Game Design Books

I bought this book for my husband who had no experience with building furniture and little experience with power tools. He has made every project in this book, and several from other "2x4" books with terrific results. The instructions are simple and clear and everything has turned out as pictured. I have recommended this book to everyone who admires our patio furniture and is surprised to hear it's home-made. We have even added decorative painting to some pieces and given them as gifts. Anyone who has taken junior high shop class could handle these projects.

I took my first furniture/carpentry class at the local community college and built the garden sofa pictured on the front cover. I'm a woman and had never tried such a project. The instructions and pictures were terrific and my completed project now has a place of honor in my garden. I highly recommend this book if you're a beginner.

Upon beginning my first project from this book, I was taken aback at the number of mislabelings, wrong dimensions, incorrect drawings and unclear (or downright confusing) instructions. Since this book is meant to appeal to woodworkers with little or no previous experience, it surprises me that so much misinformation found its way into print. A second, corrected, edition could make this flawed first effort into a truly useful resource.

I've read each Dreamweaver Magic book since the first one. I was hoping this version would recapture some of the magic from the dreamweaver 4 book. I was wrong. Each year, the page count has grown thinner as has the subject matter. How could I have expected 12 projects to be given adequate coverage in 190 very sparce pages?

There is nothing in this book that is not available in free tutorials at various prominent sites such as macromedia.com; alistapart.com; projectseven.com; and others.

Foti's project had potential but was not developed nearly as much or to the extent it should have been to be really usable.

Buraglia's menu is very poor. In this day and age of standards and accessibility, she does a menu that is invisible to non-javascript browsers. Moreover, it's invisible in Dreamweaver and requires a convoluted dreamweaver workaround and extra style sheet that is not even explained.

The CSS switcher is not bad if you care to use server technology. But the technique does not seem sufficiently efficient from similar techniques I've seen in online tutorials and the there are no engaging samples of what one could actually do with it. Actually, the page designs used throughout the entire book are not very engaging or inspiring at all.

The CSS styling chapter rehashes information that can be found in dozens of free tutorials. There is nothing special about it and this disappointed me the most. I really enjoy CSS and from the promotional information was looking forward to this being the centerpiece of the book - something new and stimulating. The author did not at all seem comfortable with the subject.

While there may be some material that would appeal to beginners, I cannot recommend this book to anyone but a beginner. It's a Mulligan stew of disparate thoughts and techniques.

New Riders: You're killing what should have been a great series

If "hands on training" via projects is your perferred method of learning this book is sure to please. Excellently documented and written in easy-to-understand language, the beginning Dreamweaver user should feel right at home here. And thanks to the large number of subjects covered, experienced Dreamweaver users should find something here for them as well.

I think it's also worth mentioning that in addition to giving the reader all the how-to information, the book does a great job of demonstrating 'effecient workflow' in Dreamweaver which can sometimes be the most difficult thing to grasp - especially if you are just starting out. That said in addition to teaching the reader how to build better web sites, this book may just make the process for doing that seem a whole lot easier, too.

Ok...sure...I'm a big fan of the new Dreamweaver MX 2004 because it's based on Cascading Style Sheets...bravo Macromedia! But if I'm somebody new to Dreamweaver and CSS, how I am I going to wield this mighty power newly given me by Macromedia?? I'm going to buy this book and be tipped off by the best folks in the business...that's what I'm going to do.

Dreamweaver MX 2004 Magic is a great book with great ideas from great people. These are stepping off points--ideas to get you going that should help you teach yourself more. There's a CD-ROM, too, that does what it says it will--walk you through each of the projects.

This book is about empowering you to work the magic of which DW is capable. I'm not a big fan of the cookie-cutter, packaged up "put this on your site" approach that many Web sites use to deliver the bells and whistles folks expect of a modern Web site. What I do like is a book like this that teaches people how to create their own bells and whistles...stimulates the creativity to make something new. This book has interesting material for the newbie and for the pro...it's worth a look.

This book makes it easier to understand the great hobby of Amatuer Telescope Making. I read this book from front to back, twice! Included in this book are easy to follow instructions on making six very usable amatuer telescopes. A must for any astronomer's bookshelf. Also included is a great chapter on a portable 8" reflecting telescope,designed by Bob Scholtz.

I have to say at first i was dissapointed. I bought this book as a beginer telescope maker and i had to put it away. Then i bought Richard Berry's book and was enlightened. This is not to say that i don't like this book. If you have some experience with tools and wood i would suggest this book first. Or if you have made at least one telescope before, i would also suggest this book. Robert Miller & Wilson have many insights and examples but in many places they leave you on your own. Fortunately i have a degree in physics and was able to do fine on my own. One of my favoriate scopes was built using 3 of his plans mixed together. If you have a basic idea or have made scopes before... this is the best book to buy. If you have never made a scope before and are just getting into this field of astronomy, do yourself a favor and get Richard Berry's book.. (also here on amazon.com) But i promise that if you buy this book later on, you will be happy. If you buy it now,you will get frustrated. What Robert Miller & Wilson did teach me was to, above all, enjoy the scope you make!!

This book is very imformative and useful to the beginning telescope maker. It does not describe mirror grinding or optical testing but very thoroughly explains construction, design, and tips for making 10 inch or less telescopes

Yo, outdoors/history/crafts project lovers:

I got one of these for my artist sister, then read the surprisingly highly-rated tempest-in-teapot review below, and immediately perused the book, including especially the "Methods" chapter. Bottom line: this title definitely rates 5 stars, without reservation.

First of all for the *superb* color reproductions of a huge variety of exceptional rubbings (i.e., rubbings of exceptionally beautiful objects).

Then I read the Methods chapter sections -- comprising 5 or 6 diverse methods (including wet and dry paper techniques and even Gyotaku -- Japanese "Fish Printing", as in real fish!). Each is spelled out step-by-numbered-step (with up to 9 steps), including preservation -- of both the rubbing and the rubbed object.

"Sketchy"?? The first Methods chapter page sez it all: Here are the simple basics, now try them on a variety of objects around the house, and you'll quickly learn about the major problems and challenges (listed FYI), and the medium's opportunities.

'Nuff said -- now go out and try your hand at one or more of the "field trip" methods so fully spelled out. This ain't rocket science, it's quick ramp-up fun!

The book also discusses rubbing's history, kids' projects, papers, crayons etc., and lays out a dozen crafts projects -- all on shiny white paper, compleat with pre-printed bookplate on the front fly!

What's not to like, or more to ask for?!? DO get this bargain title (through Marketplace resellers) if you're the slightest bit interested in this fascinating and potentially hugely educational craft medium. Enjoy, enjoy!...

It's not easy to find a really good book about making rubbings. In fact, this is the only one I've seen.

This art form is accessible to almost everyone, yet few realize the resources around them.

"Making Paper & Fabric Rubbings..." covers a wealth of ideas and techniques. You'll enjoy this at home, but especially as you travel. If you keep a diary or journal, you'll find wonderful new ways to illustrate it with rubbings. If you're a fabric artist, rubbings can be great material for unusual quilts and wall hangings.

Even better, once you start making rubbings, you'll look at the world in a different way. You'll notice more than colors and shapes, but also textures.

I go through a lot of books. Some delight me at first, and then I don't refer to them again. This one is a keeper.

Rubbings of Gravestones have been an art form for centuries and Ms. Firestein has researched her medium thoroughly. I just wished she had gone into more detail on how to begin. She needs to include details for first-timers. Her instructions were very sketchy and hard to follow.

This book covers information you can find yourself through a good research on the Net, but for what it cost I would get the book and save myself hours of research.
For the lazy type of person this book is a must ;-)

This is a very good book covering the subject of Adobe Photoshop plug-ins. There were numerous plug-ins that I was not familiar with that I have since acquired because of this book. The authors explain the good and bad aspects of each of the plug-ins included throughout. I couldn't expect anything more from a book on this topic.

This is a very light and readable book on Photoshop plug-ins. The authors investigated over 5000 plug-ins to Adobe Photoshop using several different computers since apparently Photoshop crashes if you install more than 1000 plug-ins into it on a single computer. This is a limit I guess few of us will ever be able to verify.
The authors will show you how to find the right plug-ins for your system and install them as well as explain what they are and how they work. They will also show you how to manage your plug-ins or even make some of your own. This book is a good resource written especially for the digital photographer, and has plenty of color images demonstrating what various plug-ins can do to a photograph. In the back of the book there are listings of web resources for finding the various plugins. Several of the links are now broken, but there is still a lot of good information there.
Besides going over the set of plug-ins that deal with image correction such as lens distortion and correcting for JPEG compression effects, there are sections on adding "the elements" to your images and also for surface effects. The element plug-ins include lightening, trees, fog, smoke, and fire. The surface effect plug-ins include fur, jigsaw puzzle, tape, and wood. The section on creating your own plug-ins mainly refers you to on-line resources, which is good since there are many good tutorials already out there on making your own Photoshop plug-in. There is even a chapter on plug-ins for hardware devices such as digital cameras, graphics tablets, and scanners.
The release of Photoshop CS2 has made some of this book obsolete, but it is still a good resource of creative ways to use Photoshop in digital photography that is a cut above most books on the subject out there since it deals with more than mere image correction. Also, the web resources and listing of plug-ins are still useful. For under $20 it is still a good value, especially since it is hard to find books on the subject of Photoshop plug-ins.

This is a medicore book that spends quite a lot of time and chapters on programming Mindstorms with other langagues and APIs.

I found "Core LEGO MINDSTORMS Programming: Unleash the Power of the Java Platform" by Brian Bagnall to be a much better book. It is well suited to both beginning and advanced programers. It covers languages basics, but still provides much info to experienced Java developers.

It also includes detailed instructions and pictures describing on basic robotics...things like how to turn a rotary motion to a linear motion, how to change gear rations, how to build differentials, and much more.

There is also a detail chapter devoted to building your own homebrew sensors that even someone with little to no experience in electronics could easily build.

In short, this book is ok, but there are better alternatives out there.

Personally, I enjoy this book. It's beaten my expectations, and that's a rare treat.

However....

If you have never done any programming in a language like Java, Python, or C++, and if terms like "firmware", "embedded", etc. leave you feeling upset, this book may be a bit of a challenge.

But then again, if you are interested in moving beyond the capabilities of the software that shipped with your Lego Mindstorms kit, this may be precisely what you want.

Also, if you have been trying to learn some Java but haven't found a project "fun" enough to sustain your interest, this book and a Mindstorms kit may thrill you.

Lego mindstorms have steadily become the latest craze in robotics across campuses, and are an excellent way to build mechanics and physics skills, the newest series from Syngress is awesome.

No new ideas here. Might be nice if you are just beginning to craft. This went into the library sale pile the day I received it.

I bought this book the night I saw it because I couldn't put it down. I will use most every idea in this book and have found the sketches so inspiring. It is the best craft/ design book I have found in a while. It is a mix of minimalist IKEA meets Parisian homemade/ French farmhouse chic. The whole book is charming, creative, and helps you think of new methods to turn plain into simple and lovely.

This book is inspiring and the projects are great for crafters of all ages and skill level. The photos are lovely and the projects use everyday items such as sheets and t-shirts so the materials are inexpensive, easy to find, and great for those who are budget conscious. Fantastic book!

Excellent templates and web site resources.....better if you have a graphics program like Illustrator, CorelDRAW 0r Freehand.

The book is a good resource for teachers who are interested in creating their own curriculum materials for students. If the teacher is already fairly computer savvy, the most useful parts of the book may be where to purchase materials like the flash card stock, or similar items that aren't easily available in the local office supply store.
I was slightly disappointed when I received the book to see that, for me at least, there was not a lot of new information. I have been making my own materials for my classroom (including flash cards and card games) since I started teaching.
In order to successfully follow many of the ideas here, you will need a source of clipart such as Microsoft Office's clip-art on-line, or Boardmaker (Mac CD) (there is a Windows version available as well, but Amazon does not seem to sell it). It would also be helpful to have access to a scanner, digital camera, and a good quality printer. Ideally, the teacher or parent using this book will know how to use products like Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0, and Microsoft Publisher 2007 or Word, or another desktop publishing program like Adobe PageMaker 7.0, for example.

Teaching By Design: Using Your Computer To Create Materials For Students With Learning Differences is a straightforward "how-to" guide to quickly and easily crafting customized educational tools with the resources of a basic personal computer at one's disposal. Written especially for teachers working with students who have learning disabilities or impairments, Teaching by Design covers how to control variables in font size, images, and layout, why larger font isn't always better, a smorgasbord of easy-to-make projects ranging from color/shape/size lotto to interactive spelling cards to fill-in-the-blank word magnets and decals, and much more. The materials presented are designed to make learning as easy and intuitive as possible without excess distractions, and as such are applicable to all children whether learning disables or not. An accompanying CD-ROM of templates to simplify the process rounds out this invaluable, user-friendly resource recommended especially for instructors, but also useful to parents and lay people looking for educational games to play with developing young minds.

Not as helpful or informative as I had expected and hoped for. It could have done with more detail on the actual construction of a tire house.

Good general reference on building a house from tires. Well organized, concise. A "work in progress" and seems to get better with each adition.

I have been fortunate enough to meet Ed Paschich and hear how passionate he is about protecting the planet and building with a focus on cost, aesthetics, and ecological responsibility. In my opinion, he is a builder and designer before his time that has an understanding of the long-term needs of our ecosystems that deserves far more exploration and respect.

This book and his one on straw bale design are well written and intelligently conceived. The images are beautiful and the words inspirational. I would recommend this to anyone with an eye to sustainability and habitat-preservation, even if they are not yet considering building their own home.

I recommend Web Color Expert for anyone seriously interested making a professional looking web page. The basic color theory taught in this book is essential in the visual presentation of a web page. The downside though is the whole technical part of the book is done entirely through the eyes of a apple computer, though the programs are on both the PC and the Mac so there isn't too much of a difference in the location of things. The book almost specifically uses Dreamweaver though out all of its examples. And the step-by-step fashion it's displayed in makes it really easy to follow and understand.
It begins with an introduction to color theory and then goes into color and how the computer affects it. Web Color Expert even touches upon the issues of color-blindness. The book elaborates upon html and color and the many programs used. Basic design and technical elements are discussed in a step-by-step layout. It goes onto describe in great length computer images and techniques to present them on a website. Flash and movies are covered last. Basic Flash techniques are shown from basic motion tweening to more complex morphs. The movie portion, which is the last portion of the book shows how to put Quicktime movies on a website and different ways to display it.

I just picked this book up from the library, and have decided not to buy it. As you can see from the below reviews, it does indeed contain some useful technical advice, but nothing that you could not read in any primer on Photoshop, Dreamweaver or general web design book. I was hoping to find a book elaborating on color theory, color schemes & color psychology, but no such luck. You get about 10 pages about this, then it moves on to calibrating monitors, applying anti-aliasing and creating layers in Dreamweaver. Not recommended if you need a deeper insight into color theory.

While this book covers the importance of a Web-safe color palette and what colors vibrate, shock, stand out and clash, it covers a lot more territory that one would expect.

Extremely Mac-friendly, the book is busting w/ screenshots from Mac OS 10.x (aqua interface), including many industry standard applications such as Fireworks and Photoshop. This should not scare away the Windows user, as color theory and the applications used are cross-platform.

Topics and skills such as image slicing, transparent backgrounds, animated graphics and more are explained in detail.

Adding color into Macromedia Flash and even adding your own splash into QuickTime movies is explored. This book is a true treasure trove of skills and knowledge... and the person looking for this book may never need the information and the person needing this information may never think to look in this book for that information in the first place.

This will be a mainstay on my reference shelf as I continue to push the envelope in Web design while balancing the needs of the visually impaired and the limits of the browsers currently available.