Find your way

A Brief History of the Olympic Games

2010-03-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

Author: David C. Young
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Pub. date: July 23, 2004
Language: English
Paperback: 200 pages

For more than a millennium, the ancient Olympics captured the imaginations of the Greeks, until a Christianized Rome terminated the competitions in the fourth century AD. But the Olympic ideal did not die and this book is a succinct history of the ancient Olympics and their modern resurgence.
Classics professor David Young, who has researched the subject for over 25 years, reveals how the ancient Olympics evolved from modest beginnings into a grand festival, attracting hundreds of highly trained athletes, tens of thousands of spectators, and the finest artists and poets.

Link : David C. Young - A Brief History of the Olympic Games.

Mathematical Formulas for Economists

2010-03-01T09:27:00.000-08:00

Author: Volker Nollau , Klaus Vetters
Publisher: Springer; 4rd edition (November 10, 2009)
Language: English
Paperback: 198 pages

Contains the most important formulas, statements and algorithms in mathematics and statistics for economists
Compact and clearly arranged
An efficient and easy-to-use work of reference

The present collection of formulas has been composed for students of economics or management science at universities, colleges and trade schools. It contains basic knowledge in mathematics, financial mathematics and statistics in a compact and clearly arranged form. This volume is meant to be a reference work to be used by students of undergraduate courses together with a textbook, and by researchers in need of exact statements of mathematical results. People dealing with practical or applied problems will also find this collection to be an efficient and easy-to-use work of reference.

This carefully revised and enlarged edition also presents methods of rank statistics and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance.

Link : Mathematical Formulas for Economists.

2009-04-26T19:57:00.001-07:00

1984 (Signet Classics)

2009-01-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

Author: George Orwell
Publisher: New American Library
Pub.date: January 1, 1961
Paperback: 182 pages

1984 is possibly the definitive dystopian novel, set in a world beyond our imagining. A world where totalitarianism really is total, all power split into three roughly equal groups--Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania. 1984 is set in Oceania, which includes the United Kingdom, where the story is set, known as Airstrip One.

Winston Smith is a middle-aged, unhealthy character, based loosely on Orwell's own frail body, an underling of the ruling oligarchy, The Party. The Party has taken early 20th century totalitarianism to new depths, with each person subjected to 24 hour surveillance, where people's very thoughts are controlled to ensure purity of the oligarchical system in place. Figurehead of the system is the omnipresent and omnipotent Big Brother.

But Winston believes there is another way.

1984 joins Winston as he sets about another day, where his job is to change history by changing old newspaper records to match with the new truth as decided by the Party.

"He who controls the past, controls the future" is a Party slogan to live by and it gives Winston his job, but Winston cannot see it like that. Barely old enough to recall a time when things were different, he sets out to expose the Party for the cynically fraudulent organisation that it is. He is joined by Julia, a beautiful young woman much in contrast with Winston physically, but equally sickened by the excesses of her rulers.

You will meet many recognisable characters, themes, and words which have become part of our everyday life as you read 1984. Where did Big Brother first appear? Certainly not on Australian TV! Written in Orwell's inimitable journalistic style, 1984 is a tribute to a man who saw the true dangers of historian Lord Acton's (1834-1902) statement: "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Link : George Orwell - 1984 (Signet Classics).

Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook for Digital Photographers : 49 Easy-to-Follow Recipes to Fix Problem Photos and Create Amazing Effects

2009-01-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

Author: John Beardsworth
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Pub.date: November 8, 2005
Paperback: 176 pages

Layer blending modes have been part of Photoshop for years, but because they're not easy to understand at first glance, this immensely useful feature tends to get overlooked. Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook for Digital Photographers is the only recipe-format book that covers blending modes specifically for digital photographers.

The book covers:

Changing hue, saturation, luminosity, and color
Correcting basic color shifts
Repairing highlights
Sharpening or softening focus
Adjusting lighting for subtle or dramatic effects
Controlling contrast
Creating surface effects and textures
Adding interest to landscapes and urban scenes
Enhancing portraits of children and adults
Simulating graphics arts techiques

and much more.

Unlike Photoshop's built-in filters, blending modes don't change the actual pixels that make up an image, so their effects are completely reversible. There are over 20 blending modes in Photoshop CS2, which range from those which darken and lighten images (such as Darken, Multiply, Lighten, and Screen) to modes that increase contrast (such as Overlay and Hard Light) and adjust color (such as Hue, Color. Luminosity, and Saturation).

In addition to covering each blending mode in detail, John Beardsworth, a London-based photographer and author, takes the reader through a whole collection of recipes that demonstrate how to use blending modes alone or in combination to fix problem photos, add subtle effects, and create dramatic images that are truly unique.

With clear, step-by-step instructions, real-world projects, an easy-to-follow format, and hundreds of full-color examples, Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook for Digital Photographers is shows you how to use blending modes to achieve a wide range of image adjustments and special effects-without having to first learn everything there is to know about Photoshop.

Review by T. Michael Testi :

If you have ever tried to work with Photoshop's layer blending modes, you probably found that they are not always easy to understand; so much so that many times this feature is overlooked. Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook For Digital Photographers, using its recipe–format style that made the O'Reilly Digital Studio series famous, will help you on your way to understanding this specialty feature.

What are blending modes? The basic answer is that they are effects that allow one layer to interact with another layer — that is, blend. In CS2 there are over twenty blending modes. They range from those which darken and lighten an image to ones that increase contrast and others that manipulate color.

Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook breaks out into four sections beginning with "Introduction to Blending Modes". Here Beardsworth sets forth the basic concepts of blending modes. He explains why and when you would want to use blending modes and he describes two main reasons to use them — one as a flavor, the other as an entrée! That is, sometimes you want to make a small subtle effect — a flavor. Or sometimes you want an in-your-face statement to be made — an entrée.

The next section, "Blending Modes in Detail", takes you through each of the blending modes that are available in Photoshop CS2. For example, Color Burn — the author explains that it is the third member of the Darken group. He explains how it works, and gives some examples of where it can be used as well as an example of using it with the Gaussian Blur.

Then the author gets into what Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook is all about, the "recipes." The recipes are simple, short effects that you can add to your images to give them that little nudge to make them more effective. You will find that you can add a little glow to highlight a face, or to make the skin look softer. There are sharpening techniques and hard shadowing techniques.

The whole point of the book is to allow you to learn simple specific techniques without having to learn everything else about Photoshop. You will learn to manipulate the colors, hues, and saturation as well as working with color shifts. You will be able to adjust lighting, control contrast, and add surface effects and textures. You can even go over the top by adding special color, graphic, and drawing effects to your images.

I found this book easy to read. It has clear, easy to follow instructions that will allow someone with minimal Photoshop experience to make great enhancements to their photos. There are 49 recipes that are highlighted with colorful examples that will have you saying "I never knew you could do that!"

Link : John Beardsworth - Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook for Digital Photographers : 49 Easy-to-Follow Recipes to Fix Problem Photos and Create Amazing Effects.

Gun Camera - World War II: Photography from Allied Fighters and Bombers over Occupied Europe

2009-01-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

Author: Keeney, L. Douglas
Publisher: Motorbooks International
Pub.date: January 15, 2001
Paperback: 132 pages

The air war over occupied Europe and Nazi Germany is illustrated from the unique and dramatic point of view of gun cameras mounted on Allied aircraft. The story begins as American bombers fall prey to Nazi flak and fighters and continues through the recapture of European skies as seen from American P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts and British Spitfires. Also depicted are breathtaking images of ground strafings and crews coaxing crippled bombers into perilous belly landings.

Link : Keeney, L. Douglas - Gun Camera - World War II: Photography from Allied Fighters and Bombers over Occupied Europe.

PC World - February 2009

2009-01-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

Link : PC World - February 2009.

War in Human Civilization

2009-01-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

Author: Azar Gat
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Pub.date: November 16, 2006
Hardcover: 848 pages

Why do people go to war? Is it rooted in human nature or is it a late cultural invention? How does war relate to the other fundamental developments in the history of human civilization? And what of war today - is it a declining phenomenon or simply changing its shape? In this truly global study of war and civilization, Azar Gat sets out to find definitive answers to these questions in an attempt to unravel the 'riddle of war' throughout human history, from the early hunter-gatherers right through to the unconventional terrorism of the twenty-first century.

In the process, the book generates an astonishing wealth of original and fascinating insights on all major aspects of humankind's remarkable journey through the ages, engaging a wide range of disciplines, from anthropology and evolutionary psychology to sociology and political science.
Written with remarkable verve and clarity and wholly free from jargon, it will be of interest to anyone who has ever pondered the puzzle of war.

Reviews:

"War in Human Civilization is indeed the ambitious, sweeping book that the author set out to write. Both its scope and scale are impressive as is the wide range of sources and disciplines whose theories and methods are brought to bear on the 'riddle' of war.... The coverage and the deft weaving together of so many central theories on human behavior make this a book worth examining."--Michael S. Neilberg, Journal of Social History

"An immensely ambitious work covering not only history but archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, demography and economics, to name but a few... its weight of learning is borne aloft by the author's enthusiasm for his subject and takes his readers with it. If only there were more scholars like this." Michael Howard, TLS Books of the Year

Link : Azar Gat - War in Human Civilization .

Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions (Springer-Praxis Series in Space Science and Technology)

2009-01-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Author: David M. Harland
Publisher: Springer; 1 edition
Pub.date: May 14, 1999
Paperback: 411 pages

Exploring the Moon focuses on the exploration carried out by the Apollo astronauts while on the lunar surface, and not on the technology of getting there.

It is a story of the great adventure of exploring the Moon, and combines the words of the astronauts themselves with the photographs they took. Exploring the Moon is a lunar travelogue, a minute-by-minute account of what the astronauts did, said and felt, enhanced by their subsequent reflections. As you read this book, you will seem to walk with the astronauts as they explore...

David Harland concentrates on the final three Moon landings - Apollos 15, 16 and 17 - each of which spent three days on the lunar surface and used the famous "lunar rover" vehicle to get around. The three missions accounted for three-quarters of all lunar surface activity to date.

Although you can read the text for its description of a unique human adventure, the work of the astronauts is related to studies of lunar geology and will enable those interested in planetary geology to understand how a "field trip" on the lunar surface was conducted. There is also a "before and after discussion" of the results of the Apollo programme.

If you have ever asked yourself What did the astronauts do on the lunar surface? What did they say while they were there? What did they photograph? How did their discoveries alter our understanding of lunar geology? Will we ever go back to the moon? If so, Exploring the Moon is the book for you. This unique insight into the three Apollo missions (15, 16 and 17) answers all these questions and much more. Using the actual transcripts of what the astronauts said to each other whilst carrying out their duties, and numerous photographs taken at each step of the exploration, this book provides a graphic illustration of what can arguably be described as Mankinds greatest feat of exploration.

Here is a uniquely readable contribution to studies of lunar science.

Review:

"...a new way of recounting the Apollo missions; it places the reader on the rover with the astronauts." -- David Schrunk, Author of The Moon, Resources, Future Development and Colonization, from pre-publication reviews

"Exploring the Moon is your travelogue. The author has assembled a detailed guide to what the astronauts did during their stays on the lunar surface. Harland provides the on-the-surface narrative that Full Moon (Alfred A. Knopf, 1999) lacks..." -- Sky & Telescope, August 1999

"David Harland probably knows more about the nuts and bolts of the Russian and American space programmes than any other author and it shows.... Throughout, NASA's astonishing technical achievement shines through." -- The Sunday Express, July 4, 1999

"It could become a classic 'must have' for anyone who has a desire to know what it was all about. It is astonishing that it hasn't been done before." -- David Woods, from pre-publication reviews

"A detailed guide to what the astronauts did during their stays on the lunar surface. Walk(s) the reader through the prospecting excursions and then incorporate(s) decades of subsequent analysis to put the explorations of dust, rocks, craters, and rilles into geologic context."
SKY & TELESCOPE

LUNAR & PLANETARY INFORMATION BULLETIN
"EXPLORING THE MOON is very well illustrated…All aficionados of the Apollo program will find much to appreciate in [this book].”

"…this is an interesting account of one of the most extraordinary decades in history…a very different book. David Harland probably knows more about the nuts and bolts of the Russian and American space programs than any other author and it shows.”

Link: David M. Harland - Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions (Springer-Praxis Series in Space Science and Technology) .

Filming the Fantastic: A Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography

2008-12-25T05:40:00.000-08:00

Author: Mark Sawicki
Publisher: Focal Press
Pub.date: June 1, 2007
Paperback: 312 pages

Don't waste valuable time and budget fixing your footage in post! Shoot the effects you want effectively and creatively the first time.

This full-color step-by step guide to visual effects cinematography empowers you to plan out and execute visual effects shots on a budget, without falling into the common pitfall of using high-end computer graphics to "fix it in post." Learn how to effectively photograph foreground miniatures, matte paintings, green screen set ups, miniatures, crowd replication, explosions, and so much more to create elements that will composite together flawlessly.

Filming the Fantastic focuses on the art and craft of visual effects using real case scenarios from a visual effects cameraman. These lessons from the front line will give you ideas and insight so you can translate your skills into any situation, no matter what camera or software package you are using and no matter if you are using film or digital technology. Learn how to film your fantastic visual effects with this book!

* Hundreds of full-color set photographs show you exactly how it's done
* Includes step-by-step information on green screen setup
* Real-world examples and exercises throughout

" Whether you are an old hand at visual effects or just thinking about getting your feet wet with your fi rst indie fi lm, Mark’s book delivers a very detailed history and hands-on, step-by-step detailing of effects techniques, both past and present, reminding everyone that visual effects are still about more than just staring at a monitor and watching pixels move. "

—Kevin Kutchaver, Emmy Award winning VFX Supervisor and
Founder of HimAnI Productions, Inc.

" This book perfectly addresses the number one problem in the movie business: all decisions are made based on fear. “Will I lose my cushy job if I make the wrong decision?” With this book on your desk that’s one less problem to worry about. "

—Glenn Campbell, Visual Effects Supervisor at AREA 51

Link : Mark Sawicki - Filming the Fantastic: A Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography.

The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders

2008-12-22T02:27:00.000-08:00

Author: Warren Blank
Publisher: AMACOM
Pub.date: May 21, 2001
Hardcover: 272 pages

"Some people appear to be ""natural born leaders."" But are they literally born that way? Or have they been taught, coached, rewarded, and reinforced in ways that enable them to be leaders?

According to The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders, no one is born a leader. But everyone has the natural born capacity to lead. We label people ""natural born leaders"" because they consistently and frequently model qualities that inspire others to commit to their direction.

This book identifies the skill set that causes others to see people as natural born leaders, helps readers assess their current level of these skills, and coaches readers to master their weak areas. Readers will learn:

* Foundation skills, including self-awareness and the ability to establish rapport

* Direction skills, including the ability to set a course and develop others as leaders

* Willing follower skills, including the ability to influence others and create a motivating environment."

Some Review:
"Excellent work that combines systematic and thought-provoking treatment of the nature of leadership." -- Dr. Nick Kanopoulos, Director of Multimedia & Communications, Atmel Corporation

"The book's universal themes make it valuable today, and a handy reference manual for a career." -- Financial Executive December 2001

"The person who aspires to leadership and success will not find a clearer, more accessible guide than this book." -- Grahm B. Painter, Vice President of Public Affairs, Delivery Group Reliant Energy

"This book provides an ideal method to enhance the skills of an entire executive team." -- Jon Flora, President, The Kroger Company of Michigan

"Warren Blank has presented practical suggestions for developing personal leadership characteristics essential at every organizational level and stage of life." -- John G. Rice, President & CEO, GE Power Systems

Link : Warren Blank - The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders.

Origins: How the Planets, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Began

2008-12-19T08:30:00.001-08:00

Author: Stephen Eales
Publisher: Springer; 1 edition
Pub.date: December 15, 2006
December 15, 2006

This book is about the origin questions – the questions of how (1) the planets, (2) the stars, (3) the galaxies, and (4) the universe itself were formed. These are the biggest questions in astronomy, and in the last decade, there has been a revolution in observational astronomy which has meant that we are very close to answering three of the four big questions. It is therefore a propitious time for this book.

As recently as 1995 we knew of only one planetary system: our own. Now we know of over a hundred, and this knowledge has helped to reveal how planetary systems form. In this same decade, new types of telescope have allowed us to penetrate through clouds of interstellar dust to see the first moments in the life of a star, and also to see directly (not infer) what galaxies looked like thirteen billion years ago, only a billion years after the Big Bang. Because of this new knowledge, we now have provisional answers to the second and third origin question. The final question is the one we can’t yet answer, but even here there have been big steps towards an answer. Within the last four years, astronomers have discovered that the universe is geometrically flat and that its expansion is accelerating, fuelled by a mysterious dark energy.

This revolution in our observational knowledge of the universe – including the first precise measurements of its age and matter and energy content - has been vital groundwork for new ideas about its origin, including the possibility that the universe originated in a larger 'meta-universe'.

Origin Questions describes, at an understandable and basically non-mathematical level, the origin questions and the recent steps that have been taken towards answering them.

Some reviews:

"I’m happy to say that I don’t think author Stephen Eales has to worry about [falling short of achieving his goal]… . His ambitiously titled book is a sound and readable addition to the astronomy shelf. … It’s a fine reference, well indexed, and, in less than 300 pages, contains the history of the universe. For only one volume, it’s a great value." (Jeff Kanipe, Sky & Telescope, August, 2007)

"Eales, an astronomer at Cardiff University in Wales, has written a survey of astronomical origins, starting with our solar system and moving ever outward to the origin of the universe. … The book is well researched and has an affiliated Web site to help readers keep up with the rapid change in knowledge about our origins. … A work for general readers, it could also be a good course resource for a general education astronomy class. … Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates." (R. A. Kolvoord, CHOICE, Vol. 44 (11), July, 2007)

"Origins, follows naturally … discussing how things came about how we found out about them, covering the origins of planets, stars, galaxies and the Universe itself. … Almost every aspect of astronomy is included in considerable detail and as with the previous volume there are many useful diagrams, some colour photos and amazingly low price for a quality product. … In addition the author provides his own version of the life of a professional astronomer and its well worth reading." (Bill Barlow, Astronomy Now, June, 2007)

Link : Origins: How the Planets, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Began .

Electronic Gaming Monthly - January 2009

2008-12-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

Link : Electronic Gaming Monthly - January 2009.

Macworld (US) - January 2009

2008-12-09T08:03:00.001-08:00

Link : Macworld (US) - January 2009.

Smart Computing - January 2009

2008-12-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

Link : Smart Computing - January 2009.

PC Magazine - January 2009

2008-12-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

Link : PC Magazine - January 2009.

PC World - January 2009

2008-12-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

Link : PC World - January 2009.

Gifts from the Heart : Simple Ways to Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful

2008-12-06T08:48:00.001-08:00

Author: Virginia Brucker
Publisher: Insomniac Press; 1 edition
Pub.date: Aug 21 2006
Paperback: 336 pages

Are you overwhelmed by the frantic commercialism of our modern Christmas? Do you long for a more meaningful celebration? Gifts from the Heart contains hundreds of simple ideas that will help you create a warmer, more loving celebration focused on sharing and giving. Parents, grandparents, early childhood educators, teachers, and youth group leaders will love the imaginative ideas in this book.

Gifts from the Heart is filled with:
• Time-saving tips for busy families
• Delightful kid-tested craft projects
• Heartwarming ideas for family traditions and capturing memories
• Fun-filled activities that help grandparents connect with their grandchildren
• Terrific suggestions for gifts that develop imagination, creativity, and literacy
• Practical ideas for helping our planet and our animal friends
• Delicious tried-and-true recipes for cooks of all ages
• Presentation tips and fabulous recipes for gifts from the kitchen
• Party and potluck tips and recipes
• Easy-to-do volunteer activities that make a difference to others during the holidays
• Tips for divorced parents and blended families
• Meaningful ways to help friends and family struggling with illness or loss at Christmas

Virginia Brucker is a primary teacher for more than twenty-five years, she is the recipient of the National Council of the Cancer Society's Community Champion Award for her support of cancer research. She lives and works in beautiful Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island.

Link : Virginia Brucker - Gifts from the Heart : Simple Ways to Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful.

Computer Shopper - January 2009

2008-12-05T06:15:00.001-08:00

Link : Computer Shopper - January 2009.

Computer Power User - January 2009

2008-12-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Link : Computer Power User - January 2009 .

Computer Graphic World November 2008

2008-12-01T08:46:00.001-08:00

Link : Computer Graphic World November 2008.

The Hidden Persuaders

2008-12-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

Author: Vance Packard
Introduction: Mark Crispin Miller
Publisher: Ig Publishing
Pub.date: July 1, 2007
Paperback: 240 pages

"One of the best books around for demystifying the deliberately mysterious arts of advertising." - Salon

"Fascinating, entertaining and thought-stimulating." -The New York Times Book Review

"A brisk, authoritative and frightening report on how manufacturers, fundraisers and politicians are attempting to turn the American mind into a kind of catatonic dough that will buy, give or vote at their command"--The New Yorker

Originally published in 1957 and now back in print to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, The Hidden Persuaders is Vance Packard's pioneering and prescient work revealing how advertisers use psychological methods to tap into our unconscious desires in order to "persuade" us to buy the products they are selling.

A classic examination of how our thoughts and feelings are manipulated by business, media and politicians, The Hidden Persuaders was the first book to expose the hidden world of "motivation research," the psychological technique that advertisers use to probe our minds in order to control our actions as consumers. Through analysis of products, political campaigns and television programs of the 1950s, Packard shows how the insidious manipulation practices that have come to dominate today's corporate-driven world began.

Featuring an introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, The Hidden Persuaders has sold over one million copies, and forever changed the way we look at the world of advertising.

About the Author
Vance Packard (1914-1996) was an American journalist, social critic, and best-selling author. Among his other books were The Status Seekers, which described American social stratification and behavior, The Waste Makers, which criticizes planned obsolescence, and The Naked Society, about the threats to privacy posed by new technologies.

Link : Vance Packard - The Hidden Persuaders.

Electronic Gaming Monthly December 2008

2008-11-27T08:29:00.001-08:00

Link : Electronic Gaming Monthly December 2008.

Britannica Illustrated Science Library: Volcanoes and Earthquakes

2008-11-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Edition: 1st Edition
Hardcover: 56 pages

Link : Britannica Illustrated Science Library: Volcanoes and Earthquakes.

The Search for Life Continued: Planets Around Other Stars

2008-11-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

Author: Barrie W. Jones
Publisher: Praxis
Pub.date: Jul 24 2008
Paperback: 278 pages

Barrie Jones addresses the question "are we alone?", which is one of the most frequently asked questions by scientists and non-scientists alike. In The Search for Life Continued, this question is addressed scientifically, and the author is not afraid to include speculation. Indeed, the author believes beyond reasonable doubt that we are not alone and this belief is based firmly on frontier science of the most imaginative kind.

The author concentrates on planetary systems beyond our own but starts with life on Earth, which is the only life we know to exist, and which provides guidance on how best to search for life elsewhere. Planets are the most likely abode of life and so we start the quest with the search for planets beyond the Solar System – exoplanets. The methods of searching are outlined and the nature of hundreds of exoplanetary systems so far discovered described. In the near future we expect to discover habitable Earth-like planets. But are they actually inhabited? How could we tell? All will be revealed.

This full color book is written for everybody who wants to stay in close contact with the latest on possible life on other planets.

Link : The Search for Life Continued: Planets Around Other Stars.

Smart Computing - December 2008

2008-11-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

Link : Smart Computing - December 2008.

Computer Power User ( CPU ) - December 2008

2008-11-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

Link : Computer Power User ( CPU ) - December 2008.

Planet Mars: Story of Another World

2008-11-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

Author: François Forget ,François Costard ,Philippe Lognonné
Publisher: Praxis; 1 edition
Pub.date: December 12, 2007
Paperback: 231 pages

Mars, like planet Earth, is a complex and vast world with a long history. The authors of this book give a new insight of Mars by adopting an original outline based on history rather than on subtopic (atmosphere, surface, interior). They focus on the past and present evolution of Mars and also incorporate all the recent results from the space missions of Mars Express, Spirit and Opportunity.

This book goes to the heart of current planetological research, and illustrates it with many beautiful images. The authors describe the magnificent scenery on Mars including Olympus Mons, more than 20,000 metres high and the solar system’s biggest volcano. At Mars’ poles, glaciers, formed from thousands of fine strata, are evidence of past climatic fluctuations. Drs Forget and Costard and Professor Lognonné introduce a new world and reveal the workings of the planet Mars. They answer the questions: How was Mars formed? Why has its evolution followed a different path to that of Earth? What do its river beds, volcanoes and glaciers tell us about its past? Could life have existed there? Does it exist there now? What processes ‘drive’ Mars today?

The five parts of the book trace the history of Mars. Part 1 examines its formation from the ashes of dead stars, more than 4·5 billion years ago. Part 2 travels through its early and turbulent youth and gradual, 3·5-billion-year long metamorphosis. Part 3 traces the creation of great planetary structures while Part 4 explores this active planet as it is today, with its dust storms, water features and atmosphere, and shows that Mars is subject to continual climatic change. Finally in Part 5, the story of the recent exploration of Mars and current research in laboratories and space agencies in preparation for the missions of the next twenty years is recounted.

Link : Planet Mars: Story of Another World.

The Love Spell: An Erotic Memoir of Spiritual Awakening

2008-11-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Author: Phyllis Curott
Publisher: Gotham
Pub.date: January 5, 2006
Paperback: 368 pages

This is the story of a love spell that worked. Ivy League lawyer and Wiccan priestess Phyllis Curott has a super-charged career in law and filmmaking, but one thing is missing. Love. She casts a sexy spell, and her dream lover soon arrives. But he's not who he appears to be and there are unforeseen consequences. In this hip, compelling tale of spiritual and sexual awakening, she must seek the aid of an other worldly suitor, a daemon, to discover how modern relationships and their problems are paths to the greatest magic of all—true love.
This wise and erotic memoir is also rich with spells and rituals for love. And the author shares accessible techniques of sexual magic for the accomplishment of personal goals and growth, revealing how sexual ecstasy can lead to the discovery of our innate divinity and an empowered life.

"A truly fascinating tale of erotic love."

“A story that will speak to every woman who has dreamed of her Prince Charming and who has had her heart broken. A powerful, spiritual narrative, this book will give everyone the tools they need to draw their soulmates to them.” - Jennifer Hunter, author of 21st Century Wicca

“Skillfully intermingling sex and spells, magical techniques and enjoyable prose, Curott returns with a fascinating, highly entertaining read about personal magic as a part of life, love, and empowerment." - Raymond Buckland, author of Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft

"Arouse and awaken the wild woman within! The Love Spell stirs up a magical cauldron of love and hot, sensuous ecstasy. This book is empowering, captivating, savvy, and very sexy!" - Sirona Knight, author of Empowering Your Life with Natural Magic

Link : Phyllis Currott - The Love Spell: An Erotic Memoir of Spiritual Awakening.

Falling in Love: Why We Choose the Lovers We Choose

2008-11-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

Author: Ayala Malach Pines
Publisher: Routledge, Inc
Pub.date: 23 Nov 2000
Paperback: 304 pages

Falling in Love is the first book to unlock the mysteries of how and why we fall in love. Renowned psychologist Ayala Pines shows us why we fall for the people we do, and argues convincingly that we love neither by chance nor by accident. She offers sound advice for making the right choices when it comes to this complicated emotion. Packed with helpful suggestions for those seeking love and those already in it, this book is about love's many puzzles.
The second edition furthers the work of the popular and successful first edition. With expanded research, theory, and practice, this book once again provides one of a kind understandings of the experience of love. The new edition offers updated references to recent research, new chapter exercises, and "case examples" of romantic stories to begin each chapter.

Reviews by Jonathan Posner (LONDON, England United Kingdom) :

The seeker of espionage thrills and spills may need to look elsewhere. But where this writer excels is in creating the daily atmosphere of pre-war Germany, and especially Berlin, which serves to grip entirely on its own. I doubt if any modern writer has combined the chilling with the everyday as effectively as David Downing, whether it be the smiling blonde receptionist at Gestapo headquarters or the innocent roadside signposts to the the local concentration camp, devoid of any meaning to ordinary Berliners.

As for the story itself I found it beautifully constructed, the 'in-too-deep' clamminess of its protagonist, John Russell, a domiciled English journalist, all too believable. It's also enhanced by the relationship with his delightful girlfriend, as well as the obvious devotion to his German-born son. In fact Russell's slight unease with his son's Nazi-youth activities is perfectly pitched and Downing rightly resists any grandstanding from the vantage-point of hindsight. On the other hand, Russell is completely aware of the impending catastrophe for Germany's Jews, with each new 'law' inevitably bringing the attempted extermination ever closer. Downing doesn't miss a trick here either; the two Jewish girls that Russell has been teaching delightedly rush out to buy a box of cream cakes from a baker's "that still sold to Jews".

This is a fine and atmospheric thriller from a sensitive and thoughtful writer. How far away it all is from the turgidness of Joseph Kanon's 'The Good German' . But it was almost worth enduring that book to get to this one. Carry on, David Downing, because this is how it should be done.

Link : Ayala Malach Pines - Falling in Love: Why We Choose the Lovers We Choose.

Treasure Island

2008-11-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
Paperback: 330 pages

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book in 1883, it was originally serialised in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881-82 under the title The Sea Cook, or Treasure Island.
Traditionally considered a coming of age story, it is an adventure tale known for its superb atmosphere, character and action, and also a wry commentary on the ambiguity of morality—as seen in Long John Silver—unusual for children's literature then and now. It is one of the most frequently dramatised of all novels. The influence of Treasure Island on popular perception of pirates is vast, including treasure maps with an 'X', schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen with parrots on their shoulders.

Map created by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Link : Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island.

PC World Magazine December 2008

2008-11-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Link : PC World Magazine December 2008.

PC Magazine December 2008

2008-11-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

Link : PC Magazine December 2008.

The Gospel of Food: Everything You Think You Know About Food Is Wrong

2008-11-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

Author: Barry Glassner
Publisher: Ecco
Pub.date: January 2, 2007
Hardcover: 304 pages

Enjoy what you eat.

From the author of the national bestseller The Culture of Fear comes a rallying cry to abandon food fads and myths for calmer and more pleasurable eating.

For many Americans, eating is a religion. We worship at the temples of celebrity chefs. We raise our children to believe that certain foods are good and others are bad. We believe that if we eat the right foods, we will live longer, and if we eat in the right places, we will raise our social status. Yet what we believe to be true about food is, in fact, quite contradictory. Offering part exposé, part social com-mentary, sociologist Barry Glassner talks to chefs, food chemists, nutritionists, and restaurant critics about the way we eat. Helping us recognize the myths, half-truths, and guilt trips they promulgate, The Gospel of Food liberates us for greater joy at the table.

Review:
"A master at the art of dissecting research." -- New York Times Book Review

"Everybody eats. The only question is what. Call this a sane guide." -- Paco Underhill, bestselling author of Why We Buy

"Glassner exposes the strained interpretations, ‘prejudices dressed up as science,’ and pure fabrications behind much received wisdom." -- New York Times

"It’s hard not to root for Glassner as he tilts against modern food dogma." -- Wall Street Journal

"Persuasive... Americans take their concern over healthy eating to unnecessarily extreme levels... amusingly skewers one food fad after another." -- Library Journal

"Provocatively examines everything all of us have held near and dear about the food we eat... surprising, gutsy and fun." -- Ed Levine, author of New York Eats, food writer, New York Times

"Pure fun to read . . . Glassner is methodical and relentless in his exploration." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Remarkable... [for] people who are tired of being bludgeoned by the `nutrition police' or the elite food critics." -- Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice

"Such a smart and engaging writer... many people--sociologists, students, foodies, observers of popular culture--would adore it." -- Pepper Schwartz, bestselling author, Professor of Sociology at University of Washington

"a well-timed brick through the plate glass window of conventional wisdom ... He gives you plenty to think about." -- Anthony Bourdain

Link : Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food: Everything You Think You Know About Food Is Wrong.

Sex and the City

2008-11-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Candace Bushnell
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub.date: August 1, 2006
Paperback: 157 pages

The "Sex and the City" columnist for the New York Observer documents the social scene of modern-day Manhattan. The reader gets an introduction to "Modelizers," the men who only have eyes for models, as well as a more common species, the "Toxic Bachelor." Reading like a society novel gone downtown and askew, Sex and the City is a comically sordid look at status and ambition and the many characters consumed by the sexual politics of the '90s.

Review by ??? : "The real thing--for real Sex and the City fans "

I've been watching the TV series for two years and just finished reading the book. I can't believe I waited so long to buy the book--it's terrific. Sure, it's different from the TV series, but anyone who is at least of normal intelligence will get the fact that the book is the real thing, while the tv series, although funny and witty, is the sugar-coated, hollywood-ized version. The book is much more complex and layered than the show, and, like real life, doesn't necessarily have happy endings (or even endings--are there really endings in life besides death?). The show is formulaic, while the book is not. It doesn't pander to the audience. Of course, this means that there are people who won't like the book or won't get it--probably because the truths it reveals make them uncomfortable about things they see in themselves (and don't want to admit to). It presents dating and relationships in a shockingly realistic way, which, I warn you, will probably frighten those people who insist on believing that life is a Harlequin romance or that Prince Charming is still going to ride up on a white horse. Some people complain that the characters are shallow, but the truth is, the characters are real, and, yes folks, we're all a bit shallow and superficial. If we weren't, we wouldn't be human. And that's the beauty of this book--it makes you laugh out loud at our all too human foibles.

Link : Candace Bushnell - Sex and the City.

Macworld (US) December 2008

2008-11-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Link : Macworld (US) December 2008.

Learn More, Study Less !

2008-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

“If you understand something in only one way, then you don't really
understand it at all. The secret of what anything means to us depends on
how we've connected it to all other things we know. Well-connected
representations let you turn ideas around in your mind, to envision things
from many perspectives until you find one that works for you. And that's
what we mean by thinking!”
--Marvin Minsky--

Author: Scott H Young

Paperback: 228 pages

Scott H Young , a fellow PBN blogger, just released an e-book entitled Learn More, Study Less ! . This e-book talks about how to learn as much as possible with the least effort to study. Since I consider myself a learner, I’m very interested to the topic of this e-book. I started reading it soon after I got a review copy in my inbox. But, since the e-book is 228 page long, it took some time to finish it.

This e-book introduces the concept of holistic learning in which we view learning as “a comprehensive whole, instead of a list of memorized facts”. In holistic learning, the aim is to create webs of interrelated ideas. Since the ideas are connected to each other, it will then be easier to navigate through them for complete understanding. Besides, it’s easier to reach an idea because there are many paths to it.

The e-book is divided into four parts: The Holistic Learning Strategy, Holistic Learning Techniques, Beyond Holistic Learning, and Summary & Quick Guide. Let’s look at them in more details.

Inside Learn More, Study Less

Part I. The Holistic Learning Strategy

This part gives us the background theory of holistic learning. It defines the important concepts and how they are related to each other. While this part is rather technical, there are a lot of examples to help us understand the concepts.

I agree with the author that understanding this theory is important. The theory helps us put the techniques (in part II) in the right context. Without understanding the theory, it would be difficult to adapt the techniques to our situation.

The sequence of holistic learning is also introduced in this part. The sequence consists of five phases:

Acquire
The point at which information enters through your eyes and ears.
Understand
Taking raw information and giving it a context.
Explore
Forming the models and connecting them with other ideas.
Debug
Looking for errors in your models.
Apply
Making adjustments compared to how the information operates in reality.

Understanding this sequence helps us understand where our weaknesses are so that we can focus our effort on that areas.

Part II. Holistic Learning Techniques

While part I gives us the theory, part II gives us the specific techniques that can be used to apply holistic learning. The techniques are grouped into four categories:

Acquiring ideas
Here are the techniques for the Acquire Phase. The techniques discussed here are speed reading and flow-based notetaking.
Linking ideas
Here are the techniques for the Explore Phase. The techniques discussed here are metaphor, visceralization, and diagraming. These techniques form the core of holistic learning.
Handling the arbitrary
The techniques here can be used to handle arbitrary information which can’t be handled by the techniques in the previous category. There are three techniques: the Link method, the Peg method, and information compression.
Extending ideas
Here are the techniques for the Debug and Apply phase. There are three techniques here: practical usage, model debugging, and project-based learning.

Part III. Beyond Holistic Learning

This part deals with how to become a productive student (so that we can study less) and how to build the habit of self-education. There are a lot of productivity tips here that deals with managing energy, procrastination, and organization, among others. There are also tips on how to structure the learning habit, overcoming frustration, and setting learning goals.

Part IV. Summary & Quick Guide

As its title says, this part gives the summary of holistic learning process along with a quick guide for easy reference.

Conclusion

This is a very comprehensive e-book on learning that covers both the theory and practice. It will take time to apply the concepts in this e-book. which is why the author wrote that the e-book is a handbook that you should refer to along the way. This is not the kind of books that you read just once.

Link : Scott H Young - Learn More, Study Less !.

Computer Power User (CPU) November 2008

2008-11-05T02:13:00.000-08:00

Link : Computer Power User (CPU) November 2008.

Doctor Dolittle's Delusion: Animals and the Uniqueness of Human Language

2008-10-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

Author: Stephen R.Anderson
Publisher: Yale University Press
Pub.date: May 30, 2006
Paperback: 368 pages

Hugh Lofting’s storybooks about a British doctor who could speak to animals have been classics almost since they first appeared in 1920. Anderson, a linguistics and cognitive psychology professor at Yale, doesn’t dispute the literary merits of Lofting’s work, but he does want to establish that Doctor Dolittle’s talent is all fiction. Anderson makes a careful argument to defend this conclusion, methodically examining what we actually know about animal communication and simultaneously building up a case for what makes human language unique. He revisits the usual discussions about animals’ abilities, from the intricate "dance" of honeybees to the warning calls of vervet monkeys and the sign language learned by lab chimpanzees. His lengthy chapter on syntax is fairly technical and may be difficult for lay readers to navigate, but Anderson does his best to make this arcane subject intelligible because it forms the crux of his book: he identifies syntax as "the essence of language," the primary barrier that animals can’t surmount. In reviewing previous claims that animals have language, he insists on the distinction between language and communication—sometimes a fine difference that appears to necessitate lengthy, confusing explanations that incorporate physics, biology and language theory. Despite its use of enlightening examples and fascinating details of animal behavior, this book is best suited for students of psychology and linguistics. But anyone interested enough in the subject to work through it will find a skillfully made case that even devoted animal admirers might find hard to dismiss.

"A masterly overview of what is currently known about the communicative abilities of a wide range of creatures. . . . Anderson's synthesis provides illuminating comparisons with the infinitely more sophisticated resources of the human language. . . . An elegant book."—Neil Smith, Nature

"Well-written, well-argued, and provocative. . . . I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone interested in animal communication and the evolution of language."—Marc Bekoff, Quarterly Review of Biology.

Link : Stephen R.Anderson - Doctor Dolittle's Delusion: Animals and the Uniqueness of Human Language.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

2008-10-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Author: Stephen R. Covey
Publisher: Free Press; 15 Anv edition
Pub.date: November 9, 2004
Paperback: 172 pages

Being effective is learning to do 'that which produces the desired result'. If you want to be extremely successful in business or very happy in life or achieve some large goal, then being effective is consistently doing the things that will bring about the results you are after. Perhaps the best overall prescription for becoming effective is contained within Stephen R. Covey's best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Published by Free Press, this book provides a useful, sequential framework for understanding much about the process of Personal Development. Covey does not claim to have invented the 7 habits, but rather to have discovered them and to have found a simple language for articulating them. In fact, he says that these basic principles of effectiveness may be found in all world religions; and it can be noted that many highly successful people seem to have naturally developed them.

SUMMARY OF THE SEVEN HABITS

Habit 1: Be Proactive
Change starts from within, and highly effective people make the decision to improve their lives through the things that they can influence rather than by simply reacting to external forces.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Develop a principle-centered personal mission statement. Extend the mission statement into long-term goals based on personal principles.

Habit 3: Put First Things First
Spend time doing what fits into your personal mission, observing the proper balance between production and building production capacity. Identify the key roles that you take on in life, and make time for each of them.

Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Seek agreements and relationships that are mutually beneficial. In cases where a "win/win" deal cannot be achieved, accept the fact that agreeing to make "no deal" may be the best alternative. In developing an organizational culture, be sure to reward win/win behavior among employees and avoid inadvertantly rewarding win/lose behavior.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
First seek to understand the other person, and only then try to be understood. Stephen Covey presents this habit as the most important principle of interpersonal relations. Effective listening is not simply echoing what the other person has said through the lens of one's own experience. Rather, it is putting oneself in the perspective of the other person, listening empathically for both feeling and meaning.

Habit 6: Synergize
Through trustful communication, find ways to leverage individual differences to create a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. Through mutual trust and understanding, one often can solve conflicts and find a better solution than would have been obtained through either person's own solution.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Take time out from production to build production capacity through personal renewal of the physical, mental, social/emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Maintain a balance among these dimensions.

The Silence of the Lambs

2008-10-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Thomas Harris
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Pub.date: February 15, 1991
Paperback: 244 pages

The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris, is even better than the successful movie. Like his earlier Red Dragon, the book takes us inside the world of professional criminal investigation. All the elements of a well-executed thriller are working here--driving suspense, compelling characters, inside information, publicity-hungry bureaucrats thwarting the search, and the clock ticking relentlessly down toward the death of another young woman. What enriches this well-told tale is the opportunity to live inside the minds of both the crime fighters and the criminals as each struggles in a prison of pain and seeks, sometimes violently, relief.

A review by Incognito :
This book is one of the most tightly- wound and enthralling reads ever. The charahcters are written to perfection, the plot unwinds to perfection, and the actions of those involved are utterly believable

As we know, SOTL deals with the young FBI trainee Clarice Starling, and her hunt for a serial killer nicknamed Bufallo Bill. She is aided in this daunting task by the incarcerated murderer and genius Dr. Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter. Starling is overseen by Jack Crawford, her tired boss. From the beginning, we see very much that Ctarling is the worst and the best person to engage Lecter, to try to find Bufallo Bill. Lecter is the worst kind of murderer; vicious, yet intelligent. Lecter is very much in control of the situation. He may be locked behnind bars, but he is as dangourus there. Lecter is the kind of villain that we don't often see. He does not need threats, strength or anger to be truly evil. He is a quiet observer, always with the killer behind the mask of intelligence. Starling is immediately vulnerable to Lecter, not fearful, but dominated by Lecters impassive wit and sense of brooding. Starling is lost against Lecter.

Buffalo Bill is also an intrieging villain. Twisted, sadistic, unmoved by his actions and mentally disturbed. He is more than any villain I have encountered, and again, he does into need threats or violence to create his vehemence. His murders are terrible, and his treatment of his victim later in the book show us how insane and evil he is.SOFL is the best kind of thriller. Engaging, believable and leaves you with a longing for more, want for more plot and more detail. Read this book, and you will never look at a Deaths- head Moth teh same way again.

Link : Thomas Harris - The Silence of the Lambs.

Hardcore Gamer Fall 2008

2008-10-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Link : Hardcore Gamer Fall 2008.

A History of the English Language

2008-10-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Author: Richard Hogg & David Denison
Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition
Pub.date: March 17, 2008
Paperback: 520 pages

The history and development of English, from the earliest known writings to its status today as a dominant world language, is a subject of major importance to linguists and historians. In this book, a team of international experts cover the entire recorded history of the English language, outlining its development over fifteen centuries. With an emphasis on more recent periods, every key stage in the history of the language is covered, with full accounts of standardisation, names, the distribution of English in Britain and North America, and its global spread. New historical surveys of the crucial aspects of the language are presented, and historical changes that have affected English are treated as a continuing process, helping to explain the shape of the language today. This complete and up-to-date history of English will be indispensable to all advanced students, scholars and teachers in this prominent field.

• Gives a complete history of the language, from the earliest writings to today • Covers the most up-to-date research, such as major new surveys of the crucial aspects of the language (sounds, word-structure, grammar and vocabulary) • Focusses on the most important issues rather than attempting to provide a chronological account

1. Overview David Denison and Richard Hogg

2. Phonology and morphology Roger Lass

3. Syntax Olga Fischer and Wim van der Wurff

4. Vocabulary Dieter Kastovsky

5. Standardization Terttu Nevalainen and Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade

6. Names Richard Coates

7. English in Britain Richard Hogg

8. English in North America Edward Finegan

9. English worldwide David Crystal.

Link : Richard Hogg & David Denison - A History of the English Language.

The 48 Laws of Power

2008-10-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Robert Greene
Publisher: Penguin
Pub. date: September 5, 2000
Paperback: 452 pages

"Learning the game of power requires a certain way of looking at the world, a shifting of perspective," writes Robert Greene. Mastery of one's emotions and the arts of deception and indirection are, he goes on to assert, essential. The 48 laws outlined in this book "have a simple premise: certain actions always increase one's power ... while others decrease it and even ruin us." The laws cull their principles from many great schemers--and scheming instructors--throughout history, from Sun-Tzu to Talleyrand, from Casanova to con man Yellow Kid Weil. They are straightforward in their amoral simplicity: "Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit," or "Discover each man's thumbscrew." Each chapter provides examples of the consequences of observance or transgression of the law, along with "keys to power," potential "reversals" (where the converse of the law might also be useful), and a single paragraph cleverly laid out to suggest an image (such as the aforementioned thumbscrew); the margins are filled with illustrative quotations. Practitioners of one-upmanship have been given a new, comprehensive training manual, as up-to-date as it is timeless.

Review from Publishers Weekly:
Greene and Elffers have created an heir to Machiavelli's Prince, espousing principles such as, everyone wants more power; emotions, including love, are detrimental; deceit and manipulation are life's paramount tools. Anyone striving for psychological health will be put off at the start, but the authors counter, saying "honesty is indeed a power strategy," and "genuinely innocent people may still be playing for power." Amoral or immoral, this compendium aims to guide those who embrace power as a ruthless game, and will entertain the rest. Elffers's layout (he is identified as the co-conceiver and designer in the press release) is stylish, with short epigrams set in red at the margins. Each law, with such allusive titles as "Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy," "Get Others to Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit," "Conceal Your Intentions," is demonstrated in four ways?using it correctly, failing to use it, key aspects of the law and when not to use it. Illustrations are drawn from the courts of modern and ancient Europe, Africa and Asia, and devious strategies culled from well-known personae: Machiavelli, Talleyrand, Bismarck, Catherine the Great, Mao, Kissinger, Haile Selassie, Lola Montes and various con artists of our century. These historical escapades make enjoyable reading, yet by the book's conclusion, some protagonists have appeared too many times and seem drained. Although gentler souls will find this book frightening, those whose moral compass is oriented solely to power will have a perfect vade mecum. BOMC and Money Book Club alternates. Author tour.

The Laws

Law 1 Never Outshine the Master
Law 2 Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
Law 3 Conceal your Intentions
Law 4 Always Say Less than Necessary
Law 5 So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life
Law 6 Court Attention at all Cost
Law 7 Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit
Law 8 Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary
Law 9 Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
Law 10 Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
Law 11 Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
Law 12 Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
Law 13 When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
Law 14 Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
Law 15 Crush your Enemy Totally
Law 16 Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
Law 17 Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Law 18 Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous
Law 19 Know Who You’re Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
Law 20 Do Not Commit to Anyone
Law 21 Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark
Law 22 Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
Law 23 Concentrate Your Forces
Law 24 Play the Perfect Courtier
Law 25 Re-Create Yourself
Law 26 Keep Your Hands Clean
Law 27 Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
Law 28 Enter Action with Boldness
Law 29 Plan All the Way to the End
Law 30 Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
Law 31 Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
Law 32 Play to People’s Fantasies
Law 33 Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
Law 34 Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
Law 35 Master the Art of Timing
Law 36 Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
Law 37 Create Compelling Spectacles
Law 38 Think as you like but Behave like others
Law 39 Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
Law 40 Despise the Free Lunch
Law 41 Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes
Law 42 Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
Law 43 Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
Law 44 Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
Law 45 Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
Law 46 Never appear too Perfect
Law 47 Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
Law 48 Assume Formlessness

Link : Robert Greene - The 48 Laws of Power.

Someone said : "i have never recommend this book to any of my colleagues and friends because of the POWER that I am craving..."

Stephen King - Everything's Eventual : 14 Dark Tales

2008-10-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner
Pub.date:March 19, 2002
Hardcover: 464 pages

Everything's Eventual is a collection of 14 short stories written by Stephen King and published in 2002.

- Autopsy Room Four
- The Man in the Black Suit
- All That You Love Will Be Carried Away
- The Death of Jack Hamilton
- In the Deathroom
- The Little Sisters of Eluria
- Everything's Eventual
- L. T.'s Theory of Pets
- The Road Virus Heads North
- Lunch at the Gotham Cafй
- That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French
- 1408
- Riding the Bullet
- Luckey Quarter

Review from Publishers Weekly:
Eyebrows arched in literary circles when, in 1995, the New Yorker published Stephen King's "The Man in the Black Suit," a scorchingly atmospheric tale of a boy's encounter with the Devil in backwoods Maine. The story went on to win the 1996 O. Henry Award for Best Short Story, confirming what King fans have known for years that the author is not only immensely popular but immensely talented, a modern-day counterpart to Twain, Hawthorne, Dickens. "The Man in the Black Suit" appears in this hefty collection, King's first since Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), along with three other extraordinary New Yorker tales: "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away," an intensely moving story of a suicidal traveling salesman who collects graffiti; "The Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French," about a woman caught in a fatal loop of deja vu; and "The Death of Jack Hamilton," a gritty, witty tale of Dillinger's gang on the lam. Together, they make up what King, in one of many author asides, calls his "literary stories," which he contrasts to the "all-out screamers" though most of the stories here seem a mix of the two, with the distinction as real as a line on a map. "Autopsy Room Four," a black-humor horror about a man who wakes up paralyzed in a morgue and about to be autopsied, displays a mastery of craft, and "1408," a haunted hotel-room story that first surfaced on the audio book Blood and Smoke, engenders a sense of profound unease, of dread, as surely as do the elegant work of Blackwood or Machen or, if one prefers, Baudelaire or Sartre. King's talent doesn't always burn at peak, of course, and there are lesser tales here, too, but none that most writers wouldn't be proud to claim, like the slight but affecting "Luckey," about a poor cleaning woman given a "luckey" coin as a tip, or "L.T.'s Theory of Pets," which King cites as his favorite of the collection, but whose shift from humor to horror comes off as arbitrary, at least on the page (the story first appeared in audiobook form).Then there's "Riding the Bullet," the novella that put King on the cover of Time and rattled the publishing community not for its content a suspenseful encounter with the dead but for its mode of delivery, as an e-book, and "The Little Sisters of Eleuria," another resonant entry in King's self-proclaimed "magnus opus" about Roland the Gunslinger (Roland will return, King lets on, in a now-finished 900-page Dark Tower novel, Wolves of the Calla). Fourteen stories, most of them gems, featuring an array of literary approaches, plus an opinionated intro from King about the "(Almost) Lost Art" of the short story: this will be the biggest selling story collection of the year, and why not? No one does it better.

Link : Stephen King - Everything's Eventual : 14 Dark Tales.

Photoshop Effects for Portrait Photographers

2008-10-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Author: Christopher Grey
Publisher: Elsevier Science & Technology Books
Pub. Date: October 2006
Format: Paperback, 152pp

Want to offer your clients more to chose from? Here's how: award winning
photographer, Christopher Grey, has developed techniques to enhance portrait
photography, using the creative applications available in Photoshop. Photoshop
Effects for Portrait Photographers contains detailed explanations of how to
replicate many darkroom techniques with Photoshop (Dodging, Burning, Vignettes,
etc.) as well as camera and earlier technology techniques (Short Focus, High
Speed Film Grain, Hand Coloring, etc.). Grey has also developed almost two dozen
ways to replicate traditional painterly and illustrative techniques such as
Rough Charcoal Sketch, Wet Watercolor, Silkscreen, and Oil Chalk.

Table of Contents

A Short Course on Layer Masks; Traditional Photographic Techniques; Creative
Desaturation and Filtration; Organic Vignettes; Converting Color to Grayscale;
Short Focus; Short Focus (Light); Infrared Black and White; Cross Processing;
High Speed Film Grain; Oil Tints; Hand Colored Black and White Damage Free Dodge
and Burn; Image Enhancements; Surreal Backgrounds; HyperColor; Overexposure
Rescue; Hollywood Eyes; Artistic Effects; Perfect Litho; Linoleum Block;
Scratchboard; Rough Pencil Sketch; Charcoal Sketch;
Photocopy Sketch; Grain Sketch; Watercolor; Wet Watercolor; Silkscreen;
Impressionism; The Classic PinUp; Oil Chalk

Link : Christopher Grey - Photoshop Effects for Portrait Photographers.

Atlantis

2008-10-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Author: Gerhart Hauptmann
Publisher: IndyPublish
Release Date:May 14, 2007
Paperback: 304 pages

1912. Nobel laureate Gerhart Hauptmann's first play, Before Sunrise was produced in 1889 at the German Free Theater, and was acknowledged as the beginning of an important new literary movement for Germany. Some critics regard drama as Hauptmann's least happy choice in the form of literary expression. Many consider him as one of the finest poets of modern times. He has also written many well-known novels of which Atlantis is probably the most famous. Atlantis is a social novel with a supernatural subplot involving after-death experiences and dream visions.

Link : Gerhart Hauptmann - Atlantis.

Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics

2008-10-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

Author: Eleanor Herman
Publisher: William Morrow
Pub. Date: April 11, 2006
Hardcover: 336 pages

She was the queen, living in an opulent palace, wearing lavish gowns and dazzling jewels. She was envied, admired, and revered. She was also miserable, having been forced to marry a foreign prince sight unseen, a royal ogre who was sadistic, foaming at the mouth, physically repulsive, mentally incompetent, or sexually impotent—and in some cases all of the above.

How did queens find happiness? In courts bristling with testosterone—swashbuckling generals, polished courtiers, and virile cardinals—many royal women had love affairs.

Anne Boleyn flirted with courtiers; Catherine Howard slept with one. Henry VIII had both of them beheaded.
Catherine the Great had her idiot husband murdered, and ruled the Russian empire with a long list of sexy young favorites.
Marie Antoinette fell in love with the handsome Swedish count Axel Fersen, who tried valiantly to rescue her from the guillotine.
Empress Alexandra of Russia found emotional solace in the mad monk Rasputin. Her behavior was the spark that set off the firestorm of the Russian revolution.
Princess Diana gave up her palace bodyguard to enjoy countless love affairs, which tragically led to her early death.

When a queen became sick to death of her husband and took a lover, anything could happen—from disgrace and death to political victory. Some kings imprisoned erring wives for life; other monarchs obligingly named the queen's lover prime minister.

The crucial factor deciding the fate of an unfaithful queen was the love affair's implications in terms of power, money, and factional rivalry. At European courts, it was the politics—not the sex—that caused a royal woman's tragedy—or her ultimate triumph.

Link : Eleanor Herman - Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics.

Light and Lens : Photography in the Digital Age

2008-10-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Author : Robert Hirsch
Publisher : Elsevier Science & Technology Books
Pub. Date : August 2007
Edition Number : 1
Format : Textbook Paperback, 397pp

Light & Lens : Photography in the Digital Age is a groundbreaking introductory
book that clearly and concisely provides the instruction and building blocks
necessary to create thought-provoking digitally based photographs. It is an
adventurous idea book that features numerous classroom-tested assignments and
exercises from leading photographic educators to encourage you to critically
explore and make images from the photographers' eye, an aesthetic point of view.

Table Of Contents

Preface
1. Why We Make Pictures: A Concise History of Visual Ideas
2.Design: Visual Foundations
3.Image Capture: Cameras, Lenses, and Scanners
4.Exposure and Filters
5.Seeing with Light
6.Observation: Eyes Wide Open
7.Time, Space, Imagination and the Camera
8.Digital Studio: Where the Virtual Meets the Material World
9.Presentation and Preservation
10.Seeing with a Camera
11.Solutions: Thinking and Writing About Images
12.Photographer on Assignment

Addendum I: Safety
Addendum II: Careers

Link : Robert Hirsch - Light and Lens : Photography in the Digital Age.

A Dog's Life

2008-10-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

Author: Peter Mayle
Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition
Pub. Date: March 14, 1995
Hardcover: 192 pages

Peter Mayle surveys his territory from a new vantage point: the all-fours perspective of his dog Boy – a dog whose personality is made up of equal parts Boswell and Dr Johnson, Mencken and A. A. Milne.

Meet Boy, the dog – keen observer of human behaviour and witty chronicler of the joys and contradictions of modern life.

In 'A Dog's Life', Boy tells us his own story - that of a dog in Provence, who progresses from a puppyhood of abuse and abandonment to the good life with a writer and his wife. Witty and urbane, Boy engages us with his opinions and observations on the foibles and quirks of life with his two-footed companions.

On being forcibly groomed for the first time:

Traumatic is the only word to describe what happened next: drenched with water, smeared with soap, rinsed and soaped and rinsed again, and that was just the overture. There followed an interminable session with a miniature lawn mower, and then an attack by scissors, snipping away at ears, moustache, tail, and other sensitive regions. The final indignity was a dusting with powder that smelled like a mixture of Evening in Paris and weed killer... So that was toilettage, and as far as I'm concerned, it ranks with kennels, obedience classes, rectal thermometers, and supervised celibacy as one of man's great mistakes.

On crime and punishment, for which he later outlines the "seven gestures of appeasement" for offenders:

One lesson I've learned in life is that everything is negotiable. No crime, however foul, is beyond redemption. You can steal the Sunday lunch, shred books, bite off the heads of live chickens, and pretty much despoil to your heart's content as long as your conciliation technique is sound. It's known as plea bargaining, and it has allowed far worse villains than I to walk away unpunished, with scarcely a blot on their escutcheon. If you don't believe me, read the newspapers.

On the apparent cleanliness of cats:

There's a popular misconception - shamelessly encouraged, of course, by ostentatious displays of washing and licking and paws behind the ears - that the cat is one of nature's cleaner creations, odour-free and community-minded when it comes to waste disposal. This is bunk. Put a ripe old tomcat in an enclosed space, such as the garage, and you'll need to hold your breath. It's that bad.

On the aerobic benefit of playing with tennis balls:

I mentioned stairs earlier. These have the double attraction of noise and healthy physical exertion, in contrast to the visitors' usual program of elbow bending and free-weight training with knife and fork. The falling ball provides multiple bouncing sounds, and the retriever has to climb up the stairs to give it back to me. As any doctor will tell you, this is very beneficial for the legs and lungs.

In a house where dinner parties are frequent, guests include non-practicing painters and salesmen of wine, antique dealers and touring Americans, Boy tartly assesses them all. Mayle has uncovered here a lovable, unforgettable character in a wickedly funny book.

Edward Koren doubles the fun with 59 whimsical drawings.

You don't have to be a dog lover or Francophile to enjoy 'A Dog's Life', but it might help to be at least one of the two.

Read and enjoy!

Link : Peter Mayle - A Dog's Life.

The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book: Harnessing Photoshop's Most Powerful Tool

2008-10-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Author : Richard Lynch
Publisher : Focal Press
Pub. Date : July 30, 2007
Paperback: 288 pages

Imagine yourself in total control of every adjustment to your photos. You've seen the illustrations in glossy magazines, the fine art reproductions in museum catalogs, the award-winning pictures of professional photographers. To produce this kind of magic, understanding how to use layers for your entire breadth of image correction is key.

Discover the best ways to showcase your talent with the full power of layers from best-selling author/digital image specialist Richard Lynch. Learn what layers can do for you as an integral part of organizing image development, creating and storing image versions with nondestructive editing, and promoting a positive workflow.

Timeless, not version specific, this book will help you take layers to a new level to increase your efficiency and produce better end results, whatever release of the software you use. Step-by-step instructions and practical examples illustrate how to:
* Leverage layer power to correct and enhance color, fix problems in composition, repair damage or flaws, and isolate image areas for changes, adjustments and experimental concepts
* Incorporate layers in a workflow that extracts the maximum from your camera, exploits the potential in every image and helps you organize your perceptions and ideas according to your unique vision
* Recombine layers to form new images in a nondestructive process that preserves both the original image and intermediate layers for further editing - or tomorrow's inspirations
* Dip into the accompanying CD with a robust library and presets of practice images. Create your own set of favorite composition techniques

Dont make your work harder than it needs to be when you can use layers to control any adjustment using multiple forms of blending concurrently transparency, clipping, opacity/fill, masking, modes, channel targeting, Blend If, and styles.

Link : The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book: Harnessing Photoshop's Most Powerful Tool.

Adobe Photoshop - Every Tool Explained

2008-10-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

AdobePhotoshop - Every tool explained: Unleash the full power behind every icon in the Photoshop toolbar.

Chapter 1 SELECTION TOOLS IN PHOTOSHOP
Making selections is the core of Photoshop’s way of working.There are a variety of tools you can use for the purpose, so here’s how to get the most out of them.

Chapter 2 NAVIGATING AND EDITING YOUR IMAGES
Getting around inside an image is important if you are to work quickly and efficiently. This chapter covers the view navigation tools and shortcuts for managing your workspace.

Chapter 3 USING THE BRUSHES AND PENCIL TOOLS
This chapter introduces you to Photoshop’s more arty tools, the Brushes. But as you’ll discover, you can use these versatile tools for far more than just painting.

Chapter 4 USING THE CLONING AND HEALING TOOLS
The Cloning and Healing tools in Photoshop offer an elegant way to fix damaged photos, correct bad scans and generally clean up your images.And they’re great fun to use.

Chapter 5 THE GRADIENT,FILL AND ERASER TOOLS
Once you get more competent with Photoshop you’ll appreciate the importance of these utility tools.The Gradient tool in particular is essential for all manner of tricks and effects.

Chapter 6 GETTING TO KNOWTHE EFFECTS TOOLS
Photoshop’s effects tools include Blur, Sharpen,Smudge,Dodge and Burn.Discover how best to use them to spice up your artwork, composites and photographic images.

Chapter 7 WORKING WITH THE TYPE TOOL
Creating text in Photoshop is quite easy to do, whether it’s for artistic effect or simply to add essential information.This chapter looks at the various options available with the Type tool.

Chapter 8 WORKING WITH PATHS,VECTORS AND MASKS
Photoshop has always used vector-based ‘paths’ to draw smooth shapes and outlines. Learn how the latest version has the ability to create shapes and masks with vectors too.

Chapter 9 ANNOTATIONS,NOTES AND THE MEASURE TOOL
Along with the creative tools,Photoshop provides several tools to add accuracy,sound and vision to your work.These fall into two tool groups – Notation and Measurement tools.

Chapter 10 CREATING TOP QUALITY ARTWORK
In this final chapter we’ll put together a piece of artwork using all the tools and options that we’ve looked at over the course of this Photoshop Focus Guide.

Link : Adobe Photoshop - Every Tool Explained.

PC World November 2008

2008-10-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

100 Incredibly Web Sites.
50 Tune-up Tools to make your PC run faster.
10 easy way to avoid Security Nightmates.
12 Vista Features you don't need - and how to turn them off.
10 Products that don't live up to their hype.

Link : PC World November 2008.

IEEE Robotics And Automation Magazine Vol.15 No.3 Sep 2008

2008-10-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Link : IEEE Robotics And Automation Magazine Vol.15 No.3 Sep 2008.

The Possibility of Knowledge

2008-10-15T07:50:00.001-07:00

Author: Quassim Cassam
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Pub. Date: 8 Mar 2007

How is knowledge of the external world possible? How is knowledge of other minds possible? How is a priori knowledge possible? These are all examples of how-possible questions in epistemology. Quassim Cassam explains how such questions arise and how they should be answered.
In general, we ask how knowledge, or knowledge of some specific kind, is possible when we encounter obstacles to its existence or acquisition. So the question is: how is knowledge possible given the various factors that make it look impossible? A satisfactory answer to such a question will therefore need to do several different things. In essence, explaining how a particular kind of knowledge is possible is a matter of identifying ways of acquiring it, overcoming or dissipating obstacles to its acquisition, and figuring out what makes it possible to acquire it.
To respond to a how-possible question in this way is to go in for what might be called a "multi-levels" approach. The aim of this book is to develop and defend this approach. The first two chapters bring out its advantages and explain why it works better than more familiar "transcendental" approaches to explaining how knowledge is possible. The remaining chapters use the multi-levels framework to explain how perceptual knowledge is possible, how it is possible to know of the existence of minds other than one's own and how a priori knowledge is possible.

Link : Quassim Cassam - The Possibility of Knowledge.

Electronic Gaming Monthly November 2008

2008-10-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

Link : Electronic Gaming Monthly November 2008.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There

2008-10-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

Author:Lewis Carroll
Publisher: Adamant Media Corporation
Release Date:March 1, 2001
Paperback: 241 pages

A chance encounter with a tardy rabbit sends young Alice into a dream-world of lunatic proportions in Alice in Wonderland, a witty and frequently bizarre satire of English social life. Equally entertaining for children and thought-provoking for adults, Alice was an immediate success upon its publication in 1865. Keep an eye out for Carroll's superb nursery-rhyme parodies, not to mention the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts.
Whereas much of the first Alice novel centered around a card game, Through the Looking-Glass focuses on a chess game of mammoth proportions. A social satire much like its predecessor, Looking-Glass contains some of Carroll's most memorable characters and best nonsense-verse ("Jabberwocky").

Link : Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.

AutoCAD2008 3D Modeling Workbook For Dummies

2008-10-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
Pub. Date: August 2007
Format: Paperback, 384 pages

AutoCAD 2007 features a new 3D rendering engine that greatly enhances the
program's 3D functionality-and makes this industry-standard drafting program
even more difficult to master, even for veteran users. This focused For Dummies
workbook gives people the practice they need to get up to speed on the new 3D
features, with dozens of problems and step-by-step solutions for modeling,
shadowing, and lighting. Topics covered by the problems include 2D geometric
construction, 3D solid modeling, 3D surface modeling, rendering and imaging,
dimensioning and drafting, and model interchange. Used by architects, engineers,
and draftspeople, AutoCAD is the #1 computer-aided design (CAD) software in the
world, with an installed base of 6.7 million users. The accompanying DVD
provides videos that illustrate select problems and solutions presented in the
workbook.

Table of Contents

Introduction.
Part I: Introducing AutoCAD.
Chapter 1: AutoCAD and the User Interface.
Chapter 2: Working with Drawing Files.
Chapter 3: Customizing Your Work Environment.
Part II: Going from 2D to 3D.
Chapter 4: Transitioning from 2D to 3D.
Chapter 5: Viewing a 3D Model.
Chapter 6: Taking the Plunge into 3D.
Chapter 7: Additional Exercises: Making the Transition.
Part III: 3D Modeling — Solid Modeling.
Chapter 8: Modeling with Solid.
Chapter 9: Modifying and Analyzing Solids.
Chapter 10: Creating Section and Auxiliary Views from Models.
Chapter 11: Additional Exercises: Modeling with Solids.
Part IV: 3D Modeling — Surfaces.
Chapter 12: Modeling with Surfaces.
Chapter 13: Complex Surface Modeling.
Chapter 14: Modifying Surfaces.
Chapter 15: Additional Exercises: Modeling with Surfaces.
Part V: Visualizing the Design.
Chapter 16: Lighting.
Chapter 17: Materials.
Chapter 18: Rendering and Animating.
Chapter 19: Additional Exercises: Visualizing the Design.
Part VI: Model Interchange.
Chapter 20: Plotting to a Hardcopy or an Electronic File.
Chapter 21: Importing and Exporting 3D Models.
Part VII: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 22: More than Ten New Features in AutoCAD 2008.
Chapter 23: More than Ten Software and Professional Design Resources.
Appendix A: Glossary.
Appendix B: About the DVD.
Index.

Link : AutoCAD2008 3D Modeling Workbook For Dummies.

Photoshop CS All-in-One Desk Reference

2008-10-10T03:10:00.000-07:00

By : Barbara Obermeier
Number of Pages: 843

Brace yourself—this For Dummies guide is in full, dazzling color! That way you can see how you can lighten, brighten, blur, sharpen, or even age your digital images with Photoshop CS2. Chances are you have Photoshop CS2 and have explored it enough to know that you need a good guide to make the most of all its capabilities and get up to speed fast. Odds are you’ve experimented with some photos and spent hours tweaking them. Maybe you’re a veteran and used Photoshop CS2 to turn the gray sky to blue in a resort photo or to brighten the CEO’s smile. Maybe you’re a novice and gleefully extracted your ex from old photos and gave yourself a flattering mini-makeover at the same time. Maybe you used it to remove a scratch from a treasured family photo.

Regardless, you probably haven’t scratched the surface. Photoshop CS2 gives you so many options and tools for digital image creation, correction, and enhancement that even experienced pros can discover new techniques and shortcuts. With explanations for working on a PC or a Mac, Photoshop CS2 All-In-One desk Reference For Dummies is your complete resource that:

Combines nine minibooks:

1. Photoshop Fundamentals
2. Image Essentials
3. Selections
4. Painting, Drawing, and Typing
5. Working with Layers
6. Channels and Masks
7. Filters and Distortions
8. Retouching and Restoration
9. Photoshop and Print

Has more than 650 pages of tips, techniques, and plain-English explanations

Is in glorious, full color, with all kinds of photographs and examples

Has tons of screen shots so you’ll know exactly what to look for on your screen

Provides a tear out Cheat Sheet that’s your instant reference for finding your way around Photoshop CS2, accessing the tools palette through shortcuts, and making selections
Gets you up to speed on the new Adobe Bridge that lets you view, search, and organize your files, edit Camera Raw files, search for and purchase royalty-free stock photography, synchronize color settings, and more

Introduces you to the 58 tools in the Tools palette, from the Pen to the Eraser… the Spot Healing Brush to the Burn…the Clone Stamp to the Red Eye

Explains how to work with Vanishing Point—the new feature that lets you edit three dimensionally on a two-dimension image

Features special Putting-It-Together exercises that walk you through numbered steps to show you how to do various tasks such as getting the red out of eyes, making and fine-tuning a collage, and more...

Link : Photoshop CS All-in-One Desk Reference.

Infected

2008-10-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Author: Scott Sigler
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: April 1, 2008
Number of Pages: 320

Across America, a mysterious disease is turning ordinary people into raving, paranoid murderers who inflict brutal horrors on strangers, themselves, and even their own families.

Working under the government’s shroud of secrecy, CIA operative Dew Phillips crisscrosses the country trying in vain to capture a live victim. With only decomposing corpses for clues, CDC Epidemiologist Margaret Montoya races to analyze the science behind this deadly contagion. She discovers that these killers all have one thing in common — they've been contaminated by a bio-engineered parasite, shaped with a complexity far beyond the limits of known science.

Meanwhile Perry Dawsey — a hulking former football star now resigned to life as a cubicle-bound desk jockey — awakes one morning to find several mysterious welts growing on his body. Soon Perry finds himself acting and thinking strangely, hearing voices—he is infected.

The fate of the human race may well depend on the bloody war Perry must now wage with his own body, because the parasites want something from him, something that goes beyond mere murder.

Infected is the first major print release from internet phenom Scott Sigler, whose podcast-only audiobooks have drawn an immense cult following. Now Sigler storms the bookstore shelves with a cinematic, relentlessly paced novel that mixes and matches genres, combining horror, technothriller, and suspense.

Link : Scott Sigler - Infected.

Popular Photography October 2008

2008-10-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Secret

2008-10-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Author : Rhonda Byrne
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: November 28, 2006
Language: English

Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it.

In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.

The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

In this self-help guide, Rhonda Byrne reveals how the wisdom of the ages can help us tap into the powers within ourselves as she shares contemporary stories from those who have used positive thinking to attain happiness, wealth, and success.

Link : Rhonda Byrne - The Secret.

The Undercover Economist

2008-10-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

By: Tim Harford
Publisher: Random House Inc
Release Date: January 9, 2007

Like a good teacher, journalist Tim Hartford make sense of economics by showing how it works in the real world--and making it all interesting. Through case studies of recognizable companies such as Starbucks, the grocery chain Whole Foods, and various healthcare providers, airlines, banks, and other entities and corporations, Hartford brings to life a mysterious--perhaps manipulative?--world. Some of economics is psychology; a lot of it is "forces." And much of it affects us every day, whether or not we know what terms like "game theory" really mean. Moving from the micro- to the macro-level, he explains both the placement of goods on the store shelf and China's rise to prominence. Without any axe to grind, Hartford uses inventive examples to clue the reader in to how the so-called "invisible hand" reaches into our pockets, and how we can become more informed consumers. After reading THE UNDERCOVER ECONOMIST, readers may not open up their monthly credit card bill or load their shopping cart with the same innocence they had before.

Link : Tim Harford - The Undercover Economist.

PC Magazine - November 2008

2008-10-07T04:12:00.000-07:00

Devour our PC Blockbuster.
Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites.
Want to be a smarter PC user?
Shiny Gadgets!
Save money on your tech purchases.

......
Link : PC Magazine November 2008.

Good to Great : Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't

2008-10-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

By Jim Collins

Publication Date: 10/16/2001

The Challenge

Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the verybeginning.

But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?

The Study
For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?

The Standards
Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck.

The Comparisons
The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good?

Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't.

The Findings
The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include:

Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness.
The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence.
A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology.
The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap.

“Some of the key concepts discerned in the study,” comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people.”

Perhaps, but who can afford to ignore these findings?

Link : Good to Great : Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't.

Eye Movements : A Window on Mind and Brain

2008-10-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

Publisher: Elsevier Science
Number Of Pages: 600
Publication Date: 2007-05-03
Binding: Hardcover
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
Studio: Elsevier Science

Eye-movement recording has become the method of choice in a wide variety of disciplines investigating how the mind and brain work. This volume brings together recent, high-quality eye-movement research from many different disciplines and, in doing so, presents a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in eye-movement research.

Sections include the history of eye-movement research, physiological and clinical studies of eye movements, transsaccadic integration, computational modelling of eye movements, reading, spoken language processing, attention and scene perception, and eye-movements in natural environments.

* Includes recent research from a variety of disciplines
* Divided into sections based on topic areas, with an overview chapter beginning each section
* Through the study of eye movements we can learn about the human mind, and eye movement recording has become the method of choice in many disciplines

Link : Eye Movements : A Window on Mind and Brain.

Computer Shopper Magazine - November 2008

2008-10-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

Link : Computer Shopper Magazine - November 2008

Becoming an Extraordinary Manager: The 5 Essentials for Succes

2008-10-04T02:31:00.000-07:00

By: Len Sandler
Publisher: AMACOM
Pages: 256
Publication Date: October 31, 2007

Extraordinary managers are galvanizing forces. They make the whole of their organizations greater than the sum of its disparate parts. They motivate, praise, and exact extraordinary results from ordinary workers. But managers of this caliber are rare and usually made, not born.

In Becoming an Extraordinary Manager, Sandler identifies the major reasons organizations have historically created and sustained poor managers. He offers those already leading, and those rising through the ranks, a development plan based on five major pillars of great management:

Motivating others.
Attracting and retaining top talent.
Planning and organizing group performance.
Driving results throughout an organization.
Lifelong development.

Link: Becoming an Extraordinary Manager: The 5 Essentials for Succes

Brisingr

2008-10-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Author: Christopher Paolini
Publisher: Random House

Brisingr is the third book of the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, following the hugely successful books Eragon and Eldest. It was released on September 20, 2008. The title means "fire" in the fictional Language of Alagaesia. The book sold 550,000 copies on its first day of sale, the most ever for a Random House Children's Book. Though this can be classified as Young Adult Literature, it appeals to the literary tastes of the young and old alike.

To most young adults, Paolinis books are as interesting as the Harry Potter series.

Link: Christopher Paolini - Brisingr.

The Advanced Digital Photographer's Workbook

2008-10-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

THE ADVANCED DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER'S WORKBOOK is packed full
of real-world yet incredibly practical and effective solutions to move digital photographers
to a new level of performance. Contributors include twelve world-class professional
digital photographers who share their tips and tricks. The authors provide
details to move you beyond the basics of capture, processing and output to more
sophisticated workflow functions and techniques that will help you create world
-class images. They cover rigorous yet easy-to-understand approaches to: capture
a great image in black-and-white and color, correct color, calibrate and set up
systems properly, creatively manipulate and enhance the image, and produce an
excellent print or output of the image.

Link: The Advanced Digital Photographer's Workbook

Twilight Saga

2008-10-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

Author: Stephenie Meyer

As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.

Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

Edward’s soft voice came from behind me.

I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, just like he had in the parking lot, and kissed me again.This kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine–like he was afraid we had only so much time left to us.

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob–knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Link:

PC Magazine October 2008

2008-10-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Learn how to do darn near everything with PCMag.com's Solutions.
What are the best colleges for geeks?
Want more Dovorak?
Stay safe with our Security Watch blog.
Use PCMag.com's Product Finder.

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Link : PC Magazine October 2008