یک فرمانده ی بزرگ نظامی، پانصد سال قبل از میلاد مسیح، کتابی اعجاب انگیز و ستودنی در مورد شیوه های فرماندهی لشکر می نویسد که تا سال های سال، در کشورهای شرق دور به عنوان دستور راه فرماندهان جنگ استفاده می شده. هم اکنون این کتاب در لیست کتاب های پیشنهادی ارتش امریکا برای دانشگاه های افسری و نظامی است.

این کتاب، درست در مقابل  هاگاکوره: کتاب سامورایی قرار می گیرد.

هاگاکوره، کتابی سامورایی، یاد می دهد که چطور از شکست و مرگ نهراسید و اهدافی والاتر از سودهای دنیوی و عقل حسابگر داشته باشید: به فکر شجاعت باشید، و افتخار. می گوید اگر خواستید انتقام کسی را بگیرید، بدون این که وقت را تلف کنید تا محاسبه کنید که چطور پیروز می شوید، به دل دشمن بزنید و اگر هم کشته شدید، چه بهتر. چرا که «طریقت سامورایی بر مردن استوار است».

هنر رزم، در مقابل، کاملاً سودگرایانه است و به شما می آموزد که چطور قبل از اقدام به دقت و با هوشمندی همه چیز را محاسبه کنید، و استراتژی های خود را دقیق، و البته همراه با انعطاف، مشخص کنید تا حتماً به پیروزی دست بیابید. می گوید اگر محاسبات تان نشان می دهند در جنگ شکست می خورید، بیهوده منابع مالی و انسانی را هدر نکنید و به فکر حیله ای باشید تا کمترین تلفات را بدهید. به همین دلیل معمولاً هنر رزم را به عنوان یک کتاب «موفقیت» می خوانند، هر چند به اشتباه.

خواندن هر دو کتاب با هم، فرصت بسیار خوبی بود برای مقایسه ی دو طرز فکر کاملاً متضاد در دو کشور نزدیک به هم: چین و ژاپن.

Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for "The Art"
One star ⭐ for "of War"

Average rating = ⭐⭐⭐

Seriously though, this is beautifully and artfully written. It's just too bad to have such poetry dedicated to effective ways of waging war.

I thought this would contain more wisdom than it did. I’ve heard so many people rave about it that I expected it to be more readily applicable to modern-day conflict. It’s interesting because of its age, but not for much else.

عبقرية عسكرية!! .. فن الحرب فن الهجوم فن الدفاع فن التجسس فن قيادة الأفراد والموارد
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shD5C...

Ho Lu: “may the test be applied to women?”
So he [Sun Tzu] started drilling them [girls]

"14-By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.
15-The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer..."
Sun Tzu

Very good. No wonder his army won facing a much larger one. Strategy at its best. 2,400 years old strategy. Old, yet wise. Still endures, capable of teaching many generations, in a manifold manner.

As I read, I tried to apply some of the concepts to the ongoing, dangerous situation in the Korean Peninsula.
18th April 2017

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Main players

-USA versus NORTH-KOREA

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Other players

-SOUTH-KOREA IS AN ALLY; FOR MANY YEARS; WITH AMERICAN BASES IN ITS TERRITORY; AND PLENTY OF JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES.

-CHINA* AND RUSSIA** HAVE MOVED MILITARY FORCES TO THEIR BORDERS ALONG NORTH KOREA; THEY HAVE BACKED FOR MANY YEARS NORTH KOREA; THOUGH CHINA CHANGED LATELY. CHINESE SUBMARINES AND OTHER VESSELS ARE MONITORING THE AMERICAN ARMADA MOVES.

-JAPAN IS AN ALLY
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(Update: 21st April; Japanese destroyers join the American armada)



Possible scenarios

-FULL-SCALE WAR; CONVENTIONAL TYPE; THE USA HAVE MOVED AN "ARMADA" TO THE KOREAN PENINSULA; MORE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS TO COME.

-NUCLEAR WAR/PROMPTED BY THE USE OF NORTH KOREA'S ICBMs (if they're for real)

-SPECIAL FORCES ASSASSINATION OF KIM.

-"CREATIVE" DIPLOMACY

Possible outcomes

-USA WINS WAR; IDEALLY, THE KOREAS UNITE.

-USA HIT AT HOME, RETALIATES IN FULL MEASURE; NORTH KOREA TURNED INTO RUBBLE/ASHES.

-NOT A "NASTY, BRUTISH, SHORT-WAR", BUT A LONGER ONE, DUE TO CHINA'S AND RUSSIA'S INTERVENTION, "SIDING" IN SOME WAY (MILITARILY, DILOMATICALLY...) WITH NORTH KOREA. IN THIS CASE, THIS IS VIETNAM REVISITED. USA LIKELY TO LOSE. IN THIS CASE, CHINA AND RUSSIA WOULD HAVE TRAPPED THE USA.

Considerations

-FOR THE MOMENT, THE WILL TO FIGHT OF THE PEOPLE OF NORTH KOREA IS UNBROKEN.

-AS THINGS PROGRESS IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN IF THE AMERICA'S WILL (ESPECIALLY AT HOME) WON'T WAVER. I MEAN, IF THERE'S ANY.

-THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE IS STILL LACKING ON THE AMERICAN SIDE.

-ANY MILITARY INTERVENTION SHOULD CONSIDER SOUTH-KOREAN CONSENT; EVEN THEIR RIGHT TO SAY "NO". ***

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*China 'deploys 150,000 troops to deal with possible North Korean refugees
in: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...

**Russia Moves Military Forces To North Korean Border Ready For War
in: Read more at: http://www.neonnettle.com/news/2074-r...
© Neon Nettle

UPDATEs;
I'VE JUST LEARNED THE US MARINES ARE ARRIVING IN NORTH AUSTRALIA.
‘Ready to fight & win’: US marines deployed to Australia amid N. Korean ‘nuclear threat’
in: https://www.rt.com/news/385172-us-mar...

***
South Koreans bristle at Trump’s handling of Pyongyang tensions
In: https://www.ft.com/content/dd305d38-2...

Otto Warmbier Might Trigger Change Of U.S.-N. Korea Policy - Forbes
www.forbes.com/.../otto-warmbier-migh....

"North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States," Trump said, arms crossed, from his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Tuesday. "They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."
in: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/08/pol...

Nikki Haley: Trump's fire and fury comment 'not an empty threat'
in: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/17/pol...

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"Higher"
In: http://anonymous-news.com/north-korea...
1st December 2017

South and North Korean negotiators meet at DMZ for first time since 2015
in: http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/08/asi...
10th January 2018 (good news)

I was obsessed with this book in Middle-School. I was a strange young lad.

I find it a little funny that people are reviewing it poorly because they thought it was going to be a guide on how to deal with the daily, relatable struggles of life. Uh . . . no, this is just straight-up army vs army combat. I don't think Sun Tzu was going to have any insightful words on how to get over a break-up, or how to have more courage in social situations. Some of these reviews had me laughing.

Even though many of the tactics used here just wouldn't work in modern warfare (Hell, they wouldn't even have a situation to be used), getting to read the words of a military genius from that time period is really interesting. I love this book and re-read it every now and then.

Update: I find myself not agreeing with my own previous statement of Sun Tzu's strategies being useless in today's warfare. I'm puzzled I even said it. I'm going to give myself the benefit of the doubt and assume I was speaking specifically of the various horse and spear strategies, or the other obvious things that would pertain to then and not now. However, I think it should be said that the man's 'Philosophies' on warfare are indeed timeless. Much of how he goes about waging and winning war can still be learned from in modern times.

Bunu sonunda bitirdiğime inanabiliyor musunuz? Ben inanamıyorum. En sonunda dnf olarak işaretlemek durumunda kalacağımı düşünmüştüm. Kitabın yarısının altını çizmiş olabilirim, emin değilim.

Okumam neden bu kadar uzun sürdü bilmiyorum gerçekten, oysa bunu beraber okumayı umduğum arkadaşım bir günde bitirmişti.

I’m not sure what to rate this and I’m not writing a review for this book as it’s not my preferred genre and this was an attempt at reading out of my comfort zone. I will say it was entertaining and I learnt quite a lot of things. The audiobook was only 1 hour long so it was a quick read. The narration was great. I’d recommend the book. :)

I’ve found this valuable piece of literature applicable to life. The premise of the piece: “All warfare is based in deception.” I believe we all face warfare every day, in varying degrees. I don’t believe we should look for a fight, or use this wisdom to deceive and attack people. However, this is good wisdom to keep in mind when you must face many types of battles, in most situations, of the mind. This can apply to working up in a company and potential opposition that could bring, or being bullied psychologically, or manipulators attacking you. It can be used in games, especially those requiring mental schemes, such as games males and females play to get one another, or against one another of same sex to gain a desired goal of the opposite sex. For this reason, and with that in view, I highly recommend this book.

I want to say I don’t want to give away all my secrets, but they aren’t mine. They are the authors. I’ve learned the following in application to my own life:
If you have an enemy, in any capacity, remember to be deceptive with the intent of protecting yourself, and not bringing harm on anyone. If you’re weak, act strong. If you’re strong, act weak. When you do this, you will confuse the enemy in their plan of attack. My personal favorite: act weak, so your enemy may become arrogant and underestimate you. Then when you strike with your chosen weapon (psychological, circumstantial, intellectual weapons guided by legal parameters) they will be unprepared and it will knock them out of balance.

Don’t overwhelm your enemy to see no way out, or they will become desperate and use all their might. Leave a small way out to prevent this. Change up your attacks. Do whatever you can to confuse them. I try to bring it all up here, but remember as I face circumstances. If you’re not strong enough, run. If you’re stronger, attack swiftly. It’s best to win as quickly as possible, or you may lose strength.

This isn’t something I focus on, and I’m not in any battles, but sometimes I bring this out for circumstantial needs. This book, to be concise, gives street-wise common sense, and I appreciate that, because it doesn’t come natural to me. That’s why I’m grateful for a book to teach me, and to prepare me for those I may meet with a battle mentality. And many await us who love peace.

This book should be read in high school, and then again in college, and then again at the start of every new job or lifestyle change. The information it contains is useful for every stage in your life, over and over again. The information is useful in order to create long-term strategies, but also to fortify your defenses. The best offense is a good defense. This book will clue you into what’s out there waiting for you. People are sneaky and malicious. Sun Tzu discusses almost every shitty situation you will encounter. Consider Sun Tzu your mensch, your therapist, your life advisor. How cool is that?

The Art of War against corporate takeover of user rights



"If you don't pay for the product, then you're not the customer, you're the product", media analysts have told us plainly a long time ago.

Be that as it may, the GoodReads experience has both common and unique features. The past years have seen MySpace raise and fall, Facebook shamelessly mocking users privacy and still going on, Twitter changing their API according to the phase of the moon and keeping personal data hidden from users, Google purging G+ of "fake names" (that's pen names for us, booknerds!) and so on so on.

These corporations have taken over the internet. You, the user, receive a service for free, to relate with your friends, to keep your personal photos, to share your thoughts on the books you've read. You're targeted by advertising, your personal data is being stored on the company's servers, and, sooner than you think, you're dependent on these companies because of social networking, because you made yourself at home into a sub-community with your friends and preferred groups or reviewers. While you can get away (easier or harder), you leave behind content, topics, friends, functionality you got used to.

Your Content and Social Interaction Is Belongs to Them.

These corporate services keep control over users in three ways.

1. Proprietary service
The software is on the company's servers, and nowhere else. It's not available to users, no one knows how it works and what and how is data processed for storage, for reading (private data), for security and logging, for auditing, for removals.
2. Over-reaching ToS
Under the excuse of needing it to function or to defend their business, the company takes more rights for itself over user content than actually necessary. GR ToU is particularly misleading because it claims all sub-rights of copyright, while telling users that they keep copyright (it's true, but they took all rights to do anything with the content, anything at all). The ToS is also contradictory and impossible to abide by. Really. Since users usually don't read the fine print, they assume common sense. Which is not that common after all.
3. Reduced inter-operatibility for data exchange
These sites are silos of content under a company's control. There are more or less features to retrieve your data, and more or less APIs to build alternative clients. On the first, GR stands well, comparing to others. You can send your review to a blog on two sites when you post it, you can export the cvs with your reviews. (only reviews, no topics, no comments, but other sites have nothing). On the second, the API seems relatively poor, compared to what it could provide.

The Art of War against users rights: proprietary service, misleading on copyright, lack of enough inter-operability with other sites or applications.

Aside from common traits shared by any proprietary service, there are essential differences, here on GoodReads.

Community librarians
GoodReads' mission has been to create a public database of all books ever published. GR has provided the software online, but it is community librarians who have added and maintain this database, their work for free, of tens of thousands of records edits, over the years. GR site has reached its market value through the work of its community.
And it's this work they sold out to Amazon earlier this year.

A site for readers
GoodReads has been known and advertised as "a site for readers", to interact and share their opinions in book reviews and group conversations. The site has thousands of well-written, intellectually pleasing reviews, free essays prompted by the book, and opinionated pieces of booklovers all over the world.
Nowadays, the success or failure of a book in the digitized and self-published world is no longer in the traditional, professional outlets alone, it's in the popularity and free dissemination of information of readers who shared their thoughts on this site.

The value of this site has always been MORE the work of the users, than other services enumerated above. The GR community is not randomly composed of users signing up only for personal interest and personal friends (or marketing), as other social networks. It has been created by working together on the books library, by their reviews, by their blogs.

TODAY...
Some of these reviews are now removed. Bookshelves that remind of the authors behavior are now removed (and others remain). Reviews that inform readers about a children's book author being convicted of pedophilia (!), have been removed from the site. Reviews that use the book for an essay on GR/Amazon or on the faith of startups, or illogical terms in corporate ToS, have been removed. Reviews re-posting content of the removed reviews have been removed at their turn.
Some of top 25 reviewers on this site are threatened by GR/Amazon with removal of their account. Paul Bryant's reviews, Manny's reviews, have been deemed "potentially off-topic" and have been deleted.


...I can see how the issue of exercising corporate control over users content is truly enraging here, on a site significantly made by these contributors. It's unavoidable we come to this, in my opinion (corporations always do), and GR/Amazon has all keys to the kingdom, but I can see why it's so disappointing and enraging. Your content is theirs to do as they please, their software works as they want, your choices are take it or leave it.
The internet is no longer for sharing (nor for porn!), it's for corporations to exercise their control over users.



The Community Power
GoodReaders have started protests all over the place. Many reviews have been posted, in protest, arguing their points against GR/Amazon actions. Many of them have been removed.
Irony and sarcasm abound, in reviews posted the last week, in topics in GoodReads Feedback group, and on remote sites. Many of the reviews have been removed, some of the topics have been closed.
Rounds of ironic flagging have been made; flags claiming to abide by the ToS language in its inept and auto-contradictory "rules" have been sent to GR staff, in the hope they'll come to their senses. They seem to have missed the irony.

The only solution long term, to corporate control, is to create competitive services based on principles of freedom of users. In all three aspects: Open Source software, same license for content for the service as for other users (or minimal for it to function), and inter-operability of networked services.


This content is also available at http://sftomorrow.wordpress.com/2013/...
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This work by Alfaniel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Although this book was written in the 5th century BC, it is still relevant in today's times be it in business, military or just everyday life where there can be many enemies who does not wish you well. This is a quick read and should be held handy so you can keep glancing at it to help you in everyday struggles. Hopefully it will help me going forward to live a better and more successful life.