Tools Books

It is a must read for a freshment engineering student. If you can get a copy, it will be a good reference for your entire engineering study.

I actually ended up reading this book after getting my master's degree in aerospace engineering, and even after a few years of work in industry. This was because my first crack at doing real aircraft structural design work put me completely in over my head, and this book was the first step of getting a handle on everything. In retrospect I'm completely aghast that in six years and two degrees of engineering schooling, nothing like this was taught at my particular school (which shall go un-named for it's own sake), yet it is required for the freshman year at U of Iowa.

Engineers are tasked with developing systems that produce value in a nutshell. The way you configure and define that system, iteratively dealing with the bigger parts first and sequentially working your way down to defining the smallest details last, is engineering design. This book explains the whole philosophy behind design, and how to do it. It's essentially a decision-making process, that can actually carry over into practically anything you do in life so even non-technical people could probably benefit from this book. Politicians, policy wonks / analysts, and people who debate politics in particular could have much more meaningful and productive discussions if they actually employed a design framework. (Maybe they do, but I haven't seen much evidence of it . . .)

This book lays out a ten step process of design that is iterative. Meaning you can always (and actually will have to do so many, many times) go back and repeat steps. Although these ten steps are not written in stone, and I would highly recommend any engineer / designer to develop their own steps, they are an excellent guide to improving the quality and reducing the difficulty of design work.

It ends up schools (at least mine) only really teach analysis, which was just one of the ten steps. This is one of the most laborious, most important, and, critically, easily taught so that's probably why schools concentrate on it. But they'll do their students a huge dis-service if they don't even tell the students about the other steps! Once you read the steps they sound pretty obvious / intuitive, but this doesn't mean people will know about them and apply them unless they're introduced to them first.

I would also recommend that any engineer get a good book on systems engineering if they want to understand design in a more comprehensive sense. Blanchard in particular has some good books. My school taught systems engineering as an elective that you were practically dissuaded from taking, and only offered to grad students. Instead it should be a required course that's offered before students take their capstone senior year design courses.

If you're a U.S. company that is not doing international business you might wonder why even bother with ISO 9000-3. While I can make compelling arguments for and against software and technical services companies pursuing registration, my stance would be dependent upon a set of conditions. With respect to applying the elements of ISO 9001 in accordance with guidelines for software development, supply and maintenance set forth in ISO 9000-3 I can only argue for.

The book: The first three chapters are brief and take only 24 pages to set the context. Chapter 1 introduces ISO 9000 as an international standard, discusses the relationship between 9001 and 9000-3, and gives good advice on the semantics of 9001's "shalls" and 9000-3's "shoulds". The next chapter provides an overview of software engineering and key elements in which 9000-3 will support. Chapter 3 discusses theory, concept, interpretation and critique of ISO 9000-3.

Chapter 4 comprehensively covers scope and overview, and provides a framework for the rest of the book. The key areas discussed in this chapter are the quality system framework, life cycle activities and supporting activities. Taken together these areas encompass ISO 9000-3. Chapters 5 through 23 are each devoted to a single area, giving you sufficient detail to understand the issues and factors. What I like most is the way the authors skillfully describe the contents of ISO 9000-3 guidelines in a readable manner without introducing ambiguity. Making specifications readable without introducing fuzziness or uncertainty is one of the most difficult aspects of technical writing and the authors manage this well.

An added bonus, and the reason I like this book so much, is the quality handbook that is provided in chapter 24. Including the eleven attachments, each of which in an invaluable artifact itself, this chapter is 50 pages in length (about 20% of the book), and serves as one of the best examples of a quality manual you'll find.

So, why even bother? First, you do not need to pursue ISO 9001 registration to benefit from this book (and if you are, you need to get a book on the ISO 9000:2000 version to get up-to-speed). If you are using the capability maturity model as a goal, the procedures given in this book map nicely to CMM process areas and practices. Moreover, in the "e" world where supply chain management is one of the current buzz words, the focus of 9000-3 might be a good fit into your operational posture (whether as a developer/integrator or service provider) because ISO 9000-3 is slanted towards the customer-supplier relationship, whereas the CMM is more concerned with suppliers. The real reason, however, for using 9000-3 guidelines is they will assure you of attaining repeatability in all of your key processes related to applications or service delivery, and will lay the foundation for any additional quality paradigm or framework you deploy in the future.

Very practical, easy to implement the ISO standards, practices and processes. If you are planning to register for this standards, the book will be good hand-book.

The CD is great - it helps a quality professional put together quality system that meets ISO 9000 criteria. But even better, it helps put a business system that works for a manufacturing company. This CD saved my company a lot of money!

Excellent product, easy to use. The documentation model with document workfiles and templates do really help with the development of documents. Very useful is the listing of the 31 new requirements of ISO 9000:2000, as well as the listing of the differences (35 changes) between the DIS and the final edition of ISO 9000:2000. I can higly recommend this CD to everyone implementing ISO 9000.

Helmut A.

I very, very seldom give a book 5 stars, but I really and truly loved this book. Everything about it is encouraging and uplifting - it's even better than That Winning Feeling, Savoie's previous book on this topic. As someone who wrestles with focus, patience, and avoiding distractions when I ride, I was totally impressed with Jane Savoie's simple approach to improving one's arsenal of visualization and positive-thinking techniques. Simply by training your mind, you can hugely improve your performance and your enjoyment of riding. And these techniques are totally applicable to all endeavours in life. The ideas are not new, but have seldom been expressed so kindly and so clearly, particularly with respect to horses. As a bonus, the hardcover edition of this book is also very beautiful, with lovely photos, illustrations and layout. Highly recommended!!

Although I have not owned this book for a great deal of time, already it has become a firm favourite. Re "bats in the attic" what I mean is when that little voice inside us keeps telling us, watch out, this horse may shy and you will be off, or watch this horse it is a very dodgy ride,today it's too windy/rainy/cold,or even, I cannot possibly ride my horse outside on the roadside, etc, etc. If you have any problem with being absolutely confident or are being overly nervous, then this book is definitely for you. I found that when I was younger, I didn't even think of any consequences to riding a horse - it was such a tremendous feeling - and I went everywhere possible with my horse. As you grow older, you start to think what MIGHT happen (or at least I did). This is where this book again comes in to help. It is so very positive and also helps with other areas of one's life. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone having problems with nerves, confidence, courage or determination.

Just like the Whitman coin folders from when I was a child, good quality, fair price. Excellent option to hold a modest collection in the building stage, until you're ready to move your collection to a better quality folder such as Dansco.

My version of this coin book for nickels (circa 1968) was so badly worn that I couldn't open it without the coins falling out. This makes a great gift for your children. Have them look through the coins in their piggy banks and keep the best. Then take the rest to the bank and ask to exchange them for new rolls of coins. (Be sure to ask the bank for some paper coin wrappers for your next trip back.) It is exciting for the kids to get a new roll to go through each week.

A nutritious formula of tender, informative and realistic words that get the new mom through those terrible doubts. Few babies look Gerber-cute when born. But time and love will make it blossom. Kanyer thus takes the new mother through 275 pages of reassuring and loving tips on giving birth and caring for the child. She's a mother, a leader of education and support programs centered in Yakima, WA and frequent writer on these matters. Her "journey" is well marked and full of adventures as well as detours "that can affect the way a woman views her childbearing experience for the rest of her life." Those challenges offer opportunities for growth and development, and this book shows how to cultivate that unexpected scenery. She reviews support, exercises for emotional health, the importance of family and friends. How to achieve a safe passage through pregnancy...how to conjure soothing childhood memories and words, and flush negativity off the road of motherhood. The design of this book is splendid. Separate tables of contents on Detour and Tools permit the reader to jump to specific problem areas. Also, a thoughtful section on Journal Entries that promotes documenting a very special event

The Journey of Becoming a Mother takes new mothers gently down the garden path of emotional development. New motherhood is a bumpy road at best and Ms. Kanyer offers moms the tools that they need to find the flowers where they bloom and combat the weeds where they crop up. Ms. Kanyer's experience and wisdom combined with beautiful photography and illustration make this book a winner. This book would make a wonderful gift for any mother

Today more and more Website designers are taking advantage of creative graphics design to enhance the appearance and functionality of their sites. A number of commercial graphics programs are available to them to create real attention-getting graphics. Kai's Power Tools 3 (KPT) is a leading collection of filters and tools that can be used with many of them to create truly phenomenal graphic image results.

Nick Clarke has produced Kai's Power Tools 3: An Illustrated Guide to offer an extraordinary gallery of cool KPT special effects! This book is a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated tutorial guide to understanding how to use this filter collection. Clarke takes his readers on a grand tour of the description, operation, and use of each filter. Exceptional color photographs of every filter interface control panel and their individual controls are provided to assist Clarke as he demonstrates just how easy KPT is easy to use. His own mastery of the use of KPT is evident throughout the book.

The book is accompanied by a CD loaded with KPT presets, KPT graphics, a graphic image showcase featuring the work of KPT users from around the world, a portfolio of KPT artist work, tutorial resources, software, and links to Websites offering additional information about this amazing collection of graphics filters! The graphics on this CD provides some of the most breathtaking illustrations ever created to bring out the rich details of this product!

As I read through this book it became clear that Clarke enjoys sharing the use of KPT with others. I experienced his enthusiasm as I read every page. This book also left me with the impression that I had just completed a full course on the use of this product. This book will inspire readers to create their own cherished works of art which may one day be featured in a book! Highly recommended!

An excellent choice for unlocking the beautiful world of Kai Having purchased KPT3 and KPT5 for Windows to beef up the capabilities of CorelPhotoPaint8 (also new to me) I found myself floundering to understand the user interface and minimal help documentation. Nick Clarkes book is an absolute god-send - not only does he demonstrate the basics, he knocks you dead with the advanced capabilities and unleashes the "secret" controls within KPT3. So well is this explained that KPT5, though not specifically covered in the book is just as easy to utilise fully.

I am a self taught designer running a new CD and flyer design business and this book is as powerful a tool as the Kai program itself . How about a follow up on KPT5 and an advanced techniques book please Nick - you get my vote?

Excellent book to teach kids woodworking. Well organized so you can just have fun with them.

NAILING DOWN A HOLIDAY PRESENT FOR THE YOUNG CARPENTER ON YOUR LIST

A family partnership has waved a magic wand over how-to books and brought out a present not only for the holiday season, but for all year long -- "The Kids' Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids & Parents to Build Together."

"We hope to share enough tips, give enough good advice, and create enough enthusiasm to allow parents and children to develop basic carpentry skills," Barbara Robertson, former director of education at the Williams College Museum of Art, said of her book.

With her husband J. Craig, an experienced carpenter, and her daughters Camille and Allegra, the family has come up with projects to help children master basic woodworking, beginning at age six with adult supervision.

"Most kids can learn to hammer at age six and our kids could use saws by age seven. Eight-year-olds can do a beautiful job with simple power tools like drills, as long as a parent is right there working with them," she said in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.

While some parents don't allow children to use tools, hoping to avoid blackened fingernails and Band-Aids, this also means that many children don't get to master the use of simple tools at a young age.

The first section of the book, "Setting up Shop: Getting to Know Your Tools," introduces beginners to basic woodworking. Robertson covers hammering to block planing, and introduces simple projects to reinforce those skills.

The second section, "Down to Business: Building Your Own Projects," offers 12 kid-friendly projects from simplest to most challenging. Burgeoning carpenters begin with string art, a project that builds nailing technique, and progress to full-size lemonade stands and puppet theaters.

The book is written in clear, precise language that is accessible to both children and adults.

Robertson's upbeat instructions are interspersed with tips addressed to parents. Robertson's daughter Camille addresses her tips to kids. There is an emphasis on safety, creativity, and experimentation.

"Everything gets nailed backward the first time. The trick is knowing how to take a nail out and start over again," Robertson says. "Mistakes are part of the learning process. Making them helps kids learn that mistakes are OK as long as you don't give up."

"The Kids' Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids and Parents to Build Together" is published by Storey Kids. It is available on amazon.com.

Robertson directed the Williams College Museum of Art's education department for more than a decade. She coordinated hands-on workshops, community outreach programs, museum tours, and installations. Under her leadership, the museum was recognized with the 2000 Distinguished Cultural Institution Award from the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education for its "instructional excellence and innovative approaches to art education."

Knoppix is an outstanding programming achievement, allowing users to boot Linux from CD/DVD without installation (WITHOUT installation?!?). Also contained in the Knoppix package is a whole slew of open source tools and other favorite goodies that any Linux programmer might want to use and learn from. Knoppix has so many tasties and fun stuff present that content wasn't the problem, instead navigating through all this had to offer was the only issue. With 'Knoppix Hacks: Tips and Tools for Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC' those days of navigating through Knoppix have come to an end. Jam packed with 120 tips and tricks of the trade, you will learn it all. From basic administration to desktop tweaks to file I/O work to playing with Windows, it's all here. If you are a Linux lover that wants to learn what Knoppix can do for you or you simply are a weekend computer warrior that wants to take it to the next level, this is a great guide, written in the classic spirit of past 'Hacks' books by O'Reilly.

***** RECOMMENDED

Like all the O'Reilly hack books, Knoppix Hacks consists of a collection of recipes for carrying out a variety of tasks. The overwhelming majority of the recipes stand on their own, so you can use them without reading the rest of the book.

The Knoppix version 5.1.1 DVD is included with the book. Since Knoppix is a live-boot DVD, arguably the premier live-boot DVD, you don't have to modify your system's hard disk in order to try out most of the ideas in the book. This makes for a great environment for experimentation and learning. You have a sandbox in RAM where you can play with new concepts and commands without messing up your hard disk.

In this reviewer's opinion, Knoppix Hacks 2nd edition is one of the very best computer books available, and belongs in the library of every technically-inclined PC owner.

Full Disclosure: The publisher, O'Reilly, gives many books to Kernel-Panic Linux Users Group for review. I am a founding member of the group and am currently serving as its treasurer. The review copy of Knoppix Hacks went to another member, and I purchased my own copy. A more complete review and errata is available on my website.

Pros:

This book is well-organized, well-written, and has both depth and breadth. It is an excellent resource for learning Linux. Although many of the recipes cover advanced topics, they are relatively easy to follow in part because they start with the system in a known state -- booted from the included Knoppix DVD.

Knoppix Hacks covers everything from familiarizing you with the KDE desktop, to mastering your own customized Knoppix DVD. Two examples: Do you want to learn the basics of Linux system administration? Read Chapter 5, "Put Knoppix in Your Toolbox". Do you want to use free software for Windows system administration -- possibly saving hundreds of dollars? Read Chapter 7, "Rescue Windows".

There are a lot more pros I could list, but you get the idea.

I found a few cons, but they are very minor:

The included version of Knoppix is not suitable for really old PCs that lack DVD drives. But, the text explains how to download and burn your on copy of the Knoppix CD version.

On the copyright page, my copy shows a printing date of November 2007 and a copyright date of 2008 -- that seems odd.

The book contains a few terms and phrases that the editor probably should have changed. In the in forward they say some "forged new ground" instead of "broke new ground". They talk of "MD5sum" rather than "md5sum", the command, or "MD5 sum", the algorithm.

Our organization distributes this booklet to all who are receiving Lean Management/Lean Green Belt training - that's 350 people so far. We find it concise enough to be handy, and detailed enough to be useful. The larger format is excellent for reviewing, although we also like the pocket version for portability. This is a fine resource for those who have had some training and need a quick reminder about the tools and concepts of lean in healthcare.

I found this larger version of The Lean Healthcare Pocket Guide very useful. The forms are easier to read with this larger format. We review the case studies with our kaizen teams to discuss similar applications to our type Lean initiatives. Case studies alone are worth the price of this book. We purchase these for all our continuous improvement team members (and they are used all of the time).