Electronics Books

Farhang-Borjeny does a superb job explaining complex topics in a very straightforward fashion.

As a course instructor, I found adaptive filters a very helpful book for teaching. It is also an easy to read book, as a self-study. Having used the previous books in the market, I found this a lot easier to teach. My students seem to understand much better. The very nicely designed end of the chapter problems are very helpful in enhancing the students understanding of the basic concepts. Farhang-Boroujeny has a very special view towards the fundamental concept of convergence; the significance of the power spectrum of filter input on convergence behavior. He starts injecting this concept right from the chapter on Wiener filters and carry this through out the book. Chapters 6 and 12, giving the basic concepts of LMS and least squares, are really nice and very instructive. Chapter 7 is very enlightening in understanding the basic concepts of the convergence and its relationship with the power spectrum of filter input. Chapter 8 has made the difficult topic of frequency domain adaptive filters very easy to follow. It also contains some unpublished work which I found very interesting. Other chapters also bring to the attention new views of adaptive filters. I am sure that the students and new researchers enjoy this book and will learn all important concepts of the adaptive systems and filters from this very well written book.

Congratulations to Dr. B Farhang-Boroujeny!

This book is one of the best books on the subject! The writing style is as clear as Widrow's "Adaptive Signal Processing" and it has as much detail as Haykin's "Adaptive Filter Theory". In short, if you have to get ONE book on the subject, this is the book to get. Perfect for either studying on your own or learning in a classroom setting, and relevant to both researchers and practicing engineers.

Superb, great book! . Starts with simple theory, it makes you think harder and harder and you progress into the deep science of adaptive signal processing and the implementation of filters with different algorithms, difficult themes are made easy and over all this is great reference book for the designer. I wish I could get a solution manual for a deeper and more reliable analysis. It will serve you well is you use Matlab to analyze and simulate complete Adaptive filters for equalization or so.

I have used this book to do a literature review on the topic for a wargame proposal. It has the most complete collection of state-of-the-art computational approaches to adversarial reasoning. Each chapter is carefully introduced with a few words to distinguish its approach from other chapters. Adversarial reasoning is a subdomain of AI that covers opponent modeling, deception reasoning and imperfect information games because of the inherent covert nature of the adversary. Some of the computational approaches illustrated include Bayesian nets, plan recognition, swarm intelligence, game theory, linquistic geometry, and approximating algorithms to scale up to large state space.

Traditional thinking about adversaries has addressed easily observable and quantifiable issues, such as what? how many? who? The undiscovered country is a place where other, perhgaps more relevant questions are answered: when? why? how likely? under what conditions? It is a place where, perhaps, one can makes reasonable stabs at "what is the adversary likely to do next?"

For anyone interested in going beyond the exercise of counting and analyzing things (airplanes, missiles, bullets, etc), this book is an essential addition. Why? Because it shows new applications of maturing fields of science to the task of UNDERSTANDING THE ENEMY.

The only weakness, and a minor one at that, is that the book, though new, does not address some of the state-of-the-art analytical tools now becoming available. But, perhaps these will be covered in follow-on books. They should be.

As early as the 1950's and 60's computer scientists began to apply computers to game theory. The results appeared as a series of computer games. As computer power has increased so has the complexity of the games. Playing the game at verious skill levels soon followed. This has required the analysis of what the game adversary can do to you in terms of the resources he has, where your resources are deployed, etc.

The inverse of this problem is to analyze what the adversary can or might do that would affect your own security. As this capability began to be realized, DARPA, the central research authority of the US Department of Defense began several research programs to assist in predicting what an adversary might do.

This book is written by several researchers in the field who describe the particular aspects of their own research as it ties into the overall research being conducted. The book is organized into three general areas:

Determinining the Opponents Intent and Plans,
Detecting Deception,
Operating with Limited and Perhaps Corrupted Information.

This book represents the state of the art in the field as it ties in game theory, artificial intelligence, behaviorial science, statistical and probabilistical methods, along with numerous computer science procedures to begin to see what our adversaries are planning.

"Adversarial Reasoning" is a powerful work and relevant for folks who are not computer oriented.

Coming from a liberal arts background (masters in poli-sci, BA in classical humanities), things like sigma notations and multiple Greek letters in a formula make me break out in a cold sweat and the shakes. Despite this disadvantage, the qualitative parts of each chapter were of great relevance to anyone involved in predictive analysis of n-player games (like geo-politics). Each chapter started with a clear and well articulated presentation of the material before going into the maths and computer applications of the concepts. It is this presentation that I read, before having to go for a lie-down when I saw all the formulae.

The book was laid out logically, with a handy little matrix to show the appropriate chapter for a given sub-topic up front. The first section was a discussion of the opponent and infering and identifying the opponent's intent. The second section was a discussion of deception. The third section was split between the impact of imperfect information and strategizing. Deception (building on the discussions of opponent's intent) was both the best developed concept, and probably the one most directly applicable by the non-computer person. Imperfect information, however, may be the most important discussion in the book as this is the situation most disturbing to real world actors.

The closest thing to a criticism is just a vague perception that the authors might be a little naive about the ruthlessness of real world actors. This may be an artifact of the academic language. Also, a closer examination of situations of asymmetric utility and the impact of this situation on all actors in game play would be valuable to real world applications.

Over all, a great work. This work re-written in purely qualitative terms for poli-sci and military folks (n.b. history is the most common major among Army officers) would be a valuble addition to the education of future political and military leaders.

For folks from liberal arts backgrounds - don't let the numbers cow you, there is a lot of value in the first pages of each chapter.

From Front Cover:

"'Aerodynamic Trading' reveals the secrets that propel professional traders and world class athletes to the top of their field. The author has excelled equally in both the intense, high-stakes arenas of international athletics and professional trading.

Competitors striving to excel at The Olympic Games, The Masters, Wimbledon, or in a professional trading room share common pressures and risks. Fast paced stories, observations and insights from Tokyo to New York explore the remarkable similar qualities needed to win in these competitive fields driven by huge financial rewards.

Once technique and execution are mastered, what factors really make the difference between winning and losing? It boils down to who is mentally tougher. Who is most mentally aerodynamic? Who has the least cerebral drag? It is the inner baggage we carry in our heads that undermines our skills and saps our energy.

'Aerodynamic Trading' brings you the actual exercises taught by professional and Olympic coaches to world class competitors to defuse the ticking time bomb of self-sabotage found within us. The reader will actually practice and participate in techniques used to overcome stress, decision paralysis, failure, performance slumps, self-sabotage, and the most destructive - for athlete and trader - burnout.

This is an outstanding book by an author who has been there and done it all. The psychological aspects of trading are extremely complex, and really can not and have not been adequately covered by the psychological trade writers who are not traders. Ms. Brown has the most complete summary of the positive and negative sides of trading that I have ever seen, and her writing is carefully constructed with the understanding of the reader in mind. She helped bring me back from the depths of that dreaded trader disease, burnout. Her work in this book becomes even more impressive when you read her latest book, Technical Analysis for the Trading Professional, one of the most innovative efforts that I have seen by any author. Ms. Brown is very clearly not a one book flameout!!

Buy it. Add it to your library. It is an excellent book on the psychology of trading, which the experts say is really what makes or breaks a trader in the end, not being a technical indicator expert, but being psychologically prepared.

Ms. Brown really knows what is going on here. If you stray away from the moment and allow your mind to be overcome by the distractions of the world, you are going to lose. This applies to not only trading, but to life as well. It's all about your mind. To quote the great Ed Seykota, "Everybody gets what they want."

So how do you get what you want? Well, although I am still trying to figure that out, but Ms. Brown gives some great insight into how you can begin to find out, while becoming even more true to yourself in the process. Excellent book.

Wow, This book really helps, I beat the game alone on alien and predator profiles, but the marine was a little tough, didn't need the book much, but is great for people who are stuck

I liked this book. It was a real help

wow it is great it helped me pass the gam

I have been playing the game since the first day it came out. And since that day, I have been completely frustrated with it too. This book has helped a lot. It give full maps of all the enviornments. Every air ducts, every sub-level, everything! I play this game 24/7, so you can tell I like it a lot. The most helpful thing are the maps. The alien levels are mind-bogglingly long. It took me a week to beet the first level on the alien. I got this book and beat it in 15 minutes. It tells every charecter's weaknesses and strong points. It even gives a blueprint of the weapons and people. It gives info about everybody. It is really great.

This engaging and readable account of modern GLBT/queer history argues that gays and lesbians have become increasingly visible in the past thirty years. Whereas it was once scandalous for GLBT people to meet publicly, many 'mainstream' institutions such as Disney sponsor gay days, if nothing else to demonstrate their own 'inclusivity' and gain money from this community.

Because coming out is such a common event today, myself and other generation xers (regardless of our own sexuality) may inadvertently dismiss the revolutionary impact these declarations of self had for the generations of Americans who were conditioned to believe that GLBT and 'well adjusted' were essentially contradictions in terms.

Gays and lesbians were not the lonely mysterious stranger but friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Any depression which these individuals experienced because of sexuality was the result of society intoning negative self-esteem messages rather than the 'natural' state of being.

Walters's book is also important because she traces how a rise in GLBT visibility (although not the same as equality) has prompted a backlash. The right wing vociferously campaigns against gay rights in today's environment because the greater cultural visibility has effectively undone their own world. Whatever they actually think of GLBT rights, now having to acknowledge that GLBT people exist is a very uncomfortable development.

Prior to Stonewall, these people and their predecessors were effectively enabled to pretend that GLBT people actually did not exist because the prevailing cultural norms had prevented GLBT visibility.

This book primarily deals with the cultural aspects of GLBT rights, but it is still an important and essential read. Both scholars and/or community activists will want to understand how cultural visibility is not the same as political equality but is necessary for facilitating the progress.

Author Suzanna Danuta Walters chronciles the history of gay visibility in America excellently in this book! Looking at it from a variety of perspectives: Cinema, Television, Advertising (Marketing)and her own personal accounts of being a lesbian parent. While the debate rages on over assimilation, equal rights and the unigueness of gay culture, I feel that the author has done an excellent job bringing to light valid arguements while chronciling the history of how far we have come as a culture and how much furhter we have to go. It never ends and we are fooling arourselves to think that it does.
It sometime shocks and angers me how the gay community refuses to support such good work as this. Ignorance in anytything is not bliss!

Anyone interested in any type of gay studies should read this book. The author puts together tons of research into a rich and well developed text.

This is one of the most thorough and thought-provoking books I have ever read. I couldn't put it down and have in fact read it more than once. It offers a current and readable analysis of the contradiction between gay visibility in America and the growing trend of such Anti-gay initiatives as the Defense of Marriage Act. It was very enjoyable to read and very insightful.

"All the Rage" presents a readable and engaging overview of
gay and lesbian cultural visibility in recent years, with
emphasis on the growing representation in television. The
book takes a middle-of-the-road view that cultural visibility,
while good, does not necessarily imply progress in achieving
political rights (and, in fact, growing cultural visibility
for gays and lesbians has coincided with increasing efforts
to impede progress toward gay rights). The book offers a
number of insights through detailed treatments of particular
TV shows, advertisements, etc., with loving attention. I
thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I learned a lot on
the ride.

This book helps ease the monumental transition from Avid to FCP. It is definitely a must for anyone going through the change, but becomes less useful once you get the hang of FCP. Once you are through the transtion, then get the book Final Cut Pro 5 for Mac, which answers the rest.

This book I could only find used, it is not easy to come by...

If you are ever forced to quickly learn Final Cut pro for the odd job where Avid is not a viable option, or you want to start editing your on stuff on the cheap, buy this, read it and practise it for a week and you will be a Pro at Pro, knowing everything there is to know, at least, where to find it and whether it is doable or not. It is a book written by an Avid editor for Avid editors who have to go through the same learning curve. You can be very surprised going through it on how similar the two editing systems are and most of all, how quickly you can synthesise the information and make it second nature. I fervently recommend this book being so well written, going always to the point and covering everything properly.

As an Avid editor and now learning FCP, I can recommend this book for helping to understand where everthing is. This book is a must unless you want to tear your hair out. If you know how it feels going from Media Composer to DS, then you will understand why you need this book and I might add others.

We have been an Avid only edit house for years, but reciently purchased two Final Cut systems. Most of the transition was pretty easy, but trying to figure out how to do some of the things in FCP that we did in our sleep on the Avid slowed us down a bit. This book draws great parallels between the two systems.

This is a very practical quantum mechanics book. It tells you how to use quntum mechanics in many practical engineering situations. The worked problems at the end of each chapter help to enliven and reenforce the learning experience. The chapters on quantum tunneling is especially good. This book is suitable for students studying applied physics, materials science, electrical, electronic, mechanical engineering.

This book is an excelent introduction of quantum mechanics for engineers and non-physicists.

Levi's book differs from standard QM texts, in furnishing more of an applied bent. Directed towards those students in applied physics, materials science and engineering. For example, there is a superb chapter on electron propagation in crystals. Where we see how to describe propagation by transmission matrices. And how energy bands arise due to the periodicity of the potential seen by electrons. Of course, solid state texts also discuss this. But the treatment here of such ideas as tunnelling, and using the WKB approximation to describe that tunnelling in a semiquantitative manner, is clear and detailed. Plus, the examples focus on important heterostructures, where band gap engineering is important.

For semiconductor lasers, there is a similar treatment. With comparisons amongst the common types of laser diodes, like GaAs and InGaAsP.

The numerous problems and the copiously worked out examples are also a nice feature of the text.

There is no shortage of quantum mechanics text to choose from. And if I had solely relied on the majority recommendations for an introductory text, I would have certainly missed this gem.

The author is very successful presenting the recondite fundamentals of quantum mechanics in a manner accessible to material scientists and engineers. This is accomplished without losing the rigor necessary to build a strong foundation. Applications of concepts are dispersed through out the chapters and keep the reader's attention.

But by the far the best selling point of this book are the worked problems at the end of the chapters. It is my personal opinion that if a textbook fails to at least provide final answers and solution hints to presented exercises, it is not really a textbook, but a reference reserved for those who have been adequately exposed to the material before. Here all end of the chapter questions are accompanied with worked solutions. This is a rarity among all undergrad or graduate science or engineering texts. This alone makes it valuable for self-study.

To those completely uninitiated to quantum mechanics, I do not recommend this book as a sole source because it is not sufficiently self-contained. It would be best to complement it with "Introduction to Applied Quantum and Statistical Mechanics" by Hagelstein. I have yet to read "Applied Quantum Mechanics" by Kroemer, which has recieved much praise and appears to be another excellent introductory source.

This book is an excellent introduction to the theory and application of arranging techniques, geared to the synthesist. It contains chapters on melody, percussion, harmony, strings, and vocals. It comes with a CD that plays the examples in the book - really helpful, IMHO.

The book starts with Music theory basics: Rhythm, Styles, Melody, Harmony, Advanced Harmony Substitution and voice arrangement, etc. Then It takes a structured look at the different sections of the band (Rhythm, Brass, Woodwinds, Strings) Explaining how each works, instrument ranges, how to write parts for each, etc. I have had this book for several years, and although I consider myself an accomplished musician/arranger, I refer to it often, especially when it comes to unfamiliar instruments/ensembles. This book is a must for beginning/aspiring arrangers.

Had this book for several years and keep opening it up for the breath of intelligent simplicity that breaks me out of bad habits I might be developing. Contains excellent gems about not overwriting, about keeping clarity of line, about writing realistically. Also has a thousand handy charts and diagrams on such things as part-writing, vocal ranges, counterpoint, basic instrument techniques, basic brass voicings...
Should not be the only book you own...but might be the only one you pack on a vacation where you mean to get a little composing in.

I bought a whole stack of books on arranging, every one I could find. This is the only one I found remotely helpful. If what you want are chapters on orchestral instrument ranges, then there are truckloads of books on that. Anyone can write one of those books, because all you'd have to do is copy the info from one of the tiresome pile of books already out there. It's also one of those things you can figure out yourself, without even going to music school. But to actually deal with the problem of making a good sounding song, there is a BIG difference between "discussing" a subject, and giving you USEFULL info. The more books I read, the more I realize anyone can write a book on any subject and actually get away with it. And there will always be someone who thinks it's brilliant. Most books are like the 'Windows' help files - tell you everything you can figure out yourself, and would have had to figure out to get as far as finding and opening them, then leave you standing there, wondering WHY IS THERE NEVER AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL? There only seems to be "incredibly stupid beginner" level, and "Doctorate degree advanced level". Anyway this book actually throws in a little intermediate level stuff. There is more I'd like to know, but for the price, it's well worth it.

I used this to teach my Webelos Scouts (age 10) how electricity works and make things go. They mostly had fun using the fan to make horrible noises cutting pieces of paper, but they got the point of the experiment.

Requires fine motor skills; may be difficult for some to do without adult help.

I got this book for my 11th birthday and I absolutely love it. My friend and I spent an entire day building many of the projects. The submersible worked well, but I had trouble getting the hovercraft to lift off. It's also possible to make your own designs work well. It's cool that they included a motor with gills so it can go under water.

My five year old son bought this book and it has proved to be fantastic. He cannot do the experiments by himself yet- we've been big helpers. But he has learned a lot about how electricity and circuits work. With this kit he has learned that a circuit is a loop, how electricity moves and how to make switches. The motor is great fun just to run on it's own. I would recommend adding the Usborne Book of Batteries and Magnets when you run through the activities in here. The Klutz kit provides you with ALMOST all the items you need to do the additional experiments in the Usborne book. I would recommend this book for any kid who has an interest in electricity, motors or just plain making things go.

With very few supplies you have to find (cardboard, soda bottle caps, binder clips) on your own this is a terrific educational fun book/kit for children of both sexes!

The best part is that children are encouraged to experiment. When my nearly 8 year old son made "The Impossible Project", he got the lightbulb to light up but he couldn't get it to shut off. After undoing it and rebuilding it a second time he found success!

Isn't it wonderful how email has made our lives so much easier? NOT! Finally, and not a moment too soon comes Cherie Kerr's great book on email etiquette. If American Express tells you: "Don't leave home without it!" "Don't send another email without reading this book!" This should be required reading by anyone who must deal with piles of email. Best of all, this book is fun to read and takes the pain out of learning something very useful.
Mark Goulston

- Tribune syndicated columnist, "Solve Anything with Dr. Mark"
- "The Leading Edge" blogger - Fast Company
- "Conversation Starter" blogger - Harvard Business
- author: Get Out of Your Own Way at Work (Perigee, $14.95)
onlineGet Out of Your Own Way at Work...And Help Others Do the Same: Conquer Self-Defeating Behavior on the Job
Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior

An insightful and thorough look at some tenents of written communication...and how to avoid the inherent traps! Some of the rules I had thought of and followed before reading the book, many others I had not. That is why it is a must have...for those traps I hadn't thought of and those techniques I should have used. In my business, we cannot afford miscommunication or to give any client or colleague the wrong impression. This book will help out tremendously. I just ordered a copy of this book for my staff... for my executives AND admins. Thanks, Cherie!

I'm glad Cherie Kerr wrote a book on such a timely and much needed topic. Somebody had to! We are an email-addicted society, but it seems that a lot of people don't know the "manual" on good email manners! This is a must read for anyone who does any type of communication via email!

Cherie's writing style is just as fun and refreshing as her speaking style. This book gives practical, easy-to-implement advice on how to be more polished, more professional and more powerful in your e-mail communications -- all in a light-hearted, easy-to-read format.