If you already know math methods, buy this book as a reference or to refresh your memory. If you hope to use this book to learn math methods, keep looking. If you're buying it because it's required for a class, be prepared to gather a few more books to get through.

I just finished a math methods course. I found myself constantly reading other books to learn how to solve the problems assigned to me out of this book. I used Kreyszig and Arfken & Weber to get me through my math methods course. This book is not for those whose math skills are rusty. Its derivations skip steps which are probably obvious to those more knowledgeable. It simply baffled me.

It may be baffling, but at least its expensive.

With a cover slightly sturdier than newsprint, and binding that seems like it's held with Elmer's GlueStik, M&W is a text you can probably skip with no remorse. I can see it having one target audience: If you already have more than a working knowledge of advanced mathematics, M&W should be good for a reminder on specific topics. If you're a grad student preparing to take a class on this subject, then you're in trouble. M&W, while covering a number of subjects, does not go into any of them in sufficient detail to understand the concepts or complete anything beyond the simplest of problems. Their examples are sparse and poorly explained. Out of a class of 50, I don't know of any that found M&W to be of any use (other than the professor, that is).

I would not say Mathews & Walker [MW] is better than other books such as Arfken & Weber or Boas. But I recommend this book because it is VERY DIFFERENT than others. If Arfken is like a reference book, MW is like a lecture note. It does not cover every bits and pieces; So as another reviewer wrote below, MW is not for those who are not familiar with Differential Equations, Linear Algebra and Complex Variables (these subjects are almost the core mathematical courses which a physics student must take).

But for those who have some knowledge of above mentioned mathematics, by reading MW carefully, you will be nourished with incredible amount of mathematical insight which physicists use.

Also, you will be happy to know that this book was evolved from the course originally based on lectures by Feynman while he was at Cornell and was still a young professor just come out from Los Alamos. Feynman later said that from the experience at Los Alamos he knew which mathematical methods worked and was useful, and he tried to teach those skills in his course. MW is still full of that spirit.

The book is relatively slim than other mathematical methods books, and really fun to read. You will find small but valuable facts which could not be found anywhere else scattered throughout the book.

Moving from the IIS environment to the Unix environment; being fairly computer literate and having become quite familiar with basic Unix administration, I was looking for a good source to get me up to speed on Apache.

This book is not it.

It assumes a fairly detailed basic knowledge which most 'newbies' to the Unix/Apache world just do not have. After I had learnt quite a bit about Apache (from another source) I found this book excelent to tune that knowledge. It is however, as the title 'Professional Apache' suggests, for the Professional Apache administrator. Don't get it to learn about Apache, get it when you already know quite a bit about Apache, and need to learn how to refine that knowledge and need to tweak Apache for maximum performance!

Wainwright is incredibly knowledable, but like many knowledgeable people he forgets that for the average Joe to get from A to Z he has to go via BCDE & F and can't start at UVWX & Y. This is not a criticism of Peter but rather is a criticism of the Wrox editorial staff.

I do feel that the editorial staff could, with a little intelligent effort, have helped Peter create a book that could indeed have become the 'bible' of Apache Administration.

Peter Wainwright has done another fine job of covering the installation, configuration and running of Apache, this
time focussing on version 2.0 of the application.

Much of the material in this book was covered in his previous edition (Professional Apache), though the obvious
emphasis here is on Apache 2.0. However, Apache 1.3 isn't ignored and the book is still useful for anyone using
that version, as well as anyone simply migrating to 2.0.

As before, it starts with a basic overview of the HTTP protocol, TCP/IP and server hardware. These are useful for
beginners, but I'd hope that anyone thinking of running a web server would have this knowledge already.

The section on improving web server security has been expanded into its own chapter and includes plenty of useful
system security and integrity advice not peculiar to web servers, but crucial nonetheless. The chapter on
extending Apache with third-party modules has had an overhaul too, now covering the likes of WebDAV and
mod_python. mod_perl, which has changed drastically for Apache 2.0, is also covered in detail for both versions of
Apache.

I've recently built an Apache 2.0 server from scratch using nothing but this book, and apart from a couple of
typos I've found it to have covered every step of the way without coming across any errors or omissions (the index
is very good but in the May 2002 print I have some of the entries are one page out). The book is still very
Unix-centric, though there seems to be more specific information for Windows users than in the previous edition.
But then who would run Apache on Windows anyway? The author makes his views clear near the start of the book that
Unix is a preferable platform, but for the masochists there seems to be enough information to get Apache running
on Windows.

If I have any complaints it's that perhaps the chapter on monitoring Apache could have been expanded somewhat in
its description of log analysis tools. Only Analog is covered in any depth, though it is described in plenty of
detail from installation to configuration and is arguably the most useful analyser out there anyway.

Professional Apache 2.0 isn't a bed-time read, but it's an excellent tutorial and reference for the Apache
administrator and far more useful than the online documentation. If you are planning to install or run Apache,
then I highly recommend this book.

Apache's HTTP server has been by many measures the most popular web server on the web, and perhaps the primary application that drives people to Linux and open source. Three years ago, Wrox published the definitive book on running the Apache server by Peter Wainwright. Excellent though the book was, it badly needed updating. In May 2002, Wrox published another book, Professional Apache 2.0, which covers the new generation of Apache server, as well as older 1.3x versions that are still running production servers around the world."

Although Apache changed a great deal in its version 2.0, it is a credit to the Apache folk that the config files and command line options have basically remained the same for sys admins. For this reason, the book seems to include a lot of material (CGI security, building, core modules) from the original book. However, a closer look reveals many changes. Almost every chapter includes a discussion about how features differ in both versions of Apache. The book does a good job of giving an overview of Apache's architectural changes and how the use of multi-processing modules (MPM) allow the admin to choose an optimal implementation of apache. This edition, noticeably bigger than the previous one, contains many more examples of how one can extend apache functionality (configuring for binary distribution, setting up virtual interfaces, load sharing). Many sections have been expanded. The discussion of security and SSL is more detailed, yet more succinct; so is the section on content negotiation, (which is twice as long as the previous book), doing proxy server configurations, rsync and benchmarking performance. The discussion on hardening the server was great and up-to-date, although I wish the book spent more time discussing on patching and upgrading.

What is new to the book? We find a longer discussion of graphic administration tools for Windows and Unix, including webmin (which actually I wanted more of). We also have discussions of newer modules such as mod_ruby, mod_python, mod_dav as well as a brief description on how to install tomcat alongside apache. The discussion of mod_dav was especially helpful and interesting to me (and I was especially glad that the author acknowledged the Subversion DAV module, something which is bound to become more important). The php stuff hasn't changed much (although at the time the book was published, 2.0 compatibility with PHP was still an iffy proposition). The book's discussion of mod_perl isn't significantly different, although it does point out migration issues and some additional features.

Generally, the book is clearly written and contains enough examples to find any configuration you want. A few parts required rereading (especially the part about proxies and proxypasses), and occasionally I needed a better explanation of what the example code was supposed to do.

No book can be everything for everybody, and nobody can accuse the book of not having enough content (it is after all more than 700 pages!). I found myself wishing for other things. The book briefly discussed 2.0's support for ipv6, but I longed for a fuller explanation and a more detailed example (Fortunately, I had seen a good ipv6 tutorial on Linux Journal ). Also, I would have liked more information about other web application servers (like zope that Apache sometimes coexists with, content frameworks (such as cocoon) and other goodies produced by the Apache Foundation. The author might legitimately feel that such subjects lie outside the book's scope, but such topics are becoming more important.

In summary: for newbies who are looking for a guide to start with: this is the definitive book to read. It's definitive and a little imposing, but it is well written and logically arranged.

For people already familiar with Apache 1.3 but looking for more depth about ipv6, php, content frameworks or Tomcat, it might be better to read books on those specific subjects instead of this one. Indeed, Wrox will soon be coming out with a book specifically on Apache and Tomcat.

For experienced system administrators, the material in this book may not be terribly new, but they will still appreciate the variety of configuration examples for managing large numbers of virtual hosts and the convenience of having documentation of the 1.3/2.0 differences at their fingertips.

I think this book could be better, because, first of all, it seems like Kristy thinks Bart is a bad person and dosen't trust him. When she got the notes that were nice, she thought it couldn't be Bart. But then, when she started getting the wreid notes, she automatically thought that it was Bart. I kept reading this book to the end because I wanted to find out who was really writing the notes. It really could be better.

I liked reading this book. It kept me turning the pages, not wanting to put the book down. I recommed this book to BSC fans everywhere, as well as people who are new readers of the BSC. The main character is Kristy, and she keeps getting these love notes from someone. Some of them were really sweet, but some were also pretty scary. Read this book and you'll know KRISTY'S MYSTERY ADMIRER.

I love this book because see, when Kristy was couching baseball at the first moment of this book, the moment Bart may have got a crush on her. That's why Kristy's getting letters that are saying things like 'I like you but I don't know why' or stuff. but it got delivered to Kristy's friend name Shannon Kilbourne. Was it Bart? I bet so, but then, The notes are getting super creepy, was it someone who hates Kristy, is it Bart, or is it some criminal that's off to get Kristy!

I bought this book with high hopes. I am fascinated both with science (especially neuroscience) and with spirituality (especially Eastern). This book promised to bring togetehr these two subjects in a novel concordance.
Sadly, it doesn't. What we get is a mismash of facts, theory, anecdote, and tradition that has neither the logic of good science nor the passion of moving spirituality. It was almost enough to stop me from taking my Yoga classes at the YMCA. Of the recent spate of science and religion books, this is the worst.

This blends spirituality with science and yoga insights in a category which might prove hard to shelve, but which is intriguing. Dr. Mathew blends his neuroscience background with Indian philosophy to consider yoga beliefs in general and the yoga concept of spirituality as a higher form of consciousness, in particular. From brain research which supports the idea that quieting neurons allows for a more spiritual state of mind to insights on 'pure consciousness', this is packed with intriguing insights.

The True Path: Western Science and the Quest for Yoga by Roy J. Mathew (Perseus Books) How the latest brain research supports the possibility of pure consciousness and explains our most profound spiritual experiences is partly what Mathew manages in this accessible blend of ancient yoga philosophy with the latest insight from neurobiology and brain science. In many ways this book is a sort of Roots for Mathew's as he rediscovers the Indian heritage of his homeland. It is a fun tour of the best of Indian philosophical considerations, especially following closely the vivid Radhakrishnan accounts of Sankara's Vedanta and tying it into his own facile understanding of current neuroscience. The result is hardly hard science but it does provide further inclination toward a reconsideration of the possibility that what we call consciousness, though species specific as a biological and cultural artifact is at is root reflective of the innate intentionality, or intelligence or design of the universe or spacetime or matter itself in some way. This is the tendency of many books on science and religion and consciousness. Mathew manages to inform as he educates us in this exciting science and at the same time provide a provocative correlation with ancient Yoga philosophy.

As the instructor of "Practical Object-Oriented Programming" (a 5-week course that uses Dylan that teaches object/functional application in the software domain), I chose _Dylan Programming_ as the text book. It is well-suited to the methodology of teaching programming: the chapters can be comprehended by people with no programming background (I had two such students), yet the material is stimulating so that even experienced programmers find it useful. Married with the Functional Developer (a Dylan IDE), _Dylan Programming_ makes teaching, or learning, Dylan quick and easy.

I have three points where I find the book wanting: organization, exactness/correctness, and completeness.

I found the book's organization a bit puzzling: especially when it came to control structures. In my teaching sessions, I needed to move forward 11.1-11.5 (skipping parts of 11.3 and all of 11.4) before I covered chapter 4 (classes). Also, interspersing the airport example seemed random at times, particularly in the second half of the book. I chose to skip those chapters (for teaching purposes).

The book was incorrect for several of its page references. This was particularly annoying as it happened that I followed a reference on several occasions, only to be led to the wrong page. For example, page 182 (center) refers one to page 172 for the definition of sum (a function), this function actually appears on page 174. Page 183 (center) refers one to page 147 for the use of curry ... this example is actually at the end of page 148. Page 183 (center), again, refers one to page 181 for the use of the function choose, which is not mentioned until page 182 ... and on, and on, and on. Some references were so obscure that I could not find what these references meant on any page near the page they mentioned. Chasing referred pages, then, became a tiresome venture that often disappointed.

As for completeness, I mentioned in the previous paragraph the function choose, a very useful function. However, if one looks in the index, no mention, anywhere, is made of it. The authors took pains to highlight it in the text, explain it, and provide an example. This exact problem exists also for the function apply, another very useful function. _Dylan Programming_ falls down in the index for generalities as well as specifics, as we've seen: no entry exists for first-, or higher-, order functions. Also, the index entries for protocol and efficiency point to one line definitions in introductory sections, where their explanations occur much later in those chapters.

Even though the index has some faults, the references are off at times (too often, unfortunately), and I disagree with the book's presentation of fundamental topics too late, the book shines overall, and shines primarily that it teaches Dylan well.

First, some of the book's explanations surpass those of the _Dylan Reference Manual_ (DRM). It used illustrations, code examples, and metaphors repeatedly to get the point of the section across. Not only that, but it went in depth on some topics where the DRM chose terseness: for example, _Dylan Programming_ has explained modules as namespaces very well. Accompanying many sections were interactive examples in a Dylan listener so that the reader could try out the topic's techniques as they read.

Second, the book unifies the presentation of the language very well. The DRM is excellent at examining language features piece by piece; _Dylan Programming_ is excellent at putting these pieces together at the chapter level. They even have a bulleted chapter summary of the topics covered.

And, third, the book succeeds in a practical way. All of my students were new to Dylan (some new to programming), yet each completed their final project assignments, due in large part to the help this book gave them. One programming neophyte created a final project that computed the possible blood types of a child from known parents' blood types (a relatively simple task), but then created a blood type inference system that postulated a blood type of a parent based on one parent's and the child's blood type ... a more significant achievement. Another created a mathematical symbolic processor (it found, among other things, the roots of quadratic equations).

Overall, then, this book has some minor shortcomings. As a book to learn Dylan, though, it is without peer, and I strongly recommend it as the first book from which to learn the language.

While primarily aimed at people just learning Dylan, this book has some great info for people who already understand Dylan reasonably well (the chapter on performance is especially valuable.) The book is well written, and the information in the book is very accurate.

The book does not attempt to cover all the standard Dylan functions and classes, and thus it does not intend to replace the Dylan Reference Manual (DRM). I often find myself using this book as a reference for language features though.

I think this is one of the better programming books I've seen, in that it is task-oriented. The authors have a goal of building a program to do airport scheduling; while they are building this program, they are teaching you Dylan. Consequently, you are learning how to do a real-world task (well, at least someone's real world task) rather than just a bunch of example programs that don't correlate well or at all. Along the way, they are teaching you how to build classes and methods effectively, which is sadly lacking in most other programming tomes.

The only thing that I considered a "problem" is that it took them until chapter 11 to start discussing control structures (like the loops and decision statements). My attention was wandering and I had to skip ahead to keep my interest.

It also seems to be oriented towards people who are already familiar with C++ or Java (or some other object-oriented language), which is probably not a bad assumption. I can't imagine someone picking this up as their first language, but it is just a word of warning, just in case.

In summary, very, very good book. Don't make the mistake of getting the Dylan Reference Manual as a way to learn Dylan -- "Dylan Programming" is the book to get for learning the language.

Mathews's book is quite solid, providing concise, to-the-point information on the art of the Byzantine Empire. Rather than organize his text chronologically, Mathews chooses to focus each chapter on a specific theme, such as icons, churches, and secular art. In this way, he tries to unify the various branches of Byzantine art. It should be noted that the book is an introduction to the subject, and may not provide the depth of information necessary for more advanced study. This is not to say that what Mathews has provided is simplistic, or less than scholarly. On the contrary, his text is most distinguished for its artful way of connecting the art of Byzantium to both its classical roots and its Renaissance successors. Mathews takes upon himself the role of advocate, reminding readers that the Byzantine Empire kept western culture alive after the fall of Rome, and asserting the vital influence that Byzantine art had on the Renaissance. At times, his prose grows quite lofty as he reflects on the continuous tradition of western art. This thematic discussion complements his detailed descriptions of specific works or art. Overall, this is an accessible and useful text.

This inexpensive yet lavishly illustrated volume is an ideal introduction to the history of Byzantine art. As the previous reviewer has noted, it is arranged thematically. However, the themes themselves are those that arise more or less chronologically, so one does get a sense of moving from the period of the Late Roman Empire to the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453. The volume as a whole is everything one could hope for in an introductory text; it is concise, extremely accessible, covers all the major issues and ideas of the periods being considered, provides all the essential background, and explains the ongoing significance and influence of the period as a whole. As Mathews explains early in the book, Byzantine Art is the backbone of Medieval Art, and he does a marvelous job of explaining and detailing that claim.

One sense that any reader will come away with from reading this book is associating a specific color with Byzantine Art: gold. In photograph after photograph, one will be struck at the amount of gold used in jewelry, sculpture, architecture, iconography, and painting. One will also gain a solid overview of Byzantine Art, and will definitely have an interest in further study kindled.

Garret Mathews does a fine job of giving the reader an "inside" look at independent ball, as he chronicles life with the Evansville (Indiana) Otters of the Frontier League. Being from the home of another Frontier League team, the Johnstown Johnnies, this book had special interest for me. Mathews gives us a good look at the daily routines of the players, their struggles just to make ends meet and the pressures they face. At this level, the players often stay with "host families" and the author gives the reader a look at that aspect of the life of an independent player. I suppose much of what Mathews covers in this book applies to players in the lower levels of affiliated baseball, also.

My only complaint with the book deals with several mis-statements, typos, etc. For example, he discusses the "Cap Cod" League (should be Cape Cod) and states that one player lives in Sonora, California, near Yellowstone National Park. I believe Mathews meant Yosemite National Park; Yellowstone is several states away, in Wyoming. At another point, he refers to (I presume the same player) as both Rick Skinnou and Rob Skinnou. Several things tend to lead to confusion, also. Several times in the book, it is mentioned that he is with the team during the 2001 season, yet near the end of the book, he quizes the manager about whether he'd want the players back in 2001. At another point, games on a road trip seem to run together. The July 26 game seems to start in London, Ontario, but later, in the same stream-of-thought, refers to the Johnstown dugout. And there are more examples.

These errors may seem small and inconsequential, but it seems to be the norm in many books that I've read lately. For me, it tends to take the focus off the intended contents of the book, and puts you in a position of finding the next error.

That aside, I still found "Can't Find A Dry Ball" to be a book that I'd recommend to others (my wife, for instance).

Garret Mathews did a superb job at getting into the game of an independent team. I enjoyed the company in the dugout. Garret did a good job at not forcing the issue of getting a quote all the time. It seemed like he would speak out at certain times of the game that was appropriate.
Furthmore, he did a good job at getting quotes from most of the members of the team. It just shows you that there are so many different types of people from all over the world that can come together to form a baseball team.

Benefit of this book is only if you do not have the physiology book by the same author or if you want to carry around a section of the huge book. By itself the book is very clear in explaning cardiac cycles and rest of the hemodynamics. Hearth sounds forget it, ECG or ECG graphs, forget it but whatever is explained is explained in easy terms whit some nice diagrams/figures.It is expensive book per page compared to physiology book.

This book has a lot of useful information but could be a little more reader-friendly

One word of warning - the entire content of this book is to be found word-for-word in section IV of the Berne & Levy textbook "Physiology". Don't make the mistake I made and buy them both !

I scored 54 out of 57 on the 8i Performance and Tuning exam using this book. The explainations in that section are better than in any other book I've used. I also used the Self Test Software and some notes I found on-line to get fully prepared.

The Network Admin portion of the book is good too, but there seems to be a lot more errors in that part. Also some of the examples confused me, but perhaps that was due to the errors, I don't know. Better supplement this book with another reference, just in case.

This book is heavy and bulky, so it isn't something I'd want to tote around. Wish they didn't bundle two books together. On the whole it is a great book; if not for the errors in it, I'd have given it 5 stars.

I'd like to say this book is good but not excellent. Divided into 2 parts, Performance Tuning and Network Administration. You can rely on Network Administration part to make you pass the exam without using other preparation kit. But for the Performance Tuning part, I accept that it's not quite complete. Don't be surprised if you find some questions in the exam ask about something that never stated in this book.But may be you have no choice since I've never seen Performance Tuning material that cover all of the exam ( even from Oracle Press). Anyway, you still can pass it ( like me) but not so good score.Just read it carefully

I passed the performance tuning exam with 48 out of 57 and studied for just 46 days. I read through this book first and then found a copy of the Instructor Lead Training (ILT) book. I found that Oracle documentation was much more difficult to read. When taking the bonus exam, manually write the answer on a piece of paper and check each answer while you are going through the test because when you click the grade button, that answer sheet is WRONG. I used this book to tune two databases at work because the material is very well presented. Regarding the exam, there were 20 very, VERY easy questions and 20 questions that were very difficult.

W. C. Feurtado, MCSE, MCDBA, and OCP-DBA wannabe (4 down, 1 to go) ...

This is a book whose premise I liked better than the actual execution. The idea of 1950s Chicago, an actress turned S&M model (think Betty Page), mobsters, a dying tough-girl editor, hack pulp writers, a struggling screenwriter, and a heist of Nazi gold, sounds great, but fails to hold together in the end. Branton expends so much effort on recreating the hard-boiled setting and slang that the plot zigs and zags all over the place with annoying time shifts and a disappointing denouement. It might have been more compelling had Branton stuck with one or two main characters and went a little deeper into their lives, and paid a little more attention to plot (for example, the various heist plans are bafflingly stupid). While comparisons with LA Confidential aren't totally off base, Leonard's book is big league material, and this is strictly wanna-be. The 1950s dialogue is occasionally marred by 1990s expressions, and more irritatingly, by Anglicisms that the editor should have easily caught.

i really liked this book. i liked the characters and the story, but while reading it i figured it was too good to be true and prepared myself for a bad ending. very, very surprisingly it was a good ending, it made sense and it fit with the rest of the book. it made me feel all smokey and sultry and hollywood nocturne-y.

These reviews! Branton's view of 50's society enthralled me from beginning to end. I won't bother elaborating on the characters and plot here, as you can read that in the editorial. I will say that I found both interesting and imaginative, more so because you can trace their origins in contempory popular culture, as criticised above. Get this, this is somewhat the point of Branton's writing, as you would know if you had read the excellent 'Love Parade' and 'Coast'. It's a guessing game to spot your own coolness. If only we could all be this slick...