No comments about Modelling Metabolism with Mathematica.

5 comments about Show Me Macromedia Flash MX 2004 (Show Me).

1. The only strength of this volume is that it's pretty straight forward. However, the explanations are overly simplistic and no real substance. Its examples are too concrete and don't leave room for more generalization (abstraction, if you will). Because of this, the book is rather limited and and too strict. I understand the intent of the authors was to teach newcomers by "forcing" them through examples, however, I found the cooking recipe-style to be much too constrictive and inflexible.

   And I think leaves the person with more questions as to how to do things on their own, but it gives no clues as to how to do it. It's not a bad book, but avoid it if you're up to cooking-recipe-style learning.




2. Show Me Macromedia Flash MX 2004 offers students a fast, effective, "user friendly", and visually oriented way to learn Flash MX. A superbly presented and highly recommended instructional guide, Show Me Macromedia Flash MX 2004's step-by-step instructions, enhanced with accompanying visuals, requires less time reading and allows for more time for hands-on learning.



3. I loved this book because you can learn concepts in little chunks. I sat down for a few minutes every day and just did a few pages, every new page introduces a new concept. I got through the whole book and exercises without any confusion, and felt like I learned as much as if I had attended a software training course.



4. I ordered some of the highest rated Flash MX 2004 books here on Amazon, but I thought I'd run to the local bookstore to pick up something to get me through crunch time while waiting for my Amazon order to arrive. I ended up buying this book from the limited selection available. Overall, it does contain some good information and I am using it as a reference to look up instructions certain tasks. I have only used Flash very infrequently. This is my first big project in the application, so I thought the "Beginning - Intermediate" user level (printed on the back of the book) would be perfect for me. However, I find this book lacks many of the Actionscript explanations and other tricks I will need to learn to complete my project. Either this book is more simplistic than the editors realized, or I'm a really quick study. The format is very nice, but since the illustrations and whitespace take up a large part of every page, the book is light on content for its 500-some pages. If you are truly a beginner, and don't need to become an overnight Flash wizard, this book would be very well suited for you.



5. I'm up to page 218 and have to say it is so easy to follow. A paragraph outling a new concept, followed by step by step instructions with graphic pictures showing you each step in case your lost or confused. I have used other books and their step by step approach misses critical steps because they assume you know, thus leaving you stranded and frustrated. I look forward to the Intermediate / Advanced level; particularly the Data, ActionScript, XML and so on. Keep up the great work

No comments about Scientific Visualization: Overviews, Methodologies, and Techniques.

5 comments about Advanced PHP for Flash.

1. I bought this book after working with and really appreciating the first book in this line - Foundation PHP for Flash. The first book was extremely helpful in building a foundation in working with Flash > PHP > database applications.

   This advanced book takes many of the concepts of the first book into deeper application and shows how to work XML into the equation as well in one of my favorite chapters PHP & XML. I can't give a higher recommendation regarding the helpfulness of these books. Well done and thanks!




2. The book is good, but I think it is a little limited because it is a succession of cases, which do not correlate. Yoyr skills may be improved but not your knowledge. It is like learning a formula with the numbers already filled in , but not the formula with its symbols.



3. 1. too many errors

   2. the codes don't work.. and you don't get support from the team that put them together... you will have to be overly nice to even here... "Oh! we will get back to you" from them

   3. Full e-commerce app? what is an e-commerce system without a checkout feature? they basically leave out all the meat and expect you to work at the same projects you bought the book for on your own

   basically, looks more like a couple of tutorials taken from the internet and thrown together in the form of a book in a hurry to capture the market before a better one does.

   LEAVE IT ON THE SHELF!!




4. Flash is becoming much more of an application/interface tool than ever before. This book does a good job of furthering the skills taught in the first book. While the book doesn't follow with a case study pertaining to all chapters, it does give you methods that you can pick and choose from, so that you don't necessarily need to read from beginning to end to get real and usable benefits.

   I particulary enjoyed Chatper 5, which shows some very good ways of using MySQL with Flash: getting lists, details, and searching without having to load new pages or go back to previous pages...that's the good thing about Flash interfaces.

   The book is a rather big step in difficulty from the first book, but worth it.




5. ... the scripts don't work. The downloaded scripts are different to the ones outlined in the book (neither work) and the after sale support is non-existant.

   The first book of the series was great... This rarely works and this book is no exception...

No comments about 3D Computer Graphics, Second Edition.

No comments about Introduction to Computer Performance Analysis With Mathematica (Computer Science and Scientific Computing).

5 comments about Flash 4 Magic (WITH CD-ROM).

1. I found the book very incomplete, alot of the examples were not explained very well and you had to guess as to what they wanted you to do next. I don't need a step by step approach, but I didn't want to have to guess how to do what they did in their examples.

   The layout of the book and projects were good. I just didn't like the way it was written with holes in steps. It would be great for someone to gain idea's as to how to start a project. But as a beginner book (which I never did see what level it was written for anyway)IMHO it bit!

   The companion cd had shareware programs which are so so.

   Certainly not worth the 42.00 I spent for it! I'm still looking for a good flash book. This was my first purchase of one. So I don't have a lot to compare it too. I have read enough of other books to be able to tell when something is not written completely.

   David Emberton and Scott Hamlin (authors of the book) Should have tried giving the example projects to a group of people and see how they would do by the book only! I bet they would be as frustrated as I was.

   I did manage to get most of the examples working but I needed help on things that weren't covered very well.




2. esperaba mas de este libro. Si bien trae buenos ejemplos esta demasiado enfocado en ellos, lo cual para mi por lo menos hizo practicamente inaplicables la mayoria de los Scripts que tenia cada ejemplo pues no explicaba el porque la utlizacion de cada uno; eso me llevo a perder demasiado tiempo tratando de entender cada uno.

   En definitiva malo si no sabes manipular bien Flash Script




3. The authors are very respected in the flash development world and I find it nice to work with quality graphics as opposed to plain old circle, squares, and triangles. You could do a lot worse and I recommend this book if you haven't already upgraded to flash 5.



4. This book is really a set of examples of what can be done with flash and imagination. Once you look through the book you'll first be amazed by what can be done and then inspired to realize that you can do almost anything you can imagine using flash as a tool.

   The instructions are very terse, but don't read this book for instructions on how to build the examples shown, read this book to see what can be done. Building the examples is of little value because they've already been done. Building your own dreams with ideas from the book is the point.

   The book is expensive,... for the size. The explanation is that every page contains color graphics showing what the project looks like and demonstrating the results. This is an expensive printing process, it looks good but price is the significant negative for this book. In the twenty dollar range this would have been a 5 star book; if you are particularly price conscious you might want to reduce it to 3 stars.

   A sample of amazing, great looking, flash projects to ignite your imagination.




5. This book is basically a compilation of fancy projects, most of which are useful, but with instructions that aren't very comprehensive. The introduction says that both advanced and new users can get a lot out of this book, but that's not true if you're latter. Beginners will find themselves following the book's VERY lean instructions without a clue as to why or what they are doing. Sure it gives you an idea of what is possible in Flash, but so can just browsing the internet for Flash oriented sites... and that won't cost you 45 dollars.

5 comments about Flash Character Animation Applied Studio Techniques (Applying Studio Techniques).

1. Up front I will admit I have a bias (my company Pileated Pictures is featured on the book), but having been a professional involved with Animation and interactivity for years, and knowing the other people involved with this book, I can honestly say it is very useful and pragmatic, getting into fundamental concepts behind character animation in Flash, and a good luck at several techniques. My two cents.



2. The only worthwhile part of this book, is when Purcell intrerviews people who Flash for as a job, and questions them on techniques, tips, and tricks. These pages are very helpful (especially sound). You can tell Purcell himself is no an artist. If you check out the tutorials he wrote, they're just so stupid, and not useful (fighting skunks, a walking ostrich, etc.). However, the CD is great, and hearing pros talk about Flash is something new, it's a worth a buy, but don't bother with the tutorials, they're a waste of time.



3. (contributor) Working with flash native files that were created by professional animators and reading how they were done is a great way to learn tips and tricks. The books layout and design is the best I've seen on the market.



4. I got this book when starting to get somewhat serious about Flash animation hoping it would teach me to do some serious animation. I was somewhat dissapointed that it didn't teach me anything I didn't already know from another book or from tutorial reading on the internet.

   The book is good if you're starting out in Flash, infact, it's very good for that. It walks you through tweening, frame-by-frame animation, and the works. However, just by playing around and using common sense, I already knew all this.

   The examples this author uses are very...creative and unique. That's not a bad thing, except you can't really apply them to everday animation.

   All in all, this book is a good book if you're starting out. It will get you through the basics and a little more. If you're an intermediate or pro user, don't spend the money for it. I think the only way to get to know what you want to know is message boards or just practicing...




5. In my opinion the only chapters worth reading are chapters 12, 13, 14 and 15. My biggest complaint about this book is that most of the chapters were boring. Chapter 2 shows an ostrich walk cycle, chapter 6 shows fighting skunks and chapter 8 shows a talking grave. I prefer "Flash 5 Cartooning" and "Flash Cartoon Animation: Learn From The Pros" over this book.

5 comments about Macromedia Flash 8: Training from the Source.

1. I'm a recent convert to Flash 8 Professional, so my interest in the Flash 8 Training from the Source book was high in the beginning. The book is well-crafted, written especially for a beginner, and I find that, in some cases, I can move among the lessons to grab just what I need for two time-intense projects I've been working on.
   
   The first project I wanted help with was the opening sequence to the Indiana-Princeton-Tennessee Astrobiology Initiative's website (http://www.indiana.edu/~deeplife). For the IPTAI website opening I needed to import a Quicktime (QT) movie that I had composed in After Effects. It took several tries, but I finally figured out that if I imported it as a movie clip and separated the audio, Flash put the video and the audio on their own timelines. That way I could sync the audio (as much as possible) to the video and add actions to the video on another timeline. It's a clumsy way of working, but for this short sequence and looping audio, it's ok. I wouldn't try it if I needed precise sync, I'd try something else (not sure what).
   
   The second project is another QT After Effects animation without sound. I imported it as progressive download and with that choice I could embed cue points and link them to navigation so people can choose which parts of the animation they want to see. Flash 8 Pro also has a collection of pre-made skins to choose from which made the project a lot easier. The buttons are already programmed to start, stop, pause, and go to the cue points.
   
   The first project was very successful, but I didn't rely heavily on the book's tutorials because I was using the video import capabilities in Flash 8 Pro and the book doesn't address those. The second project is a bit more challenging. As I write this I am cruising through the tutorials trying to find relevant examples for embedding video and adding components with behaviors. What I am finding are incomplete lessons with the hope of more suitable information later on somewhere in the book. I'm pretty sure I can get what I need to complete this project from the help menu in Flash 8 Pro rather than from Training from the Source: it will take some time to work through the lessons for what I'm certain will be a valuable exercise.
   
   The book speaks to beginners like me in a tone that isn't belittling so I am encouraged to explore further and seek my own resources where the book is lacking. The book is definitely worth buying and working through. I am not a programmer by any stretch, so I appreciate tutorials that assume I do not speak geek.
   
   ~Ruth Droppo



2. This book has a good idea, i.e., create a Flash site and teach you Flash while doing it. But I feel like the editor/proofreader didn't do a good job. There're so many errors in the book it's ridiculous. It's extremely frustrating when you stumble upon a problem and you have to figure out whether it's because you didn't follow instructions or because the book messed up.
   
   For example, there's one time when the instruction says we'll add an ActionScript to a Back button in the next exercise. But when you get to the next lesson, the Back button was NOT mentioned at all. So when you test the file, the Back button Will NOT work. I fixed the problem by adding my own ActionScript based on what I've learned so far. But this should not happen in an instruction book, esp. one geared towards beginners.
   
   Other error types include inconsistencies between the written instruction and the screenshots (i.e. the written instruction says one thing, but the screenshot shows something else). Some of the errors are so obvious since the instructions and the screenshots are on the same page!
   
   Also, the entire files for Lesson 6 are MISSING from the CD-ROM, also missing were files from other lessons. I don't understand how could Peachpit Press not catch that mistake?
   
   I also tried to access the book's forum looking for help. And every time I do that, some kind of script would run, the computer would claim there's a virus and freezes up. So I couldn't access the forum. Well, not so surprising considering how author wrote the book. Duh! I tried this on multiple computers. So it's not a computer related issue.
   
   All in all, way overpriced product with low quality. It's better to spend your money on a book that actually have correct instructions. Look elsewhere for a better Flash book, that's what I'm doing now.



3. ...
   
   I just got to lesson six, I go to open the CD and copy the files the book says to grab, and there IS no "Lesson 6" folder on the CD! How can this happen? I have already became pretty frustrated with the book trying to deal with the countless errors and typos that should have been caught by the editor.
   
   It does walk you through the process of building a site. I am only half way through the book at this point and I have learned a bit about Flash, but I have to guess that there is a much better book out there to learn from that isn't plagued by all the missing information and inconsistencies in this book.
   
   I chose this book because it was the official training guide, but Macromedia should be ashamed to have their name attached to this book. I wish I would have went a different route at this point...
   
   --------------------
   Update: I finished this book last night. The shortcomings that brought me to Amazon to write this review continued to pile up.
   
   I found the chapter on ActionScript particularly lacking. In my opinion, you shouldn't have to debug the code written in the book to get the lesson to work properly (this happened in more than one exercise in the ActionScript chapter).
   
   The only reason I give this title two stars instead of one, is that after forcing myself to push through the book I do have a slightly better understanding of how flash works.
   
   I would say that using this book to learn Flash is like mowing your yard with a hedge trimmer:
   
   1) It takes a long time (a 3 hour lesson took more like 6-8 with all the errors not captured in editing, YMMV)
   2) Your extremely tired of it when you are finished
   3) You are ready to invest in a new mower before you are half way done... (I am starting on Flash Professional 8 - Hands on Training - by James Gonzalez now, and it is looking pretty good so far...)
   
   - J



4. I agree with what others have said. The book starts out ok - although I do feel like the author sort of breezes over things and skips steps. I found that for several exercises I sort of had to figure things out on my own. Even though the book claims to be for people who have no background in these type of programs, I feel that the author assumes that readers have more knowledge than they actually do.
   
   The ActionScript chapter is a disaster in my opinion. Now, I understand that a thorough explanation of ActionScript is beyond the scope of this book; however, the author neglects to appropriately explain the code! It almost seems as if he's gotten lazy by this point in the book.
   
   Don't get me wrong, I have learned a lot about Flash by reading this book - it's just that a lot of the learning I had to do on my own because the book was frequently inaccurate or did a shoddy job of explaining things.
   
   As others have said, there are a lot of typos too. I wouldn't really recommend this book unless maybe you have a little background in the program.



5. The typos and inconsistencies in this book are ridiculous and frustrating. In the very FIRST lesson you create a file called "Test.fla". A few pages later in the SAME lesson you're told to open "LabCom.fla", which the book says "...is the document you created in the first part of this lesson." What the...??? You never created any such file!! And, of course, you assume you've done something wrong and start scrambling back through the lesson to see how you missed creating this file. The "LabCom.fla" is on the CD but it's the completed project file. So the remaining instructions telling you how to add various elements and perform different tasks have already been done. Yes, you quickly figure out that you should use your "Test.fla" to complete the lesson, but it's jarring to have your learning process interrupted by silly mistakes (yes, there are more) that should not exist in a book claiming to be "training from the source."
   
   I will not buy another "Macromedia Training from the Source" title. Unfortunately, I already purchased "Training from the Source" for Flash8 ActionScript. I hope I didn't waste more money on another poorly written product.

No comments about Virtual Worlds: Second International Conference, VW 2000 Paris, France, July 5-7, 2000 Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science).