Tools Books

This book is great for teachers and students alike. Teachers will love it because it highlights a number of educational ideas for using Webkinz in the classroom. Students will be so excited to bring their Webkinz to school and actually use them in the classroom. If you're looking for educational applications for Webkinz, this is the resource for you.

Excellent resource for the elementary classroom. Many practical, easy to follow ideas. Why not take something kids love and make it a part of learning?!! Kudos to the author for a job well done!

This book is one of my favorites. It goes into the spiritual as well as the physical sides of travel. It was recommended to me by the Whole Earth Catalog and it set me off on 6 years of joyous travel with the Vagabonding mindset.

On the ideas presented here, both intellectual and practical, I have travelled the globe. It was the first book on travel I read, and it remains the best.

Review: Values-Driven Change: Strategies and Tools for Long-Term Success by Ken Hultman, Ph.D.

As a consultant in the field of organizational development and change, I look for books that are accessible and practical, yet have a solid theoretical foundation. Dr. Hultman's, volume offers a perfect balance of solid scholarship and utility.

His exposition of "values in organizations" is, to my mind, extraordinary for its clarity, precision, depth and passion. It bears the mark of a scholar who has distilled the essence of his discipline.

Both the seasoned consultant and the novice will benefit from this theoretical background in at least two ways. The most obvious benefit is that it will lead to a more informed, conscious and skillful use of the real-world tested tools and instruments, so generously supplied in this volume. Second, his explanation alerts the newcomer and reminds the veteran practitioner of the centrality of values in the conceptualization and planning of any OD process. Lest you forget, dismiss values at your peril!

Without missing a beat, the author shifts from exposition to a user-friendly "how-to" style in describing the deployment of tools and instruments. I found especially helpful his hierarchical presentation and application of these devices, according the practitioner's focus upon "personal," "team," "organizational," and "multi-level" needs and objectives. In the aggregate, the instruments reflect a comprehensive and integrated approach to values clarification and transformation.

Values Driven Change is a valuable addition to the literature on "values in organizations." It is an excellent text for undergraduate and graduate students in various disciplines and a welcome addition to the consultant's library where it will be found at the desk in use, rather than on the shelf.

"As every Human Resources professional is well-aware the alignment of an organizations policies, procedures, systems and structures with business strategy is critical but not sufficient. Ken Hultman provides tools, techniques and methods for addressing the alignment of values.

Consultants, HR professionals, and managers will find practical approaches for discussions grounded in reality and directly relevant to work of individuals, groups, teams, and the entire organization. Additionally, Ken has identified the myriad of values-based issues that impede organizational change and offers clear and cogent tools for recognizing and embracing the resistance."

Leslie Yandle, SPHR

I'm in a class that uses this book as the text. I am very impressed with the step-by-step instruction. The text doesn't assume anything and yet, it doesn't insult my intelligence.

Very well-written, easy to follow, and confidence inspiring.

Well done, Mr. Mostafavi!

This is an introductory book on programming in Visual Basic 2005. However it does presume that you have programmed before on some kind of system. It doesn't matter which language, but the basic concept of writing commands, logic, and so on should be familiar to the reader. To be sure, he does give a bit of instruction into basic programming principles, but it is pretty basic.

Next he goes into a description of Visual Studio which is used to program in several Microsoft languages. Then on to writing programs. He leads you through the writing of a pretty basic program. While basic in nature this program covers a lot of the principles of programming. By the end of the chapter, you've put a small window on your screen.

Throughout the book he uses a series of extentions to the little program, and by the end of the book you should have a pretty good understanding of the language.

Of the many recent books on wavelets, this one by Jaffard, Meyer et al stands out. This is a new edition of earlier ones, starting with a French one, then a first translation, and now this expanded version. There is lots of new material, covering new developments, both with regards to theory and applications. The authors communicate the main points in a clear and attractive way, and it stresses lucid presentation of ideas over formulas. And with an infectious enthusiasm! The presentation is especially refreshing, in that the authors do not hide behind excessive technicalities and mathematical jargon. It is the central idea that shines through. And yet the mathematically sophisticated reader is paid his dues,-- in some cases via the appendices. At that point, the technical mathematical points have been well motivated. The emphasis of the book is the mathematics behind the many algorithms that emerged from the wavelet trends since the 1980ties. And lots of new stuff added (for example JPEG-2000), right up to the present. The book is rich in applications, many of which are not found elsewhere. The inclusion of motivation and historical remarks is welcome, and makes the book enjoyable reading.

Although this book emphasis is on algorithms and applications, the general presentation of wavelets for signal processing is great. The introduction to the subject is really excellent and great care has been given to explaining the use of wavelets for applications in signal processing. On the other side i found the last chapters dealing with applications a little too light for being useful...

Anyway, a great book for "wavelets and applications in signal processing"...(also go to "Time-Frequency Time-scale analysis" by Patrick Flandrin which is wonderful).

Este libro en especial me ha ayudado mucho en el desarrollo de sitios con PERL, JavaScript, VBScript y HTML ... y se ha ido actualizando con el tiempo, NO ES OBSOLETO !!! --- This is a great reference book to programmers, what help me in web sites development, it is not obsolete !!!

While the Java portion assumes the reader is using the Sun JDK and the HTML is version 3, this book offers 6 of the most popular web related programming topics in one, easy to read manual. The greatest aspect of this book is that it is a reference manual, and as such all entries are alphabetical within their respective area. Having been a bookseller, I can honestly say that this is the best web reference manual I have seen.

If you are interested in producing web comics, or if you already do, but want to see how others are doing it, this book will be an excellent resource for you. This all-color book includes a lot of great comics as well, so it's a fun, informative and entertaining read.

The book covers quite a few topics in surprising detail, including:

- Tools and Workspaces
- Internet Accessibility
- Scanning
- Resolution
- Preparing files for web and print
- Coloring & Lettering
- Web file types
- Web Domains
- Hosting your own comic or using a shared hosting site
- Interactive & Experimental Techniques
- Applications for producing comics
- Legal considerations
- The business of web comics
- More...

The book also provides interviews with many different web comics artists who were kind enough to walk us through their process for creating a web comic. These artists discuss the creative process, the tools they use, and what steps they take to produce their work. This is a fascinating and extremely useful look at process/logistical considerations aspiring artists may have, and demonstrates beautifully a range of styles and techniques - not just in the art, but in the creative process itself.

Finally, from a business perspective, how do you make money from your work? This book answers that question to the extent it can be answered, and points to several different models for making money (e.g. advertising revenue, subscription fees, micropayments) and points out the pros and cons of each system.

If you want to produce web comics, this book will arm you with a great deal of practical knowledge and "insider" information, and will inspire you to start drawing!

"Webcomics: Tools and Techniques for Digital Cartooning" will introduce you to some well known online comics and show you in detail how the comic artists go about creating their comic and make it available via the web. From writing a script, sketching, inking, scanning, graphics programs (photoshop, poser, illustrator), optimizing graphics, websites, copyrights, it takes a look at everything. Great examples that will help you custom tailor your own production method.

It also includes a page of links pointing you toward additional resources. If you are thinking about creating your own online comic, or just want to know how your favorite artists go about it - then this is the book!

I am SO glad I found this little treasure. Our church worked hard to be a welcoming place for guests, visitors, folks looking for a spiritual home...but we had no growth. We are not a "pushy" congregation, but we had to ask ourselves, 'Were we really reaching-out to potential New Members?' Andrew Week's book was perfect -- relaxed, warm, funny and full of practical, common-sense advice for how to make new people feel "Special" when they visit our church...without feeling we are being too aggressive or intrusive. Our vestry has been able to unify and clarify our Welcoming Policies and we now have new members that I am sure, without the help of this guidebook, would have just "wandered off" after one visit without really giving us a chance. THANK YOU, MR. WEEKS!

A very practical volume to help church leaders think about the "welcoming quotient" of their church. Topics include: how the building looks; the church sign; advertising; the appearance and content of church publications; development of a ministry of greeting (in the parking lot, at the door, in the pew, during worship, during other gatherings, etc.); crafting response cards and other welcoming materials (church "propaganda"); tracking and involving new members; structuring small groups for growth; surveys. All in all, a very comprehensive, practical, doable, measurable method for enhancing the hospitality of the church. Highly recommended.

A wonderful way to keep track of everyday thoughts and feelings. In notebook format,you can even insert your own special additions. I have found this journal extremely effective in my journal keeping and would recommend it to anyone searching for that "perfect" journal.

This book is for older women who need to "find themselves" all over again and use as a tool to journal thier thoughts. As a woman in her 20's I still found it to be most helpfull in conjunction with my regualar Franklyn and Palm pilot as a way to organize my thoughts and goals through journal writting. It's a great gift for a woman of any age!

Does the solution to fixing Islam's current problems lie within the Quran itself? "A Worthy Muslim: Quranic Tools Needed to Overcome Oppression and Imperialism in Order to Institute Justice" is a treatise written by author Amir Makin, preaching that the solutions to the problems that the Muslim world experiences can be repaired - if Muslims would only look more closely at what the Quran truly states. With other controversial viewpoints, such as the potential claim that Islam is not in fact a religion, "A Worthy Muslim: Quranic Tools Needed to Overcome Oppression and Imperialism in Order to Institute Justice" is highly thought-provoking and recommended for community library Islamic studies collections as well as for any student of Islam looking for fresh insights.

Knowing how to apply knowledge correctly is called wisdom.

To me, that is one of the best lines in this book. I am not Muslim, yet that fact was no hindrance in following this thought provoking book.

Being African American and female, my knowledge of Islam was mostly gleaned from news stories and sound bites from or about Louis Farrakhan and bin Laden. Although I knew, logically, that I was not getting the whole picture, I was not interested enough to investigate further.

That's why I'm so thankful for this book. The author explains the tenets of Islam and gives VERIFIABLE historic evidence to prove his points. He uses clear examples to state that true Islam does not tolerate prejudice or self grandiosness. He explains how greed and selfishness lead to oppression and injustice and how learning and applying Islamic principles could eliminate society's ills. And you don't have to be Muslim to understand, appreciate, or apply some of these principles.

Reading this book exposed me to just how much I DIDN'T know about Islam.
Thanks to the author for the word list with definitions. I never lost my train of thought looking up an unfamiliar word.

I found this to be a helpful guide to Muslim culture. It left me with lingering thoughts and some questions: Would a Muslim state or gov't as defined by the author be tolerant and accepting of other religions? What to do with leaders/citizens whose Islamic practices are different?