Building Robots With Lego Mindstorms : The Ultimate Tool for Mindstorms Maniacs

Book Description

Lego robots! Mindstorms are sweeping the world and fans need to learn how to programme them
Lego Mindstorms are a new generation of Lego Robots that can be manipulated using microcomputers, light and touch sensors, an infrared transmitter and CD-ROMs. Since Lego launched Lego Mindstorms in late 1998 sales have skyrocketed - with no sign of slowing down. Mindstorms have captured the imagination of adults and children alike, creating a subculture of Mindstorm enthusiasts around the world. The kits are now a staple part of engineering and computer science classes at many high profile Universities.
Building Robots with Lego Mindstorms provides readers with a fundamental understanding of the geometry, electronics, engineering, and programming required to build your own robots. Mario and Giulio Ferrari are world-renowned experts in the field of Lego Mindstorms robotics, and in this book they share their unrivaled knowledge and expertise of robotics as well as provide a series of chapters detailing how to design and build the most exotic robots. Mario and Giulio also give detailed explanations of how to integrate Lego Mindstorms kits with other Lego programmable bricks such asScout and Cybermaster, as well as with non-robotic Lego Technics models.

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The LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System (RIS) has been called “the most creative play system ever developed.” This book unleashes the full power and potential of the tools, bricks, and components that make up LEGO Mindstorms. Some of the world's leading LEGO Mindstorms inventors share their knowledge and development secrets. You will discover an incredible range of ideas to inspire your next invention. This is the ultimate insider's look at LEGO Mindstorms and is the perfect book whether you build world-class competitive robots or just like to mess around for the fun of it.

Customer Reviews:

Good book but not NXT.......2007-08-03

I bought this book to get a better understanding of the Mindstorm NXT system. While this book is very interesting, it does not cover NXT -- so the descriptions of the programming, the sensors, even the basic lego pieces do not match what you'd get in a NXT package.

Very good book about a very cool system........2006-03-14

MindStorms is an absolutely fascinating robot building system for children, adults, and those who don't fit well into either category. This book helps you delve more deeply into the principles behind making really cool robots with MindStorms. The opportunities for learning are just never-ending, and at the same time, the limitless fun anyone can have, from pre-teen to geezer, makes the learning very rewarding. This book helps open this potential.

This book takes you beyond the step-by-step instructions in the Constructopedia, and doesn't shy away from the physical principles behind robots, so it is suited for the more experienced and mentally mature builder. I use it to get ideas for things I can build with my 9-year-old son. It won't be long until he's ready to have a go at the book himself, though.

Building Robots With Lego Mindstorms : The Ultimate Tool for Mindstorms Maniacs.......2005-09-01

Great accompaniment for the Lego kit.

Nice, but support is a joke.......2005-04-04

Don't get me wrong. The models are cool. However, they usually need some tuning up before they are full functional. The majority of programs is written in NQC (as described in the book), however there is one in lego script which works only for newer RIS (2.0). I tried to contact the publishers and authors on many occasion but I've only managed to get my name on the spam list! This is not a nice way to treat a costumer.

Thorough & Inclusive.......2004-11-28

I am very impressed with the book. It addresses robotics in a broad sense then drills down to the specifics of hobbyist robotics using LEGO and the RCX. Many tips and tricks, great insights into performance challenges and remedies, and lots and lots of cool project ideas! Great Book!

Book Description

Exchange rates have been central to the course of economic development in Latin America from the heyday of import substitution to the rapid expansion of foreign debt in the 1970s, and from the debt crisis and its troubled aftermath to renewed growth and borrowing in the 1990s.

Why do governments choose the currency policies they do, and how do economic and political factors affect these policies? Although currency policy is made by governments operating in a political environment, there has been little study of the political economy of exchange rate policy. The Currency Game looks to fill this void by examining the range of potential determinants of currency choices by Latin American governments. While purely economic factors--especially economic structure, trade patterns, and exogenous economic conditions--are of course important to these choices, the book focuses on the political and political economy considerations that have typically been underrepresented in the literature. These include the effects of interest groups, electoral competition, and the timing of elections on exchange rate decisions.

Since exchange regimes are adopted for reasons as diverse as inflation control, reduced volatility and improved competitiveness, the book also features a cross-country analysis of national exchange rate policies, as well as case studies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

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Latin American Inflation
Susan M. Wachter
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 066999622X

Latin American Inflation: Theoretical Interpretations and Empirical Results

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Latin American Inflation: Theoretical Interpretations and Empirical Results
Julio Harold Cole
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Inflation | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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General | Business & Finance | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books

Book Description

In his book, Cole points out that a simple monetarist model can explain Latin Amercian inflation, although it cannot by itself provide an explanation in terms of the "ultimate causes" of inflation. This is the basis of the structuralist critique, which attempts to provide an explanation in a deeper, overall sense. The author concludes that while the monetarist model deals with empirical testing and data, the structuralist approach highlights the human element and country-specific circumstances that cannot really be measured. In addition, an analysis of the recent Bolivian hyperinflation is given.

Money and inflation: the end of monetarism? *.: An article from: Cuadernos de Economía: Latin American journal of economics

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Money and inflation: the end of monetarism? *.: An article from: Cuadernos de Economía: Latin American journal of economics

Manufacturer: Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Instituto de Economia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cuadernos de Economía: Latin American journal of economics, published by Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Instituto de Economia on December 1, 2003. The length of the article is 684 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: Money and inflation: the end of monetarism? *.
Publication: Cuadernos de Economía: Latin American journal of economics (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2003
Publisher: Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Instituto de Economia
Volume: 40 Issue: 121 Page: 679(2)

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The contributions of domestic and external factors to Latin American devaluation crisis: An early warning systems approach (International finance discussion paper)

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The contributions of domestic and external factors to Latin American devaluation crisis: An early warning systems approach (International finance discussion paper)
Steven B Kamin
Manufacturer: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Inflation | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Foreign Exchange | Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006R92PQ

The demand for money during high inflation episodes: Some Latin American evidence on the Cagan model (IMF working paper)

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The demand for money during high inflation episodes: Some Latin American evidence on the Cagan model (IMF working paper)
Mark P Taylor
Manufacturer: International Monetary Fund
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Inflation | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006DFHYK

The demand for money under rational expectations of inflation: FIML estimates for Brazil (Discussion paper series / Boston University. Center for Latin American Development Studies)

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The demand for money under rational expectations of inflation: FIML estimates for Brazil (Discussion paper series / Boston University. Center for Latin American Development Studies)
Leonardo Leiderman
Manufacturer: Boston University, Center for Latin American Development Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Inflation | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006YF66I

Development Policy, Inflation, and Politics in Chile, 1938-1958: An Essay in Political Economy (South American and Latin American Economic History)

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Development Policy, Inflation, and Politics in Chile, 1938-1958: An Essay in Political Economy (South American and Latin American Economic History)
John Pisciotta
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Discussion paper series / Boston University, Center for Latin American Development Studies

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Discussion paper series / Boston University, Center for Latin American Development Studies
Paul Beckerman
Manufacturer: Boston University, Center for Latin American Development Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Inflation | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00070VXQS

Dollarization in Latin America: Recent evidence and some policy issues (IMF working paper)

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Dollarization in Latin America: Recent evidence and some policy issues (IMF working paper)
Miguel A Savastano
Manufacturer: International Monetary Fund, Research Dept
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Inflation | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006QDE8I

Book Description

A feature of the new consumer societies which has emerged in more recent years has been the growing economic and social importance of conspicuous consumption. Status-directed consumer demand, stimulated and promoted by the supply of products and services marketed as symbols of social identity and style, now represents a significant part of overall economic and commercial activity. Once regarded as a form of consumer behavior associated only with the rich and privileged, conspicuous consumption is today a worldwide phenomenon, easily observed at all social and economic levels and a major determinant of the nature and direction of consumer demand.

The origins of modern-day conspicuous consumption can be traced to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, to a time when the first consumer societies were being established. And as these new markets emerged, so economics struggled to come to terms with a form of socially-inspired consumer behavior with which it felt instinctively uneasy. Roger Mason traces the development of economic theory and thought since 1700 in its attempts to accommodate a new economics of conspicuous consumption This enlightening book will be of much interest to scholars, researchers and students of consumer behavior in economic theory, and will also be welcomed by those in the disciplines of sociology, psychology and business studies.

Book Description

Author and musician Phil O'Brien explores the ascension of one of the most popular and acclaimed new rock bands. She tells the story of their rocky rise, looks at the effect of fame on the band, especially on lead singer Chris Martin, and delves into the complex emotions of their music. It's all here — Martin's relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, the endless gossip, the extraordinary commercial highs (their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, was the number-one album in 12 countries within a week of release), and the emotional lows of life on the road. Coldplay describes all of the band's activities to date and contains over 40 black and white photos, offering a timely appraisal of its future — rock superstardom on a par with that of long-running internationally renowned bands such as Oasis and U2.

Customer Reviews:

Coldplay rocks!.......2006-03-08

I borrowed this book from a friend and I'm buying my own copy after reading about what is the complex group of individuals known as Coldplay.

I was very perturbed at the few mentions of how much Chris Martin was teased as a kid because people believed he was gay (so what if it was the case, which it isn't?) and how critics continue to put down the most original group that has graced music in about a decade. I'm also a bit tired of hearing the wisecracks about Martin's looks (I think the man is cute and very charming, along with the rest of Coldplay).

The first Coldplay song I heard on the radio was "Clocks" (from "A Rush of Blood to the Head") and I, at first, thought it was a new U2 single (not realizing, until I read this book, that Coldplay idolizes U2). I was hooked from then on.

I recently sat down and listened to the entire "X&Y" album again and appreciate their songwriting and vocal abilities more than ever. The group is a welcomed breath of fresh air in this day and age of corporate "music" (undertalented and overexposed starlets doubling as singers, rappers rapping over drum machines calling women every derogatory name in the book and videos being nothing more than glorified porno film shorts).

Phil O'Brien exposed Coldplay for what they really are: A complex group of individuals who value their art and their talent is appreciated (screw the naysayers!).

I wish I could give it even more stars.......2006-01-19

I'm a little old for a Coldplay fan (53), but I "discovered" them when I watched them play at Live8 in July 2005.

Chris Martin is far from "boring" as this book attests. He's interesting, smart, funny, complex, deep and - yes - a nice guy who can get in touch with his feelings and express them beautifully in his wonderful songs.

I was already a fan of Chris' wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, and was glad to see that the book dealt with the relationship.

It made me dislike the "STALKerazzi" even more. Vultures!

The book really told me a lot that I was dying to know about the band, especially their charismatic frontman.

I highly recommend it.

This book put a smile on my face..........2005-10-04

I've been a massive Coldplay fan ever since I first heard 'Yellow' and enjoyed Phil O'Brien's book the most out of the three books on the group that I've read. The author's account of the band reveals them to be four very different and equally interesting individuals and is a riposte to critics of Coldplay who have often unfairly derided the band as being dull and faceless.

Look At The Stars is written from an inherently humanist perspective and recounts the professional and personal difficulties that the band have overcome during their rise to international acclaim. Tellingly, O'Brien explores the way in which the band's specific insecurities make it difficult for them to enjoy the fruits of their success and reveal Coldplay as a group that genuinely cares about their music and their fans.

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Pleasant "Quickie" Read of How Coldplay Broke the US
"Look at the record exec."
An Excellent Source
A book every Coldplay fan should own

Coldplay: Look at the Stars
Gary Spivack
Manufacturer: MTV
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Coldplay: Nobody Said It Was Easy

ASIN: 0743491963

Book Description

The riveting story of how Coldplay conquered America.
COLD PLAY

Known as much for their personal integrity as for their dramatically original sound, Coldplay has skyrocketed to superstar status since the release of their stunning debut album, Parachutes. Their follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head, which went multiplatinum like the first, was still selling 40,000 copies a week even a year after it first topped the charts, and the band sells out the world's largest arenas.

But life wasn't always so glorious for these boys from Britain. Plagued during their early years by self-doubt, the foursome has broken up, backed out of high-profile gigs, even choked onstage in front of a roomful of industry types. Now, for the first time, the highs and lows of their life on the road to superstardom are revealed. This is the story behind the angst and despair that nearly ripped the band apart just as they were perched on the brink of galactic success. It is a chronicle of Coldplay's transformation from a flailing, insecure band into the two-time winners of the Grammy Award for Alternative Album of the Year and one of the most powerful international rock acts around.

Penned by an industry insider who has toured extensively with the band -- and including never-before-seen photos and exclusive quotes from the group -- Coldplay: Look at the Stars puts you on the tour bus, in the studio, and backstage with four men who've won over the hearts of millions of music fans worldwide.

Customer Reviews:

Pleasant "Quickie" Read of How Coldplay Broke the US.......2004-11-27

I'm a big Coldplay fan, and when I saw this book at my local library, I just picked it up out of curiosity. The author, Gary Spivack, was a record label executive at Capitol (he's since then departed) and responsible for marketing/supporting Coldplay in the US.

"Coldplay: Look At the Stars" is Spivack's personal take on how Coldplay broke the US market, and in that it succeeds. He obviously had a lot of contact with the band, and that is where the book succeeds. My favorite part of the book is Gary's recollections on Coldplay's first American tour in February, 2001, for no other reason than I happened to see Coldplay in Portland, OR (the second stop in the US). You could just feel the magic in the air, a band that was about to make it really big.

The author doesn't spend a lot of time on how the band actually formed and where it found its musical origins, and that is the major failing of this book. Nevertheless, this is a quick and pleasant read. Spivack recounts his sacking from Capitol in early 2003, and how quick Chris Martin was there to console him (by phone). But for the definitive Coldplay story, we will have to wait another day and another book.

"Look at the record exec.".......2004-07-31

I'm a musician and a big Coldplay fan, so I should have loved this book, but it fell short. This book read more like a tour book you'd buy at a concert put together by their marketing people than an insider's story.
The main problem I had is it was written by a record executive who claims to be "insider", but has nothing new to offer. I suppose Gary's perspective would be interesting to fellow record executives and the like, but the book falls short in revealing any real insight on the band that you couldn't read in a magazine interview with the band.
One of Gary's "insights" is how humble Chris Martin is...he quotes Chris in a conversation early in the book where Chris asks Gary "how can I make your job easier" and Gary beams. WHO CARES. Chris Martin is humble and selfless to a fault; no insight here. The problem is most of Gary's interactions with the band are interactions between a record exec. and the band...and it reads that way.
The fact is, Gary had very little to do with Coldplay's success and it's obvious he is not much of an insider. Gary admits himself Coldplay was "lightning in a bottle", signed only after a fierce bidding war between labels. I think Chris Martin is just a really nice guy, who saw someone (Gary Spivack) down on his luck and wanted to help the poor guy out by letting him write this book (Gary had been fired by Columbia just before penning the book).
The author seems to blame his lack of an insightful story on Coldplay's middleclass upbringing and that they're all around good kids (this isn't a drugs, sex and rock and roll type band). I don't agree that an interesting story couldn't be written by the right person.
My biggest problem is this book is written by a record company exec. who approached the project like you would a tour guide sold at a concert venue, only longer. Gary didn't grow up with the band (to the point they were signed), didn't discover the band (they were signed by a sister co. in England), doesn't manage the band (where he'd be touring every night seeing all sides of the members), or produce the band (where he's in the studio witnessing the creavtive process)...he just booked tours and showed up occasionally for concerts and "meet and greets". How does that qualify you to write a band biography?
Coldplay should have their manager, producer or the members themselves write this story...with a side of the story to tell that we don't already know.

An Excellent Source.......2004-07-30

Rare is the event where one close to the story is also a gifted writer. This is why Gary Spivack's LOOK AT THE STARS is an event deserving your attention. Spivack was part of the process of Coldplay developing from a brand new British band that nobody had ever heard of to a household name. The author had access to events and behind-the-scenes meetings that will keep you turning pages. This is a must read for anyone curious about the music business ... whether you're a Coldplay fan or not.

A book every Coldplay fan should own.......2004-07-22

Gary Spivack's "Coldplay: Look at the Stars" is a captivating look into the emergence of Coldplay as a rock phenomenon. With the exception of a few small annoyances (like referring to Will Champion as "Wil" or the song "Politik" as "Politix") this new book provides a colorful view of the evolution of a band that has had numerous ups and downs over the course of its relatively new career.

The many witty band quotes, the enthralling color photos and the day-to-day accounts of the band's many tours make up the silver lining of the book. Spivack does an excellent job of making the reader feel like he or she is "along for the ride," and his "backstage" observations help the reader to understand the true, what Spivack calls "schizophrenic," nature of Coldplay.

"Colplay: Look at the Stars" is a true page turner, and Coldplay fans will have a hard time putting it down. Luckily for them, at just over 130 pages (with pictures included throughout), they will most likely be able to read the book from front to back in a single sitting.

Thank you, Gary Spivack, for sharing your intimate look at a brilliant band and their timeless music with those of us who have been moved, awed and inspired by their musical and emotional contributions to our lives.

Book Description

Television has radically reshaped the contours of knowledge and of pleasure in modern society and become a regular subject of scrutiny and argument. This important book, fully accesible to students yet a contribution to international debate, is the first to offer a systematic review of the ideas which have been most influential across a full range of television criticism and research from the first pioneering studies to the most recent theory and analysis. In the course of exploring key ideas, John Corner develops a clear and close engagement with television itself and the way it is changing. After an Introduction which provides a concise overview of how television has been studied and why, ten chapters take key features of the medium in order to raise questions and and assess arguments. With its focused summaries and its scope of reference, Critical Ideas in Television Studies will help the teaching and study of television to enter a new phase of improved clarity and self-awareness.

Critical Ideas in Television Studies (Oxford Television Studies)

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Critical Ideas in Television Studies (Oxford Television Studies)
John Corner
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLIIU4

Book Description

This timely text takes an unbiased look at four perennial issues on the Internet: free speech, intellectual property, privacy, and security.

Customer Reviews:

Didn't select this book for my course.......2004-08-20

I teach a computing ethics course at an area University. I did not select this book as my text when I reviewed texts for use in the Fall 2004 semester. I did choose Spinello and Tavani's new reader; but this book--like most of the predecessors Spinello has written--would drive my students nuts -- and they wouldn't know why. Bottom line: poorly written and not easy to read -- lots of tough sentence choices made. However, as with Spinello's other books, there are some points he makes that no other computing ethics texts' authors do make! So, I'll glean those points out of his text and present them to my students rather than force them to work their way through and around his prose.

Waste of time.......2003-10-22

This book was an incredible waste of time. I felt that the essays were a) far too dated (a rambling discourse on the dangers of cookies) or b) too out of touch (Rape in cyberspace was NOT a real rape in cyberspace, folks) The authors seem to be mainly scholars without a tech background than technical folks and I have to agree that the thesaurus was in heavy use during the writing of most of the these essays. Finally the book contains very little practical information on cyberethics. Not even a single case study.

CyberEthics = Mumbo Jumbo, not worth it.......2001-09-17

The content of this book is nothing short of a diaster! I had to read this book for my Ethics in the Information Age class here at the Rochester Institute of Technology and I must say that this is the worst textbook I ever had to read. It felt more like a highschool essay thats 155 pages long. The book is plagued with wordy sentences that can confused and bemuddle anyone who isn't an english major. Practically every sentence is littered with words that a bare few of us remember from the SATs (perhaps to lengthen the book?). The book's content doesn't provide a sense of contraversy about ethics in cyberspace. I beleive that he tried to stay neutral in the arguments but it only seemed to confuse me. The auther included a lot of references to other sources suggesting that he too doesn't even know a thing about Cyber Ethics, resorting to other people's works. The writng is too abstract and at most times I ended up rereading the book several times just to make sense of it. If I didn't need this for class, I recommend not buying this book. I am sure there are plenty of other well written Cyber Ethics books than this.

An intriguing exploration into cutting-edge ethical issues.......2000-12-21

After starting this book, I found it difficult to put down or avoid engaging others with the questions the book raised both explicitly and implicitly. The murky waters of online ethics are aptly navigated by Spinello in this brief work. The presentational format of providing background and then analyzing each side of an issue enhances the understanding of the material while provoking further thought for the reader. Case studies are also interlaced into the material, providing ample ground for discussion. This would serve well as a college supplemental reading for any truly in-depth analysis of morality and cyberspace. It also remains enjoyable and understandable for the pleasure reader who has little background in this field. A must-read for anyone hoping to understand where government and society stands on difficult ethical and legal dilemmas created by cyberspace.

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