Financial Fitness in 45 Days

Amazon.com

Using the metaphor of a physical fitness plan, financial advisor Lorayne Fiorillo has authored a comprehensive, well-organized daily exercise program designed to "whip you into financial shape" quickly. While the workout allusions get a bit tiresome, Financial Fitness in 45 Days is nonetheless a practical, informative guide to constructing and implementing a basic financial plan. "The book doesn't get into the psychology behind how people deal with money," says Fiorillo. "Most people don't have time to psychoanalyze their financial status; they just want to improve it. Think of this book as financial behavior modification," she says.

Each workout day is devoted to a specific topic, beginning with goal setting and budgeting, advancing through investment and insurance products and strategies, then college, retirement, and estate planning. The sections on asset allocation and mutual fund investing are particularly well written. Included is a 75-page section with worksheets, tables, quizzes, crosswords, and other puzzles to help reinforce the experience and lighten the burden.

Fiorillo presents the information in a concise, easy-to-understand, and prudent way. This book may provide all the financial planning may people will ever need. For the rest, it's a good place to begin. --Scott Harrison

Book Description

This interactive guide gives busy people a quick, no-nonsense way to build a lean, mean portfolio any time they have a few spare moments.

Customer Reviews:

Financial Fitness in 45 Days by Lorayne Fiorillo.......2003-01-11

Lorayne's financial advice parallels that of Warren Buffet! She is adament about gaining control of your personal finances and suggests simple yet extremely effective ways to accomplish this. Her stories are as comical as witty, and to imagine this city gal off in the midst of the bucolic backwoods is as comedic a senario as on could imagine. Although I have never met her, Lorayne's vivacious personality pours out through every page and her motivation and love of finances becomes very infectious. It is my civic duty and fiduciary responsibility to implore you to take charge of your finances by leanding her an ear! Get one hell of a financial workout with her! If you seek financial freedom-this is the information that will send you sprinting to the bank, laughing all the way!

Getting your money matters in shape!.......2001-05-31

This is the best book of its kind, and, as we all know, there are thousands of books on finance and money matters available. It has Suze Ormond beat hands down. This book is informative, amusing, and well written. It deals with a topic that can at times be dry, but because of the breezy style and frequent use of personal anecdotes and quotes from other well-known financial people, this book is a fast read. One of its great features is that each chapter deals with a separate and specific topic, so that one can read the chapters out of order as one's interest dictates, or skip chapters altogether that are not of particular interest. Another excellent feature not found in other books of this kind is the workbook which allows you to assess your level of understanding. In conclusion, this woman really knows her stuff. I thought I knew a lot about money, but I knew a lot more after reading this book.

Getting your money matters in shape!.......2001-05-31

Financial Fitness in 45 days.......2000-06-19

I found this book very informative and helpful. It is well written and keeps you interested. It is not just a bunch of boring financial dribble. I would have given it 5 stars but there were some sections in the book that did not apply at all to me so I skipped a few chapters. Overall a good book especially for those who want to head a certain direction financially but just don't quite know how.

Book Description

Standards play crucial roles in many different aspects of today’s economy. They can define meanings of semantics, product interfaces, process steps, or performance levels. Interorganisational standards are specifications that define business-related semantics and processes, which are made accessible to other organisations’ information systems. While modular organisation forms such as supply chain networks demand such standards for higher flexibility, XML-based Web Services offer a relatively new technological platform to develop such standards. The development of comprehensive interorganisational standards, however, is far from being completed. This book thus answers the questions, how interorganisational standards are developed and how different actors should get involved in it. The author uses actor-network theory to conduct two in-depth case studies on ebXML and RosettaNet. While researchers will find new explanations for the development of interorganisational standards, managers and executives will benefit from the strategic implications this book discusses.

Book Description

Written by a group of America's top lawyers, this book deals with those two certainties of life--death and taxes--providing expert, rock-solid legal counsel at a fraction of what it would cost to go to a lawyer. Aming the topics covered are living wills and how to avoid inheritance taxes.

Customer Reviews:

Not helpful.......2006-12-27

The ABA should be ashamed. This is not a book designed to inform but a list of reasons to see a lawyer. Interested in software to help. They cover that topic saying "since lawyers generally charge less for less complicated estates, you may be able to gain the benefits and flexibility of real legal advice for little more than the cost ofa computerized will kit." They let you know that "many alternative estate providers fail to inform you when there may be abetter (or cheaper) way to accomplish your goals" implying that the infallible lawyers always do so.

Want to use a statutory will - they'll tell you why you should use a lawyer instead.

Interested in learning about benificiary deeds they tell you "Your lawyer can explain the ins and outs of your state's law relating to beneficiary deeds."

Here's another very informative passage "Your lawyer can help you figure out which is which, so that you know what property you can transfer through estate planning."

Setting up a trust "you should surely use a lawyer to set one up. * If the trust is for the benefit of your minor children, ..."

How about this gem from page 44 "...should be coordinated with your estate plan, preferably with the assistance of your lawyer."

Or this one from page 46 "Check with your lawyer to see whether your state permits this arrangement and whether it's a good idea for your situation."

Want a well crafted will? Your infallible lawyer can help "craft your language so that no ambiguities remain that might invite a court challenge. Your lawyer can help you do that."

Don't ask practical questions, like which states allow statutory wills, those aren't answered.

Just What the Doctor Ordered.......2006-08-26

This is an excellent book. It answered all of my questions about handling my estate, and it answered many questions that never occurred to me. The writing is straightforward and easily understood. The title is THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION GUIDE TO WILLS AND TRUSTS, but it covers a good deal more: steps to help your family now; estate plans; avoiding or reducing estate taxes; transferring property without a will; securing long-term care help; and many other topics relating to managing your estate and passing it on to your heirs. This is a very useful book.

The American Bar Association wants you confused........2006-06-22

Don't be a sucker. The ABA is not going to help you understand the probate or non-probate system. I have been a lawyer for over twenrty years, and I can't understand what they are trying to say. They want you to give up rather than understand the tools of estate planning. I am the author of "Everything A Baby Boomer Should Know -- An Insider's Guide To Estate Planning." Compare it to the contents of this ABA book. The difference is that the ABA book is nothing more than another textbook that speaks over your head. Read my book and truly understand how the system works for you. I promise.

Good Guide to Estate Planning.......2006-02-18

Thorough and fairly easy to understand. It does a particularly clear discussion of trusts.

Excellent introduction to estate planning.......2003-12-20

This easy-reading book is a nice non-technical introduction to the world of estate planning. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to get a start in understanding this field.

Average customer rating:

ABA Guide to Wills and Estates
American Bar Association
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Estates & Trusts | Taxation | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Customer Reviews:

A must for all papermakers!.......2005-02-12

This book is a real gold mine of information. It shows how to make paper from plants then how to transform it, mold it, decorate it, make vessels with it. The instructions by experienced papermakers are very clear, to the point, easy to follow. There are ample black and white photos to illustrate instructions plus a portfolio section in the middle with color photos. Each section starts with an artist's statement then proceeds to describe the process.
A truly inspiring book!

Introducing techniques of 17 artists.......2000-10-07

17 artists shows their tools, methods and works. The author tells, "The book has been designed to work for you as a workshop and as an inspiration. The goal was to show different approaches taken by many artists, not to give one definitive view." All the instructions are proofed by the author.

The presentation styles are different from artist to artist. Some artists show the detailed process with photos. There are a lot of tips and ideas in this book. I'm interested in the method to apply handmade paper to basket and molding. Even paper making beginner like me can apply some methods. I'll try to put my handmade paper to a basket.

Unfortunately most of photos are black and white though includes some color photo section.

If you are not satisfied just to make paper, this book is for you.

Book Description

This book is dedicated to the memory of Michael Marinov, the theorist who, together with Felix Berezin, introduced the classical description of spin by anticommuting Grassmann variables. It contains original papers and reviews by physicists and mathematicians written specifically for the book. These articles reflect the current status and recent developments in the areas of Marinov's research: quantum tunneling, quantization of constrained systems, supersymmetry, and others. The personal recollections included portray the human face of M Marinov, a person of great knowledge and integrity.

Book Description

A tongue-in-cheek romp set in Atlanta about an undercover Federal Agent who is always in over his head, the eccentric people who surround him, and his cover, as a condom salesman. But when an informant is killed and the police don't have a clue, he springs into action.

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An untold Heroic epic of WWII bravery and honor

Excellent Book! Well worth reading!

Engrossing read, full of flavor and relatively rich in content

Brave Men - American Heroes

Brilliant description of the horrors of prejudice and war

Patton's Panthers: The African-American 761st Tank Battalion In World War II
Charles W. Sasser
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Western Front | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
African-American Studies | Special Groups | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes

Hidden Heroism: Black Soldiers in America's Wars

Fighting for America: Black Soldiers--the Unsung Heroes of World War II

Soldiers of Freedom: An Illustrated History of African Americans in the Armed Forces

We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans, from World War II to the War in Iraq

ASIN: 0743485009

Book Description

On the battlefields of World War II, the men of the African-American 761st Tank Battalion under General Patton broke through enemy lines with the same courage with which they broke down the racist limitations set upon them by others -- proving themselves as tough, reliable, and determined to fight as any tank unit in combat.

Beginning in November 1944, they engaged the enemy for 183 straight days, spearheading many of Patton's offensives at the Battle of the Bulge and in six European countries. No other unit fought for so long and so hard without respite. The 761st defeated more than 6,000 enemy soldiers, captured thirty towns, liberated Jews from concentration camps -- and made history as the first African-American armored unit to enter the war.

This is the true story of the Black Panthers, who proudly lived up to their motto (Come Out Fighting) and paved the way for African-Americans in the U.S. military -- while battling against the skepticism and racism of the very people they fought for.

Customer Reviews:

An untold Heroic epic of WWII bravery and honor.......2007-06-24

This one of the most inspiring stories I have ever read about WWII, and I have been reading about and watching WWII documentries for over 30 years. It is a shame the USA was so bigoted at the time to ommit an important part of WWII history. I had never heard about this group until recently. The story of these honorable brave men need to be added to our current history books if it has not been already. I am hoping to find other books to read about these fine men. This is first time I have stopped to write a review from hundreds of books I have purchased from Amazon.

Excellent Book! Well worth reading!.......2007-01-03

I've been reading a lot of books about WWII lately, by Stephen Ambrose (Citizen Soldiers), James Bradley (Flags of our Fathers), etc. Patton's Panthers by Charles Sasser fits well in this genre of writting. Sasser has done an excellent job making a book that's very interesting to read. He has done extensive research and then taken that research and compiled it into a narrative well worth reading. I highly recommend it.

Engrossing read, full of flavor and relatively rich in content.......2006-04-05

Armed service of African-Americans is one of the least covered topics in the greater realm of WWII historiography. This is quite unfortunate as the number of African-Americans to proudly and honorably serve the US armed forces in the Second World War was not trivial. Nor was their contribution to the Allied war effort trivial. While most African-Americans served in service and support units in the segregated US services of the 1930-40's, there were a small number of all African-American combat units, and by the end of the war a few integrated units (although integration occurred on a platoon rather than individual basis as occurred with white soldiers), that served with equal, if not greater, distinction to all white units. Fortunately for all Americans the past few years have brought a number of historiographies of the contributions of African-American soldiers to the Allied victory in WWII, both in Europe and Asia. `Patton's Panthers: The African-American 761st Tank Battalion in World War II' by Charles W. Sasser is a solid contribution to this growing literature that anyone interested in WWII and/or issues of segregation/race relations in the middle of the 20th Century should pick up.

Not only does `Patton's Panthers' deal with a historical issue worthy of coverage but it does so with flair. Sasser's writing style is quite easy to follow and he presents material with literary flavor. While this makes the reading fun and informative at the same time, much in the same way Stephen Ambrose, John Keeghan, Cornelius Ryan, and John Toland's works function, Sasser's style goes a bit beyond that of the aforementioned authors. Two aspects of Sasser's approach to `Patton's Panthers' are particularly noteworthy in this context:

First, it may take authors a while to get used to the `frank' language Sasser uses to present the stories. Not only are curse words frequent, but also political correctness is often left in the editing room. Sasser rarely refers to the soldiers at the center of the story as African-Americans but rather Negroes. It is not entirely clear that Sasser did not do this in fact for visceral impact - most culturally-enlightened individuals prefer to use African-American as a term to denote people of color - since the first half of the book is peppered with Negro and Negroes, while in the latter half use of this more derogatory term becomes much less frequent. This reviewer certainly recoiled at the free use of the term Negro(es), but right or wrong this approach did help to highlight emotionally the more important issues of bigotry and discrimination that these warriors experienced. Somehow by being more `politically incorrect' Sasser may have actually been able to drive home more clearly the morally correct issue of race tolerance and brotherhood that we should all strive for.

The second aspect of Sasser's writing approach that stood out to this reviewer was the way in which nearly all the `recollections' of the African-American soldiers presented read like a stereotypical screen play of uneducated son's of poor southern African-American sharecroppers. Again this seems to have been done for `affect' as Sasser states very clearly in his `Author's Notes': "...I have had to rely on numerous sources to fill gaps left by memory and official record. Also, using my own knowledge and experience with war and men at war, I have had to improvise and to necessarily re-create scenes and dialog in certain instances...I strive to match personalities with the situation and the action while maintaining factual content." Either a majority of African-American soldiers in the 761st actually spoke the way Sasser wrote their dialog or other authors who have recounted the exploits of the 761st, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joe Wilson Jr. (both African-Americans themselves, the latter's father was in the 761st), have excessively `cleaned up' the dialog. It is likely that reality is somewhere in between. Yet this reviewer believes that latter two authors' recounting of combat dialog and reminiscences are probably more representative and that Sasser's self-admitted alteration was done for affect. Please do not read into either of these criticisms anything prejudice on the part of Sasser. This reviewer feels that Sasser has approached this topic fairly and thoroughly, and deserves credit for bringing to light (again) the exploits of these brave soldiers who have been forgotten, even denied, by their countrymen. Rather the reader should simply be aware that Sasser's writing style has potentially taken wide liberty to pull the reader into the story and human drama by drawing on stereotypes and visceral hot buttons.

All in all `Patton's Panther's a solid historical piece of work that is also a thoroughly enjoyable read. The bonus a reader gets is a rich human story of the contrasts between the lives of bigotry and inequality these African-American men lived in the United States before and after the war versus the equally scary, sacrificial, and heroic lives they shared with their white brethren in combat in NW Europe. 4.5 Stars!

Brave Men - American Heroes.......2005-03-10

Patton's Panthers by Charles Sasser is a good book about the African-American 761st Tank Battalion that fought in World War II. I also read Brothers In Arms by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar which covered the same subject matter and found this book to be much easier to follow. The book takes us from training up to the end of the war, and the only constant during this entire time was the way these fine men were treated by many of their fellow soldiers, nurses who were supposed to care for them, fellow citizens, and many of the commanding officers of the Army. Even the mainstream press of the day would bypass the 761st in order to write about only white soldiers in their stories. With that background, it is understandable, although extremely unfortunate that the men of the 761st had to wait so long to be recognized for what they did, and how well they did it. They fought hard and long and did everything that was asked of them and more, yet were still treated like second class citizens by many. A prime example of this was when one of the men of the 761st, upon arriving home with a chest full of medals, and despite all that he had been through, was still told by the driver to move to the back of the bus. This is a book that should be read by all. The only shortcomings were two obvious historical inaccuracies. The first one has Lt. General Leslie McNair being killed by the Germans when he was killed by friendly fire. The second one has General Patton carrying pearl-handled pistols. His pistols were ivory-handled.

Brilliant description of the horrors of prejudice and war.......2005-02-15

"Patton's Panthers" caught me by surprise. The wisdom in the off-hand in combat comments of the "common" citizen soldier far exceeds the hash cranked out by most scholars of war. Anyone who has ever worn the uniform will recognize the attitudes and scenes, time and place altered.

This is a WWII oral history which does not romanticize war or minimize the faults of our own nation. The heroism of these men was extraordinary. The feats of courage described so frankly and brutally were those of realistic men not motivated by propaganda or careerism.

One can only wonder how much those racial attitudes persist today, though there is no doubt that what does remain inside our forces has been pushed deeper below the surface. On the other hand, substitute "haji" for "negra" and follow today's soldiers [of any race] around for a few moments to discover that our latent racial bias always finds some way to push back to the surface. Some would no doubt argue that this is part of a necessary process of dehumanizing the enemy to enable our young soldiers to kill. Only 60 years have passed; one wonders if we have really changed our nature so much that we are qualified to "train" the Iraqis and Afghans how to bridge their own ethnic and tribal divides. Go to our Southwest Asian bases today, and watch the long lines of "host country" nationals filing past us every morning and afternoon, not a glance or a word exchanged between us. One of the men in "Patton's Panthers" noted that the only time the black man was sent to the front of anything, bus, train, or battle, was when the white man did not want to be there. Our allies of today cannot help but feel the same way, I suppose. Plenty of bias, both racial and religious, on both sides of today's war, perhaps more than usual.

Book Description

This book will appeal to instructors who focus on the social history of western civilization, rather than merely the political history. The many historical documents and statistics incorporated into the text enhance the discussion of the lifestyle of the general populace across western civilization. Volume B contains Chapters 13 through 22 of the comprehensive text.

Customer Reviews:

a good history text.......2004-02-18

Of the six history text books I've read in the past year for assorted classes, this one was written the best. It might be difficult for some first year undergraduate students, only because it uses a variety of diction that doesn't always get explained too thoroughly. The only problem I've had with this book has to do with the page gloss that reflects too much light, but that's just a personal preference. Besides the fact that it is a paperback textbook that is nearly $60, this is a decent textbook for renaissance history.

History Of Western Society Volume B + History Student Research Passkey 8th Ed + Discovering Western Past Volume 1 5th Ed + Atlas + Berkin History Handbook

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History Of Western Society Volume B + History Student Research Passkey 8th Ed + Discovering Western Past Volume 1 5th Ed + Atlas + Berkin History Handbook
John McKay
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0618690859

History of Western Society Volume B Seventh Edition and Western Geoquest

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History of Western Society Volume B Seventh Edition and Western Geoquest
McKay
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0618261664

A History of Western Society Volume B, Seventh Edition and Discovering the Western Past Volume Two, Fo

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A History of Western Society Volume B, Seventh Edition and Discovering the Western Past Volume Two, Fo
McKay
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0618335625

History of Western Society, Volume B, 8th Ed, + Sources of Western Tradition, Volume 1, 6th Ed + History Student Research Passkeys, + Atlas

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History of Western Society, Volume B, 8th Ed, + Sources of Western Tradition, Volume 1, 6th Ed + History Student Research Passkeys, + Atlas
John McKay
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0618638571

History of Western Society, Volume B, Seventh Edition and Geoquest and Atlas

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History of Western Society, Volume B, Seventh Edition and Geoquest and Atlas
McKay
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0618333169

History of Western Society, Volume B, Seventh Edition and Slaughter, Volume 2

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History of Western Society, Volume B, Seventh Edition and Slaughter, Volume 2
McKay
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0618353119

A History of World Societies Volume B 6th Ed + +rea the Human Record Volume 2 5th Ed + Atlas Western Civilization 1998

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A History of World Societies Volume B 6th Ed + +rea the Human Record Volume 2 5th Ed + Atlas Western Civilization 1998
John McKay
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0618701699

Customer Reviews:

Technology survives through government funding or open market sales. Open market survival is always better........2006-04-11

The Thinking Machine had 64,000 processors wired together in a network. Each of the units had a small amount of memory and required a small amount of power. The architecture allowed a great number of small calculations to be done simultaneously. Hillis stated about Thinking Machines, "Basically it is a step toward parallel processing. We know that the human brain is able to do amazing things with switching components that are basically slow-namely neurons. With a switching component that takes millisecond we are able to walk and talk and see pictures and all kinds of things that we can't get ordinary computers to do, even though ordinary computes are made out of components that are thousands of times faster." "The connection machine like the brain, do million of things at once." The connection machine could be rewrited in a millisecond just by writing a command to do so. In one moment it could be using its processors to process vision and the next moment it could be searching a tree analyzing AI logic computations and searches. "There will never be a day that a person turns on a computer and everybody agrees the computer thinks. What is going to happen is that as machines do more and more tasks only humans could do, it will become harder and harder to draw the lines between what's thinking and what's not thinking. And there will become a point that everyone agrees they are thinking". Hillis is not a genius; human equivalent thinking requires for AI research either too write better software; discovery of unknown laws of intelligence and principles of thinking; or more acquire more computation power. Hillis company would rise and fall and he would not be able to build a machine that capable of being proud of him.

Daniel Hillis and Marvin Minsky were determined to build a connection machine as a tool for developing software applications written in LISP too solve AI problems. They went to Sheryl Handler for help. Handler had participated in the startup of Genetics Institute. Handler introduced CBS founder William Paley, who agreed to invest $16 million in venture. Paley believed that Hillis could build a thinking machine. Hillis and Handler wanted to build a machine whose maximum impact would be as a research tool for scientist studying artificial intelligence. Hillis envision a sort of public intelligence utility where people would tap their home PCs and thereby bring AI into their world. Howard Res-nikov argued for a more flexible architecture that could support solving real-world problems. CM-1 was complete but few AI labs could afford the $5 million price tag. Res-nikov was right in his prediction. In 1986, CM-2 arrived and it was able to run Fortran and to do floating-point operations. The CM-2 still needed new special software which meant the programmers needed to learn new programming techniques. The CM-2 floating point operations did not effective take advantage of the 64,000 single-bit processors. Moderately parallel became popular. Moderately parallel uses cheap, off-the-self PCs and clustered them using network software into a single supercomputer that could work with existing software. The functional advantage of Moderately parallel seemed overwhelming and few customers outside the AI community had interest in Thinking machines massively parallel design. Databases became the killer application for data mining, however Hillis and Handler remaining bitter about having to target general scientific computing rather than AI. Oracle would eventual purchase rights to Hillis datamining technology and Sun would buy most of Thinking Machines hardware and massively parallel computing technology.

In 1990, Fujitsu Limit looked forward to bringing to market a 1,000 processor machine. The Japanese Fifth generation intelligent machines threatened to push Japan ahead in electronics. The Western world began shaking at the thought of Japan becoming the market leader in electronic design. Japan threatened to do to computers what it had done to automobiles and consumer electronics.

This would have been the perfect time for Thinking Machines to go public. Instead, Handler felt the company could get a successful teraflop machine on its own. CM-5 arrived but the standard chips it chose were not ready. DARPA purchase of 24 Connection machines totaling $55 million and KSR and IBM criticized the gift. DARPA funding dried up and Thinking machines had to sell machines on their merits on the open market. 1992, CM-5 was not selling and losses for the year totaled $17 million. Mid 1993 Thinking Machines declared bankruptcy.

Thinking Machines needed to solve general computing problems and reduce costs by using machines too assemble machines and machines to design their machines. Government subsidized projects reduced Thinking Machine survivability odds because it lacked stability. Government funding did not become sure money and Thinking Machines lost time too gain market acceptance and the market abandoned Thinking Machines when they saw the government withdraw. The reasoning for market abandonment was the perception Thinking Machines had lost 20% of its revenues and this was too big of a loss, for the company to survive; so, rather than purchasing superior hardware, they looked long-term for support and since the long-term probability seemed low, they did not invest. Thinking Machines would have done better by building a product sellable on the open market and not forming a dependency on any particular market sector. Thinking Machines emphasized superior hardware performance but failed to focus on create software tools, utilities, and languages that would entice developers to create code communities that advocated the thinking machine product. Thinking machine failed to realize that the AI experts would use the connection machine were not in the company and failed to use a DarpNet board too get feedback. Thinking Machines did prove that Hallis Phd thesis was defendable and that connection machine architecture could be designed and assembled creating some of the fastest computers in the world.

remarkably prescient.......2004-08-16

Considering when it was written, the author of this book should be credit for foresight in taking this supposedly "fringe" stuff seriously. Now that we've got "Wired" into the debate, one might pooh-pooh that, but this was written before the fall of the Soviet Union, much less the rise of the WWW and the dot-com bubble.

I read it in high school, so I don't recall details, but I do remember that it was very entertaining.

The Tomorrow Makers : A Brave New World of Living-Brain Machines

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The Tomorrow Makers : A Brave New World of Living-Brain Machines
Grant Fjermedal
Manufacturer: Macmillan Publishing Company, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KPHASA

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