Furniture 2000: Modern Classics and New Designs in Production (Schiffer Design Book)

Book Description

Many of the great modern classic furniture designs of the twentieth century are still in production and available to the public in America and abroad. There are also many recent designs destined to become classics, because they share many of the same qualities of modern furniture already in museum collections and sought after by collectors. This volume, with 600 color photographs and detailed captions of a representative sample of the best modern furniture available, is the first source book to focus only on designs that are currently in production, and to present them in full color. It is both a history of modern design and an international shopping catalog. The indexes of 250 designers and companies and the list of sources will enable the reader to locate each item for purchase or for additional information. This book will serve as an indispensable and handy reference for decorators, interior designers, architects, and collectors, plus acquaint the general public with extraordinary designs that are generally only known to the trade.

Energy Efficiency Manual: for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, designs and builds, is interested in energy conservation and the environment (Energy Efficiency Manual)

Average customer rating:

Useful and interesting - STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
Superlative! A must have!
A secret weapon for the energy auditor
Everything you always wanted to know, in plain English
Provides practical advice for avoiding pitfalls

Energy Efficiency Manual: for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, designs and builds, is interested in energy conservation and the environment (Energy Efficiency Manual)
Donald R. Wulfinghoff
Manufacturer: Energy Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0965792676

Book Description

This is the primary reference, how-to guide, and sourcebook for energy conservation. It lets you improve efficiency and save money in all types of buildings and plants, ranging from individual houses to commercial buildings to large institutions and industrial plants. It is organized around 400 logically grouped energy conservation actions, presented in language that everyone understands.

It's for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, manages property, operates energy systems, designs, builds, and values conservation and the environment. It's loaded with features that help you quickly find the right information for each application. "Ratings" and "Selection Scorecards" identify your best conservation opportunities. "Traps & Tricks" ensure success. "Economics" estimate savings and costs. It has been acclaimed by professional and non-technical users. Publishers Weekly says it "answers just about any question [from] homeowner, plant manager, energy policy guru ... as practically useful as it is informative." 830 photographs and drawings illustrate the methods. Hundreds of examples give you a feel for real applications. A complete index makes it easy to find every topic and term.

Customer Reviews:

Useful and interesting - STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.......2005-02-08

Despite the intimidating name and size of this tome, I found it fascinating to read. It covers everything from light bulb selection to rooftop chiller maintenance. The depth and breath of coverage is amazing.

This is not a hippie guide to backwoods eco-conservation. It is a practical manual, firmly grounded in science and economics that explains different strategies for maximizing comfort while minimizing energy use. In every case, the author examines both the pros and cons of the measure, and calculates the expected payback term. It is so helpful to have a book that is realistic in its treatment of energy conservation. Lots of books outline promising energy saving techniques, none I've read before talk so frankly about the problems you will encounter when you implement them.

Quite technical in many places, the text excels at explaining important concepts that are often ignored in other texts. I have a background in physics, but not until reading this book did I have a good grasp of the operation of absorption coolers or how the spectrum of a light bulb affects the visual comfort of the scene it illuminates. The concise overview of heat transfer mechanisms is more thorough than any thermodynamics textbook I've ever read.

Most important of all is the practical advice that is clearly based on a huge body of real experience. As the book so frequently points out, energy saving measures are useless if they break or are defeated by building occupants. Hundreds of (non-obvious) examples of these failures are given, with pictures.

This book would be great for anyone with responsibility for designing or maintaining buildings of any size. If you are hesitant to pay the high price, find it at a local library. I don't write many Amazon reviews, but after reading this book I felt compelled to strongly recommend it.

Superlative! A must have!.......2003-12-08

Superlative! The ENERGY EFFICIENCY MANUAL by Donald Wulfinghoff is a "must have" for professionals, libraries, facility managers, policy makers, homeowners, and anyone else who is serious about saving energy and cashing in on lower energy bills. It is the ultimate energy saving resource for businesses, industry, and government. PLUS, it will save money and reduce pollution, satisfying corporate bottom lines, policy makers, and environmentalists all at the same time. This book is unique. Highly informative, illustration-rich, and user-friendly, it is treasure trove of everything you need to know about energy efficiency from A to Z. Don't bother looking elsewhere -- the ENERGY EFFICIENCY MANUAL simply has it all. This book will pay for itself almost as fast as you can spot a hot air leak or install an energy-efficient light bulb!

-- Amy Vickers

A secret weapon for the energy auditor.......2003-07-01

As an energy auditor I'd almost call the Energy Efficiency Manual a secret weapon, except it has so many good ideas that I can't help but show it to many of the customers and prospective customers I meet. The diagrams are very useful, as is the self contained but well cross-referenced way in which each improvement measure has been written. For example, talking to the maintenance manager of a hospital, we looked at the diagrams of hot/cold deck multi-zone systems while discussing the pros and cons of upgrading a constant volume air conditioning system to a variable volume system. It is by far the most useful book on energy management that I have ever read (well, in the case of the Energy Efficiency Manual, that I have partially read - its an enormously large book!), and the ratings of each of the measures are particularly useful, along with the practical, no-nonsense approach. The book is extremely well cross referenced and Wulfinghoff has covered an enormous body of knowledge in writing the book. As someone fairly new to the field I'm grateful that he went to the effort of documenting and making available his knowledge and 30 odd years experience in the Energy Efficiency Manual.

Everything you always wanted to know, in plain English.......2001-04-25

I nodded my head in agreement while reading Wulfinghoff's philosophy about energy savings in commercial and light industrial facilities. He distills 20+ years of experience in this field with practical, no-nonsense how-tos to gain energy and dollar savings in a wide variety of facilities and end-uses: lighting, water use, steam systems, space heating, water heating, air conditioning, scheduling, pumps, energy management controls: its all here in a well-written, well-illustrated book.

Perhaps best of all, the author goes beyond theoretical considerations of high-tech efficiency products, with precautions of what works and what might fall short. He also reminds facility managers to be mindful of the human factors that can foil our best efforts. He offers suggestions on how to plan and manage efficiency upgrades complete with information for building operators and occupants, so that the savings persist.

Highly recommended for anyone managing energy use in facilities, ranging from individual buildings to college campuses to government facilities. [I am a local government energy manager myself.]

Provides practical advice for avoiding pitfalls.......2001-02-04

Donald Wulfinghoff's Energy Efficiency Manual is a massive, 1,536-page reference work that is organized to guide the reader quickly to the right information for their particular energy project, problem, or inquiry. The first part of this "user friend" manual has 400 logically grouped activities for improving energy efficiency. each activity begins with Ratings and a Selection Scorecard to help the reader judge the merits and difficulties of that particular activity. "Economics" sidebars estimates the savings, cost, and payback period. The "Traps & Tricks" sidebars provides practical advice for avoiding pitfalls plaguing energy conservation efforts. Energy Efficiency Manual will earn back its cover price over and over again and is an essential, core reference for personal, professional, and community library energy conservation and energy efficiency reference book collections.

Construction Scheduling: Principles and Practices

Average customer rating:

Construction Scheduling: Principles and Practices
Jay S. Newitt
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0131133373

Production Testing of Rf and System-On-A-Chip Devices for Wireless Communications (Artech House Microwave Library)

Average customer rating:

Great Book to have - for Current RF test - to be RF test Engineers.
Excellent resource for RF Test Engineers
It's about time! Should be taught at the college level

Production Testing of Rf and System-On-A-Chip Devices for Wireless Communications (Artech House Microwave Library)
Keith B. Schaub , and Joe Kelly
Manufacturer: Artech House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1580536921

Book Description

With the increasing number of integrated wireless devices being developed with SOC (system on a chip) technology, a merger of RF and mixed-signal test approaches is quickly becoming a necessity. Addressing this need head-on, this first-of-its-kind resource offers you an in-depth overview of RF and SOC product testing for wireless communications. The book introduces new, creative methods that lead to more efficient testing, such as multi-site and parallel testing. You learn how to determine critical measurements for specific applications, including Bluetooth, WLAN, and 3G devices. Moreover, the book shows you how to perform these measurements cost effectively in a production test environment.

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Customer Reviews:

Great Book to have - for Current RF test - to be RF test Engineers........2007-04-29

This book provide precise definition and concept about RF tests. The process included in this book covers allmost all techniques that are currently in use.
i have recently joined UWB -wireless R&D company as Test engineer. This book amazingly covers almost all the RF tests terms and concept that i have come through so far.
very good book to have

Excellent resource for RF Test Engineers.......2006-08-01

I bought this book several years ago and it sat on my shelf until I recently became an test engineer. This book has been an excellent resource and its descriptions and explanations have been both concise and easy to understand. I would definitely recommend this book for prospective RF test engineers.

It's about time! Should be taught at the college level.......2004-04-26

An excellent read for any up and coming engineer or any test floor manager hoping to better understand cost of test issues. The book also does a good job of bridging mixed signal with RF as they collide in the SOC world.

Practical Guide to Software Quality Management (Artech House Computer Library)

Average customer rating:

Broad, shallow, and seems rather dated, but some useful stuff.
A solid addition to any SQA library.
Decent, but Shallow Coverage of a Broad Topic
Blueprint for 'building' a quality organization
Practical and easy to put in use

Practical Guide to Software Quality Management (Artech House Computer Library)
John W. Horch
Manufacturer: Artech House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1580535275

Book Description

If you are responsible for designing, implementing, or managing a quality software program, this updated edition of the Practical Guide to Software Quality Management now identifies 10 major components that make up a solid program in line with ISO 9001 quality management precepts. Thoroughly revised and with new chapters on software safety and software risk management, this comprehensive primer provides you with the starting points for a standardized documentation system, and analyzes each individual program component separately, addressing in detail its specific role and overall importance to the system.

This is the only volume to offer a broad overview of software quality management for non-experts and experts alike. It is written in clear, easy-to-understand language and contains a complete glossary that demystifies technical terms, abbreviations, and acronyms. Useful appendices contain example and "starting point" documentation outlines. Moreover, every chapter features an extensive list of authoritative references directing you to the latest technical details on a variety of software quality management issues.

Customer Reviews:

Broad, shallow, and seems rather dated, but some useful stuff........2007-03-04

I've been in software development for over 20 years, and now I'm starting a full-time QA job, so I'm loading up on book about software quality management.

I'm sure glad I bought this used instead of new! It's great as a general overview of the basic software quality management concepts, but there's not a whole lot of depth here. It's a lot of "what to do" without much help on exactly how to do it, though I will say that the few sample forms and planning outlines are helpful.

On aspect of this book I found partucularly disappointing is that is seems dated. Sure enough, it was written just over ten years ago, before a lot of the current intranet deployed collaboration software became widely used. So, rather then start printing all those forms you need to run your software QA system, just put them on your "Quickplace" or "Sharepoint" workplace collaboration system.

So, this might be a good first book on software quality management, but it had better not be your last.

A solid addition to any SQA library........2005-12-25

This book won't win any awards for being flashy; however, it is a very well written introduction into the world of SQM. Well organized, with the key points consistently reinforced. A quick read that makes you hungry enough to pick up on the key points and explore them in more detail. If you're new to world of software quality, or only have a couple years worth of experience then this is a good purchase for you.

Decent, but Shallow Coverage of a Broad Topic.......2002-09-01

As stated in the introduction: "This book is a primer for those who need to understand the concepts as well as the value of software quality management...It is not intended to be a reference for the experienced software quality practitioner or the definitive text on how to accomplish all the software quality tasks available today." I agree with that statement. I found the coverage of each element to be shallow. I kept wanting more details from the author, but that would contradict with the intent of the book stated in the intro.
Horch identifies the aspects of a Software Quality System in the first chapter and elaborates upon them in a logical, sequential manner in the rest of the book. He ends with several outlines based on or adapted from IEEE standards. The thing that I disagree with the most is the author's statement in the Preface that "The audience for this book includes those who have been charged with the responsibility of creating and implementing a total software quality system in their organizations." The problem is that those people will already have a good understanding of the material presented in this book and as such, the book adds nothing to assist them in implemtating a software quality system beyond what they already have. I've gone back and forth between rating this book three or four stars. While I agree with the elements of a software quality system and their need I believe that this book fails to meet its goals.

Blueprint for 'building' a quality organization.......2001-07-07

After I finished reading this 259-page book I kept thinking of how it was organized and how the author presented the material. Although I have been exposed to, and worked within, quality frameworks throughout my 25-year career this book triggered a clarity that brought together the essence of an effective quality program. This happened when I drew an analogy between the book's contents and approach, and constructing a building.

First, the book starts with a chapter titled "Elements of a Complete Software Quality System," which is the foundation. It then covers what I think of as the building blocks: standards, reviews, testing, defect analysis, configuration management and software documentation. It then fills in gaps, much like mortar, by covering associated quality concerns. Each of these "building blocks" and the "mortar" are thoroughly discussed in separate chapters. The actual construction comes in the final chapter titled "Quality System Implementation".

This book is copiously illustrated and the writing is straightforward. Although my analogy may be somewhat distracting, nothing in this book is - each chapter stays focused on its topic and goes into considerable depth. The author provides you with a solid foundation, quality materials and a blueprint for creating an effective quality organization, and does so in 259 pages. This book earns five stars for the influence it had on my thinking, and has my highest recommendation.

Practical and easy to put in use.......2000-04-04

+ve points: Gives practical guidelines to develop your own quality assurance plan. Useful for small to medium size projects. -ve points: SEI-CMM should have been covered in greater detail. an introduction to 6-sigma would have been useful. Not scalable to larger projects.

Integrated It Project Management: A Model-Centric Approach (Artech House Project Management Library)

Average customer rating:

Good follow on book to IT Management

Integrated It Project Management: A Model-Centric Approach (Artech House Project Management Library)
Kenneth R. Bainey
Manufacturer: Artech House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1580538282

Book Description

A long overdue book for today's IT professionals, this unique resource offers you a practical, model-centric approach to integrated IT project management that supports state-of-the-art software development. A valuable and topical reference, the book enables you to: understand issues that relate to project management problems and the roles and responsibilities involved in managing and delivering multiple IT projects; develop an appreciation for project management best practices; and improve internal and external communications by applying simple, adaptable and consistent processes based on a model-centric framework.

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Customer Reviews:

Good follow on book to IT Management.......2007-01-12

This book has a lot of material to cover. Also has examples of MS Project.

Not a lot of diagrams to go on-but it is still worth the price.

Construction Planning and Scheduling, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Construction Planning and Scheduling, Second Edition
Jimmie W. Hinze
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0130928615

Book Description

This book provides full coverage of the fundamentals of construction scheduling, presenting a straightforward and comprehensive introduction to all of the aspects and techniques of this field. It begins with a treatise on the fundamentals of scheduling and develops and discusses such topics as: precedence diagrams, activity durations, contract provisions, resource allocation and leveling, money, project monitoring, computer scheduling, earned value, productivity, litigation, short-interval schedules, linear scheduling, and arrow diagrams. Construction Planning and Scheduling serves as an excellent resource for scheduling professionals in construction and related business sectors, as well as construction attorneys.

Average customer rating:

Not for anyone really wanting to build a home
Owner-builder?
Thorough Guide to Home Building
Get This Book If You're Building a New House
The best book out there on the topic

The Brand-New House Book: Everything You Need to Know About Planning, Designing, and Building a Custom, Semi-Custom, or Production-Built House
Katherine Salant
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0609805835
Release Date: 2001-07-17

Book Description

From the first vague ideas to the finished structure, building a brand-new house presents you with thousands of choices -- and possible pitfalls. Yet there's no single expert you can turn to at every stage and ask, "What do I do?" Until now. This definitive reference will help you:

* Figure out how much house you need, and how much you can afford
* Choose among types of builders, communities, and lots
* Negotiate the offer, financing, contract, and closing
* Assess options and upgrades -- which are worth it and which are not
* Understand windows, flooring, kitchens, landscaping, and scores of other issues
* Work with real-estate agents, architects, site superintendents, home inspectors, attorneys -- your whole team, which may consist of dozens of players

The Brand-New House Book distills the most crucial advice from hundreds of experts -- from the broad strokes such as bankers on mortgages, interior designers on colors, or arborists on trees to fine-tuning such as cleaners on carpets, movers on staircases, or landscape architects on drainage, every issue is addressed. Thorough and authoritative, yet completely accessible, this book is the most valuable investment you can make to ensure that you bypass the potential nightmares and ultimately come home to the house of your dreams.

Customer Reviews:

Not for anyone really wanting to build a home.......2007-02-12

I thought the book had very little value. The author spent way too much time explaining why building your own home is a bad idea. Many things can go wrong. Most of us know that. How about some encouragement and problem solving ideas. Alas nothing of help. The basic theme is to hire every expert known in the trade (including tree doctor), do nothing yourself, bring lots of money (double all your estimates, then then double the total), or better yet just save yourself the time and frustration and buy an existing home.

Owner-builder?.......2006-04-01

Although I find this book very thorough in its coverage, it was not useful for me. I am trying to build my own home and was looking to 1)understand the building process and all that is involved, and 2) by understanding more about the intricacies of building, be able to cut costs and save money. It is assumed by the author that the reader is entrusting all of the work from start to finish to a contractor. This is great if you have the resources to build a top-of-the-line custom home. I don`t.

Thorough Guide to Home Building.......2005-04-26

Although I do agree with the reviewer who noted the haphazard layout of the book, I found this book to be quite informative. I enjoyed the author's newspaper columns on the subject, and this book comprises an effective guide for anyone thinking of taking the plunge. From day one, people tell you, "Avoid new construction"... but this book reveals that it can be done, and done well.

Get This Book If You're Building a New House.......2003-06-22

This book is chocked full of tips and solid advice about the process leading up to a new home. It clearly outlines the options for getting a design and a builder, and points out how choices affect the cost and the resale value.

The best book out there on the topic.......2003-02-15

Very helpful. I found this book to be more helpful that all the rest, and I have gone through a ton of them. Sure, the design of the book is unfortunate, but the author's actual imput outweighs that. Shame on those who can't see past it.
Great book. Essential. My contractor finally recommended it after I'd read too many other books...and it's great. The Kitchen section was especially helpful.
God bless you, Katherine Salant.

The Production of Houses (Center for Environmental Structure Series)

Average customer rating:

Christopher Alexander's principles put into practice

The Production of Houses (Center for Environmental Structure Series)
Christopher Alexander , Howard Davis , Julio Martinez , and Don Corner
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0195032233

Book Description

As an innovative thinker about building and planning, Christopher Alexander has attracted a devoted following. His seminal books--The Timeless Way of Building, A Pattern Language, the Oregon Experiment, and The Linz Cafe--defined a radical and fundamently new process of environmental design. Alexander now gives us the latest book in his series--a book that puts his theories to the test and shows what sort of production system can create the kind of environment he has envisioned. The Production of Houses centers around a group of buildings which Alexander and his associates built in 1976 in northern Mexico. Each house is different and the book explains how each family helped to lay out and construct its own home according to the family's own needs and in the framework of the pattern language. Numerous diagrams and tables as well as a variety of anecdotes make the day-today process clear. The Mexican project, however, is only the starting point for a comprehensive theory of housing production. The Production of Houses describes seven principles which apply to any system of production in any part of the world for housing of any cost in any climate or culture or at any density. In the last part of the book, "The Shift of Paradigm," Alexander describes, in detail, the devastating nature of the revolution in world view which is contained in his proposal for housing construction, and its overall implications for deep-seated cultural change.

Customer Reviews:

Christopher Alexander's principles put into practice.......1999-07-29

If, after reading Christopher Alexander's earlier books, you were wondering if he ever actually built a house in the real world, here's your answer. Yes, he did. Yes, the people owning the houses love the results. Yes, they feel the special connection with their homes that is the hallmark of Alexander's ideas. No, the powers that be, who agreed to temporarily suspend building codes for his project, were not happy with the results. Why? Because they look funny, and because he built five homes instead of five hundred. Well, if they'd read his other books, they would not have been surprised. Our intrepid hero is quite unsparing of himself - you can see his delight as his ideas work, and his horror when they don't.

I believe that Christopher Alexander is dead on in saying that the system he created is a better way to build homes, indeed a far superior way to do so. However, I can't say the official reaction to this project is encouraging. After the first five homes were built, the bureaucrats came in, stopped the project and sent our intrepid hero packing. You can tell from the ending of the book that this reaction spooked Alexander, and I can't blame him. A revolutionary system of construction, he says, antagonizes pretty much everyone. But it will triumph, he proclaims!

Book Description

Written in a style that is meant to be open and inviting to the reader with shorter paragraphs and interesting illustrations, this book provides a single source comprehensive examination of construction project scheduling. Content begins with introducing concepts of the construction industry to provide the necessary framework and background, then fully discusses planning and scheduling topics in detail. It offers extensively reviewed coverage on the most current version of SureTrak Software, thorough coverage of manual network diagramming and CPM calculations, and has built into it a capstone project. The book includes an abundance of real world examples of numerous scheduling exercisesâincluding 17 pages of full-size drawings and schedules that are part of the exercises. Additionally, the information is presented modularly in such a way that it can be customized to fit any learning situation. Covers planning and scheduling including the determination of project activities, logic, and durations; drawing precedence network diagrams and manually calculating CPM schedules; creating and updating computer-generated schedules and schedule reports. Well suited to be used as a guide or reference by construction practitioners such as Project managers, Superintendents, and Construction managers.

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