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Fluenz Version F2: Italian 1 (Win/Mac) with software DVD, audio CD, and Navigator. Learn Italian with the latest upgrade.
$218.00
I thought I would add a comparison of both products as I'm sure people may be confused as to which might fit them better. I have been using Rosetta Stone for quite a while and went through the Fluenz sample session. Fluenz is very much modern academic learning where you are guided through everything with a visual teacher and you are taught as if you had to go to Italy tomorrow and be able to "get around" and function so to speak. Sentences and phrases are broken down and so on. If you want to know what to say "now" and want to be able to know the most common phrases while leaving everything else until later then Fluenz will probably be great for you. And if you like having to see a visual teacher over and over again guiding you in more of a controlled manner the whole way then you will like this. Rosetta Stone is built on the foundation of being thrown in the deep end in some ways, meaning you are forced to figure things out on your own by spoken words and phrases entirely in Italian which are to be matched to pictures. Obviously it starts off at a very basic level and in some ways you are being taught in the same method that a child learns when introduced to the world. And at first things don't seem quite relevant to being able to jump on a plane and head off to Italy. However this method, because of its emphasis on self-sufficiency, really implants a core knowledge of Italian structure inside your head. In other words things are quicker to recall because your memorization is from your own survival learning and not by learning through a teacher. Rosetta Stone teaches you the basics of how, where, when, why, above, behind, with, without and so forth. It also teaches past, present and future tenses. So with that said, Rosetta Stone is more about building a foundational knowledge of which you can add "street smarts" and man on the street conversation to that later on when you're actually in Italy. That has its advantages and disadvantages. With Fluenz you'll know what questions to ask in more of a savvy way, whereas with Rosetta you'll have to conjugate things from your formulated memory. One good thing about Rosetta Stone though is that because everything is learned visually you'll have a much easier time picking up on other people's conversations and not being entirely thrown off because you've learned the same way Italians and everyone else learned when they were children. If you're patient you'll like Rosetta Stone but if you've always learned better by having someone else do the research for you first and show you what they've learned then you'll like Fluenz.

Management Rewired: Why Feedback Doesn't Work and Other Surprising Lessons from the Latest Brain Science
$25.95
In "Management Rewired" Charles Jacobs aims to debunk popular management wisdom using brain science. Many of the concepts aren't necessarily new. For instance, many agree that money is not a very good motivator. Jacobs explains why using neuroscience.

An overarching premise of the book is that people are not machines. They have minds of their own and their decisions are shaped significantly by emotions. In fact, everyone has his/her own version of reality. So, simply employing "logical" means like providing positive or negative feedback to encourage or discourage behavior does not have the intended consequences.

When people are confronted with negative feedback they get defensive and sometimes even aggressive. They come up with their own reasons for why the boss is spewing such nonsense. Often they not only repeat the "offending behavior," but do so with increased vigor and frequency. Conversely, when people are rewarded, their intrinsic motivation decreases in favor of the extrinsic reward. When the extrinsic reward is not as large/frequent as expected, performance becomes worse.

So what is the solution? According to Jacobs, it's not about forcing, but about convincing. We actually need to change the way people think about their world. We need to create an environment that has people select the behavior we desire. Easier said than done, huh? Actually, Jacobs provides some methods for doing so including the use of metaphors and stories. You'll need to read yourself to find out more.

For a book that on the surface seems like it would contain some heady material, it's actually a fairly easy read. The author does a fine job of distilling the brain science concepts in an understandable and even entertaining way. Although you may not agree with everything, the book will challenge some of your beliefs and make you think. Some of the suggestions, if practiced, will make you a better manager and leader.

Nick McCormick, Author, "Lead Well and Prosper: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager."

Amazon Kindle Leather Cover (Fits 6" Display, Latest Generation Kindle)
$29.99
The cover is attractive, and seems to do an adequate job protecting the screen, however, I wished that I'd read the "cracked case" reviews. I've treated my Kindle very gently, yet after a few weeks with this cover, it is cracked.

The cover's hinges are a very durable, heavy, inflexible metal, which sounds like a good thing, except that they're much harder than the Kindle itself. It seems as though if the Kindle moves, the hinges don't, and what gives is the soft white plastic of the Kindle.

The Latest
$15.00
If you are expecting, the Cheap Trick sound of the late 70's, you won't find it here. Instead, you get a more sophisticated Cheap trick, that focuses more on writing good Pop songs, and less upon the hard rock side of their music. In that sense, the new record is successful.