Books

Average customer rating:

Rosetta Stone of Hypertext
Well done!

The New Media Reader

Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Culture | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General Broadcasting | Radio | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Methodology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books

General | Software Books | Custom Stores | Stores | Software
Similar Items:

The Language of New Media (Leonardo Books)
Digital Art (World of Art)
Remediation: Understanding New Media
New Media Art (Taschen Basic Art)
First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game

ASIN: 0262232278

Book Description

This reader collects the texts, videos, and computer programs--many of them now almost impossible to find--that chronicle the history and form the foundation of the still-emerging field of new media. General introductions by Janet Murray and Lev Manovich, along with short introductions to each of the texts, place the works in their historical context and explain their significance. The texts were originally published between World War II--when digital computing, cybernetic feedback, and early notions of hypertext and the Internet first appeared--and the emergence of the World Wide Web--when they entered the mainstream of public life.

The texts are by computer scientists, artists, architects, literary writers, interface designers, cultural critics, and individuals working across disciplines. The contributors include (chronologically) Jorge Luis Borges, Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, Ivan Sutherland, William S. Burroughs, Ted Nelson, Italo Calvino, Marshall McLuhan, Billy Kl?Jean Baudrillard, Nicholas Negroponte, Alan Kay, Bill Viola, Sherry Turkle, Richard Stallman, Brenda Laurel, Langdon Winner, Robert Coover, and Tim Berners-Lee. The CD accompanying the book contains examples of early games, digital art, independent literary efforts, software created at universities, and home-computer commercial software. Also on the CD is digitized video, documenting new media programs and artwork for which no operational version exists. One example is a video record of Douglas Engelbart's first presentation of the mouse, word processor, hyperlink, computer-supported cooperative work, video conferencing, and the dividing up of the screen we now call non-overlapping windows; another is documentation of Lynn Hershman's Lorna, the first interactive video art installation.

Customer Reviews:

Rosetta Stone of Hypertext.......2004-06-15

This huge tome is a must have for anyone who wants to deeply understand hypertext and its precursors. From William Burroughs to Doug Englebart and Augosto Boal to Ted Nelson this book presents a huge range of articles (and discursive commentary) of interest to computer scientists, writers, new media workers, artists and everyone in between. This is one stop shopping for new media literacy with over 800 pages of good stuff, much of it very hard to find outside of this volume.

Well done!.......2003-03-18

Fascinating, thorough in its analysis, beautifully designed reader/player. Good, well-rounded selection of texts and new media objects with no attempt to be exhaustive (to the editors' credit). I plan to use it as one of the texts in an upcoming university course.

Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide

Average customer rating:

Good introduction to modern media culture
What an amazing book
A thought-provoking and thorough analysis of online participatory culture
An excellent survey of media and culture
A different take on convergence

Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide
Henry Jenkins
Manufacturer: New York University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Media Consumers in a Digital Age
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More
Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder
Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games

ASIN: 0814742815
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Book Description

Winner of the 2007 Society for Cinema and Media Studies Katherine Singer KovÃ¡cs Book Award

"Jenkins is an astute observer of media culture and his insights are spot-on. . . . He intends his book to be a powerful tool both now and in the future . . . . This is a book to be praised. It raises many issues."
--Los Angeles Times

"Remarkable. . . . Jenkins' insights are gripping and his prose is surprisingly entertaining and lucid for a book that is, at its core, intellectually rigorous. . . . Jenkins' impressive ability to break down complex concepts into readable prose makes this study vital and engaging."
--Publishers Weekly

"Jenkins tries to bring clarity to cultural changes that are melting and morphing into new shapes on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly basis. Convergence Culture provides a view that looks at the restless ocean and tracks the currents rather than just looking at the individual rocks on the beach."
--The McClatchy Newspapers

"I thought I knew twenty-first century pop media until I read Henry Jenkins. The fresh research and radical insights in Convergence Culture deserve a wide and thoughtful readership. Bring on the `monolithic block of eyeballs!'" --Bruce Sterling, author, blogger, visionary

"Henry Jenkins offers crucial insight into an unexpected and unforeseen future. Unlike most predictions about how New Media will shape the world in which we live, the reality is turning out far stranger and more interesting than we might have imagined. The social implications of this change could be staggering."
--Will Wright, designer of SimCity and The Sims

"One of those rare works that is closer to an operating system than a traditional book: it's a platform that people will be building on for years to come. What's more, the book happens to be a briskly entertaining read--as startling, inventive, and witty as the culture it documents. It should be mandatory reading for anyone trying to make sense of today's popular culture--but thankfully, a book this fun to read doesn't need a mandate."
--Steven Johnson, author of the national bestseller, Everything Bad Is Good For You

"Henry Jenkins is the 21st century McLuhan I've been waiting for. With all the fuzzy generalities, moral panics, and gloomy pronouncements from industry spokesmen and social critics, Jenkins' clearly communicated and nuanced analysis is sorely needed. The world McLuhan foretold back in the age of 'electric media' has become immensely more complicated in today's many-to-many, converged, remixed and mashed-up, digital, mobile, always-on media environment. If you are a parent, a student, an educator, a creator or consumer of popular culture, an entrepreneur, or a media industry executive, you need to understand convergence culture. And you will only after reading Henry Jenkins."--Howard Rheingold, author of Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution

"For any Sony PS3 execs out there wondering why their technological masterpiece is being ridiculed by customers before its even released... Convergence Culture is a must read...Jenkins offers numerous insights on how technology and media professionals can forge better relationships with their customers."
--Slashdot

"I simply could not put this book down! Henry Jenkins provides a fascinating account of how new media intersects old media and engages the imagination of fans in more and more powerful ways. Educators, media specialists, policy makers and parents will find Convergence Culture both lively and enlightening."--John Seely Brown, Former Chief Scientist, Xerox Corp & director of Xerox PARC

"Henry Jenkins is the Director of MIT's Comparative Media Studies Program. Or, in other words, he's a genius. He's one of those rare people you meet and are instantly jealous of, wishing you could somehow transplant their amazing wealth of knowledge into your own noggin. I was privileged to have made his acquaintance when he interviewed me for his fabulous new book, Convergence Culture...Go read it, you just might learn something."
--The Heather Show

"The book is a short, smart, buttery read on a hot topic, and it is sure to draw both popular and academic interest."
--Water Cooler Games

Convergence Culture maps a new territory: where old and new media intersect, where grassroots and corporate media collide, where the power of the media producer and the power of the consumer interact in unpredictable ways.

Henry Jenkins, one of America's most respected media analysts, delves beneath the new media hype to uncover the important cultural transformations that are taking place as media converge. He takes us into the secret world of Survivor Spoilers, where avid internet users pool their knowledge to unearth the show's secrets before they are revealed on the air. He introduces us to young Harry Potter fans who are writing their own Hogwarts tales while executives at Warner Brothers struggle for control of their franchise. He shows us how The Matrix has pushed transmedia storytelling to new levels, creating a fictional world where consumers track down bits of the story across multiple media channels. Jenkins argues that struggles over convergence will redefine the face of American popular culture. Industry leaders see opportunities to direct content across many channels to increase revenue and broaden markets. At the same time, consumers envision a liberated public sphere, free of network controls, in a decentralized media environment. Sometimes corporate and grassroots efforts reinforce each other, creating closer, more rewarding relations between media producers and consumers. Sometimes these two forces are at war.

Jenkins provides a riveting introduction to the world where every story gets told and every brand gets sold across multiple media platforms. He explains the cultural shift that is occurring as consumers fight for control across disparate channels, changing the way we do business, elect our leaders, and educate our children.

Customer Reviews:

Good introduction to modern media culture.......2007-06-26

Henry Jenkins is one of the least dogmatic, most pragmatic voices on contemporary media culture. Unlike many other critics of electronic games and culture, he doesn't slavishly follow any particular school of thought; Jenkins consistently charts his own path, based primarily on research rather than preconceived notions. Like Lawrence Lessig, Henry Jenkins is always worth reading.

That said, this is not a book for specialists. It's most effective as an introduction to "convergence culture"; experienced participants in digital community will find much of the book to be familiar ground. I hoped to see Jenkins extend his arguments, with more detailed exploration of each case and more thorough contextualization of the academic theory he references (e.g. the work of Pierre Levy).

In presenting his perspectives, Jenkins also neglects significant details of some of his supporting examples - e.g. the execrable state of code for "Enter the Matrix", or LucasArts' infamously counterproductive community management for "Star Wars: Galaxies". Such omissions are particularly surprising because they would deepen his case rather than compromising it. His point, after all, isn't to draw a clear path to the future, but rather to map the multivalent dependencies and challenges which must be negotiated along the way.

Ultimately, "Convergence Culture" is only an introduction, a brief safari into lands still marked (on mass-cultural maps) as "frontiers undefined". Readers already exploring those frontiers will encounter few surprises. Newcomers (latecomers?) to "convergence culture", however, will find no better place to start.

What an amazing book.......2007-05-19

"Convergence Culture - where old and new media collide" by Henry Jenkins is one of the most exciting books I have read in the last months. It provides a new understanding of media, interaction and user collaboration. After the magificent volumes from Lawrence Lessig "Convergence Culture" helps to enlarge the media perspective.

A thought-provoking and thorough analysis of online participatory culture.......2007-01-16

Henry Jenkins is one of the foremost researchers in the field of online culture, and in "Convergence Culture" he presents many of his timely ideas. In brief, Jenkins' states that convergence is a deployment of content across mediums. A movie might have different incarnations in an online discussion groups, a movie created by a fan, a book, a game, and finally, the movie itself. (The alluring but dated idea of traditional convergence, a "black box" that serves to unite multiple delivery methods, has thankfully been set aside) Entire chapters are devoted to in-depth analyses of how certain advertising campaigns have incorporated transmedia storytelling. Chapter 3 looks at the Matrix, and how fans have followed it through multiple incarnations, resulting in a multi-medium campaign that not only had a certain mystique, but was deep enough for fans of all levels to follow.

At the best points in the book, Jenkins produces insights that rival the best qualitative research; "Convergence Culture" accurately and colorfully follows the emergence of new ways of consuming media and connecting with people. Unlike many books on new media, he has created a very fairly evaluated and expansive book on a "hot" topic. His one central idea has implications for many different aspects of the interaction of mass communication and society. This is one of the more thought-provoking books I've read in the last year.

An excellent survey of media and culture.......2006-12-24

What I loved about this book was the approachability of the language. Rarely do you see an academic write in a style that's friendly to audiences not in the ivory tower, but Jenkins produced a book I thoroughly enjoyed, as opposed to a laborious, slogging read I usually expect with academic treatises.

His knowledge about pop culture, culture theory, convergence culture is explained excellently and well balanced with examples that focus on fan culture and consumer culture, such as survivor, star wars, and Harry Potter. Jenkins shows how these communities interact, negotiate, and recreate culture.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in media studies, pop culture, or related works. I know it will prove useful for me.

A different take on convergence.......2006-08-28

I can't say enough good things about this book. Jekins critiques "traditional" convergence theory about converging media and argues that the instigator of convergence is the need for new patterns of consumption, not production. Each chapter addresses how fans of a particular program reorganize their media experiences to better participate in the discussion, analysis and, at times, production of future episodes or events.

Because he demonstrates through example, the text is approachable to the scholar and the layman alike. The subjects themselves make the read interesting, but Jenkins also brings his wisdom to bear at opportune moments. Highly reocmmmended for those who study media, culture or technology adoption.

Media Worlds: Anthropology on New Terrain

Average customer rating:

Hit and Miss

Media Worlds: Anthropology on New Terrain

Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Anthropology of Media: A Reader (Blackwell Readers in Anthropology)
Dramas of Nationhood: The Politics of Television in Egypt
Picturing Culture: Explorations of Film and Anthropology
Media Anthropology
Transcultural Cinema

ASIN: 0520224485

Book Description

This groundbreaking volume showcases the exciting work emerging from the ethnography of media, a burgeoning new area in anthropology that expands both social theory and ethnographic fieldwork to examine the way media--film, television, video--are used in societies around the globe, often in places that have been off the map of conventional media studies. The contributors, key figures in this new field, cover topics ranging from indigenous media projects around the world to the unexpected effects of state control of media to the local impact of film and television as they travel transnationally. Their essays, mostly new work produced for this volume, bring provocative new theoretical perspectives grounded in cross-cultural ethnographic realities to the study of media.

Customer Reviews:

Hit and Miss.......2006-03-28

Some of the works in this book are very well written and informative. The articles are especially helpful for any graduate thesis project work. However, there are many passages in this collection that are devoid of any type of importance (in my opinion. These works don't lend any significance to such an outstanding book of some of the best selected articles of the respected authors.

Flash Journalism: How to Create Multimedia News Packages

Average customer rating:

85% of perfect
An excellent book. Focused and complete.
Finally a book to learn how to do a multimedia piece right!

Flash Journalism: How to Create Multimedia News Packages
Mindy McAdams
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Journalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Reference | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Creating a Web Site with Flash: Visual QuickProject Guide
Convergent Journalism: An Introduction--Writing and Producing Across Media
Online Journalism: Principles And Practices Of News For The Web
Video Shooter: Storytelling with DV, HD, and HDV Cameras (DV Expert Series) (DV Expert Series)
Online Journalism: Reporting, Writing, and Editing for New Media (with InfoTrac )

ASIN: 0240806972

Book Description

This book will assist journalists and Flash developers who are working together to bring video, audio, still photos, and animated graphics together into one complete Web-based package.

This book is not just another Flash book because it focuses on the need of journalists to tell an accurate story and provide accurate graphics. This book will illustrate how to animate graphics such as maps, illustrations, and diagrams using Flash. It will show journalists how to integrate high-quality photos and audio interviews into a complete news package for the Web.

Each lesson in the book is followed by a learning summary so that journalists can review the skills they have acquired along the way. In addition, the book's six case studies will allow readers to study the characteristics of news packages created with Flash by journalists and Web developers at The Washington Post, MSNBC.com, and Canadian and European news organizations.

* Perfect for photojournalists who want to create or produce online slide shows with audio.
* A list of keyboard shortcuts for Flash will be included as an appendix.
* Lessons, not reference. This accessible approach for learning Flash MX 2004 illustrates its concepts with concrete examples that make sense.
* Full Color!

Customer Reviews:

85% of perfect.......2006-05-17

Very clearly explained for people who have no experience in flash. However, it didn't get me all the way to where I wanted to be. I wanted to produce an audio slide show that featured a) faded transitions, b) synchronization to the audio track, c) seamless loading on the user's end, and d) dynamically loaded content for ease of re-use. Although the book teaches a, b, c and d individually, it never puts them all together; the "final project" doesn't incorporate syncronization or seamless loading, and the audio-sync slide show it teaches doesn't have dynamic content or faded transitions. However, I feel well equipped to pick up a more thorough flash book to take me the rest of the way, and I'm glad I started with this one (a more general starter book would likely have covered topics of no use to me, like advanced animation et cetera).

An excellent book. Focused and complete........2005-09-18

This book is excellent. It has a mission and it executes it well. Its mission is to teach people to use Flash to communicate their ideas through images, words, and if necessary, sound. The book is structured with an introduction to communicating effectively followed by 10 progressive lessons for using Flash to accomplish the stated mission. The 3rd part of the book presents 6 case studies, real live examples of Flash in action. These case studies discuss the issue at hand, the approach that the designers, producers, and developers took to solve their problem, plus a technical tip that we all encounter when building Flash applications. An Appendix is included with additional information, such as preloaders, swf management, and video. The companion website takes this book from 5 stars to 10 stars. This is one of the best technical books I have ever read. It never looses sight of its mission. It marries technical technique to a functional objective.

Finally a book to learn how to do a multimedia piece right!.......2005-06-04

Finally a flash book that does not just show you how to make a ball bounce across a stage!

This is the book I recommend to aspiring multimedia journalists.

If you are a journalist who wants to go toward the online realm this is the book to buy, read and learn from -- I have always sent folks to Mindy McAdams' web site in the past -- now this new book she has done is even better.

Seth M. Gitner
Multimedia Editor
(...)

The Complete New Yorker: Eighty Years of the Nation's Greatest Magazine (Book & 8 DVD-ROMs)

Average customer rating:

Wow! A Great Gift for any New Yorker Fan!
20th century in a box!
how about it mac users?
So much fun
Make sure you have a DVD-ROM drive!

The Complete New Yorker: Eighty Years of the Nation's Greatest Magazine (Book & 8 DVD-ROMs)

Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books

Journalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Complete Cartoons of The New Yorker
The Year of Magical Thinking
Postwar : A History of Europe Since 1945
The New Yorker [1-year subscription]
The Elements of Style Illustrated

ASIN: 1400064740
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Amazon.com

Fans of The New Yorker will be dazzled by The Complete New Yorker, a collection that includes every page of every issue, from full-color covers to spot drawings, from poetry to Profiles, from cartoons to advertisements--all on 8 searchable DVDs. No need to save old issues, with this package, you'll have every article, cartoon, illustration, and advertisement, as it appeared in print, at your fingertips. The Complete New Yorker covers the magazine's entire history, from February 1925 to February 2005, providing a detailed yet panoramic history of the life of the city, the nation, and the world.

With The Complete New Yorker, you'll be able to:

Browse by Cover (click to zoom):

Search by Keyword (click to zoom):

View Entire Articles (click to zoom):

Search the archives for your favorite articles, cartoons, covers, and see them exactly as they appeared in print:

(October 13, 1934):

(August 31, 1946)

(September 23, 1961):

(July 22, 1974):

(September 10, 2001):

Book Description

EVERY PAGE OF EVERY ISSUE
ON 8 DVD-ROMS, WITH A COMPANION BOOK OF HIGHLIGHTS.

A cultural monument, a journalistic gold mine, an essential research tool, an amazing time machine.

What has the New Yorker said about Prohibition, Duke Ellington, the Second World War, Bette Davis, boxing, Winston Churchill, Citizen Kane, the invention of television, the Cold War, baseball, the lunar landing, Willem de Kooning, Madonna, the internet, and 9/11?

Eighty years of The New Yorker offers a detailed, entertaining history of the life of the city, the nation, and the world since 1925.

Every article, every cartoon, every illustration, every advertisement, exactly as it appeared on the printed page, in full color. Flip through full spreads of the magazine to browse headlines, art work, ads, and cartoons, or zoom in on a single page, for closer viewing. Print any pages or covers you choose, or bookmark pages with your own notes.

Our powerful search environment allows you to home in on the pieces you want to see. Our entire history is catalogued by date, contributor, department, and subject.

4, 109 ISSUES. HALF A MILLION PAGES. YOURS TO SEARCH AND SAVOR.

Customer Reviews:

Wow! A Great Gift for any New Yorker Fan!.......2007-05-24

First, I applaud the guys at the New Yorker for bringing this remarkable gift of the last 80 years on 8 CDs. You can reprint or print as often and as much as you want. I have to say that I didn't care for the book included. But this is truly a complete New Yorker with ads, indexes, authors, dates, subjects, etc. I have to say since I'm a big fan of Janet Flanner's who wrote Letters from Paris from 1925 to 1975. Fortunately, I don't have to spend a fortune seeking New Yorker magazines for a lot more money. It's easy to install and easier to use all the time. I love it. It's the perfect gift for anybody who loves to read, for any New Yorker fan, or anybody who has acquired the New Yorker Taste. It's not for everybody but it's for me.

I have to say that was the main purpose behind this purchase was the opportunity to have the magazine without collecting too much dust and space as magazines have been known to do. As a fan of Janet Flanner for the last couple of years, this complete New Yorker edition on dvd and book is fabulous and quite a bargain. I'm so glad that I got it and now I can print as much without having to go elsewhere to get the magazine editions. Janet Flanner was one of the most important voices of the last century and more so was that she was the voice of Paris from the American point of view from 1925 to 1975. Her name was synomous with New Yorker and the Letters from Paris edition. I am so happy to receive this wonderful item at a fraction of the price and be able to use it on my computer. I wonder what Janet would say about today's technology, the smoking ban everywhere but home, and the state of Paris, London, Rome, and New York City today. I won't say that Janet was a New Yorker because her heart was truly in Paris where she spent most of her life. We were very lucky to have her there reporting from 1925 until 1975. She was there between two World Wars. I think some of her finest writing came about during World War II and afterwards until she was no longer to write. I have to say that I think Paris changed after World War II. It wasn't so much about the lost generation of American expatriates like Flanner, her partner Solita Solano, Natalie Clifford Barney, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Beach etc. who relocated. Sure the hardcore expatriates like Flanner stayed behind but the change in Paris was obvious after the war. Nothing after the war was ever the same. In a way, all of Europe lost it's innocence during World War II and even Janet probably fondly remembered days before the war that ripped everybody apart. Nothing is for sure, nothing can last forever, maybe that's what Genet would say today. Of course, she was discreet about her own relationships with Solita Solano (her companion & secretary who was put Janet's career ahead of her own writing career), Noel Haskins Murphy (an American expatriate who lived in the country town of Orgeval where ironically Solita died and where Janet spent many happy weekends there), and Natalia Danesi Murray (Italian born, American divorcee, and mother of fellow writer William Murray) who longed to be with Janet completely. Of course after researching Janet Flanner, I found it hard to even decide which of the three women came first, second or third. I don't think Janet would ever make that choice. She was truly unconventional personally and professionally. There is not anybody else like her out there.

20th century in a box!.......2007-05-13

Name a subject and the Complete New Yorker addresses it ...and probably from many perspectives and in every decade! This collection is a goldmine of research and personal library of literature.

how about it mac users?.......2007-05-01

all of the problems listed in all of the, amazon, reviews dealing with computer problems seem to be software conflict with various hardware suppliers. all of the, mac, users seem happy with the product. is this true mac users?

So much fun.......2007-04-08

When this product was first released I was tempted to buy it straight away, however, I checked out the customer reviews on Amazon and was very put off. That is, I held off on my purchase. While this was an impressive undertaking for The New Yorker, there were so many complaints about the software and its design. Many posters made it sound as if the product was nearly unusable. Yet, I was very torn. I wanted to have all the issues on DVDs.

A couple of weeks ago I just happened to check into The New Yorker's web site and noticed that they were selling the set for $29.95, free shipping AND you could take an additional 20% off if you ordered before March 31st. This set also included the 9th updated DVD. It all sounded too good to be true and so I called The New Yorker and asked to speak to a person who was involved with the technical aspects of this project. Yvette told me that the updated DVD (#9) not only included additional issues but also was a clean up disc. She assured me that bugs had been fixed and was very helpful in explaining how to use the DVDs. She also suggested the hard drive as an alternative, but I did not want to spend $199 (the sale price).

I am offering all this background in case there are others out there like myself, who want the product but are afraid because of all the negative comments about how the product works...or rather, does not work.

REPORT: The set arrived very quickly (within a week of ordering) and I have been having a grand time. I grew up with the weekly arrival of The New Yorker being an occasion in my family: parents and five children all grabbing to see what this week's issue had in store. It has been both nostalgic and thrilling to pull up articles, stories, and movie reviews that I remember. But it also the discovery of the new--or, what is new to me--that has been the unexpected bonus. Browsing through the issues from the beginning is a pure delight. Seeing the pages with the advertisements is a real plus. While others have complained about this, I find that seeing the actual pages makes it both more real and pleasant a read.

There is a book that comes attached to the package and it includes a timeline that is fascinating and helpful. I learned that William Shawn joined the New Yorker in 1933 as a freelance Talk of the Town reporter. He didn't become editor until after Ross's death in 1951. Somehow I didn't imagine Shawn was anything but THE editor, but in fact he worked his way up and it took nearly 20 years.

While reading the timeline is fun and illuminating, the articles are what matter. And there is such a wealth here. You can search by author, magazine department, or date. You can also set up your list of favorites and make notes.

So if you are tempted to buy, I heartily recommend it. Be sure that you are getting the most current set with the updated DVD though. It is Disk 1.1--Updated Install Disk.

Make sure you have a DVD-ROM drive!.......2007-01-06

My sister-in-law bought this for me ... too bad neither of us knew that my computer didn't have a DVD-ROM drive. So while I'm sure it's wonderful, it's gathering dust at present.

Average customer rating:

A worthy contribution to history free of myth and full of facts
Two Shortcuts To Becoming A Lone-Assassin Believer: Watch The 11/22/63 Real-Time Live TV Coverage....And Then Read This Book
Out of the Past
very good press reporting
JOURNALISM CLASSIC AND INSIDE SCOOP

When the News Went Live: Dallas 1963
Bob Huffaker , Bill Mercer , George Phenix , and Wes Wise
Manufacturer: Taylor Trade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Journalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Journalists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Biographies | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

JFK: Breaking the News
President Kennedy Has Been Shot: Experience the Moment-To-Moment Account of the Four Days That Changed America
Four Days in November: The Original Coverage of the John F. Kennedy Assassination
National Nightmare on Six Feet of Film: Mr. Zapruder's Home Movie And the Murder of President Kennedy
That Day in Dallas: 3 Photographers Capture on Film the Day President Kennedy Died

ASIN: 1589791398

Book Description

Broadcast journalism came of age in the Kennedy Assassination crisis and helped to hold a mourning nation together. Four reporters on the scene relate their experiences.

Customer Reviews:

A worthy contribution to history free of myth and full of facts.......2007-04-03

There are so very few books that convey a sense of "being there" when it comes to the Kennedy assassination. This outstanding book takes the reader back to that fateful weekend of November 22nd 1963 in Dallas, Texas and does so in an open, honest and compelling manner.

"When the News Went Live" is written by four journalists who were in Dallas on that day covering the presidential visit. Bob Huffaker and the other three newsmen share many interesting stories that you will not find elsewhere and that have been untold for many years no doubt to all but their personal friends. This is why the book is such a valuable contribution to the historical record. Such first hand observation regarding not just those few seconds in Dealey Plaza, the murder of Officer Tippet and the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby, but how in fact the entire story unfolded, makes fascinating reading.

As an aid to anyone interested in the assassination, this book is a must have. I would emphasize - rarely do you find first hand knowledge like this - much of what is written on this subject is written by people many steps removed from the event where fact and fiction merge into one. Not so here. A fabulous book which is refreshingly free of the conjecture and myth that is so common in the Himalayan pile of work on the Kennedy assassination and is highly recommended.

Two Shortcuts To Becoming A Lone-Assassin Believer: Watch The 11/22/63 Real-Time Live TV Coverage....And Then Read This Book.......2007-01-02

"With three shots from a mail-order rifle, Lee Oswald set off a worldwide tragedy that developed too fast to print. .... Broadcast journalism came of age in that crisis of grief and uncertainty, and as it drew its mourning audience, it helped to hold the nation together." -- Bob Huffaker; From the Preface of "When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963"

----------------------

"When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963", published in 2004, paints a vivid word picture of many of the incredible events that surrounded President John F. Kennedy's assassination in November of 1963, as seen through the eyes of four journalists -- Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer, George Phenix, and Wes Wise -- who covered those events as they happened for CBS affiliate KRLD-TV and Radio in Dallas.

President Kennedy's shocking and appalling assassination on November 22, 1963, was the very first really big "Watch It Unfold Live On TV" news event of the television era, with four full commercial-free days being devoted to nothing but exclusive assassination-related coverage by all three major TV networks (with KRLD's on-the-scene Dallas reporters frequently feeding CBS-TV headquarters in New York).

And the four reporters whose intriguing stories unfold within this 224-page hardcover volume were right smack in the thick of things during the rapidly-developing events -- from the initial sketchy bulletins that told of the President being shot in Dealey Plaza during a motorcade drive through the city of Dallas -- to the announcement of JFK's death at Parkland Hospital -- to the capture of the accused assassin (Lee Harvey Oswald) in a nearby movie theater -- to Oswald's very own murder on live TV (with Bob Huffaker reporting live from the basement of the Dallas Police Department, where the single gunshot from Jack Ruby's pistol added yet another hard-to-believe chapter to the weekend's nightmarish story).

It was a mesmerizing weekend in American (and television) history, to say the least. And those days are re-lived with clarity in this engaging book by way of the recollections of four men who lived through and reported on those events when they were occurring.

"When The News Went Live" contains several excellent black-and-white photographs, too (some of them I haven't seen published elsewhere).

On a personal level, I have had the pleasure of communicating (via e-mail) with Bob Huffaker several times. He has been very cordial and gracious whenever answering the questions that I had for him. His personal insights into the events revolving around JFK's death are fascinating glimpses into the past, and are insights that I have enjoyed reading immensely.

A sample e-mail excerpt from Mr. Huffaker:

----------------------

"David, you're right about the presidential visit and motorcade being the main attraction that all Dallas media were covering, of course. But all our stations had limited capabilities for doing mobile TV, which then demanded either cables or microwave dishes--as well as a receiving dish within line-of-sight beaming or bouncing.

Hence the pool TV arrangements, limited to three planned locations. The local TV stations did live TV from the FTW {Fort Worth} breakfast, Love Field, and the Trade Mart. But this was, indeed, the day the news went live on television, unplanned.

WBAP-TV in Fort Worth had a non-running TV van, which they had towed all the way from Cowtown to Dallas Police headquarters, and we sent both of our KRLD-TV vans into duty--the Bread Truck at DPD and the Blue Goose on the 24th to the county jail, etc.

This was the first time in TV history when on-the-spot news suddenly demanded to go live from the scene. Before that, radio news on-the-spot descriptions such as ours that day were common (like the Hindenburg broadcast--radio only), and live TV was usually reserved for major speeches, sports, etc.

Bob" -- E-mail to this writer; May 30, 2006

----------------------

Relating to the subject of "WHEN THE NEWS WENT LIVE", I'd like to offer up the following observations as an extension of this book review.....

To those JFK conspiracy theorists who seem to favor the Oliver Stone-like or Robert Groden-promoted assassination scenarios (that feature a minimum of three gunmen and anywhere from 6 to 10 gunshots being fired at President Kennedy in Dallas' Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963) -- I always suggest to them that they ought to dig up some of the originally-aired "As It Is Happening" live TV or radio broadcasts from that dark Friday in American history.

After performing that exercise of watching a few hours of the November 22 television coverage of the assassination (in real time), or listening to some of the radio broadcasts in real time (which works just as well) -- I challenge anyone to then arrive at the same conclusion that was slapped up on the big theater screen in 1991 via Director Oliver Stone's blockbuster, conspiracy-laden motion picture "JFK".

Watching the day's events unfold "live" in front of you (or listening to them unfold on the radio as it was happening) should, in my opinion, provide everyone with a good general idea of how utterly impossible a task it would have been to have "faked" so much stuff that was being IMMEDIATELY reported to the world on live television and radio within minutes and hours of the President's assassination (and within a very short space of time following Police Officer J.D. Tippit's murder as well).

Via those original live TV/Radio broadcasts, you're not going to hear a SINGLE report that resembles anything close to the Oliver Stone/Jim Garrison-endorsed nonsense of:

"Three gunmen fired six shots at President Kennedy's motorcade today here in Dallas!!"

What you will hear, instead, is live coverage, as it happened, of a ONE-GUNMAN assassination taking place from where the majority of witnesses said it took place (the Texas School Book Depository Building), with no more than three shots having been fired by the SINGLE SHOOTER, which is a shot count that over 91% of the witnesses concur with -- including the small percentage of witnesses who heard only one or two shots, who are witnesses that certainly don't do Mr. Stone's "6-shot ambush" theory any favors.

Upon evaluating virtually all of the TV networks' live assassination footage from November 22nd, 1963, there is no possible way that a reasonable person could arrive at a conclusion that JFK was shot by three assassins, firing from both front and rear. Let alone arriving at an even more-cockeyed "8-to-10-shot" shooting scenario, as purported by Mr. Groden and some other CTers, which is an outlandish conspiracy-flavored scenario that has John Kennedy and John Connally being shot by way more than just the two Warren Commission-backed Mannlicher-Carcano bullets from Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle.*

* = And Mr. Groden's theory (that sports from 8 to 10 gunshots) also features an additional hunk of lunacy, in that Groden thinks it's very likely that NONE of these eight to ten shots came from the "Oswald window" in the Book Depository! (I'm not making this crazy stuff up here. I promise. Anyone who owns a copy of Robert Groden's 1993 book "The Killing Of A President" can check out Groden's preposterous theory for themselves, on pages 20-40.)

The bottom line is -- Very nearly all of the information being reported on TV and radio that November day favored a "Lone Assassin" shooting scenario (including the info concerning the Tippit murder in Oak Cliff), with very little evidence and information being broadcast that would support any type of a "conspiracy" whatsoever; and certainly no "conspiratorial" evidence that has ever panned out and "proved" that a multi-gun plot ended JFK's life in Dallas.

This is quite a telling "One Killer" fact. Because, in my view, if a vast conspiracy and subsequent "cover-up" had been in place on November 22nd (given the immense amount of TV and radio coverage, with reporters scrutinizing everything coming across their desks and digging hard for any type of case-solving clues during those first hours and days after JFK and J.D. Tippit were killed), I think that at least SOME pieces of the conspiracy would have leaked through to the sweeping television and radio coverage surrounding the two Dallas murders.

And I'm guessing that every reporter and newsman in the country (including Messrs. Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix, and Wise) would have loved to dig up some "conspiracy"-proving angle during that weekend in November of '63. Being the person who uncovered such a huge story would certainly be a feather in that reporter's cap, to be sure. But, as it turned out, nothing of that nature occurred....and has yet to occur all these many years later.

To think (as many theorists do) that these conspirators were so smart and so quick to have had the capabilities to immediately eliminate virtually every last scrap of information leading to a conspiracy plot of some kind, making sure that none of the "multi-gunmen shooting event" details seeped through to the media (multiplied by TWO separate murders as well, counting Tippit's!), is to think that any such evil-doers had powers similar to "Superman".

For example -- Almost every one of the initial reports concerning the number of gunshots heard by witnesses stated "3 shots". And while it's true that the very first report of the shooting from UPI's Merriman Smith (which was broadcast over all the television networks) stated "Three shots were fired...", it's also worth noting that Smith's initial bulletin was not the ONLY "three shots" account that was reported during those early hours just after the shooting.

For instance, Jay Watson of ABC affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas (who happened to be in Dealey Plaza during the shooting and nervously reported the first bulletins to the unaware Dallas TV audience) is heard multiple times on November 22nd saying he heard "3 shots" fired.

Plus, several other members of the media are also on record stating their own PERSONAL beliefs that exactly three shots were fired by the assassin, including Robert MacNeil, Jack Bell, Bob Clark, Jerry Haynes, and Pierce Allman, among still others.

Some of the other "Three Shot" witnesses who were riding right in the Presidential motorcade itself include -- Photographers Tom Dillard, Robert Jackson, Mal Couch, and James Underwood. Plus, both John and Nellie Connally, who were riding in the same car with President Kennedy.

In addition, Presidential aides Ken O'Donnell and David Powers, who were both riding in the Secret Service follow-up car directly behind JFK's limousine, can also be added to the lengthy list of witnesses who heard precisely three gunshots.

And then there's also amateur filmmaker Abraham Zapruder, who took the most famous 26-second home movie in history when he captured the entire assassination with his 8mm Bell & Howell movie camera -- Zapruder showed up on live TV about 90 minutes after the President's murder took place and gave a graphic account of the horrifying event that had taken place in front of his very eyes.

Mr. Zapruder told the WFAA-TV viewing audience that he had heard two or three shots (but definitely no more than three), and he also demonstrated on live television where on the President's head he had seen the effects of the fatal gunshot. Zapruder puts his hand over the right-frontal portion of his own head to demonstrate where he saw the blood coming from JFK's head.

That's pretty amazing "LIVE" stuff from Mr. Zapruder's own lips (within approx. an hour-and-a-half of the assassination). And it's especially incredible and amazing if there had actually been many more than just two or three shots fired at the President, and if the fatal shot had actually (as many CTers believe) caused a huge hole in the BACK of John Kennedy's head, instead of the location where Zapruder placed it on live television -- i.e., the RIGHT SIDE AND FRONT portion of the head.

How could the so-called "conspirators" have possibly gotten THAT lucky with respect to Abraham Zapruder's live "on-the-air" WFAA-TV statements and head-wound "demonstration"? How?

And -- Could these ultra-clever conspirators have somehow managed to "manipulate" several reporters who were relaying the news live to the world immediately after the event, and have them ALL report on hearing just "three shots" (or, in a few cases, hearing only TWO shots, which is a number that certainly does not favor a "Multi-Shooter Conspiracy Plot")?

Or did the plotters just happen to get really, really LUCKY (again) when virtually all of the news reports favored the "Three Shots Fired" conclusion? With this 3-shot scenario matching the precise number of bullet shells that were found on the 6th Floor of the Book Depository after the shooting; and also perfectly matching the exact number of shots heard by TSBD witness Harold Norman, and also perfectly matching the precise number of bullet shells (3) that Norman heard hitting the plywood floor directly above his 5th-Floor location within the Depository.

Which, per Oliver Stone's movie, would mean that a full 50% of the ACTUAL number of gunshots were somehow inaudible to the enormous majority (91%+) of the earwitnesses! And, remember, Oliver has NONE of the shots within his movie's six-shot assassination ambush being "synchronized" in order to merge together with the sound of some of the other shots.

And yet, per Mr. Stone, we're supposed to actually believe that approximately 9 out of every 10 witnesses somehow missed hearing HALF of the gunshots fired that day! A reasonable thing to believe....or not? I ask you.

Were these so-called conspiratorial shooters so good that they could make 4 to 10 shots sound like only three to the vast majority of witnesses scattered all throughout Dealey Plaza? Highly doubtful, to say the least.

Again -- I'd advise all conspiracy theorists to sit down and watch the live TV footage....or listen to some of the surviving 11/22/63 radio tapes....and then try to find a "Multi-Gunmen Conspiracy" lurking within ANY of those original broadcasts. If anybody finds proof of a conspiracy via those means, please let me know. And let the world know too.

David Von Pein
December 2006
January 2007

Out of the Past.......2006-04-04

We have become accustomed (yea, verily, some would say desensitized)to horror unfolding before our eyes in our very own living rooms. Bob Huffaker's book brings us back to a time before the desensitization, when we could scarcely believe what our eyes were telling us. I recommend this book highly to those who were there, watching as I was, and even more so to those who were not there. The young, raised in an era of suicide bombers, need to understand that it was not always thus.

very good press reporting.......2005-07-30

1963 nov 22 brought to life again but with more professionalism.some very interesting facts that confirmed my own thoughts .

JOURNALISM CLASSIC AND INSIDE SCOOP.......2005-05-07

I stayed up all night reading when my copy of When The News Went Live, Dallas 1963 arrived. This book is a classic and should be included in the curriculum of every journalism and political science classroom in America.

Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix and Wise have written the Texas story of the Kennedy assassination, the inside scoop on Oswald's murder and the history of the evolution of modern journalism. These four men were Dallas television reporters, on the scene and on their own, in the middle of the news story of the century.

It is a salute to their training and their integrity as newsmen that their coverage under duress stands today as a compelling rendering of those fateful moments. I am glad they were the early ones on the scene, for they were the ones who broke the news to me in my elementary classroom. The story gives their perspectives more fully; all these years later, this book helps me understand the events and how they affected Texas and the nation.

Bob, Bill, George and Wes were there in Dallas with their Southern sensibilities. They weren't easily pushed around or manipulated that dark day and still aren't. They were taught to tell the truth as objectively as possible, and they reverted to that training and their good common sense when placed in positions lesser men might have blown or exploited. These four men cared about truth and justice and fairness and still do. I hope all young journalists will read this and learn about balanced reporting.

New Built-Ins Idea Book: Media Centers Nooks & Crannies Window Seats Kitchen & Dining Areas Work Centers (Idea Books)

Average customer rating:

Not what I expected ...
Fell short
Great ideas!
Great ideas
Talk about IDEAS!

New Built-Ins Idea Book: Media Centers Nooks & Crannies Window Seats Kitchen & Dining Areas Work Centers (Idea Books)
Sandor Nagyszalanczy
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Home & Garden Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Trim Idea Book
Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book
Built-In Furniture: A Gallery of Design Ideas (Idea Book)
New Kitchen Idea Book (Idea Books)
Trim Carpentry and Built-Ins (Build Like A Pro)

ASIN: 1561586730
Release Date: 2005-01-31

Book Description

Do-it-yourself home projects have become a national pastime, and nothing satisfies that urge more then creating built-ins. The fact that they are a permanent part of a house makes it more critical that they be done with as much skill and imagination as possible. That's where the New Built-Ins Idea Book comes in. Written by Sandor Nagyszalanczy, a former senior editor of Fine Woodworking magazine and an acknowledged expert in the field, this illustrated guide shows step-by-step how to create built-ins that are both practical and appealing. Here are hundreds of design ideas for projects for every room of the house, including kitchens, bathrooms, libraries, kids' spaces, dining rooms, bedrooms, and the increasingly popular media spaces. The book shows a wide range of possibilities for incorporating built-ins, from niches to bookcases to spaces that replace those stacks of clothing in the closet. Complete coverage of materials, lighting, color, and hardware, along with careful, comprehensible drawings and photographs, is included.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected ..........2007-01-29

Taunton has a very good reputation for their publications so I thought this would be a great book to help me with several projects I will be undertaking. It was a disappointment. There was nothing innovative or unique about the ideas presented. The cabinet styles were either very basic or so custom they did not provide realistic options. If you are looking for innovative or creative ideas for a realistic cabinet project ... look elsewhere.

Fell short.......2006-10-30

I felt the sample of this book was not a good indication of it's contents. Most of the built-ins shown in the book are from a Room-View with the built in partially obstructed and with little detail shown. I wasn't looking for plans to build, but I would have expected more. If you like the details level shown on the cover of the book, then this will be right up your alley, other wise, the book will probably fall short of your expectations.

Great ideas! .......2006-07-22

To make the most of our new home, I was looking for ideas for custom made cabinetry and other storage options.
Although the style of quite a few examples are not to my taste, I still got enough ideas and inspiration. Also a plus; the book gives you tips for matching built-ins to the rest of the room, to get a coordinated look.
My favourite chapters: Passages (great storage options to be found there!!) Window seats (you will see small window seats as well as really large ones) Workspaces (they show you practical workspaces even in tiny closets) and Utility Areas. In the kitchen chapter I liked the small details, like the pantry and appliance garage.

Petra (from the Netherlands)

Great ideas.......2006-05-18

I want to install severeal built-ins in my older home, as space is limited. This book definitely gave me lots of ideas. The pictures are excellent and really provide inspiration - whether you copy exactly or adapt the ideas to meet your needs. Full of ideas and inspiration - not a how-to.

Talk about IDEAS!.......2006-03-20

This book, by far, exceeded my expectations! It is full of wonderful photos - cover to cover. We are getting ready to build a new home and we will definitely use a few of these creative ideas.

Stephanie from Cincinnati, Ohio

Issues in New Information Technology (Communication, Culture, and Information Studies)

Average customer rating:

Issues in New Information Technology (Communication, Culture, and Information Studies)

Manufacturer: Ablex Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Secret Knowledge (New and Expanded Edition): Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters

Average customer rating:

Hockney's Evidence is Thought-Provoking, Verifiable/Falsifiable
Another great book from Hockney's first rate mind
An Important And Original Work
'A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth' John Singer Sargent
Fascinating theory

Secret Knowledge (New and Expanded Edition): Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
David Hockney
Manufacturer: Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Criticism | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth behind the Masterpieces
The Science of Art: Optical Themes in Western Art from Brunelleschi to Seurat
Hockney's Pictures: The Definitive Retrospective
The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting: With Notes on the Techniques of the Old Masters, Revised Edition
Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing

ASIN: 0142005126
Release Date: 2006-10-05

Amazon.com

British painter David Hockney, well known for his cool and lovely paintings of California pools, has taken on the new role of detective. For two years Hockney seriously investigated the painting techniques of the old masters, and like any admirable sleuth, compiled substantial evidence to support his revolutionary theory. Secret Knowledge is the fruit of this labor, an exhaustive treatise in pictures revealing clues that some of the world's most famous painters, Ingres, Velázquez, Caravaggio (just to mention a few) utilized optics and lenses in creating their masterpieces. Hockney's fascination with the subject is contagious, and the book feels almost like a game with each analysis a "How'd they do that?" instead of a whodunit. While some may find the technical revelation a disappointment in terms of the idea of genius, Hockney is quick to point out that the use of optics does not diminish the immensity of artistic achievement. He reminds the reader that a tool is just a tool, and it is still the artist's hand and creative vision that produce a work of art. (296 pages, 460 illustrations, 402 in color.) --J.P. Cohen

Book Description

David Hockney's controversial book, now revised in paperback with thirty-two new pages of evidence

Join one of the most influential artists of our time as he investigates the painting techniques of the Old Masters. Hockney's extensive research led him to conclude that artists such as Caravaggio, Velázquez, da Vinci, and other hyperrealists actually used optics and lenses to create their masterpieces.

In this passionate yet pithy book, Hockney takes readers on a journey of discovery as he builds a case that mirrors and lenses were used by the great masters to create their highly detailed and realistic paintings and drawings. Hundreds of the best-known and best-loved paintings are reproduced alongside his straightforward analysis. Hockney also includes his own photographs and drawings to illustrate techniques used to capture such accurate likenesses. Extracts from historical and modern documents and correspondence with experts from around the world further illuminate this thought-provoking book that will forever change how the world looks at art.

Secret Knowledge will open your eyes to how we perceive the world and how we choose to represent it.

Customer Reviews:

Hockney's Evidence is Thought-Provoking, Verifiable/Falsifiable.......2007-03-27

Critics and reviewers who have rated Hockney's Secret Knowledge low seem to me to overlooks some major points. Some of these I find more persuasive than the the issue of alleged perspective misjudgment which seem to attract the greatest heat.

1. H points out that a huge majority of portraits in the period show the model as left handed--some 80%. This is consistent with use of lenses and inconsistent with the frequency of left-handedness in the population. Now, here is a verifiable fact. Are H's numbers right--or are they not?

2. H is not claiming that everyone 1400-1650 was a poor draftsman. At least in what I've seen so far, he doesn't claim e.g. that Rembrandt used optics. Part of his evidence is however that some artists who were great painters were not great draftsmen--their painting exceeds in accuracy their draftsmanship. Now this appears to me again something that is verifiable by a third party. (The question of H's own draftsmanship abilities is totally irrlevant. I don't like his art much myself).

3. In a highly competitive art market, where realism counted, what is the likelihood that artists would >not < use devices that helped them both with accuracy and speed? Even if the great Ren artists could paint and draw realistically without optics (and their education certainly was thorough), throughput and competitive concerns surely would have pushed them in that direction.

4. To my knowledge, no one has responded to H's claim that the change in light to very strong with dark shadows from about 1400 (light is flat) to 1500 is very consistent with use of optics. Yes, that is not the only possible explanation. But from a philosophy of science perspective, this phenomenon and the phenomenon of increased accuracy need to be explained. H at least offers an explanation. The burden of an alternative explanation is on the critics. H's hypothesis could be falsified by showing that in fact strong lighting was used before this period and flat lighting afterwards.

5. Another phenomenon for which H has an explanation but for which I haven't seen alternatives is the fact that in many realistic paintings, depth of field is evident. An example is the famous Vermeer milk pitcher painting. H has an explanation of why the foreground breadbasket is out of focus, while the background basket is (oddly) in focus. If a critic doesn't like H's explanation, he/she should provide an alternative.

6. H shows that in some cases extremely precise scaling is evident--scaling that would be very difficult to do by hand. Prof Falco, the optics and superconducting physicist who collaborated with H., has done the math and claimed that obtaining such accuracy by hand is very difficult since the error is (as I remember) under 2%). Doing anything by hand with under 2% error is quite a feat--including reconciling bank statements :)-- never mind drawing. Here is another phenomenon in which either the factual statements by H and Falco can be easily verified/falsified or need an alternative explanation should be provided.

On an ad hominem note, I think it is worth pointing out that art historians have a built-in motive for rejecting H's hypothesis: They didn't find it! I took an amateur to notice the discrepancies. Finally, personal experience suggests that some people have a lot more difficult time with accuracy/obtaining a likeness than others. For H to be correct, he does not need to support the claim that everyone who was accurate used optics, only that some did and these raised the bar for the art community as a whole.

Thanks for reading.

Another great book from Hockney's first rate mind.......2007-01-12

I have spent years painting and teaching and drawing the figure. Its amazing how much a person still can learn after practicing it for so long. This is one of the joys of drawing. Every investigated mark is a learning experience. That is what I also love about Hockney. This man might not be the greatest shining star artist of our time, but it would be easy to defend him as the greatest thinker in the arts since Da Vinci.

'Secret Knowledge' is just a small chunk of Hockney's oeuvre. He has been writing books primarily through the interview form for decades. Each book has looked at aspects of art in different lights. This book only happens to be the most concise and stylized of his many efforts.

Basically, if your here reading this, I bet you have some idea what this book is about already. You know that Hockney is putting forth a thesis on how drawings were so precisely crafted by the masters two hundred years ago, while today as one of our societies foremost draftsmen, Hockney cant even come close to matching those abilities. Hockney goes into detail on how he can see characteristic pencil marks created by Warhol or other artists using over-head projectors and Ingres' drawings. This is pretty obvious if you have done both. Hockney then goes into precise detail on the drawbacks of using the camera lucidea and obscuras and how they were used.

I really find some qualms with the reviewer who says that Hockney's arguments are on par with a junior high school students and that they are not scientific. Quite the contrary. Hockney's arguments are precise and unfold in a step by step process. You can't really give scientific proof over how a drawing was created any other way than Hockney has done so. The more time you spend drawing the figure, the more you will realize what Hockney is saying, is right on.

I think that this book will go down as one of the benchmark art books of our era. Its well worth pondering over and I think that even though it does not have quite as much relevance in our post-modern era, it will be around for as long as people still want to understand art.

An Important And Original Work.......2007-01-10

An excellent read for those interested in the way artworks were produced. The book's inferences humanize Art History and will change the way you look at the works of past masters. Hockney's research is well documented, well presented and profound.

'A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth' John Singer Sargent.......2006-12-14

Reaction to David Hockney's original book SECRET KNOWLEDGE published in 2001 stirred a lot of controversy from artists, art historians, art collectors, and students: the responses ranged from resounding Bravos! to a clangorous 'Humbugs!' Now Hockney has produced a second expanded volume, partially in response to that outbreak of slander and partially to fill the voids left by his first set of observations. This newly expanded version retains the luxury of copious images of paintings from the early 15th century to the present and adds to that a fascinating series of historical quotations from across the centuries to support his theory. In other words, the book is still controversial - but now it is backed by researched documents from ancient and contemporary scholars.

His theory? Simply that artists from those following Giotto to the present used optics as a tool to create images. Hockney does not disparage this 'manipulation' as a foil to famous artists' integrity or talent: quite the opposite - he lauds the artists who had the intelligence to make use of yet another tool (like paint brushes, charcoal, paper, easels, etc) to hone their skills. Hockney gently and with respect explores the use of the camera obscura and camera lucida along with the use of concave and convex mirrors and lenses, offering the reader not only his ideas on the subject but also splendid examples of how the discovery of optics changed the quality of painting over a mere tow or three years of usage time with such luminaries as Velasquez and Caravaggio!

Whether or not the reader elects to accept Hockney's premise of the importance of optics in the development of art history will not prevent enjoying the fascinating excursion this well designed and produced book offers. Hockney intermingles his own portraits meticulously created with the use of the camera lucida to demonstrate how this technique was in no way a sign of laziness or 'copying' of a projected image on the part of the artists he discusses. Quite the contrary. By utilizing these techniques and sharing the inherent difficulties the use of optics creates in the technical aspects of painting and drawing he is able to speak with authority about his thesis.

Hockney's joy (which continues to this day) is exploring the 'How did they do that?' response to painting, not unlike the way most of us approach a canvas and as 'What does it mean?'. It is this kind of intellectual searching that makes this book such a treasure - that, and the fact that here is yet another superb art history book that the reader will actually READ instead of just perusing the pictures. Highly recommended on many levels. Grady Harp, December 06

Fascinating theory.......2006-11-10

A fascinating and plausible theory that artists used optical aids much earlier than previously believed. Well written and beautifully illustrated.

MTIV: Process, Inspiration and Practice for the New Media Designer

Average customer rating:

reinvigorated!
Very recommended, lots of insight about creative practice
Worthless!
Good
Curtis shares his experience and gives pointers

MTIV: Process, Inspiration and Practice for the New Media Designer
Hillman Curtis
Manufacturer: New Riders Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Curtis, Hillman | Authors, A-Z | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books

General | Software Books | Custom Stores | Stores | Software
Similar Items:

Hillman Curtis on Creating Short Films for the Web (VOICES)
Macromedia Flash 8 for Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide)
Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs)
Flash Web Design: The v5 Remix
Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design (AVA Academia)

ASIN: 0735711658

Amazon.com

With his first book, Flash Web Design, Hillman Curtis quickly earned Flash guru status, and deservedly so. Like the coolest mentor one could ever hope to find, he struck a chord with his audience by sharing not just the nuts and bolts behind his Flash creations, but his ideas on good design methodology.

MTIV expands on that. Here he shares his respect and excitement for new media, gives a blueprint for design challenges of all types, taps into the myriad visual and literary inspirations that fuel his imagination, and shows readers how to get past their own moments of "designer's block."

Curtis is a fine storyteller. He takes anecdotes of coffee breaks, book tour lectures, work, life, and art, and weaves them around design maxims. For every morsel of advice, there are three or four personal stories that illustrate how he arrived at it and puts it to use. He shows how books, movies, print ads--just about anything--can be used in the search for creative solutions.

The seven steps in "Process" compose the bulk of the book. These are the exact steps Curtis's design team applies to each project. Without giving too much away, they are Listen, Unite, Theme, Concept, Filter, Justify, and Eat the Audience. (Well, you'll just have to get the book to find out about that last one.)

In "Inspiration," we learn that Curtis draws from Hemingway, Mies van der Rohe, Sidney Lumet, David Mamet, Leonard Cohen, Mark Rothko, and Joseph Müller-Brockman, among others. And the book finishes with a bang in the third chapter, "Practice," a collection of helpful tips in typography, color theory, XML, grids, and much more, from experts like Joseph Lowery (author of the Dreamweaver Bible) and usability authority Steve Krug.

MTIV is not just an easy read, it's fun, warm, encouraging, and, yes, inspiring. A self-taught artist, Curtis has made MTIV the perfect Boy Scout manual for those who have stumbled on design as a new career or just languished through too many uninspired afternoons in front of the computer. --Angelynn Grant

Book Description

MTIV (Making the Invisible Visible) is an indispensable guide for the new age of media design. This book is about HOW to achieve the results that bring in profits and make you a better designer. This beautifully written and designed book unveils the methods behind Hillman Curtis' phenomenal success as a new media designer. In well-crafted narrative and instructional form, Hillman outlines his systematic approach for working with clients to develop clear, cogent, and creative communication - three "musts" for successful design.

Through trial and error, Hillman and his company honed a seven-step process for creating concepts, and developing and designing new media. Often overlooked or unknown by designers, the methods in this book are distilled from years of experience and enhanced by Hillman's years as a leader in the design field. Divided into three parts - "Process," "Inspiration," and "Practice" - the book offers a practical methodology for successful artistic and professional work and also offers technical advice for translating this to the web (color, XML, streaming media, and other topics are discussed). Written with a subtle sense of humor and narration that really flows, this book is a joy to read, with great advice that helps designers with their own design work.

Customer Reviews:

reinvigorated!.......2007-03-21

I bought this, flipped through it a couple of times, then tossed it aside. A few years later, I decided to look through it again. This time, after about 15 pages in, I started to get inspired. I was concurrently redesigning my website, and it spoke to that process and, and also of collaboration. This book may reinvigorate your motivation and inspiration for new media design.

Very recommended, lots of insight about creative practice.......2007-02-01

I'm just starting to learn about design, reading online and checking some books at the library of my college. This book is a great help because it does tell you the key fact that all ideas are there, borrowing is ok to transform something into a new well crafted thing,and you can find inspiration in many, many ways. Many useful information, tips, quotes, in general, I'm gonna buy this book for my collection.

Worthless!.......2007-01-15

Self appointed maestro trys to teach common sense! If you don't inherently know this then you probably have no business being in this business!

Good.......2006-02-25

The book was in really good condition, although I did not recieve my book on time. Thanks.

Curtis shares his experience and gives pointers.......2005-09-19

I have read the Process and Inspiration sections thus far and Curtis gives helpful advice in how to succeed in media design.

Books:

Books