The Flight of a Wild Duck: An Improbable Journey Through Life and Technology Paperback – August 30, 2021

I thoroughly enjoyed The Flight of a Wild Duck. As a fellow Intel alumnus, I had the opportunity to meet Avram and be involved with some of the same projects and people as him during my career, though we never actually worked together. I didn’t learn about his childhood health, family, and educational challenges or his adventures in the merchant marines until much later. The early chapters of the book provide many details of this period of his life, which provides insights into what drove him to pursue the paths he did, and what influenced his choices along the way.While many of the Intel people, products, and decisions that he discusses are very familiar to me, his perspective added a broader context to my understanding that was very interesting. Likewise, while I was aware of his involvement in both the consumer broadband and CAA Media Lab initiatives, his detailed narrative on what these efforts actually took to achieve is extremely informative, and clearly shows the impact that Avram had in facilitating the industry cooperation required to enable the standards-based broadband infrastructure supporting all aspects of our lives today.Those of us who lived through the early years of the internet can certainly appreciate how far we’ve come. Those in developed countries who were born after 2000 have not known a time without the availability of ubiquitous broadband and the capabilities it enables for communications, collaboration, work, entertainment, education, telehealth and many other opportunities. While the data rates and services available continue to expand, we are still working to ensure inclusive access to these services for everyone in all communities – a political rather than technical issue. The economics of this standards-based infrastructure will hopefully make this possible soon.Business and technology, strategy and tactics, and the power of developing and maintaining personal relationships as keys to success are also covered along the way. The wide variety of high tech, business, entertainment, and venture capital leaders that Avram met and engaged along his journey is simply incredible. He was involved with more key people at more key decision points in the history of business and technology than anyone I can think of including Forrest Gump, but Avram is absolutely real!Last but not least, there are many paths to success and many ways to pursue an education, but creativity, intuition, eclectic interests, and a vision of what is possible that other people are unable to see is what differentiates those who are very good from those who are exceptional. It is certainly what enabled this exceptional wild duck to fly so high.

I just finished Avram Miller's fine book on his life ... his life in tech, but also his life generally.I've met Avram and always found him brutally honest, intensely creative and passionately committed to helping advance any project you and he share. I was not aware of the, um, challenging childhood or the self-driven education outside of traditional schools and university programs. That, coupled with his innate curiosity and intelligence, may explain the extraordinary career.Dr. Miller's personalized reports from his perch as a senior executive at Intel (and other tech companies) are rich in insight and extremely clear. Frankly, even though I had a tech career, I didn't understand how broadband fit into the picture until reading this book. He explains the rise of PCs, multimedia and networking succinctly and richly without losing the lay reader or dumbing things down. That's hard to do, and he succeeds.Last, the book is a page-turner. I found myself eager to jump into each new chapter. And I was sorry when it ended. This book has something for everyone -- for sure anyone wanting to understand how strategy fits into businesses, especially those companies innovating and deploying disruptive technologies. But the book also is for anyone who can appreciate how an awkward, sickly kid from humble beginnings can make his way in the world and find fulfillment and happiness to go along with his success.

If you like personal stories from people who shaped the technical world we live in, you'll love this book. It covers Avram Miller's rough, sometimes brutal, childhood to his rise through various now-famous technology firms, culminating in getting out of the market just shortly before the dot com implosion. Driven by many wise gut-feeling decisions, he helped bring broadband internet to the masses while working for Intel Capital.This story contains a lot of interesting info, especially the history of Intel. I've highlighted this book and have plenty of post-it notes throughout. There is one aspect of this that really sets it apart from other tech adventure books - it's the personal details. From a rough childhood dealing with relatives who suffered from mental illness to an exceptionally informative section on prostate cancer, this book was more than a "gee whiz" technology book - it will help you appreciate staying healthy with a positive mindset.And luck. Don't forget luck. Miller mentions this at the start and he shares several examples of pure happenstance that curved his life trajectory, whether it be chance meetings in a restaurant or being sat next to a CEO on an airplane. Needless to say, this book is fascinating.

The Flight of a Wild Duck is that rare autobiography by a Silicon Valley legend that is about people and accomplishments rather than just making money. It tells the story of someone who has constantly reinvented himself and, as a result, the world around him. We learn that Avram’s success is partly attributable to his genius and visionary nature, but also because he is humble, funny, and kind. The story explains how he developed those traits during a challenging childhood and the powerful way in which they have supported him in his life and career.The book charts his improbable rise from hippie to merchant seaman to professor of medicine to computer nerd to one of the most powerful venture capitalists. It is a story of taking risks, resilience in the face of failure, and an indomitable, happy spirit that can inspire us all. Along the way, it is also a fascinating window on the history of technology from the 1970s through the present.I strongly recommend this book to everyone because Avram Miller’s life story is extraordinary.

Great book if you really want to read this story. Generally, I do not like these kind of books. It does not work well for me. It was a mistake to buy it. I am sure this book is an amazing experience for many. Then when I realized I was going to be boring for me, I decided that this really would not work for me. For instance, I dont like books about Life. The first part was already too much about Life. I did not find any explanation about reading it different. The second part "An original Hippie" - I have to say I dont want to read about Hippies. But in the middle it was quite amusing. Luckily there was a third part, I thought, but then I found out I also dont want to read about "a fledging scientist". My girlfriend found it amusing and interesting. The rest was like the beginning.The writer knows how to write but not for me. Many may like this book. I did not.