Book Description
With over 30 million copies sold since its original publication in 1960, Psycho-Cybernetics has been used by athletes, entrepreneurs, college students, and many others, to achieve life-changing goals--from losing weight to dramatically increasing their income--finding that success is not only possible but remarkably simple.Now updated to include present-day anecdotes and current personalities, The New Psycho-Cybernetics remains true to Dr. Maltz's promise:“If you can remember, worry, or tie your shoe, you can succeed with Psycho-Cybernetics!” ... Read more

Book Description
Positive wisdom and helpful insights on how to be a successful personHappiness and success are habits. So are failure and misery. But negative habits can be changed--and Psycho-Cybernetics shows you how!This is your personal audio guide to the amazing power of Psycho-Cybernetics-a program based on one of the world's classic self-help books, a multimillion-copy bestseller proven effective by readers worldwide. Presenting positive attitude as a means for change, Maltz's teaching has the ring of common sense. Psycho-Cybernetics is the original text that defined the mind/body connection-the concept that paved the way for most of today's personal empowerment programs. Turn crises into creative opportunities, dehypnotize yourself from false beliefs, and celebrate new freedom from fear and guilt.Testimonials and stories are interspersed with advice from Maltz, as well as techniques for relaxation and visualization. Dr. Maxwell Maltz teaches you his techniques of "emotional surgery"--the path to a dynamic new self-image and self-esteem and to achieving the success and happiness you deserve! ... Read more

Book Description
#8226; Develop self-confidence#8226; Overcome procrastination and indecisiveness#8226; Improve your health#8226; Make more moneyDr. Maxwell Maltz was a renowned pioneer in plastic surgery when he noticed that while the outward changes to his patients were a success, an inner healing and transformation was necessary for them to achieve the life changes they were seeking. Psycho-Cybernetics is a masterful synthesis of proven psychological and physiological processes, which took Dr. Maltz 29 years of research and testing to develop. His groundbreaking work, Psycho-Cybernetics, has become an all-time classic in the field of self-image psychology. Since its first publication, this book has inspired and helped millions to achieve ambitious and life-changing goals. Recently revised and updated, this unabridged audio edition of Psycho-Cybernetics remains true to Dr. Maltz's visionary approach and proven groundbreaking techniques. These techniques that will lead to a dynamic new self-image, greater self-esteem, and the means to achieve a lifetime of success and happiness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great Deal
This is an updated version on an old classic.There are nine CD's in this set.I have still not gotten all the way through them.You will definately "get it" by the end.Shipping was fast and product was in good shape.

Psychocybernetics
Outstanding book.I always enjoy re enforcing material from great books in an audio formatTimeless advice for creating the life that you want and great tools to train the mind.A very solid scientific approach by Dr Maltz which has stood the test of time.Highly recommended!!!

Its a true roadmap to a great life business and personal
When I first read the title I thought it would be your typical analyticalapproach to whats wrong, and how to correct it. But this is deeper than that, it was about your core existence, it gives you the WHY we are always searching for. I am amazed at the clarity and vision Dr. Maxwell Maltz had, to be able to have written something 40 years ago and it still have such a profound effect on individuals today. I heard him explain how he became skilled at talking himself out of large sums of money, do to the fact that surgery was not the answer, it was deeperthan the physical, the mind is so powerful that if you can aim it properly, keep it fit and happy there really isn't much a person can't accomplish.

This book should be a must read for all that are continually sick, or even having self doubt about themselves, considering giving up on something. Given a dose of Maxwell Maltz could be all you need to get back on the right track again.

Disarmingly Profound and Life Changing -- Buy It!
This is a very intriguing work.Maltz's style is so easy going and commonsensical, yet somehow his words moved me deeply.His message can be summed up thusly: 1) Be kind to yourself and stop beating yourself up; 2) Rid yourself of old, disabling habits, and replace them with empowering and uplifting ones.

That said, my description doesn't come close to relaying the power and empathy with which Dr. Maltz delivers the message.Somehow, he explains things in such a way that he had me mesmerized and entranced.I really got a lot out of this program and I couldn't recommend it more HIGHLY!

Lest you think that this is a work of "philosophy", rest assured that it is filled with examples and action steps that you can immediately use to implement Dr. Maltz's techniques for self-improvement.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should say that I am a speaker, trainer, and author of another unique and highly valuable learning tool that canalso be found here on Amazon: The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Personal Wealth Creation (Combo Audio/Data CD): Audio Seminar With Downloadable 40-Page Action Manual and Active Link Library.It is a straight-forward discussion of the art and science of personal wealth creation and should be considered by anyone serious about wanting to learn more about the right way to get started on the road to personal wealth creation and financial freedom!

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The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses (Combo Audio/Data CD): Author's Audio Commentary Plus Downloadable 32-page Marketing Manual, Checklists, Spreadsheets, and Forms.

Great companion to book
I bought this audio book to go along with my original copy of psycho-cybernetics. I spend a lot of time on the road and this is a great companion. This series is a must for anyone wanting to improve their quality of life. ... Read more

Book Description
Acclaimed one of the "seminal books . . . comparable in ultimate importance to . . . Galileo or Malthus or Rousseau or Mill", Cybernetics was judged by twenty-seven historians, economists, educators, and philosophers to be one of those books published during the "past four decades," which may have a substantial impact on public thought and action in the years ahead." -- Saturday Review ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Timeless work joins philosophy, computing, and mathematics
Norbert Wiener was interested in the means by which feedback could be communicated to help correct the problems that develop in an organism. In investigating this matter, Weiner investigates a number of topics that differentiate between mere computation and intelligence and the importance that information plays in both. This is the unifying theme of a book that seems to wander through many topics using philosophy, mathematics, and the theory of computation.

For example, in chapter one of the book, Wiener illustrates the basic difference between man and machine with a discussion of the concept of Newtonian versus Bergsonian time. He states that Newtonian time - that of high level physics phenomena- is reversible. Bergsonian time, the time of living organisms making their way against entropy is not reversible. Thus since Newtonian time is reversible nothing "new" happens, as opposed to the irreversible time of evolution and biology in which there is always something new.

He continues this idea in the chapter "Computing Machines and the Nervous System." In it, he defines the characteristics of computing machinery. He concludes that the brain, being irreversible, is thus an analog of a single run of a machine. Wiener also points out that many problems of human metabolism and reproduction are associated with the inability to receive and organize impulses and make them effective in the outer world. Thus Weiner ultimately concludes that to live effectively is to live with adequate information.

There are also chapters that are almost purely philisophical about the role of information in society. Then there are other chapters that present heavy-duty mathematics on such topics as representing a time series of known statistical parameters asBrownian motion in an attempt to solve communications problems in nonlinear situations. The mathematics in this book is presented with little or no background, so you are going to need other sources to understand what Wiener is trying to convey.

In summary, if you want an interesting read on the science and philosophy of artificial intelligence and the role of the machine this is one of the best out there. It still stands the test of time after nearly sixty years.

Welcome to the Machine
Why is everything called "cyber" (cyberspace, cyberpunk)? Because of this book from 1948 in which Norbert Wiener, a prof at MIT, coined the phrase "cybernetics," from the Greek word "kybernutos" meaning "governor." If you're tired of viewing your computer as a black box (the input goes in here, the output comes out there, and something mysterious happens inside), or if you wonder if the tech world has any relation to the natural world, check out this unusual book, which is rewarding on many different levels.

Find out why robotics, neural nets and artificial intelligence (AI) predate the PC and even the mainframe computer and are not a new development. Travel back to the days of the giant ENIAC when the computer seemed to be an idea on everyone's mind, simply waiting for advances in technology to make it a reality. But this very readable book goes further, as suggested in Wiener's subtitle: "Control and Communication in the Animal and Machine." Many specialists in various fields initially opposed this book because of Wiener's interdisciplinary approach, which broke down the hard and fast walls between various disciplines.

The vocabulary of this book has now become commonplace (we ask for "feedback" and refer to "systems" on a daily basis), but many of its ideas have yet to be discovered. I couldn't keep up with the math, but you don't need to to grasp the basic ideas or to enjoy Wiener's lucid and luminous style, which ranks among the best of popular science writing. Wiener also wrote a general market book, "The Human Use of Human Beings" to present some of these ideas to a wider audience. Some fifty years after its initial publication, this book still forms an inviting welcome to the machine.

A fundamental law that is applicable to almost everything
Two books, both written in the late 1940s stand out as contributing much to our understanding of the world around us.One of these is "Cybernetics" by Weiner and the other is "The mathematicaltheory of communication" by Shannon.Both require some study bycontain many sections that are easily readable by anyone which get the mainpoints across in an understandable manner.

Weiner's book discuses the useof feedback on virtually every type of control mechanism known... i.e.,those of nature as well as those of man.It is the "basic" stuffthat everyone of us uses everyday and every moment of our lives whether weare aware of it or not.Whereas Shannon's book tells us how to communicateinformation in an error-free (or nearly so) way, Weiner's book explains howthat information is used to provide effective control of everything aroundus.For many decades since I first was introduced to these two works, Ihave used their principles in most things I do.

I very highly recommendthese two books to anyone who considers themselves a "thinkingperson" and is seeking to understand the world around them.Botheasily get 5 stars.They are major works! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

You are what you think
I think that we are all familiar with the term 'you are what you eat' but the fact that we are also what we think has escaped many of us! This book gives a clear and simple insight into the workings of the mind and how it drives our lives in ways we may not have appreciated. Although very dated in some respects, this book is still very much worth reading as the age of the book has no bearing on the findings. Only with hindsight we can see that there is more truth to this subject than has been talked about in these pages but that need not dissuade you from reading this book.
The author occasionally slips into swiping at alternative theories or notions yet ironically ends the book imploring us to all be more open to everything that comes our way as life has many channels of expression! However, I wouldn't let that stop me from seeing his insights and knowledge.
For example the author believes that sleeping dogs should be left to lie, leaving the root of the problem to rest and just concentrating on changing the reactions by creating new habits. Personally, I see that this approach has some merit but from my experiences I wouldn't discount completely the idea of digging out the original problem and dealing with it, as that original wound will have many multi faceted parts to it that affect us in many different and subtle ways....clearly changing each one by forming new habits is time consuming and unnecessary if the original cause is removed. But like I said that doesn't detract from the many positive and helpful suggestions for getting in the flow of your subconscious power. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

important and relevant after half a century
More than fifty years after its initial publication, this book remains as relevant and prophetic as it is brilliant and exhilarating.

To start, Wiener explains cybernetics in a way that the intelligent layperson can understand; he discusses how human beings, animals, and machines relate to one another through communication and feedback, thus becoming systems that limit or temporarily reverse the universal tendency toward disorganization (entropy). After establishing this framework, he discusses the implications of cybernetics on society. As he takes cybernetic theory to its logical conclusions--that is, accounting for the communication and feedback between human beings, machines, and the environment as a whole--his insights are shown to be profoundly humane and ultimately very inspiring.

This is no ordinary scientific text. There are discussions of Augustinian vs. Manichaean worldviews and their implications; the inevitable spread of dangerous information (such as that resulting in the atomic bomb) despite the strenuous efforts of governments; and the need not to rely on machines--non-human machines as well as "human machines" such as bureaucracies and corporations--to do the difficult work that human beings must do to remain ethical, responsible, and free.

All in all, this is an outstanding book written in lucid, beautiful prose. The book tells us as much about the systems that make up our world as it does about the brilliance, humility, and humanity of Wiener himself. No summary of this book, in blurb or review format, can possibly do justice to Wiener's achievement.

A concerned and conscienscious genius
Wiener was acutely aware of the promise and the danger of the new technolgies he was helping to invent. He worked very hard during the Second World War to help develop an anti- aircraft system which would make use of some of his mathematical and technical innovations. However the dropping of the Atomic Bomb turned him wholly against the military establishment and he became an insistent voice calling for regulation of military technologies.
His own vision of a humane society is one in which the cybernetic and feedback elements enable a better managing of the economy and society as a whole. And this when he again was very concerned about the possible destructive elements of technologies which would provide unreasonablemeans of control over individual human lives. He very much was concerned that a society in which machine- slaves produced everything would deprive humanity of its freedom and dignity.
In other words he saw great promise in the new technologies but also was concerned that might exercise a degree of control over humanity which would make them more harmful than beneficial.

Another Wiener Gem
Norbert Wiener was a child prodigy and Professor of Mathematics at MIT from 1919 until his death in 1964.He invented the science of cybernetics (look it up in the dictionary) and the guided missile but refused to help the military during the cold war.This volume includes an open letter published in the January, 1947 Atlantic Monthly magazine entitled "A Scientist Rebels" by Norbert Wiener.An introduction by Wiener biographer Steve J. Heims provides a context for Wiener's works.

If you are at all interested in cybernetics, and particularly interested in the effects it is having and will have on society, this book is must reading.Of course, this book does not approach Wiener's "God & Golem, Inc."(reviewed elsewhere in Amazon.com) for sheer brilliance, but then, what does, except perhaps the "Bahir."

intriguing ideas made plain
For those of us who cannot grasp the mathematical, technical version of Wiener's theory of messages in _Cybernetics_, this book is a wonderful stand-in.Wiener wrote this entirely equationless text as a populariztionof his ideas about humans and machines.this book is a fascinating pieceof philosophy and sociology also, as Wiener expands his theories and bringsthem to bear on history, journalism etc.He never loses his scientificperspective though; this gives his writing and ideas a clarity freshnessthat is uncommon in theoretical writings about society.This is a greatand important book

prophetic book
where could i find areedited french traduction of this book published in 62 in france,second hand also ? ... Read more

Product Description
The New Psycho-Cybernetics will help you: - Deprogram yourself from self-doubt and negative self-evaluators ** - Respond to stressful events with positive, corrective action ** - Improve your self-image and reprogram yourself for success ** - Learn to recognize potential signs of danger and avoid failure ** - Overcome resistance to change ** - Cope with important responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed ** - Use a variety of techniques to virtually eliminate stress and anxiety from your life ** - Learn a 10-point program for daily self-image strength conditioning ** - And much more...Youll discover dozens of valuable self-evaluation tools that will help you achieve such goals as finding an ideal job, eliminate addictions, overcome feelings of pessimism, incompetence, shyness, and achieve happier, healthier relationships with those around you. ... Read more

Book Description

In this classic work, John Steinbruner argues that the time is ripe for exploration of a new theoretical perspective on the decision-making process in government. He suggests that the cybernetic theory of decision as developed in such diverse fields as information theory, mathematical logic, and behavioral psychology generates a systematic but non-rational analysis that seems to explain quite naturally decisions that are puzzling when viewed from the rational perspective. When combined with the basic understanding of human mental operations developed in cognitive psychology, the cybernetic theory of decision presents a striking picture of how decision makers deal with the intense uncertainty and fundamental value conflicts that arise in bureaucratic politics. To illustrate the advantages of using cybernetic theory, Steinbruner analyzes the issue of sharing nuclear weapons among the NATO allies.

Book Description
Child prodigy and brilliant MIT mathematician, Norbert Wiener founded the revolutionary science of cybernetics and ignited the information-age explosion of computers, automation, and global telecommunications. His best-selling book, Cybernetics, catapulted him into the public spotlight, as did his chilling visions of the future and his ardent social activism.
Based on a wealth of primary sources and exclusive access to Wiener's closest family members, friends, and colleagues, Dark Hero of the Information Age reveals this eccentric genius as an extraordinarily complex figure.No one interested in the intersection of technology and culture will want to miss this epic story of one of the twentieth century's most brilliant and colorful figures.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

A Fascinating Account of Norbert Wiener - Father of Cybernetics.
_Dark Hero of the Information Age:In Search of Norbert Wiener The Father of Cybernetics_ by the researchers Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, who had previously written on cults and fundamentalism, is a fascinating biography of an important figure in the history of the last century who played an important role in heralding in the coming age of information.Norbert Wiener (1894 - 1964) was a fascinating individual and a man of many talents who is perhaps best remembered as both a mathematician and the father of the science of cybernetics.Wiener was a highly eccentric individual who had been renowned as a child prodigy in his youth and studied at Tufts and Harvard from the ages of 11 to 14, eventually earning his Ph.D. at age 18.Following his early years, Wiener became an academic originally focusing on philosophy and mathematics, though taking a more applied bent towards mathematical research than some of his contemporaries such as G. H. Hardy, who routinely castigated him for this.Wiener's career took off at MIT where he developed the science of cybernetics, which was to play such an important role in furthering engineering, biological, and social sciences, as well as playing the role of an astute commentator on the role of automation.Cybernetics (a term derived from the Greek for "steersman"), the creation of Norbert Wiener, was an essential science in the understanding of feedback and control systems.Wiener continued to develop his theories following the publication of his first book on the subject and in particular examined the role of automation among workers.Wiener also was able to prove an inspiration for several important engineering projects focusing on such things as the human brain, artificial intelligence, and the development of prostheses for amputees.Wiener's ideas played an important role in the United States, but with the advent of the Cold War they also played a role in the Soviet Union, as well as in India where Wiener saw certain potential developments arising from newfound technologies.While Wiener was an agnostic throughout his life, his ancestors were Jews and he may have been related to the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, and he developed a profound interest in Indian philosophy and Hinduism ultimately leading him to accept the notion of reincarnation.Wiener's theories played an important role in paving the way for the information age to come and we see the end result of that in the information explosion in this century.This book offers a fascinating examination of the life of Norbert Wiener and is an excellent biography of this great man.

This book starts with Wiener's early life, particularly as he developed into a child prodigy.The book begins with Leo Wiener, the father of Norbert Wiener, who was an adamant proponent of the ideals of Tolstoy and vegetarianism.Leo Wiener came to the United States and eventually made his way to Cambridge, Massachusetts where Norbert's talents for languages became widely known.Norbert Wiener became known as the "most remarkable boy in the world" and would attend university at Tufts and Harvard, originally specializing in zoology, along with other child prodigies such as William James Sidis.Following his Ph.D. at Harvard at the age of 18, Wiener traveled to Europe to study logic and philosophy with such individuals as Bertrand Russell.However, upon returning home, Wiener underwent somewhat of a crisis.Wiener, who was a lifelong manic depressive and prone to absent-minded spells and depressions, would largely see his emotional turmoil as arising out of his early youth.Wiener went on to join the faculty at MIT, an engineering school which hoped to promote a new mathematics department.Wiener made several important contributions and it was here that he developed his science of cybernetics.Wiener was known to all his students for his "Wienerwegs" or "Wienerwalks", where he frequently absent-mindedly roamed about the halls and campus of MIT.Wiener married and had two daughters.He also became involved with various other individuals and prodigies who tried to advance the science of cybernetics and the logical system developed by Russell in the _Principia Mathematica_.Wiener also was active in promoting the Macy conferences, where a diverse group of intellectuals including mathematicians, economists, social scientists, and anthropologists worked out the ideas of cybernetics.Wiener was deeply concerned about the role that automation would play in the coming era and wrote an important work focusing on the "human use of human beings" to show his concern over the new role of automation and computers.Wiener also wrote some more religious and philosophical works in which he attempted to address the problem of the "golem" from Jewish mythology as it concerned man and his creations.During the Cold War, Wiener refused to participate in research for the military and this led to his being branded a "Red" by the FBI.Wiener eventually was to travel to Europe and even the Soviet Union where he attempted to advance the science of cybernetics, although he made clear that he disapproved of the role of both superpowers in the Cold War.Wiener also knew the mathematician and Nobel Prize winner John Nash while he was at MIT.In his old age, Wiener took an interest in India and Hinduism.Wiener attempted to identify a new role for automation in India and the potentially liberating effects of such technologies.Wiener also traveled to Stockholm to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony and it was here that he died.

This book offers an interesting account of the life of an important figure in the dawn of the information age.Norbert Wiener and his science of cybernetics played a great role in giving rise to the information age and the era of computing.While Wiener was certainly a man of many talents and contradictions, he also had a darker side to him as did the technologies made possible through his advances.It is for this reason that he may be seen as the "dark hero of the information age" and the father of cybernetics.

100,000% Shovelware
From a historical and economic and sociological perspective, this book is utter propaganda.

For example, from page 340, "To date, India's engineers and entrepreneurs have had the most success following the path Wiener chartered for their country's advancement, and while their numbers are still small compared to the whole of their population, they are reaping many of the benefits Weiner envisioned without the drawbacks of older models of industrialization."

WHAT A F--KING JOKE!!!I'm dying of laughter!

There is categorically no relationship between India's newfound economic success and Norbert Wiener.None.Na-da.Nothing.Zip-0!

And that was just a single sentence from this text.Just imagine what else lurks in 400 pages of writing from what are two absolute fools.Flo conway and Jim siegelman are the stupidest writers ever!

A tale of what might have been
My own introduction to Wiener was through the extraordinary insight and published works of Stafford Beer (acknowledged by Wiener as the inventor of Management Cybernetics). Beers insights into Industrial Engineering, Operations Research and Management Cybernetics, seem to have more and more relevance for managers, as the world we live in becomes more and more complex.
I am of the opinion that Cybernetics provides a Philosophical and Technical Framework that helps to explain why the widely practiced and innovative business-improvement approach of Lean - Six Sigma has been so successful.
This is what Beer had to say about Wieners seminal text on Cybernetics "Difficult, quixotic, immensely stimulating (then and now), Cybernetics split the scientific world (for those who read it) down the middle. Think of it like this: the great man (he really was) holds forth to his friends after dinner, ruins the tablecloth by scribbling mathematics all over it, sings a little song in German, and changes your life.It is tough going; you have to stay the night"
Beers review grabbed my attention and encouraged me to learn more about Wiener; and then a couple of years ago I was troubled by the following review from the prolific, oftentimes, acerbic polymath Cosmo Rohilla ShaliziA Professor Of Statistics at Carnegie Mellon University - . "A science which seems to have dissolved into the others. A lot of good science was done under this banner; it just doesn't seem to hold together ......As a study of abstract machines in general, it becomes identical with dynamics, or computation theory, or some amalgam of both; algebra, even. As a more limited science of "communication and control" it suffers from the fact that communication and control in animals is, when you get down to blood and guts, rather different from communication and control in machines, and neither resembles the mechanisms of C&C in society..... It may be that we haven't exhausted the potential of a science of communication and control, but I think at this point the burden of proof would be on the optimists.Dissolved? Not entirely. There's an old joke that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate, and not everything associated with cybernetics has gone into solution. Caked on the bottom of the reaction vessel we find: A prefix which seems indispensible to marketroids; the occasion for a great deal of vaporizing in the social sciences and humanities; and a peculiarly navel-gazing sub-sect of systems theory, which isn't exactly God's gift to the advancement of learning in the first place."
Clearly Cosmo is no ones fool. Are, those of us who still think that the work of Wiener and Beer is relevant for today's problems, really part of a peculiar naval gazing sect?
As far as Management Cybernetics is concerned, irrespective of what old Cosmo thinks, Management Cybernetics really does provide all of us who deal with systems and organisations - I guess that's every one of us - with insightful and practical solutions for managing complexity. Beer like his mentor Wiener has been a neglected and oftentimes maligned prophet - just look at his poor reviews on this site.Management Cybernetics is, however, very much alive and well. One of the fastest growing consultancies in Europe, and a much respected competitor to my own practice - The Malik Group in Switzerland - have built their business model on cybernetic principles and are providing truly innovative solutions for their blue chip clients.Interestingly theyhave people with the title cybernetician on the pay role - Norbert still rules as far as they are concerned!
As for Cybernetics contribution to main stream science - Cosmo is, sadly, correct. In mainstream academia Cybernetics has been largely subsumed by other disciplines. But, until I read this book it puzzled me why. Why, given the impressive start and promising march towards becoming a truly systemic and integrative scientific discipline, was Cybernetics stopped dead in its tracks?
Conway and Siegleman's provide us with the answer to this question, and, by the way, it has absolutely nothing to do with science or logic!
Hopefully their tale will leave you, as it did me, with a profound sense of what might have been, had cybernetics progressed in line with the Philosophy and Vision of the Original Knights of Circular Causality.
This is a brilliant biography.

Dark Hero of the Information Age recounts his life and discoveries - and the consequences of his discoveries.
Dark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Nortbert Wiener the Father of Cybernetics tells of an ex-child prodigy and MIT mathematician who founded cybernetics - and then spent the rest of his life warning the world of the consequences of the new technologies he helped foster. Surprisingly, his works and his warnings are relatively unknown today - despite the fact many of his concerns and predictions came true. Dark Hero of the Information Age recounts his life and discoveries - and the consequences of his discoveries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

superbly researched and quite interesting
Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman have put an immense effort into writing an exhaustive review of Norbert Wiener, one of the great geniuses of the last century.Wiener spoke an ungodly number of languages, got his PhD from Harvard at the age of 19, made immense contributions to mathematics, biology, computer sciences, medicine, political thought - even in McCarthy's heyday he had no qualms about speaking his mind -, etc, etc.

As generally is the case with biographies of Wunderkinder, the authors ultimately are not equal to their subjects, not for lack of effort, but for lack of having the intellect necessary to understand and do justice to an über-prodigy.And so it is with this book; rather than to analyze and judge Wiener's various accomplishments and beliefs, which range from phenomenal scientific accomplishments to believing that he had been reincarnated, the authors prefer to "tell it as it was" and let the reader draw his or her conclusions.

Despite these inevitable limitations, this book is well worth reading, albeit thoughtfully. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Something about this book doesn't sit well with me
I have had this book(2000 version) for years and every time I try and read it I can never complete it. I don't know if it is because of how closely it is typed together or the checklist to dos or what. This book just doesn't resonate with me. It is hard to change your life if you can't even get through the book. Save your money and buy the original version.

Great book... but only if you seek further insight
Although I like the book, nothing can compare to the original.Read Psycho-Cybernetics by Maltz or the revised version by Kennedy first.I read both versions and you can't go wrong with either one.Then if you're serious about implementing the ideas/methods of Psycho-Cybernetics in your life, read Psycho-Cybernetics 2000.This book has numerous examples of how people use the ideas and methods of Psycho-Cybernetics to overcome hardships/trials and tribulations in their lives.There are also helpful techniques in this book that are not mentioned in the other versions.Great book!

Good Book
I have read the original and I have read this one.The original is great.This one is better.It has concrete steps and explains how exactly to implement Maltz's revolutionary ideas of self-image enhancement.I got the feeling with the original that Maxwell Maltz was so turned on and excited by these new discoveries that he was eager to just "get it out there" and worry about the details later.The creators of Psycho-Cybernetics 2000, having had the opportunity to see Maltz's ideas applied in the field for 33 years, show us concrete examples of how actual people applied Psycho-Cybernetics to improve their actual experience.The example about the good-looking guy who couldn't get it up was a gem.I am not a flag-defender (I call people who are more interested in explaining why one methodology is better than another instead of just using whatever method to get results, flag-defenders) and many of the negative reviews seem to be written by these people.In PC 2000 you will find a much clearer language as to how to actually put Maltz's ideas into practice.That being said, the original is great for giving you the backgroud for the power of the self-image.In short, if I were to choose an action book, get PC 2000; if you want a theroy book with a few applicable ideas, get Maltz's original PC.

Useful, clear, and comprehensive
I'm not familiar with the original work done by Maltz in the sixties and found this to be a useful book. The writing is clear and the concepts are easily understood. I would have liked more updated information about the biology and study of the concepts but maybe that's for another book. If you're familiar with modern self-help there won't be anything shocking here but it's interesting to read about it in the original language so to speak. I was happily surprised by the comprehensiveness of the book: there are chapters on the basics, goal setting, changing your beliefs, and putting all the concepts together. Something you won't see in many other self-help books is a chapter on what to do when nothing is working. I liked the book and would recommend it as a good starting place.

Get the Original!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book is a complete spin-off of the original PSYCHO CYBERNETICS By Maxwell Maltz, which was a classic. Don't buy this book as it's just a get-rich-quick scheme by the author Bobbe Sommer as she adds nothing substantial to the original material, just her own boring stories. I have the original book by Maxwell Maltzand it is one of the best self help book I have ever read. Bobbe Sommer has just ruined the PSYCHO CYBERNETICS philosophy by adding her own crap in this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The other side of the coin to his other book "Three Magic Words"
This book was published in the 1960s (after looking through all his other books which are mostly philosophical rather than practical especially "Three Magic Words", which he says in one of his books, is the other side of the coin to "Success-Cybernetics") and is in my opinion, the best and most practical one. There are some good pointers and may seem common sense to most people already. However, I have found that you have to sift through the myriad of stories to get at his points in each one, most of the time.

For example, on page 31, he states how to find and develop our greatest potential.
Another example is on page 75 learning to discipline your imagination is similar to using Archimedes' lever.
Another example is on page 127 learning to think is similar to learning how to manipulate symbols in our mind.

Tough-love that works
Don't look for gentle handholding in this book. The reader is called to the carpet for not taking action and attaining success where desired. This is not your 21st century coddling politically-correct self-help text. The author is particularly harsh on religion, especially Christianity (although he takes many shots at Buddhism and Taoism). If you can get past that, there is some extremely useful information here.

Cybernetics is the science of feedback loops. Try something-then evaluate the results-then make adjustments-then try again. Anderson encourages using this idea for your life. If an action isn't producing the desired results, try something else. Eventually, you will get on the right track, everything will become automatic, and the success loop will re-enforce itself. He promotes this simple idea through many motivating and colorful stories.

While some readers may find his style coarse, I found it was exactly the kick in the pants that I needed. Something I had been procrastinating over/avoiding for over two years I finally got done thanks to Anderson's writing. I believe that is the highest form of praise for any motivational book.

Keep what works, get rid of the things that don't work ...
One of the best lines in the book,says Keep the things, ideas that work, get rid of the things that don't work, and try the things that look like they might work.

Entertaining and Superbly Effective!!!!
Deserves 10+ stars for a rating. By far, the best Self Help book ever written AND the best of all the U.S. Andersen titles. This is a gritty, down-to-earth, hard-hitting, yet humorous and clear presentation of specific mechanisms which put the science of Automatic Control into the hands of people so they can get the most out of their brains (the body's control center) and, as a result, get the most out of their lives.
Success Cybernetics is so exceptional, its hard to put into words. You get a solid read from it. There's no wishy-washy "Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura, Dr. Dyer, Deepak, Oprah" garbage in it, just straight forward meat-and-potatoes information showing how to "build" an accurate "Control Mechanism" and "Guidance Mechanism", and have them form an automatic "Success Mechanism". When you read this book, be prepared! If you're wise, you'll try out this system on one simple goal you have in your life. Then, when you see how fantastically it functions and how easy and clearly you achieve that goal, you'll be ready to utilize it in every aspect of your affairs. And, you'll take all your other Self Help books and toss them!
This is a "down-and dirty" kind of book. A book you can really sink your mental teeth into. It was first published in 1966 and is still in print, so that alone should tell you something about its contents. Success Cybernetics IS the hidden diamond among the mounds of other hoaky Self Help material and its too bad more people (young and old) don't know about it. If they did, productivity, inventiveness, ability, and shining sanity would increase within our society to the point where you wouldn't be able to recognize things in a year or two!
GET THIS BOOK! DON'T LET ANYTHING STOP YOU! READ IT AND RE-READ IT SEVERAL TIMES THIS YEAR! TAKE NOTES ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION AND FUNTION OF THE MECHANISMS! TRY IT OUT - GRADUALLY WITH SIMPLY GOALS FIRST - THEN REALLY OPEN IT UP FULL BLAST! YOU WON'T BE SORRY!

best book I have ever read
This book is so absorbing and entertaining that you cant put it down. It will teach you the secret of succeeding at everything in your life and inspire you to do so . You'll be so excited that you will love doing thingsthat you never previously had the guts to do. A must read and referencebook on the secrets of living the way you've really dreamed of . ... Read more

Book Description
One of the best theoretical and applied analyses of university academic organization and leadership in print. This book is significant because it is not only thoughtfully developed and based on careful reading of the extensive literature on leadership and governance, but it is also deliberately intAnded to enable the author to bridge the gap between theories of organization, on one hand, and practical application, on the other.
?Journal of Higher Education

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Customer Reviews (2)

Enriching and must book for CEOs
I would grade this book as the 10 star must book for every CEO and would reccommend to eveyone who is genuinely interested in the business of higher education administration. The author deals with many types of power and this is, to my opinion, one of the brightest and essential parts of the book. I generally admire Dr. Birnbaum and enjoy reading his books very much. It is a great privilege and opportunity that AMAZON has this book and one can get the book. The other brights sides of this book have been reviewed and thouroughly studied by many professionals. The book has been in great demand at the universities where the highed EdAdmin is studied.

A General Theory for Higher Ed. Administration
A highly theoretical text; Birnbaum takes the reader through a well-planned out dissection of the common systems and "loops of interaction" in a college or university setting.He mainly focuses on the division of power between administrators and faculty, and gives frameworks for how these groups may interact with each other, or within their group.Birnbaum shows the reader 5 fictional samples of institutions of higher education: collegial institutions, bureaucratic institutions, political institutions, and anarchical institutions.In his final section of the text, Birnbaum gives his idea of the ideal institution: the cybernetic institution, which encompasses characteristics of the four other types.I was a little disappointed that Birnbaum did not manage to tie up all the loose ends or to present a solidrecommendation about how to create positive change in an institution of higher education.His theories of open and closed systems, dual control, and tight vs. weak coupling, however, are very insightful and well thought-out.A good basic framework. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book is an amazing read and practice...! Wow!
Considering the average hypnosis book. Nothing, and I mean nothing is more amazing than the Hypno-Cybernetics system. Sure the method is simple. (Three steps) But in the few days that I've had this book. Wow is just the bottom of the barrel describing Dr. Petrie & Dr. Stone's system of sdubconscious programming. I did the chair and suconscious signal finger raising and subconscious command excercise, (the core of the three steps I was talking about) and the results were just amazing. And on my first day doing it. I recently went on Dr. Petrie's website for his hypnosis institute. Know that this book was written in 1973, you can only wonder what they can do now in one day. I believe and know that their claims are true and real about being able to cure certain phobias and ailments in one day because of the powerfully instant results I had with this book. This review is as for real as "a house on fire". Believe me, when I say that this book is an amazing read and practice -- I mean you read it, you do it, then you experience the incredible results.

Captain Josh. ... Read more

Book Description
In these essays Heinz von Foerster discusses some of the fundamental principles that govern how we know the world and how we process the information from which we derive that knowledge. Included are path- breaking articles concerning the principles of computation in neural nets (1967), the definition of self-organizing systems (1960), the nature of cognition (1970), as well as recent expansions on these themes (e.g. "How recursive is communication," 1993). Working with Norbert Wiener, Warren McCullough, and others in the 1960s and 1970s, von Foerster was one of the founders of the science of cybernetics, which has had profound effects both on modern systems theory and on the philosophy of cognition. At the Biological Computer Laboratory at the University of Illinois he produced the first parallel computers and contributed to many other developments in the theory of computation and cognition. ... Read more