Average customer rating:
- An interesting and amusing trip through the past.
- Delightful!
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Digital Recall: Computers Aren't the Only Ones With Memory
Virginia Ferrell Andersen
Manufacturer: Writer's Showcase Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0595267599 |
Book Description
Based on the author’s 50 years of experience, this book relates a wide variety of down-to-earth, first-hand and often humorous personal encounters with computers. An additional and unique, though by no means secondary, focus is on the shifting attitude toward a woman in the male-dominated fields of science and engineering since the 1960’s. This story is told from the perspective of one who was there during the modern computer explosion and reveals the human struggles and triumphs of the time.
Digital Recall clearly documents the intertwining paths of the modern computer evolution and the author’s professional and personal life. At points where the two trails intersect, some interesting things happened.
Customer Reviews:
An interesting and amusing trip through the past........2007-05-03
I enjoyed and appreciated the book on several levels:
-It was a trip through technical nostalgia for me from my first encounter with a Bendix digital computer in 1956, to the hand calculating machines, early computers with limited memories and speed, the KayPro Computer, the SOSUS system, use of statistics, and on.
-It was also a trip through management and management systems including the increasing recognition of the equality of women. I also recall the various methods we tried to manage people and projects.
-She certainly made excellent use of her intelligence and capabilities. The author also demonstrated that "variety is the spice of life" with her many positions and her energetic drive. Her foray into the horse racing business was surprising and amusing.
-The fact that she was involved in so many important events and knew important people also makes her sort of a "Forest Gump". Of course this analogy doesn't hold for long since she never wore braces or mentioned that she could run fast.
Delightful!.......2003-12-02
The lively author keeps us guessing what she'll be up to next! She has had a wonderful variety of experiences with computers over her 50 year career. I'm so used to the PC that it was good to read about what it was like in the early days. I liked her sense of humor.
Book Description
This comprehensive ``how to'' guide for the financial services professional is packed with proven strategies and techniques for successfully selling through seminars. This guide also includes extensive resource sections that list: speaker's bureaus; professional organizations; audio/video supply companies; seminar design companies.
Customer Reviews:
Worthless!.......2001-12-26
Compared to Fred Gleeck's book this is an ABSOLUTE JOKE. This guy lives in an ivory tower. Fred Gleeck lives and works in the real world. Buy Fred's book, NOT this one!
Useful.......2001-12-17
I have read the book and used several of his strategies. I don't think it is anything revolutionary, but if you have never givien a seminar before I would highly recommend it. I like the way he gives you a strategy of how to get the most out of the seminar. For example, creating a feeding frenzy at the end to maximize your leads. I also like his strategy for setting up the room. After several different styles I have chosen the U formation and his insights helped me come to that conclusion.
The Scoop on Planning, and Executing Seminars.......2000-03-25
The is an excellent resource for Stock Brokers and Financial Planners when preparing seminars. Not doing seminars? You should! A successful professional needs multiple sources of prospects. As cold-calling becomes more difficult due to caller ID and call blocking, seminars are increasing in importance. Good resource!
Book Description
This paperback edition of The Coming Generational Storm has been revised and updated and includes a new foreword by the authors.
In 2030, as 77 million baby boomers hobble into old age, walkers will outnumber strollers; there will be twice as many retirees as there are today but only 18 percent more workers. How will Social Security and Medicare function with fewer working taxpayers to support these programs? According to Laurence Kotlikoff and Scott Burns, if our government continues on the course it has set, we'll see skyrocketing tax rates, drastically lower retirement and health benefits, high inflation, a rapidly depreciating dollar, unemployment, and political instability. The government has lost its compass, say Kotlikoff and Burns, and the Bush administration's spending and tax policies have charted a course straight into the coming generational storm.
Kotlikoff and Burns take us on a guided tour of our generational imbalance: There's the "fiscal child abuse" that will double the taxes paid by the next generation. There's also the "deficit delusion" of the under-reported national debt. And none of this, they say, will be solved by any of the popularly touted remedies: cutting taxes, technological progress, immigration, foreign investment, or the elimination of wasteful government spending. Kotlikoff and Burns propose bold new policies, including meaningful reforms of Social Security and Medicare, that are simple, straightforward, and geared to attract support from both political parties.
Customer Reviews:
Essential Reading - Save Early and Save Often.......2007-08-08
This book should be required reading for all high-school sophomores who are going to inherit the economic problems the authors lay out in the prologue. The more awareness my generation (x) and the younger generations get about the mounting economic conditions we will face within the next 25 years, the better prepared we will all be to fix, or at least adjust to them.
At times the book is a bit too academic and for that I give it only 4 stars but there are parts that you can skip and still not miss the authors' explanation of why we are doomed and what - possibly - we can do to mitigate the situation. Robert Shiller summarizes the points that the authors make below:
"There's a lot of frivolous criticism of our politicians, but this book hits the mark, convincingly documenting their biggest sin: the failure to account for the magnitude of a huge government deficit crisis. The accounting scandals of Enron, WorldCom, and Parmalat pale by comparison. Read this book so you can start preparing for much higher taxes in the future for you and your children."
--Robert J. Shiller, Yale University, author of Irrational Exuberance and The New Financial Order
Perhaps the worst part of all of this is that we CAN fix the debt obligations that are hanging over us but doing so would require massive sacrifices on behalf of all citizens (unlikely since so many of us "expect" the government to play a role in financing our retirement and healthcare) as well as for both sides of the political aisle to work together (even more unlikely in these partisan times when all the Dems and Republicans want to do is blame one another). Failure to grasp the gravity of a $54 Trillion debt obligation and its impact on the quality of our lives will only continue to erode the value of the dollar as more developing nations such as China, India and Brazil increase their ownership of the US by buying up Treasuries that the government continues to issue. Not good, especially when so many of our middle class jobs are being lost to these countries at the same time.
This is perhaps the most important issue of our time. Until voters are heard and a real politician runs on a platform to fix the escalating economic crisis that awaits us all, do what you can to prepare yourself; save as much as possible in both tax deferred and taxed accounts (the latter of which will benefit you in the future since you will likely be in a lower tax rate today than you will 20 years from now when the govt. has no choice but to raise personal income taxes to finance the debt). Also, go to the gao.gov website and click on "Fiscal Wake Up Tour" in the left hand gutter, then click on the CBS New Program 60 Minutes hyperlink. If you dont have the time to read this book, at least read this article and watch the video interview with the head of the GAO office. By that time, the message and its implications should be painfully clear to you.
Informative, but speculative.......2007-01-10
Kotlikoff and Burns rightly portray congress, the president, judges, the AARP, and anyone else who favors increases, or even the status quo, of social security, Medicare, and Medicaid policies as truly irresponsible. The fact that these three entitlement programs will bankrupt the country within 50 years has been known for at least 10 years (when I started to pay attention to politics). Every year, reforms are spoken about, even good ones that would for the most part protect the programs. But every year, the situation becomes worse because nothing is done. And Bush II foolishly expanded Medicare.
On the flip side, economic predictions decades into the future seems fairly irresponsible as well. As is pointed out in this book, other countries are in far worse condition than the US for the same stupidly financed entitlement packages. They will go belly up first. While the US will certainly feel their pain as well since their economies are intimately tied to ours, we will learn from their mistakes and fix our own problems.
All my life, I've been listening that one disaster after another is going to crush us. In grade school, I learned that we would run out of food in the mid 80's through the 90's and billions would starve to death. Didn't happen. Humans now consume more calories on average throughout the whole world than ever before. Then in grade school and middle school I learned that we would run out of energy. Despite the blip of the last year, oil prices have steadily been dropping and they will continue to drop. We will never run out of oil or energy. Destruction of the ozone layer. It's still there. The depletion of our forests. The US today has more forest cover than 80 years ago. Foreign holdings of the US debt. Nuclear war.
And on and on, disaster after disaster that never materialized. Not because the harping drew attention to the problem, but because in the stating of every single problem, the assumption was that nothing would change. That the human response would not adapt as new information and incentives came about. Not a smart assumption.
We will solve the entitlement problem, but, yes indeed, we will have to feel the pain first. And so what? We'll still solve the problem. The sun will rise in the east and set in the west and the US will be around for a long time and in a dominant position, social security, Medicare, and Medicaid not withstanding. The US and the world will continue to become a better place, but in fits and starts.
I've always been an optimist. I really do believe in the power of imagination and human ingenuity.
Generational Fear Should be Great.......2007-01-09
This book gives a great review of the issues facing America in this century due to government give aways. After reading it I found that several current news stories seemed to be confirming the predictions in the book. The numbers are 3 years old, but the suggestions for saving Social Security and Medicare still seem to be valid. I was a little disappointed in the funds listed in the book, but I have received updated listings by visiting the Scott Burns web site.
A Sobering Assessment.......2006-12-05
Per Kotlkoff and Burns (who base their findings on Government projections), the present value of unfunded future liabilities for Social Security and Medicare is $45 trillion (some nine times the size of our "National debt"). The reasons: longer human life spans due to advances in medical science, retirement of the baby boomers, and the disconnect between the consumption of medical services and the responsibility for paying for them.
Drastic action would be required to close the gap now, e.g., (a) increase federal income taxes by 69%, (b) increase payroll taxes by 95%, or (c) cut Social Security and Medicare benefits by 45%. We could make even more drastic adjustments in a few years. Or, we could do nothing and let the U.S. economy go into a meltdown with double-digit inflation fueled by the Government printing money.
Our political leaders are trying to ignore the problem, and, as Kotlikoff and Burns explain, the fault is ours. "The last thing we want is Uncle Sam telling us to save now for a tidal wave of obligations when the baby boomers retire. So we make sure that doesn't happen. We hire [elect?] politicians who tell us what we want to hear."
The authors go on to present a plan for reform, but they don't expect their plan (or other reforms that could save the system) to be enacted. They end with advice as to how workers should attempt to look after themselves and their families if the politicians in Washington "miss this opportunity to save our ship of state."
One thing bothers me about the analysis. Accepting that the fiscal gap is every bit as bad as it is depicted, this problem was created by Government action. Why should we attempt to solve it by giving the Government even greater responsibilities, such as running the world's largest index fund, assessing the health risks of every senior in the country, deciding how much society needs to spend for health care, etc.? It might be more logical under the circumstances to move in the direction of less Government and let people make choices (such as how long should I work, what medical care do I and others in my family need, etc.) for themselves.
Even if the authors don't have all the answers, however, they have diagnosed the problem very well. "The Coming Generational Storm" is entertainingly written and refreshingly nonpartisan (lambasting both Republicans and Democrats with vigor). Don't miss it.
A retort to the complaints about this book.......2006-11-27
The negative reviews of this book tend to note the following: we cannot predict the future and, yet, this book purports to predict what will happen in the future.
On the one hand, this is a valid criticism - it IS true that we cannot predict how things might change over the next few decades. If some changes occur, they may invalidate the predictions of this book. In fact, I would wager that this book ends up being wrong on a number of fronts.
However, one response to this criticism is that the best information that we have about the future is based on current trends. Absent information about unknown innovations, how could we do any better? Using information about current trends is exactly what this book does. Any alternative future is necessarily based on more tenuous predictions.
Moreover, the authors are very, very careful (and I cannot emphasize how careful they are) about the caveats associated with their predictions - they consistently note that no one can predict the future with certainty and that their predictions are based on the best available information.
They then go even further. They consider scenarios that may invalid their predictions such as technological change (i.e. productivity increases) and carefully argue that those changes would be implausible or, at the very least, insufficient to alter the basic gist of their message.
In the end, the authors try a great deal to innoculate themselves against the criticism regarding the uncertain future. They will almost certainly not be correct, and they concede this point throughout. But their predictions are based on more careful analysis than the knee-jerk response that "we cannot predict the future" which ends up being a vacuous criticism since it is not refutable.
What annoys me about this whole issue is that it is quite clear that we are facing a future crisis even if these guys are wrong about the details. And yet our politicians do not have the guts to face up to it. I think that we need a blue ribbon, non-partisan panel that includes serious people like Kotlikoff (who is a serious, well-regarded economist) to consider the issues and make recommendations. Most politicians either do not understand the issues or do not have the chutzpah to confront them. Something has to be done, and even if this book ends up being wrong, at least it's a call to action.
Amazon.com
Get ready, investors: the graying of America, the resurgence of Japan, global warming, and six other major trends will jar the world's stock markets in the next century. "Because the changing world continually buffets the markets, we cannot blindly throw money into stocks, into mutual funds, or into a bank account," warns leading economist Todd G. Buchholz in Market Shock. Instead, investors must be prepared to capitalize on opportunities as they unfold, says Buchholz, also the author of the bestseller New Ideas from Dead Economists. For instance, with the aging of baby boomers, savvy investors should begin moving into health-care and pharmaceutical stocks. And with the prospect of global warming, investors should consider insurance companies that are avoiding coverage of homes in low-lying coastal regions. The other six economic and social trends: a boom in minority populations; the biotechnology and information revolutions; China's growing importance in the global economy; a possible jump in crime; the potential failure of European unity; and the rising fees and slumping performance of mutual funds.
Buchholz begins each chapter with a futuristic gloom-and-doom scenario and a fictional news flash. Without naming particular companies, he then describes the sorts of investments likely to flourish during those events. Market Shock can help people sidestep some investing minefields and possibly profit from some major trends that could transform the world's economies. --Dan Ring
Book Description
In Market Shock, leading global economist Todd G. Buchholz analyzes nine trends that will turn America's economy on its head. For the unprepared, these tremors may bring about financial ruin. But for the savvy investor, these widespread changes offer tremendous opportunities to make money.
Using this book, investors can anticipate these trends, not just avoiding the coming crisis but making money by moving assets to sectors of the economy that stand to benefit from these cultural and economic shifts. Filled with lively "news flash" scenarios, plentiful examples, and helpful advice, Buchholz pinpoints the issues that will affect investors and consumers over the next several decades. This book--insightful, impeccably reasoned, and eminently readable-could not have come at a better time.
Customer Reviews:
Buchholz should be on the fed!.......2006-01-30
Buchholz is truly an economic prophet, and he brings wit to the table as well. I thought this book, in addition to his previous masterpieces, was a wonderful, informative, helpful, entertaining read. Well done, Buchholz!
Entertaining Light Reading.......2000-06-26
The terms "Upheavals" and "Market Shock" should not be used to describe the subject matter in this book since it consists entirely of slow, gradual changes in demographics. These changes are only discussed in the most general of terms. There is not one chart or graph in this book. The lack of a timeline makes it impossible to do any serious financial planning. Most of these changes will not have a major effect on the U.S. economy until after most of us are dead and buried.
Unfortunately, the financial advice in this book is very limited, consisting mainly of common sense items, such as, "Learn to broil a trout." The useful information in each chapter can be summed up in one sentence: Chapter 1: Americans are aging. They will need health care and retirement homes. Chapter 2: Science is cool, but make sure that a lot of people will pay for it before investing. Chapter 3: Mutual fund fees are too high. (Also contains the crazy theory that all funds will collapse when people figure out they are not FDIC insured.) Chapter 4: One day, white people will be the minority in America. Chapter 5: The Japanese are getting older, too. Chapter 6: Europe needs Euro-denominated junk bonds. Chapter 7:China has a tough row to hoe. Chapter 8: The crime rate will rise. Chapter 9: There's that global warming thing.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical trivia. On the one hand, I read every page in this book. On the other hand, I don't expect to ever make a dime off of anything that I learned.
Can you believe, an economics page turner!.......1999-11-19
We all see the changes that are taking place around us (such as the graying of America). This book takes those changes and puts them into perspective with actionable information. I kept slapping my forehead and saying, "I know this, why didn't I see where it leads?" Buchholz makes sense out of our everyday observations and puts them into economic context.
Insightful and prophetic told with humor and intelligence.......1999-09-17
A rare book on the economy that is actually interesting and fun to read. Buchholz has taken a very clever approach to making his point (with mini-novellas) that are both insightful and well researched. And humourous. Raises some serious concerns about the not too distant future that we should all be looking at as we contemplate our next investment.
Excellent purchase for novice investor........1999-08-18
This is an excellent book for a novice investor. It offers timely advice n a witty and informative manner. I would certainly recommend it.
Average customer rating:
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What Future for Social Security?:Debates and Reforms in National and Cross-National Perspective (Studies in Employment and Social Policy)
Jochen Clasen
Manufacturer: Kluwer Law International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9041116710 |
Book Description
It is widely assumed today that the `welfare state' is contracting or retrenching as an effect of the close scrutiny to which entitlement to social security benefits is being subjected in most developed countries. In this book fifteen authorities from nine different countries -- the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and the US -- investigate to what extent this assumption is warranted. The papers were originally presented at a Conference on `The Future of Social Security' held at the University of Stirling in June 2000. Taking into account developments and initiatives at every administrative level from sub-national employment agencies to the OECD and the World Bank, they draw on both data and theories in a broad spectrum of related disciplines, including political science, economics, sociology, and law. Detailed materials allow the reader to formulate well-defined responses to such crucial questions as: + Is there indeed waning public support for social security? + Is the `demographic time bomb' of an ageing population as serious a problem as we are often led to believe? + How seriously do supranational reform proposals tend to underestimate cross-national differences? + To what degree is `activation policy' merely rhetorical? + To what extent do employment office staff reformulate and redefine policies `on the ground' to accommodate specific case-by-case realities? Specific criteria for entitlement (e.g., disability) and such central issues as `gendered' assumptions, access to benefit programmes, and the involvement of trade unions are examined in a variety of contexts. As an authoritative assessment of the current state of social security reform - its critical issues, its direction, and its potential impacts -- What Future for Social Security? is an incomparable work, and is sure to be of great value to all professionals and officials concerned with social programmes at any government level.
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