News & Opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
Why do you work?
By Porchlight
I'm sad to admit that I've had jobs in the past that were difficult to get out of bed to go to. Once at the job, I would try my best to find something interesting about the things going on to occupy some mental space; imagination playing a big role. I would create stories, I would plan projects, and I would accomplish all sorts of things in my head while my body went around completing totally mundane (and sometimes downright unpleasant) tasks.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
Do You TED?
By Sally Haldorson
Cruising Twitter this morning, I read a quick mention of a talk on TED ("TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. On TED. com, we make the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
Finding True Wealth
By Porchlight
There are a lot of great books coming out lately, and more to follow throughout the year. It seems the current business climate is an opportunity to present new ideas, a tabula rasa, so to speak, and we're discovering some real gems of thought being introduced to the world. One perfect example of this is the book Plenitude: The Economics of True Wealth by Juliet Schor.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
Linchpins are everywhere!
By Porchlight
At least they are certainly in Milwaukee. If you're in the area, join us next Monday, June 14, for the Seth Godin inspired Linchpin Meetup event. 800-CEO-READ's ChangeThis is one of the co-sponsors, and we're offering a Seth Godin boxed set as a prize to be given away at the event.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
8CR's Top 5 International Best Selling Books for May 2010
By Porchlight
May sure was a busy month! It started out quiet and and then picked up some speed somewhere in the middle. About 2 weeks before the end of the month, central and Northern Wisconsin had a huge blizzard - it was almost a white-out (I know this because I had to travel that weekend to visit my mom for Mothers' Day).
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
Being Irreplaceable
By Porchlight
As the economy and job market continue to climb back on their feet, a few books have been published that address the 'survivors' on a personal level, the most notable being Seth Godin's Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? In it, the author describes the characteristics that define a person who brings value to the work, groups, and experiences they are involved in. On one hand a personal development book, on the other hand, it's an economic development book, as it addresses how we as individuals can contribute to turning things around for the companies we work for in the process.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
ChangeThis: Issue 71
By Porchlight
Ladies and gentleman, it's the 71th issue of ChangeThis. Excerpts and links below. ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ Plenitude: A Statement On Economics, Ecology & True Wealth by Juliet Schor “Business-as-usual economics relies on stimulating GNP to solve virtually all problems.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
The Shallows: Interview with Nicholas Carr
By Porchlight
Last year, Nicholas Carr wrote a book called The Big Switch on how computing was changing history, the economy, and our lives in powerful ways. His new book, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains addresses the issue from a different standpoint: That the internet, while extremely useful, is making us become more dependent on it, and in the process, is literally changing the neurological patterns in our brains, and thus, how we think. Controversial but insightful, this is the kind of book that makes you step aside from routines you didn't even realize you were a part of, and examine them.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
101 Things
By Porchlight
Michael Preis and Matthew Frederick have written an interesting little book called 101 Things I Learned in Business School, which is part of the "101 Things I Learned" series of books. On the surface, it's a listing of 101 points both technically proficient, and philosophically sound. With info on mission statements, accounting, definitions of various business terms, to "how to" issues like culture analysis, looking forward, and sales and advertising practices, this small sized book is really thorough in it's scope, and is perfect for the MBA student as a handy reference, or for anyone else that wants some of the core knowledge without spending a ton on a new degree.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
Made by Hand
By Porchlight
Whether you're looking to live "off the grid," looking to start your own business, or simply want to find some inspiration to better face challenges in your life, I can't recommend the new book by Mark Frauenfelder, Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World highly enough. Many will recognize Frauenfelder as the founder of the blog Boing Boing and the Editor in Chief of Make magazine, but this book is so much more - it's his personal story and insight. The intro describes the author's family's quest to find peaceful living, away from the hectic city life, so they sell their belongings and move to an exotic island.
Categories: news-opinion
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