Clutius Botanical Watercolors

Amazon.com

During the Renaissance, the boundary between art and science was not as clearly drawn as it is in the information age. One of the key functions of science in da Vinci's day was to accurately and elegantly depict the denizens of the natural world, and nowhere did the scientist-artists shine more than in botanical studies. The Clutius Botanical Watercolors offers a glimpse into the world of 16th-century naturalists, who spent much time "botanizing." This particularly gorgeous collection of original (but unsigned) drawings and watercolors was owned by Theodorus Clutius, a Netherlands pharmacist, and they were used to instruct budding scientists and physicians at Leiden University.

These plant studies are exquisitely detailed and delicately colored, retaining both usefulness and beauty. Every needle on the pine bough is painstakingly rendered. Each pea leaf, tendril, and flower is accurate and dainty. Each plant in the pleasure garden, the kitchen garden, and the wild is drawn and tinted to perfection. This book is a joy to leaf through for botanists, artists, and fans of Renaissance naturalists. --Therese Littleton

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Gorgeous!.......2006-06-06

This is a tall book about 12.5 inches (32 cm tall and 24 cm wide) and contains excellent quality presentations of the botanical prints of the collector Clutius [artist(s)unknown]. So you see on each white page an aged parchment that contains the botanical watercolor. The parchments are set on each page with about a one-inch surrounding border of the white background page. All the parchments are very old so their edges are a bit uneven here and there indicating their age and their true paper-making origin. No machine churned out perfect sheets back then. The watercolors themselves are absolutely exquisite and their skilled presentation by the author makes you feel like you are actually paging through the actual collection. She chose 142 watercolors from the collection of 1,800. The artist(s) may be unknown but their skill would have guaranteed them widespread fame today if they had autographed their works. I am a modest collector of botanical books and I just feel so peaceful and content paging through them. This is my favorite book. Even at Amazon's $45 price tag, which I did not pay, I consider this book worth it. Barely, but still worth it! And I am a real skinflint so I don't say this lightly! If you love botanical books, you will treasure this one.

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Everything Old Is New Again

'Glamourous' Nostalgia

Glamour Do's and Don'ts Hall of Fame: Fifty Years of Good Fun and Bad Taste
Joanne Mattera
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Glamour's Big Book of Dos and Don'ts: Fashion Help for Every Woman

ASIN: 0679742336
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Customer Reviews:

Everything Old Is New Again.......2007-03-03

This book was written with a late 1990s viewpoint. It is odd to see how Joan trashes the 1970s looks that are so popular now, while applauding man-tailored clothing. But that was the 1990s, and this book is a bit dated. It is still a fun trip down memory lane to see how everything you swore you'd never wear again is right back in style. Proof for your kids who think leggings and bellbottoms are the newest thing. Have a good laugh, and don't miss the updated version of this book that is in color and much better.

'Glamourous' Nostalgia.......2005-10-11

If you remember Glamour Magazine's popular old 'Do's and Don'ts' column, you'll find this book lots of fun. It's full of do and don't photos that appeared in the magazine from the 60's through the 80's. I've bought the book before and got it again now as a little gift for an old college friend. My only complaint is that the pictures aren't in color.

Amazon.com

Whoops! When Ricky offers his gigantic robot friend his parents' minivan as a skateboard substitute, neither mouse nor robot considers the consequences. Sure enough, the skateboarders wipe out, and the van is squashed. Now it's up to the "boys" to earn some money to pay for the damage. "Meanwhile, about 35 million miles away on the planet Mars, there lived a mean little monkey who was hatching an evil plan." Good thing for Ricky and Robot, because, well, one intergalactic battle leads to another, and pretty soon these two have earned themselves a brand-new rocket-powered minivan from the general of the Squeakyville Air and Space Association, in gratitude for saving Earth from Major Monkey and his mecha-monkeys.

Young readers will be pleased as punch to see this latest title in Dav Pilkey's series, which includes Ricky Ricotta's Giant Robot vs. the Mutant Mosquitoes from Mercury and Ricky Ricotta's Giant Robot vs. the Voodoo Vultures from Venus, all illustrated with Martin Ontiveros's funny black-and-white drawings. (Ages 5 to 10) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Ricky Ricotta and his Mighty Robot are in big trouble. After crashing the Ricotta family mini-van while using it as a skateboard (it's the only thing big enough for Robot), they have to earn some money quickly to pay for repais. While they're thinking how on EARTH they are going to come up with the money...on Mars, mean Major Monkey is making plans to enslave mousekind! Major Monkey has had his eye on earth for some time now...and knows that the first thing he must do is get rid of that robot. Major Monkey tricks the robot into going to Mars. Now it's up to Ricky to rescue his robot and keep Major Monkey from menacing mankind.

Customer Reviews:

Great for becoming independent readers.......2006-08-10

My son was first drawn to the illustrations in Ricky Ricotta/Mighty Robot series but I held out buying the books because I thought they were "glorified" comic books. However, much to my surprise when I actually read it myself, it was quite hilarious.

The best part was that it was easy enough for my 5 year old to read on his own (with a little help), which was really a major coup as I could not get him to start reading chapter books.

We ended up buying all 7 books and he has already read 4 of them in 2 weeks!

The author's website also has some great games.

This book is great!.......2004-08-22

In this, the fourth Ricky Ricotta book, Ricky and the Mighty Robot face their gravest threat yet. Major Monkey is tired of being alone on Mars, and decides that he will conquer the Earth, and to do that he must first put the Mighty Robot out of the way. Can Ricky save the Mighty Robot and the Earth, all at the same time? You bet he can!

This book is great! The drawings are black-and-white, but are quite funny, and go along great with the story, which is hilarious! My ten-year-old son picked out this book (he's into robots right now), and loved it. The book contains some "Flip-o-rama" pages, where you rapidly flip the pages back and forth and watch the somewhat-animated cartoon, which we both thought was pretty cool. The text is pretty short, and definitely not challenging to him, but he nonetheless loved this book. We highly recommend this book.

Pilkey strikes again.......2002-02-13

We just had to get the latest Ricky Ricotta book as my 4 1/2 year old son is in love with Ricky Ricotta and Captain Underpants. I find the Ricky Ricotta series a little less humorous and more boiler plate than the Captain Underpants series, however my son loves them both. The Flip-O-Ramas are great as usual and my son now makes up the sound effects. He also really enjoys going through how to draw each character at the end. He hasn't tried to actually draw them yet. All of the books in this series have a villain from another planet who Ricky Ricotta's Giant Robot is able to defeat and put in jail. My son loves seeing the old villains in the jail windows at the end of the story. I sure hope the next book in the series comes out soon because I don't know how long my son can wait. If your kids like Captain Underpants, Ricky Ricotta is likely to be a favorite, although I think some older kids may find it boring in comparison. It is easier to read, however, and would be a good book for a beginning reader to read themselves.

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Technology doesn't always conquer
A snazzy little read
(Nearly) Wordless Joy
the kind of comic everybody should read
Good read

Monkey vs. Robot

Manufacturer: Top Shelf Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1891830155

Book Description

An exciting action-packed rumble-in-the-jungle! A factory of self-replicating robots is stripping the jungle of its natural resources, threatening the territory of a colony of nearby monkeys. A series of encounters between the two groups quickly escalates into all out war.

Customer Reviews:

Technology doesn't always conquer.......2004-06-21

Although this book is not excatly black and white, more white and green it is a classic. No it's probably not meant for children and all though it did give me a good chuckle near the end (I love it when the robots talk!!! :D:D) there is some depth to it. Subtly (or not so subtly, whichever you prefer) this book shows how technology is not perfect (although my broken microwave could also tell you that) I did manage to flip through this book relitively quickly but not because I lost interest, simply because it is not too thick and there are only a handle full of words. I have flipped through it a couple of times since and it never ceases to make me smile at one point or another.

A snazzy little read.......2004-05-21

James Kohalka's, "Monkey vs. Robot," is a snazzy little gem of a read. You'll probablly be able to finish this book in 10-15 minutes the first time you go through it but will certainly find great enjoyment flipping through it several times again enjoying the wonderfully minimalistic style of this graphic novel.

Makes a great gift item for friends/family who don't really like to read but act like they do - in that they'll actually be able to finish a book for once with enough hip-factor to display on their shelf/coffee table for future conversational highlight.

(Nearly) Wordless Joy.......2002-08-22

This is some of the finest work Kochalka has ever done, and it's a frequent companion on trips despite its brevity. You can read it in a minute or lovingly ponder clever artwork panel by panel.

Honestly, "Mv.R" fills me with a kind of reveried ecstacy every time I read it: I don't know if it's the plot, the emotional subtext or just some mesmerism woven cleverly into the artwork, but I can't forget it.

The few lines of dialogue are a real kick in the pants, too: thanks, Ma Computer (and James Kochalka), for the most quotable line in my personal comix experience. And thanks again for some of the most memorable images as well...

the kind of comic everybody should read.......2002-05-17

Having grown up reading my dad's old Spider-Man, Batman, and EC books and then "graduating" to "mature" books like Madman, Sandman, and the Maxx, you could say I know a little something about comics.

>>> Enough to laugh a little harder than some people at Mallrats, and to notice that Unbreakable looked like an Alex Ross comic come to life. < < <

Like many comic collectors, I had to give it up when I went to college, and so I could only afford one or two comics a term, and usually I'd save for something special, like a trade paperback or a Maakies collection.

Or something like this.

I saw this on the rack in my old comic shop when I was visiting my family, and was intrigued by the cover. Picking it up, I immediately fell in love. Here was a distillation of comics at their best: no "marvel method", no super-heroic drawing style, no limitation to a "convential" page size, and managing the trick of being in b/w and still popping off the page.

And it was funny. I mean, c'mon: monkeys and robots fighting?

This is great. Everybody should read it.

Good read.......2002-04-23

Though I love the [junk] out of this book, I can not say that it is James' best work. Check out his Sketchbook Diaries (published by Top Shelf) for a real taste of what Kochalka can do.

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot #4 Vs. The Mecha-monkeys From Mars (Ricky Ricotta Y El Poderoso Robot Contra Los Mecamonos De Marte)

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Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot #4 Vs. The Mecha-monkeys From Mars (Ricky Ricotta Y El Poderoso Robot Contra Los Mecamonos De Marte)
Dav Pilkey
Manufacturer: Scholastic en Espanol
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Infantil y juvenil | Libros en español | Formats | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot (Astro-Activity Book O'Fun)

ASIN: 043985105X

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Not as good as the first...
I WANTED to love it, but.......
A minimalist approach to the graphic novel

Monkey vs. Robot & the Crystal of Power
James Kochalka
Manufacturer: Top Shelf Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1891830368

Book Description

This thought-provoking story is told almost completely without words, relying on Kochalka's expressive illustrations of the title characters. For all the book's humorous and charming appearance, beneath the entertaining veneer lies a stirring examination of the dual nature of existence, the dichotomy within the human mind, and our profound effect on the ecological environment. A modern day fable for readers of all ages, based on the age-old struggle between nature and technology.

Customer Reviews:

Not as good as the first..........2004-06-21

I was so disappointed with the monkies talking in this book! I don't know what but this one little detail made is so much less realistic. The same themes are present in this book as in the last and it did make me smile, and left me thinking (until i fell asleep) but quite honestly this book did not live up to the first. I bought this at a used book store for quite cheap and I am happy I read the sequel to MvR, but overall it was a little disappointing.

I WANTED to love it, but..............2004-03-14

Mr. Kochalka is a wonderful guy who has done some fun stuff, but....this was a disappointment, to say the least. Monkey vs. Robot is the concept of a lifetime, for an artist, because it's the whole basic yin/yang thing. Yin is yielding, Yang is firm, the two both interact to create everything, etc. etc. Monkeys are yin, Robots, yang. There is yin within the yang and vice versa. The two forces can clash, but also depend on each other in another way. What is just as, if not more important is how the concept is USED. The author is known for his thing for video games, and well, sadly, it shows in this. Although I don't play them, I DO understand that video games have their place, and I have nothing against them. The problem is, that they just don't usually translate well into another medium, at least I didn't feel that they did here. I read the page, but didn't FEEL anything. Maybe that's why most video game-movies are horrible. Unlike some of Mr. Kochalka's OTHER comics, this one just didn't leave any shrapnel in me like his good ones did. ah well.

A minimalist approach to the graphic novel.......2004-01-26

For those used to spending a tremendous amount of time reading through a given graphic novel due to the complexities of the text and artwork, James Kochalka offers a minimalist approach in Monkey vs. Robot & the Crystal of Power. The robots are gathering a number of items in nature to analyze in their computer, which ultimately results in the destruction or death of the item (i.e. a flower). When a monkey is taken, he narrowly escapes, but not before being injured and simultaneously damaging part of the computer. As the robots seek to fix it, they discover that the only way it can repair itself is through a crystal, which in turn, is honored by the monkeys. Let the monumental struggle begin! Technology vs. nature, survival of the fittest, the old quote from the English Romantics, "We murder to dissect."

Even though it is a quick read, I encourage you to read through it a number of times and enjoy Kochalka's work and its thought provoking story. Fans of Nicholson Baker's concise approach to fiction would enjoy Kochalka and the issues he explores.

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Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Set (Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot, Mighty Robot vs the Mecha-Monkeys from Mars, Mighty Robot vs. the Stupid Stinkbugs from Saturn) & Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
Dav Pilkey
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Pilkey, Dav | ( P ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Ricky Ricotta | Fantasy & Adventure | Series | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OG0WI0

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RICKY RICOTTA' S MIGHTY ROBOT VS. THE MECHA-MONKEYS FROM MARS
PILKEY DAV
Manufacturer: BLUE SKY PRESS / SCHOLASTIC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ricky Ricotta | Fantasy & Adventure | Series | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000PGRMOQ

Average customer rating:

Could be better, but not a bad read

Do not buy this book

I would like to "Bitch Slap" the Author

Its an honest approach.

THIS GUY HAS WOMEN FIGURED OUT!

The Naked Bitch - An Honest Approach to Dating Women
Rick Murphy
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Dating for Losers, for Men Only: An Uncensored Politically Incorrect Self-Help Guide to Meeting and Dating Women

Stumbling Naked in the Dark: Overcoming Mistakes Men Make with Women

Understanding Women: The Definitive Guide to Meeting, Dating and Dumping, if Necessary

The Layguide: How to Seduce Women More Beautiful Than You Ever Dreamed Possible No Matter What You Look Like or How Much You Make

Seduce Me! What Women Really Want (Seduce Me!)

ASIN: 1553696522
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

Author Rick Murphy is truly honest in his approach to dating women. "The Naked Bitch" is written in a casual, locker-room style dialogue that makes for easy reading and easy learning. The author teaches the reader how to perfect his scoring opportunity in a witty, but logical manner. This is definitely the perfect handbook for those men trying to re-learn the art of dating in today's more competitive "market". This book promises to enhance your social life by showing you how to take home even the most beautiful women. The night you spend at home reading "The Naked Bitch" may very well be the last one you spend home alone!

Customer Reviews:

Could be better, but not a bad read.......2007-09-05

An entertaining read, even if the information is of limited use and really only effective on a limited audience. Utilizes well-known NLP and general influence techniques and distills the information down into an anecdotal format with the intention of making the techniques easier to absorb and understand in context. The distillation process is too thorough, however, oversimplifying and diluting what might otherwise be useful information not just for women, but for general use.

The author does have an amusing sense of humor, however - the book can be read very quickly - and the basis for these techniques *is* there, you just might have to reference additional materials, or do a bit more research to get the full effect.

Do not buy this book.......2005-02-06

This book is so stupid. You wanna talk about locker room talk, well you could probably learn more in a locker room. As soon as I read the whole book (Took about 20 minutes because it's so small) I instantly threw it away. This guy is a jackass, if you buy this book I guarantee you will be disappointed. It doesn't tell you anything a normal human being doesn't already know. Basically all it says it hit on every chick you see using terrible lines that will not work. Don't waste your money. This book shouldn't even be on the market. Terrible.

I would like to "Bitch Slap" the Author.......2005-02-03

I have read numerous books on picking up women and this one is by far the worst. At 104 pages it can only touch on subjects in a superficial manner. There is nothing about dating in it. It is about picking up and sleeping with women. If you are comfortable with lying to women to get some "Action" then you already know everything in this book.

Its an honest approach........2004-05-21

I recommend this book coz there are many things us guys need to know.This guy tells it like it is and he makes his point clear and in a very honest way.A good book with a lot of information.

This book is one of many good books you will find on dating women.Good value.You can find more books on "dating women",picking up women",etc on this site.

THIS GUY HAS WOMEN FIGURED OUT!.......2002-09-20

This book tells it exactly like it is. As a woman I should be offended, but he's so honest I have to agree - or maybe I'm just guilty as charged! Definitely worth reading and easy to read. Very, very funny! The guys I let read it absolutely loved it!

Book Description

"In this ground-breaking study, the author shows how eight films variously define painting as an art. . . . For all the wide range of art references, the readings of the films are rigorous and sensitive as film criticism. This art historian knows film."

— Choice

The visual image is the common denominator of cinema and painting, and indeed many filmmakers have used the imagery of paintings to shape or enrich the meaning of their films. In this discerning new approach to cinema studies, Angela Dalle Vacche discusses how the use of pictorial sources in film enables eight filmmakers to comment on the interplay between the arts, on the dialectic of word and image, on the relationship between artistic creativity and sexual difference, and on the tension between tradition and modernity.

Specifically, Dalle Vacche explores Jean-Luc Godard's iconophobia ( Pierrot Le Fou) and Andrei Tarkovsky's iconophilia ( Andrei Rubleov), Kenji Mizoguchi's split allegiances between East and West ( Five Women around Utamaro), Michelangelo Antonioni's melodramatic sensibility ( Red Desert), Eric Rohmer's project to convey interiority through images ( The Marquise of O), F. W. Murnau's debt to Romantic landscape painting ( Nosferatu), Vincente Minnelli's affinities with American Abstract Expressionism ( An American in Paris), and Alain Cavalier's use of still life and the close-up to explore the realms of mysticism and femininity ( Thérèse).

While addressing issues of influence and intentionality, Dalle Vacche concludes that intertextuality is central to an appreciation of the dialogical nature of the filmic medium, which, in appropriating or rejecting art history, defines itself in relation to national traditions and broadly shared visual cultures.

Cinema and Painting: How Art Is Used in Film

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Cinema and Painting: How Art Is Used in Film
Angela Dalle Vacche
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORDJRA

Book Description

Today I am Lovable gives young people a fun way to think positively and build self-esteem each and every day. This year's worth of keys to positive growth entertains and inspires while it educates and promotes healthy values. Word games, fun facts, motivational stories, riddles, and affirmations make each day an opportunity to take positive action. Today I am Lovable will motivate young readers with exercises that include

success principles,

communication and language arts skills,

creative thinking,

emotional intelligence,

positive values,

and community and global awareness.

Customer Reviews:

A good Daily Resource for Children and Adults.......2000-09-09

Unlike Ms. Loomans "Lovables" Books this one is geared to older children. It is in a desk calendar-type format with inspirational and multicultural ideas to practice each day of the year. It inpires one to think and do. The ideas are simple enough for a child to follow but thought provoking for adults. I suggest we all have a calendar to remember that each of us, and all we meet are worth the love.

Book Description

In today's information-rich environment, companies can no longer afford to rely entirely on their own ideas to advance their business, nor can they restrict their innovations to a single path to market. As a result, says Harvard Business School professor Henry W. Chesbrough, the traditional model for innovation--which has been largely internally focused, closed off from outside ideas and technologies--is becoming obsolete. Emerging in its place is a new paradigm, "open innovation," which strategically leverages internal and external sources of ideas and takes them to market through multiple paths.

This path-breaking analysis is based on extensive field research, academic study, and the author's own longtime experience working in Silicon Valley. Through rich descriptions of the innovation processes of Xerox, IBM, Lucent, Intel, Merck, and Millennium, and the many spin-offs that have emerged from these firms, Open Innovation shows how companies can use their business model to identify a more enlightened role for R&D in a world of abundant information, better manage and access intellectual property, advance their current business, and grow their future business.

Arguing that companies in all industries must transform the way they commercialize knowledge, Chesbrough convincingly shows how open innovation can unlock the latent economic value in a company's ideas and technologies.
AUTHORBIO: Henry W. Chesbrough is an Assistant Professor and the Class of 1961 Fellow at Harvard Business School.

Customer Reviews:

Good.......2007-06-21

This is a useful book. Open innovation is a very old idea but the author does a good job explaining what it is and how it can be helpful -- and even essential -- to an enterprise. The fact is that most companies are doing some version of this today but they could do much more. The hard part is in getting real value out of the partnerships that can be formed while overcoming internal issues, such as NIH. The author says little about these other problems that limit the effectiveness of open innovation.

A "new vision" of the innovation process.......2007-06-18

I recently re-read Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models and then this book, first published in 2003. In the earlier work, Chesbrough explains that a business model "performs two important functions: it creates value and it captures a portion of that value. It creates value by defining a series of activities from raw materials through to the final consumer that will yield a new product or service with value being added throughout the various activities. The business model captures value by establishing a unique resource, asset, or position within that series of activities, where the firm enjoys a competitive advantage."

Having thus established a frame-of-reference, Chesbrough continues: "An open business model uses this new division of innovation labor - both in the creation of value and in the capture of a portion of that value. Open models create value by leveraging many more ideas, due to their inclusion of a variety of external concepts. Open models can also enable greater value capture, by using a key asset, resource, or position not only in the company's own business model but also in other companies businesses."

What we have in Open Innovation is a development of this concept in much greater depth. As Chesbrough explains, what he characterizes as "Closed Innovation" has a number of implicit rules such as "The company that gets an innovation to market first will usually win" and "We should control our intellectual property, so that our competitors don't profit from our ideas." As a result of several "erosion factors" that have undermined its logic, Chesbrough asserts, the Closed Innovation paradigm is rapidly becoming obsolete. (Please see Table 1-4, "Contrasting Principles of Closed and Open Innovation," on Page xxvi in the Introduction.) "When the innovation context shifts from Closed to Open, the process of innovation must change as well."

Chesbrough carefully organizes his material within nine chapters. In the first, he examines one of the most familiar examples of a company (Xerox Corporation) that selected technologies from its research laboratory (Palo Alto Research Center) that fit its business model, and rejected others. Apple was among the major beneficiaries of that process. "Xerox's management of its PARC technologies illustrates in a nutshell the transition from Closed Innovation to Open Innovation. Chesbrough examines the Closed Innovation Paradigm is analyzed in Chapter 2 and the Open Innovation Paradigm in Chapter 3, then offers a business model in Chapter 5 that illustrates how to connect internal and external innovation. For me, some of the most valuable material in the book is provided in this chapter. Then in the next three chapters, Chesbrough focuses on three major corporations: IBM and its transformation from Closed to Open Innovation (Chapter 5), Open Innovation at Intel, (Chapter 6), and the New Ventures Group within Lucent Technologies organization (Chapter 7).

In the last two chapters, Chesbrough first shifts his attention to a critically important subject, the management of intellectual property (IP) in the innovation process. "In a world of abundant knowledge, companies should be active buyers - and active sellers of IP." Earlier in his book, Chesbrough had explained why ideas that are not readily used could be lost. They and the people who create them "no longer can be warehoused until the companies' own businesses are ready to make use of them. Companies that do not use their ideas with alacrity risk losing them - and the people who thought of them - to outside organizations." Of course, as Chesbrough explains in Chapter 4, the value of an idea is determined by the given business model. "There is no inherent value in a technology per se. The value is determined instead by the business model used to bring it to market." Apple gratefully embraced technologies that Xerox had rejected.

How to complete the transition to a more Open Innovation system? Chesbrough responds to that question in the last chapter, providing a number of strategies and tactics. He recommends devising a strategic map that identifies the given organization's recent innovative ideas as well as those within its industry. On Page 178, he provides a list of questions to ask while completing the map, a document best viewed as "a work in progress." He then offers rock-solid advice on how to proceed with the "roadmap." As I absorbed and digested Chesbrough's brilliant insights on these and other key business issues prompted me to recall my own involvement with a number of organizations that struggled - with mixed success - to complete that process. I now presume to share some of the most important lessons I learned:

1. When designing and implementing an "open" business model, the first requirement is that everyone involved has both an "open" mindset (i.e. receptive to new ideas, whatever their source may be) and is not only willing but also eager to collaborate with others within and beyond her or his own organization. So-called "conventional wisdom" is often a justification for defending the status quo.

2. When setting objectives, focus on the most serious problems to solve and on the most important questions to answer.

3. With regard tracking progress, measure only what really matters...and do so with accuracy and consistency. Meeting deadlines, for example, as well as first-pass yield and cycle time. Be especially alert for variances.

4. Have "open" communication, cooperation, and collaboration at all levels and in all areas throughout what should be viewed as an extended enterprise. There is so much of value to be learned from associates, of course, (especially in other departments), but also from customers, vendors, strategic allies, and other stakeholders within the given value chain. Moreover, Chesbrough cites examples of situations in which valuable information was obtained (legally) from competitors.

5. Open Innovation is a journey of discovery. Therefore, view all problems as learning opportunities. Focus on determining their root causes rather than merely responding to their symptoms.

The final paragraph of the Introduction offers an appropriate conclusion to this commentary. By then, Chesbrough has shared a new vision of the innovation process. "This vision eagerly seeks external knowledge and ideas, even as it nurtures internal ones. It utilizes valuable ideas from whatever source in advancing a company's own business, and it places the company's own ideas in other companies' businesses. By opening itself up to the world of knowledge that surrounds it, the twenty-first-century corporation can avoid the innovation paradox that plagues so many firms' R&D activities today. In so doing, the company can renew its current business and generate new business. For the innovative company in a world of abundant knowledge, today can be the best of times."

Eye catching title, good content, but a little dry in description.......2007-06-05

This is not a book you read while sitting in a coffee shop. A little too dry in describing a rather interesting topic. I very much look forward to the next edition to this book which i believe came out earlier in 07.

I think this is a great text book for MBA or a CS/EE course on Technology and Strategy. One almost needs to be forced to complete reading the entire book.

Good wake-up call..........2006-12-24

This book came across as a good wake-up call for those business and technology leaders that are still romantically involved with the notion that fundamental research and ownership of the results remains as the way to establish a competitive advantage. The book reminded me of Covey's much earlier description of the journey to effectiveness through the desirable transition from independence to interdependence. It seems, though, that the proverbial pendulum has now swung to the other extreme. In other words, for years the technology function led business development and now business leaders are strongly encouraged to lead technology development. The answer for a sustainable advantage likely lies somewhere in between - through strong collaboration of both functions.

Good buisness insights - traditional shortcomings.......2005-11-10

In general reading `open innovation' is inspirational and interesting. It seems to be good researched and it is easy to read without hurting my intellect. It basically presents the story of the failure of and subsequent changes in the research strategy of Xerox, IBM and AT&T and contrasts this with Intel's successful strategy of concentration on process and product innovation instead of research. Chesbrough neatly conveys the basic argument that large companies have to open their research departments and include partners outside the firm as sources of new technology. Research findings that do not fit into the firm's business model should be realised in new ventures. The firm stories, based mainly on Harvard Business School cases, certainly offer some insights for managers of large corporations.

As an academic however, I have some reservations. Though the book is better than other business books, it follows the same pattern: find a catchy expression (open innovation), declare a paradigm shift, present some case stories that are supposedly representative and take some short cuts towards generalizations. IBM and AT&T are hardly representative for the whole industry. This might be important since there are certainly examples of highly profitable companies that would rather fit into the `closed innovation' model that the author declares dead. Secondly, it is not totally clear that open innovation model is really a new paradigm. At the beginning of the last century (according to the author the origin of the closed innovation model) many European companies took advantage of innovations from universities and public research labs (organic chemistry, x-ray). And there were already complex new technologies that required the interplay of a variety of partners and totally new business models (electricity supply, nuclear energy, air transportation). Many companies published their research findings and licensed their technologies, eg to Japan, which they later regretted.

Though I mainly share the authors hypothesis, I wished promising management ideas would in the end be supported by statistical evidence and not stop with case studies and a well received book.

Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology [A book review from: Journal of Engineering and Technology Management]

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Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology [A book review from: Journal of Engineering and Technology Management]
A.M. Badawy
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RQZWRI

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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