Online Books

As a lecturer in the area of information retrieval, I find it difficult to identify a work which is simple enough for newcomers to the field to understand, comprehensive enough to give confidence that enough ground has been covered to grant basic competency, up to date enough to reflect developments in both technology and theory, and well-written enough not to be boring. In my view, the work succeeds on all counts. It attempts to cover terrain that is complex, and yet it does so in a clear enough way for non-information professionals to gain useful skills. It will be used as a textbook by my students (at least until the next edition).

Excellent textbook for students needing help with English grammar! This textbook takes students from the absolute basics--subject, verb--to forming complex sentences and paragraphs. Good exercises and practice tests provide plenty of practice--and enjoyable practice. Even EFL students found the practice sentences amusing. Very little supplementary material was needed. Writing assignments included many sample topics; my students rarely needed help coming up with ideas after they read the book. (Students, of course, need guidance once they begin writing in order to keep the purpose in mind. Some will try to turn almost all of the papers into descriptive papers.) But this is one textbook students never complained about.

The Insider's Guide to AOL is more than just a beginners guide. Among other things it shows you how to create your own Web site. Covers AOL 4.0 and is a guide to everything that is useful in AOL.

This is a scintillating saga of rags to riches. This latest novel encompasses the writers ability to create vivid and fascinating characters in this dynamic trip that keeps us guessing until the explosive, roller coaster ending.

A story set in the north of England and the heart of New York embraces both sides of the Atlantic as twists and turns of the plot begin to unfold with mystery and intrigue.

This book just about displays every emotion, love, betrayal, power, sex, birth and death. Something for every one in this blockbuster.

Still in shrink wrap and amazing how fast I got it! Very pleased with purchase and seller.

For the serious student fed up with textbook study, but not willing to switch attention to their favourite video game just yet, here is a most valuable teaching and learning resource compromise for the student psychologist. Arthur and Wendy Kohn's latest CD-ROM, 'The Integrator for Introductory Psychology, 2.0' offers an engaging, interactive study guide for students both new and advanced covering the full breadth of topics contained in most undergraduate psychology curricula. The authors have carefully selected the core issues and illustrations contained in some of the best selling psychology main texts published by Brooks/Cole and have supplemented this package with a variety of stimulating animated tutorials, exercises, practical assignments and other learning materials. Developed using Appware (now called Microbrew) a second application on the disc programmed via Macromedia Director is called 'LectureMaker' which allows the student (or Lecturer/Tutor) to create a series of files for their own presentations and/or printing of both text and graphic information, with easy use of an export facility to other packages such as Excel or Word for further integration with material from other source-files. In practice, I have only tried running this package with an Apple Mac Performa 6320, but did so without glitches on the whole (there were occasional script-'Handler' errors usually recovered from by 'continue' selection) and I was very impressed with its performance. The one CD-ROM will also run with PC-Windows, and LectureMaker files will open OK even if constructed on the other platform - a most welcome additional feature. No hard copy manual was needed for the use of either program, although available from the same disc by using the printing command. Hardware requirements are for 68LC040 CPU or better for the Mac (system 7.1 min./8 MB RAM + 2X CD-ROM) or for PC, 486DX-66MHz CPU min./8MB Windows 3.1/16 MB Windows 95). Software requirement of QuickTime 2.1/2,5 is included on the CD. What of the content then ? 'The Integrator 2.0' opens (and continues) with consistent and clear, user-friendly menu pages which may be specifically tailored to suit the chapter structure of any of the six named psychology textbooks. However, my own students, none of whom have used these as their principle study texts, were not at all concerned to see an unfamiliar presentation style or novel chapter architecture. Each chapter heading reflects a standard psychological topic area and comprises an option list from 'slide shows', a series of walk-through, self-paced guides to key points, names and ideas and activities pertinent to the field under review. All were informative (an average 15-20 slides, although some were a little short - only 3-4) and most appropriately illustrated with non-intrusive optional text boxes, animations and backing sound-tracks navigated by page-buttons each side of the screen. More interactive and engaging were each topic's self-paced tutorials, surveys and experiments (I would particularly recommend the research methods section and the Tower of Hanoi animation task - plus other ideas and material steals for use in 1st/2nd year practical classes ?). Occasionally there were repeated sections called up as seen from previous pages, but this is not a fault of the authors, only an artefact of one of the strengths of such a non-monolithic, multi-pathway approach for use in any study employing such multi-media devices. Fast access times were achieved whether the programs be hard-disk installed or not, and this serious attempt to educate as well as entertain succeeds well without any techno-babble or specialist computer orientation being required on the part of the user. Watching some of my tutees freely exploring the package (without any guidance from myself) I noticed that my final Honours students were more frequently engaged, and for longer sessions, than were those of the junior years, the former also tending to make more use of the testing and self-assessment activities, jumping between chapters more than did their junior peers. In summary, these two offerings from the Integrator series are superb examples of novel multi-media teaching materials worthy of investigation by both student and tutors of Psychology alike. It really does look like the kind of package that so many of us wished to have put together but never did ! Kohn and Kohn have assembled more than 150 slide shows, tutorials, experiments, activities and self-test components in the context of several standard American textbooks of Psychology, appropriately complimented with over 1200 images, animations and film clips relevant to those and other course text's material. I for one will be enquiring about arrangements for site-licensing for our main psychology library and computer labs. Did I like the package myself ? Yes, and I have now used it during a 1st year lecture to their great applause ! Although grounded in the textbooks referenced, these packages provide a rich source of teaching and learning materials which may be utilised for a variety of purposes. They are both visually stimulating and intellectually engaging, offering a variety of interactive tasks set within an easy to operate, flexible file management system. Even if one does not like, or wish to engage with, any of the activities available on these Integrator CDs, they will nonetheless provoke self-reflection both as users and as interactors with this broad overview of psychological topics. As I so often say to my incoming first year tutees. 'the worst thing that can happen, is that you are going to learn something about yourselves'.(edited for length)

This book is a remarkable piece. It opens ones eyes to the potential money laundering risks in mobile financial services. Great read. Very informative.

I found this book to focus less about the art on the internet and more of a critique of it. Though it cites examples, it rather addresses issues about the internets role in culture, its role in the public domain vs. privitization, philosophies of internet and interactivity. The book is quite interesting and brings up issues that should be activly looked at in todays commercial world. I recommend this to all artists who are active in working with multimedia or even those in advertising and marketing who would like to brush up on some marketing schemes and how the internet applys to todays commercial world.

It's a new age when the computer can be more effective in helping a man or woman to meet than bar hopping or church dances. David Abernathy and Naomi Ballard collaborate in Internet Dating: Find Your Mate In 90 Days Or Less to help their readers navigate this new means of forming connections. Navigating preparations one should undergo, the criteria for selecting the right internet dating service, what to expect, week-by-week objectives and recommendations, and much more, Internet Dating is a serious, nuts-and-bolts outline and a welcome supplement especially for singles just getting used to the information highway.

I'm new to the internet search engines, after buying this book, I started using Yahoo! and immediately found out what I want the next day. A must have if you have lots of researches to do.