This is a must read for anyone working in the technology industry. Well... for people working in any industry, for that matter.

Amazing insight into the people and events that have shaped our era. Written so well, one could be mistaken for thinking this is a novel. I read this over five years ago, and I just could not put it down.

As a professor of Marketing, I highly recomend this book to my students. Sculley is a genious and his ideas might inspire future leaders to move on for the best of our mankind.

If you ever wondered why you didn't "get it" in a hated school subject, even though you seem to "get it" in other parts of your life, read this book. Pappert discusses learning, teaching and the liberating role that technology--if done right--can play in the classroom and out of it.

As other reviewers have pointed out, papert does a nice job of going through how humans learn and setting up the case that the current education system does not fit our learning process very well. However, this book does little to give teachers specific on how to properly use the computer in the classroom. LOGO, while a useful tool for learning, does not translate well to a classroom setting or for teaching the necessary curriculum.

This is the best book I have ever read on how to assist people to learn for themselves. Papert began his work by collaborating with Jean Piaget, and then applied those perspectives in a self-programming language designed to help children learn math and physics.

Papert explains Piaget's work and provides case studies of how the programming language, LOGO, can help. He provides a wonderful contrasting explanation of the weaknesses of how math and physics are usually taught in schools.

I learned quite a few things from this that I did not know before. People are very good at developing theories about why things work the way they do. I knew that these theories are almost always wrong. What I did not realize is that if you give the person a way to test their theory, the person will keep devising new theories until they hit on one that works. What is usually missing in education is the means to allow that testing to occur.

An especially imaginative part of this book were the discussions of how to create theory testing solutions that are much simpler and easier to apply than any school problem you ever saw in these subjects. Papert works from a very fundamental and deep understanding of math and physics to reach the heart of the most useful thought processes for applying these subjects. It is thrilling to read about what you have known for many years, and to suddenly see it in a totally different and improved perspective.

Another benefit I got from this book were plenty of ideas for how to help my teenage daughter with her math. She is very verbal, and Papert points out that math seldom teaches a vocabulary for talking about math. As a result, she memorizes a lot and gets dissociated from the subject. I got a lot of ideas for how to encourage her to personalize the concepts and problems by moving her own body. From that I realized that I often solve the same kinds of problems by recalling physical situations I have been in. But I have failed to help her make that connection because I was unaware of it on a conscious level.

If you want to improve as a learner, help others learn better and faster, or simply want to understand more about different ways to think, this is a great book. I hope that all teachers get a chance to read and apply it.

Enjoy learning more!

The story of The Odyssey is one of the grestest stories ever told. Everytime I read it, I fall in love with the characters. I love the way Mr. Fitzgerald translates the book. He does a masterful job of describing the scene, and uses words to fully portray what is going on, and how the characters feel. I'm reading a version translated by someone else, and it feels "watered down." It's almost too easy to read. Fitzgerald doesn't simplify it to the point where something is lost. I would recommend this book to anyone. In echoing the words of people who have commented before me, I thought the Odyssey would be boring, but it truly is an awesome book and story.

This epic tale proves that the best stories and the most perilous adventures know no time period. "The Odyssey" is as compelling today as it was when it was written. Many of the adventures from Odysseus' journey have become stories all their own (the Cyclops, the Sirens, etc.) Fitzgerald's translation of this poem is masterful. He makes it easy to read but takes none of the magic away from Homer's spellbinding words. Children today who love action and adventure in books and in the movies should not overlook this classic simply because of its length and age. By any standard, this is quite possibly the greatest adventure story ever told.

The Odyssey was probably the best book I have ever read. I first read this epic poem as a freshman in high school, and have read it many times after that. The epic journey by Homer captures the journey through life and its obstacles. Odysseus is main character that must journey to find his way home after the victorious battle of Troy. Odysseus has to overcome many obstacles that lie in his path to return home.

In life we also face obstacles that limit our ability. To overcome each different obstacle, one must use strength, mind, and perseverance to move on and succeed in life.

Odysseus overcame these obstacles by problem solving and thinking ahead. The Odyssey really captures the essences of life lessons through out time. The book was excellent. I mean where else can you find bloody battles, passionate love scenes, giant maelstroms, and the occasional six-headed monster.

I recommend this book to any reader, whether in High School, College, or just the average reader. The Odyssey is a definite classic.

I started with an expectation of something that would be fast paced; however, this was not to be. Sculley's style is repetitive and slow. He makes a point in a couple of paragraphs and then goes on and on about the same thing. He also gives too much importance to his personal life in the book.

Mr. Sculley describes how Steve Jobs lured him to Apple, and blithely exposes his thought processes behind the decision to go. Among other things, he insisted upon a lucrative compensation/house package, explaining that he simply could not be burdened with any personal financial considerations while dedicating his self-appraised tremendous powers to running Apple. The Apple folks agreed, Sculley got his huge salary and his new house, and under his hand the company tanked down the tubes forthwith.

Sculley presented management lessons as his narrative progressed. He did not directly discuss the matter of incentives, and the complacency which unearned wealth induces so quickly, electing instead to present that lesson by his own example. Perhaps if Mr. Sculley had been more concerned about his own financial condition as a function of the company's success or failure, he would have been more highly motivated to do a better job running the firm.

At least one member of every corporate board of directors should read this book, and keep this lesson about incentives in mind whenever it's time to hire new executives and develop their compensation packages.

I just bought the flat-screen iMac in Mar 2002 and was eager to know the history of Apple. This book gives excellent insights to the contrasting corporate cultures between Pepsi and Apple. The former follows protocol, and place huge emphasis on winning market shares, while the latter is about freedom, creativity, learning and creating market shares.

The style is simple and direct which makes it an easy read. Readers who are looking for style more than content may be disappointed though.

You will read about Jobs' infamous quote to Sculley: 'Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want to change the world?'

Although published in 1988, the book still has a great appeal to anyone who wants to learn about Sculley, Jobs or Apple. After reading the book, I found myself regularly drinking Pepsi in front of my iMac! It gives great motivation for anyone who wants to start a new business or introduce new way of doing things.

A must read for all Mac users!

Although out of date now this is a fascinating book that provides great (although not unbiased) insight into the early days of Apple Computer and development of the Apple II, Lisa and finally the Macintosh, the arrival of corporate-stiff John Sculley and the eventual tearful ejection of young, mercurial Steve Jobs. John Sculley's vanity is quite laughable and it provides a remarkable insight into a couple of the computer industry's prize egos. The decision to close new factories in Texas and retain old factories in earthquake-prone California is dismissed with little explanation (strangely corporations always do this -- the human factor). Apple generally gets a soft-ride from the press. Apple are hardnosed in blocking their competition and have let down partners (and some might argue their customers too) terribly on several occasions -- little of that is contained here though.

John Sculley had a very close friendship with Steve Jobs. He was wooed to Apple, and when he got too close to Steve and found out he had created a monster, it was almost too late. He did do much to help Apple's fortunes, and yet in the chapters not found in the book, found his own demise. His words about Steve Jobs are still prophetic as ever, and still just as pertinent. His relationships with board members and those creators who worked at Apple are wonderful. In hindsight, Gil Amelio should have read this book, because he too was taken in and taken over by Steve Jobs. While Jobs will always be affiliated with Apple, its really the others mentioned in the book who are the heroes that Sculley learned to appreciate when Jobs was ousted for not bringing the idea of the Macintosh Office to reality. That in effect is where Sculley really showed his worth to the company. While discussing technology long obsolete, the excitement of giving birth to those projects and products is still worth your time to complete the Odyseey that Sculley brings forth.