5 comments about Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Purchase and Watch Your Every Move.

1. This is not light reading, but I truly think every American should read this book! I have heard Dr. Albrecht speak on numerous occasions, and I think that most of us in our nation are sleeping while our freedoms are chipped away. (no pun intended) Our right to privacy is one of the most personal freedoms.
   
   After reading this book, you will think twice about EVERY purchase you make again! Not to mention answering personal questions while doing ordinary business every day.
   
   A MUST READ! This is a highly documented and well-researched book.
   
   I just purchased an extra copy to loan out to others.



2. This should be required reading in schools and colleges - people need to know how RFID can be used - for example, prices being changed based on who is purchasing an item - all people need to know how RFID can be used ethically - and unethically. And it seems corporations are not too hung up on ethics -



3. Albrecht's book is a sensational account of what could happen if the laws of physics were suspended and all men were created evil. It is pure fantasy. One of the reviewers said that only in America can someone with such limited knowledge and no credentials write a book about something they know little about. This is a silly book with mistatements galore. It does a disservice to those people who are true privacy advocates but wish to employ technology in a privacy enhancing way. False statements give rise to false fears and that is what Ms. Albrecht is all about. She needs to take a course or two on RFID before she writes about it.



4. Very interesting book & a "Must Read" if you are concerned about the future of our country.



5. this is a must read. this is a technology that may one day be forced upon all peoples of the world. the book is well written and easy to follow.

2 comments about Principles of Electronic Materials and Devices.

1. Kasap offers a book well suited for an undergraduate engineer, who needs a comprehensive text of semiconductors and related electronic materials. The level of physics and maths required is moderate - one year or so of freshman courses.
   
   The important materials are explained. Silicon, gallium arsenide and others. Kasap also provides many diagrams to illustrate key ideas. Plus, this is clearly meant as a student's textbook. Many examples of problems are worked through. To some students, this may be the clearest way to understand and apply ideas.
   
   Kasap also found ways to greatly simplify standard mathematical treatments. Expands significantly the size of the audience who can appreciate the ease of understanding. Because a longstanding issue in materials science has been that texts were often written by physicists, for physicists or physics majors. Often leaving them too abstruse for engineering students, who also had a need for comprehending the same ideas.



2. This is one of the best books I have read on applied Materials Science. I found it particularly useful for electrical, electronic and computer engineering students.
   
   The author gets to the point effortlessly, addressing only basic materials concepts necessary to conceptualize a main subject. Then, to complement and deepen the understanding of each subject convenient problems are sprinkled throughout the text.
   
   Yet, the book is intense. The student needs to be focused and ready to absorb the wealth of themes presented in a structured manner. And this leads me to another interesting book feature:
   
   I may sound like an old-fashioned professor, but I do dislike most Materials Science & Engineering textbooks that use color figures to enhance (they think) the learning. False: Colors only serve the publisher as an excuse to raise the book price through the roof. Students need to get exposed to regular scientific, professional documents where only sparsely color figures are used (very purposefully). Kasap's textbook doesn't need that expensive perk to be clear and thorough; all figures are clear-cut without unnecessary coloring.
   
   For instructors, the book includes a CD that DOES help and with neatly arranged slide presentations. This is particularly useful in the instruction of electrical behavior of materials and solid state physics concepts used in the resolution of the accompanying problems.
   
   All in all, this is one of the best books on applied Materials Science that I have encountered. The price is high even for an excellent textbook as this one. That's my only complaint.

3 comments about Microsystem Design.

1. The book tries to cover many different topics at the same time and sometimes makes a quite messy work. However, the book has very good chapters and not so good ones. It provides a good introduction on MEMS fabrication, but a more interested reader will find difficult to fabricate MEMS with the given information. Chapters 5,6,7 and 8 are excellent, but chapters 9, 10,11 and 12 are incomplete and not easily understandable for a Electrical Engineer graduate student. Chapter 13 begins with general equations to be simplified considerably later, giving the impression to the reader that he has learned only a little about fluids. Chapter 11 is quite confusing and chapter 12 lack examples in 2D and 3D lumped models.



2. This book is good just for a starter's guide to MEMS. It just touches a wide range of topics. But if you want to learn the subject with real understanding, then this book can not help you.



3. This book is definitely a must-have for anyone interested in MEMS design. It's one of the classic references on microsystems that everyone should have read at least once.
   
   The sections on mathematical modeling are especially good, and the set of detailed examples at the end are clear and illustrative.
   
   To name some drawbacks, the chapter on fabrication is maybe a bit out of date, and more solved practical exercises are missing.

2 comments about Electric Circuit Fundamentals (7th Edition) (Floyd Electronics Fundamentals Series).

1. I found this book well written in a manner that was easily understood for new comers to the subject. The chapters are arranged in a proggresive manner compounding everything as it goes along. In my eyes,this book is a great way to learn the fundimentals of electic ciciuts.



2. I use Floyd's books to teach electronics courses in a community college. They're OK books, but Floyd is one of those writers that just has to write new editions all the time, which forces students/instructors to buy new books. My students were just told by the bookstore that they can't return they're 6th edition for buyback, and they will now be forced to buy the 7th edition to complete the 2nd semester of their studies.
   
   DC and AC circuits are basically the same now as they were twenty years ago. There is no need for constant revisions in such a slowly changing field. I have seen Floyd's books change over the years - the content is about the same, but each new edition just seems to be a bunch of re-arrangements and added fluff (like which calculator keys to hit, even though the pictured steps don't work on many calculators).
   
   The small changes needed to a textbook, such as adding new Multisim files, should be done on a companion website, not in a new edition. The new editions seem like a gimmick to increase sales. I will be switching to a different author for future courses.

3 comments about Renewable Energy Policy.

1. Much of the literature on renewable energy is based on exaggerated claims, simplistic analyses, and naked advocacy. Not this book, however - the author provides a refreshingly balanced and objective look at renewable technologies and policies. If you want information you can trust and believe, rather than the usual polemics, then buy this book.



2. A clear, unbiased look at the world of Renewable Energy Policy. Required reading for anyone who wants to know how things actually work, instead of simple advocacy for renewables.



3. This book reviews the different ways the US, Germany and other countries have use to promote the use of renewables. From PVs to wind, and from Renewable Portfolio Standards to Green pricing... Also, this book has a very objective standpoint which makes it even more valuable.

5 comments about Zune For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).

1. This book is great for those of us who own a Zune but do not know all of the things it is capable of doing.



2. This book has it all. I had bought the pocket guide in store at Barnes & Noble as they didn't have a copy of Dummies. The pocket guide was mostly technical and did not tell you how to do much of anything. The Zune for Dummies book gets into everything you need to know in order to actually enjoy using your device. Specifics that were helpfull was video conversion, preferred settings, and links to many websites for downloadable content.



3. ZUNE for Dummy's is pretty good about pointing out the feature's ZUNE products have. However in this day and age I have already discovered most of the info by reading reviews on the net. I'd suggest buy the book or spend time searching for the data.



4. As one reviewer called this book "...for dummies who can't find the information free on the web" - this is true, but for anyone who doesn't have the TIME to search through the zillions disassembled pieces of information about the Zune or the knowledge of which of those pieces they need, this is a great reference - a lot of it was almost too technical, but I got the basics of what I needed and recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to take the time to wade through the endless information on the web, free through it may be!



5. The software I downloaded did not look anything like the examples in the book. I'm returning the Zune and the book. Hope you have better luck.

2 comments about Probability and Random Processes for Electrical and Computer Engineers.

1. Gubner provides an excellent text for undergrads or grads wanting a solid background in applying the ideas of probability and random processes. The emphasis is on applications in electrical engineering. The book presupposes a solid background in calculus and some circuit theory. Ideally, the student might be a third year undergrad or higher.
   
   The main ideas in probability are developed. Getting to the Central Limit Theorem and the Gaussian (bell) curve. The probability distributions most useful to you might be the continuous ones.
   
   Then, the text develops the ideas of random processes. When these can be assumed to be stationary, then it makes tractable vast areas of applications, as in the communications theory of the signal to noise ratio of a channel.
   
   The book shines as a text for a university course because of the wealth of examples and problem sets. The difficult of the latter varies considerably, which is also another advantage to a lecturer facing students with a range of abilities.



2. This is an excellent book on probability. What I liked about it is the fact that it is sprinkled with numeours examples. The language the author has used is also easy to understand but at the same time, formal. It really strikes the balance.
   
   However, I think there should be more explanation of combinatorics in ch2. But if a person has had some prior knowledge of probability, they should refer to some other book for that portion.

5 comments about The Designer's Guide to VHDL, Volume 3, Third Edition (Systems on Silicon) (Systems on Silicon).

1. If you are an engineer, like me, wanting to teach yourself VHDL then this is NOT the book for you. The actual mechanics of how to write VHDL code is lost in all of the doctrine superfluously created by the author. The examples he gives in order to clarify points only serve to make the concepts more mysterious. The book fails to make the connection between the software world and what the results of the language are in hardware. The index is minimal and I found it practically useless. It is an exhaustive work with many exercises, but as for practicality--I give it a big thumbs down.



2. Too many VHDL books dilute their point by trying to double as logic design texts. The problem is that VHDL is a complex (or "rich") language, and needs an intense focus of its own. This book does the best job I've seen.

   I've learned lots of languages, usually one or two a year. I know what to look for. I want a book that lays it all out clearly enough that I can find what I want. That includes complex data types, overloading, and especially configurability. VHDL really does have almost all the capabilities of a C-like language, plus a few more features, and the author has succeeded in making them accessible.

   Configurability deserves special attention - it is an explicit part of the VHDL language. It's a pre-Object-Oriented language but was developed when OO ideas were solidfying in the industry. Although it lacks OO flexibility, Ashenden does point out how "use" and "configure" can give a few of the same effects.

   Hardware description languages aren't like regular programming languages, and shouldn't be, and can't be. Still, they're not that different, either. Perhaps you're already a good programmer and already comfortable with digital system basics. If so, this may be the book to give you the language knowledge you need with minimal repetition of what you already know.




3. VHDL is used for a wide variety of things - almost none of them what VHDL was every really meant for. This makes finding a useful text a reference a significant chore. Ashenden sometimes seems to move at a snail's pace - the text is written more as a tutorial than a reference. In some ways this is good, really the syntax of VHDL and the constructs are quite simple. His repeated examples make it clear there really isn't much magic going on. Personally I wish the book was more directed at synthesis - because that's what I use it for - but this text is more directed at the language. So some supplementing of the text will be necessary.
   
   In short, it could be better but I'm not sure how and for my requirements it appears to be about the best the market has to offer.



4. This book goes into great detail on variable typing, subtyping, and all aspects of behavioral modeling. It's extremely detailed and thourough. If you just want to learn the intricacies of VHDL and only expect to write test benches and behavioral models, this is definitely the book for you. If you're looking for a practical book that will help you to write synthesizable code, look somewhere else. The book does have a 17-page appendix on synthesis, but that's pretty much it. All the "case studies" are behavioral, even the RTL models.



5. This has been my definitive VHDL language reference for 6 or 7 years, now. I use it as I would K&R for the C language. It explains all the gory syntactical and structural details of a messy language.
   
   I would agree that this text is not a "synthesis cookbook" for learning the best way to produce logic from code. But I do not think that its the author's goal to do so. He does cover practical examples of applied VHDL which serve as a great reference when I have to remember how to build a testbench.

2 comments about Advanced Electronic Communications Systems (6th Edition) (Telecommunications Series).

1. The author published two books almost at the same time, one is "Electronic Communications Systems: Fundamentals through Advanced", and the other one is this book. I did not realize that this book is a subset of the former one (from Chapter 12 to Chapter 20) until I bought one. So if you are interested in electronic communications, you don't have to buy this book. Go ahead to purchase the former one.



2. There seems to be some communication error involved with Amazon's printed title and edition number and the actual title and edition number illustrated. I have purchased the book pictured and can tell you that the book is in fact entitled "Electronic Communications Systems Fundamentals Through Advanced, 5th Edition". It contains chapters 1 - 26 covering everything from electronic communications and modulation to SMA, microwave, cellular, fiber optics and data networking. If you previously owned the 4th edition I can tell you that some material has been added and some of the chapters have been rearranged. This is a great book for beginners and advanced comm students.

4 comments about System Engineering Management (Wiley Series in Systems Engineering and Management).

1. This book is aimed at the system engineer who is involved in product design and engineering or involved in government contracting and must produce system engineering management plans (SEMPs). It is also applicable to organizations who have or are planning to use the capability maturity model (CMM) to improve their effectiveness. For the intended audience this book is both comprehensive and complete. There are eight chapters, each followed by case studies, questions and problems, and six appendices.

   It starts with a foundation of the basics, such as definitions, system engineering life cycle, analysis and concurrent engineering. It then builds upon this foundation by addressing all of the elements of a well-managed system engineering program: integrated product and process development, TQM, configuration management, support and logistics. Each element is discussed in detail and placed into the context of a total system engineering environment.

   The chapter on system design requirements is particularly complete and covers every facet of this discipline, including reliability, maintainability, safety, software, etc. There is a lot of good material here, which is reinforced by the next chapter that covers design tools and methods. The design process is concluded by a chapter on design review and evaluation, which is a foundation of good quality practices as well as a well-written SEMP.

   The real heart of the book starts in chapter 6, which covers SE program planing. It covers program requirements, the SEMP itself and provides a statement of work. It then provides a complete work breakdown structure for implementing system engineering functions and tasks. This chapter provides a risk management plan that is well thought out and serves as an excellent template. It also addresses the CMM for systems engineering. Much of this material has been superseded by the Software Engineering Institute's CMMI that now covers system engineering, software engineering and integrated product and process development. This is not a problem because the book's coverage of the CMM-SE is consistent with the material in the CMMI.

   The final two chapters, addressing system engineering organization and supplier/sub contractor management are to the point and contains a lot of valuable information.

   Had the author provided this book in soft copy on an accompanying diskette or CD ROM it would be a best seller on the Beltway because of the time it would save in developing a company-wide system engineering procedure manual.

   Consulting companies and IT departments would also greatly benefit from this book because of the structured approach it provides for planning and managing system integration. Unlike their cousins in the government contracting and CMM domains, they generally approach system engineering and integration in a loose fashion that too often results in cost and schedule overruns, or project cancellation. By following the approach outlined in this book consulting companies and IT departments would find that technical, cost and schedule risks would be identified early and controlled, and that the design, integration and implementation of complex systems would enjoy a higher rate of success. This is especially true when multiple vendors are involved in an integration project - the material in chapters 1 (integrated process teams) and 8 (subcontractor management) provides a foundation for managing cross-functional teams. Therefore, I strongly recommend this book for engagement and project managers, and program management offices run by consulting companies and/or IT departments.




2. This book (or something similar) really should be required for anyone graduating with an engineering degree who intends to work in industry.
   
   Systems engineering is essentially the function that oversees any design effort to ensure that the resulting design does what it's supposed to. As such requirements are the bread and butter of systems engineering. The most visible job of the system engineer then is to turn the customer's desires into functional requirements, and then turn those requirements into something that can be designed to based on the system architecture the designers / system engineers prefer.
   
   For example, consider if you have a city with a river through it and the local government wants to develop a system to carry cars across the river. The system engineer would first turn that desire into functional requirements. These would include requirements like: No. of cars per hour that can transit, can't interfere with riverborne ship traffic, growth in traffic that can be absorbed etc. From this you have something that you can verify design concepts against to see if they satisfy the customer desires, but actually can't pull out the ruler and calculators just yet. Systems engineers / designers would then consider options like a suspension bridge, a ferry system, or a tunnel beneath the river. Each of these system options would have their own architectures and the functional requirements would have to be translated into different design requirements for each. The bridge would have to be so high to allow ship traffic and have so many lanes and bear so much live weight. The ferry system would need so many ferries of such and such a carrying capacity. The tunnel would have to have so many lanes, would require such and such a ventilation capacity, etc. The systems engineer would be involved in determining which of these architectures would best suit customer needs, and then turn the functional requirements into the design to requirements so design work can begin in earnest.
   
   Of course as design work continues and large components are broken down into smaller and smaller design components the systems engineer continues to guide the choice of how to configure the lower tier of design components, and to allocate design to requirements for them. If the system engineer has done their job right when all the design components are integrated into each other the resulting system really does what it was intended to do and meets the functional requirements.
   
   This book tells you in a very clear, completely comprehensive, and extremely well laid out manner how to do this. It also tells you why you should do this, and how it is beneficial. The writing is straightforward, always to the point, and easily understood. The topic is pertinent and can help you understand how systems are actually engineered in the real world, a very rare and very appreciated breath of fresh air in engineering textbooks.
   
   The author also covers all the aspects of systems engineering planning, including scheduling, budgeting, contracting, and system verification / validation, etc. Systems engineering is largely a management function so this information is interesting and necessary for the subject.
   
   This book will be extremely helpful for engineers of any stripe who want to put their work into context, systems engineers for how to do what their supposed to do, and for contractors and government purchasers to implement processes to guarantee that they get a system that does what they want. (Provided what they want is feasible of course!)
   
   Certainly recommended and a book that I use frequently for reference.



3. I read this book while taking a masters course in system engineering. Over all, the book was clear and written in a format that allowed for self study. This was very helpful for me since my course was primarily online. The material was slightly redundant. The central thesis of the book was the fact that a system engineer needs to conduct the proper upfront planning as well as establish clear processes to ensure successful system development/delivery. The goal of System Engineering is to provide a system that meets the customer's need/requirements. This book introduces how this can be accomplished through a repeated process.
   The redundant nature of the text requires a lot of cross reference (page flipping) between chapters in order to match the text description with the figure discussed. The book is more managerial then technical; most laymen will be able to read it without assistance from an instructor. Expanded explanations of reliability engineering as well as ID/prioritization of Technical Performance Measures would have been helpful. This textbook provided a good introduction to the SE process. I highly recommend this text book if you work as a System Engineer or Project Engineer for the Navy or Marines. This book references and will support their standard acquisition process. I give this book 4 of 5 stars.



4. Blanchard is a master name on System Engineering and Life Cycle Costs. This books explains many details of such complex sciences helping us keep focused on what really matters. The explanations are easy to understand even for beginners.