ezloan

If you have nothing better to do than listen to uninspired mind of a main character that leaves you feeling uninspired in the end, go ahead and pick up the book. If rediculous endings do not at all cause uneasiness, go ahead and read it. It wasn't a terrible book by any means, but there's nothing other than an absurd ending that's memorable.

I loved the Sloan character and wished that Coughlin wrote a series.

Coughlin did a great job with Sloan.

Attorney Charles Sloan, "Call me Charlie, every one else does.", has a serious case. Not only his client's life, but his own career hang in the balance, and Charlie must walk a desperate tight-rope to victory or failure. If he fails, his client could go to jail for life - or worse! But Charlie knows that his life is just as much in the balance as the prosecutor, judge, and media try to sell him down the river. A five-star read if ever I've seen one.

This is book has a wealth of information on the early years of fibre optics that I have not seen anywhere else. It is full of names and brief explanations of their contribution. But overall I thought this was a dull, slow moving book with little insight. More of an ongoing collection of notes that have been put together for another better book on the history of fibre once the real story finally emerges. There is very little science here. You won't learn much about light physics or why the technology works -only that it does and who patented it. (But the science may be reserved for Hecht's other book.) Also , for those who are trying to keep up with Gilder this book will be disappointing. There is nothing on DWDM (one brief, unexplained mention) or nothing that maps out the current players, companies, or technologies. (I can tell that Gilder has read it because some of the historical facts have been mentioned in the GTR) But there are only a few pages at the end that try to update where the technology has been in the last 10 years, where it is going or why. Huge gaps where a technology is mentioned but not even defined, much less explained. I wish there was a better book on the subject, but for now this is it, and maybe it is worth reading for that reason alone. Sorry to be so critical, but if you like Burke's "Connections" this will only get you lost. It probably would not have been published but for the sudden surge in tech stocks. I hope the Slone series is not all like this.

Hecht does a good job of explaining where the technology of fiber optics communications came from. His book is not an explanation of how fiber optics communications works, but a history. I have a reasonably good background in fiber optics communications so it's difficult for me to judge whether someone who knew nothing about it would find it easy to follow, although I think they would.

I would particularly recommend the book to fiber optic techies - it really makes the technology more meaningful when you understand how the technology developed. A fine job by a good writer - very close to five stars.

And if you're technically oriented and want more knowledge of fiber optic technology, I'd recommend "Optical Networks" by Ramaswami and Sivarajan.

Fiber optics, the backbone of local and international communications and of the Internet, seems like a new technology, but in this comprehensive history of the field Jeff Hecht describes the Victorian origins of light guiding via jets of water.  In the first half of the 20th century a number of researchers independently discovered flexible glass fibers, and with the introduction of the laser in the 1950s long-distance optical communication became a possibility.  The main section of the book focuses on the work of researchers in Britain, Japan, and the United States from the 1950s through the 1980s as they overcome many technical problems and develop the beginnings of modern fiber optic cables, documenting the failures, the dead-ends, and the ultimate success in the early 1980s.  Extensively researched and annotated, with much material from primary sources, City of Light is accessible to the non-technical reader, yet has enough detail and links to additional sources to satisfy students of engineering history.

Spare me all of this "new age" garbage. I sing therefore I am.....blah blah blah. Students who are looking to learn to sing don't need to visualize themselves as warriors, scientists or whatever ridiculous creatures the author proposes. Envisioning yourself as some space traveling harmonious astronaut doesn't solve any problems if you can't carry a tune. If you are going to take advice on a creative art from someone in a book, shouldn't it be from someone whose musical accomplishments are at least documented? If the author spent less time dreaming of ways to feel the music through sappy role playing and concentrated more on improving her own abilities to the point where her name was recognizable, perhaps her teachings would lend some actual credibility. If someone like Celine Dion wrote a book like this..tacky as it may be, at least she has some accomplishments behind her that justify her methods. This book lacks integrity in that it fails to adequately teach the reader anything about music....if you want to discover your spirit, save the $15 and turn on Oprah.

I could'nt help reading the "Excellent" reviews before I wrote mine. Sloan has a powerful imagery and an explosive way of communicating it to the reader. I am specially impressed with her work since it's her first book ever. If you have technical aspects of voice under your belt (which is like having a thick crust already) Sloan's concepts would make a good icing. But the book is no substitute to a disciplined course in vocal technique. And as every aspiring singer should know no book no matter how inclusive can replace actual coaching from a teacher. Of course lots of books can supplement lessons from teachers and mentors. Singing is a spritual experiance and not just screaming to match pitches. If that's where you are lacking this book might open a door for you.

Sloan's book is a handy guide to a path of spiritual awakening and personal growth through singing. Readers are guided through a transformational process of "learning to be whole," a truly educational experience with voice and song. Should make us rethink any proposals to diminish the role of the arts in all forms of education, especially public education.

Eh, book was okay, but didn't really flip my burger. If you want a nice primer on some of the software tools and commands that you can use for monitoring system performance, this book would probably be just fine. Could have used more graphics. Good for reading at bedtime or in your time off, but just a little too wordy looking if you're in the field actually trying to get something done.

Could have covered more but was worth what you paid for. Not too shabby.

I bot this book for a friend who is a Jr-Mid level network (Unix) admin., who needed advice on this topic. This book does cover all the necessary topics. It's understandable, not overwhelming, and, as the TOC shows, covers lots of useful, relevant topics. It's also very practical. Worth buying!

How many people can put together a room's palette, in the right tone and hue, all the way down to the third accent color. Not me.

This book was fun to study. The colors she picks really do work well together. I sort of felt like I was cheating a bit to think to just lift the entire palette from the page and use in my apartment, but on the other hand, "traditional" color schemes use standard collections as well.

I liked the Manhattan styles most. Yes, they did remind me of some "crisp" apartments I've seen.

I am quite disappointed with this book. Most colors used in the book are quite vivid and heavy. I have trouble finding the demonstration of nice and soft pastel colors. Also there isn't enough simply yet elegant themes.

But it actually deserve a 3.5 if I could rate it that way. It has two pictures of real room for each theme and many color palette to show various combinations of main, accent and complementary colors.

This book is fantastic. It helped me choose just the right wall colors for my rooms. I had an idea of a color family to use but this book really helped me decide what shade to choose. It also suggested possibilities I never would have thought of. After you are done painting, you'll want to keep this book for future reference in years to come.

I am one of the 30% of very fat adults. I have always been overweight and don't really know how to exercise and get fit. This is a good book, well written but it is not the kind of book i need right now.

It is scientific in tone and attitude, full of good facts and the kind of knowledge that is testable in a college classroom. Weak on motivation and push to get and keep going. The first half is a introduction to exercise physiology, with the chapter on the brain(6) especially well done. The second half is a introduction to several different outdoors sports to open up vistas to the already fit---skiing, swimming, running, walking, rowing. And that is the problem for me with the book, it is preaching to the choir, those who are already fit. Who exercised through their 40's rather than reading and playing with the computer as did i. So if you are in the targetted audience this is a very good book, but if not it is just ok....

Motivation, push, desire. These are the things needed by novice walkers, not provided by the book. It assumes you are already on the positive feedback curve where you feel better because you are fit and now need a variety of things to do with your body. Assuming this type of person the book is a very good buy as it will give you a few new facts and lots of choices to investigate.

So it is not directed to me, or the rest of us need to get fit bfore the fat kills us....But rather to the rest of you who approach 50 worrying that the best years are behind you. This is a good place for you to start.

This book teaches a lot about the body, its production of energy, diet, and philosophy behind a training program. It's focused on aging jocks. It's weak on specific examples for non-jocks like me. But it does explain what happens to the body as it ages and how physical activities are affected and what can be done about it (and, at times, what can't), which no other book deals with that I've seen. I'm glad I bought/read it. I can now converse with my cross-country runner & cyclist 17-year old son! For more specifics on exercises you'll need another book, such as "Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness", authored by Musnick & Pierce.

I used this book, along with "Body for Life", to work out a routine that matched my lifestyle and capabilities, and get rid of 30 pounds of fat that I had accumulated since college days. I just finished my first Power Walk marathon this spring, and am training for my first 10K next year at age 70. This book leads you through many, many options; swimming, hiking, walking, running, bike riding, etc. with great advice on each. I keep it filed with my jogging shoes and my hand weights for quick reference. It's not the only book you will need to get in shape, but it is one of the few, and it is one you will refer to weekly as you progress from couch potato to 'ramblin Grandpa'.

I think this book is a wakeup call for society - for all of us to re-evaluate ourselves and recognize the role we play in the evolution of technology. I think the author brings out such a valid point of the complexity of technology, and as a scientist/engineer myself, I find it refreshing, and not a burden, to think up new ideas and view my field in light of what effect society could/would have on it, instead of just what effect it could have on society. I personally think some of the detail on nuclear power could have been avoided without the reader missing the point (but I guess you can't disregard the hand (publisher) that feeds you). I also draw attention to another book, Biomimicry by Janine Benyus, which makes the point that nature provides a model for scientific innovation. If nature was our map, then the complex picture of technology that Pool paints could be a lot clearer and brighter.

'Beyond Engineering' is subtitled 'How Engineering Shapes Society'. It is that but it is much more. It is a book about technology and society. It is part a descriptive history and sociology of technology and part a prescriptive analysis of how society can manage technology to its best purposes. It is broken into two main parts. The first describes the technological process and shows how technologies are selected for mass utilization. The second uses this analysis and discusses the issues that have now arisen with the ascendancy of technology and its central place in society.

In discussing the technological selection process, the author Robert Pool makes much of the power of incumbency. A new technology does not arise form nothing but is developed in a co-evolution between scientific progress and societal capabilities. It is developed by human beings who live in a particular point in history and thus have their values and practices shaped in a specific manner. Any technology that is developed will have to be compatible with the social and technical attitudes prevailing at that time. Pool shows in his discussion of the development of the Watt steam engine that the engine was developed taking into full account the attitudes of the people who would have to implement and manufacture it. Watt could scientifically demonstrate the need for tight tolerances to maximize efficiency but his engine was being developed in an era of craft workman who could not see the necessity of such tolerance. Watt was compelled to set up controlled manufacturing sites where he could build machines to the required tolerances. It would have been more efficient to manufacture the engines in place with local labour but that could not be done in the ethos of that time.

Mistakes once made in the development of technology will propagate themselves in the social and technical attitudes of the people involved in its continuing development. Pool shows how nuclear power developed within the technological attitudes of military propulsion and civilian power generation. Pool shows how attitudes in these domains shaped the technological choices and how these choices were not the best either technically or commercially. Pool's analysis of the power of incumbency and the multi-armed bandit is excellent here.

The second part of the book talks of central place of technology in our society. Technology has moved far from the time of Watt. Now, technology is so complex that no one human being can be aware of all that factors that go into the development and operation of a major new invention. The implication of this is that no one can understand and predict the operation of a major invention in all circumstances. Technological risk cannot be obviated by the building of entirely predictable systems. Rather risk has become probabilistic with designs being created to hopefully prevent failures causing major loss of life or economic loss rare.

Society must decide if the risks inherent in a technology are acceptable given the benefits tha can be derived from it. Since no complex technology is predictable this acceptance must in some manner be built around a faith in our societies ability to cope with uncertainty. Since no technology can be proved safe in all circumstances, society must be shaped in such a way that it can rapidly cope with unexpected serious failures.

This analysis shows the basic disagreement between the neo-Luddites or technological pessimists and the technological optimists. Pool discusses the work of a Yale sociologist named Charles Perrow who argues that complex technologies cannot be so maintained. They are rife with un-understood emergent properties that render them unmanageable. They are so complex that they cannot be understood by any one person and therefore must be managed centrally and hierarchically by enforcing detailed operation procedures that are the result of long term research by multiple specialists. On the other hand they are prone to unexpected failures and so must be managed locally by workers who can respond to serious contingencies. According to Perrow this is a contradiction that shows that some technologies cannot be managed so as to prevent losses due to accidents. Perrow calls these 'normal accidents'. This is a statement of technological pessimism and is one that calls foe the aggressive use of the 'precautionary principle' in rejecting technologies that cannot be proved safe. Since this is true of most modern technologies it seems as if society must give up the benefits of modern technology in order to remain safe.

However there are many large complex technological systems that function safely. Pool uses the research of Berkeley political science professor Todd a Porte to show this. La Porte discovered may organizations that were managing large scale technologies in a very safe and efficient manner. The characteristic of these organizations is that they combine the properties that Perrow said wee incompatible. The combine a centralized hierarchical control of best practices with distributed local control able to cope with contingencies. La Porte shows how these function in the operation or the US air traffic control systems, military organizations such as aircraft carriers, large chemical manufacturing companies such as Dupont. These overlay a central concern with best practices with an educated workforce who are expected to montitor their own activities, communicate and learn.

This insight demonstrates the technological pessimism inherent in analyses like Perrow's can be overcome. Society can shape itself to be able to benefit from modern technology. Since this benefit will derive from the actions of an educated, self-initiating, learning middle class, technology can also indirectly create social good.

This is book well worth reading. One fault in the book is that Pool does not outline his argument anywhere. In no one pace does he give a clear summery of his ideas. An introduction and a final summary would have improved the book. Nevertheless this is a book this it found to be full of insight. It one that is well worth reading.

Beyond Engineering is the brightest of the many shining stars that make up the Sloan Technology Series. It is easily the most educational, enlightening and thought provoking ("The One Best Way" by Kanigel being a close second) of the series, and will be the barometer by which I personally measure all future popular technology books. Mr. Pool looks at the way in which technology and society shape each other by looking at eight key elements of these interactions. These areas form the chapters of Beyond Engineering, with Mr. Pool frequently using many poignant technological case studies, biotechnology, steam powered automobiles, the Xerox Alto, and many others. The recurring case study which unites the book is that of the nuclear power industry in the U.S. Despite the non-chronological nature of this story, it is told thoroughly, using just the right amount of technical explanation to explain without overwhelming.

Indeed, Mr.Pool began his book as a history of the US Nuclear Power Industry, but changed his topic as several other authors beat him to it ("Nuclear Choices" by R. Wolfson and "Nuclear Renewal" by R. Rhodes). It is a good thing they did, otherwise he would not have looked at this as merely a case study, in which to frame socio-technological interaction. The eight areas that are covered; momentum, idea creation, business, complexity, choices, risk, control and trade-offs are very quickly paced and liberally sprinkled with very poignant references. His thematic review of the subject matter is similar to the author Lisa Jardine's histories of the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. The most frequently referred to text is Kuhn's classic "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." This book could be viewed as the technological adaptation of Kuhn's scientific applications.

There are no ways in which the text disappoints, and it would be difficult to endorse it any more enthusiastically than I am. This book will be of benefit to anyone that works in technology, has a general interest in that area, is curious about nuclear power, or is simply looking for a good book.

There have been many "advice books" on how to make it in the scientific profession in the last decade, this due no doubt to the collapse of the academic job market in the United States, which had been able to absorb even foreign applicants up until about the mid 1990s. The practice of science research luckily though has not been confined to the university, but has taken up residence in industry, where it is currently rising steadily.

This book is not one of these but was written in 1979 and endeavors to give advice on just how a young person is to proceed in their goal of becoming a scientist. There is no advice here on how to get a current academic position, but instead the author gives a fairly optimistic overview of what he believes are criteria for leading one's life as a (succesful) scientist. It is quite a refreshing book to read in that it does not express the cynicism that frequently accompanies contemporary discussion of academic life.

The author is not shy about discussing academic life, both its virtues and its vices. For example he describes an individual, which he mistakenly though calls a "scientist", who plagiarized some photographs and paragraphs of text from a fellow worker and presented them in a scientific essay contest. One of the judges was apparently the person from which the material was stolen, but the aversion to scandal of the culprit's institution caused him to find employment elsewhere. Both acts, the plagiarism and the institution's coverup, are despicable of course, and individuals who engage in them cannot be labeled as scientists, that designation reserved only for those who respect and practice honesty in all phases of their lives.

The rewards for doing scientific research are also described very accurately by the author. The "oceanic feeling" that Freud described when making a discovery is described by the author as something that will definitely keep an individual tied to the scientific profession, if there was any doubt before. The roller coaster ride of confidence and depression that can take place when doing scientific research makes this a welcome feeling, one that goes far beyond any peer recognition or financial rewards.

Most refreshing is that the author decides to discuss sexism and racism in the scientific profession, an issue that has been a severe problem in the history of the university, particularly with women. Women are more welcome in the scientific profession now, but there are issues with such things as maternity leave that still need to be ironed out. The author makes it a point to note that in his experience women do not approach scientific research in any way that is distinctive in comparison with men. Any university that makes a conscious effort to hire women because of social or political pressures is doing itself, and the women (and men) it hires, an extreme disservice. The scientific profession, as all others, is an aristocracy of ability, and hiring decisions should always be decided on merit, not favoritism or some diversity quota system. Nothing can be more heartbreaking than to see enormously talented individuals locked out of positions because they did not have the "right connections".

The are numerous other issues that the author discusses, such as the place of recognition and scientific prizes, and social attitudes about scientists. The book will no doubt be of assistance to at least a few young people who have decided to become scientists. If even just one young person does, the book has done its job.

This book is a collection of advice on different subjects the author finds important for scientists. Some of the advice is helpful. But still the book suffers from several problems: * Its language is often stilted and old-fashioned * Most subjects are only shortly touched (e.g., writing, the scientific process) and a large part of the advice consists of trivialities everybody involved in science certainly knows already. So if you are really interested in in-depth advice on doing science well, you should probably read other, more specialized books (e.g., Krantz: A Primer of Mathematical Writing). Thus the title of the book is rather misleading: The book is not for scientists (not even for young scientists), but it might be the book of choice for people who have to decide whether to go into science, or for people who just want to have a taste of what scientific life is about.

Professor Medawar is much aware of following in the footsteps of William Cobbett, (the famous 'Advice to Young Men and (incidentally) to Young Women', written in the early 1800's and still in print), and wishes to avoid being dull and preachy. He is incapable of either, and he here shares his experience of a distinguished career in the biological sciences for the benefit of the aspiring scientist in any research discipline. This book would be useful to anyone entertaining the idea of a science-based career, certainly up to the graduate stage. It is also probably of specific interest to any biologist whether student, teacher, or researcher. This is an original and personal book, by a writer who won a Nobel prize in 1960 for his research in the area of human tissue transplants. He is here both literate and highly practical; the wisdom of a lifetime, normally only acquired slowly by personal life experience, is distilled and decanted with dry humour.

The chapters cover: 'How can I tell if I am cut out to be a scientific research worker?', which contains a revealing and exceedingly quick intelligence test, (and which would probably be of great value as a surprise question in executive job interviews). A psychologist would classify this as a very direct test of 'little g', or the general intelligence factor, and it is refreshingly free of bias due to gender, culture, and educational attainment level.

The chapter 'What shall I do research on?' contains the observations of a typical biologist, very down to earth. Likewise, 'How can I equip myself to be a scientist?', which contains guidance on balancing reading research with hands on activity.

'Aspects of scientific life and manners' is the best chapter: an excellent set of observations on teamwork, respect for colleagues, the scientist's moral requirement of dedication to Truth, how to handle mistakes, giving fair credit for discoveries, and how to keep your friends (by handling the critical scientific habit of mind correctly! Take notes...). The snobismus (a most excellent neologism) divide between pure and applied science, and between technicians and researchers is also noted and handled well.

The professor interestingly distinguishes between four types of experiment. The Baconian or messing around type; the Aristotelian or proving a point type; the Galilean or critical type (the normal type as most think of science today); and the Kantian or thought experiment, much beloved of the other Greeks.

'The Scientific Process' analyses and challenges Kuhn's theory of scientific paradigms and paradigm shifts. And the chapter 'Scientific Meliorism versus Scientific Messianism' concerns the psychology and worldview of scientists, and throws some enjoyable light on his debates with C. S. Lewis, whom he knew well. This latter debate proves (although he would deny it), that although he approaches C. P. Snow's ideal of the man who can bridge the two cultures - of those schooled in the humanities, and those in the sciences - he fails. The disparity in the cultural worldviews is too great. The book is usefully rounded off with an index.

The professor is keenly aware throughout that, as he simply observes, 'scientists are people': practical but fallible, given to snobbery but capable of egregious open-mindedness, technocratic but social optimists at heart. All in all, Medawar is the best of teachers, teaching with his heart and his head: he dispels stereotypes, he advises on handling your emotions, he inspires. This type of book is all too rare.

Michael JR Jose, amarula4@yahoo.co.uk

I was looking forward to reading this book and when I finally did it was a let down. It's not scary. It seems to be written to scare children rather than to inspire chills or midnight scrambling to turn on all the light in the house.
Read his book Quit Your Job and move to Key West. Now that's a great book!

Although the ghost stories in this book won't keep you up nights, it's still a nice introduction to the ghost stories of Key West.

I suggest reading the book before a trip to Key West. Stay at one of the "haunted" b&b's and maybe grab a meal at the Hard Rock. Follow up the trip with the walking ghost tour. A great way to spice up a trip to the Keys.

This is a great ghost story book of Key West. Pictures are excellent and add an authentic creepy reality to the stories. I also highly recommend the tour leaving from La Concha, it is awesome! I read the book after the tour and was surprised to find different stories in it that we had not heard on the tour. As a fan of ghost books and city tours, I can say that both were better than that of St. Augustine or New Orleans. 3 cheers for Key Weird!

British mystery that starts out interesting when a human finger is dropped by a crow and found by two hikers, the solving of the supposed murder tends to be dull and fails to captivate the reader.

In C.D. Sloan's most bizarre case to date, a human finger turns up on a walkway in the country. This sends Sloan and his inimitable sidekick Crosby on the trail to find a corpse, and then to find a murderer. Those readers who don't like British Procedurals done in the classic format probably don't appreciate Catherine Aird as much as those of us that do like these, but she writes wonderful mysteries. The plots are always tight, and the characters are drawn very well, and everything is done so understated and so verry, verry, British. She writes with a tongue-in-cheek at all times, and the understated remarks and asides that come from her detective are wonderful. They are funny, warm and human. We also see a good example of the "long arm of the law" in this book as Sloan gets help from everywhere to track his killer. Wonderful little book, and one of the best puzzlers in this series.

The Berebury Country Footpaths Society's rallying cry - "Every walk a challenge" - usually throws down a gauntlet in front of the owner of the land over which they propose to walk rather than the walkers, if the land has an official public footpath or right of way. The challenge for their walk over Footpath 79 turns out not to be the walk itself, but the decomposing human finger dropped by a crow in front of Wendy Lamport while she checks out the state of the footpath prior to the walk.

According to Dr. Dabbe, the Berebury police pathologist, the finger isn't medical waste - somewhere an unburied human body is lying in the open where a crow can pick off anything it wants. In the farming area of Great Rooden - which is also fox-hunting country - where could a corpse have lain long enough to get into this state? And who could it be, since no missing person reports seem to tally with the finger?

Of course, it could be any of several unaccounted-for people who aren't the usual type of missing person: the alcoholic black-sheep son of a local respectable farmer, an unfaithful husband with a mistress somewhere, or a financier who pulled a fast fade just ahead of the auditors.

Inspector CD Sloan and his assistant, Constable Crosby, first have to "catch their hare" - find the corpse. My compliments to any reader who deduces where the body was stashed before the search parties locate it. Once they find it, there's no doubt that this is murder, but plenty of doubt that the owner of the property on which it was found had any knowledge of it.

Apart from the murder and its clever cover-up, we finally get a chance to meet perpetual constable Ted Mason of Great Rooden: the bane of Superintendent Leeyes' existence, since he can't be manipulated by the carrot (promotion would mean leaving Great Rooden) or the stick (he's a good cop; Great Rooden is the quietest beat in the county through his efforts).