Scott Adams's popular comic strip Dilbert is syndicated in more than 400 newspapers; he also has five Dilbert books in print. So why hasn't Adams quit his day job at Pacific Bell? Comic relief.
The Reengineering Revolution by Michael Hammer and Steven A. Stanton.
"I loved it. It's a great discussion of how good ideas can go wrong. That's pretty much the fuel for the Dilbert engine."
The Pursuit of WOW by Tom Peters. "I read it because I'm always writing about corporate practices. I especially liked his explanation of empowerment being the removal of impediments by management. That's the first good definition I've seen."
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: the Quantum Alternative to Growing Old by Deepak Chopra. "I learned how to live to 120 and I plan to do it."
Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. "I'm a hypnotist, so I'm fascinated by anything somebody perceives as mind control. It's an intriguing book, but I didn't drink the Kool Aid."
Jay Chiat, founder of Chiat/Day advertising agency, is almost as well-known for his revolutionary "virtual office" as for his memorable campaigns like the Energizer Bunny. (See "Virtual Chiat," Wired 2.07, page 84.)
Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan by Rem Koolhaas. "This book was originally printed in 1978 and then reissued in 1994. Koolhaas designed Chiat/Day's London office."
Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar. "My daughter gave me this and said I'd better read it. She lives in Rome."
Truman by David McCullough. "I'm trying to get back to this, but it's heavy to carry on an airplane.
Roy Walford was the medical officer inside the Biosphere 2 from September 1991 through September 1993. Now, he teaches pathology at the Univeristy of California, Los Angeles, and creates video art.
The Biophilia Hypothesis, edited by Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson. "Fear of snakes and spiders is quite common. Guns and knives are much more dangerous, but we don't have the same fear of them. Why is that? This is a collection of essays by various biologists on the biophilia hypothesis - how there's something innate that makes humans respond to natural surroundings. It's a reasonable argument."
Illuminating Video: An Essential Guide to Video Art, edited by Doug Hall and Sally Jo Fifer. "This is essays by artists like Bill Viola and Chip Lord; it's really art criticism. What is video art as opposed to what we see on TV?"
JENNY HOLZER first introduced her truism posters to the streets of New York in 1979. Since then, she's experimented with electronic media like LED signs and commercial TV in the hope of narrowing the gap between life and art. Check out her Web site at .
None to Accompany Me by Nadine Gordimer. "A pretty poignant book about aging, which I seem to be doing, and about having a desire to be politicallly and socially responsible."
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. "I just picked this up and thought, 'Interesting - a woman of color writing science fiction.' I couldn't resist that. It's a good portrait of post-apocalyptic California."
Marble Skin by Slovenka Jakulia. "It's about the things that people never speak about - incestuous, murderous, overwhelming love for one's mother. I haven't read the last chapter because I can't bear to."
STREET CRED
Killer ComputersPedro Meyer's True Visions
What Kind of Nation Will We Be?
They Do Make 'Em Like They Used To
REAdME On the bookshelves of the digerati
