Comments for Grid-Scape http://www.grid-scape.org Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:41:37 +0000 hourly 1 Comment on Leadership Dilemmas- Grid® Solutions: a visionary new look at a classic tool for defining and attaining leadership and management excellence by Sailoil http://www.grid-scape.org/leadership-dilemmas-grid%c2%ae-solutions-a-visionary-new-look-at-a-classic-tool-for-defining-and-attaining-leadership-and-management-excellence/comment-page-1/#comment-165 Sailoil Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:41:37 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/leadership-dilemmas-grid%c2%ae-solutions-a-visionary-new-look-at-a-classic-tool-for-defining-and-attaining-leadership-and-management-excellence/#comment-165 Most management texts try to deal with how you as an individual can influence how other people behave so that you come out on top. This book goes under the skin of different personality types to show what it is that motivates them in the way they behave. Instead of showing how to "use" people to get what you want, it shows how to get the best out of everyone, yourself included, to get what is best for the Company / family / business whatever you need to improve. Instead of results driven management being the be-all and end-all it is clear that results are only one side of the equation. To be a good manager you need to bring people along with you, not drive them in front of you. This book forms the text for a management training course that can only be said to be revolutionary. I have three university degrees and I would gladly trade the lot for what I learned in the one week course! Everyone who works for a living should read this book. Rating: 5 / 5 Most management texts try to deal with how you as an individual can influence how other people behave so that you come out on top. This book goes under the skin of different personality types to show what it is that motivates them in the way they behave. Instead of showing how to “use” people to get what you want, it shows how to get the best out of everyone, yourself included, to get what is best for the Company / family / business whatever you need to improve. Instead of results driven management being the be-all and end-all it is clear that results are only one side of the equation. To be a good manager you need to bring people along with you, not drive them in front of you. This book forms the text for a management training course that can only be said to be revolutionary. I have three university degrees and I would gladly trade the lot for what I learned in the one week course! Everyone who works for a living should read this book. Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Leadership Dilemmas- Grid® Solutions: a visionary new look at a classic tool for defining and attaining leadership and management excellence by Sailoil http://www.grid-scape.org/leadership-dilemmas-grid%c2%ae-solutions-a-visionary-new-look-at-a-classic-tool-for-defining-and-attaining-leadership-and-management-excellence/comment-page-1/#comment-164 Sailoil Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:21:29 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/leadership-dilemmas-grid%c2%ae-solutions-a-visionary-new-look-at-a-classic-tool-for-defining-and-attaining-leadership-and-management-excellence/#comment-164 This book forms the text for a one week residential training course. The course was a life changing event for me, game me confidence in my abilities and changed my whole attitude to the workplace. Instead of trying to get around conflict in the workplace I now have the tools to tackle it head on. Learn about the skill to critique everything you do in a way that is non-threatening and based on fact and not emotion. Everyone in the workplace should read this book. Rating: 5 / 5 This book forms the text for a one week residential training course. The course was a life changing event for me, game me confidence in my abilities and changed my whole attitude to the workplace. Instead of trying to get around conflict in the workplace I now have the tools to tackle it head on. Learn about the skill to critique everything you do in a way that is non-threatening and based on fact and not emotion. Everyone in the workplace should read this book. Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Leadership Dilemmas- Grid® Solutions: a visionary new look at a classic tool for defining and attaining leadership and management excellence by J. Adams http://www.grid-scape.org/leadership-dilemmas-grid%c2%ae-solutions-a-visionary-new-look-at-a-classic-tool-for-defining-and-attaining-leadership-and-management-excellence/comment-page-1/#comment-163 J. Adams Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:43:11 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/leadership-dilemmas-grid%c2%ae-solutions-a-visionary-new-look-at-a-classic-tool-for-defining-and-attaining-leadership-and-management-excellence/#comment-163 This is a great book for the professional leader that is looking to understand multiple faceted problems. Rating: 5 / 5 This is a great book for the professional leader that is looking to understand multiple faceted problems. Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on The Grid and the Village: Losing Electricity, Finding Community, Surviving Disaster by L. Karnay http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-and-the-village-losing-electricity-finding-community-surviving-disaster/comment-page-1/#comment-162 L. Karnay Mon, 31 May 2010 21:29:24 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-and-the-village-losing-electricity-finding-community-surviving-disaster/#comment-162 For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I heard Mr. Farina being interviewed recently on public radio and the subject of his book sounded interesting. Although I do not normally like a mix of fictional but fact-based historical narrative with a personal (I was there) account of events, it moves this story along. Mr. Farina does an excellent job of making you think about all those electronic luxuries that we take for granted. Where the power comes from. How is it transmitted. What this place was like before electricity. Who was here before electricity. And so on. Having experienced a natural disaster when Hurricane Hugo struck South Carolina in 1989 and being without electricity for 10 days, I can appreciate much of what Mr. Farina, his family, neighbors and residents of Potsdam, NY experienced during the ice storm of 1998. Fortunately, brutal cold was not a factor for me. I found myself looking for a map to ponder the St. Lawrence River area, especially where Louisville Landing once existed. The chapters move along, although I found the last chapter a little bit too academic in its post-ice storm analysis but Mr. Farina is a professor. Rating: 4 / 5 For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I heard Mr. Farina being interviewed recently on public radio and the subject of his book sounded interesting. Although I do not normally like a mix of fictional but fact-based historical narrative with a personal (I was there) account of events, it moves this story along. Mr. Farina does an excellent job of making you think about all those electronic luxuries that we take for granted. Where the power comes from. How is it transmitted. What this place was like before electricity. Who was here before electricity. And so on. Having experienced a natural disaster when Hurricane Hugo struck South Carolina in 1989 and being without electricity for 10 days, I can appreciate much of what Mr. Farina, his family, neighbors and residents of Potsdam, NY experienced during the ice storm of 1998. Fortunately, brutal cold was not a factor for me. I found myself looking for a map to ponder the St. Lawrence River area, especially where Louisville Landing once existed. The chapters move along, although I found the last chapter a little bit too academic in its post-ice storm analysis but Mr. Farina is a professor. Rating: 4 / 5

]]> Comment on The Grid and the Village: Losing Electricity, Finding Community, Surviving Disaster by Kathy O. http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-and-the-village-losing-electricity-finding-community-surviving-disaster/comment-page-1/#comment-161 Kathy O. Mon, 31 May 2010 20:00:08 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-and-the-village-losing-electricity-finding-community-surviving-disaster/#comment-161 Kind of odd. The story of a storm in New England and how it affected people who were without power. Accounts of the storm are interspersed with hsitorical-fiction vignettes about how the areas was settled. The different parts of the story were not woven together well enough. Rating: 3 / 5 Kind of odd. The story of a storm in New England and how it affected people who were without power. Accounts of the storm are interspersed with hsitorical-fiction vignettes about how the areas was settled. The different parts of the story were not woven together well enough. Rating: 3 / 5

]]> Comment on The Grid and the Village: Losing Electricity, Finding Community, Surviving Disaster by D. Rosenfeld http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-and-the-village-losing-electricity-finding-community-surviving-disaster/comment-page-1/#comment-160 D. Rosenfeld Mon, 31 May 2010 17:49:08 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-and-the-village-losing-electricity-finding-community-surviving-disaster/#comment-160 Here is what I emailed to the author:<p>"Just finished reading it. Thank you, excellent book.<p>On the next printing, please remove the attack on consumerism in the guise of a once in a 250 year storm as justification. A little absurd.<p>Also: how about a section on why the towers for the power transmission cables failed. Why the engineering specs were not more robust.<p>And, a section on what happened to house hold plumbing with arctic temperatures and no heat. <p>Thank you."<p>I didn't receive a response. Rating: 3 / 5 Here is what I emailed to the author:

“Just finished reading it. Thank you, excellent book.

On the next printing, please remove the attack on consumerism in the guise of a once in a 250 year storm as justification. A little absurd.

Also: how about a section on why the towers for the power transmission cables failed. Why the engineering specs were not more robust.

And, a section on what happened to house hold plumbing with arctic temperatures and no heat.

Thank you.”

I didn’t receive a response. Rating: 3 / 5

]]> Comment on The Grid: Core Technologies by Young http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-core-technologies/comment-page-1/#comment-157 Young Thu, 06 May 2010 23:33:05 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-core-technologies/#comment-157 I like it because rather than a composition of articles, the book provides a systematic insight into grid technologies. Rating: 5 / 5 I like it because rather than a composition of articles, the book provides a systematic insight into grid technologies. Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on The Grid: Core Technologies by californian http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-core-technologies/comment-page-1/#comment-156 californian Thu, 06 May 2010 21:43:41 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/the-grid-core-technologies/#comment-156 This is, perhaps, the most useless computer-related book that I have read. There is no target audience. The book is useless for sysadmins and programmers, because it does not give any technical details and has no novelties. It is useless for managers, because it is very dry and, basically, provides an overwhelming list of all variations of the technologies known to the authors, including definitions of web-services, public and private key authentication, etc. I failed to understand the purpose of this book except for making easy money. <br />On top of that, the book has horrendous illustrations. They are low resolution, sometimes blurry, screen dumps of some diagrams. Furthermore, because the original images were in color, the authors did not have to think about contrast and object separation. The book is printed in b&w, so all colors are reduced to shades of grey. And because no one had thought about the contrast, objects are indistinguishable, and black print on dark grey background is illegible. <br />My advice: stay away from this book, save yourself time, money and good mood. Rating: 1 / 5 This is, perhaps, the most useless computer-related book that I have read. There is no target audience. The book is useless for sysadmins and programmers, because it does not give any technical details and has no novelties. It is useless for managers, because it is very dry and, basically, provides an overwhelming list of all variations of the technologies known to the authors, including definitions of web-services, public and private key authentication, etc. I failed to understand the purpose of this book except for making easy money.

On top of that, the book has horrendous illustrations. They are low resolution, sometimes blurry, screen dumps of some diagrams. Furthermore, because the original images were in color, the authors did not have to think about contrast and object separation. The book is printed in b&w, so all colors are reduced to shades of grey. And because no one had thought about the contrast, objects are indistinguishable, and black print on dark grey background is illegible.

My advice: stay away from this book, save yourself time, money and good mood. Rating: 1 / 5

]]> Comment on 13: 55 Eastern Standard Time by Benjamin http://www.grid-scape.org/13-55-eastern-standard-time/comment-page-1/#comment-155 Benjamin Mon, 03 May 2010 08:42:44 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/13-55-eastern-standard-time/#comment-155 13:55 Eastern Standard Time, is quite different from Nick Alexander's previous series of novels centred on the loveable character Mark. 13:33 EST could be read as a collection of shorts, but in fact it is much more than that. It all starts with OK Sticker, when a disgruntled factory worker in China, more concerned about her private life, knowingly passes a batch of defective iPods as OK. In the second story of the title, 13:55 EST, we move to the USA and meet some new characters as we follow the course of the defective iPods, and begin to pick up on the consequences of the young Chinese worker's actions. And so the subsequent stories follow in similar vein, as we see how seemingly simple, sometimes deliberate, often innocent actions have far reaching consequences, at times good, but at others bad or even tragic, and how individuals can affect the lives of others who may or may not be in any way connected, often continents apart. <br />As geographically the successive stories take us around the world, the range of characters is wide, from poorly paid and struggling workers in China to successful and wealthy near celebrities in the West, and an array of individuals and families or couples in between, and unsurprisingly with Nick Alexander, straight and gay characters. Some are likeable, even endearing, others we quite happily observe as they receive their comeuppance. Some characters we encounter just the once, others we return to again and again. <br />The book does repay careful reading in order not to miss the connections between (and so the consequences of) the different events and actions; and perhaps to detect the parts that maybe unrelated the rest. A most enjoyable and tantalising read; a worthy successor to God Thing, Bad Thing, and something to keep us happy until Nick Alexander gets around to giving us further adventures of our old hero Mark. Rating: 5 / 5 13:55 Eastern Standard Time, is quite different from Nick Alexander’s previous series of novels centred on the loveable character Mark. 13:33 EST could be read as a collection of shorts, but in fact it is much more than that. It all starts with OK Sticker, when a disgruntled factory worker in China, more concerned about her private life, knowingly passes a batch of defective iPods as OK. In the second story of the title, 13:55 EST, we move to the USA and meet some new characters as we follow the course of the defective iPods, and begin to pick up on the consequences of the young Chinese worker’s actions. And so the subsequent stories follow in similar vein, as we see how seemingly simple, sometimes deliberate, often innocent actions have far reaching consequences, at times good, but at others bad or even tragic, and how individuals can affect the lives of others who may or may not be in any way connected, often continents apart.

As geographically the successive stories take us around the world, the range of characters is wide, from poorly paid and struggling workers in China to successful and wealthy near celebrities in the West, and an array of individuals and families or couples in between, and unsurprisingly with Nick Alexander, straight and gay characters. Some are likeable, even endearing, others we quite happily observe as they receive their comeuppance. Some characters we encounter just the once, others we return to again and again.

The book does repay careful reading in order not to miss the connections between (and so the consequences of) the different events and actions; and perhaps to detect the parts that maybe unrelated the rest. A most enjoyable and tantalising read; a worthy successor to God Thing, Bad Thing, and something to keep us happy until Nick Alexander gets around to giving us further adventures of our old hero Mark. Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Grid Database Design by W Boudville http://www.grid-scape.org/grid-database-design/comment-page-1/#comment-154 W Boudville Sun, 02 May 2010 06:23:57 +0000 http://www.grid-scape.org/grid-database-design/#comment-154 IBM and others have been strongly pushing the concept of Grid computing. (Sometimes known variously as utility computing.) And IBM Press has come out with several books related to this topic. Whereas Wells gives you an independent appraisal of the concept, as applied to running a database. <br /> <br />If you hope that Grid computing takes off, this book is a good sign. Because one of the main commercial applications will surely be for running large databases. So Wells describes what is involved in distributing such a database across different nodes of the Grid. Naturally, issues like security of the communications between the nodes arises. Especially if the nodes are not in the same operations centre. You have to consider if it suffices to be able to ensure that a message is unchanged. Or do you need a stronger measure of encrypting that message? <br /> <br />Anyway, the book delves into these and other issues of database management. The brevity of the book suggests that it is still early days for deploying databases on a grid. Many of the topics may well grow significantly in complexity if this deployment becomes common. Rating: 4 / 5 IBM and others have been strongly pushing the concept of Grid computing. (Sometimes known variously as utility computing.) And IBM Press has come out with several books related to this topic. Whereas Wells gives you an independent appraisal of the concept, as applied to running a database.

If you hope that Grid computing takes off, this book is a good sign. Because one of the main commercial applications will surely be for running large databases. So Wells describes what is involved in distributing such a database across different nodes of the Grid. Naturally, issues like security of the communications between the nodes arises. Especially if the nodes are not in the same operations centre. You have to consider if it suffices to be able to ensure that a message is unchanged. Or do you need a stronger measure of encrypting that message?

Anyway, the book delves into these and other issues of database management. The brevity of the book suggests that it is still early days for deploying databases on a grid. Many of the topics may well grow significantly in complexity if this deployment becomes common. Rating: 4 / 5

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