Thorough, clear, and occasionally whimsical, this book is an invaluable reference to keep by your side as you read about the search for extraterrestrial life and, indeed, as you read about most space topics.

Information is presented in hundreds (even thousands?) of well-written entries explaining and describing topics as diverse as the role of extraterrestrials in science fiction to Cepheid Variable stars, from laundry lists of nearby star systems to biographies of prominent scientists. The length and breadth of the information presented is truly impressive.

All information is throughly cross-referenced, with more detailed references indicated by a dark arrow.

Entries are written with an interest in the search for extraterrestrial life, but the book is a fine general reference work for amateurs interested in all space sciences.

The only complaint I have is that I wish there were more detailed illustrations for some concepts; if half stars were available, I might rate this book 4-and-a-half for this, but it deserves better than a four, in my opinion.

All in all, an extremely valuable reference, as well as a fascinating read in and of itself if you are interested in space science.

This encyclopedia covers much more than its title suggests. You'll find subjects involving everything from religion to history to science --- and it's all related somehow to the possibility of life on other planets. This is a comprehensive work, yet I find it somewhat entertaining, too. The latest facts available regarding SETI, Area 51, the Roswell Crash of 1947, the Hubble Telescope, and too many other subjects to mention here are all presented in condensed, yet concise form in this book. The author also covers science fiction topics and theories as well as science. And it's perfect for the beginner or the trained professional. Charts, photos, illustrations, and cross references make it even more reader friendly.

I am impressed with this book since it attempts to find a soul for the Universe and at same time not deny the brain directs personhood.
The question I have is ,if we are person destroyed ,( memories burned to dust) with the death of the brain, what in heavans name is experience, love, relationships and higher level human consciousness all about? It seems rather odd if there be a God or a Universal consciousness as Darling tries to prove throughout the book, that it could be absolutely without memory, purpose, direction, ability to integrate past,present, future.
How from a tabula rasa containing nothing spon creation of something? If this Universal mind has no intellect and no will and no memory of anything from where did everything in our World come from. Its like saying here is this "HOLY" cow without a memory, creates purposeless cow-flops which die and return to dust. The cow has no memory of their creation or their experience. The cow God just drops them off and lets enthropy take over, until they turn to dust.

I think and sense there is more to the story of reality than Darling has proposed, but I did enjoy his attempts to link quantum mysteries with mind and Zen philosophy.
I also think in certain places Darling draws conclusions about the mind from too biased and materialist grand stand.
For example, Sperry's split brain experiemnts are intriguing, but the idea of a single mind receiving input from two senory or computer hubs, the left and right brain cannot be ruled out.
If I receive two or more radio signals at once I too might behave as the split brain person ( one mind, trying to integrate different signals) What if one station tells me the cat is dead and the other the cat is alive. I might well in one moment say its dead and the other its alive. If God is intellectless, mindless and memory less (HE/SHE)
can be no better than a vast empty vessel. Why or how would such a vessel ever generate a World as full of personhood and experience as this?

I was browsing through a local used book store and found myself face to face with this gem of a book. I read the sleeve and felt stongly enough to buy it on the spot, not knowing at the time that it would very well be the best, most well written book I had come across in years. Darling has aquired a profound insight into the process of death and the many misconceptions we have about it. He systematically walks you through the scientific process of death as well as other scientific phenomenon and lets you see for yourself that there isn't a huge mystery behind it all. Darling doesn't give you the answer to "the great question", but points you in the correct direction with style. I'm sorry to see that it is currently out of print. I highly recommend to anyone reading to search for this treasure!

I bought this book a couple of years ago while on a business trip, only to read it this year. I found it carefully lays out the scientific basis of death, and the loss of consciousness which results. It then proceeds to apply a Zen perspective in a clear and careful manner. I came on-line to buy it for a friend, and I am sad to learn it is out of print. I value my copy all the more. I am very lucky to have found it, and would recommend it to anyone.

if you're at all interested in ASALA or Karabagh, this is an interesting read. I would suggest compative readings, as to get a less slanted view on things.

These writings are very important for any study of either the Armenian 'question' or any analysis of ASALA and its true motives.

Go in the mind of a leader and on what this wise man was thinking about as he fought the enemies. Highly intensive and interesting.

Next to Darling's other book 'Zen Physics', this is one of the best books I have ever 'read'. Darling is like a cross between Alan Watts and Carl Sagan. The worldview he presents beautifully unifies science and mysticism. Unfortunately, the reading quality on the audio tape is very sub-standard. The speech is slurred, consonants are dropped, and quite a few words are mispronounced, making the listening experience frustrating and detracting from the great content. I wonder why they didn't hire an actor to read this, like so many other audio tapes I have purchased? I wish I could find this work as a book rather than a tape.

Darling has a wide grasp of various sciences; astronomy, biology, anthropology, and psychology among them. He blends these with an appreciation for the various mystical traditions, western and eastern. His interesting and sincere style make for stimulating reading. Not as technical as Capra's "Tao of Physics", it is in the same vein.

I believe that this book was pushed out to the presses much too quickly. Be prepared to rewrite some of the processes because of poor writing (and/or proof reading). Some of the steps in the Qualitative Risk Analysis just strait up don't make sense.

However I give it two thumbs up for content. This book helped me with disaster planning tremendously.

Bottom line this book is worth the money and deserves/needs a second edition.

This is the only book that provides a general overview of what a Risk Analysis is, and I consider it a very good basis for learning how to perform a Risk Analysis and evaluate the risks. Anyway, it is my personal opinion that there are no standard methods to be used: a good Risk Analyst stays to a good Risk Analysis, like a good tailor stays to a good suit. Every time that you will have to perform a Risk Analysis, you will decide with the team or with the customer what kind of methods are going to be used and wich kind of evaluation parameters are going to be taken into consideration. Another thing that I disagree about, is the time that should be spent on the Risk Analysis: to perform a good analysis in ten days, is like expecting a persian carpet to be made in one week or a good italian meal to be served in three minutes.

This is an excellent introduction to risk analysis in general and a highly effective guide for conducting a security risk analysis.

Of the 281 pages in this book, 156 pages are devoted to the seven chapters comprising the "how to" and case study, with the remaining pages allocated to six highly valuable appendices.

Chapter 1, Effective Risk Analysis, starts the book by discussing risk analysis in general, including common approaches, and leads into the author's approach. The next chapter covers qualitative risk analysis, followed by a chapter on value analysis. By this point it's clear that the author's philosophy is to capture major risks, cost data and develop impact without getting bogged down in complex methods. I liked chapter 4, which discusses other qualitative methods, their strengths and weaknesses, which adds context to the heart of this book: Chapter 5, Facilitated Risk Analysis Process. In a nutshell, this approach involves all stakeholders and spreads the responsibility and accountability for identifying, analyzing and prioritizing risks. This is as it should be because security should be everyone's job, and the stakeholders (led by subject matter experts) are the best source of authority for making trade-offs and allocating resources to ensure the degree of security that consensus dictates. Since security is, in part, a function of trade-offs, the Facilitated Analysis Risk Process proposed by the author is an effective and essential process supporting security. Chapter 6 covers other uses of qualitative risk analysis, and is though-provoking and informative. The case study in chapter 7 ties together the preceding chapters and concludes the text on risk analysis.

The appendices are, in my opinion, invaluable. Like a previous reviewer I lament the fact that the tables and forms were not included in electronic format, but this is a minor quibble on my part. Appendix A is a comprehensive, 25-page questionnaire that covers every facet of security risks. Appendix B contains a reproduction of every form associated with the Facilitated Risk Analysis Process (Scope/Business Process Identification, Action Plan, Final Report, Controls List, Risk List and Controls/Risk Cross-Reference List). Business Impact Analysis forms are provided in Appendix C, and a sample report is provided in Appendix D. Threat definitions are provided in Appendix E, and three short papers authored by other experts giving other opinions of risk analysis are the subject of Appendix F.

Overall this is a highly focused book that should not be ignored by anyone who is responsible for security, business continuity or disaster recovery planning. Even if you are more apt to use quantitative methods instead of the qualitative methods proposed by the author, this book is still an important work on security risk analysis. The appendices alone are worth the price of the book.