Z Books

This is a great reference book. There is one on every unit in the hospital where I work and it comes in handy.

This was a very concise and clearly planned book; the material is presented in easily understood language. Very helpful for the student as well as the registered nurse working in any setting.

Monterey Bay Aquarium does it again! They continue to publish high quality educational materials. More people should sell their books! Brilliant first stab at children's board books. I hope this is the first of many.

A beautifully illustrated book that tells the story of a Mom Sea otter and her pup - full of detail in the colorful borders and a pleasure to read - My two kids love this book and I enjoy it as much as they do!!

A thought provoking book that examines how our family life has slipped away from us because of overscheduling of activities, as well as the addiction to tv and computer. Offers excellent guidelines for getting back on track and reconnecting with our family and community. I am putting some of these ideas to practice in my own family, and find that we are becoming much closer. Who should read this? Anyone who wishes to become closer to their loved ones, and is concerned with the hectic pace of their lives.

This book was helpful for me because it had stories about real families, real struggles, and personal solutions. I've found the most helpful tips always come from other families or parents. This book offers plenty!!

The layout of the book is great for finding information about anything related to quality and continuous improvement. This book would be great for the seasoned quality practitioner and the novice. I would recommend this book for the people making quality improvement happen and those that are responsible for managing the operation.

I thought this book might be just another introduction to quality tools. I was incorrect. The author covers 120+ quality methods and tools in a concise yet substantive way. If you are confident you know all there is to know about quality tools you may be surprised.

I call this book a concise encyclopedia of primary quality tools. The brief, but highly informative explanations are illuminated by understandable diagrams and charts. The information serves both as a quality-tools refresher and as enducement to explore tools and techniques previously unknown.

Did you realize that there are three kinds of brainstorming: "classical," "635," and "imaginary"? What is a "variability reduction process"? How is it used? What about the "critical incident technique"? The "Delphi Method," sounds exotic. What is it? Then there's the "hidden factory"? Can you open "the Morphological Box"? Learn how to use "PICOS" workshops. Delve into what a "Process Control Maturity Matrix" can depict. See when you could use "Thematic Content Analysis" or "TILMAG" or "Z-Series Matrices"? You'll find answers to these questions when you dig into this fascinating compendium of useful techniques and tools.

And, if these tidbits aren't enough turn-on, the book includes a comprehensive glossary. Quality Essentials' contents and features make the book a must have for people studying for ASQ certification examinations. It is probably one of the more useful books you'll want to take to the examination site as a ready-reference.

Dr. ReVelle made excellent decisions in the selection of the essential techniques and tools, while avoiding excessive material. My only minor complaint is I would have liked links to where to find more about the tools presented. The drawback is that would have increased the number of pages and decreased its benefit of simplicity and conciseness. For most of us I imagine the book is "A-OK" as written.

Quality Essentials is well-organized, inexpensive, and very practical addition to a quality professional's toolbox. My prognostication is that your copy will become dog-eared very soon.

This book is a must for anyone doing business appraisals. It quantifies the opinion of the marketability discount and provides a defensible methodology as well as a defensible amount. Whether you use the methodology or use the theory to defend your marketability discount, you have a substanstive test other than emperical evidence for your opinion.

Have you ever felt that valuators seem to pick marketability discount percentages 'out of thin air'? This book gave me the tools to go "one-up" on my competition. You'll get everything you need to develop marketability discounts that you can explain and defend. A common-sense approach fitted to the specfic facts and circumstances of the case. I've read this book twice, and I use this methodology for every marketability discount that I value. You'll also learn how to defend your discount in light of the most important Tax Court cases on the subject. And...an inexpensive template available from the author will save you tons of time and money!

Book condition was excellent, delivery was one day earlier than scheduled. Delviered to my home without package damage. I would definately order from them again.

I wish this book had been available when I was a student. It is wonderfully clear and has helped me refresh my knowledge. Written in a concise manner that takes the reader through step by step.

Linda Causee's name will be readily familiar to any avid quilter: she's written other popular quilting books but QUILTS A TO Z: 26 TECHNIQUES EVERY QUILTER SHOULD KNOW is more than a design guide: it provides specific instructions and tricks and tips for cutting, piecing, and assembling quilts. Each A-Z letter stands for a new quilting technique -and each featured quilt includes a materials list, directions, and easy color illustrations of both processes and finished products. Even quilters beyond the novice stage will find plenty of direction and insights, here.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Quilts A to Z isn't an ordinary quilting book. Rather than giving you a set of patterns and instructions for a set of quilts, it focuses on teaching techniques -- 26 of them -- that "every quilter should know." It succeeds admirably.

Each technique has a short description and explains why and when it's important. It also includes a relatively simple project to let you try out the technique. For example, "B is for Borders" demonstrates how you can make an entire quilt almost entirely from borders, starting with a 24"x20" piece of landscape fabric in the middle. "F is for Foundation Piecing" includes a simple quilt using that technique.

The book covers both the basics (such as crazy quilting and rotary cutting), and variations that may be on your "one of these days..." lists, such as trapunto or kaleidoscopes. Even if you don't make any of these projects (and I'm not sure I will... I just keep telling myself I might), it is _really_ fun to read.

This is an excellent commentary on preparing for "the days to come." I highly recommend it.

This book was an eye-opener for me, and I'm so thankful for the heads-up, to move out of the city and start storing up food and provisions. Nature is doing exactly as Ramtha predicted. And I don't think there's anywhere else that you're going to find Earth Changes linked to human consciousness described with such brilliance and eloquence. In my opinion, Ramtha has no equal in the world as a Master Teacher.

Daniel Feldman is a man who truly lives this book day in and day out. I had the privilage of spending the summer with him and seeing him "in action". If there is going to be one book which you will buy all summer, buy this one. Every chapter is a whole new topic, yet the whole book ties togethor. Buy, this book, I loved it and so will you.

Rabbi Daniel Feldman has set himself a formidable task in this volume: to spell out in a generally accessible way what Jewish law says about human relationships.

His task is, in part, to respond to those (far too many) people who see Halakha as "ritualistic" and as having little to say on this important topic. It is also, in part, to help provide those who _are_ Traditionally observant with a helpful overaching framework that makes sense of their practices at the interpersonal level.

He succeeds wonderfully. In each of a dozen-plus areas, he provides a careful overview of the relevant portions of Halakha, sifting with great competence through a wide range of rabbinic opinions and citing their sources in Torah.

For example, the very first chapter concerns the Halakhic prohibition on embarrassing one's fellow publicly, which Torah regards as in some way equivalent to murder. But in what way, and to what lengths must one go in order to avoid committing this sin? How many listeners are needed in order to qualify as "public"? Three? Does the prohibition apply in private too? Must one -- as certain passages of Torah seem to imply -- submit to martyrdom rather than disclose embarrassing information about someone?

Feldman sorts handily through the range of rabbinic opinion, carefully getting the issues clear and allowing the Tradition to offer its answers. The result is not _easy_ reading by any means, but it will be highly rewarding to anyone who wants a clear exposition of what Halakha actually says.

And that means "anyone," not only Halakhically observant Jews. As Feldman himself is careful to note, his book is not intended as a detailed guide to Jewish practice. It should therefore be of tremendous interest to anyone who wants to learn about Jewish ethics.

In particular, since in even the Reformest of Reform Judaism the _ethical_ mitzvot are still officially regarded as binding, there should be much in this volume to provoke discussion and (it is hoped) agreement among the various branches of modern Jewry.

This is what real robots are all about -- machines that labor away, doing work without our help, not souped up remote control cars with saw blades and flipper arms (amusing as they might be).

You've seen them on T.V. -- giant arms that weld cars together, pistons and arms that stack and organize a bundle of newspapers, the vibrating tumbler where all the exiting parts are facing the same way, and a conveyor belt arrayed with perfect tablets (because the broken ones have been rejected out).

Learn:

...Systematic planning of robotic automation

...Different driving mechanism (motors, hydraulics, ...)

...Kinematics of machines (actuators, cams, vibrations)

...Transportation systems (conveyors, rotating table, vibration beds)

...Feeding and orientation (arrange all parts the same way, pull parts from bins and magazines, reject off-spec pieces)

...Mechanisms (automatic assembly, inspection, grippers, guides, even walking robots)

This book clearly explains the mechanics behind these robots, from general theories of operation (suitable for beginners) to the intimate formulas that optimize the mechanisms (great reference for practicing machine makers).

This is not a hobbyist "how-to" cook book, so don't expect plans or instructions on how to build such machines. To put the information to good use, you need to have good machining (metal work) skills. Still, it's a great book even if you're just curious about the topic.

Includes tons of drawings of robotics components. It contains illustrated passages about nearly every mechanical component out there. The drawings are clear and simple. Each has a well-written description. An interesting book for anyone mechanically inclined. For engineers it has tables and equations to lay out some of the mechanisms. It also It is an excellent idea jogger and a fun read if you like mechanical stuff. A great book!