Following on from reading Rory Cellan-Jones’ ‘Dot Bomb’ which focussed on the ‘dot com’ bubble in the UK, I’ve read Po Bronson’s ‘The Nudist on the Late Shift‘ which looks at a similar time from Silicon Valley. Also reviewed at Amazon.
Po Bronson has produced a very well-written and extremely readable insight into the craziness of ‘dot com’ fever in Silicon Valley. Clearly spending a great deal of time with both the entrepreneurs and employees involved ‘The Nudist on the Late Shift’ gets behind the ideas, the passion and the money.
The madness that meant people spent every waking hour in the office (some even sleeping under their desks) and meant that companies provided on-site laundry facilities for workers without the time to do their washing, is reflected well in the stories of the individuals involved.
The book tells of a time of optimism where the future can be changed by technology and wealth can be earned on the back of an unproven idea. Bronson concludes the book questioning if it’s too late to join the party or not. Reading it now, with the benefit of hindsight and the knowledge of the crash that came, makes the book all the more entertaining. The reader is drawn into the individual stories and wants to warn the visionaries that it’s all about to go wrong for them.
A recommended insight into a unique time in business history.
Available at Amazon.
On this day…
2005: Catherine Tate
2002: Not Hilarious or Surprising
Great Yarmouth – where I was for some of the time on the stag do – is an interesting town. I suspect that it was grand – and deserving of the name Great – at some point in its history. There are certainly some impressive buildings. The beach seemed impressive and wasn’t crowded, even on a hot Sunday afternoon. Yet, somehow, it was a little sad. Amusement arcade and fun-pubs, clashed along the main drag with theme-pubs and entertainment centres. The side streets were blocked by tourists looking at shops selling cheap, gimmicky tourist gifts (not far removed from a Kiss Me Quick hat). It was all so-similar and without imagination. I don’t object to any of the items listed above (don’t take me for a snob) it was the sheer repetitiveness of it all that I found a little depressing.
Take the lovely looking beach. Hidden from the coast-road by a collection of buildings obscuring the view. Admittedly, the pier and the Winter Gardens weren’t ugly buildings but they still blocked the sight of the sea (and, surely, isn’t that why you go to the seaside?). The leisure centre and Sealife Centre were, however, ugly concrete buildings with little to make you stop and gasp in awe at the view. It’s such a shame we’ve done similar things with many of our great coastal resorts.
Admittedly, I was in a group of 15 lads that could have seemed threatening had we not walked in small groups and mingled in the pubs and bars we visited.