A Sea of Words, Third Edition: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian

Book Description

This comprehensive lexicon provides definitions of nautical terms, historical entries describing the people and political events that shaped the period, and detailed explanations of the scientific, medical, and biblical references that appear in the novels.

Customer Reviews:

Surfing the Sea of Words.......2007-10-18

An illuminating volume to have on hand as you read the Patrick O'Brian Series. Provides back story and details of those times, along with maps and diagrams. Nauticle terminanolgy decoded. Highly reccomend, could only wish for more diagrams.

A need to have.......2007-10-05

This book is a fundamental reading for those who love O'Brian books and want to make the most of of them.
A couple more pictures would have helped, but it gives you all you need to know to enhance your reading experience

Not that impressed with this book.......2007-10-02

I was fairly disappointed with this book, given some of the rave reviews I've read about it. In a consequtive fashion, several of the phrases I looked up weren't in there, to the point where I gave up using it and am just reading the books.

Perhaps it's for the best though, the book flows better without interuption, if at the expense of full understanding. I wouldn't recommend buying this book. It doesn't answer what you need it for -- terms that aren't used anymore, but aren't in the dictionary either.

This is a great book, however.......2007-09-25

It still needs expansion; in particular with regard to the dialect of the times to make it complete, and there remain nautical terms that need definitions. I suppose that I need to visit the website or see if there is a method of placing requests for additional words or terms.
Still, I feel that it is a must buy if one plans to read the entire series.

Sea of Words.......2007-09-14

This is a must have book when reading the series as it explains many of the unfamiliar terms. Highly recommend you get it and use it when you are unfamiliar with things talked about in the books. Also recommend Harbors and High Seas: 3rd Edition by the same authors. This will show you where the ships went on Jack's voyages.

Book Description

The best quotations, proverbs, wisdom, trivia, and humor compiled into one of the most inspiring, motivating, and character-building volumes! Many of the stories are true, some are fictional, but all of them will move the reader to achieve his or her potential for life'ss best. The emphasis is on practicality through timeless insights from the world'ss great personalities and communicators.

Customer Reviews:

Packed from cover to cover with vignettes and one-liners to aid mental health.......2006-02-03

Compiled and organized by Rodney R. Weckworth, Ponders, Proverbs & Principles is an inspirational motivator which is reviewed here for its ability to provide fun, character building principles in an easily-readable form. From aging and courage to goals, conscience and direction in life, Ponders, Proverbs & Principles is packed from cover to cover with vignettes and one-liners to aid mental health.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Input for Sources Close to the Man Himself.......2006-12-06

I've read three different Hendrix biographies and each came at the subject of Jimi Hendrix from a different direction. Setting the Record Straight is good because there is a lot of input from people who were close to Hendrix, especially people who were part of his organization, but who were not particularly well known. Like all of the Hendrix biographies, this book does have its faults, I mean, how many times should an author state that Jimi was growing wary of Michael Jeffries, Jimi was trying to keep his distance from Michael Jeffries, Jimi was avoiding Michael Jeffries. I found one spot where there were at least 4 references in a 2 page span about how Jimi as getting tired of Michael Jeffries. Ok. We get it. Yawn.

The book is very good in explaining how the Hendrix "image" was deliberately created to be controversial (most of us grown-ups had already figured that one out). It tells us how the "real" Jimi started to emerge after the release of Electric Ladyland. It tells us the story of the Electric Lady studio and how it came about from the initial idea of creating a club much like Steve Paul's Scene club. It also tells us about when and why Chas Chandler excused himself from the organization. Actually Chas turns out to be one of the few really classy people in the Hendrix organization.

You also learn about a host of disasterous gigs and shows where Jimi just didn't want to play. In some ways you feel sorry for him and in other ways you begin to understand that the guy's work ethic really sucked. If you lived through the era I guarantee you will end up feeling pretty embarrassed about your generation's behavior.

Unfortunately, this book doesn't tell some of the stories that I am interested in. I wanted to read about the jam session in the studio that produced Voodoo Chile for example. There really isn't much emphasis about how the music was made. In my opinion, when it comes to Hendrix, that's a no-brainer; that's what people want to read about.

From a musical perspective, I would have to say that Crosstown Traffic is a much better biography as it does much to show Jimi's importance within the context of American art and culture. Really, I don't care about Jimi's business and I don't care about his depraved social life either. I just love his music. Setting the Record Straight is really more about the business side of Jimi Hendrix and the Hendrix "product". Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky is probably the least interesting of the three I've read, it's more about Jimi's social life than anything. That particular book tries to be sensational by asserting that Jimi was murdered and then downplaying that idea in the same paragraph. That was rather like when a lawyer coaches a client witness to blurt something out on the stand that they know the judge is going to strike down, but the jury is going to hear it anyway. Shabby.

I would pick up both Setting the Record Straight and Crosstown Traffic if you really want to get to know Jimi and his signficance with respect to American art and culture.

Oh yeah, one little factual nugget I finally learned after years and years and years (decades really) of wondering... It was Jimi who played the freaked out recorder solo at the end of If Six Was Nine. Hooray! Mystery solved! That was driving me nuts!

The Exploitation of Jimi Hendrix.......2006-05-29

Many half-truths and inaccuracies exist about the life and music of Jimi Hendrix. In trying to "set the record straight", the authors attempted to offset decades of lies and manipulation of the Hendrix estate. To some degree, they succeeded.

The authors do not devote nearly enough space to the life and music of Hendrix. Instead, the book seems to focus on the cast of characters that surrounded his life. It seems that any of the managers or promoters that worked with Hendrix sought to take credit for his success. It was as though the presentation were more important than the talent of Hendrix. Perhaps this is a fitting way to remember his life since his lack of friendship and the constant manipulation of those around him factored into his drug use and eventual death. The circumstances surrounding Hendrix's fatal oversdose suggest that a friend rather than a business associate would have phoned for the help that he needed to save Hendrix's life.

The book does not devote nearly enough time to Hendrix's pre-fame days (approximately 20 pages), and focuses more on the business aspects of the music industry rather than Hendrix music itself. There is no doubt that Hendrix made some bad business deals. Yet this should never overshadow all of the great music made by Hendrix. Pages could be spent discussing the making and meaning of songs. Once the author mentions a song, the reader may not see it mentioned until dozens of pages later.

Hendrix's premature death left his estate in debt. For this reason, unfinished recordings of his music were released that Hendrix would have never wanted released. We never got to see the full potential of Hendrix's genius. Those that exploited him in life, exploited him in death.

The real Jimi Hendrix was not the same person as the flamboyant guitar player people saw on stage. Much of his stage act, including setting his guitar on fire, was coaxed. This book gives real insight into the real Jimi Hendrix. Yet, I can not help but think we are far away from knowing the real legend.

3 1/2 stars not bad, but not as good as Electric Gypsy.......2005-01-29

The first time I read this book was back in 1997. I was already a huge Hendrix fan and this book opened up many things about him and his music that I was unaware of, for the most part. At that time I would have given this book 5 stars. But after recently picking up Electric Gypsy by Harry Shapiro and Caesar Glebbeek, which blew me away, I reread this book and I give it 3 1/2 stars.

My main gripe is that it focuses too much on the business side of Hendrix. Sure that stuff is interesting and informative, but it makes for a slow read, in my opinion. And it takes away from the flow and the excitement of his music and touring. I think that they could have made a couple of chapters exclusively for the business side of things and kept the other chapters more musically focused and it would be a much better read. My next biggest beef, is that they continually refer to Voodoo Child (Slight Return) as Voodoo Chile. Those songs are very different, any knowledgeable Hendrix fan knows that and would be bugged by the 15 mentions of it, instead of the correct Voodoo Child (Slight Return.) Minor yes, but if Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's long time famed producer and friend, helped write this book, then why didn't they catch that glaring error?

Still it is a good book, but if you know a lot about Hendrix, it will not fill your needs and I would suggest the afore-mentioned Electric Gypsy. For one thing Electric Gypsy has FAR more interviews from Hendrix, which are always entertaining and revealing. And it has far more about the music and what went into it as far as inspiration and song meanings. For those two reasons alone that book blows away Setting the Record Straight. Also Electric Gypsy has many of Hendrix's song lyrics in the book, which is truly great. Also Electric Gypsy has a part in the back where it shows a list of every guitar Hendrix ever played and all the effects he ever used, all the bands he was in, a discography and much, much more.

Don't get me wrong Setting the Record Straight is a good book, but I would suggest to all Hendrix fans new and old, get Electric Gypsy first, then if you still want more, get Setting the Record Straight.

An interesting and engaging read.......2003-03-01

This is a pretty interesting book about a very interesting virtuso musician. There a lot of good information provided in a somewhat dry and detached delivery that somehow remains engaging somewhat like a Wall Street journal article.

My only issue with the book, the absolutely horrid photo on the cover aside, is the business orientation of the book which leaves questions about other issues, all of which interelate to each other.

As one example, the issue of drug use is treated in a very shallow fashion. While I am not looking for sensationalism, it seems clear that but for his drug use Hendrix would never have gotten behind the contractual eight ball so far - which the book implies the monetary impact of which had some effect on his eventual death.

On the other hand, I have learned quite a bit about Hendrix, his business deals, and perhaps most importantly, about his music. I was never aware of some his side projects including the Gypsys Suns & Rainbows or his all too brief session work with John McLauglin. There are also some interesting photos included in the book.

Cover photo aside, this book is probably the best $ I've spent in a long time.

At last, The Real Story of Jimi Hendrix's Life!!!.......2003-01-30

This book takes an inside look at the life and legend of the man that was James Marshall(Jimi) Hendrix. His troubled youth and how he had to suffer tremendous hardships just to be noticed. His love affair with blues music and his affinity for the guitar are also well intact. What puzzles me is why so many people would want to drag Jimi's name through the mud and desecrate his legacy and good fortune with lies and deceit. Why couldn't people have respect enough for Jimi and his music to take it seriosuly and treat it like gold, instead of commercializing for their own personal gain and profit? Jimi was a serious artist and this book certainly attests to that. He wasn't in it for the money or fame or recognition. He was simply in it for the music.
He deserved to be treated better by people who called themselves "His Friends." Jimi was a incredible man and amazing guitar player as well, but he was also very human. He had a very vulnerable side to him as well. He had enough problems without people wanting him to be everything to them. He couldn't do that.
He needed someone to love him and someone to respect him and take him at face value instead of having him always be Mr. Rock guitar god. he wanted people to listen to his music and be taken seriously. He was sick and tired of doing the same theatrical tricks that he had done with the guitar night after night, and now he just wanted people to listen to him, and not look at what he was doing with his guitar. he didn't need to prove anything anymore. he'd already done it. it was time for him to move into a new direction. Unfortunately, that new direction was never fully realized during hendrix's lifetime. Only now, after his death do we fully know just exactly what he was trying to achieve. Some things we'll never know. That was the genius of Hendrix. To keep people guessing. He'll never know how much of an impact he has had and continues to have on people's lives even to this day. God Bless You, Jimi. We Love You, Man!!!

Book Description

When the Birds are Flying, Get Under Something is a witty critique about pop culture. The book focuses on coping with cultural norms in the United States from a feminist perspective. Ms. Platt uses humor to address issues such as technological advances, mass media, and standard behaviorisms that are integrated into American culture.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent..a must read!!.......2006-08-10

I found this book to be humorous, laugh out loud funny. The reason that it is so funny is the truth in the writing. It is well written and true to life and it makes you want more. Anything that the author writes I would read with great anticipation for what's coming next. I can't wait to read all the books this author has written and any future books to come. I recommend this book to anyone who grew up in the 80's and 90's and can relate to the subject matter. Great book and great time reading

Book Description

Since the beginning of the 1990s, supervisory systems for broadcasting in most Western countries have undergone significant change. Meticulously documented and clearly written, this book comprises a comparative study of the licensing and supervision of commerical and public broadcasting in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, and Germany. The author, a leading media scholar, highlights central issues in broadcasting supervision, such as the different ways that free speech and the free market have been conceptualized, and the consequences of these ideas. Examining both the historical and the contemporary degree of supervision in each country, and tracing the links between supervisory bodies and larger political, legal, and economic systems, the book contributes to a broader sociopolitical understanding of broadcasting in industrial democracies.

Customer Reviews:

Unique in content, structure and readability.......2000-06-26

Anyone interested in national electronic media regulation will find this book an invaluable source of information and analyses on six of the most developed broadcast systems. Although published in 1996, the book is still of great actuality since it includes a detailed discussion on the various developments and future chances of the media in the scope of the work.

Not least with an international opening of the media market and the possibility of unhampered broadcasting of television signals the question arises if the countries concerned have the tendency to regulate in a similar manner or if there are huge differences which would make an international cooperation more difficult. The book, providing a very sophisticated and well-organised comparative analysis, highlights these diverse approaches to many common problems and trends (e.g. how to justify regulation when channels are abundant; the shift from cultural to economic concerns; the vulnerability of regulators to political and industry pressures). From the structural point of view, the study examines first the development and structure of each country's broadcasting system, its organisation, and how it fits into the country's network of political institutions. Specific comparisons are made between Canada, the United States, and Australia, where broadcasting is part of the private sector, and Britain, France, and Germany, where broadcasting is primarily a public service. Examining both current and past programs of supervision in each country and tracing the links between supervisory bodies and larger political, economic systems, the book contributes to a broader sociopolitical understanding of broadcasting regulation in industrial democracies. As such, it serves as a resource for broadcasting and governement professionals, as well as instructors and students with an interest in broadcasting regulation an international communication.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Introduction to XForms.......2006-07-27

This book in an excellent review of the XForms standard. It is part tutorial and part reference book. It starts with about 50 pages of background material (XPath, XML Schema, XML, namespaces etc) and then starts with a conceptual overview with some examples. It then takes us through all the major XForms concepts and elements.

The book is well written in a compact and precise style. It also has several tables that I found to be handy as references although there is no full appendix listing all the XForms elements which would have been very useful. It does have some useful additional information such as how to use CSS with XForms.

T.V. Raman is also a very credible expert on XForms since he was on the w3c XForms standards body. He gives several insights into why the standard is structured to be device independent. This allows XForms to run on web pages and mobile phone applications.

The only reason I did not give this a 5 star is that the examples on the online on the web site have many problems. The book was written using LATEX and many of the examples on-line still have many LATEX codes in them and will not run without much editing. Somewhat sloppy.

My hope is that the author fixes these problems in the future so that all the examples would work with the FireFox XForms plug-in. That would be ideal for using this book in the XForms classes I teach. The book could also have used a bit more editing, I found several grammatical errors but no real conceptual errors.

Good blend of conceptual and reference material..........2005-11-14

XForms is one of those technologies that hasn't yet taken off, but could make a substantial impact if it ever does. I got a copy of XForms - XML Powered Web Forms by T. V. Raman in order to understand a bit more about the subject...

Contents:
Part 1 - Welcome to XForms: XML Powered Web Forms; Standard Building Blocks
Part 2 - XForms Components: XForms User Interface Controls; Creating Complex User Interfaces; XForms Model Properties; XForms Functions; XForms Actions; XForms Events
Part 3 - XForms and the Next Generation Web: Connecting the User to Web Services; Multimodal Access; XForms and Accessibility; Colophon; Bibliography; Index

In some ways, XForms is harder than just regular HTML forms in that there's more data architecture that needs to be considered beforehand. Conversely, you are able to achieve a much better separation of data and design than possible under the HTML model. Raman does a pretty good job in explaining the overall conceptual model of XForms, as well as how it hooks into all the other "X" technologies (XPath, XML Schemas, etc.). Once the groundwork is set in Part 1, Part 2 becomes the reference manual on how to use each XForm feature. It's not a huge reference manual, but the core information is laid out in such a way that you'd end up using it on a regular basis as you get up to speed. I found it all pretty easy to follow, and I see how this could become a fundamental part of your personal library if you're using XForms on a regular basis. Of course, the downside is that XForms isn't yet supported on any widely-available basis... :)

If I were asked to recommend a title for XForms information, this would probably be the one I'd point someone to...

Wonderful book to learn XForms.......2004-07-02

Easy reading and a good explanation of XForms concepts. The book is about 230 pages with a CD. The XForms concepts are very well compressed into these pages, making it easy reading, yet less intimidating. I was able to read most of the book in the car when we went on a trip to Maine.

Clear and structured thinking makes complex thing simple.......2004-06-08

T.V's clear and structured thinking is well captured both in this book and in the technology itself. The simple writing style with the grasp of the subject matter and the interactivity model makes complex thing seem simple and beautiful at the same time.

Xforms is a ubiquitous technology. If more technologies were more like XFROMS, then specifications for accessibility, multimodal content, etc etc would all boil down to follow the speck, thank you.

Why XForms.......2004-04-20

XForms is just the right length and weight for reading in bed, or on a flight (two hours or more). So those are the places where I read Raman's book. I openly admit that I got more out of the book in flight than between sheets.

Raman belongs to the school of tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them it, then tell them what you told them. His English is rather academic in style, but it is always clear.

Raman has put considerable thought into the problems addressed by XForms.The book ought not be read as a description of XForms syntax, nor is it really a tutorial on how to use XForms. Rather, Raman's book is a treatise that sets out the desirable characteristics of electronic forms, especially those deployed over the Web. By explaining requirements, and illustrating, by means of those examples, how XForms meets his requirements, Raman has produced a compelling justification for the design of XForms. He has also gone a long way towards providing a clear set of criteria against which other forms technologies might be measured.

XForms is divided into three parts. Very roughly, Part One describes the mess we are in today, and sets out the characteristics of a means to salvation, and just how these are embodied in XForms. The second is a blow by blow account of the act of salvation; while the third points to the state of grace we might achieve in the future, if we pursue the principles on which XForms is based.

So, Raman sets off on the journey with a description, by means of a simple example, of the tools and approaches used in typical Web forms projects at the moment. He then spends some time reworking the example as an XForms implementation, and highlights the key advantages of using XForms. In doing so he introduces us to the major components of Xforms.

The rest of Part One is an introduction to the array of other XML standards the potential XForms developer will face when using XForms. Raman lists six standards on which XForms has some dependency, including XML itself. This is a strength of XForms. Processors, can, at least partly, be amalgamations of existing implementations of standards, such as W3C XML Schema. Furthermore authors are likely to be using skills that are useful in other contexts.

Part Two consists of a more detailed examination of XForms. Raman first takes us through the UI itself, moving from simple constructs to the more sophisticated. Each section describes the use of XForms components, with worked examples, and so helps to put into context the architectural principles sketched out in Part One.

As an example, let's look at Section 3.4, Types of Selection Controls. Raman tells us that it is a common requirement that a user make a selection from a predefined list of values. He cites the various ways that this can be physically represented on different devices, but then makes the point that "XForms defines selection controls based on the functionality provided, rather than their appearance in a given environment. This design has the advantage of capturing the underlying intent in a given user interaction rather than its mere visual appearance." (p.63). Raman expands his argument with a worked example, that contrasts how a voice browser might struggle with an HTML implementation of a choice, but work very naturally with the XForms equivalent.

Having described the basic building blocks of the UI, Raman tells us how to combine them within groups, repeating groups, and the XForms equivalent of tabbed groups.

Next come accounts of the bits the author needs to make a form function; Model Item Properties (MIPs), Functions, Actions and Events. In these chapters Raman explains and justifies XForms declarative style, whilst carefully acknowledging that techniques such as scripting have proved their worth in allowing people to "experiment and innovate on the Web" (p.163). As an example of the power of the declarative approach, Raman sets out how an author can use dynamically evaluated MIPs such as relevant, and read-only, combined with CSS, to control the physical representation of forms, by hiding controls, or groups that are bound to nodes that become irrelevant, for example.

The last section of XForms lays before the reader Raman's hopes for a future Web in which XForms acts as a mediator between humans and Web services and so; "allows users to interact naturally with complex, structured data; and does so across many modalities, in a way that makes the Web universally accessible".

Raman devotes a chapter to each aspect of his vision. In the first, he points out that web services rely on the transfer of "well structured, rigorously validated" XML, all ready for machine processing. XForms allows people to interact directly with such user unfriendly data. Furthermore, XForms allows authors to create islands of well structured data within oceans of the kind of semi-structured document that people use all the time. So "XForms makes the original promise of the document is the interface a reality".

The last two chapters establish that XForms does not impose any particular view of what that interface should be. Raman makes very forcefully the point that XForms is through designed to support multi-modality and accessibility principles, and so makes it trivial for form authors to create forms that will work pretty much any way that is appropriate. Raman emphasises that accessibility and support for multiple modalities are all part and parcel of the same thing. Moreover he has illustrated his points very carefully, to make clear that accessibility is about improving everyone's experience of the Web. We all find ourselves in situations when we are functionally blind, or deaf, or physically impaired, every day of our lives, if we just stop to think about it.

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Xforms: XML Powered Web Forms
T. V. Raman
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OU6TXS

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