Taking Control of Your Career and Your Future: For Nurses, by Nurses

Book Description

Eight prominent Russian experts contribute to this unique Russian-American analysis of the state of Russia's arms industry and national export controls, as well as the strategic implications of Russian arms sales to China and clients in the Middle East.
Since the early 1990s, Russia's once colossal defense-industrial complex has been in upheaval. Parts of the arms industry have collapsed, and hopes for conversion from military to civilian production have proven largely illusory. An aggressive arms-sales policy--seen as a panacea--has also met with mixed results. At the same time, turmoil in domestic politics and in the reform process has limited and slowed much-needed changes in the industry's organization, operations, decisionmaking, and controls over the export of arms and sensitive technologies.
The authors examine these and other issues posed by Russia's participation in the world arms trade, weigh the chances of Russian-American discord over arms exports to "rogue states" as well as the possibilities for arms cooperation, discuss the prospects for Russia's expanded participation in multilateral arms restraint and international norm-setting, and offer policy proposals. The book evolved from discussions of the Russian-American working group on conventional arms proliferation convened by the co-editors at the Carnegie Endowment's Moscow Center.

Guns for the Tsar: American Technology and the Small Arms Industry in Nineteenth-Century Russia

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Guns for the Tsar: American Technology and the Small Arms Industry in Nineteenth-Century Russia
Joseph Bradley
Manufacturer: Northern Illinois Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Production & Operations | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0875801544

Book Description

Walking the Rez Road contains forty short stories and poems featuring Luke Warmwater as a central character. Luke is a Vietnam veteran who has survived the war but is having "trouble/surviving the peace" on a reservation where everyone is broke and where the tribal government seems to work against the interests of the reservation folk. Throughout Walking the Rez Road, it is humor that holds the people and their community together. Winner, Midwest Book Achievement Award, Minnesota Book Award, Northeastern Minnesota Book Award.

Customer Reviews:

A WINNER!.......2002-01-05

I bought the hardcover years ago when it first came out and loved it. Mr. Northrup has an easy going style that grows on you. Just an all-around wonderful book.

Captured the spirit of Indian Country for readers.......2001-11-25

I stumbled across this book in a bookstore and bought it after I flipped it open and found the main character's name was Luke Warmwater, I knew this would be a good book! The author begins this book with stories and poems about his experiences as a Vietnam veteran, stories which I felt were powerful and insightful for the reader - and then the author continues with stories from Indian country, stories which can heal by sharing the strengths of Indian people (our humor, families, traditions). I really felt connected to the stories and characters because I swear he was writing about my cousins and I had a few really good chuckles. Northup is able to make light of serious issues, and does so in a good way. Highly recomend this for both members of the "rez road" and those who want to take a glimpse into Indian country.

Northrup Walks the Walk.......2001-01-08

He's opinionated and stubborn, sure. But did I mention Northrup is also a sassy, silver-rongued, and insightful writer? WALKING THE REZ ROAD is a tremendously important, truthful contribution but never dreary or dowdy.

Can't wait to read it!.......2000-04-03

I hear it is GREAT! I can't wait.... only two more days til I get this book! Everybody I know who has read it rates it as 5 stars! Is this cheating? Rating it before I read it? I hope not... I'll be back within a week to give it my personal critique. :)

Readers, Please Find This Book!.......2000-01-14

"Walking the Rez Road" is a great find, a wonderful book. Not only does Jim Northrup have a tremendous sense of humor, but I love the way he seriously contemplates events in his life and makes it all good, with a little sugaring and ricing for good measure. I've met Jim once, and he was the nicest guy, he stood and listened to me gush about how I loved this book and how I was tricked into giving my own copy of the book away -- I had to have a gift for my sister-in-law at Christmas and was caught short, so I wrapped one of my most-treasured books ever. If she were MY sister, I could ask her to give it back, alas...My moral? BUY THIS BOOK, BUT DON'T LET IT OUT OF YOUR SIGHT!

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Walking the rez road.
Jim. Northrup
Manufacturer: Stillwater, Voyageur Pr., [c.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OUUUII

Book Description

Interactive music refers to a composition or improvisation in which software interprets live performances to produce music generated or modified by computers. In Composing Interactive Music, Todd Winkler presents both the technical and aesthetic possibilities of this increasingly popular area of computer music. His own numerous compositions have been the laboratory for the research and development that resulted in this book.

The author's examples use a graphical programming language called Max. Each example in the text is accompanied by a picture of how it appears on the computer screen. The same examples are included as software on the accompanying CD-ROM, playable on a Macintosh computer with a MIDI keyboard.

Although the book is aimed at those interested in writing music and software using Max, the casual reader can learn the basic concepts of interactive composition by just reading the text, without running any software. The book concludes with a discussion of recent multimedia work incorporating projected images and video playback with sound for concert performances and art installations.

Customer Reviews:

An in-depth look at MAX and its applications.......2006-03-25

MAX is an object-oriented graphical programming environment for creating music and multimedia used for over fifteen years by composers, performers, software designers, researchers and artists interested in creating interactive compositions. MAX reuses the patchable modular analog synthesizer metaphor. You build patches by placing modules on a graphic surface and connecting these modules together with patch cords. The connections represent paths on which values or signal streams are send between the modules. These modules are either processing units (arithmetics, timing, ...), data containers (tables, ...), system inputs or outputs (audio, MIDI, ...). MAX modules are called objects in the sense of Object-Oriented Languages. Objects can themselves be patchers, so that a patch has a hierarchical structure. Some objects have graphical interactive behavior and can be used as controllers, to change values in the patch, or as viewers, to display values computed by the patch.
In this book, Winkler mainly deals with the MIDI version of MAX running on the Macintosh platform. What makes this book so interesting is that it brings together much of the research that has been floating around various institutions and e-mail lists. It is also a fantastic introduction to both MAX and how it interfaces with both performers and computer programming. Winkler informs us that there is a growing future for the MAX environment. With the advent of increased QuickTime and Internet support, MAX is becoming one of the tools with which to enter the interactive programming world. Its strength is that one starts with simple commands and a blank sheet of paper, so to speak, not a grid or staff or piano-roll.
Readers of this book, if novices to MAX and MIDI, could find it hard going at first - but if one can work through the exercises, learning is quickly achieved. If you have already used MAX then the book ties many loose ends together and offers advice on structured programming in MAX. Winkler is careful to define his space and the terminology used. His historical introduction is thoughtful and comprehensive, citing many well-known and some less well-known composers and works. Thus, while informing us of quite pertinent details, Winkler manages to keep an informal style that presents these details in exciting ways.
Once into Chapter 3, we are programming with MAX. MAX is a fourth-generation language - its objects on the screen generate run-time code that the programmer may never see (or wish to see). Its structure is intuitive - generally time runs top-to-bottom and precedence runs right-to-left, and this facilitates informative annotation. Although the book contains tutorial information on MAX, some understanding of the fundamentals of MAX is assumed. Also, it is assumed the reader is familiar with simple musical terms and structures.
Winkler categorizes interactive music programming into three sections: computer as listener, computer as composer, and computer as performer and illustrates this with informative examples contained within the accompanying CD-ROM. Winkler explains how the computer can analyze and compare input usually in the form of someone playing a keyboard, filter this information, add to it, store it, and finally play a response. The computer may act as a very intelligent effects box by following the performer in real time and reacting, thus offering the performer something unexpected in order to facilitate a quasi "interactive process", or there may be no performer at all and the computer may generate its own performance data.
The guts of the book are devoted to good programming technique and design, analysis of musical input data, reaction to musical input data, interaction of MIDI with digitized sound, be it a computer file or a track on a CD, and the complicated process of scoring that follows. Finally, Winkler offers a taste of the future with signal processing, audio-visual development, and the possibilities of controlling MAX with non-keyboard devices. He mentions the MIDI flute, designed at IRCAM, and from this we can imagine using MIDI wind controllers, drum pads and the like to enable performers on one instrument to interact more accurately with another. In addition, there are newer controllers such as pressure-sensitive pads, simple potentiometers, light detectors, and movement sensors that can now all interface with the computer and therefore come under the control of MAX. The opportunities for interactive dance have already been explored at institutions around the world but the technology is now readily available, off the shelf, and is being used by installation artists and choreographers alike.
Mr. Winkler is an able musician who circumvents the boring details and makes programming openly accessible to users. He even offers us many programming examples from which we may build our own interactive works. This book is valuable reference material, as it details and illustrates the powerful IRCAM objects Explode and Qlist, and also objects like Borax and AIFFplay, offering a musical approach. Thus, this book is for anybody interested in bringing computers, MIDI gear, an performers into their creative grasp.

A perfect companion for Max users on all levels........1998-05-05

This book gives one a clear and inspiring view into the Max language and the wide scope of work being done with this Macintosh software. My only regret is that I don't own two copies, one for the studio and one to read at home.

Composing Interactive Music: Techniques and Ideas Using Max.(Review): An article from: Notes

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Composing Interactive Music: Techniques and Ideas Using Max.(Review): An article from: Notes
Richard Dudas
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Online Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 1999. The length of the article is 988 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: Composing Interactive Music: Techniques and Ideas Using Max.(Review)
Author: Richard Dudas
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1999
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Page: 689(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Composing Interactive Music: Techniques and Ideas Using Max

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Composing Interactive Music: Techniques and Ideas Using Max
Todd Winkler
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OR3WO0

Book Description

A low-tech way to understand a high-tech system!

Create the home entertainment center that fits your home and your tastes

Gadget fans, a home theater setup is the stuff your dreams are made of. This book keeps the dream from becoming a nightmare! Here's how to select, set up, and optimize a system, translate the salesperson's geek-speak, connect all the parts throughout your home, and even do cool stuff like accessing your system from your laptop computer.

Discover how to
* Choose the right space for your system
* Select and connect source devices
* Understand speakers, TV types, and remotes
* Create a whole-home network
* Access your system away from home

Customer Reviews:

Home Theater for Dummies.......2007-02-06

This was a well written basics type book. Definitely good for someone who knows nothing about home theater.

Very nicely written - but needs an update.......2005-08-12

This book is a bit dated. But since I am really a dummy in this area, it has been good to bone up my knowledge, as I gear up to buy and build up a audio home theater - I skipped most of the stuff on the video chapters as I don't plan a movie theater at home.

It does need to be updated. PC and network information are old, so are some of the things around emerging standards. It could also do with some pictures and wiring diagrams - I am no dummy with electronics, but had difficulty understanding what was mean by a central panel, that could be placed in my basement or some place out of sight.

Must read for newbie.......2005-06-08

Three months ago, my wife suggested that we upgrade our 15 year old TV to a "home entertainment center". So off we go to the local store to look at options. Spoke to a couple of salesmen who were worse than useless. In frustration, I bought this book. After a quick and pleasant read, I felt that I had a reasonable understanding of the options one has when setting up a "home entertainment center." We now have a v-e-r-y nice component system that is a breeze to use.
It isn't difficult to specify and install a system. However, now that I've done it, I realize that most people make a number of unneccesary mistakes. If you know all about this stuff then don't buy the book. However, if you have questions like I did then buy the book and you'll find that you'll end up with a system far superior to the ones owned by most "know it alls".

Great for novices.......2004-02-03

Wish I'd bought this when I first started researching home theaters. I was a novice, having purchased only a couple of 27" analog sets in the past 15 years. Rather than starting with a book like this, I researched mine the time consuming way: talking to knowledgable friends; wasting time with sales droids at electronic stores, reading home theater magazines. About two months later things reached critical mass and I could finally make an informed decision.

My advice: buy this book, read it, and afterwards *still* do what I did. Only save the sales droids for last (by then you'll know more than they do), and look but don't buy. Then go home and buy what you want at Amazon.

Good primer for newbies, but not great.......2004-01-25

For someone who's entirely new to home theater -- from A/V receivers to speakers to display monitors to hooking everything up -- "Home Theater for Dummies" offers a quick primer on the subject. It covers both sound and sight and gives honest opinions on many things.

However, it suffers from excessive use of parenthesis and side notes and confusing run-on sentences. Also, the explanation of key topics such DVI and a display's aspect ratio still leaves the reader highly confused. The trouble seems to stem from the fact that neither author has a deep grasp of the home theater technologies and they might have just lifted all this information from various sources and put it in book form.

Since the book is cheap on Amazon, I still recommend it to all newcomers to the wonderful world of home theater. If you need more information, get the optimizer discs the books recommends and also check the web for detailed discussions.

Average customer rating:
Home Theater Remote for Dummies (For Dummies S.)
Inc. John Wiley & Sons
Manufacturer: Hungry Minds Inc,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0764542303

Book Description

Integrate electronic devices with a universal remote

Sit Back. Relax. Take control of your home theater world!

If you're ready to replace several old or lost remotes with one universal remote, this Home Theater Remote For Dummies is for you! This handy guide helps you set up your home theater remote to work with all your infrared-controlled audio and video components. Find out how your clever home theater remote can even learn commands from old remotes.

Discover how to:

Enter codes for your components
Use DVD, Satellite, and Audio functions
Increase your remote's IQ with macros and learned commands

The Dummies Way

Explanations in plain English
"Get in, get out" information
Icons and other navigational aids
A dash of humor and fun

Amazon.com

There's no question that Adobe's Creative Suite includes many new, "must have" features and it's no wonder that Haynes and Crumpler begin this latest addition to the excellent Photoshop Artistry series with an excited testimony to converting to Mac OS X in order to take advantage of these new goodies. Among the new topics covered in this book: the Camera Raw filter (which processes the Raw data from your digital camera, giving greater detail), support for16-bit mode, the new Layer Comp palette, Shadow/Highlight adjustment, and Color Match tool, improved templates for web galleries and contact sheets, and using the Epson print dialog boxes in the OS X environment.

This series is aimed at professionals who work with digital photographs and graphics, especially those with significant experience in both traditional photography and using Photoshop. The book is set up the same as in earlier editions and with some of the same exercises, now updated to reflect the changes in CS. After an opening section on basics like tools, palettes, actions, and layers, the book discusses more advanced topics in digital imaging, like applying the Zone System, made popular by Ansel Adams, to Photoshop and mastering calibration, color spaces, scanning, resolutions, and histograms (using the new dynamic histogram palette). In hands-on tutorials, readers learn how to use layers and adjustment layers; selections, channels, and layers for compositing; histograms, levels, curves, and Hue/Saturation for color correction; advanced techniques for correcting a bad scan; how to turn yellow flowers orange with Color Range, Replace Color, and Selective Color tools or turn a red car green with Color Match; how to work with duotones; techniques in retouching and restoring; how to combine bracketed captures to increase dynamic range; and much more.

Throughout, the book features text-heavy explanations accompanied by lots of illustrations and screenshots. It's the sort of image-laden book where you can learn so much just by reading the sidebars. An extensive index makes it ideal for troubleshooting. The sample photographs included on the CD-ROM are excellent quality and well chosen to match situations that occur in professional jobs. This book is rich in information. If you're a professional photographer or Photoshop power-user, this book and Adobe Photoshop CS are now essential to your studio. --Angelynn Grant

Book Description

Artistry is the key word here: When competent doesn't cut it. When what you're going for is museum-quality art prints, high-end advertising effects, and dizzyingly beautiful digitally manipulated images, this is the place to start. Providing a focused approach to the advanced features of Photoshop CS, this beautiful full-color guide tackles complex yet essential topics like color calibration and correction. Along the way, you'll learn how Photoshop's newest features-Photomerge technology (which allows you to create seamless panoramas from multiple images), enhanced Camera Raw support, an improved File Browser, nonsquare pixel support, and more-can aid in your quest for the perfect image. Throughout, the authors emphasize the relationship between Photoshop CS tools and traditional photography to provide essential context for complex tasks. The knowledge is sure to stick as you work your way through the detailed, step-by-step exercises and use the companion CD to view before-and-after images and access masks and tool settings for the book's tutorials.

Customer Reviews:

Confusing!!.......2006-10-17

I'm currently using this book for a digital imaging and video class. I agree with others, the writing is not good at all!! Its confusing and the instructions are poorly written. Half of it doesn't work. Maybe its because I'm using CS2? Who knows but I dont like this book!

Almost Perfect.......2005-10-09

This is the ONLY one of the four of five different books - all supposed to be functional, easy-to-use, and logically organized - that I have bought and tried to use. Others are either: (1) poorly organized; (2) too technical; (3) too "cutsey" ie the Dummy series; or (4) accompanied by a CD that seems out of synch with text. I struggled to "fill-in the gaps" from courses and workshops I have taken. This book has truly helped me. I would recommend it for intermediate or advanced users. For any user under the age of 50 the print font shouldn't be a problem. For those of us over 50, the font size is a real struggle for those of us with either aging eyes or extreme nearsightedness. Nevertheless, it is worth the effort.

A. Schwartz

Wanted: Editor for Photoshop Book.......2005-06-15

Don't get me wrong...There is a ton of useful information in this book. The included CD has a great collection of images that really make the lessons work.

But this guy is a horrible writer. That's not his fault. The floggings should begin with the editors. (Which begs the question: Were there editors? Some are listed, but what did they do?)

I don't mind dense text, when it knows where it's going. But being verbose on the excuse of being conversational just doesn't make it. Also, there are no conventions used in the text to help you navigate. Remember -- the reader will be splitting his/her attention between screen, book, and maybe some scribbled notes. Text conventions like bold-face for commands, different font for filenames, etc., can go a long way.

I'm using it in a university course right now, and the instructor feels compelled to explain what the book is trying to explain. That just aint right.

Dissapointing Version.......2005-03-11

I continue to find myself disappointed with this "Artistry" version. I read Photoshop 6 Artistry cover to cover and found it very good. All the praise of the other reviews was certainly deserved. I upgraded to CS and felt compelled to buy the new version of "Artistry" primarily to learn about the new features, especially since the Adobe documentation is a bit cryptic in places.

I must say, I'm disappointed. It's feels like this version was rushed to press. The new features are mentioned but not explained very well at all. In many cases, the explanations are nothing more than a rehash of the Adobe documentation.

For example, the camera raw section doesn't really give much insight into what you are trying to accomplish through the use of the feature (some, but not much). Nor does it give a very good description of the recommended workflow within the feature or how to incorporate it into your overall workflow. Further, there are no hands-on examples.

The Shadow/Highlight section is similarly lacking. The authors seem to allude to the fact that this may be more of a "simple tool" rather than one for the serious user. But they don't really come right out and say that. If so, tell us. If not, tell us how to incorporate it into the workflow, especially since it isn't available as an adjustment layer.

The section on the color replacement tool is as obscure as Adobe's. I still can't figure this tool out very well. The descriptions for sampling and limits are extremely confusing. This is a case where the book could have cleared up the mysteries that remain after reading the Adobe documentation several times.

I still think this series is very good and I have learned a great deal from it. I would still recommend it to anyone wanting an in depth understanding of Photoshop. I am simply disappointed that the authors appear to have taken shortcuts with the new features in CS and don't seem to have carried through with the same quality of the previous editions.

Understand Photoshop - Beginner to Advanced.......2005-02-17

As a total beginner, I learned Photoshop using the 5.5 version of this book and have bought the corresponding version each time I have upgraded. This book is great for not only intermediate and advanced users but also for beginners who want to understand why and how the program works in depth from the start and don't mind investing the effort to do so.

If you are looking for a quick reference or "Photoshop basics in 3 hours" DON'T buy this book! You will be better served by something else; BUT, if you are looking to really learn the program and willing to invest the time, your efforts will be richly rewarded using this book. I can't say enough for it.

If you look through reviews, you will see either love it or hate it. The ones that love it are looking to learn/understand the program. The ones that hate it are most likely looking for a quick reference book or to learn the bare basics quickly which is totally fine as everyone has different needs but this book simply is not designed for that.

I will say that the screen captures are not as good as previous versions but still acceptable. Hopefully future versions will go back to the previous quality.

Thanks to Haynes and Crumpler for their great work!

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Photoshop CS Artistry
Wendy Crumpler Barry Haynes
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adobe Photoshop | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000MUDTBA

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