Publications and Media Books

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (3/07)

Agile methods have gained momentum in the software development world but have been slow to penetrate the database development world. Scott Ambler describes how this is slowly changing and what database developers can do to embrace and introduce agile methodologies.

"Agile Database Development" describes the current collection of philosophies around agile database development, the challenges and misconceptions around agile methodologies, and what needs to happen to bring the data community up to speed with the software development world.

A large problem that database developers run into when trying to implement agile methods is a direct result of tools are not flexible enough to align with the agile methodologies. There is a need for automated database re-factoring and testing tools that allow developers to embrace JIT modeling and iterative methodologies. This isn't to say that agile methods cannot be currently incorporated - they can - but it often means manual database re-factoring.

The biggest area that database developers can benefit from agile philosophies without requiring a lot of development changes is around documentation and modeling. Increased efficiencies can be gained through the utilization of whiteboard modeling, brainstorming, JIT requirements gathering, and minimizing unnecessary or untimely documentation.

"Agile Database Development" takes a critical look at how database development can benefit from agile methodologies and what needs to happen to fully embrace these concepts. While traditional methods may still play a large part it is important for the database community to understand and evolve its methodologies. The world is moving at the speed of change - it is better to keep up than try to catch up!

Rao and Mendoza appear to be targeting a business or technology audience, that might be eyeing these burgeoning markets and wondering if they should establish a presence. For this, the country profiles can be very useful, as these are focused on telecommunications and wireless. Rather than being a general interest introduction to those countries.

They also explain the various stages of buildouts of WiFi and other wireless ventures. The reader can clearly see that the stages of development vary vastly between countries.

The book can also offer you a cautionary note about the potential pitfalls in investing in a wireless venture. See for example the details about the regulatory structures put in place by the governments. These can be formidable barriers to outsiders.

"BEYOND THE COLD WAR". Edited by E. Dennis, George Gerbner and Yassen N. Zassoursky. 180 Pages. The International Publishers, First Printed in 1991. Price $ 21.95

"Beyond the Cold War" is a collection of critical and analytical essays on the state of media in the US and USSR region. The amnioticity and tension between the Soviet block of nations and the United States and its allies is viewed by a number of journalists. Psychological and media war, Political maneuvering, war by proxy and fear of mutual annihilation is viewed analytically. Prior to the Cold War, the images of opposite mass media had been objected by the "Iron Curtain" and aftermath, the blind folded eyes of the both sides were opened. As viewed by one writer, the American image on Russia was based on the concept of the mysteriousness of the Russian soul. He further states that USA helped the USSR to wipe out Tzar's reign.

The first writer brings out the way that American media corrected their perspectives before and after the Glasnost. He mainly tries to highlight the American efforts to bring the Cold War to an end. The history of images of both sides is discussed. The images built up were almost imaginary during Cold War period. This essay is well analysed and manured with facts.

2nd writer is a pro-Russian. He brings out Russian attributes of the Cold War. He describes availability of the information of US in USSR and visa versa. The 3rd writer too describes an Epoch of the Cold War and post Cold War. His effort to describe the US and USSR relations is successful. He perceives that even during the Cold War, the US-USSR people were better relations in comparison to the other nations, which he derives with valid reasons.

Next writer also tries to describe the roles of Soviet and American television during this crucial period, which he perceives as a successful role. Following the next has tried to describe the image of Soviet Union and United States. His effort to emphasize that the Soviet Unionist images is not primitive, but impressive.

Following Writers thinking is based on coverage of electronic media of Reagan - Gorbachev summits. Being a pro American, he points out the defensive role of American journalists towards Gorbachev's move, the fear of being called as manipulated by Gorbachev. Comments of this kind point out the liberal thinking of writers.

A Chinese writer points out the images of 3 distinct Newspapers. Giving the information, he visualises this movement positively. Next, 2 Russian writers disclose data collected through surveys and trying to derive at the positive aspect of Perestroika and Glasnost.

A Chinese writer has discussed the image of USSR in Chinese mass media. China, being the next largest Communist country perceives USSR as a giant being the fighter against Fascism, stander against American imperialism and the balance of power. China's perception and its international relationship between USSR are analysed with relevant facts.

Another Chinese writer has discussed the image of US in China. The given data shows that Chinese mass media have projected US image to the Chinese than the USSR's. In this China imaginations on US as an enemy is discussed and the question whether the Cold War is over is discussed extensively. The writer at one instance view US as an enemy and at the same time he tries to describe that China is a Non aligned country and it has a neutral foreign policy.

Lastly, one writer giving the details of conceptions of various newspapers and personnel describes the insight of the various personnel/News papers on Cold War. He perceives that even the real Cold War is over, the mass medial Cold War will prevail.

The essays in this book are not in a chronological order, but they contain almost all the details on the Cold War. As the back cover says these essays are suitable for upper-division graduates.

... the back cover of this book exclaims the bi-line statement, and I thought it curious that a new coin has been excavated and was noted for
the world to see, that Cleopatra was not the "raving beauty" for ions that we believed her to be.
Setting that asside, she had a very colorful life.
I read this book when it was first published, and just found notes that I had taken while reading it, and decided it was about time I proclaim to the world, something about this noteworthy work.
This book should be "required reading" for any budding ancient Egypt scholar.
It is a "beauty" of a biography.

This is a very good book as it details many star wars collectibles.

I bought this book after taking several classes with Dr. McAllister at Virginia Tech. It is basically a summary of Virginia Tech's Media Institutions course (which, as Dr. McAllister announces the first day, is entirely dedicated to anwering the question "How does the way media is funded affect the content of that media?") The book uses basic, real world examples to illustrate concepts and is written in a very conversational tone, much like the way Dr. McAllister lectures.

The scope of the book is very broad; it touches on all major categories of media which are touched by advertising. It is an excellent survey or introductory book. It is not laden with undefined industry or academic jargon, so I would recommend it to people who have no formal training in media theory. However, as an academic research publication, it is not a book that should be approached as light, before bedtime reading material.

If nothing else, this book should completely change the way one watches television, read the paper, etc. and should sensitize the average consumer to the deregulation and merging of major media companies (AOL/Time Warner, for example). Dr. McAllister manages to present the information in a non-threatening manner rather than taking the cynical, fear-appeal tone that many other authors use in their "big-media-is-bad" diatribes.

A good companion book for this is Ben Bagdikian's "The Media Monoploy" which focuses more narrowly on the newpaper industry.

I found this book a very interesting source on the subject. It gives a fundamental understanding of the technology behind interactive services as well as explaining the key concepts that are important.

The experts who contributed to this book are highly knowledgeable in their areas, thus making for a very authoritative book. Cultivation Analysis is a methodology that has been used by researchers to view long term as opposed to short term media effects. In the first chapter, Professors Morgan and Signorielli provide the overview to this method.

The second chapter talks about how divergent psychological processes exist in the construction of social reality from mass communication sources. Professors Hawkins and Pingree explain that "the messages that lead to cultivation are aggregate patterns of action and characterization across many programs or even seasons of entertainment television."

Other chapters view media influence as other factors enter the mix. This is a useful book for looking more realistically at how audiences are affected by media because its perspective is long range.

This book offers an excellent introduction into the world of cultural studies. Written by some of the most renowned scholars in the field, it discusses the key issues raised in the explorations of contemporary culture: identity and communication, cultural production and consumption, postmodernism. An important book for anyone seeking a multiparadigmatic representation of current social science debates on the "old" notion of CULTURE.

Ozren Pupovac, University of Zagreb, Croatia

I began fishing the Deschutes river in 1964, but Dave taught me a few things about fishing it that I did not yet know! Worth reading and keeping for research.