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When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies ... But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist. His father's impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive ... For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with ... tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?"

Rezension: Umfangreiches Werk zur Geschichte der digitalen Medien; eine Fundgrube (nicht nur) für IT-Studenten und Start-up-Unternehmer. Der Autor zeigt kenntnisreich Biografien von genialen Erfindern und Unternehmern auf. Man kann Informationen zu vielen erwähnten Personen auffrischen, ergänzen, oft auch erstmalig lesen (gutes Personen- und Sachregister). Der elegant verbindende Schreibstil Isaacsons befördert das Lesevergnügen an der gewichtigen Lektüre. Hier (nach der Frühgeschichte des Computers ab 1937 mit Aiken, Stibitz und Zuse) nur einige frühe Kapitelthemen: Transistor, Mikrochip, Videospiele, Internet; jeder Abschnitt vollgefüllt mit Informationen. Ausführliche Diskussion zum ARPANET als Frühform des Internet. War es ein militärisches Projekt oder ein akademisches? Wie entstand die Wikipedia? Wer kam auf die Idee und den Namen, RFCs zu publizieren? Open Source, Linux, WWW, Blogs, Google; alles wird gut beschrieben und kommentiert. Ein Fazit: Kreative Teams und Mitarbeiter sind meist erfolgreicher als Einzelgänger. -

"It ain't bragging if it's true." –a rodeo bull rider Why are jobs moving from the once Golden State of California to the Lone Star State of Texas? Why are the best and the brightest moving from Chicago and Detroit to Austin and Houston and Dallas? Why are Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Illinois losing congressmen in 2012 while Texas gains four? Why is it that Texas is growing while the other big states in America are flat or flat-out broke? According to Sam and Andrew Wyly, it's simple: Texas got it right! The Lone Star State's long tradition of walking the path less traveled has made it a constantly renewing hotbed of invention and entrepreneurial can-do. From the birthplace of Whole Foods, Southwest Airlines, and Green Mountain Energy has come the innovation that has quadrupled America's natural gas and oil reserves in the past ten years, creating good jobs across the country and abroad. The most military-friendly state in the union is now leading the country in its use of high-tech windmills and is making it more likely that we'll soon bring an end to wars over Arab and Persian oil. The Wylys' new full-color, fully illustrated book of true boasts, Texas Got It Right!, argues that the state's success stories can inspire the rest of the country. This astute and provocative look at Texan policies, history, and culture is packed with ideas begging to be exported to the other, less fortunate 49 states

"After seven years of service as the president of Tulane University, Scott Cowen watched the devastation of his beloved New Orleans at the hands of Hurricane Katrina. When federal, state, and city officials couldn't find their way to decisive action, Cowen, known for his gutsy leadership, quickly partnered with a coalition of civic, business, and nonprofit leaders looking to work around the old institutions to revitalize and transform New Orleans. This team led the charge to restore equilibrium and eventually to rebuild. For the past nine years, Cowen has continued this work, helping to bring the city of New Orleans back from the brink. The Inevitable City presents 10 principles that changed the game for this city, and, if adopted, can alter the curve for any business, endeavor, community--and perhaps even a nation.This is the story of the resurgence and reinvention of one of America's greatest cities. Ordinary citizens, empowered to actively rescue their own city after politicians and government officials failed them, have succeeded in rebuilding their world. Cowen was at the leading edge of those who articulated, shaped, and implemented a vision of transformative change that has yielded surprising social progress and economic growth: a drowned city identified with the shocking images of devastation and breakdown has transformed itself into a mecca of growth, opportunity, and hope"--