Ok – it’s a bit profane but I couldn’t resist after I read the line:
“when was the last time you were meandering through the bookstore and you spied learn vascular surgery in 24 hours?”
Where is THAT book? Sounds like an idea for the dummy line:
“Neurosurgery for Complete Dummies” by Dr. V. Frankstein
– Learn how to find the right donors for your subjects
– Circumvent the hydro company with your own power generation
– Learn why corks make the best necklaces around
– How to find the right girl for your new best friend
On a more serious note, caustic has some major issues with things that are 100% valuable. If I buy a book and get at least 5 good ideas from it, it’s worth it. I don’t care if they are in the form of tips or do’s and don’t. The fact is that people who buy books want to enjoy reading – just because caustic likes reading dictionaries doesn’t mean that everyone else should have to.
Look at Dynamics of Software Development – that was a great read as was Code Complete. Were there sections that were, um, dry? Yes – but the real benefit were the core concepts that people got out of it.
If I want to learn something, I’m going to learn it – but I would at least like to make the experience enjoyable. Just like attending classes or conferences – I want a teacher who engages, not one who makes me read right out of the textbook.
Caustic reminds me of Eddie Murphy or any one of those other comics who feel the obligation to swear to get his point across – it actually diminishes the point he is making. Once is fine – hell even twice is okay – but when every 5 words is crossed with crap, he starts to sound exactly like those blithering idiots he feels are wasting his computer library choices.
causticTech: learn blithering idiocy in 21 days