The science of complexity has revolutionized our understanding of everything from the brain to the economy to the weather. This book shows how it can change the way we approach our most persistent social problems. It introduces key concepts like emergence, self-organization and networks, and uses them to propose novel solutions to problems that affect us all. Suitable for anyone struggling to cope with complex challenges. Written by Yaneer Bar-Yam the leading expert in the use of complexity science in solving real world problems in healthcare, education, military, engineering, ethnic violence and terrorism.
Offers a collection of essays on philosophies and strategies for defining, leading, and managing projects. This book explains to technical and non-technical readers alike what it takes to get through a large software or web development project. It does not cite specific methods, but focuses on philosophy and strategy.
Workplace conflict is inevitable. When it happens, how can you get back on track? Like all relationships, the ones we have at work are subject to stresses—maybe even fractures that can really take a toll on the workplace. Productivity is lost. Time is wasted. Tension mounts. Cooperation is reduced. And the workplace becomes toxic. What’s the solution? In Making Things Right at Work, Dr. Gary Chapman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages®, is joined by business consultants Dr. Jennifer Thomas and Dr. Paul White to offer the strategies you need to restore harmony at work. You’ll learn: How to discern the causes of workplace conflict How to avoid unnecessary disputes How to repair relationships when you’ve messed up How to let go of past hurts and rebuild trust Don’t let broken relationships taint your work environment. Take the needed steps to make things right . . . not tomorrow, but today. The success of your career depends on it!
A celebration of craftsmanship, teamwork, and the relationship between contractor and client. "An enriching and poetic tribute to manual labour."—Karl Ove Knausgaard Making Things Right is the simple yet captivating story of a loft renovation, from the moment master carpenter and contractor Ole Thorstensen submits an estimate for the job to when the space is ready for occupation. As the project unfolds, we see the construction through Ole’s eyes: the meticulous detail, the pesky splinters, the problem solving, patience, and teamwork required for its completion. Yet Ole’s narrative encompasses more than just the fine mechanics of his craft. His labor and passion drive him toward deeper reflections on the nature of work, the academy versus the trades, identity, and life itself. Rich with descriptions of carpentry and process, Making Things Right is a warm and humorous portrayal of a tightknit working community, a story about the blood, sweat, and frustration involved in doing a job well and the joys in seeing a vision take shape.
By providing insight on key advances and future directions for proactivity theory, research, and practice, this book synthesizes what we know and identifies what we still need to learn about 'making things happen' at work.
A guide to creating computer applications using Microsoft Kinect features instructions on using the device with different operating systems, using 3D scanning technology, and building robot arms, all using open source programming language.
Get Your Move On! In Making Things Move: DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists, you'll learn how to successfully build moving mechanisms through non-technical explanations, examples, and do-it-yourself projects--from kinetic art installations to creative toys to energy-harvesting devices. Photographs, illustrations, screen shots, and images of 3D models are included for each project. This unique resource emphasizes using off-the-shelf components, readily available materials, and accessible fabrication techniques. Simple projects give you hands-on practice applying the skills covered in each chapter, and more complex projects at the end of the book incorporate topics from multiple chapters. Turn your imaginative ideas into reality with help from this practical, inventive guide. Discover how to: Find and select materials Fasten and join parts Measure force, friction, and torque Understand mechanical and electrical power, work, and energy Create and control motion Work with bearings, couplers, gears, screws, and springs Combine simple machines for work and fun Projects include: Rube Goldberg breakfast machine Mousetrap powered car DIY motor with magnet wire Motor direction and speed control Designing and fabricating spur gears Animated creations in paper An interactive rotating platform Small vertical axis wind turbine SADbot: the seasonally affected drawing robot Make Great Stuff! TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists.
In Making Things Happen, James Woodward develops a new and ambitious comprehensive theory of causation and explanation that draws on literature from a variety of disciplines and which applies to a wide variety of claims in science and everyday life. His theory is a manipulationist account, proposing that causal and explanatory relationships are relationships that are potentially exploitable for purposes of manipulation and control. This account has its roots in the commonsense idea that causes are means for bringing about effects; but it also draws on a long tradition of work in experimental design, econometrics, and statistics. Woodward shows how these ideas may be generalized to other areas of science from the social scientific and biomedical contexts for which they were originally designed. He also provides philosophical foundations for the manipulationist approach, drawing out its implications, comparing it with alternative approaches, and defending it from common criticisms. In doing so, he shows how the manipulationist account both illuminates important features of successful causal explanation in the natural and social sciences, and avoids the counterexamples and difficulties that infect alternative approaches, from the deductive-nomological model onwards. Making Things Happen will interest philosophers working in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of social science, and metaphysics, and as well as anyone interested in causation, explanation, and scientific methodology.
Power skills are something every manager must have. Power means more than formal authority - it is the art of building alliances, networks, influence and control. Power will enable you to achieve all your goals: it will guarantee your success. Power: The Art of Making Things Happen is the first book to show you how. Free from theory, Power focuses on the practical skills any manager can learn and use to their advantage. Divided into six accessible areas, you'll find everything you need to take command of the most important skill around.
