The Asocial Networking: Musings On The Real & Online Worlds
Dhiraj Kumar
(Wordizen Books, Rs. 195)
Today, the word ‘social life' has taken on a new meaning. It is not just about meeting outside the confines of your home; it's also about meeting inside the virtual world. Well, that's the premise on which Dhiraj's book is centred.
He examines ‘asocial networking', a newfound obsession that is driving people from all walks of life and all classes, countries and age groups to become part of a new social order. If not mastered quickly, it could cause us to miss out on one of the greatest forms of modern human experience.
It is interesting and ironical to see ourselves socialising with the help of gadgets when we could actually step forward and socialise with the person standing next to us. For those who exhibit their social lives online, this book offers tricks to master the art of networking and garner tangible gains in the real world.
Dhiraj tries to look into the future through the future of social networking. The reader is taken on a mindboggling tour of the virtual world of networking, stopping only to expose the vulnerability of the human mind.
I am Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59
Douglas Edwards
(Allen Lane, Rs. 550)
Get a peek at the working world of a company that's a byword for searching for ‘anything and everything under the Sun.' Edwards, who worked with Google from 1999 to 2005 as a director of consumer marketing, takes the reader on a trip inside the hyper-energised company that broke the rules and rocked the world.
For instance, you discover that Google's ‘beating heart' is actually made of computer hardware — the machines in the company's data centres. You are drawn inside a server farm, which Edwards describes as “an enormous, extremely well-kept zoo, with chain-link walls draped from floor to ceiling, creating rows of large, fenced cages vanishing somewhere in the far, dark reaches of the Matrix.”
Through Edwards' words, you understand what made this company explode from obscurity to dictionary definition in just five years! It's the ‘Google experience without an ID card'!
Inside Apple: The Secrets Behind The Past and Future Success of Steve Jobs' iconic Brand
Adam Lashinsky
(John Murray, Rs. 499)
In this book, Lashinsky provides readers with an insight into leadership and innovation. He introduces business concepts unique to Apple such as the DRI (Directly Responsible Individual) and the Top 100 (an annual event where that year's top 100 up-and-coming executives were transported to a secret retreat with Steve Jobs).
Based on interviews, Lashinsky, a senior editor with Fortune magazine, reveals new and exclusive information about how the company runs its business — dealing with suppliers, and handling the transition into the Post Jobs Era. In the process, Lashinsky offers universal lessons about leadership, product design and marketing.
This book will appeal to those who hope to recreate some of the Apple magic while setting up their own company, or while handling their career or creative endeavour.
Compiled by SAVITHA GAUTAM
