Industrials

I read this book after reading DSP by proakis so i already had an understanding of DSP .
Prior to reading this book it is better if the person has some idea about certain dsp techniques.The first few chapters are good for basics

Understanding Digital Signal Processing (UDSP), by Richard Lyons, is a high quality textbook and a good place to begin studies in DSP.
As a patent attorney who focuses on writing patents, I often learn new technologies in a short time. For every patent in a technology new to me, I read many books and reviews searching for the best resource to get me up to speed and back to billing. Having gone through this process many times, I appreciate well written textbooks, but typically see substandard texts with common pitfalls.
In my experience many textbook authors (writers generally) develop their books with a common error... incomplete development.
By incomplete development I mean two things: (1) not including the proper foundation for every step forward, and (2) poor organization.
The result of each of these is a reader who must put forth extra effort to connect the dots, or worse, to actually have to fill in holes themselves in order to connect the dots. Similar to a good teacher, a good writer must anticipate potential hangups, and develop their material to alleviate these potential hangups.
Richard Lyons, beyond clearly understanding the topics in UDSP, develops each topic well. The result it a good textbook that makes certain DSP topics simple.

Have you ever tried to study DSP but get intimidated with all the math equations and cryptic explanations?! With Lyons' book, you are not going to have these problems. Lyons' beautifully explains DSP "concept" without going to unnecessary mathematical details. There is still a lot of math in this book, but all of them is presented from practical point of view and only when needed. It teaches you enough basic DSP so when you need to learn advanced DSP concept from other books, you won't be intimidated!

Tom Richardson and Augusto Vidaurreta, the founders of the Systems Consulting Group, have had tremendous success since the late 1980's using some of the obvious techniques necessary in business that we all know are important, but sometimes forget to practice. For the seasoned business professional BUSINESS IS A CONTACT SPORT easily defines and labels terms for the principals we know are important for us to succeed, but didn't know how to organize them to teach them to new entrants into the business world. Business leaders should read and develop a cheat sheet of the 12 principals and post it as a reminder of what we need to be doing each day. BUSINESS AS A CONTACT SPORT has been tested and passed with high grades from some of our best business schools. RAM, Relationship Asset Management and CRO, Chief Relationship Officer will become a standard in the evolving business world. Managers need to arms their sales staff with this book as well as department heads and HR personnel.

This book is a must read for anyone looking to secure lasting relationships with clients and employees. It provides a great framework and reference on how to approach prospects and retain key people necessary for building a successful organization. I found the book to be grounded in reality versus theoretical management speak. It's about time someone put in writing what some people have been trying to pass along by word of mouth for many years. This will definitely be a must read for everyone in my organization, support staff and consultants alike.

This is the most revolutionary business book of the last twenty years! Not since Tom Peters masterpiece, "In Search of Excellance" has a book captured a message so profond, yet so simple. This book can change the course of American business and re-establish our country's confidance in corporate America. Timely, Powerful, Necessary!!!

Advanced Water Distribution Modeling and Management is not only a complete and current reference for professionals involved in water distribution systems but also an essential textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses. In fact, what makes this book different is that it contains from basic hydraulic concepts up to the most recent researches and experiences in a comprehensive language.

This new book recently published by Haestad Methods is a very comprehensive text book and 'how to' book for anyone working with water systems. Each chapter is clearly written with both the theory and practical application for water distribution modeling. There are practical exercises at the end of each chapter. For the water system engineer and profession, the exams may be sent to Haestad for grading and ultimately continuing education credits. While the book is written for engineers, anyone who works with water systems on a daily basis will be able to learn more about how water systems respond to their daily demands.
The book also comes with a CD with a working model of its WaterCAD program. This working model includes all of the features of the commercial product, including water lines, pumps, ground storage tanks, elevated tanks, water wells, pressure reducing valves, line valves and much more. The WaterCAD program included with the text book is limited to a few water lines, but enough to see how the program works and to solve real system problems.

Understand a computer model and you gain knowledge about the physical process behind it as well. This is why Advanced Water Distribution Modeling and Management makes an extremely usefull book even more valuable. Not only does AWDMM contain a vast wealth of knowledge about water networks, their operation and the mathematics behind it, but it also stays true to the sparkling personality of the precursor book, Water Distribution Modeling. The choise of new topics added is excellent: demand management using geographical data, water quality measurement, integration of modeling and SCADA systems, water system security, transients in water networks and more - all treated in Haestad's combination of engineering clarity and great style. I use it and recommend it both for use in both teaching an engineering.

This is an absolutely fantastic inside look at the design process of Disney Imagineering. The book details the past, present and future projects along with great anecdotes from the Imagineers themselves. The book is also filled with rich pictures, illustrations, and sketches from projects both built and left on the "shelf". As one who wishes to pursue a thempark design career, this book acts as a great reference tool and both inspires and motivates your creative juices.

-Ken G.

This is the BEST book I have EVER read. I'm 14 years old and ever since I came back from Walt Disney World in 1999 after seeing the Millennium Celebration, I have wanted to be an architect for Walt Disney Imagineering. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Disney or wants to be an Imagineer. It has inspired and motivated me to be the best I can be and to look at everything as an oppritunity to see and learn new things. I have never wanted to be an Imagineer more since reading this book. It gives you a beautiful and rare collection of WDI drawings and paintings and what it's like to be an Imagineer. They explain the jobs there and tell you what it was like to work for some of their biggest projects. I was sad when I finished this book! Each page motivated me to turn to the next and keep reading until my eyes fell out! There are inspiring quotes from Walt Disney and the Imagineers themselves. The the Best and Only book on Walt Disney Imagineering.

I had a hard time finding this book, and guess where I am...Orlando, Florida! You'd think that there would be plenty on the shelves! When I finally found it, there were only two on the shelf in a small section on the 2nd floor of Barnes & Nobles!

I was just in awe at the book, I expected many pages of text, but I can't remember a full page of text in this huge book. It's full of illustrations and pictures that really make you feel like you're one of the Imagineers checking out ideas for the parks.

For anyone who likes Disney, or really anyone who enjoys design, art, architecture, etc.; or just needs a good coffee table book, this book is stupendous, and you get a deal here on Amazon. ...

I hope they come out with another book.

Diana Muir, the author, read one of my Amazon reviews and sent me an E mail suggesting that I might like her book. Well, I have this to say to Ms Muir... "thank you so much! I love it! " This wonderful story of the economic development of New England is written with a pond near Ms Muir's home (Bullough's Pond) as a backdrop. She tastefully weaves her personal experiences into the story she tells of the growth of New England's economy. We learn about the industriousness of the beaver and its effect on the New England ecosystem. We learn of the Native American's effect. Ms Muir traces settlers' early efforts at living off the land and how Yankee ingenuity led to the development of industry when the population grew to the point in which the New England landscape could no longer support farming. She further illustrates how small industries grew large. This book is a celebration of the average person's ability to thrive and adapt. Of course,there are the environmemntal costs which Ms Muir well illustrates. However, she is not judgmental, rather, she records the environmental consequences without ranting against the ingenious people who made New England prosperous. What is particularly wonderful about this book is that the people she writes about are not the famous families of New England but are normal people who carved out their niches. Of course the cream of this group prospered. I love this book and I have sent copies to others as gifts they will certainly enjoy. This book is serious history written with charm and style. I highly recommend it.

What is reflected in Bullough's pond? In this gracefully written book, the author tells of the oyster and the carpenter. She combines tales about the pond which stands before her home in Newton, Massachusetts; stories of Yankees selling ice in the tropics; clever inventors designing new methods for making wooden patterns for shoes; the growth of the streetcar suburbs around Boston; and reflections on the fate of oysters. The pond (and New England) is a microcosm of ecological change. In many ways, the books is an elegy about industrious Yankees, born into a hardscrabble environment, whose population exceeded the arable. land. As a result, New Englanders invented, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, altering their environment. Muir celebrates Yankee ingenuity. And even the wildlife, when at its best as in the case of the loon or the beaver, seem to emulate the industriousness of human New Englanders. In short, this is environmental history at its best. There are no heroes and villains; human endeavour is at the heart of the tale; and there is a wonderful mix of detailed naturalist observation and stories about people.

Reviews from newspapers, magazines, and academic journals are posted at: www.DianaMuir.com

We live on a hobby farm in Minnesota, and this is the book that got me started with my flock of happy hens. It's written in plain, down-to-earth English for the rank beginner who wants to keep chickens on a small scale for eggs, meat, or just the pleasure of having them around. It's especially nice for the free-run flock, with instructions on choosing breeds, raising chicks, housing, nutrition, hatching your own chicks under broody hens or in an incubator, etc. A must-have for anybody who is thinking about keeping chickens. Lots of humor, too!

This is the one book I found most helpful when I started raising my flock of laying hens. I can run to this book when I have a question or concern, and the information is usually there. Thanks to this book, I have not only raised many a hen from 2 day old chick, but hatched out my own broods in an incubator. This is the book I recommend when I am helping others get started raising hens, and they have had equal success. The majority of the book is information on how to care for your birds, rather than focusing on the butchering of chickens. The one (yes, only one) chapter on butchering is straight forward. It approaches the subject knowing the beginner butcher will be a bit squeemish and nervous, and takes that into account. Many other poultry books read like instruction manuals, but this book is written with humor and sensitivity. That is what makes it a great read, as well as an instructional one.

Very sensible and easy to read. All aspects of keeping chickens dealt with. Highly recommended.

This is a classic in the world of quality assurance. It is fair to call Deming the father, godfather, grandfather and preacher of the quality movement. This book, written in 1986 after he achieved international fame for helping improve quality in Japan, captures the spirit and ideas that spawned a revolution.

The book captures many of the key points in Deming's philosophy:
1) Creating metrics based approaches to management, without falling into a quota system.
2) Differentiating between problems caused by the system and problems outside of the system.
3) Focusing on both doing things correctly, and identifying the right tasks to approach.
4) Introducing a Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle of continuous improvement.

If you look at this list, the book presents a blueprint for many of the so called management revolutions of the subsequent 15 years: Excellence, Re-engineering, Process Management, Systems Thinking. This book really is both a trend setter as well as highly important body of theory. The theory is relevant today, as many management problems today can be addressed by his 14 points of management. (Example: A reliance on inspection is bad - build quality into the process. This is highly relevant to software construction today.)

So are there any knocks?
1) You're left with many imperatives, but sometimes without positive prescriptions. For example: If you don't do annual performance reviews, what do you replace it with to determine who gets promoted?
2) The book can be dry and hard to follow. Sometimes it is written as notes pieced together.
3) Many of the companies that Deming held up as models have fallen on tougher times. It seems that today Quality alone is not enough.

Having said this, it should be required reading for any manager. The theory is good, and the book should spark your thinking.

Having "seen the light" as spoken by Deming, I highly recommend this book and Deming's "The New Economics" to anybody interested in not only quality and business, but anybody working. If you aren't in a position having the power to change your workplace, be prepared to bite your lip when conventional management is used.
When you look at Six Sigma you can see much of Dr. Demings work and thoughts being used, thus one persons short review that Dr. Deming is the real father of Six Sigma. Six Sigma brings more of the cost savings aspect to process improvement which appeals to conventional business.
While people can look at Japan and say they are down now and Dr. Deming is wrong, there are plenty of Japanese companies that follow Dr. Deming's teachings still that are clobbering the competition. Toyota, the 2nd largest auto manufacturer in the world now (yes, ahead of Ford by most accounts) uses his teachings.
Don't just read the words, understand what is being said and learn from Dr. Deming.

I first became aware of Dr. Deming through the Deming Management method. He affected so much change in Japan and was not known here in the USA. The chief reason for his lack of success here was probably that eliminating fear, one of his 14 points, has never really been a management method of American Management. Today people fear losing jobs, his method of quality was to lead to more jobs and more quality utilizing American pride in work. I do think his method had an impact, look at companies like Xerox, and others who continually improved, yet, our economy is so short sighted, we never seem to get past the view of everything this Quarter...we need to have a broader perspective. I find my coworkers in America to be very hard working people who have pride in what they do and accomplish. If only we would remember the red beads, we would get quality if we provide quality material. Demings last seminar was held in Pasadena, I wanted to go to that, yet I hesitated and well, had to learn from a friend second hand. This is a must buy for anyone who will manage people, engineers and corporations.

When Fast Company Magazine reviewed this book and called it the new In Search Of Excellence I bought it immediately and I agree with their review. Jennings has taken eight of the most productive companies in the world - newly discovered companies that haven't been written about to death - and shares their operating secrets. For me the three most important lessons were: the role of systems in every aspect of every business, the negative role that lay-offs play in businesses trying to be more productive and the way that productive businesses use 'drivers' to manage their businesses not financial statements. The examples he uses are compelling and the book is a page-turner. His stories about Ryanair, World Savings and IKEA are priceless. I'd recommend this book to anyone who owns a business, manages a business or aspires to own or manage. It's a must read. Jennings just keeps churning out one hit after another.

My preconception about this book was that it would be the usual stuff of cutbacks and running lean operations. I found to my delight a very entertaining, quite well written account of a number of real world success stories, companies that far exceed their respective industries' performance standards by staying focused on what is really important. The example companies apply the most striking logic and simplicity in the tests and standards they apply to themselves and their businesses. And as for cutbacks, the book makes clear that cutbacks are just not part and parcel of companies that have shown over time they know what they are doing and where they are going. These top performers ask what resources they need and then execute flawlessly in ways, as recounted by Jason Jennings, that increase your awareness as to what is truly important in business today. Read for yourself and draw your own conclusions, but I can assure you it will make you think about what passes for conventional business wisdom. Thumbs up from this reviewer.

This book is an excellent example of the types of practices and procedures almost any company can follow to be successful both financially and ethically.
Jennings cites numerous companies who have carved out success while still remaining true to their customers, their employees and their values.
Not surprisingly, few of these companies are ones that so called pundits regularly review.
As the other reviews have noted, these companies are very successful financially, but they get there by asking the really pertinent business questions, and not by hiding behind an air of executive invulnerability. The leaders are real leaders, more focused on growing the company, serving customers, and doing right by employees.
What vividly differentiates these companies from the "name brands," is that in the "name" companies, executives are more concerned with their own compensation, preserving their own existence, and with profits at all costs, than long term success.
The questions you should ask yourself after reading this book are, "Where have all the leaders gone?" and "Why don't all companies follow many of Jennings' researched best practices?
After that, I would run, not walk, to one of these companies and see if you can start at the bottom and learn what it's like to work in a real company.

Kudos to Mitchell and Coles for this fascinating, valuable, and paradigm-shifting how-to. If you are even remotely concerned about (1) successfully meeting continual market changes, (2) expanding the scope and effectiveness of your business, and/or (3) building value for all your stakeholders (from investors to employees to society), you must not only read this book but also make it your business bible.

Filled with well-written stories of inspiring individuals (such as barber Michael Cogliandro) and progressive organizations (such as Habitat for Humanity, Dell Computer, and Disneyland), it provides the reader with a step-by-step method to adoitly leverage what's available and accomplish the five ultimate principles of business model innovation.

The book's format is as excellent as its content. Each chapter represents a sequential step in the innovation change process and flows seamlessly to the next. Each chapter contains a fully-fleshed out real-life example of the point being made. Boxes highlight salient points which are also summarized. Furthermore, each chapter has a set of heavy-duty key questions for readers to think about at length and apply to their own businesses.

Dynamic, practical, insightful, and inspirational, The Ultimate Competitive Advantage is an absolute necessity for today's savvy business owner!

Donald W. Mitchell is Chairman and CEO of Mitchell & Co., a Boston-based management consulting firm. Carol Bruckner Coles is cofounder, president and COO of the same company. They are the authors of 'The 2,000 Percent Solution' (1999) and 'The Irresistible Growth Enterprise' (2000). This book on is split up in four parts, whereby each part consists of 2-to-3 chapters, plus an useful introduction, prologue, and epilogue.

In this book the authors aim to answer one of the ultimate business' questions of all time: "What one thing can most improve a company's growth and profitability?" The authors believe that the answer is: "having the best process in your industry for continuing business model innovation." The improvement tips in book are based on research into 100 CEOs and their companies, who (1) had been publicly held for several years and above a certain market capitalization size; (2) fastest growing stock prices during the previous three years; and (3) the same CEO was in place throughout the three years. Some additional examples were taken from the 'Value Line Investment Survey' between 1989 and fall 2000.

The 'Introduction' discusses business model innovation and the race for leadership and prosperity. "It is that business model obsolescence is THE major unperceived opportunity for and threat to all businesses now." In the 'Prologue' they introduce some great examples of business model innovators, ranging from gold-mining Goldcorp to entertainment giant Disney(land).

In Part I - 'The Most Productive Areas for Business Model Innovation' the pleasure of this book really starts. Mitchell and Coles start discussing the areas where companies can improve their operations. They split these areas up in three. The first is increasing value without raising prices and costs; the second is to adjust pricing to increase sales profitably; and third, reduction of costs that reduce customers benefits. The authors use a wide range of examples to explain their points.

Part II - 'Provide Sustained Benefits for All Stakeholders' discusses the difficult stage after the initial success of a business model innovation: The view that one success can threaten to dismantle the foundation of that success. The authors discuss methods for building a buffer for lean times and establishing a good ethical base for the company. They also discuss how leading business model innovators reward all stakeholders fairly in ways the stakeholders prefer.

In Part III - 'Expand Business Model Innovation', Mitchell and Coles explain that companies should never be satisfied with their current business model and should keep innovating. "Start first and stay focused on adding business model innovations to gain and keep a profitable competitive advantage." There is also advise how to create a culture for nurturing ongoing business model innovation within organizations. These two issues should be seen as one of the highest priority on an executive's agenda.

The final part, 'Pursue Higher-Potential Business Model Improvement', discusses how you can improve a business model innovation. This sounds strange, but by looking closely at areas of high growth and profitability can lead to exceptional results. Another method is by closely looking at the benefits you can provide and share. Especially this last method is overlooked very often by successful companies and can ultimately lead to disastrous times. Finally, the 'Epilogue' provides the five principles which can guide companies to a positive future.

Yes, yes, yes, this is a great book. It is not just about innovation and idea creation, it also discusses the difficult second and further stages which are often overlooked. It fills you up with an enormous amounts of tips and ideas on how to improve your current or future business model. And I do believe that that is probably the strongest point of this book, you can feel the ideas and energy flowing into your body and mind and cannot wait to start implementing them into your organization. The authors have provided a short list of key questions at the of each chapter which you should ask yourself. I have just one minor comment: The term 'business model' could have been discussed in some greater detail - I refer to Joan Magretta's Harvard Business Article 'Why Business Models Matter?' (May 2002). Highly recommended to executives, managers, and, especially, entrepreneurs. The book is written in simple business US-English.

This book does two things - (1) it describes how to achieve and sustain competitive advantage by examining your current business model and refactoring it to take advantage of emergent opportunities or changing business climates, and (2) it teaches you how to think out of the box.

Thinking out of the box is a prerequisite for refactoring your business model, and unlike the plethora of books on this seemingly ineffable topic, this book will provide you with the knowledge and skills to do just that. Excellent example of thinking out of the box are immediately given in the introduction - each mini study set in text boxes is anchored to one of more factors in business model innovation, and illustrate how thinking out of the box by individuals led to radically new ways of viewing their business, and the successes that came from acting on these insights. Everyone will find at least one inspiring case study in this book that elicits an Eureka! Mine was the GoldCorp case.

However, case studies--no matter how inspiring--are nothing more than interesting reading without knowing the common critical success factors in detail. This is where the book shines, because these details are exposed, analyzed and the reasons why they are important are given in a compelling way. Part One, which addresses value, cost and price is by far the most influential 114 pages I have read in any book. Most of the techniques can be found in any college-level text book, but the manner in which it's presented, and especially the chapter on eliminating costs that reduce customer and end user benefits, will inspire you to think broadly and deeply about these issues. Part Two covers how to provide sustained benefits to all stakeholders. In theory this seems easy, but too many organizations acknowledge the benefits without acting. The authors show you how to transform the theory into action and results. They also tackle the messages in Parts Three (Expand Business Model Innovation) and Four (Pursue Higher-Potential Business Model Improvement) with the same painstaking detail as in the first two parts.

This book has clear, lively writing that will hold your interest from the first page. In fact, it is so well written that you may easily overlook the experience, knowledge and skill that is woven into this excellent book through carefully chosen case studies, key questions that cause you to think, and copious use of text boxes to highlight key points or impart quick pieces of essential information. In that respect not only is this book a valuable addition to any executive's reading list, but it's a masterpiece. It deserves a place alongside the works of Michael Porter, Kaplan & Norton, and Drucker.

Cheaper by the Dozen is a well written biography on the Gilbreth family and all the craziness they go through every day with such a big family. This large family consists of 12 children and a set of parents. All 12 kids-Fred, Dan, Anne, Bob, Bill, Frank, Martha, Lil, Ernestine, Jack, Jane and Mary-all have red or blonde hair and lots of freckles. My favorite character was Mr. Gilbreth. This story took place in Mont Clair, New Jersey and i think that was a very appropriate setting. My favorite part in the book was when Mr. Gilbreth would not let Anne and Ernestine wear make-up, high heels or short skirts. I also liked when the Gilbreths went to California to visit Mrs. Gilbreth's family. There are many more good parts, but you will need to read the book or listen to it on tape to find out about them. What i liked best about the story is that it was pretty funny. I would reccomend it to any one who likes books written with a sense of humor. There isn't any real plot or climax to this story, but that may be one of the reasons I liked it so much. It flows very well and the only confusing part is all of the characters. Overall, it was a pretty good book.

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN

Format: Paperback,1st ed., 180 pages ISBN: 0553272500 Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Younger Readers Pub. Date: February 1981 Other Formats: Hardback Recommended Age:Third grade and up

Wonderful...Once you start to read the first page you wont be able to put the book down. This perfect way to spend a rainy day. You will be very amused when you read about the hilarious events of the Gilbreth family. The family of twelve children have many adventures you will enjoy reading. The father is almost crazy and a very successful business man. He is very strict and overprotective. He won't let his daughters wear make up or dress the way they like to. They slowly change his mind and begin to dress their way. He thinks his children can do anything and is also believed he could do anything. He loved jokes and laughing and you will love the practical jokes they play on each other. The rich family loves to go to movies then out for ice cream. They also spend their summers at the beach, where their Dad forces them to learn to swim. He wants them to learn as much as possible about everything so he always finds a way to teach them new things. As an efficiency expert he made sure that everything was done in a time efficient way. It was a sin to waste time in the Gilbreth house and he was constantly coming up with new ways to save time. The Dad in the story liked to parade around and show off his kids. Although this was embarassing to some of the kids as they got older Dad found it hilarious. The mother also was sometimes embarrassed or insulted by the attention they got or the comments other people made. This book will keep you laughing right up to the last chapter when Dad dies. The book is a mixture of humor and then sadness at the ending. This is an excellent book that everybody should read. I recommend this book for anyone that knows how to read no matter how old or young!

Dina Bastianini, Pine-Richland High School

First of all, this book--the true, original story--has nothing to do with the recent Steve Martin movie.

This book is set in the 1920s in Montclair, NJ mainly and the father of the 12 children (11 lived, but the death of one is not mentioned in this book) is a big, jolly, eccentric and a fascinating possible-genius who works as a consultant making businesses more efficient through his motion studies.

The book is a series of reminiscences as told by two of the older Gilbreth children. They recreate many episodes with full dialogue (which of course couldn't possibly be completely accurate historically) making for easy and humorous reading.

I read this book for the first time when I was a young teenager. I loved it then, and it was perfectly appropriate. I re-read it 20 years later and was surprized at how many of the scenes I'd remembered from my first reading. (If only I could recall much of my schooling as well!) As an adult and now a parent (of a scant 3 offspring), I had a new appreciation for the story this time around. The Gilbreth children are tutored constantly in all manner of subjects by their talented parents, using many novel approaches. This is fascinating to me, as a parent: the teaching meathods, the team-spirit instillation, the overall vibe in a household as complex and successful as this one (the family is rich and all the children seem to have gone on to further success).

This book has been translated into something like 50+ languages and its obvious why if you read it. It is everything an enjoyable book should be. The warmth, intelligence, pro-family team attitude, and wonderful humor would cheer anyone's spirit.