|
June 28
|
|
Tom
gave  to:
Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations (Hardcover)
by
Clay Shirky
|
my rating:
|
| |
read in June, 2009
Tom said:
"This is the best book I've ever read on the intersection of anthropology and the internet. Shirky has tremendous powers of observation, and his text is unencumbered by societal norms and restrictions. As is written on the front book cover, "Revo...more
This is the best book I've ever read on the intersection of anthropology and the internet. Shirky has tremendous powers of observation, and his text is unencumbered by societal norms and restrictions. As is written on the front book cover, "Revolution doesn't happen when society adopts new technology, it happens when society adopts new behaviors."
The book tackles several coordination, cooperation and publish then filter scenarios via in depth analysis of real world events. And as with the profound statement on revolution from the book cover, the examples lead with the interpersonal aspects; the tools (Wikipedia, Flickr, Linux, Livejournal, Facebook) are shown, sometimes to show how they supported the interpersonal aspects, sometimes to show how they enabled them to happen in the first place.
I thoroughly enjoyed this enlightening, if sometimes a bit dense text. The updated epilogue talks about how unincorporated groups in today's society are still somewhat powerless when compared to businesses, and suggests that the coming months and years will see experimentation on bridging that gap.
If you work on the internet, or are interested in the digital age and its tools, or even anthropology regardless of its intersection with technology, this book is worth a read.(less)
"
|
|
April 21
|
|
Tom
is currently reading:
The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It (Hardcover)
by
Jonathan Zittrain
bookshelves:
currently-reading
|
my rating:
|
| |
|
|
Tom
is currently reading:
Dune (Dune Chronicles #1)
by
Frank Herbert
bookshelves:
currently-reading
|
my rating:
|
| |
|
|
Tom
is currently reading:
Snow Crash (Paperback)
by
Neal Stephenson
bookshelves:
currently-reading
|
my rating:
|
| |
|
|
Tom
gave  to:
Call Me Ted (Hardcover)
by
Ted Turner
|
my rating:
|
| |
read in April, 2009
Tom said:
"I sat on this book for a while. I'm just not the type to really get into biographies. It's just some guys life, you know? I'm glad I finally decided to read this book. Ted Turner is an extraordinary man, who is still somewhat humble about life while ...more
I sat on this book for a while. I'm just not the type to really get into biographies. It's just some guys life, you know? I'm glad I finally decided to read this book. Ted Turner is an extraordinary man, who is still somewhat humble about life while being a great showman and businessman.
I thought the book to be well organized, with each chapter taking a clear break from the previous and delving into a new aspect of his life. His troubles with family life disappointed me, as I'm big on family life myself.
Reading about the beginning of the Cable News Network (CNN) was the most interesting part of the book for me. To hear just how many doubters there were towards a 24-hour news channel, how much they had to struggle, it was inspirational to see the section on the Desert Storm coverage and the validation of Ted's vision for CNN.
The latter stages of the book, his divorce from Jane Fonda, being pushed out of Time Warner, were a bit depressing, although the Time Warner piece intrigued me b/c I happen to work for Time Warner's AOL division. Here is an interesting quote that hits close to home for me, in a "Ted Story" (writings by others that know Ted somehow, placed throughout the book) by Jeff Bewkes, pp303-304:
"For his part, Ted remained unusually quiet until the very end. As Jerry [Levin:] was wrapping things up by stressing the importance of the company moving aggressively in all these areas and as people were literally getting ready to get up from their chairs, Ted suddenly spoke up. "So, are you telling us we need to move aggressively to put all our content on the Internet, is that what you're saying?" to which Rich [Bressler:] and Jerry agreed.
"So, that would include putting material from our magazines on the Internet free of charge, right?" When he got agreement again, Ted turned to Don Logan and asked, "Don, what are you charging for Time magazine?"
Don responded, "What do you mean, the cover price?"
And Ted said, "Yeah, it's like a buck-fifty, right? And for People it's something like two dollars, right? So you make millions and millions of dollars from magazine subscriptions now but we're going to put it all online free of charge?" Ted then waited a beat and said, "So we're going to put ourselves out of business?" It was hilarious, and typical Ted Turner. After a three-hour presentation on a topic he's supposed to know nothing about he puts his finger right on the center of the problem."
An extraordinary guy. Well worth the read just to see into his thought processes and experience all of his amazing accomplishments.(less)
"
|
|
April 02
|
|
Tom
gave to:
Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (2nd Edition)
by
Steve Krug
|
my rating:
|
| |
read in April, 2009
Tom said:
"This is my absolute favorite book on designing websites with the user in mind. Far too often websites are designed from the perspective of a salesperson, a marketer, an engineer or a designer. Far too seldom are they created from the perspective of a...more
This is my absolute favorite book on designing websites with the user in mind. Far too often websites are designed from the perspective of a salesperson, a marketer, an engineer or a designer. Far too seldom are they created from the perspective of a person who will actually use the site. Steve Krug teaches from the user's perspective, and does so without many wasted words.
The chapters in the "Things You Need to Get Right" section are my favorite, in particular Chapter 6: Street Signs and Breadcrumbs. That plus the practical advice on usability testing in Chapter 9 are worth the price of the book alone.
I recommend this book to anyone involved with making websites--you will be better at it once you adhere to the lessons in this book. I know I am.(less)
"
|
|
March 29
|
|
|
|
|
March 04
|
|
Tom
gave to:
The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design (Paperback)
by
Patrick Mcneil
|
my rating:
|
| |
read in March, 2009
Tom said:
"These types of books are tough, since as soon as you bind them the websites are no longer in vogue. However, I really like the way the book is organized, showing sites by type, design style, theme, color, element and structure. You can look at blog d...more
These types of books are tough, since as soon as you bind them the websites are no longer in vogue. However, I really like the way the book is organized, showing sites by type, design style, theme, color, element and structure. You can look at blog designs, or red designs, or designs that make good use of gradients, and the index is helpful in getting where you want, fast. Lots of Scandinavian sites, interesting.(less)
"
|
|
Tom
gave to:
Designing Web Interfaces: Principles and Patterns for Rich Interactions (Paperback)
by
Bill Scott
|
my rating:
|
| |
read in March, 2009
Tom said:
"Based on a set of six clear principles, Designing Web Interfaces shows the reader how to create an engaging web experience. Peppering in quotes from the Apple Human Interface Guidelines, Alan Cooper and others, this volume understands that it stands ...more
Based on a set of six clear principles, Designing Web Interfaces shows the reader how to create an engaging web experience. Peppering in quotes from the Apple Human Interface Guidelines, Alan Cooper and others, this volume understands that it stands on the shoulders of giants.
Until I read this book, I did not realize just how much more joy a person can have exploring a well designed site.
I recommend this book to any developer or designer who wants to bring their game from the multi-page Web 1.0 world, to today's web application world.(less)
"
|
