Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews, plus social, political, & economic commentary
Yes, Americans need to work, and businesses of all sizes now claim they are desperate to hire. So why are we quitting jobs, refusing employment offers we supposedly “can’t refuse,” resisting orders to return to previous workplaces, and generally just mad as hell at those who employ us or beg to hire us? A few … Continue reading The Great Resignation. Why Is Anyone Surprised?
Variations of LaborStories & PoemsAlex Gallo-BrownChin Music Press On Twitter, Seattle poet Alex Gallo-Brown (@AlextheGB) modestly calls himself simply a “writer and labor organizer.” But he’s more than that. He has been hailed as “the poet of the service economy” by Valerie Trueblood, a contributing editor to The American Poetry Review. And Washington State Poet … Continue reading Wise words from ‘the poet of the service economy’
Testing Cloud Services How to Test SaaS, PaaS & IaaS Kees Blokland, Jeroen Mengerink and Martin Pol (Rocky Nook – paperback, Kindle) Cloud computing now affects almost all of us, at least indirectly. But some of us have to deal directly with one or more “clouds” on a regular basis. We select or implement particular … Continue reading Testing Cloud Services – How to Test SaaS, PaaS and IaaS – #cloud #bookreview
Software Requirements, Third Edition Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty (Microsoft Press – paperback, Kindle) A lot changes in 10 years, particularly in the world of software development. The previous edition of this book appeared in 2003, and I never knew about it while I struggled over software requirements documents and user manuals as a technical … Continue reading Software Requirements, Third Edition – A major, long-needed update of a classic book – #software #business #bookreview
Enterprise Games: Using Game Mechanics to Build a Better Business Michael Hugos (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) Can 21st-century games and gamers attack and destroy the top-down, assembly-line thinking that still keeps many businesses firmly rooted in the previous century? Michael Hugos’ compelling new book makes a solid case that they can. Game mechanics, he argues, can … Continue reading Enterprise Games – How to build a better 21st-century business with game mechanics – #business #bookreview
Ethics of Big Data Kord Davis, with Doug Patterson (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) “Big Data” and how to mine it for profit are red-hot topics in today’s business world. Many corporations now find themselves sitting atop virtual gold mines of customer information. And even small businesses now are attempting to find new ways to profit … Continue reading Ethics of Big Data – Thoughtful insights into key issues confronting big-data ‘gold mines’ – #management #bookreview
The Connected Company Dave Gray, with Thomas Vander Wal (O’Reilly, hardback – Kindle) If you buy only one business management book this year, make it this one. It’s that good, and definitely timely. Whether your organization chart stretches across continents or consists of just you, your smart phone and your computer, you can learn important … Continue reading The Connected Company – Restructure now or die in today’s hyperconnected economy – #bookreview
Team Geek: A Software Developer’s Guide to Working Well with Others Brian W. Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) You’ve worked hard to become a software developer, and now that you’re there, you’ve learned that proficiency in several different computer languages is not enough. In today’s insecure, competitive, and overly demanding job market, … Continue reading Team Geek: A Software Developer’s Guide to Working Well with Others – Solid advice and career tips – #bookreview
The Art of Community: Building the New Age of Participation, 2nd Edition Jono Bacon (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $39.99; Kindle edition, list price $34.99) Whether you work for a large firm or operate a one-person shop built around an online presence, you should check out this newly updated guidebook on now to build, maintain and … Continue reading The Art of Community, 2nd Edition – Creating online success in the social economy – #bookreview
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