Book Description
If you are anime/manga collector or fan, you have had a burning desire to learn how to draw the popular characters by yourself. However, you may be worried that you cannot draw as well as people in art clubs or in cartoon clubs because drawing is difficult - don't worry, many people feel the same way. This series was written to help those who are interested in drawing, but are worried about the challenges involved with it. If you change the way you look at an object - even just a little, you can succeed.
Customer Reviews:
total waste of money!!!.......2007-04-07
this book was not helpful at all!!!i had just recently got into manga and anime drawing so i thought that this book would be helpful to me you know with the title being "basics for beginners" and all. all it did was show me useless information.all it does is show you characters made out of these weird rectangle type things only and then the finished project (but thats all no hair no clothes no nothing), instead of step-by-step directions on everything. if you are a beginner i would highly reccomend NOT, i repeat NOT getting this book!!! it confused me and didn't actually show me how to draw anything!!!if your a beginner and don't know where to start, your not alone!!! although this is the first book i ever got on the whole anime subject i would suggest some other how to draw manga books but definately not this one. try how to draw manga ultimate manga lessons volumes 1-6 and more how to draw manga volumes 1-4. believe me if you want, if you think diferently and want to try it any way be my guest but in my oppinion it's a total waste of money!!! hope this helped!!!
How to Draw Anime & Game Characters VOL.1 Review.......2007-01-18
I would say pick this book up, because i am not a beginner but i still got alot out of it. If you want to get into drawing anime or game characters or you want to be pick this one up. This book really helped me brush up on my basics.I also fully intend to follow up with all the rest of the books in this sereies.
Nice Book.......2007-01-10
Bought it as a Christmas gift for one of my nieces. I looked through it before I gave it to her. The book looks like it's got alot to offer. Maybe I'll get one for myself in the future.
tasteless.......2006-06-28
This book tasteless. There are comics in the back of the book where there is a pedophilia scene. A young boy is seduced by a older man. It's not very nice. It also shows how to draw seductivley. This book is not appropriate for young people.
It's awesome .......2005-11-06
I would recommend this for all beggining artist in magna, it has helped me alot, now i'm on the search for a magna book that teaches to draw clothing. This will really increase your drawing prowess
Book Description
What would legendary Boston Celtics coach and 16-time NBA champion Red Auerbach say is the most critical quality for a person to be successful? Would his advice differ from 10-time NCAA championship coach John Wooden's? What would each say to a young person just starting out in pursuit of their dreams? What is the best advice they were ever given?
It took author Christian Klemash more than two years of research, persistence, and original interviews, but now he's ready to pass on the best advice you'll ever get. Only the rare individual has had the opportunity to pick the brain of just one legendary sports coach—let alone thirty-four of the best sports coaches of all time. Klemash gives sports fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn valuable life lessons from the most famous, intelligent, and victorious coaches ever. The legends span the sports world, from gold medal-winning gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi and three-time college football championship coach Tom Osborne to four-time World Series-winning baseball manager Joe Torre and hall-of-fame boxing trainer Angelo Dundee.
These coaches know how to teach top athletes about character and winning, how to manage pressure at crunch time, and how to bring out the best in their players when it matters most. How to Succeed in the Game of Life shares their insights into sports, life, and the most vital keys to sustain success.Featuring Exclusive Interviews with:
Red Auerbach, 16-time NBA World Champion
Bobby Bowden, College Football's All-Time Winningest Coach, 2-time National Champion
Scotty Bowman, 9-time Stanley Cup Champion
Bill Cowher, Super Bowl Champion
Tony Dungy, Super Bowl Champion
Dan Gable, 15-time NCCA Champion
April Heinrichs, Gold Medal Winning Coach of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team
Bela Karolyi, The World’s Greatest Gymnastics Coach
Bill Parcells, 2-time Super Bowl Champion
Emanuel Steward, Boxing Trainer of 30 World Champions
Joe Torre, 4-time World Series Champion
Bill Walsh, 3-time Super Bowl Champion
Lenny Wilkens, NBA’s All-Time Winningest Coach, NBA Champion
John Wooden, 10-time NCAA Champion
And More!
Customer Reviews:
A Great Read.......2007-08-26
Wow!Could not put it down.An extraordinay self help book.Gave it to my kids they loved it.Don't miss this one
What a great read!.......2007-07-25
I took it on vacation with me and I couldn't put it down. A great book for aspiring athletes and coaches as well as your average Joe who works 9-5. The coaches discuss a variety of topics from their childhood to how they motivate their players. Any easy read for all ages.
Game of life.......2007-07-24
I've read through Game of Life and I enjoyed it very much. There are so many things to take from this book, not just into sports, but also some reflections on life. I would recommend this book to everybody.
Coaching advise from athletic coaches.......2007-06-27
A fun read, especially if yoiu're a sports fan. I read it in search of things that would help my own ability as a coach in my company. Much of it is light stuff but the easy read makes it fun nonetheless and there are few golden nuggets laced throughout the book.
Overcome Adversity.......2007-04-12
Anyone looking for inspiration, either for their own life or to share with others, will find a gold mine of quotes here. This book isn't just for sports fans.
Book Description
Jerry Rice has been called the best pro football player ever. In spite of Rice’s legendary gridiron skills, or even his ability to transform himself into an instant ballroom-dance prodigy on ABC’s hit TV series Dancing with the Stars, the surprising fact is, a guy like Jerry Rice is made and not just born. In Go Long! Rice shares the inspirational lessons and empowering practices that have helped him attain success, both on the football field and off. Through the ups and downs of Rice’s life and incomparable career, we discover how self-motivation, determination, and humility are the keys to achievement and true fulfillment.
It’s been a long journey for Jerry Rice, from his childhood in Starkville, Mississippi, to a certain berth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a kid, he was always working toward something, even if he wasn’t sure what it was. Rice honed his hand-eye coordination by catching airborne bricks tossed by his siblings while on the job with their bricklayer father, and he ran–everywhere. From these humble beginnings, Rice blazed a path to greatness in college and the NFL–a trip that was fueled by tireless effort and belief in a few simple principles, among them that achievement is a voyage, not a destination; that modesty and perseverance, not talent, are what determine how far you will go; and that everyone should strive to be a role model. Rice even demonstrates these rules in action, breaking down the greatest games from his stellar career.
Go Long! is an inspiring book by a living sports legend. More than that, however, it is the story of how Jerry Rice awakened the champion within, illustration how we can unlock the greatness within ourselves.
Customer Reviews:
thumbs up.......2007-07-09
A quick read. Nothing too heavy. I'm a huge Niners fan and it was good to hear Rice talk about his career. The drive he had while playing and training is inspiring.
OK Typical Sports Bio.......2007-06-30
I enjoyed the book, but do not expect great writing or insights. This is one of those obligatory autobios that sports figures feel they have to write for their fans. I'd have liked to read more about Rice's growing up in MS. His coments on various fellow sprts stars was fun to reqd. ( He doesn't believe Barry Bonds either ). Quick read. Solid three stars.
Great book!.......2007-05-12
this was a great book, i rarly read but when i found out Jerry wrote a book I knew i'd have to have it. It was a very quick read, took me only 2 weeks to finish. It's also opened my eyes to the NFL and the way it works. One of the best books ive read
Good Story for the Non-Football Fan.......2007-04-01
Not every football memoir/autbio will be like Jerry Kramer's DISTANT REPLAY or have a subject as complex as Jim Brown. It was painful to hear Rice read his book (Audio CD) because he's not a natural reader mor speaker, but one can appreciate the path he laid for future players to emulate. I think this book is more geared towards the non-fan as opposed to the historian, NFL fan or Jerry Rice fan. I do think Jerry could've improved his reading skills for the CD edition or have someone else read the book, but it's a good story. As long as the book served its purpose, I can't complain.
- This review is for the Unabridged CD edition.
Go Long is a winner, all about life!.......2007-03-30
Excellent book, easy read. Very frank and honest dialogue produces a very refreshing look at the character and
makeup of NFL great Jerry Rice. He possesses "old school" values, rare for todays athletes and his humble
approach and its origins are clearly defined in his upbringing. Would highly recommend it for parents and players
of any sport as well as non-players as it explores more than the world of athletics and promotes a great
work ethic.
K.F.
Book Description
When Magic Eye images hit the publishing world in the 1990s, the response was as magical as the 3D images popping from their colorful backgrounds. Viewers couldn"t get these best-selling books fast enough. In fact, Magic Eye I, II, and III rode the New York Times best-seller list for 34 weeks and eventually sold more than 20 million copies. Now Beyond 3D: Improve Your Vision with Magic Eye takes this phenomenon to another level.Beyond 3D examines the medical benefits and scientific possibilities related to viewing these remarkable images. Clearly explained in lay terms and through the use of numerous Magic Eye illustrations, the book not only helps readers "see" the images, it identifies and demonstrates the many physical and performance-related enrichments that may result.Magic Eye has long been a worldwide hit. Besides North America, Japan has been a highly receptive market for the Magic Eye way of seeing. Magic Eye Inc. has already produced a similar scientific-based book for that market"with a notable reception. Beyond 3D promises to bring its benefits to a wider audience, a group eager to experience results ranging from reduced computer eyestrain and diminished stress levels to improved overall vision and lengthened attention spans. Magic Eye continues its fascinating run!
Customer Reviews:
Some see where others can only look!.......2007-03-17
The last book like this that I reviewed was Magic Eye II ;which I reviewed on May 25,2004. That book was published in 1994 ,several years after we first became familiar with these 3-D or Stereograms. This book was published in 2004 and we can see that there has been considerable advances in this artform.The one characteristic of these pictures has been that thay are easy to identify because of the repeatibility of about 6 panels or bands. This has always been a dead giveway.
The thing most noticeable is that the bands are much less obvious.The picture on page 11 is so good that one would hardly suspect as having floating beans within it.The picture on page 33 is very obviously a 3-D picture but at the same time is an excellent "floater".Of all the pictures,the one of the gravel on page 39 was the most interesting to me. It is so good,that one would likely not even suspect it to be a 3-D picture,unless it was in a book like this.I guess the ultimate would be when a picture is created that shows no signs of repeatibility at all. At that point you would have the perfect "hidden picture".
By far the biggest difference with this book in in the claims of how these images can be used to improve vision and all other sorts of things. The book is sprinkled with many testimonials from people who have experienced great things.I have considerable problem with accepting this stuff without the research and science to back it up.Otherwise;it has to remain in the area of "alternative medicine".It does not surprise me that there is a Disclaimer to the claims on page 2.
Nonetheless this is a good book showing how much 3-D pictures have improved since the early 90's.
It really does ease eye strain............2006-02-05
I was always able to see the "floater" images within the pictures. The books calls this "divergence". When I do it, totally relax my eyes, I see the image within seconds. The problem for me was when I read in this particular MagicEye that I need to practice convergence. In other words, bringing the eyes together, and seeing the opposite of the 3D image. It's like a sunken image. At first, I had pain from doing this. It caused me eye strain, which was similar to eye strain I always feel after reading or sitting in front of the PC for a period of time. Now, after practicing the techniques to increase convergence (i.e. the pencil moving in and out for 10 seconds), I see the image, and more important, no more eye strain! It does work, or at least it worked for me..........
good pictures, bad text.......2005-08-28
The pictures in this book are good, but beware! About every other page is a full page of text, of self-gloating from the authors! I am sure that their arms are tired from patting themselves on the back; and there are a bunch of stupid quotes from supposed customers of how their pictures cure cancer and the like... I would say that half of the book is a waste of paper because of this. I do not think I would buy this book again, false advertising.
I found it!.......2005-08-01
I had this book, loaned it out, lost track of it, and recently had it returned to me, out of nowhere!
Anyway, I'm not sure there is any validity to the "improve your vision" claim, despite the nice, technical-sounding explanation given, but I do enjoy the challenge of finding the images embedded in the stereograms. This book has a very nice collection of such pictures.
One drawback: Once you have "found" all the images in this book, they become easy to find (i.e., no challenge), unless you do not look at them for a long time. In a way, my delinquent friend, who forgot to return this book to me, did me a favor, as I now get to find the images all over again.
A fine addition to the series.......2004-08-01
I bought this book shortly after getting Magic Eye II, and I can see how much they've improved their techniques in the intervening years. There are some gorgeous images in this book. I particularly like the butterfly floaters. They've also made it easier to see the images with the help of the two squares at the top of each page, that let you know when you've diverged your eyes just enough. The vision improvement info is another story. Why does Marc Grossman claim you can only do the "palming" exercise for 3 minutes? What terrible thing does he think would happen if you did it longer? (Such as a 1/2 hour, which is how long I routinely do it, without a problem.) Also many of the claims seem over the top. Magic Eye can bring you serenity? Make you more intuitive? Even give you feelings of love? C'mon. Nevertheless, for fans of stereograms, this is well worth adding to your collection.
Amazon.com
There's a reason that Sports Illustrated's Gary Smith was named by a national poll of sports editors as the writer they'd most like to hire. He sees the game, but as the title of this marvelous collection of his work from the magazine implies, he also sees beyond. "Sports comes to us in boxes," Smith explains in his preface, "the perimeters of our TV screens or the boundary lines of fields and courts. As much as I enjoy what goes on inside the boxes, I've always had the urge to bust out of them." Does he ever. What's so remarkable about the 15 pieces that comprise Beyond the Game is how much human drama--and humanity--he reveals without resorting to fanfares and violins to enhance his soundtrack.
Final scores are less important to Smith than personal journeys. He doesn't write game stories; he writes stories about compelling people who happen to play our games, some famous--like Ali, Magic Johnson, Mike Tyson, Jim Valvano, and a series of world-record holders in the mile--some hardly footnotes, like John Malangone, the "Damned Yankee" in the title of the volume's leadoff piece. Malangone's saga is unforgettable. Once a sure-fire bet to replace Yogi Berra behind home plate, he carried enormous expectations, which seemed to crush him. But it wasn't the expectations that derailed him; it was a childhood memory he couldn't shake, "the whip," writes Smith, "he has used to flog himself for 60 years." With great understanding, Smith explores the horror encased in the memory, how carrying it corroded Malangone's potential, and how, ultimately, Malangone confronted his psychological baggage and, in his 60s, rediscovered his passion for the game he once walked away from. It is a tour de force of writing and reporting, set within the game but expanding well beyond it. But then every piece in this exceptional collection manages to do the same. --Jeff Silverman
Book Description
Gary Smith is one of the most accomplished sports journalists working today, a three-time National Magazine Award winner who has been selected in a poll of Associated Press editors as the sportswriter they'd most like to hire. In Beyond the Game, Gary Smith has brought together his greatest stories, from the inspiring account of basketball coach Jim Valvano's courageous battle against cancer, to an unforgettable tale of a remote valley in Bolivia that plays host to an unusual annual ritual in which the men of rival villages engage in a riotous all-day fistfight. Beyond the Game is not only a collection of great sportswriting; it is a collection of great writing, period. Each of Smith's stories -- of dreams and fears, failure and triumph, self-destruction and salvation -- will profoundly touch you and remain with you long after you have closed the pages of the book.
Customer Reviews:
Simply the best.......2003-08-27
I recently received this book as a gift, after having raved for years about the quality of Mr. Smiths writing. Sports happens to be the world in which these stories are set, but he writes about what it is to be human. His compassion and understanding of his subject is so complete that I feel as if I know these people better than most of my friends. His ability to indicate the unspoken thoughts and feelings of his subjects leads the reader to a deeper understanding of humanity, triumphs and failures both.
My only disapointment, as pointed out by an earlier reviewer, is that the collection is not long enough.
I recently re-read a story he wrote for Sports Illustrated back in march of 2001, about a black man who became the basketball coach for a high school in a small Amish community and how he affected the entire town.
I challenge anyone to read this article without feeling uplifted.
A must read for anyone who enjoys great writing.
The Best Sportswriter of the Past 20 Years.......2001-11-06
Gary Smith is a great writer who happens to write about sports. My only complaint: I wish the collection was twice as long as it is. Whether or not you're a sports fan, you should read this book to get a feel for what a master prose stylist can accomplish. Terrific reading.
Truly Beyond the Game.......2001-05-10
Gary Smith, a veteran of the sports writing game has brilliantly pieced together this collection of past articles that have made him the most popular sportswriter in the business. A gift to Sports Illustrated Magazine, Smith goes beyond the game to capture the truth in situations the reader never knew about sports legends as well as sports tragic failures. Smith writes about John Malangone a.k.a. the "Damned Yankee," who was foreseen to be the next Yogi Berra. Malangone's story shows Smith's ability to add emotion to his writing, especially in this first instalment to this collection. Muhammad Ali's story is a great one but in Smith's book, he looks at the lives up the people around the public life of Ali. The lives of Ali's entourage according to Smith had it's ups and downs through Ali's struggles and triumphant moments. Perhaps the most fascinating piece in Smith's book is his view of the young Mike Tyson growing up in Brooklyn. From Tyson's ill-temper, and petty theft to his encounter with the great Cus D'Amato, Smith shows the reader what made Tyson a raw and gritty character in the boxing world today. Smith's magnificent collection of sports writing takes the average sports fan to a new level as he truly takes the reader beyond the game.
Great Book and a Great Guy.......2001-03-08
i'm thrilled to see gary smith's work in a nice collection like this one. in an age of writing catered to us as if we have attention deficit disorder, it's refreshing to have such illuminating work readily available. in college a few years back i was working on a very touchy feature about an athlete, so i called sports illustrated just hoping to consult with mr. smith to get a better understanding of entering intimate and personal boundaries. amazingly enough, he called me back the following day and we talked for about a half an hour. and for a young writer to speak with one of the greatest, i was deeply inspired. needless to say, the story ended up winning a feature award and i am very grateful to him. i hope he not only gets his writing out to more people now, but that he makes a nice buck off it too! the book is worth every cent!
Unique and brilliant.......2000-12-28
Read the first paragraph of any article in any sports magazine or newspaper and you'll know if Gary Smith wrote it or not. His work is brilliant and unique. Fans of his Sports Illustrated writing who have been waiting for years for a compilation will not be disappointed.
Average customer rating:
- The Mathematics of Oz: Mental Gymnastics from Beyond the Edge
- What is interesting and what solvable?
- A true mathematical wonderland
- Math Puzzles from another Universe!
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The Mathematics of Oz: Mental Gymnastics from Beyond the Edge
Clifford A. Pickover
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Wonders of Numbers: Adventures in Mathematics, Mind, and Meaning
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A Passion for Mathematics: Numbers, Puzzles, Madness, Religion, and the Quest for Reality
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Calculus and Pizza: A Math Cookbook for the Hungry Mind
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The Mobius Strip: Dr. August Mobius's Marvelous Band in Mathematics, Games, Literature, Art, Technology, and Cosmology
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The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience
ASIN: 0521700841 |
Book Description
Grab a pencil. Relax. Then take off on a mind-boggling journey to the ultimate frontier of math, mind, and meaning as acclaimed author Clifford Pickover, Dorothy, and Dr. Oz explore some of the oddest and quirkiest highways and byways of the numerically obsessed. The thought-provoking mysteries, puzzles, and problems range from zebra numbers and circular primes to Legion's number--a number so big that it makes a trillion pale in comparison. The strange mazes, bizarre consequences, and dizzying arrays of logic problems entertain readers at all levels of mathematical sophistication. The tests devised by enigmatic Dr. Oz to assess human intelligence will tease the brain of even the most avid puzzle fan. They feature a host of mathematical topics: geometry and mazes, sequences, series, sets, arrangements, probability and misdirection, number theory, arithmetic, and even several problems dealing with the physical world. With numerous illustrations, this is an original, fun-filled, and unusual introduction to numbers and their role in creativity, computers, games, practical research, and absurd adventures that teeter on the edge of logic and insanity. Clifford A. Pickover is the author of over twenty highly acclaimed books on such topics as computers and creativity, art, mathematics, black holes, human behavior and intelligence, time travel, alien life, and science fiction. Among his books are Computers, Pattern, Chaos, and Beauty (St. Martin's Press, 1990), Wonders of Numbers (Oxford University Press, 2000), Dreaming the Future (Prometheus, 2001), The Zen of Magic Squares, Circles, and Stars (Princeton University Press, 2001), The Stars of Heaven (Oxford University Press, 2001), The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience (Palgrave, 2002). A Ph.D. graduate of Yale University, he is a prolific inventor with dozens of patents, the associate editor for several journals, the author of colorful puzzle calendars, and puzzle contributor to adult and children's magazines. Pickover's computer graphics have been featured on the cover of many popular magazines and on T.V. shows.
Customer Reviews:
The Mathematics of Oz: Mental Gymnastics from Beyond the Edge.......2007-05-13
Awesome blend of stories mixing in some interesting puzzles. Being a Kansas girl, I was intrigued by the entertaining story line set in the "Sunflower state". My son graduated from the Unversity of Kansas and there is a fictional story of the campus in the book that builds toward a puzzle. I gave the book to my son on his 25th birthday and I had marked the KU story. He turned to it and was totally endeared to the book. Couldn't be a better present for anyone who loves Kansas or puzzles. Just great!!!
What is interesting and what solvable?.......2003-10-14
I prefer mathematical puzzles that have two features:
- they are interesting (i.e. they have that difficulty that make them worth trying to solve);
- they are solvable without developing a whole new theory and without writing program code.
In this book most problems that are interesting (very interesting and intriguing, I must admit) are not solvable in the foresaid sense, and most solvable ones are not interestin. Of course, a few are both. The picture sequences to be completed are very original, and sometimes difficult, examples of QI tests.
However, in spite of that slight flaw, I have really enjoyed reading it. It may depends on my appreciation of Oz novels and movie, and even if this book is not likely to mark the history of mathematical entertainment, it remains a worthy reading.
A true mathematical wonderland.......2003-08-28
This wonderful mathematical puzzle book has over 100 puzzles sure to delight readers -- from kids to adults. The problems include: mazes, sequences, probability, and more. Most puzzles are very clever and fun. I liked considering the yellow-brick road that crosses America. How many bricks would it take? I also liked the zebra numbers and circular primes. Legion's number is a number so big that it makes a a billion look puny.
Anyone who has pondered the vastness of our mathematical universe will love this book.
Math Puzzles from another Universe!.......2002-09-14
I found the puzzles and problems in this book to be original and varied, and with a wide range of difficulty levels. I enjoyed the fact that some puzzles might actually have more than one answer, which leaves room for healthy debate and for better understanding the way different people think. I think this book can be enjoyed by readers of different levels of mathematical sophistication. For example, a freshman in high school could skip the more difficult problems, like the one on Ramanujan Congruences, although this is one of the most interesting chapters. My favorite chapter is one that poses a statistics-like question, dealing with bones thrown into a pit. You have to figure out the ratio of the long piece to the short piece. Here's a sample of other chapters that I really enjoyed:
1. The Yellow-brick Road
2. An Experiment with Kansas
8. The Problem of the Bones
16. Omega Sphere
28. Legions' Number
29. The Problem of the Tombs
35. Prime-poor Equations
36. Number Satellite
43. Ramanujan Congruences and the Quest for Transcendence
49. The Jellyfish of Europa
99. A Connection Between Pi and e
103. The Scarecrow Formula
107. The Omega Crystal
108. Attack of the Undulating Undecamorphs
I've already spent hours reading and rereading the book, and showing it to friends, and I know I'll spend many hours more!
Average customer rating:
- Beyond Ender's Game (3 books)
- Not worth the purchase
- More in Sci-fi, but less in strategy (sometimes brilliant but sometimes...)
- Read one you will rember this is it
- The Intrigue Continues
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Beyond Ender's Game: Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind
Orson Scott Card
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Card, Orson Scott
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Ender's Game Boxed Set: Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon
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ASIN: 0765341921
Release Date: 2001-09-27 |
Book Description
Beyond Enders Boxed Mass Market Set
Contains: Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind
Speaker for the Dead:
In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.
Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.
Xenocide:
The war for survival of the planet Lusitania will be fought in the hearts of a child named Gloriously Bright.
On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and pequininos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought.
Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus that kills all humans it infects, but which the pequininos require in order to become adults. The Startways Congress so fears the effects of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania, that they have ordered eh destruction of the entire planet, and all who live there. The Fleet is on its way, a second xenocide seems inevitble.
Children of the Mind:
The planet Lusitania is home to three sentient species: the Pequeninos; a large colony of humans; and the Hive Queen, brought there by Ender. But once against the human race has grown fearful; the Starways Congress has gathered a fleet to destroy Lusitania.
Jane, the evolved computer intelligence, can save the three sentient races of Lusitania. She has learned how to move ships outside the universe, and then instantly back to a different world, abolishing the light-speed limit. But it takes all the processing power available to her, and the Starways Congress is shutting down the Net, world by world.
Soon Jane will not be able to move the ships. Ender's children must save her if they are to save themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Beyond Ender's Game (3 books).......2007-08-24
Read them! Kids and adults alike! You will love them. Be sure you read "Ender's Game" first. One of my all-time favorites! (I'm 68 years old.)
H. in Texas
Not worth the purchase.......2007-05-15
By the end of Ender's Game, the Ender story feels complete. Author Card may have agreed, as the following stories take Ender and his tale in an entirely new direction. If you just stick to Ender's Game, you won't feel at a loss. These stories feel extraneous and the characters are too certain of their own righteousness to be believable.
More in Sci-fi, but less in strategy (sometimes brilliant but sometimes...).......2007-02-28
I have read the whole ender series, but with a strange sequence which may have affected the way I view the different books in the series. The first book I have read was the Shadow of the Hegemon, thanks to a tourist that had left it in the library of a hotel in Skiathos island. This book got me hooked, but it confused me also as I didn't know if I should start reading the next books or the previous ones.
The general pattern in the whole series is:
The beginning book is Ender's Game. Then we have two subcategories, one the Shadow series (which, with the exception of the first book, take place on earth and are more within military strategy) and one the Ender series (which take place in space and are more into new sci-fi ideas). Shadow series probably can be read from everyone, while I guess that the Ender series (especially from Speaker for the Dead onwards) would be read mainly from sci-fi fans.
Below are my comments for the books of the series, in the order I have read them and a marking (10 is the highest mark):
Shadow of the Hegemon: The first book I have read, and which I could not leave from my hands. I finished it in 2 days. It was fast paced action, very smart plot and after reading it I believed that Orson Scot Card (OSC) has invented/re-invented a new genre of literature. That of military strategy and adventure combined with brilliance/mind games and hidden portions of romance. Such books always existed but this seemed to be THE book. It was like the way Dan Brown re-invented books with trivials and puzzles, together with fast paced adventure. I strongly recommend it to everybody that likes such type of books. (mark: 10)
Shadow puppets: The sequel to the above. I found it interesting but somehow boring as the above story developed little and the focus was on the characters (maybe too much focus so that it seemed to me that it was slightly mumbling jumbling. Strategy, brilliance and adventure seemed to be very low here. I would not recommend it for anybody to read it in isolate, unfortunately you have to read it if you want to go to the next book. I really believe that OSC made a mistake here (deliberately or not) as this book should have been told in 50-60 pages and be included in the previous or the next book. (mark: 6 but you will read it because you will want to read Shadow of the Giant)
Shadow of the Giant: (see below)
Ender's game: A really great book to read, probably the best of the series, however, as I had read its sequels first, when I reached the 80% of this book, I had predicted the end. However, it's at the highest standards of sci-fi, military strategy, adventure, brilliant mind games and very good depth in the human aspect of the characters. In comparison to the shadow series, it is more "space" sci-fi, while shadow series have much lesser sci-fi elements and are more down to earth. (mark: 10)
Speaker for the dead: Another great book, but different style. Less adventure, more human aspect, more maturity. Brilliance yes, but not military, sci-fi yes (some great ideas) but not spaceship style. (Mark: 9)
Xenocide: A good sequel of the previous novel. In certain points more brilliant, in other sections more boring, however is again a very good sci-fi book. The only flaw in these series (Speker for the dead, Xenocide, Children of the mind) is the idea behind one of the alien species described which I found outrageously extreme, however if you ignore it becomes first class reading. (Mark: 9)
Children of the mind: I think that OSC has wrapped up his case pretty badly in that one. It's a fair book except the fact that I felt that OSC mumbles jumbles for one third of the novel not having decided how to end it. In other critiques I have found it described as nice approach to moral dilemmas, however, moral dilemma is when you describe it once and make your choice, while here the dilemma is repeated and repeated... I felt like I was watching a movie worth 10 oscars and the end did not worth to be included even in a cheap video movie. And again, many open ends at the end (for possible sequels). (Mark: 7 but you will read it as you will be hooked from the previous ones).
Ender's shadow: Having read Enders Game and Shadow of the Hegemon, I found this book probably the best of the series, which of course is my subjective preference. I could characterize it as probably the best book I have read ever! Not to repeat myself, it has all that Shadow of the Hegemon and Ender's Game have, and even more...(Mark: the absolute 10).
Shadow of the Giant: When I read shadow puppets, I said, "that's it, OSC has lost either his talent or his appetite for good writing...", so I was pretty unwilling to read it. Fortunately I decided to, as it proved to be a good one, were I believe that OSC has nicely wrapped up his story, with two small flaws.
* The one is described below (its end needed to be slightly more complete) and,
* The other is the fact that although he describes certain smart battles, he does not focus enough on them as it seems that he is in a hurry to wrap all things up. It had all elements to become a masterpiece but it ended up being a good to read book (Mark: 9)
In general, both series have three categories of good stuff:
1) Some great sci-fi ideas (battle room, battle games, fantasy game, ansible, aia, Jane, in/out travel, raman varelse etc)
2) Great military strategy, mind games etc combined with adventure
3) In certain books, depth of characters, moral dilemmas etc
And two main bad stuff:
1) Mumbling jumbling in certain books which was completely unnecessary (either OSC wanted just to produce and sell another title - see shadow puppets- or he could not decide how the story will continue-see last book of Ender series).
2) One of the alien species described in the Ender series was so too outrageous even for sci-fi that made it look ridiculous. The idea behind it was brilliant in sci-fi terms, but he could try a different living organism...
Finally, OSC has left open ends in both series (probably for next sequels), however I believe that there are two things missing. a) the story of the Hive Queen and the Hegemon, told in a metaphorical manner so it means much for humanity. b) In ancient theatre, a story should end in a way that brings "katharsis" to the story, and the souls of the readers. I believe that the end of the shadow of the giant may be smart for commercial purposes but it was very unfair to the reader as it did not bring full "katharsis".
Read one you will rember this is it.......2007-02-03
I love this series if you like a good story this is the one . Follow the lives of thes childern see them save the world. These books are great for all ages I bought this set for two of my brothers and there wifes. All have enjoyed them emensly.
The Intrigue Continues.......2007-01-15
You don't want to be left wondering do you? The imagination is fed and the enjoyment is even richer with this second series.
Book Description
The yarn girls are upping the ante on quick-to-knit, sassy looks in beyond the basics. With the same friendly encouragement and big-sister know-how found in their previous books,
The Yarn Girls’ Guide to Simple Knits and
The Yarn Girls’ Guide to Kid Knits, Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs are taking new knitters to the next level of stitch wizardry. But new knitters aren’t the only ones having fun — intermediate and experienced knitters won’t be able to resist the ingenious patterns that deliver nearly instant gratification.
Without abandoning their straightforward instructions and fast-working chunky yarns, the Yarn Girls present thirty-four of their freshest patterns to introduce clever techniques such as cabling, color work, and shaping to turn a simple sweater into a smart number. Try a little intarsia to make a plain sweater a work of color sophistication. Knit up a cabled tank top for stunning warm-weather wear. The projects in this book cover a range of apparel and accessories — hip tees, cozy sweaters, chic hats, delicate scarves, stunning ponchos, and even blankets — enough to take you through all sorts of styles and seasons, with the investment of a little time and a few clever stitches.
The yarn girls return to the scene with an exciting line of thirty-four brand-new stylish patterns that will wow experienced knitters while taking beginners to the next level.
Inside, you’ll find easy-to-understand techniques for:
• knitted cables
• intarsia
• slipped stitches
Customer Reviews:
hate big needles.......2007-05-22
I am not sure anyone looks good in bulky, big needle sweaters- and if you don't like to knit and want it over with, why knit? Take up another craft that you love to do. None of these patterns are attractive and if you are over 18 I don't think you would wear them.
Fun Book! I wish they could use practical yarn, however.......2007-05-08
I took up knitting again few months ago - 20 years ago I knit quite a bit in college. Now that I have a family and a smaller budget for crafts, I've been sticking to smaller projects like socks, but when I saw the hoodie pullover in this book, I simply *had* to knit a sweater again. And this is where I ran into my main issues with this book (two of them).
The medium hoodie takes 11 skeins of the Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted. I got online and priced how much that would be: at $18 per skein, that is $198 for one casual, but cute, knitted hoodie, assuming that there is no sales tax or shipping on that amount of yarn. I'm sorry, but no one I know who actually has to BUY their yarn (rather than have it donated by a yarn company who wants to get some advertising for their product)is going to spend $200 to knit a casual hoodie. I wish that the authors kept reality in mind and chose to use yarn that people who have to buy it can afford.
Substituting yarn that was more practical in terms of cost led to my second issue. Since the yarn used is called "Worsted," I made the mistake of assuming that it actually was worsted weight yarn and drove to a yarn store and bought worsted weight yarn. Imagine my frustration when I sat down to knit the swatch to check the guage and found that it took needles 3 sizes larger to get the recommended guage. My stitches looked very loose, not what I wanted for a pullover to wear in the Fall. I then realized that the weight of the yarn they used must have actually been CHUNKY rather than WORSTED weight yarn. If only I knew that, I would have been able to look for and buy chunky yarn, rather than worsted. Since I love the color of the yarn I selected, I'm trying to knit the sweater with a smaller guage (4 stitches per inch, rather than the 3.5 called for in the pattern) but follow the directions for a size large. If my calculations are correct, the resulting width should work for me, so here's hoping it works.
So, overall, very very very cute projects in this book. Enough to make me decide to tackle sweaters again after 20 years. That is saying something. My criticisms are twofold: using impractically expensive yarn for the samples and then not giving information to make yarn substitutions easy.
They did it again!.......2007-05-01
After making 6 projects out of the first book, I could hardly wait for this one to be published. I was not disappointed. Once again, the projects are stylish and fun. I have made several of them and have had numerous compliments on them. The projects in this book seem to build on the skills I learned from the first book, and I can now say that I have completed a cabled turtleneck that looks very much like a Ralph Lauren one that I purchased. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to build their skills while completing projects that look hand made, not home made! I frequently refer to the illustrations and instructions for finishing, seaming, and details in both of the Yarn Girls books, as they are clear and easy to follow, whether I am working on one of their patterns or one from another source.
Great Book!! .......2007-04-07
I had been knitting scarves and simple hats, and wanted a bit of a challenge, but not an extremely complicated book. This book has the best cable knit hat pattern I could have found. (believe me I looked at so many cable knit hat patterns, and this one was straight forward, and turned out beautiful). I have made several more cable knit hats since then, and hardly need to look at the pattern now, because it is so well designed. Of course there are other things besides hats. I am thrilled to find some cute tank top patterns in the book too, as well as sweaters and scarves. They are modern and stylish, yet not so difficult for the newbie knitter. If you know the basic knitting and purling, (or even if you don't, there is instruction) this would be a great "...guide to beyond the basics" as the title clearly states. No regrets about buying this knitting book. I refer back to it often.
They did it again!.......2007-03-05
Great book! If you are knitter in need of immediate gratification to knitting an item, then here it is. Like the first book, many of these knits can be finished in a weekend or after a few days. You get to make something that you can actually wear before it goes out of style. I love all their books I wish they would come out with one on crocheting. "The Yarn girls guide to Crochet". What do ya think girls? Anytime soon? I know I'll be the first to buy one.
Book Description
Teasing, playful, and extremely satisfying, this collection of logic puzzles
opens up a whole world of puzzling to sudoku fans. Included are fifteen of
each of the following puzzles, with instructions and solutions: Filomino, Hanjie, Hashiwokakero, Hitori, Kakuro, Mosaic, Nurikabe, and Slither Link.
Customer Reviews:
graphic-oriented sudoku puzzle variations.......2007-09-23
I am pretty good at sudoku, but not a genius by any means. I enjoy kakuro as well (also known as cross sums) and looked forward to trying the sudoku variations listed in this book.
I think there are some puzzlers who would really enjoy this book, but I am not one of them. Almost all of the eight games are graphical in nature, so that you are solving in order to create pictures or to leave cells correctly colored or to draw borders around or between cells correctly. There are 15 of each type of game.
These aren't the types of puzzle I enjoy, though you might.
BOOK REVIEW.......2007-05-13
BOOK IS OK, PUZZLES ARE FUN. HOWEVER, THE BINDING DOESN'T HOLD THE PAGES IN. IT IS FALLING APART.
top quality puzzles.......2007-02-27
The editors have assembled a set of puzzles that explores the various patterns and approaches of each puzzle genre. The collection does not feel the least bit repetitive.
This is one of the two most satisfying puzzle books I've had the pleasure of owning (the other being Mensa's "Challenge Your Brain Math & Logic Puzzles").
Book Description
Provides a comprehensive framework for achieving higher levels of corporate information disclosure and transparency
In order to decide whether or not a company is a good investment, analysts and investment professionals need to know as much as possible about the company's tangible and intangible assets, as well as a variety of critical performance measures. Written by an international team of experts, The Value Reporting Revolution clearly explains why corporations must move toward greater transparency and, more importantly, it provides a comprehensive framework for achieving that goal. Among other important lessons, readers learn how to identify the gaps between how corporate managers perceive their disclosure practices versus how the markets see them, as well as how to leverage their organizations' electronic communications technology and tools to ensure easy access to vital information and more meaningful data analysis.
Robert Eccles (Jupiter, FL) is President of Advisory Capital Partners, Inc. Robert H. Herz (New York, NY) is a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, US. David Phillips (London, UK) is a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, UK. Mary M. Keegan (London, UK) is head of Global Corporate Reporting at PricewaterhouseCoopers, UK.
Customer Reviews:
Good "second book" on accounting reform.......2002-08-01
If you want to learn about accounting scams, you probably need Mulford and Comiskey, The Financial Numbers Game. But for a broader view of the virtues and limits of accounting, Eccles and company have a lot to offer. You can skip or skim the somewhat overhyped stuff about the "ValueRevolution" itself (note that three of the authors come from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where they seem to be having some trouble with their space bar, or spacebar). Keep your best brain cells for chapters three through eight, where you get a look at the earnings obsession -- and just as useful, a suggestion of what investors really need and want. Note that one of the co-authors (Robert H. Herz) is the new head of the Financial Accounting Standards Board).
Fantastic ! A must read ! Breakthrough thinking !.......2002-03-29
I have purchased several books on amazon.com, but I must say that this is one of the best ones I have read so far ! This is exactly the sort of book management in companies worldwide should be reading ! I live and work in Tokyo, and I think the Japanese public companies here could learn so much from this book ! Corporate reporting here is very poor, especially in the banking sector(horrendous !), and investors do not take them seriously anymore. Public companies here should improve their corporate reporting and utilize the capital markets more, and the first thing they need to do is to regain the trust of their
shareholders. In other words, they should read this book cover to cover right away ! The people who worked on this book, like Mr. Matthew Wissell, who leads the Value Reporting practice in PricewaterhouseCoopers' New York office, should be highly commended for such a fine piece of work !
Fantastic ! A must read ! Breakthrough thinking !.......2002-03-29
I have purchased several books on amazon.com, but I must say that this is one of the best ones I have read so far ! This is exactly the sort of book management in companies worldwide should be reading ! I live and work in Tokyo, and I think the Japanese public companies here could learn so much from this book ! Corporate reporting here is very poor, especially in the banking sector(horrendous !), and investors do not take them seriously anymore. Public companies here should improve their corporate reporting and utilize the capital markets more, and the first thing they need to do is to regain the trust of their
shareholders. In other words, they should read this book cover to cover right away ! The people who worked on this book, like Mr. Matthew Wissell, who leads the Value Reporting practice in PricewaterhouseCoopers' New York office, should be highly commended for such a fine piece of work !
A Call to Arms.......2001-04-07
"ValueReporting" smoothly describes many broken financial reporting processes, including "whispering", a time-consuming process that CFOs play with analysts, where CFOs "whisper" their earnings expectations to the analyst, making the analysts appear intelligent. A great deal for the analyst cause they don't have to do any real analysis. If the CFO does not play this game, they risk the wrath of Wall Street.
The problem with this is that it is in violation of the spirit (if not the law) of the yet to be enforced SEC Fair Disclosure Act which states that Sally Q. Public gets to know material information the same time that John Q. Analyst does.
"ValueReporting" does offer a practical solution through XBRL technology. As a member of XBRL.org I strongly agree with the authors that if business reporting, both financial and non-financial, is standardized, Web technologies are in place to distribute this information uniformly to all investors and in a richer format than at present. With the gentle prodding of regulatory agencies like the SEC and FDIC, this will happen sooner rather than later. Let's hope that SEC Chairman Unger reads this book, and fast.
For me as a consultant and a technologist "who can spell XBRL", The ValueReporting Revolution was a call to arms to apply my knowledge to the inequities of financial reporting. Helping clients sell their wares over the Web is nice, but to level the financial playing field for small companies as well as large, for the small investor as well as the institutional, is ennobling. And forcing Wall Street analysts to actually work for a living, would be, well, just icing on the cake.
Pass Go & collect $200 for this short cut to the future.......2001-03-14
First I should explain that I'm not a neutral reviewer: I have known one of the authors of this book (Bob Eccles) ever since he woke some of us up with his HBR article "The Performance Measurement Manifesto" almost ten years ago, and I've also met another of the authors (David Phillips) in the last year. Coupled with that, some of the work of my company (Metapraxis) on Business Driver Diagrams is mentioned in Chapter 1. I mention these points up-front in the interests of transparency, which is a core theme of the book itself.
The book's thesis is that the investors of the future will reward companies for such transparency - in other words, those companies that understand, measure and publish information about leading indicators such as growth of market share as well as lagging indicators such as profit will be better rated than their competitors, other things being equal.
This is pretty controversial stuff. After all, if you're the CEO or CFO of a major global multinational that's just announced on-target quarterly earnings, but your (currently confidential) internal leading edge indicators say that your market share is starting to fall, how exactly are your investors going to react if you decide to be brave enough to tell them all about it?
There is clearly something of a problem here and I refer to it as the Paradox of the World's Bravest Customer. You don't know who that was? I think it was the guy who bought the world's first fax machine. Think about it.
So undoubtedly there'll be some short-term pain for the pioneers, but once the markets start to see that a core group of innovative firms has the courage to disclose this kind of information (whether good or bad) then it's obvious that this disclosure will reduce the risks involved in these investments. And as John Maynard Keynes pointed out in 1910:
"What would be a risky investment for an ignorant speculator may be exceptionally safe for the well-informed expert. The amount of risk to any investor practically depends, in fact, upon the degree of his ignorance respecting the circumstances and prospects of the investment he is considering." *
The book is all about the revolutionary implications that follow through from this 90-year old observation. Whether you agree with the thesis or not, it will change the way you think about corporate information, business management and investor relations. I recommend it highly to CEOs, CFOs, IR heads, financial analysts and auditors, business school students and indeed to anyone embarking on a career in these areas.
Robert Bittlestone: Managing Director, Metapraxis - London & New York
* JM Keynes: Hopes Betrayed 1883-1920 by Robert Skidelsky (Vol 1); Ch. 9 Economic Orthodoxies. Skidelsky is quoting in turn from the "Collected Writings of JMK": xv 46-47....
Books:
- In the Line of Fire: How to Handle Tough Questions...When It Counts
- In the Realm of the Never Fairies (Disney Fairies)
- Indigo Adults: Forerunners of the New Civilization
- Kingdom of Fear : Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century
- LIGHTING THE WAY: NINE WOMEN WHO CHANGED MODERN AMERICA
- LL Cool J's Platinum Workout: Sculpt Your Best Body Ever with Hollywood's Fittest Star
- Lotto How to Wheel a Fortune, Third Edition
- Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Game Development
- Magic Item Compendium (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
- Managing Ignatius: The Lunacy of Lucky Dogs and Life in New Orleans
Books Index
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How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 2: Expressing Emotions
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