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Bill Gates' Personal Super Secret Private Laptop A Microspoof
 
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Bill Gates' Personal Super Secret Private Laptop A Microspoof (Hardcover)

by Henry Beard (Author), John Boswell (Author), Ron Barrett (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Bill Gates' Personal Super Secret Private Laptop is both a genuinely witty and inventive swipe at the world's richest man and a masterwork of book design. Each page is a folded-out laptop, with jokes contained on the "screen." Here's a sample, from a chain letter Gates is sending to Warren Buffett, Rupert Murdoch, and others:

"...But the President of South Korea deleted this E-mail message, and his economy collapsed. Later, he managed to retrieve it and sent it out, and the IMF gave his country a $20 billion bailout. As soon as you receive this message, wire one million dollars to the bank account next to the name below, then add your own name to the list, and send 10 identical E-mail messages to your fellow moguls. Do not break the chain. Mike Milken failed to reply to his E-mail message, and look what happened to him!"

No one has used the ubiquitous graphical user interface as a comic canvas before, and the authors should be commended for their cheeky, stylish innovation. The book's joke-intensive screens include topic lines from Bill Gates news groups, both pro and con; a letter encouraging the Unabomber to correspond with his competitors; a list of new software products--including the Cubicle '98 office politics software ("BackStabber memo-writing program with BlameShifter feature and FingerPointer mouse hardware"); the Mafia's Web page; et cetera. Bill Gates' Personal Super Secret Private Laptop is great fun, and sure to cement this trio's reputation as the masters of parody publishing. And it's much cheaper than a laptop--for now, at least. --Michael Gerber

Product Description

WHERE WOULD YOU WANT TO GO TODAY -- IF YOU HAD 50 BILLION DOLLARS?

Find out on Bill Gates' Personal Super Secret Private Laptop: A Microspoof. Due to a miraculous twist of fate, the laptop you hold in your hand came into the possession of Henry Beard, John Boswell, and Ron Barrett, a trio of concerned, if computer-illiterate, citizens and authors of such bestselling humor books as O.J.'s Legal Pad and French for Cats. Now that these three have hired precocious preteens to hock into Gates' secret notes, plans, e-mails, and to-do lists, we can all be privy to the intellectual property of the richest man in the world.

Fabulously fabricated in two-color throughout, Bill Gates' Personal Super Secret Private Laptop exhaustively captures the mind, spirit, and nerdiness of Bill Gates -- the guy who owns you, or soon will.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 112 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0684854643
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684854649
  • Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,642,372 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
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 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Humor at its Creative Best, December 6, 1998
By A Customer
This is the book you take with you to read in the waiting room at the doctor's office; otherwise, don't waste your time. The book's premise, albeit juvenile and narrow-minded, is an anchor for Beard and the gang to spin out some of the most creative stuff this reader's ever seen. (And don't let the laptop-style layout fool you--look closely at the keyboard on every page and you'll find irregularities in the keys.)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Bill has enough trouble, October 13, 1998
By A Customer
You'd think these guys would go easy on the world's richest man. This book is a devastating poke at Bill Gates and his meglomania. I'm sure Mr. Gates isn't as bad as all that but the book is very funny. It's rare that you see such a high quality humor book. Ron Barrett is excellent--I also read his children's books to my kids...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars New Book on Gates Comes Close, September 18, 1998
By A Customer
Bill Gates' Laptop, by the same people who created O.J.'s Legal Pad, is an interesting parody aimed at Bill Gates. Unfortunately, the illustrations and concept are more interesting than the writing, which occasionally borders on the juvenile. But the graphics and illustration are worth the book's cover price and more than make up for some apparently uninformed writing. I will definately recommend this to anyone suffering from Microsoft-related stress.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars dated but cute
Anything concerning Bill Gates is bound to be controversial (and the reviews below support that statement)

Take the book for what it is . . . Read more
Published on December 28, 2006 by M. Bernabei

5.0 out of 5 stars Old jokes, but funny......
The best part of the whole book is seeing which "keys" change on every page.... otherwise, it's a pretty funny book, but you do have to know what was going on when the book was... Read more
Published on December 25, 2001 by 9900dude

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor all lies
very poor book. My ex-wife had to have written it
Published on July 23, 1999 by wgates@microsoft.com

1.0 out of 5 stars Junk
God, what a complete waste of trees! I mean, I'm not a billg fan, but this was an completely predictable, utterly sophomoric effort.
Published on November 16, 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Where will he hide today?
These guys really know what they are doing when it comes to Bill Gates. This is probably the best Bill Gates humor book I've seen. Read more
Published on September 16, 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars A hilarious look at the possible hidden agendas of Microsoft
Being the webmaster for IHateBillGates.Com, I got an advanced copy of this book. It's a creative look at the private files on Bill Gates' personal laptop. Read more
Published on September 4, 1998

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