How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
Average customer rating:

OK, but Leonardo was a late blooming 'genius'--400 yrs late

Think Like da Vinci by Gelb

Mostly other people's ideas

Stirring our thought models

Disappointing

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
Michael J. Gelb
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Creativity | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook: Your Personal Companion to How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci

In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms

Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Revised 2nd Edition

Socrates' Way: Seven Keys to Using Your Mind to the Utmost

The Power of Questions: A Guide to Teacher and Student Research

ASIN: 0440508274
Release Date: 2000-02-08

Amazon.com

Here's a personal growth guidebook that's won the admiration and recommendation of Ted Hughes, Poet Laureate of England. He calls this "a brilliant, practical guide to awakening and training our vast, unused resources of intelligence and ability." Author Michael Gelb, founder of High Performance Learning and consultant for companies including AT&T and National Public Radio, says that we all can unlock the "da Vincian" genius inside us. Gelb says there are seven critical principles that need to be followed for success, whether you're learning a new language, studying to be a gourmet chef, or just hoping to be more effective on the job:

Curiosita: An insatiably curious approach to life.
Dimonstratzione: A commitment to test knowledge through experience.
Sensazione: The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to clarify experience.
Sfumato: A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.
Arte/Scienza: The development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination ("whole-brain thinking").
Corporalita: The cultivation of ambidexterity, fitness, and poise.
Connessione: A recognition and appreciation for the connectedness of all things and phenomena; "systems thinking."

Gelb discusses each of these principles in relation to what da Vinci accomplished, thereby giving this book a built-in history lesson. The illustrations from the master's work and time add a nice warmth to the work. As the president of NPR said after working with Gelb, this is a program recommended for "anyone who wants to experience a personal and professional Renaissance."

Book Description

Genius is made, not born. And human beings are gifted with an almost unlimited potential for learning and creativity. Now you can uncover your own hidden abilities, sharpen your senses, and liberate your unique intelligence—by following the example of the greatest genius of all time, Leonardo da Vinci.

Acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, who has helped thousands of people expand their minds to accomplish more than they ever thought possible, shows you how. Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, Gelb introduces Seven Da Vincian Principles—the essential elements of genius—from curiosità, the insatiably curious approach to life to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as your inspiration, you will discover an exhilarating new way of thinking. And step-by-step, through exercises and provocative lessons, you will harness the power—and awesome wonder—of your own genius, mastering such life-changing abilities as:

Problem solving
Creative thinking
Self-expression
Enjoying the world around you
Goal setting and life balance
Harmonizing body and mind

Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, introduces seven Da Vincian principles, the essential elements of genius, from curiosita, the insatiably curious approach to life, to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as their inspiration, readers will discover an exhilarating new way of thinking.

Step-by-step, through exercises and provocative lessons, anyone can harness the power and awesome wonder of their own genius, mastering such life-changing skills as problem solving, creative thinking, self-expression, goal setting and life balance, and harmonizing body and mind. —

Customer Reviews:

OK, but Leonardo was a late blooming 'genius'--400 yrs late.......2007-10-07

Haven't read this book but keep in mind Leonardo's notes were only deciphered and published in the late 19th century--if he's a genius, and he probably was, though from an engineering point of view some of his stuff was conceptual and won't work, and was conceptualized before him--he's an undiscovered genius like American scientist Willard Josiah Gibbs, who made fundamental contributions that were not recognized at the time since he never published them correctly. What does that say about life--you have to promote yourself? But if you did that in the Renaissance that was sometimes dangerous; better to lie low.

Think Like da Vinci by Gelb.......2007-09-01

The author discusses some classic thinking processes which help with
creativity and invoking the genius in us all. Some of these qualities
are recognizable. i.e.

o curiosity
o testing knowledge via experience
o interconnectedness
o refining the senses
o embrace and ponder on uncertainty and ambiguity
o cultivate grace and poise
o balance scientific and artistic notions
o promote "whole brain" thinking

I would add some others to this list. i.e.
o patience
o analysis but avoidance of "analysis paralysis"
o quality rest and simulating a stream of consciousness and relaxation
o encounters with nature
o spontaneous refinement of ideas

The book centralizes some very important aspects of creativity worthy
of emulation.

Mostly other people's ideas.......2007-07-29

If you are new to techniques mentioned in this book, you may be thrilled - if you are familiar with them, you may be dissapointed. Most of techniques presented here are nothing new - some are from the book the Einstein Factor, some are from Tony Buzan's books (i.e. mind-mapping), there is a touch of biography of Leonardo Da Vinci. A good deal of questions that are designed to jog your creativity in this book are questions that are part of just about any goal-setting workshop, and here for example, Tony Robbins comes to mind. And there are few questions which I believe anyone who has ever had even a remote interest in spirituality has already asked - as in "What is my purpose in life?" and "How can I best serve my Creator?" All in all I have expected some original ideas from the author, but what I've found is mostly a summary of methods, techniques and exercises offered through other sources.

Stirring our thought models.......2007-07-28

Don't you just love the job application letter Leonardo writes? This book focuses us on the superb all-rounder life of Leonardo, and prompts us to be a little more curious, more adventurous and more aware.

I picked up my copy at the Indianapolis airport which made the flight back to New Zealand seem much shorter and more productive.

At some points the concepts Michael extrapolates from Leonardo's life are a bit tenuous and occasionally touchy-feely eg corporalita at work, but I didn't mind as you can utilise those ideas you feel are of value. I'm a regular mind map user, even if Leonardo's jottings appear a big jump to Buzan's approach today which Michael shares.

I did like Leonardo's notion of building a lexicon to enrich our vocabulary, or sketching regularly, or listing questions - big or small, to keep us searching.

In essence, a useful thought-stirrer. We can all do a great deal more than our current thought models allow.

Disappointing.......2007-05-23

I've studied Da Vinci, and, because of that I looked forward toward reading this book. I was sorely disappointed. This is mostly a made up fiction which makes me wonder about why a publisher publishes a book like this without even an elementary attempt to check the facts.

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Excellent
Just what I wanted
Noteworthy notebooks
Gift

Leonardo's Notebooks
Leonardo da Vinci , and H. Anna Suh
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Leonardo da Vinci : Flights of the Mind: A Biography
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ASIN: 1579124577

Book Description

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) possessed arguably the greatest mind the world has ever known. Artist, draftsman, inventor, and philosopher, his contributions to modern society are profound and wide-reaching. Throughout his life, Leonardo kept dozens of notebooks, elegant studies on topics ranging from architecture to botany to philosophy—indeed nearly anything of which the human imagination could conceive.

Leonardo’s Notebooks collects a variety of the most fascinating of these studies and compiles them into one monumental volume that demystifies his insights and clearly illustrates his ideas, experiments, and observations with hundreds of his original sketches, line drawings, and paintings. Topics include Anatomy and the Movement of the Human Figure; Botany and Landscape; Engineering and Military Engineering; Physical Sciences; Aerodynamics and Flight; Geography—and more.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-09-16

This is a great book that I had been looking forward to getting for a while. The images and writting is good, although a bit hard to understand at times. The ONLY problem I have with this book that gets it a 4 out of 5 stars for me is the fact that it is so tall and wide. Granted it makes looking at the pictures much easier but it also makes storage of this book MUCH harder. The book is to tall to stand on any but the top shelf on all of my book shelfs and it is so wide that it protudes from the edge of the shelf.

Don't let this distract you from getting this book however. It's detailed pictures are wonderful considering the orginal size of the works and the translations help with the reading. There's a section for each catagory, such as anatomy and lighting, which really helps if you want to look at certain types of works. The greatness of these pictures will have you looking at each page for hours, just to see all the details.

I would suggest this book for anyone from an art lover to a history fanatic. I use it as a reference book for one of my drawing classes. It's a great buy for anyone and everyone.

Excellent.......2007-08-21

Not one single problem with this book, I would recomend buying it for anyone anytime

Just what I wanted.......2007-06-27

I have always wanted a book just with Leonardo's sketches and annotation. Printed on beautiful paper and in great detail. This is a wonderful book, that I will draw much inspiration from.

Noteworthy notebooks.......2007-02-23

If you enjoy researching from old documents, you will enjoy this book. It isn't an easy read, however, if you're looking for just an armchair novel. Leonardo had his opinions on many subjects, and wrote fairly technically. The drawings are wonderful, as you might expect, and the diversity of subjects gives the reader a glimpse into his wide range of interests.

Gift.......2007-01-15

This was a Christmas gift for my father. He liked the background detail and all the glossy pages of artwork.

Average customer rating:

Reviews on this page may be for another book

Avengers Assemble, Vol. 2
Kurt Busiek , Jerry Ordway , John Francis Moore , George Perez , Stewart Immonen , and Leonardo Manco
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

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Avengers Assemble, Vol. 1
Avengers Assemble, Vol. 3
Avengers Assemble, Vol. 4
Avengers Disassembled
New Avengers Vol. 3: Secrets and Lies

ASIN: 0785117733

Book Description

The European country of Slorenia is dead. Every man, woman, and child eliminated with the cold precision of a machine. And out of the flaming remnants of this tiny Baltic state comes a message from its murderer: Mankind's days are numbered because Ultron has returned! He - or it - is one of the Avengers' oldest, most implacable foes, menacing humanity countless times. But never before has Ultron been this dangerous, this deadly. Now, he stands on the brink of committing global genocide, and rebuilding Earth in his own robotic images. Our only hope is a desperate U.N. strike on Slorenia, led by the Avengers themselves. But will it be in time? Will the strength and courage of Earth's Mightiest Heroes be enough in the face of such overwhelming evil? For the sake of the world, it will have to be! Plus: When you're an Avenger, you're one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes - the first line of defense against the dangers no conventional foe could halt, the threats no ordinary man could withstand. Threats including Dominex, Lord Templar, Pagan, and the Thunderbolts! Collects Avengers #12-22, #0 and Annual 1999.

Customer Reviews:

Reviews on this page may be for another book.......2005-04-04

It appears that Amazon.com has mistakenly listed Avengers Assemble Vol. 1 (http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0785115730) and Avengers Assemble Vol. 2 (http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0785117733) as the same product.

Avengers Assemble Vol. 1 reprints #1-11 and Annual 1998.

Avengers Assemble Vol. 2 reprints #12-22, #0, and Annual 1999.

Both books are primarily written by Kurt Busiek and primarily drawn by George Perez. The four-star review is directed toward the first volume, since I have not read the second. Based on other Avengers TPBs by this team, I would imagine it to be about the same quality: Quite good, but nothing exceptional.

The following should give you some idea of how this fits in to the Avengers timeline for any trade paperbacks you may already own for this time period:

Reprinted in Vol. 1:
Avengers: The Morgan Conquest (#1-4)
Avengers: Supreme Justice (#5-7) (also includes Iron Man #7, Captain America #8, and Quicksilver #10, which are not reprinted here)
Avengers: Clear and Present Danger (first half) (#8-11)

Occurs simultaneously with Vol. 1:
Avengers Legends Vol. 1: Avengers Forever (Avengers Forever #1-12) (starts between Avengers #9-10)

Reprinted in Vol. 2:
Avengers: Clear and Present Danger (second half) (#12-15)
Avengers: Ultron Unlimited (#19-22, 0)

After Vol. 2:
Avengers: Living Legends (#23-30)
Avengers/Thunderbolts Vol. #1: The Nefaria Protocols (#31-34 and Thunderbolts #42-44)
Avengers #35-40 (not reprinted(?))
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (#41-55)
Avengers Vol. 1: World Trust (by Geoff Johns) (#57-62)
(Other "numbered" trade paperbacks continue from here)
Avengers Disassembled (by Brian Michael Bendis)

(Nearly all other Avengers TPBs take place long before any of these books.)

As noted above, Kurt Busiek's Avengers issues are quite good, but a bit unspectacular. The notes contained at the end of Assemble Vol. 1 detailing his original plans for the book are fascinating, and the George Perez rough pencil pages and Kurt Busiek script pages (for "Avengers #1 or whatever it'll be" as Busiek's notes call it) are intriguing as well. If you already own the three trades or the 12 issues reprinted here, it probably won't be worh bying again, but it would be worth browsing through at your local brick-and-mortar bookstore (or library, if you're lucky enough to have them carry it).

Again, I cannot comment in any detail on Vol. 2, not having read it, but having read all of Busiek's other Avengers trades, it seems safe to say that it would receive four out of five stars as well.

For readers new to Busiek, I would recommend the Astro City trades, Marvels, or JLA/Avengers over these books to see what all of the fuss is about. Most of Busiek's works (including Avengers Assemble, but not including Astro City) draw from the rich history of the Marvel universe, and are best appreciated by someone familiar with it, although other readers should still find these works fairly enjoyable.

The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook: Your Personal Companion to How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci

Average customer rating:

Wonderful treasure to share with the whole family!
My organization now thinks like Leonardo
Great way to step back and relook your life
Sad
Refining senses in a cluttered, rushed world.

The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook: Your Personal Companion to How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci
Michael J. Gelb
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
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ASIN: 0440508827
Release Date: 1999-06-15

Amazon.com

Leonardo da Vinci is the perfect antidote to a dumbed-down world. Perfect for anyone with similar aspirations for self-actualization, the exercises in The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook are designed to provide a lifetime of cerebral expansion, using the seven parameters laid out in How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: curiosity; developing knowledge though experience; sensual refinement; a willingness to embrace ambiguity and paradox; linking the scientific and creative sides of the brain; physical poise and fitness; and understanding the connectedness of all life.

For example, to develop curiosity, one of the exercises has you ask people you respect to assess your strengths and weaknesses and to offer ways in which you could improve. Uncomfortable? Probably, for both parties. But if you're not curious about how others perceive you, you've closed off entire corridors leading toward self-knowledge and self-improvement. In the section on knowledge and experience, Gelb has you write down each new word you come across, along with its definition, and practice using it as often as you can. Da Vinci, he says, recorded 9,000 words this way. As Gelb notes in his introduction, this isn't a book that can be fully used up in a week or even a year; it could take 10 years to perform all these exercises. It would take months just to listen to the 10 greatest pieces of classical music he lists in the section on sensual refinement, and then listen to them played by different orchestras and conductors to distinguish subtle differences in interpretation. And, certainly, the simmeringly sensual recipes listed in that same section could lead to some very cozy evenings over the course of a lifetime. --Lou Schuler

Book Description

In the bestselling tradition of The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal, The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude and The Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Workbook comes The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook--the companion volume to Michael Gelb's 1998 Delacorte hardcover bestseller.

Created to structure and motivate the reader's development of the seven da Vincian principles introduced in How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook represents the natural extension of Gelb's da Vinci line. As any modern da Vinci student knows, Leonardo's notebook both served as the incubator and repository of his unique genius and provides the foundation of any modern-day student's attempt to emulate that genius on his own. From the very first exercise in the original How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, Gelb encourages readers to keep their own personal notebooks in which to hone their da Vincian skills; now he provides that notebook for them, with the added bonus of tips on exercises they'll recognize and new suggestions and assignments that will build on the work they've already done.

Designed to echo the inviting look of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, and structured to help readers focus on each of the seven genius principles, The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook is a companion volume that truly complements and enhances the reader's experience of the original book on which it's based.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful treasure to share with the whole family!.......2007-03-12

I was looking for something to share with my daughter for her Home school projects but fell in love with this book and workbook for myself instead!
This is a wonderful book to thrill and inspire you to learn new things about yourself every day! Why rush through it?! It was meant to be savored slowly like wine and cheese so don't rush your way through it!
I AM a Leonardo da Vincian Thinker!

My organization now thinks like Leonardo.......2006-11-10

I bought this book and the companion workbook, read it, then had a presentation done for my professional organization of which I am the state president this year. It was smashing!

I recomend this to anyone who is interested in learning how to "think outside the box" and to really explore how to think and approach everyday things in a different manner.

These books lend themselves well to seminars for groups and for academia.

Great way to step back and relook your life.......2006-02-02

At first I was skeptical but the workbook has turned out great. I have been using it on and off at times in my life when a lot of things are going on and I need a way to rethink about what I am really doing with my life. It may not be for everyone but for the few people who are ambitious or have lots of intrest, this book can help bring everything in perspective. It's not even that expensive. Also, it doubles as a journal if you don't care for the exercises.

Sad.......2003-02-23

This is very sad book with little merit. A perfect example of an author scamming the reading public. I wish there was some kind of publishing board that could review books and prohibit some from being published.

Refining senses in a cluttered, rushed world........2002-11-20

Part of this book is for journaling and we've all heard how helpful journaling can be in different areas of our lives. That, however is not what I consider the value of this book.

Flip it over and you have the workbook part of the book. In this section the reader is made to sit down and think. Unlike journaling, where your mind takes you where it wants to go, the workbook gives us assignments.

For instance: Learning from Mistakes and Adversity (who doesn't want to do this?). This section encourages us to explore our attitudes toward mistakes by contemplating questions given. Following the instructions are two pages of questions that the reader must answer. In a word - it makes us think.

The work book also encourages readers to refine our senses. How often do we even consider doing this during the day when we have responsibilities piled upon us, clocks ticking the seconds away, and all the world'sgeneral confusion spinning around us? Not often!

Book Description

Digital art has become a major contemporary art form, but it has yet to achieve acceptance from mainstream cultural institutions; it is rarely collected, and seldom included in the study of art history or other academic disciplines. In MediaArtHistories, leading scholars seek to change this. They take a wider view of media art, placing it against the backdrop of art history. Their essays demonstrate that today's media art cannot be understood by technological details alone; it cannot be understood without its history, and it must be understood in proximity to other disciplines--film, cultural and media studies, computer science, philosophy, and sciences dealing with images.

Contributors trace the evolution of digital art, from thirteenth-century Islamic mechanical devices and eighteenth-century phantasmagoria, magic lanterns, and other multimedia illusions, to Marcel Duchamp's inventions and 1960s kinetic and op art. They reexamine and redefine key media art theory terms--machine, media, exhibition--and consider the blurred dividing lines between art products and consumer products and between art images and science images. Finally, MediaArtHistories offers an approach for an interdisciplinary, expanded image science, which needs the "trained eye" of art history.

Contributors:
Rudlof Arnheim, Andreas Broeckmann, Ron Burnett, Edmond Couchot, Sean Cubitt, Dieter Daniels, Felice Frankel, Oliver Grau, Erkki Huhtamo, Douglas Kahn, Ryszard W. Kluszczynski, Machiko Kusahara, Timothy Lenoir, Lev Manovich, W.J.T. Mitchell, Gunalan Nadarajan, Christiane Paul, Louise Poissant, Edward A. Shanken, Barbara Maria Stafford, and Peter Weibel.

The Language of New Media (Leonardo Books)

Average customer rating:

Factually lazy
Somewhat tedious, but original and worth considering
a refreshing perspective
An Unfortunate Classic
New Languages of Communication and Relationship?

The Language of New Media (Leonardo Books)
Lev Manovich
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0262632551

Book Description

In this book Lev Manovich offers the first systematic and rigorous theory of new media. He places new media within the histories of visual and media cultures of the last few centuries. He discusses new media's reliance on conventions of old media, such as the rectangular frame and mobile camera, and shows how new media works create the illusion of reality, address the viewer, and represent space. He also analyzes categories and forms unique to new media, such as interface and database.

Manovich uses concepts from film theory, art history, literary theory, and computer science and also develops new theoretical constructs, such as cultural interface, spatial montage, and cinegratography. The theory and history of cinema play a particularly important role in the book. Among other topics, Manovich discusses parallels between the histories of cinema and of new media, digital cinema, screen and montage in cinema and in new media, and historical ties between avant-garde film and new media.

Customer Reviews:

Factually lazy.......2006-02-11

Lev Manovich claims to have been trained in computer science. If he had any respect for the field, he would not have filled his book with deliberate misstatements about the nature of digital media. He uses these misstatements to fill out his narrative about the development of new media, and in doing so misinforms the "new media artists" he purports to educate.

The writing is reflective of Manovich's speaking/lecturing style: factually lazy, fluffed up with pointlessly obtuse language, and above all else BORING.

If you are an artist looking to understand the development of new media, look elsewhere, as you will only be bored and misinformed by Manovich. If you are a computer scientist looking for media theory, you will also be bored, but also possibly offended by the lazy treatment of your area of expertise.

Somewhat tedious, but original and worth considering.......2005-12-31

All of the other reviewers are correct in the varied points, from praise for the substance to criticism for the tedious nature of some of the writing.

My take-away from this book is two-fold:

1) The author spends most of his time focused on a variation of "the medium is the message" and how important it is to understand not only the medium, but the totalitarian uses to which the medium can be put. The book is strongest over-all in bringing to bear real-world experience that contrasts sharply with the US view of the Internet as all flowers and love and freedom. He clearly articulates the totalitarian opportunities.

2) What he does not focus on, although this is alluded to in the preface by Mark Tribe, is the human cost of going online to the detriment of face-to-face. I have a 13-year-old who would, given a choice, spend 24/7 online, with his cell phone glued to his ear, watching a TV with one eye. As Mark Tribe notes, museums and other gathering places are essential for creating a focused kind of face to face interactivity that is not yet possible online.

An underlying sub-theme throughout the book is that reality and virtual reality are merging. We are moving toward a time when we will have a choice between opting for "authenticated" reality, or reveling in "constructed reality." One shudders to think of The Matrix, where all humans have become the ultimate couch potatoes, spending their lives immobile in a petri dish being fed "virtual reality" while their brainpower is sucked off for energy and other nefarious purposes.

This is not an easy book to absorb, especially if you are not obsessed with the merger of cinematography and computers, but on balance, I am quite happy to have taken this in for its unique perspective.

a refreshing perspective.......2005-03-17

Having waded through masses of literature by theorists with no practical background and a tendency to make mistakes like attributing Star Wars to Steven Spielberg, it is a delight to read a text that is grounded in both experience and solid rhetoric. Lev Manovich writes with clarity, wit and provocative insight - a rare and enjoyable experience for anyone doing serious research in this area. This review is based on the MIT Press version of the text.

An Unfortunate Classic.......2003-02-16

The language of the book is unneccessarilly opaque, and in it's attempts to tie the author's descriptive language with the language of current digital technology it is strained and often veers toward inaccuracy in desperation.

Ok, I said it. Sorry.

That said, the book offers a powerful theory of new media, and introduces a very useful vocabulary.

Bleah.

New Languages of Communication and Relationship?.......2003-01-02

According to the back cover introduction, "Lev Manovich offers the first systematic and rigorous theory of new media". He does this by describing the developing history of available media as a context for understanding the current digital electronics technology.

On the media of today he notes: "One general effect of the digital revolution is that the avant-garde aesthetic strategies came to be embedded in the command and interface metaphors of the computer software. The contemporary computer media are actually the past avant-garde materialized!"

As is perhaps clear from the book's title, "The Language of New Media" is primarily about the communication 'languages' that the various media make available through their existence. A language, in the sense that Mr. Manovich uses the term, is a collection of methods[in a media-tool/medium context] and their effect on that which may be communicated by a particular work. A wide range of examples, from published or exhibited creations, are cited to help describe the fruits of using a particular method/context that he details.

The strongest recurring theme in the book is how it deals with the history of cinematic language. Cinema is the media which brings under it's umbrella the greatest range of production methodology, so comes the closest to tying the whole text together into a coherent narrative. Otherwise, the book would tend to be more a kind of dictionary of available media methodologies/effects/attributes, each with their own implication towards constructing a sensual or conceptual experience.

Amazon.com

With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.

A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh

Book Description

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.

In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.

THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller…utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.

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While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever. THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller¿utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.

Customer Reviews:

Overrated crap.......2007-10-12

This book could have been a fantastic read, but I was so disappointed in it, I almost didn't even finish it! The beginning was exciting, I couldn't put it down- however, by 2/3 of the way through, it was just mindless, predictable garbage. I wasn't expecting this "historical" novel to be factual, but it was still a disappointment.

Lacks imagination.......2007-10-11

I typically don't read books that have been hyped up by the general public. A few of my friends, however, suggested that I check it out. So I did. While I don't regret reading it, I would never recommend it to anyone. Brown pretty much lost me when he described the main character as a "bookish Harrison Ford" that is a professor at an ivy league university. This character is about to embark on a quest to find the Holy Grail... I saw that movie over 15 years ago... it's called "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." The characters all lack depth, and the riddles were mindless (I solved the first one as soon as it was presented, and the second maybe a few pages before the characters did.) I'd never read another one of his books.

Great Fiction.......2007-10-10

Dan Brown has done a wonderful job in reasarching this book. All his hard word work adds to the beilivability of the novel. This accounts for the reason so many have been against it from its inception.

This is agreat suspence story revalved around a great historic figure. Could it be true or is it totally false, you be the judge.

MNReview.......2007-10-02

Asorbing - you won;t want to stop listening. (Much more thrilling than reading the book.)

Worth reading if you can do it quickly.......2007-09-30

You need to read "The DaVinci Code" really fast; it's much better that way. You need to read it fast because if you slow down for a second, you might start asking questions like --

> Why does the author seem to be basing this book on schlocky movies like "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"?

> How or why would Mary Magdalene wind up in France of all places?

> Were five million people really burned to death as witches, at a time when the population of all of Europe was maybe sixty million?

> Why are all the book's characters straight out of central casting?

But I don't want to be too tough on the book. Trying to make straight-laced Christianity compatible with Druidic free-love fertility rites will stretch anyone's syncretic capabilities.

Now, maybe for his next book Monsieur Langdon can dig up the grail, put the documents on the internet, then go off to discover that a certain sixth-and-seventh-century religious warrior-prophet was really married to four men, not women, and that this fact is constantly being alluded to by the Weinstein brothers in all their films.

Digital Performance: A History of New Media in Theater, Dance, Performance Art, and Installation (Leonardo Books)

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Digital Performance: A History of New Media in Theater, Dance, Performance Art, and Installation (Leonardo Books)
Steve Dixon
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Participation (Documents of Contemporary Art)

ASIN: 0262042355

Book Description

The past decade has seen an extraordinarily intense period of experimentation with computer technology within the performing arts. Digital media has been increasingly incorporated into live theater and dance, and new forms of interactive performance have emerged in participatory installations, on CD-ROM, and on the Web. In Digital Performance, Steve Dixon traces the evolution of these practices, presents detailed accounts of key practitioners and performances, and analyzes the theoretical, artistic, and technological contexts of this form of new media art.

Dixon finds precursors to today's digital performances in past forms of theatrical technology that range from the deus ex machina of classical Greek drama to Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk (concept of the total artwork), and draws parallels between contemporary work and the theories and practices of Constructivism, Dada, Surrealism, Expressionism, Futurism, and multimedia pioneers of the twentieth century. For a theoretical perspective on digital performance, Dixon draws on the work of Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, Jean Baudrillard, and others.

To document and analyze contemporary digital performance practice, Dixon considers changes in the representation of the body, space, and time. He considers virtual bodies, avatars, and digital doubles, as well as performances by artists including Stelarc, Robert Lepage, Merce Cunningham, Laurie Anderson, Blast Theory, and Eduardo Kac. He investigates new media’s novel approaches to creating theatrical spectacle, including virtual reality and robot performance work, telematic performances in which remote locations are linked in real time, Webcams, and online drama communities, and considers the "extratemporal" illusion created by some technological theater works. Finally, he defines categories of interactivity, from navigational to participatory and collaborative. Dixon challenges dominant theoretical approaches to digital performance--including what he calls postmodernism’s denial of the new--and offers a series of boldly original arguments in their place.

Average customer rating:

A Very Enjoyable Read
Well done
A letdown in the genre of historical fiction
Karen takes you back to DaVinci's life and times
Leonardo's Swans

Leonardo's Swans: A Novel
Karen Essex
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel
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The Illuminator

ASIN: 0767923065
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Book Description

Isabelle d’Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, born into privilege and the political and artistic turbulence of Renaissance Italy, is a stunning black-eyed blond and an art lover and collector. Worldly and ambitious, she has never envied her less attractive sister, the spirited but naïve Beatrice, until, by a quirk of fate, Beatrice is betrothed to the future Duke of Milan. Although he is more than twice their age, openly lives with his mistress, and is reputedly trying to eliminate the current duke by nefarious means, Ludovico Sforza is Isabella’s match in intellect and passion for all things of beauty. Only he would allow her to fulfill her destiny: to reign over one of the world’s most powerful and enlightened realms and be immortalized in oil by the genius Leonardo da Vinci. Isabella vows that she will not rest until she wins her true fate, and the two sisters compete for supremacy in the illustrious courts of Europe.

A haunting novel of rivalry, love, and betrayal that transports you back to Renaissance Italy, Leonardo’s Swans will have you dashing to the works of the great master—not for clues to a mystery but to contemplate the secrets of the human heart.

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Chapter One

X * FORTUNA (CHANCE)

FROM THE NOTEBOOK OF LEONARDO:

When Fortune comes, seize her firmly at the forelock, for I tell you, she is bald at the back.

IN THE YEAR 1489; IN THE CITY OF FERRARA

She grew up in a land of fairy tales and miracles. That is what Isabella is explaining to Francesco as they ride through Ferrara's streets. It is Christmastime, and though there is no snow on the dry stone road, the horses shoot clouds of steam into the frigid air through their nostrils.

This is the first time she has been allowed to escort her fiancé through the city on one of his visits. Francesco Gonzaga, future Marquis of Mantua, has come to Ferrara to romance his soon-to-be bride and to enjoy the city's many Christmas pageants ordered by Isabella's father, Duke Ercole d'Este, a great patron of the theater. Isabella believes that the more she tells Francesco of Ferrara's secrets and wonders, and the more she shows him of her father's spectacular building projects and improvements, the more he will realize her value.

In this very church, Isabella says, pointing to St. Mary's of the Ford, almost two hundred years ago on Easter Sunday, the priest broke the Eucharist in two, and flesh and blood came spraying forth, covering the walls of the church and splattering the entire flock.

"The parishioners watched in awe," Isabella says, eyes wide with drama. "The Bishop of Ferrara and the Archbishop of Ravenna came to see it. They instantly recognized it as the body and blood of Christ and declared it a true miracle of the Eucharist."

Francesco solemnly makes the sign of the cross as they ride past the church, but his eyebrows arch skeptically, making him look entirely out of step with the act.

Beatrice trots ahead of the pair of lovers, her long braid swinging in saucy rhythm with the horse's mane, as uninterested as her steed in their conversation.

"Isn't that right, Beatrice?" Isabella asks her sister for confirmation of her story, hoping that the odd girl does not say anything to contradict her. Beatrice is a puzzle to Isabella, a fact that the older sister blames on the girl's unsupervised upbringing in wild Naples. The girl is a feral, unformed thing, alternately shy, naive, aloof, and bold--the latter especially apparent when riding or hunting. How such a small fourteen-year-old girl, who is not particularly courageous outside of these activities, excels at all manly sport is a mystery to Isabella, but the fact of Beatrice's prowess remains, no matter how enigmatic.

"I wouldn't know. I wasn't there!" Beatrice finally answers without turning around, but they can hear her laugh at her own joke.

The animal's swaying ass taunts Isabella, who knows that her sister is dying to break away from them to test the horse's speed. Francesco has brought Drago, the pure white Spanish charger, from his family's stud farm on the island of Tejeto, as a gift for the girls' father. But Beatrice immediately took over the animal, talking to him in whispers that should be reserved for a lover, and hopping upon him and riding away, as if the painstakingly bred horse was meant to carry a little girl in a pink riding dress and not a fearsome knight in armor.

"I'll tell you a miracle that happened right here in Ferrara that is even better," Francesco says, sidling his horse right up to Isabella's so that their legs touch. She knows she should pull away, that her mother would rail against this sort of indiscriminate physical contact, even with leather riding boots providing a barrier to the couple's much-craved intimacy, but instead, she rides with slow care so that they might continue to brush against one another.

"What miracle is that?" she asks, suppressing a smile.

"That your father agreed that you should be my wife," he answers.

You have no idea j

Customer Reviews:

A Very Enjoyable Read.......2007-09-16

As one who normally gravitates to English historical fiction, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book, but was drawn to it because of the inclusion of Leonardo da Vinci. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and the period of Italian history presented. It takes you to a different time and place with ease. After finishing the book, I find myself wanting to read more Italian historical fiction and to visit the works of Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre. Just the kind of inspiration you hope to get from a great book!

Well done.......2007-07-16

I enjoyed this novel more than Essex's IN THE COMPANY OF A COURTESAN. Over all, the book is a well done weaving of fact and fiction. Essex is a talented writer - I thoroughly enjoy her style and ability to move the story along rather quickly. My main critisim is lack of character development and telling nuances. Just a little more heart and depth to each of the main women characters would have really made this a show stopper. In general, it read like a very visual movie and a great story that I have not read in a novel version before.

I especially enjoyed *learning* a little more about several of the lovely faces that grace Leonardo's work. I say "learning," assuming that the general story is close to the facts and conceivably possible - which seems to be the case. Mind you that I am no Italian historical biographer - I'm sure Essex took the needed literary liberty as needed. A wonderful read!

A letdown in the genre of historical fiction.......2007-06-04

This book had very little to do with the aforementioned painting and with Leonardo da Vinci in general, in which case I was let down because it turned out to be something I did not expect. Based on a true tale of Renaissance era power families in Italy, the characters seemed like mere ciphers who existed solely to report the goings on of the day. Essex seemingly couldn't decide between an historical work or historical fiction and, as a result, this book is neither. Given authors like Dunant and Gregory, historical fiction can be so much more in the hands of a gifted storyteller. This book was a disappointment through and through.

Karen takes you back to DaVinci's life and times.......2007-05-22

Very enjoyable read, a real insight to Leonardo DaVinci and his contemporaries. The characters come alive!

Leonardo's Swans.......2007-05-13

For anyone who enjoys historical fiction AND/OR is planning a trip to Milan, THIS is the book for you. The story line was easy to follow and hard to put down. The details of the Sforza Castle, of Leonardo's various works and his quirks, and the history of ruling families in Italy during the 1400's-1500's was fascinating! It honestly made my last trip to Milan much more meaningful as I almost felt I knew Isabella and the Moro. A GREAT read!

Leonardo's Machines: Da Vinci's Inventions Revealed

Average customer rating:

Great Book - Only a how-to if you are VERY experienced!
Very Practical book. useful for school projects

Leonardo's Machines: Da Vinci's Inventions Revealed
Domenico Laurenza
Manufacturer: David & Charles Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Patents & Inventions | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0715324446

Book Description

Building on the success of The Da Vinci Code--a bestseller in 48 countries--this book brings inventions from the artist's original coded notebooks alive. There's more interest than ever in Leonardo Da Vinci, and here readers will find a rare glimpse into the innovator's brilliant mind, with:

-Gorgeous color artwork that breathes life into Leonardo's inventions--from flying and war machines to musical instruments

-Annotated diagrams that show exactly how each contraption would have worked

-A look at how the inventions would be used in modern life

With incredible detail and mechanical accuracy, Leonardo's Machines unlocks the mystery of the artist's notebooks in a way that's both fascinating and educational!

Customer Reviews:

Great Book - Only a how-to if you are VERY experienced!.......2007-06-04

I bought this book because I have tickets to see the traveling exhibit, "The Da Vinci Experience", in a couple months. It is a gorgeous book. Each machine covered has copies of the Da Vinci original plans, plus the editor's illustrations breaking the machine into it's components, with the placements of said componenets. Each machine has explanations of how components and the full machine work (or are supposed to work). Also, each machine has a history of Leonardo's drawings, purpose, client or personal notebooks, etc. It's a great book and looks gorgeous. I wouldn't think it would be a how-to for a school project unless the kid/parent had a lot of mechanical experience beforehand. All drawings show "real" components that you'd need a full shop to put together. There are no measurements, per se, just comparative sizes shown in the drawings. In the case of Leonardo's original drawings, it looks like this was deliberate. For example, the book's Introduction tells of Leonardo's problems with Giorgio Tedesco, an assistant of a prominant Medici. He wanted Leonardo to build him wooden models of several inventions. Leonardo successfully argued that he could only give Tedesco the scaled drawings. Historians surmise that Leonardo suspected that Tedesco would take the models back to his country, and take them apart to make full-sized machines out of iron without Leonardo's help. Job security was no laughing matter in the 1500's! Love the book. Can't wait to see the working full-sized (except for the half-size helicopter)models made from the drawings in the exhibition.

Very Practical book. useful for school projects.......2006-09-05

excellent illustrations. this book is a must for anybody contemplating building any of Leonardo's machines. Particularly for school projects. Disappointed that the crossbow wasn't included. Otherwise probably one of the best books available on his machines.

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