Zoonauts: The Secret of Animalville is the freshest children's novel I've read in decades! It begins with a gangbuster science fiction "school report" by Jen, the teen youth of the Stroud Family - the "keepers" of Animalville. Through an incredible story by a talking parrot we learn the secret of this top-secret research facility for very smart animals.
It was only September, but Jen could see it was already turning into a bad school year. Perhaps it was fun for her younger brother, Cody, but having animals cooking, cleaning and doing taxes made it so hard to have any friends. Plus the whole place was top secret! How could she NOT tell even her best friend Sara anything about her family?
Truth is, no children had ever grown up in the kind of family as the Strouds. While their non-human nursemaids took care of them and taught them things no human children had learned, Jen was getting tired of telling other girls that they couldn't visit her at home. Oh, sure, she went to their places, but usually with some animal, watching everything she did. She felt like she was being spied on. It was too much to bear. Jen was deep in gloom as she left school that day. But you are certain to have a smile on your face as you read this amazing tale. The text, by renowned Hollywood scriptwriter Richard Mueller, is illustrated by Dal Chele - known for Scooby Doo, Spiderman, Robocop, The Real Ghostbusters, Fat Albert and The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, to name just a few!

I would give this book 4 stars, overall it does exactley what it says it will, "take you into a year in the life of an inner city neighborhood." It does an great job of showing how a street corner works, and how people end up spending there lives on the corner. This book gives faces to people who are often seen as nobody and faceless; drug addicts. David Simon and Edward Burns showed me that drug addiction, violence, and crime affect people, not just numbers. When you read the paper and see that someone was arrested for possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute (sell), yeah now your informed but that doesn't tell you the story of who that person is, and why they were selling drugs. This book will show you who these people are, and how good people can do bad things when their backs are against the wall and they can't turn either way. This book will definitely grab your heart and you can't help but feel sympathy for the characters. One complaint about the book is its length. It's a long read that could have been shortened by editing out a few of the authors long spiels against the system that treats drug addicts as criminals and not sick people. Also I felt it started kind of slow and there were a few parts I was wondering if the story would speed up. Its like the authors were repeating themselves saying the same thing just using different wording. Towards the end I liked this book a lot but glad that the end was near. Overall though, this book was great, and would recommend it to anyone who can relate to this lifestyle or topic and anyone who is interested. You definitely have to care though because it can be slow at times.

The Corner is a very telling book. It gives the outsider a close-up view of the life on an inner-city drug corner. These drug corners have one simple overarching rule: You need the blast and nothing else matters. The authors also try to make sense of the whole tradgedy through their own outside comments about the police, the welfare system, and the like. In addition to that, the true story takes on the form a novel, letting you into the daily life of the McCullough family. I couldn't help but feel some type of connection with characters like DeAndre, Fran, and Gary. As I read on, I couldn't help but care for these people, to feel happy when things went right for them and to be a little sad when things went wrong. It was an enjoyable book to read, but a little repetitive. Perhaps that was the authors' plan to drive the idea home, but I think it could have been cut down a little without losing the point. Still, don't let this stop anyone from reading this book.

"The Corner," by David Simon and Edward Burns, is one of the best books I've ever read.

Nothing I've seen or read humanizes inner-city drug fiends, pushers, gang members quite like this does. By gaining the trust of the people of Monroe and Fayette streets in West Baltimore, the authors were able to put the reader in their shoes, capture their thoughts, dreams, and histories.

Rather than glamorize drug use and gang violence as many books and movies do, it plainly shows the heartache experienced and the physical, emotional, and social barriers faced by people living in inner-cities.

So many judge themselves to be morally and intellectually superior to those living in the inner-cities of our country. Simon and Burns do a masterful job demonstrating people of inner-city neighborhoods, for the most part, are victims of circumstance and, given the same upbringing, the same surroundings, the same resistance, those outsiders who judge them harshly would live no differently.

Published in 1997, "The Corner" has received mostly glowing reviews. The few criticisms hurled its way usually center around a lack of solutions offered. Simon and Burns do not have the answers and don't pretend to.

Their book effectively argues society's "war on drugs" has not only failed miserably, but is actually a war on the underclass itself.

If a solution is to be reached in the upcoming century, it will be through a drastic change in attitude of the "haves" towards the "havenots." This book and others like it may go a long way towards changing opinions and ultimately sparking a solution. I challenge the Rush Limbaughheads out there to read "The Corner."

This is just a very well put together book on woodworking. It was one of the first that I got when I started in this hobby and I can not say enough good things about it. The book has just about everything you would want to know about as a person starting out in woodworking. It covers wood, tools, joining techniques, how to set up a shop.... The pictures are good looking as well as helpful. Sure it is not the last word on any of these topics, but a great book to start out with.

Having purchased this book, I would be remiss if I did not recommend it to other beginners. The book covers everything you would need or want to know about the basics of woodworking, including types of wood, tools, joining techniques, etc. Also, the book's layout is clear, containing rich photographs with text a layman can understand.

I consider this book a great investment.

This book is an A to Z guide describing topics as diverse as the type of woods, their uses, power and manual tools, fittings to be used, wood carving, veneering, joinery, designs etc etc.

I will guarantee that this is an investment - a fully illustrated (in colour) reference book - a complete manual.

Midnight Farm is an excellent story with wonderful illustrations. It is a whimsical tale about two little boys on a farm who wake one night to find their farm animals and crops rockin'. My two year old wants to read it every night because of the amusing rhythm, and I oblige, because even as an adult, I have yet to tire of the fantasy that everyday objects lead secret lives! The pictures are beautiful, with a mystical feel and tons of detail. You notice something new almost every read.

This book also has a sweet vulnerability that many of Carly's songs have which makes it very enduring. Overall, Midnight Farm is a great book that will appeal to several age groups. I wish it were more available- it would make a great gift book.

Of all of the books that I have read to my three kids, this is my favorite. It is so magical, so beautiful. I have read it over and over again, and never get tired of it. Midnight Farm brings the dark night to life, and my children's imaginations go wild with all of the magical possibilties of what goes on when we are all asleep. This is a book that I give to all of the children that I love. It is magic!

My four year old loves this book! And I do, too, thanks to the lovely illustrations and rhythmic text. It is entertaining and great for a bed-time read. I wish Carly Simon would write more and get the same illustrator! He's fabulous!

If you have read The Essential Drucker, Balanced scorecard etc. , the book essentially has the same information repeated under a different title. Recommend Essential Drucker, Balanced Score card which is more comprehensive than this title.

This collection of eight articles from the HBR is a must IF AND ONLY IF you want the only highlights of some of the new management tools and theories out there. If you've ever wondered what Activity-Based Costing (ABC) is or what Kaplan's "Balanced Scorecard" is all about, this may be just the introductory text for you. I mention these two tools first since 2 out of 8 articles deal with ABC, either in whole or in part, while another 3 deal specifically with the balanced scorecard. So, if you've got ABC and the balanced scorecard already firmly laid out in your head, this may be a bit redundant.

The remaining three articles are still worth a quick read though. I found in one article, "How the Right Measures Help Teams Excel," ideas that I hadn't seen anywhere else (for example, the team "dashboard"). And, the "How High is Your Return on Management?" article might give managers a moment of reflection on whether or not they have a good ROM and what they can do to improve it.

As I stated before, much of this is merely highlights though. Do not expect to be able to use this book as a primary source to implement any of the measures. It's a tease that gets you excited (at least it did me), but doesn't provide much of a game plan for bringing it all about.

Still, if what you want is a quick overview and a few case studies where these principles and tools have been applied, by all means, read this. It's worth at least that much.

Looking for some informative, original and clear thinking about measuring performance? This book is a great choice! This is a collection of eight outstanding articles selected from past editions of the HBR. The articles cover such subjects as activity-based costing, the use of nonfinancial criteria, and tools executives require to generate the information needed. Each article begins with an executive summary which, for the fast-forward crowd, is a big plus.

So many books are merely ONE GOOD ARTICLE embedded in a thicket of verbiage. Chopping away through such a jungle of verbosity for the gist-of-it-all often proves tedious and disappointing. (Blessed are the laconic!) This book, on the other hand, just serves up a bunch of 'gists' -the pure meat and potatoes of ideas. Happily, the HBSP has published several other collections of this sort on such topics as knowledge management, change, and strategies for growth. Each of these is collection of first-rate 'gists'. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, Stern & Associates, author of Stern's Sourcefinder The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and the Compensation and Benefits SourceFinder.

I'll agree with the many other reviews that rate this book as an extremely knowledgeable reference on ASP, perhaps the definitive reference.

However, there are several points that make this book somewhat unappealing from a practical perspective.

First, note that it was written by 15 different authors. This incorporates many different writing styles, making it unwieldy. The previous edition was written by 8 people. Do not attempt to use either book as a cover-to-cover tutorial.

Second, the code examples are written almost exclusively in VBScript, although the book acknowledges that Javascript (also known as JScript) would work just as effectively. From a real-world perspective, I have found that many ASP programmers prefer to use Javascript for both server-side and client-side development.

The use of 2 scripting languages in one application is simply impractical. VBScript persists mainly because it is a Microsoft invention, as is ASP itself. However, Javascript (or ECMA Script) has become the industry-standard scripting language for web-based applications.

Another issue with the code examples is that they are not line-numbered. For short examples, this is not an issue. But for larger code modules (as one would encounter in the real world), line-numbering is considered part of best practices in explaining and debugging code before it is deployed.

For readers with any ASP background, this book would be a useful desktop reference. Carrying it around in your briefcase may cause lower back strain.

Professional Active Server Pages 3.0, by Alex Homer, is
a book on developing web applications using Active
Server Pages 3.0. This book goes in depth into
developing web applications with discussions and
examples on advanced topics such as, CDO/Microsoft
Exchange Server, ADO/Microsoft SQL Server, and
ADSI/Active Directory. Homer presents the reader with a
wealth of information on advanced enterprise level
topics based on Microsoft technologies. This book is
excellent for intermediate/advanced users who wish to
learn about Active Server Pages using Microsoft
technologies, however due to the fact Homer does not
goes in depth with fundamentals of programming Visual
Basic Script, this book should not be recommended to
novice developers.

Throughout the book, Homer discusses the importance of
COM/COM+ and what that technology can do for your web
application. He writes examples of a COM+ component in
Visual Basic and shows the user how to register/load
the component into memory along with utilizing the
functionality of them in an Active Server Page. Homer
further explores the features of Windows 2000 by
introducing the features of Active Directory and
explaining/demonstrating how ADSI can connect an Active
Server Page to the Active Directory. The book goes into
further detail on enterprise level topics by discussing
how CDO interfaces with Microsoft Exchange Server.
Using CDO, a developer can access all of users Exchange
account information including mail, contacts, calendar,
etc. The book ends with performance and security issues
for web applications running on a Windows 2000 Server
and how an administrator should configure a Windows
2000 Server for maximum performance and security.

The software/technologies the book uses are based on
products/technologies developed by Microsoft. Since
Active Server Pages is a Microsoft technology, it would
be reasonable to use only Microsoft
products/technologies. However, in the real world, many
businesses have heterogeneous environments with Oracle
database servers and JavaScript web developers. The
fact that this book only exposes the reader to vendor-
specific technologies could be a down fall, however
creates a centralized focus for the reader.

This book covers a wide spectrum of advanced knowledge
with Active Server Pages, however is completely based
around Microsoft technologies. Several other authors
composed this book, which helps the reader get a
dynamic flavor of knowledge from chapter to chapter as
one can see. Any intermediate/advanced web developer,
interested in enterprise web application development,
should purchase a copy of this book for reference
purposes.

Being an enterprise web developer, I found this book to be the absolute best in its field. It covers a very wide spectrum of fields any web developer working with Microsoft web technology should know, including ADO, ADSI, ASP, CDO, COM+, error handling, MSMQ, Windows DNA, XML, and a whole lot more (note that this book is primarily oriented at web developers who's target platform is Windows 2000 and IIS 5.0, but I also found it to be extremely useful for use on Windows NT 4.0 and IIS 4.0, since the authors clearly indicate features that are new to Windows 2000 and IIS 5.0). The writing style is absolutely excellent and gives clear tips on code optimization and performance. I have read literally dozens of different books on these subjects, and none has come close to this one. Although this book is not for beginners, it is, in my opinion, good for anyone who wants to advance their career on the web or become an web developer. This is definitely a book you will want to read from cover to cover, and use as a reference. At just about any price, it's a steal.

In Here Be Dragons, Koerner & Levay take us on a journey through the quest for extraterrestrial life. Filled with interesting comments and interviews with researchers in a myriad of fields, this book gives a great overview of the most current research. Discussions include how life began on earth, SETI, the search for extra-solar planets, how evolution might lead to complex organisms, speculations on life as we don't know it, and cosmology and the anthropic principle. Find out what current researchers are thinking, where we might go with this search and learn some astounding facts from astronomy and biology that might lead you to believe that life might be common after all. All this information was presented in a well written and easy to understand format. I found the discussions on the origin of life particularly illuminating. Also, the sections on recent findings in astronomy were fascinating. The book was worth getting because it contained alot of info I haven't seen elsewhere. The only part of the book I didn't like were the first 4 or 5 pages that discuss a visit to a creationism museum.

This book's been on my shopping list for a while, so I was delighted to find it while strolling through a small bookstore in downtown Astoria. I put it in my shopping bag, along with "The Search for Life on Mars," (Malcolm Walker, Perseus Books, 1999). This is the sort of book that almost anyone with an interest in science and/or astronomy will enjoy. It's easy reading, and doesn't really require any prerequisite knowledge.

The book isn't about dragons. It's about the scientific search for extraterrestrial life. The title's taken from a phrase used by old cartographers to indicate unexplored regions of the earth. The play on words, obviously, is that the search for extraterrestrial life takes us into uncharted territory.

"Here be dragons" is a little like "Rare earth," (Ward, Brownlee, Copernicus press, 2000) with a different slant, and a different opinion held by the authors. While Ward and Brownlee are of the opinion that intelligent life is extremely rare in the universe, Koerner and LeVay tend toward the opinion that "...the resulting pressures [of evolution] may commonly foster a trend toward complexification and the ability to react and learn." In line with the hopes of SETI, Koerner and LeVay are of the opinion that "intelligence and technology is common in the galaxy." They find the Fermi Paradox (if intelligence were common in the galaxy, where are the extraterrestrials) "poorly conceived," though they admit their views may be grounded in faith as much as in reason.

The book's flow is both logical and predictable. It begins by describing the theories of the origin of life on earth, including hyperthermophiles and life at the extreme, near mid-ocean vents and hot springs. There's a brief review of Stanley Miller's experiment in the 50's, and how he synthesized many important organic compounds by simulating what he thought, at the time, was a realistic approximation of earth's early atmosphere. But our understanding of the early atmosphere has changed since then, and it looks like the experiment Miller performed doesn't match atmospheric conditions, as we understand them today. This has led scientists to look at other possibilities for the origin of life. For example, organic compounds have been found in space, so there is some speculation that the initial ingredients for life might have been extraterrestrial. Also, recent evidence suggests that our earliest common ancestors were hyperthermophiles, so deep-sea vents may be where life first arose.

Recent discoveries of the extreme conditions in which life exists on earth has led to new speculation about its possible existence on other planets. Mars, for example, might harbor life today, deep under ground (as it is found on earth). During a warmer and wetter past, Mars might even have supported life on its surface.

Throughout the book, the authors act as scientific investigative reporters. They use the book to teach, but also to give a representative view of what different scientists and researchers in various fields are doing. Ordinarily, I'd prefer to see authors be a little more forceful in presenting an idea or opinion, and then working to defend it. But the situation with Koerner and LeVay is different. Exobiology, unlike other branches of science, is one in which the principal subject of research has not been shown to exist. The field is so new that speculation and widely divergent opinions abound. In view of this state of flux, I think it's particularly valuable for their book to sample the broader spectrum of ideas.

After describing the conditions under which life arose on earth, and how it might exist on other planets, the authors proceed to describe the direction of evolution. The point of this discussion is whether evolution has any tendency toward greater levels of complexity, and specifically whether it drives toward the evolution of beings intelligent enough to build a radio transmitter. They sample the opinions of three scientists: Simon Conway Morris, Stephen Jay Gould, and Stuart Kauffman. While these scientists share common ground, they also draw different conclusions and place emphasis in different ways. Personally, I think Stephen Jay Gould comes closest to the truth. It seems obvious to me that the chances of finding intelligence on other planets (where "intelligence" means being able to design and build a system that can communicate with earth) is about as likely as finding a woodpecker (an example used in the book) or an elephant. Humans - in spite of the inflated opinion we have of ourselves - are not the end product of evolution. Our species represents a single point in a morphological phase space of nearly infinite expanse. While I suspect there are strange attractors in this space, it seems less than obvious to me that intelligence (of the sort possessed by humans) is so close to one of these strange attractors as to ensure its evolution during the lifetime of a given planet.

The authors have a pretty interesting chapter on SETI, as well as one about science and the religion of UFOs. They end the book with some exotic extrapolations and speculation of life on other planets, complete with philosophical discussions about cosmology, the anthropic principle, many worlds, multiple universes, and a whole bunch of other subjects that are as easily tossed about by novices and experts, alike.

The book is sparsely illustrated, with an ample index and extensive list of additional reading material. It's well written, easy to read, and entertaining. It's pure speculation (of course) about what we shall find of extraterrestrial life. The real scientific value is in its descriptions of the origin of life on earth, aspects of evolution, and the way it sets the mind to wondering.

The book presents, chapter after chapter, the points of view of differents scientists (and a few pseudo-scientists) on the subject of life: its nature, definition, origin, rules, etc. The underlying subject is extraterrestrial life, but, in order to discuss it properly, the text does not focus on SETI only, for example, but asks renowed biologists, mathematicians, roboticists and Artificial Life experts what their work about life is all about.

You end up with a very well written text, that gives some speech-time to everyone, including (regrettably, IMHO) creationnists and ufologists.

Funny thing: in the end, you probably still won't know what life is!

It does not take much skill to catalog the various ills of our modern society, particularly the unhealthy influences of Madison Ave. and Hollywood. This book does a fine job summarizing today's cultural pressures to spend and consume, to make more money and spend more time making it, all at the expnse of our families and personal sanity. Indeed, many books do the same thing; pointing out what is wrong with our spend-spend-spend culture these days is like shooting fish in a barrel. The authors provide several good examples of folks who got caught up in the world of consumption, credit card debt and keeping up with the Jones's. If you are looking for practical solutions for simplifying your life on an everyday, prectical level, however, this is not the book to read. As I feared they would, the authors rely almost exclusively on radical, unrealistic eco-solutions based upon environmental activism to recommend ways of living more simply. That might be OK for states, nations and communities to use, but for the individual looking for ways to cut back, relax, spend more time at home with loved ones, Affluenza is decidedly lacking. For folks trying to find realistic ways of not working so many hours and spending too much on possessions, the authors' recommendations of not eating red meat and eliminating your annual vacation to the beach border on absurd. Even more absurd is the conclusion: this book recommends heavy-handed, intrusive governtment solutions (including legistlation to cut back the work week) as "the answer" along with radical environmentalism. Nowhere do the authors recommend religous or spiritual ideas to help people reduce their work hours and conspicuous consumption, a serious flaw to this study. Big government is not the answer to this issue.

It's hard sometimes to live a simple life surrounded by "affluenza" and its effects. So for me, the book "Affluenza" has been really helpful in reminding me what's important in my life - it's not the "stuff." It's my life that I value. It's not all that's advertised to make me hungry for what I don't want. It's remembering what I do want in my life, and prioritizing that above those tantalizing baubles that are offered over and over again to deplete my bank account - to put me in debt - to put me in slavery to my possessions.

So, thank the authors for writing this important book that reminds me again and again who I am and why I have chosen to step back from all the glitter and acquisition. It reminds me why I work a 30 hour week, instead of a 40 hour week, and why I even hope to pare that down to a 25 hour week - so that the rest of my time can be spent on my life!

I like it that "Affluenza" isn't preachy or grim. It's light and humorous. It's fast-paced, like a television program - only without commercials. It's stock full of information about how we got to this place where money and things outweigh time with our families and time volunteering to make our communities stronger. And it gives examples and ideas about how to move forward into a place where each of us can get out of debt, and shift our priorities to what we truly value in this life that we only get to live one time.

David Horsey's cartoons are right on the money. They're witty and apt. The writing is visual and well-paced. Can you tell - I like this book! And it couldn't have come at a better time. A lot of us need to see its message. As for me, it's one of those books that I'll keep around to refer to when I feel particularly plagued by the lure of keeping up with any Joneses.

I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit, but I was saddened to see just how materialistic American society has become. The average American household carries over $7000 in credit card debt. My question is "What the HECK are they buying and WHY do they need itso badly that they would go into debt for it?" I was brought up to only buy things you need and can afford - what was everyone else teaching their children? Money doesn't buy happiness, but the average person doesn't seem to know that. Or, if they do, they don't know quite how to stop the rampant consumerism from ruling their lives. I didn't realize exactly how much of a burden our consumer society is on the planet until I read this book. The authors did a fabulous job of exposing the facts about our economic conditions while making the book entertaining at the same time. There's even a quiz to help you see how badly you are infected with the Affluenza bug. A great read, especially if you borrow it from the library!

Donald Simons' "I Refuse" is a personal memoir of one man's attempt to declare himself a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, and the consequences of his decision. One of the signs of excellent narrative writing is the ability to keep the reader turning the pages, and Simons manages this admirably well, building up and dramatizing each step of his confrontation with the local draft board and his subsequent trial. In doing so, he demonstrates a kind of courage different from that normally associated with war - the courage of conviction.

One of the strongpoints of the book is that the author never tries to convince the reader that his beliefs are absolutely right. He merely presents his story as if to say "I felt this way, I found myself in this situation, and this is what I decided to do." Even those who disagree with his decision can still understand and sympathize with his plight. The focus remains on the human reactions to the circumstances, and the effect on him and his family.

The author does a good job of describing the historical circumstances of the era, firmly rooting his personal story into a greater context. The excellent preface also gives a short history of coscientious objectors and the consequences they have faced, providing a more detailed historical backdrop to the scenes described in the book. For those interested in the Vietnam War era, this book represents a forgotten piece of the puzzle.

A relation of one man's struggle to declare himself a conscientious objector to the Vietnam war, "I Refuse" is a compelling and unique reflection on a turbulent era. The sign of a good narrative writer is the ability to keep the reader turning the pages, and Simons does this admirably well, building up and dramatizing each step in his confrontation with the local draft board and his subsequent trial. In doing so, the author illustrates a different kind of courage than that normally associated with war - moral courage.

One of the strengths of Mr. Simons' excellent memoir is that at no point in time does he attempt to persuade the reader that his beliefs about war are absolutely true. Rather, he presents his story by essentially saying, "This is how I felt, this is the situation I was in, and this is what I decided to do." Even those who completely disagree with his viewpoint can still sympathize with his predicament. This lack of ideological preaching allows the reader to focus in on the human side of the equation: how the events impact him and his family.

The author also does an excellent job of detailing the history of the era and rooting his story in this history, showing how his life becomes intertwined with events outside his control. The excellent preface gives a history of conscientious objectors and provides additional background, placing Simons' very personal narrative within a historical context. For anyone interested in the Vietnam draft era, this book provides an often neglected piece of the puzzle.

Although now a decade old, Donald Simons' I Refuse continues to be instructive for our times. This is a nonfiction account of a Vietnam War objector's experiences as he faced the prospect of being drafted into a war he found morally indefensible. His problem was doubly complicated by the fact that his home state of West Virginia, unlike other states, didn't recognize philosophical conscientious objection. The book is fascinating as Simons wrestles with tough moral decisions that have a direct impact on his life. He is no armchair philosopher pondering otherworldly concerns, but a person driven by his conscience, even when the personal consequences are life-changing. I Refuse is a page-turner that grips the reader intellectually and emotionally, and I strongly recommend it.

The book provides very useful information for anyone that wishes to learn embedded software from the ground up. Great for entry level engineers, or professionals wishing to make a lateral move into embedded systems. The book has two clearly written chapters dedicated to hardware fundamentals; describing I/O .vs. memory mapping, how interrupts function, memory types including PROM's, and microprocessor basics. A chapter is dedicated to one of the single most inportant issues in embedded systems SHARED DATA and how to prevent corrupting it. Chapter 5 discusses four basic software methods to servicing interrupts. Chapters 6,7, and 8 clearly introduce the concept of an RTOS (Real Time Operating System). Chapter 9 is a must read for those new to embedded systems. It discusses development tools and the steps required to get your final code onto the target system. It explains what a cross-compiler is and why they are used in embedded systems. This is a very good book for engineers with C skills!

I started working on an embedded platform 1 year ago. Although now I have a good understanding of a lot of the aspects of the system, I never get the big picture.

This book provides exactly what I needed.

If you are a working software engineer and have spent years doing high level programming, the first few chapters will give you a good review of low-level-close-to-the-machine things that you need to know, which is also very useful for students as these are very important concepts that they need to understand to have a solid foundation to conquer higher level, more abstract CS subjects.

In embedded system, bugs in task code can bring down the device. Author has done a very good job explaining how to protect shared data using mechanism provided by a RTOS. The communication between interrupt/task and among tasks are also discussed thoroughly.

Unlike the other reviewer, I found the use of the C!! language in this book a very clever way to abstract away the hardware dependent code from the point being discussed. Consider it pseudo comment if you will.

BTW, the excellent typesetting and use of fonts also makes it a very pleasant experience reading this book.

Looking forward to see a more advanced text on embedded system from this author in the future.

If you are going to buy only one book on Embedded Software Programming, this should be the one. The author introduces virtually everything an engineer needs to know about programming embedded systems. There are two chapters describing hardware stuff that is useful for the software engineer to know. There is a chapter on Interrupts. There are three chapters on programming in an RTOS environment. All of the chapters include coding examples on what to do, and also examples of code with bugs to watch out for. There is also a chapter on debugging techniques.

All of the other FIVE STAR reviews (and many of the FOUR STAR ones as well) contain more specific points which I won't repeat here.

However, I will echo what I said at the beginnning. If there is only one book you are going to buy about programming embedded systems, this should be the one.