5 comments about Enterprise Integration Patterns: Designing, Building, and Deploying Messaging Solutions (The Addison-Wesley Signature Series).

1. This is a fantastic book if you are looking for patterns to base your messaging designs and architecture around. The way this book goes about explaining some of the asynchronous messaging patterns seemed to provide a great deal of benefit to developers and designers who were stuck in the synchronous way of doing things. Great explanations and illustrations, would recommend to anyone researching EAI or ESB technologies or just a more structured, efficient way of messaging in general.



2. Upon recently changing jobs and focusing on messaging design and architecture, I was steered toward this book by my peers. Without getting into too much detail, before joining my new team, I had never heard of patterns (came from a product support area), much less asynchronous messaging design. Needless to say, this book has been invaluable in my learning process as well as conveying our direction to others.
   
   This book is written in such a way that it is very intuitive. Diagrams help support the concepts and code examples as well.
   
   I would highly recommend this as a must read/reference guide for anyone designing messaging solutions.



3. This is the best book I've found that helps to organize the integration space within the industry. This book has helped to organize my thoughts and communicate with others effectively on how to leverage integration patterns. I highly recommend this book to help obtain a foundational understaning of the integration space.



4. Many books have been written about SOA, but most of them are just about the theory of SOA. It's important for Software Architects and Software Engineers to understand the theory, but just knowing the theory is not enough to develop system utilizing SOA principles.
   
   This book fits nicely to bridge the gap between theory and practice. It contains not only the theory behind the patterns that can be used to design a loosely coupled, scalable system, but also the code in Java and C# on how to implement the pattern to build the system.
   
   If you are serious on building a loosely couple system and strongly believe on the powerful of messaging system to accomplish this task, then you have to read this book from the beginning to the end, it will help you to design the system without reinventing the wheel.



5. I am an occasional buyer of reference works on software technologies I need to get familiar with, and I teach an evening section at a local area college in object oriented analysis and design. After reading this book, I am actively trying to construct a proposal for a new course based on its contents ... it's that good.
   
   Quite simply, Enterprise Integration Patterns blew me away, on both a technical and pedagogical level. On the technical level, it's all here (except for "aspect" patterns like security, robustness and scalability which would each have really required another book). All the patterns necessary to successfully support asynchronous messaging between groups of remote applications ... which is the basic situation facing anyone trying to do a mashup of web services and / or construct business processes by integrating internal services via an ESB. Even the Process Manager pattern is here.
   
   On a pedagogical level, the material is complete, very easy to read, well illustrated, and above all, well organized. Even a first look at the inside covers reveals this. The front has each of the 60+ patterns listed alphabetically, with its respective icon and 2 sentence paragraph. The back has the patterns (name and icon) clumped into 6 hierarchical "pattern buckets" (Message Endpoints, Message Construction, Message Channels, Message Routing, Message Transformation, and System Management), linked together in a single diagram, showing where the buckets fit when Application A is connected to Application B.
   
   And on both inside covers as well as every place in the text where a pattern is mentioned (quite a bit since patterns are extensively contrasted with each other), the page number where it is defined is given with its name. This makes it very easy to use this book as a reference, because all the patterns it contains are cross-referenced in so many ways.
   
   After an excellent introduction the first chapter explains what a pattern is, what the domain of integration patterns are, and introduces the Widget Manufacturing Company, whose problem grows as tools to handle those problems are introduced.
   
   Bottom line ... I read this book during the two legs of a round trip flight from Chicago to San Francisco, took copious notes within the pages of the book, and walked off the 2nd plane feeling that I had seriously increased my understanding of the entire topic of how to integrate loosely coupled applications.
   
   Not bad ... plus since I snagged an upgrade on the return flight, I can also report that two glasses of wine did not interfere in the slightest with the learning experience. The book is THAT good.

5 comments about Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling.

1. i use this book for this semester class and it is impressing me. Good content and explanation.



2. The coverage of planning, costing, and cost control was detailed and careful. Use of case studies in construction, manufactoring, and service sectors added perspective, and suggested new possibilities that would not be as obvious from study of one industry alone.
   
   The definition and evaluation of what makes a project a success was identified, but the identifications were in many different sections of the book. The information was there, but was not presented as a persistent unified theme that was easy to follow.
   
   The early sections on business organization and structure was a little elementary for those with ten of more years experience. And, these sections did not drill down on the organizational differences specific to project management.
   
   A valuable book on most project management subjects.
   
   Choosing Project Success - A Guide for Building Professionals



3. This book is a great, comprehensive read, very useful to any project management student or professional.



4. Sin más vueltas, el Profesor Kerzner hace de la Administración de Proyectos en esta bibliografía , todo lo que se puede hacer para : aquel que no entienda la Aministración de Proyectos : Entienda !!!!!!!!!! Aquel que quiera profundizar sus conocimientos , encuentre los caminos, y como si fuera poco áquel que quiera certificar ante el PMI , tenga todos los elemntos y herramientas a su alcance.
   Un libro inolvidable, para tenerlo entre esos 5 libros que usted siempre consulta en su profesión. Ahora si se dedica a la Administración de Proyectos de esos 5 libros , le aconsejo que primero consulte a este.
   Angel M Neme
   Subject Matter Expert
   AS - SSA - Delivery Excellence
   IBM Argentina



5. This wordy book (1040 pages!) is filled with many unnecessary material. You have to be tortured with pages and pages (poor trees) just to get a few ideas, which makes it boring reading. I am reminded of Economics 101 texts of similar genre where each edition gets thicker and worse by assuming readers know less and less. It is not for intelligent readers.

5 comments about The Art of Electronics.

1. Are you an undergraduate student preparing for your first interview with a semiconductor company? Or a graduate student who knows the complicated things but still fumbles with simple RC - RL circuit questions and how simple concepts relate to form the complex things you are conducting your research on? This book is for you.... I need not praise it any further as most of the good points can already be seen in the preceding 119 reviews. Everyone seems to love this book. If you're looking for a quick review of basic electronics, you should add this book to your library.



2. The Art Of Electronics combines a lot of practical information about electronics that makes it a very useful reference text. I just wish they would update it. A 2007 version would probably get 5 stars.



3. Perhaps it is rare to review a book after 20 years of owning the 1st and then the 2nd edition. This is an invaluable book for the practicing engineer or inventor or hobbyist. It eliminates much theoretical background and gets to practical implementation. You will find a wealth of practical tips that you will never find in standard engineering textbooks. This is a reference book that I have used for many years. However I agree with the last reviewer that it is in dire need of an update. Needless to say there are 10+ years of advancing technology some of which would be valuable to included. It is still quite a useful book however. At this point, if you are a perspective buyer you may want to wait for an update.



4. It is obvious to some that this book would contain material for the design of electronics but everyone who has any interest in the subject could just as easily learn electronics by giving this a read and performing some of the practice problems. I wish this was my text book in college. The book is a very easy read as the authors keep the material light at first and build on the knowledge gained from earlier chapters. I would recommend to anyone who might be interested in the subject.



5. Buy this book, complement it with Tietze & Schenke's book and you got a very respectable library covering semiconductor circuits. The T&S book will give you the solid circuit background on the mathematical modeling of semiconductor devices as circuit building elements and that EE's should need to consider in serious projects. This book does very well on the "intuitiveness" side of subjects but clearly lacks in providing an in-depth calculation basis on the subjects it covers. This might be OK for most uses but if you are working on mission-critical circuitry or on circuitry that must perform in extreme conditions you'll certainly need to use more math that you'll be exposed in this text.
   
   In a nutshell, if you start with this book and then read T&S on the same subject you'll build a very solid base in EE.

5 comments about Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business.

1. Ah! What a succinct and clear explanation of how the world of imagery has overtaken the world of writing and how this change has affected the human psyche. Postman elaborates, with hundreds of examples, how TV has changed the way we think and act in today's world. He compares it, with no small authenticity, with the words of the likes of Lincoln and Douglas and how people in those times were ready to spend an evening listening intently to speeches delivered by these great men. Not now, not today: we are slaves of the Show Business syndrome now.
   Read this book and you will be 'shocked' and 'awed' by the reality it presents.



2. Neil Postman posits that the medium of communication has value inherent and intrinsic in itself. Postman argues that the medium conveys shades of meaning that are not spelled out in any intentional communication. Sometimes the medium can convey meaning wholly independent of the message itself. The concept that the medium has value and meaning that is both dependant and independent of the communication conveyed is supremely logical.
   
   After exploring the power of a metaphor Postman explains why the medium is like a metaphor. (Postman, 1985 p.13)"...the introduction into a culture of a technique such as writing or a clock is not merely an extension of man's power to bind time but a transformation of his way of thinking - and, of course, of the content of his culture". The technique, or the medium, transforms the very mindset or pattern of thinking by itself without any other variables like message added.
   
   There have been other communications theorists who have put forward the concept that the medium had a value independent of the message. Most notable in my mind of these theorists is Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan took the value of the medium to heights that Postman does not attempt. McLuhan proposed and argued that the medium was in itself the message. McLuhan argued that inherent meaning of the medium was so great and overbearing that the message that was conveyed was by nature the result of the medium rather then any intent on the part of the communicator.
   
   Postman position is in great contrast to McLuhan regardless of its similarities. Similar between the two theorists is recognition that the medium has value and meaning independent of the message itself. Also similar is the concept that medium changes the culture and the individual mindset. (McLuhan 1964, p.151)"The electric light is pure information. It is a medium without a message." Postman argues a very similar thought when says (Postman, 1985 p.11)"In Munford's great book Technics and Civilization, he show how, beginning in the fourteenth century, the clock made us into time-keepers, and then times-savers, and now times-servers." Both philosophers argue the medium conveys a message. The difference is that McLuhan argues that the medium is the primary message Postman argues that understanding the meaning and message inherent in the medium allows us to control the message.
   
   The example of the message just being a byproduct of the medium with the metaphor of the robber and the meat, we know that McLuhan saw the stated message secondary to the medium itself. Postman on the other hand argued that the medium was important and gave meaning to the message it was more in the sense of a metaphor and could actually aid in the understanding of the message rather then hinder the message.
   
   Postman argued further that although it was not natural with work the medium and the message can be partners rather then a either or equation. (Postman, 1985 p.14)"And yet, such digging becomes easier if we start from the assumption that in every tool we create, an idea is embedded that goes beyond the function of the thing itself."
   The view of the medium that Postman offers us is by far and away the most hopeful that I have found thus far. If we can by understanding the medium clearly communicate our message then we have a clear roadmap in determining our own life and decisions. A message of personal control through knowledge and work is far more personally fulfilling then trying to realize that we have little or no impact on a situation.



3. Just today I logged on to one of the biggest news channels' website (CNN) and on the front page under "Popular News" was the following headline: "Is that Miley Cyrus flashing her bra on the Web?" I had just finished my second reading of this book and it seemed like a stark reminder of what Neil Postman was talking about over 20 years ago, how television has drastically changed our culture and redefined everything in our society from news to politics, education and even religion. I don't know of any book written during my lifetime that is more socially relevant and whose message is more important to be read and understood by the general public.
   
   In Chapter 6, "The Age of Show Business", Postman writes, "To say television is entertaining is merely banal. Such a fact is hardly threatening to a culture, not even worth writing a book about. It may even be a reason for rejoicing. Life, as we like to say, is not a highway strewn with flowers. The sight of a few blossoms here and there may make our journey more endurable." He goes on to point out that the problem is not that there are entertaining shows on television, but that in order to accommodate itself to the demands of television, *everything* must be presented as entertainment. In order to generate ratings, advertisers and ultimately revenue, no subject is too serious to be presented in any way other than the one that attracts the most viewers. When the local news reports about a murder, it has no relevant meaning to our lives and it's not told so much to inform us of the tragedy of a murder but because it is the most exciting and what people want to see. News producers have a motto for this, "If it bleeds it leads."
   
   Probably the most alarming example Postman cites is how television has changed politics and political discourse. This is where the transformation from a word-based media to an image-based media is felt the most strongly. Politicians have realized that the content of what they say is now largely irrelevant compared to how they appear, how they present themselves. Postman uses the example that when Ted Kennedy made a run for the presidency, Richard Nixon offered him the following advice: "Lose twenty pounds." Nixon had been in politics most of his adult life and knew the name of the game well, that one's ideas, beliefs, actions and words are now almost completely irrelevant in a world where nearly everyone has started getting their information from television only. Before Mike Huckabee entered this political race, he lost over a hundred pounds. If you look at photographs of presidents throughout our history, you notice that most of them certainly never got anywhere in life because of their looks and some of them are downright ugly men. Political races are now completely decided in the arena of television and their coverage of it has become absurd and embarassing. This is the change that Postman has tried to point out, that a literate culture that depends on the printed word for information and communication creates a vastly different culture from one that depends on images, ten second soundbites and information that has no context or relevance to anyone's life, like what Miley Cyrus or Paris Hilton is up to.
   
   It has been over twenty years since Neil Postman wrote this but his ideas are even more relevant today. This book should be read and understood by everyone but it mostly falls on deaf ears. I think it was Mark Twain who said that the man who doesn't read has no advantage over the man who can't read. Television is now an integral part of life not only in America but in Europe, China and pretty much any other developed nation. This would not be a problem but, as Postman points out, one of the nasty side effects of television is that it has degraded literacy rates, so that every year we hear that people are reading less and less. People and specifically children spend an alarming amount of their free time watching television and to get them to read you practically have to force it upon them. Once in a while a book like Harry Potter will become a hit but for many children and even adults that was the only book they purchased or even attempted to read in an entire year. We hear that children in this country are performing worse every year in school but the finger is never pointed at the obvious culprit because we hear about this on TV.



4. Essentially a redux of Marshall McLuhan's The Media is the Message, it's an argument that the dominant communications media powerfully affect reasoning (Postman's preferred term is epistemology, which is probably more accurate and to the point), and that we were a lot better off as individuals and as a body politic when that effect came primarily from print rather than TV and other visual media. He makes a pretty strong case. Although he's not happy about things, he's not a ranting old crank like some Yale literary critics. He maintains a sense of humor, he's a good writer, and he's down to earth, straightforward and concise (while McLuhan can be otherwise). Well worth the read.



5. "In watching American television, one is reminded of George Bernard Shaw's remark on his first seeing the glittering neon signs of Broadway and 42nd Street at night. It must be beautiful, he said, if you cannot read." John Ackermann
   
   Neil Postman in his book,'Amusing Ourselves To Death', looks at the impact of television culture on the way we live our lives, understand our present and future and how we gather our information. We need to understand the effects of living in a television society. As he says "We are in danger of creating a trivial culture that will spawn a race of people who adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think." Once we are a television society, we have lost control. We can attempt to control television's influence when we understand the dangers. Neil Postman suggests that Americans ask 'what we are laughing about and why we have stopped thinking.' We have all heard the phrase, The Dumbing of America.
   
   Roger Waters, of 'Pink Floyd' read Postman's book, and he was so taken with the message that one of the best CD's of this era was written. The song 'Amused To Death" tells us the story.
   
   The little ones sit by their TV screens
   No thoughts to think
   No tears to cry
   All sucked dry
   Down to the very last breath
   Bartender what is wrong with me
   Why I am so out of breath
   The captain said excuse me ma'am
   This species has amused itself to death
   Amused itself to death
   Amused itself to death"
   
   Ackerman tells us that "Television has altered the meaning of "being informed' by giving us disinformation. Disinformation means misleading information;misplaced, irrelevant, fragmented or superficial information. Information that creates the illusion of knowing something but which in fact leads us away from knowing. The television industry did not deliberately set out to misinform us, but when news is packaged as entertainment, that is the result."
   
   Over the past fifty years since the advent of television, we have allowed conversation and communication to become trivial, and to lead into entertainment. TV is a medium of entertainment. TV is a series of programmed images and pictures. Unlike a book we do not have to concentrate to obtain the meaning of a picture. This is the mechanism by which TV can make any subject meaningless and trivial. It is possible to "amuse one's self to death", considering that the first thing to go will be our vision of reality and to comment intelligently. And this is why Roger Waters CD "Amused to Death" had the power to unleash our subconscious. We are living the album. We are all slowly amusing ourselves to death. We are entertaining ourselves into a stupor. The best things on television is junk, and no one is threatened by it. We do not measure a culture by its output of junk, but by what we claim as significant.
   
   I would think that several minutes of murder and violence would be enough for many sleepless nights. We watch the news because we know that the 'news' is not to be taken seriously, that it is all in fun, so to speak. Everything about a news show tells us this; the good looking newscasters, their pleasant banter, the music that opens and closes the show, the film footage, the humorous commercials. These suggest that what we have just seen is no cause for crying. A news show, is a format for entertainment, not for education or reflection. No one goes to a movie to find out about government policy or the latest scientific advances. No one buys a record to find out the baseball scores or the weather or the latest murder. But everyone goes to television for all these things, which is why television plays so powerfully throughout our land. Television is our culture's principal mode of knowing about itself. Neil Postman says, "For the message of television as metaphor is not only that all the world is a stage, but that the stage is located in Las Vegas, Nevada."
   
   We know that no matter how grave news may appear, we soon shall see commercials that will devalue the importance of the news. This is a key element of news and that allows us to believe that television news is not designed as a serious form of public communication. Our teenagers in particular are taught to believe that television is entertainment, so that the nightly newscast should not be taken as a serious responsibility.
   
   This past political season is a prime example of the myriad of issues that have not been examined, but the entertainment value of the candidates has been examined ad nauseam. One reason why the political contest starts as soon as the President is sworn into office. What have we become, why are we laughing, the Dumbing of America is here.
   
   
   Highly, Highly Recommended. prisrob 06-14-08

5 comments about Communicating Design: Developing Web Site Documentation for Design and Planning.

1. As a self-starting IA working on large-scale websites, this book has been indispensable. It offers a comprehensive overview of all relevant design documentation from personas and usability to inventories and wireframes. It is an intelligently written and highly readable must-have book for all IAs.



2. I'm using this text for my CIS 3900 Business Web Architecture course at Western Michigan University. THis text is geared more towards the designers perspective of wed site creation, more so then development. It's an easy to read text,not full of overly complicated jargon, and tends to be a fast read with lots of helpful diagrams. For anyone looking to explore the dynamics of creating a web site to meet the needs of your client, it certainly is a good source of information and topics to consider during the process.



3. It is for my Information Design class. I haven't used it yet, but it arrived on time and in good condition..



4. Part of the value of this book is the promise that the author will provide templates and examples. This promise is worth zero. If you go to the companion website, there is a note from the author that says, essentially, "Ooops, so sorry. Got too busy." Just a tad unprofessional? I guess different people have different perspectives on such things.
   
   Call me crazy, but one would think that the author would have had a whole stack of examples and templates BEFORE he wrote the book. How else would he know what documents are needed? Just a rhetorical question.....
   
   The book itself is useful, don't get me wrong. I am just very disappointed in the lack of companion material. Other reviews very adequately cover the content.
   
   In terms of practical help, AND downloadable templates, I vastly prefer Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works (2nd Edition) by Kelly Goto.
   
   Kelly Goto's advice saved my tail when I was a newbie in the field (waaaaay back in the dark ages of the 20th century), and still has relevance for me today.
   
   Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works (2nd Edition) (VOICES)



5. This book is a great help for everyone who needs to improve documentation. It's on my desk and I recommend it 100%.

5 comments about Pocket Ref.

1. My husband has this book and uses it frequently. It is all kinds of useful information and conversion charts. My 14 year old thought this would be a good thing to keep in her backpack, it is like carrying an encyclopedia of math and science information packed away in a small book.



2. The "Pocket Ref." is a must have for anyone that lives and breaths. The information in this book is invaluable. I highly recommend this book to anyone & everyone that has a desire to be prepared for any situation. This book has it all, from first aid, automotive, geology, carpentry& construction and even world zip codas. Anything you will ever want to know. This book would make a great gift for students from grade school to collage or any professional. It is a must buy, well worth the small price tag for what you get. Order one and see for your self. You wont be disappointed!



3. A great reference for everyday encounters plus some bizzar data you would never have known about. I have checked many of the Calculations and have found them to be right on. Don't tell the publishers this is worth 4 times the price.



4. I love the Pocket Ref. I've kept one in my toolbox and one in my backpack for the last five years.
   It has a little information for anything you would need.
   While it's obvious application is for handymen of all types, any college student will also find it invaluable. I check the pocket ref before any trip to the library. It has saved me many hours of work.
   
   The only negative is the type size, if you need reading glasses, be sure to keep them with the pocket ref. Of course any larger type size and it wouldn't be the "pocket" ref.



5. Probably the best collection of tables, conversion factors,material properties and countless other useful information ever assembled in a small package. Not just engineering data but many totally unrelated fields. Great "stocking stuffer". If it isn't in here, you probably don't need to know it.

5 comments about Passport to World Band Radio, 2008 Edition (Passport to World Band Radio).

1. As a new world band radio listener this book is my guide and guru. I live in a rural area and have no neighbors that are interested in world band so I use it as one of my major resources. Coupled with information from the world wide web one can get a start as a listener and have fun listening to what is happening in the world and see how others view the same news event.



2. This is a reference/text/fun/must have every year book, for all shortwave radio listeners and alike. It does a wonderful job in all areas of SWL. It provides info on radio selection, all types. New and up-to-date stations,
   frequencies, countries of origin, time of broadcast, xref. frequencies to stations and times. Interesting ads. You need this book the whole year. It uses high grade paper(its heavy too), has articles on countries, people, stations, things of interest, pictures in many categories. This book is quality cover to cover. Useful for an entire year, and parts of it forever.
   Is that a great book or what!
   Extremely Recommended !!!



3. This is a must own for any shortwave listener, form newbies, to professionals. I've barely scratched the surface of all this book has to offer. My Favorite feature is the "blue pages". The blue pages have frequencies down the side, and times along the top, you just find the frequency you're listening to and intersect it with the time, and you've got the station you're listening to.



4. I have used Passport for almost twenty years now. Before the internet it was the best way (and only practical way) to keep track of schedules and frequencies and still is since my PC can't be everywhere my radio is. It also is a great resource if you are shopping for a shortwave radio as all major sets in all quality and price ranges are reviewed. There is also alot of general information for shortwave listening and information on future trends. No world band listener should be without the most current version of this book.



5. For all the information here, I can't believe this book didn't cost twice as much! Reviews, radio listings, a glossary of terms, etc. Passport to World Band Radio, 2008 really expanded my radio experience by opening my eyes up and tuning my ears into what all else is out there!

5 comments about Arrl Ham Radio License Manual: All You Need to Become an Amateur Radio Operator (Arrl Ham Radio License Manual).

1. There are lots of things to learn about radios and lots of books available on different technical topics. This one is focused on getting your first ham radio license.
   
   The ARRL Ham License Manual is written in a 'welcome to the club' type manner with most of the information on radios, licensing, and ham radio as a hobby explained farily clearly. Moreover, it contains ALL of the ACTUAL questions in the pool of potential test questions. In other words, if you read the book and work through the questions there will be no surprises on the FCC exam!
   
   This book was used as the text for a two-day ham radio license class I attended. I read the book ahead of time and worked through the test questions at the end of each section. All of the answers are given and linked to chapters in the book if you need to go back and see what you missed.
   
   If you have a background in radio or catch on to technical things easy, this book could easily prepare you to pass the Technician (basic level ham license) without taking a class. Used along with a class or with help from a local ham radio club, this book would help prepare someone with no radio background or little technical experience.
   
   ARRL is the dominant, authoritative amateur radio organization in the US and this book is 'a standard' among hams. It won't make you an expert or explain every technical detail of radio but will help you get your first ham license. At $25 it is a very good value.



2. The first few chapters were a lot to wade through with introductions to radio and electrical terminology. Chapter three is where the book gets interesting and begins to be a lot of fun to read. (note: You might want to read chapters one and two twice before going on to the rest of the book). It tells you all you need to get licensed as a ham as well as where to seek out additional information. One caution it introduces you to a World that seems endless with opportunities to explore. A good companion to this book for studying for the test are the sample tests at www.qrz.com.



3. I am a new Ham. I just passed the Technician class test with a perfect score. The only resource I used was this book. The test isn't hard to begin with but why not make it easy on yourself and use the official material. The question pool in the back of the book are the same questions on the test. Technically you could just memorize all the questions and go take the test but you will be lost as to how to actually BE a Ham after you pass.
   
   The contents of the book cover everything from what frequencies you are allowed to use as a Technician level Ham to basic electric theory. There is no need to buy any other materials. Just find a comfy chair, open this up and read it cover to cover stopping to answer the questions in the back of the book when prompted. That's it.
   
   Great book.



4. I used this product to obtain my Technician license and it worked perfectly. Every topic is easily laid out in a clear, concise fashion, and the question pool at the back of the book is well-organized. The material is also presented in an interesting and unique way, so you will not tire of learning. Highly recommended!



5. If you want to learn to be a Technician class amateur radio operator, this book is a must read. The Gordon West Q&A book will teach you to pass the test. This book will teach you to be a Ham.
   
   Morse code is not required anymore. Get you license!

5 comments about Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.

1. 
   I listened to this on CDs instead of turning pages.
   
   It might be better as a book; it would be easier to skim.
   The book is organized in chapters, sections, and subsections,
   but I do not know how deep the outline goes. Chapters are
   numbered and named, but the more detailed portions have
   names only. The narrator is good, but he can not reveal
   the level of the topic in the outline, so you can skip
   parts you suspect will only add another example of a point
   already made.
   
   The book is too long, at 11 CDs. I suspect 4 to 6 could
   deliver all the worthwhile material.
   
   Other reviewers have noted a profusion of "consultantese."
   Much of it is blather. The favorite word is eco-system.
   The authors can talk of yours, each of your competitors,
   each of your suppliers, and each of your customers, all in
   the same sentence, with each eco-system being different.
   
   There is also a lot of integration, all of it seamless.
   A person that can help you is "the uniquely qualified mind"
   and there are thousands of them. Those were the ones that
   annoyed me most. Other readers will focus on other cliches.
   
   The book contains many examples of organizations using the
   principles of openness, "peering", colaberation,...
   Some have enough history that they appear to be long term
   success stories. Some show promising signs of success.
   Others might or might not make it, but the authors know
   they will.
   
   The authors seem to think they have found the next big thing,
   and businesses, even all organizations, better get on
   board or they will be left behind, in the dust, doomed to
   failure, in the dustbin of history.
   
   In spite of the flaws, there are probably several hundred,
   or thousand, successes that could be triggered by one of
   the insights in this book.



2. 
   
   I couldn't finish reading this book completely before it was time to return it to the library. It is not one I want to purchase to reference again and again.
   
   At first, I was thrilled to receive Tapscott and William's message. The companies they cover are the new stock market darlings of the Internet.
   
   It absolutely makes sense for a software development company, such as the one I am at now, to open up support channels for "prosumers" to tell us what they want and need in our products. Such effort would also provide material for marketing, development, customer support, Help files and User Guides. This is not so much "mass collaboration" as it is good, old-fashioned "listening to the customer."
   
   Although Tapscott and Williams don't have a very in-depth understanding of exact technologies powering the collaboration phenomena, they do a great job of illustrating the very real changes currently cutting apart the music, media, financial services and just about every industry. Executives ignore these developments at their peril.
   
   Blogging, for one thing, seems like the new press release. The online public pays more attention to a supposedly personal message from a CEO than a canned press release aped by the media.
   
   But then, I found myself slogging through it. The book is full of the same generalizations over and over again. The authors spend way too much time to get to too few points. They make obvious attempts to coin new jargon. The authors admit to several "studies" they have done, raking in, by their own admission, $9 million, so I guess such unabashed egocentricity must work in the real world, although I thought mighty corporate heads were smarter than to fall for that.
   
   Like their own experience, the authors often confuse entrepreneurial spirit, with few resources, for corporate creativity. They never offer a clear blueprint for how a company without a solidly established R&D department, and its attendant army of patent protecting prosecutors, can tap the intellectual brainpower of the World Wide Web for maximum profits.
   
   While the stories are fascinating, they can hardly compare to the realpolitik of economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner's Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.
   
   Nor can they compare to the vast world-wide experience and sophistication of New York Times globe trotting columnist Thomas Friedman in his seminal The World is Flat.
   
   Finally, in my opinion, Wikinomics does hold up as well as the fascinating story John Battelle etches in The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture.
   
   All three of these books are factually stronger, and yet easier to read, making them more powerful, informative and thought provoking than Wikinomics. And yet, Wikinomics is a good sequel to The Search, because it shows how companies are capitalizing on the spread of free information on the Internet.
   
   Red Hat capitalized on open-source Linux. IBM supported open-source Apache while their own Websphere languished. Linden, and many others, profit from the content created by their users.
   
   As I write this, two giants are making opening salvos in the smart phone operating system market. The man who revolutionized personal computers, handheld music players, movie animation and music distribution with proprietary technology is announcing that more than 250,000 people downloaded the free tools to build applications for his proprietary iPhone. In the meantime, Google is using open source for their smart phone OS.
   
   Tapscott and William must be thrilled. Stayed tuned for their sequel.



3. Wikinomics is a painful read. The only reason that I finished it is that I was on vacation in a foreign location where it was hard to find an English bookstore with anything beyond Danielle Steele. I think that I could have learned as much about the topic from reading Ms. Steele. At least she can spell :)
   
   Now that I have vented, here's what I didn't like:
   - Too much meaningless jargon
   - Arguments that rely on points that are not remotely proven
   - Usually no consideration of alternative evidence/interpretations
   
   One of the other reviewers called the style "consultantese". That is a great description. It reads like a marketing brochure for a management consulting firm, not a technology or economics book.
   
   I'm giving it 2 stars only because the topic is important, so if you can manage to make it through the book you probably will pick up something important.



4. This book takes a look at the business and technology aspects of the mass-sharing open- source world whose principal Logo is 'Wikipedia'. It argues that the way of the future is in a new non- heirarchical business model in which the creative resources of mass publics work to solve problems together. My question is how people are rewarded for their efforts, and what economic benefit will accrue to the individuals who participate in this?
   Hundreds of thousands anonymously contribute to creating 'Wikipedia' They are not paid for this. But they must have income from somewhere else. What happens to those who formerly worked in the Encylopedia world and had jobs? Where are they working now?
   If all is open- source how will individual writers, painters, composers be rewarded for their creative efforts?
   I simply do not understand through this work how the whole world of future work will be organized.
   Clearly this book picks out and elaborates important trends. But it does not answer the main questions I have.



5. The essential messages imparted by the author of this book, all of which are important to understanding Web 2.0 concepts, could have been compressed by 50% or more, in my opinion, and made more readable. Nonetheless, with considerable effort to stay awake, I managed to slog my way through to the end.

5 comments about Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations.

1. Brilliant synopsis of what's happening - right now. Features that are important to every individual, every organization, every government, and which can no longer be ignored. Clay lays out the case, example after example, and ties it all together. Highly recommended.



2. The effect of the Internet on our culture has been the subject of several interesting books over the last few years: Wikinomics, The Long Tail, etc. Here Comes Everybody is much in the same vein as these, it has the usual requisite topics...six degrees of separation, tragedy of the commons and so forth.
   
   Each author brings their own fresh insights to the discussion, two ideas that stand out for me from this book are the concept of Social Capital, and that of a "Coasian Ceiling" to the size of an organization. Author Shirky utilizes the concept of Social Capital (you scratch my back, I scratch yours) in order to help explain the growth of social networks in light of such obvious challenges such as geography and plain old self-interest. A 1937 paper by Ronald Coase entitled "The Nature of the Firm" is used to explain how The Internet has succeeded in changing the nature of work by reducing the cost of exchanging labor. In other words, people do not have to get together under one roof in order to work efficiently.
   
   These are certainly stimulating ideas and this book has many more examples of the how The Internet is affecting our day to day productivity. Somewhat more disturbing are several examples of group action that result from Internet communication. One example is how The Internet is employed in vigilante, albeit non-violent, justice. Another example is related to flash mobs and civil disobedience. Hopefully these are just tales from the long tail and The Internet will remain more related to the exchange of information than as a tool for achieving political and legal ends.



3. 
   Clay Shirky has written an important book that is a good read. He tells the story of how the new social technologies of the web lower the barriers of cooperation so that individuals can share, create, and act together in new ways. This book should be read by anyone who want to more about how today's technological innovations are and will shape society and the organizations that comprise it. Shirky also write well. He is a good story teller. Best book I've read in at least a year.



4. Clay Shirky's book on social tools such as Meetup, Flickr, Facebook, Wikipedia, etc. discusses insightfully the conditions in which they are being successfully employed to achieve group goals. In this regard,the book's a useful manual on how to organize in the digital age, where "worse is better," where the relevant sequence is no longer "gather and share" but rather "share and gather" and where since "more is different" failures are recognized for their useful role of bringing about more successes.
   
   A side benefit of the book for me is the very accessible discussion of the relevance of the power law distribution in describing many social facts, such as the number of active participants (few) compared to occasional contributors (most) who may nevertheless be a source of important, if rare, understandings.



5. After hearing about this book on NPR, I quickly ordered it, thinking its content would provide valuable marketing insight for us and our clients. The book provides great perspective on the social changes that have come about and are still emerging as a result of the Internet. However, for readers in the Internet age, the writing may sometimes seem a bit slow and repetitive. Good information, but could be crisper. Love the title.