History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Theory and Philosophy of Art: Style, Artist, and Society (Selected Papers/Meyer Schapiro, 4)

Average customer rating:

A classic

Theory and Philosophy of Art: Style, Artist, and Society (Selected Papers/Meyer Schapiro, 4)
Meyer Schapiro
Manufacturer: George Braziller
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807613576

Book Description

This fourth volume of Professor Meyer Schapiro's Selected Papers contains his most important writings--some well-known and others previously unpublished - on the theory and philosophy of art. Schapiro's highly lucid arguments, graceful prose, and extraordinary erudition guide readers through a rich variety of fields and issues: the roles in society of the artist and art, of the critic and criticism; the relationships between patron and artist, psychoanalysis and art, and philosophy and art. Adapting critical methods from such wide-ranging fields as anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, biology, and other sciences, Schapiro appraises fundamental semantic terms such as "organic style," "pictorial style", "field and vehicle," and "form and content"; he elucidates eclipsed intent in a well-known text by Freud on Leonardo da Vinci, in another by Heidegger on Vincent van Gogh. He reflects on the critical methodology of Bernard Berenson, and on the social philosophy of art in the writings of both Diderot and the nineteenth century French artist/historian Eugene Fromentin. Throughout all of his writings, Meyer Schapiro provides us with a means of ordering our past that is reasoned and passionate, methodical and inventive. In so doing, he revitalizes our faith in the unsurpassed importance of both critical thinking and creative independence.

Customer Reviews:

A classic.......1999-07-15

This is one of the great books of art history, and, more importantly, of the theory of seeing. It has had endless consequences for my own work.

Average customer rating:

ARTIST OUTSIDER
HALL MICHAEL D
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Flash of the Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy

ASIN: 1560983345

Theory and Philosophy of Art : Style, Artist, and Society

Average customer rating:

Theory and Philosophy of Art : Style, Artist, and Society
Meyer Schapiro
Manufacturer: George Braziller
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O6FU6Y

Theory and Philosophy of Art: Style, Artist, and Society: Selected Papers

Average customer rating:

Theory and Philosophy of Art: Style, Artist, and Society: Selected Papers
Meyer Schapiro
Manufacturer: George Braziller
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MAK436

Book Description

The Advanced Photo System has added new excitement to point-and-shoot photography. This book explains the advantages of this format, such as ease in film loading, convenient index prints and negative storage, "IX" Information Exchange, and multiple print formats, with an easy, visual approach. "Before-and-after" examples quickly instruct the reader in basic picture-taking concepts such as composition, framing, and exposure. This handy guide to shooting common subjects, such as birthday parties, portraits, travel, sports, pets, etc., helps any photographer get great results. 80 pages (over 150 color illustrations), 5 x 7.

Customer Reviews:

A nice little book for improving your pictures........2002-07-27

This little paperback book provides a good introduction not only to the Advanced Photo System (APS), but also to general photography technique. It helps you to learn about your APS camera and to make decisions on how and when to use the various photo modes and sizes. It also talks about composing your photographs to obtain the best shot possible, and it covers specific issues such as indoor versus outdoor photography, holiday and vacation shots, children, etc. This would be a great book for anyone beginning to have a serious interest in taking pictures, and it would be appropriate for an older child/teenager.

A decent beginner's book.......2002-01-19

This book is perfect for the beginner. It briefly explains what APS is, how it differs from 35mm. Then the book descibes the basics of photo composition: rule of thirds, flash vs. natural light, shadows, etc. Plus it also suggest how/when to use C/H/P settings on the APS when composing your shot.

A decent beginner's book.......2002-01-19

Your Questions about APS Answered.......2000-08-27

Jenni Bidner does an excellent job of explaining the features of the Advanced Photo System. The book is much more than an introduction to APS photography; as it covers composition, photo techniques, and tips for taking great pictures. If you are a user of an APS camera, or plan to purchase one, you should read this book.

Book Description

Terry Orlick's approach to sports is simple: when people play together and not against each other, everyone has more fun. The enduring popularity of Professor Orlick's first Cooperative Sports & Games Book proves just how many people agree. In this second volume -- twice as big, twice as much fun -- Orlick introduces an entirely new round of over 200 active games for indoors and out, and for players of all ages, sizes, and abilities. The Second Cooperative Sports & Games Book presents both completely original games as well as new ways to recycle such traditionally competitive sports as dodgeball or field hockey into fun-for-all challenges. There are:
-- Special pointers on teaching cooperative skills to teen-agers and adults
-- Outlines from successful cooperative intramural programs
-- A whole chapter of games to play with toddlers
-- Ideas for making your own playground equipment
-- A giant bonus of international cooperative games from the Arctic to the South Pacific.

As in his previous volume, Terry Orlick's emphasis here is on imagination, not expensive equipment or special skills, and on the idea that taking the competition out of games and sports simply means leaving more room for fun.

Customer Reviews:

Outdated.......2005-10-01

This may be the Second edition of the book, but too many of the so called sports and games are outdated or totally impractical for school use.

The best book about cooperative games I've ever read.......2001-11-24

This was the first thing that I ever read on the subject of cooperative games. A large volume of over 250 pages, there is a lot of background information about cooperative games, why cooperative games are good and why competitive games can be harmful for children. One key point is that playing cooperative games are fun for all and the outcome is a positive attitude, healthy self-esteem, learning communicating with others and working together as a team. All of these traits are what American employers want in an ideal and successful employee. We would be wise to raise our children playing these games to help foster these positive traits rather than pushing them to play competitive team games as extra-curricular activites. Since multi-age games can be played these are ideal for families to play with each other which would enhance family bonds.

Good discussion of what parents can do for ages birth to three, which is sometimes left out of other books who focus on age 3 or older and up. Chapters are on birth to 3, 3-7, 8-12, 12 plus, handicapped, and senior citizens. Special considerations for the preschool aged children are explained such as it being typical for a child of this age to not want to participate. The author recommends how to handle the different age-specific issues in a manner that is gentle and considerate of the child. How to start playgroups is outlined.

There are great chapters on the authors journey to other countries to learn about games they play, which are mostly cooperative, a discussion of the culture and how it translates into their own cooperative games.

Packed with great information on the theory of cooperative games, benefits of playing them, etc. Very interesting read, not just a book that lists out games. Encourages multi-age game playing. Games focus on using an Earth Ball and a heavy canvas parachute, or just bodies.

I also loved the chapter on making us aware of how playground equipment is almost designed to make young children quarrel as it is designed for individual play. The author suggests ways that children can share and play cooperatively as an alternative. He also calls for playground designers to change their thinking and make playground equipment cooperative in nature by making the design for several children to use at once.

A long list of resources and suggested reading is included. Contains a detailed index.

The author is clearly passionate about this subject, the book seethes with enthusiasm. I loved this book! I have since read other books on the subject but so far none compares to this one. Every parent and teacher should read this book.

Amazon.com

There was a time when making an animated film meant, at the very least, a huge investment in time and equipment. Flash 5 Cartoons and Games demonstrates how things have changed, teaching a new generation of animators that all you really need is an ordinary PC or Mac and Macromedia's Flash authoring program.

Diverse and powerful, Flash can be used to create Web sites and multimedia presentations. Animation is an art in itself, and the book approaches the use of Flash from an animator's and game designer's perspective. Eleven chapters describe a production workflow, from early story development to using Flash to create a storyboard, adding sound, creating elements and movement, and creating backgrounds.

There are a number of outstanding features to this book: for one, it doesn't focus on the technology. There is as much information on using Flash as there is in composing a scene, using color and sound to evoke a mood, and using quick sketches for storyboard timing. Also, there is a strong emphasis on character animation. Chapter 5 is, in fact, called "Character Animation," followed by chapter 6, "Lip Syncing and Facial Expressions." These sections and others throughout the book show how to use Flash features like reusable symbols and libraries to create believable characters.

A little more than half the book focuses on animation. The second half covers game design, programming, and animation, with an emphasis on trivia and adventure games. You'll need to know a bit about Web scripting and how Flash scripting works to get the most out of the material.

The CD-ROM includes a wide variety of examples, including runtime files (*.swf) and the authoring files used to create them. This provides the beginner with an opportunity to see the finished product as well as look behind the curtain to see what makes it tick.

Beyond the golden age of cartoons (1930s to mid-'40s), it's hard to think of a better time in history to be an animator than right now. Not only are the tools to create entire films easily accessible, but reaching a global audience is a breeze, thanks to the Web and technologies like QuickTime and Flash. Flash 5 Cartoons and Games can show you how to harness these tools and take advantage of the new medium. --Mike

Book Description

This book teaches how to create cartoon characters for television and music videos. Then, it explains how to use those cartoon elements when scripting and programming interactive games on the Internet. This book includes a CD-ROM with complete a full-length cartoon show and source codes for several games. With

Customer Reviews:

An impressive survey course for the era.......2007-01-08

Look at the prices. Even a used a copy of this book is expensive today (2007), five years after it was current. Flash has moved on from version 5 to 6 (MX) and 7 (MX 2004) and now 8, but these tutorials are still relevant and instructive. Most of the ActionScript used in the examples is still current (not outdated or deprecated), and you can easily open the .fla files on the CD and modify them for your needs.

I had a couple of personal peeves about this book. 1) Its manufacture and illustrations are unattractive. The cover is easily dogeared and the perfect binding does not look long-lived. I really hate the drawing style used for the main animation examples (a duck called Weber, drawn in a style that makes me think of the cruder strips in Viz), though these examples are very useful and do the job. 2) There is almost no Richard Beazley work in the book, and no Beazley working files on the CD. Beazley, a veteran animator who draws in a Ronald Searle-derived style, is featured on the cover. A few .swf files from his 'Edwin Carp' cartoon are included on the CD, and they are nice-looking but not worth the price of the book. I felt that inclusion of Beazley among the authors, with his Edwin Carp character on the cover, was a unfortunate instance of bait-and-switch.

That's enough whining. The book does the job.

Beginning and intermediate users may want to pass..........2003-07-26

On the lower right corner, on the back cover of this book, you will find a small yellow panel announcing that this book is for intermediate to advanced Flash users. If you are new to ActionScripting, wait until you are much more familiar with it to purchase this pricey tome. Written in a soothing informal tone, the co-authors walk the reader step-by-step through the very beginning nuances of the game scripting, explaining each in detail. This is nice even for someone with an intimate knowledge of scripting, as a game vehicle may be new territory.
But then suddenly, and without warning, despite words of encouragement and promises of clarity, the reader is left with no direction, and only a CD-ROM and a tangled web of scripting left to pull apart. A more moderate explanation throughout the entire process would have been much more helpful; the beginner/expert switch in the middle of a project is more than a little disheartening.
Despite the odd art and the organizational letdowns, I still found this book inspirational.

Not too shabby.......2003-07-12

I think the other reviewers are being too negative. Would I recommend this book if you wanted to make Hollywood quality pictures? No. But if you are interested in a Hobby or even a small consulting practice focusing on Flash Cartoons and Games then this book is a wonderful addition to your library. You need other books on the fundamentals of Flash to fill in the gaps and get your understanding of Flash up to the level necessary to use this book.

Another Techie Book.......2001-11-23

This book is simply too technical. It goes into that Bible format. Not enough pictures either.

The Richard Bazley section is worth reading though

3.5 Stars for this one. It's worth the money for the cd.......2001-09-05

This Flash 5 book is 3.5 stars. Here's what I thought. It totally focuses on Cartoons and Games, just like the title says. I think it's geared towards the intermediate Flash user. For a beginner, I would suggest another book to supplement it, like the Flash Bible or just go through the help files with the software.

The construction of the book is very poor. My book is almost falling apart where it is bound. Pages are ready to fall out if I'm not careful. If I was near a store, I would definately return it for a new one, but since I ordered over the internet, and I'm in Japan right now, that's not an option.

The first few chapters are slow. They deal with story development and character development. I think most people would read the first few chapters and say, "Interesting." But that's about it. The meat of the book starts later with character animation and lip syncing. The book goes on to briefly talk about preloaders etc. I found the most value coming from the cd. The cd that comes with this book is invaluable. It includes the actual source file from Bill Turner's cartoon, along with a percentage preloader. I spent some time, going through the source file and figuring out how he did his tricks. I believe this is one of the best ways to figure out things. I think if the book hadn't included this, it wouldn't have been worth the money. A lot of my questions were answered, especially about a percentage preloader. I couldn't find the specific information on the internet. Only when I went through the example in the source file did I finally understand.

The second half of the book is code intensive, mainly dealing with action script in order to create Flash games. This half of the book I found half interesting, half dry. They once again include the source file for a Trivia Game made in Flash and an Adventure Game. This is a help, because I believe the latter half of the book, you need to read and reread along with rip apart the Flash file to get a good understanding of it.

When they start to get into explaining the code, I think they could do a better job. There isn't any step by step, line by line analysis. The author gives you an explanation, gives you the code and then moves on in most cases. This is especially true when they talk about making an adventure game. My interest is to go to the next level with Flash and to build games, and this book will help, but will need more information, especially with Actionscript, so I'm buying some more books that deal more indepth. This isn't one of those books where you buy it and feel, "I don't need any other books, this will do." I'm still waiting for a book like that.

If you focus is on cartooning or games, I think with the cd, it's worth the money I spent. I wouldn't have learned nearly as much without a cd on this one. If you're into learning the basics or web development, simply by another book. This one is suited for an intermediate Flash level. If you're a beginner, and still thinking about this book, make sure you go through the Flash sample lessons and hopefully have another all-round Flash reference, which there are many available.

Update: September 14th, 2001. My book is really starting to fall apart.

Product Description

Show won 3 awards for Best Musical of 1997. Scintilating, jazzy score by Cy Coleman, composer of such award-winning shows as "Sweet Charity" and "Barnum." Songs include "He's No Good," "Easy Street," "My Body," "My Friend" and 15 more great songs. 4-color cover and 4-page photo section.

Customer Reviews:

I Love THE LIFE!.......2000-02-12

This is one of the best vocal selections books I've ever come across....EVERY song from the show is included...it's practically the whole score. Some of the keys have been altered to suit more normal tessituras, and some alternate lyrics are given at the ends of songs. A VERY thorough edition, and a great souvenir!

Book Description

Everyone is waking up to a whole new world of puzzles from Japan. Hot on the heels of Sudoku, here is the biggest ever collection of Kakuro and other exciting new games. Like Sudoku but with a mathematical twist, Kakuro has proven equally addictive all who try it, while Wordoku adds an extra something for those who like word games.

This bonanza collection contains over 100 of the finest handcrafted kakuro, as well as the fullest range ever of other Japanese puzzles to be discovered by the West. It includes Meiro, Tensen, and Sum Square, as well as Wordoku — a variant for those who want to join the fun but find themselves numerically challenged.

With over 400 puzzles in total, for all levels from beginner to expert, everyone is sure to be entertained with new puzzle book.

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining puzzles, terrible binding.......2006-11-22

This book has lots of kakuru puzzles and other puzzles that were new to me. I would say I am an advanced medium puzzle solver, and I have enjoyed the puzzles, but you must be warned, the book's binding is very poor. A page fell out on the day the book arrived. About a dozen have fallen out so far. I am not hard on books; the book was not mistreated.

Average customer rating:

How many faces do you recognise?

Good stories, but very IDEO-centric

Innovation-in-depth

Easy suggestions for increasing innovation

Inspiring and fun

The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Defeating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization
Thomas Kelley , and Jonathan Littman
Manufacturer: Currency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm

Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It

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Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant

ASIN: 0385512074
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Book Description

The author of the bestselling The Art of Innovation reveals the strategies IDEO, the world-famous design firm, uses to foster innovative thinking throughout an organization and overcome the naysayers who stifle creativity.

The role of the devil's advocate is nearly universal in business today. It allows individuals to step outside themselves and raise questions and concerns that effectively kill new projects and ideas, while claiming no personal responsibility. Nothing is more potent in stifling innovation.

Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience managing IDEO, Kelley identifies ten roles people can play in an organization to foster innovation and new ideas while offering an effective counter to naysayers. Among these approaches are the Anthropologist—the person who goes into the field to see how customers use and respond to products, to come up with new innovations; the Cross-pollinator who mixes and matches ideas, people, and technology to create new ideas that can drive growth; and the Hurdler, who instantly looks for ways to overcome the limits and challenges to any situation.

Filled with engaging stories of how companies like Kraft, Procter and Gamble, Cargill and Samsung have incorporated IDEO's thinking to transform the customer experience, THE TEN FACES OF INNOVATION is an extraordinary guide to nurturing and sustaining a culture of continuous innovation and renewal.

Customer Reviews:

How many faces do you recognise?.......2007-08-13

Building on the Art of Innovation, Kelly brings us the new theory of the ten faces of innovation. It is simple to read and easy to understand. Another book which I found just as breezy to read was Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers.

Good stories, but very IDEO-centric.......2007-07-30

Tom Kelley's book The Ten Faces of Innovation defines ten personas (thankfully not "named"--Bob, Sally, etc--just titled) that exemplify roles in an innovative team. They aren't job titles or exclusive positions, and people can work across roles as well.

* The Anthropologist, who observes people and discovers ways to help them
* The Experimenter, an expert in prototyping and testing, probably the classic "innovator"
* The Cross-Pollinator, with broad interests who enjoys connecting different cultures
* The Hurdler, who champions projects and carries them over beaurocratic obstacles
* The Collaborator, who brings people together to work cooperatively
* The Director, encouraging, inspiring, supporting, organizing and championing innovators
* The Experience Architect, a specialist in designing full "experiences" that transcend simple products or services
* The Set Designer, creating spaces that inspire and support innovation
* The Caregiver, who improves the subjective, emotional aspects of products and how they relate to us
* The Storyteller, who tells stories about people and products in creative and interesting ways

The book is heavily IDEO-centric, and most of the examples are from Kelley's own 20-year career there. Not really a surprise for a book subtitled "IDEO's strategies..." but worth mentioning; this is basically IDEO in book form. It includes several weird asides that are clearly IDEO/Kelley quirks, for instance his long tangents into the power of napping at work, comfortable hotel beds, and (ugh) T-shaped people. The IDEO focus gets pretty old after a while, and makes you wonder about the broader applicability of the ideas. What works in a design consulting company that works almost exclusively on short-term projects may not be the best structure for others.

But the personas are broad and--as mentioned above--not exclusive to people's job roles, so they are good signposts for anyone interested in developing their own innovation skills. I suspect it would be less interesting for a sole inventor/designer, but for people working at companies they are especially applicable.

Innovation-in-depth.......2007-06-07

The Ten Faces of Innovation describes ten complementary personas - personality types or roles that contribute in different ways to creative teams:

Anthropologist - this is perhaps the most literal title, meaning people who have been professionally trained as social anthropologists to observe people and processes and interactions `with a fresh eye'. These are probably the biggest antidote to "But we've always done it like that" thinking.

Experimenter - willing to take a chance, maybe, but also willing to explore alternatives and test concepts through prototyping, trial-and-error and applied science.

Cross-pollinator - like a bee flitting between the private parts of flowers, the cross-pollinator spreads good ideas and techniques between specialisms, breaking down silos and sharing good practice

Hurdler - able to leap tall buildings (well project hurdles anyway) in a single bound. They are adept at finding ways over (or more likely around) around immovable obstacles to reduce the banging-your-head-against-a-wall bruising.

Collaborator - knits people and teams together by finding common interests and objectives. Sometimes described as the spider who weaves the web linking everyone to everyone else.

Director - nothing to do with the title on her business card, the Director provides clarity and direction, a rallying point for the troops yet with the humility to actively listen to input from the team.

Experience architect - with an uncanny knack of putting themselves in the customer's shoes, experience architects can visualize products and services at the point of use, no mean feat when they are barely on the drawing board and even the customers are an unknown quantity.

Set designer - this is a fascinating persona: someone who creates visual spaces and physical representations relating to the job at hand. Not really office architects as such, set designers invent scenarios and contexts. They are also comfortable to break unwritten rules and help people mix fun with work (now there's a thought!).

Caregiver - in the sense of nurses and doctors (no, not the teenage version), caregivers support their colleagues, providing a sympathetic sounding board and gentle encouragement when times are tough, and motivating and inspiring people to give there all at all times.

Storyteller - anyone familiar with The HP Way or the origins of Apple and Microsoft will recognize the value of constantly telling and re-telling inspirational stories as a way of reinforcing corporate culture. It's clear that this is a comfortable personal for author Tom Kelley since both books quite literally tell a story.

The book is peppered with genuine examples, most of which involve the genesis of familiar but once remarkable products that broke the mold in some way - style, design, functionality, whatever. Some of you reading this may have bought Palm V PDAs, for instance, on the strength of their sleek looks and brilliant user interface - the Graffiti stylus script language so close to English that anyone can pick it up with a few minutes' practice. How many of you appreciate the innovative use of glue instead of screws to bond the Palm V's case together, or the flat-pack lithium batteries inside? Like many other examples, the attention to detail and the multiple overlapping layers of innovation go well beyond the obvious external visual cues. This is innovation-in-depth.

Whether you are interested in applying innovation and creativity to work initiatives or life in general, the IDEO books are inspirational, instructional and fun to read - what a combination. Recommended.

Easy suggestions for increasing innovation.......2007-05-04

Welcome to an enjoyable, easy read - which is not to dismiss Tom Kelley's fine ideas. With the aid of Jonathan Littman, Kelley works throughout this book to show how innovation can be much more painless than most people think, and more fun. Kelley makes thinking collaboratively sound like a blast. In the process, he convinces you that your organization should nurture and cherish playing with ideas. Although he admits that his consulting company, IDEO, found itself grinding along on tedious projects at times, and that he has watched people shoot down perfectly good suggestions, his underlying message is one of open possibility. He presents 10 roles you can play during meetings, any one of which would be enough to add considerable value. By showing that these roles are temporary, he sends the message that if you want to stay competitive, you can change, and even must. As he examines everything from product names to rules governing how workers decorate their cubicles, Kelley demonstrates the many opportunities you have to create something new. The cost is often little or nothing; sometimes innovation simply means getting out of your employees' way. We recommend this book to managers who wish to break old patterns and encourage creative thought companywide.

Inspiring and fun.......2007-04-17

If you want to create an environment where innovation is the norm, what do you do? Tom Kelley doesn't have a prescription, but he does have some people he'd like you to meet. This book is about the roles that people in an innovation driven organization take on to create fresh new ideas on a regular basis.

If you're an individual contributor, this is a very helpful book both to understand the people around you and your own specific skills. What's more, although in some ways Kelley is describing personality attributes, he is also describing skill sets and ways of looking at the world that you can decide to cultivate. No one is going to be excellent at all of these roles- but that doesn't mean you can't strive to be well rounded!

As a manager, the main take-away lesson is that there are many different types of creativity that can reinforce each other if put together. The most important part of building a creative organization may come at the hiring stage, where you can most easily create a mix of the different personas. But if you're in a stable organization, as most of us are, you can use the "ten faces" to identify the different styles of creativity in your people, and use that information to form teams and projects to bring out their best.

The book is very heavy on anecdote and example. Every one of the ten personas has several stories that illustrate how such an approach can generate ideas that otherwise wouldn't have been considered. The Anthropologist will put themselves in the place of the average user or consumer, as did a woman who faked a pregnancy to see how she would improve the birthing experience at a major hospital. The Experience Architect will take a commodity service and turn it into a show that customers will enjoy for its distinctiveness, like the ice cream "cooking" at Cold Stone Creamery.

The persona that I found most intriguing, and perhaps also furthest from my own, was the Set Designer. Kelley believes strongly in the power of space to shape the minds of those who inhabit it, and just reading about some of the things that go on at IDEO is enough to make my own cube - which I had thought very nicely decorated - seem drab and uninspired.

"The Ten Faces of Innovation" is not a good book to read if you want to know exactly how to change your company, but it is an excellent resource for spotting the early creative behavior every innovator should want to encourage in their team.

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