Book Description
Exploring the Matrix presents eighteen thought-provoking essays on what the Matrix films have to say and exactly how they say it. Readers will discover the fascinating history of some of the themes set forth in the Wachowski Brothers' landmark films, why they are important, and what their implications are. Additional bestselling and award-winning authors include: -Pat Cadigan-John Shirley -Joe Haldeman-Alan Dean Foster -Walter John Williams-Dean Motter. Exploring the Matrix also includes stunning original art by digital artists Robert Zohrab and Darrel Anderson, making this blockbuster book a must for every fan of the Matrix films.
Customer Reviews:
Pse, pse.......2007-01-16
At first sight, it promises large hours discovering philosophical and scientifical bases of matrix, but this book contains a very short review in comparision with other products avilable at amazon. Try anotherone, it will be better for you, for your time, and your money.
Bye!
Essays Are Wealth of Ideas.......2004-12-03
The essays written by these successful science fiction writers are all very interesting in thier own right. Thier review of the movie is also helpful to gain a deeper insight into its meaning, or lack thereof.
The Matrix is the movie for our time.......2004-05-17
We stand at the doorway of a whole new world. Of course if there was ever a powercut that new world would cease to exist. Never the less I am grateful to any author who will construct a deeper insight into those worlds such is given here. We need visionaries to show us what can be possible and what to be careful of... Its a wonderful time to be online..
interesting anthology.......2003-05-16
the eve of the release of the first of two sequels (the number 3 is the power number in science fiction - reviewer babble). The eighteen contributions come from a virtual "cyberpunk and science-fiction visionaries" with most of the inputs quite interesting especially when two authors are diametrically opposite in their interpretation of the film. Debates range the gamut from whether the heroes are cyberpunks opposed to the overreach of science placing a web on their personal lives or comic book superheroes on the screen. If one is looking for the next great philosophical debate or a treatise on the Second Coming, then go elsewhere. However, fans of the movie will enjoy the discussion, much of which is simple fluff, but also enough fun stuff. Though enjoyable, the bottom line of EXPLORING THE MATRIX is the psycho prattle debate seeks hidden meaning when to many of the fans it is simply an entertaining flick.
Harriet Klausner
From *DarkEcho*: For Both MATRIX & Cyberpunk Fans.......2003-04-16
You never know quite what to expect from a nonfiction tie-in to a
popular film or series. (I'm sure one of these days we'll see THE RELIGIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF DOCTOR WHO,
and HANNIBAL LECTER'S FAVORITE RECIPES and they'll be just as bad as
those titles suggest.) But EXPLORING THE MATRIX, edited by Karen
Haber, exceeds whatever the expectations are -- and with considerable
brio.
EXPLORING THE MATRIX offers far more than a choice of red or blue
pill. There are predictable references to William Gibson, P.K Dick,
Charles Dodgson, Jack Williamson, and Nick Bostrum; but there are
also random flashes of the unexpected: "Punk fashion has always been
protective armor. The spikes, the leather, the razors, the zippers,
they are what you put on after flower-power has choked to death on
its own vomit. It's Kevlar for the soft marshmallow core of youthful
idealism." (Bruce Sterling)..."The result of figure _without_ ground
is _Symbolism_." (Dean Motter)... "the most successful movements are
always punished by becoming clichés" (David Brin)...Joe Haldeman
muses briefly about interpreting the movie through the obscure
mythology of sf fandom (and wisely tiptoes by that sleeping dog.)
You'll find some agreement and constant contradictions: THE MATRIX is
nothing but style / THE MATRIX has spiritual depth. It has nothing to
do with cyberpunk; it has everything to do with cyberpunk. And the
essays say a surprising (and contradictory) amount about cyberpunk
itself. Most of the essays are more entertaining than weighty. It's
all well-written, formalized "sitting around the bar with very
intelligent, witty friends at a great con" stuff rather than
dissertation material. You'll find yourself wanting to continue the
discussion -- "Well, yes, but what about..." or "Oh no! I have to
disagree..."
Paul DiFillippo's essay on literary influences solidly connects
everything and everyone from the Bible, Blake, and Baum to Michael
Moorcock and Neil Gaiman. Haber considers the black joke that the
high-tech sfx movie is profoundly anti-science. Alan Dean Foster
proves that the movie's true meaning is that nerdy geeks can triumph.
Ian Watson's essay connects THE MATRIX to French social theorist Jean
Baudrillard and convincingly argues it should be seen as a superhero
movie exploiting, rather than exemplifying, cyberpunk themes. John
Shirley seems to be the only writer to recognize "the group of films
galvanized by the same furnace of fermenting realization" along with
THE MATRIX. Rick Berry writes on the ancient past of CGI and
expresses refreshing optimism about cyberspace.
The essays are accompanied by the magnificent art of Darrel Anderson
(who also supplies an essay) and Robert Zahrab (which, sadly I could
get only an impression of since I have the galley and not the
finished product) and spiffy design. A must-read for the film's fans,
EXPLORING THE MATRIX it's highly recommended reading for science
fiction buffs as well. -- Paula Guran
#
Customer Reviews:
Great all around coverage of Defensive Bridge Play.......2006-03-22
The emphasis on this book is on how to think when on defense. How to think about:
- Clues from the bidding - shape and distribution of the two unseen hands.
-Clues from the opening lead - why did pard lead a suit and not another. Ex. Pard bid Spades and you supported, but he lead Diamonds. Maybe he has the unsupported Ace.
- Counting HCP
- Counting Declarers tricks - if you can see that his finesses will win you may have to take a risky action, like leading K from Kx, its your only chance. (This wouldn't work well at MPs)
Basics are covered such as:
- How to choose an opening lead , especially when to lead trump
- How declarer plans on making his contract i.e. how dummy will be used. For ruffs, for long suit establishment, etc.
- When to defend actively vs. Passively
Lets say Dummy has A Q 10 8 7 in a side suit and you lead another suit and pard wins and returns a trump. Why did he do that? Throwing away the tempo!!! Its probably becaus he has K J 9 x behind Dummy and knows declarer isn't making much in that suit and will need another source of tricks.
- How to thwart declarers plan - eliminate entries to dummy, lead trumps to cut down on ruffs, etc.
An all around great book, material clearly explained, with good examples and quizzes.
Note: Carding concentions are presented IN DEPTH in the authors other book "Modern Bridge defense".
Offensive guide to Bridge Defence.......2001-04-10
It is a complete book on the subject. Chapters are well organised and basic principles are so licidly explained that any astute reader will be immense beneficial out of this book. The examples choosen are not only cute in a sense of its presentation but also make a most difficult thing understable so easily. It is not a book of the Intermediates rather experts could also refresh their knowledge before Championship. Quizes not only explain one particular point but also brought to the surface many other co-related issues. It is a must in every bridge players desk.
Average customer rating:
- Interesting
- Meh.
- good so far
- A Must Read for the Serious Investigator
- "On S'engage Et Puis On Voit!"
|
The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations
Dietrich Dorner
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
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Similar Items:
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Inviting Disaster: Lessons From the Edge of Technology
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Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies
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Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences (Vintage)
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Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age of Complexity
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Human Error
ASIN: 0201479486 |
Customer Reviews:
Interesting.......2007-07-04
Dense, detailed and often fascinating. Fluid writing despite translation from German. Those who are used to jumping to conclusions will find much to learn here regardless of the overall malfunction. Unfortunately, the promise shown initially is not fully delivered for several reasons. The author makes frequent use of his simulations, tests, and models and asks much of the reader who has only read a brief introduction to them. In the later chapters, it's more tedious to follow along with his constant references; furthermore, the book essentially becomes an argument for the use of computer-simulated research rather than a distilled analysis of failure. The last chapter feigns a comprehensive summary, but drifts away as the author ponders the process of determining the point of failure. I could take it, then, as either (i) a technical, interesting but inconclusive study of the reasons for failure which focuses on a mere handful of examples; or (ii) an outdated, abstract examination of the process for examining failure, which does not consider alternative approaches and isn't thorough enough to be worthwhile.
If you're interested in note-taking and then drawing your own conclusions, then this book should be an excellent read as it's filled with detail. For others, it delivers a few very fascinating chapters about our cognitive biases and then fails to draw them together cogently.
Meh........2007-05-27
Things are complex. Watch the behaviors of items in a system closely. Get a computer to model the cause and effect relationships. Things don't always respond like you would expect. That's the book in a nutshell... I ended up speed reading the book instead of word for word because I couldn't handle all of the excessive examples, nor the continued reference back to his computer simulation "real" models (and I *like* computers!).
good so far.......2007-01-10
This was recommended to me at work. Interesting analysis of why problem-solving approaches to social problems so often fail, and why they so often fail so miserably. Basically, there are two types of problem-solvers. Successful problem solvers make one small change, then observe the result. Unsuccessful problem solvers decide on a strategy ahead of time, implement all changes at once, and either stick to their strategy no matter how badly it is failing or scrap their strategy entirely and introduce a brand new one, without transition. Interesting case studies to illustrate the point that logic without logical use of empiricism is ineffective, and common.
A Must Read for the Serious Investigator.......2007-01-04
Dorner provides great insights into why we humans are not as smart as we think we are. He shows how our slowness in thinking, our inability to process large amounts of information at any one time, our arrogance, and short sightedness all contribute to ineffective problem solving. While he attempts to provide ways to avoid these stumbling blocks, he falls short on this mission. A much better read for how to avoid these pitfalls can be found in Apollo Root Cause Analysis.
"On S'engage Et Puis On Voit!".......2006-12-22
Napoleon said "On s'engage et puis on voit!" Loosely translated that means "One jumps into the fray, then figures out what to do next," a common human approach to planning. This discussion (page 161) takes on the adaptability of thought and cautions decision makers about the risks of overplanning in a dynamic, multivariate system. Using examples from Napoleon as well as more concrete examples such as the quotation about soccer strategy (also on page 161,) Dietrich Dörner, the brilliant German behavioral psychologist (University of Bamberg) has created a masterwork on decision making skills in complex systems; I find it to be highly complimentary to Perrow's work and also highly recommend his equally brilliant "Normal Accidents."
A strength of this work is that Dörner takes examples from so many areas including his own computer simulations which show the near-universal applicability of his concepts. One of Dörner's main themes is the failure to think in temporal configurations (page 198): in other words, humans are good at dealing with problems they currently have, but avoid dealing with and tend to ignore problems they don't have (page 189): potential outcomes of decisions are not foreseen, sometimes with tragic consequences. In one computer simulation (page 18) Dörner had a group of hypereducated academics attempt to manage farmland in Africa: they failed miserably. In this experiment Dörner made observations about the decision makers which revealed that they had: "acted without prior analysis of the situation; failed to anticipate side effects and long-term repercussions; assumed the absence of immediately negative effects meant that correct measures had been taken; and let overinvolvement in 'projects' blind them to emerging needs and changes in the situation." (How many governmental bodies the world over does this remind you of?)
I am a safety professional, and am especially interested in time-critical decision making skills. Dörner's treatment of the Chernobyl accident is the most insightful summation I have seen. He makes the point that the entire accident was due to human failings, and points out the lack of risk analysis (and managerial pressure) and fundamental lack of appreciation for the reactivity instability at low power levels (and more importantly how operators grossly underestimated the danger that changes in production levels made, page 30.) Dörner's grasp here meshes the psychology and engineering disciplines (engineers like stasis; any change in reactivity increases hazards.) Another vital point Dörner makes is that the Chernobyl operators knowingly violated safety regulations, but that violations are normally positively reinforced (i.e. you normally "get away with it," page 31.) The discussion about operating techniques on pages 33 and 34 is insightful: the operators were operating the Chernobyl Four reactor intuitively and not analytically. While there is room for experiential decision making in complex systems, analysis of future potential problems is vital.
In most complex situations the nature of the problems are intransparent (page 37): not all information we would like to see is available. Dörner's explanation of the interactions between complexity, intransparence, internal dynamics (and developmental tendencies,) and incomplete (or incorrect) understanding of the system involved shows many potential pitfalls in dynamic decision making skills. One of the most important of all decision making criteria Dörner discusses is the importance of setting well defined goals. He is especially critical of negative goal setting (intention to avoid something) and has chosen a perfect illustrative quote from Georg Christoph Lichtenberg on page 50: "Whether things will be better if they are different I do not know, but that they will have to be different if they are to become better, that I do know." A bigger problem regarding goals occurs when "we don't even know that we don't understand," a situation that is alarmingly common in upper management charged with supervising technical matters (page 60.)
Fortunately Dörner does have some practical solutions to these problems, most in chapter six, "Planning." One of the basics (page 154) is the three step model in any planning decision (condition element, action element, and result element) and how they fit into large, dynamic systems. This is extremely well formulated and should be required reading for every politician and engineer. These concepts are discussed in conjunction with "reverse planning" (page 155) in which plans are contrived backwards from the goal. I have always found this a very useful method of planning or design, but Dörner finds that is rare. Dörner argues that in extremely complex systems (Apollo 13 is a perfect example) that intermediate goals are sometimes required as decision trees are enormous. This sometimes relies on history and analogies (what has happened in similar situations before) but it may be required to stabilize a situation to enable further critical actions. This leads back to the quote that titles this review: 'adaptability of thought' (my term) is vital to actions taken in extremely complex situations. Rigid operating procedures and historical problems may not always work: a full understanding of the choices being made is vital, although no one person is likely to have this understanding; for this reason Dörner recommends there be a "redundancy of potential command" (page 161) which is to say a group of highly trained leaders able to carry out leadership tasks within their areas of specialty (again, NASA during Apollo 13) reportable in a clear leadership structure which values their input. Dörner then points out that nonexperts may hold key answers (page 168); though notes that experts should be in charge as they best understand the thought processes applicable in a given scenario (pages 190-193.) This ultimately argues for more oversight by technicians and less by politicians: I believe (and I am guessing Dörner would concur) that we need more inter- and intra-industry safety monitoring, and fewer congressional investigations and grandstanding.
This is a superb book; I recommend it highly to any safety professional as mandatory reading, and to the general public for an interesting discussion of decision making skills.
Average customer rating:
|
Implicature: Intention, Convention, and Principle in the Failure of Gricean Theory (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy)
Wayne A. Davis
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0521038065 |
Book Description
H. P. Grice's theory of implicature provides the leading paradigm for research in pragmatics. Wayne Davis argues controversially that Gricean theory does not work. In developing his argument the author explains that the psycho-social principles actually define the social function of implicature conventions, which contribute to the satisfaction of those principles. By offering a searching and systematic critique of one of the established doctrines in the philosophy of language, this challenging book will be of particular importance to philosophers of language and linguists, especially those working in pragmatics and socio-linguistics.
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Theory of Cmos Digital Circuits and Circuit Failures
Masakazu Shoji
Manufacturer: Princeton Univ Pr
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0691087636 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from IIE Transactions, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2007. The length of the article is 10438 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the author: Keywords: Cox proportional hazard model, discrete event sequence, failure event prediction, failure signatures
Citation Details
Title: Failure event prediction using the Cox proportional hazard model driven by frequent failure signatures.
Author: Zhiguo Li
Publication:
IIE Transactions (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 39
Issue: 3
Page: 303(13)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Gene Logic discovers genes for renal disease.(Brief Article): An article from: BIOTECH Patent News
Manufacturer: Biotech Patent News
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Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B00099LEZW
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from BIOTECH Patent News, published by Biotech Patent News on December 1, 1999. The length of the article is 444 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Gene Logic discovers genes for renal disease.(Brief Article)
Publication:
BIOTECH Patent News (Newsletter)
Date: December 1, 1999
Publisher: Biotech Patent News
Volume: 13
Issue: 12
Page: NA
Article Type: Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Infantry Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2006. The length of the article is 2278 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The logic of failure.(TRAINING NOTES)
Author: G. Gabriel Serbu
Publication:
Infantry Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 95
Issue: 4
Page: 48(3)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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