This volume takes you to the places and people you touch every day. - BOOK JACKET.

A groundbreaking theory of materialism which reconsiders the role of stuff, the small objects that clutter our lives, as they crowd the pages of modern literature.

In Philosophical Essays on Free Stuff, Robyn Ferrell depicts figures of freedom in consumer culture, a world made image by the internet and globalization. Through word and image associations, Ferrell links the question of "free" to the effects of instrumentalism in the political sphere. The discussion proceeds through these images which allow the question to come into focus through diverse perspectives. Each essay is autonomous, and all are linked. Grounded in critical theory, continental philosophy, and cultural studies, Ferrell explores ideas of free gift, free thought, free time, free choice, free love, free market, free speech, and free world.

Who invented pizza? Why do people shake hands? Why do we wear underwear? You'll find the answers to these questions and more in this new series from National Geographic Kids! Ever wonder how basketball got started? Why we have birthday cakes? And why some people use forks and some use chopsticks? Prepare to be amazed by the surprising backstories behind the things you use or do every day! From familiar foods to common clothing items to bizarre beauty regimens, this book covers all your burning questions: Who thought of that? Where did that come from? Why is that a thing? Presented in a bold, colorful design, with stunning photos, and jam-packed with awesome facts, this book will have you totally riveted! Once you know all this cool stuff about the origins of everyday stuff, you can "wow" your friends and family.

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "The Minimalists show you how to disconnect from our conditioned material state and reconnect to our true essence: love people and use things. This is not a book about how to live with less, but about how to live more deeply and more fully." —Jay Shetty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Like a Monk AS SEEN ON THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARIES MINIMALISM & LESS IS NOW How might your life be better with less? Imagine a life with less: less stuff, less clutter, less stress and debt and discontent—a life with fewer distractions. Now, imagine a life with more: more time, more meaningful relationships, more growth and contribution and contentment—a life of passion, unencumbered by the trappings of the chaotic world around you. What you’re imagining is an intentional life. And to get there, you’ll have to let go of some clutter that’s in the way. In Love People, Use Things, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus move past simple decluttering to show how minimalism makes room to reevaluate and heal the seven essential relationships in our lives: stuff, truth, self, money, values, creativity, and people. They use their own experiences—and those of the people they have met along the minimalist journey—to provide a template for how to live a fuller, more meaningful life. Because once you have less, you can make room for the right kind of more.

This is the first children's book from CBBC presenter Maddie Moate: a collection of extraordinary stories about STUFF. Do you ever wonder where your stuff comes from, and what happens to it when you're finished with it? Did you know that you can make paper out of elephant poo? And plastic packaging out of seaweed? And did you know that if you throw away an old T-shirt, it can take 200 years to break down? Written and researched by Maddie Moate, the star of CBBC's Do You Know? and Let's Go Live with Maddie and Greg, and illustrated by Paul Boston, this book is full of mind-bursting facts and extraordinary stories of the ingenious ways people around the world, and across history, have made, used and re-used the stuff around them.

Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this ingenious—even liberating—book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization. The Design of Everyday Things shows that good, usable design is possible. The rules are simple: make things visible, exploit natural relationships that couple function and control, and make intelligent use of constraints. The goal: guide the user effortlessly to the right action on the right control at the right time. In this entertaining and insightful analysis, cognitive scientist Don Norman hails excellence of design as the most important key to regaining the competitive edge in influencing consumer behavior. Now fully expanded and updated, with a new introduction by the author, The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how—and why—some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.

This inspiring daily devotional will challenge you to grow in your relationship with the Lord while allowing Him to transform you into the Christlike person He calls you to be. Enhance your personal moments with God each day by being reminded of vital biblical truths which can be found imbedded in our everyday experiences. Hear God speaking through interactions with grandchildren, nature, the day’s headlines, holiday gatherings, and all the other common occurrences in life. Let these readings point you to further study in God’s Word, lead you to seeking God in prayer, and guide you into greater service for His kingdom. Here’s an excerpt from one of those daily messages: “Last weekend when I first saw a news report about a missing husband and wife, I thought it was an unfortunate and potentially tragic situation. But when I realized I actually knew the couple – that we had been fellow church members with this nice lady many years ago - the story really hit home. So I kept checking the news throughout the day to receive updates on the search for these missing persons. Isn’t that the way it often goes? We may hear about certain people, their situations and predicaments. We may respond with some degree of slight interest to genuine concern. But when it involves somebody we know, our own family, or ourselves, it really gets our attention and has a bigger impact on us. It reminds me of the time the prophet Nathan told King David about a man who had a great number of flocks and herds...Once David realized this story was about him, it deeply affected him, leading to heartfelt confession and repentance. Maybe there are some stories, facts, and truths in the Bible which we need to take more personally than we do. The general statements may affect us to some degree, but not as much as they should. In many cases we need to realize it’s talking about me and you. When the Bible declares that God so loved the world that He sent His Son, we should take it personally. God loves you. God cared enough about you to take such action. You are the one... When God’s Word calls believers to love others and be holy, He’s talking to you. When He commissions His followers to be His witnesses, to be lights in a dark world, and to share the gospel, He is sending you. You are the one. If God’s Word isn’t moving us and affecting us very deeply, maybe it’s because we’re looking at it as more of a textbook to be studied rather than as a personal letter to be received. Read the Bible, see yourself in its truths, and seek to hear what God wants to say to you.”

The challenges of teaching a successful introductory sociology course today demand materials from a publisher very different from the norm. Texts that are organized the way the discipline structures itself intellectually no longer connect with the majority of student learners. This is not an issue of pandering to students or otherwise seeking the lowest common denominator. On the contrary, it is a question of again making the practice of sociological thinking meaningful, rigorous, and relevant to today’s world of undergraduates. This comparatively concise, highly visual, and affordable book offers a refreshingly new way forward to reach students, using one of the most powerful tools in a sociologist’s teaching arsenal—the familiar stuff in students’ everyday lives throughout the world: the jeans they wear to class, the coffee they drink each morning, or the phones their professors tell them to put away during lectures. A focus on consumer culture, seeing the strange in the familiar, is not only interesting for students; it is also (the authors suggest) pedagogically superior to more traditional approaches. By engaging students through their stuff, this book moves beyond teaching about sociology to helping instructors teach the practice of sociological thinking. It moves beyond describing what sociology is, so that students can practice what sociological thinking can do. This pedagogy also posits a relationship between teacher and learner that is bi-directional. Many students feel a sense of authority in various areas of consumer culture, and they often enjoy sharing their knowledge with fellow students and with their instructor. Opening up the sociology classroom to discussion of these topics validates students’ expertise on their own life-worlds. Teachers, in turn, gain insight from the goods, services, and cultural expectations that shape students’ lives. While innovative, the book has been carefully crafted to make it as useful and flexible as possible for instructors aiming to build core sociological foundations in a single semester. A map on pages ii–iii identifies core sociological concepts covered so that a traditional syllabus as well as individual lectures can easily be maintained. Theory, method, and active learning exercises in every chapter constantly encourage the sociological imagination as well as the "doing" of sociology.