Equipment Books

We at Fragland.com usually don't advertise for books or anything but we've received the book Monster Gaming which is written by Ben Sawyer and published by Paraglyph press and to be honest: it's great!

Everything that's got anything to do with gaming, from regular gaming over competitive gaming to even modding and real development, is covered here along with useful links and addresses for people who want to know even more.

So if you're going on holiday or want a book about gaming to read I suggest this book It's +300 pages will keep you occupied in the gaming atmosphere.

You won't regret it !

I've been looking all over the place for a gaming guide like this. Most of the books out are very basic or they just cover tips for using certain games. This book really captures what I want to know about gaming. The author seems to really know his stuff.

I was drawn to the book because it had a chapter on modding and enhancing game hardware (which turned out to be really good). But the more I read in the book, the more I liked. I didn't realize that there were so many interesting resources for gamers such as places to get old vintage games.

This is the sort of book that every gamer should get a copy of and read cover to cover. It's quite funny in places and just a blast to read in general. The author even included a chapter at the end of the book about what it is like to be a game developer, which was a treat for me because I'd like to develop games some day.

We at Fragland.net usually don't advertise for books or anything but we've received the book Monster Gaming which is written by Ben Sawyer and published by Paraglyph press and to be honest: it's great!

Everything that's got anything to do with gaming, from regular gaming over competitive gaming to even modding and real development, is covered here along with useful links and addresses for people who want to know even more.

So if you're going on holiday or want a book about gaming to read I suggest this book It's +300 pages will keep you occupied in the gaming atmosphere.

You won't regret it !

Stephen @ Fragland.net

At first, you might imagine that the title refers to the computer opponents in various twitch games like Doom or Quake. But no. Sawyer means the fanatic gamers, to whom he addresses the book. He being one himself.

Chapters span all the important topics of computer gaming. From personalising your hardware through overclocking the CPU to tips on searching eBay for items. Plus, of course, on the latter, you can sell various gaming memorabilia.

He also provides ancillary data on books and movies spawned from games. Though he thinks most of the movies are purely dross. There is a fascinating table of the books in Chapter 7. You may be surprised by how extensive it is, with several books being written by well known authors like Mercedes Lackey and Alan Dean Foster. (The money is good for such purely work-for-hire, I guess.)

Most importantly to some of you, he tells how to hook up to the competitive gaming scene, with lists of various regional conventions for the hard core. Interested?

Ever wonder why those 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. summertime pics at the Grand Canyon look pretty crappy compared to what you see professionally?

Well, Fitzharris has the easy answers, from time of day through time of year to use of filters.

Fitzharris visits each park. Based on foliage and other considerations, he recommends the best photographic tims of year to visit. Then, in each park, he lists the best photographic hotspots with times of day to visit.

Beyond that, he suggests how to plan a trip to each park to allow for morning and evening shooting along with midday hiking or other activities.

The photos from each park perfectly illustrate the suggestions he supplies.

Tim Fitzharris Guide to Nature Photography is a complement to John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide, which has been widely (& correctly) accepted as a "textbook" in this subject, up to this time.

That's why the first part of this book tends to be a bit boring. Much of the discussion about the equipment is overlap and has been explain thoroughly in Shaw's book. I think Shaw gives us the basics and fundamentals in nature photography (the know-how theory of exposure and metering unusual situations, the best equipment to chose and use, etc). However, you will be amazed by how much you don't know about nature photography in the next parts and chapters of the National Audubon Guide to Nature Photography.

Tim Fitzharris furnish you with many advance and creative techniques to create more appealing, artistic and creative photos. For examples, he explains clearly and beautifully how to use motion effects (including wind) to photograph many nature objects, the right angle to maximize perspective, modifying natural light (including advance technique of using neutral density filters), impressionism nature photography, etc. What makes this book more helpful is Tim Fitzharris also caters into details in important points of his explanations. He explains (more comprehensively than John Shaw does) about the techniques to get close to wildlife and the power of using blinds, how to photograph birds in flight and even as far as the shutter speed for action-stopping (freeze hummingbird with wings, or body only, great blue heron in flight, snow goose in flight, etc!). He also provides reader with picturegraphs (of animal portrait, how to exactly position the neutral density filter in various situations, etc). These proven techniques and detail information is unquestionably very helpful in boosting our learning curve.

To help us to be more productive, Tim Fitzharris gives hints to the characteristics of the photogenic sites and also the nature photography calendar (North America).

The photos always correspond with the topic discussed and they are breathtakingly beautiful and artistic. It made me wondering, what kind of photos will be presented in the next page. Moreover, they also serve as a good example. Even I learn so much about composition by looking at those stunning photos.

However, I find one part of this book has been published in Fitzharris column in Popular Photography. Be aware for you who regularly read his monthly column (I don't).

Another weakness, this book seems not presented in methodical or lack of systematical method in teaching you about nature photography. Perhaps the author and publisher want to avoid the textbook impression; they want it to be more artistic (in fact it is the way I feel about this book). Where should I find the action-stopping speed? I can't find it in the chapter about wildlife... neither I can find a thorough explanation about using neutral density filter in The Right Equipment Part. It is scattered in the book, depending on the usage and the technique intended to launch. There's no index and difficult to refer something!

So the emphasize of this book is on the technique. My advice is you should grasp the basics and fundamentals before reading this book. And it is the John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide. Buy that book if you want to buy only one book.

But, if you want to go to the next level, this book is well worth your hard-earned money. It will undoubtedly furnish your skill and give you more edge.

Tim Fitzharris' GUIDE TO NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY appears in its revised edition to cover proven techniques for making award-winning photos. From buying and using the best professional equipment suitable for nature shots to insider tips on field procedures and fullproof methods for composition and filtering, this also includes a review of top locations for photographing nature. Add gorgeous color photos and you have a real winner.

There is not much I can add to the previous reviews of this wonderful book. The photos are superb and there is a plethora of great information. My only problem is the author's obvious bias towards Canon products. It is fine to have a favourite camera, but not by providing misinformation about another brand. Long Canon lenses are not 75% shorter and two-thirds lighter than Nikon lenses. Check out the web sites and you will get the exact opposite story. A small point perhaps, but one that I had to make.

Awsome book with some very interesting and intense workouts,great pics of those fantastic Nautilus machines being used to explain the exercises.Dont forget though unless your 250lbs of solid muscle and super strong the workouts have limiting effect.

This book which is based on the concept of High Intensity Training originally developed by Arthur Jones the developer of the Nautilis machines is a good reference for your library of strength training books. If you do a Google search you can get a summary of this technique by Jones himself which adds important dimensions to this concept. Also, the "Power of 10" is a good book on this subject. That book also references Jones and I think Darden as well. Jones was the man, however.

See my review of Super High Intensity Bodybuilding: Nautilus Principles Applied to Free Weights, also by this book's author; my comments regarding Dr. Darden's inspirational writing and photography apply equally here. For bodybuilders of an advanced level, the routines and techniques herein are simply unmatched in intensity and WILL stimulate growth unlike any other regimen you're likely to employ; THIS I can say from personal experience...my best gains ever in my years of working out. You've simply GOT to be willing to outlast, out-suffer, and just plain out-stubborn rhe pain and nausea you'll endure if you've got it in you to follow the directions therein to the letter. For a passionate musclehead as myself, however, sustaining such motivaton isn't quite so forbidding a possibility when you're actually stronger and taping out bigger every two weeks or so.

Considered to be among the best advanced technique bodybuilding books ever published, the book covers fundamentals as well as in-depth advanced techniques and training methodology. It has detailed (yet easy to follow) text as well as numerous photo diagrams and charts. A must have reference for any serious bodybuilding enthusiast. -- (now out of print in any form, the book has become quite a sought after item by personal trainers as well as individuals)

This was the most complete and knowledgeable training guide that I have ever read. I lost my copy and am currently trying to find a new one.

One of the best research facilities is the human mind. Many valid answers regarding exercise can be derived with the use of sound premises and logic.
The h.i.t. principles are based on accepted facts. Most of these facts are not new. They have been known to the scientific community for more than 100 years. Arthur Jones and Ellington Darden did not discover or claim to discover any of them. He merely assembled them into a logical framework to provide valid conclusions about high intensity exercise. No one had done that before. Or really has done
The h.i.t, philosophy is the only exercise philosophy that can be derived logically from the facts and principles of the classical sciences. Does that necessarily make h.i.t. correct? No. And it does not necessarily make illogically conceived approaches to exercise wrong.
But logic does confer on h.i.t. a high probability of being correct for building great size and strength but most people cant tolerate the pain and intensity of this kind of trading yes it is the hard most properly the hardest and most result producing there is but most people back away
first class better that all the other miss leading books aound 90% dont work and do have the science backing
this is excellent first class

......This book was written in the early 70's based off of scientific research of what works and what doesn't in training. It is by far the most forward thinking and logical book on the subject...I treasure my copy for giving me new found focus in my training with results due to high intensity with minimum time..............Needs to be put back into circulation to set all the misinformation aside that exists amoung the uninformed and market manipulated public............

Arthur Jones, more likely owing to his personality and the toughness of this fitness regimen, never got the ink that Weider or Kennedy or the other fitness writers have. That's really too bad. The information in this book is sound and extremely practical. Arthur was one of the first to bring up the "to failure" principle. This has gotten some bad ink lately, but the truth cannot be denied. All of the meso-cycles,macro-cycles, and periodization "protocols" in the world will not accomplish what elbow grease will. This book provides a nuts and bolts primer and will produce miracles if you actually have the guts to apply it. The only thing that I have bad to say about the book is that the examples are based off of the old Nautilus machines. This is a minor point though, as the examples can readily be adapted to whatever equipment that you have at your disposal. Ignore the hype of modern commercial contributions in this genre, and opt instead for a copy of this book. I have yet to see anything in print, despite all the sticky hype and commercial push, that has improved or disputed anything stated in this book, and due to it's age, you can get a used copy shipped to you for next to nothing.

Joe McDonald's book covers a very wide range of wildlife photography. There are a lot of tips for the amateur but also a lot of info for serious photographers using professional equipment. The examples used to illustrate Joe's message are well chosen and also beautiful and inspiring to look at. It is difficult to imagine how you could get more or better material into a book of this size. Strongly recommended.

After reading several photo books, this was the one that finally let me take control of my camera and get away from all of the auto modes. The chapters on flash, for the first time, gave me an understanding of how flash works and how to manipulate it in both TTL and manual. Contains info on design and composition as well as approaching wildlife, but it was the exposure and flash info that made it an invaluable reference for me.

Mr McDonald puts passion into every word of this book,its simply explained lessons are written in a provocative style that leaves you yearning for the next page.....

Its a "must have" book for anybody wanting to explore wildlife photography as a hobby or professionally, and just a great, easy reading book.Ive owned my copy 6 months and have already read it 3 times! Its well explained so even people with a basic knowledge of photography can put many of his "lessons" into practical use.I cant wait for his next book!

Joe has done a very good job in writing this book explaining the basics of exposure control in the field including some flash techniques. I find this book to be indispensable in my library. I am now reading through it the second time. The pictures in this book are all very inspirational and well taken. I certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in wildlife and nature photography.

What an excellent guide to photagraphy, with excellent pictures as well. As I started to look at this book I saw talent on first hand. The way each picture supported a different figure of photography. I hope to see more books like this one and 'Capturing the Night With Your Camera' soon.

This one is better than most of the books in its category, although by far is not one of those "most complete guides". Good writing style, Real life examples. Type of camera, film and exposure settings are listed next most of the example pictures. What this book has that others don't, is a pretty good overview of digital input and output(especially printers and scanners), and how it's related to "film" photography. Highly recommended for beginners.

The author of this contemporaray photo manual is not caught up in the technology, rather he uses a common sense approach to new technology. The book starts off with the thought process and preaches conventional rules of pictorial composition, instead of the technical jargon that so many books of this type contain. One has to go no further than the book's introduction to realize that Carucci bridges the gap between art and technique. As for the images, I forgot for a moment that this was an instructional manual. The artwork is first rate. That's not to say that the writing is less than clear and informative. I especially liked the child/statue composite. I recommend this book to anyone interested in digital photography.

This book addresses a realistic approach to the current world of photography. It's not just digital cameras and computers: it's film, illumination and composition. Carucci feels that certain ideas are necessary to produce a good image regardless of the technology. The book is well written, though it seems that some of the passages, especially at the chapter beginnings, are a bit too creative. The book doesn't read like a textbook. Instead it's friendly, especially to the newbie. His introduction is poignant and the images are incredible. The kid turned into a statue is both shocking and wonderful.

The handbook arrived in a timely manner and it was in excellent condition.

I looked forward to receiving the reference guide because I knew from a previous purchase from the same author it was an excellent buy. It is well worth the money and the information helped me in a current class at college.
I recommend this reference guide to anyone that is a respiratory therapists,and nurses would enjoy this as well.

A completely idiot proof book on the basics and every day management of ventilators in the critical care setting. All of those annoying but vital formulas, clinically correlated and very neatly packed into a small handy manual. Who could ask for more? I would highly recommend it to all students, interns and residents that are going to be facing a ventilated patient at night on call. If you get this book, do yourself a favor and review well before starting your critical care rotation. It will pay BIG dividens. Thanks Dana!

It's a little black 6-ring binder, a little awkward in the pocket but still sits with you. Nothing specific to certain brand-names of ventilators but includes everything else including basic parameter interphasing, waveforms, management, and some fluffy-out-there stuff like liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbon, high-frequency ventilation, ILV and ECMO.

Bring it with you on your ICU rotation and never be caught with your pants down. For the price you'll pay, it's three giant textbooks condensed into one no-B.S. quick-reference.

This is a must have book for every one that owns a Mosin Nagant rifle.
This is a fantastic manual that includes instructions for every aspect of the Mosin Nagant. Take down & assembly, maintenance, cleaning, inspection, troubleshooting and even shooting & sniper tactics.

For those of you who have bought a Mosin and want to learn more about maintainence and troubleshooting.

This book is essential for anyone who owns a M44 type, Mosin Nagant rifle.
It is easy to read and has some very detailed schematics. There is also some information that was supplied to Russian soldiers that show how to fight with the bayonet, etc. There is even a section showing how to shoot down enemy aircraft. Overall, it was well worth the money.

Major James F. Gebhardt has done a great service for all of us who own samples of the Soviet Mosin-Nagant Infantry Rifle. He's translated a Soviet manual published in Russian in 1961.

This manual concentrates on the operation and maintence of the three most commonly encountered versions of the Mosin-Nagant rifle, the M 91-30, the M-38 and the M-44. These remained in reserve for the Red Army and Warsaw Pact armies until the fall of the Soviet Union.

The original Mosin Nagant was adopted by Imperial Russia in 1891. The Soviets improved the sights and shortened the barrel in 1930 (hence M 91-30) and this is the rifle so prominently featured in the movie ENEMY AT THE GATES (in a scoped sniper version, that is.) The 91-30 is a real piece of history and this manual is very helpful for any shooter or collector.

The M-38 is a short, carbine length version of the M 91-30. It is interesting that the M-38 was not equipped to mount a bayonet despite the Red Army's long association with bayonets. The M-38 was designed primarily for cavalry (horse cavalry) and Red Army cavalrymen all carried sabers eliminating the need for a bayonet.

The M 44 is an M-38 equipped with a folding bayonet permanently attached to barrel. This was developed to meet frontline demands for something that was handier (shorter) for soldiers who increasingly rode on tanks and trucks instead of horses. The longer 91-30s, which were usually carried with the antique looking angular bayonets fixed, were too long for soldiers who spent most of their time riding on tanks or Lend-Lease Studebaker 2.5 ton trucks. The M-44 had the reliability of the familiar M 91-30 and the 44's bayonet could be pivoted so that it rode out of the way next to the barrel.

The old 91-30 bayonets could be difficult to dismount and the Red Army never issued scabbards for them. To keep the soldiers from losing them, or throwing them away, a lot of officers insisted that they be mounted all the time which is not much of a problem if you're marching on foot through open country.

It can be a real headache if you're getting in and out of trucks, or off the rear decks of tanks, however. And, by 1944, most Red Army soldiers rode on some sort of motorized transport. This was a rude suprise to the Wehrmacht and a justification for the M-44 which served during the Red Army's advance into Germany during 1944-45.

This manual would be a great companion to Terence W. Lapin's excellent book, THE MOSIN-NAGANT RIFLE. I gave it five stars.

It is interesting that Lapin translated a 1955 edition of this same Soviet manual and published his version in 1999. The material is the same except that Lapin adds some useful comments of his own.

The best Russian aviation book out there...it has it all.
They have added just about evry variation and every modification to every airplane the russians ever thought of.

This book is an impressive and meticulous look at Soviet Aviation.

PROS:
Extensive, exhaustive and thoroughly detailed (Gunston even covers details such as shape/size of nosewheel hubcaps etc.). Covers literally every single plane/variant/sub-type ever made.

Superb diagrams, images and spec

Ekranoplanes -- amazing information. A must have for Red aviation enthusiasts.

CONS
Too laconic
B/W images only :-(((
Historical information covers only development and engineering.Not enough information about actual performance/strenghts/weaknesses. Information/opinions about performance is sorely lacking.

SUM:
An alternative to Janes...seriously

Many books tout, "new information never before seen from the Soviet archives", but few really deliver anything substantial. Mr Gunston though, has achieved what many historians hoped would happen with former Iron Curtain material coming to light: a truly enlightening book. Many of the details of the Soviet design bureaus, let alone some of the experimental aircraft have never had their stories told before. The depth of this work exceeds anything I've seen in the West, or Russia. The listings of aircraft before 1917 are almost worth the price alone. However, the prose is terse to say the least, one would have thought an additional few pages could have been spared for descriptions/tech data. Also, some of the comments are, well if not quite from the sales brochure, they're close. Mr Gunston has a reputation for taking manufacturer data at face value. Certainly his comments on the MiG21 and 29 don't give the reader the full story of real combat limitations of these otherwise fine designs.
That said though, this an encyclopedia no aviation enthusiast, or Russian historian should be without. Well worth the money.

This book is a must-have for all people interested in aviation of our "coldwar-eastern enemy". The often different approach of russian designers to aircraft design gave us some very surprising en extotic aircraft types. Much more than in the west, soviet aircraft were being designed and built for an operational purpose. The result often was an aircraft, very rugged and suited to it's operational requirements but often lacking in economic operations. Solutions were solutions, no mather how expensive or uneconomical. Off course some of the soviet aircraft are still unrivalled in their class. The IL76 is still one off the most rugged heavy transports and if you look at the technical propulsion system of the Lockheed X-35 S/VTOL demonstrator, one can see that it is directly derived from the YAK141 prototype. The russian designers often were much more practical in approach and with limited resources they achieved very much. This book contains them all. From the early "kites" till Ekranoplans! The definitive work on this subject!

Although the uniforms of the US Army are not my primary interest, I found this book to be an excellent introduction to this subject, albeit a photographic essay. Having several of Shelby Stanton's books on US Army uniforms, I would like to see a similar book on WWI, but as a primer this book has no peer. I recommend it unreservedly.

I too purchased this book from a book club, and a facinating buy it was! Although uniforms of the US Army are not my primary interest, this book covered a subject that I knew little or nothing about; this book changed that emphatically. Although I would have liked to read more on uniform development, especially the evolution from blue to khaki, the book is an excellent source for students of WW I, and I highly recommend it.

I saw this in the military book club for $14.95! A really GOOD collection of photos of the US Army in WW1. I actually learned some new things from the captions. The BEST book of WW1 photos I have seen in many years. Would also be good for a novice

This book is part of the G. I. series of short illustrated studies covering a period or a series of campaigns. All of these books are vertical studies covering a period of years. Though sometimes the illustrations serve to identify individual items of equipment, these works are not intended for that purpose. They are not catalogs intended for materiel collectors. They are of such a length and of such a level of detail that they will serve the purposes of the general reader with a curiousity about what grandaddy did in WW II or great great great grandaddy in the Civil War and what he looked like and how he lived. This is not to say that the specialist such as myself cannot find useful nuggets herein. I can. I use these for general surveys of periods I do not study in detail, such as the Civil War, and the War With Mexico, etc. And to look up the odd facts. I have yet to be disappointed with any of them.