7 Books That Take You Beyond Bandwidth

Len Zheleznyak (Digital Entertainment): Neuromancer by William Gibson
Given what we do around here I decided to go back and read William Gibson’s Neuromancer.  I think I have read the book about four times at this point.  It’s great to see how the meaning of the work changes with time and as technology gets closer and closer to Gibson’s vision.  Neuromancer was written in 1984 and it legitimized the entire Cyberpunk genre.  In case you don’t know what Cyberpunk is Blade Runner was one of the first movies to visualize it and the The Matrix Trilogy, while not claiming to be part of it, was the modern take on it.  The plot focuses on a washed up computer hacker that gets involved in a complex plot driven by powerful corporations, governments, and artificial intelligences all in the background of a massive world wide computer network.  Where have we heard this before?

It has had a lasting cultural impact, including bringing the term “Cyberspace” into the mainstream (although the term was actually coined by Gibson in an earlier work).  Given when it was written and who would have been reading it, there has been speculation that the people that built out the internet in the 90s used Neuromancer as a sort of manual.  A quote from the book:

“The matrix has its roots in primitive arcade games. … Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts. … A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding. (Gibson 69.)”

Oddly enough, Gibson wrote the book on a manual 1927 typewriter and has insisted that he wrote it as a cautionary tale, not as a manual.

Carolyn Reuss (Cloud Computing & Data Center):� How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer
I love to read, but non-fiction not-so-much. How We Decide is the engaging exception peppered with examples that explain the latest in brain science and how it can be used to improve our decision-making. I especially like how he uses a broad spectrum of scenarios: heat-of-the moment sports calls, hedge-fund traders, air traffic controllers, and even developmental brains like my teenager’s. My favorite section talked about whether having more data means you have better decision-making outcomes. My mom recently had back surgery so the study in this chapter, called “Choking on Thought”, was particularly interesting to me. MRI’s have brought more data to doctors, yet outcomes have not improved because “seeing everything made it harder for doctors to know what they should be looking at”. Sound like a familiar problem in this world of exploding data?

Ben Bacon (Social Media):� The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk
Still trying to convince your executive management team that social media really drives business? Look no further. “Gary Vee” makes the most persuasive arguments I’ve seen yet, with the occasional cursing sprinkled in for dramatic effect. Chapter 3 is the money chapter where Gary lists out the 11 reasons companies don’t fully commit to social media (e.g. No ROI, too many legal issues, etc) then blows them up one by one. This book was also my #1 resource this year in understanding not only the why, but how to humanize your company through social media. Hopefully you can see glimpses of Gary (minus the cursing) on our corporate Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Mark Taylor (Global Media & IP Services): � Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson and The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom by Yochai Benkler
I would suggest you read and contrast two books. Free by Chris Anderson never made the impact of The Long Tail. However, it is an interesting analysis of various new forms of business model that base their methodology on some form of “free”. For example the� freemium model is widely used on the Internet. Evernote’s CEO recently highlighted how� central it was to his business (and a very successful business it is). The book tests some preconceptions and makes a pretty good argument although is not completely persuasive. It is however a quick, light and easy read.

Unlike, The Wealth of Networks by Yochai Benkler. This is a dense, long, academic study of social networks. But not social networks in the frivolous sense like Facebook. Although they are important. What is ultimately more satisfying is the use of social networks, enabled by the Internet, for political freedom, social justice, individual fulfilment, justice as well as the creation of free stuff. The complete opposite of how much of the western world has developed. But something that is genuinely contributed to by all members and levels of society and appears more satisfying for a great many people.

Justine Lupul (Financial Services): 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown  by Simon Johnson and James Kwak
For those interested in financial markets, I would highly recommend this ‘bedside’ read.  A national bestseller, I came across the book in an airport bookstore months ago.  It is an historical retrospective on the role and significance of the US banking industry, both here and abroad.  Particularly in light of the financial crisis of 2008, the American banking industry has grown bigger, more profitable, and (since the 1970s) has received growing support among those within and outside of government for laissez-faire policies and loosening regulations. Anchored by six megabanks whose assets amount to more than 60% of our country’s gross domestic product, this oligarchy proved it could first threaten the global economy and then use its political muscle to fight off meaningful reform.  In contrast however, with consolidation in the US banking (and securities & investments) industry, has come many positives and innovations for banking customers over recent decades.  13 Bankers charts the rise to power of the financial sector, juxtaposed against various regulatory approaches over the past century.  Most do not foresee the pendulum swinging back fully to the tight regulatory environment of the early 1900s, and the book forcefully argues that we must find a new path forward to avoid future financial catastrophes.

Peter Haid (Customer Experience): I Love You More Than My Dog: Five Decisions That Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad: by Jeanne Bliss
I picked up this read at a Customer Experience meeting last year and it’s now a staple at my bedside.  Goofy title aside, this book dedicates five chapters to the five decisions companies must make if they want to create a community of customers that “love you more than their dog”.   Jeanne Bliss uses real life case studies (45 of them) to back up her assertion that making money, serving customers, and having fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive principles.  Whether you work in customer service or not you will enjoy the stories of transformation that are packed into this book. Reviews on the back include the CEO of Southwest Airlines, the CEO of Zappos, Bruce Tempkin from Forrester Research, the CEO from the Container Store, and many more…

So what are the five decisions that these great companies make?

1. Decide to Believe
2. Decide with Clarity of Purpose
3. Decide to Be Real
4. Decide to Be There
5. Decide to Say Sorry