SuperVisions: Ambiguous Optical Illusions (Super Visions)

Book Description

First you see one thing, then another. The picture changes from one moment to the next, flip-flopping back and forth. That's an ambiguous illusion, and the ones in this largest-ever collection offer constant, pleasurable surprises. Sometimes, the perceptual shift occurs if you just stare at the visual puzzle long enough; in other cases, it's necessary to invert or rotate the image first. In one picture, it's a cat-and-mouse game as you try to discover where the mouse is hiding from the cat. Another image features two minstrels playing homage to William Shakespeare--but at first, only the familiar portrait of the bard may be apparent. Once the dual nature of the illusion reveals itself, you'll never see just one object again.

Customer Reviews:

a great compilation of optical illusions.......2005-07-19

There are great pictures in this compilation of optical illusions. Many hidden things and some quite obvious, but a great beach read. It'll make your head hurt to look at them alot, but it's well worth it.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Automotive Design & Production, published by Gardner Publications, Inc. on July 1, 2004. The length of the article is 645 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Aluminum's deja vu defense: plodding along while steel blunted each of its advantages and delivered common products to automakers at lower prices, the aluminum industry must take a page from the steel industry's playbook if it hopes to be more than the perennial "material of the future.".(Materials)
Author: Christopher A. Sawyer
Publication: Automotive Design & Production (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2004
Publisher: Gardner Publications, Inc.
Volume: 116 Issue: 7 Page: 42(2)

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Plodding back from the brink, Edison CEO finds vindication.(CORPORATE FOCUS): An article from: Los Angeles Business Journal

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Plodding back from the brink, Edison CEO finds vindication.(CORPORATE FOCUS): An article from: Los Angeles Business Journal
Kate Berry
Manufacturer: CBJ, L.P.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Los Angeles Business Journal, published by CBJ, L.P. on May 30, 2005. The length of the article is 797 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Plodding back from the brink, Edison CEO finds vindication.(CORPORATE FOCUS)
Author: Kate Berry
Publication: Los Angeles Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 30, 2005
Publisher: CBJ, L.P.
Volume: 27 Issue: 22 Page: 29(1)

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Plodding on; or, The jog-trot to fame and fortune: Illustrated by the lifestories of George Peabody, John Kitto ... Abraham Lincoln

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Plodding on; or, The jog-trot to fame and fortune: Illustrated by the lifestories of George Peabody, John Kitto ... Abraham Lincoln
Henry Curwen
Manufacturer: J. Hogg
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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The plodding shoe
Kitty O'Sullivan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007KC7VI

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring and prophetic writing.......2002-10-18

Even though this book may be hard for the general public to relate to it is a vision filled and inspired book which describes the event known as the HARMONIC CONVERGENCE as well as giving an overview of the sacred site known as CHACO CANYON.. Anyone interested in either of these topics will benefit greatly by reading this book. I feel the inspiration generated by the event every time I read this GREAT book!!!

Book Description

Making Videos for Money is the first book on video production that looks beyond how to operate television technology and explains how to actually deal with clients and make a living. Whereas videomakers go to school to learn how to produce television programs and feature films, in truth most will spend their careers making information videos, commercials, and infomercials, for which they have had little or no preparation.Every area of video production is expanding rapidly, and with this growth has come an increased demand from businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations for informed professional videomakers. Making Videos for Money provides specific, useful information on how to plan, write, direct, and complete client-sponsered videos successfully. The book can be used as a conprehensive how-to guide by newcomers or as a valuable resource for professionals facing the need to expand their business into profitable new areas.

Customer Reviews:

Not Exactly..........2003-09-11

I borrowed, "Making Videos for Money" from the local library.

Unfortunately, the book may have been incorrectly titled. Instead of, "Making Videos for Money", the book would have been better titled as just, "Making Videos". The most important part of the title, "...for Money" is not delivered as promised. The book does not provide relevant "...for money" information concerning Finding customers, Sales, and Marketing! A rather disappointing book.

A GREAT START.......2001-06-27

This book is a great resource and guide for the emerging corporate video producer. The layout is easy to follow and case studies deal with real world examples. If your interested in video production as a business and already have the technical skills of shooting and editing, this book can help you round-out your skills to see the whole project.

I had already worked as a production manager for a small studio producing mid-sized industrials. This book was good backup in setting up my own business.

A GREAT START.......2001-06-27

I had already worked as a production manager for a small studio producing mid-sized industrials. This book was good backup in setting up my own business.

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Clearly not a great choice for beginners

General ideas behind some major openings

An Outdated Classic That Still Has Some Limited Value

Not even good for ideas

Classic but Outdated

Ideas Behind the Chess Openings: Algebraic Edition (Chess)
Reuben Fine
Manufacturer: Random House Puzzles & Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Art of Attack in Chess

Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14 (McKay Chess Library)

Pawn Structure Chess

My System (Chess Classics)

How to Reassess Your Chess: The Complete Chess-Mastery Course(Exp. 3rd Edition)

ASIN: 0812917561
Release Date: 1990-08-22

Book Description

In the opening, each player tries to control the center, set up a flexible pawn structure, develop the pieces rapidly and harmoniously, sometimes even go for direct attack. But there are so many complicated variations -- how can you memorize them all?

You can't -- and you don't have to! If you understand the basic goals of the opening you're playing, you will know which moves fit logically into its overall scheme. This classic, best-selling volume, now completely reset in modern algebraic notation, explains everything you need to know to play the opening sensibly and successfully.

Reuben Fine, an International Grandmaster, is one of the world's top players and a leading theoretician of chess. He is the author of over half a dozen books, including the definitive Basic Chess Endings.

Customer Reviews:

Clearly not a great choice for beginners.......2006-10-17

I learned to play chess over 37 years ago but didn't play much after college. I recently started studying it when friends at work got me back into the game. I'm sure I'm only in the 800s if was to get a rating.
A friend loaned me this book and other than the 10 principles in the first chapter it immediately loses a beginner. The errors identified in the other reviews are a big clue that this is not a great work. I had a terrible time trying to follow several of the games on a board and so I gave up.

For a beginner, I have found, "Discovering Chess Openings" by John Emms to be very good book. At least I understand what the author is saying and he starts at a level I can grasp and builds from there.

General ideas behind some major openings.......2006-05-12

IDEAS BEHIND THE CHESS OPENINGS gives you a general idea of what most of the openings are about. Don't look at this book to find the most modern and detailed analysis of any specific opening as it is very general. Since this book was written over 40 years ago, though updated some, it will not cover modern ideas. "Understanding the Chess Openings" in my opinion does a better job of what this book is intended to do. I also can suggest to understand the ideas and tricky parts of openings you get "Winning Chess Traps" as well. Do not just memorize moves - understand the ideas!

An Outdated Classic That Still Has Some Limited Value.......2006-04-08

The original edition of this book is now over 60 years old and obviously much has changed in opening theory, making this book seriously outdated and misleading when it comes to most specifics and some generalities.

Don't read this book if you want an idea of lines to play. In fact, don't even read (at least most of) this book if you are looking for reliable ideas on specific openings. The section on the Sicilian, for instance, is almost hopeless.

Instead, read the book to learn more about how to think about openings and how to convert principle to practice, following the procedure I describe below.

The whole book can in fact be a useful aid to critical thinking if you look up a certain opening here and then go on to study it in a modern guide. Contrasting the ideas and supporting moves will lead to a greater understanding, not only of how ideas have evolved, but how they are expressed in practice. For instance, if you read in Fine's book about the aforesaid Sicilian, and then see what has changed in modern practice, and make a real effort to understand *why*, you will benefit greatly.

But never read this book in isolation. It would be like reading a 50-year old physics text.

Not even good for ideas.......2006-02-15

This book is horribly outdated, and cannot be recommended. It's not just a matter of the theory being outdated - even the discussion of the ideas is outdated.
For example, Fine says that the Scandinavian "cannot be recommended," that it is essentially a second-class, almost unsound opening - but we've known since at least the 90's that it is a perfectly viable defense. For another example, he criticizes the Advance Variation of the Caro-Kann as essentially harmless, when we now know that White has a variety of ways to secure at least a small advantage (after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 White can play Nc3 and g4 and start a strong kingside attack, or simply consolidate his/her spatial advantage with moves like Nf3, Be3, Be2, etc.). The worst is his treatment of the Sicilian. He lays out some general strategic advice that is horribly, horribly wrong. For example, he says that Black should never play ...e5 because the pawn on d6 is a severe weakness. Yet many, many, mainstream lines of the Sicilian, most notably several lines within the Najdorf, involve ...e5 (Notice he includes no discussion of the Najdorf!!!). Yes, the d6 pawn is a potential weakness, but the point is that Black trades that weakness for dynamic counter-play.
I suppose his discussion of the classical 1.e4 e5 and 1.d4 d5 openings are okay, but everything else has to be taken with a serious grain of salt. When you consider that there are other similar and much more recent books out there (try Sam Collins or Gabor Kallai), I don't "Understand" why anyone would listen to Fine's "Ideas" about the "Openings."

Classic but Outdated.......2006-02-05

What to say about a great classic that is well past its "best before" date. Fine's book was nothing short of revolutionary when it was written and remains arguably the best of its kind---a coherent overview of the main opening systems. It has spawned a number of pale modern imitations (eg. Gary Lane's very weak "Modern Ideas Behind the Chess Openings") which lack the breadth and reach of Fine's. That said, this would no longer serve as an all-purpose introduction to opening theory. Modern chess practice has simply evolved enormously, especially over the last 20 years. As a result, Fine's treatment of the major openings shows its age and, unfortunately, its obsolescence.

Book Description

Born in 1911 (and still working), Gian Carlo Menotti created the first television opera (Amahl and the Night Visitors), made opera successful on Broadway while winning two Pultizer Prizes (The Consul and The Saint of Bleecker Street), and founded the Spoleto Festivals in Italy and the United States. Menotti has had a magnificent career: 21 of his operas and stage works have been filmed, taped or telecast. Each chapter of this reference work covers one opera or stage work and includes a history of the work, a description of its primary screen adaptation, and a chronological listing of screen and audio versions with cast and credits. Additional chapters are devoted to Menotti's screen biographies and screen collaborators, the Spoleto Festivals, and his unfilmed operas. An annotated bibliography completes the guide.

Book Description

An inspiring invitation for parents to see how the demands of parenting can enrich their relationship with God by seeing God through their kids.

Book Description

The only book on Pearl Harbor to take the reader inside teh Japanese perspective, revealing the original Japanese documents on "Operation Hawaii."

Features a full reproduction of one of the most important documents of the war--the top-secret map drawn in great detail by Japanese commander Mitsuo Fuchida for his post-battle briefing of Emperor Hirohito.

Customer Reviews:

Pearl Harbor Papers.......2007-09-30

This is a great resource for creating a Battle Analysis (the reason that I purchased it). Parts of this book would be a hard read (some of it isn't written like a novel). Great resource but not a book to read on the plane.

An Invaluable Academic Research Resource .......2006-09-06

Goldstein and Dillon have done all the legwork one needs to conduct research into the Japanese experience and perspective on the Pearl Harbor operation. While much of the content is repetitive, the subtle varieties of individual experiences and opinions of the Japanese command are truly insightful. To read this book is to understand, as best as one can, the thought processes of the Imperial Japanese Navy that lead to the greatest confilct of the modern age. If you find the attack on Pearl Harbor to be a fascinating subject, this book will reveal an entirely different perspective with first-hand accounts and immediate post war criticisms that are exclusively Japanese.
Review every book you read- authors deserve your input and consideration.

Excellent appendix to At Dawn We Slept.......2004-03-18

This book can be considered an appendix to Gordon W. Prange's "At Dawn We Slept, the untold story of Pearl Harbor." As an appendix, it is not a story but a collection of whatever significant material was found in the Prange archives related to the Pearl Harbor attack. As a result, it contains maps, diaries, comments, naval statistics, and so on, which are very helpful for the military specialist. Goldstein and Dillon, the co-editors, include a number of diaries, ship logs, or journals of commanders of the Japanese fleet covering the period from their departure from Hitokappu Bay to arrival day at Pearl Harbor, and these are in some cases very routine but do allow for a look at how the Japanese fleet dealt in a day-to-day way with the long and dangerous North Pacific trip and how they handled obstacles, such as refueling, morale and heavy seas.
However, the MOST IMPORTANT and significant part of this book, in my opinion, is at the very end of the book, and consists of an in-depth analysis of the Japanese military -- their planning, their methods, their ideas, their traditional beliefs -- by Masataka Chihaya. This critical analysis -- which should be read by all students of military history -- alone is well worth the price of the book for the student of the military and military tactics. But for the reader looking for battles, maneuvers, and other such action this book would be a disappointment. I give it 5 stars for the military student, 3 stars for others...

Essential primary sources.......2002-11-30

Gordon Prange, the dean of Pearl Harbor researchers, and his assistants Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon, produced the essential trilogy on the before-during-and-after of the attack, "At Dawn We Slept" (1981), "December 7, 1941" (1988), and "Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History" (1986). In this book, Dillon and Goldstein produce some of their essential primary sources, key Japanese documents about the planning, execution, and aftermath of the attack.

One of the key distinctives of Prange's research and writing was that, unlike so many other writers about the attack, he never forgot the Japanese half of the equation. In fact, the Pearl Harbor attack was a massive tactical undertaking, and the Japanese carried it off brilliantly. Focusing entirely on, for example, how much FDR knew and when, means ignoring the magnitude of the Japanese accomplishment.

Prange never made this mistake. And it's his research and interviews in Japan that produced this important work, assembled and published by his two assistants. While "The Pearl Harbor Papers" may be too esoteric for casual students of the Day of Infamy, people with a more serious interest in the attack, or the Pacific War generally, will find much here to keep themselves occupied.

Of particular interest are several papers and affidavits by Minoru Genda, the key planner of the attack. Also very interesting is "An Intimate Look at the Japanese Navy," by Masataka Chihaya, a former officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy, who shortly after the end of the war cataloged his services' successes and failures. It's a very clear-eyed document, and deserves a close reading.

On the whole, this is a very good book to add to your shelf of Pearl Harbor books (and anyone who has such a shelf unquestionably needs this).

insight into Japanese plans.......2001-05-03

The Pearl Harbor Papers is a great body of insight into the planning of the Dec 7, 1941 attack. Although some of the charts breaking down the unit compositions are redundant (due to the same information in several different accounts), a look into the mind of Minoru Genda, the brilliant planner of the strike, is invaluable. Another interesting account is the battle diary of the destroyer Akigumo, which offers a unique view from that of a screening vessel. A real good supplement to the three volumes authored by Gordon Prange about the "Day of Infamy".

THE PEARL HARBOR PAPERS, INSIDE THE JAPANESE PLANS

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THE PEARL HARBOR PAPERS, INSIDE THE JAPANESE PLANS
Donald M and Katherine V. Dillon (Editors) Goldstein
Manufacturer: Brassey's(Us)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J4WJ5Q

The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans.: An article from: Pacific Affairs

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The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans.: An article from: Pacific Affairs
Owen Griffiths
Manufacturer: University of British Columbia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00092YE06
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Pacific Affairs, published by University of British Columbia on September 22, 1994. The length of the article is 629 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans.
Author: Owen Griffiths
Publication: Pacific Affairs (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1994
Publisher: University of British Columbia
Volume: v67 Issue: n3 Page: p453(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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THE PEARL HARBOR PAPERS : INSIDE THE JAPANESE PLANS
Donald M. & Dillon, Katherine V. Goldstein
Manufacturer: Brassey's USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M8OO20

The Pearl Harbor Papers : Inside the Japanese Plans (World War II Commemorative Ser.)

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The Pearl Harbor Papers : Inside the Japanese Plans (World War II Commemorative Ser.)
Donald M.; Dillon, Katherine V. (editor) Goldstein
Manufacturer: Potomac Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8Y3SS

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THE PEARL HARBOR PAPERS. Inside the Japanese Plans.
Donald M. and Dillon, Katherine V. (eds.): Goldsstein
Manufacturer: Pan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VUR9B2

Book Description

"These essays contain an excellent blend of theory with specific facts and narrative accounts of dealing with terrorism. I don't know of another book which has the sweep of this one, the illustrative detail, and the welcome, refreshing recognition that there is no neat explanation for terrorism. This book will have a major impact on future research."--David F. Musto, Yale School of Medicine

Terrorists and terrorism have become a major force internationally. Hostage-taking and other acts of violence for political ends are common all over the globe. This groundbreaking study sheds new light on the phenomenon of terrorism.

This book examines and explains the nature and sources of terrorists' beliefs, actions, goals, worldviews, and states of mind. Origins of Terrorism addresses, with scholarly responsibility as well as necessary urgency, one of the most vexing intellectual and political challenges of our time.

The contributors to this book bring deep learning and experience in realms that are vital to an understanding of the arenas within which terrorist behavior takes place-arenas such as ideology, nationalism and religion. The authors explore terrorist behavior in its troubling richness and diversity, and identify the ways in which it develops, grows and sustains itself. In addition, they study the mechanisms that enable terrorists to easily carry out violent acts against innocents, as well as the ways in which leaders of governments respond to terrorist actions and threats. Finally, they identify the opportunities for future research in the psychology of terrorism as well as the limits of such research

This collection, under Reich's editorship, will help us to understand terrorism as well as the motivations behind it. Origins of Terrorism, which is being published simultaneously in hardcover and paperback, is an important study which is bound to affect the way we look at world politics.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting and attempted balance.......2005-04-09

Origins of Terrorism attempts to both be balanced and discuss the psychologies of terrorists. The chapter by Martha Crenshaw (I recommend reading her book on terrorism rather than just the chapter) presents the opposing view to the chapter by Post. While interesting, the psychology advanced is mostly the "crazy terrorist" psychology. I didn't get much out of the book, except for the first two chapters and chapter 10. Chapter 10, which discusses terrorist motivations, is incredibly useful. The rest of the book is average but unremarkable.

Oversimplified and Biased.......2003-08-18

This book attempts to account for the root causes of terrorism. However it fails to provide a meticulous analysis of the origins of terrorism. For example, consider the author's analysis of islamic fanaticism. According to Reich, muslim terrorists, driven by an ardent religious conviction, target western modernism as they despise the Western way of life. In support of his assertion, Reich uses quotes from the Quaran which have been taken out of their proper context. Anyone even vaguely familiar with Islam knows that Islam teaches piety, tolerance, empathy and equality before God (please check the Quaran for corroboration of this). Moreover murder is justifiable only in self-defense. Subsequently, claiming that Islamic fundamentalism emerged as a result of an extreme interpretation of the Quaran is preposterous. The author further asserts that Hezbollah uses religion as a justification for its abhorrent atrocities. Trying to explain the underlying motives of Hezbollah's ideology without even taking into account the 22-years long Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon is indicative of poor scholaship and gross oversimplification. In my view it was the Israeli invasion of Lebanon which triggered the emergence of these resistance groups. The real causes of terrorism are Western imperialism, gross economic inequalities, oppression, abject poverty, Western exploitation of the Middle East's enormous oil fields, imposition of Western values and US capitalism, US constant interventions and support for oppressive governments like Saudi-Arabia, Israel etc. These are the root causes and unless we acknowledge them it will be extremely difficult to obliterate terrorism. It is like treating a patient but having a wrong diagnosis. Another disadvantage of this book is the fact that it almost exclusively focuses on Islamic fundamentalism; no account of Jewish and Christian terrorism is given. This seriously undermines the book's purpose and makes it biased. This book does however provide a thorough account of psychological factors which contribute to the rise of terrorism but these are merely of secondary importance. Interesting read but lacks a detailed analysis.

About a year too soon.......2003-03-19

This informative book covers all aspects of terrorism - the warped psyches driving the murderous events, historical setting, goals, leaders and particularly the religious, ethnic and ideological forces behind terrorism. While 99.99% of all world terrorism has its roots in the Middle East, it has become a worldwide phenomenon.

Even more important than the barbarous acts, though, is the development of a framework within which one both justifies and excuses terrorism. Never before has the claim been made that it is morally permissible to kill innocent men, women and children for any reason. Never before have there been so many willing not only to forgive but also to forget these deeds done in the name of an esoteric idea.

Perhaps the most important development, and one discussed in detail, is the merging of Islamic fundamentalism and the Left throughout the world. In a sense it was inevitable: Both are virulently anti-Western, both advocate violence and both support
- and get support from - totalitarian regimes. Mainly due to the identification with the USSR and its support for Arab causes, the Left has moved steadily into an anti-Israeli/Jewish pro-Arab/Palestinian stand. One can trace both the physical evolution of Palestinian terror groups (unorganized local groups to world network) and ideological evolution (from local issues to global terrorist concerns). This is most evident in Europe, especially France and Germany. The two share a dubious honor: France is the intellectual home of modern anti-Semitism and Germany is where the logical fruition of these "ideas" was practiced.

Another danger of terrorism is that of disproportion. The number of people required for maximum damage has been steadily dwindling - from mass armies, to small units, to spies to ordinary individuals. Terrorism thrives because of this disproportionate power. This is a disturbing yet satisfying read and the author is to be commended for excellent research.

Excellent Foundational Book on "Terrorist" Behavior.......1999-02-11

This book presents to its readers a clear foundation of the factors that lie behind the use of violence by groups, states, and/or individuals to gain their objectives.

The two primary articles in the book by Martha Crenshaw and Jerrold Post present two opposing views of the logic that lies behind political violent activity ("terrorists" activity). The case studies in the rest of the book support these two primary articles.

Any researcher in the field of political violence studies must have this book in their library.

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