Technology Books

used this book with the CWSP book and passed the CWSP with flying colors. This book is very detailed and must be read slow to retain and more important implement the solutions.

OK, the title does indeed tell a great deal about this particular book: However, the "Cisco" tag may be misleading. Cisco WLAN Equipment and even some terminology is used throughout this text. With a Vendor's badge on the cover and name in the title it prepared me for an extremely biased volume of configurations and presentations on Cisco specific technology. This text greatly exceeded a book with that good but narrower approach. A great plus of this particular text is the detail it provides on technology and design criteria which is applicable to WLAN security regardless of technology vendor. It has taken the place of my best vendor agnostic text as the first reference I grab.

Kirshna, Sri, Andrew, and Darrin have delivered the subtitle "Expert guidance for securing your 802.11 networks" in 13 chapters. Vast majority of their 395 pages of text and diagrams are not only applicable but extremely valuable to anyone charged with designing, implementing, and administrating WLANs in today's security conscious environment.

Guidance on secure WLAN design is far more than delivery of some cookie cutter equipment configs. The authors obviously recognized this and exceeded this reader's expectation. Their guidance was achieved by delivering sufficient detail on all the technologies and interdependencies that are required to deliver WLAN Security. They did not pave a single configuration which would have had too narrow an audience. They provided the foundation which enables, even seasoned WLAN engineers, to deliver for a wide variety of business requirements.

My copy has loads of dog-eared pages. Those pages mark specific paragraphs which have been very valuable in customer and support organization presentations.

If you're interested in designing secure WLAN which fits your customer's needs and performs well.
Then, you should pick up a copy of this text.

I'm looking for an update from these guys which includes some of the additional features and functions available in the latest "Cisco" WLAN technologies from both Aironet and Airespace teams.

Great book for a WLAN designer, implementor, operator, or manager of any of those resources.

The title is definitely in alignment with the content. A basic-to-intermediate discussion of security, as it applies to wireless LANs, is presented in this book. When I completed the book, I certainly had a much better understanding of wireless LAN security fundamentals - both generically and with a Cisco slant. The book has contributions from 4 persons, which may explain the healthy perspective given to the subject of wireless LAN security.

I know the number of chapters of a book can't always tell much of the story, but in the case of the 13 chapters contained in this book - spread out over almost 400 pages - I immediately felt that no single chapter would contain an amount of information that may be overwhelming as far as being able to retain my focus. The 2 final chapters comprised the greatest number of pages for any single chapter, and rightfully so. It would have been a compromise of the completion of the overall material to have limited the number of pages involving configuration examples and deployment scenarios.

I really appreciated chapter 2. This chapter was titled "Basic Security Mechanics and Mechanisms", and the content was just as the title suggested. The subject matter discussed security without any connection to wireless LANs. With "Security" being a complete topic all by itself, it was beneficial to have a little introduction to some generic security fundamentals before blending this topic with wireless networking. If the subject of computer/network security is not your forte, then you'll be served well with this brief exposure.

Chapters 3 and 4 were a welcomed addition because they provided a "warm-up" to wireless networking. The authors, in my opinion, did a very good job in not assuming that the reader would be a seasoned veteran of wireless networking. With chapters 2, 3 and 4 leading the way, the groundwork was set for a solid comprehension for the remainder of the book.

So, it is in chapter 5 -- "WLAN Basic Authentication and Privacy Methods" -- where the discussion of security for wireless LANs really begins. Once again, the title of the chapter is in sync with the content. What's provided is some light exposure to security methods. The information in the previous chapters really help to digest this chapter's material. This chapter is one of the "key" chapters in the book's presentation of wireless LAN security; the foundation to the discussion of wireless LAN security begins here.

The remaining chapters up to chapter 11 contained more in-depth discussion of security in the wireless LAN. I was pleased to see a discussion on the Wireless Domain Services (WDS), Wireless LAN Solution Engine, and Cisco Structured Wireless Aware Network (SWAN). While there's plenty of information at Cisco's website regarding these mechanisms, including the information in the context of the book content enhanced my understanding.

I don't believe this is a book that is intended to prepare for any Cisco-related certification; not that that was suggested anywhere to begin with. However, the reason for my comment is because there are none of the traditional questions at the end of each chapter to test chapter comprehension. So, if you want to test your understanding or memory, you'll have to create your own questions as your read through each chapter.

There will be a number of terms that may be unfamiliar to some readers, so I'll encourage you to note those as you read each chapter. The book contains no glossary for you to reference terms -- all nice and neat, in alphabetical order.

The book is for someone with at least a Cisco Certified Network Administrator (CCCNA)-level of knowledge. Certainly if the reader has a fair understanding of wireless networking, the focus can be exclusively placed on wireless LAN security. I would not recommend this book as a first-read to someone who doesn't have an understanding of wireless networking -- unless they're going to read only chapters 3 and 4. Again, chapters 3 and 4 are very good for a first exposure to wireless LAN theory.

Using a rating scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the worst, and 5 being the best) I'd give the book a rating of 5. Even with the fast evolution of wireless networking technology, and wireless standards being in almost a constant state of flux, I can see how I'd still be able to refer to this book for many months to come.

The title explicitly says Cisco, and indeed there is a lot of material enclosed that is specific to how Cisco implements its wireless routers. But you could plausibly also use this book as a good guideline to general purpose wireless security.

The authors have gone to some length to explain the general principles of 802.11*. In and of itself, this will be useful to some readers, for 802.11 is now a huge set of complex standards. With the official documentation being quite turgid prose, though necessary of course. For clarity, this book is a good and far more understandable alternative.

The text also goes into associated topics, like the encryption protocols associated with 802.11. Plus, and this is important, it describes third party, often open source, tools that can be used to sniff for insecure networks. Tools like Kismet or Wellenreiter, where the latter is meant for wardriving. One of the first things you should do is download and use one of these tools [or even several of them] against your wireless net, if it is already running. Better that you discover any weaknesses in it, than others do so.

The four authors of Cisco Wireless LAN Security do an excellent job of striking a balance between writing concise enough that the book is not overwhelming, but detailed enough for the reader to truly understand the subject matter. Not an easy task.

The book is titled Cisco Wireless LAN Security, which might actually make some people shy away from it, but the Cisco part is a bit of a misnomer. Some of the information and examples are Cisco-centric, but the majority of the information in the book is vendor-neutral and should be understood and applied on just about any wireless network.

The beginning chapters provide an excellent framework for those new to wireless LAN technology, but it quickly moves beyond that to much deeper and more complex subjects within wireless LAN security.

The discussion of wireless vulnerabilities and on wireless security techniques helps you gain an understanding that you can take away from the book and apply to your unique situation. The configuration samples and examples throughout the book are excellent.

I don't recommend that someone new to wireless networks pick this up, but anyone tasked with protecting or securing a wireless LAN should definitely use this book as a resource.

Competing for the Future is a must read for leaders over 35 and aspiring individuals under 35. The digital revolution requires clear understanding by every leader in modern society; including those who would guide nations, businesses, and institutions dedicated to education and social services. Older individuals, including those of us in our 60's, will better grasp today's global challenges by accepting the revolutionary changes created by the intellectual horsepower that invented and applied digital technologies, enabling globalization. The "digital" genie is best managed with knowledge, business savvy and a longer-term view of return on investments.

Competing for the Future shows how a handful of U.S. inventions launched the digital revolution, and traces how digital technology has sparked economic growth and improved human life around the world.

Henry Kressel and Thomas Lento reveal how digital technology has sparked the globalization of commerce and enabled the rapid industrialization of previously underdeveloped countries, particularly in Asia.

They warn that the U.S. risks losing its competitive edge - and the basis of U.S. prosperity - by outsourcing - at least more recently - much of the production to the developing countries. The book shows the close link between invention and production, and notes that if you don't produce what you invent, you eventually lose the resources and knowledge to invent it.

Ultimately, Competing for the Future argues, the U.S. must encourage the manufacturing of high-tech products if it is to continue to be an important source of technological and economic progress. The message is just as pertinent to other countries that are allowing their manufacturing prowess to decline.

Readers come away with a basic grasp of the technology, an appreciation of the mechanisms created to finance its commercialization, an understanding of how technical skills have spread around the world, and a sense of what is required for a country to maintain its status as a technological and economic leader.

Once in a while, watershed events are understood in the midst of the very event itself - and those willing to engage in a serious assessment of the challenges can help change the course of history. The United States can avoid mortgaging its future, but only if those in positions of leadership right the ship by rethinking the definition of success in the current era. Delayed gratification - in taking profits - is but one step. So too must educators guide intellectually curious students to refine their minds with the rigors of math and science alongside interpersonal and cultural skills. If the road to hell was paved with good intentions, then most certainly the road to ruin is created by greed, laziness and ignorance. Competing for the Future is a wake-up call - and should be required reading for every student who enters a college or university - regardless of career objective. Competing for the Future is the primer for being a responsible citizen in Twenty-First Century America.

He was in on the development of the first transistor and has been involved in the development of new discoveries and products ever since. What he says about discovery, development and marketing is more than "must reading" for the technocrat or policy analyst; it's a new hornbook for anyone touched by technology. If you want to understand where modern technology has been and where it's going, start here.

Despite the technical nature of the subject, this book is easy to read and understand. Kressel's ghost writer, Thomas Lento, has used simple sentences and kicked deep technical matter into appendices, to keep the narrative going. The text scans in places, and illustrations illuminate.

If you want a quick Ph.d. course in technology, its diffusion, and its implications for national economic and social policy, as well understanding what key tech companies have done and are doing, start here. Even an English major can understand it; I did.

Dr. Henry Kressel's "Competing for the Future" is a must-read for anyone responsible on any level for technological innovation. Here, captured in one book, is the innovation roadmap as only Dr. Kressel with his wealth of experience and obvious keen intellect could construct. The book transcends industries as it exposes the illusive innovative process critical to creating not only the next generation, but new generations, of products based on technology leaps.

The innovation process is complex, and in a technology driven organiztion, it must be endemic, shared across all functions. "Competing for the Future" helps us understand that dynamic through powerful examples over the years. As such, it's an inspiring and exhilerating read for cross funtional teams and technology leaders across the entire spectrum of industry. Dr. Kressel started out in electronics and my backround has been in pharmaceutical research, but the principles are the same and that's what makes Dr. Kressel's book such a valuable read.

In Competing for the Future, Dr. Henry Kressel takes us through a fascinating journey, from the invention of a few basic digital technologies to the birth and growth of the digital age.

As a starting point, Dr. kressel introduces us to semiconductor technologies and devices. It takes an exceptional mastery of the field to summarize the physical basis of digital electronics in a few key concepts, and Dr. Kressel, a physicist by training, manages that feat. He goes beyond the technologies themselves and expands on the history of their development; how and why they came about. With this foundation in place, Dr. Kressel takes us to the next leg of the journey, namely how these new electronics enabled the development of new computing, networking and communications systems.

How did these revolutionary technologies turn into new industries? This is the subject of the second half of the book, in which the author discusses the industrialization and globalization of R&D, the development of new manufacturing processes and finally, venture capital financing of product launches and company build-ups.

Competing for the Future exposes the complexity of the overall innovation process. Dr. Kressel writes with the wisdom, insight and experience of someone who not only took part in, but was very successful at, all the steps of that process. His experiences as a physicist, manufacturing manager, leader of an R&D organization and venture capitalist, give him a very clear overall picture and a unique ability to show how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

Competing for the Future provides a timely and comprehensive analysis of the innovation process, and of the various forces shaping the digital age.

"Competing for the Future" is a thought provoking journey through digital electronics starting with the transistor and laser, proceeding through computers, fiber optics and the internet, and ending with a prescription for the future prosperity of the United States that includes technology innovation, risk capital and advanced manufacturing. It is fascinating as Dr. Kressel examines the interactions between the technological innovations themselves, the source of the R&D as it moved from US industrial labs to world-wide start-ups, the funding of the R&D as it evolved in parallel, the tight coupling between R&D and advanced manufacturing, and the role of governments.

Dr. Kressel provides a unique perspective because he is walking this road. He helped create the digital electronics age while he was at RCA Labs with his pioneering work in lasers. After a successful career there, he moved to Warburg Pincus where he funded many of today's successful digital electronics startups. His hands-on experience and lively anecdotes bring the book to life.

This book is "required reading" for anyone who wants to understand the future of hi-tech innovation and what that future might hold for the United States and for the world.

Like most others, I bought this to use as a starter guide for using Cubase LE. It's written for Cubase 4 so some of the buttons, etc. are different but unless you really are an idiot you should be able to figure it out. It takes you thru all the steps on how to set things up and get recording, and it also has good information on some EQ'ing techniques. If you've got LE this is a great book to get you going quickly, then poke around in the LE help files for more info.

Best purchase I ever made in my short recording "career." I have Cubase 4 LE which has little usable instruction/support (from Steinberg, anyway). I really needed this book full of information even more than I thought I did. Thanks to Michael Miller.

All new Cubase and especially DAW users should not pass up this guide. It breaks down this complex program into basic steps to successfully get you through your first song and beyond. The straightforward advice on basic mixing and recording techniques is a welcome bonus.

This is my first "complete idiot" book, and I'm very impressed. To be honest, for years I've avoided these books simply because of the name. I'm not real thrilled to have a book with such a title on my bookshelf. But anyhow, I'm most of the way through this book, and it's been a tremendous help both as a "read it from beginning to end" type of book, as well as a reference.

What I like best about the book is that unlike some of the other dreadful books and training videos on music packages that I've encountered recently, this one actually focuses on the making of music, not just repetitively going through each and every feature in the pulldowns. The book starts off by going through how to set up your equipment. Then how to do an audio recording in cubase. Then it talks about how to record in MIDI and usual virtual instruments. It also goes into editing in MIDI, mixing, and finally how to do some authoring.

Excellent, excellent book. I highly recommend it.

This is a very good guide to getting started with Cubase. I bought an Alesis USB 8 came with a copy of Cubase LE but no hard copy manual, just a 587 page PDF document. The PDF manual is good for looking up specifics but not well suited to getttng a quick overview.

The Idiot's Guide is based on the full blown versions of Cubase so a few things are different in LE but it gives me a good idea on where to look in the PDF manual.

This isn't for the 'power user' but covers most everything needed for basic home recording.

As an environmental stewardship educator I use this book all the time when teaching preschool - 4th graders. The rythming text & quality illustrations works well with the early elementary audience. The rich vocabulary and detailed explaintions appeal to the upper elementary student.

Compost, By Gosh is a wonderful read-aloud book for young learners. As an informal educator with a non-profit organization, I need read-aloud books that get across environmental messages in an entertaining way. Because the story rhymes, it's easy to get into that read-aloud groove. This is my go-to book on vermiculture (worm composting) - students love the story and illustrations. Excellent resource for a library or teacher and just a fun read for kids.

Great book! Fun, Funny, Educational, with a message yet!
Describes a wonderful project to start with your kids.

Written and illustrated by Michelle Eva Portman, Compost By Gosh! is a simple, rhyming children's book about the joy of making compost - the process of letting worms eat leftover food and turn into that material into something which is perfect for fertilizing plants. Easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for young people who want to make their own compost (under adult supervision) round out this excellent and very highly recommended instructional book for budding young gardeners.

When I first heard that the Worm Queen in Kalamazoo (Mary Appelhof) had published a kids' book on vermicomposting, my reaction was cautious. Last year someone sent me one that was just too cute--and inaccurately showed red wigglers with eyes!
Hurrah for Compost, By Gosh!--it's just right! It combines charm with accuracy and clear, brief instructions for a parent who wants to say, "Yes!" to the child who begs, "Mom, can we have worms composting in our house?"
Can't wait to read it at Earth Day 2003 celebration to children who live in my six-building apartment complex in New York City. -Naomi Dagen Bloom, Composting in Manhattan

This book really offers straight advice on a wide variety of composting toilet systems... including the stuff you won't get from the manufacturers. It's a great reality check if you're considering a system like this. The authors clearly have first-hand experience with many types of toilets, and include a lot of information on pathogens, safety etc. Extremely thorough, well worth the cost.

Before I read this book I didn't know anything about composting toilets, except I had heard that they are 'green' and I am building a 'green' cabin so I decided to find out what it's all about ... when I first started the book I was not sure if I was up to having a composting toilet. I continued to read and laugh about 'skid marks' (I mean laugh out loud, there are funny parts in this book) but by the end I have decided that it is something I can do and we are going to do it. He made it understandable, he wrote about the details in an understandable way, and he explained why it is safe (big issue) and why it is environmental. So I am very happy I bought this book and I feel that with this referrence I can do this. And it was a fun read.

I would venture that the authors have forgotten more about toilets than most of the rest of us will ever know. There is no possible toilet configuration that does not receive at least cursory discussion. I only have 2 complaints about the book, both of them minor. First there were a couple of systems that I felt were described incompletely and critiqued a bit unfairly. Second, much of the book seemed to be a compilation of other writings without a lot of editing. Consequently there is significant repetition, and a presentation of information that is sometimes slightly disorganized and confusing.

I definitely think that the book is worth reading.

The Composting Toilet System Book is an impressive, comprehensive, reader friendly, and practical guide to choosing, planning and maintaining composting toilet systems for those seeking an alternative to traditional sewer and septic tank systems. David Del Porto and Carol Steinfeld collaborate to explain the technologies, sources, applications, graywater issues, and regulations relevant to a composting toilet system for the home, whether manufactured or site-built. Highly recommended.

After reading a couple of books about composting toilets and graywater systems that were either suspiciously poetic or a little too humorous, I was happy to find this book.

As someone who needs a variety of systems for a variety of high-use sites, I was glad to find a book that deals with this topic in technically and responsibly (in terms of public health). I showed this book to my local health agent, and he was far more amenable to permiting an "experimental system" afterwards, saving me a lot of money.

Also, after experimenting with various systems over the years, I am aware that some systems still described in books and magazines just don't work well. The authors of this book have apparently had the same experience, and I appreciate their researching this so completely.

This was bought as a Christmas gift for my 9-year-old son and it has been a big hit. The book is big and colorful and has great photo layouts of the "insides" of all kinds of neat devices. The photos and captions explain how the devices work. If you have a child who is always asking "How do they do that?" or "How does that work?" then this book is a great choice.

I bought this book for my 11 year old son. He absolutey loves it. It has a great cover. The ipod is sweet and it's a hollagram like I always say you can never have 1 too many of those hollagrams. And every thing else is a joke but who am I kidding hollagrams are sweet. This is a must have hollagram lover! baby yay i know i'm wako but still ya gotta love the hollagram baby!

Your's truly,
Ottomiss woodford

Through the use of cutaways and exploded views pictures reveal the internal workings of objects and explain various layers and how elements are assembled. This provides fascinating explanations of objects that may otherwise remain a mystery. No need to take apart your MP3 player, you can see inside the player on page 71. There is an explanation of how MP3 compression works along with a 3-D graph.

There are six main chapters:

Connect: Microchips, cell phones, fiber optics, digital radio, voice recognition, satellite, Internet...

Play: Soccer, fabric, cameras, games, guitars, compact discs, MP3 Players, headphones, Fireworks...

Live: Light bulbs, mirrors, solar cells, microwaves, aerogel, shavers, washing machines and robots.

Move: Motorcycles, cars, wheelchairs, jet engines, navigation, space probes, elevators, wind tunnels and space shuttles.

Work: Digital pens, laptops, virtual keyboards, laser printer, smart cards, robot worker, fire suits, radio ID tag, glue and wet welding.

Survive: Laser surgery, robot surgery, MRI scan, pacemaker, cells, vaccination and antibiotics

You may enjoy reading about how fireworks explode and why they display various colors. The pet translator helps you to find out if your dogs barking indicates needy, happy or assertive behavior. Virtual keyboards make using a PDA much easier now that you can type on any flat space.

One of the most fascinating DK books in print. A must have for every library and school, not to mention home library.

~The Rebecca Review

Kids are surrounded by technology these days, but unfortunately fewer and fewer of them appear to know how their gadgets or the world around them works.

This book is a good introduction, even if it is a bit lightweight.

There's a mix of ordinary things like electric shavers and guitars, the somewhat exotic like fiber optics and things mostly on the drawing board like fuel-cell cars. In all, more than 90 objects, processes and technologies are described.

The explanations are all essentially superficial and profusely illustrated. It's enough to get a young person interested and perhaps move them along to considering learning more about technology.

Jerry

I bought this book for my high school students to read in their free time. It is one of their favorite books.

I got this book at a reading festival that my school had. As sson as we left the festival, I started reading this book. I couldn't get my hands off it. When I finished it, 5 days later, I read it over again. Not only if this an adventure book, but it is also very inspiring.

Countdown Review

I liked this book because it taught that you may live in two different worlds but people can be the same in different ways. Elliot first found out that he was the first teen in space. But little did Elliot know that it would change his life forever. Vincent a young Maasai herder, That gets involved with white man. When Elliot went in to space that's when Elliot talked to Vincent for the first time ever. When Vincent talked to Elliot for the first time, they started fine. The minute Elliot started to make fun Vincent's god Engai, Then Vincent Started to make fun of Elliot's god. After several days of fighting on the radio, Vincent and Elliot learned their dads were not that different to each other. That's when Vincent's dad grew ill and needed a doctor in the Maasai land, Vincent needed Sembeke's help to cure his father. At the same time, the space shuttle Endeavor started to have problems on board. Therefore, the space shuttle and its crew had to make an emergency landing in Africa. When the authority heard, they flew Vincent to were the space shuttle would be landing. When Elliot herd he wanted to stay in space but he no choice, To meet Vincent. When the space shuttle landed, Vincent and Elliot meet each other in person. They both realized that they weren't so different after all even know they had different beliefs.
The reason people should read this book is it teaches you that you don't have to be brother or sisters to be alike. I recommend this book to anyone who is into social studies and likes different cultures. In addition, for people who just don't want to read, this would be a great book to just pass time. And for someone who doesn't like to read like me I would read it over and over.

I got this book after grocery shopping. I was looking in the multicultural section because I desperately needed a book for a project in school. I looked at it and I didn't really think it would be that great but it was so good that an hour later I was asking my mom to get me a new book! The ending wasn't that great but otherwise it was the best book! All of the charactors actions were surprising. I highly recomend this book!

Countdown by Ben Mikaelsen

People from different cultures fight about many things. They argue about their religious beliefs, their customs, and their style of dress. In Countdown, by Ben Mikaelsen, a Maasai herder, Vincent Ole Tome, says that junior astronaut Elliot Schroeder wears pants in order to trap his gas. In this way the two boys exchange insults about each other's practices during conversations between the Space Shuttle Endeavour and Vincent's home in Kenya, Africa. From a Montana ranch near Big Timber, Elliot, a fourteen year old dreamer, was selected to be the first junior astronaut in space. Vincent's teacher and friend, the doctor Sambeke, arranges conversations between Space Boy Elliot and the African boy using a ham radio. During their conversations the two teenagers find they have little in common. They disagree about almost everything from the clothes they wear to the way their gods look. Elliiot wears pants while Vincent dresses in a red toga, or sheet. Vincent believes that his God, Engai, is a black female with a beautiful bald head. Elliot imagines a god who is a white man with long brown hair and a beard. Due to a difficulty with the flight, Endeavour lands in Senegal, Africa, providing a chance for the two boys to meet. Shuttle Commander Beaman and Sambeke offer wise advice to the boys, suggesting they listen to one another other more carefully. They should get to know each other before jumping to conclusions.The boys forget that the entire world listens as they argue and learn about each other. We recommend this book to readers who dream about friendships developing between people of different cultures. Two separate lives, two separate stories combine into one by the end.

Review by Mrs. Murphy's fifth grade class in Cut Bank, Montana

I have used this book with my 7th graders for the last two years and I have had good results with my students. I stopped another book we were reading as a class right after September 11, 2001 and had my classes read this book. There are many great lessons in this book. The two boys are from different cultures, have different Gods, and different cultural beliefs. I used these topics to lead many interesting discussions not only about the book, but how our culture and other cultures see each other and have different ways of working out our differences. I HIGHLY recommend this book as a teacher.

I highly recommend this book. Especially interesting Rangers or soon to be Ranger candidates.
Read the day to day activities, night operations and tough moments of Ranger school from a new perspective. I couldn't put this book down!

Reading this book opened all the floodgates of memory of my own Ranger School class in the winter of 1970. I had forgotten so much of the physical punishment, of one C-ration a day while climbing the mountains and wading the swamps, of teeth-shattering snow and icy swamp water, of halucinating and sleeping on my feet, of dropping to 125 pounds on a 5-foot 10-inch frame. And more than the physical, there was the emotional and the mental toll. Heartbreakingly exhausting past exhaustion. There were times when the book invoked such vivid memories of misery that I really wanted to just put it down and walk away for awhile. What an outstanding book! I'm amazed that the author was able to pull off keeping the journal and his small Kodak cartridge camera through all the Ranger instructor equipment shake-down inspections. I'm also amazed at the consistency of his experiences and mine. People have asked me through the years, "What was Ranger School like?" I never could begin to find any words to do the experience justice. How do I describe the indescribable? Now, however, J.D. Lock has done just that. The next time I'm asked, I'll just hand them the book and answer, "Here. Read." Every Ranger or family of a Ranger should have this book. Rangers Lead The Way, Sir!

This is the real deal. An insider's look at the fabled Ranger School, a course designed to weed out all non-hackers and craft a group of the finest soldiers on God's green earth. The United States Army Rangers are truly an elite breed, and this day-by-day account of the qualification process shows how a man changes when placed under the stress of such rigorous training. Author John D. Lock is a talented writer and the account of Ranger School is his own quest for "the coveted black and gold." We should be grateful that Lock was able to clandestinely take notes on each of his day's activities, a practice that would have most likely earned him disqualification from Ranger School had he been discovered. His daily log lets perspective Rangers know what to expect, but can also be read for entertainment purposes for those who are not considering entering Ranger School. I have been seriously debating trying to become a Ranger after I am done with school, and this book made me think twice about it. However, it also made me think a third time and became an inspiration for me. Pick this book up, it doesn't get much better.

This book is extremely valuable for its day-to-day description of life at Ranger School, to give aspiring Rangers an idea of what's in store when they tackle the nine-week course.

And for someone who completed Ranger School just a few years before the author, it was a stunning trip backward in time. The passage of almost three decades had blurred my memories substantially, but Lock's account resurrected a significant number of them -- little things that added so much richness to the course yet faded immediately upon graduation, plus some monstrous things that one's mind tends to dilute on purpose. It's all here: The kinetic, frenetic action of the first phase, the physical training, the long runs, the hand-to-hand combat sessions (along with taking a dive during the competitive portion, to avoid injury), the mess hall experience, chin-ups before every meal, reporting to the Tacs at every meal, low-crawling on that rocky road in the company area, the swelling unpleasance of Camp Darby, where night operations began the sleep deprivation process. The descripion of the Mountain Phase is equally vivid, the terrible patrols up and down horrendous, 60-degree slopes in the dead of night, with fallen trees blocking the way, the fatigue really starting to take its toll now -- Lock's account brought it all back... the rain, the sleep-starvation, the hunger, and even a photo of those little Mountain huts I thought I'd never see again.

Lock noted something I considered significant at the time, an excellent example of the Ranger Department's psychological choreography. At the end of the Mountain Phase, classes were roused early (0300) to make the return bus trip to Fort Benning from Camp Merrill. Some students were feeling great after the Mountains, having passed all of their graded patrols; others, like me, were one up and two down -- on the brink of failing the course. As the busses entered the Benning Ranger area later that morning, we saw the previous class standing on the old airstrip behind the City Team barracks, enjoying its graduation ceremony. Students who were doing well (such as Lock) were jubilant and inspired; students who were faltering (like me) experienced a massive wave of depression.

Lock's account of the Florida phase was terrific... cold, wet, exhausted and starving. I had forgotten how we surreptitiously obsessed over food, frequently murmuring about the things we would eat after we finished the course... fried chicken, cherry pie, gosh, hamburgers!

The last days of slogging through the swamps, the RELIEF when it was all finally over, the brevity of the double-time graduation ceremony (during my own, we saw the busses from the next class pass before us; more Ranger excellence in timing and execution!) -- it's all here.

Lock's constant use of vernacular was appropriate, reflecting how Ranger students, soon completely immersed in the training, communicate with one another. You'll pick it up, after a few pages.

This is a super little diary. I just can't imagine how he found the energy or time to do it. Enjoy, and Drive On.

John has done a wonderful job of putting me back into hell. I could actually feel the scrapes and bruises. There were times that the memories were real enough that I had to put the book down. I highly recommend The Coveted Black and Gold to anyone who has this experience under their belt and to anyone looking to take the challenge.

This book is an amazing book and essential for firefighters, as well as enthusiasts or people who just wants to learn something. From start to finish, this book is packed full of facts, based on the history of FDNY and exploring the truth behind the brotherhood involved in the fire house. I have yet to place this book aside, it is an utmost favorite of mine.

This book from start to finish is packed with information that you would otherwise never have heard about. The history of one of the most famous Fire Depts in the US is more than I ever imagined, naming some of the early firefighters who would have otherwise slipped into the sandglass of time. The accounts of fires and incidents in the citys history do more credit than you will ever hear about anywhere else. It shows why today Firefighters of the modern day FDNY fight so hard to keep hold of their history and tradition. Before you make judgement on these guys read this book. This is what they are all about.

In these post-9/11 days there have been a number of histories of the FDNY written, but this one is my favorite. It reads like a novel, yet is packed with solid history. And while clearly an admirer of the Fire Department, the author does not get overly sentimental, which is quite easy to do.

For someone who loves New York City and has an admiration for firefighters, this book would be a valuable addition to any library. While providing a fascinating account of the history of the FDNY, the book also gives the reader a wealth of information about the city itself. I would recommend it for firefighters, fire buffs, and any reader who is interested in a fascinating account of the Fire Department of the City of New York and the incredible men and women who have joined its ranks over the years.

Loved it! Been looking for something like it ever since. I recommend it to my "reader" friends often. As a New York City history buff I found it to be readable and enlightening. And as a fire buff, since 9/11 I can't get enough of this stuff, I found it to be well-researched and thorough. I knew what I was getting into when I read the jacket. Golway's firefighting roots make him a fan of The Bravest but I didn't mind the sentimentality because that's partially why I picked the book in the first place. A fitting tribute to working class heroes of the past 300+ years.

This book not only maps out the territory of advanced Capitalism, but it provides a political philosophy that is a "Negri beyond Negri". Although Dyer-Witheford draws a lot of ideas from Antonio Negri and the Italian autonomist tradition, he surpasses them with his excellent analysis of postindustrial capital. Moreover, Negri's most recent work (with Michael Hardt), "Empire" falls short of Dyer-Witheford's "Cyber-Marx" which is more realistic, practical, concise and defensible than Negri has ever been. This book is worth buying by anyone interested in the realities of technological society.

I had an urge to go back to readings on politics after September 11th tragedy... So I bought a few books from Amazon and Autonomedia. Spent Christmas time reading them with an almost furiouos enthusiasm!
As a 49 years artist, european and ex-trotskyst wandering along the late capitalism pathway of illusions, I found this book an absolute must for anyone trying to do a map of the present state of humankind.
It is most probably the best portrait of post-marxism and neo-marxism done in the last twenty years. Systematic, well balanced, straithforward, wit and very very humanistic.
I think that this canadian leftist - Nick Dyer-Witheford - deserves an urgent translation of his book to french, spanish, portuguese and chinese as soon as possible...

"Cyber Marx" by Nick Dyer-Whitheford is a brilliant Marxist analysis and critique of the economy of technology in late capitalism. The author shreds the techno-booster utopian visions of theorists such as Alvin Toffler to expose today's information society for what it really represents: namely, a post-Fordist attempt by capital to deepen and extend its dominance, control and repression as never before.

Mr. Dyer-Witheford presents evidence that the information infrastructure used to coordinate global production and consumption chains might also provide subversive opportunities to the disenfranchised, who may ultimately choose to develop new social structures existing beyond the control of capital. In this manner, the author believes that the surplus value produced by machines could be used to institute a guaranteed wage, a communication commons, and a revived democracy.

On the other hand, Mr. Dyer-Witheford acknowledges that technology might be used by fascists to spread hate and intolerance, and cautions us that this possibility should not be taken lightly. As the social costs of capitalism increase for ever larger segments of the world's population, it is possible that an under-educated public may be led by self-serving leaders to turn violently against themselves. The author's optimism that people will choose to strive for peace and justice, however, distinguishes his work from the pessimistic tone that sometimes suffuses the work of other postmodernists and contemporary European Marxist scholars.

Mr. Dyer-Whitheford's cogent analysis provides clarity to readers seeking insight into the dynamics of post-industrial society. Let's hope that this important work gets the attention it deserves and provides guidance to those who may be wish to build a more humane and just society. Highly recommended.

This superb book not only takes elements of Marx's legacy and makes them contemporary in a prose embraced enthusiastically by undergraduates. It also lists four sites of struggle within a visions of 'circuits of struggle.' These four are

1. struggle at the site of production (usually waged work)
2. struggle at the point of reproduction (women producing people and labour power, students being educated...);
3. struggle at the interface of nature and people (eco-feminism, water, air, forests and indigenous knowledge, seeds, terminator biotechnology and the like); and finally
4. struggle at the site of consumption (GMO foods, labels on foods, carcinogens and war-related poisoning of people and the ecosystem and the like).

The power of this complex analysis of peoples' resistance to corporate profit making is situated in its capacity to unite the thousands of different (formerly called 'single-issue') struggles into one international movement to 'globalize from below' or to build a new 'subsistence society' worldwide centred on the satisfaction of human and ecological needs rather than the production of profit or as John McMurtry (see his forthcoming Value Wars, Pluto, 2002, or 'the Cancer Stage of Capitalism, Pluto, London, 1999)calls 'money demand.'

This book is, for me, one of the top ten pieces of brilliant, committed scholarship, ever. It is in the tradition of both CLR James and the Italian autonomistas, notably Antonio Negri and Maria Rosa Dalla Costa.

This is a masterwork; a unique and nearly comprehensive view of Marxism appropriate for our times. Nick avoids dogma and certainly eliminates all vestiges of teleology. The absence of dogma is indicated by the wide variety of sources that are tied together with a strong square knot. Optimistic yet realistic, this book is a must for all progressives and all who give a damn about human and Earth survival. I would have liked to see more on neutralizing militarism; if he has ideas on this I hope he writes them up.

Addendum 12/6/02 -- Why aren't more people discussing this superb work?