December 2008 Entries
This Alarming book details the Massively intense work needed to free the world's Countless Poorest of the Poor from their wretched cycle of Horrendous Poverty!!!! Well.. OK... maybe that's a little over the top, but that's about what Jeffrey Sach's writing sounds like in this book. Hyperbole in Ayn Rand's fiction can be written off as so much literary license (I still think it detracts from whatever message it is she is trying to convey.) In a book that pretends to be academic and non-partisa
Chris Anderson is currently editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and in "The Long Tail" he delivers a great deal of insight into the transformation of markets as a result of technology. The internet is the primary driver of these market shifts and Anderson actually started this book out as a blog on the internet about the topic. The term "long tail" is a statistical term that describes the type of distribution that is seen in product sales. Previously the tail was "cut off" as a result of limits
Bruce "Tog" Tognazzini was Apple's "Human Interface Evangelist" at the time he wrote this book. His wry sense of humor and engaging writing style make this a fun read as well as informative. Tog was there in the formative years of the user interface of the Apple and Mac operating systems. His guidelines are foundational for those seeking to design user interfaces even today. The book's content and layout come from his monthly question and answer column in the Apple Direct magazine. While To
In Execution, Bossidy and Charan expose the Dilbertesque feeling of most companies where "lots of decisions get made, but nothing ever gets done." Why is this so pervasive and what can be done about it? The bottom line is that every organization needs to create a culture of execution, getting things done. The greatest strategies in the world don't do you any good unless you actually do them. In this book you will find more than just ways of motivating people and how to write an action plan.
This is another of Ayn Rands philosophical novels that my boss recommended I read. Similar to The Fountainhead it is chock full of drama, hero worship and tragedy. In addition it carries a very clear message with regard to human motivation and the effects of government interference on the economic output of productive people.