3 comments about Modern Control Systems (11th Edition) (Pie).

1. I am taking a 1 semester long control course from EE department.
   This is the book we use. It features numerous mistakes and skimpish explanations. It also skips a lot of derivations of concepts. Very weak text for the course. I am not sure of the alternatives but it is not hard to imagine something better.
   It is also virutally identical to the previous editions - i get by just fine with the 9th edition which i obtained for $15 used.



2. Taking control theory course at my school where the book is required. As a student introduced to the theory for the first time, this book has been no help at all. Explanations are very limited and I find myself re-reading the same page numerous times just to figure out how did the author came up with derivations. Text is often too dry without any real world connection (essential for engineering students - at least for me). If this text is required, prepare to spend a lot of time with your professor. This is NOT a good book for intro course.



3. This book is one of the worst I've had in Engineering school. The explanations are weak, only going over the simplest version of a concept. Just wait until your professor actually assigns problems from the book. The problems are difficult and complex, and there are zero answers in the back to verify your answers. So, you have no clue if you're doing it right. If your professor is not very helpful, you're in trouble.

5 comments about Getting to Know ArcObjects (With CD-ROM).

1. When you outgrow this one, or if you already have some VB programming background, go for Programming ArcObjects with VBA: A Task-Oriented Approach, Second Edition, it is an excellent complement to this volume. Far more to learn there.



2. The best way to learn computer programming is by actually doing it, which makes this book great. Each chapter starts with an explanation of a new concept, such as looping or subroutines, then there are 2 or 3 exercises that demonstrate the concept and use what you have learned. One minor problem is the lack of large chunks of code. Most of the code in the book is just small snippets of code, and that makes it difficult to learn about the overall structure of the whole program, because all you see is 5 or 6 lines of code at a time. But this is only a minor problem. I don't like VBA, but I have to learn it for a GIS class, and this is a great book to learn from.



3. This book is easy to follow and understand even having little computer programming experience. The "Cookbook" style exercises make it easy to create your own modifications to ArcGIS. Great book!



4. My Major is GIS. But it is my first time to learn arcObject. I think it is good for my starting with its example and theories.



5. This book is a great overview of not only ArcObjects but component programming as well. The text is to the point. The tutorial examples are short and put together well to illustrate the topic. The amount of material and exercises for each topic are just right. The writing style is very approachable. I really enjoyed going through the book and tutorials.
   
   This book may not be for someone who does not know Visual Basic very well. I would not consider this an intro to VB or programming. It is as the title says - getting to know ArcObjects. Examples revolve around customization of ArcMap and ArcCatalog. Does not cover ArcGIS server or ArcGIS Engine.

5 comments about Feedback Control of Dynamic Systems (5th Edition).

1. It is a good textbook about feedback control design. A lot of examples from the engineering world are useful for undergraduate students. It well written and easy to read.



2. Beware of the International Version it is not the exact same as the Hardcover version just with a softcover. There are less problems, and problems are numbered differently. Those are the only differences found so far, as of two weeks into the semester of an advanced controls course.



3. Vague, poor/loose structure, plenty of discussion but fails to teach. The material is at a high level (senior or above), but that's not my quibble with this book. There are excellent alternatives though on control systems, most notably Norman Nise (currently in 5th ed.) and Ogata. (My bacground is in ME and EE, master's level.)



4. The Good:
   This text does hit on most of the topics in controls. It's manageable if you have a good instructor.
   
   Wide breadth.
   
   The Bad:
   The writing seems to go out of its way to be unnecessarily cryptic. It performs variable changes every chance it gets, skips steps in the examples (which are light in and of themselves). The figures in the last sections link back to the first. If you find yourself saddled with a hard-to-understand instructor (foreign-language Ph.D students come to mind), get the exercises from someone else and pick up Ogata's Modern Control Engineering (I literally understood Root-Locus more from twenty minutes of reading Ogata than two hours of wrestling with this text).
   
   Poor depth. Avoid.
   
   A note: You WILL require MATLAB. Don't try this material without it.



5. This text provides good coverage of the material.
   
   One neat feature of this book (fourth edition) is intros at the beginning of each chapter that explain the motivation for learning the concepts presented in that chapter.
   
   Note that the subject matter is not easy, so the first time controls student should be prepared to read each section of this (and any controls text for that matter) carefully - and not just skim it.

No comments about AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible (Bible (Wiley)).

5 comments about Geographic Information Systems and Science.

1. Longley's book is a well-written comprensive introduction to GIS applications, principles, techniques, analysis, and management and policy. I have the 2nd edition. Longley and coauthors clearly describe the main principles of GIS, such as representation, spatial autocorrelation, georeferencing, and uncertainty along with basic modeling, visualization, and queries. I am a nonscientist who used this book in tandem with Price's Mastering ArcGIS. Longley's use of illustrations, tables, and biographical sketches of GIS users are apt and useful. Technical boxes demonstrate mathematical formulas that the GIS is utilizing. The "further reading" section at the end of each chapter is subject-targeted and up to date. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about learning GIS.



2. I bought this book to provide the intellectual background to "Getting to know ArcGIS", for a class I'm taking. It's fine for that, I guess, with one caveat: I found it very slow reading, for a number of reasons.
   
   At the outset, a lot of time is spent justifying why the 'S' in "GIS" stands for 'Science', not just 'Systems'. They talk a lot about how GIS helps in generating fundamental theories of science, but doesn't really offer examples. It just came off like a bunch of academics who just don't get enough respect. But there's nothing wrong with technology, and I don't know why the authors would want to justify what is clearly technology as science. (Technology is the application of science, in my book).
   
   Another problem, for me at least, is that it is written at such a basic level. It takes a whole page or more, talking about how data can be ordinal, nominal, categorical, etc. I just felt like the book could have been a third of the size it is, without losing much. I recognise that not all readers will find this the problem I did.
   
   I can see why it's highly regarded: apparently, it is really the first book to gather everything you need to know about GIS under one cover, and that's no mean feat. If you have an engineering/physical science background (bachelor's level), and have ever written your own computer program, you'll likely find it tediously slow and overly explicit. (If you already know the difference between 'raster' and 'vector' graphics you'll likely feel this book is too slow.)
   
   It's still worth reading for the history it gives about the field, and the profiles of current GIS users.



3. A good book for persons wishing to study the basic principles of GIS. Easy to understand although some of the examples may be a little abstract for persons with limited theoretical geographic or practical reference background. Experienced GIS persons may find it strong on explanations but a little short on practical applications.



4. This text is an excellent book for people just entering into the GIS world. It is self explanatory and covers different areas in science and technical fields



5. This book was helpful for those new to GIS. I am taking a grad course and found this text useful in giving background information.

5 comments about The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide.

1. The Unofficial Lego Mindstorms NXT Inventors Guide
   
   Author: David J. Perdue
   website: http://www.davidjpredue.com ; http://www.nxtguidedavidjpredue.com
   Strengths: Very nice schematics, parts listings and visuals to highlight or the parts for the machines. Easily readable. Good for novice robot builders but also advanced users will find it helpful as well.
   
   Weaknesses: The book has black/white text.
   
   Novice/Intermediate/Advanced
   
   Rating: 5/5
   
   reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)
   
   
   Introduction
   
   I have been working with robot kits for many years. I started with the Fischertecknik robot turtle which I built and was able to use with the logo interface with my Apple IIE. Later on I heard about Lego Mindstorms and bought a set to use. It was tough going and after much delay because of the programming and the light issues with the brick, I was able to get legos finally working. Since then, I have worked with several kits and working with PC and Macintosh interfacing. But I was still looking for more a more helpful guides to build more interesting robots. I think I found one in The Unofficial Lego Mindstorms NXT Inventors Guide.
   
   This author David J. Perdue knows his stuff and Lego Mindstorms. He has been creating MINDSTORMS since 2001 and just won the NXT Camera Bot Building Challenge competition and is the author of Competitive MINDSTORMS (Apress, 2004). He has received three Special Mention awards for his creations on the official online MINDSTORMS and is a full time student, pursuing a degree in Management information Systems in Texas. So I opened the book to see what else I could find out and how I could use the book for my LegoMindstorms in the future.
   
   In the beginning, it was difficult to use Mindstorms. For me the kit did not work at all. Working with Macintosh was not an option. There were minimal additional information for working with the robots beyond the parts, software and initial schematics. I had to use a PC. This version works with PC (needs Windows XP or higher and will or already have shipped Vista version) or Macintosh OSX (version 103.9 and higher). It was not until later that I learned from a Legos salesman that the light in the room could be an issue. Its little things like this that kept me and possible others, from doing more with robotics.
   
   I was hoping that the book started with novice programmers and robot creators. This books has "novice " beginning information so this book can be used with those who are new to Lego Mindstorms or are upgrading to the NXT version. It is good to know that this advanced robotic author, is "down to earth" with his writing and when "speaking" the language of robots. I have not upgraded to the NXT version yet and so and wanted to see whether it is would be worth upgrading myself but if so how and what ways could the robots be used with this new version.
   
   The black and white screenshots are integrated within the instruction. The visuals are large enough to read and decipher what you need to know. The lack of color does not really hurt. I really liked the screenshots and illustrations listings of the parts for assembly. However it would have been nice if they were in color (the parts are a multitude or colors. Tables do however include numbers, piece names and the place color however. When you need more information about the parts, they are all there listed and illustrated/ photographed.
   
   Throughout the book, there are helpful ideas in the way of bold notes that are "peppered" throughout the tutorials. In addition, there are pointers that go along with the "balloons " which have text inside of them about related to the robot parts. Circles and arrows highlight the illustrated areas in the screenshots that the author is clearly targeting for his instructions. This makes the understanding of the parts even more explicit.
   
   The introduction introduces Lego Mindstorms, NXT, building , programming and starting and working with robotic projects. Here is an outline of the chapters and what is in store for you.
   
   Part I in entitled "Introduction to LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT". In the Chapter 1, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT starts off with building robots, the programming of robots, activating robots and what can you do with robots and NXT. Chapter 2 is includes solid but easy to understand information about starting with the NXT robotic set.
   
   Part II illustrates the building with 4 chapters. There is electronic pieces, understanding the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT pieces, the need and building sturdy structures, and working with and building with gears
   
   Programming section is in Part III . Chapter 7 introduction has a nice introduction to the NXT-G system. Later 3 chapters involve advanced NXT-G programming a. There is also more in the form of unofficial programming languages for the NXT.
   
   Part IV involves 6 robot projects and that is where your in-depth robotic education really begins. You are taught the author's Mindstorms method, and working with 6 nice in-depth but easy to understand projects.
   
   Appendices are good resources. Appendix A has LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT piece library. The Appendix B NXT-G has nice quick reference guide section that includes information for advanced programming to perform more intricate tasks. The author details a lot of the complexity, not only with words but also visually illustrates how to and in what ways to to complete the array of blocks, sensors and programming information. While it is not easy to learn, this section takes you "once step at a time". Appendix C informs with other internet resources.
   
   Conclusions
   
   I recommend this book highly for its in-depth tutorials, the visual schematics and the quality of the reading that makes the information well understood. No one said building robots was easy but with this book, you will learn and go further than you thought you could achieve. What I like about this book and the way the author has crafted this book is that he actually invited you to build robots in a none intimidating way. The in-depth information, the visual assemblies and tables, and the easy to read information along with the tutorials will allow you not only start but develop your skills in robot building. You will learn to be creative but at the same learning the logic of the machines and how to build robotics. I know there are many books that teach Lego Mindstorms out there but I am glad I chose this one first.
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. This is a great beginner/intermediate level book for both kids and adults. The building section is excellent at explaining HOW to use the technic pieces. The programming section is a very good primer for those new to the NXT-G programming environment and language. It sets you up well for the building & programming projects found later in the book. As a middle school teacher running a robotics club, I set some of my more advanced 6th graders to work on whatever project they wanted to from the book. They jumped into taking on the guard-bot and the golf-bot which are the more advanced projects. With little guidance from me, they were very successful and had a blast. That shows how well written and designed the book is!



3. This "Unofficial" book is very good. David does a great job of showing exactly how to build each project with informative snapshots from the program Lego Digital Designer. The programming was missing a little of information on what to fill in the for each module, but his comments provided enough information to fill in the modules. I did have a question for David and he responded with the answer I was looking for.



4. I'm a coach of a FIRST LEGO League team and I bought this book to help my son "get to the next level." I am making this book mandatory for every team member next season! It is informative, yet easy to read. It covers all the bases from good robot design to programming explanations. I can't recommend it enough!



5. If you are new to Lego Mindstorms then you are also probably new to Lego Technics. This book not only covers how to program robots but also how to build them with Lego Technics parts and makes use of many well laid out and easy to follow diagrams. This book should be included with every lego Mindstorms set.

5 comments about Digital Image Processing (3rd Edition).

1. This is the best, most understandable image processing book I ever read. It is the only image processing book I've ever read in which I could immediately turn the concepts into code (IDL). I spent most of a Christmas vacation thinking it was a novel I couldn't put down. That's about as good as it gets for a technical book! Well done, Gentlemen.



2. I am giving this book 4 stars because it's quite descriptive and easy to follow. It covers some of the basic concepts behind digital image analysis and touches on the more general signal processing concepts, but it doesn't go very deep into the actual math. This may be what you want, but for me it was an assigned text for a 4th year undergrad course I took in college, and I found it inadequate. I felt like I could have written this book before I even started the class. At the same time, though, I think it would have been a great text for a more entry-level course.
   
   If you want a text that goes in further detail and provides some math to chew on, I have to recommend the "Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing" by Anil K. Jain. It is also sold on Amazon, and I found it to be more appropriate for a 3rd year, 4th year, or Master's level course.



3. This book feeds the readers all the basic concepts of Image Processing. Very easily understandable and lucid in explanations. I would rate it one among the best EE books published so far.



4. The preface of this book starts with a quote:
   "When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing".
   And once you start reading the book, you realize how much the book lives upto this. Everything is written clearly and importany points are stressed again and again in each topic until you become fully familiar with them. Topics are written with implementation in mind, as you can get started with writing your own code instantly.
   The book makes the subject as interseting as it gets, and although some existing basic concepts of mathematics and statistics are quite helpful while reading, but you dont even have to be familiar with Digital Signal Processing to fully understand the contents.
   Finally, I'd like to say that out of the few poeple that fully understand a concept, fewer have the gift to deliver their knowledge to others, and the authors of this book have that gift.



5. (This review refers to the second edition of the book)
   
   This book is a simple and very well written introduction to Image Processing. This book starts off with the very basics of the subject. In fact the introduction is a bit too long and may be boring for some. The book contains many examples from different real world applications. In most chapters this book covers only the very basic techniques, so readers who want to study more advanced concepts will have to look elsewhere. For example, this book does not cover Canny edge detection which is probably the benchmark edge detection algorithm. The chapter on wavelets was refreshing; it concentrated more on how wavelets can be used for image processing and less on the math. The chapters on enhancement, restoration and color are elementary. The chapter on compression was quite good. The book ends with a few chapters on segmentation and pattern recognition. Overall, its a very good introductory textbook well suited for senior undergraduate/first year graduate students.

5 comments about Control Systems Engineering.

1. Norman Nise has done a great job with this book.This book is a first hand guide for beginners who have absolutely no knowledge of Control Systems and its purposes. The book with its details of each methodology & its purposes gives an indepth view of the subject. This is excellent tool for beginners (for understanding the fundamentals) and gradually upgrading to a better level by able to design systems. The Skill Assessment Exercises are able to bring out the key techniques to solve any problem. A must buy for all people interested in Control Systems Engineering and looking for a book where fundamentals can be cleared.



2. As a student in control systems engineering, I found this text to be very valuable (I had the 3rd Edition then). As an engineer, I found it to be my everyday reference. A few years back, I jumped ship from the engineering field and have obtained a PhD in another field of science and to my surprise, I still reference this text today. Great Text!! Dorf and Bishop is not bad but Nise takes first place.



3. Very complimentary to the main text if you are actually trying to learn and have the time and energy to go over more examples.



4. This textbook is an extremely comfortable read. It covers a lot of material, including fundamentals of state space and digital control; however, its clarity and excellent writing ensures that the reader is never sidetracked trying to resolve what's being conveyed. The introductory chapter alone reveals the quality of this text. The organization, including the two comprehensive case studies, is perfect throughout the book. The prerequiste is nothing more than a full course on electric circuits (ideally). This book is probably my favourite among my fivty plus engineering textbooks.



5. The book is very good, but you feel cheated because the access to the web site is just for some time.
   When you buy the book, you buy also the right to access the site whenever you like. Not in this case.

5 comments about GIS Tutorial Updated for ArcGIS 9.2: Workbook for Arc View 9, second edition.

1. My book got here on time for me to turn in my assignments for school and in perfect condition.



2. I bought this book as an alternative to a workplace-offered course that was going to cost me $300, and I'm glad I did. This book took me about a month to get through, working on in my free time, as opposed to the 2-day class, but I've come away with a much more extensive grasp of how to use GIS. The book is quite extensive in what it introduces you to, and is great for referencing if you're already an experienced ArcGIS user. It's obvious the book was originally designed to be used as a college textbook.
   My two main complaints are: some of the assignments require downloading information off the web, and it's extremely difficult to locate the information required for the assignment, and in several cases, was impossible, due to the ever-changing nature of websites.
   My other complaint is that there is no index, so you have to be very familiar with the textbook and table of contents to know what you're looking for in terms of referencing.
   I highly recommend the book, but I would suggest to ESRI to incorporate an index and dedicated companion website for it in future editions.



3. This manual is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to learn the ArcGIS enviornment. I teach this professionally, and often recomend this as a good source for material. I highly recomend this to anyone who is starting out in the GIS field.



4. This book is a complete and easy to understand tutorial for beginners or self-study readers, it explains through examples, so readers can easily understand the subject. Full of graphics, step-by-step instructions, CD data for working with the tutorials, and 180 days trial ArcView 9.2 Software, make this book a complete tutorial book. Highly Recommended.



5. 
   I am using this to get up to speed for a class next month. I expected a simple introduction, but it seems to go pretty deep with a lot of detail. This is my first time playing with GIS, and I am sold on ArcView.
   
   One comment about the book is that sometimes the directions are not accurate, which actually helps me learn the program a little more intimately. For example, when changing an attribute the directions say "Click Okay," but I needed to click "Apply" first. This is no big deal and actually makes me think a little bit more about what I am doing and why I am doing it.
   
   Overall, this is a good deal, especially getting a six month trial of the software, which will get me through next semester for less than half the price of the academic version.
   
   I also like that the practice excercises allow me to use a little of my own discretion. Again, this might not be a big deal for others, but I hate getting micro-managed. I tend to shut down and not realy learn a whole lot, until I start experimenting on my own, but the book's format allows me to make enough of my own decisions that I don't feel like I am trapped. I realize that this is probably more of a personality issue, but if you need to learn some GIS fundamentals and hate authority then this book might just work out for you.

5 comments about Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop: The Basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo Updated for ArcGIS 9 (Getting to Know series).

1. This book is very user friendly and concepts are well explained. However, some single exercise instructions contain too many steps which one can easily skip or confuse with other things. Such instructional steps could be made as simple and as many as possible.



2. This book is really good with giving step by step directions. I had no prior knowledge about ArcGIS or any of the software and it walked me through every process. I highly recomend it for beginners and nonbeginners.



3. This book is a superb learning resource. The 180-day evaluation copy of ArcView 9.2 is icing on the cake.
   
   The book takes the reader through a series of 20 lessons covering a number of practical scenarios with each chapter having two to four examples, where the material is prepared as mxd documents. So it is straightforward to get into the actual purpose of the exercise.
   
   Each page is fully illustrated to reassure the reader that what they are seeing on screen through the structured lesssons is correct.
   
   I worked solidly through the book in about 4 days as preparation for the taught Introduction to ArcGIS 2. I should'nt have bothered with the instructor-led course, there was very little new material and the exercises were rushed. By contrast the book enables you to re-work a difficult area, at your own pace.
   
   I would rate this book 10/10 for content, presentation, structure and choice of examples. I now wish there were a follow-on book to build on the foundation this book has provided.
   
   Make sure the copy you get is the latest version (currently 2004).



4. I never use ArcGIS before and this is my first experience. This book is used as a textbook in my class and it's very helpful for those who needs step by step guide in using ArcGIS. Still, it is very important to have a teacher to guide you as you will learn more in depth. For those who needs an intro, this is a very good book although you might find some instructions in the book which is different from what you see on your computer but still it's easy to make out the right steps. Good for beginners.



5. The manual is well written, with an extreme emphasis on "doing things" rather than on "reading things". A little different, but I like the hands-on approach. It is definitely possible to read-ahead without actually doing the examples as, while they do build on each other, a new starting place (example file) is included for each logical breakpoint.
   
   Having the full use of the software during this period is definitely an added bonus.