Sam Savage's first novel, Firmin, chronicled the coming-of-age misadventures of a very literate rat living in a bookstore in Boston's Scollay Square. Garnering praise from authors and...
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This is a very good book, but it's not remarkable. However it is about trying to be remarkable, and while what Godin says is very useful, it's also nothing new. I've seen this book get a lot of hype, and I can see why it has gotten such hype, especially with the current economy, and businesses wanting to stand out and be more relevant, and certainly Godin exemplifies what he talks about, as is evidenced by Squidoo and his books. At the same time, what would have made Purple Cow remarkable would be more than just telling stories of what other people have done. Providing some exercises, or some in-depth case studies, as opposed to brief anecdotes provided, may have made it remarkable. Unfortunately, and ironically, with this book Godin has fallen into the very trap he discusses in it: His ideas have become so commonplace, they are no longer remarkable.
This proved to be a very useful read, because it spells out the necessity of determining when you should quit something and when you should pursue it. It's a short book, but you will want to take your time and think about what the author suggests, especially because quitting is so foreign to us. However by spending some time looking at what you are doing and if it's something you can really commit to, you can save yourself a lot of time, money, and effort. I wish I had read this before before I embarked on my ph.d program years ago. It certainly would've saved me a lot of time and effort. In anycase, I highly recommend reading this book, as it will help you prioritize what really matters in your life.
While I don't think it's realistic to try and do social media marketing on one hour a day, especially with the amount of work involved, what I appreciate about this book is the attention the author gives to the strategy behind social media marketing. The author provides resources and worksheets that the reader can use to help them plan out their social media strategy, and also details what the reader will need to do in terms of actually engaging their audience as opposed to just advertising to them. Best of all what this author writes about can be applied across a variety of social media technologies, even if and when that technology changes.
In this book, Hall explores the intricacies of time and space from a cultural studies perspective. Although this book is a bit dated, the information is still very relevant, and what Hell offers is an examination of how much our perception of time influences our cultural and everyday interactions. For example, learning just how tightly time is wound for Americans as opposed to other cultures is quite insightful to the workaholicism that pervades American culture. Hall touches on some aspects of space as well, though you'll find more of his thoughts on it, in the hidden dimension. What I most enjoyed about this book is an exploration of time from a social science perspective as opposed to a hard science perspective. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in understanding concepts of space and time.
As always, I find myself intrigued by the depth of exploration that Evola brings to any of his books. In this book he discusses the earliest Buddhist texts and makes some persuasive arguments against how Buddhism is currently perceived. The analysis of the texts and techniques as well as instructions on the techniques makes for a very insightful read. I got a lot out of the book and undoubtedly will get even more when I re-read the book.
This book isn't for the casual reader. Evola's writing is very dense and heady. You will likely need to re-read some of his passages to fully grasp what he is conveying, but once you do grasp, your understanding will be solid. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Buddhist mysticism or meditational practices.
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Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
Taylor, November 7, 2009
This is a very good book, but it's not remarkable. However it is about trying to be remarkable, and while what Godin says is very useful, it's also nothing new. I've seen this book get a lot of hype, and I can see why it has gotten such hype, especially with the current economy, and businesses wanting to stand out and be more relevant, and certainly Godin exemplifies what he talks about, as is evidenced by Squidoo and his books. At the same time, what would have made Purple Cow remarkable would be more than just telling stories of what other people have done. Providing some exercises, or some in-depth case studies, as opposed to brief anecdotes provided, may have made it remarkable. Unfortunately, and ironically, with this book Godin has fallen into the very trap he discusses in it: His ideas have become so commonplace, they are no longer remarkable.The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin
Taylor, November 4, 2009
This proved to be a very useful read, because it spells out the necessity of determining when you should quit something and when you should pursue it. It's a short book, but you will want to take your time and think about what the author suggests, especially because quitting is so foreign to us. However by spending some time looking at what you are doing and if it's something you can really commit to, you can save yourself a lot of time, money, and effort. I wish I had read this before before I embarked on my ph.d program years ago. It certainly would've saved me a lot of time and effort. In anycase, I highly recommend reading this book, as it will help you prioritize what really matters in your life.Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day by Dave Evans
Taylor, October 31, 2009
While I don't think it's realistic to try and do social media marketing on one hour a day, especially with the amount of work involved, what I appreciate about this book is the attention the author gives to the strategy behind social media marketing. The author provides resources and worksheets that the reader can use to help them plan out their social media strategy, and also details what the reader will need to do in terms of actually engaging their audience as opposed to just advertising to them. Best of all what this author writes about can be applied across a variety of social media technologies, even if and when that technology changes.The Silent Language by Edward T Hall
Taylor, October 19, 2009
In this book, Hall explores the intricacies of time and space from a cultural studies perspective. Although this book is a bit dated, the information is still very relevant, and what Hell offers is an examination of how much our perception of time influences our cultural and everyday interactions. For example, learning just how tightly time is wound for Americans as opposed to other cultures is quite insightful to the workaholicism that pervades American culture. Hall touches on some aspects of space as well, though you'll find more of his thoughts on it, in the hidden dimension. What I most enjoyed about this book is an exploration of time from a social science perspective as opposed to a hard science perspective. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in understanding concepts of space and time.The Doctrine of Awakening: The Attainment of Self-Mastery According to the Earliest Buddhist Texts by Julius Evola
Taylor, October 18, 2009
As always, I find myself intrigued by the depth of exploration that Evola brings to any of his books. In this book he discusses the earliest Buddhist texts and makes some persuasive arguments against how Buddhism is currently perceived. The analysis of the texts and techniques as well as instructions on the techniques makes for a very insightful read. I got a lot out of the book and undoubtedly will get even more when I re-read the book.This book isn't for the casual reader. Evola's writing is very dense and heady. You will likely need to re-read some of his passages to fully grasp what he is conveying, but once you do grasp, your understanding will be solid. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Buddhist mysticism or meditational practices.
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