5 comments about Dave Baum's Definitive Guide to LEGO Mindstorms (Technology In Action).

1. Very complete book. From Lego Math to multitasking programming.
   Plenty of examples an very well explained.

   Worthful for newbies and intermediate builders.

   It well worth the money




2. Simply excellent. From Lego Maths to complex and multitasking programming.

   A lot to learn for newbies and intermediate builders.




3. I used this book to teach a beginning robotics class this summer to Middle School students. It is a great book for introducing concepts of building as well as programming the Lego Mindstorm "brick" with either the language that Lego developed (Rcxcc) or NQC(a modified C language). The children were able to grasp the ideas of programming quickly because they could change qualities of the program and see the change immediately effect the behavior of the robot they had built.

   David Baum,s book is also very logical because he begins by telling you how to build and program the the basic "Tankbot". After that, the projects are the result of changes made to Tankbot so the child is not starting from scratch each time. Each new project introduces new concepts of programming that are discussed in the book. Therefore, it is a gradual growth of experience and knowledge that is not too overwhelming to the child. (Or the adult helping.)

   The disk which comes with the book contains the NQC compiler and is also full of program examples so that you can simply download the programs if you wish. The class was a hugh success because of this book. Next summer we will be offering two classes in robotics (beginning and advanced).




4. I used this book to teach a beginning robotics class this summer to Middle School students. It is a great book for introducing concepts of building as well as programming the Lego Mindstorm "brick" with either the language that Lego developed (Rcxcc) or NQC(a modified C language). The children were able to grasp the ideas of programming quickly because they could change qualities of the program and see the change immediately effect the behavior of the robot they had built.

   David Baum's book is also very logical because he begins by telling you how to build and program the the basic "Tankbot". After that, the projects are the result of changes made to Tankbot so the child is not starting from scratch each time. Each new project introduces new concepts of programming that are discussed in the book. Therefore, it is a gradual growth of experience and knowledge that is not too overwhelming to the child. (Or the adult helping.)

   The disk which comes with the book contains the NQC compiler and is also full of program examples so that you can simply download the programs if you wish. The class was a hugh success because of this book. Next summer we will be offering two classes in robotics (beginning and advanced).




5. When I opened Baum's "Definitive Guide", I expected a description of how to build and program a few simple projects. The book did that, and did it well, but what I did not expect was the depth of insight into mechanical engineering and computer science principles that it provides.

   For example, Baum gives a careful and clear explanation of how a mechanism works (such as a worm gear or differential, to name but two), and then presents experiments that you can build with Lego. These experiments will give you an invaluable feel for the principles involved. And I mean "feel" literally; after you build and try them, you will understand how these machines work on a gut level that's unforgettable. It's a lot of fun to build and operate even the simplest of Dave Baum's models.

   On the programming side, his NQC language is a nice stepping stone to the syntax of today's most widely-used programming languages (C and C++). But, as with the mechanical side, Baum -- without getting preachy or teachy about it -- introduces computer science concepts that will help make a youngster (of any age) a better and wiser programmer. Because you do them instead of just read about them, this is the kind of learning that tends to stick with you.

   NQC, which comes free with the book (and is free on the Web), is a better way to work with the Lego RCX unit. My kids, from 9 years old and up, prefer it to the tedious and somewhat weak Lego-provided method. As a tutorial to the language alone, the book would be a five-star recommendation. But Baum's work is a lot more than that, and a lot more than the shallow building guide to a few toys I originally expected.

   Buy it, build it, and program it: This book succeeds at being both toy and tutorial, a rare achievement.

No comments about Havana Tile Design.

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No comments about Kate Greenaway Illustrations CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

No comments about Art Nouveau Floral Ornament in Color.

5 comments about Film Posters of the 70s: The Essential Movies of the Decade (Film Posters).

1. This is a wonderful book in the series with wonderful reproductions of the posters of the decade. Makes a wonderful gift for someone who loves movies as well as a great coffee table book. Highly recommended



2. When I first looked at this book, it was like going back to my childhood, well, sort of, it was so neat to see posters of some of my favorite films from back then and a lot from movies that I never knew they made. The artwork on those posters is most certainly something to see and admire!!! If you love art and or movies this is THE book to get you won't be disappointed!



3. Like the other decade books in this series Film Posters of the 70's is a sensational buy. You could either keep it intact as a collection of posters in a book to show and discuss with friends, or cut the book up and actually have a vast number of posters up on your wall. This book is about a third the size of your standard film poster and most movies are full page colour. Any of them would look great up on the wall.

   The 70's gave the world Star Wars, Grease, The Godfather, Mad Max, Alien, Taxi Driver, Texas Chainsaw Massacure, Halloween, Rocky and a very blood thirsty shark who changed human perception of sharks for decades to come named Jaws. These films along with other greats fill this book. Roger Moore also took over from Connery as James Bond and Clint Eastwood made a heap of Westerns. Find them here as well.




4. Excellent... add it to your book collection! If you are a Star Wars fan check this out!



5. back in the day this was the best visual present.if the poster was cool then the movie would get Love.a picture can tell a thousand words.and the 70's had the coolest posters and arguable the best films in Movie History.before video tape you walk to the movie house and see the poster and the reaction you felt led you or back the other way.a solid must have book.

5 comments about The Usability Engineering Lifecycle: A Practitioner's Handbook for User Interface Design (Interactive Technologies).

1. This book is very well written, content-rich and provides a plethora of examples that I can use on the job immediately. What more can a software developer ask for? I would give it 10 stars if the option was available.



2. Or do other people think there is a need for creativity in user interface design? This book, while very helpful in providing a set of procedures to follow when evaluating users and their particular needs, leaves out the very important concept of the ART of user interface design. I see plenty of recommends for Tufte's trilogy of user oriented design books and for the book "Don't Make Me Think". These books are much more readable, and none of them are nearly so formulaic in their approach to user interface design.
   
   Another problem I have with this book, and with many other computer books, is the size. Why does it take so much to say so little? Is there an editor in the house? There is definitely some good content in this book. I happens to be buried in a mountain of text.



3. I have never written a review before, but I am so impressed with this book - it is indispensable. I particularly like the way the information is presented - very readable. Also valuable are the sections that address shortcuts and alternatives for applying techniques in the real world. I often am called to get involved during and after development and have to adapt "perfect world" techniques into very short cycles. This is a must have for people in our profession.



4. This book is great ! Really ! I pratice OO development especially following RUP. This book describe a full Usability process, with activities, guidelines, workload estimation and artifacts. You can directly put it at work, because you naturally see why an activity leads to another. All the book is good, even if it seems heavy (500+ pp), there is no waste of space. As a RUP practitioner, it's very easy to integrate this approach into the RUP and it naturally fits with Use Cases. Believe me: get it !



5. This book gives concrete data on the "how-to" of usability engineering and realistic data regarding the *selling process* of these concepts to management. Additionally, it can function as a "how-to" handbook with its many examples. To name a few, the examples include: pre-evaluation, evaluation and post-evaluation questionnaries, data collection sheets and data analysis and report sheets.

   The book has a fantastic index for quick reference and is organized well.

1 comments about Lella and Massimo Vignelli (International Graphic Design).

1. What is nice about books such as 'Design is One' is the quality of narrating your experience in first person. Massimo talks to you as you read, making it a very personal tour through the rich Vignelli life of design. To notice the excitements and dissappointments, thus, makes it more of a true story than a glorified publishing product. I didnt enjoy a designer's work more through a book since I read a similar narrative book on Frank Gehry.

2 comments about Euro Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars.

1. The origins of this book were six from the Chronicle Deco series. They covered European commercial art (1920 to 1940) from Britain, France, Germany, Holland Italy and Spain and about half of each is reproduced in this excellent and beautiful looking book.
   
   Fili and Heller write in the introduction that Art Deco would have been launched sooner had it not been for the First World War interrupting the plans of the French to stage a huge trade fair to showcase their commercial creativity. The world had to wait until 1925 for the Paris 'Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Moderne' to kick-start a new visual culture.
   
   The six nation chapters are sub-divided into graphic sections like: culture, fashion, beauty, industry or typography. There are also sections unique to some countries, Germany has samples of paper money printed by local authorities because inflation had made the Deutschmark worthless, Britain has a section devoted to the lovely graphics promoting the London Underground. Each chapter starts with an interesting and comprehensive overview explaining how each countries existing design styles and designers were influenced by Deco and then the following pages reproduce printed examples, more than two thousand color illustrations in all.
   
   There is an American edition in the Chronicle series: Streamline: American Art Deco following the same subject format over 132 pages. Also worth checking out is Patricia Kery's Art Deco Graphics, a big book with 476 illustrations which looks at magazines, posters, fashion and books rather than commercial print and packaging which is the main strength of the Fili and Heller book. For the money though I don't think 'Euro Deco' can be beat.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. This book is filled with beautiful examples of European art deco graphic design. A must for designers and deco fans.

No comments about Design Fundamentals for the Digital Age (Graphic Design).