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You can't really go wrong with this package, it's got background resource material for the Goatswood area and a nice bundle of scenarios that look like fun to run (I can't wait to spring some of them on my group! HEH HEH HEH) I don't want to give away any spoilers but there's an S&M club, and the "GUARD" at the club is such a wicked idea not to mention the dude who runs the place. Good to see Ramsey the man himself giving the introduction, read his Silent Children book if you really want to get chills!
The artwork is decent, and lots of it. Plenty of handouts too, which are really important as far as I am concerned. One thing I could do without though is the side illustrations, they take up too much room that could maybe be used for information. But that's a small jibe compared to the value.
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This book demystifies all of that. No exaggeration... this is simply one of the best resources ever in learing the practice of EBM. Chapter by chapter, each aspect of EMB is explained... from diagnosis to treatment to prognosis and more.
The math is clearly explained with examples, as are the principles behind them.
After reading this book, I felt that not only could I understand EBM, I could explain it to others.
A must read!
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Composed of a scrapbook-style mix of bite-size pieces of trivia, rare photographs, cast remembrances and obscure information, the result is a warm tribute which, much like the show it is inspired by, makes up for its occasional instances of over-ambition with a charming sense of enthusiasm.
Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this book is the manner in which it offers a handy way of discovering how great a fan you really are of "Dark Shadows": If you read the text with interest, understanding the feelings of nostalgia and warm remembrance, then you are doubtless part of the fan community already; if you are occasionally left puzzling over elements, then you are well on your way to making the crossover; and if the whole thing leaves you cold, then perhaps the prospect of further initiation is a dish best not served.
In short, this is a book which will be of great appeal to its intended audience, but probably to that demographic only. Speaking as a fan of "Dark Shadows", I think that the book is a fine tribute for readers like myself and, looking at the results, can't help wishing that more viewers of shows were catered for this well.
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The author uses applied mathematics, expected value operations, and asymptotic theory to draw general conclusions about the relative performance between different density estimation techniques. The purpose is to provide estimators that are "optimal" for higher dimensioned problems, since the computational burden grows exponentially with higher dimensions (thus making exploratory data analysis more expensive). With this in mind, the author is justified to show how the thorough treatment of theory relates to practice and visualization.
Ideas are reinforced by many problems at the end of each chapter (I regret that the answers to these problems are not included, or would have otherwise preferred just a few more examples). One nice feature is the author puts boxes around the most important theorems and results, making them easier to identify for reference purposes later. There is an emphasis on the way univariate concepts extend to lower dimensional multivariate problems, so that only a minority of the text might be considered exclusively multivariate in scope. The book contains a valuable list of references and a terse but useful appendix on 3-D computer visualization.
As a result, this text educates on more than density estimation, but does so assuming a fairly sophisticated level of audience education and background beyond the first few chapters. Since most of the terminology and basic concepts are defined early on, yet the most interesting applications and methods are discussed toward the end, this title is not easily skimmed. I have found this book cited often by other texts in this fields.
After I got about 3/4 a the way through this book I came to the conclusion I was not gonna find any answers to my quest in this book.
On a side note I did pick up some advise on how to estimate the thickness of an object. For example this here book is about 2 inches thick. The pencil on my desk is about a quarter inch thick. Of course I did not need to spend a hundred bucks to figure that out and of what practical use it is escapes me.
My quest continues but after reading this book I can tell that I am much denser than I originally suspected.
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And so, New Traditions In Terror delivers sixteen stories and one poem, by authors the readers of Horror-Wood may not be familiar with. Seventeen fresh voices accepting the daunting challenge of writing tales containing characters that are increasingly looked down upon in the field as being passé.
For the most part, the authors vindicate themselves extremely well. While admittedly, few stories really do break any new ground (a story concerning a cyber werewolf is a notable exception), as a whole the stories are well-written, and do manage to sweep the reader up and carry them along for a short, but enjoyable ride. Many evoke a well-defined and appropriate atmosphere, almost tangible, as well as creating developed characters that I came to care about, hoping they would come to a good - or deceivingly bad - end. On at least one occasion I compared a story (favorably) to some classics I fondly remember from my decades of reading.
A few stories in this collection deserve mention. "Afraid Of The Water", by Robynn Clairday, does such a good job of evoking concrete images in her tale, that it brought back some very unpleasant memories of my own fear of water as a young child. "Monster", by Peter N. Dudar, is a great example of a tale that can build suspense and keep a reader on edge through merely hinting at the horror, rather than through any blatant or graphic depiction of it. A wonderful example of "less is more." The ending has a wonderful, Lovecraftian/Cthulhu feel to it. Lastly, there is "Kiowa Wells", by R. A. Cox. The highlight of the book, Cox's tale takes an old idea (vengeful Indian spirit), and weaves it into an enthralling classic. Heavily atmospheric, well-developed and written, perfect pacing, ever-increasing chills. I predict a deserved, enduring popularity for this one.
The only aspect of the book that I feel doesn't work is one story, only because it reads more like a "The Shadow"-type detective tale, with a monster casually thrown in at the end because one was needed, than as a horror story. It's a good tale, mind you, but definitely feels out of place with respect to the rest of the collection.
That said, New Traditions In Terror is a fine read, and a welcome addition to a horror fiction library. A collection of well-crafted and entertaining tales, from 17 talented writers from whom I hope we'll be fortunate enough to hear from again. It's encouraging to know that the future of horror fiction is in such capable hands.
Personal favorites: "Cargo" by Sean Logan, "Kiowa Wells" by R. A. Cox, "The Last Wolf" by Lester Thees and "Dogs" by Michael Beai.
If you are a fan of the old monsters, buy this book. If you are a fan of current horror, buy this book. If you are a fan of both, I envy you. (Oh, and buy this book.)