Some of the book wasn't new, it was stuff that most people who have used the internet know.
Other bits were new and obviously well researched...moreSome of the book wasn't new, it was stuff that most people who have used the internet know.
Other bits were new and obviously well researched and worth reading.
Not a lot of predictions for the future, as hey nobody knows what that will bring but still it is a pretty good stake in the ground about what the online world is changing in society.
I was pleased to see that the New York Times has such a talented writer really up on technology and the bigger picture, who really knows his stuff. I was depressed that the Times only had David Pogue as their technology author :((less)
Simply written with at least typos I felt like this was a bit of a rush job.
Knowing what an awesome 2010 and 2011 year that Cavendish had I ...moreSimply written with at least typos I felt like this was a bit of a rush job.
Knowing what an awesome 2010 and 2011 year that Cavendish had I was disappointed that the book was written `so long ago'. Maybe another book will emerge later on his career.
I understand that the 2008 success at the Tour de France gave Cavendish the authority to write this book, but it would have been such a better story if it was written this year instead.
Still interesting to read how he views his rise to success and especially how he dealt with those around him who didn't entirely support him or believe in his ability. He makes it look easy on the bike, devastatingly fast in a sprint it is interesting to read how hard it is out there.(less)
I missed all of the Tina Fey impressions of Sarah Palin during the US elections. I missed most of what Tina Fey was doing so one day I watched a few e...moreI missed all of the Tina Fey impressions of Sarah Palin during the US elections. I missed most of what Tina Fey was doing so one day I watched a few episodes of 30 Rock. It was great, obviously written and put together well. I didn't understand all of the television politics stuff, that was lost on me, and after a series it looked a bit same same to me, but it was a clever series.
So I happy to read the book to find out a bit more about Tina Fey. It is a witty and biting short-ish biographical waltz through her life at SNL, 30 Rock and more. Almost laugh out loud literally sort of stuff. Loved it. I would love to be as witty and clever in real life as she writes !(less)
A very easy read. Read it in just a few sittings as I was engrossed and just want to see what happened next.
A heap of details about what it ...moreA very easy read. Read it in just a few sittings as I was engrossed and just want to see what happened next.
A heap of details about what it is like to ride as a professional, none of which you really have any idea about just watching races on telly each year.
No nonsense style, just the facts. It hurts to ride a bike hard and Robbie knows all about the pain on and off the bike.
If you have ever watched the tour on tv, this will give a great background into what happens out there.(less)
What an astounding and enthralling read. I couldn't put this one down.
You get to see how the author lived as the son of one of the founders ...moreWhat an astounding and enthralling read. I couldn't put this one down.
You get to see how the author lived as the son of one of the founders of Hamas. The intrigue and politics and behind the scenes are all really exciting and amazing to read - but what lured me in to start with was the author's denouncing Islam and converting to Christianity. You hear so little of this sort of conversions and certainly little from such high profile followers of Islam.
I have often wondered how the conflict in the middle east will ever end. Will I be explaining why it exists to my children when they are adults? I fear I will be.
Who out there is brave enough to say that the real problem and the biggest barrier is Islam? Not many. I was so encouraged to read this from this author.
I got this book because of a podcast I listened to where Sheridan Voysey interviewed the author of this book - Peter Hitchens. I wasn't really aware w...moreI got this book because of a podcast I listened to where Sheridan Voysey interviewed the author of this book - Peter Hitchens. I wasn't really aware who he or indeed who his famous brother was.
Christopher Hitchens is a well known atheist, kind of a right hand man to the venomous Richard Dawkins.
Christopher and Peter have had a public outing of their differing views on the existence of God. So I was hoping for some more background on the excellent podcast I heard earlier.
The book does give more information as to how Peter discarded any notion of faith and found his way back later in life. The corruption of Soviet Russia, the corruption of UK politics all played their part in his search for something solid to base his views upon.
It was quite enlightening to hear him say that one of the reasons he could no longer be an atheist was that he "grew up". It does seem that many of the views he previously held were self indulgent, truly showing that for many they themselves are God.
I was hoping for more of an apologetic as to why he found Dawkins and company views on the non existence of God unsustainable, but that is obviously for another book.
I did like his decree that may so called religious wars are actually political struggles conveniently designated as religious to pain all religions as evil.
A review in which I get to say arse. Twice. And with a hole too.
A couple of years ago, I was fascinated by just how sarcastic Fake Steve Job...moreA review in which I get to say arse. Twice. And with a hole too.
A couple of years ago, I was fascinated by just how sarcastic Fake Steve Jobs was. He was so biting. What was the reason for the harsh commentary towards Steve Jobs ? Was it earned?
I read Options: The Secret Life of Fake Steve Jobs to find out more. Wow that book was intense. He really stuck into Jobs about his eating, his zen beliefs, his out of control ego. It was so mean that I didn’t enjoy the book.
Next I read iWoz to get more background. What a lovely read. Woz is such a great and gentle character. The book is a pleasure. Interestingly there was, for me, more dirt on Steve Jobs here compared to Options. Jobs blatantly cheated Woz out of money very early on in their relationship by lying about how much money they had earned jointly.
For me that fact was far more damning than anything I read in Options.
So I read the Isaacson biography continuing to wonder whether Jobs really deserved all that negativity. Secondly I wanted to understand more about why apple fanatics were so, well fanatical, sometimes even downright arrogant and mean.
Do apple fanatics take their lead from Jobs? That would explain a lot, I think. Surely it couldn’t be that simple could it ?
Thoughts Along the Way
Jobs really did make a profession of being a jerk. The worlds best know Professional Jerk ? It seems so. Isaacson spoke to a heap of people and seems to have gotten inside all of the interesting moments of his life. But, did he find someone who actually liked Steve ? It doesn’t seem so.
Coughing on my Kindle
This quote had me almost expectorating on my Kindle.
So Jobs suggested to the interviewer that iTunes on Windows was like a drink of cool water to someone living in hell.
Everyone knows Steve lies, especially for effect right ? What about those who don’t quite get that? iTunes is simply the most horrible piece of windows software that I have used. Examining my Windows log files shows consistently one piece of software that hangs – iTunes.
For years it has made me seriously wonder about those whom tout the genius of Jobs and the apple way. How could they write something so awful and never fix it? Did they think that Windows users enjoy this sort of awful software? Puhlease.
After reading the biography I believe the correct response to Mr. Jobs on iTunes goes like – “That is shit ! Your head is up your arse !!”.
Lots of Great Detail
I really enjoyed reading how things unfolded, having missed a lot of the history with Pixar, Disney etc. Lots and lots of the politics that you don’t get to read about on your local enthusiast blog.
Finally Success
It must have been immensely gratifying for Jobs to finally land an absolute market success with iOS, the iPad and iPhone. I hadn’t really grokked just how badly the Macintosh, Macintosh XL, Lisa, NeXT Cube, G4 had sold. It surely hurt that Windows was so dominant and was deemed so inferior.
Dream up enough good ideas, execute them well, and you will get there.
Choose Your Idols Carefully
In life, choose your Idols carefully.
Would you want to have Steve as your boss? Would you want him working in a team that you were leading? No and No.
Be extra careful because you will become what you worship.
Prickly people are often tolerated in the workplace because their output is valuable to the company. Is that output worth the fallout along the way? I don’t know, I like to think that you can achieve great things without being an asshole. Now that would be genius. (less)
This book is an easy read for anyone who has ever used a computer connected to the internet. The book is even more interesting and compelling if you have ever installed an anti-virus product on a PC. So, there you go; this book will be a good read for almost anyone who picks it up.
The plot is all to believable. A group is creating a storm of worms and viruses to invade the computer systems that control our banking, airlines, power generation – you know, every part of our life. This threat as been real and possible for quite a few years now. The recent publicity surrounding the stuxnet virus that targeted the Iranian nuclear programme has shown just how real this kind of scenario is.
Rootkits and zero day operating system vulnerabilities represent an open risk to the way our economy operates. Even though this book has been several years being created, the threat has been around for several years now. In fact the author, @markrussinovish has said that he was surprised at how quickly a scenario like stuxnet eventuated.
I was expecting this to be a thriller in the mould as Deamon by Daniel Suarez but it is quite different. Along the way Russinovich explains a lot of the internet and virus jargon that may be unfamiliar to some. Coupled with the fact that the chapters are short and crisp – sort of web page length I’d say, Zero Day is accessible to geeks and internet newbies alike.
A great, modern thriller – well worth a read.
I do so hope that this book helps the world wake up to mitigating the risks we face with so much of our economy online.
As a follow on to Daemon, this book already has a good start. You won't want the first book to end so will happily keep reading through the second boo...moreAs a follow on to Daemon, this book already has a good start. You won't want the first book to end so will happily keep reading through the second book.
It does get a bit slow near the beginning you will forgive the author as it picks up again and you see the future of the world as we know it being fought out.
Still worth the effort to sit down and read this book too.(less)
What an awesome ride this book is. I'm not a gamer but I really got in to the 3D virtual world that the author creates for this book. It is obviously ...moreWhat an awesome ride this book is. I'm not a gamer but I really got in to the 3D virtual world that the author creates for this book. It is obviously written by someone who understands gamers, the internet, wi-fi, security, robotics, law enforcement: you know all the bits needed for a really good techno thriller.
All geeks will love this book.
I don't read a lot of fiction. I'm the sort of person that thinks fiction is a bit of a waste of my lifetime's worth of brain activity. This book is not a waste of your reading effort.
Would love for the book to become a movie as that would only add awesomeness to the whole story.
No description of the plot needed here - just confirmation that this book is worth reading.
Some adult content, you wouldn't be reading this to your kids.(less)
Really hard to digest this book. I don't think I have digested it and might never actually get it. Until i get to see for myself I guess.
The...moreReally hard to digest this book. I don't think I have digested it and might never actually get it. Until i get to see for myself I guess.
The amount of detail that he reveals after his near death experience is amazing. None of it was too wild to be un-biblical, but all pretty crazy.
He also found out things about his mum and dad that he could not have known.
The real challenge of this book is to be able to decide for yourself what this little boy's recounting of his trip to heaven and back means for you.
That heaven is real and wonderful and a young boy felt totally at home there is great news. But we already knew that; if you know your New Testament. That he got to come back and nonchalantly detail what he saw is huge.
For parents grieving over their very sick children, this book is also amazing. God is listening and grieving with you. He is right there feeling your pain and hates it like you do.
Again, this is not new for those who know their Bible. It is good to hear it again and see it in operation for real. Must be a great comfort.
A lot of things about facebook are a mystery to me.
Not how to use the service or why it is so popular, but why the pages have so few ads on...moreA lot of things about facebook are a mystery to me.
Not how to use the service or why it is so popular, but why the pages have so few ads on them; how were they able to scale so smoothly; why have they never listed publicly ?; how do they make money ?; why were they so ignorant of the privacy implications of what they did ?
Well this book went a long way to answering these questions.
The answer to these questions is Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg's driving force with facebook was to `grow the site'. He hates banner ads, he isn't particularly worried about making money, he has total and absolute control over every aspect of the company including 3 of the 5 seats on the board.
The desire to grow the site has driven the problems. They were willing to do almost anything to entice more users. This, I feel is the root of the claims of facebook being evil.
I didn't understand this important point until I read this book.
Intelligent debate about Facebook is hard to find out there. For such a heavyweight in the internet, it doesn't get talked about much. This book filled in a lot of the gaps for me.
So I felt quite satisfied after reading this book. My questions were answered by the central role that Mark Zuckerberg plays in facebook - it is HIS company.
If I had to critcize the book I would say that the author seems a little too fond of Zucks, a bit to quick to praise him or dismiss his faults. Almost sycophantic at times.
If you have a passing interest in facebook as a technology or as a phenomenon, then this book is for you.(less)
Jon Ronson spends some time with several different groups of extremists: Islamic militant, Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, Ian Paisley etc.
Even th...moreJon Ronson spends some time with several different groups of extremists: Islamic militant, Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, Ian Paisley etc.
Even though the book is over 10 years old now it is still a good read if just to see an insight in to how those on the fringe think and act. Jon is mostly passive in his reporting, just saying what happened without his own judgements. In a few cases he had to be part of the story though, read it to find out why.
Some of what he encountered left me concerned. Do these guys really believe all the nonsense they let loose from their lips ?
Thank goodness some of these guys are under close scrutiny by the security services - some of them need it. Having said that, in the case of the white extremists, the `authorities' massively over reacted and inflicted a huge and shameful injustice.
I never thought that email was tyranical. Over the years I have just gotten used to email interruptions. On my desktops I even run 2 copies of gtalk s...moreI never thought that email was tyranical. Over the years I have just gotten used to email interruptions. On my desktops I even run 2 copies of gtalk so that I get an immediate popup when new email arrives.
Now that I have read this book I am thinking more about how to get work done in blocks and not get stuck in an email loop.
The book feels padded a bit but is still an interesting read. Mobile email will only make email worse in the future. The book didn't deal with IM which surprised me as this is far worse IMHO. I have one colleague who insists on IM, and shuns email - he wants an immediate response. Now that is a tyrant !(less)
Very honest and straight forwardly written by a Angus who loves to tell of his faith just as it is. His story is an encouragement to everyone who wond...moreVery honest and straight forwardly written by a Angus who loves to tell of his faith just as it is. His story is an encouragement to everyone who wonders if they are too ordinary to attempt something great for God.(less)
This is a true story that everyone should read. Written simply and clearly Debbie Morris details her horrible trauma at the hands of a pair of rapists...moreThis is a true story that everyone should read. Written simply and clearly Debbie Morris details her horrible trauma at the hands of a pair of rapists and killers.
The book describes her path since the abduction, leading to being able to forgive her captors. It was a long and difficult path, but one that I think we can all learn from. It was only after she was able to come to the position of being able to forgive that she could recover and move on from the ordeal. The refusal to forgive and desire to hang on to the hate will only eat you up.
I like that her forgiveness didn't make her seem weak and glib. What she endured was awful but not unforiveable. Not unforgetable or un-punishable, but possible to forgive.
The main perpetrator was executed and wasn't believed to ever show any remorse, so the act of forgiveness was for herself, for her own recovery and sanity.
Well done for sharing with us the journey I say !
This book will be an encouragement for anyone struggling with unforgiveness.(less)
Quite enjoyed the way that the author showed how we stumbled across all of the principles that we take for granted today. It took many years for thing...moreQuite enjoyed the way that the author showed how we stumbled across all of the principles that we take for granted today. It took many years for things like telegraph, electricity, radio, radar to be discovered and mass produced. There was lots of dead end research and lucky breaks along the way to piece together how electrons and magnets rule our modern world. It certainly wasn't clear to me from my university physics classes that the early researchers had so little idea of what they were dealing with. Just what were those electrons, how can you measure them, how can you harness them for good (and evil too) ?? Just why do we call them volts, amps and watts ? A bit of interesting `dark' background to Samuel Morse and Alan Turing too.
This is no mere physics book. It links together the luminaries of the field in a way that makes for a book almost like a novel.
I'm really getting into these sorts of factoid type entertaining reads. So many trivium to fill my wee head !(less)
I have to admit that the title of this book put me off from the start. Could it be a serious book based on a blatant rip off of WWJD. So I was a bit g...moreI have to admit that the title of this book put me off from the start. Could it be a serious book based on a blatant rip off of WWJD. So I was a bit grumpy to start with, but the author won me over by the end of the book.
Jarvis does a pretty good job of pulling apart some of the things that Google has done and tries to apply it to other industries.
Google is perhaps give a bit too much credit as being the saviour of all businesses. Google got lucky with Adsense - it was a search company without any income until Adsense and Adwords was created. That was a stroke of genius that has made the company immensely rich. Going from that to youtube, google maps and gmail - and including them as brilliant innovations that will make google more $$$ is a bit of a stretch I think. Google still feels a little like a one product company to me. Time will tell which of their spaghetti on the wall sticks.
For those who don't know much about the history of Google, or haven't read The Search or The Long Tail for eg then this book is a good place to start and indeed complement them quite well.(less)
Not what I expected. Really challenged my idea of who and what `God in 3' would look like. Also challenged my idea of good and evil and suffering. Not...moreNot what I expected. Really challenged my idea of who and what `God in 3' would look like. Also challenged my idea of good and evil and suffering. Not sure I'm about to change my view on these things, but it sure has made me think about the bigger picture some more. Even disturbed me a bit to think so afresh.(less)
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