The South Beach Diet Cookbook: More than 200 Delicious Recipes That Fit the Nation's Top Diet
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Healthy Diet
  • Good recipes even if you aren't on the diet
  • Fits South Beach perfectly
  • South Beach Wonder Book!!!
  • gourmet
The South Beach Diet Cookbook: More than 200 Delicious Recipes That Fit the Nation's Top Diet
Arthur Agatston
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Low CarbohydrateLow Carbohydrate | Special Conditions | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Low CarbLow Carb | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
South Beach DietSouth Beach Diet | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Agatston, ArthurAgatston, Arthur | Authors, A-Z | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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  2. The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less
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ASIN: B000E1KPT6

Book Description

Since its publication in April 2003, The South Beach Diet has become a nationwide phenomenon: a #1 New York Times bestseller with more than 700,000 in print in three months. A key factor in the diet's success is the great-tasting, well-balanced meals Dr. Agatston promotes. In fact, requests for more recipes began pouring in as soon as the book hit the shelves! The South Beach Diet Cookbook fills that need by offering more than 200 recipes that adhere to the diet's nutritional principles without compromising on taste. Beginning with a brief overview of the science-based eating philosophy and why it produces such dramatic results-up to 13 pounds in the first 2 weeks-the book also includes success stories, troubleshooting tips, and frequently asked questions. The fabulous recipes, from Whole Grain Pancakes with Berry Cream Syrup to Filet Mignon with Tomatoes and Rosemary to Chocolate-Hazelnut Flourless Cake, ensure that The South Beach Diet Cookbook will appeal to anyone who wants to eat more healthfully (and who doesn't?). And for every dish there is an indicator as to which phase of the diet it corresponds, so followers can choose appropriate foods. Also included are new recipes contributed by prominent South Beach chefs and by readers themselves. Illustrated throughout with full-color photography, The South Beach Diet Cookbook will satisfy the needs of the thousands who are already on the plan and draw in thousands of new followers as well. The South Beach

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Healthy Diet.......2007-05-02

As an overweight general internist I started the South Beach diet because it is really a lifestyle change as opposed to that four letter word, "diet." The recipes are easy, fun, and actually very tasty. I recommend the South Beach plan and this cookbook to all my overweight patients.

3 out of 5 stars Good recipes even if you aren't on the diet.......2007-04-18

A couple of years ago my girlfriend had a little girl and wanted to lose the extra baby fat she put on so she went out and bought this book. I have never been a fan of these diets but the book did intrigue me. I read through a lot of it and started to get interested in the recipes. The recipes my girlfriend made me where very good and flavorful. She ended up following the South Beach Diet and lost a good amount of weight. The first week is said to be a little hard but once you get past that week there are great and delicious recipes to make.

5 out of 5 stars Fits South Beach perfectly.......2007-03-25

Easy to follow recipes that fit perfectly with the South Beach plan and take out the guess work from cooking while using everyday ingredients.

5 out of 5 stars South Beach Wonder Book!!!.......2007-03-20

Recently I purchased the South Beach Cookbook. Since I am on the South Beach Diet, this cookbook has made it so easy for me to follow the plans.
It not only took the guess work out of prepairing meals, but also gave wonderful flavers to the foods. I highly reccommend this book for cooks who want a new HEALTHY WAY of cooking. E. Straus
Paxton, MA.

4 out of 5 stars gourmet.......2007-03-18

If you are one who loves to try out new and exotic recipes...this is for you. If you are looking for easy, quick recipes....not so much. It is nice, however, that the Phases are color coded so you know if the recipe is the right one for your phase. Included is a condensed over-view of the diet.

Persistent Inflation: Historical and Policy Essays
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Persistent Inflation: Historical and Policy Essays
    Phillip Cagan
    Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    InflationInflation | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
    TheoryTheory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
    ASIN: 0231047290
    Persistent Inflation: Historical and Policy Essays
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Persistent Inflation: Historical and Policy Essays
      Phillip Cagan
      Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: B000OP7ZAO
      Persistent Inflation: Historical and Policy Essays.
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Persistent Inflation: Historical and Policy Essays.
        PHILLIP CAGAN
        Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback
        ASIN: B000OP4GME

        Macroeconomic Theory: A Textbook on Macroeconomic Knowledge and Analysis : Framework, Households and Firms (ADVANCED TEXTBOOKS IN ECONOMICS)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Macroeconomic Theory: A Textbook on Macroeconomic Knowledge and Analysis : Framework, Households and Firms (ADVANCED TEXTBOOKS IN ECONOMICS)
          MALINVAUD
          Manufacturer: North Holland
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          GeneralGeneral | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
          MacroeconomicsMacroeconomics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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          ASIN: 0444828621

          Book Description

          Hardbound.

          101 Ways to Stay Young
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            101 Ways to Stay Young
            Judith Wilde , and Richard Wilde
            Manufacturer: Warner Treasures
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

            Puzzles & GamesPuzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books | Board Games | Card Games | Crosswords | Fantasy Sports | Gambling | General | Logic & Brain Teasers | Magic | Math Games | Puzzles | Quizzes | Reference | Role Playing & Fantasy | Sudoku | Travel Games | Trivia | Video & Electronic Games | Word Games | Word Search
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            ASIN: 0446910570

            Boogaloo: The Quintessence of American Popular Music
            Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
            • Janis
            • An intriguing history of the art and influence for African-American music
            • African American Musical Culture Revealed
            • Arthur Kempton is amazing.
            • Hip, stylish and deeply insightful
            Boogaloo: The Quintessence of American Popular Music
            Arthur Kempton
            Manufacturer: Pantheon
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

            EthnomusicologyEthnomusicology | Ethnic & International | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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            ASIN: 0375406123
            Release Date: 2003-06-03

            Book Description

            Boogaloo—the synonym of choice among the cognoscenti for rhythm and blues—is a stylish and profound meditation on the art, influence, and commerce of black American popular music. At once deeply knowing and keenly observant, Arthur Kempton reveals the tensions between the sacred and the profane at the heart of “soul music,” and the complex centrality of “Aframericans” in the evolution of our mass musical culture. What that culture is all about, who owns it, and who gets paid—these are issues of moment in his epic narrative.

            Kempton brilliantly traces the interconnections among a century’s worth of signal personalities, events, and achievements: from Thomas A. Dorsey, the so-called Father of Gospel Music, whose career (“Got to Know How to Work Your Show”) sheds light on Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown, among
            others, to the rise of that “handsome Negro lad,” Sam Cooke (perhaps the greatest of soul singers) and his definitive crossover dreams; from Berry Gordy Jr.’s infatuation with Doris Day and his sharp business plan to capture and exploit the sounds of young America through Motown (“It’s What’s in the Grooves That Counts”) to the founding of Stax Records and Memphis Soul by a white farm kid who grew up dreaming of being a country fiddler; from the visionary funk of George Clinton to the ascendancy of hip hop (“Sharecropping in Wonderland”), the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, and the story of Death Row Records.

            Boogaloo is a monumental work, informed by a rare fierceness of intellect, which debunks many a myth and canard about our popular music heritage even as it enlarges our understanding of its quintessence.

            Customer Reviews:

            3 out of 5 stars Janis.......2007-04-22

            Great book that roughly follows the line Thomas Dorsey - Sam Cooke - Berry Gordy - Stax - Def Jam to explain the rise of black music as a mix of blues and gospel and how some men tried and others succeeded in building black businesses.

            However...
            he totally misses the point on a few things. First his dissing of Sam Cooke's music and thereby completely ignoring the time he was living in. First he tries to explain his crossover appeal and then almost strikes him down as a mediocre songwriter. That of course is why his songs are not played on the radio anymore and why only 100 artists and more have recorded 'Bring it on home', 'shake', 'you send me' etc (this is irony my friends...)

            He also gives a review of his Harlem Square record, named in mostly all of the best records ever lists but he thinks Sam fails. Again he completely ignores Sam's background and the comparison with James Brown's Apollo album is utterly rediculous.
            Sometimes he tries to be interesting with a snide remark. Janis Joplin showed up at a STAX show and Kempton calls her 'a cartoon of black style, an unmusical screamer, and a brutalizer of songs originated by her betters.'

            Do I still have to remind everyone he again misses the point completely... writing about music needs a big chunk of love for music, i didn't find a lot of it here, only his so-called interested remarks about why music is bad.

            Too bad, it could have been so much better.

            5 out of 5 stars An intriguing history of the art and influence for African-American music.......2006-05-03

            Boogaloo: The Quintessence Of American Popular Music is the paperback edition of the informative and informational textbook offering an intriguing history of the art and influence for African-American music presented by American popular music expert Arthur Kempton. (formerly a radio disc jockey, deputy superintendent of Boston's public school system, an educational consultant, and a frequent contributor to the "New York Review of Books"), An eloquent approach to the politics and historical significance of pop-culture, Boogaloo is an explorative documentation of the what a difference the Afro-American culture had in influencing the movement of America's transitional decades and from which trend to the next. Very strongly recommended to all American history enthusiasts, students of Back History, and students of American music, American Culture, Boogaloo is to be given very high praise for its extensively researched and well documented presentation.

            4 out of 5 stars African American Musical Culture Revealed.......2004-06-23

            Arthur Kempton takes the reader on a musical journey in his book BOOGALOO. Beginning with gospel greats such as Thomas Dorsey, moving on to soul crooners such as Sam Cooke, and ending with present day hip hop and rap artists, such as Tupac and DMX, Kempton gives a behind the scene glimpse at the culture, society, and economics that make up "Aframerican" music.

            When I first picked up BOOGALOO, I thought that the book would merely be a factual account of the music industry. While it does encompass that, it is much more. It gives a candid view of the music industry, primarily the African American side and its impact on American culture. Although a bit wordy at times, BOOGALOO presents an interesting, accurate, and unique portrayal of an important part of American culture-music.

            Reviewed by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
            of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

            5 out of 5 stars Arthur Kempton is amazing........2003-07-22

            Boogaloo is one of the finest books to come my way in a very long time. I would recommend it even for anyone who has no interest in the subject. The writing is that good. The reader comes to care because Mr. Kempton so clearly does. Yet, though passionate, Mr. Kempton's tone is very much that of a gentleman - the kind who has the grace not to hit people over the head. Mr. Kempton's prose is as considered and thought provoking as that of William Trevor. I know no higher praise. An amazing tour de force. Buy copies for your friends. I have.

            5 out of 5 stars Hip, stylish and deeply insightful.......2003-06-16

            Boogaloo is very cool - and in many ways stunning. Arthur Kempton has written a book that is simultaneously a treatise on black music, black culture, and american capitalism over the last century. And he has done it with great style - he is an amazing writer. On nearly every page there is at least one line (often many) that is totally quotable. I often would find myself re-reading a line over and over as I admired the combination of totally hip insight and wordsmithing. And it is that combination that largely makes this book so worthwhile. His handling of this vast subject is in fact deeply idiosyncratic - but it is through his own individual prism that the subject comes all the more alive. The selection of the photos parallel the writing, portraying the same eye for the ironic and revelatory. It would indeed have been totally cool to have an accompanying cd as the soundtrack of the book.

            Boogaloo outlines the consistent threads that run through black music from the early 20th century onwards, from its early roots in blues and the church, to the soul and funk years, up to the hip hop of today. Kempton uses the lives and music of Thomas Dorsey, Sam Cooke, Barry Gordy, George Clinton, Tupac Shakur and other hip hop artists as the examples of the evolution of these threads. But this work is far more that a stylish review of different styles of black music.There are a number of broader themes at work here. One constant is a demonstration of the evolution of how black music has been marketed to young whites. Perhaps most importantly, Kempton sees popular culture as one of america's greatest exports, and black culture (in particular its music) at the heart of this, and his book is in part a demonstration of how this came to be.

            One of the beauties of Kempton's accomplishment is that he doesn't always make explicit the connections in order to outline these themes, he allows the reader to do this for himself. With his particular selection of players and incidents from such a vast subject matter, combined with his own obvious love of the subject, and his wry humor and insights, Arthur Kempton has supplied us with both a revelatory and stylish treatise on black music, that in the process reveals much about american culture. He makes it clear in his short preface that this has been a life long study - and there is no doubt that anyone seriously interested in these subjects should take advantage of that study by reading this book. Besides that, it is totally cool and fun.
            Boogaloo: The Quintessence of American Popular Music (ISBN: 0375406123)
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Boogaloo: The Quintessence of American Popular Music (ISBN: 0375406123)
              Arthur Kempton
              Manufacturer: Pantheon Books
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover
              ASIN: B000LC36VM

              Institutional Economics and the Formation of Preferences: The Advent of Pop Music (New Horizons in Institutional and Evolutionary Economics Series)
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Institutional Economics and the Formation of Preferences: The Advent of Pop Music (New Horizons in Institutional and Evolutionary Economics Series)

                Manufacturer: Edward Elgar Publishing
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover

                EconomicsEconomics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books | Agricultural | Commercial Policy | Comparative | Consolidation & Merger | Cooperatives | Debt & Deficits | Development & Growth | Econometrics | Economic Conditions | Economic History | Economic Policy & Development | Exports & Imports | Free Enterprise | Inflation | International | Labor & Industrial Relations | Macroeconomics | Microeconomics | Money & Monetary Policy | Natural Resources | Privatization | Public Finance | Statistics | Sustainable Development | Theory | Unemployment | Urban & Regional
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                ASIN: 1843762331

                Book Description

                The formation of preferences is an elusive subject that many social scientists, and especially economists, have tended to avoid. In this original new book, Wilfred Dolfsma combines institutional economics with insights from the other social sciences to analyze the way in which preferences are formed in a social context.

                The author demonstrates how preferences for specific goods, and symbolic goods in particular, are mediated through the institutional settings that both individuals and groups find themselves in. He develops a Social Value Nexus, which indicates how institutions relate to the socio-cultural values of a society. He goes on to argue that tensions at the institutional or socio-cultural level will alter the institutional setting and therefore affect preferences. The sudden and radical change in consumption patterns for music in the late 1950s and early 1960s provides convincing evidence of the author's claim. By focusing on an event with great societal significance and using unique empirical material, he skilfully elucidates the theoretical arguments made in the book.

                This study offers both a novel explanation of the formation of preferences and a significant elaboration of the economic theory of institutional change. It will engage and enlighten scholars and students of the social sciences, especially those with an interest in consumption, institutional economics, cultural studies and sociology.

                The Fugitive: A Complete Episode Guide, 1963-1967 (Pci Collector Editions)
                Average customer rating: 2 out of 5 stars
                • Too many factual errors
                The Fugitive: A Complete Episode Guide, 1963-1967 (Pci Collector Editions)
                John Cooper
                Manufacturer: Popular Culture Ink
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover

                Movie Tie-InsMovie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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                1. The Fugitive Recaptured: The 30th Anniversary Companion to a Television Classic The Fugitive Recaptured: The 30th Anniversary Companion to a Television Classic

                ASIN: 1560750383

                Customer Reviews:

                2 out of 5 stars Too many factual errors.......2000-06-07

                Of the three books that have been published about "The Fugitive" television series (my favorite of all time), this one I would rate as the most flawed. "The Fugitive Recaptured" by Ed Robertson and "The Official Fan's Guide to The Fugitive" by Mel Proctor are both much better.

                Cooper's book is largely a series of summaries of each of the 120 episodes in the four-year series. The problem is that careless factual errors pop up again and again. And I am basing this on checking the summaries of only the 60-odd episodes (just slightly over half the total) that I'm familiar with. Who knows about the others!

                For example in Episode 27, "Never Stop Running," the author doesn't even get the name right for the character played by Claude Akins. He said it was Jim, when in fact it was Ralph. In Episode 63, "Crack in a Crystal Ball," in which a wife of a phony clairvoyant drives Kimble to a certain destination, Cooper says, "She leads him (Kimble) to believe that she is in trouble and asks him for help....They arrive at the agreed-upon location, but Mrs. Mitchell tips off Kimble and he escapes before the police arrive." Wrong. She drove Kimble because she said she had a lead on the whereabouts of the one-armed man. SHE was the one doing the helping (or so she claimed). She also did not tip him off. She just dropped Kimble off and drove away. He learned about the trap from a friend on the phone.

                Sometimes the errors are small, but they still count as errors. In Episode 25, "Taps for a Dead War," the book says, "The police arrive. Joe and Millie hide Kimble in the house." I just saw that episode recently on video. In fact, he hides behind a tree outside.

                Perhaps the most egregious example of an inaccurate summary is Episode No. 53, "The Survivors," (one of my favorites) in which Kimble secretly visits his financially troubled in-laws. The book first says Kimble wanted to help them find "a savings passbook, part of his wife's effects." In fact, what he was looking for was any information recorded on paper about a forgotten bank account. Eventually they find some hand-written notes inside a regular book. Cooper also says that Kimble's father in law "believes him innocent." Actually the father in law is uncertain.When asked about his opinion on Kimble's guilt, he says, "I don't know." Also Cooper says that at the end of the story "Mrs. Waverly (is) now thinking that perhaps Kimble is not guilty of murdering her daughter after all." There is no hint of this in the story. The ONLY reason Mrs. Waverly helped Kimble was because she was trying to heal her damaged relationship with her daughter.

                Another example: in Episode 14, "The Girl From Little Egypt," a story that starts with a woman hitting Kimble with her car, the book says, "When he awakes, Ruth sneaks him out of the hospital." Not true. They left openly together.

                I think John Cooper should do a second version of this book with the various errors corrected.

                The Cult of Information: A Neo-Luddite Treatise on High-Tech, Artificial Intelligence, and the True Art of Thinking
                Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                • Serious Wiring Difference; Ideas & Insight Are NonBinary
                • An exercise in cynicism and sarcasm.
                • Business People Should Read It
                • A Demonstration of Human Emotion
                • A Full-Broadsided Body Punch To Conventional Wisdom!
                The Cult of Information: A Neo-Luddite Treatise on High-Tech, Artificial Intelligence, and the True Art of Thinking
                Theodore Roszak
                Manufacturer: University of California Press
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

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                ASIN: 0520085841

                Amazon.com

                The title notwithstanding, Theodore Roszak is no computer hater. But in an age that idolizes intelligent machines, he stands out as a rare cautionary voice. His book makes an eloquent case for a simple thesis: digital computing, far from being a panacea, has created as many problems as it solves. For Roszak, a fair measure of the fault lies with corporate hucksterism, a credulous educational establishment, and government's desire to control information. But the deeper worry is our own utopian techno-idealism--the belief that a scientific broom can sweep away our messy problems. The author challenges such computer messianism with a detailed, common-sense look at the history of what computing has actually brought us. The trends he sees--the conflation of data with knowledge, the erosion of human-centered values, and the rise of a digital oligarchy at just about everyone else's expense--are tough to deny. If you love computers, The Cult of Information is a provocative read, but one you shouldn't dodge.

                Book Description

                As we devote ever-increasing resources to providing, or prohibiting, access to information via computer, Theodore Roszak reminds us that voluminous information does not necessarily lead to sound thinking. "Data glut" obscures basic questions of justice and purpose and may even hinder rather than enhance our productivity.
                In this revised and updated edition of The Cult of Information, Roszak reviews the disruptive role the computer has come to play in international finance and the way in which "edutainment" software and computer games degrade the literacy of children. At the same time, he finds hopeful new ways in which the library and free citizens' access to the Internet and the national data-highway can turn computer technology into a democratic and liberating force. Roszak's examination of the place of computer technology in our culture is essential reading for all those who use computers, who are intimidated by computers, or who are concerned with the appropriate role of computers in the education of our children.

                Customer Reviews:

                5 out of 5 stars Serious Wiring Difference; Ideas & Insight Are NonBinary.......2005-04-14

                Good information that reminds us that computers think much differently than humans. They use information and process it in structured binary codes which can produce not only mathematics, but replicas of music, art and video. So it appears that robots and thinking based on bits of information is the same as humans. But what Rozak convincingly employs is that the human brain is wired much differently.

                In this he shows that the human mind gains insight from various nonstructured areas that come together where we gain flashes of insight with much unpredictability, while computer random chips do the very opposite by reducing the preformulated bits of information, restricting one of multiple answers. So there is a tremendous difference in the wiring of the human mind and the computer processor, the human far more complex and superior.

                What Roszak brings out is the loss of clarity and distinction of such differences and the commercialism and profit in elevating the idea that information is the same as human thinking. And yet it is human ideas that act as prerequisite for the shaping of the information to fit a particular paradigm.

                Ideas create information, not the other way around. Every fact grows from an idea; it is the answer to a question we could not ask in the first place if an idea had not been invented which isolated some portion of the world, make it important, focused our attention, and stimulated inquiry. p. 105

                What happens then, when we blur the distinction between ideas and information and teach children that information processing is the basis of thought? Or when we set about building an "information economy:" which spends more and more of its resources accumulating and processing facts? For one thing, we buy even deeper the substructures of ideas on which information stands, placing them further from critical reflection. For example, we begin to pay more attention to "economic indicators" - which are always convenient, simple-looking numbers - than to the assumptions about work, wealth, and well-being which underlie economic policy. Indeed, our orthodox economic science is awash in a flood of statistical figments that server mainly to obfuscate basic questions of value, purpose and justice. What contribution has the computer make to this situation? It has raised the flood level, pouring out misleading and distracting information from every government agency and corporate boardroom. but even more ironically, the hard focus on information which the computer encourages must in time have the effect of crowding out new ideas, which are the intellectual source that generates facts. In the long run, no ideas, no information." pp. 109-107

                Now the book goes into the history of computers and is somewhat outdated, published in the mid 1980's and a lot has changed since then, however this does not take away from the pervious history of computer technology and the message of major differences between computer logic compared to human insight, as well as the differences between memory, processing and creation of new ideas.

                2 out of 5 stars An exercise in cynicism and sarcasm........2004-01-11

                This book is interesting not because of its arguments and philosophy but for the fact that the author attacks all areas that might be construed to make use of information theory. The computer, he claims, has taken the place of the emperor, and he aims to expose it as naked, to speak up and protect the "public" against the misinformation and propanda that is propagated by certain "elements" of our society. All fields of expertise that use the computer, be it financial engineering, simulation and modeling, bioinformatics, and especially artificial intelligence are attacked for their exaggerations and wishful thinking. The author's approach is deeply cynical, full of biting sarcasm, and with only a few exceptions, there are no coherent, scientific arguments to support the author's views. In particular, he makes claims on the nature of human intelligence and the human mind that are totally unsupported and mystical in nature. Ironically, his amplification of human mental abilities is comparable to that of the "information cultists" he criticizes.

                The author claims that the abilities of the computer have been over-advertised, but he confuses the content of the advertising with the beliefs of the individuals who promote it. In this hyper-competitive society, every firm has to advertise to get noticed, to get its point across. Such huckstering is done for business reasons, and yes, is sometimes exaggerated. But the inaccurate claims of the advertising, if any, should not cause one to believe that they are held in the minds of the those who invented the product. But the author will have none of this, for his goal is to protect the "public" against these false claims (regardless if they ask for his help).

                Financial engineering and derivatives trading are not left out of the criticism. Apparently the author does not believe in the use of the human mind which he has set out to save, for it is by using it that creative financial instruments are invented, with the intent of reducing risk. Financial engineers are "hackers" though, responsible for the 1987 stock market collapse, and the derivative is an "Alice in Wonderland" concept, a "financial hydrogen bomb". The author quotes sources for these claims, but no explicit evidence whatsoever is given for his assertion that derivatives are devastating to the economy. Such evidence would be very interesting for those who work in financial engineering.

                The author's view of thinking machines as not living up to the "megahype" is just plain wrong, along with his belief that those who are behind this technology are duped by wishful thinking. The reverse is true in fact, as AI researchers are usually the last to acknowledge the claim that what they have built does exhibit some sort of intelligence. If they make outlandish and overly-optimistic claims, it is because of their doubts, and not of their confidence. The difficulties and let-downs of research require sometimes periodic shot-in-the-arms. But again, the author feels the need to protect the "public" against their inflated claims.

                One can expect more neo-Luddite books like this in the years to come, primarily from those who are having difficulty comprehending the true nature of the technology and science behind the information age. The "public" though will not be writing these books, nor do they need them. The overwhelming majority of the world's citizens are intelligent enough to judge for themselves what is confronting them. The advertising will continue along with the research and development. The machines will get smarter and smarter with each passing year. Imperfections will exist in these machines as they do in the humans who brought them about. One can imagine though the possibility that the machines will themselves begin to write books that offer arguments for the intelligence of their authors. Such a prospect is awesome.

                5 out of 5 stars Business People Should Read It.......2002-11-27

                Roszak bursts the bubble of marketing hype that touts information technology as an all-powerful force that can do anything for business or society. Those of us involved in consulting, communications, product development and CRM can benefit from this perspective, so that we do not overpromise. This neo-luddite is not opposed to technology, but he wants us to know its limitations and its effect on our humanity. The book was prescient when it was written a decade ago, and today its lessons seem all the more important. My only criticism is I wish the author would offer constructive suggestions for those of us who have to make decisions on information technology. He rips down our facade, but does not tell us how to rebuild.

                3 out of 5 stars A Demonstration of Human Emotion.......2002-07-01

                The Cult of Information is a heartfelt but in the end unsatisfying book, The cause for this disappointment can be found in the book's subtitle which contains the phrase `And The True Art of Thinking'. Roszak is deeply concerned that the computer is commonly used as a model of the brain. He is concerned by the importance that some give to computer skills. He is concerned that the time taken to learn computer skills lessens the amount of time children have to learn how to live in a truly human environment. He is concerned that people will begin to think that they can only act in the strictly procedural way that computers act. He is concerned that the computer brain model will make people believe that they can only aspire to the rudimentary types of interactions that computers are capable of.

                Roszak spends most of his book creating examples to illustrate his concerns. However the book would have been better is Roszak had a better idea of what human thinking was really about. Instead of many many declarations that human thought is intuitive and impossible to explain, a review of the brain mechanisms that have been discovered to be behind thought, learning, emotion etc. would have been much better.

                Roszak would have discovered that far being purely procedural devices, new models of computer activity are now in widespread use. These models were developed because the lack of capability that the procedural model exhibits was recognized by specialists in computer science and artificial intelligence. Indeed the same criticism that Roszak gives of computers not being capable of truly fitting itself for detailed interaction in a human environment was one of the reasons that these new models were developed. New `situated' models of computer behavior are designed from the beginning to fit themselves in to the world of humanity. They are designed as an attempt to do the routine things such as driving a car, mowing a lawn etc. that Roszak says that computers are incapable of. That these are very difficult tasks for a computer to do and that true success in this area has not yet been achieved does not deny the fact that the attempt is bing made.

                Roszak seems to have a very narrow view on what human interaction is about. He does not attempt to describe it clearly. His understanding of Marshall Mcluhan is definitely lacking. He makes a statement about Marshall Mcluhan's views on television that is clearly incorrect. His lack of understanding of human activities is shown by his confounding of activities that Mcluhan would have called `hot' and `cool'. For Roszak, learning is a hot occupation. Learning is a matter of solitary thought whose goal is develop to a private understanding. Roszak never seems to describe a `cool' interaction that takes place publicly and whose goal is sharing and accomplishment.

                Roszak's book is worth reading for the depth and sincerity of its concerns. It would have been better if the computer and modern forms of computer mediated interactions would have been describe doing, were more than a cartoon outline. As Mcluhan and many others have demonstrated the computer is part of a technological development that is changing the way people interact and so changes their view of themselves. Some of these changes are for the good and others are most definitely for the ill. Mcluhan and Innis, years before Roszak, recognized this and founded an insightful literature which explores this area. Roszak describes his book as a treatise. However it is more of an emotional cry in opposition to the ill effects that computers and computer mediated communication can have on humanity. Read it to understand the concerns that the neo-Luddites, as Roszak describes himself, have about technology. Read Mcluhan and others to understand these effects.

                5 out of 5 stars A Full-Broadsided Body Punch To Conventional Wisdom!.......2000-05-30

                This book is a thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of both the meaning of and the consequences associated with the rising computer information cult within contemporary society. Roszak is a skilled writer and an even more perceptive thinker. He quickly disposes of the contemporary idea equating data or information, on the one hand, with knowledge and wisdom, on the other hand. He despairs of the notion that technological progress is an unalloyed blessing, and provides a lot of supporting documentation illustrating that for all those capabilities we gain through the use of digital technology, for example, we also lose important capabilities and perspectives.

                According to Roszak, we have now come to almost rely on exclusively rational,"logical", and quantifiable methods of understanding everything around us, often to the detriment of ignoring more traditional and time-honored methods of knowing. This, in turn, leads to a very narrow perspective of how it is that the world operates, one devoid of anything not quantitative, anything comprised of more "qualitative" means of observation. Thus, to the digitally oriented logical and rational mind, anything not disposed to undertanding through calculation and the scientific method simply is not real. Furthermore, he shows us, such digital computing techniques creates as many problems as it solves.

                He fears for good reason that we are falling into a hyperbolized and superficial culture where we have come to completely depend on scientific rationalism as it is depicted by the media, and that this creates a conundrum we cannot escape from, since many of the problems associated with modern society stem from this increasingly exlusively scientific and rational approach toward problem-solving.

                As with other contemporary critics of the new Digital Intelligence cult like social critic Neil Postman, Roszak argues for a more comprehensive perspective , one that places the tools of computer technology at the behest of a more broad-based intelligence, one that recognizes that there is a whole range of ways of knowing and understanding that those contained in programming code. This is a provocative and thought-indicing book. I enjoyed and learned from it, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys watching a superior intellect at work, and who also appreciated the thread of a finely-hewn intellectual argument. Enjoy!

                Books:

                1. The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
                2. The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2)
                3. The Walt Disney World Trivia Book: Secrets, History & Fun Facts Behind the Magic
                4. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-up
                5. Thomas the Tank Engine's Big Lift - And - Look Book
                6. Unforgettable Places to See Before You Die
                7. Untitled
                8. Vacation Under The Volcano (Magic Tree House 13, paper)
                9. Welder's Handbook : A Complete Guide to Mig, Tig, Arc & Oxyacetylene Welding (Hp1264)
                10. Welding Essentials: Questions & Answers (Expanded Edition)

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