Author Eliyahu M. Goldratt Summary The story of a plant manager who discovers the benefit of systematically assessing the processing bottlenecks instead of relying on conventional wisdom. Takeaways Instead of relying on conventional wisdom, it is crucial to deeply reflect on the goal of an operation or organization and take a scientific and systematic approach to explore the factors (bottlenecks or constraints) that prevent us from reaching it. The following process can serve as a blueprint to work towards achieving any goal....

Author Cathy O’Neil Summary A warning of the destructive power of black-box algorithms that govern our lives. Takeaways Algorithms and mathematical models are ubiquitously applied and drive decisions in every aspect of our lives. They, for example, determine college admissions, calculate insurance fees, and determine the content in our social media feeds. Many of the algorithms are intransparent, making it impossible to understand and challenge the results. If there is no alignment between the objectives of the models and the interest of the modeled subjects and if there is no feedback loop to improve the model over time, these “weapons of math destruction (WMD)” can cause significant harm....

Author Mik Kersten Summary A practical guide to developing a product focussed management framework that allows competing in the Age of Software. Takeaways We are at the turning point of the digital revolution. Companies need to transform their business practices to effectively leverage software development and technology. Many companies realize the need for transformation but rely on management practices that are not adequate for the task. Products differ from projects in multiple ways....

Author Philip Reeve Summary The fictional tale of traveling cities and their residents that battle for survival in a distant future. Takeaways Devotion to an ideology can be a strong motivator but also a destructive force. The actions of the characters are driven by their dedication to their way of living and their role in a world that leaves little room for exploring alternative ideas. Quotes “But he mustn’t feel sorry for them: it was natural that cities ate towns, just as the towns ate smaller towns and smaller towns snapped up the miserable static settlements....

Author Peter Thiel Summary Practical advice for founders how to build a successful startup and create something new. Takeaways Competition is a concept that has a high value in our educational system and economic thinking. The emphasis on competition leads to a uniform approach to development and only incremental improvements. Innovation and success come from avoiding competition and focusing on individual strengths and believes that set yourself apart from others....

Author Hans Rosling Summary A plea to overcome the human instincts that prevent us from developing a fact based worldview. Takeaways Knowledge of global patterns and trends is poor across demographics even though data is publicly available. Common assumptions about topics like population growth, income inequality, education and health, are not only wrong but are systematically distorted. Developments appear more negatively than they are. Reasons are a lack of statistical literacy and our instincts to generalize, blame others, and consider things without appropriate comparison frames and proportions....

Author Jack Welch Summary The life and professional career of Jack Welch, Chairman of General Electric from 1981 to 2001, described in his own words. Takeaways Leadership requires more than the knowledge to make sound business decisions. It is equally important to establish the right culture with a focus on people that allows for differentiation and development, and that empowers everyone to contribute ideas (“boundaryless”). Being able to react to changes trumps a well thought out longterm strategy....

Author Adam Rutherford Summary A scientific view of the role that DNA plays in understanding human history, and what we can and cannot conclude when analyzing it. Takeaways Depicting our ancestry looks more like an entagled mesh than a tree. Everyone living today shares the same group of ancestors if we go back long enough in time. DNA influences observable characteristics in a probabilitic way. There are only a few genes that have a clear physical manifestation....

Counting the number of posts and different terms per taxonomy in Hugo requires looping through all taxonomies. {{ range $taxname, $tax := .Site.Taxonomies }} {{ $nposts := len (where $.Site.RegularPages (print "Params" "." $taxname) "ne" nil) }} {{ $nterms := len $tax }} {{ $posttext := cond (gt $nposts 1) "posts" "post" }} {{ $termtext := cond (gt $nterms 1) "terms" "term" }} {{ $taxname }}: {{ $nposts }} {{ $posttext }} and {{ $nterms }} search {{ $termtext }}....

digitalsynopsis/beautiful-color-paletts A selection of 36 color palettes for web design or other projects. Useful to find matching colors for a consistent overall appearance. This website uses the Water Bearer palette (#25). #5e5656 #58668b #76b4bd #bdeaee #ebf4f6...