Recommended ReadingBooks we like - and we think you will too...
Here I'll list links to books and web-writings which I think are pretty good - books that have surprised me, changed my thinking, broadened my scope.
I'll give you hot-links to reviews and/or summary essays, and you can follow these to buy from
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Chronological Index | |||||||||
 America in 2050 |
Joel Kotkin - The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050. Prolific and ever insightful, Joel Kotkin forecasts the continued success of America at mid-century. With population of 400 million, the US will emerge as the most affluent, culturally rich, and successful nation in human history. Demographic trends and immigration give America the advantage. The eclectic mix of many cultures will continue to make it adaptable and resourceful. Strongly capitalist policies will remain a source of continued prosperity. It's good reading! And you can read it on your Kindle or iPad. | ||||||||
 Lucifer Principle |
Howard Bloom: The Lucifer Principle - A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History. This book resonated with me. Bloom's Lucifer theory is that evil - which manifests in violence, destructiveness and war - is woven into our biological fabric. A corollary is that evil is a by-product of nature's strategy to move the world to greater heights of organization and power with ideologies that trigger lofty ideals as well as base cruelty. This book gives new insights, new understanding, new ways of looking at humans, our societies, our behaviors. Howard Bloom has changed the way I view the world. Read the book! | ||||||||
 Genius of The Beast |
Howard Bloom: The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism One of the smartest people I know is the multidisciplinary scientist and visionary Howard Bloom. His new book is an iconoclastic, big-picture view of the transformation of mankind by its machinery. It describes the connecting science, technology, emotions, business and society, and proposes a next-generation of capitalism for western civilization - an evolutionary imperative that can lift us from economic crisis, and dramatically upgrade our ability to empower our fellow human beings. This book is like talking with Howard Bloom. Get it within 60-second on your Kindle. | ||||||||
 New Age of Innovation |
The New Age of Innovation, by CK Prajalad & MS Krishnan CK Prahalad, has been named one of the top ten management thinkers in the world. This co-authored book presents ways for businesses to innovate to develop customer-created value. The key to future growth is to access global resource networks to co-create unique experiences for one customer at a time - what they call N=1. To compete on the battlefields of 21st-century business, companies must reinvent their processes and culture to sustain innovative solutions. This book shows how to achieve this transformation. It's filled with ideas which will catch you saying, "Aha!" | ||||||||
 Whole New Mind |
A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink Daniel Pink points out that the workplace is changing yet again. In the age of "Abundance, Asia, and Automation" power is shifting from logical, left-brain thinking (done easily by computers and trained lower-paid global workers) to people who have strong right brain qualities. He shows how certain skill sets can be harnessed effectively in the "Conceptual Age". Lots of practical advice on how to cultivate right-brain skills. I love this book! I couldn't put it down! It resonated with lots of life-changing ideas and practical suggestions. | ||||||||
 Hot, flat Crowded |
Hot, flat and Crowded, by Tom Friedman Tom Friedman's new book, published September, 2008, explains how global warming, rapidly growing populations, and the expansion of the world's middle class through globalization have produced a planet that is "hot, flat, and crowded". He takes a fresh look at two of the biggest challenges we face: America's loss of national purpose since 9/11; and the global environmental crisis. He shows how how we can restore the world and revive America at the same time. | ||||||||
 Vision 2012 |
A Vision for 2012, Planning for Extraordinary Change, by John L. Petersen Noted futurist John Petersen explains how the world is on the verge of several crises, some of which may occur concurrently to force major changes on society and civilization as we know it today. Not just an alarmist, Petersen highlights the coming scientific and technological breakthroughs which may help humankind not just to cope, but to evolve through the immense challenges that lie ahead. | ||||||||
 Zakaria Post-American World |
Fareed Zakaria - The Post-American World Zakaria describes a world in which the US will no longer dominate the global economy and geopolitics. He sees the "rise of the rest" - the growth of countries like China, India, Brazil, Russia and many others - as trends that will reshape the world. Their economic growth is producing confidence, national pride, and potentially international problems. How should the US understand and thrive in this truly global era? An important new book. | ||||||||
 Lee Iacocca Leaders |
Lee Iacoca - Where Have all the Leaders Gone? The former president of Ford and Chrysler, expresses his anger against the sad state of leadership in the US today. The 82-year-old management legend can say what he wants - and he does. From GW Bush's many failures to corporate and international shortsightedness, he gives insider views of many of business and political disasters. His perspectives are fearless. Fires the flames of my patriotism. Read it! | ||||||||
 Eckhart Tolle - New Earth |
Eckhart Tolle: New Earth - Awakening to Your Life's Purpose Not aligned with any particular religion, Eckhart Tolle describes how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world. He shows how to awaken to a new state of consciousness and follow the path to a truly fulfilling existence. During April/May 2008, Oprah Winfrey and Tolle discussed each chapter of this book in a webcast shared by millions. | ||||||||
 After the Empire |
After the Empire - The Breakdown of American Order The respected French historian Emmanuel Todd takes a look at past empires, tracks their decay and eventual failure, the rise of the upper classes, and loss of democracy. It's a sobering analysis of America's behavior, contrasting the "Good America" of 1950-1965 with the "Bad America" of the new 21st century. Todd's characterization of the US hold more than a grain of truth. You may bristle when you read it, but you'll sense the echoes of truth. | ||||||||
 Strategy Paradox |
The Strategy Paradox: Why committing to success leads to failure New (Feb. 2007) book by Michael Raynor, coauthor of the bestselling "Innovator's Solution". In a fast-moving business environment, bold managers take a "best-guess" and hope their decisions will be right. Conservative managers hope that the future will bring more clues, and they wait - sacrificing the possibilities of greatness for just a better chance of survival. You're facing this paradox. Read the book. | ||||||||
 Richistan |
Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich Wall Street Journal columnist Robert Frank investigates the new society of the super-rich. Richistanis buy Franck Muller watches for $736,000, jewel-ncrusted Mont Blanc pens for $700,000, Louis Vuitton handbags for $42,000. This book contemplates the widening gap between Richistan and the rest of the world. | ||||||||
 NEXT |
Michael Crichton - NEXT. The best-selling author's new (published Nov. 2006) thriller weaves genetic engineering into an almost believable story, set in the near future. A parrot that not only talks, but acts like a tape-recorder to blackmail its owner and unmask villains; a chimpanzee with a mix of human DNA that is adopted and goes to school as a human child; a wild orangutan that swears in Dutch. "NEXT" challenges our sense of reality and morality, mixing funny with frightening, sensitive with shocking. Clever, believable and scary. The future is closer than you think. | ||||||||
 iWoz - from Geek to Icon |
Steve Wozniak - iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple and Had Fun Doing It. The brain behind the first Apple computers sheds his low profile and finally tells his story in his autobiography (published Sept. 2006). Woz's life before and after Apple is an eclectic and eccentric mix - engineer, concert promoter, fifth-grade teacher, philanthropist, and irrepressible prankster. Here's the story of the genius inventor who sparked the computer revolution and the humanist who still enjoys teaching kids and playing pranks. This is a book that's fun for everyone to read, and an especially delightful treat for an engineer like me. It's a wonderful story, and it's told like Woz talks. | ||||||||
 Revolutionary Wealth |
Revolutionary Wealth: How it will be created and how it will change our lives - By Alvin Toffler & Heidi Toffler Toffler's 1970 book "Future Shock" warned how rapid technology advances would change society. His "Third Wave" (1984) and "Power Shift" (1991) (written with his wife Heidi) continued the broad analysis of future economic and social developments. This latest (April 2006) analysis surveys the impact of globalization, the rise of China, the decay of Europe, the rise of a new economic groups. The Tofflers think through the complexities with depth that remains understandable. You might also enjoy the audio CD. | ||||||||
 Confessions of an Economic Hit-man |
John Perkins - Confessions of an Economic Hit-man (Pub. Nov. 2004) Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who negotiate around the globe with trillions of dollars. John Perkins describes how he helped the US cheat poor countries around the globe to take over their economies. He describes too how EHMs worked a deal for Saudi Arabia to send most of their petro-dollars back to the US and maintain the price of oil within acceptable limits, in return for the US keeping the current rulers in power. This is a gripping tale of intrigue and dark machinations. It's seems like a thriller novel - except that John Perkins claims that it's true. | ||||||||
 Chuck Knight Book |
Chuck Knight: Performance without compromise - How Emerson Consistently Achieves Winning Results (August 2005) The former Emerson Chairman and CEO offers detailed insight into the management process that has been fundamental to Emerson's long-term successful performance. Good coverage of specific topics such as growth, acquisitions, global expansion. Includes several practical check lists. Epilogue by David Farr, current Emerson CEO, provides good closure. Provides valuable insights into a significant company. | ||||||||
 Silicon Eye |
The Silicon Eye, By George Gilder (April 2005) This is classic Gilder, the saga of Carver Mead and Frederico Faggin, two quintessential entrepreneurs moving ever closer and closer to breakthrough inventions. Though the fate of Mead's Foveon is still uncertain, George Gilder sees the end-game as inevitable. This book is like the script for a new movie - a real-life technology thriller that you must read, to believe. | ||||||||
 On Bullshit |
On Bullshit, By Harry G. Frankfurt (January 2005) About 20 years ago, this retired professor of philosophy from Princeton wrote an essay "On Bullshit". In 2005 he republished it as a small book which has had amazing success. Prof. Frankfurt thinks that BS is defined by the process by which it is created. One of the most obvious features of our modern, communications-based culture is that there is so much BS. Everyone does it, and everybody knows it. We tend to take the situation for granted. This compact little book attempts to provide a theory of this disease. The result is entertaining and enlightening. | ||||||||
 Freidman Flat World |
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century By Tom Friedman (April 2005) After being busy with his reporting on post-9/11 and Mid-East developments, the award-winning NY Times columnist suddenly wakes up to the realization that the world is "flat". Cheap telecommunications is stimulating international competition, especially in services (telemarketing, accounting, programming, engineering, research.). Knowledge work is being outsourced to India, while manufacturing continues to be off-shored to China. This is all familiar stuff, but still has the up-close reporting & analysis that's Friedman's trademark. Well worth reading! | ||||||||
 Welch on Winning |
Winning - by Jack & Suzy Welch (April 2005) Jack Welch at 69, still shows the passion and gamesmanship that made him the fabled leader of General Electric. His new book is written with the help of his wife Suzy, a former editor of the Harvard Business Review. This book is for people at every level in business, in companies large and small. It describes Jack Welch's own core business principles and discusses the real "stuff" of work. Better than his last book. | ||||||||
 On Intelligence |
On Intelligence - how a new understanding of the brain will lead to the creation of truly intelligent machines. By Jeff Hawkins Jeff Hawkins, who created the PalmPilot, Treo smart phone and other best-selling handhelds, explains why computers are NOT intelligent and how, based on his new ideas, really intelligent machines can be built. In this book, he combines his two loves - computers and brains - to examine the future of artificial intelligence. This book is Jeff Hawkins' epiphany - indeed, he has started a new company, called Numenta, to pursue the possibilities. Jeff writes like he talks - in simple, understandable style for the average person. Good, readable book - get it! | ||||||||
 Bottomless Well |
The Bottomless Well - the twilight of fuel, the virtue of waste, and why we will never run out of energy. By Peter Huber & Mark Mills This iconoclastic book explains why energy is not scarce, why the price of energy doesn't matter very much, and why "waste" of energy is both necessary and desirable. According to Huber and Mills, the things we think we know about energy are mostly myths. They explain why demand for energy will never go down, why "energy waste" actually benefits us; why more energy-efficient products will never lower demand, and why energy supply is infinite. Across the board, energy isn't the problem, energy is the solution. Wow! read it! | ||||||||
 Singularity is Near |
The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. By Ray Kurzweil The inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil is one of the best-known advocates for the role of machines in the future of humanity. His latest book (be released soon) envisions an event—the "singularity"—in which technological change becomes so rapid and so profound that our bodies and brains will merge with our machines. He portrays what life will be like after this event—a human-machine civilization where our intelligence becomes nonbiological and trillions of times more powerful. This will be one of the most widely discussed books of 2005. | ||||||||
 Chinese Century |
The Chinese Century. The Rising Chinese Economy and Its Impact on the Global Economy, the Balance of Power, and Your Job.
By Oded Shenkar Within 20 years, maybe sooner, China will be the world’s largest economy, using modern technology and market economics with a non-democratic system controlled by the Communist party and bureaucracy. Oden Shenkar shows why China’s accelerating growth differs radically from predecessors, and how it will lead to a radical restructuring of the global business system. The US is the most vulnerable. | ||||||||
 Kurzweil - Fantastic Voyage |
Fantastic Voyage : Live Long Enough to Live Forever. By Ray Kurzweil & Terry Grossman With continuing new discoveries in genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology, it is possible to prevent nearly 90% of deadly human maladies. Respected futurist Ray Kurzweil teams up with an expert on human longevity to show how it is possible that human life can be extended indefinitely. | ||||||||
 Global Brain |
The Global Brain: The evolution of mass mind frm the big bang to the 21st. century. By: Howard Bloom An exciting tour of the universe, from original bacterial networks to modern Internet communications. Bloom explains how our networked culture is not only inevitable but essential for our survival. His book is easy to read and entertaining, showing how the rules for self-organizing and adaptive systems apply equally to ancient civilizations and modern times. Indeed, for the first time I feel I understand the underlying human causes of modern political machinations. Bloom's vision of universal self-organizing networks is startlingly simple. His grand scale of his thinking, yet clear and entertaining writing, makes this one of the most significant books I have ever read! | ||||||||
 Art of the Start |
The Art of the Start - The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide For Anyone Starting Anything. By: Guy Kawasaki What does it take to turn ideas into action? What are the elements of a perfect pitch? How do you win the war for talent? How do you establish a brand without bucks? Guy Kawasaki, former marketing maven of Apple Computer who now runs Garage Technology Ventures, provides practical answers. His book gives the essential steps to launch great products, services, and companies. It also shows managers at established companies how to unleash entrepreneurial thinking, helping them foster the pluck and creativity that their businesses need to stay ahead of the pack. Hey, entrepreneur - read this! | ||||||||
 Bungee Jumping & Cocoons |
Bungee Jumping & Cocoons: The Dual Nature of the Industrial Marketplace by John Kenworthy An entertaining and instructive review of markets - primarily the industrial market, which is where the author has experience. A marketing orientated narrative, with wonderful examples and verbal illustrations, told in an amusing narrative style. It seperates people (and companies) that hide in "cocoons" waiting for a return to "the good old days", from the bold and daring that are willing to do some "bungee jumping" to succeed. Entertaining & though-provoking book - read it! | ||||||||
 The Party's Over |
The Party's Over - Oil, war & the fate of industrial societies. By Richard Heinberg. The world is about to run out of oil, and will change dramatically as a consequnce. Contention for dwindling energy resources will lead to more and more oil wars in the Middle East and elsewhere. There will be chaos, unless the US (the world's foremost oil consumer) joins with other countries to implement a global program of conservation and sharing. Discusses social implications, with recommendations for personal, community, national, and global action. A wake-up call for humankind as the oil era winds down. | ||||||||
 Out of Gas |
Out of Gas. By David Goodstein (Pub. Feb. 2004). A physicist and vice-provost at CalTech explains in layman's terms the science behind his prediction that our oil-dependent civilization is in for a crude awakening when the world’s oil supply really begins to run out. The effects of an oil shortage can be immediate and drastic, while it may take decades, to replace the vast infrastructure that supports the manufacture, distribution, and consumption of the 20 million barrels of oil Americans alone gobble up each day. This book is not a happy read, but an important one. | ||||||||
 Dude- where's my country? |
Dude - where's my country? (Pub. Oct. 2003). According to author and filmmaker Michael Moore the people have been tricked by fat cats, gun nuts, lying politicians. When widespread dissent over war was being supressed, Moore stood on the Oscar stage in front of a billion people (Academy Award - Bowling for Columbine) and blasted the bogus president and his bogus war. This book is full of laughs that combine with clear arguments on Iraq, tax cuts, corporate welfare, the Patriot Act. Presents a broad range of a bewildered, enraged, funny and surprisingly upbeat point of view. | ||||||||
 Black Ice - Cyberterrorism |
Black Ice - the invisible threat of cyber-terrorism. By: Dan Verton. (Pub. Aug. 2003). The first book to define the clear and present danger posed by a cyber-terrorist attack on the US computer and network-dependent infrastructure. Written by former US intelligence officer Dan Verton, the book investigates how cyber-terrorism could occur, what the global and financial implications are, the impact this has on privacy and civil liberties, and how to prepare for and prevent cyber attacks. | ||||||||
 Nanocosm |
Nanocosm : Nanotechnology and the Big Changes Coming from the Inconceivably Small, By: William Atkinson (Pub. June 2003). The author makes his living by explaining technology to business types. He de-mystifies nanotechnology and describes the science and business behind it. In layman's terms, he discusses the complex science and its real near-term applications in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, information technology and many other markets. | ||||||||
 Pocket Guide |
Google Pocket Guide(Pub. July 2003) Google is a remarkably powerful and flexible search engine that indexes billions of web pages, handling more than 150 million searches a day. You know that what you're looking for must be in there somewhere, but how do you make Google work for you? The book includes making the most of Google's special syntaxes, hidden options, and powerful combinations. | ||||||||
 Next big thing - really small |
The Next Big Thing Is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business, by Jack Uldrich & Deb Newberry(Pub. March 2003) Business Week has named Nanotechnology one of the "Ten Technologies That Will Change Our Lives". This book shows why. Uldrich and Newberry explain how atoms and molecules are manipulated to create useful materials, devices, and systems: materials 100 times stronger than steel but lighter than plastic, superdrugs that eradicate cancer cells without side effects, self-assembling minibots that can reproduce any substance at the atomic level. Nanotech is NOT far off - within a decade it will have huge effects on manufacturing, health care, energy, agriculture, communications, transportation, and electronics; it will be a $1 trillion business and will create 2 million new jobs. Read this book to get with it! | ||||||||
 Arundhati Roy War Talk |
War Talk: by Arundhati Roy (April 2003) The Booker prize-winning Indian writer has written some significant essays in the UK Guardian, among others. In her new book, she boldly addresses the questions of power and its abuse, and the transformation of powerlessness via dissent and activism into a force for positive change. In her clear, analytical style and direct, uncompromising language, she discusses the mess in the Middle East. Her interpretations of US foreign policy are razor-sharp, and she exposes the insidious influence of mega-corporations and the political power-structure. Her prose is fluent, her understanding of global politics is crystal clear, her book is uplifting and motivating. Read this significant author, and browse her website for more of her mind-stirring essays. | ||||||||
 Shostak et al Utopian Ideas |
Viable Utopian Ideas: Shaping a better world - Art Shostak et al A better world comes by first imagining it. This is a new volume of essays from futurists, scientists, scholars, planners, and others in the futurist community. The book was edited by Prof. Art Shostak, sociology professor at Drexel University. It includes my own essay: "Soft Solutions for Hard Problems". Wide-ranging topics covered include future social developments, a world without war, space exploration, immortality, education, religion. Explore your own utopian side - read it! | ||||||||
 Chris Hedges - On War |
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning - by Chris Hedges War appeals to the human psyche; to many people, it provides a purpose for living. It allows individuals to rise above regular life and participate in a noble cause. Hedges, a veteran NY Times war correspondent, draws on his experiences covering wars all over the world to look at what makes it so intoxicating for soldiers, politicians and ordinary people. He describes the devastating effects on life, community and culture, the corruption of business and government. He discusses outbreaks of nationalism, the wartime silencing of intellectuals and artists, the ways in the press glorifies the battlefield. Chris Hedges acknowledges that people need to battle evil; he argues not for pacifism, but for responsibility on the part of those who wage war. An important book to read as you think about the war with Iraq. | ||||||||
 Friedman - Longitudes & Attitudes |
Longitudes & Attitudes - Exploring the world after Sept. 11 - by Thomas L. Friedman This collection of NY Times columns is a startling and straight-talking post-9/11 diary. Friedman is Foreign Affairs columnist and 3-times Pulitzer prizewinner. He raises questions, gives answers and provides perspectives from inside and outside the US. Stranded in Israel during the 9/11 attacks, he travelled throughout the Middle East, discovering how the terrorist attacks affected the region, uncovering the roots of anti-American sentiment. Unapologetically pro-American, Friedman's thoughts on what changed centers on the strengths of American society and our place in the world. | ||||||||
 Drucker - Managing in the Next Society |
Managing in the Next Society - By: Peter Drucker Perhaps the management guru's last book (he is 92). Peter Drucker covers technology and society trends, emerging industries, management and sociological changes. He tracks US business movement away from manufacturing to service and distribution, with new discussions on emerging biotechnology and knowledge management. Drucker provides valuable insights into a fast-changing society, and his depth and wisdom shine through. This easy-to-read book will help you to gain a broad perspective on the changes that are flooding over this new century. | ||||||||
 Howard Zinn - 20th Century History |
The Twentieth Century - a People's History - By: Howard Zinn This unusual book turns traditional textbook history on its head. Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of the forgotten masses to provide a rich and realistic portrait of the US in the past century. If you've only read high-school textbooks, get ready for the other side of stories you may not even have heard. Matt Damon, playing a troubled genius in the movie Goodwill Hunting, tells his psychologist (played by Robin Williams) that Zinn’s book "will knock you on your ass!" Read it! | ||||||||
 Michael Crichton PREY |
PREY (A novel) - By: Michael Crichton(Pub. Nov. 25, 2002). The author of Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park describes the perils of Nanotechnology in his new thriller. The introduction includes quotes from Eric Drexler and others about the real dangers of this emerging science. PREY takes us into nanotech and artificial distributed intelligence. A cloud of nanoparticles has escaped from the lab - self-sustaining, self-reproducing micro-robots. The cloud is intelligent and learns from experience. It is "alive" and has been programmed as a predator, evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour. Humans are its prey. Nanotech is real! Read this book! | ||||||||
 Dick Morley - Out of the Barn |
Out of the Barn. By: Dick Morley(Pub. Oct. 2002). Inventor, author, consultant and engineer Dick Morley is best known as the as the father of the programmable controller. For several years, Dick's column Under Control in the magazine Manufacturing Systems brought up some ground-breaking concepts, presented with characteristic Morley humor-with-a-kick and make-you-think challenges. If you know Dick Morley, you'll enjoy reading this to refresh your mind; if you don't know him, you will - when you read this book! | ||||||||
 Mulhall - Our Molecular Future |
Our Molecular Future: How Nanotech, Robotics, Genetics & Artificial Intelligence will transform our World. (Pub. July 2002). Technology breakthroughs could create breathtaking changes ahead, predicts Douglas Mulhall in his new book. He pictures every home having a desktop fabricator, able to create any three-dimensional object desired; he envisions being able to change the color of a car, or clothes; he believes that nanotechnology will bring technological advances that will change every aspect of our world, including our own species. Good book - read it! | ||||||||
 D'Souza - What's great about America |
What's so great about America. By : Dinesh D'Souza (Pub. April 2002) Look again - this is not a question, but a statement. "America is the greatest, freest, and most decent society in existence," writes Dinesh D'Souza. "American life is the best that our world has to offer." There are those who hate it, from radical Islamists, to the likes of Patrick Buchanan (on the right) and Jesse Jackson (on the left). But they are wrong. Dinesh D'Souza (like me, originally from India) grapples with all of them in this engaging and compelling book. | ||||||||
 Wolfram - A New Kind of Science |
A New Kind of Science. By : Stephen Wolfram
(Pub. May 2002) Physics and computer science genius Stephen Wolfram sets his sights on understanding the universe. This long-awaited work from one of the world's most respected scientists presents a series of dramatic discoveries never before made public. In this gorgeous, 1,280-page tome, more than a decade in the making, Wolfram outlines a fundamental new way of modeling complex systems. | ||||||||
 Stock - Redesigning Humans |
Redesigning Humans - our inevitable genetic future By : Gregory Stock (Pub. June 2002) Beyond the prospect of human cloning, future technological advances will result in far more meaningful and controversial changes in our offspring. As scientists rapidly improve their ability to identify and manipulate genes, people will inevitably want to protect their future children from diseases, help them live longer, and possibly even influence their looks and their abilities. Don't shy away from this subject - read about practical genetic choice! | ||||||||
 Denning - The Invisible Future |
The Invisibe Future - The seamless integration of technology into everyday life. Essays, edited by : Peter J. Denning
(Pub. Oct. 2001) Leading visionaries discuss the future of information technology - how will E-commerce and E-consumers interact in 2020? What will the relationship between man and machine, man and information, and information and machine mean for future generations? Elite group of 17 business and academic leaders answers these and other strategically critical questions. Includes never-before published essays by: Rodney Brooks, Michael Dertouzos, Alan Kay, Ray Kurzweil, Bob Metcalfe and more. Easy, entertaining and worthwhile - read it! | ||||||||
 Brooks - How robots will change us |
Flesh and Machines - How robots will change us By : Rodney Allen Brooks The world of HAL and Data, of sentient machines, is fast approaching. Indeed, in some ways it has already arrived, as humans incorporate bionic technology and as humanlike machines increasingly take on the work of humans. MIT professor Rodney Brooks has been involved in this transformation for decades. Good new book (Feb. 2002) - read it! | ||||||||
 Moore - Crossing the Chasm |
Crossing thew Chasm - Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers. By : Geoffrey Moore Moore's "chasm" theory describes how high-tech products initially sell well, mainly to visionaries and early adopters, but then hit a lull as they try to cross the chasm to mainstream buyers. Moore describes how to move slowly through the gulf, by focusing on specific segments of the market rather than trying to waste time and money by jumping right into the mainstream. This updated edition of the 1991 classic is a MUST-READ for all Marketing people. | ||||||||
 Broderick The Spike |
The Spike - How Our Lives Are Being Transformed By Rapidly Advancing Technologies.
By : Damien Broderick Many leading thinkers believe that the acceleration of change is increasing so sharply that the future is not just unknowable but unrecognizable. Broderick is a respected interpreter of science and technology who sees the connections and synthesizes diverse areas of knowlegde. A provocative and lucid account of technology developments that may lead to "The Singularity", or as Broderick calls it, "the Spike". | ||||||||
 Moody & Sharma Perfect Engine |
The Perfect Engine - How to win in the new demand economy by building to order with fewer resources. By : Anand Sharma & Patricia Moody Excellent insights into new production methodologies - the new bible for how to improve manufacturing in the new age. Excellent and insightful writing that combines Six Sigma and lean manufacturing, beyond just the buzz-words. To become a Manufacturing guru - read this book! | ||||||||
 Jack Welch From the gut |
Jack - Straight from the gut. By : Jack Welch Lots of interesting anecdotes and background by the man who brought GE into the new century, with a market-cap of $ half-trillion. Jack Welch established himself as one of the most-admired business leaders in the world, and this book was written just as he retired, after closing down his last deal - the Honeywell merger. He gives a lot of background on the negotiations with the European Commission's Mario Monti, but doesn't tell much about why GE just didn't think Honeywell was worth it in the end. Good reading - buy one & read it! | ||||||||
 John deGraaf et al - Affluenza |
Affluenza - The all-consuming epidemic. By : John deGraaf, David Wann, Thomas Naylor. Eye-opening, soul-prodding look at the excess of affluent western societies. If you are uncomfortable about your own ruthless consumption or sigh at the hurried pace of your own life, you may already be ill with "affluenza". This is something akin to "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more." It is a powerful virus running rampant in our society, infecting our souls, affecting our wallets and financial well-being, and threatening to destroy not only the environment but also our families and communities. Good book - stop, buy one and read it! | ||||||||
 P2P : Harnessing Disruptive Technologies |
P2P - Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies. Edited By : Andrew Oram. This book is a collection of chapters written by the people who are driving the state of the art in the P2P space. Networks of computers at the "edge" of the Internet are offering valuable services without the burden of building and administering large, centralized systems. This book is NOT about how to build the next Napster system. Rather, it aims to get people thinking about what happens when information systems shift away from the client-server model and toward the peer-to-peer model. Excellent reading ! | ||||||||
 Knoke - Bold New World |
Bold New World - The essential road map to the 21st. century. By : William Knoke. Describes economics, communication and relationships in the third millennium. What Future Shock was for the 1970s and Megatrends for the 1980s, Bold New World (1997) sought to be for the late 1990s and the new century. The world will be a placeless society as cyberspace transactions replace the need to be anywhere. Sections of the book begin with vignettes involving individuals in various situations. In audio, these are particularly effective because the voices combine international, generic, sci-fi and high-tech tones. These voices aptly convey the placelessness described in the text. 
The audio-cassette is not available new, but you can get a used copy through Amazon : click here.
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 George Gilder - Telecosm |
Telecosm - How infinite bandwidth will revolutionize our world. By : George Gilder. This new (Sept. 2000) long-awaited book is a bible of the new age of communications. To seek the key to the future, look to communication power, or bandwidth, which is exploding; its abundance is the most important fact of our time. One of the great technological visionaries of this age, Gilder's track record of futurist predictions is one of the best. Equal parts science story, business history, social analysis and prediction, this book makes sense of the titanic changes underway. It is difficult to read - but read it! | ||||||||
 Satinover - The Quantum Brain |
The Quantum Brain - The Search for Freedom and the next generation of Man.
By : Jeffrey Satinover. By noted psychiatrist, researcher, and critically acclaimed author Jeffrey Satinover, this is a look at the convergence of brain science, biological computation and quantum physics, and what it implies about our minds, our selves, our future. Do we really have free will or do we just imagine we do? Do we create our own destinies, or are we merely machines? Will the machines we are now making themselves have free will? Significant book - Read it ! | ||||||||
 Dertouzos - Unfinished Revolution |
The Unfinished Revolution - Human centered computers and what they can do for us.
By : Michael Dertouzos. Dertouzos has headed up the MIT Computer Lab for more than 25 years. His new (2001) book makes a compelling case for "human-centric computing" to dramatically reduce techno-aggravation, while improving productivity and effectiveness. Written for computer users, and for technologists who design and build them, this book connects a strong vision of the near future with practical ways to help create that future. You've probably read Dertouzos' 1997 bestseller What Will Be. If you enjoyed that - you'll like this one!
Note : You might like to listen to audio-cassettes in the car - good way to absorb good stuff!
For the audio-cassette (or CD), click here.
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 Ray Kurzweil - Age of Spiritual Machines |
The Age of Spiritual Machines - When computers exceed human intelligence. By : Ray Kurzweil. Imagine a world where the difference between man and mahine blurs, where the line between humanity and technology fades, where the soul and the silicon chip unite. This is not science-fiction. This is the 21st. century, according to Ray Kurzweil, the "restless genius" (Wall Street Journal) and inventor of the most compelling technology of our era. This book is no mere list of predictions, but a prophetic blueprint for the future. This is the book that started me off in new directions - Read it! | ||||||||
 Moody & Morley - The Technology Machine |
The Technology Machine - How Manufacturing will work in the Year 2020. By : Patricia Moody & Dick Morley. Dick Morley is the inventor of the Programmable logic controller (PLC), now housed in the Smithsonian Institute. Dick is founder or co-founder of more than 10 companies including Modicon and Andover Controls. Moody & Morley supply simple guidelines for future growth and detail their vision for future systems, leaders and workers. Lots of predictions & progonostications, with Morley mind-stretch. A must read ! | ||||||||
 Peter Drucker - Management Challenges for 21st Century |
Management Challenges for the 21st Century By : Peter Drucker Drucker's most recent book (2000) includes new and revolutionary ideas and perspectives on the central management issues of the new century by the most important management thinker of our time. At 91 (born 1909) Drucker is more than ever incisive, challenging and mind-stretching. This new book is forward-looking and forward thinking. Those who prepare themelves for these challenges today will be the new leaders and will dominate tomorrow. If you are in management of any kind, you must read this book!
Note : You might like to listen to audio-cassettes in the car - I listened to Drucker's 21st century tapes repeating for a month.
For the audio-cassettes (set of 4), click here.
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 The Symbiotic Man - Joel de Rosnay |
The Symbiotic Man - A new understanding of the organization of life and a vision of the future. By : Joel de Rosnay. A powerful, new scientific methodology promises to dramatically recast our concept of nature and mankinds's place in it. This is Chaos Theory - the sciences of Complexity and Self-organization. Organic chemist, computer scientist, visionary, Joel de Rosnay has been at the forefront of the complexity movement for nearly 30 years. This book has just been published (March 2000) - read it! | ||||||||
 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding - Ries & Ries |
The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding By : Al & Laura Ries. Al Ries, the Marketing guru (classic : Positioning - the Battle for Your Mind) and his daughter, have come up with a new book (May 2000). The 11 "immutable" laws are counterintuitive and debatable, but nevertheless make excellent marketing sense. Only history will tell us if these laws are truly immutable, but one thing is certain now: there's not a paragraph that isn't provocative in some way. Read it! Or, you might like to listen to an audio-tape in your car - good way to absorb this excellent marketing discussion. For the audio-cassette, click here. | ||||||||
 Talent makes Capital Dance |
Funky Business : Talent makes capital dance By : Riddersraale & Nordstrom. The challenge of the new economy is not the Internet, but the ways to make the most intelligent and innovative use of the real capital of the enterprise: talent. Authors Riddersraale and Nordstrom are based at the Stockholm School of Economics. They are comsummate showmen, judging from the way they’ve marketed their book, with shaven heads, leather jackets and a state-of-the-art website: http://www.funkybusiness.com | ||||||||
 Digital Capital - Business Webs |
Digital Capital - Harnessing the Power of Business Webs By : Don Tapscott, David Ticoll, Alex Lowy. The new paradigm for growth and success is the "business web". These are strategically aligned, multi-enterprise partner networks of producers, suppliers, service providers, infrastructure companies and customers that conduct business communication and transactions via digital channels. The enterprise that succeeds today forms lateral partnerships with other goods-or-service providers and eliminates the role of planes, trains, and trucks - time, money and human energy. Don Tapscott and two other cyberconsultants outline a process you can follow to weave a b-web of your own. Take a look at how how online business is rewiring 21st-century capitalism. | ||||||||
 Michael Dertouzos - What Will Be |
What Will Be - How the new world of information will change our lives. By : Michael Dertouzos. In the new century, the world will be different. The information revolution will transform our society and economy as thoroughly as did the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. Dertouzos heads the MIT Lab for Computer Science - birthplace of many of the high-tech products and processes that surround us today. To keep abreast, read this entertaining and easy to understand book. You'll enjoy it! | ||||||||
 Negroponte - Being Digital |
Being Digital By : Nicholas Negroponte. An edited version of the 18 articles written by the founder of MIT's Media Lab for Wired magazine about "being digital". This excellent book provides an informative history of the rise of technology and some interesting predictions for its future. In the last chapter and the epilogue, Negroponte offers visionary insight on what "being digital" means for our future. These predictions are even more applicable today than they were when this book was written half a decade ago.
An entertaining way to digest Being Digital is to listen to the audio tape. | ||||||||
 Joel Kotkin - The New Geography |
The New Geography - How the Digital Revolution is Reshaping the American Landscape.
By : Joel Kotkin. It is well accepted that the digital economy's rise has turned America's established economic and social geography on its head in a manner not seen since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Many also believe that with the explosion of the Internet and new communications technologies - and our growing freedom to work from anywhere - place no longer matters. My friend Joel Kotkin has written a groundbreaking appraisal of how the digital revolution is radically redefining where Americans live and work. Curl up with it, and think new millennium ! | ||||||||
 Tom Petzinger - The New Pioneers |
The New Pioneers - The Men and Women who are transforming the workplace and marketplace. By : Thomas Petzinger, Jr. About the powerful revolution that is reshaping the face of American business and creating an opportunity-rich economy. The vanguards of change are most visible in spectacularly successful innovative and growth-orientated small companies. Tom Petzinger spent many years at The Wall Street Journal and is a prizewinning business author and financial journalist. Understand the people-revolution - read this book! | ||||||||
 Eric Drexler - Engines of Creation |
Engines of Creation - The coming era of Nanotechnology.
By : K. Eric Drexler. This book (1986) started the revolution and Drexler is now considered to be the father of Nanotechnology - where products are built atom by atom, assembly machines much smaller even than living cells. Tiny devices that can travel along capilliaries to enter and repair living cells. Many think that this will be one of the major revolutions of the new century. The book is easy to read - read it! | ||||||||
 James Gleick - Chaos |
CHAOS - Making a New Science
By : James Glieck.
This book (1987) introduced Chaos Theory and brought about the resurgence of interest in the new science of complexity. Chaos offers a way of seeing order and pattern where formerly only random, erratic, unpredictable - chaotic - had been observed. This addresses questions every child has wondered about : how clouds form, how smoke rises, how water eddies in a stream. When you read this book, you'll never look at the world in quite the same way. Get it now! | ||||||||
 James Gleick - Faster |
FSTR - The Acceleration of just about everything
By : James Glieck.
The time-saving devices that have come about in the last 25 years haven't freed up time - they simply fill it with more activity. Gleick, the author of Chaos, shows how the sheer speed of activity in our lives has changed us. Never ever have so many had so much to do in so little time. Technology, media and economics have accelerated the pace of everyday experience. This book makes you stop and think - if you have the time to read it. Hey! If you don't have the time to read, you might save time and listen to the audio-tape in your car! | ||||||||
 The Cluetrain Manifesto |
The Cluetrain Manifesto - The End of Business as Usual. Networked markets are beginning to self-organize faster than the companies that have traditionally served them. Thanks to the web, markets are becoming better informed, smarter, and more demanding of qualities missing from most business organizations. Tom Petzinger Jr. the author of The New Pioneers writes in his introduction : "I've seen the future of business, and it is The Cluetrain Manifesto. - Read it ! | ||||||||
 Penny Pincher's Guide |
The Penny Pincher's Guide to Luxury Travel
By : Joel Widzer. Follow the advice laid out in this cute book and you may find yourself travelling first class most of the time - especially if you travel often and stick like glue to one company. Grateful airlines and hotels often respond to such brand loyalty with free seat or room upgrades. Widzer knows all the ropes and shares strategies for saving money while regularly going first-class on airlines, hotel rooms and car rental upgrades. Take this book along on your next airline trip, and you'll never go coach again... | ||||||||
 Writings Index |
Index of all JimPinto writings Take a look at a chronological index of all JimPinto writings and poetry. | ||||||||
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Copyright 2000 : Jim Pinto, San Diego, CA, USA