Book Description
From the Internet to networks of friendship, disease transmission, and even terrorism, the concept--and the reality--of networks has come to pervade modern society. But what exactly is a network? What different types of networks are there? Why are they interesting, and what can they tell us? In recent years, scientists from a range of fields--including mathematics, physics, computer science, sociology, and biology--have been pursuing these questions and building a new "science of networks." This book brings together for the first time a set of seminal articles representing research from across these disciplines. It is an ideal sourcebook for the key research in this fast-growing field.
The book is organized into four sections, each preceded by an editors' introduction summarizing its contents and general theme. The first section sets the stage by discussing some of the historical antecedents of contemporary research in the area. From there the book moves to the empirical side of the science of networks before turning to the foundational modeling ideas that have been the focus of much subsequent activity. The book closes by taking the reader to the cutting edge of network science--the relationship between network structure and system dynamics. From network robustness to the spread of disease, this section offers a potpourri of topics on this rapidly expanding frontier of the new science.
Customer Reviews:
Vice President IT Global Business Initiavies.......2007-08-10
Excellent resource to follow the progress of Network Science through the history of the field up to the present day. I would definitlly recommend this book to anyone embarking on a social netowkring track. You may need a math referesher to follow some of the studies but well worth it!
Book Description
Each card in this inspiring deck offers an idea to stretch your approach to observing and chronicling the daily events around you. You'll learn how to harness the power of words (what to write about, and what to write with), explore extreme photography techniques without having any previous photography experience, focus on the little things (like a two-inch section of a painted mural you drive by every day), and discover unusual ways to create a self-portrait (from plastic wrap and tree lights, to close-ups of your hands). Includes 50 cards and a creativity notebook to record your own art-journal explorations.
Customer Reviews:
Very Cool Concept.......2007-09-26
I love these creativity cards! The graphics on one side are unique, interesting, colorful, and eye catching. The prompts on the flipside are thought-provoking, meaningful, and different. The small journal is a great creative jumpstart in itself. I love the colors and techniques that were used to produce the backgrounds. Think I'll even attempt to create some of those myself. The box housing the creativity cards and journal is sturdy and pleasant to look at.
This is a fresh concept, and I am enjoying this package very much.
By the way, this is in no way a "how to" of any type. It is intended to make you think about doing old things in a fresh way or to help you attempt something new altogether.
Highly recommended.
Wow!.......2007-08-05
these cards are amazing. each one is a little piece of art in itself. you'll want to frame and hang them. except then you wouldn't be able to turn them over and get a shot in the arm of inspiration... yummy. i'm too afraid to work in the little workbook as yet, tho. i don't wanna mess it up. :)
if you're looking for cutesy, pretty art, tho, look somewhere else. this is real, gritty from-the-soul art. the kind that hits you "right there". and hopefully will help you make your own journal pages that do the same.
several of them are geared towards photography but lots of it is the kind that can be done with even an el cheapo camera. the author will also have you using tape, glue, spraypaint, and maybe a few things you never thought of as art supplies before. this is the kind of journaling that begs you to jump in and get messy.
if you do any kind of visual journaling, i highly recommend these cards and workbook.
So Much Fun.......2007-08-05
I got this after much thought. I figured it was just another "how to do a journal book". But, I found it to be much fun to do the exersizes and if you are an artist with a block, this will help to unblock you. It can give you ideas you never really thought of before on approaching your art work. Plus, as I said, it is a lot of fun to do the exersizes suggested on the individual cards. The kit also includes a fun little notebook/journal book to do as you please with. If you teach art, these are also fun ideas to inspire your students. I plan on doing that with my students this Fall.
This is a Gem.......2007-07-26
First of all, this will make a perfect gift for anyone crafty or involved in journaling, scrapbooking, altered books, ATCs, etc. It's a very affordable gift that keeps on giving.
The author opens your eyes to new ways to be creative in a way anyone, whether an "artist" or not, can use everyday observations to create real, unique, personal, fun, journal pages. She'll encourage you to take in all your surroundings and find a common element - she was able to find the common element while sitting in an Italian restaurant and watching war protesters: she, the waiter, the protesters were all waiting, caught up in a moment in time which was the theme she used for one one of her journal pages. She uses paint, photography and any object that she can use to express herself in her work -and makes no apologies. I LOVE this little gem. Just lovely and real. You won't be disappointed.
Great things come in little boxed sets..........2007-07-04
I noticed that there was a 1 star review of "Wide Open...". No offense, reviewer, but clearly you don't have a clue. Yes, the cards in the set are sort of vague -- if you are looking for step-by-step instructions for making something, don't waste your money on this. And, yes, you do need to own... and have some very basic knowledge of... art supplies (again, no offense, but if you've been within spitting distance of an art supply or craft store, then you'll know what gesso is).
[Ok, stepping off my soap box and done with the snarky comments.] Randi Feuerhelm-Watts is such an inspiration! I love her style and the ideas for inspiration that she presents on the cards go way beyond some of the tired, old suggestions that seem to always crop up in art/craft publications.
I read all the cards in one sitting (because I'm obsessive like that!) and I did notice that some of them related to each other. Not that they are dependent on each other or that you would be lost if you pick them at random... but I did observe some links between the individual ideas. I think this is great for continuing themes in your art work. Also, while she references photography quite a bit (she is a photographer after all), I definitely do not feel that any of the ideas are pigeonholed by the techniques. The author's basic ideas translate really well no matter what kind of visual artwork you might do.
The cards themselves each feature snippets of the author's artwork on the back. This alone is incredibly inspirational. You almost get double the bang for your buck - pull out one of the cards to interpret the visual side and then come back to it later for inspiration from the narrative side.
My only complaint would be about the Creativity Notebook... I wouldn't really call it a complaint, persay. I guess I'm just ambivalent about it's inclusion in the set. On one hand she has provided some great backgrounds to help you combat "white page syndrome" as well as some random instructions to offer a jump start to someone who is new to visual journaling. But on the other hand, I don't see myself personally using it since I already have half a dozen journals and prefer to make my own backgrounds (once you get on a roll, its half the fun).
The ideas and techniques are presented in Randi's conversational style, along with her great little stories. While I have not had the pleasure of taking a class with her or meeting her, she comes across as the kind of person you'd love to have as an art friend because she'd always be inspiring and challenging. I think that's the greatest thing about this kit... she's managed to package a ton of her personality and a lot of what I imagine she teaches in her workshops into one cool product. This set definitely gets a front row spot on my art-bookshelf.
Book Description
Control of engineering documentation, sometimes called Configuration Management (CM) especially in the defense industries, is critical to world-class manufacturing survival. This new Second Edition of a highly successful engineering documentation handbook is one of the best blueprints for constructive, efficient EDC/CM ever published.
Use the ENGINEERING DOCUMENTATION CONTROL HANDBOOK to get on track right away and make the release of new products and their documentation flow smoothly and easily. The book is packed with specific methods that can be applied quickly and accurately to almost any industry and any product to control documentation, request changes to the product, make those changes and develop bills of material. The result is a powerful communications bridge between engineering and "the rest of the world" that makes rapid changes in products and documentation possible. With the help of the simple techniques in the HANDBOOK, companies can gain and hold their competitive advantages in a world that demands flexibility and quick reflexes -- and has no sympathy for delays.
The new edition contains substantial additions worked into the book and several new chapters. However, the thrust of the book retains the same focus on basics, rules and reasons. The author emphasizes that EDC or CM must be recognized as a key business strategy, and the days of "throwing it over the wall" are gone forever.
Key Features:
- Expanded case studies and actual experiences with consulting clients have been added
- New chapter on Benchmarking/Surveys contains real-life results of several surveys conducted and analyzed by the author that allow you to compare your enterprise with those surveyed
- Interchangeability and change cost sections have been substantially expanded and given separate chapters in recognition of their critical importance in the EDC strategy
Customer Reviews:
Engineering Documentation.......2005-09-28
I am a British Chartered Engineer working mainly in Blue Chip energy-related companies. I have just started using this book in my work and find it strongly re-enforces my passion for excellent documentation and design management. It is clearly the current 'bible' for Engineering Documentation Control and is extremely valuable in showing how to climb the 'Configuration Management Ladder' (page 8). It cuts away the dross and complexity that is plentiful nearly everywhere else. So many of us technologists and managers are struggling with hugely powerful new computer packages that integrate most processes in our companies. This is one of the very few books to chart our course and give us a chance of a reliable way through to simplicity, speed and profitability that are so often promissed but so rarely fully attained.
Thorough Industry Configuration Management Resource..........2001-12-27
...but not for Software CM.
As the title says, this is an Industry CM book. If your need is for Software CM, this book can be used for general CM concepts and background (and to develop a strong understanding of CM principles), but no more (get a software-specific CM/release management book instead). Only a few brief mentions of application of these concepts to software CM. If your need is for doc. control/industry CM, then this is probably an ideal book.
Great Inroduction to CM.......2001-06-08
Unlike the vast majority of books available on configuration management, this book, as the title suggests, focuses entirely on configuration management in industry. Throughout the book, the author focuses on a simplified, fast configuration management system that exceeds DoD standards. This book, in the chapters titled Change Control and Fast Change, has an exceptional explanation of how to handle configuration modifications. In these chapters the author gives a detailed description of how to set up a system that allows the fastest possible changes to take place. Also, many case studies are given in these sections which provide further insight as to how to implement the correct system for a given situation. Overall, the book is very easy to understand, and serves as an excellent introduction and handbook to a configuration management system for industry.
Crisp and practical guide to setting up a CM system........1999-02-26
This book explains the theory but includes plenty of examples of how to set up an Engineering Document Control, or Configuration Management (CM) system. The examples in the text focus on an imaginary manufacturing company. The text does include some mention of tailoring a CM system for software developers.
The text is crisp and the books organization clear and logical. One of the last chapters includes what is essentially a checklist of how to put together a CM system.
This is not a one size fits all system. The user must use the material in the book as a guide to tailor a CM system to their company's requirements.
Overall an indispensable book for someone trying to set up or overhaul a CM system. I highly recommend it.
Average customer rating:
- Hard SF Original 1st Contact & More
- Must read. and then read again
- Poor showing
- Free SF Reader
- Philosophical Science Fiction
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Blindsight
Peter Watts
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0765312182
Release Date: 2006-10-03 |
Book Description
Two months since the stars fell....Two months since sixty-five thousand alien objects clenched around the Earth like a luminous fist, screaming to the heavens as the atmosphere burned them to ash. Two months since that moment of brief, bright surveillance by agents unknown. Two months of silence, while a world holds its breath.Now some half-derelict space probe, sparking fitfully past Neptune's orbit, hears a whisper from the edge of the solar system: a faint signal sweeping the cosmos like a lighthouse beam. Whatever's out there isn't talking to us. It's talking to some distant star, perhaps. Or perhaps to something closer, something en route.So who do you send to force introductions on an intelligence with motives unknown, maybe unknowable? Who do you send to meet the alien when the alien doesn't want to meet?You send a linguist with multiple personalities, her brain surgically partitioned into separate, sentient processing cores. You send a biologist so radically interfaced with machinery that he sees x-rays and tastes ultrasound, so compromised by grafts and splices he no longer feels his own flesh. You send a pacifist warrior in the faint hope she won't be needed, and the fainter one she'll do any good if she is. You send a monster to command them all, an extinct hominid predator once called vampire, recalled from the grave with the voodoo of recombinant genetics and the blood of sociopaths. And you send a synthesistan informational topologist with half his mind gone-as an interface between here and there, a conduit through which the Dead Center might hope to understand the Bleeding Edge.You send them all to the edge of interstellar space, praying you can trust such freaks and retrofits with the fate of a world. You fear they may be more alien than the thing they've been sent to find.But you'd give anything for that to be true, if you only knew what was waiting for them....
Customer Reviews:
Hard SF Original 1st Contact & More.......2007-10-08
I've never written a book review before (which will be readily apparent starting right...about...now...), but I thought I would for this book if only to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Peter Watts is/was a marine biologist. I was left with the impression that studying the aliens of the deep proved to be extraordinarily useful when imagining aliens from another world.
The science in the story is fascinating, and though I didn't understand all (nor even most) of it, Watts convinced me that he does. If you are interested in the nature of consciousness, the philosophy of mind, and the evolution of self-awareness, then you'll dig this book.
Be sure to read the appendices which provides scholarly resources defending the Watts' imagined world. I especially enjoyed the Watts' evolutionary history of the vampire--very clever!
Must read. and then read again.......2007-09-15
This is one of the best books I've ever read. The new and unusual concepts slam you in the forehead like a wet brick every couple of pages. Fair warning though - this author doesn't write down to his audience. If you're not well read or fairly bright, you'll probably get left behind.
Poor showing.......2007-09-13
Lousy, lousy book. Awkwardly written, full of technobabble, endless, incomprehensible descriptions of stuff and objects we don't care about, ultimately boring, and just sucky. Worse than Charles Stross. Don't read it. It's like a mongoloid mongrel of Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama" and Elizabeth Moon's "Speed of Light" to provide the "main" storyline and of a smattering far-future science fiction settings where people live more in virtual than real reality as the excuse for its social/society background.
Don't be mislead by a comparison to these far superior works. Blindsight sucked unexcusably. I *like* hard science fiction, but this was just a mess; and not even anything new or fresh, felt like a poor rehashing of old themes, and the stuff that was new was so poorly explained that the payoff just wasn't worth it.
Free SF Reader.......2007-09-04
While Alastair Reynolds borrowed from the Muppets with his Pigs in Space, it seems that Peter Watts may have gone for Colin Wilson's Space Vampires, instead. Reynolds is someone I think you can compare Watts to in tone, although the first person type retelling style of this also brings to mind Robert Charles Wilson's Spin.
A vampire spaceship captain type. Yep, that is right. It doesn't seem dumb, either.
After some non-human contact, a ship is built to go and investigate. The crew are an odd bunch. Add a multiple personality linguist, a guy with half a brain, and a non-conventional soldier to the mix, among others.
When they find them, they struggle to understand their brand of consciousness and use of senses, which is where the title comes from.
Violence is done.
The endnotes for this book are extensive, a fair bit of work done there, and well worth a look after you have finished the book.
Almost another tweener this one, 4.25 perhaps. Rounding up is fine given the work put into the post novel text.
Philosophical Science Fiction.......2007-09-01
This is a first contact novel that's as interesting for the philosophical and literary questions it raises as it is for the narrative.
The book follows the adventures of the crew of a space ship sent to meet an alien object entering the solar system. Several of the twenty-first century crew are extraordinary: the narrator, whose autism has been partially repaired and whose job is to clarify events for the folks back home; a brilliant predator from an extinct race; and a linguist with multiple personalities. Besides the efforts to communicate with the intruder, flashbacks into the narrator's life are also included. The book also examines a future on where the human race is able to create a kind of spiritual heaven here on earth.
Readers concerned with structure will wonder at what the author is driving with this mixed bag of crewmembers and an alien with whom communication seems particularly difficult. Often events and conversations occur which lead the narrator to draw conclusions which he does not share with the reader, which may lead the reader to wonder if he is following the story as intended by the author. Moreover, the philosophical question that the author raises is not immediately apparent. Eventually it will be revealed and what has gone before will fall into place.
The literary question is whether the nature of the philosophical question should be cloaked for so long. To reveal the question early on will enable the reader to understand characters and events as they unfold. To delay confuses the reader but leads to the thrill of discovery as the puzzle is revealed. The author has chosen the latter course and so I'm not even able to reveal the main philosophical question without spoiling the tale.
If you require science fiction with plenty of action rather than character development and philosophical inquiry, this book may seem a little slow to you. Much of the action seemed to me like an H.P. Lovecraft story with a lot of talk about the feeling of horror, without ever revealing what the horror is. On the other hand, if you don't mind feeling confused as the price of considering a question about man's nature that is seldom asked, you should enjoy this novel. (By the way, some will even ask if this question is even philosophical rather than scientific.)
Average customer rating:
- My baby loves it!
- a FAVORITE first book!
- Happy with this book
- A FAVORITE!!
- Great book
|
That's Not My Puppy: Its Coat Is Too Hairy (Watt, Fiona. Usborne Touchy-Feely Books.)
Fiona Watt
Manufacturer: Usborne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
Sense & Sensation
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ASIN: 0746037783 |
Customer Reviews:
My baby loves it!.......2007-09-13
short and sweet, my 9-month-old baby loves this book. she has a couple of favorite pages, but we often look at this book. we also have That's Not My Train, which she also enjoys. I think we need to get more! a really great book!
a FAVORITE first book!.......2007-05-22
We started reading this book to our daughter when she was just a few months old and it is definately a favorite first book! The words are simple, repetative (but in a cute way not an annoying way:) and there is a new texture to touch on every page. It's so interactive. This is one of the few that our daughter loved to sit all the way through and it's small enough to go everywhere with us (and now that she can walk, she really can carry it with her everywhere:).
Happy with this book.......2007-04-11
These books are really cute. My son (8 mos.) likes to feel the different textures, and my daughter (3 1/2) likes to find the mouse on each page. We have the dinosaur one also.
A FAVORITE!!.......2007-03-11
This is my daughter's FAVORITE book. She's nine months and we've been reading it regularly fo the past couple of months. She loves the basic repetition of 'that's not my puppy..' and especially loves the '..ears are too shaggy.'page. She'll reach for the feely parts of the book :)
It's to the point now where if she's fussy or bored we can recite a line from the book (without having the book, just from memory)and she instantly is destracted, looks up at us and smiles!
I'm super pumped to learn there's other books in the 'series'!! Wish I'd had known sooner :)
Great book.......2007-03-08
This is such a cute book my daughter loves it. She has started to read it to us now and loves the fuzzy pages.
Book Description
Since the publication of his first book, The Spirit of Zen in 1936, Alan Watts has brought the essential teachings of the East to generations of seekers, suggesting the need to "go out of your mind in order to come to your senses." Carefully distilled from hundreds of hours of never-before-released material, Out of Your Mind presents a philosophical tour de force from this legendary self-described "spiritual entertainer" - 12 lucid sessions sparking insights into the nature of reality; death and rebirth; the dilemma of polarity; the suspension of judgment; the art of contemplation; and much more.
Customer Reviews:
I wanted to listen to Watts' voice.......2007-02-13
After reading the transcripts of his talks, I wanted to hear Watts' voice. There had to be more to what was being said than what could be seen in the page. With my assignments on Watts in college three decades ago, I had just given them a cursory reading for classes on Zen and Taoism. I never gave a lot of consideration about them until recently. Having listened to the CD's and my readings, I was surprised at how much my view points on life were either shaped by those writings or helped along.
Like him, I was raised a Protestant. I was felt comfortable about Zen Buddhism because of Watt views. His Buddhism, though, is his own form of Buddhism because down to his bones Watt really is quite the Anglican. You won't understand that until you hear him lecture, his inflections or his jokes.
Working through my third round of the CDs, I'm in awe of him. In these discussions he lays out the philosophical basis for the environmental movement. There is a discussion of Basho's poetry that makes me wonder how much impact he had in shaping Beat poetry then and our poetry now. There discourse on bits, bytes and nets that anticipated our digital world and information technology. He was much ahead of his philosophical contemporaries and spiritually unlike them he doesn't hide anything from his audience.
What a fine mind and spirit he was.
These CD's are worth the purchase.
Eric Otto
Cincinnati
Hours of Peace of Mind.......2007-01-14
Alan Watts uses his soothing voice to deconstruct our modern fears by offering ancient Western evidence that all in the world is alright, or something like that. Your worries can only dissolve with each listening. Enjoy.
One of the Best Philosophers/Theologists/Thinker of our time.......2006-04-12
I feel in my opinion to find A. Watts as 'one of' the greatest philosophers of our time to be just as plausible to say Quine, Kripke, Russell, or even Ren? Descartes and Goethe to be 'one' of the greatest philosophers of our time (and I assure you I'm not a minority of one to think so).
I have been studying the subjects in which A. Watts has repeatedly referenced from C. G. Jung, Nagarjuna, Sigmund Freud, Descartes, Lao Tzu, and many more in fields such as General Semantics (Alfred Korzibski), Biology, Psychology, Neurology, and fields that are so intertwined that we don't have yet labels, or technical words to sollicite a field of study.
I feel Alan Watts would be regarded today as Carl Jung in his time, but only to discover him decades afterwards. Like Karl Popper for example maybe a few years down the road (though he died in 1994).
As for changing your own perspective of your social culture, Gandhi very rightly put it "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."
Basically this is my "bible".......2006-01-15
I don't mean to be irreligious with this title, obviously Alan Watts' CD's are not to be put on the same level as "The Bible" but as someone who has sought answers for most of my life, the set of CD's came as something of a godsend.
This collection does an excellent job of covering the essentials of Watt's philosphies. Most of his books (if you get them) are more detailed reiterations of his lectures here (or more correctly these lectures are synopsese of his books).
If you enjoy having "mondo" or enlightening dialogue - these CD's are for you. In them Watt's personality comes across clearly and his philosphy rolls from him naturally. If you're not already familiar with Watts its hard to describe what you're missing. What I can say is this collection is worth the cost. In it Watts speaks in a manner that is recognizably truthful and attempts to present a new 'mythology' by which we can see the world as it really is.
I can not recommend this too highly - I have listened to the entire 12 CD set more than 10 times. If nothing else it will help you sleep at night.
WHAT A TREASURE!!.......2005-12-24
I don't think I could begin too put into words how wonderful these cd's are! If you are a fan of Alan Watts this collection is a must! His books are great, but to hear him speak puts his discourses on a whole new level. ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!!
Book Description
An exploration of man's quest for psychological security and spiritual certainty in religion and philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
ALAN WATTS AT HIS BEST.......2007-09-27
Alan Watts is one of my all time favorite spiritual teacher and master. He was or you could say still is an enlightened being, even though ultimately there is no enlightenment. The concept of of the "value of insecurity" is difficult to grasp for the Western mind, since everything in our society is based on "striving for security". Alan explains that the concept of "security" is an ilusion. Highly recommended.
Wisdom of Insecurity...... you'll get what you need........2007-08-23
If you're seeking peace with a situation that has you tense all the time, you'll get it here. Watts is the best and this simple little book makes it clear that you're actually okay already - but he explains why and this, alone, will rest your soul.
With whatever you struggle, I wish you unfair successs ;)
Quick read with good nuggets.......2007-01-12
I enjoyed this little book. What I found particularly relevant is the distinction made between "belief" and "faith". Altogether, the book should help those who seek spirituality but are put off by religion and dogma. I recommend this to all who are open minded.
amazing.......2007-01-10
The most thaught inspiring book I've ever read. Watts breaks down things we are trained not to see, and then shines light on them. An incredbile awakening of the senses and life await any reader.
Short and powerful............2006-12-17
This book is short as many reviewers point out. However, it is not short on wisdom. In fact, it is loaded with powerful insights, analogies and examples that illustrate universal truths. It also embraces the reality of mystery and paradox. It doesn't try to explain them away and encourages the reader to avoid killing the "alivenss" of the world by putting too many things in boxes (i.e. concepts). Instead, it encourages an attitude of openness, wonder and awe at the miracle of life and seeking direct contact with reality.
This book deals with the big existential questions and the problem of anxiety and insecurity. In my opinion, it is one of Alan Watts' best book, if not his very best book. He approaches his topic from an Eastern point of view, but one that a Western person could easily relate to. Alan Watts is a gifted author and a master of using language to convey complex concepts in easy to understand ways.
Book Description
Everyone knows the small-world phenomenon: soon after meeting a stranger, we are surprised to discover that we have a mutual friend, or we are connected through a short chain of acquaintances. In his book, Duncan Watts uses this intriguing phenomenon--colloquially called "six degrees of separation"--as a prelude to a more general exploration: under what conditions can a small world arise in any kind of network?
The networks of this story are everywhere: the brain is a network of neurons; organisations are people networks; the global economy is a network of national economies, which are networks of markets, which are in turn networks of interacting producers and consumers. Food webs, ecosystems, and the Internet can all be represented as networks, as can strategies for solving a problem, topics in a conversation, and even words in a language. Many of these networks, the author claims, will turn out to be small worlds.
How do such networks matter? Simply put, local actions can have global consequences, and the relationship between local and global dynamics depends critically on the network's structure. Watts illustrates the subtleties of this relationship using a variety of simple models---the spread of infectious disease through a structured population; the evolution of cooperation in game theory; the computational capacity of cellular automata; and the sychronisation of coupled phase-oscillators.
Watts's novel approach is relevant to many problems that deal with network connectivity and complex systems' behaviour in general: How do diseases (or rumours) spread through social networks? How does cooperation evolve in large groups? How do cascading failures propagate through large power grids, or financial systems? What is the most efficient architecture for an organisation, or for a communications network? This fascinating exploration will be fruitful in a remarkable variety of fields, including physics and mathematics, as well as sociology, economics, and biology.
Customer Reviews:
All the details you need to know to understand Watts' and Strogatz' famous article.......2007-03-12
The book basically gives all the details needed to understand Watts and Strogatz famous Nature article 'Collective Dynamics of Complex Networks' in 1998. I think that it is basically Watts PhD-thesis and as such it is of course nicely written, but nothing for the laymen who is rather referred to Watts other, more story-telling book 'Six Degrees', Barabasi's book 'Linked', or to another book that I would recommend most, namely the one by Mark Buchanan titled 'Small Worlds'. Mark is a skillful scientific writer and his book has a broader scope that makes it more interesting than each of the two monographs that are a bit more focused on the scientists own contribution.
Not enough contents to be a good book.......2005-07-08
Networks are since a couple of years object of intense research in several different disciplines. One reason therefore is certainly the outstanding article by Watts and Strogatz, Collective dynamics of small world networks, Nature, 393:440--442, 1998. Unfortunatelly, this book can not continue the high level of this article. Actually, it does not really provide much more information than the article itself. I would suggest to read the article cited above and either decide for another book or to look directly in the literature and read the origninal articles.
To summarize, this book is not terribly weak, but one can clearly sees that it swims on the current 'complex networks' wave without providing enough justification for its existence. Of course, if you do not have access to the original literature and just what to have a general overview of complex networks and what be done with them, you may consider buying this book.
Good, but some typos.......2005-06-02
Mathematical level: Moderate; there's no calculus, and little high level math, but the book is quite mathematical in tone, and some of the arguments may be difficult to follow without a good "math sense". There are MANY equations and graphs.
Good points: Watts covers an area that will interest those who deal with mathematical models of social networks e.g. models of disease-spread, especially HIV. It might, however, cover other things that can spread through networks as well. He presents analysis of graphs (or networks) that are neither random nor highly structured; and begins to examine ways that the degree of structure v. randomness can be measured.
Bad points: There are more than the usual number of typos. The models presented are a "first step", only.
Inspiring.......2001-07-24
The author believes that human thought might be a small world, in the sense that one could reach any idea if he/she finds the right associations and "short-cut"s. The small-world theory is indeed one of those short cuts itself. It links many different domains and uncovers some interesting common behavior.
The theory is developed in a scientific manner with extensive numerical support. Rich literature reviews and many open questions make this book a good research reference. Complex observations are generally followed by qualitative explanations. However, some of the simpler derivations are not fully clear. I believe that adding a few lines here and there can turn this book into a textbook.
The book spans many different areas of science and a deep understanding of the related results may require some background. However, each chapter ends with a brief summary, allowing the reader to move forward if he/she finds the chapter difficult. In summary, as the author puts it, the book is simply the "end of the beginning" in an exciting new field.
Great scientific synthesis.......2000-07-12
The book takes a systematic look at the 'small world' graphs. These natural graphs have been discovered by graph theoretist as erly as 60's, but were not properly understood. The graphs are remarkable in their ability to cluster and scale lengths. There are fundumental connections between these graphs and complex systems, discrete dynamical systems, computation and information processing. Duncan has done a tremendous job in building experimetal and theoretical models trying to understand how these graphs come about and sustain themselves. Read this book.
Average customer rating:
- Pretty good, almost 5 stars.
- Interesting but limited in his thinking.
- Watts Up...
- A unique adventure into the ground of an individual's identity
- Most Certainly Not THE Book
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The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
Alan Watts
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0679723005
Release Date: 1989-08-28 |
Amazon.com
Modern Western culture and technology is inextricably tied to the belief in the existence of a self as a separate ego, separated from and in conflict with the rest of the world. In this classic book, Watts provides a lucid and simple presentation of an alternative view based on Hindi and Vedantic philosophy.
Book Description
A witty attack on the illusion that the self is a separate ego that confronts a universe of alien physical objects.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty good, almost 5 stars. .......2007-08-28
"The Book" was my first Alan Watts book. It was pretty good, and I'm sure for the time in which it was written(which is very apparent by the vernacular of that era), it was awe inspiring and eye opening, especially on some college campuses with a little herbal enhancement.
I checked out this book after reading Leo Hartong's Awakening To The Dream, where he states having been influenced by Watts. After reading Hartong, Watts seems a little dry, and not as centered on one idea, which is ok. Very philosophical with the author's political slant, if you can catch it.
One slightly frustrating part of reading this is Alan's sarcasm. I'm sure he was thinking with a tone of voice in mind while writing, but one has to read on through the paragraph and then decide if Alan was being sarcastic or has actually changed his view slightly.
I guess that's why some of the reviews I've read say that he was a better lecturer than author, and that recordings of his lectures come across so much better.
I'm bashing this book, I can see why it was a classic. I ordered two of his books to get a taste of his philosophy, this and The Way of Zen.
If you are new to the non-dual way of thinking, this may be a good place for you to start.
Interesting but limited in his thinking........2007-03-26
Alan has great insight into our sense of perception. I found Alan's description of how we sense the world to be truly insightful. Our ears and eyes are just like our hands, touching particles of sound and light as our mind arranges them into patterns we recognize. And yet we can not perceive and make sense of all the information our senses gather. Have you ever met someone at a party, had a conversation with them and not noticed what they were wearing? Of all the information our senses provide, we simply focus on what we find "interesting". Our focus is like that of a flashlight in a dark room. The more attention we give to something, the narrower our perception becomes, hence attention and ignorance go hand in hand. This really resonated with me.
The part that I could not connect with in Alan Watts thinking is that he thinks in extremes and creates falls dichotomies. Incidentally this is both ironic and telling that he has named a whole chapter "The Game of Black vs White". One of his major points of this work is that we should not fight polar opposites but to except both as part of the same system. (ie. Life (white) vs Death (black). Why fight death when life could not be possible (as we know it) with out death. The death or black antagonist should instead be respected and accepted as a worthy adversary to keep in check but not to defeat. This part of his perspective does speak to me and I do find his exploration of accepting death interesting even liberating. His overall premise of the book is to convince the reader that we are all part of the "whole world system" and not man vs. nature. While I have a similar view, the issue that I take is that Alan sees people as either believing in an all mighty God that will strike you down if you offend him, or you are a cold hard atheist who relies on science to predict order and the world is bleak. These are the "black and white" opposites that he creates. This falls dichotomy leaves out all of the Grey areas in between. It leaves out all of the other religions in the world. It leaves out all of the other perspectives people can have within their belief of God or non-belief. Maybe there are people who believe in God who don't seem him as an entity to please or be punished but simply all loving and accepting and who knows that we are all simply human and make mistakes. Maybe people aren't scared of God and feel fully accepted by him. Maybe there are atheists who are not simply interested in cold hard facts and who feel a sense of being connected to others yet don't believe in a formal religion or see one all might God as being in the picture. Since the book was written in a time when less people in the USA had experience with Eastern thought and religions, this could have been Alan's way of trying to get people of his time to break out of their current way of thinking. Yet, even that being the case, today we live in a country with much more diversity then the time of this writing and the illustrations Alan uses to make his point falls short and are highly debatable. I think it is too bad as I like where he is going, just not the method of how he gets there.
Watts Up..........2006-11-03
Being a "wannabe" Hippie, I kew that eventually I would have to read this book because this book was once considered a very subversive text. Nowadays, books by Wayne Dyer, Marrianne Williamson, and Deepak Chopra are writing books left and right with the same kind of stuff that Alan Watts wrote about in the late 50s, early 60s. And even though I appreciate the works of Dyer, Williamson, and Chopra, their words don't seem to carry as much as a "punch" as the words of Watts. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's just my own interpretation of the material. Maybe it's because I used to listen to him late at night on the far left-end of the dial on a publically sponsored radio station listening and reading everything that I knew my dad would "hate" and "dissaprove" of. The ironic thing is, is that he read and listened to Watts long before I did but like a lot of us, he got caught up in Life and put some things aside and focused on changing diapers instead of minds, rasing a family rather than raising consciousness, and yet he still held onto a few "jewels" of Truth that he wanted to impart with me, and me, being an idiot as well as a teenager (aren't they synonomous) thought and felt that somehow he was trying to be the boss of me.
When I read these essays now, I am comforted by Watts' brilliant way of making the abstract, a little more "user friendly". The essay, 'How To Be A Genuine Fake' was most helpful as I was studying to become a spiritual counselor (a practitioner)for my church. It seemed as though everyone was holding themselves in some glorious light of what they were doing. It became a new game that they were playing with themselves. "Oh, when I get this practitioner license I will be this and I will be that..." And yeah, I fell for it, too, but after reading this essay a few billion times I remembered that with or without a "practitioner license" I will still be spiritual. Taking a class doesn't make you spiritual. Reading a book, going to a lecture, listening to audio programs don't make one "spiritual". Even meditation and prayer don't make us Spiritual. What makes us spiritual is knowing that we already are spiritual and here's the tricky part, EVERYONE IS. Not just some, but all. Even "Charlie" the smelly drunk that likes to go to my Monday night class. I have a feeling he is an undercover angel so even though people complain about him, I let him stay.
My copy is underlined and reunderlined, it is stained with coffee and food stains, it has notes in the margins and little doodles. It is being held together by a rubber band and maybe one day I will give it to my kid or one of my nephews or nieces so they can say, "Eh, what does Uncle Johnny know about life, anyway?"
Not much...not very much...
Know that the seen and the unseen are One; that black dissolves into white and white dissolves into black, that your soul is part of the same soul of everyone you meet; that you are no worse than or better than anyone else. Afterall, it's one thing to read these incredible words and it is quite another to live them out. But don't punish yourself if you don't and don't reward yourself if you do.
Everything is just as it needs to be.
Peace & Blessings, to all.
A unique adventure into the ground of an individual's identity.......2006-07-02
The Book by Alan Watts is a unique adventure into the ground of an individual's identity. I do not think that there is another book quite like it in Western literature. Written in everyday language, Alan Watts takes us on a ride that is sure to surprise and maybe even shock some people. The author starts out by explaining the Hindu Vedanta philosophy in thoroughly modern terminology. This philosophy says in short that the world is God's play, and that we are all God playing at being the world. God has lost himself in the world, and now it is his great fun to find himself. Another theme that Watts explores is that all opposites are connected. He then shows the amazing implications of this. For example, if you are a person who is passionate about a cause, this is ok, as long as you realize that your passion depends upon the very situation you are trying to set right. This allows the person of passion to also be a person of com-passion, even for a person or situation that may be on the opposite side.
There are many great lines and insights in this book, all very well written in a lively and clear style. Watts states that The Book that he would like to write would be so well written that the reader will only need to read it once and then be done with it. However, on this point, I have a different take. For me, The Book is so well written with so many important ideas and insights, that you will want to read it again and again, just for the sheer fun of it.
Most Certainly Not THE Book.......2006-06-05
I first read this book when I wore the cloths of a younger man and thought it was the worst book I had ever read. At the time I thought it was 176 pages of Alan Watts repeating the phrase "I'm right and you're wrong" ad nauseam. Many years later I decided to give The Book a second chance but couldn't get past reading a few pages before getting sick to my stomach. I can't say I know what exactly The Book is about, except trying to depress people. None of the author's arguments are carried out to any conclusions. For example Watts argues that since you can't know anything except being alive when you die you'll experience being alive again. What does this mean? Is he suggesting time is a loop and you're forced to live the same life forever, or is there some sort of reincarnation, or is this a case of solipsism and when you die the universe disappears along with everyone in it? His arguments are clouded with an infinitely thick veil of ambiguity so he seems right no matter what interpretation is used. Watts expects you to impose your own interpretations onto his skeleton of linguistic gymnastics, reaffirming your own beliefs. I couldn't get passed interpreting part of The Book as meaning though you die other people will live and if you pretend they're you before you die you'll feel better about it, though the author doesn't personally believe in an afterlife of any kind. Excuse me, Mr. Watts, but you're not making any sense and you're ignoring the facts of survival of consciousness. I fear giving this book away as it might contaminate someone else.
Book Description
This contemporary text will connect you with the current human relations issues and challenges you will encounter in the twenty-first century and will prepare you to confidently put proven theory into action-so you get the results you want. Authors Dalton, Hoyle, and Watts use a unique approach that gives you the opportunity to experience and analyze firsthand the contemporary issues of human relations in the twenty-first century. By weaving their varied professional backgrounds and knowledge into every chapter, they provide the insight and awareness that comes only from experience. Based on the sound content and research of the previous edition, HUMAN RELATIONS, 3rd aims to deliver a dynamic and real-world perspective to human relations.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book.......2007-08-11
I didn't think I would like the class that used this book (my major is computer science) although I, suprisingly, loved the class AND this book. This book is EXCELLLENT and is nice to read. It is well done and explores many sides to the same issue and isn't one sided at all. It is probably one of the best textbooks for any of the classes I took and is worth reading if you have an interest in the subject even if you are not taking any classes.
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