Captain Power-Waters style of writing makes it hard to put down this informative book. "Is It Safe" should be required reading for new hire airline pilots. All professional pilots will benefit from Captain Power-Waters' experience and research.
Captain Mark Darrow, Unite Airlines

"Is It Safe?" is a hard hitting book that will entertain both pilots and passengers. Captain Power-Waters hits the nail squarely on the head. I found it hard to put this book down.
Senior Captain Ron Barnhart, US Airways

I thoroughly enjoyed Captain Power-Waters' latest book. Now the truth is out! What a great job of telling the truth, and in such an interesting fashion. Power-Waters' story telling holds the attention while putting out information that is valuable to all in aviation. Is It Safe? covers today's primary concern of the risky business of flying commercial airlines, and what can be done about it. I am recommending my friends read it. Captain Power-Waters continues to do a service for all aviation by telling it like it is. This is overdue in aviation.
Paul E. Stebelton, FAA Accident Prevention Specialist (13 years), Captain USAF Retired.

This book is a great guide to using Lejos (the Java Virtual Machine for the RCX). It starts with a basic java tutorial and an introduction to Lego Mindstorms and Lejos. The tutorial is far from complete and is not "beginner proof". Therefore I recommend that you have some basic programming skills before reading this book. The book goes on to cover several cool topics including behavior control, navigation and communication. It has two electronic projects in which you make a proximity sensor and a compass sensor. Although it has very clear instructions(it has pictures and written descriptions), I think that these projects would not be easy for a person with little experience with electronics to do. Also to complete one section of this book you need to purchase two lego rotation sensors. These can be bought at the lego-pitsco dacta shop which is located at pldstore.com I particulary like the communication section which shows how to control a robot from a web page, how to make a robot that can plot its course on a map etc. I highly recommend this book.

If you are at all interested in robotics and have made the perhaps surprising discovery that there is a relatively inexpensive but remarkably sophisticated robotic modelling kit readily available, then you have discovered the Lego Mindstorms Robotic Invention System. This is a system that incorporates motors, gearing and both touch and light sensors, to put it succinctly. Once you have got over the idea that this engineering kit masquerades as a child's toy, it may reassure you to know that the average age of a Mindstorms user is 30. Lego does provide a programming environment with the R.I.S. so that you can control the robots you construct from your PC, but if you want to take things a step further, then Brian Bagnall's book is the next essential item. Bagnall is co-author of the leJOS Java Virtual Machine, which is a stripped down version of Java, specifically designed for programming the Lego RCX processor (the heart of the R.I.S. system). leJOS can be downloaded from the internet and you can then download its firmware to the RCX brick, which affords you a much greater degree of control than that provided by Lego.
The book shows you how, and assuming no prior knowledge, guides you through all the necessary stages. Chapter 3 is a comprehensive Java primer and it is theoretically possible for someone with no Java experience at all to start here, although I wouldn't like to try it myself. On the other hand, if you know another programming language and something about the principles of Object Oriented Programming, then I'm sure that this chapter would be sufficient. The book contains a wealth of useful information concerning all matters Lego and Java - it not only tells you where to get more exotic sensors than those provided by Lego but also shows you how to make them. The importance of trigonometry in navigation is explained in such a way that even math phobics will be able to understand it - Bagnall's writing style is always crystal clear and avoids the jargonism of much 'scientific' writing. The book is lavishly illustrated and there is a very sensible emphasis towards the practical side of things. It is a book that you will learn from, but it is also that rare thing, a book that makes learning a genuinely enjoyable experience.

Obviously Brian Bagnall is a programming mastermind! His book gives essential and clear instructions how to install and use the RCX Java-platform called leJOS. After an introduction to Lego Mindstorms with unexpected information even for Mindstorms-veterans (Brian solves the greatest mystery of the Mindstorms kit!), the book leads you through the concepts of Behaviour Control programming and robot-navigation, which are essential for advanced mobile robotics. Then you learn about RCX communications and advanced leJOS topics like Monitoring memory use and Hacking leJOS to save memory! Finally you find a list of part-providers, utilities and internet-resources. Every page of this book contains some new and useful infomation around the Mindstorms-project, which has seen so many books and internet-sites, that people might think, from now on you only produce repetitions. For the Core Lego Mindstorms Programming-book this is not the case, for sure.

The author illustrates his explanations through images, LEGO-robot building instructions and step-by-step first-class photos on how to realize a distance sensor and a compass sensor. He knows the art of clarifying complex things without becoming neither too scientific nor simply trivial. He respects the assertion that every mathematical equation will divide the audience by two. But all the reflections are profound enough for both scholars and non-scholars.

Some words about the compass, ... [url]. Brian honestly reveals the power and the limitations of an electronic compass. Doing so, he demonstrates well the force of the leJOS mathematical kernel, which he mostly wrote as contribution to the leJOS open source project. He shows how the normal mobile robot builder must deal by software means with reality, unprecision, error-sources, calibration.

This book is a worthy follow-up to the high-level book-series around extreme Mindstorming and beyond.

Brian, well done !

Brian continues to do a job for all aviation by TELLING IT LIKE IT IS. This is over due in aviation.
Paul Stebelton, USAF Pilot (Retired), Accident Prevention Specialist (FAA, 13 years)

Do you think your safe? Maybe you'll think again after reading Captain Power-Waters Danger in the Air. This bestselling author unleashes yet another earthshaking book blasting the FAA and Airline Industry as he uncovers their unsafe practices. Now when I'm on an airliner, I have to ask myself, "Do I feel luck?"
Captain Steve Goodman, Air Frame and Power Plant Mechanic, Aircraft Inspector

If you are interested in the inside story of the attack on America, how the Federal Aviation Administration contributed to it, how airport security is still a Joke, and how the FAA and airlines are fighting to extend the time a pilot is confined to the cockpit, then this is the book for you.
Carl T. Butterworth, Senior Captain, American Airlines, Retired Brigadier General, Air National Guard

Powers is a very special comic that has occomplished the impossible. It's original, humourous, entertaining, and every other word that has a hint of positive meaning. BUY THIS ITEM!!! (hey, it's written by Bendis so there isn't much or a risk :)

I stopped reading comics in the mid-nineties. I felt like I had read all of the plots, seen all the characters and heard all of the dialog before. I happened across this book in a bookstore earlier this year (2002), though, and was stunned.

This comic had interesting characters, good dialog and a great setting. The plot isn't anything new (tracking down a serial killer) but it is executed well in this setting.

The two main characters, Detectives Pilgrim and Walker, are normal humans who investigate crimes related to "Powers" (superhumans). The focus here is more on the crime and the characters than it is on powers and special effects. This is what makes the comic so good. Instead of 10 pages of laser beams and force fields, you get dialog, characterization and story. Sure, there are superhumans around, but they are more background than focus.

So, if you stopped reading comics because everything seemed the same, give this one a shot. (The first one in the series is not as strong, although still worth a read.)

Detective Christian Walker and his new partner, Detective Deena Pilgrim work "Powers" cases; That is, homicides dealing with Super-Powered victims and/or perpetrators.

Their new case is the slaying of a group of College students. All were found wearing Super-Hero costumes. They were part of a campus Role-Playing game that involved roaming the city dressed as Super-Powered individuals (which is illegal in itself, as non-licensed costume wearers are subject to jail time..), and were all "On Patrol" when murdered. All clues point to a long-vanished Mob Enforcer called "The Pulp"....But why come back after all these years....and why kill defenseless kids? This is the mystery at the core of Role Play, and the answer is a shocker.

Brian Michael Bendis' writing is, as usual, top-notch; I do wish someone would carefully proof-read his stuff, though...There are numerous spelling errors, and he can't seem to differentiate between "Yours" and Your's". Stuff like that makes a book look amateurish, no matter how good everything else might be.

Artist Mike Avon Oeming has a deceptive style; It looks cartoony at first glance, but soon draws you in with an amazing depth of facial expressions and true talent for making "Talking Head" sequences come alive.

Powers: Role Play is totally self-contained, and no prior knowledge of the series or characters is necessary. Fans of Superheroes and/or Crime fiction will have a blast.

Molitor really captures the entire process of how to manage change! Too many books on success stop short of actually tying it all together. The Power of Agreement explains how it all fits togehter and provides a step by step process for success. Great book for all leaders!

If your company/workforce is looking for a refreshing, new and dynamic way to expedite success and change the way you do business, then this book (and the techniques it explains) is for you. Principled Leadership, as well as "Followership," based on rock-solid moral and ethical underpinnings, will lift any organization from stagnation to dynamism. This book and Brian's approach to change management are full of those underpinnings. I have read and been trained in all the "modern techniques" of change management, but none have matched the quality and the spirit-power of Brian's. I highly recommend this book as "must reading" for any organization that wants to succeed in the new millennium.

The goal of this book is to show you all those things successful people follow that can transform you into a winner. The book shows you how to set your goals and how to put a real positive outlook on life. If you follow everything this book says, it is very difficult NOT to see you becoming a High Performance Person. This book delivers the tools for you to become successful. Good Luck and Success awaits you!

Brian Tracy offers a practical and insightful guide to personal development and goal achievement. His approach is clear, articulate, and compelling. I recommend it highly.

Safety Last is a fascinating and sobering journey into the realities of commercial aviation. It vividly describes the hazards of non-professionalism in our industry. The reader will also see the critical importance of professional aircraft maintenance along with the need for a more imaginative and aggressive FAA establishment. . . . Captain Power-Waters has courageously assailed the FAA-approved Minimum Equipment List and exposed it for what it is . . . a killer of airline passengers.
James Douglas Sparling, Director, Safety and Standards, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association

"Captain Power-Waters unloads his list of complaints against commercial aviation without hedging and draws a frightening picture of chaos, carelessness and petty internecine warfare within the industry. The literate air traveler who gets his hands on this book may want to swear off forever. . . . Captain Power-Waters hits with authority."
Publishers Weekly

Safety Last by Captain Brian Power-Waters courageously describes real life in the airline industry and sounds the alarm for urgently needed reforms. It documents the abysmal performance of the Federal Aviation Admiistration in enforcing air safety standards and the shocking insensitivity of many airline officials. This book should be read by any airline passenger, executive, regulator or legislator who is concerned about protecting human life and safety in air travel.
Reuben Robertson III, Director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project and Aide to Ralph Nader

I read every word of this book. Brian Tracy's techniques have helped me achieve my dreams of being a national speaker/author ("Communicate to Win: Influence Your Way to Success and Happiness") and America's Communication Coach - and being a motion picture director, currently directing "LIVING, the motion picture." Also, my previous feature film went to the Cannes Film Festival. This book is for *you.* Take notes and put the strategies into your day planner. Your bright future unfolds as you take action with Brian Tracy as your coach through this excellent book.

Some years ago, when I was at my lowest point in life, I borrowed a friend's car who had the cassettes for Maximum Achievement in her tape deck. I listened to the tapes, spellbound. From that time on, I have take responsibility for my life.

The first copy of Maximum Achievement that I bought is now tied together with a string because the worn pages have become unglued. The words that this tattered, treasured book expresses are too precious to throw out. My second copy lies on my bed. It goes with me whenever I expect to stand in line or sit in a waiting room. I often refresh my memory with its wise words. This book makes me feel empowered.

When I feel like I am faltering on my path, this book whispers secrets to me that rejuvenate my health, restore my confidence, and breathe new life into my plans. By applying the principles in this book, I have become debt-free, overcome ill health, and found my life's vocation. I can hardly wait to see what this book will inspire me to do as I read it again!

Brian Tracy has been one of my success mentors for years. His wisdom is clear and eloquent - but more than that it is right on! Even before you finish reading Maximum Achievement for the first time, you will be a changed person - it's that incredible. I say first time because you will want to read it again and again.

Brian Tracy covers all of the proactive bases: smart thinking, system thinking, futuristic thinking, and positive thinking. If you are truly seeking the kind of success and abundance that makes your life 100% livable - you must read this book. Many of his ideas are found in SUCCESS BOUND, another book built on learning how to be responsible and live proactively.

Everything that I have put into practice that he has recommended has worked. The laws of success in this book will bring you success. Read it and you will believe that you can do anything that you set your mind to. My copy is well worn with highliter and pen marks all through it from the numerous times that I've returned to it in order to study it again.

You will find that this exciting book becomes a part of you. Don't hold back - let it happen. In fact, you should spend 10 to 15 minutes every morning focusing your thoughts on the truths of this book, thereby allowing them to seep deep into your subconscious mind. If you do this I guarantee this wisdom will most assuredly bring you the success and abundance you deserve.

Enjoy the book and your new proactive life!

Our whole management team read and studied this book. We then implemented the system in our computer, using the 5 quintiles of shoppers based on the dollars spent, frequency, and recency of the purchases. Now we are able to target people who buy a specific category for mailings and events. The return on these mailings is excellent. This book tells you how to do it all. We didn't go to any seminars or read anything else. Though the book focuses on the supermarket business, we are a specialty retailer.

So this book not only tells you all about "Customer Specific Marketing," there is enough information to be able to implement the system with the help of a good IT person. Everyone in retailing should read this book and reap the rewards.

"Customer Specific Marketing" offers valuable insight and information on how to start and maintain a card-based frequent shopper program. It not only tells you "how to do it", it provides statistical data and those ever important testimonials of actual supermarket executives who are willing to let us learn from their successes and mistakes.

Reading and following the guidelines in this book will help you to understand how to keep your most profitable customers happy and coming back. It will also help you eliminate your losses from "cherry pickers".

Brian Woolf is the guru of loyalty marketing. His book, "Customer Specific Marketing" is the best book written on loyalty marketing, and I've read them all. His book's two biggest strengths are his statistical proof on the effectiveness of loyalty marketing programs and his suggestions for how to consturct an excellent program. This book is must reading for anyone who wants to find out how to find and keep customers.

I would recommend this book only to the complete novice to angel and venture investing. I was hoping for more details regarding the angel investing process. One thing it teaches, though, is that angel investors are much less sophisticated and organized than professional venture capitalists (the way I understood it). What it feels like is a collection of experiences with the interpretation left mostly to the reader. Great if that's what you're looking for.

"The complexity of business in economically demanding times makes finding constructive angels that much more challenging. The advice and tips in Attracting Capital from Angels are, therefore, invaluable. The wisdom offered here is not just for start-ups or neophytes, but is a well-timed companion to already existing resources and approaches to helping a business in all phases of development. It's also a great manual for people who want to share their knowledge (and invest capital) as an angel. I plan to recommend Attracting Capital from Angels to every entrepreneur I run into in the future who asks for mentoring sources. Great job!" (Bob Bozeman, General Partner, Angel Investors, LP)

A real gem! In over 35 years as a serial entrepreneur, investment banker and angel investor, I've come across dozens of books addressing various aspects of raising money, writing a business plan and/or finding investors. Most rehash existing theories and consolidate existing sources of research and advice on the topic. Brian and Dee have done a remarkable job of gathering fresh information through direct interviews, original essays and new surveys. The result is a truly enlightening, useful and very readable work which should become The Bible for anyone thinking of starting a business, financing an existing one, or investing as an angel themselves.

A must read even for someone just interested in learning more about Angel Investing, a little known area of our economy which just happens to be one of the most powerful drivers of our free enterprise system.

Bob Geras,
President
LaSalle Investments Incorporated