Reviews

Reviews of books, comics, movies, and other random stuff.

Me, in a green "Freed Between the Lines." hoodie.

Playing with the Kindle, Playing with the Future

SciFi Hall Of Fame by TahoeSunsets
SciFi Hall Of Fame by TahoeSunsets

A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.

–Sidney J. Harris

It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of eBooks or eReaders, but there’s no question they’re growing in popularity… at least amongst technology companies. While the hype coming out of last week’s Consumer Electronics Show was so over-the-top it’s difficult to take any of these new devices seriously, it does make you appreciate a bit more the huge advantages Amazon has with its Kindle.

Publishing Perspectives’ editor Edward Nawotka stirred up some controversy last week with his opinion that the current breed of eReaders were good enough, noting, “My septuagenarian mother is delighted with her first-generation Kindle.”

My thirty-something wife – an avid reader, elementary school teacher and generally a late-adopter – also enjoys her Kindle (a birthday gift from me in November 2008), mainly to read books she’s either unfamiliar with or unwilling to buy in hardcover. But it’s not going to become her primary reading option any time soon. Among her criticisms are the limited selection of books she wants to read; inelegant navigation and annotation functionality; and, in her words, “Everyone talks about portability, but what’s more portable than a book?”

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Me, in a green "Freed Between the Lines." hoodie.

Dialect of a Skirt by Erica Miriam Fabri

Erica is a great poet, one whose work I’ve had the pleasure of publishing in Spindle; she’s also a friend, so take my recommendation (and criticism) with a grain of salt. Generally speaking, I prefer my poetry a la carte or in thematic anthologies; I’m not a fan of individual collections of poetry unless a poet has a significant body of work that can be editorially curated with an unbiased eye. Erica Miriam Fabri’s Dialect of a Skirt (Hanging Loose Press, 2009) is a welcome exception to my rule; while arguably 10-15 pages longer than necessary, it’s an engaging collection…

Continue ReadingDialect of a Skirt by Erica Miriam Fabri
Me, in a green "Freed Between the Lines." hoodie.

Review: GROUNDSWELL, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

Groundswell
Groundswell

Solid info and insights, coupled with clear (if sometimes incomplete) case studies make GROUNDSWELL: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (Harvard Business School Press; 2008) ideal for the C-Suite skeptic and those trying to influence their embrace of socialization. Published last year, and working primarily from data collected in 2007, it holds up reasonably well as a “proof of concept” vehicle, and as such, is a perfect companion to Geoff Livingston’s NOW IS GONE: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs.

Basically, the “groundswell” is Water Cooler 2.0 — people using technology to share their thoughts and opinions about products and services they love and loathe — and GROUNDSWELL makes a smart, practical case for listening, tapping, embracing and empowering that groundswell for the best competitive advantage of all: a passionate customer.

Co-authors Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, both analysts with Forrester Research, take pains to keep things simple, writing in a style that’s one step above “Social Media for Dummies”, presenting a step-by-step strategic approach to understanding and leveraging their “groundswell” premise which wisely focuses on PEOPLE and OBJECTIVES before technology.

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Me, in a green "Freed Between the Lines." hoodie.

Review: NOW IS GONE by Geoff Livingston

Now Is Gone
Now Is Gone

With the Internet continuing to evolve at a dizzying pace, where six months can feel like six years, most printed books about new media are outdated by the time they hit bookstore shelves. One published back in 2007 should, by all rights, be completely worthless at this point.

That Geoff Livingston’s now is gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs (Bartleby Press, November 2007) still holds up is a testament to his wisely focusing on “social media principles rather than tactics” and offering a practical take on the opportunities and challenges new media technologies have introduced to the marketing mix.

For “traditional media” organizations, new media has been a remarkably disruptive force, leveling the playing field for consumers and marketers alike to connect without traditional intermediaries, and enabling both to become influential and competitive content producers themselves. The learning curve for successful integration of new media into a traditional media organization can be steep, leaving all but the savviest executives in the dark about how to proceed.

The future impact of social media on marketing will be felt throughout all disciplines. When there are vast changes in the way people communicate, like social media, marketing tactics and entire programs need to be rethought. For some more consumer-based industries, a shift in marketing means an even more dramatic organizational change.

Credited as being written “with Brian Solis” — the hyperbolic PR 2.0 guru seemingly afflicted with Munchausen by proxy syndrome and a flair for belaboring the obvious — Livingston’s more rational voice is, thankfully, dominant throughout. While there is nothing particularly revelatory here that any savvy marketing professional shouldn’t already be familiar with, most will appreciate its recognition of social media as a fundamental piece of the marketing mix, part of a long-term strategy tied to a company’s core values, and not a short-term tactic tied to the latest new shiny du jour.

Everyone thinks it’s a revolution, when in reality it’s a return to old-fashioned values. Relationships and values in the sense of the baker, the butcher and general store owners down on Main Street… By talking with its community rather than at them, a company becomes an integral part of those communities.

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Me, in a green "Freed Between the Lines." hoodie.

Amazon Rank, #AmazonFail

Amazon Rank = #amazonfail
Amazon Rank = #amazonfail

I’m probably one of Amazon.com’s favorite types of customers, living and working in spitting distance of a Barnes & Noble, Borders and several good independent booksellers, browsing their shelves but doing most of my book buying via Amazon. Over the years, I’ve spent thousands of dollars with them, on books (and other products) for myself and others, including the Kindle I bought for my wife last Fall as a birthday gift.

I’ve contributed 113 reviews to their database to-date, and currently have a reviewer rank of 3,064 on the basis of 864 helpful votes. I was a charter reviewer in their Amazon Vine initiative, and have used their Amazon Associates program for years on this blog and with Spindle.

I think they have helped level the playing field in the publishing world and opened the door for savvy independent authors and publishers to distribute their work without going through the traditional gatekeepers.

Suffice to say, I’m a big fan, so it pisses me off to be writing a post like this in response to their screwing up royally with their Amazon Rank fiasco that’s burning up Twitter at the moment and is spilling over into the longer-lasting blogiverse/Google memory bank.

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The Force is Strong in Him

My 8-year-old son has become a huge Star Wars fan over the past several months, without overt encouragement, as he’s now seen all seven movies, and the new Clone Wars animated series has become appointment viewing for us almost every Friday night.

He has three lightsabers, two of which he bought with his own allowance; Lego Star Wars, which has dominated his weekend Wii-time since Christmas; several books and graphic novels; plus, we were both eyeballing the Star Wars edition of Electronic Battleship a couple of weeks ago at Toys R Us, and he’s already asking about a Darth Vader helmet w/voice changer for next Halloween!

Interestingly, Revenge of the Sith (which I reluctantly let him watch after months of begging) and Return of the Jedi are his two favorites in the series; Anakin Skywalker — and by extension, Darth Vader — is his favorite character.

It’s been fascinating rediscovering George Lucas’ remarkable universe, that I was initially introduced to at around the same age and was similarly enthralled, through his completely unjaded eyes. I’ve even come to appreciate his take on Anakin, who was so clumsily brought to life by the lethal combination of Lucas’ hamfisted scripting and lazy directing and the amazingly awful acting of Hayden Christensen, but so completely revitalized by the voice acting of Matt Lanter. While Christensen was unable to convincingly portray Anakin’s tortured, fast-forwarded evolution to the dark side on-screen, Lanter is having a ball voicing the cocky, impetuous Jedi whose successes in battle lay the foundation for the fierce Sith Lord I grew up with, and has made me a fan, too.

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Me, in a green "Freed Between the Lines." hoodie.

Garden Photography, Writing and Planthropology

I went to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum a few weeks ago to check out Ken Druse give a presentation of his amazing new book, Planthropology: The Myths, Mysteries, and Miracles of My Garden Favorites, and took my wife’s fancy new camera with me to take pictures.

After the presentation, I wandered the snow-covered grounds of the Arboretum and took a few pictures before heading over to Greenwood Gardens for a rare tour of the grounds and took a ton more pictures. While far from the level of Druse’s work, I think I did pretty good for the first time, while also realizing I’m more of a tree, statuary and structural person than plants, though the time of year could have had something to do with that. Check them out on Flickr (plus a few below the cut).

Speaking of Druse, if you asked him what his favorite plant is, his answer would most likely be “whichever one I’m looking at. Every plant has an incredible story.”

In Planthropology, he proves his point, engagingly bringing plants of all kinds to vivid life with entertaining and enlightening stories that will intrigue gardeners and non-gardeners alike. It’s a visual feast that will make waiting for warmer weather to return more bearable, and it’s not just inspirational reading for avid gardeners, but also an ideal gift for helping family and friends get a better appreciation for your own passion, perhaps even inspiring them to get outside and join you.

My second stab at garden writing for Horticulture came out of this trip, too, along with a whole new appreciation for gardening and gardeners themselves.

 

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