Rating: 
Summary: Old ideas, new format
Review: Old ideas of a "PC centric" world rewritten to add the internet. very average book, unless you have never used the web in a work environment, you won't discover anything new (thus the 2 star rating), except the confirmation that this is even more a 400-page sales brochure for microsoft that "the road ahead was".
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but...
Review: I thought the book had a few interesting points to make, but it did come over a bit like a Marketing Brochure for Microsoft!It was a relatively easy read. Not for someone who's been neck deep in eBusiness for a while, but gentle enough to be an introduction. On that basis I would recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book for fullfilling any dream
Review: Now I'm not a tech-wizard like most of you who read this book, in fact I'm quite the opposite. I'm a Shaman, a Chi Gung Master, and an International Author (Chi Gung: Chinese Healing, Energy, and Natural Magick by L.V. Carnie) and I specialize in working with intuition and the flow of energy and ideas, primarily by using internal energy (Chi) to heal plants, animals, and people. But I love this book because Bill has shown how a person with a dream and an iron will can project any dream into reality and therefore to accomplish almost anything, and that's really what I do from 180 degree different perspective. So I have found Bill's book to open insight, ideas, and new ways of thinking for a right-brained girl like me who dares to dream the impossible. Everything you can imagine is bigger and more complex and therefore filled with more possibilities than it initially appears and that's where the wonder and magic of life and dreams and ambition occur. This book is more than simply the words it contains, it is Bill himself. His energy, his goals, and his very essence fill these pages and reading this book has taught me a little more about this unique man and his style of business and I have taken those ideas and strategies and applied them to my unique profession. Therefore, I have learned how to be not only a better healer but also how to directly apply esoteric energy systems, such as Chi Gung, directly to any business situation or corporation and therefore to help companies gain the unique intuitive edge they are looking for.
Rating:
Summary: DELVING INTO THE MELDING OF MIND, MACHINE AND ORGANIZATION!
Review: Gates reveals the realities of today's technology-driven organizational/market revolution, not only in the realm of business-the main focus of this work-but also in enterprises in health care, education, the military and government. This book's central idea is the view that human intelligence-which gave us our unique position in evolution and thanks to which we have invented our way to the 21st Century,-is now bringing about a digital nervous system in our organizations and society-a system that emerges when there is a merging of thinking and collaboration assisted by computer technology. The primary purposes of this system are to extend individual thinking capabilities and to create institutional intelligence and a unified ability to act, i.e., a leap forward in the evolution of the mind. From this conceptual springboard, Gates launches into a fascinating tour de force of what organizations are doing and can do today, given this unique resource-the digital nervous system. This also turns out to be a constructive lesson for leaders in what organizations should be doing, given currently available IT technology. The depth of Gates' discussion is considerable and impressive. The quality of thought and insight is substantial. The content is rich with real-world examples. Each chapter ends with highlights consisting of (1) business lessons and (2) succinct questions for diagnosing your digital nervous system. This is a book written for leaders who are looking for the perspective and the inspiration that can provide general direction and spark action. And if you are seeking a darn good exploration of how technology is becoming one with organization and human thinking, Bill Gates' has written a terrific book for you. In reading "Business @ the Speed of Thought," I also became keenly aware that its theme and insights clearly reflect a far greater conception of a digital nervous system; one that is rapidly embracing human thought and action around the world. This global evolutionary perspective is not on Bill Gates' agenda; that would be beyond the book's scope and purpose. But it is the type of vision and thinking that you, the reader, may want to seek out. You can find such thinking in "Metaman" by Gregory Stock and "Darwin Among the Machines" by George B. Dyson. As I see it, Gates' thinking lends substantial credence to these more macro, future-oriented world views. (Careful Bill...you're edging dangerously close to that chasm of the 'deep and profound.') Business @ the Speed of Change is excellent. It captures your imagination and provides a vivid perspective on the emerging nature of both organization and society. We highly recommend it. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, Stern & Associates, co-author of Stern's Sourcefinder: The Master Directory to Human Resources and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern's Compensation and Benefits SourceFinder.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought provoking and forward thinking.
Review: This book really brought out some practical ideas that I felt I could begin to implement immediately. I am not a Bill Gates fan but his book swayed me to his side slightly. . . It is worth reading and applying.
Rating:
Summary: A thought provoking look at technology's impact on business
Review: I found this book to be an excellent way for me to learn more about how technology has changed, and will be changing the world. Computers, and especially the Internet, have changed the world greatly, and we are just starting to feel the changes. Anyone interested in being part of a successful business or organization needs to realize this, and think about what it means to them. I highly recommend this book to help anyone think about how to use these changes to succeed, both personally and professionally.
Rating:
Summary: This book shows Mr. Gates visionary abilities of business.
Review: This book shows that how a future is going to be affected by the internet services whether it is small or a large business. The description about the digital nervous system is appreciable.
Rating:
Summary: Wishful thinking..
Review: Bill's wishful world. Much of what is stated is co-opted from others, much is clever restatement, and much is an MS commercial. These are the good parts of the book. The rest of the content (a very small portion thereof) is filled with a scattering of implied 'nuggets' of Gates wisdom -which, by the way, are probably wrong. He created a great OS platform, but ultimately I think that gives him little insight into what the future of technology is; and the quicker he moves out of the OS software arena, the quicker MS is going to see its downfall. If you want proof of this, then you've got a reason to read the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Understanding a truth
Review: This book should enlighten the readers to the dismal and shallow nature of Microsoft the company and their Leadership. Microsoft the Company, one of the largest in the World and their founder Bill Gates, one, if not the richest men in the world. Has shown that it's hard to disguise his true nature to mature and knowledgeable readers. Bill Gates proves that it's easier to write software that semi-works and sale it to people via marketing hype than to personally write a book that says anything that represents intelligence.
Rating:
Summary: Draws CEO attention to the issue of 'Speed of Thought'.
Review: I have personally thanked Mr Gates for writing Business @ the Speed of Thought and for drawing the attention of the world's business leaders to the fact that the 'speed of thought' is a critical issue for them to consider. Recently, an Australian CEO contacted me on this matter. He's just invested $16 million in some SAP enterprise software for his company's 'digital nervous sytem' but also wants to upgrade the 'brain software' of his organisation. He employs 3500 brains in his company all using the standard 2500-year-old Greek software. Plato's right/wrong brain software is very slow and the speed of thought it allows is sluggish. For those clever companies building their digital nervous system there is a need for both IT and brain software upgrades (see my book Software for your brain.
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