No comments about Machine Times-DEAFOO.

4 comments about Facilities Planning.

1. This textbook is horrible. I am an engineering student and this is the most confusing book I have ever seen. Charts are randomly placed in paragraphs, with no mention of them in the writing. Equations are quoted, also with no explanation. It's like someone ripped up a bunch of good textbooks and this happen to land in a pile. This should not be used in classes, or by anyone.



2. I used this book for a graduate-level engineering course. This book is one of the worst textbooks I have seen.
   Is is evident that several people wrote this textbook because the style of writing will change between sections from informal to formal. Some of the sections are better written than others. In the poorly written sections, it can be very hard to follow what they are trying to say. Overall, the writing is very disjointed and care should have been taken to properly introduce topics and create more of a flow to the text.
   Also, there are numerous spelling errors and incomplete sentences in the text. For a third edition, one would expect those errors to be corrected; they are very obvious.
   The examples also contain errors. Again, the errors are very obvious such as 11-2=7.
   I would not recommend this textbook. At first glance, it appears to be a very comprehensive book but, actually it is very poorly written and does not explain the material well.



3. I've been in college for many years now, as I'm working on my second degree now, and this is absolutely the worst book I've ever bought.

   There is at least one typographical error on each page.

   There are gross grammatical errors, incomplete sentences, whole paragraphs that say absolutely nothing, and even paragraphs repeated (almost one after another).

   I would like to think that some of the examples are incorrect on purpose to provoke thought and a more thorough understanding on part of the student, but I doubt that is the case.

   The graphs and diagrams are dry and monotonous, and for the most part meaningless in enhancing or visualizing the subject matter.

   Engineering texts aren't supposed to be entertainment; I understand that Facilities Planning isn't exactly the subject matter of J.R.Tolkien. Taking that fact into consideration, this book is still horribly written. I don't expect the authors to write a perfect text, but the quality of writing in this book is unacceptably low.

   One gets the impression that the authors were doing their best to stretch out the material as much as they could. In my honest opinion, I believe this subject matter could be covered just as thoroughly in half as many words.

   If you're a teacher, do the higher education system a favor and sit down and read any three chapters of this book before you make it your class's text.

   If you're a student required to study this book, my sincerest sympathies go out to you.




4. Technology will change but fundamental will remain. If you're looking for a fundamental facilities design book, you won't be disappointed with this textbook. It's one of the major reference book for IE students and professional.

No comments about Helmut Jahn, Werner Sobek, Matthias Schuler - Architecture Engineering.

No comments about Visualizing the City (Architext).

2 comments about Designed for Dry Feet: Flood Protection and Land Reclamation in the Netherlands.

1. I thought this would be dull, since it's written by an engineer, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It is copiously illustrated, gives places to visit if you happen to be in the Netherlands, and is full of fascinating details about how the world's experts in managing water have done it. If, as everyone believes, we're in for rising sea levels in the future, we're going to need to draw on this experience.
   
   Anyway the book is so much fun it's worth a read just for that alone.



2. With the still ongoing reconstruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, there a slow burning controversy about what flood protection schemes to implement against future assaults. This book might have useful ideas. It describes the massive flood protection methods that have been implemented over the previous decades in Holland. The engineering efforts were enormous, and dwarf anything currently contemplated for New Orleans.
   
   The book also shows that a lot of planning was done before any construction, with the collecting of much engineering data. As well as an integrated design of the land that was reclaimed from the sea. This is one major difference from New Orleans. Land reclamation (polders in Holland) is not expected to be a major topic for New Orleans. The Dutch have the situation that most of their land had to be defended. Whereas for the US or Louisiana, this is scarcely a constraint.

No comments about Eco-Architecture: Harmonisation Between Architecture And Nature.

No comments about Homeless: Policies, Strategies, and Lives on the Street.

2 comments about Richmond's Monument Avenue.

1. lots of old pictures of Monument Ave. If you have ever visiting this area, you need this book.



2. An incredible documentation of the only street in America to have its own National Landmark status. The authors did their research on this fascinating piece of Americana, and the street comes alive in beautiful photographs and fascinating description.

   A MUST for anyone's coffee table!!

1 comments about Human Spaces: Life-Enhancing Designs for Healing, Working, and Living.

1. Barbara Crisp eloquently represents through her words and the beautiful photographs the importance of the spaces we live in. I am not in the design profession, however, found this a wonderful book for anyone interested in the connection of our living, working and healing environments. A beautiful coffee table book.

No comments about Sprawl & Politics: The Inside Story of Smart Growth in Maryland (S U N Y Series on Urban Public Policy).