Cell-Phones Books

As a mom of two, this book is so very helpful to navigate the parenting obstacles we encounter every day. Sharon Duke Estroff brillantly guides parents with humor and passion. Once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down. LOVE IT! Thank you to the author.

There are so many reasons why I loved this book, but one of my top five is the Lego analogy. Parenting is like Legos, the author explains. "When you first dump the contents of the package on the playroom floor you feel overwhelmed and perplexed. You don't know if you're trying to build a spaceship or a castle. It's not until you see the big picture on the front of the Lego box that all those disconnected plastic bricks take on new meaning as a totally cool medieval fortress. That glimpse at the final goal - while admittedly a bit daunting at first - ultimately gives us the faith, inspiration and direction we need to begin building our Camelot." This book helps parents take a good hard look at the big picture and shows them how they can use it to their family's benefit.

My mother gave me this book for Chanukah and I read the first three chapters before the candles burnt out. (Really!) Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah isn't just great because it's a fun and easy read, it's also packed with helpful advice. The author is a professional educator but she's also a mom who totally gets what it's like to raise kids today. One of my favorite chapters was "Countdown to Kindergarten" since I have a child who will be starting kindergarten next year. I also love the social chapters called "Pladate Protocol" and "Surviving the Schoolyard Social Jungle". I know that as my son gets older the chapters on school, homework and the internet will be invaluable to me. As a Jewish mom I also enjoyed the holiday by holiday guide. A fun read packed with tons of practical, useful information. What more could you ask for in a parenting book?!

This is the first book of our generation that puts parenting into a realistic, sane perspective. It acknowledges all the challenges and noise that we have to deal with as we raise kids. It puts into very simple and funny terms how ridiculous the standards are that we are foisting upon our children. Its like a cup of coffee with a good friend that sets you straight when you're feeling down on yourself for not having the family you see in advertisements. Uniquely refreshing and easy to read, this book is a great gift to new moms and struggling moms as a place to turn when they need a positive attitude adjustment.

I read Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah in one afternoon. I could not put it down! Sharon Duke Estroff really helps parents navigate "parenthood." I highly recommend this book for all parents!

This book is an interesting study of human nature. Showing the best and worst things about our selfs and others we work with.

This easy-flowing, light read is just about the most insightful business book I've read in a while (and I've pretty much read them all!). In the same way that product design people say "products don't get created, they get discovered", Moran's book leaves one fulfilled -- with the sense that one has put words and structure to half-formed insights that were rattling around in one's brain the whole time. What started off as a reading exercise turned into some pretty deep introspection. Best business book I've read since "The Goal" a couple of decades ago!

I found this book to be very entertaining, as well as a good resource for business life. Anyone who has worked in an office environment for any length of time will relate to many of his analogies. Plus, it just plain made me laugh! Those of us who live in cubicles 90% of our day can use a good laugh now and then, don't you agree? I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who works in an office or knows someone who does! It's much more than a good laugh, however. Rich hits the nail on the head with his many great ideas illustrating how to be successful in the professional world.

Rich Moran's book is a "bible" for business professionals. He provides tips and advice based on true-to-life business world experience. I have worked for a large corporation for the past 25 years and I have recently purchased a number of copies of this book to give to the newly hired college graduates who have recently joined our company.

Those who inhabit corner offices would do well to read it and gain insights into the "unwritten rules" that may be getting in the way of their company's progress. We need rules to avoid chaos but occasionally we need to purge the dumb ones. Management and staff could use this book to help open the kind of dialogue that would help everyone realize they are all in the same boat. Once that happens the boat could be streamlined for success by dumping excess rules. Highly recommended by this CEO.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shashi Tharur's well-rounded analysis of various issues in Modern India. A must-read for non-resident as well as resident Indians !!!

I wanted to know a bit more about Indian culture and Indian history and I love this book. It's so well written. You must have some basic knolwedge of Indian history to understand it though. If you don't know who Nehru was and what the "partition" was you need to read some books before this one.
The book helped me to discover many facets of the Indian culture and society: the importance of secularism (and the current threats), the basic tenets of hinduism, the difference between north and south, the passion for cricket, the odd habit of changing cities' names, the use of the sari (or the lack of use), etc.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in knowing more about India.

This book is a must read for Non Resident Indians. Mr. Tharoor has perfectly portrayed India in a way NRIs would manifest their experiences of their home country. Though the book is not targeted only for Indians, it has few historical & personal references that only a true Indian can understand.

The book starts with little bit of Indian history talking about "People who made my India" that includes noted Indians from all sects including politics, cricket & bollywood. The author also provides a glimpse of India's culture (spirituality, traditional family values) & tourism (experiences at Ajanta & Ellora caves, Ayurvedic resort in Kerala) followed by India's progress in this 21st century (call centers, cellphone surge). Since Mr. Tharoor has been associated with the United Nations, the facts about India's growth, outlined in the book, truly suggest that India is the 21st century's emerging power.

I really enjoyed the chapter on India's cricket legend, Sunil Gavaskar, who was my hero too when growing up. It is nostalgic the way Mr. Tharoor has written about the "little master".

This is a must read for all Indians living outside their own home country.

The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone, The: The Emerging 21st-
Century Power, Shashi Tharoor - We Indians are often so starved for some
metric -- any metric, really -- of validation that we blindly embrace
Indians of all stripes residing outside India. What else could explain
our head-long rush to claim Bobby Jindal as one of our own while
demonstrating obvious restraint for Mr. Shashi Tharoor? (For those
readers who may not know Mr. Jindal, he is the Indian-American
governor of the US state of Louisiana.) Unarguably, and just as
unfortunately, present the names of Mr. Jindal and Mr. Tharoor to any
Indian in the US and the chances are better than even that they have
pride in Mr. Jindal while drawing blanks when Mr. Tharoor's name is
mentioned. This is an egregious sin, for Mr. Tharoor revels in being an
Indian as much as Mr. Jindal repudiates it. This revelry in all things
Indian is evident in Mr. Tharoor's latest book.

He staunchly believes and defends the Indian notion of secularism, which
he maintains is not the absence of any religion, but the proliferation
of many religions, all equally protected under the constitution (a point
he makes in other books as well, most notably in India: from midnight
to the millennium). Going further, he makes the point that where
else can you find a political landscape so diverse that in the 2004
Indian elections, a Sikh (Manmohan Singh), representing a Congress party
headed by a Catholic (Sonia Gandhi), was sworn in as prime minister by
a Muslim president (A.P.J. Abdul Kalam)! It is certainly hard to argue
against that now, isn't it?

The book is great reading. Besides the weighty issues of politics,
religion, constitution, and culture, Mr. Tharoor also makes detours to
cover the light-hearted issues of ever-changing city names in India
(Bombay becomes Mumbai, etc.), and the desire to add extra consonants
and vowels in soap operas because the producers believe that this extra
letter will certainly and undoubtedly lend an air of success to the
endeavor! Oh, did I mention the fascination that Indians have with
cricket?

Any student of modern India -- be it in the political arena or cultural
one -- can ill afford to eschew the ruminations of Mr. Tharoor. My
advice: if you are Indian and really want to be proud of it, read Mr.
Tharoor and leave Mr. Jindal to his devices.

I adore Tharoor's erudite and amusing writing. This book feels like home with its loving description of all that matters - cricket, family, community, cinema, history, religion and politics - in that order. The author's pet theme is the ostensibly unwieldy yet absurdly functional pluralism fed by a range of coalition memberships - geographies, cricket solidarities and common political antipathies.

I love that Tharoor describes his India as an individual experience rather than an objective concept. Tharoor subtly endorses the thumping progressive new Indians with his metaphor of an elephant who became a tiger - suggesting provocatively that the vulgarly ostentatious 'five star culture' is more authentic than the discreet opulence of the club culture. However, his intense nostalgia quite clear in the subtext of every syllable - the longing for the old names Madras and Bombay, the self-conscious diginity of Nehruvian democracy and the portrayal of St. Stephens as a modern Nalanda of sorts!

Yet, there is nothing fatalistic or too precious about Tharoor - he denounces superstition and horsocopes and doesn't mind writing that as a man he'd like to see women in elegant saris. It's the sort of nice nationalism that warms one without being too jarring or jingoistic.

Excellent case for capitalism shown as ALL investors were repaid in great magnitude for their risking venture capital funds in a country with only 50,000 phones. The local government is making great sums of money from taxes on use of phones, but levy's a high tax on the cost of the individual phone, thereby promoting smuggling. There should be a VERY VERY low, if any tax on the phone, but reap the benefits of taxing the phones usage. The complete book dilutes the great success of the phone project, but I was made aware of the book by a late night C span 2 review.

You Can Hear Me Now will interest a wide variety of readers. On a personal level, the story of Iqbal Quadir, who at age 36, single-handedly coordinated the effort to bring cellular phone service to one of the poorest countries in our world, is an inspriration. Moving beyond the completion of his college studies in America and entering the workforce, Quadir had not forgotten the struggles of the rural poor of his homeland, Bangladesh. Iqbal Quadir's story is one of creativity, passion, and perseverance not only for a project, but for a people. Beyond the book, the story grows. Readers can expect Mr. Quadir will continue to work toward the alleviation of poverty in Bangladesh through continued efforts with new projects.

As an academic book, readers will discover a revolutionary economist in Quadir. He has used traditional economic theories to develop, solidify, and test his own. He is a noted original thinker and a man of action. "Connectivity is productivity" is Quadir's cry. He is changing the world's view of the risk of investment in developing countries. He is a victor of the race to end poverty.

Mr. Sullivan's well-written references to and explanations of economic concepts are clearly written and easy to understand. This book is a must-read for all students of economics, business, and entrepreneurship. If instructors do not require the book, students should be delving into the material on their free time.

Globally, the impact of Quadir's work in Bangladesh has rippled throughout the developing world with his economic practices and business models duplicated successfully. Iqbal Quadir's story brings hope for a better future for millions of people, and personally, his actions inspire me to question what role I play.

It is a story about a man with a vision to empower the poor in Bangladesh (one of the 50 poorest countries in the world according to many global economic reports). Iqbal Quadir had faith in his strategy and the intelligence to lay it in ways to get investment from Grameen Bank and other powerful investors, who may have once been reluctant. If you already have grassroots business ideas, this book is not only an inspiration but it also loosely illustrates the challenges in BOP markets.

To the typical American (and other developed nation citizens), the cell phone has become part of the normal fabric of life. Communication with anyone at any time from anywhere is just expected. But in countries like Bangladesh, only a very small number of people have access to any type of telephone communication. The book You Can Hear Me Now: How Microloans and Cell Phones are Connecting the World's Poor to the Global Economy by Nicholas P. Sullivan does an excellent job of showing how something as simple as the cell phone can break the cycle of poverty and aid for millions of people.

Contents:
Part 1 - The GrameenPhone Story: Connectivity Is Productivity; Dish-Wallahs of Delhi (and Other Early Models); Cell Phone as Cow - A New Paradigm in Search of Investors; On The Money Trail in Scandinavia; Building a Company; Building a Network
Part 2 - Transformation Through Technology: Wildfile at the Bottom of the Pyramid; Cell Phone as Wallet; Wealth Creation and Rural Income Opportunities; Beyond Phones - In Search of a New "Cow"; Eyeing the Dhaka Stock Exchange
Epilogue; Notes; Resources; Index

The book is split into two parts. The first part covers the story of GrameenPhone's launch in Bangladesh, and the second part is more of a look at the forces behind using technology at the "bottom of the pyramid" (the vast number of people who globally live at poverty level) to connect them to the world's trade economy. Iqbal Quadir was a Bangladeshi who studied and worked in the US and was doing quite well. But he was also concerned about the massive levels of poverty in his home country. Once day he was standing on the street and had an epiphany about communication equaling productivity. His people worked hard, but they had no way to reliably communicate with others except by face to face meetings. All that wasted time meant there was untapped potential just waiting to be utilized. He started talking with Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank (originator of microloan programs) to see how communication technology could be rolled out to the entire country, making a phone available to anyone near a village. Without government aids and grants, Quadir put together a consortium of foreign investors and Grameen Bank to build GrameenPhone, a life-altering company. Using a fiber-optic line already laid next to the country's rail line, they were able to place cell towers in areas to cover all the rural areas of Bangladesh. Then using microloans from Grameen Bank, "phone ladies" could buy a cell phone for the village, offer the phone service, and sell the time in small increments. The cell phone gave a business to the village, in addition to creating subsidiary jobs and opportunities with the communication that was enabled by having phone service throughout the country. It's this use of technology that's advocated in the second part of the book as an example of how business opportunities can remove the grip of poverty from nations and lead to living wages instead of handouts.

You Can Hear Me Now is an inspirational book with plenty of lessons for those who are willing to look outside the normal constraints of what we consider business opportunities.

This is a well-written, well-researched book that clarifies the substantial role that ICTs are playing in developing countries. It showcases Iqbal Quadir, who founded GrameenPhone in Bangladesh, and shows how he risked his investment banking career on Wall Street to go back to his native country to improve it. There is a lesson here not just for US/EU immigrants from poor countries, but for everyone interested in developmental economics and aiding poor countries: charity is not the only way. In fact, as the World Bank conceded, its efforts at poverty alleviation are failing. This book shows how GrameenPhone, a company that generates profit and is majority-owned by a European telecommunications company, is a positive force for improving Bangladesh. It has provided cell phone service, where no telephones existed. It has created jobs and made the entire economy more efficient. Indirectly, it has empowered the masses and connected them to the global village.

For readers with an interest in Grameen Bank, Professor Yunus (2006 Nobel Peace Prize), telecommunications, but also entrepreneurship, I think you will find that this book is a must-read. Also, for those following the Jeffrey Sachs, Bono, Bill Gates, UN Millennium Goals, Stiglitz, Easterly debate this is also very relevant. I hope that Mr. Sullivan follows this book up with another one that showcases how innovative men and women like Quadir can change the world and also make a profit for investors (which encourages them to continue to invest in developing countries).

After reading this book, I bought several copies for people I know in Business School, because I think it will inspire them to be successful and also think about how to improve economic opportunity in the developing world, through bottom-up entrepreneurship.

I loved the way this book was put together from girls' journal entries, drawings and pictures. It gives you an indepth and funny peek at the inner workings of teen-girl psyche and what makes 'em tick (and get ticked.) What I found fascinating is that things haven't really changed since I was in high school: I remember getting ready for a grueling soccer match or track meet, the girls would spend hours applying makeup and using a curling iron... Running for 2 hours or in this case hiking 10 miles uphill with a 35-lb. pack does not faze the teen, it's telling them they can't wear makeup or smell good that'll kill them!!

The book also makes you really love what the Girls Scouts of Am. (and sports) is doing for our young women. They realy make an impact. It also made me realize how much also depends on the wonderful women who guide them as "leaders" or I guess today they're called advisors. So way to go "Pockets" on leading a great group of girls through what Im sure was a life-changing, empowering journey!

This is a fun composite diary of a group of young women's (girl scouts) hiking adventure to Glacier Park. It covers both the wilderness and the intricacies of their relationships. It is a quick glimpse and all in their own words. Purchasing this book support's their quest to hike internationally--to SCOTLAND! You Go Girls!

A great read for any outdoorsy teenager and a must for any adult considering backpacking with teens. You'll get insight on everything from sore feet to trail hygene (or lack thereof) to missed boy friends and find out what a squipmunk is.

Very fun book!! A real account told through the eyes of young teenagers providing humor on every page. A quick read but also a very creative idea. A must-read for any past or present Girl Scout.

The author, Simon Gray, expresses his observations of human behavior based on twelve years of research. His findings are categorized into eight basic characteristics: Hunting, Gathering, Warrior, Worker, Inventor, Attraction, Mating, Nurturing. There is a detailed description for each of them, consisting of both the positive and negative aspects. Along with their inherent priorities and viewpoints. Often these are conflicting in nature and/or blind to one another. With each of them seeing only their tiny piece of the puzzle. A compatibility matrix is also included, incase you are looking for that significant other. The author feels that these characteristics or instincts have developed over time through force of habit. And, that we aren't always aware of the impact they have on our daily lives. The book is written in an easy to read, down to earth, language that anyone could understand.

I initially found this book on the internet by accident when I was searching for some references on how to write a love letter. I was searching for the phrases: "My better half", and "Behind every successful man is a good woman". Which happened to be in the book. The unprinted version (you need a computer to read it) is provided free by the author on his website. I quickly noticed that it wasn't what I was looking for, but I couldn't stop reading. I finished the 280 page book in a mater of hours. I even studied several parts of it a 2nd time. I have purchased the paperback version. And, I plan on reading it again.

I laughed my butt off, I cried streams of tears, I was sad, and at times I got very angry. I even wanted to change or remove things (you can do this with the unprinted version), mainly grammatical errors. . He probably put them there on purpose for the warrior in us. I understood what he was saying. But it just didn't seem right. It had me thinking so intensely that my head ached by the time I was finished. In fact my head was still aching a day later. I think it's the most interesting book on human behavior I've ever read. And, it was written by a man with no special education and who paints houses for a living - go figure. The very last page where he dedicates the book to his father touched me deeply.

As I mentioned above, I was engulfed in a torrent of thoughts as I was reading this book. One of my thoughts was to include it in a package I was preparing for a loved one. I wanted to share it with them at all cost since it had made such a profound impact on me. I also experienced some conflicting thoughts at the same time. I noticed that some parts of me didn't want this person to read the book at all, or at least not until some things were altered or removed altogether. Things that could potentially damage my image. On the other hand, it was ok - possibly even desired, for the other person to see their negative side. But... My stronger more mature aspects eventually won the battle. You'll understand once you've read the book. It was amazing to actually catch myself thinking these thoughts. It allowed me to get a rare glimpse of my unconscious motivations - which are more than likely present & active within me most of the time.

A must read for anyone interested in the dynamics of human nature.

Thank you Simon Gray.

"We are what we repeatedly do."
Aristotle

This is the most amazing book, it's so true!
We all DO act out of these 8 instincts. This book is the truest thing I've read in years. I'm a Gatherer, he just pegged me so bad. I saw myself, my friends, my boss, my mom, everyone in the descriptions. I cannot say enough about this book. I opened it up and read it completely in about 3 hours. I could not put it down. Buy it today!!

Great book!This was the authors first book and I gave her 5 stars because for a first book, she really made an impact. The whole book was a REALITY. The first chapter talks about annoying coworkers. While reading about them, you almost feel as if you know them and you can certainly picture the author's facial expressions as she writes about them. Another chapter is about Dunkin Donuts inability to get her order right. She says that the only thing consistent at Dunkin Donuts is the tip jar that is always displayed on the counter. Other chapters include: *Cell Phone users, *Parents LACK OF parenting skills causing kids to be out of control, *Road Rage, *Technology that should be undone because of how lazy it has made us, *disgusting people (from nose pickers to women peeing on public toilet seats!)*the horrors of grocery shopping.

It was a great first book and I can't wait to read her next one!

This book is not about cell phones, but something far more confusing that those marvels of technology. It's about the services provided by competing providers, and how to choose the one that's best for you. What I like about this pocket-sized book is that it's like having a consultant who understands the ongoing struggle between service providers who are trying to sell you something, and the confused consumer who is trying to make sense of the dizzying array of offering - most of which contain misleading ads and fine print. Most importantly, though, it leads you through the process of selecting a provider and service plan that meets your needs and is best suited to your lifestyle.

Highlights of this book include: simple, straightforward structure and text boxes of pointers and checklists on practically every page, the fact that the author anticipates every conceivable question you may have (and answers many that you wouldn't think to ask), and isolation of the important issues and considerations for selecting the right service plan.

Although this book isn't really about phones, the equipment is covered in a succinct manner, including features, accessories and safety tips. I especially liked the glossary, which defines terms ranging from access fee to W-CDMA. Many of the terms are technical, and many are familiar to anyone who has tried to make sense of their monthly bill (interconnect fees, local calling area, roaming charges).

If you're shopping for a cell phone do yourself a favor and buy this book before you lock yourself into a service provider and plan. It's an investment that will pay big dividends in both sanity and real money savings.

In a global environment where mobile technologies are making impressive and influential in-roads into many societis and cultures, this ethnographically based study of the impact of cell phones on low-income populations in Jamaica is a valuable piece of scholarship. Based on two-years of ethnographic study in a rural and urban area of Jamaica, Horst and Miller's effort to construct an 'anthropology of communication' is accessible, yet strongly grounded in theory. Through avoiding technological and socially deterministic approaches and carefully examining the contradictions inherent in the deployment of cell phones throughout poorer sections of Jamaican society, the advantages and difficulties of this new technology are presented clearly, wreathed in the complications of everyday Jamaican life. The use of extensive ethnographic data (impressive in its scope) presented as short case studies, provide a clear sense of realism for the contextualisation of their examination of communication as an anthropological experience, with impacts for economics and policy. In examining the Jamaican experience specifically, this work may be limited in its use in other contexts, but still provides an important model for researchers in similar areas. Grounded in the reality of everyday Jamaican life, "The Cell Phone" succeeds as "...a study of the changes that document and demonstrate what a cell phone can turn into in the hands of a Jamaican, and what a Jamaican can become when they have their hands on a cell phone."(181)

An important piece of scholarship for anyone interested in the impact of technologies on people, cultures and societies.

Be sure to see any production of "Dead Man's Cell Phone" in your area - it will undoubtedly be produced widely as it is elegant and eloquent. Unlike many plays, it is also a great READ. Sarah Ruhl is amazing.