This "tarot deck" actually started out as a kind of "in-joke" on the net, but it became a reality four years ago. And since then, who knows how many have used this deck as inspiration, or to answer their questions, or just use it as a cool card game at some "Silicon Valley party." Designed as a spoof of both Tarot and the Valley, anyone in the computer field will quickly recognize the "in-jokes" about "Silicon Valley life" you can find in the accompanying booklet.

The cards which are cleverly drawn do correspond to a traditional Tarot deck. There is a Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana has 20 cards, like The Server, Stock Options, and the dreaded Spam! As for the Minor Arcana, instead of Cups, Swords, Wands, and Pentacles, it instead consists of Disks, Hosts, Networks, and Cubicles. Archetypes include the Nerd, Marketer, Salesman, and CEO!

Will you find the answers here to whether or not your start-up will make it? Will you find the love of your dreams in marketing? Will people one day look to you with reverance as being "the guru?" Or will you be part of the (GASP!) layoff when your company downsizes? Who knows! Who cares!

A fun set of cards to have, whether you enjoy Tarot or not or if you want a glimpse into what "Silicon Valley life" is like. And like the package says, it's cheaper than a consultant!

This is a pretty darned hysterical novelty, as well as a great overview of the Geek Life. This is not really a book, but a satirical deck of Tarot cards, with Silicon Valley-style updates. Like, instead of The Fool and the Wheel of Fortune, you get The Hacker and The IPO. The suits of cups, wands, swords, and pentacles have been replace by cubicles, networks, disks, and computer hosts. There is a companion guide of card interpretations, but mostly it's just an excuse for wacky commentaries on Silicon Valley and dot.com excess. There's also instructions for a game you can play called "ram" as well as how to do a straight Tarot reading -- but I wouldn't use this deck to see the future of anything other than a high-teck startup. Most of the people I know who have bought this deck have simply enjoyed turning over the cards and laughing along with the joke.

This is a great novelty/game for geeks, though managers and high-tech biz people will get a kick out of it, too -- and as the SV Tarot's web site says, "Cheaper than a consultant. Same Results." That pretty much sums it up.

A rich source of information. Brimming with factual data, stories, and maps-from the indian occupation through the building boom that continues today. Beautiful photographs generously splashed throughout enhance the journey. Wish it had more pages.

After reading this book, one will realize that Simi Valley is not "just another place" in California. It is a city rich in history...from the Indians (where did the name "Simi Valley" come from?) through the Spanish occupation (how did they acquire this land?) followed by the great ranchers and farmers who finally gave way to the developers who made it the sprawling community it is today. A 'must read' for historians and residents alike. A story that truly reflects the time, energy, and factual intent that can only result in this wonderful "Journey Through Time." It is presented with warmth and sensitivity - preserving our ability to "feel the moments" recalled by many pioneers. The stories, photographs, and technical data make it stand out as a most accurate (and often amusing) journey that one can take from the comfort of a big reading chair. Kudos to Pat Havens, Bill Appleton, and all who participated in this endeavor!

John Parrish went west to recover from a civil war wound. He runs up against a big ranch owner (Wilkison) and his gunfighter/foreman when they try to force him to sell his ranch for little to nothing. Wilkerson has him burned out and Parrish fights back -- but not like they expected. Wilkerson finds he has a tiger by the tail and doesn't know how to let go. Even the movie was good, unlike those Hollywood did for Matt Helm. This is a top-notch, Hamilton book.

An early hamilton work, the story involves an eastern-born civil war veteran come to the west to heal. He interacts with a selection of stock western types, gets the girl(s) and triumphs responsibly. Well-drawn characters, accurate history and geography, precise ballistics and gun lore. There is even a sex scene that is neither purple nor victorian. This book deserves another printing, as do the other hamilton westerns.

I live and work in Silicon Valley, and I found this book to be entertaining as well as informative, with the "ring" of authenticity. The personal stories in this book, as told by the people who lived them and fought the daily battles and reaped the rewards, are the kind of revelations that most of us would never hear unless we were psychologists or spiritual advisors working in Silicon Valley. I enjoyed every page.

Carl Goldman strikes a delicious balance between that which we seek and that which we hide from. He collects and confronts the nagging questions, the quiet whispers and subtle signposts we speed past on our way to empty arenas of success and smoke-and-mirrors versions of fulfillment. The people interviewed, and Goldman himself, have offered here a map and a compass to help us go as far as we need to travel in order to arrive home safely within our hearts. In a world of high-tech, mach-2, anonymous communication, Carl Goldman sits down next to a roaring fire with an inkwell and a fountain pen and communicates with an ease and a clarity no amount of megahertz or modem speed can touch.

This is a wonderful book that goes into great deatil about the many trails in and around the South Bay. It breaks down the area by specific parks and then suggested hikes, including mileage, elevation loss or gain, and time. It even has a neat little appendix outlining hikes by category (ie., short hikes, hikes to see spring flowers, etc.) The text is detailed, explaining what you will find around every bend, and the historical information on the parks is very interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get out and away from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley.

I just replaced my battered copy of the first edition with the latest, third one, and it's a real winner! These authors' books are always educational, interesting and complete. And best of all they lead one into many fine hiking adventures around the bay. I've spent many a fine summer day following their instructions. It's about time they put out a new edition, because of all the new parks and trails they had to cover. Recommended!

This is a great book for teens to read during the Christmas season. It puts you in the holiday spirit, while also entertaining you with a blend of romance, mystery, humor, and a touch of deviousness. Very entertaining!

It's Christmas in Sweet Valley! Liz is going to be reunited with Todd. And Suzanne is coming back. I think It was sad how Liz and Todd decided to break up. I doubt Todd and Suzanne will last longer. In a way it gives Liz the chance to meet other guys. This was really good. I've read it 9 times! It has mystery, Romance and holiday cheer!

This is a book I won't part with.If you only buy one Sweet Valley High book,perhaps it should be this one.Jess and Liz go on a spring vacation,to a ranch.It is a lovely book.

This book is terrific because there are another twins other than the Wakefield twin and this is identical boy twin!

Generals such as Patton and Rommel were drawn to study Jackson's Valley Campaign because of the successful use of mobility and concentration of force in local engagements to overcome theater area force inferiority. "Stonewall in the Valley" is an incredible story, fundamental to an understanding of the ACW for amateur and professional historians alike. A testament to Mr. Tanner's zeal for history and accuracy was his willingness to go back and undertake a major revision, twenty years after initial publication of the original classic. It is rare that one can point to a signal source of this type as an undisputed, authoritative classic - Hennessy's "Return to Bull Run" and Coddington's "Gettysburg Campaign" are two other examples. Mr. Tanner's work is a success at every level. Whether discussing national politics or the effect of local roads on soldiers' shoes, the commentary is thoroughly researched and rendered with an understandable authority. He is equally adept at identifying and explaining causes and effects and debunking many of the popular myths that have arisen over the years. This is not another contribution to the plethora of Stonewall legend making compilations - this is a serious historical work which examines exactly what happened, the when and the how, the why and why not. There is a most enlightening addition in this revision which discusses the operational art of war - actions which translate overall theater strategy to local area tactics - in the context of Stonewall's Valley Campaign. Mr. Tanner bucks the trend in giving Joe Johnston some credit and in rendering just criticism of the mighty Stonewall where appropriate (more often and harsher than expected). If only we were so lucky as to have a treatment such as this for every other ACW campaign - we can only hope.

Probably the most detailed analysis of Jackson's Valley Campaign I have ever read. Tanner has gone to great length to document every detail of the classic campaign fought in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862. New evidence and extensive analysis are presented in an effort to explain some of the controversies of the campaign. Tanner's conclusions differ in some respects from the traditional explanations of some of Jackson's actions but he backs them up well in light of new evidence. The book will make for rather dry reading for those not interested in military history but for the Civil War buff and Jackson admirer it is the best account I have read of Jackson's career as an independent army commander.

The book is very good and easy to read (includes maps and a good index). It is true that the author only shows some aspects of its subject matter (mostly european discovery, conquest and colonisation) and thus the book may be considered a bit limited in its scope, but otherwise it would have probably missed the target becoming a tedious scholarly volume. Nevertheless it is a very interesting introduction to the area and gives a good insight of the way the french and the british faced and handled their imperial aspirations.

I also strongly reccomend the excellent book on the River Congo by Peter Forbath, which follows a similar pattern and which will help you complete a vast panorama on West Africa.

A wonderfully readable history of the Niger River, and the fascinating personalities that made that history.

SUCCESS SECRETS FROM SILICON VALLEY is a thoroughly enjoyable book that takes a look at why Silicon Valley companies are so successful.

James' point-of-view is that these companies are able to win because they value their human capital and create jobs that provide scope for human ambition and expression for human creativity. They manage by lending support, not by imposing control, and they treat employees as peers, not children. Instead of asking "How can we get everyone to march in step?" they ask, "Do we have sufficient diversity to approach this market?"

The book could serve as a mandate for change management. It recounts numerous examples of companies given a run for their money by small start-ups. For instance, take IBM. In 1984, IBM completely dominated the computer industry. It had fanatically loyal customers, great management, and an enviable image. It had an enormous was chest with which to capture any market. And, it had just invented the personal computer. So how did an 18 year old freshman, a kid probably wondering what to do on Saturday night, in just thirteen years, grow a company to 8,000 people and end up selling more personal computers than the inventor? Michael Dell had no revenues, no customers, no capital, no experience, no image and no product to call his own. How he won is the story of how management vision and corporate culture has to change to stay competitive in the 21st century.

It does not matter that the examples come from Silicon Valley; the book could serve as an abridged change management manual for any company desiring to replicate the success culture of these upstarts. Size isn't the issue. Culture is. If, at times, James's points seem self-evident and appear to be the exaltation of common sense, then tell me, where is Digital Equipment Corporation today? Anybody ever hear of Wang? According to James, a company doesn't have to be small to organize into teams and autonomous workgroups. He makes the point that the PC was created within a huge corporation - but as far away from headquarters as possible. Unfortunately, after Don Estridge, the "father" of the IBM PC, was killed in a plane crash, IBM's bureaucrats descended on the PC division "like a plague of blue-suited locusts". They tried to implement strategies that had made sense in the past but were hopelessly outdated in the world where "quick to market" is key.

"Success Secrets" devotes a chapter to each of eight main change points: Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield; Corporations are communities, not machines; Management is service, not control; Employees are peers, not children; Motivate with vision, not fear; Change is growth, not pain; Computers are servants, not masters; Work is play, not toil.

Each chapter is organized in an easy to follow format : Silicon Valley mindset; traditional mindset; a case study; strategies; quiz (to determine "gaps" in an organization) and points to ponder which serve as good change management points to consider when we are with clients.

The book is entertaining in presenting computer history mingled with the "new" corporate thinking - thinking that began in 1939 (yes, that long ago) with Hewlett Packard and came to fruition with Microsoft, Dell, Compaq and Sun.

This book captures the essential elements of the overall organizational strategy developed and applied in Silicon Valley over the past decades. The author captures and illustrates many of the sub-strategies that were originally used by many of the founders of Silicon Valley, such as David Packard (see: "The HP Way"). One of the primary benefits of the present book is the classification of these strategies in an easy-to-understand, numeric order, accompanied by excellent examples and quotes from people using these strategies. In addition, the inclusion of "quizes" and "points to ponder" at the end of each chapter help the reader to ascertain where their present organization is in relationship to the Silicon Valley high-growth company model. While the average Silicon Valley company is living the ecosystem described, the greatest value of the book may be its use as a teaching tool for the extension of a Valley company's culture to team members in non-Valley locations or subsidiaries, or as a teaching mechanism for other companies desiring to replicate the results achieved by Valley companies.