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Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial...
Technology is putting our humanity at risk to an unprecedented degree. This book is not for engineers who write the code or the policy makers who claim they can regulate it. This is a book for you. Because, believe it or not, you are the only one that can fix it. – Mo Gawdat
Artificial intelligence is smarter than humans. It can process information at lightning speed and remain focused on specific tasks without distraction. AI can see into the future, predicting outcomes and even use sensors to see around physical and virtual corners. So why does AI frequently get it so wrong?
The answer is us. Humans design the algorithms that define the way that AI works, and the processed information reflects an imperfect world. Does that mean we are doomed? In Scary Smart, Mo Gawdat, the internationally bestselling author of Solve for Happy, draws on his considerable expertise to answer this question and to show what we can all do now to teach ourselves and our machines how to live better. With more than thirty years' experience working at the cutting-edge of technology and his former role as chief business officer of Google [X], no one is better placed than Mo Gawdat to explain how the Artificial Intelligence of the future works.
By 2049 AI will be a billion times more intelligent than humans. Scary Smart explains how to fix the current trajectory now, to make sure that the AI of the future can preserve our species. This book offers a blueprint, pointing the way to what we can do to safeguard ourselves, those we love and the planet itself.
Birthday Breakup and Other Stories By...
Ø A young commercial sex worker keeps older men on a rota, each of whom unwittingly believes that he is the only one. Then her cover is blown.
Ø A young man is treated to an exciting 25th birthday before he is dumped in the evening. He has other ideas.
Ø A Kenyan in America cancels his wedding at the last minute in a dramatic fashion of sweet revenge.
Ø A lecherous university professor sleeps with his student crush. Then he makes an unsettling discovery.
Ø A broke college graduate bets Ksh 100,000 with a richer friend to take a TV star out on a date but jealousy gets in the way.
Ø A boss and a junior employee sneak their female colleague for a Valentine’s Day vacation but end up staying in the same hotel. Blackmail ensues, with disastrous consequences.
Prior to writing his best-selling novel, Sexorcised, Nyanchwani experimented with short stories, some of which were published in The East African. This collection is a compilation of his early writing full of potential, displaying his roaming and roving eyes at work. This anthology hints at the sardonic humour that would eventually characterize his writing.
Silas Nyanchwani is the author of several books, including Sexorcised, 50 Memos to Men, and Man About Town. When he is not writing "Memos to Men," he walks his dogs around Kitengela. He still claims to be Africa's tallest writer. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the University of Nairobi.
Herstory Unleashed: Empowered Women E...
Herstory Unleashed is a recount of history lived in the actions and words of some very brave women who have used their freedom of speech to write and rally, to inspire and empower. These are not just any women but African women, melanated women, women whose voices still count as a minority, rising above the majority to put permanent prints in history. Minority my foot!
Threads of Time: Torture, Imprisonmen...
Mugo Theuri was plucked from his reporting job at the lawcourts in Nakuru after barely three months in post and driven to Nairobi for what would turn out to be 49 days of torture in the infamous Nyayo House. Jailed for four years, he joined the ‘Liberation University’, the study group in prison, and emerged a much more thoughtful and reflective man. He uses personal memoir to thread his personal experiences into the historical events in the country and the world.
His experience with the courts, and his attempt to get justice for his wrongful imprisonment enable him to reflect on the justice system, just as his average scholarship give him clarity of how the country’s systems and policies discriminate against the poor and frustrate the right to justice and education.
The candour with which Threads of Time is rendered allows the reader into the writer’s personal crisis in struggling to reconcile his father’s public role as headman during the Mau Mau war of independence in a context where most of his family were guerrillas in the forest, as well as his relationship with religion.
Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawa...
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time . . .
From the author of Before the coffee gets cold comes a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer. Among some faces that will be familiar to readers of Toshikazu Kawaguchi's sensational Before the coffee gets cold, we will be introduced to:
The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years ago
The son who was unable to attend his own mother's funeral
The man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marry
The old detective who never gave his wife that gift . . .
This beautiful, simple tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives.
One for Sorrow Two for Joy by Marie C...
It's hard to plan your future when the ghosts of the past won't leave you alone...
Stella tries very hard to be good. She tries not to be sassy, to answer back, to be noticed. Because when Stella’s father is angry, it’s like lightning and thunder and hailstones.
Years later, Stella has left her troubled childhood behind and appears to have it all: a degree, a demanding job as a barrister and a group of friends who always have her back. But underneath the surface, she is haunted by her past. It will take all her grace, courage and love to heal her wounds and break free.
Set against a backdrop of London and Ghana, Marie-Claire Amuah's remarkable debut is an unforgettable exploration of intergenerational trauma. Brimming with compassion, One for Sorrow, Two for Joy offers both a sensitive portrayal of the ripple effects of domestic violence, and a defiant story of friendship, resilience and hope.
Don’t You Trust Me? Bola’s Hidden Bur...
In this captivating story, Bola, a frustrated 13-year-old boy, navigates the challenges of primary school and his complex family dynamics. He finds solace in using his mother's phone to connect with friends on social media. Bola's distrust of adults stems from broken promises in the past, and his household is filled with intense conversations and clashes. His spirited younger sister, Zola, adds to the dynamics, unafraid to confront others.
As the narrative unfolds, Bola's encounters and experiences shape his understanding of himself and the digital world. He connects with an unknown girl named Charm4 on social media, and their relationship evolves into a daily obligation that he must hide from his mother. The strain on his academic performance and well-being becomes apparent, leading to unforeseen consequences.
Amid personal struggles, Bola's actions lead to conflicts that challenge his moral compass. The story delves into the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and the importance of honesty and accountability. Bola's journey highlights the risks and pitfalls of the digital realm and emphasizes the significance of cybersecurity and responsible technology use.
Throughout the story, Bola's interactions with friends and encounters with online relationships expose him to the dark realities of the online world. As the consequences of his choices unfold, Bola finds himself isolated and engaging in disruptive behavior at school, spiraling deeper into despair.
This thought-provoking narrative explores the complexities of teenage life, the challenges of navigating the digital world, and the importance of understanding the implications of online interactions. It serves as a cautionary tale, aiming to engage and educate teenagers about cybersecurity and responsible digital citizenship
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Par...
In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…
In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.
When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.
After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.
Blossom Through Teenage hood by Ivy Akii
Unlock the key to navigating the crucial and fragile stage of adolescence with the 2nd edition of 'Blossom Through Teenagehood'. Filled with fun activities, real case studies, tips, and illustrations, this book guides personal growth and self-assessment.
Not only will it aid in your personal development, but it also aims to decrease teen pregnancies in society.
Toyota Under Fire: Lessons for Turnin...
Toyota Under Fire, 2011 Shingo Prize Winner, takes you beyond the headlines and into the offices and factories of Toyota to reveal the truth behind the company's highly publicized and controversial recall of over 10 million vehicles.
Jeffrey Liker, the world's leading expert on Toyota processes and culture, was granted unprecedented access to the company's systems and people.
The end result is the most comprehensive account available of what really precipitated the crisis, and how Toyota management met the ensuing challenges to come out stronger-lessons that can be applied to any management crisis in any industry.
Management Lessons from Taiichi Ohno:...
The 15 most powerful practices for guiding breakthrough productivity improvements in any company
Management Lessons From Taiichi Ohno provides firsthand knowledge of the tools, techniques, and challenges to implementing the Lean values of the Toyota Production System (TPS) in an organization. Takehiko Harada spent four decades applying Lean principles at Toyota with Taiichi Ohno, and the motivating insights he shares on maintaining a Lean culture are peerless.
More than a set of rules for managers and executives to implement, this personal guidebook is from the heart in an attempt to see other companies enjoy the rewards of the TPS values Toyota leaders dedicated their lives to serving. It puts you in touch with the actual people who learned the key to success is creating a workforce of smiling employees who find purpose to their work.
Real-world examples from Toyota as well as other companies striving to practice TPS/Lean fully demonstrate:
- The 15 sayings of Taiichi Ohno―what his words mean and how his philosophies are practiced throughout Toyota
- The 4 Stages of Things―a very useful method for visiting the gemba, which is where the action takes place
- The managerial role―what management at the frontline should be, how it is different from a supervisor’s duties, and the critical motivational elements to creating a vibrant, happy workplace
- Bridging the cultural gap―indispensable wisdom for deploying the Toyota method in non-Japanese cultures
The Toyota Way Fieldbook by Jeffrey L...
The book begins with a review of the principles of the Toyota Way through the 4Ps model-Philosophy, Processes, People and Partners, and Problem Solving. Readers looking to learn from Toyota's lean systems will be provided with the inside knowledge they need to
- Define the companies purpose and develop a long-term philosophy
- Create value streams with connected flow, standardized work, and level production
- Build a culture to stop and fix problems
- Develop leaders who promote and support the system
- Find and develop exceptional people and partners
- Learn the meaning of true root cause problem solving
- Lead the change process and transform the total enterprise
The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Ac...
TOYOTA. The name signifies greatness— world-class cars and game-changing business thinking. One key to the Toyota Motor Company’s unprecedented success is its famous production system and its lesser-known product development program. These strategies consider the end user at every turn and have become the model for the global lean business movement.
All too often, organizations adopting lean miss the most critical ingredient—lean leadership. Toyota makes enormous investments in carefully selecting and intensively developing leaders who fit its unique philosophy and culture. Thanks to the company’s lean leadership approach, explains Toyota Way author Jeffrey Liker and former Toyota executive Gary Convis, the celebrated carmaker has set into motion a drive for continuous improvement at all levels of its business. This has allowed for:
- Constant growth: Toyota increased profitability for 58 consecutive years—slowing down only in the face of 2008’s worldwide financial difficulties, the recall crisis, and the worst Japanese earthquake of the century.
- Unstoppable inventiveness: Toyota’s approach to innovative thinking and problem solving has resulted in top industry ratings and incredible customer satisfaction, while allowing the company to weather these three crises in rapid succession and to come out stronger.
- Strong branding and respect: Toyota’s reputation was instrumental in the company’s ability to withstand the recalls-driven media storm of 2010. But what looked to some to be a sinking ship is once again running under a full head of steam. Perhaps the Toyota culture had weakened, but lean leadership was the beacon that showed the way back.
Toyota Way To Continuous Improvement:...
During Toyota’s highly publicized recalls of 2009 and 2010, the legendary carmaker’s 60-year-old reputation for operational excellence was put under the microscope. Business pundits wondered out loud if Toyota’s quality levels had decreased dramatically, while the harshest critics predicted the end of the company as we know it. For the most part, the government’s findings absolved Toyota of serious defects and accidents, and Toyota recovered rapidly―but mistakes were made, which showed that Toyota is not perfect. In fact, there is always opportunity for improvement in every process.
In his bestselling business management classic The Toyota Way, Jeffrey Liker introduced the world to the foundational principles that have made Toyota the envy of companies around the world. Now, in The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement, Liker teams up with former Toyota production engineer James Franz to explain the underlying thinking behind continuous improvement and why any company needs a disciplined approach to process improvement in every part of the organization.
Liker and Franz outline the common mistakes in thinking that limit results, and they reveal how Toyota achieves its dual objectives of improving business performance and developing its people through following Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s teachings of Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA). Through detailed case examples in many industries, you’ll learn how to:
- Determine why your processes aren’t achieving anticipated results
- Build a sustainable lean process with a well-defined purpose
- Create a system that reveals problems
- Teach every leader and team member at every level the art of PDCA for process improvement.
Kenya Pioneer Chronicles by Stephen M...
Before the turn of the nineteenth century the white man’s destination in Africa was more often fixed in his mind than on a map; his route was unlikely to be charted; the land mass was known in Europe by three words... ‘The Dark Continent’... Every pioneering family in Kenya had equally fascinating tales to tell and each member of the family many unique anecdotes. Some pioneers were barely in their twenties, holding a common conviction of exchanging an old way life for something new brim-full with promise and opportunity.
Their departures from “home” were filled with bustle, panic and a sense of finality; mothers, fiancées and wives mopped their swollen eyes believing that the dark continent would swallow their beloveds whole. A few men did disappear but Africa was honed again and again by those survivors with technical knowhow, who made British East Africa their home.
They strove daily for the dream and once achieved, the dream did not last for as long as they had hoped. This book is not for the oldest generation of Kenyans but to show their grandchildren (black and white) and in turn their great, great grandchildren that their forbears took on raw canvas and broke virgin soil.
Designing the Future: How Ford, Toyot...
How did Ford Motors use Lean Development to pull off one of the most impressive corporate turnarounds in history? Largely by avoiding the mistakes that so many companies make when in a death spiral. They looked beyond manufacturing efficiency to change the very fundamentals of how they developed vehicles.
In Designing the Future, Lean product development expert James Morgan and world-renowned Lean guru Jeffrey K. Liker reveal why so many companies have achieved only moderate success with Lean in operations, with a limited impact on their overall business. They take you through the process of bringing the best of Lean management to your enterprise―in order to link your business strategy to superior value designed for customers.
The authors provide an actionable approach to building a better future for your business fueled by an iterative, integrated process that relies on simultaneous engineering, linking strategy and vision. They illustrate how to empower skilled and talented people to make collaboration and innovation a habit―hour to hour and day to day. It’s the secret of full implementation of Lean―and this groundbreaking guide takes you through every step of the process. The best way to predict the future is to create it. With Designing the Future, you have everything you need to create a flexible, iterative business-transformation process that takes you from strategic vision to value stream creation for maximum customer value delivery.
Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of...
Toyota Culture examines the “human systems” that Toyota has put in place to instill its founding principles of trust, mutual prosperity, and excellence in its plants, dealerships, and offices around the world. Beginning with a look at the evolution of the Toyota culture and why its people are the heart and soul of the Toyota Way, the authors explain the company's four-stage process for building and keeping quality people: Attract, Develop, Engage, and Inspire.
Drawing upon numerous examples from Liker's decades of research as well as Hoseus' insider access as a Toyota manager, Toyota Culture gives you the tools you need to:
- Find competent, able, and willing employees
- Start training and socializing your people as you hire them
- Establish and communicate key business performance indicators at every level of your organization
- Train your people to solve problems and continuously improve processes in their daily work
- Develop leaders who live and teach your company's philosophy
- Reward top performance-and offer help to those who are struggling
- Fascinating vignettes of Toyota's innovative culture highlight the nuances of translating and recreating a people-centric culture in factories and offices across the globe. These exclusive, behind-the-scenes details are just what your company needs to successfully learn from The Toyota Culture.
The Toyota Way to Service Excellence:...
A must-read for service professionals of every level, this essential book takes the proven Lean principles of the bestselling Toyota Way series and applies them directly to the industries where quality of service is crucial for success. Jeff Liker and Karyn Ross show you how to develop Lean practices throughout your organization using the famous 4P model. Whether you are an executive, manager, consultant, or frontline worker who deals with customers every day, you’ll learn how take advantage of all Lean has to offer.
With this book as your guide, you’ll gain a clear understanding of Lean and discover the principles, practices and tools needed to develop people and processes that surprise and delight each of your customers. These ground-tested techniques are designed to help you make continuous improvements in your services, streamline your operations, and add ever-increasing value to your customers. Fascinating case studies of Lean-driven success in a range of service industries, including healthcare, insurance, financial services, and telecommunications, illustrate that Lean principles and practices work as well in services as they do in manufacturing.
Drawn from original research and real-world examples, The Toyota Way to Service Excellence will help you make the leap to Lean.
Toyota Kata: Managing People for Impr...
Lead, Manage, and Develop Your People--the Toyota Way!
This game-changing book puts you behind the curtain at Toyota, providing new insight into the legendary automaker's management practices and offering practical guidance for leading and developing people in a way that makes the best use of their brainpower.
Drawing on six years of research into Toyota's employee-management routines, Toyota Kata examines and elucidates, for the first time, the company's organizational routines that power its success with continuous improvement and adaptation. The book also reaches beyond Toyota to explain issues of human behavior in organizations and provide specific answers to questions such as:
- How can we make improvement and adaptation part of everyday work throughout the organization?
- How can we develop and utilize the capability of everyone in the organization to repeatedly work toward and achieve new levels of performance?
- How can we give an organization the power to handle dynamic, unpredictable situations and keep satisfying customers?