4 comments about Steam Plant Operation.

1. The book is good to see lots of pictures of steam plant equipment and a bit is given explaining what the equipment does, but I found the "Steam & Diesel Power Plant Operators Examinations" book much more powerful to pass fireman and engineers exams, including employment interviews! I suggest to buy both of these great books!



2. A must for the state of Ohio boiler exam,along with Steingress & Frost!



3. The best book on the market for training of power plant operators. Revisions keep up with the field. Have been using this book for training power plant opreators to optain their Massachusetts Stationary Engineers and Firemen's licenses, for over 15 years.



4. I own all the editions of this book. If you lived in Ohio in the late seventies and eighties this book would have been excellent for those taking the high pressure or steam engineers exams. This was the bible for operators and engineers. It is an excellent reference book and easy to comprehend. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in boilers and or turbines and as a reference book for your library.

5 comments about Machine shop Practice Vol. 1 (Machine Shop Practice).

1. This book is terrific if you just want good information without all of the shiny pictures. Fantastic reference!



2. 
   Up to now I did not received my order of 12/ 09/ 07 !!!!!



3. Hum... Good book for beginner, but too old contents, and too many unnecessary items such as shaper and planer work, for recently technology development. Especially, it doesn't contain detail descriptions of each machining methods for practical works because of too many techniques in limited space.



4. My daddy always said 'if you're going to study a subject, make sure you understand it thoroughly before you begin.'. These books (vol. 1 & 2) are great - but, not for beginners. Get something simpler first.



5. Overall this is a very good book. This moderately experienced home shop machinist definitely learned from it. I have only read volume 1. The only gripe I have is that despite the copyright date the text and especially the photos are very dated. More 50's and 60's than the 1981 copyright date. That's OK for the most part, but there is no discussion any modern machinery, I think DROs got about two paragraphs. This book is definitely more detailed than Machine Shop Trade Secrets or Machine Shop Essentials and a good addition if you already have these. If you're OK with not having a book on the latest machinery and technology this is a good reference.

5 comments about Small Engine Care & Repair: A step-by-step guide to maintaining your small engine (Briggs & Stratton).

1. I have two lawn mowers with Briggs and Stratton engines. One purchased in 2000 and the second in Oct 2006. Both have roughly the same 4 HP engine. (This has to be one of B&S more popular B&S lawn mower engines.) This book does not offer any guidance on repair or maintenance instructions for the carburetor that is on my 2 engines. Very generic. I thought it would cover all models



2. OK, here's the deal on this book: if you either need to do some repair and heavy maintenance on your B&S (or, as I like to call, BS) engine, or you already have part of it apart and don't know how to get it back together, then this book will be helpful. However, if you have already torn your mower apart, put it back together, but are still having trouble honing in on the problem, I don't think you'll get much out of this book.
   
   I was in the latter position up until, well, today. I had taken the carb off, "rebuilt" it, and readjusted it several times. But I couldn't get my mower running. Turns out the smallest internal part of the carb -- the needle seat -- has to be put in a certain way. This book doesn't go into anywhere near that much detail. This is only one example of which I'm sure there are others, particularly when you start messing around with the head and piston.
   
   You can only learn engine repair and diagnosis through experience with (hopefully) a mentor. Online forums can help be that mentor in many cases. If you have no idea how to get started, then yes, I recommend this book. But if diagnosis and other small issues are your problem, I don't think this book will help.



3. I love this book. I found the information to be very helpfull, I was able to replace the gas tank on my lawnmower and clean out the engine. This is the first time I have done anything like this, but because of this book I think I can even work on my other small engine equipment. This was a great buy for me.



4. OK maybe that's harsh. If you've never touched an engine before, and yours is still running, this is a friendly introduction. Or if you lost the operating manual.
   
   What I was hoping for was an updated version of the old B&S manuals you could buy at the auto-parts and hardware stores (See Briggs & Stratton Repair Manual (For Single Cylinder 4-Cycle Engines)), but this is not it. It seems dumbed-down a lot. The "Care" and "Troubleshooting" bits are mostly in the manual when you buy something with an engine, and the "Repair" stuff is mostly obvious if you've got any mechanical sense.
   
   Unfortunately, Neither Haynes nor Chilton seem to have updated their manuals since the late 90's, and the newer pubs by other folks seem to be dumbed-down as well according to the reviews. I'm at a loss to recommend an alternative. Personally, I'm going to dig up my old B&S manual and see how much of it still applies. In the end it'll be the carburetor, it always is, and the old book won't help because that's the part that changes continuously from year to year. Oh well.



5. FAST SHIPPING. BOUGHT IT FOR MY HUSBAND AND HE IS PLEASED WITH THE INFORMATION. IT IS A BASIC GUIDE ON MAINTAINING YOUR OWN SMALL ENGINES.

3 comments about The Magic School Bus Ups And Downs: A Book About Floating And Sinking (Magic School Bus).

1. Since children love 'The Magic School Bus' television show, this book about sinking and floating will be sure to grab the attention of those inquisitive young minds! It serves as a great asset to a science classroom, or your own home library. Although it is kind of lengthy, I highly recommend it for insurance of complete understanding of the sinking and floating process. Happy reading!



2. This is a great book! My son loves all of the Magic School Bus books. The characters are fun and interesting. There is lots of good scientific information.



3. The magic bus series is very enjoyable. As swimming season started we learned about sinking and floating. I know he gets it when he tells me what we have to do to make things sink or swim in the pool.

5 comments about The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs.

1. Wealth of information! This book eloquently navigates through Panama's Canal history; merging dynamic cultural and socio-political elements that contributed to this technological marvel. As a lifetime resident of the Canal Zone I taught I knew the definitive version of the Canals creation, however these photographs of the mundane to the sublime still concedes a wealth of information.



2. I lived in Panama for 17 years and have written 3 books on Panama. How how I wish I had this beautifully spectacular book years ago. What an inspiraton it would have been during those dreary hours of writer's block. Each of these magnificient pictures are indeed worth a thousand words -- and there are so many pictures in this book! The United States "helped" Panama separate from Colombia in 1903, the following year the great task, which had defeated the French, of building an interoceanic canal began. It would take a full and painful 10 years. The rare photographs in this book document those years. How wonderful that they have been saved and are now offered to another generation!



3. This book entails a lot of historical photos and librarial facts. However, there are missing text/diaries and photos of many fine Black-Latino Panamanians who were mostly hired to assist in the building of the Panama Canal. I gave it a four star because of this reason. Perhaps the author did not wish to elaborate more on the natives who helped in the succession. Perhaps a followup to this book would complete the real historical element of The Building of the Panama Canal.

   All in all it's a great tool.




4. This book a must for anyone visiting the Panama Canal. Buy it before your visit to acquaint yourself with the history of this amazing project. Then take it along on your trip. Everyone around you will be itching to have a look at this book as you view the canal.



5. The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs by Ulrich Keller is a most fascinating compilation of photographs recording man's greatest engineering achievement in construction during the 20th Century. The photographs are even more special to me because it shows scenes that my Barbadian grandfather and uncle would have seen during their laboring to construct the Panama Canal. That uncle died of malaria at the Canal and is buried, alongside the many others who sacrificed their lives, in the cemetery shown in one of the photographs. This book ranks in the top 3 that I have ever read during my over 70 years of reading.
   Herbert A. Hutchinson

5 comments about Troubleshooting Marine Diesels.

1. I bought Compton's book based on an ad in [...], a rather heavy duty marine diesel oriented web site. I already had Nigel Calder's marine diesel book and was somehow expecting more, but got less.
   
   Calder's book is more detailed and thorough. If you have Calder's, then you don't need Compton's. So, my advice is to get Calder's marine diesel book instead.



2. excellent and thorough - a real compliment to the spec sheet and manual provided with the engine. Good maintenance tips that were not included in the original manual.



3. This book turned out to be everything it promised. I own a 44' Ocean Alexander yacht with twin diesel motors as well as a 8KW diesel generator.
   After reading the book, for the first time I felt very comfortable in the engine room and knew what I was looking at and for.
   It's easy reading and written at a level anyone should be able to understand.
   I highly recommend it.



4. Great book for the average mechanic fixing of diagnosing his/her boats mechanical malfunctions. Look up symptoms and it gives you all problems which could cause them. Saved a bundle of money by being able to fix the problem myself with the help of this book.



5. I specifically purchased this book for the information on Yanmar diesels. I was not disappointed, but later found a factory type manual that was much better and also a source for Yanmar parts. I think I will closely compare both manuals to see if I will resell this or not. I would still give this three stars.

No comments about DEWALT Blueprint Reading Professional Reference (Dewalt Trade Reference Series).

5 comments about Building Robot Drive Trains (Robot DNA Series).

1. This book was a great help during the use of our wireless hexapod senior project. The book is a great read on many different levels, especially control. The PID explantion in Motor Control 201 is better then a lot of control books i've read. There are a tremendous amount of circuits in the book and code and psuedocode. the book gives a lot of technical information as well as giving you different options (chips, connection, drive trains) you can use when building your robot. This is must if you are building a robot or want a book on interfacing your microcontroller and analog circuitry.



2. Covers all the robot drive train basics in practical terms. This book has been very useful for a novice like me.



3. It has been a month since the book was shipped--and I have not received it yet. I looked at Amazon's on line tracking, and it appeared the book was lost in transit. Amazon (Peggy) said they would immediately get another one out to me.
   
   My concern--Why did I have to find that the book was lost. Amazon has the same information. It appears their system doesn't monitor deliveries or non-deliveries?????
   
   Larry Cardo



4. Good book for starting out if you want to build things yourself and you don't know where to start for a robot drive. It goes into enough detail to explain why a user would select one option over another depending on what the final goal is. It has some basic math (very simple agebra)to cover these details and walks the user through all of it. He also list sources (books) and other links for a higher level of detail. This is a fast read and easy to follow
   Nice work on the book!



5. While not everything I had hoped, this book does cover some of the basics and then some on building drive trains.
   If you have ever tried this, you know that there are so many detailed questions, and this book does address a fair number of them.
   
   If you are looking for a step by step guide, this is not your book. If you are imaginative and like custom solutions, this book will be of good value, even if you only use 2 or 3 chapters from the book.

5 comments about Numerical Methods for Scientists and Engineers.

1. Throughout the book, that motto is repeated.

   By reading and absorbing the material in this book, the reader is left with the tools and the insights necessary to derive their own numerical methods.

   No longer will numerical methods be memorized as textbook formulas -- now the reader can adapt and derive a formula to solve a specific problem, instead of trying to fit one of a small number of textbook formulas to a problem.

   The distinction is made between numerical analysis and numerical methods, with emphasis on the latter.

   The book is roughly divided into two parts. The first part covers classical numerical methods, using classical error analysis (truncation error, roundoff error). The second part reexamines these methods under the frequency domain, analyzing how numerical methods affect various frequencies (the "transfer function" approach).

   Numerical methods are derived under an information theory model, such as by finding a quadrature formula of the highest polynomial degree of accuracy, given limited information about the function and its derivatives.

   Matrices and linear systems are not discussed as much as one might expect, although one chapter convincingly leads the reader to question some classical methods.

   The content is well-rounded, introducing many readers to topics such as random number generators, difference equations and summation formulas, digital filters and quantization, discrete fourier transforms and the FFT, and orthogonal polynomials. A background in calculus is all that is needed.

   Many real-world examples and anecdotes are cited, but without too much detail or too many illustrations given.

   This book encourages the reader to ask: "What information is available about the problem? How can it be used to solve the problem? What are the limits of this information?" The approach is practical, not merely analytical.

   This book teaches what most other numerical books fail to teach: How to derive your own formulas, and thus your own solutions to problems. And that is perhaps the most important lesson of all.




2. I sympathise with the reviewer who said this is one of the few
   books on numerical methods he could stand. I will go further
   and say this is a book that can be enjoyed. Example: section 2.8
   "The Frequency Distribution of Mantissas" explains why the
   leading digits of of decimal numbers are not uniformly
   distributed, a result that is surely counterintuitive. There is
   much more material of interest in this book too. It does
   contain standard material too but is more readable than many
   books. The author offers much practical advice and insight.
   (Hamming is a famous name in applied mathematics and electical
   engineering).



3. Chances are, if you have a degree in engineering of any kind, you have seen all of the numerical methods outlined here before. However, the purpose of this book is not just to detail how to perform different kinds of calculations. Instead, the author is attempting to give you an intuitive feel for the mathematics as well.
   
   The book starts with an essay on numerical methods that discusses the book's five main ideas starting with its motto, which is the first idea - "The purpose of computing is insight, not numbers." The second idea is that it is necessary to study families of numbers and algorithms and to relate one family to another. The third and fourth major ideas are that of roundoff and truncation error, each of which is an effect of computing on finite machines. The final main idea is that of feedback and stability, where numbers produced at one stage are looped back to feed other stages of computations, and the result may or may not be stable.
   
   The remainder of the book then studies many families of calculations and numbers based on these insights. The book is divided into five parts - Fundamentals and Algorithms, Polynomial Approximation, Fourier Approximation, Exponential Approximation, and finally a miscellaneous section which talks about approximations to singularities, optimization, linear independence, and eigenvalues and eigenvectors of Hermitian matrices. As you can see, the idea throughout this book is that since numerical methods are the use of numbers to simulate mathematical processes, then all of these algorithms are actually approximations. Throughout the book there are clearly worked out examples with plenty of illustrations and also many exercises, some with solutions. Highly recommended.



4. The price is immaterial. Hamming is the recognized expert in coding and many fields of mathematics. The writing is surprisingly easy to follow. (none of that - solution is left as an exercise for the student). You need this book if you do any kind of mathematics on a PC. We're talking DSP, simulations, whatever. Okay, price counts - it's cheap, outstanding info.



5. What can you say of a hamming book. Ofcourse its a classic. the style would tell you, why the guy has to be so famous. I love the nonlinear root finding treatment.

5 comments about The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition.

1. This is the "Bible" for NPD professionals. An excellent addition to the guides by Cooper and Crawford.



2. This book is a must read for every Product Manager or aspiring Product Manager. It is very detailed and covers the product development process from start to finish. I highly recommend it as a reference that should remain on your desk within arms reach.
   
   However, please note that this book does not address product marketing; it only covers product develop processes.



3. Being a PDMA publication, I expected this treatment of new product development to be exceptional. However, I was disappointed. Rather than being detailed "how to" -- which is what I would expect of a "handbook" -- it is a collection of chapters by different authors that aren't integrated well and cover the broad spectrum of product development without handling anything in great detail. There are chapters that are well done and I found worthwhile, but there are numerous other books that I think cover this complex topic much more clearly.



4. This book has disappointed me. The authors could have included some real life cases on NPD. The "handbook" tag is highly misleading. For example : One would tend to compare it with Juran's Quality Handbook.Also the foucus in this book is more on New Product Launch and less on real product designing.



5. ".....The book's concise, how-to approach enables readers to access the basic information they need quickly, while providing helpful references to up-to-date sources of further information.
   
   By providing a complete picture of the knowledge needed for effective new product development today, THIS ALL-IN-ONE GUIDE IS AN INVALUABLE ASSET TO PROFESSIONAL AT EVERY LEVEL."
   [from the book of the front flap]