21 Dog Years : Doing Time @ Amazon.com

Book Description

Boy meets dot-com, boy falls for dot-com, boy flees dot-com in horror. So goes one of the most perversely hilarious love stories you will ever read, one that blends tech culture, hero worship, cat litter, Albanian economics, venture capitalism, and free bagels into a surreal cocktail of delusion.

In 1998, when Amazon.com went to temp agencies to recruit people, they gave them a simple directive: send us your freaks. Mike Daisey -- slacker, onetime aesthetics major, dilettante -- seemed perfect for the job. His ascension from lowly temp to customer service representative to business development hustler over the course of twenty-one dog years is the stuff of both dreams and nightmares.

With lunatic precision, Daisey describes the lightless cube farms in which book orders were scrawled on Post-its while technicians struggled to bring computers back online; the fourteen-hour days fueled by caffeine, fanaticism, and illicit day-trading from office desks made from doors; his strange compulsion to send free books to Norwegians; and the fevered insistence of BizDev higher-ups that the perfect business partner was Pets.com -- the now-extinct company that spent all its assets on a sock puppet.

In these pages, you'll meet Warren, the cowboy of customer service, capable of verbally hog-tying even the most abusive customer; Amazon employee #5, a reclusive computer gamer worth a cool $300 million, who spends at least six hours a day locked in his office killing goblins; and Jean-Michele, Mike's girlfriend and sparring partner, who tries to keep him grounded, even as dot-com mania seduces them both. At strategic intervals, the narrative is punctuated by hysterically honest letters to CEO Jeff Bezos -- missives that seem ripped from the collective unconscious of dot-com disciples the world over.

21 Dog Years is an epic story of greed, self-deception, and heartbreak, a wickedly funny anthem to an era of bounteous stock options and boundless insanity.

Download Description

"Boy meets dot-com, boy falls for dot-com, boy flees dot-com in horror. So goes one of the most perversely hilarious love stories you will ever read, one that blends tech culture, hero worship, cat litter, Albanian economics, venture capitalism, and free bagels into a surreal cocktail of delusion. In 1998, when Amazon.com went to temp agencies to recruit people, they gave them a simple directive: send us your freaks. Mike Daisey -- slacker, onetime aesthetics major, dilettante -- seemed perfect for the job. His ascension from lowly temp to customer service representative to business development hustler over the course of twenty-one dog years is the stuff of both dreams and nightmares. With lunatic precision, Daisey describes the lightless cube farms in which book orders were scrawled on Post-its while technicians struggled to bring computers back online; the fourteen-hour days fueled by caffeine, fanaticism, and illicit day-trading from office desks made from doors; his strange compulsion to send free books to Norwegians; and the fevered insistence of BizDev higher-ups that the perfect business partner was Pets.com -- the now-extinct company that spent all its assets on a sock puppet. In these pages, you'll meet Warren, the cowboy of customer service, capable of verbally hog-tying even the most abusive customer; Amazon employee #5, a reclusive computer gamer worth a cool $300 million, who spends at least six hours a day locked in his office killing goblins; and Jean-Michele, Mike's girlfriend and sparring partner, who tries to keep him grounded, even as dot-com mania seduces them both. At strategic intervals, the narrative is punctuated by hysterically honest letters to CEO Jeff Bezos -- missives that seem ripped from the collective unconscious of dot-com disciples the world over. 21 Dog Years is an epic story of greed, self-deception, and heartbreak, a wickedly funny anthem to an era of bounteous stock options and boundless insanity. "

Customer Reviews:

Easy read....interesting look at the .COM world (and all the promises it offered for a "different economy".......2005-12-30

I guess my interest in this book was to take a look into the heart of a .COM business to see if the people inside actually beleived some of the crap they were trying to sell people outside. What I mean is that this was a "new economy", and that profits were not what it was about. (god knows how many stocks went over $100 without a single profit in sight!)

Well, the glimse into Amazon was from a single guy, who didn't fit in from the start...so it might be a bit slanted.....on the other hand, he admits to "drinking the cool-aid" a bit himself and getting into the culture.

Bottom line....it looks like the .COM people believed in their jive even more than the people who bought $100/share stock off them.....

As for the book, it was an easy read.....and to me gave me a fair bit of insight into that world. (I was working at a computer company who's stock also went through the sky....but we were also making good profits.)

The run-up of the .COM "bubble" was always a mystery to me...and this book does go some part of the way to help me understand it. (but don't look for technical analysis....just the ramblings of the days in this guy's life at Amazon.....his low's, highs, and lows again)

WITLESS DRIVEL..........2005-10-09

I bought this book, thinking that it would offer some insight into Amazon.com in terms of what it was like to work there during its halcyon days. Touted as a funny memoir, among other things, I was to discover that it was none of what was promised. In fact, the book was painfully difficult to read, as it was very poorly written, decidedly not funny, and offered little insight into what it really was like to work at Amazon. It was totally sophomoric in terms of what it did say.

The author should be thankful that he was not fired by Amazon, as that is what he richly deserved to have happen based upon his own account of what he was like as an employee. He was a total slacker who treated customers with the contempt that he felt that they deserved. He was totally wasteful of the company's resources. He proudly stole supplies in bulk from the company. When toys were given to him for review purposes, he not only did not bother to review them, he then refused to return the toys to Amazon. He may think that all this is hilarious. Unfortunately, I do not. Reading this drivel felt like it took twenty-one dog years.

Moreover, this book was so poorly written, I am surprised that a reputable publisher went ahead with the expense of actually publishing it. Don't waste your time with this drivel. If you want to read a well-written, interesting book about working at Amazon, read "Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot. Com Juggernaut" by James Marcus.

21 dig years.......2005-10-05

Mike Daisey's memoir is about his experience working for amazon.com. In the book, he tells about how he got the job, and how he ended up leaving the job. I chose to read this memoir because, it was kind of the only one I could find that seemed even semi-interesting. I probably should have chosen more carefully, because there were a lot of things in the book that I didn't understand very much. In his memoir Mike Daisey tells about his excitement to join amazon, to how it got to be to the point where he couldn't stand it, to moving to a new position, only to leave amazon .com for good.
The book starts with Mike Daisey introducing himself. He explains how he was lazy, and never really did anything with his life. This is relevant later on in the memoir, when he gets hired for amazon, and actually feels like he is working for a living. Anyway, he ends up moving to Seattle, and getting a job at a temping service. He doesn't like his job, so he starts to look for new jobs. While he is between jobs, he moves in with his girlfriend. His search for a job is ongoing until he finds amazon.com. He applies for the job, and after several interviews, he gets the job, and is entered into a four week training period. He is taught about the company, and how to do the job. He ends up coming out of the training period very enthusiastic about the job. At the end of the training period, he and several other are officially offered the job. He accepts, and starts working in the customer services for amazon.
At first the job is okay and he along with all the others turn into amazon believers. He refers to it as a religion, because they all believe that amazon is like the way of the future, and are pretty much obsessed with their jobs. The job soon becomes unbearable for the author, and he finds himself trying to get out. He tries to write reviews for items, but falls behind, and finds himself at square one. He then applies for a different division that is out of customer service, and finds the job to be very appealing. He is pleased with the job until he starts hearing rumors about lay-offs, and is noticing cuts that the company is making. He is using the bathroom when he sees a spreadsheet, and reads it. It had all of the salaries of all the upper level worker, and some of whom he had worked with. The were making millions of dollars, and were idiots who didn't do anything. He found this combination of things disappointing, and ended up leaving the company because of it.
The whole experience is important to the author, because it wasn't a natural experience working for this big company. From my perspective the author felt like the whole company was kind of weird. I think one of the main reasons that he wrote this book is to expose how odd the job experience was. Especially when he says that the amazon thing turns into like a sort of a religion for him, and his co-workers, and that the CEO of the company, named Jeff, is like a god to them. Also how the job kind of takes over their lives, and the spend all their time focusing on the job, and competing with the other employees.
What the author got for the whole experience is kind of like what I mentioned before. He really got exposed to how strange and unnatural the job situations at companies like that are. He saw first hand how easy it was to fall for this whole system that convinced workers to push themselves too much, because they truly believed that they were actually making a difference, and sort of staring a revolution. As far as the title goes, it is referring to how one of the rules or beliefs is in this time system where the amazon employees are working faster, and so they refer to their years like dog years. I interpreted this to mean that the amazonians, as the author called them were working so hard and quickly that they were getting several years' work done in one year. I thought the book was good, but it was over my reading level, and I found it some parts boring, since it was also over my maturity level, and I couldn't relate to some of the things that the author mentioned.

Part Gonzo Journalism, Part Comedic Rant. Customer Service @Amazon.com........2005-09-22

"21 Dog Years" is a satirical account of life as a Amazon.com employee by self-described slacker Mike Daisey, who was recruited though a staffing company in 1998 to work in Customer Service Tier 1 and left the company in a fit of angst in 2000 in spite of enjoying his position in Business Development. The book's audience might be those seeking workplace comedy or those in search of information about Amazon.com's culture. "21 Dog Years" originated as a one man show, so it aims to entertain. At the same time, the book is very much in the tradition of gonzo journalism: insightful but inherently subjective and self-interested. If it is information about Amazon.com you seek, it's a little difficult to know where the hyperbole begins and ends. Mike Daisey's perspicacity is obvious from Chapter 1, where he observes the predicament of Gen Xers in the Baby Boomer economy of the 1990s, and he never hesitates to dwell on his own faults -which are many. He was a bad Customer Service Rep. He loved his company, but hated his job. Daisey seemed more competent and content in his Business Development position, but most of the book is about his experiences in Customer Service, probably because discontent is more compelling than comfort.

As for whether the book is funny, I think it has more moments of insight than comedy. It is informative only if you are interested in how the company philosophy was felt by low-level employees. The book's most obvious fault is that Mike Daisey is a generally unsympathetic personality. Not so much because he is a liar and a crook, but because he is whiny and self-absorbed. Only his intellect makes "21 Dog Years" readable. "Amazonia", written by Amazon.com employee #55 James Marcus, who spent 5 years with the company, is a more informative, literate account. But Marcus seemed to be trying very hard not to offend anyone, leaving readers to glean his opinions between the lines. "21 Dog Years" suffers from the opposite style: It's all about mouthing off, sometimes to the point of sensationalism. People are either going to love this or hate it, but I'm giving "21 Dog Years" 3 1/2 stars because I found the book to be very readable and intermittently insightful.

A WITLESS WASTE OF TIME..........2005-09-06

I bought this book, thinking that it would offer some insight into Amazon.com in terms of what it was like to work there during its halcyon days. Touted as a funny memoir, among other things, I was to discover that it was none of what was promised. In fact, the book was painfully difficult to read, as it was very poorly written, decidedly not funny, and offered little insight into what it really was like to work at Amazon. It was totally sophomoric in terms of what it did say.

The author should be thankful that he was not fired by Amazon, as that is what he richly deserved to have happen based upon his own account of what he was like as an employee. He was a total slacker who treated customers with the contempt that he felt that they deserved. He was totally wasteful of the company's resources. He proudly stole supplies in bulk from the company. When toys were given to him for review purposes, he not only did not bother to review them, he then refused to return the toys to Amazon. He may think that all this is hilarious. Unfortunately, I do not. Reading this drivel felt like it took twenty-one dog years.

Moreover, this book was so poorly written, I am surprised that a reputable publisher went ahead with the expense of actually publishing it. I guess that the name Amazon carries a great deal of weight for which the author should be eternally grateful. I doubt that had he written a book titled, "21 Dog Years: Doing time @ Sears.Com", substituting Sears for Amazon, that he would have found a publisher. Don't waste your time with this drivel. If you want to read a well-written, interesting book about working at Amazon, read "Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot. Com Juggernaut" by James Marcus.

Average customer rating:

21 DOG YEARS: DOING TIME AT AMAZON.COM
Mike Daisy
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J3ROXY

Book Description

He's one of the most exciting players in professional hockey, with outstanding speed and skill. In his first season with the NHL, Pavel Bure won the Calder Memorial Trophy as top rookie. Eight years after his debut, the man known as the "Russian Rocket" has racked up two 60-goal season and two 100-plus- point years, despite absences caused by injuries and contract disputes. Now an award-winning journalist delves into the mysteries of Bure's life, including allegations of involvement with the Russian Mafia; his troubled relationship with his father; the feuds with the media and with the Canucks' management; and his ambivalent attitude towards his intensely adoring fans. The author lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. 208 pages, 20 b/w illus., 6 x 9.

Customer Reviews:

as exciting a read as Pavel in full flight.......2005-04-17

Although the author really didn't have much access to Pavel himself, he fills in lots of the gaps and dispells a lot of the myths about the most exciting player to put on a Nux jersey (sorry, Markus Naslund...you're great but you don't lift me out of my seat like Pavel did).

This book only confirms my thoughts on writers like Tony Gallagher and Al Strachan--guys who never let the facts get in the way of a story. It also is an eye opener about how Nux mgmt operates and how the Nux WILL NEVER WIN A CUP until they bag this whole Quinn and his acolytes (Burke and now Nonis) hiring policy.

It hurts to read some of this as what mgmt did during Pavel's era is jaw droppingly stupid from bad trades post-1994 to being so chintzy about contract negotiations with key members of that Cup run team and I can now understand why Pavel finally wanted out. And to those out there always talking about how "great" a place to live Vancouver is, read this and wake up to the fact Vancouver is still a backwater and not some sort of cultural and enlightened "world-class" city.

The Russian Rocket.......2002-03-11

I think that this book is probably the best book out there right now. It tells the reader everything about the Russian Rocket, including his relationship with his father. And if you're a hockey fan like me, you really have to read this wonderful book.So don't delay,order today!

Mysterious but enlightening........2001-12-02

If you're looking as to why Pavel Bure appears to be such a "selfish little (...)" (as quoted by a certain Canadian famous hockey personality), then you should read this. The readers are treated to potential reasons as to why Bure acts like he does. He's got his reasons like anyone else does, one of them being he grew up in the former Soviet Union and their media laws towards sports are very different from that of North Americas. Another one being that he is an introvert that simply doesn't like to be bothered.

I love this book, I can just pick it up and start reading from anywhere because its so well-written. Some of the pictures are neat, like the one of him from the Soviet Union days.

There is also some other notes on other current NHL stars like Alexander Mogilny, Sergei Fedorov, and also delves into the Bure brothers relationship with their father Vladimir-who is now estranged from the family for mysterious reasons not given.

There is even some Russian Mafia rumors in this so if you're into that whole extortion stuff then you might like that too.

Either way, its a very good read.

The Riddle of the Amazing Rocket.......2001-03-14

This book is the true meaning of perfection and excellence. He may not be Wayne Gretzky, but Bure could beat him in a speed competition easily. Through the tough times of growing up in Russia, to the glorious days of the Olympics, Pavel Bure is truly a hero and an overall nice guy too. Everyone should read this book, because I sure enjoyed it a lot, and if you know the game of hockey, you will appreciate it even more.

THE RIDDLE OF THE RUSSIAN ROCKET.......2001-01-10

If you want to find out who the Russian Rocket is you'll have to read this book. I would recommend this autobiography for anyone to read if they have an interest in the NHL. This book gives you details on what actually took place for the Russians to be able to come and play hockey in the NHL.

Book Description

Every video camera owner has at one time or another envisioned making his own movie. But how does one start? How much money will it take? Just how do they do those special effects? Step-by-step! This is the guide for making your movie on a shoestring. The nitty gritty of production are detailed: traveling mattes, image inserts, schuftan shots, hanging miniatures, lighting repair, dolly construction, universal wounds and others. There are also tips on scripting, cast and crew communication and budgeting. A production checklist and sample forms are included. An earlier version was self-published by the author as Making a Video Feature on a Bare Bones Budget; our edition has expanded text and many new illustrations.

Roll'Em! Action!: How to Produce a Motion Picture on a Shoestring Budget

Average customer rating:

Roll'Em! Action!: How to Produce a Motion Picture on a Shoestring Budget
Jr. Joyner Harry M.
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MUA23S

Book Description

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Music Your Parents Never Wanted You To Hear

Believe it or not, music censorship in America did not begin with Tipper Gore's horrified reaction to her daughter's Prince album. The vilification of popular music by government and individuals has been going on for decades. Now, for the first time, Parental Advisory offers a thorough and complete chronicle of the music that has been challenged or suppressed -- by the people or the government -- in the United States.

From Dean Martin's "Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am" to Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar; from freedom fighters such as Frank Zappa and in-your-face rappers such a N.W.A. to crusaders such as Tipper Gore, this intelligent and entertaining book shows how censorship has crossed sexual, class, and ethnic lines, and how many see it as a de facto form of racism. With nearly one hundred fascinating photographs of musicians, record burning, and controversial cover art; illuminating sidebars; and a decade-by-decade timeline of important moments in censorship history, Parental Advisory is by turns frightening and hilarious -- but always revealing.

Customer Reviews:

Welcome to America: a place where everyone hates Music.......2007-01-13

America: a country where everyone turns to entertainment for something to blame. Music Censorship is a major playing key in this. Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America by Eric Nuzum is one book that demonstrates this.
In the Book he (the author) talks about how far people will go to ban Rock-N-Roll, pop music, rap, and many others. He talks about how racist people were and still are today dealing with themes in music, such as the rapper Ice-T. They, the people of America, tried to get his song "Cop Killer" banned because it talked about shooting cops. Other themes that got artists in trouble were Sex, violence, and many more. Other things that got them in trouble were album art, song titles, and lyrics.
This book can be closely related to To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. In To Kill a Mocking Bird there are racial controversies, such as the rape, and murders of a few characters, one being black. In Parental Advisory; Music Censorship in America people die or are killed "due to Rock-N-Roll themes and subliminal messages." Such incidents occurred with Ozzy Osborne and Judas Priest, whom were both sued for the suicides of children. Ozzy Osborne was sued twice for the suicides of two boys due to the song "Suicide Solution," as was Judas Priest for there song "Stained Class." Like the two boys in Ozzy's case, the two boys shot themselves, one dieing instantly with the other living for three years before dieing of surgery and an overdose of prescribed medicine. Also right before their deaths they signed a Suicide pact. Judas Priest's case differed from Ozzy's because in "Stained Class" there was "subliminal messages" such as "do it" and "try suicide." In all cases the artists won due to the lack of evidence against their songs.
I preferred this book to others about music because it was hilarious in its ways. One example of a funny moment was when Tipper Gore bought her 11 year old daughter a R-Rated track off of a movie and sued the music industry for it! This book uses vocabulary a young adult can understand. He shows both sides of the story and he shows that there is more to music then you think there is.

A Refreshing, Enjoyable, Eye-Opening Read.......2004-12-12

This book not only adequately portrays the role censors have played in the history of music - it points out just how ridiculous some of their attempts have been.

Spoken of here are the aspects of politics, sex, violence, etc. - common themes to music, yet always at the forefront of some controversy or another.

What I really enjoyed about this book is the author's fresh, approachable voice. He speaks in a language everyone can understand, while still maintaining his purpose the entire time.

He uses humor in several passages (such as the one in which he questions Tipper Gore's logic behind picking out a soundtrack to an R-rated movie [Purple Rain : Prince] for her eleven-year-old daughter). Such humor, which is interspersed throughout, ensures that the reader maintains interest. However, at no time does the author lose focus - he keeps his focus and never loses the reader.

Also unique and eye-opening are interesting sidebars, interspersed throughout.

All-in-all, the author succeeds at making an understandable, eye-opening book about the history and continuation of censorship in the music world. A definite recommendation to any music fan and people concerned with censorship in America.

Funny, sad, frightening, true and awesome.......2004-03-04

The mark of a great book is that you see the world a little differently after reading it. Nuzum accomplishes ths on the FIRST PAGE and it keeps getting better. It isn't mentioned anywhere else here, but Nuzum has a great web page to go along with the book at http://ericnuzum.com/banned (that's how I found out about the book), which has a lot of stuff found in the book (shroter versions online), plus updated stuff, plus a lot of articles he has written on the subject that aren't included in the book. I saw in another review someone was worried about errors. The web pages also have a list of about a dozen corrections to the book.

Folks, this is an amazing book. It shows how freedom and our rights aren't something we can take for granted. If you love music, you can't just assume you'll always be able to listen, you need to protect what you love. Parental Advisory shows you why and how.

too many errors.......2004-03-03

I found this book to have too many unforgivable errors. There are plenty of books on the subject, I would pick a different one.

Parental Advisory (by Eric Nuzum) [2001].......2003-09-14

Welcome to America: A place where people are known to blame everyone else but themselves for their shortcomings, failures and rejections!

Music Censorship has always been a big deal in America. Censorship, period (going for any form of art, speech, human nature, etc...). In the 1950s with Elvis Presley, Little Richard, parents were afraid that this music had a high impact on the new generation (the young). That history is repeating itself although it may seem that more young people listen to music that talks about anything! One person has said before that if art cannot express the way we live and teach us how to deal with circumstances before they hit us, then we are in deep trouble!

Even as of now amid the airwaves coated with Eminem, 50 Cent, Blink 182, and so many more... censorship always has a tone of morality to it. And yet, stupidity! This book brings up fine examples of how people thought music has influenced people to perform crazy or violent rituals, how songs like "Suicide Solution" has influenced depressed teenagers who were considered 'weird' to kill themselves and how parents (who had no sense of offering the gifts of value and parental guidance and love to their children and themselves, even) has sued and tried to sue particular artists and how Tipper Gore formed the PMRC.

Politicians like Tipper Gore, Al Gore, George Bush, Bill O'Reilly and even Jesse Jackson had come down hard on many songs, be it dance, rap, rock, country songs that talk about sensuality, dance forms, racism, sexism, classism and unfairness. To say that these songs are "damaging to morality".

As rap music formed in the late 1980s with groups like N.W.A., rappers like Ice-T, the situation has got a bit more sour. Even though before, there was Prince, Dean Martin, Kiss, The Rolling Stones and the cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland", the topic has never blemished. Even now as artists are not talking about any/everything and they're just only exploring their sexualities/humanities in the public eye amid exploring their abilities to attract people all over the world like Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, that's even a bigger deal!

Record store owners have been threatened, arrested and have been told to not sell particular albums to 'under-18s' and even people of 'age'. To many people, it's okay to see Sly Stallone or Schwarznegger kill a whole police force in a movie, but as soon as Ice-T & Body Count speaks about killing some police officers who has [urinated] on a person's parade, the record is banned or if someone listens to it in their car, they are harrassed!

Many people think censorship deals with racism. Many others feel it deals with sexism. Mannerisms, morality, the 'embetterment' of our youth, to 'protect' the public, you name it! Some of these issues are addressed in this book while some many not be address explicitly enough. This is still a very powerful book!

Teenagers who wore ICP or Marilyn Manson shirts have been harrassed and has their shirts torn off by the police and administrators in the crooked, contradictive public school systems, Britney Spears CDs have been revoked at skating rinks, in Texas, students have been suspended from schools for attending Backstreet Boys concerts, in 1999 after the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, parents and administrators have blamed every form of the entertainment industry for this tragic event, teachers forbid gothic apparel and even rock t-shirts being worn in schools. Politicians, parents, administrators, even educators in colleges and in the philosophy-morality department... These people will argue endlessly and find pointless evidence that hinders individuality that life immitates art when it's honestly the other way around! These people are all a part of the blame culture that, unfortunately, has the smarter people with characteristics and style outnumbered!

When I was in elementary school, middle school and some of high school, I've listened to rap music. I don't anymore because I've always knew what real music was about. Not to say that rap/hip-hop lacks style, but I have my own style, horizons, audacity and preferences. I've listened to Stevie Wonder when I was in the 3rd grade and "Innervisions" was the first CD to enter my music library. Even though I despise some rap lyrics about guns, death, listing of materialistic things spoken by people who aren't used to having anything and the disrecpetful social commentary about females, I'd be less than human to blame this genre of music for the stupidity of myself others, 'disrespectful' or 'corrupt children' and why many members of low-class neighborhoods will stay stuck in these situations.

Anything can be taken the wrong way by people. Most importantly, words are taken the wrong way by people. Isn't this what freedom of speech is about? Even as we say whatever's on our minds, people still are offended and we have to, to some extent, draw the line due to respect. I can understand that much! However, shouldn't we have some decency and even some desire to have some responsibility for our own actions and shameful moments about our idiocies to help us evolve as individuals?

Entertainment and even books that display dark sides of human nature and sexuality aren't suitable for children? NEWSFLASH: Life itself isn't suitable for children. How will they react when something comes their way that is tempting or intimidating? It disturbs me to learn that so many ignorant people are making it in this big world. How can they go about their daily routines?! Whatever happened to learning the differenct between fantasy and reality? Individuality and face value?

This book is a masterpiece that tells every event of the battles of censorship that were won and lost. This book gives you a decent amount of information about one of the top five things that is wrong with the world today!

Book Description

Find the Challenge That's Right For You!Never before have New York Times crosswords from all the days of the week been collected in a single volume. From the legendary, giant Sunday puzzles to the fun, easy Monday crosswords to the mind-twistingly hard Saturday stumpers, The New York Times Crossword Challenge contains the full range of great crosswords the Times publishes. So whether you're in the mood for an easy, enjoyable romp or a head-scratchingly tough solving experience, you can find the perfect puzzle for you:* 250 crosswords from every day of the week!* All levels of difficulty--including Sunday* Edited by crossword legend Will Shortz

Book Description

Light Wave is among the most powerful complete and reliable 3D tools in existence. Light Wave has become the visual effects software of choice in the film television and broadcast industries.

Customer Reviews:

Best Lightwave Lighting Book Around.......2004-07-14

Don't buy this book UNLESS you want to learn from a professional who thoroughly understands real-world lighting and how to apply it in Lightwave 3D. Everything from Principals of Lighting, HDRI, Volumetrics, Plug-ins & Image filters, Rendering times and fakes to speed it up, recreating light sources from a photograph, Setup examples, and a lot more. And all from a guy who does Lightwave 3D lighting for a living.
-nuff said.

Great Book.......2004-07-13

I've got 3D Lighting and Rendering as well, and I like this book alot better, simply because he explains things a little better.. he's straight forward and shows you how things are done. The explinations on the different types of light types and properties are great.. I believe this is a must own for any LW user.

Beyond just another Lightwave book.......2004-04-01

This book might be entitled 'Lightwave 3D 8 Lighting', but the book extends beyond just the realm of Lightwave 8. Nicholas has created a tome of knowledge in all things CG lighting related. The book is written for the newbie to any current or future lighting technicians. He walks you through lighting from looking at the world around you, to lighting theory, color theory, how to recreate lighting from plates and finally how to create your own worlds greatest lighting rigs. Along with all of this he continously points out time saving tips and cheats. With it comes plenty of images and exercises to bring the words to brillant life. This book is written the way all CG books should be written from theory to pratice for new user to pro. If you are a Lightwave user this is a must own book. If you are not a Lightwave user but still work with anything lighting related this is still a must own book.

Lighting skills from the Master!.......2004-03-18

Nicholas Boughen has really created something amazing! He walks you thru all theighting tools in LightWave Eight at an easy to read pace with great examples and lessons. What makes this book special is that although it teaches you how to light in LightWave 8, it covers the fundamentals of lighting , how to recreate real world lighting,and more.

Nicholas has a talent for explaining complex techniques in an easy to understand way. This is a must own for any LightWave user, or anyone wanting to know more about lighting in general. Not only has my LightWave lighting improved, but my digital photo's have gotten better as well. Thanx for the great book!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books