Book Description
Open Space Technology: A User's Guide is just what the name implies: a hands-on, detailed description of facilitating Open Space Technology (OST). Written by the originator of the method - an effective, economical, fast, and easily-repeatable strategy for organizing meetings of between 5 and 1,000 participants - this is the first book to document the rationale, procedures, and requirements of OST. OST enables self-organizing groups of all sizes to deal with hugely complex issues in a very short period of time. This practical, step-by-step user's guide details what needs to be done before, during, and after an Open Space event.
Customer Reviews:
Useful handbook of a counterintuitive approach.......2007-03-02
Open Space Technology is nearly identical to the "unconference" approach to workshop and event planning that's currently fashionable (see "Foo Camp" or "Bar Camp" or many other geek-oriented "camps). Basically, abandon a traditional agenda and force the workshop participants to self-organize a schedule, goals, and work. It's profoundly counter-intuitive, everyone assumes that a strict plan is necessary...but it turns out to work. People really enjoy participating in an event where their opinions matter, and where everyone's responsible for raising issues they find important.
This book can come across as annoyingly new agey and dippy at times (I see someone's tagged it "embracing group genius" here on Amazon...your mileage may vary a bit from that). It's probably more helpful in getting you the facilitator into the right mindset, and encouraging you not to fall back on the crutches of detailed schedules or keynote speakers. It's pretty dated when it talks about using computers in your event, but that doesn't really matter.
Bible of Open Space.......2006-07-12
This is a very good hand-book for open space newcomers.Easy to understand and easy to read.I strongly suggest this book for anybody who want to start learning open space technology
One of the most valuable books in the world.......2003-12-26
As Brookings revealed in 2000, most of the world's 10000 biggest organisations don't yet have the measures to govern the vast majority of value now produced in services and knowledge businesses because as our networking age blossoms value dynamics are mainly intangible, deeply woven into the human relationships we self-organise, not for precise planning and overpowering command and control from the top. Value multiplication is a core gravity which should be embedded in everyone's right to work, learn , behave openly.
Whilst some of those of the transparency communities interlinking at http://www.valuetrue.com open source the simplest maths of intangible systems, others have much more fun voting on what are the safest methods to protect your system from doing an Andersen or a NASA self-destruction of its greatest purpose. Open Space is voted as the number 1 method uniting transparency communities, and because of its simplicity I predict it will always be the gateway to anyone who prizes self-organising, a term which actually means making the most of everyone's time, learning and passions to make a diffeernce to our overall purpose. A very valuable book, which in my dreams would start any MBA course or any professional's training.
Open Space is now 21 years young and over 100000 experiences mature and networked by people who are both most open with their knowlhow and conscious that you learn something subly more about human relationship trust from every Open Space you particpate in. It is as near as organisations (seen as human relationship infrastructures) can get to a modern day miracle, and long may Harrison light up the open world. See his latest deep concerns with conflict resolution applications at http://www.practiceofpeace.com
a "How to" book.......2001-06-18
I recommend using open space tehcnology and/or other large scale intervention techniques to mine the collective emotional intelligence of a group of people (this may be your company, or people from an acadamic field you belong to).
This book gives you the details on HOW to organize and facilitate an open space meeting - (what kind of location you need, how to organize the room, how to use break up rooms, how to facilitate, ...). You'll also get imporatnt rules and lessons for making this technology work. In short, it's pretty good at doing this "HOW TO" part.
WARNING: If you want to know WHY it works and if you want some examples, there are 2 other books to take a look at:
- tales from Open space (Harrison Owen, Editor, 1995)
- Expanding our now (Harrison Owen, 1997)
Good luck!
Patrick E.C. Merlevede, MSc -- author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"
A Good Read!.......2001-04-24
Harrison Owen presents a hands-on, step-by-step manual for putting on an open space technology workshop. In OST workshops, participants basically set and facilitate the agenda with some guidance from a facilitator. Here, the book's examples are particularly handy. Owen suggests conference duration, agenda and techniques including how to set up a meeting, invite participants, prepare the logistics and meeting site, facilitate activities and more. While these workshops generally involve hundreds of people, you can also put on an OST event with as few as five. If you want to read gripping business philosophy, look elsewhere - this is a practical how-to manual, a task it accomplishes quite well. We [...] recommend this informative guided tour of the OST process to those who want to know how, because they already know why
Book Description
City studios, tiny suburban dwellings, compact houses: today, more people than ever are living small. To maintain these trim, contemporary residences in fine style, you need the newest storage devices and the cleverest space-saving solutions. That's what you'll find right here, in an indispensable guide to managing clutter, generating the illusion of space, and accessing your priorities so you use every inch effectively. The ideas are many and fresh, from cupboard hideaways to new loft areas. Every room is covered, with information on design layout and planning, and a "recipe" for success. Checklists throughout help you keep track of every step.
"The wealth of sharp color photos and practical hints makes this an attractive, useful resource for anyone facing an interior design project."--Booklist
Customer Reviews:
Definately one to keep.......2007-05-09
This book has many wonderful images and lots of inspiration for your home. The only thing you might want to know is that the ideas are best for those who own their own condo or a small house. Renters might be inspired by this book but probably wouldn't be able to implement most of the ideas.
Small Spaces for Modern Living.......2007-03-19
I found the book very inspiring. The pictures in this book were meant as examples to push and inspire your imagine instead of taking a cookie cutter approach. The book also provides principles and strategies on how to implement your own ideas. However, the pictures provide primarily a modern and contemporary perspective for those of you who are die heart country chic or traditional.
Great Book with Good Ideas.......2007-01-29
We recently bought a new condo and found this book helpful in planning how to organize and arrange our new condo. Living in a big city we've always been strapped for space and the time needed to organize. I think Atkins does a good job giving advice on how to purge and ideas on how to maximize space. My only compliant about design guides (either this book or magazines) is that they tend to show spaces that rarely resembles the cookie-cutter condo look that you often buy into.
Small Spaces, major possibilities!.......2007-01-24
This book is fantastic! Unlike a lot of books on the market, it will really help you develop YOUR OWN space to suit YOUR OWN wants, needs, and taste.
The first few sections are devoted to helping you really examine your own living situation: What are your basic needs for your space? What are your not-so-basic needs and wants that will make your space suitable to you? Now, what have you got to work with? How is the space defined? What are your limitations on changing it? And, how would you like it to look? Atkins asks very clear cut questions that will help you evaluate what you and your home are capable of.
The next few sections are on basic design principles that work in any area. Use of color, lighting - both natural and artificial, furniture, and your own home's architectural features (doors, walls, windows) are explored.
Finally, every room in the home is given it's own chapter. Every nook and cranny is scrutinized for maximum use of space. From layout to furniture to walls and floors, there is helpful advice on EVERYTHING. Large, colorful photos and examples abound; and there are even case studies that show a room and explain why and how it works.
There are a few things about this book that I think put it above others in the same category. First, it really does help you evaluate what YOU are capable of in your own space. Second, there are helpful hints in the sidebars on nearly every page, which can be quickly referenced time and time again. And third, it covers areas that are often overlooked by other design books, such as hallways, stairs, and the occasional terrace.
For someone who can only afford a new coat of paint to those about to take on a major renovation, anyone can and will find some useful advice in Small Spaces for Modern Living.
A comprehensive look at designing for small spaces.......2005-01-23
Over the years I've collected quite a few books on designing for small spaces. What I really like about this title is that it combines the best features from the wide array of books available on this subject matter. It doesn't just present you with intriguing ideas and cool photographs; it also provides important design concepts, so you truly understand the design solutions presented. The book starts with assessing and planning your space, then discusses a variety of applicable design styles (rather than just the often-sterile, minimalist/modern look so many books feature!), room-by-room ideas, and options for special circumstances (such as an attic or galleried space). The book is also laid out very well and is a joy to read and reread. My only complaint is that I wish there were photos of every idea mentioned!
Book Description
Most homeowners long for more space as well as space that better fits their needs. But building an addition is expensive, time-consuming, and disruptive to the household. What homeowners don't realize is that just about every house has room to spare, much of it unrecognized. Making Room showcases creative ideas for areas that are underused or taken for granted--a broom closet, an empty wall, window bays, and corner nooks.
Making Room focuses entirely on creating new spaces within the existing footprint of the home, and explores commonly overlooked spaces and scores of clever ideas for putting those spaces to use. More than 100 creative ideas highlight transformations that are small in scale but big in impact, such as a bathroom closest converted to a shower, drawers incorporated into a staircase, a bookcase built into the base of a staircase, and a computer niche tucked into a hallway. Making Room also provides practical design advice that inspires homeowners to adapt the ideas to any room in their home.
Customer Reviews:
Great book with clever ideas.......2007-07-16
This was a wonderful pictorial book with all kinds of useful ideas for small spaces. The photos were colorful and clear, the text explaining them was informative and brief enough to keep interest and keep the pages turning.
Bachelor remodeling needs a start.......2007-07-12
For about 5 years, my adult and single son has complained about the inefficiency of his kitchen. Since he is an excellent cook, the kitchen is a hub in his historic but small home. When I sent him this book, he found immediate adaptability to his situation and the thinking process began. As a package design specialist, he decided to draw up plans and "repackage" his kitchen. One space saver that really caught his eye was the concept of building drawers in the steps up to the second floor.
More Ideas Than I've Ever Found in One Book.......2007-03-05
It took me about five minutes of looking quickly through this book to realize that I needed to take the book home and to carry it around the house looking at things in an entirely different way than I'd ever seen it before. I've been wondering about storage space for some time. This book points out that there is room for about twice as much as I have if I would just look at some of the areas of the house in a different way.
Just some of the ideas:
Stairs: Make the treads to flip-up lids to access the box underneath, or insert drawers underneath. Page 17
Dorway: The space over the door can be converted to a small bookshelf of antique display area. Page 56
Under/Over Kitchen Cabinets: Build a drawer into the toe-kick area under the cabinets for storage of thin things like serving dishes, or all kinds of things can be put into the space above the cabinets.
This is a great idea book of how you can probably double your storage area.
A highly recommended wealth of practical ideas and recommendations .......2007-02-04
In "Making Room: Finding Space In Unexpected Places", author Wendy Jordan draws upon her more than twenty years of experience in the remodeling industry to help apartment dwellers and homeowners to create new areas of `liveability' within their existing residence without the necessity of major remodeling. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Making Room" features more than one hundred creative, do-it-yourself ways to make the living space within a home bigger and better without adding on or tearing down walls. More than forty case studies illustrate dozens of ideas highlighting transformation that are `small in scale but big in impact'. From converting the toe-kick under kitchen cabinets into perfect storage areas for serving dishes; to the use of hooks, shelves, and slim cabinetry to enhance the usefulness of a closet, to building a draw into a stair and thereby creating a jumbo-size storage area for bulky items, "Making Room" offers a highly recommended wealth of practical ideas and recommendations for interior design and remodeling that are easy to do and enduringly useful.
pass it around, everybody finds something they love........2007-01-18
Brought this book to Friday lunch at our Design-Build company. Passed it around the table and everybody had different favorite great idea's they wanted us all to check out. I like the way the material is organized great idea's, a couple different versions, suggestions for ways to "Make it your own"
A permanent addition to our design library. If you are building or remodeling there are good ideas to be had in this book.
Book Description
The ability to feel God's love doesn't just make life nicer or more comfortable-it changes everything. When filled with God's love, we can do and see and understand things that we cannot do and see and understand on our own. As our own hearts are softened by these blessings, our overriding desire becomes to help others experience this joy also. But how do we do that in the normal course of our everyday lives? Presented in the form of an experiment undertaken by eight friends, this step-by-step guide helps us discover the one change we can make within ourselves that will automatically increase our ability to feel the love of God and to extend that love to others.
Customer Reviews:
Very touching.......2006-11-03
I wonderful guide to opening your heart to God and seeing others as He does. I found it to be very helpful and easy to read. Don't miss this gem.
Book Description
This book assembles for the first time in a single text the full range of astronomical and engineering principles used in the design and construction of large telescopes. It aims to cover all aspects of the field, from the fundamentals of astronomical observation, to optics, control systems, and structural, mechanical, and thermal engineering, as well as such specialized topics as site selection and program management. The book is the result of the collaboration of many leading astronomers, engineers, and project managers. Their contributions have been edited to provide a consistent approach and treatment: for example, ground- and space-based telescopes are treated from a common perspective. Topics covered include: - Design Methods and Project Management - Telescope Optics - Stray Light Control - Structure and Mechanisms - Pointing and Control - Active and Adaptive Optics - Thermal Control - Integration and Verification - Observatory Enclosure and Siting
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book on large telescopes.......2007-09-04
Since I work for a privately held observatory engaged in the construction of a new telescope and facility, this book is extremely useful. I have found its treatment of all the subjects related to large telescopes very helpful and just the right level of depth for my situation.
Book Description
Landschaftsarchitektur liegt heute im Grenzland zwischen Kunst und Wissenschaft, auf dem Grat zwischen Erfindung und Gedächtnis, zwischen radikalem Mut zur Modernität und bewahrender Achtung der Tradition. Mit diesem Buch wird eine Positionsbestimmung angestrebt. Sein Ausgangspunkt sind die Realisierungen und Erfahrungen der letzten zehn Jahre in Deutschland, aber auch anderen Ländern wie der Schweiz und Saudi-Arabien, wie sie sich im Deutschen LandschaftsArchitektur-Preis widerspiegeln. Die Vielzahl herausragender Projekte wird begleitet durch Essays namhafter Autoren wie Gerhard Mack und Stefan Leppert. Entstanden ist eine Plattform der Diskussion über Landschaftsarchitektur - in Zeiten der Europäisierung, der Agrarwende, der Debatte um Nachhaltigkeit und der neuen Ansprüche an den öffentlichen Raum. Mit seiner großzügigen Ausstattung und der anspruchsvollen Präsentation vermittelt das Buch viel von der visuellen Faszination, die in der zeitgemäßen Gestaltung von Gärten, Parks und Landschaften liegt.
Customer Reviews:
Make The Most Of Your Space........2005-09-08
I've had this book for a few years and I still peek at it occasionally. Scott Landis tells about starting his own woodshop long ago and I can relate pretty well. I actually started without a place, working outside, in space borrowed in basements, off the tailgate of my truck and for a while in a barn,,,well, actually, a tool shed open on one side(I had to move a tractor out every day,put it back every night). This book gives examples of shops similar to those and large fully equipped facillities. The COOLEST part of this book to me is the space saving designs and features in some of the shops. This alone has been a help to me in the development of the 900 sq.ft. LOCKABLE shop I have now. The illustrations include floorplans and equipment layouts from daily use shops. Just seeing other peoples workspaces and what works for them and how thier shops grew and developed, can sometimes bring about great revelation for your own work space. Two of the shops are in closets or laundry rooms!!!! I like nosing around and looking at other shops and found this book entertaining as well as informative. Thanks Scott.
Read it in the bookstore before you buy it........2004-11-19
I did, and decided I didn't need it. There is good advice here - lots of input on space requirements and lighting, but page after page, I was just left wanting something more. The shops don't look "real" to me - they are obviously tremendously expensive and usually look sterile and impersonal. The men in them don't seem to particularly enjoy their work. They all look like a bunch of New York attorneys working in their hobby shops at their Connecticut hobby farms. I know that's not a fair characterization, and was certainly not the intent, but it was my persistent gut reaction. Too many of them looked like Norm Abram's infamous shop where there was a power tool for every purpose. None of them had the warm, inviting glow of Roy Underhill's shop, which draws you in for a cup of tea and joke by the woodstove.
"The Workbench Book" and "The Toolbox Book" were both joyful and gorgeous and pulled me along, but this one just made me feel like I needed to tear my shop down and start over, although that was not what the author was hoping to achieve. But look at it for yourself, at the library, and see what you think, before you buy it.
Disappointing if you're looking for practical advice.......2001-05-15
I found this book disappointing, but perhaps I was looking for the wrong things in it. I was hoping for some guidance and information on setting up a home workshop, but that's not what I found.
The book is a sort-of survey, sort-of essay on workshops of various kinds, including historical shops dating back hundreds of years. There's a lot of discussion of how various workers have set up their shops, but the descriptions are overviews lacking in much detail. And many of the shops described are atypical in one way or another. For example, the author returns over and over to the couple who turned their entire two-story house into a guitar-making shop, with separate rooms for shaping, finishing, wood storage and the like. Interesting, but not very helpful to me.
If you're looking for a portrayal of, and a lot of discussion about, workshops in all their variety, then you may very well love this book. But if you're looking for something that will help you decide how to set up your own shop, you won't find much here.
Woodworking With a Human Interest Side.......2000-01-15
I have bought many woodworking books but this one is a rarity-I read it from cover to cover. It has many useful tips for designing a shop but the most interesting part was his focus on the owners of the shops. It describes the wonderful variety of woodworkers as well as their shops and interests.
This is a great book.......1999-12-11
This book is split into comprehensive chapters on layout, machinery, etc. Covers topics such as ergonomics, workflow, special applications, etc. A practical and useful guide, much better than the workbench book by the same author which basically amounts to a coffee table book with pretty pictures.
Customer Reviews:
Insider's Look at How TV Shows Get Made.......2003-12-08
This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning about what goes into television production. Stevens and Stevens (who are screenwriters themselves, having written for the "Batman" animated TV series, among other things) go into detail about how "Deep Space Nine" got made. From the show's initial story concept to the inevitable pre-production meetings that followed, story development, and casting: it's all here.
This book also provides some brief but useful information on art design, make-up, directing, editing, how scripts are written (and re-written), and so on. There's even a helpful section at the end of the book which explains who all these people are whose names whiz by in the closing credits of a TV show. (Ever want to know what a property master is or what a scenic artist or grip does? Now you will.)
In short, even if you have no interest in the Star Trek universe whatsoever but you are interested in television production, this book should give you an excellent introduction to the art form.
And, oh, yeah... if you are a Star Trek fan, you'll love this book even more for all the inside trivia it provides on one of the finest (and most underrated) sci-fi shows ever to grace the airwaves.
Behind the scenes of the best written Star Trek series.......2003-01-07
All the behind the scenes technical information in this book. Viewers get to see the original production sketches of the DS9 station in development. Many of the designs were far better than what was eventually used. Overall, it is an entertaining book to read. This show more than the others depicted life on other worlds. They gave Trek fans what they always wanted to see...more alien species and action. Something the Next Generation and Voyager lacked. This series showed us how we all have to work together for peace or all is lost.
One of my favourite books.......2000-06-13
I have had this book now, for about 5 years. I must have read it dozens of times (yup i'm a geek). Its got all the technical stuff on filming the pilot (and beyond) from script development, model making and special effects, to acting and characters (even the story of how Morn came to be!). This book is well written, interesting, and above all a heap of fun. Go ahead and enjoy.
Customer Reviews:
Knows his crafti..........2004-04-06
Excellent. An invaluable tool for anyone rethinking the layout of their apartment or 'small space'. Crafti is one of the great Australian interior design thinkers and commentators.
Book Description
Five years ago the world of agency communications turned upside down. Ogilvy introduced 360 degree thinking, Unilever formulated their ABC process, TBWA developed their Disruptive philosophy, and total communications planning was born. Now, total communications planning is being increasingly demanded by clients. The question is no longer where does the future lie, but how does an agency get there as quickly as possible? This book sets out to define the structure of tomorrow's agencies by interviewing the leading lights of the industry today. Jim Taylor, himself an experienced practitioner of Total Communications Planning, identifies common issues and themes to offer a set of likely scenarios for The Agencies of the Future.
Books:
- Organizing Magic: 40 Days to a Well-Ordered Home and Life
- Painted Ladies Revisited: San Francisco's Resplendent Victorians Inside and Out
- Picasso's Weeping Woman: The Life and Art of Dora Maar
- Places Rated Almanac (Special Millennium Edition)
- Plantation Homes of Louisiana and the Natchez Area
- Professional Practice for Interior Designers, 3rd Edition
- Programming WCF Services (Programming)
- Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America
- Pure California: 35 Inspiring Houses in the New California Tradition
- Santa Barbara Style
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- The Great Bust Ahead: The Greatest Depression in American and UK History is Just Several Short Years
- Looking at Class: Film, Television and the Working Class in Britain
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- PowerPoint 2003 for Dummies
- The Journals Of Rachel Scott A Journey Of Faith At Columbine High
- Tales of Alaska's Bush Rat Governor: The Extraordinary Autobiography of Jay Hammond Wilderness Guide
- Financial Risk Manager Handbook, Second Edition
- Knowledge Capital and the New Economy: Firm Size, Performance and Network Production
- Chatter of the Maidens
General
| Organizational Behavior
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Expanding Our Now: The Story of Open Space Technology
The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter
The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform
Future Search
The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change
