Just as information workers surpassed physical laborers in economic importance, Pink claims, the workplace terrain is changing yet again, and power will inevitably shift to people who possess strong right brain qualities. His advocacy of "R-directed thinking" begins with a bit of neuroscience tourism to a brain lab that will be extremely familiar to those who read Steven Johnson's Mind Wide Open last year, but while Johnson was fascinated by the brain's internal processes, Pink is more concerned with how certain skill sets can be harnessed effectively in the dawning "Conceptual Age." The second half of the book details the six "senses" Pink identifies as crucial to success in the new economy-design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning-while "portfolio" sections offer practical (and sometimes whimsical) advice on how to cultivate these skills within oneself. Thought-provoking moments abound-from the results of an intensive drawing workshop to the claim that "bad design" created the chaos of the 2000 presidential election-but the basic premise may still strike some as unproven. Furthermore, the warning that people who don't nurture their right brains "may miss out, or worse, suffer" in the economy of tomorrow comes off as alarmist. But since Pink's last big idea (Free Agent Nation) has become a cornerstone of employee-management relations, expect just as much buzz around his latest theory.

The "Theory of Nothing" explores the radical idea that the reality we see around us is but one of an infinite "library" of alternate realities, the sum of which contains no information and is in fact "Nothing". The necessity for observed reality to be consistent with the observer's existence implies a strong connection between fundamental physics and cognitive science. A revolutionary understanding of why physics has the form it does, and why our minds are the way they are is forged.

Drawing upon research and practice in a number of countries, the contributors to this volume describe advances in meeting the needs of children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Following the Salamanca agreement and other international treaties, sovereign states are pursuing, at different rates, a more inclusive educational agenda. There is concern for those pupils who are excluded and in danger of becoming increasingly marginalized in their societies as their engagement in education decreases. Foremost amongst these pupils are those with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The issues surrounding their inclusion in education, particularly mainstream education, are explored, along with the factors that contribute to successful interventions. Contributors from Spain, Norway, Australia, Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom describe ways of meeting their emotional and behavioural needs within education. The authors raise factors, which could contribute towards greater inclusive practice.