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Summary: A fantastic book!
Review: Whether you like the man or not, Jim Clark is a genius, and his fingerprints are all over the explosion of the Web and e-commerce. In this extremely candid look at Clark, we see both the good -- and often the bad. Michael Lewis's writing is gorgeous throughout and his stories riveting -- you'll be hooked instantly.
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Summary: The New New Thing
Review: Enjoyed this book from the begining to the end. Full of insite to a whole new world of technology.
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Summary: The New New Economic Realities
Review: I bought this book at an airport I was passing through en route to someplace else. I knew Michael Lewis as an author, having read Liar's Poker, so I knew I would find his style appealing. I had no idea about Jim Clark at all.To my utter surprise, the book was not only entertaining, but it brought to my attention some facts about the world that I live in that I had never fully realised: 1) You can choose to be a down and out misfit on the road to nowhere, or you can choose to show 'em all and make something of your life 2) Having decided to do something, there is no actual limit to how big you can think 3) An individual can actually swing the entire economy and all of its big established companies around to a different agenda and different competitive landscape 4) If you are blessed/cursed with the kind of mind that loves to dwell in "pure possibility", is never satisfied with the way things are and can always see how they could be, do what Jim Clark does - get on with changing the world! Actions speak louder than words. 5) Engineers have finally realised that they should be more fairly compensated, relative to the amount of value they create in the economy. The consequence of this is that financiers, who really don't understand what or how an engineer does what he does, must now compete to get a piece of the action. A financier, even if he has infinite money, cannot personally create anything of tangible value with his financial skills. Contrast this to what an engineer with good skills can create and you realise that what really counts is the creation of tangible things that make the human condition somehow better. This realisation is driving the new new economic realities - engineers can build a better world, financiers can only pay for them to do it. 6) You don't have to be especially bright or gifted to change the course of business history, but if you are, you owe it to yourself and others to use those gifts to the best advantage you can So, all things considered, this book was a revelation and an especially welcome pleasant surprise.
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Summary: Get to know Jim Clark... and maybe wish you hadn't
Review: This book was recommended to me as a good read on the Silicon Valley startup tale. Indeed, it delivers. Most of what the author has to say is intriguing, and the narrative style works very well, delivering a history lesson in a context that seems more like a fairy tale. Not long into the book (around the helicopter part), I realized that I really disliked the main character, Jim Clark. His complete egocentrism, subtly laid out by the author, made me feel more pathos than admiration for this man who has accomplished so much. I haven't finished the book yet, so I have yet to discover what the author's opinion of his subject is. It is a tribute to the writer's skill, though, that I have gotten this far without detecting a bias.
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Summary: A fun, light read
Review: This book is worth the money for a simple reason: If you don't learn anything new you will still enjoy the pleasant tone in which it was written. The author offers many insights into the little known facets of Silicon Valley--many are amusing at best and many are just plain unexpected. A must read. I'd say it's worth the discounted dollars.
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Summary: You do the math!
Review: The best thing about taking a long journey is that you can listen to a whole unabridged tape. Well I was riveted for all 9 hours with this one. I have read books about Jim Clark and his businesses(Netscape, Silicon Graphics and Healtheon) - such as Competing on Internet Time, Silicon Gold Rush and High Noon - but none are as vivid and as frankly interesting as this. A real rags to riches story, Jim Clark has gone from Plainview, Texas to $1 bn (after taxes). His astonishing character is brough to to life as is his obsession with the new, new thing. A late blooming genius who by luck or by some incredible insight managed to create some of the most innovative businesses around and then just moved on. I was so impressed with the tape that I have also bought the book. What the tape gives you is Bruce Reizen's caricature voices for the principle characters - brings the story to life and adds to the humour. If you want to be inspired, if you want to laugh, if you want to be captivated by an incredible story, buy the tape or buy the book, or do both. I am off to order Liar's Poker.
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Summary: The Cukoo Thing
Review: Michael Lewis humanizes the dot com world by bringing us down to where the rubber meets the road in the Silicone Valley. Where countless author's before him have placed a thin façade on this otherwise faceless, heartless and nebulous world, Lewis has taken us into the home, if not the yacht, of one such company and revealed to us the real motivation, aspiration and inspiration of its founder. I recently read another book that peeled back the façade of corporate America to expose an altogether different picture and I found that side-by-side comparison quite fascinating, if not frightening. That book, "Inside Job: Deep Undercover as a Corporate Spy," also reveals the motivation of several Fortune 500 companies, but the image isn't quite so attractive as "The New New Thing." I'd highly recommend both books.
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Summary: Creative destruction
Review: Fascinating and much more fun to read than lots of other serious attempts to describe the new economy and alikes. It really gets a grip on you though. Is this what famous economist Schumpeter meant with his description of 'creative destruction'?
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Summary: Loved It
Review: What a nice surprise this book was! I could not put it down. It gave real insight into pieces of news that I read over the years concerning Silicon Graphics, Netscape, Healtheon, and more recently MyCFO. It was entertaining and educational. I laughed outloud several times. If you have one ounce of entreprenuerial spirit, this book will motivate you to follow your instincts and take action.
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Summary: Very good and interesting story...
Review: This was a very good, entertaining book. It doesn't go into very deep technical detail, but tells another very interesting success story from Silicon Valley. Each chapter has it's own story, but as you read the book, a bigger picture is unfolded. The book gives a good look at the life of Jim Clark and his importance to the development of computers. Despite a few minor mischaracterizations of Clark, you should read this book if your interested in Silicon Valley history.
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