Performance Books

Kishor's book is one of the few highly readable books on queueing
and stochastic processes. The abundant examples and discussions
of reliability also aid in understanding the material.
I would recommend this book to undergraduates and beginning
graduate students.

Second edition of "Probability and Statistics with Reliability, Queuing and Computer Science Applications" by Kishor S. Trivedi is a highly recommendable book. The concepts provided for probability theory and stochastic processes are excellent for students of communication, networking and computer science. It provides a good understanding of stochastic processes and Markov chains which are very relevant for students and teachers especially working in the speech processing area. I found the book and its contents very relevant and the examples provided could be very well related to networking and computer science, a unique aspect of this book. The students grasped the concepts well and found the problems very challenging and helpful in building up their concepts and knowledge. I had previously taught a number of other books and introduced this book last year at my University, I feel very satisfied and content with the decision of choosing this book for my students. All eleven chapters are equipped with excellent examples, problems and exercises broadening the reader's mind. The first 5 chapters constitute the probability theory while the rest of the chapters emphasize on stochastic processes very relevant to students of advanced networking and speech processing. Other books on probability and statistics usually lack an important aspect specially when used for computer science and telecommunication students. The examples and exercises not only make students learn and understand and probability and statistics concepts but also create its relevance to their very fields, therefore the book is an extremely precious gift from Prof. Trivedi specially for the students of computer science and telecommunication. An inexpensive Asian edition (paperback), a solution manual and powerpoint slides of each chapter are now available.

Prof. Trivedi has done a tremendous job in introducing topics of advanced research not found before; the students gained knowledge about the modern research environment and felt confident too. This book is not only recommended for beginners but also for professionals and engineers.

This book from Prof. K. Trivedi is another great guide for the novice student and the expert researcher for modeling tools and techniques. It builds upon neatly explained concepts of probability, queuing and stochastic processes to provide a variety of examples of applications. It is definitely a book that one has to keep at hand, as it contains recipes for a huge number of performance and dependability evaluation needs. Besides the rich content, the structure and the presentation are great: a bit of theory and soon one example from practical life, the reader never gets lost but he is rather brought step by step to a comprehensive understanding of the topics.

The "Probability and Statistics with Reliability, Queuing and Computer Science Applications - 2nd edition " by Kishor S. Trivedi is a valuable reference for students and professionals. Didactically organized the eleven chapters presents the core concepts of probability theory and stochastic processes in an accessible easy-to-understand approach. The rich set of examples and exercises, based on numerous computer science and engineering real world applications, allow the readers to build their knowledge gradually.
I would like to highlight the system reliability fundamentals covered and articulate with the remains topics.

A very useful book. A good choice for somebody who is just starting to get a feel of the subject, or someone who is looking to build a strong foundation in the area. The best feature of this book is its lucid language. There are many books in the market, which cover a lot of material but, for the average reader, are very difficult to understand. The example-based approach coupled with a comprehensive material coverage are additional selling points. I would highly recommend this book

I purchased Jain's "The Art of Computer Systems Performance Analysis" for a 3-month graduate course, and I must admit that, in retrospect, I was a bit daunted by its size upon receipt (we were to cover the entire text). Further, I had my doubts about the relevancy of the text in the current environment, given its age.

But I must say, both of these initial questions proved wholly unfounded.

I've never used a text quite like this one before; it is a significant departure from the standard engineering text that weighs heavily on the side of analytical proof and mathematical equations, while foregoing textual elaboration. On the contrary, this book adopts a conversational tone whereby the author develops all of the book's topics in great detail, relying on substantial insight and experience. Truly, a breath of fresh air.

There's such a richness about this text, that a careful read--while admittedly quite time-consuming--is bound to give the reader a sense that he has just become the beneficiary of a heck of a lot of wisdom.

All of this is not to say the text is overly-subjective; in fact, there is plenty of detailed analytical analysis. It is just to say that the book is different, and one that exudes quality communication: it reads more like a lecture than it does lecture notes.

So, back to my initial doubts. It turns out that the verbose depth of material which constitutes the book's 720 pages is really a foundation of its main qualities: it is a very readable and highly-detailed exploration of the art and the craft of performance analysis. And it's for that foundational reason that its age is irrelevant.

A solid book indeed. It has the right mixture of theory and practical cases well dealt with. The techinques must be tried for performance analysis and implemented in real time projects.

This old book is one of the most valued on my shelf. I was first exposed to it in a graduate class, and I have to say that the book is so good I was not aware that my professor was not a good instructor until I had him a second time in a class where the textbook was less than stellar. Don't judge the book by a quick perusal either. At first glance, especially if you are looking at Part I, it looks like one of those books on Six Sigma that will put you to sleep. In fact, the vast majority of the book is quite interesting.

Part II, "Measurement Techniques and Tools", are where things get interesting. The good part about this entire book is that it uses problems in the analysis of computer systems as the basis of presentation for all tools presented. The graphs are excellent, the mathematics are largely self-contained, and if algorithms are presented they are usually given in numbered steps and an actual computer program shown. This is one drawback of the book - it uses the ancient Simula language for its demonstration code. However, if you are familiar with C, Java, or any of the other mainstream procedural languages, you'll find that Simula looks like very readable pseudocode, so this should not be an obstacle to understanding.

Part III is a section dedicated entirely to probability theory and statistics. Starting with the simple definition of the mean, this handy section not only derives all of the statistics you need in this book, it talks about common mistakes made in applying them.

Part IV is about experimental design and analysis. Using the mathematics developed in part three this section talks about all aspects of designing a proper experiment for the measurement or simulation of a computer system, including common mistakes and the best choice for the size of your experiment.

Part V presents the key issues in simulation modeling. First it discusses simulation terminology, simulation design criteria, and stopping conditions. Random number generation is the subject of three chapters in reference to inputs to your simulation. Finally there is a chapter on the commonly used distributions such as Bernoulli, beta, binomial, etc. that talks specifically about random number generation algorithms for each of the distributions presented. What makes this section so valuable is that although you may have possibly seen the math before, more than likely you don't know the value of each kind of distribution. This section makes that issue clear in terms of modeling computer performance.

Part VI is on queuing models, and is probably the most difficult section in the book. Although it is one of the better written pieces I have read on queueing theory, it is not as easily grasped as previous sections based on reading the textbook alone. There are examples present, and the book does a good job of presenting "the big picture" as to the use of queueing theory in computer performance analysis, but you may need outside material to really grasp how to set up a queueing problem from a mathematical standpoint.

No other book I've found does such a good job of discussing all of the topics covered and clearly tying it into practical issues in measuring and monitoring system performance. I highly recommend it.

I'm a performance analyst. I couldn't do my job properly without this book. It really is that simple.

This is an absolute gem. I really think that this book must be read by every CS/EE engineer. Performance analysis is always something that comes as an afterthought and engineers think that some some "mathematical" guy called a perf analyst will stop by after the product is completed and analyze the product. This is def wrong. PA should be done at every stage of production.

This book has been written assuming a novice reader. Several parts of the book have to re-read to really understand what the author is trying to convey, but trust me you will really appreciate it.

I suggest reading the following parts of the book(in order):

Part I (whole)
Part II (4, 5, 6, browse {7,8}, 9, 10 ) 10 is cool stuff..impress your peers with this
Part III (whole) read, re-read, re-read till you have digested every line..worth it really!!!!
Part IV (whole) read, re-read, re-read till you have digested every line..worth it really!!!!
Part V : You can skip this if you are not into simulation.
Part VI : Not really that easy to follow. I suggest Gunter's book for this.

Tony has created a book that brings the harsh reality of our employment morality to light. Unfortunate truths of our "career" paths, but a beautiful painting of an otherwise possible grim reality. His book brings not only the hurdles of what we must overcome to our attention, but reminds that once we have accepted our roles-as-is, we have unintentionally become defeated. I recommend to all people who think they are "set."

I had the amazing opportunity and pleasure to be one of the individuals who co-founded ProACTIVE Institute along with Tony. In those years, I saw Tony literally change lives with his hard-hitting and heartfelt philosophy. He's the real deal. A person who makes you feel proud to be a part of the human race.
Read the book - then read it again. It will change the way you perceive yourself and our workplace.
As usual, Tony, you've outdone yourself.

P. Anthony Burnham, Esq., prepares readers for the harsh reality that they may only be temporarily employed in today's "permanently changed workplace." Mr. Burnham stresses that successful leaders are self-managing and achieve results through an empowered workforce. Being a successful manager in this complex world requires innovative thinking combined with synthesis to shift employee paradigms. Learning is an ever-changing, continuous process. Mr. Burnham does a great job of identifying some of these paradigms through a case study of past, present, and future workplace changes. He emphasizes the importance of having the ability to create human value within a firm through identifying and communicating a workers worth on demand. He also stresses that creating a personal business plan for your future employment will help to achieve your goals. As a recent graduate from a masters program, this book has helped me prepare to become successfully "employed for life." Thank you Mr. Burnham!

Sincerely, Edwin Joseph Coulter, MBA, MA/HRM

THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ALL EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES ALIKE. THE "VALUE OF YOU" FORMULA IS RIGHT ON AND SHOULD BE THE MANTRA FOR ALL EMPLOYEES. THE BIG DOG IS OUT AND ITS ALL ABOUT STRENGHTS, ACTION AND RESULTS.

Tony Burnham captured the essence of today's corporate employment landscape and put it into a concise and easy to read handbook. He outlines what hiring managers are looking for and how to clearly define and state your value proposition to them. I used the book as a guide during the interview process for a new position at my current Fortune 100 company. Needless to say, it worked and I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to invest in their own future growth.

Besides the tremendous work ethic and dedication of the employees within the company that Les Schwab formed and built, the big take away from the book (in my view) is get the incentives right. If the incentives are set up correctly, then it can be a win/win for both the employee and the company. As Les Schwab states throughout this excellent book on business, "When we create programs, we are successful. When we follow programs created by other people, they become successful." Much like B. F. Skinner's pigeons, if you have random incentives that are not focused on the core, you may get some very odd results indeed.

Though written over 25 years ago, in the world of North American business of MBAs and the corporate office bureaucracy, Les Schwab's words and "Schwabism" is a refreshing look and reminder of how to do business and to succeed. In business and the corporate world, one sees very odd incentives and programs that benefit certain groups or another, but do not necessarily help the customer succeed or incentivize him/her to want to come back.

In the entrepreneur world, opportunities abound as there are still "old rubber companies" out there that one can run circles around if hard work and effort is made. To paraphrase,

1) Make your own programs,
2) Understand your cost structure,
3) Understand your customer's needs, and
4) Get the incentives right

and find your own "Schwabism" for your company or enterprise.

Many years ago, when I was in one of the Les Schwab tire stores, I saw a a heap of books in a battered cardboard box in a corner. A hand lettered sign advertised the box's contents for "$5.00" each. The books were Les Schwab's autobiography. I bought one, started reading it when I got home, and couldn't put it down until I'd finished the book. "Les Schwab/Pride in Performance" is the tire magnate's life story written "on (his) 40 year old typewriter" in the mid 1980s. Mostly it's about the growth of his "Les Schwab" tire store empire. Also, it's a high-personal-interest story about one man's road to business success. There are lots of not-so-interesting short sections on Schwab opening another tire store and many sections about people who worked for him, but Schwab's battles on the road to success and the accounts of his lieutenants are each covered quickly so what could be boring isn't. Les Schwab grew up around Bend, Oregon. His father was a drunk and his mother taught school. Both died before he was 17. Fortunately Schwab's mother left her mark. He and his siblings "were all taught to work at very young ages." Schwab sensed too that his mother wanted a better future for him. As many less successful people of the time probably had a similar background but didn't do as well, why did Les Schwab succeed? For Schwab, the key was that he was a thinker about how to do his job better and about how to motivate people who worked with him to do better. That's a thread that runs through his book. An early example is that when Schwab was a circulation manager for "The Bend Bulletin" newspaper he "attempted to put some pride in the circulation work (the low end of the newspaper business) for myself and others." It paid off for the newspaper and for him. After that Schwab was always looking to start some business or another. "I had ideas," he writes. About 1950, when Schwab was 33, with help from his brother-in-law, Schwab bought a tire store in a small central Oregon town. From then on his star shone brighter. Sure there were tough times and sure there were close calls but, as one reads his comments and between the lines, it's obvious, that with Schwab's attitude toward people, the odds were heavily on his side. "Do good and it will come back to you," may be another's sdvice but it was Schwab's practice and it paid off. "Never take advantage of a customer (and) never take advantage of an employee," he writes. Again it was Schwab's ideas that made the difference. "Help people to be successful people" and "Share profits with your employees," he advises. With the years, energy, thought, and practice paid off very well for Les Schwab. A few years ago he was one of Forbes Magazine's 400 richest people. Those that have stuck with him have done well, too. Hopefully, though, few people who Schwab pulled along have had the personal misfortune he had. Late one night in 1971, Schwab writes, "the doorbell rang (and two policemen)....came in and told me Harlan was dead." Harlan was Schwab's only son. "He'd run into the back of a log truck on Third Street." Harlan was 31. "He had problems," Schwab writes and says little more in that section. In an earlier part of the book Schwab gives us more details about Harlan and reflects, "Maybe I was too harsh on him." This is a subject Schwab wanted to write more about, I think, but it was too painful for him to go into in detail. Two years before he died this Spring, Schwab and his wife lost their only other child, a daughter. She was 55. That happpened after the book had been written. Sure Les Schwab had fabulous business success and deserved it; sure he gave people great service; and sure he helped along many of his employees; but does one very early death (Harlan's) and another (daughter Margie) show that the gods made Midas pay a price for his riches? This is a good story with a winning theme for a small businessman: work hard, think about how to provide a better service or product, and treat your customers and employees well. I highly recommend the book.

When Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger put this book on the Berkshire/Hathaway "Must Read" list, this Tire Barron from the American Northwest entered the realm of American business icon.

What a fantastic book, what a superb philosophy...

Sadly, this book is now Out Of Print. Even after decades of being published, only now is the word *really* starting to spread about Pride In Performance. It's almost gained cult-status. Still, copies are readily had and I would suggest that any aspiring businessman read this book cover to cover, and keep a copy on the shelf in the office. I do.

His credentials are that he was orphaned at 15 and built a business doing over $1B per year.

He discusses the virtuous cycle, where he set up programs to make his people successful, and in turn, they make him successful. He talks about unions, socialism, zoning regs, and the dangers of too many policies. His advice to push everything down to the lowest level (not at corporate HQ) should be read by our education departments and government.

He covers a very wide set of topics in a way that really makes you want to "shake his hand"!

If you want to learn about Les Schwab this book is good, but if you want to learn about business and how to treat customers, employees, and vendors then this book is AWESOME! Customer Service is so lax anymore that I would go buy a set of tires just to experience it at Les Schwab Tire Centers. Yes, They still run to great you, and fix flats for free. Why would you shop anywhere else?

I've read Darryl's book twice and refer to it often. The entire goalsetting approach is particularly useful. The book is very well-written, quite easy to follow, and applicable to most any person. It is truly a gift from above.

I am a hair salon owner and author.My husband and I have been married for twenty-five years.We have two happy, productive children in college and one in high school. We thought we knew all there was to parenting. This book has helped us tremendously. Instead of running around in circles,we are now managing our time more wisely. This book is a guide for all families to follow. It is well written and very easy to understand. I find myself referring to it again and again.I thank God for allowing Daryl Green the opportunity to write this wonderful book!

If you are a single parent, a fresh young couple venturing out to start a family, or a family that continues to struggle with life's ups and downs...BUY THIS TAPE! I assure you that when this tape comes to an end, you will begin to feel better about yourself, your family, and life. Hats off to the Greens!...Ree

this audio tape is spectacular. I feel it is well written and very helpful for working families. this book really reaches the problems of working families and families in general. I would recommend this book/tape to anyone.

Anyone with a family needs to take a look at Darryl's work. We all need to set priorities and survive life, and Darryl offers families an approachable and successful method of family management, that is not overwhelming. If you are a parent - working,single, or just trying to get through the day, Darryl really gets you feeling positive and honestly makes you feel capable of achieving anything with your family. I take this time to thank you Darryl, your book/cassette has really changed my life.

There is no wasted verbiage in this book. Counting the index, it is but 205 pages in length. In those 205 pages are jewels of wisdom that most management teams are lacking.

The most prevelant gems are pithy observations set aside by top and bottom border lines. One example:
_________________________________________________________________
"The atmosphere in most American companies is so riddled with fear of expendability that workers are afraid totell a boss what they think of his methods of managing."
_________________________________________________________________

The book is organized in such a way as to point out the shallowness of bottom line neurosis and the strengths of inclusive decision making. Over and over, Dr. Jones identifies "Spirit Killers," i.e., those actions in an organization which diminish productivity and, subsequently, profitability, educational insight, and family harmony.

This book intertwines management schemes in business, education and the family. such integration serves to:
-Expose the fallacies of autocracy.
-Explore the possibilities of democracy in an organization.
-Break up management notions that have been set in stone.
-Propose better methods for bringing about civilized organizations.

The book seems to be intended as a tool in business, a text in academia, or a how to book for families. Personally, I'm inclined to recommend it to business schools and/or corporate trainers, though not to the exclusion of the other two entities.

_________________________________________________________________

Hello; I sent in a review nearly 2 months ago and have not seen it posted. Is there a problem with it? Jim Harmon jimharmon@charter.net

Every manager wants the silver bullet that will transform his or her organization from an also-ran into the leader of the pack. Dr. Jones shows us how, without preaching. In today's environment the emphasis is always on some measurable result - profit, productivity etc. Dr. Jones reminds us the result is not possible without the journey and the journey begins and ends with how employees are treated. Great job, Dr. Jones!

Rod Walsh, Co-author - Semper Fi: Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way

Once read, this book can be set aside for the moment, but a compelling urge requires that you return to it for insight and guidance. Dr. Norman Jones has assembled a work that reflects his knowledge of how we relate to each other within our family unit, in our business, acedemic, and social lives. We can improve our relationships within these units, by using the techniques that he outlines. It is not just our own genetic make-up that determines out actions, but it is how we are treated by the people in our lives that have the most influence on us.

Maybe, just maybe, Dr. Jones' approach to the humanistic values in our relationships, expecially between students, their teachers and parents, could have helped prevented the violence that is currently happening in our schools.

Keep it on your bookshelf for inspiration and guidance, go back to it when you need help in any personal relationship, on the job, in your school, or within your family.

Thanks to Dr. Norman Jones for his insight and for this exceptional publication.

Norman Jones is a leadership specialist and a keen observer of what management has done to discourage productivity. He encourages management to lift up the human spirit and to create a more harmonious work environment, therefore creating a people-oriented and inspirational place for ideas to thrive and businesses to succeed.

He compares the Autocratic and Democratic management styles. In the Autocratic world, the boss has a sharp voice, speaks in a commanding way, asserts his/her power, demands cooperation, imposes ideas, criticizes, punishes and has sole responsibility of the group. The Democratic way to run a business puts the "boss" in a different light altogether. He now becomes the "leader," with a friendly voice, he uses his/her influence in positive ways, wins cooperation, tells what he/she would like to have done, sells ideas, guides, encourages, acknowledges achievement, helps employees solve problems, discusses ideas, and shares responsibility with his team players/employees. One of the main problems in business is an impersonal approach to dealing with people.

Norman Jones calls this ..."Spirit Killing." It is one of the reasons so many people are dissatisfied with their work environments and turn to drugs or alcohol to stop the "mental pain." Spirit Killers include: distrust, ridicule, resentment, retaliation, alienation, harassment, deceit, humiliation, stress, tension, fear, sarcasm, belittlement and embarrassment.

These "Spirit Killers" produce demotivation, apathy and insecurity. Not exactly the ideal environment for a healthy productive company. Instead Norman Jones encourages institutions to create self-motivation through: trust, promoting self-esteem, giving employees a sense of belongingness, helping employees obtain job satisfaction, providing a means of recognizing accomplishments, and actually treating employees in a caring manner by listening and showing a genuine concern. When managers learn to listen to their employees the company can grow. Too often, their is a "top-down" philosophy in which all employees are dependent on their ideas from the top. This stifles creativity. Most companies which have our respect not only listen to their employees, they listen to their customers. Amazon.com is one of those companies. They answer every single e-mail from their customers in a very prompt and courteous manner.

"Today's top-down management wants highly energetic, conscientious people, but fails to see how it deprives these people of fulfillment of psychological needs that could stoke the energy." page 34

Since we all have a natural inclination to strive for achievement and need to feel job satisfaction, Norman believes America is hungry for business leaders who not only inspire us to be better human beings, but also encourage us to be internally motivated to meet company goals and be more successful in our jobs.

"When people believe they are helping a company or organization, their self-esteem blossoms." page 19

Unfortunately, modern day businesses use the threat of expendability to attempt to gain optimum productivity and in the process destroy the human spirit. Like a row of dominoes tumbling over, Norman Jones knocks over old ideas of management and shows the way with new principles and creative solutions. He focuses on how business has neglected the research available to them. He sees this as the cause of many problems.

In order to see America's work centers enter a new era of high energy, thriving and productivity in the years to come, the leaders, parents, teachers and even government will need to evaluate their approach to the current dehumanized workplace. Norman believes our country's success will depend on creating a productive arena where the thoughts, feelings and ideas of employees can be expressed. To do this managers must know how to nurture "good attitudes."

An example of a poor motivational statement which is all to common:

"Your report was a good one, but we need them faster and more often."

An example of a good internal motivational statement:

"You can sure be proud of that report; it took a lot of work."

It was also enlightening to compare two letters written by a manager to a difficult employee. In the first letter the use of "I" permeated the letter and caused it to seem demanding and arrogant. In the "improved letter," the use of "we" helped the employee to see they were an integral part of the company. In the first letter, they were expendable.

While the main focus of this book is business, a few chapters are devoted to family and the school system. I believe your religious beliefs determine how you raise your children in most cases. Norman Jones did not write this book from a religious standpoint and his book focuses on research.

This book may just be the perfect gift to give to your boss this Christmas. You may just be giving yourself a great work environment in the coming year. After all those "memos" you have to read, the least your boss can do is read an inspiring book! If you are interested in Psychology you will enjoy that aspect. If you are in management you will love the insights on how you can drive your business forward for optimal success. Your employees might even vote you as their favorite boss of all time. After all, who do we love the most in life? People who treat us fairly and give us the respect we deserve.

~The Rebecca Review
Author of Seasoned with Love: A collection of
best-loved recipes inspired by over 40 cultures

This is not a highly technical Oracle book but it does demonstrate how many of the Oracle features rely on intuition instead of science. It is not the kind of book that you will refer to later, but it is an excellent one time read

This book is a great place to start to learn about performance tuning for Oracle. The book covers the different type of performance tuning methods in a neutral and matter of fact manner. I like the candidness of the author and the fact that he does not push or suggest one method is better than any other. Use this book to start to understand the different methods then move on to more in depth books on a particular performance tuning method. Take a moment and look at the Table of Contents

Lawson gives the Oracle DBA many useful ideas on customising your Oracle database. He pretty much assumes you already possess a reasonable background in Oracle. There is no wasted space on elementary SQL or Oracle tasks.

Perhaps the key chapters are 7, "Oracle Pathologist" and 8, "Analysing SQL Bottlenecks". Later chapters add important refinements. But if you are in search of quick gains, chapters 7 and 8 could be the most fruitful. The ideas in those might not have to involve a major overhaul of your architecture.

Great book,nice and easy to follow approach,fine life examples.

Among other things the author very intelligently also reiterates

the importance of a good self image and the importance of a

good relationship to co-workers in a very casual,realistic and

non intrusive manner

The technical Oracle performance tuning section doesn't start until Chapter 5. The first 94 pages of the book is spent on topics such as "Maintain a Healthy Skepticism","Blame should be Avoided","The Cost of a Poor Working Relationship", and "The Universal Law of Reciprocity". Although the author's advice on these matters is sound, the first 94 pages clearly does not provide what the users are looking for.

The crown jewel of this book is its technical explaination of wait events. Its explaination of v$SQL, v$system_event, v$session_event, and V$Session_wait tables is well worth your money and your time. If you do not know of these tables, then do yourself and your Oracle users a great service and buy this book and master its contents. You will not regret it.

The weakspot of this book is in the resolution of Oracle's slow performance. Although the book provides strong hints that most Oracle issues can be resolved with better indexing and index hints, the book does not emphasize it as much as it should. It also doesn't provide a whole lot of suggestions on how to optimize the SGA.

This book definitely deserves 5 stars because : - Range of topics covered - Detailed - Clarity and treatment of the subject - Useful questions and answers at the end of the chapters - Clarity , again .

I am especially pleased with the organization and depth you present; one gets a good overview, yet can drill down for thorough understanding.

This book is amazing! . As a DBA , I keep on referring this book again & again . It has very useful information & can be used by anyone who wants a really good understanding of DB2

Cheers to the author for writing such a wonderful book!

I used Wiorkowski work for the tuning of a large DataWarehouse for a firm in the shipping industry.

Outside the IBM manuals, there are primarily three works for the tuning and performance of OS/390 DB2: Wiorkowski, Craig Mullins, and Lawson & Ford.

Each have their merits. Estimating how the the DB2 database engine works for large volumes of data is often an art, wherefore several texts and perspectives are clearly beneficial.

Wiorkowski's book is organized in an unconventional way. The chapters are not numbered but they are abbreviated with two letters (as the standard). Therefor the reader's overview of the table of contents is necessary. Fortunately this reflects important aspects and views of DB2.

Wiorkowski's work covers precisely and in depth many DBA issues.
For example (using the DataWarehouse example)issues which are necessary for optimising a single access method for a few tables in the DataWarehouse. We use pages 127-129 (partitioning index) and pages 218-219 for this purpose (logical partitioning index usage), among other things, and the notions of cardinality and clustering in a partitioned index.

Wiorkowski's book is in the category of serious works on optimising a database for a particular database engine (here OS/390 DB2): it demands attentive study.

The 2nd edition (March 2000) is the first to include V6 features and facilities. We certainly have a myriad of impressive features to use to our advantage in 2000 and Gabrielle covers them all as well as all you need to design and develop applications full of tips and techniques for performance.

This book clarified key concepts like Inhibition and Direction in a way that no other book (and to some degree, my Alexander teacher) ever could.

In addition, there's a lot of practical advice on applying AT to sports, music and other performing arts, and daily life. It's already helped my guitar playing.

Buy it - you won't be sorry.

I have had back issues since I was 17 (now I know it was due to one short leg)and when I was about 30 I tried Alexander Technique. Now 30 yrs later I finally have in this book an explanation why this helped and a revelation about how far reaching this technique can be in confronting normal and abnormal body usage. Beautifully written with a deep understanding of much that Neuroscience has learned in the last few years.

Alexander Technique is often difficult to understand without a teacher and many lessons. Missy Vineyard takes the reader a step closer by correlating current research with Alexander's discoveries about how to make optimum use of ourselves. She suggests ways of organizing what we are thinking with what our bodies are doing in order to achieve radically better results.

I was introduced to the Alexander technique by a friend about 15 years ago following a car injury in which I suffered a herniated disc, severe pain in the arm and significant loss of muscle strength. I contemplated surgery which most of the doctors were recommending but decided to opt for less intrusive approaches including physical therapy and lessons in the Alexander technique.

Over the last 15 years I have had numerous lessons and profited immensely from the wisdom of two highly talented instructors. I have also read about a dozen books. This one is the most practical and clearly written one. The author communicates effectively by using lots of real life examples and suggests exercises which, while time consuming, are extremely useful. Like other teachers she makes it clear that the technique is not a substitute for medical advice. But my own experience suggests that it can complement such advice along with other approaches including meditation, tai chi, yoga and others. In that sense the basic tools--inhibition, direction, lengthening of back and neck--can form the core of a holistic approach that can include many of these other approaches. There is nothing in the technique that conflicts with any of these. Indeed most of the ideas, once explained by a good teacher seem to be just applied common sense. The trick, of course, is in disciplining yourself to practice and training the mind to affect the body before it gets stiff and makes you uncomfortable.

This book is the perfect handbook to help anyone who has some basic knowledge of the Technique become much more effective in using it. Ideally, it should be accompanied by occasional lessons from a skilled instructor

As a student of the Alexander technique, I highly recommend this new book on the subject. There are many excellent, detailed illustrations that make this book user friendly and a stand out among books on this topic. Also, there are plenty of self-experiments suggested throughout the book that make it a fine book for beginning students as well as a great review for experienced students.

Donny Hathaway is a great singer and songwriter, but not all that good of a live performer. It seems that his idea of giving us a good show was to simply sing the same songs rubato. As a live performance afficionado, one thing that bothers me is not having the songs modified in a simple enough way that they can be followed easily. It's also very annoying to want to sing along to the studio version and be off-beat every time because the use of rubato has changed the melody line almost beyond recognition.

His voice was good and on key through the songs, and he gave us some good demonstrations of his ability to add filler chords and notes. If he'd sung the vocal lines as they were recorded and added a few filler chords and notes, that may have made for a good live performance. But the combination of that *plus* the altered melody lines was just overpowering.

Perhaps this CD will get better over successive listenings, but as of now, I can't see it being worth more than $5.

I cannot believe no one mentions the track 'NU-PO,' the only instrumental cut on the album. This is one of the most flowing and smooth pieces of music. A latin groove that just builds with the dissolving and watery Rhodes, Not to mention the sublime Bass of Willy Weeks and the Guitar of Phil Uphcurch (Anyone for Darkness Darkness?).

I hear that there's a version of this Album with more Tracks, including a bass solo by Willy on 'Voices Inside.' Re-issue!

I had the cassette of this album for several years before I wore it out. Over the years I've purchased several other Donny Hathaway CDs with different performances of these songs, but I've never felt the same power as the renditions on this CD. The give and take betwen Hathaway and the rapturous crowd gives me goose bumps and makes me wanna shout! No matter how much Hathaway you own, you'll be glad you got this one.

Not enough people are aware of Donny Hathaway, which is a crime. This man influenced more great soul singers than one can imagine. He galvanized a whole generation of dissenfranchised young men and women through his music to stand up and be counted, be proud, tap into their spirit and love one another. With just his music and that unbelievable voice. With only just six tracks, this live recording will take you to that moment in time & I dare you not to be touched by this man!!!
The best tracks are To Be Young, Gifted & Black, A Song For You, I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know & his self-penned We Need You Right Now. Listen for earnest audience partcipation & frenzied enthusiasm from the crowd. On this recording, it really works and is not in the way. Magical night!! A must have. I would give this ten stars if I could!!

First off, Donny Hathaway is probably the most unknown "superstar" of his era of soul. This album has a little bit of everything that is Donny- great for new fans to explore his music with. Of the million versions we've all heard of "Song For You", this album has the purest and most beautiful I've ever heard- the raw sound of a live recording made years ago, Donny's voice, and a piano....period. "We Need You Right Now" is one of two songs written by Donny and is prefaced by him giving respect to "my creator" and saying "I wrote this song two weeks ago". Religious or not, it is a beautiful song which also highlights the piano and his voice. Exactly half the tracks (1,5,and 6) are socially conscience songs which need at least two listens (one for the music and beauty of his voice and the other for the meaning of the lyrics) to completely appreciate. Maybe the best thing about this recording is that he plays an acoustic piano for half the album. The acoustic brings something to the songs that would've been lost even with the greatest of electric pianos.