Average customer rating:
- It is not just about your resume -
- It helped ... a lot!
- Actors: If you haven't read this book, your resume is wrong!
- It was a great help!
|
Actors' Resumes: The Definitive Guidebook
Richard Devin
Manufacturer: Emc2 Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Acting & Auditioning
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 096402537X |
Customer Reviews:
It is not just about your resume -.......2004-02-18
This book is wonderful. Devin tells us how to write and produce a well crafted resume - sure, but he goes on to tell us how to market ourselves. If you're sending out a resume, attached to the back of your headshot, without reading and taking Devin's well researched advice ... you may be making some big mistakes. This book is well worth the cover price.
It helped ... a lot!.......1998-09-07
I didn't know what to do about my acting resume until a friend gave me this book. It really helped. When I got to Los Angeles I had a picture and resume all ready to go and the first audition I went on the casting director said, "good professional resume," and I didn't really have many credits. It just made me feel better to have read this book and formated my resume the right way!
Actors: If you haven't read this book, your resume is wrong!.......1997-03-14
For once a book that can truly be called invaluable. A complete, comprehensive and entertaining guide to writing a
resume the way the industry wants it. The only book on the subject, painstakingly researched and accurate. A must for novices and seasoned actors. Thank you Richard Devin for finally telling actors how to write their resumes
It was a great help!.......1997-01-28
It really helped me. I was teaching a class to actors preparing to move to New York and LA, I don't know what I would have done without this book. When some of the actors started asking me what to do about a resume, I was stuck. I didn't know. Actors' Resumes really helped. I would recommend it to anyone thinking of becoming an actor
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Non-profit Times, published by NPT Publishing Group, Inc. on May 1, 2001. The length of the article is 510 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: Communities Of Color Are Sharing With Philanthropy.(Brief Article)
Author: Clint Carpenter
Publication:
The Non-profit Times (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2001
Publisher: NPT Publishing Group, Inc.
Volume: 15
Issue: 9
Page: 4
Article Type: Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
Brickyards to Graveyards: From Production to Genocide in Rwanda (Suny Series in Anthropology of Work)
Villia Jefremovas
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Africa
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Rwanda
| Africa
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Cultural
| Anthropology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0791454878 |
Book Description
Explores how the conditions that shaped Rwanda's labor organization and industries also shaped Rwanda's genocide.
Book Description
This book, written by a woman who has undergone breast cancer surgery, presents a series of guiding principles and excercises that can help those who are working to overcome the psychological effects of a mastectomy, as well as those who are just interested in understanding the types of issues and emotions involved.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiration for Everyone!.......2004-09-04
Ms. Klein's book is an inspiration for anyone going through a life crises; illness, death, divorce. Her writing is clear and concise, with no stumbling blocks for the grammatically particular among us. Her sense of humor softens the harsh realities we must face when life demands the full strength of our character. Her book gives us practical application steps with the philosophical and spiritual insight to apply them.
sensible sensitive advice on coping and healing.......2004-08-30
This is very special book written about breat cancer survival by someone who underwent a double mastectomy. It is easy to read and offers clear, thoughtful advice to others undergoing the same experience. It is also useful for people undergoing other kinds of hardships who want to adjust to their own difficulties and fight to be strong and healthy. In simple steps the author confronts the many difficult aspects of surviving a traumatic situation, learning to understand one's own needs and feelings, and strengthening one's own inner resources to achieve emotional well being. I was deeply touched by the author's honesty, positive outlook and sense of humor.
Customer Reviews:
home-spun stories of life's lessons..........2002-12-10
This book is a collection of anecdotal stories that show that even in life's rather whacky moments there are lessons to be learned. Baumbich shares her home-spun stories about things that have occured throughout her life, and taught her many things. These lessons are not always pretty and they are not always easy, but the lessons seem to flourish! Charlene Ann Baumbich points out that not all these lessons need be painful or embarassing, sometimes they are a pure unexpected delight.
This is an easy book to read in small bites and is the kind of book that can be passed among friends.
Book Description
Mothers often feel they are running as fast as they can to keep up or to stay just ahead of those who want a piece of their time, energy, and self. Author, speaker, and mother Jenn Doucette offers a humorous and insightful look at how every mom on the run can head for much–needed rest stops by:
- experiencing girl time
- choosing contentment
- setting boundaries and achieve freedom
- getting a grip on emotions
- giving themselves a break
With comedic flair, Doucette confesses to her own failings as well as God’s successes in the face of them, reminding mothers that it is healthy to laugh, take a break, and practice grace.
Customer Reviews:
A book for all moms.......2007-06-26
Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (6/07)
"Just wait till you have kids of your own!" How many mothers have ever said that when they are reaching their limit. When children are little, they think their mother knows everything. When they get older, they think their moms are totally out of touch. But as the years go by and you become a parent yourself, you start to realize that your mother was right all along. Your mother might have told you that "someday your time will come." If you are faced with the trials and tribulations of motherhood and just need to take a break, you have just the place to lose yourself. It's time to sit back and enjoy a book so you don't feel so alone.
In fact, your mother's knowledge has even been sung about in a popular old song written by Van Morrison and is the title song of his 1995 album. You probably have the chorus ringing in your head upon reading the title of the book. Jenn Doucette has created a wonderful book which will give exhausted and worn-out mothers a much needed rest. Through her many stories about her own experiences, Jenn offers you a friend to laugh with. Her book is laid out in a road trip type fashion. Each chapter offers a rest stop and explores reclaiming contentment and wonder, repairing relationships and rekindling romance just to name a few. Each chapter ends with what she calls "Tank Toppers," which are ideas which you can use to put the information into action. She encourages the readers to "Take a Break" which is a prayer, and "Getting Directions," which gives the readers a place to write down areas which you want to address.
I found myself laughing throughout this book and yet gaining all kinds of valuable information. Jenn Doucette is an excellent author and I hope to find more books by her. "Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This" is very true, but there is no need to crumple under the pressures of parenthood. Jenn is here with her book which will help you in your travels in every stage of parenthood and put a smile on your face in the process.
A book to pass on to friends and family and then read again.......2007-05-14
Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This by Jenn Doucette is the perfect gift for a new mom, older mom, any mom! Jenn writes 12 short chapters about how to recharge your batteries, remember how important your kids are, reignite your marriage, and renew your relationship with God. All along the way she tells hilarious anecdotes and heart-warming stories. I finished the book Friday night and I already miss reading it. The chapters are brief enough to read while waiting to pick up the kids from school or practice, but they pack a powerful punch. She stresses the importance of being a mom while never losing your sense of humor or love for God. I'm passing this book on to my mom, my aunt, and my cousins, and I'll recommend it to everyone else.
A Dose of Honesty.......2007-04-24
I highly recommend this book to any mom who wants an honest reflection on parenting. For those of you who are tired of the unrealistic how-to-parenting books this book offers a dose of reality sprinkled with inspiration and humor. Jenn Doucette offers a great helping of comfort in a time when being a perfect parent is sometimes the goal.
A Refreshing Rest Stop.......2007-04-13
I read Jenn's book after waiting anxiously to receive it. Her first book, The Velveteen Mommy, was so good I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one! What The Velveteen Mommy does for moms of little children, this one does for moms who have moved on to the next stage, which is definitely me. I am in that stage of running so much, I meet myself coming and going! My husband and I pass each other in the revolving door of our house-- and hope we can keep a marriage running in those stolen moments. Jenn addresses all of this with humor and hope that is a balm to every mom's soul. Check this book out if you need a heapin' helpin' of encouragment!
HILARIOUS LOOK AT REAL-LIFE MOMHOOD.......2007-04-03
This book had me laughing throughout. Jenn Doucette is one funny lady, a gal who's not afraid to admit her quirks and foibles -- so that those of us who feel EXACTLY the same way can feel some relief. We're not alone! :)
Sprinkled with a healthy dose of hard-earned wisdom, Doucette has the comedic rhythm that makes this book a joy to read. In fact, it can be downright embarrassing when you burst out laughing "HA HA HA! ME TOO!" in the doctor's office. (oops.)
This would be a great pick-me-up gift for moms in the busy child-raising years. There seems to be no lack of books for moms-to-be and newborn moms -- as well as plenty of advice-giving parenting tomes. Doucette's book fills in the gap needed when we're feeling like we just need a girlfriend to say, "I'm with you. I'm tired, my car's a mess, but I love God, I love my kids, and I love being a mom!!"
--Mom 2 Mom Connection
Average customer rating:
|
Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This: My Life in the Jazz World
Val Wilmer
Manufacturer: Womens Pr Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Appreciation
| Composition
| Conducting
| Exercises
| Instruction & Study
| MIDI, Mixers, etc.
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Songbooks
| Songwriting
| Techniques
| Theory
| Vocal
ASIN: 0704350408 |
Book Description
A roll-your-eyes, groan and laugh calendar to help you honor your mom every day of the year. This calendar will spark memories of childhood and rekindle appreciative feelings toward the woman who has her daughter's best interest at heart.
Average customer rating:
- Across the Universe...
- The Official Myth
- Ladies and Gentlemen, this is THE biography--and NOT biased.
- The Opposite Extreme of Albert Goldman
- a witty genius
|
Lennon: Definitive Biography, The
Ray Coleman
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Voice
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Rock
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
John Lennon
| Beatles
| Music
| Pop Culture
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
| Actors & Actresses
| Artists, Architects & Photographers
| Authors
| Composers & Musicians
| Dancers
| Entertainers
| Movie Directors
| New Age
| Television Performers
| Theatre
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Lennon, John
| ( L )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now
-
The Lives of John Lennon
-
In His Own Write
-
Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970
-
Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon
ASIN: 0060986085 |
Book Description
The best and most complete biography about the influential Beatle.
Customer Reviews:
Across the Universe..........2005-12-08
On the anniversary of his death, there will be an inevitable surge in all things 'Lennon' and 'The Beatles'. There are a lot of books on Lennon, some good, some not so good. Some have simply done a hack job, relying on gossip and hearsay as 'fact' for the sake of profit and shock - such as Lennon's sexuality for example.
In this book, hearsay stays as hearsay, and doesn't evolve into fact or truth.
From early on in this book, it is fair to say that Ray Coleman does have a genuine fascination/respect for John Lennon and I thought this will sour the book and turn it into a biased sugary affair that will forsake Lennon's 'human' elements and instead opt for a crux to prop up The Myth, The Legend, and The Superhuman Lennon instead.
But, Coleman doesn't allow bias to get in the way of getting an accurate portrayal. Lennon comes across as a flawed human being -like we all are.
Lennon is not an angel, but nor is he a monster. He is, simply, and most interestingly, a rather complex man whose childhood was set by tragedy and rejection, therefore fuelling his temper and frustrations in the process. This book shows Lennon as a man who could cruelly hurt the ones he loved (both physically and mentally). But, he is also a man who could show compassion and generosity - and away from the media spotlight.
These contradictions in Lennon's life doesn't mean that one side of Lennon must be true and the other side not. But, instead, it reinforces Coleman's objections in this biography - Lennon was a complex human being, with the same faults, as well as the same kindness, of us all.
For more music-orientated fans, Lennon as a songwriter is vividly disected, with his songs broken up and analysed carefully.
My favourite part of the book is Lennon's time at Art college in Liverpool. Coleman manages to set an atmosphere in a city of unlimited supply of talent in young people, but have nowhere to channel it or turn it into something productive (obvioulsy, Lennon did). Nothing changes...
After reading this book, you have the strange feeling that you actually KNOW Lennon, rather than simply hating him or loving him, which I think, is a golden sign of a good biography.
Highly recommended.
The Official Myth.......2005-04-28
Come on. This is John Lennon as the myth-makers want him remembered. Lots of good, interesting information in here, but it is obvious it's a whitewash. My advice...read the good, bad and ugly books on John, (you can skip Goldman's), shake well, pour, and you might get a somewhat accurate portrait of the artist.
I liked the book by the guy who stole the diaries, but liking it doesn't mean I believed it totally. Disliking this book doesn't mean I think it's all B.S. It's just that this book was written by his friend with input from Yoko's publicist. I had a hard time finishing it, I really got tired of the gloss.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is THE biography--and NOT biased........2005-04-04
Those who think that Coleman's book leans too much toward the light must have skipped the parts where Cynthia talks candidly about how John used to hit her. Also, his beating of a man at a party who accused him of an affair with Brian Epstein is more detailed here than anywhere else. This book tells the truth, the reality, the dark AND the light. It is really long; I won't lie to you. However, if you want the real story, this is the only book. It's also the only book brave enough to call May Pang a liar, which she is. It tells the truth about Yoko, and that she really is a human being with feelings, not fangs. This book will not only teach you everything we know about John from his general beliefs and his feelings about his music to his favorite cafes and foods, it will teach you enough that you will become a sharp critical eye of other books on the market. You will know which ones are telling the truth, and which ones are bunk. Coleman's work is the definitive biography, by far.
The Opposite Extreme of Albert Goldman.......2005-03-07
I love John Lennon. I love the Beatles. Heck, I even love Yoko Ono's solo albums. So I should probably agree that this Lennon adoration is the definitive biography...but it isn't.
Like most biographies of celebrities, Lennon's bios fall into two extremes. The most notorious extreme is Albert Goldman (The Lives of John Lennon): mean-spirited, doing whatever he can get away with to tear down the subject even if it means passing off rumors as fact, speculating on the flimsiest of evidence, and using obscuring resources to the point that you're hard-pressed to know what to believe.
But it's just as bad to write something at the opposite extreme, and that's what Ray Coleman does with Lennon. I expect that there's a lot of truth here, particularly when it comes to the Beatles, Lennon's radical period and his fight for U.S. residency. But an awful lot of it is fawning, worshipful John-was-always-right fluff.
Any book that relies so much on Elliott Mintz's testimony as the second half of this book does is going to be badly slanted--bear in mind that Mintz is Yoko's publicist. He's PAID to whitewash and pretty up the stories. And this publicist has always been particularly sycophantic: he's Yoko's puppet. So when he calls May Pang an outright liar, or implies that after the Lost Weekend John and Yoko never had a single marital dispute again, take it with the biggest grain of salt you can find.
But then again, Coleman does a lot of the window dressing himself. Look, anyone who's seriously looked at Lennon knows how capable he was of immature and nasty behavior, and if you're writing a book about him you have to acknowledge that. Instead we get very little story about the "Lost Weekend," which lasted a whole year and a half and is dispatched here in about ten pages. (Peter Brown's The Love You Make is the best account of John's public obnoxiousness at the time.) The closest Coleman comes to giving John human flaws is pointing the finger and saying, "Sure, John did this or that, but it was only because he/she/they picked the fight first!" For example, apparently every time Paul McCartney said something in an interview about John, even something as earnest and understandable as "I wish we could all sit down, just the four of us with no outside interference, and work out our problems," it was apparently a personal attack on John and a deliberate snubbing of Yoko. I'm sure that's how John saw a lot of these things, yes, but Coleman need not take such a "Yes, that's exactly how it happened" approach to all of John's interpretations of every event.
Finally, there's the question of Yoko, who comes off in the book as almost more perfect than John, the absolute soul mate who was wise and good and deeply in love with John. The relationship is pretty much a fairy tale in Lennon; any relationship that was so close for so long HAD to have complications, spats, entanglements, and so forth. Coleman gives us hints that those might have happened, but what were they and why? Just a gloss-over. There has indeed been a lot of negative press about Yoko, and it's true that a lot of it has come from people who knew her and have a clear axe to grind (like Fred Seaman, who Yoko personally fired from the estate in 1981)...I don't believe most of those accounts, but the fact that so many people who knew Yoko had an axe to grind leads me to believe she's not all sunshine and lollipops. But that's what she is in Lennon.
Most people should read Lennon, because it covers the whole forty-year ground and it's very good in some parts. But realize that what you're essentially reading is "The Gospel According to Ray" and that you can't take this kind of posthumous [...] too seriously. While I admit that this is probably the best biography yet written of John Lennon, the "definitive" biography is yet to come.
a witty genius.......2004-04-27
I think Ray Coleman gave an in-depth approach to writing this book. He didn't attack John Lennon in any way, he just told facts. He talks a lot about John as a teenager, a star, a father, and a husband. This book was well written and insightful. At times it did get very tedious, but nonetheless interesting and definitely a book for any Beatles, or John Lennon fan to read. Being a HUGE Beatles fan, it made me see another side to John Lennon that I was oblivious to. Paul used to be my favorite Beatle, but now it is John. It was obvious that Ray was a close friend of John's, which really let the reader see the REAL Lennon. He doesn't sugarcoat Lennon at all. He tells about how John would make fun of cripples, and how he was heavily into acid and other drugs. He tells about John's arrogant approach toward women, and how he sometimes ignored his family. He also lets us see the sensitive side of John. Ray Coleman really lets the world see what a witty, intelligent, loving on the inside, "hard" on the outside, genius that John Lennon was.
Average customer rating:
|
John Lennon: The Definitive Biography
Philip Norman
Manufacturer: Doubleday Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Lennon, John
| ( L )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0385661002
Release Date: 2008-10-07 |
Book Description
In The Romance of Small-Town Chautauquas, James Schultz offers a unique pictorial study of a cultural movement that started in 1904 and spread across the country. For almost thirty years, tent shows known as "chautauquas" brought popular education and entertainment to small towns in America from coast to coast. With more than one hundred photographs and other illustrations from the era, the book presents a captivating overview of the tent chautauqua movement from its inception to its demise in 1932.
These traveling chautauquas-which were an outgrowth of the lyceum movement-evolved in the early part of the twentieth century. Keith Vawter, owner of the Chicago branch of the Redpath Lyceum, came up with an idea that would bring to rural America the same quality of lectures and other forms of entertainment that were available through the lyceum. His concept was a circuit of traveling tents that moved from town to town. Vawter named his traveling circuits "chautauquas," modeling them after the Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York State, an intellectual community with summerlong programs of lectures, seminars, and workshops. Tent chautauquas offered a variety of cultural events by politicians, writers, and theologians, filling a void in the lives of rural residents who did not have access to the array of talent available to city dwellers.
The Romance of Small-Town Chautauquas contains many previously unpublished photographs that reflect the styles and customs of a bygone era, as well as photos and anecdotes about many people of prominence who toured as speakers or entertainers. These included individuals such as President Warren G. Harding, Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, journalist and historian Ida Tarbell, poet Carl Sandburg, and many others.
Schultz utilizes the existing literature on chautauquas, but he contributes much new information from the files of his father and uncle, both of whom were involved in the management of the Redpath Chautauquas, as well as interviews he conducted with individuals who remember attending chautauqua performances.
Customer Reviews:
Enchanting!.......2003-07-03
This book is absolutely enchanting. The descriptions are wonderful, bringing great images into my head of how things must have been like. Honestly it's quite the real life description through part of America's history. J.R. Schultz does justice to the Chautauquas. Certainly a wonderful addition to any bookshelf. Great cover art as well!
Book Description
All the Style of Famous TV Homes, Now in Yours!
From Archie Bunker’s Barcalounger to the framed peephole on Friends, sitcom decor sets the tone of our favorite shows—and defines the lives of its characters. Now Sitcom Style brings you a behind-the-scenes peek inside more than two dozen of the most recognizable homes in American pop culture: the sets of our favorite TV shows from the past half-century.
The sets of situation comedies aren’t just a collection of random props that surround the actors; they’re statements of style. They’re designed to convey a particular mood, to both reflect and enhance the personalities of the people who live in them—just like anyone’s home. So Sitcom Style is more than a glimpse into a make-believe world; it’s also a fascinating exploration of how to bring personal style into your own living room. Set designers share their secrets and strategies for creating some of the most thought-out homes in America, and you can learn how to recreate these styles in your own home, complete with shopping resources!
What’s more, Sitcom Style is also a nostalgic stroll through the most beloved locations in the American consciousness. From the early days of I Love Lucy, The Addams Family, and I Dream of Jeannie through seventies’ favorites like Three’s Company and Happy Days to the eighties’ The Cosby Show and Roseanne and recent megahits like Friends, Sex and the City, and Will & Grace, Sitcom Style is an at-a-glance look at how America has lived for the past fifty years. And for true TV buffs, each chapter includes information on the set designers, years of production, favorite quotes, and trivia.
A completely unique combination of pop culture and interior design, Sitcom Style is a must whether you love the TV world or want to spice up your own decor at home.
Customer Reviews:
good but could be better.......2006-03-15
Overall, the book is good and gives access to information and pictures you cannot find anywhere else. However, I expected more pictures and less text. Pity that some of sitcoms mentioned were not illustrated at all. I bought this book specifically to get decent pictures of Frasier's filming set but was disappointed - the set is so fabulous it almost deserves a separate book on itself, and all it got was a couple of less than perfect photos.
Great finds.......2006-02-25
This book was well stocked with information on not only how these imaginative places were decorated but also where to purchase them in reality. I have sometimes saw an item on TV and wondered where it could be found and this book tells you. It is definately a read more than once book. I thouroughly enjoyed this book.
Sitcom Style: Inside America's Favorite TV Homes.......2006-01-30
I absolutely love this book!! If you are a TV fanatic like me you will like this book too. It shows you different sitcom homes and the decor and talks about how they are decorated and gives you pointers if you want to decorate the same way.
Insightful and Surprisingly Functional.......2005-12-12
Sitcom Style provides an in-depth look at the process, styles and techniques utilized by set designers to make the unknown television character immediately familiar to the television audience. The book strikes a perfect balance between trivia on some of the most famous pieces of furniture ever seen on television, such as Archie Bunker's chair, and close ups of the actual technical diagrams used by television producers.
Ms. Friedman's lucid explanations on the relationship between a television character's projected personality and a set designers choice of furniture and layout, provides valuable insight into the design of any living space. Detailed deconstructions of various sets, such as the open layout of Frasier's sophisticated living room or the use of a club chair to project the assured confidence of Murphy Brown, end up being valuable guides in how to project your own sense of character in your personal living space. The inclusion of a buying guide at the end of the book with accompanying websites and phone numbers is helpful as well.
While the book already does a great job of providing decorative insight along with television history, one would hope the author would do another book with even more home decoration tips. My only detraction would be the failure to examine some of the more popular canine abodes on television.
Strongly suggested as a holiday gift to anyone who enjoys television history and trivia, home decoration and style, or both!
Snooping on the Sitcom Set.......2005-11-29
I always enjoyed when Entertainment Weekly would go behind the scenes of a popular show and call out the details of its set -- the books and knickknacks on the shelves, the pictures on the fridge, the paintings on the walls. Here we have an entire book of close-up looks at sitcom sets from the last 40+ years. It's a fascinating, guilt-free trip inside your favorite homes. I could do without the decorating tips, but the backstage trivia makes for a fun read.
Book Description
Written by an expert in the game industry, Christer Ericson's new book is a comprehensive guide to the components of efficient real-time collision detection systems. The book provides the tools and know-how needed to implement industrial-strength collision detection for the highly detailed dynamic environments of applications such as 3D games, virtual reality applications, and physical simulators.
Of the many topics covered, a key focus is on spatial and object partitioning through a wide variety of grids, trees, and sorting methods. The author also presents a large collection of intersection and distance tests for both simple and complex geometric shapes. Sections on vector and matrix algebra provide the background for advanced topics such as Voronoi regions, Minkowski sums, and linear and quadratic programming.
Of utmost importance to programmers but rarely discussed in this much detail in other books are the chapters covering numerical and geometric robustness, both essential topics for collision detection systems. Also unique are the chapters discussing how graphics hardware can assist in collision detection computations and on advanced optimization for modern computer architectures. All in all, this comprehensive book will become the industry standard for years to come.
*Presents algorithms and data structures with wide applications to the fields of game development, virtual reality, physically based simulation, CAD/CAM, architectural and scientific visualization, molecular modeling, engineering simulation, GIS, ray tracing, and more.
*Describes tested, real-world methods, liberally illustrated by C & C++ code.
*Reviews necessary concepts from mathematics and computational geometry, and includes extensive references to other sources and research literature.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent explanations of collision detection algorithms and their optimization.......2007-07-20
The first half of this book explains the most popular collision detection functions. The collisions presented are mostly in 3D, but there are also some 2D versions. You can use Amazon's "Search Inside" option and take a look at the content table, which shows a large variety of shape vs shape tests. Most of the functions are explained using advanced math, and that's ok because there is no other way to show were the concepts of the book come from. There is an introductory chapter on the math used in the book, but it isn't enough. In my opinion it would have been better to remove that chapter and add some more explanations and algorithms on dynamic collisions.
Most of the second half of the book deals with the different structures to optimize collision detection queries, showing pros and cons for all of them, so the developer can select the one that best fits it's project. The last part of the book is on hardware optimizations.
I agree with other reviewers the CD doesn't bring enough code, and no executable code at all. What one finds in the CD are the pieces of code exactly as they are printed in the sheets, sorted in files by chapter. In my opinion that presentation makes the author look like he is just adapting the algorithms from other papers. Having runnable code is not just a fancy feature, but a necessity for programmers. With compilable code one can see how it works, getting a better idea of how the algorithms are integrated in the actual graphical engine, and it's also a proof the code has no bugs (otherwise reveals them). I'm removing 1 star only because of this reason, hoping a new edition will enhance the content.
This book saves a lot of research, time and money. Just compare this table of collision tests: http://www.realtimerendering.com/int/ with the book's content. You will see that many of these tests are explained and included in the book (and there are some more not in that table). This book is a great compilation of those algorithms which are pretty dispersed in papers and books.
worth every dollar.......2007-06-02
Two things stand out about this author: 1) he drives every discussion toward performance issues, and 2) he provides just enough source code for a developer like me to lock in the concepts. That's a great combo that makes this book a hands-down winner.
I've never worked in gaming. I've been doing CAD/CAE/CAM, mostly with Java and CATIA v4 / STEP data, for ten years. I'm currently involved in a robotics planning project, where I've been able to model all the kinematics of an 8-DOF robot system, but the scale of the collision detection challenges has overwhelmed me...until reading this book.
Best collision book i've seen so far.......2007-03-03
I've read MANY collision detection books over the years and this is by far the best one i've seen to teach programmers how to LEARN collision detection from basic tests to highly advanced algorithms.
A comprehensive reference and tutorial on game geometry.......2006-11-15
This book does more than collision.
Don't get me wrong -- it does all of the collision you'll likely need in any kind of current game, in good detail, with derivation of why it works, including source code. However, it also serves as an excellent primer in game geometry for anyone who might not have an intuitive understanding of what a closed manifold mesh is, or why the separating axis theorem works, or why T junctions are a problem.
I'm pretty well versed in the field, and I use this book as a comprehensive reference, and I love it. But even if you're a newcomer, you need this book, because it contains everything you need to know! And, conversely, if you don't know what's in this book, you won't have the success you want.
Best of its class.......2006-09-22
For such difficult topics, this book is surprisingly readable, accessible, and has plenty of source code to get you started. It also has one of the best sections I have ever seen about floating point accuracy and numerical stability. In addition, it has some of the best coverage of BSP trees, KDE trees, and other spatial organization. That alone makes it worth the price of the book.
Also, the book has a great bibliography that directs you to more advanced papers should you need something specialized. And finally, you do not have to be a genius to work through the algorithms. Anyone with a basic knowledge of vector algebra and a little linear algebra can work through the algorithms, if you are diligent and persistent. As a professional 3D programmer new to my field, I find it a great plus whenever I come across a resource that can save time in such an in-depth field.
Books:
- Audio Power Amplifier Design Handbook, Fourth Edition
- Basic Theory of Surface States (Monographs on the Physics and Chemistry of Materials, 46)
- Basic Tig and Mig Welding: GTAW and GMAW
- Be Prepared!: Getting Ready for Job Interviews
- Becoming a Helper
- Best Resumes for $75,000 + Executive Jobs, 2nd Edition
- Better Resumes foe Executives and Professionals (Better Resumes for Executives and Professionals)
- Better Resumes for Attorneys & Paralegals
- Better Resumes for Sales and Marketing Personnel
- Better Resumes in 3 Easy Steps
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, And Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.s. Meat In
- Route 66 Lost & Found: Ruins and Relics Revisited, Volume 2
- Statistical Analysis and Modelling of Phytoplankton Dynamics: Exploitation of Data in the Nordic and
- The American People, Brief Edition: Creating a Nation and a Society, Volume II
- Slave Songs of the United States
- The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
- Protocols for Gene Analysis
- Long Term Care, 3E
- QuickBooks Pro 2004 with Update '05
- No Bended Knee: The Battle for Guadalcanal: The Memoir of Gen. Merrill B. Twining, USMC
