The bestselling author and recipient of the 2018 Holberg Prize, Cass R. Sunstein, explores how more information can make us happy or miserable, and why we sometimes avoid it--but sometimes seek it out.How much information is too much? Do we need to know how many calories are in the giant vat of popcorn that we bought on our way into the movie theater? Do we want to know if we are genetically predisposed to a certain disease? Can we do anything useful with next week's weather forecast for Paris if we are not in Paris? In Too Much Information, Cass Sunstein examines the effects of information on our lives. Policymakers emphasize “the right to know,” but Sunstein takes a different perspective, arguing that the focus should be on human well-being and what information contributes to it. Government should require companies, employers, hospitals, and others to disclose information not because of a general “right to know” but when the information in question would significantly improve people'
Prolific author andco-chair of the MFA Design School of Visual Arts Steven Hellershares his love of design with the world throughessays, interviews, and profiles. Design is a living. But to live passion is essential.For the Love of Design is an anthology of Steven Hellers essays that are underscored by the essence that makes designers do what they do, Whether it is to make the environ a better place or communicate important messages or simply enliven the quotidian world, design is everywhere and everything. It is a life force made and appreciated with love. The focus of the anthology is graphic design and typography but these disciplines impact so many other forms of design that it is impossible to ignore them. Through essays, interviews and profiles, Heller captures the essence of what makes artists into designers and what makes design and its makers tick. From the design director of the New York Timesdiscussing how during the pandemic he created the most effective front pages to a c
How games are being harnessed as instruments of exploitation―and what we can do about it Warehouse workers pack boxes while a virtual dragon races across their screen. If they beat their colleagues, they get an award. If not, they can be fired. Uber presents exhausted drivers with challenges to keep them driving. China scores its citizens so they behave well, and games with in-app purchases use achievements to empty your wallet.Points, badges, and leaderboards are creeping into every aspect of modern life. In You’ve Been Played, game designer Adrian Hon delivers a blistering takedown of how corporations, schools, and governments use games and gamification as tools for profit and coercion. These are games that we often have no choice but to play, where losing has heavy penalties. You’ve Been Played is a scathing indictment of a tech-driven world that wants to convince us that misery is fun, and a call to arms for anyone who hopes to preserve their dignity and autonomy.
You can’t be everything to everyone. But you can do what matters, so you can live more. Today we are all stretching ourselves more than ever to live up to life’s seemingly endless demands, so why do we still feel we are less than enough? Mattie James― mother, influencer, and CEO―believes that living a beautiful life amidst the chaos and pressures is possible. All it takes is a little everyday MAGIC. In this book, Mattie shows you how, helping you to evaluate the tasks and decisions you face in your daily life to make sure everything in your life is MAGIC: MeaningfulAesthetically pleasingGoal-orientedIntentionalConsistentThis honest and practical guide offers tools, insights, and encouragement to help you center yourself within the minutiae of everyday life and evaluate tasks to become intentional about everything you do. Mattie shows readers how to be more efficient by making big decisions in the morning, batching household chores for maximum effectiveness, and deciding which tasks to
Become an expert on all types of weather and how and why they happen.Why does it rain? How hot is a bolt of lightning? What makes hurricanes form, and how does climate change affect the weather? What happens when a cold front rolls in? Become a meteorology expert and set up your own home weather station, and learn to read nature’s own signs of changing weather. Eyewitness Weather shows you what weather looks like, from a tropical storm cloud seen from above to close-ups of snowflake crystals. Learn about what weather scientists do, why weather works differently on the coast and inland, and much more along with amazing facts, infographics, statistics, and timelines to reveal this civilization’s secrets as never before.Part of DK’s best-selling Eyewitness series, which is now getting an exciting makeover, this popular title has been reinvigorated for the next generation of information-seekers and stay-at-home explorers, with a fresh new look, new photographs, updated information, and a n
Become an expert on all types of weather and how and why they happen. Why does it rain? How hot is a bolt of lightning? What makes hurricanes form, and how does climate change affect the weather? What happens when a cold front rolls in? Become a meteorology expert and set up your own home weather station, and learn to read nature’s own signs of changing weather. Eyewitness Weather shows you what weather looks like, from a tropical storm cloud seen from above to close-ups of snowflake crystals. Learn about what weather scientists do, why weather works differently on the coast and inland, and much more along with amazing facts, infographics, statistics, and timelines to reveal this civilization’s secrets as never before. Part of DK’s best-selling Eyewitness series, which is now getting an exciting makeover, this popular title has been reinvigorated for the next generation of information-seekers and stay-at-home explorers, with a fresh new look, new photographs, updated information, and
