"On the subject of books, permit me to suggest a newly-released title that will make great reading for you or for those Canadian history buffs on your gift list.

"Inside Camp X' , by Lynn-Philip Hodgson, recounts the fascinating story behind the top-secret training school for spies established in 1941 by William (A Man Called Intrepid" Stephenson, smack on the border between the then rural communities of Whitby and Oshawa.

Until now, only a small cairn and plaque have reminded us of the important role played by Camp X and its "students" in the successful outcome of the war.

Now, thanks to Hodgson's detailed and colourful accounting, the story can be better understood and appreciated."

Mike Filey - The Way We Were The Sunday Sun (Toronto)

"On the subject of books, permit me to suggest a newly-released title that will make great reading for you or for those Canadian history buffs on your gift list.

'Inside Camp X' , by Lynn-Philip Hodgson, recounts the fascinating story behind the top-secret training school for spies established in 1941 by William (A Man Called Intrepid" Stephenson, smack on the border between the then rural communities of Whitby and Oshawa.

Until now, only a small cairn and plaque have reminded us of the important role played by Camp X and its "students" in the successful outcome of the war. Now, thanks to Hodgson's detailed and colourful accounting, the story can be better understood and appreciated."

Mike Filey - The Way We Were The Sunday Sun (Toronto)

" Lynn-Philip Hodgson with the launch of his new book, 'Inside - Camp X' has shone a light on the colorful wartime activities that took place in Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax and Bowmanville. Filled with fascinating stories about North America's first spy training school"

Jane McDonald - Staff Writer - Oshawa This Week

Somewhere somewhen PKD is morphing into Michael Bishop, classical music rolling into words on the keyboard. If you've read all of PKD's works and are jones-ing for more, check this out. And as our media crazed society increasingly resembles one of PKD's novels, don't we need all the help we can get?

Excellent pastiche on P.K. Dick and some of his characters. Though undeniably liberal and anti conservative in political overtones, it can be forgiven because the story is cute.

This is not only a tribute to Philip K. Dick - my favorite author - but also written in his exact style. It's uncanny.

This book is wonderful if you know how to read it. I don't believe it's meant to be read as a novel, but rather as a series of vignettes about individuals, moments, feelings, and emotions of "ordinary people" during the tumultuous post-WWII Czech Republic. That part of the novel is delightful and a breath of fresh air; it's real history painted with delicate attention to detail instead of the broad, sweeping strokes of historians who have a habit of focusing on well-known dissidents and politicians. I've never read other books by Kundera, so perhaps my interpretation is skewed. However, I have visited Prague and this book satiated the thirst I've had to scratch beneath the surface of the touristic atomosphere that has taken over there. Read this book, and imagine that the people you encounter on the streets in Prague likely remember the oppression and misery Kundera speaks of in these pages.

Like Rushdie's Satanic Verses, this book is largely about angels and devils, or good and evil. The setting is (mostly) Prague around 1970, and the basic political themes -- Czech and Russian Communists and their adversaries -- are used as a foundation for the more ethereal, philosophical themes, such as the nature of humor, the nature of history, and the differences between the genders.

Kundera's frequent personal anecdotes told in the midst of the novel can be quite disconcerting -- and there's a parody of this book floating around the web that makes light of Kundera's self-indulgent practice of using his books as personal therapy sessions. But the anecdotes are still interesting, and since Prague around 1970 is such a big part of Kundera's own mental and cultural ethos, well, why not?

Anyone who is familiar with the dark, fatalistic jokes whispered in Communist Eastern Europe in the Olden Days will enjoy the steady stream of such humor in this novel. Kundera is a masterful joketeller. There is also a lot of bawdy sexual humor, fairly standard, but that is not nearly as interesting as the joke about the man vomiting in Prague's central square (I don't want to spoil the joke here, so you'll just have to read it in the book).

Kundera's attitudes toward women are for the most part repugnant -- but that's Kundera for ya. The contemporary American reader will wince when Kundera describes the beauty of rape, etc. This is just fair warning that some of the attitudes in this book may make you angry, as they made me angry; but we can't change Kundera. At least, unlike the other Kundera I've read, this novel is only partly -- not entirely -- about sex and seduction.

Overall, this is a combination of a brilliant reflection on history and philosophy, a warm-hearted story about dissidents in Prague, and some amusing autobiographical notes on Kundera. I found it more satisfying than Unbearable Lightness of Being, and can compare it (but only distantly) to the novels of Gunter Grass, which also discuss major political-historical events and the burden of a historical conscience, but focusing on the characters' personal lives, not hitting the reader over the head with grand historico-political lessons.

I can't seem to keep this wonderful novel. I lend it it out- and it doesn't return. I have bought 6 copies so far. You can never read this piece too many times. With every reading, you can derive a different meaning. He is so subtle, sensual, compassiionate, and harsh. The only other author that I can think of that leaves his characters so naked is Dosteosky. Kundera, however, is far more compassionate about human nature. His revealing portrayals let us learn more about human sexuality and interaction. His humor is honest and without trappings. Some of his other work falls short of this. Life is Elsewhere is also quite good, but not as good as The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.

This book is one of those rarities that can delight passionate history buffs, professional historians, serious field explorers, and armchair travelelers alike. The authors have skillfully drawn on nearly every worthwhile source on King Philip's War to create a fascinating and readable text. What's really great, though, is the photos, maps, and place descriptions. You might live over 350 years later and most of a continent away but they still give you a strong sense of "being there" during one of the greatest white-Indian showdowns of American history.

I read the book. Then I read Mr. O'Keefe from Denver's review. The only thing I can think is that Mr. O'Keefe's edition was missing the first 80 pages. Those pages contain the best, most concise and "logical" history of the war available. After that the book becomes a travelogue (Mr. O'Keefe: a "collage") structured geographically that the Boston Globe raved about. All of the "detail" Mr. O'Keefe complained about allowed me to visit a half dozen of the sites that I would never have been able to find otherwise. If you want an unstructured collage beyond most amateur historians, read Lepore's book. If you want to understand King Philip's War, I would recommend this book (Schultz/Tougias) highly.

In living King Philip's war through the words of the author, this book put articulate reality into an historical time while capturing my interest from page 1. This book was well researched and written with a vision that portrayed places and events of no other book I have read. I highly recommend this book - FIVE STARS

Private detective, Philip Marlowe, has been hired to find a missing brother of a concerned sister for a measly sum of twenty dollars. Little does he know that he will soon be drawn into a dangerous situation involving mobsters, blackmail, beautiful women and murders.

This is a graphic adaptation of the classic Raymond Chandler novel. You will find Michael Lark's artwork to be a little rough and dark but you will soon get drawn in and find that it does fit in superbly with the noir/pulp styling of the novel. As this is based on a novel you will find that the story revolves around the writing so don't expect any action sequences, but this will make the experience of 'The Little Sister' better, longer and more memorable, especially the sarcastic comments from detective Philip Marlowe, who is a likeable ...P>Recommended for a change from the overwhelming superhero graphic novels, this classy detective thriller will satisfy you with both is storytelling and artwork.

I've always been a fan of Raymond Chandler's books - they are so twisted and convoluted. Michael Lark has really brought that sense of being "in the dark" to his adaption of "The Little Sister". Both in terms of plot development and the artwork.

The artwork is dark and differs from most comic book art in that it uses crisp lines, very few color gradients in conjunction with heavy inking. Michael Lark and Alex Wald hit upon an dark, art-nouveaux style that works really well for this genre.

If you enjoy this type of writing, you will enjoy this book. Fish head soup is real.

Barring that, get this book. While all four of the plays, Fish Head Soup, Yankee Dawg You Die, The Wash and A Song for a Nisei Fisherman, are strong, stirring, beautiful pieces, perhaps the most powerful of these is Yankee Dawg You Die. Although written over a decade ago, Yankee Dawg is absolutely timeless: the ethnic actor's eternal struggle of taking a demeaning, stereotypical role because it pays the rent versus refusing such a part for the sake of artistic integrity is a challenge all ethnic actors still face. ... Read Yankee Dawg -- better yet, go see it any chance you get (!) ... and pray that its premise does not remain relevant in the decades to come.

No question, this is a must read. Most people will never see a full production of these scripts. Live theater featuring new work by living playwrights is rare in most places.

For those interested in truth and in drama, the full range of the American experience and the Asian Pacific Islander American perspective, from a sansei point of view, Fish Head Soup and Other Plays is the definitive published collection of Philip Kan Gotanda's work to date. Better yet, read the text *and* see the productions. If you can.

Gotanda tells stories that describe and illuminate the truth about what it means and what it's like to be Japanese American, but cultural heredity is not a prerequisite or barrier to the book. His work challenges the "truth" of other recent writers who blur the line on what really carried over to the US of A when folks from around the Pacific Rim came to stay.

The drama and humor are universal and poignant, un-stereotypical in the sense that the conflicts and human interest come out of relationships and dreams, not exoticized romanticism. The dramatic lines are not always gentle, and some are shocking. The humor is grounded in what makes "other" interesting and "family" familiar.

It's a window on what's happening in Asian Pacific Islander America today.

The second edition is a much-improved version compared to the first one. More details are added -- which makes it easy to follow. Anyone who is doing system simulation or performance analysis should have one around. I would have rated it a 5-star if the authors should have included some of the algorithms in a CD to save reader's time.

A great reference for those involved with signal-level simulations of communication systems. Provides superb coverage of both the fundamentals and advanced concepts associated with this "artform."

It's an essential part of a Communications Engineer Library. You just can't do without this book.

This is a well written historical novel and the facts are woven into the story along with actual characters of the Massachusetts Bay Colony era.

Great book for female or male readers who like history.

The novel shows the feelings of the settlers as well as the Indians of King Phillip's War 1675-1676.......both sides loved and lost family members and friends.

The tension is constant and the book is "too soon finished".

A Historical novel with the emphasis on history. Mike Tougias brings to life our first great Indian war by following the actions of two protagonists: One is "King Philip's" most trusted warrior and friend, the other a colonist from outlying Medfield, Mass. The scene is 50 years after Massasoit welcomed the Pilgrims to Plymouth, when his son Metacom (known to the colonists as Philip) instigates a last ditch war to oust the English colonists. The novel is adept at illuminating the way of life of the Wompanoags and other Algonquin tribes of Southern New England, and illustrates the difficulty of the task they felt compelled to undertake. Historical accuracy is Tougias' watchword, but he still manages to turn out a fast-paced compelling story. Although the author is more naturalist than novelist, it is hard to tell here as the characters, especially the Wompanoag ones, gain a depth throughout the story.

Mass. readers will get a lot of local color out of it - such as the events that led to the naming of Turner's Falls, but all readers will get a gripping story of a war whose basic themes would be repeated over and over for the next 200 years.

This is a fantastic book! Great story! Accurate historical facts! Well written. Enjoyed it very much!!!

Are you a conscious consumer? Or do you passively accept every technology trend that comes your way, believing the promises you hope it delivers? This book covers several areas on how we are rapidly moving ahead with technology without much thought to the consequences it has on our humanity- whether it is violence on screens, quick health "solutions", or stressed out lifestyles with a half dozen different contact numbers.

After reading this book, I don't think I will ever be able to look at the media and technology the same ever again. While I think a few of the issues were oversimplified, this book was also well researched and most importantly- it makes you think. Whether you agree with some of the main points or not, you will be thinking about this book long after you have finished digesting it. Think of it as a bit of balance to your ideas, to counteract with all of those commercials you've been reading and hearing your whole life.

John Naisbitt is very high touch in person. When he told me his next book would be about high tech, high touch--the most popular and shortest chapter in Megatrends--I was hoping for examples of how to achieve that balance. Alas I was mistaken. I came away from the read very sensitized to the encroachment of the technologically intoxicated zone. I chuckled at realizing our two biggest markets are consumer technology and escape from consumer technology. These are valuable lessons and well documented. There are a few personable moments in the book that point towards turning off the TV. But the reader needs to look elsewhere and inward for the antidote.

Megatrends author John Naisbitt's new book (co-written by daughter Nana Naisbitt and artist Douglas Philips) is a fat book of ideas that touches upon genetics, art, media violence, time sensibilities and even South Park. Unlike most futurists, the authors make judgment calls about future timelines and inclinations. However, they agree with other futurists that full immersion virtual reality is coming, although they add that it's probably not a good thing, especially for your kids. Their compelling discussion of the genetic revolution is wide-ranging and fair-handed. Their interesting take on media violence and video games seems more controversial, evidencing a distaste that echoes the genre's most hostile opponents. Their view of modern art, which touts body part art (i.e. Piss Christ and sliced cows) but ignores the computer-driven fruition of amateur filmmaking, also seems odd. You may find yourself arguing and fighting with this very stylish, well-written book, but we [...] promise you won't be bored.

I had just passed the Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 1.4 Platform exam (with a score of 80%), and I want to help prospective test takers in finding the "right" Java study guide. I was bewildered by the number of books available, and I had to try many of them before I settled on the right one. Here are my short reviews for each of the major Java study guides:

"Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide" by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates (five stars): I felt this book was the best among all the Java study guides. Both the authors were responsible for the Java certification exam's development, and the practice questions are *very* similar to the actual exam. The authors also cover exactly what will be on the 1.4 exam, pointing out potential topics, questions, and pitfalls. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

"A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification" by Khalid Mughal and Rolf Rasmussen (four stars): This is a good choice if you plan on taking the 1.2 exam. The book also has a dual purpose of teaching Java and sometimes goes beyond the actual scope of the exam, but it is nonetheless excellent. However, as the title suggests, this isn't the book for you if you don't have any programming experience. Also, the book's practice questions are much, much harder than the actual exam.

"Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide (3rd Edition)" by Philip Heller and Simon Roberts (two stars): This was the most disappointing book of all. I don't know why so many people swear by it, but the book appeared to have been rushed into production. Many of the errors and typos have been updated in the book's second printing, but the book's coverage of topics is quite weak. Lastly, the practice questions were not only too easy, but they don't look very similar to how questions look on the real test. It's not a terrible book (many people appear to have passed the exam with just this book), but there are better options.

"Java 2 Exam Prep" by Bill Brodgen (three stars): This compact study guide isn't a bad choice for prospective test takers with a good Java foundation. It covers all the exam's topics succinctly, but as another reviewer noted, it should not be your primary study guide. I personally did not find the book particularly useful.

Lastly, sign up for Sun's ePractice practice exams. You'll get three sample tests, and they will help you prepare for the exam by showing you how the questions will look and what type of questions they will ask. I didn't like the idea of spending the extra money, but the practice exams definitely helped me prepare for the real thing.

This book is very focussed on the exam objectives. I passed the programmer exam with a score of 98%. I used a combination of this book along with Exam Cram. This book will not teach you how to program in Java. However it will immensely help you in clearing the SCJP exam & learn a few finer points about the language. If you truly want to master the fundamentals of the language you have to read the Java Language Specification too, which by the way, is available on-line on Sun's web-site.

The book has a few drawbacks though:

1)It has a lot of errors, and you have to check out the errata list.
2)It does not cover GridBagLayout which is on the exam.
3)Collections is briefly mentioned only for a couple of pages. You have to look elsewhere (Core Java vol 2 is a good source) to understand collections.
4)The exam engine available on the CD contains the same questions as the ones which are given at the end of the chapters, so it's a waste.

I studied for the Java Programmers Certification Exam using the first edition of the book. I'd already had a few years of experience using Java on and off, and this book was a very helpful reminder of some of the finer points of the Java language that I'd forgotten or managed to miss.

I've heard that some people use only this book to prepare for the exam, but beware that Sun has recently changed the exam to require background knowledge of programming, not just memorization of Java trivia. I'd recommend learning Java from one of the several excellent tutorial books available (The Java Programming Language is my suggestion), doing some actual Java programming, then reading this book just before taking the exam.

I'm disappointed to hear that this new edition has lots of typos, just like the previous edition did. The good news is that Sybex now has a copy of the errata on their website. When I reported errata in the first edition, the Sybex editors put the errors on their website and corrected later printings of the book. If you do find errors in the book, don't just whine about it; do everyone else a favor and e-mail the errors to Sybex!