Beautiful pictures, touching and moving story. About the restoration of the wolves.

Beautiful pictures illustrates the many different wolves that were restored to yellowstone (#10, #9etc...). Illustrates the effort the yellowstone had to put in to restore the wolf to its natural habitat. Very interesting to the average wolf lover and those who are interested in what happened in the 1995 restoration of the wolves to yellowstoen.

This book brings you right into the experience of bringing the wolves back to Yellowstone where they belong! Find out the behind the scenes activity that brought the sight and sound of the wolf back after an absence of over 60 years. You'll never be the same after reading this. Excellent!!

I enjoy reading Kurzweil because he's an adventurous thinker. This book is particularly fun because some other fine minds take him to task. Ray holds up well because he's a reasonable thinker. Although some of his predicitions seem outlandish, they may not be. You can't read this book without engaging in a lot of interesting visualization about the future. Some of it is frightening, but there is hope as well. Will the future runaway on it's own or will we be in charge? I don't know, but I'm sure thinking about it, now.

This is Ray Kurzweil's third book concerning the future of reductionist artificial intelligence design and it's possible effects on us in the decades yet to come. In THE AGE OF SPIRITUAL MACHINES, Kurzweil's previous book, which I enjoyed also, and this volume, he uses technological trends, including Moore's law and other tools, to show that a desktop computer will have achieved human level computational ability around the year 2020. Also, Kurzweil envisions that we will be able, sometime in the next few decades, to scan human brains and download that 'software' into these advanced computers to give them human level reasoning abilities, with the speed of computer neural nets, leaving humans behind, so to speak. Accordingly, it may also be possible to scan individual brains and load that information into an advanced computer (attached to a body of some kind), giving that person a sort of immortality. This is the gist of Kurzweil's argument, I hope I got it essentially correct.

What Kuzweil means by computers someday becoming 'spiritual' is that they may become conscious, and 'strong A.I.' is the view that "any computational process sufficiently capable of altering or organizing itself can produce consciousness." The first part of this book is an introduction to all of the above views by Kurzweil, followed by criticisms by four authors, followed in turn by Kurzweil as he refutes these criticisms.

Personally, I found most of the views expounded by the critics here to be either non-sensical, or 'beside the point'. One critic says that the life support functions of the brain cannot be separated from it's information processing function. Of course it can be, even the effects of hormones can be programmed into a downloaded brain, as well as other chemicals used by brains. Another critic states that possibly evolution is in error, and yet another criticism is that our machines will not be able to contact a divine entity and would thus be inferior.... give me a break, well...perhaps this is all true and maybe pigs will one day fly over the moon unassisted. I could go on and on, but this is the job of Ray Kurzweil and he defends himself admirably in the final chapters of this volume. Kurzweil does mention in this book that brain scanning machines are improving their resolution with each new generation, and eventually will reach a point where they should be able to image individual neurons and synapses in large areas, and allow the brain 'software' to be transferred to a suitable non-biological computing medium, my only criticism of Kurzweil here is that I think he should discuss this technology more, and where it is headed, his next book would be a great place for this.

One final point, it seems to me that when a new idea appears to be difficult and complicated to achieve, the pessimist says: "This is difficult and complicated, and may not work", whereas the optimist says: "This is difficult and complicated, but may work". Only time will tell for sure.

The work, inventions, and opinions of Ray Kurzweil in the field of artificial intelligence have captured media attention and the attention of philosophers and researchers in artificial intelligence. But not only is Kurzweil one of the most brilliant and controversial of all the individuals working in artificial intelligence, he is also the most optimistic. This optimism holds not only for the future technology of artificial intelligence, predicted by Kurzweil to give independent thinking machines in the next three decades, but also for its social impact. Kurzweil believes that artificial intelligence will work for the benefit of humankind, but that this benefit will depend to a great degree on his belief that humans will take on technology that will effectively make them cybernetic.

The controversy behind Kurzweil stems from his recent book "The Age of Spirtual Machines", which is a detailed accounting of his predictions and beliefs regarding artificial intelligence. Many individuals objected to his visions and predictions, and he answers a few of them in this book. In particular, he attempts to counter the arguments against him by the philosopher John Searle, the molecular biologist Michael Denton, the philosopher William A. Dembski, and zoologist Thomas Ray. With only a few minor exceptions, Kurzweil is successful in his refutation of their assertions.

But even if Kurzweil completely refutes the arguments of these individuals, and possibly many more against him, the countering of arguments will not by itself solve the problems in artificial intelligence research. The fact remains that much work still needs to be done before we are priveleged to see the rise of intelligent machines. Kurzweil is well-aware of this, for he acknowledges this many times in this book. He points to reverse engineering of the human brain as one of the most promising strategies to bring in the robotic presence. The success or failure of this strategy will take the mind-body problem out of purely academic circles and bring it to the forefront of practical research in artificial intelligence. The 21st century will thus see the rise of the "industrial philosopher", who works in the laboratory beside the programmers, cognitive scientists, robot engineers, and neurologists.

Each reader of this book will of course have their own opinions on Kurzweil's degree of success in countering the arguments of Searle, Denton, Dembski, and Ray. But one thing is very clear: Kurzweil is no arm-chair philosopher engaging in purely academic debates on the mind-body problem. He is right in the thick of the research and development of artificial intelligence, and if the future turns out as he predicts, he will certainly be one of the individuals contributing to it. He and many others currently working in artificial intelligence are responsible for major advances in this field in just the last few years. Their ingenuity and discipline is admirable in a field that has experienced a roller coaster ride of confidence and disappointment in the preceding decades. All of these individuals have proved themselves to be superb thinking machines.

One of the most frustrating things in finding a good translation of the Bhagavad Gita is also finding one not bogged down in an endless commentary. Editions with only the text of the Gita are very rare, and this book is no exception. Amazingly enough, however, this edition contains a commentary that's just as interesting and involving as the text itself--so much so that you don't even care that the commentary comprises the majority of the book!

One element that would always be helpful would be to include some (if not all) of the original text, but even still this a good translation, and relatively unbaised if you're aware of what the text originally says. Sadly, this version is not as popular as the Bhagavad Gita As It Is (published by Hare Krishna), although in my opinion it is certainly more spiritual and more reliable.

This is the first of Hindu scripture I have read, and it is spiritually rewarding and enlightening. This book will definitely have a potent effect on the rest of my life, which few things ever do. I see this in a very important light and believe every one should meditate on its message to improve all of our lives. This read could not be any more pleasing, you will not be disappointed.

The Bhagavad Gita ("The Lord's Song") is a profound religious text and an essential part of the Hindu religion. For a westerner, however, it is almost impossible to understand without previous knowledge of Hindu philosophy or copious annotation.

This book, consisting of Gandhi's translation of the Gita, as well as commentary he presented to his followers at prayer meetings in 1926, is an important and highly-regarded version of the ancient text. Gandhi's commentary, actually comprising about two-thirds of the work, was lucid, profound, and clearly indicative of the deep wisdom of one of the twentieth-century's greatest men. It greatly enhanced my understanding of the Gita.

This is a great translation of a great relious work, with explanations by a great man. Not surprisingly, this adds up to a great book. Highly recommended.

I have found it practical to use older textbooks on analog photography techniques to sharpen skills and enhance creativity in the digital realm. While newer books are being written on such topics they tend to skip along and trivialize important concepts. Good pictures only enhances one's ability to approach such hybidization attempts. Digital photography has enhanced my appreciation of all forms of photography and this book, and others like it, further fuel this love. Read, reread, and refer to this book.

I've had this book for 10 years and would be heart-broken if I ever lost it. It's a wonderful source for the photographer who is ready to go beyond the basics and try more adventerous and experimental techniques in the darkroom. It's the only book I've ever found that has so many ways to jazz up your photographs beyond the 'same old.' If you like having fun in the darkroom, this is the book for you.

When i first began learning photography in high school this was my first textbook. With its easy to follow diagrams it really opened my eyes, with out intimidating me, to what there is to be done with photography. This book inspired me to continue my education into a college major. This is a great book for anyone interested in photography. It is full of great examples of the techniques used to creat this wonderfull art.

I found this book to be a great resource for the engineering and design fundamentals that relate to the question "how is all that data formatted and organized in digital television broadcasting?" The MPEG-2 Systems Standard is one of the foundations of digital television. If you're interested in how MPEG-2 really works at the system level, you'll find this book an excellent resource. The chapter on MPEG Transport by itself is worth the price of the book, but it also does a great job explaining another arcane MPEG-2 Standard, Digital Storage Media Command and Control (DSM-CC). It turns out DSM-CC is very useful in data broadcasting, but if you were to pick up the IEC standard itself and try to make sense of it, you'd find it very challenging.

Even though broadcasters have not started transmitting data along with digital television, this book sets the framework for understanding how it will be done. It's written by those experts in the field who actually designed the standard, so you know the information is accurate.

I highly recommend this book to all those who develop or maintain data broadcasting systems.

The good point is that it is not at all a replication of the specification (though a true copy of the A/90 spec is added as an appendix). The concepts are clear, progressive and sufficiently illustrated.

Chapter 3 alone tells you most you need to know about MPEG-2 Systems standard. I gained extra insight from it even after I had studied the original 13818-1 spec.

This book, written by several of data broadcast specification authors, is The Definitive Work on the ATSC Data Broadcast specification.

If you are an implementer of data broadcasting, you need exactly two things: a copy of the specification and a copy of this book.

This giant of the 20th Century, will be known as John Paul the Great by future historians. Today, his teachings are considered "out of touch" with the modern world by the mouth pieces of worldly power, especially on sexual morality. He is considered worthy of derision by them, how wrong they are.

The thought of JPII is trans-modern, it is a bold and sophisticated philosophical approach to the problems that afflict our world. His insights penetrate into the philosphical and spiritual roots of the modern crisis and has found the solution. His approach is a rigorus engagement with modern thought and transcends the dead-end thought that has emerged among intellectual eliets and poisons our universities.

For those who would gloss over his writings, they would miss the mystical import and profound depth of this thinker and leader. So subtle, so rich, it is easily missed.

John Paul II is a prophet to the world, a prophet whose message has largely been ignored.

In the not too distant future, when our need for the TRUTH presses upon us ever more heavily, those who search will find John Paul's writings and be liberated and ennobled by this man's potent seed.

Take this and steep yourself in the truth and allow this man's spirit, the spirit of the Father, Child and Love to fill you.

Here they are, in one collection. Why buy them individually when you can have them all in one place?

This important book provides a study of 12 of Pope John Paul II's encyclicals, from the first of his pontificate, Redemptor Hominis, through the much discussed Evangelium Vitae and Veritatis Splendor, the not-to-be-overlooked Redemptoris Mater, and Ut Unum Sint.

Scholars and non-scholars will be pouring over the Pope's gifts for the next century to come. The encyclicals offer Pope John Paul II's brilliant blueprint for the third millennium. It is a blueprint fashioned from Scripture itself, but with modern insights to carry us forward across the "threshold of hope."

J. Michael Miller, C.S.B. offers an excellent introduction to Papal encyclicals and helpful notes prior to each chapter. In addition, an exhaustive index makes this a superb reference for pastors, teachers, writers, theologians, researchers, and the average layperson desiring to know more about the Church.

Father Miller has captured an entire set of the most significant written works of the Papacy of John Paul II. Clearly the present pope has been a religious and geopolitical figure of first importance in the past 22 years, as has been amply documented in such works as Weigel's 'Witness to Hope' and Bernstein's 'His Holiness.' The universal intellectual achievement however of JPII is understandable most readily in his encyclicals. These documents speak from and reveal a philosopher and theologian of the first quality; indeed, as with Leo XIII, it may take at least a hundred years for the importance of his work to be understood. Fr. Miller has the qualifications on all fronts, as a philosopher, a theologian, and his former employment in the Papal Secretariat of State, to gather and remark on these works. Students of the times and their deepest roots will doubtlessly find here a collection of primary source materials that are indispensible to their understanding.

Just a small picture book with some info on Enrique. It has great pictures and some information not commonly known.

If you're an Enrique Iglesias fan, you will probably know most or all of the information in this book. What I love about it is it's very cute because of its small size and all the pictures are great! There are some pictures of Enrique that I had never seen before and some that I had seen on the internet that I wished I could get a copy of and this book allowed me to have copies of those pictures. The book also contains some of Enrique's best quotes. It's a cute, fun book to have.

Hi my name is Michelle I am Enrique's biggest FAN! I have LOVED him for more than 5 years now since he started. I have been lucky enought to meet him twice and he is the hottest and sweetest guy I have ever meet in my life! This book is really great! With pictures or him and so much to say about him! If you are a true fan of enrique you would not think twice and go add this book to your shopping cart. Even if you are not a huge fan of his after reading this book you will be, trust me! He is the BOMB and so is this book!

This is a wise and encouraging little book on a very important topic. It is 103 pages of text with an additional 8-page biography of the author, J. Heinrich Arnold. The eighteen chapter titles are as follows: The Struggle, Temptation, Deliberate Sin, The Will, The Power of Suggestion, Autosuggestion, Fascination, Suppression, Faith, Self-Surrender, Confession, Prayer, Detachment, Repentance and Rebirth, Healing, Purification, The Cross, and Living for the Kingdom. Arnold perceptively sees the distinction between our sinful nature and our will, but is also aware of the latter's inability to overcome sin without God's grace. He writes: "It is impossible to defeat one's sinful nature by will power alone, because the will is never wholly free, but bent this way and that by conflicting emotions and other forces at work on it." Thomas Kelly, in his classic "A Testament of Devotion" says it this way: "'I will' spells not obedience." This is because obedience comes through submission of our will to God, not independent exertion of it. It is as we walk in submission to the Holy Spirit that we overcome the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16) and bear fruits of righteousness. Although some theologians or authors make distinctions or use terms differently than others, one can benefit from a comparative analysis of Arnold's book in relation to others on the same or similar topics. Although such comparative analysis isn't an emphasis in this work, Arnold does incorporate insights from other authors such as Bonhoeffer, Pascal, Eckhart, the Swiss-French psychiatrist Charles Baudouin, and his father.

Through my studies I've come to distinguish (contrary to some) between what I call unconscious, conscious, and willful sins. The first involves sins of character and attitude that we are not yet aware of in ourselves and include "sins of ignorance". The second, usually considered synonymous with the third by some, involves becoming conscious of what was previously unconscious for the purpose of repentance. It also includes our awareness of our sinful nature that produces internal temptations (via sinful desires) that we can overcome through our submission to the Holy Spirit. Arnold, in Chapter II, states that "temptation is not sin" (pg. 10). I would qualify this by saying that all temptation is sin, but not sin from the one being tempted. I believe this was Arnold's point since some Christians condemn themselves for being tempted. Our sinful nature "tempts" us internally and contributes to any external temptation, but we are not to deliberately fulfill its sinful desires. What I call "willful sin" equates, more or less, to what Arnold calls "deliberate" sin and involves our deliberate refusal to submit to God and the moral light he gives us both in our conscience and in His Word, the Bible. I personally think that willful sin should be distinguished from our sinful nature (ref. Romans 7:20 in context) and its lusts. To help others understand my distinction between conscious and willful sin, I point out that all willful sin is conscious (choosing sin knowing it is sin) but not all conscious sin is willful, but the definition of each category needs refinement. Other books discussing sin and holiness that warrant a comparative analysis with this one and, in some ways, complement and reinforce its points, include such classics as: "Sin and Temptation: The Challenge of Personal Godliness" by John Owen, edited by James Houston; "A Serious Call to a Devout & Holy Life" by William Law; "Introduction to the Devout Life" by Francis de Sales; "Purity of Heart" by Soren Kierkegaard; and "Holy Living and Holy Dying" by Jeremy Taylor. A more recent, but good, Protestant analysis of sin is "Offense to Reason: A Theology of Sin" by Bernard Ramm. See also "Five Views on Sanctification," from the Zondervan Counterpoint series, edited by Stanley Gundry.

Anything good or bad, large or small that has ever been accomplished in human history began with a thought. This is why our personal thought life is not only crucial to the health of our soul but can have a very wide impact for good or evil. When thoughts become a burden that drag us down and away from life's purpose the wisdom in this book can give help and healing.

This book is a profound book. Its piety is deep and true, centered on Jesus Christ crucified. I highly recommend it for Evangelicals and, despite a couple of minor theological difficulties, Catholics. Anyone interested in living within God's will should read this book.

Dr Nelson is a total sweety. He gave me a copy of the book free. He also set me up with a therapist that is a personal friend of his outside the HMO that he worked for.
Total sweety!

At last, an enlightened psychiatrist describes a way to distinguish mystical experience and creative inspiration from regressive psychosis. Nelson integrates Eastern Philosophy and Western neuroscience into a unique and practically helpful synthesis that appeals to educated people who see consciousness as more than brain chemistry, but who also discern the flaws in R.D. Laing's and Thomas Szasz's now outdated views on psychotic experience. Highly recommended!

I feel that this book and Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment edited by John White are two of the best, well-rounded books on Kundalini. This is due to their holistic input of theories, personal accounts and scientific research. Both books show the individual/social aspects. In addition, this author does a wonderful job of making the distinction between regressive illness and progressive transformation - a much needed view! These two books should always be available as invaluable resources for professionals and/or those with a serious interest in the topic.

Novelists have always loved artists, and artists have always loved novelists. They love and admire the other's talent, but--most important--they are not competitors. Crichton's love of Johns' work certainly comes forth, and Johns' seemed flattered that a best-selling novelist, and not an art professor, wanted to do a book on him. That mutual admiration underlies why this is such a solid book.

The author well restrained himself from "digging into the painful childhood" that produced such an unusually remote "negator of impulses." He brought out the positive aspects of Johns personality--his ability to laugh at himself and not always to take himself too seriously. "His work is a constant negation of impulses" said the critic..."wouldn't you say so Jasper?" "NO" says Jasper, laughing. Jasper can laugh. That is nice. The author respected his need for privacy in his personal life. He presented a very difficult, complex personality with dignity, humor, and good taste.

Jasper Johns is a very large, and expensive book. It has many illestrations, and lots of commentary. This is a Crichton that has faded into the background, and in some cases can be very hard to find.