Personal Pages Books

I am an intermediate programmer, who in the past, has done some Visual Basic 6 and Win32 API integration programming. After learning VB.NET and C#, I found that the .NET Framework was missing some functionality of the Win32 API, which surprised me a little since Microsoft is really pushing .NET as the "API" of choice for developers.

I agree with the book that the .NET Framework is mostly targeted at business developers and the Internet for B2B and B2C applications, as well as internal Enterprise applications. Having said that, I have found the .NET framework lacking, and as the author points out, most likely due to how young it is in comparison to the Win32 API.

This book will get you up and running with making those Win32 API calls when you can't find that same functionality duplicated in the .NET Framework. There isn't much documentation on this subject matter on MSDN or the web (searching on Google), so this is pretty much it. The author did a great job, however, at times, the examples were a little light or topics weren't explained as thoroughly as they should have been. For example, the author will tell you what data type he used in place of a native Win32 data type, but doesn't clearly explain his reasoning for the choice. But other than that small complaint, this book is a must have for any .NET developer.

Let's face it, .NEt is really cool, but it isn't a finished product. For everything else, there's this book. He has some Great examples and explains everything amazingly well. I'm a book junkie and this is definitely one of the best books I've come across recently. I think this book would be a tremendous asset to anyone who wants to learn how to get around .NET's current limitations.

.Net Framework Solutions is a very useful resource for those .Net developers (using C# or VB.Net) who want to access the Win32 api from their .Net programs.A no of working examples (with source code available on accompanying CD) and lucid writing style makes this book a pleasure to read and can be very useful to avoid the traps in calling Win32 API. This book assures that you are not stuck with some problem because the .Net Framework does not provide support(which still lacks support for a no of Win32 APIs.)

If you are doing .NET -> Native interop., this book should pretty have almost all that you need. Note that it does not cover COM (RCW) interop in that much detail and does not talk about CCW (COM -> .NET). However, the coverage of MarshalAs() and the clever examples that show how to deal with the complex DirectX structures are alone worth the price of admission.

What I liked best was the author didn't take the cop out solution (managed C++) unless it was absolutely necessary. Most of the code examples in the book are in C# and this might be of some concern to the VB.NET programmers. The chapters are well organized and there's an appendix with 50+ good tips on PInvoke. If you are still struggling with your PInvoke interop problem after reading this book, it's time to bring out the heavy weight (Adam Nathan's bible) -- good luck!!!

Atul

This is a great book for developers seeking to understand how to translate C++ datatypes in the Win32 API functions into C# and VB.NET. It's not in-depth like Dan Appleman's VB's Guide to the Win32 API in past years, but it's the first of its' kind for .NET. My only wish is that the author not have spent so much time on DirectX and instead provided more general examples of other API calls. DirectX coverage should have been left for another book aimed specifically at that technology.

This book was very informative and an easy read. It covers anything and everything to do with credit. Anyone having difficulty with their credit or understanding credit should purchase this book!

Patrick Richie has written the very BEST book on understanding credit reports, and what loan institutions look for on your credit file. Very easy to read and comprehend! Also very enlightening!!!

Thank you Patrick, for your dedication to sharing this information with others!!!

I found this book to be very informative. This is a great book for ALL ages and walks of life. Everyone can benefit from reading this book. Having GOOD credit is so important and so many people do not understand the importance of that. I really feel that this book is an asset to a high school graduate. It is the perfect book to read when you are just starting to acquire credit, with all of the offers that college students get. Even if you are older and not very informed, it is a great book. I highly recommend this to anyone!!!

This is a great buy. This is the idiots guide to credit. It starts with the basics and goes from there. This is a must read for any person especially for college students and people already in deep credit.

This book is a great starting point for industry insiders and laypeople alike, easily explaining the sometimes complicated world of Credit. As a University teacher (and former debt-ridden student) I can foresee great benefits to using Mr. Ritichie's book to help students starting out succesfully navigate through the pitfalls of establishing and maintaining responsible credit practices throughout their adult lives.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chip & Lisa St. Clair a few years ago. We have since developed a lasting friendship that has taken us to countless fund raisers in hopes of raising awareness to the ugliness of child abuse. We continue to work together in an effort to help those who don't have a voice. Chip is my hero!

Mark S. Ford
President
Risk Security & Investigations
419 S. Main Street
Rochester, Michigan 48307
248-608-1712

This book is an intimate chronicle of a man's journey through abuse as a victim and his metamorphasis into an amazing man who conquers his demons on by one with his partner Lisa by his side. It is a sad story with a satisfying ending. It is a quick and easy read, in that it is well written. Recommended!

June 2, 2008. I was supposed to meet Chip St. Clair in the HCI Booth last week at the Book Expo America just to say "Hi." When I got there, he was busy and I didn't want to interrupt. My regret is that I didn't get back to that booth and missed the opportunity to meet him in person.

I started to read The Butterfly Garden on the day after the Expo and couldn't put it down. Every time I did, I was compelled to pick it up and read more. There are other comments about the "meat" of the story, so I won't repeat those. I highly recommend this heartfelt story and can assure readers that once they open the book they won't put it down.

The story is one that tugs at your heartstrings and it makes one wonder how he came through everything. But his dedication to literature and his escape into poetry is reflected on every page. Chip takes the reader on a journey narrated in a voice that makes the horror beyond imagination that was his childhood, extending into his young adult years, a story written so beautifully that even the squeamish of heart can read and understand what went into making Chip the person he is.

This book is a must read and I have already recommended it to several people and will post it on my website.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
Silver Sisters Mysteries
[..]

In September of 2004 Chip StClair called my office seeking help to keep his father, Michael Dean Grant, in jail.

This phone call was beyond belief because Chip's story is unbelievable.

We call children who have been abused "children of the secret" because they spend their lives keeping their terrible secret. Eighty five percent of children who are abused are abused by someone known to the family. Children love their parents and are confused even when those parents abuse them - the children somehow believe they caused their own abuse. Families do whatever it takes to preserve their "dirty little secret."

This cycle of abuse repeats itself. That is not to say that all abused children become abusers but the data are pretty clear that most abusers were abused themselves.

I was in tears on that September day listening to Chip tell his story and I was mostly moved by his determination that his life of abuse would count for something. Chip said that he found his heroes in art and literature and he was committed to overcoming his life of adversity by helping others so that he could become a real life hero like those mythological heroes that saved his life.

Over the next months, Chip and I and a young man, Sameer Mandke, who was volunteering at Justice for Children had many long conversations. Michael Dean Grant was to be released from prison on April 1, 2005. Sameer and Chip worked together to prevent that from happening and instead, on April 1, 2005, the Michigan Chapter of Justice for Children was born, with Chip StClair as our new regional director.

Chip StClair's story is an inspiration to me but more importantly, he is a hero to all of the children of the secret.

Jim Shields
Executive Director
Justice for Children
Houston, TX

The Butterfly Garden: A Memoir is the true-life story of author Chip St. Clair, who survived a bitterly abusive and life-threatening childhood overshadowed by the menace of a physically abusive father. Eventually he learned a shocking truth; the man he called "Dad" was an escaped child killer who had fled justice for over two decades, and one of America's Most Wanted. Forced to turn his father in rather than risk allowing him to harm any more children, Chip St. Clair subsequently dedicated himself to protecting children and keeping child predators behind bars. A grim true crime story that at its heart deals with roots, identity, and cultivating the will to make a better future no matter what horrors lie in the past.

An "EXCELLANT" very informative plain english book. At 3/4 of a century old I learned details about our currency for the first time. Very interesting and it is a "good to go" on other subjects.

A lively, engaging book on a topic that won't go out of style: Money Sense for Kids! helps youngsters develop the financial savvy to be smart consumers and wise investors. The book is filled with amusing "case studies" and fun reinforcement activities that explain money concepts in age-appropriate ways. An excellent gift for budding entrepreneurs and piggy-bank prisoners alike, Money Sense for Kids! should be on everyone's bookshelf!

I have to tell you I was so impressed with this book; I was practically quivering; I read the first 30 pages and I don't think I've ever seen anything better. I could take that book and teach with it for a year. It would serve as a base to go in just tons of directions: math, history, just everything. I was really impressed.

Moms, Dads, grandparents and kids have all sent me emails to the book's companion website, www.kidsfinance.com. I am delighted to have refreshed the first edition; this is the 2nd ed (2004). Revisit the book for updated features of our bills and coins, plus a comparison of the three major stock exchanges. In this edition we look at three different companies: eBay, Nike and Berkshire Hathaway. I encourage you to email your thoughts and questions; I look forward to hearing from you.

THIS EASILY UNDERSTANDABLE BOOK PROVIDES YOUNG READERS WITH ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SAVINGS AND INVESTMENTS .

THE "RISK " ANALOGY TO BICYCLE RIDING IS READILY UNDERSTOOD BY ALL GENERATIONS.

THE EXPLANATION OF THE CURRENCY IS FASINATING AND ENTERTAINING

Is Intuition the Same as Psychic?
"I'm not psychic, but I can be quite intuitive at times!" Does that statement fit you? I've heard it many times. It must be a common sentiment. There is a difference in the connotations of these two terms. People tend to describe intuition as natural, whereas references to psychic often involve supernatural references.
In her book, Natural-Born Intuition: How to Awaken and Develop Your Inner Wisdom, Lauren Thibodeau describes psychic as a process of reaching outside of ourselves, while she describes intuition as a process of going within. Her distinction reminds me of the difference between facts (coming from outside) and wisdom (coming from within).
Sometimes Edgar Cayce distinguished intuition from psychic events and sometimes he spoke of it as a psychic ability, as when he said that intuition is the highest form of psychic ability. In some of his readings, it seemed that he had to add something to his psychic impressions to gain the insight he needed. Cayce could hear the thoughts of someone for whom he was searching, but indicated that it took a bit more to know whether the person was alive or dead. He gave the impression that intuition is a more highly evolved attribute than the psychic senses.
It is common to link intuition with a form of knowing and psychic with the senses. Mediums frequently speak as if they are seeing or hearing spirits, but not always understanding the significance of what their psychic senses are telling them. Intuition may be involved in the process of understanding, or interpreting sensations. It can also operate in the absence of sensations, with direct knowing "out of the blue." Brain research shows that the brain interprets sensory data prior to registering it, implying that there is a lot of "thinking" going on in the act of "seeing." Intuition may involve both.
Karlis Osis once conducted a fascinating experiment with Ingo Swann (the artist who invented "remote viewing") that demonstrated the difference between "knowing" and "seeing." Dr. Osis created a puzzle for Swann to explore when he was in his psychic, out-of-body state of consciousness. The puzzle consisted of a closed box with objects inside. He arranged these objects so that when viewed through a little peep hole, one would see an optical illusion and not realize the true nature of the objects. If it were a matter of knowing what was in the box, the actual objects would come to mind, and the optical illusion would not be relevant. When Ingo awakened from his out-of-body experience, he described seeing the illusion, but did not report knowing the nature of the objects.
As another example, suppose we wanted to find an inspiring quotation in the Library of Congress about how dinosaurs felt as they realized they were becoming extinct. If we used "remote viewing," a psychic form of data acquisition, we would begin by scanning all the words in all the books to find sentences that included the word dinosaur. From these, we would scan for sentences that contained the word extinction, and so on. Such a process would take a long time and leaves some doubt as to how this skill could decide upon the "best" quote. On the other hand, we might randomly walk about the library and accidentally discover a perfect quote simply falling into our hands. Intuitive people speak about such synchronicities all the time. Clearly, the task of finding a suitable quote in a mass of information takes more sophisticated mental skills than simply being able to read the words in a book without opening it. Intuition may include psychic ability plus some other qualities.
There's another way in which Thibodeau's distinction makes a lot of sense. Many people with psychic sensitivities report being disturbed often by their impressions. Being bombarded by undesired information can be overwhelming. On the other hand, people who say they live intuitively seem to be in harmony with themselves. It is this blessing that Dr. Thibodeau hopes the reader will achieve through intuition.
Her techniques for developing intuition are entwined with accessing inner wisdom, almost as if they were the same thing. This conjunction reminds me of Cayce's suggestive remarks indirectly crediting our intuitive nature to our guardian angel. Research confirms a relationship between being intuitive and following the soul's directive. Investigating people's moods at random moments reveals that when people are in moments of intuitive flow, it is quite likely that they will also report that they are doing what they feel they were meant to be doing at that moment, as if fulfilling part of their purpose in life. Trusting one's intuition can bring a sense of peace, which psychic ability alone can not accomplish. Intuition is psychic, but it's wise enough to keep its own counsel on the way to Heaven.[...]

This book is amazing and so much fun to read. Dr. Lauren has included questionnaires and quizes that allow the reader to "rate" their psychic ability and even categorize where the reader's strengths and weaknesses are. I was so excited, I skipped to the first questionnaire in bed one night and when finished, sat up in the bed screaming "I'm psychic, I'm psychic!" Woke up my husband and dogs, who were not impressed; husband told me okay you're psychic now can I go back to sleep? It is a marvelous tool for those wishing to explore their intuition (which by the way Dr. Lauren says we ALL have) and I recommend it, not only as a good read, but as a reference tool to use again and again while on our life's journey.

I am a psychologist with over twenty years experience. I find that many clients have disregarded their intuition--to their ultimate dismay in their personal relationships--and have to learn how to better develop and trust their instincts. Dr. Lauren's book is well thought out and contains insights I did not find in other similar books. When my clients ask for help with developing their intuition, I always recommend this book first.
Dr. Paul Coleman, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Intimacy"

Dr. Lauren has written an amazingly intuitive practical guide for anyone interested in developing their inner wisdom through knowing. Keeping a Knowing Journal was the next logical step to identifying the interactions between the unseen and earthly worlds. Dr. Lauren is an intuitive consultant with a "real" and logical approach to knowing your higher self. I would recommend her Natural-Born Intuition book to all who wish to take that next step to Knowing.

Dr. Lauren has written a work that contains information that you can return to several times and still get more insight into how to improve your Intuition, and thus, improve your life! This is a must read for anyone who wants to learn more about themselves and the world, seen and unseen, all around them.

Having read so many books and having taken so many courses on hypnosis and hypnotherapy, I find the book's content to be sound and consistent with what I know about hypnosis/hypnotherapy --- yes, even the parts on the unexplainable phenomenon of past life regression/progression, things we cannot explain, but nevertheless experience and validated to be true. If I should have any complaints about this book though, its got a lot more to do with the CD. Having done hypnosis perhaps countless times, I find his CD to be rather fast paced; the absence of vivid imageries in the script was the thing i find most wanting. Otherwise, I thought this is a very good buy. Btw, his approach, if you need to know is direct and almost authoritarian. A complimentary book to read after this would be Conversational Hypnosis by Carol Sommer. Having read these two, methinks you're set and ready to go!

Self Hypnosis as those of us searching for a book on it is meant to be a way to reach the sleeping mind the way to do this is through trance Bruce Goldberg offers this as well as many scripts From Ordinary to the Extradordinary does is work sure if your consistent I Know the Cd I listen to will make you feel good because you keep hearing positive things and since your relaxed your more likely to believe them . Does Bruce Goldberg offer many Scripts and a Cd For a great price I might say sure but if you more as to why which I didnt know that I wanted till I bought this book then try another book because its one thing to blindly hypnotize yourself which this book will help you do but why and how Bruce does give a brief history and a few lines on how to make your own scripts but the books is mainly for the scripts which cover the common stuff Self confidence smoking weight etc. then in the end of the book for you new Agers there are different scripts for Astral Travel as well as all the Way to your higher Self ..........So you decide what you want.

the purchase of the book was the way things are supposed to work, ie on time and in good condition. worth 5 stars

Overcome habits, phobias and other problems using self-hypnosis and this book, which advocates a 20-minute daily program of self-hypnosis using one's own recordings to `reprogram' subconscious behaviors. Dr. Bruce Goldberg maintains all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis: he's worked with over 14,000 patients since 1974 and in the revised edition of Self Hypnosis: Easy Ways To Hypnotize Your Problems Away he includes a guided set of exercises on CD as reinforcers.

The need to examine our sub-consious is necessary and this is a way good way to learn to do it on our own.

"Thanks for Everything" includes all the things I never thanked my parents for. It's funny to read through the pages (there's a lot in there!) and remember all those times growing up that your parents put up with you, stuck up for you, or just didn't ask. Every page has a different "Thank you", funny, touching, whatever.... I think it really touched my parents that I used this book as a way to tell them I appreciate everything they've done for me and thank them for being the best parents around. This one's a winner!

This book helps put into words all the things you ever wanted to say to your parents. I found myself re-living my childhood, the happy times, hard times and times my parents were always there for me. I love this book!

I want to personnaly thank Billy Bulanti for a wonderful representation of what Thank You's are really meant for! When I first read the book, a perfect picture of my mother developed in my head, and when I read it a second and third time, it became clear to me that it's not only holidays and birthdays Thank You's are meant for. They are meant for every little thing that your mother has done for you, in the many years that she has risen you! Without my mother, my world would crumble in front of me, and since my world has not crumbled, this book allowed me to reach even further within myself, and Thank my mother for not only giving me life, but for doing everything in her power to raise me and teach me the necessities of life! Billy, thank you for writing this book, and having the world realize what mother's really mean!

As an individual who grew up in a loving and ever-giving environment, I am forever challenged to offer up a thank you worthy of the two responsible. My parents were the quintessential givers of love, care, and everyday parental guidance, and for this I am eternally greatful. Mr. Bulanti's book of thank you's, hit's it on the nose. Among the 365 thank you's, there are some which are obvious, but the bulk of the piece is insiteful and sometimes moving reminders of just how important those mom's and dad's are. I found it an absolute joy to read and follow throughout the year. It's a great deal more practical than your average calendar. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

Heartfelt and to the point. How often do you find that in life or in print? Bill Bulanti distils the most tender and quirky moments of our family lives into nuggets of truth that are there for the taking.

I laughed, giggled, and even got a little misty-eyed as I read through his 365 "Thank you's". For me, they captured the essence of my relationship with my parents in a way I had never been able to fully express. I gave my mom a copy on Mother's day and she thought it was so great, she bought a copy for her mom!

Given as a gift and told it's a joy to tear a new page each day! Always count your blessings!

It has been a lovely experience to spend a moment or two each day thinking about those things that are quite often taken for granted. The only caveat is that whenever a food item is mentioned, I find that I develop a craving for it! Unfortunately I may end up gaining a pound or so because of this calendar. Ha Ha!

I love this calendar. My best friend and I give them to each other for Christmas every year - and have been for several years. What a great reminder of the little blessings we all have - a reminder to be grateful for everything! I look forward to the 5 things every single day!

i buy this calendar every year. it makes me happy. to read five things each day to be grateful for, to think about, to spark my unconscious, to throw a party, there are so many ways to interpret the words here. i love this calendar and will buy it as long as it keeps coming out!

WOW! This is the most dynamic, honest, transformational book I have ever read. I've experienced living a life of joy and bliss while connected to my spiritual center but never understood how it happened or how I came to lose that connection. Now I know and it all makes sense to me. But most importantly, I know how to get it back!

If you want to know why you must distance yourself from toxic or unfeeling people in your life, read this book. If you want to know how to call forth your spiritual warrior in order to have the courage to express yourself authentically, then read this book. If you want to know the meaning of passion and how to find it, then read this book.If you want to know how to heal old wounds, then read this book. If you want to learn how to live an authentic life, then read this book! If you want to learn how to connect with your intuition and inner guidance, read this book!

Thank you Kimberly Kingsley for sharing your brave honesty and insightful wisdom.

So far the book has been enjoyabe and easy to read. It's definitely a book worth having and keeping as a reference. I will be giving it as a gift as well.

I love this book! I usually have a hard time with self-help books, but this book is different. I found myself looking forward to reading more each day. I gained so much from this book. I think everyone can learn something here. It gives advice for day to day energy tips as well as long-term, lifelong energy advice. I'd recommend The Energy Cure to anyone.

I highly recommend this book for all types of readers. I am not a typical self help reader, however, this one had such a positive effect on me it was a pleasure to continue on with the reading. Within the first 15 pages of The Energy Cure, I was breathing deeper and felt more relaxed than I had in weeks. As I continued reading, the energy drains in my life became very apparent. I never would have thought that minor changes could make such a difference in my day to day life. If you're interested in connecting with your inner source of wisdom and joy and gaining a real sense of inner peace, you should definitely give this book a try.

Another writer who weaves words the way artists weave blankets: with knowledge and love.
The book is beyond wonderful and worth reading more than once!

In Search Of Kinship is an achingly luminous epiphany to read. A series of essays by an award winning Western author who honors her sacred connections to the earth through life and literature, In Search of Kinship draws on Native American sacred writings and traditions as well as others. It becomes a rich rainbow fusion seen through a filtering prism of light.

Unself-conscious in form and style, vivid in natural, daily detail, it is a series of testaments to a deeply felt faith in the land and creatures, human and non-human, who people the land set in Wyoming on the visionary back doorstep of the Black Hills near Sundance Mountain, Lambert draws upon numerous rich traditional literary sources, including Black Elk Speaks by John Niehardt, Buffalo Woman Comes Singing, by Brooke Medicine Eagle, and Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions by John Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes, to name a few. She weaves a rich blanket of hope, addressed to the land itself. In the epilogue,'Song of Songs Which is Wyoming's,' she writes of her aging horse, Romie: "Memories cloak and comfort. Time has, for each of us, a different measure. Your decline in many ways frees me to become a new woman whose past is just beginning to catch up with the future.

Actually, it is you , Wyoming, and not Redy, who has taken over Romie's role in my life. Our affair began despite my grudging nature, despite my loyalty to Colorado - land of my youth. At first, these gentle black hills hid their power from me. I compared your eastern edges to the Rockies of my childhood and thought them not worthy of my devotion.

I recoiled from your red-slashed buttes, scoffed at those who called them mountains; these mere places where your face wrinkled with age. I was, at first, deaf to the ancient whispers of those who had found shelter within your arms. I trod the ancient paths but saw only my own footsteps(pp.239-240)."

She goes on to describe the land as an ancestor, even a jealous lover.

"It was not fair of you to tease me with your elusive antelope, to flaunt your whitetail deer before my modern human eyes. You seduced me with the perfume of your summer sage, kindled memories of other women, dark-skinned and light.

But then, when I dreamt of home, of innocent days unburdened by painful truths, of running like the wind upon Romie's back in pursuit of the mythical buffalo, you pulled tight your sovereign rein and let loose the fury of your winter. You taught me that the true mythology of the buffalo, like the words of the Bible, must not be taken lightly. 'Ask the beasts,' it is written in Job. 'Speak to the earth, and let it teach you.'

Your storm raged around me, the vibration of your anger reaching deep chords. When I dared to open my eyes, you offered me a crystalline world, frosted brilliance glittering from every branch, a chance to start anew.

Like a reprimanded child, I pushed thoughts of former places from my consciousness and let you stake your claim on my no-longer-innocent soul.

It would have been easier had I not sifted your red earth through my fingers - had I not breathed in the musky odor of your mountain asters. I should have turned away from your hideless tipi rings, from your bouquets of dried weeds turned to silver sage, and from the shadows of your buffalo bones before it was too late. But I did not.

And now you will not let me go. You demand an enlightened future - whose very hope lies in the lessons of the past - a past that all our ancestors bequeath to all of us (.pp.240-41)."

It is a rare privilege to read such writing. In Search Of Kinship is to be kept, treasured, and returned to, for the glints and patina reflected in it are soul-enlightening.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

This book is wonderful! Mrs. Lambert artfully weaves the fabrications of her willful imagination and vivid life into a stunning masterpiece. I would reccomend it to any reader who likes to feel the emotional pulling of heartstrings. Read it!

This beautiful book of reflections about rural life, family values, and Wyoming, is a gem. Page Lambert brings grace and wisdom to her pages, as well as an understanding of what it means to live in the rural West. This is a book about love and courage. Both men and women will treasure this book and this author.