Test Equipment Books

If you are getting ready to take your ASCP exam this is a must. I reviewed each section in one week. The amount of information that these cards contain is HUGE, everything you'll need to pass it. But still study the ASCP book.

I used these cards for studying for my MLT, ASCP boards and loved the easy outline form and basic important info for each subject. I would give it 5 stars if it came with it's own binder or at least punch holes. I bought a large coupon book holder for it and separated the departments/chapters. These are pretty large review cards and do not fit into a large 6"x4" index card holder.

I liked the review cards. Of course they aren't your typical flash cards, that would have been nice, but they do contain a lot of useful information. I am taking my ASCP certification next month, and have mainly been studying these cards. Most of everything that I studied in class is contained in these cards. I suggest breaking them up into categories and then keeping them together that way. It doesn't seem like so much when you do that. Overall, they are very helpful and I recommend getting them to help study for you registry exam. I guess I'll find out how useful after I take mine.

not bad for a run of the mill review of info... good for when I am tired of looking at my notes/books... worth it I think.

I was so surprised when I got the package... I was expected quick and easy ways to remember the material, but what I got was a book cut in half. Yes, it has the information I need, but I just thought it would be a whole LOT smaller....

I like the overall layout, discussing various topics relating to digital photography. Have only read 1/2 the book and have already learned a lot, found new things to try, and new "accessories" I want/need to buy. :-)

As others have noted he does have some errors, some so obvious you wonder how they weren't caught, but then I've found errors in virtually every book I've ever read so I don't fault him too much for that.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking to understand more about how digital photography works, how to use their camera, memory, computer, etc. as an entire system to take, edit, store, and print photos.

Good Digital Camera with all your camera questions answered for boath digital and 35 mm also.

An excerllant book, a little cver my head in a couple of places, but in all, very useful,excellant book................

So far I'm finding this book helpful. I've only used point and shoot cameras so far and I just purchased my first DSLR and have no experience with SLRs to begin with. I needed a book that DIDN'T assume previous photography (not snapshot) experience. This is it. I foudn the explanations helpful and am not worried about any technical errors mentioned in the previous reviews. Once I'm ready for more srious picture taking, I'll find other sources to make up for any of the mistakes there may be in this book. All in all I think this is a good beginner basics book that covers quite a bit of material.

How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera, Fourth Edition( 2005)will change every beginner into an effective digital camera user. 424 pages divided into 4 parts : part I on Your Camera from pages 1 to 170 covers the history of digital camera and then goes into the process of shooting a photo( exposure, composition,etc); part II from page 171 to 234 covers the act of Transferring Images to the Computer( file formats, organizing); part III from pages 235 to 370 goes into Editing Images and finally part IV talks about Using Your Images from page 371 to page 428.

So, about 40% of the text is devoted to the process of shooting a photo and about 31% to Editing. A good proportion to my mind.

There is a Detailed table of contents per chapter that takes a little more than 6 pages and an 8-page Index for zeroing quickly on a particular piece of information.

At the center of the book , there are 8 pages of color photos to explain corresponding techniques. Almost every page is illustrated with black and white photos to show as well as explain a technique.

To illustrate the clarity of the language used , here is a sample :
" what the heck is a 9.3mm lens ? If this digital camera were a 35mm camera its 9.3mm lens would give you the same picture as a 50mm camera, for instance.Many photographers know that 20-35mm is considered wide angle, while 50-90mm is thought to be "normal" - great for portraits, for instance. " Pages 10 and 11.

In the Introduction , the author invites readers to write and send him questions and comments at his indicated e-mail address; he also mentions his website.

A great book for Digital Photography beginners !

This book is essentially a book on layer styles. 90% of the lessons are BASED almost entirely on slapping on a layer style. Rarely does the author show you how to make a style, most of the time you are instructed to use a default, or worse use one from the CD-ROM -this isn't learning!!

The book is well formatted and look's good on a coffee table. The cover is nice, the layout is nice. But they book's content is very shallow. The first 4-5 lessons were pretty good in my opinion but after that the book became very redundant. Every lesson starts with applying a style to slightly different shape, and ends with creating a SLIGHTLY different gif animation in Image Ready. Any half intelligent human would only need 1/4 of this examples. Do you really need someone to show you how to animate a blue sailboat across the screen, then follow that up with how to animate a green sailboat, then a yellow one. Hey Mr. Foster what happens if I'm ever am confronted with a purple sailboat, I won't know what to do?! There was no sailboat lesson really, but my point is the book teaches the same concepts over and over and over. 15 of the 21 lessons are slight variations of the exact same concept.

The quality of the end result in most cases is also fairly low. Gif animations are ugly and annoying enough usually, but if you use the authors examples... well, please don't. Examples include, the old text 'Sale' in an exploding star shape animated to fly at the viewer; animations of text dripping and twisting and bending and twirling (all different lessons of course), and looping over and over again.

There seem to be 2 types of Photoshop users, those who want to press a button and be immediately sastisfied with an instant 'magic' result, and those who want to understand how the program really works. I would like to think that users with experience (which is this book's target) would not fall into the instant result category, but based on the number of 5 star reviews of this book, this is not the case. I suspect some of these reviewers haven't finished the book, I liked the book when I was on chapter 4.

The book should be really be called 'PS 6 Style Application Gimmicktry'. This is not a 5 star book. There are so many great photoshop books available that it would be best to get another one with more insight and less gimmicks. Generally the magic books are a good series, but this one's an exception.

I am teaching a high school course in web programming. The course will cover HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and web graphics. The ideal book on Photoshop for this class would: 1. be focused on Web graphics (Photoshop is not just a web tool, and other books spend a lot of time on other aspects). 2. be clear, with bite-sized examples and step by step instructions 3. include as topics creating background graphics, animation, and image map rollovers 4. be inexpensive Well, three out of four is not bad. Photoshop 6 Web Magic is too expensive to require students to buy it. Otherwise, it is what I was looking for. The price of the book probably is due to the high cost of color reproduction. If your idea of a book is large quantities of verbiage, then you will feel very cheated here. But for my needs, less is more. I can use the examples in this book to give students a sense of accomplishment. This should be better for them than a comprehensive treatise that is less accessible. Should you buy this book? My guess is that you will like it more to the extent that: --you prefer learning from examples to learning from theory --you prefer a book that is organized around particular problems or projects to one that is organized around the features of the software --you really want to focus on the Web aspects of Photoshop 6.0 I fit that profile, and I am pleased with the book.

I picked up this title for a song - probably because it's old. But if I had to pay full retail it would still be worth every penny! I can't believe how easy it is to create these animations in Foster's book. I'm already making cool buttons and graphics for my web site based on the examples in this book. I suggest you get a copy and learn these easy animations and tricks taught in this great book. NOW!!

I wish to tell you that I have been using Photoshop 5.5 for a long time now and just updated to Photoshop 6. I was so lost! I love the three dimension styles that it has and this book shows me very well. I also love the many animations and even more information about making the web graphics. If you have just updated to Photoshop 6.0 and need to understand the features and tools, then I recommend this book to you! (Sorry for my bad English!) ~ Sinclaire

Building on the success of Photoshop Web Magic, Jeff Foster opens the horizon to creating more interesting web pages through the use of integrated graphic programming in Photoshop 6 Web Magic. Each project is 3 to 10 pages in length and designed in a two-column format with step-by-step instructions on the left and corresponding graphics (or code) on the right. In addition, sidebars are used to provide additional tips and tricks. Any effect, technique, or tip can easily be customized to fit a your own design needs. Photoshop 6 Web Magic is ideal for anyone new to Photoshop and wanting to employ terrific ideas and graphics to their personal or professional website. 1 CD-ROM, 336 pp.

I failed the csa on my first attempt. I took this exam easily. I took on 2001. I wanted to let those people (ECFMG) who think that it's "mainly an interpersonal skills test" know that that idea is complete? I was born and raised in Texas; I have absolutely no problem with communication skills or English. According to my score report I failed because of my patient note. So don't take this exam lightly because it's not worth failing. Then I put more attention to prepare for it....I been forced to buy a book!!!! Which book I say ??? I went to my local medical library and I found this book. Now I passed and I new where I failed on my first attempted. Yes, finally I pass and I am feel very happy, If you want pass the CSA exam my advice is take a look this book.

I recommend this book highly, specially if English is not your native language. This book will teach you how to make a medical note as you need in the CSA exam. Furthermore is a short a concise review.

I posted this message in other webs because I consider pertinent to do it and I like to share with everybody my happiness. I passed the CSA exam in my first attempt. English is my second language and I no had previous United States clinical experience. I am so happy with this book. I just get the results and I passed!!!!. I just read the NMS book. This book has an excellent coverage for the CSA. Many people think in the CSA exam as the USMLE boards and they try to memorize many things in mind. You need to have a different method for this certification test. The NMS gives you a good approach for the exam; there are many tips how to deal with the patients and it has a good review for patient maneuvering. Furthermore gives you many examples of how to compose medical notes as a real scenarios (this is specially helpful if English is not your mother tongue). I am so happy because I pass this expensive exam and I didn't expend extra money in one-day costly courses in Philadelphia. My advices are; get the NMS, study it with time (one month is enough), on the exam's day, relax, relax and relax !!! Do not attempt to approach the patient tying to complete a checklist or objectives, just do a clinical exam in realistic manner a focused but in the same time complete, for example; if you have a patient with impotence, talk with him, ask for medications, social factors à Etoh abuse?, etc, an do a quick general exam, examine his heart, lungs and abdomen. I had one case of tension headache, one of impotence, one stroke an so on. Many of the cases had been covered in this book some not. In summary perform a medical exam to all patients, even psych or other patients, do not perform a detailed extensive maneuvering, just one time if you consider pertinent, do not repeat painful maneuver, always explain the patient what are your tentative diagnosis and possible therapeutic / work up plan. Finally I can say that I am going to be ECFMG certified.

The book discusses everything that is needed when you are taking the CSA. It gives you pointers on communication skills, it teaches you how to do a systematic physical examination and how to write a clear, concise patient's note (the latter being the most important component of the exam). The discussions are very extensive and the author will clearly say the things needed and not needed for the CSA.
This book definitely helped me passed the CSA.

Though NMS publishes OK books for USMLE, this one just barely makes it. It does not have all the information one would need for CSA. Coverage is inconsistent, either some topics are covered elaboratley or just ignored. Though it says CSA book, wonder if author ever took CSA, as there are not many tips or information relevant to the exam. It is more like a physical examintion ( sketchy though ) book. Not tailored for CSA, not at all. It wont be enough to read this book only for CSA.

I purchased 8 books on photography after I completed a photography course.
This book was one of them. It covers many of the things I already learned in my course but gave some specific f-stops that my course instructor never told us.
My teacher felt we would learn more by taking the shots ourselves.
I disagreed.
I felt this book gave practical advice on how to set your f-stop to achieve the desired photo.
It is a book for the beginner and easily read.
There are lots of photos but I would have liked them to be a bit larger.
For anyone who did not take a photo course or has not figured out how to play around with your f-stops to get the desired shot, this is a handy book to read.
It also briefly touches upon diffusing the flash, exposure settings and other topics every photographer needs to know about, but in a general way.
Definitely not the book for intermediate or advanced photographers, but recommended for the beginner.

This book is great for starters in digital (or even film) photography. If you don't quite understand what all the settings in your digital camera are or used for, this book will open your eyes and will have you using all different settings really soon.
The book is very easy to read and explains a lot with pictures to show you the results.
Also, this books talks about lightining, how to take better photos of people, how to adjust the settings to take inside and outside photos. It gives plenty of neat tricks for you to try out with your camera without having to buy extra equipment.
Although if you really want to spend some money, this book also talks about good equipment, like lenses, light bouncers, and more.

This book is written in simple lucid language, with good clear pictures makes it perfect for beginners and 'getting semi serious' photographers,
my pictures have become much better as result of the knowledge out of this book plus i have a better eye on photography on the whole, in the past had never put a thought on clicking a button on the camera..no complains

As a semi-professional photographer I am often asked for camera and photography advice which I gladly provide. What I am more at a loss for is what you get is the best resource for someone trying to learn a little bit more of their own. This book is a great solution, for which I am keeping a copy around simply to loan out to those in this situation.

40 Digital Photography Technique is designed for the beginner and maturing intermediate photographer and does an excellent job covering everything from the basics of how to use your camera, to composition, how to shoot in various lighting situations, macro photography and much more. Though it does not go into great depth in any one of these subject areas, it is a great overview and touches on a lot of areas that new photographers may not think of. It attempts to be a beginner's guide and provide ideas and how to use on a wide variety of areas pertaining to photography, and it does a great job.

I highly recommend this title to anyone who has picked up a new digital camera or may have one laying around that they have not gotten as much use of as they thought they might have won about it. Your camera along with this book may become a new hobby and passion that you never knew you had within you.

This book teaches the principles of digital photography--the quirks, the problems, the peculiarities, and how to work with these to get the most out of your camera. Most of the other books on the market spend one chapter on these fundamentals and then spend the next 400 pages discussing the functions of expensive, prosumer DSLR's like the Canon Rebel or Nikon D50/70, and post-processing on the computer. This is great if you have a DSLR and are looking to do a lot of post-processing.

However, if you have a consumer level point-and-shoot camera like the Canon Elph, Nikon Coolpix, Kodak Easyshare or Sony Cybershot, this extra material won't apply to your camera because it doesn't have these advanced manual controls. What this book does for the P&S user is teach you why some of your photos are coming out blurry, overexposed or dark. How to frame an exciting picture. How to use the flash to improve some pictures, and when the flash isn't appropriate. How to use the manual controls that are included on these cameras and how these controls can help you succeed in taking better pictures.

I was expecting a lot more of this book. It's probably a good book for a business person to understand technical infrastructure but for those already in IT, it is more of a review. For example, chapter 6 talks about DSL, VOIP, and how cellular networks work. For people in the technical field the level that this book goes into is pretty much known but for those in non technical areas or just getting in technology then its a good book.

Main issue I have is the price. For the price I think the book is very much lacking the level of technical review that is required to fully understand data networks. If you want to really understand networking, pick up a Cisco book for a lot less. To me this book should be no more than fifty dollars.

This book started my career in IT, as a University course. This book is straightforward with diagrams all throughout. Some people may just not have like learning the material to not like the book itself, but it will show you everything you need to know to get a good Basis, foundation, in Networking (Not certifications, etc). I'm using other books/materials for my cert prep.

This book is great, it starts from the beginning of the networking age and goes through all the newest technologies and ideas about networking. Covers the business aspects of networking, wireless, how TCP/IP works and pretty muct the 802 standars. Book covers everything, this is one book I won't be selling back. A really good reference book for the basics of networking and rules to follow as well when getting into the networking field.

I've recently completed a course using this textbook. Excellent!!! It has been a long time (if ever) since I have actually enjoyed reading a textbook. I feel it should be mandatory reading for all authors and potential authors who will ever feel the need to publish a textbook for undergraduate level work in a technical field.

Most of the many corrections on the online corrections page are minor and insignificant (i.e. typos) and would probably go unnoticed by the reader. With press deadlines in technologies being what they are, it is fully understandable. The choice to include those corrections (a) gave me a sense of security in that it demonstrated the author's thoroughness and (b) proves that you don't have to cut a new edition of your work every six months (which can be quite annoying for anyone who is looking to get a specific edition for class).

I was pretty much convinced that it was impossible to design and publish a textbook in a technical field of a caliber such as this. In general, technical authors either confuse the reader by over complicating the layout and material or they put the reader to sleep by being overly shallow and overly redundant. This is not the case for this book. In the words of Goldilocks, this one is "just right". I strongly recommend it to anyone, whether they have a class requirement for it or not.

This book is awful. The revisions to it are updated, but to follow the book in order is nearly impossible. This is a text book being used at a college. The information in this book is scattered and makes learning the concepts difficult. I do not recommend this book for use at colleges/universities. There has to be another book out there that allows users to learn the concepts and terminology in an easier fashion.

As the owner of PAST TINTS, a photo tinting resource website, I enthusiastically recommend and endorse James McKinnis' book. It remains my favorite photo tinting guide and I have benefitted greatly from the hundreds of suggestions within. Whether you are a beginning hand colorist, or an expert, you will find lots of helpful, interesting information in "Handcoloring Photographs".

I'm usually very "kind" in my reviews, but when I received this book, I really felt like I had been "taken". This book, although it has a lot of "pretty pictures", has little, if any information on handcoloring photographs. If your objective is to learn this art, look elsewhere. I'm returning this book and buying the other book in this section.

This is a great book on handcoloring. THe author gives good explanations of the process of handcoloring using mostly oils. He tells you what works for him and shows many photos of his work that will inspire you to want to creat your own. Also included are the works of many other artists for one to enjoy the many different ways that people approach handcoloring. Very useful tips that i didnt find in other books and was glad to know. I think once one has the information the next step is to just try it and develop your own style.

I just took a class on using the very easy spotpen system. I purchased this book yesterday and am ready to try almost all of the author examples of different types of hand coloring. She explains everything so beautifully and the pictures in the book are great. I'm not a very artistic person but I think I can do what she explains in every lesson.

"Handcoloring Photographs" concentrates on coloring with Marshall's Photo Oils combined with colored pencils. Author James McKinnis is a professional handcolorist with many commercial clients and uses primarily those materials. This book does not provide as much detailed instruction on how to apply color as some other books on the subject. It does, however, include some useful tips not found in other books. Unfortunately, there is no one book that contains all of the pertinent information on handcoloring. "Handcoloring Photographs" is divided into two parts: Part One includes instructional chapters on "Basic Supplies and Procedures". Part Two, "A Gallery of Twenty Handcolorists' Work", is where the book really excels. The works of a wide variety of fine art handcolorists are featured with short essays about the artists' subject and techniques. These artists use a wider selection of media than are discussed in Part One, including photo retouching dyes, watercolors, pencils, gum-bichromate prints, Polaroid image transfers, and infrared film. There is some really spectacular work in this Gallery. It may be worth purchasing the book just for the ideas and inspiration in Part Two.

If you are looking for instruction on handcoloring, these are the contents of Part One: The first chapter, "The Photographic Print", discusses photographic papers that are suitable for handcoloring. Specific fiber-based and resin-coated papers are recommended. The second chapter, "Materials and the Workplace", talks about photo oils, pencils, and materials for applying and removing color. There is a brief discussion of coloring with retouching dyes, but McKinnis admits to having little experience with the medium. The third chapter breaks "Basic Handcoloring Techniques" into three steps: The Wash, Detailing, and Fine-tuning. It takes us through these steps, using one photograph as an example. There is no information on mixing pigments in this chapter. The forth chapter, "Ways to Approach Various Subjects" offers advice for coloring photographs of people, outdoor scenes, and still lifes. The section on people includes some specific suggestions for how to create correct skin tones, but oddly doesn't give advise on how exactly to mix the oils. The fifth chapter, "Special Handcoloring Techniques", discusses "minimal color" and "ultracolor" techniques. Minimal color involves reducing color intensity with Marshall's Extender, and Ultracolor employs Marshall's Extra-strong colored photo oils for a more opaque appearance.

The sixth chapter, "Photographic Handpainting" addresses a topic that I have not seen covered in other handcoloring books. Although I often see the terms used interchangeably, author James McKinnis makes a clear distinction between "handcoloring" and "handpainting" a photograph. "Handcoloring" uses media that are to some degree transparent, so we see the photograph that has been tinted. McKinnis uses the term "handpainting" to mean that parts of the photograph "are obscured by opaque layers of paint", so that we cannot see the photograph underneath. McKinnis finds handpainting best suited to sports photographs and provides quite a few examples. He handpaints with photo oils, applied without rubbing, and artists' oils.

In the Appendix, the author gives us his predictions for the future of handcoloring, which he believes has great commercial potential in the fields of portraiture, boudoir, fashion, photo restoration, advertising, and, of course, fine art photography. There is no list of suppliers. I don't think "Handcoloring Photographs" is the best handcoloring book for a beginner looking for step-by-step instruction, although it makes some valuable contributions in that area. The "Gallery of Twenty Handcolorists' Work" exhibits some fantastic examples of handcoloring in a variety of media, however, and would be an inspiration to handcolorists of all levels and experience. The twenty artists featured really demonstrate this art form's potential.

The New York Daily News was always the largest circulation tabloid in America and as Pete Hamill says in his excellent twenty page essay `The Daily News was possessed of a quality derived from the city itself: energy. The tone was brash, sarcastic, irreverent.' All successful tabloid papers have two things in common, the headlines and the photos and this beautifuuly produced book has hundreds of the latter.

To get great photos the paper had always invested in its photo department, which by the fifties had two planes, ten radio cars, a brigade of motorcycle couriers and a staff of sixty-three to insure no story was missed. This book shows the benefits of this investment. Eight chapters are devoted to a photo record of the decades from the twenties thru the nineties and as the News was a tabloid, the rough and tumble of daily is revealed, politicians, celebrities, sport, crime (some of these predictably stark) the everyday and when appropriate, the weather. Each photo has very detailed captions and thankfully, the photographer's name.

Shawn O'Sullivan, who works on the paper, writes in a short essay titled `Photography at the Daily News' `In making this book, we sought to show the images in all of their original beauty, as the photographer originally witnessed the scene....' I think this was a mistake, newspaper photographers don't know how a photo is going to be used on the page and they try to take plenty of shots, so that Photo Editors will have lots of choice. I have a book published in 1979 celebrating fifty years of the News and it has many of the same photos as this latest book but in the earlier book the photos are handled in a much tighter way and sensibly trimmed to get the best from the image.

Apart from some of the photo trimming I enjoyed New York Exposed, a photographic book that captures the dailiness of New York life. If you lived in the city it will be a stimulating reminder of the last eighty years.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

a compilation of photos from the daily news photographers
incredible collection here. my only disappoitment, which is a slight one, is that the 90's section does not seem to have the same feel as the other decades do

New York Exposed is photographic journey down memory lane.
I won this book about a month ago and was so taken by the photography and the history of the photos that I have since purchased it as a gift for my Dad. The book consists of photos of NYC from 1919 until the year 2000. Each photograph includes a descriptive caption.
The skyline changed so many times throughout the time span that the book takes us through, although there are no photos of that dreaded day in September.
From air disasters to a traffic accident circa the early 1930's, from J. Edgar Hoover in a Mickey Mouse mask at the Stork Club in the 30's to the Yankee's World Series win in 1999. New York Exposed is a wonderful book for those of us who grew up in the greatest city in the world.
A reminder of the way we were..

I lived in Upstate New York for most of my life. Several years ago my wife and I decided to relocate to Arizona. After September 11th, 2001 I like so many other Americans watched what unfolded before our eyes. Most of my family lives in the North East. I heard about this book on TV and was interested. I thought this would be a great book for my father.

When this book first arrived, we only had to skim over it to see it was trash. Yes, this book is an honest picture of the madness that is present in many large cities, but we were outraged by the contents: Graphic pictures of accidents, murders, shootings, Prostitution, etc. I thought this would be a book about the good in New York.

Normally when I get a book I do not care for I would donate it to the library, but in this case I am going to return it. My first choise was to burn it. Thank God my parents did not read any of this book. I am disappointed in the day time national television station that promoted this book on the air.

...end....

As the grandson of NY Daily News photographer Charles Hoff, this book offered much insight in to family (as well as New York) history. Only a hint at the tremendous photographic contribution of the NYDN can be addressed in one book, even in a volume this large. Still, it reveals fascinating insight in to the last eighty years of New York visual history through stunningly beautiful photographs. The quality is only enhanced by the fact that the book was published just prior to the tragic events of September, 2001 -- the book closes with a wonderfful photograph of the World Trade Center, as well as text by Shawn O'Sullivan that in retrospect is perfectly appropriate -- that the picture press remains vigilant in a constantly changing city.

This is the best book i've ever read on boiler. This book has been a great reference for me to pass my Steam Engineer examination. I passed the exam by only reading this book and without attending any course. Easy to understand and Kohan answers most common asked question in boiler exams and common doubt among boiler engineers. This book actually answared 90% of the questions that i have doubt in.
thank you kohan !

This book is an excellent learning tool for new boiler/plant operators. It gives a basic understanding of most aspects of Plant operation. Unfortunately, the generalized nature of the book doesn't lend itself to answer specific questions an inexperienced yet knowledgeable person might have. My point is, this book can give you an overview of everything you need to learn about operating a steam plant, but it won't be enough to prepare you for a tough licensing exam. As a guide and a place to start, this book is excellent and a must read for people wishing to enter the world of stationary engineering. Just remember you'll need more when you're done with this one.

I am currently studying for a New Zealand Boiler Attendants National Certifificate level 2 (for operating boilers up to 6MW)and have been operating for over 2 years. I wish I'd had this book before I sent my last 2 assignments in. I would thoroughly recommend this book for any operator.
Only negative I have is the lack of metric units, but that does'nt detract from the usefullnes of this book.

This book provides a good basic understanding of boiler operations on a wide variety of boilers. It is geared towards the novice operator or for as a learning guide. The depth is somewhat limited and is not supported by any theory. The author describes the overall process but does not get into optimizing the boiler, which every operator should do.

This reading is not meant to be entertaining or for light reading, but a study guide for the operator...

This book is grate in showing someone the basics when it comes to test equipment and how they work. Some of the projects in this book like the o-scope have a lot to be desired. An o-scope w/ a LED display is not my cup of tea, now a LCD display would be cool. This book is grate for building knowledge, but the quality of some test equipment makes it not worth building.

I originally bought this book about 5 years ago and subsequently lost it. I recently found a discounted copy, and snached it up right quick. This book is probably one of the most helpful pieces of text for the electronics hobbyist ever written. It will lower your lead time on almost any project, and will save your multimeter from too much adapter abuse. The projects are diverse, and each one has a multitude of uses. I bought this book primarily for the "Frequency Counter" project. And here's where this book gets four stars instead of five: Mr. Bergquist must have been sponsored by Harris/Intersil when he wrote this book, as you'll see by the unnaturally high percentage of their chips/semi's in every single project. In particular, the aforementioned Frequency Counter utilized a ICM7216DIPI, which is no longer made by Harris/Intersil or anyone else for that matter. However, I was able to locate a set of these chips in an Indonesian chip bank at about $30 US each with shipping. The same problem was encountered with other specific H/I chips throughout the book. (ICL7107 in stock trim, ICM7217IJI in particular)
If it wasn't for the relative scarcity of the project IC's, this would be a hands down "everyone buy this" type of elextronics book. Perhaps it could be rewritten with modern chips or some NTE replacement part number lists?

UPDATE (9/2008): I have found an inexpensive (and no minimum order) source for both the ICL7106 and the ICL7107!!! Contact me if you are interested.

This is a truly informative book that helped me not only build several interesting , and useful pieces of test equipement, but also helped me understand the entire field of electronics better. I also like the author's style of writing.