X Books

Before the present days of "All-In-One MCSE Exam Cram", there were those computer professionals who knew about the construction of their computer hardware on a micro level and how to write programs that would control that hardware. This book is from those times. Using Basic, C, Pascal, and assembly language the reader is shown how to do such tasks as play a sequence of tones in the foreground, draw individual pixels in various graphics modes, print graphics on a laserjet printer, and intercept keystrokes without displaying them. Granted, there are much easier ways to do the things talked about in this book than assembly language programs, but you get a very good lesson on the inner workings of your computer to boot. Things have not changed so much over the years that basic computer architecture is not the same and therefore some of the information is still useful. The table of contents for the second edition is as follows:

1. Program Organization
2. Equipment Determination - Shows you how to inventory and assess various system resources.
3. Managing Memory - Shows how to inventory conventional and expanded memory. Shows how to manipulate expanded memory.
4. Programming Interrupts - After a brief tutorial on PC interrupts, you are shown how to program an interrupt controller chip, enable and disable particular interrupts, write your own ISR, and finally chain into existing interrupts.
5. Clocks and Timers - Shows how to control time, date, the real-time clock, and control real-time operations.
6. Programming Sound - Takes you from merely beeping the speaker to playing one or more tones to making sound effects.
7. Intercepting keystrokes - After intercepting keystrokes you may want to display them, intercept conditionally, and write a general purpose keyboard input routine.
8. Interpreting Keystrokes - How to look up various codes, use the numeric keypad and cursor keys, and use special purpose keys.
9. Using a Mouse - Setting the characteristics of the mouse, define the mouse's relationship to the screen, and inputting both analog and digital data from a game port.
10. Managing Disk Drives - This is all about how to manipulate and determine disk space and recover from disk errors.
11. Directory Access - How to manipulate directories and files.
12. Reading and Writing Files - The basics of file IO.
13. Controlling Video Hardware - How to control the screen display mode, background, border color, find and manipulate the cursor, and scroll a text screen.
14. Displaying text - How to write individual characters and strings.
15. Displaying Graphics - How to write pixels for the various graphics formats including EGA and VGA and how to find a color at a particular
point on the screen.
16. Controlling a printer - How to control and print on an HP LaserJet.

The examples in this book will tell you how to control most of the basic hardware on your computer at a low level. Controlling the head and motors on the floppy drive, activating and using XMS, and many more are all explained and include a code example in 4 languages. In addition, each section includes tutorial and background information on that area of computer hardware that explains some of the background that might affect results.

This is basically a cookbook for doing all kinds of neat things with your computer. Has code snippets in c, basic, asm, and pascal.

I love this book!

Great book!Here's what it say's on the back:

"It's hungry!" Betsy exclaims,as the thin little cat runs to them, mewing.If only they could take the cat upstairs!But cats aren't allowed in the housing project.

Soon it will be winter and the little cat will freeze-unless Betsy and her friends think of somthing quickly.

This book is hard to find(I found it in my class library and all the kids want to read it) Anyway, this book is about a girl called Betsy. She finds a cat in the the bushes, but can't keep him because her apartment doesn't allow pets.She tries to fight city hall,but can she keep him ? Find out in this great book!

The book starts out when Betsy and her friends discover that there is a cat hiding in the bushes. Betsy wants to take the cat inside, but she knows this is wishful thinking.It's impossible--for she lives in a housing project that doesn't allow any pets. Betsy starts using her allowance to buy the cat food and milk. But the poor cat scratches her when she gives him her food. Soon the cat stops scratching Betsy, but her and her best friend, Ellen get into a fight and they stop being friends for a while.
They get back together, and Ellen finds out that the cat is going to have kittens. The cat will have to be inside then because soon it will be winter.
This was before the night of the hurricane.
Betsy knew someone would have to take the cat inside, so she convinced her mother to keep the cat inside for the night. The next day, she regretfully took the cat back.
How could she ever get to keep her cat?
Then Betsy remembers. She could get all the people of the housing project to sign a petition to allow pets. She got over 87 people to sign the petition.
The next day, Betsy and all of her friends went to city hall to see if the mayor will accept the petition. The mayor says he can't accept, but the City Council can. But do they accept it? Find out in this great book!

I've said this before in my blog, but these Project X books are the kind of books I wished I'd studied in business school: As case studies in product design, as primers on the business culture differences between the US and Japan, as studies in how far people will go to succeed--the Project X books are simply fascinating.

While I'm not a Datsun fan myself, I am certainly more informed about the car now. But more importantly, what I found most appealing about this book, was how the creators manage to make the reader feel the importance of what's happening.

Put it this way: To the outside observer, watching some middle managers try to make a business venture work probably sounds as fun as reading a Powerpoint presentation--but Akira Yokoyama is able to make the reader feel like they're watching something epic and monumental, conveying exactly how the business people in this tale are feeling as they work hard to make their shared dream a reality.

I got this book not knowing what it was. A comic book read backwards, and right to left to boot. I thought I was getting a history book on Nissan and the Z car development.
It was a Great Book! It had a lot of early drawings of Datsun products and really told a great story and put all the Datsun characters and history into place. It was a light reading book and can be read in one evening. It will be in my Datsun book collection forever!

This manga tells the story of the development of the Datsun 240Z. It depicts the challenges faced by the designers and proponents of the vehicle, both from within the company and from market forces. It depicts the businessmen involved properly, as heroic individuals, who overcome obstacle after obstacle in their pursuit of success. The manga demonstrates the virtues necessary for businesspeople to succeed.

This collection opens doors to new understandings of contemporary spirituality in the USA.. The committed and courageous individuals who contributed to this volume give voice to the current and future fusion of transformative practice and social and environmental justice.
I highly recommend this book!

Mimi Goldman, Eugene Oregon

Stephen Dinan's Radical Spirit gathers writings by almost thirty pioneers and visionaries with different views of modern spirituality, from Sadhvi Bhagwati to Julia Butterfly Hill and others. Buddhist, Wiccas, and a range of practitioners in-between are represented in a volume which highlights spiritual and social awakening alike.

RADICAL SPIRIT features a collection of personal writings from young spiritual seekers. Though the book contains multifarious experiences and viewpoints, a common core emerges that speaks to the heart. The unity-in-diversity is this: each author lives his or her own vision with sincerity and authenticity. They each approach their own unique path with a warm openness in body, mind, and spirit.

If you're interested in immersing yourself in emerging cultures, new visions of the world, and fresh outlooks on life, then this book is a must read. Some see Generation X as a transition culture - given life by the Boomers and birthing the culture yet to come. Ken Wilber calls this unfolding stage of consciousness "integral." Given the great spiral of development, the contributors of RADICAL SPIRIT act as prophets for tomorrow by courageously sharing the light and darkness of their lives here and now.

Reading this book made me feel at home.

The Raven's pool is a fast-paced, emotionally invigorating read recommended to anyone with an interest in archaeology or native lore. Author Deborah Cannon's fast-paced prose and engaging characters make this intellectual thriller an unforgettable read.

That's when my dog finally got his walk; he had to wait. What an emotional read -- a disturbing read -- a fascinating read. So many levels, I can't stop thinking about it.

The Raven's Pool is a fast-paced, emotionally invigorating read recommended to anyone with an interest in archaeology or native lore. Author Deborah Cannon's fast-paced prose and engaging characters make this intellectual thriller an unforgettable read.

Todo lo que traiga informacion de la mejor y mas grande banda de rock del mundo es bienvenida. Siempre sera sabroso conocer detalles de su historia y de su largo caminar en el mundo del rock. Gran libro.

Este es un libro que vale la pena leerse, escrito por un verdadero fan y conocedor de los Rolling y no por un articulista cubriendo un encargo. Conocí muchos nuevos aspectos del grupo que me eran desconocidos y me queda claro que su aportación a la música y a la cultura es algo que tendrá que estudiarse algun día en las universidades. Los Rolling fueron una gran banda, con un legado tan grande que cuando ya no estén, el vacío será difícil de llenar. El día de ayer los Rolling agotaron las entradas a sus conciertos en Irlanda en seis minutos, lo cual me hace recordar un pasaje de la introducción del libro que recuerda cómo en los años noventas aparecieron fantásticas bandas alternativas, nuevos actos en el pop que hacían uso de su legado, pero ninguno de ellos fue tan bueno como los Stones. Cuando todos los daban por muertos, volvieron más viejos y sabios. "Ahora somos unos fascinantes viejos de mierda", en palabras de Keith. ¡Este libro captura la esencia de los Rolling Stones!

¿Cuántos libros más sobre los Rolling Stones hacen falta? Considérese que hasta Tony Sánchez ha empezado a anunciar la segunda parte de su famoso "Up and down with The Rolling Stones", y pareciera que ya existen demasiados. Sin embargo, ya desde las primeras páginas, este libro nos hace opinar lo contrario . Muchos trabajos literarios sobre los Rolling Stones prometen contarnos su historia "como nunca antes la habías escuchado"; para los conocedores, esta promesa por lo general queda sin cumplir, pero "Bailando con el diablo" efectivamente se lee distinto, en ocasiones como crónica, en ocasiones como historia de suspenso y en otras con suficiente buen humor. Dividida en cuatro partes, el autor desarrolla una propuesta en la primera de ellas, dedicada a la historia, señalando cómo los Rolling Stones vivieron de la provocación en todos sus niveles y de hacer señalamientos que no siempre resultaron muy cómodos. La narración está intercalada con palabras muy reveladoras de los propios Stones, lo que demuestra un gran trabajo de investigación. Los pasajes son vívidos e intensos, por ejemplo, cuando el propio Bill Wyman relata como Keith Richards se retorcía en el piso del dolor por falta de droga, o el propio guitarrista, cuando narra como conocieron a Muddy Waters en su primera visita a los estudios Chess (la leyenda del blues les cargó sus maletas). La segunda parte es la más extensa y está dedicada a comentar disco por disco, yendo siempre más allá de la simple enumeración de las canciones. En cada disco hay suficientes párrafos para hacer buenos análisis sobre la trascendencia de las letras, los acontecimientos personales de la banda y los momentos históricos que produjeron sus mejores obras, etcétera. El autor conoce lo que está haciendo, abundando el libro con información que no había encontrado en otras obras. La tercera parte es una semblanza de cada uno de los miembros que han pertenecido al grupo, aunque se extraña la presencia de Darryl Jones y Ian Stewart. La cuarta parte completa la obra con un ABC de la banda, hablando de todos los aspectos que no alcanzan a cubrir las tres primeras, como su carrera cinematográfica y un analisis sobre los temas inéditos. Primera vez que me entero que los Rolling tambien grabaron "Roll over Beethoven". En general, un esfuerzo muy original que será indispensable en toda buena bibliografía sobre el grupo. Es de agradecer la exhaustividad con la que se presenta. Definivo que no habíamos tenido la oportunidad de ver una obra tan completa sobre los Rolling desde el recordado libro de Jordi Sierra I Fabra. Atte. David H.

...continues the excellence of the series. Originally intended as the final book of the series, "The Story of Civilization", in ended up being the penultimate volume.

The Durants lucidly and eloquently summarize the philosophy, life and influence that Rousseau had on the 18th century and, indeed, continues to have to this very day. Rousseau may be regarded as the creator of the Left-wing sensibility. This may seem anachronistic and, in a sense, it is. Rousseau died before the French Revolution, which created the modern political division of Right and Left. Nevertheless, it is accurate to see him as the Fountainhead for relativism, communism, and the worship of feeling as opposed to reason (debased and emptied of all intellectual content this is now called building "self-esteem" by the modern leftist).

Rousseau created most of the modern ills of political fanaticism and airy, absurd idealism as the Durants so ably note.

The rest of the period is not neglected and vivid portraits are made of Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, the Elder Pitt, Diderot, D'Holbach, Samuel Johnson and many, many others help this book to shine.

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize--which should have gone to the entire series as opposed to just this volume--this book gives the reader a complete (if necessarily synopsized) account of the End and Failure of the Enlightenment and how what Rousseau and Voltaire intended in their attacks on the social structure (Rousseau) and religion (Voltaire) lead to disastrous consequences in the French Revolution.

The writing sparkles with vivid wit, pith and lucid beauty. It is a book to be read for a lifetime and bequeathed to children. In an age where smarmy, intellectually empty, political fanaticism is attempting to erase the past in favor of the PC fantasies of the moment, the Durants offer a vivid account of the Truth. European civilization is presented here in all its glory and with all its warts. Slavery, religious fanaticism, exploitation and the horrors of the penal system and warfare are all presented here, in their proper place and in context. The modern academic community has attempted to destroy the ideal of context and balance. As long as these books are around, REAL history and historiography are available to anyone who simply opens a copy and reads it.

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...continues the excellence of the series. Originally intended as the final book of the series, "The Story of Civilization", in ended up being the penultimate volume.

The Durants lucidly and eloquently summarize the philosophy, life and influence that Rousseau had on the 18th century and, indeed, continues to have to this very day. Rousseau may be regarded as the creator of the Left-wing sensibility. This may seem anachronistic and, in a sense, it is. Rousseau died before the French Revolution, which created the modern political division of Right and Left. Nevertheless, it is accurate to see him as the Fountainhead for relativism, communism, and the worship of feeling as opposed to reason (debased and emptied of all intellectual content this is now called building "self-esteem" by the modern leftist).

Rousseau created most of the modern ills of political fanaticism and airy, absurd idealism as the Durants so ably note.

The rest of the period is not neglected and vivid portraits are made of Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, the Elder Pitt, Diderot, D'Holbach, Samuel Johnson and many, many others help this book to shine.

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize--which should have gone to the entire series as opposed to just this volume--this book gives the reader a complete (if necessarily synopsized) account of the End and Failure of the Enlightenment and how what Rousseau and Voltaire intended in their attacks on the social structure (Rousseau) and religion (Voltaire) lead to disastrous consequences in the French Revolution.

The writing sparkles with vivid wit, pith and lucid beauty. It is a book to be read for a lifetime and bequeathed to children. In an age where smarmy, intellectually empty, political fanaticism is attempting to erase the past in favor of the PC fantasies of the moment, the Durants offer a vivid account of the Truth. European civilization is presented here in all its glory and with all its warts. Slavery, religious fanaticism, exploitation and the horrors of the penal system and warfare are all presented here, in their proper place and in context. The modern academic community has attempted to destroy the ideal of context and balance. As long as these books are around, REAL history and historiography are available to anyone who simply opens a copy and reads it.

In this, the tenth volume in the critically acclaimed series "The Story of Civilization," Dr. will & Ariel Durant have compiled a masterful dramatic exploration of the European climate and the events which paved the way for the French Revolution.

The reader will be exposed to a vivid recount of the acts of: Rousseau, who confessed his most embarassing sexual and emotional episodes. England and the rise of her overseas empire. Catherine The Great of Russia. Frederick The Great of Prussia. The German Enlightenment. Marie Antoinette. France's impotent and frustrated King Louis XVI. And much, much more including plates and maps.

Written to stand alone or within the series, the Durants have composed an unparalleled historical prose in smooth flowing narrative that is easy to read and understand by both professional and layperson alike. In short, this book is for everyone. I rate it as five stars. Bravo!

A page-turning novel set in 1920's Scotland...Cronin's protagonist is a brilliant scientist content to save the world, but makes a discovery that cause his scientific ordeals to take a backseat: a forbidden love. Cronin really puts us there, Dr. Shannon (our protagonist) is hilarious in his observations of the idiots around him....All in all a great read, and impossible to put down for the last 20 chapters...You'll feel better for the read....

An extremley superior Mills and BOOM! All the necessary ingredients for kicking off your shoes on a wet Sunday afternoon. Love, reglion, a medic and a woman mad for it. The climax of the book is when our herione gets scarlet fever, but Dr. Shannon (probably with bronzed torso toboot!) saves the girl, saves the book, saves you finishing the entire bag of wine gums and any other excuse you need to waste your life.

Read it. Live it. SORT IT!

Shannon's Way is a book about Dr Robert Shannon who lives for his experiments and finds love that nearly tortures him as much as a failed experiment six months in the making. Great Book!

I had this book as a textbook for a literature course and absolutely loved it. The stories are so entertaining and deep leaving you want to read them again. The authors include:

Sherman Alexie
Margaret Atwood
James Baldwin
Toni Cade Bambara
Andrea Barrett
Donald Barthelme
Richard Bausch
Charles Baxter
Anne Beattie
Robert Olen Butler
Raymond Carver
John Cheever
Junot Diaz
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Louise Erdich
Richard Ford
Barry Hannah
Gish Jen
Jamaica Kincaid
Bernard Malamud
Rick Moody
Lorrie Moore
Alice Munro
Antonya Nelson
Joyce Carol Oates
Tim O'Brien
Flannery O'Connor
Grace Paley
George Saunders
John Updike
Eudora Welty
Tobias Wolff
Richard Yates

Once I read the forward and first bio, I knew this was going to be the new short story textbook for the literature and writing classes I teach. Not only are the stories carefully and thoughtfully selected, but the order and importance of each is highlighted and informed by the introduction from other accomplished writers. I have used many short story collections in my classes, and this is by far the best and most thorough anthology I have seen. Beyond that, my students love it (no small thing)!

This book is a great idea. Not only does it offer more than one story for each writer, but it also asks current writers to introduce the work of their favorite authors. Hence, Charles Baxter introduces Antonya Nelson, who introduces Flannery O'Connor. With its focus on the contemporary short story, this book will be of use to many readers--especially to young writers trying to teach themselves the fiction craft.

While it's hard to quibble with these 33 choices, there are probably just as many deserving writers who were left out. Perhaps there will one day be a sequel -- 6 X 66 -- though the numbers on the cover might scare the religious right.

Actually, that's another reason to root for a sequel.

Believe it or not, Dame Julie Andrews herself signed a copy of this book for me at Harrod's in London! This story has so much heart and the illustrations are simply gorgeous.

The imprint of the 'umbrella' under which this beautiful book was published, "Words, Wisdom and Wonder", fits it all the way. It is a beautiful story, wonderfully told and handsomely illustrated. I'll not retell it here. The editorials have already done that. I would say simply, that Simeon's story belongs in every household that has a child to be enwrapped by it and in any other household that appreciates good things. The book "Simeon's Gift" is definitely one of those 'good things'. I'm a grandmother, with grown grandchildren now...but I got the book for myself and find it a sheer delight to look at and to read. The CD that comes with it is a supersized bonus. Read so clearly and beautifully by Dame Julie and acompanied by lovely and appropriate music, it's a joy to listen to. Thank you Julie! I highly recommend it.

A beautiful story, beautifully illustrated, and wonderfully told by Julie Andrews (on the CD that is included.)
I know my kids will enjoy it, and recommend it to anyone who loves a beautiful, well told, story!