Gina Domingo lives in the world of southern California pop culture. Cuban-American by birth, Gina is less a multiculturalist than an omniculturalist, absorbing everything in her path. But her life with her overly-protective parents takes an unexpected turn when GinaÍs paternal grandmother, Estela, visits. Here is GinaÍs abuela„whom Gina hasnÍt seen since the family left Cuba„come to set the record straight. Now GinaÍs entire range of experience, memories, and family truths begin to change. Estela doesnÍt impose her history on a family still coming to grips with its past and life in exile. Instead, she regales her granddaughter with tales of the island. When Estela unexpectedly dies while visiting the United States, Gina finds she has been bequeathed a legacy of freedom to create her own memories, her own version of the past. Like SalingerÍs Holden Caulfield, or the heroines of Joyce Carol OatesÍs Foxfire, the teenaged protagonist of Brand New Memory is possessed of a voice so simpàtica„so engrossing in her perception of herself, her family, and her friends„that we find ourselves mesmerized and unable to stop turning the pages.

Can you match cards by only the brand colors, typefaces and an often funny description of the brands visual look?

So many memories. So little time. In an astounding thriller ripped from tomorrow’s headlines, cutting-edge technology and a pulse-pounding manhunt lead to a conspiracy of money, power, and sex. Cole remembers what it’s like to be murdered. That’s how he does his job. The operation takes eight hours with a dead body on the table next to his; when it’s over, he’s flooded with images, thoughts, recollections, some hazy, some crystal clear. They all come straight from the victim’s brain—right up until his or her final chilling moments. Cole’s career in homicide has wreaked havoc on his personal life. As usual, his new case—a young runaway battered to death with a hammer—consumes all his waking moments . . . and then some. Haunted by the Jane Doe’s hopes, desires, and fears, Cole mentally retraces her every move, from Kansas to New York City, to track down a killer. But Cole has a terrible suspicion that someone is using the same memory-transfer science for a very different purpose. In fact, he’s already being watched. Because Cole’s the only one standing in the way of a ruthless corporation that’s harvesting people for their most intimate memories—and eliminating anyone who stands in the way.

First Published in 1986. In the age of the computer, conjecture about things mechanical has naturally led to the question of whether machines can think. As the emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown rapidly, questions about machine intelligence have begun to have a certain urgency. The question we are concerned with in this book is: If we can find a set of processes that machines can slavishly follow, and if by so doing, these machines can come up with creative thoughts, what would that tell us about human beings? If the machine's procedure was adapted from a human procedure, that is, if all the machine was doing was what we know people are doing, would we abandon our inherent skepticism about the abilities of machines, or would we demystify our inherent admiration for things human? In a sense, these are the issues dealt with in this book. The author says in a sense because this book is no way a philosophical treatise. Rather it is an exercise in Artificial Intelligence and in Cognitive Science, it is an attempt to come to understand one of the most complex problems of mind by examining some of the mechanisms of mind: to define the apparatus that underlies our ability to think.

Brand Admiration uses deep research on consumer psychology, marketing, consumer engagement and communication to develop a powerful, integrated perspective and innovative approach to brand management. Using numerous real-world examples and backed by research from top notch academics, this book describes how companies can turn a product, service, corporate, person or place brand into one that customers love, trust and respect; in short, how to make a brand admired. The result? Greater brand loyalty, stronger brand advocacy, and higher brand equity. Admired brands grow more revenue in a more efficient way over a longer period of time and with more opportunities for growth. The real power of Brand Admiration is that it provides concrete, actionable guidance on how brand managers can make customers (and employees) admire a brand. Admired brands don't just do the job; they offer exactly what customers need (enabling benefits), in way that's pleasing, fun, interesting, and emotionally involving (enticing benefits), while making people feel good about themselves (enriching benefits). Providing these benefits, called 3 Es, is foundational to building , strengthening and leveraging brand admiration. In addition, the authors articulate a common-sense and action based measure of brand equity, and they develop dashboard metrics to diagnose if there are any 'canaries in the coal mine', and if so, what to do next. In short, Brand Admiration provides a coherent, cohesive approach to helping the brand stand the test of time. A well-designed, well-managed brand becomes a part of the public consciousness, and ultimately, a part of the culture. This trajectory is the fruit of decisions made from an integrated strategic standpoint. This book shows you how to shift the process for your brand, with practical guidance and an analytical approach.

In this one-of-a-kind volume, Iraida López explores various narratives of return by those who left Cuba as children or adolescents. Including memoirs, semi-autobiographical fiction, and visual arts, many of these accounts feature a physical arrival on the island while others depict a metaphorical or vicarious experience by means of fictional characters or childhood reminiscences. As two-way migration increases in the post-Cold War period, many of these narratives put to the test the boundaries of national identity. Through a critical reading of works by Cuban American artists and writers like María Brito, Ruth Behar, Carlos Eire, Cristina García, Ana Mendieta, Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Ernesto Pujol, Achy Obejas, and Ana Menéndez, López highlights the affective ties as well as the tensions underlying the relationship between returning subjects and their native country. Impossible Returns also looks at how Cubans still living on the island depict returning émigrés in their own narratives, addressing works by Jesús Díaz, Humberto Solás, Carlos Acosta, Nancy Alonso, Leonardo Padura, and others. Blurring the lines between disciplines and geographic borders, this book underscores the centrality of Cuba for its diaspora and bears implications for other countries with widespread populations in exile.

Welcome to a brand-new way of thinking about branding. The Physics of Brand is an exploration of how brands evolve in time and space. Drawing on experience working with companies such as Patagonia, General Mills, Target, and more, this book provides an exciting new systems approach to branding. By focusing on how brands and people actually interrelate, you'll gain a new perspective on brand growth and interaction. Complete with case studies to illustrate these concepts and Thought Experiments to get you thinking conceptually, The Physics of Brand is your new textbook on brand theory.

What would happen if a contemporary New York girl discovered she was a witch? Eleanor is 16 years old, lives with her grandmother and is an orphan. Life is normal, when one morning... Xander and her friends enter a world without rules or limits, travelling across continents, from India to Sweden, from South Africa to the pyramids of Bosnia, from ancient Antarctica to the Hamptons of today. They find themselves overwhelmed by their passions, loves, envy and struggle for survival against ruthless demons and sorcerers.Far from the daily life of school, cheerleaders and athletes, Eleanor and her friends find themselves in a mystical and spiritual New York, where Woodlawn Cemetery, Hart Island and China Town reveal their deepest secrets. The mysteries, buried by time, are revealed through archaeology, while the pyramids of Kruger Park and those of Bosnia give off their power.Ancient Gods blend with the Creepy pasta, Tarots, New Orleans voodoo and every type of belief to create a universe in which everything is possible...

During the last 60 years the discipline of human factors (HF) has evolved alongside progress in engineering, technology, and business. Contemporary HF is clearly shifting towards addressing the human-centered design paradigm for much larger and complex societal systems, the effectiveness of which is affected by recent advances in engineering, scien

The loss of a loved one is incredibly difficult, and different for each person it touches. And in the midst of one's grief, a person can feel completely lost; as if there is nothing and no one they can relate to. Preparing the Curtain is an emotional journey through the experiences of one person in connection with a tragic loss, in the medium of poetry, prose, and perspectives that are both factual, and symbolic. It serves to demonstrate an example of the highs & lows, the doubts & certainties, and the trials & tribulations of grief, as well as recovery.