Engineering Books

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is a very good book for people who want to publish and need to know the nuts and bolts. It uses simple language. Its non-linearity is its main strength becuase it directs the reader to the specific topic needed. It is a good academic investment.

I cannot rate this product due to the fact that that it was never sent to me. I ordered two books on the same day and received one of them a few days later. I really need to be rating the seller of the book, since they ripped me off.

The book was just as advertised and in excellent condition, arriving much sooner than expected.

This book is proving to be a valuable resource for outlining the writing "rules of the road". I'm in the midst of writing my doctoral dissertation and the APA Manual has proved extremely useful for learning the proper way to cite references from various sources (like telephone conversations), use combinations of unusual punctuation (should the comma go inside or outside this parentheses?), and for presenting statistical output and tables. I can see it continuing to be a useful reference for writing articles in professional journals as well since it offers guidance on writing manuscripts and authorship (which is a topic that can bring collaborators to fisticuffs!) I highly recommend this book!

The Manual of the American Psychological Association has been around in successive editions for many years and continues to set the standard for the ways in which psychologists write and communicate their discipline. Publication manuals can be necessary and there is no doubt that when the APA first established the Manual there was a need, in the era of print technology with type setting and proof editing, for precise rules on tabular settings, figure descriptions etc. The problem for today is that the continued need for such rules to guide the printer has become enshrined with a style of writing and reporting that dates from the same era. As has been pointed out several times elsewhere, the Manual was first written at the time when American psychology was dominated by the Behaviorist paradigm and by methodological operationalism. Behaviorism eschewed certain kinds of psychological states and operationalism specified only particular ways in which processes and methods could be described. Both of these paradigms have been long overturned and psychology is no longer confined by such restraints. But still the style is used to restrict the ways that young, incoming members of the profession and science are taught to write and therefore, oftentimes, to think about their subject matter and the people that they are studying. In America such restraints may only be imposed at the level of graduate study and the student will have reserves of thought and style that resist such intrusions. In other parts of the world, such restrictions are imposed from the very beginning of the undergraduate degree. Students therefore learn to think about people and operations in a way that narrows the descriptions and the thought processes that are applied to the issues and problems. If the APA was the only outlet with such restrictions, these effects would be a cause for regret but not despair. The APA style, however, has been adopted by virtually all of psychological publishing houses, so there are few escape routes. It is not a matter simply of putting the references in the correct form; it is about thinking about subject matter in severely restricted ways.
It is probably too late to hope for any change in the ways in which the APA Manual is used and further procreated. But it is a case study, worthy of serious study, of how the past, lived and recorded with good intentions, can continue to stifle the present and the future. The APA Manual has become functionally autonomous, affecting thinking but with little or no continuity with the past. To a degree it is pathological in form and, worse than that, it is a pathogen that is severely infectious.

With 900 other reviews, I'll keep this one short. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is an enormously interesting read. It tries to answer the question why and how certain ideas 'tip'. How they spread and become popular. Malcolm uses a huge amount of interesting stories from different domains to try to make his points. For me, the collection of stories was probably more interesting than the points he tried to make. The stories were well written.

Related to tipping, he argues that there are three rules related to an social epidemic. The law of the few (a few people can have a huge impact), the stickiness factor (a message can be constructed to be more sticky) and the power of context (the context can influence the message which is being spread enormously). The rest of the book contains chapters related to each of these rules. Every chapter summarizes the rules and tells stories of where the rule applied.

Tipping Point is extremely well written and easy to read. The bunch of amazing stories make it fun and it's no wonder that it's one a major best sellers in the world. I found the message the author tries to communicate less interesting, though. Never the less, I'd recommend the book to everyone for the sake of the stories and the learning that can be taken out of every individual story.

I've heard Malcolm Gladwell speak, and he's superb! In this innovative book, whether he's referring to the Maven, or the Connector, it's relatable to all individuals. If you're looking for a light leadership book that brings up very INNOVATIVE topics, this is it! For additional tips on leadership, I'd also recommend taking a course at www.corporatetrendsetters.com.

With social networking and user generated content (UGC) flooding the web, businesses are struggling to find ways to harness and direct this power. There exists an extensive collection of blogs, books, news articles and podcasts that offers advice about techniques to jump-start user adoption and gain stickiness, but these tend to focus on execution and not on concept. The dialogue generally advocates creating new communities, controlling messages within existing communities, and monetizing concepts, but fails to answer the fundamental question, "Why do people adopt certain ideas and not others?"

Enter Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point. This is not a new book. It was published in 2002 and doesn't mention a single Internet technology or concept, instead focusing on how "epidemics" spread - From Paul Revere's success in his midnight ride to why kids love Blue's Clues to syphilis' spread in Baltimore in the mid-90's. Gladwell dissects the masses and exposes the population segments that serve as the kindling for raging success.

Connectors - The people that know everyone and revel in making mutually beneficial introductions. These are the catalysts or accelerants that help bring the key components together.

Mavens - The experts. These are the people that know everything about certain topics. Everyone has friends that they trust when it comes to food, music, sports, electronics, etc., the friends that are almost freakishly knowledgeable and passionate about their interests.

Sales people - These are the people that sell ideas and visions - the evangelists. They get people excited and spread the word - like the sales person mentioned in the Holiday Inn commercial that once had a heart attack and within an hour had sold the paramedics 12 sets of steak knives.

If you can come up with a great product or offering that has amazing value for those that take advantage of it, you're off to a good start, but the challenge is just beginning. The Tipping Point presents some of the foundational relationships and interactions that must occur to be successful. Coupling the above personality traits with a discussion of the various adopter types - from Innovators to Late Adopters - and you have a powerful recipe. Blending together the right mix of Connectors, Mavens, and Sales People with Early Adopters sets the stage for success... then all you need is a phenomenal idea. Easy right?

I recommend the book.

Marcel Crudele
innerEcho - Atlanta, GA

"The Tipping Point - How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" by Malcolm Gladwell gave me insight into trends as seen through his eyes. I loved it!

Gladwell caught me off-guard when he discussed the racial tipping point that affects the real estate market of a neighborhood. But that was not the most surprising. What surprised me the most was how low a percentage of new property owners could influence the change from a sellers market to a buyers market.

There were many times when he seemed to veer off his subject and I started wondering where he was going with the point of the story. Then he would pull it all together and I could see exactly why he said something the way he said it.

Gladwell points out common traits in typical public interest/popularity and how that relates to sales and marketing.

In each example, he explains the patterns that show the slow beginnings, the steeper climb, to the sharp growth in popularity to the hesitation at the top, then the crash and (except for a few examples) a sudden end of all growth.

His intention is to provide enough information to duplicate or create a path towards a tipping point in your business. And, with the proper actions, manipulate how long your business is able to remain at the top of the sales chart.

I was surprised that Gladwell used stories about the popular children's show Sesame Street in his examples. But, once I read his in-depth, behind-the-scenes stories, I realized how complex and how much innovative thought went into producing that very successful television show.

Now, I find myself paying closer attention to eye, face, and body position and movement when I discuss business (and personal) matters. And, I am noticing the signals I (un-intentionality) send to others.

Gladwell is able to describe and chart the same patterns of tipping points in every example he gave. He investigates the how, why, where, and when of his research. Then he presents it to his readers in easy to digest pieces.

His description of Connectors, Mavens, and Salespeople is clear and fascinating. It is easy to visualize how the traits of connectors, mavens, and salespeople live in each of us.

One of the most interesting viewpoints Gladwell shared, was that there are only three elements that create change. The first element is "The Law of the Few." You'll have to read his book to find out Gladwell's other two agents of change.

By the way: It was fun taking Gladwell's Manhattan Phone Book Test. I scored eighty-seven points the first time around. After thinking about it, I believe I could add another ten to thirty surnames to my known contacts list.

I strongly recommend you read and then use Gladwell's information to create your own (series) of tipping points for your business' growth.

And while you're at it, get involved in replacing broken windows, painting walls and cleaning up areas in need. (Read the book and you'll understand.)

Little things can make a huge difference when properly executed/initiated.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

The concept behind this book is what makes it such a phenomenon. It was not only great concept-wise, but it was an engaging read. I wouldn't call it pure entertainment (some portions could be dry) but it was definitely easy to get through the whole thing and actually enjoy it. I recommend this book to anyone looking for more info on the idea of how things that seem obscure, go on to gain enormous popularity and spark trends or fads.

I have used this text when tutoring individual students at the undergraduate and graduate level. I have also used it extensively in my management development classses featuring writing. It is superb,clearly written with almost brazen simplicity. It is the special gift that I give to students and trainees to keep for a lifetime.


Dr. Word Merchant, Ph.D.

Just what I ordered, speedy delivery. When I found I'd mis-ordered, the credit for my return was handled without demur. Excellent merchant.

This is a great handbook to have anywhere you need to write. For the price everyone should have one.

The Elements of Style is a short, timeless and foundational book on writing style and grammar. It is exceptionally well written and an essential writers desk reference. The authors stripped away all the fluff and kept the best of the best to help anyone write more clearly and concisely.

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

We traditionally give this as part of a high school graduation present and have received many notes of thanks over the years.

I read this book about a month before I submitted my dissertation (in U.S. history) and it convinced me to completely rewrite my introduction. That experience left me kicking myself for thinking I was too advanced for these sorts of guides and for not consulting this book earlier. The sections on formulating a topic (how to turn a general interest into a question/problem to be researched) and warrants (how to match claims to evidence) are especially helpful. Make no mistake about it, this book can help researchers at all levels, and I have had many students, both undergraduate and graduate, tell me how happy they were that they took my advice to read this book.

Have you ever faced a blank computer screen and were at a complete loss of what you should write about for a 10-page research paper due the next week? Or maybe you knew what you wanted to write about but didn't know how to start? Or maybe you had all your sources, wrote out a draft and realized that no one cares if The Great Gatsby illustrates the three Aristotelian elements of a tragedy?

The Craft of Research helps students and researchers solve dilemmas like these and more. The authors dissect the anatomy of a research paper and create step-by-step stages that guide you all the way from choosing a topic to polishing your final product.

The major sections of this book address how to form a good research claim that your readers will care about; how to find and evaluate sources; how to support your claim with evidence, reasons and warrants; and how to prepare, draft and revise your paper. The authors use simple and clear language, and if that's not enough, they provide easy-to-understand visuals and diagrams to help make their point.

The authors also cover useful areas such as ethics (why you must always cite even when just discussing an idea of another writer's), the Internet (when it's acceptable to use web-based sources), and visuals (why 3-D graphs are a bad idea).

Sure, some of the advice they provide you may already know, but as the authors cover nearly everything to do with research papers (albeit in a generalized way), there's something for everyone. It's also nice to have a guide that will remind you of everything you learned in your freshman English classes. Clear, concise, and accessible, the Craft of Research is one of the best books on research.

This book provides a wonderful introduction for graduate students embarking on their first research project. I use it every year in my classes. No matter what the field, students will find helpful advice on how to pick a research question and how to evaluate evidence. Invaluable!

Although there are many books on writing research or term papers, I have not found anything else which brings together material on planning, reasoning and writing the research paper as well as this book. Ignore any reviewers who make this book out to be a simplistic text. It is an excellent work on well reasoned writing that even most graduate students can benefit greatly from reading. As a professor of a graduate class on Research and Writing, I have recommended and required this book for several years. The book guides the reader from an idea of a topic, to defining a question, to formulating the conceptually signifcant research problem. It briefly covers finding, evaluating and using primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Then a major portion of the book is devoted to understanding effective reasoning in the writing process. This is based quite a bit on professor Stephen Toulmin's practical approach to effective reasoning and argumentation. The Craft of Research diagrams and explains claims, reasons, evidence and warrants. It has detailed illustrations of warrants and when to use them, as well as how to challenge them. The book has other sections on organizing, drafting,and revising a paper. It also has a chapter on communicating information visually using tables, graphs and charts. Rather than focusing on the simple mechanics or obvious steps in writing a serious research paper, this book concentrates on the more difficult tasks of clearly defining the conceptual problem and addressing it with in depth, effective reasoning.

The internet has utterly revolutionized the art of scholarship. Seeking a cicerone through the electronic morass, I lighted on this book, as a colleague assured me it was "a classic in its field."

What I thought this book was, then, was a guide on various websites, the ins and outs of the many publication styles, databases, catalogs, and other information that was previously in-print only but now can be accessed at home. So I assumed this book would have subsections on the different databases and resources available for geology, psychology, French literature, etc. It would discuss and review -- essentially guide you through -- in an over-arching way, the avalanche of resources that have now come online.

This book is nothing like that.

Instead, this book is intended, it seems, to get you in the proper frame of mind for doing research, to get you in the research "spirit." I found the whole thing so obvious and general as to be useless -- even for a first-year college student.

In this volume you can find such helpful suggestions as:

"Look for problems as you read." (p. 69)

"In a research report, your goal is not to stuff your claim down your readers' throats, but to start where they do, with what they know and don't know." (p. 113)

"Once you state your claim, say why it's significant." (p. 236)

"Your report will only be accurate only if you double-check your notes against your sources." (p. 103)

"Avoid using an Internet source unless you know that it is reliable and can persuade your readers to think so too." (p. 84)

"You need a problem to focus your attention on those particular data that will help you solve your problem." (p. 60)

The thing I would like to know is, what moron is out there writing research papers who isn't aware of this stuff? The writing is only a notch above such statements as,

"Libraries usually have many books and journals that can help you."

"The more carefully you read a source, the sharper your understanding will be."

"Capitalize the first letter of every sentence."

"Make sure your name is on the first page."

I mean, how dumb are we gonna get?

(citations are from the Second Edition)

This is to a good manual as the iPhone is to the Blackberry Pearl.

Really.

I'm a geek. I rarely buy manuals. When I scanned this in the bookstore, however, I quickly found four important things I didn't know. I gritted my teeth and paid my $25. At $17 with Amazon it's a bargain.

The only manual I can recall that was this good was Pogue's original Palm manual.

It's clear Pogue doesn't write these things any more -- he credits a large technical team and support from several members of Apple's iPhone 2 development team. It's also clear that his hand is on the tiller, and that he's chosen strong people.

I'd compare it the iPhone, but really, the iPhone is much buggier and is missing more features. From the layout, to photographs, to prose to the terrific index this is more like what we hope iPhone 2.2 will be like.

The companion web sight is very well done, and the book comes with directions on a private newsletter subscription.

Buy the book, you'll be happy.

Do you have an iPhone 3G? If you do, then this book is for you. Author David Pogue, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that is designed to serve as the iPhone manual.

Pogue, begins by covering everything related to phone calls: dialing, answering, voicemail, conference calling, text messaging, and the Contacts program. Next, the author covers the iPhone's ability to play back music, podcasts, movies, TV shows, and photos. Then, he explores in detail, iPhone's third talent: Its ability to get you onto the Internet, either over a Wi-Fi hot spot connection or via AT&T' cellular network. Finally, the author describes the world beyond the iPhone itself--like the copy of iTunes on your Mac or PC that's responsible for filling up the iPhone with music, videos, and photos, and syncing the calendar, address book, and mail settings.

This most excellent book describes everything you need in a pocket computer. More importantly, this book provides updated and expanded information on how to use the new all-in-one (cellphone, iPod, Internet and wireless syncing) iPhone 3G.

this was a great buy. im very excited about using this book. it came on time and and perfect condition as promised. extremely satisfied. thank you very much!

The book arrived in poor condition. Although it was new it had a knocked/torn corner on the cover, and a number of the pages were ripped and bent. I believe this is because of the packaging not adequately protecting the book during transit.

I am in college, currently taking my 2nd term of Anatomy and Physiology as a pre-requisite for nursing school. This textbook has been fundamental to my understanding of this course, both for this term and last term (and I plan to use it next term, as well).

The clincher is that this is not the required text we are using for my class. A friend just happened to give me this Saladin book when she heard I was taking A&P and so I am using it as a companion text. Little did I know how much I would come to rely on this book; I really feel lucky that it was given to me.

The text my school uses is Martini's Fundamentals of Anatomy Physiology, which, to be fair, is also a very good text book. But there is something about the way Saladin writes and the way he organizes his thoughts about the subject matter that makes it so much easier for me to understand.Often, I will read my required textbook and be totally lost, not "getting it." This is especially true when I am researching information to answer essay questions for my exams. Then, I will read the same topic in Saladin's book and a light bulb will go off -- it will finally all make sense. I've even thought about writing a personal letter to the author to express my gratitude.

I highly recommend this textbook to anyone who wants a clear and easy to understand approach to anatomy & physiology. I feel Anatomy & Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function, by Kenneth S. Saladin, has been essential to my comprehension of anatomy & physiology; I'm not exaggerating when I say that being able to count on this book has helped me to keep making A's in this class!

I had to buy this book for class and for some reason I thought I ordered the older edition, but I got the newest one and it is in perfect condition. I received the book within 3 or 4 days of ordering. I appreciate the speed of the order since I needed it right away for class and the book is in like new condition, so I couldn't be happier :) Now if only I could buy an "A" on Amazon too...

I took this course during the summer and we packed 4 months of Organic Chemistry II into one stressful month.
Of the many texts available for o chem, this one has to be the best. Although it is as thick as the other books, the material is extremely well organized and the author spoon-feeds the information to you. Before every exam all I needed to do was go through all the tables in the chapters and read the summaries at the end of each chapter and I was all set!
If you really don't have the time to sift through dense material and weed out important information, this book will lay everything out for you in a very understandable manner.

Highly recommended!

Said it was new
Spine of book was was dented
all in all a good purchase

I actually just took my final for this course 10 min ago. Took this course and used this book in my junior year of college. Book was good but extremely dry. It does explain the nuts and bolts of orgo in a precise and direct manner. Chapters are pretty long averaging about 40 pages each. Within chapters there are practice problems that are very helpful, I suggest buying this with the problem solving guide, because the book only gives answers to it's questions until a certain point beyond that they require you to purchase the problem solving guide. There are many pictures and figures to help you understand the material better.

The book was just as described if not better. It arrived in a timely matter. I was very satisfied.

This is the text book for Introduction to Microcomputer Usage at MDC. I took the class this summer and it was a breeze. I think every one in the class enjoyed it

I purchased this book for my oldest daughter who is not familiar with computers. I had seen it as a textbook at our local community college. It has very easy step-by-step exercises & really shows all the ins & outs that Office 2007 has to offer.

book was a good price, sold with the course disc, only the disc was for the 2003 course.

Good book, I hate the evolution aspect and Ignorant aspect on what God really says.

It is a good source for any physiology class, even if the book is not required. It is an easy ready and helps you to understand the subject.

The best aspect of this text is the quality of the writing. The writers have a clear excitement about the subject, and for the most part, this makes reading the text pleasant rather than dry.

The book opens with an introduction to homeostasis and provides a theoretical backbone for the study of human physiology. The second chapter is the obligatory introduction to fundamental chemistry (atoms, protons, neutrons, electrons, etc.) that seems to be in almost every basic science book. Chapters three, four, and five are typical of almost all texts about life - cell structure and function, proteins, metabolism, and chemical messengers.

It's not until chapter six, "Neuronal Signaling and the Structure of the Nervous System," that the text begins to move away from an introductory biology book. Chapter six serves as a model for the rest of the book and the central principle of physiology: The human body wants to be in balance, and there are competing chemical and electrical pathways fighting for and against this balance. The final chapter, which my professor skipped, is medically oriented. The student is asked to consider what they have learned and apply it to a case study narrative, to essentially diagnose a patient.

Throughout the text there are numerous figures, tables, key words, and end-of-chapter study guides (the guides are very helpful for organizing information when studying for a test). Yet the diverse presentation of information is a bit overwhelming sometimes. For example, some chapters have far too many bolded key words in a row, which can be distracting to read.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this text. There's a lot of information in this book, but if you take the time to read and reread the text, you'll have a very good understanding of basic human physiology.

Subjects of each chapter:
1. Homeostasis
2. Basic chemistry
3. Cell structure and function
4. Cell membranes
5. Chemical messengers
6. Nervous system
7. Sensory physiology
8. The brain
9. Muscle
10. Control of body movement
11. Endocrine system
12. Cardiovascular system
13. Respiratory system
14. Kidneys
15. Digestion
16. Metabolism
17. Reproduction
18. Defense mechanisms of the body
19. Clinical cases