Publications and Media Books

An exceptional resource. Well written and thorough. Even includes mathematical techniques for solving classes of PDEs relating to porous flow.

You may never need any other text other than this one. This is a comprehensive text covering everything from defining and classifying aquifers to fluid transport, continuity and conservation, boundary-value problems, flow of immiscible fluids and heat and mass transport. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know the basics and beyond.

This book was not easy to read for me. Takes too many words and formulas to explain simple concepts. But I'm not an engineer, maybe engineers will find it delightful.

The definitive, classic text on the subject

The initial scenario of the book is that your manager comes up to you late on a Friday afternoon and informs you that you have the honor of being the project manager for a new software development project. The project is due to begin first thing Monday morning and you are congratulated for the promotion. Furthermore, this is the first software project that you have ever managed.
Assuming that the shock wears off before Monday morning, you have some time to gather yourself and prepare for your new job. One of the best things that you could do during this time is read this book. It takes you through the first steps of the managerial process, which is determining who the stakeholders are and how to get some idea what it is they want and need. Bas is clear that in most cases, the users will not precisely know what they want. Many times, the end-users will tell you, "I will know what it is I want when I see it." Not the most helpful position, but a very common one.
Once you have interacted with the stakeholders and have some idea what the project will entail, it is time to determine the approach that you will take in building the product. Some products can be done using a weak set of initial guidelines, but others must be thoroughly defined before work can begin. In the first case, there will be an iterative feedback process with very short cycles and in the second a great deal of work will be done before feedback is solicited and acted on.
Getting and acting on solid feedback is the mother's milk of sound management. It is a rare occasion when you know nearly everything about the requirements when you start, so keeping your ear stuck to the response channel is a necessity. Feedback can come in many forms and it is largely up to you to determine which feedback type is generally the best one for you and at each specific point in the development process.
Bas deals mostly in the generalities needed to get your project started. There are few diagrams and charts; most of the information is in the form of text that uses a minimum of technical jargon. Reading this book will not solve all your management problems, but will go a long way to making them more manageable, even if your situation is not as dire as that of the opening scenario.

As a seasoned software project manager I found Bas De Baar's book very interesting. When I started as a software and web development pm there wasn't much in the way of good project management books, let alone ones focused on working with software. "Surprise!" is a real gem that PMs working in technology will definitely get something out of. It's easy to read and stuffed with solid advice and valuable information for someone thrust into a new project management role. It also contains some interesting insights, tips and tricks that someone with more experience can benefit from.

I also liked the fact that the book is based on real world experience and isn't selling the latest(elusive) silver bullet methodology. It's a must-read for newer tech PMs and others might consider adding it to their PM toolkit for the examples and from-the-trenches perspective it provides.

De Baar eschews a detailed prescription of tasks you should perform as a new software manager. Instead, he provides an easily read synopsis of the two main approaches to managing a project - a plan-driven method and an agile method. Under the rubric of each, there are several actual methodologies that are heavily pushed by their industry proponents. (For the former, think of CMMI as just one example.)

The book takes into account that you might be new to all this, and avoids information overload. It describes the pros and cons of both approaches. That having detailed plans and a systematic procedure is hard to argue against. But the agile way can give more flexibility, especially in coping with unforeseen events that crop up, either in the technology or in the people on your team.

Other aspects covered include getting the project's requirements, and involving all the stakeholders in the planning, development and testing, to the maximum extent that you can. The chapter on requirements is number 7, which is somewhat late in a narrative about project management. Since assembling requirements is usually one of the big main tasks you do first.

The book's main attraction is that it furnishes a quick and understandable read, without underplaying the difficulties of management.

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (2/07)

Anytime you have a project that involves more than one stakeholder, which is every time you work on a project for someone other than yourself, you will have stakeholder complexities. Each stakeholder will have a different idea of what the project deliverable(s) should look like - which means increased complexity for the Project Manager!

"Surprise! Now You're a Software Project Manager" gives a general overview on Project Management without the technical jargon. The technical factors of a project will vary depending on the type and scope of project you are undertaking. However, some processes of project management, such as stakeholder analysis, are guided by some general, but critical, processes.

"Surprise! Now You're a Software Project Manager" describe how to use stakeholder analysis and risk management to develop a project strategy and project organization. The project manager must also determine the appropriate approach for getting requirements for the product and process and then ensuring feedback on these components throughout the project. As the project progresses, requirements and processes have a tendency to change as stakeholders continue to struggle with what they are looking for in the software being developed (scope creep). Since a project is a balance of time, cost, and scope (quality/ size), a change in one results in a change in one or all of the other components. It is important that stakeholders have a clear understanding of these implications so they can weigh their decisions appropriately. That way, if part way through the project the stakeholders determine they want a more robust system they will understand the trade-off of increased time and/or cost.

For anyone new to the Project Management world, looking for a refresher, or just curious about what Project Management is all about this book provides an easy to read overview of the key elements of managing a project. A key element of any project is the complexity of stakeholders; "Surprise! Now You're a Software Project Manager" provides an understanding of how to determine stakeholder needs, assess risk, understand requirements, and ensure stakeholder feedback mechanisms throughout the project.

Ever wonder if media violence (telelvision, movies, video games, etc.) is harmful? Want an educated opinion? This book is a great resource for all who are interested, whether you are an academic or a concerned citizen. As the title says, it covers 11 myths about media violence. It also offers suggestions on how to help yourself and your family be smart about media violence, and why this question has been asked for decades. If I could, I would get everyone to read this book.

The11 Myths of Media Violence is a must read for everyone who has ever sat in front of a television. Potter indicts our culture thirsty for a quick fix and simple black and white answers. He reminds us we live in a wonderful world of mystery, complexity and untold shades of gray. I need more copies of this book for the many friends and cohorts with whom I attempt to discuss the harms of media violence. At last our conversations won't be stuck on a superficial level. Kudos to Potter for his vital role in opening this can of worms we can no longer choose to ignore.
Ann Simonton, Director of Media Watch

The first half of the book is excellent. I was prepared to give it a full 5 stars as a comprehensive overview of the various effects of media violence (both negative and positive). But unfortunately, some careless writing sneaks into most of the second half of the book, with subtle exaggerations and various arguments that won't hold up to rigorous scrutiny. Those exaggerations and arguments are meant to strengthen his criticism of media violence, but unfortunately weaken his strength as an overall authority. The author has assembled a lot of great information into this book, which may be an ideal starting point for readers new to this topic, but many of his excellent points, arguments, and insights get carried slightly farther than are truly defensible at this time (scientifically, logically, sociologically). I am still waiting for the definitive book on this topic that I can recommend without reservations to people I know. This one I would recommend to average readers but not unreservedly to the rigorous thinkers and scholars I am fortunate to count among my friends. With some editing and a touch more temperance, it could have been. Ah well, read it and learn what you can. It's good, but far from the last word on the subject.

Looking for detailed information on the Normandy area and the resulting battles of D-Day. The information seems to be very well written and consise. Not sure of the accuracy since we will be using the book for an upcoming trip in late 2008.

First rate guide to the many sites on WWII in Europe. I have been to many of them and agree with his opinions. He doesn't mince words and has lots of great tips. I wish he had written this years ago!

Having traveled to and written about battlefields in Europe and in the Pacific, I have read with interest and admiration Chuck Thompson's several books on the subject. In short, he's an excellent writer, guide, and historian. The chapters on various battlefields are concise, practical, and informative. His maps are useful and precise. Each chapter also has suggestions for further reading. He is neither a cheerleader nor a nihilist, but a man of balance, judgment, and insight. I have several of his books on my bedside table, and before dropping off to sleep, I dwell on places like Buna, Stalingrad, and Anzio. Most guidebooks are like prerecorded messages, but Chuch Thompson supplies just the right quote, fact or suggestion. Use him whenever you can, and get these books. Without writers like Thompson, history will pale.

This book was very helpful in planning my trip to Great Britain. With it as a guide, I was able to rent a flat next door to the Abbey Road Studios, used by the Beatles to produce so many wonderful albums. It was a terrific experience for my son, who is a rabid Beatles fan. We just happened to arrive on the 30th anniversary of the Abbey Road album.

Further on into our trip, we stayed at a wonderful little cottage in Banchory, Scotland. I recommend this book. It was a terrific experience, and the people who are listed in the book are very helpful. I was able to pay for the entire trip before I left Utah, thus eliminating major money worries. The only fault I found was that the tariffs were about 20% higher than listed in the book. Ouch!

I will be using this book again for my trip to Scotland next year.

I recently stayed at Duck Barn in Telscombe, Sussex. The cottage was as described and delightful. I recently wrote to Gale Armstrong to see if there was a more up-to-date edition of the book but the letter-addressed to a box number-was returned. Help, publishers,whats available now?

We used this book to find a cottage. The author had described the cottage we rented well and we were very pleased to have found a place that was both comfortable and interesting.

After spending 25 years practicing, lecturing, writing about, studying, and teaching data modeling, I was thrilled to discover new insights and gain more clarity in this field due to Dr. Simsion's diligent work that is shared in his latest book, "Data Modeling Theory and Practice". Like many data modelers, I have strong views on this subject and it was interesting to be able to see the broad range of opinions, experiences, and even to be able to see some of the diverse models produced in the research contained with this book. One of my views is that the more perspectives you can see, the greater the clarity. So, regardless of your views on data modeling, if you are interested in furthering your understanding of the discipline of data modeling, then I would highly recommend reading this material as I give my "two thumbs way up" to this revolutionary book.

I found this book to be a valuable sequel to the beginner and intermediate modeling texts, such as Data Modeling Made Simple and Graeme's first book, Data Modeling Essentials. This book provides a great mix of both academic and practitioner approaches to data modeling. I have been an analyst and modeler for a number of years and found the side by side comparisons of experts' believes and approaches to be fascinating. While reading this book, I found myself asking questions on my own beliefs and approaches to modeling, and this really helps improve the consistency of my modeling decisions. This is an intermediate to advanced modeling text that is extremely well-written and provides valuable insight into how we do data modeling.

To me, this book's value is a bit like children being warned not to accept lollies from strangers; it's a pity we even have to give such warnings, but it's absolutely essential we do. I wish to congratulate Simsion for bravely tackling a subject of much heated controversy, and in a manner that obviously reflects both a solid practitioner's hard-won lessons, but that is supported by rigorous academic research.
So what's this important message? Simply that data modelling is a creative exercise, where multiple "solutions" may be generated, each with relative merits. The importance lies in practitioners consciously and deliberately generating alternatives. Without this open-minded view, I have personally witnessed heated debates where one modeller defends his/her model because they know it can be made to work, and therefore assumes anything different must be "wrong". But even more significantly, modellers may stop looking as soon as one "workable" model is tabled, and hence miss out on alternatives that may prove beneficial in a given business context.
And why is it even controversial? Apparently, some academics teach data modelling that way. Maybe because it's easier for them to have one "correct" answer to a problem so marking assignments is easier? Or maybe that was what they were taught, and any students who pass through their ranks and end up teaching without encountering real-world modelling may perpetuate?
One warning, though. This book is not the first text to be read by those interested in data modelling. I would recommend Simsion & Witt's "Data Modelling Essentials for such people, followed by one of many excellent books on "patterns". David Hay got the patterns topic going in the data modelling community, and Len Silverston's two volume series has taken it much further. And the object-oriented community also has contributions to make on patterns.
A minor criticism - Simsion largely dismisses the use of the Unified Modeling Language's class modelling notation, in part arguing that "Class diagrams are intended to represent data structures which might be directly implemented using an object-oriented database" and goes on to correctly note the struggle of such databases to gain significant database market share that their vendors initially might have predicted. I would simply comment that there is a difference between using a subset of the class modelling syntax to represent what is truly a data model, as compared to using class modelling notation to represent classes which, in some cases, may never have "persistence" i.e. may never have their data values stored in a database of any kind. And even if class diagram notation is used (some might say misused?) just to represent a data model, I have seen this approach used quite effectively. So on this point, it looks like Simsion and I have slightly different views. But at the very heart of his book, he encourages open debate on alternative views, with the understanding that all views may have something to contribute.
So let's thank Simsion for offering his views, and encouraging others to offer theirs. Well done, it's a great reference book (probably not easy reading for those not exposed to research styles - but don't let that put you off), and one that hopefully bridges the gap between academics and practitioners, and gives the practitioners "permission" to be creative as most know is the way to generate alternative solutions for consideration.

I've read this book quickly and now plan to use it intensely for my grad studies and my work in public health. Excellent practical advice for those of us on the front line who need to influence health behaviors of individuals and groups. Practical advice which is soundly based on theory - adding to the validity of the authors' recommendations.

The book arrived about as timely as I would predict as far as snail mail goes. The quality of the book was poor. When I first opened it, I guess the binding glue was old and crusty because about pages 62-73 fell out.

Nice collection of pieces on how health campaigns can succeed and fail. I refer to it often.

This is a very good book. The author has compressed in less than 200 pages an enormous amount of information. I learned from this book more than from any other book I have read about advertising research. I read this book while also reading "Advertising Research" by Joel Davis, "How Advertising Works" from John Jones, and "The Advertising Research Handbook" by Charles Young. "Effective Advertising" is easily the best of this pack if your goal is to acquire maximum knowledge from a minimum number of pages. I recommend it highly.

Effective Advertising: Understanding When, How And Why Advertising Works is an absolute must-read for professional and aspiring advertisers and marketers. It very candidly and straightforwardly presents the theories, principles, and techniquest of advertising, including findings from marketing studies in the late twentieth century concerning advertising intensity, elasticity, frequency, content, and more. As fascinating for lay people seeking to learn more about the commercials that bombard daily life as it is for students and professionals making a living spreading word of their products, Effective Advertising is a thorough, no-nonsense explanation of the nuts and bolts of how messages can be spread and leave a mark on human psychology.

This book is full of extremely valuable information, but it's written in a very dense academic style. I wish the author had gotten a ghostwriter to help make it easy and enjoyable to read. It has far more meat than just about any advertising book I've read (and I've read a lot). What it lacks, ironically for a book about the business of communication, is the skill at communicating that. i.e. It's steak without the sizzle. What I would love the publishers to do for a second edition is: get a much better title, a much better cover (this one is appalling and boring), ask a good marketing/popular writer to make it palatable for the every day reader, and you might potentially have a hit on your hands. The content itself is first class.

If you're hoping for a detailled breakdown for accomplishing finished renderings, there are much better books on the market. The author recommends some good starting markers and sets some color recipes down, but he rarely works 'tight', so if you're looking for a step by step process leading to a tight comp (as most aspiring commercial artists) shop elsewhere. Even in the better rendering books (arch. rendering books), they rarely address problems of flesh tones and getting edgelights, so I give this book 3 stars just for being in color and trying to cover the material he did. I just wish he took some more time with his 'examples'. He's so loose, he's bad.

I am 13 years old and have always liked drawing. About 2 years ago i ditched crayola markers and got some good ones, Prismacolor, chartpak, Pantone....the list goes on and on. Anyway, i came across this book at a used book store at the airport in Wisconsin. When i first looked at it, i thought the title was dumb. Then, when i looked into it i saw that it was filled with color. The latest book i had bought was Rendering with Markers, it was a older book and was pretty boring. This one was different though, i had to buy it. Now i have had it for 6 months and look at it about once a week. If you are starting out with markers or familar with then this is a great book for you.

I have bought this book used from leslie36@optonline.net,the book was brand new.I recommend this seller.The book i s very helpfull.

As a professor of communication, I use this book as a text in my introductory course. While it lacks a little bit in giving details of individual theories, its broad coverage of the field is excellent. This is a good book for someone who wants to know what "mass communication" is all about, but you will need to read additional books or articles to get a full understanding of particular theories.

An extense and complete review of over more than 60 years of Communication Studies is the result of an incredible job by Proffesor Denis McQuail, from the University of Amsterdam. Altough is not a chronological display of theories, is very easy to read. This third edition includes some of the more recent examples from the Cultural Studies, and that addition is thankful for everybody interested in the field this days. JUL.

An extense and complete review of over more than 60 years of Communication Studies is the result of an incredible job by Proffesor Denis McQuail, from the University of Amsterdam. Altough is not a chronological display of theories, is very easy to read. This third edition includes some of the more recent examples from the Cultural Studies, and that addition is thankful for everybody interested in the field this days. JUL.