The telecommunications industry needs a lot of standards and
detailed information for true inter-operability. So, no book
is going to be perfect in its coverage of the material - there
is simply too much information.

Having said that, I find this book to be an excellent way to
understand the issues associated with WIN. It provides the basis
for further study and points people in the right direction for
increasing their knowledge.

I use this book as a basic reference and recommend it highly.
You will not go wrong reading this book - whether you are a
wireless telecom professional (which I am) or not.

The book succeeds in presenting an inherently complex and multi-disciplinary subject in a clear manner with sufficient references to allow further study as needed.

The book provides a broad view of wireless networking, including financial, market, and technical views. The technical information is well organized and presented from more than one perspective. Rather than presenting volumes of minute details, architectural principals are introduced and illuminated.

This is one of the outstanding technical books that I have ever read. I would highly recommend it to experienced hands in the fields of wireless or wireline voice networks.

I would also recommend it to beginners with the following cavaet: this book plumbs some fairly deep waters, and does not delve too deeply into the related fields that are the building blocks of Wireless Intellegent Networking. SS7, AIN, PSTN architecture, and mobility management are all presented, but having some previous background (or somebody handy who can fill in details) would be a big help.

Wireless Intelligent Networking is an excellent publication with rare characteristics: easy to read, well organized and extremely efficient in what concerns quantity and quality of information. Technical protocols, market trends, services deployment, integration, among other IN hot issues are thoroughly dissected in WIN. This is definitely an essential tool for anyone in the Telco business, saving time and money in training for beginners and helping experts on a daily basis. A "dot.safe" investment for any company in the industry!

Paul Christensen's Blue Alleys highlights every aspect of humanity, from adolescents to death, which resonates a universal perceptiveness with clarity that lacks sentimentality. On the other hand, Christensen never looses sight of the personal journey to clarity by invoking locations of spatial identity that breathes life into still bones with terse images. The delicate balance between the universal and the personal conjures up the two words of the title itself that echo throughout these prose poems, in which life itself is communally separate. These shared spaces, as the alleys themselves are locus between abodes or people, skips the surface facades to delve into uncharted interior depths of the narrow pathways that leads to backdoors littered with all that we hide. Among the wonderful thirty-nine poems that embraces lost loves and missed communions with nature, I've chosen "Pencils," "The Way," "The Unexpected Caller" and "Prairies" to discuss here as personal favorites. Whereas in "Pencils," the memories of a grandfather's life of wonder exists because of his drawing capabilities of ammunition shells that led him to France during WWI, but at the same time, these pencils exude his love to his family and continue to tell his story long after his death in the hands of his grandson. In "The Way," the ever-impending death becomes a seemly simple street scene while stopped for a red traffic light. The narrator, removed by the interior of the car waits to move forward in life, watches a man beaten by others as a reminder of the fragility of Darwinian nature. The poem's power lies not only in the brutal scene but also in the narrator's commissary with the downtrodden man as providing uplifting braveness to the final moments of life, death, which allows the narrator to continue with life less fearful. The strength of the "The Unexpected Caller" comes from the connection between the second person narrator's imagination of who the caller might be and the body gestures of the caller's embarrassment for bothering the narrator, leaving the reader with the normality of an unresolved loneliness. In "Prairies," Christensen again invokes a second person narrator who fails to understand the essence of beauty in the stark prairie landscape. The meditative countenance between nature and humanity shows the connective loss as being a gulf unbridgeable now, yet Christensen's language becomes a stopgap itself that leads the reader into the supposed wasteland with senses unsheathed. Paul Christensen's Blue Alleys is a tightly knit poetic oeuvre that dazzles the senses with chiseled images set upon a pedestal of human nature commonality.

Henri Nouwen, author of Compassion and 40 other books on community and spirituality, writes:
"a truly excellent book, well-written, very convincing, very down-to-earth, and deeply pervaded with the Spirit of Jesus."

Senator Mark Hatfield writes:
"City Streets, City People affirms the biblical truth that the poor, sick and suffering are truly blessed, and that we will be judged by our response to them."

Bob Lupton, President of FCS Urban Ministries, writes:
"...captures the fundamentals or urban ministry more concisely and comprehensively than anyone I have read or listened to..."

Ron Benefiel, President of Nazarene Theological Seminary, writes: "a practical, helpful manual in the day-to-day how to's of ministry in the city. I highly recommend this book for anyone ministering in the urban context."

City Streets, City People is both a book of stories about homeless persons and a "user-friendly" guide that outlines how people of goodwill--volunteers, clergy, students and professionals--can respond compassionately and effectively to outcast groups in society. Christensen draws on his own experience in working with the homeless and persons with AIDS on the streets of New York, San Franscisco and Calcutta. He also shares how active urban workers can cultivate their own "inner garden of contemplative spirituality" and avoid burn-out so common in urban ministry.

Nominated for the 1989 Book of the Year Award, sponsored by Campus Life Ministries, and was selected by the United Methodist Church as official denominational curriculum. Widely used by colleges, seminaries and church groups as a handbook on urban ministry.

A classic urban ministry text from a broadly evangelical Christian perspective.

Paul Christensen's sweeping analysis of Texas poetry and poets is unprecedented in the critical oeuvre of modern times. His brilliant study is the product of decades of insightful observation and analysis. A highly accomplished poet himself, he lays bare the essence, both artistic and philosophical, of virtually every significant Texas poet of our time. Highly recommended.

Paul Christensen has produced a smart and scholarly look at one of the key social groups in post-Soviet Russia -- the working class. While there have been a lot of books published in recent years that discuss the prospects for internal peace and economic growth in the former Soviet Union, Christensen's is one of only a tiny number to focus on the class that was supposed to benefit from the 1917 Revolution.

"Fish" is a parable that deals with Mary Jane who was assigned to the third floor of her company who had the reputation of being ineffective, unfriendly and labelled a "toxic energy dump." Mary Jane had to find ways to improve morale and basically changed the attitudes of some thirty employees under her supervision. She employed the tactics of fishmongers at Pike Place Fish, a world famous market in Seattle in order to learn from them how to make the workspace more fun and effective.

The four principles that Mary Jane learned from the fishmongers are "choose your attitude," "play," "make their day," and "be present." The book basically explains how these principles would improve morale in the workplace, making it fun to work even if the work itself is boring and at the same time, valuing both their internal and external customers. "Fish" is quite encouraging and it reminds me a lot of "Who Moved My Cheese?" as both books are short, concise and easy to understand.

Since we spend more than one-third of our lives at work, thinking about work, preparing for work, we might as well make work a fun thing to do. Besides, we will get the same paycheck regardless of whether we are enjoying it or not :) Some of us are not fortunate enough to have the option of leaving our job or changing our physical surroundings, however we could still learn to enjoy our current job and surroundings by changing our perceptions. It is as simple as that! The keyword here is "learn". I think it is definitely a learning process to see and cherish what we already have, enjoy the most out of it instead of longing or regretting for things that we don't have and complaining about the pithole that we are in. Don't worry, there is nothing scientific about how to improve your quality of life by changing your perception, this very inspiring little book Fish! will guide you to better enjoy your work. This book is narrating a story about how fish sellers are thoroughly enjoying their job selling fishes in the fish market and how their enthusiasm inspire those who are around them. Very entertaining!

A wonderful book that simplifies the steps to have the right atmosphere in any environment.

Mary Jane has been given the difficult task of turning around the 3rd floor inefficiency to be a productive and pleasant place to work. In helping her in the task she meets Lonnie, who works in the fish market, and who makes her see how he managed to bring the best out of his employees even though they work in a stinky place.

The four lessons learned to achieve such results are: Attitude, Play, Make their day, and Be present. Those simple words and how to carry them between the employees and be able to transmit them to the customers should be enough to turn the life around.

A great book, that also helps with our daily lives and how to approach life on daily basis, make the best of things, give it your best shot and the rest is history.

Things are going swimmingly in Fish! land. In the latest volume, Fish! Tales, authors Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, Harry Paul and Philip Strand build on the successful training program that evolved from their first Fish book. Tales shows how four companies - a long-distance call center; a hospital neural-renal unit, a car dealership and a roofing company - have applied Fish! theories effectively. They also provide short examples from other companies to show how well the Fish! function. The four main principles are familiar by now - keep the work fun, seek to serve others, stay focused on your customers and have an enthusiastic attitude - but the examples in the book bring them alive. Along the way, the authors heavily sell their Fish! courses and merchandise - that's just good salesmanship - but the real catch of the day is the final how-to section, showing ways to apply these principles in any organization. The lively writing style helps keep you hooked. We from getAbstract suggest that if you haven't yet caught any Fish!, start with this one. Its cheery, accessible methods should lure you in, hook, line and sinker.

I'm the General Manager Don Freeman that this book "Fish Tales" refers to in a full chapter who worked for Sprint. The great thing about this book Fish is that it outlines in detail what we were already trying to do before learning about FISH years earlier. It defined it in a way that assisted us in bringing a greater level of understanding and participation for all our employees. "Fish Tales" now brings it to a level showing it works and can be adapted in many different work groups. I implemented it in our call center but I was dressing as Elvis long before reading FISH. This book helped me legitimize my creative fun leadership style with my peers and show that work is fun. The great thing about this book is that you can see in Fish Tales that you have to find your own employee culture and way of making the FISH PHILOSOPHY work in your own Company or Department. It will depend on the type of work being done, product and location in the country. This book gives many ideas on possibilities and helps to open the creative juices!! You don't have to be Elvis! I found the creative "Board of Director meetings" (mentioned in the book) and acting those activities out a fun way to get participation and great fun for all employees too. Go Fish!!
While having fun, it is important to keep the vision and purpose of your business as part of the philosophy. Fish Tales is a great book with wonderful examples you can use. It works well with other work culture initiatives too.

As I was looking for the next offering to read from the authors of Fish!, I was astonished--shocked, in fact-- to read the negative, cynical reviews from other readers. It made me wonder what some of these folks were doing while they were "reading," since my experience and opinion of both of the fish books is extremely positive. So, I felt compelled to share my opinion.

I used to be cynical about this "touchy feely" stuff. But, I've been around long enough to have experienced a lot of the opposite--complex, "50,000-step, multi-phased initiatives" implemented by expensive consultants that ended up as dismal failures.

The Fish Tales book was even better than the first because of the "real" examples. These companies actually took the simple concepts and made them work. You can't argue with their success. I know. I have had the experience of employing similar strategies and activities in the places I've worked, and the whole tone and outlook of my work teams changed for the better. You can't underestimate the power people have when they've committed to working on a few, simple things that make positive differences. Confidence builds. They get better at their jobs. And they know that they are doing something special--something worthwhile.

Fish Tales shows what is possible. The beauty of it is that it tells how to reach the hearts of employees and customers. How to connect with people and accomplish great things. It doesn't always take an expensive, complex initiative. We didn't need complex initiatives for galvanizing people to do great things after Dec.7,1941, or 9/11. It took an instantaneous connection and reminder about what life is about. Fish Tales will help people feel what is truly real in life. Simply, inexpensively, enjoyably, energetically. Profitably.

Not really agree with the book title "remarkable way". In fact, whatever ways that are mentioned in the book is really common sense to everyone.

I very much "get it" and still have a very negative review of this book and the entire "philosophy" that stems from this series. The mantra of "Be happy, find your IT, coach your peers" woven into a horribly redundant and sophomoric tale of a hospital floor meets sushi bar is more than any astute well-read reader can bear for more than 119 pages. Philosophy, ideology, beliefs- whatever word you choose, are not easily summed up, not readily paralleled to one fish market, and certainly cannot be distilled to a glorified pamphlet that, although it champions "deep conversation" never dares to go into the very nature of work.

Luckily the author anticipates these gross shortcomings and, given the lack of a substantial ideological foundation from which to build, leaves it to the reader to "find his or her own path." This book may be an adequate primer for someone who reads very little and may understand less. The story and dialogue is literally at a sixth to eight grade reading level at its best moments. This is not a book for thoughtful, questioning, analytical, and educated discerning adults.

For a more interesting and dynamic exploration on the nature of work and how it affects our lives one might turn to Walden, Fight Club, Notes From The Underground, Steppenwolf, or just about any counter-capitalist thought to name a few. Then one might discover that transcending work roles rather than defining ones' self by them is the true nature of an individual path.

Change starts with the infusion of external energy and a promise of better things. But soon the gravity of the old ways pulls it back. This book is about sustaining the change process by using our internal energy. Fish! was a good parable with lots of excitement at the Pike place fish market. This is a forward integration, moving up the value chain. We are in Takara Too, a sushi restaurant, where customers don't mind waiting in long queues for the wonderful experience once inside and to be received by a loud cheer from the staff. If you have forgotten your reading glasses and have difficulty in reading the menu card, the waiter will be pleased to offer you half a dozen variations of reading glasses that can help. If your favorite beverage is not on the menu, it is sourced from a nearby store before you realize.

The good news is that the principles behind such a marvelous atmosphere to work in apply to workplaces in any industry. It is important to Find IT, Be IT and Coach IT.

At the end, I realized that the personal tragedy Steve Ludin (author) suffered has had its impact on the story. The loss of Beth, his thirty-one year old daughter in a car accident to whom this book is dedicated. Beth lived a full life true to the spirit of Fish!. In her memory, I rededicate my commitment to Fish!