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Reviews Written by
Guy L. Gonzalez "Malcontent" (Bloomfield, NJ)
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Focus on social media principles, not tactics, June 11, 2009
With the Internet continuing to evolve at a dizzying pace, where six months can feel like six years, most printed books about new media are outdated by the time they hit bookstore shelves. One published back in 2007 should, by all rights, be completely worthless at this point.
That Geoff Livingston's now is gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs still holds up is a testament to his wisely focusing on "social media principles rather than tactics" and offering a practical take on the opportunities and challenges new media technologies have introduced to the marketing mix.
While there is nothing particularly revelatory here that any savvy marketing professional shouldn't already be familiar with, most will appreciate its recognition of social media as a fundamental piece of the marketing mix, part of a long-term strategy tied to a company's core values, and not a short-term tactic tied to the latest new shiny du jour.
now is gone fulfills its stated mission of being a primer on new media for key decision-makers, making it a perfect resource to pass along to executives who simply don't "get" it when it comes to marketing, traditional or social. Livingston never talks down to the reader -- something many new media evangelists are guilty of -- and he keeps things relatively high-level and practical with case studies spotlighting specific initiatives, covering the most important fundamentals in the second and third chapters, "New Media Ready?" and "Building a New Media Effort."
Any executive should appreciate the mix of personal insights complemented by commentary and experiences from the variety of industry professionals quoted and interviewed; that he consistently ties everything back to fundamental strategic planning and return on investment is the real clincher.
A great addition to any business or marketing bookshelf.
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Too Basic, Oddly Sexist, March 4, 2009
Years from now, when she's retired and far enough removed from Hearst to comfortably lift the curtain on an impressive career, Cathie Black has the potential to write a fascinating memoir that will double as an invaluable first-hand perspective on the evolution of the consumer publishing industry from its advertising-driven heyday into the digital age.
Unfortunately, she listened to her agent and "PR guru" -- the two women credited as having convinced her to write Basic Black -- and played her cards way too soon, cashing in with a fluffy collection of skin-deep anecdotes and common sense career advice ostensibly targeted to female, twenty-something "recently minted MBAs" but more appropriate for a Freshman college course on business management. Oddly, the book's most disappointing shortcoming is Black's surprising (perhaps self-serving?) acceptance and repetition of stereotypes about women as the weaker sex.
Notable flaws aside, it's a solid, breezy read that offers an engaging peek behind the curtain and guarantees I'll pick up that eventual memoir... so I guess the agent and PR guru weren't so wrong after all!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Plants Are People, Too, February 13, 2009
If you ask Ken Druse what his favorite plant is, his answer will most likely be "whichever one I'm looking at. Every plant has an incredible story."
In Planthropology, Druse proves his point, engagingly bringing plants of all kinds to vivid life with entertaining and enlightening stories that will intrigue gardeners and non-gardeners alike. It's a visual feast that will make waiting for warmer weather to return more bearable, and it's not just inspirational reading for avid gardeners, but also an ideal gift for helping family and friends get a better appreciation for your own passion, perhaps even inspiring them to get outside and join you.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Pixar Influence Runs Deep, November 23, 2008
Considering the cast and Disney's erratic hit-and-miss record with non-Pixar CGI, my expectations were a bit tempered for this one, but it actually ranks right up there with the best Pixar efforts. John Lasseter -- the Pixar exec responsible for Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Disney's other great CGI, Meet the Robinsons -- heads this one up and likely deserves a heap of credit for its success as nothing in the two co-Directors' resumes could have predicted it.
Bolt follows the Pixar formula to the letter: a terrific, fast-paced story with a lot of heart that focuses on the characters and not the celebrity voices -- I'm looking at you, Dreamworks -- complemented by excellent animation and a soundtrack that doesn't overdo it. Travolta, who I usually can't stand, is quite good as Bolt; Susie Essman and Mark Walton steal every scene they're in as his sidekicks; and the pigeons...well, the pigeons absolutely blow Madagascar's penguins out of the water!
We didn't catch the 3D version, but didn't feel like we missed out on anything, and as much as the kids enjoyed it, I think we loved it even more than they did. That said, look for dogs to appear in a lot of letters to Santa this season!
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Just do it, November 8, 2008
Or, as Gandhi put it, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
That, in a nutshell, is the primary message of Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, Seth Godin's masterful mini-manifesto on what it takes to be a leader and why YOU should be the one to take the lead.
It's a point Godin returns to several times throughout the book, illustrating it with numerous examples of people from various walks of modern life who didn't take no for an answer: they rejected the status quo, risked failure to achieve success by being deeply committed to what they believed in, attracted like-minded people to their cause as a result, and led them forward.
Through the wide range of instructive and/or inspirational examples he cites, from the requisite Steve Jobs and Starbucks, to the far more interesting Grateful Dead and Nathan Winograd -- he even throws in a nod to Barack Obama, although unnamed, in a brief section sub-titled "Criticizing Hope is Easy" -- Godin gets in front of almost every likely objection someone might have for why his premise doesn't apply to them and knocks them down.
Clocking in at a brisk 147 pages -- of which I specifically dog-eared and marked up more than twenty -- Tribes reads like a dizzying rush of adrenalized common sense; you can almost imagine Godin pounded it out over one long, inspired, most likely caffeinated weekend. It's neither a dry how-to manual nor cliched motivational tract, but rather an enthusiastic endorsement of standing up and taking the initiative.
If you're already a leader, you'll recognize yourself in these pages and find comfort in the examples of others like you. If you think you're not leadership material, you may be surprised to realize that you most certainly could be.
Alternatively, if you only THINK you're a leader but are really just a manager, I hope you have thick skin and can accept constructive criticism, because in a lot of ways, this book is especially for you.
Godin believes that what most often keeps someone from becoming a leader is the fear of failure, and while he arguably downplays the legitimate fear of losing one's job (especially in the current economy), the more likely downside of taking the lead and failing is feeling bad about that failure, so his underlying philosophy is sound: leaders are modern-day heretics and they don't burn heretics at the stake any more.
In the end, Godin encourages anyone who gets something from his book to pass on their copy to someone else. The marketing guru that he is, I'm pretty sure he figured it was more likely that anyone who was excited by his book would mark it up and hold on to it for future inspiration, and instead encourage others to buy and devour their own copy.
And that's exactly what I'm doing.
Well played, Mr. Godin. Well played.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Bring on the Avengers!, November 1, 2008
I skipped The Incredible Hulk in theaters because I was fully expecting to be disappointed, but my son really wanted to see it and Iron Man was unexpectedly good, so we picked up the DVD and I was pleasantly surprised.
Ed Norton isn't as dynamic an actor as Robert Downey, Jr., unlikely to carry a blockbuster superhero movie on his own shoulders, but he brings the right level of intensity to the Hulk's conflicted alter ego, Bruce Banner, that combined with some precision casting -- and, according to several rumors seemingly backed up by many of the DVD's extras*, exerting influence far beyond his own character -- makes for a movie that is greater than the sum of its parts. Tim Roth and William Hurt shine in their roles, and Liv Tyler manages to escape the confines of the cliche "female interest" as she and writer Zak Penn (who takes an impressive step forward from Fantastic Four and X-Men: The Last Stand) make her character work as the emotional centerpiece of the story.
It's a well-paced action movie with just the right dash of drama -- many of the deleted scenes featuring psychiatrist Dr. Samson are deservedly so -- and the CGI Hulk and Abomination are even more impressive than last year's Transformers triumph, especially their final battle which is arguably the best balls-to-the-wall fight scene put to film in recent years.
There are a couple of nods to Iron Man and the new shared universe Marvel Studios is creating with their most recent films, and while Hulk is unlikely to get another solo outing any time soon, the prospects for the upcoming Avengers movie suddenly look pretty good.
NOTE: The extras are a bit light, and barely meet the minimum expectations for a two disc set, but watching them leaves no doubt about the rumors of Norton's being heavily involved in the creative direction of the movie. There are several references to "Louis and Ed" throughout that make it pretty clear that he could have legitimately been credited as co-Director, if not co-Writer.
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Stop-Loss
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| DVD ~ Ryan Phillippe |
| Price: $15.99 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Well-intentioned but flawed, September 13, 2008
Stop-Loss is a solid, well-intentioned film that has its moments but somehow doesn't quite come together to deliver the full emotional or intellectual impact it should have had. Ryan Phillippe shines as a good soldier torn between duty, honor and the haunting memories of his time in Iraq, and the rest of the cast is solid, particularly Victor Rasuk's understated performance as a severely injured private whose spirit may or may not be broken.
The camera effects in the first act are a little distracting at times, and the road trip in the second act is stretched a bit longer than necessary, but well-deserved kudos to Kimberly Peirce for shining a light on an underreported aspect of the war and taking a nuanced shades of gray approach to her subject -- the Stop Loss policy itself is bad enough, there's no need to offer bad guy caricatures -- and going with the only ending that made sense.
It's not the defining generational classic some have claimed, but it's definitely worth a rental.
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Blue-collar romance/thriller with a healthy dash of horror, September 6, 2008
It's been a few years since I read Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1), the entertaining first book in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, but Living Dead in Dallas works quite well as a standalone novel, with Harris weaving the key points of her background story seamlessly into the fabric of this fast-paced sequel that's more violent than I remember the first one being. Equal parts romance and thriller, with a liberal dash of horror, Harris makes it work on the strength of Sookie's appealing character, a blue collar, no-nonsense Southern gal who defies most stereotypes while knowingly indulging in others when it suits her purposes...and who also happens to be a telepath in a world where vampires live openly among the living, and werewolves and other supernatural creatures exist in the shadows. There's actually two unconnected stories here, but together they nicely flesh out Sookie's world and set the stage for what should be a long-running series, not just novels, but the upcoming HBO show, too.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Of the highest or finest quality (9 letters), August 19, 2008
Fun:
If you enjoy crossword puzzles, this one is a must-have for the DS. The NYT puzzles are, of course, nicely varied in both content and difficulty, but it's the execution that really makes this game shine, from the strong handwriting recognition to the different gameplay modes. Whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours to play, the ability to save your puzzle at any point and the tracking (and grading) of your results make it an incredibly addicting package. Highly recommended!
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
Call Your Shots Rules!, August 18, 2008
Fun:
I was among the many disappointed football fans when EA snagged the exclusive NFL license and killed Take-Two's superior ESPN series, just as it had surpassed the always fun but overrated Madden series with NFL 2K5. It's been a few years now and, though I've moved on from the XBox and am fully addicted to the Wii, I still pull out 2K5 for a quick game every now and then when I need a football fix. After a few intense games getting a feel for Madden NFL 09 All-Play this weekend, though, that nostalgia bug may finally be dead.
For me, the two most important features of a good football game are realistic passing and logical controls and All-Play delivers both in spades. The motion controls are pretty intutitive, most involving movements I often made anyway with a traditional controller -- think old-school pinball -- but now actually having an affect on the gameplay. Power moves, jukes, interceptions, even celebrations are easier than ever to pull off and are believable in translation. And the passing game -- still a bit too arcade-like for my tastes -- is much smoother with everything from hiking the ball to tossing a lob or a bullet controlled by intuitive motions.
While the All Play features definitely make the game more accessible (and are optional; hard-core tradionalists can still use standard controls), it doesn't quite acheive the literal "All Play" as the inherent learning curve of any decent football sim remains rather steep. I certainly won't be playing against my 7-year old any time soon.
The best feature, though, is "Call Your Shots", the ability to customize an audible by using the WiiMote to reroute any or all of your receivers after the play is called, telestrator-style, in any direction, cut or curl you can imagine. It works flawlessly and elevates Madden 09 to a new level that almost justifies the exclusive license.
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(Bloomfield, NJ)
![Bolt [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yqBiB6PTL._SL110_.jpg)
