This book is a spiritual gift. It contains lots of examples, even exercizes of sorts to get you in touch with creative impulses of everyday life.

"The Everyday Art is alchemy. Let it in, and it will change your life, make it richer, sweeter, deeper and a whole lot more fun. It's already having that effect on me, delightfully and unexpectedly." Carl Frankel, US Editor, Tomorrow Magazine. Author, In Earth's Company: Business, Environment and the Challenge of Sustainability

As arts organizations struggle to jump into the last lifeboat of the NEA/Titanic and business executives attend conferences to make them creative, Eric Booth has come up with a do-it-yourself-at-home plan to foster personal creativity and as a side effect, to understand that the artistic process impacts all areas of life. Every parent, educator, Senator from North Carolina, congressman,American, donor, and artist should read this book. Booth is a dashing writer with such enthusiasm for the fun of life, for making things, of thinking about stuff... He has an unusual talent for writing for Everyperson and great warmth of storytelling. So many psycho-dream-catcher-recovery books on the shelf about creativity, why this? Booth bypasses all that grind and tells you how to make your daily chores a work of art. I guess he's the Martha Stewart of inner elegance. This is one that I will REREAD!

Given the wide spread industry hype surrounding Web Services, and the appearance that every software vendor has their own definition and perspective on what really constitutes a Web Service, what do you get - A whole heap of confusion!!

In tackling this confusion "Executive's Guide to Web Services," does a great job of explaining what Web Services are, and separating the business realities from the overblown hype. As such this book is recommended reading for anyone who is looking for a foundation upon which to really understand this emerging subject space.

In this book Marks and Werrell discuss:

- What differentiates Web Services from previous IT trends
- The concepts and standards that make Web Services possible
- The rational for using Web Services to increase organizational flexibility and agility
- Current and future business scenarios for reducing costs and increasing revenues
- How and where to begin using Web Services (as well as where not!)
- Predominant software vendors in the Web Services space, and their market positions

Overall the book avoids technical discussions, favoring a business centric perspective, from which strategic and tactical business considerations are examined. If you are looking for a guide on how to code your first Web Services program, this is not the book for you, this topics is left to the numerous implementation books already out there.

In this book you will find a solid Web Services foundation that will arm you with a good perspective on what Web Services are, as well as where and when to use them today. You will also gain the knowledge and understanding necessary to discern Web Services reality from hype - do not underestimate how valuable this knowledge is for early forays into implementation of Web Services!

"Executive's Guide to Web Services" starts out by providing real world examples of how and where Web services are being used today (e.g. Dunn & Bradstreet, Dell etc). These examples are used as a backdrop from which Web services concepts are introduced. Chapter 2, "Standards, Concepts and Terminology" is without doubt the most readable and comprehensive Web services primer that I've yet to find - it's worth buying the book for this chapter alone!

CONTENT:
Using chapter 2 as a foundation, later chapters further explore what Web services are, and what they can (and can't) do for businesses. Key topics covered include:
o Web Service Adoption - Looks at the hype surrounding Web services and outlines what's really achievable today. Also, details what the authors refer to as the "Web services Adoption Lifecycle," which maps the likely adoption and business usage of Web services over the next 3-5 years.
o Where to Begin - A step by step analysis of how, where, and when to use Web services for your business.
o Strategic/Vertical Market Implications - The medium to long terms strategic implications of Web services adoption.
o Architecting for Competitive Advantage - A conceptual discussion of how Web services can be used to create a more agile and flexible infrastructure, which is more adaptive to the fluidity of today's market dynamics.

CONCLUSIONS:
Overall, "Executive's Guide to Web Services" does a great job of explaining what Web services are, where and when to use them, and how they can be used to improve internal and inter-company operating efficiencies. The book covers each topic comprehensively, and does a good job of explaining complex concepts in a plain, easy to understand language.
Whether you are only just beginning to look into Web services, or you want to gain additional insights into how your business should look to use Web services, "Executive's Guide to Web Services" will be a good choice.

Good Choice - Highly Recommended.

An excellent book for any business or IT executive that really needs to understand the concepts and implications of Web services. For those who need to appreciate how this technology will impact their business environment and strategic direction, but are not about to sit down and start writing the code!

This book takes the reader from first principles, laying a foundation upon which the implications and potential of Web services can be fully understood. Early chapters introduce and explain Web services basics as well as introducing a model for how they will be adopted over the coming 3-5 years. Later chapters look at the strategic and vertical market implications of Web services, before moving on to the more tactical question of how and where to begin their implementation.

Throughout the book the authors maintain a vendor neutral perspective, which is particularly helpful when they introduce and discuss the primary software vendors (BEA, IBM, Microsoft etc) wrestling for dominance in the Web services market. The book covers all the bases and should be required reading for managers and executives wanting to learn about Web services.

I give this book a 5/5 for those who want - or perhaps need - to understand Web services and anticipate their impact on business and IT operations. Overall a great Web services primer.

Magical fun and humoruos! I read this book in book group and it didn't get alot of conversation but it did get 10s 1000s and inbetween!great fun. Discover the Fantoras and their tricks and talents!

Thios is possibly the best book I have ever read. I am now 11 years old, and I still read it often. I am getting book 2, and am HOPELESSLY waiting for book 3!!!

I am an eleven year old boy in search of HUMOR. And this book has it all. I highly reccomend this book for younger kids who are just starting to read chapter books. It's simple to understand, has lots of funny drawings, and is hilarious.

This book was one of the best books ever. With a storyline that was amazing, and best of all, you choose what you need to do. It brings more life to the book. It is a definit must read.

Oh, wait. I was a bug. Fwap.
This book is the greatest book in history. It is much better than the bible. And more important. Jesus thinks so, too.
I will destroy you.

This is a very good book it is great for fantasy lovers I would recomend this book to anybody who likes fantasy.

Without question the best book ever written about the history of American cycling! If you could only own one book on the subject, this is it. Readers will be so amazed and proud of those early racers who laid the path for those that followed. Peter Nye makes this history come alive.

Peter Nye has brilliantly captured the almost forgotten past of the Bicycle. From crazy invention to America's most popular sport (at the turn of the century), Nye shares the stories and experiences that vividly illustrate the evolution of bicycling. Today the sport is growing and the book captures the stout spirit of those with "hearts of lions" both past and present.

Probably the best book on American bicycle racing. Every sports journalist should read this one. Since the history of bicyle racing is one of the most forgotten sports in American history, anyone reading this book will learn about the characters and nuances that shaped the sport. A must read for any cyclist and those interested in the sport. If journalists read this one (particularly TV reporters) they would not come across so ignorant when reporting on a cycling related event.

Haven't read the book, but thought I would respond to the questions about where Ryback is now. I understand Eric Ryback of Lindner mutual fund fame (he is considered to be one of the great investors -- though not as visible as Buffett or Lynch) used to be an accomplished backpacker when he was younger. Is this the same Ryback? If so, he's been busy the last few decades making people money.

I read this book in 1973 when only a few years older than the author. It was a great story of grit and determination of a youth in early manhood who had not yet found his way in life. In a mere 131 days and 2,500 miles of hiking alone Eric became a man experiencing physical, emotional and mental extremes.

Now 30 years later even with the passage of time, it still makes a good, easy, but inspiring read of an adventure that with current technology (cellular phones especially) could not be repeated. But why did Eric not take gloves!!!!!!

Finally, if Eric is still out there, he should write a biography or let me know in a quick few lines if life has treated him well.

i think it was an awesome book i do not read to many books cause they bor me im only 15 and i love your book how you froze your feet in the snow but you did not let it stop you from pushing forward and the determination you must uf had to climb across those snow fields i think you are a great role moddle for anyone and espesialy all those hickers that want to do it but dont think they can but they try i thank you for your time you are unbelievably the most determined man on this earth.

Imagined Empires is an amazing book. It is intellectually challenging, well written, and impressively researched. Literature has helped shaped what it means to be an American, and Eric Wertheimer's scholarship shines a light, for the first time, on a crucial influence in the history of American letters. Our literary forebears were more than "Old World" immigrants set into the rough hewn wilderness of this continent -- they were also intellectual descendants of the great pre-Columbian empires. This book does a startling thing: It teaches us something new.

This book incorporates the views of American supriority and thestripping of tradtional Native American Empires from the canon ofAmerican text. Dr. Wertheimer exposes the nationalistic views of Post-Revolutionistic American writers in their attitudes towards the Incas and Aztecs. He also gives importance to the struggle of Latin American countries independence first from Spain, and then, the United States.

Though I am waiting for the re-release of this book, I am giving it a positive anticipatory review on the merits of the author's intelligence and unequaled writing ability. Having studied under Professor Wertheimer in several literature courses, I can attest to his acute knowledge of American Literature as well as his dedication to his research. You will undoubtedly discover after reading this book that you have been provoked into thought beyond your imagination.

Many information technology designers forget that the purpose of product design is not to display technical virtuosity, it is to help their users solve problems in the real world. This book, alone among those I've read, confronts this issue in a compelling and useful way. It's a "must read" for anyone thinking seriously about how to design information products.

In this book, Eric Bergman surveys some of the most influential and thoughtful people in the user interface design world - Don Norman, Chuck Clanton, David Haitani (designer of the Palm Pilot) and more. Their comments are insightful, practical, and visionary at the same time. I particularly liked the chapters by David Haitani and the one by Chuck Clanton on computer game design. This book will be helpful to anyone who has designed software user interfaces for desktop machines or web sites and is now wondering what the brave new world of wireless devices might look like.

I find that I like read the chapters in order of what interests me, not necessarily in the order they are bound together in the book. And that is a strength of the book - it acts more like a reference than like a novel. In this way, it reminds me of Brenda Laurel's excellent book "The Art of Human Computer Interaction."

Well written and interesting to read, Information Appliances & Beyond is the lone book (at least that I've come across) that helps product designers create Information Appliances. The Interview with the creator of the Palm Pilot is excellent, as are the examples of the Nokia 7110 mobile phone, and the i-opener. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the future of consumer computing.

I found the ideas in this book to be very exciting and the author to have a great sense of humor. I have a Backyard Wildlife Habitat, but I hadn't given enough thought to the role of insects in my garden. After reading this book, I am looking at my garden with new eyes. The author has provided some very good reasons for gardening the way I tend to do anyway - pack it with as many different plants as possible, leave it a little messy, and don't use pesticides. It's very nice to have this approach validated and especially to know why it seems to work! Now I just have to get an insect identification book ...

Insects and Gardens is a double award winning book. It received two of the "Top 10" 2002 Garden Globe Awards presented by the Garden Writers Association of America -- one for Best Book and one for Best Writer, and comes highly recommend by the people who write about gardening. Author Eric Grissell, who is a research entomologist with the USDA, received Best Writing for his clear and concise look at the life of insects and how they "work" to our benefit in our gardens. Publisher Timber Press received the Best Book for an outstanding gardening book overall. Only five individuals and five companies were selected out of a field of more than 300 entries to receive a 2002 Garden Globe Award. The book was selected by a panel of garden communication experts - some Pulitzer Prize winners themselves -- who look for the best books, magazines, writers and photographers in the country. The book was evaluated on accuracy of information, ability to communicate, content, organization, style and originality. If you are interested in the relationships of insects to gardens, to each other and to humans, and how they benefit your garden, this is a must have in your library...

Eric Grissell's Insects And Gardens isn't another visual guide to insects in the garden, but an introduction to insect biology and the role of insects in garden ecology. From the various orders of insects and how they reproduce to their interactions in the garden environment, Insects And Gardens provides science readers with an excellent survey. Highly recommended!

As Eric Kimmel explains in the afterword of another book, he hails from a long line of storytellers. That may be why he is particularly adept at telling these eight delights from Chelm, one for each night of the Festival of Lights.

Now Chelm, as you may know, is the mythical town of fools somewhere in Eastern Europe. And every book of Chelm stories offers a different explanation of how they got there, usually involving God, angels--and a giant slip-up. Kimmel's variation ascends to the level of Isaac Bashevis Singer (who also wrote magnificent tales for children), maybe because he retells a Yiddish version of the story.

Kimmel has a neat way of taking stories from one tradition and mixing them with others, a feat he pulls off with aplomb in three of these tales. I especially like Berel Dunce and Motke Fool in The Magic Spoon, a Chelm rendition of Stone Soup.

He can also magically pull original stories out of thin air, as he does here with three Chelmnick firsts. One, The Soul of the Menorah, introduces us to the menorah at the Grand Synogogue of Chelm, with a blessing from the Seer of Lublin himself.

It came to Chelm, many years ago, on the back of a hay wagon, in the shape of a hay fork. Anyone who dared to question that God threw it down from heaven was greeted with the rejoinder, "Dolt! Mooncalf! Since when does a hay fork shine like silver?"

Sparks of holiness can be found in the most common, ordinary things, the Rabbi of Lublin told the people of Chelm. "A blind beggar singing in the marketplace might be an angel. An old boot may hold the key to a cosmic riddle. We must constantly search for the hidden sparks so that we can uncover their true holiness."

Maybe these Chelmnicks are no fools. After all, they were smart enough to let Kimmel bind their wisdom between the covers of this book, and offer it for sale. Trust me, this book is rich. (But then, I never met a Chelmnick I didn't like.) Alyssa A. Lappen

This is one of those books that is really fun to read to your kids. The stories, one for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, are cleverly told. Although the fine people of Chelm are often foolish, the lessons learned are always relayed in a wry, humorous way.

Kimmel has a way with words and the collection of wisdom represented within this book brings a new meaning to the holiday spirit. Our kids love these stories. Like Kimmel's book Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins and others, they like to hear these stories year-round.

While the real city of Chelm is in Poland, the Chelm of Jewish legend could be almost anywhere - it is the traditional town of fools. But, as is the case with many fools, they're often wiser than we realize. After all, when dreidel is played in Chelm everyone wins!

Caldecott Honoree Kimmel has created eight hilarious Hanukkah stories filled with memorable characters such as Monke Fool, and Feivel Bonehead. Add the smile-provoking, colorful illustrations of Mordicai Gerstein and you have a book that is both spirited and poignant - very much like Hanukkah itself.