Computer Science Books

This book offers good strategies for implementing VoIP. It covers the feasibility studies required and pre and post evaluation of the network. Technical details are covered well but the most important aspects such as QoS, SLA's are explained in some sort of details, which is an important area when dealing with VoIP.

I used this book as one of my main reference in my final year project with UOL BSc in CIS.

I recommend this book not just for Engineers, Technicians, Managers and IT staff, but also for anyone wishing to learn about the basis of VoIP.

As one of the lead Network / IP Telephony engineers for my employer, GE IT Solutions, I was excited to learn that Cisco Press had published a book addressing the business and project management aspects of Voice Over IP (VOIP). I was glad that I picked up "Taking Charge of Your VoIP Project" by John Walker and Jeffrey Hicks (ISBN 1587200929) and I highly recommend the book to any IT decision maker, project manager, or lead engineer considering VoIP technologies.

The authors clearly indicate in their preface that the book is not a technical "how-to" manual for VoIP. Rather, the target audience is "chief information officers and information technology managers who choose to deploy VoIP in their organizations". The book opens with an overview of VoIP terminology and acronyms. For the most part, the discussion remains at a high level, although the details on IP packet headers probably could've been scaled back, given the target audience. Chapter 2 delves into the business drivers for moving to VoIP, such as convergence and ROI.

Chapter 3, Planning for VoIP, was a particularly helpful section in relation to my job functions. The chapter does a excellent job discussing the value and importance of planning and design for VoIP networks, a critical piece of any VoIP project that I feel customers (and even some vendors and implementers) often overlook. In fact, if it weren't a copyright violation, I'd probably copy the entire chapter and hand it out to any of my existing and potential VoIP customers. Better still, I'll by them a copy of this book.

Subsequent chapters of the book's focus continue to balance the business considerations with the technical aspects of VoIP. Topics of discussion include finding the right implementer, QoS tuning, ongoing VoIP Management, SLAs, and security considerations.

As mentioned earlier, I highly recommend the book to any IT decision maker, project manager, or lead engineer. I've encouraged many of my non-technical business colleagues at GE ITS to read "Taking Charge of Your VoIP Project". In fact, one of our Six Sigma quality leaders engrossed herself in the book and gained an very comprehensive understanding of both the business and technical aspects of VoIP. Next thing I know, she'll be pursuing her CCIE!

I recently read the book titled "Taking Charge Of Your VoIP Project" by John Q. Walker and Jeffrey T. Hicks. ISBN: 1587200929.
The title is a great reference for understanding VoIP technology and helps identify the many aspects that one must consider for a successful deployment of Voice over IP. Reading this book ahead of time will empower the reader with the lingo, technology and solutions to be effective when leading a team.
The book starts out by giving the reader an understanding of the basic technology concepts surrounding traditional voice networks, or Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN) and then goes right into the basic technologies that allow Voice over IP (Data) to be a viable alternative to the traditional phone networks.
Chapter 2, Building a Business Case for VoIP, gives the reader good information to ponder over and helps identify purpose for building a case for a VoIP solution.
The next chapter, "Planning for VoIP" is one of the larger chapters and for good reason. After all, anyone in business knows that planning determines whether the project will go smoothly with little surprise or whether it's a disaster. In this chapter you'll learn about reliability, call quality assessment, and over all VoIP readiness assessment, among other things.
Another great chapter is Chapter 5, "Quality of Service and Tuning". Probably one of the biggest challenges that an organization will face. QoS is challenging due to the complexity of a true end-to-end QoS solution in an already complex data network. Accomplishing QoS requires in-depth knowledge of the existing data network. Furthermore, the communication to others on the team of what it's going to take to get the network "up to snuff" to support VoIP will be a task in and of it self. It makes ATM technology look quite attractive. The chapter has quite a bit of detail; however the authors don't drop the reader over the deep end of the technologies.
I would recommend this book to those that are anticipating implementing Voice over IP in their network, those that are in the process of piloting Voice over IP or even those that are in the midst of a VoIP implementation would benefit from this title.
The book is best suited for Project Managers, management, telecommunication and Data networking personnel. Really and truly, most anyone would benefit from reading this title. It covers such a broad range of information that having a well educated project team is going to ensure that the project goes smoothly and all things are considered. This book does an excellent job of presenting all of the issues that personnel involved in a Voice over IP project should be aware of to ensure success. It gives the reader a great appreciation for the complexities and helps a great deal with ironing out a good sound strategy.
This book has several figures, tables and diagrams. Like the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words". This statement holds true in the title. Like I always say, pictures are good.
The book covers everything you'd think about and everything you wouldn't think about.
Coming from the data side of a VoIP solution, I thought I had enough figured out to make a VoIP project a success. This titled made me think about issues that I would have otherwise over looked. Especially issues relating to traditional telecommunications.
Don't start you project without this book. It may end up costing you more than this book in mistakes if you don't.

Excellent book if you are looking for "in-depth" crash course in to VoIP. The amazing part was vendor neutral tone. Even though it came out of Cisco Press, it hardly preached any specific vendor. It was mostly focused on the fundamentals.

However the book lacks a decent index section. Hardly any important words are mentioned.

John Walker and Jeffrey Hicks's "Taking Charge of Your VoIP Project" (ISBN: 1587200929, Cisco Press) is an installment in Cisco's Network Business Series line of books and covers the topic of voice over IP (VoIP) from a business strategy perspective. Although the book does cover some technical aspects of VoIP, its main purpose is to guide the reader in understanding the steps from beginning to end on how to develop a business case all the way to deploying a successful and secure VoIP deployment. The book covers eight major areas:

* VoIP Basics
* Building a Business Case for VoIP
* Planning for VoIP
* Do It Yourself or Outsource?
* Quality of Service & Tuning
* Ongoing VoIP Management
* Establishing VoIP SLAs
* VoIP Security

This book's primary audience is meant to be at the managerial and above levels, although it does have value for senior technical staff, albeit from a different angle. For the management level, the book's value is in how it covers enough technical detail to make the reader aware of the complexities of VoIP, yet at the same time it presents both a business rationalization and realistic implementation steps so as not to scare the reader away (from the technology). For the senior technical staff or technical manager, the details of the technology will seem rudimentary, but the business framework may be less familiar territory, and therefore more valuable. For the technical audience, it addresses the often asked question of, "Where's the business need for VoIP?"

The eight categories can really be summed up into three major headings: VoIP Technology Summary, Business Justification, and Deployment Considerations. The "VoIP Basics" or technology summary provides the necessary background information on the PSTN and legacy PBX's in order to present the context for understanding how VoIP is a change in voice technology. This section is brief, and Walker and Hicks end with a general overview of data technology and how you converge old voice technology into it, discussing signaling, transport protocols, codecs, and the hardware necessary to make everything work. In terms of the business case for VoIP, the authors present three major cost savings opportunities: toll cost savings, simple network savings, and productivity savings. These areas are commonly talked about and should not be a surprise to the reader; the value here is that the book enables the reader to talk intelligently about the cost savings areas to a business audience. From here, Walker and Hicks cover how to project the ROI, how to make sure you have the data to back up your projections, and what associated costs should be considered before starting the project (e.g., is it cheaper to outsource?). Lastly, the authors spend time discussing both the pre and post implementation requirements and implications of running VoIP, spending less time on the technical details and more time on the big picture of implementing such a technology: Considering the quality requirements (i.e., QoS), integrating VoIP into a network management structure, establishing SLAs with the customer, and securing the technology.

Overall, the book provides a good, but broad treatment of how to present a case for VoIP and then deploy it. The irony of the book is that the readers who can best utilize the information will probably be the ones that find the book a little boring. For example, experienced managers will take away the unique points of implementing VoIP and recognize how it can fit in a realistic way for their particular environment. On the flip side, the knowledgeable network technician will similarly be able to see the nuances of VoIP that the book presents and understand the implications for the existing network. To both audiences, the pre-existing experience and knowledge may cause them to find the book too basic, although the lessons learned will most likely be valuable to them. To the less experienced readers (technical or managerial), the book is a great starting point and will most likely engage them more, but without additional references or resources (e.g., basic project management skills, understanding business budgeting cycles, etc.), the information learned may be just enough to make them dangerous.

"Taking Charge of Your VoIP Project" is a great resource for its intended audience of decision makers and project managers. It is not necessarily meant for the technical person doing the implementing, although the information is beneficial as it ties the technical to the practical.

I highly recommend Teaching with the Internet to the novice and experienced net user. It is a great sounce of "current" web sites spanning the educational needs for K-12 students. I have used lessons taken directly from the book with great success. I consider the text to be an invaluable resource in my personal journey in understanding the "net" as well as to open new areas of exploration for my young students. This book is also a wonderful tool for parents trying to assist their children with study projects, book reports, etc. The information in this book is updated regularly through its web site as changes take place on the www. This educational tool is a wise investment for anyone who uses the "net".

The is a very good resource. It gives great ideas on how to use the internet in the classroom. What I like particulary is the wealth of ideas it gives on how to incorporate the internet in the classroom.

Teaching With the Internet: Lessons From the Classroom is a practical, hands on guide well suited for layman use. It encompasses both Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers as well as the IBM and Macintosh systems. Each chapter is devoted to either a specific Internet strategy such as navigating and communicating or to specific subject areas and concerns within the public school curriculum K-12. This text should be included as an essential component in every school's technology reference library and utilized as an indispensable resource in effective Internet teaching. It is packed with countless creative teaching suggestions and noteworthy web sites as well as step by step instructions on how to implement it all.

This book proved to be very informative, giving step-by-step models to use to incorporate internet resources into classroom activities, computer workshops, research projects and student inquiries.It is organized by chapters that give curriculum based internet ideas, with excellent related educational web-sites. It is geared for all levels of teacher ability, so everyone can get their classroom started. Although some ideas and sites seemed repetitious, it allows you to refer to a specific chapter by subject area to find related sites and sample activities. This book is comprehensive enough to highlight features of various navigation tools, cover both MAC and PC platforms for grades K-12.

Don and Deborah Leu have created a great Interent reference/teaching guide for teachers of all computer skill levels, from beginners to old pros!

The book not only inlcudes explicit explanations of Internet terms and procedures, but includes plenty of figures and examples of what the screen would actually look like as you are working. The Email to You sections contain real teachers describing real projects that they have sucessfully done with their students. Leu and Leu also provide many, many links to resources and project ideas in the major academic disciplines for teachers to use as they begin to incorporate the Internet in to the classroom.

I would highly recommend this book to teachers and teacher educators alike. I consider my self to be an advanced user of the Internet and I learned several new things from reading this book!

I have been reading Gene Steinbergs great computer books since I got my first bondi-blue IMac, which was the very 1st Apple IMac - the one that made Apple famous - again! Mine was the second revison of this great computer, made in 1998, and has had one repair under the 4 year aftermarket extended warranty. I finally upgraded to my current IMac G-5, the last of the ones with the old Motorola chips, before the switch to Intel chips. My trust bondi-blue baby - that I still miss - has been set up for a friend, after being serviced, even more ram put in, and set up - so 10 years later - it is still working!
Gene has a neat,simple way of communicating on how to do things - I may use a Apple product - but I am not a genius technical dude - and Gene can communicate to me about how to do things on my mac, and how to help prevent problems. I have also e-mailed Gene for years with problems I have had, and he is the only
author I can think of that has actually taken the time to answer my questions - above and beyond the call of duty for the author of fairly inexpensive books!
Today Gene is also known for his great e-mail newsletter The Night Owl, as well as the Paracast. Gene and his son Grayson are also the authors of "attack of the Rockoids" - a great sci-fi book, written when I believe Grayson was still a teenager.
Overall, a great computer book that you will use again and again, one to keep on a shelf near your computer!

I can't believe you really read that book. I found tons of things in Mr. Steinberg's book that I didn't know and I've been working with Macs for years. I couldn't name five people who know how to really set up their monitors, for example, yet "Upgrading & Troubleshooting Your Mac" told me how to use the onscreen menus, what all those strange functions mean and how to calibrate the color. I don't know of any other book with this sort of information. Maybe that reader from San Francisco knew all this, but most folks dont.

I have had this book for just about a month now and have used it to upgrade my processor, level 2 cache, video memory, RAM, and change my clock battery. I am fairly proficient with Macs (14+ years) and I own 4, which I keep in excellent shape. This book is an excellent reference for the do-it-yourselfer who is not afraid to "get under the hood" of their Mac.

After skimming through other sections, I found many more tips on improving MacOS performance and Web browsing performance. When I think about an upgrade to any of my Macs, I look through my book to see what is involved, and if it is worth the trouble. When my Macs start "acting up" I can usually find the solution to the problem in my book.

All in all, this is an EXCELLENT book for any Mac product owner. It comes with its own CD of demo software and is well worth the cost. If you can find the "Mac Manuals 2.0" CD from James Engleby, you have a pretty complete collection of the tools, manuals, specs, and software you'll need to fix-up ANY Mac.

Being computer litterate, but knowing just a few facts on Macs. This book has helped me through the transition from "the other platform" as Gene describes it. Easy to follow and fun to read(even for a non-native english speaker as myself). You feel as having an informal conversation with the author thougout. Hard to put down, you will want to finish it as soon as you read the first chapter. If you know a bit of hardware this book is a great guide for conecting and upgrading your Mac.

Our publishing company has 12 newspapers, (3 dailys) and all of them use > Macs for desktop publishing. We started using Macs in 1986 and I've been a > Macintosh systems manager for several years, but even an old dog can learn > a new trick now and then. You have taught me several during the reading of > your book (Upgrading & Troubleshooting Your Mac). > I look forward to your next one.

The book was really good. I liked it because it was kind of funny and involved a dog. I would recommend it for third grade and up. I don't usually like mysteries but I liked this book.

This story is about a dog (Byte) who used to be in the AIA where animals would go on missions that were too dangerous for people.
The AIA retired him because he was over 40 in dog years.
He just got an urgent IM from his former people partner (Lassie) saying that the Sewer Systems are not ready for Y2K! In the chat room he talks in he tells them what is going on. They all say that they used to be in the FBI, CIA and NSA.
But when they gathered up at the meeting place they were a fat CIA mailman who was canned for sleeping on the job, a retired NSA secretary, and a 14 year old kid who dad was fired for crashing up an FBI car.
Will they still be able to save the world?? Time and toilet paper are running out!!

I am not into the far-fetched fantasy books but I decided to try this one anyway. It is pretty fun and silly at the time. I would suggest to anyone who like's silly and funny book!

As i said its not to good not to bad its to much of mystery theres practicly any stops from mystery and also its not bad because its funny sometimes.

I'm writing this review for my English class.I'm also writing this review to say how much I liked the book Y2K-9 the dog who saves the world.Things I liked about the book are:Byte the dog is on the internet all night. The Barkley's [Bytes family.]Their phone bill goes up, it's funny cause they don't know Bytes been on the internet all night.Byte is from the AIA. If you like mysterious books,then you'll like Y2K-9.You should read and find out what AIA means.

Excellent modelling environment. Flexible, robust, and approved software. Exemplary manual elucidates numerical and hydraulic background

PMWIN is an excellent software for the simulation of groundwater flow and transport. This comprehensive software makes it easy to setup own groundwater problems. It comprises a lot of additional programs and useful tools which help to describe and analyse a problem very clearly. For example, a model for the simulation of single and multi-species transport is included as well as the full version of PEST, the famous code for parameter estimation. Many features facilitate showing and printing of the results. The book contains a lot of elucidations and examples. Some features are still in development but should be released soon, like 3D visualization and geochemical model. Alltogether a very recommandable book and software.

I was using earlier version of pmwin and 3-d visualisation was missing. Therefore I always in preferred to work with Visual Modflow with 3-D explorer and GMS. Now using version 5 of PMWIN with 3-D explorer, I was thrilled. Really it is wounderful and quite simple. I do not find it is less than other counter part Commercial Software. Its 3-D explorer is better than Visual Modflow 3-d explorer.

PMWIN is a robust simulation system capable of modeling groundwater flow and solute transport. It is easy to use and import figures of differing formats. The GUI (graphical user interface) is user friendly. The text presents all the information, graphics and illustrations of the GUI making it easy to understand and use. I highly recommend this program.

To learn the groundwater modeling techniques, the students or the professionals need the suitable software and the textbook which explaines clearly the theory and the used software.The book must explaine the procedures step by step and from start to to the end.But nowadays, if you have not enough money to purchase the commercial modflow based software, it is a pity that you have to learn MODFLOW codes.It was the undesriable things.Hydrogeological modeling means interpretation.But there is no possibility to see visual something among the codes.I created the input and as a result output errors during the simulations with codes at the beginning.There is a good words in computer technology; Gap In Gap Out.It summurizes the best what i meant.Definitely all hydrogeologists have to know all background informations on groundwater modeling techniques and the structure of used softwares. But i think, groundwater modeling is more than a science, it is a art which must have a visual effect.So that I have looked for the best groundwater modeling book and the software since 1991.At the end, i have found, what i have ever looked for. This is this book which combines the latest modeling techniques and the latest modeling software.You can learn the latest modeling techniques written by the leading teaching experts and creators of PMWIN.This 344 pages textbook walks the practising engineers or students through the modeling process from start to finish.You don't need any other additional tool.This book has also the best groundwater modeling and contaminant transport modeling software. Especially it is the best learning asistance with example problems for the students and practising professionals.

With PMWIN ,groundwater modeling has never been so easy.It is more than a pre and post processor of MODFLOW family (88,96 or 2000);it is a great modeling environment in which you can find what you needed. You can also realize your all modeling and contaminant transport dreams with using all MOC3D, MT3D, PHT3D or RT3D family ( it was a dream for me ).

PMWIN is an advanced environment which has a digitizer, field interpolater, field generator and environment for the background images or dxf files.You can import vector or raster based images...create your own georeferenced background maps.You can interpolate your datas by using FIELDinterpolater and export your kriging results just in a minute with field generator.You can find 4 different interpolation methos.The most complex 3D preprocessing, such as surface or layer property routines take max.30 minutes.You can enter your values to cells, either in cell by cell method or in zonal method or using interchange options from the field interpolater program.

The PMWIN has a preference options the simulation can be performed either with MODFLOW 88,96 or 2000.The all datas will be controlled by the PMWIN, if needed you will be directed for the deficit inputs.After the modflow simulation has finished, the RESULTextractor gets your results in a matrix dialog. If you prefer to open your datas in an other application such as SURFER, it is also possible, you can export your matrix result. PMWIN creates two output files; one of them USGS's *.nam file, the other is the PMWIN's *.pm5 file.For example if you have only GE, you can also visualize your modflow code simulation results in GE environment because GE reads the modflows *.nam files.

If you have GE (it is an optional, low cost 3D visualization tool.It is the cheapest, the best and the easiest tool in the industry).I have tried the all other visulalzation tools, GE is the best, GE is the simple.If you wonder about the prices, it app.250 USD.The most complex and troublous datas will be shown so clearly in 2 minutes.PMWIN and GE or some other add on modules work seamlessly and perfect.The author and the programmer Prof.Wen-Hsing CHAING had thought everything.I have examined PMWIN with the most complex problems,the program has never stooped or the operating system has never collapsed.The PMWIN 5.1.7 permits 250.000 cells but with MF2K add on modules it can be reached up 640.000 cells. Again no problem, no colapse in system.If your operating system is stable, it works so unique.

If you are an unexperienced modeler or beginner,it is not problem.After one or two day with this book; definitely you will become more familiar.It is so simple that the visualization processes take just 2 minutes...you can create your own animations and import your animation scenes in many digital formats such as *.BMP, *.GIF and modify there and present.

With some additional add on modules which have been created again by the Authors of the book, you can merge with other modeling tools such as RT3D or PHT3D.I have contacted to Prof.wen-Hsing CHAING and learned that there will be a lot of add on modules...one of them is the surface water/groundwater interaction modules.I have also learned that GE will be used for the presentation of the surface waters and the meteorological datas.It means, PMWIN will be the best software in this industry.Many of the commercial modflow processors are still using Modflow 96. The MODFLOW 2000, PEST-ASP and the late version of the UCODE had been added in April 2001 to PMWIN.And it works without any problem since April 2001. I have contacted and got more additional information about the PMWIN and the book. I am gratefull to Prof.Kinzelbach and Prof.Wen-Hsiang CHAING who has written 3D GROUNDWATER MODELING WITH PMWIN and created,developed the PMWIN, GE and MODFLOW 2000 add on modules.I have found the best software and the best TEXTBOOK.This book is really excellent and can be advised both to the students,practical engineers and advanced groundwater modelers, as a compherensive guide to modeling and complete the exercises to refresh their knowledges.And also... Especially for the professors , this book will be an excellent primary text for a university course, or as asupplement to an existing curriculum.

Dipl.-Ing.Cengiz DOGANGoeNueL (B.Sc & M.Eng in Hydrogeological Enginnerig)

What sets this book apart from other software quality management books is its focus on real-world solutions. Many quality improvement strategies sound great on paper, but are impractical to implement because they end up slowing project progress and stirring resentment throughout the ranks. Rather than ignore the demands of modern day development, this book embraces them. The result is a refreshingly realistic approach to boosting software quality... while at the same time actually improving team productivity and developer satisfaction.

I've read this book from cover to cover. I've read many books on software development, software processes, best practices, qualitative approaches, and quantitative approaches, many from SEI. This book has to be one of the top two. For software professionals in leadership positions facing today's pressures of delivering quality software that meets customer expectations according to plan, this book is a must-read. You will be able to implement techniques directly into your organizational processes and deliverables with considerable ease. Kolawa and Huizinga have forged a grimoire that should be on every software leaders' desk, be they Project Managers, Software Architects, PMO Directors, of Vice Presidents of Development. Here are the key take-aways from this book:

1. Clarity: All concepts, practices, and examples were extraordinarily clear. There was never a question as to what was meant, or confusion in the information conveyed.

2. Readability: The text is very user-friendly. Coming from a very technical background, I tend to read challenging and complicated material. In this book, you were able to frame both technical and complex material in a readable way. In other words, I never had to re-read anything in the book. All of the material was very easy to understand. I feel the ability to effectively reduce complexity to simplicity is the hallmark of good authorship.

3. Implementable: I found the practice-side of the book to be what I call `out-of-the-box.' This means I was able to take material directly from the text and apply that into my process(es) or deliverables with very little work or trouble. (I actually did this multiple times.) This is a testament to the subtitle of the book, Best Practices in Software Management.

4. Usefulness: The book is actually aimed at being useful within for-profit businesses. Theoretical books are good for concepts, but it's up to the readers to find ways to translate the theory into executable practices (which often is beyond the role and responsibility of the readers). Your book actually bridges this gap, and provides mechanisms to help readers implement valuable techniques into their organizations, independent of their infrastructure.

These four points make a huge difference for readers looking to improve their software development processes to ensure profitability, cost savings, and customer satisfaction. Producing quality software while building defect prevention into your processes is key in today's competitive software marketplace. With these techniques, your organization will continue to become better, managing, reducing, and even eliminating the traditional sources of defects in software deliverables. You won't be disappointed in buying this book, as you'll refer to over and over again as you build process improvement into your organization.

This book offers a straight-forward, realistic approach to solving challenges of day-to-day projects that the software industry faces. Not only does it address the necessity of technology businesses to increase efficiency and productivity, but it also takes into account the psychological need for individual software professionals to be challenged and intellectually fulfilled on a daily basis. The powerful gains of software automation are amplified by the strategic best practices described in this software management book.

Automated Defect Prevention delivers a realistic approach to the nagging software quality problem. If you are responsible for developers who deliver business applications, you need to read this book. If you are an software architect or engineer, the book will offer a pragmatic road map to achieve incremental productivity gains within your software development lifecycle.

When I read this book I had a huge realization. Most of the quality initiatives that I had been involved with or observed had introduced (or layered on) additional tasks and responsibilities for either the architect, developer or QA engineer. Over time, these layered tasks ultimately resulted in dragging down productivity. Investing in the *correct* infrastructure to automate the monotonous/repetitive is the key to success. Quality should be the outcome of intelligent investment in productivity.

One issue I have with the software industry is that too many project managers, or stake holders managing software people, lack the understanding of just how important software quality is and how it can benefit the software teams and products. As the people most accountable for what happens with a software initiative, managers should have a solid understanding of what options are available to improve developer skills and the software they release. This book provides that needed information and helps explain who is responsible for what tasks, when they should be considering phasing in a particular practice and the benefits of a given item.

I like the way the information is presented in this book because I feel a project manager would be able to quickly evaluate a practice for phasing in without facing an all-or-nothing approach that some other books take. If, for example, a manager felt that they enjoyed the chapter on testing models, this book provides the information on what is needed, the benefits and the roles people need to take to phase that approach into their teams.

I enjoyed this book and I wish that more development teams used many of the practices in this book. While there were samples at the end of the chapters and a chapter on case studies, I would have liked to have seen a bit more information on difficulty and time constraints presented within some of the sections themselves. Overall this is a great book and definitely worth having on your desk.

Easy to read and follow. A good value even though it doesn't come with a demo CD.

Nice book. I've been an NLE dabbler for a few years, but never very serious about it. After finishing this book, I feel pretty comfortable with avid xpress, which was pretty intimidating at first. Good, easy read. I would have liked color pictures, though...

This is an excellent, well-written guide to the Avid Xpress Pro system, and while it can't replace the extended Authorized Avid Education advanced editing course, it is a great overview of the many different topics covered therein.

But, more importantly, it covers many things not in the official Avid training guides - things that after reading this book one feels really should be, like practical tips, tricks, and notes for a more truly professional end project. I would definitely recommend this for serious editors and people who want to get into the deeper strengths of the Avid system... it moves quickly, and might be confusing for a complete beginner.

I am just finishing up on this book, and after two solid days I have gone from no experience with avid to very comfortable. I don't know how well a new editor would do with this book, but if you already know FCP or Premiere this seems like an excellent way to learn all of the key concepts you need to run an editing app.
This is the best instructional manual I have come across.

I make my living editing digital video and this book is by far the best instructional material on Avid Xpress Pro I've seen. There are tips and suggestions it would have taken me years to figure out on my own. I'm doing better quality work in less time. I wish I had found this book two years ago.

Beginning Visual Basic 5.0 by Peter Wright was the first book on Visual Basic that I read. Peter Wright's easy to follow style and use of understandable real world examples made my transition from ACCESS database development to Visual Basic development a breeze. Recently I began to explore the world of Objects. I found that most of the texts used abstract, hard to follow language. Once again Peter Wright has produced a book that offers great coverage of the basics of his topic. Since reading this book, I have been able to go back to the other more advanced texts with no trouble. Well done Mr. Wright.

The actual information and teaching in this book could have been easily compressed into 200 pages. The other 449 pages are mostly comprised of Peter Wright boasting about how wonderful and robust a language vb5 is, and constantly making snide comments about how difficult, slow, and inadequate, C/C++ are. I found that insulting to my intelligence. Someone trying to learn Visual Basic does not need to be told that C/C++ are horrible languages. If they ever want to move beyond writing slow and inefficient VB database programs, they're going to need to learn C or C++ sooner or later. Nothing against Visual Basic, it's a great language for what it's meant to do. But I (and nobody else) needs to be told that it's the end all be all wonderful super language when it really isn't..

Aside from that I found that the book goes through creating interfaces fairly well, and actually discusses program structure and bites into code efficiency a bit. The main thing it doesn't do is tea! ch you how to write code, which is absolutely essential unless you're designing a database in Access, and even then you really should know how to code if you want to make anything good. I would steer clear of this book unless you want to pay $25 for a migraine headache.

I bought this book because I knew nothing of OOP or Active X components and was faced with the task of being responsible for enhancing an application written using those techniques. Furthermore, the developer that wrote the application was long gone and there was very little documentation. After reading the book and coding some of the examples I was able to figure out the application and how to effectively change it. Not only did this book help me to do my current job, but learning the OOP techniques has made me a better programmer. Needless to say, the skills I have learned from this $40 investment will benefit me in future earnings far and above. I also appreciated Peter Wrights "this is no big deal" humor throughout.

Being an experienced VB programmer, I like the way Peter laid out the way he explained it all. Before reading this book, I really didn't have much understanding of objects/classes....just that they were there and it had some code I could use elsewhere in my project. When I actually had a chance to work on it, I just felt so knowledgeable!!

One thing I thought was interesting.....most of the time when there is source code with the book, the examples are fully coded and functional. He tricked me this time and had a project with many classes and no code. (BTW, I downloaded it from the Wrox site). He leaves this open for you to work on it and get it right. I think that's the best way to learn.

Good Job Peter!!!

He non-chalantly covers what has been a very stick y subject.

His style is friendly ... a little wordy.

But when he puts nuts and bolts together .. the guy has quite a philosophy ...

I've been a VB programmer since v3. VB3 and VB4 didn't do objects .. so I went to Java.

Even though I am familiar with OO programming ... he was NOT boring ... and spelled things out simple stupid 123.

If you are Einstein or Forest Gump .. .you will get something out of this book .. if you do what he says .. and punch the keyboard through his examples.

He should (but probably won't) .. get a commission on my next programming project !!

This is one of the most inspirational children's books I've ever read. Your kids will learn the power of persistence through the determined adventures of Chip, an adorable little computer. This book is a great bedtime story; entertaining while carrying a timeless message.

Such a cheerful book. You can't help but share Chip's emotions with this wonderful artwork and feeling-filled story. Two thumbs up. VERY well written.

I am in the third grade and we are starting to learn Spanish. When I told my teacher that I had a children's book at home that was English and Spanish she asked me to bring it in. All the kids loved Chip, the Little Computer and they all want to borrow it. My teacher said she was going to buy it on Amazon.com. It is a great book and it helped me with my Spanish so you should buy it too!

"Dr. Hope" is the author of three delightful, bilingual (English/Spanish) picture story books that teach young readers invaluable lessons that will stand them in good stead throughout their lives. Chip, The Little Computer is the heartwarming story of a little computer and how he learns the joy of helping children learn. All of the books are colorfully illustrated with pictures that showcase Dr. Hope's "life lessons". The bilingual format is ideal for young readers to enhance their learning of English and/or Spanish.

Dr. Hope uses an inanimate object to teach a very animated lesson.

Chip's dream is to be in the home of a child where he can help educate. He has so much to teach and share, but it appears that it is never to be.

Events bring him so close to being in the home of two children, but once again he is left on the shelf. An old copy machine teaches him to believe and hold on to his dream. Never losing sight of the mark puts Chip into a place where he can teach loads of children. We could all learn a thing about holding onto our dreams from this book.

Armchair Interviews says: Written in Spanish and English, the book is fun and colorful.

Having seen a multitude of books offering either statistical analysis techniques or suggestions around data mining tools, it is refreshing to see someone approach the subject using simple, readily available tools and a practical, business oriented approach to the topic. The apparently mundane subject of customer retention coupled with buying patterns and market basket analysis is laid out in an effective and sequential manner. The SQL examples take some getting used to but, once understood, offer a series of easily implemented and highly effective methods to illustrate the concepts shown in the book. As a reference guide and an illustration that one needs to know the questions to be asked of the data before investing in the latest drag and drop business intelligence tools, this book is unparalleled. The author has not stinted on providing a wealth of examples and explanation. If this tome is a reflection of how Mr Linoff and his team approach their real world consulting activities, they must be a formidable team indeed.

For anyone who has wrestled with a means to understand their customer buying patterns and product affinity patterns in their historical sales data, this book cannot be beaten

"Data Analysis Using SQL and Excel" is an valuable resource for business intelligence and data mining practitioners in all industries. Having said that, I would like to offer some solid practical advice to potential readers that might not be fluent in statistics or data mining.

First, the reader should have a solid understanding of SQL. If the extent of your SQL interaction comes through a program on the level of Access, then you can still benefit from this book, but you will have to apply yourself more than others. Keep in mind, that proprietary releases of SQL might cause problems in directly translating the author's examples.

Second, if your statistics knowledge is a little rusty, have a secondary resource on-hand. Sometimes the definitions or explanations of the statistical concepts may not be as intuitive for some readers as they are for others.

With those caveats in mind, the reader need only to keep his or her patience and work through the concepts of the first 4-5 chapters. These chapters tend toward simple exposition of the concepts. For those with little patience, it may seem as if it is just a laundry list of concepts with little effort to tie those concepts into practical uses. Thinking like this is a great way to miss the enormous benefits of the book!

For me, the "Ah Ha!" moment came in Chapter 6 and 7. The concepts I had worked on in the previous chapters suddenly came together with customer tenure onward, when the techniques use will call to mind everything learned in the previous chapters.

In short, spend plenty of time in the first few chapters - the extra effort to master those concepts will only enhance the benefits of later chapters.

Lastly, there are a few odd differences between the text and the files downloadable from the web site. Whenever I hit a snag based on the text, opening the accompanying Excel files and seeing the formulas, queries or table/graph structures resolved all issues for me.

This is a text that will always have a place on my shelves.

If you work, like me, on data warehousing, data mining, analytical CRM or similar projects, this book will save you a lot of time, and provide you with a lot of inspiration.
Statistical concepts are clearly explained, and examples with very smart SQL queries and Excel sheets are shown.
For instance, no other book will explain you so clearly Survival Analysis, and how to practically implement it (I mean, with working code!).
As a previous reviewer wrote, why should you believe me? I'm one of the authors of another Wiley book, "MDX Solutions", and I earn my living by consulting with DaisyLabs, a Business Intelligence company.
Keep Gordon's book on SQL, and my book on MDX, on your desk, and no data analysis project will scare you anymore!

Utilizing data to drive results is critical to the success of any organization. Many know this to be true, but don't know how to go about it. "Data Analysis Using SQL and Excel" by Gordon Linoff successfully shows the way using a holistic approach of "data - analysis - presentation". Its success is based on a number attributes including....

1. Wide Audience: Different groups of people are addressed. Management and leadership will see what is possible with great examples (e.g. "Three Scenarios" on pg 333). "Doers" (e.g. analysts) get a clear view of the big picture along with the ever so important how-to aspects (which is often not included in other texts).

2. Popular Tools: As the title states, this book utilizes Microsoft Excel and SQL. Not only are these tools often readily available, but many people are familiar with at least one of these, if not both. This familiarity enables the reader to focus more on learning useful approaches than the tools themselves.

3. Methods: A host of useful methods are covered from Survival Analysis to the more traditional like RFM. All, especially those related to statistics, are explained well - simple but not so simple as to be inaccurate or incomplete.

In my opinion, "Data Analysis Using SQL and Excel" is invaluable to those who want to get the most out of their organization's data.

Wow - if you need a book that: 1. describes basic data analysis and statistical concepts in an easy to understand but thorough way. 2. uses real world business examples that you run into every day. 3. gives you the recipes of how to implement them in your business with real world computer tools like SQL and Excel. 4. and is written by a proven authority in the field (4 books and two decades of consulting). Then this is your book.

But why should you believe me? Just a little on my background. I wrote two books on databases and data analysis for McGraw-Hill: "Building Data Mining Applications for CRM" and "Data Warehousing, Data Mining and OLAP" and have led teams that have built data mining engines for super computers that later became Oracle's data mining engine, as well as implementing sophisticated data mining applictions (CART) in SQL and integrated between a relational and OALP database. Though I don't get to do a lot of 'data mining' in my current business I would definitely find this book very useful if I did.

Anyway, I thought this book was tremendously thorough in providing common sense explanations on everything from the Null Hypothesis to the Monty Hall Paradox (very cool). Buy this book if you want a single reference that will allow you to quickly solve real world business problems in a rational and doable way.