Recommended
selections from my library
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Out of Control
The New Biology of Machines, Social
Systems and the Economic World
by Kevin Kelly
In a book about the marriage of the
born and the made--the biologicalization of everything from computers to
government--the executive editor of Wired chronicles the dawn of a new
era in which the machines and systems that drive our economy are so complex
and autonomous as to be indistinguishable from living things. (click on
the image to read excerpts from this book) |
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War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy
Epic historical novel by Leo Tolstoy,
originally published as Voyna i mir in 1865-69. This panoramic study of
early 19th-century Russian society, noted for its mastery of realistic
detail and variety of psychological analysis, is generally regarded as
one of the world's greatest novels. War and Peace is primarily concerned
with the histories of five aristocratic families--particularly the Bezukhovs,
the Bolkonskys, and the Rostovs--the members of which are portrayed against
a vivid background of Russian social life during the war against Napoleon
(1805-14). The theme of war, however, is subordinate to the story of family
existence, which involves Tolstoy's optimistic belief in the life-asserting
pattern of human existence. The heroine, Natasha Rostova, for example,
reaches her greatest fulfillment through her marriage to Pierre Bezukhov
and her motherhood. The novel also sets forth a theory of history, concluding
that there is a minimum of free choice; all is ruled by an inexorable historical
determinism. |
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Database Management
and Design
by Gary W. Hansen, James V.
Hansen
Comprehensive coverage of business
database systems is organized around the database development life cycle,
providing a basis for discussing conceptual and implementation design,
database implementation, and the management environment. Conceptual data
modeling serves as a premise for a discussion of conceptual design and
as a means for design implementation using the relational, hierarchical,
and network models. Client/server database implementations and knowledge–base
systems are included among database planning and administration, DBMS selection,
and security and integrity that are formulated into a framework of strategic
and tactical management issues. |
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The
Digital Economy
Promise and Peril in the Age of
Networked Intelligence
by Don Tapscott
In this book Don Tapscott tries to
answer the one question that burns in the mind of every forward looking
executive and manager: what does digital technology mean to me and my business?
Tapscott, using actual examples of leading-edge organizations, shows how
digital technology is transforming not only business processes but also
the way products and services are created and marketed, the structure and
goals of the enterprise, the dynamics of competition, and the rules for
business success. |
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Digerati
Encounters with the Cyber Elite
by John Brockman
John Brockman delivers a new paradigm
for considering our selves and our world - everything that is being altered
by the Internet and related technologies. This communication revolution
is being driven by the digerati - those individuals who are leading change
in the new technological era. Brockman has interviewed the doers, thinkers,
and writers who have tremendous influence on the emerging communication
revolution; they are not on the frontier, they are the frontier.
This book presents their views and opinions, not only on the world around
them, but on each other as well! |
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MCSE: Networking
Essentials Study Guide
by Chellis James
MCSE: Networking Essentials Study Guide
is the most efficient, affordable way to prepare for the MCP/MCSE Networking
Essentials core exam. Written by MCP and MCSE professionals, this handbook
provides a comprehensive introduction to network concepts and their implementation,
with practice exercises built into each chapter. |
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The Goal:
A Process of Ongoing Improvement
by by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
Goldratt's system, in essence, forces
production managers and workers alike to coordinate their work-with an
underlying principle in mind: that 'bottlenecks'... are what ultimately
constrain the manufacturing environment. This theory provided a persuasive
solution for factories struggling with production delays and low revenues. |
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