The World's Best Book Summaries
What’s the best thing about an old-fashioned British detective story? What does a book about Buddhist emptiness have in common with a book about computer science? Daniel could tell you. Based in Burma, he’s a computer programmer at Shortform. We interviewed him recently to learn a bit about his relationship with books.
What is Brian Muraresku’s book The Immortality Key about? What is the key message to take away from the book? The Immortality Key, published in 2020, is Brian Muraresku’s deep dive into the origins of Christianity and its overlap with pre-existing pagan religious customs. Muraresku argues that Christianity began as a female-led mystical cult that used psychedelics to induce transcendental states to connect with the divine. Below is a brief overview of The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name by Brian Muraresku.
How do you conduct a customer behavior analysis? What kind of data should you collect on your customers? Analyzing your customers’ behavior allows you to find patterns. When you find a pattern in user behavior, you’ve found an opportunity to optimize your product. For instance, you might compare users who leave after a month to find a pattern in behaviors that occur just before a user leaves. You can then use this information to tweak your product and reduce churn. Here’s how to track and analyze your customers’ behavior.
Is it possible to accurately read someone’s facial expressions? What can be learned? When should you try to do this? In Captivate, Vanessa Van Edwards discusses Paul Ekman’s concept of universal facial expressions in the context of building deeper relationships. We’ll see how she recommends using the technique and what Ekman has to say about its abuse. We’ll also discuss a study that challenges the theory. Keep reading for a discussion on how to read faces and what you can learn from doing so.
Should we fight job outsourcing or automation? What tax policies support growth? When does the protection of intellectual property cross the line into over-protection? To thrive amid globalization, the U.S. must find the right balance between global free trade and government regulation. Thomas L. Friedman looks at three issues that illustrate the importance of finding this balance: the outsourcing and automation of jobs, tax policies, and intellectual property laws. Keep reading to learn Friedman’s ideas for balancing global free trade and government regulation.
Do you want to level up your learning game? How can you learn better, faster, and retain the material more effectively? When it comes to learning, the method you use is an important consideration. You must learn in a way that’s appropriate for both the subject or skill in question as well as your individual learning style. Here are our picks of the best books for learning to help you learn more effectively.
What is growth hacking? What is the secret to achieving exponential business growth? Growth hacking is the only growth strategy that will keep your business competitive in the modern marketplace. Growth hacking is premised on continuous and rigorous testing to find hacks—practices that have the potential to skyrocket your company’s growth. Keep reading to learn about the growth hacking method.
What is the Wim Hof mindset? Why is practicing this mindset crucial to the success of the Wim Hof Method? As the third and final component of the Wim Hof Method, developing the Wim Hof mindset is critical to reaping the full benefits of the method. Wim Hof describes the mindset component as the “power of the mind,” which involves your mental approach to the Wim Hof Method. Read on for a full description of the Wim Hof mindset, including how to practice it yourself.
Does everyone have trauma from childhood? What are the lasting effects of childhood trauma in adults? Unless we’ve suffered abuse or extreme neglect in our early lives, we may think that we don’t have any psychological trauma. However, nearly all of us have suffered some form of trauma in our childhoods, and the effects reverberate throughout our entire lives. Keep reading to learn about the effects of childhood trauma in adults and how you can begin the healing process with compassion for yourself and others.
What does the future of the monarchy look like after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II? Is there still a place for the monarchy in Great Britain? There are some who say that the monarchy—a relic of an imperial era—feels anachronistic. However, the monarchy still serves an important ceremonial and cultural purpose. Here’s why the future of the monarchy is secure.