by: Bill Schaffer ducksoup@ix.netcom.com Publisher: Temblor Press , Price: $12.95 Reviewed by: Shirish Netke SNetke@aol.com This books brings to mind an old adage one may come across in fortune cookies in San Francisco. The saying goes something like this - 'He is a fool who suspect conspiracy where stupidity can explain very much'. Just when you had thought that silicon valley had been dissected from every conceivable angle, here is a book which provides a refreshingly frivolous perspective of corporate life in the electronics capital of the world. Bill Schaffer's "expose of high tech life-in-the-raw" is brilliant in its levity and at times incisive in its satire. Set in the San Francisco bay area in contemporary times, it has a motley cast of characters which typify the cultural "salad bowl" that is silicon valley. From the handicapped Indian engineer who has philosophically resigned to the corporate glass ceiling to the right-of-center manager who periodically fires a few employees to balance his budget, all add to this colorful collage of individuals mired in the silicon version of office politics in corporate America. The story is narrated through the eyes of a bumbling protagonist who stumbles upon a high-tech company while looking for a place to relieve himself. The layman's bewilderment with the computer industry's language and culture and his eventual adaptation is comically similar to plots from Hollywood movies of aliens landing on a different planet and finding their way around in the new world. The lighter side of corporate politics and power struggles makes entertaining reading especially for those familiar with the high-tech industry in the valley. This book is certainly worth reading but remember any semblance to reality is purely accidental. For information on ordring this book send email to ducksoup@ix.netcom |