Digital Books

we were using this book at gatech. I had two courses with him and I have learned a lot from Mr. "Samurai Professor"! God bless him!

The book is very good and covers CMOS circuits in great details. It includes very good expanation diagrams. It covers not only basic static cmos family but also new cmos family circuits.

It is meant for digital CMOS circuit designers. Not meant for digital circuits level. All are at CMOS transistor level analysis and design. Usually, most of the digital CMOS circuits in the industry have already been laid out and kept as part of the standard cell library. Even though so, we still need to have a strong concept on digital CMOS circuits in order to be a good IC designer.

It is a very good book for the beginner and intermediate level, for those who has the interest to pick up CMOS digital circuits. The book is not meant to help the reader to be good at layouts, semiconductor physics and CAD tools. There are other books for those fields. The book presents a thorough explanation on digital CMOS circuit operation using both equations and words. A lot of diagrams and graphs/curves. That makes it very useful for self study. Helps the beginner (what i meant by "beginner" is that he/she should have a knowledge in fundamentals of semiconductor physics such as pn junction) to grasp the concept of digital CMOS circuit well.

I have 2 more books that are by Leblibici (CMOS Digital Integrated Circuits Analysis & Design) and Neil Weste (Princple of CMOS vlsi design) and I found that this is better than both the books for beginners and for CMOS purpose. But the book by Weste is a very good reference, not meant for self reading unless you have a good foundation in CMOS circuit design already. The book by Leblibici is almost as good as the one by Uyemura. So, I use Leblibici book for extra reference and would usually use the book by Uyemura for first read. Therefore, I found the book by Leblibici is just as important.

The only complete and conclusive text on mixed-signal circuit design so far. Design examples on the book website also serve as great supplement to the book. I have compared with all other contemporary texts, and this one stands out among those. A must have for aspiring mixed-signal analog designers.

This is the best book I have found so far on CMOS mixed-signal circuit design. It is not only an excellent textbook for senior or graduate student to learn mixed-signal circuit design but also a "must have" reference book for circuit designers doing analog/mixed-signal design. The book presents not only the therectical background for data converter using SPICE modeling approach, but also the practical considerations for implementing data converters at the circuit level. The materials it covers about submicron CMOS circuit design has provided reader with necessary background and techniques (which are very practical) for transistor level design like no other analog textbook you can find.

The book begins by covering basic data converter theory and includes methods for SPICE modeling of data converters. An important aspect to this coverage is that the metrics for evaluating data converters are explained clearly (this makes the book a great reference when wading through some of the spec sheets or journal articles covering data converters).

After the fundamentals of data converters are established, the text covers noise-shaping converters (including a review of some of the digital filtering concepts required to understand/implement these devices). This is one of the hottest topics in solid-state circuit design today, with journal articles appearing monthly on new topologies and uses for sigma-delta data converters. Very few textbooks are available that cover this topic, and it is great to have a book that teaches the noise-shaping concepts in such a straightforward manner.

There are a few chapters that cover implementation of data converters, including a very useful chapter on submicron CMOS circuit design. Rather than simply focus on the academic and `ideal' implementations of circuitry, this text takes a practical approach and recognizes that the real world is not perfect. This approach is seen throughout the text and gives a deeper appreciation for the specifications used to characterize converter performance, as well as the limitations with various circuit topologies.

In addition to data converters, there is a chapter on integrator-based CMOS filters (this is very applicable in today's mixed-signal CMOS designs), including filters that use the noise-shaping concepts discussed earlier.

Very few technical textbooks are as well thought as this one. From start to finish, the text is filled with practical examples that aid in the learning process. There are SPICE examples throughout the book, and the netlists will all run using WinSPICE (all netlists and WinSPICE are available for download ...). It is great to be able to play with these netlists and get a feel for how the circuits operate.

The final chapter in the book takes the concepts taught and shows real implementations of several circuits (on a breadboard and with hand-soldered circuits), including a noise-shaping modulator and a discrete analog integrator. The author proves that the concepts work with these implementations and discusses proper laboratory measurement and characterization techniques.

This book is a great teaching tool as a classroom text or as a self-study reference. The problems at the end of each chapter and the prototypes at the end of the book allow the reader to verify understanding, whether on paper or in the laboratory.

Never say quit...you got the miner out! So Tom Shelnutt, a dedicated, resourceful coal mining man wrote in large white chalky letters on the maintenance team's greenboard at the Energy Fuels mine near Florence, Colorado. Tom also believes that when workers respect one another, the other guy's triumph feels like one of your own. Tom had gone in that day to help get the miner out...but it was accomplished by the time he got there...so he wrote that message of pride for his brothers to celebrate their achievement.

Yeah it sure does...and so a 100% disabled ex-cop and prosecutor sits up in his hospital bed and wants to help Tom and George Meffley and George Patterson and Abel and Jim and a bunch of those other guys keep a "gritty" Joy mechanical miner with a soul like a co-worker dug out and mining coal...."you could teach me, guys" i anticpate their objection based upon my not knowing a lump of coal from one of Marge's incomparable chop suey rolls at the malt shop and bakery.

"Aw give me a chance guys...just one chance... I know I can do it," because whenever you find a group of men like Tom and his comrades, who love their work and believe in it and each other...whenever you find guys like that who inspire the expectant production crew to hang around and ask "what can we do to help" you just KNOW you're in with a group of can-do guys who are able to, literally, move mountains.

It is only with a chill up your spine that you realize they haven't taken any coal out of the ground for six years or so...and the gritty Joy miner with a soul like a human lies buried where Tom and his crew kept it running during those last days of the 160 year history of mining around Florence, Colorado. But Tom and his wife Linda continue to celebrate the blessings of honest labor, and Tom continues to share his stories of the graveyard shift and Linda just maybe will harness the power of the written word to one of them one of these days, and meanwhile you're just proud to call yourselves "Americans" with these people.

But somewhere in the enticing future Northfield beckons and we can just hope and pray that Tom and the old crew will one day be united there, pulling coal out of the ground as they love to do and do so well. And Linda, who is the Norman Rockwell of Colorado coal mining, will once more preserve the dignity and heroism of their exploits forever within the written word.

John W. Cassell

Answer to this review's title, 'Because there's pride, power, skill, and joy, in those working man's hands.' Both the question & answer are straight from Ms. Shelnutts writing.

I've never been in a coal mine, down a shaft, never even given any thought to such, but the world drawn here by the Author leaves me in awe of her working class heroes, her cowboys of coal. Of machines that breathe, break, get 'Band-Aided' up, fused back to life to spit once again...the term 'machines' does not apply solely to mechanical monsters, but to the men who work those mines, also.

This is the first read I've had of Ms. Shelnutt's mining collection (dare say 'tribute'?...yes), but it will not be a one-shot deal for me. I was moved by the heart of these men, the 'job's not done til it's done' grind & grit. Super write, Author...just super!

FW Bosworth
'My Li'l Black Dad'
'Staged Affair'

Being new to photography this book answers alot of the unknowns. An excellent guide for everyone from amature to advance. Just wondering why the pictures are not printed in color that is the only down fall of the book. You can view them on line but would like to see them in the book.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to become a better photographer. Gary Friedman writes in a very easy to understand way. His tips, info and vision will make you look at taking photos in a better way.

It's definately helped me.

FYI, a full-color
.pdf version is available for less on The Friedman Archives web site.

As an owner of the Digital Rebel Field Guide I have to tell you that this book is in a completely different league - the same topics are covered (actually, this book covers a few more), but the writing style and Gary's enthusiasm for the subject really hit home for me. Topics that I barely understood after reading the Field Guide suddenly became crystal clear and obvious after reading his explanations and examples. A rare combination of photographic master and teacher!

BUT... this book is in Black-and-white, and many of the examples require more fidelity than the B&W images can convey. Although the book does come with a free download of the color illustrations, I recently discovered that for 25 bucks you can download a .pdf version from the FriedmanArchives dot com web site. This is definitely the way to go.

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting a friendly, easy-to-understand, and non-intimidating explanations for not only what all the buttons and menus do, but the basics of photography in general. My pictures have already improved as a result of reading Chapter 6!

Take a look at Myer's book if you are interested in the details of how the coupling of your system and the cohesion of your modules affect the quality of your design. Tom DeMarco dixit.

I read this book 20 years ago and I am still recommending it. WE NEED A REPRINTING!

Although it's nearly 20 years old, this book presents principles of software design that remain valid in today's client-server, object-oriented technologies. I know of no other work that so clearly communicates the concepts of modular program structure and the criteria for measuring it.

This is a good book in reliability modeling of computer systems as it explicitly explains very deep knowledge in a clear way. Many technologies presented in this book are easy to be applied in practice. The examples help me clearly understand them although there are some mathematical formulas out of my current knowledge structure.

The book studies the reliability on software, hardware, network and system levels. I especially like the part about the grid reliability that can be implemented to study the reliability of large-scale systems.

This is a good book that comprehensively investigates the reliability for most advanced computer systems.

Conscious Globalism: What's wrong with the world and how to fix it is, according to its author David A. Schwerin, not a book about globalization but rather an exposé of today's tension-laden conflicts using as the setting the globalization drama.

With globalization we are witnessing a re-organization of society around a distinct economic model-unrestrained capitalism. Moreover, as the author mentions, "it can be viewed as the world-wide integration of economic, political and social activities, and information."

Economic integration may be a natural and inevitable process that may lead to a higher standard of living and quality of life throughout the world. However, it is imperative that we are watchful of uncontrolled capitalism that produces counterproductive behaviors that are very often rampant in today's global marketplace.

In order to avoid costly errors, it is crucial to be able to distinguish these shortcomings, while analyzing many of the erroneous beliefs that motivate such conduct, and it is vital that we subsequently correct them.

Conscious Globalism is an engaging and informative read that invites readers to think deeply and seriously about the topics Schwerin zeros in on. One finds everything from the what, why, who and where of globalization, to the challenges, flaws and consequences and the possibilities. Although the topic itself may be enormous, the author has done an amazing job of putting many issues into perspective.

A great deal of ink is devoted to evaluating how our actions are dictated by three multifaceted components of our personalities, Me (self-centered), Them (other-directed) and Us (common-good-oriented.)

This Me behavior is very often in evidence with the heartless actions of corporations and individuals that are propelled by behavior having a negative impact, and which contribute very little to the democratic process. Many of these companies and the individuals, who run them, unfortunately change their ethical outlook when placed inside a corporate structure whose first aim is obedience and profit. Decisions are based on self-interest and ill conceived plans, leading very often to terrible results. Rather than adopting a trustful and co-operative environment, these individuals will adopt the "me first" attitude.

This was very much in evidence with the Enron and World Com debacles; however, as Schwerin points out, the offensive behavior of a few executives is not evidence of a fatal flaw in capitalism. The free market economy did not collapse nor has it been replaced by another economic model.

Other examples of the Me behavior can be seen in the dim-witted actions of the various politicians and world leaders, as well as others in authority.

Unfortunately, the Me behavior is often followed by the THEM rationalization when events don't turn out as planned. Schwerin succinctly describes it as a romanticized image of ourselves that we portray to the world in an attempt to gain acceptance and/or avoid responsibility for shortcomings.

Schwerin's principal argument centers on the concept of aiming for the common good as an ideal, and that we must evaluate the sustainability of globalism within the context of ecological, economic, political and socio-cultural spheres.Ill conceived strategies that ignore these elements will ultimately lead to global turbulence, as is now the case in certain geographical areas. Moreover, we must move from the Me to an US orientation, where globalization depends on trust and cooperation in order to function effectively.

There is a great deal of meat in this insightful and thought provoking book, and as the author points out, we do not live in a vacuum, everyone's fate is inextricably tied to the well-being of all humanity.


Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures

Here is a book that tackles topics that might be deemed incompatible: human behavior, economics, environmental concerns and globalization. Schwerin brilliantly combines these disparate elements into an engrossing, deeply researched volume that convincingly portrays the need for an approach that provides individual fulfillment while protecting the environment, the human spirit, and international relations.

The breadth of the coverage is summarized in the subtitle: "What's wrong with the world and how to fix it." The cost of short-term thinking and immediate gratification is exposed while methodology for "fixing the world" is explored. Surprisingly, most of the recommendations appear reasonable in an era in which the inhabitants of our world seem so confused.

After reading David Schwerin's book, "Conscious Globalism: What's wrong with the world and how to fix it," I found myself feeling hopeful about the world and its future. David's examination of complex economic, financial, and business issues is not only comprehensive but also comprehensible. He lays the foundation for understanding in an articulate, readable manner, so that readers without extensive background knowledge can easily follow his analyses.

Perhaps what makes this book so relevant is that it describes solutions that do not depend on a radical departure from current models but are grounded in the capitalist system. It does not discard profit and self-interest as motives, but rather leads the reader to more accurate understandings of these principles. Citing examples, David shows how adopting practices that align with real self-interest can increase profitability in corporations that enact good employment and sound environmental policies. He also shows how individual investors can make a difference through socially responsible investing. By consciously choosing companies whose policies and practices reflect their values, investors do not necessarily have to sacrifice profit-they may, in fact, even do better.

This wonderful book offers new ways to view previously held beliefs and realistically encourages all that is best in us.

This was a nice little treat at the end of the day; I came home, had a relaxing evening and just got to laugh. I totally recommend this short for anyone who just doesn't have time to read the author's fabulous full-length novels. This story really makes you feel for Constance in a way that you couldn't really before when you were experiencing life from Jane's perspective.

Lauren Baratz-Logsted has that rare gift of making her reader laugh out loud. This is witty and delightful addition to her repertoire. Lots and lots of well-done humor and pathos.

Lauren Baratz-Logsted brings humor back to the short story. In this scene starring one of the supporting characters from the wickedly funny The Thin Pink Line and Crossing the Line, the author riffs on the modern world of publishing and online forums. A delicious Godiva chocolate of a story, this will appeal to the modern reader of classics as well as chick lit.

The short story format allows new readers to sample an unfamiliar author, to try out a new genre, or just to get a quick, punchy, fiction fix. Not all authors deal equally well with short and long forms of narrative, but here the author demonstrates that her talent is broad, as well as deep. Her sense of humor is quirky and charming, she is observant, and deft at quick sketches of characters. Enjoy.

I thought this article provided good insights into government contracting and the future direction of this industry. Very helpful to those managing contracts and working with the DoD as a contractor.

I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Cavadias speak on this journal at a symposium earlier this year in Washington. His insights into the government's need to invest more specialized and dedicated resources toward managing contracts rather than just awarding them is long overdue for action. Taxpayers' investments into government-outsourced services could be better protected if this common sense paradigm shift is provoked. I'm certain that the Congressional Subcommittee on Government Reform would agree with the premise of this journal because it makes good business sense.

This is an amazing article. We were completely lost in the administration of our performance base acquisition until we read this article.

This monograph is easy to read and packed with practical tips and techniques you can use RIGHT NOW to elevate the level of creativity in your organization. It's a "how-to" guide that offers a variety of simple yet highly effective strategies to ensure purposeful creativity- not just creativity for its own sake.

8 ingenious ways to promote creativity which translates into improving communications, productivity, and your organization's overall environement. The article is clear, concise, and gives examples to back up what they are saying. This article enabled me to take dysfunctional meetings and make them into functional, problem-solving events.

This short book is loaded with little gems of insight. I know a few "wildcards" and I agree that they have been difficult to work with, but were brilliant with ideas! I had never thought about them as a "type" or "role" before, at least not explicitly. This short, easy read gave me some new insights that I will be able to use on the job and in my personal life.