Applications Books

This book is great for beginners, but it lacks depth. It provides a lot of examples for creating pages, but my experience is that background information is important. I would like to have seen more information on Master Page inheritance. This concept is ideal for standardizing the UI and establishing consistency throughout the application. Don't get me wrong, this is a good book, but I expected more detailed examples. Experienced developers may want to pass on this one.

This book is fantastic for self-study and the only prerequisite is that you should have some understanding of C#. I bought Essential ASP.NET by Fritz Onion before this one but it was a little hard to follow at first - also, it deals more with ASP.NET architecture and internals and isn't so practical if you have to start building ASP.NET applications right away. I assure you this one can get you started in 2 to 3 days if you know C#. It covers all the major topics, doesnt have any mistakes (at least I couldn't fine any), has superb explanations and straightforward coding examples. It even teaches you ADO.NET if you dont know that already.

I knew Java and ASP for several months, and I had to do ASP.NET with C# at work. This is my first and only DOT NET book so far. This slim book got me into working on ASP.NET in few days. This is NOT for the BEGINNING Programmers. If you have experience in OOP like JAVA and Serverside Web scripting like ASP, you would find this book get you to ASP.NET developing fast. It has real world example and explains core essential things. Just what you need to know to get on the job quickly. You don't spend time on what you already know. It doesn't teach you C# but since I knew Java, it was perfectly ok. For more detailed stuff where I needed, I went to MSDN library. To learn more and deep in certain sections, I'll buy some other books. I am giving 5 stars because it's the only book I read and it did good job for my purpose. Thank you very much!

I think this is a great book for entering ASP.NET programmming if you come from the old asp world.

I knew Java and ASP for several months, and I had to do ASP.NET with C# at work. This is my first and only DOT NET book so far. This slim book got me into working on ASP.NET quickly. This is NOT for the BEGINNING Programmers like college freshmen. It doesn't teach you C# but since I knew Java, it was perfectly ok. If you have experience in OOP like JAVA and Serverside Web scripting like ASP, you would find this book get you to ASP.NET developing fast and worth the time. Each chapter gives you core essentials. It has good examples and explains well.

It's concise: it tells just what you need to know to get on the job quickly. You don't spend time on what you already know like basics. No book can be indepth at every area, for more detailed stuff where I needed, I went to MSDN library. To learn more and deep in certain sections, you need buy some other books. I am giving 5 stars because it's the only book I read and it did good job for my purpose. Thank you very much!

The reason why you see such a high price tag on this book [...], is because it is a "How-to" guide that explains how a president in a Republic acquires dictatorial powers and changes the Republic into Empire.

The model for this insightful, "spill-the-beans" work is Louis Napoleon III of France. Louis was elected president of France in 1848 in an election that was probably more legitimate than ours in 2000. The Constitution of the French Republic limited a president's term to four years. Louis was able to convince his parliament to extend this so Louis would have time to implement his policies. Louis then staged a coup d'etat and seized dictatorial powers, passing new constitutional statutes masking his power and Louis reigned France as a dictator for 20 more years.

Due to the new century and the militant foreign policy of the neo-cons, today's America is in this same position. (chillingly, super neo-con Harvey Mansfield is listed as an editor of this Political Theory Series). Following are passages in the "Dialogues" that run parallel to the political tactics of today:

Machiavelli: "I will start by having my coup against the state ratified by popular vote. In a carefully crafted message to the people, I will show that we were in a crisis situation". "On the very next day after my constitution takes effect, I will issue a series of decrees with force of law that will do away with these liberties and rights...". (PATRIOT ACT-2001).

Montesquieu: "Indeed, you've chosen your moment well. the country is still terrorized by your coup d'etat" (9/11). "As for your constitution, nothing will be denied you, since you could take everything".

Machiavelli: "But I hasten to assure you that the liberties I suppress I shall formally promise to restore after factional strife has been quieted". (THE PATRIOT ACT WAS LIMITED IN YEARS AND HAD TO BE RESTORED WITH THE PATRIOT ACT II).

Machiavelli: [Regarding the Press] "I could suppress all of you. I haven't yet done so but I can I'll let you live, on one condition, that you don't try to block my progress or descredit my power...I reserve to myself or my agents the right to judge when I am being attacked...the third time you will be suppressed". (WHY THE PRESS IS MUZZLED ON 9/11, IRAQ, AND SOON IRAN).

Machiavelli: "I shall count the number of newspapers that represent what you call the "opposition". If there are ten in this category, I shall have twenty pro-government". (MASS SUGGETION as explained in my review of the book, Propaganda. "I will put a certain number of newspapers that will adopt the official line of things in a straightforward way. They will defend my acts unreservedly. (TELEVISION TODAY-FOX NEWS).

Machiavelli: "Some malfeasance by a public official, I shall forbid the newspapers to speak of it. Silence about such things, rather than noising them about, is more respectful of public decency". (TODAY, OMMISSION OF KEY STORIES AND EVENTS).

Machiavelli: "...see how I will use statements in the press to prepare the ground for official political acts...For several months, each of my newspapers will play upon the public mind in their own fashion and then recommend a course of action. One fine morning, this course of action is officially adopted". (AGAIN, SEE "PROPAGANDA" AND THE INFLUENCE OF MASS SUGGESTION).

Machiavelli: "I would give a certain number of my newpapers the task of constantly exalting the glory of my reign while holding other governments responsible for the shortcomings of European politics". (CLINTON ALLOWED OSAMA BIN LADEN TO GET AWAY).

Machiavelli: "Do you know what SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY is? When individuals are wronged by government agents performing their duties and bring them before the courts, judges must answer them thus: "You have no legal recourse here". (BUSH INVOKES SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY ON THE 600+ LAWSUITS AGAINS HIM, ROVE STILL INVOKING THIS TO GET OUT OF TESTIFYING, ETC.)

Machiavelli: "...the source of lawsuits will dry up. Public opinion would become so tame that total reliance would be placed on the official opinions of the government for the meaning of the law. At certain moments, when there is a good reason to fear that some controversy may arise over some point of law, the government will declare as an advisory opinion that the law applies to this or that situation or that the law extends to this or that case". (NSA WIRETAPPING, TORTURE, ETC).

Machiavelli: "If this district has only a small population, I simply redraw it and put in into a neighboring district where opposition voices will be drowned out and...". (REPUBLICAN TOM DELAY'S REDISTRICTING SCHEME)

Machiavelli: "I will control 19 of 20 men, all of whom will follow my instructions. In the meantime, I would pull the strings of a sham opposition, clandestinely enlisted to my cause". (CONGRESS DEMOCRATS-ALL PAID FOR).

Machiavelli: "...there is a particular way of presenting the budget to disguise rising costs". (COST OF IRAQ WAR)

Montesquieu: "...whom you will ask of such capital and for what purpose?"

Machiavelli: "Foreign wars are a great help in providing a rationale". (SELF EXPLANATORY PARALLEL).

"These financial giants would be able to manipulate the markets at will".

Machiavelli: "The wars that will occur in my reign will be undertaken in the name of the liberty of men and the independence of nations". (IRAQ)

Machiavelli: "I have brought into being around me a formidable school of political men...in all branches of government there will be veritable miniature Machiavellis, who will trick, dissimulate, and lie with an imperturbable sangfroid. Truth will not be able to come to light anywhere".

I must end this, the despair is immense...

Joly's work is important. Reading this obscure 140+ year old text tells much about the past, present and future. It is almost prophetic.

Waggoner does an excellent job and I thank him mightily for allowing us access to this text. The commentary is a bit extensive, as I did not look forward to reading it upon completion of the consuming Dialogue. However, it is helpful, necessary and worth getting through.

I had not read "The Prince" nor "Spirit of the Laws" prior, but had general understanding of them. Needless to say, next are they on my list. My motivation for picking this one up was the "Protocols" scandal. All in all, I consider this a remarkable work providing insight on the tyrants of the 19th/20th centuries and the ones presently budding. Those especially for which the Dialogue proved a heavy and indirect influence vis a vis the forged "Protocols". Perhaps it makes sense such a telling tome remains obscure, as the masses seem to prefer their dose of soma (McDonalds, iPods, TV...) rather than actual thought, in this "brave new world".

Before I can even begin about the book, the story BEHIND the book is amazing. It would not surprise me if Cheney had a copy of the German version somewhere in his desk as Bush probably wouldn't understand a third of the amazing ideas put forth in this formerly banned book.

Watching the news is like watching Machiavelli's Dialogue come to life. Listening to Democrats is like hearing Montesquieu's feeble attempts to say that in the end, the good guys will win because of Justice and Liberty. If the Dialogue were a swordfight, Machiavelli would have not only killed poor Montesquieu, but eviscerated and beheaded him as well. Waggoner's commentaries and insights are a little dry when compared with the excellent text but are a good read and do well to put some of the outdated points in the text into context. I strongly reccomend this for anybody who is questioning the course of events that our world is being swept up in.

I read this book while researching the "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion." Clearly "Protocols" was heavily plagiarized from this work and was a forgery to boot. In any event, this is a captivating tale of a conversation between Machiavelli (counselor to despots) and Montesquieu (philosophical and political father of the U.S. Constitution.) Machiavelli claims to be misunderstood but as the dialogue progresses it seems painfully evident that he is generally not.

While Machiavelli and Montesquieu both claim to be followers of Christ, it becomes clear to everyone but Machiavelli that he operates out of self-interest rather than the good of society. His self-delusion is phenomenal and is readily seen in politics today. The book is obscure, true, but I found it to be a page-turner. Do not pass judgment on this book because someone later used it for anti-Semitic purposes. There is nothing anti-Semitic in this original tale.

As noted in every book I've ever read about the infamous forgery, _The Protocols of the Elders of Zion_, this book was the source, edited beyond recogintion by the Czar's secret police.

_The Dialogue in Hell_ must not have done very well, or more people would have recognized the _Protocols_ as a forgery sooner.

Sadly, political forgeries continue today. Dan Rather and Mary Mapes lost their jobs at CBS over forged memos; how odd that today's American liberals haven't learned from the Czar's secret police's mistakes.

The author has provided the digital image and cinema industry with a serious text on image processing. Although the stated focus is digital cinema, this book can be utilized by anyone interested in the algorithms of digital image processing. The book is aimed primarily at professionals who are already involved in the field, but it could also be easily used as a textbook on the subject. Derivations are kept to a minimum and numerous examples in MATLAB are provided to illustrate the various digital processes as well as their effects. There are two chapters in particular that are often omitted in image processing texts. One is the chapter on human visual perception which emphasizes the importance of often mentioned phenemona such as contrast sensitivity as well as less often mentioned non-linear effects and their perception. The other is the chapter on image compression which is extensive and includes spatial, transform, and wavelet domain algorithms in detail. Most interesting is the section devoted to the use of the human vision model in the compression process. Although computer vision itself is largely omitted from the book, the author did include a discussion of basic edge detection methods.

Chapter 1 introduces the readers to digital processing techniques in a brief fashion. Chapter 2 is a review of two-dimensional discrete signals and systems. If you are rusty on this subject, you will probably need an outside source to help refresh your memory. Chapter 3 describes human visual perception from a system point of view. Human vision plays a key role in the design of image and video compression and display systems, thus the chapter describes vision models in detail, in particular the model that predicts masking effects in digital imaging. Chapters four through six, though interesting, are pretty standard fare for digital image processing texts.

The discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is introduced in chapter 7. Without derivations and mathematical proofs, the computation of the DWT using subband coding is described and illustrated with examples. The chapter also explains the connection between wavelets and quadrature mirror filters and shows how to compute a wavelet function from the analysis and synthesis filters with examples. Chapter 8 is devoted to the discussion of image and video compression techniques. This rather extensive chapter describes the basic ideas used in the JPEG2000 and MPEG-2 standards.

Through chapter eight, the processes and algorithms described could be useful to anyone in the field of image processing. In chapter nine the author turns to concerns specific to digital cinema. He does this by addressing some issues behind the special requirements of digital cinema when he discusses two approaches to image compression that meet its requirements - QUALCOMM's system and a system based on the JPEG2000 compression standard. These two systems are interesting because the QUALCOMM system uses the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) as the compression vehicle while the latter uses the DWT for compression. The chapter is rounded out with a discussion of some of the characteristics of digital projectors.

One particular good characteristic of this book is Appendix D, which contains a variety of suggested MATLAB-based projects on the subject of digital image processing. Even if you already have several good texts on the subject of digital image processing, this one is excellent and has a unique contribution for those interested in applying image processing to the interesting field of digital cinema.

This is truly a great book, the math notations are clear and concise. A lot of good reference pointers in the book make it not only a fundamental textbook but also a good research resource. Many sample codes in Matlab are provided. For anyone working on image signal processing, it is a great resource library. The book is equally valuable to professioinals working on this subject and students (senior undergrad or first year graduate students) becoming familiar with the field.
There is only one minor limitation on what it covers on the digital video compression section. Some of the newest techniques used by the H.264 and VC1 were not mentioned here -- such as intra frame prediction, deblocking filter, as well as mathematic coding used in the entropy coding. There is a discussion on the adaptive block based DCT, which is very interesting. Although a comparison with the current adaptive variable size tracking block and Hadamard transformation would be valuable as well.
This might be a good incentive for Dr. Thyagarajan to write a 2nd edition :). In case he plans to write a new edition, maybe he can elaborate a bit more on the last chapter about what were Qualcomm's practical problems in this project and how they were resolved -- I would imagine he could have enough material to expand the last chapter easily to 40-50 pages from 15 pages.
In summary, I like this book a lot, especially the wavelet section. It is one of the best and clearst treatments of the subject I have ever seen.
I highly recommend owning this book and reading it seriously!

I am involved in embedded applications. I currently work with scientific imaging sensors and real-time processing. This book has been useful and straight forward in my line of work. The chapter on human visual perception helped me to relate with camera issues. The book explains in a systematic manner how to apply discrete wavelet transforms to imaging and how to manipulate them. Overall, the materials in the book are easy to understand and have good examples. I highly recommend this book !!!

This book provides a very practical up-to-date introduction and explanation of the concepts and state of the art behind the fast changing world of digital image processing, specifically for higher-end applications such as television and digital cinema. The author does a good job of providing easy-to-understand explanations and examples of the basics of this complicated science that allow a non-technical professional to understand the basics of how digital processing is used in video and image applications. But, he also goes further to explain the complicated mathematical principles of various image processing technologies for the benefit of the serious student. The MATLAB examples in the appendix and the suggested "for further study" exercises help provide tools and direction for readers who want to experiment with the principles in the book. Overall, this book should be very useful to the professional or student trying to understand the current industry thinking regarding digital processing and compression of images for high-end presentation applications like digital cinema at whatever depth of understanding they are needing.

The book "Digital Image Processing with Application to Digital Cinema" is an excellent treatment on digital image processing techniques. Mathematical derivations are kept to a minimum so as not to lose sight of the main principles of image processing. Yet the book can easily serve the needs of both professionals and students equally well. The chapter on human visual perception is treated very well giving all details of known visual models, which are used later in the chapter on image compression. Image enhancement is an essential ingredient in all aspects of image processing and the book aptly covers enhancement techniques in detail with numerous examples. Transform techniques in general and wavelet transform in particular are given adequate coverage that most can follow. The chapter on image compression takes up these transforms and explains clearly how to apply them in achieving quality image and video compression. The book ends with a chapter on case studies involving two state-of-the art systems for distribution of movies in digital format. I enjoyed this book very much and I highly recommend it to all professionals, both in universities and industries.

Have used the book over and over and have been delighted with the help it has given me. While checking the chapter on "Opening folders" I found pages 61-72 are missing. It looks like a printers error to me and I wonder if others have reported this to you.

I am more of a visual person, so the easy to understand pictures and details are great..It makes it so much easier to understand when you can actually see where to point and which keys to type.. then someone telling you without the pictures especially if you are a beginner...

     The Windows 98 operating system is now standard on most new computer systems being manufactured today. Many are clamoring for an easy reference guide to get the ball rolling. There are many fine books available but when it comes to a beautifully illustrated learning guide, look no further than Shelly O'Hara's Easy Windows 98. This book offers a quick, fun, enjoyable, and easy way to learn about this new operating system.

     Readers are walked through the basic Windows 98 functions and settings. Brief and concise instructions are provided on how to customize the desktop, setting the taskbar, adding programs to the start menu, managing files, running applications, viewing documents, installing Windows components, installing software and hardware, setting up printers, using the Internet Explorer Web browser, the Outlook Express mail program, and much more!

     Easy Windows 98 is large, fully-colored, and features above average size printing that makes it easy to thumb through in a casual manner, allowing readers to move easily from one topic to the next. Readers will like the open workbook style format of the book. It can be placed on one's lap or near a computer and opened for convenient hands-off viewing. Quality color screen and menu shots show how to make the right moves and clicks necessary to make Windows 98 easier to live with.

     As are other books in Que's Easy ... series, this book is well-suited for students, beginners, and even senior citizens who desire or may require an illustrated approach to learning. This book will provide many hours of exciting reading. Readers will have no trouble at all picking up the skills necessary to successfully use Windows 98. Great for classroom use and makes an excellent gift!

Very Useful Book.. It explains everything with graphics which make it very easy fast and practical to use...

step by step instructions for anyone starting out and having little knowledge of how to get to certain areas and make specific changes. graphics were excellent!!

I know nothing about music theory and have read five to six books on this subject. Most of them are written for seating in the ABRSM's examinations or just enough for playing one musical instrument. However, this book is tailor-made for layman, which is very detailed written in academic and professional style. To me and those who know nothing about music at all, it is very good "road signal" to get into it.

I picked up guitar about 3 year ago and wanted to understand music theory. This book started simple, used lots of examples and built to an advanced level. I have a solid grasp of musical concepts that used to mystify me. I've really enjoyed it and look forward to studying volume II!

I used this textbook (as well as Vol. II) when I was doing my Musicology and Composition studies. Since then, I have devoured several other Theory textbooks, but this set remains the greatest yet written. Were I teaching, I would swear by it.

I never played any musical instruments or even sang extensively using sheet music, and therefore knew nothing when I arrived at college to take my first music theory class. With this book, I went from knowing nothing to being at the top of my class! Turek is just phenomenal with how genius this book is! I now tutor kids in music theory who have had it all their lives, it is that great! Thanks Dr. Turek!

This is an excellent book for gaining a good fundamental knowledge of music theory. I picked the book up at a university bookstore where it is used in a formal music department instructional setting. However, the mature, disciplined musician who can set aside study time to work through this book for self instruction will enjoy it and greatly improve their musical ability. In particular, I found the selection of musical examples useful, enjoyable and fun. Overall a great book.

This is a good book. It's the only book about wireless technology I've seen that actually takes the health effects of cellphones seriously. In addition to how mobile technology works and what it can do, the author devotes an entire chapter to the health problems, and comes down firmly "on the fence". He definitely thinks there's something to the fears (even though he's enthusiastic about the technology, as is clear from the rest of the book) and I agree with him.

If you are a marketing, business development, sales, or finance professional transitioning to the wireless field, this is the book for you. Mr. Dornan covers the topics in sufficient depth to make you knowledgeable without burying you in technical detail and equations. I've bought many books about technology and most are too technical so I lose interest. I am nearly finished with this book and it has be very valuable in the work I do. I would recommend it very highly.

I started reading it on Saturday and couldn't put it down, I was done by Tuesday. Sure the book has some spelling and gramatical errors (My Theory is that the editiors were put to sleep by it) but it talks about everything from the phones themselves, to wireless infrasturcuture, the building of a cell site, and commerence on Mobile Phones. It is really great for any techie that wants to know about phones, and even some who don't consider themselves techies. I enjoyed it quite a bit A+!

I really got tired of not understanding wireless tech talk: G3 networks etc. I also wanted to understand why my cell phone kept fading in and out and dropping calls as I drove certain routes. So I bought this book and read it. The book does a good job of explaining in easy to understand terms the technology. The big revelation or understanding point to me was that EVERYTHING wireless is analogous to the radio, with broadcast points (cell towers) and receivers (cell phones). The difference is one of frequency. I finally got the analog vs. digital concept that eluded me for so long for some reason. While attempting to do justice to all major wireless regions of the world, US, Asia (Japan) and Europe I found the British author biased to his home turf. Which is expected and fine but I wanted something slightly more balanced. Towards the end I became a very selective skimmer and did not really finish the book, but I got out of it what I wanted.

Unlike alot of other books out there, the title of this book is right on the money when it comes to the content of the book. This book IS an essential guide to wireless communications. Like many other people out there, I often read the online articles and technical editorials of Mr. Dornan (do a web search, they are great reading too!). So I thought I could not go wrong with his book. I was right. Starting with a bit of a history lesson, the author takes you through current 2/2.5G cellular and then hits the ground running. He doesn't stop until he has covered 3G, wireless LANs, messaging, WAP, wireless e-commerce, security, fixed wireless (WLL) and satellite technology. Mr. Dornan has a great writing style and throughly knows his material. So, no matter what your knowledge level, the read always has a light and easy feel to it and is still able to communicate a ton of relivant information to you. If you need a good starting place on wireless communications or a refresher course, you won't find too many books better than this one.

I'm always looking for more ways to use Excel - and I hoped this book would help me solve some of the glitches I've come across. But - it's better than that. It offers problems I've never even encountered - and what fun to try and duplicate them! There are so many little tricks that just aren't covered in the usual classes & seminars. Definitely worth having on the shelf - nearby, so you can grab it quickly!

At last, a computer book written, as I now think they all should be, by a professional comedian. This book is not written for the absolute beginner, but by someone who has used Excel enough to have a couple of annoying problems that they would like to have fixed.

The first Annoyance is "Kill Clippy." This was one of the most hated "innovations" in history. Even Microsoft eventually had the sense to turn him off in Excel 2002. But if you're running an older version, or if someone else using you're computer turns him on, here's how to get rid of him permanently. And for a joke he offers you a web site on "clippycide." That's what a computer book should be.

This goes on to nearly every aspect of working with Excel. Chapter 9 starts out:

Excel's basic functions haven't changed in years. Of course, Microsoft has to addd new stuff to give you a reason to upgrade to the latest version. In Excel 2003, that reason was support for XML."

XML is supposed to make it easy to transfer data from one program to another. Of course there are XML annoyances, one is that the XML that Access produces isn't necessarily readable by Excel. Oh Boy!

Excel Annoyances ...

This book is made for those who have had one or more vexing problems with Excel. If that's you, the answer can probably be found here and lots more besides.

Curtis Frye is an established author, including several books on Excel. He has the book divided into chapters that deal with several categories of problems: Entering Data, Formatting, Formulas, Manipulating Data, Charts, Exchanging Data, Printing, and Customization.

His solutions vary from basic training on how to use a feature, to how to tweak things "just so." Each Annoyance is the result of someone's problem with an aspect of Excel. Since many people do not upgrade to the latest version of Excel when it's available, the book covers solutions from Excel 97 through the current Excel 2003.

One of the most interesting things I learned was the existence of a function that translated numbers into Roman numerals! I never knew this existed. That's not to say I would ever have any use for such a function, but it was interesting playing around with it. If you want to try it out, type a number in one cell and in another, type this formula: = roman(cell), where "cell" is the location of the number you typed. You'll see the result in roman numbers, as advertised. Slick! Someone once threatened to file his income tax return using roman numbers, just to make things hard for IRS, and this is a way it could be done. IRS would probably object.

Screen shots are used liberally in the book. These may simply be a shot of a worksheet but often a related dialog box is also shown. Occasionally a text box includes extra information that may be of importance for a subject.

One extra feature include in the book is reference to some time-wasters, also known as games. Each is an Excel version and is free to download. There's Pac Man, Arkanoid, BlackJack, Rubik's Cube, Tetris and more.

There are occasional answers using Visual Basic, but for the most part, the answers simply use the settings that are already in Excel. Most users never tap the full potential of Excel, and I'm no exception. I feel I am an expert, but I certainly learned a lot by reading this book and you will too, if you use Excel at all.

Ok, Excel is the dominant spreadsheet. No question of that. But it has some surprising "features" which this book calls annoyances. It gives a multitude of them, with fixes for all. (Another O'Reilly series might call these fixes hacks.)

Logically enough, the book starts off with those difficulties that can be met when inputting data. Many of you will applaud that the leading annoyance is the Paperclip, on which much verbal ire has no doubt been expended. So Frye forthrightly shows how to terminate this pesky little bugger.

Later sections talk about formatting, formulae, charting, printing and so on. The chapters essentially follow the main functional structures of Excel. Some features might not be obvious to you; depending on your expertise. But chances are that for the average Excel user, you'll get some good advice from Frye.

This is a well organized and written set of useful hints and pointers for Excel. They range from solutions to difficult data analysis issues, to tips about graphing, pivot tables, and importing data from various formats, notably XML.

The book is organized into chapters around central Excel themes; editing, formulas, formatting, charting, etc. Each chapter has a set of annoyances with a description and a solution. These annoyances are sometimes bugs, and sometimes just difficult issues that reasonably advanced users will run into where the help is either insufficient or poorly written. The fixes are generally fairly short and contained within the bounds of Excel, though the book does point to external sites and software where appropriate.

Definitely a must have for the power Excel user.

I'm a little leery of taking the title "Missing Manual" literally. Other books in this series have discussed the Macintosh and other Apple offerings, where indeed typically Apple provided only a paucity of information in its manuals. But for Excel, Microsoft does offer comprehensive hardcopy documentation. This book is really one of a numerous set of third party offerings that try to improve on Microsoft.

The strongest argument for this book is that it appears to combine a comprehensive description of Excel with a conciseness of that explanation. In other words, it really doesn't belong in the Missing Manual series, but rather in O'Reilly's regular and long running series of texts, that share these properties. You know, the books with the purple covers.

Granted, the book is bulky. But that reflects over a decade of Excel being continually refined and added to. The conciseness of the explanations means typically some prior exposure to spreadsheets in general, and Excel in particular, would greatly aid your understanding.

This is the ideal Excel walkthrough. It's a balanced blend of basic and advanced information that has a gentle learning curve that will take you all the way from creating your first spreadsheet through the basics of macro development. The book is organized into eight parts, though the first four make up the majority of the book. Part one covers the basics of editing, files, printing, saving. Part two is all about formula creation. Part three is about templates and lists. Part four is about charting and graphics. After that it's into networking, macros, and more advanced topics.

The writing is excellent and the use of screenshots is effective and not overwhelming as with other books. A superb walkthrough of the fundamentals of Excel.

When I start to look at a book on Excel I first turn to the index and look up Pivot Tables. Pivot tables are an amazingly powerful tool that allows you to turn the data around (pivot even) and look at it from another point of view. It's also amazing that a high percentage of books on Excel simply ignore pivot tables altogether, or perhaps give them half a page. This book has an entire chapter on pivot tables. Furthermore, if you read the Microsoft help screens on pivot tables you get 113 topics to read. In this book the description of pivot tables explains what they are, shows you some examples to illustrate what can be done, and then leads you through using them. This is truly what the manual should have shown, if of course there was a manual that came with Excel.

The next thing I look for is XML. This is really the big thing that makes Excel 2003 a new edition of Excel. Sure enough, a chapter on XML as well. (Except for this section and a few very minor points, you can use the manual for earlier versions of Excel.)

But suppose you are not up to guru level and wanting to know about pivot tables and XML. Well, the book starts off with Creating a Basic Worksheet and goes on from there.

In summary, here is everything you need to know about Excel from the very basic steps to just as far as you want to go.

Becoming good using Excel is like learning how to ski/snowboard. Riding up the lift looking down on the experienced skiers/snowboarders ride down the mountain having fun and making it look so easy and graceful, and you think to yourself, if only I could do that, I would be happy. Will I ever be able to ride like that, maybe, but how long? That is what it is like learning/using Excel out of the box. After flipping through many a Excel book, I finally through the dart and picked The Missing Manual. The Missing Manual by Matthew MacDonald is a wonderful instructional piece. Written in a manner that does not put a person to sleep nor so techy that tears just fill your eyes trying to hold back the pain whilst reading it, because you tell yourself this is good for you. I find myself going to the Missing Manual all the time, for things that I never knew how to do, and to remind me of things I did once a long time ago and cannot recall. This book is a great resource for the newbie to intermediate.... which if you are looking for a book on this subject, I bet you most likely fit into that category.

This manual has help me to master pivot tables, macros and lookup functions, which has made me a much more productive user of Excel. I strongly recommend this book to people who want to get the most out of Excel.

loved the application portion. Exodus is now one of my favorite books of the Bible.

Intermediate level of study from an evangelical position. Don't think that the NIV Application series is fluff...this is a great title to continue your study through the book of Exodus.

Peter Enns has contributed a wonderful addition to the literature on the book of Exodus with this latest commentary. His book is a fine blend of theology, scholarship, and practicality. Some very helpful insights are brought up throughout the text. Add to that a very readable style of writing and you have an excellent reference work for pastors and teachers!

Up until recently, there haven't been a lot of evangelical commentaries on Exodus. Most of us have either used the 30 year old commentary by Brevard Childs, or we have used Walter Kaiser's commentary (which is not bad by any stretch, but not as detailed as one might wish).

I am pleased to report that the new commentary by Peter Enns fills an important gap. It follows the familiar three part format of the NIV Application series (Original Meaning, Bridging the Horizons, Contemporary Significance).

But where this commentary excels is in the insights into the text and its relation of the book of Exodus to the rest of the biblical canon. I like how Enns relates the deliverance of the baby Moses from the water to his leading the Israelites throught the water of the Red Sea. In both instances, God saves his people through the water. He also compares this with the Noah's ark story.

Enns also does a good job at relating the stories in Exodus to some of the events in the life of Jesus (their special birth narratives, their both being used of God to deliver their people).

In his discussion of the Ten Commandments, Enns brings out truth and meaning that may not have been apparent to the casual reader. He notes that these commandments were given because being a part of God's chosen people has ramifications for our relationship to God as well as our relationships with one another. He also stresses that when we preach these commandments, that we keep in mind that they are a message for people who are already saved, not a message for those who need to be saved.

I also appreciate how Enns discusses the Pauline usage of material in Exodus, namely Exodus 34:29-34.

This commentary deserves to be used side by side with Doug Stuart's recent offering on Exodus. These two books should satisfy the expositor of Exodus for years to come.

Rev. Marc Axelrod

As with all of the other fine commentaries in this series it breaks each section of Scripture into 3 sections: 1)an "original meaning" section which gives a thoughful interpretation of the passage. 2) a "bridging contents" section which draws forth timeless theological principles that are applicable for God's people in any place, time, and era and 3) The "contemporary significance" section which is intended to give the modern reader a "bonifide" (not moralistic i.e., "do this...don't do that...be like him...don't be like them..) application based on what it meant to the original readers. Although the author doesn't deal with interpretive issues in-depth (because this isn't the aim of the series), he does do a fine job of getting to the "interpretive" heart of the matter (although, at times, I felt he overdid the "re-creation" motiff). Along the way He shows how the book of Exodus written so long ago is of vital significance to God's people today.

This work fills a great gap in evangelical literature on the book of Exodus and gives relevent application for readers of all theological persuations. In all, this book and the series of which it is a part, is a tremendous resource for the Pastor/teacher/layman!

This book doesn't contain a lot of jargon. It has pictures of how to do things and explains things in non-technical terms. Great for beginners but also useful as a refresher when you haven't used some aspect for awhile. Well laid out index so easy to find what your looking for. These people have done a good job. Hope they bring out another one more advanced.

I had no idea what the interface looked like or ANY idea about how to use 3DS Max; I just knew I want to learn how to do animations.

Well, I know this book isn't going to have me making 3D animation movies, but it does give a great insight into the program's basics.

Lots of hands-on exercises, just as I like. Lots of pictures too. The authors do an excellent job of spelling out the basics and telling you exactly what you need to do to complete an excerise. And, as you move further along in the book, they "neglect" to tell you how to do something they've already covered - just like a teacher would do in class. It forces you to explore, reread (if you don't understand a subject) and practice with the program - what you need to do if you're ever going to learn to use 3DS Max.

A very well written book about the basics of 3DS Max 7.

I highly recommend this book to the beginning 3ds max student. It was very helpful to me, as it explained more of the basics and gave more detail behind the steps. Also, the tutorials frequently used diffent tools to accomplish the same task. This showed how to use the graphical interface, quad-menus, toolbars, etc.

I found it the best of several books I bought to get my feet wet with 3ds max. It really helped with some of the basic lighting and material concepts. While, this book doesn't even begin to touch all the features of 3ds max, it was a great primer and I'm glad I read it.

This book is perfect for those just getting started in 3ds Max 7. There are a lot of easy to follow screen shots to accompany the text so it is possible to still follow along when you're not in front of your computer. It is written with plenty of step by step explanations of what you are doing and why as well as a great accompanying disk to help with tutorials. It even tackles some of the more difficult aspects of 3d modeling such as composition, the dreaded material editor (it even throws in a side bar about UVW unwrapping) and lighting. It is written with the beginner in mind and does a great job explaining concepts and procedures without insulting your intelligence. It may, however, be a little below intermediate users, it can be a great tool to brush up on fundamentals. I can't recommend this book enough for those looking to get their feet wet in MAX.

The book by Till & O'Connell is great for newcomers simply because it doesn't attempt to give you too much information but only what new users might need to learn the basics of max 7. I had never turned on max 7 and within a week I was amazed as to how much I had learned without having any previous experience with 3d softwares. This should be the first book you buy if you are starting from scratch with max 7.