Future Ratboy and the Attack of the Killer Robot Grannies

During the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, our financial infrastructure failed. Govern­ments bailed out the very institutions that let the economy down. This episode spurred a serious rethink of our financial system. Does it make any sense that it takes two days to settle a stock transaction? Why do retailers, operating on razor thin margins, have to pay 3% for every customer credit card swipe? Why does it take two days to transfer money from a bank account to a brokerage—or any other company? Why are savings rates miniscule or negative? Why is it so difficult for entrepreneurs to get financ­ing at traditional banks? In DeFi and the Future of Finance , Campbell R. Harvey, Ashwin Ramachandran and Joey Santoro, introduce the new world of Decen­tralized Finance. The book argues that the current financial landscape is ripe for dis­ruption and we are seeing, in real time, the reinvention of finance. The authors provide the reader with a clear assessment of the problems with the current financial system and how DeFi solves many of these problems. The essence of DeFi is that we interact with peers—there is no brick and mortar and all of the associated costs. Savings and lending are reinvented. Trading takes place with algorithms far re­moved from traditional brokerages. The book conducts a deep dive on some of the most innovative protocols such as Uniswap and Compound. Many of the companies featured in the book you might not have heard of—however, you will in the future. As with any new technology, there are a myriad of risks and the authors carefully catalogue these risks and assess which ones can be successfully mitigated. Ideally suited for people working in any part of the finance industry as well as finan­cial policy makers, DeFi and the Future of Finance gives readers a vision of the future. The world of finance will fundamentally be changed over the coming decade. The book enables you to become part of the disruption – not the target of the disruption.

From the authors of the fascinating The Age of Cryptocurrency, comes the definitive work on the Internet’s next big thing: the blockchain.Many of the ‘legacy systems’ once designed to make our lives easier and our economy more efficient are no longer up to the task; big banks have grown more entrenched, privacy exists only until the next hack, and credit card fraud has become a fact of life. However, there is a way past all this―a new kind of operating system with the potential to revolutionise our economy: the blockchain.In The Truth Machine, Michael J. Casey and Paul Vigna demystify the blockchain and explain why it can restore personal control over our data, assets, and identities; grant billions of excluded people access to the global economy; and shift the balance of power to revive society’s faith in itself. They reveal the empowerment possible when self-interested middlemen give way to the transparency of the blockchain, while highlighting the job losses, assertion of special interests, and threat to social cohesion that will accompany this shift. With a balanced perspective, Casey and Vigna show why we all must care about the path that blockchain technology takes―moving humanity forward, not backward.

Take on the perspective of an attacker with this insightful new resource for ethical hackers, pentesters, and social engineers  In  The Art of Attack: Attacker Mindset for Security Professionals, experienced physical pentester and social engineer Maxie Reynolds untangles the threads of a useful, sometimes dangerous, mentality. The book shows ethical hackers, social engineers, and pentesters what an attacker mindset is and how to and how to use it to their advantage. Adopting this mindset will result in the improvement of security, offensively and defensively, by allowing you to see your environment objectively through the eyes of an attacker.  The book shows you the laws of the mindset and the techniques attackers use, from persistence to “start with the end” strategies and non-linear thinking, that make them so dangerous. You’ll discover:  A variety of attacker strategies, including approaches, processes, reconnaissance, privilege escalation, redundant access, and escape techniques The unique tells and signs of an attack and how to avoid becoming a victim of one What the science of psychology tells us about amygdala hijacking and other tendencies that you need to protect against Perfect for red teams, social engineers, pentesters, and ethical hackers seeking to fortify and harden their systems and the systems of their clients,  The Art of Attack  is an invaluable resource for anyone in the technology security space seeking a one-stop resource that puts them in the mind of an attacker.

A behind-the-scenes look at the firm behind WordPress.com and the unique work culture that contributes to its phenomenal success 50 million websites, or twenty percent of the entire web, use WordPress software. The force behind WordPress.com is a convention-defying company called Automattic, Inc., whose 120 employees work from anywhere in the world they wish, barely use email, and launch improvements to their products dozens of times a day. With a fraction of the resources of Google, Amazon, or Facebook, they have a similar impact on the future of the Internet. How is this possible? What's different about how they work, and what can other companies learn from their methods? To find out, former Microsoft veteran Scott Berkun worked as a manager at WordPress.com, leading a team of young programmers developing new ideas. The Year Without Pants shares the secrets of WordPress.com's phenomenal success from the inside. Berkun's story reveals insights on creativity, productivity, and leadership from the kind of workplace that might be in everyone's future. Offers a fast-paced and entertaining insider's account of how an amazing, powerful organization achieves impressive results Includes vital lessons about work culture and managing creativity Written by author and popular blogger Scott Berkun (scottberkun.com) The Year Without Pants shares what every organization can learn from the world-changing ideas for the future of work at the heart of Automattic's success.

Learn how the future of medicine is being unlocked—one digital innovation at a time The Future of Health is an insightful and comprehensive overview of the past, present, and future of digital health. Accomplished health innovation leader Roberto Ascione delivers a practical exploration of how the latest digital technologies are transforming the practice of medicine and redefining health itself by making it more accessible, sustainable, and human. The book includes practical, real-world examples from the United States, Asia, and Europe of technology applications, companies, and start-up that have changed—or will change—our relationship with our health and the healthcare system. Readers will also find: How our health is becoming increasingly consumer and connected while technology is empowering patients in completely new ways and deeply transforming the doctor-patient relationship Discussions of how the training of medical professionals, particularly doctors, has changed—or needs to change—to meet the new digital reality Examinations of how new technologies will allow doctors to dodge many of the administrative and regulatory burdens they currently face each day Treatments of the ability of new technologies to unlock new, holistic ways of practicing medicine, with a focus on latest developments such as Digital Therapeutics and Virtual Reality Reflections on how digital health is fostering a shift “from cure to care” and will unleash a human-sized future for a more accessible, ubiquitous, and sustainable healthcare The Future of Health is required reading for medical practitioners and the managers of pharmaceutical companies. It will also earn a place in the libraries of medical device companies and healthcare entrepreneurs seeking an incisive treatment of the impact of digital technology on all aspects of healthcare. Also, the general public, interested in understanding how to take better control of their own health through digital technologies, will find this book insightful and easy to comprehend.

Doing business in the digital age The Great Fragmentation: And Why the Future of All Business is Small is a business survival manifesto for the technology revolution. As the world moves from the industrial era to the digital age, power is shifting and fragmenting. Power is no longer about might and ownership; power in a digital world is about access. Existing businesses need to understand this shift and position themselves to survive and thrive in an environment where entrepreneurs and start-ups enabled by access to technology are genuine threats. Author Steve Sammartino is widely regarded as a thought leader on the subject of technology and business, and helps companies transition from industrial-era thinking to the mindset and processes required to compete in today's digital marketplace. The Great Fragmentation shows how technological changes such as Big Data, gamification, crowdfunding, Bitcoin, 3D printing, social media, mashup culture and artisanal production will forever change business and the way we live our lives. Examine how the digital era has altered where we work, how we work, where we live and what we do Discover how the digital era has impacted social and economic structures, including educational systems, financial systems and government policy Understand that the social media and collecting 'friends' is just the tip of the iceberg in a digital business environment Weaving together insights from business, technology and anthropology, The Great Fragmentation provides both corporations and entrepreneurs with a playbook for the future of work, life and business in the digital era.

The Leader of the Future 2 follows in the footsteps of the international bestseller The Leader of the Future, which has been translated into twenty-eight languages, and is one of the most widely distributed edited collections on leadership to date. In twenty-seven inspiring and insightful essays, this book celebrates the wisdom of some of the most recognized thought leaders of our day who share their unique vision of leadership for the future. Returning Contributors: Ken Blanchard with Dennis Carey, Stephen Covey, Marshall Goldsmith, Charles Handy, Sally Helgesen, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner, Richard Leider, Ed Schein, Peter Senge, and Dave Ulrich with Norm Smallwood. New Contributors: John Alexander, Darlyne Bailey, Howard Gardner with Lynn Barendsen, Usman Ghani, Ronald Heifetz, Joe Maciariello, Jan Masaoka, John Mroz, Brian O'Connell, Jeff Pfeffer, Ponchitta Pierce, Srikumar Rao, General Eric Shinseki, R. Roosevelt Thomas, Noel Tichy with Chris DeRose, and Tom Tierney. «Hesselbein and Marshall Goldsmith, one of the USA's top executive coaches, edited the collection The Leader of the Future 2. Its 27 eloquent essays provide a kind of hopeful, idealistic best-case scenario for future leaders of non-profits and businesses. This is not a cookie-cutter, how-to approach. The job of the essayists is to provide food for thought and goals. The high quality of writing here should inspire anyone who has aspirations for leadership.» —Bruce Rosenstein, USA Today

How can the G20 fulfill their role most efficiently in the post-crisis era, and what role do the emerging economies play in the new global economic order? This timely volume provides an overview of the most important challenges ahead for the G20, especially China.

The next twenty years will be completely unlike the last twenty years. The world is in economic crisis, and there are no easy fixes to our predicament. Unsustainable trends in the economy, energy, and the environment have finally caught up with us and are converging on a very narrow window of time—the «Twenty-Teens.» The Crash Course presents our predicament and illuminates the path ahead, so you can face the coming disruptions and thrive–without fearing the future or retreating into denial. In this book you will find solid facts and grounded reasoning presented in a calm, positive, non-partisan manner. Our money system places impossible demands upon a finite world. Exponentially rising levels of debt, based on assumptions of future economic growth to fund repayment, will shudder to a halt and then reverse. Unfortunately, our financial system does not operate in reverse. The consequences of massive deleveraging will be severe. Oil is essential for economic growth. The reality of dwindling oil supplies is now internationally recognized, yet virtually no developed nations have a Plan B. The economic risks to individuals, companies, and countries are varied and enormous. Best-case, living standards will drop steadily worldwide. Worst-case, systemic financial crises will toss the world into jarring chaos. This book is written for those who are motivated to learn about the root causes of our predicaments, protect themselves and their families, mitigate risks as much as possible, and control what effects they can. With challenge comes opportunity, and The Crash Course offers a positive vision for how to reshape our lives to be more balanced, resilient, and sustainable.