In Pursuit of Elegance
In Pursuit of Elegance

Author: Matthew E. May

Publisher: Crown Currency

Published: 2010-09-07

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 0385526504

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What made the Sopranos finale one of the most-talked-about events in television history? Why is sudoku so addictive and the iPhone so darn irresistible? What do Jackson Pollock and Lance Armstrong have in common with theoretical physicists and Buddhist monks? Elegance. In this thought-provoking exploration of why certain events, products, and people capture our attention and imaginations, Matthew E. May examines the elusive element behind so many innovative breakthroughs in fields ranging from physics and marketing to design and popular culture. Combining unusual simplicity and surprising power, elegance is characterized by four key elements—seduction, subtraction, symmetry, and sustainability. In a compelling, story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need for elegance in design, engineering, art, urban planning, sports, and work, May offers surprising evidence that what’s “not there” often trumps what is. In the bestselling tradition of The Tipping Point, Made to Stick, and The Black Swan, In Pursuit of Elegance will change the way you think about the world.

The Elegant Solution
The Elegant Solution

Author: Matthew May

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2008-09-04

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1847375138

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One million. That's how many new ideas the Toyota organization receives from its employees every year. These ideas come from every level of the organization - from the factory floors to the corporate suites. And organizations all over the world want to learn how they do it. Now Matthew May, Senior Advisor to the University of Toyota, reveals how any company can create an environment of every day innovation and achieve the elegant solutions found only on the far side of complexity. A tactical guide for team-based innovation, THE ELEGANT SOLUTION delivers the formula to the three principles and ten practices that drive business creativity. Innovation isn't just about technology - it's about value, opportunity and impact. When a company embeds a real discipline around the pursuit of perfection, the sky is the limit. Dozens of case studies (from Toyota and other companies) illustrate the power and universality of these concepts; a unique 'clamshell strategy' prepares managers to ensure organizational success. At once a thought-shaper, a playmaker, and a taskmaster, THE ELEGANT SOLUTION is a practical field manual for everyone in corporate life.

Then We Came to the End
Then We Came to the End

Author: Joshua Ferris

Publisher: Little, Brown

Published: 2007-03-01

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 0759572283

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Winner of the Hemingway Foundation / PEN Award, this debut novel is "as funny as The Office, as sad as an abandoned stapler . . . that rare comedy that feels blisteringly urgent." (TIME) No one knows us in quite the same way as the men and women who sit beside us in department meetings and crowd the office refrigerator with their labeled yogurts. Every office is a family of sorts, and the Chicago ad agency depicted in Joshua Ferris's exuberantly acclaimed first novel is family at its best and worst, coping with a business downturn in the time-honored way: through gossip, elaborate pranks, and increasingly frequent coffee breaks. With a demon's eye for the details that make life worth noticing, Joshua Ferris tells an emotionally true and funny story about survival in life's strangest environment—the one we pretend is normal five days a week. One of the Best Books of the Year Boston Globe * Christian Science Monitor * New York Magazine * New York Times Book Review * St. Louis Post-Dispatch * Time magazine * Salon

The Perfect Gentleman
The Perfect Gentleman

Author: James Sherwood

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2021-04-27

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0500023727

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For the man who has everything, and for the luxury industry trying to seduce him: a rich insight into what makes a product endure and bring pleasure to all who possess it In an age of globalization with fashion trends that change by the day, the quality and workmanship of the great British luxury brands endure and flourish like never before. Valued for their craftsmanship, superlative quality, exclusivity, and the status they confer on their owners, these “heritage houses” have been synonymous with the finest production for hundreds of years. This lavish publication celebrates the gentleman’s search for the perfect sartorial detail or the ideal accessory. It features six historical chapters, from the Regency period to the present, each of which presents classic British marques, including shoemakers, jewelers, shirt and tie makers, cloth makers, perfumers, hatters, and vintners. The final chapter showcases the new generation of designer-artisans who are redefining notions of quality and handwork in the era of globalization and digital technologies. A reference section presents the London gentleman’s social world, from the shopping arcade (Burlington) to hotels (The Savoy) and the member’s clubs and antiquarians in between.

Machine Beauty
Machine Beauty

Author: David Gelernter

Publisher:

Published: 1998-01-23

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13:

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Called "a brand name in computer science" by "The New York Times Magazine", renowned scientist and visionary David Gelernter offers a fascinating and often humorous discussion of the critical role of beauty, elegance, and aesthetics in computer technology. Print features.

Elegant Simplicity
Elegant Simplicity

Author: Satish Kumar

Publisher: New Society Publisher

Published: 2019-04-02

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 1771422998

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“A profound and accessible guide to an ecological civilization of peace, material sufficiency, and spiritual abundance for all.” —David Korten, international-bestselling author of When Corporations Rule the World Consumerism drives the pursuit of happiness in much of the world, yet as wealth grows unhappiness abounds, compounded by the grave problems of climate change, pollution, and ecological degradation. We’ve now reached both an environmental and spiritual dead-end that leaves us crying out for alternatives. Elegant Simplicity provides a coherent philosophy of life that weaves together simplicity of material life, thought, and spirit. In it, Satish Kumar, environmental thought leader and former monk, distills five decades of reflection and wisdom into a guide for everyone, covering: · The ecological and spiritual principles of living simply · Shedding both “stuff” and psychological baggage · Opening your mind and heart to the deep value of relationships · Embedding simplicity in all aspects of life including education and work · Merging science and spirituality for a coherent worldview. Elegant Simplicity is a life guide for everyone wanting off the relentless treadmill of competition and consumption and seeking a life that prioritizes the ecological integrity of the Earth, social equity, and personal tranquility and happiness. “Satish Kumar embodies the elegance of simplicity . . . follow his path to make your life simple, elegant, and inspiring.” —Deepak Chopra, New York Times–bestselling author “In this moving and eloquent book, Satish Kumar takes us through his own journey to a simpler, happier life with a low ecological footprint.” —David Suzuki, award-winning geneticist, author, broadcaster, and environmental activist

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Author: Muriel Barbery

Publisher: Europa Editions

Published: 2008-09-02

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 1609450132

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The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that “explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building” (Publishers Weekly). In an elegant hôtel particulier in Paris, Renée, the concierge, is all but invisible—short, plump, middle-aged, with bunions on her feet and an addiction to television soaps. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she’s everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in an upscale neighborhood. But Renée has a secret: She furtively, ferociously devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor, she scrutinizes the lives of the tenants—her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. Talented and precocious, she’s come to terms with life’s seeming futility and decided to end her own on her thirteenth birthday. Until then, she will continue hiding her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop culture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Renée hide their true talents and finest qualities from a world they believe cannot or will not appreciate them. But after a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building, they will begin to recognize each other as kindred souls, in a novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us, and “teaches philosophical lessons by shrewdly exposing rich secret lives hidden beneath conventional exteriors” (Kirkus Reviews). “The narrators’ kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson’s fluent translation) propel us ahead.” —The New York Times Book Review “Barbery’s sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations.” —The New Yorker

The Shibumi Strategy
The Shibumi Strategy

Author: Matthew E. May

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2010-10-12

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0470892161

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Gold Medal Winner, Business Fable, 2012 Axiom Business Book Awards A personal leadership fable on applying principles of Zen to work & life choices. The Shibumi Strategy is a little book about a big breakthrough. It tells the story of a hardworking family man who finds himself in crisis when his company closes. Through his struggle, and guidance from unlikely sources, he learns subtle lessons in the form of “personal zen” principles, coming to understand that it is often the involuntary challenge, the setbacks, that harbor the power to transform. When approached as an opportunity — no easy task when simple survival is the first order of business—unforeseen trials can sometimes result in an altogether new lease on life. Shows how "personal leadership" can lead to real (and not always easy) breakthroughs Includes key lessons on commitment, preparation, struggle, breakthrough, and transformation Is based on Shibumi, a Japanese word without literal definition that describes the height of personal excellence, elegant performance, and effortless effectiveness. For those struggling with personal breakthroughs, The Shubimi Strategy offers a new way to face work and life challenges for balanced solutions.

In Pursuit of Beauty
In Pursuit of Beauty

Author: Timothy Whealon

Publisher: Rizzoli Publications

Published: 2015-09-29

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0847846008

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An appealing approach to creating elegant, worldly interiors that are rooted in the comforts of home. Interior designer Timothy Whealon is beloved for his accessible style, his seamless blend of classic and modern influences, and his skillful use of artwork and antiques, thanks to an extensive knowledge of fine and decorative arts. Whealon’s design philosophy finds its roots in classicism; however, he approaches each project with a fresh, twenty-first-century eye that makes it both modern and timeless. He doesn’t believe in interiors that look “decorated,” as if everything has been done at once. Rather, he layers items from different periods and cultures, artfully mixing the pristine and the patinated. This book is the first to showcase Whealon’s interiors, from an airy New York penthouse to a gracious Mediterranean-style villa to a casual beach cottage. Whether urban or rural, grand or intimate, each project exhibits classicism alongside comfort, careful attention to detail, and undeniable appeal. Many of the projects included have been newly photographed for this book, and each is a testament to Whealon’s exquisite taste and understanding of how people live today.