To a majority of executives in organizations, Robertson offers a remarkably well-organized and well-written "briefing" on computer technologies which can help them to formulate appropriate strategies and tactics to compete more effectively. I do not damn with faint praise when pointing out that very little of the material in the book is new, earth-shaking, etc. But it is rock-solid. Robertson examines the evolution of language, the accumulation and evaluation of information enabled by language, modes of communication by which to share that information, and new technologies which create almost unlimited opportunities to communicate with almost anyone, anywhere, and at any time. My strong suggestion to those who purchase this book is that they read it in combination with Borgmann's Holding On to Reality and Pinker's The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works.

As a nonscientist who is deeply interested in how computers will advance our ability to lead productive, meaningful, and rewarding lives, I found this book to be very provocative and helpful. Instead of looking only at business or computer science, the author extends in many different directions to consider how computers could change the potential, fabric, and value of our lives. Not being knowledgeable in some of the fields, I found it helpful to have a tour guide who could explain what remains to be done in terms of problem solving and creating better mouse traps. While no one person can be expected to anticipate such an exciting and unpredictable future very well, the author does a great job of referring to many of my favorite works on how computer technology can transform the way we do things like education, entertainment, and so forth. Anyone who has ever enjoyed reading science fiction to help imagine what could come in the future will find this book rewarding. I found the work solid except with regard to population growth, where the author failed to put two and two together. The rise of education and income has a very depressing effect on the birth rate, so much so that demographers argue that the economically developed countries should have declining populations by the middle of next century. Eventually, this trend will spread more broadly to the rest of the world, and should be complete before the end of the next century. But I leave that for you to consider. I strongly urge you to read and enjoy this outstanding book. The excerpt that you can access by clicking on the excerpt button above on the left of this page on Amazon.com is well worth your time, and you will want to read the whole book after you have looked at that chapter. I thought that this exerpted chapter was the best multidisciplinary description of the implications of computers compared to past information explosions that I have seen. One of the strengths of this book is that it points to the untapped potential of computers rather than just focusing on what the best practices of the past have been. The woods are full of the later, and they are dated by the time they are published -- especially most of the Internet books. You have a real treat in front of you, which should inspire you to make more practical use of computers to advance what you care about.

To live at the beginning of a new era is exciting; to do so and understand what is happening is a rare privilege. Douglas Robertson offers to share this privilege with us by presenting his vision of a world transformed by computers in the not-too-distant future. It is an upbeat peek at the future, devoid of the gloomy forecasts of some "future shock" science fiction adventures. As with all penetrating portrayals of the future, The New Renaissance is provocative and draws controversial conclusions. I often found myself arguing with the book -- and not always winning, as I read the elaboration of one of the book's more surprising assertions. For example, I could accept "synthespians" figuring importantly in future entertainment (p 157), but I could not believe they would be an acceptable replacement for athletes. Yet, what if the real competition were at a different level, and the synthespian athletes were used to provide visualization?

The author brings to this work the unusual combination of scientist-technologist and historian-philosopher. His future-world view is upliftingly optimistic about the triumph of the human spirit. By virtue of his education, Dr. Robertson is comfortable with a professional mathematical approach to problem solving. But he keeps this well in the background, using only high-school mathematics in the discussion, and even that quite sparingly. In an engaging and accessible style, he examines several aspects of the human enterprise and projects their restructure based on the emerging ability of ordinary people and specialists alike to access and manipulate vast amounts of information with ease. The restructuring he describes is deep and pervasive, yielding a world as different from ours as was the previous turn of the millennium. He uses historical precedent to motivate and justify his vision of the immensity of the changes he sees coming.

In the final chapter, Robertson rejects the notion put forth by others -- some quite prominent, whom he names -- that we will run out of frontiers. He puts the case in historical perspective and then makes a logical argument about a future in which humans have universal freedom from "tedious and mindless labor" and are able to spend their lives exploring the marvels of the universe, the arts, mathematics, and science. He calls this a minimal list; to it I would add philosophy, sports, adventure, and possibly new classes of activities not yet dreamt of in our transitional world. This portion alone of Robertson's vision of the future makes the book worth reading. For the totality of his projection, the book is an important experience for any open minded person.

amor a ti mismo y superacion personal..
Cuando terminas de leerlo, TE SIENTES ORO PURO...Y la verdad, es que todos los somos, solo hay que pulirlo con un buen libro como este

DE AUTO ESTIMA, QUE TE ENSEÑA A VALORARTE A TI MISMO COMO LO QUE ERES: ORO PURO !
De verdad, te enseña a aquilatarte en lo que vales y te DEMUESTRA QUE VALES MUCHISIMO..
Sin auto estima, no llega uno a ninguna parte...Y este te la aumenta ESCANDALOSAMENTE !

And when you read this book, you hit gold..
Because it gives us good reasons to cerify that WE ARE PURE GOLD !

I went to the Wicklander seminar recently. The book was just as great as the class, I'm very fortunate to have been able to go and receive the book. Thanks!

This is an excellent referecne book for anyone involved in both private and public sector interviews.

This was a very informative book. I highly recommend this book for anyone dealing with interviews and interrogations.

As a longtime Alaskan, I feel fortunate to have had both Doug and Jill in many courses. The book Snow sense is now the required reading material for all Nat'l Ski Patrol avalanche courses, and rightly so. I read it at the begining of every season. True avalanche professionals. If you ever have the chance, come to Alaska and take one of their courses.

Used by avalanche professionals as a base for avalanche education classes. Small size but HUGE on concise information for learning to recognize, evaluate, and avoid potential avalanche hazards.

"Avalanches are not acts of God. This valuable book details how to read terrain, snowpack, and weather variables to determine the possiblities of avalanche and how to save yourself in case of one.

Finally! A simple, informative perspective on the complex office dynamics that so many of us face. The scenarios are well laid out and the examples easy to relate to. While other discussions of office dynamics tend to over-analyze situations, this book provided me with a straightforward roadmap to recognize and deal with daily personnel issues.

In an easy-reading format the authors have pointed out many office situations that relate to family situations. They give practical and useful suggestions for handling these problems. Worthwhile reading for anyone who works in an office setting.

This book is a must for anyone who has to manage people in an office, organization, and even on a committee. It is easy and interesting reading and a MUST to understand why the people you manage behave as they do.

Derek Fontaine was wounded in soul and emotions. Why had his father deserted him? Or was his mother not honest with anyone.

Amber Laughton proves that the more you keep secrets the more embroiled your life becomes. But hey, what a great character she turned out to be.

Gideon has a story behind him and he turns out to be a great friend to Derek even though they had just met 300 miles before the story starts.

Even with the vagueness of the scene where Derek gets shot, I am surprised he stayed in the saddle long enough to make it home let alone up to his bedroom. Wonderful care-giving action and emotions with Derek's healing.

Beau does need a lady friend to heal his heart and soul. Was really glad to hear that Nathan showed up. Loved the shoot-out with the KKK.

Great story - GREATLY RECOMMENDED --M -- good addition to your library.

This debut novel by Ms. Douglas is fast-paced and filled with fascinating and sympathetic characters. It is a story of healing and trust and the growing love between a man and woman who have both been hurt badly. Derek is a wonderfully sexy hero whose fairness and principles shine through the story. Amber is compelling as she deals with her ruined reputation and insists on being seen for who she is. Even the secondary characters add depth and dimension to a classic story.

I'm not sure if a sequel is planned, but I heartily hope the powers that be will let Ms. Douglas write a book for Gideon, Nathan and Beau. These guys are as HOT as Derek!

I usually read more contemporaries than historicals, but this one really pulled me in. The peach pie scene was my favorite--what a wow for a love scene--but really loved the author's voice and style throughout. The characters seemed so real, yet the book also felt like I was jumping into that post-Civil War time; the author made you smell and feel and touch a different era and feel part of it. Bravo for a super read. Can't wait for this author's next book.

This folk story is retold with all the spice of a Cajun jambalaya. San Souci, interweaving several variants of the funny tale, places his characters in the bayou country of Louisiana, where they set out to catch fish for their gumbo. Their comical misadventures reach a climax when the mathematically challenged fisherman decide to count each other "to be sure we all safe." Whoever does the counting always comes up with five, forgetting to count himself, leading the men to conclude that one of them must be dead. Kennedy's cartoon-style illustrations, created with acrylic on velum, are a perfect accompaniment to the story. A short, helpful glossary, as well as an author's note directing readers to more information on Cajun culture, can be found at the end. Suited for ages 5 and up, this book would make a fun read-aloud. A word of caution, however: It's peppered with Cajun dialect, so be sure to practice first!

One day six brothers decide to go fishing. When it was time to go home they all counted to see if they had six brothers.The first brother counted five and the second brother counted five.All of the brothers counted five,and those foolish fishermen thought they had a lost brother.Read this book to find out how they became six foolish fishermen all over again.

My daughter LOVES this book! We sat up in her bed the other night ROARING with laughter over these 6 Foolish Fishermen. She's only 7 but she understood their silly, foolish mistakes. (. . .)

I read this book because I knew it had some of the same themes of mortality I am currently encountering in my life. Hobbie very deftly discusses people in an unsentimental way that is a testament to his understanding of humans. Bravo! I recommend this book highly!

For readers who appreciate eloquence, the texture of words formed into thoughts and imprinted images, I recommend all of Douglas Hobbie's books, and recommend that they be read in the order written--"Boomfell," "The Day," (I think this is the title), "Being Brett," and "This Time Next Year." You will then understand the sadness and the life-affirming feeling that permeates this author's latest work. Mr. Hobbie recognizes that pain and loss can evolve into growth and perhaps lead to healing, while tightening already strong bonds between individuals. As a cancer survivor, I can tell you that these novels are sometimes not easy reads--but they are so genuine and enlightening that they are well worth the effort, given the author's themes and the depth of his feelings.

This is a brave book, full of sensous delights, well-made sentences, and sadness. The author seems to be very knowing, very mature, and very sad--all traits that popular culture refuses to admit exist. (thank god for good, honest books!) reading this book is bracing, enlightening and, at times, frightening.

This is a very good book. There's something the author could improve on in the next version. Examples in the book don't seem to encourage good programming practice. E.g., two consecutive if-blocks should be combined into one if-elseif-block for performance reason because only one IF is valid judging from the context. Some identical processing is done on the WHILE line rather than before the loop. Performance shouldn't be a concern for a beginning programmer but if it doesn't take much to teach, why not? Other than this, this is a very well written book.

You can't learn to swim by reading about it and the same goes for Visual Basic. In the end, you have to write some code. And that's often the rub. What can you develop if you have no clue about how to start? Hergert gives interesting, small apps to practice on that become increasingly more complex. My approach is to type in his code, watch the results and learn to understand the how-to's and the why's. Then I do the whole thing all over, solo. That's how I find the gaps in my understanding of the project and the language. This book is ideal. Thanks Doug!

Calvin Trillin once warned against eating at any deli with New York in its name; I've learned not to buy any programing language books with "days" in its title. This book employs a teaching technique I consider ideal: assume the reader knows nothing. In the hands of a clear and thoughtful writer such as Hergert, even advanced learners, who may space out occasionally, never feel talked down to. I've skimmed the sections I feel competent in and pored over the areas in which I have difficulty. In both cases, I've obtained the security of knowing that what I've learned I know thoroughly. The index is skimpy and keyword list incomplete; though you can make do with VB help, I recommend a reference book as a supplement. I use the VB Superbible (only because I bought it to use it as an instruction manual first). But as an instruction manual, I consider the VB Bible unsurpassable.