Grant

I've listened to this book twice, and then downloaded the Kindle version, because the information written herein is vital to processing the world around us. This book is full of mind-blowing stats and info that everyone should know. If we can learn to understand the world and not fear it, as well as take note of the things we should fear and respect but do not, we could all live better lives.

Okay, now I'm more paranoid than ever that humanity will be ravaged by a super virus. This book is gripping. Not just because the story is true, but because it is extremely well told.

I read this piece — which was written before 9/11, before Google and Facebook, before the iPad, before the cloud, and before the browser wars ended — as a historic document. And in general I was surprised on two levels. First, that most big companies, all having embraced the internet as the game-changing paradigm that it is, still haven't gotten a clue about how to treat or talk to their customers. And two, how much of what the authors suggest and envision has been proven correct. The bits they got wrong — like the importance of "zines" and the pervasiveness of "extranets" — are mildly risible. Perhaps its time to update this manifesto. I'd say it's a worthwhile endeavor.

I really liked this book. One of the most compelling and telling facts that I took away from it is that the people who create processed foods, in general, actively shy away from consuming them in their own diet. The history of processed foods is well told here. The moral of the story: try not to eat foods that require chemists, engineers and lawyers to produce. You'll be happier and live longer.

I work in the area of creative commerce and nearly all of the points made in this book about stickiness and compelling content on the internet were true 20 years ago in other media. The rules of engagement with consumers and audiences have not changed. Just the battlefield has. This alone is good to know, but does not justify the time one must dedicate to listening to this piece — a mixed bag, from which I'm not sure I gleaned many points that I can use in my daily work. It's just more of the same old pseudo-experts attempting to write "rules" on how creative people catch lightning in a bottle. Creative people, on the other hand, do not need those rules, as they know innately how to compel.

King's magnum opus comes to a breath-holding close like a violent car accident shot in slow motion. King is able to take the crazy, disorganized, non-sensical flying cacophony of characters, events, circumstances and confluences and plucks them from the air, setting them all right in the end. I regret not a single second of the many, many hours I spent listening to this series. Thank you Mr. King. I'm glad you survived the minivan. We all are.

I have invested so many hours in this saga that I have no capacity to nit pick its minor shortcomings or flaws. I am all in. Bring on the final book.

It's high time someone wrote a book that clears the air with regard to the origins of man's sexuality free from the miasma of religious and societal stigma. Well done.

The story and writing are impeccable. But I was even more impressed by Claire Danes' interpretation.

There is a point in Danes' performance in which the main character is sharing a cigarette with a friend where Danes laughs and blows imaginary smoke out of the side of her mouth. This simple but attentive improvisational detail underscores the genius of her craft and the commitment she has to the material. A spectacular bit of work that would be degraded by calling it a reading.

The Dark Tower Series has grabbed me and is holding my attention quite well at this point. I really care about the characters. I really want to walk along with them on their journey along the path of the beam. This story is right out of Peckinpaw and Kurasawa. With a King-like bent. I'm all in.

Time travel. Parallel dimensions. Space ships. Battles with explosions on decks six through 12. Love. Humor. Characters I care about when they die. Characters I care about when they come back to life. And a Wil Wheaton Narration. More. I must have more!