Got Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds from the library. It is pretty much what the title says it is: presentation zen. It is filled with advice on how to make better and prettier presentations. It had some good suggestions but it geared for public speeches.

Two more books from the PMBA. Note that the PMBA has an updated list so some of the books I have read are no longer on it.

• Money & Power: The History of Business - ok but very brief.  Pretty much what you would expect from a book about a TV show.


• 12: The Elements of Great Manager - good tips for managing.

Bill Gates has "retired" from Microsoft. The end of an era, perhaps. I've often wondering why Gates and Microsoft get such a bad rap. They certainly played hardball but in my opinion most of their competitors created their own problems and/or couldn't keep up. That is the beauty of free enterprise. A small company can come up with great products, cut even better deals and make a fortune. The PC industry grew so fast so quick just because of brilliant people like Gates (and many others), not because the government was there to control what came with our operating systems. Microsoft may be on the downturn, but its rise will be one for the history books. Mr. Gates created enormous wealth, let's sit back and watch him use it.
Here is an Then & Now shot of the classic early MS pic.

I knocked out a few more PMBA books.

• The 4-Hour Workweek - the seminal book for the "New Rich". I bought this one and have been reading and re-reading it. Have even put some of it into action (more on this to come).


• The Bootstrapper's Bible - great tips for startups and you can't beat the price.


• Finance for Non-Financial Managers - pretty much what the title suggests. A litte too basic for me.


• Law 101 - a good intro to the American legal system, warts and tall. I skimmed the sections on tort and Constitutional law and concentrated on contracts and property. This would be a good reference to have on the shelf.


• Getting Started in Consulting - got this for my wife and didn't read it myself.

On my journey to explore new directions with my career, I cam across a cool biz book site, The Personal MBA. The site author has a list of what he considers to be the best business books on various topics. Since none of us have the time to spend reading every book that comes along, this is great service; especially since other services that you find in airline catalogs can cost hundreds of dollars.
My M.O. is to get the book from the library (they carry some, but not all the books in the list) and then buy it if I really like it and will go back to it. I have read several of the books so far:

• 10 Days To Faster Reading - great for increasing your reading speed and comprehension; be sure to do the exercises for each chapter.


• The Effective Executive - good if you are looking to be working for big companies.


• How To Win Friends and Influence People - common sense tips that few seem to follow.


• The Art of the Start - good, but thin.


• Crucial Conversations - ok, didn't get much out of it.