Yeah, so my title is somewhat cheesy, but at least it connected with one of his movies. I'm sure that everyone has heard of the popular "Kevin Bacon Game" by now, so this book would be the perfect compliment to that game.

Unfortunately, if you are looking for anything more, you won't find it in this book. It is nothing more than a list of characters linked to Kevin Bacon. However, I must admit that I was impressed by the amount of effort and research that had to go into making this book. But, then I wonder why.

Setting that aside, I accept it for what it is worth. It is entertaining, and some of the photographs are quite good. I particularly enjoyed the filmography section at the beginning of the book, but other than that, this book is simply a novelty item. Take it from me, Chad Spivak, who attended a Miami Dolphins' football game with Dan Marino, who was in "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective" with Sean Young, who was in "Fatal Instinct" with Bob Uecker, who was in "Major League" with Charlie Sheen, who was in "Young Guns" with Kiefer Sutherland, who was in "Flatliners" with Kevin Bacon!

This book is a companion piece to the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game. I've played the game a few times, but I never actually knew there was a real 'board game' game of the game until recently. I figured that the book might help me learn a bit more about that wonderful actor, Kevin Bacon, and give me an edge over my croonies in crime the next time we play the game. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot here. The book is quite short and basically consists of a bunch of "six degrees or less" lists. The introduction by Kevin Bacon himself is interesting to read and so is the history of the game. The book also has a Kevin Bacon filmography that is rather informative. However, the book needs an update because Bacon's been in several films since 1997. This book is great for any fan of Bacon, any serious film buff, and anyone who likes to play the game. If you don't fall into one of those categories, don't waste your money.

When I heard about the game, I realized that I had in fact seen most of Kevin Bacon's movies. It is so much fun connecting other actors to him. Not only do you have to be a Bacon fan, but a fan of all movies new and old. My friends and I can sit around all night trying to stump each other. I have become the king of our Bacon "study group". This book has also inspired me to begin my own Kevin Bacon movie collection. I'm about half-way there. Long live Bacon.

I feel that this book is writen so well that it could have been a true story. It tells the way of life with out the auther trying to show only one side. It can be a little crude in spots but I feel that it only makes it all the more real. If you have any intrest in indians or rodeo life, you should read this book.

This book got me back into reading fiction for the first time in years. I asked a friend who reads a lot of different authors for something, and he said try this one. So I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I live in California, but am fond of the Pacific Northwest, and have done a lot of travelling there. Lesley has a fine ability to evoke what is special about the land and people of this area. The book has some interesting accounts of the ways of the tribes in the area, such as the Celilo, a fishing tribe whose prime fishing grounds are wiped out in one poignant scene by a newly constructed power dam.

The story follows Danny Kachiah, a Nez Perce who barely ekes out a living working the local Rodeo circuit as a bronco-rider. He is trying to re-assume the role of father after his divorced wife is killed in a car accident, leaving him with his estranged son, Jack. But it is Danny's relationship with his father, Red Shirt, that is central to this book.

Danny is haunted by the memory of his father, a tough, smart old Nez Perce, and by the remarkable stories his father has related to him over the years. Throughout the book, it is the memory of his father and of the cultural traditions of his tribe that Red Shirt has passed on to him through his stories and teachings, that guide his actions as he attempts to get his life back together, and especially, to re-establish his relationship with his son.

I basically read "Winterkill" in one sitting. It's an excellent story about fathers and sons and the family history that both brings them together and also creates walls between them. Through the principal character, Danny Kachiah, Lesley weaves an absolutely engrossing story of a contemporary Native American family. In the process, he also tells something about the nation (in this case the Nez Perce of Eastern Oregon) and its history, and how this history weighs down on its descendents. The story is never anything but believable-the characters are very realistic, and Lesley's portrayal of life among the "reservation Indians" is brutally honest. Also, there is no climatic "redemption" or catharsis or any of the other cliched conclusions that can usually be found in similar "family drama" literature. This is what makes "Winterkill" so much like real life, as it deals with slow growth and the painful ups and downs that generally mark interpersonal relations. There's not much more I can really add here, except to say that this is the best piece of fiction I've read in a long time.

I used the textbook written by the same author in class, which was one of the most dense, example-less books I've ever read. The prep book is slightly better, explaining things clearly and briefly, but sometimes it does lack in depth. It should review more of the basics, even if they are elementary, such as how to write functions, or the order of accessing multiple functions. It was annoying to have to go online in the middle of a practice test to get the Marine Bio Case Study questions. But what really bothered me was that there were no EXPLANATIONS for the practice test multiple choice questions, only a list of one-line hints for about 10 out of 40 questions. I really can't learn from mistakes if they don't explain why the answers are right/wrong.

Let me start off by saying that I got a 5 on the APCS AB exam in 2001 and we used Litvin's C++ for You++ as well as this review book. It gives good practice part II questions (The radix sort question was almost exactly like the AP question), but the multiple choice questions are too long and more difficult than the actual AP questions. They also didn't match up in quantity - there were more Big-O questions on the AP and fewer in the book, while there were more stack and queue questions in the book and fewer on the AP. The explanations for the sample questions scattered throughout the chapter are good, but the typical student would have been unable to draw the conclusion reached by Litvin by only reading the text before the question. Much better than C++ for You++ as a textbook, but as a review book it fails to prepare a student for the Multiple Choice section of the test.

I took the APCS AB Exam and got a 5. My teacher did NOT know any of AB material. After using this incredible book by the Litvins, in addition to the Barron's Teukolsky review book, I was incredibly prepared. Highlights of this book: the Big-O notation of common algorithms and practice tests. I recommend using the Barron's Teukolsky book to learn the material (if you don't already know it) first, then use this to review the material, using the Barron's Teukolsky book's practice exams, and then using this book's practice exams. The practice tests in this book were HARDER THAN THE AP EXAM for me.

I give my highest recommendation for this outstanding review book.

The only problem I have with this book is that it's too short. Perhaps where it ends is the right point, because it makes you think for yourself what actually happened, and what whould happen to the main characters after the incident. But take it as a compliment that I wanted to read more about these characters.

The story is about a stigmatic who may also have healing powers. One of the good points of the book is that they explain the phenomenon of those who have stigmata. For those uninitiated, this is the condition where humans periodically experience the wounds suffered by Christ at his crucifixtion. They actually get holes in their hands and bleed. This has been documented enough to prove it does indeed exist. Whether it is due to an extreme power of self-suggestion or an actual miracle I will leave to the reader.

Ditto with the healing power. The main character seemingly has this, and Leonard teases us by not showing any healing until the end, and that is even written to make us wonder. It does, however, have the actual stigmata occur, and when it does, it is powerful writing by the author.

Of course, being a Leonard novel, you have to surround him with a cast of con men and hucksters that see how they can benefit from this. What is tantalizing is that we never really know if the central character is good or just another con man. We think he's good, and we want to believe he's good, but Leonard just leaves little hints to make us wonder ourselves.

I'll also not reveal if he's a good man or not, and for that matter, I might be wrong myself. I highly recommend you read it and make your own decision.

The book was actually written in the 1977 but took 10 years to get published because of the religious undertones. I honestly don't understand what the fuss was about but then again that was over 20 years ago. It's a story about a man, Juvenal, who has the ability to heal the sick and when he does heal them he gets the wounds of Jesus, stigmata. Juvenal does not claim to be a saint however the rest of the world disagrees. All Juvenal wants to help those in need and to be left alone. However, there are too many people who want a piece of him. They want to exploit this miracle for a profit. And then there's Lynne... with Lynne Juvenal has found a soulmate, someone who he can talk to and who understand him. Now this 'saint' has a girlfriend and people are up in arms. Should Juvenal live his life for the Church or for himself?

I highly recommend this book; it's a fairly quick read and very unique story.

If only I had read this book back in the 70's, then it may have had an impact on me, somehow. But seeing as to the fact that I'm approaching 80, and will soon be too old to actually appreciate the sub-text of this wonderful novel - I'd have to say that tho' it is one of EL's best books he'd ever written, I would have to agree with my wife who keeps telling me to put the book down and connect myself back to reality.

Cagan and Vogel are addressing a critically important topic. Isn't that every company and entrepreneur's dream to actually create breakthrough products? Are they going to find the formula in this book? Well, yes and no.

The good news is that there are some interesting insights on what makes breakthrough products, like the importance of providing compelling usefulness, usability, and desirability features, or the key role of style, technology, and branding in the success of new products, or the need for an integrated new product development process.

Can you read this book and start applying these principles? The answer is no. To start with, the authors resort to the universal 2x2 business tool to unveil their magic formula: the combination of style and technology is the way to create breakthroughs because these two attributes create value. It is what they call "moving to the upper right" or to the "value quadrant". This is a very simplistic if not erroneoous view of how value is created. This might be true for consumer items where value is mostly in the psychological and emotional realm but it definitely does not help most industrial and business applications where value is more in the economic, solution, and service realm.

The author presents a list of value opportunities that are supposed to be universal but they are brought without any justification. Why does adventure, independence, or security make the list and not other emotions? Isn't that the key to success to fist find what the potential customers really value before jumping to conclusions instaed of trying to fit a model on reality?

Central to breakthrough products is the importance of user-centered research and product development. The overall process is adequately covered in my opinion and since I am not a product development expert I learned some interesting things in these sections but again the tools do not seem very useful.

Regarding user-centered research, I do not feel it is given the importance nor the depth it deserves. It is the last chapter of the main text like if it were something to do after everything else.

Cagan and Vogel use many examples to illustrate their approach and several case studies at the end. It is a good side of the book. On the other hand, these examples are presented to fit the model, something they do more or less convincingly and in a way that does not generate great insights.

In summary, Cagan and Vogel wrote a good introduction to the topic, something that might be useful to newcomers to the field or to MBA students. The practitioners may learn the importance of integrating all disciplines and gained a few insights here and there. The book might make them think but they will find few practical tools and tips to apply on the job.

Although I agree with several of the concerns by other reviewers, I recommend this book for product developers because it offers usable information that can improve the liklihood of success for a new product.

First my concerns:

- There's too many unrelated topics,
- There's too many acronyms,
- It reads like a textbook, it's a little hard to read as it feels disjointed somewhat.

Now the things that I like and recommend:

- Great reviews of successful product case studies (I particularly liked the OXO product one),
- Although trite, their 2x2 matrix was quite interesting,
- Their emphasis on how to put "style" into your product (this is not really covered in many other books),
- Their concept of Product Opportunity Gaps (POG, whoops there's another acronym).

I think the authors, who are quite astute, should rewrite this book. I recommend that they boil down the material and rewrite the book thinking of it as an instruction book from them to some MBA/Engineer (Hewlitt/Packard) who's working out of his garage on some new product. They should not see this as a college text, or some book that's a supplementary reading for college. They have great material and great ideas, but it needs focused. They can completely drop Chapter 6 on Teams. Their Chapter 7 on Understanding User Needs seemed weak. They should drop the case studies in Chapters 8 and 9 and integrate that great material into the core text -- otherwise it's just too repetitive.

There was an excellent article about the authors in Fast Company magazine, July 2002. page 123. "How to Design the Perfect Product". I recommend reading that article as well.

These smart guys from Carnegie Mellon's design school have a unique approach to "Value is all about fulfilling fantasy" and their methodology for getting that into your product.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

Apple Computers/imac, VW/Beetles, OXO/Good Grips and Herman Miller/Aeron Chair are just a few examples of companies/brands that saw their sales rocket due to introduction of new products with unique packaging or design. This book highlights most of these examples and does a good job of showing that no long term strategic marketing plan can overlook the function of quality design. Great design makes a difference to a company's bottom line. People want to own products that not only function well but also look cool.
Mark H.
Art Director / Ming Diamond Price Consulting

This book by Craig Stanford started to show some real information toward a hypothesis than lost all track. It lead to be a dull and redundant essay. It lacks logical sense in scientfic theory and has a biased theme. I would suggest another book most likely a book by Jane Goodall.

With a wealth of primate research supporting his thesis, Stanford argues that meat is an essential element in human evolution. Although not the older and simpler "Killer Ape" hypothesis of some years ago, Stanford sees meat hunting and consumption as the foundation of human society. Meat also acted as a basis in developing the resource voracious human brain and associated communication skills we developed. Among those primates who consume meat, its acquisition remains a male-dominated activity. However, instead of resulting in inexorably male-dominating societies, meat distribution and consumption results in complex negotiation patterns in which females play significant, if not equal roles. This concept suggests humans must seriously reassess their role in Nature. Urging that humanity's lineage is far from linear, he presents a good overview of recent studies. Although the number of definitive fossils is meager, they still demonstrate that our primate roots are not in doubt. The struggle by researchers to properly place humans within the larger animal community has been stoutly resisted by many, both scholars and the lay public alike. Feminist anthropologists, in particular, have striven to displace the male dominated academic group with excessive roles of females in various primate cultures. Some have stretched the idea to the point of seeing females as the true source of language, nutritional foods and even tool making. Stanford addresses these suggestions as mostly unrealistic. Instead, he notes how meat plays a major role in mating scenarios, granting females an active role in selection. Acquiring meat may be accomplished through various strategies, from opportunistic scavenging to actively seeking prey. The true hunter, he contends, must develop a sophisticated array of skills in pursuing meat - prey location, stealth, communication, and the tools able to kill and process. Once obtained, the distribution of the kill becomes an essential element in societal arrangement. He reviews many forms social structures have taken, from selfish monopolization of the kill to the hunter himself receiving but limited return for his effort. What the hunter does gain in all societies is respect and recognition of the group. For Stanford, this is but one indication of the diversity encountered in all primate societies, human and otherwise. The only universal is the hierarchical structure resulting from the hunting role. While hierarchy is the norm, dominance doesn't necessarily follow. In this study, Stanford examines the many social structures primates have developed. These range from nearly solitary, such as the orang-utan, to both male-male and male-female bonding strategies. These elements are essential to understanding the roots of human societal structures. As an example, in primate societies, in contrast to many other animals, it is the female who migrates from the natal group. Stanford doesn't follow this to suggest that dowries and bride-bargaining derive from this behavior, but the inference is clear. Indeed, part of the value of this book is his restriction to biological patterns. One need only accept that humans are included in the primate community. Stanford's book may raise some hackles, but it's far too important an idea to dismiss lightly. He's a skilled enough writer not to get bogged down in a pedantic rendition of the evidence or his conclusions. With the large number of works on the vagaries of human evolution appearing in recent years, finding worthwhile books can be a daunting task. Rest assured that The Hunting Apes is worth your attention and investment. Future research may modify it slightly, but is unlikely to supplant it.

I found Hunting Apes to be a superbly written summary of current debates in human evolution. Stanford makes a case for meat-sharing's supremacy that may or may not be true, but even if his theory were someday disproved, this book would stand as an excellent piece of readable science.

Good story but one of the worst Spider-Man novels that I have read. I don't know what was going through the authors mind. He had a good story but the book lagged "puzazs!" The book dragged and the story jumped around between charactors every paragraph. I was truly dissapointed with this one.

Well i have always read the comics and i am a big fan of spidey, and i was wondering how well a book could do and i was shocked to find it's better then a comic. you are not limited to the art they choose because you have your mind to make them come alive, and the story telling does just that , the writer knows spider-man very well and writes a story worthy of him, and any fan will jump on this book (i have read it a few times i liked it so much).

so if your a fan of spidery then do get this book.

Sorry I'm a paperback reader, I enjoy the price and convenience of the size of the books. After Spider-man is framed for murder and everyone is hunting for his head, it was good to see that even a super hero can use a little help from friends and loved ones once and awhile. This Spider-man book was well written, fast-paced and enjoyable. A must read for Spider-man fans!

I can only assume that Mr. Cleaveland was attempting to woo the legions of Web site developers into writing program generators (PG) with this book. The book centers around a pointless example of how to generate pop-up web pages which call each other when their respective buttons are pressed.
Out of the 13 chapters, 3 are worth mentioning. Chapters 4, 6, and 7 deal with what to consider when writing a PG and how to make it flexible and Mr. Cleveland does bring some worthwhile points to the table. Throughout the other chapters, trivial code snippets are given of how to write the code (in Java, DOM, and XSLT) to generate the pages, however, because the examples are so simplistic any one who knows these languages would know how to write them anyway.
In the future, I would strongly recommend the following:
1. Give examples that people will actually want to use
2. Give examples that highlight your points
3. Get rid of chapters 2 and 3 (domain analysis), they are useless.

I would have given 4½ stars...

Why do I like this book? The author explains how code generation can be used to separate concerns when programming. He compares program generation to the use of run-time configurations, separation of concerns the way it's done with frameworks, with aspect oriented programming etc. What these technologies have in common is, that they try to figure out what a problem domain is really about - what is common between all applications needed in the domain, and what are the differences. Program Generation is ONE of several possible ways of making the common stuff once, while making 'configuration' of the stuff that varies from app to app as easy as possible.

What I like is he doesn't use a lot of pages explaining the technologies he uses (like most other books do). He expects the reader to know Java and XML - and only includes short resumes(including DOM, XSLT). He shows severel different ways of generating code, explained in an interesting, understandable, babble-free way.

On the down-side, you are sometimes wondering why you are reading what you read - after a while you figure it out. I would have preferred a short introduction to each chapter explaining WHAT it is about, and WHY it is relevant...

I have been working on program generators on and off for many years, and just recently completed a project using Java and XML to generate a variety of output files. This book hits on some of the key issues I encountered and provides insight towards solutions to these problems. This book will be a good read for anybody new to writing program generators, and provides useful information even to those who've been doing it.

Sorry,
This is not embedded systems. There is far too little useful
information related to embedded linux and more on higher level
issues. I cannot give this book to a software engineer and
have him(her) make a transition from hosted to embedded even
in Linux -

Part I ('Getting Started') is a head start for newbie, but the emphasis is more on setting up a development and
debugging environment for an embedded linux project and not on the process of porting linux for an embedded system.
None of the issues related to the porting of kernel loader or porting of the actual kernel for any of the reference target
boards are addressed.Not enough information for a newbie trying to port linux for a custom board.
After getting past these issues (with help from resources on web) and having a working kernel on the board, Part II ('Interfacing')
of the book is quite useful.

Hey embedded Linux developers,

This book is great. The simple examples clearly illustrate how to get a development system up and running, then how to develop simple device drivers to exercise hardware. I learned from these examples and put them to work on my project immediately. I read the other reviews below and don't know why they didn't like this book, did they even read it?

Its a great book, buy it now (its the best [money]spent on embedded Linux available).

Satisfied Customer

Craig I. Zirbel read almost every book, article, or newspaper dealing with the JFK assassination for 25 years. This book is the result of his studies. If it happened in a foreign country, 11/22/1963 would be viewed as a coup d'etat. If finding a motive for murder exposes the killer, then motive could explain why JFK was killed. This book explains why the Warren Commission and others are not credible. The most likely solution may be the most obvious, not the most complex (p.4).

After JFK's death LBJ refused to leave Dallas until JFK's body was placed on the plane. The Warren Commission decided there was no conspiracy; Oswald was a lone gunman. Page 17 tells of the faults in the autopsy of JFK. The Warren Commission was created to investigate the crime (p.23). They would examine the evidence developed by the FBI. LBJ was never called as a witness (p.27). Chief Justice Warren would not listen to Jack Ruby (p.29)! LBJ created and controlled this Commission, when he was one of the logical suspects (p.33).

Page 35 explains why political assassinations occur, and why some are covered up. Page 37 explains why Oswald did not fit the pattern of assassins (not insane, no motive). His quick elimination hints at a wider conspiracy. Page 43 tells of the problems in that mail-order rifle. Page 47 tells of the failures with a stationary target. (A telescopic sight adjusted to shoot "high and to the right" would have the built-in lead exactly needed for the shots fired that day! But was this done before that day?)

Chapter 7 analyzes various assassination theories, and tries to discredit them all in a few pages. (You may not agree with it once you've read other books.) Does the photograph on page 82 resemble the villain in "From Russia With Love"? Chapter 8 discusses his theory of "right hand man assassinations". I don't think his examples prove his theory. Chapter 9 announces that he will try to pin it on LBJ alone (p.95). The big problem in this is the lack of any defender who may dispute his charges. Being dead, there is no way LBJ can defend himself. So his arguments are one-sided. Is that fair?

Chapter 11 tells of LBJ's moral rules. Chapter 12 tells of his support by Big Business, page 113 tells how the NASA Space Center was built. How did LadyBird buy those radio stations? See pages 117-8. Page 122 tells of the crash of LBJ's airplane. Chapter 18 hints at the reason why LBJ didn't run in 1968: a strenuous campaign could cause a heart attack (he died in 1973). Chapters 22-23 describes the three major scandals of the Vice-President. Chapter 27 explains how the unsafe detour past the Schoolbook Depository was done against Secret Service wishes. Chapter 29 list the mistakes and problems in Oswald's capture. Chapter 31 tells of Oswald's activities; these may be explained as that of a secret agent who is controlled by others. Could the failure to record Oswald's interrogation be explained by the knowledge that he was doomed? Chapter 35 relates various strange acts: LBJ bought "presidential china" (p.256) in the fall of 1963! Chapter 37 lists 9 reasons for a conspiracy (p.282). Chapter 38 provides a parallax view to the events. Chapter 39 asks you to form your own conclusion. Do this after reading other books, such as Mark North's "Act of Treason".

Craig Zirbel could have used an editor for his writing, but his premise is a fascinating one: Lyndon Johnson was facing the death of his political career, and possibly criminal investigation for two political scandals, so he took the only way out that would solve all his problems. He removed JFK, someone whom he believed stole the 1960 Democratic nomination from him, and made himself president.

I have to do a lot more research before I accept that LBJ took such a drastic step, but it's an intriguing argument. LBJ had motive, he had the opportunity, and he was the only one who could truly cover it up.

Zirbel provides the most convincing and logical
theory. His writing is tight and compelling.
Though it is possible he paraphrased or took out of
context some comments from the Warren Report,
Johnson was indeed the only person in a position
to connect the dots.
Granted, some of his critical observations are not
cited. For example, who actually observed
Marina Oswald going into Hunt's office? Another example: who were the witnesses who claim Earl Warren had tears in his eyes

after a 30 or 40 minute discussion with Johnson? What evidence is there that Warren was reluctant to serve on Johnson's commission?
Nonetheless, having lived in Texas and worked here
several years in journalism, I have a gut feeling this explanation is the clearest
and most likely scenario.