Enklings Studio

Formal Theories of Mass Behavior by William N McPhee

Formal Theories of Mass Behavior by William N McPhee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars Whew...I really jumped into the deep end with this book. It's quite a study in modeling mass behavior such as a survival model for TV shows and an addiction model for all types of addiction from golf to alcohol.

The book was written in the 60's prior to a lot of computing power introduced by the PC, but it definitely lays the groundwork for some great analysis of modeling behavior for the general public. 

This is a classic tome that would be good for any analytical marketer to read. Not for the faint of heart through, lots of math! I'm amazed that this title is so rare. I picked up a perfect copy including the dust cover on Abebooks.com for $27, but I see it's selling on Amazon for over $300. This book is cited in a vast number of papers written on mass behavior and statistics. 

Formal Theories of Mass Behavior by William McPhee is definitely a worthy read, but give yourself time to soak in the content.

Simply,

Tim

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Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey D. Sachs

Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey D. Sachs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars I had been looking for a book that explained in detail all the issues of climate change, population growth, poverty and sustainability in the world. A friend recommended "Common Wealth" by the economist Jeffrey D. Sachs and it didn't disappoint.

Jeffrey Sachs has been an economic adviser all over the world to governments and organizations. His work advising the U.N. on the Millennium Development Goals will likely get him a Nobel Prize one day soon. His ability to break down complex issues into bite size chunks made this in-depth book very readable.

You may not agree with everything being said about climate change, sustainability and biodiversity, but Mr. Sachs lays out a very strong case for global cooperation to solve these issues before life on this planet becomes very difficult for all of us. He draws the connection between poverty and war in a way that is very compelling. His action plan seems measured and intelligent without being fanatical.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the future of our earth and how to protect the planet for future generations.

Simply,

Tim

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The Heart of Christianity - Marcus Borg

The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus J. Borg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars I think this is a must read for any person of faith who wants to understand the emerging Church movement. Marcus Borg wonderfully writes his thesis and nails it to the door of the fundamentalist evangelical Church that has emerged in the U.S. in last century and a half.

His main points of seeing Christianity as metaphor and sacramental are beautifully written. His acceptance of other religions as sacred and metaphor for the same path to God is something I've experienced reading the ancient Chinese literature. Both areas are worth reading, especially in the U.S.'s pluralistic society where we rub shoulders daily with people of different faiths.

His view of God as Just, not as Judge, brings amazing clarity to solving the worlds injustices through belief in God. I resonate with his thought that the current focus on eternity by the evangelical Church does not help bring the justice of God today to the people dying for lack of basic necessities.

Must reads are Borg's chapter on the kingdom of God and his view of the Lord's Prayer. Both eye opening interpretations.

I can see why Marcus Borg is labeled a heretic by many. Personally, I find new thought refreshing and I guess I have enough gray hair to be able to read opposing opinions and find truth in each. We need more Marcus Borgs to shock us out of the comfort of our street corner lifeboats so we can put our collective efforts into saving the ship.

Simply,

Tim

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What Would Google do? - Jeff Jarvis

What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars This one sentence was worth the price of the book: "competitors who learn to target customers-by relevance, not by content or demographics-will increase effectiveness and efficiency and lower their cost."

This is a fascinating study on how Google is changing life. If you step back and look at the enormity of Google's reach into most developed nations, it's amazing. Embracing the way they have done this is an important lesson for any business that wants to grow.

The business scenarios in the last half of the book are eye opening as to how industries could change to remain relevant in the new interconnected and instant society.

As a proponent of simplicity, I have been a Google fan since the early days when it was just a search engine. We can all learn a lot from their model and this book.

Simply,

Tim

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What Would Google Do? - one sentence worth the price of the book

Competitors who learn to target customers - by relevance, not by content or demographics - will increase effectiveness and efficiency and lower cost."

Jeff Jarvis, "What Would Google Do"

This one sentence was well worth the price of admission.

More on this book later!

Simply,

Tim

Everything Must Change - Brian McLaren

I just finished reading "Everything Must Change" by Brian McLaren.  I've enjoyed all of Brian's books as he is a contemplative thinker and not swayed by what is popular, but by what he believes.  So many vilify Brian as the founder of the emergent Church movement (whatever that is) and for his unwillingness to engage in arguments about doctrine.  Most of the detractors I've come across have only read the party line notes on the books, and have not really engaged him or his work.  Cathy and I sat with him once at a publisher's dinner and we both we're affected at how peaceful he was and how gentle his ideas flowed across the table.

Over the past 4 years, I have come to the realization also that everything must change.  If you've read much of this blog and others I write, you know that I believe a contented life, one devoid of the need for more, is the one philosophy that I have been seeking to live out.  In the process I have shed my consumer mentality and embraced the philosophy that enough is enough.  I know now that focus on the ills of this world and on "the least of these" is what being a person of faith requires.  This is also part of the message of this book.

McLaren's book is a methodical look at what must change and how it could change starting with people of faith if we all make a choice:

A choice to stop believing that the equity system is about a few getting more and start believing that all should have enough.

A choice to stop believing that prosperity can happen without sustainability and start believing that what we do to our environment and each other matters for our future and to God.

A choice to stop believing that funding security will keep us safe and start believing that making the world a better place to live, for everyone and everything, will eliminate the need for war.

This philosophy though, is not a simple choice between capitalism and socialism, democrat and republican, developed and underdeveloped, rich and poor, good and bad.  The yin and yang of the world is broken down in many shades of many colors.  Black and white won't do anymore.  It's time we stopped focusing on the line that separates, and shift our gaze to everything else so that the lines become out of focus and eventually disappear.

Back to the book, yes, I thought it was good, but more important, it's to the point and relevant.  No, I don't agree with everything the author believes, though I do agree with most and I most certainly agree with this book and the solutions presented within.  Label me if you like; join me if you will in agreeing that:

Everything must change.

Simply,

Tim

The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier

This is one of my favorite books on brand strategy and Marty has made the concepts available in presentation form.  Whether or not you're working on your brand, this is a must read for all business owners!

The Brand Gap

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Holy Roller by Julie Lyons

Holy Roller by Julie Lyons

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow, here's an unexpected book, Holy Roller really surprised me. Having grown up in a pretty conservative household and attended, for the last quarter century, a very conservative evangelical Church, I have had little contact with the Pentecostal movement. I did join a Nazarene Church when I was in High School, but that was more about a girl than the denomination. : ) Though I don't really consider myself a staunch evangelical or conservative now, I certainly felt that foundation factor while reading this book!

Julie Lyons does a masterful job of engaging the reader in the fascinating story of her own life as a white, evangelical who joins a black pentecostal Church in South Dallas to, at first, get a story, but ultimately to belong. There are beautiful and funny moments in the book about her challenges adapting to the culture. Ultimately the result of her adaptation was really a life change for her, her husband and her son.

Some of the things that happen in and around this Holy Roller Church are foreign to me, so I really appreciated her candor and honesty regarding the gifts of the Spirit and practices of the Pentecostal Church. It was an enlightening, fun and yet sometimes heartbreaking read. Highly recommended.

Simply,

Tim

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Out Of Poverty by Paul Polak

Out of Poverty: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail by Paul Polak

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
"Out of Poverty" by Paul Polak was an eye-opening book for me. The focus is on people around the globe making a dollar a day or less and also farms that were less than 5 acres.

The statistics in the book floored me. 85% of farms in the world, 445 million, are less than 5 acres. In China that percentage grows to 98%. My son-in-law and daughter are organic farmers with 8 acres of land they lease, but are currently using just a couple of acres. Helping out a little there has helped me see the tremendous amount of work they put in to get a few crops to sell.

Mr. Polak's idea to help the poor is simple: Help them make more money. Not by a hand out, but by a hand up. Produce inexpensive products that are designed specifically for small enterprises and farms. Sell them tools that are affordable for their dollar a day income that will triple or quadruple their income quickly. His company "International Development Enterprises" (IDE) has been doing this for twenty-five years. His methods are not in line with the international community trying to solve poverty in the world, but they work. From one acre farms to sidewalk dwellers in the poorest slums, IDE is finding ways to help people work smarter and bring themselves and their families out of extreme poverty.

For anyone who is interested in the eradication of poverty and hunger around the world, this is a must read book to see solutions in a much different light.

Simply,

Tim

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Travels with Charley in Search of America - Steinbeck

What a great book. Steinbeck's journey across the U.S. in a truck and camper with his dog Charley is journaled here with beautiful insights into American life in mid century 1900's. At every stop along the way, Steinbeck brings out the character and characters of each region. His trip into the South is particularly poignant.

This is one of those books I couldn't wait to get to each day. Highly recommended.

I got this book used from AbeBooks.com and found this picture in the pages.  One of the reasons I love to get used books is that you never know what you'll find in them.  I used this as a bookmark while I was reading and got connected to this family in some way.  I'll probably never know who they are or where they are, but one of them might have read this book just prior to me reading it, so in a small way, we are connected.  That connection and the obviously happy situation they are in made this read even more enjoyable.  Call me crazy....  By the way, don't you love the thumb print!  Makes me laugh every time I see it, you just know the guy in the black vest is talking through his smile: "Your thumb is on the lens Martha!"  :-D

Simply,

Tim