79 Years of Wonderful Memories and Some Regrets

Product Description

Inspiring story of the author\'s life from 1924 to 1999: childhood, military life, and raising a family, including how a surprising discovery led him to track down his family history.

Book Description

Maurice Wilkes was one of the leading scientific explorers in the development of the modern digital computer. He directed the Mathematical Laboratory (later named the Computer Laboratory) at Cambridge University, where he and his team built the EDSAC, the first stored program digital computer to go into service.

Wilkes describes in nontechnical detail the growth of EDSAC and its successor, EDSAC 2, his introduction of microprogramming, and the first experiments with time-sharing systems. In the 1950s, when machines were still getting larger rather than smaller, Wilkes was one of the few who foresaw a time when nonspecialists would be using computers almost universally, and he reviews his anticipatory efforts to develop simple programming systems. But his book is more than a history of computing, it also recounts the allied scientific effort when he was one of those scientists and engineers ("boffins" as they were called by the RAF) who were in the thick of it, his electronics skills enlisted in the new and exciting development of radar.

In this absorbing autobiography, Wilkes is as concerned with people and places as he is with computer components and programs of development. He deftly sketches his childhood in the English midlands and his student days at Cambridge where he studied mathematical physics, and his boyhood fascination with radio matured. He conveys the excitement of sudden insights and long-sought breakthroughs against life's simpler pleasures and trials. His account brims with assessments and anecdotes of such contemporaries as Turing, Hartree, von Neumann, Aiken, and a dozen others. And with his impressions of America and Germany formed during his scientific journeys.

Customer Reviews:

he helped develop radar.......2006-07-05

Wilkes' biography is interesting not just because he was one of the early computer pioneers. At a time when a computer was a person who used an electromechanical calculator, and not a machine that did computations. He also gives us a view into Britain of the 1930s and 40s.

Above all, of being involved in the development of radar. His experiences as one of the boffins during World War 2 makes good reading. He explains the life and death technical issues involved in developing radar and continually improving it. Until the US entered the war and the MIT Radar Lab took over most of the Allied radar effort, he and others in Britain were the front line of radar engineering.

After the war, we see how he was involved with seminal ideas like microprogramming. These helped him win a Turing Award.

Early Years in Machine Translation: Memoirs and Biographies of Pioneers (Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science Series III: Studies in the History of the Language Sciences)

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Early Years in Machine Translation: Memoirs and Biographies of Pioneers (Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science Series III: Studies in the History of the Language Sciences)

Manufacturer: John Benjamins Publishing Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Biographies | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Natural Language Processing | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Translating | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

So Many Hills to Climb: My Journey as a Computer Pioneer

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Where the Action Is
An Emeritus English Professor reviews this book
One life is not enough

So Many Hills to Climb: My Journey as a Computer Pioneer
Arthur Porter
Manufacturer: Beckham Publications Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0931761182

Book Description

Born in the district of Cumbria in northwest England almost a century ago, Arthur Porter describes a remarkable life with eloquent sensitivity and charming candor. This memoir by a major contributor to modern science is filled with vivid accounts of both his personal experiences and professional accomplishments. As a third-year student at the University of Manchester, Porter worked with Douglas Hartree, one of the most influential computer pioneers of his day. Porter was also a colleague of Marshall McLuhan. His faculty assignments have taken him to the University of Toronto, the University of London, the University of Manchester, the University of Saskatchewan, and the Royal Military College of Science. A scientist yes, but with catholic interests: He has chaired a Royal Commission, a World's Fair Advisory Committee and several advisory bodies on topics like environmental protection, nuclear power and automation and employment. Professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, Porter was recently awarded an honorary degree from the University of Manchester. Arthur Porter is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He and his wife Patricia are residents of Bermuda Village, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews:

Where the Action Is.......2005-01-03

Arthur Porter has lived an extraordinarily full life. Born and raised in England's Lake Country, he acquired a solid education in local schools and the University of Manchester. He obtained his Ph.D. in electrical engineering in a department previously led by Lord Rutherford and, at the time of Porter's graduate experience, supervised by Sir Lawrence Bragg. Both Rutherford and Bragg were Nobel laureates, and yet another Nobel laureate, Sir John Cockroft, was examiner for Porter's Ph.D. thesis. This remarkable exposure at the beginning of his career, was further enriched by his distinguished supervisor, Douglas Hartree, and a string of high-powered visitors. What a launch to an academic career!
Porter was a pioneer in analog computing, having built one of the early differential analyzers, an accomplishment which thrust him into the mainstream of work on a wide variety of applications such as control systems, feed-back, protection of electrical lines against lightning, calibration of early radar (during W.W.2), the solution of differential equations required to design protection of shipping against magnetic mines. His expertise and ability accounted for a host of major appointments from Manchester to Admiralty Research Laboratories to M.I.T. to Military College of Science to Ferranti Electric Ltd. to Imperial College to University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto and University of Western Ontario. Along the way he has been associated with perhaps a dozen Nobel winners. In Toronto he was a colleague and admirer of Marshall McLuhan. He describes all these experiences and associations with gusto and boyish enthusiasm. Likwise his enthusiasm permeates his account of his personal life and his travels, some of which read like the works of a skilled travel promoter. Among his talents, Porter has displayed an uncanny knack for fortuitously meeting on a personal level such celebrities as Helen Hayes, Spencer Tracy, Gene Tierney, the Beatles, all of which makes for entertaining reading.
Porter has assembled his memories into a rich story of an important life, filled indiscriminately with everything that has interested him - and everything has!
The reader is made aware that the author's peripatetic career was made possible by the quiet competence of his life partner, Patricia, who made travel arrangements, located and rented apartments, bought and furnished homes, and in general handled the logistics of a husband who was always running to the next adventure.

An Emeritus English Professor reviews this book.......2004-12-08

So Many Hills to Climb. After I had finished reading Arthur Porter's memoirs I asked him how many Nobel prize winners he had known or worked with, he paused, then said, "Twenty. No, twenty one."

This book tells the story of a remarkable journey by a remarkable man. Beginning in the Lake District of northern England, it traces his life through World War I, Manchester University, MIT, World War II, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Toronto, to royal commissions and appointments to his life in Florida and North Carolina after retirement, if you can call the active life he leads a retirement.

He worked with Dr. Vannevar Bush at MIT before WW II, with Marshall McLuhan in Toronto, was there at the University of Manchester helping in the birth of the computer -- he built a mechanical model, a differential analyzer, of one there in 1934 -- and invented a tracking system for radar during the early days of WW II, and was head of a Canadian commission to study electricity and nuclear power.

But this is a personal book, too, that tells such stories as his driving his Berkeley with the top down in -25 degree weather in Saskatoon just to get to class on time, a story still talked about there. I was amazed at the details he remembers and how entertaining his writing style is.

This is life story by one of the major figures in modern science, a man who was so involved the things around him that he not only served as the Canadian representative to the American Atomic Energy Commission, but was also the chairman of the planning group for the Canadian world's fair.

His honors include the Order of Canada, the Canadian Centenary Medal, the Canadian Confederation Medal, and the Queen's Silver Jubilee, and various medals awarded during hid service in WW II.

After you read this book you will count Arthur Porter as one of your friends.

One life is not enough.......2004-11-06

This is an entertaining story of the life of a major contributor to science, technology and education throughout the greater part of the 20th Century. The thought that came to mind on first reading was that no man has the right to leave his mark on so many institutions and disciplines and influence so many people in a single lifetime, albeit one so long. From the delightfully disarming cover illustration (designed and executed by the Author's wife) to the fitting Epilogue, the book is a compelling read.

I have to confess to having known the Author most of my life − but mainly at a distance. Our lives have been roughly parallel, touching only very occasionally. But as I, like the Author, have lived and worked in the UK, the US and Canada, in industry universities and governments I have some understanding of the challenges and delights he encountered on his journey through life.

The hills in the title are the challenges he continually sought and overcame. The journey is his journey through life from his early days in North-west England to his still-busy retirement in North Carolina. Early chapters reveal that the Author was a pioneer of computing. He built mechanical computers in the early 1930s in Manchester University and MIT. He was engaged on sophisticated radar design during the war and, after the war, he led an industry team in Canada that was at the cutting edge of high-speed computing and wireless data transmission.

The chapters on his influential work at The Royal Military College of Science, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario reveal strong views on engineering education and, indeed on education in general.

The Author gives an account of his participation in two Royal Commissions, one of which, the Ontario Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning, he headed. The latter leads to a chapter on the role of nuclear power as fossil fuel supplies decline.

The book is written in a flowing, good-humored style and is generally easy to read. It exhibits the Author's facility for the description of people and places, whether they are in the UK, the US or Canada. Occasionally, particularly in later chapters, the flow is interrupted by an enthusiastically detailed account of the issue under discussion - a trade-off between continuity and detail that is often very difficult for an author.

What characterizes the book more than anything is the Author's irrepressible enthusiasm and almost childlike, wide-eyed wonder as each achievement is revealed and each accolade received.

I regard the book as a significant contribution to the history of the 20th century from the 1920s to the end of the century. It is easy for anyone to read. I thoroughly recommend it.

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MEMOIRS OF A COMPUTER PIONEER
Maurice Wilkes
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OR7JV2

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Memoirs of a Computer Pioneer
Maurice Wilkes
Manufacturer: MIT PRESS @
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N767FC

Book Description

A moving memoir in words and pictures of one woman's struggle with the little black cloud of depression pening up the darkest corners of her world, author Elizabeth Swados takes us on an unforgettable journey that is by turns poignant and funny, and will be undoubtedly familiar to those who suffer from depression and those who love them. Through the author's whimsical drawings, readers get a unique view of the experience of depression: from the struggle to keep her condition a secret, to the strange effects of 'new' drugs, to the small things that can trigger relapses. For the thousands of Americans who suffer from depression, My Depression is a gentle reminder that they are not alone and that they can lead a fulfilling and happy life. It is an evocative, readable, and engaging story of an illness that is finally gaining widespread attention.

Customer Reviews:

one person's opinion.......2006-11-10

"My Depression" is a quick read, or you can take it in small doses as your mood allows. Its sketches and hand-lettered text present like an intimate diary or journal. The author's own honesty helps those of us living with depression: how the disease affects us may be acutely personal but this book offers one person's account, and we may recognize ourselves in some of her observations. Families and loved ones of a depressed person, especially one who tends to become withdrawn, uncommunicative, even hypersensitive, may find in this slim book a kind of insight into how the interior lanscape of a depressed person can look and how it can affect everything in their lives.

For many, it will be encouraging simply to read the author's accomplishments on the cover flap. Depression isn't about intelligence, isn't about lack of caring about ourselves, isn't about being lazy or a failure. For some, paradoxically, it isn't even always about sadness. Depression is... depression. And you might be surprised to know that, even for someone dealing consciously and diligently with recurring depression for many years, there are new things to learn about it.

There are different kinds of depression; depression may manifest differently in different people or under different circumstances; there are various treatments for it. I have witnessed some work well in just a few short weeks, while other sufferers take longer to find an effective strategy. This book is in my arsenal for its much-needed perspective, for both the things in it that I relate to and for the things I can honestly identify as not part of my personal experience with depression.

"My Depression" doesn't replace effective therapeutic counselling, related strategies, and possibly medication where indicated, but it does make me feel like I have a small support group I can reach out to -- right from my bookshelf.

Psychologist gives 5 stars.......2006-01-09

I highly recommend this unique book. The author, who has suffered from repeated episodes of severe depression, has put her turmoil into line drawings and short captions.

She shows you what depression feels and sounds like - how it affects body, mind, spirit, self image, relationships, and view of life itself.

Her drawings are simple, stark and moving and the accompanying writing blunt, and alternately laugh out loud funny and grimacingly painful.

I would recommend this book to anyone - we all know someone who is or has fought depression, and we owe it to them to understand their experience.

For those who are battling depression, this book will not make glib promises, but will offer gritty affirmation and realistic hope.

it didn't work for me.......2005-10-14

This book is obviously written for a very specific audience; I just happen not to be a part of that audience. If you are considering reading the book then you must be, or have been, in somewhat of a continual dark and down mood. Based on a friend's recommendation, I read the book and not only was I still down, but a little confounded. First, the artwork made me more depressed with its shattered edges and black and white presentation. Secondly, the simplistic approach to conveying its message, initially I thought okay a soft opening with the heavy content later; it's later and I am still waiting.

Again, this book is obviously written for a very specific audience, I just happen not to be a part of that group.

Put On A Happy Face!.......2005-07-24

This is a cute, little handdrawn and handwritten book which belongs in the children's section instead of upstairs with the nonfiction. Perhaps it is real life, but not as we all experience it. Depression comes in many forms, and hers was out-of-this-world, I admit. But I have yet to meet anyone else who suffer the same way with depression. Most of the time it is temporary, and this book would appeal to the pre-teens who would learn the most from it.

You can tell that she is a children's book writer, as the explanations are so simple none of it would be over the head of the average child reader. Children are more advanced these days and understand what this old world is doing to all of us. They are perceptive and, those being blessed with having books read to them from an early age, will be able to tackle this book.

The pictures will get their attention right off and they would profit much more than adults. For most of us when we have a depresssion, we need deep, instructive, workbooks to get back on track. Not children, as they are resilient and can bounce right back without being doped up. Adults don't need antidepressants, either, as they are poison to some of us and hurt more than help.

Having someone to listen to our successes and failures is all we really need. It need not be a doctor, therapist, or professional -- just someone who cares and will listen. When my grandson died in April, I had such a person willing to listen, thank God, and you know, he said very little. But, being there and available to hear me talk about the past helped. More than any medicine, we need people to cry with, laugh at, lash out sometimes to get the stress we all feel out of our system, and then still speak to us -- even if it is just to criticize. He told me that I have not changed, the same old Betty Burks, but I am very grateful to be back to myself again and not be hurt by such a remark.

The drawings in this volume are primitive but cute and could hold the attention of a teen or pre-teen who needs a little comforting. You may think that this is not a comforting book, as at times we all hurt through emotional crises, but it is a teaching vehicle in a primitive state. School libraries should make this book available to the youth, as they are the future of this nation. And we certainly don't want them to be overmedicated, as so many old people are these days.

Perfect.......2005-07-06

This is the best book I have seen on the topic of depression. Give this to anyone who suffers from depression, or anyone who is close to a victim.

Average customer rating:

Worth It!

Not bad

Great book for latinos learning to cook staples with some variations

Have owned this cookbook for little over a year..

La Comida del Barrio: Latin-American Cooking in the U.S.A.
Aaron Sanchez
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Latin American | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0609610759
Release Date: 2003-05-06

Amazon.com

The Latin-American population is the fastest growing in the United States--over 30 million people. Just look at the starting lineup of Major League Baseball if you need deeper proof. It's a population rich in cultural diversity, roots reaching back all over the place--Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Peru, Argentina. And the nice thing that happens in this country, as Aaron Sanchez so eloquently points out in his first cookbook, La Comida del Barrio, is that this multilayerd diversity melts all over itself and becomes something new while suggesting something old and stable.

"This book is not about 'authentic' regional dishes," Sanchez writes in his introduction. Rather, it's about the real food of the real barrio, the Latin neighborhood, wherever that may be these days in the US. You'll find a small soup stand, la fonda, in the marketplace and that's his first chapter--black bean soup, shrimp chowder, plantain soup, menudo. Then there's the home kitchen restaurant, el paladar, open to the lucky ones who can find it. Stews are typical, and that's the next chapter--Brazilian cassoulet, roasted rabbit. The chapters march right up the Latin dining scale: la taquería for street snacks, la rosticcería for roasted meats, el comedor (the restaurant) for salads and entrees, el Mercado for vegetables and side dishes, la pandería for baked goods and sweets, la jugería for drinks, and a final chapter on essential recipes.

The entire Latin culinary landscape as it's found throughout the US is captured between the covers of La Comida del Barrio. Sanchez has done a wonderful job. You can take this food into your own home. But what's especially nice, with this book tucked under your wing, you can explore the barrio nearest you and taste it all for real. --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

In this groundbreaking cookbook, chef Aarón Sanchez explores the delicious food and exciting culture of the barrios—the vibrant Latin-American neighborhoods from Miami’s Little Havana and New York’s Spanish Harlem to San Francisco’s Mission, and the entire United States in between. These rich neighborhoods have spawned a new cuisine, melding tradition with experimentation, and taking advantage of locally available ingredients and modern cooking methods. This book is a celebration of that cuisine: not the painstakingly authentic dishes of the homeland, or the hypercreative chef-y inventions of fusion cuisine, but the comforting, delicious food that’s enjoyed in home kitchens and mom-and-pop restaurants across the country, accessible to all cooks.

Since a defining aspect of Latin-American culture is the variety in eating establishments—from casual street vendors to upscale sit-down restaurants, the meal is defined as much by the place as by the dish— La Comida del Barrio is organized by types of eatery:

•Fondas, market stands, for soups such as Pozole Verde and Black Bean Soup
•Paladares, home-kitchen restaurants, for hearty entrées like Chicken Fricassée and Carne Mechada (Shredded Beef)
•Taquerías, street stands, for quick snacks that include tacos, tamales, gorditas, sopes, tortas, and other portable foods
•Rotiserías, cafés, for roast meats such as Steak in Red Chile Sauce and Cuban Pot Roast
•Comedores, restaurants, for sit-down meals with starters like Cactus Salad with Shrimp and main courses like Arroz con Pollo
•El Mercado, the market, for sides such as Refried Black Beans, Roasted Corn with Chile-Lime Butter, and Stuffed Plantains
•Panaderías, bakeries, for desserts that include Flan de Coco, Dulce de Leche, and Rice Pudding
•Jugoerías, juice stands, for drinks like Batidos (tropical shakes) and Sangría

Customer Reviews:

Worth It!.......2006-03-02

Author Aaron Sanchez was at the South Beach Food and Wine festival last week and was FANTASTIC! He made recipes from the book and made traditional dishes like mole effortless. His personality and love of cooking and tradition clearly showed.

Not bad.......2006-01-03

Because I am Latin American I found these recipes to be familiar. I was looking for a cookbook that had traditional meals and I found it in this book. Having my share of cookbooks, I actually found this book to be one of the easiest. As I write this review, I am marinating a Pork Shoulder with Oregano, Salt, Galic and Olive Oil. It really can't get much easier than that. But if you are looking for quick easy cooking during the week, this might not be the best cookbook for you. My one complaint about this book is that it does not have any pictures of the food itself. For those that have never eaten or seen these recipes cooked it can be pretty hard to imagine what it's suppose to look like. Also, being familiar with these recipes I know what to leave out and what substitues I can use.

Great book for latinos learning to cook staples with some variations.......2005-12-07

This is a great book for latinos learning to cook the foods their families made. This is not however a "traditional" cookbook for regional dishes. These recipes were as close to my mothers recipes and she's a great cook. If you want to make various dishes from Latin America, this is the book for you.

Have owned this cookbook for little over a year.........2005-01-05

Have owned this cookbook for little over a year..and have cooked nothing from it. nada. zilch. So... I am not basing my review on the quality of the recipes, but rather the appeal of them as a whole. I have many cookbooks, and in almost everyone one, their is usually at least one recipe that screams "make me" .. alas.. this one tends to be a shelf filler.

Book Description

Follow Buffy from the limited-stay animal shelter (during what could have been her final days) on an extraordinary journey into the world of animal-assisted therapy, along with Bob, her partner, friend, and co-founder of DOGTORS AAT. Buffy brought joy to all who knew her, enriching the lives of patients, family members, and hospital staff; in the end, leaving her pawprint on their hearts. 100% of the authors' proceeds from this book will be donated for the adoption, rescue, care, shelter, and protection of animals.

Customer Reviews:

You made a difference, Buffy!.......2005-10-29

I am one of thousands of people blessed for having known Buffy and one of a few who know her partner, Bob. (Sorry, Bob - you're mostly just the guy with Buffy.) But until I read Buffy's book, I did not know her full story.
Based on the odds, Buffy should not have lived - dirty and sick in an overcrowded "pound", her jouney could have ended there. But this extraordinary dog not only found Bob and his wife - who listened to her eyes- she led them on an adventure founded on trust. Not only did Buffy become certified as a therapy dog, along the way she became the inspiration for beginning the Dogtors programs. In that role, she helped train other dogs as therapy pets and became a model of courage and inspiration to many injured, ill or lonely people. How many dogs do you know who have more volunteer hours in a hospital than any human?!
This is the story behind "Buffy's eyes" - listen and learn.

Average customer rating:
Modern Practical Joinery: A Treatise on the Practice of Joiner's Work by Hand and Machine, for the Use of Workmen, Architects, Builders, and Machinists
George Ellis
Manufacturer: Linden Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Practical Woodworker

ASIN: 0941936082

Average customer rating:
Modern Practical Joinery. A Treatise on the Practice of Joiner's Work by Hand and Machine for the use of Workmen, Architects, Builders and Machinists
George Ellis
Manufacturer: Batsford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J2U0UY

Average customer rating:
Modern practical joinery;: A treatise on the practice of joiner's work by hand and machine, for the use of workmen, architects, builders, and machinists, ... and handrailing, formen's work, fixing, &c
George Ellis
Manufacturer: B.T. Batsford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008C3BP6

Average customer rating:

Good in therory, not in practice.

JERRY BAKER'S HAPPY, HEALTHY HOUSEPLANTS

Good information; definitely not for everyone

Happy, Healthy Houseplants by Jerry Baker

Jerry Baker's Happy, Healthy Houseplants
Jerry Baker
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Gardening | Home & Garden | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
General | Home & Garden | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
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Flower Power!

The Impatient Gardener's Lawn Book

ASIN: B000B8K73G

Book Description

Expert advice, practical shortcuts, inspiration and time-tested tips for house plant lovers everywhere--Even the recipe for Grandma Putts' Homemade Plant Food! Jerry Baker has included everything the house planter needs to know including fool-proof tips on growing seeds and young plantings, 14 drinks plants prefer to tap water, the perfect light to grow by, savvy advice on container, herb, and organic gardening, and sure-fire cures for bugs and blotches.

Customer Reviews:

Good in therory, not in practice........2002-08-18

Well the book seems to give great advice on paper, but after using his tonics and potions, all my plants took sick and most got bugs and died.

I used to do very little for my plants. I fed them plain old tap water and ignored them much of the time and they looked great.

I think my plants got bugs because he suggests that you use food items in your potions such at tea and cola. The sugar attracted
affids or something and they ate all the roots. So very sad 'cause I had had these plants for years and I was attached to them.

JERRY BAKER'S HAPPY, HEALTHY HOUSEPLANTS.......2002-01-20

THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE AT BUYING A USED BOOK, BUT IT WON'T BE MY LAST. THE BOOK WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION AND WAS WRAPPED VERY SECURELY. I AM A BEGINNING GARDENER AND THE BOOK WAS VERY HELPFUL TO ME. I'M LEARNING PLANT NAMES, POTTING CONDITIONS AND AND GETTING AN OVERALL COURSE IN THE BEAUTY OF PLANTS.

Good information; definitely not for everyone.......2001-01-28

It is important to note that this is not a reference for plant varieties, but rather a "...for Dummies" style guide to houseplant selection, maintenance, and propagation. The information is general, rather than plant-specific, and there are no specimen pictures in this book. Chapters are organized by subject, such as lighting considerations, warning sign recognition, & interior decorating, with cartoon pictures to illustrate specific points.

The most interesting thing about this book for me is its focus on compatibility issues: Jerry Baker genuinely wants you to have succees with your houseplants, and that requires a little bit of time spent thinking about what the PLANT will need, versus what you are willing and able to give it. He includes quite a few tables to help you find the most compatible plant for you and your home, accompanied by informative, easy to read explanations of how things like drafts, humidity, lighting, and watering contribute to the success or failure of your plant.

Bottom line: I happily recommend this book to beginning plant fanatics looking for insight! The information in this book is solid & engagingly presented, and sometimes even good for a laugh. If you are looking for an objective presentation, however, or if you are a person who equates "maintenance care" with bi-monthly trips to the florist, this book is not for you: There is a definite underlying flavor of "plants are people too."

Happy, Healthy Houseplants by Jerry Baker.......2000-04-13

The ultimate guide to the living with plants in your home. There is an interesting section on how to select plants, based on your personality and taste in home furnishings. Thorough advice is offered on plant growing and maintenance. The section on trouble shooting plant problems is well organized and easy to use. Full of good humor and practical information.

Average customer rating:

Jerry Baker's Happy Healthy Houseplants
Jerry Baker
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0452262119

Average customer rating:

Great system for retarding ageing and maintaining vitality

Seniors- A Must Read Book

This could save us all from the rest home!

Very doable recommendations

Biomarkers: THE 10 KEYS TO PROLONGING VITALITY
WILLIAM EVANS
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Aging | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0671778986

Book Description

Exciting new evidence from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has demonstrated that the body's decline is due not to the passing of years but to the combined effects of inactivity, poor nutrition, and illness -- much of which can be controlled. This breakthrough study shows that regardless of your age or present physical condition, the aging process can be slowed -- or even reversed!

The authors have identified ten "biomarkers," the key physiological factors associated with prolonged youth and vitality:

* lean body (muscle) mass

* strength

* basal metabolic rate

* body fat percentage

* aerobic capacity

* blood pressure

* Insulin sensitivity

* cholesterol/HDL ratio

* bone density

* body temperature regulation

With only 50 minutes a day of aerobic exercise and strength training (a pivotal component of the 16-week Bioaction Plan), even middle-aged "couch potatoes" and older adults can:

* regain muscle loss and increase strength by as much as 200 percent

* reenergize the body and actually lose body fat

* increase aerobic capacity by up to 20 percent

* reduce the chances of developing age-related conditions such as heart disease, Type II diabetes, and osteoporosis

Providing dietary guidelines, self-tests for evaluating your physiological age, and exercise programs for every level of fitness, Biomarkers will change forever the way you think -- and what you do -- about aging.

Customer Reviews:

Great system for retarding ageing and maintaining vitality.......2002-03-12

Finally, all the latest research about ageing and vitality is turned into a complete, easy to follow system designed to promote vitality and health - no matter what your age. The authors have clearly done their homework and the section on insulin resistance is vital, as I know personally. As someone with insulin resistance, I know I'm at higher risk for thyroid disease, high choleterol and diabetes. The author demonstrates how proper diet and exercise can ward off further problems and go a long way towards eliminating unnecessary medications and diseases. In addition to this information, there's detailed tips on how to use body-building to prevent osteoporosis as well as lesser known information that can make a world of difference in feeling truly healthy and engergetic. One of the best books I've ever read on the subject!

Seniors- A Must Read Book.......2000-03-06

Without a doubt, this is the best book I have ever read on Exercise & Aging. I have been in the health & fitness industry for 20+ years and there is nothing that comes close to matching the quality of this book. Evans, with others at Harvard and Tufts University, did the actual research themselves before writing this book. While others continue to do stretching and circuit training w/ their senior clients w/ minimal results, Evans proves that it is the high intensity strength training that will produce the most significant changes for seniors who want to remain self-sufficient. If you are a senior or someone who works directly w/ seniors, I can't encourage strongly enough to go out immediately and get a copy of this book.

This could save us all from the rest home!.......1998-04-24

Even as a health educator, I never considered weight lifting for myself. Only body builders and teenage boys need strength training, right? Well, after seeing Dr. Evans at a seminar and reading this book, I've started lifting weights, at the age of 30, and plan to do it until I'm 98! I'm starting early so I will be able to avoid developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and avoid admission to a rest home! The scientific information on this now-famous research on 90-year-olds is easy to understand. Two 12-week programs for prolonging vitality, as used in their research, are presented: one for beginners and non-exercisers and one for people who have been exercising regularly (not for professional athletes, obviously). Practical guidelines are given for people who have never done any strength training. This information is so important, I recommend this book to all appropriate patients with diabetes and high cholesterol. It may be the only way for all of us to realistically maintain a healthy amount of muscle, and therefore avoid gaining body fat, as we age. (In other words, this could be the best weight-management book ever!) Although the book seems to be written for those already in their middle years, people of all ages could benefit from this advice. As their research shows, if a 90-year-old can put on muscle, so can we!

Very doable recommendations.......1996-08-04

This book keeps a healthy practice of living doable and practical for those of us who like walking or playing hard on the weekend witrhout heart failure. Not for the Atlanta 96 bound athlete

Customer Reviews:

Covers the Basics.......2005-10-26

Japanese is a very difficult language to learn. This audio and book package does a very good job of covering the basics of a Level One type class.
It provides a good foundation for those wishing to continue their study of Japanese. The combination of a good book and clear audio examples provide a format that makes learning easy.
This package is a good place to start with the Japanese language.

Sending it back........2001-11-24

Please take my review knowing this: In 1976, I earned admission to Sophia University's "Year In Japan" program. My self-directed preparation came from a 1950s lesson book, but an excellent home stay arrangement allowed me to update my antiquated vocabulary and jump from beginner to intermediate level classes after one term. Of course, language skills atrophy without practice, as I discovered on subsequent, short trips to Asia. Recently, I was motivated to resume serious study.

Languages evolve, so I was a bit put off by the "February 1990" copyright date of Barron's "Mastering Japanese: Hear It, Speak It, Read It, Write It," but at least, I thought, it would be an improvement over my 1970s texts. I was wrong. Barron's merely wrapped a new cover on a 1963 university text. As for reading and writing Japanese, the introduction (p. xv) clearly states, "This textbook is concerned only with spoken Japanese." Everything is written - seemingly by typewriter - in one of the Roman alphabet schemes long since abandoned. The introduction also makes it clear that the text was designed specifically for classroom use, rather than "at your own pace, in your spare time" as claimed by Barron's.
In short, this is a repack of old material. I commend the textbook's admonition that each lesson "requires many hours of class work supplemented by outside study and, if possible, laboratory work." No one should pretend that it is easy to learn Japanese. A downfall of many, more modern courses, is the claim that learning can be quick and painless, a claim "proven" by teaching a large vocabulary of Japanese words adopted from English. Barron's "Mastering Japanese" does not do this. But if one is going to put forth hours of effort, one should invest in a course that teaches contemporary Japanese. This is not it.

This book is a great and easy way to learn japanese!.......2000-04-27

if you want to learn japanese FAST than you really should buy this book. Trust me because i have bought many books and i have gone to many language classes just to learn how to speak japanese. so what im basically saying so far is that ya mid as well spend ya money now because as soon as you start trying your never gonna stop looking for a useful source to learn japanese, because it really is a complicated language and it is so very different than english so you need to find a easy way to learn japanese. So like I said you might as well get it over with and spend about 60 dollars on a book but seriosly, it a lot better than just trying to look for a good japanese book when it doesnt seem to be very helpful.

Kanji Power: A Workbook for Mastering Japanese Characters (Tuttle Language Library)

Average customer rating:

Grades 1 and 2
not for beginners
My favorite kanji book
Kanji Power Has Many Features

Kanji Power: A Workbook for Mastering Japanese Characters (Tuttle Language Library)
John Millen
Manufacturer: Charles E. Tuttle Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0804817251

Customer Reviews:

Grades 1 and 2.......2005-10-13

Kanji Power presents the level 1 and 2 joyo kanji, which Japanese kids learn in their first two years of school. Learning by frequency of occurence (such as with many of the kanji cards available) may be a better approach, depending on your goals. If you want to read children's books and the like, go with the joyo ordering -- you'll get furigana for higher-level kanji.

The presentation is fairly rote, like how it's taught in the schools, which will prove more effective for some than others. I personally need mnemonics and am interested in how the kanjis came to be, but I have Kanji Pictographix and Read Japanese Today for this purpose.

not for beginners.......2005-02-22

i am currently living in japan, studying japanese. i bought this before coming in order to study kanji. the book expressly advertises itself as a beginners book, but it isn't. when studying any individual kanji, you are expected to remember many more difficult kanji for each "6 kanji" check test. personally, i cannot remember kanji without writing it. i have showed the book's check tests to japanese co-workers who say they are really difficult, and they are fluently bilingual. i now study with kids drill books, grade one and two, and kanji power is useful as a dictionary with these drills, but as a stand alone book, it is incredibly intimidating.

My favorite kanji book.......2004-05-10

I have a bunch of kanji books, but Kanji Power is my favorite. I'm not a big fan of the kind that give you mnemonics to help remember the kanji, because then the mnemonic is just another thing to remember. I do pretty well with just plain memorization.

For each kanji entry, the following details are provided: on-yomi, kun-yomi, meaning, explanation of the character's shape, example sentences, common compounds, and writing practice (with tips on writing them correctly). I like that the readings are written in kana, because I'm always suspicious of romaji. Also, it helps me remember them better.

There are also quizzes and tests, but I don't find them useful. While all the kanji compounds it tests you on are listed in the kanji entry, they're not words I find very useful or common. For example, the entry for "shi/ichi" (city, market) includes these "common" compounds: "shikyou" (market conditions), "shichou" (mayor), "shiyakusho" (city hall), and "kabushiki-shijou" (stock exchange).

Personally, I like Hadamitzky and Spahn's way of showing compounds. Only compounds with kanji that have been learned previously are used. That way, even if the words aren't so common, you can write the whole word. However, I don't like the way they order the kanji, and learning them out of order makes that feature pointless.

Kanji Power Has Many Features.......2000-06-23

This book shows where not to make mistakes when writing characters(lines sticking out in wrong places, how to space lines)and has plenty of example sentences. It has many tests to see how you are doing. However, material in the tests are sometimes different than actual studied material. Full reading of kanji are given in the book.

The Simple Art of Sumi-E: Mastering Japanese Ink Painting

Average customer rating:

The Simple Art of Sumi-E: Mastering Japanese Ink Painting
Takumasa Ono
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402720092

Book Description

Artists who loved The Simple Art of Chinese Brush Painting will find themselves equally enamored of this exquisite companion volume on Sumi-E, a classic, delicate Japanese style of ink painting. All the techniques to create works of outstanding beauty are here, presented by Takumasa Ono, a master and teacher of many years' experience. He begins by looking at the "Four Treasures" of Sumi-E (paper, brushes, ink, and stone), and demonstrates simple brushstrokes and traditional ways of composing the picture. Fifteen easy, yet lovely projects range from greeting cards to wall paintings, from decorated fabrics to tiles. A special feature is an "Inspirations" chapter with 100 common Western first names done in calligraphy, as well as haikus and Zen proverbs to enhance the projects.

Barron's Mastering Japanese: Level 2 (Foreign Service Institute)

Average customer rating:

Barron's Mastering Japanese: Level 2 (Foreign Service Institute)
Eleanor Harz Jorden
Manufacturer: Barrons Educ Series Inc Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 0812079213

Live Audioseminar on CD "Candlestick Charting Basic" with Steve Nison

Average customer rating:

Live Audioseminar on CD "Candlestick Charting Basic" with Steve Nison

Manufacturer: Marketplace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques, Second Edition

ASIN: B000GEOIPI

Product Description

This is an audio CD recorded at one of Steve Nisson's live seminars on candlestick charting. Learn candlestick charting from a trading master! Steve will take you through the basics of candlestick charting and spotting early reversal signs in this informative audio tape. A great supplement to his best-selling title 'Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques' and his video workshop 'Strategies for Profiting with Japanese Candlesticks'.

Average customer rating:

Exellent for the serious student
Useful component of an overall curriculum
Don't Waste you Money!
On cover "... write it read it" but book inside says...
Great audio but book is satisfactory

Mastering Japanese, Level 1
Foreign Service Language Institute , Eleanor Harz Jorden , and Hamako Ito Chaplin
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

These intensive programs are complete language immersion courses, and were created by the federal agency that trains U.S. government personnel in foreign language proficiency. They start with grammar and vocabulary basics, then bring students to proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. This program contains a grammar textbook plus ten compact discs.

Customer Reviews:

Exellent for the serious student.......2005-04-09

The cover sais hear it, speak it, write it, read it.
the write it, read it part is in another companion text
book. ISBN # 0-300-01913-0 Reading Japanese (Yale Language
Series)that is to be studied after mastering the 10th
lesson in "Beginning Japanese" the text book included
in this set.

This set is for those who wish to become fluent not for those
trying to just get by. After having bought many Japanese language
learning aids through the years I have always gone back to this
set for its extensive practice drills and no nonsense approach.
The examples in the other reviews are correct in stating that
some of the material is old fashioned, it is also true that in
japan the old fashioned way of speaking is also the more formal
polite way. I will never buy an ashtray or cigarettes in japan
but its not hard to substitute a noun, those exercises are only
there to teach the pattern. Don't be discouraged.
This is college level learning if you are serious.

Useful component of an overall curriculum.......2003-12-13

I think the biggest gripe that I can glean from the other reviewers is that this product isn't an all-in-one quick-fix solution for the problem of attaining some level of japanese fluency. As far as the outdated terms are concerned, that's something that can easily be remedied if one is not relying on this product as the sole means of learning japanese.

I was actually in the very fortunate position of having this book/cd set while living in Japan and it proved to be of tremendous help in getting a handle on basic conversational skills as well as the actual spoken mechanics of the language.

Furthermore, I found out later that the book was in use in UPenn's japanese program when several of my friends were taking Japanese there. Each and every one of them came out of the program with an extremely high level of fluency, which leads me to suspect that since the material was an integral part of the coursework, it's not that nearly as useless as it's made out to be.

In conclusion, this course is not for the faint of heart (let's face it, neither is japanese), but proves to be quite valuable to someone with patience and the proper study ethic, especially when used as one of several components in a curriculum.

Don't Waste you Money!.......2002-07-22

I brought this a while back to help me learn Japanese. I expected that the expensive price meant a quality language course. I was completely dissapointed. The package says that the course will enable you to speak, READ, and WRITE the language (emphasis mine). However the book uses only roomaji (the Roman alphabet) and is concerned only with speaking. The Hiragana and Katakana(Japanese phonetic alphabets) aren't that hard to learn. Why doesn't the book teach them? Moreover, being copywrited in the early 60's, the book is completely out of date. My Japanese friends informed me that using the word "jibiki" for dictionary (which the book teaches) sounds horribly old fashion and archaic. The dialogues are really stupid (For example we get to learn how to say "Boy, these are pretty ashtrays!") and the drills are mindless substitution drills as opposed to actual comprehension. Grammar is explained rather poorly. Finally the vocabulary introduced is insufficient and rather poor. For example we get to learn about buying cigarettes and ashtrays, but there is no vocabulary for the college student, or vocabulary dealing with business.

On cover "... write it read it" but book inside says..........2002-04-23

I bought this book through another retailer...I wish I could get a refund but it is opened media. The title clearly says "Mastering Japanese, Hear it, Speak it, Write it, Read it" One might assume that this system will teach you to do just that... But the book inside states "This textbook is concerned only with spoken Japanese"...This is no doubt from the cold war era... I only wish I could get a refund.

Great audio but book is satisfactory.......2001-05-25

I've read many bad reviews for this product from people with no patients. I've lived in Japan for 3 years. I wish I had this study guide during my stay in Japan, it would have help me immensely. I especially liked the CDs, it made so much easier to queue to next lesson.

Vietnamese for Everyone: Mastering Vietnamese Through English

Average customer rating:

Good, but needs work
Good, but needs work

Vietnamese for Everyone: Mastering Vietnamese Through English
Mai Ngoc Chu , and Vo Thi Thu Nguyet
Manufacturer: Pelanduk Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9679785475

Customer Reviews:

Good, but needs work.......2002-03-23

I am currently on chapter 13 of this book. It is a really nice, well writen book. It doesnt bog you down a lot with grammar and the drills and excercises are really helpful. This books gives you small chunks at a time, so if you take your time with it, you can really learn a lot in my opinion. There are two things wrong with it though.
1) The pronounciation section, I think its lacking. There should be more examples and a few more oral excercises before the start of the real coursework
2) There are some typos in it that are a small nuisance, like for example when they intended to make a statement bold and the forget to make the last word bold, or in some few instances the last letter of a word might be capitalized when its not supposed to. An example would be the word "doi" (radio -- the accents were left off), and in some instances it was typed as "doI", just a silly typo.

all in all it is a good book.

Good, but needs work.......2002-03-23

Book Description

Japanese Hiragana for Beginners makes learning hiragana fast and effective by using memorable picture mnemonics, along with clear explanations, examples and lots of fun exercises. Picture mnemonics enhance memory by associating the shape and sound of each hiragana character with combinations of images and English words already familiar to students.
With sections on the 46 basic hiragana characters, usage rules and a wide range of exercises, Japanese Hiragana for Beginners provides a solid groundwork for language students interested in increasing their skills.

Customer Reviews:

Easy and fun!.......2007-09-11

Being completely new to learning the Japanese language, I was very intimidated by having to learn not one, but TWO new "alphabets" (not to mention the kanji). I stumbled across this one in a bookstore, and after flipping through it, decided to try it out. The mnemonic devices in it seemed corny, and I found myself saying "oh, I'll never remember it THAT way"... yet I found myself using those same devices constantly, and they really did work! Lots of space to practice using the characters, and the flash cards included in the back made it very easy to quiz myself on reading them. Working through it daily, section by section, I've picked up the basics in under a week, and have moved onto practicing what I've learned. If you want to learn hiragana, this one makes it simple and fun. I'll definitely be picking up the katakana version as well!

Japanese Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System (Tuttle Language Library)

Average customer rating:

Japanese Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System (Tuttle Language Library)
Timothy G. Stout
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 4805308788

Book Description

Picture mnemonics are a proven tool in the world of language learning. Japanese Katakana for Beginners makes character learning quick and effective by implementing this established system. The method used in Japanese Katakana for Beginners has helped thousands of students learn katakana successfully in the United
States and Japan.
Full of useful writing tips, rules that allow students to write all Japanese sounds, and exercises such as word searches, crossword puzzles, fill in the blanks, timed recognition quizzes and more, this book is an excellent tool to increase knowledge of the Japanese language.

Making good shape (Mastering the basics, vol. 3)

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Making good shape (Mastering the basics, vol. 3)

Manufacturer: Kiseido
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 4906574734

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