Book Description
What-did you think all vamps were pale, thin and brooding? Don't I wish.
Gloriana St. Clair is an eternally "full-figured" vampire-she just happened to be bloating when a sexy Scotsman sank his teeth into her. She and said Scot-Angus Jeremiah Campbell III, aka Jeremy Blade-have been on and off again for centuries, currently off. A couple hundred years has taught them how to press each other's buttons-in good ways and bad.
Glory's headed for Austin and a new business venture: Vintage Vamp's Emporium. After all, she loves clothes, and she is an antique. Only problem is, there's a billionaire techno-freak vampire hunter on the loose. Blade's in total he-vampire mode, and wants Glory to move in with him so he can "protect" her. But it's time for this vamp to explore her own powers
Customer Reviews:
Smart, funny and romantic with a twist of action packed thrills!.......2007-09-10
I have just recently become aware of a new genre of writing, "Supernatural chick lit". Sounds weird right? NOT AT ALL! I am so in love with this genre of books I can't get enough of them. I loved Chick lit to begin with and I love Sci-Fi. It is like Bridget Jones meets Van Helsing. This is one of my favorite series to date (also love the Sookie Stackhouse Vampire novels by Charlaine Harris and MaryJanice Davidson's Undead series). Glory St. Clair is an everywoman who just happened to have been turned into a vampire when she was PMS'ing. Now she is forever bloated and plus sized! I loved her and her love interest, Blade. I would recommend this book for anyone craving a little romance, humor and action! I can't wait to get the 2nd book!
Entertaining bubble bath read.......2007-08-28
Glory is the type of vampire chick that I would have as a friend. The book is written in the first person allowing for good insight into her personality. The obvious drawback to this format is that it is very difficult to understand the motivations of those surrounding Glory. Blade is not my favorite hero, but he seems to have potential. I hope that the following books in the series better develop the supporting characters and strengthen Glory's self-acknowledged character flaws. She is a 400+ year work in progress!
real vampires have curves .......2007-08-23
I enjoyed this book well written and a page turner couldnt wait for the 2nd I hope to see more from gerry bartlett in the near future
Glory's great!!.......2007-08-08
I bought this book when it first came out and didn't get to read it until the newest one was released. I love this book. IT made me laught almost the whole time. Can't wait for the next one. I
An Excellent Vampire Series- with a Real Woman who has Curves! (A Grade).......2007-07-08
Gerry Bartlett broke the mold when she came up with Glory St. Clair. Glory is a 500 years old plus vampire who has become a total modern girl. She is a "real" woman, meaning a size 12 and not a size 2 like most heroines found in romance whether they be historical, modern or paranormal. This first book in the Glory vampire series is funny, heartwarming and very erotic. It is also very refreshing to read about the potluck of characters that Glory surrounds herself with, including her creator and love of her undead life, Gerry.
For ultimate laughs and modern day problems such as dating, sex and trying to get through the ho-hum (including trying to stay alive from evil vampire hunters), this is the book for fans of romance and comedy all rolled into one. Again, the true reason to start reading this series is because of Glory. Everything is told in her first person point of view, ala "Sex in the City."
A true laugh a minute that will not disappoint, plus very hot sex!
Katiebabs
Real Vampires Live Large
Average customer rating:
- What I want To Know
- Not the racist book that racists think it is, or wants it to be
- Tuskegee Airmen -- I just have one question.
- The truth is hard to bear
- General Intelligence Isn't all there is, but it's definately important
|
Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life (A Free Press Paperbacks Book)
Richard J. Herrnstein , and
Charles Murray
Manufacturer: Free Press
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Similar Items:
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The Bell Curve Wars: Race, Intelligence, and the Future of America (A New Republic Book)
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The Mismeasure of Man
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Race, Evolution, and Behavior: A Life History Perspective (3rd Edition)
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In Our Hands : A Plan To Replace The Welfare State
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Measured Lies: The Bell Curve Examined
ASIN: 0684824299 |
Book Description
The seminal book about IQ and class that ignited one of the most explosive controversies in decades, now updated with a new Afterword by Charles Murray
Breaking new ground and old taboos, Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray tell the story of a society in transformation. At the top, a cognitive elite is forming in which the passkey to the best schools and the best jobs is no longer social background but high intelligence. At the bottom, the common denominator of the underclass is increasingly low intelligence rather than racial or social disadvantage.
The Bell Curve describes the state of scientific knowledge about questions that have been on people's minds for years but have been considered too sensitive to talk about openly -- among them, IQ's relationship to crime, unemployment, welfare, child neglect, poverty, and illegitimacy; ethnic differences in intelligence; trends in fertility among women of different levels of intelligence; and what policy can do -- and cannot do -- to compensate for differences in intelligence. Brilliantly argued and meticulously documented, The Bell Curve is the essential first step in coming to grips with the nation's social problems.
Customer Reviews:
What I want To Know.......2007-09-25
After reading the book the one item that springs to mind is.....
Since the data was published what do real results show?
I see a lot of people either supporting or attacking the methods used in the book. To me this is unecessary if we just look at what the real world shows us. (I will admit I have not)
To me the analysis gives us a good place to start but unless true relevence is found one way or the other its meaningless.
Its like this, I can show you a whole range of things that you can do to (in theory) your car to make it run faster.However if we never measure the cars preformance all we have is me telling you a bunch of stuff. In the meantime we'll have a bunch of other mechanics come on and say, no what he is tellng you is wrong and here is why (debate)
Not the racist book that racists think it is, or wants it to be.......2007-07-07
I read this book after getting into debates with rabid bigots filled with hate, some of whom mentioned this book.
This book is a perfect example of precisely how a book can be misused and misinterpreted. Although I vehemently disagree with the authors (Herrnstein and Murray) regarding the validity of IQ testing, and whether such a test can accurately measure human intelligence, and believe their conclusions are simply in accordance with their presupposed notions, I suppose the book is worth a read.
The vast majority of the racists who quote this book believe that Blacks, and Latinos are *intrinsically* inferior to Europeans and Asians, and that there is nothing we can do about it. However, the authors attribute the closing of scores among Blacks and whites to improvements in school quality, economic condition, enhanced health, and the abolishment of hundreds of years of state-enforced racism. The infamous "15 point gap" that exists in IQ tests will probably close through environmental changes, the authors write, and credit the Flynn Effect to this phenomenon. They also acknowledge that an IQ gap does not make one "smarter", as they note that this generation's grandparents scores 15 points lower, yet one would be absurd to believe that their grandparents are "dumber" than their grandchildren.
As Thomas Sowell (a man I'm not fond of, but nevertheless) noted in his critique of this book, European immigrants tested poorly in the 1930s, as well as Jewish people during World War 1. However, once they assimilated into white society, and identified themselves as "white", and went to the best schools, had better jobs, etc., their IQ testing accelerated. Also, during World War 1, northern Blacks tested better than southern whites in "intelligence tests", which was apparently due to, yes, you guessed it...environmental factors.
As I stated earlier, there are many unsatisfactory elements about The Bell Curve, such as their reverence to Philippe Rushton, a psychologist (NOT a biologist, zoologist, and anthropologist) who claimed that Black men had small brains because they had large genitals. Anyone remotely familiar with Rushton's "work" knows his obsession with Black/African sex, for some reason, and his manufactured correlation between brain power/[...] sizes is absolutely absurd and unscientific. Again, he's not a scientist, yet is venerated in this book. Also, a few years after this book, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, using the very same longitudinal database that Murray and Herrnstein used for their research, looked at the same data and were able to take what Murray and Herrnstein didn't mention in their book from the data, which was that when African Americans in the US go to college, they raise their IQ four times faster than whites who go to college and in the process close the average IQ gap between whites and blacks in half in just four years. That would not be possible if IQ was fundamentally related to biology and yet it is exactly what the very database that Murray and Herrnstein used, actually demonstrated the average gap, which used to be back in the old studies, fifteen points between whites and blacks.
Anton Batey
Anton_Batey@yahoo.com
Tuskegee Airmen -- I just have one question........2007-05-29
I just have one question. Why is it that the Tuskegee Airmen all scored an average of 95% to 100% percentile(must I mention,scoring higher then their white counterpart)to be allowed near fighter planes and then accused of having cheated all took the test again to score 100%? How does that the bell curve merde, factor this fact in?
The truth is hard to bear .......2007-04-02
This book has raised enormous controversy. One reason it does is that its findings violate one of the premises of the American democratic creed. i.e. that it is only social discrimination which prevents all individuals from achieving high levels of success in life.. A corollary of this is that through social programs each and every ethnic and religious group can be made equal to others in achievements.
Herrnstein and Murray making detailed studies of Intelligence come up with a different in a sense more painful truth.
There are genetic differences in ability and intelligence between various groups which can be clearly measured , and these have profound influence on the subsequent achievement levels of the individuals who belong to these groups. Moreover in the United States today there is an increasing stratification whereby the more intelligent associate more with, work more with , marry more with the more intelligent. The groups of lower intelligence suffer in many ways including in terms of criminal behavior.
Herrnstein and Murray point to the dangers of a two tier society , but inherent in their data is a sense of its inevitability.
This book is impressively organized, argued and written.
Its conclusions will not make a lot of people happy, but it seems that they are largely correct.
So far as I know no major research has emerged which refutes them.
General Intelligence Isn't all there is, but it's definately important.......2007-03-08
THE BELL CURVE is about the importance of general intelligence, sometimes derided as "book smarts," to real life experience. The idea of a general intelligence factor that is variable, substantially heritable, and likely has a heritable variability between ethnic groups is heresy to both Left and Right.
The Left dislikes the ideas in THE BELL CURVE for obvious reasons--if general intelligence is real and important, and variable between ethnic groups (and its components variable between the sexes), much of the moral element of left-wing and social constructionist ideology gets exposed for what it is: moralistic B.S. Open borders, multiculturalism, radical feminism, and constant, radical increases on health care and education spending go out the window. This is not to say that THE BELL CURVE automatically means closed borders, much less white, Ashkenazi Jewish, or East Asian supremacy, but it does mean that expecting (for example) that the average Mexican peasant (or even the average person of European or East Asian descent) will be able to get a degree at an elite univeristy in the natural sciences, or even become an effective Assistant Manager at Wal-Mart or Target, is ridiculous.
Many people on the Right will also have a big beef with THE BELL CURVE. If general intelligence, and other forms of inherited ability (not discussed in THE BELL CURVE itself, but certainly related and relevant), are major factors in life success, it questions much of "rugged individualist" right-wing ideology. Success isn't necessarily due to "free will," "just working hard" (though working hard certainly helps), or "pulling oneself up by his bootstraps," and it's certainly not related to staying away from the "evils" or sex, drugs, and rock and roll, let alone other religious fundie demons like junk food and violent or war-based video games and "sleazy" TV shows ranging from "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill" to "South Park."
To sum it up, what psychologists call intelligence or g is real. It is substantially heritable, and it varies between ethnic groups. The sub-components of g (e.g. Math, Verbal, and Spacial Intelligence) vary between the sexes. While "g" is certainly not all there is to life, heritable factors, as well as environmental factors (though not necessarily obvious ones), are very important. To ignore the heritability and importance of general intelligence, or other forms of intelligence that are harder to measure, is to waste your and others' resources.
Average customer rating:
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Bezier and B-Spline Techniques
Hartmut Prautzsch ,
Wolfgang Boehm , and
Marco Paluszny
Manufacturer: Springer
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Similar Items:
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A Practical Guide to Splines
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The NURBS Book (Monographs in Visual Communication)
Accessories:
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Web Designer's Reference
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ASIN: 3540437614 |
Book Description
This book provides a solid and uniform derivation of the various properties Bézier and B-spline representations have, and shows the beauty of the underlying rich mathematical structure. The book focuses on the core concepts of Computer Aided Geometric Design with the intension to give a clear and illustrative presentation of the basic principles, as well as a treatment of advanced material including multivariate splines, some subdivision techniques and constructions of free form surfaces with arbitrary smoothness.
The text is beautifully illustrated with many excellent figures to emphasize the geometric constructive approach of this book.
Customer Reviews:
Good reference maybe.......2006-08-09
I'm not sure what sort of person would find this book useful. If you want to LEARN about Bezier or B-Spline curves, then I don't think this book is for you. The authors' stated goal was to "provide a solid and uniform derivation" of Bezier and B-Spline properties. I believe that they have succeeded, almost every factoid I've seen in other books is included and proved rigorously. What is NOT included is any sort of meaningful explanation of the concepts. The material is presented at a breakneck pace, with everything presented exactly once, and most often in mathematical notation rather than in English. This is a good way to pack a lot of material into a few pages, but it makes for pretty difficult reading. I really don't see how a person could possibly follow the exposition in this book unless they basically already knew the material.
If you already are familiar with Bezier and B-Spline techniques, or perhaps you are an expert in a related field like approximation theory, then you might find this useful.
So if the Authors acheived their stated goal, then why only the 3-star rating? I've recently bought quite a few of these books on splines, in preperation to write a chapter in my own (introductory) 3d math book. Most of the material in this book can be found in other books. Of course, all of the books have significant overlap, since they are covering the same subject. But if you could have a book that covers most of the same material AND also has more exposition, I'd go for the one with the more exposition. I don't think there's enough unique material in this book to trade off the loss of the much more graceful exposition in the other books.
In particular, if you're interested in *learning* about Bezier curves or B-Splines, I found these two books much more accessible:
An Introduction to Splines for use Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling by Bartels et al. has a much slower pace - paradoxially this means that if you're learning the material, you will be able to read it FASTER since you can maintain a constant pace. It focuses on B-Splines and only stops breifly to mention Bezier curves as a general case.
The other book is Curves and Surfaces for COmputer Aided Geometric Design by Farin. He introduces Bezier curves and fully develops them, at a reasonable pace, before discussing B-splines. I personally found this approach to be better from a teaching perspective, since B-Splines are more abstract and Bezier curves are easier to understand. (Be warned that I have a rather old editition, the 2nd, I believe he's on the 5th now. I don't know what all has changed since then.)
Book Description
"Focus On Curves and Surfaces" gives you the tools you need to build exciting, high-detail characters and backgrounds for your games! Whether you're a serious game programmer or just interested in the fields of CAD, 3D modeling, and visualization, this book gives you what you're looking for in three easy-to-follow sections. Section One starts with the conceptual building blocks of 3D graphics. Put these ideas into practice as Section Two walks you through Bezier curves, B-splines, and the more advanced NURBS (NonUniform Rational B-Splines). Finally, build upon your knowledge of curve construction as you create exciting surfaces in Section Three. Go from the basics to hardcore 3D graphics programming in a matter of pages!
Customer Reviews:
Easy to Follow.......2004-11-29
The book is great on giving people an intuitive grasp on what a B-Spline or NURB is, allowing people to look at series of points and knowing "sorta" what the curve will look like.
The only serious lacking point is it's explanation of Knot Vectors and the reason they're ordered the way they are and what the numbers in them represent. It's a tricky subject to explain though, and the author made a good effort, but really needs to explain what the numbers DO persay. (Though if you play with the source and have a good eye it eventually makes sense). Anyway, excellent book and is the reason I'm the only person in my 3D Graphics class who knows how NURBS work (teacher included... "Just download code off the internet" he says, sheesh).
Anyway, BUY! It be good!
Excellent introduction.......2003-02-20
This is a first review I am ever writing. I was looking for a book that would give a clear explanation of bsplines and nurbs in an easy and intuitive way and found this book to serve the purpose perfectly. Highly technical books skip these concepts and go into complex mathematical concepts assuming that the reader has a perfect background. This book does not assume this. Along with explanation it also gives why this particular method is beneficial and the weaknesses of it. This is also good for those who are already familiar with the subject but like to teach it to others. I wish the author could take other complicated methamatical topics and explain them also at this level clearly outlining their use in the industry like Fourier transforms, Z transform, Wavelets etc. Computer Graphics and Computer Aided Geometric Design are fields of highly sophisticated mathematics and we need books like these for every topic.
Book Description
This absorbing book, by professional photographer and author Ken Milburn, offers a ton of expert advice to those who are ready to move to the next level with digital photography. Rather than a general discussion of photography principles, Digital Photography: Expert Techniques focuses on workflow: time-tested, step-by-step procedures based on hard-nosed experience by and for genuine practitioners of the art. The book's conversational tone presents detailed information about what to look for in today's affordable high-end digicams, how to use simple techniques and equipment to shoot breathtaking shots, instructions on shooting great panoramas, dos-and-don'ts for creating better Photoshop masks, and professional digital darkroom techniques for everything from knockouts to restoration to transforming your photos into watercolors. It even shows you how to get your most prized photographs printed and ready for exhibition. Contents include:
- Understanding your digital camera from the inside out.
- Creating effects with the camera: making panoramas, high-resolution matrixes, infrared photos, and more.
- General composition and managing your workflow.
- Using the digital darkroom and Photoshop CS to make your images professional caliber.
- Understanding the power of Photoshop CS selections and masks.
- Using special effects to save what's good, and get rid of the bad and the ugly.
- Creating fictitious photos: bend and wrap images to fit an object, insert a more interesting skyscrape, and more.
- Professional color and tonal management
- Creating portfolios and presenting your images on the Web.
Digital Photography: Expert Techniques is in four-color front to back, allowing you to see each step in the Digital Photographer's workflow, including the steps in-between. Serious photographers, including professionals, who want to take advantage of the unique creative powers available through digital photography and digital image processing will find this problem-solving book invaluable.
Customer Reviews:
Who's an Expert?.......2007-02-16
This is a well written book that it's hard to put into a cubby. That's because one man's expert technique is another man's beginner's technique.
Milburn's style is to follow a workflow approach, starting even before capture and moving through the use of Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw and the main Photoshop program. Milburn emphasizes the importance of non-destructive adjustments and in the main program proceeds first with both overall and targeted adjustments which are made by adding layers which do not change the underlying photo. He recommends that only when these are completed should adjustments that effect the underlying image be made, and then only on image layers that have been created especially for this purpose. (Strangely, in creating this special layer, he recommends converting the background layer to Layer 0, selecting all the layers and then using Cmd/Ctrl-Opt/Alt-E. Most experts do not recommend changing the background layer, but rather just selecting the top layer in the layer stack and using Cmd/Ctrl-Opt/Alt-Shift-E.)
By the way if this last discussion of creating a new layer was incomprehensible to you, you are probably not one of the experts that Milburn is aiming at.
And of course there's the rub. In some chapters the instruction is quite suitable for beginning Photoshop users and in other chapters one would have to quite familiar with Photoshop to get something out of the discussion. Moreover sometimes this happens in the same chapter. For example, in the chapter on Camera Raw he gives elementary instructions on using the sliders on the adjust tab which would be quite suitable for a beginner, but not necessary for anyone with a familiarity with Camera Raw. Later in the same chapter, he discusses creating high-key and low-key images which I would consider closer to expert needs. Moreover, he sometimes leaves out what I felt was essential information. For example in the Camera Raw chapter he discusses the fact that there is a sharpening facility in Camera Raw, but doesn't mention that fact that it can be set to apply only to the preview without actually being applied to the image later opened in the main Photoshop program.
Some chapters are clearly aimed at more advanced Photoshop users and quite good. For example, the chapter on repairing the details was full of information that an expert user may never have encountered before or never appreciated the importance of.
Occasionally, I found that the author made reference to a particular chapter or a website that was inaccurate, but not fatal since the material was covered somewhere in the book.
Where does all of this leave one? Certainly, to get the most from this book, you will need to be experienced with Photoshop and Camera Raw. Many experts would then prefer to look for advanced information in more targeted books. But others who don't mind having their memory refreshed about things they already know will probably pick up several useful techniques from this book. I certainly did.
A long read - because it is that good.......2007-01-12
I was anxiously awaiting this title to arrive in the mail, particularly because of its emphasis on "expert" techniques. Though I didn't find every page riveting, the book on the whole fulfilled my expectations.
If you have jumped into the world of serious amateur or semi-pro photography, you no doubt own an SLR camera. It is a must. After continuing to shoot JPG for awhile, you venture into the world of RAW files. This is a whole new world with incredible possibilities. What you quickly find is your hard drive quickly fills up with RAW files and you have a hard time knowing how work with those files in any sort of time-conscious workflow. You let them pile up into a perpetual of backlog.
Ken Milburn knows his stuff, and has developed a highly effective workflow for processing, organizing, presenting and publishing his photos. His experience shows through in each chapter as he opens up his entire process for everyone who reads this title to learn from. Though I found some of my own workflow techniques already matched his suggestions, I found numerous suggestions I hadn't previously known or considered that have helped improve my effectiveness. Efficient and effective workflow is the overriding theme of this title.
Though much of the books training focuses on post production, namely in Adobe Bridge and Photoshop, a couple of chapters at the beginning get you optimizing and improving your in camera approach as well. Past the workflow theme, there is plenty of time spent on giving your photos the "wow factor" you have always wanted. What I enjoyed most was the improved techniques taught in the "non-destructive" phase of digitally developing your photos.
I recommend this book to anyone who is shooting a high volume of photos, particularly those that may be working their way into portrait photography for hire. Adding the habits and knowledge gained from this title will make you a much better professional as well as the ability to output top notch photos.
MyMac.com Book Review.......2006-12-19
With a plethora of digital cameras appearing in the marketplace, purchases of these cameras has exceeded even the most ambitious sales predictions. Everyone and his grandmother now has a digital camera. A lot of these models are of the point and shoot variety. They're small, lightweight, actually take great pictures, and have many features for the cost. There are lots of publications out there: magazines, how-to books, manuals, videos, and websites which help newbie photographers along the path to good quality photographs. If you're looking for something like that, may I pass along a suggestion from the Ken Milburn, the author of this title under review? Before reading this book try Deke McClelland's Adobe Photoshop CS2: One on One (O'Reilly). You will then be "up to speed" and more able to handle the various terms and maneuvers in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques.
Along with all the less expensive point and shoot cameras, digital SLRs (single lens reflex) have also grown up. Most of these cameras will be purchased by serious amateurs, or "enthusiasts," and professionals. DSLRs have interchangeable lenses, more megapixels, and larger, more noise-free sensors. In other words they're more suited to professional and "prosumer" photography.
DSLRs also are capable of producing high quality RAW files which are, in large part, what this book is all about. It's also about workflow rather than procedures. If you're interested in what it takes to make true professional quality images in the most efficient and cost-effective way this book is for you.
The first thing I loved about Digital Photography: Expert Techniques is its organization, and the chapter outlines at the beginning. Here the author tells us what's in store for each chapter from start to finish. I also appreciate the way Ken Milburn writes. It's almost conversational, like having a good buddy who happens to know almost everything there is to know about what goes into a professional digital photograph, and being a professional photographer.
He starts us off with an overview around which the rest of the book is structured. There is a quick guide in the form of suggestions (some are common sense, others are anecdotal) like getting your camera ready, computer equipment and its configuration, image downloading, backing up originals, presentation for client approval, winnowing, preliminary editing, and the final output. He includes logical common sense tips about equipment, settings, and more. He even provides a comprehensive list of what's available -- suggesting hard drives, backups, monitors, and DVD writers. Efficiency is always the byword in workflow, and Ken Milburn leads the way.
Milburn teaches us how to connect to DNG (digital negative), a nonproprietary RAW format which anyone can use. He suggests that it may become a universal format which means that even if the RAW file format in your software becomes obsolete you will still retain your RAW files through DNG. Safety. Efficiency. Smart.
Since the author has been a professional photographer for decades he has learned through experience and study about being prepared in the field for both seen and unforeseen circumstances. He passes along sage advise and counseling in his chapter BE PREPARED.
One of the great features which has separated Adobe Photoshop CS2 from the rest of the pack is Adobe Bridge. It is a browser, but so much more. Ken Milburn gives the reader an excellent primer on how this feature works and its many advantages. He shows how simple it is, and at the same time it is scriptable, customizable, has variable thumbnail sizing, and has multiple browser windows which can be opened at the same time.
Want to create and use panel layouts to sort as you wish? How about creating a meta data template including all your camera info like settings, history, status, and even IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) info? He shows you how to do all this, and more.
Once we get into Camera Raw, Ken Milburn shows us how to streamline the process. Once it's set up you're ready to rip. For you Photoshop Elements 4 users he shows the differences between Camera Raw in Elements 4 and CS2. He also tells us the why and how of it all so we understand why all this is a good thing. Take for instance the aforementioned DNG files. The author implores the reader to strongly consider filing using DNG and lots of backup. It's possible that either through technical improvements, marketing considerations, mergers, or even dissolution of a manufacturer that a proprietary RAW format could become obsolete. It is certainly something to consider.
There are some clients out there who need their photos quickly. Wedding and sports photographers can attest to this. The author shows us that Camera RAW defaults to "smart" Auto adjustments for Exposure, Shadows, Brightness, and Contrast. So there's a good chance of getting a publishable image right out of the camera. Sweet! Milburn demonstrates how to open and adjust multiple RAW files quickly when the files have the same exposure, brightness, range, contrast, and color balance. He introduces us to HDR (High Dynamic Range), and High Key images.
Layers have been around for quite some time, and here we are shown a system for non destructive editing. There's a great chart listing in three columns Layer Name, Purpose, and Advice. It's like a quick check on WWKD (What Would Ken Do) for using Adjustment Layers. Even for those of us who might be new to Layers he gives us a quick rundown of Layers and Features in Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Ken Milburn's friend, Doug Sahlin, came up with an interesting idea which the author includes in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques. It's called the Magic Workflow Layers Action. It allows us to include the layers in the workflow for almost every image automatically, ensuring the photographer will follow a properly layered workflow for most basic steps. You can either get this in the book or download it from the sites provided. This alone could shorten the learning curve in learning layers workflow.
All of the general repair tools are reviewed but the author goes way beyond the characteristics of the tools and into the world of commercial photography and how these tools can work for the professional photographer. This includes Glamor Tips, Architectural Tips, Still Life, lighting from behind, and more.
Are you into montages or collages? Ken Milburn can help, and does he ever. We've all tried to string together various shots in an effort to create a panorama of a scene too vast for one shot, but with varying degrees of success. The author talks about exposure, tripods, and framing. There are several example photos showing what a professional panorama looks like. I've made all the mistakes he mentions, and then some. Thanks, Ken, for straightening me out.
In his chapter "Creating the Wow Factor" we get into the details of the various tools and how, using layers, the photographer can enhance just about any aspect of lighting, colors (or black & white), and even using what he terms a "fictitious imaging tool," liquefaction, which can remove unwanted pounds from a model, or add bulk to anyone or anything. He has many suggestions and techniques using Lighting Effects which are especially dramatic when used inside of layers. We learn how to make homemade backgrounds as well as Knockouts. If you like the look of hand coloring or tinting Ken shows us how to do it effectively and easily.
Milburn's experience as a pro for many years becomes a windfall for us readers as, in the last chapter, "Presenting Your Work to the World," he talks about some of the many ways to become recognized, and even paid, as a photographer. He starts by showing us how to get the prints we need by calibrating the printers and even LCD monitors. There are tips to show your images on the web, making portfolios, binders, contact sheets, and much more. And let's not forget the all-important Copyright protection using watermarks.
While our author is certainly a huge fan and user of Adobe Photoshop CS2, he is by no means married exclusively to that software. He lists alternatives and even talks about the differences and some advantages of software like Capture One Pro, Raw Shooter, Aperture (which can be used with Photoshop CS2), iView Media Pro, and Adobe Lightroom. All of these programs have their high points and are not to be dismissed as second only to Adobe Photoshop CS2.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to be a pro in the photo biz, Digital Photography: Expert Techniques will give you a good idea of the dedication, knowledge, and work it takes to do it right. One has only to look at Ken Milburns pictures to see why this book makes so much sense. His photos are pristine. He seems to be able to connect with the very vibrations of the colors, shadows, and details which are all part of an image, but are often times skirted over by photographers, if only for the lack of knowledge it takes to recognize these things and bring them "up" in the image. His techniques, to be sure, are always pointed toward one thing, and one thing only. Making the best image possible with the least amount of effort and expense. And here it all is, in this wonderful and smartly instructive book.
MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5
SMILE: YOU'RE ON DIGITAL!!.......2006-12-06
Are you a photographer who is serious about producing the highest quality photographs in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible? If you are, then this book is for you. Author Ken Milburn, has done an outstanding job of writing a 2nd edition of a book that focuses on digital SLR cameras that have higher megapixels of noninterpolated resolution, interchangeable lenses, and larger, more noise-free sensors.
Milburn, begins by putting the organization of the entire book in perspective. Then, the author covers how to set your camera to be prepared for shots. Next, he discusses the Bridge in relation to Photoshop and to the myriad ways that it helps to keep your workflow organized. He also gets into more depth about streamlining your processing while in Camera Raw. The author then continues by describing in detail, how layers can be used to isolate destructive operations, so that they can be carried out without affecting anything else you've done to the image. Then, he shows you how to use adjustment layers, which are completely nondestructive, to make overall image adjustments. Next, the author discusses making and using selections, masks, and other means of making adjustments that pertain only to portions of the image. He also covers all types of image repair, including retouching. The author continues by discussing the making of one image from multiple images using techniques of both collage and montage. Then, he presents the next stage of progressively more destructive editing: special effects. Next, the author covers specialized image processing. Finally, the author shows you how to prepare your image for output and then how to use that output to show off your talents in an efficient and cost-effective way.
This most excellent book is more about workflow than it is about procedures in a specific program. Perhaps more importantly, this book contains most of the information you'll ever need as a professional digital photographer.
Make Your Digital Photos Stand Out From The Rest.......2006-12-06
Reading many of the other review already posted, I couldn't help but chuckle at some of the 'complaints' regarding this book:
- there is too much emphasis on DIGITAL and not PHOTOGRAPHY
- there is too much emphasis on using Photoshop
- pictures chosen aren't of the best quality
Folks, the title of this book headlines the words DIGITAL and TECHNIQUES. This isn't a book that is meant to teach you how to become a better photographer or headlines a collection of great photographs, rather it is a book that is meant to teach you how to take digital images and turn them into BETTER pieces of work for whatever purpose you see fit.
Printed on very heavy stock paper, this is a guide that is full of color and has plenty of screenshots to help any user find their way through digital enhancement with Photoshop (or any other image editing software that utilizes the same words for the techniques that are presented here).
Packed with nearly 400 pages of material, this book presents topics in a clean, concise manner, spread over the following 12 chapters:
01. Basics
02. Advanced tricks
03. Using Bridge
04. Streamlining Camera Raw
05. Nondestructive Layering
06. Nondestructive Overall Adjustments
07. Making Targeted Adjustments
08. Repairs
09. Collage and Montage
10. Adding 'Wow' to your images
11. Special Purpose Processing
12. Saving for the web
I find Ken Milburn's book to be an excellent resource for all digital photography afficiandos that want to get the most out of their images and learn how Photoshop can fix or repair nearly any problem that can be found and viewed on a computer.
If you are a graphic designer or work with digital images on a daily basis, you owe it to yourself to pick up this great book that will most certainly add to your skillset... no question!!
***** RECOMMENDED
Customer Reviews:
Provides Good Balance.......2007-05-16
No matter what you think about the Bell Curve Wars, it is an essential companion to the controversial Bell Curve, for it explains not only the reasoning behind it, but the motive for writing it. Several eminent intellectuals provide a panoramic perspective of the Bell Curve, and even offer some insights as to its impact on our society. Some of these BCW responses deserve special merit, like Thomas Sowell's contribution, "Ethnicity and IQ.",and "Cracking Open the IQ Box",by Howard Gardner. The book will challenge proponents and detractors of the Bell Curve alike.
Poor world.......2005-10-01
As far as I know a high IQ has never prevented anyone to rot under ground after death. Call it the great (and eternal) nothingness curve. So, just be a good person and be of some help to the people around you! World needs love not pedantic morons. Of that sort we have more than enough, dont you think?
Poor science.......2004-12-11
Though I agree with the general conclusion that environment, as religion as well as things like the quality of foods have considerable over intelligence, I do not think the authors have
rendered any particular service. The high Jewish performance
reported known thoroughout history can without serious doubt be totally explained by Judaism's teaching children to visually
"see" in the mind's eye sylogistic relationships (IF--AND--THEN as the right end, center shaft and left end of a balance). Likewise certain Hindu castes put obsessive energy and time into teaching children math to a degree that in such a study such Hindu elementry school children scored double the problems solved in a given time than the average of various countries' scores, which all gave about equal score results.
Fraser has come to a conclusion which is in essence a prejudice and has attempted to "prove" it. And the product Fraser puts out has much in common with the Ashley Montegue kind of nonsense.
I do think "The Bell Curve" has some significant insufficiencies, which I address in my review of that book, but "The Bell Curve Wars" gives a good deal of poor science or poor scholarship. There are plenty of examples of racially mixed populations in the world. And race mixing has consequences: psychological, biological and social, beyond
any test.
Not much real content-except for Sowell's critique.......2004-01-19
The Bell Curve sparked an outpouring of liberal/leftwing anguish, and it was valuable for doing such- especially in exposing the hypocritical and deceptive assumptions that
have held sway in black education, especially the farce of
"affirmative action". Much of the sound and fury deals with
"racism" for pointing out the obvious-sub par black educational performance. The torrent of liberal anguish also may have helped to bolster conservative racism. After all with the liberals so upset, there must be something to it-"methinks they doth protest too much...."
Conservative economist Thomas Sowell's analysis pronounces a pox on both houses. He welcomes the exposure of the hypocrisy surrounding Race and IQ, and notes that many critics are long on shrill emotion and short on hard analysis.
H&R he asserts, are quite accurate in their analysis and presentation of the stats. Speculative conclusions are another matter. The authors claim that the higher incidences of incarceration in black populations and their higher illegitimacy rate is largely explainable by their lower overall IQ. But this does not stand up to the record of history. Whites of similar IQ have similar anti-social patterns, but also to be remembered is the fact that there are white ethnic groups in the US that have long had a pattern of high incarceration, high out of wedlock births, high levels of crime and violence, and a general disinclination towards education and learning. These folks are conveniently forgotten in the haste of many to point the finger at blacks.
They are called the white Irish, and the patterns noted above were seen not just in America but also over in Ireland and among Irish immigrants in Britain. In Sowell's "Ethnic America" for example, he points out that the illegitimacy rates among the Irish in sections of New York in the 1800s rivaled that found among urban blacks in the late 20th century. And as for levels of violence, just one of the many Irish riots back then killed more that all the people that died during the black riots of the sixties. Phrases such as "paddywagon" or "donnybrook" "fighting Irish" are based on historical realities like these. And let's not get into historically high levels of substance abuse (alcohol) among the white Irish... Over time the Irish improved their lot and behavior over time. Blacks are no different provided they are left alone to get on with the job.
Others have used the Bell Curve stats stats to argue that black intelligence is declining- hence the high rates of illegitimacy and incarceration. None of these speculations stands up to the record of history.
In fact the intelligence scores of blacks (along with other initially low IQ whites) have been rising for decades. As Thomas Sowell points out, it is the "norming" of IQ tests from their earlier baselines so that increases are reshuffled to yield a "normal average" of 100, that has concealed black
progress. When progress is measured from the original baselines, in fact, whole nations have experienced rising IQs. This change over time does some damage to H&R conclusions. It should be noted as well that Jewish soldiers scored rather low on Army mental tests given in WWI, leading some Anglo experts to cast doubt on the mental capacity of Jews- but who's laughing now?
Nor are Jews unique as to the moving pattern of IQ scores. As far back as the First World War, black soldiers from northern states, places like New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Ohio scored higher on mental tests than white soldiers from southern regions like Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi.
Some patronizing white liberals argue that blacks need special "help" and preferences to register improvement- hence the farce of affirmative action. But history shows nothing of the sort. Back in the Jim Crow era, when blacks were blatantly and systematically denied opportunities open to whites, blacks were making progress without any "special" help or "preferences" from whites. All they needed was an equal chance. And when they did, all black PUBLIC schools like Dunbar High in Washington DC, along with many others for example, consistently produced test scores for decades ABOVE the white average.
Sowell exhaustively documents the above in books like "Black Education", 'Ethnic America", "Race Ind IQ" and "Inside American Education".
The Other Side Reacts.......2003-03-10
This is actually an interesting reaction to the findings of the Bell Curve and I enjoyed reading the articles to see how they would attack the foundations of Hernstein and Murray's thinking. I think it's good to read several viewpoints on a subject and then make up an informed opinion from there. The arguments presented against The Bell Curve's conclusions will have to be answered by more scientific testing. I do agree that none of these people who disagree with the book are running their own scientific tests and coming up with factual conclusions that contradict The Bell Curve findings. --Who has the pseudo-science? Only time will tell.
Egalitarians have emotional reasons for accepting the conclusions that they do. They do not want to accept a rigid determinism that would suggest that improving the environment of a group of deficient learners is futile and will not improve IQs. They do not want to accept the tag of permanent inferiority. On the other hand, determinists may have emotional reasons for accepting their conclusions; they do not want to accept the conclusions that if some group has a low IQ, it is the result of white racism that whites are guilty of.
Although egalitarians speak evil against determinists, egalitarian viewpoints on race have their own detrimental results by loading whites down with guilt and shame that may not be their fault and filling blacks with resentment against whites for problems that may be their own responsibility.
One effective argument against The Bell Curve was a mentioning ofHernstein and Murray's hasty dismissal of counter-evidence against their theories such as the testing of black and white children of white mothers in Germany that ended up with the same IQ scores. Another argument suggests that there really is no rising of a cognitive elite in America. Others give anecdotal evidence of people who did brilliantly in school but ended up in mediocre careers suggesting that high IQ does not spell success. (The Bell Curve authors agree with this conclusion.) It is also mentioned that H and M could have focused on white differences in IQ, such as white ethnic group differences in completion of college graduation, or IQ differences between southern and northern American whites. H and M are accused of not confronting these white differences as much because that would be too politically divisive.
One argument says that the H and M's conclusions are pseudo-science and that such "science" has occurred before in history, suggesting the inferiority of blacks to justify the unequal status quo and that this pseudo-science is actually hate literature. (I'm generally against defining conclusions as hate speech because it censors free inquiry. It's too easy to define heretical ideas that someone doesn't like as 'hate" and then get the government to censor them.) Hernstein and Murray are also portrayed as neo-social Darwinists in one essay; they present ideas that give credence to the belief in the survival of the fittest ethnic group and the inability to raise up a lower ethnic group to a higher level.
Another argument was that there are multiple intelligences that can't be measured by just taking a test. Some wondered what was being measured in an IQ test. What is this mysterious "G" (general intelligence) that H and M talk about? Some said that the historically bad environment that blacks have lived in has lead them to be culturally deprived and more money must be invested to improve deficient IQs. There is also some evidence the black/white gap in IQ is closing. Blacks are improving and whites are staying the same. Of course, one could argue that the whites should be improving also and something is wrong with the education system if it is not. Some of the argumentation is dauntingly technical and although a layman can get the gist of the argument, the details may go over his head.
Book Description
Classic, well-thought-out examination of the function of the spiral, or helix, in both nature and art. Demonstrates how spiral is fundamental to structure of shells, leaves, horns, human body, drawings of Leonardo, Leaning Tower of Pisa, more. 1914 edition. 426 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Very Detailed, But Difficult to Read.......2006-11-12
I bought this book while researching the Logarithmic Spiral. There were only a few references to the Logarithmic Spiral, so it wasn't spot on with what I was looking for. However, I stayed away from this as a source because the text was difficult to read.
Spirals in nature and in art.......2006-04-15
This book (originally published in 1914) is a comprehensive and extraordinary description of spiral formations. It's definitive--a must for anyone interested in art and in the way nature operates.
Book Description
This comprehensive volume is an essential reference tool for professional and academic researchers in the filed of computer vision, image processing, and applied mathematics. Continuing rapid advances in image processing have been enhanced by the theoretical efforts of mathematicians and engineers. This marriage of mathematics and computer vision - computational vision - has resulted in a discrete approach to image processing that is more reliable when leveraging in practical tasks. This comprehensive volume provides a detailed discourse on the mathematical models used in computational vision from leading educators and active research experts in this field. Topical areas include: image reconstruction, segmentation and object extraction, shape modeling and registration, motion analysis and tracking, and 3D from images, geometry and reconstruction. The book also includes a study of applications in medical image analysis.
Handbook of Mathematical Models in Computer Vision provides a graduate-level treatment of this subject as well as serving as a complete reference work for professionals.
Customer Reviews:
Review from IARP (Arjan Kuijper).......2006-10-21
When attending a general computer vision conference like xCCV, did you ever feel lost at certain sessions? Well, don't always blame the presenters! The field covered by Computer Vision has become so broad that it is almost impossible to understand what is going on and to keep track of the latest developments. To (partially) overcome this problem, the editors of the Handbook of Mathematical Models in Computer Vision have done a great job.
One can become a bit skeptical reading such a title. How complete can such a handbook be? However, going through the 33 chapters, indeed a wide breadth is treated. The focus of the book is on mathematical methods that both model and reproduce human visual abilities. This is the field of biological vision in which the editors have a strong background.
The editors chose three distinct categories of mathematical models, namely variational techniques (those attending Prof. Faugeras' talk at ICPR 2006 may remember his statement that they give the fundamental equations in computer vision!), statistical methods, and combinatorial approaches. The chapters are grouped in six sections that circle around these three categories. Although going through the book chapters by mentioning keyword may yield a rather boring list, it shows the wide variety of topics that are being dealt with.
The book starts with a section on low-level vision: Image Reconstruction. Here one can find information on diffusion filters and wavelets, total variation methods, and PDE based inpainting.
The second section is concerned with Boundary Extraction, Segmentation and Grouping. Here subjects like levelings, graph cuts, minimal paths and fast marching methods, deformable models, variational segmentation with shape priors, curve propagation, level set methods, and a stochastic model of geometric snakes are discussed.
Section three switches to high level vision. It deals with Shape Modeling & Registration, divided into topics concerning invariant processing and occlusion resistant recognition, image-based inferences, point matching and uncertainty-driven, point-based image registration.
In the fourth section, Motion Analysis, Optical Flow & Tracking, the concept of time is added and one encounters the topics of optical flow estimation, image warping, alignment and stitching, visual tracking, image and video segmentation, human motion capture, and dynamic textures.
Section five deals with 3D from Images, Projective Geometry & Stereo Reconstruction, treated by boundary detection, stereo, texture and color, shape from shading, calibration, motion and shape recovery, multi-view reconstruction, binocular stereo with occlusions, and modeling non-rigid dynamic scenes.
The last section may seem a bit odd: Applications: Medical Image Analysis. However, this is one of the most prominent areas in computer vision. Although here certain vision aspects do not occur, compared to natural images (just think of the influence of the sun), for many tasks the performance of the mathematical methods can be evaluated since a ground truth is often available - provided by humans whom the models are supposed to mimic. In this section, applications of interactive graph-based segmentation methods, 3D active shape and appearance models, characterization of diffusion anisotropy, segmentation, variational approaches, and statistical methods of registration are given.
The danger of publishing an edited volume is the difference in style and treatment of the topics among the various contributions. This is not the case here. Each chapter gives a general introduction to the topic, introduces the mathematical model, discusses the underlying ideas globally, and shows some results. For the full details the readers are referred to the extensive bibliography with 929 entries.
This book is a must-have for those interested in the full breadth of research done in the biological & computer vision community. As a bonus, the chapters can also be used in a seminar-based, advanced undergraduate course in mathematical based computer vision.
Book Description
After her husband died in 1927, leaving her with five small children, everyone expected the struggles of single motherhood on a remote island to overcome M. Wylie Blanchet. Instead, this courageous woman became one of the pioneers of “family travel,” acting as both mother and captain of the twenty-five-foot boat that became her family’s home during the long Northwest summers. Blanchet’s lyrically written account reads like fantastic fiction, but her adventures are all very real. There are dangers—rough water, bad weather, wild animals—but there are also the quiet respect and deep peace of a woman teaching her children the wonder and awesome depth of the natural world. “Filled with observations on natural history and the wonders of the wild, (Blanchet's) prose, like the waterfall she describes, sings.”—Kliatt
Customer Reviews:
One womans courageous life.......2007-05-08
This story was expecially fun for me to read because this woman lived in a time and near a place of my own grandmother. She took hold of her life after the death of her husband and shared wonderful adventures with her children each summer in the waters and byways of the Canadian BC inland waterways. She did this in an era where her family said she should sell everything and "move home where it was safer" A real joy to read. Carol Hage Wall, Oak Harbor, WashingtonThe Curve of Time: The Classic Memoir of a Woman and Her Children Who Explored the Coastal Waters of the Pacific Northwest (Adventura Books)
a read-aloud to the family book.......2006-08-08
I got out all the maps of the Inland Passage along the British Columbia coast to follow each adventure this articulate widow with five imaginative and curious children and one dog discovered. Her tales of their explorations in a small boat and descriptions of wonderful scenery climaxes in the longest selection near the end of the book: "A Whale...Named Henry [18 pages], the just pleads to be translated into a Newberry Award children's book!
A bit of history, a bit of philosophy, a bit of adventure. .......2006-05-18
This book was highly recommended to me by a friend who has cruised the Inside Passage and explored the islets of British Columbia and Alaska for the past 15 years. Many beautiful places are vividly described by Ms.'Capi' Blanchet. The lasting impression is the feeling of having spent time as a companion to the author and her children as they experience the adventure of travel and exploration as they cruise far from home in their small boat, in the 1930's. I enjoyed meeting unique people like 'Mike' - the knowledgeable recluse who expresses much of what must be the authors own philosopy of life. Altogether this little book is a bit of history, a bit of philosophy, and a bit of adventure. I didn't want it to end.
Excellent........2006-02-23
A amazing woman. As good as any cruising book written. And a shame that this woman wrote only one book. A very good picture of cruising, the Pacific NorthWest and, a simpler time.
A Book You will Read more than Once.......2003-09-09
I read M. Wylie Blanchet's book,THE CURVE OF TIME, for the first time last summer and decided to re-read it again this year, as it was so utterly delightful. Ms. Blanchet's love of nature, the ocean, her wonderful children and people--from the hermits who lived in splendid isolation on the BC Coast in the '30's and '40's to the Coast Indians, who left lonely villages behind--is one of the best books ever. This collection of essays, in no particular chronological order, left me amazed at this remarkably self-assured widow who made sure her children learned about people, literature and the beautiful world that surrounded them in British Columbia. It was easy to imagine my own children in that environment and I could almost see my children swimming with hers in those great sun-warmed coves in BC. The book ended with the "sense of place" they all felt upon returning to their "Little House" on Vancouver Island, surrounded by sea and forest. I wish I could somehow learn more about their lives. Thank you, Timothy Egan for making sure we all knew about this obscure author.
Average customer rating:
- fabulous introduction to implementing ECC
- Detailed and practical
- A very nice introduction to the field
|
Guide to Elliptic Curve Cryptography (Springer Professional Computing)
Darrel Hankerson ,
Alfred J. Menezes , and
Scott Vanstone
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 038795273X |
Book Description
After two decades of research and development, elliptic curve cryptography now has widespread exposure and acceptance. Industry, banking, and government standards are in place to facilitate extensive deployment of this efficient public-key mechanism.
Anchored by a comprehensive treatment of the practical aspects of elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), this guide explains the basic mathematics, describes state-of-the-art implementation methods, and presents standardized protocols for public-key encryption, digital signatures, and key establishment. In addition, the book addresses some issues that arise in software and hardware implementation, as well as side-channel attacks and countermeasures. Readers receive the theoretical fundamentals as an underpinning for a wealth of practical and accessible knowledge about efficient application.
Features & Benefits:
* Breadth of coverage and unified, integrated approach to elliptic curve cryptosystems
* Describes important industry and government protocols, such as the FIPS 186-2 standard from the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology
* Provides full exposition on techniques for efficiently implementing finite-field and elliptic curve arithmetic
* Distills complex mathematics and algorithms for easy understanding
* Includes useful literature references, a list of algorithms, and appendices on sample parameters, ECC standards, and software tools
This comprehensive, highly focused reference is a useful and indispensable resource for practitioners, professionals, or researchers in computer science, computer engineering, network design, and network data security.
Customer Reviews:
fabulous introduction to implementing ECC.......2005-08-11
I bought this book because I was designing a cryptographic protocol, and wanted to know if I could use ECC in my design. It begins with an explanation of "traditional" public key cryptography (i.e., cryptography over prime fields), introduces binary fields and elliptic curves, shows how to perform computations over elliptic curves, puts this together into ECC protocols, and then includes very useful implementaiton information. This book does a good job explaining not only how to use ECC algorithms, but why they work.
As advertised, this book doesn't go into too much mathematical depth, omitting most proofs. This doesn't mean that there is no math in this book; if you don't have a decent background in algebra (no, not the stuff you learned in seventh grade), you're likely to get confused. However, if you have a little background in theoretical math and cryptography, you'll find this a very readable and easy to understand book.
The one thing that's left out of this book are intellectual property issues. Certicom owns a lot of patents on ECC, and it's not clear which ideas in this book are covered by Certicom patents. This is a minor complaint though; overall, the book is excellent. It's rare to find a book that is so exactly on target. Highly recommeneded.
Detailed and practical.......2005-05-17
This is the only source I've found that goes into the nuts and bolts of elliptic curve (EC) cryptography. The mathematical content is rich, although proofs are generally in references rather than in the text itself. The real value is in its many and detailed algorithm examples, and in the way it builds up to them.
Before it even gets into the text, Hankerson et al have created a model of clarity. In addition to the usual, front matter includes a list of abbreviations. If you've ever choked on the alphabet soup in other books, you'll appreciate how this makes the discussion much easier to absorb. There's also a list of the algorithms presented - what the practitioner wanted in the first place.
After an introductory chapter, the authors present finite field arithmetic in a thorough but readable way. First they present prime fields over the integers, then optimal extension fields and (most importantly) binary fields. There's nothing here for the cut&paste programmer, but dozens of algorithms help the thoughtful developer work through material that is immensely complicated in other presentations. Other goodies, like Karatsuba-Ofman fast multiplication appear here as well.
The third chapter is the book's real payload: EC techniques. I've been looking for years for a book that was so explicit in the how-to, without watering down the technical content. This is practical stuff - not just the theory of EC operations, but the techniques that make EC calculations practical for high-speed implementations.
The rest of the book - about half - discusses what to do with EC codes. That includes protocols for choosing parameters, public-key and signature algorithms, and standard kinds of attacks. It also includes hardware-level description of possible implementations, down to specific instruction sets and cache structures and different kinds of chip implementations. That leads to another set of discussions on attacks, the kind that go in through the power supply or RF emissions. Appendices provide or point to pragmatic details such as parameters to use or software support available.
The only thing that could be improved in this book is the index - it's just too brief, and lacks the thoroughness the rest of the book led me to expect. I hope you realize just how small a complaint that is. In all other ways, this book meets the highest expectations.
Highly recommended for anyone who needs to understand exactly how EC cryptography works, right down to the bit level.
//wiredweird
A very nice introduction to the field.......2004-08-07
This book is a must have if you are interested in implementing elliptic curve cryptography. It does not have any of the juicy ellpitic curve mathematics, but that is okay as this book is directed towards engineers and others who want to learn about how elliptic curve cryptosystems are being deployed.
Books:
- RFID Handbook: Fundamentals and Applications in Contactless Smart Cards and Identification 2nd Edition
- Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain
- Schaum's Mathematical Handbook of Formulas and Tables
- Schaum's Outline of Laplace Transforms
- Schaum's Outline of Operations Research
- Schaum's Outline of Partial Differential Equations (Schaum's)
- Scientific Computing
- Scientific Computing
- Scientific Computing
- Scientific Computing
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning History of the First Month of WWI
- Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity
- Nights of Musk: Stories from Old Nubia
- More Than Money: True Stories of People Who Learned Life's Ultimate Lesson
- Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z, volume 2
- Operations Management & Student CD Package
- Spectacular Galapagos
- Wedgwood: The First Tycoon
- Professionals' Guide to Commercial Property Development
- Lots of Love, Sonny
Real Vampires Live Large (Glory St. Claire, Book 2)
Dead Sexy (Garnet Lacey, Book 2)
Bled Dry (Vegas Vampires, Book 3)
Undead and Uneasy (Queen Betsy, Book 6)
Fanged & Fabulous (Immortality Bites, Book 2)
