Insight Books

I bought this book for my 9 year old son and he really liked it.

If you are looking for a English translation of JTTCOTE that is faithful to Verne's French one, this one (and a couple others) has been recommended to me by members of the North American Jules Verne Society ([...]). Verne has been poorly translated since the novels were first published and he has received unfair reviews based on those poor translations. I think we owe it to this brilliant man to at least read his books the way he intended them!

Go get the music CD "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" by Rick Wakeman right after you read this great little book by Jules Verne. You won't be sorry.

This book starts off strong with the Verne's classic style and wit. The initial pages are entertaining, fast-paced and set the premise for a potentially wonderful novel. However, the story quickly slows down as preparations for the trip take entirely too long. In the version I read, the actual journey doesn't begin until page 90. Then, once the journey begins, it is rather uneventful. Verne also puts in too much geological information for the average reader to appreciate. It becomes quite tedious reading about the content of various mineral deposits, composition of the substrata of the earth, etc. While some such material is interesting, Verne goes over the top. This novel fails to display the extent of Verne's talents. For a better taste of his writings, I would recommend "Around the World in 80 Days" or, if you can digest a much longer work, "The Mysterious Island."

It had been many years since I had read a Jules Verne novel, and to be honest, I couldn't recall his skill as a writer at all. When I dug this book off of my bookshelf I admit, I was simply bored and looking for something mindless to read while the children fought over gluing cotton balls to construction paper.

I admit that it took my mind a while to re-acclimate to the writing style of the time, not that it was difficult to read, it was just far too easy to skim. So, bringing my mind to a screeching halt, I sat down and began to truly read this wonderful novel. Let me begin with saying that the science in the novel is extremely outdated but at the time of it's writing, was plausible. If you can get your mind past the huge hurtle of your current scientific knowledge, you can appreciate this book for what it is: a brilliant science fiction/adventure novel. The conventions of the time include misunderstandings of the makeup of the earth, and the propensity to marry one's own cousins.

The book is written in the form of a diary at times, and a retelling at times, of events that had passed previously. The voice of the book is the character Harry, nephew and assistant to Professor Von Hardwigg. The novel begins with the professor's discovery of a secret parchment which when decoded gives the location that a previous explorer used to enter the bowels of the earth. The immediately set out to follow in the footsteps of this great explorer of centuries before. Joining them is Hans, the apparent superman of Iceland. He never complains, rarely talks, and saves the lives of those around him on a regular basis. I cannot help but to believe that this is Verne's ideal man, his "Adonis" if you will. The Professor, though he loves Harry, is a closet ADHD case hidden behind a brilliant and stubborn mind. There is great adoration for his nephew, on those occasions when he stops moving or talking long enough to notice him. Harry, who is telling the story, is easily written off as a coward; however he is so much more than that if you take into account the beliefs of the time. He is following his uncle on a dangerous journey into the unknown to a place he does not even believe exists. (Harry's beliefs are far closer to the reality that we understand, however in this novel they are all completely incorrect)

Upon entering the depths of the earth many hardships and terrors await the three, ranging from dehydration, starvation, dinosaurs, many falls, getting separated, raging storms on underground seas and volcanic eruptions. I won't go into great detail suffice to say that the movie, though highly entertaining, does no justice to this story. Spray painted iguanas with horns are far from what is described in this book. If you have spare time on you hands, this is an excellent read and I would highly recommend it to anyone. There is a reason that this is considered "Literature."

4 of 5 stars.

I just could not put this book down. It is so real and at the same time profund. Honest, pure and addresses all the questions you have in your mind about life. It makes you realise that where you are and what is happening in your life, no matter how dark and hopeless it might seem - that this is what life is and we could not appreciate and enjoy the great times in life if we didn't know what pain and suffering is. It is meant to be and the important thing is to enjoy and bask in ALL of it - cause this is it. As Pema says in the final chapter THE PATH IS THE GOAL. Profund!

When Things Fall Apart is another compilation and distillation of several of the Pema Chodron's lecture and talks, in this case focusing on dealing with pain, anger, fear, and other emotional challenges that face us daily. Chodron's inspiring and gentle Tibetan Buddhism approaches every challenge in a positive way; rather than recoiling, retreating into an emotional shell, or attempting to fend off issues, Chodron argues that the constructive, liberating and ultimately best approach is the opposite, to make friends with our fear, or pain, to investigate it, look at it from every angle, and we will find our fears shrinking, disappearing, leaving us with a richer and more positive life experience.

Much of the book's theme could be considered simply as letting go...letting go of our dependence on stability, our need for explanations and justifications, and so on. Life on earth is inherently unstable, and the things we initially most think we need or want or depend on are actually hindrances to us in living complete lives, acting as faulty crutches. By letting go of these things we come closer to what is real.

Chodron also addresses our responsibility to others, the benefits to others but also to ourselves of maitri, of giving of ourselves to all, regardless of the perceived payback.

Chodron's is a gentle, introspective Buddhism, and reading this book allows a glimpse of what it would be like to live a courageous, generous and fully emotionally independent life based on a full understanding of what is needed to enjoy real inner peace. Her voice, her stories, her approach all inspire us to follow such a path. It is easy to underestimate the effort and dedication required to do so. Our crutches *seem* to make life easier for us, and we resist letting them go. But with time, dedication, and consistent effort, dedicated students could find the same courage to live their lives in this kind of pure and positive way.

There are many beautiful flowers to be found in this small book.

I have learned speed-reading and normally read books pretty fast.
This one, though, has so many poetic nuances in the language, so I actually enjoyed reading it slowly aloud to myself.

Try it!

I don't find the book to be as much about specifically difficult times, more as insights about life itself.
The difficult times a life is comprised of - if you will... ;-)

It's like a chat with a good friend about your life, and along the way you discover areas to be changed, but without guilt or comdemnation.

I love the book, but I believe I will get more from it as I read it a 2nd and 3rd time. It is very difficult to have a 'still' mind, yet that is the premise of her teachings

I bought this book in 2001 for myself at A Cancer seminar and just got to reading it this year, 2008!! Maybe I was afraid to read it then?! My Dad had died in Feb 2001, my intimate relationship was yucky.
But in 2008 things were no better, but then better. I'm sorry for the strange contradiction but that is how the last 3 years have been.
The yucky relationship ended dramatically, but oh so worse my 37 year old son died of cancer!! But, my son, Mike gave me so much strength and courage thru his, that nothing for me can ever be as difficult, ever again.
To that end, I started reading Ms. Chodron's book and I feel such a heartfelt connection!!! She is most wonderful.
I love the practical Buddist way which is so close to the Native American way, I think.
My church, my spiritual connectedness is with Mother Earth, Father Sky, but Ms. Chodron's book also feeds my soul.
I bought these copies for friends.
I had wanted softbound copies, and it was not stated that they were not such. That is my only disappointment. I so dislike paperback.
I bought other books of hers In Boulder Colorado when I was there in May.
Thank you so much.

The human mind suspended in unfathomable mystery is inevitably entangled in its webs of reason.

To illustrate: In his discussion of symmetry breaking (Chapter 4), Smolin states that "Much of the structure of the world, both social and physical, is a consequence of the requirement that the world, in its actuality, break symmetries present in the space of possibilities. An important feature of this requirement is the trade-off between symmetry and stability." However, this argument is circular: symmetries are unstable because they are broken and they're broken because they're unstable. How does the choice to break symmetries originate?

I jumped at this title when I saw it among my Amazon recommendations (Sometimes they do get these things right.) thinking to myself, "Ah, finally somebody out there (besides Feynman) has had the courage to state the obvious and actually write a book about it." And this Smolin does here in language I think most people with a basic science education can understand. Good show Lee!

But I do have a couple of somewhat minor problems with it. The first problem is, as far as I'm concerned, Smolin IS stating what has always seemed obvious to me. Indeed, ever since viewing the PBS special on String Theory and reading Brian Greene's book regarding it, I've been saying to myself: "What a lot of twaddle! This isn't science. It's more like some terribly bad mixture of mathematics and philosophy, making for bad theories in both fields." Actually, Smolin states as much here:

"Nevertheless, it seems to me that any fair-minded person not irrationally committed to a belief in string theory would see this situation clearly. A theory has failed to make any predictions by which it can be tested, and some of its proponents, rather than admitting that, are seeking to change the rules so that their theory will not need to pass the usual tests we impose on scientific ideas." P.170

Exactly! It truly baffled me that PBS would spend all this money on what was obviously a scientific farce. One might as well watch a rerun of Jeeves and Wooster. It's much more entertaining and Wodehouse, unlike Greene et al., knows himself to be a farceur. Anyway, the minor problem is that for me the above quote is all that need be really said about it (One might throw Feynman's in for good measure.). A whole book would seem to be unnecessary. But, obviously, there are scads of others who don't see that what Charlie Rose in his interview with Greene rhapsodized about as "The Theory of Everything" is not even a Theory of Nothing. It's not even a theory.

But Smolin did write this book, which brings me to my second problem here. Smolin is what I suppose I'll call an Einsteinian, but with a twist (no String Theory pun intended). As another reviewer has pointed out, this book has two parts. The first debunks String Theory. The second rails against "group think" and the state of current academia, in the States, anyway - All good and well, so far - But the last chapters are a bit odd for a book about physics, methinks. Here, Smolin reveals himself to be, for lack of a better word, a Romantic. He loves citing examples of people whom he calls "seers" rather than "craftsmen", of which Einstein is the best exemplar. People who hole themselves up alone and work things out based on some mystical insight. In particular, he cites one particular physicist who, during a hike in the mountains, had a vision that "time is unreal" and has spent the rest of his life working things out to prove that this is so. Exactly what it would mean for time to be unreal he does not elucidate.

This brings to mind Bertrand Russell's famous essay, "Mysticism and Logic" where he notes that the unreality of time is key to almost all mystical systems and philosophies. It is not confined to physicists; indeed, it is more associated with poets. Avers Yeats:

"For one moment
While on that grey stone I sat
I knew the One is animate
Mankind inanimate phantasy."

Russell, in his essay, concurs with Smolin, as I understand Smolin anyway; pointing out that almost all great ideas start out with some sort of mystical insight of this sort. But the way the book concludes, citing all these lone anchorite physicists, toiling away in their cottages and flats, is just a tad odd for a book debunking a notion because it's unfalsifiable and lacks empirical verification. Smolin seems to concur with Thoreau here, "No one ever followed his genius until it misled him."

To sum up, Smolin, in these latter chapters, seems to be a sort of Thomas Carlyle of 21st Century physics. He's an admirer of the Great Man/Great Idea interpretation of the history of science. This view certainly has its attractions. And, certainly, we associate all scientific revolutions with particular names: Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, Feynman etc. I suppose they all qualify as "seers" in Smolin's view. Still, it doesn't quite square with the empirical approach, and this view of history in general has peculiar consequences. I can't get out of my mind the image of Goring reading a German translation of Carlyle's account of Frederick the Great to the Fuhrer as the Soviets close in on Berlin.

True story.

I have been reading this book on the commuter train, and it is making me look forward to my hour long commute. If you read science books for non-scientists this is one of the best I have ever read (especially if you have read the Brian Greene books, like "The Elegant Universe," because they help contextualize the author's (Lee Smolin) perception of String Theorists enthusiasm). This book is part science, and part critique of academic culture. There is also a good dose autobiographical anecdotes. Very entertaining, easy, and fun to read.

If only more scientists wrote for popular audiences with the humility Lee Smolin does. Whilst it occasionally gets bogged down in the detail of its own material - there are more minutiae on particle physics here than most people will care for in a bedtime read - Lee Smolin's major points are clearly made and they ring like a bell.

In some ways this is a work of popular philosophy of science, not popular science itself: Smolin approaches his subject through the prism of the failings of string theory to coagulate over the last thirty years, but only in the loosest sense is this an attempt to prove string theory wrong and his own favoured research programme, quantum loop gravity, right. For one thing, he accepts from the outset that there are significant issues with his own programme.

Smolin's concern is more around the practice of modern physics; how the gradual disappearance of anything resembling testable empirical evidence has given way to ever more theoretical modelling which in turn has led to hypotheses of increasingly incredible (literally, that is) implications. For any variety of string theory to work (it is more of a cluster of similar possible theories, rather than a discrete theory as such) the mathematics require something like *eleven* spatial dimensions, some of which, it is variously hypothesised, must be so small as to be conceptually unobservable (the image we are invited to consider is dimensions which curl up into little donuts smaller than an atomic particle across), or which appear to require an infinity of alternative universes - a "multiverse" if you will - into which these dimensions can be projected. (I may well have not understood or expressed this perfectly: the important point is that the theory must account for the absence of any physical evidence for the extra dimensions: solution - they're invisible, of course!)

Smolin's concern is not just that these are outlandish and faintly ridiculous consequences - though they surely seem to be - but precisely that they are systematically untestable. *By definition* there is no means to measure spatial dimensions smaller than the smallest subatomic particles. *by definition* we cannot see or measure physical effects occurring outside our own universe. These are not just difficult to say with a straight face, Smolin argues, but by any commonly understood sense of the term they're altogether unscientific: logically closed, untestable, unfalsifiable, unreliant on any kind of inductively gathered argument.

Precisely the sort of arguments, in other words, that give religious cosmologies a bad name: utterly verboten, you would think in the enlightened mead-hall of the physical sciences. (Yet, and without apparent irony, biologist Richard Dawkins makes favourable reference to the "multiverse" theory in his recent book The God Delusion!)

Smolin argues that this uneasy development collides head-on with some uncomfortable realities about the sociological aspects of the practice of science. Again, Smolin is persuasive here (though in my case preaching to the choir) in citing favourably the late, anarchic, philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend, whose general message is that for scientific methodology anything goes, and all theories have a role to play for the good of the "development of knowledge", and that determined insistence on an existing accepted theory for framing ongoing research hardens quickly and dangerously into dogma: you need the vistas that different theories offer, says Feyerabend, or they are "as useless as a medicine that heals a patient only if he is bacteria-free".

For his trouble, Smolin is duly criticised for exhibiting "postmodernist" or "relativist" tendencies, and while I don't think this *is* a criticism myself, it is in any case unfairly awarded, since Smolin avowedly retains a belief in the possibility of objective truth, and promises to (but in the end doesn't really) take issue with the work of the most celebrated "postmodernist" philosopher of science, Thomas Kuhn. (I'm a fan of Kuhn's so I was looking forward to the challenge, and was a bit disappointed to find it didn't materialise).

Practically, Smolin feels that String Theory is now a "paradigm in crisis". Certainly, the theoretical tail seems to be wagging the practical dog. It is difficult to see what practical utility a theory has which postulates invisible dimensions and which doesn't seem to point with any clarity to a possible solution at all, let alone one with the elegance of a f = ma or e = mc2.

I suspect this book will annoy the hard-core science-is-truth crowd, but anyone with a more open mind will find a valuable perspective here.

Olly Buxton

I am a mechanical engineer, so my mathematical understanding of physics doesn't go much beyond special relativity, introductory quantum mechanics and just an appreciation for what general relativity has to say about mass telling space how to curve.

Lee Smolins book is written for the lay public as well as physicists and was a very interesting and eye opening read on the great number of string theories which abound. According to Smolins, string theory is very likely just a beautiful mathematical "bookkeeping" system which can relate current observations to each other and unify some of the forces of nature.

The author is a onetime string theorist who has since left the field and insists after 30 years there have been no breakthroughs and certainly no predictions of any new particles or phenomena which can be tested. Based on what Smolins is saying it sounds to me like string theory amounts to a multi-dimensional curve fitting spline whose coefficients can be calculated and precisely tuned to rationalize just about everything we already know, but makes no new and testable predictions.

He also says that it scarcely has the needed properties to call it a "theory of everything" and that far too much time is being spent on it by too many people caught up in its mathematical beauty and elegance, something he admits it has a great deal of. The idea of subatomic vibrating, open and closed rubber bands being the ultimate component of particles and energy is very appealing to many people.

He also says that the string community spends time calculating these potentially infinite ("fit" coefficients) universes and the only test of their work is that it fits known prior phenomena. Furthermore, the only critical test a new string theory receives is peer review from a specialized community that is starting to believe that predictions of any new observations are not in the cards and we shouldn't be looking for them anyhow. When we stop requiring a theory to anticipate new observations we are no longer following the scientific method.

Until I read this book I believed, based on my faith in physics, physicists and the scientific method, that string theory was the answer to everything and only required time for it to provide some testable predictions. It has had over 30 years time and research by a disproportionate percent of the physics community. I am now not so certain that it is a valid theory, especially after some of the strongest string theorists are telling us not to look for testable predictions.

Chesterton is hard to take at times; his irritating metaphors and play on words can grind one down. But, what is extraordinary is that this book is so relevant to the "now". He has grasped the nettle of modern relativism and said: "no, accipio crucem Christi; I believe in the Trintiy of princely might": "it is utterely rational for me to so believe". A definite "must" for anyone who wishes to deal with the issues of modernity and faith.

There are so many reviews here. I'll be brief.
I've read this book many times (though not this edition, which someone said is poorly formatted) and it's a whirlwind of provocative thought. Clever beyond what most any other writer can achieve. A defense of his faith that could almost convince the faithless, and if not, at least it will entertain them.
At least read the chapter on THE PARADOXES OF CHRISTIANITY. It's a kick, and could get you hooked on Chesterton.

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die."

Orthodoxy is filled with insightful information regarding some of the most poignant critiques against the Christian faith. This book should serve as a starting point for all exploration into the topic. What's more frightful than arguing with someone who has a lot of answers? Probably arguing with someone who can generate just as many questions and can argue your side of the issue better than you can. We usually only think on one side of the issue (our position), but Chesterton expounds both.

It isn't necessarily a very easy read, but it is still very relevant for today's skeptic. Begin here: "The sense of the miracle of humanity itself should be always more vivid to us than any marvels of power, intellect, art, or civilization." Any book that looks to refute something must begin with awe in the fact that there is an intellect which makes it even possible to toil in the world of ideas and fact. A great follow up book would be Mere Christianity.

A common criticism of Orthodoxy is the format, and while people are entitled to criticize the rambling nature of Chesterton's exploration as aesthetically displeasing, there are plenty of rigidly organized explorations of faith; all neat and tidy with headings even. If you read his introductory comments on why he wrote the book, you should be able to see that the whole work focuses on how he stumbled unintentionally into seeing the beauty and reason of orthodoxy through the accumulation of a thousand little things that all pointed in the same direction: God. The book purposely models this, and frankly I find the joy of the book is how he expresses faith this way.
I admittedly found it very confusing my first read, but each time I read it again more and more of it starts to connect. Give the book a second chance if you stumble at first Soon you'll start to see the pattern of thought in his "rambling" observations, an intentional metatphor for the divine pattern and purpose that escapes us in our everyday "rambling" lives.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE.
Chesterton's logic is flawless. This book should be required reading in all Theology classes. Don't buy this for your library buy it to read it.

I loved it, BUT it may not be so enjoyable to a non-medical person. I was a little disappointed because the reviews said it would teach me how to better use my "right brain." This it didn't do well. A good read, neverless!

I learned a great deal about the basics of how our brains function by reading this book. How the brain can recover from various injuries/illnesses has always amazed me and I love reading about it. I first learned of Jill Bolte-Taylor through her presentation on the TED website. I was completely fascinated as I listened to her tell us about her stroke experience. I knew I wanted to read her book to get an even more detailed account than what she spoke of in her presentation.

All of the wonderful things previously said by the previous reviewers are true. I doubt I can add more to the wealth of information available concerning this book. I will state that I greatly appreciate learning what stroke victims really want or need concerning how they are treated and related too, verses what we think they want or need. Jill gave a very good list of of those wants/needs in the back of the book. Very understandable needs such as, "please don't get upset if I have asked you the same thing 15 times in a row", and "please be patient and gentle with me" sort of things. Caretakers of stroke victims will learn so much from this book since it was written by a brain scientist who later documented her own journey into her right brain. Absolutely fascinating.

My Stroke of Insight is a must read for all of us with a brain! I found Jill Bolte's personal journey of recovery deeply moving and truly fascinating. After having brain surgery myself, I too became fascinated with the human brain, never knowing what may present itself next. My Stroke of Insight has answered many questions for me. As everyones experiences with brain surgery differs, in many ways our challenges are the same.
Wonderful book, congratulations, Stuart McCallum
Beyond my Control: One Man's Struggle with Epilepsy, Seizure Surgery & Beyond

I have an AVM just like the author and I was really interested in reading about her experiences. I enjoyed the book, but it could have been about 40 pages shorter.

Like most books for a large audience, the technical details about the brain were lacking. In fact, Chapter 2 is called "Simple Science" and anyone with a middle school education could understand it. I really wish authors would treat science as if I actually made it past 10th grade. Also, I was quite surprised that the author, a neuroanatomist, couldn't find better drawings of the brain.

The author recalled her experience via psychotherapy years after her stroke. I was a bit surprised that the author treated her recall of the day of her stroke as if her memories were fixed, as if they were just sitting in a file cabinet and the Gestalt therapy opened the drawers. The author is ecstatic about the plasticity of the brain yet she never acknowledges that memories are much more "plastic" than the brain.

By the end of the book, the author is writing in broad, flowery language:

"If I want to retain my inner peace, I must be willing to consistently and persistently tend the garden of my mind moment by moment." (Uh oh. I think the author is starting to shovel the manure.)

"The focused human mind is the most powerful instrument in the universe." (Huh? Really? Has the author ever considered that there might be other aliens with minds that are more powerful than ours?)

"Paying attention to how you burn energy and how foods make you feel inside your skin should be a top priority." "Let [scents] move you into the here and know." (Ohhh....aromatherapy! Is there a chapter on feng shui?)

This is all fine and dandy but I was expecting something more scientific and analytical from a neuroscientist.

For example, the author argues that everyone has complete control over how they react and behave. Unless, of course, they are are "truly" mentally ill (her word, not mine, see page 157). I disagree with the author on this point--mental illness is not like a switch. There are shades of mental illness, from a bit of depression to manic/depressive.

This book will be quite inspirational for both stroke victims and their caretakers. The author recovered so well because of the intense, loving efforts of her mother. And she recovered completely. Quite amazing.

I've told all my relatives about this book and Dr. Taylor's unique and amazing experience. The book should be required reading in medical school (even though it is written for the general public) or else its groundbreaking findings should be included in medical textbooks. The manner in which her mother GG re-raised the late-thirties author from infancy again is most inspiring and educational.

I do have a few complaints, but these didn't stop me from giving it 5 stars. There is a lot of repetition of certain themes and vocabulary; I would have preferred more anecdotes about Dr. Taylor's recovery and less emphasis on nirvana (important, but the reader gets the point early on).

I consider this a must-read and hope a second and more detailed book will be available someday.

A FURTHER EXPLORATION OF THE NOT SO BIG PHILOSOPHY, QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE, GOOD COMMON SENSE.

Sarah Susanka, an architect orginally based in Minnesota, has written an extremely valuable book about creating comfortable living space in a small house. Until the recent housing crisis (and yes, even despite it among the super-rich) residential housing in this country was guided by the principal that "bigger is better". From an average house size of about 1,300 square feet during the housing boom that followed the Second World War, houses have been getting larger and larger. The effect of this on the environment went virtually unnoticed until it became fashionable to talk about global warming. No retired couple needs a weekend home of 8,000 square feet, yet one would be shocked by the number of such houses that were built in the 90s and were all the vogue up until about a year ago. Now that Hollywood movie stars, earning $20 million a film are driving hybrid cars and installing windmills in their backyards to power their 50-inch flat screens, the small house is somewhat in vogue.

Ms. Susanka has many interesting ideas on how to maximize the use of space, including the notion of creating "living" space, e.g., seating, a fireplace, and even a tub, on the other side of the walls of a house.

If you are thinking about building a house, read this book first. Perhaps you will scale down your plans and that would be a benefit to both you and to the world outside.

Books of this type have proliferated in the past few years but this volume, one of the first on the subject, remains as vital as it was when first published.

Hopefully all the people who are supposed to be interested in preserving the natural world will buy into Susanka's idea and build smaller, more useful houses rather than energy and environmental guzzlers. Be nice if some of the "talking heads" would do as they say. Great ideas for all of us interested in using less and preserving more.

We have read both books and did find some things interesting, there was only one or two houses in either of the books about the Not So Big House that would have worked for us. One thing we did find that the cost of the "not so big house"; because of many of the materials used; it is really more than what a number of people might find too expensive for their budget.

We are remodeling our house and my daughter and husband are about to build a new house. A friend of us got many great ideas from this book when they built their home, so they recommended it to me. I had purchased it as a gift for my daughter who, along with her husband, have been reading it since then word by word, and studying the pictures. They are so excited by the concept of a great home and the excellent ideas found in the book. It gave them the direction that they will definitely take when designing their new home.

Rather shallow and repetitive. Then again, comics are gifted humans and their art and skills come from practice, practice, practice and inherent gifts. You can't teach funny but it would be great if the author had included some who didn't say the same thing everyone else said! It is also dated.

All these books about Stand Up can not produce one good joke. Some of the techniques might come in handy when in front of an audience but laughter they will not bring. For that, one must be inspired and have a particular view of the world to attract people and share in a funny manner. Bought several books and fine and dandy to hear anecdotes and comedians in all kinds of situations but in the end, if you are really interested in pursuing Stand Up Comedy, a person must be willing to put themselves on the line. Attempt and fail, over and over, until one is recognized as a true comedian and has developed hers or his particular style of comedy. Taking an acting class might be beneficial for so many aspects of stand up comedy can be affected by theatrics. Kind of like wanting to play poker and become rich. You can read all the books you want but until you become one of the players you will not really know wether you are good enough or not. Practice makes perfect, theory does not accomplishes the same thing.

The first part of the book was very informative. It offers many tips and knowledge about stand-up comedy. They seem relevant to many types of comedy. I was worried when I saw all the reviews that it was just filler and they would be pointless. However, the author asks great questions. The interviews are a thrill to read. I could not put this book down and read it from start to finish in a couple days. I reccomend it to anyone interested in any kind of comedy or who want to be funnier.

Ajaye gives great insight to the aspiring comedian in this concise read. I have never been on stage but this book has helped tremendously in the writing process and my eventual presentation. The many interviews he conducts show a wide variety of approaches and thought processes. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone that is thinking of taking it to the stage.

The lone negative review is so off it's beyond belief. This is, in part, my defending a book which I found to be the most helpful of the 3 I own (the other two being Judy Carter's) and challenges the negative points in the bad review.
The author's introduction includes the information that he found law school disinteresting, which is a fact that cohesively brings him to his self-admitted bumpy first night at stand-up comedy. His analysis of comics was fresh information to me. I am relatively new to stand-up (one year) and never thought to specify what makes my comedic heros funny. This advice is tailored to the individual as a road to slowly find one's footing in this world of comedy, a full introduction.
The author does not simply state "tap into your own life experiences". What he does suggest is for the beginning comic to try and find their own voice, whatever that may be, i.e. what we are truly passionate about, as opposed to what we think we should write about. And he writes about this in great detail.
The "third eye" is explained in great detail. I was stumped when sitting down to my notebook to write jokes. I thought to myself "if only I could get to that 'zone' in which I'm on a roll with my friends, making them laugh". The author is urging the reader to expand on his/her own self-awareness as to when and why people respond to him with laughter, as well as asking them to stay aware to one's surroundings and environment. If you're funny or geared towards comedy, your original take on life will guide you, over time, to better writing. That's "third eye" in a nutshell. I'm not an author, nor an expert, but I feel compelled to offer just a tiny explanation of the in-depth book discussion so dismissed above on "third eye".
Lastly, I was at first concerned with the seemingly small portion of the book before the interviews. First of all, those pages offer so much more than previous, now dated books (i.e. Judy Carter) in less space; Secondly, the interviews are truly the most informative part of the book. Trust me. Most of the subjects are so humble and truthful about their beginnings. (I write most as there was one comic who I found egomaniacal, and that in its own way was informative about that world). Hearing their stories and different methods is priceless.
This book rocks.

this is a quick read on where real innovation comes from. johansson contends that there are two kinds of creativity and innovation. one is linear, staying within one field of study, one body of knowledge. most companies (and people) who are trying to innovate, attempt this directional innovation. like, an engineer who tries to think up a new way of building a bridge by surveying bridges already built and thinking of a refinement or change.

johansson contends that this kind of innovation is rare, and never substantial when it happens. we're too locked into our modes of thinking, and we put up barriers to potentially innovative influences from outside the field (because they're seen as a threat or a distraction).

the second kind of innovation is intersectional. it's the stuff that comes from the intersection of two different fields of study or bodies of knowledge. this is where - the author contends - all deep and significant innovation occurs. johansson gives dozens of helpful illustrations -- like, how a knowledge of the feeding patterns of african ants helped inform truck drivers trying to find the quickest route through the swiss alps at any given time.

anyone interested in being innovative should read this book. it's a great book for a team read and discussion.

At first glance, "The Medici Effect" can seem like yet another quick-read business book that simply restates the obvious. The author's basic thesis is this: to spur innovation, we must bring people together from different backgrounds and disciplines.

Well, that seem true enough... Just visit Thomas Edison's complex at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, for an early example of this so-called "intersection of innovation." (Museum curators have done a fantastic job reconstructing his entire laboratory.)

What saves this book from the dust pile is the author's willingness to go beyond the easy answers. Brainstorming can often fail, says Johansson, and he spells out the most common pitfalls in great detail. Likewise, he says that building a culture of innovation must include both punishments and rewards for those involved -- even if those rewards are largely intangible. "Positive failure" is another powerful concept -- the idea that failure can be encouraged, managed and optimized for faster innovation.

Johansson illustrates his main point with a dozen or more entertaining anecdotes from a wide variety of fields, ranging from neurobiology at Brown University to video games to the restaurant business.

Along the way, he provides practical guidelines for team leaders and team members alike. Johansson knows that innovation isn't limited to PhD's in white lab coats or oddball geniuses with bad teeth. All of us are capable of (at least contributing to) breakthrough innovations, given the right support system and organizational attitude.

Of all the concepts Johansson presents, I found his section on "associative barriers" to be the most interesting. Here's a quick summary: As we become more knowledgeable about a particular field, we also begin to limit our cognitive freedom to make strange, unpredictable associations. For example, if I say "police," most people would associate that word with things like crime, violence, jail, justice or lawbreakers. Relatively few would jump to other associations, such as childhood disease or solar energy. By breaking down these associative barriers, we can see new connections and find new solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

If you don't have time to read the entire book (short as it is), I strongly recommend this section. The Medicis would certainly approve.

My daughter needed this book for a class in college. I paid extra for next day delivery and it was here the next day.

A great book on innovation and outside the box thinking. Many innovators may find that their thinking, curiosity, and intuitiveness are outlined in the pages of this book. Use it as a catalyst for new ideas and possibilities. Ideation, in today's world, must have a broader scope and more examination. This book will help spark the possibilities within you.

The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures
by Frans Johansson

Following my recent holiday trip to Italy, particularly my revisit to the Vatican Museums in Rome & the Uffizi Museum in Florence, I became fascinated by the great work of the Medici family.

I took the opportunity to reread the personally earmarked pages of the abovementioned book. I had, in fact, already read it for the first time about three years ago.

The book's title actually refers to an explosion of creativity and imagination that occurred in Florence during the Renaissance era, stretching from the late 14th century where it started right up to the early 17th Century, where it had spread to the rest of Europe, when the powerful & influential Medici banking family funded artists, artisans, painters, sculptors, and even thinkers and scientists from many different cultures and disciplines to come together to debate, discuss, and discover new ideas. [Out of 1,000 European artists, painters & sculptors during that period, about 350 of them had lived &/or worked in Florence, Italy.]

Through their generous patronage, we are able to speak of and admire the wonderful masterpieces & elegant work of Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli, Donatello, Raphael, Ghiberti and countless others.

The book is about how all or each of us can create our own "Medici Effect" by applying the concept of juxtaposition (I reckon the author likes to use 'intersection'; as for me, I think 'juxtaposition' is more appropriate word to describe the phenomenon) as expounded in the book.

It's all about how one can apply the juxtaposition of ideas, cultures, disciplines, and strategies in new and previously unexplored ways.

You can easily read about many interesting & practical examples of the application of juxtaposition in the book, which I don't need to repeat as you can read about them in other people's reviews on the website.

The idea behind this book is simple: When you step into a juxtaposition of fields, disciplines, or cultures, you can combine existing concepts into a large number of extraordinary new ideas."

In a nut shell, the author actively promotes the concept of a broad, all-rounded education and intellectual curiosity, combined with open mind and acceptance of diversity & risks as prerequisites to breakthrough innovation.

Here is a quick overview of the book's contents:

Part 1:
The Intersection: The Intersection - Your Best Chance To Innovate;
The Rise of Intersections

Part 2:
Creating the Medici Effect: Break Down the Barriers Between Fields;
How to Make the Barriers Fall;
Randomly Combine Concepts;
How to Find the Combinations;
Ignite an Explosion of Ideas;
How to Capture the Explosion

Part 3:
Making Intersectional Ideas Happen: Execute Past Your Failures;
How to Succeed in the Face of Failure; Break Out of Your Network;
How to Leave the Network Behind; Take Risks and Overcome Fear;
How to Adopt a Balanced View of Risk;
Step into the Intersection

The book may be somewhat long-winded in many areas, especially in the beginning pages, & does not actually offer the reader with specific implementation strategies, it does, however, provide the reader with many real world examples &/or processes.

I reckon Dr James Garvin, Lead Scientist, NASA's Mars Exploration Program, more or less sums up quite well about the book:

"As I look at the exploration of Mars through the lens "The Medici Effect" offer, I see pathways ahead that were previously invisible, and possibilities that we must consider. Any book that has this effect on anyone is far more than a good read. Let the sleeper awake!"

For me, it's an excellent book about changing the way you think about creativity and inovation...& juxtaposition.

I fully concur that juxtaposition of different and diverse fields, disciplines & cultures, is a prerequisite for breakthrough innovation.

The Amazon website is one good example, as one reviewer puts it.

MacDonalds is another, combining fast food, nutrition, family lifestyle, teenaged consumers, workforce trends, cultural/ethnic preferences & more importantly, real estate as well as logistics.

As a matter of fact, Tom Kelley, brother to the brain (David Kelley)behind the IDEO outfit, has shared his company's successful innovative experiences with this phenomenon in his many books.

The US-based Global Business Network (GBN), as the world's foremost scenario planning consultancy, often juxtaposes expert (as well as naive) insights from members with diverse fields of exposure, varied professional backgrounds &/or multi-disciplinary practices to paint probable future scenarios for multi-national companies as well as governments around the world (Singapore is one of them).

The book starts out strong with its definition of "Grace" in an easily understood format. I think his strongest point is that if a congregation embraces grace, it's going to have people who abuse it. But, that doesn't make it worth walking away from. It's of too much benefit for the rest of the congregation.

The book falls down a bit with numerous anecdotal examples of grace vs. legalism, but very little technical definition of their difference. Also, he is dismissive of the Chafer/Thieme system of spirituality, but never states one of his own.

I preferred Chafer's book, but this is easier to read (though less rich), so if you've never read anything on the topic, it's not a bad start.

This Book is A MUST read for everyone. It breaks off the ties that I didn't even know were there, pertaining to guilt, fear, anxiety, and the feeling that i just can't be the good person that i am supposed to be. This Book tackles it all in BOLD, in your face Righteousness!!!! i love it!!!

Just finished reading "The Grace Awakening". While he makes some very good points against legalism, which he does! He almost teaches a modern form of antinomianism. ALMOST but not quite. In combating legalism it comes down to what is sin. I think the moral law of God, the clear commands and admonitions found in the New Testament is where we need to start. Everything else is often a matter of conscience or adiaphora. I agree with the author in that we as Christians need to show grace to others on all those adiaphoron that we may or may not agree with. Thats where my agreement with him ends. I am concerned that instead of combating legalism this work overall promotes an "Easy Believism/Carnal Christianity" that leads to false conversions, false assurance, and false security. What actually concerned me the most as it should anybody is his soteriology specifically regarding repentance, faith, regeneration, and sanctification. He promotes the false idea that intellectual assent about Jesus Christ is repentance. He also advocates the false idea of a "Carnal Christian" I would think he would use the gramatical historical method of interpretation but that is not evident from his mis interpretations of Romans 6 and the whole of 1 John to advocate carnality in beleivers and that a real Christian can live a lifestyle of carnality which is in total oposition to the words of Jesus not to mention the whole of the Bible and all the writings of the early church fathers. He makes it a point to mention that you must properly interpret Scripture to which I say AMEN! I do question whether he does this. He likes Spurgeon and Bunyan and quotes them to support various ideas and views. I also like them but I know from also reading their works that they would never agree with his soteriology.

Charles R. Swindoll is best known for his teaching on grace. In fact, he promotes himself as having "devoted his life to the clear, practical application of God's Word and His grace" (Swindoll website) and desires to "challenge the world to embrace grace's liberties." (Grace Awakening p. XVI)

What are "grace's liberties"? According to Dr. Swindoll "grace's liberties" is theological code for freedom to disobey, dishounor and even disown God without consequences. Swindoll teaches:

"You may deny Him but He will never deny you." (The Problem of Defection, audiotape YYP 6A)

"Yes, grace frees us to choose. We can decide to walk with God and draw strength from Him to face whatever life throws at us. Or we can decide to walk away from God..." The Grace Awakening p. 145, 146

"Christ's blood has cleansed us from our sin, we are gloriously free - free to please Him. - But we don't have to." The Grace Awakening p. 140

"Regardless of how you choose to live you can't live so bad that God says to you, 'you're no longer mine.'" Shedding light On Our Dark Side, tape sld 1A

Ye are my friends," said the Lord, "if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14). Biblical grace never divorces lifestyle from life eternal. Such is not salvation by works; it is salvation by biblical grace through biblical faith. It is a "work of faith, and labour of love (1 Thess 1:3), because genuine, saving faith is always a "faith which worketh by love" (Gal 5:6) and if "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2 19, 20)


"Men who would not follow a wolf in his own hide and hair," noted one author, "are willing to be led by one in sheep's clothing. The devil knows this, and in his attempt to destroy a human soul is compelled to come as a deceiver; the hook is covered with attractive bait, the trap is concealed... the battery is masked."

"For there are certain men crept in unawares," warned Jude, "who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness" (Jude 4). Satan's stealth assault takes aim at the heart of the gospel - grace! Jude's grace-changers spoke of "grace!" They preached of "grace!" They wrote of "grace!" Grace alone! Like military aircraft that evades radar through stealthy design shapes, Satan conceals his false gospel with a grace paint job!

Christians have just got to read this book! I have never been so much at peace with myself and God after realizing the true power of God's amazing grace! Caught in the web of legalism and self-righteousness, Grace Awakening opened my eyes to the judgmental, intolerant, Pharisee mentality that I bought into for years! It is a must read!

This book, in combination with mere Christianity by CS Lewis, made me realise that Jesus is who He says He is. King of Kings and Lord of Lords and my personal Saviour.
I recommend that you read the only planet first and then Mere Christianity.

This book has a lot of good channeled info in it , but............some of it does not ring true and there are some contradictions , as with all material, especially channeled, follow your own heart for the truth , but as they say in the book many times "WE are stuck as a race of beings and need outside help" we are holding up the rest of the galaxy and universe by not evolving , it is way past time for us all to evolve !

I found this book to be of great value. A great read if you have an open mind. If you are able to get past your fears and allow who you really are to see the words. They will plant many seeds of remembrance. Peace

First caveat I'd put forth - would you rather hear what you'd like to hear, or what you need to hear?
Second - before reading this book, find "Stargate Conspiracy" by Pincknett and Price, read it, then read OPoC.
Third, as you read OPoC, when you hit something truly original, reflect on what it would mean if the world were really as 'Tom' describes it. My husband is of African descent, I am not. If the things in this book are true, that means some things that I, personally, am uncomfortable with. I'd want more corroboration of 'Tom's' credentials than have been provided so far before taking his pronouncements as revealed truth.
Finally, to the true believers who are feeling offended or threatened by these criticisms - take responsibility for the consequences of the beliefs you espouse. Sincerity is not an excuse.

Yes this book makes claims of where we humans originated (among many other things), may be unreasonable to some, but completely feasable to others such as myself. For all the people who will read a book of this type and remain sceptical, at least it will still serve the purpose in expanding your mind to the possibilities. From start to finish it is a completely facinating, mind expanding book that will transform the way in which you view your life and see the world around you. If there was one book I could give to everyone I know, this would be it. P.S. I love the part about Dolfins, since I was I child I had a connection to them, and now know why. Read the book and you'll find out too.