Extreme NXT: Extending the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to the Next Level (Technology in Action)

Book Description

Extreme NXT: Extending the LEGO MIDSTORMS NXT to the Next Level is for intermediate-level users of NXT who would like to advance their capabilities by learning some of the basics of electronics. Plenty of examples are provided, and easy-to-follow instructions are included for building over 15 different sensors.

This makes a great reference for the NXT hardware interfaces. Examples even come complete with multiple, alternative NXT languages. The book is also abundant with illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

One of the Best Available!.......2007-07-06

Reviewer J. Doubek, said it best - "I bought this book to get a better idea of how to safely interface my own circuits to the Lego Mindstorms NXT. In my opinion, you can't find a better book for this purpose."

And that is very true! I cannot add much more to his review... This book is the 'Make' book for the NXT. The authors have explained everything so any builder of any age or skill level can understand the processes. It teaches several techniques that can be developed into viable career skills. Including soldering, electronics knowledge and usage, and handy-tech projects that will also get one's mind flowing with other ideas. If you are a 'Maker' or tinkerer or would like to learn some inside knowledge of the NXT and how to build outside of the box you will find no better starter book.

Grab it, read it, and use it to expand your NXT knowledge!

Chris
MDP, MCP
USA - NASA

Excellent!.......2007-05-07

I bought this book to get a better idea of how to safely interface my own circuits to the Lego Mindstorms NXT. In my opinion, you can't find a better book for this purpose. "Extreme NXT" contains the pinouts and proper usage of the NXT motor and sensor ports. It also provides a large number of the most useful homebrew sensor implementations, right down to parts lists containing part numbers for common component suppliers like Digikey and Radio Shack.

My background is in engineering, with an emphasis in control systems. The first book I read in the field of hobbiest robotics was "Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation" (Jones and Flynn). In those days, the 6811's were king for these sorts of projects. I spent many a happy day with my MIT Handyboard (a simple 6811 robot controller board). Things have come a long way. Nowadays NXT is available, and this book is the modern day equivalent to that excellent text for those who want to dig in and find out what the NXT is capable of. The book is written in a format that is easy to understand for the novice, but also supplies plenty of content to allow the more advanced user to be able to push the NXT envelope. The organization is superb, commonly used charts and tables are easily found. I have been finding myself referring most often to the pinout tables for the NXT connectors, and these are very conveniently found towards the front of the book.

Chapters are broke down into sensor and output types, starting with the more basic and easily contructed passive sensors up to more advanced and expandable I2C sensors. Motor control, h-bridges, etc are also covered in detail. Both the construction of the circuits, and the NXT code to run them, are covered. Code is provided in it's most basic form first, NXT-G, which every NXT user will be familiar with. Examples proceed to more complex compilers, such as NBC, for sensors or circuits that are better suited to those implementations.

The appendix provides complete source code listings, useful websites and links categorized by chapter. There is also a great tutorial on prototyping with breadboards and perfboard for the uninitiated. With this book, any skill level in electronics should be enough to do some cool things with the NXT kit.

This book will become a very useful addition to any hobby robotics library. For me, it will be the goto book for designing circuits to safely interface to the Lego NXT. Highly recommended!

Planning Extreme Programming (The XP Series)

Average customer rating:

Objective overview of XP planning
Begin Your XP Journey Here
crackles with ideas and fleshes out more of XP
Excellent book
How exactly to plan XP?

Planning Extreme Programming (The XP Series)
Kent Beck , and Martin Fowler
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code

ASIN: 0201710919

Amazon.com

The Extreme Programming (XP) paradigm has developers doing things like programming in pairs, writing tests to verify all code, and continuously refactoring designs for improved performance. Written by two of its inventors, Planning Extreme Programming shows you how to implement XP by using a simple, effective process. This remarkably short (yet remarkably useful) title will give any XP manager or programmer a perspective on delivering software that meets the needs of customers better.

Simplicity is the watchword of the XP software process. This book is virtually devoid of traditional software-engineering jargon and design diagrams, and yet does a good job of laying the foundation of how to perform XP--which is all about working with a customer to deliver features incrementally.

The terminology in the book is commonsensical. (In the terms of XP, each iteration adds certain new features, or stories. It's up to the customer to decide what functionality is more important and will be delivered first. By never letting a working build get out of sight, the XP process virtually ensures that software will be close to what the customer wants.)

Early chapters borrow analogies from everyday experience--like planning a trip or driving a car--to set the stage for XP process planning. The book has plenty of advice for dealing with the stakeholders (customers) of a project. Because of confidentiality agreements, however, we don't get many details from the real world, although the discussion is anchored by a hypothetical project for planning the Web site of the future for travel, with some specifics.

There is plenty of advice for planning projects, based on individual and team "velocity" (a measure of productivity) and the like--practical suggestions for running daily, short status meetings (in which all of the participants stand up, to keep them short). Clearly, there's a culture that surrounds many XP teams, and this text does a good job of conveying some of this to the reader.

At fewer than 150 pages, Planning Extreme Programming is notably concise, and that's probably the whole point. Most shops today work on Internet time, which doesn't wait for extensive project analysis and design documents. In XP, you create working software from the very start. This book is an essential guide to anyone who's working in XP shops or who might be interested in what this innovative, iterative software process can offer. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

Introduction to planning
Risk management in software
"Driving" as a metaphor for software development
Roles for software development: business vs. technical people
Four variables for project planning: cost, quality, time, and scope
Predicting future programmer productivity, based on past performance
Project scope and estimation
The XP process: software releases, iterations, stories, collecting, and writing stories (features)
Hints for ordering features
Tips on planning and status meetings
Using visual graphs to monitor project progress
Tracking and fixing bugs
Project red flags

Customer Reviews:

Objective overview of XP planning.......2007-05-12

Using a very objective and simple approach, the book presents the xp way of planning in a very easy and enjoyable way. It does not contain much practical advice, but it is an excellent starting point for someone who is not familiar with xp and its practices. After reading this book one should definitely look for "Agile Estimating And Planning" from Mike Cohn. It contains a more thorough approach on the subject.

Begin Your XP Journey Here.......2006-07-11

Well, I had been tentative about spending time investigating the meaning of "Extreme Programming", based primarily on what I consider to be a name that smacks of jargon, and because I thought that the audience for this development approach was young hip gamer-types who wanted to develop business applications! I now appologize to those who synthesized the techniques (although I still consider the name to be unfortunate, sorry). I am optimistic that this approach to development will solve many of the problems that I have faced over the years, and that this solution is much simpler than I could have dreamed of! This book is just 130 pages, and the techniques are clearly, succinctly, and I think expertly described by Kent and Martin. The level of humor is good, and the practicality of the solution is clear.

crackles with ideas and fleshes out more of XP.......2003-09-07

Kent Beck and Martin Fowler have to be something of a "dream team" for a computer book. Not only was this book informative and interesting, but I actually enjoyed reading it. The book crackles with ideas and sparkles with a subtle wit.

The content of the book covers all aspects of planning, managing and tracking progress on an XP (Extreme Programming) project and is a worthy companion to Kent Beck's anthemic XP Explained. Hard stuff missed out from the earlier work such as how to estimate how long things will take, how to write user stories and how to organize the details of iterations and releases is explained in a straightforward way. It also introduces a few new key XP concepts, showing that this radical methodology didn't spring fully formed into the mind of Beck, but is still evolving. One such key is "Yesterdays Weather", the idea that you can't go far wrong by using past performance as an initial guess for future results.

If you are at all intrigued by the new "agile" methodologies, read XP Explained and then this one. Then buy a few more copies for your management.

Excellent book.......2003-08-05

This book lays out the point of planning, the approach taken, and the steps to do.

This book has a lot of content not found in any other XP book that I own. The gold nuggets in here are useful for project management for years to come. It's a 5 star for sure.

How exactly to plan XP?.......2003-01-07

This book is very valuable if you already started to practice Extreme Programming. It contains a very encouraging foreword by Tom DeMarco. The first nine chapters are introductory, and you may skip them if you read the XP Manifesto "Extreme Programming Explained" by Kent Beck. Chapters from ten to twenty three contain valuable information not found in any other XP-related book.

- How exactly to plan releases? What if frequent releases aren't appropriate and marketing demands to release once a year?

- How exactly to write user stories, and how to handle them? Although the reader may find some sample stories in "Extreme Programming Installed" by Ron Jeffries, Ann Anderson and Chet Hendrickson, the stories in the "Planning Extreme Programming" are used as core elements in the whole planning process, shown as example.

- How exactly to build the iteration plan and the release plan? How to track an iteration?

I would also like to recommend "Extreme Programming Applied: Playing to Win" by Ken Auer, Roy Miller, Ward Cunningham. I think this is the most practical book on XP ever written.

I would also like to recommend the titles about individual XP aspects:
- Design Improvement: "Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code " by Martin Fowler;
- Test-Driven Development: "Test Driven Development: By Example " by Kent Beck;
- Sustainable Pace: "Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency" by Tom DeMarco;
- Pair Programming: "Pair Programming Illuminated" by Laurie Williams and Robert Kessler;
- Whole Team: "Agile Software Development" by Alistair Cockburn;
- Planning Game: "Planning Extreme Programming" by Kent Beck, Martin Fowler;
- Small Releases: "Software Project Survival Guide" by Steve C McConnell.

Average customer rating:

Absolutely amazing

Maximum PC Guide to extreme PC Mods

great fundamental modding book

Great Book

What a great book!

Maximum PC Guide to Extreme PC Mods (Maximum PC Guide To...)
Paul Capello , and Jon Phillips
Manufacturer: Que
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0789731924

Book Description

Tired of your non-descript, platinum-colored PC case? Want to show your individuality and make your friends green with envy? Interested in wringing out every ounce of performance that your timid PC can produce? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then The Maximum PC Guide to Extreme PC Mods is for you! We show you how to reach PC mod nirvana step-by-step, including choosing (or making) the perfect case, cutting custom windows, painting cases, turning everyday, ordinary objects into fully functional PCs, installing neon/cold cathode lighting, liquid cooling and more. Then, we show you how to drain every last drop of performance from your PC - from simple settings within your BIOS and Windows, to more fringe overclocking techniques. If you want to pimp out your rig, then this book is a must-have. No other book combines PC mods and overclocking into one, indispensable book. Best of all, this book was written by the two top voices in PC hardware technology - Maximum PC and Que!

First, we show you to cook up your idea, spec it out, gather the tools for the job, prepare your workshop and complete your mod without injuring yourself or setting your workshop ablaze.
For beginners, we’ll first show you how to choose the best off-the-shelf enclosures for "simple" modding projects, and later we’ll show you how you can let your imagination run wild, creating kick ass mods from the most unusual objects.
Along the way, we show you - with hundreds of full-color photos - how to cut case windows, paint your rig at home, add trick fans, install dazzling interior lights, install custom cables, and how to mod your PC’s front-panel.
Once you have all of the hardcore skills down, we dive into three mod projects, which show you, step-by-step, how to build a mod from an everyday, garden-variety PC case, to creating a mod from an object you found around the house or at the hardware store, to building a mod from scratch. Each of these projects is explained in fine detail, with full-color photos that show you exactly how to do it.
We then attack more performance-oriented hardware hacking, such as installing exotic cooling, overclocking your CPU frequency, and tweaking your BIOS and video card settings.
Throughout the book, we highlight some of the best mods from Maximum PC readers.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely amazing.......2007-05-12

Excellent book with plenty and colourful images. Easy to do mods that give your computer an amazing appearance

Maximum PC Guide to extreme PC Mods.......2006-03-20

I was in the process of building a new computer for myself and shopped Amazon.com for some books to help with my build, Maximum PC hit the mark with a book that walked me threw the whole process.Not only was I so impressed with this book, I came back and purchased two more of Maximum PC's books. Thier books are bright full colored and easy to read. You can't go wrong with any of thier books.

great fundamental modding book.......2005-10-26

This book covers all the basics that a beginning modder would need to know. He also branches out into modding a computer out of found objects, using a swiss hard shell backpack as a working example. There are plenty of high quality, color photos that clearly illustrate all the processes he describes.

But my favorite aspect of this book is Paul's teachings of the proper mindset for a modder. Adventurous, inquisitive, creative, always looking for a new and/or better way to do things. He not only gives very practical advise about this mindset, but demonstrates it in the working projects he goes through in the book. It is refreshing to have the author show how he learns from his own work, instead of seeming to sit on a high throne from his 20+ years of experience.

Great Book.......2005-04-28

For any computer nerd with a sense of self this book is a great guide on how to turn your favorite machine into a personalized spitting image of yourself. I found this book very easy to follow, and the instructions were easy to follow, with colour images and step by step instructions

What a great book!.......2005-01-28

This is a great book! The entire book is printed on glossy paper with full color printing - really, a quality book. The book has good, clear photographs on almost every page, and the writing clear and easy to understand. I've read most of the boks on PC modding, and in my opinion, this is the best one.

Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series)

Average customer rating:

Unexpected Beauty Transformation
A brilliant book to celebrate a brilliant exhibit
Human preoccupation for Millennia
Considers the evolving, changing strategies of beauty

Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series)
Harold Koda
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Dress in Detail From Around the World

ASIN: 0300103123

Amazon.com

Throughout history, humans have used clothing and accessories to lift, squeeze, frame and pad the body. In Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed, Harold Koda deftly weaves anthropology, sociology, art history, and haute couture into a lively survey of shifting notions of the body beautiful. Divided into five sections--Neck and Shoulders, Chest, Waist, Hips, and Feet--the book surveys fashion's literal imprint on the body while tracing the history of clothing styles. The long neck may be the only bodily ideal equally prized by all cultures. Young Padaung women of Burma traditionally wore weighted brass coils that pushed down their collarbones and shoulders, creating the illusion of a remarkably long neck. The wide van Dyke lace collar achieved a similar "triangulated" shoulder-line in 17th-century Europe. Fashionable women in the 1830s relied on hugely inflated sleeves—-held up with down-filled or wire-ribbed supports—-to create the rounded dropped shoulder then in vogue. In the "Feet" section, Koda, who remains scrupulously nonjudgmental throughout, juxtaposes the miniaturized "Golden Lotus" bound foot of pre-Revolutionary China with the reshaping effect of today's stiletto heels. The platform shoe was another way of encumbering a woman's gait, whether as a way of keeping her at home (away from sexual temptation) or as a means of showing her off (the courtesans of Japan and Renaissance Venice perched on elevated soles). Men's body-altering fashions also get their due, from sculpted codpieces and male waist-binding to a front-padded shirt by Issey Miyake that resembles a baseball catcher's uniform. Koda's discussions of the historical allusions of avant-garde designers like Viktor and Rolf, Olivier Theyskens, and Hussein Chalayan vividly illuminate an often murky aspect of contemporary couture. Copiously illustrated with works of art and photographs of clothing and undergarments from many eras, Extreme Beauty packs a wealth of information into a slender volume. —-Cathy Curtis
Book Description
Over time and across cultures, shifting concepts of beauty have given rise to extraordinary fashions that constrict, enhance, minimize, or exaggerate various zones of the human body. This stimulating book displays and discusses an array of such extreme fashion practices, from the bound feet of aristocratic Manchu women to the tea-tray supporting bustle of an 1880s French visiting dress.
Customer Reviews:

Unexpected Beauty Transformation.......2007-07-16
To read this book reveals not only plenty of interesting and quite often surprising information on fashions past and current but its text and pictures are highly complementary. In addition a lot of the provided information gives insight into social structures of the centuries referred to - and once more it is proven that fashion is one of the quickest instruments to testify social and historical changes to the world.
A brilliant book to celebrate a brilliant exhibit.......2007-04-11
Extreme Beauty is a wonderful book that celebrates the Metropolitan's equally brilliant exhibit about fashion and it's different preoccupations with the body. The exhibit was magnificent, and the book truly honors the tone and feeling of it, while being extremely informative in it's own right. The book is divided into different chapters such as neck and shoulders, waist, chest, etc. Each chapter features photos of the garments displayed in the original exhibit, as well as additional historical drawings and photographs of the various fashions and cultural trends that have celebrated the parts of the body. And, as promised in the title, the book explores the cultural foundations of bodily transformation and mutilation(?) through everything from extreme corsetry, [..] footwear and peircing to the tribal women who use metal rings to actually elongate their vertebrae. Harold Koda's insightful and meticulously researched commentary is just the icing on the cake. This is a must for any fashion library, but also of great interest to non-fashionistas.
Human preoccupation for Millennia.......2002-02-22
Sentient humans with brains as well as bodies have always been fascinated by the way we adorn ourselves and why. Once we can get past the cultural anthropology of fashion, and the fads that make it a billion-dollar world industry, we can dig down to discover the roots of historical and current adorned beauty, and EXTREME BEAUTY does this . . . beautifully.
It is pleasing--in an era in which physical beauty and adornment typified by fashion have been roundly rejected by most of the jeans-wearing public--to find a book that lets beauty out and helps us exercise our sense of mystery and wonder, based in no small part on human sexuality and attraction. Harold Koda (curator of the Costume Institute at New York's Met) has mounted a show and created a book with marvelous insights and passion, and the illustrations are wondrous--consider, as a case in point, Thiery Mugler's 'Chimere,' with its savage eroticism.
One could quibble with Koda's arbitrary division of the body into 'neck and shoulders,' 'chest,' 'waist,' 'hips' and 'feet,'
and his exclusion of the fascinating face/head/hair perplex, and the hands, with their magical touch and allure. But this book and its illustrations will become a benchmark by which human adornment is judged, and is a keeper of power and importance.
Considers the evolving, changing strategies of beauty.......2002-01-06
Harold Koda's Extreme Beauty surveys concepts of fashion and beauty. Koda considers the evolving, changing strategies of beauty around the world, focussing on different body parts and how they are accented and displayed through varying uses of clothing and cultural perception. Black and white and color photos of unusual fashion choices and styles make for some eye-opening insights.

Average customer rating:

Even better than it predecesor

Even better than it predecesor

Extreme Mindstorms ... Extremely Excellent

Good and not too extreme

this is not for kids

Extreme Mindstorms: an Advanced Guide to Lego Mindstorms
Dave Baum , Michael Gasperi , Ralph Hempel , Luis Villa , and David Baum
Manufacturer: Apress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1893115844

Book Description

Three MINDSTORMS experts have joined with the maintainer of the legOS HOWTO to produce the book that all advanced users of LEGO MINDSTORMS have been waiting for. Each author has written material based on his specialty. Dave Baum shows you how to take NQC to its limits. Ralph Hempel explains the ins and outs of pbForth. Michael Gasperi teaches you how to build numerous custom sensors with simple, systematic instructions. Luis Villa show you how (and when) to upgrade MINDSTORMS' built-in operating system to take advantage of the extra power of legOS, a complete C environment for the RCX.

Extreme MINDSTORMS: An Advanced Guide to LEGO MINDSTORMS starts with an overview of the RCX firmware and includes a whole chapter on the new RCX 2.0 firmware. Next, the book concentrates on the steps needed to build Seeker, a Light-Seeking Robot, and to program it in NQC. Later chapters extend Seeker's functionality using pbForth and legOS. The book concludes with two chapters on building both custom passive and custom powered sensors. These sensors can take LEGO MINDSTORMS to levels impossible to achieve with just the parts supplied in the box or available through normal channels.

Download Description
The sequel to Baum's best-selling and highly praised earlier book Dave Baum's Definitive Guide to LEGO MINDSTORMS, this book is designed to take the experienced user of MINDSTORMS to the next level. Baum brought together a dream team of some of the best-known people in the MINDSTORMS community to create this book. Extreme MINDSTORMS is for LEGO MINDSTORMS enthusiasts of all ages who are interested in special projects and new programming methods that go beyond what is covered in Dave Baum's best selling book. Through the construction and programming of a demonstration robot, readers will learn advanced MINDSTORMS construction and programming techniques.
Customer Reviews:

Even better than it predecesor.......2002-02-05
If Definitive Guide was wonderful this one is even better.
These guys have done a good work with the book.
Special mention to Gasperi's Homebrew Sensors section.
One of my library's jewels
Even better than it predecesor.......2002-02-05
If the Definitive Guide was wonderful this one is even better.
Special remark to Gasperi section about homebrew sensors.
This guys have done a invaluable works.
One of my library jewels.
Extreme Mindstorms ... Extremely Excellent.......2001-02-24
Want to take your Mindstorms creations to new hieghts? Go beyond RIS? The ya have to get this book, a follow up to Dave Baum's Definitive Guide to Lego Mindstorms. You will not only see more NQC programming, but pbForth as well, and an excellent section on constructing your own sensors. If your the kid who doesn't grow up, an engineer at heart, and the owner of more than one RIS set because you are obssessed with Lego Mindstorms, then you cannot do without adding this book to your collection.
Good and not too extreme.......2000-11-28
I don't know if I like the "Extreme" in the title. In many ways this book just covers the basics. In some ways I like this book better than Baum's "Defintive Guide to LEGO Mindstorms", because it's not so NQC centric. In other ways I prefer the DGLM because it had more info on structural issues. There is a knack to making good LEGO structures, and a few tips really come in handy. I would have to say that I find the DGLM more extreme as far as the variety and originality of the projects.
this is not for kids.......2000-11-21
i work with c and assembler, also i work with maya and 3d studio max on the graphics end. black belt in all of those fields. this book is bringing me to my white belt to black belt knowledge in robotics.dont think buy.

Average customer rating:

A design crime

Good Art / Dark Vibe

Extreme Design
Spencer Drate , and Jutka Salavetz
Manufacturer: How Design Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1581800932

Book Description
Designers are always in need of new books to help spark their imagination and fill their work with fresh ideas. This guide delivers all that and more with examples of today's most earth-shattering design and illustration achievements from 40 top designers. Extreme Design also helps designers incorporate its ideas into their own work by providing practical information on the concept and development of every design. From brochures to print ads to CD covers, Extreme Design features work from the world's most innovative design houses, including Chris Ashworth, Why Not Associates, Graphic Havoc, Sayuri Studio, Attik and many others. It is a must-have idea book for every graphic artist and designer because its inspiration goes beyond the visual.
Customer Reviews:

A design crime.......2006-03-30
Type is to read, and therefore, this book is fundamentally wrong. It should not be filed under graphic design, rather, it should be fled under "terrible trends".
Type + illegible = crime.
Good Art / Dark Vibe.......2003-02-27
I was rather excited about this book when I read the editorial reviews. But after studying it carefully a couple of times, it's now at the bottom of my stack of design books. It's not that the designs aren't good. They're very good, some are excellent. It's just so extremely dark and Euro with a "slasher" edge. If you're looking for images that warm your heart and make you feel good about the world, you won't find them in this book. I would have liked more warmth, more color and just a tad more hope. Thumbing through this book always leaves me feeling as though I've just walked through a graveyard on a cold, dark night. If you enjoy that sort of thing, (and who's to say you shouldn't?) then you might enjoy this book.

Average customer rating:

XP Programming Starts Here!

Quick and dirty review

Concise Intro to XP

great summary, ties together complex topics from best sources

Very good concise guide...

Extreme Programming Pocket Guide
chromatic
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change (2nd Edition) (The XP Series)

Extreme Programming Applied: Playing to Win (The XP Series)

Extreme Programming Installed (The XP Series)

Planning Extreme Programming (The XP Series)

A Practical Guide to eXtreme Programming

ASIN: 0596004850

Book Description
Extreme Programming (XP) is a radical new approach to software development that has been accepted quickly because its core practices--the need for constant testing, programming in pairs, inviting customer input, and the communal ownership of code--resonate with developers everywhere. Although many developers feel that XP is rooted in commonsense, its vastly different approach can bring challenges, frustrations, and constant demands on your patience. Unless you've got unlimited time (and who does these days?), you can't always stop to thumb through hundreds of pages to find the piece of information you need. The Extreme Programming Pocket Guide is the answer. Concise and easy to use, this handy pocket guide to XP is a must-have quick reference for anyone implementing a test-driven development environment. The Extreme Programming Pocket Guide covers XP assumptions, principles, events, artifacts, roles, and resources, and more. It concisely explains the relationships between the XP practices. If you want to adopt XP in stages, the Extreme Programming Pocket Guide will help you choose what to apply and when. You'll be surprised at how much practical information is crammed into this slim volume. O'Reilly's Pocket Guides have become a favorite among developers everywhere. By providing a wealth of important details in a concise, well-organized format, these handy books deliver just what you need to complete the task at hand. When you've reached a sticking point in your work and need to get to a solution quickly, the new Extreme Programming Pocket Guide is the book you'll want to have beside your keyboard.
Download Description
Extreme Programming (XP) is a radical new approach to software development that has been accepted quickly because its core practices---the need for constant testing, programming in pairs, inviting customer input, and the communal ownership of code---resonate with developers everywhere. Although many developers feel that XP is rooted in commonsense, its vastly different approach can bring challenges, frustrations, and constant demands on your patience.
Unless you've got unlimited time (and who does these days?), you can't always stop to thumb through hundreds of pages to find the piece of information you need. The Extreme Programming Pocket Guide is the answer. Concise and easy to use, this handy pocket guide to XP is a must-have quick reference for anyone implementing a test-driven development environment.
The Extreme Programming Pocket Guide covers XP assumptions, principles, events, artifacts, roles, and resources, and more. It concisely explains the relationships between the XP practices. If you want to adopt XP in stages, the Extreme Programming Pocket Guide will help you choose what to apply and when.
Customer Reviews:

XP Programming Starts Here!.......2007-05-03
This guide is very concise & straight to the point. Do not be fool by its size. Team and project managers along with business analysts should find this guide very useful. This pocket book is an easy read that packs enough meat to get you going with Extreme Programming. It is written for anyone who is interested on knowing about XP.

By the end of the book you'll have a clear understanding of why use XP programming, practices, events, roles, code principles & style. Best of all, it provides you with clear examples and suggestions on how to adopt this methodology.
Quick and dirty review.......2007-04-20
I bought this book as a desktop refresher on XP practices. It does that just fine. If you are looking for an in depth book, you need to go elsewhere. This is a reference guide to use as a refresher from time to time on how to implement XP practices.

Concise Intro to XP.......2006-07-02
I needed a break recently, so I pulled this tiny work off the stack of review books (now 30 books high) and blasted through it in a short hour.

It's short, sweet, to the point, also injected with the occasional XP Dogma Line such as if you don't implement all 12 practices then you're not doing real XP and your manhood will shrivel or your womb will be barren. I get tired of that line, but the rest of the book is truely golden.

It's concise and lays out great sections on why one should consider XP, roles in XP, artifiacts, and a few others. The real wealth is the section on XP practices where the 12 tenets are laid out in concise, reasonable fashion. These practices are clear and understandable without a bunch of mystical handwaving or badly-written example scenarios I've suffered through in a couple other XP books. (Roodyn's Extreme .NET comes to mind as a painful example of that.)

The book's conciseness and focus makes it a perfect tool if you're trying to sell XP to your management, team, or co-workers.
great summary, ties together complex topics from best sources.......2005-12-09
I think this book should be required reading for anyone exploring XP. I introduced XP into a research lab of a dozen students and professionals, using the original books as reference. However, things would have gone much more smoothly had I simply read the pocket guide. Excellent!
Very good concise guide..........2003-09-28
In today's world of tech books that are hundreds of pages long, it's nice to see a short, "no fluff" guide to a subject that is actually usable. This book fills that bill nicely.
Even if you've read about and implemented XP in your shop, there are times you need to review one of the points about how it all works together. Since the author covers all the main points of XP, you can quickly find the information you need. You also get a nice cross-reference at the end of each chapter that shows how each point relies on other parts of the methodology. I find this very useful if you are faced with having to modify XP for your use. It's recommended that you implement XP in its entirety, as it's meant to be more than the sum of its part. But if you have to tweak something, you know how it will affect the other areas.
I would not recommend this book as your only resource if you were just starting to implement XP. You really need to read Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck. He's the founder of XP, and that book goes into much more detail as to the whys of the process. But this book is one that each member of the team should have to keep the concepts fresh.
This is a very good book to use as a supplemental reference or reminder guide if you're using the XP methodology. If you were looking for a concise explanation of XP, this would also work for you. If you were looking for a more in-depth explanation of the methodology, I would recommend one of the books by Kent Beck.

Average customer rating:

Not exactly a wealth of information.

Pretty Pictures - Poor Build Info

Great images, but...

Awesome Pictures!

Book shipment

Building Extreme PCs: The Complete Guide to Modding and Custom PCs
Ben Hardwidge
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Strategy Guides | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Internet Games | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
PCs | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0596101368

Book Description
The bland beige box is dead. Fueled by a passion for performance and an eye for style, a new breed of PC user is taking matters into its own hands. Combining cutting-edge components with the latest trends in system design, they're turning the standard personal computer into a high-speed work of art.
Building Extreme PCs is the ultimate guide to the world of PC modification and customization. Both a showcase and a DIY handbook, it goes in-depth into system building, overclocking, cooling, and modification, reveals the secrets of optimization and benchmarking, then moves on to cover some of the most exciting and inspirational custombuilt systems around. From silent systems to multi-processor monsters, from gaming powerhouses to neon-lit speed machines, this book has it all, complete with guidance from the people who made them.

Ben Hardwidge is the news and features editor of the leading U.K. enthusiast magazine Custom PC, and has spent five years working for computer magazines.

Customer Reviews:

Not exactly a wealth of information........2007-04-01
Not much more than a lot of nice pictures of what other people have done. This book is not for learning how to build a computer, so if your thinking about getting it for that reason look elsewhere.
Pretty Pictures - Poor Build Info.......2006-12-31
Hello,

In a nutshell: I was looking for a book to help build a high-end PC from the ground up. I ordered this book used. As others indicate above, if you like pretty pictures of exotic PCs, this book is for you. If you want specific pictures for how to build such a PC, avoid this book. There are no step by step photos that show how to assemble the Motherboard with components...where to put the chip (processor); how to hold the chip (and how not to hold the chip) as you place it on the Motherboard; how to apply thermal paste (Arctic); how to place a Zalman fan over the chip....Anyway, these are the important things one needs to know (+see) in order to assemble one of these high end computers.

My advice: look elsewhere for a how to build book. However, if you want pretty pictures of what a fancy computer looks like, or flashy color photos of a nice motherboard, or a nice power supply...then this book is for the dreamer in you. Trust me though: look elsewhere for a book that will walk you through step by step - how to build a PC adding one part at a time.
Great images, but..........2006-11-15
This book has some great pictures of some really amazing cases and mods, but not much in the way if information on how to actually do the modding.
Awesome Pictures!.......2006-10-07
This is a very professionally done book on how to build your own computer. The pictures alone make it one of my favorite books. The detail is just right for anyone with some computer knowledge. The only knock is the fine print on the glossy photo pages can be a bit hard to read with tired eyes.
Book shipment.......2006-08-09
The book I ordered was in better than advertised condition. Shipment was very fast. Would order from again.

Average customer rating:

Pay attention to the picture!

Extreme Power (Power Rangers)

Manufacturer: Dalmatian Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Coloring Books | Activity Books | Sports & Activities | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1577595297

Customer Reviews:

Pay attention to the picture!.......2004-09-09
I didn't realize from the description and the book specs. that this was a coloring book, or I wouldn't have purchased it. It's not a bad coloring book, I just thought it was a story.

Average customer rating:

My neighboors all raved about my pumpkins thanks to this book

Extreme pumpkin carving

Super carving book

Something for both beginners and advanced carvers...

Extreme Pumpkin Carving: 20 Amazing Designs from Frightful to Fabulous
Vic Hood , and Jack Williams
Manufacturer: Fox Chapel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Great Pumpkins: Crafty Carving for Halloween

Pumpkin Carving

ASIN: 1565232135

Book Description
Providing a new twist on a holiday tradition, this book illustrates how to carve three-dimensional faces and scenes in pumpkins using tools ranging from kitchen knives to carving gouges and chisels. Complete information is provided for getting started, including an overview of tools and tips for finding the best pumpkin to work with. Step-by-step instructions are detailed for using handy household tools to carve dramatic Halloween figures and using professional tools for creating more elaborate and intricate details. Twenty pumpkin carving patterns are provided and include full-color photographs of each finished carving.
Customer Reviews:

My neighboors all raved about my pumpkins thanks to this book.......2007-02-12
I got this book for halloween this year. Read through it in a short sitting, and had a clear view of how to create releaf style pumpkin sculptures in no time.

I had some background many years ago in highschool pottery classes doing sculture, and the techniques detailed in this book easily recapped each of the basics and then advanced into the more skilled techniques.

I highly recommend this for anyone with little to no sculpture background.

The draw backs I found with this book are that they focus heavily on how to accomplish the effects with typical knife. Then they transition in to using more specific tools. The issue being that they spend far less time detailing the technique with the specific/advanced tools, it would have been better if they keep the same level of tenique details for the advanced tools. Also on the subject of advanced tools, the author provide teh list of tools he uses(which have been built over many years specializing in the spaced). There is very little time spent on talking about what tools are used or suggestions of locations to get ahold of them. I have found that getting ahold of tools that fit the task have been hard to find and better descriptions or sources would be extremely helpful.

Extreme pumpkin carving.......2005-10-11
Very inspiring! Great step-by-step photos to get you started. The photos make it look so easy I can't wait to try it!

Super carving book.......2004-11-01
This is the best book I've seen on carving pumpkin. There are patterns for everything from scary to comical faces. Carving is done only with knives or for those carvers with tools, good directions are available for a really terrific creation. I would not recommend unsupervised children doing this kind of carving, however. The tools must be very sharp.
Something for both beginners and advanced carvers..........2004-10-10
I had a tough time deciding on how many stars for this book. I really like the book but I was just a teensy bit disapointed. My reasons may be a little bit unfair but I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

They walk you thru step-by-step how to carve one pattern with nothing but a carving knife and another pattern step-by-step with how to carve with carving tools. The photos on this part are great and close-up in color. For the pumpkin carved only with the knife they used 86 pictures! For the pumpkin done with carving tools they showed 40 (because it's faster and easier to use carving tools hence it took fewer pics). This part is very much for the beginner which is exactly what I needed. Under each photo (which are about 4 to a page) they tell you what tool to use and explain what is happening in the photo. This part is amazing, they did not skip on the photos here!

I am slightly disapointed however, because they only show two pumpkin patterns step-by-step and I admit I am greedy and would have liked more.

The other 18 pumpkins they give shaded line patterns for and a color photo of each finished pumpkin. Depending on how dark the shading is on the drawing is how deep to carve that feature. This will no doubt not bother those more advanced at carving than myself but it does intimidate me.

This book is well worth the price just for the two step-by-step pumpkins they did. I will learn a lot and maybe by the time I do a couple I will feel comfortable tackling the others on my own.
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