Systems Books


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Systems Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Systems
Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: With Applications to Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Engineering
Published in Paperback by Westview Press (2001-01-15)
Author: Steven H. Strogatz
List price: $55.00
New price: $40.50
Used price: $44.40

Average review score:

wonderful book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-08
As a physicist I rely on this book a great deal. It is written in an accessible informal style without sacrificing rigor. Many ideas are motivated and first developed using cute example systems, before the more general result is stated. Strogatz's deep familiarity with applications within physics, chemistry and biology is a real plus. Most of all, the book is fun to read and the author conveys a sense of enthusiasm for the subject.

Great book for beginners
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-13
Nonlinear dynamics and chaos is an excellent introductory book. It explains this complex looking subject in very simple and intuitive fashion. I recommend this book anyone who are interested in chaos/nonlinear dynamics. It even doubles as a fun book!

Superb book.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-15
This book provides an exceptional introduction to nonlinear dynamics. Math books are often trapped in equating rigor with formalisms and in compromising intuition to generalities. Strogatz book provides an exemplary guideline how both intuition and rigor may be served to transform a difficult topic into fun reading and highly applicable set of ideas. Here are the key elements of what you will find in this book.

A. The book builds up intuitive understanding of the key ideas of the field
from simple one dimensional dynamics to complex multi-dimensional behaviors.
B. Each chapter contains fascinating applications -- from fireflies synchronization and josephson junction to population dynamics and chaotic laser behaviors-- which are
fun to read and useful if you need to apply dynamics to solve research problems.
C. There are ample exercises and solutions to render this ideal book for self-learners. It provides a relatively broad coverage of the key ideas of the field, without taxing the reader with far corners of little interest.



Great for an introduction but not for digging in for details
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-05
I think this is one of the best books for understanding the Phase Spaces and Bifurcations. It is really easy to follow and understand, even for people without background on nonlinear subjects. Yet, it is not the right book for engineers to read and start to solve their own detailed problems. People who seeks for a book to get into the subject or who wants to have a nice reference; BUY THIS BOOK. By the way, its price is reasonable.

Shockingly Readable
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-04
I bought this book as a textbook for a class, and I have to say that it is a surprisingly readable math book. The class only used the first few chapters, but I find myself flipping through the rest of the book and trying to understand more advanced material. This is a good book for a scientist who needs to learn linear and nonlinear dynamics but is a little intimidated.

Keep in mind, this is a math book, and no writer can turn math into something it isn't. Still, the writer gives lots of relevant examples (especially in the problems--the only complaint I have is that the solutions in the back don't give any explanation, and these solutions are a bit sparse), and milks as much storytelling out of the subject matter as is possible. I thoroughly recommend it--it brings out the closet math geek in everyone!

Systems
Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide
Published in Paperback by Tarcher (2008-06-19)
Author: Pamela Miles
List price: $16.95
New price: $9.62
Used price: $9.68

Average review score:

REIKI: Clearly Comprehensive
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-20
I have recommended, to all my Reiki students, that they read and study Pamela Miles' excellent book! (I have included myself :-)

I own more than 80 Reiki books (e.g., Haberly, Petter, Gray, Rand, etc.) --but I regard this Reiki book, highly--amongst the "top 3". (The others: Bronwen & Frans Stiene: Reiki Sourcebook and Japanese Art of Reiki.)

Pamela Miles is a "purist" and I value her book because of its' honest, integrous and insightfull approach to Reiki!

With this outstanding reference work, everyone in the Reiki community has benefitted!

Pamela, I have you to thank (I mean this most sincerely) for my re-connection with SELF-Reiki! And, it has extended to my Reiki students, also!

my favorite reiki book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-22
I am a reiki teacher/master and give this book to my level I students as a reference guide. To me, Pamela's book captures the heart of reiki and reflects her deep understanding and practice of reiki. I also especially like the language she uses that speaks to my scientific nature (I hold two M.S. degrees) without detracting from the mystery that unfolds as you practice reiki on yourself and others. I highly recommend this book and suggest you check out Pamela's website. I also recommend the book "Practical Reiki" by Richard Ellis to my students because it is full of beautiful images and photographs.

A truly comprehensive guide to Reiki
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-29
As as a devoted student, and one who practices Reiki, I was initially impressed with the elegance, scope and reliability of this beautifully written book. It is absolutely authoritative, but reads in a very personal way. I literally have stacks of Reiki books that seemed compelling at first, but "Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide," has risen to the top and withstood the test of time. It is the only Reiki book that I refer to regularly on an ongoing basis. As my practice grows, I find new things to explore in this book, and I am always rewarded with solid and soulful insight and guidance.

Finally....a down to earth Reiki guide
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-14
Excellent book on Reiki. I just purchased in last week and have already recommended it to several clients of mine...a few of them western medical doctors. It demystifies the subject in a language anyone can follow and more importantly it will not turn off the most closed-minded reader.

One of the very best books on Reiki: what it is, how it works, how to use it
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-01
One of the very best books on Reiki: what it is, how it works, how to use it

Pamela Miles, the author of "Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide" is founding president of the Institute for the Advancement of Complementary Therapies and has 35 years experience as a clinician, educator and lecturer in natural healing. She has been a student of meditation and yoga for 45 years. The author began practicing Reiki in 1986 and was initiated as a Reiki master in 1990. She has developed Reiki programs for implementation in prominent New York City hospitals, published numerous articles in peer-reviewed professional journals, and presented and taught Reiki at medical schools and conferences.

This is a thoughtful, informative, enlightening book, written in an engaging and conversational style, peppered with anecdotes, that let's its readers know that here the author is opening up her heart. It is a book that is useful to seasoned Reiki practitioners, the newly-minted Reiki practitioner and the individual for whom Reiki is a new experience as practitioner or as recipient. For anyone who is interested in bringing Reiki into their lives and are without a clue as to where and how to begin, "Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide" offers an excellent starting point.

The book is divided into fourteen very well-organized chapters, moving from a description of what Reiki is and what it does, its history, the components of Reiki training, and formulating a Reiki practice, to the last few sections devoted to the role of Reiki in integrative medicine and the science and research methodology underpinning that role.

The author deals fairly but squarely with the unhappy reality that much of what most of us were taught about the origins of Reiki from Hawayo Takata, who brought the practice to the West, was simply untrue: a useful myth, perhaps, but without historicity or any factual basis. Miles addresses this without hesitation, but always reminds us of what really matters: the unassailable fact that Reiki works. Even in the absence of an explanation as to how it works, in the absence of a clinically demonstrable therapeutic mechanism, it does what it says it does. While honoring and clarifying the history and traditions of her own Reiki lineage, Miles is respectful of and offers recognition to the many different styles of practice which have developed since the time when Hawayo Takata first brought Reiki out of Japan.

As a practitioner and teacher of Reiki and other healing modalities (I integrate Reiki and the Bach flower remedies into my practice of traditional Ayurveda), I am profoundly grateful to Pamela Miles for all she has done for both Reiki as well as for complimentary and integrative medicine. The author, considered to be one of the senior-most Reiki Masters now practicing, has forged a strong and graceful link between Eastern and Western medicine, and I hope that we see more of her writing in the near future.

Here, at long last, we have an insightful, straightforward and intelligent book appropriate for seasoned Reiki practitioners and medical professionals as well as individuals who are simply looking for objective explanations.

Systems
Taking Your Talent to the Web: A Guide for the Transitioning Designer
Published in Paperback by New Riders Publishing (2001-05-18)
Author: Jeffrey Zeldman
List price: $40.00
New price: $21.95
Used price: $3.49

Average review score:

Dated but still very valuable
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-30
It's now over 6 years since this book came out and it still has a tremendous amount of relevance. I am rereading it again and stop by every now and then in hopes that a new edition will come out. I have all the other Zeldman books and they are all useful, but nothing approaches how much I learned from this book. It amazes me how much of the content is still applicable. Anyone who's been doing this since the book came out can make mental notes about what has changed. A proponent of CSS before it was practical (really), Jeffrey seems to have planned a long shelf life for this book.

If you're a graphic designer who is entering web development (which is a large segment), it's still a must read, but beware the 4.x browser version suggestions, and don't bother to try and support tables any more. It's not necessary, and it's bad form for oh, so many reasons. Everything else in the book is absolutely essential for the transition. Your best bet would be to read it and ask questions from someone who's been developing websites for a long time (and is open to web standards).

And if you've been building these things for a long time, it's still a great book to revisit at least yearly.

You can't really go wrong with a Zeldman book, imho, at least so far. If he writes something on knitting, I can't guarantee it...

Good overview of Web Design Roots
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-21
This book gives a good overview of Web Design till 2001.
People who are interested in where the web is coming from will like this book. If your are looking for how web design is done today anno 2005 I would like to recommend Jeffrey Zeldman book "Designing with web standards".

Helpful Guidance for Newbies or Veterans
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-05
Even though some of the content in this book is outdated (such is the nature of a book based on the internet, which evolves daily), it is still a mainstay in my collection. I would recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in web design.

Jefferey Zeldman teaches basic, foundation building principles that you will use almost daily during your tenure as a web designer. If your looking for a book to hold you by the hand and teach you how to perform specific actions with step by step coding, this isn't your book. Instead, it touches upon ideas and methods. Zeldman covers topics from designing good navigation to fundamental steps in working with a potential client.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It would have received a perfect score if it wasn't for some outdated material. Purchase this book, it should be a part of any collection.

Most excellent
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-08
A thorough, comprehensive and usable book for people trying to migrate from traditional media into the (sometimes) scary world of new media.

Jeffrey Zeldman's unique voice permeates the entire book, holds your hand, and gently guides you through the ups & downs of working with the web. His examples are concise and to the point, his writing style (as always) humorous and friendly, and, most importantly, you get the feeling that he truly loves this medium, and would like nothing more than being able to help another person discover just what the fuss is all about.

Should be on the shelf of every designer - no matter what your level of experience is.

this book changed my website forever
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-27
This book opened my eyes to issues such as accesibilty, css and xhtml, I now have a site that is fast to load and easy to update. I found this book to be an easy read,[ I am neither a graphic designer nor a trained web designer] I really like Zeldman's writng style and will use some of his points in my classes web design for photographers. The mix of code and ideas was great and for once I just read the book rather than being tempted into turning on my computer and starting work.

Systems
Enemy Pie (Reading Rainbow book)
Published in Hardcover by Chronicle Books (2000-10)
Author: Derek Munson
List price: $15.95
New price: $9.89
Used price: $8.00
Collectible price: $23.00

Average review score:

Jenine
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-15
This book is great for a child who is afraid to make friends. Very cute.

Fantastic!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-05
I absolutely loved this book!!! It has a great message about friendship and changing around a negative situation into a positive one. Both my 4 year old and 6 year old were hanging on every word. The best part for us is that our son's name is JEREMY ROSS and we have a trampoline in our backyard!!! So you can imagine how shocked I was when I starting reading this book to my kids that I randomly grabbed off the shelf at the library:) My son was delighted that his name was in such a cool book! It almost seemed like we had the book made with our info in it. We are going to purchase this to have as a keepsake.

A fun way to learn a great lesson.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-14
I LOVE this book and my kids do as well. It is such a great tale of how to not judge a book by it's cover. Many times young people can feel threatened by a new kid in school/town/etc. This shows if you give someone a chance you may like them more than you would have realized.

A good lesson on kindness
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-30
This is a fun book that teaches a good lesson about kindness, acceptance and friendship. As an adult, I find myself judging too quickly at times, when all I really need to do is allow myself to know and understand others...and maybe share some pie with them, too : )

ENEMY PIE
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-14
What an outstanding piece of children's literature! This book reminds me of the old fashioned picture books of my youth with a modern feel. It teaches a valuable lesson without being preachy or didactic. Throughout the story a young boy struggles with a new neighbor who is not very nice. The two become sworn enemies, until, our main character, with the help of his Dad, decides to get even by serving enemy pie. While Dad bakes the pie, it is the protagonist's job to keep the enemy occipied by playing with him. Finally the pie is ready and he no longer wants to serve him the dreaded pie. After all, we don't serve our friends nasty pie, do we?

Systems
Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures
Published in Paperback by Process Improvement Publisher ()
Author: Stephen Page
List price: $25.95
New price: $15.95
Used price: $11.50

Average review score:

How to Policy book...Just OK.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-14
I agree with customer reviewer, J. Donie "Quill and Lens" that there were two very disappointing areas of this book:

1) Editing: The number of editing errors is quite surprising considering how many times the book has been revised and reprinted over the years. (i.e. grammatical errors and inconsistencies in where paragraphs begin.)

2) Formatting: Reviewer, J. Donie said in his review (2005) "The visual formatting of Mr. Page's documents is VERY simple and, in my opinion, does not take very full advantage of the enhanced visual tools available in today's word processing programs. Designing documents that are visually simple to follow and help the user immediately recognize the logic of the document they are using is much easier with some of today's enhanced word processing capabilities. I would have enjoyed seeing examples of more sophisticated yet still straight forward approaches to presenting information.

Here, Here!! When you are describing how documentation should look, especially to an audience who is perhaps doing this for the first time, lots of examples with explanations are useful. It would have been useful to see an example of good formatting vs. poor formatting.
There should have been discussion or at least mention of the use of "Information Mapping" as a method of creating documentation. For some who are novices in this arena, it may have been helpful to see a list of helpful tips and reminders through out the book. Using a lot of white space is a very basic, well-known cornerstone of document production and yet it was barely touched on, if at all...

Excellent Book on Creating Standard Operating Procedures and Policy Manual
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-19
This books provides concrete guidance for creating a policies and procedures manual. After reading the EMyth Revisited (also an excellent book) I wanted a book that would provide such guidance and this book delivers. A couple of points. First, this book is an overview of the entire process. Some of author's other books in this series take chapters of this book and expand them to book length. I was particularly interested in guidance for writing a standard operating procedures manual, and the book "7 Steps to Better Written Policies and Procedures" focuses solely on that topic. Second, despite my focus on the actual written policy/procedures manual, the entire book is excellent, raises points that may be easily overlooked, and I would highly recommend it.

Great resource for starting from scratch
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-23
I just took a job as an operations analyst at a small startup company. Rather than handing me a policy and procedures manual, my boss asked me to write one instead! With only vague notions of what a policy and procedures manual looked like, I tried to get started but quickly realized that I was in over my head.

So I bought Stephen Page's books on policies and procedures and found the help I needed. The most difficult part for me has not been writing down the procedures themselves (though that can be challenging). Instead, I realized that without a good format for writing a policy or procedure, the whole manual would be a jumbled mess of incoherent instructions. But after reading Stephen Page's books, I was able to use his format very effectively. The greatest strength of his format is that it is easy to use, and also easy to update as things change.

So whether you are starting from scratch on a new manual or editing your compnay's existing manual, check out these books first. You will not regret it!

A must have for any procedure analyst
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-27
This book is clear, concise and easy to follow, whether you are starting from nothing or you are bringing your current policies and procedures up to standard. This is a must read for the procedures analyst and for the CEO who believe in continual improvement.

For optimal result buy the set of 4 books:
1. Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures
2. Achieving 100$ Compliance of Policies and Procedures
3. 7 Steps to better Written Policies and Procedures
4. Best Practices in Policies and Procedures

You will not be disappointed. This set is well worth your time and money.

Good for Beginning and Intermediate Users (3.5)
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-29
THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE ELECTRONIC EDITIONS OF "ESTABLISHING A SYSTEM OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES" ... AND ... "7 STEPS TO BETTER WRITTEN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES".

As a technical writer, I had mixed feelings about these books.

On the one hand, I thought they did an excellent job of presenting a simple, structured approach for developing and maintaining policies and their associated procedures in a systematic and consistent way. I think people who are new or relatively new to the work of developing such documentation should find these books to be valuable aids.

On the other hand, as someone who has been developing administrative and technical documentation for a number of years, I didn't find much here that was new to me. In many ways, I felt these books were an excellent presentation of "what I already know".

I felt the strongest points of the books were:

1) "The Writing Format" - The author makes it clear that the structure he uses for developing documents (which he calls "The Writing Format") is the core of his entire approach to developing policies and procedures. This simple, effective structure will be VERY helpful to those who've never had to develop standardized documentation before or for those who have yet to find a systematic approach for developing consistent documents.

2) Policies and Procedures in Support of Business Goals - All too often, policies and procedures are developed without the required connection to the ideas and realities that define the businesses for which they are being developed. Mr. Page does an excellent job of making it clear what a big mistake this is and suggests some ways to avoid this pit fall.

3) The Development Process - Many managers I've worked with over the years seem to think that good policies and procedures are something anyone can sit down and write in a few minutes. NOT true. Mr. Page does an excellent job of outlining the overall TEAM process by which good policies and procedures must be conceived, researched, drafted, reviewed, approved, published and continually revised and updated.

All in all, I think Mr. Page's books make excellent documentation development reference guides. But, as someone who has been developing administrative and technical documentation for several years, there were a few things I found disappointing:

1) Formatting - The visual formatting of Mr. Page's documents is VERY simple and, in my opinion, does not take very full advantage of the enhanced visual tools available in today's word processing programs. Designing documents that are visually simple to follow and help the user immediately recognize the logic of the document they are using is much easier with some of today's enhanced word processing capabilities. I would have enjoyed seeing examples of more sophisticated yet still straight foreward approaches to presenting information.

2) Editing - Especially in "Establishing A System of Policies and Procedures", I was surprised by the number of editing errors I found. They were not the sort of errors that make the book ineffective, but they detracted from the professionalism of the presentation.



I think for MOST people tasked with developing policies and procedures for a corporate or professional environment, these two books will be very good reference guides. But, if you've been developing successful documentation for a number of years and doing so with considerable skill and creativity, there may not be much new for you here.

Systems
Capitalism and Commerce: Conceptual Foundations of Free Enterprise
Published in Hardcover by Lexington Books (2002-09)
Author: Edward W. Younkins
List price: $92.00
New price: $89.29
Used price: $58.95

Average review score:

Fresh insight on a misunderstood topic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-28
I truly enjoyed reading Dr. Younkins' Capitalism and Commerce. It shed new and insightful light on many topics that I have been previously taught. Not until I read this book did I come to understand the extent to which I was indoctrinated with such a one-sided view in previous years. Since reading the book, I have begun to view topics such as taxation, antitrust law, public education, and the philosophy of natural law in a new way. I found Dr. Younkins' book very easy to read and understand. I have used it as a reference for other classes and papers I have written and intend to do so throughout the remainder my undergraduate years and hopefully into law school.

economic insights
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-21
Capitalism and Commerce offers an insightful, straight forward, and clear description of how a capitalist society should function. From Labor Unions to taxation, Younkins provides an economic and philosophic perspective on a wide range of topics that allows the reader to learn from real examples. While addressing tough issues, the book itself is easy to read and perfect for anyone trying to understand and explore economic principles.

Dr. Younkins knows business like Bo Jackson knows sports
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-21
Want a clear and concise look at the way America should be? Look no further. Capitalism and Commerce has just what you are looking for, its topics range from the Hegelian Dialectic, to Taxation, from Public schools, to Role of a Limited Government. Business is life, and Younkins delivers. Buy a copy for every child you know, because this book will lead to the betterment of our country. Pick up your copy today! Do it for America!

Economic Eye Opener
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-25
Dr. Younkins exposes to the world the truth behind the current United States entitlement system. The easy to read chapters discuss each aspect of a capitilistic system in its purest form. Each chapter builds on each other allowing the reader to discover the mirage of free enterprise in this country.
This is a very good book and Ed has been able to lubricate the previously dry subject of economics. Any person who believes that Americans live under a free enterprise system should read this book. If you believe that you are entitled to some economic aid from the "Government," read this book.

Must have for all Lovers of Freedom.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-22
The problem nowadays with discourse on political and economic issues is that there is much confusion over the definition of terms. Two groups demand rights but they're in conflict because one group wants welfare rights while the other wants liberty rights. Whose claim for rights is legitimate? Well, that all depends on what is the definition of a right.

Younkins' wonderful contribution with this work is not only to demonstrate that words like `rights', `justice', and `dignity' have specific meanings, but from the view point that man prefers freedom over slavery, he eloquently lays out the ontological framework of a free society.

Today many would argue that there's a natural tension between `rights' and `justice' with a tendency for one to happen at the expense of the other. That is not true, according to Younkins. He argues that when these terms are properly understood within the context a free society, they not only fulfill their roles unfettered, they work symbiotically towards producing a happy society.

Younkins covers much in his work and in the process he clears the fog by defining the role of the law, government, corporations, education, etc. within a free society. Younkins book is so systematic, consistent and thorough that it can be used as a litmus test to measure the degree of freedom within a particular society.

My only criticism of this work (and it is very minor) is that though his intended audience are lay persons in philosophy, economics and political science, Younkins' language does get a bit recondite at times. But overall this is thoughtful and brilliant work from a fine scholar. Every person who cares and thinks about sustaining a free society must have this work included in their library.

Systems
The Official Stronghold Guide: The Server Solution
Published in Paperback by Ziff-Davis Press (1999-02-01)
Authors: Sameer Parekh and Robert Thau
List price:

Average review score:

An Intriguing Read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-20
I still have no idea what Stronghold is, but I spent many meaningful hours reading this volume on the crapper. Makes a fine gift!

Surprisingly easy reading
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-19
I just want to say that my wife demanded that I send some money to one of those save-our-children sponsorships for a village in Vietnam, and that instead I bought this book. Boy was it worth it! Screw that Vietnamese village. This book is worth FIVE Vietnamese villages!

I loved it...it was much better than "Cats"...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-19
...I'm going to read it again, and again...

Actually, I'm going to get copies for all my friends, and family members, too. I think this one is much better than "Bible for Dummies!" and *certainly* much better than "Sex for Dummies!" (A book that should never have been published, IMO. If you need a manual for that, you shouldn't be breeding...)

You should get this book! We should all get this book! Blows the hell out of the competition!

More than a technichal opus: It's truth dammit!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-19
When I picked up this book I thought it was just another server reference for my shelf, but boy was I wrong! The Official Stronghold Guide not only reveals the innards of Stronghold's unique flexible server architecture with such loving and engrossing detail that a master of fiction would be shamed, but Parekh also manages to simulteneously unravel many delicate issues of humanity and human nature along the way. As I read I found myself uncovering hidden truths about myself and resolving personal issues that have been plauging me for years. Unique and humourous, insightful beyond it's scope. A true masterpiece. I have the courage to smile again, and I owe it all to Parekh. And my server is in top shape too!

A gripping testament to the power of information
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-19
This work is a gripping testament to the power of the free flow of information, and its ability to shape the world. It is stunning in its intensity.

Systems
Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation
Published in Hardcover by Jason Aronson (1995-09-28)
Author: Aryeh Kaplan
List price: $50.00
New price: $45.00
Used price: $35.00

Average review score:

Extremelly useful and detailed
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-20
For someone who is interested in religion and who is taking his/her Kabbalah studies one step beyond the book is delightful. It includes around five different versions of the Sefer Yetzirah and it comments you the reading fragment by fragment, therefore providing you a full understanding of the whole text and also a detailed, useful, and interesting explanation of Kabbalah as a whole, even providing you with spiritual exercises or a way to practice what the text says

Sefer Yetzirah
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-19
Most impressive representation. While the subject is deep and extremely thought provoking, the writer has made every attempt to explain the subject in explicit detail.

I especially appreciated the use of root words in Hebrew to further clarify definitions. As well as the explanation of pronunciation of Hebrew terms, as in where to place the tongue to make the correct sound.

I would like for there to have been more direct instructions for meditation.

photoartist4u

Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation--a review
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-26
I am not Jewish, nor am I an expert on Kabbalistic text, but I know a precious gem when I find one. As others have said here, this is NOT for the beginning student of Kabbalah. I really enjoyed how Aryeh Kaplan included the Hebrew text, along with a translation, then followed by extensive interpretations of each line. It is an intense read--really enjoyed the section on the 231 gates (ironically, I nearly flunked geometry in high school).

If you are truly ready for more intense study of Kabbalah, then this translation of the Sefer Yetzirah may be exactly what you are looking for.

Not for a beginner!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-02
Rabbi Kaplan does a wonderful job (as he does in all of his works) of explaining the primary text says and of opening the way for further study (through his copious footnotes).

The diagrams are extremely helpful, as are the recommendations concerning the "practical" use of Sefer Yetzirah.

However, even for those grounded in Jewish studies (as a spiritual path, not as an academic field), this work is NOT recommended as a "first step" in the esoteric. Try Rabbi Kaplan's "Innerspace."

I own two copies...
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-24
One copy is at my bedside. One copy is in my study scrawled with notes, quotes and notations! I found the second copy at a bookstore bargain table! I didn't even blink, it was bought by me. I knew a second copy would give me one to share. This book is what Kabbalah is. An amazing book. Simply, amazing.

Systems
Transformational Change
Published in Hardcover by Corporate Performance Systems (1999-07-02)
Author: Thomas K. Wentz
List price: $22.95
New price: $9.88
Used price: $4.73
Collectible price: $29.99

Average review score:

Wake Up and Smell the Mass Customization Coffee
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-20
I recommend this book to all the people who are constantly firefighting everyday to make their mass production businesses better, faster, stronger and quicker. How many more words that end in "er" do you need to rally the troops in growing your businesses? Tom Wentz shares his real world management experience through his book and demonstrates with great logic how to change your mass production status quo and "CREATE" the structural changes you need to CREATE a mass customization powerhouse.
If you have an open mind and are ready to end the corporate frustration you experience today, I recommend that you read Tom's book and learn how to lead the necessary transformational change you need to become successful in today's business environment. Your employees and customer's will love you for it!!!

Highly motivational reading for business managers
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-09
Written by the Thomas K. Wentz (President of Corporate Performance Systems Inc.), Transformational Change: How To Transform Mass Production Thinking To Meet The Challenge Of Mass Customization is a solid and deftly presented guide for adapting to the new and evolving demands and realities of a globalized marketplace where merely churning out vast quantities of a product is simply not enough to be profitable. Now, more and more, customers want goods and services uniquely tailored to their tastes, and they are willing to pay for it - so much so as to change the shape of international businesses worldwide. Learning how to incorporate customization for maximum consumer satisfaction and profit is a rocky road, but individual chapters of Transformational Change address a range of relevant problems including corporate restructuring, gathering appropriate intelligence, competitive advantages and disadvantages, and a great deal more. Transformational Change is a truly excellent resource and a highly motivational reading for business managers at all corporate levels of responsibility.

Strong arguements, specific directions
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-29
Transformational change addresses the problem of how to deal with change when moving from a mass production oriented business to a customer centered customized production business. One of the truly unique perspectives of this book is that it discusses and details the process of such a change. Many similar books effectively argue the need for change but then provide no direction on how to make the change. Thomas Wentz' book provides detailed discussion and processes for creating that complete transformation of your business

In the past most businesses were based on a mass production focus. Success and management were evaluated on a numbers basis. How much has sales increased? How many items were produced during this period last year? This numbers orientation tends to cause people to work hard to meet the numbers as their primary focus. In this scenario employees typically don't go beyond what is expected of them. There is no motivation to create a unique world-class organization. Add to that the fact that times have changed and customers now require a solution or product that is customized to their specific needs. If you can't provide a customized solution or product then they will simply go to a competitor that can. Is this just another business direction change? Thomas Wentz argues that it is more than just a directional change, it requires a complete transformation of the business from one form to another completely different form.

A nice extra to the book are the numerous "Key points" scattered throughout the text. By summarizing the prior information in just one or two sentences and making it stand out from the text it is easy to quickly read over the key points of the book and refresh your memory on an ongoing basis. An excellent book on business and change that also has some applicability to personal change, it is a recommended read.

Transformational Change
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-14
Tom Wentz is the quinessential change agent! His book, "Transformational Change" describes clearly the process of change from mass production to mass customization. While the book is an easy read, you'll want to revisit it many times because of the great depth it possesses.

Mr. Wentz shows that insanity truly is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. He likens it to those "hackers" out on the driving range who continually use the improper swing and expect a drive 275 yards straight down the middle.

In light of the events since September 11, 2001, Mr. Wentz expertly shows the need "not to defer the the experience of living today" and to become truly fulfilled at work, at home or in your communities.

This is must reading for anyone who wants to transform their existence.

This is not more buzz words from a consultant
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-14
I have read Tom's book twice. The second time very carefully because I wanted to be sure that I was not being seduced by the obvious. I was not. This is an addition to the literature on leading change. Many of the terms are familiar but Tom has brought them together in a way that creates a new picture of the forces that change -- and don't change -- business.

I have become somewhat sceptical of all of the warnings of the dramatic shifts in paradigms that business must face to survive but Tom has succeeded in explaining the shift from mass production thinking to something new in a way that can be understood. I get a clear picture of what it means when there is a new context requiring new thinking. Not every business will face the same changes in context but every business needs to understand if and when its context changes.

I am distributing this book to the sixty CEOs in my CEO peer groups for them to read and discuss. I am also going to schedule an opportunity for them to participate in a simulation to experience first hand the limits that mass production thinking imposes on our search for solutions.

Systems
Digestive Wellness, Third Edition
Published in CD-ROM by Health Text Audio / STI (2006-06-25)
Author: Elizabeth Lipski
List price: $22.95
New price: $5.98

Average review score:

Almost Perfect
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-28
Liz Lipski is very prepared.
I Found in this book a little of suggestions very important, and other things to avoid for a good digestion

Informative Text
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-23
This is a good book if you want to learn all about digestion, the areas of the body involved and how different foods, herbs, and minerals can heal (or destroy) the body. It was interesting to discover how many ailments that are not commonly associated with digestion actually were alleviated or reduced by change in diet and supplementation.

I recommend the author consider making the text flow better on a re-write of this text. To me the book was very reference-like. I admit it did state in the beginning that the book was not written to be read from front to back. Nevertheless, I expect books to read this way unless it's specifically labeled as a reference text.

Very Informative
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-03
I found this book to be very informative. It is written in easy to understand, plain language. Everything is explained well enough for a lay person to understand.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like a deeper understanding of how the digestive process works. Anyone who desires to take control of their health should read this. My doctor told me that the colon controls 90% of the other organs of the body. I had a hard time believing that until I began to do research on the digestive system. I have concluded that he was right.

digestive wellness
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-27
This is an exceptional book about the digestive system. I would highly recommend it. I also ordered the children's digestive wellness and it too is an exceptional and informative book.

Good for heartburn
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-05
I usually don't write reviews on Amazon unless I have extreme satisfaction from my purchase. Well this is one of them. I used to get bad heartburn frequently and was taking proton-pump inhibitors, which I felt were not alleviating the problem but maybe making it worse. I bought this book and learned a bit about the digestive system and the bacteria involved in helping us digest. Knowing that I have H. pylori which was the main cause of my heartburn, I decided to take the approach of promoting the good bacteria in my system. Since then I've done this, and barely ever get acid reflux. The only times I will get it is when I deviate to eating bad foods for a prolonged amount of time.


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