No comments about Thin Film Analysis by X-Ray Scattering.

1 comments about Titanium and Titanium Alloys: Fundamentals and Applications.

1. This is an excellent book for any person who wants to gain indepth knowledge of Ti and Ti alloys right from the basic. Very informative, well written and well-presented with illustrations, this book is equally good for a beginner or a researcher in Ti alloys. Each chapter starts from the fundamentals and then covers the topic thoroughly. I think, almost all the aspects of Ti & Ti alloys are covered in this book.

1 comments about Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology.

1. In many books since Eric Drexler's "Engines of Creation," you eventually encounter a paragraph or even a chapter addressing the "ethical and social implications of nanotechnology." While these bits may just whet your appetite, you probably realized that, even if the author had devoted the entire book, the very nature of ethics demands multiple viewpoints.
   
   And that is just what Nanoethics provides: an entire book for 40 diverse authors to explore the debate, put it in context, and analyze how we predict and evaluate risk. They examine issues in health, environment, democracy, policy, privacy, military conflict, education, and developing countries. They conclude with speculation on the ethical issues in the far future...you know, more than a decade out.
   
   The inevitable price of so many authors is occasional repetition, as many introduce their articles with a nod to the seminal Feynman talk suggesting we could eventually build with molecular precision. The welcome benefit of so many authors is a diversity of viewpoints (e.g. Bill Joy and Ray Kurzweil differ on whether to develop powerful technologies). An unbiased viewpoint may be impossible, so it's best to get a multibiased one.
   
   Don't expect simple conclusions because nanotechnology is subject to varying definitions and ethics are always subjective. I was impressed with how fairly the introductory chapter represented the arguments of others who claim that nanotechnology is insufficiently distinct from established fields of chemistry and engineering to warrant its own study of ethics. No use of the straw man for these authors, they made the case so well, I worried the rest of the book would be cancelled. Not to fear, the critics are addressed and the case made that, whatever the semantics of nanotechnology, issues important to society and species arise from what we call nanotechnology.
   
   This would be a good text for an "ethics in science and engineering" course, but I found it quite good for pleasure reading. Whatever the venue, Nanoethics addresses important issues. Nanotechnology has the potential to transform our world and the way we live in it. With each new technology over the millennia, humankind has had the opportunity to make new choices. When we have not paused to consider our most deeply held values, we've made myopic choices. The more powerful the technology, the more important we evaluate our options carefully. Nanoethics helps us to consciously and collectively evaluate what may be the most powerful technology ever.
   
   I am the Director of Education for the Foresight Nanotech Institute and the author of Technology Challenged: Understanding Our Creations & Choosing Our Future.

No comments about Fundamentals of Structural Dynamics.

5 comments about Dynamic Mechanical Analysis: A Practical Introduction, Second Edition.

1. I spent many hours researching for a Thermal Mechanical textbook that was packed full of "Get Down To The Point Answers". Let's face it, there are not many current Thermal Analysis textbooks for sale. The books I've seen are too scrambled with no understanding at the end. This book was VERY informative, and it answered my questions. Special Thanks to the author. Please write many more books with the same intentions in mind: "We would like to understand and learn from what we read"! Thank You!



2. I spent many hours researching for a Thermal Mechanical textbook that was packed full of "Get Down To The Point Answers". Let's face it, there are not many current Thermal Analysis textbooks for sale. The books I've seen are too scrambled with no understanding at the end. This book was VERY informative, and it answered my questions. Special Thanks to the author. Please write many more books with the same intentions in mind: "We would like to understand and learn from what we read"! Thank You!



3. I needed to get up to speed on DMA fast and I got what I needed. It didn't provide all the info I required for my specific application (submicron thin films) but it did provide a sound foundation for further investigation. This is truly what it claims to be, a practical introduction, many thanks to the author.



4. The clear text will guide my experiment in composites.
   
   The DMA technique may be helpful on several materials dynamic-mechanical characterization and this book introduces the why and how to.
   
   Good investment to my thesis!



5. Is a nice, good for begginers, book for those just entering the world of DMA. Helps you understand the basic concepts, and walks you through practical understanding of thermodyanmic studies of polimers.

5 comments about Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Handbook.

1. Excellent for reference as well as for the beginner. Provides specific, in depth information while still practical. Well illustrated. Concise. However, not thorough enough for the advanced weldor interested in complete discussion of metallurgy and other principles.



2. I don't hold with this new fangled "tungsten." In my day, it was wolfram, and by Gar we loved it! Of course, in my day we dug holes for fun, so perhaps I shouldn't talk. I particularly liked the bit about copper ablation - well done in most aspects. And for the prospective wolfram arc welder, the section on weld repair is one of a kind. You don't find such succinct explanations of weld repair anymore.



3. Being a weldor as a hobby, I found this book to be more in depth than I initially anticipated. It was great to find out how my machine works and learn what has caused some of my past failures. I think this book is great for metalurgical references for my applications. Being a hobbiest I didn't really need to know about the industrial aspects or how to read specs. But I guess even unused information isn't bad to have. Its hard to acquire this knowledge on the side.



4. THe instructors edition is not even a book. It is some sort of supplement to the actual text....completely useless...save your money.



5. Watch out for the rip off.
   The instructors edition is 27 pages and not 272 pages.
   The adds will say "paper back 2.6 ounces"
   
   The 27 page rip off edition weighs 2.6 ounces.
   
   When I complained about the rip off, they said, "When the returned item(s) are received and processed, we will issue a refund
   to the credit card number submitted with this order for the product price of
   the returned item(s), not including the shipping and handling."
   
   I am just going to chuck the instructor's edition in the trash and chalk it up to internet rip off.

No comments about Drug Delivery: Engineering Principles for Drug Therapy (Topics in Chemical Engineering).

No comments about Strength of Materials: A New Unified Theory for the 21st Century.

5 comments about The Future of Everything: The Science of Prediction.

1. The book in general is easy to read, but some sections require some basic knowledge in math, economics and biology, though you may skip the excessively technical paragraphs, jump to the end of argument and still understand the general idea. The first three chapters present a very good summary of the history, philosophy and development of science, starting with the Greeks. A real crash course for those not familiar with these subjects and a necessary background to better understand the main topics being discussed in the book: The science of prediction in the fields of climate, health, and economics, and what I consider a very objective critic of simulation models and other techniques used for predictions on these fields. The book includes technical appendices, notes, a glossary and a full bibliography, so you can do follow-up or check the facts by yourself.
   
   The explanation on Chapter 3 on the subject of complex systems is short but outstanding, allowing the layman to understand the basics without the confusion of the math involved. This explanation is fundamental for understanding the limitations of the science of prediction in non-linear systems, such as climate and economics, particularly because it makes clear that these models are not based simple on mathematical relationships reflecting cause-and-effect explanations, like Newton's laws. In astronomy you can calculate where the moon is going to be tomorrow at 5 am, this book makes crystal clear that complex systems are not like that, they are incomputable. And even if existing models can be twisted to fit past data, they cannot predict the future, as it is the case with many models in Economics and the climate simulation models supporting the consensus theory of Global Warming. It is well known that economists have developed models that can explain past external shocks, recessions, commodity booms, Dutch Disease, etc, so they understand conceptually what happened then, but they not predict the future, because neither the economy nor the climate are constrained to follow past behavior. The conditions of the initial variables are not the same, history does not repeat. Technically speaking, positive and negative feedbacks, and multiple feedbacks between the variable result in the inherent unpredictability of complex systems. For example, all 18 models used by the UN's IPCC 2007 Report cannot account for the clouds feedbacks, which may result in much lower temperatures than predicted or much higher (look for in the web for Chapter 8 of the UN's Climate Report, to check by yourself this and other important simulation limitations). As Mr. Orrell explained after showing how badly the OECD predicted GDP growth for the G7 countries from 1986 to 1998, "...Consensus between an ensemble of different models is no guarantor of accuracy: economic models agree with one another far more often than they do with the real economy" (pp 243). This statement is valid for climate models too.
   
   Particularly Chapter 6, on economic predictions, is very interesting, but I will only comment on climate predictions, because so much is being discussed in the media and echoed by famous politicians and even Nobel laureates, with total disregard of basic scientific principles, and an absolute absence of scientific criticism or critical rationalism, as Karl Popper called it. Chapter 4, on climate forecast or prediction, begins with a brief but comprehensive summary of the history of meteorology and climate forecasting, which is important to understand the limitations of modern long-term predictions. As remembered to us by Mr. Orrell, Copernicus and Darwin hold publication of their works because they were afraid of the consequences, since their theories were against the scientific consensus of their times. Unfortunately, most of the environmental movement is blocking any serious discussion of the science behind the theory explaining the causes of Global Warming (the incomplete science has to do with the cause and effect relationship, not with the indisputable fact that most of the world is getting warm), which is based mainly on climate simulation models and assumptions about the state of affairs of the world for the next 100 years. And if you dare to contradict them, you become a heretic, since most environmentalists are acting as if defending a dogma. Not to mention that science must be politically neutral, as quite rightly cited by Mr. Orrell (pp. 107).
   
   Since I do not want to spoil the contents of the book, let me just say that this book is a welcomed light of hope in the middle of the media and political frenzy regarding the real causes of Global Warming. We should be doing real science instead of politicizing science, and as Mr. Orrell recommends at the end of the book, "Apollo's arrow cannot fly to the future or protect us from plague, but it may serve as a compass, point out dangers, and help us navigate an unpredictable world", of course this is possible, if climate scientist stop playing politics and doing the science as they should, objectively and apolitically. Finally, someone has the courage to clearly explain what's wrong with the science behind the consensus theory explaining the Global Warming, as well as in other scientific and social fields.
   
   The final chapter, "Consulting the Cristal Ball" is a must reading. Mr. Orrell presents quite a collection of ideas, scenarios, predictions, and concerns regarding how things will look in the year 2100, together with a box with some great predictions from the past. Just try to image how anyone would have made a reliable prediction of today in the year 1900 (such as cars, airplanes, television, CDs, iPods, computers, atomic bombs, you name it).
   
   If you are serious about understanding the science behind Global Warming, this book is a must. Read it and as previously mentioned, it is worthwhile to search the web for the IPCC 2007 Report, Chapter 8, which presents the evaluation of the simulation models used by the U.N. and their present limitations. You will see that Mr. Orrell is right on the money, there are plenty of positive and negative feedbacks that these models can not replicate and other "anomalies" pending sound explanation. A highly recommended reading for follow-up is Marcel Leroux's "Global Warming - Myth or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology" (too bad this is an expensive book!). We are in need of good old objective science.
   
   Finally, after reading this book it becomes clear that climate simulation models lack any real explanatory power and are incapable to make any reliable predictions, so it seems appropriate to close with a quotation from the best known (Nobel Prize) advocate of the manmade GW based on climate simulation models:
   
   "I have learned that, beyond death and taxes, there is at least one absolutely indisputable fact. Not only does human-caused global warming exist, but it is also growing more and more dangerous, and at a pace that has now made it a planetary emergency". Al Gore, "An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It", 2006.



2. This book makes exceptional reading for a young scientist-to-be, or for an adult with a broad range of interests. Orrell's writing is light and enjoyable while still presenting an accurate history of philosophy, mathematics, and science. For me, the book provoked a great deal of thought, leaving me feeling like I could have a much greater interest in science and math than I would have thought. Stories of philosophers, mathematicians and scientists make for great reading when combined with Orrell's off-hand remarks and fluid writing style. Some of his enjoyable off-sides will age quickly--relating his historical tales to current times with references to Microsoft and George W. Bush for example. [I predict that these will become dated sooner rather than later. ;)] However, these slight flaws do not hinder Orrell's achievement of a delightful and easy-to-read look at matters that normally would seem a daunting study. If you have enjoyed books like Metamagical Themas, you will love this book!



3. A book that everyone should read. The paperback is finally out; so if cost is a factor you can still read it. There may be more math than most would like but there is an attempt to keep it to the minimum with notes for those who want the details. If your are worried about global warming, do investing, or wonder about your DNA, then this book will be interesting.



4. We have here a young man/author who thinks he knows more than he really does.
   And he's done a lot of work to get to this state of ignorance, too.
   I have a better book Forecasting on your microcomputer
   where the fellow is more honest about methods and maybe not as knowledgeable about chaos and complexity, but he at least knows about the Russian Kondratieff and his long wave cycles.
   There seems to be a certain dishonesty in a weather scientist
   who tries to throw cold water on global warming predictions as
   this fellow does. He looks at a sigmoid and sees a saturation curve
   and I see a possible bifurcation ( figure 7.1, page 282).
   Most predictions are that we will have real trouble in the next
   decade and will probably falter as a culture/ civilization by 2020.
   I really hope the author got paid well for this book and invests it well
   in survival...
   Most honest chaos scientist are afraid of what the future
   their equations seem to predict
   and are not hesitant to make that the clear statement.



5. A must read for anyone interested in climate change, as well as other huge complex systems (the author addresses economic systems and predicability of disease specifically).
   
   Other reviews here cover content well. The first 1/4 of the book is a bit slow, delving into history that is likely known by any well-read adult, but is worth going through to see the author's framework.
   
   The biggest strength of the book, in my opinion, is to show the weaknesses of predictive models of exceedingly complex systems in comprehensible terms. Additionally, the author delves well into chaos theory and how the problems with models cannot be explained with that theory. Robust and interesting reading, accessible.

5 comments about The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes: Glazing & Firing at Cone 10 (A Lark Ceramics Book).

1. This is a brilliant book with great technical information and fabulous pictures. Most importantly for me though is getting good glaze recipes that have materials that are easily found or can be adapted to what I have. I have trialled many recipes in this book and have found good success. John Britt writes well and gives good firing information. Also most helpful is where he shows the same glaze used on different types of clay, this is a critical factor in the success of any glaze so a most important point that needs to be shown.
   If you are wanting to learn about glazing, then this book is a must for you. If you follow through each section and test as many of the glazes as possible, and follow the different firing methods, you will at the end have a comprehensive understanding of glazes and firing.



2. The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes: Glazing & Firing at Cone 10 (A Lark Ceramics Book) (Purchased on 01/02/2008)
   
   The book has tons of information very useful for a beginner potter and or a professional. Simple to use and has a variety of exercises to follow. Explains very well and has lots of images that makes it easy to comprehend, a must have as a text book.



3. Very happy with this purchase. The recipes are all laid out and organized very well. Easy to find what you're looking for and lots of good pictures.



4. I found that this book it is very useful and cohomprensive in parts of firing and recipes. There are beutiful pictures; but i find it is not so fluing in the exposition it could be more astonoshing with all the new about the recipes.
   If are a novice I think you could also buy another books to introduce you better in the world of making your own glazes more satifing( it is the The Ceramic Spectrum: A Simplified Approach to Glaze and Color DevelopmentHopper book on glazes spectrumThe Ceramic Spectrum: A Simplified Approach to Glaze and Color Development).



5. I bought this book at the request of my sister-in-law who is a potter. It was recommended to her by another potter. She loves it.