The John Travolta Scrapbook

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Privacy isn't all it's made out to be, says George Washington University scholar Amitai Etzioni. "Without privacy no society can long remain free," he writes, but our communities also have other goals that sometimes must override the privacy imperative. "Should the FBI be in a position to crack the encrypted messages employed by terrorists before they use them to orchestrate the next Oklahoma City bombing?" he asks. Etzioni's answer is a resounding "yes," and he applies similar logic to a number of areas. He believes, for example, that newborn babies should undergo HIV tests without parental consent because they could benefit from immediate treatment, even though mothers worried about personal revelations might object. He also supports the various sorts of "Megan's laws" that try to protect society against sex offenders.

Etzioni believes the government will use this sort of personal information responsibly; his faith is so complete in this regard that he even supports issuing national ID cards to all Americans. Big business doesn't fare nearly as well in his estimation: he worries that companies will abuse private medical records. Although there is much common sense on these pages, most readers will find areas of disagreement with Etzioni. He nevertheless offers an intelligent challenge to America's libertarian impulses. --John J. Miller

Book Description

Privacy is perhaps the most hallowed of American rights-and most people are concerned that new technologies available to governments and corporations threaten to erode this most privileged of rights. But in The Limits of Privacy, Amitai Etzioni offers a decidedly different point of view, in which the right to privacy is balanced against concern for public safety and health. Etzioni looks at five flashpoint issues: Megan's Laws, HIV testing of infants, deciphering of encrypted messages, national identification cards, and medical records, and concludes that there are times when Amricans' insistence on privacy is not in the best interests of society at large. He offers four clear and concise criteria which, when applied jointly, help us to determine when the right to privacy should be overridden for the greater public good. Almost every week headlines warn us that our cell phones are being monitored, our e-mails read, and our medical records traded on the open market. Public opinion polls show that Americans are dismayed about incursions against personal privacy. Congress and state legislatures are considering laws designed to address their concerns. Focusing on five flashpoint issues-Megan's Law, mandatory HIV testing of infants, encryption of electronic documents, national identification cards and biometric identifiers, and medical records-The Limits of Privacy argues counterintuitively that sometimes major public health and safety concerns should outweigh the individual's right to privacy. Presenting four concise criteria to determine when the right to privacy should be preserved and when it should be overridden in the interests of the wider community, Etzioni argues that, in some cases, we would do well to sacrifice the privacy of the individual in the name of the common good.

Customer Reviews:

A Balanced View for the Privacy Debate.......2005-09-10

Since the 1960's, an emphasis on individualism and personal autonomy have shaped public policy debates, including debates about the right to personal privacy. While many scholars and advocacy groups claim that privacy is under seige, an alternate view of privacy exists, one in which it is weighed against other public interests. In The Limits of Privacy, Etzioni espouses a communitarian approach to determining the relative value and, as the title suggests, the limits of privacy. Privacy, the author argues, is not an absolute right, but is a right that must be carefully measured against the "common good," which for Etzioni is defined as public health and safety. At the heart of this book is the question of if and when we are justified in implementing measures that diminish privacy in the service of the common good.

To answer this question and to identify criteria for evaluating the relative trade-offs between privacy and the common good, Etzioni examines several examples in which privacy, depicted as an individual right, is in conflict with societal responsibilities. Five public policy issues--namely the HIV testing of newborn babies, Megan's Laws, encryption and government wiretapping, biometric national ID cards, and the privacy of medical records--are examined in detail. Through his analysis, Etzioni attempts to prove that, in most cases, champions of privacy have actually done more harm than good by stifling innovation and curbing necessary democratic discussions about privacy. A notable exception is in the case of personal medical records: The author notes that, while "Big Brother" is normally associated with privacy violation, in the case of medical records, unregulated private industry, which Etzioni aptly coins "Big Bucks," is a pertinent and immediate threat.

Etzioni's analysis, while flawed in several respects (e.g. Etzioni largely ignores evidence suggesting that national IDs will do more harm than good from a security perspective), results in four criteria that can be used in examining the tension between liberty and the public interest, or in this case privacy and public health and safety. The four criteria are as follows: First, society should take steps to limit privacy only if it faces a "well-documented and macroscopic threat" to the common good; second that society should identify and try any and all means that do not endanger privacy before restricting privacy; third, that privacy intrusions should have minimal impact; and fourth, that the undesirable side effects of privacy violations for the common good are treated (i.e. if a patient's medical record must be digitized and shared, the confidentiality of the record must be guaranteed).

The Limits of Privacy is necessary reading for anyone involved in accepting, shaping, debating, and enacting privacy policies. While many readers, including this reviewer, disagree with many of Etzioni's proposed solutions to the problems he examines, his four criteria are useful for anyone attempting to understand the intracasies involved. Likewise, while Etzioni's views are contrary to many of his peers, whose arguments he credits in his analysis, his arguments for justifiable invasions of privacy are a useful foil for privacy advocates and a useful reminder that privacy issues will always present real and costly trade-offs.

Excellent public policy book.......2001-09-13

If one seeks a current book that is creating great controversy in the public policy field, "The Limits of Privacy" should fulfill your search. This book combines philosophical discussions with actual issues and then draws its own conclusions. Whether one agrees or not with the author's opinions, this book definitely creates spirited debate.
The author, Amitai Etzioni, is a leading proponent of the commutarian viewpoint. Commutarians argue that policies should consider what is best for the community while simultaneoulsy attempting to protect privacy rights. A balance needs to be established between these two goals as they often are in conflict. Amitai Etzioni argues that individual rights should be protected except when such preservation presents a clear threat to the community welfare.
The author claims in this book there are public safety and health concerns which are adversely affected by attempts to defend personal privacy rights. Etzioni argues these concerns should be evaluated according to their moral, legal, and social aspects. In this book, the common good wins out over privacy issues in most of the issues presented, namly universal identification, Megan's law, testing infants for HIV, and encryption for online privacy. On examining the issue of the privacy of medical records, the author sides with the advocates of individual privacy versus the community welfare.
The prescription for policy analysis, as presented by the author, is that privacy concerns should be considered first with policies restricting such persoanl privacy being accomplished with as minimal intrusion as possible. Crtics will argue the author seems to readily advocate proceeding with such intrusions.
Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with each conclusion, most readers should find this an insightful book with coherent yet controversial arguments. It will spark much rich debate.

One man's view of privacy.......2000-02-11

This book gives the pros and cons of several policies and practices concerning privacy. I found it refreshing to have a book that tries to be balanced. People at the extremes will not agree with the author's view that technnology is not all bad or all good. It is not a technical discussion but I didn't find it to violate technical plausibilty at any point.

The people don't always know best........1999-06-18

In a recent New York Times column, Bob Herbert alluded to a conversation he had recently with famed author William Manchester. Manchester mentioned that he had learned over the years that the majority is not always right. He cited two examples where he felt they were clearly wrong: 1) during the McCarthy era, only 29% of the public felt McCarthy was acting inappropriately; and 2) despite all evidence to the contrary, 70% of the American people still believe there was a conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy.

I mention these comments, because it seems to me that they point up one of the dangers in letting community standards dictate behavior. Certainly most reasonable people today (with the exception of die-hard conservatives like William F. Buckley) would agree that McCarthy's tactics were way out of line, but at the time, they were seen as legit by a 2/3 majority of the American public. This indicates one of the leading flaws in Professor Etzioni's argument: the community can not be counted on to enact laws that will ensure the protection of those who behave differently or who disagree with the majority opinion. I am afraid that Manchester's comments ring true. For that reason, I believe that a logical consequence of communitarianism is retribution towards those who step out of line or depart in any way from "community standards". Behavior may be banned merely because a majority of the people don't like it, not because there is anything intrinsically wrong with it. Look at the ignominious history of sodomy laws in this country. Would Professor Etzioni wish to see these laws extended? If it suited the community, would he like to see prohibitions against gays in the military?

All in all, I would like to see Professor Etzioni address these issues more thoroughly and satisfactorily in his next book.

A Valuable and Informative Analysis.......1999-06-07

An engrossing read about the way Americans have prioritized their rights. Etzioni shows that we have been erring on the side of the radical individual for too long. Individual actions can indeed harm the community, at times unnecessarily.

Book Description

In Overseers of the Poor, John Gilliom confronts the everyday politics of surveillance by exploring the worlds and words of those who know it best-the watched. Arguing that the current public conversation about surveillance and privacy rights is rife with political and conceptual failings, Gilliom goes beyond the critics and analysts to add fresh voices, insights, and perspectives.

This powerful book lets us in on the conversations of low-income mothers from Appalachian Ohio as they talk about the welfare bureaucracy and its remarkably advanced surveillance system. In their struggle to care for their families, these women are monitored and assessed through a vast network of supercomputers, caseworkers, fraud control agents, and even grocers and neighbors.

In-depth interviews show that these women focus less on the right to privacy than on a critique of surveillance that lays bare the personal and political conflicts with which they live. And, while they have little interest in conventional forms of politics, we see widespread patterns of everyday resistance as they subvert the surveillance regime when they feel it prevents them from being good parents. Ultimately, Overseers of the Poor demonstrates the need to reconceive not just our understanding of the surveillance-privacy debate but also the broader realms of language, participation, and the politics of rights.

We all know that our lives are being watched more than ever before. As we struggle to understand and confront this new order, Gilliom argues, we need to spend less time talking about privacy rights, legislatures, and courts of law and more time talking about power, domination, and the ongoing struggles of everyday people.

Rites of Privacy and the Privacy Trade: On the Limits of Protection for the Self

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Rites of Privacy and the Privacy Trade: On the Limits of Protection for the Self
Elizabeth Neill
Manufacturer: McGill-Queen's University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0773521135

Book Description

A philosophical examination of the inherent right to privacy and the form it takes in contemporary Western culture.

Balance security, privacy.(Editorials)(Congress should limit wiretapping powers)(Editorial) : An article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

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Balance security, privacy.(Editorials)(Congress should limit wiretapping powers)(Editorial) : An article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Manufacturer: The Register Guard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0009FWBZI
Release Date: 2005-07-31

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This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on March 26, 2003. The length of the article is 477 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: Balance security, privacy.(Editorials)(Congress should limit wiretapping powers)(Editorial)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: March 26, 2003
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: A10

Article Type: Editorial

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Fallout from Virginia Tech's mass shooting: debates swirl about legal limits and leadership.(BEHIND the NEWS): An article from: University Business

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Fallout from Virginia Tech's mass shooting: debates swirl about legal limits and leadership.(BEHIND the NEWS): An article from: University Business
Jean Marie Angelo
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from University Business, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2007. The length of the article is 505 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: Fallout from Virginia Tech's mass shooting: debates swirl about legal limits and leadership.(BEHIND the NEWS)
Author: Jean Marie Angelo
Publication: University Business (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 10 Issue: 5 Page: 12(1)

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The impact of federal legislation to limit electronic monitoring.: An article from: Public Personnel Management

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The impact of federal legislation to limit electronic monitoring.: An article from: Public Personnel Management
Paul S. Greenlaw , and Cornelia Prundeanu
Manufacturer: International Personnel Management Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Public Personnel Management, published by International Personnel Management Association on June 22, 1997. The length of the article is 6625 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: Organizations are increasingly using technology to electronically monitor employees' telephone calls, computer use and even their physical location. Electronic monitoring's popularity is largely driven by organizational security problems and the need to measure employee performance. However, there is growing concern, particularly among employee groups and some legislators, that guidelines are needed to ensure these technologies are used responsibly and do not infringe on employee rights. Additionally, the effectiveness of unlimited electronic monitoring as a management tool is being questioned. The Privacy for Consumers and Workers Act (PCWA) was drafted in response to these concerns, and has been vigorously debated in both the House and the Senate. This article will address key arguments raised both in support of and in opposition to this legislation. Although the PCWA did not become law, the complex issues raised by unrestricted electronic monitoring of employees are likely to remain on the public policy agenda.

Citation Details
Title: The impact of federal legislation to limit electronic monitoring.
Author: Paul S. Greenlaw
Publication: Public Personnel Management (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1997
Publisher: International Personnel Management Association
Volume: v26 Issue: n2 Page: p227(18)

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The Limits of Privacy.(Review) (book review): An article from: Security Management

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The Limits of Privacy.(Review) (book review): An article from: Security Management
Linda L. Guest
Manufacturer: American Society for Industrial Security
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Security Management, published by American Society for Industrial Security on April 1, 2000. The length of the article is 361 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 Limits of Privacy.(Review) (book review)
Author: Linda L. Guest
Publication: Security Management (Refereed)
Date: April 1, 2000
Publisher: American Society for Industrial Security
Volume: 44 Issue: 4 Page: 104

Article Type: Book Review

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The Limits of Privacy.(Review) (book review): An article from: State Legislatures

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The Limits of Privacy.(Review) (book review): An article from: State Legislatures
Rita Thaemert
Manufacturer: National Conference of State Legislatures
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from State Legislatures, published by National Conference of State Legislatures on April 1, 2000. The length of the article is 666 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 Limits of Privacy.(Review) (book review)
Author: Rita Thaemert
Publication: State Legislatures (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2000
Publisher: National Conference of State Legislatures
Volume: 26 Issue: 4 Page: 4

Article Type: Book Review

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The Limits of Privacy.(Review): An article from: Journal of Church and State

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The Limits of Privacy.(Review): An article from: Journal of Church and State
Gary W. Hull
Manufacturer: J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Journal of Church and State, published by J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State on June 22, 1999. The length of the article is 619 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 Limits of Privacy.(Review)
Author: Gary W. Hull
Publication: Journal of Church and State (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1999
Publisher: J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State
Volume: 41 Issue: 3 Page: 623

Article Type: Book Review

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Rights groups call for surveillance limits.(Federal Bureau of Investigation's violaltion of violation federal privacy restrictions) : An article from: Los Angeles Business Journal

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Rights groups call for surveillance limits.(Federal Bureau of Investigation's violaltion of violation federal privacy restrictions) : An article from: Los Angeles Business Journal
Eric Lichtblau
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Los Angeles Business Journal, published by Thomson Gale on October 26, 2005. The length of the article is 562 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: Rights groups call for surveillance limits.(Federal Bureau of Investigation's violaltion of violation federal privacy restrictions)
Author: Eric Lichtblau
Publication: Los Angeles Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 26, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 118 Issue: 206 Page: 7(1)

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Customer Reviews:

A Dark Cornucopia of Characters, Magic, and Monsters.......2000-10-21

Villains' Lorebook presents a cornucopia of characters, magic, and monsters collected from Forgotten Realms novels, short stories, articles, and accessories (several out of print). Dungeon masters will find a generous spread of ideas for possible encounters and long-term adventures.

A companion volume to Heroes' Lorebook, this accessory acts as a sampler of rogues (unlike the Heroes' volume, which tried to present ALL the heroes of the Realms). Twenty-nine juicy villains have been converted from the Realms' huge selection of fiction, ranging from Drizzt Do'Urden's foe Artemis Entreri to the 29th necromancer lich Szass Tam. Extended charts for THAC0s and spell progression from levels 1 to 40 are provided conveniently in the front of the book.

Supplementary materials include large sections of evil organizations, magic items, priest and wizard spells, and monsters (five of them unique individuals such as the balor Errtu and the venerable red dragon Mist), making this collection a delightful resource for any DM.

--Sharon Daugherty for Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine

Villain Lorebook promotes intelligent gaming.......1998-12-21

While it has been said that this book rehashes old material, it is still an invaluable tool for game masters. For starters, it compiles a whole slew of villains for you to use in part or in whole. Many of these villains have been pronounced dead and people have a problem with this. What we often times forget is that AD&D is a fantasy role playing game. The world isn't run by TSR or RA Salvatore (though, he's obviously great) but by the Dungeon Master. If you want to use a defeated Lich, use him. Maybe he didn't die in your world. Or perhaps the campaign with these villains in them occurs before their deaths, since there are no rules on when campaigns must take place (and especially since we could ignore them even if there were). I'm a DM, and the one thing i've learned is that my world is different from anyone elses, so get the book, read it, and use the villains. They're fun, dynamic, and all the stats are there for you to enjoy. Have fun and remember we're playing a game with nmo rules but the ones we make.

As I have thought...............1998-11-10

As I have thought, the Bad Guys of the FR settings are either Wizard's or Undead (Lich's. for example) or simply dead (mostly killed by their o so good counterparts). About three quarters of this book is about villains long dead. Well, I don't count myself amoung those who support evildoers, but I would prefer more of a status quo among the FR heroes and villains. This book only told me for sure, what I expected for long. So long .........

ok it's not that bad now.........1998-11-02

This book doesn't really have anything shocking or new in it, in fact it's basically a reprint of older books such as the hall of heroes. It does however have some new things like Jander from the Ravenloft setting. The center artwork(not the characters but the insert art) was however terrifying. In fact all the art was either old reprinted art or just plain awful new art. But I still think this was a book worth buying, if for no other reason than to look at the stats.

A very poor sourcebook that is useful only to FR newbies........1998-10-11

I wasn't very impressed by this product. The first thing I noticed upon opening the book was the paltry amount of villains covered. Less than half the book is taken up by actual villain entries. The rest is a mixture of monstrous compendium entries (many of which can be found in the monstrous manual and nearly all of which are covered in existing FR products), pages of spells and magical items (again, reproduced from existing material), and small descriptions of the major evil groups in the realms. The villains section is mildly interesting but rather useless, since most of the characters described have been dead for age s and have no impact upon the FR world at present. Of course, there are the inevitable munchkins lurking among the pages, breaking rules left, right, and centre, but that's only to be expected of FR products these days. What really annoyed about these entries was that the information is virtually all statistical, hardly any notes on background, history, personality, and the like. Good fun for mathematicians and rules-lawyers, not so good for DMs trying to find interesting villains to add to their campaign. The rest of the book is, as I have said, made up of existing material. Virtually nothing new or creative is contained in these sections, copying the existing products they were taken from word for word in many cases. The only section of real interest is the power groups section, which does detail a bit of fresh information of the Kraken Society, the Mage Lords of Athalantar, and the Knights of the Shield. Sadly however, this section is rather short. So, if you're new to the realms and don't have any of the other products that the contents of this book were poached from, it may be worth buying. For the rest of us, however, this is a cynical rehash of existing realmslore that isn't worth half the asking price.

Book Description

S-PLUS is a powerful environment for the statistical and graphical analysis of data. It provides the tools to implement many statistical ideas which have been made possible by the widespread availability of workstations having good graphics and computational capabilities. This book is a guide to using S-PLUS to perform statistical analyses and provides both an introduction to the use of S-PLUS and a course in modern statistical methods. S-PLUS is available for both Windows and UNIX workstations, and both versions are covered in depth. The aim of the book is to show how to use S-PLUS as a powerful and graphical data analysis system. Readers are assumed to have a basic grounding in statistics, and so the book in intended for would-be users of S-PLUS and both students and researchers using statistics. Throughout, the emphasis is on presenting practical problems and full analyses of real data sets. Many of the methods discussed are state-of-the-art approaches to topics such as linear, nonlinear, and smooth regression models, tree-based methods, multivariate analysis and pattern recognition, survival analysis, time series and spatial statistics. Throughout, modern techniques such as robust methods, non-parametric smoothing, and bootstrapping are used where appropriate. This third edition is intended for users of S-PLUS 4.5, 5.0, 2000 or later, although S-PLUS 3.3/4 are also considered. The major change from the second edition is coverage of the current versions of S-PLUS. The material has been extensively rewritten using new examples and the latest computationally intensive methods. The companion volume on S Programming will provide an in-depth guide for those writing software in the S language. The authors have written several software libraries that enhance S-PLUS; these and all the datasets used are available on the Internet in versions for Windows and UNIX. There are extensive on-line complements covering advanced material, user-contributed extensions, further exercises, and new features of S-PLUS as they are introduced. Dr. Venables is now Statistician with CSRIO in Queensland, having been at the Department of Statistics, University of Adelaide, for many years previously. He has given many short courses on S-PLUS in Australia, Europe, and the USA. Professor Ripley holds the Chair of Applied Statistics at the University of Oxford, and is the author of four other books on spatial statistics, simulation, pattern recognition, and neural networks.

Customer Reviews:

Great reference book.......2007-08-09

This is a great programming reference book for S-plus or R. I would imagine any serious programmer in S-plus already has this on his/her desk.

Nice feature about this book:
where S and R differs in grammar, they are labeled very clearly.

a good book for learning S (and R).......2007-03-19

for the beginners of R (and S).

this book led me out of the wilderness of R.......2006-09-11

After weeks struggling with poor and incomplete online documentation for the R language, this book was a breath of fresh air. The first four chapters alone, which give a broad and practical overview of the R / S / S-Plus environment, are worth the sticker price. In case it wasn't obvious at first (and it wasn't to me), R is the open-source implementation of the S language, and as the authors write in their introduction, "It is similar enough that almost all of the examples in this book can be run under R."

Venables and Ripley focus on applications of R / S for statistical analysis and visualization of data sets -- not on the theory or practice of statistics itself. As a computational biologist using R for some quick data exploration (using the Bioconductor suite), I found myself repeatedly stuck on the learning curve of R. This book gave the right amount of background at the right level.

I am often loath to buy in print what can be had for free online. But as is often the case, this hardbound reference is superior -- in form and in content -- to anything I've found on the web.

just a large collection of examples -- no theory, no algorithm descriptions.......2006-08-17

I don't understand how this book received so many 5 star reviews. In my opinion, it is a complete waste of money, and totally unusable. It is simply a collection of example uses of S functions, with little or no background statistical theory, motivation, or justification for the methods used, and no descriptions of the specific algorithms underlying the S functions used. This promotes the horrible practice of using "canned" statistical routines without knowing exactly what's going on or how results should be interpreted. It was so frustrating to be forced to use this book for a class at UC Berkeley. Luckily I found a MUCH better book by Chambers and Hastie (from AT&T, where S was invented). I suppose if you're just looking for a large collection of "things you can do with S", this book might be okay for you. Personally, I was so appalled by this book that I sold it as soon as I found an excellent replacement (Chambers and Hastie, "Statistical Models in S". Chambers and Hastie is excellent! I love it! See my review).

Great resource!.......2006-07-13

Astoundingly broad, while providing specific examples for use by readers. Exactly what I needed to finish my dissertation.

Introduction to Modern Portfolio Optimization with NuOPT, S-PLUS and S+Bayes

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If your copy did not include the web registration code...
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Excellent academic treatise a little less useful for practitioners.
great reference

Introduction to Modern Portfolio Optimization with NuOPT, S-PLUS and S+Bayes
Bernd Scherer , and R. Douglas Martin
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387210164

Book Description

In recent years portfolio optimization and construction methodologies have become an increasingly critical ingredient of asset and fund management, while at the same time portfolio risk assessment has become an essential ingredient in risk management, and this trend will only accelerate in the coming years. Unfortunately there is a large gap between the limited treatment of portfolio construction methods that are presented in most university courses with relatively little hands-on experience and limited computing tools, and the rich and varied aspects of portfolio construction that are used in practice in the finance industry. Current practice demands the use of modern methods of portfolio construction that go well beyond the classical Markowitz mean-variance optimality theory and require the use of powerful scalable numerical optimization methods. This book fills the gap between current university instruction and current industry practice by providing a comprehensive computationally-oriented treatment of modern portfolio optimization and construction methods. The computational aspect of the book is based on extensive use of S-Plus®, the S+NuOPT™ optimization module, the S-Plus Robust Library and the S+Bayes™ Library, along with about 100 S-Plus scripts and some CRSP® sample data sets of stock returns. A special time-limited version of the S-Plus software is available to purchasers of this book.

“For money managers and investment professionals in the field, optimization is truly a can of worms rather left un-opened, until now! Here lies a thorough explanation of almost all possibilities one can think of for portfolio optimization, complete with error estimation techniques and explanation of when non-normality plays a part. A highly recommended and practical handbook for the consummate professional and student alike!”

Steven P. Greiner, Ph.D., Chief Large Cap Quant & Fundamental Research Manager, Harris Investment Management

“The authors take a huge step in the long struggle to establish applied post-modern portfolio theory. The optimization and statistical techniques generalize the normal linear model to include robustness, non-normality, and semi-conjugate Bayesian analysis via MCMC. The techniques are very clearly demonstrated by the extensive use and tight integration of S-Plus software. Their book should be an enormous help to students and practitioners trying to move beyond traditional modern portfolio theory.”

Peter Knez, CIO, Global Head of Fixed Income, Barclays Global Investors

“With regard to static portfolio optimization, the book gives a good survey on the development from the basic Markowitz approach to state of the art models and is in particular valuable for direct use in practice or for lectures combined with practical exercises.”

Short Book Reviews of the International Statistical Institute, December 2005

Customer Reviews:

If your copy did not include the web registration code..........2007-05-12

Some copies (especially used copies) of this book don't include the web registration key sticker. If you need it, you can contact Insightful Technical Support (keys at insightful dot com) to get a registration key and password.

Customer Service.......2007-03-28

I have got a very good and prompt service and response from Amazon for the book ordered.

Excellent academic treatise a little less useful for practitioners........2007-01-28

I will admit to being torn between four and five stars for this book. I ultimately deduct a star because of: the lack of any sign of the promised web registration key for downloading the 150 day trial software and data, the heavy use of NuOPT where vanilla S/R code would have been sufficient and possibly even easier to understand, and the frequent use by the authors of providing symbolic solutions from Scherer's 2000 book on optimization where implementation is "left as an excercise".

The book dispenses with traditional Markowitz mean-variance optimization in the first chapter, and then moves on to many other methods of optimization for different types of portfolios, asset classes, and investor utility functions. All of this is excellent, comprising the broadest treatment in a single title that I am aware of.

The book makes heavy use of NuOPT, an add-on package for S-Plus from Insightful, and the SIMPLE linear programming included with NuOPT. I was disappointed that the authors make no effort to work problems without NuOPT, even when simplex or other methods would solve the problems presented in more elegant manner.

I was most disappointed that the authors often leave implementation to the reader. Every chapter has "Exercises" at the end. This is fine. I don't think it is fine to discuss the symbolic solution of a problem (like several of the scenario optimization methods discussed in Chapter 5), and then leave as an excercise the implementation of those portfolio solutions in S-PLUS, SIMPLE, or NuOPT. Nearly every chapter has a significant section, usually lifted largely from Scherer's 2000 book, that suffers from this deficiency. It is almost as if the publishers were pushing for a draft, and the authors went through and "left as exercises" whatever they didn't have tested code for.

All my negatives left to the side, this is still the best treatment you'll find in a single title on many issues of portfolio optimization under varying conditions today. Buy this book if you work in portfolio optimization with S-Plus or R.

great reference.......2005-09-09

The best book on this subject. It provides both an excellent up-to-date overview of the relevant literature and an application-oriented perspective. The chapter on robust estimation is outstanding.

Average customer rating:

The S-Plus "Mustard" book
good introduction to using S-Plus
good introduction to using S-Plus
the 'bible' for Splus users/lovers

Modern Applied Statistics With S-PLUS
William N. Venables , and Brian D. Ripley
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387988254

Book Description

S is a powerful environment for the statistical and graphical analysis of data. It provides the tools to implement many statistical ideas that have been made possible by the widespread availability of workstations having good graphics and computational capabilities. This book is a guide to using S environments to perform statistical analyses and provides both an introduction to the use of S and a course in modern statistical methods. Implementations of S are available commercially in S-PLUS(R) workstations and as the Open Source R for a wide range of computer systems. The aim of this book is to show how to use S as a powerful and graphical data analysis system. Readers are assumed to have a basic grounding in statistics, and so the book is intended for would-be users of S-PLUS or R and both students and researchers using statistics. Throughout, the emphasis is on presenting practical problems and full analyses of real data sets. Many of the methods discussed are state of the art approaches to topics such as linear, nonlinear and smooth regression models, tree-based methods, multivariate analysis, pattern recognition, survival analysis, time series and spatial statistics. Throughout modern techniques such as robust methods, non-parametric smoothing and bootstrapping are used where appropriate. This fourth edition is intended for users of S-PLUS 6.0 or R 1.5.0 or later. A substantial change from the third edition is updating for the current versions of S-PLUS and adding coverage of R. The introductory material has been rewritten to emphasis the import, export and manipulation of data. Increased computational power allows even more computer-intensive methods to be used, and methods such as GLMMs, MARS, SOM and support vector machines are considered.

Customer Reviews:

The S-Plus "Mustard" book.......1999-12-19

This is an *essential* tool for anyone using S-Plus. The book is well laid out, supplementing and complementing the manuals. In addition, the authors provide libraries that expand many of the routines in S-Plus. If you use S-Plus and do not program directly in S yourself, this book should be on your shelf.

good introduction to using S-Plus.......1999-08-20

This is a fantastic book on using S-Plus. I would have given it 5 stars had its treatment been given in a more clear way. Nonetheless the S language is well presented and many statistical analyses are sampled using S-Plus. In fact, this is also a strong applied stats book, with S code given for each topic.

good introduction to using S-Plus.......1999-08-20

the 'bible' for Splus users/lovers.......1999-07-08

this is the 'bible' of numerous statistician using Splus or R. Ripley and Venables are two of the builders of S/Splus and they're still involved in many projects regarding this topic. The second edition is very complete and make Splus computing easier.

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