Multimedia Books

I've been combining my retraining in 3D modeling and learning SolidWorks specifics with the help of two SolidWorks books; Engineering Design with SolidWorks and A Commands Guide for SolidWorks. Both books deploy a step-by-step very well illustrated instruction approach.

I'm rather new to 3D. I found the two books to be extremely useful and easy to follow. In a previous life, I was an AutoCad VAR, although that is going back quite a few years. Part of my learning process has been unlearning some of my AutoCad approaches. This takes time, but is well worth it. SolidWorks is a great software package.

Engineering Design with SolidWorks walks you through SW in no time by combining parts that you create with sub-assemblies and assemblies. The numerous illustrations with the easy step-by-step procedure makes this book ideal for the self taught person or the classroom environment. Example: In the assembly section, there are screen shots of each selection; edge, face, etc. and then a screen shot of the model with the Mate PropertyManager to inforce and guide you through the process. This is very helpful for any new user. This type of illustration is provided throughout the book.

At the end of each chapter, additional parts and sub-assemblies are available to build your confidence. The book spends a great deal of time addressing geometric sketch relationships, and the ability to edit a sketch or feature in a model. This is time well spent.

The drawing chapter takes you through setting up a sheet format, detailing drawings with multi sheets, multi views, setting part numbers in a BOM, revision tables, and inserting design tables with configurations. All great things.

The included CD has all the lessons animated. Great work here. If you get bored reading the book, pop in the CD, sit back and enjoy some Solidworks modeling.

This book has good, easy to follow instructions that step you through a process that starts out from beginner and ends up with a good understanding of the power and utility of SolidWorks 2008. The only negative is the lack of color, the text looks a little plain and could use some spicing up. However, as far as the utility goes, this is an excellent manual.

There are many SolidWorks books that are being offered in today's environment. It is difficult to know which book is right for you. As an Inventor user who moved to SolidWorks, I am looking for a detail book that provides information in a structural format to educate me in a new software package. I am also in search of a book that will keep my attention, move at a reasonable pace, and cover major feature, sketch, drawing, assembly and analysis topics and tools. This is a very good book for the person that is looking for the above like me. The multimedia CD is a plus, but just reviews what is in the book. Additional details and tips would be nice.

I'm new to SolidWorks. I used AutoCAD many years ago, and was downsized last year. I now work as a mechanical designer for a medium size auto part manufacturer.

One of the job requirements was to learn SolidWorks. SolidWorks is an amazing product... I purchased two books from these authors. Both are great. Their writing style is very straightforward. They do not assume that you have previous knowledge in 2D or 3D CAD. They give many illustrations in the book, and supply a multimedia CD. This is a BIG advantage when learning a new software package.

Solid engineering fundamentals are provided when creating a part, assembly or drawing. The back of each chapter is packed with examples which are aligned with the CSWA certification. I'm the only one in the department that is not certified. My goal is to past the CSWA certification exam someday!

I teach a single semester class of SolidWorks and a two semester class of SolidWorks. The SolidWorks Tutorial book is excellent for the single semester class, but the Engineering Design book is the best one that I have seen for the two semester class. Both books are very well written for education and are easy to read and follow. Both books have integrated homework examples which are directly aligned to the chapters and the SolidWorks CSWA Certification program.

Engineering Design covers all of the main features: Extruded Boss/Base, Extruded Cut, Revolved Boss/Base. Loft Boss/Base, Swept Boss/Base, Linear & Circular Patterns, hole, and more. The chapters are divided into logical project streams to apply the appropriate features, commands, and design intent. Both bottom up and top down assembly methods are applied with configurations. The Drawing section is well documented with exploded views, crop, projected, cut, section, detail, etc. The Sheetmetal chapter is a plus. The book is easy to follow with its bold command structure and step by step illustrations. Base features and Base Sketch planes are well documented and explained. Want to learn SolidWorks? Go no further.

This book was a tremendous help for me. I not only learned a great deal but had fun with this book as I began creating my blogs. I highly recommend this book. Makes a great gift. you'll love it.

I have been contemplating writing a book and a few people suggested creating a blog to test out ideas. I stumbled on this book and figured I would give it a read.

This is a great book if you have little or no idea of what you want to do with a blog.

It gives some good suggestions for things overlooked such as creating a sense of trust by filling out your profile so you give a possible reader an idea of why they should consider trusting you.

It discusses the free services such as blogger and typepad and it discusses what they offer to assist in choosing a provider if you go that route.

There are numerous links throughout the book that help with searching the Net for examples and ideas on what you may want to try.

There are many advice points such as backing up your blog and being careful about blogging at work which causes people to get fired.

There are suggestions for getting your blog noticed and some tools to assist your blogging.

As I am new I can't judge all the material but I found it useful as it gave me a better idea about blogging and where to look for more detailed information.

As mentioned this book is good for someone that is considering a blog and knows little or nothing. Someone who has already researched blogging, probably does not need this book. An advanced blogger can skip this book

Very easy to read. Will get you exciting about blogging and get you started quickly.

If you know absolutely nothing about blogging, this is the book for you. The book spends as much time talking about the culture, community, and benefits of blogging, as it does walking you through the steps for setting up a simple blog.

If you've already done a little homework on blogs, this book will be too basic. Skip it and get the Dummies book on blogging, which spends more time helping you compare and choose the right blogging platform for your needs.

The 4 stars? It's a 5 star book for the beginner, but only a 3 star book for the advanced beginner and beyond.

Once you read or skim the book, you understand blogging and can start your own blog. The book made me think about what kind of blog I wanted to start.

The book compares the major blogging sites in text and chart form. It gives advanced information on photo, audio, and video blogging. The resources section lists a lot of free web sites and articles, and I have used it many times.

Bottom line: this is as good as a source on blogging as any book will be, but any book on blogging needs to be supplemented by surfing the web.

After alot of waiting GLPro Foundations made my dream true by publishing this book of the latest version of the most powerfull Fastest smallest multimedia language. With huge No. of examples and one cd contains all what you want to make a program with this language and all of this for only 40$ it's very good to learn this powerfull language

I needed to get a good grounding in GLpro before undertaking a major project in Calgary, Canada, later in the year. I bought a copy via the Internet soon after publication in February 1998 and found that it met my needs in many ways. Firstly it includes an edition of GLpro on CD sufficient to learn the language (but not enough to make an executable or screensaver - for that the full commercial edition must be purchased). Secondly it is written in an easy to read style which as a novice I appreciated very much. Thirdly, it includes enough of the huge GLpro command set to get a working feel for the basics of the language. Fourthly, as I write I am nearing the end of my project and often turn to it as a reference. As a bonus the CD includes examples of commercial products made using GLpro. I am convinced this book and CD significantly shortened my learning curve and I can recommend it as very good value to anyone starting out with the superb GLpro multimedia authoring tool.

After alot of waiting GLPro Foundations made my dream true bypublishing this book of the latest version of the most powerfullsmallest multimedia language. With huge No. of examples and one cd contains all what you want to make a program with this language....it's very good to learn this powerfull language

When GMedia, the publishers of GLPro, released their version 7 in August 1997 a small and concise printed manual accompanied the software. This was intended to provide an overview of the many features of this amazing software package. However, the broad scope of the product called for a manual that would cover many of the questions that a new or intermediate user might ask. Dick Brandt has met this requirement with his "Foundations" book. I purchased it when it appeared and have returned to it for information, methods and code on almost every GLPro project since August 1997. Like the online GLPro listserv support this book should be on a GLPro user's list of helpers.

If you are new to GMedia's GLPro get it!

John Rankin Seattle WA.

If you are new to GLpro but don't know how to begin (which was pretty much my situation a year ago), I would recommend this book without hesitation. Dick Brandt assumes no prior knowledge, and begins with very easy examples that put the reader at ease. In his down-to-earth style, he takes the reader on a very thorough (and enjoyable) tour of the territory. In fact, having read the book, I now feel that I have a pretty fair command of a very powerful language.

The book comes with a CD-ROM, which contains its own version of GLpro, all the sample scripts from the hundreds of examples in the book, and some clever utility programs that the author has written (and which you will end up using over and over again). These support materials are a very nice complement to the book.

GLpro is a deep and and dynamic language and I am glad that someone as knowledgable and as thorough as Dick Brandt took on the job of presenting it in such a clear way. In short, this book fills an important niche and does it beautifully.

This is a no-brainer. If you want to get a jump on video blogging and don't know where to start - buy this book. It's an easy read that is not that difficult to digest and understand.

Blog on!

Lionel Felix and Damien Stolarz take you step by step in their book Hands-On Guide to Video Blogging and Podcasting into the emerging new tools of a video blog or podcast.

[MORE INFO AT http:satisfyingsolutions.com]

Easy instructions make it simple to use and the book gives you the latest tools to quickly start video blogging and podcasting for your business.

Chapter one gives you an overlook on how to record and edit your video.

In chapter two the authors discuss the anatomy of a blog as well as a brief history of blogs.

As one reads on Chapter three discuss the main uses for video blogging and podcasting. In addition it also shows how mainstream media and corporate uses these two tools.

Chapters four,five, and six explain blogs and what kind of delivery should be given in this new technology.

Chapter seven incorporates the moblogging and podcasting and continues with chapter eight and one the go spaces and video.

Chapter nine fulfills the reader with essential tools for your computer as well as the software and hardware.

Chapter ten gives an insight on production and breaks down the recording, microphones, and editing.

Chapter eleven continues from the audio production and moves into video production.

Chapter twelve explains to the reader the pricing and hosting of band withs.

Chapter thirteen discusses how to go about assembling blog entries.

The next chapter discusses the important facts of licensing and copyrights.

Finally, chapter fifteen discusses case studies from websites such as ericrice and ryanedit.com.

Furthermore, this is a great hands-on tool to take you step by step in the process of blogging. Paul Gillin gives you the motivation to start your own blog and Felix and Stolarz give you the tools to make it your own.

This book supports Paul Gillin's ideas and the book The New Influencers by reiterating the fact that blogging and podcasting is the resource to business communications in digital media. It is so easy to follow along and not only helps with business aspects but entertainment and educational institutions too.

A. J. Baltes

If you want to get into Video Blogging and Podcasting this is the best book on the market today. Covers every aspect in detail while still making it all seem easy.

I work for Loyola Marymount University. We recently decided to make all lectures available via Podcasts. I went searching for books on the subject in order to find a solution for the school. This book was by far the best book on the subject. It even gave us some ideas for video blogging that we hadn't previously considered. Without the precise and coherent coverage given to Podcasting in this book I doubt we would have a solution even half as good. Thanks to the authors for their great book. It has been invaluable.

This hands-on guide is great for nailing down the nitty gritty of podcasting. Sure, there's nothing to it; you can make a podcast in a night. But then, once it's launched, there are SO many things to consider and so many ways to expand it. This is what makes casting a blast!

His nitty gritty on bandwidth, pricing plans, and especially the case studies of existing vidcasts and podcasts helped me a lot with refining my New Civilization Podcast.

Good stuff!

Zack

This book is filled with GREAT information for anyone interested in working with various 'toys' for Linux. I was privileged in being part of a class presented by Tom Weeks in regards to MythTV (he assisted with the chapter in the book) and it is great information!

If you are interested in getting the latest information for various additions to your Linux box, then this is a must-have. If you are even interested in any extra features you can configure on your Linux box then you will not be disappointed!

WARNING: Your pocket book might suffer after reading this book from all the new hardware you want to buy!

You can make really useful things based on the Linux OS, and this book makes it easy! Highly recommended!

Readers of this book will find it VERY well written. It appeals to everyone, from those more proficient in Linux, to those (like myself) who are still learning. I'd highly recommend this book!

This book clearly explains the details needed to accomplish all projects.

I recently saw Tom Weeks do a Myth TV presentation where you can build your own Linux based PVR, which is covered in his chapter written in this book. This is a great resource for the computer hobbyist, amateur or enthusiast of gadget-lover! Easy to follow and fun to read!

As part of my daily job, I lead agile projects in a large organization. I usually use a number of different sources to get the information that I need on different aspects of agile development and leading agile projects. I really like this book for a number of reasons: (1) I like the fact that it is written by a number of respected experts in the area; (2) I like its style in chapters like 5 that summarizes lessons learned in a set of principles; (3) Chapter like 14 clears confusions on topics like "agile documentation".

I enjoy and benefit from this book and you should find it useful if you are also engaged in leading and managing agile projects.

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (3/07)

"Managing Agile Projects" provides a comprehensive and well-balanced look at the various components of agile project management. It contains a compilation of "chapters" from seventeen industry authors.

Describing the key elements of agile methodology, "Managing Agile Projects" provides an analysis of iterative and incremental delivery, active stakeholder participation, communication, agile documentation, extreme testing, and quality focus. Through real and hypothetical examples readers gain a thorough understanding of how agile methodology is applied to project management.

Kevin Aguanno has done an excellent job of compiling publications and agile community expertise into an easy to read, articulate guidebook covering the history of agile methods, how the methodology differs from traditional methods, when the methodology works, and in what situations it may not be appropriate in its entirety.

"Managing Agile Projects" is a recommended read for all project managers, software developers, and anyone with an interest in leading edge methodology!

This is the book I use the most when I need agile techniques for my projects. It contains all the info you need from a managers perspective; when you need a technique, and how to apply. I am very happy with all the fundamental explanations on why certain techniques can help you out with a project problem. Stakeholder participation, requirements, testing, development strategies, it is all in there. And best of all, without hype.

My favorite chapter is "Stealth Methodology Adoption" which explains how to sell to higher level management that you are going agile.

With contributions from Scott Ambler, Alistair Cockburn, Larry Constantine and Ronald Jeffries you know that the advice presented is from real experts.

Aguanno's book is an excellent overview of agile project management methodologies and practices. Aguanno assembles leading authorities in the field to contribute their experiences and knowledge directly from real experiences. The numerous management techniques discussed will help you use agile methods to increase the value and effectiveness of all your projects. Anyone wishing to learn more about agile, or project management in general, will benefit from this book.

I first bought this with some concern that it was another book just espousing the need to adopt agile project management/agile software development methods; however, I was delighted to see that the book included so much more. The first couple of chapters do explain the history of the evolution of the agile method, but do so in a way that focuses on the benefits to the business stakeholders for allowing technical teams to adopt these methods, such as the several different ways that agile methods reduce risk. The next section of the book talks about how managing agile projects is different from traditional projects, and gives specific examples of the differences and how to change your project management behavior to match the new environment. The third section of the book was amazing -- it detailed a number of agile management techniques that I could adopt today into my project, without the need for necessarily adopting a whole new methodology. The last section of the book talks about some of the "gotchas" that we have to watch out for when using these agile methods. One special nugget was the last chapter which gives instructions on how to adopt these techniques and practices into an organization or onto an existing project without attracting the notice of the "process police" in an organization. I like this concept of changing the way I work while flying under the radar. I HIGHLY recommend this book to project managers, business managers, and senior technical leads of teams who are using (or would like to use) agile software development methods.

If I could only put one multimedia learning book on my bookshelf, this would be it. The "General Principles" section provides one of the best overviews I've read of Behavioral, Cognitive, and Constructivist approaches to learning (although I do think they misrepresent the Instructional Systems Design process and treat it as a purely Behavioralist approach). This section also presents an excellent overview of the learning process. The book moves on to discuss methodologies and learning sequences at an unparalleled level, including a brilliant discussion of simulations and educational games. The book closes with an overview of an approach to Design and Development that's worth reading, but far less valuable than the previous sections. Of all my design books, this one has the most dog-eared pages and underlined text; the chapter-level bibliographies alone are worth the book's price! Anyone looking to delve deep into multimedia design for learning should have this book on his or her shelf.

This is an excellent text in terms of coverage and pacing. If you are interested in human-computer interaction, this is a 'must have' text. What astonished me about this book is that it covered more issues in HCI than many dedicated user interface design books. The text admirably blends practical considerations with theoretical concerns and trends. It strongly focuses on motivational issues surrounding users of learning packages(an area largely ignored in the bulk of standard HCI texts). Don't pass over this book.

I just find it very well put together.. It takes you through the various facets of designing a course/presentation that will actually be used and useful.

Had to buy it for a class; execellent resource for it's target audience. Make sure you're a memeber of that target audience (instructional technologists) before you buy :)

The first clue as to the value of a book is the number of editions. Generally, the true standards in a field will continue to live and be revised. This book is the standard for multimedia design and production. The foundations and theory that are explored in the beginning are as valuable as the detail in the production process that is explained. The most significant aspect of this book has to be the detail concerning methods, especially instructional simulations. Simply a must have for anyone in the field of multimedia who is looking to develop products that go beyond the traditional page turner.

I have a litte doubt and try to solve my problems talking with the writer email showed in the book, but I never received a anwser...

This is an excellent book for those with an interest in creating Multimedia Applications for J2Me Mobile devices.

I would say that the book is split into three sections:

Section 1 (chapters 1 to 3): This section gives detailed information about the architecture of the MMAPI and how it fits within the J2Me platform. There is also has a good "getting started" guide to be found here.

Section 2 (chapters 4 to 8): Deal with how one uses the Player object in all its forms from playing simple tones, to playing back captured and streamed video.

This section was the most useful to me. It provides excellent
background information about each of the subject areas. An example of this is that it gives a full history of the MIDI standard, and an overview of the protocol itself, before it starts talking about how you write the code to play a midi file in J2Me.

Section 3: (the last chapter) is a case study, providing yet more code examples, and a companion blog site.

The only criticism that I have, is that the book, could have delved into the realms of streaming media a little deeper. The company that I work for, weComm is actively involved in the mobile TV space and I was pivotal in the creation of our application for streaming TV, and therefore I was hoping that this topic would be covered in more detail. That aside, I was very impressed, the subject matter was covered very thoroughly, and I felt guided through the MMAPI as I was reading it.

When I got this book I jumped straight to Chapter 9 viz. "Case Study: Device Blogging". This chapter nicely explains how to write a blogging Midlet for a phone device which includes writing a Blog post, capturing/uploading images to a blog, and capturing/posting audio to a blog. The author explains the MMAPI concepts using the MVC paradigm along with complete source code for client and server side processing of application and interaction logic.

The rest of the book goes deep into the MMAPI architecture and concepts with the help of source code of working applications. The functional Multimedia player example in the 3rd chapter explains the role of various components of MMAPI architecture. A dedicated chapter on Media player lifecycle and events is very helpful in understanding the basic concepts of event handling. The book also covers some of the fundamental concepts behind controlling pitch, tempo, audio mixing with the help of examples.

Chapter 7 is dedicated to the MIDI specification which is very comprehensive and well explained within the context of JavaME framework. Writing a book like this requires a thorough knowledge of both JavaME and the various subtleties of tone, pitch, sequencing, octaves, frequency, audio conversion and their treatment on the device and at the network level. In my opinion the author has done a great job.

All in all this book is a great resource if you are planning to develop the next Mobile video sharing, photo sharing application or your next multi-media player for a Mobile phone.

Pro Java ME MMAPI: Mobile Media API for Java Micro Edition has amazed me. The book is unique as it covers and desmyifies one of the most fragmented and confuse Optional Packages for JME.

I've read more than a dozen books about JME but this is the first book that has really cleared some doubts I had regarding Mobile Media in JME.

I strongly recommend this book if you are developing Multimedia Applications using JME.

Vikram Goyal has done an outstanding job by clarifying and detailing every aspect of MMAPI, discussing the way it has been specified, emphasizing the differences that may occur from one implementation to another and also providing clear, detailed and error free examples that illustrate the aspects being discussed.

Also, the text is very well-written and I've found only 3 typos. Very impressive! Apress is also doing a wonderful job.

Chapter 1 introduces MMAPI and presents its features and requirements as defined by the JCP - Java Community Process, compares MMAPI and the MIDP 2.0 Media subset, where it fits regarding the JME Software stack and at last it lists the manufactures and market players supporting MMAPI.
Nice introduction!

Chapter 2 explains the MMAPI Architecture, the main high-level interfaces, delivers an introduction to the supported protocols and content types, presents the relevant feature sets and the security issues one must take into consideration. It also details the MIDP 2.0 Media subset so that one can understand what's left out on devices implementing it.

Chapter 3 introduces the reader to MMAPI hands-on programming by explaining two simple MIDlets. It also builds the foundation regarding the overall development process and environment.

Chapter 4 is unique, it details the Media Player lifecycle, its possible states and transitions. It explains each state very thoroughly as well as Player events and how to work with them, even the limitations and issues regarding custom events. I've never read a book covering MMAPI with such a detailed explanation.

Chapter 5 covers all the issues regarding the access of media over networks. It starts with a very clear explanation of Threads in JME as well as the security permissions for media acess over networks. Then it puts it all together in a very clear and easy to follow example.

Chapters 6 and 7 are the best ones in my opinion. Those two chapters do pay the book, definitely.Vikram has been brilliant and desmystified Synthetic Tones and the MIDI protocol. He has remembered me of my of childhood, when I've had musical theory classes as it explains everything music and shows you how that all fits into programming with MMAPI. Those chapters are so complete that they have a lot of tips on how to convert from RTTTL to MMAPI format, the MIDI specification and message format and how to work with MIDI in MMAPI, how to create JTS files and other niceties. Thanks Vikram :)

Chapter 8 explains how to work with Audio and Video, playback, capturing, storing, controlling, mixing, it's everything there. It also describes the details of Media Encodings and Sampled Audio as well as the GUI options for dealing with Video.

Chapter 9 has a very cool Device Blogging application that builds upon all the subjects presented so far and also gives a good example of MVC pattern in JME.

Well, the only criticism I have is regarding the section about Streaming Media and also the Appendix C about the JSR 234 - Advanced Multimedia Supplements. Considering that Vikram has proved he's really a subject matter expert He could have provided better sections about them.

In fact, He has already written an article about Streaming in JME and it's available on his web site (so I forgive him) but AMMS is still to be covered. What about on the second edition of his book? Let's wait and see!

A must have book, absolutely!

This is a well written book. It's not for beginners but then again you don't have be a J2ME (Java ME) guru to understand it. The writing style is technically clear and straight forward without a lot of personal fluff.

Since MMAPI is a subset of Java ME, the scope of the subject is fairly limited but the author covers it well. The only area I might like more explanation is with respect to DataSource and SourceStream. This is covered briefly at the beginning of the book, but it would be nice to know how to implement a custom protocol.

The biggest problem I have had with the MMAPI is it's inconsistent implementation and the author is quick to acknowledge this. One could probably write a whole chapter about the quirks of various mobile devices.

In conclusion, I doubt you will find another book specifically on MMAPI that has the depth that this one does. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to get your feet wet with the MMAPI.

BTW, I really appreciate the time the editors spent to proof read the text as there are very few errors, if any. It's always frustrating to me when I read a book with a lot of code and spelling errors. That's not the case here. Well done!

Basics: 2000, 2nd edition, softcover, 129 pages, 300 color photos of 181 species, CD with 1,300 photos of 335 species, audio clips, no range maps

Compared to other bird books on Puerto Rico or the Caribbean, this book is not formatted to be used as a field guide. Instead, it is a photographic overview of the island's 181 resident and visiting birds, but not the other 150 less common vagrants. Each page covers 1-2 species with 1-4 photos and 1-5 paragraphs of text. As one would hope, greater coverage and more photos are given to the Puerto Rican endemics and the Caribbean specialties.

The color photographs are generally good and are shown in appropriate sizes. Some of them are a little grainy and others might lean towards small, but nothing too bad.

The text gives the usual contents of identification, habitat, habits, status, conservation, and range. Three-quarters of the text is dedicated to the bird's habits, status, and conservation, reinforcing this book is not geared to be used as a field guide. It is an at-home reference to review and learn about the more common Puerto Rican birds.

Enhancing the photographic content of this book is a CD attached to the inside, back cover. This CD contains 1,300 photos of all 335 species to have occurred on the island. Each bird has anywhere between 1 and 16 color photos. Just as in the book, text is offered for the species, often with additional material not found within the book. A nice addition is the inclusion of sound clips for most of the expected birds. The quality of the photos are not as good as those found inside the book, but they do offer more poses and variations. The CD was created to run on both Windows and Mac. It's worked for me with no problems on Windows 2000 and XP.

I've listed several related books below...
1) A Guide to the Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by Raffaele
2) Las Aves de Puerto Rico by Biaggi
3) Birds of the West Indies by Bond
4) Birds of the West Indies by Raffaele
5) A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies by Raffaele
6) Photographic Guide to Birds of the West Indies by Flieg

I am going to Puerto Rico for a vacation. This book will help me to identify the birds that i might see.
Since it is small it is easy to carry around with you. I think that nature lovers would enjoy it. I give it a hearty recommendation

This guide to Puerto Rico's birds is really quite strong and useful, especially when combined with the information on the included CD (which is well organized in both English and Spanish.) Who wouldn't love to just sit at their computer all day and listen to birdsong, at least when they can't be out in the mountains or mangroves of PR?? I found the photographs quite satisfactory for ID purposes (not something to be taken lightly) and the narrative information is very useful.

Just one nit to pick: why is the peregrine falcon described as "a small hawk"?

El libro y el CD son excelentes, sobretodo porque se conecta al internet y uno accesa otros sonidos de aves. Una lástima que el libro en español no incluya el CD, los puertorriqueños leemos y hablamos el español, no entiendo porque el libro en español no pueda incluir el CD con un sonido que es universal : el de los pájaros.

This is the perfect guide book for birding in Puerto Rico. The photographs, 1340 in all, are brilliant, and the text is detailed and rich in information. The guide itself will easily fit into a pocket or day pack and so when out in the field you will have it at your fingertips.

What's unique about this guide is the excellent CD-Rom that comes with it -- this will help you before you go to know what the birds look like, their calls, their behavior and where you can find them once in Puerto Rico. I used the CD-Rom to check out three of my favorite PR birds and was amazed at the numerous and gorgeous pictures, the superb quality of the audio recordings and the information Oberle has reproduced in this book. For instance, regarding the Puerto Rican Tody (one of the 17 PR endemics covered in this guide as well as over 320 other birds), there were a dozen different pictures of the Tody including fabulous close-ups. The information Oberle gives includes identification, voice with audio, habitat, habits, range, status and conservation, taxonomy and related books and articles about the Tody. The Tody is a tiny forest bird with emerald green upperparts and a bright red bill and throat -- everytime I see one I think of a Christmas tree ornament, they are so cute! Oberle discusses in detail what they eat: katydids, grasshoppers, earwings and dragonflies, and discusses as well their foraging techniques. Because Oberle goes into such great detail about ID and habitat/habits, I think this is the best guide to enable one to actually find the birds once in PR.

I also checked out the PR Woodpecker and found those pictures, audio and habitat/habits information just as extensive as that about the Tody. I learned that the woodpecker's stiff tail feathers helps it to gain balance while chiseling at tree bark to find its favorite insects, including earwings, beetle larvae and ants. I discovered it occasionally eats scorpions and and lizards! Oberle informs the reader that a good place to find the woodpecker is around the parking lot of the El Portal visitor Center at the El Yungue national park.

A third bird that is well covered in both the CD and guide is the Pin-tailed Whydah, which has a most remarkable long tail and perches on wires and branches. I was surprised to learn that the female is like our parasitic cowbird and doesn't build her own nest but drops her eggs in other birds' nests.

Oberle has done a splendid job of bringing together in a compact book all the information and photgraphs of birds that you will need when out in the field. Because he cares so much about these birds and the environment, he also has special sections at the begining of the book on conservation efforts, migratory birds that winter in PR, and the extinction issues that face too many birds and other wildlife today in Puerto Rico and elsewhere.

To anyone going to Puerto Rico who plans to do some birding, I heartily recommend this book and CD-Rom to you.

Where to begin? This strip defies definition. It is ostensibly about a 10-year-old genius who started his own software company (Sheldonsoft) and downloaded language-recognition software into the brain of his pet duck, but who in all other respects is an average kid, except for his occasional lapses into sci-fi-induced nerd comas. He is being raised by his grandfather (parents are deceased).

This is one of the few comics that provides laugh-out-loud humor, without resorting to crudeness or vulgarity. Topics span the gamut, from Gramps' addition to Girl Scout cookies, to corporate buyouts, to off-the-wall superhero role playing between Arthur (Thurg, Viking God of Affordable Footwear) and his friend Dante (Stickboy). There is nothing formulaic about this comic strip! Dave Kellett finds the humor in everything, from current popular media (Kneel Before Zod!) to the obscure (warding off a French corporate rival by waving a bottle of Australian wine at her).

This comic, plus Jef Mallett's strip "Frazz" are two of the best strips going. Highly recommended!

Pure Ducky Goodness is a title that hit's the contents of this book right on the head!

A great read for those that have never seen the strip, as well as those fans of the daily web comic version at Comics.Com

The humor spans all ages, and genres. Everything from tech to geek to old folk (i.e. myself) humor is there for the belly laughs.

Worth more than the price of admission!

This collection of Dave Kellett's works is well scripted, well-drawn and laugh-out-loud funny. You would do well to pick this book up and if you're like me, it will occupy a space in your domicile within easy reach for reading and re-reading. It combines the humor/savvy of "Bloom County" with the geek factor and zeitgeist of "Foxtrot." Read a few strips on sheldoncomics.com... you won't be disappointed.

What can I say about "Sheldon"? It's a good comic that's based on a 10 year old who wears a ridiculously large glasses and owns a software company. He lives with his "Gramps", who has no name, and his talking duck named Arthur.

Anyway, Sheldon finally has a book collection, and this is it.

This is a great book, but unfortunatly, it suffers as a "best of" book; meaning, it doesn't contain the complete first year of the strip, but rather, the best strips from the run. If "Sheldon" was mostly one-shot, it wouldn't matter, but unfortunatly, in this case, Sheldon tends to have story arcs. I'm a completist, and I may sound like a spoiled brat, but...I wan't everything! Waaah!!!

Worst of all, unlike most webcomics, "Sheldon" only has a previous-30-days archive. This is actually United Features' fault, but...yeah.

And in some pages, the printing looks...odd. I noticed in some pages the lineart is printed dark, dark green instead of black, and also interlacing is noticeable. But I may be biased, because I'm spoiled by book collections from Andrews & McMeel, and since this book was self-published (I think), I can't really be harsh about it.

Despite some flaws, I'll give this book 4 stars because for the first time I read many strips I missed and also have some favorites that I forgot about. It's also a good beginner for new "Sheldon" fans. Buy it or I will unleash unspeakable evil.

P.S. "Sheldon" is way better than "Mallard Fillmore"! ;)

Dave Kellett's Sheldon has long been one of my favorite comic strips. This first collection of Sheldon contains the best of the best from the first few years of the strip. The humor ranges from family-oriented to geek-oriented to completely off-the-wall. This is a book that truly has laughs for everyone. I can't recommend it highly enough.