Electronics Books

Read 4 Arguments...Jerry Mander Then this book! If you are looking for "ways" to get rid of the TV, or "ways" to occupy your families (or your) time away from the TV. This is not the book. This is the book if you would like statistics, and startling information about TV in the lives of people. Although the TV refrences are quite early 80's ALL of the information is very useful, persuasive, and passionate.

Dont believe the hype up there! It is relevant to this day in age, take yourself to account, before the TV takes you! Buy this book and dont burry it into the shelves, pass it on the neighbors, your childrens teachers, family and friends! this book is for EVERYONE!

For a long time I have been discouraged in my efforts to establish two-way communication with children. I would bring books, toys, and games to social functions and share them with children. Once one activity was over, the children would stare at me, waiting for me to start another activity. Why won't they provide any input of their own? Am I overpowering them without realizing it?

This book explained everything: the children think I'm a television!

This book is about the effects of television on children and families.The use of television starts innocently enough.Too often TV is used as a child minder so that parents can get some peace and quiet: to prepare meals, so that Mom and Dad can sleep in at week-ends, etc.But dangers lurk in this innocent scenario.Before long, the kids are hooked on watching, and parents are hooked on a device for having the kids out of the way.Marie Winn aptly calls TV a drug.Many parents are aware of the dilemma, but often they are and the kids too hooked to break the habit.Winn explores the process of this addiction and the harm done to vibrant human living.For example, excessive TV viewing hampers the personal and social development of the child, so some mothers get a job to escape from their maladjusted kids!Winn offers helpful advice to families trying to cope with TV.She gives examples of the benefits families have experienced when they went without TV, such as increased family interaction, more creative and satisfying activities,doing various things that had been put of, and so on.Marie Winn gives many examples from family life which add great interest to this thoughtful and helpful book.

Excellent. A must read for parents of kids of all ages.It is really well written and should make a responsible parent a believer. Kill the TV before it kills your kids brains or at least be very selective as to what they watch.

A wonderful book, that all parents should read in order to eliminate their TVs and *live* again.

There are some gems in here for those looking for help to market their podcast. If you don't know how to start a podcast, this may not cover all you want, but that isn't the purpose of the book.

Ordering this book through Amazon is awesome!!! Quick delivery, very satisfied with service and the book!!!

Jason gives you the whole game on promoting your podcast. You should also listen to this podcast for even more information. I'm a podcast and I use the tips from this book for my customers.

This book takes you step by step through the process of promoting your podcast. Imagine that, it does what it says! It explained everyting in a way even a techonophobe could understand, thanks for that by the way. No techie babble. My podcast was ranked in google within 24 hours of following Jason's advice. This is the book to read if you actually want people to every come to and listen to your podcast. Jason Van Orden is the podcasting KING! The only downside is I bought 3 of the other top podcasting BEFORE books buying this one, what a waste the others are...

If you are a podcaster, or even thinking about being a podcaster, get this book. Also, subscribe to Jason Van Orden's blog and podcast, "The Podcasting Underground". You'll thank me later for this sound advice. Why? Because this tome is chock full of explicit, practical, hands-on, darned useful advice for how to publicize your podcast effectively, and build a growing community of real fans for your show. This stuff really works. I've been using Jason's recommendations for a few months now on several corporate podcasts that I produce, and we've seen an immediate and marked increase in the number of listeners and subscribers, as well as those that want to contribute back to the ongoing success of the show -- a solid base of participating fans, not just passive listeners. What I love best about this book is that Jason isn't afraid to tell you precisely what kinds of tools you should use, and how to best use them. He puts many generally held beliefs about podcast promotion into proper perspective, and helps you focus on those specific actions that can produce real results. I've read almost a dozen books on podcasting over the last few months, but this is the one that I find myself pulling off the bookshelf over and over. It *is* that good. Highly recommended.

This book should be sold alongside DVD's of "Office Space". It truly explains why being an engineer or technical expert is hell. It shows how to avoid the trap of being pushed into management or alternatively how to finagle your way up the ladder.

Highly entertaining. It's Dilbert in prose.

I bought this for my husband, he thinks it is a great book. I even read soem ofit and found it hard to put down.

Not really what is was hyped to be, but VERY informative from my perspective being a technologist.

Putt's Law and the Successful Technocrat

Archibald Putt has updated and expanded his earlier masterpiece to the delight of those who had the pleasure of reading it, as well as those who are reading Putt for the first time. His unerring eye for the absurd plus his quick wit have produced a book of unusual insight into the process of advancing in the high-tech industry.

Believers in the canard that pursuit of an advanced degree in science and technology is only for those of brilliant, but pedagogical bent should step into Dr. Putt's world where nothing is as it seems. Up is down, down is up, and failure to perform may be the best route to success.

Aspire to a corner office in the Executive Suite? Although this volume may be read as a light take on the Looking Glass-like inner workings of the corporate technology scene, it is also a serious outline of how to advance through the mine fields of technological failures. Or were they really failures, and if so, for whom? Readers who follow Putt's advice, and learn from his wonderfully humorous examples, will soon know the answers.

As much as I have enjoyed this book, I doubt that it will be made into a musical, such as How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. But perhaps I underestimate Putt's breadth of talent. Everything in the book suggests that we have not yet seen the complete Putt.

John Meyer

Putt's laws and their corollaries were published in a series of articles in Research/Development magazine in 1976-1977, and then published in a book in 1981. The work was credited to the pseudonym of Archibald Putt. In this new edition, Putt updates his advice for the age of the web and even adds a few laws given the new technology. Putt's fundamental law is :"Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage, and those who manage what they do not understand."

This was not just some cute clever saying that the author concocted. It can actually be logically derived. The author states that the only way to avoid the Peter Principle, which states that in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence, is creative incompetence. The author says technology is an anomaly because creative incompetence is common. Among the examples given are Albert Einstein. Einstein was one of those odd individuals who was so unkempt and eccentric that he would never be invited into the management club. Thus he was able to spend his entire career doing theoretical physics - never managing what he understood. The second anomaly is the lack of a competence criterion for technical managers, causing people to manage what they don't understand. These two anomalies together form a "competence inversion", hence Putt's law.

Subsequent articles develop a series of corollaries, all of them witty yet tragically true. Some others are:
"The maximum rate of promotion is achieved at a level of crisis only slightly less that that which will result in dismissal."
"The value of an idea is measured less by its content than by the structure of the heirarchy in which it is pronounced."
"The correct advice to give is the advice that is desired. The desired advice is revealed by the structure of the hierarchy, not by the structure of the technology."
"A successful consultant never gives as much information to his clients as he gets in return."
"Decisions are justified by benefits to the organization: decisions are made by considering benefits to the decision-makers."
"Organizational stagnation occurs when the punishment for success is as large as for failure."
Putt also includes some cogent advice such as Putt's Ploy: "If you must fail, fail big." For example, a scientist in a commercial lab who was supposed to be developing nonfading dyes instead discovers an insect repellant. The question is - is this success or failure? If it was failure then the scientist "failed big".

However, this is not a dry book full of disjoint corollaries and proofs. Instead, Putt illustrates how his laws can be applied to your advantage through two opposing models: Dr. I.M. Sharp and Roger Proofsworthy. Dr. I.M. Sharp is a man of limited technical ability who transforms his corporate failures into personal successes. When his unworkable blue-sky project nearly bankrupts his company, he deftly applies techniques described by Putt and emerges victorious. In contrast is Roger Proofsworthy, who handles all assignments so perfectly and with such ease that he requires neither help nor guidance from management. This "successful invisibility" causes him to toil for years at the lowest level, as taken for granted as a door knob.

In summary, if your job is in technology you must read this book. Putt really won't tell you many things that you didn't know deep down already, but he puts it in such a way that you'll always remember it and be able to put the principles to work in your own career. I highly recommend it.

Nice book. It helped with my understanding of nano technology. Best if used in conjunction with a class requiring it so the teacher can explain some of the processes better than the book because it is vague on some concepts.

This book is well worth the price if you are looking for an understanding of how semiconductors are made. Although it would be useful to have an engineering degree in order to understand all of it, it isn't necessary. The first couple of pages in each chapter are easy to read and as you gain knowlegde, the book simply expands for you. If I have a complaint, it would be that the book doesn't fit easily in my briefcase!

I feel the authors have accomplished exactly their stated intent. I have used this text as a Fab Manager to train technicians new and old, and I have used it in academia to instruct students. It is superbly presented and easy for ANYONE to understand. It is worth purchasing for the glossary alone which is an excellent tool in helping the un-indoctrinated sift through the tons of jargon associated with this technology. This book is not for in-depth study of the subjects covered- it just explains the basics very well.

I am non-technical person in the financial community and have used this text as a resource on a regular basis. I have found it very accessible despite the fact that I have no engineering degree. I recommend this book to any reader who wants a detailed summary of semiconductor manufacturing from wafer fabrication to packaging and test.

This is an excellent technicians-level text for students training for jobs in the semiconductor industry. The book covers the full range of topics important to the industry, from semiconductor materials to assembly and packaging.

I especially like the format the authors have selected to present such a wide range of technical material. Each chapter begins by clearly stating the chapter's learning objectives, and then proceeds to present the relevant concepts in a clear and lucid fashion that are easy for the student to understand. In addition, the text is profusely illustrated with several hundred high quality black and white drawings that enhance the comprehension of the material presented in the accompanying text.

Finally, each chapter ends with a list of key terms presented in the chapter, exercises for the student, as well as references and URL's for further research.

This is a beautiful book, and is ideal for students at the technician level, or for management personnel who want to learn more about the technology of semiconductor manufacturing. Until something better comes along to replace it, this book will remain the standard in its class.

Very good item if you collect thing's from the silent hill series or if you have the game and are stuck in it, or if you want to unlock all the hidden thigns about this game. Very helpful.

I didn't expect to receive a Brand New copy of this book,since you can't even buy the game new anymore. I was really surprised and delighted that not only were there no missing pages, it was unused.

This game is the best of this serie that i've ever seen. This one is full of surprises and tips. The strategy guide is complete for me. It is helpful for get all ends.I enjoyed a lot with this guide. I hope you too.

This guide looks great and detailed. The only thing I don't like very much is the appendix. The endings weren't detailed but a few sentences instead. Also there is no pictures that correspond to each ending.

i thought this was a good cheat book and it was really descriptive, even though there were a few typos...the game was also good as well

Sonar 2.0 is such a complicated program. I haven't even messed with many of the features, including MIDI, but have gotten quite good at audio editing. This book made a huge difference. I found it much clearer and easier to follow than the online help or manual that came with Sonar. Highly recommended!

I'm using Home Studio 2002 XL, which as one of the reviewers pointed out is basically just a cut down version of Sonar 2. I had hoped that this book would help me to really learn how to use the advanced features of Home Studio/Sonar, but I was disappointed to find little advice on technique in the book.

It's a very comprehensive overview of the features of the program, but apart from a few small features I'd overlooked there was very little that I hadn't managed to already learn from the included help files (which are pretty good) or previous experience with Sequencers and using MIDI.

In particular I was interested in more information on how best to arrange and mix songs, in particular using aux-buses, but I found that less time was spent on this topic than on explaining the different effects (in more detail than I thought necessary).

Perhaps I'm being a little harsh, and perhaps I'm looking for a different kind of book. I work with computers for a living, so I'm used to finding my way around new software - I guess if you aren't then this is probably a good tour of what the software can do.

I review this book as one who does not own this particular piece of software, but as a prospective Sonar user. I wanted to do a little research to see if Sonar was the way I wanted to go, and I found this book extremely informative. It makes what might be a scary program for the novice very approachable and user-friendly. If I do wind up purchasing Sonar, it's unlikely I'll even need to read the manual with this excellent resource available to me. Outstanding!!

Sonar 2 Power! is an excellent book. It is, by far, the best book available on Sonar, and a must have for anyone who uses Sonar. I have found it was great for intitially getting up to speed on the software. And now that I know the software much better, it is still full of tons of helpful information. Sonar 2 Power! lets you quickly dive right into those features you are interested in. Best of all, the author, Scott Garrigus, is able to make learning quick and enjoyable. It is clear that Scott has a great deal of enthusiasm for making music using his computer and Sonar; he does a very good job of getting this enthusiasm across, which makes the book all the more enjoyable to read. The author has a Website...for his readers.

This is a good book for Cakewalk Home Studio 2004 (and XL) users as well, because Home Studio 2004 is basically the same as Sonar 2 with a few missing features that Home Studio 2004.

I did a comparison of it to my recently acquired 2004 XL upgrade and other than the synchronization function, a couple of UI changes (Snap to Grid button changed locations), and a few effects that Home Studio XL doesn't give you, everything works identical to the Sonar 2 version in the book.

I haven't read the Cakewalk Power Book, but I did notice it looked thinner on the shelves than Sonar 2, and chose to buy Sonar 2 because I thought it was more comprehensive. I've been very happy about the purchase and what I've learned about Home Recording.

Am a long time audiophile with a fairly modest system (about 5-6k). Love good sound, and also love a product that performs well beyond what one would expect. This is such a product....I had recently upgraded my amp to a really lovely sounding unit with vac. tube pre and solid state output, but it has no phono. Orig. planned to buy an entry level audiophile phono pre for about $300, but kept seeing good words about this little TC-750, and it was so inexpensive the risk was minimal. Long story short, it is a delight. Very quiet with good inner detail, and excellent bass. Cannot say for certain but it may be just slightly to the warm side of neutral (or that may be due to my tube pre in the amp). In any case, a VERY slight cut to the bass control and a tiny boost to the treble brings the balance to what sounds neutral to my ears. Can say for certain that you will need to spend very considerably more to surpass it.

This is so much better than the built in preamps some cheap turntables now have. Is sounds like a more expensive audiphile phono-preamp. Output level are high enough to drive most any sound card or audio equipment. Well made.

In order to use my N-Port software for my record recording I needed to buy a pre-amp to boost the signal with the N-Port device through the RCA cables. I also wanted to be able to use it with my Bose Wave Radio/CD player. I could record directly in other software packages through the USB connection on the turntable, but my perferred software could not use the USB source. I bought this unit because of it's simplicity, I didn't want to mess with adjustments and EQ settings. I got it yesterday and hooked it up and it works like a dream. The TC-750 improved the quality of my output signal and allowed me to use the software I perferred. It removed some distortion I was having on a certain record and the USB connection alone. Although it's more of a setup, it's definitely worth using for the improved sound quality.

The package was received in two days with standard shipping! As far as performance, I've only tested one other preamp in this pricerange and this one blew it away. Believe the other reviews, you won't believe how good this sounds. Crystal clear vibrant sound. I'm very happy with my purchase. Buy with confidence!

I was considering the purchase of a USB turntable to archive some of my old vinyl. Then I thought .. HEY !! I haver a Creative Labs X-FI Platinum card and software out the wazoo for this kind of thing. I also have a variety of high-end amps, mixers, etc. but always ended up with weak signals or horrendous buzzes when I tried to capture disk to digital.

In my frustration, I looked at eBay for a phono pre-amp, but was not impressed with the affordable options. My next step, when eBay doesn't pan out (OFTEN)is to look at new stuff on Amazon (which ALWAYS comes through.)

As typical with Amazon buys, this showed up at my doorstep nearly INSTANTANEOUSLY !! At least, I ordered like midnight on Thursday, and it was here before noon Monday !!!!

I hooked it up in a few second (but realized the GROUNDING WIRE is key to killing the hum). Apparently a lot of units in this price range omit this ESSENTIAL feature.

My first record recorded like a DREAM !!! All the warmth of vinyl (minus the hiss and pops). The end result is better than the original. I produced a Jazz album back in the '80s and have been trying to find a way to get the originals of the BETA VH-1 tapes. Now I don't need to worry. The original master disks from vinyl sound better than the the digital masters to my ears.) I may just re-release it on CD this way.

WELL worth the low price, and as I've experienced with Amazon before, my expectations were far exceeded. Kudos to both companies !!

I own a lot of books on NT Server (too many in fact) and this is one of my favorites. Anyone responsible for the support of NT Server should have this book without question. Curt Aubley has produced a book that is easy to digest yet comprehensively covers all aspects of optimizing NT Server in your own environment.

It includes many ideas and suggestions that you can implement immediately and see true performance gains. If you've ever wondered, "What RAID configuration would be best for my new application server?" or "Which performance monitor counter is really the best to use to monitor this or that?", then this book is definitely for you.

Let's hope Curt produces a similar book of the same quality for Windows 2000. This book sits right beside Mastering Windows NT Server by Mark Minasi on my desk, and between the two of these and Technet, one doesn't need much more to support an enterprise Windows NT 4.0 environment.

I've been very impressed with the results of implementing what I've learned from this book. I've used the techniques at a few different Fortune 500 companies, and all my clients have been very satisfied. I would reccomend this book to anyone who takes tuning Windows NT for the Enterprise seriously.

This is the best written book I have read to date. It starts out like it should...what to do if you don't want to read the whole book. I have suggested this book to many of my friends and they have the same feeling. Great Job Curt !!!! Publish another one !!!!

Mr. Aubley's book is an excellent technical resource which addresses the difficult task of correctly sizing NT Server implementations and also how to tune NT for maximum performance with regards to various hardware and software considerations. Mr. Aubley explains the complex tasks succinctly and concisely and draws on many obvious years of experience to present hands-on solutions and case studies for reference. I would recommend this book to any NT admin that is responsible for scaling NT beyond humble file and print services. It has presented approaches to the tasks at hand that I have successfully used to effect client solutions.

I own a lot of books on NT Server (too many in fact) and this is one of my favorites. Anyone responsible for the support of NT Server should have this book without question. Curt Aubley has produced a book that is easy to digest yet comprehensively covers all aspects of optimizing NT Server in your own environment.

It includes many ideas and suggestions that you can implement immediately and see true performance gains. If you've ever wondered, "What RAID configuration would be best for my new application server?" or "Which perfmon counter should I use to monitor this or that?", then this book is definitely for you.

Let's hope Curt produces a similar book of the same quality for Windows 2000. This book sits right beside Mastering Windows NT Server by Mark Minasin on my desk, and between the two of these and Technet, one doesn't need much more to support an enterprise Windows NT 4.0 environment.

This was a fantastic resource. I have never really played video games until my wife bought me this Xbox 360. I didn't know all the ins and outs so I bought this book. It has been truly helpful in finding the many things i can do, plus it has some valuable web links for some extra stuff that really works.

I love this book -- everything is well explained. It also explains the concepts in an easy to understand style for parents who are not too game savvy.

Only problem though is that the book is too US centric -- the Xbox 360 is sold all over the world with slightly different specifications, and this book just ignores everything except the US Xbox 360.

If you want to know your Xbox 360 really well then this books for you, it covers everything about the system and the hardware that can be added later on. The book even covers Xbox Live and also some games. you will not be sorry if you purchase this book, it is a perfect addition to anyones home library.

Hi... I'm not a gamer, but I have one in my household. I can't tell you how many game consoles we've purchased over the last 20 years, but I don't think we've missed very many. I'm a bit surprised I haven't gotten the hard-sell from "da kid" on getting an Xbox 360 yet. But after reading Xbox 360 for Dummies by Brian Johnson and Duncan Mackenzie, I'm somewhat tempted to get one anyway for myself... :)

Contents:
Part 1 - Xbox 360 Out of the Box: Meet the Xbox 360; Setting Up Your Xbox 360
Part 2 - The Xbox 360 Blades: Dealing with the Dashboard; The Live Blade; The Media Blade; The System Blade; The Games Blade
Part 3 - Xbox 360 in Your Entertainment System: HDTV, EDTV, Plain Old TV; Getting the Best Audio Experience; Customizing Your Console
Part 4 - Pushing the Outer Limits: Parental Control; LAN Parties; Windows Media Center Extender
Part 5 - The Part of Tens: Ten Great Web Sites; More Than Ten Great Games; Ten Tips for Parents; Ten Ways to Make Friends; Ten Great Accessories; Original Xbox Games; Index

Xbox has definitely crossed the line from being a gaming console with extra features to being a multimedia computer that happens to play games really well. Johnson and Mackenzie do a very good job of covering and demonstrating all the features of the Xbox 360, how it all meshes together, and how to get the most out of the platform. This includes everything from, of course, playing games, to making the device the central point of a multimedia setup for your home. The Xbox 360 integrates with Windows Media Center, so you can use it to watch TV, record shows, play music, etc. In fact, it's very possible to buy an Xbox 360 and never even play a game on it. :) Add in network connectivity, and now you can reach out to others as part of Xbox Live. The capabilities are truly impressive, and this book is an excellent way to delve into those areas that you may not have yet uncovered.

Granted, most 12 year olds will probably have most of this figured out an hour after opening the box, all without reading the directions. Yes, and my DVD player still flashes 12:00. At least it's not a VCR any more. But a book like this will appeal to those of us who are interested in the latest and greatest, but want a little structure and guidance added to our exploration.

Now to keep this book out of my kid's hands...

Not a bad book, although it is more written for someone with little to know computer/gaming experience.

As a producer/artist who is considering a move into the commercial production world, I wanted a book that explained, in a step-by-step fashion, the mundane work routines of a commercial director without glamorizing the business or condescending like an Idiot's guide. This book is exactly that. No frills, just the facts. It is so well-organized, informative, and concise--with tons of great advice that I know I will continue to reference for years to come. It will probably be some time before I can apply all the tools in this book to my professional career, but in the meantime, I feel so much more confident about my decision to move in this new direction. Thanks for writing this, Thomas. I would have been wondering for years if I should take the plunge or not.

Finally, a book about the process of making commercials! It's an easy, up to date read and has lots of funny examples. Really all aspects are there, even the politics of commercial business, how true. Enjoyable read on your flight to Cannes!

This was a superb book, one of the best I've read recently (I read hundreds).... because the author writes from a professional working director's standpoint, and his tips are carefully crafted and communicated.

The thought process behind the Ford/mountain spot, and revisions for example (pages 62-66) was superb, eg why not having the woman drive up, the visuals, framing etc.. very practical and well written.

The business end of it was extremely well put together as well, with advice for commercial directors and how to properly shop their spec reel and establish themselves.

As someone who primarily creates internet commercials for my company's products and seminars, I found a ton of solid content here, too - for all aspects of crafting the spot professionally. The author put a lot of work into writing this, it's extremely professional, hands-on, and should be considered a "seminar in book format" for commercial directors. It's just that powerful. Nice work - thanks!

Two thumbs up - this one's a winner.

- ken

What I liked about the book was the straightforward advice and insights into how things really get done in commercials. The author really gets into the nitty-gritty talking about his experiences so that you are left with an idea as to how these highly charged commercials are made. Do visit his website to see the actual commercial which was the main case study in the book.

Full disclosure: Thomas and I went to film school together.

I just bought this book to support Thomas. But after receiving it, I realized it is the book we all needed while in film school. I recommend this book for anyone that is thinking of working in commercials. Directors, Assistant Directors, Producers, Cinematographers, and anyone else that doesn't have a firm grasp of the way that commercials work.

I personally know some really creative directors that have given up on their dream, which might not have happened had they had some sort of guide like this book.

Congrats Thomas, it should be "REQUIRED READING" at Art Center.