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Summary: deliciously written.
Review: Facts of the valleys deliciously written. some old stuff, some new stuff, all delicious.a bit lengthy at some points, but for all those walking the personal computer industry line, this is a must... dream on. tanadi santoso.
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Summary: What the Valley is really like: it's in here
Review: Yup, the Valley stripped of the Big Lie that "we do it to change the world" Nope. This is a place where It's ONLY about MONEY and GREED. This book exposes the hubris soaked lives of the lot of them: the venture capitalists, the engineers and executives, their spoiled brat spawn who take classes in how to manage a million dollars, and throw fits when at the age of 6 they do not get to fly First Class to visit Gradma, the mothers who run families like a human resource department. A silicon Bonfire of the Vanities populated by lives driven only by greed, where "enough" is never enough a place where executives feel they can't get by without owning a 50 million dollar private jet.
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Summary: The best of the new books on Silicon Valley
Review: I loved this book. It's an outsider's view of Silicon Valley. It's got lots of high-tech stuff in it, but it's not a book for techies (though they will like it, too). It's a book about the culture and style of the Valley: why it's unusual, arrogant, humorless and so full of excess. Finally, someone has written something about Silicon Valley that isn't only full of hero worship and glorification. I could have done without some of the detail about the history of the place, but there is so much wit and hilariousness in this book that it's a small criticism. If you want to read a "Bonfire of the Cyber Vanities," this is the book.
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Summary: This was a very intersting book that had lots of details.
Review: In this book, by Dave Kaplan, the history of the computer, the Internet, and its innovators are described in real detail. I recommend you buy this book and see how everything started. The basic fundamental infrastructure of this book deals with the lavish lifestyles of the big time CEO's and IPO's. It goes to show what you can do with lots of money such as buy books at Amazon.com, not that the books are expensive.
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Summary: Kaplan misses completely on capturing Silicon Valley
Review: I should have known a hack for the East Coast media establishment would have no clue as to how things work here. A much better book is Po Bronson's "Nudist on the Late Shift." What passes for colorful news back in Schenectady just doesn't relate to how this area really works.
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Summary: more intelligent than it sounds
Review: don't let the opening comments about $15 a pound ostrich meat turn you on or turn you off. what follows is a rather interesting history of silicon valley and its culture starting with the gold rush and its evolution into the region we know today.
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Summary: Got My Part Right (Part 2)
Review: I had nothing to do with any of what Mr. Kaplan wrote about, and he captured that perfectly. That said, you must read this book. While much of the content has been reported in other venues, the book stylishly recounts some of the "urban legends" of Silicon Valley while adding depth in the telling. A recent Wall Street Journal review took the author to task for his puns, but, honestly where else are you going to get an entertaining, in-depth discussion of reasonably technical material and still get a good chuckle? The fact that Mr. Kaplan is willing to tell us that the World Wide Web's AMAZING FISH CAM "was no fluke" simply tips the scales in his favor. Buy it, read it, enjoy it.
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Summary: Smart, original...and funny
Review: Brilliantly conceived and masterfully executed, this may be the best book ever written about Silicon Valley. I can see why it's raising such a ruckus here. The opening is hilarious and the character development of the entire cast makes the narrative sing. But why so many puns?
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Summary: Kaplan Dug To China to Get the Dirt
Review: When it comes to being persistent, David A. Kaplan deserves the gold medal. He has dug up some juicy details about the male mega moguls who have turned Silicon Valley in a billionaire's boomtown. And yes, what he writes sounds like the stuff Roseann would write for the National Enquirer. However, Mr. Kaplan even felt that he had a right to use stuff he had no permission to use such an alleged message from Larry Ellison to me and one that I supposely sent him. What more can I say. The veiled woman who had a date with Larry Ellison...
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Summary: I stayed awake reading this book about computers
Review: Computing isn't the only topic this history of what's come to be known as the Information Age manages to address in a manner which is both entertaining and educational. Author David A. Kaplan also managed to make the machinations of venture capital not only accessible but also fun. Along the way, Kaplan recounts dozens of interesting stories about the people who've made (or, in some cases, missed out on making) fortunes in "The Valley of the Dollars". Until fairly recently, those seeking to earn a living from their intellectual gifts often sought the patronage of others who'd made fortunes building ships or cars. Now, it appears, the tables have been turned. Perhaps most importantly (from this reviewer's perspective), the book closes by raising some serious questions about the future direction of the siliconomy. Thinking about those questions may keep you awake longer than it takes to finish reading the book.
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