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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Morley humor & insight challenges you to think, November 15, 2002
This review is from: Out of the Barn (Paperback)
Inventor, author, consultant and engineer Dick Morley is best known as the as the father of the programmable controller (his PLC is now enshrined in the Smithsonian). He's an entrepreneur whose consistent successes in the founding of high technology companies has been demonstrated through more than three decades of revolutionary achievements. For several years, Dick's column "Under Control" in the automation journal "Manufacturing Systems" brought up ground-breaking concepts, presented with characteristic Morley humor and make-you-think challenges. This little book gathers those wide-ranging columns in compatible segments, organized for easy reading. You can open the book and read any article, in any section, to be educated, challenged and entertained. Here you'll find the history of the programmable controller - when it was developed, how it got its name, it's rise & fall, and many interesting historical anecdotes. You'll find out what Morley was thinking and dreaming about, over several years, even as he is today. In short, article-length bites, you'll discover a variety of insightful ideas, concepts, predictions and prognostications, mixed in a tasty soup of Morley chit-chat and BS. Dick Morley himself will tell you that he is not sure which is which. But, it'll make you think! If you know Dick Morley, you'll enjoy reading this to refresh your mind; if you don't know him, you will - when you read this book!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Out of the Barn" and out of this world., December 5, 2002
This review is from: Out of the Barn (Paperback)
"Out of the Barn" is written by the "Harley-Guy" Dick Morley (Inventor, author, consultant, engineer and "Dad" to 37 children) he is also known as the as the inventor of the programmable controller, the floppy disk and other revolutionary and "world-changing" inventions. Dick is self-described "serial-entrepreneur" whose consistent successes in the founding of high technology companies have been demonstrated by over three decades of achievements. Some of Dick's entrepreneurial success stories are used in the book "Winning Angels" a practical, hands-on guide to angel investing. Dick's inimitable style and character are easy to discern in this book about the fundamentals of early stage investing. In his book "Out of the Barn" Dick gives us a collection of his published articles and candid thoughts in one easy to read compilation. He brings his unique way of thinking to discuss revolutionary concepts in his own style. His humor is entertaining and his prose is educational. He will definitely make you think. He challenges you to consider the possibilities and those things that may not (yet) be possible. Through the short stories in the book you will appreciate his wide range of thinking and find yourself scrambling to catch up, as he moves on to ponder other great thoughts. His homespun vision is full of predictions and forecasts of the future and its possibilities. This book reads just like any one-on-one conversation with Dick. Anyone who has had the pleasure can attest that a chat with Dick can range from the ridiculous to the sublime. Sometimes deep and cogent and other time's light and airy, but never dull. Dick speaks and writes with an earthy manner that is full of provocation and prevarication you can never be exactly sure, which is half the fun. You can read this book anywhere, at any time, and you will.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Gems of Wisdom, March 24, 2003
This review is from: Out of the Barn (Paperback)
Being involved with Programmable Logic Controllers and manufacturing, I found this book full of inspiring ideas and tips on the financing, personnel and operations of technology companies. Dick Morley invented the PLC. It is nice to be able to get it from the horse's mouth, as they say. It is an indispensable management tool. I keep this book on my desk just in case another management consulting firm comes here and tries to sell me yet another analysis and subsequent engagement. I would not need an analysis as long as I have this book as my reference. I do have a slight problem with the prejudice that "We don't invest in a deal if the president has a Ph. D." That would have made companies like Apollo, Celeron, Cisco, Intel and Silicon Graphics non-financeable. People should be judged by their intelligence, not their degrees. Let's make a deal, Dick. If you don't hold my Princeton degrees against me, I won't hold your M.I.T. degree against you, OK?
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