Visionary Life

The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Nuclear weapons and self-replicating spacecrafts. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable, yet largely overlooked, man: John von Neumann.

During his lifetime, Buckminster Fuller was hailed as one of the greatest geniuses of the twentieth century. As the architectural designer and futurist best known for the geodesic dome, he enthralled a vast popular audience, inspired devotion from both the counterculture and the establishment, and was praised as a modern Leonardo da Vinci. To his admirers, he exemplified what one man could accomplish by approaching urgent design problems using a radically unconventional set of strategies, which he based on a mystical conception of the universe’s geometry.

Described as the "ultimate engineer" during his career at NASA, George M. Low was a visionary architect and leader from the agency's inception in 1958 to his retirement in 1976. As chief of manned spaceflight at NASA, Low was instrumental in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. Low's pioneering work paved the way for President Kennedy's decision to make a lunar landing NASA's primary goal in the 1960s.

Born in an era of rising violence, Black Elk killed his first man at Little Big Horn, witnessed the death of his second cousin Crazy Horse, and traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Upon his return, he was swept up in the traditionalist Ghost Dance movement and shaken by the massacre at Wounded Knee. But Black Elk was not a warrior, and instead chose the path of a healer and holy man, motivated by a powerful prophetic vision that haunted and inspired him.

At the turn of the last century, the Guggenheim family ran the most powerful mining conglomerate on earth. Decades later came the Guggenheim museum, which became the hub of the world’s most powerful art brand. In between, the Guggenheim name was uttered in every field from aviation to politics, from journalism to rocketry.

Jerry Saltz is one of our most-watched writers about art and artists and a passionate champion of the importance of art in our shared cultural life. Since the 1990s he has been an indispensable cultural voice: Witty and provocative, he has attracted contemporary listeners to fine art as few critics have.

For more than 30 years, Patience Gray, author of the celebrated cookbook Honey from a Weed, lived in a remote area of Puglia in southernmost Italy. She lived without electricity, modern plumbing, or a telephone, grew much of her own food, and gathered and ate wild plants alongside her neighbors in this economically impoverished region. She was fond of saying that she wrote only for herself and her friends, yet her growing reputation brought a steady stream of international visitors to her door.

Discover the secrets to transforming chaos into calm , even if your ADHD brain has always rejected traditional organizing methods. I know what it's like to drown in endless clutter that multiplies overnight. Like you, I struggled with executive functioning challenges that made conventional organizing advice feel impossible. Then I discovered something life-changing: our ADHD traits can become our greatest organizational allies rather than obstacles. In "Organizing Solutions for ADHD Decoded," I'll show you how I transformed my ADHD characteristics into organizational superpowers.

In Artists, Siblings, Visionaries, acclaimed biographer Judith Mackrell turns her attention to British brother and sister artists Gwen and Augustus John. In many ways they were polar opposites. But as this vivid and insightful account of their lives shows, they were also remarkably alike, sharing a striving for escape, a commitment to their work and a profound if sometimes exasperating kinship throughout the course of their adult lives.

The author of The Global Forest gives us her tips and advice for achieving better health and peace of mind, with frugality, simplicity and pleasure not far behind. In The Sweetness of a Simple Life, Diana Beresford-Kroeger mixes science with storytelling, wonderment, magic, myth and plenty of common sense. In this warm and wise collection of essays, she gives us a guide for living simply and well: which foods to eat and which to avoid; how to clean our homes and look after pets; how we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from illness; and why we need to appreciate nature.

The Millionaire Course offers a vast array of powerful principles, truths, and exercises that will lead inevitably to a career and life path that feeds your soul. The lessons within are filled with advice and practical suggestions that are simple, clear, and easy to follow. You'll discover that you can improve the quality of life, and in the process improve the quality of the world around you.

Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary chronicles the career of Otto Binder, from pulp magazine author to writer of Supergirl, Captain Marvel, and Superman comics. As the originator of the first sentient robot in literature ("I, Robot," published in Amazing Stories in 1939 and predating Isaac Asimov's collection of the same name), Binder's effect on science fiction was profound.

Jack Ma is the quintessential simpleton who has a big heart and wants everyone to share in prosperity. He comes from humble beginnings, had trouble getting to school, had trouble finding a job, but did everything right despite the forces that were arrayed against his intentions. We all have that life where we feel the world just doesn’t value what we have to offer. Jack certainly felt that way, but eventually he found his stride. Today he sits at the top of a global behemoth that boasts sales of $1 billion in the first five minutes of its annual sales event.

Sharing her more than 15 years of compelling research—including analysis of Sylvia Plath’s unpublished calendars, notebooks, scrapbooks, book annotations, and underlinings as well as published memoirs, biographies, letters, journals, and interviews with Plath and her husband, friends, and family—Plath scholar Julia Gordon-Bramer reveals Sylvia Plath’s enduring interest and active practice in mysticism and the occult from childhood until her tragic death in 1963

Are you struggling to find peace after the loss of your beloved pet? Whiskers in the Wind: Embracing Life After Pet Loss is here to guide you through your grief. Written by Annalise Paige Quinn, who has personally faced the profound pain of losing her dear cat, Layla, this compassionate guide offers understanding, comfort, and practical advice to help you heal.

This audiobook is about the underlying events in the life of Jeff Bezos and the ways in which it influenced his life, the way he responded to them, and in the way he used them to his advantage. The story of Bezos traces a path through his life as a youth, looks at his action and his achievements, and deciphers the existence of his greatest achievement - Amazon - in a way that is reflective of his character, his intellect, and his upbringing.

From humble beginnings in the rural South to becoming a Morehead-Cain scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, Antonio McBroom was always determined to achieve his C. E. O. dream of Creating Extra • Ordinary life. The only thing he didn’t expect was that a minimum wage ice cream scooping job would lead him there. Presented with a chance to franchise his own Ben & Jerry’s, McBroom “scooped his way” to the top before co-founding his company, Primo Partners, in 2008. Within 15 years, he grew a single scoop shop from $200K per year to a vast enterprise that drives over $20 million annually.

"The Great Lives of Antiquity" presents 23 lives of historical figures not as distant icons, but as vibrant personalities who faced challenges, made decisions, and forged destinies. You will meet Aesop, whose fables have transcended time; Hypatia, who enlightened Alexandria; and Cleopatra, whose intelligence and political savvy speak to the complexities of power in history.

When people think of Richard Branson, most would likely think of the Virgin group or think of Virgin Airlines. This book will inform you that, without a doubt, the man and the brand are totally unlike each other, and that the man behind the brand is really a highly empathic person. Discover more about the man behind the brand....

AUTISM UNLEASHED, GENIUS UNLEASHED celebrates the lives and achievements of 13 autistic visionaries, illuminating the profound contributions they have made in a variety of fields. These stories are not only a testament to their genius but also a beacon of hope and inspiration for anyone touched by autism.