Other Book Reviews
James Surowiecki: The Wisdom of Crowds
Submitted by Reviewer (not verified) on 20 August, 2006 - 01:51. Other Book Reviews
The Wisdom of Crowds, is written by James Surowiecki, was released on 2005-08-16, is made by Anchor, Usually ships in 24 hours. The list price is around US$14.00. (*The prices are subject to change) Street price is around $11.20.
Overall I like this book and the author. But it seems that Surowiecki is more comfortable in the column style than in putting a broad book together -- similar to fellow New Yorker author Malcolm Gladwell, who also stumbled in "Blink". "Wisdom of Crowds" contains some powerful insights and anecdotes, but I share at least some of the reservations of other readers about the discursive style. We sometimes need to wait until the end of a chapter for Surowiecki to pull the rabbit out of the hat. And this indeed means, as other reviewers noted, that the same story could have been told in less pages, leaving more space to back up the main argument. What is regrettable and even irritating about this is that one repeatedly thinks that the book misses realizing its full potential.
I guess this is a good book to read within organizations, for leadership trainings, for teaching research methods (by helping to inculcate caution about findings) and generally for any curious reader or undergraduate. It does no... It's around US$11.20 in Amazon.com In Canada, it costs about CDN$15.96 in Amazon.ca And it's available in Amazon UK, but I'm not sure about the price. |
DS Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare
Submitted by Reviewer (not verified) on 24 November, 2005 - 02:45. Other Book Reviews
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 Mutant Nightmare, was released on 2005-11-02, is made by Konami, Usually ships in 24 hours. (*The prices are subject to change) Street price is around $19.99.
This TMNT rules.
I just got it 2 days ago and I am already on World 3 level 1. I just can't wait to unlock the arcade game. This game [TMNT 3]reminds me of TMNT 1 for the GBA in a way. Except, you get to have help from all 4 turtles. Also, April helps you too. So, at least the Turtles aren't trying to save her again. I love the fact that some of the old enemies from previous games are included. Like, the mouse robots that will chomp you on the arm. Pros: Awesome, game two games for the price of one. Cons: You, have to defeat all the levels up to 9-1 to get the arcade old school game. It's around US$19.99 in Amazon.com In Canada, it costs about CDN$33.99 in Amazon.ca And it's available in Amazon UK, but I'm not sure about the price. |
Earthsea
Submitted by Reviewer (not verified) on 24 November, 2005 - 02:42. Other Book Reviews
Earthsea, was released on 2005-03-08, was directed by Robert Lieberman, is made by Lions Gate, Usually ships in 24 hours. The list price is around US$14.98. (*The prices are subject to change) Street price is around $8.47.
Had I never read the two Earthsea novels upon which this movie was based, I would still have been disappointed by the movie.
The film won a number of Leo awards, including Best Visual Effects, but I must say that, even having seen it on a small screen, the effects were often dreadful. They looked to me as though someone were using state-of-the-art CGI to mimic the cheesiest special effects of thirty years ago. None of the male leads stood out or had any kind of screen presence. I think Danny Glover is a perfectly able actor, but he was miscast here, although he was the only one who looked the part racially. The female roles were somewhat better cast, but many of the actors looked uncomfortable speaking some of the dreadful dialog. LeGuin tells the Earthsea stories in a style that mimics, but not too closely, some of the great epics of the past, for instance the Odyssey and the Bible. This gives it a timeless and mysterious quality and atmosphere. The dialog writing of the ... It's around US$8.47 in Amazon.com In Canada, it costs about CDN$21.35 in Amazon.ca And it's available in Amazon UK, but I'm not sure about the price. |