Modeling

The book is actually quite good and Kernel Regression might very well be a good modelling technique. What destroys much of the credibility is that the author is actually the founder of a company that produces KR software. This fact isn't mentioned ANYWHERE in the book. The author just HAPPENS to use a specific software in all his examples. Guess what software? You have to go to the company website to find the connection.

If we set that aside, the book is well written and interesting. Not for the math impaired, though. University level math and statistics needed to be enjoyed in full.

One reviewer states that the author hides the fact that he is associated with the company that commercially exploits the software discussed in the book. However, in the Acknowledgements section of the book, the author acknowledges the two software engineers from Insightware who helped him develop the software. In other words, there is no attempt on the part of the author to hide his ongoing interest in the commercial application of the FKR technology.

This is a very significant book because it tells you how to use the computer to be smarter than most other traders. The human mind has great difficulty interpreting many variables at the same time. In fact studies show the mind is able to deal with at most 3 at a time and if the variables are complexly related 2 is the maximum. Experts in many fields make poor decisions because of this human information processing limitation. But financial markets are complex and demand the consideration of many variables. The way around this dilemma is to use the compter as a device to interpret complex information patterns. This has been done for years in oil exploration and medical research. Wolberg shows how software can do this for financial information. It finds information that most other traders are probably ignoring and thus this information contains profit opportunities. He talks about filtering - how his method can improve existing trading methods by finding patterns common to signals that lose money. When those patterns are added to the original strategy there can be a big improvement. Wolberg talks about using his program to predict stock performance and avoid market risk. I think this has a lot of potential. Very good book indeed!

I disagree that a person could become a "master" data modeler if the contents of this book are the complete set of skills in their arsenal. While the book outlines some good techniques for interviewing end users and basic data modeling skills, there is alot more involved in data modeling than what is covered here.

As an experienced data modeler who works with large, complex data models in a constantly changing business, I find I do not refer to this book at all. The book excludes common data modeling constructs that I have found very useful, including subtypes and supertypes. The book does not explain the difference between conceptual, logical, and physical data modeling. (It covers techniques used to capture conceptual/logical level data, but nowhere does it explain that or the difference between this type of model and a physical model, and why and when you'd need one or the other.)

The book does not cover normalization, which, once one leaves the interview with end users, one will need to understand. The book does not mention data integration with other systems or databases, how this topic is important and could (and often should) arise in interviews with end users.

Some of the topics covered I found shallow and incomplete, for example, how to name things in a data model. The authors take a parochial view by ignoring real world issues such as using consistent names across database and organizations, and avoiding naming things for what they are used for, not what they are.

As a practicing data modeler, I find my users aren't as naieve about data models as Carlis and Maguire assume them to be. I often am asked why I am modeling data in a given way. In my view, this book does not address the "why" - why do you model the data in the way suggested, and what happens if you don't. When I can answer these questions well for my customers, I earn approval, and this book doesn't equip one to do so.

In sum, my belief is that this book contains about 1/4 of the information a person needs to know to become a "master" data modeler. It's a good starter book if you are a novice data modeler or are having trouble gathering information from business subject matter experts, but if you really want to become an expert data modeler, I'd recommend continuing beyong this book. I prefer 'Data Modeling Essentials 2nd Edition' by Graeme Simsion

The secret is out!

I've been using the techniques described in this book for years because one of the authors taught me. I've used them to model data about research science, business, and topology. Now others can learn it too.

Carlis cured me of normalization. There's a difference between normalization and "normal forms". A goal of modeling is to produce databases in high normal forms - Boyce-Codd Normal Form, fifth normal form, etc... Most modelers think the only way to do this is through normalization, a specific process that step-by-step improves to a draft model. This book shows how to avoid that process completely. I used to do normalization. Now I use the conversational techniques of this book to reach high normal forms sooner. One thing I always hated about Normalization was that I usually did it after talking to users, which means I was making decisions that the users should have been making. I have not performed normalization in at least ten years. Yet I still produce databases in high normal form. This book does include a chapter about normalization, with normal forms up to fifth, so you can see for yourself how the technique produces high-normal-form databases. If you learned that normalization was essential part of data modeling, this chapter will help you learn this different way of working. If you are new to data modeling, you should start with this book to avoid learning normalization altogether. The principles of high normal forms are important, but the process of normalization is ludicrous.

This is a book about data modeling, not physical database design. It concentrates on the modeling in users' language. The naming conventions it recommends are based on guidelines of language and categories. If you follow these naming guidelines, you will not need to learn a huge list of more specific, special-case naming rules.

I also like what Carlis and MaGuire say about constraints. By following their constraint advice, I have become a much faster data modeler, and my team mates (programmers, DBAs) do not have to wait so long for me to finish my work. It also helps me keep my data models flexible, good for a changing business environment.

This book has more examples than any book on modeling I have ever seen. I stopped counting sample data models when I got to 300.

The hardest part of application design is understanding the user's data. This book concentrates on solving that problem, leaving the technical details of database design to other books.

This book will be on my table always. It cuts through the computer science's obsession for esoteric notations and undue rigor (that scares the end users even before the analyst has had a chance to begin!) and puts the user needs at their right place: right in the center. I have used this methed several times now with exciting results. Users are more forthcoming, there are lesser I-thought-this-when-you-said-that instances. Two thumbs up for the excellent work!!!

Boy! Buying this book has been a difficult choice. The information is essential to anyone working with human anatomy and sculptural form, however, you have to wade throught information written in a very dated, pedantic manner. Professor Lanteri's comments are in the classical form and written so long ago (his copyright is 1902 - 1904) that an interpreter might be needed for the younger sculptor. I almost returned the book because it isn't something to sit down and read in one or two sessions. This isn't a simple 'How to . . .' book, but if you are a serious sculptor, and willing to work your way throught the exaggerated writing style, you'll realize what a gem it is. It is really the most comprehensive book of sculpting the human figure I've ever read. I only wish the book had been printed in larger format so the illustration notes would be easier to read.

A very good course material for beginners and a perfect reference for the professionals. easy reading from cover to cover.

This seminal work on figure sculpting has been a standard reference for both students and teachers of fine sculpture for almost two generations. Lanteri goes beyond typical systematic instruction for recreating anatomical form and demistifies techniques for infusing one's work with the humanity that will elevate it to the level of true sculpture. It is a text that is worth reading from cover to cover as it essentially encompasses a four year course in fine sculpture. It is also valuable as a reference for materials, anatomy and basic technique.

Like many web-related technologies XML and its many derivatives have evolved much more quickly than the support from traditional modelling and development tools. As a result many developers creating XML-based applications are doing so with the crudest of tools, and find it very difficult to either exchange ideas with more traditional developers, or to benefit from the strengths of more powerful tools and modelling approaches. This book sets out to address that issue, and it does an excellent job.

At the same time, the book provides a valuable introduction to a range of XML and e-Business technologies for those more familiar with traditional approaches. I found it answered a lot of questions I had about XML which had not been addressed by reading more typical "how to" books, so this book bridges the divide both ways.

The book starts out by setting out its aim - to bridge the XML and UML communities, and provides a high-level overview of both areas. It then focuses in on the key issue of e-Business integration, both as a common challenge and an area which will naturally affect both communities.

In subsequent chapters the author discusses defining a business vocabulary, and shows how an XML vocabulary can be modelled in UML, or generated from it. Having established this basis the author then discusses a number of XML-related standards, including XMI, XPath, XPointer, XLink, XML DTDs and Schemas, and XSLT, in each case using UML models to explain how the pieces fit together.

Finally, the last few chapters present an overall e-Business architecture based around the examples in the rest of the book, bringing all the pieces together in the context of Web Services.

It's the curse of all technical writers and publishers that whatever you write is rapidly out of date, and this book suffers a little from that. Published in 2001 it views several key standards (such as XSD and core Web Service protocols) as "proposals", and frequently omits details from examples because of this uncertainty. A reader would be well advised to supplement it with more up to date reading around the technical details.

That said, this book is well written, easy to read, and covers a niche which is still almost unoccupied. The companion web site backs the book up with some valuable material, including a free downloadable tool for XML modelling, generation and reverse-engineering.

I'd love David to do a second edition, moderately refreshed to present a 2004 view of the various standards and how they fit together. The core of the book wouldn't have to change. Until that book turns up, I'm happy to recommend this one.

It is quite a strange book: very interesting, depicting a complete, sometimes accurate, path between UML and XML languages, and trying to show the whole and complex environment that required the development of a language like XML. The fact that both UML and XML syntaxes are not explained in detail should not induce to consider this issue as an introductory one: a thorough comprehension of all quoted subjects presumes a good knowledge of a structured (possibly object oriented) programming language and some reference to an XML syntax textbook and a UML guide. You do not learn by this book either designing UML or writing XML code, but it represents a survey about the subject that can be interesting both for skilled people and beginners.

David Carlson has produced a book that discusses how to integrate two important technologies: UML and XML. More than that, the book serves as a primer to both. Even if you already know UML or XML, you'll probably learn something new about each. References are supplied for those who want to learn more. For me, I also found that the book planted seeds for new ideas.

The material is presented in a practical way, around a simple business application. This makes the technologies more concrete and easier to understand. Fortunately, the reader is not overwhelmed by endless code listings - though there are enough nuts and bolts to make the concepts understandable.

Key concepts such as vocabularies, schemas, and portals are explained well. The book also touches on related technologies, such as RSS, XSLT, SOAP and UUDI. All in the context of a practical use case. I found the examples useful even if I design community based portals and not e-Business applications.

Hopefully the book will lay down the foundation for standards in schema development.

The text is an excellent and scholarly treatment of the subject. Itis very detailed, quite factual, thoughtfully constructed and verythought provocating. It generates a lot of interest in the includedMonte Carlo impact/fatality model.

Unfortunately, the attached model program is very difficult to use. It is written in native GW-BASIC which can only be read by GW-Basic running under DOS (not a Windows shell). One needs to find a copy of GWBASIC and a DOS boot disk to convert HAZARD5.BAS to ASCII format. Once in ASCII it will run in the more common QBASIC in Windows. In short, it presents an unnecessary hassle. Indeed, there were no instructions to do the conversion and Michael Paine and his web site .... came to the rescue with detailed instructions and some refinements to the model.

Dr. Lewis makes a compelling case for the reappraisal of comet and asteroid impacts. This book is lucid, sharp, and, well, SCARY. I strongly recommend it to all readers curious about these potentially cataclysmic events; when you understand the energy involved in one of these impacts, and the effects on human populations it becomes clear that we are currently just as vulnerable as the dinosaurs were 65 million years ago. I also recommend Rain of Iron and Ice for the popular science audience. It is an equally compelling, and also entertaining, read. Worth every penny.

Of all the hazards facing Earth, impacts are the most dangerous. Their effects can be devastating over the entire surface of the planet.

I enjoyed the comparison of simulation results to historical records and the attention to economic and public policy issues of warning, interdiction, and asteroid & comet search strategies. David Egge's paintings (in the color section) are awesome.

Keep your eye on the sky!

Very nicely layed out. Great photography. There could be a little more detail on technique but overall it is a very nice book

The book is excellent - encourages creativity.

On page 5 in the Baking section, second column, it stops in mid sentence. We wondered how long to bake our creation, but couldn't find a clue.

I wanted to mention a little omething about the reader wndering about page 5 in this book. The writing does stop in mid - sentence but if you want to know how long to bake, just read the individual instructions for each craft and you will find the exact baking time for your project.

I would strongly suggest anyone who would like to work with polymer clay to buy this book! There are plenty of wonderful projects to keep anyone busy for a long time. If you run out of clay, most local craft stores will carry more - either Sculpey III or other sculpey brands like Presto which is just about the same. Buy this book and enjoy!

This is one of the 2 texts we've had for our data structures course. I'm not sure what the other book is, because this one was so good. It covered the material in a clear and precise way. I even have a copy of this book today, for further reference!

This is my favorite data structures and algorithms book for three reasons. First, this book is well written and easy to read, and that's not always the case for a book like this. Second, it's concise, small, and easy to carry. I'm a consultant who changes assignments often and convenience can be important. And third, the text book problems at the end of each chapter are very interesting and always stretch the mind. There's even a final chapter called Engineering with Data Structures that contains lots of fun computational problems for a rainy afternoon. If you love programming, you'll love this book!

I seriously like this book. It's explaining is close to crystal clear to me when I read it, and the algorithms listed (in pseudo-code) take it to a practical level.

This is an excellent book on JMX. It takes us step by step thro
the process of knowing and using Sun's Reference Implementation.
It covers both the HTML Adaptor and RMI Connector approaches
thoroughly. Code examples provided in the book are well
explained. A must have for any one seriously considering a
foothold in JMX. I have enjoyed reading the book and putting it
to practice in my job. If there is
a future version, I would like to see coverage on JBoss's JMX.
Many thanks to the authors.

I have found this book extremely helpful to my development efforts. The code examples were key in helping me understand JMX with EJBs and JMS. In my rapid development activities, the good, clear examples and concise points helped me write effecient and better code.

Also, it is stated in a previous review that you need to have the JDMK in order to compile the code . This is not necessary for you to be successful with this book! One does not need the JDMK; the free 'remoting.jar' can be downloaded from the JMX website at java.sun.com. This jar file contains the RMI adapter and is only needed for a small part of the book.

This book is definitely the best source of JMX material that I have encountered.

I have found this book extremely helpful to my development efforts. The code examples were key in helping me understand JMX with EJBs and JMS. In my rapid development activities, the good, clear examples and concise points helped me write effecient and better code.

Also, it is stated in a previous review that you need to have the JDMK in order to compile the code . This is not necessary for you to be successful with this book! One does not need the JDMK; the free 'remoting.jar' can be downloaded from the JMX website at java.sun.com. This jar file contains the RMI adapter and is only needed for a small part of the book.

This book is definitely the best source of JMX material that I have encountered.

This is clearly an important topic, and I think the author has done a nice job of explaining how television helps create meaning. I would like to see this idea discussed in a manner that the every day person can understand, since this seems to be mostly for scholarly reading. I hope the author plans to write something more 'mainstream' about the same ideas. I believe there is something important being said here, that probably a lot of people do not recognize, so I recommend parents and others read this.

We hear a lot about the way kids today behave, and people like to blame television for causing this behavior. I know of the author, Dr. DeMars, as a teacher at Sam Houston State University, so I was interested in what his thoughts were. I believe he has provided a realistic evaluation of the role TV has--along with many other factors--in developing members of society into accepting certain behaviors as appropriate or inappropriate. I don't understand all the research terminology, but Dr. DeMars is able to provide enough current examples that non-scholars such as I am will be able to relate to. I think his observations are insightful.

I had often wondered about the idea of the effects of TV--but wasn't sure what to think. It seemed that I would hear someone do a study that found effects of TV shows, and then someone else would come along and say TV had minimal effects--that it was more up to what parents did, for example, with their children than what TV shows they watched. This book demonstrates what I believe is a realistic view of TV programs' influence, and helped me understand from the producers and networks level why they would put shows on that may harm kids and/or society. In light of recent stunts--like some guys the other day who tried to have one of them jump a moving car so they could get on the MTV show Jackass, and the 'jumper' was hit by the car--I think this book helps us see how TV shows can create an 'image of reality' that some people may not recognize. I think it overall helps us--if we can manage to make the leap--step back and see reality compared to the illusions that we may have not recogized. The profound idea I came away from this book with is the recognition of how much of what we see as real is actually based on the environment we build around us and mutually agree is 'real'--from the year we live in to the social customs we accept as normal and natural.

I was required to buy this book for a first year MBA course, and i found myself unable to stay awake for more than one page at a time. Not so much the author but the subject matter is enough to make one comatosed.

Ragsdale is a true master not only of spreadsheet modeling, but also of explaining complex things simple and understandable. More textbooks should have such a high quality.

This book was a textbook for the required 1st year MBA operations research class at Berkeley. I waived the class, but bought the book anyway and still occasionally refer to it as needed. Ragsdale does an excellent job explaining how to setup and solve operations research problems in MS Excel.