Fail

I have been using a rice cooker at least 3x/week for over 16 years, but only to make white rice. I bought this cookbook so that I could explore other ways to use this "must-have" kitchen appliance. I think the book is well worth the price, even if you don't own a "fuzzy logic" rice cooker. There are not too many recipes that call for "fuzzy logic" cookers only. Most recipes can be done with either the "on/off" type (like I have) or the "fuzzy logic" type.

After buying a Zojirushi NS-ZAC 10 rice cooker, I knew I had to buy this book. I'd checked it out from the library but there are simply too many good recipes that I had to buy it. This is the bible for anyone owning a rice cooker. Only problem is it has recipes for both fuzzy logic and on/off type machines and now I find myself wishing I had both so I could try more recipes!

I bought this book before I purchased my rice cooker. I really wanted to prepare beans and whole grains, not just rice. I learned that I could use this appliance in many ways. It made me so excited to purchase a rice cooker. All questions are answered. You CAN use this book to prepare many healthful foods in the basic on off rice cooker. There are only a few recipes that require the fuzzy logic rice cooker. I don't think I have ever had a cookbook that was so well written and entertaining to read, or easy to follow.

This book is not bad, but there are better books on organizational change. "Publishers Weekly" review said the case studies were "lackluster." That's putting it kindly; they don't add anything to the book.

This is a very good book. In addition, I strongly recommend "Strategic Organizational Change" by Beitler.

We tried applying the techniques outlined in this book in our organization. - It works! - I think this little book is probably overlooked in the grand scheme of change management literature, and it is a pitty. - The authors are not Harvard Professors, but their suggestions really work, because they are street-wise and pragmatic. - I cannot recommend this enough.

Dr. Klein's book is nothing less than an intellectual thrill-ride through the dark and exciting mysteries of organizational life. I would give "Corporate Failure" the ultimate praise for such a scholarly and profound work: I couldn't put it down! A true masterpiece: a must-read!

Within a deceptively short amount of space, "Corporate Failure" delivers a massive amount of information and insights, serving as a veritable encyclopedia of reasons for corporate demise. Probably the most important book I've ever seen on the subject of organizations.

I never knew that a book on organization and management could be so spine-tingling and intriguing. Corporate failure is staring all of us right in the face: this book dramatically tells us how, why, and what to do about it. A MASTERPIECE of a book!

What a practical and relavant treatment of the subject of real Biblical love. Mr. Burke has made I Corinthians 13 come alive and very understandable for everyday living. I hope he continues to write more books on other passages of Scripture.

What a great idea--to spend an entire book exploring one chapter of Scripture. This book is entirely accessible to both the seeker, as well as one who has studied Scripture for years. Read this one aloud to prompt some conversation about love around the dinner table.

I've given this as wedding gifts for several friends and relatives. It is so practical and explains in everyday terms this great definition of love from the Bible which is often read in their weddings. "love is patient, kind, never jealous, rejoices in the truth, doesn't take into account a wrong suffered... love hopes all things, endures all things, love never fails"... The author's illustrations are humorous and applicable to every day life. I'll keep giving it.

This easy-to-read book, which focuses on avoiding the common mistakes made by most new business owners, also discusses the telltale warning signs of failure, how to deal with them and how to prevent potentially fatal problems. Adams offer basic financial tips--how to devise a simple cash analysis report, prepare a budget, put together a one-page financial statement and more--and touches on such topics as accounts receivable, profit margins, budgeting, cash management and collections. Adams, himself once on the brink of business failure, clearly and pointedly addresses the risks that concern all entrepreneurs, reveals the countless threats most have never considered, and shares some cogent counsel. This one is certainly worth a read.

...The concepts and ideas in this book have proven invaluable. Starting my first business, I avoided many of the failures other have experienced and have built this small company to a 5 million dollar a year operation thanks to the many insightful examples and passages. In particular, I was able to start the business with little cash, and by using my vendors credit, I was able to build the company without accumulating any long term debt. Its just great to have a guide to help you through the many complex issues in starting, growing and running a small company......

Scott R. Adams - President and CEO - Digital Video Communications, Inc.

As a part-time, adjunct professor who teaches in the evening management courses and as a management consultant, I find that Dr.Adams avoids the conventional academic jargon and the everyday stuffiness frequently found in the management literature. He writes in a matter-of-fact, easy to read, conversational style. His vast experience based on his personal near-failures and those of others provide a wealth of worthwhile material. I encourage all who are contemplating entrenpreneurship to read this book. I intend to urge my college to make this book required reading for all management degree students. Additionally, I intend to integrate Dr. Adams's "points to remember," found at the end of each chapter, in my work as a management consultant as I assist CEOs and their organizations in enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness.

The elements that make this novel a cyberpunk classic are all here: the sharp story concept, the sleaze-noire environs, the eccentric yet honorable anti-hero, and the morally hazardous technology. I read this book upon hearing about Effinger's recent death, so I came to this novel well past its original release, and my perspective is affected by the 14 intervening years of evolution in cyberpunk.

In an unnamed Middle Eastern city's criminal enclave, the Budayeen, Marid Audran artfully plies his trade as a freelance underworld "fixer." Need someone found; need to make a break with your pimp; need to negotiate with the local godfather? Audran's your man. His essential feature is his independence, even from the cerebral implants that are universally popular: plug-in modules that alter your personality to any fictional or real person, and add-ins for instantly acquiring expertise on any subject. Audran even eschews the expedient of firearms. He relies only on his functional drug habit, and his occasionally useful crew of acquaintances comprising the barkeeps, bent policemen, prostitutes, and ne'er-do-wells of the Budayeen. Effinger renders the future of 400 years from now quite softly (nearly as an afterthought, except for the implants), but the intricate beauty of the Arab backdrop is vivid, with its ancient mores and formalisms coexisting with criminal enterprise.

Discordant as Audran's techno-phobia is for a sci-fi novel, Effinger plays this intriguingly as the basis for the dominant theme of the book: the contest between humanity and inhumanity, bridged as it is by consciousness, which can be altered by a technology that remakes who you are and what you know as easily as swapping a plug. I also think it was a deft distinction that Effinger made between modules and add-ins, because he clearly wants to keep the issues separate, with personality encompassing morality. Audran, who would be nearly amoral but for his own code of honor, becomes the agent for justice in the Budayeen and eventually embraces the means he fears in order to resolve the dark mystery of exceptionally brutal serial murders that threaten to unbalance the criminal order of the Budayeen.

An inspired story, one that is worth the read, but it does suffer from unnecessarily raw transitions in the narrative and an uncompelling international contest that motivates the murders. These shortcomings sap energy from the story and leaves the reader feeling a bit flat at the conclusion. And because of this, Effinger's work falls short of William Gibson's of the same period, but then again it's better than any of Gibson's later work (e.g., "All Tomorrow's Parties").

This novel is, in my opinion, one of the best SF efforts of the 80s. The writing is modern, dynamic and more refined than in the average cyberpunk novel. The narrative progression is vigorous but the reader never gets out of his depth, because Effinger's aim, beyond the solving of the "mystery", is to show how a man can be framed by his own capacities: Marid Audran, indeed, is chosen by Friedlander Bey because he's the only man in the Boudayin to have the sufficient amount of shrewdness / charism / guts to find the killer. Against his will, he accepts to have his brain wired, succeeds but will get no reward in the end (to say the least). A tragic destiny, quite unusual in SF. Nevertheless, as another reviewer wrote, Effinger was smart enough not to insert too many digressions or metaphysical considerations (like many other authors would have done): on the contrary, he punctuated the plot with wellcomed strokes of black humour.

All the characters are colourful and unforgettable. In the end, I felt like I was one of them, like I belonged to their community. It's really hard not to get involved personnally in this book (... the sign of a good book). The description of the Boudayin is amazing: it avoids most of the usual exotic cliches about North Africa (where I've never been to), but in the same time, the reader catches very quickly who does what and why, even if he's not familiar with arab civilization. In other words, Effinger plays intelligently with the western unconscious perception of this culture.

I think this novel may appeal to many sci-fi readers: the unexperienced readers will certainly appreciate the fast pace and the unusual setting; the more experienced readers will appreciate the numerous references and, in a way, the fidelity to the spirit of the golden age of SF.

The only problem I see with WGF is: what's next? Is this the end of a cycle or the beginning of another? Effinger seems to have reached his top with this book: the two sequels, written in 1989 and 1991, are in my opinion very inferior. I wish someone took up the gauntlet soon.

George Alec Effinger wrote three books about Marid Audran, a private investigator living in the Budayeen, the red light district of an unnamed Arab country in the 23rd century (but in actuality modeled on the French quarter in New Orleans, where Effinger lived). When Gravity Fails is the first of the three books, which introduce us to Marid, who was raised in Algeria by his mother, an Algerian prostitute, and who never knew his French father. Considered a barbarian north african by the Arabs in his city, Marid lives on the fringes among the drug dealers and users, and the strippers, protitutes, sex changes and outcasts that live just outside the law, working as a private detective when he can find a client. Marid prides himself on being unwired, that is, unlike most residents of the Budayeen, Marid has not adapted his brain to accept personality modules, or Moddies, or add-ons, better known as Daddies. Nor does Marid work or live under the largesse or protection of Friedlander Bey, better known as Papa, who controls most the business, legitimate or otherwise, in the Budayeen.

When a client is killed in front of Marid's eyes and Marid's acquaintances start dying horrible deaths, Marid is drawn into an uneasy alliance with both the police, whom he does not trust, and Papa, to whom he does not want to be beholden.

Effinger has created a world that is unlike most science fiction books, keeping the actual science light, and letting us believe that this is how the Arab world might be in the 23rd century, with not much changed except a bit of technology. Effinger offers both an interesting who and why-dunnit, while examining the issues of faith and identity. Is Marid, a heavy drug and alcohol user who lives by his own code and is committed neither to Allah nor any other human, the faithful one, or is it Papa, who kills and extorts in the name of business but who faithfully prays 5 times a day? What is it like to be an outsider, and how do you find yourself?

This book is sadly out of print, but easily available used on the internet. Still compelling after all this time and well worth tracking down.

Going the Distance is an great guidebook for anyone in management. You'll understand the common traps, how to identify them and how to recover. What I like best is that the authors have years of real life experience in large corporations. They didn't just interview other people about what they have done, Kennedy and Moore have lived it. This is an excellent resource, especially in these economic times.

Going the Distance is a practical guide to facing complex business challenges in today's environment. The book uses easy to understand examples and graphic images to illustrate principles discussed in the book. The eight predictable challenges outlined along with the diagnosis tools provide an excellent sanity check. Chapters 10 & 11, which center on corporate governance and board oversight are must reads for any CEO. I'm recommending it to all of my clients.

Kevin Kennedy and Mary Moore have put together a book that is interesting, thought provoking, and extremely knowledgable and comprehensive. Although the book uses high-tech examples, Kennedy successfuly makes a correlation to other industries helping the reader understand the in-depth information. Furthermore, there is a constant focus asking the reader to question their own business adventures. This allows them to gain insight and help improve their own businesses. The knowledge that Kennedy and Moore share is backed by years of experience and success in the business world and should be looked at carefully because it is very valuable.

can you send this book for my testing purpose please send me the details if possiable. or it is available to buy from mumbai-Thane ( india) i am interesting to buy this book asap.

Thanks and regards.

This book talks about the common experience of buying and trying to use software which has defects or does not meet our needs. It sets out what you can do about this and what you should rightfully expect (and what not). As a practitioner myself I see such a book as important not only for the consumer but also for everyone who produces software.

I liked the approach that explains how customer service staff experience customer complaints and how NOT to complain (ie screaming and shouting will at best get you onto the PA system for the customer care staff to enjoy). Complaining is a psychologically difficult terrain and Cem's book helps doing it more effectively.

There is a short coming (not of Kaner's fault) in that in chapter 7 he refers to the American laws, which obviously do not apply overseas. Nevertheless this book is useful because many of the principles in the US do apply in many countries.

Complain!com REVIEW: Cem Kaner and I worked together briefly at Oracle/NCI. I had dinner with a mutual old friend recently who pointed me at this book. Software is an area where the consumer has been far too tolerant in my estimation - speaking quietly with their feet. While that has proven good for the collective it has been less satisfying for the individual. A book of this kind for software consumers was long over due. Kudos Cem. - Steven

Read this book along with the widely acclaimed "Dr. Folkman's War" for a balanced perspective on cancer research. Dermer presents some important ideas, clearly articulated and powerfully argued. He asserts that cell lines, cancer cells examined in a laboratory are a poor model for cancer research because of the vast difference between such cultured cells and cancer in a human body. This little-known (and reasonably-priced) book accurately predicted the failure of anti-angiogenesis research and partly explains why laboratory success has not and perhaps will not translate into successful treatment.

The book does have its limitations. Dermer apparently wrote this partly to inform the public, partly to level some scores in his profession. He is less successful at presenting another model for research than in explaining the shortcoming of current cellular research. He suggests animal research but fails to review the logical results of that theory. Instead of testing cells in the laboratory, will we experiment on millions of beagles? Ultimately the book is limited because the author fails to throughly explore his own theories.

Notwithstanding, some of its limitations, there is a strong case made that much of the billions of dollars in cancer research is misspent, that there are inherent biases in this area, and that legitimate counterviews are ignored and suppressed. Certainly Dermer's ideas are sufficiently well-reasoned that they should have been given a place in a major journal, and indeed his book accurately predict the failure of drugs like Angiostatin such seven years after the book's publication. For the average reader, not only does the book presents a different perspective, it explains many concepts in cancer research in a clear and understandable fashion.

just finished reading it late feb 99, and that is timely due to the vindication of one of his more amazing facts exposed in the book: that a high fiber diet has nothing at all to do with lowering the risk of colon cancer! this has been parroted for years by the mainstream media and medicine, yet here it is in a book written in early 1993!(postscript, p. 179) you may recall the big splash made in early 1999 when a major medical magazine(may have been NEJM or JAMA?) announced that there is NO reduction in colorectal cancer for people on a high-fiber diet. this refers to the INSOLUBLE fibre found in bran, for instance,NOT the soluble fibre found in oats and others that reduces cholesterol by absorbing it in the gut before it can be digested in the tract. yet, there it all is on pages 72-3, describing how this sham science was allowed to mushroom, to the detriment of true, impartial research , by researchers who were blinded by the want of funding by a major cereal company(not named). unfortunately, he only makes passing reference to the NCI changing their target of cancer from treatment to prevention, due to their dismal track record since 1971, when the "war on cancer" was officially kicked off by nixon. tens of billions later, there is only a RISING incidence of almost all cancers,with a 5.4% INCREASE in mortality in 1987 compared to 1973, and only 3 cancers, that together make up only 2% of all cancers(hodgkin's, testicular, and childhood leukemia)can be considered treatable by chemotherapy! he doesn't have a chapter on nutritional therapy, whether for prevention or for increased life expectancy of cancer victims. yet there are volumes of research that show that certain minerals and herbs/vitamins(notably selenium), can cut risk of certain cancers by almost 50%! perhaps he did not wish to comment on this area, as he is a medical researcher whose expertise is in pathology, which is the study of disease, an AFTER-THE-FACT condition. how short-sighted. but he could have made the book longer and more detailed, as it is a smallish tome. it is a damning book, that exposes the real killers of cancer victims as the chemotherapeutic drugs used, most of them derivatives of the deadly mustard gas! no wonder both michael landon and lee remick both quit their chemo before they succumbed! they were being killed quickly. ask yourself also how it is that two more recent famous cancer victims, with all their multi-millions, and so access to the latest and "best" treatments available, succumbed after long and tortuous battles. i refer to jackie onassis and linda mccartney. the NCI actually had the pomposity and audacity to announce that their goal was a 50% reduction in the cancer death rate by 2000. well, here we are in 1999, and things are bleak.

As a pathologist, Dr. Dermer has a lifetime of experience with actual human cancer cells. He explains that cancer research fails because the "cell lines" used in research have been changed in the laboratory so that they bear no resemblance to actual human cancer cells. Therefore, good lab results fail on human trials most of the time, as is verified in the medical journals weekly.

This should be required reading for every medical researcher. But it would show up the medical brahmins as frauds, and is therefore ignored.

The book also contains much other useful health information.

I have diligently researched the cancer literature during the past six years, and Dr. Dermer's courageous thesis rings absolutely true. Real progress in curing cancer will never be made on the prevailing orthodox path of research. Chemo and radiation are acknowledged destroyers of the immune system. Gene therapy is no answer, either. Rebuilding the immune system is the only sensible approach.

This is a great book about preparing for short-term societal or environmental crises - how to conserve water when the water's not running (after a hurricane, say), how to stay warm and safe when the ice-storm of the century wipes out your natural gas and electricity, or an earthquake shakes your house down around your ears in the middle of the night.
The true beauty of this book is the wealth of information for longer-term "doing without," or slow erosion of a situation of plenty we now take for granted. Here is information on dealing with medical problems when no doctor is forthcoming, growing food organically and with your own saved seed, how you might store food over the winter with no refrigerator.

If we lost the luxury of the machines that run our world, would we find ourselves back in the stone age, having lost the knowledge handed down for generations beyond count of how to shelter, clothe, feed and doctor ourselves? These skills are all touched on in this book, with voluminous resource lists so that the reader can learn more about any of these subjects.

Technology, too, is given its due - renewable energy sources like solar and wind are discussed and the best water filters on the market.

Change is coming. That's apparent. If you're worried, wary - this is a good book, a jumping-off place to learn skills you may some day be very thankful for, or at least gather a library of relevant information against the day when it is needed. Survivalist paranoia not required.

I think there's a wealth of useful information here for the individual wanting to achieve self-sufficiency, difficult to find anywhere else, certainly not all in the same place. For this reason alone, it's well worth the price. However, I was disappointed when the author described some methods which are questionable at best, and New Age nonsense at worst. I would vote for the latter. His descriptions of faith healing and dousing, for example, were totally out-of-place and should have been excised by the editor. I believe this decreased the credibility of the other solid and useful information in the book, which is a shame. Nevertheless, as the review above stated, the intelligent reader should easily be able to distinguish the garbage from the good stuff.

Matthew Stein has written a clear, concise book on the subject of survival that, while educating, also does what few others have managed to do - entertain and engage the reader.

Throughout the book you'll find personal stories accompanying the text to further illustrate or drive home a point. The use of these asides brings you into Matthew Stein's life, as he recounts personal stories of survival and tells the stories of others who have managed to overcome the odds to survive.

Not just a survival book, Matthew also covers topics like alternative therapies; how to create a survival mindset; survival strategies; renewable energy; companion gardening; prophecies etc. as well as all the regular topics found in such books - edible plants; first aid; making a survival kit; growing, hunting and foraging; making tools; creating shelters; spinning/weaving/tanning etc.

The book has some great illustrations that make plant identification and first aid that much easier to understand and each chapter finishes with a reference section listing books (along with a short review) and resources (with web addresses where available).

This book is supposed to have been 15 years in the making - and the time and effort taken by the author to research his topic really shows. When Technology Fails belongs in your survival library - as the publisher says, "it's a user-friendly manual for the 21st Century".