AI Tells the bumpy story of the search for artificial intellegence from the eyes of the people who were there. The stories start in the 1950's and include present day research. It is well written and captures the reader with a touch of philosophy, asking such questions as "are computers really smart?"

It's a great pity that this book is out of print. Daniel Crevier has written an excellent history of AI, which is also insightful in its analysis of the field. It is that rare creature in AI literature, something that is written clearly and objectively for the layperson, but that also conveys the complexity of AI. AI would find a lot more use in our workplaces and homes than it already has, if more people would communicate its strengths and weaknesses as lucidly as Daniel Crevier, and focus on its practical applications rather than speculating on spiritual machines. He would do a great service to the field to bring it up to date and have it republished.

I thought this was a great book on Artificial Intelligence. It would be a good book for anyone interested in the subject at all because it is written in a way to give just enough technical detail for the enthusiast, while keeping the casual reader interested. The author does a very commendable job in his interpretation of the history of this subject. He uses personal experience as well as good research on the subject to give us a great story as well as the cold hard facts.

The problem here is that while Cleary is probably the best-ever translator of Buddhist literature, he is no Zen master. His translation of the actual text of the Mumonkan is supurb. Unfortunately, he gives lengthy commentaries on the cases. He's clearly not a Zen Master, nor a koan student, nor even a Zen Buddhist. He's a well-read translator who hasn't engaged in koan study.

As someone who is personally struggling with Joshu's Mu, Case 1 of the Mumonkan, I can tell you that Cleary is even farther away from it than I am. He's clearly wrong about it. Why buy a book on koans from someone who has never done koan study?

This translation of and commentary on the well-known Wumenguan/Mumonkan is one of Thomas Cleary's finest works. (I also think well of his _Dhammapada_.) As reviewer David Johnston has noted in his excellent and accurate review, it will clear up plenty of the misconceptions about Zen encouraged by people who (deliberately or otherwise) profit from obfuscation. And Cleary's commentary -- based on some thirty years of experience with the koans themselves -- will provide valuable guidance that those professional obfuscators would probably prefer that you not have.

There are plenty of books out there that purport to be about Zen, but as far as I can tell, only a handful of them are genuinely helpful over the long haul -- Reps's _Zen Flesh, Zen Bones_, Kapleau's _Three Pillars_, Suzuki's _Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind_, the other Suzuki's _Introduction to Zen Buddhism_, maybe Alan Watts's _The Way of Zen_ and Stephen Mitchell's _Dropping Ashes on the Buddha_. Cleary's Wumenguan belongs on the shelf next to these.

Cleary insists (correctly) that Zen is not anti-intellectual or anti-reason ("not blind to causality"), and it doesn't encourage the practitioner to dissolve one's mind (or the world) into undifferentiated mush. On that basis alone, quite a few of the trendy "Zen" books currently in print can be tossed directly into the trash.

One fact of which the reader/buyer should be aware: this is the very same book that was previously published as _No Barrier_ (which the back cover of this volume incorrectly calls _No Boundary_). I've had the earlier book since it was first published and I'm glad I didn't buy this one.

A wonderful book on Zen koans. There are a few other books on Zen koans but this is the only one with such commentaries written in simple language. Cleary is a great translator and excellent at explaining what these koans and koans in general are all about. Any body interested in Zen MUST own this book. It is perhaps my favorite book period. I have read so much hog-wash about Zen by people who don't understand it. I wish they would read this book before they speak. Zen is not

gibberish, Zen is not anti-thinking, Zen is not nihilistic. Cleary explains this perfectly through his commetaries on these koans. By the way, the koans themseleves are masterpieces but this book is especially good because of what Cleary has done. I do like to read others translations of the Wumenguan and so I recommend other books like Zen Flesh Zen Bone as well.

I bought it years ago & have tried several times, but I find the writing style nearly impossible to read. At times it reads as if the author is trying too hard to make every sentence convey a deeply profound concept and at other times she jumps erratically to some obscure thought, feeling or concept. Not only did these jumps not move or interest me, I often couldn't even figure out (on either an intellectual or emotional level) what the author was trying to do.

After several attempts at completing the book, and having read only about 50 pages, I could barely bring myself to skim through the rest of the book to try to pick up a few interesting points or stories. I saw nothing to warrant additional attempts on my part.

I bought this book because I love to read about people's experiences in martial arts. I also enjoy poetry (and good writing in general), and Tai Chi is an art that I practiced at one time, so I really thought I would like this book. I love the concept (and even the cover) but this book did not do it for me. Perhaps linguistically and culturally this book works better in French. For those who are looking for a more readable book describing a person's experiences in Tai Chi, I would suggest, "There Are No Secrets" by Lowenthal.

Can we, by practicing a discipline such as Tai-Chi, refine our sense of self, our Being-In-The -World? Catherine David, in this sublime book, investigates the space that is behind the physical movement, behind the conscious mind, at the very core of what constitutes our sense of the Self - that space which gives birth to our sense of beauty and which can be translated through innumerable ways (including the Tai-Chi exercises and piano playing) into wordly manifestations of our uniqueness. In this space imagination and sensation are interlocked, like lovers. Once we realize that Self is just a metaphor and that the mental image can be the impulse to opening of a technical skill , we hold the keys to true freedom. In this society in which the essential is generally considered incidental (which is reflected in the unberable dullness of the contemporary man), Catherine David picks the essence from inconspicuous corners where it has been gathering dust and shows us how she uses it to unlock the gates leading to inner beauty. By doing this she helps us glimpse and perhaps touch that space. This book is a rare treat.

In this remarkable series of 26 linked meditations, subtitled "The Invisible keyboard of Piano and T'ai Chi," the French journalist Catherine David explores the analogies between playing the piano and practicing t'ai chi chu'an. A serious painist and student of martial arts, David draws on a wide familiarity with literary and philisophical texts to evoke the intellectual and spiritual world of her imagination. "A beautiful act is an island of absoluteness in an ocean of chance," she writes, and her essay reminds us that the world vibrates with possibilities, necessities, poetries for those who can focus attention. "Coded meanings brought to light after endless repetitionon" -- that is practice, that is success. It is not a matter simply of what can be seen, for, with Plato, David reminds us that "A sudden light first blinds you." But she steps away from the classical position when she goes on to say that "Then it shows you the world." The world of Catherine David is well worth a leisurely read.

First of all let me clear this up with you,
THEY'VE GOT THE RATINGS ALL WRONG! They rate it T (ages 13+)
I say they should have rated it OT( older teen ages 16+) insted of #4 being rated like that. They need to switch the ratings. Another thing is that this book is pretty good. ( I mean, check out all of the great Japanese fashion stuff going on) But it would have been better if the illustrator didn't turn it into some porno manga. I picked up this book thinking it would be great. No porn no hentai none of the [stuff].Then it started to go down hill. Sure we all love romance as much as the next person does but I DON'T WANT MANGA WITH PEOPLE DOING "IT"!
It's gross when you see Yukari & George doing it. It's even worse with Arashi & Miwako! And we don't need to hear what they're saying duriong that!
All in all, I say this is a pretty good manga but if you read be WARNED!
This isn't for the young reader. And this is manga is GOOD just skip over those pages. There's nothing important to look at.

This series is absolutely wonderful! Yes, the ratings were a bit off rating it as teen but that was probably based on the first two volumes. The style is unique and the if you don't like the storyline, the art is worth it on its own. Yes, there is sex in this story but it's kind of important to the plotline. It helps develop the personalities that the characters have. This series has definitely been my favorite out of all others. I also recommend Kodocha and Chobits for anyone else who enjoys shoujo titles.

"Paridise Kiss" is deffinatly one of the best comic books I have so far picked up, plus it's as good as the first one. It's loaded full of the very famous Japanese fashion. (Lolita Fashion, Japanese Street Fashion, etc.) It is so different from the usual comic books..(Notice that the eyes of Ai Yazawa's comics are diffrent and more wide than normal comic book charecter's eyes. For example, Sailor Moon, and Marmalade Boy.) Still, comic book strives to be diffrent, resulting in how now, there is a whole new style called "Para-kiss." You must check this book out, and if you might want to find out what Lolita Fashion is, you should check out the pure Japanese, infamous books... Gothic & Lolita Bibles, 1 through 4. (I believe that's as far as it goes.) Also, Alice Doll comic have Lolita fashion in them, and so does the comic book "Cinderella" (no, not the classic!) and Cardcapture Sakura. You can also find out more about Lolita Fashion and Gothic Lolita fashion on my website [website]
-Enjoy!

This is very well done non-stop military sci-fi. If that is what you like, then up my ranking. It is impressive and exciting. For those of you wanting an all-around book, don't even waste your time. There is enough character development in the entire book to fill half a chapter in most. The characters (there are many) all have similar names, and you have to refer to the (necessary) dramatis personae repeatedly, unless you choose to simply not know who is who, in which case you would lose little. D'Trelna is fat, that is about as big a difference as you get. Another matter is these insectoids. They are really bad. For one thing, they are supposed to have been defeated at one point by humans, even though by my reckoning one of them is more valuable in a war effort than a hundred men. They can instantly move themselves and others from one place to another, read minds, and leap tall buildings in a single bound. There are some surprises, and the action is good. Read it if that is what you want. If you want to find the story very believable and care more than a little who wins/loses and lives/dies, pass it up.

Across three universes, AI's battle humans for domination. The origins of the AI war go back millions of years to another universe, and involve "more than human" telepathic, transmuts who were apparently computer generated simulacra created by the "Founders" who have "moved on". The high tech concepts, and ancient martial arts and military action blend together to form an exciting read

This book is difficult to review because if you are like me you love it when technical manuals of this kind are presented. This is a great effort and as always Mr. Olson does a great job, but I think it would have been a home run if the focus was kept tighter. I think this should have been 2 books and each might have been made even more to the point in clarity. It will be in my library though along with a simpler? version by Da Lui.

This book reveals the close relationship between the eight basic postures of T'ai Chi and the hexagrams of the I Ching. * As handed down in the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Chang San-Feng. * Explains the physical and spiritual benefits that result from the practice of the Before Heaven T'ai Chi form. * An essential reference book for any serious student of T'ai Chi and the I Ching. T'ai Chi is a physical expression of Taoist thought-a philosophy in motion. The relationship between the I Ching, Taoist philosophy, and T'ai Chi is well established in many of the classical texts and teachings handed down by the Yellow Emperor and Chang San-Feng, yet it has essentially remained a mystery in the West. Stuart Alve Olson, a longtime student of renowned T'ai Chi Ch'uan Master T. T. Liang, shows how the hexagrams of the I Ching relate to the eight basic postures of T'ai Chi, and how together they comprise the orderly sequence of the postures in the Before Heaven T'ai Chi form. The practice of this form initiates a process of internal alchemy that allows for the stimulation and accumulation of chi through the major energy systems of the body. Physically, this process restores youthful flexibility. Spiritually, it frees the mind to roam the sublime Tao. Because the Before Heaven sequence of postures is the foundation of all T'ai Chi forms, this book provides valuable advice for all practitioners, regardless of the style they practice or the depth of their experience. An essential reference book for any serious student of Taoism, T'ai Chi According to the I Ching is an invaluable guide to how even the most esoteric aspects of Chinese philosophy are firmly rootedin a physical practice.

Every chapter tells us a different story of individuals, as they spent or lost their lives during the 10 years of Cultural Revolution in China.
The stories brought to us from Feng Jicai are really upsetting, showing another time that reality could overtake our all immaginations. He break the "silk veil" on the real stories happened during the Cultural Revolution and give us a real insight on why the current Chinese culture and people's behaviour has been so greatly affected by that period.

If you really want to know more about China, beside the economic development datas and political commentaries, read it.
Just a remark: I did not give it a five-star rating (the content deserves it all) because the translation to English is sometimes "imaginative" (well, in a sense that makes it more Chinese, sounds like some pages of China Daily)

The narratives in this collection of oral histories about the Cultural Revolution are varied , well-ordered, and of a good length. Feng includes victims, perpetrators, "non-participants." Particularly fascinating/ horrifying is the chapter about the infamous #63 torture block. The author also includes some striking, though possibly one-sided, interviews with people born post-1976. Feng himself seems to have a bit of a saviour complex, and his commentary struck me as overdone and interfering - particularly the trite maxims he insists on including after each narrative. He is most interesting in the interview at the end of the book, during which he discusses his methodology and "Documentary Literature".

Chihua Wen's oral histories of children during the Cultural Revolution (The Red Mirror) is less varied, but has a lighter touch, and therefore comes off as more richly poetic. Cheng Jung's Wild Swans is a good companion to these oral history style books, as it offers a detailed and incisive analysis along with its personal story. Ten Years of Madness is a good collection of narratives, but I wish Feng's commentary had been more analytical and less Holy.

In the late 1960s and early '70s, now-retired Air Force colonel Ralph Albertazzie was commander and pilot of Air Force One. Jerry terHorst (whose name, as Garry Trudeau once observed, looks like a typo) was a decades-long member of the White House press corps and first press secretary for President Gerald Ford. Between them, they had the skills and experience to produce a serviceable, and entertainingly personal, history of Air Force One. Although the book is now more than a little out of date, it's nevertheless a good overview of the first four decades of presidential air travel.

Most interesting, given Albertazzie's personal insights, are the authors' stories of Henry Kissinger's secret trips to Europe for peace negotiations with the North Vietnamese, his equally clandestine trip to China to prepare for President Nixon's public one in 1972 (Albertazzie piloted both trips), and -- in the chapter that opens the book -- Citizen Nixon's post-resignation flight back home to California.

The Air Force One of today is almost incomprehensibly advanced relative to the one Albertazzie flew. Nevertheless, for readers interested in the accoutrements of presidential power, tracking down a copy of this book is worth a little effort.

Just to let it be knownthat her name is Ai, not Aie..

Here is a book I would find handy for two reasons. First, it is a light read for a passing interest in monastic architecture offering a brief description of the style and history for each building. Second, because the narrative is very surface and the English translation so close, it makes for unique practice for the intermediate Italian language student. Otherwise, the text is rather unremarkable but easy reading.
The buildings are presented in alphabetical order with an exterior, full page photograph, usually accompanied by one to four paragraphs on each building. First the Italian and then the English translation. Often there is a full or half page floorplan.
All photos are of exteriors, generally facing its first page of text. About 75% are black and white.

Being paperback and small (roughly 8"x5"), it is easy to tote around to use as a tourbook.