In Pursuit of Elegance
Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing
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Narrated by:
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Malcolm Hillgartner
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By:
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Matthew E. May
About this listen
This is a fresh, compulsively enjoyable narrative of the elusive element behind so many innovative breakthroughs, in fields ranging from physics and marketing to design and popular culture.
In this thought-provoking exploration, Matthew May defines elegance as the elusive combination of unusual simplicity and surprising power and pinpoints the four key elements that characterize it: seduction, subtraction, symmetry, and sustainability.
In a story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need for elegance in design, engineering, physics, art, urban planning, sports, and work, May offers a surprising array of stories that illustrate why what's "not there" often matters more than what is.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2009 Matthew E. May (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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"In a world where everything keeps getting more complicated and overwhelming, Matthew May shows us that if we start looking for things to take out, things to stop doing, and intelligent shortcuts, we will all be happier, do superior work, and live in a better world." (Robert I. Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule)
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In this authoritative and fascinating new audiobook, Keith Sawyer, a psychologist at Washington University, tears down some of the most popular myths about creativity and erects new principles in their place. He reveals that creativity is always collaborative: even when you're alone. Sawyer's audiobook is filled with compelling stories about the inventions that changed our world.
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Worth reading
- By Glenn on 12-29-10
By: Keith Sawyer
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I'm Afraid Debbie From Marketing Has Left for the Day
- How to Use Behavioural Design to Create Change in the Real World
- By: Morten Münster
- Narrated by: David Bateson
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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With more than 50,000 copies sold in Denmark, this book has been on the bestseller list since its publication in 2017. Barack Obama used a secret competitive advantage to win two elections. Companies such as Google, Amazon and Novo Nordisk use the same insight to stir up innovation, increase compliance, improve the work environment and sell more products. And successful management groups in the C20 index have started using it as their preferred strategy. But what kind of insight are we talking about here? The answer is - behavioural design.
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Great, practical summary of behaviour design
- By Elena on 06-01-21
By: Morten Münster
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Strategic Intuition
- The Creative Spark in Human Achievement
- By: Bill Duggan
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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How "Aha!" really happens....When do you get your best ideas? You probably answer "At night" or "In the shower" or "Stuck in traffic". You get a flash of insight. Things come together in your mind. You connect the dots. You say to yourself, "Aha! I see what to do." Brain science now reveals how these flashes of insight happen. It's a special form of intuition. We call it strategic intuition, because it gives you an idea for action - a strategy. This new book by William Duggan is the first full treatment of strategic intuition.
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Stratigic Intuition
- By Amazon Customer on 12-17-08
By: Bill Duggan
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The Click Moment
- Seizing Opportunity in an Unpredictable World
- By: Frans Johansson
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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On the one hand we aren’t surprised by the uncertainty of everyday life, but on the other we believe that success can be analyzed and planned for. It is a revealing paradox. The implications are explosive and they obliterate every common-sense notion we have about strategy and planning. The Click Moment is about two very simple but highly provocative ideas.
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Outstanding book!
- By Anilyn Karel on 08-26-24
By: Frans Johansson
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The Plateau Effect
- Getting From Stuck to Success
- By: Bob Sullivan, Hugh Thompson
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The Plateau Effect is a powerful law of nature that affects everyone. Learn to identify plateaus and break through any stagnancy in your life - from diet and exercise, to work, to relationships. The Plateau Effect shows how athletes, scientists, therapists, companies, and musicians around the world are learning to break through their plateau - to turn off the forces that cause people to “get used to” things - and turn on human potential and happiness in ways that seemed impossible.
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Heath
- By Oliver Nielsen on 07-22-13
By: Bob Sullivan, and others
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Seeing What Others Don't
- The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights
- By: Gary Klein
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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Insights—like Darwin's understanding of the way evolution actually works, and Watson and Crick's breakthrough discoveries about the structure of DNA-can change the world. We also need insights into the everyday things that frustrate and confuse us so that we can more effectively solve problems and get things done. Yet we know very little about when, why, or how insights are formed—or what blocks them. In Seeing What Others Don't, renowned cognitive psychologist Gary Klein unravels the mystery.
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Not enough actionable ideas
- By Blair on 02-24-15
By: Gary Klein
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The Smart Swarm
- By: Peter Miller
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In a world where speed and flexibility are valued more than ever, leaders from the corporate boardroom to the military are looking for answers from seemingly unlikely experts - the ones in the grass, in the air, in the lakes, and in the woods. In this innovative audiobook, veteran National Geographic editor Peter Miller shows how swarm species, such as ants, bees, and fish, can teach us to tackle some of the most complex conundrums in business, politics, and technology.
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FLOCK TO THIS BOOK!
- By serine on 04-25-16
By: Peter Miller
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The Design of Future Things
- By: Donald A. Norman
- Narrated by: Bill Quinn
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Design of Future Things, best-selling author Donald A. Norman presents a revealing examination of smart technology, from smooth-talking GPS units to cantankerous refrigerators. Exploring the links between design and human psychology, he offers a consumer-oriented theory of natural human-machine interaction that can be put into practice by the engineers and industrial designers of tomorrows thinking machines.
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The design of future cars - a view from 2007
- By Lieberoth on 01-17-14
By: Donald A. Norman
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To Sell Is Human
- The Surprising Truth about Moving Others
- By: Daniel H. Pink
- Narrated by: Daniel H. Pink
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales. Every day more than 15 million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a purchase. But dig deeper and a startling truth emerges: Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. But so do the other eight. Whether we’re employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others.
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Lenghty book with a few solid tips on persuation
- By Gerardo A Dada on 01-21-13
By: Daniel H. Pink
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Smart Thinking
- Three Essential Keys to Solve Problems, Innovate, and Get Things Done
- By: Art Markman
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Think smart people are just born that way? Think again. Drawing on diverse studies of the mind, from psychology to linguistics, philosophy, and learning science, Art Markman, Ph.D., demonstrates the difference between "smart thinking" and raw intelligence, showing listeners how memory works, how to learn effectively, and how to use knowledge to get things done. He then introduces his own three-part formula for listeners to employ "smart thinking" in their daily lives.
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I feel asleep in class
- By Lee on 12-14-12
By: Art Markman
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Designing for Growth
- A Design Thinking Tool Kit for Managers
- By: Jeanne Liedtka, Tim Ogilvie
- Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie educate listeners on one of the hottest trends in business development: "design thinking", or the ability to turn abstract ideas into practical applications for maximal business growth. Jeanne Liedtka's recent book, The Catalyst: How YOU Can Lead Extraordinary Growth, was named a Top Innovation and Design Thinking Book by Business Week. Tim Ogilvie has been hailed as a visionary for his pioneering contributions to service innovation, business model innovation, and customer experience design.
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Audiobook requires regular book
- By GoingGoingGone... on 07-01-18
By: Jeanne Liedtka, and others
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The Great Mental Models
- General Thinking Concepts
- By: Shane Parrish
- Narrated by: Shane Parrish
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts is the first book in The Great Mental Models series designed to upgrade your thinking with the best, most useful and powerful tools so you always have the right one on hand. This volume details nine of the most versatile all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making, your productivity, and how clearly you see the world.
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A dissapointing debut
- By Peter on 04-14-19
By: Shane Parrish
What listeners say about In Pursuit of Elegance
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- SMAZA
- 02-01-15
Exceptional reading performance
Where does In Pursuit of Elegance rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
The ideas in this book are really thought provoking. The narrator however is exceptional.
What was one of the most memorable moments of In Pursuit of Elegance?
Elegance is achieved when there is nothing more to remove.
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Overall
- Blurr
- 06-20-11
Elegance Unexpected
I rarely find books that I find to be so impacting and useful that I feel compelled to buy the physical book to gain the benefit of listening and reading at the same time with highlighter in hand. "In Pursuit of Elegance", for me, has risen to the most important book of this year, and one of the most important books in my physical and digital collection. It's effect is far reaching, beyond what I could have expected.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 12-07-09
Fantastic book - excellent!
I enjoy many of these types of books and I often find that they come on strong but fizzle out half way through. This one delivers all the way through. Fascinating topic, a must read for anybody that designs and builds anything.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Amber
- 08-21-09
Elegant!
The whole book was inspiring. So many institutions could learn so much from this one!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Oliver Nielsen
- 06-26-11
I love elegance, but this book isn't elegant
I'm a big fan of elegance, simple solutions, and minimalism. But this book is like a bad Malcolm Gladwell book. Endless case stories, meant to make you go "aha, interesting" and feel entertained. I don't like that way of describing concepts. It's like fast food, doesn't give you any kind of quality content, just something to chew on. This book goes on and on and on and on, shifting direction and case story by the minute. I was unable to follow along, and had to rewind again and again. Constantly I had the feeling "what's he talking about" - yes, it really is that much of a bomb of babble.
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3 people found this helpful