Although this is basically an good book, it is not in the same class as Stephen J. Bigelow's "Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing Pcs, 2nd Ed." or "Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing Pcs, 10th Ed." As an example of Johnson and Stauffer's inaccuracies, note the discussion about types of mice in Chapter 5 where they write: "A bus mouse typically uses an IBM PS/2 style connector ..." and "A bus mouse, when connected to a PS/2 port...". Compare these statements with Bigelow's care (page 834) in distinguishing the bus mouse with a 9-pin DIN (circular) connector from a PS/2 mouse with a 6-pin DIN (circular) connector. Therefore, one could NEVER connect a bus mouse to a PS/2 connector. Note also that Johnson and Stauffer state "Many PS/2 mice come with adapters that plug into the PS/2 connector and turn into serial connectors." The authors fail to warn the reader that a PS/2 mouse can NEVER be attached to the serial port using such an adapter if the design of the mouse does not include the special detection circuits that permit the mouse to determine if it is connected to a PS/2 port or a serial port. Most PS/2 mice DO NOT contain such detection circuits. The book by Johnson and Stauffer is certainly easier to read, but the average reader would be better off to spend additional money to purchase the Bigelow book. The result would be that that of owning a book that is harder to read, but the knowledge found therein is more accurate and more complete and therefore worth the additional effort required to read the book.

Have read through this book, and it is one of the best I have seen that is written is plain english. It is very easy to understand and the information is very up to date.

I have 5 children and one who lies somewhere on the autistic spectrum just like Ben. My two boys are sometimes embarrassed by their brother. When we checked this book out of the library, they wanted to read it again and again because we could relate to so many parts of the story. It gave me a great way to talk to my kids about their feelings and it gave us all a sense of humor about some of the stranger things my son does. I highly recommend this book for anyone searching for a way to discuss a developmentally disabled child with siblings. It is light-hearted and a great story but also very realistic about the issues and emotions involved in having a sibling who is "different".

Unlike regional or national bird identification guides, this book contains very targeted information about how and where to observe birds in the Chicago area. It includes maps of numerous suggested areas for effective birdwatching around the city (downtown, as well as suburban areas to the north, south and west, and even into NW Indiana). It also has information regarding local birdwatching and ornithological groups.

For example, it may say that one bird can be observed "over the Des Plaines river in springtime." Or that others are generally found only in the suburbs or rural areas fringing the city, though local colonies may establish themselves in the lakefront parks. A nice touch.

Additionally, each bird description a time-graph that charts the relative frequency of sightings for a given species in the Chicago area over the course of a year. Together with the visual identification chart and the descriptive text, it helps the beginning birder judge whether s/he really just saw a female "English Sparrow," as opposed to a "Song Sparrow," or a "Field Sparrow," etc.

Bird identification is by way of paintings, and not photos. The paintings are not as detailed or reliable as some other volumes (e.g. Sibley's Guide), but they are sufficient for the book's limited purpose which is as a local/regional supplement to these larger and more detailed tomes. Recommended.

This is a childrens' book on dinosaurs for those with a serious interest in the subject. It's well-written and informative with excellent illustrations but fairly wordy, not for children under 8. I would especially recommend it for children living in Texas who can connect the book to their surroundings.

After living and working overseas for 12 years I have decided to return to the USA and must update my wardrobe. I bought 2 books: this one and Dressing the Man by Alan Flusser. This book is broken into 3 parts: Get Job, Succeed in Job and Get Better Job. Each section reviews the issues of dressing pertaining to that particular category. Basic stuff but necessary for the younger inexperienced man. This book's strong point is its explanation of the 4 dress codes: Corporate, Casual, Business Appropriate and Business Casual Appropriate along with business travel, entertainment and sales meetings. Its weak point is its lack of elegance and sophisticated masculinity. For that please see Alan Flusser's splendid book Dressing the Man.

I bought this book because of my high opinion of two of the authors, Headrick and Crossley. The approach is extremely good, but there are great weaknesses in coverage of the histories of the United States, Russia, and China. This is a very useful reference work on modern history, and there are many absorbing chapters. But it can't be used without additional reading --add Geoffrey Freeze on Russia, Immanuel Hsu on modern China, and Edmund Morgan on the U.S.

By digging up and adding to the 1950 manuscript of writer DeWayne B. Johnson, researcher Kenn Thomas (author of "Popular Alienation," "The Octopus: The Secret Government and Death of Danny Casolaro" and publisher of the Steamshovel Press) has shown in "Flying Saucers Over Los Angeles" that UFOs are as American as unlimited defense spending, and are not the sole obsession of nutjobs. The book chronicles dozens of provocative news accounts from the 1940s onward, including the "Battle of Los Angeles" in February 1942, in which the US military fired over 1,400 rounds of ammunition at a strangely shaped craft, which General George Marshall thought was an enemy spycraft. The book cites umpteen examples of sightings of saucer and cigar-shaped craft in the period after World War II, as seen by credible witnesses, such as police and pilots. Even in the 1950s, before the age of massive distrust in the government, there were just too many sightings to be dismissed as mass hysteria, hallucinations, weather balloons, aerial phenemona, etc. Johnson's work, as relayed and amplified by Thomas, also explores explanations of alien technology, but comes down on the side of UFOs being military-created. Overall, the Johnson/Thomas approach to the material is well-researched, responsible, logical and void of histrionics. There's even a very entertaining appendix of news clippings from the 1940s and 1950s, which not only puts the history of UFO study into perspective, but also provides a window to the social history of the period through the other news stories that shared the newspapers' pages. The language of "journalism" in these mid-century pieces from the LA Daily News, The LA Times, and the Daily Mirror (yes, Angelenos once had a choice of more than one bad paper) is often quaint, hilarious, and creepily contemporary. For instance, one front page story recounts a Kevorkian-style mercy killing trial. Such nuggets are all a bonus for readers interested in getting an introduction to the history of the UFO situation in America, or to bolstering their viewpoints. History is indeed on the side of those who know that strange, top-secret objects flit around the sky on a daily basis, and that they're footing the bill for it all.

From Day to Day is a great resource for people who are interested in events and occurrences both in the recent past and in time long gone. Because of its month-by-month layout and the day-by-day breakdown, the information is easy to locate.

I found this book very helpful while I was working on a project with inner city children ( in the USA ) who did not have a very high self esteem. Being able to read of the birth of important historical figures and noticing hold those births coincide with their own helped as students sought to lift themselves out of negativity and into a more optimistic view of life. I have recommended this book to school librarians and history teachers everywhere I have had to opportunity to do so. It is worth every penny of the cost.

This book gives a good introduction to argumentation theory and its twists and turns over the course of its existence. I found it helpful to get started, especially coming from a completely different field. It gives the essence of Toulmin and Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca but I would have liked to see a bit more on Austin and Searle.But then again the references mentioned are very extensive and can be followed up. All in all a good book if a bit pricey for students (whatever happened to the paperback cover?)

If your tastes run the gambit from crystal sets to early tube sets and novelty items, check out this Guide. Plenty of history and tips, lots of photos, and some listings with prices and manufacturing dates. Plenty of cool old ads too. An intriguing trip through the early days.