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Student Affairs Daniel Salter Penn State University Editor Stuart
Brown
Winter 2001 • Vol. 2, No. 1 |
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The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story |
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Michael Lewis |
Jeffery Stefancic The University of Michigan |
The New New Thing chronicles the life of Silicon Valley superstar Jim Clark. Clark is the pioneer who founded corporations such as Silicon Graphics and Netscape and who at the time of it's offering had the largest single day opening for an IPO in history with his health care industry startup, Healtheon. From his rural upbringing in West Texas where he was labeled as a "cutup" and expelled from high school his junior year, to self-teaching himself enough material to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science, to inventing the computer chip that spawned Silicon Graphics, Clark is depicted by Lewis as a genius who is always on a quest for the next great invention in technology.
Intertwined with the chronicle of Clark is the compelling story of one of Clark's passions-sailing. Lewis details Clark's desire to not only have one of the largest personal sailing boats ever built, but to have one built that is completely operated by a series of computers. The Hyperion is custom designed and built to the specifications of Clark and is stated to be more complex then the 747 jumbo jet. Once operational, Lewis portrays many of the intimate details that provide insight into what drives Jim Clark to the levels he desires.
Clark is painted as a character that is never satisfied with the level he has reached. After laying the foundation for Netscape, which arguably changed the face of personal computing forever, Clark was busy planning for Healtheon, which was designed to bring all of the major players (patients, insurance companies, health care providers) together to eliminate many of the hassles that had become commonplace within the health care industry. After stating that he would retire once he became an "after-tax billionaire", Clark set his sights on reaching the next monetary level. It is clear from Lewis's story that Clark is not one to sit still for a long while.
The New New Thing was an easy read that had a good pace to it. It is not so bogged down in business and technical jargon that a novice could not understand what the author is trying to explain. Even though the story behind the design of Clark's dream vessel Hyperion is not the main focus of the story, I would have liked Lewis to spend a little more time outlining the process of the design of this ship. Overall, if you are looking for a glimpse into what it is like to be on the cutting edge of innovative thinking and technology, then The New New Thing may be just the book for you.
Lewis, M. (2000) The New New Thing, A Silicon Valley Story. W. W. Norton & Company. New York, New York.
