David Boyle – författare

Never before have we attempted to measure as much as we do today. Why are we so obsessed with numbers? What can they really tell us?Too often we try to quantify what can’t actually be measured. We count people, but not individuals. We count exam results rather than intelligence, benefit claimants instead of poverty. The government has set itself 10,000 new targets. Politicians pack their speeches with skewed statistics: crime rates are either rising or falling depending on who is doing the counting.We are in a world in which everything designed only to be measured. If it can’t be measured it can be ignored.But the big problem is what numbers don’t tell you. They won’t interpret. They won’t inspire, and they won’t tell you precisely what causes what.In this passionately argued and thought-provoking book, David Boyle examines our obsession with numbers. He reminds us of the danger of taking numbers so seriously at the expense of what is non-measurable, non-calculable: intuition, creativity, imagination, happiness…Counting is a vital human skill. Yardsticks are a vital tool. As long as we remember how limiting they are if we cling to them too closely.Americans who claim to have been abducted by aliens = 3.7 millionAverage time spent by British people in traffic jams every year = 11 daysNumber of Americans shot by children under six between 1983 and 1993 = 138, 490

David Boyle guides us through the next big thing in Western living – the determined rejection of the fake, the virtual, the spun and the mass-produced, in the search for authenticity.The charms of the global and virtual future we were all brought up to expect, where meals would be eaten in the form of pills and machines would do all our work, have worn rather thin. It's not that we don't want all the advantages of progress, we just want a future that manages to be local and real too.Tracking the struggle for reality from Japanese theme parks to mock-Tudor villas and from Byron to Big Brother, ‘Authenticity’ explains where our reactions against spin and fakeness come from – and where they are going. The current revival of real food, real business, real culture flies in the face of expert opinion from politicians, economists, advertisers and big business – and they're having to run to keep up as our hype attention-span gets ever shorter.Optimistic, witty, highly thought-provoking and packed with fascinating stories, Boyle’s search asks whether coolness is dead, how real reality is and whether realpolitik can ever change into real politics. He puts authenticity firmly on the map, lifting the lid on all the other symptoms of this powerful new phenomenon – revealing the unexpected force that looks set to change all our lives.

If you thought being middle-class meant your own home, something set aside for the kids and a comfortable retirement – think again.For the first time ever, today’s middle classes will struggle to enjoy the same privileges of security and comfort that their grandparents did. How did this situation come about? What can be done about it?In this beautifully shaped inquiry, David Boyle questions why the middle classes are diminishing and how their status, independence and values are being eroded. From Thatcher’s boost of the mortgage market in 1980 to the move from regional to centralised institutions; from the collapse of Barings Bank to the 1986 Big Bang, ‘Broke’ examines the key moments in recent history that threatened the middle-class way of life.What he discovers is that the triumphs of the middle classes have been just as influential in their undoing as their disasters.

This book outlines the background and overall vision for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications and services, including major standards. Key technologies are described, and include everything from physical instrumentation of devices to the cloud infrastructures used to collect data. Also included is how to derive information and knowledge, and how to integrate it into enterprise processes, as well as system architectures and regulatory requirements. Real-world service use case studies provide the hands-on knowledge needed to successfully develop and implement M2M and IoT technologies sustainably and profitably. Finally, the future vision for M2M technologies is described, including prospective changes in relevant standards. This book is written by experts in the technology and business aspects of Machine-to-Machine and Internet of Things, and who have experience in implementing solutions.

Standards included: ETSI M2M, IEEE 802.15.4, 3GPP (GPRS, 3G, 4G), Bluetooth Low Energy/Smart, IETF 6LoWPAN, IETF CoAP, IETF RPL, Power Line Communication, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Sensor Web Enablement (SWE), ZigBee, 802.11, Broadband Forum TR-069, Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM), ISA100.11a, WirelessHART, M-BUS, Wireless M-BUS, KNX, RFID, Object Management Group (OMG) Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) Key technologies for M2M and IoT covered: Embedded systems hardware and software, devices and gateways, capillary and M2M area networks, local and wide area networking, M2M Service Enablement, IoT data management and data warehousing, data analytics and big data, complex event processing and stream analytics, knowledge discovery and management, business process and enterprise integration, Software as a Service and cloud computing Combines both technical explanations together with design features of M2M/IoT and use cases. Together, these descriptions will assist you to develop solutions that will work in the real world Detailed description of the network architectures and technologies that form the basis of M2M and IoT Clear guidelines and examples of M2M and IoT use cases from real-world implementations such as Smart Grid, Smart Buildings, Smart Cities, Participatory Sensing, and Industrial Automation A description of the vision for M2M and its evolution towards IoT

Internet of Things: Technologies and Applications for a New Age of Intelligence outlines the background and overall vision for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), as well as associated emerging technologies. Key technologies are described including device communication and interactions, connectivity of devices to cloud-based infrastructures, distributed and edge computing, data collection, and methods to derive information and knowledge from connected devices and systems using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Also included are system architectures and ways to integrate these with enterprise architectures, and considerations on potential business impacts and regulatory requirements.

New to this edition: . Updated material on current market situation and outlook.. A description of the latest developments of standards, alliances, and consortia. More specifically the creation of the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and its architecture and reference documents, the creation of the Reference Architectural Model for Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0), the exponential growth of the number of working groups in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the transformation of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) to OMA SpecWorks and the introduction of OMA LightweightM2M device management and service enablement protocol, the initial steps in the specification of the architecture of Web of Things (WoT) by World Wide Consortium (W3C), the GS1 architecture and standards, the transformation of ETSI-M2M to oneM2M, and a few key facts about the Open Connectivity Forum (OCF), IEEE, IEC/ISO, AIOTI, and NIST CPS.. The emergence of new technologies such as distributed ledgers, distributed cloud and edge computing, and the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence for IoT.. A chapter on security, outlining the basic principles for secure IoT installations.. New use case description material on Logistics, Autonomous Vehicles, and Systems of CPS

Standards organizations covered: IEEE, 3GPP, IETF, IEC/ISO, Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), ITU-T, GS1, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), Open Mobile Alliance (OMA, e.g. LightweightM2M), Object Management Group (OMG, e.g. Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN)), oneM2M, Open Connectivity Forum (OCF), W3C Key technologies for IoT covered: Embedded systems hardware and software, devices and gateways, capillary networks, local and wide area networking, IoT data management and data warehousing, data analytics and big data, complex event processing and stream analytics, control systems, machine learning and artificial intelligence, distributed cloud and edge computing, and business process and enterprise integration In-depth security solutions for IoT systems Technical explanations combined with design features of IoT and use cases, which help the development of real-world solutions Detailed descriptions of the architectures and technologies that form the basis of IoT Clear examples of IoT use cases from real-world implementations such as Smart Grid, Smart Buildings, Smart Cities, Logistics and Participatory Sensing, Industrial Automation, and Systems of CPS Market perspectives, IoT evolution, and future outlook

The word 'tickbox' emerged recently as a cynical angle on official or corporate incompetence. They had 'ticked the box' - people said - but failed to act. It is increasingly used to describe this gap between official spin and reality.Yet, says David Boyle in this powerful expose of tickbox culture, that is just the tip of a vast tickbox iceberg. The only people who remain blind to this gap are those rich or powerful enough to run the world, and behind Tickbox lies an insidious philosophy of automation and the misuse of data that weighs heavily on every one of us. It makes our public services less effective - and makes them soar in costs - it lies behind so many stark injustices and disasters, from Grenfell Tower to the deportation of the Windrush generation. Yet the system carries on, and grows in power and strengths - vacuuming up the resources of the NHS pursuing pointless targets or badgering us to reveal how much we had enjoyed our visit to their bank counter - because those who run the world remain committed to it.It is time we escaped the tentacles of Tickbox. Boyle suggests a series of ways out - starting with recognising the danger and calling it out for what it is - a massive failure, corroding our lives and our ability, as human beings, to act on the world.

Since money was invented, there has been a debate about better ways of creating it and better rules to govern how it works - until the last generation, when it began to seem that the money system had been handed down by God and remained unchanged ever since. But the last few years have seen an increasingly powerful resurgence of interest in changing the system fundamentally, and bringing the monetary trends that affect all our lives under our control. Few realize that the debate has roots and a tradition, covering mainstream economists like Keynes and Hayek, statesmen like Lincoln, entrepreneurs like Ford and Soros, as well as the imaginative mavericks behind local currencies and e-money. This volume collects together some of their most influential writings to provide a handbook on a vital train of ideas, and a guide to a debate on changing money that is becoming increasingly important.

Economics sometimes seems to be stacked against social, environmental and individual well-being. But it doesn't have to be like this. A new approach to economics - deriving as much from Ruskin and Schumacher as from Keynes or Smith - has begun to emerge. Skeptical about money as a measure of success, this new economics turns our assumptions about wealth and poverty upside down. It shows us that real wealth can be measured by increased well-being and environmental sustainability rather than just having and consuming more things. This book is the first accessible and straightforward guide to the new economics. It describes the problems and bizarre contradictions in conventional economics as well as the principles of the emerging new economics, and it tells the real-world stories of how new economics is being successfully put into practice around the world. An essential guide to understanding new economics for all those who care about making economics work for people and planet.

It is time we escaped the tentacles of Tickbox. Boyle suggests a series of ways out - starting with recognising the danger and calling it out for what it is - a massive failure, corroding our lives and our ability, as human beings, to act on the world.

The Xanthe Schneider Enigma Files chronicle her perilous one-woman missions to the terrifying heart of the Nazi regime in Berlin, the treachery of occupied Athens, and finally, to the supposed neutrality of Switzerland. Missions she must undertake knowing that, back in England, she leaves behind her new-born child.

Economics sometimes seems to be stacked against social, environmental and individual well-being. But it doesn't have to be like this. A new approach to economics - deriving as much from Ruskin and Schumacher as from Keynes or Smith - has begun to emerge. Skeptical about money as a measure of success, this new economics turns our assumptions about wealth and poverty upside down. It shows us that real wealth can be measured by increased well-being and environmental sustainability rather than just having and consuming more things. This book is the first accessible and straightforward guide to the new economics. It describes the problems and bizarre contradictions in conventional economics as well as the principles of the emerging new economics, and it tells the real-world stories of how new economics is being successfully put into practice around the world. An essential guide to understanding new economics for all those who care about making economics work for people and planet.

How much do you know about the big-name brands we live by?Virgin, BP, Land Rover, Barclays, Cadbury's, BBC and M&S.In our times the PLCs have been seen as giants, the backbone of commerce and society. Yet seen through a historical perspective they are vulnerable creatures, flowering only briefly. In fact, on the Fortune 500 - a roll-call of power if ever there was one - there's just one company, General Electric, which was on the list half a century ago. The rest have gone: broken, bankrupt, merged, raided for their parts. More like mayflies than megacorps. And getting more fragile all the time.The great corporations that now dominate our lives are treated by the law courts as if they were people.They have the same rights, but unlike us they have no emotions, morals or life histories.The only corporate biographies you find are celebratory, promotional portraits with the warts left out. So, we don't really know where most great brands came from or where they are going. This book spills the beans by telling the real life stories of some of the biggest corporate names, and finds them as dramatic, flawed and revealing as any human biography.

Despite some of the most sophisticated computer systems known to mankind, modern life can be infuriating – and it's getting worse. But there is a growing suspicion that, despite all the investment in IT and organization we have seen, we live with the same old problems we always have done. Why are we still addicted to oil and petrol despite the disastrous consequences? Why, three generations after the Beveridge Report, are his Five Giants – Want, Disease, Idleness, Ignorance and Squalor – still so much with us? Why did teenage pregnancies go up despite the UK government spending up to £100 million over a decade to prevent them? Why do so few of the public clocks tell the right time or train lavatories have water in their taps? There is a growing understanding, not that people are infallible, or that they are endlessly trustworthy and benevolent – but they are nonetheless what makes change possible. This book uses this idea to set out the Ten New Rules for organizations, reveals where they are working already – with the latest developments in ideas like system thinking and co-production. It explains the future in terms of the People Principle: If you employ imaginative and effective people, especially on the frontline, and give them the freedom to innovate, they will succeed. If you don't, they will fail.

Since money was invented, there has been a debate about better ways of creating it and better rules to govern how it works - until the last generation, when it began to seem that the money system had been handed down by God and remained unchanged ever since. But the last few years have seen an increasingly powerful resurgence of interest in changing the system fundamentally, and bringing the monetary trends that affect all our lives under our control. Few realize that the debate has roots and a tradition, covering mainstream economists like Keynes and Hayek, statesmen like Lincoln, entrepreneurs like Ford and Soros, as well as the imaginative mavericks behind local currencies and e-money. This volume collects together some of their most influential writings to provide a handbook on a vital train of ideas, and a guide to a debate on changing money that is becoming increasingly important.