Amazon.com
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior. The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"--a 24/7 mental valet--that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea.
Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us "mind blind," focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to "the Warren Harding Effect" (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the "dark side of blink," he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making. In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell's ideas about what Blink Camp might look like. --Barbara Mackoff
Book Description
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior. The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"--a 24/7 mental valet--that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea. Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us "mind blind," focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to "the Warren Harding Effect" (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the "dark side of blink," he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making.In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell's ideas about what Blink Camp might look like.--Barbara Mackoff
Customer Reviews:
Unabashed Fan for Good Reason.......2007-10-16
I am a huge fan of Gladwell's work. Both Blink and Tipping Point are fantastically entertaining yet highly informative - a combination that, as a writer, I aspire to and one Gladwell has clearly mastered.
Blink.......2007-10-14
Still reading the book but find it very interesting and informative. Explains many thoughts, behavors that I've had in the past.
A New Perspective.......2007-10-13
I was riveted from start to finish. I have been married and divorced, yet I chose a stray dog at a pet adoption agency in less than 5 minutes and was absolutely certain of the decision. My dog is the most wonderful companion one could ask for. This book and the book Understanding: Train of Thought explain how this can and does happen - even to those of us who consider ourselves educated, reasonable and experienced. I highly recommend them.
Intuition and Decision Making.......2007-10-13
On a 5 scale I rate this book a solid 5.
I enjoyed this book much more than Gladwell's The Tipping Point (which I rate a 4 out of 5). Gladwell presents in Blink some wonderful insight into our ability (and in some of us our super-ability) to intake lots of information, assess and analyze it, and come to some final decision literally in the blink of an eye.
I've personally been interested in the topic of intuition and how we might be able to develop it as a skill. Gladwell's work has enabled me to further my understanding of intuition tremendously. He gives many examples and provides a lot of scientific explanation of how it works, or at least how it might work.
Gladwell also provides several case studies in a variety of areas ranging from assessment of rare antique art to predicting divorce in married couples. For the case studies alone Blink is worth the price of the book.
Best Of The Book: Gladwell's chapter on "Listening with Your Eyes" and how we often allow non-pertinent factors, such as what we SEE, to be the deciding factor in major decisions. I particularly enjoyed his description of how Abbie Conant became First Trombone for The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. `Course it's in the conclusion of the book and you really should read the earlier chapters so you get the full impact.
I recommend the book for anyone interested in how we can make snap decisions and, depending on our knowledge and expertise, often be correct.
I hope you enjoy Blink.
good, but didn't agree with some of the info.......2007-10-11
This book was an interesting read until I reached the chapter "Seven seconds in the bronx" I disagree that police officers should be taught to look at a persons face when most officers are killed by the HANDS of another person. I agree that a lot can be learned by evaluating a person's facial expressions; however, I am always skeptical about persons who second guess anothers actions. I had an appreciation for the book as a whole. I would never encourage a police officer to focus on an offenders facial expression, PERIOD! Take a ride in a patrol car and see what body part you focus on.
Amazon.com
"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.
For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.
Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan
Customer Reviews:
Take care of the little things and the big things will all come together.......2007-10-17
For those that like to learn about how people act, react and think, this book is a fascinating read. I'm not much on non-novels; I usually get through them and think "what a waste of time, I could of read a good book". But with this book and the book Understanding: Train of Thought, I couldn't put them down. They are such easy reading; it is easy to retain the material and they keep you thinking long after. I liked them so much I bought more copies for my friends!
An Unabashed Fan for Good Reason.......2007-10-16
I'm a huge fan of Gladwell's work. Both Blink and Tipping Point are fantastically entertaining yet highly informative - a combination that I, as a writer, aspire to and one that Gladwell has clearly mastered.
Great read.......2007-10-15
Not the most innovative concept in marketing, but Galdwell did a very good job in explaining a complex phenomena by giving easy to follow examples. I particularly like the Boston Tea Party example.
Irrelevent Drivel.......2007-10-15
Yet another author who has found something interesting to write about, realizes there isn't enough to fill a book and then embarks on a meandering journey of sleep inducing, page filling drivel. In this case the subject is social epidemics. If you wipe out three quaters of this book you'd have a good read.
This is an excellent organizational behavior book!!.......2007-10-13
I was really impressed with this book. I bought it to fulfill an MBA classroom project and it was a great book to read. The author introduces the main ideas in four sections and then provides extensive examples where the reader can fully understand what these ideas are. What is quite astonoshing about this book is that the ideas are very basic but yet very important and powerful at the same time. The author demonstrates how a small idea can create BIG positive changes. This book is ideal for those interested in organizational behavior or are studying any topic that relates to behavior at work, in society, or in their personal lives. Very useful book!!!
Book Description
Established for 20 years as the definitive virology reference, the two-volume classic Fields Virology is in its thoroughly revised, updated Fifth Edition. More than 100 world-renowned investigators provide encyclopedic coverage of every aspect of contemporary virology, including the pathogenesis of viral diseases and the molecular biology, replication, and clinical significance of all known virus families. This edition has many new international contributing authors and a greater emphasis on clinical relevance. Coverage includes new material on viruses and biodefense, emerging and re-emerging viruses, the human virome, mononegavirales, and henipaviruses. This edition also has a new two-color design and a revised art program unifying replication and virions images. A new bound-in CD-ROM contains a viral image bank.
Customer Reviews:
Fields Virology.......2006-06-05
The book pictured on this site is the Fourth Edition of Fields Virology. However, the "Book Description" in the "Editiorial Reviews" section on this site is for the Third Edition of Fields Virology. I hesitate to purchase the book because I am unsure which edition you will be shipping. Before I place my order, I want assurance that I will be receiving the Fourth Edition.
Best out there for MAMMALIAN virology.......2005-01-27
My take on this two-volume set is that if you are going to put out as much money as this set costs, you should get a lot for it. This two- volume set is simply the best I have found for MAMMALIAN virology, with a close second being 'Fundamental Virology'. I stress the mammalian virology, as it omits a good bit (if not all) of the plant- associated virii. The basics of all virus structure are in there, regarding plant virii, but beyond that, there is information lacking. Despite this, when purchased as a graduate-level or upper-undergraduate level text or reference guide, there simply is no other text of this scale. There is a lot more text than graphics, but this does not (in my opinion) deter from the value of the text. If I could, I'd give a 4.5 star of 5, only for the lack of plant virii information and my personal desire for more graphics. i will say that the CD-Rom has more than enough graphics to make up for the book's seeming lack of graphics. As a 'financially- burdened' Pathology trainee and Virologist by employment, I will say that this is worth the price and effort to read. Note that it is written to the biologist who has some knowledge, albeit foundational knowledge, of biology.
A FINE VIROLOGY YARDSTICK.......2003-02-20
There is hardly any significant fact about viruses that missed-out in this edition of "Fields Virology". Page after page, this sound all-inclusive reference doles out authoritative information on both viruses and viral syndromes. From taxonomy to etiology, metamorphosis to replication; the analyses of this text is grand. The same applies to its attached CD-ROM. Its practical outlook was intended to benefit both microbiologists and pathologists. Bernard Fields and his colleagues made their mark with this book. It is a great effort.
However, most botanist may not be pleased to know that little attention was paid to plant viruses. Again, many potential buyers may be demoralized by the rather high price that this virology-set demands.
Another Bible. Amazing viral world.......1998-02-01
It covers all fields of virology. Perfect and wonderful ! Easy to understand. I really recommend this book to who is involved in biology
Book Description
Now in its updated Fifth Edition, this popular and practical text presents all the information clinicians need to use the EKG in everyday practice and interpret hypertrophy and enlargement, arrhythmias, conduction blocks, pre-excitation syndromes, and myocardial infarction. It is an ideal reference for medical students in ICM courses, house officers, or anyone directly involved in patient care, whether student, teacher, or practitioner. The book features more than 200 facsimiles of EKG strips and numerous case studies and clinical examples. This Fifth Edition includes updated information on pacemakers and myocardial infarction treatment and more practice EKGs.
Customer Reviews:
The only EKG Book.......2007-10-09
This book is excellent. It really gives you a great foundation for learning how to read EKGs.
EKG - (ECG).......2007-05-27
Great book and the best one written to really understand the electrical changes in the heart and what they mean clinically. If you are in the medical field or a student, you need to read this book, and absorb it's content!
Awesome book!.......2007-02-25
I totally loved this book. It is fantastic for really learning and understanding ekg's. I looked at Dubin's book, but felt it was sort of insulting to the reader. I didn't like his 'see Dick and Jane' sort of format. Also, drawing pictures and writing your own comments? I am not five years old.
This book is gentle and easy and I really understood the physiology of how ekg's work. The understanding of why they work is crucial to being able to interpret them. I picked up the ability to intuit where and what was going on by knowing the electrophysiology. Wonderful! Now I feel confident when presented with a new ekg, I can work through the steps and then put the picture together.
What a terrifc book!
Excelent book!.......2006-11-29
The book is well done. It is well presented, it is not heavy so you can have it on your bag while you are working.
Good letter, good EKG's in color. It keeps simple things simple and complicated things clear and concise. It is divided in nine chapters with cases at the end and summary of important items.
I do really recomend it, I am from outside US.
thank you
Easy to read.......2006-11-28
The concepts are so clearly explained that with no biology in my head - I am an engineer- I was not intimidated and learned enough to decipher the medical jargon at work.
Average customer rating:
- the ultimate sandman
- A book only as Oversized as the Series itself
- AMAZING!
- speechless...
- What follows is a series of remarks addressed to the readers of this review and about this book itself
|
The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1
Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: Vertigo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover Comic
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Watchmen
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Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
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Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders (P.S.)
ASIN: 1401210821 |
Book Description
THE SANDMAN, written by New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, was the most acclaimed comic book title of the 1990s. A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, THE SANDMAN is also widely considered one of the most original and artistically ambitious series of the modern age. By the time it concluded in 1996, it had made significant contributions to the artistic maturity of comic books and become a pop culture phenomenon in its own right.Now, DC Comics is proud to present this comics classic in an all-new Absolute Edition format. The first of four beautifully designed slipcased volumes, THE ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL. 1 collects issues 1-20 of The Sandman and features completely new coloring, approved by the author, on the first 18 issues, as well as a host of never-before-seen extra material, including the complete original Sandman Proposal, a gallery of character designs from Gaiman and the artists who originated the look of the Sandman, and the original script to the World Fantasy Award-winning THE SANDMAN #19, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," together with reproductions of the issue's original pencils by Charles Vess. Also included are a new introduction by DC's president Paul Levitz and a new afterword by Gaiman.
Customer Reviews:
the ultimate sandman.......2007-10-11
The ultimate sandman was my dream come true. Great illustrations and the story line is fantastic. "Neil Gaiman at his best" Read it you will not be disappointed.
A book only as Oversized as the Series itself.......2007-09-28
Anyone who wants to start with Sandman I think should start by heading to the library and borrowing several volumes first. Anyone who's a fan should own this.
Neil Gaiman's Sandman is a wonderful series; a mythos that encompasses many other cultural mythologies into one nifty little setting. Anyone can pull up a short little synopsis about the series, but that would be an understatement of a task, for the series is so much more than just that. For the series is itself a mythology, a fantasy, and a reality, and anyone who comes across it, with a little patience, will immediately be swept away by the unfathomable truths contained within these tomes, and for once, being lost in a desert of dreams won't be such a bad idea.
However, I do have a few issues. The wonderful facet of a comic book (in the case of Sandman, Graphic Novels or Visual Literature) is that it is a collaborative medium. While Gaiman is undoubtedly a tour de force, the art itself helps to raise the bar of that force. Initially reading the series, you get a sense of its visceral visions and its somber tones, all through vibrant background colors. In the Absolute Sandman, however, the re-colors have somehow nullified some of that mood that was so powerfully combined with the writing itself. Newcomers to the series won't notice it if they start with this edition, but fans will. If you don't believe me, just compare the print from any of the previous TPB's or hardcovers of Issue #6 "24 Hours" (a shocking high-voltage horror tribute) or Issue #8 "The Sound of Her Wings" (this is the issue which for me is the definitive beginning of the mythos) with the Absolute editions. While the writing is still strong, I miss some of the old coloring, which helped to evoke a certain mood that solidified the series place in the comic book world. That isn't to say that some of the coloring hasn't actually improved on the old. In most cases, the recoloring was actually smoother and stronger, and set the mood more proper.
Newcomers should borrow from the library or from friends who have previous versions, to get a sense of the original mood (also, the book is just way too huge for carrying around), then if they see fit can buy the Absolute editions. I still think this is a wonderfully (and adequately) oversized edition, and some of the new coloring isn't bad, but bland in some cases. The large size magnifies the series in proper grandeur, and is an apt edition for fans to collect. It's not such a bad idea to own previous versions, in which there are those wonderful introductions by authors such as Clive Barker, Peter Straub, Stephen King, etc., with the Absolute editions (despite the costs), which I proudly own.
AMAZING!.......2007-09-25
I'm new to the Sandman comics and relatively new to Gaiman's writing, but this series was recommended to me several times so I decided to read it, and I most definitely was not disappointed. The story is very intricate and extremely creative, and the characters, although fantastic, become believable. The world entered while reading these comics is truly amazing, and those who can stand the scenes of violence will be well rewarded for checking it out.
speechless..........2007-08-25
I have already read my copies of the graphic novels to tatters, I've long since lost my copies of the original comic books. (I'm actually one of those weirdos who actually reads their comics.) I was completely amazed at the stunning quality of this collection. (No, the color reproduction isn't as bad as all the serious art students are making it out to be.) Absolutely beautiful. I'm always surprised when I talk to people who've never heard of Neil Gaiman's works. The Sandman series should be issued to the entire human race...
What follows is a series of remarks addressed to the readers of this review and about this book itself.......2007-08-16
Whoa... Were do i begin?
Let me start by saying, I would recommend to anyone to read some of the series, just to see if they like it. Personally, I think this is a treat not to be missed!
Average customer rating:
- Interesting But I Didn't Always Agree
- wow
- Masterpiece Revisited
- One of the best books I've ever read.
- A Must Read for Everyone --- Especially Black Men---
|
The Autobiography of Malcolm X : As Told to Alex Haley
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
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The Souls of Black Folk (Dover Thrift Editions)
ASIN: 0345350685
Release Date: 1987-10-12 |
Amazon.com
Malcolm X's searing memoir belongs on the small shelf of great autobiographies. The reasons are many: the blistering honesty with which he recounts his transformation from a bitter, self-destructive petty criminal into an articulate political activist, the continued relevance of his militant analysis of white racism, and his emphasis on self-respect and self-help for African Americans. And there's the vividness with which he depicts black popular culture--try as he might to criticize those lindy hops at Boston's Roseland dance hall from the perspective of his Muslim faith, he can't help but make them sound pretty wonderful. These are but a few examples. The Autobiography of Malcolm X limns an archetypal journey from ignorance and despair to knowledge and spiritual awakening. When Malcolm tells coauthor Alex Haley, "People don't realize how a man's whole life can be changed by one book," he voices the central belief underpinning every attempt to set down a personal story as an example for others. Although many believe his ethic was directly opposed to Martin Luther King Jr.'s during the civil rights struggle of the '60s, the two were not so different. Malcolm may have displayed a most un-Christian distaste for loving his enemies, but he understood with King that love of God and love of self are the necessary first steps on the road to freedom. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
If there was any one man who articulated the anger, the struggle, and the beliefs of African Americans in the 1960s, that man was Malxolm X. His AUTOBIOGRAPHY is now an established classic of modern America, a book that expresses like none other the crucial truth about our times.
"Extraordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book."
TEH NEW YORKTIMES
Customer Reviews:
Interesting But I Didn't Always Agree.......2007-10-04
My sixth grade teacher assigned this book for homework, and we had a field trip to go see the Spike Lee movie when it came out. When a freelance writer and I had a discussion about Black leaders, she suggested that this book should be required reading, and I'd forgotten so much besides the most standout things that I picked up the book again. There are things that I don't agree with, such as Malcolm Little's ideas on how women should be checked and physically put in their place. There are things that I didn't agree with in Muslim religion, such as calling people White Devils. I understood where he was coming from, but after awhile, that just got old and I wanted the book to move on...quickly.
However, as with the movie, I was very interested and admired Malcolm X a great deal when he started paying attention to the world around him. It was interesting to watch the transformations he went through before he was unfortunately called to death way too soon. I'd be very interested in seeing his early notes, watching him go from not being able to tell what a verb was to writing the last word in the dictionary. Out of all of the things I respect about Malcolm X in this book and from other historical lessons I've learned is that no matter what the subject, if he wanted to talk about something or get it done, he didn't sit around waiting on someone else to do it. Every single event in this book was something he either played a part in organizing or made sure to get the ultimate results.
Favorite Quote of His: I've never been one for inaction. Everything I've ever felt strongly about, I've done something about it.
wow.......2007-09-14
this book was my guide book to loving my race and myself as a black woman..
Masterpiece Revisited.......2007-08-04
I read this book once about a decade ago and felt it was my civic duty to read it again. This book is the gospel truth. Reading it was deja vu. I blink once or twice feeling like I just witnessed a scene described in the book. There is nothing radical about this piece of work. It is an eye opener and often times people will put a negative slant on this story or any story of this calibre when they don't want the truth revealed/discovered. I recommend this book to every breathing human being, especial blacks, negroes and the "n-word" as we were branded. The book is personal, political, emotional and above all a forecast of the present state of America. Read and process it and pass it on!
One of the best books I've ever read........2007-07-22
You can't have a discussion on race in America without reading this book first. I loved the movie, but this books will leave you with a lot to think about, which I don't believe the movie does. It has totally opened my eyes. A must read!!
A Must Read for Everyone --- Especially Black Men---.......2007-07-09
This book has seriously changed the way I view the world around me. As an African-American male who once led a life "in the mud" as Malcom would describe, it is inspiring to see how far one can rise. History has truly committed one of the most heinous crimes in keeping his life hidden away from mainstream society. Even if one does not agree with his thoughts, words, or actions, you have to agree with his conviction and dedication to change. This book will be a required reading for all members of my family.
Book Description
Knitting is a relatively simple process requiring a minimal set of tools – two needles and a ball of yarn. Its basic structure of interlocking loops couldn't be less complicated. Yet the possibilities for design and pattern innovation seem endless. Now is a great time to learn to knit. Never before have you had so many lovely and imaginative yarns from which to choose and so many stylish and sophisticated patterns to work with.
Sure, grandmothers knit, but so do movie stars, football players, doctors, and lawyers. They know what our grandmothers do: Knitting does more than just provide you with warm and cozy things to wear. Knitting also
- Stirs your creativity
- Gives you an ongoing sense of purpose
- Teaches patience
- Soothes the soul from the stresses of everyday life
Practice and perfect your knitting skills with Knitting For Dummies. This friendly, hands-on guide will lead you through the following topics and more:
- Mastering the four elemental moves of knitting
- Deciphering knitting patterns
- Fixing common knitting mistakes
- Getting started with simple projects
- Expanding your horizons with stripes and details
- Relaxing stiff shoulders and fingers
Every chapter explaining a specific knitting technique includes a Knitting Notebook of sample patterns to show you some of the different ways it can be used and a section of Practice Projects that gives step-by-step instructions for simple and attractive knitted accessories nearly al of which are features on the pages of the color insert. Most projects end with a list of project variations – ways to expand on your understanding of how to craft and design projects on your own.
Customer Reviews:
The author needs to put herself in the shoes of a REAL knitting dummy!.......2007-06-25
I am always reminded of the Gary Larson cartoon when reading a book like this, where a huge math problem is written on the board, and just before the solution it says "And then a miracle happens"! I feel like a lot of starter knitting books are like that. They give fairly good instructions at first, but then seem to jump suddenly ahead and leave you far behind. For example, I tried today to use the book to help me try to do a fairly basic knitting move, a yarn over (YO) I found the instructions here were totally confusing, and despite all my effort, I just couldn't do it. They seem to leave out steps and assume that you will get what they mean.
The book also jumps back and forth. I wonder why knitting instruction books go on and on about gauge and converting gauges and so on in the first few chapters of a book. I KNOW it's important when you start making things like sweaters, but for most of us beginners, we will be starting with garter stitch scarves that will probably be full of holes, and reading about how important a gauge swatch is doesn't get you too excited about knitting.
The projects also seem a bit ambitious. I think this book would be for getting started, and you would probably consult another book when you got into complex projects, so I don't need to learn how to make sweaters or socks from this one! I long for a book that REALLY covers the basics. Spend 4 pages on a yarn over if you have to! Make the casting on simpler! Give some VERY simple stitch patterns and walk the new knitter right through making something with them---even if, God forbid, you don't use standard knitting notation!
One thing this book WAS good at was making me excited about knitting. It's obvious that the author loves to knit, and she writes like she does. And through bits and pieces of info here and there, I did learn a bit from it. But please, potential future authors, remember how it feels when you FIRST start knitting!
New Knitter.......2007-05-09
This book was an excellent resource. The step-by-step instructions made it easy to follow. The small patterns included in the book made it easy to try your newly learned skills without shopping for additional patterns.
fantastic resource.......2007-04-19
I can't say that I've ever liked the whole "Dummies" idea but this book is nothing short of wonderful. I've taught knitting for many years and have often given this book as a gift to those just starting. The illustrations and descriptions are as clear and as helpful as you can get. And for people who have been knitting for a while and just need a good resource guide to brush up on things -- or for when they just get stuck on something, the book is great for that too. I especially like how it doesn't assume anything and just provides accessible and thorough explanations. Highly recommended.
Knitting for Dummies.......2007-04-11
I learned to knit when I was a child but found crocheting easier and faster. I have now found more time on my hands and have started knitting again. This book has helped me with the basics and given me the confidence to try harder things. This book is full of great information for knitters of all ages and levels.
Excellent for beginners.......2007-02-24
The book is excellent for beginners or intermediaries as it gives various basic techniques and tips on knitting. if you are one go for it !!
However, if you are looking for various pattern and stitch variations try a book that focuses more on that aspect.
Book Description
Hervé This (pronounced "Teess") is an internationally renowned chemist, a popular French television personality, a bestselling cookbook author, a longtime collaborator with the famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire, and the only person to hold a doctorate in molecular gastronomy, a cutting-edge field he pioneered. Bringing the instruments and experimental techniques of the laboratory into the kitchen, This uses recent research in the chemistry, physics, and biology of food to challenge traditional ideas about cooking and eating. What he discovers will entertain, instruct, and intrigue cooks, gourmets, and scientists alike.
Molecular Gastronomy, This's first work to appear in English, is filled with practical tips, provocative suggestions, and penetrating insights. This begins by reexamining and debunking a variety of time-honored rules and dictums about cooking and presents new and improved ways of preparing a variety of dishes from quiches and quenelles to steak and hard-boiled eggs. He goes on to discuss the physiology of flavor and explores how the brain perceives tastes, how chewing affects food, and how the tongue reacts to various stimuli. Examining the molecular properties of bread, ham, foie gras, and champagne, the book analyzes what happens as they are baked, cured, cooked, and chilled.
Looking to the future, This imagines new cooking methods and proposes novel dishes. A chocolate mousse without eggs? A flourless chocolate cake baked in the microwave? Molecular Gastronomy explains how to make them. This also shows us how to cook perfect French fries, why a soufflé rises and falls, how long to cool champagne, when to season a steak, the right way to cook pasta, how the shape of a wine glass affects the taste of wine, why chocolate turns white, and how salt modifies tastes.
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining but not the best cooking reference.......2007-10-08
I was looking for something to use as a reference for how to prepare different types of food. This definitely is not it. It is an entertaining read but it does not really have the level of detail I was looking for when I got this book. The best I have gotten so far is On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (or something like that) by Harold McGee.
We're that much closer to Jetson style food pills.......2007-06-19
Herve This is a genius and should be respected simply for the fact that he approaches cuisine with something other than blind awe of traditions that regarded as fact but are little more than a step up from superstitions and old wives' tales. Already a bit on the dry academic side and then translated from French to English, it can occassionally be a difficult read, but the unique nature of the subject makes sure it says a fascinating read. The book is broken up into sections each a few pages long asking if and why a preconceived notion regarding food is true (Does the juices of meat really contract to the center when you cook it?, Does it matter if you slowly heat your stock or use hot water from the beginning?), the nature of flavor (how salt affects sweet and bitter flavors), just what goes on with the food before we eat it (What causes cheeses to taste the way they do tracing it all the way back to the diet of the cow), and theoretical ideas to make the culinary field better (Developing new cooking techniques involving technology such as artificial vacuums and electrical fields). While the book uses specific examples, it's easy to take This's basic technique and apply it to anything food related, which you could imagine is his goal, having founded the field sharing its name with the book.
good, but.......2007-05-20
good, but, not very complete, inaccurate and simplistic. if you have read harold mcgee, it is a bit simplistic, un-scientific, and extremely biased. good for the beginner or home cook. short stories (and lack of scientific guidelines) are good for those without the patience for "on food and cooking"...
Disappointing.......2007-05-11
I was hoping to find something along the lines of Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking". If this is what you are looking for, look elsewhere.
Trick in the kitchen.......2007-03-20
This hardcover is divided in small paragraphs which are dealing with the different topics in kitchen science. The first section is dedicated to the tricks in cooking and is the one I like better. Then the author goes through the new discoveries about how do we perceive taste and flavour.
Good start to get in the argument of molecular gastronomy;)
Book Description
NMR spectroscopy is one of the most important and widely used techniques for the identification of compounds. Based on an established course this core text offers a truly modern and updated approach.
- Provides a comprehensive introduction to the subject
- Includes a multi-disciplinary approach, concentrating on basic principles and concepts
- Contains chapters of worked examples and problems to encourage a fuller understanding of topics
- Offers a pedagogical approach, starting with quarks and nucleons, and moving on to cover NMR imaging, COSY (Correlated Spectroscopy) and NOESY (Nuclear Overhauser Effect Spectroscopy).
As a core subject in many science disciplines, this text will appeal to a wide range of students, as well as practising scientists and technicians. Assuming only a basic knowledge of complex numbers and matrices, it carefully and lucidly aids readers to fully understand this challenging subject.
Customer Reviews:
Very Informative.......2007-01-04
Coming from a purely Physics background, this book is great at explaining in simple English without sounding like it is talking to a complete idiot. I don't appreciate books that are condescending, and this one is not. Very good, well written, and highly recommended!
It is bible for understand NMR.......2006-11-10
It is a distinguished book for beginer to under stand NMR from theory to experiment step by step.
Good NMR text.......2004-10-05
This is an excellent text book written by a chemist. Author handles some of hardware stuff as well as physical chemistry of NMR based on quantum mechanics. This text provides us with clear pictures of NMR phenomena. Some detailed explanations about basic NMR pulse sequences are excellent for everybody who studies this field.
A must have for any aspiring NMR jockeys.......2004-01-18
For those studying biomolecules with NMR, the unofficial bible is of course the maroon colored Cavanagh book. Though this is an excellent book, it isn't the best suited book for beginners. This is where Levitt's book comes in: this is by far the kindest introduction to NMR that I have seen, with heavy emphasis on understanding the concepts first and the formalism later. The book is full of useful diagrams, detailed analogies, and exercises for the reader where other books only show equations. So borrows someone's Cavanagh first, and if you get stuck after 20 pages then order yourself a copy of Levitt and you won't be disappointed. If you already have studied NMR and are looking at how to apply it to proteins, then Cavanagh should suit you fine.
Clear first introduction to NMR.......2002-07-27
This book could simply be stated as an excellent attempt to introduce the foundations of NMR. It is a very good primer on all theoretical aspects that are essential to an understanding of the subject.
It offers a methodical, step-by-step approach. Useful tools and consistent terminology are the most attracting feature of this volume. It is well-illustrated; and controversial issues are highlighted in the "Notes" sections at the end of each chapter. It has illustrative problems at the end of each chapter, with solutions provided at the end.
Interestingly, the appendix covers many important aspects that are needed at a more advanced stage. Useful tools for the understanding of NMR are developed at appropriate stages. These include: the box notation for coherences, populations, density matrices and transitions; the origin of NMR spectra from individual coherence terms in the density matrix; origin of 2-D NMR signals as well as many important concepts in Fourier Transform NMR are described. The origins of relaxation enjoy a very readable and simplistic approach in the last chapter.
Whenever simplistic approximations are used, the author never claims of completeness or rigour. Distinction is made between terms that are physically correct and terms that are sometimes misleading, but enjoy widespread use in the NMR spectroscopy convention. The essential tools in quantum mechanics are outlined, product operator descriptions are used frequently and repetitively, that enhances understanding and provides more practice. Pictorial representations have been given where possible, a view-point beginners like myself find very useful.
One drawback, is a careful side-lining of the very important technique of using pulse-field gradients, although their cousin technique, named pulse-cycles is quite elaborately explained. I hope, the next issue of the book would also cover up this important technique.
Book Description
In April 1956, a refitted oil tanker carried fifty-eight shipping containers from Newark to Houston. From that modest beginning, container shipping developed into a huge industry that made the boom in global trade possible. The Box tells the dramatic story of the container's creation, the decade of struggle before it was widely adopted, and the sweeping economic consequences of the sharp fall in transportation costs that containerization brought about.
Published on the fiftieth anniversary of the first container voyage, this is the first comprehensive history of the shipping container. It recounts how the drive and imagination of an iconoclastic entrepreneur, Malcom McLean, turned containerization from an impractical idea into a massive industry that slashed the cost of transporting goods around the world.
But the container didn't just happen. Its adoption required huge sums of money, both from private investors and from ports that aspired to be on the leading edge of a new technology. It required years of high-stakes bargaining with two of the titans of organized labor, Harry Bridges and Teddy Gleason, as well as delicate negotiations on standards that made it possible for almost any container to travel on any truck or train or ship. Ultimately, it took McLean's success in supplying U.S. forces in Vietnam to persuade the world of the container's potential.
Drawing on previously neglected sources, economist Marc Levinson shows how the container transformed economic geography, devastating traditional ports such as New York and London and fueling the growth of previously obscure ones, such as Oakland. By making shipping so cheap that industry could locate factories far from its customers, the container paved the way for Asia to become the world's workshop and brought consumers a previously unimaginable variety of low-cost products from around the globe.
Customer Reviews:
No where near technical enough.......2007-10-03
Like many jounalists' stories this is set around a particular factor. In this case an entrepeneur who no doubt had a big role to play.
But there were lots of other factors which are not given much play and others bearly alluded to. Also, not even one drawing of a container or its fittings!
So OK as an intro but by no means a comprehensive history.
Global supply chains explained.......2007-08-13
It's hard to dispute that containerization has dramatically altered the rules of the game: global supply chains, logistics, and outsourcing are all direct consequences of the massive trade flows enabled by modern containerships. Marc Levinson's account of this industry is an interesting mix of politics and history. A good section of the book is dedicated to labor disputes, and the general resistance of the dock workers and US unions to mechanization. In retrospect, they were worried for the right reasons, modern ports require very little human involvement and the days of breakbulk shipping are long gone. In all, 'The Box' offers a good mix of the politics, strategy, and historical research.
Interesting Look at the Building Blocks of Globalization.......2007-08-08
Although THE BOX may be somewhat too American centered, economist and business journalist Marc Levinson has written an eminently readable history of the advent of the modern logistics industry that goes a long way toward bringing the attention of a nonspecialist audience to the topic. Despite his belief that his subject has "all the romance of a tin can" (p. 1), his account is anything but dull because he builds much of his narrative around a cast of colorful entrepreneurs, engineers, and union leaders. The most significant character is Malcom P. McLean, who launched modern containerization in April 1956 by having fifty-eight truck trailers loaded onboard a refitted oil tanker that sailed from Newark, New Jersey, to Houston. The main background to Levinson's account, however, consists of the various roadblocks to containerization put in place and enforced by government regulators in agencies such as the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), the United States Maritime Administration, and the Federal Maritime Board. In the author's opinion, the bureaucrats, far from having the consumer's best interest in mind, usually undertook to protect established commercial interests by limiting competition in the transportation industry....
Levinson's treatment of the revolutionary days of container shipping, which lasted until the early 1980s, is very thorough, but his account of the more recent past is much less so. Indeed, people familiar with the industry may get the impression that a final (non-American) chapter is missing from the book. For example, although Levinson describes the rise of container ports in western Europe and East Asia, he devotes only two paragraphs to the fact that European and Asian firms that were late entrants in the game now dominate the industry. No U.S. firm is currently listed in the world's top eighteen container ship companies. Five of these top firms (including the three largest) are headquartered in Europe, three in China (two in mainland China and one in Hong Kong), three in Japan, two in Taiwan, two in South Korea, and the remaining three in Singapore, Chile, and Israel. (See Ted Smith-Peterson, "Railroading's New Economy: The Spigot," TRAINS 66, no. 9 [2006]: 34-41.) In Levinson's opinion, these late entrants achieved success because they "arrived with financial and managerial skills foreign to many of the carriers they replaced, skills appropriate to an industry in which raising capital and managing information systems were far more important than maritime knowledge" and because they were not burdened with "the legacy of government subsidies and directives that had crippled many of their predecessors by forcing them to buy ships built in their home countries or to sail routes determined by regulators" (p. 275). No doubt many readers would like to know more about these developments and about which skills Levinson means.
Levinson also barely alludes to more recent technological advances and to the amazing fact that the rest of the world now handles only one-third as many containers as the Chinese do (for both domestic and international trade). Furthermore, in the words of one industry analyst, China has now become the "U.S. railroads' growth engine" and has been the cause of an American "rail renaissance" (Tom Murray, "Railroading's New Economy: The China Factor," TRAINS 66, no. 8 [2006], p. 28).
Despite such shortcomings, however, THE BOX is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in understanding the emergence of our contemporary "globalized" world economy.
Superb for non-specialists.......2007-05-08
I read this book a few months ago for my nonfiction "foreign policy" book club and we loved it. I continue to rave about it and recommend it to others in diverse fields from national security to development to leadership studies. As generalists unfamiliar with shipping, this book was incredibly readable and engaging. Chapters treated a diverse range of topics, which we found well covered and incisive, such as the discussion of the role of labor unions, business entrepreneurship, and interplay between containerization and globalization. Kudos to Mr. Levinson for a superb effort.
A fascinating read about "boring" containers.......2007-04-25
Ever looked at a modern city's ports and wondered about those gigantic cranes or the logistics chain that they were a part of? Or wondered how we went from a world of stevedores/longshoremen and manual unloading to the gigantic container ships and nearly automated loading and unloading? Or better yet, how goods get so cheaply from the world's manufacturing facilities in China to the US, Europe and other places?
These are the questions the book addresses. It does so by focusing on the humble containers at the root of all this process and retelling their history over the last 50 years or so. If we didn't have a global standard for shipping container sizes, none of the infrastructure built around them like container ships, cranes, ports, rail cars, truck trailers and others would be possible.
The book shapes the story of the shipping container around one man Malcolm McLean who is widely regarded as the person who first used containers and built a shipping business around them. The book does a good job of detailing the history of the container including the initial struggles, the opposition of the longshoremen's labor unions and the rise and fall of ports as they bet (or did not bet) on the economies of scale that were brought about by the container. One does get a sense by reading the book of how much of our global economy we owe to the changes brought about by containers.
So why only 4stars? For one, I think the subject matter is interesting only to a narrow cross section of the population. Second, the book does drag quite a bit in places. The author does a great job of making the matter accessible, but he could have gone further. A certain pedantic nature does creep into the book and I felt some of the material could have been edited out of the book to trade off readability at the cost of scholarly completeness.
Books:
- Bound for Oregon
- Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle-Aviation Pioneer and World War II Hero
- Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone
- Civil Rights Chronicle (The African-American Struggle for Freedom)
- Civilization in the West, Volume II (since 1555) (Book Alone) (6th Edition)
- Crusades: The Illustrated History
- Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts
- Design!: A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists & Craftspeople
- Encyclopedia of North Carolina
- Encyclopedia of War and American Society (3-Volume Set)
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