Review of: Founders At Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days, Livingston, Jessica. Apress, Berkeley, CA: 2007, Computing Reviews.

Founders features thirty two interviews from the past twenty five years with the founders of startups and key employees of tech companies. The work is chockfull of interesting tidbits and practical lessons for would be or current entrepreneurs. Often overly technical people are not thought of as socially adept but most of these people are likable or interesting tech types. Hardly any of them characterize a cut-throat--though they are extremely competitive--mentality but many of them make decisions based on, somewhat surprisingly, a personal understanding of ethos.

The founder’s ethos is rooted in providing a needed service for themselves, users, or customers. They listened closely to user preferences and built something of value for them, and sometimes unwittingly, a profitable company ensues. Evan Williams relates how Blogger was the second idea for Pyra, and how the founders focused on their pet project, leaving their original product behind. Paul Graham, Co-founder of Viaweb, relates how he initially did not set out to found a company but inadvertently stumbled on a great product. Mitchell Kapor, Co-founder of Lotus Development, only pestered Personal Software with his ideas but ended up with “the killer app killer (p. 89)” by developing Lotus 1-2-3 and crushing VisiCalc, the leading application of its day.

Products evolved and the founders adjusted quickly, as in the case of PayPal and TiVo, and for Flickr and Blogger, the authoritative idea got in the way of the eventual product. For several founders, a good idea that helped themselves solved problems of their users so there already was a ready and willing client base, e.g., Hotmail, Del.ici.ous, Craigslist, and Firefox.

However, the book does not relate simple business common sense, pay attention to your customers. The devil, as they say, is in the details, and the execution of startup success is not a simple track to easily follow. The `as told to’ nature of the interviewees, actual stories of their challenges and strategies is captivating.

The founders share certain characteristics in common: hard-working, bright, responsive, innovative, and efficient. The startups' founders created value for their customers and in this, there is a major lesson here to learn for technologists in companies large and small. These founders demonstrate how to take a great idea and how these ideas evolve to fruition.

The book is valuable then for understanding the process of taking a key technical insight to completion. All of their methods may not work at larger companies, since these are startups, but in the course of the work larger companies passed on ideas that proved to be advantageous and money-making. Larger companies could learn a great deal about programmers and how to take their ideas respectfully to profit from them.

Several founders were unsure about starting a startup--Mitch Kapor, Steve Wozniak, and Mena Trott--or, were unsure about what their product should be: Joe Kraus and Max Levchin. Charles Geschke, while working at Xerox PARC, could never convince Xerox that PostScript was useful, thus, he started Adobe Systems. Critically though, these founders were quick studies, learned quickly, and moved to their own startups. The bottom line is that the founders came out ahead. Wozniak, most well-known of all, worked for HP while developing both Apple I and Apple II.

There are numerous points where the stories are charming. One of the best is offered by Ann Winblad of Open Systems who related her story of chutzpah:

So I get in front of these 60 or 70 guys and these guys are probably all in their 50s and I’m in my 20s, and we had a ‘blue light special,’ where we said, ‘If you give me a check today for $10,000, you can have unlimited rights to one of our modules.’ . . . . I went home with, I think, like 12 or 15 of these $10,000 checks in my purse (p. 301).

Livingston interviews the tedious as well, as in the case of one of the thorniest and most difficult stories: Phil Greenspun’s detailed description on the rise and fall of ArsDigita.

A final instructive lesson is the process of angel and venture capital funding: particularly in the case of ArsDigita. You will not find an in-depth analysis of venture capital but funding for ArsDigita led to its demise, oddly enough. The experience of the founder, Greenspun, among the other founders, offer insights on when to not accept, to be open to, or to garnish venture funding.

The conversational style of writing is unfortunately one of the weaknesses of the work as well. The prose could be improved without compromising the actual ideas of the speakers. The interviews seem to have been transcribed directly without editing. The repetitive reading of "yeah" for example proves grating. “Yes” is still accurate but proper as a substitute. Editing is needed: "of" should be off (p. 335).

Court Rules on Alaska Joe & His "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." Banner

“Bong Hits 4 Jesus” is a meaningless expression, idiotic, and was first thought of by an 18-year old high school senior. But that does not mean that a high schooler can say it anymore.

High school senior Joe Frederick held up a banner with the inane words in 2002 but a decision by the Supreme Court limited student free-expression rights in public schools.

The banner with the infamous “Bong” message was held aloft while students and faculty were gathered to watch the Olympic torch pass by his school in Juneau, Alaska.

Unfortunately for Mr. Frederick, the principal, Deborah Morse, asked him to take the banner down, and Frederick refused. Morse believed the message was a promotion of illegal drugs in violation of school policy and the Court has ruled against students advocating drug use. She confiscated the banner and later suspended Frederick for 10 days. Frederick sued.

With this decision, the Court sided with the principal.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Samuel Alito underscores the narrow scope of the decision, claiming as he does, that the ruling does not restrict the right of students to comment on political or social issues, including debates about drug laws.

On the other hand, the dissent, written by Justice John Paul Stevens and joined by Justices David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, describes the decision as a “ham-handed, categorical approach” that is “deaf to the constitutional imperative to permit unfettered debate, even among high school students, about the wisdom of the war on drugs or of legalizing marijuana for medicinal use.”

This is a bad decision which restricts unfettered, public free speech by juveniles.

In an odd twist, if the banner had stated, "Wine Sips 4 Jesus," Frederick could have been interpreted as promoting an illegal drug (alchohol) for minors, or, he could be advocating imbibing sacramental wine, as in a Roman Catholic Mass. Should he be restricted in discussing another element or, more troubling, have another freedom, the exercise of religion, restricted?

The decision is in very troubling waters for freedom of expression. The Court's ruling more narrowly limits the free-speech decision in Tinker v. Des Moines, the test for virtually all student speech cases since 1969.

Regardless if Frederick was referring to a song, "Bonghits For Jesus" written by a band, Twice Baked in the 1990's, or, as he claimed it was a meaningless statement, I wouldn't want to see artists limited by a Court ruling in any case.

"I'm gonna' find her," "Searchin,'" The Coasters, 1957

I noted the other day about a search that is new to me, Mahalo, that has interesting possibilities. In addition, if you are in the market for new search engines, as a supplement to what most people seem to be using, Google, you may want to consider Kartoo, Kooltorch or Clusty.

My old standby is Dogpile--not Google--but Maholo promises a pleasant new search experience because of its utility in UI (user interface) and most searches. If it can attain the stated 2007 goal of 10,000 data entries, it will be worth another look.

Kartoo has respectable results but I am not a convert to the interface. KoolTorch is a bit awkward to use even after I tried it a few times, and I am not convinced that the results are as good as they could be.

In the meantime, I'll be using Clusty more since it is made for researchers, is handy for my usual deep searching, and the extra feature to customize results is attractive. Finally, Clusty also has a convenient "Clustybar" add-on that is handy for my typical Firefox browsing.

BTW, I checked the lyrics of Searchin' on, you guessed it, good 'ole dogpile. Besides, I really like their dog graphics.

Life is bleaker in Iraq

The BBC World Service is monitoring the extra 30,000 U.S. troops deployed in Iraq since the launch of the "surge" in February. The criteria monitored are the effects, week by week, by looking at military casualty figures, the pressure on hospitals and quality of life for ordinary civilians.

The analysis is based on figures from U.S. and Iraqi authorities, Baghdad's hospitals and three families from different neighbourhoods in the capital.

Their analysis concludes that conditions are generally worse despite the recent efforts of U.S. to improve conditions.

"Danger! Danger! Will Robinson"

A news story by Computerworld announces the realization of what was only a dream in the '60s TV Show, Lost in Space, by reporting that IRobot Corporation debuts a prototype of a remote-controlled robot armed with a Taser electroshock weapon for military or law enforcement.

This release is in line with the increasingly sophisticated use of robotics such as the Predator which has developed tremendously in the conflict in Iraq after the rather bumbling attempts to nab or eliminate Osama Bin-Laden in Afghanistan. Richard Clarke, former White House anti-terror advisor, testified before the 9/11 Commission about the efforts to use the Predator drone effectively.

Visibility by the remote operator is key which proved to be a liability in early deployments of the Predator.

The new device carries a camera mounted on a 12-inch mast. The camera is capable of tilting and rotating to provide greater visibility to its operator during scouting missions.

This new small hybrid machine is based on Burlington, Massachusetts based iRobot's Pentium-based PackBot Explorer robot. The innovation here is to add a Taser X26 stun gun to the robot, that was developed jointly by iRobot and Taser International Inc.

If an IED is going to blow up in Iraq, better one of these babies than a soldier: language warning.

The Predator is effectively deployed in Iraq.

Why Johnny Can't Shoot

Johnny can shoot who he wants to in the Insurgency game. He can mow down Americans at will if he (or she) chooses as illustrated (click on it for a better look) in one of the screenshots for the game.

The game manual states:

If your play style is more geared towards using real tactics, teamwork, communication, and personal skill, then the Conventional teams will likely be your favorite. If you just want to get into the action and have some fun, grab your AK47 or RPG and let loose as a Guerrilla or Paramilitary fighter. . . .

Engage in urban warfare where every window, doorway or road block is a potential ambush point and every object on the street needs to be watched with care. Fight against the occupation from behind windows and burned cars, with your finger on the trigger and an unsuspecting patrol down the street getting ever closer. Whatever you choose to do, Insurgency is sure to get your pulse racing and make your breathing feel heavy while you engage in such a unique and original combat experience.

Re-up!

Graph showing the percentage of and where foreign born soldiers come from to serve in the U.S. military.

600 soldiers re-enlisted in the United States military and were naturalized on the 4th of July at Camp Victory in Baghdad. Currently, the number of foreign born in the military is consistent with historical precedent. According to Emilio T. González, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the foreign born composed half of all military recruits by the 1840s and constituted 20 percent of the 1.5 million servicemen in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Even more revealing is considering that of these 600 soldiers re-enlisting, they come from 54 nations, they are aged 19 - 51 years old, and they include at least one Palestinian refugee.

The re-enlistees are sounding like a coalition force.

Hawaii 10,000

Mahalo expects to obtain 10,000 query results for search terms by the end of this year. How? By using results hand-picked by humans according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Unity & Freedom: Terrorist? Sunni? Shi'i? Iraqi?

In the video an Iraqi is kidnapped by terrorists and asked at gunpoint if he is Sunni or Shi'i. "I am Iraqi" he finally answers.

N.B: This anti-terrorist video from Al Arabiya is funded by the Saudi government: this is not for the faint of heart.

Thought Experiment: Imagine a World Without America

The world without America is something to think about. Let's think a bit more on the 4th of July.

Made in China

China is the number one place for malicious software and spam.

"In June, some 40% of malicious software worldwide originated from Beijing, nearly doubling from 21% in May," said Simon Heron, managing director for security vendor Network Box Corp.

Beijing retained the number one spot for malware, followed by Wattleup, Australia, at 3.7%, and Madrid, at 2.5%, according to Network Box.

I wonder what else there is in Wattleup?

Pandemic Planning Runs Afowl in the U.S.

Update: "Power companies include IT in disaster planning: Experts confer at this week's World Conference on Disaster Management

July 11, 2007 (Computerworld Canada) -- Given the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002, the idea that companies should prepare their IT systems for what health officials have warned will be an influenza pandemic isn't so far-reaching.

And, the original post is:

A Gartner Inc. analyst, Ken McGee, stated that despite a bird-flu threat most IT companies "simply would not be ready" for disruptions according to a ComputerWorld report.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported statistics on confirmed human cases of the Avian flu (H5N1) virus since 2003. The WHO recorded in 2006 that 79 people died from avian flu. This year, there have been 33 deaths.

If an avian influenza virus combines with a human influenza virus the new subtype created could be both highly contagious and highly lethal in humans. A likely scenario is a global influenza pandemic, similar to the Spanish Flu, or the lower mortality pandemics such as the Asian Flu and the Hong Kong Flu.

In May 2005, scientists urgently call nations to prepare for a global influenza pandemic that could strike as much as 20% of the world's population but this warning has largely been ignored.

To be clear, the avian flu cannot yet be categorized as a "pandemic" because the virus cannot yet cause sustained and efficient human-to-human transmission; the reported cases are recognized to have been transmitted from bird to human, but as of December 2006 there have been very few (if any) cases of proven human-to-human transmission.

On the other hand, if the avian flu imitates the "Spanish flu" of 1918–1919, it could spread to become a world-wide pandemic on all continents, unusually deadly and virulent as the 1918-19 event. Within 18 months the pandemic petered out but before doing so, in six months, 25 million people died: some estimates put the total of those killed worldwide at over twice that number. An estimated 500,000 died in the United States alone.

We are not ready for another 1918-19 event.

The French Want to "Berry" the Canadians

You have to hand it to the French. They are right on top of every international threat to their way of life. The Washington Post and Le Monde reported--I wouldn't make this up--carried a story dated 21 June 2007 that the French General Secretariat for National Defense has banned the use of BlackBerrys inside the presidential palace and government ministries.

Why?

BlackBerry data passes through servers in the United States and Britain.

Uhh, France, although the data may pass through those troublesome countries such as the U.S. and Britain, keep in mind that Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (TSX: RIM, NASDAQ: RIMM) is a Canadian wireless device company: RIM is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario.

Once the lovely Canadians are suspected as international threats it is time to pack it in.

Rock on RIM!

The French seem to epitomize untruths as a part of their national character and they suspect anyone who is straightforward.

"Truths!" Charles de Gaulle is supposed to have shouted. "Did you think I could have created a (Free French) government against the English and the Americans with truths? You make History with ambition, not with truths," quoted in Thierry Pfister, "Lettre Ouverte aux Gardiens du Mensonge" (Open Letter to the Keepers of the Lie), Albin Michel, 1999.

Lugar Senate Floor Speech Calls for Course Change in Iraq

Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) is basically correct on one point: Iraqis Don’t Want to Be Iraqis.

To make the point more directly I would argue that there is no Iraq. There never was. The world is still paying the price of the October 3rd 1932 decision to create Iraq under King Faisal.

The historical fiction that is Iraq is common to newer nations:

Common Themes in New Nations

Borders drawn by European colonial powers left nations with diverse religions and ethnic groups.

Ethnic and religious conflicts brought instability.

Military coups, one-party systems, and dictatorships kept some countries from achieving democracy.

Citizens and foreign lenders have forced former dictatorships to hold elections and transition to democracy.

Natural resources such as oil have been a source of wealth for some nations but have fueled conflicts.

Is the Internet Replacing TV?

In a significant development the Internet is on the cusp of surpassing TV as an "essential medium" for Americans according to a poll announced on 28 June 2007 by the Edison Media Research Inc. 33% of Americans selected the Internet as crucial for news and entertainment while TV elicited 36%. Radio could garner only a 17% loyalty and newspapers a distant 10%, according to the Internet and Multimedia 2007 report by the Somerville, N.J.-based market research firm. In 2002, only 20% of U.S. consumers said they preferred the Internet, compared to 39% for TV. The Internet has made significant gains in the intervening time. The survey polled 1,853 telephone interviews conducted in January and February with respondents age 12 and older who were chosen at random. Those polled were representative of the American population.

The point to take away from this survey is to conclude that the Internet has become just as important as television as a source of information and entertainment. While TV has limitations, the Internet may be even more of a handicap. The Net has an advantage in speed and is even more immediate of a medium than TV but the notion of balance, fairness, and depth of thought is even less.

In einer bedeutenden Entwicklung ist das Internet auf der Spitze des Übertreffens von von Fernsehapparat als "wesentliches Mittel" für Amerikaner entsprechend einer Abstimmung, die am Juni 28 2007 durch die Edison Mittel-Forschung Inc. verkündet wird. 33% von Amerikanern wählte das Internet vor, das für Nachrichten und Unterhaltung, während Fernsehapparat, entscheidend ist 36% herausbekam. Radio konnte nur 17% und Zeitungen 10%, entsprechend dem Internet- und Multimedia2007 Report durch das Somerville ansammeln, N.J.-based Marktforschungsunternehmen. 2002 sagte nur 20% von VEREINIGTE STAATEN Verbrauchern, daß sie das Internet bevorzugten, verglichen bis 39% für Fernsehapparat. Das Internet hat bedeutende Gewinne in der intervenierenden Zeit gebildet. Die Übersicht stimmten 1.853 Telefoninterviews ab, die im Januar geleitet wurden und Februar mit Antwortendalter 12 und älteres, wer zufällig gewählt wurden. Abgestimmte die waren Repräsentant der amerikanischen Bevölkerung. Der Punkt, zum von dieser Übersicht wegzunehmen soll feststellen, daß das Internet gerade so wichtig wie Fernsehen als Quelle der Informationen und der Unterhaltung geworden ist. Während Fernsehapparat Beschränkungen hat, kann das Internet sogar mehr eines Handikaps sein. Das Netz hat einen Vorteil in der Geschwindigkeit und ist von einem Mittel als Fernsehapparat sogar sofortiger, aber der Begriff der Balance, der Gerechtigkeit und der Tiefe des Gedankens ist sogar kleiner.

Blogs

Blogs are a new way to communicate although many are not read or are dying at the same time. The format is easy to use and not at all like the old days where everything was hard coded. I enjoy participating.

Review of: Establishing and Maintaining Long-Term Human-Computer Relationships

Date: Tue 26-07-2005 02:05 PM

Review Number: 38526

Establishing and maintaining long-term human-computer relationships

Establishing and maintaining long-term human-computer relationships Bickmore T., Picard R. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 12(2): 293-327, 2005. Type: Article

The authors investigate the meaning of “human-computer relationship” and present techniques for “constructing, maintaining, and evaluating such relationships.” Their primary conclusion is that they “have motivated the development of relational agents as a new field of research.”

Two particular relational benefits motivate their research: trust and task outcomes (like improved learning) known to be associated with relationship quality. The authors are concerned with evaluating whether agents “establish and maintain long-term social-emotional relationships with their users.” Their experiment with 101 users interacted daily with an exercise adoption system for a month. Compared to an equivalent task-oriented agent the computer based relational agent was trusted
more.

Placing agents on mobile devices could provide a potent combination of relationship building (an ever-present “buddy”) and for behavior change (providing timely and appropriate interventions).

Work should be done regarding the nature of the buddy. Examples of conversational systems such as R2D2 in StarWars and Microsoft Office Assistant (“Clippit”) engendered mixed results: the former was cute and helpful, the latter intrusive and grating. And, there are political and ethical considerations in designing a buddy. Should the buddy be a thing or a neutered object as the two examples above, or perhaps a male, or as in the authors study a female? And, finally as the authors note, in these proactive buddy scenarios, which are monitoring us, raise issues
of privacy and security: with whom do you let it share which pieces of relational or personal information, and how does it earn your trust to do so?

When did the U.S. first commit ground troops to the Middle East?

When did the United States commit to placing ground troops in the Middle East? Did George Bush, Sr., or Jr., invent the doctrine? No.

The Eisenhower Doctrine, a message to Congress on 5 January 1957, was the foreign policy of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The doctrine stated that the United States would use armed forces upon request in response to imminent or actual aggression to the United States. The doctrine made it clear that the U.S. would intervene in the Middle East against aggression. George Bush did not invent the doctrine; the Eisenhower Doctrine was U.S. policy for years before Bush.

The military action provisions of the Doctrine were applied in the Lebanon Crisis the following year,
in 1958, when America intervened in response to a request by that country's president.

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

American Hijab: non-American Hijab

Men don't cover themselves in Islam. Men do enforce women covering themselves. Guess who has the problem? Male Muslims. A Bahraini cleric even provides the guidelines on how to properly beat your wife. Or, a girl's actions may result in an "honor" killing.

Women pursued higher education and the professions for well over a hundred years in the West. Isn't it about time for Islam as well? Is there to be a Reformation in Islam? A French Revolution? I suppose if you never had the equivalent of a French Revolution you would tend to be backward: e.g., Olympe de Gouges.

Muslim women are oppressed. I hope there is no need to mention clitorectomies is there? This is exclusively a Muslim phenomenon: Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus do not practice this in any appreciable numbers. If human beings scar themselves or harm themselves is it any less oppressive because free will and choice is involved? Western law will still intervene in cases of attempted suicide or the harming of one's own person. The discussion of human rights is Western, not Islamist.

In Brasil street children are shot in the struggle for food and basic existence. An unpleasant, although based on a real story is the Brazilian film, City of God (Portuguese: Cidade de Deus), in which this brutal struggle for subsistence occurs. As it happens, City of God is a four-time Academy Award-nominated 2002 Brazilian film. Most of the actors had never acted before, and were, in fact, residents of favelas such as Vidigal and the Cidade de Deus itself. If I had any opportunity at all I would impose my own values, my own culture, and my own Western way of life on behalf of Third World children. Western culture is superior; the Third World values here are inferior.

The U.S. has imposed American values in the Afghan and Iraqi constitutions to require that a specific number of representatives be women. Progress comes slow to Islamism and is in response to Western American pressure. American feminists have not done tangibly as much to liberate women elsewhere.

As diplomats come to the U.S. they should respect American values so as not to offend any of us and wear American flag pins, and Africans and Arabs should remove their own traditional style of dress, in favor of Western attire. American male Muslims adopt Western dress easily, but contradictorily, the removal of the Hijab may be considered an invitation to rape according to Zakir Naik, a male Muslim apologist who often speaks in the U.S. But who would require, and agree, with a ridiculous proposition such as non-Westeners should be required to adopt American dress as an example of `when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' But this is precisely the thinking of a Pelosi who as American politician adopts non-Western dress: gutless.

There is no Arabic equivalent for citizen or democracy. Japan and Germany learned about how democracy really worked following their destruction in a World War. Likewise, some cultures may have to learn how to prosper economically and politically, like Japan and Germany following their defeat, at the hands of Western conquerors.

Please note:
Palestinian Female Suicide Bombers who are heavily covered (not to mention heavily armed).

And, if this is not enough to turn your stomach you can always watch how the children are raised. Small Palestinian children perform while dressed as suicide bombers and terrorists, heavily armed waving guns and knives. The crowd of approving parents waves and applauds the kids. I guess they never heard of baseball. I liked the kid with a doll: and, an assault rifle. All the girls are well-covered though and I suppose that is the important thing. An Islamist generation is coming.

When you are tired, when you are hungry, when you are feeling sorry for yourself, think about someone fighting for freedom.

al-Qaeda Slithers to Algeria

Police officers inspect the government palace in Algiers, Algeria, following a car bomb attack on April 11. Mohamed Messara/EPA FILE

The recent suicide bombers in Algeria have all the earmarks of an al-Qaeda operation accoring to counter-terrorism experts. Authorities seem to have uncovered an Iraqi connection once they cracked down on 60 local belligerants in the Saharan city of El Oued. Hamida Ayachi, editor of the Algiers-based daily Djazair News, has noted that contacts between Iraq and Algeria have intensified within the past year.

Who is prepared?

A recent IT study by AT&T ranked U.S. cities for disaster preparedness. In this survey New York and Houston received high marks while the Twin Cities and Cleveland did not.

The results arose from about 1,000 corporate IT managers collectively from 10 cities surveyed.

According to the survey, the rankings were based primarily on three criteria: "the state of a city's business continuity plan; whether the city has adequately educated employees about the plan and installed systems to implement it; and on cybersecurity policies and the use of managed security."

China Virus First Strike in Cyberwar

No, this is not today's headline, but, it could be. China's military is investigating their information warfare capabilities.

The Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed that China's military has developed cyberwarfare first-strike capabilities that include units charged with developing viruses to attack enemy computer networks.

In 2005, the People's Liberation Army began to incorporate offensive operations into its exercises, "primarily in first strikes against enemy networks," a DoD report stated.

This is the best level of unclassified American thought on China's capabilities.

MRAP to the rescue?

Like many Americans dismayed with the apparent lack of results in Iraq and the deaths of many fine young people, I've wondered if there is any hope. A reason for optimism is the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle). The new vehicles provide much improved protection, specifically against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which cause 70% of all U.S. casualties in Iraq. The IEDs are armor piercing and the MRAP offers some hope that our troops will be better protected. This is a step in the right direction. 58 of the 62 members of the House Armed Services Committee voted on 9 May for a $508.3 billion military authorization bill for fiscal 2008; the MRAP is a part of the new appropriations.

The day after the appropriations, the Pentagon announced plans to phase out its armored Humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan and send in vehicles that better withstand roadside bomb blasts, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The shift in appropriations means that modernization plans would be put on hold but given the seriousness of our troops vulnerability, this seems like sound planning.

Check in October 2007 for a review: Ringwald, A Day Apart

Review: The Tertullian Project, by Roger Pearse

Revno: 000000547224 The Tertullian Project, by Roger Pearse, http://www.tertullian.org/

Date: Sun 29-05-2005 02:46 PM

The Tertullian Project, by Roger Pearse, http://www.tertullian.org/

In the Wikipedia age we live in Choice editors have wisely chosen
resources that seem likely to be of particular use to undergraduate
students. These are sites mostly likely consulted by the search mavens seeking a quick fix for instant info, i.e., our students. If a site is too flighty this is not reliably for our students but by the same token a too specialized site will be of little value at the undergraduate level.

Keeping these guidelines in mind, I evaluated the Tertullian Project. Pearse openly declares his amateur status, however, Pearse has helpfully assembled an impressive amount of work about this second and third century Christian apologist.

The assembler has artfully collected Tertullian references including more difficult to access textual material. In this type of endeavor, we need more enlightened amateurs such as Pearse because of its utility.

There are a variety of subsections dealing with various aspects of Tertullian’s life, writings and modern scholarship. The author has also conveniently ranked the more academic pages from the more light hearted areas. In addition to a brief historical outline on Tertullian the real strength of this compilation is the wealth of resources and information on Tertullian’s writings. The series of online shots of Tertullian’s pages provides a next best experience to dusting off an original text of Tertullian. The pages load quickly and easily which should be adequate even for slow modems and I found the navigation logically arranged.

Although this site is geared towards the seeking to be enlightened reader, there are a number of features that are useful to more advanced readers and specialists. The age of Wikipedia indeed is constructive in that specialists have not done what the Wikipedias have done so quickly and pleasantly.

Im Wikipedia Alter leben wir in den auserlesenen Herausgebern haben gewählt klug Betriebsmittel, die wahrscheinlich scheinen, vom bestimmten Gebrauch zu den Nichtgraduierten Kursteilnehmern zu sein. Diese sind der Aufstellungsorte meistens beraten durch die Suchemavens wahrscheinliches, die eine schnelle Verlegenheit für sofortiges Info d.h. unsere Kursteilnehmer suchen. Wenn ein Aufstellungsort zu flighty ist, ist dieser nicht zuverlässig für unsere Kursteilnehmer, aber aus dem gleichen Grunde ist ein auch fachkundiger Aufstellungsort von wenig Wert auf dem Nichtgraduiertniveau.

Diese Richtlinien im Verstand halten, wertete ich das Tertullian Projekt aus. Pearse erklärt öffentlich seinen laienhaften Status, jedoch hat Pearse hilfreich eine indrucksvolle Menge Arbeit über diesen zweiten und dritten Jahrhundert Christapologet zusammengebaut.

Der Versammlungsteilnehmer hat artfully Tertullian Hinweise einschließlich schwierigeres, Textmaterial zugänglich zu machen gesammelt.

In dieser Art der Bemühung, benötigen wir mehr erleuchtete Bewunderer wie Pearse wegen seines Dienstprogrammes. Es gibt eine Vielzahl der Unterabschnitte, die verschiedene Aspekte des Tertullian's Lebens beschäftigen, Schreiben und moderne Gelehrsamkeit. Der Autor hat auch bequem die akademischeren Seiten vom mehr Licht hearted Bereiche geordnet. Zusätzlich zu einer kurzen historischen umreiß auf Tertullian ist die reale Stärke dieser Kompilation die Fülle der Betriebsmittel und der Informationen über Tertullian?s Schreiben. Die Reihe der on-line-Schüsse der Tertullian's Seiten stellt eine folgende beste Erfahrung zum Abwischen weg von einem ursprünglichen Text von Tertullian zur Verfügung. Die Seiten laden schnell und leicht, die sogar für langsame Modem ausreichend sein sollten und ich fand die Navigation logisch geordnet.

Obgleich dieser Aufstellungsort in Richtung zum Suchen, erleuchteter Leser zu sein übersetzt wird, gibt es eine Anzahl von Eigenschaften, die vorgerücktere Leser und Fachleute nützlich sind. Das Alter von Wikipedia ist in der Tat dadurch konstruktiv, daß Fachleute nicht getan haben, was das Wikipedias so schnell und angenehm getan haben.

While we slept . . .

One of the most frustrating aspects of understanding our tepid response to Islamism is how America was so slow to react. The distrust between the CIA and the FBI made both agencies less effective and in fact we've made little progress on the IT issues in the meantime. Years after the fact data collection and sharing is still problematic between law enforcement. The handling by law enforcement and political administrations in viewing the original 1993 attack on the World Trade Center as individual criminal issues, and not part of a concerted effort against Western infidels, was wrong-headed. While the American public was dazzled by the O.J. Simpson trial and the Jon Benet Ramsay murder investigation the West was under attack. The blind Sheik Rahman and his fellow terrorists were already conspiring to blow up N.Y. city landmarks and bridges. This nation slept during the Reagan years when we withdrew from Lebanon after the Marine barracks truck bombing right through the Clinton years when we pulled out of Somalia after the downing of a Blackhawk.

It is little wonder that America was viewed as a tepid power. Weakness emboldens the desperate to increase their efforts. The victims on 9/11 paid the price.

The Caliphate

The Times of London notes the increasing importance the al Qaeda-affiliated groups on Iraq are placing on establishing a militant Islamist state in the Sunni regions of Iraq.

In particular, al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq emphasizes an important theme, the conquest of specific territory in order to establish the beginnings of God's kingdom on earth.

The jihadists place a physical caliphate on earth. It is to be achieved in conjunction with the divinely-blessed spread of jihad across the globe.

The U.S. military faces insurgents with this conviction and the use of classic Al-Qaeda tactics.

DHS and Privacy vs. Real ID

I have to agree with a privacy committee of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) assessment: oppose the Real ID bill, which proposes to create a national standard for state driver's licenses and other forms of state-issued identification.

This bill raises too many privacy, security, and logistical concerns.

The Real ID Act of 2005, in the wake of terrorism, sets minimum national standards that states must use when issuing driver's licenses and other identification. For example, this includes a photo ID, documentation of birth date and address, proof of citizenship or immigration status, and verification of Social Security numbers. As proposed, this law would go into effect in about a year.

Individuals would need Read ID-compliant cards for air travel, accessing federal buildings, or for receiving federal benefits. Moreover, all state driver's license databases would be linked.

The act is objectionable on the grounds that this is a de facto national ID system. Eventually, the U.S. government could spy on ordinary, law-abiding citizen.

Also troubling is that there is no plan for securing the stored identity data. The states are not accountable for the data.

"Failure to provide openness and transparency undermines accountability and trust," the DHS committee noted in its comments.

Concerns along these lines have been expressed by the National Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

Several members of Congress have also expressed their objection: Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and John Sununu (R-N.H.), who proposed the Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007. The bills co-sponsors include Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Lester (D-Mont.).

If the government had thinkers, they would enact a Real ID for criminals and skofflaws. The identification targets the wrong people, the compliant. Of course, people could voluntarily join the program, in fact, this would advantageous for frequent travelers and those who need consistent, easy transit.

As it stands, this is a bad law.

In an update on 6 July 2007, the Governor of New Hampshire signed a bill that rejects federal Real ID law

On 11 May 2007 a Guilty Verdict was handed down in a U.S. - China Spy Case

This is a troublesome case in that it may be indicative of how difficult it may be to nab spies. After a six-week trial a federal jury convicted a Chinese-born engineer of conspiring to export U.S. defense technology to China, including information on an electronic propulsion system that would make submarines virtually undetectable.

Chi Mak exploited his low-key lifestyle and his good reputation to hide his real intent: conspiring to pass U.S. secrets to China for over two decades. Mak is a naturalized U.S. citizen who confessed to the crime and revealed that he lied to investigators.

This individual apparently had no warning signs that he was suspect until he finally was found out and revealed his real intent on his own.

How you combat a clever individual like this without infringing upon individual liberties is an open question.

The U.N. next door

America is filled with communities where it appears as though the U.N. lives next door. However, in the case of the recently charged six terrorists in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, were there any signs that perhaps something was amiss? The terrorists might stand out but it was not considered a major point to note their Muslim religious garb. It is common enough in many communities in the U.S., especially in urban areas, that characteristic Muslim garb is not out of the ordinary.

To wit, the six did have minor, but consistent run-ins with the law. The three arrested brothers regularly attended South Jersey Islamic Center in Palmyra, N.J., where, according to U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, they recruited another alleged conspirator. In short, the accused were no strangers to the police. They were habitual offenders, stopped dozens of times a year for speeding, illegal passing, and driving without a license. One of the accused, Dritan Duka was issued four citations during one five-week period. The three had driving privileges suspended, meaning that they could not even apply for a license, 54 times in less than a decade. Moreover, in 2000, Dritan Duka pled guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and Shain Duka to possession of marijuana.

One characteristic to look for where the U.N. will break down is the flagrant, habitual, and lawless approach of potential troublemakers. The six, despite their protests that their Muslim background attracted attention, is not true. The accused brought about attention upon themselves by their anti-social behavior. America is a great country, too great to allow those who violate community standards unfettered freedom.

Is this war?

Six men arrested as two attempted to buy guns Monday; and, I might add, this is close to home. Apparently, the men laughed as they watched videos of attacks on Americans, including one video where a marine's arm is blown off. The arrested are "Islamic radicals," according to the U.S. Attorney's office. The men were planning to shoot soldiers at Ft. Dix Army base according to the indictment.

The six include three brothers, all with the last name Duka, who were born in the former Yugoslavia and are illegally residing in the United States. The three are: Eljvir, 23, Shain, 26, and Dritan, 28, and said the three operate businesses known as Qadr Inc., Colonial Roofing and National Roofing.

The other three men charged are Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, 22, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a U.S. citizen born in Jordan who is employed as a taxicab driver in Philadelphia; Serdar Tatar, 23, of Philadelphia, born in Turkey, whose last known employment was at a 7-Eleven; and Agron Abdullahu, 24, of Buena Vista Township, born in the former Yugoslavia and employed at a Shop-Rite Supermarket.

One twist to the story is to see if there is any difference in the disposition of the case in that they are illegal, a U.S. citizen, or another classification.

How Jews, Christians, and Muslims celebrate the Sabbath

The idea to survey this topic came about in preparing a review of: Ringwald, Christopher D. A day apart: how Jews, Christians, and Muslims find faith, freedom, and joy on the Sabbath. Oxford, 2007.

G. Mick Smith, review of Armstrong, Karen, The Great Transformation, Choice, February 2007.

G. Mick Smith, review of Armstrong, Karen, The Great Transformation, Choice, February 2007.

The following review appeared in the February 2007 issue of CHOICE.

44-3239 BL430 2005-47536 CIP
Armstrong, Karen. The great transformation: the beginning of our
religious traditions. Knopf, 2006. 469p bibl index ISBN 0375413170,
$30.00

In this current age of "the great transformation," independent scholar
Armstrong postulates how the sages of the foundational Axial Age would address unspeakable horror, violence, and desperation. The distinctive and historic Axial Age faiths announced the abandonment of selfishness and a spirituality of compassion. They stated that first must come personal responsibility and self-criticism, and that practical, effective action must follow. Herein lie the problematic aspects of Armstrong's work and the reasons why this book can be misleading. Its most serious flaw is its finding evidence for ethical behavior in almost all religious behavior and ritual. Armstrong seems to miss the insights of René Girard and Walter Burkert, who have demonstrated how violence and the sacred are inextricably linked. Another problem is that, oddly, she states that Hitler expressed a "militant exclusion of religion from public policy." In fact, Hitler divided German Christians by founding the Patriotic Church in contrast to the Confessing Church. One other interesting side note is that Armstrong's research is based on older published works (only 36 of 284 works cited in the bibliography were published in 2000 or later). Summing Up: Optional. Lower-/upper-level undergraduates; general readers.

Review: The Forgotten Revolution, Lucio Russo

25 Jan 2006
Computing Reviews

The Forgotten Revolution describes the explosion of science in the third
and second centuries BCE. In the age of Archimedes, Eratosthenes, and
Euclid science as we ordinarily recognize the field began as a category
of human knowledge. The forgotten in the title refers to the Alexandrian texts
that were lost and the notion that the breakthroughs of the Renaissance
were based on these texts. Unfortunately, these texts were lost in the
ancient period and subsequently during the Renaissance as well. The
author, Lucio Russo, notes that both scientific revolutions were also
accompanied by great changes and an invigorated awareness in related
fields, such as art and medicine.

The revolution in science is surveyed in ten chapters, an epilogue, and
a mathematical appendix. In chapters 1-7 there is detailed coverage of the
birth, rise, decline and fall of Hellenistic science and technology:
mathematics, mechanics of solids and fluids, topography and geodesy,
optics, astronomy; civil, mechanical, naval, and military engineering; anatomy,
physiology, biology, and medicine; economics and mass production
techniques; architecture and urban development; psychoanalysis and cognitive
sciences.

An interesting inquiry of Russo¹s is the methodological nature of
Hellenistic mathematics. More important than the discoveries of the
Greeks noted above is the method they introduced, that is, the axiomatic,
deductive manner of argumentation that typifies mathematics. In general, the
deductive method, allied to the experimental method also introduced by the
Hellenistic scientists, is a modern approach to exact sciences.

The brilliance of the Hellenistic scientific revolution was lost in that
scientific method was abandoned in antiquity and its renaissance was
incredibly lax and centuries in coming. As late as the age of Newton,
who was representative Renaissance thinker, scientists worked at a level
still far below the Hellenistic level of rigorous method. This in itself is a
worthwhile point to make. When Russo relies on the philological evidence
alone he makes a convincing argument.

Another key inquiry is the idea that the heliocentric theories of
planetary motions were discovered far before the Hellenistic era. Aristarchus of
Samos and a century later with Hipparchus of Nicea Russo convincingly
demonstrates evidence that some Hellenistic writers knew of heliocentric ideas. They
developed a dynamical theory of planetary motions based on the attractions
of the planets toward the Sun. The work of Hipparchus is unfortunately
no longer extant but in an obscure work of Plutarch, sprinkled throughout
the Natural History of Plinius, the Natural Questions of Seneca, and the
Architecture of Vitruvius, enough philological evidence suggests that
the cultural elites of the early Roman Imperial period knew heliocentric
theories.

Much later Newton, who had the complete works of Plutarch in his
library, apparently included the heliocentric idea but without a credit attached.
Although some may think this an unethical act, it was in fact commonly
done if an author works in an academic field and elsewhere clearly credits
one¹ssources, and Newton does.

One simple reason the tradition of heliocentric theory is lost is that
the commonly cited Principia only included this portion in a Scholia or an
annotation on the original manuscript not appearing in the commonly
printed version.

Russo should be appreciated not only in the detailed transmission of
specific ideas but within a major historical problem of antiquity. The
decline and fall of antique civilization was occurring as Hellenistic
ideaswere pushed to the background as Max Weber thoroughly discussed the
issue of decadence. As trade in antiquity declined, so did the accompanied
flowering of art, literature, and scientific inquiry. The key insights of
Hellenistic thought languished then until the Renaissance and their re-discovery by
modern scientific thought.

This volume would not be of interest for most computing professionals
because the only closely related topic are analog computational aids. It
would however be of note for a general educated audience with an
interest in history of science, mathematics, physics, engineering, astronomy,
medicine and classical civilizations.

Four works read in tandem with Russo¹s would be instructive: The
Mathematics of Plato's Academy, by David H. Fowler (Oxford, 1999), and
The Shaping of Deduction in Greek Mathematics, by Reviel Netz
(Cambridge, 1999), Otto Neugebauer, Exact Sciences in Antiquity, and Sir Thomas
Heath, A History of Greek Mathematics. In addition, these four works are often on
sounder ground than Russo¹s volume.

Review: Dis/integrating animals, Warkentin

Date: Mon 26-06-2006 11:14 AM

Computing Reviews:

"Dis/integrating animals: ethical dimensions of the genetic engineering of animals for human consumption" Warkentin T. AI & Society 20(1): 82-102, 2005

IT professionals should be reflecting on this piece to answer questions of identity. What we are as humans is more typically posed to technologists by thinkers such as George Dyson who argues that machines, specifically computers, will evolve beyond humans. On the other hand, Warkentin provocatively claims that we become less human by genetically altering animal bodies.

The question is: are we becoming something beyond human because of our machines or is genetic engineering robbing us of our humanity?

Warkentin ranges over feminism, biology, and philosophy to lament that genetic technologies engineer impure food and ending the suffering of animals through genetic modification diminishes both animals and humans.

Warkentin reveals a secular sensibility for long-standing religious issues of identity, purification, and suffering.

Religions generally maintain that food or anything that enters the body may pollute. Indeed, contamination by polluted food is a pervasive danger, typically involving intricate avoidance principles which Orthodox Judaism, particularly kosher rules, artfully articulates.

In the classic work Purity and Danger (1966) Mary Douglas focuses on pollution with a cogent analysis of food taboos. Religions outline an agenda for congregants to follow maintaining their sense of identity.

Warkentin maintains that human identity is diminished or defiled by eating genetically engineered food, what Douglas introduces as “dirt.”

But that ingesting a given food which has a spiritually polluting quality independent of our post-modern cultural context does not seem to be based on an objective fact. Warkentin ultimately does not demonstrate how genetically modified food pollutes us.

No response from democracynow.org

Date:
Tue 11-07-2006 04:16 PM

I object to McCarthyism

I happened to view your broadcasting today (democracynow.org) for the first time and I am
writing to express how appalled I am by your abysmal ethics. The anchor,
Ms. Goodman, sequed into a story with the line, "we go now from a story
of an American soldier raping and murdering Iraqi civilians to a story
of a soldier who went AWOL." I am horrified that a broadcaster would try
and convict an individual on live television a la' McCarthy. Correct me
if I'm wrong but does not this individual, as reprehensible as many
people would find him if he is in fact quilty, have the right to due
process and a jury of his peers to convict him? This has not happened.
Perhaps it will, perhaps it will not but this person has the right in a
democracy to his day in court and you have no right to convict anyone on
television. Ms. Goodman had the perfect opportunity to instruct the
Iraqi journalist--employed by the L.A. Times--in the rules of evidence
and how democracy works but she squandered the moment and uncritically
accepted the hearsay evidence presented by the journalist. I object to
McCarthyism and the fraud that is entitled "Democracy Now." Indeed,
democracy works and your broadcasting should attempt to live out the
ideals, ethics, and the objective journalist responsibility that it
entails.
Regards,
G. Mick Smith, PhD

Review: A Companion to Nietzsche, ed. Keith Ansell Pearson

The following review appeared in the July 2006 issue of CHOICE.

A Companion to Nietzsche, ed. by Keith Ansell Pearson. Blackwell
Publishing, 2006. 600p bibl index (Blackwell companions to philosophy,
33) ISBN 1405116226, $149.95

This worthwhile collection portrays many of the most preeminent
Nietzschean scholars in Europe and the US. The volume adds to an
excellent series in philosophy by Blackwell. It offers a moving array
of Nietzsche scholars who represent a plethora of approaches. Following
the two practical introductions to Nietzsche's life, philosophy, and
style, the varied essays address the most familiar Nietzschean themes,
as well as important but more neglected ones such as Nietzsche's notion
of science. The major sections include "Art, Nature, and
Individuation," "Nietzsche's Philosophy of the Future," "Philosophy of
Mind," "Philosophy and Genealogy," "Ethics," "Politics," "Aesthetics,"
and "Evolution and Life." Moreover, contributors offer innovative
treatments of Nietzsche's core and enigmatic ideas such as eternal
recurrence, the will to power, and the "overhuman." Interestingly woven
together are Nietzsche's published and unpublished Nachlass. Among the
contributors are a stimulating selection of scholars and new writers on
Nietzschean themes. They include Jill Marsden, Babette E. Babich,
Volker Gerhardt, Kathleen Marie Higgins, Laurence Lampert, Richard
Schacht, Andreas Urs Sommer, and Paul van Tongeren. Summing Up:
Recommended. Graduate students and above.

Review: Evolutionary Scheduling

"Evolutionary Scheduling: A Review," Hart, E., Ross P., Corne D. Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines 6(2): 191-220.

Date: Wed 13-09-2006 08:33 AM

ComputingReviews.com

Review Number: 54703

Evolutionary Scheduling

“Evolutionary Scheduling: A Review” Hart E., Ross P., Corne D. Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines 6(2): 191-220.

This review article is of substantial value for those who need an update on research material that applies evolutionary computing methods to scheduling problems. The last major survey has not been performed since 1999, when a major statement emerged from the European Network of Excellence on Evolutionary Computing (EVONET). The three co-authors here have done an admirable overview and report on “current trends, achievements, and suggesting the way forward” (191) in this regard. In particular, this article is of wide interest since the ideas can be applied to many common scheduling issues such as job-shop scheduling problems, an area much discussed in academic literature. The authors point out that algorithms today are capable of tackling enormous and difficult real-world problems, a major advance over earlier surveys such as the EVONET report.

Review: Hempel, Sandra, The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump

The following review appeared in the July 2007 issue of CHOICE.

CHOICE: 000000561309

Hempel, Sandra. The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera, University of California Press, Berkeley: 2007.

Reviewed: 03/20/2007

In this well-written medical history the author, Sandra Hempel,
fascinatingly portrays the mysterious transmission of cholera in 1831
London. Although written at the level of sound academic standards,
Hempel relates a ripping yarn by demonstrating how the monk-like
physician John Snow alone methodically, but insightfully, investigated
how cholera proliferated through drinking water. Snow disregarded
conventional medical wisdom while scientifically identifying the origin, conveyance, and contagious nature of the cholera pandemic. Still this work is not for the faint of heart. In excruciating detail Hempel recounts how the most vulnerable, in one poor unfortunate case, three-year old William Somerville, underwent an alleged cure that was far more barbaric than the cholera itself which may have cleared up on its own. However, the pandemic necessitated a scientific cure as cholera bafflingly seized millions from the squalor of Soho to the elite confines of the Royal Medical College and the Privy Council. In her masterful hands, Hempel is to be commended for writing an intriguing account of an historic plague, sprinkled with a vibrant cast of actors offering instructive and timely insights for current challenges of infectious diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and cholera.

Hempel, Sandra. The strange case of the Broad Street pump: John Snow
and the mystery of cholera. California, 2007. 321p bibl index afp
ISBN 0520250494, $24.95

Review: Dickheiser, M. Game Programming Gems 6, Charles River Media, Boston: Massachusetts, 2006.

This is the sixth volume of the popular and practical Game Programming Gems series. The series from the 1st volume has addressed timely issues as they have emerged; currently, teams are growing larger and developers are increasingly specialists. The Gems series addresses this need by providing state-of-art, readily available material for the specialist and handy resources that may be outside your bailiwick. Also timely is that current machines and player expectations are requiring higher-fidelity models and animations, fancier physics and graphics effects, and more intelligent AI. With these rising expectations on the work of programmers and the greater level of sophistication required, these demands entail flexible teams and longer production schedules, especially in light of scripting and data-driven systems (p. 319). Of course, the biggest issue is cost (p. xi). Helpfully, the over 50 articles in the volume address these demands and expectations.

An important fact is the collaborative reach of the game technology experts in that they arise from sundry backgrounds and over twenty countries. The experts are not only gaming experts but some are from outside the industry. Moreover, collaboration is truly global: from every part of the world, encompassing such diverse places as Eastern Europe, Latin America, North America, Singapore, and Japan.

This volume is not recommended for a faint of heart newer game programmer since this does not really function as a primer although it is very readable nonetheless. More likely is that the specialist will pick and choose their topics of interest and the dedicated programmer will learn a great deal of interest by reading more thoroughly. The series is aptly named Gems and there are nuggets galore.

A pragmatic way to find the needed gems is to peruse the seven parts for something of interest: Section 1 General Programming; Section 2 Mathematics and Physics; Section 3 Artificial Intelligence; Section 4 Scripting and Data-Driven Systems; Section 5 Graphics; Section 6 Audio; and Section 7 Network and Multiplayer. Most programmers would benefit by finding their particular areas of interest and then look for handy tools in other sections.

General Programming is not for the novice, as the name may imply but rather involves multiprocessor techniques, unit testing, and security fingerprinting. Mathematics and Physics is a constant and involves all things FPU, CPU, and GPU. Artificial Intelligence is always popular, and in this volume demonstrates current work in cognitive science and machine intelligence, with a strong representation from academia. AI techniques shown here can be applied in “other systems in the engine” (p. xvii). The inaugural appearance of Scripting and Data-Driven Systems is a worthwhile addition to the Gems series. The most popular and emerging languages (with the main core C++: Python, Lua, GameMonkey, and AngelScript) provide a starting point for your engine with a flexible backbone. Graphics combines old and new technologies with numerous sharp techniques. Audio includes insightful ideas for advanced uses of the audio system. Finally, Network and Multiplayer is another emerging area as global players, Massively Multiplayer Online Prototype (MMOP), plug in to play. As the gaming content has increased so too has the multiplicity of players and now, across networks.

The Editor notes that gaming is not just for game developers anymore. Game-based Learning, Edutainment, commercial and military training simulations, academics, and other "serious games" have all made their mark (p. xv). The upshot of this new found attention is that the "noobs" (p. xvi, a slang insult for newbies) are starting to feed back their input into gaming. At this point, the implications of this feed back is not at all clear but what is obvious is that gaming will be transforming into new and potentially very excitingly complex areas.

The focus in this volume accounts for gaming complexity focusing as it does on providing cutting-edge development that is of interest to those outside the gaming industry. Another sign of gaming maturity is the rise of growth and complexity issues related to the size and intricacy of games. The section on Scripting and Data-Driven Systems, along with Network and Multiplayer, converge in the two emerging areas of interest to those outside gaming. Some of the most exciting topics are these two, especially when converged. A related area of convergence is how AI is of interest to those inside gaming and outside it as well. If well coded, AI can provide the behavior of characters that are seemingly more intelligent, more human-like, hence yielding a more involving game.

This volume, although replete with complex topics, is readable, current, and just about the best in its field. The enclosed CD has source code illustrating points in the articles. The Index is really handy as well, including as it does information on all six volumes in the series. The illustrations are well done and add desirable visual examples.