O Books

I've been a big fan of Tolle, Adyashanti, and Byron Katie, but recently discovered Jeannie Zandi and Pamela Wilson and really loved their tender approach. This led me to this book which I could not put down. There is something very tender and welcoming about the feminine side of the spiritual search. I wanted it to keep on going when I got to the end of this book. It's so nice to see so many different sides of awakening and to realize it does not have to look a certain way. Having an expectation about what it "should" look like is one of the many obstacles we encounter.

I practically had an awakening experience just reading this book. Hearing about awakening from so many different viewpoints, with different voices and experiences, as well as the voice of the narrator/author helped me take the information deeply inside of myself where I could feel it viscerally, treasure it in my heart, and allow it to move through me into my world. Highly recommend.

I was very excited to attend Rita Marie Robinson's book signing at the in Santa Fe on Oct. 12 and was delighted to get a copy of her book here.

Rita has crafted a heartwarming look at the spiritual journey of 12 women who lovingly share their wisdom in what is call Satsang - a Sanskrit word meaning "bringing together in truth". I spent most of the next day reading the stories of Santa Fe's Pamela Wilson, Muni Fluss, Sharon Landrith and Gangaji, whom I had recently seen at a Satsang in Ashland, Oregon. I so identified with each woman's story of their path to recognition or awakening. I felt a kinship and joy as I realized I was not alone in this journey I have been on since 1971.

Rita has connected each interview with her own story of her growth and insights gained as she took up the challenge to fulfill the inner urge she had to tell these women's stories. In addition I found in the telling of these stories, the wisdom of 'resting', being totally present to the now, living our ordinary lives in exceptional love, patience and peace.

I have found that "Ordinary Women Extraordinary Wisdom" is full of additional encouragement and understanding for living a level of 'no limit soul connection'. I encourage you to get a copy of this book.

I agree with author Raphael Cushnir as quoted on the back of Rita's book..."One of those books to savor, underline like crazy, and then age with gracefully." Congratulations Rita."

The author, Rita Marie Robinson, in her quest for understanding, has written, beautifully, about the passage she interprets as the direct path. This is spiritual awakening, described in its most welcoming, feminine way.

Ordinary Women Extraordinary Wisdom is a series of interviews, led by Rita Marie Robinson, with twelve remarkable women who have become spiritual teachers (friends as they prefer to be called) through their own emergence into enlightenment or recognition. An unexpected notion is that these women live in our world and among us. Each one's path is unique. Each moves beyond the personal "story" and explains the sameness within all, that which is truly us and only waits to be revealed. Though each teacher's portal to arrive there is distinctive in style, "there" is the same transcendent place to reach within each of us. This is what the interviews assure. Also, and perhaps most importantly, the book promises that there is no lengthy and arduous technique to master; no circuitous route. This peace, mystery, love, intelligence, consciousness, presence, whatever the reader may choose to call it, is available right here, right now. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Reading Ordinary Women Extraordinary Wisdom is nourishing and satisfying like being in satsang, a practice often mentioned by the women. Satsang, a Sanskrit word, means "being together in truth". An interpretation of this is a meeting of hearts facilitated by the teacher. The authentic, candid interviews that Rita Marie Robinson leads are compelling. The reader muses about Rita's own recognition, as the author's loveliness oozes between the lines. While reading this text, one drifts into one's own inquiry an invitation the reader can't help but accept. This book is a highly recommended read for a truly pleasant, demystifying and enlightening venture into the feminine model of awakening.

It's a good book. Some of the women are a little out there but it is a helpful book.

I bought this to hold Seder in my student home. It was my first Seder, as well as the first for all present. This book made it very easy to accomplish, as well as a lot of fun. Just remember, it goes from back to front :)

Eson's Haggadah is an excellent addition to this literary and religious tradition. He brings new insights and new explanations to this venerable literature. It is worth reading and using.

The Passover Haggadah For All generations is truly designed for all participants,young and old, attending the family Seder. With chldren in mind, Dr.Eson has clarified and developed through extensive research answers to questions that the probing young mind might have. It is truly a different Haggadah and is sure to make the family Seder an exciting experience.

We have a new contribution to Passover this year from Morris Eson, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the State University of New York at Albany and long-time member of Temple Israel in Albany. Together with Devora Heckelman, a member of the United Synagogue Commission on Education and con to several Solomon Schecter Day Schools, and Fay Silton, Education Director at Temple Israel, Morris Eson has produced a valuable pedagogical tool designed not only to enliven th Passover seder but to serve as a supplementary text for middle school and secondary school students in their study of the Book of Exodus.
The Haggadah contains all the basic elements of the traditional Passover service plus valuable commentary and historical information based on the writings of Judaic scholars and Eson's own reflections. According to the author, many of the segments are designed to be read aloud by participants, serving to maintain a high level of interest. He notes also that the commentary draws from a wide variety of sources - historical, scientific, literary, as well as from his own imagination.
Besides offering helpful explanations of the origins of Passover rituals, the new Haggadah provides many opportunities for children and youth to participate. Notes throughout the text are drawn from both ancient and modern sources, serving as a bridge between the different generations at the Seder table as well as a bride from the present to the past. The author also includes suggestions of discussion topics to enhance conversions during the meal (e.g. "Our people's Fascination, with Language.). Mixing the traditional with the innovative, this Haggadah will appeal to those looking for a Passover study experience.

Despite trying new haggadahs, it's always been difficult to have two seders every year be continually interesting and a new learning experience for our children, ourselves, and our guests. It also becomes expensive to buy new sets of haggadahs. So it was a wonderful find to discover A PASSOVER HAGGADAH FOR ALL GENERATIONS - A MODERN MIDRASH. It keeps the traditional Hebrew while it brings new insights and commentaries for lively discussion. Dividing the commentaries into a four year cycle helps us viscerally understand that we continue to learn from the tradition, though our family has to be self-disciplined not to use all the commentaries in any given year. We also like the format, lots of white space and easy to read. This is a hagaddah to use and to keep using.

Perl is my workhorse language. I've written more Perl code, both personally and professionally, than any other language I've learned. Whenever I receive a new project, I immediately think of how I would accomplish it quickly in Perl. I've also been a fan of O'Reilly's "Hacks" series of books. When I heard of the marriage of Perl and O'Reilly's "Hacks" series in the book Perl Hacks, I knew I had to pick up a copy. It was a match made in heaven. The nature of Perl for terse, yet powerful constructs, and the hackish nature of the "Hacks" series makes for one of my favorite books in this series. The collection of articles in Perl Hacks are great for putting more productivity into your programming experience.

Those of you not familiar with O'Reilly's "Hacks" Series may need an introduction. The "Hacks" Series is an ever-growing set of books with focused attention on a particular topic, like Astronomy, Mental Improvement, or even Halo 2. The books are generally short, and contain article-length "hacks" of varying difficulty, noted by a thermometer next to the hack number and description. These "hacks" fall into several categories; the non-obvious solution to a problem, the performance improvement, and the "gee, I didn't know it could do that" oddity. What makes this series special compared with other books is the willingness to "void the warranty" on a particular product, and get straight to the internals, whether they lay in hardware or software. If something can be made better by opening the covers, or twiddling with the program layout, then its eligible for inclusion in these books. The series lends itself to a wide range of topics, and the format is great for a quick read, or for (my favorite) just randomly opening the book and reading what's there.

Perl Hacks is not a book that you'd find yourself reading straight through (although you do want to make sure you visit every hack in the book at least once). The book is divided into nine chapters: Productivity Hacks, User Interaction, Data Munging, Working with Modules, Object Hacks, Debugging, Developer Tricks, Know Thy Code, and Expand Your Perl Foo. There are 101 hacks in this book, ranging from the simple (Reading files backward, or managing your module paths) to the truly perverse (Replacing bad code without touching it by substituting the system-wide exit call with your own[...]. Each hack title is listed in the table of contents, with both the page number and the hack number. Each hack contains a graphic of a thermometer next to the number to show the relative difficulty of the hack (higher temperatures = more difficult hacks). There quite a variety of hacks placed throughout the book. Not once did I feel that the book was padded with something that really didn't belong in the book. If anything Perl Hacks opened my eyes to things that I would never have thought to do, but could easily see as being useful. I wouldn't have thought to create my own personal module bundles for moving my Perl programs between machines (I've always done it the old fashioned way: run, cpan install, repeat), but hack #31 makes it so "of course" that I'm thinking of including this in all of my Perl code that I ship. Hack #74 shows how to trace all of the modules your program uses (and all of their modules, too). Hack #52 is a simple hack ("Make Invisible Characters Apparent") but I can see this saving a developer or two some time when figuring out why their code isn't behaving properly. Of course, not all hacks in the book are productive (at least, not while you're programming). Hack #37, "Drink to the CPAN" is a drinking game you and your Perl buddies may want to try.

Perl Hacks is a short book, at less than 300 pages, but it's loaded with incredibly useful information. Much like the "Perl Cookbook" (also from O'Reilly) you'll find lots of useful items hidden in their pages. Many times I started with one hack, and finished the chapter reading the rest of the hacks because there were just that interesting. Perl Hacks is highly recommended for any Perl programmer to have on their programmer book shelf. Sure, you might be able to find some of the hacks out there on the net, but I think you'll find as I have that this is more of a go-to reference for finding out some of the more interesting corners of Perl.

I received this book as a token of appreciation for my contributions to
the 2006 Perl Advent Calendar. It's the first book I read as part of the
O'Reilly Hacks' series of books, and it proved to be a light yet informative and entertaining
read.

The book covers various useful "hacks" or small tricks that allow one to
achieve a lot of cool tasks when working with Perl. These tricks are unorthodox
and stretch the limit of one's Perl knowledge. Since they require an advanced
knowledge and understanding of Perl, I would recommend this book only for Perl
experts. Some of the B:: using modules were even too high-level for me to
understand how they worked internally. However, I understood the purpose of the
code in all cases, even if I didn't understand the code itself.

So it is a recommended read for people who've worked with Perl a lot,
and wish to learn many new and useful tricks. Perl Hacks for Perl hackers,
indeed!

From the title, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Perl Hacks. Was it going to be about rummaging around in Perl's internals? Making Perl do clever, yet ultimately dumb and pointless tricks? It turns out that, while there is some fairly voodooish material here, some of it quite playful, on the whole it's a very practical book. Aimed firmly at the advanced Perl programmer who knows when it's appropriate to mess about with the symbol table, temporarily turn off warnings, or crack out one of the B:: modules, this is a collection of 101 suggestions to improve your productivity, boggle your mind about what Perl can do, or both.

The content reminds me a little of the likes of Exceptional C++ Style, a mixture of advanced best practices, and things which you may not need to know, but you'll probably still be interested in finding out how it works. For instance, have you ever considered tieing an array or hash variable to a function? Ever wanted to name a supposed anonymous subroutine? Print out the source code as well as the line number of a syntax error? Nor me, but Perl Hacks shows how it could be useful. These are illustrative of the spirit of the book.

My favourite material was probably the chapter on modules. Included are how-tos for outputting all the modules used in a package, automatically reloading modules in running code, shortening long package names with the CPAN 'aliased' module, and making up your own bundle of modules for easy installation. There's also an interesting object chapter with subjects such as: inside out objects, using YAML for serialisation, using traits and autogeneration of accessors.

Additionally, there's a little on using those scary B:: packages, using modules which use the B:: packages or other dark magic (e.g. peeking inside closures), some fairly hardcore tracing and profiling, that touches on some Perl VM internals. Also worth mentioning is the hack that hijacks the angle bracket glob operator to create Haskell/Python-style list comprehensions.

You are going to have to be one scarily gifted Perl hacker not to find something useful or at least thought-provoking at regular intervals throughout this book. My only complaint is that the hack format, which the blurb on the back of the book describes as a "short lesson", does not lend itself equally well to all hacks. While I liked the chapter on objects, some of the hacks (in particular the traits hack, some of the testing material) were too short.

If you like the sound of a book that's somewhere between Perl Cookbook, Perl Best Practices and the second edition of Advanced Perl Programming, you're going to love this.

In a time when new computer languages are dime a dozen, perl unquestionably retains its beauty. Keeping with the philosophy of perl - there is more than one way to do it - the book shows you ingenious ways to work with this powerful language. This is a true hacks book and meant mostly for the advanced user. Before reading this book, I didn't even realize what I didn't know and I rate myself just short of contributing to CPAN. Even if you have read all the popular books - Perl Programming, Perl Best Practices etc. you'll still find a lot of gems.

Simply put if you like perl, you'll love this book. Welcome to the next level...

To be completely honest, this isn't the book I thought it was going to be. Most O'Reilly Hacks books start off pretty simply and in a few chapters take you to the further reaches of their subject area. Whilst this is a great way to quickly get a good taste of a particular topic, it has the occasional disadvantage that for subjects that you know well, the first couple of chapters can seem a bit basic. As I know Perl pretty well, I thought I would be on familiar ground for at least half of the book.

I was wrong.

Oh, it started off easily enough. Making use of various browser and command line tools to get easy access to Perl documentation, creating some useful shell aliases to cut down typing for your most common tasks. "Oh yes", I thought smugly to myself, "I know all that". But by about Hack 5 I was reading about little tweaks that I didn't know about. I'd start a hack thinking that I knew everything that the authors were going to cover and end up frustrated that I was on the tube and couldn't immediately try out the new trick I had just learnt.

It's really that kind of book. Pretty much everyone who reads it will pick up something that will it easier for them to get their job done (well, assuming that their job involves writing Perl code!) And, of course, looking at the list of authors, that's only to be expected. The three authors listed on the cover are three of the Perl communities most respected members. And the list of other contributers reads like a who's who of people who are doing interesting things with Perl - people whose use.perl journals are always interesting or whose posts on Perl Monks are worth reading before other people's. Luckily, it turns out that all these excellent programmers can also explain what they are doing (and why they are doing it) very clearly.

Like all books in the Hacks series, it's a little bitty. The hacks are organised into nine broad chapters, but the connections between hacks in the same chapter can sometimes be a bit hard to see. But I enjoyed that. In places it made the book a bit of a rollercoaster ride. You're never quite sure what is coming next, but you know it's going to be fun.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more apt the fairground analogy seems. When you ask Perl programmers what they like about Perl, you'll often hear "fun" mentioned near the top of the list. People use Perl because they enjoy it. And the authors' enjoyment of Perl really comes through in the book. It's obvious that they really wanted to show people the things that they thought were really cool.

Although I did learn useful tips from the earlier part of the book, it was really the last three chapters that were the most useful for me. Chapter 7, Developer Tricks, had a lot of useful things to say about testing, Chapter 8, Know Thy Code, contains a lot of information on using Perl to examine your Perl code and Chapter 9, Expand Your Perl Foo was a grab-bag of obscure (but still useful) Perl tricks.

So where does this book fit in to O'Reilly's Perl canon? I can't recommend it for beginners. But if you're a working Perl programmer with a couple of years' experience then I'd be very surprised if you didn't pick up something that will be useful to you. And don't worry about it overlapping with other books in your Perl library - offhand I can't think of anything in the book that has been covered in any previous Perl book.

All in all, this would make a very useful addition to your Perl library.

I guess the main idea here is whether or not the soul is immortal.

Does the soul exist outside of this physical, earthly experience ?

I've only begun reading Plato after years of reading a lot of other new age type books such as the Edgar Cayce material and Dr. Brian Weiss.

Plato is often consistent with those new age ideas but he expresses his thoughts in a more poetic way.

Plato and those others believed in reincarnation and even being reborn as an animal.

A new age theory about this is that if you go back to 10,500 BC and beyond you had a lot of people running around with for example the body of a human being but the head of a horse, tree branches for arms, etc..

Most people had tails back then.

This was a result of people projecting themselves into this physical dimension and getting entangled in the animal and plant worlds. As they did this across multiple incarnations they started to develop those animal appendages in their physical bodies.

It was in ancient Egypt around 10,500 BC that the priest Ra Ta and other Atlanteans helped these "things" to rid themselves of these animal characteristics.

That "mystery of mysteries" the sphinx is a creature that is part human and part lion. Don't think this doesn't have some very deep and hidden meaning.

Another key point in the book is the death of Socrates. He dies like a true philosopher, not in fear, but calmly.

At one point Socrates actually proves that one plus one is not equal to two. That's power.

Jeff Marzano

Same Soul, Many Bodies: Discover the Healing Power of Future Lives through Progression Therapy

Lives of the Master: The Rest of the Jesus Story

The Lives of Edgar Cayce

Edgar Cayce's Egypt: Psychic Revelations on the Most Fascinating Civilization Ever Known

.
What happens at death? Is the soul immortal? Why does the philosopher seek death but avoid suicide? What is so attractive about death to Socrates?

This is a masterpiece of a book. While Socrates does not prove the immortality of the soul, his arguments for such, as in the "law of opposites," the "theory of recollection" and the combination of the two, make way for a very interesting and mind enhancing read and is a hell of lot more valid, intelligible and religiously inclusive than any of the biblical literalist's security hold in fallacious illusion, or was Socrates and Plato infallibly inspired? Was Homer infallibly inspired? Of course not. In turn, Socrates is counter-argued with the "theory of attunement" and subsequently argues back for the immortality of the soul.

His thoughts which entail the body as the inhibitor of obtaining true wisdom, that philosophy aids a man to go beyond his body, so that at death he can be released from the body and use his wisdom to achieve a higher realm of true wisdom, as the body acts as a place of desires that prevents men from perceiving the world of ideas apart from the world of appearances. The death of the body is the release of the soul and the condition of the soul, either that controlled by desires or that of philosophy that has brought it to a higher realm, will determine where the soul travels to after death.

Socrates further gives us a description of the round, spherical earth. This exposes the fallacy of biblical literalists who attempt to prove biblical divinity by quoting Job 40:22 and Isaiah for the spherical earth, or does that make Socrates inspired? His further description of the earth's hollows by water and the place called Tartarus brings us to the identical words of St. Paul, who certainly was influenced by many non-Christian teachings, which permeated his entire belief system. Also Socrates gets Eastern in the reincarnation of the soul back to the world of desires, including that of animals and insects, which makes this book a fascinating read to say the least. This book is a gem and great masterpiece to contemplate on. I love Plato - and Socrates too.

I will not quote myself, but I'll evoke the words that I have written here before in the review of Krishnamurti's book. Since you're reading this I guess you're interested in Plato's philosophy and this work in particular. I'll just say few words and then will let you to dive into the book and find the meaning for yourself.
This is the book that belong to Plato's later works, and debate continues whether Socrates in this book is historical Socrates or just voice of Plato. If you take into consideration few Aristotelian lines than first option would be the true one. But, no matter which one is right, Socrates here is presented as few characters of world literature are. I can not speak about philosophy here, so I shall speak about style. Bearing the posture of romantic poets, and if you picture ancient greek dungeon as some reneiscance castle dungeon, you'll have the setting. And tht's it. No quarells, no fightning and vicious murdering, just one of the most beautifull speeches conserning human soul, and only one, diginified, death.
Books like these give me hope that there is still a chance for a world to become the better place.

If it was up to me to preserve just one of the dialogues of Plato for posterity it would be the Phaedo. That is because this is the metaphysical core of the teachings of Socrates (the main character) as told by Plato. As is emphasized in the text, death is the main topic of concern for the true philosopher- and that is what is covered here. However, there is nothing morbid about it. This is a message of hope, for Socrates establishes the divinity and immortality of the soul. The good man, he who has purified himself through the love of wisdom (Philosophy) goes to a higher, purer realm to be with like-minded souls and the gods themselves. The bad man also goes to his just reward with those of like character.

If I was to abstract the core truth here it would be that the true philosopher is always trying to free his soul from the body- for only then is the soul free of the distractions and distortions that can corrupt it and keep it from direct perception of the Ideals (Absolute Truth, Good, Beauty, and Justice.)

You easily see where the Church borrowed so much of its basic theological underpinnings. In fact, reading this work abolishes forever in your mind the idea that the pre-Christian pagans were in anyway necessarily savage or barbaric in their deepest spiritual beliefs. This is spirituality more pure than anything preached by the Church- and it is supported by reasoned argument and not appeal to empty faith and authority.

The closing of the dialog is probably the finest depiction in Western literature of the death of a great and good man. You truly concur that Socrates was indeed the wisest and justest and best of all men.

Socrates is unique among philosophers, not just for his place among the early Greek philosophers, but also for the fact that he is the most famous philosopher to never write his own books. What we know of Socrates comes from contemporary accounts and students, most particularly Plato.

Set in 399 BCE, the Phaedo is a reconstruction of Socrates final conversations with friends on the day he died. We do not know when this dialogue was written, but it was probably before The Republic (Plato's most famous work, also featuring the figure of Socrates). Like The Republic, this dialogue features a well developed theory of Forms -- these are introduced gradually here, slowly filling out the details of each step. This develops the story of the caves idea from Plato's earlier work in epistemological, metaphysical, moral, and semantic terms. Plato also advances the 'imperfection argument' here -- the idea that when we sense something, it is never perfectly the thing we are thinking of, and that idea or standard to which we relate what we see, hear, feel, etc. is tying into a more perfect Form.

However, the idea of the soul is rather less developed here than in The Republic. The soul is simply mind, or intellect - all emotions are here placed as bodily aspects. This is rather Pythagorean in a fashion, that only the soul grasps the perfect Forms, and so should consist of nothing but reasoning ability, for emotions distort and cloud the perceptions and judgments.

In the end of the Phaedo, we witness Socrates drink the hemlock, without fear or trembling, as a philosopher should know the value of life and welcome death with a firm hope. The story is almost religious in nature here.

David Gallop's translation is good and true to the original (in as much as I can tell from my small Greek learning). It is somewhat tending toward the formal side. This is serious stuff, but in a small number of pages manages to capture much, and this makes it all the more relevant.

I already knew image processing when I bought this book, so I am not sure how it would appear to the novice seeking a textbook on the subject of image processing and analysis, but I imagine it could be somewhat confusing. I always recommend Gonzales and Wood's "Digital Image Processing" for those seeking a clear read on image processing and analysis from the ground up. Where Seul's book comes in is with clear descriptions and working code for many basic - and some not so basic - image processing and image analysis algorithms. The book is also very good at explaining the applications of the various transforms. One of the little things that the author of this book does that authors of other books similar to it don't bother to do is to realize that when you are working in image processing you likely have an image as an input and you want an image as an output. Thus the author has built his code libraries so that they work that way. You are not left with arrays of pixels that you have to figure out how to store and manage. In the end you have a nice functional toolbox of working image processing and analysis subroutines that you can chain together and make just about any type of image transform tool you could think of. I'm mainly interested in image effects, and I know this book has been useful to me. The accompanying CD-ROM contains all of the C source code for the algorithms so that you can port them to another language or tinker with them if you so desire. Highly recommended.

The title of this book corresponds to its content, the tutorial gives an excellent overview of basic key points to those readers who are unfamiliar with the subject (as I was). The book can not be used for rigorous study of even simple things but rather kicks you with essentials that are easy to understand with high-school background. This book, written for non-specialists in "image field", gives them techniques for their practical needs and concentrates exactly on image analysis, not on image processing. If you have no time to go through more complex (and deeper) books, take this one to discover basic principles in short form with no attempt to explain the fundamentals. The authors just put you into the facts, so that is why I would characterize the "Practical Algorithms" book as being "handbook". The good point is that the areas of applicability of these facts are explained, the drawback: you have to go to other books to get more details on image processing roots, e. g., to R. Gonzalez and R. Woods' "Digital Image Processing". I bought both, and use them as good annex to each other. The "Practical Algorithms" has lack of some significant areas, like snake algorithm and image binarization (thresholding) techniques but e.g., the cellular processing is quite well highlighted.
Surprisingly, the CD that comes along with this book gave me almost 80% examples that I was able to recompile instantly, and only several examples have failed, mainly due to image file format issues. The source code is not both elegant and bugless, but it is very transparent and portable and can easily fit, e.g., a 16-bit microcontroller.
Overall, this is good book for fast start. You can get real output and pick up ideas on practical side of image analysis. Just remember, the most book examples came from the medicine world, so they are quite specific and may not be implemented directly in your particular application.

Excelente libro. hace un tiempo que he estado estudiando y desarrollando estrategias para la implementación de sistemas de vision computarizada. Este libro es de una gran claridad práctica sin abandonar la necesaria base teorica. Muy buenos ejemplo, información adicional, ejemplos y aplicaciones. Para cualquier investigador en el área debe ser considerado como un recurso indispensable. (if you want my comments in english please send me an e-mail to innovacl@vtr.net)

I found the book to be very informative and I acquired several ideas from reading it. But, I repeatedly found myself searching the book for definitions of some of the terms it uses throughout its text. Practical Algorithms for Image Analysis will introduce new terms without any hint of their meaning, assuming that the reader already knows all they need to know about the subject matter (which would negate the need to buy the book!). This book sorely needs a glossary.

The book is just great! I used the source code from the CD-ROM for various image processing projects. The algorithms are also very practical if you have to deal with images. The code is neat and ready to compile and run.

Also this book is good on the description of image process and image analysis algorithms. I read the whole book and use it as a reference during my programming. It sits in my bookshelf and I use it almost everyday.

I recommend anybody who wishes to do serious image programming to have this book. It's just great!

Principles of Electrodynamics by Melvin Schwartz is a very well written, very didactic book. The principles of Electrodynamics are clearly shown and the author explanations and demonstrations are rigurous but easy to understand. The book is a very good reference for certain topics of Electrodynamics not so well covered in other text books.

This book is somewhat famous for its heuristic derivation of the full Maxwell's equations using Lorentz invariance, but every topic is covered in an exceptionally lucid manner, on a par with Feynman at his best. The book is also a neccessary antidote for the excessive detail and overgeneralization of Jackson.

C'est de loin l'exposé le plus clair sur le sujet à ma connaissance. Quant au rapport qualité/prix, on voisine l'infini

This book is the best introduction to advanced electromagnetic theory I have ever encountered. The author does a masterly job at simplifying the mathematics without over-simplifying the physics. If you're looking to gain a deep understanding of electromagnetics and its relation to the theory of relativity, this book is for you!

Bref, c'est tres bien sauf que beaucoup d'erreur se sont glisses dans le livre. C'est le probleme principal de ce livre est que l'audience est tres restreinte aux eleves de secondes. J'en appelle donc au serieux de l'auteur pour se relire quand meme.

Il est ecrit que Integrale infinie de la derivee est egale a la fonction identite, non c'est faux. la constante a disparu. Beaucoup d'autres erreurs similaires sont surprenantes.

Not only is this book amazing and provoactive with regards to both historical literature as well as just plain exciting narratives, but George O'Har himself is a great man. I met him in England on an Oxford field trip and I can tell you the man himself is as ecelectic, exciting, alive, and awe inpsiring as is his literature. For this reason not only should you DEFINITELY read psychic fair but, in fact, any book George writes in the future.

Lucid, captivating and richly entertaining - George O'Har's razor-sharp wit, artful use of characterization and passion for historical context makes Psychic Fair a genuine page turner for thriller aficionados and mystery buffs alike. O'Har blends history, humor, adolescent kinship and the supernatural into a lively and sometimes chilling hands-down great read. I can't wait to see what O'Har has in store for us next.

I can imagine that this book would appeal to a wide spectrum of readers: horror fans; fans of revenge thrillers; readers fascinated by the occult; lovers of historical fiction; even sophisticated young adults. I read it simply because it was an excellent psychological thriller punctuated by O'Har's perennially crisp style and excellent knack for characterization--young Adrian Sparke as a character is as strong as the plot.

Devoured it; loved it. O'Har's story spans decades - indeed, centuries - and he has managed to create vivid, dialogue-driven characters in all time periods. This, I don't have to tell the avid reader, is no small feat. His narrative creates both fear and contemplation; in fact, just for kicks, he invented his own language (which made me think of Russell Hoban). At different times while reading, I was also reminded of Salinger, Fitzgerald, Harper Lee, and... surprisingly... Henry Adams. In all respects, the novel is a triumph, and potential consumers - and critics - are doing themselves a tremendous disservice if they don't carve out some time for themselves, pick up Psychic Fair, and give it a well-deserved read.

hey,
just wanted to let you all know that the author is my professor- and he's a really great guy. i'm waiting for my copy of the book, but i am SURE the book is GREAT too!

I keep this book by my bedside and read it whenever I am troubled.

I shared this book with a couple that were going through a crisis. They liked it so much they gave my book back and bought their own!

It's a must read for any christian.

This is a wonderful book. Following the biblical pattern of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea the author helps you look at life's difficult problems in a new light and gives you guidelines for "getting thought" tough times.

The Red Sea Rules The Same God Who Led You In Will Lead You Out
I was going through a difficult time and this book answered ALL my questions. I read through it 5 times. It is so small that it fit in my purse and I could take it anywhere.

I have read this book now three times. It was such an uplift and encouragement for some difficult times that I wanted all my friends and family to have a copy. I bought 20 copies of this book and gave them all away for Christmas gifts. The message is so practical and sensible and opens your eyes to how God is working in your life even when you don't ralize He is! This book gives you the drive to hang in there, be patient, and let God work in his own unique way. You can relax and trust Him to do it.

Have a problem? Know someone who does? Buy this little treasure book with ten positive rules for moving from fear to faith. Just as Moses and the Israelites found themselves caught between the Egyptians and the Red Sea as related in the Bible, we too, can face life's overwhelming problems by looking to God for help and applying these rules. Try them - you'll love them!

This is one small gem of a book that people of all ages can relate to, can be inspired and encouraged by, and will marvel at the insights the author presents.

Psalm 37:23-24 states: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him

Great Book, I am on the road alot and it is a must have during my travels. Cant wait for the next book?

For all your frustrated drivers out there, help is on the way. So hang up the phone with your shrink and start cancelling all those anger management courses. Laughter is the best remedy. And you'll get plenty of chuckles out this pocket-sized handbook!

This book is very funny and a must have!!! I love the characters that are featured in the book as well. This is going to make a great stocking stuffer during Holiday time!!!

This is definately a book that everyone should have because it a great party starter and brings up great conversation. Its the type of book that you show to a friend and watch them read it from beginning to end. This book is a "MUST HAVE" for those who drive in traffic everyday. It will also make a great gift.

Very funny book with great illustrations, good enough to read over and over again.

Alex Sheikman's neo-cyberpunk/samurai/kung-fu/western is unlike any other comic. The art is superb and the writing is surreal adventure at its best. This collection of his first 4-issue series came out a few years ago, but it is a timeless saga of a distant future that combines and mixes genres to create a flavor unlike any other comic or graphic novel. From the wordless cyborg samurai, Niko, to the bizarre eroticism of the assassin known as Cherokee Geisha, this is a world full of wonders, terrors, and technology gone wild. Techno-organic societies mix with sorcery and wild-west violence in an odyssey of strangeness that must be experienced to be believed. Anybody who enjoys high-quality graphic novels and comic books owes it to him- or herself to buy and read ROBOTIKA. It's the kind of achievement that comics needs more of--a singular vision of one man's creative obsession. It is Alex Sheikman's imagination, poured onto the page in an exquisite ballet of line-art, beautifully-choreographed action, and mind-boggling technologies. Quite simply, ROBOTIKA is a masterpiece. Order it now and thank me later.
--John R. Fultz

As all the past reviewers have said this is visually amazing with a capital "A". But I just can't let the writing slip. This could be my favorite comic ever. But instead it's more like a beautiful ming dynasty vase sitting on my shelf. If Sheikman could get together with someone who writes amazing stories but who wouldn't overpower his (Sheikman's) originality this is the book I would be taking with me to a deserted island.

On another note does any of this remind you Aeon Flux? I'm in no way saying he stole ideas only that they are both so original and out there that they remind me of each other.

This is an excellent book. It has some amazing art and the author tries (and succeeds) with lots of different visual effects. The story is top notch too.

Some cool extras in the back, such as a sketch book, make this a collection worth having.

Read the review on "Robotika" on a comics blog and wanted to add it to my collection. Then googled the title and clicked on the link to Amazon. Too slick! There in front of me was preview pages, related titles and reduced prices on existing titles... I'm hooked.

How good is this book? Honestly, it's one of the most gorgeous comics I've ever seen. I put it up next to my copy of PRIDE OF BAGHDAD and fit right it. The ROBOTIKA hardcover looks THAT good. And reviewers have noticed. Every single review I've seen for this series notes that Alex is a special talent who could easily make it at any of the bigger comic companies. But Alex wants to make it one his own terms, and with ROBOTIKA, I think he has. It's hard to argue that you've not yet arrived when your work is showcased in a major hardcover from one of today's hottest second-tier publishers.

Where critics have occasionally come down against Robotika is in its writing. There are some valid criticisms there, but the story is still weird, violent, and visionary enough for even the most discerning steampunk sci fi fans. ROBOTIKA reads a little more like a pair of related short stories more than it does a single four-issue story, but so what? That's hardly a killer, especially in this format where the whole story is collected in one gorgeous volume.

Unfortunately, the odds are pretty good that your local comic shop didn't order this book. That's too bad. This book is well worth your time and as well illustrated as anything on the market.