Outliers
This is the second book by Gladwell I've read, (the first being Blink) and once again he does not disappoint. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell poses some pretty interesting ideas, not due to their complexity, but rather due to their simplicity. These are the kinds of statements that you've probably always wondered about in the back of your mind, but never expressed or reflected upon.
If you want to understand success, this is a great place to start. Also, as with any Gladwell book, you'll learn a great deal of interesting facts and tidbits of information about everything from aerodynamics to hockey along the way.
The Reality of Virtual Communities
NOTE: This was an essay I had written for my very first English composition class in college, back in Febuary, 2007. Obviously, it is very dated and the technology and terminology discussed below have evolved tremendously in the last three years.
With the internet becoming more functional everyday, people all over the world are finding new uses for this incredible medium in their daily lives. Several years ago if you told someone you blogged them on MySpace you probably would have gotten some strange glances. Now these terms, and many more like them, are becoming a routine part of our vocabulary. Only decades ago you would have invoked some stupendous looks just by uttering the terms “chat room,” instant message” or “web blog.” Today these familiar terms have one thing in common. They all relate to virtual communities made possible by the internet.
In this essay, we will explore the reality of virtual communities. You will see why I strongly believe that there is nothing inherently “fake” about this relatively new medium and why a virtual society deserves equal appreciation when compared to communities outside of the internet. I will also share my views on why some virtual communities can improve our way of life and how we do business far beyond what any “real world” medium can do.
Finding the Cheese in Life
Sometimes big things can come in small packages, as with the short story titled “Who Moved My Cheese?” After first flipping through the pages of this thin 96-page book, I was surprised that it wasn’t supposed to be in the children’s section of the bookstore. I noticed the large font, wide margins and simple syntax and thought it would be almost impossible to learn anything useful from a book of such simplicity. Looking back, I see how wrong I was for making such a hasty judgment and from here on out, I vow to never judge a book by the size of the letters or the number of pages, in addition to the more well-known maxim of not judging a book by its cover. I say this not without warrant; for I probably learned more pertinent information about life and success from reading “Who Moved My Cheese?” than from tons of other business books combined. The author of this great story has accomplished something worthy of applaud. Spencer Johnson has taken a great deal of tried-and-true advice and cut out the fat, strained out the fluff and boiled it down to the pure necessity of what works in real life. With his philosophy at hand, anyone can realize that change happens whether we’d like it or not. It is up to us to either adapt to that change, or be left behind in the dust of our own stubborn foolishness.
Welcome to Random Sheet!
So, you found the site. That's a great start. Hopefully, I won't bore you too much. It is still under construction, so give it a while until it is filled with heaps of random content.