Complex Networks

Given the rapid pace at which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and other Asian economies are growing and the global volatility that these societies are experiencing, social capital and its diverse connectivities can furnish useful anchoring to communities, neighbourhoods, local governments and social protection networks. This volume in twelve chapters provides a critical analysis of social capital, its indigenous evolution and spread in HKSAR. Some of the experiments and activities narrated in these chapters indicate the ingenious blending of the local ethos and culture with modern organisational forms and information networks. Policy makers, development practitioners, researchers of civil society organisations and welfare agencies will find this book a helpful reference source. The book will also appeal as a text or supplementary reading in management, public administration, governance, and development economics courses dealing with social capital and social enterprise.

Li shang wanglai is a phrase that combines practice and principle. It is what others have discussed as Confucianism. But it is the summation of what is practised in daily life and without the leadership of an elite intelligentsia. With this phrase the author has brought together what had been separately discussed: the social philosophy of bao (asymmetrical reciprocity), the central importance of mianzi and lian (face), the moral economy of renqing (human relationships of fellow-feeling), the art of making guanxiwang (social networks), and much else. She shows how they work together in what might be called a discursive constellation. Using sociological and anthropological theorisations of reciprocal relations in China and Japan, she creates a framework of four dimensions, namely, principled rational calculation, human-feeling, moral, and religious, and four kinds of relationships, namely, instrumental, expressive, negative and generous.

The widely acclaimed films of Wong Kar-wai are characterized by their sumptuous yet complex visual and sonic style. Bettinson argues that Wong’s films—from Days of Being Wild and Chungking Express to In the Mood for Love and The Grandmaster—are permeated by an aesthetic of sensuousness and “disturbance” achieved through techniques such as narrative disruptions, jarring cuts, the blocking of facial access, and other complex strategies. The effect is to jolt the viewer out of complete aesthetic absorption. This tenth-anniversary edition of The Sensuous Cinema of Wong Kar-wai includes a substantial new afterword bringing the story of Wong’s career up to date (including reflections on the mainland Chinese drama Blossoms Shanghai). Bettinson revisits and extends the arguments of the first edition, surveys the recent key debates on Wong’s filmmaking, and introduces fresh lines of critical investigation.

Leung Ping Kwan brought as much talent and inspiration to the writing of his short stories as he did to his poems. ‘I have drawn on magical realism to explore the absurdity of Hong Kong,’ he wrote of the story ‘See Mun and the Dragon’ (1975) in which we find him using a simple, clipped style. The later story ‘Drowned Souls’ (2007) was written in a more symbolic, lyrical and more complex manner. Although the two stories are separated by over thirty years, and are in many ways so very different, dragons play a prominent part in both. The dragon has always been a fascinating creature, a complex embodiment of the timeless soul of China, symbol of the universal power of the imagination, of the creative energy and transformative possibilities of the Tao. Both of these enchanting stories are anchored in the author’s idea of freedom and liberation.

The widely acclaimed films of Wong Kar-wai are characterized by their sumptuous yet complex visual and sonic style. This study of Wong's filmmaking techniques uses a poetics approach to examine how form, music, narration, characterization, genre, and other artistic elements work together to produce certain effects on audiences. Bettinson argues that Wong's films are permeated by an aesthetic of sensuousness and "disturbance" achieved through techniques such as narrative interruptions, facial masking, opaque cuts, and other complex strategies. The effect is to jolt the viewer out of complete aesthetic absorption. Each of the chapters focuses on a single aspect of Wong's filmmaking. The book also discusses Wong's influence on other filmmakers in Hong Kong and around the world. The Sensuous Cinema of Wong Kar-wai will appeal to all who are interested in authorship and aesthetics in film studies, to scholars in Asian studies, media and cultural studies, and to anyone with an interest in

Throughout the long-term evolution of global capital markets, stock markets, and crypto-asset markets have historically operated as two parallel systems: the former is built upon over a century of institutional accumulation and vast institutional networks, while the latter has thrived within the technological framework of blockchain. Today, with the ongoing implementation and application of new models—such as the tokenization of real world assets (RWAs), stablecoins, crypto-asset ETFs, and digital asset treasury (DAT) companies—the convergence of securities and crypto is emerging as the most disruptive transformation trajectory in capital markets. Traditional securities are stepping into the on-chain world, while native crypto-assets are making their way into the mainstream financial arena through compliant pathways. Capital markets are witnessing a historic convergence characterized by "mutual convergence."  This book presents a comprehensive overview of the convergence of securities

Although the arts have been firmly planted in the Hong Kong school system since the 1950s, they are often sacrificed in place of core subjects and preparation for examinations. Drawing on over fourteen years of exploration and experience, Yau makes the case that arts are critical to cultivating creative mindsets, which are our best resource for innovating and responding to challenges in this complex world of sudden changes. Through case studies and conversations with practising artists and educators, this book demonstrates why arts and education, two normally discrete disciplines, should be broadly integrated into the local Hong Kong curriculum, and how this can be – and has been – achieved. This book is intended for policymakers, educators, arts heads, and artists. The volume will also appeal to readers curious about how and why the arts should be foundational to education and capacity building in the twenty-first century.

Journalism EthicsThis concise and authoritative work offers the latest guidance on journalism ethics for students and media professionals and will help empower news consumers to make informed decisions about the trustworthiness of their sources of information. It offers advice on all aspects of journalism ethics including accuracy and seeking the truth, representation of women, LGBTQ coverage, climate change, mental health, use of images, conflict reporting, elections, and how to use artificial intelligence. The author brings a unique perspective and depth of knowledge to the complex challenges facing journalists and news consumers in this era of fake news, disinformation, and artificial intelligence.

The book presents an innovative method that will free you from using the trial-and-error method of finding solutions to your problems, pointing you in the direction of a strong solution. This is a targeted search method. You will save time and effort, and you will get a solution without disadvantages using this method. The method has five steps, so it is easy to use, and easy to get good results. It has been refined and improved over 40 years by incorporating what we learned from using it, and incorporating the experiences of many others. This book should be useful to engineers, scientists, students, inventors, and people solving complex problems in business, government, and social environments, as well as everyday problem solvers.

What do you know about getting healthy and staying healthy? Eat better, exercise, and sleep more... But what should we eat and why? Do our daily food choices really impact our heart, lungs, and brain? Is getting sick an inevitable occurrence or one we have control over? Much of our medical knowledge is gated behind complicated concepts that are too hard to understand. As a result, we have a heavy dependence on doctors and a blind reliance on prescriptions and medical technology. For us to lead healthy and productive lives, we need the knowledge to prevent sickness and disease. This knowledge should not be hidden behind incomprehensible gibberish. It should be easily accessible and easy to apply to our own lives on a daily basis. Good health comes down to the little things, like what foods we serve to our families and what we buy at the grocery store. Educate Act Thrive: EAT for the Immune System does its best to distill the complex topics of health and diet into easily digestible fra

In On Saving Face, Michael Keevak traces the Western reception of the Chinese concept of “face” during the past two hundred years, arguing that it has always been linked to nineteenth-century colonialism. “Lose face” and “save face” have become so normalized in modern European languages that most users do not even realize that they are of Chinese origin. “Face” is an extremely complex and varied notion in all East Asian cultures. It involves proper behavior and the avoidance of conflict, encompassing every aspect of one’s place in society as well as one’s relationships with other people. One can “give face,” “get face,” “fight for face,” “tear up face,” and a host of other expressions. But when it began to become known to the Western trading community in China beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, it was distorted and reduced to two phrases only, “lose face” and “save face,” both of which were used to suggest distinctly Western ideas of humiliation, embarrassment, honor, a

Set against the backdrop of regional and international post–Second World War tensions, Grounded at Kai Tak is the most comprehensive account of the complex legal struggle for ownership of 71 airplanes belonging to the two main Chinese airlines, which were stranded at Kai Tak airfield in Hong Kong at the end of the Chinese civil war. The resulting contest for possession of them took place in the courts and among politicians and diplomats on three continents. In the process, the struggle became entangled with the anti-communist policies of the United States in the emerging ‘Cold War’, British hopes for restoration of her pre-war commercial position in China, disagreements between nations about recognition of the new government in Peking, and the delicate balance that the colonial government of Hong Kong had to keep to preserve that colony’s interests. Merry tells the tale of this legal saga by weaving together archival documents and news reports of the day, revealing the international a

Essentials of Contract Drafting and Negotiation for Construction Professionals is a practical and user-friendly guide to common practical contractual matters and is intended for construction professionals involved in contract drafting and negotiating. Knowing how to draft an effective contract is crucial in construction, particularly because of the complex and technical nature of construction projects. Divided into six chapters, this guide will enhance and refresh essential knowledge for lawyers and construction professionals who need to understand the principles of drafting and interpreting construction contracts, how to clearly identify and include key elements in these contracts, as well as how to avoid legal traps and pitfalls in contract negotiations and enforcement.

Traversing from the rapidly urbanising county-level city of Fuqing to the remote mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in Southern Africa, Searching for Sweetness is one of the first and most extensive ethnographies linking rural-to-urban migration in China with Chinese migration to Africa. Against the backdrop of China’s national struggle for modernity and globalisation, Sarah Hanisch examines Chinese migrant women’s complex and ever-shifting struggles for upward social mobility across different generations and localities in China and Lesotho. Embedding the women’s individual portraits into larger historical contexts, Hanisch illustrates how these women interpret and narrate their migratory and everyday experiences through and beyond powerful state metanarratives on ‘sweetness’ and ‘bitterness’. In her exploration of migratory identities and projects that have been overlooked by previous studies, Hanisch brings uniquely gendered, multi-sited, and intergenerational perspectives to existing sc

An individual’s health depends on their personal lifestyle and living conditions, which are influenced by a host of complex physical, social, and economic determinants. The same is true of organisational and community health. This book explains the Healthy Settings Approach as a means to define population and health standards as well as a framework to promote and evaluate health in daily living activities. The determinants affecting public health go beyond the availability and quality of healthcare, and a concerted effort from all sectors of the community is required to bring about sustained improvements. Using the Healthy Settings Approach to facilitate the “right to health”, this book argues that promoting health in multiple and varied settings concurrently will ensure healthy living throughout the community and, ultimately, the world. The author uses real life experiences from different countries, with a focus on Hong Kong, and discusses many initiatives that have been enacted (alth

Chinese Diaspora Charity and the Cantonese Pacific, 1850–1949 sheds new light on the history of charity among Chinese overseas and its place in the history of charity in China and in the wider history of global philanthropy. It finds that diaspora charity, besides serving traditional functions of helping the sick and destitute and supporting development in China, helped to build trust among dispersed hometown networks while challenging color boundaries in host societies by contributing to wider social causes. The book shows that charitable activities among the “Gold Rush” communities of the Pacific rim—a loosely integrated émigré network from Guangdong Province perhaps better known for its business acumen and hard work among English-speaking settler societies in North America and Australasia—also led the way with social innovations that helped to shape modern charity in China. Fitzgerald and Yip’s volume demonstrates that charity lay at the heart of community life among Chinese commu

Chinese medicine has a rich history that has only been made more complex by its integration with `Western' biomedicine. Legitimization of Chinese medicine in biomedicine-dominated health systems, such as that in Hong Kong, has posed significant issues. This anthology of articles explores relevant social issues related to various Chinese medicine treatments, including acupuncture and medicinal oils, as well as insight into practitioner licensing and public perception. Each chapter tackles a topic related to the complicated process of legitimizing knowledge and power within a specific social and historical context. Written by professors and researchers with extensive knowledge of Chinese medicine, government regulation, and sociology, this collection provides an overview of the challenges and current social context of Chinese medicine that affect students and practitioners of Chinese medicine, health and para-health biomedical professionals, and patients alike. Traditional Chinese Me

Based on rare first-hand historical data, Wang Ke presents the analysis of the East Turkestan from the perspective of Islamic social structure, the origin and evolution of thoughts on national revolution, the power structure of the Republic, and international politics. The original Japanese edition of this book has been recognized as the most authoritative research work on the independence movement of East Turkestan. This revised, enriched English edition provides valuable references for the prominent issues of Xinjiang today. ~~~~~~~ “For those intrigued by the modern history of China’s Xinjiang region, this detailed study of the 1940s invites the reader to explore a tempestuous decade marked by conflict and turmoil as Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other ethnic groups sought to form an independent state, the East Turkestan Republic. Understanding the complex involvement of powerful outside forces, a brutal world war, and an opportunity for groups that saw a chance at independence requires ca

The personal stories of the Gao villagers demonstrate and are related to changes in China. This is a close study of Gao Village twenty years after the author, an anthropologist and native of Gao village, wrote his original ethnography Gao Village. It combines ethnographic analysis, personal vignettes, and a number of fascinating stories, which presents a convincing yet complex picture of how Gao villagers interact with the outside world. With his sympathetic and insider’s approach, the author argues that rural Chinese display great entrepreneurship and inner strength of self-improvement; they are active contributors to China’s economic boom. ~~~~~~~~ “This is a close ethnographic look at the world of Gao villagers twenty years after the author, an anthropologist and native of Gao village, wrote his original ethnography. Through a look at Gao villagers, including the ethnographer’s own family and extended kin, we are able to see the decline of agriculture and the integration of rural

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of the University of Hong Kong presents the Chinese painting exhibition Tradition to Contemporary: Ink Painting and Artistic Development in 20th-century China. The exhibition is curated from artworks within the museum’s permanent collection. Works trace the evolution of ink painting in Hong Kong, and include many of the masters that have helped to build the city’s art scene and museum collections. The exhibition and its associated catalogue offers audiences a broad overview of the provenance and aesthetic quality of individual works, and the cultural interactions among twentieth-century Chinese artists, curators, collectors and scholars in Hong Kong, mainland China and abroad. It makes reference to individuals and their networks, to teacher-student relationships and to the generosity of the numerous painters who have helped UMAG to grow the museum’s holdings, and whose work constitutes the foundation of UMAG’s educational work today. Since

In the last twenty years Hong Kong society has witnessed dramatic change, and nowhere is this better reflected than in the realm of media and communication. Across the fields of journalism, public relations and advertising we can see the changing trends in terms of audience consumption and interaction. From technological developments to the shift in audience participation, the expectations and functions of these professions have been greatly altered. Through a selection of essays by field experts, this volume aims to explore not only the evolution in media itself, but also to examine the complex causes. It identifies not only the difficulties and opportunities for media professionals today, but also the evolving role of the audience.

U.S.-China Relations and the Changing Security Dynamics in East Asia collects 9 papers which were presented at the annual conference of the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, Tamkang University. Addressing the complex mix of cooperative and competitive elements in the U.S.-China relationship, the book focuses on regional responses to and Taiwan’s perspective on the rise of China and challenges to the U.S.-led international liberal order.

Recent discoveries of bronze ritual vessels from ancient China provide the ground for this collection of essays, which focus in particular on the nature and patterns of family lineages as seen from these artifacts found in tombs throughout north China. Based on careful readings of the inscriptions on the bronze vessels, the editor and his eight contributors reconstruct the genealogies, kinship structures, political identities, and relationship networks of leading families and individuals from Bronze-Age China. The rich scholarship also contributes to our understanding of the archaeology, chronology, warfare, and legal structures of ancient China. ************ The bronze inscriptions from ancient China are far too important to be left to the specialized archaeologists alone. Professor Shaughnessy and his group of leading practitioners of the arcane art of teasing out the meaning implicit and explicit in these extraordinarily difficult—often only recently discovered—inscriptions allo

安康*的《中国农产品蔬菜批发市场的性质与变迁研究--基于CAS和主观博弈契合》尝试性地提出了复杂适应性系统(Complex Adaptive System，简称CAS)和主观博弈契合的理论框架，从宏观和微观两个层次上对市场的性质进行新释义，进而从整体和个体两个层次上对我国农产品蔬菜批发市场的性质和变迁进行了理论透视，并选用我国东部和西部两个有着代表意义的案例对理论进行检验。本书通过对本质的分析，来挖掘现象产生的深层次原因，从而在理论层面上给出政策意蕴。

This volume is the most extensive social and cultural history of twentieth-century Huangmei Opera to date. A regional Chinese theater originating in the Anqing countryside, Huangmei Opera gained popularity with the success of the 1950s play and movie, Tianxian pei 天仙配 (Married to a Heavenly Immortal). Through a case study of this work, the author juxtaposes the complex process of rewriting and revising the play and movie against the rapidly changing cultural and ideological climate of the Communist theater reform movement. As a result, the traditional theme of filial piety becomes a struggle over class and free love. This volume features a full translation of the original play and its revision in the 1950s, as well as selected articles by scriptwriters, directors, performers, and critics. These primary sources allow readers to gain access to inside views of the contemporaries and their political and artistic concerns.

Over the years auditing has developed into a specialised function with complex ethical, legal and economic implications. The role of auditors in providing credibility is even more important in a society like Hong Kong, which relies heavily on its reputation as an international financial and business centre. The financial crises and accounting scandals reported in recent years, which led to economic meltdowns and massive loss in capital resources across the globe, highlights the vital role of auditors as gatekeepers and the importance of high quality auditing in ensuring corporate transparency and honest financial reporting. The third edition is thoroughly revised to take into account the new Companies Ordinance (Chapter 622, effective 2014) and Hong Kong Standards on Quality Control, Auditing, Assurance and Related Services (updated June 2014), and numerous developments of a full range of auditing topics since the previous edition, including: - Auditor's legal duties and liabilities

The period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960) has long been treated as an anomaly in the history of China, an age of great disunity between the empires of the Tang and the Song dynasties. Breaking with previous scholarship on China's middle period, this edited volume presents individual studies that focus on the art, culture, and politics of the interregnum, challenging underlying assumptions about the unitary nature of dynastic culture and its value as a category of historical analysis. It understands these decades as a time of important transition in which the incipient cultural shifts of the mature Tang dynasty turned into the foundations of Song society. Consequently it highlights the complex narrative processes that gave birth to Song culture.

Vulnerable young people lacking self-esteem and aspiration are usually regarded as more at-risk. They deserve transformational change to ease rising problems associated with property crime, violence, illegal drugs, truancy and exclusion, etc. Written by a host of scholars, frontline practitioners and supervisors of related expertise, this edited volume in nine chapters is a welcome addition to the study of the problems and practical issues of Youth-at-risk (YAR) in the context of Hong Kong. With an excellent and interesting analysis of a wide range of intervention programmes, this volume will help readers explore different initiatives for working with YAR, both theoretically and practically. This book will certainly be of interest to social work and welfare academics, professionals from a range of youth services and voluntary organisations, carers, parents and family networks. Social policy specialists and youth justice students will also find the description of initiatives in the lo

Co-authored by Eugene Nida and JIN Di, On Translation was first published in 1984 by the China Translation and Publishing Corporation in Beijing. It is widely recognized as a classic in translation theory with a practical orientation. Following the theoretical framework Nida had developed over decades of work on translation and semiotics, the two authors offer an easily comprehensible analysis of the complex problems involved in translation. After a critical review of the historical development of translation theory in the light of modern information theory, they elucidate the most fundamental principles of translation in accordance with the concept of dynamic equivalence. The treatment is closely related to actual translation practice, and the principles elucidated are applicable to all types of translation, though most of the examples analyzed are taken from translations between Chinese and English. This new and expanded edition has two main parts. Part I is the complete text of th

The digital divide and the inequalities of the availability and deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) between developed and developing countries have long been a source of concern. Global institutions such as the United Nations, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the World Bank, as well as regional and national level agencies, have set up task forces to investigate how ICTs can be enacted most effectively in developing countries. How this shared vision should be put into practice is a complex undertaking, but it is already taking place. In this volume, we go beyond the theoretical, the polemical and the philosophical to consider practical issues as they are encountered by stakeholders in the developing country context. 15 author teams explore key issues organized into four sections: (1) Theoretical Background and Culture; (2) Telecentres; (3) Applications; and (4) Key Concepts with Country Specific Studies. Examples of these applications are

◎完整解析冶金煤（Coking Coal）与动力煤（Steam Coal）的物理与化学性质。 A comprehensive analysis of the physical and chemical properties of coking coal and steam coal. ◎结合作者在 HMS Bergbau AG 及波士顿咨询集团 (BCG) 的多年实战经验，将理论转化为交易与生产决策。 Drawing on years of hands-on experience at HMS Bergbau AG and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the author translates theory into practical guidance for trading and production decision-making. ◎特别收录配煤技术、流动性指标（Fluidity-Temperature Area）等前沿研究与评价标准。 Includes in-depth coverage of advanced research and evaluation standards, such as coal blending techniques and liquidity indicators (Fluidity–Temperature Area). 一书在手，解读煤炭的化学密码与市场商机 One Book in Hand: Decoding the Chemical Secrets and Market Opportunities of Coal 在复杂多变的全球能源市场中，准确理解煤炭的物理与化学特性，是掌握利润与效率的核心关键。由国际能源经济学家乐思-谢倪考博士（Dr. Lars Schernikau）亲自撰写，《谢倪考的煤炭手册》为产业提供了前所未有的深度解析。 In an increasingly complex and volatile global energy market, a precise understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the resource coal is a critical key to maxi

隨著雲端運算、萬物聯網與5G的快速發展，未來IT、OT、CT結合AI分析機制，應用在各種場域（製造、金融、醫療、零售、交通、能源等）的資通安全產品暨服務，為資通安全產業開創出值得期待的未來與龐大商機。但網路的無所不在同樣也讓資通安全風險急速擴大，亦成為萬物聯網與各種智慧應用普及發展的主要障礙。 智慧城市（Smart City）是近年來各國積極布局未來的發展重點及方向，從物聯網（Internet of Things, IoT）蓬勃發展後，智慧城市下各項垂直領域的智慧化服務逐漸受到關注，如：智慧製造、智慧交通、智慧零售、智慧安控、智慧家庭、智慧能源等。智慧物聯網（Artificial Intelligence & Internet of Things, AIoT）讓智慧化服務進化成實至名歸的智慧應用，然而智慧化服務的營運必然伴隨資訊安全的議題。 資通安全的產品暨服務受到不同國家與區域在資安市場、法規、軍事科技，以及資訊科技產業影響，因此各國的產業發展程度各不相同，美國的政府與企業對於資通安全議題相對重視，也促成美國資安產業的蓬勃發展，全球知名的雲端資安大廠多數集中在美國，包含Microsoft、Amazon Web Services、IBM Security、Palo Alto Networks、Splunk等業者。2020年由於受到疫情的影響，美國資安業者也分別推出各自的資安因應解決方案，以協助業者在疫情期間能夠在足夠的資安防護之下維持營運。 5G通訊技術方面，臺灣資通訊產業以硬體製造並行銷全世界市場而聞名於世，因此在發展5G的過程中，產業鏈中的基地台設備、局端設備，以及網路設備至關重要，其次包括晶片廠商，電信營運商、軟體整合及大數據、用戶端設備及手機等產業之業者，亦在5G產業鏈中扮演不可或缺的角色。然而正當臺灣廠商摩拳擦掌、準備快速搶進市場之際，過去較少被關切的資安問題，已然成為各國政府所關注的重點，所以要在未來的5G市場搶得先機，勢必就得先明瞭主要國家對於5G的相關規範。 企業資安應用方面，近年來智慧科技發展迅速，各行各業透過新興智慧科技及數位服務，解決傳統人力、管理效率等經營上的問題已蔚為趨勢，中小企業更紛紛透過人工智慧（Artificial Intelligence, AI）、物聯網（Internet of Things, IoT）、數位服務平台強化自身競爭優

邁向大師之路 “我生命中最最要的書之一。” —OBIE FERNANDEZ,《The Rails Way》作者 “20年前，第一版的《The Pragmatic Programmer》完全改變了我的職業軌跡。這個新版本會對您產生一樣的效用。” —MIKE COHN,《Succeeding with Agile》《Agile Estimating and Planning》《User Stories Applied》等書籍作者 “...書中充滿了實用的建議，有技術的，也有專業的，這些建議將在未來幾年提升您和您的專案。” —ANDREA GOULET, CEO, Corgibytes; Founder, LegacyCode.Rocks “...神來兩筆是有可能的，這本書就是明證。” —VM (VICKY) BRASSEUR, Director of Open Source Strategy, Juniper Networks 《The Pragmatic Programmer》是少數隨著歲月增長值得一讀再讀的經典書籍，無論您是新手還是實戰豐富的從業者，每次閱讀這本書，您都會得到新的領悟。 Dave Thomas和Andy Hunt於1999年撰寫了這本深具影響力的書，目的是為了幫他們的客戶建立更好的軟體，以及重新發現寫程式的樂趣。這些經驗幫助了一整世代的程式設計師檢視軟體開發的本質，不受限於任何特定語言、framework和方法論，其中的實用主義哲學催生了幾百本書、視訊教學、有聲讀物以及數千個職涯與成功故事。 二十年後的現今，本書再次檢視現代程式設計師的真義。主題範圍從個人責任與職涯探索，到能保持程式碼彈性與易於使用重用的架構技術。 閱讀本書，你將會學到： ‧對抗「軟體凋零」(software rot) ‧持續學習 ‧避免重複知識的陷阱 ‧寫出有彈性、動態和適應力強的程式碼 ‧善用基本工具的威力 ‧避免靠巧合寫程式 ‧學習什麼是真正的需求 ‧防範安全漏洞 ‧解決並行程式碼真正的問題 ‧建立由務實程式設計師組成的團隊 ‧你的工作成果與職涯責任 ‧進行嚴格、有效的測試，包括以屬性為基礎的測試 ‧實作實用的新手工具集 ‧取悅您的使用者 本書以一系列各自獨立的章節寫成，書中充滿了經驗和新奇的軼事、深思熟慮的例子和有趣的類比，這本書展示了軟體開發不同

愛麗絲在夢境中不小心掉進了兔子洞，因為她跟著一隻看著懷錶自言自語的兔子走進到一個大洞裡，不過愛麗絲根本就不知道這個洞有多深，只知道在掉下去的時候她還睡了好一會，然後她喝了藥水身體就變小，吃了蛋糕身體就變大，變成巨人的愛麗絲流的眼淚變成了大池塘。書中還出現了和多多鳥、老鼠的賽跑大會、吞雲吐霧的大煙槍毛毛蟲、愛說教的公爵夫人、因為被紅心王后懲罰從此活在六點時刻的帽子商人，以及愛麗絲跟紅心王后比賽槌球時打得一塌糊塗的有趣內容。在奇怪的審判裡莫名其妙變成證人的愛麗絲，惹火了紅心王后。被判了死刑的愛麗絲該如何死裡逃生呢？ Step through the original looking glass with Alice into a world much more complex and fantastic than you may have imagined, if you’ve only read newer abridged, watered down versions; a familiar world where old friends like the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat still live, but a world that also abounds with strange characters like the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle, who sings the song of the Lobster Quadrille performed at the edge of the sea; a world caricatured in the unforgettable woodblock illustrations of the artist and humorist John Tenniel; a vivid and enchanting world beloved by young and old alike; a place that, once visited, can never be forgotten.

混跡產官學三界的律師、客戶橫跨30國的國際業務和看遍生死的急診室主治醫師，三個不同領域的40歲大叔，在人生轉折點回到學校，但卻捨棄培養其他商業人脈的機會，念了一間比EMBA還貴的神秘學校──密涅瓦大學。 這間才成立不到十年的學校，已經打敗哈佛等名校，成為全世界創新排名前三的大學。密涅瓦大學強調課堂上不教知識，而是將所有學習都定位在建立學生應對未知的思考習慣，因為唯有把所學變成一種實際可用的決策演算法，才能跟自己的人生發生關聯。 這樣的觀念和校風，會為他們的人生帶來怎樣的改變？密涅瓦的思考習慣訓練，主要的精髓又是什麼？本書將首度為你揭露密涅瓦受歡迎的秘密。 學習，其實是在滿足我們探索世界的渴望。希望這本書能拋磚引玉，幫大家勾勒出未來學習的可能面貌，成為所有人應對未知挑戰的必修課。 這本書還提供了許多探索世界的工具，讓我們能站在巨人的肩膀上，不重複做別人做過的事，勇敢走出屬於自己的路。 密涅瓦大學決策思考力四大重點 ◇批判思考（Critical Thinking） 想要將批判思考應用在生活中，你需要懂得如何「評估」和「分析」。密涅瓦大學用將近30個思考習慣訓練學生去評估一個論點是否成立及如何建立有效的論證，同時為自己裝備3大類分析工具，來挖掘資料、拆解問題和調整決策。 ◇問題解決（Problem Solving） 未知的問題之所以複雜，就在於多重的可能性和萬物互聯的蝴蝶效應，因此問對問題可能遠比提出解方來得重要，該如何拆解問題，找到對的問題來解決？這其中涉及到的思考習慣，包括定義問題範圍的限制條件，釐清現況與目標狀態的差距分析，以及為自己準備填補差距的創意發想工具箱。 ◇複雜系統（Complex Systems） 我們總說要培養自己的「全局觀」，但到底要看得多「全」、多「大」才夠？密涅瓦認為想要學習有效互動和溝通方法之前，必須先看到全貌，辨別你所在的系統中成員間的網絡和行為模式，才能找到影響系統的有效切入點，運用系統1+1>2的增強迴路，讓溝通事半功倍。 ◇決策思維（Decision Making） 你的每個決定，背後都有三種決策思維齒輪在運作，分別是「數據」「槓桿」和「目標」，我們會透過某種演算法，運用「數據」，設計「槓桿」，來達成「目標」。有效的演算法，可以透過「數據」來確認「槓桿」和「目標」之間的因果關係，我們該如何學習不同的演算法，看見事物發展的反事實

為什麼美國的民主如此倒退，甚至國家陷於分裂的危機?! 這次的大選，有人說川普是被疫情打敗，川普自己也認為如此， 但更嚴重的是這個疫情揭露了一個早已破碎的國家真相 腐敗的菁英階層、僵化的官僚體制、殘酷的貧富差距、系統化的種族歧視、 政治上的對立和政黨的惡鬥！ 這些問題都存在已久，但執政者只能坐視其惡化，而拿不出解決辦法。 本書深入剖析現今美國白宮的實際狀況，以及美國今日面對的種種困境與如何解套！ ◤團結的意義是什麼？美國從未真正團結過。當年美國人民約1/3不支持越戰，但美國還是打了十幾年。1965年美國熱心於登陸月球，但支持的人只有39%。美國人只有在受到外國人攻擊時（如九一一事件）或遭遇重大災難時（如卡崔娜風災），或發生全國性的悲劇時（如Sandy Hook之死），才會產生一時的團結，但一旦政治介入，就會發生不團結。 ◤林肯總統在他第一任的就職演說中，在結論時指出：「我們不是敵人，而是朋友，我們絕不能成為敵人，雖然熱情（passion）有時會使我們緊張，但我們一定不使我們結合在一起的情感（affection）破裂。」 ◤美國已是一個分裂的國家，除了美國的民主制度出了問題之外，過去四年川普個人的觀念和作風也要負很大的責任。他只關心照顧和討好支持他的選民，反對、厭惡和打擊不支持他的選民。他用盡一切辦法去鞏固和凝聚他的支持者，同時也用盡一切辦法去分化和離間他的反對者。換言之，他只當一半美國人民的總統，但他深信，這一半選民對美國建制派或「深層政府」（deep state）的不信任、恐懼和憤怒的力量，足以支持他繼續連任。 ◤此次美國大選不僅造成了國內更進一步的分裂，也暴露了政府治理能力的不足，固然這些現象可簡化為川普的個人因素，但美國在制度上的缺失積弊已深。從2008年金融危機以來，經濟上貧富差距的不斷擴大、社會上的不平等和政治上的不正義都在腐蝕這個國家。 ◤美國大企業為了擴大市場和利潤，造成國內產業的空洞化；美國軍工組合（military-industrial complex）為了維持美國的霸權地位，在海外製造敵人，窮兵黷武，造成美國龐大的財政赤字，美國政府放任這種作法是符合美國廣大人民的利益嗎？ ◤2020年一整年的新冠疫情給美國上了寶貴的一課，季辛吉（Henry Kissinger）在2020年4月便說，「新冠疫情將永遠改變世界秩序」，言外之意，便是美國