O Books

i have become a big fan of allie's after reading this book-for any dog lover mystery fan its a must. not only is it entertaining but its informative in learning how to handle the different behavior problems in your dog. i've just started 'ruff way to go' and i hope these are just just the beginning of a long line of books based on this character.

What a great surpires to find a good mystery that includes a quirky pet psychologist, lots of lovable dogs and an odd combination of murder suspects. Add to this the author's delightful sense of humor and you have a very enjoyable read. I can't wait for Leslie O'Kane's next book in this series.

An intriguing whodunit that I thoroughly enjoyed. Leslie O'Kane knows Boulder and knows dogs, and I can say I learned plenty about dog behavior while enjoying a good read. Can't get any better than that!

The new Allie Babcock series is a welcome addition to the semi-new genre of doglover's mysteries. The plot is fast moving and exciting, the dog related areas authentic, and it is not preachy as some of these novels tend to be. All in all this is a fun and entertaining mystery that should appeal to all, not just doglovers.

I just discovered this author, and she writes a sparkling mystery with very clever dialogue. It is fast moving and full of ideas on dog training (I learned to stop my dog from barking at the TV!) Leslie O'Kane's writing is really much better than most "lite" mysteries; her characters seem very real. This is the first in a series on Ally Babcock, canine therapist, and I'm looking forward to more. Perfect summer reading!

Of course, the title of this book is intriguing enough, but what really caught my attention is the subheading: How to remain safe in a hostile world. So my attention was then drawn to read the back where I discovered that Brocas, formerly a top security consultant as well as personal body guard, has been taught and is now a teacher in the ways of Ninjitsu and the Samurai, and is also an experienced psychic medium. Immediately, I knew that this was not going to be your average book about developing your psychic abilities. Brocas has put together a book that is very interesting and current, separated into three parts: commonsense, risk and intuition. Each part ups the ante on the previous by delving deeper into one's innate psychic ability and proving to us that the ability is always there for us to realise and use to our advantage. This is a great way for us to develop a trust of our inner voice when we are confronted or threatened. A very interesting book that is timely for a generation where threat levels are at their highest.

This review was written by Oddyssey Magazine in South Africa

Jock has written an essential book for those who find themselves in some of the world's most dangerous places. Prior to reading Jock's book I had an inclination as to the power of the mind in alerting one's self to danger, but I'd yet to harness or truly understand that power. I've spent an extended amount of time in a particular war zone, occasionally alone or with a very small group of trusted people. I'm absolutely sure that it was that "sixth sense" that kept me alive and unscathed throughout those adventures. Over time and through experience I intuitively learned to trust my instincts, and they've never let me down.

When I came across Jock's book, I was blown away to find that someone had actually studied and mastered this mental phenomena. Upon reading the book I discovered validation of things I'd thought with respect to one's sixth sense, but could hardly express myself. Simply put, he's taken me to the next level. Now that I have a deeper understanding and trust of my senses, I feel far more confident in making what can amount to critical decisions affecting myself and the lives of others.

Lastly, I have to say that although Jock's teachings definitely apply on the ground in some obviously scary places, they equally apply to life in your average big city anywhere in the world. Stay alert, develop and trust your senses, listen to Jock, and you'll be good to go.

Mr. Brocas is an extremely gifted man. The "Power of the Sixth Sense" is mandatory for an individual as well as the household. In today's world, we need to protect ourselves. Our children are facing a much more challenging life than we did years ago. Let's keep the families together and watch closely for our own. The world could be a better place for all of us. God Bless Jock Brocas...Linda Minton

Hi Jock,
I just finished the book Powers of the Sixth Sense. I rarely ever watch the news because of the fried brain syndrome from negative information. Therefore reading the Powers of the Sixth Sense gave me so many insightful and simple to do things to protect my personal space and reinforcing my intuition skills.
Everything was kinda scarey to realize that these things do happen.
However, I am looking into transferring this into a communication for
my grand children to understand.
Something very interesting happened after reading this book and raising my self awareness of what is out there. I no longer see things as just coincidental and ask for better understanding of my feelings.
Choosing to walk in JOY and continued protection from Gods Gift of that Gut feeling. My intuition of always going forward in 100% pure love and light with the highest good for all. I really was thanking the Holy Spirit for the Sheild of Grace. Thank you Jock and may our God continue to Bless all of us!
Christina

This is a must read for anyone interested in psychic ability for practical uses. Surprisingly blended with the aspects of security and safety the book is immensely practical with information for every gender and age. I found the aspects of Kidnapping slightly disturbing and not something that i wanted to concentrate on si i skipped that - yet the book has much more to offer and missing one element did not mean that i could not gain from the book. This should be read by everyone that wants to remain safe in this lifetime.

Unlike most open souce projects, PHP has been blessed with many good books. Professional PHP4 is another fine book aimed for the serious PHP developer venturing to add multimedia.

There is a short refresher on PHP followed by PHP Multimedia installation. Then it gets into the nitty-gritty stuff of making it work.

I found the case studies towards the end of the book particularly helpful in mapping out a solution action plan.

Please let me know if you find this review helpful. Thanks.

This book is a great tutorial/reference for programming with PHP's multimedia libraries. It covers topics such as GD(image manipulation) ming (dynamic flash generation) and pdflib(dynamic PDF generation).

The book was written very well and I only noticed one small type error. There is lots of information and a function reference in the appendix.

I bought this book a fortnight back and i have
amazingly learned more than i expected.The 4 case
studies in the book are amazing - I esp enjoyed working
on the coffee shop finder app and got everything working
in a zap.I recommend this book to the developer
fraternity that wants to realise the true power
behind PHPs extension libraries (multimedia).
And oh! yeah this is my first WROX read that had
color pages in it:)

Professional PHP4 Multimedia Programming is an extremely handy book to have on your bookshelf, even if (and possibly especially if) you don't design and implement multimedia applications with PHP all the time. Within hours of getting the book, I realized that I could use PHP as a commandline scripting language to solve several problems. I've used it as a reference several times since, even though I do NOT consider myself a PHP Multimedia Applications developer.

The book is organized nicely. As a "Professional" book, it assumes a decent understanding of PHP. This assumption saves you lots of time and unnecessary hand holding. There is a brief PHP refresher chapter for those who aren't quite as familiar with PHP as necessary, but after that refresher chapter, you're expected to understand things. You bought this book (or will, anyway) because you already know how to program in PHP but are not familiar with the various multimedia extensions.

The next several chapters each dedicate themselves to a specific extension concept: Ming, Ming with ActionScript, GD, ImageMagick, PDFLib, and FDF.

Each chapter gives an overview of the library, it's uses and limitations, and gives lots of example source code giving examples of all the functions in an extension and how they are used together.

The next few chapters are full-fledged application case studies. Though you may not agree with the authors' coding styles, these case studies walk you through (from start to finish) several different applications to show you how the libraries can be used within the scope of a larger PHP application, not just example toy scripts.

Following the case studies are several appendices. Each appendix is a language reference for a multimedia extension. Most of the information in the appendices is found online in the PHP manual, and I, for one, find it more convenient to look it up there, but having it in the book is a nice bonus.

Another wonderful addition is a full-color screenshots gallery index, which shows you what various scripts from within the chapters should look like when run. This is great for two reasons: 1) You can "check your work" as you write the applications and sample code in the book, and 2) You can see the results of functions in the book while reading it away from the computer.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about writing even just ONE application in PHP that will manipulate any supported multimedia (Shockwave, images, PDF/FDF, etc.) The time you save by having this book as a companion will more than pay for the cost of the book.

Professional PHP4 Multimedia Programming is a unique book in the midst of all other PHP books. No other book aims to cover the topics that this one does. If you are a PHP developer looking to expand you knowledge and integrate the multimedia capabilities of PHP into your applications, then this is the book for you.

The goal of this book is to introduce the concepts and techniques needed to produce dynamic multimedia content. The extensions covered are Ming, GD, ImageMagick, PDF, and FDF. Each technology is thoroughly explained from installation through example use. A case study is then given to go into further detail on the use of each extension.

I especially enjoyed the fact that they provided installation instructions for these extensions. One of the biggest hurdles people have with using Ming, GD, and the others is the installation process. Once someone gets past that stage they can at least experiment with how the extension works. It can be very frustrating when you can't even get something installed. Hopefully this book will help ease some of that frustration.

The case studies used by the authors are superb. These are real would applications that people want to create every day! They include a headline grabber with Ming, a mobile web coffee shop finder with GD, an image gallery using ImageMagick, and a PDF template system. Each one of these case studies is designed to get you thinking. Sure, they you the code needed for the application, but they also show you how the design process works and detail possible enhancements.

The one thing I found lacking in this text was some type of common problems section. Invariably, people are going to have difficulties when it comes to installation or use of these extensions. A simple google search will show the abundance of problems related to these technologies. A small chapter, or a section in each chapter, detailing some of the most common problems encountered, with their fixes, would have been great.

Overall, this book is great. If you are looking to develop multimedia applications in PHP, it is a must have.

When I was a child, I became an avid reader when I picked up my first secular novel, and I was particularly facinated by historical novels because of my love for history. When I became a Christian, I was in such love with my Savior Jesus Christ that I couldn't get enough of Christian literature. I put aside novels for years. I never thought that there were good Christian novels available, except for romances and the like which only seemed to arouse in me sinful passions and desires. I ran across Francine Rivers somewhat inadvertently. It had been so long since I read a novel that I decided to try once more with "The Prophet." I read it within a week and was rushing to order another one. I was overwhelmed by her skill of writing. She intrigued every facet of my interests, from a good story, to a historical drama, to a Biblical edification. The focus of this book from start to finish was the awesome glory of God. I was in tears often. As the book begins, God's glory is demonstrated in a somewhat allegorical format as we are led along with Amos in the pastures of Tekoa where he shephered his flock. I saw Psalm 23 come alive and was deeply impressed by the gracious patience of my own Good Shepherd as I saw the parallels between the sheep of Amos and myself, as well the actions of Amos to Jesus Christ. Following Amos further through his life exhaulted the long-suffering love of God in bearing with the obstinent sin of His people, and yet His perfect justice to deal with unrepentent rebellion. Rivers' novel brought the Biblical book of Amos to life, which I read in the Bible at the same time. I would highly recommend this book. It is the best novel I have read.

You did a good job in getting the book out fast and it was what I wanted. The book is like brand new.

Thank You

God Bless

Char

The Prophet (Sons of Encouragement)Even if you are an avid student of the Bible, most of us don't spend the time it took Francine Rivers to get to know the prophet Amos. We might study the words he wrote but Rivers has brought the man to life. I came away from this novelette with a new appreciation for the calling that God has on a man's life and what path that might lead one on. Just as Amos was compelled to walk the chosen way that God lead him - so are we. I thank Francine Rivers for reminding me that I too must walk in love and obedience - no matter what the personal cost.

This was a great book! I was in the middle of another book when I got it, so I didn't get to read it right away and my husband started reading it. He loved it so much and I had to wait until he was done before I could start on it! And he never reads my books! But he finished it quickly, so I didn't have to wait long. :-)

This is a wonderful read. Francine Rivers comes through again. Makes the characters real & takes you into their world. Highly recommended.

My son requested a book in Latin to read. I was so happy to find this one. He is able to read it aloud and understand all of it because he is already familiar with the story. What a fun way to review Latin.

A wonderful idea--my high school son in AP Latin LOVED the book! BUT--for the price, I just assumed it was a hard-cover book. I didn't realize it was a paperback until I received it.

multum gaudium ex hoc libro excepi; multas gratias Guineverae et Terentio Tunberg ago. oportet omnes lingua Latina fruentes hunc librum emere. lingua Latina iam vivit!

The glossary included in this book is awesome. You will not find a word in the story that is not included. The classic favorite has all of the illustrations we remember from childhood - while the Latin text allows you to practice, and keep building your vocabulary and reading skills. What a wonderful way to bring Latin to your children!

Having been read by children of all ages and even made into a movie, the story of the Grinch is a familiar and beloved tale. The timeless triumph of love and goodwill retains all of its charm in Latin, especially because the authors retain rhyme and meter, even throwing in new wordplay.

The pictures from the original Dr. Seuss book help the reader follow the storyline, and the glossary in the back has every word in the book. Especially in modern context, the Grinch in Latin appeals to us by giving hope when even a grinch can be won over by sincere faith. Thus, while this book is wonderful as a gift to those studying Latin or looking to study Latin, it is also perfectly suitable for those who simply want a good story.

Absolutely hilarious. I enjoyed this book immensely. Milt Pupique has truly revolutionized humor as we know it. I even bought copies for my family.

This book makes you expand your mind and think in directions that you may have never gone. Very humorous and enjoyable.

One truly incredible book, a major tour de force in humor.

Simply put, the creation of this book lies well beyond the capabilities of the human mind as we know it.

Ergo, Mr. Pupique must be an extraterrestrial... and a mutant one at that.

I bought REVELATIONS thinking that it was a good religious book. In this day in age of uncertainty, I was looking for some answers. But it seems that this book is not religious; it is not even serious.

I gave it to a friend in the hopes that someone might enjoy it. She seems to love it, and keeps quoting me passages. The 4-stars above are an average of my review and hers.

This book gives no answers, only jokes: humor-jokes.

One truly incredible book, a major tour de force in humor.

Simply put, the creation of this book lies well beyond the capabilities of the human mind as we know it.

Ergo, Mr. Pupique must be an extraterrestrial and a mutant one at that.

Many books and/or their reviews glibly claim to "change your life". This one doesn't explicitly make any such promises, but change my life it has. More specifically, it has changed the way I look at life and the world. Postmodernism has brought about radical and sweeping changes, whether we realise it or not. This is a book that blows the lid on reality in terms of the paradigms that most of us have grown up with, and within which humanity has come to understand religion, politics, history and culture. Indeed, it is a timely and sobering deconstruction of many of the illusions (or Socially Constructed Realities) that people across time and cultures have come to regard as sacred and infallible. Its purpose is not to deconstruct for the promotion of its own paradigm or belief system (though I suppose an element of that is inseparable from any such undertaking). One of the most enduring images from the book is the description of a postmodern art piece which shows a hand drawing a hand that is drawing a hand. What a striking metaphor for the postmodern world, and indeed for epochs that have gone before us. Where indeed is the line between objective, absolute 'reality' and that which is subjectively constructed? Does it and can it exist for human beings at all? Whatever else may be said, this is a book that challenged me and stimulated me to think about all aspects of modern life in new and profound ways. If you are anything like me and read books which do that very thing, then believe me - this one is for you.

I am an anthropologist who teaches courses on popular culture as well as culture theory and postmodernism. This is one of the smartest and most entertaining books on the subject of modern and postmodern life. If I had found it in time, I would have used it as a required book in my course.
A lot of postmodern writing is full of puffery, but Anderson not only grounds it but makes it very engaging and immediate. He makes many insightful observations and phrases things in quotable ways. Anyone who is new to, or even fairly familiar with, postmodern and popular culture would benefit from this book. The range of topics and the smoothness of style are among the best out there.

This book was published almost twenty years ago and I only wish I had found it sooner. Written in an easy-to-read and understandable style, it covers the influence of post-modern thinking on politics, pop culture, religion, art and philosophy, among other areas. Powerfully, Anderson makes the argument that everyone has their own version of reality, carefully providing examples from everyday life. For example, he contrasts the objectivist (there are a few perfect rules that everyone must obey) and the constructivist (aware that many rules are part of a socially constructed reality), the exoteric religions (Christianity and Islam - God said so, it must be true) and esoteric religions (Zen Buddhism - a personal journey without judgement).

Why is this important? Because of most of the tension in the world comes from the differences of opinion between six main groups he has outlined: Christianity, Islam, capitalism, communism/socialism, environmentalism and new age. All of these groups passionately believe in the truth of their message and would like the entire world to conform to their thinking. In the end, the book makes you wonder where all this will lead to -- complete freedom is a beautiful thing that makes many people uncomfortable.

Get this book, take it to a quiet beach and you won't see the world the same way again.

I first stumbled upon this book by accident, read a few pages, and was amazed, amused, aghast and (forgive me) agog! Written in 1993, the author's observations and predictions (although he wasnt trying to be prophetic) were accurate and correct -- especially the section about whatit would "take" to get Americans to support a war - and how long (or short) the govt. could keep the people from getting fed up. He said it would take something like Pearl Harbor -- of that magnitude in order for teh govt to whip up enough support for a vindictive invasion/assault etc. He was right about that! That's just one small section -- the entire book is fascinating, easy to read, and explains the fracas over Globalization better than any other book I've read.
Buy it.

Anderson's reevaluation of the past few decades puts a clarifying and relieving spin on everything from global memes to the Ayatollah Khomeini. He sees the postmodern era as superficially confusing but surprisingly comprehensible on a deeper level. By reconsidering the growing pains of our complex and creative species in light of the theory that we humans construct our own realities, he shows the reader pattern and order and even hope amidst the fascinating chaos of our times.

Rick Steves' Ireland 2008 is like your brother (your very detailed and analytical exploring brother) writing home with the in's and out's of each city and stop in Ireland. Hitting highlights and lowlights, Rick leaves no Irish pebble unturned for the common traveler. If you have a question about Ireland, it is most likely answered in this book; if not, then Rick has made himself available through his websites if you need further information. It is very helpful to not walk into a new situation unprepared and Rick's Ireland 2008 has proved most helpful!

The book if full of Rick's usual great information. I wish the pictures were in color and had captions. There were just tiny black and white photos of places and things that might be pretty, but without a description you have no idea what they are!

If you are trying to decide which to buy, this is it. Up to date and accurate, have a great trip.

This book is very detailed, right down to the cost of a pint of Guiness and what to pack! Great value!

We have used Rick Steaves books in Italy, Germany, England and Holland and have not been disappointed.

Although a bit dated, containing strips related to the Y2K craze here and there, this little book is still otherwise as funny and timely as any commentary on the computer industry could be. The X-Men and Borg references are absolutely hysterical. If you work in a tech job, you should be reading User Friendly.

It's a good book, but I think previous books have been funnier.

"Am thinkink. Erwin, to fight such big powerful company as AOL, am to be fightink fire with fire. Da?"
"Umm...what did you have in mind?"
"Am to becomink half computer, half human, like Borg. Then to become super administrator of all Borg functions."
"That means...you'll become..."
"Da. I will becomink root of all evil."
"Don't do it, Pitr! Don't go to the bad place!"
- Pitr the techie and Erwin the AI, in conversation

After opening with a few post-Y2K-bust strips, the Columbia Internet crew having stockpiled lots of soda and pork rinds for the occasion, the book settles into its more usual long-running plot threads.

Stef's been given the title "Manager: S&M." ("It stands for SALES AND MARKETING you depraved monkeys.") In his efforts to sell a line of products the same way that the Pokemon empire does their stuff, he persuades Pitr to make collectible Unix text editors. Pitr, in fact, goes through several evil little anti-Unix projects in the book to keep his hand in as a budding Evil Genius.

Other developments in the continuing story:
- AJ struggles to figure out how to court Miranda properly (badly timed in light of the "I love you" virus).
- Stef (who as a Windows user sees Unix holy wars as an added bonus of his job) makes the mistake of interfering in Miranda's life, which leads to a lot of Matrix crossover references.
- Mike becomes a Sims addict. ("Hey! Are you *allowed* to have four wives?")
- Greg's tech support calls turn into a game-help hotline.
- Pitr has an evil twin brother in Sales who affects the same fake accent.
- Introducing Sid Dabster, the aging ex-HP tech who becomes something of a blood enemy of Pitr's.

And, of course, the fantasy elements, such as:
- Parallels between Steve Case of AOL and Anakin Skywalker.
- Greg's Linux daemons (think "shoulder angel" here).

You have to be a computer geek to understand the humor. If you are, and especially if you have a unix/linux background and/or have worked with internet or other computer support you will find this one of the most hysterical comics around.

If you don't find at least some of the strips very funny, you should have your geek status removed. :)

Why five years for me between his first and second book I cannot explain except for 185 others read first but the wait was worth it. His underlying situations along with a streaming plot really make the book run. I will now continue on to whatever else he has written because I find his writing enjoyable as any other Author of thrillers he is right up with with DeMille, Clancy, Higgins and the others. I highly recommend this book.

All of Hugo Fitzduane's adventures stand by themselves, and this one is a must read. Everytime this guy writes a book - it gets better and better than the last one! I can't wait for book 4:Satans Smile. Do yourself a favor and get into this well told novel that packs it all for all people young and old, male or female.

This book starts out slow but builds to an incredible level of tension. You will stay up late to finish this book. Do NOT miss the second book to the Fitzduane series.

Our Hero Fitzduane thought his war with terrorism ended with the defeat of the hangman but in the world of international terrorism nothing is forgotten! He and his family are targeted for death by the hangman's sadistic lover,a female japanese terrorist.Fitzduane must take the battle to her on her own tuff which is Japan.This novel gives us scenic and very bloody tour of Japan as our hero battle terrorists, yakuza(japanese gangsters) and lethal betrayal in his own ranks.Another great atmospheric spy thriller!

I've stumbled across "Games of the Hangman" by accident and was hooked by the non-stop action. Now 5 years later, I stumbled across "Rules of the Hunt" and am enjoying, once again the very dangerous adventures of Hugo Fitzduane. Indeed looking forward to reading the "Devil's Footprint" (look for my review). Mr. O'Reilly's prose is straightforward and clear with a very tight plot. The characters come to life and the action sizzles. Not for the weak of heart. Terrorism is a very real threat that Mr. O'Reilly brings to light in all it's dark reality.