This is a seminal book on software requirements analysis. Its 300 odd pages makes it very handy and "carryable". I have just finished reading the book and started implementing Michael Jackson's ideas into a software project. The benefits have just started showing up.

Oddly, enough I did not find too many other resources on the same topic in the web.

Short and sweet: this book is about structuring and analyzing problems, not about solutions. In fact, from the beginning the author discusses the difficulty of focusing on problems and the tendency to jump to a solution before the problem is completely understood.

The structured approach that Mr. Jackson provides starts with bounding the problem and drilling down into subproblems, called problem frames. I like his approach to bounding problems because it shows how to identify and isolate the problem and place it into its proper context. This forces you to focus on the problem and not drift off into a premature solution. I also like how he breaks down problems into manageable chunks by placing subproblems into domains through the use of projections (where subproblem domains overlap) and partitions (where associated phenomena are isolated). This allows you to see the whole problem in its magnificent splendor, which is the first step towards tackling each of its parts.

As Mr. Jackson's approach evolves you will find patterns emerging. If you are a proponent of design patterns you will appreciate how he breaks problems into classes and five basic frames. This is a powerful concept because as you gain experience using problem frames you will be able to quickly classify problems and approach them in a consistent, repeatable manner. This part of the book greatly influenced my way of thinking about problems, and the material is reinforced by examples given in subsequent chapters, as well as chapters devoted to variant and composite frames.

This book is ostensibly about problem frames and methods as they relate to software development. However, the approach given in the book has much wider applications. I was able to relate it to physical devices, processes and procedures. Moreover, Mr. Jackson's approach itself can be decomposed into a collection of useful tools and techniques that, taken individually, will prove invaluable in requirements analysis, design and related endeavors. I am giving it 5 stars only because I cannot give it more.

This is an excellent book. Michael Jackson resolves a number of major problems by drawing a distinction between the description of the problem domain and the description of the solution domain. This is needed because current object-oriented techniques (based on UML, for example) tend to be solution-oriented in the early stages of the software development lifecycle. This mindset can lead to maintainability problems later. Another 'gem' is that Jackson develops a scheme for decomposing a problem into simpler subproblems. This 'divide and conquer' approach has been known to mathematicians for hundreds of years. Structured analysis methods use similar techniques but they have seemingly been forgotten (or never learned?) by the OO community where the objects are there 'just for the picking' (to quote Bertrand Meyer). This reviewer now realises that life is not so simple. I have benefited from Jackson's problem frames and have applied them as a 'front-end' to UML in order to structure medium and large systems. In particular, viewing a specific application (such as a home heating system, ATM ...) as an instance of a more general category is very useful as it allows us to gain insights into the current problem. I have specialised the frames to discover domain categories for process control, manufacture, MIS, access control and tracking. This book could trigger a number of developments. For example, discovering and documenting structural and behavioural patterns in this phase of the software development lifecycle could would be a good idea. In particular, looking at requirements as goals instead of jumping directly into the over-hyped use cases seems like a good idea as well. To this end, it might be worth looking at a number of methods that are mentioned in the book, for example KAOS.

Reclaiming the Commons is an excellent read for anyone interested in the natural history of New England, community farming, open space issues, and the value of farms in the landscape. This is a well written, thoughtful book that offers an inspiring vision for a future of locally produced food, protected farmland, and community involvement that farms help to create.

In Reclaiming the Commons, Brian Donahue has given us a remarkable portrait of a thriving community farm in Weston, Massachusetts called Land's Sake. In 1980 the nonprofit organization Land's Sake was formed in Weston, a suburb of Boston, to work closely with the town's Conservation Commission on managing and using the town's growing public land. Its three founding principles were to care ecologically for Weston's land, to involve the community and especially young people with the land, and to be as self-supporting as possible through the sale of products and services. By thinking of the land as a rural space that could "benefit from our presence, rather than need to be protected from us," they opened the possibility that they could engage suburban youth with the land and produce high-quality natural products for local sale, offering ample educational and recreational activities while striking "a balance between protecting natural ecosystems and making sustainable, productive use of the land."

Land's Sake sends about one-fifth of their fresh organic produce to Boston's homeless shelters and food pantries, as well as sponsoring a Harvest for Hunger every September, thus ensuring that their surplus finds an assured wholesale market (the town pays the price to send the food to the inner city) which benefits the disadvantaged and disenfranchised in the nearby urban areas. Donahue shows that suburbia "is the condition of residing outside the city proper with little functional connection to one's neighbors, aside from the schools, and almost no functional connection to the land," and he shows that community farms on common land offer a vibrant opportunity to keep farmland from being lost to development, and to transform the suburban condition from alienation to connection. This is a surprisingly powerful and exciting book that will show suburban and city readers how to become more connected to their land and to their source of food.

This book,written by a newcomer in the environmental landscape, will become a landmark. It points the way to transform the suburban way of life into one that is sustainable.This it would do by converting suburban open spaces into community sanctuaries for agriculture,husbandry and forestry, administered by suburbanites themselves,especially by their youngsters.The great strength of the proposals is that they have been demonstrated to work by the author and his associates in the upscale Boston suburb of Weston. Another plus is the grace and humor with which the book is blessed.

There has been a lot said and written about Joe Jackson by a variety of people - baseball people, baseball historians, scholars of the 1919 World Series, residents of the South (particularly South Carolina), and others. There's also been a variety of books produced about Jackson, most with his point of view or the "point of view he would have had," whatever that might have been at any point in time. It was with some skepticism that I picked up Fleitz's book and started to read, half expecting to see the same arguments that I've read before - Jackson as a victim, as the greatest player not in the Hall of Fame but for one mistake, and how he went back to South Carolina and scratched out a living (or was very successful, depending on which book you read).

Fleitz's book was a most pleasant surprise - it offers information that I haven't found anywhere else, and gives more "flesh" and substance to the person that was Joe Jackson than any previous account of his life that I had read. One point is the relationship that he had with his wife: always shown as the doting couple, Fleitz writes that this wasn't always the case. In baseball, he shows that Jackson wasn't the near-mythological player that he had been portrayed, and that he did fail at any number of clutch situations. By the same token, Jackson is also frequently mentioned as a batting role model to any number of famous players. The reactions of contemporaries thoughtout the book is also delightful feature.

A primary focus of the book is in the 1919 World Series and Jackson's role in that. Through the years Jackson has garnered significant numbers of supporters claiming that he was innocent; Fleitz offers evidence and opinions that he may not have been that innocent at all. There is also the issue of his initial acceptance of the gamblers' money. As with many people, I have my opinions of the World Series fix and Jackson's involvement. Prior to Fleitz's book, the opinion was a little fuzzier; after reading the book, it's become a little clearer. Was he innocent or guilty? Read the book and make your decision - it's well worth your time.

Great book. Separates the myth and the legend of Shoeless Joe Jackson from the "average Joe" and looks at his banishment from baseball in an honest, objective light. Author does an outstanding job of dissecting Jackson's behavior and possible motives throughout the scandal of the 1919 Black Sox.
But more importantly, more personal information about Joe is available on Joe throughout the pages of this text than any I have ever seen. This is a fantastic accomplishment as there is a lot of sappy, sentimental fluff out there about Joe Jackson and this book really made me feel as though I knew Joe, in addition to understanding what he was about.
This book is by far and away the best baseball book of the year (along with Reed Browning's Cy Young) and is amongst the best and most important baseball books ever written. If you're a serious baseball fan, you will enjoy SHOELESS!!

Baseball biographies come in all types, from boring descriptions of the player's performance in games, to tantalizing disconnected details of the player's life outside the lines, to full-fledged development of the player's life history and personality. This new book by David Fleitz falls more toward the latter. I recommend it to all baseball fans, especially ones (like me) who are fascinated by the lesser-known stars of the pre-Ruthian world.

Much of the book is devoted to Jackson's role in the Black Sox scandal, putting it into historical context and digging into the actions and motives of some of the key figures. The passages involving Charles Comiskey are especially revealing.

The road between city life and country life was much longer back then. Early baseball has many stories of the difficulties rural men faced when thrust into MLB's urban landscape. Because of his great physical skills, the illiterate Jackson is a highly compelling example of these stories. I now feel like I've met Jackson. Among the best baseball biographies I've read.

This innovative book could be the skeleton key that unlocks the solutions to many of your organisational, team or managerial problems.

The authors effectively challenge the old paradigm of "cause and effect" as the best approach to problem solving, demonstrating instead a "theory of no theory" in which every case is treated on its merits. They draw on their extensive experience as consultants and trainers in large companies in the UK and abroad, revealing an approach that has clearly proved inspirational to their clients.

In organisations, they argue, no problem happens all the time, so try focussing first on those times when things are going well. Do more of what you have identified that works, and see what happens.

People in organisations constantly rise to challenges, providing evidence of "counters" - gold-dust resources of cooperation, talents and corporate know-how, all of which can be tapped into when needed. Conversely, evidence of resistance to change can be a gift; a message that you have yet to find the best way to cooperate with colleagues.

They don't claim great originality, positioning their solutions approach with its roots in systems thinking, psychotherapy, patient care and family therapy. They have, however, drawn from their sources a simple model, creating a 'How To' book with enough flesh on the bones for you or me to use in teams or coaching scenarios. The reader is shown how to define solutions in ways to help move forward directly; spot helpful events and resources; and avoid major pitfalls on route.

The Solutions Focus is a big idea about small steps that maximise success: it's simple without being simplistic. Five of the fourteen chapters develop the model and draw on all manner of experts, notably Milton Erickson and Peter Senge to reinforce the messages. The authors also illustrate the power of the model with real examples from organisations as well as everyday issues such as pub licensing hours, parents and schools, food and the weather.

Further chapters show how to apply the approach to coaching, team and organisation settings, and finally the authors share how they developed the ideas in the book.

I found this an enjoyable read, which is undoubtedly a serious contribution to people and change in organisations. It offers a way to influence those in control - even those who sometimes see their position as a reward for past effort and the future as a holding operation rather than a regular revolution. In my view, it is a must for optimists, intuitives, and the up-and-coming who thirst for success at work and in life generally. It will equip them for the challenge of providing stimulating uplift to bosses and others whose feet may appear to be stuck in problematic mud.

The Solutions Focus: The Simple Way To Positive Change, collaboratively written by business management consultants Paul Z. Jackson and Mark McKergow, is a powerful, "reader friendly" guide that focuses entirely on a pragmatic approach to modern business dilemmas. From making use of proper organization, to the importance of teamwork to a simple and useful focus technique to get to the heart of any problem in short order, The Solutions Focus is very strongly recommended as a dynamic, practical, and straightforward guide to streamlining efficiency and improving business sense.

Well done guys! This is an excellent presentation on the art of possibility thinking and creating new choices. I use a very similar process in my work as a high-performance team facilitator and it is great to see the solutions focus so clearly presented. I recommend this book and the philosophy it encompasses to just about anyone, but especially to change agents who want to learn how to create something different. Wicked!

If you are, or you have friends or family who are collectors of exotic cookbooks -- especially African -- then South of the Sahara is a terrific gift! It was my pleasure to receive a copy from the book's publisher to review for my African Cultures site at About.com. In addition to great, authentic West African recipes, the book contains valuable information about the various foods and sources where you may purchase the ingredients called for in West African cooking.

We are Americans residing in Ghana and received this book as a gift-the recipes faithfully recreate the food we find in the markets and chop bars. Its a book we'll carry and use in all our future travels.

Good food, beautiful pictures of some of the dishes and of Africa, and easy to follow recipes.

If you want to explore the present state of knowledge about tigers in the wild and their real prospects for survival, this is the best publication available. It's attractively illustrated with photos of wild tigers, current range maps, and useful treatments of their history, habitat, populations, prey relations, conflicts with people, and conservation status in various parts of their range. The book's chapters are well organized and written by well informed scientists.

I couldn't put the book down and have only been surprised that it has received so little publicity beyond the professional ranks of conservation biologists. It's useful also for those considering a visit to areas where tigers still occur.

An excellent and thorough composition of research of the tiger and its conservation. A must have for ecologists or wildlife biologists interested in studying or working with the big cats. Very informative, written with a lot of data, statistics, maps and references - most informative for those with a scientific mind. Highly recommended.

Riding the Tiger is a fine conservation book. It gets into the technical part of conservation which few see. If you are interested in becoming a zoologist this book is a must.

I had read Stephen Hawking's Universe years ago, but when it was brought to my attention again recently I decided to reread it, something I rarely do. I have to admit, it fares well despite the passing of time ( it was written in the mid-80s). This is in part because it is one of the better and simpler introductions to cosmology and the history of the Big Bang Theory. It is also due to the charming personal details woven through the book by its author and relating to Stephen Hawking the man.

As most of those who follow cosmology probably already know, Stephen Hawking is afflicted with a serious neuromuscular disease. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease (after the baseball player who died of the disorder) had confined Hawking to a wheelchair by the writing of the book and has since put him on a portable ventilator. Having worked with people suffering with this disorder earlier in my career, I can attest both to the seriousness of the malady and to my surprise that the gentleman has survived as long as he has. Both facts make his intellectual achievements, the dedication of his caretakers, and his own personal tenacity for life very real to me and very impressive.

John Boslough, the author, is a scientific journalist. He appears to understand physics at least well enough to describe it for the layperson, and does so in a readable style. He also creates a biography that is flattering to the subject without diminishing the contributions of others to the field. The book is, however, extremely simple, more of a history of the development of the theory of the big bang and black holes than a thorough explanation of them, and the interested reader would do well to look at Hawking's own popular writings on the subject for a more thorough and professional point of view. My only complaint about the book would be that it does not contain any form of bibliography, a resource I always consider one of a book's most valuable assets. It helps the reader to find material for further study, and it also provides a measure of the preparedness of the author on his topic!

I'd recommend the book to any beginner who is curious about the Big Bang Theory, about black holes, the Theory of Relativity, the Theory of Quantum Mechanics, or about Stephen Hawking. I would also say that any person from junior high level or above would be able to understand the material.

This small book, originally written in 1984, was and is still revealing.
Firstly, on a personal level, Hawking admitted already at that time that "As far as theoretical physics are concerned, I'm already ... quite far over the hill'.
Secondly, it gives an excellent explanation of Hawking's contribution to theoretical physics (black holes and their similarities to the beginning of time).
Thirdly, Hawking has outspoken opinions about the anthropic principle (against), the universe of Eastern mysticism (an illusion), the many universes theory (not meaningful) or determinism ('Even if we do achieve a complete unified theory, we shall not be able to make detailed predictions in any but the simplest situations').

This booklet offers also excellent examples for the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics and contains Hawking's Inaugural Lecture 'Is the End in Sight for Theoretical Physics?'

Although this book is, from a theoretical point of view, out of date (no superstrings), it should not be missed.

As a non-science-type-person I read this book with the sense of shame and guilt that was customarily heaped upon purchasers of "Cliff Notes" by our school English teachers. This is a layman's guide to Hawking for people who are too intimidated to read Hawking, but as such it is a very good piece of work, and the discussion of the Big Bang, black holes, pulsars and quasars are well interspersed with aphoristic comments by Hawking himself.

Homesick for Texas, and all those good eats? This is the book for you. It is much more than a cookbook, it is a piece of Texas to be read and savored. Having eaten at all the locations of Threadgill's and having spent many (too many, according to my college transcript) at Armadillo World Headquarters, opening this book was like a trip back home. Sure, there are the receipes for all the Threadgill's classics, including all the vegetable dishes. Sure you can try to make the wonderful chicken fried steak, but intertwined in all those recepies is the history of Threadgills, and the people who were there. You learn the thinking behind the place many called home, you remember the brand names of products that made Texas cooking great. You also get a bird's eye view of the Texas music scene and all the colorful people who inhabited that time and place. Threadgill's kept me from getting too homesick when I left Dallas, and moved to Austin. This book keeps me from getting too homesick for home.

Hands down, the greatest cookbook ever written (take that, Better Homes & Gardens!). If you've never been to Threadgill's, you've never truly experienced the bounty of God's green earth - but you can get a fantastic taste of it with this book. I cook something from this book almost every day, which may not mean I'm the healthiest soul alive, but I sure get my veggies! If you thought a down-home cookbook was just a bunch of artery-clogging recipes for fried vegetables, you're only 10% right. In addition to fabulous recipes, this cookbook is actually an entertaining book to sit down and read! Trust me, it will find its way to that revered shelf in your bookcase that's reserved for the family Bible and the baby books. Yee hah!

As someone who moved from Austin to Washington, DC years back---and whose friends still ask me why, I don't have an answer. But I can tell you one of the things I miss is Eddie Wilson and Threadgill's. It's not fancy, it's not meant to be, but as Eddie says "This is not a lobster taco". This isn't fancy food, this is just good food, something you could eat every day, something that doesn't require an engineering degree to assemble and a degree in civil engineering to balance on the plate.

This book is a 300-page testimonial to why Tex Winter should be fast-tracked into the basketball Hall of Fame. NBA fans need this book right now. Tex Winter is the antithesis to the Glamour Coaches of today. His Depression-era frugality, gratitude, and humility provide some balance for the Superstar mentality, and he clearly demonstrates that even professionals like Jordan and Pippen still need a true basketball educator like himself.

Mark Bender, excellent job. I will insist that my fellow NBA-junkie friends and family read your book.

But, please correct a major factual error for the paperback. On page 285, you said, "The Raptors beat the Bulls for the first time ever" during the abbreviated 1999 season. That's not true.

The Raptors beat the Bulls twice during the Jordan-era. Once on 3-24-96, and a second time on 12-8-96.

In fact, you make mention on page 242 about Dennis Rodman getting suspended for "two games for excessive profanity during a live postgame interview - a game in which he had been ejected." That was a game in Toronto in which the Bulls had lost.

Otherwise, thank you for writing this wonderful biography about a basketball genius who deserves due credit for his lifetime achievements and also his significant contributions to the Bulls' dynasty of the 90's.

Bender's succinct, edgy style carries the reader through Winter's life while racing down the court with Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and other NBA giants. Bender tells it like it was--no holds barred. Winter's coaching philosophy of discipline, hard work, fairness and individual intergrity comes alive as we watch him lead individual players to become not only the best players they can be, but also the best men that they can be. Bender brings basketball personalities to life as we watch them struggle to learn Winter's famous "triangle offence" and to balance their individual desires for achievement and glory with Winter's emphasis on the ultimate good of the whole team.

The pace is fast, and the anecdotes and behind-the-scenes tidbits entertain as we go with the teams through Winter's unprecedented 53 year professional career as a coach. From Kansas State, Washington, and the Houston Rockets to fourteen years with the Chicago Bulls, and the current LA Lakers, we travel the backroads of behind the scene basketball. Bender gives us the inside story on the conflicts, the joys, and the frustrations of coaching mega-stars with mega-egos while trying to teach them values of character and integrity.

This book would be a perfct gift for any high school athlete. Bender gives the reader deep insights into not only the sports psychology that Winter uses, but into the secrets of what it really takes to be able to uphold personal values in the rip-roaring jungle of professional sports.

I loved every minute of this great ride, and if you love basketball, you will too!

Trial by Basketball is the Slaughterhouse Five sports book. It's a fascinating history into Laker coach Tex Winters rise from garage band gymnasium roots, college sucess, the amazing Bull Run to current Los Angeles Laker status. As a Long Beach State 49er booster and renewed Laker backer, I recommend TRIAL strongly to fans from N.Y. to L.A. The authors unique style is a keenly accurate flashback account of Tex Winters classic career with insights into the world of sports and life as it is! A humorously intriguing One of A Kind Biography. The book equally satisfies the golden age Wilt Chamberlain transition era as well as the Rodman, Kobe X'er generation. ONCE YOUR IN TO IT, YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF IT--- MARK BENDER CLEANLY RUNS THE TABLE!------------------------ Linda Fallico-Coto De Caza, Ca.

Love the pictures and the write-ups. Much prefer this to Usborne's World History which has more nudity than I can allow my children.

Awesome book for all ages, the pictures are great. There is so much information,yet it is easy to follow and understand. It is well worth the money, and much more interesting than the history books in schools. This is a book you wished you could have had to learn with when you were in school.

This book is one of the best around for teaching ancient history to all ages! The colorful pictures, and detailed, yet short explanations hold a child's interest. There is enough information for an older child to learn and retain his new knowledge. The pictures are wonderful, which further the beauty of this book!