No comments about CATIA V5 FEA Tutorials Release 17.

2 comments about The International Style.

1. The most interesting aspect of the new edition is the recent forward by Philip Johnson (1995). In it he humorously describes his relationship with "The International Style," and how dated the book now appears. He also notes that it was Alfred Barr who introduced Hitchcock and him to this new world of architecture. It was Barr who had written extensively on the subject and dubbed it an "International Style."

   Not surprisingly, nearly all the buildings included in this catalog for the 1932 MoMA exhibit date from 1927. This was a pivotal year in the Modern Movement. Le Corbusier's "Toward a New Architecture" first appeared in English. The new improved Bauhaus opened its doors in Dessau, in Gropius' newly constructed complex. The International Competition for the League of Nations building was held with Le Corbusier losing out on a technicality. A building exhibition, laid out by Mies van der Rohe, was sponsored by the Deutscher Werkbund in Stuttgart. Modern Architecture had come of age.

   The selections are interesting for their range of architects but have several notable omissions. Among them Rudolf Schindler, who dismissed the idea of an "International Style," in a letter to Johnson. Modern architects then and now hate the idea of a "style," believing their works to be based on a set of constructive and compositional principles which transcend the notion of style.

   Nevertheless, the name stuck. Hitchcock and Johnson are widely credited for bringing the International Style to America, even though some early works by Neutra, Hood, Howe and Lescaze were included in the exhibition. Most importantly, Johnson lured Mies to America, where he would achieve his most lofty aspirations. The book makes for an interesting read but has long been superceded by more insightful and penetrating books on the subject.




2. This book is a living proof that architecture is an evolving being. It never stays stagnant. What is deemed to be modern then has now become a foundation for new styles & new materials to be developed to serve the functions & purposes of the occupants. Whilst the book defined the 3 principles that formed the backbone of the International Style, it's doing so as a mean of helping people to understand the 'style'better. Architects know better that there aren't any form of '-ism' but just good architecture when all the criterions of their clients are met. Half of the book is devoted to photos of buildings applying the so-called International Style but after you've seen one, you've seen it all. They all look distinctively indifferent to one another.

2 comments about The Early Childhood Curriculum: Inquiry Learning Through Integration.

1. There are all kinds of teachers: bad ones, good ones, and fine ones. Morehouse and Krogh fall into the FINEST of FINE TEACHERS category. You can trust a book written by such people.



2. Really 4.5 Starts, not 4.
   
   Krough & Morehouse present a very, very developmentally appropriate perspective on curriculums, programs, and models for early childhood education. I appreciate how they integrate Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Head Start into their approach rather than presenting them in isolation in a 1-2-3 form. They truly believe that curriculum is about activities and experiences as springboards for exploration, not lock-step models.
   
   One big problem, though: No High Scope. Everyone may not agree with its Piagetian-focused approach, but few can deny its major influence and visibility in early childhood. I do not see any of its terms (Plan-Do-Review, Active Learning, Key Developmental Indicators/Key Experiences) mentioned. That is surprising and, unfortunately, makes this book neglect something that others (namely Kostelnik et. al's book) covers extensively.
   
   Otherwise, this is a fine secondary or tertiary text to keep on one's professional shelf.

No comments about Behind Bars: Design for Cafes and Bars.

5 comments about Using Autodesk Inventor.

1. This book is absolute garbage!
   The whole book is a tutorial with a lot of example problems for the user to solve. That's great!! The problem is when they LEAVE OUT very important measurements for you to complete the examples. So I've spent hours and hours working on one and now I can't finish it because they've FAILED to inlcude some very key data. Good job Thomson Learning!! You've successfully pushed yet another incomplete book out the door without so much as a decent proof read. Unbelieveable!!



2. I decided to purchase this book largely based on the positive reviews that I saw on Amazon. The ugly and generic cover kind of turned me off but everybody said it was great so I went ahead bought it.
   
   Boy was I disappointed.
   
   The fact that they obviously just slapped on "Inventor 10" to their Inventor 9(or lower) book stands out a lot. Many of the tool bars have changed/rearranged so it takes some looking around to go through the tutorials. Yes it may only cost me a few minutes for each time I have to do this, but if I'm shelling out ~$100 for a book it would have been nicer to know they put more of an effort in updating it other than finding and replacing "Inventor 9" with "Inventor 10".
   
   They don't even go over Inventor Studio, which is a very large addition and selling point of Inventor 10+!
   
   Other then those obvious translation issues it is a very solid book, and if I was using this for the correct version it was originally written for I would have been very very happy.
   
   In the end this may have been a great book for whatever original version it was written for, but just slapping on "Inventor 10" and sticking a $100 price tag on the book isn't my idea of a great book.
   
   Do yourself a favor, buy a book catered toward this specific version or newer. Or just buy the Inventor 9 book @ 50% of what this costs, it's the same stuff! ><



3. I plan to use "Autodesk Inventor" as an instructional textbook in my Advanced CAD Class during the 2001-2002 school year. I have been exploring the material in this text during my free time (during this summer of 2001). I feel that the upper level high school students using this text will not only be able to construct the 3-D models detailed in this book but will enjoy learning the use of the Autodesk Inventor software.

   I wish to thank Mr. Ron K. C. Cheng for writing this book. My hat is off to you. Although the "Food Grinder" took a good deal of time and patience on my part (to work through), it was a great exercise.

   I highly recommend this book for any educator who wishes to instruct 3-D modeling with the use of AutoDesk Inventor.




4. As a student in industrial design I found that this book do has a good balance on both concepts and tutorials, especially on all those parametric solid modeling, assembly modeling, and sheet metal modeling. The free-of-charge online companion is the best I ever found. It's free and it's user friendly. The Pack and Go, epicyclic mechanism and adaptive assembly tutorials are especially interesting and useful. They help me solve a lot of real world problems when I am doing my part time job. I recommend to save your money and use this book for both R3 and R4.



5. The specific question on ZIP can be found in Chapter 1 of the online companion. It is the Pack and Go Wizard that zips the entire directory into a compressed file. Besides, the R4 new features and tutorials on the new features are also found in the online companion, which has six chapters corresponding to the chapters in the book.

1 comments about A Monograph of the Work of Mellor, Meigs, & Howe.

1. This monograph has good text and lots of photographic images for anyone who loves period houses. What sets it apart from other books of its kind is the inclusion of pages of detailed drawings by the architects. The illustrations are absolutely magnificant and very educational for those interested in how these intricate works went from the minds of the architects to actual built works of enduring beauty. A very good book.

No comments about Color - Communication in Architectural Space.

No comments about Designing the World's Best Retail Centers (Designing the World's Best).

2 comments about The Next Architect: A New Twist on the Future of Design.

1. The previous comment is actually more insightful than the book itself. As a student I found it insulting to my intelligence. Also, as the previous review hints, it is a criminal waste of paper. Literally, I have seen longer magazine articles but this somehow manages to cost more than a year's subscription.



2. First of all, with 144 pages (which really equates to 72 pages with text only on one leaf) the $40 dollar price tag is a way too steep. Secondly the 'new' insights and twists into the profession are really not all that new and groundbreaking. Here's a summary of the point's they bring up in the book. You be the judge.
   - Design is a team sport.
   - clients come first
   - the essence of design is in creating value
   - process innovation - bringing all the stakeholders into the project as early as possible. a.k.a. Integrated Practice. (most insightful point, however simplified)
   - faster and faster (chapter name)
   - Dynamic Decision-making (chapter name) Here's an italicized quote the authors pulled out of their text: "The ability to make a decision is the essential act of design" (By the way, the opposing leaf or every other page is dedicated to these 'salient' quotes from the text.)
   - Another quote, different chapter: "The next architect understands that money is a design tool"
   - Leadership (chapter name) Quote: "Without a conductor, no orchestra can function to its full potential - thus it is with team leaders of design."
   - The green machine (chapter name) - sustainability.
   - TCB: taking care of business (chapter name) - explains itself
   
   I guess unless you haven't practice architecture since 1901, a lot of these principles are not all that new. I guess my gripe with the book stems from not really delivering what the title suggests. If, however, you are a student just entering into the profession, the book would be a good source for a list of oversimplified tenants of what an architect does , but not really all that insightful into the ways the future architect will work.
   
   But that's just my opinion.
   
   
   
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1 comments about Design of Building Trusses (Parker/Ambrose Series of Simplified Design Guides).

1. I needed a good source book for the work I was doing at this time and recieved it quickly and in great condition. The analysis techniques are in use right now.