Product Description
The latest developments in chaos theory — from an industry expert

Chaos and Order in the Capital Markets was the first book to introduce and popularize chaos as it applies to finance. It has since become the classic source on the topic. This new edition is completely updated to include the latest ripples in chaos theory with new chapters that tie in today's hot innovations, such as fuzzy logic, neural nets, and artificial intelligence.

Critical praise for Peters and the first edition of Chaos and Order in the Capital Markets

"The bible of market chaologists." — BusinessWeek

"Ed Peters has written a first-class summary suitable for any investment professional or skilled investor." — Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities

"It ranks among the most provocative financial books of the past few years. Reading this book will provide a generous payback for the time and mental energy expended." — Financial Analysts Journal

This second edition of Chaos and Order in the Capital Markets brings the topic completely up to date with timely examples from today's markets and descriptions of the latest wave of technology, including genetic algorithms, wavelets, and complexity theory.

Chaos and Order in the Capital Markets was the very first book to explore and popularize chaos theory as it applies to finance. It has since become the industry standard, and is regarded as the definitive source to which analysts, investors, and traders turn for a comprehensive overview of chaos theory. Now, this invaluable reference — touted by BusinessWeek as "the bible of market chaologists" — has been updated and revised to bring you the latest developments in the field.

Mainstream capital market theory is based on efficient market assumptions, even though the markets themselves exhibit characteristics that are symptomatic of nonlinear dynamic systems. As it explores — and validates — this nonlinear nature, Chaos and Order repudiates the "random walk" theory and econometrics. It shifts the focus away from the concept of efficient markets toward a more general view of the forces underlying the capital market system.

Presenting new analytical techniques, as well as reexamining methods that have been in use for the past forty years, Chaos and Order offers a thorough examination of chaos theory and fractals as applied to investments and economics. This new edition includes timely examples from today's markets and descriptions of cutting-edge technologies-genetic algorithms, wavelets, complexity theory-and hot innovations, such as fuzzy logic and artificial intelligence.

Beyond the history of current capital market theory, Chaos and Order covers the crucial characteristics of fractals, the analysis of fractal time series through rescaled range analysis (R/S), the specifics of fractal statistics, and the definition and analysis of chaotic systems. It offers an in-depth exploration of:

• Random walks and efficient markets — the development of the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) and modern portfolio theory
• The linear paradigm — why it has failed
• Nonlinear dynamic systems — phase space, the Henon Map, Lyapunov exponents
• Applying chaos and nonlinear methods — neural networks, genetic algorithms
• Dynamical analysis of time series — reconstructing a phase space, the fractal dimension

Tonis Vaga's Coherent Market Hypothesis — the theory of social imitation, control parameters, Vaga's implementations

Plus, Chaos and Order now contains a Windows-compatible disk including data sets for running analyses described in the appendices.

Written by a leading expert in the field, Chaos and Order in the Capital Markets has all the information you need for a complete, up-to-date look at chaos theory. This latest edition will undoubtedly prove to be as invaluable as the first. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Poorly explained
I have a university maths degree and found the book very obvious and drawn out for the first few chapters. In spite of this I looked forward to what was going to be explained later. Suddenly from a very simple and easy to understand explanation on the EMH he starts to use mathematics in his equations that I had a lot of difficulty following. There was very little or no explanation of how these equations were arrived at and a lot of mathematics and statisics is assumed. This book does not apply the theory in ny meaningful way to the markets let alone the capital markets in my opinion. I found that I took very little away from this book and would not recommend it to anyone who has basic mathematics like myself or is looking for some deeper insight into the markets. I would hate to have Mr Peters as a teacher based on his book.

A very good introduction
I read this book, the 1991 version, years ago. Around 1980 my own attempts to crack share prices statistically convinced me that all share prices behaved like a Gaussian random walk meaning that all speculation was comparable with playing roulette andI am not one of those guys who usually wins when gambling. This view was strengthened when the option pricing model came up, meaning that even thereal pro's in the field assume that share prices are nothing but a random walk. This book has opened my eyes to the fact that there is much more to randomness than just the Gaussian curve. Share prices are not fully random. Impressive is the demonstration that an RS analysis on the real data is different when applying the same RS analysis on scrambled data. So there is information hidden in these time series, somewhere. Since then I have picked up the subject of cracking time series again with great pleasure. I think this book is exceptionally well written and without it I doubt if I would have been able to follow Mandelbrot's book "scaling and fractals in finance" that I bought later. The book is about understanding a subject, not about learning a simple formula to apply on a time series.

A dated overview, with little real meat
The second edition of this book was published in 1996.The book
seems to be largely based on Feder's 1988 book "Fractals".The
dated nature of this book means that it is missing later work
on long memory processes, which Peters estimates using the Hurst
exponent.

As one reviewer already noted, don't assume that this book will
provide much in the way of useful equations.For anyone who wants
more than an overview, this book is a disappointment.Peters does
a poor job of explaining the equations and I did not find enough
detail to implement the algorithms discussed (I turned to Feder's
book and various journal articles).The book does come with a
"floppy" disk containing the Visual Basic algorithms.This is
a poor choice, since C is pretty much the lingua franca for
algorithms.

The various chaos and fractal techniques are applied to a handful
of financial data sets, but this is far from even a solid
suggestion that these techniques might be useful to anyone
developing real market models.

Some of the conclusions that Peters draws (cycles in financial
data) do not seem to be supported the evidence he presents.

In summary, if you are looking for something beyond an overview,
save your money.Feder ("Fractals") has a better description of
RS calculation."A Non-Random Walk Down Wall Street" by Lo
and MacKinlay has a chapeter on the application of the RS
statistic and long-memory processes which is much better than
Peters.For those who need to simulate fractal brownian motion
(data sets with a particular Hurst exponent) "The Science of
Fractal Images" by Barnsley et all is a good reference.

Good overview, bad balance
If you're looking for a purely conceptual introduction to how chaos theory can be applied to financial markets, this book is as good a source as any. Peters's discussion of R/S statistics and the graphical examples drawn from the markets are clear and intuitive (Ch. 7-8). The key point demonstrating long-term memory effects in the market is well made.

However he spends an inordinate amount of time attacking the foundations of the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) to the point of being boring, yet the argument boils down to "it has errors when compared to reality". Duh, so does every other theory, including fractal. The real issue is "for the error in theory A, how bad are the results X, and is theory B much better at it?" If you're not going to do that, don't spend 40 pages (Ch. 1-4) on it. This is misleading to those not familiar with EMH, and boring to those who are.

Don't look to this book for good math. In my edition (1991), careless and erroneous notations abound. Also, the equations are written in BASIC notation which is notoriously hard to visualize, but this is probably the fault of the editor/publisher. Peters makes frequent and unannounced jumps between the apparent rigor of math and loose conjectures. The math is distracting to a qualitative reader, and the conjectures irritating to the quantitative one. Better to cater to one audience, and do it well.

Still, I would recommend this book as a good conceptual introduction to the subject. But if you're planning to go deeper, use the equations in this book at your own perils. Go to the source.

Commit it to the flames
For those of you intrigued by chaos versus the financial markets, I would suggest you get the basic knowledge in Garnett P. Williams "Chaos Theory Tamed" (if you don't mind being explained in the first twenty chapters things like the laws of exponents and logarithms), or the Devaney books, for people with some maths. By the time you finish these honest, carefully and painstakingly written books, you will have a fair understanding of what chaos theory is about, and you will also see that while it is interesting stuff, it is hard to imagine it having any practical relevance to finance, since finance is the realm of stochastic, not deterministic phenomena.

Mr. Peters' readers will not have the chance of gaining such a perspective on chaos or on finance, alas. Mr. Peters hasn't produced a clear, comprehensible text, but rather a imprecise and frustrating piece, presumably written in a very short time, filled with a huge number of graphs having epsilon informational content. It is also full of conceptual mistakes - Mr. Peters most probably doesn't have a good grasp of what he's speaking about, but to be fair, it is hard to tell since the implicit message of the book is: "Hey, like I'm going to give out all my secrets...! Forget it, baby!", so the readers are never given all of the story. Readers therefore have to decide whether they believe that the author has found a meaningful and secret way to use chaos, that unfortunately will not be revealed, or whether the author should be put in the same category as those who write about Crystals or Financial Astrology.

Can smart people make profit with chaos theory? Certainly! However, the only way to do so is by writing books about it...

Profit which seems interesting, since Wiley accepted to publish a second product from Mr. Peters, thereby losing all credibility as an editor of financial books. ... Read more

Product Description
America's leading housekeeping expert shows you how to de-clutter, organize, and clean your home, with easy-to-remember tips for every job, from keeping your bathroom clean and doing the laundry to sorting out paperwork and organizing the family photo album. Where there is hope, there is help.You can win the chore wars!

• Author, founder, and editor of the top-ranked website OrganizedHome.com
• Introduces easy-to-remember tips for organizing the home
• Step-by-step photographs throughout show how easy it is to reach your goal

Customer Reviews (39)

brilliant
This book has changed my life. It is the best written book on this subject matter I couldnt stop talking about it to friends and family once I had read it. Almost every page has gems of information. I love it. And the one thing that has made the most impact on me was Cynthia's intro where she describes a situation in the early 80's of how she used to be disorganised and messy...it brought tears to my eyes when I read it because I could relate so well. It also gave me reassurrance I could change for the better. Which I have. Brilliant book for people who arent 'wired for organisation'.

Excellent book
Excellent book for developing a system for the busy person to get organized in their cleaning.Changed my world.

Fantastic Book!You need this!!
I've been a fan for years and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.And I was more than pleased with it.I refer to it constantly as I make my journey through decluttering and organizing my home.Can't do without this book!Great tips; well laid out and easy to understand.Highly recommended!

add a sort category-Recycling!
I have very high hopes for this book, as I am in dire need of organization or space, I am never sure which. This book is very visually satisfying, and on first take it seems like a good system, all one has to do is follow the advice.There are also references to her web site, as well as Clutterer's Anonymous.I am lucky enough to have a group in my town which I plan on visiting this week...But on my first trip into the system I found 1quandary. Why no "Recycling" category?This is so important, especially now. I am really just at the beginning of the book.I hope to report some success later.But looks good.

Great Tips for Home Organization
I found this book very helpful in inspiring me to become more organized.Life is much more pleasantwhen you can find whatever you need easily, and you don't have to knock yourself out cleaning for company. ... Read more

Product Description
The Pleiadians, a collective of multidimensional beings from the Pleiades star system, have been speaking through Barbara Marciniak since 1988. This long-awaited book shares new inspiration from over nine years of previously unpublished Pleiadian wisdom, and Marciniak offers innovative ideas for changing beliefs, reclaiming one's power, and creating a world of unlimited possibilities. She also presents critical new material on how to deal with the world's increasing chaos and the accelerated pace of life. Consisting of profound new insights on power, fear, love, desire, health, sexual intimacy, energy, and creativity, this timely text is for those ready and willing to embrace self-empowerment, seek the truth, broaden awareness, and meet the challenges of a world on the brink of major change. Individual chapters include Energy and Frequency — A New Playground of the Mind, Accelerated Energy and Stretching Your Mind in the Nanosecond of Time, and The Intimate Dance of Beliefs and Emotions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Not Very Good
I was disappointed in this book after a good friend had recommended it as being intelligent and insightful.I found neither of these attributes applicable.This channeled message from the Pleiadians is a poorly composed study in mental imagery that appears more likely that it might be authored by a high school sophomore as a summer creative writing project.I cannot imagine a serious reader would find much in the way of authenticity here.

reading this book will empower you!
This is the best so far of barbara's works. As in The Bringers of the Dawn, (and as in Barbara Hand Clow's, The Pleiadian Agenda) the energy behind the words give the transmission of empowerment. The feeling nature, the awakening, and the nurturing from these beings are communicated and felt through the words. consciousness is transmitted. By reading this book, you know and feel these pleiadian beings must be real and you know you must empower yourself if the world is going to evolve in the coming years. You get that no one is going to "beam you up" . You get that the only world that can be in chaos is your own world, foryou create your reality here. Bravo to barbara and the pleiadians for giving these messages of true wisdom that go beyond "The Secret".The wisdom here is alsodeeper than the Abraham teachings. They feel more applicable to more "situations"and give a broader perspective of the types and quality of change and empowerment you must embrace and generate for yourself in these accelerating years ahead. Thank you my sister and brother Pleiadians and thank you Barbara!!
peter reed

Another unsubstanciated newage book capitalizing on 2012
I bought the book based on the reviews only to be disappointed.
I have read my share of the new consciousness/channeled books with 2012 in the title, i.e. Barbara Crow/Jose Arguelles/Calleman et all... including Ms. Marciniak and they (the books) lack substance. There are too many statements of what needs to be done and not enough examples of how to effect these changes. I guess anyone can write whatever they want and say it was channeled, so the only thing that you can use to know ifwhat is being said is of any practical value is to have a very discerning mind coupled with a good dose of intuition.The whole chapter on sexuality is simply boring although again in general terms true for the most part but nothing new that has not already been said by her peers. If you want to grow in consciousness/awareness the last place you should be looking is outside yourself, let alone the Pleaidades... although if you are into "extraterestial wisdom" then this would be a good un-grounded book to read.

Highly Rated to say the least
If you are like me, reading this book will affect ALL aspects of your thought processes. So many places in this book are filled with mind-boggling new information, wisdom, and even humor. Sometimes I found that a single paragraph would cause me to stop reading in order to contemplate the full meaning. I highly recommend this book, however, it is taking the "red pill" so prepare to have your mind expanded.

Great book!
I love all her books. I have really enjoyed reading them. It gave you some food for thoughts. I often read her books more than once. I found some of the exercises provided in this book really helpful.

I would recommend The Hathor Material for those who is interested in reading similar type of books. ... Read more

Product Description
Williams uses lists, graphics, examples, and friendly language to help readers understand the vocabulary and significance of chaos theory. The book will help scientists and students outside mathematics to use the concepts of chaos in working with data and will help interested lay readers grasp the fundamentals of chaos theory Pub: 9/97. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Requires detailed understanding of mathematics
Do not order this book unless you have a strong mathematics background. The entire book hinges upon mathematical argument.

Get in print, not Kindle
This is an excellent book in print. As a Kindle book, no. The conversion process has converted all subscripts and superscripts to regular type, and all Greek and math symbols to english text. Inserted formulas are so small they are only legible when magnified. Buy the paper edition.

Fantastic Book
This book was my first introduction to chaos thoery.

I found it to be an excellent primer with the right amount of technical details. This book will provide a good reference in the future.

Outstanding!
I would have to echo those who say this is an outstanding book. Maybe because the author is not a mathematician or engineer he doesn't overwhelm you with abstract mathematics and concepts and expect you to know these as a matter of course.

He also doesn't assume your an idiot so the material is not over simplified, it's not a casual read but if you're interested in the subject and have the motivation the book is definitely accessible.

He slips into difficult topics like say Fourier Analysis in such a way as to really impart a level of understanding of the process again without oversimplifying nor overwhelming.

A first rate author and an outstanding instructor I highly recommend this book.

Brilliant
Garnett Williams is my hero.He takes what seems like a complicated topic and makes it seem simple.Williams never assumes anything about the reader's prior understanding of any topic - he patiently and carefully explains what you need to know to understand his point.He reiterates, summarizes and gives examples so that even when you are occaisionally feeling like you might get lost, he reels you right back in.

He includes a glossary and chapter summaries which are very helpful.He also does a great job of refreshing important concepts from prior chapters as they again become relevant.

The layman's challenge in understanding scientific literature, even books written for lay audiences, often results from a minor oversight or assumption on the author's part.One little detail that, upon omission, makes the picture unclear.Williams covers every detail; he was thorough and consistent throughout.

I'd highly recommend this book for anyone trying to understand Chaos Theory or build a better foundation for the understanding of Complexity and other related sciences. ... Read more

Product Description
Spanning two centuries and across three continents (Europe, America and Asia), the author provides a fascinating history on some famous and not so famous financial events. Beginning with the 1720s Mississippi and South Sea Companies to the great global crashes of 1929 and 1987, Bernice Cohen provides us with a strategy for tracking market trends and cycles, and protecting our investments against the next financial crash. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Summary of the book
Introduction

The objectives of the book are:  To study in detail the stock market crashes, to discover what went wrong and to learn from these past traumatic episodes; and  To identify andexplain the underlying structure of the financial market behavior.

Chaosis Discovered Newtonian vs. Chaos For the last 300 years, our thoughts havebeen profoundly influenced by the Newtonian theory, which, as we know,rests on assumption of a linear system. This theory is best applied tosystem with two objects interacting with each other. When used to elucidatethe system with three objects or more, Newtonian theory collapses.

Chaostheory, which is based on complex and non-linear system, is a relativelynew discipline (circa 30 years). Its use in social science and field ofphysics have gained wide acceptance. The author attempts to apply thetheory to the financial market.

Chaos Rules

Chaos describesunpredictable behavior that is governed by rules. Ian Stewart in his book,"Does God Play Dice?" gives the following definition: "Chaos is lawlessbehavior governed entirely by law".

Chaos in Financial Market

Theauthor comment regarding the stock market behaviors using the chaos theoryis as follows:  Financial market is inherently unstable anddynamic system, and the mood of the majority of its player can flip almostinstantaneously from one state to another. Hence financial market resemblesa chaotic system. An orderly phase may dissolve into chaos & then tipback to a more ordered state.  Stock markets are holistic thatsometimes their collective behaviors will be different from that of theircomponent unit (i.e. individuals & investors).

Chaos Theory inActions After noting the similarities between financial markets behaviorand chaos theory, the author studied several important financial crisesover the last 300 years to see whether there was any underlying structurebeneath the crashes. She discovered that many speculative bubbles shared acluster of common features. \ The author does not try to predict when thecrash will happen. Instead, she seeks to uncover what is the underlyingstructure of financial market and how investor can profit from it byassessing in which phase he is at a particular time.

The author studiedthe following crashes and described the sequence of events using the tenphase structure: 1. Bubbles of 1720  Mississippi Madness South Sea Fiasco 2. Modern Bubbles  Great Crash1929  Global Crash 1987  Japanese Bubble Bonds Bubble

So what if we know the history and chaostheory?

How To Be Prepared? Compiling a checklist based on the structureof crash scenario (ten-phase structure) has the followingpurposes:

 It is a systematic way of dealing with thesituation.It provides an orderly framework to analyze the signals andprepare oneself for any occurrence of the crash; and

 Ithelps the investors to judge more clearly how far along the route of chaosscenario has progressed.

(The checklist is elaborated in thetextbook).

In addition to the checklist, there is also a need to look outfor other cluster of symptoms or occurrence of other events (such asemergence of new financial tools, collapse of big corporations etc) toconfirm the findings from the checklist.

What to do with the checklist? To avoid any avalanche of selling, one must be able to identify at leastthe first 3-5 phases and clear your position at phase 5 or 6 (i.e. whengullible public joins in or when doubt starts to form).

However, ifone misses the signal and fails to sell off by phase 6, it is still not toolate to do so as long as it is done before the markets reach the bottom. This will allow one to cash out and reinvest when the markets hit thebottom.

What if u misses all the phases?- As the chaos theory shows,the market will turn around eventually.However, the issue is how longwill it take? No one knows.

Timing the Crash - Is it possible? Whilst it may not be too difficult to identify the signals of an impendingcrash (based on the phases in the structure of crashes), one can neveraccurately predict the timing of occurrence.Time is the mostuntrustworthy and unpredictable element.As shown in the charts, thepoints might get squeezed together or pulled part -- this is a commonfeature of a chaotic system.

Since predicting the exact timing of crashesis highly unreliable, in order to avoid being caught off guard, one has toclosely watch for any trigger event that may unleash a selling cascade.Another strategy is to give up the hope of catching the extreme peak andbottom and be contended as long as you buy near the bottom and sell nearthe top.

Conclusion

Chaos theory has taught investors how topreserve their capitals from the disaster of a crash.The 3 main points tobear in mind are as follows:

 Need to recognize anyunintentional actions of the financial authorities which may create aclassic chaos conditions and prepare own course of actions;

Even the most sophisticated and cautious long term investors can becomeirrational and act in tandem with the speculators; and

Understand that falling bond prices with rising interest rate may resultfrom the collapse of a financial pump instead of a reflection of thefundamental outlook of the economy.

One of the most important events towatch is the action by the presiding authorities which may trigger afinancial pump and set the phase transition in motion.When it happens,one should know how to react.

In conclusion, as a Fund Manager, oneshould

 Be fully aware of what is happening in the financial,political and economic sectors around the world. One of them could be thetrigger event.  Be able to identify at which phase thefinancial market is in and predict the transition and the edge of chaos. Be able to clear his position and not to be influenced by theherd behavior if he concludes that the market at peak and near the point ofcollapse. This is a tough discipline to follow especially if he has astrict mandate and the clients' expectations increase during the boom. ... Read more

Product Description

"I didn't expect this."

Customer Reviews (39)

Passages in Caregiving
This book is perfect for someone with an ill spouse, parent or child.Good condition, as always.

Disappointed, Discouraged, Depressed
Review of Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos into Confidence by Gail Sheehy

Gail Sheehy is a writer who became well-known with her books Passages and Hillary's Choice, a biography of Hillary Clinton. Sheehy built her career as a literary journalist.

In Passages in Caregiving, Sheehy uses her journalistic style to report on eight stages of caregiving, which she calls "Turnings." The stages range from "shock and mobilization" to "the long goodbye." Sheehy offers strategies for solving the problems associated with each turning.

Throughout the book, Sheehy offers a memoir about caring for her ailing husband for seventeen years. He'd been a foremost pioneer in the editing and magazine industry, as well as a professor. She takes the reader on their journey in personal narrative. There is no guidebook for such an individual path, so Sheehy shows the reader how she literally took one day at a time. She says she attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for support and stability.

Sheehy also includes the narratives of others who are caregiving. These stories were obtained when Sheehy had the opportunity to interview them at crucial turning points. Additionally, there is an extensive index for ease of reference to any topic, ranging from objective needs (finding a hospice) to subjective feelings (such as guilt). Resources are included in the book, but some of them are not available to the typical American caregiver. For example, Sheehy suggests hiring a research guide to navigate the internet for you, summarize the findings, and report the results to you.

In his late seventies, my stepfather is the primary caregiver for my mother, who has terminal cancer and Alzheimer's. Their story is one millions making due within the confines of Social Security and Medicare.

Herein lies my inability to relate to Gail Sheehy's journey. Yes, she writes about universal emotions like anger, anxiety, and enduring love. However, I was rankled by her assumption that there is financial equality when coping with challenges. For example, she flew her husband to France to luxuriate in Monet's gardens (Dad will be fortunate to purchase a calendar of Monet's images for Mom). Sheehy went on a daylong retreat for caregivers to walk a labyrinth. (Thanks to state-aid respite, Dad gets Monday mornings off to get groceries). When Sheehy's husband Clay decides he wants to work, they buy another house in Berkley. (Dad will be lucky not to lose his one house due to medical bills). I felt as though Sheehy's inclusion of the minimal resources for low-income citizens was perfunctory and patronizing.

Sheehy says, "To avoid high cost, low competence, and maddening bureaucracy, many care seekers find home aides through word of mouth, commonly referred to the `gray market.' . . . "The going rate for gray-market health aides is $20/hour plus overtime." Who can afford that?

Another area of disconnect was in Gail Sheehy's presumption that families can overcome their conflicts to come together for caregiving. That leaves out families with felons who cannot face each other, or where it would be deleterious to do so. Her position is overly optimistic (or mine is too pessimistic).

As always, Gail Sheehy's writing is topnotch. How can a reader find fault with this award winning author who adeptly wove the narrative style with journalism? I appreciate the choices she made to be a responsible caregiver, and the generosity of her sharing. Passages in Caregiving will be on my shelf for reference on some challenges that apply to both the haves and the have-nots.

Life after caregiving
As someone who is living with a loved one with chronic illness and anticipating the aging of us all this book addresses the needs of individuals and families on all levels:emotionally, physically and spiritually.This book should be the textbook on conscious caregiving,

A reassuring and practical guide
I truly think that you cannot grapple with the issues of caregiving until it becomes your role. I am not in that place, though I can see the day coming. I am sure that I will return to this book when I need the help and support -- and practical advice -- it offers.

Whatever book I read, I find that I take away at least one useful or memorable bit of information. In this Passages book, I was riveted by the chapter on the beneficial effect that creating art can have on dementia patients. I had never thought about that. There is so much a dementia patient cannot do that requires memory and complex step-taking -- like reading or crocheting or quilting -- and I've been casting around for meaningful activities to engage a person in. I am thinking about how to implement this in my family.

Then, of course, I was interested in Gail Sheehy's own story of her husband's illness and their life after his cancer diagnosis. It is always the personal story that draws me in, and from which I take the most lasting lessons. Hers is a journey many of us will travel, and she's a reassuring and practical tour guide.

A trustworthy place to turn for guidance, understanding & support
I appreciate that Sheehy includes her own personal experience with her husband in this book along with the expertise and care from other professionals.This is a valuable resource and important support for those of us who give care and do their best navigating these unknown parts of life. ... Read more

Product Description
Best-selling author Kathy Bostrom offers this book of devotions to help women create calm in the chaos of their busy lives. The book is comprises twenty-eight days of devotions for each month of the year, so that readers can begin using the book during any month. Each week’s devotions, prayers, quotations, and "Spirit Boosters" focus on one Bible passage, which is read each day of that week. Each week ends with a "Sabbath Celebration," a time for quiet prayer, reflection, and renewal. The "Spirit Boosters" for each week are divided into "Reaching In" and "Reaching Out" sections. They offer suggestions for ways to be kind to yourself and to others while nurturing your own faith. This book is ideal for women’s prayer groups, to give as a gift, or to give to yourself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Devotional Book!
I love the way this book helps the reader to chew on scriptures from different angles, a single scripture at a time. Great for busy women!

A Bit Disappointed
The Title of the book does not clearly define the pages that follow.I am disappointed in the way the book was setup, and content thereof.I expected the information to be more inspiring than it is.But, its an okay Devotional.

Outstanding Christian Devotional
This devotional is truly exceptional.It is written using a weekly format that makes it easy to use, with some variety in the components of the weekly devotions. There are personal anecdotes that are full of warmth and wisdom, scripture lessons, and much wisdom.I have loved this book so much that I've started giving it to friends as gifts. I highly recommend it!!

A wonderful devotional book for women -- and men!
Kathy Bostrom has written a wonderful devotional book that encourages readers to reflect on and engage with scripture and prayer in their daily lives.One of the book's strengths is that Bostrom has the reader reflect on one scripture in a variety of ways over the course of a week.New understandings and ideas may be revealed with each day's reading of the scripture.At the end of each week is a Sabbath Celebration, a time to incorporate light, prayer, scripture and silence into one's personal worship.I appreciate Kathy Bostrom's writing, which illuminates the sacred in daily living and encourages the reader to enjoy the gift of daily devotional time. ... Read more

Product Description
Fiendish dungeons and elemental battlefields await...

A hotbed of adventure opportunities await you in the roiling maelstrom of the Elemental Chaos–a plane of titans, elementals, genies, slaads, and demons. This game supplement builds on the overview of the Elemental Chaos presented in the Manual of the Planes™ game supplement and explores the tumultuous plane is greater detail. From the City of Brass to the githzerai monastery of Zerthadlun to the spiraling depths of the Abyss, adventure lurks behind every lava waterfall, across every icy battlefield, and beyond every raging lightning storm.

This game supplement describes the Elemental Chaos in detail, featuring key locations throughout the plane. It also presents a multitude of new monsters, mighty primordials, and powerful demons, as well as adventure hooks, encounters, hazards, and everything Dungeon Masters need to make the Elemental Chaos a featured setting in their campaigns. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Ok, but...
Compared to Planescape's depth and tone this is a bad book.

There are pages devoted to encounters filling the space which could have been used for fluff. It's not an evocative book...

If you play 4E you can consider buying this, but there are better books to spend on.

Some art isn't good.

A new and interesting look at an old topic
I had honestly thought that the Abyss and the lower planes of Chaos had been done to death in previous editions of dungeons and dragons.I picked it up because of one of the authors and I am glad that I did.It's a new take on an old topic and manages to weave together some new ideas that arise in the 4th edition cosmology.The linking of giants to elemental Chaos was cool, new and interesting.It continued in the 4th edition tradition of inserting new and interesting monsters but the real element that is worth it in this supplement is the refreshing cosmology.New and old blend together just enough that grognards will be caught off guard (but newcomers can enjoy it).

Very well done.

Pen & Paper Games Review of The Plane Below
The Plane Below greatly expands on the Elemental Chaos, which is one of the fundamental planes of the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition cosmos. To be sure, this supplement is primarily intended for Dungeon Masters and is best suited for paragon and epic tier games. There is no doubt that the Elemental Chaos is aptly named, for although there are some relatively stable places to visit, much of the plane is filled with a roiling chaos of raw elements from which the rest of creation is derived. It is a hostile and alien place -- just the sort of place to drop your players into unexpectedly to watch them squirm.

The first section of the book, Chaos Incarnate, tries to tackle the very difficult task of describing an ever changing and completely alien terrain. We're presented with a dizzying array of terrain features, hazards, obstacles, and information on how to put these to immediate use to create fantastic battle grounds and lively encounters. This approach of focusing on using these elements in building encounters works well in beginning to paint a mental picture of just how insane a place like the Elemental Chaos really is.

By the time I read through the first couple dozen pages, I found myself scratching my head and wondering how I could possibly create a campaign that centered around the Elemental Chaos. The authors most have foreseen my apprehension, as they immediately continued on to provide a framework for building campaign arcs featuring organizations and adventures set in the Plane Below. Indeed, the Elemental Chaos is more than just a mix of a hostile environment and even more hostile inhabitants - although it is that in spades. The adventure hooks and potential adversaries given in this chapter are a good way to prime the storytelling pump as it were, although they came across a bit stilted.

Plowing on, the Races of Chaos chapter gives us an overview of some of the inhabitants of the Elemental Chaos, including detailed sections on the archons, djinns, efreets, genasi, giants, githzerai, and slaads. Many of these creatures have been presented in past editions, but here we find out more about their life and civilization in the Plane Below. The archons in particular are fairly new in concept in 4th edition, so the section on their life and society was particularly enlightening.

The real gold to be mined from this supplement is in the Elemental Locales and Into the Abyss chapters. Both of these are a treasure trove of fascinating locations for your players to explore. Some of these places are more unique features of the Plane Below and others are permanent locations - pockets of stability in an otherwise completely chaotic plane. Places like Gloamnull, a genasi city with a dark secret, and the Mountain Builders Barrow really come alive and could themselves be the focal point of an entire campaign. Other locations such as The Brazen Bazaar, a travelling marketplace originating from the City of Brass, could be exciting diversions to spice up your campaign. Here you will also find a number of ready-to-go encounters that you can plop directly into your game or quickly tweak them to suit your needs.

Closing this book out is the Creatures of Chaos chapter, which stats out nearly fifty new creatures to challenge your planes-hopping adventurers. There are a fair number of interesting solos and elites to pick from, and plenty of others spread out between 8th and 34th level. My only real complaint for this chapter is that not all of the creatures are illustrated. The most conspicuously missing art was for creatures that were particularly difficult to conceptualize based solely on the descriptions.

* My Thoughts *
Rather than igniting a fire within me that would rival that of even the most severe Cinderstorm, The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos left me lukewarm. There is no doubt that this book is a valuable resource for anyone who is running a campaign set in the planes. The opening chapter offers an impressive list of fantastic terrain and obstacles for setting up memorable encounters, and the Elemental Locales and Into the Abyss sections gave me some great ideas for locations that my players could visit or even originate from. Does it succeed in making the Elemental Chaos a must-visit destination in any planar campaign? Probably not. Then again, it is a far more intriguing place to visit than the fundamental planes (fire, earth, air, water) of previous editions.

Excellent Suppliment
This book is one of the better written supplements.It does a good job of covering and emphasizing fantastic nature of the terrain and the locals.

Great Book!
This is one of my favorite books in the 4th edition catalog.Lots of interesting new terrain and monster types and an amazing fluff element.I really like where Wizards are going with the new books. ... Read more

Product Description
In this engrossing book, the author of the classic work The Pursuit of the Millennium investigates the origins of apocalyptic faith--the belief in a perfect future, when the forces of good are victorious over the forces of evil. Norman Cohn takes us back two thousand years to the world views of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and India, the innovations of Iranian and Jewish prophets and sages, and the earliest Christian imaginings of heaven on earth, and he illuminates a major turning point in the history of human consciousness. For this second edition, the final chapter on Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians has been wholly rewritten and extended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Complementary readings to Cohn's interesting book
There are already many good reviews to this book, so I will only suggest reading the following books on religion in addition to Cohn's: a) "The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach," by Moojan Momen (astonishingly encyclopedic); b) "Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints: A Prehistory of Religion" by Brian Hayden (great overview of religion origins and development); c) "God Owes Us Nothing: A Brief Remark on Pascal's Religion and on the Spirit of Jansenism" by Leszek Kolakowski (on predestination); d) "The Book of Miracles: The Meaning of the Miracle Stories in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam" by Kenneth L. Woodward (very readable); e) "Sin and Salvation in the World Religions: A Short Introduction" by Harold Coward (somehow dry but also covering Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism); f) "Prayer: A History" by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski (interesting and readable); g)"Dreaming in the World's Religions: A Comparative History" by Kelly Bulkeley (I have not bought it yet, it has been published this July); h) "Alternative Tradition: A Study of Unbelief in the Ancient World (Religion and Society)" by James A. Thrower; and i) "The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots" by T.J. Wray and Gregory Mobley (amazon's reviews are fairly positive).

introductory, brief, excellent
This is an elementary introduction to ancient religion, focusing on the issues in the title: cosmos, chaos, and the world to come. It considers ancient Egyptian religion, Mesopotamian religion, Vedic religion, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and very early Christianity--all extremely briefly, focusing only on the issue of the cosmic struggle against chaos, and the development of the apocalyptic worldview. If you are only slightly aware of what all that could mean, this book will entertain you greatly. I am well aware of all of them, and I learned little beyond details from this book, and yet I enjoyed reading it very much.

However, if you want depth on any of these topics, there are other books for you. For Zoroastrianism, begin with Mary Boyce. For early Christianity, begin with E. P. Sanders and move on to Ehrman. For ancient Mediterranean religion, begin with "Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide." And consider "The Other God."

Cohn's argument that Zoroastrianism had a huge influence on ancient Judaism and Christianity, is in my opinion unquestionable, and yet neither emphasized nor even recognized in academic circles, nor widely known among the general public. Somehow it is perceived as embarrassing to Judaism, and yet I think that is ridiculous: after all, the influence on modern Judaism is minute, and who does Zoroastrianism threaten? Jesus, Paul, Hillel and the author(s) of Daniel were still Jews, even if influenced by Zoroastrianism. In fact, in my opinion, they are far more interesting! Similarly, isn't Christianity more interesting precisely because it assimilated so much "pagan" influence? So I hope this book is read widely and its argument more popularly acknowledged.

Excellent read
This is a brief but fascinating journey through the history of ancient apocalyptic faith.Cohn takes us to the very roots of civilization, explaining how the traditional cycles of life coincided with religious belief.The cycles of death and rebirth, day and night, summer and winter, mixed in with occasional droughts, floods, and enemy invasion mirrored religious belief in an ordered cosmos that was originally formed by the gods out of a pre-existent chaos.Cosmos wasn't absolutely secure however; chaos was always a threat to the daily ordered life of each civilization, so the benevolent gods continuously fought the "chaos monsters" that constantly threatened the ordered world.Complex pantheons and creation myths arose out of these beliefs and sacrifices and gifts were brought to the gods to give them strength and worship in their enduring battle of protection of the people against chaos.

Cohn takes us to the earliest religious beliefs of Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Vedic Indians, and the Zoroastrians describing their beliefs, interconnectedness, innovations, and future implications.He safely credits Zoroaster for the innovation of the first apocalyptic faith, the belief in a consummation of the never ending fight against chaos wherein the supreme god, Ahura Mazda would one day finally and forever defeat the gods of chaos; an age of prosperity, order, and goodness would then be ushered in.

Cohn then proceeds to Judaism and the specific experiences of the Israelites, particularly related to the Babylonian exile, when elite Jews discovered the compelling apocalyptic of Zoroastrianism and adapted it to their own faith in Yahweh.Christians co-opted and greatly expanded these beliefs with a firm conviction of a coming apocalypse and an elaborate cosmic battle myth at the end of the age.

Cohn doesn't waste words; there is a lot of information in these 240 pages, each sentence is filled with fascinating facts.I found his writing style slightly unconventional and it was difficult for me to absorb at times, I am re-reading several sections.I also wish Cohn would have addressed Islam and completed the apocalyptic story of the Middle Eastern religious faiths.

A very good read.

Fascinating
I am a longstanding fan of Cohn's writings.I read this book in a day, finding it extremely lucid and informative.It brought the cosmologies of the ancient world alive, showing how their underlying themes make sense to everyday lives of the time.

Another Fine Cohn Concoction
Norman Cohn contines his exemplary work as a historian of religious history with Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come (The Ancient Roots of Apolcalytic Faith).This book begins a little drier than his previous works but picks up speed nicely with his discussions of Zorastrianism, Judaism, and very early Christianity while showing the connections between the former and the latter two in terms of its prophetic, apocalyptic writings.This book makes a nice companion piece to this author's earlier and seminal work on millenniarism during the medieval period.A fine addition to the Cohn canon. ... Read more

Product Description
Most mainstream business books are written for senior and executive management. But Mastering Business Chaos is for the other 95%, the people who perform the vital day-to-day work of the organization and their managers.

These 12 Secrets reveal essential critical thinking skills and hands-on tactics that enable you to create substantial customer and business value using the resources readily available to you and within your control. I believe that anyone, in any organization, can substantially improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the work they do using the critical thinking skills and tactics presented in Mastering Business Chaos.

The 12 Secrets are tools; they enable you to demystify and leverage chaos to your advantage without formal projects, capital investment, changes in information technology or sign-offs from senior management.

This book is for those individuals who want to take their work to the next level and proactively seek out and identify opportunities to take action and to create customer and business value.

These people are indispensable to their organizations. I call these people Playmakers

James Proctor, Author Mastering Business Chaos ... Read more

Product Description
Thirty years in the making, this revised text by three of the world's leading mathematicians covers the dynamical aspects of ordinary differential equations. it explores the relations between dynamical systems and certain fields outside pure mathematics, and has become the standard textbook for graduate courses in this area. The Second Edition now brings students to the brink of contemporary research, starting from a background that includes only calculus and elementary linear algebra.

The authors are tops in the field of advanced mathematics, including Steve Smale who is a recipient of the Field's Medal for his work in dynamical systems.

* Developed by award-winning researchers and authors
* Provides a rigorous yet accessible introduction to differential equations and dynamical systems
* Includes bifurcation theory throughout
* Contains numerous explorations for students to embark upon

NEW IN THIS EDITION
* New contemporary material and updated applications
* Revisions throughout the text, including simplification of many theorem hypotheses
* Many new figures and illustrations
* Simplified treatment of linear algebra
* Detailed discussion of the chaotic behavior in the Lorenz attractor, the Shil'nikov systems, and the double scroll attractor
* Increased coverage of discrete dynamical systems
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A new version of a classic book
I bought a copy of this new book and I have its old version with Hirsch and Smale as its only authors. Main differences between these books are some new chapters covering chaos and the exercises. Old version has better chapters dealing with linear algebra.I find this new version hard to read and it leaves many details to be filled by the reader. I would say that the new version is still a good choice for a second course in ODE or supplementary text for a graduate course. I gave it four stars.

Excellent Book
This is a great introduction to the next stage of differential equations after a first course.Devaney is a master of presenation, and makes everything seem easy.It is not as encyclopedic as some other books on this material, such as Arnold and Perko, but it is easier to read and still covers the most important advanced material.

good, not ideal
the two books by hirsch smale, one with devaney, seem like good books, but I am not crazy about either, at least from the few pages one can search online here.

the latter book with devaney just seems a dumbed down version of the earlier book by the two more famous authors.i expected that earlier book to be far better, but found to my regret that the two books actually share almost the same first page, and the main difference noticeable in the early going is that the 2 author work is poorly written, and the 3 author one is not written much better.

it is clearer but seems to be talking down to the reader in an annoying way.so neither is the absolute pleasure to read that the wonderfully written text of arnol'd is, or the classic of hurewicz.i would skip these books and get arnold and hurewicz instead.

New Edition
You should be aware that there are two similar books with similar titles by the same authors. The old edition is a hardcover all green book by Hirsch and Smale called:

"Differential Equations, Dynamical Systems and Linear Algebra"

The second with the lorenz attractors in yellow on the cover is by Hirsch, Smale and Devaney and is called:

"Differential Equations, Dynamical Systems and an Introduction to Chaos"

Now, that may be obvious to you, but it is important to note that because those are VERY different books (which I have both of right here). The 'old' one is a more theoretical text that mainly addresses linear systems and is organized more like a math monograph than a contemporary (i.e. with pictures and examples) textbook. It is difficult for most people. The newer version is COMPLETELY different and is written for a more diverse audience. It starts with linear systems but then goes into nonlinear systems and discrete systems. It is somewhat similar in character to Strogatz's Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos. If you do not have a very strong abstract theoretical type of math background I would not recommend you start learning about differential equations from the "old" edition. You will find it very difficult. If you are used to a general abstract presentation of results you should be fine. For the NEW edition the level is very different. I would guess that courses in multi-variable calc, elementary diff eq, and linear algebra (if you understood them) would be sufficient preparation. Both books are excellent, just be clear on what you are looking for. ... Read more

Product Description
What Color Is Your Parachute?, this career guide for a new generation of job-seekers, from one of America's top college career counselors

With the job market in flux, young people face The Question: what are you going to do with that major?

In this indispensable guide, Dr. Katharine Brooks provides a road map for twenty-somethings, replacing obsolete thinking that "major = career," and instead using positive psychology, mapping techniques, and experimental wanderings to help job seekers reframe their skills. Brooks provides effective strategies to help readers mine their academic and life experiences for new insights into landing jobs with the best employers, and finding alternatives when the situation calls for a Plan B.

You Majored in What? offers a practical and proven approach to reframing experiences, discovering overlooked opportunities, and finding a true calling, regardless of your undergraduate major or the state of the job market.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Don't let the over rated stars fool you.
I bought this book because it had 5 stars and everyone commented on how great it is. I was so disappointed when I read the first chapter and continued to be more disappointed as I continued through the chapters. I was going to quit but I wanted to give it a chance by finishing it up. Bad decision.

There's not much stuff in this book that are valuable. Most of it is common sense and you can get it through career planning or from a text book. These information is everywhere on the internet. For example, the author put something like "Did you know you are a valuable employee if you are a person that's willing to learn?" I guess so. Although she does tell you what employers are looking for and how your attitude should be to get the job, its vague and I'm sure we all learned it in school. It comes down and depends on the individual of whether how far he/she is willing to go to prepare him/herself.

I read a lot of books and all of them are inspirational and motivates me to focus to achieve my goals. I had to take at least a page worth of notes with other books. With this one, NONE! This author does have a lot of hands on activities that breaks down criteria necessary for you to achieve your goals. Other reviews say this book is for everybody...it is not. Its more for high school students with all the drawing and brainstorming stuff. At one point the author ask, "If you could do something right now that can move you closer to your goals, what is it?" and she ask this a few times. I say I wanted to put this book away and start reading something else that's more important in getting my major like economics, finance, advance excel, etc.

Overall, this book was a waste of time (2 days!)and resources. If you have lots of time to play with to go through the chaos theory and taking whatever jobs being offered and experimenting with a few jobs then this book is for you. And after those few jobs you might not even know where you're going. If you want to be a follower and just want to work for someone to achieve their success then this is it. Otherwise, if you want a clear direction, read something else like "7 Habits of Effective People", "Think and Grow Rich", "Superself".

Had I not read other books, I'd give this rating a 3. But its not worth it and its over rated by other reviewers.

General lending libraries will find this a popular pick
You Majored in What?: Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career provides job seekers with a valuable key to moving into a new career, updated for the current recession and covering the basics of what to do with school major. Learn how to do what you really want, regardless of major or college study, through strategies the author presents to help readers blend life experience into education to get the best jobs. General lending libraries will find this a popular pick.

Perfect
This was my first Amazon purchase and the book was in perfect condition inside and out. The delivery was convenient as well.

Great for mid-career changers and moms returning to work
Even though this book is marketed (and written) for high school and college students or recent graduates, as a person who recently re-entered the job market (after staying home and raising my daughter) I found this book extremely helpful in shaping my ideas for what I could "do" and how to promote myself to an employer.Making the various maps was a lot of fun and I learned things about myself that I had never thought about before.The chapters on resumes, cover letters, and interviewing were full of great ideas and I produced a targeted resume that got me interviews immediately. Even better, I got the second job I applied for-- despite this terrible economy!Highly recommended for anyone at any age.

You Majored in What? teaches you to listen and be true to yourself
This book teaches us to listen to our heart more and discover who we really are rather than depending on some linear and "outside" definition of what we need to do and be.Its helpful for anyone, not just college students. In today's world where young adults are feeling the pressure of knowing they will be graduating from college deep in debt-- this book helps the student stay confident, follow their intuition, relax, and trust the process.You Majored in What? encourages its reader to use college as a time of exploration and uncovering interests, to enjoy and observe the lessons learned along the journey, rather than being only focused on the destination, while at the same time giving step by step instructions on what to do each step of the way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Definitely TOP SHELF ,,, unsurpassed !!!
Aristotle ,,, Leonardo Da Vinci ,,, Descartes ,,, I would compare this man Immanuel Velikovsky to NO ONE !!!

Yet ,,, in my eyes he would be surpassed by NO ONE !!!

I just LOVEImmanuel Velikovsky's writing style, his method of communication, his words of choice ,,, mesmerizing !!!

Other authors I've read convey such laborious detail [historic names, dates, action] in a borrrring rat-a-tat fashion ,,, even when I'm reading subjects I enjoy like "Devolution".

But Immanuel Velikovsky takes-the-cake !!!Reading his books bring back my love of reading ,,, which sadly was being castrated perusing "authors" [illiterates] of today :-(

"World's In Collision" - I've always felt, like Immanuel, some CATACLYSMIC "cosmic" event some conflagration took place, i.e. circa 4th and 5th century BC, sparking such folklore as "the days of Exodus" as in the Bible.

Amazing Book
Velikovsky has done an excellent review of historical records and concludes that Exodus occurred at the end of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, not during the time of Ramses II. He compares many ancient records from Egypt and other countries showing in great detail how the biblical stories fit much better to such a revised time line than to the present accepted time lines. Anyone interested in Middle Eastern, Israel, Egypt or biblical history should read this.

Ramses II by Velikovsky
Good service and the book is in at least as good condition as described or better. Happy with purchase which can be tricky with used books.

placing events and peoples on a timeline
Any book about lineages and dating and placing kings and events in ancient history is going to be a bit dry, not matter how well the subject is dealt with. Of the three major works by Velikovsky, this is probably the driest. However it is still an essential work for the serious researcher.

All too often we get told by the mainstream archeologists and anthropologists that such and such event occured at such and such a time. They will never tell you that they are not sure of these "facts". So all too often we assume they have done the research and their theories are baced on solid evidence. For example did you know that in almost all instances no two pharoes are positivley placed correctly in a time line...and that even thier direct heir is usualy not known. Behind closed doors Egyptologists rearange the kings of Egypt on a timeline and the order we see is only their best guess based on consensus.

Velikovsky in "Ages in Chaos" shows clearly there is a lot of chronolgogy that is incorrect or not even certain, far more then any Archeaologist would likely admit. Anyone researching ancient history would be well advised to consider this mans research and findings. And stop listening to the anti Velikovsky rhetoric. This man did his research. Perhaps some of his conclusions are incorrect, but he made honest apprasials of the evidence he had at his disposal, and some of these conclusions were so counter to accepted chronolgies that he basicaly caught the mainstream theorists with their pants down.

If for no other reason this book is valuble to the student to be willing to re-evaluate the evidence. If a "fact" has an 85% chance of being correct, that means it has a 15% chance of being 100% wrong! This man checked that 15% and found a lot of incorrect stuff there and kudos to him for daring to make the path plain. And considering the vociferous reception he got for his work suggests that he hit a sore spot indeed!

Velikovsky was a quack
Although Velikovsky's absurd astronomical theories have attracted considerable critical attention, his equally ridiculous revision of ancient chronology has been mostly neglected.This is perhaps unfortunate, as this stuff is incredibly silly, and a good debunking would be fun to read.At any rate, this book is full of patently absurd notions.He brings Egypt's 19th Dynasty, normally dated to the 13th century BC, down 5 centuries or so and makes it identical to the 26th Dynasty.Seti I becomes Psammetichus I, Ramses II becomes Necho, and so forth (I can't recall the specific other identifications).To make this work, he then has to turn the Hittites into the Neo-Babylonians, (which is, to say the least, geographically ridiculous, if nothing else) whose own chronology has to be messed up to get it to fit right.

The whole thing is just a complete mess if you think about it at all, but in spite of this Velikovsky still manages to have people who believe in these ridiculous theories.So, if you like crackpot theories, this is probably a good book (although you would perhaps be wise to read his other books first), but don't read it expecting to actually learn anything about history. ... Read more

Product Description

Why did the stock market crash more than 500 points on a single Monday in 1987? Why do ancient species often remain stable in the fossil record for millions of years and then suddenly disappear? In a world where nice guys often finish last, why do humans value trust and cooperation? At first glance these questions don't appear to have anything in common, but in fact every one of these statements refers to a complex system. The science of complexity studies how single elements, such as a species or a stock, spontaneously organize into complicated structures like ecosystems and economies; stars become galaxies, and snowflakes avalanches almost as if these systems were obeying a hidden yearning for order.

Drawing from diverse fields, scientific luminaries such as Nobel Laureates Murray Gell-Mann and Kenneth Arrow are studying complexity at a think tank called The Santa Fe Institute. The revolutionary new discoveries researchers have made there could change the face of every science from biology to cosmology to economics. M. Mitchell Waldrop's groundbreaking bestseller takes readers into the hearts and minds of these scientists to tell the story behind this scientific revolution as it unfolds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Complexity: A Guided Tour
With little precedence, complexity theory had been in the periphery of my imagination for some time.After much research I selected Melanie Miller's book as my guide into the study of this subject.From the beginning of Complexity: A Guided Tour I was enraptured by the manner of her writing and approach to her subject.Even though I lacked a substantive background in computer science and mathematics, I was enthralled and captivated by her account of the previous histories of Von Neumann, Alan Turning and all the countless innovators of technology, genetics and mathematics.Her work helped me to understand the intangibles which had previously escaped my intellectual grasp.I am indebted to Melanie Miller for her lucidity and intelligent account of innovation and provocative thought of the past several decades.

An introduction to complexity theory and the Santa Fe group
Although I am personally not a fan of the author's screenplay/journalistic writing style (the focus of the book is not complexity theory, but the lives of a few scientists in the context of the Santa Fe research group), this book introduced me to the very interesting studies of the Santa Fe institute and their focus on the science of complexity.I particularly valued the easily digestible introduction to the economic theory of increasing returns.

Stefania Lucchetti
Author of "The Principle of Relevance" The Principle of Relevance

Disappointing

I don't believe many people are too much interested in finding out how scientists work with other people by reading several hundred pages. Maybe a chapter or two will suffice for that purpose. People who buy this kind of non-professional book on science and engineering want far more than that - they want to understand the underlying ideas and the significance of the ideas, written in accessible English.

Simply, this book spent too much space on explaining how scientists worked, and not much on WHAT they found out. Disappointing, and purchase of this book made me believe that reviews and ratings on Amazon may not be trustworthy.

A little comment
i didn't read any page yet, but i'm very dissapointed with the paper quality of the paperback edition... pages are a little better than a newspaper ones... salud!

A superb account of the emergence of the science of Emergent Complexity.
This is a brilliant and riveting account of the birth of the science of Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute told in the form of detailed and human biographical profiles of some the leading scientific voices in the movement.Some reviewers here have complained that this isn't a book of science, per se, but more of history.While you will not find the math, code, detailed analysis of various models, or even illustrations of some of the compelling graphics; you will find well wrought descriptions of the basic theories and the evolution of thinking that delivered them.Getting the social and broader scientific context for the founders is a great introduction.Then you can read their books to get the nitty gritty, and you'll appreciate it better for having gained the long range perspective from Waldrop.

Complexity and emergence are some of the most compelling ideas to come out of the science of chaos - and are real paradigm changing ideas that promise to transform science in the 21st century and beyond.Complexity is the study of how agglomerations of agents behaving individually come to manifest dramatically complex group behaviors (called "emergent phenomena") with a richness you could never derive from the study of the simple components.Commonly studied emergent behaviors include the stock market, economies, flocks of birds and fish, the rise of life from pre-biotic molecular soup, the properties of complex molecules compared to the properties of their component atoms, etc...Methods of study are frequently computer simulations that model emergent complexity using simple rules in a recursive way reminiscent of chaos theory research. Indeed, Langton shows that emergent complexity is along the same continuum as chaos, but pitched at the edge between chaos and static order - literally the "edge of chaos".Some of the same scientists feature in both theories too - particularly Doyne Farmer of UCAL Santa Cruz.

The fact that informational order appears spontaneously seems to violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics - but does not because only information is being created, not energy.Kauffman calls it "order for free".This emergent order is deeply significant in a number of ways.First of all it provides a way of studying the structures of reality that are too messy and dynamic to fit classical reductionist science.But, more importantly, the reality of emergent complexity says something deeper about a creative generative force in the universe which resonates deeply with human spiritual feelings.Seeing order emerge spontaneously feels like witnessing "creation".In the latter chapters we see that evolution moves complex systems closer towards the edge of chaos (lambda around 1/4).Not only does this give a mathematical model for "evolutionary fitness" (which previously had been only definable as a tautology: evolutionary fitness = higher rates of survival (i.e. fitness)) but this also suggests a deeper concordance between a particular degree of chaos and some powerful natural property of phase transition that somehow engenders all the amazing dynamical systems we marvel at - particularly life itself on all its levels, from the swirling metabolic action of cells to the cellular group behavior of complex organisms such as ourselves, and our higher level social behavior.It's not an accident of evolution - it's an important, universal and inevitable law of nature, like gravity or electromagnetism.

Waldrop gets this and he takes you into Langton's computer lab the night he has his epiphany while playing the game of "Life" and other critical moments of inspiration.While this book doesn't spur you to take out your calculator and do the math like Gleik's "Chaos" it makes you feel the magic and gives you a heck of reading list to pursue further. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The end of the US hegemony?
Chaos and Governance in the Modern World System distills a systematic process out of the past Dutch and English hegemonies and applies it to the current American hegemony. The authors state that the end of a hegemony cycle always coincides with financial crisis. The current accounting scandals and stock market turmoil could be symptoms of the end of the American hegemony. The book goes into detail into the history and mechanics of each hegemony and describes the transition between each of them. In the conclusions, Asia and more particularly China is pointed out as the next potential hegemon.

The underlying theoretical canvas of the book makes sense. It gives a historical and scientific look on the mechanics of globalisation. The book is of course academic in nature, which doesn't always help readability, when having to navigate through references and footnotes. It is only in the conclusions that a more linear tone is taken. Next step for me, exploring some books on the future hegemon: China?

A fabulous book explaining our current global trouble
In a simple and concise way, Arrighi et al explain the rise and fall of the Dutch, English and American power in the modern world system (Since 1600 AD).In a 400 years sweep they show the evolution of geopolitics, state, finance, social classes and corporate structure in the rise and decline phases of each power.

After they described the processes which have affected the evolution from Dutch to English, English to American and the present weakening of the American power, book provides several possibilities for the future based on previous experiences. One of the conclusions is that corporations remain bound to their country of origin and that a corporate-led world will not survive the United States power, just like previous types of corporations did not survive English or Dutch demise.Another warning is the danger that the last phase of power, which is finance based and characterized by globalisation of finance always ends-up in a disaster: 1772-1773 crash in London, 1929 crash in Wall Street.Collapse of NASDAQ, trouble in Japan, California electricity could be the symptoms of this last phase of American power.

An essential book to understand the process of change and how to possibly adapt to it.

A thoughtful survey of 300 years of global power
Chaos and Governance in the Modern World System is a wonderful and comprehensive sweep of 300 years of power, politics and high finance.It is also a helpful counterpoint to some of the more gloating books filled with triumphilism or dire books of environmental doom-saying often found in when surveying the field. ... Read more

Product Description
CHAOS: An Introduction to Dynamical Systems was developed and class-tested by a distinguished team of authors at two universities through their teaching of courses based on the material. Intended for courses in nonlinear dynamics offered either in Mathematics or Physics, the text requires only calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra as prerequisites. Spanning the wide reach of nonlinear dynamics throughout mathematics, natural and physical science, CHAOS develops and explains the most intriguing and fundamental elements of the topic and examines their broad implications. Among the major topics included are: discrete dynamical systems, chaos, fractals, nonlinear differential equations, and bifurcations. The text also features Lab Visits, short reports that illustrate relevant concepts from the physical, chemical, and biological sciences, drawn from the scientific literature. There are Computer Experiments throughout the text that present opportunities to explore dynamics through computer simulation, designed to be used with any software package. And each chapter ends with a Challenge, which provides students a tour through an advanced topic in the form of an extended exercise. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great Book
This book is both simple enough to understand, and sophisticated enough to provide further understanding.If you are an second or third year undergraduate planning on graduate work, this book is a great way to catch up on advanced mathematics.

A/S/Y strike a perfect balance between theory and applications!
It was about the mid 1990's, still assimilating the big hype caused by the eventual and much-publicized proof by Andrew Wiles of Fermat's Last Theorem, when my curiosity (bolstered more by having seen a movie such as The Jurassic Park!) finally led me to taking a first college course on Chaos and Fractals at a California State school. At that time, the funny, surcastic, and somewhat sloppy foreign professor (who happened to be a country-mate of mine, for better or worse), had chosen the brand-new text "Fractals Everywhere" by Michael F. Barnsely for teaching our mid-size class consisting mainly of senior and first-year graduate students in math and sciences. I recall the discussion starting out by covering the basics about the metric spaces and sequences, and I having a head-start over many others coming fresh on the heels of a heavy-duty general topology course just in the previous semester (so for example I could show off to others on the first instruction day what it meant for two metrics to be equivalent). Still, I admit the semester went by without many of us really absorbing the nuts and bolts of the subject, for example why exactly topological transitivity was needed for chaos in an Iterated Function System, and why exactly some known fractals had the given fractional dimensions (eventhough we could compute them). However the students were generally happy to have scratched the surface of this vast, engaging subject, and for the time being it seemed about enough exposure for most of us. Consequently for me, during the several ensuing years in the late 90's the subject leapt mostly into the background, but nearly a decade later since I first took the college course, somehow it came back to the foreground in the company of several other applied subjects such as control, game theory, and information/coding theory.

Now looking back, I find Barnsley's text a very good choice having gone through at the time, but the title by Alligood, Sauer, and Yorke (as a recommendation by a college professor at a different school who had taught his students from it) seemed like a more well-balanced introduction to the area of dynamical systems. In fact I also recall at the time there was a discussion as to whether yet another text by Robert Devaney would have made for a better first course. The aforementioned professor duely noted that Devaney only dealt with the discrete dynamical systems, while A/S/Y treated both the discrete and continuous, hence making the choice of the latter a more suitable one. In any event, the rundown of the topics discussed in the 13 chapters of A/S/Y include: one and two dimensional maps, fixed points, iterations, sinks, sources, saddles, Lyapunov exponents, chaotic orbits, conjugacy, fractals and their dimension, chaotic attractors, measure, Lotka-Volterra models, Poincare-Bendixson theorem, Lorentz and Roessler attractors, stable manifolds and crises, homoclinic and heteroclinic points, bifurcations, and cascades. There are answers and solutions to the selected exercises, as well as extensive references at the back, making up an ideal setting for self-study. The level and style of exposition is targeted towards an advanced undergraduate student who is into applied math or engineering fields. Therefore the authors emphasize concepts and applications instead of getting bogged down in too much mathematical rigor or heavy use of the abstract machinery (which is of course needed for a thorough treatment of the subject at an advanced level; there are in fact several newer titles which all occupy this niche). Notationally and stylistically also, A/S/Y is very accessible and attractive. All in all, an excellent first excursion/introduction to one of the most fascinating areas of applied math, whether for classroom use, or for self-study.

[Review updated and reposted on 08/08/08]

Exciting and Lucid Introduction to Chaos Theory
This book is a must-own for anyone interested in nonlinear dynamics and chaos -- I also highly recommend the "Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos" text by Strogatz.

I especially like the numerous diagrams that clarify everything so well in this book. In addition, the writing includes just the right amount of informal discussion to truly explain the material without retreating into jargon.

A favorite moment in the book is a "challenge" exercise that explains the famous "Period Three Implies Chaos" result: the reader is gently guided through 10 steps resulting in a proof of Sharkovskii's Theorem, a more general result that includes the Period 3 thing as a special case.

Buy it! Simply phenomenal.

The definitive guide to dynamical systems!
When I purchased this book three years ago, I had only a rudimentary understanding of dynamical systems. Thankfully, all that was needed to get me started was some intermediate calculus and some basic college-level linear algebra. Since I had been doing both from the time I was a sophmore in high school, I had no trouble getting comfortable with it. The authors present dynamical systems in an easy-to-read style with tests that appear at the end of each chapter after you've had time to catch on.

If you're seriously thinking about getting started in dynamical systems, get this book!

great introduction to dynamical systems
I was enrolled in a course at GMU in which the draft version of this text was used.The math was not as difficult as some of the graduate texts, therefore it serves as a good intoduction for someone with as little as 2 years of undergraduate math.The challenges at the end of each chapter are more difficult than the regular problems, but they are meant to be.Many of the systems can be modeled on a spreadsheet.If you have any interest in Chaos, this book will only strengthen it. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Old Wine in Chaotic Bottles
The title is great and the art work on the cover is stunning. The author takes commonplace ideas, the most important of which is that there are perennial dichotomies in some social science disciplines, and we can arrive at a virtually continuous distribution of viewpoints by successive division of a subdivision, and hitches them to the sexy notion of chaos and self-similarity.

The problem is that the analogy with chaotic dynamics is just too tendentious and far-fetched to bear any theoretical weight. Abbot never shows that there are more than two levels of dichotomization or self-similarity. This is not chaos, but rather a grid with a few cells.

Abbott's remarks on the structure of social science disciplines is descriptively accurate, has nothing to do with chaos, but is not at all enlightening. His analysis of interdisciplinarity is trivial. He appears to know sociology, but not the other disciplines.

The most interesting chapter is a review of the history of social constructivism in sociology. The American roots of this congeries of doctrines goes back to the pragmatism of George Herbert Mead and John Dewey, elaborated brilliantly by W. I. Thomas and Robert Park, all of the Chicago school. In Europe, the roots lie in the amazingly insightful work of Alfred Schutz, combining Husserlian phenomenology and Weberian sociology. In the USA, Berger and Luckmann brilliantly combined the American and European contributions, giving us one of the most important contributions of sociology to general social theory.Schutz also influenced Harold Garfinkel's ethnomethodology and Erving Goffman's symbolic interactionism. Abbott's main point is that social constructivism reappears regularly in sociology at about 20 year intervals, but is then quashed by some form of realistic reaction, only to reappear again. This of course has nothing to do with chaos--the old pendulum analogy works perfectly well here.

This is an aside, but I cannot refrain from remarking how truly tragic this history of social constructivism is, and how nicely it reflects the theoretical vapidity of sociological theory. A correct theory of the interaction of individual agency and social structure (e.g., as adumbrated in the life-work of Talcott Parsons and develop in game-theoretic terms in my book, The Bounds of Reason) exhibits a natural harmony of realism (the division of labor, the production of daily life, the specification of our species characteristics through gene-culture coevolution) and social construction (the communality of beliefs, knowledges, and ideational representations through cultural systems). I argue that we share certain beliefs because they are mutually accessible natural occurrences, but other shared beliefs are purely socially constructed, although their temporal permanence and their capacity to displace competing beliefs are governed by an analytically accessible dynamic akin to the replicator dynamic in evolutionary theory.

Sociology will forever be doomed to cycles of realism and constructivism until theorists reestablish the Parsonian quest for a unified basis for sociology. Parsons himself was far from completely successful, but I think his pattern variables are very useful for defining the boundaries between economics (adaptation) and sociology (integration). This conceptual scheme is a great step beyond his attempts in The Structure of Social Action, which relied on a questionable set of epistemological categories inherited with modification from Pareto.

Abbott's attempts at extrapolating to the future, and at dealing with ethical issues, are perfunctory and desultory.

This book is better than post-modernism, but not much. It is post-modernism without the burning anti-science agenda.

creative sociology at its best
This is one of the best books in the field of the sociology of science or should we say the sociology of sociology? Abbott is an enormously creative scholar. In this book he develops the idea to analyze scientific discourses as fractals. But instead of arguing the whole book, why this is an accurate approach, Abbott sets out to develop this basic idea further and further. This book is a prime example of creative sociological scholarship! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

awsome
This book is easy to read. The author explains in an easy to understand way. Although, it takes a lot further study, to completly understand kabbalah. This book will be the spark that compels one to seek further answers beyond the dogma of Religion. I think this book is a good read.

Practical and inspiring....
First of all, I want to comment on the review that 'R D Kaiser' continues to post on anything published by the Berg's.YES, they ARE Rabbi's-it's just that manyOrthodox and Conservative Jews view the Kabbalah Centre in a negative way-so they take their pot shots wherever they can.

This book is a simple and yet very practical insight into the world of removing chaos and negativity from your life.Rav Berg as usual does a good job in 'translating' the often difficult Hebraic Kabbalistic precepts into a 'user friendly' text.That is, in effect, ALL that the Berg's have done since day one regarding their books and study materials.I read books on Kabbalah from many sources, such as Rabbi Michael Laitman, Rav Ashlag, Gahl Sasson and Steve Weinstein, as well as from the Kabbalah Centre, and contrary to what Mr. Kaiser thinks (actually...he doesn't really articulate any reviews of the Berg's, only bashes them and suggests some VERY mediocre books on Kabbalah).

What has been my discovery is that ALL of the authors listed above do essentially say the same things, and relay the same messages...which is why I'm always uncertain as to why the Kabbalah Centre takes such a beating by it's OWN Jewish community....if people are changing their lives for the better, and they are learning the concepts of sharing, removing and squashing the ego, and the importance of helping others, WHAT IS WRONG ABOUT THAT?The Berg's have helped countless people change their lives and undergo a spiritual transformation.And this book is just another contribution, albeit an easy read, in the journey toward fullfillment.

Again, the Berg's basically take the ideas, concepts and precepts of Kabbalah and put it into terms that all of us can relate to.Some of it goes in deeper, and some of it is light-but I challenge anyone to compare the basic messages of 'Taming Chaos' or any books by the Berg's with any other book from a Rabbi on Kabbalah, and you will indeed see that the principles are the same.

HARNESS THE POWER!
Rav Berg is able to make the complex lessons of Kabbalah, easy to understand for everyone willing to listen. This book is a real treasure.
Rav Berg is able to teach the reader about Kabbalah, and how to make drastic changes in your life, for the better of yourself, your loved ones, and mankind in general.
If you've ever read books on Kabbalah before, you will love this book. It may be a little difficult for beginners to understand, but people with the basic of the basic knowledge, should have no trouble understanding this beautiful text.
Rav Berg is a great man, and I hope that you aren't persuaded by the negative things being said by the naysayers out there. This really can help your life!

Oh dear, more dreck published by this non-rabbi.
Oh dear, more dreck published by this non-rabbi. (The author claims to be a rabbi, but the Yeshiva he claims his ordination from denies that he is a rabbi.)

Like all of his other works, this one is full of terrible translations, censored and edited texts, and horrible commentary.Berg's "explanations" are rejected by all Jewish authorities, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, religious and academic.Berg is attempting to create a non-Jewish and for-profit version of Kabbalah, and it is just embarassing.Instead of reading his nonsense, please check out books on this subject by real authorities and good writers:

Read, for instance, "The Jewish Mystical Tradition", by Ben Zion Bokser; "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism", by Gershom Scholem;"Zohar: Annotated & Explained" by Daniel Chanan Matt and Andrew Harvey

I would also suggest "The Wisdom of The Zohar: An Anthology of Texts", Ed. Isaiah Tishby, and translated from the Hebrew by David Goldstein.
... Read more

Product Description
Apophenion attacks most of the great questions of being, free will, consciousness, meaning, the nature of mind, and humanity's place in the cosmos, from a magical perspective. Some of the conclusions seem to challenge many of the deeply held assumptions that our culture has taught us, so brace yourself for the paradigm crash and look for the jewels revealed in the wreckage. This book contains something to offend everyone; enough science to upset the magicians, enough magic to upset the scientists, and enough blasphemy to upset most trancendentalists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Worth a visit.
It had been nearly a decade since reading Liber Null and Psychonaut when this book came onto my radar. Chaos has been my home since I first encountered it. Yet somehow, by my own design, I until recently was in the throes of an enormously disturbing 4 year jaunt with a hilariously failed experiment in Chaos Christianity (DO NOT ATTEMPT IT). After "coming down" I found myself in love with Thor and with very little support structure. Things were working, but I felt adrift.

Fortuitously I happened upon The Apophenion, and it has righted my ship quickly and painlessly. Sales are up, my teeth are the whitest white, and the future is once again filled with hope and mirth. Thank you, Peter.

Sacrament of Chaos
Pete's power lies in originating powerful idea's.

In his work one can encounter a rare uniqueness of authenticity, integrity and directness,that is mindblowing.

The reader can be assured, this book is a Sacrament of Chaos.
Dripping from the mind of a magician, that has ripened with time
and as good wine has become more flavored.

A must read for Chaos Magicians and those who are interested.

vintage Carroll
Peter Carroll was the first author I read who made magic magical and one of the few whose writings have repaid close repeated reading. Carroll is to be congratulated for writing this book and Mandrake for publishing it. The Apophenion is a gold mine of Carrollisms, and I could cite a score or more, even if few of the insights are original and some have been phrased more elegantly. That said, their power is undiminished and their application to magical working as timely as ever. No one with the slightest interest in magical theory should miss this book.

Much of the work is a description of Carrollian physics. I know barely enough physics to keep my tires inflated and not a whit more, so any attempt by me to evaluate "the maths" would be idiocy in its most literal sense. Indeed, I can barely even picture the simplest of Peter's demonstrations and I suspect I have a great deal of company. If you figure yourself among the numerically disabled, be warned. It may well be that Peter Carroll is the Giordano Bruno of our era and that he has demonstrated the elusive physics of magic, and if so, I am exuberantly pleased if ultimately quite unenlightened in spite of it. I'm just saying...

The artwork: first rate cover and the Muses (pg 112) are suitable for framing.

Two quibbles: either the proof reading of the book or the software used to compose it is deplorable. There are there are annoying repetitions of repetitions of words and the punctuation occasionally appears derived from an alien-as-in-not-of-this-world grammar.

An introduction to Apophenia
I was really intrigued when Carroll released a new book on chaos magic. The Apophenion is the introduction to a goddess, more space/time specualtation, theory, and practice from Carroll, an exploration of the multi-mind and much more. It is a book worth picking up if you're into chaos magic or experimental magic, or if you're curious as to how someone who has training in math and science is applying that training to magic.

What I liked about the book was Carroll's succinct explanations of his theories about time magic and the multi-mind. I also liked his explanation of Apophenia and how one can work with her. I already consider her a deity of space/time workings from his description of her. I will note that the Apophenion is mainly a book of theory and that it assumes that readers already know a good deal about magic. Any practical applications of it, are left entirely in the hands of the readers to produce.

With this book, Carroll charts new path for chaos magic, while also updating readers on his own work. I highly recommend it as an inspiring and thought-provoking read.

5 out of 5 chaostars

Stokastikos Delivers Yet Again
As co-founder of the chaos magic movement, any new book by Peter Carroll would complement a serious chaote's library by default. However, his new book, "The Apophenion," need not rely on any of that, and would serve as the basis for his reputation if he did not already have one.

In "The Apophenion," Carroll takes his over a decade's worth of scientific exploration and seamlessly weaves it into the application of magic so that it becomes a workable theory by scientific standards.

All that said, the book has a number of typos. They don't detract from its immense worth, but I will keep my fingers crossed and my eyes out for an updated edition. ... Read more