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The Invention of Jane Harrison (Revealing Antiquity)
Mary Beard
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Jane Ellen Harrison: The Mask and the Self
ASIN: 0674002121 |
Book Description
Jane Ellen Harrison (1850-1928) is the most famous female Classicist in history, the author of books that revolutionized our understanding of Greek culture and religion. A star in the British academic world, she became the quintessential Cambridge woman--as Virginia Woolf suggested when, in A Room of One's Own, she claims to have glimpsed Harrison's ghost in the college gardens.
This lively and innovative portrayal of a fascinating woman raises the question of who wins (and how) in the competition for academic fame. Mary Beard captures Harrison's ability to create her own image. And she contrasts her story with that of Eugénie Sellers Strong, a younger contemporary and onetime intimate, the author of major work on Roman art and once a glittering figure at the British School in Rome--but who lost the race for renown. The setting for the story of Harrison's career is Classical scholarship in this period--its internal arguments and allegiances and especially the influence of the anthropological strain most strikingly exemplified by Sir James Frazer. Questioning the common criteria for identifying intellectual "influence" and "movements," Beard exposes the mythology that is embedded in the history of Classics. At the same time she provides a vivid picture of a sparkling intellectual scene. The Invention of Jane Harrison offers shrewd history and undiluted fun.
Customer Reviews:
Ian Myles Slater on: Against the Conventional Wisdom.......2005-01-30
Jane Ellen Harrison, a pioneer for women in classical studies in British academic circles, has had a fluctuating reputation in and out of her profession. Her "Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion" (1903) had a good reception among the scholars who dominated work in ancient Greek religion in the first half of the twentieth century, but its sequel, "Themis: A Study of the Social Origins of Greek Religion" (1912), had to wait decades for appreciation, by which time its use of social anthropology was more than beginning to show its age. Awareness of her work may be strongest among: (a) feminists; and (b) those interested in the myth-and-ritual "school" with which, along with Gilbert Murray and F. M. Cornford, she is generally associated. (This "Cambridge School" is a debatable grouping, since its suppposed members had different agendas, and went their own ways, but the designation is a sort of "cultural fact" in itself.) Jane Harrison also wrote a small body of personal reflections, more intriguing than revealing. The development of her public image, and its relation to reality, is the "invention" that provides this book its focus.
A biography by her friend and collaborator Hope Mirrlees was announced not long after her death in 1928, but never appeared. A full treatment had to wait for Sandra J. Peacock's "Jane Ellen Harrison: The Mask and the Self," in 1988, which revealed a good deal more than earlier sketches. These tended to be laudatory, or else dismissive remarks on the obsolete views of a dead colleague. Harrison had left no students in professional posts to defend their teacher, her male proteges having been part of the generation lost to World War I. Meanwhile, some of her opponents moved into influential positions, or simply passed on their hostility to their own students.
Beard attempts a re-evaluation of Harrison's life, career, and place in the history of classical studies. Parts of her presentation of academic infighting and jealousies seem to fascinate those already familiar with the players, or interested in group dynamics, and evidently bore others, but these accounts, based on ample documentation, seem more solid than her speculations about Harrison's closely-guarded inner life. Beard's reflections on the muddled evidence and the myth-making process at work in official biographies will be of interest mostly to those already acquainted with the literature.
A major problem with Beard's argument is that so much of Harrison's posthumous reputation rests on people and movements outside the circle of professional classicists. E. S. Strong, her preferred rival for Harrison's position as a leading woman in the academic world of the time, was a hard-working archeologist specializing in early Italy. Besides the problem of associating with the Fascist regime during the years in which Harrison's posthumous public reputation was being promoted by her friends, Strong was not dealing with matters of great interest to a wide public. Harrison, with her analysis of Greek myth and religion in terms of basic human needs and anxieties, and her use of ancient popular culture and superstitions to re-interpret familiar classics, was surely a better candidate as a heroine whose work, while sometimes difficult to follow, was often exciting. I found Beard's work informative, and frequently very interesting, but too narrowly focussed to explain Harrison's continuing prestige.
Since I originally read this volume, it has gone into a paperback edition, much more reasonably priced for its length; in this format, it may be more attractive to those interested in the history of classical scholarship, women in academic life, and several other topics with which Mary Beard deals.
(Reposted from my "anonymous" review of June 14, 2003.)
Jane Harrison as Marcel Duchamp's Pipe.......2002-09-06
Mary Beard's The Invention of Jane Harrison (2002) perfectly illustrates the frightening, hilarious, and absurd situation occurring the world over in academia today. The book's publisher is none less than Harvard University Press; Beard clearly has connections in high places.
Beard has unearthed-I use 'unearthed' here in its figurative sense--a lot of 'new'--or, 'recent,' 'current'--'information'--by which I intend to suggest 'information' as a new paradigm in a process of 'evolution'---about Harrison---by which I specifically refer to not 'Jane Harrison' 'herself' but to the constellation of thoughts, theories, and 'historical' ideas which we generally assume to be 'identical' with its 'subject'-by this I am suggesting that the unconscious 'assumption' of a biographical 'subject' by both 'author' and the 'assumed' reader is a fallacy--by 'fallacy,' I suggest not its 'original' meaning of 'guile' or 'trickery' but its present-day usage of a plausible 'idea' based around-I use 'around' in the figurative sense in this case--a false inference-with which 'she,'-- by which I refer to 'Beard'-who is not 'identical' to a living person but an abstract idea we agree to refer to as 'Mary Beard'--could have made remarkable use.
As 'Beard'--not the facial hair worn by men but the 'author'--is a Cambridge 'scholar'-in itself an 'elitist' formulation worth challenging-'she,'--'author Beard,' and not the conceptual formation which 'we' are using as our 'subject' and here referring to as 'Jane Harrison'--might have made better use of if 'turned over'-in the figurative sense--her 'findings'--by which I intend to suggest that elements of existence-by 'existence' I do not make use of Sartre's conception of 'such' or imply an 'existential' 'imperative'-can be 'lost' and 'recovered' though perhaps, as man--men and women inclusive--are limited to five (5) 'senses'-'senses' being an idea formation worth 'investigating'--have always been, in 'fact' present but not until 'now'-not the moment I am writing, creating, and 'thinking' this--but the moment it is conceivably 'perpetually'--that is to say, 'infinite' but not in the theological sense--being absorbed in the literal--I use 'literal' literally here--sense--not to be mistaken for 'senses' above--by its presumed 'reader'-or 'readers'--
If the reader can stomach 150 very small pages of comparably loopy, backtracking, and second-guessing text, as well as Beard's inability to write a straight sentence without multiple unnecessary qualifications, then this book, which confidently assumes nothing, might find an audience, if potential readers are willing to force their way through and finish the book exhausted but none the wiser.
The Invention of Jane Harrison is primarily about Mary Beard and her conformist thought processes, and presents Harrison--when it finally forgets itself and remembers to deliver her up--as a kind of stuffed partridge in an Edwardian museum display case.
Pretentious, smug, and yet so well-mannered and genteel, this book rightly belongs on no one's shelf. In taking on such an eminent subject, Beard mortally underscores her vacuity as a writer and thinker. Ignore the logrolling praise this project has received. For cynical careerists only. Everyone else, run for the hills.
Customer Reviews:
Straight Man.......2007-09-26
5 Majors and 3 marriages...golf and divorce don't mix well, but this bloke is made of sterner stuff.
If you are Australian it is easy to hate Nick Faldo. What he did to our Greg ( or ,to be honest, what Greg did to himself) at Augusta in 1996 is the lowest point in Australian golf in living memory.
Faldo doesn't leave anything out. There are fascinating logs of his famous swing reconstruction,and his Major victories including a forensic account of how he brought our Greg to his knees.
Void of the florid language that blights many a golf autobiography, this guy shoots straight from tee to green.
Customer Reviews:
Marvelous instruction from a marvelous golfer.......2001-07-05
This instructional from Nick Faldo is one of the most comprehensive golf books around. You can tell that Nick is very confident in what he knows and teaches about the golf swing and how to use the "modern swing" and its ability to hold up under championship conditions. I highly recommend this book, especially to golfers 6'2" and taller.
Faldo can Play and Teach.......2001-03-06
Rare the individual who can both play golf at such an amazing high level and teach it on the simple plain he demonstrates here in this book to us hackers.
There are great gems throughout, but I picked up the best tip on one of my weakest areas, long bunker shots.
The photo sequences are some of the best, so clear and to the point. The final section: Playing the Game, gives some head and strategy advice from one of the coolest, and a two-time Master Champ as well as British Open, etc.
Outstanding Instructional Book For Players At All Levels.......1999-09-06
This book far exceeded my expectations. I have read several dozen golf books, and if I had to recommend one book to a new golfer (or an experienced golfer for that matter) this would be it. This book covers all the fundamentals as well as advanced shotmaking techniques. It's beautifully written, well organized and the photography is first rate. Thanks, Nick...this is a book I'll keep coming back to again and again.
Not only for the advanced . . ........1999-05-22
I am relatively new to golf, having only picked up a club for the first time two years ago. I only truly began playing regularly last fall when my girlfriend gave me a set of irons and this book. Starting from the beginning of Faldo's book, I spent one month working on his drills inside and around my house in my spare time. I broke 100 two months later. I can't begin to explain the genius of this book, other then to say that it offers a stepwise and easy methodology to developing a reliable swing, while also offering excellant advice about bunker play, the short game, and putting. A must read for any new golfer looking to improve and to enjoy the game more.
THE BEST GOLF BOOK FOR AN ADVANCED GOLFER.......1996-12-12
I am an avid golfer, one who has made golf more of a hobby than a sport. I am a 1 handicap, mostly self taught, and I enjoy learning as much as possible about the swing and how to play the game.
There are few golf books which I feel worthy of recommending to anyone. I have not only recommended this book to many of my fellow golf enthusiasts, I gave the book to a young golfer who wanted to understand more the game.
Faldo gives an excellent insight to many of the things he learned from David Leadbetter (another great book). The pictures give a full understanding of what he is trying to explain. Most of the drills are something everyone should try. I think the most unique part of this book is that an advanced golfer can get alot out of the book. Most golf instruction books treat the reader like a tennis player gone awry, rather than a golfer with a desire to learn more.
I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys golf and wants to learn more about the swing, or more about how to think your way around a golf course.
Faldo has proven in his career that he attains perfection and wants to be the best. I would say he took the same attitude toward this book
Book Description
The Future of Golf reveals how the sport has been kidnapped by equipment manufacturers and knowingly deregulated by its governing bodies. A mix of commentary, analysis, and essays, the book chronicles the misguided strategies made by the once-respected United States Golf Association, showing how the momentum from Tiger Woods's popularity is being squandered by manipulative manufacturers and celebrity worship. Author George Shackelford urges the USGA to re-shoulder its responsibilities to the game while suggesting how the PGA Tour can restore excitement to its championships. He offers solutions for making golf fun, affordable and exciting again by emphasizing course design elements, common sense ideals, and tradition-based values.
Customer Reviews:
The Future of Golf.......2007-03-21
If you, like me, are concerned about what is happening to golf and feel that technology has gone too far, then this book is a "Must".
The most important golf book now in publication........2006-04-11
This is nothing less than the most important book on the game of golf now in print. It is the most important golf book of the last 25 years, and is probably the most important golf book since the writing of C. B. Macdonald, Bernard Darwin and even Bob Jones.
It is not an elegant book; others, including Shackelford himself have written books that are far more beautiful in terms of lavish publications. But the comparisons that have been made between this book and Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" are apt. This book is a call to arms in the golf technology arms race.
These are direct, pithy, clear-eyed essays that will provoke any reader to challenge about half of what is becoming the accepted state of affairs in the world of golf.
You cannot be a serious-minded student of the game of golf in the 21st Century without reading, and indeed studying, this book.
An update on a hot topic.......2005-11-24
The subjects of technology, design, and price in golf have been with us for a long while (perhaps longer than most realize), but few books tackle them head on. Here, Geoff Shackelford points out where not only he but many professional tour players, course architects, and even voices from the past believe things have gotten off track.
For anyone who has lost interest in golf on TV, is tired of 6 hours rounds at even "high-end" public facilities, and would love to know why exactly the latest and greatest in driver technology "just keeps getting better" (and more expensive) when, supposedly, the USGA put a roof on it, you will want to read this.
On a final note, while much of the information has been updated for this revised edition, much of the writing will be very familiar to those who regularly follow Geoff Shackelford's articles. First time readers will get much more out it.
Eye-opening and inspiring........2005-06-05
Finally someone is saying exactly what needs to be said about the current state of golf. "The Future of Golf" opened my eyes to the problems the game is now facing; problems that so many are trying to cover up. As a golf lover I am horrified at the direction the game is going and this book nailed what these problems are, and what needs to be done to fix them.
This is probably Shackelford's best work, as well as his most important, and I'm afraid it will not be recognized as such because of its controversial nature. If this book does not reach an enormous audience it will be an absolute tragedy. I urge everyone who cares about the game of golf and our great courses to read "The Future of Golf". One way or another I am going to get a copy into the hands of every golfer I know. We must start wherever we can and take back the game of golf before it's too late.
Book Description
A four-time winner of the US Open, Faldo's long career has taken him from the heights of golf superstardom to failed marriages and inexplicable losses in form and back again. A compelling look at what has driven this most complex of players.
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Golf (Superguides)
Richard Simmons , and
Nick Faldo
Manufacturer: DK CHILDREN
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ASIN: 0789473909 |
Book Description
Meet Nick Faldo, three time British Open and Masters Champion. Let Nick give you a lesson in the skills and techniques of the challenging and exciting game of golf. Dynamic, step-by-step photography and simple instructions help you master the basic strokes and give you top tips on strategy and tackling difficult courses. This in-depth guide is a must for every young golfer.
Book Description
Nick Faldo, the greatest British golfer of all time, has always held a certain fascination. What makes this complex man tick? What has driven him to his remarkable success? Does a champion golfer have to be a loner? What sacrifices has he had to make to reach the top? All of these intriguing questions are addressed in detail in Driven.
For the majority of his long golf career, Faldo has been branded as one of the coldest men in British sport - at times better known for being distant, arrogant, and wrapped up in himself than for winning three Open Championships and three US Masters. Indeed, the victories seemed only to cultivate the image of him as a socially inept, mechanical player, a 'vivisector of golf courses'.
Faldo's life, both on and off the golf course, often reads like a Hollywood film script. So far, an uneasy relationship with the media has meant that we know very little indeed about Nick Faldo, the man. But those close to him have no shared their thoughts and experiences assisting author Dale Concannon to produce a fascinating insight into a unique sportsman.
Clearly, the quest for perfection has taken its toll. From the exhilarating highs of golf superstardom to the shattering lows of failed marriages and inexplicable losses in form, Driven analyses exactly what motivates this seemingly inscrutable man.
Customer Reviews:
Apprapo Title of Champ's Life.......2003-11-03
Driven does describe one of the best players of the past thirty years. His record speaks for itself.
However, the impression one gets from reading of Faldo's life is shallowness. Golf, golf, golf. Even his fellow players were not allowed near this guy. Three to four wives? Always in a snit about the press, or James, or?
Certainly, he was a good player. Not a Hogan or a Nicklaus or even a Watson. But he had a good run! Yet, nothing enduring about the man outside of his game that will endure him much in the history of the game.
Revealing read.
Average customer rating:
- Nick Faldo has shown that nothing beats persistance.
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Faldo: In Search of Perfection
Nick Faldo ,
Bruce Critchley , and
David Cannon
Manufacturer: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson, Ltd.
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0297832786 |
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Nick Faldo has shown that nothing beats persistance........1999-03-26
Anyone who has a small amount of talent in their respective field should read this book. Nick Faldo has shown that the harder you work at something the better you can become. To rebuild your swing is one thing. To win and become number one in the world is an achievement that will probably never be matched.
This book is a lesson in not giving up. The man is simply a winner.
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On Course for the Open: A Pictorial Autobiography
Nick Faldo , and
Mitchell Platts
Manufacturer: Arrow (A Division of Random House Group)
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ASIN: 0091735440 |
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Driven: The Definitive Biography of Nick Faldo
Dale Colcannon
Manufacturer: Virgin Pub
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0753506777 |
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The Gaze and the Labyrinth
Gaetana Marrone
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
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ASIN: 0691008736 |
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In this, the first comprehensive book on Liliana Cavani, Gaetana Marrone redraws the map of postwar Italian cinema to make room for this extraordinary filmmaker, whose representations of transgressive eroticism, spiritual questing, and psychological extremes test the limits of the medium, pushing it into uncharted areas of discovery. Cavani's film The Night Porter (1974) created a sensation in the United States and Europe. But in many ways her critically renowned endeavors--which also include Francesco di Assisi, Galileo, I cannibali, Beyond Good and Evil, The Berlin Affair, and several operas and documentaries--remain enigmatic to audiences. Here Marrone presents Cavani's work as a cinema of ideas, showing how it takes pleasure in the telling of a story and ultimately revolts against all binding ideological and commercial codes.
The author explores the rich visual language in which Cavani expresses thought, and the cultural icons that constitute her style and images. This approach affords powerful insights into the intricate interlacing of narrated events. We also come to understand the importance assigned to the gaze in the genesis of desire and the acquisition of knowledge. The films come to life in this book as the classical tragedies Cavani intended, where rebels and madmen experience conflict between historical and spiritual reality, the present and the past. Offering intertextual analyses within such fields as psychology, history, and cultural studies, along with production information gleaned from Cavani's personal archives, Marrone boldly advances our understanding of an intriguing, important body of cinematic work.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Italica, published by American Association of Teachers of Italian on June 22, 2002. The length of the article is 1317 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: Gaetana Marrone. The Gaze and the Labyrinth: the Cinema of Liliana Cavani. (book review)
Author: Judith Mayne
Publication:
Italica (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2002
Publisher: American Association of Teachers of Italian
Volume: 79
Issue: 2
Page: 285(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- Forget the title of the book: the writing is appalling.
- Very disappointing
- Funny and true to heart.
- ...
- Probably amusing if you already agree...
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Cyberselfish: A Critical Romp through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of High Tech
Paulina Borsook
Manufacturer: Public Affairs
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ASIN: 1586480383
Release Date: 2001-06-05 |
Amazon.com
Are nerds playing into the hands of the corporate elite? Commentator Paulina Borsook examines the politically and philosophically libertarian world of high-tech culture in Cyberselfish and finds it wanting a soul.
Formerly a writer for Wired, Borsook made a career out of alienating the technology priests and worshippers just enough to keep them reading. Now she is free to go whole hog and say exactly what she thinks--and the techies in San Jose won't be happy. Her leftist-liberal slant helps her see the "me me me" attitudes behind the anti-government, pro-freedom rhetoric spouted reflexively by so many programmers and suits in Silicon Valley and its virtual suburbs.
Unfortunately, that same slant keeps her from respecting that many techies hold these beliefs following years of struggle and thought--and prevents her from understanding that many libertarians are as much or even more sympathetic with liberals than with conservatives. Still, her insights far outweigh her biases, and Cyberselfish is a fascinating take on the Weltanschauung of mid-90s cutting-edge capitalists.
It seems unlikely that Borsook's dark visions of a heartlessly anarchic free market, populated by self-indulgent code millionaires presiding over the long- suffering masses, will materialize on schedule--but her predictions do make for thought-provoking reading while we wait to find out. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
This enormously controversial take on high tech culture "combines common sense with an old-fashioned humanism to make sense of the current high-tech gestalt." -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times.
Paulina Borsook has been stirring up a ruckus in Silicon Valley since her days as a regular contributor to Wired magazine. She ruffled feathers again with Cyberselfish, a spirited, funny, gimlet-eyed look at the worldview of the digerati-one she terms "violently lacking in compassion, ravingly anti-government, and tremendously opposed to regulation." PublicAffairs' new trade paperback edition is updated throughout, and includes a new afterword by the author addressing the cat calls, jeers, and cries of "foul" from the world of high tech that greeted the hardcover.
In Cyberselfish Borsook journeys through and rants about high tech culture, profiling the worlds of ravers, gilders, cypherpunks, anarchocapitalists, and other Silicon Valley life forms; and exploring the theory and practice of what she dubs "technolibertarianism" in all its manifestations. Whether she is attending Bionomics conferences or hanging out with Wired staffers, reading personal ads or evaluating high-tech's sorry philanthropic record, Borsook is full of original observations, mordant wit, and furious passion that readers wake up to the social and political consequences of having computer geeks run the world. Cyberselfish raises the hackles of high techies and clarifies what makes the rest of us so nervous about the brave new cyberworld.
Customer Reviews:
Forget the title of the book: the writing is appalling........2005-08-22
Most of the criticism of this book seems to come from those who disagree with its argument, or those who didn't like the idea of reading a polemic. Actually, I was at the outset sympathetic to the argument and enjoy a good rant; however I couldn't bear this book: the writing is appalling.
It is abolutely stuffed full of "knowing" references and pop-culture slang. Sometimes this creates the impression of trying to hide a weak argument in clever language. Other times it's just plain irritating.
Let me give you an example, based on opening the book on a random page. Here we go, pages 44-45:
- "I would affirm that yes indeedybob there are values the market can't compute or dictate..."
- "That crew [Marx and "his pal" Engels] was far better at how capitalism works than at coming up with policy-wonk recommendations."
- "Humanities geeks are more likely to be squishy-liberals and snail-darters."
- "Technolibertarians wouldn't really know how to grok a less quantitative/algorithmic weltanschauung. It's C.P.Snow's two cultures antipathy taking a form he hadn't quite imagined."
Anyway, after gritting my teeth through a hundred pages of this I gave up. The writing was just getting in the way of the argument. Maybe the person I should be blaming is her editor.
Oh, and her sub-editor too: it's full of typos. I know that's a pedantic thing to say, but how often do you read a good book with terrible spelling?
Very disappointing.......2004-02-15
Let me admit up front- I'm a techie, and I'm a libertarian. That being said, I've always been interested in geek culture and _why_ there are more libertarians in the techie community than in the general populace. When I heard this book was coming out I really thought I'd enjoy it. I expected a book about libertarians in the technical community written by an outsider (Ms. Borsook isn't a libertarian). And I expected it to be an unbiased, thoughtful examination of this phenomenon. Boy, was I surprised. The book is one, long slam against libertarians. Ms. Borsook obviously has a bone to pick and pick it she does. She makes lots and lots and lots of unsupported statements about how libertarians are wrong about almost everything. She makes no attempt to hide her bias against the libertarian view. The book might have been better titled 'A Critical Look At Those Complete Morons Who Call Themselves Libertarians In The High Tech Community' because that's the attitude she takes. This book is the intellectual equivalent of a Bill O'Reilly or Michael Moore book- if you want to read a book slamming libertarians and don't care for well constructed arguments or even a very good book structure this is your book.
Funny and true to heart........2003-04-12
Let me start off by saying I worked in the Valley. And I left the Valley just before the bust. I remember many a co-workers' rants against the evils of government, etc., so it got to be a cliche. In some instances their rants rang true. But one cannot deny that if it was not for government spending, many of the things we take for granted, including the net may not exist.
After the bust in the valley, I recall several e-mails from so called libertarians complaining that the government was not doing enough to turn the economy around. So, yes, I agree with Ms Borsook that there is a large degree of selfishness in the Valley and I enjoyed and was amused by her book. I was also amused my the negative feed back. How do you say - it hurts to read the truth.
..........2002-10-09
Cyberselfish subtitles itself "A Critical Romp through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of High Tech." Unfortunately, when the author said "a critical look," she seem's to have meant 'a disapproving view' rather than 'an insightful and reasoned examination.' The entire work reads like a pure net rant, unfortunately for the most part without the wit of actual quality scholarship or clever repartee. I wish it had at least been labeled as fiction, so my expectations would have been lower.
Some of her more egregious failings:
o Regularly ... up the time order of events. The author routinely attributes as causes events that happened well after the events they were supposed to have caused.
o Bad research; for example, she quotes an excerpt from the Saxenian book mentioned above, but she misrepresents both the thesis of that work and the excerpt she quotes!
o Mistaking carpetbaggers for thought leaders - In numerous cases, she holds up recent hangers-on to the technology boom as being core cultural icons, respected and revered by all. Never mind that the culture and industry she documents is decades old, and the hangers-on she quotes only fell in love with us poor maladjusted nerds five years ago when the money really started hotting up.
o Repeatedly misrepresenting her targets disagreements with her as an example of them not having considered the issues she raises. The author seems to be frankly unable to comprehend that someone might consider the many social and governmental issues she holds near and dear but honestly come to different (or even conflicting!) conclusions. ...
I picked up the work expecting to find a reasoned treatise on why the computing industry needs to be more socially responsible; instead, I got 270 pages of poorly reasoned vitriol that rarely presents a coherent argument; rather than pointing to real shortcomings of the technology industry, the author wallows in anecdote, apparently assuming that a sympathetic reader who agrees with her thesis won't actually notice that the evidence she presents doesn't actually support her conclusions.
...
Probably amusing if you already agree..........2001-08-10
Now, I'll admit to leaning libertarian myself, but I really really did try to give this book a chance. But at the end of the day, the book is an attack without an argument, and with very little analysis. The book is premised on the idea that practically everyone in the tech industry is a "libertarian"... which, in the author's caricature, means some sort of selfishness-celebrating Ayn Randroid. As far as I can tell, she's not very familiar with libertarian ideas (against which there are various good arguments to be made... but she apparently didn't care to learn enough about the ideas to make them) and mostly resorts to amateur psychologizing, and insinuating that libertarians are just nasty people. What facts do make it into the book aren't even very carefully checked (she says something about the Cato Institute having been around since the 60s...) So I guess if you already dislike libertarians and want something to chuckle along to, this is OK. If you want a serious critical examination of (and attack on) libertarian ideas, though, try Will Kymlicka's "Contemporary Political Philosophy" which has a chapter on them. This little tome is about as reasonable as a Rush Limbaugh screed. Or maybe those Jack Chick religious pamphlets which show liberals scheming about how to destroy Christianity through satanic rock music.
Customer Reviews:
Practical Advice: Effective And Memorable.......2000-04-06
Grandmaster Mednis concentrates his focus on practical examples such as what to do when one is unavoidably headed for or already in an inferior endgame position. He notes how most players often go from desperate suicidal attempts at counterplay or play passively, defending threats and drifting towards defeat. What Mednis provides is info on how one can balance one's play and make the opponent earn that victory. His examples are memorable - for instance, players are often reluctant to trade queens fearing it will blunt their attack, but often the opposing queen is a great defender without which the enemy's position often collapses. An interesting and rewarding read.
Book Description
If you are new to programming with Microsoft WSH and VBScript and are looking for a solid introduction, this is the book for you. Developed by computer science professors, books in the for the absolute beginner series teach the principles of programming through simple game creation. You will acquire the skills that you need for more practical WSH and VBScript programming applications and will learn how these skills can be put to use in real-world scenarios. Best of all, by the time you finish this book, you will be able to apply the basic principles you've learned to the next programming language you tackle.
Customer Reviews:
Without question, the best book for practical application of vbscript!.......2007-07-06
This book is chok full of learning projects that solidify the concepts presented. The cd that comes with the book includes an editor tool that has proved invaluable. I'm getting a second copy as mine has gone missing.
Gets you up to speed quickly.......2007-05-24
I spent three hours reading the first five chapters and understood enough to go back to work the next day and modify a script that I found off the web. That script saved me a lot of time. Without this book, I would have been hesitant to start running scripts where I didn't understand what each line does. I do have a CIS background so many of the object-oriented techniques that Ford introduces are a review to me. But, it was good to hear them again as a refresher and to see the objects mapped out as Ford has so clearly done.
Ford does some simple and clear writing without having a egotistical need to show off how technically skilled he is. He shows why something would be helpful and then shows you how to get it done. Ford has a clear demo of the filesystemobject which is what I will most need WSH for.
I'm looking to reading Ford's other book on Perl as well.
Good Beginner Book.......2006-07-15
With no experience in WSH / VBScript this book quickly brought me up to spead and allowed me to writing a number a administrative scripts to control my WinXP environment when similar AD controls were not an option. Recommended as a good building block for one with NO experience. The nature of the book would bore those with even a moderate level of VB experience.
Without a doubt the best WSH and VBScript book available today.......2006-06-17
I hate it when I see people trashing perfectly good books, especially books that I really like and have really learned a lot from. This book is well written and it is a lot of fun. It is well organized, providing necessary background information first and then building slowely from there. Don't let those that over analyze every little typo mislead you. You will not find a better book covering VBScript and the WSH.
Good concept, but the execution is flawed........2006-06-17
The core concept of teaching Windows Script Host (WSH) and VBScript through the creation of simple games is solid. But the execution is awful.
Ultimately you should know both WSH and VBScript to be an effective scripter. But author Ford takes you on a tour of the WSH object model before he actually introduces VBScript. He lays out table after table of WSH objects, methods and properties without any real explanation, just the caveat that you'll learn more later. Great technique: confuse the student first, explain later.
The early example scripts are direct lifts from the Microsoft TechNet Script Center. Worse yet, Ford makes mistakes in his description of the WSH objects - and there is no errata on the web site.
Ford spends 62 confusing to the beginner pages on WSH before he gets to VBScript basics. This makes no sense to me. What makes this section entirely laughable, however, is that at its end, Ford "challenges" the reader to make modifications to the sample programs. He has explained absolutely nothing that would assist the neophyte scripter in making these changes. In fact, Ford has said precious little about any WSH specifics.
When Ford finally reaches "VBScript basics" he immediately repeats the mistakes of his WSH chapter: 124 tables listing VBScript objects, methods, properties and other information are introduced . . . without detailed explanation. Ford essentially describes his sample scripts in the manner of "Line 1 says . . ." and then repeats, verbatim, Line 1 without necessarily explaining just what Line 1 does.
Finally Ford should have taken more care to separate his instructions each of the technologies. Literally by combining WSH and VBScript "for the absolute beginner," he is putting far too much on the plate of said beginner - and Ford is not capable of keeping things simple, much less explaining them.
This is defintitely not a book I would recommend for a beginner. And since it never attempts going significantly beyond the most basic concepts, it isn't suitable for more experienced scripters or programmers either. Frankly I wish I had gotten into the book much earlier when I could still have returned it. My copy is headed toward a rummage sale somewhere. Obviously my impression of Thomson Course Technology's "for the absolute beginner" is negative and I won't be considering any others in the series.
Jerry
Book Description
If you?re looking for a solid introduction to programming with WSH and VBScript, then this is the book for you. Developed by computer science instructors, books in the for the absolute beginner series teach the principles of programming through simple game creation. By following along with the exercises in this book, you?ll acquire the skills you need to write more practical WSH and VBScript programming applications and will learn how these skills can be put to use in real-world scenarios. Best of all, by the time you finish this book, you will be able to apply the basic principles you?ve learned to the next programming language you tackle.
Customer Reviews:
great for the beginner.......2004-12-13
I reallly enjoyed this book. It was a great reference for a beginner such as myself. It was easy to read and very easy to understand. I definitely recommend this book to anybody wanting to learn how to script. I would have it given it five stars but there were a few spelling and graphical errors in it. Other than that, a great book for beginners.
An Absolute Must Have!.......2003-07-18
This book is an absolute must for the beginning VBScript programmer. Not only does Ford provide step-by-step direction to scripting, gradually ramping the complexity of the exercises, but he leaves the reader with WORKING scripts in the form of games with foundational concepts applicable to real-world scripting development.
My primary objective was to learn VBScripting basics to support script enhancements for Mercury Interactive's QuickTest Pro tool (that is based in VBScript), and this book well served its purpose.
I highly recommend it to other readers.
Not Bad.......2003-04-22
This book was a very easy read. I am a complete beginner when it comes to WSH and VBScripting. I found this book to be a great primer. The only questions the book left me with were the actual syntax of methods, properties, and built in functions. These are important areas, but I feel the book left me with a good overall understanding of the 2 topics. I am not sure I could write my own worth while script yet, but I could definitely read and understand a script already created. Only took 2 days of reading to complete this book and my interest was kept the whole time.
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