Axiom's End


Book Description

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The alternate history first contact adventure Axiom's End is an extraordinary debut from Hugo finalist and video essayist Lindsay Ellis. Truth is a human right. It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government—and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades. Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human—and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.




How to Get Your Teacher Ready


Book Description

Learn how to get your teacher ready for back to school…from the first dayl to graduation! The kids are in charge in this hilarious classroom adventure--from the creators of the New York Times bestseller How to Babysit a Grandpa. This humorous new book in the beloved HOW TO . . . series takes readers through a fun and busy school year. Written in tongue-in-cheek instructional style, a class of adorable students gives tips and tricks for getting a teacher ready—for the first day of school, and all the events and milestones that will follow (picture day, holiday concert, the 100th day of school, field day!). And along the way, children will see that getting their teacher ready is really getting themselves ready. Filled with charming role-reversal humor, this is a playful and heartwarming celebration of teachers and students. A fun read-a-loud to prepare for first day jitters, back-to-school readiness or end of year celebrations.. The fun doesn't stop! Check out more HOW TO... picture books: How to Babysit a Grandpa How to Babysit a Grandma How to Catch Santa How to Get Your Teacher Ready How to Raise a Mom How to Read to a Grandma or Grandpa




How to Get It


Book Description

Comprehensive guide to identifying and acquiring government-sponsored documents, maps, patents, specifications, and other resources. Describes each item and gives its source, acronym, series designation or short title, cost, where it is indexed, and telephone numbers to call for more information. It emphasizes research development, testing, and evaluation programs.




The First 20 Hours


Book Description

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.




Make It Stick


Book Description

To most of us, learning something "the hard way" implies wasted time and effort. Good teaching, we believe, should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines, the authors offer concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners. Memory plays a central role in our ability to carry out complex cognitive tasks, such as applying knowledge to problems never before encountered and drawing inferences from facts already known. New insights into how memory is encoded, consolidated, and later retrieved have led to a better understanding of how we learn. Grappling with the impediments that make learning challenging leads both to more complex mastery and better retention of what was learned. Many common study habits and practice routines turn out to be counterproductive. Underlining and highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. More complex and durable learning come from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has set in, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Speaking most urgently to students, teachers, trainers, and athletes, Make It Stick will appeal to all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement.




How to Write a Children's Book and Get It Published


Book Description

Your one-stop guide to writing and selling books for children Get the tools you need to: * Develop story ideas that work * Strengthen your writing skills * Improve your work habits * Write for different age groups * Look at your work critically * Submit proposals and manuscripts * Find the right publisher for your work * Understand and negotiate contracts * Work with agents and editors * Join the writing community Do you dream of becoming the next J. K. Rowling? Are you excited about writing for children but have no idea how to begin or where to send your material? Now, respected children's writer Barbara Seuling gives you the essential steps to getting published in the competitive, exciting world of children's literature. From finding story ideas and creating character sketches to plotting, writing dialogue, editing, and revising your work, you'll learn how to complete a manuscript and prepare it for submission. Whether you want to write picture or chapter books, fiction or nonfiction, poetry or plays, Seuling helps you master the different genres and capture a child's interest and imagination, from the early years to young adult. Her fully revised guide also covers the major developments in book publishing, including vital information about using the Internet to research the market and contact publishers. Seuling even discusses recent successes such as the Harry Potter series, as well as the growth of Amazon.com. Complete with updated lists of writing organizations, marketing information, and recommended reading, this is the only guide you need to start writing, get published, and touch the lives of children.




Learning How to Learn


Book Description

A surprisingly simple way for students to master any subject--based on one of the world's most popular online courses and the bestselling book A Mind for Numbers A Mind for Numbers and its wildly popular online companion course "Learning How to Learn" have empowered more than two million learners of all ages from around the world to master subjects that they once struggled with. Fans often wish they'd discovered these learning strategies earlier and ask how they can help their kids master these skills as well. Now in this new book for kids and teens, the authors reveal how to make the most of time spent studying. We all have the tools to learn what might not seem to come naturally to us at first--the secret is to understand how the brain works so we can unlock its power. This book explains: Why sometimes letting your mind wander is an important part of the learning process How to avoid "rut think" in order to think outside the box Why having a poor memory can be a good thing The value of metaphors in developing understanding A simple, yet powerful, way to stop procrastinating Filled with illustrations, application questions, and exercises, this book makes learning easy and fun.




Intelligence and how to Get it


Book Description

Nisbett debunks the myth of genetic inheritance of intelligence and persuasively demonstrates how intelligence can be enhanced : the anti-Bell Curve book.--From publisher description.







They Don’t Teach You How To Get Rich At School-2 (1, #2)


Book Description

Debunk all those assumptions that you will be Rich if you study hard and work hard . They Don’t Teach You How To Get Rich At School-2 It is all about the importance of money. The premise of the book clearly distinguishes the difference between the thinking of the rich and the poor. In essence, the only limitation between you and the rich is in your own mind, and achieving success lies in breaking these walls. You can't just graduate and leave formal education and expect yourself to be financially well equipped. Many people think that having a good education is sufficient to the roads to acquire new wealth , well they can't be any more wrong! It is having the mindset of the wealthy that will make you rich. That is why many lotto winners who becomes instant millionaires loses most of their money because they don't have the proper mindset to maintain or grow their money. You’ll discover why some of your money beliefs might be wrong and that could be holding you back , you need to consider what are the principles and what behaviors the rich have , that you do not have Laura Maya takes this idea and breaks it into sixteen chapters. You wouldn’t find a recipe to turn rich overnight. Rather, the book provides a solid foundation for setting the psychological stage for strong financial habits. Studying hard, getting nice grades, and getting a job is not enough to be rich. That’s one lie which we have been fed with since our childhood. There is a difference between scholastic, professional and financial education. The book further analyzes the root cause of why you are not rich. It all boils down to your education. You were never taught about how to be rich at school. Forget that, you never even learned personal finance or how to handle money. It further touches upon how you can get smart with personal finance. Perhaps the biggest argument Laura makes is the fact that everything can change if you change your mindset. Buying that expensive dress, impulsive buying, etc. are all signs of a poor mentality. If you make changes to your lifestyle and spending habits today, you will reap the benefits tomorrow. On making money, Laura’s approach is simple – she emphasizes on investing, spend less, and plan for a long-term. This isn’t something new. We have all heard it. But we never implement it. Laura gives real life examples of how you can start your journey to being rich by investing for a long-term, planning your finances, and by staying on a budget. Last but not the least, she focuses on self-investment by developing your mental, financial, and emotional intelligence. To sum up, Laura has come up with a book that truly focuses on the core problem today – financial planning and money making is simply not taught at schools. The book truly provides a step by step guide to change your thinking about money, set realistic goals, and embark a journey towards riches.