Applications Books

This remarkable book is by far the best rigorous introduction to many facets of the modern theory of (chaotic) dynamical systems. It introduces and rigorously develops the central concepts and methods in dynamical systems in a hands-on and highly insightful fashion. The authors are world experts in smooth dynamical systems and have played a major role in the development of the modern theory and this shows througout the book.

The book starts with a comprehensive discussion of a series of elementary but fundamental examples. These examples are used to formulate the general program of the study of asymptotic properties as well as to introduce the principal notions (differentiable and topological equivalence, moduli, asymptotic orbit growth, entropies, ergodicity, etc.) and, in a simplified way, a number of important methods (fixed point methods, coding, KAM-type Newton method, local normal forms, etc.). This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

The main theme of the second part is the interplay between local analysis near individual (e.g., periodic) orbits and the global complexity of the orbit structure. This is achieved by exploring hyperbolicity, transversality, global topological invariants, and variational methods. The methods include study of stable and unstable manifolds, bifurcations, index and degree, and construction of orbits as minima and minimaxes of action functionals.

In the third and fourth part the general program is carried out for low-dimensional and hyperbolic dynamical systems which are particularly amenable to such analysis. In addition these systems have interesting particular properties. For hyperbolic systems there are structural stability, theory of equilibrium (Gibbs) measures, and asymptotic distribution of periodic orbits, in low-dimensional dynamical systems classical Poincare-Denjoy theory, and Poincare-Bendixson theories are presented as well as more recent developments, including the theory of twist maps, interval exchange transformations and noninvertible interval maps.

This book should be on the desk (not bookshelf!) of any serious student of dynamical systems or any mathematically sophisticated scientist or engineer interested in using tools and paradigms of dynamical systems to model or study nonlinear systems.

This book is a comprehensive overview of modern dynamical systems that covers the major areas. The authors begin with an overview of the main areas of dynamics: ergodic theory, where the emphasis is on measure and information theory; topological dynamics, where the phase space is a topological space and the "flows" are continuous transformations on these spaces; differentiable dynamics where the phase space is a smooth manifold and the flows are one-parameter groups of diffeomorphisms; and Hamiltonian dynamics, which is the most physical and generalizes classical mechanics. Noticeably missing in the list of references for individuals contributing to these areas are Churchill, Pecelli, and Rod, who have done interesting work in the area of both topological and Hamiltonian mechanics. No doubt size and time constraints forced the authors to make major omissions in an already sizable book.

Some elementary examples of dynamical systems are given in the first chapter, including definitions of the more important concepts such as topological transitivity and gradient flows. The authors are careful to distinguish between topologically mixing and topological transitivity. This (subtle) difference is sometimes not clear in other books. Symbolic dynamics, so important in the study of dynamical systems, is also treated in detail.

The classification of dynamical systems is begun in Chapter 2, with equivalence under conjugacy and semi-conjugacy defined and characterized. The very important Smale horseshoe map and the construction of Markov partitions are discussed. The authors are careful to distinguish the orbit structure of flows from the case in discrete-time systems.

Chapter 3 moves on to the characterization of the asymptotic behavior of smooth dynamical systems. This is done with a detailed introduction to the zeta-function and topological entropy. In symbolic dynamics, the topological entropy is known to be uncomputable for some dynamical systems (such as cellular automata), but this is not discussed here. The discussion of the algebraic entropy of the fundamental group is particularly illuminating.

Measure and ergodic theory are introduced in the following chapter. Detailed proofs are given of most of the results, and it is good to see that the authors have chosen to include a discussion of Hamiltonian systems, so important to physical applications.

The existence of invariant measures for smooth dynamical systems follows in the next chapter with a good introduction to Lagrangian mechanics.

Part 2 of the book is a rigorous overview of hyperbolicity with a very insightful discussion of stable and unstable manifolds. Homoclinicity and the horseshoe map are also discussed, and even though these constructions are not useful in practical applications, an in-depth understanding of them is important for gaining insight as to the behavior of chaotic dynamical systems. Also, a very good discussion of Morse theory is given in this part in the context of the variational theory of dynamics.

The third part of the book covers the important area of low dimensional dynamics. The authors motivate the subject well, explaining the need for using low dimensional dynamics to gain an intuition in higher dimensions. The examples given are helpful to those who might be interested in the quantization of dynamical systems, as the number-theoretic constructions employed by the author are similar to those used in "quantum chaos" studies. Knot theorists will appreciate the discussion on kneading theory.

The authors return to the subject of hyperbolic dynamical systems in the last part of the book. The discussion is very rigorous and very well-written, especially the sections on shadowing and equilibrium states. The shadowing results have been misused in the literature, with many false statements about their applicability. The shadowing theorem is proved along with the structural stability theorem.

The authors give a supplement to the book on Pesin theory. The details of Pesin theory are usually time-consuming to get through, but the authors do a good job of explaining the main ideas. The multiplicative ergodic theorem is proved, and this is nice since the proof in the literature is difficult.

This remarkable book is by far the best rigorous introduction to many facets of the modern theory of (chaotic) dynamical systems. It introduces and rigorously develops the central concepts and methods in dynamical systems in a hands-on and highly insightful fashion. The authors are world experts in smooth dynamical systems and have played a major role in the development of the modern theory and this shows througout the book.

The book starts with a comprehensive discussion of a series of elementary but fundamental examples. These examples are used to formulate the general program of the study of asymptotic properties as well as to introduce the principal notions (differentiable and topological equivalence, moduli, asymptotic orbit growth, entropies, ergodicity, etc.) and, in a simplified way, a number of important methods (fixed point methods, coding, KAM-type Newton method, local normal forms, etc.). This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

The main theme of the second part is the interplay between local analysis near individual (e.g., periodic) orbits and the global complexity of the orbit structure. This is achieved by exploring hyperbolicity, transversality, global topological invariants, and variational methods. The methods include study of stable and unstable manifolds, bifurcations, index and degree, and construction of orbits as minima and minimaxes of action functionals.

In the third and fourth part the general program is carried out for low-dimensional and hyperbolic dynamical systems which are particularly amenable to such analysis. In addition these systems have interesting particular properties. For hyperbolic systems there are structural stability, theory of equilibrium (Gibbs) measures, and asymptotic distribution of periodic orbits, in low-dimensional dynamical systems classical Poincare-Denjoy theory, and Poincare-Bendixson theories are presented as well as more recent developments, including the theory of twist maps, interval exchange transformations and noninvertible interval maps.

This book should be on the desk (not bookshelf!) of any serious student of dynamical systems or any mathematically sophisticated scientist or engineer interested in using tools and paradigms of dynamical systems to model or study nonlinear systems.

This is really one of the very best books on dynamical systems available today. Nearly every topic in modern dynamical systems is treated in detail. The authors have provided many important comments and historical notes on the material presented in the main text. The writing is clear and the many topics discussed are given appropriate motivation and background.

There are only two potential drawbacks. First, the prerequisites for this book are quite high. The reader should be familiar with real and functional analysis, differential geometry, topology, and measure theory, for starters. Fortunately a well-organized appendix collects the key results of each of the branches of math for the reader's reference. Second, many dynamical systems of interest to applied mathematicians, scientists, and engineers arise from differential equations. This book does not discuss in much detail the connection between ODEs and continuous dynamical systems. Other books (e.g. Perko) treat this connection more thoroughly.

For completeness, clarity, and rigor, Katok and Hasselblatt is without equal. If you work in dynamical systems, you should definitely have this excellent text on your bookshelf. Highly recommended.

This is a single book from the Life Application Bible, not separate commentary. If you own the L.A.B., you already have exactly what's in this publication. If you're not sure you want to invest in a Life Application Bible study Bible, this would make a great introduction for you.

I have used other books of the Bible, Life Application commentaries, and they are excellent. This one on John, The Beloved, is fabulous. I love the difference in John's eye witness account of Jesus, from the other three gospel writers. It is a great help for books of the Bible studies.

This book was very well written and organized. I loved being able to glance down at the bottom of each page and have a cross reference and explaination for each individual verse. The commentary was clear, concise, and easy to understand, and the book got off to a great start with it's introduction. I look forward to studying other books in this series

The gospel of John is not a simple book, therefore interpreters of the text have their work cut out for them. The authors of this text have done a fine job of fleshing out the meaning of the scriptures. For example, many times within John, Jesus is described as the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Light of God, the Mesiah, etc., and Christ's own words include difficult to understand quotes such as "I am". The man/spirit duality is discussed at length and with different perspectives to illuminate and clarify this difficult situation.

The book uses three different methods of organization to the text. The bulk of the text includes quotes rom the Bible, followed by interpretive text. I found the majority of these sections to be very well written and logical, if a bit wordy at times. There are also boxes placed inbetween the above text that are marked with the tree logo used on this entire series of study books. These boxes of text tend to be more personal, asking the reader to consider their own thoughts, motives, practices and goals in life. These sections were the least valuable to me personally.

The third method of organization is the use of tables of information, often with supporting scripture cited. These sections compare and contrast many of the associated issues. Throughout the book, when scripture is cited, it is labeled with the version (such as New King James Version = NKJV) that is being quoted. The book also includes a few maps that help one track the travels of Jesus and his deciples during his ministry on up until his crucifixion and beyond. Very well written overall and an interesting, thought-provoking read.

This is a premier book on knowledge management--a definite must read. Although it's a bit pricey and not in main stream distribution, please note that Tom Davenport is the co-editor. The book provides an inside perspective on how Siemens, a 400,000 person global company has scaled KM to be both part of their business practices and their business model. Since they operate in over 190 countries, it's easy to see why the communities of practice concept would be so appealing to them. Given the limited amount of available literature related to communities of practice, the how-to chapter about communities in this book makes it worth buying the book. As you read about the KM work at Siemens you can get a good sense of how KM will eventually reside permanently in the main stream of management practice. I have collected quite a bit of the KM literature and would place this in a top ten read list.

The Knowledge Management Case Book clearly illustrates how knowledge sharing can begin either as a bottom-up or as a top down activity. This book was developed through collective efforts of Siemens employees working together with external "case coaches" who acted as 'devil's advocates' in conceptualizing and writing cases. This book offers concrete case-based ideas on how Siemens is promoting and optimizing knowledge utilization on a worldwide basis. It is written in a very understandable, narrative style, and organized into five sections that flow well together. These sections offer case studies of knowledge transfer, communities of practice, added-value of knowledge management, measuring KM, and an epilogue written by Gilbert Probst. As Gilbert Probst states in his epilogue, this book is a kind of knowledge tool itself and has offers the reader many practical examples of KM in practice.

Part I of the book offers the reader cases addressing the fundamental issues of knowledge transfer, critical success factors, underlying principles, descriptions of know-how exchange, lowering knowledge-sharing barriers, KM strategies, and it addresses the need to weave best practices into the day-to-day work that everyone does. Part II is focused on communities of practice -- one of the major driving forces of KM. Its cases explain the challenges of set-up, implementation, coordination and the support required for managers and teams to systematize KM practices. Part III illustrates the added value of KM in innovative arenas such as neurological-disease centers, knowledge intensive medical solutions and services, mergers and acquisitions, or corporate learning programs. Part IV examines quantifiable measures of KM as a critical basis for developing incentives for stimulating knowledge sharing and networking. It suggests ways in which results can be promoted, and discusses the intersection of KM and e-business, incorporating knowledge from outside corporate boundaries with organizational knowledge.

Gilbert Probst proposes that the very process of case writing is instrumental in managing knowledge and reflecting on the process. Thus, according to Probst, the case method used in this book offers an excellent example of a knowledge-sharing tool. Each case is presented as an independent study. They can be read in any order. The consistent emphasis throughout the book is placed on an ongoing balance of identifying what knowledge is most relevant to the interests of managers, and illustrating how to transfer it. I really enjoyed reading this this book. I consider it a treasure trove of ideas on how to use an organization's best knowledge practices.

This knowledge management casebook is one of the best documented case studies of knowledge transformation at work in a global business powerhouse. Siemens has been rated as one of the top ten KM-driven companies worldwide according to an international benchmarking exercise (MAKE ý most admired knowledge enterprise), thanks to its comprehensive efforts at fostering, promoting and optimizing knowledge utilization.

The 19 chapters covering Siemenýs KM journey have been compiled by a team of 44 writers, including business executives, managers, interns, professors and graduate students. The material is divided into 7 sections, covering overall KM strategy, transfer techniques, communities of practice, e-learning, and organisational change.

With a diverse group of companies and almost half a million employees globally, Siemens is one of the worldýs oldest and most successful corporations ý which successfully adapted to the chaotic world of the Information Age to re-structure itself around its most valuable assets: its knowledge base and people.

ýCompanies today live in knowledge ecologies where one company feeds knowledge into another. What counts is a networked approach to KM, involving internal as well as external parties. The logic behind this is as simple as it is compelling: if you cut off the outflow of knowledge, you will also cut off the inflow. We believe, therefore, that the firmýs openness to external experts and the sharing of ideas within a broad network will be a key driver for maintaining competitive success at Siemens,ý begin the editors Thomas Davenport (KM expert) and Gilbert Probst (professor at the University of Geneva).

ýIncreasingly, information is either a part of, or an important facilitator of, Siemensý diverse businesses. Since KM is greatly enhanced by the effective use of IT, itýs not surprising that Siemens was a relatively early and enthusiastic adopter of KM. The IT-driven nature of the companyýs businesses also provides a strong motivation to manage knowledge effectively. One attribute of these technologies is that they change very rapidly; keeping up with various computing and communications technologies is much easier when a company has a system for rapidly circulating new knowledge,ý according to the editors.

But KM is more than technology, and Siemens has also focused on a culture of sharing, synergy, and customer focus, especially in markets and fast-moving technology areas where the customer needs are more for total business solutions and sector intelligence than mere technology components.

KM at Siemens began in a bottom-up manner via various mid-level initiatives in communities of practice and bodies of knowledge. Managers of these initiatives themselves formed a semi-official community of practice. This was then followed by a corporate knowledge function which officially supported and coordinated these various initiatives, via the creation of the Corporate KM (CKM) office in 1999.

The Corporate KM (CKM) office held an international meeting in Munich in May 2000, drawing over 200 managers and KM practitioners to formally reflect on the companyýs KM strategy via the CKM Council and CKM TaskForce. Moving beyond a loose association of KM followers, the company now has formal support, constancy, transparency and a joint approach for KM practices.

The vision statement, goals and roles at the company now formally emphasise the role of knowledge and sharing. CKM has initiated over a hundred KM projects divided across lines of geography, industry, and functions. It has received numerous awards across Europe and the US, such as APQC, MACILS, KVD and Teleos.

KM capacity building at Siemens is promoted by yet another initiative, the Knowledge Community Support (KCS) project, founded in 1999 with support from units like Corporate Technology, Siemens Business Services, and Siemens Qualification and Training. It promotes the use of knowledge communities within Siemens, via coaching, hotlines, resources, newsletters, and its own Web site. It maintains an employee portal and a directory of all knowledge communities in the company, Communities@Siemens. KCS expects that in future, community management will be as common as project management.

Yet another area of KM focus at Siemens is the use of e-business methodology. It formed the Centre for e-Excellence in May 2000 to analyse business transformation via the Internet. A quarter of the sales of Siemens itself is expected to be eventually transacted via the Internet ý 50 per cent or more of its consumer products.

Challenges faced by Siemens on the KM front include balancing energies, resources and rewards for local versus global KM initiatives on a daily basis, managing the knowledge-sharing tension between different business units, and nourishing KM during hard economic times.

Each of the chapters in the book ends with useful discussion questions and key propositions from each case study. It would be suitable to end this book review with a sampling of these propositions.

ýThe economic value of knowledge does not lie in possessing it, but in using it. Pilot projects for KM must have clearly defined, measurable objectives that can be achieved in less than six months. However, the changeover to a knowledge-based company involves a change process that can span several years,ý according to the authors.

Knowledge management and learning management are two complementary disciplines that are continuously growing closer and support an innovative and agile enterprise.

Knowledge sharing should not be reduced to appendices to everyday practice, but must become intertwined with practice. Casewriting about this sharing is a useful learning tool, teaching method, and knowledge recap mechanism via its ability to tease out details and provoke or inspire further action. Such methods are already used by other companies like British Petroleum (Post-Project Appraisal) and Xerox (pre-thought and after-thought cases on KM tools). An interplay between writers from the outside and inside helps elicit crucial details in the case stories.

ýWhen established procedures are not conducive to the sharing of knowledge, the company must be ready to restructure itself into an organization more amenable to knowledge sharing. Over time, the intrinsic benefits of sharing knowledge should become apparent and the system then becomes self-perpetuating, thereby rendering incentive systems obsolete,ý the authors recommend.

>>>>>>>>>

Madanmohan Rao is the author of ýThe Asia-Pacific Internet Handbooký and can be reached at madan@inomy.com

This is a premier book on knowledge management--a definite must read. Although it's a bit pricey and not in main stream distribution, please note that Tom Davenport is the co-editor. The book provides an inside perspective on how Siemens, a 400,000 person global company has scaled KM to be both part of their business practices and their business model. Since they operate in over 190 countries, it's easy to see why the communities of practice concept would be so appealing to them. Given the limited amount of available literature related to communities of practice, the how-to chapter about communities in this book by itself makes the book a must read. As you read about the KM work at Siemens you can get a good sense of how KM will eventually reside permanently in the main stream of management practice. I have collected quite a bit of the KM literature and would place this in a top ten read list.

This is an excellent book written by someone who was involved in-depth with NXT programming as the NXT product evolved. Lots of good examples of C code will speed your learning curve.

While the official NXT-G programming language included in the LEGO Mindstorms NXT set works well for many people, what if you want to increase your programming potential or simply prefer a text-based language rather than a graphical one? John C. Hansen's book provides the answer to both of these questions by teaching you how to program the NXT in NeXT Byte Codes (NBC) and Not eXactly C (NXC).

The book begins with an introduction to some basic programming concepts and then shows you how to set up NBC/NXC. Since these unofficial languages are based on the standard firmware, you don't have to download custom firmware to your microcomputer, making setup a breeze. Chapters 2 through 4 discuss the NXT hardware, NXT firmware, and basic construction concepts, respectively. If you're new to the NXT set, you'll find these chapters helpful.

Chapter 5 covers the BricxCC IDE, which supports NBC, NXC, and a number of other languages. This is definitely one of my favorite chapters. BricxCC is an incredibly powerful but user-friendly program, and this chapter shows how to effectively use and customize BricxCC. Perhaps the most interesting chapter in the book is Chapter 6, which discusses free NXT utilities that perform miscellaneous functions.

The real power programming begins in Chapters 7 and 8, which cover NXC and NBC. If, like me, you've programmed the RCX microcomputer in Not Quite C (NQC), you'll be glad to see that Hansen created NXC with a lot of the same features and same "feel." Naturally, these chapters are most easily understood if you have a background in C or programming in general, but such knowledge is not required. The book assumes you are a beginner and explains fundamental programming concepts. If you need more information about a basic concept that the book doesn't discuss in great detail (for example, using arrays), you could easily consult an online resource.

Chapters 9 through 16 teach you how to build a basic robot (Versa), program basic and advanced NXT outputs, program basic and advanced NXT inputs, create an intruder alert robot, explore "games that people play" on the NXT, and control an NXT robot remotely. It is through these chapters that you get practical experience in using NBC/NXC.

In conclusion, if you're looking for an effective and user-friendly text-based programming language for the NXT, then this book is for you. NBC, NXC, and the BricxCC IDE are outstanding resources, and this book teaches not only the basics but also quite advanced concepts (which will be of interest to expert users out there). Bear in mind, however, that this isn't primarily a book of building instructions. Its purpose is to teach you how to effectively program robots--and it accomplishes that purpose very well.

If you are interested in programming your NXT beyond what NXT-G can do (the environment that comes with the retail kit) this is the book for you. You don't have to change out the firmware as you do for other text based programming languages, so you can continue to use NXT-G. In fact both types of programs can reside on the NXT at the same time.

There is a great chapter giving details on the Bricx integrated development environment and all the tools that come with it. It is very complete.

The versa bot that is detailed in the book is a great platform to add to and make your own modifications to. I have already made several of my own modules for it and wrote programs to take advantage of them with NXC.
There are several other bots to be built in the book that I have yet to get built, as I am still adding to the versa bot, but I definitely will though. The etch a sketch one looks really cool and I am sure programming it will teach me a lot.

Thanks should go out to John Hansen (the author) for all the contributions he has made, and continues to make to the Mindstorms Robotic community. The Mindstorms is a great platform to aid the young in learning and teaching the old to stay young.

Summary: An excellent 'next step' for getting the most from this powerful computer system

Mindstorms NXT is robot building tool from Lego. The centrepiece is a large "brick" containing a 32-bit ARM7 computer - the kind of computer you might find in a PDA or a Smartphone. The kit includes a graphical programming environment capable of quite complex programs as well as being accessible to beginners and youngsters. The kit also includes motors and sensors, wheels, gears, and a whole lot of technic-style Lego to hold them together.

John Hansen's book takes all of these components and organises them in a coherent and easily understandable fashion. He describes how to use the various components and explains the sensors (that range from a simple contact switch to a sophisticated ultrasonic distance sensor). However, the real strength of the book is in its approach to programming of the system.

Power Programming describes how to maximise the capability of the kit by programming it using a conventional, textual programming language that is close to standard C. This is both more natural to anyone who already has a smattering of programming knowledge and, ultimately, capable of more complex and much faster programs for the NXT. Best of all, the system that Hansen describes is a free, open-source toolkit usable on Mac, PC and Linux; just download it from the WWW and you're ready to roll.

NXC (Not eXactly C) and the complementary assembler, NBC (NeXT Byte Code) are explained in a clear and authoritative way (Hansen is the author of the compilers too) before the book explores the rest of the system. Each item is introduced in the context of a real robot (you can build these from the step by step instructions) but in a style that explains how it actually works; so the reader is left understanding how to apply each item in their own programs. Later chapters dig deeply into advanced programming of the sensors and communication between several robots without ever becoming inaccessible. And, lest I have made it all sound too dry and worthy, there are detours to examine such things as playing Space Invaders on the NXT and producing a Bedroom security system and remote controlled car.

This is a well-written, clearly presented and very well produced book from an acknowledged expert. It's not for young children but anyone with a little programming knowledge and an interest in computers and robots will find it entirely indispensable. Just beware that, while the tools it describes are free, it could well convince non-owners that they need to buy a NXT!

I have had one of these Bibles for several years and love it. I bought this one for a friend who loved when I shared verses or commentaries from my copy. Having used many different versions of the Bible in the past I strongly recommend this one for clarity and was delighted when a theologian friend of mine told me it's also a reliable translation. I also love the extra information given in the Life Application notes. All in all a great version and the leather cover on this one makes for nice handling.

A very much needed study Bible in this day and time. Very enlightening information. I especially enjoyed the dictionary/concordance section. Very informative concerning the different people and characters of the Bible. So many questions have been answered. Very enjoyable reading material. One could sit for hours on hours and study this Book over and over again. Yes, I most certainly will purchase this Bible. I hope it is also in Large Print as well. I'm very impressed about the large print. I'm looking forward to the day when the Life Application Bible will be color coded as well.

I already had a NLT Bible and it was my favorite translation, so this encouraged me to order the Life Application Study Bible when I saw it was available in this translation. This Bible is well made, very nice leather binding. The commentaries, maps, and additional study tools included in this Bible make studying the Bible even more enjoyable adding a new level of insite. The only downside is the size. It is large and bulky if you want to use this as your Bible you carry with you. This is true of most study Bibles I have looked at however.

Thanks for a GREAT Bible!

I have owned an NIV study Bible for 12+ years because that was the Bible of "choice" in my congregation. Through deeper study and reading various books, I have come to love the NLT version. Not only is it much easier to read, but it also focuses on applying the scripture to your own life as well as evangelism. The bounded genuine letter is a perk, but the content truly transforms lives.

You guys did an outstanding job...I could not
be more pleased...thank you

I was looking for a good study bible that would not only allow me to get into the word but to be able to apply it to where I am now, today and the Life Application Bible more that exceeded my expectations. I highly reccomend it.

This Bible was one of my best purchases this year! I own the NIV Life Application, but I have always enjoyed the New Living Translation. The Life Application study notes are wonderful and provide new perspective when reading those passages you've read times before. If you're just beginning reading the Bible, the notes will give clarity to stories, concepts, and characters you may not understand.
I like the two-tone leather and the personal size is very convenient. My only complaint with the personal size is the margins are inconsistent. One page may have a wider top or side margin than the page right next to it. Not a huge problem, but may really bother some readers.
So get the standard size if you need balanced margins, but please consider the Life Application to help you dig deeper.
There is no better study tool than the Life Application Bible!

This has been a great study tool. I just wish that I had ordered it large print because my eyes are haveing trouble reading the small font.

Nicholas Boughen has really created something amazing! He walks you thru all theighting tools in LightWave Eight at an easy to read pace with great examples and lessons. What makes this book special is that although it teaches you how to light in LightWave 8, it covers the fundamentals of lighting , how to recreate real world lighting,and more.

Nicholas has a talent for explaining complex techniques in an easy to understand way. This is a must own for any LightWave user, or anyone wanting to know more about lighting in general. Not only has my LightWave lighting improved, but my digital photo's have gotten better as well. Thanx for the great book!

I've got 3D Lighting and Rendering as well, and I like this book alot better, simply because he explains things a little better.. he's straight forward and shows you how things are done. The explinations on the different types of light types and properties are great.. I believe this is a must own for any LW user.

Don't buy this book UNLESS you want to learn from a professional who thoroughly understands real-world lighting and how to apply it in Lightwave 3D. Everything from Principals of Lighting, HDRI, Volumetrics, Plug-ins & Image filters, Rendering times and fakes to speed it up, recreating light sources from a photograph, Setup examples, and a lot more. And all from a guy who does Lightwave 3D lighting for a living.
-nuff said.

This book might be entitled 'Lightwave 3D 8 Lighting', but the book extends beyond just the realm of Lightwave 8. Nicholas has created a tome of knowledge in all things CG lighting related. The book is written for the newbie to any current or future lighting technicians. He walks you through lighting from looking at the world around you, to lighting theory, color theory, how to recreate lighting from plates and finally how to create your own worlds greatest lighting rigs. Along with all of this he continously points out time saving tips and cheats. With it comes plenty of images and exercises to bring the words to brillant life. This book is written the way all CG books should be written from theory to pratice for new user to pro. If you are a Lightwave user this is a must own book. If you are not a Lightwave user but still work with anything lighting related this is still a must own book.

If you have any interest in understanding how language develops you should read this book. It's been fun to apply what I learned here as I listen to my four year-old daughter struggle with how to pronounce certain words and come up with the proper conjugations of irregular English verbs. Dr. Black makes an otherwise dry subject interesting.

For any serious NT Greek student, this book is very insightful to the many phonemic changes in the language. It is not a definitive book on lingustics, which the author himself claims, but, it does get you started in the area of linguistics that might give you some insight into the English language. Black writes in a way that doesn't overwhelm the student with his scholarship, which he definitely has, but he writes in a way that even someone who is a beginner in the study of the language can understand. I recommend it for any beginner or intermedeate student who would like to get a better handle on why some things change in the Greek language that may have confused you before.

Black invites the reader to apply the techniques of modern linguistics to the analysis of New Testament Greek. This excellent general introduction covers the phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and historical linguistics of koine Greek. It assumes no Greek or linguistics background.

I give the chapter headings and some subheadings:

1. Introducing Linguistics: The Landscape and the Quest
2. Phonology: The Sound of Greek (Phonetics and Phonemics)
3. Morphology: The Anatomy of Greek Words
4. Syntax: The Architecture of the Greek Sentence
5. Semantics: Determining Meaning (The real jewel in this work--Word and Concept, Semantic Classes, Ambiguity, Denotation/Connotation, Idioms, Rhetorical Language, Semantic Change, Discourse Analysis!)
6. Historial and Comparative Linguistics: The Biography of Greek

In a Greek course I taught 2004/2005 based upon the Gospel of John (Beginning Greek: A Functional Approach) the class at one point wrestled with the disambiguation of a problemmatic participial phrase in John 1:9. ["He (Christ) was the true light that enlightens every man 'coming into the world.'"]. Should the phrase "coming into the word" go with "man" or "light"? Both are grammatically possible: the participal could be (1) accusative masculine singular or (2) nominative neuter singular. Black explains that the larger context with its emphasis upon the incarnation of Christ (see 1:14) settles the issue (2).

Highly recommended. Although it covers alot of ground, the explanations are short and to the point and examples abound. A delightful 172 pages that would lay a great foundation for someone contemplating linguistics as a major or who wants to conscientously apply a knowledge of koine to NT interpretation.

New Testament (Koine) Greek has long been taught as just another dead language. Black, an experienced teacher of Greek, changes the paradigm. Applying modern linguistic theory, Black shows how many of the so-called irregularities of Greek are actually normal and regular. The book covers the gamut: phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, etc. each section concludes with a short bibliography which can help students and teachers learn even more about linguistics and Koine Greek. An important text for newcomers and a useful review of Greek to sharpen rusty skills.

I bought this book pretty shortly after first discovering competiitve intelligence (CI). Fortunately, it wasn't among the first book I had read. Actually, West's and Linville's texts have that honor. This book is definitely higher level material than the other two I mentioned and actually was more beneficial to me because I had read over the more entry-level books first. This book is probably a little less how to than some other CI books, but makes up for it by being a "thinking man's" book. You can tell that all the chapter writers know their stuff and have spent much time considering their topics. It shows through in the more academic approach they take. Surprisingly, despite this academic approach, nearly all the chapters are relevant and useful. I don't find many books that find this balance and this one manages to do it very well. This book is a good one for more experienced practitioners. I wouldn't recommend it to those who have less than a couple years of CI experience.

This book was a good one for me. I recently completed my MBA at one of Florida's top schools (which shall remain nameless) where I took several courses in business strategy. For some unknown reason, I never heard of competitive intelligence during any of my studies. I picked up this book as a way to learn about a range of strategy applications. It was defintiely enlightening to me. What kills me is that this stuff isn't taught in more grad business programs, but I sort of understand why now after having read through the book. My favorite chapters were those in part 4, particularly on how you can use CI in biotech and service industries, and how it can work for small businesses.

I also liked the last few chapters dealing with ethics (another topic mysteriously absent from my MBA)and the future of CI which was written by the two authors. I honestly think this book would have made the basis for a terrific MBA level course in applied strategy and I have written my institution's professors to suggest that they do just that!

Although I'm now employed in the CI field with a large insurance company down here, I would have felt much better had I read this book a year or two ago before I had completed my graduate studies and pursued careers in this exciting and challenging field. I hope there will be more broad ranging CI books like this one in the future and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some discussed in our MBA programs! Hats off to the editors and keep up the solid work!

I am an Australian CI professional with over a decade's experience in the field working with a variety of resource-based companies as a CI and Marketing freelancer. I found out about this book from a Sydney-based colleague who knows one of the editors who has spent some time working with companies down under. I was looking for a book that had both academic rigour and legitimacy along with some pragmatic advice about conducting CI in both SMEs (similar to ones I work in) and larger companies. This book struck a nice balance.

I particularly found several chapters of high value. The first chapter by Craig S. Fleisher gave a broad and insightful overview of the field and explained why it really hadn't "caught on" with corporate chieftains or those in training (MBAs)in North America. The 6th chapter by Richard McClurg was also among the best I've ever read describing the "push and pull" aspects of CI and the Net. Fleisher's chapter on analysis is also among the most valuable I've found on this difficult topic. I hope that this line of thought would be further extended in future efforts as it could warrant a book-length treatment by itself.

But my favourite chapter was likely the 10th by Fleisher and Blenkhorn on CI assessment. Everyone knows this is the CI "holy grail" and that the field will not progress until it solves the eternal issues of trying to find methods for assessing it better. The authors provided a multi-method approach that carves valuable ground into achieving the breakthrough the field needs. I have already applied several of their methods in my work and agree that there is much merit in the tools they suggest. I wish they had more room in the book to go into even greater depth but I recognize that their treatment likely had more to do with the space limitations that edited volumes like this one entail.

The entire 3rd section on applying CI to business functions and processes was enlightening to me as I've often been challenged within my employing companies to connect CI to others in the business. Knip's chapter on CI and the management accountant, and Rongdahl's on the BI-CI interface are particularly insightful. I must admit that the chapter (14) by Noori and others on NPD and CI appeared even more academic than I'd prefer and I wish they could have better stipulated what this interface might mean to practicing managers.

All in all, I really liked this book as it provided a wide variety of new and fresh thinking around the edges of the CI field in which many practitioners find themselves working. I have been sharing some of the chapters with my work colleagues and have found them valuable entres to further discussions about how CI can be of help to them.

I recommend this book to practitioners who are looking for a meatier than average treatment of CI. The book does appear to assume some knowledge of the field or at least a Uni-based understanding of business or competitive analysis practices and would likely be of best help to the mid-level CI manager or manager assigned CI as part of their broader responsibilities. Newcomers to the field might want to read a basic "how to" treatment (examples coming to mind would be the Kahaner or Fuld books) before tackling and benefitting as much from this one.

This book was a good one for me. I recently completed my MBA at one of Florida's top schools (which shall remain nameless) where I took several courses in business strategy. For some unknown reason, I never heard of competitive intelligence during any of my studies. I picked up this book as a way to learn about a range of strategy applications. It was defintiely enlightening to me. What kills me is that this stuff isn't taught in more grad business programs, but I sort of understand why now after having read through the book. My favorite chapters were those in part 4, particularly on how you can use CI in biotech and service industries, and how it can work for small businesses.

I also liked the last few chapters dealing with ethics (another topic mysteriously absent from my MBA)and the future of CI which was written by the two authors. I honestly think this book would have made the basis for a terrific MBA level course in applied strategy and I have written my institution's professors to suggest that they do just that!

Although I'm now employed in the CI field with a large insurance company down here, I would have felt much better had I read this book a year or two ago before I had completed my graduate studies and pursued careers in this exciting and challenging field. I hope there will be more broad ranging CI books like this one in the future and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some discussed in our MBA programs! Hats off to the editors and keep up the solid work!

VALUE OF THE BOOK:

Already having about a 3-ft pile of computer books, I still found it most valuable about a year and a half ago to borrow and read this one by maranGraphics. For anyone needing to do much work using programs in Microsoft Office 97, I recommend reading this book cover-to-cover. It's a quick reference for sophisticates, and it is a powerful enabler for novices, whether they have used this software for just 1 month or have used it unskillfully for 10 years. Especially valuable is the option of reading the entire book without ever turning on the computer, since nearly every discussed screen, dialog box and drop-down menu is printed in the book. I found this abundant use of printed screens to be a more accurate representation of the actual computer experience. Not having to fumble between the book, the pen and the computer is great, especially for studying on bus or train.

WHY READ THE WHOLE BOOK?

1) It's doable.
2) The reduced frustration in learning afforded by this format nets one more learning per hour.
3) One can better understand each of the MS Office components by reading about all of them.
4) One can develop more of a "computer way of thinking."
5) It leads to a better intuition about how the software probably works.
6) It enables one to choose more efficient methods and programs for one's tasks.
7) The resulting increased familiarity converts the book into a more rapid reference.
8) It helps to prepare one for the reading of material with higher information density.

SUGGESTED STUDY METHOD AND ATTITUDE:

1) Fine print & icons: to make the most of the learning task at hand you will need to be able to read all of the fine print and make out the designs in all of the icons in the pictured program screens. Drug store reading glasses might be helpful. The pictures of computer screens display some very fine print which should not be skipped over.

2) Thorough reading: recognizing that no thick computer book covers all topics or all of every topic, and trusting that the writers have chosen to depict the most useful material, read and strive to understand every detail of the text and the screens - this will enhance understanding and memory.

3) Repetition in the text: welcome it as a memory enhancer.

4) Taking notes: write book notes, or possibly write your own rapid-access help document comprised entirely of one-liner command selection sequences. Example: Scroll bar, horizontal: Tools > Options > View > Horizontal Scroll Bar

5) Workshops: if, for example, you are going to attend an Excel or Access workshop, don't go in there ignorant. Be sure to master the related material in this book first - you will be able to keep up with the workshop pace, you will learn more, and you will experience less embarrassment.

6) Efficiency and attitude: understanding that optimal use of the programs will save hundreds of hours of work, one can more readily accept that a few tens of hours will be needed to master the material. That's not much time considering that thousands of careers have already been expended over decades to develop the software to its present powerful level.

THEORETICAL VS. PRACTICAL:

This book is about gaining a practical understanding and proficiency in the use of the software. Anyone who is disdainful of this concept (but favors a more theoretical understanding) needs to be reminded that he/she probably understands nothing at all about how his or her automobile works - including its computer - but nevertheless judges the simple memorization of the operation of all of the controls as appropriate knowledge.

COULD THE BOOK BE IMPROVED?

While I believe that this book is probably the best for teaching via graphics, I would still call for inclusion of larger pictures at least of featured icons, sometimes with text explanations of their designs. This would make them easier to memorize.

Bill Norwood

VALUE OF THE BOOK:
Already having about three feet of thick computer software books, I still found it most valuable about a year ago to borrow and read this one by maranGraphics. For anyone needing to do much work using programs in Microsoft Office 97, I recommend reading this book cover-to-cover. It's a quick reference for sophisticates, and it is a powerful enabler for novices, whether they have used this software for just 1 month or have used it unskillfully for 10 years. Especially valuable is the option of reading the entire book without ever turning on the computer, since nearly every discussed screen, dialog box and drop-down menu is printed in the book. I found this abundant use of printed screens to be a more accurate representation of the actual computer experience than the representations in other books. Not having to fumble between the book, the pen and the computer is great, especially for studying on bus or train.

WHY READ THE WHOLE BOOK?
1) It's doable.

2) The reduced frustration in learning afforded by this format nets one more learning per hour.
3) One can better understand each of the MS Office components by reading about all of them.
4) One can develop more of a "computer way of thinking."
5) It leads to a better intuition about how the software probably works.
6) It enables one to choose more efficient methods and programs for one's tasks.
7) The resulting increased familiarity converts the book into a more rapid reference.

8) It helps to prepare one for the reading of material with higher information density.

SUGGESTED STUDY METHOD AND ATTITUDE:

1) Fine print & icons: for the learning task at hand you will need to be able to read all of the fine print and make out the designs in all of the icons in the pictured program screens. If needed, experiment with (drug store, thrift store or prescribed) eyeglasses which will allow you to read at a distance of about 12 inches, for greater magnification.

2) Thorough reading: recognizing that no thick computer book covers all topics or all of every topic, and trusting that the writers have chosen to depict the most useful material, read and strive to understand every detail of the text and the screens - this will enhance understanding and memory.

3) Repetition in the text: welcome it as a memory enhancer.

4) Taking notes: write book notes, or possibly write your own rapid-access help document comprised entirely of one-liner command selection sequences. Example: Scroll bar, horizontal: Tools > Options > View > Horizontal Scroll Bar

5) Workshops: if, for example, you are going to attend an Excel or Access workshop, don't go in there ignorant. Be sure to master the related material in this book first - you will be better able to keep up with the workshop pace, you will learn more, and you will experience less embarrassment.

6) Efficiency and attitude: understanding that optimal use of the programs will save hundreds of hours of work, one can more readily accept that a few tens of hours will be needed to master the material. That's not much time considering that thousands of careers have already been expended over decades to develop the software to its present powerful level.

THEORETICAL VS. PRACTICAL:
This book is about gaining a practical understanding and proficiency in the use of the software. Anyone who is disdainful of this concept (but favors a more theoretical understanding) needs to be reminded that he/she probably understands nothing at all about how his or her automobile works - including its computer - but nevertheless judges the memorization of the operation of all of the controls as an appropriate knowledge level.

COULD THE BOOK BE IMPROVED?
While the book is probably the best for teaching via graphics, I would still call for inclusion of larger pictures at least of featured icons, sometimes with text explanations of their designs. This would make them easier to memorize.

This was my first review of a computer book (quite different from reviewing Glasser's Choice Theory, Fumento's book about AIDS or Levenstein's book about cancer). I hope it will be helpful for you.

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Bill Norwood, Greenbelt MD

Simple for first timers. Easy for advanced to locate answers to questions

This book is absolutely the best way I've seen to learn Office 97. Even better than a video. Very well thought out, very easy to follow, covers a lot of ground. This whole series is the best computer learning tool of any kind I've ever seen. Get this one first.