Just "knowing" isn't enough!
929159
I like to think I know a lot about a lot.  Since reading Ron's book on Disaster Prep, though, I'm clear that knowledge isn't enough.  He makes it clear that you have to have a "Get Off Your Butt Event" or you'll never have a "Survival Process" .  Preparing for and surviving catastrophic events and the chaos that follows are a process requiring deliberate, proactive preparation and uncommon sense.  He give you both.

He reminds that events of this magnitude are very likely and resetting our modems or pressing the channel selector won't make them all better.
If we "good guys" and most of our friends want to stay alive for the closing credits we have to begin preparations now, not next week.

I've be fortunate enough to witness and benefit from Ron's thorough preparedness, extensive knowledge, instinctive skills and deep compassion for all animals including humans.  His witty, straight forward and humble presentation made the reading enjoyable and entertaining. I recommend it highly.
1279160
Francis Chan has obviously had a deep experience of the Holy Spirit's power and wisdom in his own life and ministry. He communicates well. All the same, his book is missing something. Like most evangelicals, he has thrown away the two Biblical books that God designed to instruct us in the Nature and Rewards of the Holy Spirit. In a real Bible (not a condensed version), knowledge of the Holy Spirit can be gained from around the middle of chapter six of Wisdom through to chapter nine, and from Jesus ben Sirach, chapters one through four. Although some theologians would argue that these writers are merely praising a personified Wisdom, such arguments don't hold up to examination, particularly when we are told that "Wisdom is the same Holy  Spirit now and forever... In every generation, Wisdom passes into holy souls, making them close friends of the Lord God, and giving them the ability to read His thoughts and designs. The Lord God loves no-one more than the man or woman who lives with Wisdom." There are many, many other such references to the Holy Spirit as Wisdom in the books noted above, and also in Proverbs 8, and Baruch 3:9 through 4:4. For new  English translations of these and other relevant passages you may wish to consult my&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/BIBLE-WISDOM-FOR-MODERN-TIMES-Selections-from-the-Orthodox-Old-Testament/dp/1430301694/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">BIBLE WISDOM FOR MODERN TIMES: Selections from the Orthodox Old Testament</a>.
1259166
I agree with what he/she said.  Ask and it is given was a wonderful book.  This one seems to just be an effort to profit more - - same information.  Disappointing.
4783556
I think my title above gets to the substance of Dr. Burton's narrative.  How do we know what we know?  Dr. Burton posits that the feeling of knowing is a necessary biological function required to allow humans to contemplate thought and take action. In other words, there has to be some reward for a person to think about and know what they are concluding and this reward comes in the feelings of knowing, certainty and correctness.  The problem is that the feeling is not always corroborated by the facts.  How many times have you been dead certain of something, only to be later proven wrong?  And of those times, how many are followed by hindsight reframing of the situation to maintain your correctness?

Burton delves into the physioligical details, philosophical ramifications and cultural and social implications of the reality that we may never be able to grasp 100% certainty on any subject.  The subject poses conundrums about issues like free will, religious beliefs and other areas, and Burton explores these in his text.

My concerns are that Burton starts out by stating that some of what he discusses is his own speculation, but never clearly tells us where that occurs.  In addition, he is guilty of his own bent towards certainty when he states that the case for evolution is air-tight (it's not).  Finally, someone once said that the seeds of destruction of a false belief are contained in that fasle belief's own logic.  So, if the conclusion is that we can never be 100% right, then that very conclusion can never be 100% right, so maybe it's wrong and we can be 100% right.  Kapeesh?

That being said, there is a lot of interesting material about how the brain works, and a lot of food for thought about how it is that we know what we know.
4913731
Too little of this information is widely known by the public and those in a position to do something about it. A case for focusing on skilled trades training as past of the solution.
1889282
You really, really, really need to know this information! Give it to a good friend when done and let them pass it on. Yes, it's THAT Important!
510818
Very true principles that every woman should live by if she intends not to be alone. However, there is something missing. It took half of the book to realize it. Let's say you're at a party with 100 other people and there he is, Mr. Right or so you'd like to get a chance to find out. How on earth do you get him to notice you? Let's also say that no one you know knows who he is, there's a lot of people there and you just can't stop stealing a glance. What do you do that doesn't involve you breaking any of 'The Rules?' You have to be an expert to really know that answer. There are a million things you could do but remember, they can't break 'The Rules.' The authors leave this piece of important info out. The book never really comes out and tells you. Perhaps they do not know. Or, perhaps they don't want to tell us because then it would imply that all of this really is a game. I'm not saying I disagree with the game. Afterall, the men started it. I'm merely saying, If you're going to write a book on rules, it should be complete.
3648993
Deep information! People need to know the truth and history. It we don't learn from it, we are doomed to repeat it.
3410909
But still, as good as the information is, it still leaves out the one essential lesson:
how to find suitable partners or groups in your area.
Without a partner, the knowledge is nice, but pretty useless.
But, now that the book has my curiosity peaked; I'd love to get in touch with someone 'in the life' who lives near me and is willing to show me what it's all about.
Most people 'in the life' seem to think we have to be born with the knowledge fully intact; and look down on 'newbies', or at least, ignore or openly reject those with no prior experience.
443464
I tried learning something about calculus because I know educated children of the future need to know science and math to care about this planet.
We will never learn science and math if those who know, can't learn how to be educators. This book needed to go slow,have  simple explanations, be repetitive and have many diagrams!
I'm still interested in learning why it is important and more about how is it done?
4867763
Although the book is full of good information I think it is practically impossible to implement the techniques presented unless you have willing partners for every conversation and unless you are really dedicated to changing the way you speak with people...and I am confident that most of us do not have friends, family and workmates who want to learn a new way to communicate...

I was disappointed because the concepts required too many exercises...I'd have preferred an in-depth description, sans exercises.  Save those for another book to follow up with, if your 'conversational partners' want to work with you on them!
4318554
The author may know his stuff. In fact, he may know it too well to teach it, as this book is full of terms and acronyms that are used within the text before being fully explained. You'll find yourself re-reading everything four times, trying to remember the difference between elements and entities, XSL and XML. Clearly the author loves the new technology and wants you to as well, but he doesn't explain it very well. Get XML Step By Step from MS Press if you want to actually learn this stuff.
1960860
Doesn't take a genius to recognize a brilliant idea!
I will always support the sharing of knowledge.
Used to be common sense was enough...It isn't today.
'Learn to Listen and Listen to Learn'
4826868
Great ideas but it seems like the author took the advice that more talking is good for kids and extrapolated it into more words are better for your book. It just seems like she's truly desperate to make this book longer. For example - did you know that different languages have different sounds? Just in case you didn't she breaks down the same sentence phonetically in a bunch of different languages. It's a pretty painful slog to get at the valuable info in this book!
1712454
What was the victim's name?  What were her goals and aspirations?  What kind of musical instrument did she play?  A book that delves into the minutiae of the main characters' lives should also provide information about other key characters.  This is not a long book.  There is certainly room to explore the murder victim and her position in the community.  The second victim receives even less attention.  In reality, only Williamson and Fritz are fully developed.  It would have been nice to know more about the cops.  Had they ever been investigated by Internal Affairs?  Were their records blemished, or were their careers sparkling clean?

Sadly, the dearth of information about the "supporting characters" makes this presentation shallow and opportunistic. "I'll gather the information that has already been revealed on Good Morning America, package it, put my name and picture on the cover, and it will sell like hotcakes."  Mr. Grisham, I've been following your career for nearly twenty years.  I know that you would not want your talent to be measured by this truly commercial effort.
1615483
There's a lot of material in this book - close to 400 dense pages of highly technical information. This and the ton of examples can't help but impress upon you that the authors are smart. Very smart.
The problem I have with this book is that maybe there's too much information. REST is supposed to simplify things, right? Up until this point I've read about REST in a couple of Rails book. I understand it (I think) and believe it's the wave of the future, especially after spending hours slogging through 800+ page books on JEE Web Services, WS-Death-*s (good call DHH!) and SOAs. While this book clocks in with less pages, it's still a tough read at times. And sometimes it was easy to lose sight of the forest while meandering through the numerous and sometimes-scattered trees.
Maybe that's just how tech books are; I don't know. I do know that most people are pressed for time and don't live and breath this stuff - which could explain the popularity of the "For Dummies" and "Head First" series.
Come to think of it, that's what I'd like to see: a "Head First RESTful Web Services" book. I think that would actually *help more people* to understand, and thus use, this technology.
4809651
Great info! But to charge HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS for a BOOK?? She and her publishers should be ashamed and unable to sleep at night. It's a shame the goal isn't to truly to heal or they would financially make this book accessible to all who who need it. Who the @#$%, in this economy, can afford to pay hundreds for a book? uggh,