Customer Reviews:
Read this to understand programmers.......2006-03-30
I have to say, this is a great book, almost unique in its scope; I wish there were more books like this. There are many collections of short biographies of mathematicians, and a few of computer scientists, but that's not quite the same as programmers. If you want to know what programmers do, the best thing is to read their code, but failing that (or in addition to that) you need to read interviews like this. I wish someone would do another book like this covering programmers of the last 15 years, but this one has a very good selection of programmers from the early PC era, and the interviews are very well-done: they let the programmer speak, yet the interviewer keeps them on track.
I'm sure some people will object: "How can this be a great book; it's from Microsoft Press! It features Bill Gates on the cover! Four times larger than anyone else!" Perhaps it would be better if Gates' picture were smaller, but admit it -- how many of the other faces do you recognize? And the fact is, billg was an extremely influential programmer, and the interview with him is a good one. I liked it so much I was inspired to write a short fiction piece on the subject (search for "Y2K Saga").
But don't just take my word on this book: trust the "customers who bought this"; they're also buying heroes of the open source movement like Joel and ESR, as well as (to my mind) the two best author/consultants in the business, Demarco and Weinberg.
It may still take you ten years to become an expert programmer, but carefully reading this book should speed up your quest, or at least let you understand better the programmers around you.
Average customer rating:
- A real page turner....
- It could have been a great book!
- The title has a double meaning...
- A great read!
- A catalyst to understanding our forefathers...
|
Tempus Fugit
Lawrence Lee Rowe
Manufacturer: MDR Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0976766809
Release Date: 2005-12-05 |
Book Description
What would our founding fathers do if they suddenly found themselves in the present-day United States? Bask in their anonymity? Announce themselves to the world? Emigrate? Revolt? Run for office?
Journey with our founders as they discover airplanes, Constitutional amendments, World Wars and the Kennedy Assassination. Watch CNN and Jerry Springer with George Washington, meet emancipated African Americans with Thomas Jefferson, surf the web with Benjamin Franklin. Relive defining moments in our history through our forefathers' perspectives, and enter their minds as they adapt the principles of their time to ours. Become intimate with Jefferson's genius and hypocrisy, Franklin's wit and wisdom, Washington's honesty and bravery.
Our founders wrote extensively on everything from corporations to direct election of Senators to involvement in European wars. Historians have also studied them at great length. Lawrence Lee Rowe Jr. has synthesized this information to give a vivid and accurate sense of their personalities, morals and political beliefs. The result is a fast-paced, profound, often hilarious story that brings Washington, Franklin and Jefferson back to life.
Customer Reviews:
A real page turner...........2006-10-03
A great read, held me from start to finish. A little hard to swallow the dialog, but still it's believeable considering the time which the founders came from. Can't wait for the next in the series.
It could have been a great book!.......2006-08-24
Tempus Fugit is a delightful book in conception and partly in execution, but is vastly annoying in its manifold errors. It could have been a four-star book if the author had hired a good proofreader to examine the manuscript, and a five-star one with some attention to historical detail.
The personalities of the founders were enjoyable, but not completely accurate. I doubt that Washington would engage in the easy first-name camaraderie and repartee we see in the book. I believe that it was Alexander Hamilton in real life who once called him "George" and was made to know that this informal address was out of line. Speaking of Hamilton, he accused Jefferson of breeding mulatto children, selling them on the auction block, and making a profit of his own debauchery. Indeed Jefferson was not "enlightened" regarding slavery and equality of whites and blacks, and yet, I have never found that he used the "N-word" to the exclusion of all others in referring to the Negro race. Likewise, Franklin is known to have done more than admire the feminine figure, and yet his every waking thought was not focused upon sexual conquest, as we see in Tempus Fugit.
I jotted down dozens of historical and grammatical errors as I read the book, and I allowed many errors to pass unjotted, simply because I grew weary of reaching for my pencil. On page 183 there was even an error in our national anthem, for heaven's sake!
I hasten to say that Rowe engaged in an enormous amount of historical research and did do many things right in casting the founders' interpretation of modern marvels into their historical perspective. Yet he made many errors. Washington refers to his wife as "Martha," yet no one ever called her by that name. From an infant she was known as "Patsy." All her family and friends called her "Patsy." In later life some called her "Mrs. Washington" or "Lady Washington," but never "Martha." Rowe thinks that three presidents were impeached, when only two were. He suggests that Christians have changed the Bible, when the Qumran scrolls and other ancient documents prove that the Bible has been accurately transmitted. Rowe thinks that Jefferson founded the Republican Party, when in fact history credits him with founding the Democratic Party. He thinks that FDR was elected to three terms, not four. He thinks Washington actually had wooden false teeth.
There are many linguistic anachronisms also. "Hopefully" is used adverbially as Jefferson would not have used it. Washington uses "contact" as a verb, a usage not invented until early in the 20th century and still not universally accepted. I do not believe that 18th century men referred to all women as "wenches" nor to all paper as "parchment." "Mug" was not used in the sense of attacking to rob until 1865 or thereabouts.
Possibly the most distressing errors are the grammatical ones. These fall into two categories, those made by the founders and those made by the narrator. We know that Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin were skilled writers and speakers who would not have made innumerable grammatical errors. Nowadays many people approve the use of split infinitives. Rowe is one of them. However, as Rowe portrays the founders, they can hardly open their mouths without splitting infinitives, something they would never have done in real life. Each time I hear or read a split infinitive it jars on me. Normally when I read a book I can say that it contained three split infinitives, or whatever. Tempus Fugit uses them so wantonly and profusely that I soon lost count. When Rowe and the founders used multiple split infinitives on one page, my mind reeled. Even worse is the way the founders use the nominative case again and again when they should have used the objective. Franklin says "a historian," when he actually would have said "an historian." Washington says "between" when he means "among." Something tells me that the founders did not use contractions as copiously in real life as they do in this book.
I could go on and on and on, but you get the idea. Rowe plans a sequel. I beg and plead with him that he hires a proofreader and historian to examine his manuscript. Even with the innumerable errors, I found the book lively and entertaining. I easily got three stars worth of enjoyment from it, while at the same time lamenting HOW GOOD IT COULD HAVE BEEN.
The title has a double meaning..........2006-08-01
...because not only does "time fly" for its protagonists, it also flies for the reader who turns its pages.
The premise on which Tempus Fugit begins is that three of our Founding Fathers--George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin--are duplicated out of time by some unknown agency, a year or two before their respective deaths, and deposited together in the modern-day United States at the Mount Rushmore monument with $100,000 in seed money. The story follows their adventures as they learn to cope with and try to blend into this brave new world and find answers to the primary question on their minds: what sort of nation has their fledgling Republic grown up to be? They also wonder about the identity of the strange agency that brought them to this new time, and what its purpose might have been, though answers to that question are less forthcoming.
Tempus Fugit is quite well-written, structurally and dramatically. The prose is neither amateurish nor impenetrable. Even the 18th-century-idiomatic dialogue of the Founding Fathers is surprisingly readable; where context does not suffice to illuminate meaning, the author provides convenient footnotes to explain obsolescent usages or historical contexts. In fact, there is so much historical information that the book sometimes seems like 2/3 novel and 1/3 political history textbook. However, it manages to present the history very naturalistically, only resorting to footnotes when character dialogue does not cover it completely.
Reading the book, one has the sense that Rowe put a great deal of research into its writing, learning our Founding Fathers inside and out. He does not pull any punches, either; the threesome are presented as human beings with feet of clay, rather than the idols whose faces we carve into mountains and put on currency. Washington is a man of more action than thought, who can act impetuously and without mercy when necessary. Franklin is a genius, but a very lecherous and bawdy one who is prone to earthy humor and whose occasionally scathing wit can cause even his best friends to cringe. And Jefferson is a childish, hypocritical racist who can't change his thinking no matter how hard he tries--and his attitudes get both him and the others into trouble more than once. The trio of Founding Fathers do not get along perfectly; they sometimes bicker over group decisions, and an old grievance causes tension between Washington and Jefferson despite Jefferson's attempts at reconciliation.
It should be noted that the book doesn't pull punches where obscenity is concerned, either. The F-word is used from time to time, as well as a certain N-word that was in common usage in a neutral sense in the Founders' day but has since come to be considered a racial epithet. (Coming to terms with this is one of the adjustments the Founders have to make in getting accustomed to the present-day.) There is also some graphically-described violence, as the threesome are accosted by a pair of thugs who discover the hard way that it's not wise to mug even a 65-year-old George Washington. And at times the book's humor becomes a touch earthy, especially on the part of Franklin.
But despite these unpulled punches, the book is great fun. The Founding Fathers come across as real people, with their little foibles and idiosyncrasies. It's amusing to watch them make guesses based on incomplete information and get some things wrong, but a lot of things remarkably right. Rowe doesn't present them as some kind of backwoods bumpkins; he reminds us that Franklin and Jefferson were among the brightest intellects of their time, classically educated and keen thinkers--and if Washington wasn't as brilliant, he was at least blessed with abundant common sense. Placed into this strange new situation, their reactions are clear-minded and rational as they set out to learn as much as they possibly can. And some of the situations they get into along the way are absolutely hilarious--for example, the Founding Fathers' reactions to daytime television are not to be missed.
If the narrative has any serious flaws, they are only that from time to time incidental characters spout off dialogue that sounds incredibly artificial, almost like they were giving a prepared speech. People don't talk like that in real life, but it is necessary that the points they make be overheard by the Founders so that they can discuss what people think of them, or of events that happened after them. Also, the book is obviously the first in a series, so it does not so much end as come to a stopping point.
All in all, Tempus Fugit is a great work of historical speculative fiction, and much the sort of thing I would have expected to come out of a political SF house like Baen, rather than being self-published. I'll be looking forward to the sequel, which is apparently due sometime in spring, 2007.
A great read!.......2006-07-22
I couldn't put this book down and it lingered in my mind for weeks after reading it.
It's clear from the details in Rowe's elegant prose that he conducted extensive research. And he didn't shirk from writing sometimes less-than-flattering portraits of these iconic men based on what he learned about them. The book is all the better for this "warts and all" approach. In the glossy, Disney-fied culture that is America today, revisionist history that gives us a more realistic view of our roots is welcome -- especially when it's as well written as this.
A catalyst to understanding our forefathers..........2006-07-13
I've always been facinated with historical fiction, more so than the encyclopedic versions. Reading these types of novels spurs me to research and learn about the people and their lives where I wouldn't otherwise.
I admit that the portrayal of Jefferson is unnerving, but I think the author was showing his own bravery on this point. Instead of massaging Jefferson into a Disneyesque ex-President, simply get into his character with what you know of him from your research and write him as you think he was. I think the author has succeeded in that I can view Jefferson in a roundabout fashion, not really adhering exactly to the manner in which he is depicted. But having shown his intellect, his racist, and "spoiled child" attitudes, it gives the reader a sense of who the man probably was.
I have always thought a motion picture of George Washington would be like Superman in real life. His physical nature seems so daunting that I can't imagine such a movie, if done well, being less than an Acadamy award sweep. Washington was an extraordinary human and to see him come to life in this book was wonderful.
The book portrays Franklin as a genius beyond compare and that is as it should be. Of course I didn't know he was a rogue and I'll happily look for more history of the man. I think I like him quite a bit more than I ever gave thought and want to research him as much as I can.
The book is wonderful, if you like this sort of thing. I think it's easy to take advantage of history when writing fiction, but Rowe seems to have done an enormous amount of research to back his writing. And the writing itself is consistent and well done. I never once felt uncomfortable with the prose. The story is light at times and dark at others, but overall, I loved it...and hope Rowe writes a sequel to compare.
Book Description
Part of the Tempus History & Guide series, this book offers an in-depth look and detailed mile-by-mile analysis of Offa's Dyke, against the background of the political and social context of Offa's kingdom of Mercia.
Book Description
Emphasizing soft stretching and meditation exercises, the ultimate goal of Japanese yoga-known as Shin-shin-toitsu-do-is enhanced mind/body integration, calmness, and willpower for a healthier and fuller life. Developed by Dr. Tempu Nakamura in the early 1900s from Indian yoga, Eastern arts, and Western medicine and psychotherapy, Japanese yoga offers a new approach to experienced yoga students and a natural methodology that newcomers will find easy to learn.
After a brief history of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, H. E. Davey presents Dr. Nakamura's Four Basic Principles to Unify Mind and Body. These principles relate the meditative experience to the movement of everyday living and thus make it a "dynamic" meditation. Each of the Four Basic Principles is illustrated with step-by-step explanations of practical experiments.
Readers are then introduced to different forms of seated and moving meditation, health exercises, and self-healing arts. All these are linked back to the Four Basic Principles and can enhance performance in art, music, business, sports, and other activities. Readers learn to use Japanese yoga techniques throughout the day, without having to sit on the floor or seek out a quiet space.
Included at the end of the book are simple but effective stretching exercises, information about ongoing practice, and a glossary and reference section. Amply illustrated and cogently presented, Japanese Yoga belongs in every yoga section and on every mind/body/spirit reading list.
H. E. Davey is Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area and has studied directly with disciples of Nakamura Sensei.
Customer Reviews:
Learn techniques to master your mind, body, spirit.......2007-04-23
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (3/07)
"Japanese Yoga: the Way of Dynamic Meditation" introduces the form of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, which means "the way of mind and body unification." The author describes it as "the direct investigation of universal principles for living." He believes that we can transform our lives by following this practice. It was created by Dr. Nakamara Tempu, also a sensei, when he went to India in the early 1900's to study yoga. In developing Shin-shin-toistuo-do Dr. Tempu incorporated his knowledge of martial arts, western medicine and psychology, and healing into this form.
Shin-shin-toistu-do is different from Indian yoga. It uses a variety of stretching exercises, breathing methods, methods of seated and moving meditation, massage-like healing techniques, auto-suggestion techniques, and mind and body coordination drills. Included are also principles for the unification of the mind and body. This practice is very practical and can be used in our everyday life.
We are encouraged to use this practice because it will teach us to transcend our bodies and it places a higher importance on mental and physical health over material wealth. In reading and learning about this practice, I appreciated the humbleness of Mr. Davey. He encourages the reader to look inside ourselves to find truth, not at him.
I think that this is a great book for anyone interested in meditation and healing techniques. I think that people with a passion for the Japanese martial arts will really benefit from the training. It is in no way difficult to follow and Mr. Davey keeps it very interesting. He also provides resources to accessing instruction and supplies, and a glossary for quick reference.
My personal interests lie in Japanese martial arts and healing. I am pursuing my third degree black belt in karate and have been attuned to mastery level in Reiki. I was very excited to read "Japanese Yoga," because I felt that in addition to assisting me with my everyday life, it will also help me to achieve my next levels of training in the other art forms. Physically and mentally, I will benefit, especially as I feel myself physically aging. I also think that incorporating something new into my life will bring an additional excitement to my training.
Leading life in a positive way.......2007-04-09
One of the key principles of Japanese Yoga or shin-shin toitsu do is being and staying positive. When you stay positive, the ki or the energy starts to flow in you. When you turn negative, the ki stops flowing. It is as simple as that! H. E. Davey writes in a simple and most effective manner to instill in one this simple principle.
If you are practicing Yoga for some time, you will know that Yoga is not all postures. Living life to its maximum is yoga; letting that universal energy flow through you uninterrupted is yoga. The author writes about the teachings of his master - Nakamura sensei. While acknowledging the roots of Japanese Yoga lies in the ancient practice from India, Nakamura sensei went on to form the foundations of Japanese yoga through his own interpretations and experiences.
As with staying positive, concentration of the mind is a big part of the book. There are several exercises/techniques (candle gazing, listening to the fading of the ringing bells to eternity) explained in the book and how, with such exercises once can connect to the universal energy. The exercise with a pendant is a simple and profound way to illustrate the effects of the mind on the body. You will find the many gentle stretching and ki stimulating exercises easy to learn and practice. This is one of the yoga books that I could read through without the express need to 'know' the steps of postures, the sequences and combinations of different categories of postures, etc, etc.
I found the book to be simple and devoid of the numerous asanas that one needs to learn to 'practice' yoga. You need to read quite a bit of the book to get a sense of what Dynamic Meditation is. That's how this book is different. If Yoga were to be condensed into a two-page booklet readied for a crash course, then there wouldn't be so many books on the subject. Each author and each way of yoga uses a different and often unique way to get the message across. H. E. Davey speaks from his own experience and practice in writing this book and in it you will find a different and welcome way of practicing yoga. This book will be a unique addition to your Yoga library.
The connection between the Body and Mind.......2005-08-13
`Japanese Yoga' is comparatively an easy book to read and to follow. The author has a good gasp of Japanese culture and its philosophies. His explanations are relatively easy to follow. I think the paradox of Japanese is that they don't say much as most of their communication is through their actions and Davey has managed to explain many of demonstrated action into simple words. Although the book has fewer illustrations of yoga techniques which was rather disappointing but the explanation behind `Japanese Yoga' concept was well handled by the author. I will certainty recommend this book to any student who is keen to understand the basic principles and the source behind various exercises discussed in the book and those who are keen to understand the primary connection between the body and mind.
affects you daily life from DAY ONE...........2003-07-02
'Japanese Yoga' is a surprising book that affects your daily life from day one that you practice it.
The fact that i keep on practicing it everyday is a solid proof that the exercises are helpful in many ways.
The author H.E. DAVEY reveals in a clear and instructive way the teachings of NAKAMURA TEMPU SENSEI.
Both the psychological and spiritual background of his method are written in a down-to-earth way and without acting as a 'guru'.
Each of the principles has a PRACTICAL pendant as an exercise or test to make you really feel what is meant. In this way these principles are not mere assumptions, but become true and real, here and now.
For example : the principle that the mind moves and controls the body : the author includes several tests and exercises to make you find out for yourself what is meant.
The practice of Japanese Yoga has a lot to offer : stretching exercises, improvement of posture and breathing, centered movement, healing skills, meditation etc. These are not too difficult for most people, if practiced in the right frame of mind. And they are beneficial indeed.
The author suggests that there could follow a second volume of this book. i would be very pleased to read and learn more about Japanese Yoga.
H.E. Davey also wrote "Living the Japanese Arts and Ways", 45 paths to meditation and beauty. This volume
further explores the Japanese Ways (do) and is equally interesting and revealing. It looks at "body-and-mind-
unification" through the traditional crafts and arts of Japan.
Not Just a How-To Book.......2002-08-01
If you're just interested in whether I liked this book or not, I'll get that out of the way first. I enjoyed this book and I expect to read it again in the near future.
I should mention, before discussing the contents, that this book is well-constructed. I like to read on airplanes and took this book on several short trips. It not only fits well into carryon luggage, but also withstands the rigors of travel and hotels extremely well.
This is not just a how-to type of book. Readers will not be overwhelmed by images of slim, svelte individuals in contortionist stances or situations. Rather, this book discusses the mental process of meditation. Any physical postures or exercises mentioned seem to be designed to facilitate the meditation process, not merely to lose weight or
fit in with the burgeoning yoga crowd.
I don't think there is any one good manner of addressing the mental processes, especially those of meditation. It is just too complicated an area. This author takes the approach of discussing some of the short-term goals of the incremental steps of his method, Shin-shin-toitsu-do, rather than ephemeral discussions of long-term, years-down-the-line goals. He
repeats important points, usually from different angles and perspectives. This approach can be heavy-handed and burdensome, if not done correctly.
Mr. Davey keeps his approach light. Just when it seems he is going to spoil things, he is off on another tangent that brings the reader back to the same goal.
I couldn't read this book in one sitting, although it is not a ponderous tome. I felt the need to break it into many short, educational readings. Sometimes just a snippet, sometimes reading longer. The material was presented in an easy manner, free of self-importance, yet not disrespectful. I know I probably didn't pick up all the important material
discussed, but I put it down with the feeling that I had found something that was important. I will read this book again, soon.
Average customer rating:
|
Tempus Fugit: Time Flies
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0942614321 |
Book Description
Tempus Fugit: Time Flies examines time as both natural phenomenon and cultural construct, as manifested in works of art dating from 900 BCE to the present. Essays by 23 scholars explore the relativity of time.
One section of the book looks closely at time as a dominant concern in 20th-century art. From Einsteinian space-time, Bergsonian subjective duration, and Freudian non-linear dreamtime, with their respective impacts upon art of the early century, to late-century involvements with critical theory and time-based art (performance, video, and electronic intermedia), this century's reinvention of time and altered notions of history are considered.
A second section explores the meanings of time embodied in works of art from 12 world cultures. Assyrian eternal time, Medieval European apocalyptic time, Indian cosmic, cyclical time, African ancestral time, Native American episodic temporality, and the complex calendrics of the Maya are among the subjects explored. The final section addresses time from the perspective of those charged with rescuing and protecting works of art from the ravages of time: art conservators. Both the creative time of the artist and the patina of time acquired by the art object are documented.
Average customer rating:
- Time: The Familiar Stranger
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Time: The Familiar Stranger (Tempus)
J. T. Fraser
Manufacturer: Tempus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Consciousness & Thought | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1556151713 |
Customer Reviews:
Time: The Familiar Stranger.......2000-03-03
This book journeys into a realm that few of us spend much effort thinking about. The paradox being that we all are a part of this mass movement. This is an excellent book. Anyone who thinks much about existance of humanity or reasons of being should read this book. I feel it reveals much about how we choose to live our lives and why we take on the pursuits we do.
Book Description
Anyone who gambles, plays cards, loves puzzles, or simply seeks an intellectual challenge will love this amusing and thought-provoking book. With wit and clarity, the authors deftly progress from simple arithmetic to calculus and non-Euclidean geometry. "Charming and exciting." — Saturday Review of Literature. 169 figures.
Customer Reviews:
Math Puzzles That Challenges the Brain.......2006-11-10
I am thoroughly enjoying the challenges to my brain that I am finding in this book. it was well worth the price I paid
Enjoyable.......2006-11-06
If you like mathematics and how numbers and formulas work, it's worth having a look.
Great for high schoolers with interest.......2003-12-06
My only complaint is its lack of rigor and the fact that it is getting rather out-of-date; besides that, this is the sort of book that everyone interested in math should read while they're in high school.
Indulge your enjoyment of mathematics and expand your mind.......2001-11-05
My school teacher gave me this book to read when I was 13 years old, based on the interest I showed in Mathematics that went beyond the curriculum at school. In many ways it was way beyond my comprehension at the time, but little did I know that it would have such a lasting effect on me. Reading about concepts of infinity, that you could only describe to a fellow teenager as "different sizes of infinity", I realized that there really is a philosophy of mathematics that transcends all other subjects and that there is also an art to working with the subject. I can't recommend this book enough, and I never did give it back to my teacher!
Somewhat dated but still well worth reading.......2001-06-13
Originally published in 1940, the material in this book is beginning to show a little age. However, the quality of the writing renders those defects to near irrelevancy. Popular descriptions of mathematics are differentiated by the quality of the writing rather than the distinctiveness of the mathematics, and this one shines.
I like this book, starting with the title. It takes an enormous amount of imagination to do mathematics, something unappreciated by the public. It is easy to understand the use of linear segments to approximate the length of a curve. However, it requires an enormous leap of abstraction to believe that if they are made of zero length and then summed up, the result is the true length. Calculus students dutifully record and apply this, but in most cases don't appreciate the significance of the idea. In nearly all cases of major mathematical advancement, a fundamental change in thought processes was necessary. Those changes require imagination and the advances explained in this book are well documented and described.
Mathematicians are containers of some of the greatest concentrations of imagination that humans possess. Their leaps of abstraction often include descriptions of objects that cannot be visualized. Kasner and Newman capture this essential ingredient, serving it up in palatable portions.
Average customer rating:
- Still Years Ahead of its Time
- Dated classic, well worth reading
- Steal this book! Then sell it to me.
- A bona fide computer culture classic
- inspirational
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Computer Lib/Dream Machines (Tempus)
Theodor H. Nelson
Manufacturer: Microsoft Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, 20th Anniversary Edition
ASIN: 0914845497 |
Customer Reviews:
Still Years Ahead of its Time.......2004-09-29
Two books you MUST read if you are remotely interested in humanities future.This one and Literary Machines.In CL/DM the article "The Mightiest Computer" is STILL light years ahead of most of the computer world.After you have read both of these books be sure to download zigzag ,cosmicbook and the demo's from xanadu.com ...and marvel!
Dated classic, well worth reading.......2002-12-12
When the first self-published edition came out in 1974, Ted Nelson's two-sided classic about the current and wished-for state of computers-as-cultural-tool had the memetic impact of a big ol' 2 x 4 to the forehead on the few who read it.
In an era when IBM dominated the industry, and the best most social critics could come up with vis-a-vis computers was an incoherent babble about punch cards and Big Brother, it revealed a side of computing few had seen, and dared to dream about knowledge-sharing networks and graphic interfaces.
In 1989, I bought two dozen copies of this book (Microsoft Press edition). I gave some copies to friends, but most went to my co-workers at a small home-PC company. It was a coolness test. People who talked about it, who GOT it, I had hope for. Those who didn't get it, or scoffed, I marked as duffers. Alas, this included many of the company's higher ups.
Why only four stars for what was once an utterly invaluable tome, a source of inspiration, a shining literary beacon of hope? Mostly because much of what Computer Lib / Dream Machines advocated has come to pass (albeit in ways that Nelson would probably not prefer). Partially because the battle to complete the job has moved into other spheres: Legal, commercial, and the nitty-gritty work of actual product creation.
If you see a copy, or either edition, BUY IT.
Steal this book! Then sell it to me........2001-04-25
I discovered this book while working at Microsoft. They have 3 copies! It is the most profound book on computer systems, information networks and how to become a literate computer user/advocate ever written. If you find a copy I will pay top dollar for it!
A bona fide computer culture classic.......2000-02-02
Theodor Nelson is an academic and computer visionary who is generally credited with creating the term "hypertext" in 1965. While hypertext had been conceived of as early as the 1940s, Nelson was the first to construct it within the context of the emerging computer technologies of the 1960s and 70s as a new mode of publication.
The word "visionary" gets thrown around quite a bit when one talks about computers and the Internet: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos ... all visionaries. And then you read this book, which originally appeared in the 1970s, based on ideas Nelson developed in the 1960s, and you discover what visionary really means.
Dream Machines is a bona fide computer culture classic; it is shocking that such an influential and important book is out of print.
inspirational.......1999-09-10
Ted Nelson has given us a vision. The vision, and this book itself describe a paradox: quaint and futuristic at the same time. It's two books in one cover, and it's easy to pick up and read at any point. Bring it back in print so more can enjoy it! This author coined the term "hypertext", and describes a universe slightly parallel to ours, where the WorldWideWeb is known as Xanadu, where electronic documents are linked and not embedded; where authors could receive monetary credit for citations or purchases. My copy of this book is from the Microsoft Press reprints in the 80's. I still fondle it often. It's one of those books that get stolen from your bookshelf, or you leave on the table for months. I find the author can explain computer science and computer graphics in simple, fun terms. This book is a classic computer book, and it explains the wonder and the pleasure that some people get from computers in a wildly creative way. It's a love story, it's a "punk hacker" story, it's a tragedy. The source code to xanadu has been released this year, revitalizing the questions raised in this book. Not everyone will agree with Ted Nelson, but I think this is a great book.
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- Rock n' Blues Harmonica: A World of Harp Knowledge, Songs, Stories, Lessons, Riffs, Techniques and Audio Index for a New Generation of Harp Players (Includes ... book and 74 minute stereo CD Jamming Buddy)
- Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman
- Scenic Driving Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park
- Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul
- Shadows in the Starlight (Changeling)
- Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog: A Mystery by the internationally bestselling author of The Winter Queen (Mortalis)
- Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger, Knight's Cross
- Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems (Caldecott Honor Book, BCCB Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award)
- Space Wolf: The First Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000 Novels)
Books Index
Books Home
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