Modeling

This is a really good book and includes information and reproductions from a variety of sources. It is unique in that it is written from a mom's perspective. It is however, because of it's perspective more valid to someone looking for work in the Chicago area- although it is still really useful for other people too. It is one of the more expensive books on the topic.

Ms. Halter provides the steps that she took to successfully get her kids started in modeling/acting. Particularly, I found the "to do" list and the resource list at the end of the book to be quite useful. I also really enjoyed the use of her own personal stories.... I do appreciate the values ("Don't be a stage mom) that she imparts to her readers. If the child doesn't want to do it, don't force them!

This book is an excellent resource for any parent interested in getting their kids into modeling. The book takes the reader through a step by step process of the modeling process. It gave me the information I needed to launch my son's career in modeling. He is now represented by a well known agency and has done some great print and television ads.

The strong points of this book become easily evident if even one only looks at the several-page-long bibliography. Mr. Gross has done a commendable job of research and has presented a voluminous material, including multiple interviews, pictures, etc. From a historical standpoint, there is probably no better book written on the modeling business (particularly in the US).( There is actually and afterward to the paperback edition, which brins some current news as of 2002.)

The weak points of the book are rooted in its failure to discuss what its title promises -- "business". Yes, there are salary numbers, but that is about where Mr. Gross stops. In describing the business he talks at length about modelling agencies, magazines and the like, only it happens in a somewhat gossipy style (describing personalities, political battles, etc.), while failing to provide any financial (or any other business) information so as to give the reader an idea of, for example, of how big this business is. As a result, after reading the book, one is short of truly understanding how the business really works, including the interaction of its multiple participants, such as publihhers, designers, etc.

This is very good book on the history of the Supermodels (Linda, Naomi, Christy, Cindy, etc). Also very informative on the modeling industry and the men that run it. If your daughter or son in pursuing modeling, read this book first.

This book does exactly what the title says, it reveals the ugly side of the modeling business. However, it is an older book so you won't hear any recent names. There is another book out there, "Shut up and Smile" that covers more recent models. But the writing from that book is no comparison to this one. This book is by someone that knows how to write and the stories are very in-depth which can only make the book better. The pictures are also better in this book.

I own both editions where I belive the 1st edition is better than their second. I don't particular like their new approach in teaching network modeling; it's non-intuitive. The first edition was a bit more 'logical' and easier to set up than the approach use in their 2nd edition. Secondly, their use of the Palisade @Risk is definitely a good choice, but the time lock (1 year if registered online) somewhat deflates the enthusiasm knowing that at some future date your software will cease to work. I bought the @129 upgrade but jumped through hoops with palisades (their authorization code did not undo the time lock and tech support argued that it was a publisher issue--in the long run they discovered a problem with the software where it was not taking the time lock off the application as designed.) I do like the 2nd edition's choice of larger fonts and the broader examples. I am still yet disappointed that unlike many other quality text books, the text does not include answers to 'odd' or even selected problems. I don't think the authors realize that their text is used by professionals looking to develop workplace skills and are not necessarily enrolled in a formal academic setting. Nevertheless, I bought the second edition because I think management science is a terribly valuable skill to have and that the authors have published the best book in the area of MS.

I am a student at a very hands-on university and this book fit in perfectly into one of my classes. A professor used this book as a reference in my graduate Operations Research class. I was so intrigued by the step-by-step examples, I went out and bought the book to learn more. The book goes over the basic applications of Operation Research used in Excel which makes the application of what is learned easier to apply outside of class. The step-by-step examples really help when applying what is learned to the excercises.

I am a business unit manager who frequently purchases books and software to maintain my level of competence in operations management, and I recently purchased the second edition of this book, copyright 2001. I have found it to be a great value, and agree with the reviewers the earlier edition who found it to be a very fine text on Operations Research. It comes with the standard version of Palisade's Decision Tools software, which is just outstanding. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone. Additionally, there's an option to upgrade to a fully licensed edition of this software at a greatly reduced price; the student version that comes with the book is fully functional, but is only licensed one year for students, 30 days for professionals. Microsoft doesn't give their software away for free either.

There are other books for giving you the simulation techniques and languages but to know the theory and statistics of simulation this is THE book.It startes with basics of statisstics and deals everthing you need to know about simulation. At some point you will start wondering how the authors could give so much information in just one book and lose lots of royalty money on the succeeding books.

This book is the ground foundation of simulation modeling. Currently, only few books in simulation will spend pages and time, dedicated to the theoretical issues as good as this book. If you're tired of point-and-click or "how-to making one server queueing system" and you want to know the fundamental of simulation, you can't overlook this piece of jewel. I don't agree with one review that you have to understand statistics in order to get this book. Simulation is a probabilistic model. Using simulation without understanding statistics results in serious trouble since it will be only a toy (data), not a tool (information.

This is must read for simulation. It covers the background required for anyone to work on simulation and modeling. Its chapters about random-number generators, selecting right probability distributions and its parameters, output data analysis or variance reduction techniques are a must for anyone in this area. The treatment is easy to read but without sacrificing rigour. Nevertheless, a basic knowledge on statistics and probability is required. On the other hand, its chapters about modeling performed on fortran, C or pascal are outdated stuff since this software is outdated, but they are useful are a hands-on lesson on how simulation works and must be performed. All in all, a very profitable book.

Wow! I had no idea one may create dolls in so many various ways! Eloise Piper teaches fabric, modeling paste, and polymer clay doll-making with patterns included in her book. She includes plain Amish children, fancy dolls, wig creating, sculpting facial features, decorating and dressing the doll. She even includes patterns for their tiny clothing! She gives embellishment ideas as well. Furthermore, Eloise has a very delightful style of writing that brings her dolls to life! I greatly enjoy authors like Eloise who present their art in a down-to-earth and humorous fashion. Not only does one enjoy creating the dolls and their adorable wardrobes, but one may count on a chuckle or two from Eloise's light-hearted humor.

This book is a keeper for those who are looking for resources which address the multiple and various techniques of creating dolls.

Happy doll making!

Just received this book today and I can't put it down! The book is the most complete how-to book I have ever seen. Eloise has put the book together from beginner to advanced with a lot of thought for the inexperienced doll-maker. Every aspect of doll-making is completely covered and I would highly recommend this book to anyone !

I'm new to doll making. I am enjoying this book. I also recommend a doll book for fun reading, Dolls Aren't Just for Kids.

This book provides a good overview of techniques for mathematical modeling. But it is not easy book for beginners. I agree with one of the reviewers that the readers had better know their mathematics first if they wish to gain something out of reading the book. And beware! The title of the book may be misleading to those who wish to learn the art of mathematical modeling. The book does not teach basic elements of mathematical modeling. In short, those who wish to learn something about mathematical modeling, especially from scratch, would do better by looking for other books.

This book concisely describes critical ideas, techniques, and results of a wide range of applied mathematics which are useful in physical modelings. It has well chosen exercises, though not many, with detail answers. It provides good references for further study. This is important because the explanations given in this book are terse.

I think the book is more valuable for those looking for concise reviews than those wanting to learn the materials the first time.

Also, Author states (at MIT website) that he is working on the second edition for this book. He wants to add "control theory" and correct some typos.

If any book can be said to make a difficult subject like simulation easy to understand this is it. Gershenfeld describes how to use everything from neural networks to finite element analysis to simulate your system of choice. One important consideration: although the ideal reader should have a wide mathematical and computer science backgound, one needn't be an 'expert' to get the most from this book. The best use of NMM is help the reader make the transition from paper to PC less painless with pointers into the simulation research literature. Anyone learning numerical computing should buy this book.

This book is a nice introduction, into something with quite some potential.
If you've never heard of OCL, and wonder what it's all about, then you definitely need this book.
If you have seen OCL before, but you don't have a reference manual, this is also the book you need.
If you're looking for a coherent way to use UML and OCL together, then you might want to take a look at 'Object, Components and Frameworks with UML; The Catalysis Approach'.

The Object Constraint Language is an extension to the latest version of the Unified Modeling Language (UML). It is a formal specifications language that has an easy understandable syntax and semantics.

The sample class diagram model that is used through most of the book is semi-complex but understandable if first you have read the Unified Modeling Language Users Guide written by the three amigos: Ivar Jacobson, Brady Booch and James Rumbaugh. You may not completely grasp the sample class diagram from a conceptual or practical point of view but can understand it enough to verify how the stated constraints are valid and well formed. That is you can read the example constraints and verify their correctness by navigating the sample class diagram.

Overall I would say that the OCL removes ambiguity from UML models and better states constraints and business rules than visual notations used in UML. I recommend this book and think it can be another notch in an Object-Oriented developers arsenal to offer something more to their software projects and employers.

To manage large computing projects, we need two things. Precise languages and the will to use them. While the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a valuable addition to our tool set, it is limited when used to describe and restrict the behavior of our objects. The Object Constraint Language (OCL) allows for the formal description of constraints on the data to be used. Given the ability to write specific constraints on information, it is then possible to use a design by contract model in the creation of software. The advantages of such a model are obvious, in that so much of our personal and professional lives are based on contracts, albeit most are informal. Professional interactions that take place in the creation of complex software are also contracts. I have participated in many discussions of the form, "You construct this function so that it does this and I will use it to do the other thing." However, so much of this is informal, which leads to disagreements over interpretations. It is for this reason that I have long argued that the real increase in productivity from the use of formal languages will be a reduction in the amount of time needed to settle disputes over ambiguities.
While some exposure to the principles of formal logic will be helpful, it is not necessary to understand the material of the book. Knowledge of basic Boolean expressions will suffice. As the title suggests, the UML is used as the basis for the OCL. The use of the similar notation and terminology really simplifies the approach, making it very easy to pick up.
I was most impressed with the OCL as well as the explanatory style used in the book, although I must confess to having a bias towards formal languages in computing. After reading the book, I came away with an even greater appreciation for the power of formal languages, which given my nearly two decades of exposure to them, is not an easy task.
The design by contract model of computing is a very powerful mechanism whereby ambiguity can be removed from the design and implementation process. To do it properly, a formal language such as OCL is needed and this book will teach it to you in the minimal amount of time.

Any Solaris admin in a NIS+ environment needs this book. There is no other one, expect the Sun course material which old UNIX guys don't have. I could solve my NIS+ problems with this book and I count it as a member of my survival kit. It shows the transition from NIS to NIS+ as well as the administration of NIS+ with all it's awkard commands. NIS+ is a nightmare, but therefore one needs this book.

Provides us with a very comprehensive and detailed instruction to Administering Nis+. This book is invaluable for this tedious and complex art. Thank you Mr. Ramsey for providing us with such a needed reference book.

I've never set up NIS+ before and the book was invaluable to me for setting up NIS+. Not only does it give the essential information, but it's approach plays to the impatient as well as those who want to understand everything that is going on. It gives both the quick setup approach and the more detailed approach so you can really understand what you are doing. I have not seen a book with this kind of approach before, so it was a bit confusing at first, but without hesitation I recommend this book for those who want to set up NIS+.

I was excited about this book when I bought it online. Now that I read it, I am not very happy. The authors could have drilled deeper into some examples of how to implement the application using some wide spread technology like Java or ASP and COM. Giving concrete examples of what a Boundary Object should be, or what classes make sense to implement to interact with databases, just to mention a few, would have been very helpful. I also found "the top ten error" method very tiresome (I often skipped it and went straight to the right ways of doing things). The book was helpful though in providing a guide of what steps to follow in the design process as well as giving us a good idea on how to break the project into objects and diagrams.

You are already into various Java technologies like
Servlets, JDBC, EJBs and can put together a
small to medium application/project using those.

You somehow implemented the project/app to
satisfy the requirements but you are thinking
that there has to be a better way of going from
a set of requirements to a design (from which the leap to
actual coding is smooth) without feeling like
some vague unrepeatable 'magic' was being done.

You want to formalize the process of jumping from the
'analyze' phase to a 'Object oriented design' phase (that
results in sequence/collaboration diagrams etc) but
without being encumbered by an elaborate and complex
methodology.

You want this process to be small, easy to understand
and flexible so that you can adapt it to your needs.

If the above applies, you should seriously consider
investing in this book.

The Authors use the often used bookstore example to drive
home the process which starts with writing usecases
and ends with a detailed design that satisfies all the
user's requirements.

A list of 10 common mistakes made during each step of
the process can be used as a reference when you are
done understanding the process and are actually applying
it in your projects.

Paul Reed's Application Development with Java and UML
makes a good complement to this book, though
Conallen uses a modified but still complex enough form
of Rational Unified Process (RUP) in his book.

A developer who doesn't know a process, doesn't know what he/she is missing. A developer who doesn't know UML risks to be relegated to fill rows of code on a structure of classes and methods designed by others.
This book teaches a simple and effective process, and indirectly UML too. UML is like any other languages: one cannot learn it without using it in practice.
The authors are teachers, and this gives a big edge to the book, for their ability to anticipate reader's difficulties and common errors.

Even if I actually use Catalisys process, tailored for components (see UML Components, Cheesman and Daniels), simply I can't immagine to be where I am without having read this book at the beginning.

I had the good fortune of taking a data management class with Dr. Watson. He uses this book for an MBA level course on data management.He is an excellent teacher with a great sense of humor and it reflects very well in the way this book has been written.

Even though I had known SQL well and also bits and pieces of data modeling prior to taking the class, this book put it all together very nicely.

Data Modeling is taught from the perspective of a business analyst/manager. It covers virtually any type of business problem you may encounter and I guarantee that you won't find any more complex SQL queries in your real life than the ones this book covers at length. The SQL playbook is simply a great reference!!

I would highly recommend it to any business student or executive who has anything to do with data management.

By introducing data modeling and SQL together in gradually increasing level of complexity, this book introduces students to these subjects in an intuitive manner.

As a matter of fact, by the time the text covers those two subjects formally in later chapters, most of my students found it almost trivial. And by building on sound data modeling principles through out, the students learn good data modeling habits from the ground up.

If I have any complaints, its that when the topic of normalization is covered in a later chapter, my biggest problem is explaining to my students why anyone would have created tables that are not in second or third normal form in the first place!

Truly a joy to teach from.

This is a beautiful, accessible, up to date, patient, didactic, and all in all a very good book. A Dutch teacher of databases since a long time, I never came across quite the right thing for my non-Dutch students until I found this one.
Watson is not a computer nerd. He appreciates the fact that data modeling problems are real-world problems. And the fact that modeling and SQL are two sides of the same coin: getting the data IN a database in order to get information FROM it. And that fact that databases operate in an organization, not in a vacuum.