The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

Amazon.com

Updated Edition: Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The world isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much of its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that futurists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to.

What Friedman means by "flat" is "connected": the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution that have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. This in itself should not be news to anyone. But the news that Friedman has to deliver is that just when we stopped paying attention to these developments--when the dot-com bust turned interest away from the business and technology pages and when 9/11 and the Iraq War turned all eyes toward the Middle East--is when they actually began to accelerate. Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven not by major corporations or giant trade organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals: desktop freelancers and innovative startups all over the world (but especially in India and China) who can compete--and win--not just for low-wage manufacturing and information labor but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well. (He doesn't forget the "mutant supply chains" like Al-Qaeda that let the small act big in more destructive ways.)

Friedman has embraced this flat world in his own work, continuing to report on his story after his book's release and releasing an unprecedented hardcover update of the book a year later with 100 pages of revised and expanded material. What's changed in a year? Some of the sections that opened eyes in the first edition--on China and India, for example, and the global supply chain--are largely unaltered. Instead, Friedman has more to say about what he now calls "uploading," the direct-from-the-bottom creation of culture, knowledge, and innovation through blogging, podcasts, and open-source software. And in response to the pleas of many of his readers about how to survive the new flat world, he makes specific recommendations about the technical and creative training he thinks will be required to compete in the "New Middle" class. As before, Friedman tells his story with the catchy slogans and globe-hopping anecdotes that readers of his earlier books and his New York Times columns know well, and he holds to a stern sort of optimism. He wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you're going to be trampled if you don't keep up with it. A year later, one can sense his rising impatience that our popular culture, and our political leaders, are not helping us keep pace. --Tom Nissley

Where Were You When the World Went Flat?

Thomas L. Friedman's reporter's curiosity and his ability to recognize the patterns behind the most complex global developments have made him one of the most entertaining and authoritative sources for information about the wider world we live in, both as the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and as the author of landmark books like From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree. They also make him an endlessly fascinating conversation partner, and we've now had the chance to talk to him about The World Is Flat twice. Read our original interview with him following the publication of the first edition of The World Is Flat to learn why there's almost no one from Washington, D.C., listed in the index of a book about the global economy, and what his one-plank platform for president would be. (Hint: his bumper stickers would say, "Can You Hear Me Now?")

And now you can listen to our second interview, in which he talks about the updates he's made in "The World Is Flat 2.0," including his response to parents who said to him, "Great, Mr. Friedman, I'm glad you told us the world is flat. Now what do I tell my kids?"

The Essential Tom Friedman

From Beirut to Jerusalem
The Lexus and the Olive Tree
Longitudes and Attitudes

More on Globalization and Development

China, Inc. by Ted Fishman
Three Billion New Capitalists by Clyde Prestowitz
The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs

Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto

Book Description

The World Is Flat is Thomas L. Friedman’s account of the great changes taking place in our time, as lightning-swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before—creating an explosion of wealth in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run even faster just to stay in place. This updated and expanded edition features more than a hundred pages of fresh reporting and commentary, drawn from Friedman’s travels around the world and across the American heartland—from anyplace where the flattening of the world is being felt.

In The World Is Flat, Friedman at once shows “how and why globalization has now shifted into warp drive” (Robert Wright, Slate) and brilliantly demystifies the new flat world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, he explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; how governments and societies can, and must, adapt; and why terrorists want to stand in the way. More than ever, The World Is Flat is an essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.

Download Description

The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist gives a bold, timely, and surprising picture of the state of globalization in the twenty-first century

Customer Reviews:

...and so is this book.......2007-10-10

Though it has become an immensely popular book, Friedman's work is fairly shallow and simplistic. It is important to remember that this is a world analysis written by a journalist, not by a political economist or any type of economist or political scientist. His views are oversimplified and his support relies heavily on anecdote, making his 600-pager about 400 pages too long. We read it for a poli sci class and proceeded to tear it apart intellectually.

Ranks up there with Common Sense, Uncle Toms Cabin, The Femine Mystique.......2007-10-10

One of the greatest books ever written. Everyone in America should read this book. Every teacher in America should read and teach Frieman's lessons. Every parent should read and help prepare their children for the world that is coming. Every student should read and begin to prepare for the world they are going to face. This is the most important book of our times, bar none.

Embracing Business Globalization's Irreversibility.......2007-10-10

This is easily the most relevant book written on the new realities of business globalization, its irreversibility, and the practical consequences to our future. Friedman does an excellent job describing the numerous factors that led up to our current global economy including the ongoing fall of communism, the advent of the personal computer, and the ubiquity of the Internet. His historical review and assessment is fascinating and it sets up the reader to understand the context for his theories and practical applications. Friedman delves into numerous industries, businesses, personalities, case studies, technologies, psychological factors, and sociological factors. Although he covers numerous business, technological, and economic concepts, his writing style is very engaging and entertaining, using many personal examples and narratives, thereby holding the reader's interest. Rather than bemoaning some of the common perceived negative consequences of a global economy (such as US auto workers losing jobs to overseas cheaper labor) Friedman helps the reader to understand business globalization's irreversibility. In so doing, he describes many personal, practical, and business strategies for thriving in this new environment. Friedman is realistic and compassionate concerning the changes and the challenges. He states, "the great challenge for our time will be to absorb these changes in ways that do not overwhelm people but also do not leave them behind. None of this will be easy. But this is our task. It is inevitable and unavoidable" (pp. 46-47). As Friedman unfolds his strategies, he gives the reader a broader, global perspective that is filled with hope and excitement. Whether as a CEO, a business student, or a brand new professional embarking upon a career, this book is insightful, practical, and essential reading.

What a good boy am I.......2007-10-06

Reading this book is like watching someone else's kids open their Christmas presents from relatives they don't really know. I'm not sure how the author can possibly be so fascinated by technology and yet know absolutely nothing about it at the same time, but his endless diatribes about the miracles of PayPal and Microsoft Word are beyond laughable, and I was pretty much in shock when he started citing howstuffworks-dot-com as a technical reference on fiber optics and SOAP. What editor told him that this was OK?

So enamored with his own cleverness is he that Mr. Friedman dedicates several pages to explaining the book's title, even though a single sentence would have sufficed. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop after the first chapter; rather than make a point and move on, he has to point out the fact that he just made a point and tell you what a wonderful point it was just in case you missed the point. It's like hanging out with that one friend who sits around smiling and pointing to his hindquarters after he rips one off at the dinner table.

If you want to learn about globalization and are not old enough to remember the first light bulb, go read "No Logo" instead. This is horrible, irrelevant geriatric babbling.

My opinion is flat.......2007-10-03

When a book has had over a thousand reviews, what can I possibly say that hasn't already been said? So I will keep it short and not so sweet.

No one will read this book, or any of the updates, for "fun." Do you NEED to read it? Yes, it contains some important economic concepts and realities, but it's a bit overlong. I'd say it could be cut in half, so skim through some of the numerous "interviews," repetition of central points, and endless advice and encouragement. The global pie is getting bigger and better, but the competition for piecies of that pie is heating up. Smart, ambitious, creative people will thrive; slow, lazy, dull people will languish, and everything inbetween. For too long many Americans have been sitting on their laurels and the day of reckoning is near. Heed this warning: Put down your TV remotes, game controllers, and iPods, and start working like your life (or lifestyle) depended on it. Get your rear into some serious gear, and don't balk at the notion that you should be an "expert" in at least three different, unrelated fields. Does this scare or excite you?

In so many interviews with foreign entrepreneurs, we are told (or reassured) that no matter how much of the "mundane" work is performed by countries other than the U.S., America's creative and innovative spark is still unsurpassed: All the world looks to America to lead the way into the future. I'm not sure. A lot of that "mundane" work was high level and highly paid, and why should we expect that America will continue to dominate in creativity and innovation? The truth is, we're in for a flattening of living standards, and from the perspective of the relatively high American standard of living, it will seem like a drop in standards until we reach another equilibrium (who knows how long that will take?). In any case, the reassurances about the talents and abilities of Americans seem at odds with other parts of the book, such as Bill Gates feeling "terrified at the American work force of tomorrow."

If you're already working hard at becoming an expert in three fields, then you probably don't need to read this book. Indeed, you probably don't have time to read it, or to read and write Amazon reviews, for that matter.

The ICU Book, 3rd edition (ICU Book, 3E (Marino/ Lippincott))

Average customer rating:

Good but but outdated.
Good reference book
Excelent book
Indispensible for any critical care practitioner
a good txtbook

The ICU Book, 3rd edition (ICU Book, 3E (Marino/ Lippincott))
Paul L Marino , and Kenneth M Sutin
Manufacturer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Crush Step 3

ASIN: 078174802X

Book Description

This best-selling resource provides a general overview and basic information for all adult intensive care units. The material is presented in a brief and quick-access format which allows for topic and exam review. It provides enough detailed and specific information to address most all questions and problems that arise in the ICU. Emphasis on fundamental principles in the text should prove useful for patient care outside the ICU as well. New chapters in this edition include hyperthermia and hypothermia syndromes; infection control in the ICU; and severe airflow obstruction. Sections have been reorganized and consolidated when appropriate to reinforce concepts. Purchase of The ICU Book, Third Edition gives you free access to a Website featuring links from references to PubMed, updated regularly; and a directory of Websites handpicked by Dr. Marino.

Customer Reviews:

Good but but outdated........2007-09-04

I used this for my 5 MICU month rotations. It was useful but a lot of the material is dated. Early Goal Directed Therapy is not in here and the pressor we use at our facility are not dicussed in great detail here. I actually found it more helpful for my cardiac critical care rotations.

Good reference book.......2007-06-04

Very thoroughly written. Some sections come in very handy during SICU rotations. The concepts are explained in a plain easy to read format.

Excelent book.......2007-04-04

An excellent consult's material for all physicians, not just for critical care doctors,i work in ER and have found an important knowledgement source for my area. I recommend this book.

Oscar Reyes-Lopez, MD

Indispensible for any critical care practitioner.......2007-03-24

Simply stated, this is THE book for critical care medicine. A unified overview of critical care is presented in a succinct manner. Difficult physiological concepts are broken down into simple concepts. I would argue that this text is mandatory reading for any physician, not just intensivists. Critiques about Dr. Marino's "controversial" views are simply unfounded--the book is exceptionally well-referenced. I have never purchased a medical text with as much value. Dr. Marino's website is a nice bonus--it's free and you can link to references very quickly.

a good txtbook .......2007-01-24

very easy to read, the work of Marino as an important charact. i.e. all the chapters 're written by the author. This make a "compact" point of view abt. the issues treated.
the book is evidence base oriented but well balanced with some common sense observation in clinical practice.
It is not pragmatic like other txt of the same carature, for exp Bongard's Current (waiting for a new edts of a very good basical txtbook), but probabily the philosophy of the author 's not the same.
Many items were not treated directely. The acute pancreatitis 's treated not so in depht, the diabetic KA was treated in the chapter of acid base disease. Of note, there is an important window abt. the phisiopatology.
All and all the txt is an authoritative source for the initiation of the crit care phis., the first step before the study of more heavy txtbooks (hall; parillo-my preferred but probabily is a personal opinion;civetta- not new edts in view).
The new edts is very uptodate and the biblio voices has a Very high citation index.

Average customer rating:

perfect book for young and old
Reading level: Ages 9-12 - I don't think so!?!
Great for beginning birders
Great book
Cool Book!

Bird Songs
Les Beletsky
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1932855416

Book Description

Drawing from the collection of the world-renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Songs presents the most notable North American birds including the rediscovered Ivory-billed Woodpecker in a stunning new format. Renowned bird biologist Les Beletsky provides a succinct description of each of the 250 birds profiled, with an emphasis on their distinctive songs. Lavish full-color illustrations accompany each account, while a sleek, built-in digital audio player holds 250 corresponding songs and calls. In his foreword, North American bird expert and distinguished natural historian Jon L. Dunn shares insights gained from a lifetime of passionate study. Complete with the most up-to-date and scientifically accurate information, Bird Songs is the first book to capture the enchantment of these beautiful birds in words, pictures, and song. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, located in Ithaca, New York, is a nonprofit institution focused on birds and whose mission is to interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity through research. The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab is the major source of sound recordings of birds for research, education, conservation, the media, and commercial products.

Listen here
Trumpeter Swan
Laughing Gull
Eastern Bluebird

Customer Reviews:

perfect book for young and old.......2007-10-17

I bought this for my wife and my grand daughter. They love it and the sounds authentic and the book is easy to use.

Reading level: Ages 9-12 - I don't think so!?!.......2007-10-01

Great book for my coffee table for people to press the bird numbers. My favorite is the Northern Mockingbird, and my cats never fail to perk up their ears at it.

I've seen birds in my back yard react to different bird songs I played, so I can imagine that a lighter weight book would be great to take on field trips for attracting certain birds.

Some of the owls are eerie sounding, but I love owls (they eat mice, right?), so I play them often. There are others I haven't even heard of, not being a birder. But I'm handling the learning curve, and it's certainly fun!

Great for beginning birders.......2007-09-27

This is now our favorite coffee table book-- although we have to tear it out of the hands of guests in order to have conversation about something else. The sound is excellent. Gave a copy to my sister who also loves it.

Great book.......2007-09-27

Great book. The pictures and writeups for each bird are good and the sound is pretty good. I wish there were even more calls included for each bird. Great gift for any bird lover.

Cool Book!.......2007-09-26

It is true, the birds will respond if you play the songs outdoors-It caught the attention of many of the woodpeckers In my backyard..I know the birds by sight but needed help with the songs and calls and this is perfect! Great Idea for a book and a must for beginning birdwatchers or just birdlovers....

Average customer rating:

Great Text
Superb instructional book for my needs
Practical and Useful
The best of its kind.
Digital image processing using MATLAB

Digital Image Processing Using MATLAB
Rafael C. Gonzalez , Richard E. Woods , and Steven L. Eddins
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Introduction to Digital Image Processing with MATLAB

ASIN: 0130085197

Book Description

This is the first book that provides a balanced treatment of image processing basics and software principles used in the practical application of image processing. Working in the MATLAB computing environment, it provides a stable, well-supported set of software tools capable of addressing a broad spectrum of applications in digital image processing. The major areas covered include intensity transformations, linear and nonlinear spatial filtering, filtering in the frequency domain, image restoration and registration, color image processing, wavelets, image data compression, morpohological image processing, image segmentation, regions and boundary representation and description, and object recognition. For software developers working with image processing.

Customer Reviews:

Great Text.......2007-05-12

Great text for learning image processing and using it with MATLAB. Hopefully the instructor also uses its mathematical insight as well.

Superb instructional book for my needs.......2006-04-10

I bought this book for two reasons (a) I needed an overview of IP and (b) I wanted to examine different pattern analysis algorithms with a practical twist. On both counts, as an non-IP researcher, I was very satisfied. The book is very well laid out, so well in fact that it would put to shame many of its rivals. It served my needs. I can't comment on whether it will meet the needs of a broader community. I would certainly recommend it based on my experience.

Practical and Useful.......2006-01-11

This book educates the reader in image processing and MATLAB. While I am experienced in both, I found the book to be an extrememly useful reference book for projects involving image compression and image representation. The book offered practical descriptions and useful code for computing the fast wavelet transform. It was especially useful in describing how the edges should treated. This is a big issue that other textbooks gloss over. I had never seen it described in a textbook, and it was described so well.

The color image processing chapter is excellent, and the image processing chapter is pretty good. Lots of explanation and code.

While the book stands alone, it can also be seen as a useful companion book to the more theoretical "Digital Imaging Processing" by Gonzalez and Woods (2nd edition). This is a different book even though it has close to the same name.

The best of its kind........2005-01-02

If you want to get up to speed on Matlab and plan to use it for image processing, this book is a must.

I have lots of experience in computer graphics and in programming languages like C++ and C#, but prior to reading this book I had never really used Matlab nor implemented complicated image processing algorithms. This book is a great introduction to both.

The book is divided in twelve chapters touching both low-level image processing (e.g. spatial filtering) and higher-level concepts required for computer vision, like image registration and segmentation. Gonzalez et al are talented writers, explaining relatively complicated concepts clearly and concisely, without getting lost in the mathematical details. People interested in the more theoretical aspects should (and probably already have) check their other book.

The only potential downside of this book is that it's definitely designed to be read sequentially, one chapter at a time. The matlab concepts are introduced piece by piece. For example, if you skip Chapter 5 (on image restoration, i.e. getting rid of noise) you may not realize that you missed the introduction to the image registration functions. Personally I liked this style (it added variety to a potentially dry subject), but a reader with less time to cover all of the matter may find this to be a problem.

Digital image processing using MATLAB.......2004-09-02

I gave a DIP class last semester using this book. I found it provided the easiest way to make students acquainted with DIP. Before using this book, I tried Visual C++ for implementation. However, both of us (i.e., students and me) couldn't be satisfied, I guess. Now the implementation is easier than ever, and I can explain more about DIP itself to students.

Average customer rating:

good book for a graduate course
Excellent buy
Confusing to say the least
Fantastic algorithms book
Good Reference, Poor Textbook

Introduction to Algorithms
Thomas H. Cormen
Manufacturer: M.I.T. PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0262032937

Amazon.com

Aimed at any serious programmer or computer science student, the new second edition of Introduction to Algorithms builds on the tradition of the original with a truly magisterial guide to the world of algorithms. Clearly presented, mathematically rigorous, and yet approachable even for the math-averse, this title sets a high standard for a textbook and reference to the best algorithms for solving a wide range of computing problems.

With sample problems and mathematical proofs demonstrating the correctness of each algorithm, this book is ideal as a textbook for classroom study, but its reach doesn't end there. The authors do a fine job of explaining each algorithm. (Reference sections on basic mathematical notation will help readers bridge the gap, but it will help to have some math background to appreciate the full achievement of this handsome hardcover volume.) Every algorithm is presented in pseudo-code, which can be implemented in any computer language, including C/C++ and Java. This ecumenical approach is one of the book's strengths. When it comes to sorting and common data structures, from basic linked lists to trees (including binary trees, red-black, and B-trees), this title really shines, with clear diagrams that show algorithms in operation. Even if you just glance over the mathematical notation here, you can definitely benefit from this text in other ways.

The book moves forward with more advanced algorithms that implement strategies for solving more complicated problems (including dynamic programming techniques, greedy algorithms, and amortized analysis). Algorithms for graphing problems (used in such real-world business problems as optimizing flight schedules or flow through pipelines) come next. In each case, the authors provide the best from current research in each topic, along with sample solutions.

This text closes with a grab bag of useful algorithms including matrix operations and linear programming, evaluating polynomials, and the well-known Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) (useful in signal processing and engineering). Final sections on "NP-complete" problems, like the well-known traveling salesman problem, show off that while not all problems have a demonstrably final and best answer, algorithms that generate acceptable approximate solutions can still be used to generate useful, real-world answers.

Throughout this text, the authors anchor their discussion of algorithms with current examples drawn from molecular biology (like the Human Genome Project), business, and engineering. Each section ends with short discussions of related historical material, often discussing original research in each area of algorithms. On the whole, they argue successfully that algorithms are a "technology" just like hardware and software that can be used to write better software that does more, with better performance. Along with classic books on algorithms (like Donald Knuth's three-volume set, The Art of Computer Programming), this title sets a new standard for compiling the best research in algorithms. For any experienced developer, regardless of their chosen language, this text deserves a close look for extending the range and performance of real-world software. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Overview of algorithms (including algorithms as a technology); designing and analyzing algorithms; asymptotic notation; recurrences and recursion; probabilistic analysis and randomized algorithms; heapsort algorithms; priority queues; quicksort algorithms; linear time sorting (including radix and bucket sort); medians and order statistics (including minimum and maximum); introduction to data structures (stacks, queues, linked lists, and rooted trees); hash tables (including hash functions); binary search trees; red-black trees; augmenting data structures for custom applications; dynamic programming explained (including assembly-line scheduling, matrix-chain multiplication, and optimal binary search trees); greedy algorithms (including Huffman codes and task-scheduling problems); amortized analysis (the accounting and potential methods); advanced data structures (including B-trees, binomial and Fibonacci heaps, representing disjoint sets in data structures); graph algorithms (representing graphs, minimum spanning trees, single-source shortest paths, all-pairs shortest paths, and maximum flow algorithms); sorting networks; matrix operations; linear programming (standard and slack forms); polynomials and the Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT); number theoretic algorithms (including greatest common divisor, modular arithmetic, the Chinese remainder theorem, RSA public-key encryption, primality testing, integer factorization); string matching; computational geometry (including finding the convex hull); NP-completeness (including sample real-world NP-complete problems and their insolvability); approximation algorithms for NP-complete problems (including the traveling salesman problem); reference sections for summations and other mathematical notation, sets, relations, functions, graphs and trees, as well as counting and probability backgrounder (plus geometric and binomial distributions).

Book Description

There are books on algorithms that are rigorous but incomplete and others that cover masses of material but lack rigor. Introduction to Algorithms combines rigor and comprehensiveness.

The book covers a broad range of algorithms in depth, yet makes their design and analysis accessible to all levels of readers. Each chapter is relatively self-contained and can be used as a unit of study. The algorithms are described in English and in a pseudocode designed to be readable by anyone who has done a little programming. The explanations have been kept elementary without sacrificing depth of coverage or mathematical rigor.

The first edition became the standard reference for professionals and a widely used text in universities worldwide. The second edition features new chapters on the role of algorithms, probabilistic analysis and randomized algorithms, and linear programming, as well as extensive revisions to virtually every section of the book. In a subtle but important change, loop invariants are introduced early and used throughout the text to prove algorithm correctness. Without changing the mathematical and analytic focus, the authors have moved much of the mathematical foundations material from Part I to an appendix and have included additional motivational material at the beginning.

Customer Reviews:

good book for a graduate course.......2007-10-13

The aspect I like the most of CLRS book on algorithm is that, the style of the book is lucid, the authors have made a sincere effort in putting forth the complicated aspects in analyzing the algorithm in way that could be understood by a wider audience taking some course in computer science in under-graduate or graduate level. The mathematical rigor makes s me wonder computer science algorithm analysis is nothing more than applied discrete mathematics for specific problems.

Excellent buy.......2007-09-24

I bought a new copy of the book, and was happy to receive it the way I expected. Got free shipping with this one.

Confusing to say the least.......2007-09-14

This book does not provide enough examples to really get the ideas across. It is a thick read that provides little help to the subject matter unless the reader already has a wealth of knowledge on mathematical proofs and algorithms to begin with.

If the book had a solution manual, or at least explained many of the things that occur in the problem sections that never show up in the actual reading, then it would be a much easier to understand textbook.

Fantastic algorithms book.......2007-06-03

This is one of the few books that I've kept from my undergrad days as a computer science major. Although I haven't been doing software development in a while, I still use it for reference once in a while. It's easy to understand and timeless reference book. I work for a large DoD company and quite a few of my co-workers have this book on their shelves as well. (We all went to different colleges.)

Good Reference, Poor Textbook.......2007-04-19

This is a good reference for researchers, but it is not suitable for beginners. For anyone who try to study algorithms in the beginning, he just needs the big picture of this course, but this book contains too many mathematical proofs. In other words, the beginners just want a cup of milk, but the authors of this book give them a whole cow.

Although this book is quite huge, it does not contain some important topics, like online algorithms, randomized algorithms ... etc. In fact, this book should try to 'lose its weight' in order to get more useful knowledge.

The book contains a lot of interesting exercises, but does not indicate any hints or solutions. In fact, some of those exercises are too hard for students, and the authors should try to announce all sloutions in the website.

Average customer rating:

Good
Wonderful Scope of Systems Analysis and Design Methods
as well written as could be for a dry subject of systems analysis
Broad, but sometimes not deep
Good to go

Systems Analysis and Design Methods
Jeffrey L Whitten , and Lonnie D. Bentley
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Business Data Communications (5th Edition)
Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management
Library Research Models: A Guide to Classification, Cataloging, and Computers
Business Data Communications and Networking
Complete Copyright: An Everyday Guide for Librarians

ASIN: 0073052337

Book Description

Today's students want to practice the application of concepts. As with the previous editions of this book, the authors write to balance the coverage of concepts, tools, techniques, and their applications, and to provide the most examples of system analysis and design deliverables available in any book. The textbook also serves the reader as a professional reference for best current practices.

Customer Reviews:

Good.......2007-09-24

The book has arrived in the range of the days they premised. The qualities of the item and the service are good- they sent the book within a big box filled with many soft balls so that they could protect the hard coverage of the book.

Yeah, it is a good way of shopping. Well, it will be better if the price is lower or the good can arrive sooner. Thank you.

Wonderful Scope of Systems Analysis and Design Methods.......2007-07-03

Provides a wonderful scope of systems analysis and design methods, and a bunch of related topics. After reading this book, you should feel comfortable going to any organization and providing them with a model/graphic of their business processes.

as well written as could be for a dry subject of systems analysis.......2007-05-24

I had to take Systems Analysis as part of my masters degree and usually, anything you _must_ take becomes less interesting BUT, this book does a good job of clearly explaining the process of systems analysis.

From identifying entities in a process flow diagram with visual aides to the accompanying CDROM with slide show presentations of the content, I think this book provides a painless way to learn the material.

It's concisely written but a little verbose at times.
The author makes heavy use of graphics and sample diagrams so you can see how industry professionals do it.

Broad, but sometimes not deep.......2007-04-19

Whitten and Bentley have put together a very good text for a one-semester intro to systems analysis. After a wide-ranging introductory section, the real meat of this book appears in Parts 2 and 3: Analysis and Design.

Part 2 spends just one chapter on requirements discovery. This is the one section of the book that I found a lot thinner than it should be. The first problem is that requirements engineering is a field all its own, and has (or should have) direct connections to every work product that comes after in the development cycle. Although later chapters (especially use cases and even protoyping) offer additional ways to elicit meaningful requests from users, the whole task of making sure that the requirements are complete, consistent, and traceable to downstream effort is barely addressed. The second, and I think bigger problem is that the authors talk only about requirements from the users, plus "non-functional" requirements like reliability and performance. There's a lot to debate in categorizing requirements as non- or functional, depending on the kind of application, but the real defect in the discussion is one they share with most other authors in the field: they simply ignore the standards and regulations that affect system development. The SEC, FAA, and FDA impose requirements, as do legal enactments (HIPAA, ITAR for crypto, Sorbanes-Oxley), look&feel, and standards for networking, data exchange, and a gazillion other areas. Depending on the field you work in, you'll spend a lot more time worrying about regulatory and standards compliance than about anything the customer said.

Despite this uninspiring start, Part 2 moves along well. It presents use cases (though in a particularly fussy way), modeling techniques, and enough UML to help but not enough to overwhelm - and the whole can be quite overwhelming.

Part 3 addresses high level design. If your classroom is a typical one, this is where the students students with little, no, or ancient programming experience may start to struggle. It does a fair job with the common kinds of human-oriented IO, even if it shortchanges other systems with more intricate kinds of data manipulation (e.g. compilers or weather modeling). Because this addresses analysis as a separate task from programming, the authors have no reason to go into a lot of directly codable depth. This will frustrate the techies, but the little depth that it does address might intimidate thosewith more of a business orientation. It's a problem that I think has no solution as long as the people who build systems and the people who want them are in the same classroom.

Finally, Part 4 acknowledges the fact that systems are not just designed. Although it skips deployment and maintenance, this section does touch on low-level implementation and day to day operations. Now that they've gotten away from the core requirements, specification, and design content, I think the authors are making a quiet suggestion to the instructor who uses this book: it's your curriculum, add your spin to it. Everyone who looks this text over will see soft spots, but I'll bet that no two people see the same ones. We all come into this text with our own interests, specialties, experience, and strengths. One of the joys of teaching is the chance to add your own kind of depth to a course.

This is a fair cookbook. By that, I mean that you can follow the instructions and get a reliable set of results from it. Or, if you read this a little more broadly, it invites all the embellisments and complements that an active researcher or practitioner is sure to think of.

//wiredweird

Good to go.......2007-04-02

Product was delivered on time and in the condition as described. Good deal.

The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, ... Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside)

Average customer rating:

The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set
Just love Anne Shirley!!
Just like I remembered
Light Reading
Anne with an e

The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, ... Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside)
L.M. Montgomery
Manufacturer: Starfire
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Little House 9 Book Box Set (Little House)
Anne of Green Gables Trilogy Box Set
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Anne of Green Gables

ASIN: 0553609416
Release Date: 1998-10-06

Amazon.com

When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, send for a boy orphan to help them out at the farm, they are in no way prepared for the error that will change their lives. The mistake takes the shape of Anne Shirley, a redheaded 11-year-old girl who can talk anyone under the table. Fortunately, her sunny nature and quirky imagination quickly win over her reluctant foster parents. Anne's feisty spirit soon draws many friends--and much trouble--her way. Not a day goes by without some melodramatic new episode in the tragicomedy of her life. Early on, Anne declares her eternal antipathy for Gilbert Blythe, a classmate who commits the ultimate sin of mocking her hair color. Later, she accidentally dyes that same cursed hair green. Another time, in her haste to impress a new neighbor, she bakes a cake with liniment instead of vanilla. Lucy Maud Montgomery's series of books about Anne have remained classics since the early 20th century. Her portrayal of this feminine yet independent spirit has given generations of girls a strong female role model, while offering a taste of another, milder time in history. This lovely boxed gift collection comprises Anne of Green Gables, Anne of the Island, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, and Rilla of Ingleside. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Favorites for nearly 100 years, these classic novels follow the adventures of the spirited redhead Anne Shirley, who comes to stay at Green Gables and wins the hearts of everyone she meets.

Customer Reviews:

The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set.......2007-09-02

I was very pleased my books came very quickly. They were new so they were in perfect condition. The whole set of books were very reasonably priced, and I'm enjoying reading them.

Just love Anne Shirley!!.......2007-07-17

This series is the most wonderful and entertaining of books!
I got the first book from the library and fell in love with it, and so bought the series from Amazon. These are my favorite books, and I am on my second time through them.

The series starts off about Anne, an orphan girl, who gets sent from the Asylum and goes to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Green Gables.
Her life is filled with hilarious predicaments! Dyeing her hair, falling off the Barry roof, daydreaming and imagining to much, and plus, her rivaly with handsome Gilbert Blythe.

I highly recommend this series! I loved the rest of the books as much as I loved the first! Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote a masterpice! You will definitely fall in love with imaginative Anne Shirley!

Just like I remembered.......2007-07-17

This series is really great. I started from the first book and couldn't put them down. The story is just as intruiging and wonderful as when I read it the first time when I was younger. VERY VERY VERY enjoyable!

Light Reading.......2007-06-08

Read these books when I was younger and I loved them. Bought them for my sister who is 12 and she is really enjoying reading them. Actually don't mind reading them again myself.

Anne with an e.......2007-06-04

When my Grandfather was a boy he speant time on PEI on a farm located very near where Green Gables would have been. He bought this set for me long before i was able to read and they sat on my shelf until my high school years when i finaly picked them up. I had watched the movies with my Grandfather as far back as i could remeber and assumed the books would be worth reading. They quickly surpassed all other books and became my favorite.
Now, having just graduated college and looking for a litte direction and inspiration (like Anne I'm looking for work as a teacher) I picked them back up and have been rereading them. I feel like these books such life lessons that anyone with any beliefs can read them and learn good values.
These books and movies have always been like a comfert food for me these are the books and movies i read and watch when things are going bad.
I highly reccamend these books to people of al ages, they are well worth the time, and are a nice and easy read.

Computer Architecture, Fourth Edition: A Quantitative Approach

Average customer rating:

a little wordy but intelligent
Useful revisions to an already complete book
very nice
The bible for students of computer architecture.
One of the finest Computer Architecture books in existence

Computer Architecture, Fourth Edition: A Quantitative Approach
John L. Hennessy , and David A. Patterson
Manufacturer: Morgan Kaufmann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Computer Organization and Design, Revised Printing, Third Edition, Third Edition: The Hardware/Software Interface (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer ... Series in Computer Architecture and Design)
Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture
Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools (2nd Edition)
Operating System Concepts with C & C++
Introduction to Algorithms

ASIN: 0123704901

Book Description

The era of seemingly unlimited growth in processor performance is over: single chip architectures can no longer overcome the performance limitations imposed by the power they consume and the heat they generate. Today, Intel and other semiconductor firms are abandoning the single fast processor model in favor of multi-core microprocessors--chips that combine two or more processors in a single package. In the fourth edition of Computer Architecture, the authors focus on this historic shift, increasing their coverage of multiprocessors and exploring the most effective ways of achieving parallelism as the key to unlocking the power of multiple processor architectures. Additionally, the new edition has expanded and updated coverage of design topics beyond processor performance, including power, reliability, availability, and dependability.

CD System Requirements
PDF Viewer
The CD material includes PDF documents that you can read with a PDF viewer such as Adobe, Acrobat or Adobe Reader. Recent versions of Adobe Reader for some platforms are included on the CD.

HTML Browser
The navigation framework on this CD is delivered in HTML and JavaScript. It is recommended that you install the latest version of your favorite HTML browser to view this CD. The content has been verified under Windows XP with the following browsers: Internet Explorer 6.0, Firefox 1.5; under Mac OS X (Panther) with the following browsers: Internet Explorer 5.2, Firefox 1.0.6, Safari 1.3; and under Mandriva Linux 2006 with the following browsers: Firefox 1.0.6, Konqueror 3.4.2, Mozilla 1.7.11.
The content is designed to be viewed in a browser window that is at least 720 pixels wide. You may find the content does not display well if your display is not set to at least 1024x768 pixel resolution.

Operating System
This CD can be used under any operating system that includes an HTML browser and a PDF viewer. This includes Windows, Mac OS, and most Linux and Unix systems.

Increased coverage on achieving parallelism with multiprocessors.

Case studies of latest technology from industry including the Sun Niagara Multiprocessor, AMD Opteron, and Pentium 4.

Three review appendices, included in the printed volume, review the basic and intermediate principles the main text relies upon.

Eight reference appendices, collected on the CD, cover a range of topics including specific architectures, embedded systems, application specific processors--some guest authored by subject experts.

Customer Reviews:

a little wordy but intelligent.......2007-10-17

This book has a lot of information, especially with the appendices on CD and in the back of the book. If you are new to Architecture, I wouldn't recommend it. Get a simpler book...maybe by the same authors, just the "prerequisite" for this one.

Useful revisions to an already complete book.......2007-10-06

The paperback version of the book makes it cheaper than the previous edition in hard cover, so that's always a plus. There were also several new chapters and appendix sections for modern trends in the field. That said, using a used copy of the 3rd edition in a class that calls for the 4th edition doesn't work very well, since so much new material has been added.

very nice.......2007-10-01

although i haven't used the book very much, the delivery is prompt and condition is good

The bible for students of computer architecture........2007-06-08

I'd borrowed the 2nd edition from a colleague and read it cover to cover. I found the book so useful that I decided to buy it. Bought this 4th edition. The extra topics and updated examples/discussions are perfect for what I'm surrounded by in the industry today. Only read through a quarter of the book so far, but enjoying every page of it. Amazing how you can apply the exercises right out of the book and into your work - quantitative analysis is much more insightful than qualitative hand-waving.

The preface mentioned there's new text on multicore processor architecture; looking forward to that - the world has already ventured on to the multicore generation, about time we got JLH/DAP's analysis on multicore design.

I think, though, that the book warrants a hard cover. Not sure if Kaufmann is deliberately going cheapo (maybe JLH/DAP should find a new publisher?) or if I got skimped by the seller.

Haven't yet looked into the CD that's included inside the back cover. So there's still more to explore.

One of the finest Computer Architecture books in existence.......2007-01-23

This is the latest edition of the updated classic by the people who invented RISC. Clear and up to date, it take you from a virtual beginner to a situation where you can follow understand current comp arch research ( and if you are a masochist, the discussions on the comp.arch newsgroup ! :-) )

Note the laudatory review that appears on this web page written by the legendary John Mashey, the founder of MIPS. A recommendation from John Mashey, who helped design the MIPS RISC architecture, as well recently contributing to the design of SGI's NUMAflex modular computer architecture is indeed high praise.

Run, do not walk to your local library to reserve that copy !
Or if you are feeling generous, treat yourself and buy this great book.

Building Microsoft® Access Applications (Bpg Other)

Average customer rating:

Not worth the price
Good book but not all the answers
Not for the newbie!
Very Solid, useful book for development of Access Applications.
I've learned much in the first 3 chapters

Building Microsoft® Access Applications (Bpg Other)
John L. Viescas
Manufacturer: Microsoft Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Databases | Microsoft | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Microsoft Office Access 2003 Inside Out
Microsoft Access 2003 Forms, Reports, and Queries (Business Solutions)
Automating Microsoft Access with VBA (Business Solutions)
Microsoft Access Data Analysis: Unleashing the Analytical Power of Access
Programming Microsoft Office Access 2003 (Core Reference)

ASIN: 0735620393

Product Description

Microsoft publishes a complete range of documentation on Microsoft software and technology. So whether you need a step-by-step instruction, in-depth programming information, high-level technical references, or training for Microsoft Certification, it has

Customer Reviews:

Not worth the price.......2007-06-29

Very hard to follow, poorly organized and written. Unless you're well versed in Access already, skip this book. Definitely NOT for beginners.

Good book but not all the answers.......2007-05-12

This book is a good start toward understanding how to build Access applications. Some of the details are missing. An example would include the proper syntax for referencing fields in a form.

Not for the newbie!.......2006-03-14

Definitely not for the newbie. This is for the seasoned access programmers. I you are new to programming (at least in access) and are looking for a book on how to program with access, this is not for you. This is a great book for those seasoned programmers who are looking to make their applications better.

Very Solid, useful book for development of Access Applications........2005-06-29

Easy to read first few chapters with basic design info, remainder of the book focuses on complete applications that can serve as a template/best practice for almost any other MS Access application.

Viescas clearly understands/communicates an in depth knowledge of Access Applications that I have not seen anywhere else.

I've learned much in the first 3 chapters.......2005-03-27

As a self-taught Access developer for the past eight years, I have an extensive library of books dealing with beginneing to advanced areas of Access. I bought this book to add to my library, figuring it to be another reference item. However, in a casual browsing of the content, I discovered this book has much more to offer. I was pleasantly surprised to see information on levels of magnitude for linked tables, never having known that the number of sub folders for linked tables can affect the speed of reading from them.

Each of the sample databases has more than enough explanation and code to fully understand the how and why of the application.

After reading only the first three chapters, I have learned much that I was never aware of. I thought I understood Single and Double number types, but was re-educated by the information on page 18. Pages 32 and 33 taught me some new things about the difference between format and input mask.

I am now much better at my development, and I haven't yet finished the book. Excellent work, Mr. Viescas!

Statistics for the Life Sciences (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
definitely oversimplified.
Book better than class.
Oversimplified
An excellent textbook that teaches by example

Statistics for the Life Sciences (3rd Edition)
Myra L. Samuels , and Jeffrey A. Witmer
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 013041316X

Book Description

Statistics for the Life Sciences presents the key concepts of statistics as applied to the life sciences, while incorporating tools and themes of modern data analysis. The book emphasizes interpretation of results using real data, which facilitates an understanding of statistics and data through the use of graphical data and analysis. The Third Edition has added many new sections to cover probability rules, random variables, the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, and two-way ANOVA and ANOVA for randomized blocks designs. In addition, there is expanded treatment of logistic regression in Chapter 12. This book is an essential statistics reference for professionals and scientists in biology, agronomy, medical and health sciences, nutrition, pharmacy, animal science, physical education, forestry, and other life sciences.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2007-05-05

I am personally disappointed with this book for the following reasons:

1) Most math books have the answers in the back for nearly all of the odd programs; this book does not. In fact, there's little rhyme or reason for the answers listed in the back. In short, most odd problem answers are not listed yet some of the even answers are given. Go figure..

2) I don't care for the chapter and section layouts. In my calculus text, everything is more developed. In some of the better texts, definitions are given before the explanations are given, which in turn precedes the examples given. This book does not of that. There is not a comprehensive list of definitions at the end of the chapter, the in-chapter definitions are weak, and they fail to fully develop the material before jumping into examples, etc.

But, it is a textbook and it costs > $100, so by publisher standards, it is a home run.

definitely oversimplified........2006-12-28

I took an AP statistics course in high school that went into much better detail than this book ever did. With this book I could not have made it out with the understanding I currently have of statistics without having taken that class years ago. Our instructor was pretty much incompetent, so it was a true test of how well the textbook got the job done. I watched my classmates really struggle with this book. The problem is that the concepts of different test statistics and what they actually mean are too oversimplified. The book does a great job of teaching how through an extensive amount of examples, but not why, and not enough instances or explanations of what should be done when problems deviate from the given example. It is really important in statistics to know how to handle different kinds of data and which tests to apply to them, but the book in my opinion did a poor job of distinguishing and explaining the different types of tests, as well as how the results should be analyzed. I would definitely recommend looking elsewhere for a good statistics textbook. When it comes to mathematics, theory (knowing why a problem is solved the way it is and why it works) is just as important as being able to correctly solve the problem.

Book better than class........2006-12-20

This textbook was required for my statistics class at the University of Wisconsin. I found the book easier to follow with better examples than my lecture was. Often I cannot learn anything right from the book, but this book made it easy with complete examples and simple descriptions of variables and theory. The book was so good, in fact, I rarely made it to class because I learned it better from the book!

Oversimplified.......2006-09-07

The book is reasonably good at explaining simple concepts.

However, the lack of detail does not allow for real life application in a biological field: the concepts are oversimplified and the examples given do not reflect the difficulty of actual basic statistics work in the life sciences.

If you want to buy this book, the questions you should ask yourself are:

1. Are you buying this book just to pass a basic statistics course?

2. Are you buying this book to expand your point of view and understanding of real life applications?

An excellent textbook that teaches by example.......2003-04-17

In a word - wow. This is an outstanding textbook for undergraduate biology students. The number of practical, real life examples exceeds anything else I have seen in a statistics book, permitting the student to follow theory immediately with concrete practice. Examples are drawn from all axes of biology as well - physiology, biogeochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, animal behaviour and more. I have been disappointed with previous textbooks which fall down in the following ways: 1) too much emphasis on the mathematics of calculation, or 2) lack of practical introductory treatment of moderately advanced topics which are nonetheless necessary to practitioners. This book for me strikes a very good balance between understanding the underpinnings without getting lost in equations, and getting your hands dirty with data in order to learn by example. Coverage is as wide as necessary today: introduction to logistic regression, and a clear treatment of interaction in two-way ANOVA. I do note that multiple regression is not touched. The sole drawback: sticker shock. It will be difficult for students to pay for a book that costs about $100 US. But at least you get what you pay for in this case.

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