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Ilya Grigorik's Profile
Customer Reviews: 191
New Reviewer Rank: 2,866
Classic Reviewer Rank: 9,366
Helpful Votes:
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Reviews Written by
Ilya Grigorik (Toronto, ON, Canada)
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Rise of MySpace, June 27, 2009
A must read for any web entrepreneur. Julia Angwin dedicates equal amounts of time to the founding and management teams, to the technology & rise of social networks, and the actual business side of MySpace - all put together, a fantastic overview of the company from start to finish.
The analysis of Xanga, Friendster and the rise of the social networks is alone worth the read for any web entrepreneur. Not surprisingly, the innovation that powered each of these successive hits was more often accidental than intentional. A few of the networks were simply too early, a few failed due to technical reasons, and others fell victim to the rising stars of MySpace and Facebook. A great behind the scenes look at the industry.
The analysis of the board battles, the egos, and the continuous management turmoil is both disturbing and fascinating. Julia Angwin documents the early history and the never-ending struggle of the founders to find the resources and the autonomy in great detail. Finally, the Newscorp detail is picked apart in great detail, offering insight into the rationale and motivation behind the $650M transaction.
The only missing part is an insight into the current trouble and dynamics at MySpace - keeping fingers crossed for the next volume!
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Mad, Bad & Dangerous, June 20, 2009
Somehow I thought that the explorer stories such as the ones Ranulph Fiennes dedicated his life to are nothing but a thing of the past - it's all been done, right? Nothing further from the truth. A gripping autobiography about an amazing life story: SAS, mercenary in the middle east, world explorer, and an amazing speaker and author.
Ranulph offers a view into his childhood and education (a roller coaster, to say the least), his early years in the army, and his graduation for what most of us know him, his arctic expeditions! The book offers plenty of fascinating expedition stories and encounters with the extreme temperatures and situations - his determination makes you appreciate what we're all capable of if we put our minds to it.
As only aside, I strongly recommend you pick up the Audio CD presentation by Ranulph: "An Evening With Ranulph Fiennes". The content overlaps with the book, but offers a much more graphical perspective that will make you both laugh and cry in pain!
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Become a survivor, June 20, 2009
"Deep Survival" is about the psychology of survivors. We've all heard and read amazing stories about the seemingly impossible recoveries, and likewise, have come across many examples of "professionals" succumbing where beginners have survived. Turns out, as Laurence Gonzales points out, there is virtually no difference between these cases: it's not about the gear, or the years of experience (though both certainly help), but more about your mental struggle with the conflict in front of you.
The book analyzes a number of fascinating stories documenting the psychological stages, their consequences, and how different people react to these situations: surrender, accept the circumstance, adapt. You have to have the determination to win, but also humbly accept the possibility of losing - there are things we cannot control and coming to terms with this reality is tough business.
Reality is, all of us have to confront similar situations throughout our lifetime. This is not just a book for surviving in the wilderness. Health, wealth, family and friends all expose to us similar challenges, and how you deal with these situations will have a huge impact on your life and wellbeing. Do you have the tools to be a survivor?
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Every second counts, June 20, 2009
If you liked "It's Not About the Bike", then this is a must read continuation of Lance Armstrong's story (and if you haven't read the former, I suggest you start there first). A lot of people will provide polar reviews of both books based on their take of the doping charges against Lance, but in many ways, I think that misses the point: it's not about the bike, it's not about the doping charges, it's about one individual's willingness to be a survivor and all the ups and downs associated with this struggle.
Much of the book is focused on Lance's training routine and analysis of his teammates, which offers an amazing view into one of the most competitive endurance events today. After months of training and weeks of grueling racing, in the end, it still comes down to seconds to determine the winner. There are lessons here for everyone. Great read.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Talent, ignition and motivation, June 6, 2009
A great read on motivation, talent and skill building. Coyle's "Talent Code" is a great complimentary read to "Art of Possibility" by Benjamin Zander and "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, both of whom highlight the same patterns: 10,000 hours of practice for "world-class performance", focus on the struggle not praise, and skill building as confidence building.
While Zander provides a great exploration of skill-building as a continuous struggle (and how to motivate people to go on), and Gladwell provides an interesting discussion of nature vs. nurture, Coyle fills in an important gap: how do the talent hot-beds come to be, what are the common attributes, and is it a repeatable process? Author's discussions on "ignition" and analysis of multiple renowned coaches and techniques are definitely not conclusive, but provide some very instructive insights for fine-tuning our educational system and approaches. Great read!
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Meditation on running, June 6, 2009
This book is part personal diary, part biography, and part meditation on running. I have not read Murakami Haruki's other works, although they are on my wishlist, and came to this book while exploring the literature on running as a sport and a recreational activity. If you are exploring running as a sport, this book is more contemplative than instructional and I would recommend you take a look at "Born to Run", or "Confessions of Ultramathon Man" instead. Having said that, if you have an interest in writing, or enjoyed Stephen King's "On Writing" and have an interest in running, this is definitely a great read - you'll learn about the life and habits of Murakami, as well as get to enjoy a great story along the way.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Ultrarunning, May 30, 2009
50/50 is primarily a travelogue documenting Dean's adventures, day by day, as he ran 50 marathons in 50 days. There are plenty of great motivational nuggets, as well as, general training and nutrition advice, which make it a worthwhile read, but the book fall short of his first blockbuster (Ultramarathon Man). If you're just getting into running or looking for a good present, I recommend you pick up "Ultramarathon Man" first, or "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. Otherwise, an easy and educational read.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Superathelete within, May 30, 2009
There are a few books out there that will make you want to immediately put on your running shoes and get out for a run, and "Born to Run" is one of them - tip, if you want to enjoy both at the same time, pick it up in the audio version!
Most of the book is focused on the amazing Tarahumara (the running people) tribe that the author discovered during one of his trips to Mexico and his consequent quest to uncover their secrets. Christopher McDougall does a great job of capturing the characters and the idiosyncrasies of both the sport and the competitors, it's a real page turner. Sprinkled throughout the book are numerous and fascinating discussions on our anatomy, evolution, nutrition and training regimen - you're bound to discover something new. Highly recommended!
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The costs of organization, May 30, 2009
"Being organized" is often used as a compliment - as a society we admire the quality and strive to get better at it ourselves. Perhaps not surprisingly, a billion dollar industry of consultants, authors, products, and methodologies has formed around this field, all vying for our attention and dollars. However, as Eric Abrahamson and David Freedman point out, there is a hidden cost to "being organized", and it can be taken to an extreme. Really, how many plastic boxes and label dispensers do you really need?
We all depend on order and consistency in our daily life, but it's the variety that's the spice! The authors cover a number of examples, varying from personal organization, to our gardens, and even show how large corporations can benefit from a certain amount of disorder.
The provided examples are interesting, but I could not help but to feel that the authors could have, ironically, benefited from more organization. There is no central idea to the book, short of 'embrace a little disorder', and the anecdotes are interesting but hardly conclusive.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Learning JavaScript, May 18, 2009
A must read for any web-developer. Having worked with JavaScript for a number of years in an ad-hoc fashion (AJAX, Firefox extensions, etc), this book has finally brought me the closure and understanding of the quirks and tricks of the language. Do not let the size of the book deceive you as Douglas Crockford manages to pack a lot of hard-earned wisdom into very few pages. In fact, this is not a book for beginners.
Best of all, "JavaScript: The Good Parts" will make you a better programmer. Just reading the book I've managed to spot at least half a dozen patterns and improvements to my own JavaScript code. Highly recommended.
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(Toronto, ON, Canada)
