Thorough introduction
921233
Excellent but very dense introduction. Not recommended for absolute beginner, but ultimately quite rewarding for anyone with some previous background who is looking for a thorough overview.
3866085
This text is a good reference for a broad range of topics in the analysis of multivariate time series. It covers not only proven mainstream methods (VARMA, cointegration, PCA) but also delves into some cutting-edge techniques such as those used in volatility modelling. The coverage across topics it not uniform, and the author freely admits the depth of coverage has been influenced by his own preferences and understanding of the various topics. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the text is heavily focused on VARMA modelling.

The order by which topics are presented is reasonable. I like that the author starts right off with the more general vector/matrix approach and does not waste time introducing the "special case" posed by univariate time series, since this book is going to be very difficult for a student who has not already been exposed to the univariate case. Indeed, a level of familiarity with advanced mathematical topics (such as infinite-order matrix polynomials) is presumed. I also liked that proofs occur mostly at the end of chapters, and that the author maintains a web page with a listing of errata.

While this is an excellent reference for a variety of techniques, like many of these kinds of books, it does not offer much on the subject of model selection -- that is, the process of choosing between competing techniques, nor much advice on how to determine whether a particular technique might be appropriate or inappropriate in a given setting.

Some reviewers have complained about being turned off by the heavy use of mathematical notation, some of which may seem foreign to some readers. However, I think this is unavoidable when covering advanced topics such as these. To his credit, the author mostly uses a consistent set of notation throughout the book, and is mostly willing to dispense with mathematical purity whenever it would hinder readability. For example, I was thankful that he uses the same symbol for a random variable and its realization, as using separate symbols would have been unnecessarily complicated in this setting.
2940166
I am not a practitioner, but a well-educated, research-oriented consumer. This is a really thorough and comprehensive series of reviews of current treatment practices in the trauma field. Each chapter is a stand-alone review on a particular focus, and chapters are grouped together when they concern similar treatment modalities. It's quite a bit to wade through in a sitting, but if the reader were not interested in all types and areas of treatment, he/she could read just the chapters of interest. The summaries are generally quite good, with good background material, and lots of references for the ambitious to find more to read on the topic. I appreciated that they summarize research in the field, and acknowledge when good research studies are lacking. I'm sure a practitioner would take a great deal more out of this book, but even non-practitioners with an interest in the material will benefit from this excellent book. Overall, it is well written and interesting to read.
1778649
This text is a terrific intro for both the student and/or general interest. It is highly readable, clear and yet concise. The author has found a good balance between informative and insightful style which doesn't assume the reader has a lot of prior knowledge but also doesn't "talk down" to the student.

Chapters are distinctive with ample examples, charts, drawings etc to supplement reading. Major points are provided in a quick to view manner making this an excellent overview/review for study, and pertinent examples with greater in depth discussion allow those who need more information to find it easily. Resources and citations are provided throughout to encourage study and additional review.

All in all, a very well written book.
3240810
This book is a great text for an Introduction to the Community College course at the master's or doctoral level. It is comprehensive without being tedious. Both authors are familiar with Community Colleges from the presidential level. Their chapter on work force development is long overdue. The resources cited are current and specific to the issues written about.
1082376
This book starts with the very basics but eventually gets into some interesting information. If you are an experienced telecomm person, you may want to stand clear of this one because it provides lengthy coverage of some basic subjects.
On the other hand, if you are new to telecommunications it is an excellent text to start with. It gives the reader a good foundation knowledge of coding principles, client-server, OSI Model, packet and circuit switching, ATM, the list goes on. Most subjects are covered in more detail than just a quick overview, so you actually gain an understanding of the subject matter.
My favorite chapters were on network management, and network design and implementation. Also, the book is quite up-to-date with discussions on xDSL, Gigabit Ethernet, GSM, etc.
2720192
This is the best comprehensive introduction to 2/1 Game Force I've found. The book is well organized, with a detailed and logical approach to adopting 2/1 as an entire system.
4704464
This is a well-written and thorough primer for developing, implementing and managing a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy for an organization of any size.

 The intended audience seems to be both Information Technology and General managers in small- to medium-size enterprises

 This book provides a clear outline of how to make the necessary choices in the process of integrating employee owned devices into the organization environment. There are a number of checklists and best practices described.

 For a manager who is determined to permit the use of personally owned devices, this is an excellent first step.

 But for all the excellence of this book, I am very opposed to the permitting employee owned devices in the workplace.

 They represent far too great a security and legal risk to the organization. Demonstrating the thoroughness of author Jessica Keyes research, her Quick Start 9  - Legal Issues with BYOD summarizes some of the reasons for my concerns. Keyes section is about 2-1/2 pages. If I wrote,it would be a dozen pages or more of caveats and warnings.

 So I find myself in the odd position of lauding this book as a well written introduction to implementing a BYOD policy  while aggressively advocating that organization do not do so. If you decide to do it, this book will at least help you minimize some of the risks.

Jerry
4122043
Professors Black and Whitney provide an excellent overview of the early development of the various media outlets. Chapters are devoted to various media delivery systems. The book is easy to read and clearly documented. Since it is largely historical in nature most of its content is still valid. Illustrations add to its effectiveness.
I have used this book in courses I've taught and have found it to be a good choice for introductory classes. Chapter summaries aid in focusing on the key points. I recommend the book for anyone interested in knowing more about the evolution of media and its audiences.
2524107
As an experienced software engineer doing his first steps in the field of Data Mining, this book proved very useful in introducing the jargon, the basic concepts and the methods used in the field of Data Mining.

The book is easy to read, filled with examples, and provides a comfortably paced (some would say slow) introduction to any mathematical / computational concepts required to understand any given subject.

There book is lengthy, so it takes time to go over all the chapters. In addition, some more specialized concepts (such as data mining streams and social networks) are provided for free at the publisher's web-site.

All in all - a good book for those who want a solid introduction to the field of Data Mining.
2310208
Dr. Kreeft provides an excellent introduction here in this anthology of of Aquinas' work. The way it is laid out works very well - Aquinas' writings appear first - then Dr. Kreeft's helpful remarks on the text are footnoted at the bottom of the page. No page flipping is necessary to get his comments - and they don't get in the way with reading the primary text either.
The book begins with a glossary of terms needed to comprehend Aquinas' thought. Unless you are familiar with these terms, you should really take the time to learn them before embarking on the rest of the book.
This book is a very good introduction and reference for Aqunias' thought. For absolute beginners with no background at all in Aristotelian philosophy however, you will probably want to first read Mortimer J. Adler's "Aristotle for Everybody" before tackling this book.
2815225
The book was a great introduction to PHP and Dreamweaver. I wasn't that interested in the blogging information (at least now), but I still found this book thorough, interesting, and helpful. It contains both Mac and PC references to help out either designers.  One frustrating element of my purchase was that the source code that the printed book contains on a disk was a bit difficult to locate for Kindle readers (but it IS available).
2406902
Cairns presents a thorough, lengthy, and succinct work in western Christian history.  As some have mentioned (and even complained about), Cairns writes from a conservative, nondenominational perspective.  There's really no reason to complain about the bias in this book.  First, the very first page in the preface states his presuppositions.  It's not as if they're hidden.  So, why complain about it?  Second, he spends the next part of the Introduction explaining the nature of a historian and why a historian cannot be as neutral as some people would like.

The format of the book is divided into standard three part Christian history of ancient, medieval and modern eras.  Though over five hundred pages, most of the people/subjects, etc. that have to be covered in a basic text on Christian history have to be brief.
This is a solid introduction and I would recommend it to anyone that might be interested.  There are also plenty of helpful pictures, graphs and charts that will also aide the reader in various ways, and extensive bibliographies at the end of each chapter in case someone wants to do some more thorough research on their own.
1670529
I found this hardback text to be both thorough and enjoyable reading. It includes up to date examples and content. It's a keeper.
1340445
This book is a very well done introduction into how commercial credit decisions are made.  Each case study has a well laid out description of the borrower's current situation that has led to a loan request.  There is enough detail to understand each case without getting bogged down in minutiae.  I would have preferred more descriptive questions at the end of each case to get more insight into how the credit decision was reached, but too much detail becomes tedious.  The brevity certain leads the reader to decide for himself whether or not the loan should have been granted, without taking the author's point of view as definitive.

I look forward to the next edition(hopefully) of this valuable primer.
4115656
This book is quite useful as it gives a long and deep introduction to all aspects of IA. The issue is tough to read and it is not a book you cannot stop reading. Very good to get a wide idea of the subject, though.
1908880
Thorough and helpful. Beyond the body of the text, even the notes provide a lot of useful background info.