on 02-Apr-2019 (Tue)

INDUSTRIA MANUFACTURERA, MAQUILADORA Y DE SERVICIO DE EXPORTACIÓN

Ante la voraz competencia por los mercados globales, es fundamental dotar a las empresas mexicanas, al menos, de las mismas condiciones que ofrecen nuestros principales competidores, que le permitan posicionar con éxito sus mercancías y servicios en la arena del comercio internacional.

Con este propósito, el Gobierno Federal publicó el 1 de noviembre de 2006 el Decreto para el Fomento de la Industria Manufacturera, Maquiladora y de Servicios de Exportación (Decreto IMMEX), con el objetivo de fortalecer la competitividad del sector exportador mexicano, y otorgar certidumbre, transparencia y continuidad a las operaciones de las empresas, precisando los factores de cumplimiento y simplificándolos; permitiéndoles adoptar nuevas formas de operar y hacer negocios; disminuir sus costos logísticos y administrativos; modernizar, agilizar y reducir los trámites, con el fin de elevar la capacidad de fiscalización en un entorno que aliente la atracción y retención de inversiones en el país.

Este instrumento integra los programas para el Fomento y Operación de la Industria Maquiladora de Exportación (Maquila) y el que Establece Programas de Importación Temporal para Producir Artículos de Exportación (PITEX), cuyas empresas representan en su conjunto el 85% de las exportaciones manufactureras de México.

Este instrumento integra los programas para el Fomento y Operación de la Industria Maquiladora de Exportación (Maquila) y el que Establece Programas de Importación Temporal para Producir Artículos de Exportación (PITEX), cuyas empresas representan en su conjunto el 85% de las exportaciones manufactureras de México.

Ultimate Self-Realization or Acceptance (The Need to Reach Our Potential)

Movies like Legally Blonde, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash are all about heroes who face great odds in their journey to prove themselves. Once proven, the heroes realize an inner peace and can finally accept themselves because they’ve reached their potential.

An outward demonstration of worth isn’t always necessary to create this kind of resolution. Heroes can also take an internal journey to come to the same conclusion.

When Bridget Jones realized she was too good for the boss with whom she desired a relationship, she came to an ultimate self-realization that returned her to a place of peace and stability. And while it’s true she didn’t close the story loop of uniting with the man she wanted, resolution is brought about as she abandons that goal in exchange for the greater fulfillment of self-acceptance and contentment.

The Dove soap advertising on women being draw by an FBI forensic agent should that. The point: many women don’t realize how beautiful they are.

Ways for a brand to offer a sense of ultimate self-realization and self-acceptance:

1. Inspiration. If an aspect of your brand can offer or be associated with an inspirational feat, open the floodgates. e.g. HBR, Redbull.
2. Acceptance.
3. Trascendence. Invite them to a larger movement. Think FUBU.

If you come across any special trait of meanness or stupidity . . . you must be careful not to let it annoy or distress you, but to look upon it merely as an addition to your knowledge—a new fact to be considered in studying the character of humanity. Your attitude towards it will be that of the mineralogist who stumbles upon a very characteristic specimen of a mineral.

—Arthur Schopenhauer

Desde un punto de vista muy simple, podemos entender un SIG como la unión de dos ciencias: la geografía y la informática. Visto así, un SIG es una herramienta informática para ayudar al trabajo en el ámbito geográfico. Esta concepción tan simple dista, no obstante, mucho del concepto real de un SIG, pues este incorpora elementos de muchas ciencias distintas como pueden ser las siguientes:

Disciplinas relacionadas con la tecnología y el manejo de información. Se incluyen aquí las ciencias de la información, la informática, el diseño de bases de datos o el tratamiento digital de imágenes, entre otras. Muchas de estas, a su vez, derivan de otras o toman importantes elementos de ellas. La estadística o la matemática son algunas de esas ciencias fundamentales.

Disciplinas dedicadas al estudio de la Tierra desde un punto de vista físico. La geología, la geografía, la oceanografía, la ecología, así como todo el conjunto de ciencias medioambientales, forman parte de este grupo.

Disciplinas dedicadas al estudio de la Tierra desde un punto de vista social y humano. En este grupo se incluyen la antropología, la geografía o la sociología, entre otras. Las ciencias de este grupo, así como las del anterior, son todas ellas potenciales usuarias de los SIG.

Disciplinas dedicadas al estudio del entendimiento humano, en particular en lo concerniente a la interacción con máquinas. Las ciencias del conocimiento, la psicología en general o las ramas que estudian y desarrollan la Inteligencia Artificial también juegan su papel en el contexto actual de los SIG.

Disciplinas que tradicionalmente han realizando una integración de conocimientos de otros ámbitos distintos. La geografía como tal es la principal representante de este grupo.

En el contexto presente, podemos entender la Ciencia de la Información Geográfica como todo el conjunto de disciplinas y conocimientos que residen tras los SIG, tanto en su desarrollo y creación como en su utilización y aspectos prácticos. Esta ciencia se enmarcaría a su vez dentro de ese último grupo de disciplinas integradoras, llevando más allá la idea de la geografía como área de conocimiento que engloba elementos de muchos otros ámbitos. El término geomática, formado a partir de los vocablos geografía e informática, se emplea con frecuencia para hacer mención a todo ese grupo de ciencias relacionadas con los SIG. No obstante, y como ya se ha comentado, no se refiere exclusivamente a esas dos disciplinas, sino que simplemente toma nombre de los dos bloques princi- pales de conocimiento a partir de los cuales se ha desarrollado la ciencia de los SIG. Si los SIG deben ser entendidos a día de hoy como un sistema, la ciencia que los define y en la que se fundamentan debe no solo describir y servir de soporte a su elementos, sino también atender a una de las características fundamentales de todo sistema: las interrelaciones existentes entre dichos elementos. Por esta razón, disciplinas tales como las ciencias del conocimiento juegan un papel importante en el ámbito de los SIG, pues son fundamentales para estudiar las relaciones entre dos de sus componentes como son la tecnología y el factor organizativo.

En este capítulo hemos presentado los SIG como herramienta para el manejo general de información geográfica, fundamental para trabajar hoy en día con todo tipo de información georreferenciada. Un SIG es un sistema compuesto por cinco piezas fundamentales: datos, tecnología, análisis, visualización y factor organizativo. Cada una de ellas cumple un papel determinado dentro del sistema SIG, el cual se caracteriza fundamentalmente por su naturaleza integradora. Existen otras herramientas y tecnologías que pueden en principio asemejarse a los SIG, pero que realmente no comparten con estos su capacidad de integrar bajo un marco común una serie completa de elementos y disciplinas, siendo estala verdadera propiedad que define a los SIG.Todo el conjunto de conocimientos sobre los cuales se asientan los SIG confor-man la denominada Ciencia de la Información Geográfica.

Learning the game of power requires a certain way of looking at the world, a shifting of perspective. It takes effort and years of practice, for much of the game may not come naturally. Certain basic skills are required, and once you master these skills you will be able to apply the laws of power more easily.

The most important of these skills, and power’s crucial foundation, is the ability to master your emotions. An emotional response to a situation is the single greatest barrier to power, a mistake that will cost you a lot more than any temporary satisfaction you might gain by expressing your feelings. Emotions cloud reason, and if you cannot see the situation clearly, you cannot prepare for and respond to it with any degree of control.

Anger is the most destructive of emotional responses, for it clouds your vision the most. It also has a ripple effect that invariably makes situations less controllable and heightens your enemy’s resolve. If you are trying to destroy an enemy who has hurt you, far better to keep him off-guard by feigning friendliness than showing your anger.

Love and affection are also potentially destructive, in that they blind you to the often self-serving interests of those whom you least suspect of playing a power game. You cannot repress anger or love, or avoid feeling them, and you should not try. But you should be careful about how you express them, and most important, they should never influence your plans and strategies in any way.

The most important of these skills, and power’s crucial foundation, is the ability to master your emotions. An emotional response to a situation is the single greatest barrier to power, a mistake that will cost you a lot more than any temporary satisfaction you might gain by expressing your feelings. Emotions cloud reason, and if you cannot see the situation clearly, you cannot prepare for and respond to it with any degree of control

Anger is the most destructive of emotional responses, for it clouds your vision the most. It also has a ripple effect that invariably makes situations less controllable and heightens your enemy’s resolve. If you are trying to destroy an enemy who has hurt you, far better to keep him off-guard by feigning friendliness than showing your anger.

Love and affection are also potentially destructive, in that they blind you to the often self-serving interests of those whom you least suspect of playing a power game.

Related to mastering your emotions is the ability to distance yourself from the present moment and think objectively about the past and future. Like Janus, the double-faced Roman deity and guardian of all gates and doorways, you must be able to look in both directions at once, the better to handle danger from wherever it comes. Such is the face you must create for yourself-one face looking continuously to the future and the other to the past.

For the future, the motto is, “No days unalert.” Nothing should catch you by surprise because you are constantly imagining problems before they arise. Instead of spending your time dreaming of your plan’s happy ending, you must work on calculating every possible permutation and pitfall that might emerge in it. The further you see, the more steps ahead you plan, the more powerful you become.

The other face of Janus looks constantly to the past—though not to remember past hurts or bear grudges. That would only curb your power. Half of the game is learning how to forget those events in the past that eat away at you and cloud your reason. The real purpose of the backward-glancing eye is to educate yourself constantly—you look at the past to learn from those who came before you. (The many historical examples in this book will greatly help that process.) Then, having looked to the past, you look closer at hand, to your own actions and those of your friends. This is the most vital school you can learn from, because it comes from personal experience.

You begin by examining the mistakes you have made in the past, the ones that have most grievously held you back. You analyze them in terms of the 48 laws of power, and you extract from them a lesson and an oath: “I shall never repeat such a mistake; I shall never fall into such a trap again.” If you can evaluate and observe yourself in this way, you can learn to break the patterns of the past—an immensely valuable skill.

Power requires the ability to play with appearances. To this end you must learn to wear many masks and keep a bag full of deceptive tricks. Deception and masquerade should not be seen as ugly or immoral. All human interaction requires deception on many levels, and in some ways what separates humans from animals is our ability to lie and deceive. In Greek myths, in India’s Mahabharata cycle, in the Middle Eastern epic of Gilga mesh, it is the privilege of the gods to use deceptive arts; a great man, Odysseus for instance, was judged by his ability to rival the craftiness of the gods, stealing some of their divine power by matching them in wits and deception. Deception is a developed art of civilization and the most potent weapon in the game of power.

You cannot succeed at deception unless you take a somewhat distanced approach to yourself—unless you can be many different people, wearing the mask that the day and the moment require. With such a flexible approach to all appearances, including your own, you lose a lot of the inward heaviness that holds people down. Make your face as malleable as the actor’s, work to conceal your intentions from others, practice luring people into traps. Playing with appearances and mastering arts of deception are among the aesthetic pleasures of life. They are also key components in the acquisition of power.

If deception is the most potent weapon in your arsenal, then patience in all things is your crucial shield. Patience will protect you from making moronic blunders. Like mastering your emotions, patience is a skill—it does not come naturally. But nothing about power is natural; power is more godlike than anything in the natural world. And patience is the supreme virtue of the gods, who have nothing but time. Everything good will happen—the grass will grow again, if you give it time and see several steps into the future. Impatience, on the other hand, only makes you look weak. It is a principal impediment to power.

Power requires the ability to play with appearances. To this end you must learn to wear many masks and keep a bag full of deceptive tricks. Deception and masquerade should not be seen as ugly or immoral. All human interaction requires deception on many levels, and in some ways what separates humans from animals is our ability to lie and deceive. In Greek myths, in India’s Mahabharata cycle, in the Middle Eastern epic of Gilga mesh, it is the privilege of the gods to use deceptive arts; a great man, Odysseus for instance, was judged by his ability to rival the craftiness of the gods, stealing some of their divine power by matching them in wits and deception. Deception is a developed art of civilization and the most potent weapon in the game of power.

You cannot succeed at deception unless you can be many different people, wearing the mask that the day and the moment require. Make your face as malleable as the actor’s, work to conceal your intentions from others, practice luring people into traps. Playing with appearances and mastering arts of deception are among the aesthetic pleasures of life. They are also key components in the acquisition of power.

If deception is the most potent weapon in your arsenal, then patience in all things is your crucial shield. Patience will protect you from making moronic blunders. Like mastering your emotions, patience is a skill—it does not come naturally. But nothing about power is natural; power is more godlike than anything in the natural world. And patience is the supreme virtue of the gods, who have nothing but time. Everything good will happen—the grass will grow again, if you give it time and see several steps into the future. Impatience, on the other hand, only makes you look weak. It is a principal impediment to power.

The laws have a simple premise: Certain actions almost always increase one’s power (the observance of the law), while others decrease it and even ruin us (the transgression of the law). These transgressions and observances are illustrated by historical examples. The laws are timeless and definitive.

The 48 Laws of Power can be used in several ways. By reading the book straight through you can learn about power in general. Although several of the laws may seem not to pertain directly to your life, in time you will probably find that all of them have some application, and that in fact they are interrelated. By getting an overview of the entire subject you will best be able to evaluate your own past actions and gain a greater degree of control over your immediate affairs. A thorough reading of the book will inspire thinking and reevaluation long after you finish it.

The book has also been designed for browsing and for examining the law that seems at that particular moment most pertinent to you. Say you are experiencing problems with a superior and cannot understand why your efforts have not lead to more gratitude or a promotion. Several laws specifically address the master-underling relationship, and you are almost certainly transgressing one of them. By browsing the initial paragraphs for the 48 laws in the table of contents, you can identify the pertinent law.

The book has also been designed for browsing and for examining the law that seems at that particular moment most pertinent to you. Say you are experiencing problems with a superior and cannot understand why your efforts have not lead to more gratitude or a promotion. Several laws specifically address the master-underling relationship, and you are almost certainly transgressing one of them. By browsing the initial paragraphs for the 48 laws in the table of contents, you can identify the pertinent law.

Finally, the book can be browsed through and picked apart for entertainment, for an enjoyable ride through the foibles and great deeds of our predecessors in power. A warning, however, to those who use the book for this purpose: It might be better to turn back. Power is endlessly seductive and deceptive in its own way. It is a labyrinth—your mind becomes consumed with solving its infinite problems, and you soon realize how pleasantly lost you have become. In other words, it becomes most amusing by taking it seriously. Do not be frivolous with such a critical matter. The gods of power frown on the frivolous; they give ultimate satisfaction only to those who study and reflect, and punish those who skim the surfaces looking for a good time.

The feeling of having no power over people and events is generally unbearable to us—when we feel helpless we feel miserable. No one wants less power; everyone wants more. In the world today, however, it is dangerous to seem too power hungry, to be overt with your power moves. We have to seem fair and decent. So we need to be subtle—congenial yet cunning, democratic yet devious.

This game of constant duplicity most resembles the power dynamic that existed in the scheming world of the old aristocratic court. Throughout history, a court has always formed itself around the person in power—king, queen, emperor, leader. The courtiers who filled this court were in an especially delicate position: They had to serve their masters, but if they seemed to fawn, if they curried favor too obviously, the other courtiers around them would notice and would act against them. Attempts to win the master’s favor, then, had to be subtle. And even skilled courtiers capable of such subtlety still had to protect themselves from their fellow courtiers, who at all moments were scheming to push them aside.

Meanwhile the court was supposed to represent the height of civilization and refinement. Violent or overt power moves were frowned upon; courtiers would work silently and secretly against any among them who used force. This was the courtier’s dilemma: While appearing the very paragon of elegance, they had to outwit and thwart their own opponents in the subtlest of ways. The successful courtier learned over time to make all of his moves indirect; if he stabbed an opponent in the back, it was with a velvet glove on his hand and the sweetest of smiles on his face. Instead of using coercion or outright treachery, the perfect courtier got his way through always planning several moves ahead. Life in the court was a never-ending game that required constant vigilance and tactical thinking. It was civilized war.

Today we face a peculiarly similar paradox to that of the courtier: Everything must appear civilized, decent, democratic, and fair. But if we play by those rules too strictly, if we take them too literally, we are crushed by those around us who are not so foolish. As the great Renaissance diplomat and courtier Niccolò Machiavelli wrote, “Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.” The court imagined itself the pinnacle of refinement, but underneath its glittering surface a cauldron of dark emotions—greed, envy, lust, hatred—boiled and simmered. Our world today similarly imagines itself the pinnacle of fairness, yet the same ugly emotions still stir within us, as they have forever. The game is the same. Outwardly, you must seem to respect the niceties, but inwardly, unless you are a fool, you learn quickly to be prudent, and to do as Napoleon advised: Place your iron hand inside a velvet glove. If, like the courtier of times gone by, you can master the arts of indirection, learning to seduce, charm, deceive, and subtly outmaneuver your opponents, you will attain the heights of power. You will be able to make people bend to your will without their realizing what you have done. And if they do not realize what you have done, they will neither resent nor resist you.

This game of constant duplicity most resembles the power dynamic that existed in the scheming world of the old aristocratic court. Throughout history, a court has always formed itself around the person in power—king, queen, emperor, leader. The courtiers who filled this court were in an especially delicate position: They had to serve their masters, but if they seemed to fawn, if they curried favor too obviously, the other courtiers around them would notice and would act against them. Attempts to win the master’s favor, then, had to be subtle. And even skilled courtiers capable of such subtlety still had to protect themselves from their fellow courtiers, who at all moments were scheming to push them aside.

The feeling of having no power over people and events is generally unbearable to us—when we feel helpless we feel miserable. No one wants less power; everyone wants more. In the world today, however, it is dangerous to seem too power hungry, to be overt with your power moves. We have to seem fair and decent. So we need to be subtle—congenial yet cunning, democratic yet devious.

Meanwhile the court was supposed to represent the height of civilization and refinement. Violent or overt power moves were frowned upon; courtiers would work silently and secretly against any among them who used force.

This was the courtier’s dilemma: While appearing the very paragon of elegance, they had to outwit and thwart their own opponents in the subtlest of ways. The successful courtier learned over time to make all of his moves indirect; if he stabbed an opponent in the back, it was with a velvet glove on his hand and the sweetest of smiles on his face.

Instead of using coercion or outright treachery, the perfect courtier got his way through always planning several moves ahead. Life in the court was a never-ending game that required constant vigilance and tactical thinking. It was civilized war.

To some people the notion of consciously playing power games—no matter how indirect—seems evil, asocial, a relic of the past. They believe they can opt out of the game by behaving in ways that have nothing to do with power. You must beware of such people, for while they express such opinions outwardly, they are often among the most adept players at power. They utilize strategies that cleverly disguise the nature of the manipulation involved. These types, for example, will often display their weakness and lack of power as a kind of moral virtue. But true powerlessness, without any motive of self-interest, would not publicize its weakness to gain sympathy or respect. Making a show of one’s weakness is actually a very effective strategy, subtle and deceptive, in the game of power (see Law 22, the Surrender Tactic).

Another strategy of the supposed nonplayer is to demand equality in every area of life. Everyone must be treated alike, whatever their status and strength. But if, to avoid the taint of power, you attempt to treat everyone equally and fairly, you will confront the problem that some people do certain things better than others. Treating everyone equally means ignoring their differences, elevating the less skillful and suppressing those who excel. Again, many of those who behave this way are actually deploying another power strategy, redistributing people’s rewards in a way that they determine.

Yet another way of avoiding the game would be perfect honesty and straightforwardness, since one of the main techniques of those who seek power is deceit and secrecy. But being perfectly honest will inevitably hurt and insult a great many people, some of whom will choose to injure you in return. No one will see your honest statement as completely objective and free of some personal motivation. And they will be right: In truth, the use of honesty is indeed a power strategy, intended to convince people of one’s noble, good-hearted, selfless character. It is a form of persuasion, even a subtle form of coercion.

Finally, those who claim to be nonplayers may affect an air of naïveté, to protect them from the accusation that they are after power. Beware again, however, for the appearance of naivete can be an effective means of deceit (see Law 21, Seem Dumber Than Your Mark). And even genuine naivete is not free of the snares of power. Children may be naive in many ways, but they often act from an elemental need to gain control over those around them. Children suffer greatly from feeling powerless in the adult world, and they use any means available to get their way. Genuinely innocent people may still be playing for power, and are often horribly effective at the game, since they are not hindered by reflection. Once again, those who make a show or display of innocence are the least innocent of all.

You can recognize these supposed nonplayers by the way they flaunt their moral qualities, their piety, their exquisite sense of justice. But since all of us hunger for power, and almost all of our actions are aimed at gaining it, the nonplayers are merely throwing dust in our eyes, distracting us from their power plays with their air of moral superiority. If you observe them closely, you will see in fact that they are often the ones most skillful at indirect manipulation, even if some of them practice it unconsciously. And they greatly resent any publicizing of the tactics they use every day.

You must beware of such people [ ], for while they express such opinions outwardly, they are often among the most adept players at power. They utilize strategies that cleverly disguise the nature of the manipulation involved. These types, for example, will often display their weakness and lack of power as a kind of moral virtue. But true powerlessness, without any motive of self-interest, would not publicize its weakness to gain sympathy or respect. Making a show of one’s weakness is actually a very effective strategy, subtle and deceptive, in the game of power (see Law 22, the Surrender Tactic).

Another strategy of the supposed nonplayer is to demand equality in every area of life. Everyone must be treated alike, whatever their status and strength. But if, to avoid the taint of power, you attempt to treat everyone equally and fairly, you will confront the problem that some people do certain things better than others. Treating everyone equally means ignoring their differences, elevating the less skillful and suppressing those who excel. Again, many of those who behave this way are actually deploying another power strategy, redistributing people’s rewards in a way that they determine.

Yet another way of avoiding the game would be perfect honesty and straightforwardness, since one of the main techniques of those who seek power is deceit and secrecy. But being perfectly honest will inevitably hurt and insult a great many people, some of whom will choose to injure you in return. No one will see your honest statement as completely objective and free of some personal motivation. And they will be right: In truth, the use of honesty is indeed a power strategy, intended to convince people of one’s noble, good-hearted, selfless character. It is a form of persuasion, even a subtle form of coercion.

Finally, those who claim to be nonplayers may affect an air of naïveté, to protect them from the accusation that they are after power. Beware again, however, for the appearance of naivete can be an effective means of deceit (see Law 21, Seem Dumber Than Your Mark). And even genuine naivete is not free of the snares of power. Children may be naive in many ways, but they often act from an elemental need to gain control over those around them. Children suffer greatly from feeling powerless in the adult world, and they use any means available to get their way. Genuinely innocent people may still be playing for power, and are often horribly effective at the game, since they are not hindered by reflection. Once again, those who make a show or display of innocence are the least innocent of all.

You can recognize these supposed nonplayers by the way they flaunt their moral qualities, their piety, their exquisite sense of justice. But since all of us hunger for power, and almost all of our actions are aimed at gaining it, the nonplayers are merely throwing dust in our eyes, distracting us from their power plays with their air of moral superiority. If you observe them closely, you will see in fact that they are often the ones most skillful at indirect manipulation, even if some of them practice it unconsciously. And they greatly resent any publicizing of the tactics they use every day.

You cannot repress anger or love, or avoid feeling them, and you should not try. But you should be careful about how you express them, and most important, they should never influence your plans and strategies in any way.

Power is essentially amoral and one of the most important skills to acquire is the ability to see circumstances rather than good or evil. Power is a game—this cannot be repeated too often—and in games you do not judge your opponents by their intentions but by the effect of their actions. You measure their strategy and their power by what you can see and feel. How often are someone’s intentions made the issue only to cloud and deceive! What does it matter if another player, your friend or rival, intended good things and had only your interests at heart, if the effects of his action lead to so much ruin and confusion? It is only natural for people to cover up their actions with all kinds of justifications, always assuming that they have acted out of goodness. You must learn to inwardly laugh each time you hear this and never get caught up in gauging someone’s intentions and actions through a set of moral judgments that are really an excuse for the accumulation of power.

It is a game. Your opponent sits opposite you. Both of you behave as gentlemen or ladies, observing the rules of the game and taking nothing personally. You play with a strategy and you observe your opponent’s moves with as much calmness as you can muster. In the end, you will appreciate the politeness of those you are playing with more than their good and sweet intentions. Train your eye to follow the results of their moves, the outward circumstances, and do not be distracted by anything else.

Half of your mastery of power comes from what you do not do, what you do not allow yourself to get dragged into. For this skill you must learn to judge all things by what they cost you. As Nietzsche wrote, “The value of a thing sometimes lies not in what one attains with it, but in what one pays for it—what it costs us.” Perhaps you will attain your goal, and a worthy goal at that, but at what price? Apply this standard to everything, including whether to collaborate with other people or come to their aid. In the end, life is short, opportunities are few, and you have only so much energy to draw on. And in this sense time is as important a consideration as any other. Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others—that is too high a price to pay.

Power is a social game. To learn and master it, you must develop the ability to study and understand people. As the great seventeenth-century thinker and courtier Baltasar Gracián wrote: “Many people spend time studying the properties of animals or herbs; how much more important it would be to study those of people, with whom we must live or die!” To be a master player you must also be a master psychologist. You must recognize motivations and see through the cloud of dust with which people surround their actions. An understanding of people’s hidden motives is the single greatest piece of knowledge you can have in acquiring power. It opens up endless possibilities of deception, seduction, and manipulation.

People are of infinite complexity and you can spend a lifetime watching them without ever fully understanding them. So it is all the more important, then, to begin your education now. In doing so you must also keep one principle in mind: Never discriminate as to whom you study and whom you trust. Never trust anyone completely and study everyone, including friends and loved ones.

Finally, you must learn always to take the indirect route to power. Disguise your cunning. Like a billiard ball that caroms several times before it hits its target, your moves must be planned and developed in the least obvious way. By training yourself to be indirect, you can thrive in the modern court, appearing the paragon of decency while being the consummate manipulator.

Consider The 48 Laws of Power a kind of handbook on the arts of indirection. The laws are based on the writings of men and women who have studied and mastered the game of power. These writings span a period of mo

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Power is essentially amoral and one of the most important skills to acquire is the ability to see circumstances rather than good or evil. Power is a game—this cannot be repeated too often—and in games you do not judge your opponents by their intentions but by the effect of their actions. You measure their strategy and their power by what you can see and feel. How often are someone’s intentions made the issue only to cloud and deceive! What does it matter if another player, your friend or rival, intended good things and had only your interests at heart, if the effects of his action lead to so much ruin and confusion? It is only natural for people to cover up their actions with all kinds of justifications, always assuming that they have acted out of goodness. You must learn to inwardly laugh each time you hear this and never get caught up in gauging someone’s intentions and actions through a set of moral judgments that are really an excuse for the accumulation of power.

It is a game. Your opponent sits opposite you. Both of you behave as gentlemen or ladies, observing the rules of the game and taking nothing personally. You play with a strategy and you observe your opponent’s moves with as much calmness as you can muster. In the end, you will appreciate the politeness of those you are playing with more than their good and sweet intentions. Train your eye to follow the results of their moves, the outward circumstances, and do not be distracted by anything else.

Half of your mastery of power comes from what you do not do, what you do not allow yourself to get dragged into. For this skill you must learn to judge all things by what they cost you. As Nietzsche wrote, “The value of a thing sometimes lies not in what one attains with it, but in what one pays for it—what it costs us.” Perhaps you will attain your goal, and a worthy goal at that, but at what price? Apply this standard to everything, including whether to collaborate with other people or come to their aid. In the end, life is short, opportunities are few, and you have only so much energy to draw on. And in this sense time is as important a consideration as any other. Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others—that is too high a price to pay.

Power is a social game. To learn and master it, you must develop the ability to study and understand people. As the great seventeenth-century thinker and courtier Baltasar Gracián wrote: “Many people spend time studying the properties of animals or herbs; how much more important it would be to study those of people, with whom we must live or die!” To be a master player you must also be a master psychologist. You must recognize motivations and see through the cloud of dust with which people surround their actions. An understanding of people’s hidden motives is the single greatest piece of knowledge you can have in acquiring power. It opens up endless possibilities of deception, seduction, and manipulation.

People are of infinite complexity and you can spend a lifetime watching them without ever fully understanding them. So it is all the more important, then, to begin your education now. In doing so you must also keep one principle in mind: Never discriminate as to whom you study and whom you trust. Never trust anyone completely and study everyone, including friends and loved ones.

Finally, you must learn always to take the indirect route to power. Disguise your cunning. Like a billiard ball that caroms several times before it hits its target, your moves must be planned and developed in the least obvious way. By training yourself to be indirect, you can thrive in the modern court, appearing the paragon of decency while being the consummate manipulator.

Consider The 48 Laws of Power a kind of handbook on the arts of indirection. The laws are based on the writings of men and women who have studied and mastered the game of power. These writings span a period of more than three thousand years and were created in civilizations as disparate as ancient China and Renaissance Italy; yet they share common threads and themes, together hinting at an essence of power that has yet to be fully articulated. The 48 laws of power are the distillation of this accumulated wisdom, gathered from the writings of the most illustrious strategists (Sun-tzu, Clausewitz), statesmen (Bismarck, Talleyrand), courtiers (Castiglione, Gracián), seducers (Ninon de Lenclos, Casanova), and con artists (“Yellow Kid” Weil) in history.

The 48 Laws of Power can be used in several ways. By reading the book straight through you can learn about power in general. Although several of the laws may seem not to pertain directly to your life, in time you will probably find that all of them have some application, and that in fact they are interrelated. By getting an overview of the entire subject you will best be able to evaluate your own past actions and gain a greater degree of control over your immediate affairs. A thorough reading of the book will inspire thinking and reevaluation long after you finish it.

The book has also been designed for browsing and for examining the law that seems at that particular moment most pertinent to you. Say you are experiencing problems with a superior and cannot understand why your efforts have not lead to more gratitude or a promotion. Several laws specifically address the master-underling relationship, and you are almost certainly transgressing one of them. By browsing the initial paragraphs for the 48 laws in the table of contents, you can identify the pertinent law.

We live in a culture that promotes democratic values of being fair to one and all, the importance of fitting into a group, and knowing how to cooperate with other people. We are taught early on in life that those who are outwardly combative and aggressive pay a social price: unpopularity and isolation. These values of harmony and cooperation are perpetuated in subtle and not-so-subtle ways—through books on how to be successful in life; through the pleasant, peaceful exteriors that those who have gotten ahead in the world present to the public; through notions of correctness that saturate the public space. The problem for us is that we are trained and prepared for peace, and we are not at all prepared for what confronts us in the real world—war.

This war exists on several levels. Most obviously, we have our rivals on the other side. The world has become increasingly competitive and nasty. In politics, business, even the arts, we face opponents who will do almost anything to gain an edge. More troubling and complex, however, are the battles we face with those who are supposedly on our side. There are those who outwardly play the team game, who act very friendly and agreeable, but who sabotage us behind the scenes, use the group to promote their own agenda. Others, more difficult to spot, play subtle games of passive aggression, offering help that never comes, instilling guilt as a secret weapon. On the surface everything seems peaceful enough, but just below it, it is every man and woman for him- or herself, this dynamic infecting even families and relationships. The culture may deny this reality and promote a gentler picture, but we know it and feel it, in our battle scars.

It is not that we and our colleagues are ignoble creatures who fail to live up to ideals of peace and selflessness, but that we cannot help the way we are. We have aggressive impulses that are impossible to ignore or repress. In the past, individuals could expect a group—the state, an extended family, a company—to take care of them, but this is no longer the case, and in this uncaring world we have to think first and foremost of ourselves and our interests. What we need are not impossible and inhuman ideals of peace and cooperation to live up to, and the confusion that brings us, but rather practical knowledge on how to deal with conflict and the daily battles we face. And this knowledge is not about how to be more forceful in getting what we want or defending ourselves but rather how to be more rational and strategic when it comes to conflict, channeling our aggressive impulses instead of denying or repressing them. If there is an ideal to aim for, it should be that of the strategic warrior, the man or woman who manages difficult situations and people through deft and intelligent maneuver.

Many psychologists and sociologists have argued that it is through conflict that problems are often solved and real differences reconciled. Our successes and failures in life can be traced to how well or how badly we deal with the inevitable conflicts that confront us in society. The common ways that people deal with them—trying to avoid all conflict, getting emotional and lashing out, turning sly and manipulative—are all counterproductive in the long run, because they are not under conscious and rational control and often make the situation worse. Strategic warriors operate much differently. They think ahead toward their long-term goals, decide which fights to avoid and which are inevitable, know how to control and channel their emotions. When forced to fight, they do so with indirection and subtle maneuver, making their manipulations hard to trace. In this way they can maintain the peaceful exterior so cherished in these political times.

Una forma de entender el sistema SIG es como formado por una serie de subsistemas, cada uno de ellos encargado de una serie de funciones particulares. Es habitual citar tres subsistemas fundamentales: Subsistema de datos . Se encarga de las operaciones de entrada y salida de datos, y la gestión de estos dentro del SIG. Permite a los otros subsistemas tener acceso a los datos y realizar sus funciones en base a ellos. Subsistema de visualización y creación cartográfica . Crea representacio- nes a partir de los datos (mapas, leyendas, etc.), permitiendo así la interacción con ellos. Entre otras, incorpora también las funcionalidades de edición. Subsistema de análisis . Contiene métodos y procesos para el análisis de los datos geográficos.

l inicio de la década de los sesenta como resultado de unos factores que convergen para dar lugar al desarrollo de los primeros SIG

El primer Sistema de Información Geográfica formalmente desarrollado aparece en Canadá, al auspicio del Departamento Federal de Energía y Recursos. Este sistema, denominado CGIS (Canadian Geographical Information Systems), fue desarrollado a principios de los 60 por Roger Tomlinson

Si la década de los sesenta es la de los pioneros y las primeras implementaciones, la de los setenta es la de la investigación y el desarrollo

Esquema temporal de la evolución de los SIG

La utilización del término «geográfico» para denominar a estos sistemas de manejo de información ha hecho que tradicionalmente, y a falta de una parcela de conocimiento propia bien delimitada, haya recaído en la geografía la tarea docente e investigadora relacionada con los SIG. No obstante, y dada la multidisciplinaridad del ámbito y su uso por grupos muy distintos hoy en día, no es necesariamente este el mejor enfoque [ 12 ]. En general, el conjunto de ciencias del medio y ciencias sociales han sabido todas ellas hacer uso de los SIG y aportar a estos los elementos propios de su ámbito

Los productos del Harvard Laboratory se habían vendido a precios módicos a otros investigadores para financiar su propio desarrollo, pero sin gran afán comercial. La incorporación de los SIG al mercado y la aparición de una industria basada en ellos aparece poco después del inicio de estos, al final de los años sesenta. En 1969, Jack Dangermond, un integrante del propio Harvard Laboratory, funda junto a su esposa la empresa Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), pionera y líder del sector hasta el día de hoy. La popularización de los SIG y su conversión en un elemento de consumo es debida también en gran medida a la labor de ESRI dentro del mercado y a su línea original de productos.

en 1985 aparece el primer SIG libre, GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System), siendo aún en la ac- tualidad el referente dentro de su área.

Por último, respecto a su presencia social, en nuestros días los SIG han pasado de elementos restringidos para un uso profesional a ser elementos de consumo y estar presentes en nuestra vida diaria. Un ejemplo de ello es la aparición de servicios como Google Maps[ 13 ] y la multitud de aplicaciones con interfaces Web basadas en él que permiten acceder a información geográfica de toda clase. De la mano también de Google, Google Earth[ 14 ] es otra aplicación popular que no está restringida al uso profesional. Estas aplicaciones acercan los SIG a usuarios no especializados, dándoles la posibilidad de utilizarlos y aprovechar parte de sus capacidades. La popularización de los navegadores GPS, que incorporan tanto elementos de representación como de análisis propios de los SIG, son otro buen ejemplo.

En 1978, la recientemente creada empresa ERDAS adapta para el PC un software de análisis de imágenes denominado IMGGRID, y comienza a distribuir este junto con un hardware relativamente asequible para uso personal. El ERDAS 400 System se convierte así en el primero de su clase con esas características. Paralelamente, ArcInfo, de la compañía ESRI, se convierte en 1981 en el pri- mer SIG que alcanza el ámbito de los ordenadores personales. Será también un producto de esta compañía, ArcView, el que en 1991 pase a popularizar el SIG como herramienta de escritorio. A mitad de los 80, ArcInfo y ERDAS comienzan a distribuirse de forma con- junta en un producto comercial que integra el análisis vectorial con el tratamiento de imágenes dentro del entorno de un PC

El nacimiento de la World Wide Web (WWW) puede establecerse a finales de 1989, pero no será hasta 1993 cuando empiece a utilizarse directamente para actividades relacionadas con los SIG o la distribución de cartografía. En esta fecha aparece Xerox PARC, el primer servidor de mapas. Mapserver, uno de los principales servidores de cartografía en la actualidad, aparece a mediados de 1997.

En 2005 aparece Google Maps[ 13 ], que además de ofrecer servicios de carto- grafía permite desarrollar nuevas aplicaciones sobre dichos servicios a través de una interfaz de programación abierta y documentada. Los conceptos de la Web 2.0 se adaptan así al ámbito de los SIG. El número de ideas y funcionalidades ba- sados en Google Maps crece exponencialmente desde prácticamente su nacimiento, extendiendo la tecnología SIG a campos casi insospechados y muy distintos de los que originalmente constituían el ámbito de uso de los SIG

El 1980 se funda SPOT, la primera compañía mundial en ofrecer con carácter comercial imágenes procedentes de satélite para toda la superficie terrestre. A este hecho le seguiría el lanzamiento de un buen número de nuevos satélites con o sin fines comerciales. Los productos de la teledetección pasan a constituir una fuente de negocio, al tiempo que se incorporan como elementos básicos del análisis geográfico. Las tecnologías de posicionamiento y localización son otra fuente de datos de primer orden. En 1981, el sistema GPS pasa a ser plenamente operativo, y en 2000 se amplía la precisión de este para uso civil. Este último hecho aumenta la penetración de la tecnología, pudiendo ya ser empleado el sistema para el desarrollo de elementos como navegadores GPS u otros productos derivados, hoy en día de uso común

Al igual que las aplicaciones, los distintos tipos de datos geográficos digitales se van asentando y popularizando, recibiendo progresivamente más atención y me- dios. El Servicio Geográfico Estadounidense (USGS) publica en 1976 los primeros Modelos Digitales de Elevaciones (MDE), en respuesta a la gran importancia que este tipo de dato tiene dentro del nuevo contexto del análisis geográfico

La aparición de nuevas técnicas tales como el LiDAR (ver 6.4.2) abre nuevos caminos en cuanto a la precisión que puede obtenerse en la caracterización del terreno, posibilitando nuevos usos y análisis antes no planteados

En Europa, la directiva INSPIRE[ 17 ], con fecha 14 de marzo de 2007, pretende la creación de una infraestructura similar. (Es decir, de la creacíon de una IDE de toda Europa).

Historia de los SIG 35 y tuvo una vital importancia en este ámbito. En Europa, la directiva INSPIRE[ 17 ], con fecha 14 de marzo de 2007, pretende la creación de una infraestructura similar. Muchos de estos desarrollos y actividades se adhieren a las especificaciones establecidas por el Open GIS Consortium (OGC), un consorcio internacional fundado en 1994 para homogeneizar el empleo y difusión de los datos geográficos. 2.6. La evolución de las técnicas y formulaciones Los problemas iniciales de los pioneros del SIG eran el desarrollo de los primeros programas — esto es, la mera implementación — y los relativos al almacenamiento y codificación de datos, como ya vimos. Las formulaciones de estos inicios eran las de la cartografía cuantitativa del momento, aún no muy desarrollada. Una vez que se implementan los primeros SIG y se suplen las necesidades de análisis y gestión de datos espaciales que motivaron su aparición, comienza el proceso de desarrollar nuevas técnicas y planteamientos que permiten ir más allá en dicho análisi

Antes de McHarg, ya se habían empezado a realizar análisis cartográficos, arrancando la línea que llega hasta los procedimientos que actualmente empleamos en un SIG. Más de cien años antes, John Snow (1813–1858) realizó la que puede considerarse como una de las primeras experiencias cartográficas analíticas, al utilizar mapas de puntos para efectuar sus deducciones y localizar en Inglaterra la fuente de un brote de cólera

Antes de que aparecieran los primeros SIG, los trabajos de algunos pioneros establecen bases que más tarde serán de gran importancia para otros avances. Junto con el ya citado Elements of Cartography de John K.Wright, los trabajos de Ian McHarg anticipan una forma de operar con los datos geográficos que más adelante va a convertirse en una constante del trabajo con estos dentro de un SIG. En su libro Design with Nature (1969), McHarg define los elementos básicos de la superposición y combinación de mapas, que, como veremos más adelante, son los que se aplican tanto en el análisis como en la visualización de las distintas capas de datos geográficos en un SIG

la geoestadística, una rama de la estadística que aparece de la mano del francés Georges Matheron a principio de los años sesenta

Otro hecho importante es la aparición de los primeros programa de diseño

asistido por ordenador (CAD) , que coincide con la de los SIG, allá por el final de los años sesenta. Originalmente pensados para el diseño industrial, pronto pasan a ser utilizados para el diseño arquitectónico y la delineación de elementos geográficos

y sus conceptos son incorporados paulatinamente a los SIG. Hoy en día, y cada vez con más frecuencia, los SIG incorporan capacidades similares a los sistemas CAD, que permiten tanto la digitalización de cartografía con las herramientas propias del CAD como la creación de nuevos elementos geográficos. Asimismo, los formatos habituales de las aplicaciones CAD son soportados por gran número de SIG, existiendo una cierta interoperabilidad, no obstante muy mejorable. Firmas como Autodesk tienen presencia en el mercado tanto del SIG como del CAD, compaginando ambas y compartiendo parcialmente soluciones y elementos

La característica principal de la información georreferenciada es que tiene una localización en el espacio, particularmente en el espacio terrestre. Esta localización se ha de dar por medio de unas coordenadas que la definan de forma adecuada, lo cual implica la necesidad de establecer un sistema en base al cual expresar dichas coordenadas

El establecimiento de un sistema de referencia en el que expresar la situación de un punto dado no es en absoluto una tarea sencilla, y requiere el conocimiento de abundantes conceptos previos que van desde ideas físicas hasta complejos desa- rrollos matemáticos y geométricos.

La geodesia es la ciencia encargada de proveer el marco teórico en el que funda- mentar todo lo anterior, y es una disciplina compleja con diversas ramas de estudio. Todas ellas responden al objetivo básico de estudiar la forma de la Tierra, ya que de- bemos saber cómo es la Tierra para poder localizar puntos sobre su superficie. La de- terminación de la forma y dimensiones de la Tierra es tarea de la denominada geode- sia esferoidal, cuyo cometido coincide con el del concepto clásico de geodesia, esto es, la definición de la figura terrestre. No obstante, en la actualidad encontramos otras ramas como la geodesia física, encargada de analizar el campo gravitatorio terrestre y sus variaciones, o la astronomía geodésica, que utiliza métodos astronómicos para la determinación de ciertos elementos geodésicos muy importantes que veremos más adelante.

La necesidad del estudio geodésico surge por el hecho de que la Tierra no es plana, y cuando el territorio que pretendemos estudiar es lo suficientemente extenso, la curvatura de la Tierra no puede ser ignorada. Este es el caso que vamos a encontrar cuando trabajemos con un SIG, y es por ello que los SIG implementan los elementos necesarios para poder efectuar un manejo de la información geográfica riguroso y acorde con los conceptos de la geodesia.

Decíamos entonces que una de las prin- cipales limitaciones de estos era su mala disposición al trabajo con zonas extensas, ya que han sido diseñados para operar con zonas de unas dimensiones reducidas. Cuando un arquitecto diseña el plano de una casa con una aplicación CAD, no necesita emplear los conceptos de la geodesia, puesto que a esa escala la forma de la Tierra no tiene relevancia

la escala, es decir, la relación entre el tamaño real de aquello que representamos y su tamaño en la representación, la cual constituye un factor básico de toda información cartográfica.

A la hora de definir la forma y dimensiones de la Tierra, la geodesia plantea modelos que puedan recoger la complejidad natural de la superficie terrestre y expresarla de una forma más simple y fácil de manejar. Con estos modelos, uno de los objetivos principales de la geodesia es establecer un sistema de referencia y definir un conjunto de puntos (conocidos como vértices geodésicos) cuyas coordenadas en dicho sistema sean conocidas con una precisión elevada. Posteriormente, y en base a esos puntos, los cuales forman una red geo- désica, se pueden calcular las coordenadas de cualquier punto en el sistema de referencia definido. Los vértices geodésicos se establecen por triangulación a partir de un punto único determinado por métodos astronómicos. En función de la longitud de los lados de los triángulos empleados en dicha triangulación, tenemos redes de mayor o menor precisión

eamos ahora cómo establecer los elementos necesarios para establecer ese sistema de referencia base y definir esos modelos de partida citados. A la hora de buscar un modelo al que asimilar la forma de la Tierra, existen dos conceptos básicos: el elipsoide de referencia y el geoide.

El intento más básico de establecer un modelo de la forma de la Tierra es asimilar esta a una figura geométrica simple, la cual pueda expresarse mediante una ecuación matemática. Además de ser más sencilla de manejar, disponer de esta ecuación ma- temática permite la aplicación de conceptos geométricos, estableciendo así una base práctica para el trabajo con coordenadas y la definición de sistemas de referencia. Desde la antigüedad, se han formulado numerosas hipótesis sobre la forma que la Tierra tenía, las cuales van desde suponer la Tierra plana a admitir la evidencia de que esta ha de tener forma esférica (o similar) si se atiende a diversos hechos como, por ejemplo, el movimiento circular de las estrellas o la existencia de horizonte. En realidad, la Tierra no es una esfera perfecta, ya que su propia rotación ha modificado esa forma y ha provocado un achatamiento en los polos. Esta hipótesis fue ya planteada por Newton, y corroborada posteriormente con numerosas expe- riencias. No obstante, podemos seguir tratando de asimilar la forma de la Tierra a la de una superficie teórica, aunque no ya la de una esfera sino la de lo que se denomina un elipsoide. Sobre un elipsoide, el radio de la Tierra ya no es constante, sino que depende del emplazamiento.

El elipsoide es la forma geométrica que mejor se adapta a la forma real de la Tierra, y por tanto la que mejor permite idealizar esta, logrando un mayor ajuste.

Una vez que se dispone de una expresión teórica para la forma de la Tierra, el siguiente paso es la determinación de los parámetros que definen esta. En el caso de utilizar la esfera, hay que calcular su radio. En el caso de asumir el elipsoide como forma de referencia, deben determinarse las medidas de los semiejes menor y mayor. Debido a la evolución histórica de la idea de elipsoide de referencia, las medidas de los semiejes que lo definen no son únicas. Es decir, no en todos lugares y en todas las circunstancias se emplea un mismo elipsoide caracterizado por unos valores r 1 y r2 iguales.

[Que los elipsoides no tengan lso mismos valores de r1 (eje mayor o ecuador) y r2 (eje polar)] es debido principalmente al hecho de que un determinado elipsoide no se adapta de modo igualmente preciso a todas las regiones terrestres, y el elipsoide que proporciona un mejor ajuste para un área dada (por ejemplo, un continente o país) puede no ser el mejor en otra zona de la Tierra alejada de la primera

Parámetros que definen el elipsoide

In The Réponse de J. Bodin aux paradoxes de M. de Malestroit (1568), Bodin offered one of the earliest scholarly analyses of the phenomenon of inflation, unknown prior to the 16th century. The background to discussion in the 1560s was that by 1550 an increase in the money supply in Western Europe had brought general benefits. But there had also been appreciable inflation. Silver arriving via Spain from the South American mine of Potosí, together with other sources of silver and gold, from other new sources, was causing monetary change.

Bodin was after Martín de Azpilicueta, who had alluded to the issue in 1556 (something noticed also by Gomara in his unpublished Annals), an early observer that the rise in prices was due in large part to the influx of precious metals. Analysing the phenomenon, amongst other factors he pointed to the relationship between the amount of goods and the amount of money in circulation. The debates of the time laid the foundation for the "quantity theory of money". Bodin mentioned other factors: population increase, trade, the possibility of economic migration, and consumption that he saw as profligate.

Es el poder conferido por el derecho civil, sobre una persona, para protegerla, cuando por su edad o por su sexo no está en condiciones de defenderse por sí misma.

Movies like Legally Blonde, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash are all about heroes who face great odds in their journey to prove themselves. Once proven, the heroes realize an inner peace and can finally accept themselves because they’ve reached their potential.

An outward demonstration of worth isn’t always necessary to create this kind of resolution. Heroes can also take an internal journey to come to the same conclusion.

When Bridget Jones realized she was too good for the boss with whom she desired a relationship, she came to an ultimate self-realization that returned her to a place of peace and stability. And while it’s true she didn’t close the story loop of uniting with the man she wanted, resolution is brought about as she abandons that goal in exchange for the greater fulfillment of self-acceptance and contentment.

The Dove soap advertising on women being draw by an FBI forensic agent should that. The point: many women don’t realize how beautiful they are.

To keep it short and simple: when the bounce rate goes high it’s bad and when it goes low it’s good.
Here are some reasons that might lead to a high bounce rate:

• slow loading pages
• low-quality content
• bad user experience
• technical problems
• or all of these mixed together

The bounce rate is a website analytics metric that represents the percentage of visitors who entered a site and left without viewing any other pages within the same session. It doesn’t matter how long the visitor was on the page or how they left, though.

Of course, if you have a one-page website or a specific landing page for an event or product, the bounce rate should not be something for you to consider, as there are no other pages for the user to visit.

Short-term financial planning is concerned with the management of the firm’s short-term, or current, assets and liabilities. The most important current assets are cash, marketable securities, inventory, and accounts receivable. The most important current liabilities are bank loans and accounts payable. The difference between current assets and current liabilities is called net working capital.

Net working capital arises from lags between the time the firm obtains the raw materials for its product and the time it finally collects its bills from customers. The cash conversion cycle is the length of time between the firm’s payment for materials and the date that it gets paid by its customers.

The cash conversion cycle is partly within management’s control. For example, it can choose to have a higher or lower level of inventories. Management needs to trade off the benefits and costs of investing in current assets. Higher investments in current assets entail higher carrying costs but lower expected shortage costs.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

The idea behind the success module in the SB7 Framework is that we offer to close a story loop. Human beings are looking for resolutions to their external, internal, and philosophical problems, and they can achieve this through, among other things, status, self-realization, self-acceptance, and transcendence. If we can help people achieve these things, make this a core aspect of our brand promise.

Offering to close a story loop is much more simple than you think. Even the inclusion of smiley, happy people on your website is a strong way to offer the closing of a story loop. If you sell rugs, a successful resolution might be a beautiful floor or a room that finally feels finished.

The important idea is that we need to show repeatedly how our product or service can make somebody’s life better. If we don’t tell people where we’re taking them, they won’t follow. This is the human desire to transform. Everybody wants to change. Everybody wants to be somebody different, somebody better, or, perhaps, somebody who simply becomes more self-accepting. Brands that participate in the identity transformation of their customers create passionate brand evangelists.

You are helping them become wiser, more equipped, more physically fit, more accepted, and more at peace. Your brand participates in our customers’ transformation.

SMART BRANDS DEFINE AN ASPIRIATIONAL IDENTITY

The aspirational identity of a Gerber Knife customer is that they are tough, adventurous, fearless, action oriented, and competent to do a hard job. Epitomized in their advertising campaign “Hello Trouble,”. Gerber positioned their customer as the kind of person who sails boats into storms, rides bulls, rescues people from floods, and yes, cuts tangled ropes from boat propellers.

HOW DOES YOUR CUSTOMER WANT TO BE DESCRIBED BY OTHERS?

The best way to identify an aspirational identity that our customers may be attracted to is to consider how they want their friends to talk about them. If you offer executive coaching, your clients may want to be seen as competent, generous, and disciplined. Once we know who our customers want to be, we will have language to use in our marketing material.

A GUIDE OFFERS MORE THAN A PRODUCT AND A PLAN

Leaders who care more about changing lives than they do about selling products sell more.

Dave Ramsey and his team at Ramsey Solutions.

What he says on his radio show:

“Welcome back to The Dave Ramsey Show, where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice.” There they are, the elements of story, complete with an identity to step into and a new status symbol to go along with it.

Dave’s understanding of his listeners’ external problems (consumer debt and financial illiteracy), internal problems (confusion and a feeling of hopelessness), as well as their philosophical problem (accruing debt for things we don’t need posits moral questions) engages listeners in a living story.

GREAT BRANDS OBSESS ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATION OF THEIR CUSTOMERS

After a climactic scene, the guide comes back to affirm the transformation. In Star Wars, the ghost of Obi-Wan stands next to Luke Skywalker as he’s rewarded for bravery. A hero needs somebody else to step into the story to tell them they’re different, they’re better. That somebody is the guide. That somebody is you.

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Thousands of years ago, power was mostly gained through physical violence and maintained with brute strength. There was little need for subtlety—a king or emperor had to be merciless. Only a select few had power, but no one suffered under this scheme of things more than women. They had no way to compete, no weapon at their disposal that could make a man do what they wanted—politically, socially, or even in the home.

Of course men had one weakness: their insatiable desire for sex. A woman could always toy with this desire, but once she gave in to sex the man was back in control; and if she withheld sex, he could simply look elsewhere—or exert force. What good was a power that was so temporary and frail? Yet women had no choice but to submit to this condition. There were some, though, whose hunger for power was too great, and who, over the years, through much cleverness and creativity, invented a way of turning the dynamic around, creating a more lasting and effective form of power.

These women—among them Bathsheba, from the Old Testament; Helen of Troy; the Chinese siren Hsi Shi; and the greatest of them all, Cleopatra—invented seduction. First they would draw a man in with an alluring appearance, designing their makeup and adornment to fashion the image of a goddess come to life. By showing only glimpses of flesh, they would tease a man’s imagination, stimulating the desire not just for sex but for something greater: the chance to possess a fantasy figure. Once they had their victims’ interest, these women would lure them away from the masculine world of war and politics and get them to spend time in the feminine world—a world of luxury, spectacle, and pleasure. They might also lead them astray literally, taking them on a journey, as Cleopatra lured Julius Caesar on a trip down the Nile. Men would grow hooked on these refined, sensual pleasures—they would fall in love. But then, invariably, the women would turn cold and indifferent, confusing their victims. Just when the men wanted more, they found their pleasures withdrawn. They would be forced into pursuit, trying anything to win back the favors they once had tasted and growing weak and emotional in the process. Men who had physical force and all the social power—men like King David, the Trojan Paris, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, King Fu Chai—would find themselves becoming the slave of a woman.

Oppression and scorn, thus, were and must have been generally the share of women in emerging societies; this state lasted in all its force until centuries of experience taught them to substitute skill for force. Women at last sensed that, since they were weaker, their only resource was to seduce; they understood that if they were dependent on men through force, men could become dependent on them through pleasure. More unhappy than men, they must have thought and reflected earlier than did men; they were the first to know that pleasure was always beneath the idea that one formed of it, and that the imagination went farther than nature. Once these basic truths were known, they learned first to veil their charms in order to awaken curiosity; they practiced the difficult art of refusing even as they wished to consent; from that moment on, they knew how to set men’s imagination afire, they knew how to arouse and direct desires as they pleased: thus did beauty and love come into being; now the lot of women became less harsh, not that they had managed to liberate themselves entirely from the state of oppression to which their weakness condemned them; but, in the state of perpetual war that continues to exist between women and men, one has seen them, with the help of the caresses they have been able to invent, combat ceaselessly, sometimes vanquish, and often more skillfully take advantage of the forces directed against them; sometimes, too, men have turned against women these weapons the women had forged to combat them, and their slavery has become all the harsher for it.

—CHODERLOS DE LACLOS, ON THE EDUCATION OF WOMEN, TRANSLATED BY LYDIA DAVIS, IN THE LIBERTINE READER, EDITED BY MICHAEL FEHER

Much more genius is needed to make love than to command armies.

—NINON DE L’ENCLOS

Menelaus, if you are really going to kill her, \ Then my blessing go with you, but you must do it now, \ Before her looks so twist the strings of your heart \ That they turn your mind; for her eyes are like armies, \ And where her glances fall, there cities burn, \ Until the dust of their ashes is blown \ By her sighs. I know her, Menelaus, \ And so do you. And all those who know her suffer.

—HECUBA SPEAKING ABOUT HELEN OF TROY IN EURIPIDES, THE TROJAN WOMEN, TRANSLATED BY NEIL CURRY

With a few exceptions—the Latin poet Ovid, the medieval troubadours—men did not much concern themselves with such a frivolous art as seduction. Then, in the seventeenth century came a great change: men grew interested in seduction as a way to overcome a young woman’s resistance to sex. History’s first great male seducers—the Duke de Lauzun, the different Spaniards who inspired the Don Juan legend—began to adopt the methods traditionally employed by women. They learned to dazzle with their appearance (often androgynous in nature), to stimulate the imagination, to play the coquette. They also added a new, masculine element to the game: seductive language, for they had discovered a woman’s weakness for soft words. These two forms of seduction—the feminine use of appearances and the masculine use of language—would often cross gender lines: Casanova would dazzle a woman with his clothes; Ninon de l’Enclos would charm a man with her words.

At the same time that men were developing their version of seduction, others began to adapt the art for social purposes. As Europe’s feudal system of government faded into the past, courtiers needed to get their way in court without the use of force. They learned the power to be gained by seducing their superiors and competitors through psychological games, soft words, a little coquetry. As culture became democratized, actors, dandies, and artists came to use the tactics of seduction as a way to charm and win over their audience and social milieu. In the nineteenth century another great change occurred: politicians like Napoleon consciously saw themselves as seducers, on a grand scale. These men depended on the art of seductive oratory, but they also mastered what had once been feminine strategies: staging vast spectacles, using theatrical devices, creating a charged physical presence. All this, they learned, was the essence of charisma—and remains so today. By seducing the masses they could accumulate immense power without the use of force.

No man hath it in his power to over-rule the deceitfulness of a woman.

—MARGUERITE OF NAVARRE

This important side-track, by which woman succeeded in evading man’s strength and establishing herself in power, has not been given due consideration by historians. From the moment when the woman detached herself from the crowd, an individual finished product, offering delights which could not be obtained by force, but only by flattery . . . , the reign of love’s priestesses was inaugurated. It was a development of far-reaching importance in the history of civilization.... Only by the circuitous route of the art of love could woman again assert authority, and this she did by asserting herself at the very point at which she would normally be a slave at the man’s mercy. She had discovered the might of lust, the secret of the art of love, the daemonic power of a passion artificially aroused and never satiated. The force thus unchained was thenceforth to count among the most tremendous of the world’s forces and at moments to have power even over life and death. . . . • The deliberate spellbinding of man’s senses was to have a magical effect upon him, opening up an infinitely wider range of sensation and spurring him on as if impelled by an inspired dream.

—ALEXANDER VON GLEICHEN-RUSSWURM, THE WORLD’S LURE, TRANSLATED BY HANNAH WALLER

Today we have reached the ultimate point in the evolution of seduction. Now more than ever, force or brutality of any kind is discouraged. All areas of social life require the ability to persuade people in a way that does not offend or impose itself. Forms of seduction can be found everywhere, blending male and female strategies. Advertisements insinuate, the soft sell dominates. If we are to change people’s opinions—and affecting opinion is basic to seduction—we must act in subtle, subliminal ways. Today no political campaign can work without seduction. Since the era of John F. Kennedy, political figures are required to have a degree of charisma, a fascinating presence to keep their audience’s attention, which is half the battle. The film world and media create a galaxy of seductive stars and images. We are saturated in the seductive. But even if much has changed in degree and scope, the essence of seduction is constant: never be forceful or direct; instead, use pleasure as bait, playing on people’s emotions, stirring desire and confusion, inducing psychological surrender. In seduction as it is practiced today, the methods of Cleopatra still hold.

People are constantly trying to influence us, to tell us what to do, and just as often we tune them out, resisting their attempts at persuasion. There is a moment in our lives, however, when we all act differently—when we are in love. We fall under a kind of spell. Our minds are usually preoccupied with our own concerns; now they become filled with thoughts of the loved one. We grow emotional, lose the ability to think straight, act in foolish ways that we would never do otherwise. If this goes on long enough something inside us gives way: we surrender to the will of the loved one, and to our desire to possess them.

Seducers are people who understand the tremendous power contained in such moments of surrender. They analyze what happens when people are in love, study the psychological components of the process—what spurs the imagination, what casts a spell. By instinct and through practice they master the art of making people fall in love. As the first seductresses knew, it is much more effective to create love than lust. A person in love is emotional, pliable, and easily misled. (The origin of the word “seduction” is the Latin for “to lead astray.”) A person in lust is harder to control and, once satisfied, may easily leave you. Seducers take their time, create enchantment and the bonds of love, so that when sex ensues it only further enslaves the victim. Creating love and enchantment becomes the model for all seductions—sexual, social, political. A person in love will surrender.

It is pointless to try to argue against such power, to imagine that you are not interested in it, or that it is evil and ugly. The harder you try to resist the lure of seduction—as an idea, as a form of power—the more you will find yourself fascinated. The reason is simple: most of us have known the power of having someone fall in love with us. Our actions, gestures, the things we say, all have positive effects on this person; we may not completely understand what we have done right, but this feeling of power is intoxicating. It gives us confidence, which makes us more seductive. We may also experience this in a social or work setting—one day we are in an elevated mood and people seem more responsive, more charmed by us. These moments of power are fleeting, but they resonate in the memory with great intensity. We want them back. Nobody likes to feel awkward or timid or unable to reach people. The siren call of seduction is irresistible because power is irresistible, and nothing will bring you more power in the modern world than the ability to seduce. Repressing the desire to seduce is a kind of hysterical reaction, revealing your deep-down fascination with the process; you are only making your desires stronger. Some day they will come to the surface.

The first thing to get in your head is that every single \ Girl can be caught—and that you’ll catch her if \ You set your toils right. Birds will sooner fall dumb in \ Springtime, \ Cicadas in summer, or a hunting-dog \ Turn his back on a hare, than a lover’s bland inducements \ Can fail with a woman. Even one you suppose \ Reluctant will want it.

—OVID, THE ART OF LOVE, TRANSLATED BY PETER GREEN

The combination of these two elements, enchantment and surrender, is, then, essential to the love which we are discussing.... What exists in love is surrender due to enchantment.

—JOSÉ ORTEGA Y GASSET, ON LOVE, TRANSLATED BY TOBY TALBOT

What is good?—All that heightens the feeling of power, the will to power, power itself in man. • What is bad?—All that proceeds from weakness. • What is happiness?—The feeling that power increases—that a resistance is overcome.

—FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, THE ANTI-CHRIST, TRANSLATED BY R.J. HOLLINGDALE

To have such power does not require a total transformation in your character or any kind of physical improvement in your looks. Seduction is a game of psychology, not beauty, and it is within the grasp of any person to become a master at the game. All that is required is that you look at the world differently, through the eyes of a seducer.

A seducer does not turn the power off and on—every social and personal interaction is seen as a potential seduction. There is never a moment to waste. This is so for several reasons. The power seducers have over a man or woman works in social environments because they have learned how to tone down the sexual element without getting rid of it. We may think we see through them, but they are so pleasant to be around anyway that it does not matter. Trying to divide your life into moments in which you seduce and others in which you hold back will only confuse and constrain you. Erotic desire and love lurk beneath the surface of almost every human encounter; better to give free rein to your skills than to try to use them only in the bedroom. (In fact, the seducer sees the world as his or her bedroom.) This attitude creates great seductive momentum, and with each seduction you gain experience and practice. One social or sexual seduction makes the next one easier, your confidence growing and making you more alluring. People are drawn to you in greater numbers as the seducer’s aura descends upon you.

Seducers have a warrior’s outlook on life. They see each person as a kind of walled castle to which they are laying siege. Seduction is a process of penetration: initially penetrating the target’s mind, their first point of defense. Once seducers have penetrated the mind, making the target fantasize about them, it is easy to lower resistance and create physical surrender. Seducers do not improvise; they do not leave this process to chance. Like any good general, they plan and strategize, aiming at the target’s particular weaknesses.

The main obstacle to becoming a seducer is this foolish prejudice we have of seeing love and romance as some kind of sacred, magical realm where things just fall into place, if they are meant to. This might seem romantic and quaint, but it is really just a cover for our laziness. What will seduce a person is the effort we expend on their behalf, showing how much we care, how much they are worth. Leaving things to chance is a recipe for disaster, and reveals that we do not take love and romance very seriously. It was the effort Casanova expended, the artfulness he applied to each affair that made him so devilishly seductive. Falling in love is a matter not of magic but of psychology. Once you understand your target’s psychology, and strategize to suit it, you will be better able to cast a “magical” spell. A seducer sees love not as sacred but as warfare, where all is fair.

Seducers are never self-absorbed. Their gaze is directed outward, not inward. When they meet someone their first move is to get inside that person’s skin, to see the world through their eyes. The reasons for this are several. First, self-absorption is a sign of insecurity; it is anti-seductive. Everyone has insecurities, but seducers manage to ignore them, finding therapy for moments of self-doubt by being absorbed in the world. This gives them a buoyant spirit—we want to be around them. Second, getting into someone’s skin, imagining what it is like to be them, helps the seducer gather valuable information, learn what makes that person tick, what will make them lose their ability to think straight and fall into a trap. Armed with such information, they can provide focused and individualized attention—a rare commodity in a world in which most people see us only from behind the screen of their own prejudices. Getting into the targets’ skin is the first important tactical move in the war of penetration.

Seducers see themselves as providers of pleasure, like bees that gather pollen from some flowers and deliver it to others. As children we mostly devoted

...

The disaffection, neurosis, anguish and frustration encountered by psychoanalysis comes no doubt from being unable to love or to be loved, from being unable to give or take pleasure, but the radical disenchantment comes from seduction and its failure. Only those who lie completely outside seduction are ill, even if they remain fully capable of loving and making love. Psychoanalysis believes it treats the disorder of sex and desire, but in reality it is dealing with the disorders of seduction. . . . The most serious deficiencies always concern charm and not pleasure, enchantment and not some vital or sexual satisfaction.

—JEAN BAUDRILLARD. SEDUCTION

Whatever is done from love always occurs beyond good and evil.

—FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL, TRANLATED BY WALTER KAUFMANN

Should anyone here in Rome lack finesse at love-making, \ Let him \ Try me—read my book, and results are guaranteed! \ Technique is the secret. Charioteer, sailor, oarsman, \ All need it. Technique can control \ Love himself.

—OVID, THE ART OF LOVE, TRANSLATED BY PETER GREEN

The Art of Seduction is designed to arm you with weapons of persuasion and charm, so that those around you will slowly lose their ability to resist without knowing how or why it has happened. It is an art of war for delicate times.

Every seduction has two elements that you must analyze and understand: first, yourself and what is seductive about you; and second, your target and the actions that will penetrate their defenses and create surrender. The two sides are equally important. If you strategize without paying attention to the parts of your character that draw people to you, you will be seen as a mechanical seducer, slimy and manipulative. If you rely on your seductive personality without paying attention to the other person, you will make terrible mistakes and limit your potential.

Consequently, The Art of Seduction is divided into two parts. The first half, “The Seductive Character,” describes the nine types of seducer, plus the Anti-Seducer. Studying these types will make you aware of what is inherently seductive in your character, the basic building block of any seduction. The second half, “The Seductive Process,” includes the twenty—four maneuvers and strategies that will instruct you on how to create a spell, break down people’s resistance, give movement and force to your seduction, and induce surrender in your target. As a kind of bridge between the two parts, there is a chapter on the eighteen types of victims of a seduction—each of them missing something from their lives, each cradling an emptiness you can fill. Knowing what type you are dealing with will help you put into practice the ideas in both sections. Ignore any part of this book and you will be an incomplete seducer.

The ideas and strategies in The Art of Seduction are based on the writings and historical accounts of the most successful seducers in history. The sources include the seducers’ own memoirs (by Casanova, Errol Flynn, Natalie Barney, Marilyn Monroe); biographies (of Cleopatra, Josephine Bonaparte, John F. Kennedy, Duke Ellington); handbooks on the subject (most notably Ovid’s Art of Love); and fictional accounts of seductions (Choderlos de Laclos’s Dangerous Liaisons, Søren Kierkegaard’s The Seducer’s Diary, Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji). The heroes and heroines of these literary works are generally modeled on real-life seducers. The strategies they employ reveal the intimate connection between fiction and seduction, creating illusion and leading a person along. In putting the book’s lessons into practice, you will be following in the path of the greatest masters of the art.

Finally, the spirit that will make you a consummate seducer is the spirit in which you should read this book. The French writer Denis Diderot once wrote, “I give my mind the liberty to follow the first wise or foolish idea that presents itself, just as in the avenue de Foy our dissolute youths follow close on the heels of some strumpet, then leave her to pursue another, attacking all of them and attaching themselves to none. My thoughts are my strumpets.” He meant that he let himself be seduced by ideas, following whichever one caught his fancy until a better one came along, his thoughts infused with a kind of sexual excitement. Once you enter these pages, do as Diderot advised: let yourself be lured by the stories and ideas, your mind open and your thoughts fluid. Slowly you will find yourself absorbing the poison through the skin and you will begin to see everything as a seduction, including the way you think and how you look at the world.

There were some [women], though, whose hunger for power was too great, and who, over the years, through much cleverness and creativity, invented a way of turning the dynamic around, creating a more lasting and effective form of power.

These women invented seduction. First they would draw a man in with an alluring appearance, designing their makeup and adornment to fashion the image of a goddess come to life. By showing only glimpses of flesh, they would tease a man’s imagination, stimulating the desire not just for sex but for something greater: the chance to possess a fantasy figure.

Once they had their victims’ interest, they would lure them away from the masculine world of war and politics and get them to spend time in the feminine world—a world of luxury, spectacle, and pleasure. They might also lead them astray literally, taking them on a journey, as Cleopatra lured Julius Caesar on a trip down the Nile.

Men would grow hooked on these refined, sensual pleasures—they would fall in love. But then, invariably, the women would turn cold and indifferent, confusing their victims. Just when the men wanted more, they found their pleasures withdrawn. They would be forced into pursuit, trying anything to win back the favors they once had tasted and growing weak and emotional in the process. Men who had physical force and all the social power would find themselves becoming the slave of a woman.

In the seventeenth century came a great change: men grew interested in seduction as a way to overcome a young woman’s resistance to sex. History’s first great male seducers began to adopt the methods traditionally employed by women. They learned to dazzle with their appearance, to stimulate the imagination, to play the coquette. They also added a new, masculine element to the game: seductive language, for they had discovered a woman’s weakness for soft words.

These two forms of seduction—the feminine use of appearances and the masculine use of language—would often cross gender lines: Casanova would dazzle a woman with his clothes; Ninon de l’Enclos would charm a man with her words.

At the same time that men were developing their version of seduction, others began to adapt the art for social purposes. They learned the power to be gained by seducing their superiors and competitors through psychological games, soft words, a little coquetry.

In the nineteenth century another great change occurred: politicians like Napoleon consciously saw themselves as seducers, on a grand scale. These men depended on the art of seductive oratory, but they also mastered what had once been feminine strategies: staging vast spectacles, using theatrical devices, creating a charged physical presence.

All this, they learned, was the essence of charisma—and remains so today. By seducing the masses they could accumulate immense power without the use of force.

We are saturated in the seductive. But even if much has changed in degree and scope, the essence of seduction is constant: never be forceful or direct; instead, use pleasure as bait, playing on people’s emotions, stirring desire and confusion, inducing psychological surrender. In seduction as it is practiced today, the methods of Cleopatra still hold.

A seducer does not turn the power off and on—every social and personal interaction is seen as a potential seduction. There is never a moment to waste. This is so for several reasons. The power seducers have over a man or woman works in social environments because they have learned how to tone down the sexual element without getting rid of it. We may think we see through them, but they are so pleasant to be around anyway that it does not matter. Trying to divide your life into moments in which you seduce and others in which you hold back will only confuse and constrain you. Erotic desire and love lurk beneath the surface of almost every human encounter; better to give free rein to your skills than to try to use them only in the bedroom. (In fact, the seducer sees the world as his or her bedroom.) This attitude creates great seductive momentum, and with each seduction you gain experience and practice. One social or sexual seduction makes the next one easier, your confidence growing and making you more alluring. People are drawn to you in greater numbers as the seducer’s aura descends upon you.

Seducers have a warrior’s outlook on life. They see each person as a kind of walled castle to which they are laying siege. Seduction is a process of penetration: initially penetrating the target’s mind, their first point of defense. Once seducers have penetrated the mind, making the target fantasize about them, it is easy to lower resistance and create physical surrender. Seducers do not improvise; they do not leave this process to chance. Like any good general, they plan and strategize, aiming at the target’s particular weaknesses.

The main obstacle to becoming a seducer is this foolish prejudice we have of seeing love and romance as some kind of sacred, magical realm where things just fall into place, if they are meant to. This might seem romantic and quaint, but it is really just a cover for our laziness. What will seduce a person is the effort we expend on their behalf, showing how much we care, how much they are worth. Leaving things to chance is a recipe for disaster, and reveals that we do not take love and romance very seriously. It was the effort Casanova expended, the artfulness he applied to each affair that made him so devilishly seductive. Falling in love is a matter not of magic but of psychology. Once you understand your target’s psychology, and strategize to suit it, you will be better able to cast a “magical” spell. A seducer sees love not as sacred but as warfare, where all is fair.

Seducers are never self-absorbed. Their gaze is directed outward, not inward. When they meet someone their first move is to get inside that person’s skin, to see the world through their eyes. The reasons for this are several. First, self-absorption is a sign of insecurity; it is anti-seductive. Everyone has insecurities, but seducers manage to ignore them, finding therapy for moments of self-doubt by being absorbed in the world. This gives them a buoyant spirit—we want to be around them. Second, getting into someone’s skin, imagining what it is like to be them, helps the seducer gather valuable information, learn what makes that person tick, what will make them lose their ability to think straight and fall into a trap. Armed with such information, they can provide focused and individualized attention—a rare commodity in a world in which most people see us only from behind the screen of their own prejudices. Getting into the targets’ skin is the first important tactical move in the war of penetration.

Seducers see themselves as providers of pleasure, like bees that gather pollen from some flowers and deliver it to others. As children we mostly devoted our lives to play and pleasure. Adults often have feelings of being cut off from this paradise, of being weighed down by responsibilities. The seducer knows that people are waiting for pleasure—they never get enough of it from friends and lovers, and they cannot get it by themselves. A person who enters their lives offering adventure and romance cannot be resisted. Pleasure is a feeling of being taken past our limits, of being overwhelmed—by another person, by an experience. People are dying to be overwhelmed, to let go of their usual stubbornness. Sometimes their resistance to us is a way of saying, Please seduce me. Seducers know that the possibility of pleasure will make a person follow them, and the experience of it will make someone open up, weak to the touch. They also train themselves to be sensitive to pleasure, knowing that feeling pleasure themselves will make it that much easier for them to infect the people around them.

A seducer sees all of life as theater, everyone an actor. Most people feel they have constricted roles in life, which makes them unhappy. Seducers, on the other hand, can be anyone and can assume many roles. (The archetype here is the god Zeus, insatiable seducer of young maidens, whose main weapon was the ability to assume the form of whatever person or animal would most appeal to his victim.) Seducers take pleasure in performing and are not weighed down by their identity, or by some need to be themselves, or to be natural. This freedom of theirs, this fluidity in body and spirit, is what makes them attractive. What people lack in life is not more reality but illusion, fantasy, play. The clothes that seducers wear, the places they take you to, their words and actions, are slightly heightened—not overly theatrical but with a delightful edge of unreality, as if the two of you were living out a piece of fiction or were characters in a film. Seduction is a kind of theater in real life, the meeting of illusion and reality.