This two tapes audiobook is really good as it is not only giving you theory of how NLP works, but also full of practical exercises of some NLP concepts. I think this audiobook is especially good for people like me, having read several books about NLP, knowing some basic theories, but lack of experience of practicing NLP exercise with a coach face-to-face.

While I've read a lot of contemporary poetry and even written some, none delights the heart in the way that a good rhyme does. Editor Ronald G. Ribble apparently agrees. He's gathered in this tiny book of poetry a surprisingly good assortment of rhymes, including a joyful snippet from Robert Goulet and a reprint of a thoughtful, thoughtprovoking poem from Charles Osgood called "Pretty Good." Contributions come from all over the U.S., Canada, England and Ireland. While there are all types of verse, including serious and somber, I enjoyed the playful ones. My personal favorites include the witty, bittersweet "Obituary" by Joyce La Mers about revenge cheated. "The Faces of . . ." by Don Miguel might be retitled "Aging sans Viagra." I'm not sure if "The Editor's Dilemma" below Don Miguel's poem is part of Miguel's submission, or truly from the editor, but it pretty much sums up my reading of other contemporary poetry when it says, "Your poem was metaphoric, meteoric, divine--yes, truly heaven sent. The only thing that I have left to do is figure out just what the hell it meant." "Troubadour" restores my faith in poetry with a sparkling and amusing collection of rhymes. Hopefully it will be annual, as promised.

Okay, I admit that I am a radiation safety professional and often find errors made when none professionals write about radiation, but even a LITTLE research by the author would have given us a better book. For example, that they searched for a geiger counter and had to get ones from as far away as Florida. ANY modern hospital will have a nuclear medicine group and GM meters. Any modern university will have hundreds. Additionally, at the first sign of a problem the authorities would have contacted the NRC and local agencies who have all what is needed to make an initial response.

The author can not get the background radiation dose correct by a factor of 10 to 100. The method of radiation posioning by water is interesting; however, almost as much damage would be done by the heavy metal posioning. Plutonium is POORLY absorbed from the oral route. The author uses vague references like x times normal for plutionium and gives no units.

The author references that plutonium can not be found except in a few areas of the world - simply wrong. Finally, plutonium is not a death sentence from cancer at "any amount" no matter how small. Inhaled plutonium is a cancer causing agent that increases the chance that a person will get cancer. Even some highly exposed will NOT develop cancer. The author could draw the same wrong conclusion for smoking. Tabacco contains a very similar alpha emitting atom (polonium) that is deposited in smokers lungs. However, not 100% of them will die of the radiation.

This book MAY be a great read to some; however, it does nothing more than play on mass fear of anything radioactive.

At least I now know an author that does not deserve my time to read because he did not spend the time to research his subject.

Forget the naysayers and read the book. Then go see the movie. Robert Charles Davis will be around for a very long time.

'Plutonium Murders' is a surprisingly good first novel by a surprisingly good first-time author. It is certain to be a hit movie. Forget the flaws. Just enjoy the story. Robert Charles Davis will be around for a long, long time.

This is undoubtably the worst text I have ever seen used at the freshman chem level. It is poorly organized, does not give the student a good grounding in the basics before moving on to more detailed areas and printed with ink and glossy paper that makes reading very difficult. The margins are cluttered with distracting diagrams, flow charts and pictures that have little relavance to what is being discussed in the text. As to organization, it is absurd to introduce thermodynamics in chapter 6, discussing only enthalpy,leaving out entropy and Gibbs free energy, placing them piecmeal in later chapters. This fragmented approach only confuses the student when they can't see the interrelationship between entropy, enthalpy and free energy. The same applies in discussing molarity at the end of chapter 3 instead of leaving it with acid-base and solution chemistry. The fragmented approach is very distracting for both student and instructor. This is my first and hopefully last semester to use this text. For a good text use McMurry-Fay or Davis, Whitten and Galey. Don't use this text if at all possible. I gave it one star because that was the lowest available.

This is a very useful chemistry textbooks for a science student who studies independently. I like this book for several reasons: (1) It is comprehensive, (2) It contains detailed explanatins of WHY and HOW things happen,(3) The book includes numerous worked-out problems, and (4) The book is written in a very readable manner, containing straight-foward language and excellent graphic explanations. I am studying biochemistry now, and I go back to this text very often for the explanation of certain topics, eg. buffer problems. The coverage of organic chemistry is very basic in Silberberg's book. For in-depth coverage refer to Organic Chemistry: Structure and reactivity by Seyhan Ege (ISBN 0395902231), a very good book that emphasizes understanding, not memorization. A note: solutions to all problems in Ege's book are in the study guide.

While I would hesitate to recommend this to someone who had never taken high school chemistry, as a second year high school book and a science majors' level college text, this book is fantastic. Comparing it to an old version of Brady & Humiston, and Zumdahl's Introductory Chemistry, Silberberg wins hands down. Fantastic layout and detailed explanations of most topics. Not good for the most basic topics (don't even think about learning oxidation-reduction reaction balancing from this text).

I have been a fan of Mr Howard for nearly 12 years now, which in my opinion, makes me a bit of a connoisseur, and frankly this book was a bit of a disappointment. Undoubtedly the contributing writers are well-respected and immensely able but their writing lacked the Howardian flavour I have come to love. Ghor's sudden personality shifts are hard to follow and the various ideas in the story lack sufficient depth. This book is not the way Mr Howard would have written it. Nevertheless, this should be read because the original idea belonged to the great REH.

Ghor is a nice blend of Conan and the Cthulhu Mythos together. Abandoned as a child because of a deformity, Ghor is adopted by a pack of wolves. Raised by them, he adopts the ways of the wolf, yet when he meets up with humanity joins them. Constantly struggling with his wolf upbringing and his human surroundings, Ghor becomes a mighty war hero wherever he goes.

This is an excellent adventure book that takes a Conan like hero and plots him against all sorts of evil (and good), including some Cthulhu creations as well.

Originally Ghor was an unfinished story by Conan creator Robert Howard. Upon finding this unfinished story, a magazine decided to finish it. What they did was have a different chapter every month written by a different top fantasy writer. It made the reading interesting.

While most of the chapters were great. Some were excellent. Unfortunately there were a couple chapters that I just wanted to get through to reach the next writers' chapter. Overall a really good read.

I WAS VERY SUPRISED ABOUT HOW WELL THIS STORY CAME OFF. THE VARIUOS WRITERS DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN WRITING AN EXCITING BOOK THAT FLOWED SMOOTHLY. IT DID NOT COME OFF AS A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK FOR ROBERT E. HOWARD FANS, AND FANS OF FANTASY IN GENERAL.

If you read Hard Times for the sole purpose of being entertained you will probably be highly disappointed. However, if you understand what was happening during this time period, you will realize that Hard Times is in reality, a long commentary. The Industrial Revolution was starting to show its down side. There was rampant poverty and disease, from the overcrowding of the cities. Children of the poor had to work long hours in unsafe factories rather than go to school. The gulf between the haves and the have-nots was very wide. The middle class was only beginning to be a distinct group.
This then was the backdrop of Hard Times. Dickens is making a social and political statement. This is a statement against the mechanizing of society. It starts with Dickens repeated use of the word fact. It is facts that have meaning. Human conventions like feeling, compassion or passion have no meaning or looked down upon as an inconvienent waste of time. If a situation cannot be put down on paper as in an accounting ledger it should not be considered.
This is where the conflict of the book comes in. Which helps humanity more compassion or fact. Is Bounderby a better person than Blackpool? Bounderby, who by his own admission was a self-made man. Untrue as this was he said it enough to make it his own reality. Or Blackpool, a weaver with an alcoholic wife, who was in love with another woman. Facts made Bounderby rich, compassion made Blackpool human.
Louisa presents another conflict. Louisa was educated only by fact. No wonder or inquisitiveness was ever allowed. She was the perfect robot. Doing what she was told when she was told. Just another piece of the machine, however, the piece broke, emotions came out, and they broke down the wall of fact that Mr. Gradgrind had so carefully constructed. Because the feelings have finally been acknowledged things really break down. She finds that not only has she married the wrong man but also the man she did marry is a buffoon whom she cannot respect nor live with.
The reader is left wondering if there is no one who will not be ruined by all the worship to fact. The whelp has certainly been ruined to the point he feels no responsibility to anyone but himself. If a situation can not be used to his advantage then he has no use for it, as a matter of course, he will run when he believes he will have to take responsibility for his own actions.
The gypsies have not been ruined by fact. But only because they live outside of society, they do not conform to the rules of society. These are the people who value character over social status. The gypsies do not value Bounderby and Bitzer with all their pomp and egomania. Rather they value Stephen Blackpool and Cecilia whom can show compassion and kindness no matter a person's station in life.
Hard Times can be used to look at today's society. Are we, as a society more worried about our computers, cell phones, faxes, and other gadgets than our neighbor's well being? Do we only get involved to help others when there is a personal benefit? Or, are we like the gypsies who can look into the character of the person and not worry about the socio-economic status? While Dickens' wrote Hard Times about 19th century England the moral can easily fit into 21st century America

Here is a stunning indictment of soot-covered early Victorian England. Its relevance today though should not be underestimated. Parallels abound both here at home and the world over. Hard Times is brilliant and multifaceted. Dickens is both dreadfully serious and stingingly witty. And yes, a thorough Marxist reading is certainly possible. Dickens cared deeply about the world in which he lived and his humanity shines through in every line. This book, and all that Dickens wrote, is worthwhile if only for the beauty of the prose. Those forced to read it in school are unlikely to see its value as anyone forced to do anything against the will is going to be resentful and rejecting. Be deeply suspicious though of the reader from Madison Wisconsin, Hitler, or anyone who advises the literal trashing of books.

Coketown is "the inner-most fortifications of that ugly citadel where Nature was as strongly bricked out as killing airs and gases were bricked in at the heart of the labyrinth of narrow courts upon courts, and close streets upon streets, which had come into existence."

Hard Times takes place in 1854, six years after Karl Marx first published his ideas in the Communist Manifesto. Marx revolutionized the way people looked at history. His historical science was a radically new way of looking at human history, our past, our present, and our future. Marxist themes are plentiful in Hard Times, everything from the Bourgeoisie to the Proletariat are represented in this account of the industrial revolution.

Dickens provides an excellent portrayal of real-life people faced with hard times amidst an economic boom. This is a touching story, giving names and faces to the people who are creating, being replaced by, and being abused by the industrial revolution. The Communist Manifesto is not complete until you have read Hard Times.

While I would never presume - as some reviewers might - to misstate what is said in this classic volume and then presume to suggest that "now you don't need to read the book," I will say that this is an excellent edition of a classic work. All who have any interest in the history of Darwinian evolution and particularly the historical views of the evolution of man will find this fascinating reading, particularly if the context can be juxtaposed with what has been discovered since Darwin's time. Of course, times have changed, our hopefully less euro-centric views have been altered and there has been considerable progress through the generations since the original publication by Darwin, and that makes the progress of human knowledge all the more fascinating, as well as the insight Darwin obviously possessed in his day. This one's a "must-read" for anyone interested in the history of science.

Although there are many racist and sexist ideas, this was the climate in which Darwin wrote this book. Many of the details are grossly in error, but the book was written over 100 years ago. Many advances in knowledge have been made since then. The basic premise, and the fact that Darwin looked to the African apes as a point of origin for humans is the real beauty of the book. Darwin is many times falsely blamed for "Social Darwinism" which he never proposed nor advocated. Just because someone uses Darwin as a justification for negative ideas and or actions, does not mean that Darwin should be vilified for it. Descent was not a social commentary, but a scientific treatise, and should be treated as such.

This book contains a wealth of facts, compiled during Darwin's life on matters which were highly controversial at the time. His prior book, Origin of Species, provided the scientific framework for thinking that mankind might, in some way, be a descent from the animal kingdom. For personal reasons, there was some doubt, at the time, whether it would ever be diplomatic to admit such a thing to the human beings themselves, right in their very faces. The title which Darwin placed on this book showed how easy it would be to imagine that the fundamental distinction was closely linked to the question of whom an individual might choose to have sex with, given the great parallels to a wide range of behavior in the animal kingdom. I have looked in this book for evidence that philosophy is a set of ideas adopted mainly in relation to sex, but the philosophy of the fittest for that kind of activity seems to be a bit more modern than Darwin. On a scale of stillborn to born with a brain, Darwin was definitely born with a brain, but it didn't make him crazy enough to suggest that which we may imply ourselves. There are a lot of facts in this book, compared to the number of suggestions, but it shows a considerable amount of thought.

I've read all of Mr. Wilson's books and he is getting better all of the time. The problem he faces is that his books, always excellently conceived, usually peter out by the end. As in BIOS, the characters are basically victims of a (well-conceived) planetary environment, the "bios" of the title. The characters are mostly stock and are removed from the novel one by one in such a way as to give the impression that the book has no real plot. It just ends, leaving me with the impression, "Is that all there is?" To Mr. Wilson's credit, the book is excellently written and the sci-fi elements all credible and in place. It's not a bad read, but I wanted more "novelistic" elements threaded throughout the book. I wanted a plot.

Robert Charles Wilson's Darwinia had well-deserved success last year including a nomination for the Hugo Award (and getting my vote, as it happens). His slim new novel is Bios. Wilson has shown a good deal of range over his career, and to see a novel like Bios following on the heels of Darwinia is evidence of that range. Darwinia was (nominally) set on Earth in the early part of this century, and married description of a radically altered, sort of alternate-Prehistoric, Europe with some wild speculation on the very far future. By contrast, Bios is much more traditionally science-fictional: set a few centuries in the future as a small group of researchers attempt to explore a deadly alien planet. To be sure Wilson has surprises in store for the reader and the eventual explanation for the novel's mysteries is pretty much as strange as with Darwinia, if probably less likely to annoy some readers.

Bios opens as the body of Zoe Fisher is prepped for transmission to the distant solar system containing the planet Isis, and as brief hints are dropped about the intriguing background to the story. In this future, Earth, devastated by plagues, is under the draconian control of several "Families." The Family control extends to reproductive rights, and indeed their most trusted servants are castrated to remove that distraction. The rest of the Solar System is independent of Earth, consisting of a Mars colony and an individualistic set of Kuiper Belt colonies. The two factions are collaborating somewhat uneasily on the research effort at Isis.

The story proper begins as Zoe arrives at Isis Orbital Station. Her arrival coincides with the first of a series of on-planet catastrophes. It seems that the native organisms are getting better and better at breaching the various security barriers humans have placed about their different research stations. As even a single breath of Isis' air will kill a human horribly in hours, this is very disturbing. Zoe Fisher's new equipment, both external and internal, is intended to be a step in increasing human ability to explore Isis, but is she too late? And what is her real purpose? Station manager Kenyon Degrandpre fears she is a tool foisted on him by the rival faction that developed her. Scientist Tam Hayes fears he is falling for her, and doesn't know if he can bear to put her at risk. And Zoe wonders why her emotions and memories are so different now, and why she is no longer sure of her own purpose and loyalty.

This is a short book, not much over 60,000 words, which is a nice contrast to many of today's novels. In this brief space, Wilson stays focussed on the arc of the disaster facing the research station. The hints of the background culture are fascinating, but I think Wilson chooses well to leave the hints as just hints. His real purpose is to tell an exciting story of a desperate battle against an unremittingly harsh environment, and then to advance a somewhat mystical explanation for the conditions on Isis and on Earth. The story is a good read, and the ending, purposely left a bit open, is thought-provoking. It falls a bit short, however, in emotional impact. We don't have the time to really get to know the main characters, and as such, the resolution doesn't grip quite as strongly as it might have. The novel's theme, also, while thought-provoking, is just a bit too lightly sketched. I wasn't quite convinced. Nonetheless, I enjoyed Bios. It's not as good as Darwinia, but from my point of view, that's hardly a major fault. Wilson is one of our most exciting and versatile writers, and if this is middle-range for him, it's still very good.

Robert Charles Wilson's most recent novel, BIOS, is a compelling, well-written book that is ultimately unsatisfying. As other reviewers have noted, the book concerns Earth's efforts to understand and ultimately conquer the planet Isis, a world teeming with microbes, viruses, and prions that make Ebola and AIDS look incredibly tame. These efforts parallel ones on an Earth that has itself been decimated by plagues. Wilson creates a tense narrative by raising many questions--why is Isis so toxic? who is Zoe Fisher? will her special talents help her discover the secret of Isis? what is the secret of Zoe's past?--and only slowly giving away the answers. Just as in Wilson's recent DARWINIA, the secret of Isis, once revealed, turns out to be of a different order than the first half or so of the novel leads to the reader to expect. The last-minute twist is a common tactic for Wilson, and I believe that it has failed in every instance in which he has used it (and it works better in DARWINIA than it does here). On the other hand, his MYSTERIUM is probably the only novel that Wilson draws to a satisfactory close. I recommend buying the book (in paperback), but be prepared to be disappointed in the end.

Rob Kling has created a seven-part book of issues that surround the integration of technology into businesses and education. He validates his beliefs with case studies and testimonials from experts in their respected areas. Kling begins each chapter with a very thorough overview of the section.

Don't let the size of the book intimidate you; the material is well prepared and easy to read. My advice is to pick and choose chapters and sections within those topics that are of interest to you. Keep in mind that a lot of the material in the book is "out dated", which caused me some cognitive frustration. The book was written in 1996 and I surmise from the preface that it was conceived in the early '90's. Topic titles are revenant to Computerization and Controversy but the case studies are only useful as a historical prospective.

JCalhoun

With the dawn of the Information Age waning and social, economic and political changes underway, Robert Kling's anthology adds form and character to the futurist, anthropological debate of what will happen to us now.

In an impressive and hefty volume, Kling et.al. questions the ramifications of eight areas of human interaction; areas as varied as privacy, social control, human relationships, work, and human interaction. In this examination, Kling provides a depth of discussion that will overwhelm the technology neophyte. For those in the industry or for the more advanced casual user, this volume will fill in holes of knowledge that guarantee to stimulate deeper appreciation for the changes underway in our society.

Rob Kling's Computerization and Controversy offers a vast and diverse range of perspectives about the social effects of computerization in the future. This compilation of 78 essays was published in 1996, making the material somewhat dated. Nevertheless, the authors showcased in this anthology are insightful and visionary and much of their commentary is still relevant today, despite the fact that everything is not exactly as they had projected. The burning issue endures: What is the social cost of computerization? The book does not answer this question, but equips the reader with lots to consider. The readings in this anthology address not only the way that computerization affects society, but also how society shapes computerization.

This collection is divided into 8 sections. The first section is authored entirely by Kling and sets the stage for the other sections that follow. In it, he poses questions about the ability of computerization to make life easier. His essay entitled "The Seductive Equation of Technological Progress with Social Progress" speaks to the theme of the entire book. Technology can both help and hinder social interactions. By juxtaposing contrary opinions on the effects of computerization on education, work, business, government, privacy, economics, and science, he provides a text that is comprehensive in scope and perspective.

Computerization and Controversy is less of a "futures" book, and more of a "history" book - evidence of where we have been in our thinking about the effects computerization on society. It is poignant evidence of how quickly society is changing as a result of technology and computerization. One essay, by Anne Okerson, outlines the future of the Electronic Journal. She describes how quickly information "expires" and how technology can meet the need for up to date knowledge and facts. Were Computerization and Controversy published as an ever-changing e-text, we might be better off (or would we?).

In my opinion, this book is neither science fiction nor is it fantasy. It seemed much closer to a horror novel with some sci fi elements and also elements of alternate history. In fact, because of the number of genres Darwinia manages to suck in, it's a hopelessly muddled tale.

I enjoy both fantasy and science fiction. I enjoy "softer" sci fi and hard sci fi. I even enjoy alternate histories. BUT, when they are all thrown together in one novel, it gets confusing and irritating. In addition, this book actually gave me nightmares because of the elements of horror novels that are incorporated.

I read a description of this author as a new star of hard science fiction based on the less than ¼ of this book that is actually hard science fiction. What a shame that he is receiving accolades for this muddled drama when other more talented authors (Michael Swanwick jumps to mind) are being ignored.

If I step back and make an overall assessment of this book, it suddenly seems to be very familiar. In fact, in many ways, this book has the same plot as Stephen King's The Stand. Good vs. evil, lots of people wiped off the face of the earth, secret evil entities controlling infiltrators into the good side, a final conflict between good and evil, etc etc etc. If you're going to copy someone else's plot, you could be a lot less transparent about it.

Did I enjoy this book? Well, it was okay. There were certainly parts that were interesting. For a brief period of time, I was actually interested in what was going on with the main character. However, I would not recommend this book except possibly for those who enjoy horror novels.

'Darwinia' is really a tale of two halves. The book as which it begins is charming, mysterious, and deeply entertaining. Somewhere near the novel's midpoint, a plot pivot appears which transforms the novel into something *entirely* different. To say it was 'unsettling' to this unsuspecting reader is an understatement; however, sticking with it proved to be rewarding nonetheless. The reviewer who described 'Darwinia' as Edgar Rice Burroughs meets 'The Matrix' is dead on target, with maybe a sprinkling of Lovecraft's Old Gods thrown in for good measure. 'Darwinia' has a strange disequilibrium to it, and it is definitely difficult to categorize - but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's not a five-star book , in my humble opinion, but it is still a thoroughly enjoyable novel. It's a smart, interesting read unlike anything I've seen before.

'Darwinia' is the first writing by Robert Charles Wilson I've read. He definitely impressed me as an author worth seeking out, and will appear on my reading list again soon.

Suddenly in 1912 all of Europe changes: it is replaced by something quite different: a new ecosystem, lush but inhospitable to men. In the 1920s Guilford Law, a photographer, heads to the new Europe, now called Darwinia, to be part of one of the first teams to explore the interior of the continent.

All this is thoroughly intriguing and involving: then Wilson takes a hugely different tack. He reveals the nature of the changed Earth. Many readers have been disappointed by his revelation, but, though I admit the book we end up with is not the book we began with, it's still a wonderful book.

Guilford's life is forever changed by his trip to the interior of Darwinia, and we follow him as he dreams of another Guilford who lived in a very different Earth (apparently our own), and as he is drawn into a battle with evil forces who wish to destroy the world. Such a description sounds silly, but in context it's effective, and the story is beautifully written, and very odd. Guilford is a compelling character, and his life takes on great meaning: which is all the more important given the nature of his world.

A lovely book.