Digital Books

This is a great story about the development of a baseball prodigy and his ex-big-league coach. I read it in one sitting, a testament to its quick pace. The characters are well-developed and the bittersweet surprise ending is a real gem.

Definitely a cool "what-if" kind of story. I started reading and found myself captivated.
Worth a lot more than 49 cents.

The story was very well written. It held my attention throughout.
The characters were alive and well depicted. I loved the suspence and
the unique way of finding the MISTAKE.

I completely enjoyed The Holmes Limit. The story captures your attention immediately. I especially recommend the story to kids that play team sports or parents of children that play sports. The ending was great!

I read some poems here and there...but what captivated me was the story about the "adjuster."
The story makes fun of corporate america and how if someone wants to succeed, they would have to proove themselves. This guy just wants to perform his job well and is a very ambitious man. He is so ambitious that he even commits murder.
This story is a very quirky story about the insurance industry and corporate america. I would highly recommend to purchase this book and see exactly what the rave is all about.

This short story touches the spirit of a man, his inner thoughts and actions.
It is written in a very clear way that makes you finish the story and uncover the deepest emotions of the main character.

I am in awe of this gem that I came across in this otherwise bland anthology.

Never have I read a more real and gut wrenching story about racism,company loyalty,murder and a character that will not ever leave my mind.

Who is this writer? He has created an original,grotesqe,racist claims adjuster that commits murder,spews hate,blackmails and yet,whether we like it or not,we care for him on some level. Without a doubt this is a character and story that is so original,so disturbing and so good that I feel like marketing this story.

The Adjuster takes up half the anthology,and for good reason: it is amazing. We finally have a politically incorrect novel that should be honered for its courage and insights: it lets us know that America is still run by white males weho use racial profiles to exploit its customers and employees. If you have ever had an auto claim,or might,read this story.

But the real brillance is the writing and characters and the originality of the story. It is hysterically funny at times,and so brutal and ugly the next. Its graphic and raw,but never is it not true to its themes and message.Its an Anti Racist book;anyone denies this denies racism exists.

I could not put this down.A hunchback claims rep with a shedding skin condition and who is the most vile character I have ever read,commits blackmail,murder,extortion and yet does so for what he feels is for the integrrity of the insurance industry.

You need to read this twice to pick up the clever and subtle nuances that you miss on the first read.

The suopporting characters are amazing,as is how racially biased this industry can be.

Willard Newman is someone I feel I know,he wont go away.I have never written a review but Ive read many books. This gem is so original,so brutal,so funny and so repulsive,the publisher must be on cloud nine.

Please read this story. Hollywood take notice: Willard Newman will become a household name.

This blew me away, I have had five of my friends read this and some were disgusted,angered,apalled but were in awe of this story.

Mr Bobrow,you have done something special: you have created an original monster,an original story and I demand to know who your agent is,because if you dont have one,I will represent you.

WOW. READ THIS. AND THEN READ IT AGAIN. ITS COURAGEOUS, UGLY, and BRILLANT.

I loved this story. It is so real and true to the ugliness of life
in corporate america. Willard Newman has all the attributes and foul elements that the insurance industry embodies. I could definitely see Robin Williams playing this part. Willard Newman is a character I will not forget. He is etched in my mind forever. Read this book!

Bentley Little's "Hunting" is largely a departure from the author's usual horror genre. It's the tale of a young boy's joy at hunting with his father, and what happens when someone intrudes on that experience (and, we find out, on a lot more, too.) It's also a story that packs an emotional impact in another way: by portraying what happens when a youngster loses his innocence by finding out things about his parents that he'd really rather not have known. I think almost everyone can relate to this experience.

The story is very well-written. I really liked the fact that, for once, a mainstream fiction writer portrayed hunting and fishing in a positive light, emphasizing the bond it creates between father and son. It's time people realize that not all (in my experience, not even most) hunters and fisherman are drunken, lawbreaking rednecks. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are of hunting and fishing with my father, and, like the narrator of the story, getting skunked didn't detract from the experience of at all. (A loudmouthed interloper surely would've, though.)

My only complaint, and it's probably just a matter of personal taste, is that I thought the ending was too abrupt and ambiguous. Don't get me wrong -- I like when things are implied in a story rather than stated explicitly. Still, I'd have liked at least a little bit more of a hint about what was going to happen after the story ended -- too many possibilities sprang to my mind based on the last page. However, I realize some people like an ambiguous ending, and, if you're one of them, you'll probably see this as a five-star story.

The only thing that I regretted; is the shortness of this marvelous story.
This story has touched me deeply, as I love nature very much and I enjoy being in the woods, enjoying the wild life in all its magnificent forms and shapes.
I will definitely read it again and again, and I recommend every nature loving Pearson to read it, it will definitely remind every one with something dear to her or his heart and soul.

Only one regret...that this wasn't made into a complete book!

The story was typical Bentley Little [although he didn't think so], fast paced, full of suspense, and a twisted ending...I gulped it down like a cold glass of water on a hot day....fast and smoothly, wanting more. I was extremely sad to have it end so quickly, but then again that's what "Shorts" means huh..lol...still I would gladly have bought this in a "long" book format.

Great, great story line!

Loved it!!!!!!

Bentley Little has been making a name for himself ever since his first published works in 1990, whereupon Stephen King gave him praise. His novels have the suspense and action of an old school pulp fiction novel, while his themes of fantasy are also nothing to sneeze at and stand well on their own. "Hunting" is an Amazon short by Bentley Little. An Amazon short is simply a short story available only on Amazon, like a cross between a short story and an E-book; they are easily purchased for immediate viewing with PDF format.

With "Hunting", Bentley tells a tale, in 17 pages, about an experience he had (I'm assuming its a personal experience) as a boy. With the help of a loving father, he realizes the wonderful world of the outdoors. On the hunting trips, he realizes how much he loves to get away from the city, and how much in tune with nature he can be. The hunting trips also touch on something I myself experienced when I first started hunting, that the least fun part of it was killing an animal, and that what you really get out of it is a sense of camaraderie and escapism. As the trips go on, the hunting part decreases. Soon another man joins the trips, by the name of Gary Knox. Knox is an arrogant, egotistical jerk for the most part, and the young boy soon realizes that he does not like the man, and that the man has no appreciation for the stillness and quiet of the outdoorsy mountain universe that the boy and his father escape to. Soon we realize how important that escape is as there is trouble on the home front between the boy's parents, and Gary Knox has a hand in it.

The story has a Norman Rockwell background for visuals, but in the foreground is what we don't see of those fun times that are so often painted of America during the 50's and 60's. Families still go through terrible times, and it sometimes is the result of someone being very immoral. Little's "Short" here on Amazon was purchased by me on a whim but I am so glad I did. Despite its length of less than 20 pages, it is vivid in description and detail. Little does a good job of seeing the story through the eyes of a child, and how dark and different that child's world can become when things that are to remain secret or kept from his view are suddenly exposed. The final paragraph is very haunting as we contemplate two possible outcomes that could happen, and neither of them necessarily a happy one. I only hope this tale is fictional and not something that Little actually experienced. I'm assuming the former.

Also was interesting to learn that he is by and large, a technophobe, but in the good sense in that he is sick of society shoving digital do-dads down his throat. He does not own a computer, ipod, cell phone. I look forward to reading his works

The more I read of Linda Shelnutt's work, the more I begin to detect a Quest. Never one to do anything halfway, she looks far and wide...but not in haste. She is looking for an answer...an answer she really NEEDS to know. Maybe I should say she is looking for The Answer. More on that intriguing [to me at least] thought in a bit...

"I worked" is the story of tough bodied, tender hearted, tough minded Ralph Carestia. A man whose adult responsibilities started at the time most Fremont County youth were traversing the Rite of Passage from high school to the bottom rungs of the adult job ladder. Ralph wasn't so fortunate. His father was electrocuted while working in a mine. "There were four of us at home." Fortunately this wasn't a time of federal guidelines and only the memories of discretion. His boss Lloyd Bear helped him out. Gave him a boost up a few rungs...to help him meet those responsibilities by hard work. This was in the Forties. In the Fifties Mine Superintendant Tom Shelnutt, the author's father-in-law, gave him another boost, the job hauling for the Corley Mine...the one he'd most wanted.

Before, between and after those breaks, Ralph worked...hard. As he worked he acquired businesses, businesses which were diversified in kind, but which nonetheless served the needs of industrial, coal-mining Fremont County, Colorado. Ralph did quite well, for all his hard work. Then in his sixties the frenetic efforts of a lifetime caught up with him. He liquidated his businesses and collapsed for a while, eventually returning at a more.... [much] more manageable pace.

Ralph is one of those many Shelnutt "characters" or "subjects" [since these are all true stories] we can be glad we share the country with...that there are still men like this around...that there were men like this around in recent memory. Men of few words, lots of action. Men who seldom had time for themselves, but made it a point to have some time for their employees. How did Ralph sum up a lifetime of tough jobs and struggle? He told the author's husband Tom: "Tell your wife to write that I worked." Ralph, we gather from Linda's story, would be content with that. The proof of the pudding for him would be...would ALWAYS be...would ONLY be....in the eating. It would never be in the puffing, bragging or remembrance of its making.

Thus we exit our Adobe Readers with that good "I just read a Linda Shelnutt story" feeling. We met yet another great American...another pioneer.

But today it suddenly struck me that maybe i only got half the author's message...that maybe I only got half the message when I reviewed "The Price of Black Diamonds". Today's epiphany [a word that always irreverantly conjures up images of my rubber duck from barely beyond infancy...Piffelwink. I had him back in 1949-1950 when we lived in a rented cottage on this farm in Maryland.

I think Linda Shelnutt wants The Answer that's often plagued me...that maybe also plagues other members of our generation [Linda and i are the same age]... The Answer to the question "was it better then or now?" Quality of life...job satisfaction...interpersonal relations...hope for the future... was it better then or now.

Linda puts it [in paraphrase] roughly this way... Then we had 100%...now we have feasibility studies, and rules, and rules, and more rules, and rules...

It's only right she should ask this question...me too for that matter. People our age had a mind and an outlook both at the end of the pre-hi tech age AND today. She worked side by side with her mother in the malt shop in the bakery when Florence was still a thriving coal town. Now willing and able miners are in the bread lines and boutiques line Main St. She and her husband Tom hope Northfield will begin being mined...maybe with all the red tape some time next year...maybe.

In "The Price of Black Diamonds" Linda's All-American subject reflected how the work was harder, but more satisfying. There was more time to visit. This story's subject says they weren't "The Good Ole Days...they were hard times." I remember the neighbors at our Philadelphia apartment complex would sit out in lawn chairs and talk on warm summer nights...today, nobody knows each other in such places.

Linda Shelnutt wants to know The Answer...and in several true stories is going about finding The Answer with the skill of an ethical, thorough investigative reporter. I want her to find out because i want to know too. Five Stars for another great instalment in the Quest.
John W. Cassell

John W. Cassell is the author of Hell's Quest: 1971 and four other books on the American Scene 1969-1971, he has additionally written several military fiction and action-thriller stories, including The Flight Lieutenant's Court Martial - Part 2

I've been fortunate enough to have read yet another short story by, Linda G. Shelnutt. It's called, I Worked: A True Story. It's a story that I relate to because "in my day" many a young man quit school at an early age and went to work. This wasn't just to make a few bucks to spend trivially. This was to help support the family unit. I was sixteen when I went to work full time. My parents would later tell my older sister that, "We don't know how we could have made it if Rick hadn't been working." Now take this a step further and you'll realize how tough it was for Ralph Carestia and his parents. Ralph was only seven in 1935 when he started going to the coal mine with his dad, Paul: this entailed getting up at four O'clock in the morning.
This story tells of a generation that took pride in what they did and worked hard at it. It tells of a man who lost loved ones but pressed on; that always thought positive and dared to do things many others would have feared to do.
The author has done a splendid job in recreating the many accomplishments of an individual that refused to give up. In the years ahead, when many of these people have passed on, these stories will become even more valuable. They will continue to be there to remind newer generations not to take for granted what they have inherited because someone else sacrificed so much.
Linda G. Shelnutt continues to prove her wonderful writing ability with this addition to her growing list of short stories. Do yourself a favor and grab these while you can!

Richard Neal Huffman - Author of, Dreams In Blue: The Real Police

Like many other children in the 1930's Ralph Carestia started working in the coal mines at the age of seven. By the time he was thirteen, he was no longer in school but working full time at a coal mine. Ralph was just seventeen when his father was electrocuted and Ralph became responsible for helping support his family. At eighteen, he bought a truck and started his own business. At one point in his life, Ralph owned five businesses. He took whatever life threw at him and like so many others of his generation, did what he had to do, one day at a time. Ralph is a man how knows how to live.

"I Worked: A True Story" is the real life story of a man that worked hard his whole life, yet still lived life to the fullest. It's amazing to read about his life - working at seven, working full time by the age of thirteen, and starting his own business at the age of eighteen. Hard and honest work is the theme of this story (Ralph used to load coal on to his dump truck using just a shovel) and the reader will marvel at Ralph and his work ethic throughout the story. One part of the story that stuck with me in particular: while other truck drivers were padding their hauling weight tickets to say they weighed a heavier load than they really did, Ralph did just the opposite - he deducted weight from each load ticket. That's an incredible work ethic. I love the glimpses author Linda Shelnutt gives into Ralph's life - he worked hard but he took time for hunting and fishing and went to lunch with his employees most Saturdays. To read about Ralph's bouts with depression later in life was heartbreaking.

Linda is a talented writer and has a nice way with words. She uses the imagery of trucking throughout the story and does an excellent job of seamlessly weaving the imagery into the story using sentences like "the man knew when he had to shift gears to ease the engine and flow into the surge" and "...Ralph took a pioneering side-track off his trucking business..." While the story is essentially Ralph's, Linda does a good job of not only capturing his life but a generation - a generation where boys weren't expected to go to thigh school but to work; a generation where people worked hard for little pay but with little complaint; a generation where people cared for and helped each other; a generation where people weren't governed by so many rules. Reading this story made me sad to realize how much we have lost in our search for progress.

"I Worked: A True Story" is well worth reading.

I don't think our American history books in school tell the full story...sure, we read about the Presidents and we read about the wars and all the news that made the headlines back generations ago. Sadly, however, what we don't read about is the story of plain and simple hard-working Americans who helped to lift this country out of the Great Depression.

How many Americans in 2007 must finish their schooling after the eighth grade because the money they could earn by working full time is needed at home? During the depths of the Depression years, this was the story of the majority of the boys in grade school and middle school. In Linda Shelnutt's biographical sketch of Ralph of Fremont County, Colorado, we learn that beginning at age seven, Ralph spent his winter mornings helping his father each morning in working at a local coal mine. A defining moment came when his father died in an accident at the coal mine, and seventeen year old Ralph had to bear the responsibility of becoming the primary breadwinner of a family of four...a burden that shaped the rest of his life in his dedication to fulfilling those responsibilities he felt a man should fulfill. And, Ralph was steadily employed from the age of seven years of age until approaching seventy years of age, with few breaks in the work routine to speak of for such things as extended rest on vacation.

The progression of Ralph's responsibilities in his work is nothing short of breathtaking. People recognized his honesty and willingness to work hard, and when they had to choose who they wanted to entrust with the responsibility of seeing that the job got done, they chose Ralph time and time again. He went from shoveling up small pieces of coal as a lad to a business owner/co-owner of five companies...all this due to his showing up each day for work and performing to the very best of his ability day after day after day....come rain or shine.

We read of the pioneers in our history books, and how they settled and won the west. In Linda's telling the tale of Ralph's life, we read of a man who was the norm for his generation.....that many now call "The Greatest Generation"! And, Ralph is certainly one reason why this is so....

--- John Michael O'Loughlin

Any woman who has ever been divorced, been forced to leave someone they love, or think someday they might be in one of these positions, will enjoy reading L. Brownings' contemporary women's novel If I Were Rachael Ellery.

Through use of realistic dialogue, an engaging style and the very human main character's obvious conflict with moving on and making a new life, this reader is left with the desire to read the full book. I look forward to seeing If I Were Rachael Ellery in print and one day meeting the author at her book signing.

"If I were Rachel Ellery" is nicely done. The first sentence immediately drew my interest and kept me reading. The premise is interesting - a thirty-year-old woman visiting the ex-husband she hasn't seen in years - and is well executed. The excerpt is narrated by Rachel, which helps develop her as a character. I found myself drawn to her as a character and rooting for her as she confronts not only her ex-husband but also his controlling mother. The meeting was awkward and author Leah Browning does a good job of portraying that awkwardness. The excerpt ended just as a flashback was beginning that was explaining how Rachel and Nick met and I was left wanting to read more.

The excerpt "If I were Rachel Ellery" did a good job of setting up the rest of the novel and hinted at things to come that I want to know more about: why did Rachel cheat on Nick? Who is Griffin? Why isn't Rachel in touch with her parents? What happened to her pregnancy? All these questions made me want to read more of the novel. Well done!

I never heard of the book- yet now I want to read it!
Thanks, Leah Browning!

Leah Browning's If I Were Rachel Ellery takes a common storyline--ex-spouse contacts former love--and gives it intriguing twists like a meddling mother, some unexpected resident young adults, and the possible reemergence of the man Rachel had an affair with. It appears Rachel isn't just reconnecting with her ex-husband, Nick, but an entire family.

Browning deftly portrays Rachel as a realistic, flawed character. I want to find out what she did to ruin her marriage, whether she really deserves to win Nick back, and if she will reconnect with him or discover that's not what she really wants. I'm sure many readers will want to read on to find out what happens.

I love reading technology and since research is my life this book was among the many subjects I covered for my thesis in the creation of my watermark project. The book is highly didactic and the essential algorithm along with its elemental principles cite a uniformed approach when designing software. This is remarkably a great book.

This is a very good introduction to steganography and watermarking. The book is well organized. Moreover, many researchers who have been studied in this field contribute to this book. I think this book gives a comprehensive understanding to people who want to study on watermarking.

Great introduction for tech or non-tech readers into the field.

Excellent introduction and reference on information hiding. Covers very well the various aspects of the subject. With this book and the procedeeings of the information hiding conferences, the subject is pretty much covered. This research area is relatively young, and no other serious text is available.

This book entitled "Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks" is volume 1 of the two volume set. The authors Prof. Syed V. Ahamed (CUNY) and Dr. Victor Lawrence (Bell Labs) have presented the topics in this book in a very easy to read manner without much mathematical treatment.

The book covers in depth about the evolution of intelligent networks with its systems design and architecture. Topics such as IN/1, IN/2 and advanced intelligent networks (AIN) are presented very well. The book also touches upon certain aspects of ISDN elements, wireless networks, knowledge processing systems, intelligent multimedia networks, educational and medical networks.

This book is recommended for graduate students in computer science, electrical and telecommunication engineering. Scientists and engineers would certainly find certain advanced topics covered in this book to be interesting.

The companion book for this book is entitled "Design and Engineering of Intelligent Communication Systems" (Vol. 2)

This is an era of Information Superhighway and emerging Global Intelligent Networks that is encompassing almost every aspect of human life. Whether we are at home, in an office, at friend's home, or in between, we want to stay connected irrespective of time and place.

Prof Syed Ahamed and Victor Lawrence have written two volumes on the topics: "Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks" and "Design and Engineering of Intelligent Communication Systems" illustrating the architectural designs, software and hardware requirements of these systems.

First, this is the first attempt by these authors to present the material combining data networks, computer networks, and different communication technologies with algorithmic and adaptive intelligence leading to Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks and Intelligent Communication Systems, and perhaps that is the solution of our ever growing desires for variety of services.

Second, the language used is bejewled, lucid, engaging, and appealing with penetrating metodologies, simplifying the complexity of the material by diagrams and flowcarts wherever necessary.

Third, the subject matter is designed specifically for the graduate students involved in research at Master or Ph.D level.

Fourth, the chapter on Knowledge Processing in Educational, Medical, and other networks is a unique and an elaborate exposition of the subject that is still unexplored.

Finally, I strongly recommend these volumes for the graguate students involved in research in order to benefit from the material as I myself did.

Prof Tasneem H Kazmi
City University of New York (CUNY)
September 25, 2001.

"Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks" is an excellent book about new emerging technologies and the future of data- and tele- communications. That's why it's a reference book of choice for many research scientists and network professionals at a well known R&D company like Bell Labs. And I strongly believe that it will still be for the next decade!
Prof. Syed Ahamed and Dr. Victor Lawrence put together a reference book presenting, in a systematic way, all aspects of modern communication networks, with emphasis in intelligent telecommunications networks (IN).
The book has 3 parts: - In the first part is presented the transition from classical networks to the more advanced intelligent networks. The approach of Bellcore (now Telcordia) and AT&T Labs, the 2 major players in the area of Intelligent Networks, is further investigated. Also the ITU-T standard for IN is presented, to better understand the current status and the evolution of IN.
- In the second part AT&T's Universal Intelligent Services Network and Bellcore's IN-1, IN-1+, IN-2 and AIN(Advanced Intelligent Networks) are analyzed in full detail: the architecture, functional resources, as well as supporting hardware and software. Intimate connections between IN and ISDN or wireless networks are also explored.
ITU-T's IN Conceptual Model is analyzed here in detail and a systematic presentation of Global Intelligent Networks, detailed for several country specifics, are given.
- The third part explores in many details the future evolution and applications of Intelligent Networks. The impact of IN on educational and medical environments are explored in full detail. In this third part the reader is also introduced to the very new concepts of "Knowledge Machines" and "Knowledge Processing Systems" as well as their connection with a "Multifunctional Intelligent Network". At the end the social and cultural impact of Broadband Intelligent Networks is analyzed.
The book has a very high density of useful information, introduces in all detail many new concepts in the field of communications networks, and it's intellectually challenging. Always, the systematic way of presentation makes it easy to follow complex technical concepts and their interrelation.
I clearly see this book and its companion second volume "Design and Engineering of Intelligent Communication Systems" as an excellent support book for graduate courses in communications networks as well as a main reference book for any research scientist as well as other specialists in the field of data- and tele- communications networks. Other categories of engineering professionals, eager to better understand new emerging communications technologies, could find valuable information in this book and its companion volume.
Also, philosophers can find a refined analysis about the evolving Knowledge Society, the impact of it onto the personal life, and the changes it may imply in the family structure, public sector, and corporate sector. Social workers can find in the book an authoritative voice in the social and cultural impact of future modern communications networks.

Dr. Anthony Malczanek
Sr. Network Consultant

Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks by Dr. Ahamed and Dr. Lawrence is a graduate level textbook. The material covered in this book ranges from defining intelligent networks to more specific coverage of educational, medical, and knowledge-based networks. This book is in three major parts and twenty chapters; each part contains several chapters. Part I has four chapters and discusses generic aspects of networks. It focuses on communication networks and computer systems. It describes fundamental concepts. It presents similarities and differences between intelligent networks and conventional networks. It also discusses signaling networks, data networking and communication networking, and evolution of phased intelligence in American public-switched networks. Part I covers the seven layers of the OSI model and their functions and X.25 public-switched network standards. Part II has nine chapters and focuses on recent and evolving networks. It defines wireless communication networks and intelligent networks (IN). It presents in great detail the three versions of IN/1, IN/1+, and IN/2 and their building blocks. It also presents global intelligent networks and advanced intelligent networks (AIN). An entire chapter is dedicated to ISDN. It covers other topics in great detail such as BRISDN, PRISDN, BISDN and ATM technologies. Part III in seven chapters focuses on future intelligent networks- educational, medical, knowledge-based, and intelligent home networks.

Dr. Ahamed and Dr. Lawrence have included design methodologies for putting intelligence into any communications systems. They include specific architectures that can be used by network designers/engineers and planners, telecommunications managers/professionals, and computer scientists. The breadth of the coverage of various topics makes this book suitable for use in advanced level courses on intelligent communications networks.

Intelligent Broadband Multimedia Networks (vol.1) and Design and Engineering of Intelligent Communication Systems (vol.2) were textbooks in two courses I took with Dr. Ahamed who was also my mentor at CUNY, Graduate Center, New York, NY. Both volumes are excellent textbooks for graduate courses.

C.S. Rani, Ph.D.

While I have no personal experience with wartime loss, I lived through the era portrayed in this story: the Viet Nam war era. The three former ROTC students of this story, deceased husband and wife and best friend, bring to life the optimism of youth and some bittersweet memories as the delayed funeral of a missing pilot brings a type of closure for all involved. In today's world, it serves as a plea for the end of warfare.

It is not easy for this old man to bring forth a tear but this short story brought back memories long supressed. The author wrote of events that coincided with real life events that spanned many years as the bodies of our friends,truly the fallen heros, were brought home usually one by one.
The portrayal of what the military did to honor these men and the feelings of frustration and finally "closure" by the families was real. An excellent read, especially for those who would want to hold the hand of the survivors.

Carmen Goldthwaite's story captures the strength, pathos, and intrepid character of a few in a unique era that should fade, but not vanish, from memory. While anti-Viet Nam demonstrations raged and psychedelic music pounded, a segment of the country shouldered the terrible losses of war more singularly than ever before. They did only what had been done since time immemorial, but they did it differently. The country didn't like the war and left those who sacrificed with only their personal mettle to counter its terrible losses. Anne DePugh, Robbie, and Mitch are the story of dreams shattered but survivors strong enough to endure and overcome, but never, ever forget changed lives and those early extinguished. Carmen puts their hearts into eleven pages that let the reader's beat along side for a fateful day.
The author knows what she's writing. Forty years ago some of America's finest young men were in cockpits over Vietnam. I was lucky enough to be part of them and their world, and come out unscathed. Anne was a part too, but she didn't. Her story conveys a day of healing most would never understand without that story.

In a just a few words the author has summed up what war is all about; she makes real the life-long deeply personal losses families and friends suffer at the death of a loved one as a result of any war. It's a powerful story, one that will bring tears to your eyes and a silent prayer that maybe someday we'll learn how to live in peace. Touching, and beautifully written.

Mead and Conway's book is still quite germane. For those of you new to VLSI, this book is one of the key texts in the field. In 1980, the authors managed to abstract the common steps in chip fabrication. In such a way that chip design could now be taught at the undergraduate level, using this book. Plus accompanying layout software. And the student's design could then be taped out and sent to a fab and actually made.

This was a huge breakthrough. Prior to this book, if you wanted to actually make a chip, using a reasonably current fab, then you could not, as a university student. You had to work for a semiconductor company that had a fab. A large gap in your education. It also meant that a lot of chip knowledge was not transferable if you changed companies.

In software terms, this book is a refactoring. Though this term itself did not come into use for software till the 90s. The book can still be profitably read. Its layout ideas have not become obsolete. In fact, if you were to compare this book with more current undergrad VLSI texts, there is little conceptually new introduced in the latter.

hi,
i found out this book as the best one for VLSI course
.but it is not available throughout india
.can you just send me a xerox (photostat) of this book

This kind of technical talent is much more common in men than in women. But Lynn Conway (2nd author of the book) is a woman--who used to be a man. Several folks have pointed out that transsexuals with autogynephilia are especially likely to have hard core male-typical mathematical technical talent. Why should this be? Who knows? I don't. But the talent that went into this book is immense.

This reference continues the construction of actual integrated circuits introduced in the Feynman reference listed above. Theory behind various parts of a stored program (ie, von Neumann) computer, and its fabrication through VLSI techniques is clearly presented. As well, there are chapters on concurrent computation, for example arrays of processors to perform matrix computations, and the physics of computation. Connecting numerous components together is an important issue in biological computing architectures, and while the latter is not covered, this reference provides valuable insights with regards to the former. This reference was a classic on the subject in 1980, and its concepts still largely remain valid.

"iPhoto 4: The Missing Manual" is an update of the 2003 book, "iPhoto2" and, like the original, is another in the well-respected O'Reilly Media "Missing Manual" series. "iPhoto4" covers the latest Apple iPhoto software while also providing basic instruction in near-professional quality digital photography.

Derrick Story and the Mac community's favorite writer, David Pogue, continue as authors. Besides covering the latest and newest features of iPhoto 4 like its Control Bar, speed enhancements, Star Ratings, Smart Albums, and more, this latest edition of the book continues providing practical guidance on selecting and using the latest consumer-level digital cameras and equipment. The emphasis is on providing information and guidance to move beyond mere snapshooting. It does take something more to become able to make quality images, both in acquiring the image in the camera and processing it afterwards. And, of course, having quality images is not of much use unless one knows how to store, display, and distribute them to friends and family.

In five parts covering digital cameras and photography subject items, iPhoto basics, creating and producing photo projects, advanced iPhoto tips, and troubleshooting, the authors provide all the guidance an amateur or advanced amateur needs for shooting, editing, and sharing digital photo resources.

New sections of the book include how to upgrade from iPhoto2 to 4, how to maintain and upgrade photo libraries and a special section on camera-phone photography.

This is an excellent volume and value for beginner to advanced amateur digital photographers.

Pogue does it again by explaining each feature in language that is easy to understand and pleasant to read. He doesn't rely on humor nearly as much as in the Dummies series (which he used to contribute to regularly). In the Missing Manual series he takes a slightly more serious approach (but his humor shows through quite often) and makes regular people like us able to do all the tricks of the pros.

Derrick Story does it again. This book is great and his other book, Digital Photography Hacks is also excellent. Of course, they are both valuable for different reasons, though this book starts by covering many of the same topics as Digital Photography Hacks by spending the first three chapters on how to take better shots. Bad photos make for a bad iPhoto library of course, so the advice is appreciated.

The bulk of the book is in explaining all of the features of iPhoto. Long term iPhoto users will probably not find any surprises here. It's a missing manual, so it covers the basics, and it does it well. For more advanced topics, like managing multiple iPhoto libraries, or making use of Applescript, there is some coverage at the end but not much.

Definitely a good buy for anyone just starting, or relatively unfamiliar with iPhoto and who is looking to use the application extensively to manage large numbers of photos. Probably also worth a look even if you are familiar with iPhoto.

You have a Mac, you have iPhoto 4, and you have a digital camera. This book will help you get the most out of all three. I was pleased to find a wide variety of hints, tips and advice covering all skill levels. My favorite tip was how to view the invisible PDF that is submitted to the Photo Book printer. If you plan on publishing a Photo Book, this tip alone pays for the price of the book in peace of mind.

The book is divided into four sections: how to take pictures, editing your pictures in iPhoto, sharing your pictures with iPhoto, and finally "iPhoto Stunts".

The first section has little to do with iPhoto and more to do with helping you do everything you can to get the best pictures possible before loading them into iPhoto. There wasn't anything really new here that you wouldn't find in any decent book on how to take good pictures, but it is handy to have it all in one book... You don't need an extra book on the basic rules to taking good pictures.

The next section describes the iPhoto library, where it keeps the files, what happens when you crop, retouch, enhance, or use the other simple editing tools. It notes that iPhoto is not for serious photo editing and points out a few other products that would be better suited for advanced editing. The step-by-step descriptions for each of the editing tools included with iPhoto are very easy to understand and follow.

The following section describes the many ways iPhoto helps you share your pictures. Among them are printing pictures, sending them to Apple for printing, creating a slideshow, publishing to a personal web site or to your .Mac account, creating a Photo Book, creating a Quicktime movie or an iDVD slideshow. There are plenty of screenshots and information for each of these, so you won't get lost between each step.

The last section is comprised of tips and tricks to satisfy your inner-geek; how to export pictures to your PDA, how to get pictures from your cameraphone, and several AppleScript tricks. There are also excellent tips on how to burn a CD or DVD to share with your family and friends running Windows. There is also an appendix that covers each iPhoto menu option individually and a troubleshooting section on common problems.

A very well done book - it really is "The book that should have been in the box".