effect

Photographers: note the photos, and the stark parallel images of trees versus factory stacks. They make the point of the entire book in dramatic thought-provoking images that make you want to go out and stop every smoke-producer in the world.

Back when comics were trendy for all of -what- five minutes, this story was commisioned by Fleetway for either Crisis or Revolver and - having been reviewed and reluctantly OK'd by the legal team - became 'banned' when the printer refused to print the material...

About a year later, Skin finally surfaced and - while the notoriety perhaps helped raise interest - it stands as a great example of a well written, well crafted comic for a mature audiance.

Not as fun as Shade, nor as clever as Enigma, and not the mental kaliedaskope of the (sadly unavailable) Rogan Gosh - Skin still is well worth your time and attention....

Ok, so I'm not 9-12 years old (the book's target audience), I'm almost 30 and I still enjoyed this book tremendously. It has awesome illustrations to show the techniques used in various effects like robotics, miniature models, etc. The explainations are easy to understand too. This book took the mystery out of the state-of-art special fx with recent blockbuster movies as examples. For an introduction to special effects, it's excellent.

Together with Bernard Wilkie's book 'Creating Special Effects for TV and Video' makes it to a perfect companion on the creation of special effects. If this book is a "text-book" then 'Creating Special...' may be called "work-book". The book cover every basic technique from the simplest to more complex effects. The only lack is description of motion-controle, optical printing and digital composite methodes. But no other book cover the harware of the buissnes, and thats enough to buy it

This is a departure from the many books that focus on Yellowstone's natural history. Meyer, instead, traces the park's human history and the development of images that first captured the public's attention and led to establishment of the first national park. Most of the book is quite scholarly and analytical, gaining momentum when Meyer attempts to delve into the minds of the first explorers to record and stand in amazement at Yellowstone's wonders. Illustrated with many early drawings of the park, The Spirit of Yellowstone is not exactly light reading, but is a must for any serious student of the park.

I've always been a big fan of physical visual effects, where actual models of ships and settings are built from scratch and are used to make movie magic. But, thanks to the progress of modern computer imagery, physical models are gradually being replaced by CGI representations. And yet, even though CGI has come a long way, and looks reasonably realistic to me, I feel that it's not yet quite at the level of sophistication where it looks as convincingly realistic as physical models.

Special Effects Volume 4, like it's three predecessors, covers various moments of visual and special FX from various sci-fi and fantasy films released in the late seventies and early eighties. There's quite a few brief but to-the-point coverage concerning those models I love so much, such as the Enterprise-Reliant battle from "The Wrath of Khan" and the 'bike through the moon' sequence in "E.T.". Also touched on is the puppetry magic of "Dark Crystal" and "Dragonslayer", the melting & exploding heads of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", and the topsy-turvy terror of "Poltergeist".

Not only does this book cover the then-cutting-edge world of model and physical effects, it also goes into the CGI construction and action of the vehicles and backgrounds of "Tron", the first movie to extensively use CGI effects. Also covered in brief is the 'Genesis Effect' sequence seen in "Wrath of Khan". The articles also discuss the future potential of computer magic which is widely used today in FX flicks. Ironically, it's these two parts that I enjoy reading the most.

If you're fortunate enough to find this volume, I also highly recommend you track down the other ones as well. Happy hunting!

'Late!

Kirby's Stereoelectronic effects provides a good introduction to the fundamentals of molecular orbital interactions. Makes a nice supplement to advanced organic chemistry texts that are deficient in this area

I started reading my copy on a TWA flight from St. Louis to Sacramento and finished somewhere over western Nevada (a little over 3 hours).

This book is very well written and easy to understand. I really liked the "Take Home Messages" and the detailed information that explained the messages.

The real eye opener in Stop Homocysteine is the enormous size and complexity of the methylation process. Lowering homocysteine levels through methylation is only one part of this amazing biochemical story. I am a victim of cardiovascular disease and it is a very important process in my life, but I am also nearing retirement and the diseases of aging are gaining prominence.

The back cover of Stop Homocysteine sums up the whole book when it states: Methylation is a whole body process. Learn how it can be used to:

. Help the Heart . Heal the Liver . Improve your mood . Strengthen your bones . Prevent Cancer . Improve Antioxidant Activity . Live Longer . S! low Aging

And people, you can take that message home.

John Yudkin was one of the pioneer researchers examining the link between sugar and various degenerative illnesses. As far back as 1957 he showed that sugar consumption in England was more closely associated with coronary heart disease than the widely-blamed saturated fats from animal foods. Easy to read and straight to the point, Yudkin's book is every bit as relevant today as it was in the 70's; consumption of refined sweeteners is just as high today as it was back then, and the prevalence of diabetes is now at unprecendented levels. "Sweet and Dangerous" is out of print, but I would highly recommend you pick up a second-hand copy and read it along with the classic "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty (still in print).

System Effects, by Robert Jervis, is an exploration of how the complex relationships between nations can generate or constrain action. Because each nation has its own goals and methods, it will try to seek the best situation. The problem is, because each nation has neighbors and opponents, it cannot always act precisely how it wants.

Jervis deals with three basic types of problem:
1) You cannot predict the total effect from individual effects. That is, although each policy you adopt might have a certain goal, some might backfire or feedback in unpredictable ways. An international example is the Trident missile: our goal was to get a more accurate second-strike capability to deter the Soviet hope for a first-strike success. However, their accuracy was so high that the Soviets perceived the Trident as a first strike weapon. Combined with the accuracy of the land-based missiles, it looked to some in the USSR that the US was planning for a first strike. This result is not predictable when you consider the land and sea based policies in isolation, or by simply assuming that your overall increase in accuracy has a deterrent effect. By making the Soviets more nervous, our policy may have increased the chances of war.

2) Your behavior depends in part on the behavior of others. One nation may seek peace, but it cannot disarm if its opponents pursue war. Alternatively, if your opponents follow a course of appeasement, you may continue in actions as an aggressor.

3) Your actions reshape the world in which you live. As you defeat one opponent, another may encroach on his territory and become a new threat. If you choose to disarm, others may perceive you as less threatening, and also disarm.

Jervis' account is detailed, but his writing style is a bit long-winded. I would have preferred more examples and less theory. Another problem is that the systems approach to international relations doesn't help you much: you can understand history, but because of the three effects he explains, you can't predict the future. Knowing about feedbacks and high order effects can make you cautious, but it can't inform you actions to a high degree.

I recommend this book for historians and strategists, but urge them to seek other sources for information on more concrete policy.