I was surprised to find myself really enjoying this book, given the subject matter. More importantly, it covered the subject matter well. I also found it easier to retain ideas because of the novel style.

This is one of the reference books I keep in my studio.It covers techinques on materials that are not covered in other sources. The set up of the book is logical and helps one to understand the materials and techinques valuable to a sculptor focusing on the figure and other forms of expression. So valuable are these techiques as they offer a sculptor the opportunity to quickly create his design with the use of fairly inexpensive materials. i highly recommend this book to anyone serious about sculpture.

This is a great casebook! Anyone who has sat through a law school class knows that most casebooks are pretty bad. They are filled with pointless cases and most lack a solid narrative to help "connect the dots," so to speak, between the various concepts in the course. Not this book, though! Prof. McDermott (a partner at a prestigious NYC firm) has written perhaps the best casebook I've used so far in my legal studies. The cases are well chosen and clear; the narrative is very instructive, and there are plenty of examples of model corporate finance documents and materials (e.g. indentures, arts. of incorp., statutes, etc). The course practically teaches itself with this book! I, like many law students, normally rely heavily on secondary source outlines (e.g. Gilberts) for exam prep in each class. However, this casebook is so good that I honestly feel no need whatsoever to seek out commercial outlines to prepare me for the exam! This is a top notch book-- all professors and students of the legal aspects of corporate finance should give it a look.

This is a very interesting book in explaining how to initiate communities of practice, their lifecycle and their role in the sharing and development of knowledge. Over the last ten or twenty years there has been much written about new organizational structures and the emerging importance of developing and retaining knowledge within corporations. Wenger, McDermott and Snyder approach this topic from a social perspective and apply some standard community building concepts to "communities of practice". This contrasts much of the popular thinking on these topics that tend to overemphasize the role of technology in helping to build communities or address knowledge management issues.

Cultivating Communities of Practice is and excellent handbook for anyone involved in the setup, participation or stewardship of "communities of practice" within a corporation. I would though suggest that the emphasis is on "corporation", which in some cases implies individuals having some predetermined alignment (presumably with the interests of the corporation). There is some very good discussion at the end of the book covering communities of practice outside of the corporation with and some review of supply chains and 3rd sector examples, although very limited coverage. It was noted that the focus has been on corporations as this is where there are solid examples of these practices. Hopefully a future book will address this area in more depth.

This book is identified as "A Guide to Managing Knowledge", and it does fit this description well. If you still believe that technology can be the primary component of a knowledge management strategy, then you need this book to better understand the nature of knowledge management in terms of communities of practice.

Writing a good book on the topic of communities of practice must a difficult task. The research challenge arises from the difficulty of finding hard data in a soft subject. The complexity of human interactions in groups defies neat categorizations and explanations. The authors of this highly readable volume do better than you might expect. Combining their deep knowledge in the subject with examples from a range of large companies (Shell Oil, Hewlett-Packard, Ben & Jerry's), they explain how this promising aspect of knowledge management and organizational culture can work. Along with stories about communities of practice at various stages of development, the authors succeed in providing a fairly well-developed scheme for these communities and their care and feeding.

A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis. This book explains the potential value of CoPs, their structural elements, principles for crafting CoPs, analyzes their stages of growth, explores their downsides, investigates how to measure the value they create, and what role they play in community-based knowledge initiatives. It seems unfair to criticize this book, but more detail on how to implement CoPs would have been welcome. The authors have developed a helpful framework for understanding CoPs, illustrated by examples, but the reader will still need to think hard to implement them in a new setting.

This book, just published by "the three musketeers of Communities of Practice", is a practical guide to managing knowledge. What makes this book special is that it goes far beyond the simple explanation and advocacy for communities of practice, which we have all been reading about for the last five years. Through in-depth cases from firms such as DaimlerChrysler, McKinsey & Company, Shell, and the World Bank, the authors expand on many practical aspects one should have in mind when engaging in a community development: The "seven principles", the "five development steps" are presented in practical terms and with great details so that they can be used as a framework for all practitioners.

The approach to "cultivating" and nurturing communities, as opposed to "managing" them, is also explained so that managers will hopefully resist the urge to try and control them using mechanistic mental models. At last, the question of measuring value creation for organizations is addressed in convincing and, again, practical ways.

There is also some wisdom in this book. The "dark side" of communities of practice is also addressed. If unproperly managed, communities of practice can indeed create isolation, collusion, or tensions, which can be quite destructive for community members and sponsoring organizations.

This book is an essential reading for any leader in today's knowledge economy. It will undoubtedly remain as a reference for all of us practitioners who want to develop communities of practice for the benefit and long-term success of organizations and their employees.

Voices In Bronze is a most unusual addition to the world of art books. Here you have the story of an important piece of sculpture from start to finish. Mr.Palmedo writes about Richard McDermott Miller, a well-known sculptor of representational works. Working closely with Miller, he goes through the process of hiring models, giving interesting background material on the young women involved in the project. (The work is a triad of three nudes sitting in squares). There are philosophical discussions on the nude in sculpture. By including models and his female assistant in the colloquy, Palmedo illuminates this contentious issue in an engaging and insightful manner. He educates us in the technique of the lost wax process and there are fascinating interviews with the people on all levels at the foundry where the work was cast. What, in the hands of a lesser writer might be a textbook approach, ends up by having the reader become totally engaged with all that goes into the completion of this sculpture. The sensitive photographs by Eliza Hicks make an important contribution to the readers' enjoyment. There is a picturesque point of view of all the characters involved. I particularly liked the photo of the back of one of the models as Miller creates his wax marquette in the foreground. But there is a richness of choice for favorite photograph. The only criticism I have of this book is the quality of the paper which doesn't do justice to the fine work at hand. One hopes that there will be further editions where this will be corrected.

In the age of post-modern overdrive, a careful telling of the creation of a bronze nude may sound like the makings of a dry textbook that gets stamped "used" before the end of the first semester. But I was pleasantly surprised by Palmedo's writing style which is both informative and insightful, all the while leading the reader through a drama of characters led by Miller's respectable sense of timeless craftsmanship. By the curtain's close, I was inspired as much by the creation of a master's sculpture as by the pleasant harmony of voices conducted by the author. As an artist myself, I strongly recommend this book to those who still believe there is craft in art, and a community behind any masterpiece.

Toward the end of Voices in Bronze, as our hero, the sculpture, is being unveiled at a gallery opening, a man asks his companion if she is familiar with a Jacques Derrida essay on symbolism of "the frame." The sculpture is a representation of three young women, each situated in an individual way within her own square frame. Each of these women has her own relationship with her frame, both giving and taking from the positive and negative forces inherent in the frame.

In Voices in Bronze, Philip Palmedo traces the entire life of this sculpture, titled the St. James Triad, from commission to final resting place at its purchaser's home. A large and diverse cast of characters is required to produce the majestic work, most notably the sculptor, but also his assistants, his three models, the physically engaged foundry workers, the art gallery impresario, and the "host," or commissioner, who sets the process in motion.

Three women sit in three frames. They could be window sills. The ladies could be connected in some way, or they could be completely foreign to each other. They could be sisters-sisters who would like to be closer with each other, but who are separated by various realities of their worlds. For its part, the book doesn't bother much with interpretation, but the quality and number of Eliza Hicks' photographs gives the reader plenty of opportunity to draw impressions without ever having to see the work in person. In fact, the reader has, in many ways, a better perspective of this sculpture than if he or she merely viewed the work in person and walked away, moving onto another art work or another diversion.

The deep insight into the creative process that Philip Palmedo gives us is not limited to this sculpture. Voices in Bronze delivers insight into the creation of any sculpture, into any work of art, even into the universal creative process.

The frame of public awareness surrounding the world of sculpture is getting smaller by the year. This diminishing frame is also increasingly impenetrable, as there are fewer and fewer opportunities for the public to witness new sculpture of any importance. Sculpture lovers have to seek the stuff out. And the museum-show "market share" for sculpture seems, as always, to be taken up by the "big guns" - your Rodins, your Moores, your Matisses and your Brancusis. Contemporary sculptors and their world of sculpture are finding their spotlights shrinking, just like so many other esoteric arts and fields of study.

Derrida's essay, from "La Verité en Peinture," discusses how key meaning lies not so much in a piece of work, not in it's center, but in its frame. Voices in Bronze is a marvelous frame, to the work it explores, as well as the creative process surrounding the work. The book is both text and con-text for both sculpture and this sculpture.

And one of the nicest things of all about this book, is that its own frame (its size and shape), is a pleasure to behold. It's smaller and lighter than your typical coffee table book. It's easy to hold, and it's enjoyable to read.

Check it out.

Edwards and Magee is considered one of the bibles of technical analysis. While it covers the basics well (head and shoulders tops, etc.), the shear number of not so well known patterns can be overwhelming. I would doubt most people could (or would) finish this book. It's more of a reference book. John Murphy's Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets is a much better choice. Murphy covers trendlines, patterns, stochastics, Elliot Wave, money management and a host of other technical topics. Don't be fooled by its title -- it's quite applicable to stocks.

Investors and traders and technical analysts who are not familar with this book are only short-changing themselves. Unless you are informed as to this material you are unable to evaluate the products of number driven analysis. This is TA 1. I am amazed to hear some people call it boring. In fact it is extremely well written. Having read it 15 or 20 times I think I am qualified to say that. Scoffers at technical analysis and traders who use only statistical technical indicators do nothing but delight me and other chartists. We need their money ... W.H.C. Bassetti

I read Edwards and McGee, Technical Analysis of Stock Market Trends with great enthusiasm. Here was a book that was originally written in the 1940's that is equally valid to anyone trying to play the stock market in the Twenty First Century. It also gave me insights into the wild times on Wall Street in the Roaring 20's, and taught me how the pros did stock manipulation and organized "bear traps." Understanding Wall Street irrational exuberance in 1928 helps a smart investor understand the irrational exuberance in 1999. I started reading and then using Technical Analysis because I found I couldn't make money on the market just using the fundamental analysis that my accounting professors taught me in business school. I bought stocks based on detailed analysis of the firm's fundamentals and then could not understand why the prices of my "smart" investments immediately dropped like a rock. Technical analysis provides an investor with insights into the market forces (supply and demand) that affect the rise and fall of stock prices and give a rational investor understanding of the psychology of the herd of investors.

Modern web technology available from Clearstation and E-trade take the drudgery out of the technical charting, and make it easy for an amateur investor to become an experienced technical chart reader. Edwards and McGee was the book that helped me develop this skill. I can not praise the authors of this book enough.

Having read this book two thoughts come up:
1. They should have had much more in-depth data, why stick so much to the surface ?
2. Is their overview of ways to deal with radical innovation comprehensive ?

Seen the impressive list of authors and the impressive research they've done the book is disappointing. Maybe because they were limited on what they could disclose, time pressure etc.

To learn more about dealing with radical innovation I recommend the books 'Corporate Venturing, 'Intrapreneuring', 'Webs of Innovation', 'The Innovators Dilemma'.

So should you read 'Radical Innovation ? Well if you're active in the field it should be on your shelves, otherwise I wouldn't spend my dollars on it.

I think this book will have the greatest value if read in combination with Yoffie and Kwak's Judo Strategy. Why? Because the authors of that book correctly stress the importance of maximizing organizational speed, agility, balance, and leverage in any competitive marketplace. What they do not address (except perhaps indirectly or by implication) is the importance of radical innovation which, more often than not, proves to be a decisive competitive advantage. Indeed, the seven authors of the book I am about to review identify "Seven Challenges in Managing Radical Innovation" (see Table 1-1 on page 8) and meeting these challenges effectively indeed requires maximizing organizational speed, agility, balance, and leverage. Obviously, no single volume asks all "the right questions," much less provides "all the right answers." Hence the importance of carefully correlating the ideas from several different sources. I also strongly Michael Hammer's The Agenda which offers a "model" by which decision-makers in any organization (regardless of its size or nature) can determine appropriate priorities and then set appropriate objectives before formulating strategies and tactics by which to achieve those objectives.

The subtitle of this book ("How Mature Companies Can Outsmart Upstarts") reminds me of Jack Welch's comments when explaining why he admires "small and sleek" companies:

"For one, they communicate better. Without the din and prattle of bureaucracy, people listen as well as talk; and since there are fewer of them they generally know and understand each other. Second, small companies move faster. They know the penalties for hesitation in the marketplace. Third, in small companies, with fewer layers and less camouflage, the leaders show up very clearly on the screen. Their performance and its impact are clear to everyone. And, finally, smaller companies waste less. They spend less time in endless reviews and approvals and politics and paper drills. They have fewer people; therefore they can only do the important things. Their people are free to direct their energy and attention toward the marketplace rather than fighting bureaucracy."

For those who seek radical innovation in so-called "mature" companies, the challenges which the authors of this book identify are obviously much greater than they are for those in the "small and sleek" companies which Welch admires. A majority of upstarts pursue a "judo strategy" (in one form or another) because they lack the resources of their much larger competitors. (David had no chance if he wrestled Goliath.) For that reason, they cannot afford incremental innovation. They must take bold, decisive action when and where it will have the greatest impact.

When explaining what they call an "imperative," the authors of this book make a critically important distinction: "...incremental innovation usually emphasizes cost or feature improvements in existing products or services and is dependent on exploitation competencies. In contrast, radical innovation concerns the development of new businesses or product lines -- based on new ideas or technologies or substantial cost reductions -- that transform the economics of a business, and therefore require exploration competencies." This is indeed a key distinction.

Much of the material in this book was generated by the authors' research over a period of five years (1995-2000) which followed the development and commercialization activities of 12 radical innovation projects in 10 large, established ("mature") firms. For the authors, a radical innovation project must have the potential to produce one or more of these results: an entirely new set of performance features, improvements in known performance features of five times or greater, and/or a significant (i.e. 30% or more) reduction in cost. What the authors learned from the research serves as the foundation of their conclusions; also of what they recommend to those who seek radical innovation in their own organization. All of the ideas presented are anchored in an abundance of real-world experience. Although this brilliant book's greatest value may be derived by decision-makers in "mature" companies, I think substantial value can also be derived by decision-makers in the "upstarts" with which such companies as DuPont, General Electric, General Motors, IBM, and Texas Instruments will continue to compete. One final point: All of the "mature" companies discussed in this book were once "upstarts" themselves. How revealing that all of them are now so hard at work on regaining or preserving certain competitive advantages which once served them so well.

Very succinct yet comprehensive. It has key advice on the marketing, finance, and people skills necessary to see a new idea advance to a great new product. This book should be required reading for all MBA students, managers, and anyone who has the dream of a great new idea but is unsure as to how to make it come real. Although the title states that the book focuses on how more established companies can create environments to promote radical innovations, the information can readily be applied to any firm regardless of length of operations - and yes, to individuals.

The authors present a list of 7 challenges that face the radical innovator and then they provide the competencies, or skills, that are necessary to meet these challenges. Throughout the text, real-life examples from well-known firms help the reader to understand how these challenges come about, and to even recognize a challenge should it present itself. The examples do tend to focus on radical innovations that are new technological products, but the recommendations could also be applied to other new ideas such as new management systems or organizational structures.

I found the book to be inadequate to the task. There are lots of lists of what to consider, and what should be done, but very little in the way of practical case studies. Much of it is the sort of blinding obvious stuff that isn't worth the time. A random example--page 272: "For example, if you wanted to present the status of all operational areas as to schedule, you could simply list them on the slide in various colors such as: Green--ahead of schedule Yellow--on schedule Red--behind schedule." Much of the book is repetitive. The same information is presented, and even referenced as such! At least it fills up the pages!

My advice: keep looking. I paid the 96 bucks, but shouldn't have.