QuickRead Podcast - Free book summaries

Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other.

Today, it’s easier than ever to connect with another person. Thanks to social media apps like Facebook, we have opened ourselves up to become available at all hours of the day. While this makes people stay connected virtually, our modern lives are making us less connected as we no longer connect with physical people but simulations of them. And not only is technology providing us with an endless network of people, but it is also equipping us with robots who can do more than just take on mindless or dangerous tasks. Now, robots are providing humans with care and demanding that we care for them. In Alone Together, author Sherry Turkle explores the power of these new technologies and shares both sides of today’s digital culture. As you read, you’ll learn how robots can be therapeutic for the elderly, why being constantly connected leads to stress, and why people use virtual avatars to cope with the stresses of life.

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Unlock your potential to make a difference in the world.

We all want to do something that matters. We all hope that our lives will leave a positive impact on the world. Unfortunately, however, we often get stuck along the way, overwhelmed by the weight of our own fears or the grind of everyday life. That’s why author and entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie has crafted this guide for building a business that matters. Following his business model-- which donates products to a person in need for every product purchased-- you’ll learn how you too can start something that matters.

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How Good Ideas Spread: The Lessons from New Science.

Each time you use your cell phone to call someone, scroll social media, download an app, use the GPS, or make an online purchase, you are creating data. This data is more useful than you might realize, and when it is collected and analyzed, this data can teach us how humanity behaves and how social learning occurs. Today, social scientists are relying on such data to study the patterns of how information exchanges in a social network and to predict how productive that network is, whether it’s a business or an entire city. We can also use this data to its fullest potential by maximizing the collective intelligence of a group to improve performance and use social incentives to create new organizations. These social networks, from small groups to large cities, can then be fine-tuned to increase exploration and engagement, resulting in an improvement in the flow of ideas and creating an overall more innovative, efficient society. As you read, you’ll learn why Zurich is the model of the perfect city, how data is the new oil, and how that data can be used to create the perfect society.

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DISCLAIMER: This book summary is meant as a preview and not a replacement for the original book. If you like this summary please consider purchasing the original book to get the full experience as the original author intended to. If you are the original author of any book on QuickRead and would like us to remove it, please contact us at [email protected]

The New Science of Building Brain Power.

How can you make yourself smarter? Do you simply read more books? Learn a new language? Pick up a new instrument? Improving your intelligence has long been thought of as bogus among the scientific community. In other words, you are stuck with what you’re born with. This idea, however, is changing. Psychologists have long been trying to prove how various brain-training techniques can improve your intelligence. Unfortunately, measuring intelligence is a tricky business. But author Dan Hurley has done the research and is here to provide you with the many techniques proven to make you smarter. As you read, you’ll learn why improving intelligence is such a controversial topic, which type of physical exercise will make you smarter, and how playing games can boost your memory and attention.

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The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life, in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies

What do the smallest mammals on earth have in common with the largest? What do these mammals have in common with cities? With economies? With companies? It may seem as if everything on Earth is a separate, unique, and diverse organism but author Geoffrey West has discovered an underlying simplicity that unites every living system, including our bodies, our cities, and our businesses. Fascinated with aging and mortality, West sought to answer the question of why we live as long as we do and no longer. In his research, he found some incredible results that changed science forever. Mammals, for example, no matter how diverse, are all scaled versions of one another. In other words, if you know the size of a mammal, you can use scaling laws to learn everything about that mammal, including how much food it eats per day, what its heart rate is, and its lifespan. West, however, didn’t stop there. He then applied his findings to the cities we live in and the businesses we work for. Using scaling laws, you can learn everything you need to know about the growth of a company or city, resulting in some powerful insights into why some businesses thrive and others fail. Even more, he’s using the same theories to predict the future sustainability of the planet. As you read, you’ll learn whether or not Superman and Godzilla can exist, what humans have in common with the blue whale, and how scaling laws can help us predict the future.

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A Recovery Guide for Workplace Aggression and Bullying.

Do you or someone you know work with an office bully? If so, you'll likely understand how powerful the effects of a workplace bully can be. It can make victims feel miserable at work and dread showing up each day. Unfortunately, workplace aggression and abuse are becoming increasingly more common. And we aren’t just talking about bosses tormenting their employees. We are talking about a more deceitful attack called mobbing. Workplace mobbing occurs when a workplace group, which typically includes management as well, harasses and torments an employee until that employee is forced to leave due to the stress of working in such a toxic environment. Workplace mobbing can destroy careers and lead to physical and emotional stress. In its worst cases, it can lead to mental illness and even suicide. Authors and mental health professionals Maureen Duffy and Len Sperry aim to explain mobbing, why it occurs, and how companies can eliminate it. As you read, you’ll learn how to identify mobbing, why it forces people to leave careers they love, and how a speak no evil company fosters a healthy work environment.

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Learn How a New Understanding of the Brain Will Lead to the Creation of Truly Intelligent Machines.

In today’s modern world, our relationship with computers has become revolutionary with the invention of artificial intelligence. Today, we can talk to our devices and, even better, they can answer. We have created a world that, in the past, was only seen in science fiction books and movies. But there is still something missing. Artificial intelligence is just that… artificial. But what if we could create computers that have real intelligence? What if we built computers that work the same way our brains do? Through On Intelligence, Hawkins presents a powerful theory of how the human brain works and explains why computers are not intelligent. According to this theory, we will finally be able to build intelligent machines. So what kind of intelligent machines can we begin to expect in the future? How will these machines change the way we live? Or interact with one another? As you read, you’ll learn how the human brain is superior to the computer, why robots will never take over the world, and what kinds of technology you might see in the future.

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Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business.

If someone asked you to think of a successful business, you might think about companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, and Starbucks. But using these companies as a vision of success can be a bit overwhelming. I mean, how can you build a business that successful? Well, it’s time to change your definition of success. Companies like Amazon and Google are big. But with big companies comes big problems, you need more profit, more employees, more infrastructure, and more bureaucracies. Is building something that big worth the stress? Instead, this “bigger is better” mentality is wrong. Success means building something small, where you work a limited number of hours per year, and enjoy spending quality time with your family, traveling, or even pursuing the hobbies you love. So rather than building a company that requires more, you should focus on building one that requires less: a company of one. As you read, you’ll learn why staying small should be your end goal, how to find purpose in your work, and how to start your business without needing large investments or investors.

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Why the internet won’t last forever.

It’s easy to assume the internet will always be around, but Jeff Stibel applies his expertise in understanding networks to prove that that isn’t the case. By drawing parallels between the brain and the internet, Stibel demonstrates that the two have more in common than we think and that it may be possible to link the commonalities between virtual and neurological networks to create a better system.

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What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared For Anything.

Becoming an astronaut is a childhood dream of people all over the world. Being able to leave Earth, experience zero-gravity, and float among the stars is something only a few people in life are lucky enough to experience. Chris Hadfield is one of the lucky few. After logging nearly 4,000 hours in space and spending decades training, Chris has plenty of stories to tell and lessons that he’s learned. The secret to his success and his survival can boil down to one unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst. You see, preparing for the worst sounds negative and pessimistic, but for an astronaut, preparing for the worst is a matter of life and death. Throughout An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, Chris Hadfield aims to teach his readers what he’s learned through his time in space. The lessons from space can be easily applied to life on Earth, no matter what you do for a living. As you read, you’ll learn how thinking like an astronaut can help you find peace of mind, how there is no such thing as over-preparation, and how landing a capsule from space is nothing like landing a plane.

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DISCLAIMER: This book summary is meant as a preview and not a replacement for the original book. If you like this summary please consider purchasing the original book to get the full experience as the original author intended it to be. If you are the original author of any book on QuickRead and would like us to remove it, please contact us at [email protected]