Factor

Competency Models have become a must for an up-to-date HRM system - I have been helping companies to build this kind of models since 1996. These models make great tools for selection, training and development, appraisal and succession planning. Unfortunately, until I came accross this book, I found that most of the reference works to this field are quite unaccessible, not the kind I would put into the hands of a newcomer. This is a practical book, showing why competency models are important and helping the reader to go through the complete process of setting up such a system, including a chapter on how to sell the idea to others in the organisation - I wish some of the people I work with would have read this book before, that would have smoothened the problems that are caused if these steps aren't followed well. The book also shows how to transform your competence model into a 360° feedback questionnaire. It was the first time I came accross a book explaining how to do that! The only area that I found a bit weak is the compentency-interview (both for building the model, als doing behavior-based interviews for recruiting), but maybe that's a bias coming from my own expertise in that domain (my book "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence" includes a full chapter on how to ask the right questions).

Conclusion - whether you know about Competency Models or not - add this book to your library! And if you are a consultant in the field of competency models, this is a book you might recommend to your customers.

Patrick E. Merlevede -- co-author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"

This is a perfect choice for the novice reader who is trying to get a basic understanding of the whys and wherefores of compentency models. It's very readable book and not nearly as dry as I might have expected. In particular, the authors' copious use of real-world examples, cases and models is extremely helpful. I even got some great ideas for project management that I'll be able to apply broadly in my work, regardless of whether or not my organization undertakes a competency modeling project.

My only criticism is that the book focuses exclusively on CMs in a HRM context; there is no real discussion of industry-scale models, which was my main reason for reading the book. Nevertheless, a very good resource for a beginner.

Well written. Reader-friendly without sacrificing depth of content. I am not an HR specialist, but I still find this book to be very useful. Provides me with knowledge on competency and how to build a competency model for my own company.

Well, I just got this book. From the Preface: "This book is not a "how-to". This book is one level higher and deals with the cognitive psychological theory of designing and developing technical communication...". Thats not what I need. I looked for "how to' not for another academic book. Well this book is going to the return center.

I cannot tell you how many times, as a techwriter, and content developer, if you work on other people's stuff, edit the engineer's stuff...they think you are "Dumbing-it-down" or castrating it.

They make like they are working on the Next NOBEL PRIZE, and you dare touch their stuff!! How-dare-you! How could a lowly writer understand the full glory of their verbiage?
And the more obscure, passive and inpenetrable it is, the more it makes them look "more better smarter-est", the ole highschool "Baffle them with BS" ploy. If it's in pure ASCII text, even better! See, they are catering to the purest of Intelligencia...

So basically, the writer gets treated like a transcriptionist, or formatter, and god help you if you try to do your job.
And then the schmucks have the nerve to keep asking you back to help them, but keep undermining you.

Then they wonder why nobody likes to use their application. Hmmmmm! I wonder!

This book is extremely well done, and it can be applied to much more than writing. I think that the bulk of it applies to almost any kind of design, i.e getting to know the users, their needs, abilities, experience, etc. and then involving them in the design, getting feedback, establishing a partnership, etc. It's just the kind of up from the trenches stuff that managers would be wise to listen to but very rarely do. You can definitely sense the frustration the author has in technical writers being the band-aid applied to poor product design and cost-cutting, and she offers concrete alternatives when you have limitations.

I also love the recursiveness of it, in that she is writing the same thing she is also describing, so talk about reading between the lines! I could read it over and over, each time appreciating more and more how she followed her own advice.

This book is what I always look for in a book, because it starts from the beginning and ends at the end, with a clear trail of how it got there. The supporting introduction, glossary, index, notes and references are very well done.

Meet Gloria, harried boss, wife and mother. She's an intelligent, competent and well-intentioned person, so she can't figure out why Marty, her terminally put-upon employee resents her, why her husband Bill ignores her, or why conversations with her teenage son Todd always turn into shouting matches. Through a series of enlightening interactions, Gloria shows readers how seemingly hopeless relationships can be resurrected when communications improve. Author Ray DiZazzo uses hypothetical examples to illustrate his tips for clear communications. His narrative won't win any literary awards, but it is surprisingly effective at teaching readers how to communicate better. We [...] recommend his book to all managers, because your job hinges in large part on communicating effectively. Now is that perfectly clear?

"The Clarity Factor" is a perfect example of how a few well-chosen words and well-written sentences can get the most complicated message across to the most number of people in the least amount of time. Ray DiZazzo's writing is simple and straight to the point, yet charming enough to win a smile or two.

The story is a parable refreshingly set in the here and now. Its central character is Gloria, an executive, wife and mother, whose relationships with an employee, her husband and her son are becoming more and more chaotic and strained. Enter Joel, who meets Gloria in her dreams and shares four basic Focal Points of communication with her. Over the next few weeks, in her waking life and her dream life, Gloria uses these Focal Points and does not just get her message across, but transforms her relationships.

I particularly like Joel's Clarity Monitoring System and its holographic Sender and Receiver plates. It showed me, rather than told me, how Senders and Receivers can be on such different wavelengths that a message doesn't get through alive. Showing is always better than telling, which is why this book works so well.

DiZazzo could have easily written the one millionth non-fiction book on effective communication . . . and bored us all to death. The short story format really does get his point across much more effectively. The situations in Gloria's life are excellent, even amusing, illustrations for his message. As they represent common problem areas in communication that many people face today (on the job _and_ at home), they speak directly to readers.

This is not the kind of thing I usually read, but I enjoyed it immensely. "The Clarity Factor" is magical, even sentimental, at surprising moments.

Ever wonder what it would be like to actually peer into someone's mind and see how they perceive you as you speak to them? If you're a boss, for instance, how is that employee viewing you when you nonchalantly utter, "By the way, I need your report on my desk by Friday morning." Or, as a parent, what do your kids envision when you look down wearing your sternest poker-face and declare, "No staying out till midnight - period." And what about your spouse? What kind of mental images do you conjure up in his or her mind with, "Look, I've had it with these continual arguments!" Impossible to see inside someone else's head, you say? Not for author Ray DiZazzo in his unique new book, THE CLARITY FACTOR. Written in a refreshingly chatty, upbeat style, DiZazzo uses the vivid dreamscape of finance supervisor, Gloria Donovan to let us (and her) glimpse how people view her in a series of important business and personal conversations. For Gloria, this "gift" of sorts is not always easy to deal with, but it certainly is an eye-opener. About what? Verbal clarity - how clearly we speak and listen. What people hear in their own minds as our words are spoken. Often it's not what we think or want, and as this book makes perfectly clear, that can have a profound affect on our lives. According to DiZazzo we each have a "Clarity Factor" - an internal measure of how clearly we're understood and how well we understand those who speak to us. DiZazzo points out that in most cases the average person's Clarity Factor is, shall we say, a bit on the "cloudy" side. In fact, he says most of us are actually walking around in a kind of garbled, verbal daze half the time, but we don't realize it! Why? For three reasons. First, we feel we're too busy to work on basic communication skills. Second, we assume we don't need to. We're brought up with the mistaken perception that talking is like walking - an instinctive reaction. And most important, we don't use DiZazzo four simple "Focal Points" to sharpen our words, clear the static from our cerebral receptors, and polish our Clarity Factors to new levels of conversational prowess. Now you might think that the pay-off for using DiZazzo Focal Points would be just what we'd all expect from a communication book - less stress, more efficiency, stronger relationships, better productivity, reduced frustration, and so on - as if that weren't enough! But something more comes with this highly engaging little tale - an amazing byproduct of verbal clarity we call basic human understanding. In other words, an ability to focus on the sensitivities of those we communicate with - to tune in to their message so precisely, we can hear "between the lines" as they speak. That's right, The Clarity Factor gives us a way to actually connect on a new, more profound level with people and the world around us. You know the one - that fragmented, fast-paced, constantly churning sea of humanity we're all treading water in. And the result? Increased self-confidence, a spiritual sense of personal well-being, and rich, deep relationship harmony. This is a great little book - just over a hundred pages, lots of fun to read, and it winds up with an unexpected, hard-hitting emotional twist. The Clarity Factor drives home how important and simple, yet unfortunately rare true clarity is in both our business and personal lives. The good news is DiZazzo also gives us a simple, entertaining, sure-fire way to solve the problem.... Check out your local bookstore, visit any of the on-line booksellers, or go to sourcebooks.com, the publisher's site, to check it out...

This book is packed with wonderful ideas for kid-friendly rooms, and includes lots of large, colorful photographs. "Idea Book" is an appropriate title - no instructions are given. However, unless you are a professional builder or architect, or are willing to refinance your mortgage to pay for a professional, most of these ideas will remain ideas. Some of the painting ideas and color schemes could be useful for someone who is on a budget and is looking for a change.

This book's title is just what it offers inside ---lots of ideas to create spaces kids will love. However, I was expecting to find ideas I could implement right away - like making our mudroom more functional for kids, etc... but the book isn't really geared towards that. If you are building a new home or would consider renovating one, you'll find tons of ideas (and beautiful color photos, not sketches) for everything from attic spaces, bathrooms, hideaways, playrooms, special activity rooms, homework centers, family rooms, kitchens, outdoor playspaces and more. Also, since most rooms/lofts/furniture appeared to be custom built, there's very little info on where to buy or how to make them.

Bottom line - you'll find wonderful ideas and inspiration - but not detailed plans. This isn't an easy "rearrange-the-room-in-a-day-to-make-your-home-more-kid-friendly" project book, nor is it one you can follow if you're on a tight budget. But it's a "must-have" for renovations and custom built homes.

This book is loaded with great ideas that enable parents to utilize every inch of space in their homes. A child's room is a multi-use dwelling used for sleeping, playing, reading, studying and sometimes meals. This book understands this and provides the readers with great ideas and how to for the child's room, attic, space under stairs and even outdoors. I found the ideas practical, safe and pleasing to the eye.The writing was crisp and visual. A great primer for the family with the older home or newly constructed. I have given this book as a gift to pediatricians,friends and family. ENJOY

If you are interested in study on the Bible code, this book should certainly be by your side.

Filled with information, the author takes you on a step by step journey into the Hebrew language and the mystery hidden in God's Word. Are you ready for that journey?

I will say, it is not just a quick read, but one that you will want to mull over, think about, reread and meditate on. However, it is a book that will challenge you in all you do with your life.

Is your name encoded in God's Word? Just what has God written about you if it is?
Interesting! Are the days ahead truly already written? You be the judge!

A very good read! Recommended!

To say this is just a book on the Bible code would be doing this work an injustice. It is more, much more. It is one; an exposition on the Bible code (ELS). two; an exposition on Scripture. And three; also an exposition on the Bible Numerical Value System. So we can say this book has three witnesses to back it up. One; All the Bible code found in this book checks out, You can get Bible Code software, and do it yourself. Two; all that Yacov Rambsel finds in the code is in perfect harmony with both the Scripture and 3; the Numerical system. Its all a perfect fit. Rambsel asked the most important questions about our salvation, and about the past, present and feature. He seeks and finds the answers to life's most important questions. The Factor starts off good and goes to great; chapters four, five, six and seven are phenomenal. Their in order named; THE NAME OF THE MESSIAH; THE CROWNING PROPHECY'S OF THE BIBLE; THE RETURN OF THE MESSIAH AND THE SEVENTH DAY. I would highly suggest this book to Christian and non Christian alike. And I would say to everyone to study the above mentioned chapters, thoroughly. For non Christians I would suggest you start with Page 17 (skip the forward and intro). This book may very well introduce you to the MESSIAH.

Respect due to Yacov Rambsel and his Wife.
The Genesis factor is an excellent exploration into the depths of the mind of GOD.The information presented is for those committed to objective research. "THE GENESIS FACTOR" presents raw jewels gleaned from Yacov's exploration and insight using the "bible code".This book is for the serious bible code follower who have read -The Bible Code- and Cracking The Bible Code.Also Check out Yacov's book " His Name Is Jesus-wow.

I agree with the author's premise and was looking forward to getting this book so that I could make the most of my home. Unfortunately, the examples tend to come from the Rich & Famous. The author name-drops and shows extremely expensive homes and furnishings. I'd like to see this author do the same kind of book showing solutions for ordinary American homes using typical American furnishings. I don't mean cheap. I just mean typical. If the author's answer is that the ideas can be "translated" easily to any budget or home, then why doesn't the author SHOW such translations?

From the lush photographs, it's obvious that Clodagh's usual design client is not the likes of me (a student). The photos and text detail the author's design process for people such as Robert Redford and recording studio executives, who naturally have somewhat larger budgets than my own, and live in fabulous penthouses in Manhattan and have guest homes in California.

The photos of the homes are a bit intimidating, but the author's attitude is not. She seems to genuinely want every person's home to be as beautiful and functional as possible, working within the boundaries of location and budget. And even if your own preference is not for the rather minimalist, Zen-like look she favors, her design principles are adaptable to any style.

Toward that end, her workbook at the end of the book is great. It is basically a list of questions to ask yourself during the redesign process, and takes into consideration things like a home office and childrens' needs. I found it especially useful during my move to a new apartment. Asking these questions helped to solidly define what I needed in a home, and consequently narrowed down my choices to a manageable number.

My only minor criticisms are of the layout and the feng shui. The text is frequently interrupted with pages of lists and the author's thoughts on color, which makes for rather disjointed reading. And the author relies very heavily on feng shui, which is baffling is you're unfamiliar with it, as I am.

If you can't get Clodagh for your project directly, you can still incorporate many aspects of her original and wonderful design style for your home. It's very well laid out with Clodagh outlining in clear detail how to approach every room and situation imaginable. The book is also filled with one gorgeous photograph after another of Clodagh's work. An original book from an original woman and a treat for the eyes and mind. Your home will be a happier that you got it!

As a Human Factors professional that owns the 1st addition, shortly after purchasing this version (2nd edition), I questioned my wisdom.

This book is about 200 pages shy of the original and not surprisingly repeats many of the same information as it's predecessor. Unfortunately, it gives us little more than dated information with a bit of new stuff tacked on.

What really dissappointed me was that the anthropometric data that is provided here, dates back to that of the original's 1960's data. What is the point of a new edition? The census data stated here is so dated it is ridiculous, both in composition as well as age. I wish I had known that this data was not updated prior to my investing in the new edition. I would not have purchased it.

I question the usefulness of data published in so recent a book based primarily on Air force personnel of the 60s. That type of data had it's day & was appropriate at it's original publishing. Today's Human Factors professional needs more diversified data that is more international in it's scope. For that matter, I'm certain 1960s air force personnel (who are screened for height and weight) hardly represent the year 2000 demographics of the United States much better.

I found it interesting that the same graphics that may have been the best you could do in the original were repeated in this new document. Couldn't they refresh some of the look, clean up some of the old graphs. As the original was, this document is a mix of font styles, graphics and inconsistent data presentation. Does this truly represent the user of the document well? I recognize presentation is not "everything" but on a second pass of the same information you could dress it a bit better at least.

The major addition predictably is the data surrounding workstations and computer usage, however, I'm questioning it's usefulness relative to the anthropometric data also here. Is this new data based on aged human measurement data too? Will it only fit the 1960 US air force man and woman?

I think this book would have been better printed as an addendum to the original version costing about $25. This way the workstation data could be added plus any items that are new.

A review of our book stated that the body measurement data came from 1960 Air Force studies. The reviewer should be pleased to know that the book actually contains some of the latest anthropometric data available for the U.S. population. Just before publication of the Human Factors Design Handbook, the U.S. Army completed measurements of nearly 9000 subjects. These data are contained in our book. While this is not a profile of the civilian population (male and female subjects ranged from age 18 to 51), it does provide fairly good estimates. Unfortunately, even now there is no comprehensive survey data for United States civilian population. Currently the Society of Automotive Engineers is coordinating a massive survey of United States and European civilian populations. The project participants include Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and several industrial partners. The survey is called the Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource, or CAESARTM and data should be available late in 2001.

Just before updating the Human Factors Design Handbook, the author completed development of NASA's Man-Systems Integration Standards. This is the NASA "bible" of human factors design guidelines. Readers should feel confident in that these resources and data (including anthropometrics) were integrated throughout the revised edition of the Human Factors Design Handbook.

most everything necessary for rudimentary ergonomic evaluation in all aspects of design

Zey says this book is for optimists and he is quite correct. Every technology he covers barely touches it's dangers while extoling it's benefits. He has little data to back up most of his claims. For a more realistic portrayal of where our current practices are taking us - i would recommend "Naked Ape to Superspecies" by David Suzuki. I only finished this book as he does reveal some interesting technologies - al beit one sided.

This book was less about the future of technology than I had hoped. Although it does bring up a lot of diverse topics from many different areas of science that will *eventually* effect the future of mankind, it's more about a philisophical argument between New Agers and Expansionists.. Zey being a strong believer in the expansionist movement (Not to mention a Ph.D in sociology). It does cite 19 pages worth of refrences, so this book could be valuable as a guide to more in-depth study of many of the technological topics introduced. Many of the moral questions it contains have been covered in "STAR TREK: The Next Generation," and some of the events discussed stretch the bounds of rationality... Sure, someday our ever-accelerating universe will suffer entropy death, but why worry about that NOW?

There is a certain beauty in being a futurist: Without giving dates, you will never be wrong.

I rate this book a 4 because, even though it was not what I had expected, it did get me thinking. Hopefully it will help others to realize that we really are reaching "Technological Critical Mass" and that the world IS going to change A LOT within the coming century... And that's a good thing.

I picked up "The Future Factor" after hearing Michael Zey describe his vision of the future on a radio program. I truly enjoyed The Future Factor and its optimistic message. This book definitely widened my vistas regarding the possibilities of technology and science--Zey claims that soon we will control the weather, live long and healthy lives, and inhabit other planets. Robots and other smart machines will become our species' partners in solving problems, curing diseases, and exploring the universe.

While I personally found myself swept up in Zey's vision of human "destiny", I can see why some consider his views controversial, maybe even unsettling. He claims that humanity has a purpose, almost a mission, to change and "perfect" the universe. This is strong stuff-not for the pessimists (or perhaps these are the people that need this book most.). Zey definitely challenges the reader to "get involved" with helping make this new vision a reality.

According to the blurb on the book jacket, Zey holds a Ph.D. in sociology, which might explain his concern over the social factors that will impact our future. Zey claims that various social groups are choosing sides in a growing debate in our society over the future of humankind. According to Dr. Zey, this "battle for the future" is between two camps, one which supports human growth, technology, and progress, the other an environmentalist/new age faction that feels that man must live in balance with nature. Supposedly, the outcome of this "battle for the future" will determine the fate of humankind and eventually the universe.

I like the idea that you can go to his website, "zey.com", for more info on his book, news about technology, robots, the Internet, and politics, as well as "critical links" to other sites. The site also gives you info on the author's upcoming media appearances and lectures.

I definitely recommend The Future Factor!

I am sure it's a good book.... if you like to take that leap from animals to humans in a essentialist, and reductivist sense.

Lee Alan Dugatkin is a first-rate animal behavior experimentalist whose specialty is the guppy, as well as a game-theoretic modeler. Most welcome is Dugatkin's talent for popular exposition of animal behavior research.

This book is a very general exposition of animal behavior theory for the general public, with a special emphasis on epigenetic transmission of information, which Dugatkin equates with cultural transmission. He does quite a good job, and I would recommend this book to curious newcomers to the field. Dugatkin is especially good at weaving general themes (e.g., the various explanations of mate choice) with the specifics of particular
experiments.

My concern here will be as an animal behaviorist whose specialty is human beings. Humans come into the picture in the first sentence of Dugatkin's book: "We desperately want to think of ourselves as somehow distinct from other life forms on our planet...Currently there is the sense that we are unique because

"culture" is found only in humans...As we shall see, culture is not humanity's gift to the universe." (p. ix). There is no doubt but that Dugatkin is correct, and indeed, it is impossible to understand human culture as divorced from the broad sweep of cultural phenomena across species. The attempt to do so is a major flaw in sociological and anthropological approaches to human culture--but that is another story to tell.

While Dugatkin's assertion is correct, and his efforts to motivate his position are quite successful, it is curious that he does not place his argument in intellectual context. John Tyler Bonner's pathbreaking The Evolution of Culture in Animals (Princeton University Press 1984) is not mentioned, nor is Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb's ambitious Epigenetic Inheritance and Evolution (Oxford University Press 1995) are not mentioned.
Nor is the Baldwin effect, which is a major causal link from culture to genes (Baldwin, "A New Factor in Evolution", American Naturalist 30 1896).

Dugatkin is quite orthodox in taking the gene-culture coevolution definition of culture as "information", a definition anchored in the two great contributions of Cavalli-Sforza and Feldman, Cultural Transmission and Evolution (Princeton University Press, 1981), and Boyd and Richerson, Culture and the Evolutionary Process (University of Chicago Press, 1985). In brief, this view holds that culture is information concerning the organism's physical and biological environment. While the basic biological information transmission mechanism is genetic inheritance, epigenetic transmission may also be fitness enhancing, and when it is, we can expect cultural transmission in animals. I do not dispute the fact that culture includes epigenetic information transmission. For instance, as Dugatkin stresses the tendency for previously mated male guppies to be desirable to unmated females may be due to the fact that older female guppies "teach" younger females who the desirable males are (although there are other plausible explanations of this phenomenon). I do believe, however, that (a) imitation in animals is categorically distinct from the "teaching" and "learning" that typically occurs in human cultural transmission; and (b) the culture-as-information definition of culture is considerably too narrow to embrace all of human culture, and misses what is particularly unique about human culture.

On the first point, most animal behaviorists have come to accept the idea that, pace bird imitations of vocalizations, animals do not imitate complex learned behavior directly. Rather, the contiguity of an individual to a conspecific carrying out a particular learned behavior increases the probability that the individual will stumble upon the same behavior. For instance, if a chimp discovers how to use a stone to smash open a food item,
her child will be frequently in situations where stones and the food item are contiguous, and hence is more likely to discover the complex behavior. But the behavior is neither "learned" from the parent, or "taught" by the parent to the child. For more on this topic, the reader might refer to Tomasello and Call, Primate Cognition (Oxford University Press 1997), Daniel Povinelli, Folk Physics for Apes: The Chimpanzee's Theory of How the World Works (Oxford 2000), and Marc Hauser, Wild Minds: What Animals Really Think (Henry Holt, 2000).

The most distinctive characteristic of human culture, however, is the existence of ethical norms and values. A value such as "dress modestly," "work hard and do not succumb to temptations that yield only short-run pleasures," and "forgive those who transgress upon you," are deeply cultural forms, but they do not involve objective information about the world. Unlike a technique, such as how to fashion a tool, where to look for prey, or what types of things are edible, an ethical value has no scientific truth value. Of course, one might assert that if one follows a certain norm, certain material results will obtain (e.g., long life, good after-life, high fitness, happiness), but humans follow norms for their own sake, and
even when these good results are not expected. In sociology this is called the internalization of norms (see, for instance, Grusec and Kuczynski, Parenting and Children's Internalization of Values: A Handbook of Contemporary Theory, John Wily & Sons 1997). The human capacity to internalize norms is thus akin to the programmability of human goals, since the key factor in an internalized value is that people \emph{conform to the prescribed behavior for its own sake, and as a goal of action, rather than a means towards the realization of other goals. As I argue in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Altruism: Genes, Culture, and the Internalization of Norms", Journal of Theoretical Biology 220,4 (2003):407-418, the programmability of the preference function is key to human prosocial behavior, quite on par with the accumulation and transmission of the types of cultural techniques associated with improving the ability to exploit the physical and natural environment.

I would have preferred that Dugatkin include in his analysis both the factors leading to a commonality of culture across species, and the factors involved in the special cultural position of humans, but just dealing with the first of these makes for a quite informative and interesting contribution.

Lee Alan Dugatkin has spent the last ten years studying imitation in guppies and in "The Imitation Factor" he explains his research and summarizes numerous other examples of imitation found in nature. His conclusion: even low intelligence animals like guppies can engage in the non-genetic transmission of behavior through imitation, and that transmission can have an impact on genetic evolution.

In carefully controlled experiments using guppies Dr. Dugatkin explores how the tendency to imitate other females in mate selection can override other mate selection preferences. Female guppies of a certain species prefer bright orange males over drab gray ones. Dugatkin places a female and a dull male in one corner of a tank and a bright male in the other and then allows a second female to observe the guppy groupings. Then the first female is removed and the observer female is allowed to choose which male to go to. The observer female shows a greater tendency to select the male she saw with the first female (Yes there is a control to make certain that the observer is not just going to the side of the tank where there were two guppies). Further, after repeated exposure to females associated with drab males, the observer female shows a preference for drab males in general.

Beyond his own research Dugatkin also details the research of others on imitation in animals. Examples include some very carefully controlled experiments with pigeons poking open boxes to get food, blackbirds learning which animals are predators, numerous studies of chimpanzees and rats who learn which foods are edible from their presence on other rat's whiskers. In addition to those examples he also discusses when imitation is likely to a useful survival strategy, and points towards other researchers who have developed mathematical models for when imitation is more likely to occur and what affect it will can have on the evolution of a species.

Dugatkin is clearing attacking the idea proposed by others such as Susan Blackmore that humans are different from other animals because of the ability to imitate. If behavioral imitation is as common place as Dugatkin's evidence shows, these arguments are certainly erroneous. With his numerous examples and carefully controlled experiments Dugatkin does a very credible job of proving his point. I have just a few quibbles with this book. Dugatkin's definition of culture is a bit too loose for my preference. I would only count the guppies as being cultural because they can develop a general preference for drab males that can be transmitted, whereas Dugatkin would consider it culture even if the preference only applies to one male at a time. I am not certain under his definition whether a distinction can be made for fleeting imitation examples like observer animals moving when they see another member of their species fleeing something the observer can not see. I would hesitate to call that culture because their is nothing to pass from generation to generation. Similarly, while a general preference for drab males learned by observing females mating is something that could pass along indefinitely, a specific preference for a single male can only be passed along until while the male still lives.

In addition, although he does an excellent job with his own specialization he unwilling to fill the gap left if the concept of human as super imitator idea is incorrect. Early on in the book he suggests that there might be two types of cultural evolution, that which he describes for guppies and other animals and a sort of 'runaway' cultural evolution which develops its own rules independent of genetic evolution, but he never really explains this distinction in any detail. Of course this is not the main thrust of his work anyway.

Overall though this book should be valuable reading for anyone interested in cultural evolution. Highly recommended.

Marianna Haun's X-Factor is a starting point of information regarding the subject of the X chromosome, however, I felt the format of text hard to digest because the author's writing style is very broken up. The she wanders and comes back to the subject matter pages, and some times chapters, later. There is at least one pedigree error. Page 105 states Milan Mill is a daughter of Princequillo and the pedigree on page 106, shows her out of Caruso. Also, pedigrees of all listed DC mares would have been extremly informing and the index does not list all horses mentioned in the text. Myself being a researcher, would have liked to have had a bibliography included so I could varify the information presented. My general opinion of this work is that Ms. Haun compiled information from research work that has been done on this subject without a complete understanding of the subject matter herself.

I think this book is good on two levels. As a primer for getting to know what the X-Factor is and how take advantage of it when breeding horses, I think book is essential. It also contains an absolute wealth of information that is incredibly valuable and interesting to breeders and pedigree researchers alike.

On the other hand, I found a number of ommisions & contradictions in Mrs. Haun's logic and quite a few problems or errors in the book itself. There are points where the serious researcher will have to make leaps of faith with Mrs. Haun and other points where you'll be left scratching your head wondering what's she's talking about. I found of typos (horse names spelled incorrectly in the book AIR FORBES ONE, ISINGLAS, etc) and the general impression I got was that her work hadn't been checked thoroughly for errors or was rushed to print before it was ready. At one point she mentions that Bend Or and Gainsborough trace their X-Factor genes to the mare Pocahontas which is flat wrong. I could find no such link and was left scratching my head.

While Marianna documents the Princequillo and War Admiral lines fairly well, it seems that there's a lack of documentation of the Mahmoud and Blue Larkspur lines. Whether this is because the author doesn't know the complete story with these lines or not is hard to tell. There also appear to be Omaha and Citation lines which she treats differently than the other lines. Unless you are an astute reader, you'll miss some of information Marianna has to share about these specific lines.

Overall, I found the book great. I was able to replicate and validate most of the connections she made and in many cases extend them by locating additional double copy mares which aren't included in the book.

I look forward to an update of this book with a list of additional X-Factor sires and more complete documentation.

The findings of a genetic link to a specific characteristic found in superior race horses is nothing less than spectacular, both in terms of significance to the Thoroughbred industry, and in the sheer volume of information that had to be researched in order to achieve these findings. In a time of genetic emphasis and the biotechnical explosion that is to come in the near future, it is amazing to pinpoint a genetic link that is recessive, yet has found it's way down the gene trail for over 200 years. I applaude Marianna Haun, as I applauded the greatest racehorse ever with the largest heart in history: Secretariat.