History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Emotion Machine: Commonsense Thinking, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of the Human Mind

Average customer rating:

Excellent book on thinking machines - but misleading title
The common, but wrong approach.
AI: About Intuition
Frustrating and disappointing
thinking : critic - selector model

The Emotion Machine: Commonsense Thinking, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of the Human Mind
Marvin Minsky
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Emotions | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Our minds are working all the time, but we rarely stop to think about how they work. The human mind has many different ways to think, says Marvin Minsky, the leading figure in artificial intelligence and computer science. We use these different ways of thinking in different circumstances, and some of them we don't even associate with thinking. For example, emotions, intuitions, and feelings are just other forms of thinking, according to Minsky. In his groundbreaking new work, The Emotion Machine, Minsky shows why we should expand our ideas about thinking and how thinking itself might change in the future.

The Emotion Machine explains how our minds work, how they progress from simple kinds of thought to more complex forms that enable us to reflect on ourselves -- what most people refer to as consciousness, or self-awareness. Unlike other broad theories of the mind, this book proceeds in a step-by-step fashion that draws on detailed and specific examples. It shows that thinking -- even higher-level thinking -- can be broken down into a series of specific actions. From emotional states to goals and attachments and on to consciousness and awareness of self, we can understand the process of thinking in all its intricacy. And once we understand thinking, we can build machines -- artificial intelligences -- that can assist with our thinking, machines that can follow the same thinking patterns that we follow and that can think as we do. These humanlike thinking machines would also be emotion machines -- just as we are.

This is a brilliant book that challenges many ideas about thinking and the mind. It is as insightful and provocative as it is original, the fruit of a lifetime spent thinking about thinking.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book on thinking machines - but misleading title.......2007-06-10

I agree with the reviewer who noted how odd it was that a book titled "The Emotion Machine" does not discuss Joseph LeDoux, even if only to refute him. But I think that the problem is with the title, not the book. I found many of Minsky's insights very helpful - it is a very good book about how machines think. And if you are not a dualist, then those insights apply to people too. The book is very well organized and clearly written, and helps you think about thinking. I especially enjoyed his discussion of qualia (although he does not use the term), and why he thinks it is not quite the problem that so many philosophers want to make it.

Minsky's main take on emotions is that emotional states are not fundamentally different from other types of thinking, and that the entire dicotomy of rationality v. emotion is misleading. He prefers to view them all as different ways of thinking - of utilizing various mental resources at one's disposal, some conscious and some not. He organizes his discussion of difficult material very well, but I wish there was more grounding in the underlying neural anatomy of human emotion.

The common, but wrong approach........2007-05-25

What is so special about emotions?
Emotions is just one kind of bechavior, among many, demonstrated by reasonable systems. It is didn't matter what kind of system it is.
Machine and human, and bacteria, or dog, all reasonable systems are subjective simply because they are isolated from direct interactions with environment and capable to demonstrate the emotional behavior.
Contrary to common opinion all live creature, not human only, are emotional.
Best regards Michael Zeldich

AI: About Intuition.......2007-04-24

My brother is a computer programmer with a computer game company and he discovered something fascinating while trying to create a simulation for the movement of a crowd.

By inputing three variables: 1) be like a common member of the group but 2) stay a certain discrete distance from your neighbor while 3) moving away when everyone gets too close, he captured the seemingly naturalist choatic looking behavior of a crowd.

The point here is that the operation of a simple set of rules can create the appearance of the phenomenon of seemingly complicated and choatic behavior.

And I don't think the point is mistaken here where Minsky and his likes consider the delicate calculus of human behavior.

While his book ends by discussing the subject of self, perhaps self is perhaps the starting point for all proper discussions of consciousness and identity. This is because -- like all animate behavior -- the existence of self is uniquely keyed to the fact of animate autonomy.

In other words, the greatest of behvaioral conundrums is perhaps the simplest. In order to to decided what to eat, do or where to go, self provides that unique user perspective to allow the necessary illumination of what inbuilt needs remain unmet and which are in the most immediate need of meeting.

An effective engineer, Mother Nature has put into excellent service the process of emotion which allows the quick, effecient recording of the relevant information.

In his classic work The Astonishing Hypothesis, Francis Crick said that self was nothing more than the current state of our neurons and ganglia. Richard Dawkins has repeatedly shown that those neurons and ganglia recieve their current structure through the explanable process of natural selection. And Minsky has done well to show that as a result of that process our brains our like programs that have been worked over many times creating occassional inconsistencies.

Indeed it is perhaps these inconsistencies themselves that lay at the very heart of intuition.

Frustrating and disappointing.......2007-04-21

I recall appreciating The Society of Mind. But in this new book, his best answer to the Mystery of Experience is, "experiencing something like a color seems simple but is actually complicated". His main answer to the mega-Mystery of the Experience of Self-Awareness is, "consciousness is a suitcase term that we use to refer to many different things". It is almost like he is pretending to not experience these mysteries himself, so that he does not have to seriously engage the question of how/why our brain/minds do these things, and under what conditions other machines might. So frustrating that it makes the book hard to read -- it might have been better to skip over these matters more, if he can't deal with them more usefully.

thinking : critic - selector model.......2007-04-01

1. We don't recognize a problem as hard until we've spent some time on it without making any significant progress. For if you can diagnose the particular type of problem you face, then you can use that knowledge to switch to a more appropriate way to think.
2. Critic-selector model of thinking: Each critic object can recognize a certain species of problem type. When a critic sees enough evidence, the critic will activate a "selector", which tries to start up a set of resources that it has learned is likely too act as a way to think that may help in this situation.
3. If a problem seems familiar, use reasoning by analogy. If it seems unfamiliar, change the way you're describing it. If it seems too difficult, divide it into several parts. If it still seems difficult, replace it by a simpler problem. If none of these work, ask someone for help.
4. If too many critics are aroused, then describe the problem in more detail. If too few critics are aroused, then make the description more abstract. If important resources conflict then you should try to discover a cause. If there has been a series of failures, then switch to a different set of critics.
5. Emotional reactions: cautious vs. reckless, unfriendly vs. amicable, visionary vs. practical, inattentive vs. vigilant, reclusive vs. sociable, and courageous vs. cowardly; each such emotional way to think can lead to different ways to deal with things-either by making you see things from new points of view or by increasing your courage or doggedness. If too many critics are active then your emotions would keep changing too quickly. And if those critics stopped working at all, then you'd get stuck in just one of states.
6. The best way to solve a problem is to already know a way to solve it. Searching extensively. When one has no better alternative, one could try to search through all possible chains of actions. But that method is not often practical because such searches grow exponentially.
7. Reasoning by analogy: when a problem reminds you of one that you solved in the past, you may be able to adapt that case to the present case situation.
8. Divide and conquer: if you can't solve a problem all at once, then break it down into smaller parts.
9. Reformulation: find a different representation that highlights more relevant information. Understand in a different way.
10. Planning: consider the set of subgoals and examine how they affect each other.
11. Techniques for problem solving: simplifying, elevating, and changing the subject.
12. More reflective ways to think: wishful thinking, self-reflection, impersonation.
13. Other modes of thinking: 1) logical contradiction: try to prove that your problem cannot be solved, and then look for a flaw in that argument. 2) Logical reasoning. We often try to make chains of deduction. 3) External representation. Drawing suitable diagrams 4) Imagination. What would happen if by simulating possible actions inside the mental models that one has built.
14. Creating higher level selectors and critics help to reduce the sizes of the searches we make.
15. Modes of thought: preparation, incubation, revelation, and evaluation.
16. Creative ideas must be combined with the knowledge and skills already possess-so it must not be too different from ideas with which we're already familiar.
17. If too may critics are active then you notice flaws to correct and spend much time repairing them and never get at the important things and people perceive us as depressed. If too many critics are turned off then you ignore alarms and concerns that would help you concentrate allowing errors and flaws. The fewer the critics active, then the fewer goals pursued, making one intellectually dull.

Engineering Psychology and Human Performance (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

My first Wickens book, and definately not to be my last
Thorough coverage of research on human factors engineering
Good academic book Safety via Psychology
A milestone integration of applied pyschology

Engineering Psychology and Human Performance (3rd Edition)
Christopher D. Wickens , and Justin G. Hollands
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0321047117

Book Description

This book presents an intuitive understanding of how humans process information in the performance of tasks—highlighting the strengths and limitations, as well as methods, of performance. Equal emphasis is placed on the implications of these strengths and limitations for the design of equipment with which people interact, and for the design and training of work procedures. Chapter topics include spatial displays, language and communications, memory and training, decision making, selection of action, manual control, and stress and human error. Individuals interested in psychology will appreciate this book's reflection on the link between basic research and real-world applications.

Customer Reviews:

My first Wickens book, and definately not to be my last.......2007-09-24

As a budding Usability Engineer I have to say that early in my career I had heard about Wickens as he a prof of Human Factors Engineering around the Chicago area (if I am not mistaken about the area). I bought the book when I could find it on sale once, and it's been a prized possession ever since. Of all my books, only one person I've ever allowed to borrow this one.

This book is very dense, everything that the writer puts forth is not only fully explained in detail, but is also backed-up solidly with cited evidence. It's a great book and I honestly would reccommend anyone into Usability or Human Factors get this book and you'll find too it's in your library and highly used. Personally mine has different colored flags everywhere for different points and things to notice.

I must say though, that this is not a fast read (due to the information), and it's not necessarily a 'fun' read - but for solid information, I dont see how this book can be beat.

-Dustin

Thorough coverage of research on human factors engineering.......2007-09-13

Wickens & Hollands cover human factors (which they call engineering psychology in their title) thoroughly in this volume. If you found Donald Norman's "The Psychology of Everyday Things," useful, but want something more in-depth, you may find this academic textbook useful. It covers a great deal of research on several topics critical to software user interface design, such as, attention & perception, spatial displays, memory & training, and decision-making.

Good academic book Safety via Psychology.......2007-03-09

Good academic book on study of human psychology and performance in relation to Safety.

A milestone integration of applied pyschology.......1999-08-04

Wickens' book, though slightly dated, provides an integrative review of applied psychological research that remains without peer. It offers students of engineering and design a solid theoretic pillar for the relevant psychological issues. Paired with an applications-oriented text of similar quality, one has much of the material needed for a graduate-level introduction to human factors engineering.

The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence

Average customer rating:

optimestic and yet not too far fetched
A Book that everybody should read.
A half-baked masturbatatory science fiction sourcebook
Awesome, megalomaniacal, and fantastic.
Judge By The Evidence

The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence
Ray Kurzweil
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140282025

Amazon.com Reviews

How much do we humans enjoy our current status as the most intelligent beings on earth? Enough to try to stop our own inventions from surpassing us in smarts? If so, we'd better pull the plug right now, because if Ray Kurzweil is right we've only got until about 2020 before computers outpace the human brain in computational power. Kurzweil, artificial intelligence expert and author of The Age of Intelligent Machines, shows that technological evolution moves at an exponential pace. Further, he asserts, in a sort of swirling postulate, time speeds up as order increases, and vice versa. He calls this the "Law of Time and Chaos," and it means that although entropy is slowing the stream of time down for the universe overall, and thus vastly increasing the amount of time between major events, in the eddy of technological evolution the exact opposite is happening, and events will soon be coming faster and more furiously. This means that we'd better figure out how to deal with conscious machines as soon as possible--they'll soon not only be able to beat us at chess, but also likely demand civil rights, and might at last realize the very human dream of immortality.

The Age of Spiritual Machines is compelling and accessible, and not necessarily best read from front to back--it's less heavily historical if you jump around (Kurzweil encourages this). Much of the content of the book lays the groundwork to justify Kurzweil's timeline, providing an engaging primer on the philosophical and technological ideas behind the study of consciousness. Instead of being a gee-whiz futurist manifesto, Spiritual Machines reads like a history of the future, without too much science fiction dystopianism. Instead, Kurzweil shows us the logical outgrowths of current trends, with all their attendant possibilities. This is the book we'll turn to when our computers first say "hello." --Therese Littleton

Book Description

The national bestseller by the "ultimate thinking machine" (Forbes) whose predictions for the future are startling, provocative--and closer to fruition than you think.

Ray Kurzweil is the inventor of the most innovative and compelling technology of our era, an international authority on artificial intelligence, and one of our greatest living visionaries. Now he offers a framework for envisioning the twenty-first century--an age in which the marriage of human sensitivity and artificial intelligence fundamentally alters and improves the way we live. Kurzweil's prophetic blueprint for the future takes us through the advances that inexorably result in computers exceeding the memory capacity and computational ability of the human brain by the year 2020 (with human-level capabilities not far behind); in relationships with automated personalities who will be our teachers, companions, and lovers; and in information fed straight into our brains along direct neural pathways. Optimistic and challenging, thought-provoking and engaging, The Age of Spiritual Machines is the ultimate guide on our road into the next century.

"The Age of Spiritual Machines will blow your mind. . . . Kurzweil lays out a scenario that might seem like science fiction if it weren't coming from a proven entrepreneur."-- San Francisco Chronicle
The Age of Spiritual Machines appeared on national bestseller lists, including the Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle
Kurzweil's first book, The Age of Intelligent Machines, won the Association of American Publishers Award for the Most Outstanding Computer Science Book of 1990

Customer Reviews:

optimestic and yet not too far fetched.......2007-06-08

Ray did good inventions and he writes good books too.

In this book, Ray describes an evolution path that will lead us ( human on earth) to
a 'digitalized' (not necessarily completely digital) world where humanity transcend
the universe. Too bold? too big? too crazy? Maybe not. However, I do think he is a bit over optimestic on the time line. We could possibly change our descedant greatly in the next 100 years through our understanding about gene, protein, and cellular interaction. They could be immortal (in general, and live as long as the univese could provide humanily livable space) Nano technology could spring into life (puns intended) in the next 100 years, as for how much change will be made, it's hard to precisely predict but it will definitely fundamentally change human civilization and culture. As for computational intelligence matches human's will happen in mid 2020,
I think it is a bit early, perhaps, add another five years but who knows, it might just happen that way.

Is Ray really far fetched? no, but probably optimestic and I don't mean the overly one but hey... that is part of the reason why scientist keeps doing what they are doing and create a good impact to the world.

Now, whoever has read this perhaps should start reading "The singularity is near".

A Book that everybody should read........2007-05-15

Since I get into contact with the Vinge's singularity concept I developed a very great attraction for the matter.
Ray Kurzweil explains it in a easy, not alarming and optimistic way.
After reading The Age of Spiritual Machines and his later book the Singularity is near I can not understand how somebody can live without knowing about this potential threat and at the same time potential solution to mankind problems.

A half-baked masturbatatory science fiction sourcebook.......2006-11-11

I had this book recomended to me (repeatedly) over the course of my reading of Radical Evolution. I was underimpressed by Ray's endless wanking at the idea of replacing human interaction with computer interaction, and the substition of the mortal coil with the superiortity of the T-800. If you are non-proficient with the subtlety of human mechinations, then the promise of escape via virtual reality, nano-orgasm machines, and techno-immortality can seem like the stuff of dreams. As a list of "bold predictions" this sketchbook of sci-fi cliches lacks the hard science to suggest the wildly optomistic timelines the author suggests.

As an artifact from the heady, euphoric days before the dot com burst, one can see how this book was published, and subsequently purchased by a great many people. By the time the author was defending previousely made statements about the actualization of his earlier predictions, I saw a pattern of half-truths that paints a techno-eutopia which here, in 2006, hardly exists in the labs of MIT, let alone for purchase as Best Buy, as the author so desperately hopes for.

This book summarizes a decade's worth of Popular Science articles (that decade being the 1990's) and the most enticing fantasies of the transhumanists, but is not actually fun to read. The dialogues with "Molly," the author's internal dialouge about the future of the toys he wishes will save him, borders on embarrassing.

There are a dozen books about exactly these subjects, which should be read first.

Awesome, megalomaniacal, and fantastic........2006-10-29

Ray Kurzweil is my best writer. I love his books. He writes in a clear way and he is really persuasive. This book is the best book I have read about the future of artificial intelligence. It teaches you so many interesting topics on computational neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience. This book has been written in 1999 and some of its first predictions are about to become true in 2006. I believe in all of the Kurzweil's theories because I am writing and programming my undergraduate thesis on computational neuroscience. I am sure you will enjoy the book. It is worth the price!

Judge By The Evidence.......2006-08-11

I read SINGULARITY before SPIRITUAL which, of course, is exactly the wrong order. In the time since this book was published he has had an opportunity (in SINGULARITY) to reflect, confirm and gloat if you will. Unlike Drake, who promised we would receive confirmation of extraterrestrial life by the year 2000, Kurzweil is amazingly accurate. He forecast an extremely short discovery period for the Human Genome (confounding the "experts" who predicted 100s of years). He stated that Big Blue would defeat a human - this after a devestating defeat. He correctly predicted the exponential rate of computer power and all that this implies for our future.

When he says "spiritual" - a word I am uncomfortable with - he is not assigning theological or mystical characteristics. More accurately he is describing a "human" machine, a machine with its philosophical underpinnings as human but yet it is more than human. The Age of Human Machines would be a more apt title. The book is not straight forward (perhaps by design) making the reader browse, go back, skip, etc.

Many readers take their eye off the mark and get stuck in local or current events - starvation in Africa, war in the Mideast, ethnic cleansing, ecology, global warming, etc. Yet none of these has had any effect on the rate of the acquisition of knowledge. We have reached a point where progress is almost self-sustaining - the more we discover, the more we know how much we don't know. Like a boulder rolling down a hill, the rush to research, experiment and design shows no sign of slowing. I was less than impressed with the discussion about consciousness and the future of the universe. Does a machine that is aware that it is learning "conscious"? Is consciousness simply a function of having enought nodes operating in parallel? If spiritual machines come to fruition history will veer into new directions we cannot conceive.

Average customer rating:

From the Oxford University Press Editor
clear and interesting, but...
The Meme Machine
An aid to understanding thought contagion
Really Fun!

The Meme Machine
Susan Blackmore
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 019286212X

Amazon.com

In The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins proposed the concept of the meme as a unit of culture, spread by imitation. Now Dawkins himself says of Susan Blackmore:

Showing greater courage and intellectual chutzpah than I have ever aspired to, she deploys her memetic forces in a brave--do not think foolhardy until you have read it--assault on the deepest questions of all: What is a self? What am I? Where am I? ... Any theory deserves to be given its best shot, and that is what Susan Blackmore has given the theory of the meme.

Blackmore is a parapsychologist who rejects the paranormal, a skeptical investigator of near-death experiences, and a practitioner of Zen. Her explanation of the science of the meme (memetics) is rigorously Darwinian. Because she is a careful thinker (though by no means dull or conventional), the reader ends up with a good idea of what memetics explains well and what it doesn't, and with many ideas about how it can be tested--the very hallmark of an excellent science book. Blackmore's discussion of the "memeplexes" of religion and of the self are sure to be controversial, but she is (as Dawkins says) enormously honest and brave to make a connection between scientific ideas and how one should live one's life. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

'Any theory deserves to be given its best shot, and that is what Susan Blackmore has given the theory of the meme I am delighted to recommend her book.' Richard Dawkins Humans are extraordinary creatures, with the unique ability among animals to imitate and so copy from one another ideas, habits, skills, behaviours, inventions, songs, and stories. These are all memes, a term first coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 in his book The Selfish Gene. Memes, like genes, are replicators, and this enthralling book is an investigation of whether this link between genes and memes can lead to important discoveries about the nature of the inner self. Confronting the deepest questions about our inner selves, with all our emotions, memories, beliefs, and decisions, Susan Blackmore makes a compelling case for the theory that the inner self is merely an illusion created by the memes for the sake of replication. 'Anyone who hopesDSor fearsDS that memetics will become a science of culture will find this surefooted exploration of the prospects a major eye-opener.' Daniel Dennett

Customer Reviews:

From the Oxford University Press Editor.......2007-05-18

The following elucidation of her text, copied from the back cover- does much to reveal the content of Dr. Blackmore's insightful and often controversial insights into the perspective of life from the view of memes. What it fails to portray are Dr. Blackmore's total reversal of every aspect of human life, viewed not from the everyday perspective, but from that of the self-replicating selfish "mental" gene, the Meme.

Humans are extraordinary creatures, with the uniques ability to imitate, and so to copy from one another ideas, habitats, skills, behaviours, inventions, songs, and stories. These are all memes, a term first coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book "The Selfish Gene." Memes, like genes, are replicators, competing to find space in our minds and cultures, and this enthralling book investigates the consequences. Confronting the deepest questions, from why humans have such a big brains and language, to altruism, sex and the Internet. Susan Blackmore makes a compelling case for the theory that even our inner conscious self and our sense of free will are illusions created by the memes for the sake of their own replication.

Copied from the text by: Bryan McGilly

clear and interesting, but... .......2007-05-16

I just finished the book and think it is a clear and interesting introduction on the subject. On the other hand I felt it was rushing into too many generalizations and the arguments on science vs. religion sounded quite empty.

The Meme Machine.......2007-05-08

This book was just plain fun to read and has given me new insights into why people push there points of view even when you wish they would not bother you with them. Reading this book has brought an increased sense of humor to my experience in relationships with people where discussion about religion are concerned. My tolerance for meme campaingns has increased, and I feel better able to accept my own "meme" infections. While this is a relatively serious topic, it is also a fun one. After reading the book, I am aware that I too am pushing my own meme preferences in sublties, and am able to laugh about it when I catch me doing it. better, I am doing it less and less. My daughter is a mom with a little daughter, and we laugh and play with the memes we are passing along to her. Some "memeing" is useful enough, and supports having a quality life experience. Reading this book has opened my eyes to why I got caught up in certain beliefs that were without practical applicatons in my life. It explained to me why belief agenda's get promoted and why I bought into some of them unwittingly. I jokingly refer to replicators, and meme fountains in causual converstaions now with others who have read the material. I feel better able to choose my loyalty to certain meme complexes now. I can stop the insanity of participating with the subtle control that can happen in a society where people don't ask why. And, I am having a lot more fun dealing with the meme fountains in life experience now~ including dealing with those who push their invasive and distructive memes unmercifully onto others who are innocent and unaware of the affects it will have on them to remain passive. If you want to wake up and smell the roses on purpose, read this book~

An aid to understanding thought contagion.......2007-01-13

Blakemore's book endeavors towards two goals:

1) A recapping of the origins of meme theory...which she does exceedingly well and

2) Humble suggestions on the place of memes in consciousness...where she seems to stumble.

In relation to her first goal, Blakemore admirably retraces the work of the likes of Richard Dawkins and Dan Dennett. For his part, Dawkins coined the term "meme" in his 1976 book "The Selfish Gene" wherein he described meme as a process or idea subject to replication. The song "Happy Birthday" for example would be a meme. Dennett built on Dawkins work by saying in his 1991 book "Consciousness Explained" that consciousness is a combination of in built human cognitive systems (like our innate understanding of physics or our ability to acquire language) along with memes.

Blakemore also recapped Dennett's later book "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" for his tower of states of consciousness, viz. a first level occupied by Darwinian creatures who have to produce a new generation in order to acquire new abilities, a second and higher level occupied by Skinnerian creatures that can acquire new abilities inter vivos but only through operant conditioning, a third and still higher level occupied by Popperian creatures -- for Karl Popper -- capable of abstract reasoning to acquire new abilities and a final highest level occupied by Gregorian creatures that can pick up additional abilities by means of culture or memes.

Building on these earlier thinkers Blakemore asserts that meme theory in and of itself can explain everything from temporary fads like the tulip craze bemoaned by Charles Mackey in his 1841 book on the Madness of Crowds to religion itself.

The mechanism by which Blakemore posits the transmission of memes is one of virture wherein superiorly altruistic memes will oust those previously occupied by more selfish memes. Her thinking is that the vehicles of meme transmission, us, will be more favorably disposed to ideas disseminated by people who have been nice to us than by those who haven't.

To the extent Blakemore ventures out on her own, I would part company with her.

Understanding any aspect, let alone persuasion of others, of human behavior is tricky business. And while Blakemore would posit a subtle arithematic to human behavior the truth probably lies closer to a delicate calculus.

As she herself indicated in her book, understanding consciousness is probably best begun with an understanding of first principles, namely that that subset of evolution relating to human behavior is but a special case for the general rules bearing on behvaioral evolution generally.

In other words, human consciousness is not different in kind but rather merely in degree from animal consciousness generally.

As shown by evolution, animals with motility will have to have both the ability to differentiate between themselves and their environment as well as discriminate the ingredients of their environment between potential areas of sustance and potential areas of threat. And so, the seemingly nettlesome questions of consciousness kind of answer themselves.

A sense of "I" exists because it evolutionary has to and the likes and dislikes of "I" (the so called "qualia" question) really amount to a running tally of emotionally encoded learned experiences.

To be sure, that sense of "I" is different for a person than a pidgeon but again, the differences of degree (albeit, in some cases a great degree, rather than kind).

So, to take religion as an example:

1) From pidgeons to humans, it's an aspect of cognitive perception to allow for false connections or superstitions to arise. And so, the difference between a pidgeon dancing around a machine to obtain randomly produced pellets is not that different from a person performing an elablorate ritual prior to gambling.

2) In the case of humans, theory of mind works powerfully to over ascribe personality. And so, the gambler makes his petitions not to chance but to Lady Luck personified.

3) Because, as noted by Dennett, we have in built cognitive systems, those systems can be decieved from time to time in remembering certain types of knowledge in preference to others. And so, while most English verbs use "ed" as past tense, the special case, commonly used verbs have irregular endings to promote their specialized recognition and recall. In the same way, we remember novel creatures over others. And so, Lady Luck is just like any woman but if pleased can grant you unlimited fortune.

4) Humans also respect strategic knowledge. From evolution in an environment where an extended knowledge of strategic relationships was helpful, we are capable of understanding metarepresentational interactions up to the sixth level. What I think that you may know about what someone else believes that somone else said is not a meaningless sentence. This quality fires our mythologies just as certainly as our soap operas. If we could experience an alligator religion or soap opera, I think we'd be bored.

5) Again, as noted by Blakemore, game theory gives us a sense of the outer contours of religious belief. In this regard, the recent Jeffrey Moses book "Oneness" which is a verbatim repetition of religious principles from around the world shows that the similarities in the main statements of religions around the world (e.g. all of them have a "golden rule," advice to respect elders, educate children and the like) shows that all human religions have made basically the same types of prescriptions and prohibitions.

6) And powerfully, finally a sense of group membership. Are you or are you not one of us?

As can be seen, though the exchange of ideas operates in each of the six domains (and there are certainly others in some cases) the interplay of those ideas varies in individual cases. In this way, while why humans religiously ideate is certainly a question of history and society it's also a question of individual psychology.

Like choas theory operates to produce no two snowflakes that look alike so again no two personal histories are the same respecting their religious ideation.

In other words, while Blakemore's provides some helpful aid in understanding memes and their place in thought contagion, the ultimate answer is certainly much more complicated than her impressions would suggest not only on religious ideation but as to the other examples of meme transmission she discussed.

Before closing, it's noteworth that there's a definate Daoist feel to her last chapter wherein she renders her advice for taking the "I" out of your consciousness. Though she didn't intend it, it certainly does provide some interesting food for thought as to why attempts at Daoist living have such a...well...Daoist feel to them.

Really Fun!.......2006-12-13

I won't try to describe the book's content as several excellent reviews below have done. I just want to add that this book is one hell of a read. It's great fun and will stretch your mind (if there's really a "you" in there - see the book for more on this). I could barely put it down. Memes were definitely transferred!

The Future Does Not Compute: Transcending the Machines in Our Midst

Average customer rating:

Necessary Reading for anyone with a child or a computer
A must read for anyone living with technology
Cool
The book of the one who has soul
Excellent introduction to key technology issues.

The Future Does Not Compute: Transcending the Machines in Our Midst
Steve Talbott
Manufacturer: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Devices of the Soul: Battling for Our Selves in an Age of Machines

ASIN: 1565920856

Amazon.com

Stephen Talbott's The Future Does Not Compute has been widely touted as a neo-Luddite anti-computer tract. This sort of pigeonholing makes it easy to ignore the profound and disturbing questions Talbott raises about our machine-dominated society. The author brings years of computer and Internet experience to the table, leavened by a deep skepticism of techno-idealism, disdain of muddy thinking, and fear that we have embraced an overwhelming force before we've begun to examine its implications.

Is technology a utopian delusion that blinds us to social and personal reality? Does the information society actually disdain information? Have we anthropomorphized machines to the point where our institutions resemble them? Talbott neither expects that computers will vanish, nor believes they should. What he asks of us is to examine closely our own humanity. As much as computer believers may squirm, it's hard to elude the questions raised by this complex and intelligent book.

Book Description

Many pundits tell you that the computer is ushering us toward a new Golden Age of Information. A few tell you that the computer is destroying everything worthwhile in our culture. But almost no one tells you what Stephen L. Talbott shows in this surprising book: the intelligent machine gathers its menacing powers from hidden places within you and me. It does so, that is, as long as we gaze into our screens and tap on our keyboards while less than fully conscious of the subtle influences passing through the interface.

Talbott awakens us to these influences by conducting a wide-ranging tour:

Why do we hail the birth of the electronic global village just as villagers around the world are killing each other? Is the Net an instrument for social dissolution?
Do the Renaissance origins of virtual reality throw light on our world-creating and world-destroying choices today? Does reality have a future?
Were the barriers to creation of thinking machines clarified by a little-known philologist investigating the mythic consciousness of the ancients?
Does the computer centralize or decentralize structures of power? Or does this question miss the point, because intelligent machines that run by themselves are creating a new global totalitarianism *without a despotic center*?
Is the frantic urging to put schoolchildren on the Internet any more reasoned than the seventies' fad for programmed instruction, or the eighties' fad for computer literacy?
Does an unrecognized law link the public face and the dark underside of the Net? If so, can we expect flame wars, weird impersonations, pornographic commerce, and Net psychoses to grow increasingly pronounced and erratic, while at the same time the reasoned mechanisms for filtering "strict business" from the chaos steadily gain in effectiveness?
Is artificial intelligence raising machines to a human level, or are we descending to the machine's level?

After reading The Future Does Not Compute, you will never again be able to sit in front of your computer with quite the same glazed stare.

(BACKCOVER COPY) The technological Djinn, now loosened from all restraints, tempts us with visions of a surreal future. It is a future with robots who surpass their masters in dexterity and wit; intelligent agents who roam the Net on our behalf, seeking the informational elixir that will make us whole; new communities inhabiting the clean, infinite reaches of cyberspace, freed from war and conflict; and lending libraries of "virtually real" experiences that seem more sensational than the real thing.

Not all of this is idle or fantastic speculation -- even if it *is* the rather standard gush about our computerized future. Few observers can see any clear limits to what the networked computer might eventually accomplish. It is this stunning, wide-open potential that leads one to wonder what the Djinn will ask of us in return for the gift. After all, any potential so dramatic, so diverse, so *universal*, can be taken in many directions. That is its very nature. Who will choose the direction -- we, or the Djinn?

The intelligent machine receives a shadow of our own intelligence. This shadow consists of all the collective, automatic, sleepwalking, deterministic processes we have yielded to. That is, it consists of our own willingness to become machines. The crucial question today is whether we can wake up in time. Only in wakefulness can we distinguish ourselves from the automatisms around us. Where we remain asleep -- where we live in our own shadow -- we are the Djinn.

The Net is the most powerful invitation to remain asleep we have ever faced. Contrary to the usual view, it dwarfs television in its power to induce passivity, to scatter our minds, to destroy our imaginations, and to make us forget our humanity.

And yet -- for these very reasons -- the Net may also be an opportunity to enter into our fullest humanity with a self-awareness never yet achieved. But few even seem aware of the challenge, and without awareness we will certainly fail.

Customer Reviews:

Necessary Reading for anyone with a child or a computer.......2002-04-17

email me, I'll let you know...

A must read for anyone living with technology.......2000-08-09

This book should be read by all those who live with the Internet and technology. While not exactly a Luddite (Talbott uses computers and the Internet a great deal), the author presents many reasons why we should not just accept the promises of a technological paradise without reflecting on its consequences.

Cool.......1999-05-18

It's okay, I had to read it for a class. He raises some good questions but he's long winded. A lot of us have already thought about these questions. Talbott feeds you some good food for thought though.

The book of the one who has soul.......1999-01-14

Once being an engineer, a scientist, a professor of Electrical Engineering, etc., etc, now I'm watching this world amazed by its reality and its beauty. My soul is awaken. The wonderful book by Stephen Talbott tells us who we are and to where we do belong

Excellent introduction to key technology issues........1998-08-12

This book is well written, provocative and covers a lot of ground in a very short space of time. The author presents a well-reasoned argument for reversing the usual cause and effect critique of the evil computer, and his suggestion that the problem is in the way we think about technology is right on.

Genetic Programming IV: Routine Human-Competitive Machine Intelligence (Genetic Programming)

Average customer rating:

Gp here we Go

Genetic Programming IV: Routine Human-Competitive Machine Intelligence (Genetic Programming)
John R. Koza , Martin A. Keane , Matthew J. Streeter , William Mydlowec , Jessen Yu , and Guido Lanza
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0387250670

Book Description

Genetic Programming IV: Routine Human-Competitive Machine Intelligence presents the application of GP to a wide variety of problems involving automated synthesis of controllers, circuits, antennas, genetic networks, and metabolic pathways. The book describes fifteen instances where GP has created an entity that either infringes or duplicates the functionality of a previously patented 20th-century invention, six instances where it has done the same with respect to post-2000 patented inventions, two instances where GP has created a patentable new invention, and thirteen other human-competitive results. The book additionally establishes:

GP now delivers routine human-competitive machine intelligence

GP is an automated invention machine

GP can create general solutions to problems in the form of parameterized topologies

GP has delivered qualitatively more substantial results in synchrony with the relentless iteration of Moore's Law

Customer Reviews:

Gp here we Go.......2004-09-27

Since using evolutionary algorithms for my work, it is easy to see how many of the current EAs can be used to solve or tackle various real world problems. But what Koza does once again is to argue the case that GP is more than just an optimization algorithm but instead an algorithm that tries to show what AI should do and how user and AI should interact to solve a problem. Once again numerous examples are given, with detail on how problems are laid out so as to get the best results from the GP. Koza shows that with well thought out planning GP's can be applied to all sorts of fields.
In one of the chapters he presents the characteristics a problem should have for GP to be applicable.
All-round Great work, my advice get all his books and digest how he approaches various problems with GP. This example format Koza uses is far more useful than talking about what GP is and its theory. Though for a good intro into Evolutionary Algorithms including GP get either Foundations of Genetic Programming or an Introduction to Genetic Programming. An all round good intro is Introduction to Evolutionary Computing.

Average customer rating:

Required reading if you want to stand out among your peers
Another winner from Ms. Czegel - this focuses on people
Concise Reference for Support Staff

Help Desk Practitioner's Handbook
Barbara Czegel
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471319929

Book Description

Your complete guide to surviving and thriving as a Help Desk practitioner
Help Desk Practitioner's Handbook
The only book to address the unique concerns of the huge and growing number of Help Desk analysts, this is your complete guide to becoming a more effective communicator and problem-solver and deriving greater satisfaction from your job. Barbara Czegel, North America's most well-known expert on Help Desk support services and training, uses dozens of fascinating scenarios and real-world examples to illustrate the right (and wrong) ways to handle virtually every situation you can encounter. She arms you with an arsenal of proven tools of the trade, including:
* Eleven effective listening habits that improve your ability to solve problems
* Techniques for increasing the speed and accuracy of problem resolution
* Early warning systems and layered strategies for problem control
* Tools for reducing calls and eliminating problems before they occur
* A simple, step-by-step process for doing cost justifications
* Methods for turning Help Desk interactions into marketing opportunities
Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/

Customer Reviews:

Required reading if you want to stand out among your peers.......2003-03-05

This book is packed with useful information that will make you a more well-rounded support person. Help desk and technical support in general is so much more than just technical know-how. The non-technical aspects are just as important and this book will help you in those areas. Has information on standard methodologies of technical support, full of tips. Has gotten me higher job ratings and a nice raise in the past year. You need this to compete in today's tough job environment. I think this should be required reading by all help desk/technical support staff. Great book.

Another winner from Ms. Czegel - this focuses on people.......2001-04-11

This is the second book I have read by Ms. Czegel (the first was Running an Effective Help Desk). Where the first book leads you through the help desk planning, implementation and operations process, this one focuses on the people issues. My experience has shown that the best help desk technologies you can buy, and problem management processes you can develop and implement are worthless if you don't take care of the people part of the equation.

Ms. Czegel jumps right in with roles. She systematically goes through the various roles a help desk analyst must assume. The ability to switch from one character or personality type to another that is the hallmark of a truly great analyst gives you some keen insights into why there is an epidemic of burnout and high turnover among support professionals. Aside from this insight, it also shows you what to look for in candidates and gives you a good foundation for coaching and training. It also gives you some ammunition for getting their pay and bonus structure aligned to the high stress the job casues.

As in her other book Ms. Czegel never loses sight of the business side and part two of this book gives an intelligent description of help desk stakeholders and their unique needs based on their level in the organization and how their functions intersect with the help desk mission and objectives. The next two sections cover issue management processes and procedures and help desk technology. Some of the material is close to what is in her other book, but is not identical.

The remainder of the book duplicates a lot of the material in Running an Effective Help Desk, but is excellent if you only buy one of Ms. Czegel's books. A reason to buy both, however, is the different focus of each and some expansion of topics in each book.

Overall, I like this book a lot and gained much from it. I came away with an appreciation for and empathy with those thick-skinned folks who staff help desks. I also came away with some good ideas about how to motivate and train help desk analysts and design processes that make their life easier. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars.

Concise Reference for Support Staff.......2000-01-21

I found this to be a concise reference manual that will benefit any Help Desk Analyst.

It provides information on Help Desk operation aimed specifically at the analysts who staff your Help Desk.

Its full of tips, examples, and case studies, while teaching skills in effective listening and problem solving that every analysts needs.

Book Description

This book provides safety professionals and risk managers with a step-by-step, illustrated guide to identifying and preventing occupational hazards in any job. Created for long-term use, Job Hazard Analyses (JHA) help identify the basic steps for a job or task, identify the hazards associated with the job, and develop safe operating procedures to avoid those hazards.

Average customer rating:

The human machine
Helpful but Constructive Anatomy is much better
Its what I expected
Genius conception-- sketchy implementation
Poor Drawings, Poor Printing, Save Your Money

The Human Machine
George B. Bridgman
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486227073

Book Description

Each section of body from skeletal level through adding muscles to "life" form. Over 400 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

The human machine.......2007-05-14

where is my book?,,, i never reviced.
or Tell to me, where can i call or send a email, to ask about it.

Helpful but Constructive Anatomy is much better.......2007-02-23

I've been a fan of George Bridgman's books ever since I bought Constructive Anatomy, and followed it with the 100 hands book. I found the Human Machine and ordered it because I wanted to see more references in regards to how the body movies. I'm not severely disappointed but I suppose I was expecting a bit more. I was hoping for more full body references which would separate the book from Constructive Anatomy. Unfortunately it didn't deliver.

I did find the information in this book highly useful, but I have to agree that the print quality of the illustrations can be frustrating for some people. I am not bothered by it because I want something that is loose and interpretive, but explanatory. The problem with many art books is that they get so detailed in anatomy an artist trying to learn life drawing isn't learning to interpret the information but simply copies it.

You need illustrations like this to help your juices flow and act more creatively. If everything is drawn out for you in explicit detail how do you learn to fill in the gaps and experiment? That is why I found Bridgman's books more valuable to me than the super detailed anatomy books. His methods of construction have helped me out greatly in learning to flesh out my figures from stick forms.

The other value of this book is it's price. Why waste 30 dollars or more when these books are usually 10 dollars or less? My other book is becoming worn from extreme use, but at least I know I can easily replace the book at a low cost!

Its what I expected.......2006-11-10

In reality, this book didn't teach me anything I didn't know already. The illustrations may be handy for someone who hasn't had much experience with body-mechanics, bending, joints, etc. This book was neither outstanding nor worthless, thus my bland 3 star review...

Genius conception-- sketchy implementation.......2006-03-18

Maybe 3-1/2 stars. (Idea & Layout= 5 stars. Drawing quality= 2 stars.)

Bridgman's The Human Machine is *exceedingly* ambitious in its scope, and could have been exceedingly successful to match, were it not for its *one* pretty obviously glaring problem: these drawings are exceedingly sketchy!

Originally published in 1939, Bridgman passed away in 1943. He was approximately 75 when he made this- possibly a factor in the lack of clarity throughout. If only he had made this at the height of his career(!)- This book is a perfect example of 'what could have been'.

Many people revere this work in spite of all this. It may not compare at 1st glance with the slick, computer-aided & enhanced books of today, but if you're willing to get past the obvious sketchiness here you'll find a veritable gold mine of visual information. Take the overall layout & structure for example. In my opinion, this book's presentation easily rivals that of his more polished & refined work- Constructive Anatomy, which has a more awkward interplay between its words & pictures. The Human Machine moves rapidly & logically, building the figure with simple lines first, then showing how bones & muscles interact with eachother & with the figure's simplified outline, to give an impression of the whole figure & its parts, all at once in a few detailed pages. It's this *overall* conception of the human figure that appeals to the many who give this work a chance. Bridgman applies all this to the figure's actions & mechanisms as well- it's not just about bones & muscles here, like so many anatomy books tend to be. And Bridgman's lines, though sketchy here, still tend to be an accurate record of the figure, worthy of study. He *usually* chooses his lines with the precision & beauty we've come to expect. But the overall lack of visual clarity here hurts; leaving this genius idea still somewhat unrealized.

Overall: The basic *point* of Bridgman's Human Machine is to help people to draw figures more convincingly, and from memory. To a great degree, at least in my opinion, this book still succeeds in a very effective way...

P.S. This book is definitely *not* for beginners! Only *Intermediate-level* artists need apply.

Poor Drawings, Poor Printing, Save Your Money.......2006-02-01

I bought 16 different Anatomy Drawing books and this is the only one that I actually felt compelled to give away. When the other people say the drawings are faded and sketchy that is an understatement. This is not a good book to learn by and it was not very effective in the design approach. Your much better off with some Dynamic Figure Drawing, Dynamic Hands, Dynamic Wrinkles, Artistic Anatomy, Anatomy for Artists, An Atlas of Anatomy For Artists, etc etc etc. Some of the other books I listed are almost the same price and are 10 times better. Its night and day between this book and the other Anatomy Drawing books.

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