1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 3 stars

“I enjoyed this book, but in the end, wasn't amazed by it. The exquisite detail of the story (with footnotes as long as the associated chapter in some cases) was enthralling, but the story itself was average. It was like admiring the fit and finish of a house without appreciating its structure. This book is incredibly long, and the ending I felt was anti-climatic. But then again, I don't think it was written to fit into a "great ending" mold. The beauty is in the details...”

Eric wrote this review Saturday, March 22 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 1 stars

“This book was incredibly disappointing. I've been in the queue at the library to read this book for almost a month, and it is regularly mentioned on 43folders, Zen Habits, etc. The anticipation was high as I finally got this book. I was really interested in the book's premise, which is deciding when to quit and when to push forward on projects. This is a common problem I have. The book, however, didn't help me a bit in terms of defining when a "dip" has occurred or logical steps to evaluate whether to push forward or not. There is little scientific or example based research to back the author's basic premise that you have to be superstar at things so quit if you can't absolutely succeed in a task. I'm not even sure after reading the book that the author completely believed his own premise, offering conflicting "advice" in the limited text of this book. I didn't learn when the "dip" occurs, or when to quit or stick. Bummer.”

Eric wrote this review Tuesday, February 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 2 stars

“All fluff and no substance... I'm a big fan of John's at a philosophical level, but this book's content is so obvious that it teaches the designer nothing (new). Maybe this book was targeted at non trade folks who want to get the basics of design. The Laws of Simplicity for Dummies, so to speak.”

Eric wrote this review Monday, February 11 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 3 stars

“I absolutely love the NPS as a marketing tool, and have used and will use it again in my marketing roles. If you have never used this system, I highly recommend the book to learn about it. Having said that, this book is 1/3 excellence and 2/3 fluff. The joy of NPS is how simple it is. It can be explained in less than 30 pages and lead to great marketing and corporate improvement. To make a business book, however, it appears you need more than 100 pages of content, hence the 2/3 fluff.”

Eric wrote this review Monday, February 11 2008. ( reply | permalink )

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 3 stars

“I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely a re-tread of his existing books. His books are light and enjoyable, but this was less about the angst of being a teenager and fitting in, and more an adventure within the previously established universe. Good, light read, but not the same impact or value as his previous efforts.”

Eric wrote this review Monday, February 11 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 2 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“I really enjoyed this book even though I did not finish it. The premise of the book was intriguing, and the book did not disappoint. What happens to the physical world around us if all the people suddenly disappeared?

I loved the detailed thought that went into the worldwide examples of what happens environmentally when humans are removed from the equation (Cyprus, DMZ in Korea), or the postulation associated with scenarios like the Panama Canal.

After a number of the scenarios, however, I felt like I had gathered the essence of the book and moved on.”

Eric wrote this review Monday, January 28 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 3 stars

“I was really excited to read this book given its mythos on the web, especially at 43folders. While I really enjoyed the premise of the book, it just seemed to complicated as a technique in its entirety. I have adopted some of the techniques, however, and agree it is a seminal work if you're into personal productivity techniques.”

Eric wrote this review Monday, January 28 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Light, enjoyable read suitable for middle aged children and adults alike. It was a quick read for me, in the same style as Colfer's other books.”

Eric wrote this review Saturday, June 2 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“This is a more chewy, intellectual book about happiness, but the author's lighthearted style made it a really interesting read! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a more intellectual rather than metaphysical or emotional explanation of the origins of happiness.

I highly recommend you skim the "Notes on Book" at the end ;-)”

Eric wrote this review Tuesday, May 22 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“This is a great introduction to C# for the beginning to intermediate programmer. Advanced programmers could probably just pick up a language reference guide and skip this. This book doesn't cover a ton of Windows programming relative to C#, so you'll need another book if you are trying to code .Net apps in C#”

Eric wrote this review Monday, November 6 2006. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink )