The Smoking Puzzle: Information, Risk Perception, and Choice

Book Description

How do smokers evaluate evidence that smoking harms health? Some evidence suggests that smokers overestimate health risks from smoking. This book challenges this conclusion. The authors find that smokers tend to be overly optimistic about their longevity and future health if they quit later in life.

Older adults' decisions to quit smoking require personal experience with the serious health impacts associated with smoking. Smokers over fifty revise their risk perceptions only after experiencing a major health shock--such as a heart attack. But less serious symptoms, such as shortness of breath, do not cause changes in perceptions. Waiting for such a jolt to occur is imprudent.

The authors show that well-crafted messages about how smoking affects quality of life can greatly affect current perceptions of smoking risks. If smokers are informed of long-term consequences of a disease, and if they are told that quitting can indeed come too late, they are able to evaluate the risks of smoking more accurately, and act accordingly.

Amazon.com

XML is often treated as the next pop standard in markup, but seldom in depth as a set of software development specifications. Essential XML digs deep into XML, examining its capabilities as an underlying data-exchange format. This book is for serious software developers who are comfortable with technical terminology.

Right from the start, the book addresses XML as a data format and not a presentation mechanism. It is the belief of the authors that XML handcoding by humans will fade away as XML becomes increasingly a low-level standard for providing communication between applications. The entire book revolves around the XML Information Set (InfoSet), an XML specification that the authors feel is underexamined by most XML aficionados. The InfoSet defines XML documents in terms that are independent of syntax.

The opening section provides an overview to the InfoSet, albeit a very technical examination. There's little ramping up in this book--readers must be prepared to dig into the nitty-gritty right from the start. The text moves on to discuss programming XML via the DOM and SAX, as well as such key topics as transformations and navigation.

One of the book's strongest points is its examination of XML as a messaging technology for the software development market of the future. In a discussion of XML as an improvement over standard component models, the authors proclaim that, "as the software industry looks to XML as a solution to all problems short of world hunger, there is a tendency to reinvent the entire automobile and highway system in the process of reinventing the wheel."

Developers who are fluent in component programming and distributed object models will glean the most from this book. Casual XML implementers should look for a more introductory guide, but tool developers will find this title quite insightful in charting their XML course. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

XML Information Set (InfoSet)
Simple API for XML Version 2 (SAX2)
Document Object Model Level 2 (DOML2)
Apache Xerces
Microsoft XML
Xpath
Xpointer
Xinclude
Xbase
XML Schemas
XSLT
XML as a software-integration technology

Book Description

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) has been anointed as the universal duct tape for all software integration problems despite XML's relatively humble origins in the world of document management systems. Essential XML presents a software engineering-focused view of XML and investigates how XML can be used as a component integration technology much like COM or CORBA. Written for software developers and technical managers, this book demonstrates how XML can be used as the glue between independently developed software components (or in the marketecture terminology du jour, how XML can act as the backplane for B2B e-commerce applications). Authors Don Box, Aaron Skonnard, and John Lam cover the key issues, technologies, and techniques involved in using XML as the adhesive between disparate software components and environments. They explain the fundamental abstractions and concepts that permeate all XML technologies, primarily those documented in the XML Information Set (Infoset). XML-based approaches to metadata, declarative, and procedural programming through transformation and programmatic interfaces are covered. Don Box, co-author of the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) specification, provides readers with insight into this emerging XML messaging technology for bridging COM, CORBA, EJB, and the Web. Readers acquire a better understanding of XML's inner workings and come to see how its platform, language, and vendor independence--along with its accessibility--make it an extraordinarily effective solution for software interoperation.

Customer Reviews:

Don Box , please stop!.......2002-12-09

Like all the stuff Don Box wrote and published, this book is yet
another product he put out in a hurry. there are many many many
blunt errors which makes you doubt if Mr. Box understand
the topic at all. we have our copy of this book (bought by mistake) in the lunch room so that we can use its pages to clean
spilled food. the cover of the book is anoying too! Don, is that you getting out the shower?
in summary, what a piece of junk!

This is not the best Don Box, sorry.......2001-10-10

My impression is that Don Box is missing the mathematical bases to write this kind of ambitious books. There are big mistakes that show how he is missing a solid background on "graph theory" and mathematics. In my personal opinion he is a lot better writing about programming and should avoid this kind of topics.

What a let-down!.......2001-08-24

I ordered this book without even thumbing through it - that's how much faith I had in Don Box after reading his other books in this series. What a disappointment! This book is poorly organized, rife with errors and doesn't seem to have any discernable target audience.

There are no good books on this subject (although there's no shortage of them) and someone really needs to step-up and write the definitive work in this area. I was expecting that someone to be Don Box.

If you're considering buying this book, I urge you to go to the bookstore (or borrow it from a friend) and read the chapter on "Schemas". If that strikes you as remotely clear..., then go ahead and purchase with my blessing.

Money back please!.......2001-06-08

Essential XML commits the worst sin of any technical work: it assumes its readers are already familiar with the subject matter. Reading this book is is like joining a competitive high-level college course in mid-semester--one feels behind from the start.

Perhaps the authors feel that readers who would admit to a need for a more gradual approach to the material are beneath their consideration as being weak technically. It's unfortunate that omniscience is one of the assumed attributes of the hacker.

I for one am not omniscient, but prefer texts where the authors and editors have made a reasonable effort to present the material in a way accessible to readers with varying levels of prior expertise.

Concepts, concepts.......2001-06-05

This book is a little confusing if you are starting with XML. But if you keep working on it, you will find it really rewarding. It focuses on giving you a conceptual review of the technologies related to XML and XML itself, instead of providing a bunch of "if you have this problem, do this" kind of receipts.

It is outdated by now in terms of the sintax, specially with the XML schema spec getting the recommendation status. Nevertheless the concepts behind didn't change fundamentally. If you have read the Primer from the W3C but didn't get enough from it, but don't want to go to the spec (who reads that?) then this book may be of great help.

Amazon.com

In Microsoft Help Desk for Microsoft Office 2000, Stephen Nelson has compiled more than 750 Office 2000 articles from the Microsoft Knowledge Base, the database of problems and solutions that Microsoft's own support experts use to assist their customers. True enough, you can query the Knowledge Base free of charge on the Microsoft Web site, but this book earns its cover price by making it easy to browse articles and quickly locate sets of related ones. Because the whole text of this book appears on the companion CD-ROM, it's often faster to find the information you need there. The CD-ROM would be even better if its search interface allowed you to explicitly limit keyword searches to articles on selected Office programs, but it's strong as it is.

Don't look here for information about normal Office operations, however obscure they may be. These articles have to do with abnormal conditions and how to deal with them. A typical entry states the symptoms, including exact error messages and specific behaviors. It then quickly states why the problem occurs and suggests ways to fix or work around it. Articles include references to Knowledge Base articles too, so you can check for more current information online. Some solutions are easy to implement; others involve Registry editing and (particularly in the Access section) code listings. While it's probably too much for a home user, this book is perfect for organizational support departments. It also would fit well into a company library, where Office users could consult it independently when they encounter trouble. --David Wall

Topics covered: All major programs in Microsoft Office 2000 Premium--including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, FrontPage, and Access--as well as the Office 2000 setup routine and some of the suite's minor programs. Problems and solutions appear for many problems, including those related to installation, data sharing, everyday use, and using Office programs in a networked environment.

Book Description

Users get the answers they need about using Microsoft Office 2000-without summoning the help desk or making a time-consuming Web search-with the aid of this rich, take-anywhere resource. It's the only book of its kind that's based on actual issues and solutions provided by Microsoft Product Support Services for Microsoft Office 2000, direct from Microsoft's Knowledge Base archives. Covering all editions of Office, this help-desk-in-a-book compiles key troubleshooting, support, and problem-solving information-offering ready solutions in easy-to-understand language. Readers get Microsoft technical support without making a phone call!

Customer Reviews:

An outstanding, highly recommended reference........2000-07-04

Microsoft Help Desk: Microsoft Office 2000 is a complete, single volume, highly recommended troubleshooting technical support book for Microsoft Office 2000 users. This essential reference shows how to recover damaged Word documents and text; troubleshoot setup and installation errors; create multiple e-mail accounts on one computer; resolve printer problems; prevent macro viruses from infecting the system; import graphics and movie files into PowerPoint presentations; wrap images around text; ensure Y2K compliant dates; restrict or monitor access to web pages; use lightweight objects to speed database performance, and much, much more. This outstanding, highly recommended reference also includes a complete electronic version of the text on CD-ROM., making it ever easier to find solutions to problems quickly and definitively.

Microsoft Press has done it again!.......2000-03-27

In 11 years of working with computers the one constant in the industry has always been technical support. When you buy hardware or software and you have trouble, whom do you call? Well for Microsoft has put the answers right at your fingertips and it's Microsoft Help Desk.

For less that $40.00 you have an abundance of knowledge written in over 1250 pages. The book covers each and every application within the Office 200 suite, from Word and Excel to Front Page and Outlook. There's even section on general Office 2000 and the setup and configuration.

Complied by Stephen L. Nelson, this book is a real handy reference when you need the quick answer and cannot wait on the phone. Using the Error Encountered method, you are then given several solutions to try. If you don't like reading books there's a cd with the electronic book included.

While no book can account for every situation, failure or error, Microsoft Help Desk certainly makes a valiant attempt to give you as much information as possible. I liked the way the book is technical enough for the advanced user, yet easy enough to understand for the novice.

Average customer rating:

Too Cerebral, Too Procedural, Too Digital

Don't like simplistic "how to run a meeting" books?

Pretty good meeting book

We'Ve Got to Start Meeting Like This: A Guide to Successful Meeting Management
Roger K. Mosvick , and Robert B. Nelson
Manufacturer: Jist Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Running Meetings & Presentations | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

We've Got To Start Meeting Like This! How to Get Better Results with Fewer Meetings

ASIN: 1571120696

Customer Reviews:

Too Cerebral, Too Procedural, Too Digital.......2003-05-31

Book Review. Jack D. Cook, Training Consultant, Middle East

Have to disagree 180 degrees with Ken Blanchard on his summation of We've Got to Start meeting Like This! as "the best book on meetings on the market today." I am qualified to disagree with Mr. Blanchard because I taught his book Situational Leadership for 5 years on a U.S. Military base before coming to the Middle East.

I have just reviewed We've Got to Start meeting Like This! And from an international perspective, the book is too cerebral, too procedural, too clinical, and too digital. Devoid of the "messy stuff" of groups communicating that often characterizes even the best of well-run business meetings.

In fact, the Index does not even list emotions, empathy, group maintenance skills, and any other "touch-feely" term or phrase that authors seem to have strong aversion for. While the emphasis is "all about data" and MIS and DSS computer-aided decision support systems, the authors do allude to Carl Rogers, cited in a box on page 183, in a response to a "fan" of One Minute Manager who is desperate for some way to manage conflict. But more space (about 3 pages) is given to a "cute" profile of "The Meeting Saboteur." Seems that the contradictions run everywhere, like a cheap pair of pantyhose.

Typographically and stylistically speaking, the paragraphs are long, academic, self-congratulatory, and evince almost a total absence of "good white space" and effective use of lists and bulleting. "Words, words, words," as Hamlet said. And it appears the authors were writing to one another, certainly not to an urbane, multicultural, international audience. Verbiage! Verbiage! Verbiage! Almost rimes with garbage, garbage, garbage. Seriously, the authors could reduce the word count by 50% and the fog index would drop by a thousand.

My summation is that this book is one of the worst books on running effective meetings I have ever read.

Jack D. Cook
Saudi Arabia

Don't like simplistic "how to run a meeting" books?.......2001-06-16

Then this is the book for you. This is by far the most thorough and the most detailed book not only on meetings but one of the best books on inter-personal relationships at work. Based on empirical research, this book is not your garden variety (We think that 3 main ways you can save time are ...) but a serious and methodologically sound work. I run various management seminars in Australia and world-wide, among them "Time Management @ WORK", where a whole section is devoted to time wastage at meetings, and I have read almost every conceivable book on time management (many of them being an utter waste of time and money). The small price of this gem will be one of the best investments you and your organisation will make in a long time.

A warning: if you expect quick and easy answers and "5 fast ways to improve your meetings" you may be dissapointed, since that simplistic attitude may be your organisation's problem in the first place!

Pretty good meeting book.......2000-05-04

I bought this book for work, and it's pretty thorough. It addresses common meeting problems, suggests causes, and then offers solutions. I found the surveys in the appendix particularly useful. Two of the forms are going to be implemented at my company: the one on facilitation form / agenda preparation and the one on meeting evaluation. The book gave tons of ideas on how to make meetings better.

We'Ve Got to Start Meeting Like This!: A Guide to Successful Business Meeting Management

Average customer rating:

We'Ve Got to Start Meeting Like This!: A Guide to Successful Business Meeting Management
Roger K. Mosvick , and Robert B. Nelson
Manufacturer: Scott Foresman Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Running Meetings & Presentations | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0673184684

Average customer rating:

Type Comes Down to Earth!

I lost my job and this book gave me hope

This book is so helpful!

Two books in one

It Takes All Types: The Guide for Finding a Job, Changing Careers, and Understanding Yourself at Work
John J. Arnopp
Manufacturer: Authorhouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Job Hunting | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work

The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success

ASIN: 1410760227

Customer Reviews:

Type Comes Down to Earth!.......2003-10-25

The market for personality type books is crowded, with titles about Myers-Briggs, Keirsey, True Colors, and a number of other similiar systems for helping readers locate themselves on the spectrum of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional styles. Arnopp's book ranks among the best by my standards -- he narrows the scope of his advice to a particular domain, careers, and links observations about type to other sources of information about that same domain.

What I especially like about the book is that it offers a liberating insight that more "upbeat" books sometimes hide: Economic factors like supply and demand influence what jobs are available, how much they pay, and how hard it may be to establish oneself in a particular occupation.

Overall, this book offers support for your understanding and accepting yourself, grounded in a realistic sense of the options for and obstacles to making your way in the world.

I lost my job and this book gave me hope.......2003-09-16

This is a different kind of career book. The approach is to help readers discover what type of person they are and then match those personality traits with a variety of occupations. The author goes into detail about selected fields, and drills down into specific jobs. He takes a real-world stand by including important details, like how much actual jobs pay to start, and what one might expect to eventually make.

The personality information is based on established tests that have been used for years, and I found the personality type stuff to be amazingly accurate and insightful (I am an INTJ). Trying to find work that is meaningful to me is my goal every day now, and this book has offered me hope that I will finally be looking in the right field, and eventually find "The Job."

This book is so helpful!.......2003-08-28

This is such a great book for those of us who want to get some really practical advice for a career path to choose that will actually bring us happiness as well as money. I only wish that I had this book in high school or college because I feel like I have wasted so much time on jobs that were unfullfilling, simply because I did not see the relationship between personality type and career. The lists of jobs in this book and the explanations of the personality types are so comprehensive and really compelling. I think this book would be great for anyone who is looking to find a career path for their life (e.g. college students, people looking for work), but I'd buy it just for the lists of jobs in it that are really eye opening and horizon broadening.

Two books in one.......2003-08-16

This book was really interesting. I am not looking for work, but I am really interested in personality types and have read all the Kiersey books and Tieger books (Please Understand Me, Do What You Are, Nature By Nurture) and others. I would say that It Takes All Types combines a good career manual with a understanding of personality. I will definitely give this to my kids to read when they are in high school. Even as an introduction to type and temperament, the career angle should get them into it. Especially seeing the salaries and experience require, which should help them want to stay in school and go to college!

Customer Reviews:

surrender to the flow 2.......2006-11-14

Just fantastic! If you speak spanish, this is by far the best book out there on the law of abundance!

Book Description

The hundred-year history of The Timken Company is one of the great success stories of U.S. manufacturing. More than just a chronicle of the company's growth in two key industries, bearings and steel, this absorbing account examines the factors that have sustained it through dramatic changes in the business environment.

Timken From Missouri to Mars-A Century of Leadership in Manufacturing

Average customer rating:

Timken From Missouri to Mars-A Century of Leadership in Manufacturing
Bettye H. (Jeffrey R. Yost, Asst.) Pruitt
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School P.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J12F9E

Book Description

Find out how to get your share of the big-spending and fast-growing teen marketing in this best-selling book. The author, dubbed "the teenage marketing guru" by BusinessWeek, has put his years of experience as a researcher and marketing consultant into this book, which is based on extensive surveys and focus groups with teens around the country. Using real-life examples, Wise Up to Teens shows you what brands teen boys and girls prefer, what words to use in advertising to teens, what media teens recommend you use, how much influence teens have over what their parents buy, how teen boys and girls differ on social issues, the five rules advertisers should follow to appeal to teens, etc.

Customer Reviews:

If you want to know the teen market, read this book........1999-09-10

Zollo does a fabulous job of aquatinting the audience with one of largest consumer groups, the teen. He is gracious enough to present all the data (and there is a lot of it) in a way that is digestible and applicable. As a research director for an advertising firm that develops marketing media specifically for teens, you can be sure that "The End of Marketing As We Know It" will be referenced often.

The definitive guide to marketing and advertising to teenage.......1999-07-15

This is an interesting book,which uses real-life examples to demonstrate just what will make a teenager want pull out his/her wallet--and apparently it's a wallet filled with spending cash! It's interesting to learn just how influential teens are when it comes to the purchases of their parents, too. I'm not even in the marketing industry--but I found the book's insights fascinating. If you're interested in selling to to this huge ($100 billion!) market, or just want to learn more about teens and their attitudes, values,etc. you'll find this book very entertaining as well as informative.

Wise Up to Teens: Insights into Marketing and Advertising to Teenagers

Average customer rating:

Wise Up to Teens: Insights into Marketing and Advertising to Teenagers
Peter Zollo
Manufacturer: New Strategist Pubns Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O3T55Y

Average customer rating:
Importance And Assessment Of Global Resources (Current Issues of Global Resource Management, Vol. 1)

Manufacturer: Peter Lang Pub Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

International | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 3631393164

Book Description

"By far, the best book for entrepreneurs … the bible for those taking their show on the road. May be the best investment a small firm with international aspirations can make." —Entrepreneur Magazine "Any company, small or large, wishing to cash in on international trade could benefit from this well-written, informative book." —The Kansas City Times GATT, NAFTA, EEC—this alphabet soup of the nineties spells a bright future for companies bold enough to plunge into international waters. And this fully revised and updated edition of the ultimate practical export guide shows how businesses of any size can cash in on these great new opportunities. Internationally recognized trade expert Roger E. Axtell provides all the information you need to start, develop, and sustain a thriving export business, including the ins and outs of international distribution, pricing, language barriers, customs, and protocols. Under Axtell's guidance, you will learn how to:

Take advantage of government and private support services for exporters
Avoid the most common mistakes in exporting
Motivate overseas distributors and agents
Price, ship, and protect your products
Communicate effectively and avoid misunderstandings

The Do's And Taboos Of International Trade - A Small Business Primer

Average customer rating:

The Do's And Taboos Of International Trade - A Small Business Primer
Roger E. Axtell -
Manufacturer: John Wiley Publishing -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P0UWB2

Book Description

Basic information on foreign and domestic policy, national security, political system, parties and elections, government and administrative structure. Participation in international organizations, treaties and regional unions. International and foreign policy and more.

Average customer rating:

Niger Investment & Business Guide
Emerging Markets Investment Center
Manufacturer: International Business Publications, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0739703218

Book Description

This investment guide contains basic information on economy, business, export-import and investment climate, opportunities, regulations. Provides strategic information on economy, industrial development, banking, and government. Includes information on the most important business contacts and business travel. Updated annually.

Niger Investment & Business Guide (World Investment and Business Library)

Average customer rating:

Niger Investment & Business Guide (World Investment and Business Library)
International Business Publications USA
Manufacturer: Intl Business Pubns USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0739769855

Book Description

This investment guide contains basic information on economy, business, export-import and investment climate, opportunities and regulations. Provides strategic information on economy, industrial development, banking, and government. Includes information on the most important business contacts and business travel. Updated annually.

Niger Country Study Guide (World Country Study Guide Library)

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Niger Country Study Guide (World Country Study Guide Library)
Global Investment & Business Inc , and USA International Business Publications
Manufacturer: International Business Publications, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 073972424X

Book Description

This study guide contains basic information on economy, government, business, history and geography, climate, traditions, people, places to visit. Provides information on government, political organizations, and more... Includes basic statistics, information on the most important business contacts and business travel. Updated annually.

Niger Mineral & Mining Sector Investment And Business Guide (World Business, Investment and Government Library)

Average customer rating:

Niger Mineral & Mining Sector Investment And Business Guide (World Business, Investment and Government Library)
USA International Business Publications
Manufacturer: Intl Business Pubns USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0739739581

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