Monthly Archives: July 2011

Mac OSX Lion Pocket Guide by Chris Siebold: a short review

Decent, short, helpful; but mainly for beginners. I was often bored.

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The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout: a short review

In 1965, Rex Stout was nearly 80 years old and at the top of his game. There’s hope for me yet.

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Tramp Royale by Robert Heinlein: a short review

Starts well, ends poorly–the trip, the book, everything. Worth reading for Heinlein fans, and for anyone who wants a reasonable summary of a mid-50s round-the-world trip. Heinlein has some interesting things to say, is up-front about his prejudices, and is a product of his times. Basically a southern-hemisphere trip, by the way.

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Dealers of Lightning by Michael Hiltzik: a review

Hiltzik argues–successfully, I think–that the question oversimplifies the reality, in several dimensions: Xerox did use some of the Palo Alto Research Center creations, Xerox didn’t really have the ability/agility to implement others, and that clashing cultures made some gains difficult. He also explores the strengths and weaknesses of Bob Taylor’s management practices at some length (an interesting thing, actually, as I’m also reading Katie Hafner & Matthew Lyon’s Where Wizards Stay Up Late, which also features Taylor as a key player). Finally, he points out, Xerox continued to fund those rebels it supposedly didn’t listen to.

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