Sweethearts of the Sage: Biographies and Filmographies of 258 Actresses Appearing in Western Movies

Book Description

Hundreds of leading ladies have appeared in the thousands of Westerns produced since 1903's The Great Train Robbery, riding in and out, never to be heard of again. A relative few of the women stayed around to make a name for themselves. This comprehensive biographical reference book of those rangeland queens is divided into four parts: "Path Finders," active before 1920; "Trail Blazers," whose heyday was in the 1920s; "Pioneers," of the 1930s and 1940s; and "Homesteaders," primarily post-1940. If an actress appeared in at least eight Westerns, or a lesser number of significant oaters, she is in this book. Generously illustrated.

Amazon.com

The gap between the technological mentality and the mystical outlook may not be as great as it seems. Erik Davis looks at modern information technology--and much previous technology--to reveal how much of it has roots in spiritual attitudes. Furthermore, he explores how those who embrace each new technological advance often do so with designs and expectations stemming from religious sensibilities. In doing so, Davis both compares and contrasts the scientific attitude that we can know reality technologically and the Gnostic idea of developing ultimate understanding. Although organized into reasonable chapters, there's a strong stream-of-consciousness component to Davis's writing. His expositions may run, for example, from information theory to the nebulous nature of Gnosticism to the philosophical problem of evil-all in just a few pages. It's as if there are so many connections to make that Davis's prose has to run back and forth across time and space drawing the lines. But the result, rather than being chaotic, is a lively interplay of wide-ranging ideas. His style is equally lively and generally engaging--if sometimes straying into the hip. In the end, he succeeds in showing the spiritual side of what some may see as cold, technological thought. --Elizabeth Lewis

Book Description

"A most informative account of a culture whose secular concerns continue to collide with their supernatural flip-side."-Voice Literary Supplement

In this dazzling book, writer and cyber guru Erik Davis demonstrates how religious imagination, magical dreams and millennialist fervor have always permeated the story of technology. Through shamanism to Gnosticism, voodoo to alchemy, Buddhism to evangelism, TechGnosis peels away the rational shell of infotech to reveal the utopian dreams, alien obsessions and apocalyptic visions that populate the ongoing digital revolution.

Erik Davis' work has appeared in Wired, The Village Voice and Gnosis, and he has lectured internationally on technoculture and new forms of religion. He is a fifth-generation Californian who currently lives in San Francisco.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting look at technology.......2006-03-24

In TechGnosis, Erik Davis explores the relationship between the seemingly distinct worlds of technology and mysticism. Through a nearly overwhelming number of examples, Davis attempts to illustrate how technology has been influential in religious movements from Ancient Greece to the cyber-cults of recent years, and how mysticism has shaped technology, especially in modern IT. Throughout the book, he focuses on the similarities between the early Christian religion, Gnosticism, and the view of technology that our society holds today, citing the shared preoccupation with developing the knowledge to escape the troubles of the world. The connections are not always completely convincing, however, because Davis tends to present parallels between the two forms of thought rather than true relationships. Nonetheless, the book is a comprehensive overview of the progression of religion and technology, providing interesting accounts of alchemy, mesmerization, the early days of the Internet, and the power of science fiction and UFOs on culture and cults. The book has a very non-biased feeling, as Davis does not advocate a shift towards or away from a certain worldview, or attempt to prove the legitimacy of any religious views like so many other books on the topic. This makes the book feel a bit incomplete, as Davis simply presents a great deal of information and trivia that show similarities between religion and technology, without fully developing the implications of this similarity. However, the book remains powerful and interesting, and is written in an absorbing style. TechGnosis would entertain and educate anyone with an interest in the history and philosophy of technology, or mysticism and religion.

SUBLIME.......2005-09-01

What a fantastic read! Synthesis at last! At face value the world of IT is horribly devoid of any spiritual meaning. Davis slaughters that conception showing how, from prehistoric times, the story of technology has always been inextricably bound with man's spiritual quest.

The writing style is excellent, nuanced, quirky and the scope panoramic. Davis obviously has a very firm grip on such diverse subjects as history, religion, esoterica, IT, media and pop culture.

Working from prehistoric times through to a peek into the near future, speculations of the world of virtual embodiment and "plug-n-play" Nirvana, are rich food-for-thought. Can't wait for his next book due out in early 2006.

What Goes Around Comes Around.......2005-05-11

One of the funniest things about Techgnosis: Myth, Magic + Mysticism in the Age of Information, Erik Davis's much-ballyhooed 1999 release, was how it skewed the conventions of ' Frisco technological mysticism, managing to be distinctively perverse in a world already saturated with impenetrable tech writing and books with incredibly long and pretentious titles. At times the writing was laborious - tedious psychedelic musings, as Davis' Neo-geek garb, pseudo-intellectual facial hair, and droning point of view plugged you into the visionary amorality of robots.
With its oft-seen spiritual imagery and techno-porno bent, Techgnosis: Myth, Magic + Mysticism in the Age of Information finds Davis thin and wandering, blowing ploys that never worked before anyway - long words that no one is meant to understand, echoes of better writing, loose jamming that should have been edited into non-existence.

(...)

Sure, there are moments - the spine features an amazing font, the index is beautifully alphabetised and the Introduction admirably sums up Davis's creed ("Use words with a silent G and you'll surely alienate the unwashed masses"). A shuffling, upbeat passage of silly suppositions and the best use of Xena, Warrior Princess references since The Simpsons, the Intro expresses a bare logic of desire ("I want people to think that I'm smart, but also cool") that makes reading it seem as fun as sticking rusty nails into your eyeballs.
Chapter 1's miasma begins with 'a completely generalised statement about humanity', which starts out as fine, brain-twisting, leather-elbow-patch academia, but loses it after Davis uses the words Dionysian, Apollonian and Bacchantes in the same sentence. I haven't been able to get through the rest of the book without nodding out - the distinct lack of clarity is pleasant enough, but I expected more.

Unlike Margaret Wertheim or Richard Coyne, Davis hasn't figured out that a successful Techno-spiritual fusion requires brevity. The great bits here - mystery of faith, cliched exploration of tech-angst, an endearing lack of direction- are overwhelmed by ego-driven writing, ambiguous references to overtly obscure source material. Two-thirds of the way through, Techgnosis: Myth, Magic + Mysticism in the Age of Information starts reading like a fourteen-hour layover in Kashmir, a long-distance runaround with only Wired magazine and a pack of purple Bubblicious to pass the time.

(...)

Beautiful and Chaotic.......2003-12-07

This book drew me to it with the cool cover (it's got holes in it!) and pulled me in with phrases like "glittering void of possibility" and "The emperor of technoscience has achieved dominion, though his clothes are growing more threadbare by the moment". I think in pictures, and this book makes awesome imagery.

I've never done acid, but I imagine the writing style and imagery create similar pictures in mind. It looks somewhat like Fantasia in my mind. Sometimes you have to go back and reread to figure out how exactly the pink elephants turned into flying horses. :) Due to this, I have never been able to sit down and read this book for more than 20 min at a time (and normally I can sit for hours reading) because my brain threatens to melt down.

This book is also not for those who want a concise text that talks about one or two topics exclusively. This book spans topics from Artificial Intelligence to Ben Franklin to Necromancer to Thoth and ties in everything in between - all relating it to how spirituality and technology interact.

I didn't know anything about Gnosticsm when I picked up the book - and I can't honestly say I know much about it now. I thought a book that talked about technology and spirituality throughout history would be fascinating - and I was right. It has been very educational, and sometimes I need to look things up to understand a topic, although most of the people and topics he mentioned are familiar to me (even though I seldom know that particular tidbit).

For reference, I have an associates degree (general studies) and a handful of computer science classes. I'm not the worlds most educated or well read person, but I have picked up surface information on quite a few topics and find anything to do with magic, spirituality, or computers fascinating. And I like stories about history when they don't bog me down in dates. :)

Techno wizard.......2003-01-20

Techgnosis creatively runs the gamut of the language and human expression game - unfurled in such divergent media as computers, literature, and science.

Davis paints a vivid picture of worlds that have opened up as a result of cutting edge human thinking and natural extensions of the human nervous system which have made our lives - if not entirely more useful - at least a lot more interesting and enjoyable.

Davis is a modern shaman who ties together the mystical with the technological in ways that make sense.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Institute on Religion and Public Life on May 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1705 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: TECHGNOSIS: MYTH, MAGIC, AND MYSTICISM IN THE AGE OF INFORMATION.(Review)
Author: John J. Reilly
Publication: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 1999
Publisher: Institute on Religion and Public Life
Page: 64(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Chess enthusiasts can determine their mastery by facing off against 20 of the world's top players. This instructive and amusing test-yourself guide by a grandmaster asks readers to predict their opponent's moves and helps to improve their game by studying the plans and ideas of renowned players.

Customer Reviews:

REPRINT HEADSUP !.......2005-06-28

This is indeed an excellent book but it is not NEW. It is a REPRINT of the 1993 CADOGAN book by the same title. I really feel IT SHOULD BE ADVERTISED AS SUCH.

A very effective book.......2003-07-07

When I look over a grandmaster game, I don't ask, "Why'd he do that?" Anybody can wave his hands and answer something incontrovertible like, "This move supports the piece on x and prepares for an attack." How helpful is that?

Instead, I ask, "Why didn't he do this other move?" This book makes an effort to answer that question for moves in about 20 master games of the 1990s.

The format is simple and consistent. After each move by the losing side, you are asked to choose your own move. Then you are graded. You get an amount of credit proportional to the strength of your move. If it's a blunder, that is often pointed out as well.

This helps you to learn from your own mistakes. It's far more instructive than most books of annotated games. It's simpler than Nunn's move-by-move book, deeper than Chernev's, and more like actually playing a game since you are only thinking about the moves made by one side.

In a way, the book is similar to Chris Ward's 'It's Your Move', but vastly superior, as this book discusses more alternative moves and far more positions. (Ward's 'Improvers' version, however, is quite good.)

Highly recommend for anyone with a rating between 1500-1700. I have no idea how accurate the rating predictions of the book are, but who cares?

Learn Through Enjoyment.......2001-09-08

This book contains twenty games played in the 1990s by world-class players (like Shirov, Anand and Kramnik) with questions and points awarded at critical move decisions. GM Daniel King's commentary is entertaining and insightful. In Christiansen-Browne 1990, game 4 entitled "Roll of the Dice," for example, he notes after move 17 "if by some brainstorm you came up with this move, take two points, a couple of tranquilizers, and rest of the week off work" before pointing out the positional considerations involved "the bishop on f4 is the one worth preserving as it is settled on such a good square." I am not claiming, however, this is a comprehensive chess self-improvement course. There is a didactic quality throughout the book but it is not in the style of Nunn's Understanding Chess or Chernev's Logical Chess. Just enjoy the games, watch how the pros do it, and take the rest of the week off work.

A full training to all the phases of a game. Good value book.......1999-01-23

You can really improve your chess feeling in playing thru the interesting games only if you try to solve all the questions (a question a move) without looking at the answer. But if you do it, success is guaranted. The introduction to the games is interesting also and gives an inner view of the grandmasters world.

Average customer rating:

The best chess book I have bought in ages
Extra-ordinary chess book!
Same book as Test Your Chess IQ

How Good Is Your Chess?
Larry Evans
Manufacturer: Cardoza
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1580421261

Book Description

Grandmaster and Hall of Fame chess legend Larry Evans, draws upon his vast experience as 5-time USA champion, author of 25 books, and Bobby Fischer's second, to present a fun and challenging new approach for chess players.

Readers test their skills against 100 fascinating positions from actual games and must choose the best move among three choices. Each correct answer earns the reader 25 points; no points are given for incorrect choices. At the end of the series, players can calculate their own rating, be it absolute beginner or even grandmaster! In the solutions section, Evans carefully explains the proper thinking a player must employ to approach the position and why both alternatives are inferior. Readers not only find their true chess level, but get a complete course in exactly where they can go wrong.

Customer Reviews:

The best chess book I have bought in ages.......2006-05-09

This is an awesome book. It's very straight forward...100 different positions from REAL GAMES, each with three options. You must decide the best move. The logic behind the best answer, in addition to the two inferior answers, are explained. The positions span across openings, midgames, and endgames. Each correct answer is worth 25 Elo rating points so you can get a rough estimate of your chess rating.

This book is for a chess player who knows the rules and basic theory, but needs to hone their calculation and analysis skills. It is helping me calculate deeper and put more thought into my moves. This book is a great value for the price.

Extra-ordinary chess book!.......2004-10-17

Larry Evans presents truly unusual concept of self assessment.
He selected 100 fantastic positions from the best tournaments and asks to choose one of three possible moves for each of them. Great fun and lessons for any advanced player. You will laugh it out loudly when you discover falling right into the trap (bad move),exactly as Masters did. Do not hesitate and grab this set of puzzles now!

Same book as Test Your Chess IQ.......2004-04-30

This is an excellent chess puzzle book, but be warned: if you already have Test Your Chess IQ, then you don't need to buy this one as they are identical.

Average customer rating:

How Good is Your Chess?
Leonard Barden
Manufacturer: Routledge & Kegan Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NICOJY

Average customer rating:

How Good is Your Chess?
Leonard Barden
Manufacturer: Van Nostrand
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CJTOM

How Good Is Your Chess?: Rate Your Skill and Improve Your Strategy by Participating in 35 Master Games

Average customer rating:

Refreshing
extremely fun
one of a kind book

How Good Is Your Chess?: Rate Your Skill and Improve Your Strategy by Participating in 35 Master Games
Leonard Barden
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0486232948

Customer Reviews:

Refreshing.......2002-10-31

In this fine book you are given 35 well annotated GM games. The format is similar to the Chessmaster "rate my play". you go through the games, (covering all the moves) and when you begin the critical stages of the games you receive points if you get the correct move. you add them up after a certain stage and you get a good idea of what youre rating is.
concepts covered: centrel control, superior development, positional chess, attacking play, defense, combinations, constriction tecnique, and ending.
the games are from well known players. Tal, botvinik,Keres, bronstein,kotov,spassky, korchoi,larsen, tolush, and others. The players as you can tell have VERY unique styles and i feel that keeps the book fresh because you dont just see posional masters, or only calculative wizards.
if youre looking for some well annotated games you should definetly consider this book. just to figure out youre rating would be fun, although like the other reviewer mentioned it does not consider youre opening expertise. (descriptive)

extremely fun.......2000-03-15

I wouldn't trust the rating this book gives; my rating seemed a couple hundred points too high. Maybe this is because I didn't employ any time constraints, or maybe it says something about my openings (Barden gives you the first 10-15 moves, so he's not rating your openings.) Regardless, the most helpful part of the book is Barden's summaries. He'll write things such as "If you went wrong on moves 16-20, it indicates you need to rely less on general judgments and more on calculating the exact consequences of each move".

I had a ton of fun going through this book. It's much more engrossing than most other chess books.

one of a kind book.......2000-01-23

While many chess books either show positional play, openings or defensive play, this book has everything. The games that are illustrated show strategic and tactical principles such as center control, positional play, constriction, and so on. All the games are illustrated and explained. The author shows why a move is good or bad and you are quizzed to see what move should be made along with the explanation. A table is given in front of the book to see if you are in master class and how to improve. Dover has come out with a splendid book and it is reasonably priced.

Average customer rating:

How Good Is Your Chess?
Larry Evans
Manufacturer: CARDOZA PUBLISHING U
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K75B34

Book Description

Implement Oracle's Internet-based Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management products using this Oracle authorized resource. This comprehensive guide explains how to implement the planning, engineering, pricing, order fulfillment, and inventory management components of Oracle Manufacturing and Supply Chain--and develop and deliver goods and services faster, cheaper, and more efficiently than your competitors.

Customer Reviews:

For use by "the initiated".......2007-02-18

While Gerald & Co's book may look like a good introduction to Oracle's manufacturing & supply chain management modules, it will make little sense to those who have never used the system or don't have access to it. Because I had three years of hands-on experience with Oracle's E-Business Suite, the book is useful and I'm giving it a 3-star rating.

Things that Gerald & Co. could have done better: more illustrations of what they write about. There are many "bells and whistles" in the software, but the book doesn't have enough "screen shots" to show you where they're located on an Oracle "form." I'm not satisfied with the case study, which they have placed in chapter 22. There are no screen shots there either.

Gerald & Co. are assuming you can navigate and know a lot of the Oracle lingo. If you are new to this, don't expect to learn it from this book. The audiences for the book are intermediate and advanced users.

One could also regard this as a reference book. Use it to answer problems you encounter while using the product or better understand what's going on. In this context, I'd rate it 3 stars, too.

A Good Introduction.......2006-11-03

This book is for users of Oracle Manufacturing and has the end-user in mind Definately not for the the technical minded, site specific Installs and for those who are used to Technical Reference manuals

I am yet to receive this book.......2006-02-01

The tentative date of receipt is 27th Jan 2006 but to i haven't received the book as of today.

Pls send same asap

Arul

Excellent Oracle reference tool.......2005-10-17

I was part of the Oracle implementation team at our company, and I have found this book to be a useful tool for myself in the year since implementation as we continue to explore new functionalities. It is also a useful tool for the application users to learn how Oracle works. In fact, I not only purchased this book for myself, but I have purchased copies for several other people in the company. I refer to it all the time.

Good Book for the beginners.......2005-08-24

This book is very useful for the beginners as well those who want to brush up their knowledge on oracle applications release 11i.

Mostly it covers all Manufacturing & Distribution modules. Financial modules are not covered in this book. I was planning to buy a book and searching for it and finally ended up in buying a very useful book.

Main drawback is not much of screen captures displayed. So if you want to better understand you have to read it by sitting in front of applications screen and switching the forms as you read.

Overall the book is worth having it.

Oracle E-Business Suite Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management

Average customer rating:

Oracle E-Business Suite Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management
Bastin; King, Nigel; Natchek, Dan Gerald
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OG17S4

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