts, IMs, and conference calls―and offers insights and solutions to build trust and clarity to anyone in our ever changing world.

Review

“This book is a welcome and practical guide to the ways in which we need to rethink how we interpret on-screen and inbox behaviour. Developing a common digital body language will help everyone ― while also opening a path to better ways for all of us to relate to one another and create a sense of inclusion and belonging.” -- Financial Times

“Fascinating, helpful, and engaging … Dhawan offers this timely book on digital body language and creative ways to foster inclusion and belonging in digital communications in the workplace.” --Booklist

“Dhawan’s high-energy advice comes right on time. Anyone trying to find their way through the new normal of office life will learn something from this real-world guide to respectful, productive communication.” --Publishers Weekly

“Written in an approachable style, this will be a useful resource for anyone who struggles with online communication.” ― Library Journal

" Digital Body Language is an indispensable guide to a business world turned upside down by video calls, group texts, and remote work. With Dhawan’s expert guidance, you’ll learn how to read and send the subtle cues that signal trust, competence, and authenticity. You’ll discover practical tips for using everything from exclamation points to emojis. Most of all, you’ll understand that that effective communication and collaboration begin with valuing others.” ― Daniel H. Pink, author of When , Drive , and To Sell Is Human

“A profound look at how to foster inclusion and better leadership in our digital world." ― Billie Jean King, Founder, Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative

"Non-verbal cues are vital to understanding each other. Now that so much communication happens online--and with the massive shift to distance learning and remote workplaces--we need Erica Dhawan’s book more than ever." ― Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of Lean In and Option B

"One of the most common problems in digital life is that the intended message gets lost in translation, and we get trapped in an ongoing game of telephone. Erica Dhawan has compelling solutions to help us send and receive the right signals.” - Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Originals , and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

“ Digital Body Language brings us crucial insights and a playbook for communicating in our digital and virtual world!” -Alan Mulally, Former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and the Ford Motor Company

"This book is a breakthrough that will be read for years to come. People are already judging you by how you show up in the digital world, but now Erica Dhawan helps you figure out how to earn the benefit of the doubt." ― Seth Godin, Author, The Practice

" Digital Body Language is an extraordinary and essential book for our time. With powerful stories and fascinating research, Erica Dhawan masterfully shows that, even in our digital age, we can connect and make change together." --Susan David, author of Emotional Agility

"If you're e-mailing, zooming, IM-ing etc. in your important relationships and for getting things done, professionally and personally, this is a must-read. Bravo, Erica." ― David Allen, international bestselling author of Getting Things Done

"Filled with lively and entertaining examples of real conversations, Digital Body Language gives you the tools to understand what can go wrong in communication -- and to find a common language in which to strengthen relationships at work and at home. This book will change forever the way you approach digital conversations." -- Tiffany Dufu, Founder of The Cru

“Erica Dhawan is a true master of collaboration . . . no one committed to success and teamwork can afford to miss this opportunity to learn from her.” -- Erik Spoelstra, Head Coach of Miami Heat

“I love both the message and the messenger of this brilliant book. Listen to what Erica Dhawan has to say about digital body language―and then take her advice. This is the contemporary guidebook for inclusion and authenticity in the workplace, no matter our distance.” -- Subha Barry, President of Working Mother Media

"Trust is the ultimate currency in the digital age. This book is a must-read for leaders, offering tangible and authentic ways to strengthen trust and create a virtual work environment where people feel they truly belong." -- Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer, Accenture

“This book is a gigantic leap towards communicating well in the digital age. It is a mandatory guide for anyone who wants to decode all the cryptic messages we are sending and receiving and be a more effective communicator and collaborator online.” ―Rob Nail, Co-Founder of Singularity University

“We are living at a time when becoming skilled in Digital Body Language is non negotiable. For everyone. It’s the digital application of emotional intelligence. I can’t think of anyone who would not benefit from reading this book.” ―Peter Bregman, CEO of Bregman Partners and Author of Leading with Emotional Courage

“In a world where innovation increasingly happens on-line, we must unlock the full potential of digital conversations and avoid its plentiful traps. Digital Body Language shows you how.” **―Alex Osterwalder, entrepreneur, business model innovator, and author

"A must-read for anyone wishing to introduce better communication and greater empathy in their workplace." -- Pat Mitchell, Co-Founder; Curator TEDWomen; Chair, Sundance Institute and Women’s Media Center**

The Shining Girls

Unknown — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The girl who wouldn't die, hunting a killer who shouldn't exist... A terrifying and original serial-killer thriller from award-winning author, Lauren Beukes. "It's not my fault. It's yours. You shouldn't shine. You shouldn't make me do this."

Chicago 1931. Harper Curtis, a violent drifter, stumbles on a house with a secret as shocking as his own twisted nature - it opens onto other times. He uses it to stalk his carefully chosen 'shining girls' through the decades - and cut the spark out of them. He's the perfect killer. Unstoppable. Untraceable. He thinks...

Chicago, 1992. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Tell that to Kirby Mazrachi, whose life was shattered after a brutal attempt to murder her. Still struggling to find her attacker, her only ally is Dan, an ex-homicide reporter who covered her case and now might be falling in love with her. As Kirby investigates, she finds the other girls - the ones who didn't make it. The evidence is ... impossible. But for a girl who should be dead, impossible doesn't mean it didn't happen...

How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking

Unknown — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Freakonomics of math—a math-world superstar unveils the hidden beauty and logic of the world and puts its power in our hands The math we learn in school can seem like a dull set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. In How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg shows us how terribly limiting this view is: Math isn’t confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do—the whole world is shot through with it. Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of our world. It’s a science of not being wrong, hammered out by centuries of hard work and argument. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we can see through to the true meaning of information we take for granted: How early should you get to the airport? What does “public opinion” really represent? Why do tall parents have shorter children? Who really won Florida in 2000? And how likely are you, really, to develop cancer? How Not to Be Wrong presents the surprising revelations behind all of these questions and many more, using the mathematician’s method of analyzing life and exposing the hard-won insights of the academic community to the layman—minus the jargon. Ellenberg chases mathematical threads through a vast range of time and space, from the everyday to the cosmic, encountering, among other things, baseball, Reaganomics, daring lottery schemes, Voltaire, the replicability crisis in psychology, Italian Renaissance painting, artificial languages, the development of non-Euclidean geometry, the coming obesity apocalypse, Antonin Scalia’s views on crime and punishment, the psychology of slime molds, what Facebook can and can’t figure out about you, and the existence of God. Ellenberg pulls from history as well as from the latest theoretical developments to provide those not trained in math with the knowledge they need. Math, as Ellenberg says, is “an atomic-powered prosthesis that you attach to your common sense, vastly multiplying its reach and strength.” With the tools of mathematics in hand, you can understand the world in a deeper, more meaningful way. How Not to Be Wrong will show you how.

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

Unknown — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The New York Times bestseller by the acclaimed, bestselling author of Start With Why and Together is Better. Now with an expanded chapter and appendix on leading millennials, based on Simon Sinek's viral video "The Millennial Question" (150+ million views).

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?

The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general. "Officers eat last," he said. Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What's symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort--even their own survival--for the good of those in their care.

Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a "Circle of Safety" that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.

Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking.

Reading Every Day

Unknown — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve set a goal that have I should read 10 minutes in a book every day. It it not much but it all counts.

Tiamat's Wrath

Unknown — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Thirteen hundred gates have opened to solar systems around the galaxy. But as humanity builds its interstellar empire in the alien ruins, the mysteries and threats grow deeper. In the dead systems where gates lead to stranger things than alien planets, Elvi Okoye begins a desperate search to discover the nature of a genocide that happened before the first human beings existed, and to find weapons to fight a war against forces at the edge of the imaginable. But the price of that knowledge may be higher than she can pay.At the heart of the empire, Teresa Duarte prepares to take on the burden of her father's godlike ambition. The sociopathic scientist Paolo Cortázar and the Mephistophelian prisoner James Holden are only two of the dangers in a palace thick with intrigue, but Teresa has a mind of her own and secrets even her father the emperor doesn't guess. And throughout the wide human empire, the scattered crew of the Rocinante fights a brave rear-guard action against Duarte's authoritarian regime. Memory of the old order falls away, and a future under Laconia's eternal rule - and with it, a battle that humanity can only lose - seems more and more certain. Because against the terrors that lie between worlds, courage and ambition will not be enough . . . The Expanse series: Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis RisingTiamat's WrathPraise for the Expanse: 'The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire' NPR Books'As close as you'll get to a Hollywood blockbuster in book form' io9.com'Great characters, excellent dialogue, memorable fights' wired.com'High adventure equalling the best space opera has to offer, cutting-edge technology and a group of unforgettable characters . . . Perhaps one of the best tales the genre has yet to produce' Library Journal'This is the future the way it's supposed to be' Wall Street Journal'Tense and thrilling' SciFiNow

Hacky Cooling Solution

Unknown — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Sometimes you come up with a hacky solution to a hardware problem. That is what I did today.

Persepolis Rising

Unknown — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The seventh novel in James S. A. Corey's New York Times bestselling Expanse series--now a major television series.

AN OLD ENEMY RETURNS

In the thousand-sun network of humanity's expansion, new colony worlds are struggling to find their way. Every new planet lives on a knife edge between collapse and wonder, and the crew of the aging gunship Rocinante have their hands more than full keeping the fragile peace.

In the vast space between Earth and Jupiter, the inner planets and belt have formed a tentative and uncertain alliance still haunted by a history of wars and prejudices. On the lost colony world of Laconia, a hidden enemy has a new vision for all of humanity and the power to enforce it.

New technologies clash with old as the history of human conflict returns to its ancient patterns of war and subjugation. But human nature is not the only enemy, and the forces being unleashed have their own price. A price that will change the shape of humanity -- and of the Rocinante -- unexpectedly and forever...

You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters

Unknown — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

When was the last time you listened to someone, or someone really listened to you?

At work, we're taught to lead the conversation.
On social media, we shape our personal narratives.
At parties, we talk over one another. So do our politicians.
We're not listening.
And no one is listening to us.

Despite living in a world where technology allows constant digital communication and opportunities to connect, it seems no one is really listening or even knows how. And it's making us lonelier,...

Update on New Insights on Work

Unknown — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Maybe remote work is pushing teal organizations forward?

New Insights on Work

Unknown — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been getting new insights lately on how we do work from a few sources and I can see how we work today is inefficient.

Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness

Unknown — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Bahnbrechend. Inspirierend. Eines der faszinierendsten Bücher zur Organisationsentwicklung des letzten Jahrzehnts. Dies ist ein sehr wichtiges Buch, bedeutsam in vielerlei Hinsicht: Sowohl angesichts der bahnbrechenden Forschungsergebnisse, Einsichten, Ratschläge und Empfehlungen, die es enthält, als auch aufgrund der genauso wichtigen Fragen und Herausforderungen, auf die es hinweist.“ Ken Wilber aus dem Nachwort „Die programmatische Aufforderung ‚Reinventing Organizations‘ mündet in einem Organisationsmodell, das Strukturen wie Praktiken nach neuartigen, evolutionär-integralen Prinzipien ausrichtet. Im Ergebnis steht die Erkenntnis, dass das Leben und Arbeiten in Organisationen, ebenso wie deren Leistungsbeiträge für die Gesellschaft, radikal zum Positiven verändert werden können. Aber hierzu muss nicht zuletzt die Führung eine fortgeschrittene Entwicklungsebene erreichen.“ Prof. Dr. Jürgen Weibler, Autor des Standardwerkes „Personalführung“ „Das Buch gibt Hoffnung und ganz konkrete Hilfe zur Lösung der Probleme, die wir an der Schwelle von der Postmoderne zu einem neuen Zeitalter erleben, in denen die traditionellen oder modernen Organisationsformen den Anforderungen und Bedürfnissen der Menschen nicht mehr gerecht werden.“ Eine Leserin auf Amazon.com Frederic Laloux hat mit Reinventing Organizations das Grundlagenbuch für die integrale Organisationsentwicklung verfasst. Die Breite sowie Tiefe seiner Analyse und Beschreibung – ganzheitlich, selbstorganisierend und sinnerfüllend operierender Unternehmen – ist einzigartig. Das erste Kapitel des Buches gibt einen Überblick über die historische Entwicklung von Organisationsparadigmen, bevor im zweiten Kapitel Strukturen, die Praxis und die Kultur von Organisationen, die ein erfüllendes und selbstbestimmtes Handeln der Menschen ermöglichen, anhand von ausgewählten Beispielen vorgestellt werden. Auf die Bedingungen, Hindernisse sowie Herausforderungen bei der Entwicklung dieser evolutionären Organisationen wird in Kapitel 3 eingegangen. Hier entwirft Frederic Laloux einen Leitfaden für den Weg hin zu einer ganzheitlich orientierten und sinnstiftenden Organisation. Frederic Laloux ist auch aufgrund dieses Buches ein mittlerweile gefragter Berater und Coach für Führungskräfte, die nach fundamental neuen Wegen der Organisation eines Unternehmens suchen. Er war Associate Partner bei McKinsey & Company und hält einen MBA vom INSEAD.

Thank You for Being Late

Unknown — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A New York Times Bestseller A Three-time Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize One of the Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2016, Publishers Weekly One of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2016, Kirkus Reviews One of The Wall Street Journal's “10 Books to Read Now” Something big is going on. Our lives are being transformed in so many realms at once, it’s dizzying. Thank You for Being Late is a work of contemporary history that serves as a field manual for how to think about this era of accelerations. It’s also an argument for pausing to appreciate and reflect on this amazing historical epoch we’re passing through . . .

Pneuma

Unknown — Sat, 23 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg har over den seneste tid hørt utroligt meget Tool. Det er musik jeg ikke har hørt før og det er noget helt andet end alt det andet jeg har hørt.

Mere bevægelse

Unknown — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg er begyndt at ville bevæge mig mere end jeg normalt gør. Jeg har i mange år cyklet til og fra arbejde. Typisk har der været ca. 5km hver vej og det tager omkring 20 minutter at cykle turen. Pulsen kommer lidt op, men kun hvis jeg vil det.

Mars sucks

Unknown — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Mars sucks. Its weather sucks. Its distance sucks. Its atmosphere sucks. The little water it has sucks. It has sucked for billions of years and will suck for billions more. You know what doesn’t suck? Me. Earth. I have life. I have vast oceans and lush forests. I have rivers to swim and air to breathe. But the way I’m being treated, that part sucks. You use me and pollute me. You overheat me. You use every resource I have and return very little back from where it came. > And then you dream of Mars. A hellhole. A barren, desolate, wasteland you can’t set foot on fast enough. Why not use some of that creative energy and billions on saving me? You know, the planet that’s giving you what you need to live right now. Mars can wait. I can’t.

— Earth

Reading list

Unknown — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Small collection of things to read

You midget as well timestamp it
Nullable Reference types in C# – Best practices
From zero to hero: Optimizing Android app startup time
Working with web content offline in SwiftUI apps
Core Data and SwiftUI

FUBARdemo

Unknown — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

When I was young and still studying, an old friend and I attended The Meltdown 2002 demo and lan party at Skive Handelsskole. And the weeks up this event we prepared this demo in his dorm room.

About taking risks

Unknown — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I stumbled upon this quote which really resonated with me in my current situation and the direction my life might take.

A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what ships are built for

— author John Shedd

Elbo demo

Unknown — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

When I was young and still studying an old friend and I attended The Meltdown 2002 demo and lan party at Skive Handelsskole. And I created a small demo on the spot at this event and won.

Updated website

Unknown — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

It is time that my personale website moved into this decade with dark mode support and continuous integration and continuous deployment. This enables me to writes post from my mobile phone and every where. This might bring more short posts to the site.

The Effective Executive

Unknown — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

What makes an effective executive?

The measure of the executive, Peter F. Drucker reminds us, is the ability to "get the right things done." This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.

Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned:

Managing time

Choosing what to contribute to the organization

Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect

Setting the right priorities

Knitting all of them together with effective decision-making

Ranging widely through the annals of business and government, Peter F. Drucker demonstrates the distinctive skill of the executive and offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious business situations.

The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans: How to Decode Their Behavior, Develop Unshakable Trust, and Raise a Respectable Adult

Unknown — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Harvard's Center on the Developing Child found that every kid who succeeds in the face of adversity has had at least one committed relationship with a supportive adult. But Josh Shipp didn't need Harvard to understand that. Once an at-risk foster kid, he was facing down a bleak future that was likely to include prison or homelessness--until he met the grown-up who changed his life. Enter Rodney, the foster parent who refused to quit on Shipp and finally got him to believe in himself.

Now, in The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans, Shipp shows us how to be that sort of caring adult in a teenager's life. Stressing the need for mutual respect, trust, and encouragement,he identifies three key mindsets crucial to understanding teens. He breaks down the distinct phases of teenage life, examining the challenges at each phase, and offers revelatory stories that take us deep inside the teen brain.

Shipp also shares field-tested,game-changing strategies from top professionals and provides word-for-word scripts that troubleshoot over twenty common teen issues,including:

OWNERSHIP: When my teen messes up, how can I help them take ownership?
COMMUNICATION: How do I get a teen to talk to me? They just grunt.
TRUST: My teen blew it and lost my trust. Where do we go from here?
BULLYING: Help! A teen is being harassed--online or face-to-face.
DIFFICULT & AWKWARD CONVERSATIONS: Drugs. Death. Sex. Oh my.

Written in Shipp's playful but authoritative voice,The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans lays out unflinchingly practical ways to make a difference in a teen's life. As Shipp reminds us, raising a respectable adult comes down to investing in teens and giving them the boundaries, time, and support they need to thrive.

And that means every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.

How to fix LEGO games with no sound with DxWnd

Unknown — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

I am having trouble getting the sound to come out of my living room TV from the PC I have hooked up to it. And the solution is this little wonder progam called DxWnd.

Shorthand date period parser in Rust

Unknown — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In my spare time I try to optimize my work day as Product Owner and this involves gathering a lot of data about the lives of my work items and try to visualize this in different diagrams and this often involves a date period or date range. And I was getting tired of writing from_date and to_date when parsing arguments to my programs. So I switched to a shorthand notation and found my self needing a parser.

Epic vs features vs user stories

Unknown — Sat, 06 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Når vi taler om Epics, Features og User Stories giver det for mig mere mening at tale om dem som forskellige emner der sammen genererer value til vores kunder.

Descendant

Unknown — Fri, 29 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Apparently I’m a descendant of king slayer.

Møl

Unknown — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Det er ikke så tit jeg finder ny musik jeg gider at høre. Jeg falder mest tilbage til at høre det musik jeg hørte første gang jeg var yngre. Det er bands, som Metallica, Soundgarden, Audioslave eller The Foo Fighters. Jeg orker næsten ikke at høre de nyere numre fra dem der ikke er gået i opløsning endnu, da det gamle stadig holder et hundred procent.

Sommerferiestart

Unknown — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg bruger altid noget af min ferie på at lytte til podcasts og denne ferie er ikke anderledes. Det er typisk arbejdsrelateret podcasts omkring Scrum, Kanban og Agile, i kraft af jeg selv er produkejer og hele min organisation er gået Scrum.

NoEstimates - How to measure project progress without estimating

Unknown — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Getting software project estimates right is the problem we all face. We constantly try to improve our estimation approach despite the reality that many projects are either late, or over budget, or both.

In this book we review why estimation is so hard, and what to do about it.

This book collects practices from the last 10 years of software development, applied in small and large companies to the benefit of those businesses. Improving estimates, as it turns out, is the wrong place to look for predictability in software development. #NoEstimates is an approach that provides software project progress visibility without estimation.

Read the story of Carmen, an accomplished project manager as she struggles to get a wild project under control, and help the customer get the value they need from the project. All of this with #NoEstimates, of course.

Mind dig selv om disse

Unknown — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Giv slip på fortiden

Du er ny person hverdag. Hverdag er en ny start og glem hvad du gjorde og sagde i går. Hvad der betyder noget er at du har gode intentioner og du gør dit bedste hver dag.

Skynd dig langsomt

Vi har altid travlt og vores liv, men det netop det vi skal leve og ikke skynde os med livet.

Estimater - Noter

Unknown — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Agile is not a time driven process

Estimater

Unknown — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg dykker lidt ned under overfladen og kigger på mit forhold til estimater.

Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Building Leaders by Breaking the Rules

Unknown — Sun, 10 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

‘David Marquet is the kind of leader who comes around only once in a generation … his ideas and lessons are invaluable’ Simon Sinek, author of Start With WhyCaptain David Marquet was used to giving orders. In the high-stress environment of the USS Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered submarine, it was crucial his men did their job well. But the ship was dogged by poor morale, poor performance and the worst retention in the fleet. One day, Marquet unknowingly gave an impossible order, and his crew tried to follow it anyway. He realized he was leading in a culture of followers, and they were all in danger unless they fundamentally changed the way they did things. Marquet took matters into his own hands and pushed for leadership at every level. Before long, his crew became fully engaged and the Santa Fe skyrocketed from worst t first in the fleet. No matter your business or position, you can apply Marquet’s approach to create a workplace where everyone takes responsibility for their actions, people are healthier and happier - and everyone is a leader.

#NoEstimates

Unknown — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

I min søgen efter hvad en PO laver dukkede dette emne op.

Det er ikke meningen vi skal holde op med at estimere, men at vi overvejer om den tid vi vil bruge på at estimere ikke var bedre på brugt på at kode.

Rust WASM Fuzzy time

Unknown — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Endnu en gang leger jeg lidt med Rust og WeAssembly og emnet er fuzzy-time.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

Unknown — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams. Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech’s CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni’s utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight. Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.

Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

Unknown — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

The humor and insights in the 2nd Edition of Managing Humans are drawn from Michael Lopp's management experiences at Apple, Netscape, Symantec, and Borland, among others. This book is full of stories based on companies in the Silicon Valley where people have been known to yell at each other and occasionally throw chairs. It is a place full of dysfunctional bright people who are in an incredible hurry to find the next big thing so they can strike it rich and then do it all over again. Among these people are managers, a strange breed of people who, through a mystical organizational ritual, have been given power over the future and bank accounts of many others. Whether you're an aspiring manager, a current manager, or just wondering what the heck a manager does all day, there is a story in this book that will speak to you—and help you survive and prosper amongst the general craziness.Lopp's straight-from-the-hip style is unlike any other writer on management. He pulls no punches and tells stories he probably shouldn't. But they are massively instructive and cut to the heart of the matter whether it's dealing with your boss, handling a slacker, hiring top guns, or seeing a knotty project through to completion.This second editions expands on the management essentials. It will explain why we hate meetings, but must have them, it carefully documents the right way to have a 1-on-1, and it documents the perils of not listening to your team.Writing code is easy. Managing humans is not. You need a book to help you do it, and this is it. What you’ll learn How to lead geeks How to handle conflict How to hire well How to motivate employees How to manage your boss How to say no How to handle stressed people freaking out How to improve your social IQ How to run a meeting well And much more Who this book is for This book is designed for managers and would-be managers staring at the role of a manager wondering why they would ever leave the safe world of bits and bytes for the messy world of managing humans. The book covers handling conflict, managing wildly differing personality types, infusing innovation into insane product schedules, and figuring out how to build a lasting and useful engineering culture. Table of ContentsSection 1: The Management Quiver 1. Don't Be a Prick 2. Managers Are Not Evil 3. The Rands Test 4. How to Run a Meeting 5. The Twinge 6. The Update, The Vent, and the Disaster 7. The Monday Freakout 8. Lost in Translation 9. Agenda Detection 10. Mandate Dissection 11. Information Starvation 12. Subtlety, Subterfuge, and Silence 13. Managementese 14. Fred Hates It 15. DNA 16. An Engineering Mindset17. Three Superpowers 18. Saying No Part 2: The Process is the Product 19. 1.0 20. How to Start 21. Taking Time to Think 22. The Soak 23. Managing Malcolm Events 24. Capturing Context 25. Trickle Theory 26. When the Sky Falls 27. Hacking is Important Part 3: Versions of You 28. Bored People Quit 29. Bellwethers 30. The Ninety Day Interview 31. Managing Nerds 32. NADD 33. A Nerd in a Cave 34. Meeting Creatures 35. Incrementalists and Completionists 36. Organics and Mechanics 37. Inwards, Outwards, and Holistics38. Free Electrons 39. Rules for the Reorg 40. An Unexpected Connection41. Avoiding the Fez 42. A Glimpse and a Hook 43. Nailing the Phone Screen 44. Your Resignation Checklist Glossary

Sommerferie

Unknown — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg håber du har nydt din sommerferie, om du har været i Danmark eller ude i det store udland.

Ternet Ninja 2

Unknown — Sat, 21 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Ternet Ninja er tilbage! Og denne gang går turen til Thailand, hvor den uheldige Aske sammen med sin ternede ninja-ven genoptager kampen for at få retfærdigheden til at ske fyldest.

Ternet Ninja

Unknown — Sat, 21 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Multikunstneren Anders "Anden" Matthesen er bedst kendt for sine anmelderroste standupshows, men i efteråret 2016 er han ikke kun aktuel på scenen - han debuterer også som børnebogsforfatter.

Med sin særlige humor og rå tone taler Anders Matthesen direkte ind til et ungt publikum. Det beviste han allerede for adskillige år siden med Terkel i knibe-filmen, og hans debutroman henvender sig til samme målgruppe. Ternet Ninja fortæller sprudlende om 13-årige Askes op- og nedture, konflikter og forelskelse og om hans møde med en udsædvanlig ninja, syet af en børnearbejder på en legetøjsfabrik i Thailand - og sejlet til Danmark af gode gamle onkel Stewart. En ternet ninja med rødder tilbage til det japanske samuraisamfund, der indædt kæmper for, at retfærdigheden skal ske fyldest...

Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution.

Unknown — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write the ending. Don’t miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall. It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort. Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are.

ONE OF GREATER GOOD’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR“[Brené Brown’s] research and work have given us a new vocabulary, a way to talk with each other about the ideas and feelings and fears we’ve all had but haven’t quite known how to articulate. . . . Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous.”—The Huffington Post

Tribe of Mentors

Unknown — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

We All Need Mentors. Here Are More than 100 of the World's Best.
When facing life's questions, who do you turn to for advice? We all need mentors, particularly when the odds seem stacked against us. For this book, best-selling author Tim Ferriss tracked down more than 100 eclectic mentors to help him, and you, navigate life. Through short, action-packed profiles, he shares their secrets for success, happiness, meaning, and more. No matter the challenge or opportunity, something in these pages can help.

You will learn:

The three books legendary investor Ray Dalio recommends most often

Lessons and tips from elite athletes like Maria Sharapova, Kelly Slater, Dara Torres, Tony Hawk, Dan Gable, and more

How and why Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz says no to most incoming requests

The mental models of poker phenoms Daniel Negreanu, Annie Duke, Fedor Holz, and Liv Boeree

The meditation and mindfulness practices of David...

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

Unknown — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

‘A master of persuasion.’ Forbes’This book blew my mind.’ Adam Grant, bestselling author of OriginalsA former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating – effective in any situation. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator brought him face-to-face with bank robbers, gang leaders and terrorists. Never Split the Difference takes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most – when people’s lives were at stake. Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Difference will give you the competitive edge in any discussion.‘Filled with insights that apply to everyday negotiations.’ Business Insider’A stupendous book.’ The Week’It’s rare that a book is so gripping and entertaining while still being actionable and applicable.’ Inc.

Hvad tænker en udvikler på?

Unknown — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Lad os aflive myten med at der glider strømme af nuller og ettaller ned over hans nethinde. Der bliver heller ikke tænkt i kildekode og typisk heller ikke matematiske formler.

Babylon's Ashes

Unknown — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The sixth novel in James S.A. Corey's New York Times bestselling Expanse series--now a major television series from Syfy!

A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood.

The Free Navy - a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships - has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.

James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network.

But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny, and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante's problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity

Unknown — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Now a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller

"I raced through Radical Candor--It’s thrilling to learn a framework that shows how to be both a better boss and a better colleague. Radical Candor is packed with illuminating truths, insightful advice, and practical suggestions, all illustrated with engaging (and often funny) stories from Kim Scott’s own experiences at places like Apple, Google, and various start-ups. Indispensable." —Gretchen Rubin author of New York Times bestseller *The Happiness Project*

"Reading Radical Candor will help you build, lead, and inspire teams to do the best work of their lives. Kim Scott's insights--based on her experience, keen observational intelligence and analysis--will help you be a better leader and create a more effective organization." —Sheryl Sandberg author of the New York Times bestseller *Lean In*

"Kim Scott has a well-earned reputation as a kick-ass boss and a voice that CEOs take seriously. In this remarkable book, she draws on her extensive experience to provide clear and honest guidance on the fundamentals of leading others: how to give (and receive) feedback, how to make smart decisions, how to keep moving forward, and much more. If you manage people--whether it be 1 person or a 1,000--you need Radical Candor. Now." —Daniel Pink author of New York Times bestseller *Drive*

From the time we learn to speak, we’re told that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. When you become a manager, it’s your job to say it--and your obligation.

Author Kim Scott was an executive at Google and then at Apple, where she worked with a team to develop a class on how to be a good boss. She has earned growing fame in recent years with her vital new approach to effective management, Radical Candor.

Radical Candor is a simple idea: to be a good boss, you have to Care Personally at the same time that you Challenge Directly. When you challenge without caring it’s obnoxious aggression; when you care without challenging it’s ruinous empathy. When you do neither it’s manipulative insincerity.

This simple framework can help you build better relationships at work, and fulfill your three key responsibilities as a leader: creating a culture of feedback (praise and criticism), building a cohesive team, and achieving results you’re all proud of.

Radical Candor offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management, written for bosses and those who manage bosses. Taken from years of the author’s experience, and distilled clearly giving actionable lessons to the reader; it shows managers how to be successful while retaining their humanity, finding meaning in their job, and creating an environment where people both love their work and their colleagues.

Review

"Reading Radical Candor will help you build, lead, and inspire teams to do the best work of their lives. Kim Scott's insights―based on her experience, keen observational intelligence and analysis--will help you be a better leader and create a more effective organization." ―Sheryl Sandberg, author of LEAN IN

About the Author

Kim Scott is the co-founder and CEO of Candor, Inc. Kim has been an advisor at Dropbox, Kurbo, Qualtrics, Shyp, Twitter, and several other tech companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and Doubleclick Online Sales and Operations at Google. Previously, Kim was the co-founder and CEO of Juice Software, a collaboration start-up, and led business development at Delta Three and Capital Thinking. Earlier in her career, Kim worked as a senior policy advisor at the FCC, managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo, started a diamond cutting factory in Moscow, and was an analyst on the Soviet Companies Fund. She is the author of three novels Virtual Love, The Househusband, and The Measurement Problem; she and her husband Andy Scott are parents of twins and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Flyttet til Netlify

Unknown — Sat, 28 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Mit site er nu flyttet til Netlify, som bygger min JekyllRB løsning via CI/CD og hoster den der. Der er indbygget support for Let’s Encrypt, så må vi se hvordan det fungere. Manuel vedligehold på egen maskine er for bøvlet.

Skrevet noget i Rust

Unknown — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Alle de værktøjer jeg har skrevet til mig selv, har altid været skrevet i C# og det er der sådan set ikke noget galt i.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Unknown — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

In this instant New York Times bestseller, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.”Drawing on her own powerful story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently noted her lack of “genius,” Duckworth, now a celebrated researcher and professor, describes her early eye-opening stints in teaching, business consulting, and neuroscience, which led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not “genius” but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance. In Grit, she takes readers into the field to visit cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, teachers working in some of the toughest schools, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she’s learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers—from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll. Among Grit’s most valuable insights: *Why any effort you make ultimately counts twice toward your goal *How grit can be learned, regardless of I.Q. or circumstances *How lifelong interest is triggered *How much of optimal practice is suffering and how much ecstasy *Which is better for your child—a warm embrace or high standards *The magic of the Hard Thing Rule Winningly personal, insightful, and even life-changing, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that—not talent or luck—makes all the difference.

The Tao of Pooh

Unknown — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The how of Pooh? The Tao of who? The Tao of Pooh!? in which it is revealed that one of the world’s great Taoist masters isn’t Chinese’or a venerable philosopher’but is in fact none other that that effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear. A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh!While Eeyore frets? and Piglet hesitates? and Rabbit calculates? and Owl pontificates? Pooh just is.And that’s a clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists.

The Road to Character

Unknown — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

In The Road to Character David Brooks, best-selling author of The Social Animal and New York Times columnist, explains why selflessness leads to greater success

You could say there are two kinds of virtues in the world, the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues. The résumé virtues are the ones you list on your CV, the skills that contribute to external success. The eulogy virtues are deeper. They're what get talked about at your funeral and they are usually the virtues that exist at the core of your being - whether you are kind, brave, honest or faithful, what kind of relationships you formed over your lifetime.

In this urgent and soul-searching book, David Brooks explores the road to character. We live in a culture that encourages us to think about how to be wealthy and successful, but which leaves many of us inarticulate about how to cultivate the deepest inner life. We know that this deeper life matters, but it becomes subsumed by the day-to-day, and the deepest parts of who we are go unexplored and unstructured. The Road to Character connects us once again to an ancient moral tradition, a tradition that asks us to confront our own weaknesses and grow in response, rather than shallowly focus on our good points. It is a focus David Brooks believes all of us - including himself - need to reconnect with now.

Telling the stories of people through history who have exemplified the different activities that contribute to a deeper existence, Brooks uses the diverse lives of individuals such as George Eliot, Dwight Eisenhower and Augustine to explore traits such as self-mastery, dignity, vocation and love. He hopes that through considering their lives it will fire the longing we all have to be better, to find the path to character.

David Brooks is a columnist for The New York Times and frequent broadcaster. His previous books include the bestsellers The Social Animal and Bobos in Paradise. His New York Times columns reach over 800,000 readers across the globe.

Review

“David Brooks’s gift—as he might put it in his swift, engaging way—is for making obscure but potent social studies research accessible and even startling. . . . [The Road to Character is] a hyper-readable, lucid, often richly detailed human story. . . . In the age of the selfie, Brooks wishes to exhort us back to a semiclassical sense of self-restraint, self-erasure, and self-suspicion.”—Pico Iyer, *The New York Times Book Review*

“David Brooks—the New York Times columnist and PBS commentator whose measured calm gives punditry a good name—offers the building blocks of a meaningful life.”—Washingtonian
*
“This profound and eloquent book is written with moral urgency and philosophical elegance.”—Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon*

“[Brooks] emerges as a countercultural leader. . . . The literary achievement of The Road to Character is inseparable from the virtues of its author. As the reader, you not only want to know about Frances Perkins or Saint Augustine. You also want to know what Brooks makes of Frances Perkins or Saint Augustine. The voice of the book is calm, fair and humane. The highlight of the material is the quality of the author’s moral and spiritual judgments.”—Michael Gerson, *The Washington Post*

“A powerful, haunting book that works its way beneath your skin.”—The Guardian (U.K.)

“This learned and engaging book brims with pleasures.”—*Newsday*

“Original and eye-opening . . . At his best, Brooks is a normative version of Malcolm Gladwell, culling from a wide array of scientists and thinkers to weave an idea bigger than the sum of its parts.”—*USA Today*

“David Brooks breaks the columnist’s fourth wall. . . . There is something affecting in the diligence with which Brooks seeks a cure for his self-diagnosed shallowness by plumbing the depths of others. . . . Brooks’s instinct that there is wisdom to be found in literature that cannot be found in the pages of the latest social science journals is well-advised, and the possibility that his book may bring the likes of Eliot or Samuel Johnson—another literary figure about whom he writes with engaging sympathy—to a wider general readership is a heartening thought.”—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker

“If you want to be reassured that you are special, you will hate this book. But if you like thoughtful polemics, it is worth logging off Facebook to read it.”—The Economist

“Brooks uses the powerful stories of people such as Augustine, George Eliot and Dwight Eisenhower to inspire.”—The Times (U.K.)

“Elegant and lucid . . . a pitch-perfect clarion call, issued not with preachy hubris but from a deep place of humility, for awakening to the greatest rewards of living . . . The Road to Character is an essential read in its entirety—Anne Lamott with a harder edge of moral philosophy, Seneca with a softer edge of spiritual sensitivity, E. F. Schumacher for perplexed moderns.”—Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

“Brooks, author of The Social Animal,* offers biographies of a cross section of individuals who struggled against their own weaknesses and limitations and developed strong moral fiber. . . . [He] offers a humility code that cautions against living only for happiness and that recognizes we are ultimately saved by grace.”—Booklist

“The road to exceptional character may be unpaved and a bit rocky, yet it is still worth the struggle. This is the basic thesis of Brooks’s engrossing treatise on personal morality in today’s materialistic, proud world. . . . [His] poignant and at times quite humorous commentary on the importance of humility and virtue makes for a vital, uplifting read.”—Publishers Weekly*

About the Author

David Brooks is one of the nation’s leading writers and commentators. He is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and appears regularly on PBS NewsHour and Meet the Press. He is the bestselling author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement; Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There; and On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense.

The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement

Unknown — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

With unequaled insight and brio, David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and best-selling author of Bobos in Paradise, has long explored and explained the way we live. Now, with the intellectual curiosity and emotional wisdom that make his columns among the most read in the nation, Brooks turns to the building blocks of human flourishing in a multilayered, profoundly illuminating work grounded in everyday life.

This is the story of how success happens. It is told through the lives of one composite American couple, Harold and Erica - how they grow, push forward, are pulled back, fail, and succeed. Distilling a vast array of information into these two vividly realized characters, Brooks illustrates a fundamental new understanding of human nature. A scientific revolution has occurred - we have learned more about the human brain in the last 30 years than we had in the previous 3,000.

The unconscious mind, it turns out, is most of the mind - not a dark, vestigial place but a creative and enchanted one, where most of the brain's work gets done. This is the realm of emotions, intuitions, biases, longings, genetic predispositions, personality traits, and social norms: the realm where character is formed and where our most important life decisions are made. The natural habitat of The Social Animal.

Drawing on a wealth of current research from numerous disciplines, Brooks takes Harold and Erica from infancy to school; from the "odyssey years" that have come to define young adulthood to the high walls of poverty; from the nature of attachment, love, and commitment, to the nature of effective leadership. He reveals the deeply social aspect of our very minds and exposes the bias in modern culture that overemphasizes rationalism, individualism, and IQ. Along the way, he demolishes conventional definitions of success while looking toward a culture based on trust and humility.

Is This Bat Country?

Unknown — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This could be bat country, I really don’t know. I’m heading into, for me untested waters as a project leader, working with agile methods.

Reading Material - Blogs, Digest and so on

Unknown — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I’m reading a great deal of personal blogs, company blogs, getting inspiration from digests and popular news feeds pertaining my area of expertise. And I would like to share some of the sources I find very interesting. They are in no particular order, preference or grouped by at all.

Reverse numbers without string cast in Javascript

Unknown — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Stepped onto an article at The Code Project on how to reverse a number in javascript without casting it to a string and decided to understand how this works by my self.

Why Uber Engineering Switched From Postgres to MySQL

Unknown — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Interesting read on why Uber switched from Postgres to MySQL

TL;DR

Apparently Postgres does not scale really well and data gets corrupted over time.

Read the full blog post here

The Corner Boys

Unknown — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Two dealers of illegal substances standing on a corner trying to make a sale and trying to kill time while waiting.

The facepalm

Unknown — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

You may know the Football World Cup logo Brazil 2014 looking like a facepalm and thought to yourself that looked pretty funny.

Feed to mail [UPDATED]

Unknown — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been a month since I posted the initial version of feed2mail.python and now I have some updates for you.

Feed to mail

Unknown — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A while back I started getting anti social and move all my news reading back to feeds and sent them to my email. I used Ifttt for this. It is a pretty good service for getting feeds into your mailbox. You can set up daily or weekly digest of a feed or you can just send a feed entry to you mail when is it posted. But what didn’t work as well were the mails I received eg. I can not change the layout of these mails. Ifttt is also shortening all links in the mails. This means they know which links I have clicked and I didn’t need that. Some links even failed to redirect and I was left at Ifttt with a message that the link didn’t work.

I'm an engineer

Unknown — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Just a funny song with a catchy chorus

New feed link

Unknown — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Just a heads up. I’ll be changing feed url to /feed.xml from atom.xml soon. Github Pages are now supporting the jekyll-feed plugin. There are both a summary and a content field in the new feed. Nothing changes other than a more rigid feed generation.

New phone, maybe

Unknown — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Yes, I know! I’m add it again. There is a a new Windows Phone OS and a new Microsoft Lumia. Since the last price bump for an iPhone 6s I’m having a hard time justifying the price tag. When I look at the Lumia 950xl and the pricing and features it look more what I want from a phone.

Frustrating Speech Recognition

Unknown — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This must be one of the must frustrating experiences a developer can endurre. I laughed through the entire video when he tries to write code through speech recognition.

Still an Intermediate Developer

Unknown — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A good intermediate developer needs less supervision. They can be trusted to raise issues of code design, and play a valuable role in design discussions. They are also the “workhorses” of the dev team. However, further mentoring and higher level supervision is still vital.

by Matt Briggs

I’m an experienced developer, with lots of baggage. But reading this broad generalization I’m still an intermediate developer and I’m fine with that. There are still much to learn.

Getters and Setters are highly overused

Unknown — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve seen millions of people claiming that public fields are evil, so they make them private and provide getters and setters for all of them. I believe this is almost identical to making the fields public, maybe a bit different if you’re using threads (but generally is not the case) or if your accessors have business/presentation logic (something ‘strange’ at least). I’m not in favor of public fields, but against making a getter/setter (or Property) for everyone of them, and then claiming that doing that is encapsulation or information hiding… ha!

by Pablo Fernandez

Paths of Hate

Unknown — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I came across this short film and I really enjoyed the visual style and effects. It is about 10minutes long.

Getting a new job

Unknown — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

My current job at Tangora Software A/S is soon comming to an end. It been more than five years since they hired me.

Anti-social

Unknown — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve cleaned up some of my accounts an this time I quitted Twitter, Instagram and Google. I’ve been using these platforms for some times now and I came to realize that they weren’t giving me anything at all.

Programming sucks

Unknown — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

So no, I’m not required to be able to lift objects weighing up to fifty pounds. I traded that for the opportunity to trim Satan’s pubic hair while he dines out of my open skull so a few bits of the internet will continue to work for a few more days.

PIWIK - rolling my own analytics tool

Unknown — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

PIWIK is my opportunity to roll my own analytics tools and stop relying on the mighty Google Analytics. The tool is based on PHP and MySQL as every other free webservice almost is. And as every web hosting today in Denmark is serving PHP and MySQL, then why not.

Opsamling på ølkalender 2014

Unknown — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg fik aldrig anmeldt alle øl i mine ølkalender for 2014, så her kommer der lige en lille opsummering af min generelle oplevelse. Dem der havde set frem til at få alle øl anmeldt må jeg hermed skuffe.

Using ClickATell to send unicode SMS

Unknown — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Sending a SMS and get it displayed correctly on the device shouldn’t be a concern for the end programmer when using a SMS gateway, but it is. When using ClickATell’s API you have to tell it that you are sending unicode characters and encode it in HEX too.

Choosing a twitter client

Unknown — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

It is not alway easy to choose the right twitter client, but Federico Viticci from macstories.net tries to cast light on the matter in his segment called “Twitter Clients in 2014 = An Exploration of Tweetbot, Twitterrific, and Twitter for iOS”

Dobbelt op på sagerne

Unknown — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg er kommet lidt bagud med ølsmagningen, derfor dette lille opsamlingsheat tripel og noget julet.

Jule Hyg'

Unknown — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Jule hyg’ er endnu en øl fra Refsvindinge og indtil videre den svagest øl, det er den dog ikke blevet ringere af.

Trappisten fra Westmalle

Unknown — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Ja, jeg er lidt uinspireret. Det er ikke toppen af poppen, men mere en jævn øl.

Stærke Julius

Unknown — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg synes det fortsat køre for kalenderen her på anden dagen, dog har vi sta styrken lidt op. Denne gang skal vi til Bryggeriet Refsvindinge. En dansk brygget øl.

Halvmånen i Brügge

Unknown — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Årets første øl i min ølkalender er en Brugse Bok fra De halve maan i Brügge Belgien. Det er ikke en øl jeg er bekendt med, dog har jeg efterhånden drukket en del belgiske øl og jeg ved hvad jeg kan forvente.

Twitter cards support

Unknown — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Previously on my selfhosted Wordpress site I’ve had Twitter Cards added to the header of my pages and I wanted that again.

Min ølkalender 2014

Unknown — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Jeg har gjort mig fortjent til en pakkekalender i år. Sidste gang jeg fik en var det min kone der besluttede jeg skulle have en. Det kunne jeg ikke byder hende denne gang, så jeg bestilte den udefra. Det blive fra det lille websted, kendt som Ølhandleren.

My first Jekyll post

Unknown — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Cross you fingers!

Vim Poem

Unknown — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This is my .vimrc. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My .vimrc is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My .vimrc, without me, is useless. Without my .vimrc, I am useless. I must edit my .vimrc true.

Courtesy of @benfrain

Pocket - Autopost to Twitter via IFTTT and Buffer

Unknown — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

I have a pleasant setup for saving articles from Twitter for later in Pocket, adding tags to articles. Reading the articles and marking them as read in Pocket. When marked as read there’s a trigger in IFTTT which adds the read article to Buffer which then post my read article back to twitter with my hashtags applied. I will not go into the basic of all the services, that is for you to explorer.

My first python script

Unknown — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

My first python script! Woohoo to me! I’m working with a file and using a for-loop. It is crazy.

NemID challenges as a module through webservices

Unknown — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned in an earlier post Thoughts about NemID versus Payment gatways, my setup is based on webservices. In this article I will elaborate on how it works and some of the thoughts, troubles, challenges behind my solution.

Thoughts about NemID versus Payment gateways

Unknown — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been working with implementing NemID, since 2010 and it has alway baffled me why DanID are doing it the way they do. I will not discuss the bad or good descision when it comes to JAVA or the centralization of the service, but merely compare it to how we pay for our goods on a online shop.

cURL with PHP to fetch JSON data

Unknown — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been fiddling around with PHP and cURL vs. IIS and I finally got to work.

Welcome, I'm Alive

Unknown — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Hello there. Welcome to my blog. This blog will contain subjects about programming, code and nerdy stuff in general. Best of luck to us all.

/Memborg