Finally comes the ultimate book for all those seeking to know more about the philosophy behind The Matrix and its sequels. Suppose that this world is not what it seems, and that humanity is actually just a food source supplementing a reign of machines. Welcome to the premise behind the world of The Matrix: the movie phenomenon and massive box-office series that has also produced some of film's most intelligent and thoughtful moments in the last ten years. In the Matrix movies, "reality" is just a dreamscape, a representation that six billion points of view agree to agree is "real." So if the only reality we know is a cunning and elaborate façade, what then does that signify for us? Matrix Warrior gives us the means to understand this premise and its implications on our knowledge of self and place. Combining an in-depth examination of the film with philosophical inquiry and the teachings of Castandeda, Jake Horsley has produced in Matrix Warrior a profound yet witty analysis-and all readers need to get "unplugged." "This accessible, entertaining book will be an enjoyable companion for those who want to dig deeper into the movies' rich universe."- Booklist

Direct and brutally honest, Rafa Conde debunks the myth of toxic masculinity, redefining what it is to be a 21st Century Man. Men have lost their warrior spirit and have become soft. They have abdicated their roles and failed to lead themselves, their families and businesses. Conde is on a life mission to change this paradigm. He makes a compelling case for the modern revival of the ancient warrior codes. This book explores the strategies and philosophies of ancient warrior cultures and their commanders. Throughout history, leaders like Marcus Aurelius, King David and King Leonidas exhibited manly courage. Their ability to influence others and to embody the warrior spirit was unquestionable. Spartans, Samurais and Knights lived by an exemplary code of conduct and exhibited fearlessness in combat. Zen and Stoicism played vital roles in forging mental toughness and courage. Today, the influence of these mindsets are seen in successful entrepreneurs, high achievers and champion athletes. These long lost principles, states of mind and strategies have been consolidated into 25 FORGING DISCIPLINES with direct application in the modern world. By embodying these disciplines in your life you will emerge a stronger leader, visionary, father and husband. Essentially a 21st Century Man.

This book examines the figure of the returning warrior as depicted in the myths of several ancient and medieval Indo-European cultures. In these cultures, the returning warrior was often portrayed as a figure rendered dysfunctionally destructive or isolationist by the horrors of combat. This mythic portrayal of the returned warrior is consistent with modern studies of similar behavior among soldiers returning from war. Roger Woodard's research identifies a common origin of these myths in the ancestral proto-Indo-European culture, in which rites were enacted to enable warriors to reintegrate themselves as functional members of society. He also compares the Italic, Indo-Iranian, and Celtic mythic traditions surrounding the warrior, paying particular attention to Roman myth and ritual, notably to the etiologies and rites of the July festivals of the Poplifugia and Nonae Caprotinae, and to the October rites of the Sororium Tigillum.

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are devices that provide a fast, low-cost way for embedded system designers to customize products and deliver new versions with upgraded features, because they can handle very complicated functions, and be reconfigured an infinite number of times. In addition to introducing the various architectural features available in the latest generation of FPGAs, The Design Warrior's Guide to FPGAs also covers different design tools and flows.This book covers information ranging from schematic-driven entry, through traditional HDL/RTL-based simulation and logic synthesis, all the way up to the current state-of-the-art in pure C/C++ design capture and synthesis technology. Also discussed are specialist areas such as mixed hardward/software and DSP-based design flows, along with innovative new devices such as field programmable node arrays (FPNAs). Clive "Max" Maxfield is a bestselling author and engineer with a large following in the electronic design automation (EDA)and embedded systems industry. In this comprehensive book, he covers all the issues of interest to designers working with, or contemplating a move to, FPGAs in their product designs. While other books cover fragments of FPGA technology or applications this is the first to focus exclusively and comprehensively on FPGA use for embedded systems. - First book to focus exclusively and comprehensively on FPGA use in embedded designs - World-renowned best-selling author - Will help engineers get familiar and succeed with this new technology by providing much-needed advice on choosing the right FPGA for any design project

There have already been several very successful books devoted to the original film in the Matrix trilogy. This entirely new collection of essays is the first book to examine the trilogy as a whole - as well as related products such as The Animatrix and the computer game. Contributors tackle these subjects from a range of perspectives: religion, philosophy, gender, race, film studies, and science, providing a comprehensive view of everything Matrix-related.Reviewing the cultural and religious implications of the trilogy, authors look at:* American Religion, Community and Revitilization: Why The Matrix Resonates* Religion and Salvation, the Optiate of The Matrix Franchise* Gimme that Bullet Time Religion, or, The Dream of Spiritually Perfect Violence* Ultimate Reality: Buddhist and Gnostic Constructions of BlissAlso covered are theories of cyberworlds, issues of gender and race and the games and ethics of simulation.

The World's Fearlessness Teachings addresses the human fear problem in a truly unique and insightful way, summarizing the teachings on fearlessness from around the world and throughout history. The author then utilizes critical integral theory (a la Wilber) as an approach to categorize the developmental and evolutionary spectrum of fear management systems known thus far. The author has spent twenty years researching the timely topic of fear and how to best manage and transform it. From this experience, he offers an educational healing vision to address the challenges of a dangerous 21st century. Fear's empire has taken rule. It is time to resist it using the best intelligence from both sacred and secular traditions, as well as the transformational theories humanity has to offer. Fisher maps out ten fear management systems that will benefit future-positive leaders everywhere.

A comprehensive guide to the history and religious significance of amulets, stones, runes and herbs found throughout Germanic and Teutonic cultures. Amulets is Gundarsson’s finest work on the subject, providing an immense depth of knowledge on each and every amulet uncovered, giving you all the historical information needed to create your very own piece of history.

The viking berserkr is an iconic warrior normally associated with violent fits of temper and the notorious berserksgangr or berserker frenzy. This book challenges the orthodox view that these men went ‘berserk’ in the modern English sense of the word. It examines all the evidence for medieval perceptions of berserkir and builds a model of how the medieval audience would have viewed them. Then, it extrapolates a Viking Age model of berserkir from this model, and supports the analysis with anthropological and archaeological evidence, to create a new and more accurate paradigm of the Viking Age berserkr and his place in society. This shows that berserkir were the champions of lords and kings, members of the social elite, and that much of what is believed about them is based on 17th-century and later scholarship and mythologizing: the medieval audience would have had a very different understanding of the Old Norse berserkr from that which people have now. The book sets out a challenge to rethink and reframe our perceptions of the past in a way that is less influenced by our own modern ideas. The Myths and Realities of the Viking berserkr will appeal to researchers and students alike studying the Viking Age, Medieval History and Old Norse Literature.

Cinematic Sociology is a one-of-a-kind resource that helps students to view films sociologically while also providing much-needed pedagogy for teaching sociology through film. In this engaging text, the authors take readers beyond watching movies and help them "see" films sociologically while also developing critical thinking and analytical skills that will be useful in college coursework and beyond. The book's essays from expert scholars in sociology and cultural studies explore the ways social life is presented--distorted, magnified, or politicized--in popular film. Contributor to the SAGE Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award

The Way of the Warrior in Business shows you how to become a guerrilla marketing expert: you'll learn how to apply the military strategies and tactics of Sun-Tzu, Mao Tse-Tung, the U.S. Army, and others to attack your competitors, invade attractive markets, and defend market share to maximize your sales and profits. The book provides assessment tools, checklists, action plans, and marketing tactics that you can use to: Win price wars, product wars, promotion wars, and channels of distribution wars; Repel attacks from big-name brands and actually defeat them; Win the battle for your customer's mind by positioning your brand appropriately; Effectively market your products and services - and yourself; Plan well - decide on the right things to do and do them right; Become more creative and out-think your competitors; Negotiate well and persuade people to do what you want them to do. Whether you're the marketing manager of a Fortune 500 company or an entrepreneur or small business owner, The Way of the Warrior in Business will show you how to make winning a habit.