5 comments about Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home.

1. EASY GREEN LIVING arrived before expected and brand new as promised. I loved it, it was a real blessing for me and my family as we try to green our lives. Thanks



2. With all the five star ratings previously, I had high expectations for this book. Sadly, it did not live up to those expectations and for one reason only: this book includes way too much information about chemicals and the harm they cause. Don't get me wrong, I want to know 'generally' about these things such as parabens, etc. but I don't need a complete list of every chemical manufactured on the planet and what they do. I did not find that positive or motivating. Having said that, YOU may want to know! And, I would actually buy this book again. It is a great reference book that you could go back to over and over again. And, because it is so detailed, it would really help you find anything you could possible ever need. For example, later today I will be checking a website that she mentioned that sells eco-friendly lightbulbs that can be used with a dimmer switch! And I may take a look at a company that sells reclaimed wood for replacing my floors...It really is a great book, I just felt that I was skipping over the parts which I didn't have such an interest in.



3. This is a great book. Lots of good info on ingredients found in cleaning and beauty items. Have recommended this book to several of my friends. Would definitely buy it again.
   The only drawback to this book is that the pages started comming loose from the binding within a few days of flipping through it. No problem, though. Just took it down to the office supply store and had a spiral binding put on it for a few dollars.



4. I bought Easy Green Living for the recipes (like the air freshener containing vodka and essential oil - very nice) inside because I'd just read another book on being green, so I thought I had enough information. Then I started reading Loux's take on the environment, and I couldn't stop. She detailed reasons from personal health to protecting the earth's resources for becoming environmentally friendly. Loux writes well and breaks the topic down with ease without lecturing. She often injects personal stories as examples. And, she's budget conscious. She is quick to point out which options are budget friendly and which aren't necessarily. Easy Green Living is a valuable resource for anyone wishing to understand the current movement toward being environmentally friendly.



5. I have recommended this book to the Richardson Public Library. It is packed with lists of eco-friendly products one can buy, and even has recipes for making one's own cleaning items. I thought I was fairly green, but believe me, there was ample room for improvement, and this book is my new friend.

5 comments about Advanced Excel for Scientific Data Analysis.

1. If I had written this book I think I would have called it Scientific Excel rather than Advanced Excel. To be sure, the book is certainly for advanced Excel users, but it won't help you do an advanced business application.
   
   You'd best have some knowledge about Excel before starting this one. There's a brief survey of Excel at the beginning that starts off comparing a spreadsheet to an accountant's ledger. That's pretty basic. Anyone with any Excel experience at all can follow the first three pages. On page four he is talking about making a thousand point plot with random numbers, normal distribution -- no longer something from Excel for Dummies. By page 5 he's calculating averages and standard deviations. By the end of this Survey chapter he's talking about the accuracy of the calculations performed by Excel.
   
   Subsequent chapters discuss various types of mathematical manipulation that are often needed in the analysis of scientific data.
   
   There are three chapters on Least Squares. This is the fitting of a curve to collected data so that the trends might be more easily visualized.
   
   There is a chapter on Fourier Transformations, which is the probably the most frequently used analysis tool when working in signal processing. Geophysical seismic data, radar receivers, cell phone systems are all processed primarily using Fourier Transforms. This kind of data is of course too voluminous for Excel, but the techniques used here would be ideal for quite a number of laboratory applications.
   
   A couple of chapters cover convolution, deconvolution, and time-frequency analysis as well as Numerical integration of ordinary differential equations.
   
   All of these processing tasks are done using macros. These are described in the book, or can be downloaded from the author's website -- www.bowdoin.edu/~rdelevie/excellaneous/. This web site also includes some additional macros that enhance Excel's computationability when handling numbers of higher precision.
   
   The final four chapters of the book are on writing your own or modifying existing macros, with an orientation to scientific analysis.
   
   I consider this to be almost a mandatory book for anyone interested in using Excel to analysis scientific data.



2. Every modern scientist and engineer relies upon some type of software for the analysis of data. Many software programs are available in the market today and each seems to have its own unique code and learning curve. In the PC world, perhaps no other software for data analysis is more common and easier to learn than Microsoft Excel. Many high school students are already using Excel for their homework assignments. All of these features make Excel an attractive analytical tool for scientists and engineers at university and afterwards. All such tools need reliable tutorials in order to train users to harness their full capabilities. Most available literature on Excel is introductory in nature, and therefore not appropriate for advanced applications. Robert de Levie's "Advanced Excel for scientific data analysis" helps fill in this void.
   
   Prospective readers should be aware that this text is not appropriate for beginners. The author clearly alerts readers to this point in the preface. This is also readily apparent from browsing the Table of Contents. I was skeptical at first with some of the more advanced applications such as solving differential equations in Excel. Many scientists use higher-level programming languages such as Mathematica and Matlab to solve differential equations. While such software packages are quite powerful, they also have steep learning curves. I previously thought that Excel is not capable of solving differential equations, but Chapter 7 turned me into a believer.
   
   The major emphasis of the examples is on least-squares and Fourier transformation. Chapter 2 does a nice job of contrasting Excel's three available routines for linear regression. The author does a very thorough job showing how Excel can be effectively used for Fourier transformation, and gives many examples. However, some other useful mathematical topics are either covered minimally or omitted entirely. For example, I was disappointed by the lack of a routine to calculate eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Excel's array structure makes it well-suited to linear algebra and the author should consider adding more on this topic in a future edition.
   
   One of the greatest strengths of the book is its detailed coverage of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Advanced data analysis require the use of special user-defined functions, and VBA allows one to extend Excel capabilities to satisfy this need. Unfortunately, VBA code sometimes conflicts with Excel code. For example, the square root operation in Excel is SQRT, but in VBA is SQR. While the author certainly has no control over this, he does an excellent job alerting the reader to these pitfalls.
   
   Chemists definitely need a reliable tool for the analysis of experimental data. de Levie's book covers most of the techniques we use in our lab. The book clearly demonstrates how Excel is not just a convenient tool for plotting data from the stock market or keeping track of students' grades, but a powerful tool for scientific data analysis. This book is highly rercommended for all students and research workers in the areas of analytical and physical chemistry.



3. This book does not give much info on Excel itself. I think the book is outstanding in that it opens one's eyes to using Excel for tasks like non-linear least squares fitting of data to models, signal deconvolution, etc. In retrospect, that one could use Excel for this should not be too surprising, but I have found myself resorting to MathCAD for many of these things when a solution implemented in Excel would have been easier to share with colleagues since Excel is more available. There is a bias towards biological/chemical examples, but nothing too egregious.



4. Do you need a spreadsheet tool to analyze experimental data? If you do, then this book is for you! Author Robert De Levie, has written an outstanding book on advanced Excel that shows you how to conduct the numerical analysis of experimental data, such as are usually encountered in the physical sciences.
   
   De Levie, begins by describing some of the standard mathematical methods, such as numerical integration and differentiation, and how to perform these most accurately on the spreadsheet. Then, the author examines precision--with random fluctuations and their reduction or removal. Next, he shows you how to apply the least squares methods to polynomials in the independent variable x, and to multivariable functions. The author continues by describing the nonlinear least squares method, where one compares a given data set with a model expression that depends on one or more numerical parameters.
   In addition, he also deals with the application of Fourier transformation in numerical data analysis, rather than instrumentation, where it is often built in. Then, the author discusses the use of time-dependent signals. He also describes particular types of errors: The algorithmic deviations caused by replacing a differential equation by an approximation thereof. Next, the author will show you how to copy spreadsheet data into a macro, manipulate them, and return the result to the spreadsheet. He continues by looking at some common mathematical operations, often encountered in scientific data analysis, and their numerical implementations on the spreadsheet. In addition, the author shows you how to extend the set of tools available for matrix operations in Excel. Finally, he focuses on three types of spreadsheet-related errors: those that are rather easy to make on a spreadsheet, those that result from Excel's adherence to the IEEE-754 protocol, and those that are in hidden in Excel.
   
   The author of this most excellent book has made a great effort to make it as broadly useful as possible to the reader, and to incorporate examples from different areas. More importantly, the author believes that this book offers instead, an attempt at the synthesis of different areas, thus illustrating how many numerical problems can be fitted comfortably in the convenient, user-friendly format of the spreasheet.



5. 'Advanced Excel for Scientific Data Analysis' is one of those niche books that is absolutely the standard in the field. Warning/fact #1 is that this books is NOT NOT NOT for the every day regular Excel user. Repeat, this book is NOT for you. Jam-packed full of mathematical equations without a high amount of screen shots, this book is for mathematicians, physicists, econometrics people, statisticians or anyone that needs to go way way past the normal 'AVG' and 'SUM' functions found in Microsoft Excel. This is not light reading and its about as pinpointed to a specific audience as can be.
   
   If you are a power Excel user go buy this book immediately and you will learn how to release its power better than ever before!!
   
   ***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

5 comments about Examkrackers 1001 Questions in MCAT Chemistry (Examkrackers).

1. First of all, if you consider yourself a 'pre-med' and serious about the MCAT, then as such you probably would've done some research about your products you are using... judging from the other reviews, they have not.
   
   These texts are for reviewing the SUBJECTS specifically... NOT for the MCAT!!! There designed to fill in the gaps you may have missed that some teachers 'leave out' during your education.
   
   If you want reviews specifically for the MCAT, and you are already a master of all the subjects covered, then get the Examkrackers Complete Study Package here on Amazon.
   
   The 1001 and 101 question series by Examkrackers is a great SUBJECT review for any student, premed or not. They explain difficult concepts in simple terms. Thanks EK!



2. To get into Med school after 15yrs in business I took my Organic Chem series over again, studied Exam Kracker's 101 series until I knew the books cold, listened to EK's Audio Osmosis about 10 times while communiting then took several full length practice tests.
   
   Going in I thought I'd be taking it a 2nd time so I wasn't too stressed. Afterwards, I was even more sure I would be re-taking it. However, I managed a 30 (straight 10's) so I know anyone can.
   
   Bottom line, MCAT is not about knowing a ton of details (unlike Step 1). Know the basics like EK teaches so you can apply the concepts anyway they ask the question. Then practice, practice and pracitce some more (yes, especially the essays). It will help cement the concepts in, but more importantly give you confidence.
   
   My personal belief is reduced stress and being on top of your game test day are more important than which study aid you use. That said, EK's focused and yet whimsical style was perfect for me to go through it over and over until I knew it cold.



3. This is a very good book. Amazon shipped it right away, in excellent condition. This book will help you get ready for the MCATs by acting as your very own tutor. I recommend getting all of the Examkracker series.



4. This book is decent. Some good questions, but many a bit too trivial for MCAT. If you're pressed for time, this book may not benefit you too much.



5. This study aid has a good breadth of coverage of concepts covered by the MCAT. The questions are all in the style of the MCAT (Roman numeral questions, etc.). My only complaint was that I was hoping for some passages and passage-based questions for practice, and those are completely absent in this book. Overall, I think it's a good addendum to any study curriculum for the MCAT.

5 comments about Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level.

1. The title of the book is a very succinct description of the content. This is a solid text with alot of good, basic information. As a course text, I think the success with which this book may be employed depends a great deal upon the employer. If all you require of your students is that they skim the chapters and hear your lectures, the book will seem simple and lacking in detail to the student. If you require your students to memorize the diagrams, tables, reaction mechanisms, molecular structures, pathways, etc... (as my biochem professors did), then the book will seem very difficult, convoluted, and complicated. Unfortunately, when you get to a course like biochem with so much information for the students to absorb, and for which every text looks like an encyclopedia, I'm afraid a person's opinion of a textbook actually depends more upon the instructor who presented them with the text, rather than on the text itself. So I suspect many of the reviews on this page are actually reviews of professors who taught the reviewers and not of the book. Just something to keep in mind.
   
   That said, I enjoyed learning from this text and I did well in the course (a notoriously difficult course at my school).



2. Be advised, this item does not come with access to WileyPlus, the online program that accompanies the text. I noticed the item description has changed since I bought and returned the text, so Amazon must have gotten complaints.



3. They charged $174.57 even though I didn't order this item..
   If I ordered it, I should've gotten a confirmation e-mail..
   However, I didn't get anything like that..
   Also, they sent it with a different receiver name.
   I want my money back as soon as possible!



4. The product was in almost perfect condition except for a little dent on the edge of the cover, however it was a used book so that's understandable. The book came within a week and all in all I have nothing bad to say about the seller :)



5. This book was a better deal than I could get in a book store and in better condition.

5 comments about Organic Chemistry.

1. Organic Chemistry is all about working problems out. The authors of the book should probably consider putting more problems into the book, because the cornucopia of practice needed and the minuscule amount provided do not go very well.



2. The book was received on time and in perfect condition. I don't think that it was stated in the original ad that the edition is the international one, but it is exactly the same as the US one, so I was fine with it. That's all :)



3. I found this book very easy to understand, as a first year student taking organic chemistry I was glad to see that is book had visual images so I could furthur understand the material. I would recommend getting the solutions manuel also.



4. thanks for the book it helped me save my parents alot of money this fall



5. Great book. It said hardcover on the description and I got looseleaf. Not very convenient but it works. Wouldn't have paid as much if I'd have known it wasn't hardcover....

5 comments about Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution.

1. Michael Beehee's work has been discredited too many times to count ranging from a lack of participating in the scientific peer review process or in court cases (see Dover, PA.). This book has more bogus science for those who prefer faith over evidence.
   
   Thanks Mike, we all love being mislead...



2. Excellent book. Not for the faint of heart and has some very technical reading. As I continue my research of creationism vs. evolution it's incredible how our schools continue to teach the wrong history with the mountains of obvious evidence against evolution and the non-existent evidence supporting evolution. A great read!



3. In the Kitzmiller v. Dover decision the Court noted that "Professor Behe admitted in "Reply to My Critics" that there was a defect in his view of irreducible complexity because, while it purports to be a challenge to natural selection, it does not actually address "the task facing natural selection."" [and] "Professor Behe specifically explained that "[t]he current definition [of irreducible complexity] puts the focus on removing a part from an already functioning system," but "[t]he difficult task facing Darwinian evolution, however, would not be to remove parts from sophisticated pre-existing systems; it would be to bring together components to make a new system in the first place." Id. In that article, Professor Behe wrote that he hoped to "repair this defect in future work;" however, he has failed to do so even four years after elucidating his defect."
   
   In other words, the only thing that Irreducible Complexity proved was to be wrong.



4. Very well written book. Despite the impression that some reviews give, the book is quite logical in its approach. There are some very in depth descriptions of cellular mechanics and certain biological functions (such as blood clotting). But the author sets these difficult passages apart from the main text, providing a simpler overview, and a more in-depth analysis for science-minded folks who like to know the finer details. Not for causal reading, but certainly an excellent read to stimulate those synapses.



5. I found this book absolutely fascinating. What a wonderful case for intelligent design without the usual "fall-back" to biblical references. It would be hard to deny ID after reading this book. A great read for someone who is honestly seeking answers.

5 comments about Organic Chemistry (5th Edition) (Ace Organic Series).

1. The book arrived faster than the quoted time, and was in great condition. The inside had no markings and the cover was not damaged in any way. Would buy from this seller again.



2. I just finished this class last semester. I found this book easy to follow, but I think it could have been arranged better. For instance, I would've started with SN 1/E 1 and SN 2/E 2 reactions first instead of jumping straight into the reactions of alkenes. I would've also appreciated if all of the nomenclature was in one concise chapter. I do appreciate the reaction summaries at the end of every chapter. That was quite useful. I really did not like the chapter on Mass spec, I felt it was lacking. The book also had some errors when it came to the practice problems and the answers in the back of the book. The chapter on stereochemistry was a headache. Do yourself a favor and attend the lecture and skip the chapter.



3. Really really loved this book.
   
   One of the best written college textbooks i have read in a long time
   
   1). GOOD examples
   
   2). REALLY thorough. It will cover nearly every topic in the entire ochem spectrum. When i was studying for the MCAT and couldnt find the answer to something all i had to do was pop open this book and find out about wolf-kirschner reductionr etc etc.
   
   3). well written
   
   4). easy to understand
   
   
   Cons
   1). really expensive, the solutions manual is really expensive too. Also the modeling kit is really expensive lol.
   
   LOTS OF DOUGH, but if you can afford it its really a great book.



4. I had met this book on my undergraduate studies, it was the most interesting and exciting one(compare to other organic chemistry books) I had read on organic chemistry. It is even possible to learn the organic chemistry completely alone without visiting any lectures.
   Still as graduate student me and other chemistry students in the university prefer this book in case you need to refresh the basis knowledge in organic chemistry.



5. Who's going to like this class? probably 1% of people who take it. I'd say though that this book does go over each section pretty well. I'm in an honors level course, and many of the students that are taking regular organic opt to buy this book beacuse it does explain things much more clearly.
   The only down side is the fact that each chapter is 60+ pages each. Other books break down each section a little better. Overall good.

5 comments about Study Guide and Solutions Manual for Organic Chemistry.

1. I bought this book along with the Bruice text for the organic class I'm taking right now. A solutions manual is indispensable for checking the answers to the problems you do - so I was going to buy the book anyway. Problem is, it looks like this solutions manual is the solutions manual for the 5th editon, only with a new cover so it looks like it's for the 6th edition. This would be fine, except that the problems in the 5th edition are not the same problems used in the 6th edition. I'd say that 90% of the time, the solutions manual is right - but is 90% good enough for people who are trying to learn the subject, and just end up getting more confused by a solutions manual with solutions for the wrong problem?? I think the publisher should offer a correct copy free to anyone who shelled out $88 for this book.



2. I benefited from this book immensely. If you are taking this class do yourself a big favor and buy it. If you are going to do something do it right and working the problems is the key. I got it for around 30$.



3. The book arrived faster than the quoted time and it was in great condition. The inside had no markings and the cover was not damaged in any way. Would buy from this seller again.



4. I received an A in this class, and it was a lot of hard work. It would've been impossible without this solutions manual! In addition to giving all the answers and a brief explanations for some of them, each chapter has a small quiz at the end which are great study tools. Also there is some vocab at the beginning of each chapter which always seemed to find its way into my exams! I have not given this manual five stars because there were some errors and inconsistencies between the questions in the textbook and the answers in the manual. And I'm not talking about different editions, but rather just plain old mistakes. Like another reviewer said, they need a better editor.



5. The book without this is useless.. This manual made a difference in mee... i passed my two courses of Organic chemistry with A.....!!!

5 comments about Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology, 6th Edition.

1. I JUST SIGNED UP FOR SCHOOL. I AM SAVING ABOUT $ 55.00 BUYING IT ONLINE INSTEAD OF SCHOOL.



2. It is a comprehensive book that can be used an a great resource. I find it very useful. I recommend it.



3. The product is very very good and suportive in my course and in my studying.And i send back one product due to my mistake of ordering two insted of one,i want to know whether you received the product i send back,and how am going to receive my refund back.Thank you.



4. This book is a must have.....Amazon has the best price for it....Free shipping....Its a no brainer....Buy it!!!!



5. This book is great for beginners as well as experienced technicians. Every explanation is detailed with pictures and graphs. All types of refrigeration applications are covered with the how to detail for installing and understanding every component in the system, including helpful tips and safety recommendations.

4 comments about Organic Chemistry: Structure and Function.

1. Even if you do not attend any O. Chem class, you can study this book and learn a lot. I took Organic Chemistry at University last year and we used a different book for that class. O. Chem by Vollhardt provides some more materials than needed for the first and second year of O. Chem class, but it helps you to have a better understanding about the subject.



2. Perfect condition, exactly what I was looking for, and much cheaper than buying it from my bookstore!



3. My class lecture was great! So I didn't really use the book as much. If anything, I used it for the questions after each chapter and reviewed it on the study guide which I purchased separately. Can't say too much, but it definitely came free shipping, fast shipping, and was priced below what the school was offering.



4. This book is simple to understand even amidst all the details it provides. The explanations are clear and concise while explaining all the jargon and convention. The Vollhardt text also gives a really good background to why reactions occur rather than plopping reactions on the page.