Well, isn't THIS a fun book! The material is extremely diverse-- some is merely cool, though not altogether useful, while other material (such as the great chapter on separating form from function) can go a long way to helping you produce more functional, configurable sites. All through the book the reader is offered insight on techniques that will keep the file size down, and since this is the most important aspect of the book, I would have perhaps liked a checklist near the top or an index at the end of these of these ideas. As it stands, you have to go through each tutorial (although they are all interesting) to get a full list of byte-saving techniques. Not a major drawback, but a small chapter that gathered all of the authors' tricks together would have been useful.

i have just bought this book, i began actionscripting about two or three months ago.
This book showed me some bad mistakes i made in programming just by doing the first three tutorials(the mouse follower, fire, smoke,fireworks)

I'm taking it step by step, but one thing is sure this book is the book for me.it explains things i like and in a way i want to see it explained.
In some of the first examples in the book one of the authors explaind emitters, particles movement, waves and amplitude.

this are some of the things in the first chapter and i really like likelikelike IT.
This book isn't a good book 4 people who don't know nothing of flash(as), but you really don't have to be a flash(as) or math expert to understand a lot of the things.
(i havent got through the whole book though, i trying to learn the examples one by one and i want 2 make sure i don't go through it to fast)

Very Good book, buying it is definitely no mistake

Finally somebody's seen fit to gather these kinds of techniques. It says on the cover youre looking at files under 4 KB, but most of these are like under 2. It's got a really good balance, going from some staple stuff to begin -- mouse trails and smoke effects and fireworks through simple scripting. After that, it passes into the really useful things, like an animated photo gallery, with gorgeous wipes and fades. I haven't yet got on to the later stuff that I've just never seen anywhere before -- an interactive 3D city, and sound! A big thumbs up, and it should have been called bit-size.

I have to admit I didn't get more than halfway through this one - no way is this written for inquiring minds who aren't already versed in Mayan lore.

The book seems to describe the authors' discovery and fleshing-out of a new theory about how the Maya interpreted the stars. Apparently their creation story was all written up in the sky and, as the stars and planets moved, episodes in the creation were cyclically reinacted. This is not described very straight-forwardly, though, and I'm still not sure if I've got it right.

There is an attempt to make the whole thing read like a mystery novel, sort of a la "Celestine Prophesy": the book starts out describing the eager young scientists mixing with the wise tribals in an ancient ceremony. Later, for several chapters, one of the authors is quoted at length about how she discovered some commonality amongst various artifacts and codices which backed up some hypothesis, and which I entirely lost sight of by the end. She kept calling up friends and friends kept calling her up until I thought I was watching a Gidget movie. All the authors come off a little too New-Age loopy for me, adding lots of little asides praising the aboriginal and putting down the modern, and talking about how their life has been changed by their discoveries. But then, my confusion with all that Jaguar-3-Peccary-Holy-Twins-Tree-of-Life stuff may have made me just a bit grouchy.

At any rate, my point is, all the reviews on this page (except the very good Kirkus one) make the book sound like an easy read, which it isn't. It's a delineation of a hypothesis with some adventure stuff thrown in for better surface marketability. The result is, to me, confusing. Granted, it's not an easy subject, but that makes clear writing all the more important, especially if you're writing for mass consumption. Better to start out with one of Michael Coe's books and go from there.

As a person who has traveled in places where the modern Maya live--Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico--and who has taken the trouble to get to know what the history and culture of these admirable people is really like, I have always been appalled at the number of books that claim to be about "Maya shamanism," but are really just New Age claptrap. While it is true that MAYA COSMOS does not read like a mass-market paperback, it is one of the most heartfelt, well-researched, and stunning books on the Maya that I have ever read. If you want the REAL story on who the Maya are and how their spiritual and cultural beliefs have evolved over the last 5,000 years, this is the book for you. Yes, there is some scientific data and research here, but I would rather a thousand times read that than the silly cultural misinformation written by dozens of New Age authors who project their own interpretations onto the art and the cities without even being able to read the very texts they are claiming to understand. The late Linda Schele was one of the five major figures who was responsible for cracking the code of the Maya language. As an art historian, she was well versed in the complex and fascinating symbolism of Maya culture. David Freidel has been a brilliant Maya archaeologist for over 25 years, and first became involved with the culture because of his interest in shamanism. Joy Parker, who, by the way, was the ghost-co-author of A FOREST OF KINGS (check out the Acknowledgements and the Forward where her work is credited) has spent over a dozen years working with the modern Maya (most recently, as an editor of Maya shaman Martin Prechtel's SECRETS OF THE TALKING JAGUAR and LONG LIFE, HONEY IN THE HEART) and with other indigenous cultures such as the North Native Americans (check out her book WOMAN WHO GLOWS IN THE DARK) and African cultures, so she brings a special personal interest and flair to this project. The first-person stories told in this book are priceless. I spent as many pleasurable hours reading it as I did the authors' first effort A FOREST OF KINGS. If you truly want to learn about the history of the Maya, the tragedy of the Spanish conquest, and how the modern Maya find the strength to endure, this is the book for you.

The authors present Mayan archeoastronomy in a very readable and absorbable form. Compare the astronomy/astrology/ myths and stories of the Maya to other cultures of which you are aware, and you will see that this book presents a valuable contribution to world archeoastonomy.

I began Pastimes with some reluctance. I started Spenser at book one, and have proceeded in sequence. The life and strength of the earlier books had recently wavered, as the series has at times become bogged down in the relationship between Spenser and Susan. Susan's general self-absorption is bothersome, and Spenser's overt philosophization in her presence is losing whatever novelty it ever had. Indeed, as the chapters progressed, I started to fear this book would continue the generally downward trend, with Parker indulging in a Spenser commentary of his past and the philosophy of life. Pastimes looked to be a struggle for even three stars.

But then, things changed. Parker moved on to what he does very well -- action. Susan took a back seat, leaving Spenser to shine. The closing chapters are among the best I've read in the series, leaving me looking forward to continue it with renewed enthusiasm.

Even if you haven't read all the books preceding it, Pastime is a good selection. Then, if you're hooked, dig up a copy of the Godwulf Manuscript, and start the series in order. The early books won't disappoint.

You will find this Spenser novel more entertaining if you read "Early Autumn" first since two of the characters are introduced in the earlier book.

Parent-son relationships are an important theme here. Paul's mother has come up missing and the youth contacts Spenser who in many ways has acted like a father to Paul in earlier books. In following her trail, Spenser again faces mobster Joe Broz and his son, Jerry. You get to know and understand the gangster a bit better here. That father-son relationship is also well explored.

Parker uses another element to add suspense. Susan has ended up with ex-husband's dog Pearl who accompanies Spenser and Paul. Well, we all know how high the animal mortality rate is in crime and suspense fiction, so dog lovers will be holding their breath everytime the dog goes out with Spenser.

All in all, a good and satisfying read.

This installment does have Paul back, lots of action, and a great woods scene in the end. But more importantly, you get to meet Pearl, the Wonder dog!
Actually this Speenser novel is one of the better ones. I've gone back and re-read it many times. Highly recomended.

Ever try to look up a word in a 600 page dictionary that isn't in any order known to you? Unless you know this book's secret you'll have to look through the entire book to find your weed, if it's in the book at all. There is a key on page 603 but no instructions on how to use it and the author apparently doesn't return email inquiries. This book is full of great pictures but if you want a book to help you identify a weed in your garden look somewhere else.

A must-have book for gardeners, hikers, rural residences. 100% color photos make it great to ID weeds about the house. Categorized by family so pretty easy to find. Books that have art renderings of plants just don't ID a plant for me, and I'm an artist!
Any negative about the book would be that it could use more descriptive type about the plant.

This book isn't for everyone, but it really fills a gaping hole in the reference library of any gardener interested in the use of native plants, xeriscape gardening, wildflower cultivation, etc. For anyone who has ever let a yard go to seed "just to see what happens" (or dreamed of doing so) this book helps you determine what weeds are really weeds and what weeds are hidden treasures. The book is amply illustrated with photos of both mature plants and seedlings, which helps you determine what to get rid of after monsoon rains have done their part. The descriptions are clear and the index functions fine. Plus I just love the idea of having an entire book on weeds!

The editors of this volume attempt to instill an awareness of the dire need to include "scale" as a concept in ecological studies. Scale, in the discipline of ecology, is a difficult concept to codify and although there are many books that include scale, it is not often addressed directly. The most direct definition of scale for this purpose is that it "refers to physical dimensions of observed entities or phenomena . . . (or) . . . to the scale of observation, the temporal and spatial dimensions at which and over which phenomena are observed."

Often, ecological studies focus on only one variable such as area or habitat. Data is then extrapolated from that study to a larger scale. According to Peterson and Parker it is not uncommon to study a hectare of land and draw conclusions at a global level. They suggest that because extrapolation of this kind may or may not be valid, incorporating scale into the original study question is essential. To date, there is no one recognized source to which a researcher can turn for advice about dealing with scale in a particular area of study. This volume is divided into four topical sections: "Integrating Pattern, Process, and Scale;" "Interpreting Multiple Scales in Ecological Systems;" "Moving Across Scales: Ecological Inference and Applications;" and "Incorporating Scale Concepts in Ecological Applications." The essays, well written and clearly edited, are useful as an overall collection or as individual pieces.

The mechanics of this book are very well done. There is uniform referencing within each chapter and one overall reference list for the book. An "Alphabetic List of Contributors" includes addresses. The index is detailed and includes many Latin binomials, "see" references, and "see also" references. The layout of this volume makes routine photocopying and enlarging easy. The photographs, charts, and microscopic scans are exceptionally clearly presented with no color, but in good grey scale.

This book provides an in-depth look at the many issues of scale and other complexities in ecological systems. The editors did a great job choosing chapter authors and editing for clarity. The opening and closing chapters provide a good framework, and provide an extensive outline of literature on scale up to the mid-90's.

I have read several Robert Parker "Spenser for Hire" novels and have enjoyed all of them. This particular book was good, but seemed more formulaic than most. Some of his books are very interesting with unusual plot twists. Unfortunately, some of them, like this one, seem to be cranked out to a formula. Parker has been very successful in slowly defining Spenser's character and nuances. I felt this book drew on already established characteristics and went too far in the extreme with the climactic gunfight scene in the end. Still, the novel plays well into the series and is a fast paced book and a good read for true Spenser fans.

A high society Boston woman is killed, a "perfect wife in a perfect family". Spenser gets on the case, with Farrel, a gay detective. Spenser finds that the wife was not exactly perfect, her background suspicious, and dead relatives are really quite alive and kicking. The end is full of twists and turns.

The book provides our first look at Farrel, an interesting gay police officer. An addition I like quite a lot, and one that gets better as the series goes on. Spenser's always multicultural and quite open - I like that about him.

Susan's not in this a lot ... calls and such. Probably also a wise decision :)

The characters Spenser runs into are all very well done, as usual. He does miss with the high school year-figuring-out ... she'd have gone to college for 3 years with his math. He does the "If nominated, I will not run" quote of Lyndon B Johnson and the "the rest was silent" from Hamlet.

Big question: How did *poof* Pearl become a Wonder Dog, though?

The writing is excellent, the southern scenes really give you a sense of what that area is like. This is the first Spenser novel that had me truly afraid, too - the jail scene had me afraid to read further. I did of course, and enjoyed it immensely.

I have read all the Parker books more than once, and this one is my favorite. You shouldn't start with it - it would be better to be familiar with the character first - but if you're going to pick and choose, choose this one. The mystery is top-shelf, the supporting characters are carefully drawn, there isn't too much of the adorably annoying Susan, and Spenser is at his wise-cracking best. He really hit his stride with this book.

First of all id like to say the book is NOT 96 pages long. It has 10 real south park episode scenes. It comes with 4 sheets of south park window stickers. The stickers offer a wide variety of south park characters but may be missing some of your favorite obscure characters. Its fun when you first get it to put the stickers in different spots on the scenes but it gets boring after awhile. They make good stickers to put up on your car window, or home windows for fun when your done with the book. Its a great book for a die hard south park fan to have. If you've seen practically all the south park episodes i recommend it to you, if you've only seen a few or half of them and don't know much about the show you won't understand the book as well, and its not worth the money for you.

If you like/love South Park then this is a book that you will have to put on you wish list or get. You can make Kenny die anyway you want. You can even make Stan and Wendy kiss! There are ten diffrent backgrounds that you can put them in. Even on each background there are little clips taken from that episode of South Park. This is a awesome book that the whole family will love....maybe.

I bought this about a year ago , and when I first opend it, I new it would be ohers of fun. I spent 3 ohers on it. Thers 130 pesses of your favorite South Park charecters, or most of them. About a year later I lost most of the pesses. But I still have alote of fun with it. You can make you very own South Park episodes. They dont have as much cursing in it as the show. They only have 5 curse words. You can choose from 10 different South park backgrounds from the show. Like the classroom, the cafeteria, and Starks pond. You can make Kenny die over and over. For some people it can get boring, but for big South Park fans like me, even without most of the pesses its still fun! Well, Irecommend it for South Park fans. It can be hard to understand for some people who arnt farmiliar with alot of the South Park charecters. Well I got to go play with it right now!

Nicholas Nickleby is a marvelous novel. It is the young Dickens at his best. I almost feel guilty for giving it four stars, but giving it five would be unfair, I think, because his later works, such as Great Expectations, are bettter. The novel is written enthusiastically and contains some of Dickens' best humor. I especially found funny the character Mr.Lillyvick, the revered and dignified water clerk. And I will never forget Ralph Nickleby. Mr.Squeers and Arthur Gride were detestable and colorful villains, but they pale before Ralph Nickleby. He is such a cold and heartless character that he steals nearly every scene he is in. He has a certain magnetism that most of Dickens' good characters lack. And his suicide at the novel's end is so perfectly written that I read over it several times before I finished the novel. My only problem with the book was Nicholas's lack of psychology, but let us remember that this was written by a young man, not the mature artist of Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend. The novel's strengths easily make up for its weaknesses. Nicholas Nickleby will be enjoyed by fans of Dickens and all other readers for centuries to come.

I had never read one of Dickens book before Nicholas Nickleby, though I had always wanted to. I particularly enjoyed this book because of Dicken's subtle sense of humor and colorful characters. It was easy to hate the villains such as Squeers or Ralph Nickleby, and laugh at the amusing chracters of Mr. Mantalini and John Brody(whom I found to be the funniest) Authenticity of personality and speech allows you to connect with the various chracters. Although he was probably the least complex, my favorite was Smike, the pitiful victim of the Yorkshire schools of the 1800s.
The one drawback was the size of this book. Dickens spent much time giving detail of many places and people (and did a good job of it), but we must draw the line somewhere. Just when one thinks enough words have been spent on one topic, it diverges into yet another irrevelant matter.
I'd recommend this book to almost anyone, unless you have a great fear of commitment. But the book has plenty of plot and satire to hold you to the end. I certainly was, but I don't think my librarian would believe me.

I would say this is "David Copperfield"'s B-side. It is a typical Dickensian book: the life of the Nickleby family from the death of the father until they are rich and happy. One of the most important parts of the book is the study of the horrible boarding schools of Yorkshire, where Nicholas is sent. We can read the dirty intrigues of Uncle Ralph, the adventures of Nicholas and Smikes as travelling actors (a world Dickens came to know very well), the kindness of the brethren Cheeryble.

Definitely, this is not one of Dickens's best novels, but nevertheless it is fun to read. The characters are good to sanctity or bad to abjection. The managing of the plot is masterful and the dramatic effects wonderful. It includes, as usual with Dickens, an acute criticism of social vices of his time (and ours): greed, corruption, the bad state of education. In spite of everything, this is a novel very much worth reading, since it leaves the reader a good aftertaste: to humanism, to goodness.

Daid Morrell's books are full of action and thrills but this one from 1973 is a little on the tame side. BUT if you are interested in the save the planet theme you will find this story very good and you may even agree with action taken by the heretics or you might like the beliefs of the members of the Inquistion. WHAT?? Heretics? Inquisition? In this day and age? Lest you think Morrell has lost his touch, wait until you come to the fantastic ending ! The story plods along with all sorts of earth saving actions and the leading character, Tess Drakewho works for Mother Earth magazine finds herself in the middle of all sorts of attacks on her life and those whom she loves. The mystery surrounding all this dates back to pre=Christian history of the Mithraism movement and if you don't want to test your faith don't read this one 1 The action really heats up when Tess and her police lt. friend find themselves aboard Air Force 2 headed for Spain. Who can save them now? You won't put the book down until the very end which will leave you wondering about your soul and the future of all mankind and this planet earth we so glibly ride.

Though his more recent novels have been an enormous disappointment, "Covenant of the Flame," is, in my opinion, David Morrell's greatest novel. It is everything a thriller should be: intense, exciting, interesting and intelligently written. I, literally, could not put this book down. If ever a page turner was penned, this book is certainly it. I usually don't re-read novels, but "Covenant..." is, without doubt, the exception. I highly recommend not only this book but also all the pre-"Assumed Identity" ones which are also excellent. "Assumed Identity" signaled, as far as I'm concerned, the beginning of the end. As a once die-hard Morrell fan, I am more than a little saddened by the turn his writing has taken these past few years.

Mystery, religion and action surround our heroine, Tess Drake as she struggles to hold on to her life while trying to solve a murder. Mysterious religious organizations, environmental disasters whereby the culprits' punishments fit the crime, trying to pick out the "good guys" from the "bad" and a strong female character leading the way are the elements that stood out. Morrell's style of writing is straightforward, suspenseful and has some interesting ideas. History and religious battles are intriguingly weaved in his story. The lead character is down-to-earth, but with conviction on her ideals. An enjoyable read -- it's my first book by David Morrell... I've read it several times already... then went out and bought The Fifth Profession and look forward to checking out more by him.

Most of those amazing Flash films share have the very same secret: mathematics, especially geometry. Many basic and advanced techniques in this area need to be taught. A review of some basic concepts would also be helpful. It's true that a lot is done by trial and error, but those who grasp the basics are the ones who know what can be done with what is available.
This book has beautiful, colorful pages and many contributors, some with great ideas - learned from some imagination and from some trial and error.
Yet this one book fails considerably. Great opportunity, great idea. But no math is really taught, no basic technique is really given. What can be found is only a mixed bag of ad-hoc math solutions to produce some nice effects and little meat.
What is wonderful about this book is its potential. What is tragic about this book is its end result.

This is honestly one of the best books that I've picked up in a long time. There are so many books lately, that appear to be nothing more than a ploy at being the first book on the latest release of such and such software application. Flash Math Creativity avoids using interface clips from the Flash authoring environment, in order to concentrate on the content and not on something that has a much more limited shelf life. This book has so much to offer beyond getting acquainted with Flash 5 or MX or whatever. Becuase of the choice of displaying only raw code, it's probably not the best choice for a beginning Flash user. The examples, although excellent, aren't always well annotated, and often leaves you scratching your head -- but that's part of the fun.

I really appreciate the fluid examples, and the challenge of using the provided content for further investigation. These experiments should keep me busy for some time.

The graphics are quite beautiful and it would be hard to look at them and ignore the value of these creations on the basis that it doesn't have a practical application in the area of web design, as one reviewer stated. Plus, when did I start reading books and enjoying Flash only to do corporate stuff.

After having had this book a year now and well into Flash MX, I still find this one of the best resources for moving Flash MX (or Flash 5) into a level of creativity not available by mere hacking through script or twiddling with tweens. Even now I keep finding new little gems in this book. However, as some reviewers have found, this is not for those saddled with sluggish imaginations or sense of exploration.

This book is one of the few that assumes some background in or appreciation of math as a tool for developing algorithms. It's not a book for everyone, and one reader rightly pointed out that it's not a primer in math. So if you don't have math savvy, this book may not be your cup of tea. However, from what I saw, one need not be a math whiz to work through the different kinds of interesting algorithms contained in this book, and you will learning something about both Flash and math.

One of the best lessons this book can offer (besides the sheer joy of experimentation even though you're not sure what you'll create) is how to use different elements of geometry and a little algebra with Flash to do some very interesting things. After beginning by following instructions to make a snail spiral, I quickly found myself doing my own experiments by changing different vectors, values, colors and whatnot just to see what would happen. I was surprised by my own results, and then I took elements from different chapters, mixed them together for even more new discoveries.

This book is not a paint-by-the-numbers book, and unless you like to explore for the sheer joy of the exploration and learn something for no particular reason other than it's sort of cool, the book is not for you. It is not a "practical" book in the sense that if you learn how to create a Flash site for some suit, but it is very practical if you'd like an invitation to discover concepts in their own right.

Finally, I found it ironic that such a book using Flash 5 would be published almost exactly at the time Flash MX was unveiled. Well, the algorithms are even more appropriate for Flash MX because you can do so much with movie clip drawing methods with MX that were not available in Flash 5. It's probably not even going to have to be revised for Flash MX because the kinds of people who would buy this book would have little problem in taking its wisdom and doing even more with it in the new Flash.