Amazon.com
Updated Edition: Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The world isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much of its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that futurists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to.
What Friedman means by "flat" is "connected": the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution that have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. This in itself should not be news to anyone. But the news that Friedman has to deliver is that just when we stopped paying attention to these developments--when the dot-com bust turned interest away from the business and technology pages and when 9/11 and the Iraq War turned all eyes toward the Middle East--is when they actually began to accelerate. Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven not by major corporations or giant trade organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals: desktop freelancers and innovative startups all over the world (but especially in India and China) who can compete--and win--not just for low-wage manufacturing and information labor but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well. (He doesn't forget the "mutant supply chains" like Al-Qaeda that let the small act big in more destructive ways.)
Friedman has embraced this flat world in his own work, continuing to report on his story after his book's release and releasing an unprecedented hardcover update of the book a year later with 100 pages of revised and expanded material. What's changed in a year? Some of the sections that opened eyes in the first edition--on China and India, for example, and the global supply chain--are largely unaltered. Instead, Friedman has more to say about what he now calls "uploading," the direct-from-the-bottom creation of culture, knowledge, and innovation through blogging, podcasts, and open-source software. And in response to the pleas of many of his readers about how to survive the new flat world, he makes specific recommendations about the technical and creative training he thinks will be required to compete in the "New Middle" class. As before, Friedman tells his story with the catchy slogans and globe-hopping anecdotes that readers of his earlier books and his New York Times columns know well, and he holds to a stern sort of optimism. He wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you're going to be trampled if you don't keep up with it. A year later, one can sense his rising impatience that our popular culture, and our political leaders, are not helping us keep pace. --Tom Nissley
Where Were You When the World Went Flat?
Thomas L. Friedman's reporter's curiosity and his ability to recognize the patterns behind the most complex global developments have made him one of the most entertaining and authoritative sources for information about the wider world we live in, both as the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and as the author of landmark books like From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree. They also make him an endlessly fascinating conversation partner, and we've now had the chance to talk to him about The World Is Flat twice. Read our original interview with him following the publication of the first edition of The World Is Flat to learn why there's almost no one from Washington, D.C., listed in the index of a book about the global economy, and what his one-plank platform for president would be. (Hint: his bumper stickers would say, "Can You Hear Me Now?")
And now you can listen to our second interview, in which he talks about the updates he's made in "The World Is Flat 2.0," including his response to parents who said to him, "Great, Mr. Friedman, I'm glad you told us the world is flat. Now what do I tell my kids?"
The Essential Tom Friedman
From Beirut to Jerusalem |
The Lexus and the Olive Tree |
Longitudes and Attitudes |
More on Globalization and Development
China, Inc. by Ted Fishman |
Three Billion New Capitalists by Clyde Prestowitz |
The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs |
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz |
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli |
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto |
Book Description
The World Is Flat is Thomas L. Friedman’s account of the great changes taking place in our time, as lightning-swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before—creating an explosion of wealth in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run even faster just to stay in place. This updated and expanded edition features more than a hundred pages of fresh reporting and commentary, drawn from Friedman’s travels around the world and across the American heartland—from anyplace where the flattening of the world is being felt.
In The World Is Flat, Friedman at once shows “how and why globalization has now shifted into warp drive” (Robert Wright, Slate) and brilliantly demystifies the new flat world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, he explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; how governments and societies can, and must, adapt; and why terrorists want to stand in the way. More than ever, The World Is Flat is an essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.
Download Description
The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist gives a bold, timely, and surprising picture of the state of globalization in the twenty-first century
Customer Reviews:
...and so is this book.......2007-10-10
Though it has become an immensely popular book, Friedman's work is fairly shallow and simplistic. It is important to remember that this is a world analysis written by a journalist, not by a political economist or any type of economist or political scientist. His views are oversimplified and his support relies heavily on anecdote, making his 600-pager about 400 pages too long. We read it for a poli sci class and proceeded to tear it apart intellectually.
Ranks up there with Common Sense, Uncle Toms Cabin, The Femine Mystique.......2007-10-10
One of the greatest books ever written. Everyone in America should read this book. Every teacher in America should read and teach Frieman's lessons. Every parent should read and help prepare their children for the world that is coming. Every student should read and begin to prepare for the world they are going to face. This is the most important book of our times, bar none.
Embracing Business Globalization's Irreversibility.......2007-10-10
This is easily the most relevant book written on the new realities of business globalization, its irreversibility, and the practical consequences to our future. Friedman does an excellent job describing the numerous factors that led up to our current global economy including the ongoing fall of communism, the advent of the personal computer, and the ubiquity of the Internet. His historical review and assessment is fascinating and it sets up the reader to understand the context for his theories and practical applications. Friedman delves into numerous industries, businesses, personalities, case studies, technologies, psychological factors, and sociological factors. Although he covers numerous business, technological, and economic concepts, his writing style is very engaging and entertaining, using many personal examples and narratives, thereby holding the reader's interest. Rather than bemoaning some of the common perceived negative consequences of a global economy (such as US auto workers losing jobs to overseas cheaper labor) Friedman helps the reader to understand business globalization's irreversibility. In so doing, he describes many personal, practical, and business strategies for thriving in this new environment. Friedman is realistic and compassionate concerning the changes and the challenges. He states, "the great challenge for our time will be to absorb these changes in ways that do not overwhelm people but also do not leave them behind. None of this will be easy. But this is our task. It is inevitable and unavoidable" (pp. 46-47). As Friedman unfolds his strategies, he gives the reader a broader, global perspective that is filled with hope and excitement. Whether as a CEO, a business student, or a brand new professional embarking upon a career, this book is insightful, practical, and essential reading.
What a good boy am I.......2007-10-06
Reading this book is like watching someone else's kids open their Christmas presents from relatives they don't really know. I'm not sure how the author can possibly be so fascinated by technology and yet know absolutely nothing about it at the same time, but his endless diatribes about the miracles of PayPal and Microsoft Word are beyond laughable, and I was pretty much in shock when he started citing howstuffworks-dot-com as a technical reference on fiber optics and SOAP. What editor told him that this was OK?
So enamored with his own cleverness is he that Mr. Friedman dedicates several pages to explaining the book's title, even though a single sentence would have sufficed. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop after the first chapter; rather than make a point and move on, he has to point out the fact that he just made a point and tell you what a wonderful point it was just in case you missed the point. It's like hanging out with that one friend who sits around smiling and pointing to his hindquarters after he rips one off at the dinner table.
If you want to learn about globalization and are not old enough to remember the first light bulb, go read "No Logo" instead. This is horrible, irrelevant geriatric babbling.
My opinion is flat.......2007-10-03
When a book has had over a thousand reviews, what can I possibly say that hasn't already been said? So I will keep it short and not so sweet.
No one will read this book, or any of the updates, for "fun." Do you NEED to read it? Yes, it contains some important economic concepts and realities, but it's a bit overlong. I'd say it could be cut in half, so skim through some of the numerous "interviews," repetition of central points, and endless advice and encouragement. The global pie is getting bigger and better, but the competition for piecies of that pie is heating up. Smart, ambitious, creative people will thrive; slow, lazy, dull people will languish, and everything inbetween. For too long many Americans have been sitting on their laurels and the day of reckoning is near. Heed this warning: Put down your TV remotes, game controllers, and iPods, and start working like your life (or lifestyle) depended on it. Get your rear into some serious gear, and don't balk at the notion that you should be an "expert" in at least three different, unrelated fields. Does this scare or excite you?
In so many interviews with foreign entrepreneurs, we are told (or reassured) that no matter how much of the "mundane" work is performed by countries other than the U.S., America's creative and innovative spark is still unsurpassed: All the world looks to America to lead the way into the future. I'm not sure. A lot of that "mundane" work was high level and highly paid, and why should we expect that America will continue to dominate in creativity and innovation? The truth is, we're in for a flattening of living standards, and from the perspective of the relatively high American standard of living, it will seem like a drop in standards until we reach another equilibrium (who knows how long that will take?). In any case, the reassurances about the talents and abilities of Americans seem at odds with other parts of the book, such as Bill Gates feeling "terrified at the American work force of tomorrow."
If you're already working hard at becoming an expert in three fields, then you probably don't need to read this book. Indeed, you probably don't have time to read it, or to read and write Amazon reviews, for that matter.
Amazon.com
Usability design is one of the most important--yet often least attractive--tasks for a Web developer. In Don't Make Me Think, author Steve Krug lightens up the subject with good humor and excellent, to-the-point examples.
The title of the book is its chief personal design premise. All of the tips, techniques, and examples presented revolve around users being able to surf merrily through a well-designed site with minimal cognitive strain. Readers will quickly come to agree with many of the book's assumptions, such as "We don't read pages--we scan them" and "We don't figure out how things work--we muddle through." Coming to grips with such hard facts sets the stage for Web design that then produces topnotch sites.
Using an attractive mix of full-color screen shots, cute cartoons and diagrams, and informative sidebars, the book keeps your attention and drives home some crucial points. Much of the content is devoted to proper use of conventions and content layout, and the "before and after" examples are superb. Topics such as the wise use of rollovers and usability testing are covered using a consistently practical approach.
This is the type of book you can blow through in a couple of evenings. But despite its conciseness, it will give you an expert's ability to judge Web design. You'll never form a first impression of a site in the same way again. --Stephen W. Plain
Topics covered:
- User patterns
- Designing for scanning
- Wise use of copy
- Navigation design
- Home page layout
- Usability testing
Book Description
Five years and more than 100,000 copies after it was first published, it's hard to imagine anyone working in Web design who hasn't read Steve Krug's "instant classic" on Web usability, but people are still discovering it every day. In this second edition, Steve adds three new chapters in the same style as the original: wry and entertaining, yet loaded with insights and practical advice for novice and veteran alike. Don't be surprised if it completely changes the way you think about Web design.
Three New Chapters!
- Usability as common courtesy -- Why people really leave Web sites
- Web Accessibility, CSS, and you -- Making sites usable and accessible
- Help! My boss wants me to ______. -- Surviving executive design whims
"I thought usability was the enemy of design until I read the first edition of this book. Don't Make Me Think! showed me how to put myself in the position of the person who uses my site. After reading it over a couple of hours and putting its ideas to work for the past five years, I can say it has done more to improve my abilities as a Web designer than any other book.
In this second edition, Steve Krug adds essential ammunition for those whose bosses, clients, stakeholders, and marketing managers insist on doing the wrong thing. If you design, write, program, own, or manage Web sites, you must read this book." -- Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing with Web Standards
Customer Reviews:
A thin book with everything you need.......2007-10-13
This book is excellent. It's very accessible and easy reading without being superficial. It's not a usability cookbook, it actually makes you understand its principles and gives you critical sense to analyze any website and see what's wrong (or right) with it.
I just couldn't find any negative points about the book.
eye-opening analysis.......2007-10-07
I'm not a designer and I would by nature make many of the mistakes Krug points out in this great book. Krug's reasoning and reasoned approach that he presents in this book is invaluable.
Fantastic - Easy to Understand and Use.......2007-10-06
This book on internet usability has not only changed the way I design websites, it has changed my thinking on many areas of life. The other day I was asked to review a print media item and I kept saying to the designer - "Don't Make Me Think!" The idea of designing easy to use, simple to understand websites is so simple that it is often overlooked. This is a fantastic read. I'm halfway through my second reading of it.
Mandatory reading for developing on the Web.......2007-09-28
As it promises, Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think: 2nd Edition, is a quick, but extremely usable, guide to Web usability and design. The book took me less than a day to read (less than 3 hours), but has become, in my mind, a requirement for even beginners (like myself) of Web design. Since everyone who develops for the Web should have some idea of design and usability, this book should really be a mandatory requirement for said work.
In short, there's no reason not to read this book if you're developing for the Web (writing content, programming, etcetera), or working with a team that does so.
Good content, poor binding.......2007-09-27
Others have said that Krug's book (2nd edition) is for those with little experience. That is exactly why I found it so useful. There are lots of concepts that are common sense, sure. But until they were pointed out I had not even considered them. His point about the usefulness of tabs was particularly useful to me. I am creating a site now and will incorporate them into my design.
My only complaint is with the binding. The book was so poorly produced that pages began to loosen and fall out before I was finished with the first reading. I am now looking for a big rubber band to hold everything together. I just hate it when that happens.
Book Description
Practice in a Simulated Testing Environment . . . with the Most Difficult Questions Available!
How good would it feel to know you will pass the PMP exam
BEFORE you take it? PM FASTrack is an exam simulation software program containing more than 1,400 questions and six testing modes, allowing you to create an unlimited number of different exams. Created with the help of a psychometrician (just like the actual exam) PM FASTrack is designed to simulate the exam and eliminate any surprises. The application also:
- Tracks your progress with printable reports and graphs
- Provides explanations of answers and page references to Rita's book
- Contains "wordy" questions like the exam
- Helps you gain confidence and fill your gaps
- Decreases your study time!
In addition, users with Internet connections receive FREE real-time database updates as they become available. Students say the questions in PM FASTrack are more difficult than the ones on the actual exam!
Customer Reviews:
This shipped product does not work........2007-10-11
Working with RMC support to register and use the software since a month. The issue could not be resolved by technical support. The product is unusable.
Not exactly what you pay for ...........2007-10-10
Rita Mulcahy's FASTrack exam simulation is a good tool in helping those interested in taking the PMP certification test. The CD contains several questions that emulate the style of questions to be found on the exam. The CD provides wonderful references to locate the correct answer in the PMBOK (project manager book of knowledge), which can be purchased seperately (or downloaded free from PMI.org).
The major drawback / disappointment I had with my purchase is that there is a time limit of access to the CD. Once the CD software is installed on your PC and authorised, you have only one year of access. It turns out you only lease this software for a one year duration. Maybe I'm a bit old-fashioned but I figure if I pay close to $200 for software it should be mine to keep. Also, the software can be authorised for a maximum of tow instalations. There is no credit for uninstallation of software from your notebook or desktop. So be sure to install it on a reliable system.
The product is good with the exception of the one year lease. The PMI organisation allows an applicant one year time to take and pass the PMP exam after thier application is approved. So my advice is to make sure you get your application approved before you authorise Rita's CD. This way you can ensure that you get the maximum amount of time using the CD for what you had intended it for. I believe the one year limitation is just bad policy. What makes it worse is that there is no mention of this limitation is any description of the product.
The best material.......2007-10-05
The "PM FASTrack: PMP Exam Simulation Software" is the best material for whom want to take the PMP exam. The questions are well structured, and the simulations are very difficult. That is why I like to use this CD for improve my "Project Management" skills.
Great help but challanging software support.......2007-09-14
I brought this software because I really got a lot out of Rita Mulcahy's book `PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam' which I think is excellent.
This software contains a range of exam simulations which are also very helpful in preparing for PMP exams.
I gave the product only two stars because the software is time bombed (it expires and cannot be reused beyond one three month extension) and can only be installed twice (designed to support two machines). I had a hard disk crash and needed to reinstall but they (the software developer) would not allow me to do this without eating my second install which I had planned to use for my desktop (as I travel and wanted the software on both). This is, in my opinion, archaic customer service and an unacceptable license limitation for a software product in this price range.
Good but with room for improvement.......2007-09-03
I read PMBOK once and Kim Heldman's PMP exam premp once, and done the PMFastrack about 700 questions. All in done in 1.5 months without attending any classroom/online training and passed PMP with average score of 72% !
PMFastrack is a must have and must try for those attempting PMP. It gives you a feel how PMP exam questions are structured and how tricky those questions (and answers) could be. There are missing information in PMBOK which the PMFastrack reveals it and indeed it appear in the real PMP exam. For example on "Leadership" power like "Referrent power", "Expert power", etc.....PMBOK did not mentioned but it appeared in the exam. Also on "Conflict Management" techniques like "Forcing", "Smoothing", etc...it appeared several times in the real exam but nothing in PMBOK. Good thing PMFastrack reveals such "hidden" topics. To be fair, the Kim Heldman's PMP Exam prep also did reveal such "hidden-but-will-appear-in-exam" topics. I guess the the Mulcahy exam prep will also reveal it.
However, there are some topics are missing in PMFastrack and PMBOK on Procurement Management. There were about 2 questions in PMP exam on calculating contractor's profit of a contract, with the keyword "total point of consumption"....
The other drawbacks of PMFastrack are, it keeps repeating questions you have already taken and sometimes the explanation doesn't make sense to me. It's hard to understand the thinking process when the explanation just say "B is the best answer".....
Another good feature to have is if the software could analyze your test results and present you more questions on those weak areas or low score areas.
In summary, it's a must have for :
1. The degree of resemblance of it's questions database to the actual exam.
2. The size of the question database
3. Ability for the database to be updated whenever there are new updates
4. Calculating test results based on number of questions answered
5. Calculating time taken to answer questions (yes 4 hours is not enough in the real exam)
Areas for improvement :
1. Keep count and score of questions already taken to decide if it should be repeated
2. Shuffle the order of answers should the question be repeated
3. Provide detail explanation for every answers (not just for some questions)
4. For each correct answer, provide reference to PMBOK (not just Mulcahy's PMP exam prep)
Book Description
In just the last few years, traditional collaboration—in a meeting room, a conference call, even a convention center—has been superseded by collaborations on an astronomical scale.
Today, encyclopedias, jetliners, operating systems, mutual funds, and many other items are being created by teams numbering in the thousands or even millions. While some leaders fear the heaving growth of these massive online communities, Wikinomics proves this fear is folly. Smart firms can harness collective capability and genius to spur innovation, growth, and success.
A brilliant guide to one of the most profound changes of our time, Wikinomics challenges our most deeply-rooted assumptions about business and will prove indispensable to anyone who wants to understand competitiveness in the twenty-first century.
Based on a $9 million research project led by bestselling author Don Tapscott, Wikinomics shows how masses of people can participate in the economy like never before. They are creating TV news stories, sequencing the human genome, remixing their favorite music, designing software, finding a cure for disease, editing school texts, inventing new cosmetics, or even building motorcycles. You'll read about:
• Rob McEwen, the Goldcorp, Inc. CEO who used open source tactics and an online competition to save his company and breathe new life into an old-fashioned industry.
• Flickr, Second Life, YouTube, and other thriving online communities that transcend social networking to pioneer a new form of collaborative production.
• Mature companies like Procter & Gamble that cultivate nimble, trust-based relationships with external collaborators to form vibrant business ecosystems.
An important look into the future, Wikinomics will be your road map for doing business in the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews:
Future Shock 2.0.......2007-10-14
Reading this 2006 book made me feel alternately like Christopher Columbus and Grandpa Simpson. Co-authors Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams define a near-term future of breathtaking wonder and innovation, yet I came away finding their best-case scenario hard to swallow.
"Wikinomics" describes existing business models in various industries, from which it extrapolates their ongoing development as part of a larger revolution of revolutionary openness, "on par with the Italian renaissance or the rise of Athenian democracy," the authors write. "Mass collaboration across borders, disciplines, and cultures is at once economical and enjoyable."
Like a lot of other posted reviewers here, I found "Wikinomics" too gushy and jargony, throwing up random-sounding words like "ideagoras" and "prosumers" as if their very existence connoted concreteness of often-fuzzy notions. The book's airy dismissal of copyright law and the protection of intellectual property rights as old thinking annoyed me immensely. And the notion of a future of non-hierarchal business enterprises strikes me as a terribly naive misreading of the most important aspect of the equation: the human element.
But give Tapscott and Williams points for presenting their case for futurism in a way that often feels quite compelling. They start with perhaps the best such example, by presenting the case of a Canadian mining company that, stymied in their search for gold, opened their records up to the outside world through online file sharing, soliciting ideas about where in their vast mine network they should dig for rich veins. The resulting influx of new thinking catapulted Goldcorp from a $100 million company to one worth $9 billion.
Tapscott and Williams take the success of Goldcorp and look for other industries where similar ideas have been practiced with similar results. With some, like this website, the fruits of innovation are immediate and obvious. With others, like old-guard conglomerate Procter & Gamble, success has been nearly as profound in more subtle ways.
The authors score some points, but also spout a lot of obvious Panglossian hyperbole. Wikipedia is as accurate as the Encyclopedia Britannica (better check that with John Seigenthaler). The youth-oriented website TakingITGlobal is like a new United Nations in embryonic form.
But their viewpoint has obvious value, too, and applicability in the world around us, even beyond the net world from which "Wikinomics" springs. Looking at the reinvention of BestBuy through its acquisition of Geek Squad, or how the workplace itself is changing shape to adapt to faster-moving, less-centralized structuring, is "Wikinomics" at its most challenging, and best reading.
I didn't put down this book convinced I saw the future, let alone a good future. But I did feel myself thinking differently about life and work than when I first picked "Wikinomics" up. Maybe that's the point.
Great Book to Read.......2007-10-02
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
As I refresh my professional career for the second decade of the 21st Century, I decided ro read this book, and I was not wrong. This is a most read book for everyone that's looking to stay relevant in the digital economy and the disrupting collaboration paradign. I highly recommeded.
Good, but not critical enough and scores high on the buzzword-meter.......2007-09-12
The book gives a quick tour of the new collaborative ways in which people aggregate and process information. It points out that collaboration can also be applied to produce new 'stuff', outside of software and even applying to manufacturing. It makes for interesting reading for people who a) know something about open source and want to know about its business implications and b) managers who don't know about open source/collaboration but would like to.
It is, imho, less interesting for those who want in-depth answers to the real thorny _business_ problems around open-source. I.e. How to make money at it, if you want to. It hints at important questions such as rewarding the community at large, not losing the family jewels as you open up, etc. Unfortunately, it never quite gets down to specific recommendations beyond "you have to find the right mix of proprietary vs. open source IP".
Not to criticize it overmuch. Wikinomics often jars your thinking with insightful nuggets. For example, it cites Goldcorp as the example of a mining company which opened up its secret prospection data to outsiders. Wikinomics, probably rightly, uses that as a counter-intuitive example of enlisting external help for a type of company that never shares that kind of data. Hmmm, why not share? If the prospection data applies to land on which only your company can operate, isn't that a pretty safe gamble? I don't know, really, but the point is that the anecdote makes you think of things differently. Same with IBM's success at getting a new OS (Linux)almost for free, while gathering goodwill from the community and genuinely collaborating. How far Big Blue's embarrassing anti-trust proceedings seem now...
Less helpful is Wikinomics' recurring use of cherry-picked anecdotes by sector, rather than a broad analysis of various businesses. First of all, it rarely compares its chosen 'smart companies' to their competitors. Yes, BMW is opening up. Does that make their cars any better? How is their stock doing? vs. Toyota? How is their reliability? How innovative are their cars?
Red Hat is a huge success story in Linux, but its dominance also highlights the relative failure of other Linux vendors. No explanation is given for that - network effects? first mover?
I would have welcomed some case studies of failures for big corporations in opening up. What caused those failures? What can be learned from them?
Google is also cited as a big example of openness. That is only partially true and could have served to highlight the necessary(?) split between proprietary information and public openness. Google opens up its APIs and the search is certainly free. I am a big fan myself. However, they have not chosen to release much code back to the community (cf. MapReduce) , mostly by sidestepping the GPL because they don't distribute their software. Their choice, and probably motivated by good business logic. Apple also walks a fine line between leveraging open source and keeping its business very much a secret.
This is just the kind of case studies Wikinomics could sink its teeth into, but it spends way too much time gushing over all the boundless possibilities of collaboration.
Conclusion: a good eye-opener but take it with a grain of salt. Note that my perspective is that of a developer interested in open source _and_ business profits.
An interesting read........2007-09-04
I liked this book, and it opened my eyes to many other "community-driven" technologies/companies. While I thought a lot of the ideas were very "common sense", it was well written, and had some great anecdotes. I recommend this book for anyone interested in social networking, building communities, etc.
The community is the company.......2007-09-02
Wikinomics is about opening your company to the world where communities come together, individuals share ideas, intelligence, peer produce, innovate; the communities are driven primarily by self-motivation or respect from peers. The idea is awesome; the authors are right that this is a new era; some of the most successful companies in the world use wikinomics; the most successful Internet companies are based upon it. The companies cost is dramatically cut, they become trustworthy, and individuals create what they want.
But the book is almost irritating to read. They paint a world where wikinomics is practically perfect, where the communities created by the company are utopian, and the companies who refuse the wikinomic ideology as evil. According to the authors, the companies that don't jump on the bandwagon will ultimately fail because they can't compete with speed and innovation that wikinomic companies can produce (compare wikipedia with any encyclopedia).
The reality is the communities created are often not egalitarian. Digg is a good example -- the community is driven by a faction of a top 100 users who control the front page content, any article or comment outside the digg mindset is quickly buried, and websites have been created where you can pay to get dugg.
In addition, the book ignores wikinomic companies who have failed completely or to a large extent (amapedia, a million penguins, la times wiki editorial, the thousands of 2.0 clones) and they give the reader no idea how to start a successful web 2.0 company. The book is also too long and each chapter adds little to the last. The entire book is read in the first chapter.
While I feel companies opening up to the world is an awesome concept and many of the ideas in the book are right, I would have preferred a more balanced book which makes this book unsatisfying. In the end, I still question whether wikinomics is just a bubble going to burst.
Book Description
Written by the authors of the immensely popular Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out, this book packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds for using the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating systemall in concise, fast-answer format. Dig into the work-ready tools and resources that help you take your Windows Vista experience to the next level. Get the answers you need to use the new features of Windows Vista, including the sidebar and gadgets, and the Windows slideshow. Youll also discover how to use new features in Microsoft Windows Media Player and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7. Get up-to-date information on how to configure and customize your desktop, how to use new security-enhanced features, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Vista Inside Out.......2007-10-05
Windows Vista Inside Out
I am in my early 70s and can still remember that a farmer whom I worked for at the time would not buy a tractor, because it would be less cost effective than the horses he used. I found this book very useful, practical and easy to understand. It tells you more than you will ever want to know, however, where is the glossary? With the overwhelming quantity of acronyms, though well explained it would from time to time be handy to be able to just look the meaning up in a list rather then to have to back track in the text. Great book nevertheless.
Great Refererence.......2007-09-26
New Vista users here is a great Reference and help with the little problems..A bit bulky but covers it all.
A Great Follow-Up to Windows XP Inside Out.......2007-09-12
If you enjoyed Windows XP Inside Out, you'll also enjoy this book. Its full of helpful hints.
If you're a beginner, I wouldn't suggest this book. If you're an advanced user you probably will learn a few new things. But if you're an intermediate user this is right up your alley.
Great Tool.......2007-09-10
Perfect Condition. CD is a great help too. Great tool for intermediate users.
Advantage: Comes with eBook version.......2007-08-28
Vista isn't very hard to use, but there are little things that I need to look up on occasion. I love the fact that I can install the eBook on my computer so I always have it with me. (I use a TabletPC and carry it to home and work and on trips.) Having all this information available to me at all times is great. People ask me a question (I do tech support), I search for the answer, tell them what they need to know, and they think I know everything. Having it on the computer makes all the difference to me.
Book Description
You're not alone.
At any given moment, somewhere in the world someone struggles with the same software design problems you have. You know you don't want to reinvent the wheel (or worse, a flat tire), so you look to Design Patterns--the lessons learned by those who've faced the same problems. With Design Patterns, you get to take advantage of the best practices and experience of others, so that you can spend your time on...something else. Something more challenging. Something more complex. Something more fun.
You want to learn about the patterns that matter--why to use them, when to use them, how to use them (and when NOT to use them). But you don't just want to see how patterns look in a book, you want to know how they look "in the wild". In their native environment. In other words, in real world applications. You also want to learn how patterns are used in the Java API, and how to exploit Java's built-in pattern support in your own code.
You want to learn the real OO design principles and why everything your boss told you about inheritance might be wrong (and what to do instead). You want to learn how those principles will help the next time you're up a creek without a design pattern.
Most importantly, you want to learn the "secret language" of Design Patterns so that you can hold your own with your co-worker (and impress cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions his stunningly clever use of Command, Facade, Proxy, and Factory in between sips of a martini. You'll easily counter with your deep understanding of why Singleton isn't as simple as it sounds, how the Factory is so often misunderstood, or on the real relationship between Decorator, Facade and Adapter.
With Head First Design Patterns, you'll avoid the embarrassment of thinking Decorator is something from the "Trading Spaces" show. Best of all, in a way that won't put you to sleep! We think your time is too important (and too short) to spend it struggling with academic texts.
If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First Design Patterns will load patterns into your brain in a way that sticks. In a way that lets you put them to work immediately. In a way that makes you better at solving software design problems, and better at speaking the language of patterns with others on your team.
Customer Reviews:
Not All That.......2007-10-10
The authors miss the point on pg 139 in their description of Dependency Inversion. They say, "It suggests that our high level components should not depend on our low level components; rather they should both depend on abstractions". The real point of the pattern, if you read Robert Martin original description of the pattern, Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C# (Robert C. Martin Series), is that neither should depend on the other. No concrete dependency and no abstract dependency; independent. The description these authors offer does not describe dependency inversion; it instead displays the weakness of dependency on abstractions Mr Martin wrote about in his original description of the pattern. The only dependency should be the object(s) or data passed between them but the authors fail to make this point. Mr Martin's book is brilliant.
Excellent Intro.......2007-10-07
Easy to read and follow.
All the examples are in Java and I'm not a Java programmer, but I can understand the examples.
This books is not a pattern catalog. Only the fundamental patterns are presented.
An excellent place to start learning about design patterns.
Love it or Hate it and I hate it.......2007-10-03
I just felt the strong urge to write a review. I usually don't write reviews. My opinion about this book is either you will love it a lot or hate it to the core. I hated it. Their writing style is not conventional. So please go to a book store and read a few pages and see if you like this style of writing. Even though when I first read, I thought I liked it, I realized I don't like this style of writing for a technical book
Excellent learning style.......2007-09-26
I think the book is great for learning what it was written to teach. I found it easy to read and stay in its pages for a longer period of time. If you've read computer related books you know what I'm talking about. I would definitely recommend this book if you ware getting into design patterns and want to get a rock solid foundation. One consideration though, you really need to know something about Java or C#. If you are completely unfamiliar with OOP languages altogether, you might want to tackle that subject before this one.
Theory AND Practicality!.......2007-09-25
I flipped through this book to get a feel for how it will differ from other design patterns works. I immediately realized that the authors are taking a very accessible approach to teaching readers about patterns.
On an individual basis, the text is very accessible. It is written in an easy-to-read style. Instead of avoiding technical jargon, the text improves understanding and retention by coupling technical terms with humorous anecdotes and quips. This approach gives the feeling that design patterns are within reach (and they are) of even readers new to the concepts. It also serves as a built-in mnemonic tool.
The structure of pattern delivery seems to be intentional as well. In the rare case where a pattern is referenced without yet being described, it is almost always in the context of how the current pattern will prove useful in other scenarios. As such, the reader never feels lost. In fact, quite the opposite affect occurs. Readers should feel like they are following a logical approach to learning patterns.
Although it may seem, from the above comments, that the book is elementary, I assure you that even seasoned developers will find the book useful. Even if you know the material extremely well, you may find that the authors' descriptions are useful when teaching junior developers on your teams.
The book layout, like the rest of the book, is broad-reaching. Obviously, it is an instructional work. More than that, however, the book is also a teaching tool. It can easily be adapted by educators and trainers for classroom-style and one-on-one teaching. The book also serves as a workbook. There are exercises and notes pages throughout each chapter. Finally, the book serves me as a reference work as well. If I remember the gist of a pattern but not the specifics, it is easy to find examples and canonical references.
I absolutely love this style. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn patterns, refresh their existing patterns knowledge, or just take in a proverbial "breath of fresh air" to the stiff writing style of other books covering complex topics. I also feel that any of the "Head First" books are worth consideration. They provide accessible formats that promote learning.
I have to close this review by concurring with the authors in their note to the "Gang of Four". Seriously, when are we going to see another book? :)
Book Description
Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server 2007 is the in-depth, one-volume guide to administering Office SharePoint Server 2007direct from the experts. Get comprehensive information to plan, deploy, administer, and support Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. With this Administrators Companion, you get mission-critical information in a single volumestraight from the experts.
Customer Reviews:
A great starting point.......2007-06-26
With most new products you have to start somewhere and for those that are familiar with SP2003 but have no idea with 2007 or are new to SPS2007 then this is a great starting point to learn the architecture behind it all a reference guide to assist when you not 100% sure on doing something as an administrator.
Not for developers.......2007-05-13
Great book for pre-sales and administrators. But too much information in this book does not give crispy answers to questions
Sharepoint encyclopedia...........2007-05-05
It discusses everything you need to know with regard to MOSS 2007 but never really makes a point or stands out in any area. I read it and I feel like I am reading an infomercial about it and at times it lays out things you can do but it is not focused or useful in terms of diving into Sharepoint functionality or pointing out ways to actually get anything satisfying accomplished.
if you use MOSS 2007, you need this book!.......2007-04-11
This is the "real" documentation for MS Office sharepoint server 2007. I believe they should have included a pdf version with each licensed version of the server.
Contributing Authors Make it Worthwhile.......2007-04-11
When the "principle" author turns the writing reins over to others, the contents of this book becomes worthwhile. Unfortunately, that does not happen often enough. In reading this book I am reminded of the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where Hobbes asks Calvin why he is not going to school. Calvin replies that he is just going to go on talk shows and hype himself.
Don't buy into the hype. If you do, you are going to feel very lonely with this Administrator's Companion. Scot Hillier's books, although they have a developer focus, offer a lot more than this book does for the administrator.
Book Description
"The Long Tail" is a powerful new force in our economy: the rise of the niche. As the cost of reaching consumers drops dramatically, our markets are shifting from a one-size-fits-all model of mass appeal to one of unlimited variety for unique tastes. From supermarket shelves to advertising agencies, the ability to offer vast choice is changing everything, and causing us to rethink where our markets lie and how to get to them. Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it, from DVDs at Netflix to songs on iTunes to advertising on Google. However, this is not just a virtue of online marketplaces; it is an example of an entirely new economic model for business, one that is just beginning to show its power. After a century of obsessing over the few products at the head of the demand curve, the new economics of distribution allow us to turn our focus to the many more products in the tail, which collectively can create a new market as big as the one we already know. The Long Tail is really about the economics of abundance. New efficiencies in distribution, manufacturing, and marketing are essentially resetting the definition of whats commercially viable across the board. If the 20th century was about hits, the 21st will be equally about niches.
Customer Reviews:
Fabulos... indispensable para entender la nueva realidad de internet.......2007-10-08
Este es un libro estructural. Ayuda a comprender la forma en que trabaja la economia a la luz de los avances de internet.
Pero tambien es un placer leerlo, lenguaje claro, ejemplos relevantes. Un lujo.
Good article, stretched out to a padded book.......2007-09-26
This book started off as an article in Wired Magazine, and it was an excellent one. But Anderson must have decided to cash in, because the book doesn't add anything that wasn't covered in the article itself. It's not a complex concept.
Read the article on the Wired website. Then go spend your money on something from a tiny niche market.
One Trick Pony.......2007-09-09
This is one of those books that has one, keen insight and then takes one hundred + pages to say the same thing over and again. The keen point is indeed interesting. It just does not a complete book make. My $.02 !!
Good book for the startup entrepreneur in the 21-century .......2007-08-20
This is an insightful book into the today's world of retail business. Cool examples of how the Internet has leveled the playing field for many small businesses and artist.
Looking at it from the point of view of the producer and not the consumer or the retailer .......2007-08-16
I am not much of a business mind but I think I get the picture here. Instead of twenty percent of the product bringing in eighty percent of the revenue ninety- eight percent of the product is going to bring in all the revenue. Having so much available, and having ready access to it means sales no longer concentrate on a relatively few items. Freedom of choice abounds, niches multiply, Alvin Toffler is happy, future shock is no longer shocking, customization is here forever, and we all can have anything we want as long as we are able to pay for it.
Good. But I think of this in another way. Does this mean that 'value' also will not be centered as we ordinarily center it in the great works, the masterpeices, the few chosen ones? Does it mean our whole conception of valuing cultural goods will change, and a few big things will be less worshipped while many more appreciated? In other words will deTocqueville be happy here because 'equality' is in the saddle and mankind has many little good things, instead of the aristocracy only having a few?
And what does that mean for creators of culture? As a writer can I now happily post my unpublished writings with the thought that perhaps a few will read them, where before none did. In other words a moneyless long- tail is still a long- tail.
I don't know. But I do sense Anderson has hit on to a new truth here which will have all kinds of implications better business people than me will have to see.
Customer Reviews:
Great resource.......2007-10-14
Great resource on file systems and file system data structures, although I wish it covered Apple's HFS+.
The bible for File System Forensics.......2007-08-15
Great Book. Great job Brian. A must have in your bookshelf if you are serious about computer forensics.
It only lacks two things to be perfect: a reiserfs and a HFS+ sections.
Only an error. GPT partition schema isn't used only in big servers. New Intel Macintoshes use it by default for their boot drive.
super.......2007-03-08
Thanks a lot, we are very happy to have this book in our library!
Accept no substitutes -- THE book to read on file systems.......2006-10-10
I decided to read and review three digital forensics books in order to gauge their strengths and weaknesses: "File System Forensic Analysis" (FSFA) by Brian Carrier, "Windows Forensics" (WF) by Chad Steel, and "EnCase Computer Forensics" (ECF) by Steve Bunting and William Wei. All three books contain the word "forensics" in the title, but they are very different. If you want authoritative and deeply technical guidance on understanding file systems, read FSFA. If you want to focus on understanding Windows from an investigator's standpoint, read WA. If you want to know more about EnCase (and are willing to tolerate or ignore information about forensics itself), read ECF.
In the spirit of full disclosure I should mention I am co-author of a forensics book ("Real Digital Forensics") and Brian Carrier cites my book "The Tao of Network Security Monitoring" on p 10. I tried to not let those facts sway my reviews.
FSFA has received lengthy and glowing reviews, so I will keep my comments brief. Of the three books I cited earlier, FSFA was the only one which really grabbed my attention. I am a network-centric security practitioner, but Brian Carrier's organization, thoughtfulness, and delivery really hooked me. I very much appreciate authors who define a framework and explain potentially complicated topics within that framework.
For example, Brian is very keen to promote the scientific method. His emphasis on hypotheses and looking for evidence to refute them made me take a second look at my own practices. Brian differentiates between "essential" and "nonessential" data, where the former must be accurate in order for a user to access data and the latter not necessarily needing to be accurate. Again, this is a great way to think about digital evidence in any form. Investigation is grouped into preservation, search, and event reconstruction phases. Finally, Brian's separation of data structures into five categories (file system, content, metadata, file name, and application) facilitates comparisons of file systems in the third part of FSFA.
Besides being well-organized, FSFA does an excellent job covering material not addressed elsewhere. Server partitions, RAID, and LVM are examples. It is important to understand what is NOT present in FSFA, however. Brian very clearly stops at the application level of data, saving that for other books. I think this is a great idea, since it lets FSFA concentrate on its core topics (file systems) and saves the data on those file systems for other books. At the risk of self-promoting, I think FSFA is a powerful companion to "Real Digital Forensics" (RDF), since we provide sample file system images in dd format suitable for analysis using FSFA techniques. RDF also cares more about content than structure, which is where FSFA stops.
Anyone who even pretends to be a host-centric forensics practitioner must read FSFA. I expect it has the power to save you on the stand should you encounter intense questioning from a defense attorney.
The best work on the topic.......2006-08-29
Carrier's book has proven invaluable to this digital forensics trainee, and I expect many of the old hands in the field will be keeping it on hand as well. If you're serious about computer forensics, you need a copy.
Amazon.com
Since "opening" in 2003, Second Life has become an explosive worldwide phenomenon, inhabited by over 5 million virtual residents by 2007. Hit the digital ground running with Second Life: The Official Guide, the ultimate travel reference to this exciting new "metaverse." Get all the information you'll need to create your avatar, navigate the landscape, and build your in-World business to produce real-world profits.
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More images from Second Life (click for larger image) |
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Book Description
Second Life: The Official Guide is the perfect book for anyone interested in Linden Labs fascinating Second Life metaverse. This book explores in detail every aspect of Second Lifes rich and multilayered virtual world, explains how it works, and offers a wealth of information and practical advice for all Second Life residents.Â
The first part of the book, Getting a Second Life, acquaints potential and new players with the Second Life world. It describes the metaverses geography as well as its society, explaining the written and unwritten rules.
The second part, Living a Second Life, deals with the practical and economic aspects of Second Life: creating and customizing an avatar, building objects, scripting, and making money.
The third part of the book, Success in Second Life, discusses ways to enjoy Second Life more. This section includes profiles of successful Second Life residents, discusses fascinating in-world events, and examines how some are using Second Life for business, training, and other purposes.
The book closes with a glossary as well as quick-reference and additional-resources appendices.
The accompanying CD-ROM features special animations, character templates, and textures created by Linden Lab exclusively for this book. The disc also guides new users through installation and includes a code that grants a special object their first time entering the metaverse.
Customer Reviews:
A Beginner's Guide to Second Life.......2007-10-09
Book was what it was advertised to be. Full of easy to understand instructions. Excellent buy.
Scatterbrained.......2007-09-22
This MAY be the best introduction to SL, I don't know, but it is not well organized or specific. There is a huge problem with any print material on SL-it is obsolete before it comes off the press. Hey, if you are into Second Life, this is as good a place as any to start. Just don't think its going to be anywhere all that you need. But then, there probably isn't ANYTHING that tells you all you need to know. One thing, read this BEFORE you create your avatar! Although then you won't know what the heck half the stuff means.
Second Life, the Cadillac of VR Sites........2007-09-22
Like Second Life itself, this book gives you the basics and then expects you to find someone willing to explain the rest. Although the book glosses over the details, it is still a very good place to start finding your way around the often bewildering world of SL. I found the chapters on "A Cultural Timeline," and "The Future and Impact of Second Life" to be of particular interest.
All in all? A good, basic introduction.
looking for more locations?.......2007-09-12
this book is great but if you are looking for more locations and things to do check out this book:
Second Life Travel Guide
Not bad and if you play SL this book will help.......2007-08-24
I am new to Second Life and was looking for a book to help me understand and the enjoy the simulation more. This book has very helpful in helping me understand more about Second Life. I recommend it for any one new to the simulation
Books:
- The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
- Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture
- Ubiquity: Why Catastrophes Happen
- Use What You Have Decorating : Transform Your Home in One Hour With Ten Simple Design Principles Using the Space You Have, the Things You Like, the Budget You Choose
- Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
- Were It Not For Grace: Stories From Women After God's Own Heart; Featuring Condoleezza Rice, First Lady Laura Bush, Beth Moore & Others
- Where Did I Come From?
- Adaptive Filter Theory (4th Edition)
- An Introduction to Genetic Analysis (INTRODUCTION TO GENETIC ANALYSIS (GRIFFITHS))
- Analysis: With an Introduction to Proof (4th Edition)
Books Index
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Recommended Books
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- Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia
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- Adventures of a Country Girl and Army Wife
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Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
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