I've just finished getting through a book on Lingo, and decided to pick this book up in the hopes of becoming an Actionscripter. The writing style of this book is excellent-- it wastes NO time with senseless conceptual jargony and gets straight to the point. You'll find yourself actually learning at a quick pace through a series of short examples of Actionscript that become more advanced and build on previous examples in the book. Better yet, the CD is packed full of open source examples for every short tutorial in the book.

This book is the definitive actionscript reference. Though, beginners be forewarned-- this is not a book for those who are not familiar with the fundamentals of programming and those who are not fully acquainted with Flash's interface and a conceptual understanding of animation.

I started with Macromedia's Flash MX ActionScripting Advanced and I learned a lot. However, it does not contain a complete dictionary. I bought John Davey's book and in addition to the complete dictionary in the book, it is also on the CD. I keep the online version loaded when programming Flash. Furthermore, the 400+ pages of tutorials, are simple, plentiful, and each one illustrates one learning objective. Both books are good, but this one is better.

I thought this would be a reference. Well guess what, I was wrong. This is a reference in the back half, but a How-To in the front half. I'd say, skip every other ActionScript book till you buy this one. If I'd known this would have tutorials in the first half (yes the first 400 or so pages are tutorials), I wouldn't have bought some of the other ones I have. Combined with the CD content, this book is a great first book for the intermediate animator moving into scripting. And, it will stay usefull for as long as you are using Flash MX. Between this book and the O'Reilly book "ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition" by Colin Moock, you'll have all you really need. Then you can buy the specialized stuff on games or UI or whatever.

Many have commented that DELTA GREEN is where X-Files meets the Cthulhu Mythos. They are correct, but it goes beyond that. Delta Green presents a satisfying and believable context for mythos roleplaying in the modern era. This supplement for CALL OF CTHULHU, a game which has a history of great supplements, raises the standard by which future works will be measured. This is quite possibly the best role-playing supplement ever. I have been into RPGs for nearly 20 years now, and I have seen most of what is out there. Believe me, it does not get better than this.

To call DELTA GREEN a supplement for Call of Cthulhu is to do it a great injustice. Even if you don't play the game, but are a Lovecraft aficionado, you owe it to yourself to pick this up and see what Tynes and company have done. This is not your father's Cthulhu Mythos. This is something much, much nastier.

Gone are the days where monsters lurked in dark places, and could be banished with the right spells. The stars are right - right here, right now, and the Mythos has kept pace with modernity, corrupting openly, though humanity is still too blind to see. Delta Green has been fighting them ever since Innsmouth and 1927, a hidden conspiracy within the government dedicated to seeking out and destroying that which threatens humanity.

Only trouble is, even the government has disavowed Delta Green, in favour of collusion with the enemy. But the menace is so great that Delta Green continues, an illegal conspiracy hidden in the bowels of that which wants too destroy it. Delta Green isn't Mulder or Scully, seeking the truth that nobody else knows. Delta Green *knows* the truth, and is making sure nobody else suffers from knowing that either.

DELTA GREEN takes everything we know about modern day conspiracy theory - Roswell, Area 51, Majestic-12, UFOs, and merges it seamlessly with the battle against the forces of the Cthulhu Mythos. The secret history it reveals is frighteningly plausible, and like Lovecraft's fiction, nags at you and makes you doubt its fictional qualities.

As a way of bringing a moribund CoC campaign from the gothic horror of the 1920s to the survivalist horror of the 1990s, it is second to none. Think you could have dealt with those creepy crawlies if you only had an AK-47 instead of a revolver? Think again. The psychological cost of fighting terrors from beyond is not forgotten either, with Delta Green agents wandering shell-shocked from encounter to encounter.

And as I said, as a means of stimulating your imagination to bring Lovecraft up to date, it is also superb. Anyone who thinks Lovecraft's themes are hackneyed and old only needs to read this to see how horrifyingly relevant they still are.

Buy this book, and its companion DELTA GREEN: COUNTDOWN, which describes the UK and Russian counterparts to Delta Green. The truth is here. And it's hungry.

If Lovecraft was alive today this sourcebook would make him green with envy! This takes the Call of Cthulhu game to the contemporary level. There's more than enough plots and characters to juice up a modern (postmodern?) Call of Cthulhu game. I especially like how the creators have made so many versatile options. You can make this supplement as intricate or as simple as you want. I definitely recommend this as a sourcebook to all Call of Cthulhu role playing fans.

This is a well-done book providing plenty of information about marine aquarium setup and maintenance. My mother's a librarian so I've read several books on this subject all of which seemed too trivial and uninformative or written for the professional reef tank hobbyist but this book seemed like the perfect fit for me. The author takes the reader step-by-step through the process of identifying and purchasing the necessary equipment to seting up the tank and equipment to choosing and introducing fish to the tank and of course, maintaining the aquarium. The book is very informative and should bolster confidence in a beginner looking to setup a small to midsize tank. The author pariticularly covers filtration methodologies very well focusing primarily on the highly regarded "Berlin" method. A must have for beginners and intermediate fishkeepers looking to setup a marine tank. I would recommend a more detailed book for specifically covering choosing and caring for different types of marine fish, corals, invertebrates, etc., but this is otherwise a great book.

If you are thinking about your first marine aquarium, this is a great book the start with. It was recommended by two stores I went to. It is easy reading with great diagrams and pictures. Everything from sizing to tank to suggestions of what fish and invertabrates to start with.

As with most of these books, it is not a substitute for your local expert. However, they even had advice on picking an expert that steered my away from the "big mall pet stores" to a smaller store where I found a truly knowlegable professional. I know my tank will be a success.

... covers just about everything imaginable, and does so in such a clear & concise way that there is little point in my trying to cover it again.
I am truly impressed. This so-called beginner's book scarcely rates that category; this is the very sort of information that beginners REALLY need but oh-so rarely ever get until it is too late. Moreover, it is presented in a form that beginners can understand and digest with ease. Truly a gem, and destined to be a classic.
The checklists, the explanations which make the complex simple, the techniques, the wonderful illustrations, the tips & tricks, the lists of common mistakes to avoid, ( and which species to avoid ) and the truly useful advice make this book very complete. It's 140+ pages are chocked full of good information without a lot of "fluff"; it's truly "all-meat, no filler!"
If I had to recommend just ONE book for the beginning marine hobbyist, I think that this would be the one. I even recommend it highly to intermediate hobbyists. While it doesn't cover every single aspect of the marine hobby, ( not that any one book, or even any given dozen ever books could ) it aptly covers the most important things, and most importantly, it covers them in a way which will make it the most useful to it's target audience...

This is the bible for tape/CD traders of Grateful Dead shows! It lists, as far as is known, all performances in chronological order, plus whatever tunes were performed at each show. For the most part, I've found very few errors in the book. When the author(s) don't know for sure, they're up front and say so. But sometimes shows differ from Deadbase. I've got a Jan. 1970 Honolulu show that has all the tunes listed in Deadbase, but in a different order. Are my two CDs of the show right, or is Deadbase? It doesn't really matter, of course, because the music is good. Deadbase also contains a statistician's dream of information, such as how many times songs were played, when they were first played, when the last time they were played, and on and on. It also has a great section (which, after the show listings is my favorite) of reviews from fans. This book gets 4 stars and not 5 from me simply because I really don't care how many times Loose Lucy was played. I'd rather have fewer stats and more reviews. The reviews are great and, though I have some 800 shows on tape, there are some reviews of shows I'm looking for and they've been very helpful. The reviews also are helpful for "newbies" (an affection term for someone just starting out on tape/CD trading) to decide what shows they want to get first. I could sit for long periods of time and enjoy Deadbase. For a while, a Deadbase Jr. was being published, and I liked it because it was not much bigger than a paperback, had all the shows, major venues, some stats, but was easy to refer to when looking at lists on the Internet. I STILL use my tattered Jr. when I can, but kicking back on the couch with the "big book" and dreaming of shows yet to come is a pure joy. For anyone involved in tape/CD trading, this is ESSENTIAL and very, very highly recomended!

If you are a taper, collector, trader, or just forgot what opened the second set in the last Philly JFK show, then this book is a must. Finally make a setlist for all those unidentified MP3s. Check off what you have to make trading easier. Get goosebumps over one of the transitions you forgot about. Kick yourself for working and not seeing the second night. If you collect you gotta have this or wait for the next one coming soon.

Have you ever looked for that perfect show? Ever wondered how many times "Me & My Uncle" was played? Ever was curious about who all were guests at Dead shows? Do you ever trade Grateful Dead music? If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, this book is a MUST HAVE! It contains setlist from almost every Dead show played from 1965-1995 including helpful timings, "every time played", and "feedback" columns. If you are a Dead trader & you do not own a copy of Deadbase shame on you. It is the bible of Grateful Dead music. Peace.

Have fun, & if you get confused...LET THE MUSIC PLAY!

Milton's "Paradise Lost" is the best work of literature in the English language, bar none. Christians and non-Christians alike should marvel at the vision presented by Milton. He is not a Satanist, as the Romantics would have you believe. Indeed, he is a devout Christian. This is what makes the work so extraordinary. Milton's vision of the astral world invokes various responses from the reader, all of them genuine and some contradictory. No matter who you are or what you believe, you will thoroughly enjoy this imaginary look into the events surrounding the fall of Lucifer and the beginnings of man in the Garden of Eden.

I was assigned to read Paradise Lost on my own over the summer and I am so glad that I chose the Norton Critical edition. Obviously, reading Paradise Lost is a daunting task for anyone who isn't a religious historian and without the Norton Critical edition, I might not have finished the epic at all (which would be much of a loss, not only in my grades.)

This edition has a vast array of extremely helpful footnotes (have a Bible at hand for all those cross-references) and it has large margins for taking plenty of notes of your own. More than half of the book is a collection of various literature, excerpts and explanations that are also quite helpful.

Certainly, there is no doubt that Paradise Lost is an excellent work, but the Norton Critical edition is invaluable for any average person (like me) who wants to truly appreciate it. I highly recommend this.

Paradise Lost was not part of my core curriculum in science and mathematics. I was of course aware that scholars considered it a great work, a classic. But it seemed a bit daunting - long, difficult, dated, and possibly no longer relevant.

A few years ago I made two fortunate decisions. I elected to read Milton's Paradise Lost and I bought the Norton Critical Edition (edited by Scott Elledge). I read and reread Paradise Lost over a period of three months as well as the 300 pages of the Norton critical commentary. I was stunned by the beauty and power of Milton. Why had I waited so long to even approach such a literary masterpiece?

Make no mistake. I had been right in several ways. Paradise Lost is difficult, it is long, and full appreciation requires an understanding of the historical and religious context. But Paradise Lost is a remarkable achievement. It explores questions regarding man and God that are as relevant today as in the 17th century. And the genius of Milton has never been surpassed.

I found the Norton footnotes extremely helpful - definitions for rare or archaic words and expressions, explanations of the historical context, and links to the critical commentary section. The footnotes are at the page bottom, making them readily accessible.

The Norton biographical, historical, and literary commentaries were fascinating in their own right. I may well as spent as many hours reading commentary as with Paradise Lost itself.

John Milton led a remarkable life. His enthusiastic euology on Shakespeare was included in the second folio edition of Shakespeare in 1632. This was Milton's first public appearance as an author! While traveling as a young man he "found and visited" the great Galileo, old and blind, a house prisoner of the Inquisition for his astronomical heresy. Years later Milton, a close supporter of Cromwell, barely escaped the scaffold at the Restoration and was at risk for some period afterwards. Many considered Milton no more than an outcast, now old and blind himself, a republican and regicide who had escaped death by too much clemency. Within a few years this aging blind outcast created one of the masterpieces of the English language.

Milton broke all English tradition by writing Paradise Lost in blank verse. Homer in Greek and Vergil in Latin had used blank verse, but English demanded rhyme. Although others failed to imitate Milton's blank verse (I suspect that none wanted to be compared directly with genius), the praise was without exception. Dryden, a master of rhyme, is attributed with saying, "This man cuts us all out, and the ancients too".

Milton's characterization of Satan, Adam, Eve, the archangels Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel, and even God himself are masterful. The debates and arguments that evolve around free will, obedience, forbidden knowledge, love, evil, and guilt are timeless. And fascinating. And thought provoking.

Paradise Lost will require commitment and patience and thought. The commitment in time is substantial. (I enjoy Samuel Johnson's subtle comment: "None ever wished it longer than it is.") But the return is a personal experience with great literature, one of the masterpieces of the English language. I consider myself fortunate to have made such an investment.

I've been developing Eclipse plugins for a year and a half. During that time I took a course from IBM on Eclipse plugin development, taught by one of the authors of this book. Much of the material in that class is contained in this book, and more. If you can't take the $1000 class, this is the way to go to learn Eclipse plugin development.

I wish I'd had this information months ago. Within 10 minutes of getting the book, I was able to solve a programming problem that had been puzzling me for weeks.

If you just want to develop projects using the Eclipse IDE, then Eclipse in Action is a good introduction. But if plugin development is what you want to do, this is the book to have. Even if you are using Eclipse only as an IDE, this book will get you up to speed. The exercises are great for that. This book will serve both purposes.

You've downloaded Eclipse. You've coded with the Java IDE. You've loved the refactoring and incremental compilation. Now you have an idea for a new cool plug-in that you think everyone will love.

If this describes you, you need this book.

I've been developing Eclipse plug-ins commercially for over a year. Previously, I had to teach myself by reading and/or searching:

1) Articles on Eclipse.org
2) The online help
3) The newsgroup
4) The source code to Eclipse itself

--not necessarily in that order.

Now I just turn to this book. It almost always answers my questions quickly and succinctly. Even with over a year of Eclipse background gained by teaching myself, I continually feel amazed at how quickly and how much this book has increased the depth of my understanding about how to write Eclipse plug-ins.

It is obvious when reading this book that (as professional teachers/trainers) the authors of this book have already taught this information many times and know what tends to trip people up. Their writing style flows with the ease of great familiarity with and confidence about their material. And their code examples work.

I not only reviewed a pre-published version of this book, but this book proved very valuable in developing a commercially available and award winning Eclipse Plug-In. The text is clear, the examples are well thought out, and there are plenty of "real world" exercises. The combination of all three of these elements prepares you to use Eclipse to its fullest and to extend it in the best way possible.

The true test for a technical book is how well does the book prepare you when you need to put the knowledge into practice. I have finished reading many technical books believing I understood the topic only to discover when I had to put that knowledge to work, the book did not provide the whole story. After reading The Java Developer's Guide to Eclipse and writing a plug-in based on that knowledge, I can say that this book aces that test.

Creator Rod Serling will forever be remembered for his earlier classic: a little something called "The Twilight Zone." While "Night Gallery" never quite made the ratings and dramatic success as its predecessor, the show did have its moments, all lovingly chronicled here by the authors. The book details the production, the episodes, and the various actors featured on the show. It also reveals the infighting between Serling, producer Jack Laird, and the wishes of the "suits" at NBC. Sadly, the strain of his association with the series may have contributed to Serling's untimely death.

For those fans of the show, this is an insightful and well-prepared document.

When I was a little boy I LOVED this show,being a horror nut.Well,I'm still a horror nut,and I only had vague memories of it,only that it was presented by Rod Serling.Hey,Twilight Zone still airs and is awesome,so NG should be as well.I excitedly sent off for this book,and it IS great!Lovingly written,the book unravels the NG story in a highly interesting and informative manner.BUT!The Mystery Channel started showing all the restored episodes and I saw the show as a horrible,dated mess!Buy this book,even if,like me,you shudder at NG.Buy it for the great info on Serling.
PS:It is now many months later and Mystery channel isn't showing NG now,but they will in a couple weeks.I'm looking forward to seeing them all again.Heck,it's not so bad!

I recently purchased the hardback version of Skelton's extremely thorough and enjoyable book pertaining to the Serling Anthology series. Everyone who has seen the show has their own opinion on how it rates among other programs. I enjoyed the show immensely in syndication, in spite of the fact that the episodes were butchered. Having watched the restored episodes through Columbia House, I found the difference to be quite an eye-opener. However, as many have opined, the show was uneven, but many shows such as the Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits were also uneven. Some brilliant, some abyssmally bad. The book, however, full of facts, interviews and history, is an absolute essential to anyone's library who enjoyed The Night Gallery on any level and is interested in learning more about such a unique television series

I remember ordering this book,about a year ago,through the mail and just couldn't wait until it arrived. I've proudly made "Gladiator" a part of my DVD collection and have seen it many times since. Once I got this book I was not in the least disappointed with it. In it was absolutely everything and more I ever wanted to know about this spectacular movie. This book has it all! MANY photos, some history, costume design, about the cast, some drawings by Sylvain Despretz(storyboard artist), the making of "Gladiator", and more. I just couldn't get enough of this book. If you're crazy about the movie as I am then buying this book is highly recommended! "Gladiator" has a great book, great soundtrack, and SPECTACULAR film! ~Did You Know all the armor was made out of foam covered with leather?

A visually stunning book, which portrays the movie 'Gladiator' in detail. Lots of photo's from the movie that were not part of the media blitz that promoted the movie in magazines and other publications. The book is well written using interviews from the filmmakers as well as actors. The best aspect of this book are the full page color photographs, production drawings as well as costume sketches and architectural drawings of the sets used. Overall a great book for the 'Gladiator' fan.

Presuming that prospective buyers of this book probably saw the movie, this book will not disappoint you. The movie was epic in scope, and although some historical inaccuracies existed, they did not detract at all from the movie, nor the performances of Russell Crowe, Connie Nielsen, Joachim Phoenix, and Richard Harris.

If you like to know the 'nuts and bolts' behind the making of a movie such as this, this is your book. If you are curious how they managed to 'reconstruct' the Coliseum complete with gladiator 'fans', this is your book.

A great gift for Gladiator and Russell Crowe fans alike.

Commodus was in fact Marcus Aurelius' son and the downfall of Rome, while already in progress, hastened when Commodus was made Caesar.

Enjoy! And watch the movie again.

Peter Dale Scott poses essential questions and his investigations lead to very disturbing answers.

He uses the JFK assassination as a paradigm for the revelation and understanding of the real powers in the US.
With parallels to 3 other political scandals (MacCarthyism, Watergate, Contragate) he shows that there are deep continuities in the US political system. He arrives at the most alarming conclusion that the US power system is intrinsically vicious, violent and murderous and that conspiracies form an essential part of it.
He shows convincingly that the real powers in the US lay in a symbiosis of public government, organized crime and private wealth.
Most diabolic are the FBI (lead by the insidious Edgar J. Hoover) and the CIA, which are both responsible for the ruthless destruction of opponents and dissidents without legal or moral restraint.
This book gives an appalling picture of the Agency, fighting for the justification of its existence and its resources by prolonging the Cold War. It infiltrated the media in order to preach its Gospel. It used organized crime and drug traffickers as means for its ends.
Very revealing also is the fact that 20 percent of the shares of General Dynamics were in the hands of the mob.

His final analysis is devastating: 'how far our office-holders, including our Presidents, have been reduced to the status of clients, dispensable when the more enduring patronage is withdrawn?' and 'To what extent has our visible political establishment become one regulated by forces operating outside the constitutional process?'
After reading this book, I confess that posing these questions is answering them.

A provocative, dark and disturbing book.
A must read.

Scott's account explores the reasons behind John Kennedy's murder, which he regards as a highly complex crime. He explains it in terms of "deep politics," or an "intelligence, mob, corporate gray alliance." This was an odd coalition of big-city political bosses, Mafia, CIA, FBI, anti-Castro Cubans, and generals eager to escalate the Vietnam War, working to eliminate a president perceived as threatening the status quo. Scott begins by examining JFK's decision to withdraw 1,000 American advisors from South Vietnam and continues with a discussion of Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald's alleged mob and government connections. On the issue of Vietnam withdrawal, Scott borrows heavily from John Newman, who alleges that Kennedy planned to withdraw from Southeast Asia. Scott repeats this claim, ignoring the consensus view that this merely was a rotation, not a withdrawal of troops. Scott's assertion of Ruby and Oswald's connections is based simply on circumstantial evidence. He accuses no one, but seemingly implicates everyone. Despite this flaw, Scott's work is a stimulating piece that does not rehash the mechanics of the assassination but examines the political roots of a political crime. All levels.

In a country such as ours, anyone attempting to voice an opinion that falls outside the mainstream is ridiculed and margainalized until no one takes them seriously. Not so with Professor Scott. Incredibly well researched and documented, he makes a strong case for who actually runs this country, and why.

It is books like this that show you why your vote is meaningless, protest is generally futile, and how the US can skip around the world, bringing down governments (and at home) and no one says boo. Frightening book, and required reading for anyone interested in the death of JFK, a landmark event.