I used this review manual in addition to a few others to prepare for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam. Throughout the course of my studying, I found I used this one almost exclusively. It covers a large spectrum of most of the topics found on the General Section of the FE exam. The reviews are detailed enough to obtain an understanding of the topic without drowning you with too much information. I had been out of grad school for 8 years when I took the FE exam, and there were some subjects on the General Exam that I never had at the college level. However, this book obviously prepared me enough to pass the FE exam on the first attempt. I would strongly recommend using this review manual as the core of your exam preparation.

I found two or three mistakes, but overall it provides an efficient way to review and practice the subjects covered on the FE exam. I highly recommend this book.

Don't waste your time with Lindeburg, this book will get you through the test. The book could have been a little more thorough on a few subjects, but I passed by studying exclusively from this book - and that was my goal. Do as many timed practice exams as possible, get to know the reference manual inside and out.

Lindeburg's texts are about relearning the fundamentals, Potter's text is the level of review you need to pass the exam.

I am an admirer of Kincaid's work, especially "The Autobiography of My Mother" and "My Brother." However, my high hopes for this book were dashed as I turned page after page. In "Mr. Potter," Kincaid unintentionally parodies the very prose style that made the above works so powerful.

In close to 200 pages, what is incantatory in her earlier work is tediously and self-importantly repetitous in this one. The details of her father's life -- his ancestry, his abandonment of mother and daughters, his later livelihood -- are several dozen pages worth of narrative that is ridiculously stretched out in endlessly repeated phrases; and when those phrases are exhausted, we get paraphrases of those phrases.

Instead of creating a solid portrait of her father the way she did with her mother and brother, we get a novel in which parodic repetition is the main character, in which the author's voice defeats forward-moving narrative. One gets the feeling that the style has become just filler, that Kincaid knew few enough facts of her father's life in order to fill entire book.

Kincaid's writing style is entirely unique and distinctive. This book is not just trying to tell a story, it is assigning an identity to people who otherwise would not have one. The point of this book is to explore and interpret the influence that the past has on the present, both globally and individually. Every literary device Kincaid incorporates into this book is used for a reason, from her repetition of certain phrases to her two page long sentences--it all adds and supports the depth and breadth of the subject she is writing about. With this book Kincaid not only challenges the way we view our lives, history and environment, but the way we view the lives,history and environments of people who are wholly unlike us. "Mr. Potter" is a striking piece of literature.

I enjoyed this novel. It's very realistic, and flows smoothly. Great summer read. Other summer reads recommended are: In-Law Drama and Sunset in St. Tropez. Happy reading!

If I start writing now when I'm not really rested it could upset my thinking which is not good at all. I'll get a fresh start tomorrow, and it's not due till Wednesday, so I'll have all of Tuesday, unless something should happen.

Why does this always happen, I should be outside playing, getting fresh air and sunshine; I work best under pressure, and they'll be lots of pressure, if I wait till tomorrow... I should start writing now. But if I start writing now, when I'm not really rested, it could upset my thinking which is not good at all.

Peter Rabbit is one of four rabbits in his family. Very much curious as well as disobedient, Peter decides to wonder off into Mr. McGregor's garden. He has heard the warning given to him by his mother of what Mr. McGregor does to curious, wandering rabbits. Peter slips away from his brother's and sister's while they play in the fields and decides to see this wonderful garden. While in the garden, Peter fills his stomach with delicious carrots, lettuce and other various vegetables. While eating, Mr. McGregor finds the somewhat stuffed rabbit and chases him around his garden. Peter, realizing the mistake he made, only wishes to be free, that he might not make the same mistake again. This book is very well written and can capture the heart of even the oldest person. Filled with detailed pictures, Peter comes to life in this classic tale of tales.

The pictures in this book are absolutely wonderful. It was my oldest nephews favorite book, his little brother also loves it, unfortunately after five years of hard use I just replaced it with a new one. This is the first time we've ever "worn out" a book!

If my two nephews could write a review, (they are boys, 5 and 2 yrs old), they would tell you that this book is a treasure!

Well, the book does have some nice photos. My copy is in english. However, it really falls short of what was promised. First, there is virtualy nothing in it about architecture. Very few photos of buildings, houses, etc. at all. It's just a collection of photos of the interiors of homes designed by famous people. I was very disappointed. For example, it goes on and on about european homes in mexico -- what does that have to do with mexican styles? If you are looking for a book that is basically a Home & Garden magazine with 270 pages then buy it. Like i said earlier - some nice photos. If you wanted somethign else, then search on. Cause this may leave you unsatisfied.

I bought my copy because of the name, since I am FACINATED with interior design and decorating ideas with ANYTHING Mexican. My text IS in English, and if I would have known it was available in Spanish I would have preferred to have it that way!!

Anyway, this book DOES show the enormous VARIETY of what can truly be called "Mexican": from indigenous homes to still functioning haciendas to colonial-style buildings to the Broque French influence so many of the wealthy class favored before the revolution.

However, for me, it is just too cold, too sterile, for the Mexico I know and love. The colonial and Baroque-influenced homes look more like museums. They look like something only the extraordinarily wealthy could ever even dream of, and are far removed from the comfy, cozy, antique-filled hotels featured in "Mexicolor" or "Mexicasa". There is also a huge, AD NAUSEUM section on modern Mexican architecture -which I LOATHE- and a whole chapter on American, Chicano influenced houses -which I could CARE LESS about. All in all, I have my few favorite pages, which I love and look at repeatedly, but the majority of the book consists of large sections that I skip in their entirety. If you are looking for a treatise on the gamut of architectural styles in the country of Mexico, this is probably a good choice. If you want a book on Mexican interior design and decoration with a passion for things Mexican, this is NOT going to be your first choice.

I am a Mexican woman studying in the USA. I read a commentary above saying that these are European houses, they are not. We were conquered by the Spaniards centuries ago and thus the architectural style blended creating a "Mexican Style". This so called Mexican style includes european traces with Indian influences. This book represents Mexican houses that complies with this style. Obviously you can find native houses following Indian design, but for sure not in any Mexican metropoli.

I found A.S. Byatt's elegant portraits of the late fifties in The Virgin in the Garden and Still Life immensely satisfying, and had wondered for some time before the publication of Babel Tower how she might approach the sixties. Babel Tower seems to represent a change of direction in her Yorkshire series. While its focus on the publication and subsequent prosecution of Babbletower is reminiscent of the dramatic chaos surrounding Astraea, which drives the narrative of The Virgin in the Garden, Babel Tower contains much more overt cultural analysis. At times this detracts from the Potter family narrative developed over the preceding books, however it seems neccessary in order to allow Byatt to evade a simplistic satire of the period. Her interweaving of cultural, social, political and environmental concerns of the time provides a valuable backdrop to Frederica's and Daniel's continued stories.

Character development is perhaps not as strong in this book as in The Virgin in the Garden or Still Life, although Leo Reiver and Agatha Mond represent useful additions to the cast. I was pleased to see peripheral characters-Jacqueline, Ruth and Thomas Poole-take on greater importance. However Ruth's retreat into religion was not entirely convincing and I felt that her increasing entanglement with Gideon's sect could have been better developed. Hopefully this sub-plot will be continued in the next installment.

On the whole, Babel Tower lacks some of the coherence of The Virgin... and Still Life, but it is worth noting that the events and period that Byatt documents in this work are not as easily defined as those of the previous two. She does very well with difficult material, and maintains the emotional force apparent in the rest of the series. Definitely a worthwhile read, and lovers of Byatt's incredible attention to detail would be well advised give it a second and third reading as well.

A. S. Byatt has to be one of our greatest contemporary writers. POSSESSION remains one of my all time favorite books; and while I won't put BABEL TOWER in quite that category, it is very, very good. I read VIRGIN IN THE GARDEN several years ago and was somewhat disappointed. Even so, I read STILL LIFE which I liked and now BABEL TOWER which is the best of the three. I'm looking forward to the fourth book in the series and to anything new by Byatt.

A. S. Byatt's Babel Tower integrates one woman's complicated journey into the story of the troubled 1960's with masterful results. Frederica has married an upper-class gentleman who expects her to stay at home and take care of their child without exercising her intellectual gifts or being allowed to see her friends. When he turns violent, she flees with her son back to London and her artistic peer group. In her part-time job reading unsolicited manuscripts, she comes across a vibrant, disturbing book called Babbletower and recommends it for publishing. The rest of the novel deals with Frederica's divorce trial and the prosecution of the novel for obscenity. All of it is set, however, in the swirling, chaotic upset of the 1960's and the redefinition of an entire culture's values.

Byatt is a masterful fiction writer. The many voices of the novel - Frederica's, the fanatic recluse author's, the liberal clergyman's, even Anthony Burgess' - are rendered in believable and splendid detail. We believe them all, whether they repulse us or not. The surrounding culture mirrors Frederica's changing identity - reading the Hobbit to her son, short skirts, hash brownies, happenings. Excerpts of Babbletower indeed read like a work of subversive genius - and it's all created by Byatt. I believe the English have an edge on the subtle development of character and plot. Read this great one to know how it's done.

The Science of Harry Potter is a fairly interesting study both of how all the magic at Hogwarts can be "explained" by science and how science has diverged from the magic explored in Rowling's wizarding world. Some of Highfield's observations are entertaining, popularised discussions of quantum physics or genetic engineering, using references to the Potter books as examples (sometimes quite tangentially). Don't expect much insight into the Potter books, however: it's clear that Highfield has read and obviously enjoys them, but he doesn't explore the books in any great detail; they are mainly a starting point for him to discuss various scientific topics. The effect, however, is tremendously reductive: broomstick flying is seen in terms of drug-induced hallucinations, the magical creatures can be "explained" in terms of genetic engineering, and so on. None of this either endorses Rowling's prodigious imagination or helps one understand anything that happens in Harry's world.

More seriously, Highfield seems not to understand the complex relationship between Rowling's magical and Muggle worlds: much of the first part of the book tiresomely demonstrates how all of the magical devices used in the books have some parallel in the "real" world through recent technology (such as invisibility cloaks that could employ fibreoptics). But who cares? All Highfield proves is that Western science has finally caught up with what Rowling's witches and wizards have been doing for centuries; he misses the point that the wizarding world doesn't need Western science in order to function, and that, in fact, Muggle science is a radically different way of understanding nature which has eradicated what has traditionally been called magic from the Western (Muggle) mind. As a result, he reiterates hoary old notions that "primitive" people--those who believed in magic--had a greater degree of "superstition" which, of course, can be explained away by modern neuropsychology, again missing the point of the Potter books (and demonstrating an appalling anthropological naivite as well).

If you're interested in popular science books, this one's OK; if you want something Potter-related that readable and entertaining while you're waiting for June 21, then by all means pick it up. There is a very good study of Harry Potter, magic, and science that remains to be written; this one barely fills that bill in the meantime.

I gather this author makes a career of being a "debunker" of sorts. Little does he know that he's missing the point of the Potter series in many, many ways.

However, if one is trying to interest a child/teen in science, and that child already loves Harry Potter, this book may be helpful.

Just steer clear of the section on "The Origins of Witchcraft." It's poorly thought out, badly researched, contains misinformation, and is proof of the adage that one can't see what one isn't looking at. This author isn't looking. He should have stuck to the science stuff and left the rest of it alone.

If your kid hates science and loves Harry Potter, I give it five stars because of its potential to interest a child in science. If you are looking for intelligent commentary on Harry Potter's "world," I give it no stars. I'll average that out to three stars.

Mathematician David Deutsch says a QUANTUM COMPUTER could be programmed to do just what Lord Voldemort's magic diary could do in "The Chamber of Secrets".

MIT is using NANOTECHNOLOGY and a technique called "phased array optics" to build an INVISIBILITY CLOAK (for the Pentagon, unfortunately). It should be perfected in about 20 years.

I did the smart thing and got this book on inter-library loan BEFORE making a decision whether to purchase it. I noted that the book was only 176 pages long. Word to the wise: If a book on tech stuff is that short, be suspicious of the content. When a tech book is small like this one is, there usually is no "there" there. And when I see that a book this short is cover priced at almost $ USD, all kinds of red warning lights begin to flash in my head. Glad I didn't waste the money!

In a word this book is "cursory." I was looking for solutions for a good cross-platform security solution for my wireless LAN. All this book gave me were other places to go for information. For instance, there is a section on IPSec VPN that is a grand total of seven pages long, which has good plans for how to use FreeBSD or Linux servers, but then also refers you to a website for more information. There are a bunch of website references scattered throughout the whole of the book in a "look here for more information" way. If I wanted to reference the web for information, I'd use Google for FREE and not spend almost (cover price) to have someone else tell me where to look.

The author states in the beginning of the book that if you are familiar with FreeBSD and Linux and want to use these for wireless security it's a good book to read. Well, speaking from an admin's standpoint, and having compiled several FreeBSD kernels and setup several Linux boxes, this book is FAR below my experience level. If you are an admin of WinTel boxes, this book is not for you. If you are a Macintosh admin (which I also am), don't bother with this book either. The author also seems to assume that you know nothing, even though the book states that it's a good idea to have an admin's or engineer's background, and to have a good knowledge of the OSI model.

THEN, the author goes on to state (page viii, paragraph 1, line 4) "We provide links and references to resources to help with these issues [configuring Linux and FreeBSD solutions] but do not address then directly. This book concentrates on the issues germane to wireless security and leaves the operating-system-specific installation procedures as an exercise to the user." Just to be concise here: yeah, that's the way it's printed: "then" not "them" and wow, "germane"--use of this word must be to make up for the then/them mistake, I guess.

So, basically the author warns the reader in the beginning of the book that he will provide you with references to resources and cursory information that can be obtained via other means of simple research without his help, and will leave the actual configuration tasks up to the reader.

Why would anyone PAY for this? Heck, if O'Reilly is publishing books like these, I have a few transcripts and drafts that I'd like to send them NOW! Anything in this book can be found on the web for FREE. Did I mention "for FREE?"

To be fair, this book would make a good text for teaching a beginner's class, but it still needs MORE MEAT.

Please look elsewhere for solutions. Don't buy this one.

I disagree with the other reviewer. While it's true that this book has a large collection of URL's that *could* be found using a search engine, the fact that the authors took the time to find the resources mentioned, cull through them, and published them, saves a beginner a significant amount of time weeding out the good hits from the zillion or so mediocre ones.
The book is well worth the money for anyone contemplating running a wireless network with some flavor of *nix, or even, (God forbid) Windoze. Sample configurations for both servers and clients are given, and aside from a few typos between the text and the diagrams, is quite complete for anyone with a modicum of system administration knowledge.

You've got one, I've got one, we've all got one. Wired networks have become so passe` now that wireless networks are everywhere. The one characteristic of most wireless networks is the lack of security. Enter O'Reilly's 802.11 Security.

Potter and Fleck have written this little book as a no-nonsense guide to understanding the problem of wireless networking security. They also do an excellent job demonstrating how to implement solutions that are quick, simple and actually work.

Overall, I would have to say that this book is a gold mine for anyone running an 802.11 network. It has helped me figure out how to implement wireless networking at home thus minimizing security risks. As usual the book is very easy reading and it's written in a very easy-going style giving the necessary background before launching into any detailed discussions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone considering or using a wireless network.

Even though given enough time my wireless network could be sniffed out, I feel much better having a better understanding of how important securing my wireless network is and knowing that I've done what I can to prevent unauthorized use.

This has to be one of the worst Solaris study guides I've looked at. Several of my colleagues use it to do a study class, but we have found some of the material to be incorrect and/or badly presented. My advice would be to avoid buying this one!

The best way to prep for the exams is to get hold of a set of the authorized training guides from Sun ( someone needs to go to class for that though ) and use those in conjunction with practice tests.

Take any review mentioning type-o or incorect text to be true. I read this book, took the quiz's and full exam. It is chuck full of errors and idiodic text. Some subjects are only covered with minimual examples or explination.

I am a seasoned veteran, and require more detail. This might be a good book for the introduction level, but for experianced users I would recomend passing on this book.

Some things I found on the test where:
[4 ] Which of the following would not be an advantage of a virtual disk management application?
A. Free cappuccino from Starbucks with every purchase of a virtual disk management application
B. The ability to concatenate disks

[ 8 ] For which of the following is the Server Management Console best used?
A. To impress employers with your ability to "point-and-click".
B. To manage administrative tools from a central location.

[31 ] Which volume management application uses metadevices to represent logical disk mappings?
A. Solstice Too Sweet
B. Sun TownsEdge Volume Manager

WHEN HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SUN TEST WRITTEN LIKE THIS? And it seems they mix test i and ii together.

I felt the book was very well written and to the point (which is to get you certified). I had a couple of years of medium-user experience when I bought the book, got myself an intel box and loaded Solaris into it, couple of weeks later....voila!

I would like to stress though that even though this is a great book to get certified with, it is an invaluable resource as a reference book. The material is so clear, and applicable in real life situations that you surely get your money's worth pre and post exam.

If I could give this half a star, I would. The only redeeming value of this book are the statistical citations (i.e. where she was born, where she went to school, etc.). The author is clearly trying to cash in on J.K. Rowling's success by writing a piece of drivel that is reminiscent of the desperation in final essay time in college; lots of padding little substance.

Smith makes giant leaps of logic in trying to detect inspiration from Rowling's life in her novels. These leaps are transparent and many of them seem more unlikely than possible.

I truly hope that either J.K. Rowling writes and autobiography or that she allows an accomplished biographer of some quality to interview her and access some of her old letters and so on. That would be worth a read. This was a waste of my time. Don't waste your money.

...

High on padding, low on truly insightful detail, this is a sad attempt at a biography by a man who seems to have only grasped the superficial aspects of the Harry Potter books anyway.

I look forward to the autobiography that I'm sure Joanne Rowling will be encouraged to write sometime in 2006 when the whole series is finally out. I do not recommend this book as being a particularly good substitute, but it's the best we'll get till then, I suppose.

I found this book very entertaining. JK Rowling's life has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride but the downs like her messy marriage and her mother's long term illness made me want to turn the pages all the more to see how it all turned out for her. It's an unpretentious read packed with facts about the author that I had no idea about. You can't always believe what you read in the newspapers! It's fun joining the author in trying to find Harry Potter references in her own life story and this book doesn't take itself too seriously. JK Rowling is a good writer but her own story is a great one. Thoroughly recommended.

I thought this was a good book. It starts out with a missing man who is then found dead. Who killed him.? There were many who hated him.

The book totally keeps you guessing and the ending is great.

It did not deserve only one star. It was a good book.

Ignore the rating of other critics. It is a wonderful read. Eugenia Potter is sympathetic and you just want to read the book in one sitting.

I wouldn't go so far as to compare Eugenia Potter with Jessica Fletcher. Potter is too laid back for that. But I do think that for a rather leasurely Cozy, this book is a fine read. Enjoy it for what it is and move on to the next title on your reading list. If you don't feel like spending money on this novel check it out at the local public library. You will still like reading it.