Digital Books

Don't be fooled by the crazy stuff these people are trying to hoodwink you with, as they got their PhD's out of a CornFlakes box.

Only PETER GERASSI knows about this sort of stuff and he can take you to a higher plain, often gloriously referred to as "GERASSIC PARK".

Google his name to find this one TRUE MASTER of Computing on the internet.

Anyone who has built a computer or measured its performance recently knows that all but the slowest CPUs spend roughly 90% of their time twiddling their thumbs, checking their wristwatches, waiting on the memory system. The memory system today defines computer-system performance, yet very little is written about it (how does it work? what are the parameters? how to optimize it? etc.). So we wrote this book to address that -- it covers all facets of memory-systems design. Paraphrasing Richard Sites, one of the lead architects of the DEC Alpha processor over a decade ago, memory systems design is the only thing worth focusing on right now ... all else is a waste of time. Hopefully this will help you to build something that rocks; that was our goal.

Minor correction: the book is hardcover, not paperback.

This book is an excellent source that covers system, component and architectures of memory systems and how the total computer memory system is put together into a working system. The coverage of the material is up to date and addresses the critical issues that are facing the present and next generation memory systems being implemented and designed today. The book was well written and is a great source for engineering students and even to a degree non-engineering people. For me, a seasoned engineer, that is relatively new to memory systems, is has been a great source in helping me understand the overall system and how it all works. It also addresses some of the major engineering issues facing todays design that I am presently working on and covers the details of the components to give a good overall understanding of how it all fits together. An excellent overall source to have on hand for any engineer working on memory systems

Based on what I have read through so far, it is superb. I can see it very easily becoming the industry's new reference standard for memory system design. Very well done!

You could accuse me of a little bias...i used to work for HP..and Tony Redmond is regarded as a legend.

All of that aside...this book is brilliant. It covers everything you want to know, in all the excruciating detail you need. I design E2K7 architectures in my line of work...and this book is always within a .5 second reach.

Thoroughly recommended.

This book is one of the best "computer" books I've read. Compared to another book "unleashed" about Exchange 2007, this one gets straight to the heart of Exchange and gives you the knowledge you really need. It doesn't waste half a book explaining things that Exchange administrators should already know. If you need to know how Exchange really works, this is the better book on the market right now.

I purchased Tony's book after I had previously purchased another book on Exchange 2007. I found the first book too overwhelming with regard to detail and found that I had to read paragraphs when one or two words would have been adequate. Tony Redmond knows his subject; so well that he knows what you need to know, and what you don't. My installation went without a hitch (well, maybe a small hitch here or there). Definately the book for the knowledgable network admin who has had some Exchange and other email experience. Extremely helpful.

Ive been reading Tony Redmond's Exchange books since the one written for Exchange 4.0 Ive only just started reading the latest one for Exchange 2007 and so far this book has exceeded my expectations. The differences in Exchange 2007 from previous versions are vast, but Tony passes on this knowledge to the reader in a gentle, logical and very readable fashion. I had to smile when previous versions of Exchange were described as "...more like a monolithic messaging behemoth"!

This book is a must have for any IT shop that wants to run and monitor Exchange to keep your system running 7x24. The book thoroughly covers all major areas and is a must have for IT Professionals. This is a crucial book for everyday tasks.

Mike has a terrific job of writing a lucid, well thought-out book on managing and monitoring Exchange. Very, very helpful not only for tactical "how-tos", but also for a top-down strategic perspective on this issue. A must-buy!

This book will be a great reference to Exchange 2000 administrators. I had the opportunity to review this book as it was being written, and the owners of this book will have a wealth of information about how to keep their Exchange 2000 servers happily chugging along by following the expert advice that Mike has given in this book. Mike has vast experience with large multi-national companies and his many years in "the business" is very much evident in his writing.

Michael Daugherty's book clearly draws on a wealth of in-the-trenches experience in planning, deploying, managing and monitoring the integrity and efficacy of Exchange environments at some of the largest corporations in the world.

Mike's book provides invaluable, easy-to-understand and most importantly, actionable ideas on how to best manage and monitor key aspects of Exchange 2000. This is an easy-to-understand, extremely clear must read for anyone charged with or interested in, understanding and managing the deployment and day-to-day management of a corporate messaging environment.

I begin by looking at the cover... the arrival of morning. It's a photo the author took from outside the Rockvale cottage mentioned in the story. As you become immersed in the picture you realize this is one of those special kinds of mornings. This is a morning which brings deliverance from a Long Dark Night.

Then I started reading... Will this be one of those mornings for Jennifer Green? Jennifer Green is lonely and alone. She has just passed a Long Dark Night...nine years long, in fact. She has returned to the town of her birth, her quests unfulfilled, and is driving with her back to the sunrise to a secluded spot where she will begin a new book. On the way she ponders who she is and how she came to be that way, just as she contemplates the trail of dust through her rearview mirror as well as the road ahead.

She traces her own quest for Truth. She questions why Humankind causes itself pain and needless suffering. She questions why she is here...her mission. She revisits answers she was taught to accept...and questions if they are answers at all. At one point she says:
[she] "had a nagging concern beginning way back at her own seven-year-old age of-reason that the ENCOURAGEMENT of humility, selflessness, and martyrdom weakened rather than strengthened the human spirit."

Jennifer WANTS... she finds true release in saying she WANTS. She WANTS a mate...she wants to live with him in her Uncle's old cottage on Main Street...she wants to be a best-selling author. She wants to reveal her mission, for it to bring joy in place of sorrow. This is why she is driving to a very special secluded area. Today she will begin writing the book she hopes will help her, and all who read it, to realize it all.

She was saddened by the lack of response to her first. As the day wears on and the new one takes form in her secluded spot, you find yourself rooting for her. You want her to achieve her goals, to find her simple, happy life with her soul mate, writing and selling her message of liberation and joy.

This is the first of ten parts of a soul-searching story of human passion....human need. You want to know if this morning is indeed the end of Jennifer's Long Dark Night. You read the eloquent words of her philosophy and you want to hear more. You wonder if the simple folk of her home town will accord her the acceptance and refuge she so earnestly, even desperately, desires.

Human interest? Philosophy and Religion? Quest for Truth? What genre is this? Probably one all its own. In part one you sense the beginning of a Great Journey. I am looking forward to the rest. Five Stars
John W. Cassell

John W. Cassell is the author of five novels on the American Counterculture of the late 1960's-early 1970's as well as the action/adventure/mystery genres, including Crossroads: 1969 and Hell's Quest: 1971. He has recently published three guest opinion columns in Israel National News.

Caught up in the author's symbolic and real journey to Truth and Enlightenment, I couldn't stop until the final sentence. And then I wanted more.

It's a good thing that this is a series with several parts, as the character's quest will truly be a long and winding journey. She battles against the long-held "truths" of those around her, struggling to assert herself and reach out for what she wants as well as for who she is.

An identity search such as this one, cloaked in fantasy, illusion and a hard-won reality, can only set her apart from others, but she is fearless. She knows the value of what she seeks and will not stop until she achieves it.

A great read!

Authoress Linda Shelnutt blasts out of the chute with guns blazing in this irreverent, cheeky declaration of war on the religions of the world!! It's all in fun, thank you very much, but whatever your beliefs, you'll find this chapter to be a delightfully winsome whetstone upon which to sharpen and hone your own theological skills.

And such a silver screen Linda constructs upon which to project her pleasing ballistic barbs!! The Books of Gem, of which this is one, is not a story of fairies dancing with hobbits...it's a truly down to earth story about a very special middle aged lady [who is pictured by me as 19 rather than her actual age of 37] whose downright brazen barbs both delight and puzzle the good ol' boys and girls at the Good Times Cafe, in the middle of Colorado's coal country1!

Linda sparkles in her creative "silver screen"....the dust from her pickup refracting the rays of the Colorado sun.

Great creativity...even greater wit. You'll identify early on with the perky, petulant protagonist...and it'll stay with you evermore!! .

I have read all ten parts of Morning Comes but prefer to write a single review which if amazon permits I'll post on each of the separate parts. At the outset, I would give five stars to each and every one of the ten parts. As an author, Linda Shelnutt really gets the reader involved in the destiny of her protagonist.

37 year old Jennifer Green has had to come home after years on her own and a failed marriage. She is beset with creditors and bitterly disappointed that her first book The Rose and the Pyramid did not achieve the popularity she knew it should.

She is lonely, but not just for anyone, she is searching for her True Mate, as she calls him, and that alone makes for an interesting story the type of which has sold millions of books. Her encounters at The Good Times Cafe are vividly and compellingly portrayed, her rejections and disappointments tug at your heart.

With it all is a parallel story. Jennifer has a much deeper mission than finding a good marriage. Her partner has a role to play in bringing to earth a whole new "paradigm", or way of life, with joy replacing suffering, and true worth replacing guilt. Jennifer's a fallen away Catholic, and her observations on religion, and the way of living she proposes to replace it, are really inspiring...funny too.

Yes, there's a lot of humor in this book as well, because sometimes you're sure people are going to come for loveable Jennifer with nets, but she has these delightful bouts of self-doubt that add a realistic luster to her struggles with others, struggles with herself.

A truly entertaining book with love, philosophy and whimsical fantasy all competing for the enthralled reader's attention in part after part. For $4.90 MORNING COMES is truly a bargain. For those lucky enough to have a Kindle, there is a sequel:Full Moon Rising. Wish I had one. I've developed a major crush on that wacky chick with her backpack and typewriter and head full of crazy ideas.

Seriously, Jennifer could be the subject of a whole series! Incidentally, if you'd like a primer on the philosophy part of this tale, with some beautiful poetry thrown in, check out Why Is the Rose and the Pyramid A Collector's Item?

This story by Tory Lynn touches the heart. It begins with the introduction of a young woman, Cecilia, who has lived a rough life and has persevered to overcome it. Through a chance meeting with a protagonist her life is brought full circle to the pain she'd experienced years before. However, through communication and education she is able to learn to once again love this very important person in her life. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of love and new found commitment and recommend it, with two thumbs way up, to everybody.

Joshua Berry, Andrea's Dream and Amazon shorts contributor

Ms. Lynn gives us a chance to look inside the life of one of those people who will succeed in what ever they try. This is the story of over coming the neglect of uncaring parents, at least that is the way it seems to the heroine. Little does she know why her father never seemed to care about her, but thanks to a chance encounter on a Utah Mountain she begins to find out that things were not what they seemed to be. After running away from home she had to fight for everything that she has accomplished, but can she find the strength to fight her own misgivings about her father? An excellent read for anyone needing the courage to carry on.

Tory Lynn's use of "the mountain" as a metaphor for life is brilliant. The lives of three people play out via the mountain, each representing unique facets of struggle which may be difficult for most people to understand, but are brought brilliantly to life (and understanding) in this story. The Mountain poses an excellent question: who was helping whom on that mountain? Find out for yourself, and read it....

The Mountain is a story about connecting and reconnecting. Cecilia, the main character, had a very dysfunctional family in childhood prompting her to run away as a teenager. Homelessness and despair did not quench her spirit, and, through determination, she was able to pull herself up and out into a world of promise. However, along the way, she has darkness that she still must face. It is only in this darkness will she find the answers she didn't realize she sought.

The mountain itself has always been an apt metaphor for challenges to overcome. Along the way there are pitfalls and dangers, some obvious, some hidden - that's the way of mountains. But the victory that comes with conquering the mountains is life changing, and that is really what this story is all about. Tory Lynn has chosen a most appropriate venue for the protagonist to finally face her past and scale it to a victory that will ultimately put her history in its proper place - behind her.

A little longer than most short stories, The Mountain is really novelette length. However, it reads quite fast in mostly linear fashion with some flashbacks necessary to fill in story gaps with information to move the plot along. Read it, contemplate it, and think about how chance meeting may not be all that coincidental after all.

Music City Mojo is the fourth in E. Don Harpe's Redneck Riviera series, and it paints a picture of Nashville and the country music industry there that is much closer to reality that some may think. I don't know if this is the funniest story in the series, but it is certainly funny, and I had moments when I had to wipe the tears of laugter from my eyes. When JorG drops the dynamite into the bass tank at the shopping mall, I could actually picture the scene. Harpe has done it again.

Music City Mojo is a funny story from E. Don Harpe. I greatly
enjoyed the antics of JOrG, the alien, his wife, NanZ,
and whole music mojo. Dialogue was especially natural.

JorG, the little green alien, not only knows the contractor who built the danged universe, as the reader finds out in Cottondale Confirmation, oh-hellum yep, the Stubian green can tell a mean tune when he hears one. But now his interstellar beeper seems keen to keep him from one wedding he must attend. What a disaster.
Eugen M. Bacon,
Amazon Shorts Author, The Hybrid

MOJO opened with an entertaining refresher of the previous Redneck Riviera offering, # 3 in the series, COTTONDALE CONFIRMATION: >> ... watching the rerun of the race we almost won. I can't believe this danged VCR didn't record nothin' but a blur. Guess we wuz just going too fast fer the technology to keep up." <<

Additional refreshers repeated familiar roars of various engines, tangy tastes of tomato sauce & bitter bubbles, and highly natural neighborhood doings. Thereby, the story shot right off the line, without an entry pause. In each subsequent offering, Harpe has exposed a keen talent for a quick reconnect with a prior plot; his references are amazingly efficient, and unfailingly add new slants on previous appeals.

Then, Uh oh. New hilarity took up the brew: >> "It's only a few miles, Billy Joe, what could it hurt?" Cindy said. <<

My sense of comfort was immediate, in returning to familiar characters I'd grown to ... well ... like a whole lot. You'll be interested to see what JorG can do with a TV remote, in spite of reassembling it with tomato sauce and beer included in the circuitry. The "Remote" concept expanded into a dash of extra distance, a spectrum of added variety, and a newly enhanced repercussion.

>> JorG picked up the remote and put it in his pocket, intending to put it back as it was when he had time. << Yeah, sure.

>> As they got to the main highway, Billy Joe also didn't notice ... << Harpe is a genius at setting up anticipation of unavoidable disasters in the making.

Jack's explanation to JorG of what he meant by beer on steroids was a hoot, and here's some tongue tooting proof: >> Charlie had started taste testing the new batch about 7:30 this morning, just after a breakfast of fried baloney, eggs, grits, biscuits and coffee, and now, at almost 10:00, he was already having delusions. That meant the new batch must be great stuff, because it usually was later in the day before he started seeing space ships over the chicken coop. <<

If you'd like triple proof: >> He got a bit more worried when Erlene, Charlie's wife and the mother of his 11 children, ran out of the house screaming that she saw the ship too. Damn, this must really be powerful stuff if it was making Erlene see things, when Charlie was the only one drinking it. <<

Whew! Why had I thought this one would "just" be about singin' at a weddin' in Nashville.

If anything, MOJO has upped the Redneck ambiance several notches skyward, almost like Harpe had reached a new plateau of confidence now that he was trailing a slew of readers in harmony with the real deal, who wouldn't be oh-fen-dud. He was absolutely right in my case (full of beans)! "Uuuuuuutttt!!" Your guess is as good as mine about what that last blurt was! It did come out of me, or at least it came out of my keyboard. These "Shorts" are rubbin' off on me.

Yes, this one's rank in places. That's jus' what id izzz. As in, "It izz whad id izzz."

>> "H..., I'm always ready to do some fishin', Charlie. You still keep the dynamite in the same place?" <<

Fishin' & dy-no-myte. Yup. Check out "Good Ol' Boys - Catfishin'" by Phil Whitley for detail on that hilarious combo. And, check out Harpe's latest Amazon Short, "FEBRUARY."

Hellumyep. Harpe's done it again! He signed off with a classy shrug, and wide stretch of hands in the final passage of MUSIC CITY MOJO.

Contented Smirk in Place,
Linda Shelnutt

Alexis Brooks De Vita's short story "Mzee and the Hedgehog" is beautifully crafted and poignant. From the moment I read the first sentence, I could not wait for the story to reveal itself; it is the kind of story that I could read over and over again. It is the kind of story that I will want my own children to read.
As an emerging writer, this is the kind of story that I aspire to write--one that is powerful and one that has cultural significance. I am touched with the way Brooks De Vita captures the relationship between power and language in the context of colonialism. Through the eyes of the protagonist, we come to understand the struggles and daily life of Ugandans after a history of British colonial rule. Furthermore, this story makes us aware of the need for human connection. In her own, genuine way, the protagonist takes risks and tries to reach out to the people around her, despite the chaos, confusion, and rejection. Brooks De Vita focuses on the impalpable ways colonial practices continue to influence the psyche of the formerly colonized. I admire the protagonist's attempts to make sense of the conflicted worlds that surround her--the world of her mother and the world of Bumali. This is a story about love, loss, family, and identity.
Brooks De Vita does not offer easy answers for the characters in this short story. Instead, she lets the voices of the characters speak through her words and the result is breath-taking. This is a story that lives on even after the last word is read.

What a beautiful, thought-provoking story! One of those stories that makes you really want to talk to the author about. I have so many questions. Has she written more about this girl and her mother? What becomes of Mzee? What happens to the girl? Does she help him after he was fired? Does she ever resolve the conflict with her mother? Does the mother ever resolve her own inner conflict? What happens to the Canadians? Do they ever change? Did Mzee really kill the hedgehog, or did the mother? That's my problem with short stories--they're just way too short. You want more! I hope she makes it into a book! I want to know the rest of the story. I'm convinced that if it were to be made into a book (hopefully a long one), it would rapidly reach the acclaim that books such as Beach Music, The Prince of Tides, The Invisible Man, Trinity, Exodus, Haj, and Their Eyes Were Watching God have done, each one attacking in their own ways (in my opinion) the very roots of ethnic, religious, and socio-economic prejudice.

This lovely story is a glimpse into the world of a Ugandan village where an American girl lives with her mother and her brother. The mother, a professor at the college, has her place, as does the younger brother who slipped easily into his surroundings. The girl, though, is caught between the world she remembers in California and this new, strange world where the customs are unfamiliar and exotic and where she doesn't fit in. Who cannot relate to that? Worse, she's caught in that net so many young girls are--of being in constant conflict with her mother. Each thread of this story is carefully laid out for the reader to follow, tying in intricate knots with other threads as the story progresses until the final, stunning moments of the story.

This story is one that you'll remember long after you put it down.

An excellent read. I plan on reading more of her work as it becomes available.

Netlab implements in Matlab most algorithms presented in Christopher Bishop's excelent book Neural Networks for Pattern Recognition

Nabney's book is an indispensable guide if you want to go into the inner workings of Netlab.

Recommended.

Amazingly compact book and MATLAB toolbox that provides an exceptionally clear introduction to a core collection of pattern recognition tools. This text and the related MATLAB toolbox ostensibly accompany Chris Bishop's text _Neural networks for pattern recognition_ and brilliant as that book is, this is the perfect supplement that does so much more than just implement the algorithms (and not just for MATLAB users but for anyone who appreciates the merits of learning by doing). From the introductory chapters on MATLAB syntax and optimization (clearer and more useful than the _Numerical Recipes_ version) you know you are in for a breathless ride but the examples and demos are perfectly chosen to illustrate the relative merits of the different approaches under consideration.

The chapter titles are

1. Introduction
2. Parameter optimisation algorithms
3. Density modelling and clustering
4. Single layer networks
5. Multi-layer perceptron
6. Radial Basis functions
7. Visualization and latent variable models
8. Sampling
9. Bayesian techniques
10. Gaussian Processes

The MATLAB code is elegant and well-commented and lends itself to endless tweaking and experimentation. I wish I had written this book. Congratulations to the author and hope there is another book on the way.

This is actually a must-have book for those who want to study pattern recognition.

i first bought the book by Bishop (Neural Network for Pattern Recognition) and anyone who have read it can tell u how excellent that book is. This book has a little bit less theory and more on implementation which is perfect for me. This book include all the topics covered in Bishop and then some. How the book is organized, and how concise, easy to understand the material is at the same amazing level as Bishop's. I believe implementing and practicing things u learn is key to understanding them.. if you just look at how things are implemented, things would suddenly become 10 times clearer for you.. often to your own amazement (that you can actually understand all those stuff). this book is extremely useful even if u dont have matlab (just look up the syntax at mathworks web site), cuz matlab code is straightforward to understand. and the material included is very up to date and cutting edge indeed. i highly highly recommend it.

I found this book to be very useful, providing clear background and easy to follow steps to order, plan and install a network either at home or in a small office. It covers both the DSL and cable flavors of broadband internet service, wired and wireless networks and security and virus protection -- everything one needs to setup a safe and sound home or small office network. It even provides straightforward directions for setting up computers to share printers!

I found the figures and troubleshooting tips to be especially helpful. In particular, showing how to recover when my DSL provider goes on the fritz (which, unfortunately does happen from time to time).

I highly recommend this book for readers looking for a practical, no nonsense, easy to follow guide for setting up home and small office networks and safely and securely connecting them to the internet.

"Networks in a Flash" is a great book on home networking that is easy to follow! There are easy to follow "recipes" for almost any home situation. I connected all my computers on the second floor of my home and the basement to a wireless D-Link router. The book covers versions of Microsoft Windows from 98 through XP. I created a network with old and new computers. My latest addition was a Windows XP laptop that was very easy to add in both a wired and wireless access mode to my network. The book emphasizes security and easy of use. I recommend it.

This book has been my "answer guide". I used it to network my Windows ME and Windows XP computers using a Linksys wireless router. I found the instructions in this book easy to follow. I was able to set the security settings on the wireless router to keep my home network safe from intruders. I was also capable of using a USB wireless adapter to quickly connect a desktop computer in another room to the Internet. In addition, I was also able to figure out how to share my printer with two computers! GREAT BOOK AND EXTREMELY EASY TO FOLLOW!...

As a social scientist, somewhat wary of the escalating technology, I found this book easy to read and understand. Even though I have only one PC, I wanted to have the protection and security that a router provides behind my cable modem. With this security arrangement and the virus protection software on my computer, I have been virus free.

The book gave me a high level of understanding of the internet and was easy to follow.I highly recommend this book to any novice.

What an excellent guide to photagraphy, with excellent pictures as well. As I started to look at this book I saw talent on first hand. The way each picture supported a different figure of photography. I hope to see more books like this one and 'Capturing the Night With Your Camera' soon.

This one is better than most of the books in its category, although by far is not one of those "most complete guides". Good writing style, Real life examples. Type of camera, film and exposure settings are listed next most of the example pictures. What this book has that others don't, is a pretty good overview of digital input and output(especially printers and scanners), and how it's related to "film" photography. Highly recommended for beginners.

The author of this contemporaray photo manual is not caught up in the technology, rather he uses a common sense approach to new technology. The book starts off with the thought process and preaches conventional rules of pictorial composition, instead of the technical jargon that so many books of this type contain. One has to go no further than the book's introduction to realize that Carucci bridges the gap between art and technique. As for the images, I forgot for a moment that this was an instructional manual. The artwork is first rate. That's not to say that the writing is less than clear and informative. I especially liked the child/statue composite. I recommend this book to anyone interested in digital photography.

This book addresses a realistic approach to the current world of photography. It's not just digital cameras and computers: it's film, illumination and composition. Carucci feels that certain ideas are necessary to produce a good image regardless of the technology. The book is well written, though it seems that some of the passages, especially at the chapter beginnings, are a bit too creative. The book doesn't read like a textbook. Instead it's friendly, especially to the newbie. His introduction is poignant and the images are incredible. The kid turned into a statue is both shocking and wonderful.