Vision Books

I can't remember another book combining scientific insight with artistic beauty quite this way. The author has painstakingly selected, arranged, and captioned stunning scientific images. Whether for the coffee table or to actually read and learn something, Super Vision is a winner.

From protons to parsecs, Ivan Amato's "Super Vision" reveals what many scientists know: the universe is a visually stunning place. This remarkable collection of images, coupled with Amato's compelling captions, shows the art that can be found in science. Thanks to advances in instruments ranging from atom smashers to telescopes, combined with unprecedented computer power, the phenomena of the cosmos can be painted in vivid color. Scientists use these images in their daily effort to understand the universe; we can enjoy them for pure aesthetic pleasure. Covering 42 orders of magnitude (powers of ten), "Super Vision" shows us the abstract swirls of a decaying particle, the eerie machinery of a spider's spinnerets, how zebrafish scales can look like a Balinese hillside, and the tortured faces of distant planets. For a guide to the art in our natural world, this is the book. It's as beautiful as the universe it describes.

This is one of the most beautifully illustrated photo books I've ever seen. Ranging from the submicroscopic to the macroscopic and even cosmic in scale, the book presents hundreds of spectacular photos of different aspects of our world and universe. They range from the geometrical perfection of a matrix of metallic crystals, to the delicate tracery of a microbial colony, to amorphous, bloblike, and menacing looking cancer cells, to the graceful symmetry of a galaxy floating in the vastness of space.

Every photographic method you can think of is represented (including many I couldn't have thought of), including ordinary light photography, x-ray, infrared, plane-polarized, electron microscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, and a photo of Washington, D.C. using something called Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar.

In addition to size, the time scales range from subatomic particles that only last a few trillionths of a second to photos of distant galaxies whose light has been travelling for 14 billion years to reach earth. The text is also clear and concise and non-obtrusive and doesn't detract from the visual presentation of the photos. Overall a beautifully illustrated photo book just to browse encompassing the many wonders, young and old, big and small, and animate or inanimate, of our world.

This book truly brings these two highly interesting Hindu dieties to life. Kinsley clearly illustrates the various truths each deity represents within the Hindu tradition. The reader is not only left well educated about Kali and Krishna but about the rich character of the Hindu religious tradition as a whole. Perhaps the most enjoyable book I've ever read concerning Hindu religion.

I have always had trouble relating to Krisha, even though I read many books, commentaries and scriptures about Him, attended a Vaisnava temple for many months, and spent numerous hours chanting His mantras in an attempt to crack the mystery of why this Deity is so ravenously popular. I enjoyed the stories of His pastimes, and greatly appreciated the art and iconography that surrounded Him - but the deeper implications were simply lost for some reason.

This book really brought home to me WHY Krishna so captured the people's hearts, as it showed a completely different perspective on the energies inherant to His workship. While the familiar themes, of course, remained the same, Kinsley throws a new light on the matter that was fresh and much needed.

As a Shakta, though, I obviously also adored the latter studies of Kali as well. They also bring up aspects and interpretations of Her worship that are not too commonly presented in other texts.

While this book is an academic text, it is easy and enjoyable to read, and not at all dry.

I highly recommend this book to any student of Hindu religion and spirituality, anyone wondering "what's the deal with Krishna", or even "who is this Kali that everyone's talking about". Those who have a general intrest in world religions and mythology will eat this one up, too. Spiritual seekers who wish to expand their perspectives on how divinity can and is experienced by hundreds of million, and how the seeminly contradictory aspects of the divine can be embraced and adored will find this study an excellent read as well.

Kinsley's book is perhaps the most enjoyable work on Hinduism that I've ever had the pleasure to read. In it the author both explains the history of each deity and how they crystalize certain overarching truths of the Hindu worldview. The effect is both a complex understanding of Kali and Krishna's importance within Hinduism as well as a greater appreciation of Hinduism in its totality.

Technophobia! is a funny and fascinating thematic history of science fiction. In addition to Dinello's humorous take on a sometimes sobering subject, what really sets this book apart is the unique structure that pits science's pervasive technoutopian viewpoint against science fiction's technophobic response. Instead of treating sci-fi as pop culture pulp, Dinello places it within the context of recent scientific advances, providing insightful, entertaining explanations of research into posthuman technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, bionics, biotechnology, nanotechnology and more. I learned about science and science fiction. And Technophobia! brings the debate up-to-the-minute by dealing with technology and the Iraq War, the Transhumanist movement, electronic surveillance, mind control, and viruses--both electronic and biological. This thought-provoking book will make you take a closer look at how technology is shaping, even controlling, not just the lives of sci-fi characters but every one of us as well.

There are many reasons to read this book. I'd like to start one of the best. I'm currently engaged in writing something of my own dealing with robots, cyborgs, androids, and other kinds of artificial people in popular culture. I'm therefore reading my way through many of the standard books in the subject area. I've been crawling through bibliography after bibliography, compiling long lists of nonfiction books and novels to read and movies and television series to view. Daniel Dinello's overall mastery of the literature at large is unrivaled. Reading this book is, on one level, akin to reading a very good annotated bibliography. By the end of it, you will be aware of all the major figures on both sides of debates between technophiles and technophobe.

Dinello proudly aligns himself with the technophobes and marshals a host of good reasons for his position. While many assume a blithe optimism like that found in the novels of Isaac Asimov, that all technological development will aid humanity and present few dangers to us, Dinello joins the majority of SF writers and filmmakers who are far less sanguine about the future role of technology in our lives. Dinello find it more likely that robots like those in the Terminator films could arise than the Asimovian prime directive robots found in FORBIDDEN PLANET and LOST IN SPACE. He finds the notion of nonlethal robots to be naive, since a staggering amount of research in the field receives funding from DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a branch of the Department of Defense). The vast majority of cutting edge technological research is being done with an eye to its military applications. Cute, nonlethal robots would have little role to play for the military.

Although there has been little public outcry about the dangers of much of the technology that is being developed with minimal oversight, there has been considerable probing of the dangers of unregulated, uncontrolled technological development by a long string of works of SF. In fact, apart from exceptions like Asimov and the unexamined optimism of the shows making up the STAR TREK franchise, most films, books, and TV series have made much of the dangers inherent in these technologies.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough. By the end any reader will have a firm grasp of the primary books and movies raising the most pertinent questions about the wisdom and desirability of promoting ungoverned technological expansion. One will also have encountered any number of technophile gurus who believe that technological heaven is only a few years away. These are people who fantasize about taking one's brain and slicing it away one little section as a time and then magically downloading its data into a computer (as if such an interface will be completely unproblematic). One would then boot up one's personality and enjoy a virtual though bodiless eternity, a bit like becoming permanently part of a SIMS game. In one of the books Dinello cites, a character comments on a similar procedure, calling it what it is: dying.

The one weakness of the book is that Dinello doesn't seem to know television as well as movies and books. It was published in 2005, but the manuscript was probably finished before the debut of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA in 2003. But other shows were not mentioned despite being remarkably relevant. For instance, in the chapter on the possible manipulation of DNA to enhance soldiers I kept waiting for some mention of DARK ANGEL, which ran from 2000-2002. Many of the more extreme fantasies of scientists (e.g., soldiers with tougher skin or with gills) were artistically in that series. And the main character, Max (Jessica Alba) was herself, as she told some friends, "a genetically enhanced killing machine." Why Dinello failed to bring up the most prominent representation of genetically enhanced soldiers was odd. My only guess is that at a certain point he cut off his research to write.

Likewise, in the chapter on nanotechnology I kept anticipating some mention of the replicators in STARGATE SG-1, easily the most prominent depiction of nanotechnology gone wrong either on TV on in film. The only defense I can imagine is that it is much harder to catch up on TV series than it is to read novels or watch individual movies. As I've learned in my own project, committing yourself to watching yet another TV series can involve remarkable amounts of time. Still, these were two instances where TV would have provided him with some of his best examples.

This criticism aside, I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. This is as fine a survey of the wide range of responses that imaginative SF is making to the emerging technologies that are redefining our world. You'll not only love reading this; you'll find yourself constantly writing down the names of other books or movies that you want to try out next.

Dinello's sojourn into all realms of science fiction is insightful and quite comical. I highly recommend this book for all fans of sci-fi and it's excellent references, classic (Blade Runner) and obscure (Octavia Butler), would make an excellent textbook. Technology is truely a blessing and a curse; no other book lays this out more clearly.

These are personal stories of the author Susan Krieger's slow loss of sight and provides ten brief reflections and one novella-length drama which follows Susan's birdwatching in a New Mexico desert, learning to use a white cane, and final enjoyment of life's visions before losing her sight. Outer landscapes may change, but inner vision persists - and Susan Krieger faces disability and a changed life with renewed vision. Things No Longer There is very highly recommended reading.

These are personal stories of the author Susan Krieger's slow loss of sight and provides ten brief reflections and one novella-length drama which follows Susan's birdwatching in a New Mexico desert, learning to use a white cane, and final enjoyment of life's visions before losing her sight. Outer landscapes may change, but inner vision persists - and Susan Krieger faces disability and a changed life with renewed vision. Things No Longer There is very highly recommended reading.

These are personal stories of the author Susan Krieger's slow loss of sight and provides ten brief reflections and one novella-length drama which follows Susan's birdwatching in a New Mexico desert, learning to use a white cane, and final enjoyment of life's visions before losing her sight. Outer landscapes may change, but inner vision persists - and Susan Krieger faces disability and a changed life with renewed vision. Things No Longer There is very highly recommended reading.

Robert B. Haas is a corporate lawyer in Texas who came to photography fairly late in life. He claims to be afraid of heights, but has spent many hours hanging out of small planes and helicopters all over the world taking pictures of the topography. This volume contains 113 pictures "covering 14 countries and 80 percent of the Latin America land mass" according to the National Geographic.

On first reading, first viewing, rather, I found the images just stunning. I spent two hours lost in the images. As I walked home from the library, the images remained in my memory, but I had a vague feeling that something was missing. I did a bit of research, and found a couple of conflicting descriptions of these beautiful images.

National Geographic was accurate: "Photographs are presented in large double-page panoramas, inviting the viewer to appreciate their abstract qualities and become absorbed in rich details. The aerial perspective gives a generous view of the land below: While large-scale environmental effects may be seen, man's blemishes are mostly diminished when viewed against the vastness of the land. A full-page map highlights countries and specific places photographed."

That word "abstract" gnawed at me. Something was still elusive. The almost invariably reliable "Library Journal" held the answer.

"Somehow, the dazzling colors and intricate patterns don't add up to the absorbing and informative tour of the southern continent that we expect. Haas ... has developed a formula for identifying a pleasing pattern of water and earth or vegetation and focusing so tightly on it as to deny all context. ... The photos become optical puzzles or animal trophies rather than informative pictures of what passed beneath his aircraft. The procession of 113 photos with minimal text and weak captions is overwhelming, and the excellent photos are subsumed by the weaker ones and those in which digital manipulation has created bizarre coloration or pixelation."

I agree completely with the "Library Journal". Seen just as images, the book is a visual feast, but the pictures feed the senses and leave the intellect asking for more. There's nothing wrong with pretty pictures in a coffee table book, but I want something to think about. Let Marie Arana have the last word given my hot and cold reactions to this book:

From the Preface: "We leap to tell visitors that our countries hold a smorgasbord of landforms--coastline, desert, jungle, mountain, marshland, archipelago--all in defined geographic spaces, and often in dramatic contiguity. The white promontories of the Andes are not far from the impenetrable canopy of the Amazon, where every November the jungle floor is deluged by floodwaters, and jaguars are forced to swim with the pink dolphins. Not until I was flying 5,000 feet above the earth did I see how close and interdependent those landforms truly are. A few minutes in the air can take you from the vernal cliffs of Lima's seaside suburbs to the windblown desert of Chan Chan, the once grand citadel of the Chimu; or from the unforgiving rock over which the conquistadores labored to the green vales of Cajamarca. All of it, interconnected. One."

Robert C. Ross 2008

I love this book. I hated the price, sorry, very expensive but I love the pictures. Ann

This was an amazing book! The photos have such beautiful color and perspective. As an added bonus, all proceeds from this book sales go to the National Geographic Sociiety!

General-interest public lending libraries will appreciate this oversized volume packed with photos sweeping Latin America's landscapes. It comes from a renowned aerial photographer who provides over a hundred images representing his years of travel to fourteen Latin American countries. His photos celebrate towns, people, cultures and geography alike, providing double-page, panoramic photo spreads unparalleled elsewhere. Any collection with any interest in Latin American geography and culture - or geographic photography - needs this amazing, stunning collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

With this book ,Mary Thunder reawakens the heart. Her life is a model of endurance and faith ,in addition,her training as a Lakota warrior is the kee that opens the doors of awareness.

What I like the most about this book is that Mary Thunder tells us all about her mistakes that she made walking this path. It is a very honnest book and the writer shows us what it means to be a Human Being.Even when we are a Spiritual Person, she shows us we are not perfect. A very personal book, I could not stop reading so I finished it at once. There is a lot of funny stories in there.

It is highly uncommon to find an humble visionary, but that is exactly what you will find in this book, coupled with a witty and sharp perspective that strikes home to us all. A real Native American Medicine Woman's life adventure, coupled with a good dash of her own teaching for those of you who are wanting to learn. A New-Age must for all who are seeking a way to reach beyond what you can see, into what you know is really there!!!

Unearned suffering is an excellent novel. It's amazing because it offers historically accurate information, shows how the black family and community used to and still should live, and lastly reminds African-Americans of where we've come from in this country. And should encourage where we aspire to go. It reminds us that less that sixty years ago we were treated as sub-humans in a system of semi-slavery. Blacks in America aften too easily and swiftly forgive and foreget what we have endured; Unearned suffering is a reminder and should cause blacks across this country, young, old, rich, poor, bright-skinned, dark-skinned relgious or not, to unite and interpret what presently befalls us in this country in a new and improved light. This book futher opens the eyes of some white americans and reminds others of what our people unjustly endured in this country. It should help them to understand that our people were wronged and still are wronged, and that they too are responsible to assit in correcting those wrongs. Read it, I promise you will enjoy.

Bobby J. Smith is amazing. I actually know this author and got the pleasure of being one the first people to read this novel. This book is wonderful in everyway you can imagine. I took the book when he told me to read it and ask about what I thought and i finished it in 3 days. The book is set in the 1950's and tells about the suffering of African-Americans during that time. I won't ruin the plot for you, but this book is a must if you like good works of literatre.

this book is amazing, I had the pleasure of being one of Bobby J. Smith's first reader's of this book, It is set in the 50's and tells of the suffering of African-Americans. If you love good literature, this is a book for you.

OK, as the Author, it is only fitting if i write the first review!

Words are energy and energy effects matter. Your words you speak every day is shaping and forming and effecting the matter around you. By the end of this book, you will affect the matter around you just as intense as a microwave effects water; energy affecting matter.

There is so much more going on in the realm of the invisible than there is in the visible realm. There are more "things" in the antimatter world than in this physical world of matter than we can perceive. God has given us the ability to operate in this realm or kingdom.

There are things in God and in this world that we know not of. There are limitations set by humanity that must be unveiled in order to progress in all aspects of your life. Everything that is created in this physical kingdom was first existing or made in the spiritual realm.

The Matrix. Have you seen it?

Your life and the world you live in is much more like the matrix than you imagine (no pun intended!) What if this earth, the people on it, the events that we perceive to be real, and even our feelings were nothing more than an immense hologram? If everything that is, was, and is to be; and if God knew you before the foundations of time itself, could that indicate that you were created before you were here?

"Everything is in the mind. That's where it all starts. Knowing what you want is the first step toward getting it." (Mae West)

What we perceive as reality is only a canvas waiting for us to draw upon it any picture we want. Anything is possible!

"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going...it's as simple as that." (Earl Nightingale)

In order for you to get what you want in life, you must have a clear vision of what you want, where you want to go, what or who you want to be

In the book, Unleash Your Vision, You will learn how to uncover a plan and goal for your life that was designed especially for you even before you were born! Learn how to take that plan, which is already a deep desire inside you and manifest it into reality!

OK, as the Author, it is only fitting if i write the first review!

Words are energy and energy effects matter. Your words you speak every day is shaping and forming and effecting the matter around you. By the end of this book, you will affect the matter around you just as intense as a microwave effects water; energy affecting matter.

There is so much more going on in the realm of the invisible than there is in the visible realm. There are more "things" in the antimatter world than in this physical world of matter than we can perceive. God has given us the ability to operate in this realm or kingdom.

There are things in God and in this world that we know not of. There are limitations set by humanity that must be unveiled in order to progress in all aspects of your life. Everything that is created in this physical kingdom was first existing or made in the spiritual realm.

The Matrix. Have you seen it?

Your life and the world you live in is much more like the matrix than you imagine (no pun intended!) What if this earth, the people on it, the events that we perceive to be real, and even our feelings were nothing more than an immense hologram? If everything that is, was, and is to be; and if God knew you before the foundations of time itself, could that indicate that you were created before you were here?

"Everything is in the mind. That's where it all starts. Knowing what you want is the first step toward getting it." (Mae West)

What we perceive as reality is only a canvas waiting for us to draw upon it any picture we want. Anything is possible!

"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going...it's as simple as that." (Earl Nightingale)

In order for you to get what you want in life, you must have a clear vision of what you want, where you want to go, what or who you want to be

In the book, Unleash Your Vision, You will learn how to uncover a plan and goal for your life that was designed especially for you even before you were born! Learn how to take that plan, which is already a deep desire inside you and manifest it into reality!

This book is transformatinal. It is a good read for anyone seeking to achieve their goals, dreams and visions. Simple and straighforward.
it is and investment... Get it, you won't be sorry!

I am very glad that I found these little books written by Petra Eiko. The author manages to cover serious topics while keeping the fun in reading intact. It is great to see something new and innovative on the crowded book market.

What kind of secret does 'Vision' share? It shows you the meaning of vision and how to incorporate it in your daily life.

I highly recommend the whole Seeds of truth" series.

I've read all of the books in this series except for "Wisdom" and I just ordered that one. These books by Petra Eiko are so refreshingly different and fun to read. This is a great collection of information in a conversational approach that makes you think and feel good about yourself and helps you through problems in your life. I can't wait for the next book by Petra Eiko.

V i s i o n

Yes, these booklets are definitely a YES. A must read! I started out with some hesitation, thinking: Oh, well another one of these...! But then I was in for a surprise. I found stories wrapped in a lot of true and witty remarks about our lives, interwoven with a good portion of humor and wisdom. So far I read Power, Heart and Vision from Eiko and I enjoyed them all very much. The tree books vary in tone and dynamics which make them entertaining, and the interesting point of view is remarkable. It also seems that these books are good for people of all ages. Reading "Vision" I could relate it to my young businessman nephew and I gave him a copy. He thought of the comparison between your brain and a cyber space company as "cool". Eiko is a great storyteller. I wonder sometimes who this person is. None of her books give any description about the author. That's something new. Keep going, Eiko, we're looking forward to the next one.

cj in L.A.

THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK, SO FULL OF THE LOVE OF LIFE, AND WILL MAKE AN ENGROSSING AND VERY PROFITABLE MOVIE!

Reading Vision in the Desert is a wonderful Trip in Time
The honesty and sincerity of Vassili capture your Heart and Mind and can't put the book down. Wishing some Producer will make a Movie there is enough Memories and Emotions to be an Academy Award.

This is the story of Vassili Sulich, written by him, in his own words. You can hear his voice as you read it. Dancer, choreographer, painter, & poet; it's a fasinating life story of a man filled with many famous names in dance and theatre. For anyone interested in the world of dance, classical or theatrical, it's filled with stories involving many legendary names. For someone that worked with Vassili for many years, it's a revelation. His story is a part of the heritage that makes the dancers of today. And finally, the entire book is an affirmation of his drive to communicate life through dance and the great joy that he has in it.