Does Circle Justice work? That’s the main question asked in Touching Spirit Bear. After viciously attacking a classmate, young Cole Matthews is permitted to spend a year on a remote Tlingit island, facing hardship and seclusion, in hopes of avoiding a trial as an adult and the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence.

In a civilized society, when a person is convicted of a crime, there are sentencing consequences that may involve jail time, financial penalties, mandatory counseling, drug testing, community supervision, or even death. There are many considerations in what makes a just consequence for the criminal’s actions. Sentencing in the traditional state justice system includes considerations of at least punishment, rehabilitation, vengeance, and deterrence. Continue reading “Touching Spirit Bear” By Ben Mikaelsen →

Michael Lewis has a fascination with wealth and greed, evidenced by both his immensely popular LIAR’S POKER and THE NEW NEW THING. In LIAR’S POKER, greed, arrogance, and hubris take center stage in a funny, wicked, and entertaining tale. In THE NEW NEW THING, greed, arrogance, and hubris become supporting actors on a bigger stage. An older and more mature Mr. Lewis has captured a story that pits technogeeks against venture capitalists and, well, it would spoil the story to tell you who prevails. This book has it all: cult of personality, fortunes made and lost, suicide, luck, timing, largesse, personal failure, professional success, sailing off into the sunset and then returning, billion-dollar business plans scribbled on cocktail napkins with “a–hole” as the plan’s centerpiece–all told superbly by Mr. Lewis. It is neither as funny nor as wicked as LIAR’S POKER, but it is not intended to be. It is, ultimately, inspiring. If you want a book that leaves you less concerned about wicked greedy selfish bastards than LIAR’S POKER, you may find this book better than LIAR’S POKER. Or at least more satisfying.

I am moderately familiar with the literature on software projects (e.g., Steve McConnell’s “Software Project Survival Guide”) and business success (e.g., Collins and Porras’, “Built to Last”). “Secrets” tries to merge the knowledge of both disciplines, and comes up short. Its greatest strength lies in distinguishing between and describing in some depth the authors’ views on the different kinds of software companies (mass products, enterprise solutions, and professional services). Its greatest weaknesss lies in committing the “common characteristics” analysis identified as “flawed” in Built to Last, p 13-15 (1997) (100 percent correlation between successful companies and having desks means having desks is a success factor).

“Secrets” adequately describes the conditions that its primary conduits (Navision, SAP, Intershop, Platinum) believe contributed to their successes. It is less obvious that these conditions, if copied, would increase the probability of success for any given company. The reader would surely be better off reading “Built to Last”, then following up with Software Project Survival, Peopleware (DeMarco, Lister), and Principles of Software Engineering Management (Tom Gilb) for starters. The right software product, software service, clients, and market couldn’t hurt . . .

Don’t read this book unless you want to read about software project failure with lipstick on. Spoiler alert. Scott Rosenberg received access to Mitch Kapor’s (Lotus Development) dream team of open source programmers. The client-based project languishes. The architecture is re-designed several times. The scope is periodically scaled back. More bodies are thrown at development. After three years, Rosenberg decided to wrap up his book and publish it. Google does open source on line. Of that, you, the user, are the beneficiary. Of this book, you, the reader, are the victim.

If you want to learn something about software development, failure, and the culure of Silicon Valley, your time would be better served by reading Tracy Kidder’s “The Soul of  New Machine” followed by Michael Lewis’ “The New New Thing”.

Over the last several months I’ve completed those books in the “Night Watch” series that have been translated into English. Following his success of “Night Watch”, Sergei Lukyanenko continues to explore his Russian twilight word of demons, vampires, and others as they attempt to keep the balance between the forces of good and evil. I asked my friend Vasiliy his opinion of the books. Not as good as mine. However, he was unable to recommend anything better. One can only hope!

What is my opinion? My father would call them airport books. Easy reading, their momentum dependant in part on the success and creativity, however “turned out”, of the first one.

I suppose next the “Twilight” series set in Forks, Washington will be required reading. I wonder what’s cooking in Buffalo!