What Top 5 Books Will You Read In 2009?

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Ankesh

Gladwell also talks about how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. But even then, his agenda is to show how when and where you are born helps you in getting those 10,000 hours in.

Example: He talks about how Bill Gates put in 10,000 hours on the computer before he was 19. But he then says that Bill Gates was one in a million to get to use a computer as far back as 1968 when his school got one of the first computers. If Gates would have been born 4-5 years too early or too late - he would have missed the boat.

His point is not false. But its not entirely true either. Because how many other kids were in Gates school too - who had access to the computer but didn't make use of it in 1968? A few hundred?

Hi Ankesh,

Thanks for your very helpful review!

The example of Bill Gates that you shared with us is instructive. Bill Gates put in 10,000 hours on computers back in the very early days. Of course, he had that opportunity, and had the focus and drive to do that. And computers ended up becoming very important.

However, many of us have the opportunity to put in many hours into new technologies. How many of us take the opportunity?

E.g. New technologies that have appeared in recent years are... blogging, podcasting, online video, etc. What's next? What's new that's coming up?

Perhaps the "lesson" here is to look at what's coming up, make an assessment of how important it will be, then put in the hours to "master" it if it looks sufficiently promising!

Just some thoughts...

Best wishes

Dien