Cool Tools

Rating:
Summary: nice guide to essential stuff
Review: a really nice guide to some really good stuff to make life a lot easier!! Espically since some of Kelly's better picks made it under the Christmas tree( UPS delivered the book on December 26th--so he must understand our household pretty well)

Rating:
Summary: nice guide to essential stuff
Review: a really nice guide to some really good stuff to make life a lot easier!! Espically since some of Kelly's better picks made it under the Christmas tree( UPS delivered the book on December 26th--so he must understand our household pretty well)

Rating:
Summary: Cool Tools- The 2004 edition whole earth minilog
Review: An amazing collection of useful stuff and ideas. From digital gadgets to cultural insights. The comments about the print quality are missing the point. This isn't a design tome, it's a reference guide. A fascinating guide for explorers of life on earth.

Rating:
Summary: Cool Tools- The 2004 edition whole earth minilog
Review: An amazing collection of useful stuff and ideas. From digital gadgets to cultural insights. The comments about the print quality are missing the point. This isn't a design tome, it's a reference guide. A fascinating guide for explorers of life on earth.

Rating:
Summary: Getting it right!
Review: Kevin Kelly has a great grasp of "cool" and "tools". Recently we needed to purchase several new items that are discussed in his book. We followed his recommendations and he hit it right on the mark -- on every time. His book, "Cool Tools" is a COOL TOOL!

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the price
Review: When I initially placed an order for this book, Amazon didn't have a picture of the cover in the listing. I wish it had. A glance at the cover "design" - a quick and dirty job using gradient fillers and puffy metallic text - would have given me an indication of the quality of the book. It's printed on a Docutech, and the quality is about what you might expect from a high-end laser printer (complete with smudges).

That's not the main fault though. I've worked as a print designer for many years and have tackled many printing jobs on a tight budget. I know that it is possible to make a cheaply produced book that still looks good, but that definitely isn't the case here. It's laid out like one of those old-fashioned catalogs with not much thought given to any sort of design considerations.

As for the content...it's okay, but there are any number of websites these days where you can get reviews of "cool stuff". The order is willy-nilly, with only a weak attempt made at categorization (Sculpey, a polymer clay, appears on the same page as a book about Art...ok..) There's no index or table of contents. Actually..this would have made a great web site, but doesn't make for a great book. So I don't recommend this at all. If not for the shipping costs, I would return it. And I will be quite wary of any self-published book sold through Amazon from now on.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the price
Review: When I initially placed an order for this book, Amazon didn't have a picture of the cover in the listing. I wish it had. A glance at the cover "design" - a quick and dirty job using gradient fillers and puffy metallic text - would have given me an indication of the quality of the book. It's printed on a Docutech, and the quality is about what you might expect from a high-end laser printer (complete with smudges).

That's not the main fault though. I've worked as a print designer for many years and have tackled many printing jobs on a tight budget. I know that it is possible to make a cheaply produced book that still looks good, but that definitely isn't the case here. It's laid out like one of those old-fashioned catalogs with not much thought given to any sort of design considerations.

As for the content...it's okay, but there are any number of websites these days where you can get reviews of "cool stuff". The order is willy-nilly, with only a weak attempt made at categorization (Sculpey, a polymer clay, appears on the same page as a book about Art...ok..) There's no index or table of contents. Actually..this would have made a great web site, but doesn't make for a great book. So I don't recommend this at all. If not for the shipping costs, I would return it. And I will be quite wary of any self-published book sold through Amazon from now on.