Author: Orvar Löfgren
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 9780520262638
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280
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Book Description
In this insightful and pathbreaking reflection on “doing nothing,” Billy Ehn and Orvar Löfgren take us on a fascinating tour of what is happening when, to all appearances, absolutely nothing is happening. Sifting through a wide range of examples drawn from literature, published ethnographies, and firsthand research, they probe the unobserved moments in our daily lives—waiting for a bus, daydreaming by the window, performing a routine task—and illuminate these “empty” times as full of significance. Creative, insightful, and profound, The Secret World of Doing Nothing leads us to rethink the ordinary and find meaning in today’s hypermodern reality.
Author: Orvar Löfgren
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520945700
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 278
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Book Description
In this insightful and pathbreaking reflection on "doing nothing," Billy Ehn and Orvar Löfgren take us on a fascinating tour of what is happening when, to all appearances, absolutely nothing is happening. Sifting through a wide range of examples drawn from literature, published ethnographies, and firsthand research, they probe the unobserved moments in our daily lives—waiting for a bus, daydreaming by the window, performing a routine task—and illuminate these "empty" times as full of significance. Creative, insightful, and profound, The Secret World of Doing Nothing leads us to rethink the ordinary and find meaning in today’s hypermodern reality.
Author: Billy Ehn
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520262611
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 297
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Book Description
In this insightful reflection on 'doing nothing', the authors take us on a tour of what is happening when, to all appearances, absolutely nothing is happening. The book leads us to rethink the ordinary and find meaning in today's hypermodern reality.
Author: Jenny Odell
Publisher: Melville House
ISBN: 1612197507
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 257
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Book Description
** A New York Times Bestseller ** NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY: Time • The New Yorker • NPR • GQ • Elle • Vulture • Fortune • Boing Boing • The Irish Times • The New York Public Library • The Brooklyn Public Library "A complex, smart and ambitious book that at first reads like a self-help manual, then blossoms into a wide-ranging political manifesto."—Jonah Engel Bromwich, The New York Times Book Review One of President Barack Obama's "Favorite Books of 2019" Porchlight's Personal Development & Human Behavior Book of the Year In a world where addictive technology is designed to buy and sell our attention, and our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity, it can seem impossible to escape. But in this inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, artist and critic Jenny Odell shows us how we can still win back our lives. Odell sees our attention as the most precious—and overdrawn—resource we have. And we must actively and continuously choose how we use it. We might not spend it on things that capitalism has deemed important … but once we can start paying a new kind of attention, she writes, we can undertake bolder forms of political action, reimagine humankind’s role in the environment, and arrive at more meaningful understandings of happiness and progress. Far from the simple anti-technology screed, or the back-to-nature meditation we read so often, How to do Nothing is an action plan for thinking outside of capitalist narratives of efficiency and techno-determinism. Provocative, timely, and utterly persuasive, this book will change how you see your place in our world.
Author: Christopher Andrew
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 030024052X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1019
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Book Description
“A comprehensive exploration of spying in its myriad forms from the Bible to the present day . . . Easy to dip into, and surprisingly funny.” —Ben Macintyre in The New York Times Book Review The history of espionage is far older than any of today’s intelligence agencies, yet largely forgotten. The codebreakers at Bletchley Park, the most successful WWII intelligence agency, were completely unaware that their predecessors had broken the codes of Napoleon during the Napoleonic wars and those of Spain before the Spanish Armada. Those who do not understand past mistakes are likely to repeat them. Intelligence is a prime example. At the outbreak of WWI, the grasp of intelligence shown by US President Woodrow Wilson and British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith was not in the same class as that of George Washington during the Revolutionary War and eighteenth-century British statesmen. In the first global history of espionage ever written, distinguished historian and New York Times–bestselling author Christopher Andrew recovers much of the lost intelligence history of the past three millennia—and shows us its continuing relevance. “Accurate, comprehensive, digestible and startling . . . a stellar achievement.” —Edward Lucas, The Times “For anyone with a taste for wide-ranging and shrewdly gossipy history—or, for that matter, for anyone with a taste for spy stories—Andrew’s is one of the most entertaining books of the past few years.” —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker “Remarkable for its scope and delightful for its unpredictable comparisons . . . there are important lessons for spymasters everywhere in this breathtaking and brilliant book.” —Richard J. Aldrich, Times Literary Supplement “Fans of Fleming and Furst will delight in this skillfully related true-fact side of the story.” —Kirkus Reviews “A crowning triumph of one of the most adventurous scholars of the security world.” —Financial Times Includes illustrations
Author: Celeste Headlee
Publisher: Harmony
ISBN: 1984824740
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290
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Book Description
“A welcome antidote to our toxic hustle culture of burnout.”—Arianna Huffington “This book is so important and could truly save lives.”—Elizabeth Gilbert “A clarion call to work smarter [and] accomplish more by doing less.”—Adam Grant We work feverishly to make ourselves happy. So why are we so miserable? Despite our constant search for new ways to optimize our bodies and minds for peak performance, human beings are working more instead of less, living harder not smarter, and becoming more lonely and anxious. We strive for the absolute best in every aspect of our lives, ignoring what we do well naturally and reaching for a bar that keeps rising higher and higher. Why do we measure our time in terms of efficiency instead of meaning? Why can’t we just take a break? In Do Nothing, award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee illuminates a new path ahead, seeking to institute a global shift in our thinking so we can stop sabotaging our well-being, put work aside, and start living instead of doing. As it turns out, we’re searching for external solutions to an internal problem. We won’t find what we’re searching for in punishing diets, productivity apps, or the latest self-improvement schemes. Yet all is not lost—we just need to learn how to take time for ourselves, without agenda or profit, and redefine what is truly worthwhile. Pulling together threads from history, neuroscience, social science, and even paleontology, Headlee examines long-held assumptions about time use, idleness, hard work, and even our ultimate goals. Her research reveals that the habits we cling to are doing us harm; they developed recently in human history, which means they are habits that can, and must, be broken. It’s time to reverse the trend that’s making us all sadder, sicker, and less productive, and return to a way of life that allows us to thrive.
Author: Olga Mecking
Publisher: Harvest
ISBN: 0358395313
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 259
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Book Description
Niksen is not a form of meditation, or is it a state of laziness or boredom. To niks is to make a conscious choice to sit back, let go, and do nothing at all. Mecking shows readers how to take a break from all the busyness-- with heartfelt permission to do nothing. -- adapted from back cover
Author: Pierre Berton
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
ISBN: 9780385659116
Category : Children's literature, Canadian
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
The summer adventure of five children takes them into a strange country peopled by little green men.
Author: Penelope A. Lewis
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1137386975
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 210
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Book Description
In recent years neuroscientists have uncovered the countless ways our brain trips us up in day-to-day life, from its propensity toward irrational thought to how our intuitions deceive us. The latest research on sleep, however, points in the opposite direction. Where old wives tales have long advised to "sleep on a problem," today scientists are discovering the truth behind these folk sayings,and how the busy brain radically improves our minds through sleep and dreams. In The Secret World of Sleep, neuroscientist Penny Lewis explores the latest research intothe nighttime brain to understand the real benefits of sleep. She shows how, while our body rests, the brain practices tasks it learned during the day, replays traumatic events to mollify them, and forges connections between distant concepts. By understanding the roles that the nocturnal brain plays in our waking life, we can improve the relationship between the two, and even boost creativity and become smarter. This is a fascinating exploration of one of the most surprising corners of neuroscience that shows how science may be able to harness the power of sleep to improve learning, health, and more.
Author: Tom Albrighton
Publisher: ABC Business Communications Ltd
ISBN: 1739915437
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 325
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Book Description
If you love spending time alone, One for Joy is for you. Solitude is more than the absence of other people. It’s an experience just like any other, and it can be as joyful, valuable and inspiring as any other aspect of our lives. It’s time we rediscovered the lost art of being alone. One for Joy is a treasure trove of ideas, stories and reflections that looks at every side of solitude: - Why solitude is so important for introverts, and why our need to be alone is sometimes hard for others to understand - How we experience solitude, and how solitude and company relate to each other - The many ways to be alone, from brief daydreams to solo journeys, everywhere from wide-open spaces to cosy nooks - The benefits of solitude, from resting and recharging to focused work, self-care and deep reflection - Ideas and reflections on solitude from Byron and Charlotte Brontë to Bo Burnham and Kate Bush, and fictional characters from Pippi Longstocking to Darth Vader - How digital technology and social media have changed our experience of solitude. Wide-ranging and insightful, with a light and readable style, One for Joy is a fun and fascinating read for anyone who’s happy on their own.
