Book Description
Subject II involves an examination of the major legislative and administrative measures used by countries to limit the use by multinational enterprises of tax havens and special low-tax regimes in otherwise high-tax countries. The subject focuses on domestic anti-avoidance rules, in particular controlled foreign corporation rules, and on anti-avoidance rules in tax treaties. The subject is especially important in light of the OECD and EU initiatives against harmful tax competition.
Book Description
No matter where kids are growing up, no matter what challenges they face, they're still focused on family, friends, food, and the freedom to do what they want-although not necessarily in that order. That becomes perfectly clear in A Baby's Work Is Never Done, one of the funniest takes on growing up to come along in years.
This sharp and witty comic strip for today's kids (and adults) was spun off the highly successful Nickelodeon TV series, which has become a modern classic. Children and their families just can't get enough of the Rugrats characters, including brave Tommy, cowardly Chuckie, oddball twins Phil and Lil, and bossy Angelica. They may be babies, but their personalities ring true for people of all ages.
The fun of the comic strip comes in seeing the world through the Rugrats' unique, sincere perspective on a day-to-day basis. Just as comical is the physical humor that spills out across backyards, playgrounds, and bedrooms.
Average customer rating:
- The deeper layers hold the treasures
- Just buy it!
- not a good read, not even really a "book"
- Truly Excellent Book
- the "book "is not very good, it is jealous and vindictive
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PX This.: (diary of the potted plant)
abbe diaz
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
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Binding: Paperback
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Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
ASIN: 0595319475 |
Book Description
PX This. (diary of the potted plant) is a four year journal.
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2004. 8:23PM: well i think i am finally finished with everything i am going to try to ship it all off to the publisher tomorrow. i am so relieved and excited it's over and done with but now i feel queasy. then again, i haven't eaten since 10pm yesterday.
so i am supposed to write this "synopsis" thingies apparently it goes on the back cover of the "literary work" and then when peoples are browsing and they happen across the book they read this and then it helps them decide if this is something they want to bother with.
hahahahhahahahahahaha
i mean not to say it's funny or anything but even now i wonder why anyone would bother with it at all. then again, according to many acquaintances whose opinions i respect, it's evidently all well and good because all the stuffs about my maitre-d'ing in the swankeroo new york restaurants all these years is appealing and "funny" because it is all models and actors and stars (oh my).
then on top of that, supposedly i am not so bad myself.
well. here's hoping.
Download Description
PX This. (diary of the potted plant) is a four year journal.
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2004. 8:23PM: well i think i am finally finished with everything i am going to try to ship it all off to the publisher tomorrow. i am so relieved and excited it
Customer Reviews:
The deeper layers hold the treasures.......2007-10-04
What each reviewer has said about this book is true. It is an entertaining (or boring, depending on your taste) book about the high-end restaurant business in NYC with a lot of celebrity gossip thrown in. This is the foreground of the book, and to be honest if this was all the book was about, it wouldn't be my cup of tea. But there is much more going on in the deeper layers that give this book a lot of richness. I wanted to point out these other layers which I found far more interesting than the foreground.
The first thing that hits you over the head is the writing style. In fact, the book has the best prologue I've ever read, where the author basically says "this is how I write and if you don't like it, go get another book!" That's balls, right on page 1! Others have talked about the writing style as anything from a nuisance to an acquired taste. I think they've missed the most creative aspect of the book. The writing style is original and authentic - a big breath of fresh air. While many other writers are struggling to fit their thoughts into the rules of grammar, this author has thrown grammar out the window to be true to herself. The writing style is far more pure than anything grammatically correct, and in my opinion is the best part of the book. The author invents and plays with words in a way that's uniquely creative. My creative juices started flowing just by reading this book. Had this book followed grammatical rules it would have been reduced to mediocrity; and it made me wonder how many books were marginalized by the handcuffs of grammar.
Second, there is a whole industry devoted to helping the sexes understand each other better. As a man who's always been interested in understanding women deeply, I can tell you this book gives you great insights into the female mind, as it is a real diary. Women are far more sensitive, observant and intuitive than men, yet need to restrain their true feelings in this man's world. In the book, the author appears cool on the outside in many situations yet is going through a lot of turmoil on the inside which she does not hold back in describing. The next time you ask your woman "Is everything OK honey?" and she says "yes" you may come away with a new insight after reading this book. The author's relationships with two men during the course of the book were very insightful. I was reminded of similar situations I was in with ex-girlfriends and got more color on their feelings at the time by reading the author's totally open thoughts.
On the same topic, I also learned a lot about men. Out of all the high-power, rich and famous men that could not take their eyes off the author (a beautiful and well-dressed woman) when she worked as a hostess in some of NYC's top restaurants, not one had the balls to approach her like a confident man. In fact, the only guys she had lunch with were a waiter and a fellow motorcycle rider she met at the Department of Motor Vehicles. And they were more interesting than the scores of celebrities mentioned in the book.
On an even deeper level. In the West, we are limited to the dimension of intelligence in describing a person. But, in the East, the dimension of awareness is also understood. The two sometimes go hand in hand but awareness is a far more rare quality. Yes, the author is an intelligent woman. But many intelligent people have written interesting books. This book has a special quality because the author is also very aware. The book is full of subtle insights about people, life, and love. The funny thing is the author doesn't trust her awareness because no one else in her life has it. It will be interesting to read the sequel to this book to see how she progresses on the inside. In this first book she has awareness without centering which leads to a lot of inner turmoil as she sees things others don't see, but without the centering it throws her off balance. If she can become centered, her future books will have a far richer quality. In short, Abbe Diaz is an author worth keeping an eye on.
Just buy it!.......2006-05-03
There is so much to say, but the best thing I can think of, is that I didn't want it to END!
Ms. Diaz is truly an inspiring and all around intelligent individual. I revelled at being in on every joke, (even when they were at her own expense). If that infamous HBO series had been even an iota this interesting, I might have been able to enjoy it, along with everyone else. I hope someday I get to see an on screen interpretation of this book. How's about "PX and the City"??? Now, THAT'S dish-y!!!
not a good read, not even really a "book".......2006-01-17
I did not enjoy this, there is no real author's voice, only a phony, whiny, copy of other chick-lit books. and who is the publisher, and where are any real editorial reviews? i am surprised this book is even sold on amazon, its more of a self-published vanity press type pamphlet. only those who are in a similar (ie depressing, nyc social climbing) situation seem to have read it. i got it free from the trash at a tag sale upstate and read it on the train.
Truly Excellent Book.......2006-01-11
This book is one of the funniest and most engaging books I have read in a very long time. So much so, I am buying one as a gift for a friend of mine who works in the restaurant business; I'm sure she will find it as engrossing as I (although this is hardly a prerequisite for finding the book thoroughly enjoyable).
This is the first book review I have ever felt compelled to write. I can't imagine any reader NOT liking this book (I admit the writing style takes some getting used to, but it ends up being very unique, and ultimately, necessary.) unless perhaps the reader is one of the "characters" the author addresses with her refreshing candor, a perfect balance of rapier wit and inspirational warm-hearted empathy so rarely found in most forms of literature and/or media. It's easy to see how this author's work could strike at the core of the vain, self-absorbed, manipulative and (dare I say it?) perhaps even downright evil persons who call this glittery world the author so vividly describes, their playground. In fact, it is this characteristic of the book that makes it so relatable-- we've all encountered people of this nature, whether in the workplace, our social circle or even within our own families.
In short, this book is a truly excellent read. I highly recommend it, particularly as someone who has never felt the urge to make any such recommendation before. It is as eye-opening as it is entertaining, and may very well change the way you see your "world" altogether.
the "book "is not very good, it is jealous and vindictive.......2006-01-10
the author is clearly beyond envious of a scene that she can only enter as a server/worker. if she lusts after men who ignore her and hates women she envies, then why slave in these fancy restaurants and suffer, so embarrassing ? she thinks its witty, but she actually writes with such low self esteem, self-loathing in fact, attacking celebs but trying to link herseslf with them, attacking socials and fellow asians, yet wanting to BECOME one of them. there is so much the author can't admit here. its not honest. the book also betrays the very employers who paid her by exposing "rude" behavior of co-workers and clientele -- yet jealous abbe diaz, the "author", insists upon name-dropping these employers on her website as bait for her "book." plus there is no structure or plot. so sad!
Average customer rating:
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Making Money Making Movies: The Independent Moviemakers' Handbook
Sheldon Tromberg
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding
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ASIN: 0531063704 |
Customer Reviews:
this is a gem........2003-04-01
the book is the granddaddy of all independent guides to movie making.writen at a time when few people in the business were willing to share industry "secrets", it was part of courses taught at Georgetown University and private seminars given by the author an industry veteran (distributor/producer/screenwriter).
Amazon.com
If you think the stories about Bill Clinton are outrageous, Gail Collins has some tales that will really burn your ears. Scandalous rumors have been a part of American politics since the days of George Washington's alleged mistresses and Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. Grover Cleveland was rumored to have beaten his wife so severely during her pregnancy that their daughter was born with extensive brain damage. When Woodrow Wilson proposed to his second wife, a popular joke claimed, she was so surprised that she fell out of bed. And John Fremont's 1856 run for office was destroyed by repeated whisperings that he was, variously, illegitimate, Catholic, and a cannibal. Collins insightfully traces the relationship between gossip and government from an era when politics was the national pastime to the present blurring of the lines between politicians and celebrities.
Book Description
Did Woodrow Wilson murder his first wife? Of course not. Did Hillary Clinton throw the lamp? Maybe. From Thomas Jefferson to William Jefferson Clinton, Scorpion Tongues is a popular history of gossip in American politics. Complete with wickedly delightful anecdotes of major and minor politicians and entertainers over the last 200 years, Gail Collins examines the evolving relationship between politicians and the press and the blurring of the lines between politicians and celebrities. Supported by extensive research and written with an entertaining flair, she speculates on how gossip reflects the current moral compass of the time, noting how a rumor, like an unpredictable summer tornado, can flatten one reputation while a similar story passes over another with hardly a rustle. "Hilariously readable" (The Economist), Scorpion Tongues offers sinful scandals and mild hearsay for every taste.
Customer Reviews:
Gossip & Fun.......2002-04-19
This book is the greatest hits album of professional political muckrakers. Just when you think that they can not come up with something more despicable you turn the page and - bang, one more story full of lies and broken careers. The author lays the book out chronologically so that we start with the founding father and the hits just keep on coming all the way to the current high level of performance. If you are interested in politics and follow the scene then this book is not some much shocking as it is full of "that's where they got it from". If politics is a new hobby then your opinion of these stand up citizens will not drop lower. Overall, this is a fun book that you finish quite quickly
What They Didn't Teach You About American History.......2001-12-20
This is a very readable and informative book about the parts of American History that never appear in the official school books. And not because of its unimportance! There's the story of Peggy Eaton, and how she caused the Civil War (p.43). How William Chancellor's home was raided by Secret Service agents who forced him to burn his papers; later the FBI seized copies of his book from libraries, stores, and salesmen, even confiscating and destroying the publication plates without any legal authorization (p.127). How the Republican National Committee shipped Harding's mistress and husband on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Far East in 1920, and a $2000 monthly payoff in hush money.
The author says that newspapers of the 1920s kept the stories about Harding unpublished because "there was no real appetite for that kind of story" (p.130). I think its more likely that 1) we now had a "secret police on the European model", and 2) the increasing monopolization of newspapers allowed more control and censorship. Some may think only some weekly newspapers market scandals, but don't recognize this as a niche market. The facts that supermarkets nationwide were told to market weekly tabloids around 1967 isn't mentioned, or the cause.
The book says movie stars replaced politicians (and the rich?) in the 1920s as objects of gossip. When Fatty Arbuckle was found not guilty of murder on the third trial after six minutes of deliberation the press wondered "about what was wrong with the system of justice and whether it was possible for a celebrity to get a fair trial in America" (p.140).
Pages 144-5 tell of the rumors and gossip about FDR: he was a drunk, going insane, addicted to drugs, even that he was a "hopeless, helpless invalid". Pages 175-6 explain how memories become improved decades after the events: reading history backwards.
Pages 183-6 tell of the Walter Jenkins scandal of Oct 1964. The author omits the fact that Walter Jenkins was a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve, and served under General Barry Goldwater. LBJ's first reaction was to assume a plot to affect the election. I wonder is there's a reason for Goldwater's later statements?
In 1972 Senator Thomas Eagleton was dropped as a VP candidate when they found he had been "hospitalized three times for mental illness and depression" (p.190). Watergate opened the door to printed political gossip that has pestered, or enriched, the news from Washington DC. One effect was a huge increase in college journalism students then.
Ronald Reagan was the first president who was divorced. There was no sexual gossip about the 70 year old Reagan; nobody told of his bad memory, either. He was the first president whose staff wrote tell-all books while he was still in the White house (p.224).
Pages 228-232 discuss Senator John Tower and his failure to be voted Secretary of Defense in 1989 due to his drinking and womanizing. I heard the real reason was Senator Tower's earlier whitewash of the "Contragate" investigation; he wasn't trusted.
Pages 247-8 tell how rumors and were used to try to influence the selection of Speaker of the House circa 1990. You can watch the "Tonight Show" to see how jokes and phony videos are used to shape people's thinking on current issues. The hired tongues on local "talk radio" may provide other examples or rumors from nearly anonymous sources.
Page 267 says that people react angrily to scandals about a famous person's private life only when the reality contradicts the image. A politician known for drinking, gambling, and kissing any woman within reach can't be ruined except by a Federal indictment and conviction. A Louisiana Governor said no scandal would harm him unless he was found in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.
The author says gossip meets human needs by sharing secrets that are normally hidden, etc. (p.6). I think its people's way to bring down the high and mighty as just another human. To quote from a folksong of the 60s, "even the President goes".
Gossip About Presidents, Who'dathunk?.......2001-01-26
Gail Collins' Scorpion Tongues is, according to its subtitle, the irrestible history of gossip in American politics, and that is exactly what it is. It will be just right for the reader who will want to settle down and take pleasure in all the mud slinging of the past and for a chance to realize that neither times nor people change all that much. The book does try to give a spin to the stories in order to justify the book on more enlightened grounds of trying to show historical patterns and different eras and forms of gossip. But that is not why people are reading this book and that is not why the readers will be passing this book to their friends. It's the gossip, stupid. A scandal filled romp through American history.
A wicked romp through the history of American politics --.......2000-06-06
Gail Collins kept me alternately laughing or spellbound with her chronology of rumor and innuendo whispered through the ages down America's corridors of power. A must read for anyone who loves American history, public relations, or just "good dirt," Collins defines the issues behind scandals and discusses why certain gossip either grabs our attention or fails to take hold. I had a blast learning with this one. Thanks, Gail!
Blame the public;blame the media;blame parties;blame people........1999-09-27
Gail Gleason Collins has written a marvelous account of the gestation of the media as the filters through which politicians are made or not made into statesmen and stateswomen. She has included a weary but never wearying catalogue of the lubricity of American leaders of past and present. It is a book about sex and scandal--mostly scandal--the birth and life and death of gossip in the United States, ending with a question for the future: a cynical American people tiptoeing through the wreckage of a "role model theory" of American leadership, or a new public idealism which may ignore peccadilloes in favor of real issues. I think it was the English historian Lord Bryce who said of the American Commonwealth, in contrast to English scandals which were usually about sex, that American scandals were usually about money. Gail Collins shows the inaccuracy of that statement--how much more important have the Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, et al "bimbo eruptions" of the present decade been to the media and to the inert public than have the colossal wastage of public funds via the S&L bailout? In my Political Corruption seminar, which concentrates on money corruption of the past, my students were delighted with Gail Collins' book--much more than the econometrically "boring" tome of Professor Susan Rose-Ackerman. So am I--she set out to show the role of gossip in politics, and very accurately depicts the commanding role of the media, given the decline of the political party as moderator. Or perhaps she really shows the death of the non-yellow press as medium between citizen and government, and the advent of Internet dominance. The solidity and decency of Pulitzer and Sulzberger is dead: long live the evanescent (and mendacious) rumoring of Matt Drudge! She is mightily inclusive of American leaders' sex-tinged activities, (though I've heard some stories she hasn't or didn't think worthwhile to include--like the one about Jack Kennedy's antecedent "Honey" Fitzgerald and "Toodles", or about Senator Margaret Chase Smith and her Administrative Assistant). And, I suppose the Clinton bimbo catalogue could have been much more extensive. Who cares? The book is fine; good to read, good (troubling) to think about. Think of "all the news that's fit to print" in terms of the Internet's 24/7 time period, and despair. And did you hear the one about.... Charles F. Burke, Professor of Political Science, Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio.
Average customer rating:
- Mistakes Make Research Essential
- Vivaldi of Course by Daniel Gurr
- A really tough trivia book
- Wonderful fun
- Great Book -- Lots of Fun
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Vivaldi, of Course!
Danny Gurr
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1579122469 |
Book Description
Think you know it all? Think again. More than 1,000 brain-tickling, memory-challenging questions (with answers hidden safely in the back, of course) fill this book, on subjects ranging from Ancient Egypt to Word Usage. Find out what you really know-and learn lots of new things-about Architecture, World Capitals, the Civil War, Aviation, Dogs, Politics, Classical Music, Cowboys, Insects, Money and 88 other fascinating subjects that you may have studied in school, but might just have gotten hazy on. Read it as a self-challenge, turn it into a game for two or break it out at a party and find out which of your so-called "smart" friends really knows his or her stuff. It's the most entertaining, fun and painless way to learn-or show off-imaginable.
Customer Reviews:
Mistakes Make Research Essential.......2005-07-17
In the first quiz we found one mistake (JFK was shot in 1963 not 1964), and one ambigious question (World War I fighting may have stopped in 1918, but the war didn't officially end until the Treaty of Versailles in 1919). Later we found other quizzes with mistakes as well. We didn't do the quizzes in order, but skipped around, and we stopped taking the quizzes after about the fourth one. It got to be that each answer that didn't match the book's answer necessitated a visit in my research library. Sometimes the book's answer was correct, but it was frequently wrong or at least ambigious enough to negate the question. The fun of the quizzes (which I admit we had at first) was negated by the time spent in the repeated searches.
Vivaldi of Course by Daniel Gurr.......2005-04-17
This book challenges us with thoughtful questions and brain
teasers. For instance, do you know what 0 degrees Kelvin
stands for in the engineering sciences? Does entomology
deal with insects?
The work has discriminating factual information on a plethora
of subjects including history, music, the human body,
education and higher mathematics-just to name a few areas.
These brain teasers are perfect for discussion at any college
or frat party. Some of these questions could be helpful on
teacher certification examinations.
A really tough trivia book.......2004-07-02
I received this book as a gift and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Although the title doesn't really explain it, each chapter contains twenty questions on all kinds of subjects, from Newspapers to Art History, from the Civil War to Money, etc.
These questions are hard! Most are multiple choice, which helps, but for some questions, you need to match 5 or ten items (Match the following 5 historic newspaper publishers/editors with his paper--Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, James Gordon Bennett, etc).
I also found a mistake. In the Classical Music section, they list Richard Strauss as being born in 1804, when it really was 1864 (I think they were confused with Johann Strauss).
The answers are in the back. This is not for the individual who gets easily frustrated if they don't know the answer, but I would recommend this book to any huge fan of Millionaire, Jeopardy, or Trivial Pursuit.
Wonderful fun.......2002-12-21
This is a wonderful book for anyone who enjoys brainteasers. My family spent Thanksgiving afternoon trying to stump each other with the questions in this book- most of which were very challenging.
Great Book -- Lots of Fun.......2002-08-10
For those who love history, pop culture, or just good old trivia, this is a very entertaining book that is well worth your while.
We have spent hours with it in our house, challenging each other -- "you'll never get this one" -- with the great tidbits the author provides.
Highly recommended!
Amazon.com
PC Hardware in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference relies on an eternal truth of the computer industry: legacy systems never die. This book focuses on the technologies that have provided Wintel personal computers with various capabilities over the years. Like most of its competitors, this book addresses the PC on a subsystem level, and deals with video cards, hard-disk interfaces, memory, and other pieces of the componentry puzzle that hardware integrators need to figure out. The authors do a great job of explaining the differences between (and relative merits of) IDE and SCSI hard-drive interfaces, various video buses, competing processors, and other technologies. They also prove themselves adept at explaining general assembly procedures and troubleshooting strategies.
This book distinguishes itself from its most popular competitors by emphasizing the authors' opinions on hardware products. It's refreshing to see authors recommend Product A for high-performance systems in which price is not an issue, Product B for economical home systems, and Product C for organizational workstations. On the other hand, the recommendations, prices, and similar values will change over time. The authors maintain a great Web site, at which you can find their current recommendations. (The Web site, on the other hand, doesn't include the book's high-quality tutorial on designing and assembling a system from zero.) Even the photographs that appear in this book--traditionally a weak point among hardware books--are clear. --David Wall
Topics covered: Personal computers that comply with Microsoft Windows and Intel compatibility requirements. The authors address processors, memory, hard disks, optical media, removable magnetic disks, video cards, power supplies, and more. Also, there are instructions for assembling a machine from scratch, and some coverage of troubleshooting problems.
Book Description
PC Hardware in a Nutshell is the practical guide to buying, building, upgrading, and repairing Intel-based PCs. A longtime favorite among PC users, the third edition of the book now contains useful information for people running either Windows or Linux operating systems. Written for novices and seasoned professionals alike, the book is packed with useful and unbiased information, including how-to advice for specific components, ample reference material, and a comprehensive case study on building a PC. In addition to coverage of the fundamentals and general tips about working on PCs, the book includes chapters focusing on motherboards, processors, memory, floppies, hard drives, optical drives, tape devices, video devices, input devices, audio components, communications, power supplies, and maintenance. Special emphasis is given to upgrading and troubleshooting existing equipment so you can get the most from your existing investments. This new edition is expanded to include:
- Detailed information about the latest motherboards and chipsets from AMD, Intel, SiS, and VIA
- Extensive coverage of the Pentium 4 and the latest AMD processors, including the Athlon XP/MP
- Full details about new hard drive standards, including the latest SCSI standards, ATA/133, Serial ATA, and the new 48-bit "Big Drive" ATA interface
- Extended coverage of DVD drives, including DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW, and DVD+R/RW
- Details about Flat Panel Displays, including how to choose one (and why you might not want to)
- New chapters on serial communications, parallel communications, and USB communications (including USB 2.0)
- Enhanced troubleshooting coverage
PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition provides independent, useful and practical information in a no-nonsense manner with specific recommendations on components. Based on real-world testing over time, it will help you make intelligent, informed decisions about buying, building, upgrading, and repairing PCs in a cost effective manner that will help you maximize new or existing computer hardware systems. It's loaded with real-world advice presented in a concise style that clearly delivers just the information you want, without your having to hunt for it.
Customer Reviews:
Pull-no-punches opinionated and highly detailed.......2005-05-23
Robert Thompson is a man who doesn't hold back from giving his opinion on why something is good or bad, either on his website or in his books. In _PC Hardware in a Nutshell_, he tells you just what he thinks of what's good and bad about PC components in just about any category you can think of, and backs it up with all the facts, figures and personal experiences you could ever ask for. Every chapter includes historical information on the components under discussion, detailed reviews of what they do and how they do it, and recommendations on what to use (and what not to use). The final chapter walks you through building your own machine step-by-step, though, this being an omnibus book, the chapter is necessarily slightly skimpy in comparison to _Building The Perfect PC_. The writing style is clear and lively, in fact the book is well worth reading as a book even if you don't need any specific information at the time. The only real complaint I have is something the author has no control over - the fact that new PC hardware comes out so fast that it's just impossible to review every single new thing in a paper edition. (Well, that and the fact that Thompson doesn't like Western Digital because he's had bad experiences with their hard drives, whereas I've been using WD exclusively for years and never yet have had one go out on me. I think that can be chalked up, though, more to the fact that there's just so much PC hardware out there that different people are just going to end up having completely different experiences with components from a particular manufacturer. That, or I just got lucky with WD hard drives.) All in all, this book is truly indispensable.
Power to the People!.......2005-02-03
Let me start out with a huge thanks to O'Reilly. I'm not a big fan of large corporations or publishers - but I have come to trust O'Reilly implicitly wherever technical issues are concerned. Although I'm certain that they are not the "perfect" publisher, nor in the business for wholly (ha!) altruistic reasons, I AM amazed by the remarkable originality, diversity, range, quality, accuracy, and honorable business practices of this publisher. Oftentimes I wonder how they manage to maintain such a level, when their current library is so chock-full of tough-to-follow acts.
That said, PC Hardware in a Nutshell does not fail to meet up to these high expectations. Let me get the review portion of my review out of the way - simply put, this is the book I have been hunting for a couple years. That I did not immediately search the O'Reilly library only shows that I am a bit silly. I should have known better. End of review.
But I would like to carry this a bit further, and go out on a limb to discuss the only complaint prior reviewers have voiced: that the book is too "Microsoft-centric."
Rather than a weakness, I believe that this is actually a strength. Let me offer big kudos to the authors and publisher for realizing that a serious, yet accessible, compendium of computer hardware knowledge was necessary. The folks who register such complaints are those least in need of an in-depth introduction to PC hardware. These are the high priests of hi-tech, who rule the roost by virtue of their knowledge-monopoly on all issues technical. They would have you believe that if it was not hand-crafted from spare parts, duct tape, and copious amounts of solder and configured with the most obscure version of Linux, then it's only fit for a 4-year-old. They are, quite simply, dead wrong. Let them compile their own "PC Hardware for Only the Most Serious Tech Gurus", I say!
Thompson's very first point is that he intended the book to be of the most practical usability possible. The practical reality is that the people who desperately need such a compendium are poor fools, like Yours Truly, who are too technical to be satisfied with tutorials on how to use Microsoft Office, yet are not quite knowledgeable enough to get right under the hood of their PCs (never mind build a Linux box from spare hatpins and Reynolds Wrap). We, the "psuedo-techies", often do not come equipped with enough experience, knowledge, or confidence to take ourselves to the next level. We are the crowd who are using Microsoft products, yet would love to learn enough to understand exactly WHY Microsoft means "mush-mind" and Linux is God - but will never get there without a guide. This book is the guide, and to me it says, "Psuedo-techies unite! Power to the people!"
A bit dated.......2004-08-16
This is a great book that covers every aspect of building a PC. However, as of August 2004, the 3rd edition of this book is a bit dated. For example PC3200 memory is considered the newest memory and both Pentium 4 Prescott processors and Athlon 64 processors were not out when this book was published. If you are buying this book, you may want to wait for a 4th edition, unless you are looking to assemble an old computer.
I would not accept the author's hardware recommendations as the final word. For one thing, the components they review are in many cases no longer manufactured. Magazine reviews and PC hardware Web sites are going to have different opinions on what the best components are.
All you need for PC hardware.......2004-07-13
This book is amazingly concise and thorough, yet also very easy to read. It contains many helpful photographs, and the authors maintain a great website that is tremendously useful and is a great addition to the book. I am not a big fan of the "In a Nutshell" computer books published by O'Reilly, but this book is definitely an exception. It's great for both beginners and experts.
A Gem of a PC primer!.......2004-06-21
O'Reilly's an up and coming publisher of computer related books. Maybe a kingpin already. This selection is a true quick reference guide. Written by the Thompsons, this selection gives you a thorough look into buying, assembling and operating computers. You do need a basic understanding to get anything out of this book, but if this is the case, you won't be disappointed. I have a first edition copy, and it's still current. That says a lot, a first edition published four years ago is still not too outdated! Think about it. How many computer related books can you think of that's relatively current after four years? Huh?
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- Cahiers de Droit Fiscal International Volume LXXXVIa - 2001 - Taxation of Income Derived from Electronic Commerce (IFA Cahiers, Volume LXXXVIa)
- Comparative Tax Jurisprudence: Germany and Japan
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- Cracks in the Foundation: Refuting the Conservative Case for Low Taxes and Small Government
- Debt and Taxes: Politics and Fiscal Policy in America
- Decentralization And Rural Property Taxation (Land Tenure Study)
- Dilemmas of Solidarity: Rethinking Distribution in the Canadian Federation
- Earmarking State Taxes
- Euthanasia for Death Duties: Putting Inheritance Tax Out of Its Misery (Research Monograph, 54)
- Federal Income Taxation of Trusts & Estates: Cases, Problems, and Materials (Carolina Academic Press Law Casebook Series)
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