Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation

Book Description

If you're like most people, you bet your career and company on innovation--because you must. Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation offers you a new way to think about and manage innovation that will dramatically improve the odds of success.

Authors James Andrew and Harold Sirkin, senior partners in The Boston Consulting Group, describe an approach to managing innovation based on the concept of a cash curve--which tracks investment against time. They ask the questions you need to ask: How much should you invest in a new product or service? How fast should you push it to market? How quickly can you get to optimal value? How much additional investment should you pour into sustaining and building the product or service?

Payback offers you practical and economically sound advice on when to pursue cash flow indirectly by first pursuing other benefits, such as brand and knowledge. It also shows you how to reshape the cash curve by using different business models--integrator, orchestrator, and licenser--each of which balances risk and reward differently.

The authors then present a short list of decisions and activities that you must make--not delegate--to achieve a high return on innovation. You won't find facile answers in Payback--but you will find valuable insights and practical guidance for mastering one of the most challenging and critical business activities: innovation.

Customer Reviews:

Solid idea; very weak exposition.......2007-05-24

This book bears all the weaknesses one expects from management consultants. It has a solid core concept, the cash curve, and a very simple graph to go with it. Virtually everything worth knowing gets said in the first 50 pages of the book.

What follows is a logical, step by step exposition of each point in more detail using selected examples from the authors' consulting experience. Sadly, no single customer example is longer than four pages, and details are sparsely strewn. It is especially noteworthy that they graphic of the key concept, the cash curve, is wholly absent from the second (much longer) half of the book.

One also gets the feeling that if the authors had had different customer engagements, they would have come to different conclusions. For instance, they discuss how Intel practices the integration business model in their chip business. However, virtually every other semiconductor company of any note on the planet is using outside factories (fabs in semiconductor parlance). Many, such as Qualcomm and Broadcom just to pick two examples have built market capitalizations in the tens of billions of dollars practicing the orchestration business model. It would have been very instructive to compare and contrast how two different models in essentially the same business can both lead to outstanding results for investors. Sadly, that discussion is wholly absent.

In summary, the core principal of the book is a very important one. I cannot think of a single business that could become a big success not understanding it. However, the lack of details in the customer examples keeps this book from realizing anywhere close to its real potential.

Freshman overview.......2007-05-14

Don't expect any insight into the process of innovation. Payback provides a freshman-level overview of innovation taking place in various companies, but is not a source of insight into the process. Years after the results of internal policies of many companies have become apparent to the business World, the author merely points to seeming successes and says "Do That", and to the failures "Don't Do That".
There is a decent comparison of the Integrator, Orchestrator, and Licensor models and some of the issues facing decision makers. Look for this around the middle of the book.
For a far more profound study that is immediately useful there is probably nothing better than Christensen's Innovator's Solution - cover-to-cover. Payback lacks any reference at all to many of the biggest challenges to implementing policies and deriving return in the market place, from innovation. Beginning with Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma, learn first of all why established companies get stuck in a rut of satisfying the demands of existing customers and simply cannot produce new products and services that really will produce big paybacks. Learn also the big difference between sustaining innovations and disruptive innovations. Discussing payback without this understanding is like studying Rocks without studying Geology.

I must have read a different book.......2007-04-09

Based on the other reviews I must have read a different book. But seriously Payback bills itself on the ideas behind creating practical and actionable innovation, how else could you meet the promise of 'reaping the rewards of innovation.'

Unfortunately the rewards they are talking about are all in terms of cash and profits making this book a 101 finance book built around the authors notion of the Cash Curve with the following basic tenants:

- don't spend to much to create an idea because that consumes upfront cash
- don't take too long to commercialize and bring the idea to market
- get your idea into volume production as soon as possible
- support the idea with a measured post launch investment.

Sorry but that's it. The book is heavy on the finance 101 side and extremely light on the idea of practices and ideas. Sure they say that you can play different role: innovation integrator, orchestrator, or liscensor but you pretty much know what the authors are going to say just by the role names.

The book does have an number of case studies, many that are available in the public domain, however these cases are more narrative telling you what happened without being analytical and telling you why the did this or that and the result it took.

Overall this book is very light on the ideas and actions required to deliver the rewards of innovation because it treats innovation as a financing event that is intended to generate cash. While that view is true, there is allot of insight, actions and practices that must happen before we can start thinking about how to get cash out of an innovation. I only hoped that the authors had taken the time to tell us that.

Business libraries and business managers will find it inspirational........2007-03-12

Written by professional consultants James P. Andrew and Harold L. Sirkin, Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation is a solid guide to the difference between having a good idea and turning that idea into financial reward. Payback puts forth the argument that the biggest challenge facing most companies today is their need to increase returns from their innovation spending. Introducing a concept called the "cash curve", Payback explores the fundamental factors that affect how much financial return will be netted. From how and when it can be profitable to apply innovation to noncash goals (such as the acquisition of new knowledge or enhancement of the company's brand), to models that accurately assess financial, technical and market risks to the relative advantages and disadvantages of the integration, orchestration, and licensing models and when to employ each, Payback is a reservoir of solid, high-stakes insight into skilled decision making. As valuable for innovative small business owners as for managers of grand enterprises.

Leading Beyone Where The Numbers Can Tell You.......2007-02-18

Innovation is one of the biggest problems facing companies today. This book does an excellent job of analyzing innovation into various types of companies and showing several examples of successful and unsuccessful companies.

The authors break innovation approaches within companies into three broad categories:

1. The Integrator - Here is where a company has a core competence and they hold the developement very close to their chest. The example they use is BMW who has a core technology in engines that they protect as much as they possibly can. Afer discussing a couple of other successes they then discuss Polaroid who attempted to move from film to digital cameras but failed.

2. The Orchestrator - where a company has the broad general idea and the ability to take a product to market but doesn't have the time, expertise, or desire to do this particular design/manufacturing job.

3. The Licensor - Some companies develop technologies that they are not going to take to market themselves. Dolby is the example they use, with technology licensed to various manufacturers. They have become the standard for audio professionals.

These decisions cannot be made by accountants, they take a leader. Someone has to see the potential beyone what the sheer numbers are showing.

Understanding & Servicing Alarm Systems (Newnes)

Average customer rating:

VERY DISAPOINTED!

Understanding & Servicing Alarm Systems (Newnes)
H. William Trimmer
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
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ASIN: 0750672064

Book Description

Understanding and Servicing Alarm Systems, Third Edition has seen the alarm industry enter the computer age. With its coverage of microcomputerized controls, sophisticated detection devices, methods of alarm reporting, that second edition broke new ground. Now completely updated to reflect the security industry's most high-tech advances, the third edition of Understanding and Servicing Alarm Systems, continues on the road of educating the alarm dealer, installer, and technician.

Prepares readers for the practicalities of dealing with customers
Takes readers from the basics of electricity to the most modern equipment installation and repair
Teaches the pitfalls one might encounter in the alarm servicing profession, along with the approaches for troubleshooting.

Customer Reviews:

VERY DISAPOINTED!.......2001-05-15

Maybe my expectations were too high. The fact is that this book offers you very little unless you really have no clue about how electricity works. The book is also poorly organized. I really couldn't figure out a logical sequence. The book also seems to be very dated. There is virtually no mention of electronic security panels and common programming tasks. In my opinion, it's a book to avoid.

Average customer rating:

Review after using Risk Analysis and the Security Survey
clear direction on putting together a security survey

Risk Analysis and the Security Survey
James F. Broder
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0750670894

Book Description

Risk Analysis and the Security Survey, Second Edition provides an understanding of the principles of risk analysis to security students and professionals, which will help them produce more effective, results-oriented security surveys geared to the ever-changing needs of the organization. This new edition provides the readers, professional and practitioners alike with new information essential to meeting their professional obligations with regard to crisis management planning, business continuity planning, disaster response and recovery as well as many other issues facing the security industry today. This book is a "must have" for all security professionals studying risk analysis and loss control.

The most fundamental philosophy of risk control, design and implementation is to make the security program as self-sufficient as possible in all matters pertaining to security. This includes the two-sided coin of risk control: (1) the protection of assets by identifying, analyzing and prioritizing the risk, and (2) contingency and disaster recovery planning.

Business Impact Analysis (BIA) which covers Project Planning, Data Collection, Data Analysis and Report of Findings,Prediction of Criminal Behavior
Updated statistical information and practical case examples
Geared to help professionals and students produce more effective results-oriented security surveys

Customer Reviews:

Review after using Risk Analysis and the Security Survey.......2003-04-25

I bought the book to use as a reference while doing my very first risk analysis. It helped me a lot with my project. I found it easy to read and use as a reference. I used the format in the book as a guide when writing up the risk analysis I did.

If you haven't done one before and are looking for a good reference guide, this is a great resource.

clear direction on putting together a security survey.......2002-08-14

I have prepared several security surveys throughout the last couple of years and have always found that they were missing something. Once I started looking through this book I was given clear direction on the useful information required when conducting a security survey.
This book describes all the main sections required for a security review: Scoop of the project, organization assesment and requirements, physical security, internal controls, data system and records, emergency planning, and proprietary information, business impact analysis, survey questionary, etc.
This book goes into details on planning and analysis but does not give detailed techniques on aquireing information or what an effective security system looks like. It assumes the reader has a strong security background and is able to handle the details of investigation, interviewing, testing and evaluation. This book only touches on these topics.

Investing in Futures and Options Markets

Average customer rating:

Futures & Options Markets
great intro book to options and futures

Investing in Futures and Options Markets
Lowell B. Catlett , and James D Libbin
Manufacturer: Cengage Delmar Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0827385706

Book Description

Investing in Futures and Options Markets is a comprehensive introduction to investing. Presented in an easy-to-understand manner, this book is for agribusiness and agricultural economics students, or for anyone with an interest in the business and finance of agriculture. Starting with a brief history of futures markets, the book demonstrates how to conduct a self-appraisal and develop an investment plan. Chapters address the mechanics of trading, speculative and hedging strategies, options markets, trading options, and price analysis. ALSO AVAILABLE INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructor's Manual, ISBN: 0-8273-8571-4

Customer Reviews:

Futures & Options Markets.......2003-03-13

Dr. Catlett's book covers futures and options with real life situations. Real life situations include hedging against losses from various situations. I had the opportunity to have Dr. Catlett for a Professor, teaching financial futures markets class at New Mexico State University.

The book covers how to hedge and how not to hedge. He walks you through all of these topics to fully understand the process. There are tables and charts that to help understand the process. After completing the book you will have a great understand of futures and options markets.

The book is a great reference for futures & options trading!

great intro book to options and futures.......2000-05-26

This is a good book. I had the privelege of recently attending a seminar by Lowell Catlett. He is pragmatic and thorough and yet, at times, witty. This book is written much the same way.

The book is very thorough. It takes you through the history of markets, how they evolved and how they are used today. It provides insights and some "Dos" and "Don'ts". He really makes you think.

It uses a lot of examples that are clear and very helpful. This makes it an excellent reference book for future trades.

The only negative I found in the book is one of its virtues, it is too thorough. I think some of the discussions, such as grains and livestock, are similar. The book could have been shortened by about 10 - 20 percent by combining similar options , commenting on the differences and providing an example.

Book Description

The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems guides the reader through the entire process of security system design and integration, illustrating how the various physical and electronic elements work together to form a comprehensive system. A great resource for both the security professional and student alike, the book is arranged in three major parts:

1) Determining the objectives
2) Designing the system
3) Evaluating the system

The book emphasizes the use of component performance measures to establish the effectiveness of physical protection systems, applying scientific and engineering principles to meet goals. The author takes a problem-solving approach to security and risk assessment, explaining the use of electronic protection elements and demonstrating how these elements are integrated into an effective system.

The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems contains numerous illustrations of concepts throughout and includes chapter summaries reviewing the salient topics covered. Each chapter includes appropriate references to additional information as well as review questions to test the reader's grasp of key chapter concepts. The appendices include sample models for system performance analysis.

Describes the process for estimating system performance against threats.
Approaches security in a practical, systematic manner based on proven and tested measures.
Offers process-oriented security that is "user friendly" to both the novice and the seasoned professional.

Customer Reviews:

I am please, with the book condition and delivery!!.......2006-08-24

I requested the book to be expedite and it arrived as expected. The book was in great condition. I am very satisfied with this purchase.

Excelent and Practical!!.......2002-04-07

This book not only gives you a broad idea of what security is, but is very practical using it in your work, e.g. risk analysis. It is helping me a lot.
Best Buy!

The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems.......2001-10-03

The recent tragedy of New York and Washington has emphasised the considerable need for this excellent book on physical security. Mary Lynn Garcia is to be congratulated on producing a book on physical protection systems that is design-based and is driven by principle rather than application. As a senior member of the technical staff at Sandia National laboratories, Mary Lynn Garcia is well placed to have knowledge of best practice in design of systems, and the development of principles of asset protection. This book is markedly unique from other security publications on the market as it provides a well-structured and rigorous discussion of the major components of the principles of the protection of assets. The book entitled The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems by Mary Lynn Garcia has raised the standard of security references and texts to new quantum levels of quality and detail.

The design and evaluation process for physical protection systems is presented early in the book and provides astructured approach to the protection of assets. I am personally pleased to see that the defence in depth strategy of detection, delay and response has been applied as the foundation for the structured approaches to asset protection. The chosen approach features the major components of System Objectives, Design of Physical Protection Systems, and Analysis and Evaluation. This structure has the capacity to direct the readerr in a systematic and logical manner to the desired outcomes of the defence in depth strategy. A detailed account of the systematics of asset protection allows a well=balanced account of theory and application to be presented. An attractive feature of the book is the discussion on the computer analytical models for analysis, and the relationship of risk assessment to asst protection outcomes. The book contains review questions at the conclusion of each chapter, a glossary of terms for the unfamiliar reader, and several appendices of useful information relating to threat and analysis of risk.

...This book will prove to be most valuable for a range of academic, managerial, and practitionar personnel who have responsibility for asset protection, and should be in all major libraries and acquired by everyone with an interest in physical security.

Book Description

The only reference of its kind for emergency responders, this updated book is a guide to the most significant points that surround the emergency response processes needed to cope with terrorism incidents. It highlights what is required to establish and implement tactical goals during such events, including new equipment and strategies that can enhance a responder's detection, monitoring, and protection capabilities against chemical and biological agents. Written to provide emergency responders with the knowledge they need to prepare for and combat acts of terrorism, this book is a must for all emergency personnel who are called on to respond to a terrorist event.

Locks, Safes and Security: An International Police Reference Two Volumes

Average customer rating:

Incomparable. A work entitled to great respect.

Locks, Safes and Security: An International Police Reference Two Volumes
Marc Weber Tobias
Manufacturer: Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0398070792

Customer Reviews:

Incomparable. A work entitled to great respect........2002-09-23

This author wrote a book on this subject on or about 1971 and I was somewhat disappointed in that edition at that time. This book is another world. You would not think this was the same writer. It may have taken thirty years or so but it was well worth the wait. I do not think there is another book available on this subject that can even begin to compare with this creation.
Rarely will you have the opportunity to read such a definitive work on any subject. Clearly this author has made this his life's work. Those who have need of a definitive, all encompassing, and detailed treatise on a subject that effects all aspects of public safety will need and want this book. You can do no better. The coverage is extraordinary and includes: An historical view and understanding going back thousands of years; Detailed and technical discussion of the evolution of protective devices and the methods used to overcome them; Current and timely information on devices now available with an in depth explanation of their differences, effectiveness, and workability; Forensic examination; Standards and Testing; and more, more, more.
This book goes way beyond the basic needs of a Locksmith or Technician into the realm of Academic Instruction into all aspects of physical device security. For the Locksmith, Detective or other Safety Professional weeks of pleasurable reading and education await you in this tomb. When you climb out let me know. The only errors I have found so far have been typographical so this work appears to be fully authorative. Any attorney engaged in litigation in this subject area must have this book. The knowledge contained herein can prevent embarrassment for any government official with responsibility for physical device security. This book can aid in job security for various occupations. It will save countless hours of research into difficult to obtain references. There is also available a CD Rom with additional information.
My hat is off to this author. Normally a book like this is a collaboration of many people. I can see how it took 30 years to do it alone...

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Average customer rating:

An amazing insight into the mind of a computer enthusiast
Oh, what might have been...
Great book but be advised of some things:
This book could have been much more...
Everyone gives this book 5 stars for a reason

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
Steven Levy , and Steven Levy
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141000511
Release Date: 2001-01-02

Amazon.com

Steven Levy's classic book explains why the misuse of the word "hackers" to describe computer criminals does a terrible disservice to many important shapers of the digital revolution. Levy follows members of an MIT model railroad club--a group of brilliant budding electrical engineers and computer innovators--from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. These eccentric characters used the term "hack" to describe a clever way of improving the electronic system that ran their massive railroad. And as they started designing clever ways to improve computer systems, "hack" moved over with them. These maverick characters were often fanatics who did not always restrict themselves to the letter of the law and who devoted themselves to what became known as "The Hacker Ethic." The book traces the history of hackers, from finagling access to clunky computer-card-punching machines to uncovering the inner secrets of what would become the Internet. This story of brilliant, eccentric, flawed, and often funny people devoted to their dream of a better world will appeal to a wide audience.

Book Description

Today, technology is cool. Owning the most powerful computer, the latest high-tech gadget, and the whizziest web site is a status symbol on a par with having a flashy car or a designer suit. And a media obsessed with the digital explosion has reappropriated the term "computer nerd" so that it's practically synonymous with "entrepreneur." Yet, a mere fifteen years ago, wireheads hooked on tweaking endless lines of code were seen as marginal weirdos, outsiders whose world would never resonate with the mainstream. That was before one pioneering work documented the underground computer revolution that was about to change our world forever. With groundbreaking profiles of Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, MIT's tech Model Railroad Club, and more, Steven Levy's Hackers brilliantly captures a seminal moment when the risk takers and explorers were poised to conquer twentieth-century America's last great frontier. And in the Internet age, "the hacker ethic"--first espoused here--is alive an well.

Customer Reviews:

An amazing insight into the mind of a computer enthusiast.......2007-06-22

Steven Levy has written a masterpiece, and I will be forever grateful to him for it. Although when I read it (circa year 2001) computers were much more mainstream than the period this book covers (1960s-80s), the book still broke new ground for me. It was before the blogging era, and especially before all the aspiring hackers of the world "united" via a network of blogs, forums, feeds, "planets" (feed collections on specific topics) and link accumulators like Reddit and Digg. In other words, it was much more difficult for me to find people with interests similar to mine.

Or maybe I didn't look hard enough. This is not the point, anyway. The point is that this book took me "out of the closet" as a hacker, proud of my hobby, instead of wondering whether I'm some kind of an autistic freak. Reading it, I understood two things of utmost importance:

1. There were, and there are, many people with my interests and peculiarities. And these are the people that made the computer revolution happen.
2. Somehow, Steven Levy managed to explain in words the reason people find computers and programming so fascinating. In some sense it was a revelation. I kept saying to myself "yes, exactly!" and "ahh, now I understand" very frequently while reading the book.

Here are a couple of great quotes from the book regarding (2):

" What kept him going was his fascination with the machine, how it let you build complicated systems completely under your control."

I heard people referring to this as instant gratification. Engineering is fun, solving problems is fun, and building solutions is fun - this probably has strong roots in the ancestral humans, shaped by evolution to be smarter than other animals. As opposed to other, more "physical" disciplines of engineering, like electrical, mechanical or structural engineering, programming allows you to actually create real and useful things with a computer as your only tool. An electrical engineer may wait for a long time until his board will be produced, and only then he can "play with it". For a computer programmer, things are much simpler. It is very easy and quick to build systems and use them.

" [...] computers were an infinitely flexible artistic medium, one in which you could express yourself by creating your own little universe."

"Code is art" is a very popular notion these days, perhaps coined by Knuth in his "The Art of Computer Programming" books. People do art for fun - they draw, play and compose music, write and design pretty gardens. In this sense, programming is not much different - it is an act of creation and self-expression. It is fun.

As I said, this book is a treasure chest of insightful quotes like the ones above. Levy interviewed most of the who-and-whos in the world of computing from the 1960s in the MIT labs and through the 1980s in the Californian game development companies. In addition to being explanatory of the "hacker nature", the book is also a great historical reference for the early years of computing. How lucky we are these days to have the opportunity to hack so easily. Just a few decades ago, people interested in computers had to use clanky, slow, terminals or worse, batch-processing machines. There are so much free open-source development tools one really doesn't need to spend money on anything further than the hardware - and PCs are cheap and powerful.

I can't recommend this book enough to anyone interested in computing, and programming in particular. As an aid to discovering your internal motivations, you own yourself to read it.

Oh, what might have been..........2007-06-14

SL does a fine job of charting the early history of hacking at MIT and Stanford and beyond. As a member of the 3rd-generation-of-hackers generation (though, regretfully, not a hacker myself), I remember well the first personal computers and computer game systems, and the passion of friends and classmates of mine who were among the first to own and cut their programming teeth on them. It's amazing to think how far computers have come in my lifetime, a true technological revolution. SL's book reminds us not only how very near the beginnings of personal computing history we are, but how very far we've drifted from the intellectual and social ideals that marked those beginnings. What a shame that the Hacker utopias Levy describes are no more, and that computers and computing, today, are so enchained to commerce (granted that there are of course many extraordinary applications of computer technology, today, and many more to expect in the future, as well). I can only imagine how disappointed the Greenblatts, Nelsons, Felsensteins, etc., of yesteryear must be. The passing of the Hacker age -- if, indeed, it has passed -- is no less than the passing of a culture, as Richard ("last of the Hackers") Stallman laments. Reading Hackers, especially the opening chapters about the MIT AI-lab hacking community, I found myself wishing that I, too, had been 'present at the creation' and blessed with enormous hacking talent. SL's book is a long trip down many others' very pleasant -- in equal parts exciting and frustrating -- memory lane. As later chapters explore the computer gaming scene, and subsequent generations of hackerism, the subject-matter of Hackers becomes less compelling, and the writing a bit tiresome. I could, for instance, have done without SL's incessant harping on the social akwardnesses and missed sexual gambits of the gamers he profiles, material that reads sophomorically in the extreme. This aside, Hackers is an entertaining and informative piece of sociological journalism. FYI, "Artificial Life", by the same author, is a far better written first-rate piece of science journalism. Hackers is a could-read; Artificial Life is a should-read.

Great book but be advised of some things:.......2007-05-13

I liked very much this Book. It's a very "Novelistic" way to tell the History of the "True Hackers" of the 60's, 70's and 80's. The words are on "Big Fonts" so you can read them without hurting your eyes.

Just please de advised of the following:

This book is almost 17 years old. It is not like "Master of Doom" that covers the beginning of a company until the new millenium era. For instace, I bought this copy because I am very interested in the history of Sierra On-line. Few books (on not any) covers the beginning of Ken and Roberta Williams. The thing is that, it is the VERY FIRST BEGINNING, really. It doesn't even focus on the Sierra Games. It tells more the entire Economical and Management backgroud of how Ken (and his staff) made their way to the top of ATARI and Apple with the games provided for them.

It is a very pleasure reading. But I think the big WOW on this book is the Sierra On-Line history. If you want to know more for example about the other hackers mentioned on this book, like Bill Gates or Stephen Woz but in depth, I recommend their own respective Biographies.

This book could have been much more..........2007-01-27

I was disappointed with this book: it glossed over many parts of modern computing history to focus on the odd-balls, the unpleasant and the just plain nerdy. The focus appeared to be on MIT SAIL and the early game coding shops. One could be forgiven, if on reading this volume, for believing that micro-computing only happened in the USA on the West Coast.
The definitive hacker/PC history is yet to be written...

Everyone gives this book 5 stars for a reason.......2007-01-14

It may be a bit redundant to write another review when everyone who crosses this book will fall in love. I sent a copy to my uncle, and passed it on to friends after reading it. Anyone fascinated with the computer revolution or even just fascinated with a story of social revolution in general, this book is a must read. Entertaining from the first page with thorough research and investigation by Levy.

By the way, hacking does not mean breaking into something or damaging it. It was used originally to describe a computer function distilled down to the least amount of lines of code. Because the original computers were so small in brain-power, minimum lines of code meant a lot less computation time, and that was considered "a good hack". But I don't want to spoil the book....

The personalities involved are endearing and memorable. Although I do have to say, I thought the first half of the book is more enjoyable which starts out with the wiz's at the MIT model rail club, who hack international phone calls and Chinese menus in Chinatown- as well as hack any and everything of interest.

p.s. you'll also learn why Bill Gates is so mistrusted by computer geeks. He basically took free information and found a way to make it less liquid and sellable.

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Quick study for non-FPE trainee test
Math for Financial Industry a WINNER!!!!

Mathematics of the Securities Industry
William Rini
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071413162

Book Description

Numbers, ratios, and formulas are the lifeblood of the financial markets. Mathematics of the Securities Industry uses straightforward math and examples to explain every key number used on Wall Street, from the calculation of each number to why it is important and how best to use it. Completely up-to-date to include three-day settlement, decimalization, new tax laws, and more, it is today's easiest-to-use reference for measuring investment potential and accurately monitoring stock and bond performance.

Download Description

"Numbers, ratios, and formulas are the lifeblood of the financial markets. Mathematics of the Securities Industry uses straightforward math and examples to explain every key number used on Wall Street, from the calculation of each number to why it is important and how best to use it. Completely up-to-date to include three-day settlement, decimalization, new tax laws, and more, it is today's easiest-to-use reference for measuring investment potential and accurately monitoring stock and bond performance

Customer Reviews:

Quick study for non-FPE trainee test.......2006-07-28

I'm looking to make a career change -- this quick read got me in the right frame to take the SIA exam that brokers reqquire as part of the interview process

Math for Financial Industry a WINNER!!!!.......2005-07-19

I needed help with calculations for passing the Series 7 Stock Broker exam. This book makes it as simple as it gets. The financial math is no longer a daunting challenge. Thanks for writing this book!

Closed Circuit Television: CCTV Installation, Maintenance and Operation, Second Edition

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Closed Circuit Television: CCTV Installation, Maintenance and Operation, Second Edition
Joe Cieszynski
Manufacturer: Newnes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0750657286

Book Description

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance is one of the fastest growing areas in the security industry. This book is an essential guide for professionals involved the installation and maintenance of CCTV systems, system design, specification and purchasing and the management of CCTV systems. Unlike most existing books on CCTV, this title is not just a discussion of security issues, but a thorough guide to the technical side of the subject - cameras and monitors, video recording, cabling and transmission, installation and maintenance.

The concise, accessible text makes it for hard-pressed practitioners and students on training courses.

The second edition is fully dual-standard for PAL and NTSC systems. New material in the second edition covers lighting issues and equipment, digital signal transmission, integrated CCTV / intruder alarm systems, CAT5 cabling, digital recording, video printers, ancillary equipment, and a glossary.

This book is recommended by SITO (the Security Industry Training Organisation, UK) as suitable for its courses, the City and Guilds 1851 programme, and the underpinning knowledge requirement of Level 3 NVQs from SITO / C & G.

Joe Cieszynski is a well known magazine writer and a contributor to the SITO distance learning materials on CCTV. He has extensive experience in the industry and as a lecturer.

* Demystifies CCTV technology for installers and managers
* Concise, accessible text ideal for hard-pressed practitioners and students
* Fully dual-standard coverage for PAL and NTSC based systems

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