AI

Voices that need to be heard: book includes articles by Monica Melanchton, India; Lily Kuo Wang, Taiwan; Christine Tse, Hong Kong; Yong Ting Jin, Malaysia; and others. Also two general statement papers from Asian women theologian conferences. Highly recommended.

This book is a definitive study of Wittgenstein's relation to Turing and the mathematical traditions which inspired modern computational theorising and artificial intelligence. It is an eloquent and superbly-argued defense of Wittgenstein's many arguments against what came to be called 'cognitivism' in psychology and philosophy. Shanker's mastery of the philosophical and mathematical background to contemporary cognitivist theses is unparalleled. Here is a masterful treatment of a range of complex issues by one of the world's leading philosophers of mathematics and Wittgenstein scholars. An absolute MUST for philosophers of mind, psychology and cognitive science. The opening chapter sets the tone for the entire work: it is a highly original and provocative account of a much-neglected aspect of Wittgenstein's remarks on the philosophy of mathematics: his attack on Turing's misconception of his own achievement, and his crucial distinction between normative and causal accounts of computation. Readers will also find a wealth of richly-described historical materials here, all incorporated into a sustained and rigorous array of logical arguments and philosophical clarifications. Although there are several quite technical considerations addressed in this work, the prose is lucid, engaging and rigorous. A really fine piece of work, deserving of a significant audience, not necessarily solely of specialists in these fields.

Well, I first got indroduced to manga by a foreign exchange student at our school. The first series she lend me were Peach Girl and I didn't really get too interested in it other than for the art.
THEN she gave me Paradise Kiss....and that hooked me. Ai Yazawa's art is beautiful, I love all the characters and think George and Arashi are both handsome :-) (why don't guys look like manga characters in real life?)
The clothes are equally beautiful and I have paged through all the books after I am done just to look at the beautiful pictures again.
I found Caroline kind of snobbish at first but then i realized why by later books (her mother is very very strict)and felt more sorry for her.
Miwako is so cute and innocent, Isabelle is graceful and mother-like, George is sly and handsome, and Arashi is emotional and dependant.(lol).The characters all relate so well.
And about the "sex" scenes. They arn't that bad (then again its all drawn so wonderfully.....)
i am waiting for the 5th book eagerly but i wish there would be more than just 5!

If this book were nothing but pictures without a story, I would still buy it. Ai Yazawa has a unique style of drawing that is adorably gorgeous, not to mention her sense of style is nothing less than awe-inspiring!! I have to admit, I've gotten a few ideas on modifying my own wardrobe just from reading Paradise Kiss. The characters (especially my darling Miwako) all dress so awesomely FUNKY!
The story begins when Yukari, a level-headed student mostly concerned with her studies, meets the quirky group of design students who want to create their own clothing brand, called Paradise Kiss. What's more, they want HER to be their model for their school fashion show! Yukari is skeptical (not to mention downright RUDE) at first, but as she gets to know them (especially their leader, the head designer George), she begins to respect their dedication and actually wants to help out.
I found it hard to warm up to Yukari. There are just so many things I dislike about her; but on the other hand I do believe she's a pretty realistic rendition of a normal high school girl. I thought she would probably grow on me after a while, but I've finished volume 3 now and I still dislike her. She is a beautiful girl, but it's hard to remember that when she's acting so insecure and selfish and spineless.
On the other hand, Miwako stole my heart right from the first. She's a little angel, as well as having the coolest fashion sense I've ever seen! I only wish I had a friend like her! She really steals the show, I found myself wondering what was going on with her when I got bored reading about Yukari and her endless problems.
Despite my dislike for the main character, it's hard not to adore this manga. Everything in it seems so fresh and unusual and eye-poppingly cool! Besides the fashion styles, it's down-to-earth and deals with realistic issues like sex, homosexuality, and jealousy in a candid way that's unusual in most shoujo manga. It makes me burn to read Gokinjo Monogatori (Neighborhood Story), the series Yazawa did before ParaKiss came out. Everyone ought to get into this series!!

My reason for that is, 30 reviews already for Vol. 1, and I've ONLY read Vol. 1 because where I live EVERY SINGLE book store has been out of ALL the volumes since Christmas, except now they have Vol. 5, like that helps!!!

Despite that, however, I think I can write a helpful review, so here go's.

Paradise Kiss is one of those mangas, or books, that will IMMEDIATELY catch your eye. When I had got a manga sampler book(before I was into manga) for my brother, as a prize from a summer reading club, I read through it as well. There were two mangas that caught my attention: 1. Mars and 2. Paradise Kiss
The reason Paradise Kiss caught my eye was because of the drawing style, it is very unique to Ai Yazawa alone, I've never seen anyone with a style that comes close(and I read a lot of manga, liscenced and unliscenced).

So, finally over a year after reading a sample of ParaKiss and having read countless praises for the series, I got the first Volume for Christmas last year. Since recieving it, I have read it about 5x's(as well as started reading Gokinjo).

Why would I do this? Well let me start with a synopsis of the story:

The story goes: Yukari is a high school student who's parents have placed a lot of pressure on her, as well as people in her school, that she HAS TO get into a good college, or basically she's worthless. She hasn't thought about what else she might do besides that, so basically she just goes with it even though she hates it. But one day she is walking and thinking, and a weird guy with piercings all over his face(Arashi), sees her and asked her to be a model, she tries to run away, but she is snatched by drag queen(Isabella). She passes out and is taken to their hang out where she also meets Miwako, a tiny and cute girl who she mistakes for an angel at first. ;P They ask her to model, she refuses, and so it goes for a while.
I wont give anything else away about the story.

Its not really the story that makes Paradise Kiss so great, its not exactly anything special. What makes ParaKiss so great is the great humor, great characters, and OF COURSE.... THE FASHION!!!! If I had to say my favorite thing about Paradise Kiss, well it would be the characters, but after that its the fashion.! I *Love* the fashion, in fact I *love* it so much, I got the first Volume of Gothic and Lolita Bible for my birthday. If you like it too, I suggest checking them out. You can order them at susugabooks.com along with many other Japanese mangas or items. :D

Well, anyways, ParaKiss, in my opinion, is something anyone can anyone, and should enjoy. I understand in the later volumes there is some sex, so I guess its not for the under 16 set, but besides that, I would reccomend it to anyone.! Get Volume 1 today!!!

God Bless & *enjoy* ~Amy

An absorbing and enchanting tale of a personal quest for the deeper meaning of AI: the discovery of how intelligence itself arises. Fogel seizes the challenge by capturing the evolutionary process and shaping it to breed a checkers expert from an artificial neural net. Scientists, humanists, and artists will appreciate his inspiring wit and clarity of thought in narrating the growth of Blondie24, a synthetic sentience born inside a desktop PC.

An amazing account of how a computer program taught itself to become an expert at the game of checkers. Author Fogel cleverly walks the reader through an entertaining account of how computers can be programmed to simulate actual evolutionary learning.

In simple terms, the brilliant author and his associate designed and developed actual computer code that effectively taught itself through simulated experience - by actually playing the game of checkers against itself while learning and evolving its own knowledge. If one of the book's goals is to educate the reader as to the many misconceptions regarding "Artificial Intelligence", then score one for team Fogel.

As a professional software developer, I was especially impressed with the design and development process described and utilized to develop the necessary algorithms.

Although it may sound very technical, the story is quite engaging and very easy to follow. While being entertained, I also learned a great deal about the current state-of-the-art perspectives regarding AI.

...and then the story kicks in. Once the groundwork is completed during the first part of the book, the reader is taken on a delightful trip with Blondie24 in action. Even the casual reader will get caught up in this fascinating account.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the future, as "Intelligent" machines will certainly be a part of it.

In short, a truly great read...

David has produced an important, and inspirational book. AI has received a bad press in the past. Many claims were hyped and the promise never delivered. David has shown that the claims of AI are sometimes true. The book first introduces the history of computer checkers, based on hand-coded solutions developed by expert players. The second half of the book describes the process of developing the artificial neural network player, Blondie24, through a process of evolution. The player that evolved had no human expertise to rely on and learned to play the game through trial and error only. This enthralling book demonstrates that evolution is a powerful force in the search for intelligence. You soon start to believe once you have lost a game to Blondie24.

In this volume, Yota Moteuchi, or Dateless (his nickname), wants desperately to tell his classmate, Moemi, that he likes her. However, she happens to like Yota's best friend, the handsome yet uninterested Takashi Niimai. Moemi inadvertantly crushes Yota by admitting she likes Takashi, and, a short while later, Takashi turns Moemi down. Instead of being crushed by the revelation that Moemi likes someone else, Yota is upset that Moemi has been hurt by Takashi. This apparently shows that his heart is pure, which allows him to find Gokuraku, a video rental place. Yota gets what he thinks is an X-rated video. Later, while he watches the video, a video girl named Ai pops out of the screen. She's determined to help him get Moemi.

I thought the story was fun to read, although I found that Yota's obsession with various parts of the female anatomy, and how this obsession was shown (with closeups of those parts), got really old after a while. I didn't know what to expect when I started this book, but I got through it really fast - I wanted to know how things would turn out for Yota, Moemi, and Ai. The art was lovely, and the idea of video girls was interesting (although it's too bad that there don't seem to be any video guys in existance).

This is one truly masterful blend of comedy and romantic fantasy! Masakazu Kastura(creator of IRIA and DNA 2)truly peaked with his title: VIDEO GIRL AI. Lonely heartbroken Yota learns the girl he had a crush on is really in love with his friend. On his way home from this revelation, he sees a video store that he never noticed before, and decides to take home a "video girl". In Japan, a video girl is a video-recorded date for men. But this one is a real Video Girl, and comes right out of the TV into Yota's living room. Now, he's got Ai, his own little genie-like playmate for three months. It's her job to comfort him and make him feel secure, but because Ai's tape was played on a VCR, her program becomes different and she starts to fall in love with Yota. While at the same time Yota is trying to get over his feelings for his unrequited love, Moemi, who on her own seems to have a thing for Yota too even though she's now dating his friend Takashi. Then, Ai gets sent away by her creator, and redone with a new mission, to just root for Yota. But their love for each other prooves too strong, which causes Ai to be sent away again. When she returns, she has no memory of Yota or the love she had for him. This while Yota has gotten a new girlfriend in the cute Nobuko. Does Yota pick the right girl in the end? Will the Video Girl god ever leave Ai alone and let her get a normal life? All the questions and more are in the manga. Also check out the cool anime on DVD or video also from Viz!

This is another personal favorite. ...possibly because I relate too well to Yota's experiences.

This is a wonderful story with beautiful artwork. Yota is totally in love with a really cute girl at his school. However, she is in love with his best friend. It's interesting that both of them view their romantic situations as hopeless. Moemi doesn't know Yota loves her when she confesses her love. As a result of his unrequited love and him crying for Moemi's broken heart, Yota ends up at a video store. ...in the adult section. He finds himself drawn to the videotape of Ai Amano. When he gets the tape home, Ai comes out of the TV to help Yota with his love life.

In a way, that might sound like a simple plot. There is much more to the story. I don't want to totally spoil the story details here.

Yota's last name is similar to the Japanese word for "dateless" and that's where his nickname comes from. Ai actually means "love" in Japanese. The name of the video store, Gokuraku, means "paradise."

There is no warning printed on these collected volumes. When the chapters appear in Animerica Extra, there is a note about this being for mature audiences. Right now, the series has a long way to go before we'll see the ending. My latest issue of Animerica Extra has chapter 34, and I heard something about there being around 100 chapters. That's chapters, not volumes. This first volume has 8 chapters in it.

There is an anime OVA (made for video) and a live action movie based on this manga. The live action version is not available in America.

The adult tapes mentioned here are not the type we have in America. According to someone I know at a local Japanese import shop, tapes of girls describing what they'll do on a date are popular. The tape itself just has the girl's face since full nudity is illegal in Japan - at least for live-action. That's my understanding of it anyway. I haven't seen one for myself.

this was an exilerating expierence. Cox liked it very much. Th motions of the characters were lavishing. However, it only gets a two in my book beacause there wasn't enough passion in it.

I wouldn't read this book unless I had a highlighter in my hand. It is full of wisdom that can be absorbed by anyone whether they are just beginning a journey of self discovery or have all ready reached enlightenment. The author can make you believe he actually lived in ancient China by the way he paints vivid pictures with his words. I became so absorbed I felt sometimes I was living and traveling with the Taoist monks and sharing their adventures. The book is very easy to understand and enjoyable to read. It will make you wonder about the possibilities of the Human potential. I advise you to buy it!

The Immortal's Gift is perhaps one of the most important books ever written on the most important subject of all, Life. All too often books that deal with the growth and progression of the soul speak in vague, abstract ideas that are impossible to grasp. The struggles and triumphs of the main character, Hunglu, are so universal, I felt as though this book were written for me. I identified with so many things about the character and couldn't believe how many things in the book I've experienced to some degree. This may be the best teaching tool I've seen on this thing called life! This is a reference that I will return to time and time again. This is not only a great place for anyone wishing to understand Tai Chi to start, but it is a great beginning for anyone who wishes to realize the loving potential of their soul.

It's hard to find good information about game programming and design. The trouble is that people working in the industry have an incentive to keep their techniques secret -- they don't want their competitors to learn them. The people who aren't in the industry can write about games but don't have the experience to back it up.

Game AI Programming Wisdom gives us wisdom from people who have worked on real games. Each section is a short explanation of a particular problem (like pathfinding, tactical reasoning, or pattern recognition). Since they're short and independent, you can pick the section that applies to the problem you're trying to solve and read that without having to read everything in order. However, each section is written by a different person, so if you try to read the book straight through you will be distracted by the change in writing styles and level of detail.

I'm quite glad to see this book. It's actually the first game programming/design book that I purchased. (I'm quite picky when it comes to books. I'm sure Amazon doesn't like that.) Most of the game books I see go into low level programming details. This book teaches you the principles and techniques that will be useful for more than the specific problems they cover.

This is the best book in my library.
Write by professionals, with usefull techniques and well explained details of almost every cool aspects of AI in the game programming world.

Being in the game development business, I am always on the lookout for new and different tricks, techniques and strategies. When most programmers go to the lectures, panels and roundtables at the Game Developers Conference, we are looking to pick up this same sort of material... we share ideas and approaches - but rarely get the chance to get down to the code details to make it easy for us to implement those ideas into our own work. This book makes that possible.

Along the lines of the other "Gems" series of books, this collection is filled with ACTUAL techniques and code chunks that are used by some of the top professionals in the industry. Just flipping through the list of the contributors to the book is like going around the room at one of the AI roundtables at the GDC... in fact, Steve Woodcock and Neil Kirby are 2 of the "3 AI guys" that RUN those roundtables! (The 3rd being Eric Dybsand who has contributed to the "Gems" series but not this title.)

Many books on game development are informative. This one is actually USEFULL. I have personally adopted Steve Rabin's source code from the section "Implementing a State Machine Language" into my own game and it has saved me many hours of development and improved the readability and understandability of my code for the rest of the team. Just that section alone has netted at least a 1000:1 return on the cost of this book. Other sections have given me a different approach on how to handle the economic strategy layer that I could have come upon myself... but was able to implement a lot quicker than if I had done it myself. It was definately worth the price.

Are any of these sections worth the purchase price for YOU? I suppose that depends on how much you value you your time. Once you equate the cost of the book to the man hours you save, it's a no brainer!

Wong Kiew Kit filled a large void in the literature for Tai Chi Chuan with this book. Many authors mystify this art to the point of folly, but Mr. Wong presents Tai Chi as the straight forward, efficient martial art that it truly is. Though this book lacks, in my opinion, a proper discussion of the actual use of chi for combat, it presents solid, logical descriptions of the mechanics involved as well as their underlying philosophies. This book is good for someone who wants a thorough overview of the various (popular) styles of Tai Chi Chuan, and especially valuable for the experienced martial artist who is looking at learning some of the internal aspects of boxing. A must read!

The title says it all with "The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan". With many Tai Chi Chuan books just detailing the sequence of one particular form, it is refreshing to find one that details the history, philosophies, various styles, philosophy, and spiritual development. Author Wong Kiew Kit, a Grandmaster living in Malaysia, does a thorough job of describing and detailing the various styles. This is the first Tai Chi Chuan book that I have read that covered more than one or two styles in detail. Wong Kiew Kit details Wudang Tai Chi Chuan, Chen-Style, Yang-Style, Wu Yu Xiang-Style, Wu Chuan You-Style, and Sun-Style. The illustrations are line drawings that sometimes take some effort before you really understand the movements to be made. However, if you are looking for a reference on Tai Chi Chuan that will bring a complete understanding of the subject in all of its nuances including history, philosophy, patterns, and just about anything else, this is a highly recommended purchase.

I'm a fairly new student of Tai Chi Chuan as I've only been studying for two years. Without going into the why, I was looking for a supplement to my classes. I've looked at literally a hundred Tai Chi books, and while many cover the simplistic forms. Sifu Wong covers a detailed history and the origins of this martial art including all of the current derivatives and styles. That's right, I said Martial Art! Something that most books and video's on this subject seem to forget is that Tai Chi Chuan IS still a Martial Art and to get the FULL benefit, not only should you learn the FORMS, but an understanding of the martial application. Sifu Wong does a wonderful job of explaining all styles with a detailed flow diagram to guide you through each one. You won't lean Tai Chi from a book, but if your already taking classes, and need a reference to help you remember that new piece you just learned or to understand the application of it, or perhaps a more detailed history and the origins of your style. Curious about other styles? --> THIS IS YOUR BOOK!

International terrorism is the topic Clancy tackles in his novel, 'Patriot Games.' When history teacher and sometime CIA anylist Jack Ryan intervenes in an IRA hit on the Prince of Wales, he soon finds himself a political target. When his family is attacked in Baltimore Ryan again goes to work for the CIA in the hopes of stopping the terrorists. While the story is gripping and the action scenes fast-paced and exciting, the first two hundred pages of the book are for the most part slow. If you're a patient reader you should get through it okay. The ending is a climax in the great Clancy tradition and the characters, as always, are people you'd like to know. There is much more in the book than in the movie, but it's essentially the same story. On the whole it's a great first ride for Jack Ryan.

Best selling author Tom Clancy's third book, Patriot Games, is an excellent action/drama story. Jack Ryan, the main character, is on vacation in London with his wife, Cathy, and his daughter, Sally. Jack is meeting his wife and daughter, at an outside restaurant when a bomb goes off. Jack sees the Royal Family's limousine being attacked by terrorists. Jack takes out the terrorists and saves the Royal Family from death, and becomes a hero to London.
There is action and suspense in Patriot Games, but you'll have to read the book to find out more.
This book is definably NOT for younger readers. With over 25 F-words and 14 Sh- words, intense violence, sex, and gore, Patriot Games for mature teenagers and adults. But all in all, the book has very good detail, plot, and it is very easy reading. There are 540 pages.

Patriot Games takes place years before The Hunt For Red October, and it involves a younger Jack Ryan, in Patriot Games, he is a history teacher at the Naval College in Maryland, but he took some vacation time in London, and he discovers terrorist trying to kill a passing motorcade, and Jack Ryan is right there witnessing it! So he brings into action, killing one of the terrorist, and getting shot himself, but he saved the people inside the car; it turns out it was the Prince of Wales with their newborn son!
Now Jack has made some friends, and some enemies; a right-wing Northern Ireland terrorist organization from the IRA. Now the main bad guy Sean Miller is taken into British custody, and he is tried before a English court with Jack Ryan already into knighthood by the Queen of England, and he testifies against Sean Miller. So Jack heads back home to Maryland and goes back to work as a History Teacher at the Naval War College living his normal life.
Jack has a couple of friends in the CIA business, but he wants to do what he loves to do; teach history. One of them happens to be Admiral James Greener, the main man in the CIA, and Captain Jackson, another friend of Jack's. But what Jack does not know, Sean is planning to get back at Jack by all means necessary, so when he is being transferred to another prison, and he escapes by his fellow right-wing terrorist's, and escapes.
Now Jack finds out what happens, and he goes on with his life, but when Sean Miller comes to America and tries to kill Cathy and his daughter Sally on the freeway, Jack then decides to join the CIA as a analyst, and once he gets in, he is drawn into the world of the CIA. What Jack does not know, he knows that Sean Miller is out there, and he knows where to find Jack, he wants Jack dead because he kille his younger brother at the beginning of the book. Then at a dinner party, Sean Miller and his goons go to Jack's house, and they try to kill everyone, but they fail, and they try to make a run for it, but Jack and them get them, and kill them for what they were trying to do.
The novel starts out boring, but it gets better and better once you reach the end, it is very exciting in the last 100 pages of the novel as the suspense builds up. Great book.

My comments tend towards what some might deem the pedantic. While I will not use this review to discuss Flaubert's work, I do believe that he has been done a great disservice. I bought this edition for its critical apparatus and Flaubert's correspondence included at the end of the novel, but now I wish I hadn't. This particular edition is wrought with more typographical errors than I have ever seen in a book from a professional press. I found this to be distracting, to say the least, and caught myself looking for the next mistake rather than paying attention to the work itself. I wonder if Bantam supposes that this book is purchased only by students (it is the cheapest edition afterall) who leave it on the shelf as they read the Cliff's notes in order to squeak by on the weekly quiz. There is a ratio of at least one mistake per 25 pages (sometimes even two mistakes appear on the same page!).

Here are just a couple examples of the more greivous mistakes: p. 8 - "Where should he go to prctice his new profession?" p. 187 - "...[she] even began going to chuch less frequently..."

I realize that I tend to be more exacting than most, but I should think this to be a barrier for anyone. My suggestion - buy a different edition.

Ultimately, Emma Bovary says no to her provincial life with all its mediocrity, hypocrisy, and crushing boredom. She is the ultimate Romantic trapped in a highly unromantic marriage. This is the mother of all "bored housewife turns to adultery" tales. It is also the perfect French novel of the 19th century.

Madame Bovary is Flaubert's answer to that century, dominated as it is by the hateful, sub-human bourgeois. The colorful heroes of previous aristocratic ages are gone, and men like Charles Bovary and the apothecary M. Homais have stepped into the vacuum. These are men who cannot remotely begin to satisfy Emma's longings. So she goes looking for others, with flashes of delirious erotic hope that ultimately lead only to darkness. One of her lovers seduces her at an agricultural fair; his whispered words are accompanied by a chorus of pigs grunting. This is just one of the many wonderfully detailed signs that all point to doom. There is no hope for this poor naive soul, who only lacked romance or a little understanding to save her from her horrid fate.

This book, read properly, will turn all sensitive souls into Madame Bovary. But we are saved by the understanding she lacked. Flaubert with his artistry memorializes this poor woman in such a way that we don't necessarily have to share in her destruction. Emma's soul withered and died because she saw only Bovarys and Homais. Ours are strengthened because we see Flaubert.

The language of Madame Bovary lingers on the tongue long after the final page has been read. It is true poetry. Madame Bovary is an entertaining book mixed with adultery, secrecy and arsenic. The two main characters, Emma and Charles, are true opposites. Charles represents a mind based solely in reality, lacking imagination. He is a dimwitted country doctor who remains happy as long as he makes everyone else happy. He has no desire for riches and merriment. His wife, though-- Emmma Bovary-- contradicts him. She embodies a romantic, head-in-the-clouds soul. As the book carries on, her soul flickers like a flame, and every time she catches a glimpse of finery, that flame conflagrates; every time she attends a dance or visits Paris, that flame builds inside her-- hungry, wanting more. She reads romance novels and believes that is how life really should be. When she commits adultery, it is not about the adultery to Emma. It is about the fantasy she believes she is fulfilling. But, to Emma, it seems that no matter what she does, she cannot feel fulfilled. That flame just rises and rises in her and she cannot control it with any amount of trinkets and satin curtains. She is tragic because she is destined to be unhappy; her dreams are too high out of reach. Her only option is to be engulfed in a flame she cannot squelch. In the meantime, Charles is increasingly upset by her as well. After all, he only wants to make others happy, and his dearly-loved wife is not happy. This book truly represents two worlds at odds: reality versus fantasy. It is fascinating and I would truly recommend it.