Creating Dynamic Presentations with Streaming Media (With CD-ROM)

Book Description

With CREATING DYNAMIC PRESENTATIONS WITH STREAMING MEDIA, you don't have to be a digital media professional to produce stunning digital media. This easy-to-follow handbook introduces Microsoft- Producer for PowerPoint- 2002--an all-in-one tool for turning ordinary slides, audio, video, and still images into impressive online presentations. From product demos to documentaries, e-learning to executive briefings, you'll discover how to make your message come alive with rich streaming media you produce and publish yourself!

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Treatment of a Dense Program.......2005-11-18

MS Producer is highly capable, but very clunky in its interface. This book attempts to serve as a guide, but is hampered by its subject's clunkiness. Still, I was able to use the book and create effective presentations. It would be nice, however, if the authors took some time to think about things from a novice's standpoint and write accordingly. Additionally, checklists, diagrams, and other ways of taking users step-by-step through typical productions would help.

Great book about Producer.......2002-05-01

... This book gives plenty of information for beginners and follows right through to the advanced stuff. It is, though, specifically about using Microsoft's Producer software to make presentations that combine Power Point slides with video or a narration. Despite the title, if you're looking for some general information about streaming media, this isn't the book for you. If you want to use Producer to make some really cool Power Point presentations that people can see on your web sight, then get this book.

Stupid, GEEKY, too abstruse.......2002-04-26

You have to know all the answers BEFORE you buy this book. Only then can you understand it. So why buy it? This is a disappointment.

Too much GEEK stuff and not enough usable data.......2002-04-26

This is such a specialized book. A real deep disappointment. Too geeky. Sometimes road signs are so esoteric only a local person understands them. This book is like that. If you already know the answers, this book is understandable. If not, you are LOST.

Book Description

Historically, the theory of forecasting that underpinned actual practice in economics has been based on two key assumptions?-that the model was a good representation of the economy and that the structure of the economy would remain relatively unchanged. In reality, forecast models are mis-specified, the economy is subject to unanticipated shifts, and the failure to make accurate predictions is relatively common.

In the last decade, economists have developed new theories of economic forecasting and additional methods of forecast evaluation that make less stringent assumptions. These theories and methods acknowledge that the economy is dynamic and prone to sudden shifts. They also recognize that forecasting models, however good, are greatly simplified representations that will be incorrect in some respects. One advantage of these newer approaches is that we can now account for the different results of competing forecasts.

In this book academic specialists, practitioners, and a financial journalist explain these new developments in economic forecasting. The authors discuss how forecasting is conducted, evaluated, reported, and applied by academic, private, and governmental bodies, as well as how forecasting might be taught and what costs are induced by forecast errors. They also describe how econometric models for forecasting are constructed, how properties of forecasting methods can be analyzed, and what the future of economic forecasting may bring.

Customer Reviews:

Dry but informative.......2003-02-27

This collection of essays addresses economic forecasting.
As a non-professional I found it somewhat informative but it suffered from being rather dry. It addressed forecasting from a theoretical point of view but didn't do enough to enliven a subject. There's not enough here to really show the reader how forecasting is really done and how it can be usefully employed. There is also little guidance for the lay person in how to regard forecasts, either as useless guesses to fill newspaper column inches or the time between commercial breaks on CNBC or as useful predictions on the future.

Borrowing without debt? Understanding the U.S. international investment position: although the U.S. payments position may not be as weak as commonly thought, ... An article from: Business Economics

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Borrowing without debt? Understanding the U.S. international investment position: although the U.S. payments position may not be as weak as commonly thought, ... An article from: Business Economics
Matthew Higgins , Thomas Klitgaard , and Cedric Tille
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Business Economics, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2007. The length of the article is 7054 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: Borrowing without debt? Understanding the U.S. international investment position: although the U.S. payments position may not be as weak as commonly thought, the factors that bolster it are likely to be temporary.
Author: Matthew Higgins
Publication: Business Economics (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 42 Issue: 1 Page: 17(11)

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Businesses benefit from understanding, supporting arts : An article from: Boulder County Business Report

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Businesses benefit from understanding, supporting arts : An article from: Boulder County Business Report

Manufacturer: Boulder Business Information Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Dispute settlement in the World Trade Organization: an overview.(Dispute Settlement Understanding): An article from: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs

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Dispute settlement in the World Trade Organization: an overview.(Dispute Settlement Understanding): An article from: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs
Jeanne J. Grimmett
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2006. The length of the article is 3545 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: Dispute settlement in the World Trade Organization: an overview.(Dispute Settlement Understanding)
Author: Jeanne J. Grimmett
Publication: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs (Report)
Date: September 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

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Financial risk management--understanding returns.(FOCUS ON INVESTMENT CONDITIONS): An article from: Real Estate Issues

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Financial risk management--understanding returns.(FOCUS ON INVESTMENT CONDITIONS): An article from: Real Estate Issues
Kenneth, Jr. Riggs
Manufacturer: The Counselors of Real Estate
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Real Estate Issues, published by The Counselors of Real Estate on June 22, 2004. The length of the article is 1149 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: Financial risk management--understanding returns.(FOCUS ON INVESTMENT CONDITIONS)
Author: Kenneth, Jr. Riggs
Publication: Real Estate Issues (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2004
Publisher: The Counselors of Real Estate
Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Page: 25(2)

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Foreign aid: understanding data used to compare donors.: An article from: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs

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Foreign aid: understanding data used to compare donors.: An article from: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs
Larry Nowels
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2006. The length of the article is 3128 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: Foreign aid: understanding data used to compare donors.
Author: Larry Nowels
Publication: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs (Report)
Date: June 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Learning from success: understanding China's (uneven) progress against poverty.: An article from: Finance & Development

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Learning from success: understanding China's (uneven) progress against poverty.: An article from: Finance & Development
Martin Ravallion , and Shaohua Chen
Manufacturer: International Monetary Fund
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Finance & Development, published by International Monetary Fund on December 1, 2004. The length of the article is 2626 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: Learning from success: understanding China's (uneven) progress against poverty.
Author: Martin Ravallion
Publication: Finance & Development (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2004
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Page: 16(4)

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Strong numbers and weak perceptions: understanding the "Rodney Dangerfield economy".: An article from: Social Education

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Strong numbers and weak perceptions: understanding the "Rodney Dangerfield economy".: An article from: Social Education
William C. Wood
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Social Education, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1884 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: Strong numbers and weak perceptions: understanding the "Rodney Dangerfield economy".
Author: William C. Wood
Publication: Social Education (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 70 Issue: 2 Page: 76(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Understanding pathways through financial crises and the impact of the IMF: an introduction.(International Monetary Fund): An article from: Global Governance

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Understanding pathways through financial crises and the impact of the IMF: an introduction.(International Monetary Fund): An article from: Global Governance
Ngaire Woods
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Global Governance, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2006. The length of the article is 9711 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: Understanding pathways through financial crises and the impact of the IMF: an introduction.(International Monetary Fund)
Author: Ngaire Woods
Publication: Global Governance (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 12 Issue: 4 Page: 373(21)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

During the last decade the well-established tools of statistical physics have been successfully applied to an increasing number of biological phenomena. It is a fruitful approach to systems characterised by fluctuations and/or a large number of very similar units, and such systems are common in biology, whether it be the individuals in the codons of a genetic code or the behavioural responses of macromolecules to thermal fluctuations. This book is thus able to cover a wide range of phenomena, including fractal pattern formation, group motion in organisms from bacteria to humans, or the mechanisms by which fluctuations are rectified in the cell's molecular machinery. This book provides a summary of the majority of recent approaches and concepts born in the study of biological phenomena involving collective behaviour and random perturbation, as well as presenting some of the most important new results to specialist researchers. It is, particularly, a key text for all students of scaling and fluctuations in biology.

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Fluctuations and Scaling in Biology
Tamas Vicsek
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKYWN2

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Fluctuations and Scaling in Biology
Tamas Vicsek
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press(UK)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKU9SE

Book Description

Updated to include the latest information on light wave technology, Optical Fiber Telecommunication III, Volumes A & B are invaluable for scientists, students, and engineers in the modern telecommunications industry. This two-volume set includes the most current research available in optical fiber telecommunications, light wave technology, and photonics/optoelectronics. The authors cover important background concepts such as SONET, coding device technology, andWOM components as well as projecting the trends in telecommunications for the 21st century.

Key Features
* One of the hottest subjects of today's technology
* Includes the most up-to-date research available in optical fiber telecommunications
* Projects the trends in telecommunications for the 21st century

Customer Reviews:

A great two-volume set.......2000-04-26

This is the second book in a two-volume set. Volume IIIA (608 pages) deals primarily with system-related issues. The second volume, IIIB (515 pages) delves into greater detail regarding the design and performance of critical components used in optical fiber telecommunications.

Like volume IIIA, volume IIIB consists of chapters written by different authors. Although many of the chapter authors come from Lucent and/or Bell Labs, they do a good job of keeping the book at an academic level that is largely devoid of excess or offensive commercialism. This is a first-rate book that needs to be read and understood by anyone seriously engaged in engineering activities related to optical fiber telecommunications.

Each chapter is written in what is an essentially self-contained manner (though many chapters make reference from time to time to other chapters in either of the two volumes - a welcome thing as it brings continuity to the two-volume set). After a nice overview by Kaminow, volume IIIB dives right into what is arguably the single most important optical component to be developed for telecommunications in the 90's: the erbium-doped fiber amplifier. As with most chapters, chapter 2 does not overwhelm the reader with long mathematical derivations. Instead, it places at the engineer's disposal the relevant mathematical equations necessary for important analysis, as well as a wealth of references at the end of the chapter that facilitate further reading and the most quantitative analysis. This chapter covers all the important features of amplifier design, from gain to saturation, noise figure, coupling loss, polarization effects, pumping schemes, components, and various ways in which the amplifier may be used (in-line amplifier, power amplifier, etc.).

Chapter three covers transmitter and receiver design for amplified lightwave systems. The material in this chapter is high level. Topics include things like extinction ratio, rise/fall time, chirp, mode partitioning, and polarization mode dispersion. The emphasis is on how specific attributes of the transmitter and receiver interact with other components in the transmission system to affect overall system performance. Thus, the chapter not only discusses what laser chirp is, what causes it, and how to reduce it, it also delves into the system implications of chirp and describes why it is bad, and how to determine how much you can tolerate.

Chapters four, five, and six are something of a trilogy. Chapter four introduces the idea of laser sources in general for amplified and WDM lightwave systems. Chapter 5 continues the subject by describing advances in semiconductor laser growth and fabrication technology. Chapter 6 goes into more specific detail regarding vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. Of these three chapters, chapter four is the most generic, and (at least for me) by far the easiest to follow. Chapter four covers subjects like direct modulation of DFB lasers, external modulation, integration of modulator and laser, making DFB lasers with discrete and stable wavelengths for WDM systems, fiber-based lasers using fiber-Bragg gratings (FBGs), tunable lasers, and a smattering on waveguide gratings and DFB array WDM sources.

While chapter 4 was easy for me to follow, I found chapters 5 and 6 rather difficult. Both these chapters are very well written, and the authors are clearly quite expert in their fields. The material, however, is sufficiently specific to the details of design that I found myself lacking much of the prerequisite information and knowledge expected by the authors. I think that chapters 5 and 6 will be of most use to people who actually work in or very closely with semiconductor laser growth technology and/or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. I did come away knowing lots more about these technologies than I did going into the chapters (things like how and why lattice strain is used in the design of semiconductor lasers, for example) but a more basic introduction would have helpful to me.

Chapter 7 put me back into more familiar territory with discussions about optical fiber components and devices. Topics include fiber dispersion compensators, fiber gratings, gratings in planar waveguides, and high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers. This chapter tends to be at a high level, with little specific information or mathematical equations.

Chapter 8 is really quite interesting. The title is "Silicon Optical Bench Waveguide Technology." Like chapters 5 and 6, chapter 8 gets into more detail about specific design and manufacturability issues. Since I have more background in this area, though, I found the chapter at about the right level for me (it did not leave me feeling as lost as chapters 5 and 6 did). One of the most interesting developments in this chapter (for me, at least) was the section on Fourier filter multiplexers. The chapter also has a relatively good quantitative description (you will need to fill in some of the derivations yourself) of couplers as well as star couplers and waveguide grating routers.

Chapter 9 is a good discussion on lithium niobate integrated optics, covering issues of design as well as performance and specification. It also highlights their applications as switches, modulators, and polarization scramblers/controllers as well as wavelength filters. Chapter 10, the last chapter, reviews photonic switching technologies. There is some useful information about switching fabrics, along with generic information about important specifications.

Both volumes have a good index and extensive chapter references, making this one of the best general-purpose desk reference volumes I've found for engineers involved in lightwave communications systems.

Useful and timely.......2000-03-03

Chapter 12 is worth the price alone: The authors have done a remarkable job of getting to the heart of solitions.

A comprehensive review.......1999-10-08

Optical Fiber Telecommunications III is designed for anyone engaged in engineering work related to the fiber-optics telecommunications industry. There seems to be little doubt about the revolutionary path leading to full deployment of fiber in the telecommunications backbone network, or the trends moving fiber closer to and closer to end users. Yet, while this continual deepening of fiber into the national network progresses steadily, a new revolution has overtaken photonics in the backbone: dense wavelength-division multiplexing, or DWDM. DWDM, perhaps more than any other technology, is the reason that the third edition of this seminal work is needed today. It's not too surprising, then, that most of the third edition is directly or indirectly related to design concerns related to DWDM.

This text is best described as an engineer's desk reference. The scope is large, necessitating breaking the book into two volumes. Volume III A deals mostly with system issues and concerns, delving into more esoteric component issues primarily to illustrate the wider network implications. Volume III B deals more with specific component design issues, such as sources, detectors, and erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs).

As a desk reference, there are few derivations of equations from first principles. Perhaps the closest derivation is that of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation in chapter 12 on soliton transmission. Even here, however, the derivation is sketchy at best. For the most part the book simply places the equations at the reader's disposal. I found most of the equations are explained well, and most of the chapter authors included numeric examples, charts, and graphs. This helps immensely in understanding the implications of the many equations presented throughout the text. For those interested in derivations, each chapter comes with extensive endnotes so that anyone interested in reviewing the original work can easily do so.

One problem with the text revolves around definitions of mathematical variables and constants. Though they are all defined as introduced to the reader, there is no glossary of these terms. I constantly found myself writing in the books margins little notes like "alpha is the total loss coefficient, first used in equation x on page y." Since different authors write each chapter in the book, it may not be practical to have a glossary of terms for the entire volume - usage will probably overlap. Still, it would be nice had the editors suggested that each chapter have a glossary of mathematical variables. It would make the book far more practical and useful as a desk reference. On a more positive note, however, the book does contain a detailed and useful index.

Even without derivations, the book contains a plethora of equations and charts to satisfy the needs of most quantitatively oriented engineers. It's a good introductory book for those with a modest background in optical telecommunications technology. It's also a useful book for those more familiar with the technology, but needing a handy reference source with most of the pertinent information conveniently bound between two covers. Volume A contains 15 chapters in roughly 600 pages. Volume B is slightly smaller, having 10 chapters in roughly 500 pages.

For me, the two most interesting and useful sections of the book were chapter 8, "Fiber nonlinearities and their impact on transmission systems," and chapter 12, "Solitons in high bit-rate, long-distance transmissions." Chapter 12 is probably one of the best written. Although the subject matter is among the most difficult covered in the book, L. F. Mollenauer, J.P. Gordon, and P. V. Mamyshev have done a remarkable job of explaining solitions in a quantitative, accurate, yet clear and concise manner.

The first chapter in the book, a brief overview by Ivan P. Kaminow, provides some interesting historical insights and background, but has relatively little pertinent information for the design engineer. The second chapter deals at a high level with SONET and ATM technologies, explaining the requirements that led to the development of these standards and some of their topologies such as chains and self-healing rings. Chapter 3 deals with coding and error correction in optical fiber. This chapter was interesting in its use of fundamental physics (such as quantum noise) to examine the need for coding.

The next chapters move from coding and protocol to issues in the physical layer. Chapter 6 deals with polarization effects, the origin of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and how to measure PMD. On a similar theme, chapter 7 deals with the subject of chromatic dispersion and, perhaps more importantly, the subject of dispersion compensation. One of the interesting facts about DWDM is that elimination of dispersion is no longer a design goal, as it is with single-wavelength transmission systems. In DWDM systems the designer wants just the right amount of dispersion - not too much, and not too little. There are even situations in which the dispersion map matters - in other words, you cannot always count on being able to place large bulk amounts of compensating dispersion just in front of the optical receiver. Sometimes you need to distribute it along the fiber's length.

Two chapters, 9 and 10, deal with the specific design concerns of terrestrial and undersea lightwave systems, while chapter 14 deals with the substantial concerns of analog video transmission over optical fibers. Chapter 11 deals with advances in high bit-rate transmission systems (this chapter tends to be somewhat dated, and the situation will only get worse with passing time). Chapter 13 surveys the types of fiber architectures in current and possibly future networks. Finally, Ivan P. Kaminow finishes the book with a chapter on advanced multi-access lightwave networks, which is primarily the switched DWDM network (another chapter subject to dating).

This is an extremely valuable book for anyone involved in Photonics in the telecommunications network. I highly recommend it. Whether you read it cover to cover, or simply keep it handy as a desk reference, I'm sure you will find it well worth the cover price.

Book Description

The art of solving a structure from powder diffraction data has developed rapidly over the last ten years to the point where numerous crystal structures, both organic and inorganic, have been solved directly from powder data. However, it is still an art and, in contrast to its single crystal equivalent, is far from routine. The art lies not only in the correct application of a specific experimental technique or computer program, but also in the selection of the optimal path for the problem at hand. Written and edited by experts active in the field, and covering both the fundamental and applied aspects of structure solution from powder diffraction data, this book guides both novices and experienced practitioners alike through the maze of possibilities.

Customer Reviews:

Your expert knowledge is needed.......2004-10-26

Powder diffraction has been around for decades, as a means of determining (or attempting to determine) crystal structure. However, David shows the many advances in recent years, driven principally by ever more powerful computers.

He describes that going from powder data to a crystal structure is often an underdetermined problem, compared to dealing with single crystal samples. Thus many methods have arisen, that basically take intelligent steps or assumptions, to reduce down the manifold possibilities.

He makes a cogent point that all is not yet automated. There is often still a need for you to make an inspired guess, based on your own expert knowledge, while applying the computational tools that have been developed.

The book is well suited for crystallographers, as a good summary of the start of the art.

$Proceedings of the Symposium: Crystall Structure Determinations from Powder Diffraction Data (Transactions of the American Crystallographic Association)$
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Proceedings of the Symposium: Crystall Structure Determinations from Powder Diffraction Data (Transactions of the American Crystallographic Association)
Abraham Cleirfield
Manufacturer: Amer Crystallographic Assn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0937140473

$Structure Determination from Powder Diffraction Data (International Union of Crystallography Monographs on Crystallography, 13.)$
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Structure Determination from Powder Diffraction Data (International Union of Crystallography Monographs on Crystallography, 13.)
W. I. F.; Shankland, K.; McCusker, L. B. David
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press(UK)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOGR86

Book Description

What if an aging, unsuccessful Minnesota author of history books with names like Old von Steuben Had a Farm: The German-American Settlement of the Midwest decided he could write a book every bit as vapid and ridiculous as the books that sold four hundred times more copies than his own? Well, he would write Death Rat, of course, the thrilling tale of a man who battles prejudice, his inner demons, and a cunning six-foot-long rat.

And what if he was told by publishers that, at sixty years of age, though his book was a thrilling read, he just didn't look the part of a virile writer of gripping adventure books featuring cunning six-foot-long rats? Well, he would cook up a scheme so outrageous, it would incur the wrath of Gus Bromstad, the beloved author of the homespun Dogwood Downs series of books. And it would stir up the bizarre religious fervor of King Leo, the libidinous funk superstar whose CD “LoveDeathTomorrowJelly” was one of the biggest sellers of the decade. And it would throw him into a strange symbiotic relationship with the entire town of Holey, Minnesota, population 38.

Such is the fate of one Pontius Feeb, the hapless author of Death Rat. . . and perhaps the fate of all who attempt to write gripping novels featuring cunning six-foot-long rats.

Customer Reviews:

An Uneven, but Highly Entertaining Novel.......2007-08-09

What would happen if Mike Nelson of MST3K fame should decide to sit down and write a novel? Well, here is your answer: "Death Rat!" a fun romp that does justice to Mike Nelson's skills.

The plot concerns one Pontius Feeb, a writer of laughably obscure histories who, getting on in years, is let go by his employer and forced to take a job at the local burger joint. In his spare time he writes an adventure novel concerning a giant rat terrorizing a Minnesota mining town but, realizing that he doesn't have the kind of macho image that would sell the book to a publisher, he enlists a strapping (and none too brigh) co-worker at the burger joint as his proxy and passes him off as the novels author - and his novel as a true story. Many many many misunderstandings, miscues and misdemenors ensue as Pontius tries to keep up the deception by enlisting the aid of an entire town, and he finds himself pursued by a cabal of mad Scandinavians, an image-obsessed rival author, and a kooky rock-and-roller who believes that the rat in Pontius' tale is a being of mystical enlightenment waiting to give them a sign.

This novel is a classic sort of caper story, with generous amounts of the kind of erudite, dead-pan humor that Nelson fans have come to expect from his essays and his MST3K work. Death Rat is fun and a quick read, and there are points where you will laugh out loud. Some of the jokes, however, don't quite work (as in a lot of this kind of humor, the jokes where you work the hardest to be funny don't come out, and there are points of this in the book); as well, the ending comes too quickly and doesn't quite wrap up as well as it might; these points keep the book from earning a full 5 stars, but it shouldnt keep you form giving this one a shot. Here's hoping Mr. Nelson gives fiction a try again after this solid first outing.

Don't buy this.......2007-06-27

Death Rat is dull. MST3K was a great show, and Mike Nelson proved that he was hilarious as a writer. I really liked Movie Mega Cheese and Mind over Matters. I even like the articles at the end of the Home Theatre magazine he writes for. But I did not like this. I tried to read Death Rat two or three time before finally muscling my way past the first three chapters. And then I was sorry that I did. The jokes and gags in this book would probably work on television, but not in print. It's like reading the script to a Laural and Hardy movie. Great to watch just not to read. And I wanted to be funny. I really did. I gave it every chance I could for it not to suck. It just persisted in sucking. It took me the better part of a week to make it through this book. If you want to read Mike Nelson books, get Movie Mega Cheese, or Mind over Matters. I actually laughed out loud at those two. This book just isn't worth your time. Sorry.

Can't get into it........2007-03-20

And I'm a fan of his short stories and MST3k - but this -I"ve tried to crack this thing for years. It is SO unengaging. So flat. Cannot reccommend it. Sorry Mike!!

No actual Rats, Death or otherwise, appear in this book.......2005-12-30

From the cover picture, and from Mike Nelson's association with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 TV show, one might expect this book to be cheesy sci-fi. If so, one would be disappointed. This is not a book about a Death Rat, but rather a book about a book about a Death Rat. It's a realistic novel, in the sense that all the people and events in it are plausible, if wacky, and it's set in more-or-less present-day Minnesota.

This is funny fiction, kind of like the novels of Garrison Keillor or Dave Barry or Terry Pratchett or... well, maybe not all that much like any of those, but more like them than like MST3K. It's not deep or great fiction, by any means, but it is a fun read: entertaining, engaging, and funny. If you have the right kind of sense of humor, you'll be laughing, or at least smiling, through the whole book.

A fine line between fiction, non-fiction, and boa-draped funk superstars.......2005-12-16

What to do with a novel entitled "Death Rat!"? Well, buy it. Trust me on this one - it's a keeper. There's no fight club, no secret bloodline of Christ, no games involving patriots. But believe me, you haven't read a book like this before - and not just because Mr. Nelson chose a title as arresting as the one he did.

Mike Nelson is the Pindar of the Pop Culture Age. The days of Will Rogers, God rest his soul, have passed, and the search for the next good-natured humorist has come to an end: Mike Nelson.

Pop culture has always been with us, be it the days of bards belting out Beowulf off the top of their heads, or the hymns of Isaac Watts being the top 40 of old England. The culture of pop is just more pervasive in the Information Age, and it took a society saturated with singing shampoo mascots and tv sitcoms to really coin the term that would best describe it. Now it's up to Mike Nelson to disarm it with open eyes and a quick wit.

Mike Nelson has tried his hand at nearly everything - a subversively hilarious website, years of stand-up tenure, radio appearances, and of course his wildly successful years at a certain puppets-and-bad-movies show long passed from TV Land (Mystery Science Theater 3000). So he tried his hand at a novel, and the results are extravagantly engaging.

I was undertaking a search for Vladimir Nabokov and Jack Cole one day at a local bookstore, and I found "Death Rat!" beckoning me from the shelf. I knew right off the bat that the name Mike Nelson implies eccentric yet accessible brilliance, so I found myself apologizing silently to a new copy of "Pale Fire" and a collection of Plastic Man comics in order to clear my conscience for the purchase of only one book.

Mike Nelson's name is most closely associated with humor, so I could end the review here and tell you there's many a belly laugh waiting for you. And certainly you will find yourself rolling like a frat boy at a Family Guy marathon as you wade deep into the world of history book hack Pontius "Ponty" Feeb and the town-made-mecca of Holey, Minnesota (population 38). Indeed, I had to read the thing behind closed door when night fell, for fear that my constant guffaws would keep neighbors and roommates awake.

The plot is full of twists and turns, but the premise is straight-forward: a disgruntled author decides to take advantage of the vapid world of thriller fiction and release a rollicking tale of a six-foot rat invading a small Minnesota town. Only he does so with the aid of a struggling actor who provides a dashing face and name for the piece to encourage the reading public to pick the book up - only said actor accidentally submits the work as "non-fiction," leaving the duo to convince the small town of Holey to play along when a certain Top 40 superstar comes to the locale to see where the book's events took place.

Who can resist the bizarre array of characters Mike Nelson introduces us to with his witty and deft hand? He pulls you into close descriptions of the oddities of a thousand everyday things, then hits you with a quick turn of a phrase that reminds you why Kirkus Reviews declared that "from Minnesota comes a Nelson funnier than Ozzie, Ricky, Lord or Half."

Mike is funny, and funny in a way completely devoid of empty pretension. The title of the novel is "Death Rat!" for Pete's sake! So if a book of good laughs is what you're looking for, you've got a winner here. But luckily for us, Nelson doesn't stop there.

Mike isn't just writing laughs, he's crafting characters and situations that, as absurd as they seem, soon show themselves to be one or two steps away from things straight out of ordinary life. I wish that the garishly-dressed funk superstar King Leo were purely a fabrication, but Top 40 radio has been assaulted for decades by megalomaniacs with deep bass and feather boas. And for those of us who have ever punched a clock while wearing fast food colors, or smirked at the release of another Tom Clancy novel with Marine Corps slang in its title, the book can become a source of release where we can not only laugh but find a little resolution to all the absurdities of life.

Life as we know it is not filled with "normal people." Life is full of Jesse Jacksons and G.G. Allins and Anna Nicole Smiths and so many other people who we've had a few chuckles at - while we ourselves with all our quirks are undoubtably the butt of someone else's jokes. You know you're a weird one. You'd fit in well in the world of "Death Rat!," believe you me.

And that's a large part of Mr. Nelson's charm - he creates a world absolutely hilarious but endearingly familiar. Sixty-year-olds ducking the rent owed to their college-aged roommates, Danish spies faking Minnesotan accents, best-selling authors plotting sabotage for the sake of sales? Only one or two steps from the types of things you read in News of the Weird. Nothing in "Death Rat!" is too weird to be believed, but nothing is too commonplace to be stale. Nelson makes you care for the hopelessly flawed and self-delusional nutcases and average joes that make up a world none too different than ours - and perhaps, ultimately, he makes us all a little bit more self-aware and appreciative of the diversity of personality the good Watchmaker has put on this blue chunk of dirt. That is the real strength of "Death Rat!" - and you thought the six foot rodent was enough of a selling point.

The book lampoons so many flaws in our society - our obsession with image (as personified not only by mad writer Gus Bromstad but by all of America that thinks a book about a six-foot rat could possibly be non-fiction just because the picture on the back jacket is of a strapping, rugged man), the kinds of odd deviant mysticism that gain so much press (as embodied by the funk superstar's search for a revival in a small Minnesota town where he thinks a great spiritual rat once spared a bold adventurer) and ultimately the problem of guilt that cripples the two main characters are they become enmeshed in a web of deceit.

So grab a copy of this book and dive into the world of Mike Nelson with your eyes open wide and your neighbors all wide awake - in the wee hours they won't find the laughter as endearing as you're going to find the world of Ponty Feeb and friends. Like the aforementioned master Nabokov or modern humorist Chris Onstad, Mr. Nelson manages to make us laugh and make us care in the same heartbeat.

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