5 comments about Fundamentals of WiMAX: Understanding Broadband Wireless Networking (Prentice Hall Communications Engineering and Emerging Technologies Series).

1. As of May 28 2007, if you are going to fork some money onto a WiMax book, this book should be it. The authors were smart to concentrate in explaining the technology building blocks of the standard instead of just following the structure of the 802.16 document. I have read mostly the chapters related to the PHY and I found the explanations and examples clear and to the point. Even if you are not interested in the WiMax standard per se, this book contains very good information about OFDM/OFDMA and multi-antenna techniques for broadband wireless systems. It also has a couple of chapters about link level and system level performance of WiMax that add even more depth to the book.



2. I was looking for a book on WiMax as a reference for designing WiMax radios. Trying to understand WiMax by reading the IEEE 802.16, 16e standards is difficult. The original 802.16-2004 standard was organized in a convoluted way. On top of that there were numerous errors, even in the mathematical formula and the critical system parameters. 16e was written as a errata and addendum to .16. Given the amount of major changes required by .16e, this format of a .16+.16e makes it almost impossible to read to gain engineering understanding. I was looking for a book that could untangle this mess and present the information in .16+.16e in a linear and logical way, if not the MAC, at least the PHYs. The Andrews book does not serve this purpose. Most of the technical details of the WiMax system are missing. For example, a WiMax radio starts with transmitting or receiving the preambles. There are hundreds of preambles in WiMax. I would expect the book to describe all these preambles for reference. It would be even better, if there are insights into the mathematical properties of these preambles for the receiver design. If you agree with my statement, just let me say that the Andrews book contains none of the details the preambles beyond saying WiMax has something called preamble. Of the limited amount of PHY details the book did contain, there are critical errors. For example, the book seems to suggest that the downlink PUSC subchannels consist of two chunks of contiguous OFDM subcarriers of 14 each. According to the 802.16/16e, the 28 subcarriers in a subchannel are scattered. For the lack of details, I feel this book serves poorly as an engineering design reference. It also serves poorly as a guide to untangle the material in IEE802.16/16e due to the lack of details and the critical errors.



3. This is an excellent starter book on WiMAX. The most useful aspect of this book is the extensive coverage of IEEE 802.16e (mobile WiMAX) PHY and MAC standards. Another very useful feature is the listing of typical system configurations used in real deployments of WiMAX. The technical chapters on OFDM, OFDMA, and space-time coding are also useful but can be found in other texts.



4. Enjoyed the earlier chapters and how they introduced the later chapters which went into greater detail on each topic. The detailed chapters included equations, tradeoffs and examples.



5. I think this book gives you a little bit more that just the fundamentals of WiMax. You should read this book only if you have a decent understadings in communication theory because. If you do the topics covered in this book will make a lot more sense, otherwise you will be struggling with a lot of the concepts and acronyms.

No comments about The Nature & Art of Workmanship.

No comments about Beautiful Wooden Projects for Outdoor Living (Popular Woodworking).

3 comments about Project Management Case Studies.

1. My first thought as I laid this book down from my first reading was, "How can I get my money back?"

   However, the longer it lay on the shelf, I found myself, uncharacteristically, drawn back into its pages.

   Most of the case studies were drawn from the author's consulting practice and generally focus on at least one or two specific points. Other than on-the-job training, the author states that case studies and situations are the best method to learn project management. I agree and would add; that the more experienced individuals you add to your study circle, the more you will mine from your reading and study of this book.




2. Classes that use Case studies seem to be common at the Harvard Business School but apparently not in the Project Management world. This is a long awaited book containing Case Studies from a respected author and Project Management guru. A detailed analysis of the Pros and Cons of this book follows:

   First, a summary of what is contained in the book - 437 pages objectively documenting 68 real life Case Studies spanning the last 20 to 30 years and 1 very neat Time Management exercise at the end. The Case Studies are typically 3-4 pages long with a couple that are 40-50 pages long and a few that are only 1 page long. The Case Studies are roughly divided into 16 Chapters that don't necessarily follow the Process Groups or Knowledge Areas in the PMBOK Guide (PMI). Example chapter names are 'Negotiating for Resources', 'Project Estimating', and 'Project Planning'. Each chapter starts with a 1 page summary of the author's opinion on that topic - no more, no less! The Case Studies themselves sound like factual description of what happened with absolutely no judgment or analysis following any of the Case Studies.

   Since I like to end a review on a good note, the CONS first - the blurb on the back of the book makes three claims out of which two are clearly suspect. The claim regarding the Case Studies covering a wide range of industries is definitely true. The claim regarding 'follows and supports preparation for the PMP certification exam' is not supported by the content in the book. The only way this claim would come true is if you attended a class led by a very competent instructor that can glean the relevant points from these Case Studies and present what you need to pass the PMP. The Instructor's manual is ONLY available through the publisher directly if you represent a University teaching Project Management curriculum. The third claim is regarding the book presenting the best practices and pitfalls of PM implementations in the real world. For this claim to be true, one would expect discussions of the Case Studies presented in the book by the author and a summary of lessons learned so you can understand what these best practices and pitfalls are. Without the best practices and pitfalls EXPLICITLY stated, how do you know for sure what they are? Isn't the assumption that you don't know them, one of the reasons for reading the book? Anyway, this does not happen anywhere in the book except very briefly and indirectly at the beginning of each of the 16 chapters (1 page per chapter).

   The language used is sometimes hard to interpret. I was thrown off track quite a few times by some ambiguous statements and I had to read them carefully a second time to interpret them correctly. I have not noticed this problem with other Kerzner books. There are also quite a few typos and grammatical errors that may be common for a First Edition.

   The last CON - I really wish the book had an extra 200-300 pages of Kerzner's interpretations of these Case Studies and his opinions of how things should have been handled. I would have paid three to five times the price of this book if that had been included. Oh, well. I will sign up for one of his classes.

   Okay, the PROS - there aren't many books on Project Management that have real world Case Studies. And definitely not as valuable as the ones presented in this book. For this reason alone, this book is worth a LOT more than its price. And to top everything, these Case Studies are presented in a very objective way so that you can try to see things the way they really are and engage in educational discussions with a group of experienced professionals to gain not just PM knowledge but PM WISDOM.

   The time management exercise (about 24 pages) is one of the best sections in the entire book. It is simple, yet worth spending time on. The Case Studies of the Denver Airport (under the Managing Scope Changes Chapter) and the Space Shuttle Challenger (under the Project Risk Management Chapter) are probably the most valuable Case Studies (in my opinion). These are the Case Studies that are 40 and 50 pages respectively that I mention at the beginning of the review.

   The Preface carries a very important observation (and message) regarding how these basic project management mistakes are still being repeated even 20-30 years later in modern day corporations. This is very profound as it implies that these mistakes can be avoided by Project Managers that learn from the past mistakes made by other corporations (from these Case Studies). It is amazing that something so simple has not happened in the Project Management profession even after all these years.

   I have treasured this book since the day I received it and I am looking forward to joining a local group of experienced Project Managers (meaning the Austin chapter of the PMI) to discuss and learn from these Case Studies. A definite buy AFTER obtaining the PMP Certification. In my opinion, it will only confuse the reader who is focussed on passing the exam to read these Case Studies that don't have any analysis associated or references to the PMP exam (I didn't find the word PMP anywhere between the covers of this book).

   I hope you found this long and objective review helpful and that you benefit from these Case Studies.




3. This book was part of my study package for a Masters course. It doesn't give guidance to new or "to be" managers. Instead, it gives real life examples of issues which a project manager is more likely to come across. It covers a wide span of applicaions; construction, computer related and manufacturing are among the many applications it covers. It is also based on the PMPBok. I would recommend te book for anyone who wants to further pursue project management as a career.

5 comments about High Output Management.

1. This book made its way onto the short list of books that I have picked up and read cover to cover in one sitting. Andrew Grove helped create a small memory chip manufacturer, and in the face of increased foreign competition, turned his company around to create the largest producer of computer processor chips to date. This book is a concise explanation of the methods and tactics he used to make Intel what it is.



2. Perhaps the strategies in this book work because Intel's people work very hard at implementing them, not because they are inherently better than other ideas.

   When I first started at Intel one of the things I noticed right off was how old Intel employees looked for their age (at least the ones that had been there for 7-10 years or more) compared to the other companies I had worked at over the years. I noticed women only in their early 30's who had worked there since their early 20's, for whom the rosy bloom of youth had long since departed from their cheeks. The men also looked older.

   I am not especially young-looking for my age, but I frequently get comments from Intel employees about how young I look for my age. Maybe that's because I haven't been here that long. Outside of Intel I rarely get comments like this. I may not look that young to most people for my age, but at least I don't look older than my age.

   On an even more sobering note, health researchers have found that people who look old for their age actually have shorter life expectancies, and correspondingly, people who look young for their age have longer life expectancies.

   I suspect that Intel's workaholic employees are the main reason for its success, but I wonder if they themselves understand the toll this success has exacted from them.




3. This was a good book. I was not able to apply all of the techniques, but most of it came in useful. I always liked what Andy Grove did with Intel, his visions and his capability to keep Intel on the top. It's a good book. Read it. It will take you a couple of days, but you will be a better person after you have read it...



4. I worked at Intel for over 5 years, and although this book is chock full of excellent strategies and advice for managers, I saw very little evidence that these principles were being put into use in the company during the entire time I was there, at least in my division, which was one of the bigger ones at the company.

   I will say, however, that Intel is a very odd place to work with its own unique corporate culture, some of which I would say is quite functional, but a lot of it isn't; or at least, the principles they say do work really don't, because nobody has the nerve to apply them.

   A good example of this is their principle of "risk-taking." This gets talked about more than most of the Intel cultural values. The reason is simple, although they say that it's okay to take risks, and that you won't be penalized if you fail, the reality is that no-one in their right mind ever does it if they don't have to. And it's not because your manager will give you a [rear-end]-reaming like you've never had before if your calculated risk fails and becomes a total disaster. That won't happen, because, as I said, they really do take this risk-taking principle seriously. Your boss may even commend you for having the cojones to take the risk even if your little project becomes a spectacular failure.

   The problem is in a much more serious area, unfortunately. If you fail, you'll get penalized through your performance review. (And if you're an exempt employee, all it takes is two below average performance reviews and you can be fired. They don't even have to be really poor reviews). Suppose you spend 6 months working on a risky project that fails. Now it's review time. Because you wasted so much time on this other project, you won't have very many other successful projects to brag about, compared to all the other employees who didn't have the cojones like you did to take a chance, but who now have lesser but at least successful projects they can ballyhoo during "ranking and rating," (or "ranting and raving," as it's called). Hence, you won't be able to compete in Intel's intensive and truly byzantine performance-review process, which insures that people pick safer but less potentially beneficial projects that they know they can pull off and bring in under the wire by review time.

   Another very odd thing about working there is that teamwork is valued almost over and above technical competence and originality. In fact, I would have to say Intel employees are about the most docile, uncomplaining, non-individualistic, and basically whipped employees I've ever seen. Someone should tell these guys it's okay to have a spine or a ... once in a while, instead of going through their work-life as a totally whipped, spineless eclair. Quite frankly, I'm not the most studly, macho guy in the world, myself, but these guys make me look like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Arnold Schwarzenegger all rolled into one.

   Anyway, whether the principles and strategies in this book are actually being put into practice or not, Andy Grove is certainly a brilliant manager, and Intel is a more than unusually interesting place to work.




5. This book was referred to in a book I read called, The Microprocessor: A Biography (Silicon Valley Series). If you are more interested in what Grove did at Intel to win the microprocessor war, (who's outcome may actually be unfortunate for consumers, in that if PCs wound up with the superior Motorola 680X0 chip we might have better PCs). Do a search on "Operation CRUSH" for more on Andrew Grove.
   
   From the aforementioned book, Pg. 171
   
   "Grove refused to let even a recession force Intel to deviate from its planned trajectory. If Intel was not going to cut back from its current pace and profitability, it would have to increase its productivity instead in hopes of getting the next product generation out the door sooner and steal more market share from the equally suffering competition. Thus, in October 1981, the company announced its '125% Solution.' Simply put, every employee of Intel was expected to work two extra hours each day without pay for the next six months.
   
   At a company with sixty hour work weeks was already the norm, the 125% Solution was something of a nightmare.........."
   
   The "Microprocessor....Biography" book goes on to say that Intel may owe it's success more to the QUALITY of the scientists, engineers and technicians than the excessive work hours and that the need for such hours was questionable.
   
   Some people might be proud to work in such an environment, but I must say I am glad I was working elsewhere and I had a balanced life. I too worked on a microprocessor project internal to Singer and put in some extra hours. I carried my experience from Singer R&D to get an even better job at Bell Laboratories, still working only a moderate, non-mandatory, amount more than a 40 hour work week and only because I was enjoying what I was doing. (If your workers love what they are doing, you won't have to force them to work at their best.)
   
   I have read numerous scientific studies that have shown that it is more important for people to get enough sleep and that excessive hours are usually not productive. Further back, when I was in my 20s, I pulled a few 80 hour weeks, only to find that those of us who were working were giddy and half asleep as we worked. Many times I have gone home for a good night's sleep, only to discover that solutions to problems of the day before were solved overnight by my sleeping brain as opposed to the long nights, cranking away at a problem when nothing got solved.
   
   By the way, about ten years ago, I had heard about some of Intel's sweatshop practices, which led me to insist on AMD boards in two of my PCs instead of Intel. I am now back to an Intel Quadcore "screamer," without which it would take forever to do the graphics work I am now involved in.
   
   Whether one agrees or not with sweatshop work ethics, some customers, like myself, are sensitive to how workers are treated in the companies they do business with.

5 comments about Introduction to Materials Management (6th Edition).

1. This book covers the basics of material management and goes into some quantitative detail as well. It is very well written and its lucid style is perfect for a beginner to get a grasp on the subject.
   
   The author clearly and logically explains the concepts of production planning, master production schedule, MRP, Production and activity control, purchasing, inventory management, forcasting, demand planning and much more.
   
   The book also has an abundance of examples and exercises for the student to work through. It makes a good read as a beginner's textbook - but it is probably not very useful as a practical guide for the experienced professional.



2. This is one of the best books I have come across which explains the basics of Manufacturing.



3. This book has an easy written language and is very good for beginners in the Supply Chain Management Area.



4. I own the 4th edition. I had to make a comment after amazon recommended the 5th.
   
   This is a great book. Originally, i was PO'ed at the price. Especially when you get it and its quite thin compared to many texts. I had to get it for APICS.
   
   Once you start reading it you find it cuts through all waste. This is not a padded book. It explains concepts in a brief, direct manner. Most importantly it communicates clearly. Its like a well written executive summary of the field of materials management. There is enough detail for practitioners.
   
   I have almost all texts in the recommended reading of APICS. This is probably my favorite. The utility you will get per unit of time reading this is huge.



5. My Professor is Lloyd Clive at Sir Sanford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario. I had the oppertunity to study the book as he explained it, giving me the full benefit of this text. It is a well related book meaning it is easy to understand becuase it relates to real world and real expierences. Great buy if your interested.

5 comments about Gun Digest Book of the .44.

1. If you like .44 hanguns then get this book. I gave it a 5-star rating even though I was a bit disappointed with it. Taffin has now written 4 excellent books on revolvers. So why am I a little disappointed? Much of what is in the new book as been published line-for-line in his other books. Nonetheless, I am a big fan of Taffin and will continue to read everything he writes...even when it starts to sound familar.



2. Excellent source for history and loading data for caliber 44. A little more loading data for those who want to shoot smokeless powder in reproductions would be helpful. I believe that there are no 'replicas' as such, since modern metallurgy is now used in producing the older designs...'replica' denotes produced exactly the same as the 'original'. Text could stand a good editing for sentence structure in order to increase readability. Overall, though, an excellent read.



3. This was a very easy read. The author injects facts and humor at a fast pace keeping the information easy to digest. A complete history of the .44 from the very beginning. I thought I knew allot about this caliber but I soon found there was far more to know. Highly recommend this book to both the novice that is just curious to the serious gun enthusiast.



4. Fun to read about the history of the .44 from the Walker on up to present day. Still enjoying this book. Glad I bought it!



5. Overall this is a good, well written book with many interesting personal stories. My problem with it is the lack of accuracy concerning the history of the .44 cartridge and designation. For example, it is mentioned that there never was a firearm with a bore of .44 inches. That is patently false. The .44 cap and ball revolvers of the Civil War period fired a ball with a diameter of .451 to .457 out of a bore (land to land) of .44 inches. Further, he states that the .44 American, which was a .44 Henry converted to centerfire, had a diameter of .434 inches. According to Charles W. Pate's book, SMITH AND WESSON AMERICAN MODEL, this cartridge was loaded with bullets ranging from .428 to .446 inches, with the differencs attributed to the less than precise manufacturing tolerances of the day. As far as designation is concerned, modern firearms are designated as .44s because the original .44, the Henry rifle, fired a true .44 inch bullet, which over time evolved to its present .429 and .430 dimensions and not because forty-four has a nice ring to it. As I mentioned, Taffin's book is a good read and entertaining, it's just that he is better when relating his experiences with various guns and loads than he is with actual history.

5 comments about Customer Centered Products: Creating Successful Products Through Smart Requirements Management.

1. I work in the defense requirements generation business, and this book really helped me get to some important breakthroughs in working with several programs. The authors bring experience from government and commercial programs - experience that can be applied to any situation. Hooks and Farry present their common sense approach to requirements development and management which should benefit anyone researching requirements.



2. I was looking for a book that efficiently summarized the process of defining requirements. This book begins by establishing a need for requirements, and proceeds to give practical advice on improving the planning process of any project, be it software or manufacturing. The writing is very conversational, and the examples are pertinent to most competitive planning environments. Highly recommended for anyone involved in planning projects!



3. A thorough and straight forward primer on developing new products. Where it lacks creativity and a wealth of examples, it provides a solid understanding and approach. Recommended reading, but I would check your local library before shelling out money for this book. A good read but not one that I would necessarily keep on my shelf for future reference.



4. I thought this was a decent overview of the requirements process of a large project. It does not go into great depth but it does cover a wide range of topics and the implications of doing poor requirements.



5. I picked this up based on other reviews. I have read dozens of books on this topic as I am a consultant and trainer in this field and this book is just average. If you are looking for a primer on an end to end process, perhaps this is decent for that. If you are a practitioner that has some experience in this process, you may also find some interesting sections to learn from, but you will have to dig a bit.
   
   To be fair, finding a good book on this topic is elusive, but one I use in my classes is Managing Software Requirements - A Use Case Approach by Leffingwell and Widrig.

No comments about Active Literature: Jan Tschichold and New Typography.

5 comments about Design and Analysis of Experiments.

1. I really liked reading and learning about Experimental Analysis and Design from this book. I think it is pretty well paced, and quite well illustrated with many examples. I addition, the author also provides an online space with further expansion to the ideas presented in the book, as well as digital resources to all the data used in solved examples, as well as question problems. I strongly recommend this book for anyone with moderate statistical backgrouns, wishing to learn about experimental design and analysis.



2. This is the sixth edition and the book has a lot of typos, please, somebody has to correct them before the next edition.



3. After working in industry for 30+ years and teaching DOX at the University level as well, I can say that when you wnat to get the ideas of DOX across to the real USERS- i.e. researchers , engineers, etc. Doug Montgomery's book(s) are terrific. This edition is no exception, it continues the trend of getting a good book on DOX even better with the 7th edition.. highly recommended!



4. The manual is ok if you already have the basics of statistics. Some things are not as thouroughy explained, but it's good enough. Does not have the answers to all problems, only selected ones.



5. This manual has the solutions for all of the marked problems in the book. They are mostly done using MINITAB, so if you use a different program you may get slightly different answers. Overall, it is helpul for checking your solutions to the practice problems.