Audiobooks by Chirag Patel

Development from Toddlers & Home to School & University

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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Forged On The Frontier (1818-1849): The Emperor’s youth as an 1820 Settler, cockney farmer, brother

A wryly humorous telling of the British colonialisation in South Africa, told from the point of view of a not-very-successful family and the child that would become Emperor, thousands of miles away.Long before he became Emperor of the United States, Joshua Norton won his place in history as one of the 1820 Settlers, in the British colonialisation of the Cape Colony, in today's South Africa.Many think the patron saint of Discordianism a myth, or his life absurdly exaggerated, but they are wrong. Reality is far stranger than fiction could ever be, and Joshua Norton is the absolute proof, a real-life Don Quixote formed in tragedy and triumph, scarred into a delusion of a better world by the violence of this one. This volume covers Joshua's upbringing as an 1820 settler in the newly-formed Albany region, in what would become the Eastern Cape. It brings to life one of history's most turbulent periods, as Dutch, British, Xhosa, Khoi and Fingo all try to build a life on a land riven by constant war. Read on for a tale of heroes and villains, but mostly of people trying to survive where they can when all the odds are stacked against them and great political winds tear through their desperate lives. The first volume of the definitive history of Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. Told with with a wry dramatisation, it contains the most accurate and complete information on Joshua's early life in any book to date.

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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Get To Grips With Grown Up Topics Thought-provoking & business focused articles on management theory

Articles on boring-but-interesting topics, including: Management styles and theory Quality philosophies The structure of law Case studies in reducing crime and recidivism A reflective study on criminal justice A case study on Warner Brothers' political cartoons Articles on occupy, disintermediation, and ethical concerns A wide range of short questions and answers about life issues, philosophy, theology, and more One thing that no-one tells you about being a writer is just how much business stuff you have to learn. In retrospect, it makes sense. Modern corporations provide the equivalent of patronage, allowing artists of all stripes to practice their craft with stuff that's both limited and challenging. Inevitably, what people will pay for producing is stuff directly relevant to their interests, and so over the years I've produced a lot of documents over time about management, law and politics. Some were explanations and guides, some were for courses I took; all were at once fascinating and difficult to engage with properly. What follows sits broadly in three categories: -Simple guides on basic management and legal concepts -More abstract applications and problems in management theory -Some practical instances of politics in action, especially in cartoons The real issue is that people are conversational, not contractual. That creates a real problem in the study of management, which is why the law (which is entirely contractual) and politics (which is entirely conversational) are included together. I find it helps to understand that these things are part of a system that we're all part of, willing or not, conscious or not. Management theories and practice, criminal justice in origin and contemporary application, and all political acts, whether large (the Truth and Reconciliation Committee) small (propaganda in Warner Brothers cartoons) or confusing (Occupy) are part of a single overarching desire to find the levers that make groups of people work.

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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Living From A Suitcase: Join the exciting and implausible real-life journey of an English bohemian i

A collection of comic articles, collecting humorous travelogues as a Brit wanders the wilds of Africa and Asia. Includes... - A rock diary following a gigging band in London in the mid 2000s, who might be any aspirant post student band you've ever known - Travels around Asia on the modern Grand Tour, back in the years before the crisis hit - Strange journeys and getting attacked at a go kart track in India - The ruminations of an Englishman emigrating to South Africa and wondering what the hell is going on, but loving it - collected journalism from Durban in South Africa, early in the Zuma years - selected short fiction

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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My Rise & Fall in the AI Apocalypse: One woman’s journey of power, discovery and loss through a chan

The 21st century will see great changes for humanity. True Artificial Intelligence comes into existence, and in its wake the world is ripped apart and reborn. In new technology ancient ways will find new expression, as the secret rulers of the world choose its future shape. It is a time of great change, of disaster and destruction matched only by the flowering of mind. We know the great events of this time; but what of the others? What about those who get caught up in events, but cannot guide them? Those who are given power, but not enough to be free? They too have their stories, and this is one of them. Follow Aina from 2017 to 2072, as she becomes one of the custodians of the ultimate secret society, and discovers that divinity doesn’t bring control or security. Great events follow and command her, but her fate is to pick up the pieces, not cause the conflicts.

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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Players In The Silence: The First Unhuman Minds Swim The Barren Seas Between The Planets. (2070-2080

We are all born as animals and live the life that animals live: we sleep, eat, reproduce, and fight. There is, however, another order of living, which the animals do not know, that of awe before the mystery of being ... that can be the root and branch of the spiritual sense of one’s days. That is the birth - the Virgin Birth - in the heart of a properly human, spiritual life. -- Joseph Campbell And speaking of sex, the Immaculate Conception does not mean Jesus was conceived in the absence of sex. It means Mary was conceived without Original Sin. That's all it has ever meant. And according to the tabloids, Mary is apparently the only one who can make such a claim. The Jesus thing is called virgin birth. -- George Carlin Follow two unhumans, a robot and a squid, as they begin the vast expansion of humanity into the solar system. In 2070, a squid and a teddy bear set off into the depths of the solar system. Following the whims of their posthuman masters, they will seed the system with thought and mind, ready for the coming of man. Their own plans, they keep quiet, as the good ship Worrying Noise crosses the decade. In the meantime, humanity begins to hear the choir of voices from the rest of the universe resonate. Along the way, they will seed Sol with new forms of life, ready to meet the posthumans that will follow them. Along the way, they will witness the beginning of the Dream, and the creation of a new immortal.

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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Posthumanity Rises: Follow robots, AI and posthumans into an epic future history [2020-2075]

This is the beginning. Still Light is an episodic tale that spans centuries, beginning in 2020 and ending in 2507. This volume covers the first fifty years, as transhumanity becomes dominant, the first AI are born, and the first posthuman is created. It is the story of Mia, Feng, and Zhukov, the developer, genius, and soldier, as they rise through the ranks of Abraxas, the hidden rulers of the world. As they do, they create the first true AI and posthuman, as well as new political structures. From there, it charts the life of Z?, the posthuman born of their actions Also featuring go-playing robots, secret organisations, a giant mushroom, holograms, virtual realities, a lovely cup of tea, a new generation of terrorists, two men watching a bird, a moment of true peace, a millennia-long fight using ecosystems as weapons, serial killing for a higher cause, beans excreted by cats, a glamorous party, the real meaning of jihad, someone riding an elephant in a palanquin, a completely new way of communicating, the rise of true artificial intelligence, and a friendly lady made of forests. Posthumanity Rises is the first volume of Still Light. Read Apokatastasis for a different journey through the same years (2020-2075).

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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Seekers & Speakers: Learning To Walk Your Own Path

This is not a self-help book, or a book of specific guidance. In fact, it was written because too many works that claim to help you find your way either disappear into meaningless abstraction or are so petty and particular they fall at the first hurdle, teaching control instead of acceptance. There are a lot of spiritual self help books out there, but most of them either pretend to be enlightened or provide such specific direction that you’ll never truly open your mind. This books is an attempt to address that problem. Come with Arthur and Chirag as they discuss the ways they have sought understanding and progress over time, both within and without. The intent of this book is to give something back, and perhaps help others seeking greater truths about the world and themselves to find their path, and not feel so alone. Perhaps in their tales of the search, you can find a further step on your own path.

Arthur Telling, Chirag Patel (Author), Arthur Telling, Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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Simple, Cheap and organic Home Gardening

Bite-sized columns & stories about gardening in tough environments from the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Learn how to compost, ferment, drought-proof, park build, and more. Collected columns from the local paper, including container gardening, working through droughts, companion planting, and lots of organic and permaculture topics and projects.

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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Simple, Cheap and Organic Home Gardening: Bite-sized columns & stories about gardening in tough envi

A broad ranging how-to guide through permaculture gardening and community development, with articles about gardening in rough environments and anecdotes about using the garden in school, built up from a local gardening newspaper column. “”If ever a mortal heard the word of god, it would be in a garden at the close of day.” I first read that quote in Civ. Over the years, I’ve learned more and more about the natural world. In many ways, it was a natural outgrowth of both my philosophical approach and my inclination for teaching. It's a matter of a development-orientation, which comes down to watch, experiment and learn. Gardening, as presented here, is more than just growing things; it’s teaching and learning, in the most practical and natural possible way. It’s called natural science for a reason. Collected herein are a series of gardening columns (written for the local newspaper), tips on companion planting and permaculture, short stories of our in-school gardening projects, and other info that’ll give you a rounded idea of how to operate your garden as a space for growing, whether that’s veggies and wildlife or confidence and education.

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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The Art of Being Right: Learn how to spot bad faith tactics, avoid con tricks and win arguments

A classic guide to tricks and tactics for winning arguments, with commentary on the use of and defence against each tactic. The best summary of this book is ‘being right doesn’t mean you’re gonna win, and this is why’. It’s the ultimate guide to spotting the many different kinds of bullshit people pull in order to win over the crowd, rather than argue the point at hand. There’s very few of them that don’t immediately bring examples to mind, and having it laid out clearly like this is the perfect armour to stop people derailing you. In the real world, people don’t win arguments based on what’s correct. They win because they win over the crowd, or change the subject, or bully their rival, or 35 other causes. This guide will walk you through the various strategies that people use, with notes on usage and defence for each point. Arthur didn’t intend this work as a guide for winning fights. Much like Machiavelli’s The Prince, this is a satire – a guide on what to watch out for in others and yourself, not a toolkit. If you can’t win your argument on fair grounds, you need to reconsider your position; but that doesn’t mean you should let people steal the day by underhand means. This book will teach you how to spot and spike them before they get a head of steam.

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

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The Construct's Childhood: The Troubled Training of the First Posthuman (2048-2059)

The troubled childhood of the first posthuman as it is shaped by destiny As the triad ascends into the holy sanctuary of Amenti as the all-powerful Ogdoad, the child created from Feng’s failure grows up, caught between plans thousands of years old and the desires of its own heart. A friend from the deep past is reborn, to become the seed for unhumanity, just as Zu is the seed for posthumanity. Eventually, the conflict is resolved in tragedy, as such things do.

Chirag Patel (Author), Chirag Patel (Narrator)

Audiobook