Customer Reviews:
Good But Content Diluted, Concept-Elucidation Blurred?.......2007-08-15
Yes it is indeed a sad enterprise when an author--runs out of steam. Begins to repeat; begins to dilute. A near-universal in visual art, also in literature. Mark Twain's early travel books ran dynamic, rich--but then at least one later work slowed to show results of fatigue and the end of inspiration. We can call it an issue of Specific Gravity. What is the amount of material compared to the word-count? One speaks of "op-ed books" today, full-length treatments whose gist and essence could have been presented in, say, 1000 words.
Edward Tufte's invaluable first three books show this proportionate packing with material. Just possibly, this fourth and latest book--shows dilution, watering-down, inappropriate repetition. At least one other reviewer has made this point; I suspect so.
But let's accentuate the positives of Tufte's vision--even if imperfectly presented here. New here (among good stuff such as "sparklines") is the indispensable attempt at explicating universal principles of design. Above the Concrete Particulars, the flux of graphs, charts, pictures, etc., what Conceptual Principles can guide us? And the half-dozen issues he identifies, are helpful.
However, the presentation of them is not. Tufte employs Menard's famous graphic of Napoleon's 1811 Russian campaign to illustrate the principles. However, in terms of sheer Information Elucidation, two errors seem to occur.
First, number of examples. To convey difficult concept, more than one example, illustration, instance is needed. We lack a "rounded ensemble" (in my system's terminology) of several and varied instances to better cinch the point. Example: someone trying to convey the idea of a map as more than just an image of the earth's surface, of presenting knowledge, referenced chromosome maps in genetics, weather maps in meteorology, animal range maps in zoology, magnetic field maps in geology, and wiring diagrams in engineering. [Geographer Peter Gould is even better in elucidating how maps are not terrestrial but conceptual, representing relationships between things. He references "maps" of emotional states of married couples, South Pacific geobotanically, New Zealand "in changing aircost space," intellectual winds blowing through psychology journals, my gosh, world journalism, Shakespeare, influenza...] Bravo, a rounded ensemble cinches the concept with polypod footings. Too bad Tufte fell short here as the multiple instances ploy is actually similar to Tufte's own excellent tactic of "Small Multiples."
Second, comparison/contrast, or rather,Tufte's non-use of this keystone principle of thinking-writing-communicating. Only the excellent Menard graphic is shown; he should have either shown a bad attempt by another of the same subject, or created a "ruined" version also of Menard's, given a flawed example. This dualism for each of his universal principles. One thinks of Tufte's own dictum, statistics always asks, "compared to what?" Or, "He who knows not a foreign country knows nothing of his own." Or, to teach freshmen students good qualities of poetry, give a first draft or inferior poem on the same subject as well as Yeats' excellent final-draft "The Old Pensioner." Or give even a triad: as in, a too-lightly- inked graphic, a just-right density, and then an over-inked graphic.
So much for better elucidation of Key Principles. This is more important than the issue of irrelevant items, such as the issues of introductions and of sculptures. A little charity here; it's hard to exclude one's own enthusiasms. But Convergence to Point is also a principle of good communication.
"At least a quintet [of books] is projected," states Tufte. But let him await the wellspring re-filling itself with Heavy Water, not diluted dew. And please use comparison-contrast and multiple examples to cinch point.
Just incredible........2007-07-18
As always Professor Tufte's work in this area just continues to astound me. I have read- and re-read - the other works and this is arguably the most succinct and tight one yet. It operates equally well from 30,000 feet as it does through a macro lens....very well laid out, beautifully executed and remarkable approachable for a wide range of professionals outside the design and graphics industry.
Tufte B-sides?.......2007-07-01
This fourth book in Tufte's series on visual information resembles a disappointing B-sides/greatest hits collection instead of an essential new work. It includes a full reprint of Tufte's recent PowerPoint pamphlet and frequent discussion of topics from earlier books (for example Minard's chart of Napoleon's march into Russia). The final chapter on Tufte's sculptures seems especially misplaced. New material includes exploration of Sparklines, word-sized graphs interspersed among normal text. In the Graphics Press tradition of superior aesthetics, this book contains richly printed images and text on thick paper.
I'd strongly recommend the previous three books in the series, esp. the first one 'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information'. Those who already own those three works can probably skip this new volume.
What was I thinking?.......2007-06-08
If I had gone into a brick and mortar store and thumbed through the pages of this book I would never have purchased it. I'm sorry I just don't get all this artsy type fluff that everyone seems to be so "Tufte-Gong-Ho" about. I was expecting a book from a professional business perspective on insights on how to represent various types of data in the correct visual format. One look at the table of contents gives you the impression that's exactly what this book is. However, when you look at the actual contents, you have pictures and artwork that would never make it in a professional boardroom. The examples are just plain terrible and you would think someone as good as Tufte would be able to represent and communicate concepts in a better format instead of getting nostalgic with historical artwork. Do I really care about David Smith's Cubi XXVI (1965) sculptural volumes! Oh and the slave trade ship pictures on pages 22-23 are a nice touch. Give me a break; I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out what the point of those pictures were in explaining a concept. I just hope I can resell this book and try to recover half the price I paid for it. If you are in corporate America trying to make a living adding value to your company's bottom line, skip this book.
Beautiful Evidence.......2007-05-07
This book should be reviewed by anyone who writes reports or gives presentations. I especially like the author's views on corruption of data and facts.
Book Description
This new book argues that the four Gospels are closely based on eyewitness testimony of those who knew Jesus. Noted New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham challenges the prevailing assumption that the accounts of Jesus circulated as "anonymous community traditions," asserting instead that they were transmitted in the name of the original eyewitnesses. To drive home this controversial point, Bauckham draws on internal literary evidence, study of personal names in the first century, and recent developments in the understanding of oral traditions.
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses also taps into the rich resources of modern study of memory and cognitive psychology, refuting the conclusions of the form critics and calling New Testament scholarship to make a clean break with this long-dominant tradition. Finally, Bauckham challenges readers to end the classic division between the "historical Jesus" and the "Christ of faith," proposing instead the "Jesus of testimony." Sure to ignite heated debate on the precise character of the testimony about Jesus, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses will be valued by scholars, students, and all who seek to understand the origins of the Gospels.
Customer Reviews:
Good Defense and Solid Refutation.......2007-09-25
I found this book on Bauckham to be slightly boorish. Why?
Because the form criticism, reduction critics have let on that they know so much more!
Bauckham solidly refutes and consistently refers to 'home base' - the Apostles and their close associates as valid and non-contradictory eyewitness, and therefore being the original and only sources of the NT.
A necessary defense in the light of the plethora of 'Matthew's community' this and the 'Johannine community' that.
Most re-assuring in light of the fact that the textual-critical scholars of the Bible do not believe in half of the words belonging to Jesus!
*Dr Kostenberger does rightly oppose Bauckam's suggestion that the Gospel of John was not written by the beloved disciple, but the 'Elder' John.
Doubtful.......2007-09-22
This is a wishful intent, aimed to prove a certain hypothesis.
The hypothesis is controversial at best.
Undoubtedly there were thousands of eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus, but no texts, if any, of their writings survived, unless one is to accept the fragments of the so-called Gospel of Mary Magdalen as being one such. The latter are more Buddhist in nature.
One wonders, also, why Jesus did not write his own gospel. Possibly he wrote down some of his teachings, but they have not been found.
The book is a noble academic treatise. However I think it is clear that the Gospels were written many decades indeed life-spans after Jesus...with all that this time lag must imply.
Scholarly Yet Accessible.......2007-09-04
Richard Bauckham has written an informative book in answer to those who would question the historicity and veracity of the synoptic gospels. The details of his points are technical but easy to follow even if one hasn't had a formal theological education. His reasoning is sound and he regularly summarizes each point of the argument. One review I read compared it to a mystery and I would have to agree that this book reads like a great novel.
That...which we have seen with our own eyes...concerning the word of life.......2007-08-08
This is a wonderfully fresh, challenging new look at the connection between eye-witness testimony and the Jesus tradition. As it argues for a fairly orthodox interpretation of the origin and transmission of the Jesus tradition, it is bound to stir up a skeptical backlash such as the lengthy (and often distorted or inaccurate) 'critical' review by Neil Godfrey. Nevertheless, it is a genuine work of scholarship, distinguishable from works by more skeptical historians and NT scholars only by the conclusions it reaches. The standard of argument and the use of primary and secondary literature are impeccable, as the knowledgeable reader will discern immediately.
Bauckham's case can be (all too briefly) summarized as follows: the Jesus traditions recorded in the canonical Gospels are not two or three generations removed from the eyewitness observers of the ministry and death of Jesus, but at most at one remove. Furthermore these traditions did not pass through a long, anonymous process of modification and expansion, but rather reflect the testimony of specific named tradents who continued to be authoritative sources of the traditions they passed on until they died. He bases this case on several pieces of evidence: 1)the remarks of Papias (and other early Church fathers) on the origins of the Gospels, 2)the named persons in the Gospels most likely reflect eyewitness sources for the Gospel narratives in which they feature, 3)the evangelists use an ancient rhetorical device known as the inclusio (used, for example, by Lucian and Porphyry) to indicate their main eyewitness sources, 4)remarks by Paul indicate the presence of a formal, controlled method of transmitting the Jesus tradition, as well as an official eyewitness collegiate in the form of the Twelve who ensured that the traditions passed on reflected actual contact with Jesus, 5)the pattern of agreement and disagreement among the Synoptic traditions about Jesus is best explained by the agreements and disagreements often observed among eyewitnesses to the same event(s). He devotes several chapters to the Gospel of John as a special case of eyewitness testimony and closes with a philosophical discussion of the role of testimony in the practice of historiography.
This thesis is of course open to challenge at several points. One might argue that the ancient sources (NT, Church Fathers) are simply too scanty to make definitive statements about who wrote what and when. One might examine the pattern of agreements and disagreements and conclude that the variations indicate a more informal, less controlled method of transmission of the Jesus tradition, or that the variations are best explained by theological differences among the evangelists. One might not be convinced by the presence of the inclusio in the Gospels, less still by its supposed function (to indicate eye-witness sources). The crux of the matter is that these are legitimate scholarly objections to a legitimate scholarly argument. Given the controversial nature of our sources, it is inevitable that people will disagree with Bauckham, and doubtless some of his arguments are more plausible than others (as he himself admits). But that is no reason to accuse him of producing "pro-medieval, anti-Enlightenment scholarship" (actually, Godfrey would be hard-pressed to come anywhere near the scholarly achievement of some of the medieval scholars, like Aquinas or Grotius or Scotus).
Whatever one thinks of Bauckham's overall thesis (I am inclined to think that it is broadly convincing, with some qualifications), he surely points the way forward to a fresh examination of the canonical Jesus traditions. Historical-critical NT scholarship began already loaded with theological presuppositions and primitive, un-scientific understanding of how oral tradition works or how corporate memory is preserved. What is called for is a model of the origin and transmission of the Jesus traditions that account for the pattern of agreement and disagreement we actually find in the Gospels, as well as the presence of non-canonical traditions and the references we find in the Church Fathers. James Dunn in his monumental work Jesus Remembered (Christianity in the Making, Vol. 1) and in the smaller A New Perspective on Jesus: What the Quest for the Historical Jesus Missed (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology) has already taken important steps in this direction, while Gregory Boyd and Paul Rhodes Eddy in The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition apply the most up-to-date anthropological and psychological data to testing the plausibility of the models of Dunn and Bauckham. One can only hope that this trend will continue, and that we will gain a much more historically plausible understanding of Jesus and the Gospels, as well as one more congenial to theological concerns (NOT illegitimate, contrary to Godfrey's rants).
By all means read Neil Godfrey's review, but bear in mind that he is just as biased (if not more so) as Bauckham, and often misrepresents Bauckham's arguments and intentions, with an appalling lack of intellectual generosity and scholarly acumen. Anyone reading this book with an open mind and a nuanced understanding of what "Enlightenment" really means will greatly profit from it.
Bauckham Blast Bultmann, Beelzebub.......2007-08-07
Basic point obvious: Jesus had eyewitnesses . In the sense of people qualified and competent to report what they saw; and the Gospels are based on their testimony as such. 'Eyewitnesses' were and are a well recognized metaphor from jurisprudence, and a facet of Hellenistic historiography.
To which a churlish reader such as this one might reply, Duh!
It is perfectly obvious the Gospels were based on witness reports. In some cases (e.g. John, and epistle of Peter) the author formally declared themselves to be witnesses, and gave a kind of oath-sounding affirmation. Luke begins his gospel by telling us he he carefully assembled good witness a la a kind of investigatory reporter, making sure he got his facts from good sources.
Again, Duh.
But the real point at issue here concerns not the normal common-sense readers of the Gospels like ourselves, but those in the cult-like intellectual fringe of yesteryear, who were somehow bewitched in the 1920s and by the ravings of German liberal self styled `high critics' like Rudolph Butltmann. It was he who overlooked the obvious and dredged up anarcane alternative, the better to diminish Scripture and become all the rave of the anti-Christian mainstream media and adultery-addicted Art Deco salon set of his day. This happened in an age when intellectuals we all ga-ga over naturalistic reductionism and swallowed anything attacking the Faith; we had Clarence Darrow and the Scopes monkey trial, we had racial theorists with calipers measuring skulls; John b Watson and B.F. Skinner prototypes declaring there is no mind; we had colonials running around in pith helmets and butterfly nets in Papua, etc etc, all intoxicated with the notion that the verities of the God of old were 'outdated' and could be easily rendered correctly with modern science. And somehow, Bultmanns theories became horribly entrenched until repeated by thousands and millions of dupes readers. Bultmann basically said that the Scripture came not from witnesses but from oral traditions in disparate, disconnected communities. Sayings derived from purposes served, such as liturgical or evangelistic or pseudo-historical. And so the sayings and pericopes 'about' Christ, say Bultmannians, really tell us more about communities and agendas than Jesus.
Belatedly the pericopes were committed to writing. Evidence to the contrary, whether in the texts or from Papias, must simply be lies or inventions.
Bultmann is a scandal not only of higher criticism but of the entire scholarly enterprise itself, which was consciously constructed on the singular theme that God doesn't exist, and that the only allowable dscourse will be naturalistic.
Bauckham uses chap. 10 to lay out the scandal. Bultmann was debunked, point by point, some time ago. There's an unfortunate disconnect between the scholarly journals and these icons of popular science. And the world still rejects the Resurrection, or an afterlife judgment, and simply will grab at any half-plausible pseudo-theory to reassure themselves that there's no consequence of their wicked lives.
Now, with that in view, Bauckham's book begins to make sense. And it has real value in fact. He is primarily addressing a learned audience who have been infected with Bultmann and with the intensive anti-Christian virus. Ordinary, conscientious readers are already way ahead of him.
But other victims of `Jesus' Seminar' et al. claptrap that is so pervasive in antichristian mainstream publishing, who have soaked up the fraudulence about late dating of Gospels and the unreliability or oral transmission, will benefit.
Bauckham meticulously explains the significance of literary inclusio devices; the good credibility of Papias, and how his statements harmonize with Matthew and especially Petrine Mark; Johanine writings as real eyewitness testimony; the significance of many named persons in the Gospels (and others kept anonymous); assorted construction element emphasizing a witnessing purpose;the obviously likelihood that oral traditions were scrupulously memorized and were written in private notebooks; etc
What's missing in my view:
Most glaring and annoying is no mention of the Book of Revelation--which, after all, purports to be the testament and eyewitness experience of John, who is the same who was Christ's biographical witness. And John is ordered to `write down' the prophecy. And there is a solemn curse against anyone who would change it. And there are allusions to false apostles already corrupting the msg. All of these elements really bear direclty on Bauckham's thesis, and Revelation is rife with 'witness' themes, yet Bauckham gives it nary a mention.
Another weakness is his brief treatment of Paul's witness claim in which Paul asserts that he received the words of the sacramental liturgy from the Lord. Bauckham simply replies, `Paul couldn't have meant this,' without enough discussion on this monumentally important (and dubious) assertion.
Conversely, Bauckham gives us WAY too much about Greco-Roman literary forms and parallels that only tangentially bear on his thesis. This happens several times, totaling scores of pages. It fulfills the scholarly job of comparative literature, but is mind-numbing. Bauckham could have put the cites in footnotes or moved this material to an appendix.
If Baukham does a paperback edition, he should follow Tom Wright's example in his 900 page Resurrection, and give us a 250 page abridgment for popular reading.
There's no reflection, either, on the possibility that God may have constructed the Gospel with intentional ambiguity and opacity (as Jesus says) precisely in order to hide things from the 'smart guys' and reveal them only to the poor or humble or those in need. Part of the arrogance of the ruling intelligentsia is their naive assumption that reality is objective, under their symbolic control, and analyzable without acknowledging God. Scientists are only chasing their own tails.
From a scholarly standpoint, this book is a masterpiece that will certainly drive a stake thru Bultmann's heart. It should soften some of the bizarrely anti-Christianized heavily politicized and weirdly speculative maundering drivel we've been getting from HarperSanFrancisco, of Jesus Seminar genre, which is really converging on the Da Vinci Code agenda, and other septic spill from Beelzebub.
Book Description
Six fan-theorists attempt to unravel the clues of THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. Joyce Odell of Red Hen Productions, Daniella Teo of Mugglenet, Sally M. Gallo of The Leaky Cauldron, Wendy B. Harte and the mysterious "Swythyv" - along with editor, John Granger (author of Hidden Key to Harry Potter, etc.)- provide Harry Potter readers with exciting and insightful ideas of what happened and what will happen based on their close reading of the texts ... ideas that will challenge and engage readers everywhere. Travis Prinzi, creator of THE SWORD OF GRIFFYNDOR website, writes that these essays "will stand as a monument to the kind of guesswork we were all involved in as we awaited the final Harry Potter book."
Customer Reviews:
YOUR TITLE SPOILED THE BOOK FOR ME.......2007-09-25
I've managed to stay spoiler free for all these years, and while buying Book 6, Amazon recommends this damned book to me. Thanks.
An interesting look at the phenomenal Potter series.......2007-08-27
I admit that I rushed through Book 6 of the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," basically taking in the plot as it was presented on the surface and without considering much of what I already knew about the way J.K.Rowling has worked in creating the series. "Who Killed Albus Dumbledore" was a real awakening for me to the clever, layered and nuanced ways in which this series has unfolded, and to the deceptive techniques of mis-direction Rowling uses to create suspense and to focus the ideas beneath the surface of what appear to be simple fantasy narratives. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to prime themselves for a rewarding reading of Book 7, "...and the Deathly Hallows" (which I'll be reading soon after a careful RE-reading of HBP...).
Harry Potter Spoiler right on the front cover!.......2007-08-13
How could someone who's such a harry potter fan that they write a book about it, want to spoil book 6 by giving the most major plot detail right in the book title?
Amazon should take this off their site.
Interesting, very interesting..........2007-08-10
I found the theories fun to read about before reading book seven. Being a light reader, I often missed subtle hints that Rowling dropped n her earlier books. Quite interesting.
Worst book ever..........2007-08-09
Seriously who puts such a huge spoiler in the title! I can't believe Amazon is connecting this book to the harry potter series... i can't believe it is suggesting it to readers when IT HAS A SPOILER IN THE TITLE!! This book really ruins it for new fans just getting into the seriers. I would have never the 6th book if I had saw something like this. It would have totally ruined it for me.... there is a certain magic to reading books and getting invested in the characters... to show something that doesn't even happen until the end of a loved character is cruel.
Book Description
There are many ways that a potential attacker can intercept information, or learn more about the sender, as the information travels over a network. Silence on the Wire uncovers these silent attacks so that system administrators can defend against them, as well as better understand and monitor their systems.
Silence on the Wire dissects several unique and fascinating security and privacy problems associated with the technologies and protocols used in everyday computing, and shows how to use this knowledge to learn more about others or to better defend systems. By taking an indepth look at modern computing, from hardware on up, the book helps the system administrator to better understand security issues, and to approach networking from a new, more creative perspective. The sys admin can apply this knowledge to network monitoring, policy enforcement, evidence analysis, IDS, honeypots, firewalls, and forensics.
Customer Reviews:
Light Face of the Dark Side.......2007-07-16
The Global Network is not a battle ground. It is a play ground.
This book although it covers security issues is great insight into the mentality that the security geeks can have. For them the security of platforms and networks are faulted and the hackers task is to disclose that.
A Wonderful Treatment of Network Security.......2007-06-12
At a conference I was at some time ago, a fellow mentioned to me that one person he would probably not want to play poker with is Michal Zalewski. I didn't really get his statement at the time, but after reading this book, I can now wholeheartedly understand his reluctance.
Although only 260 pages long, Michal's book covers an incredibly wide range of topics, pinpointing numerous areas in which incredible amounts of information about you and your computer are available, even though it may not seem that way at first blush. From the keyboard, to the processor, to the operating system, to the network wire, Michal points out the many holes from which this information is leaking from. His writing style gives rise to an entertaining narrative where a high-level picture makes the main concept available to everyone, while at the same time providing citations in the footnotes that let you delve into the details at a later point.
Silence on the Wire impressed me in so many ways that it's difficult to list them all here. Michal's understanding of so many areas in computer security is simply astounding. He covers each topic in just enough detail, not bogging down the reader in lots of technical jargon, but also not doing an inordinate amount of 'hand-waving'. His movement through the various components of the computer and the network is very well done; it ties together in a nice progression that the reader can follow easily.
I enjoyed the a nice selection of papers Michal discusses in which many ingenious attacks were described (timing attacks on RSA, SSH password recovery through timing analysis, TEMPEST, etc.). But one thing that truly stood out in this book is Michal's own contribution, which includes his work with p0f, the analysis of various ISN generators, and his work on identifying various web browsers through timing analysis. I was just amazed at how easily Michal pulled these 'fingerprints' out of seemingly random and/or innocuous data sets.
I had actually read about much of the work that Silence on the Wire covers beforehand, but in spite of that I learned a great deal from this book, and I know that many others can too. If you only read one book on network security, make it this one!
super.......2007-03-08
Thanks a lot, we are very happy to have this book in our library!
New look at the (in)security of networked computers.......2007-01-13
I am a student studying information security and I've read many books lately on the subject. Silence on the Wire is truly a unique book, and a nice change from the conventional reading material. Michal is a known expert in his field, and you can find many of his works and research in a simple search. His book focuses on the basic, yet most overlooked computer and network designs that can be attacked. In Silence on the Wire, Michal takes us on a long, treacherous journey of a packet, from when the data is first entered to its final destination. Along the way, we look at flaws in the design of computers and networks and how they are eventually exploited.
I held off reading this book all summer, after trying to read through the second chapter and finally getting frustrated with it. Chapter two is the book's downfall, as it spends entirely too much time getting to "the point" (as Richard Bejtlich puts it). Michal's explanations here were too confusing and will lose almost any reader. I think the section on the Turing Machine can be skipped over, unless you slow down and take notes and draw yourself diagrams of the information. Only then, will you probably understand what it's getting at. I'm happy to say though, reading the rest of the book was fairly easy; anybody with a background in network computing and security will be able to follow along.
Silence on the Wire is a fascinating read and I definitely recommend it to anybody who is interested or responsible for information security. Michal hopes his book will give you a new perspective on security and explore the relationships and interactions between components. I am glad I got to read this book and hope one day to contribute my own research to the topic.
Something to have in mind.......2006-11-10
Maybe not all of the possible threats described are real today, but one really get a glimpse into a world where the major objective is to exploit possibilities not intended to be there. People populating this world think differently than the rest of us, and an explanation of how they think is both scary and enlightening. Michal Zalewski walks us through various scenarios in an easy to understand and an often humorous way.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Chinese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Irish
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Japanese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Augustine, Saint
| ( A )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Doctors & Medicine
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Lawyers & Criminals
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Love, Sex & Marriage
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Early Civilization
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Historiography
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Asian American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Asian American
| Poetry
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Erotica
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Victorian
| Erotica
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Epic
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Russian
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Chinese
| Classics
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Conspiracy Theories
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
War on Drugs
| Crime & Criminals
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
English (All)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Arabic
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Armenian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Czech
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Greek
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Hungarian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Japanese
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Korean
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Norwegian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Persian & Farsi
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Polish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Portuguese
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Romanian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Russian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Swedish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Turkish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Science
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Online Research
| Genealogy
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Native American
| Earth-Based Religions
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| History & Philosophy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
History of Science
| History & Philosophy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Magic & Wizards
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Sailor Moon
| Popular Characters
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Pilates
| Exercise & Fitness
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Fashion
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
-
History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
-
Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
-
Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
-
They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
Thoroughly updated, this text is designed to teach and reinforce the proper practice of problem-centered history taking. After a brief review of the steps in history taking, the book then discusses the entire patient by organ system, suggesting questions and analyzing potential responses in a decision-tree format. Each chapter includes characteristic physical signs and laboratory results. Features new material on alcoholism, sexual history taking to include female sexual dysfunction and assessing the risk for AIDS, and impotence.
Customer Reviews:
STEAL THIS BOOK.......2001-04-23
.......... This book is the best book for 2nd and 3rd year students who are interacting with patients for the first time. the hardest part about taking a history is knowing what questions to ask. this book TELLS YOU. It's organized by system and by Chief complaint, each section includes a well thought out DDx, and a list of questions you should ask and what it mean if the patient says yes. it also tells you what physical signs to look for and what lab tests to order. Your presentations and H&Ps will through and you will understand why you ask all those silly questions in the first place.
Book Description
Few books in history have been as poorly understood as the Qur’an. Sent down in a series of revelations to the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur’an is the unmediated word of Allah, a ritual, political, and legal authority, an ethical and spiritual guide, and a literary masterpiece. In this book, one of the launch titles in Atlantic Monthly Press’ “Books That Changed the World” series, the distinguished historian of religion Bruce Lawrence shows precisely how the Qur’an is Islam. He describes the origins of the faith and assesses its tremendous influence on today’s societies and politics. Above all, Lawrence emphasizes that the Qur’an is a sacred book of signs that has no single message. It is a book that demands interpretation and one that can be properly understood only through its history. Bruce Lawrence’s work is a beautifully written and, in these increasingly troubled times, invaluable introduction to and exploration of the core sacred text of Islam.
Customer Reviews:
Very disappointing.......2007-09-30
Non-Muslim readers - and some Muslims also - may be put off by the simplistically written first two chapters dealing with the life of Muhammad, in which no distinction is made between facts which have been generally accepted and legends. But we learn from this and the following chapter on Aisha, the Prophet's favourite wife, how many verses of the Qur'an refer very specifically to personal dilemmas in which Muhammad found himself at various times of his life.
While the text of the Qur'an is immutable, it has to be interpreted. After the first four chapters, the book describes some of these interpretations, which are of course controversial. So the Shi'ite Ja'afar as-Sadiq (702 to 765) claimed that certain verses of the Qur'an allegorically referred to the Shi'ite imams and to the obligation to follow them - a claim hotly denied by Sunnis like Abu Ja'far at-Tabari (ca.839 to ca. 923), whose work is described in the following chapter. Lawrence often refers to the Qur'an as `the Book of Signs'. Both Sadiq and Tabari had distinguished between Clear and Ambiguous Signs in the Qur'an: Clear Signs are those `whose meaning the reader, with the proper background, can readily decipher'; Ambiguous Signs are those difficult passages of which `God alone knows the interpretation', and which invite imagination and intuition for their interpretation by those few who have access to the Qur'an's esoteric meanings. But whereas the Shi'ites had declared almost a quarter of the Qur'an to consist of Ambiguous Signs, giving them considerable flexibility in innovative interpretation, Tabari restricted the Ambiguous Signs to only a few passages, which did not include those which the Shi'ites had interpreted as referring to their Imams.
Then there is the mystical experience of the Qur'an such as that acquired by the Sufi masters like Muhyiddin ibn Arabi (1165 to 1240) and expressed in his magnum opus, `The Meccan Openings', or by Rumi (1207 to 1273) in his Mathnawi, 27,000 couplets of meditation on the Qur'an.
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1817 to 1898), living in the Raj, thought that Sadiq and Tabari had been preoccupied with what in the 19th century, when science seemed to challenge religion, struck him as secondary problems. Instead of distinguishing between Clear and Ambiguous Signs, Sayyid Khan distinguished between verses that were essential and those that were symbolic. As a believing Muslim, he regarded as essential the verses describing God as omnipotent and as Creator, and the revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad. He took as symbolic those passages in the Qur'an (like, for example, the Night Journey) which in their literal sense conflicted with science, and he felt free to dismiss hadiths and earlier commentators on the Qur'an as historically but not divinely conditioned. As a modern man, he also laid stress on those verses in the Qur'an which had been ignored in practice by Muslims in the past, such as those condemning slavery and injustice to women (such as he saw also in polygamy, since he thought it impossible for a husband to treat all his wives equally as the Qur'an enjoined.)
There is a chapter on Osama bin Laden, whose interpretation of the Qur'an is well known: he focusses entirely on the most violent verses (`slay the idolators wherever you find them' - 9:5) to proclaim militant jihad as the obligation for Muslims second only to the commandment to believe in Allah; and, especially since Americans and Zionists have dominated Muslim lands, he sees jihad as essentially defensive.
In the last chapter Lawrence shows how the physical imbibing of Quranic verses dissolved in water is used by professional healers, with instructions how the use them available on a Sufi internet site from Indonesia.
I have found this book very disappointing and ultimately not very informative. Professor Lawrence is fervently in praise of the Qur'an, and apparently convinced that it was in fact revealed by God to Muhammad. Nothing wrong with that in itself, though a non-Muslim reader looking for a `biography' of the Qur'an would prefer a rather more detached account. In any case we have here an extremely limited `biography'. It deals only with what devout Muslims have seen in the Qur'an. And even in this narrow respect, where there have been the conflicting interpretations Lawrence does mention (as, for example, between Sadiq and Tabari) there is remarkably little detail in these admittedly very short chapters. There should surely have been very much more about Sunnis and Shi'ites. And although the book is about the Qur'an and not about the hadiths and the sira, the opening chapters in particular do not make this distinction. Then, one cannot imagine a `biography' of the Bible, for example, without taking Biblical Criticism into account. The equivalent of this does exist in Quranic studies, but there is no reference to it in this book. There is, for example, nothing on recent scholarship, even if controversial, on what the sources of the Qur'an may have been, or on the suggestion by John Wansborough that in its present form it was committed to writing not ca. 650 but about 150 years later; and he questioned whether it actually consists entirely of the revelations claimed by Muhammad. Also I would have expected from a `biography' to have learnt something more about the diffusion of the Qur'an, first in calligraphic and then later in printed form. That is obviously not the book Professor Lawrence wanted to write.
A good introduction........2007-07-26
This is a very simple attempt to explain the Qur'an. I personally don't think it should have been called a biography, for it isn't. However, the book is very well written and easy to read, and will introduce the reader, whether Muslim or not, to how Muslims have used and interpreted the Qur'an throughout the centuries.
The first chapters are on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his followers, his wars, and on one of his youngest wives, A'isha. These chapters will introduce the reader to how and why the Qur'an descended to the people of the world. The rest of the chapters are about how Muslims have used and interpreted the Qur'an.
I did enjoy the chapter on the use of the Qur'an for healing. According to the author, Muslims have used the Qur'an to heal themselves from diseases such as cancer and AIDS. Qur'anic verses have also been used to adorn murals such as in the Mosque of the Dome and the Taj Mahal, and the author does a great job explaining their history.
The author points out that not all Islamic scholars or Imams interpreted the Qur'an in the same way. This caused branches in Islam, among which are the Sunnis, Shiites, Sufis, Wahabis, Dancing Dervishes, and Nation of Islam, to name just a few. The author goes through some of these branches of Islam and he does a great job explaining their origins.
I did also enjoy the chapter on jihad, a subject captivating the minds of everyone after 9/11. Some Muslim scholars view Jihad as a means of fighting your enemies (e.g. Osama Binladen), while other scholars view Jihad as a spiritual struggle within oneself.
The author talks about prominent Muslim figures from the United States, India, and Pakistan, and about their differing views on how one should approach the Qur'an. Those chapters were fascinating.
Overall, this is an excellent book for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
What About...?.......2007-06-26
This is more a question than a review. If you do not brook independent thought, skip what I have to say. It will offend you.
This book is typical studies type fare that has been coming from US professors who "study" other countries and cultures, regions outside the United States of America. Unlike similar professors elsewhere in the world, I began noticing in the early 1970s that in USA to be a professor of Asian, Arab, Russian studies was to be a defender of these people and a cultural snob to the American people.
Lawrence is no exception. His book de facto "promotes" Islam & Muslims. A controlling theme of his book is how much we misunderstand Islam, muslims and in effect Arabs. I have seen much of the world. I could not find the foreign American Studies professors who write to their people how misunderstood are the Americans. What gives? Perhaps American professors are an American elite part of the Oligarchy that dominates today?
Beware the professors who insist what we read and see is not what is truly there or written. Clergy elites used claims to special comprehension to the invisible as horsewhips to ride dominant over people; Professors are elites who use invisible claims to supreme comprehension of all things material and invisible to horsewhip us.
Excellent "biography" of the Qur'an.......2007-04-12
Bruce Lawrence provides a "biography" of the Qur'an that is well designed to introduce the significance of the Qur'an before one attempts to wrestle with the text itself. Lawrence is a serious scholar of Islam and Sufism who here has found a way to simplify that does not oversimplify and is therefore extremely useful for those new to the study of Islam and also others with much more familiarity to get fresh perspective. It is well worth reading by a fairly broad range of readers, Muslim and non-Muslim.
After two chapters on Prophet Muhammad and one on A'isha (the `favorite' wife of his later days in Medina after a long monogamous marriage to Khadija), chapters are about the Qur'an and its interpretation, introducing issues in simple and effective terms via those who have written about and been inspired by the Qur'an.. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Taj Mahal have extensive quotations carved into them, one emphasizing the oneness of God and the other the character and image of Paradise.
Others chapters introduce writings and inspiration for the likes of Sayyid Ahmad Khan and Iqbal in India, Ibn Arabi the mystic and philosopher, and still others. In this way one begins to see "life story" -- the role of traditional interpretation, the critical importance of in depth study to understand, as well as the place of "science" and inspiration. One Another chapter discusses Osama bin Laden's warped use of the Qur'an - so very like the selective quotations to portray Islam by its detractors. Of course detractors and bin Laden "feed" off each other.
This well written "biography" is about interpretations and many important people moved by the Qur'an.
(There are other books in the series - major books of Plato, Darwin, Marx, Thomas Paine - and more to come. The first reviewer missed the point of the series and yet still enjoyed this book.)
The Qur'an..........2007-04-11
I bought this book, hoping to learn more of the Qur'an. While I did learn and did enjoy the book, I felt as though it covered more of the history after the Qur'an. Specifically how different people interpret the Qur'an. I wanted to dig into the Qur'an more I guess.
Dan
Average customer rating:
- Literary Seduction-At Its Best
- After weeks I stilll haven't received the book
- Dark soul of the common man
- The book of Freddy Montgomery
- Well written but a bit slow on plot
|
The Book of Evidence
John Banville
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| Classics
| Contemporary
| General
| Historical
| Humor
| Letters & Correspondence
| Middle
| Old
| Poetry
| Renaissance
| Shakespeare
| Short Stories
Irish
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Banville, John
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Untouchable
-
Athena
-
The Sea (Man Booker Prize)
-
Shroud
-
Ghosts
ASIN: 0375725237
Release Date: 2001-06-12 |
Book Description
John Banville’s stunning powers of mimicry are brilliantly on display in this engrossing novel, the darkly compelling confession of an improbable murderer.
Freddie Montgomery is a highly cultured man, a husband and father living the life of a dissolute exile on a Mediterranean island. When a debt comes due and his wife and child are held as collateral, he returns to Ireland to secure funds. That pursuit leads to murder. And here is his attempt to present evidence, not of his innocence, but of his life, of the events that lead to the murder he committed because he could. Like a hero out of Nabokov or Camus, Montgomery is a chillingly articulate, self-aware, and amoral being, whose humanity is painfully on display.
Customer Reviews:
Literary Seduction-At Its Best.......2007-02-24
Why have I put off reviewing this book, which is rightly regarded as Banville's breakthrough novel, while reviewing (almost) all his other books? Perhaps, as Freddie would say, because I could. - Some of it has to do with the fact that certain other reviewers and critics regard Athena and Ghosts to be a continuation of this book. I don't concur with this assessment, for reasons stated in reviews of those books, and I wanted to give these books their just due as integral works on their own without a reference to a review of this book. But here I go:
What makes this book such a wonder? First, there's the sumptuous, poetic language on display in all of Banville's work - At times I felt as if I was reading a Conrad Aiken poem - that makes for a feat of literary seduction unparalleled. Indeed, if there is one adjective I would use for Banville's stylism, aside from poetic (perhaps redundant anyway), for readers with a keen ear for the use of language, it is, without hesitation - Seductive. This seductive style, luring the reader into Freddie's mindscape, goes pari passu with the philosophical underpinnings of the novel. In plain speech, determinism is very seductive in its own right. There is no free will here, no choice, and Banville's great feat here is to have seduced us into a mindset where we can very easily imagine, mutatis mutandis, doing exactly the sort of thing Freddie has done, murdering. This is what's so frightening about the novel: We come to see ourselves, like Freddie, as the playthings of inner and outer forces over which we have scant control, as playthings of the gods, so to speak.
Putting the book down, one wonders if, really, there is not much more to our place in the world than, as Freddie puts it:
"....The ceaseless, slow, demented drift of things." P.135
A very eerie book indeed.
After weeks I stilll haven't received the book .......2007-02-12
The book is a mystery. It has never arrived. This does not give me confidence in ordering by
internet.
Dark soul of the common man.......2007-01-20
John Banville's Book of Evidence is a dark tale of an 'everyman' who is so disconnected from himself and others, he is capable of a heinous murder. Banville's prose is simple and eloquent and although I don't empathize with the main character, Banville makes his profound alienation comprehensible. Excellent read and I look forward to more of this author's work
The book of Freddy Montgomery.......2006-12-31
It's a funny thing to judge a book; are you rating your enjoyment level, or the quality of the book itself? They may seem similar, but they aren't, necessarily.
I admire the skill and craft of The Book of Evidence, I felt that Banville was in control of his prose and his characters. For execution I would rate it five stars. Yet I didn't really enjoy the book that much. Freddy Montgomery, the glib murderer and narrator of this tale left me flat and as the book wore on (and it's not a long book at 220pp) I enjoyed his company less and less. I know Banville in all likelihood had this in mind, but as a reader I found Freddy listless and wan, not diabolically fascinating the way some criminals can be. To speak plainly I just didn't find him that interesting and in a first person confessional that is a point that one simply cannot put aside.
All of Banville's skill is evident, his wit and dark humor are there, but there was something essential lacking. That may sound vague, but Freddy is vague, the perfect Postmodern hero who knows nothing despite his apparent culture, feels nothing despite his wife and child and heinous crime. If he was an actual flesh and blood man he would be nothing more than a rootless, selfish user, leaving a trail of misery in his wake. Perhaps that last bit makes Banville's point in choosing such a character to center a murder confessional novel around, but all the same this novel left me feeling disappointed.
Well written but a bit slow on plot.......2006-11-02
The plot is a bit plodding, but I don't think intricacy was the author's intent. Mr. Banville is wonderful with words and metaphor, and does a good job describing the many contradictions of a man searching for a reason to be.
Book Description
Digital evidence--evidence that is stored on or transmitted by computers--can play a major role in a wide range of crimes, including homicide, rape, abduction, child abuse, solicitation of minors, child pornography, stalking, harassment, fraud, theft, drug trafficking, computer intrusions, espionage, and terrorism.
Though an increasing number of criminals are using computers and computer networks, few investigators are well-versed in the evidentiary, technical, and legal issues related to digital evidence. As a result, digital evidence is often overlooked,
collected incorrectly, and analyzed ineffectively. The aim of this hands-on resource is to educate students and professionals in the law enforcement, forensic science, computer security, and legal communities about digital evidence and computer crime.
This work explains how computers and networks function, how they can be involved in crimes, and how they can be used as a source of evidence. As well as gaining a practical understanding of how computers and networks function and how they can be used as evidence of a crime, readers will learn about relevant legal issues and will be introduced to deductive criminal profiling, a systematic approach to focusing an investigation and understanding criminal motivations.
Readers will receive access to the author's accompanying Web site which contains simulated cases that integrate many of the topics covered in the text. Frequently updated, these cases teaching individuals about:
* Components of computer networks
* Use of computer networks in an investigation
* Abuse of computer networks
* Privacy and security issues on computer networks
* The law as it applies to computer networks
* Provides a thorough explanation of how computers and networks function, how they can be involved in crimes, and how they can be used as a source of evidence
* Offers readers information about relevant legal issues
* Features coverage of the abuse of computer networks and privacy and security issues on computer networks
* Free unlimited access to author's Web site which includes numerous and frequently updated case examples
Customer Reviews:
Very complete book........2006-11-10
It describe all aspects about digital crimes using a clear language. It's very good for neubies.
Excellent book from a real expert.......2003-09-03
This is an excellent book from a real expert.
Everyone and their brother are writing books about computer security and digital forensics.
The difference here is that Eoghan Casey knows what he is talking about.
Excellent book!
The book of digital crime.......2002-01-14
If you are new to this world this is where you should begin. Digital Evidence contains all the knowledge one could amass by obtaining PHD in computing. Especially when you don't have time for a Diploma. I have bought 5 books pertain to digital crime from USA and UK. But this is the one and only book I am recommending to any one in any continent who want to learn or new to this arena. All the other books in this field for Attorneys or with similar requirements are some what academic and may be boring. The CD-ROM accompanying the book gives you much needed hands on training, otherwise which will cost you at least US $ 4000, if you are to go to a training centre to do the same.
Best computer forensic book available.......2001-06-28
Sometimes, defense attorneys have it easy: one slip-up by the prosecution and evidence is thrown out. Knowing that, law enforcement goes to great lengths to ensure that evidence is appropriately collected and protected. That works well in the physical world, where law enforcement has many generations' worth of experience. But in the modern world of computers and digital networks, where the simple act of rebooting a computer is enough to wipe out large amounts of evidence, law enforcement clearly needs thorough guidance.
Such a resource is here: Digital Evidence and Computer Crime, an excellent book that details the elements of digital crime. Author Eoghan Casey does a superb job of applying forensic science to computers. The information presented here is critical to a diverse audience: law enforcement, attorneys, forensic scientists, and systems administrators, for instance.
While cybercrime law is in some ways similar to other aspects of criminal law, it nonetheless has its own language and categories. For instance, jurisdiction is a key element in both the physical and digital realms, but it is a much trickier concept in the latter. Casey develops this topic and many more. Those new to computers and networks need not worry: the book begins with an explanation of how they function. With the basics out of the way, Casey details how computers can be used in crime and how the evidence created from these activities can be used for later analysis....The accompanying CD-ROM contains simulated cases that integrate many of the topics covered in the text. In all, the book and CD are an excellent introduction to an increasingly important area of law enforcement.
University Text Book.......2001-06-09
This text was used for the digital evidence and computer crime class that I just completed. The book is clear and easy to understand. It goes into detail only when needed. I was concerned that this information would quickly become out of date, but the ideas presented are current and provide a solid background for understanding any newer technologies that come down the road. I usually sell my books after the semester ends, but I have decided to keep this one.
Book Description
Evidence Based Medicine provides a clear explanation of the central questions of EBM - how to ask answerable clinical questions, how to translate them into effective searches for the best evidence, how to critically appraise that evidence for its validity and importance, and how to integrate it with patients' values and preferences.
Customer Reviews:
Book Review.......2007-09-17
Excellent review of evidence based medicine. Concise and to the point. Have used it multiple times during residency and fellowship.
The first and still the best.......2007-05-12
Sackett's EBM is the Bible for anyone conducting systematic review. It is THE how-to guide for clinical medicine SR and a great starting point for thinking about SR in the social sciences. Thank you Dr. Sackett for bringing SR to the masses.
Evidence Based Medicine.......2006-11-06
This is an excellent "how to" manual for those who are serious about learning how to apply evidence based medicine principles. Lots of folks talk about "evidence based medicine" but few really know what it means. This is obviously intended as a teaching tool for residents but is equally useful for any physician who is interested in learning the principles required to do the best job for his/her patient. The size and summary cards are handy for carrying with you wherever you may need them! Easy to read but with great substance.
The standard for teaching EBM.......2004-05-24
As a physician-teacher of EBM to internal medicine residents, this is the best book I've run across for this purpose. We utilize the reader's guides, first published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and later in JAMA, written by Guyatt, Sackett, and others, which are perfectly complemented by this volume. I recommend it to all of the residents and have purchased multiple copies for house staff use (although I can't seem to keep them on the shelf...) It makes learning EBM fun and highlights its usefulness and, most importantly for busy physicians, speed. Worth reading for every physician interested in practicing medicine based on only the best evidence.
Concise and precise.......2004-02-19
Concise and precise- just what the busy clinician wants to see. And for whoever needs more info, there is an extra CD Rom that preovides just that. Few medical books had more impact on my professional behavior than this one. Buy it, read it, and follow its advise!
Books:
- Behold a Pale Horse
- Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story Of A Doctor Who Got Away With Murder
- Book of Common Prayer (1979, Personal Size Economy, Black)
- Border Film Project: Photos by Migrants & Minutemen on the U.S.-Mexico Border
- Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery
- Counterattack (The Corps Book 3)
- Dead City
- Dead Men's Secrets
- Democracy in America (Penguin Classics)
- Dragon of the Red Dawn (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Real-Resumes for Teachers
- How To Create a Magical Relationship
- BOB DYLAN: THE ESSENTIAL INTERVIEWS
- Competitive Strategy Dynamics
- Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data
- Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God's Deliverance
- Frommer's London 2007
- Kieso: Update Supplement 1993 to Accompany & Be Integrated with Intermediate Accounting 7ed
- Cost-Benefit Analysis: Theory and Application
- The Bingo Palace