The is a superb book. My only complaint with this text is that it should have been included with Proakis' Digital Communication book in the first place. You will notice that 90% of the graphs and diagrams are straight from that text.

One of the winning ingredients is that all the Matlab code is written to be understood. Where some texts will write all code to be as optimal as possible, this book actually uses loops where Matlab array operations could have been used (which is not recommended in Matlab due to speed). It actually makes the code very readable and enjoyable. Surprisingly a few of the code snippets have left out the plot and stem commands? This is not too much of a hassle if you understand Matlab well, you can just generate that code yourself. Newcomers to Matlab will probably not be impressed. While the Matlab code is very simple and readable, it is still not for the beginner.

NOTE: This book will not teach you communication systems. This book is written like a Schaums text, where they briefly go over the key points, and then start programming them. If you only have this book and no other one to reference, you will be lost.

If you hate the Proakis Digital Communications text (as I do), you will love this one. This book has all the examples and fills in the missing points of that text. I find it interesting that this book has a co-author. I suspect that Salehi must influence the reign of reason in Proakis since this book is written so much clearer than Digital Communications.

In a nutshell, this book is worth its price. Very happy with this purchase.

another reviewer puts "must for begginer", but please notice it's for "a first-year grads" not for under-grads or sheer novices. i'm a plain novice, and i should say this book is not a tutorial. you need basic exposition on this field. i found "Lee and Miller:CDMA Systems Engineering Handbook" is helpful. the handbook is rather verbose and this MATLAB companion makes a good recapitulation of the handbook.

An excellent computer approach to almost all aspects of communications in Electrical Engineering, that clarifies topics which are difficult to approach just by dealing with theory.

I first noticed this book during the time that I spent at UC Berkeley as an undergraduate applied mathematics major. It was being used for Stat 101, and though I was not taking that course, I bought it because it looked even from casual inspection to be very well laid out, covering important and interesting issues in basic probability.

The strongest feature of this book from my point of view is its conciseness. Much is presented in as short a time as possible, and because of that the book is much more readable than many others of its level. In addition to conciseness, the authors (in my edition Hoel, Port, and Stone) have made a commendable effort to present the reader with clear and concrete definitions, compact theorems (many proven), and abundant useful examples. In the back of the book nearly all of the solutions of the chapter exercises are given, unlike many books where answers to only the odd problems are given. I believe that this book is ideal for self-study, and that much use of it could also be made as a textbook for an undergraduate course in probability. The exercises are not very difficult, but they are by no means trivial, and much can be learned from them. At the end of a close study of this book the reader would be ready to enter into a program of undergraduate level mathematical statistics, or into a further study of probability with the confidence inspired by a firm understanding of the most fundamental and key concepts in probability theory.

This was the book used in the standard upper-division probability course at UC Berkeley when I took it 18 years ago. In my opinion it is still the best. I have since taught the subject myself and was forced to use other books, with many more pages and fancy pictures than Hoel's book. Yet those books do not do anywhere near as good a job of teaching probabilistic *thinking* as well as Hoel. This is what causes the most problems for students of probability, and Hoel does it the right way in Chapters 1 and 2, which are key. The basic explanations are clear and concise, with many instructive examples.

My professor back then told us that if we want to learn probability, then do every exercise in this book. She was absolutely right. The exercises are excellent. Do them, and you will learn a lot.

This used to be *the* book on elementary calculus-based probability theory at most universities. I don't understand why it seems to have fallen out of favor. Perhaps because of its size (it is fairly compact, as it should be) and age, though I fear that it may be because it is a bit more demanding (but worth it) than many of the newer books.

This classical text is complete and detailed. I'm an undergraduate and used the book after acquiring the basics of multiple integration as an introduction to the calculus of probability. Plenty of exercises (answers provided) which not only help you understanding the theory but are also complementary to the text. (This is a "non-measure" text on probability theory.) Well written!!!! (see also Hoel at al., 'Int. to Stochastic Processes', and Taylor, 'An Int. to Measure and Probability',(Springer-Verlag)).

Not a beginner's book: The technologies presented are relevant to (gasp) some real life problems. The treatment of Distributed Constraint Satisfaction problems was well written and usable. The initial treatment of all subjects was broad, delving into details after laying a sound foundation. Assumes a bit of mathematical sophistication on the part of the reader, but on the whole, well written, well organized and well worth it.

While perhaps this should not be your first book in AI, it should definitely be your first book on agents. It took me years to accumulate the knowledge present in this book, and it's a great survey of the field for the beginning investigator. However, while this is a great way to get started in agents, understand how agents can be used in intelligent applications (from distributed AI type problem solving, to resource optimization problems), and "get the agent paradigm," coverage of agent software engineering techniques is light. This is not a fault of this book - you will simply need other resources to understand the difficulties and current research in engineering multi agent systems (or indeed any concurrent distributed system). So if you are trying to figure out what to do with agents, or how agent systems work, this is the book for you. If you already know that and want help with formal specification of an agent, verifying your agents meet the specifications, etc. this is not the book for you. Understand that to build systems you will need both!

I have been using this book probably for an year now, and this has become indispensable to my work. The collection of authors in this book reads as an 'who's who' in multiagent systems and distributed AI research. Although, its' difficult to maintain continuity in edited books, the editor has done an commendable job. The authors provide a readable introduction to their area of expertise, and supplement them with an excellent bibliography...enough to get u started fast.

You don't have to be an afficionado of contemporary poetry, or an art lover, to appreciate the many delights housed within the aluminum slip case of this work. But if you happen to be either, or both, this book is a must.

The "book" has, in this case, evolved well beyond the concept of an art tome. The joining of music, poetry and lovingly accurate reproductions under one cover makes the circumnavigation of this opus is a particularly rich eexperience. Which is not to say that listening to the music , or dipping into one poem, is not an entirely satisfying moment by itself.

Be prepared, however: this gesamtwerk is big, and will not fit into an ordinary bookcase! The paintings being reproduced to scale has dictated the extra large format, but the extraordinarily accurate pictorial results are worth the extra weight.

This is a gorgeous book by a man who in the future will be credited with debunking all the art critics who since the 1950s have been shouting to themselves that Realism is dead, or the ones that still shout "painting is dead." Gerhard Richter breaks all the rules of "being an artist." He has worked in a variety of styles, refusing to produce a "style" as often artists are supposed to do. In his ealy photorealistic -paintings Richter copied ordinary, found images onto canvas, but gave them an indistinct appearance. Again, by working directly from photographs, he manages to debunk all the criticism that such techniques often bring. This subversive realism is now more evident than ever, in these later, almost fuzzy works that still manage to knock the visual senses as if shouting: "Long Live Painting - Long Live Realism!"

I've only recently become acquainted with the range of Gerhard Richter's work, but the series of eight abstract paintings which are being celebrated here are enough to justify his reputation for me, and the sheer richness and resolution of their presentation in this book is of a standard I've never come across anywhere. Elegant, sensuous and gorgeous, this is more than a 'typical' art book in manners large and small; includes insightful essays by writers like Dave Hickey, poetry, and a CD by Bill Frisell with a string trio that's a lot more quirky and edgy than his recent stuff, in a good way (no banjos). The book's editor, David Breskin, has done an amazing job - the aluminum slipcase is a pretty sharp touch, too.

A western Chi Kung with results equal to the best Chi Kung. Exercises for advanced adepts.

The 'Key To The True Kabbalah' is a logical progression of Bardon's earlier book, 'Initiation Into Hermetics', which should be read and practiced first. The 'Key To The True Kabbalah' intoduces the reader to the 'Cosmic Language' and a very thorough process of manifestation. Although the writting is sometimes confusing and wordy, it does communicate these ideas if the reader is willing to make a committed effort with mind, body, and soul. The idea of this book is easy to say but hard to master: The Universe is based on the principle of Cause and Effect. One simply wishes with on a particular plane a letter's sound, color, element and meaning. We then create the desired effect on the intended mental, astral or physical plane. With noble intentions, strong intent and much practice one becomes a 'Creator' on a Cosmic Level. The possibilities are limitless for someone who consciously goes beyond a 'mental' understanding.

"The Key to the True Kabbalah" contains the practice and the theory of kabbalistic knowledge. The information this book contains, I could not find in any other books on this subject. Even from a philosophical point of view this book is a good read, and discloses many up-to-now secrets. I highly recommend Franz Bardon, "Questions and Answers" and "Alchemy Unveiled", by Helmond.

When a collector bought a ragged book of maps in a secondhand Belgian bookstore in 1967, he had no idea he had turned up a lost cartographic treasure: an early atlas created by the sixteenth-century cartographer Gerardus Mercator. The 17 maps, reprinted for the first time - in exquisite, full-size facsimiles tucked with an opulent book into a slipcase - are justifiably pricey. Margaret Foley, "Discover" magazine, June 1998

...Those not able to visit the relic in person can examine a facsimile of the one-of-a-kind atlas, compiled by Mercator around 1570, with an inaugural release by Walking Tree Press. The seventeen replica maps are accompanied by a richly illustrated, large-format book - published previously in French and Dutch - featuring essays by an international team of map scholars.

The authors leave no aspect of the fascinating history of the "Atlas of Europe" unexamined...The seventeen frameable facsimile maps are newly color-corrected and expertly printed. The text illustrations are drawn from collections throughout Europe and the United States. The hefty volume, stored in its own green slipcase, provides readers with a tactile adventure --something that tends to be overlooked in modern publishing - as well as a feast for the eyes and mind. Walking Tree's elegant edition combines the high art of maps with first-rate scholarly pursuits - a marvelous union Mercator would endorse. --- "Mercator's World" November/December 1997

Born Gerhard Kremer of German parents in the town of Rapelmonde near Antwerp on March 5, 1512, Gerardus Mercator (like many other intellectuals of his time, very early in his life Latinized his German name) was a mapmaker, scholar, and religious thinker whose interests ranged from mathematics to calligraphy to the origin of the universe.

In 1544 he fell victim to the Inquisition, partly due to his Protestant beliefs and partly due to suspicions aroused by his wide travels in search of data for his maps. He was fortunate to be released after seven months with the charges of heresy lifted and his head and limbs still intact.

His 1564 wall map of the British Isles (included in his atlas) was the first detailed and accurate geographical picture of those islands -- and was used by a Scottish traitor to help France and Spain invade Britain and overthrow the Protestant Tudors. Mercator was one of the first mapmakers to cut up maps and bind them inside boards, later coining the term 'atlas' to refer to such collection of maps. One of the most revolutionary inventions in the history of cartography, Mercator's cylindrical world map projections (first used in 1569) enabled navigators to plot a long course in straight lines and has greatly influenced our image of the world to this very day.

In 1967 an anonymous buyer purchased a large, tattered book of maps in a second-hand bookshop in Belgium and unknowingly brought to the present a long-lost atlas by this renowned 16th century cartographer. The Mercator Atlas of Europe: Facsimile of the Maps By Gerardus Mercator Contained In The Atlas Of Europe, Circa 1570-1572 is a beautiful book showcasing seventeen facsimile map prints (suitable for framing) and a large-format 96-page book with 100 illustrations (80 in color). The Mercator Atlas of Europe is an ideal and highly recommended memorial fund acquisition selection for academic and community libraries.

This book shows you how to build a secure, reliable and
clean network from the ground up, with optimizations and
security, using RedHat Linux 7.x as a base OS.

This book presents everyhting you need to know clearly,
concisely, and in an extreemly well organized fashion.

Each chapter is well organized starting with an introduction
on what the contents of the chapter are, why the items
in the chapter have to be covered and then a complete description
of how to implement the specific features.

The chapters are in logical order, so you always know the
order of things. HOWTO's are mostly written in isolation
from each one to another, not the chapters of this book: they are
consistent and follow a well organized flow.

I used to spend time searching through hundreds of web pages
for relevant, consistent and well organized info to configure
my network. HOWTOs are nice, but you never know which one
to apply to your situation and in what order to do things in
the big picture. Home grown web pages become obsolete quickly,
and newsgroups have a low signal to noise ratio making it hard to
find what you really look for. This book has the answers I
needed.

Buy yourself time off and get this book. It is worth it.

I could not agree more. This book is an excellent reference for building a secure Linux Server. From file permissions to installing Apache, bind in Secure manner, this book has it all. I was very impressed by the book. Covers Tripwire, sXid, and many other tools to keep linux servers secure. Overall, i give it 5 stars.

The short version:

An excellent guide to building a secure and efficient Linux application server.

The long version:

As an NT Administrator I have read many Linux books trying to bridge my NT knowledge to the Linux and Unix world, this book is by far the best.

Most of the Linux books I have read before tell you what to do to administer a Linux server, but they assume that you know how to do it. Gerhard Mourani tells you in detail what to do, how to do it, and why to do it. I have learned a great deal not only about Linux server applications, but about the Linux operating system itself.

If you want to take advantage of Linux's versatility as a server operating system, and do it in the most secure and efficient manner, you can find no better book than this one. In addition to operating system configuration there are many chapters individually dedicated to installing and configuring specific Linux server applications such as Sendmail, SQL server, Apache, BIND, and many more.

One disclaimer: If you are looking for information on how to build a Linux workstation or cool Gnome desktop, this is not the book for you. It is focus is exclusively building Linux application servers.

This volume is a selection of writings from the Collected Works of Carl Jung (1875-1961), a selection focusing on the "feminine". In Jung's psychology, the "feminine" can mean several things, including: (1) the consciousness of real females; (2) an aspect of the Unconscious in males called the "anima"; and (3) an archetype of the creative matrix of existence in all human beings. The writings in this volume discuss principally the second and third of those. These selections are in chronological order, so one can trace the development of Jung's ideas. Several mention the interactions of "anima" and "animus" (the unconscious contrasexual elements, in men and women respectively, which play a vital role in both romance and spiritual unfolding) - indeed, that is the main subject of the earlier selection from "Relations of the Ego and Unconscious" (1928) as well as the closing selection from "Aion" (1959). The long central selection, "Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype", and "The Psychological Aspects of the Kore" both use mythology to illustrate what Jung saw as fundamental psychological issues for all human beings. This book would be disappointing for someone looking specifically for writings on women's issues; however, anima & animus are central ideas in Jung's conception of gender relations, and his clearest expositions of those subjects are collected here. Furthermore, this book would be of great interest to anyone looking at larger issues of how the "feminine" is conceived across cultures and across time.

This volume is a selection of writings from the Collected Works of Carl Jung (1875-1961), a selection focusing on the "feminine". In Jung's psychology, the "feminine" can mean several things, including: (1) the consciousness of real females; (2) an aspect of the Unconscious in males called the "anima"; and (3) an archetype of the creative matrix of existence in all human beings. The writings in this volume discuss principally the second and third of those. These selections are in chronological order, so one can trace the development of Jung's ideas. Several mention the interactions of "anima" and "animus" (the unconscious contrasexual elements, in men and women respectively, which play a vital role in both romance and spiritual unfolding) - indeed, that is the main subject of the earlier selection from "Relations of the Ego and Unconscious" (1928) as well as the closing selection from "Aion" (1959). The long central selection, "Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype", and "The Psychological Aspects of the Kore" both use mythology to illustrate what Jung saw as fundamental psychological issues for all human beings. This book would be disappointing for someone looking specifically for writings on women's issues; however, anima & animus are central ideas in Jung's conception of gender relations, and his clearest expositions of those subjects are collected here. Furthermore, this book would be of great interest to anyone looking at larger issues of how the "feminine" is conceived across cultures and across time.

Useful if you don't feel like poring over the Collected Works looking for some of Jung's theorizing on working a dream. You might also check out Jung's Dreams seminar.

Carl Jung says he has analysed more than 2.000 dreams per year, a very impressive number by anyone's standards. In his Dreams book, which a very good collection of many of his dreams experiments, he is after demolishing some Freudian's dreams concepts, mainly the one which asserts that the purpose of dreams is to fulfill infantile sexual wishes repressed in the unconscious, which don't find adequate outlet trough conscious activities.
To add content to this dispute, one has only to have in mind that Jung was a very ardent disciple of Freud in the beginning of his career, but the relationship turned sour after 1914 in the figthing for prestige at the foundation of the Psychanalisys in the beginning of the 20th century.
In Jung's view, dreams are not only wish fulfillers, but they are also compensatory vis-a-vis our daily conscious life. So, the purpose of them is to balance our conscious and unconscious life. So, if life is good, dreams are bad and vice-versa. At the end of his life, Jung said in one of his testimonials that by means of a very representative dream he closed a circle, which meant he got a balanced mental life between unconscious and consciousness.

Also, dreams should be taken not as isolated entities, but rather as a series of concatenated manifestations of the unconscious, something which could be represented by the ancient mandalas (Sanscrit for circle) of many peoples from the ancient world (mayas, hindus, polinesians, etc...), where the ultimate end is to attain a balance mind. Jung's theory of the unconscious is, in my opinion, pretty much more attractive than Freud's, specially in what it regards the timelessness of the unconscious and the unconscious collective.

Reading "Dreams" after reading Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" is a magnificient experience and the winner is surely the reader, who gets the most of two of the most proeminent and polemical psychanalysts of all times.

About God, Jung said, I don't believe, I know.

As soon as you read 'Dreams', you will have a complete sense of his amazing insights, not only on the subject matter, but on the complete human pysche. And this includes, as I tried to hint at from the very beginning, the very meaning of our existence.

Perhaps there would not be a Jung today, if there had not been a Freud preceding him. But a completely ignorant educated man here says, having read them both, that Jung's proposal is far more clever, ellaborate, comprehensive and convincing.

Jung was a unique scholar, he had a very distinctive ability to blend a lot of knowledge from seemingly unrelated areas of science into pyschology. His biography is an essential starting point to understand how he managed to develop this quality, which I think was key to his original thinking.

'Dreams' is a book of rare brilliance. Thanks to Jung, for providing a 'basis' for all things.

This is an important text for those studying Kabbalah. It covers the most basic tenents from a historical point of view, while delving fairly deep into their concepts. What I really like about this book is that it covers the many different secular beliefs that abound today as well as where these different systems found their origins. After reading this book, I understand that much like Christianity, different Kabbalists have various beliefs and interpretations of the Bible. After reading the chapter on what the Kabbalist is looking for in a Tsaddik, or righteous one, I'm surprised that more of them are not Christians. As I was reading this text, I couldn't help but think of numerous N.T. scriptures that were nearly identical to their beliefs. Take a look at this book, I think you'll agree.

Gershom Scholem presents a clear and well-researched study on Kabbalah. The book is a fascinating read, and I could hardly put it aside until I finished it. After having been confronted with all kinds of occult and paganized ideas on Kabbalah, this book is very refreshing.

The chapter on Shi'ur Komah (measure of height) shows how the Transcendent God becomes personal and knowable. It also explains how the Kabbalists perceived man to be made in G-d's image. The language of Shi'ur Komah is very anthropomorphic, while G-d's absolute transcendental being is not compromised. The second chapter, about Sitra Ahra (Other Side), explains the various views of how evil arose and what it is. The role of human beings is discussed as is the role of the Sefiroth. In particular the role of the Sefirah Din and the influence of human beings on it are discussed at some length.
The third chapter explains the role of the hasid and the tsaddik. How the role that each played changed and how the tsaddik becomes related to the Sefirah Yesod, and it's function as the source of all souls. Also discussed is the harmony the tsaddik brings and his role in creation.
he fourth chapter deals with shekinah. Scholem shows that originally there was no specific feminine nature atributed to it. He goes on to show how the idea of femininity developed in Kabbalah, and how the Shekinah relates to G-d and human beings. Also discussed is the relationship of Shekinah and the Sefiroth. Very interesting was the explanation of how human actions influence Shekinah to become active instead of merely passive in certain Kabbalists.
The fifth chapter speaks of gilgul. It is a very fascinating chapter. Not just the origins of reincarnation in Judaism is discussed, but also the varied concepts of the soul that go along with it. Scholem shows how certain elements of Kabbalist gilgul are highly original and creative. Much attention is given to the 'soul-sparks' and their redemption. Also interresting was the idea that gilgul reflects the inner workings of the sefirothic world.
The final chapter explains the concept of tselem. Scholem traces it's historic origins to Neo-Platonist influence and early Iranian influence. He shows how these two were given a creative synthesis in Kabbalah and what role it plays in Kabbalist mysticism. Tselem is that which makes a person this person, and seeing ones tselem can activate propheticism. Tselem also has the role of a guardian angel of sorts.

Not being Jewish myself, but an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I must say that this book of Gershom scholem is very helpful in understanding Kabbalah as a Jewish, and not a pagan-occult, phenomenon. The book will assist a non-Jew in gaining a more sympathetic and above all a more correct understanding of Jewish Mysticism. As an Eastern Orthodox I must say that several times Kabbalah and our own Mysticial tradition come very near each other, even though they also widely diverge.

It is a must read for those misinformed by Dione Fortune's fables, and a must read for anyone interrested in Kabbalah.

I enjoy the material in this book by Herr Doktor Gershom Scholem (1897-1982). Despite the title, I did not find the concepts introduced in "On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead" at all basic. The concepts presented include (i) imageless worship of GOD, (ii) good and evil, (iii) the role of the mystic in a religious community, (iv) the personification and hypostasis of GOD's presence in the world, and (v) the uniqueness of our individual spirit (principium individuantis). These are concepts which Herr Doktor Scholem introduced in his landmark book, "Origins of the Kabbalah". Here they are recapitualated in greater detail. The basic conceptual and methodological problem presented in this book is summarised in the forward by Mr Joseph Dan, "an essentially Jungian approach and Kabbalistic approach to the subjects presented by Scholem in this book may converge and present a united front against the historical analysis written by the scholar" Each chapter contributed to my spiritual relationship. My favourite is the second chapter, "Good and Evil in the Kabbalah". One of the ideas I found interesting in this chapter was the idea that good and evil both originate in GOD's creation. "Evil, however one conceives of it, is thus regarded as an entity deliberately created by GOD." (p57). The second idea with which I found resonance was that, as someone interested in maintaining a spiritual commitment, my most important task is to cultivate, maintain and strengthen my contact with spiritual reality. (p69) For me, this is a remarkable book which helps me to grow spiritually. If you are interested in the historical development of "basic" concepts in the Kabbalah, or in contributing to your spiritual development, this book will be interesting to you.