Digital Books

This book was refreshing, there were a lot of elements, characters involved. D finally gets pushed around and tricked and even dies, again. But man, that left hand is great, I can't wait to see if the future books will give us a flash back book about when D was a bit younger and how he met up w/ Lefty. Most likely, I feel like Dracula left Lefty just for D and for D's purpose (to finish off the Nobility, and I feel that Dracula doesn't actually have a blood lust/thurst, and he's dissapointed @ his creations because he probably expected something else.) I think he is now in the process of creating new life forms w/out blood lust and D's job is to clean up his messes. Just a few words for thought. this was a great read. Movie....I don't know....mini series....ohhh yeah.....

This is the eighth book in the Vampire Hunter D series by Hideyuki Kikuchi. This book picks up right where the last book left off; in the middle of a fight.

D struggles (as much as he ever struggles) to protect the pearl from the evil people that plot to steal it from him. He also is protecting Win-Lu from all of the people going after the pearl. There are numerous battle and even more evil-doers than ever before. You finally find out what the pearl is and why it is so important.

As I mentioned when reviewing part 1; this book is somewhat different from the other books in the Vampire Hunter D series in that D is more "human" than ever before. D shows emotion and shows that he has faults like everyone else. Win-Lu is a strong character with a dry sense of humor that makes the book fun. You get to spend a lot more time with D's left hand and his hand also has a sense of wit to rival Win-Lu's.

This was a great book with non-stop action. You are actually left wondering at points if D will give up his wandering for a bit and make this town a temporary home. This book gives some nostalgic insight into how things were with the nobility before disaster struck. Of course more mystery is presented regarding who, and what, D is. Some hints are given as to D's origin but nothing is answered for sure.

I look forward to the next book in the series. Although there is a long way to go in this series. I read somewhere that in Japan book 18 was just released. Good thing I like these books because it looks like I will have a lengthy relationship with them :-)

http://karissabooks.blogspot.com/

This book provided a good, though not decisive, ending to the story begun in volume seven. The theme of this book is mostly about finding acceptance for the things you have done in the past as well as finding a place to belong in the future. Su-in finds out why the vampire in the sea holds such a fascination for her and one or two of the bad guys gets mostly redeemed.

Character development for D takes a suprising turn when we see him consistantly on the losing end of battle-- to the point of being parted from left-hand. While there are few clear defeats there are enough battles that end in a draw that one begins to wonder if D is really invested in the fights. Couple that with the fact that the "bead" that brought about the whole tale turns out to be a non issue, you begin to wonder at the direction this installment seems to be leading the series. I, for one, can't wait for Rose Princess to be released to find out.

Wow, I have to say this book was far better than any of the other ones so far. A perfect blend of drama and action, some of the more relevant art work yet, and is the first in a huge leap in characterization. The main heroes and villains are all well developed throughout the story(with the exception of two-ish)and with so many villains your always kept guessing what's next. It is a fitting end to Kikuchi's first run, before rebooting the franchise in 1995 with the Rose Princess. In his post-script he describes it as one of his favorite projects, and it's easily one of his best. There is one thing though, the amazon rating system is very flawed. Former D books have been given 4-4.5, so I had to give such an exceptional volume a 5, but in actuality it is really a 4.3 on my scale, as the average D book would be a 3 and a better one a 3.5.

The unique approach to handing the history of `virtual art' is scholarly and innovative, undermining popular conceptions of the notion of `virtuality'. I would have appreciated colour plates, since the subject matter often pertains to the study of many forms of visual art. A glossary of terms also would have been helpful. The addition of these to elements would make the book much more accessible to readers who are introducing themselves to these concepts and artworks.

Broad in breadth and depth, Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion traces the history of virtual art through studying the history of `immersion' and `illusion' in the arts, and relates these ideas to the current developments in `virtual reality'. It is unlikely that the general public, or even most arts professionals, would consider the panoramic frescoes of ancient Pompeii a precursor to the 1980's notion of goggled cybernetic digitalia, nor the recent developments in transgenic art, yet this book includes very convincing arguments that link these ideas to the development of today's virtual art. Self-proclaimed as the `first' to link art history and immersive visual culture to the field of contemporary digital environment-based art experiences, this innovative and convincing research is laid out before the reader in an intellectual, yet accessible fashion, complete with diagrams and illustrations to illuminate key ideas. Many interesting works of art are chronicled here, placed within a contextual framework that demonstrates the significance of the ideas and technology supporting the works. Gathering this information in a print format also allows these works to live on and influence other thinkers outside of directly experiencing the works, which is often not technically possible, given the temporal nature of many immersion-based artworks. Ideas do not develop in a vacuum, but through the dialogues of overlapping discourses, combined with critical thought. Grau demonstrates that virtual art is not exactly new, and it satisfies a basic human desire for experiencing the `other', whether through looking at panoramic paintings of mythology or faraway lands, or designing a prototype Holodeck (Star Trek). Unexpected parallels abound, making this a very informative read that may forever change the reader's interpretations of classical art history as well as of virtual reality.

It is likely that Grau reaches the academic arts audience he sets out to reach with this book, as is demonstrated by the numerous references to this book online, in various journals, blogs, and academic websites. This focus on art history as media history would be thoroughly appreciated by Marshall McLuhan fans, as well as art historians who specialize in media studies. Artists and historians interested in 3-D modeling, avatar development, online immersive environments, transgenic art, and historical instances of illusion in the arts will also find this book a valuable and up-to-date resource. This book would make a welcome addition to a University library, a gallery or artist-run centre's library, or the personal collection of savvy technophiles.

WIRED spoke about a "great read" and Lev Manovich decribed Grau's book as a "must-read for anyone interested in new media, art history, and any field using virtual images." - Grau lives up to expectations !  He analyzes what is new in media art by balancing recent works and historic media development, and so retells art history as media history. An interdisciplinary study in art history, media history, and new media art, the cross fertilization enriches his analysis and helps clarify the essence of immersion and Virtual Reality.  Beyond Grau's analysis, I was thankful to see so many artists involved - many hot names. This book will be valuable for both practitioners and theoreticians. Hopefully there will be a paperback soon for students.

This book is an excellent rendition for electro-visual labs.
The work is perfect if you are looking for new ideas on interior
decorating for the home. There are many exotic art forms
depicted in this work.

Virtual reality is integrated into art immersion. The work
provides a panoramic view of the Battle of Sedan. There are
pictures of the Futurama in the 1939 World Fair. In addition,
a screenshot portrays the Home of the Brain. The work is
excellent for anticipated student school projects.
This work is perfect for art enthusiasts, historians,
interior decorators, architects , photographers and a whole
host of professionals in varied fields.

This book is a outstanding contribution to the upcoming new field image science.

Film is all about the image, and Bruce Block gives you a visual toolkit. With this book, you can construct images that help to tell your story, set the mood, and control how the image affects the audience. He helps you build your film shot by shot. His techniques, illustrated with new art and images from films, will make any film stronger and all filmmakers more confident and creative. Many of Hollywood's leading directors have benefited from his expertise. Now the rest of us can, too. I highly recommend this book.

There are plenty of books out there about how to write a great screenplay. But film is a VISUAL medium, and books about telling stories VISUALLY are few and far between. Not only does Bruce Block have a superior instinct for visual composition, but he's able to explain the often complex relationships between subjects, light, color and motion in ways that are easily accessible. If you're interested in writing or directing movies, THE VISUAL STORY will help you immeasureably along your career path. And if you just like to see movies, this book will give you insights into cinematic storytelling elements you've always FELT, but probably never before recognized. This is an essential book for anyone who loves to make or enjoy motion pictures.

I teach a class called "Story" at Los Angeles Film School and this book is on my Recommend Reading List for all students but I especially tout it to cinematography, production design and directing majors. There are many books that talk about the basics (shot size, 180 degree rule, etc.) but if you want to go beyond that to find out what kinds of choices the great filmmakers make and why, this is the book with the answers.

One thing young filmmakers and students often fail to understand about the auteurs and master directors is that they base their shots on what serves the story, not the fact that the shot "looks cool." I love the fact that author Bruce Block talks so much about the need for the visuals to follow and reflect the ups and downs of the underlying story structure. I also love the fact that that he takes film theory and shows the filmmaker how to apply it. Ordinarily, film theory and film practice are two separate worlds.

I never thought I'd find a film book I liked better than the first edition of "The Visual Story," but now I have: It's the 2nd edition, which has a bigger, easier-to-read format, many more color illustrations and more, updated examples. The students who've taken my advice and read this book are blown away by it. I believe it should be mandatory reading for anyone who is in the film business or who hopes to be.

I am a visual person. I'm currently taking a film class and had to purchase The Visual Story for class. Let me first say that I am an aspiring filmmaker. I have an incredible library of handpicked books catering to any and all aspects of the filmmaking experience and this is by FAR among the very top of my selections! It is really terrific at not only explaining concepts very concisely, but it also is full of real visual examples. Terrific book. Buy it! You'll be glad you did.

Funny, but that's not all. Sue draws from her imagination to describe the gradual process of transforming to a new self. In the end it all seems so natural. Very clever.

"Walking Funerals and High Heel Pumps" is all about point of view (POV). Can a man write stories from a female POV. Probably not. But maybe, just maybe, if he'd shave his legs? Maybe slip into one of Corrine's cute dresses (Oh! It's so OPEN down there!) Maybe get a cute blond wig.
You're bound to get a laugh and, perhaps, a new POV from Sue O'Neill's insightful and funny story.

Lots of chuckles and hilarity as man and woman settle their wardrobe issues. It's an idiosyncratic masterwork that finds some odd new truths about writing and cross-dressing and is a nicely working story that unearths info on how women view sex. It's all in a package that may change you a little bit. Or maybe more. Yes, you'll be a slightly different person after reading Walking Funerals and High-Heeled Pumps.

Lots of chuckles and hilarity as man and woman settle their wardrobe issues. It's an idiosyncratic masterwork that finds some odd new truths about writing and cross-dressing and is a nicely working story that unearths info on how women view sex. It's all in a package that may change your sex life a little bit. Or maybe more. Yes, you'll be a slightly different person after reading Walking Funerals and High-Heeled Pumps.

comman

This book starts off reviewing the basic concepts of OpenVMS and then gets into some real solutions for real problems. Nicely updated for todays VMS programmers.

DCL is the native scripting language of OpenVMS. Like batch files in DOS, or shell scripts in Unix, DCL makes all features of the VMS operating system available to you. This book takes a very useful, complete, and organized approach toward DCL and the VMS operating system. If you're just starting in VMS, or if you want a well indexed sourcebook of powerful VMS DCL services, this is an excellent book for you.

This book is very good for beginners in DCL and also a very good dictonary for already experienced people. This book was one of my most borrowed ones in my bookshelf.

It is refreshing to read the work of an author who has truly created her own style of expression. She definitely is a "confessional" writer to an extent.

Some of this piece reminds of something by Sylvia Plath.
I really enjoyed it.

Keep the creative juices flowing!

... I look forward to your work Ms. Gristak

I love the way you put your thoughts on paper with pictures, lol and love the title though i bought a halo at the costume store, lol muah love the work cutie keep it up

Amber shares her feelings in a painfully honest way that is incredibly vulnerable and is so true to life. Bravo Amber!!!!

As has come to be expected Amber's writings are powerfully provocative, cutting to the core of our existence and faith. It is difficult to stop reading, stirring and yet disturbing at the same time. I am compelled to look again and again.

This book should be read by everyone from young adults to senior executives. As a lay person, not only did I understand how to be successful in the business world, but how to improve my own life. The pages provided me with a fresh insight into leadership; one is not born as a leader, rather one must use leadership skills. Although this book provides examples with well known figures, it also points towards lesser known, but amply talented, leaders. However, albeit how successful some of these people are, some stories serve to remind us that even leaders cannot escape their own humanity. I loudly applaud Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner for giving me the tools to make my way through the 21st century!

My introduction to formalized leadership came during the Korean War, as I served as an instructor in the U.S. Army Infantry Leadership Course at Ft. Dix, NJ. There it was a pretty cut and dried formula with no opportunity for innovation. In the ensuing years leadership innovations have leaped into the spotlight with ever increasing frequency. Hardly a year goes by without some professor or management guru promulgating the latest leadership theory and its applications.

In my reading of this literature, I find that many, if not most, of them offer little of substance and seem to focus on providing panaceas that seldom seem to be applicable to my or my clients' situations. They enjoy waves of popularity and then like the old soldier just fade away to be replaced by the next new popular leadership theory.

Well, Tom Peters et al can step aside. The dynamic duo of Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner clearly demonstrate what effective managers need to learn to lead their organizations into the digital age. Rather than offering universal applications, these authors examine the nature of effective leadership in some depth. In specific situations they review the dilemmas of management and provide hardcore examples of how to reconcile fundamental issues of leadership.

Utilizing their base data from thousands of surveys of leaders and followers around the world and with their seven dimensions of cultural competence they have interviewed global leaders as they cope with the dilemmas of leadership. Rather than presenting seven or more essential habits, they focus on how these leaders reconcile differences to attain more effective management.

The authors suggest that business cultures are different, and that because business is run differently around the globe, we need different managerial and leadership competencies. What they call transcultural competence is their way of bridging those differences. It is a logic that tends to unify differences and that delineates the manager from the leader and the successful leader from the unsuccessful one. They call for a new way of thinking. Through-Through thinking is beyond either-or and even and- and thinking in that it synthesizes seemingly opposed values into coherence. Thus the main theme throughout this book is that effective leaders reconcile value dilemmas better than those who don't.

In in-depth interviews with 21 business leaders that run the range from Richard Branson of Virgin through the former Russian Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko, to corporate leaders throughout the West, we see the applications of transcultural competence through the use of the authors' seven dimensions: rule-making vs exception finding, that is universalism vs particularism; self-interest and personal fulfillment vs group interest and social concern, that is individualism vs communitarianism; preference for precise, singular, "hard" standards vs preference for pervasive, patterned. "soft: processes, that is specificity vs diffusion; emotions inhibited vs emotions expressed, that is neutral vs affective; status achieved through success and track record vs status ascribed to person's potential such as age, family, education, that is achievement vs ascription; control and effective direction comes from within vs control and effective direction comes from inside, that is inner-directed vs outer-directed; and time is conceived of as a "race" with passing increments vs time is conceived of as a "dance" with circular iterations, that is sequential vs synchronic. While not all of the 21 leaders address all of the above factors in their corporations, we do see that a number of these dimensions occur in varying issues of each organization. They include Kiriyenko working to reconcile dilemmas at the Nizhmy Novorod Oil Company (NORSI) such as that of inner direction (young Russians) vs outer directed (older Russians) or that of cronyism vs new rules or universalism vs particularism. Philippe Bourguignon of Club Med working to reconcile the dilemma of the unique, seamless, personalized vacation vs the reliable, affordable, segmented, standardized holiday with the specific ingredients going into the making of diffuse experiences.

Other examples of the reconciliation of dilemmas appear in such case studies as: creating a hyperculture with Martin Gillo of Advanced Micro Devices; recapturing the true mission with Christian Majgaard of Lego; the balance between market and product with Anders Knutsen of Bang and Olufsen; keeping closer to the customer with David Komansky of Merrill Lynch; and much more. Each of the case studies in the book offers rare insights into how the dilemmas of leadership can be met and how transcultural competence can be applied to leadership in the digital age. To quote the book itself: "The central premise that evolved is that the propensity to reconcile seemingly different contradictory values is the key competence behavior required for a leader to be effective in today's digital world." This is a fascinating spellbinding text blending the intercultural dilemmas of management with the reconciling forces of leadership to create innovative leaders. The examples from 21 business leaders prove again and again that Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner have hit enough nails on the head to build a solid model for the future.

David C. Wigglesworth an interculturalist is a management and organization development consultant and is president of D.C.W. Research Associates International in Kingwood, Texas. He can be reached at 281-359-4234 and dcwigg@earthlink.net
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Charles Hampden-Turner and Fons Trompenaars have been collaborating for many years to develop an understanding of how different cultures approach and resolve problems and the cross-cultural issues that arise from it. In the course of this collaboration they have developed a formidable database of responses from managers around the world, and a 'dilemma methodology' which they use to demonstrate how superior results flow from the way in which dilemmas are managed and resolved.

This book is a direct successor to a series of books by one or both authors, which develop the methodology and its application. This one applies it to the question of effective leadership, and makes a valuable contribution to a generally overcrowded field. In particular, it adds to understanding of the particular skill of an effective leader and also helps to build an operational understanding of what is meant by 'managing a culture'. The book can be read and used without reference to the earlier works, but Building Cross-Cultural Competence is particularly useful in providing an extended statement of the principles and dimensions summarized in the first 2 chapters of 21 Leaders.

The nine opening pages of the Introduction provide a succinct overview of the main thesis, described as a 'metatheory of leadership'. They argue that leaders 'manage culture' by fine-tuning and reconciling dilemmas and that that culture then runs the organization. Outstanding leaders are particularly adept at reconciling dilemmas - they make the necessary distinctions yet integrate them into a viable whole. The authors conceptualise apparently opposed values (eg individualism versus communitarianism) as being the opposite ends of a continuum and the test of successful reconciliation being that both values should emerge stronger from the interaction.

The book and most of the examples are based on issues of cross-cultural in the sense of cross-national values, but the principles apply equally wherever there is a potential clash of values - for example in a merger or a major program of change.

Through expanding their methodology and showing how it applies in a wide range of complex situations the authors seek to help leaders :

"Elicit and become aware of major business dilemmas in cross-cultural environments
See dilemma resolution as a crucial ingredient of strategy
Utilize dilemmas as strategic contexts for action
Learn the art of achieving one value through another in a virtuous circle (a process known as through-through thinking)
Learn how transnational entrepreneurs take their stands (preneur) between (entre) contrasting values."

Much of the book is devoted to case studies of the 21 selected leaders. These are not all the 'usual suspects' of the management literature, but include a former Russian Prime Minister and the heads of companies in a variety of industries and from a range of nations. Each is well-written and argues its particular points in a way that gives depth to the main thesis of the book.

I had received a review copy of 40 Digital Photo Retouching Techniques with Photoshop Elements (published by Young Jin) from the US distributor, O'Reilly Media. It's thin as such guides go - 208 pages - but if you haven't yet gone beyond taking a digital picture into actually manipulating images, this a good introduction.

It's based around Photoshop Elements - a "lite" version of Photoshop that I've mentioned before - and even comes with a trial version on an accompanying CD. This isn't a comprehensive title on the subject of digital retouching; you can literally read a number of books on the subject and still not know everything about it. But as a way of getting your feet wet, it's solid.

Instead of learning one general technique after another, the book guides you through, as the title says, 40 different things you might want to do, incorporating what you need to know for each one. It's actually not all retouching in the classic sense of fixing a visual problem, though there is plenty of that. You start with learning how to correct contrast, move into gaining control over the colors in a photo, then get to a chapter called Enhancing Portraits, with some tricks I haven't seen before, like adding eye shadow to the image of a woman who wasn't wearing makeup. The book finally moves into general editing, adding special effects, and even such topics as adding motion blur and making greeting cards and web banners.

Of course, you can't expect to have all the information you would get in a larger volume. For example, they show one technique for creating high contrast black and white images from color ones, but there are at least three ways I can think of to also create black and white results, but with even more control. However, for someone new to photo manipulation - or someone, like me, who knows a fair amount but is always looking for new things to learn - this is a good book.

The updated third edition of 40 Digital Photo Retouching Techniques makes for a top pick for any owner of Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0: it tells how to touch up photos, add color to black and white shots, open and process RAW image files and more - but uses a series of step-by-step color screens for clear examples of the entire process. These color screen shots make for a much easier manual for beginners than most - and make 40 DIGITAL PHOTO RETOUCHING essential for any general-interest photo computer collection.

Adobe's Photoshop Elements 5.0 (PE5) is an advanced photo editor that combines most of the special tools of the standard bearer, Photoshop, with affordable cost and a manageable learning curve. The current version 5 also includes an organizer that lets the user assemble his pictures in albums, combine them in slide shows on DVDs, and more.

For those who want to get a quick overview of many of the powerful tools available in PE the book by Zack Lee is an excellent guide. (Note: the author of the first edition is listed on the O'Reilly Web site as John Kim). In short chapters it leads the reader step-by-step through various editing procedures, using photos provided on a CD included with the book. Many basic editing steps can be achieved in different ways using the large selection of available tools, and the author purposely varies common procedures from example to example to optimize the learning experience. Of course, a complete discussion of all the tools available in PE5 requires a heftier text, such as O'Reilly's Photoshop Elements 5 - The Missing Manual.

After a brief introductory overview of the Editor window the following 6 chapters cover Correcting Contrast, Manipulating Colors, Enhancing Portraits, Editing Skills and Special Effects, Very Special Effects, and Using and Sharing Images. Going beyond the standard editing tools provided in basic photo editors, the reader also gets exposed to the many powerful special tools such as layers, levels, and the many brushes and erasers that do a lot more than the names would imply. With special tools portraits are made more flattering by adjusting skin color and retouching skin imperfections, resizing eyes, and streamlining jowly cheeks. A nice snapshot can be changed into an attractive portrait by blurring the background and removing background objects altogether. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

The book is attractively bound and presents step-by-step colorful screen shots of the photos at the different stages of editing, as well as of the corresponding editor windows. Sometimes the tool marks, such as the "crawling ants" outlines of selected objects, are hard to distinguish in the illustrations, but this is usually not a great obstacle in following the examples.

After completing the examples in the book the reader has been exposed to many of the powerful editing tools in Photoshop Elements 5.0. A useful index makes it easy to go back to specific examples for a refresher on how to perform certain adjustments or how to use certain tools. Highly recommended.

You seldom see a first effort from two such diversly different authors that is this strong. 57 paints a strange and sometimes disturbing picture, a picture that will remain in your memory long after you've finished the last page. Images of hot Louisiana nights, a 57 Chevvy and young girl who will stop at nothing to extract her revenge, including using a bit of voodoo. This is a page turner, and if it's an indication of the combined talent of these two, I can't wait to see what's next.

Eugen M. Bacon and E. Don Harpe have written a spot on depiction of southern Louisiana, its eerie suffocating summers and the dark magic that skims the murky bayous. " Gawd's truth" could not prevent nor persuade Angie from her insatiable lust for revenge on those that violated her. This reader applauded at the demise of stepfather, Earl Roberre but when the violence against Angie multiplies by the number three,Eugen M. Bacon and E. Don Harpe gives in descriptive prose what can not be imagined. Great read.

One cannot read 57 and not look upon a 1957 Chevy with a different if not wary eye. That two authors of separate writing style and genre could jointly create such a disturbing voodoo tale charged with emotion is surprising. Without giving much away, a horrid deed is done in the summer of 1965 to change forever the course of Angie's life. 57 is a dark, literary trip rendered powerfully and beautifully.

Although I had gotten my feet wet using Ableton Live 4, I didn't realize what I was missing until I read this book. I am now much faster and can do a lot of really cool stuff that I didn't even realize was possible with Live before reading this book. It's also much easier to read than other technical manuals I've read, written in an engaging, conversational style that is easy to understand while imparting some pretty deep knowledge. Actually inspired me to dig into Live and try what I was learning. I highly recommend this one!!

This is a really a great book to 1) help you learn Live 4 better, 2) get better in-depth coverage of some old and new areas in Live, 3) see new ways of working with Live, and 4) have a great guide to supplement the Ableton provided manual.

I've been getting a lot out of Live since Live 3, and this book has been a great tool in quickly learning some of the new features of Live 4, as well as picking up a lot of great tips.

It's written well, and put together for the person who wants to get a lot of tutorial-style info, methods to use Live quicker and smarter, and get even more musical goodness out of Live.

Very happy I bought this book, an easy 5 star recommendation.

Enjoy!

Tom

Having used this program for quite some time, I thought I pretty much knew everything it could do. Boy, was I wrong. Chad Carrier brilliantly guides you through all the incredible features of this software, and he does it in a way that doesn't leave you scratching your head. I was surprised to discover just how much this program can do. If you are a musician or a producer, Ableton Live is one of the greatest new music making tools to come along in years. This book does an incredible job of explaining all the many features in Live 4, and I highly recommend both the software and this book for anyone who has ever wanted to get into making music on their computer. I'm inspired. OK, back to the studio!