Book Description
In this short, intentionally polemical book, Neil Leach draws on the ideas of philosophers and cultural theorists such as Walter Benjamin and Jean Baudrillard to develop a novel and highly incisive critique of the consequences of the growing preoccupation with images and image-making in contemporary architectural culture.
The problem with this preoccupation, Leach argues, is that it can induce a sort of numbness, as the saturation of images floods the senses and obscures deeper concerns. This problem is particularly acute for a discipline such as architecture, which relies heavily on visual representation. As a result, architects can become anaesthetized from the social and political realities of everyday life. In the intoxicating world of the image, the aesthetics of architecture threaten to become the anaesthetics of architecture. In this culture of aesthetic consumption, this "culture of the cocktail," meaningful discourse gives way to strategies of seduction, and architectural design is reduced to the superficial play of empty, seductive forms.
Customer Reviews:
excellent read.......2002-02-05
This book is full of penetrating insights and a fascinating look at the movements and theory that lead to the current architectural climate. I can think of no better person than Leach to examine the shallow state of most architecture today. He puts the current state of architecture in context by elaborating on Guy Debord's seminal work-Society of the Spectacle- and the ideas of the Situationists. An easy to read, to the point, enjoyable book full of great criticism and an interesting grounding in cultural theory.
hyperreality.......2001-02-09
quite possibly the most interesting book i've read in a long time. starts out by gripping you with the now not unfamiliar but still radically contemporary discourse about the complete loss of meaning in the world and the anonymity of the image due to complete saturation. you do start to wonder if perhaps leach has a personal grudge against venturi + scott brown but all the same a refreshing bit of criticism. definately worth a read as an intro into the issues of hyperreality and seduction as the last resort in a mind numbing world of image attack, but read it quickly as this line of thought is sure to reach a point of apocalyptic tension and then burn out.
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's Neil Leach.......1999-11-10
Mr. Leach's polemic is thrilling. Rounding up the usual suspects like Baudrillard and Benjamin, Mr. Leach takes us on an unexpectedly critical tour of architecture's avant-garde. The seduction and infatuation of the image in modern culture is complete and total, to the point where even philosophy has been reduced to a decorative device used to tart up images that may or may not be sexy enough. This is brutal yet liberating reading for anyone who suffered architectural grad school in the late '80s or '90s. He is merciless in his critiques of Lebbeus Woods and Venturi/Scott/Brown for their amoral conflation and confusion of form and content. I read portions twice just to savor the skewering. I am surprized that some version of Mr. Leach's analysis of "aestheticization" has not reached the popular press brouhaha over the "Sensation!" exhibit. I think everyone would calm down and maybe talk about something more important than artistic freedom. There is so much more at stake. The introduction rails against "unrigorous thinking" that has dominated recent debate or theory of architecture. I think this little book will help.
A book that has lost its direction.......1999-05-11
When I saw this book in Yale University bookstore, I was extremely thrilled to discover that a book on the aesthetics of architecture has been written. However, after reading the book, I was extremely disappointed to find out that the book has wandered aimlessly in several directions, and the author seemed to have many ideas, but most of them is not critically discussed or permeable to the readers. The most distressed thing is that the book wandered off in the direction of becoming a critical review of Las Vegas and Venturi's seminal work, both Learning from Las Vegas and Complexity and Contradiction. For one, Las Vegas is not the 'contentless' city that the author subscribed to presently. It is the ultimate event city, and the author would discover that big events and 'situations' have found their place within the this city. It might even seem contradictory that this chapter on Las Vegas has worked conceptually against the main idea of the book. However, the book finally picked up its pace in the last chapter, when the author finally addressed the problem of overt aesthetics in students' work today because of the homogeneity of computer usage. It finally seemed that the last chapter is the first, and the book ended where it should have started. Overall, there is some consistencies in the arguement from Lebbeus Wood's drawings to several cultural theorists arguement on aesthetics. There is also evidence of a resurgence in Situationism, and the author has confidently picked up on this trend.However, there is not enough reference to contemporary architecture and aesthetics to warrant a serious look into this book.
Book Description
Covers all the basics of drawing and brings the practice of drawing up-to-date, taking into consideration a more contemporary form and subject matter issues.
Customer Reviews:
good book.......2006-03-23
Good book, has great examples and the definitions are not that hard to understand. Ideal for any artist or reader that is interested in ART
Great Guide to the Process of Drawing.......2005-07-19
This book is an excellent resource. It is very clear and the examples are really very helpful. If you are a beginner or an artist of years, there is very much to learn from this book. The text does offer some excercises, but it's greater strength is from the explanation of processes. The book doesn't play out as an analysis of art pieces, but describes the process of creating an expressive and cohesive work in pretty much any style of drawing. It tells you how to practice and what to look for in a subject and in your drawing. This was the textbook we used in my drawing classes and it has been an invaluable resource since then.
This book will help you find ideas and transfer them into your unique art.
well written, well illustrated.......2001-08-17
While giving clear 'how to' instructions for those beginning drawing, this book treats drawing in a much broader way than simply the realistic rendering of the visual world. It's well written and illustrated with works by a good range of contemporary artists. As an art college lecturer I find this book very useful as a resource for both myself and my students.
Book Description
This comprehensive guide to the latest techniques in close-up nature photography makes compelling, one-of-a-kind photographs possible for thousands of ambitious amateur photographers. The author of sixteen books of photographs and photographic techniques, Tim Fitzharris provides the most up-to-date information on how to photograph plants and animals using existing light in the beauty of the natural environment.
Illustrated with 100 color images, the book's chapters - "Terms and Tools," "Field Techniques," "Artful Approaches," and "Subjects in the Wild" - provide complete coverage of their subjects, with technical specifications, insightful tips, and detailed explanations of how each of the featured photographs was taken.
Techniques for achieving maximum sharpness, brilliant color, and greater than life-size magnification are explained alongside detailed information on lenses, camera supports, electronic flashes, reflectors, automatic exposure procedures, and optimum shutter speeds. A "Sources" section includes information on digital imaging and where to buy equipment, as well as a bibliography of photographic books, periodicals, and newsletters.
Customer Reviews:
Lots of digital manipulation and some shocking advice........2003-01-02
I borrowed this book from a local library because it was from the Sierra Club. However it was a disappointment. In a book on nature photography from the very well known Sierra Club, one would expect more on field techniques, pointers and tips on photographing your subject.
There is some sound advice, but it is surprising to see so much emphasis on digital manipulation. Even the front cover is a fake, two images combined to look like one. This does not depict nature as one sees it, rather, the book tells you how to produce eye catching images. Not something I expected from Sierra Club.
The author makes a shocking suggestion - refrigerate your subjects (animals / insects etc) till they can't move, so that they are easy to photograph. It is well known that some people do this, but photographers with any sort of consideration for the environment or their subjects abstain from such methods. As John Shaw says "Imagine refrigerating your kids till they are too cold to move, then photographing them." I find it incredible that someone like Fitzharris would suggest such a thing.
The book is worth a read if you find it at your local library, but I wouldn't pay any money for it.
Nature photography or digital manipulation?.......1999-02-26
This is a decent book if you are new to the world of macro photography. It certainly doesn't cover in-depth aspects of shooting macro and even devotes a large portion of digitally manipulating images on Adobe Photoshop. For example, the cover is composed of two separate images, the flower and the frog. There's a place for digital manipulation, but I felt disappointed after finding out that some otherwise beautiful images (that would have been spectacular to capture in the wild) were faked. I had higher expectations coming from the Sierra Club.
Average customer rating:
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Social Mode Of Restoration Comedy, The (BCL1-PR English Literature)
Kathleen Martha Lynch
Manufacturer: Reprint Services Corp
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ASIN: 0781271096 |
Average customer rating:
- A collection of diverse perspectives on KM frontiers
|
Knowledge Management and Business Model Innovation
Manufacturer: IGI Global
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1878289985 |
Book Description
We are living in interesting times characterized by increasing digitalization of business enterprises in a global interconnected knowledge economy. With waning euphoria about the first wave of digital e-business enterprises and a sobering dot-com stock market, business model innovation is being recognized as the key enabler that can unleash value creation for new digital enterprises. In contrast to traditional factors of production, knowledge assets and intellectual capital are expected to play a dominant role in determining both valuation and value-creation capabilities of most new age enterprises. Not surprisingly, Knowledge Management for Business Model Innovation is anticipated to be the mantra for survival, competence and success of Net enterprises as well as traditional brick-and-mortar enterprises faced with the challenge of transforming their business models into and beyond click-and-mortar companies.
Customer Reviews:
A collection of diverse perspectives on KM frontiers.......2003-01-23
Published at a time of waning euphoria about the dotcom boom, this hefty tome offers new perspectives on the importance of knowledge assets and intellectual capital for unleashing business model innovation.
The 25 chapters are drawn from 34 contributors in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America; the compiled material is divided into four sections: KM frameworks, knowledge work, knowledge assets valuation, and organizational aspects of business model innovation. The writing styles are varied, and differing perspectives are offered at the cutting edge of the KM curve.
IT investments have not always been in lock-step with productivity increases, Malhotra rightly begins. For instance, ERP implementations led to an unprecedented level of information sharing across organisational functions - but straitjacketed the information flexibility of information processing for each of the locked-in functions.
And despite contributions of IT via phases like automation, streamlining of procedures, and process re-engineering, there has been little emphasis on business model innovation or rethinking the overall business, argues Malhotra.
Increasing empowerment of online customers, suppliers, partners and other intermediaries have led to a greater impact of external environments on internal logistics of a company, a trend well-exploited by Net pioneers like Amazon.com.
"It is not that traditional brick and mortar companies were not leading users of IT; however, the new Net-based companies have fundamentally redefined the value equations related to their internal value chains and supply chains," says Malhotra.
In such a hyperturbulent and discontinuous environment, he identifies shortcomings in much of the current KM thinking, whose simplistic assumptions may inadvertently make yesterday's archived best practices tomorrow's core rigidities.
"The new business model of the Information Age is marked by fundamental, not incremental, change," he argues. Current KM approaches haven't dealt adequately with the "creative abrasion and creative conflict" that are necessary for business model innovation today.
KM should embody the organisational processes that seek synergistic combination of data and information-processing capacity of information technologies on the one hand, and the creative and innovative capacity of human beings on the other, Malhotra advocates.
Management strategies need to shift from command and control - to sense and respond. KM processes should be focused on doing the right thing (effectiveness), not just doing the thing right (efficiency). KM is not merely about bottling water from rivers of data, but about giving people canoes and compasses to navigate in these rivers of data. Instead of just codified best practices and enterprise portals, the emphasis should be on unlearning ineffective best practices and the continuous refinement and pursuit of better practices.
Other KM framework writers in the book also agree with some of these positions. Dealing with complexity, equivocality, uncertainty, and ambiguity in today's environment can lead to information overload and collapse of sense-making in a company.
Tools like the knowledge matrix can be used for knowledge accounting and management in a company, especially for managing fuzzy boundaries between external entities where decisions about outsourcing and alliancing need to be made (particularly in the case of global operators).
KM practices can differ according to the nature of the organization: project-based (eg. construction industry), umbrella corporations (eg. GE), virtual business communities (eg. the Linux movement on the Internet), and the multi-directional network (eg. lobbies of SMEs in Taiwan).
In terms of new approaches to knowledge work, Malhotra advocates a movement away from hi-tech hidebound KM systems to one of more creative chaos, greater social interaction, playfulness in organisational choices, and strategic planning as anticipation of surprise.
Care should be taken to ensure that IT-driven KM strategy does not become mechanistic and objectify and calcify knowledge into static, inert information, thus disregarding the role of tacit knowledge.
A useful way of planning for increased information flows among mobile workers is via a two-dimensional grid for different/same time/place interactions, with tools like Intranet-based email, videoconferencing, and meetings. Challenges can arise in virtual organizations which allow tele-work, due to possibility of overwork, stress, and isolation among its knowledge workers.
New kinds of `knowledge toolboxes' are called for to effectively measure human capital and organisational culture elements like trust, and to actually use these measures. Stakeholder knowledge values lie at different levels: employee (self-actualisation), customer (product adoption capability), and top management (cohesiveness, motivation).
A very interesting chapter offers an example of assessing knowledge capital at the national economic level, while planning for growth and performance for the entire country.
Going beyond measures of GDP, a joint Swedish-Israeli study assessed Israel's intellectual assets in 1997 in terms of financial capital (productivity, exports), market capital (diffusion of new products, participation in international events, openness to different cultures, language skills), process capital (computerization and communications infrastructure, Internet usage, newspaper circulation, student-teacher ratio, innovation, top management international experience, entrepreneurship, VC funds, immigration), human capital (equal employment opportunities, percentage of book distribution, health rates), and renewal and development capital (civilian R&D expenditures, scientific publications, patents, startups).
Another chapter extends such valuation considerations to public-private partnerships, involving academia, industry and government, which are becoming increasingly necessary as no organization or country can on its own generate all the knowledge it may need.
Priorities, timelines, domains and financial expectations for each sector vary, and these in turn influence the nature of knowledge assets generated by a country and their monetary attachments, eg. financing of new research for the industry or for citizens at large.
At the KM tool level, researchers and entrepreneurs are racing to create the next generation of effective KM applications and infrastructure, including communication, storage, gathering, dissemination, and synthesis. Ernst&Young predicts that KM has the potential to exceed ERP as an application opportunity.
CKOs play a key role in organizations, in managing corporate knowledge capital and championing knowledge-centric cultures; they require a blend of technical, human and financial skills.
In sum, this is a comprehensive collection of case studies and analysis at the cutting edge of KM practice. The diverse range of material makes for an interesting and informative for advanced KM professionals.
Book Description
Take charge of your career and learn what it takes to truly become a Mega-Producer real estate agent - in just five years! In this book Bob Herd has compiled his 31 years of knowledge and experience in the real estate industry along with personal interviews from four mega-producing agents to offer you first-hand advice on what it takes to sell $30M to $120M of residential real estate a year. Whether you are new to the real estate business or an experienced agent that wants to take your career to a much higher level - Bob Herd gives you a working blueprint that will help guide you through a career you may have never dreamed possible.
Customer Reviews:
How Not to Become a Mega-Producer.......2006-02-02
I agree with the previous review of the "Mega-Producer" book. Wish I would have read the review before my purchase, then I would not be out the money. If your a new real estate agent looking for help to start your business (as I am) don't look in this book, it isn't there! The conversations with the "Mega-Producer" agents was boring if not down right stupid with alot of useless information, the author would have been better of summarizing these. Get another reference, this is a waste of reading time!
Great title, poor content........2004-01-07
This book is not worthy of its title. At best it gives weak examples of how a few mega producers actually made it. The interviews with the "mega producers" is horrible and in some cases contradictor to what the author is trying to teach.
Average customer rating:
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Nutrition and Wellness, Student Text
McGraw-Hill
Manufacturer: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
-
Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer
ASIN: 0026432161 |
Book Description
This brand new program helps your students learn to make wise choices about nutrition and fitness as they sort through today's ever-expanding array of food options.
Customer Reviews:
Dated but Factual.......2004-05-12
This is more than a book on weapons and wars. It is also one on strategy, politics, ideology and power. It concentrates on the military end but does not neglect all the accompanying subject matter.
Several of the conflicts are still ongoing - in fact almost all of them are: Sri Lanka, India-Pakistan, Burma, the almost endless conflicts in Africa (the Sudan and Zairre lead the pack with total deaths so far), the Mideast conflict. This is pre-breakup of the Soviet Union though that was strongly suggested.
He also discusses future possiblities of outbreaks, many of which are still pertinent today. What is missing is ideology, the driving force behind the greatest mass murders in human history - China, Russia, Germany, Zairre, Sudan, Rwanda...in some ways the problems are unsolvable, dependent upon geography and resource allocation. One only wishes that the book could be updated to the presetn.
Modern history indeed........2003-01-24
This book when I first read it as a young analyst seemed like fiction, but as the events in especially Africa have unfolded in the last decade, it seems now almost prophetic in its nature. I have read this text again and again, each time I extract something that is relevant today as well as possibilities for our world tomorrow. I also reccomend Race to the Swift, by Simpkin.
Old........2001-09-17
This is the type of book that demands regular updates. It's informative, yes, but presents itself as something it no longer is.
This is the only book on FUTURE history........2001-07-24
This is a book about future wars. Who will fight, where, over what, how it will probably turn out, and when it might happen, for fifty or more perpetual hots spots around the world. People fighting in the Balkans have been repeating the same war for 1300 years and nobody ever wins. Roughly the same for Iraq and Iran, England and France, France and Germany, Japan and Korea... you name it. Peace is only an interlude while the endless war sleeps for a while. It will break out again, in the same place, over the same issues, with the same results. It is only a matter of time.
I wish they had taught us about this in high school. Every American should read this book and keep it handy.
This is the only book on FUTURE history........2001-07-24
This is a book about future wars. Who will fight, where, over what, how it will probably turn out, and when it might happen, for fifty or more perpetual hots spots around the world. People fighting in the Balkans have been repeating the same war for 1300 years and nobody ever wins. Roughly the same for Iraq and Iran, England and France, France and Germany, Japan and Korea... you name it. Peace is only an interlude while the endless war sleeps for a while. It will break out again, in the same place, over the same issues, with the same results. It is only a matter of time.
I wish they had taught us about this in high school. Every American should read this book and keep it handy.
Average customer rating:
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Some Last People: Vanishing Tribes of Bhutan, China, Mexico, Mangolia and Siberia
Pierre Odier
Manufacturer: L'Image Odier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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General
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ASIN: 0961163259 |
Book Description
Can you name all of the birds visiting your backyard feeder, swimming on a local pond, or soaring through familiar skies? This easy-to-use guide is perfect for the casual observer or beginning bird enthusiast. Its innovative Master Plates help eliminate confusion between similar birds, and the landscapes depicting a bird's habitat speed identification. Highly acclaimed by critics, Eastern Birds is the perfect companion for nature walks and for pleasurable birdwatching.* Covers all of North America east of the Rockies* Focuses on common species* Describes plumage, gender differences, breeding habits, songs, and calls* Maps detail summer, winter, year-round, and migratory ranges* Common and scientific namesComprehensive * Up-to-date * AuthoritativeWritten by world-renowned scholars, Golden Field Guides from St. Martin's Press are the leading nature guides for the home, field, and classroom. Designed for portability and easy access, these compact, lightweight books help Americans of every age explore a world of natural wonders.Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press-- a trusted source for generations
Books:
- The Architect's Guide to Design-Build Services
- The Architectural Plates from the "Encyclopedie" (Dover Pictorial Archive)
- The Architectural Theory of Viollet-le-Duc: Readings and Commentaries
- The Architecture of the Roman Empire: An Urban Appraisal (Yale Publications in the History of Art)
- The Art of 3-D : Computer Animation and Imaging, 2nd Edition
- The Birth of City Planning in the United States, 1840--1917 (Creating the North American Landscape)
- The Chicago Tribune Tower Competition: Skyscraper Design and Cultural Change in the 1920s
- The Doors of San Miguel De Allende
- The Glory of the English House: One Hundred Architectural Masterpieces
- The Goddess Home Style Guide: Divine Interiors Inspired by Aphrodite, Athena, Atemis, Demeter, Hera, Hestia, and Persephone
Books Index
Books Home
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- What About Me
- The Shadow of the Wind: A Novel
- Somesthesis and the Neurobiology of the Somatosensory Cortex
- The Lightning Discharge
- The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
- The New Eighteenth-Century Style: Rediscovering a French Décor
- The Metaphysical Cat : Tales of Cats and Their Humans
- The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Effects, Third Edition
- Skins For Buildings: The Architect's Materials Sample Book
- Highwire Moon
Rethinking Architecture: Reader in Cultural Theory
Lost Dimension
Nomadology: The War Machine
Simulations (Foreign Agents)
Blade Runner (BFI Modern Classics)
