I have prepared the list of my favorite books in 2018, which have inspired me and extended my knowledge. Sharing it with you with the best wishes for 2018.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
Klaus Schwab
The means of production will greatly transform with the Industry 4.0. This transformation is seen as the fundamental dynamic that will shape the economic conditions of the near future. Considering the magnitude of the change, it is very crucial not only for companies and policymakers, but for all individuals to develop an understanding and prepare themselves for the new production mechanism. In this respect, I recommend the book to everyone.
“World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolution, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work.
Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human.
Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wearable sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manufacturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials.
The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history.
He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individuals. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frameworks that advance progress.”
Raising Your Child in a Digital World
Kristy Goodwin
This is a question that probably all parents ask. How should we raise our children in the digital world? Leaving our children uncontrolled in the digital world is as harmful as isolating them from technology (which is also not possible) for their development. So what should we do to make sure that our children get the most out of the technology, but are also protected from digital threats? To be more conscious, I recommend the book to all parents.
“This book outlines the ways in which technology can help a child in their natural development in regards to physical, mental and social relating skills. It investigates current research on new technology, busts a lot of myths and helps parents successfully guide their kids to balance “screen time with green time” so kids don’t become obsessed with computer games.”
Barbarian, Modern and Civilized
İbrahim Kalin
In this book, İbrahim Kalın (Ph.D Georgetown University) evaluates the historical evolution of the concept of civilization and particularly it relation with the modernity. Kalin particularly evalates the contribution of the concept to colonial ambitions of the western countries in the past, through the legitimizing discourse which is widely known as “mission civilisatrice”. However, Kalin underlines that the concept itself is dynamic, and as he frequently suggests in his studies, it can and should be redefined in globalized world, in a way which weight of concept’s Euro-centric origins is reduced.
Science and Technology in the Ottoman Empire
Aykut Kazancigil
Professor Kazancigil suggests that there are two main approaches to Ottoman history of science. First, the orientalist approach which represents and external view, which sees eastern regions as a desolate wasteland in terms of science and technology. The second approach can be defined as an internal view, which idealizes the classical era of Ottoman Empire as a golden age of scientific achievements and advanced technology. Kazancigil suggests that these two approaches have something in common: both of them disregards the Ottomans’ efforts through modernization in 18th and 19th century. In the book he evaluates these efforts, and underlines that if Ottomans were unable to adapt modern practices while transmitting their tradition to next periods, they couldn’t have survived until 20th century and modern Turkey could not be formed.
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Ashlee Vance
I have read this for the second time in 2018, and it was not a waste of time at all. It narrates the impressive story of successful entrepreneur Elon Musk.
“In the spirit of Steve Jobs and Moneyball, Elon Musk is both an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley’s most exciting, unpredictable, and ambitious entrepreneurs–a real-life Tony Stark–and a fascinating exploration of the renewal of American invention and its new “makers.”
Elon Musk spotlights the technology and vision of Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, who sold one of his Internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius’s life and work, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa and flight to the United States to his dramatic technical innovations and entrepreneurial pursuits.
Vance uses Musk’s story to explore one of the pressing questions of our age: can the nation of inventors and creators who led the modern world for a century still compete in an age of fierce global competition? He argues that Musk–one of the most unusual and striking figures in American business history–is a contemporary, visionary amalgam of legendary inventors and industrialists including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, and Steve Jobs. More than any other entrepreneur today, Musk has dedicated his energies and his own vast fortune to inventing a future that is as rich and far-reaching as the visionaries of the golden age of science-fiction fantasy.
Thorough and insightful, Elon Musk brings to life a technology industry that is rapidly and dramatically changing by examining the life of one of its most powerful and influential titans.”
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds
Carmine Gallo
The art of rhetoric has been of great importance in almost all societies throughout history. In particular, the ancient Greeks and the Romans gave special interest to the rhetoric and even some philosophers, such as Quintilianus, considered being a good speaker and being a good person as a complement of each other. In today’s world, its significance remains. Being an impressive and good speaker allows you to transfer your knowledge and experiences to audience in a most effective way. For this reason, I recommend this book to everyone, which is the result of a comprehensive study.
“Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century. In order to succeed, you need to be able to sell your ideas persuasively. This ability is the single greatest skill that will help you accomplish your dreams. TED Talks have redefined the elements of a successful presentation and become the gold standard for public speaking. TED―which stands for technology, entertainment, and design―brings together the world’s leading thinkers. These are the presentations that set the world on fire, and the techniques that top TED speakers use will make any presentation more dynamic, fire up any team, and give anyone the confidence to overcome their fear of public speaking.
Public speaking coach and bestselling author Carmine Gallo has broken down hundreds of TED talks and interviewed the most popular TED presenters, as well as the top researchers in the fields of psychology, communications, and neuroscience to reveal the nine secrets of all successful TED presentations. Gallo’s step-by-step method makes it possible for anyone to deliver a presentation that is engaging, persuasive, and memorable.
Many people have a fear of public speaking or are insecure about their ability to give a TED-worthy presentation. Carmine Gallo’s top 10 Wall Street Journal Bestseller Talk Like TED will give them the tools to communicate the ideas that matter most to them, the skill to win over hearts and minds, and the confidence to deliver the talk of their lives.”
Devlet-i Aliyye
Halil İnalcık
Ottoman’s had never used the title of Empire. Instead, they named their state as “Devlet-i Aliyye” which literally means “the great state”. The series of book which is written by Turkey’s renowned historian Halil Inalcik derives its name from this political concept. The books cover whole political, economic and social history of Ottoman Empire. It is widely accepted as the most comprehensive and accurate study on the history of Ottomans.
The Quotable Feynman
Michelle Feynman
The collection of inspiring quotations from Richard Feynman, Nobel prize winning physicist.
“Some people say, ‘How can you live without knowing?’ I do not know what they mean. I always live without knowing. That is easy. How you get to know is what I want to know.”―Richard P. Feynman
Nobel Prize–winning physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918–88) was that rarest of creatures―a towering scientific genius who could make himself understood by anyone and who became as famous for the wit and wisdom of his popular lectures and writings as for his fundamental contributions to science. The Quotable Feynman is a treasure-trove of this revered and beloved scientist’s most profound, provocative, humorous, and memorable quotations on a wide range of subjects.
Carefully selected by Richard Feynman’s daughter, Michelle Feynman, from his spoken and written legacy, including interviews, lectures, letters, articles, and books, the quotations are arranged under two dozen topics―from art, childhood, discovery, family, imagination, and humor to mathematics, politics, science, religion, and uncertainty. These brief passages―about 500 in all―vividly demonstrate Feynman’s astonishing yet playful intelligence, and his almost constitutional inability to be anything other than unconventional, engaging, and inspiring. The result is a unique, illuminating, and enjoyable portrait of Feynman’s life and thought that will be cherished by his fans at the same time that it provides an ideal introduction to Feynman for readers new to this intriguing and important thinker.
The book features a foreword in which physicist Brian Cox pays tribute to Feynman and describes how his words reveal his particular genius, a piece in which cellist Yo-Yo Ma shares his memories of Feynman and reflects on his enduring appeal, and a personal preface by Michelle Feynman. It also includes some previously unpublished quotations, a chronology of Richard Feynman’s life, some twenty photos of Feynman, and a section of memorable quotations about Feynman from other notable figures.
Features:
Approximately 500 quotations, some of them previously unpublished, arranged by topic
A foreword by Brian Cox, reflections by Yo-Yo Ma, and a preface by Michelle Feynman
A chronology of Feynman’s life
Some twenty photos of Feynman
A section of quotations about Feynman from other notable figures
Some notable quotations of Richard P. Feynman:
“The thing that doesn’t fit is the most interesting.”
“Thinking is nothing but talking to yourself inside.”
“It is wonderful if you can find something you love to do in your youth which is big enough to sustain your interest through all your adult life. Because, whatever it is, if you do it well enough (and you will, if you truly love it), people will pay you to do what you want to do anyway.”
“I’d hate to die twice. It’s so boring.”
(Kalede 1 Başına)
Sunay Akın
Sunay Akın is a Turkish journalist and novelist, who I have always appreciated his talents. In this novel book, he narrates the background story of many renowned person including Aziz Sancar, Russian Goal Keeper Lev Yashin, Turkish football coach Senol Gunes and many others.
My Inventions
Nikola Tesla
I would recommend Nikola Tesla’s autobiography to those who are curious about the inspiring life story of this great genius.
“Nikola Tesla is perhaps one of the most important inventors of all time, although his name is often credited with the scientific struggle he entered with Thomas Edison. American inventor Edwin Armstrong says “The world must wait a long time for someone like Nikola Tesla to come once again.” and he is right. The inventor of the rotating magnetic field, the wireless energy transfer, the remote controlled model boat, the Tesla coil and the transformer is Tesla, hardly known. My Inventions: A Genius’s autobiography, is a magnificent work in which Tesla mentions his own life and proves he has a mind beyond time.
But in a short period of time I have seized my weaknesses and I have experienced a pleasure I have never experienced before; doing whatever I want to do… With time, this powerful mental exercise had become a habit for me. At first, my wishes were dim, but gradually, the will to desire and achieving that desire became synonymous. After years of discipline, I’ve become such an expert in controlling myself that the desires that have ruined some of the strong people were almost like toys for me.”
Improving Mother – Father
Doğan Cüceloğlu
I highly recommend this book to all parents as a father.
“Along with every new generation, expectations for parents who raise them are also increasing. For the development of society, a democratic structure must be established in the family. The way to do this is to help parents get rid of past patterns of fear-culture and raise healthy individuals who believe in equality of honor.
In order to be Parents of Development and keep our values and family relationship healthy; we need to recognize ourselves, our child, our expectations and our intention. It’s in our control to live with knowing, understanding and loving eyes.
The biggest gift we can give to our children is to be friendly, calm and trusting parents with a sense of gratitude. Children deserve such a gift.
Your child will only experience childhood once. Experience this period together with your child.”
Rethinking Asia
Hongsoo S.Kim
I especially recommend this book to those who are interested in regional research, discussing how the Asian countries, whose share and influence are increasing day by day in the global economy, and what kind of a close future they expect in economic terms. Unfortunately, the Turkish translation of the book and the other book written by the same author I shared below is not yet available.
Leadership That Triumphs
Hongsoo S.Kim
This book, which contains important researches and studies about leadership in business world, was one of the most useful books for me in 2018.
Periodicals and Internet Resources I Followed in 2018
I am sharing the resources I have followed to stay updated and learn new things in 2018 with you.
· Harvard Business Review
· TechCrunch
· Wired
· The New Yorker
· Mashable
