The Connected Age , Sudhakar Ram
(Collins Business, Rs. 350)
This is a futuristic vision of a world still struggling under the values and ideals of the Industrial Age. It examines the way ahead for human beings as a race towards solving common problems. Based on his widely followed blog The New Constructs, Sudhakar Ram presents ideas on how the world can come out of the dystopian environment that it has brought upon itself. Starting with the idea that we are still harbouring age-old policies rooted in the Industrial Age, he presents his case for improvement. Based on some amazing developments of the past century, he believes we are not wrong in expecting great achievements in the next 100 years. Following the ideas of great personalities such as Gandhi, E. F. Schumacher, Stephen Covey and Benjamin Zander among others, Ram, himself an entrepreneur, brings his vision to readers and shows them that there is light and hope, if we work together.
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software , John Vlissides, Erich Gamma, Ralph Johnson and Richard Helm
(Dorling Kindersley, Rs. 550)
Four brilliant designers have put together this guide for solving design problems related to object-oriented software. Ideally suited for developers, architects, and object-oriented designers, this book also aims at helping programmers who are looking forward to upgrade the quality of their designs. There are a few design problems that are universal, and for anyone serious about their work, such hindrances can be quite a downer. Here, you can learn how to make use of standard design patterns for finding effective solutions to design problems encountered on a daily basis. There are around 23 patterns, all explained methodically and in detail. The authors explain and discuss what “patterns” are and how they come to play in object-oriented design. Next, they move to designs that frequently occur in object-oriented design processes and then name, explain, and study them. From this book, the readers can understand how these patterns contribute to the development of software patterns and how they can be used to solve any design problems that may occur.
The Triple Package: What Really Determines Success , Jed Rubenfeld, Amy Chua
(Bloomsbury Publishing, Rs. 499)
Why do Jews win so many Nobel Prizes and Pulitzer Prizes? Why do some groups rise when others don't? Why do Indian Americans have the highest income of any Census-tracked ethnic group, almost twice the national average in America? Why do the children of even impoverished and poorly educated Chinese immigrants excel so remarkably at school?
It may be taboo to say it, but some cultural groups starkly outperform others. The husband-and-wife team Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld reveal the three essential components of success, its hidden spurs, inner dynamics and its potentially damaging costs showing how, ultimately, when properly understood and harnessed, the Triple Package can put anyone on their chosen path to success.
