Product Description
This is the first book to present the fascinating new results on the largest fractal structures in the universe. It guides the reader, in a simple way, to the frontiers of astronomy, explaining how fractals appear in cosmic physics, from our solar system to the megafractals in deep space. It also offers a personal view of the history of the idea of self-similarity and of cosmological principles, from Plato's ideal architecture of the heavens to Mandelbrot's fractals in the modern physical cosmos. In addition, this invaluable book presents the great fractal debate in astronomy (after Luciano Pietronero's first fractal analysis of the galaxy universe), which illustrates how new concepts and deeper observations reveal unexpected aspects of Nature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fractals Begin to Come of Age
I am sure that most of us have been intrigued and inspired by those remarkable geometric shapes called fractals. It is now 45 years since the Polish-born French mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot introduced the world to fractal geometry, the mathematical study of those beautiful and bizarre structures that have become the staple of much modern art and adorn millions of computer screens. Although the actual word "fractal" first made its appearance in 1975.

Fractals are objects that are rough or irregular, but can be broken down into parts. And each part is similar to the original object.

I have been following the development of fractal theory for the last thirty years, not as a mathematician or artist, but as someone who has had a deep intuition that these objects have deep significance for our understanding of many physical and biological dynamics.

This well-written book begins with a lengthy historical review of basic concepts in astronomy and cosmogony. Astronomy was one of those all-consuming hobbies that stayed with me throughout early adolescence, so it was good to return to those heady days.

But then we get into the real meat of the book: the discovery of the largest fractal structures in the universe, and an explanation about how fractals appear in cosmic physics, from our solar system all the way to the mega-fractals in deep space. These fractals structures appear to provide powerful new evidence for the emerging theories of interaction, implying that everything in the Universe is interconnected, and no one thing can be examined without considering its context in time and space.

This is a book that could be read with pleasure by anyone interested in alternative ways of viewing our Universe. These cosmic fractals may turn out to have considerable practical importance for us.

I recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about some of the cutting edge science that is helping inform us about the nature of physical reality.

GREAT DISCOVERIES
The book Discovery of Cosmic Fractals by Yurij Baryshev and Pekka Teerikorpi describes the yet unexplored fractal structure of the universe, which is hard to handle in the big bang theory.The idea of self-similarity is much deeper than it looks, suggesting a universe made of self-defined and hence fractal (self-similar) 3D spiral interactions as it is argued in the book THEORY OF INTERACTION The Simplest Explanation of Everything by Eugene Savov.The comic fractals can be viewed as just another convincing confirmation of the emerging theory of interaction.These two books and also James Gleick's CHAOS Making a New Science are harbingers of a qualitatively new, singularity free and complete understanding of the universe. That is why I highly recommend these essential books to everybody interested in the puzzles of nature. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book we generate graphic images using the software Mathematica thus providing a gentle and enjoyable introduction to this rather technical software and its graphic capabilities.
The programs we use for generating these graphics are easily adaptable to many variations.

These graphic images are enhanced by introducing a variety of different coloring techniques.

Detailed instructions are given for the construction of some interesting 2D and 3D fractals using iterated functions systems as well as the construction of many different types of Julia sets and parameter sets such as the Mandelbrot set.

The mathematics underlying the theory of Iterated function systems and Julia sets is given an intuitive explanation, and references are provided for more detailed study.

· Brilliant Graphic images
· Interesting Introduction to Mathematica for Beginners
· Easy constructions
· A variety of Coloring Techniques
· Programs Easily Adaptable to Many Variations
· Constructions useful for Dynamics and Fractals Courses ... Read more

Product Description
This volume contains 11 papers presented at the First IMA Conference on Fractal Geometry: Mathematical Methods, Algorithms and Applications, held at De Montfort University in September 2000. Researchers include many from Europe, Russia, and the United States, giving a multinational emphasis to the fractal geometry problems described. Emphasized are the mathematical exposure given to a problem and the practicalities required to create and implement an algorithm. ... Read more

Product Description
Fractals and Chaos: An Illustrated Course provides you with a practical, elementary introduction to fractal geometry and chaotic dynamics-subjects that have attracted immense interest throughout the scientific and engineering disciplines. The book may be used in part or as a whole to form an introductory course in either or both subject areas. A prominent feature of the book is the use of many illustrations to convey the concepts required for comprehension of the subject. In addition, plenty of problems are provided to test understanding. Advanced mathematics is avoided in order to provide a concise treatment and speed the reader through the subject areas. The book can be used as a text for undergraduate courses or for self-study. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A book that does Justice to both topics
I don't think there can be a price on this book. It offers discrete information that has the wieght of being both technical and general. It really puts the reader in the position to comfortably understand the topics. I can't see how anyone would ever want to sell this book, unless they memorized every page. It can be refrenced over and over again to get limtless information. Each chapter closes with suggestions for further reading,extending into every field: geology, physics, chemistry,etc. I found the book at the library, and just couldn't put it down. It smoothly transitions between a first section on fractals, then a middle area where both chaos and fractals intersect, and lastly a final chunk on chaos. The beauty is that you can start where ever you want in the book because each chapter builds independently, while tieing things together at the same time. A brilliant book published by the Institute of Physics. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the proceedings of a conference held at Newnham College, Cambridge in December 1990. ... Read more

Product Description
A revision of a professional text on the phenomena of chaotic vibrations in fluids and solids. Major changes reflect the latest developments in this fast-moving topic, the introduction of problems to every chapter, additional mathematics and applications, more coverage of fractals, numerous computer and physical experiments. Contains eight pages of 4-color pictures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fractal, Chaos, IFS
I want some more information about the book ... Read more

Product Description
A practical guide to solving problems in chemistry with fractal geometry.

It has been two decades since Mandelbrot formulated his revolutionary theories of fractal geometry. Yet, in that brief time, fractals -those strangely beautiful infinite geometric patterns -and the computational processes that give rise to them have become a valued research tool in a broad array of scientific, social-scientific, and commercial fields. While inroads also have been made in applying fractals to theoretical and applied chemistry, there continues to be a dearth of texts and references on the subject. This book helps fill that gap in the literature.

Fractals in Chemistry provides chemists with a concise, practical introduction to fractal theory and its applications to a wide range of "bread and butter" issues in chemistry. Drawing upon his considerable experience as a researcher who helped pioneer some of the methods he describes, Walter Rothschild critically appraises the power and limitations of the fractal approach and shows how it can provide more predictive classification schemes and explain phenomena difficult to handle by classical means. Then, with the help of nearly 100 illustrations, he demonstrates how to apply fractals to model chemical phenomena such as adsorption, aggregation, catalysis, chemical reactivity, degradation, and turbulent flames, and how to understand dynamics on fractals in terms of fractons in diffusion-limited reactions, dispersive spectroscopies, and energy transfer.

Fractals in Chemistry is both a valuable working resource for professionals in physical chemistry, chemical physics, and computer modeling and an excellent graduate-level text for courses covering the use of fractals in chemistry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An essential book
The author makes an introduction to fractal theory with applications in many chemistry and physic topics. All concepts are clearly exposed and explaned. Excellent bibliographies and coments at the end of each section.In addition, very high paper, printing and illustrations quality.Verygood quality/price relationship. I think it is indispensable for those whowant to know more and with detail about fractals in chemistry. ... Read more

Product Description
The fractal concept has become an important tool for understanding irregular complex systems in various scientific disciplines. This book discusses in great detail fractals in biology, heterogeneous chemistry, polymers, and the earth sciences. Beginning with a general introduction to fractal geometry it continues with eight chapters on self-organized criticality, rough surfaces and interfaces, random walks, chemical reactions, and fractals in chemisty, biology, and medicine. A special chapter entitled "Computer Exploration of Fractals, Chaos, and Cooperativity" presents computer demonstrations of fractal models. 14 executable programs are included on a 3 1/2" MS-DOS diskette and run on any IBM or compatible computer. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume brings together a number of distinctive contributions in the areas of fractals, chaos, and the interrelationship between the two domains. These contributions cover a wide variety of application areas, and this indicates the extent to which fractals and chaotic phenomena are being studied in the various disciplines. It is anticipated that the interdisciplinary nature of the subject will increase, which in turn will yield useful information on the potential (and also limitations in some cases) of fractals and chaos as modeling tools for the investigation of various natural and scientific phenomena. It is hoped that an understanding of fractals and chaos will lead to a common basis for examining the growth, development, organization, and behaviour of complex dynamical systems, many of which make up the natural world of which we are part. It is anticipated that the investigations of fractal structure associated with phase portraits will be an exciting area for future work. ... Read more

Product Description
Concepts, methods and techniques of statistical physics in the study of correlated, as well as uncorrelated, phenomena are being applied ever increasingly in the natural sciences, biology and economics in an attempt to understand and model the large variability and risks of phenomena. This is the first textbook written by a well-known expert that provides a modern up-to-date introduction for workers outside statistical physics. The emphasis of the book is on a clear understanding of concepts and methods, while it also provides the tools that can be of immediate use in applications. Although this book evolved out of a course for graduate students, it will be of great interest to researchers and engineers, as well as to post-docs in geophysics and meteorology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

very complete
As I am teaching the statistical mechanics part of a graduate class in mathematics,I was looking for a textbook on complex systems & statistical physicswith derivations, intuitions, and some physical examples. I did not realize that I was looking too far --Sornette, with hom I correspond regularly, is well known for his contributions and his prolific output (actually some physicists make fun of the quantity of papers he writes). So his book did not come to mind. I once stumbled on a problem with the derivation of preferential attachments;he recommended his book, which I took with a grain a salt. After spending some time working the derivations on scalable laws, extreme value theory, renormalization groups in this book, I elected to use it as my textbook. There is no equivalent. I have a dozen such yellow manuals; this one is complete and ultimately clearest.
I do not know of a better textbook.

One of the best textbooks ever written for graduate students
Didier Sornette who is potentialy nobelisable realises with this book a great present for everybody interested to the recent progresses toward the physics of critical phenomena.
Particularly, it shows the way that some seismologists follow toward the ultimate goal to predict the event of large earthquakes. If this task was impossible yesterday,Didier Sornette shows that it is now became realisable.

A must for understanding complexity
Sornette's book is quite an achievement both in quantity and
quality. The presentation remains informal and quite readable; it reads like a physics textbook, not a math textbook. The references are very extensive (a total of 832! altogether) and they are a very valuable component of the book. In fact much of the book is about the reference material. You might choose to read the book instead of the 832 references... I think this is
the point...

There's probably nothing wrong with this book besides the fact that it throws it all at you at a high degree of sophistication and in as terse a way as possible, it seems. It's a unique and beautiful achievement but because it is so dense with information and insight, it seems every word counts for ten and you'll want to read several chapters again and again. Also, even though there is a clear unifying theme from chapter to chapter, the book simply ends almost like in the middle of a sentence. After machinegunning out 392 pages of material at research level spanning quite a few scientific fields, there is absolutely no attempt to put it all together. It's up to you to do it and it almost seems like the author is indirectly suggesting you start reading it all over again to "get it"... So, for the second edition, perhaps the author will be bold and add ten pages of wrap up material at the end so that this will read less like an atlas. Apart from that, it's the best! ... Read more

Product Description
Simple mathematical formulas are transformed intostrikingly beautiful computer generated designs. The dynamic interplaybetween order and chaos is explored in 350 color images in this uniquecoffee table book that explains the mechanics of mathematicalart. Berkowitz is perhaps the world's most widely recognized fractalartist. Fractal Cosmos is the first art book to feature fractalimagery and the largest collection of fractal art published anywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

333 color plates, graphical potential of fractals, album-like
This unique album-like beautifully published on 212 pages of glossy paper includes 333 color plates of computer generated images of fractals and fractal compositions. They reveal the graphical potential of fractals and are a visual introduction to their graphical application. Most of them could be found in a smaller size on the Web using the keyword lifesmith. The book's text is concise and includes a step-by-step explanation that extends from a typical school knowledge. Its simple instructions allow to recreate the fractals on computer. The whole content is easily accessible to non-experts, and it is good even for just casual browsing through. The book comprises an introduction to fractals on 4 pages; 5 chapters of images with a different type of fractals and one page description in each; 4 appendices dedicated to generating fractals (5 pages), bibliography (2 pages), formulae (1), and fractal data for each plate except the compositions (47 pages); and an index of equations on 5 pages.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface vii
Acknowledgments ix
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction to Fractals 1-1
CHAPTER TWO
Mandeibrot/Julia Set Fractals of the Equation f(z) = z2 + c 2-1
CHAPTER THREE
Mandeibrot/Julia Set Fractals of Polynomials, Powers,
Roots, and Rational Expressions 3-1
CHAPTER FOUR
Mandeibrot/Julia Set Fractals of Exponentials, Logarithms,
Trigonometrics, and Combinations Thereof 4-1
CHAPTER FIVE
Three-Dimensional Fractal Compositions 5-1
CHAPTER SIX
Special Image Studies in Fractals 6-1
APPENDIX A
Generating Julia Set Fractals A-1
APPENDIX B
Selected Bibliography B-1
APPENDIX C
Important Formulae for Complex Numbers C-1
APPENDIX D
Supplemental Fractal Data for Color Plates D-1
INDEX BY EQUATION I-1

Great intro to fractals
There's not a lot of easily understandable information, but WOW!The pictures are great!

math and art
This is a cool book. I tutor middle school students in math and have used this to help them think outside the box. Math can be used to describe everything around us. This book has beautiful color photos of unique calculus graphs.The kids are amazed by the beauty of these designs.

A fractal survey with beauty, intrigue and educational value
I'm really pleased with this book. To me, this is the IDEAL coffee table book on fractals.

Chapter one is the obligatory brief history of fractal image generation, including Mandelbrot, population growth, and citing quite a few popular books on the subject.

The heart of the book is the eye candy, presented in bright colors on high quality paper, with a bare minimum of mathematical labeling to maximize the "art appreciation" aspect of the viewing. This is divided into 5 chapters of somewhat like families of fractals, with brief but informative introductions. If you want a lot of beautiful fractal images that vary widely - you'll certainly get that here.

Chapter 2 gives many images of the Mandelbrot set. Chapter 3 explores various polynomials, powers, roots, and rational expressions. This clearly answered my early layman's question "What about other types of simple equations?" Chapter 4 then goes into exponentials, logarithms, trigonometrics, and various combinations. Chapter 5 then shows 3-d compositions, with many fractal skies, mountains, trees, and landscapes, plus the fractal spheres looking so much like moons or planets. Finally, chapter 6 does some interesting "studies" where you get treated to a page at a time of (6) images with very similar equations, where he alters some variable. Examples: the amount of zooming (up to 169 quintillion - with little loss in image detail), or iterating c by small amounts (like .005 to .01).

At this point I thought - very nice book, but I felt a little let down by so little INFORMATION passed along about WHAT these pictures were. The appendices changed all that!

Appendix A gives a nice explanation, complete with examples and graphs, of how to generate Julia Set fractal images. Appendix B is a 2 page selected bibliography, including both books and papers.

Appendix C lists and briefly explains 20 "Important Formulae for Complex Numbers". Having this would have saved me buying a book about complex numbers when I first discovered fractals, since it implies what the "rules" are.

Appendix D is REALLY KEY - for chapters 1-4, it lists nice mathematical data, and in almost all cases this includes: the image type, the equation, the complex constant, the screen parms, the blowup parms, and the maximum number of iterations. Here then, is HOW these beauties were created. For chapter 5, he doesn't list this, and for chapter 6, since they're studies, the detail varies, but is pretty good overall. To me, this takes the book from "very nice" to "awesome" because the layman can now get a better grasp on things and pursue what interests him/her.

Finally, unlabeled, but apparently Appendix E in my mind, he provides and index to the images BY EQUATION. A very nice cross reference to those thinking of exploring further in the literature or on their PC's.

So the "heavy math" type likely won't find much new here. For the rest of us, who just want some art, some (layman's)meaning/education, or both, aside from parts of "The Beauty of Fractals" this was without peer.

An excellent picture of fractals the CHAOS universe
Jeff, have you read of Dr. John Hubbard from Cornell and his analysis of the Mandelbrot Set? Your results and his analysis are so-ooo intriguing on what fractals promises for the future of mankind!!!!I have a video of his work and it is so fascinating. ... Read more

Product Description
Fractals and disordered systems have recently become the focus of intense interest in research. This book discusses in great detail the effects of disorder on mesoscopic scales (fractures, aggregates, colloids, surfaces and interfaces, glasses and polymers) and presents tools to describe them in mathematical language. A substantial part is devoted to the development of scaling theories based on fractal concepts. In ten chapters written by leading experts in the field, the reader is introduced to basic concepts and techniques in disordered systems and is led to the forefront of current research. This second edition has been substantially revised and updates the literature in this important field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very interesting
A thorough and interesting survey of the many ways you can find fractal in nature, and many subjects usually discarded by the other textbooks I happened to read. After some years I read it, I still remember the vividdescription of DLA growth. ... Read more

Product Description
Fractal Functions, Fractal Surfaces, and Wavelets is the first systematic exposition of the theory of fractal surfaces, a natural outgrowth of fractal sets and fractal functions. It is also the first treatment to bring these general considerations to bear on the burgeoning field of wavelets. The text is based on Massopusts work on and contributions to the theory offractal functions, and the author uses a number of tools--including analysis, topology, algebra, and probability theory--to introduce readers to this new subject. Though much of the material presented in this book is relatively current (developed in the past decade by the author and his colleagues) and fairly specialized, an informative background is provided for those


* First systematic treatment of fractal surfaces
* Links fractals and wavelets
* Provides background for those entering the field
* Contains color insert ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good book but for specialist
The book provides a lot of material but it left me the impression of a core material hidden in "a bittoo many" technicalities, being the textbook more likely suitable as a reference for a specialist (I amnot) than for a reader interested in the subject. I really appreciated thechapter "Fractal Functions and Wavelets", a good description oflinks beetween wavelets and fractals. ... Read more

Product Description
This book develops deterministic chaos and fractals from the standpoint of iterated maps, but the method of analysis and choice of emphasis make it very different from all other books in the field. It is written to provide the reader with an introduction to more recent developments, such as weak universality, multifractals, and shadowing, as well as to older subjects such as universal critical exponents, devil's staircases, and the Farey tree. Throughout the book the author uses a fully discrete method, a "theoretical computer arithmetic," because finite (but not fixed) precision is a fact of life that cannot be avoided in computation or in experiment. This approach leads to a more general formulation in terms of symbolic dynamics and to the idea of weak universality. The author explains why continuum analysis, computer simulations, and experiments form three entirely distinct approaches to chaos theory. In the end, the connection is made with Turing's ideas of computable numbers. It is explained why the continuum approach leads to predictions that are not necessarily realized in computations or in nature, whereas the discrete approach yields all possible histograms that can be observed or computed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

WoW
I think Prof. McCauley is the smartest man on the face of the earth. He must have wonderful, beautiful, smart children. ... Read more

Product Description
Reviews"Marvellous Hairy is a weird little beast, a blending of the anything-for-a-laugh mentality of Douglas Adams with the experimental abandon of early Philip K. Dick. Is it satire? Science fiction? A piercing exploration into the nature of being? Good-natured sex romp? . . . Mark is a near-hopeless task." --Corey Redekop, Author of Shelf Monkey Product DescriptionSo, hair is sprouting in unspeakable places and you can no longer carry a tune, but if you're a surrealistic artiste with an addiction to Freudian mythology and guilt-free sex, turning into a monkey has its upsides. Nick Motbot may be evolving as a novelist, but his friends aren't too sure about his DNA. At least, not since Gargantuan Enterprises started experimenting with it. Once they figure out what's happening to him, they decide to set things right. Marvellous Hairy is a satirical novel about a group of friends sticking it to the man the only way they know how, with equal parts grain alcohol and applied Chaos Theory. Part literary fun-ride and part slapstick comedy, Marvellous Hairy about the power of friendship and love, the evils of power, and the dangers of letting corrupt CEOs run our world. But most importantly, it's about how we have to get in touch with our fun-loving inner monkeys. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

A Simply Marvelous Novel!
This book was simply a joyous romp about life, love, and of course monkeys! When reading it Douglas Adams, Ron Goulart, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and Fredric Brown all came to mind, and those are not names I throw around lightly- the book is that good folks!

The book starts out at a wedding ceremony that is soon turned into chaos when the Reverend and his accomplice, an aspiring writer, let loose a horde of monkeys and a Komodo Dragon. I knew from that completely absurd yet sublime beginning I could well fall in love with such a tale, and the author did not disappoint me one iota! This strange and hilarious novel tells the tale of a rag tag group of friends, and when one of the group suddenly starts devolving into a monkey, they band together and with otherworldly help attempt to take down the giant evil corporation that is responsible (of course they end up thwarting a global domination attempt in the process).

This book truly has it all: a drug crazed Reverend/Doctor that could have given Hunter S. Thompson a run for his money, a novelist working on his surreal opus, action, adventure, love, ghosts, a protagonist you actually care about, two hilariously inept would be villains, a dastardly megalomanical master villains, kidnappings, drugs, sex, and did I mention monkeys?


All in all if you want to read a truly great and rollicking (love using that word, and it is very apt here) adventure that will have you laughing out loud one minute, the next debating the psychological make up of the crazy human race, well simply stop reading this review and buy this book today- you will not be disappointed in the least.

Gelati's Scoop
Check it out, a novel that makes one question many things in our society today and uses the vehicle of comedy and the bizarre to get us there. Laugh while we think, I enjoy that. Yes, it is time to release the monkeys. Marvellous Hairy is a sincere novel that is totally different than anything I have read in a while. It is a seriously disjointed narrative wrapped around a wonderful array of colorful characters that takes the reader on a thought provoking ride through corporate America, greed, and a host of other things. Here is the synopsis from the back cover, but trust me, the description just barely scratches the surface on this novel:
"Release your inner Monkey! So hair is sprouting in unspeakable places and you can no longer carry a tune, but if you're a surrealistic artiste with an addition to Freudian mythology and guilt-free sex, turning into a monkey has its upsides. Nick Motbot may be evolving as a novelist, but his friends aren't too sure about his DNA- at least not since Gargantuan Enterprises started experimenting with it. And once they figure out what's happening to him, they decide to set things right. Marvellous Hairy is a fabulist satire about a group of friends sticking it to the man the only way they know how, with equal parts grain alcohol and applied Chaos theory."
I think you can see that this is one seriously demented and out there plotline. Best thing about it is if you put aside a few things, this novel made me laugh, chuckle and smile. The narrative was a bit choppy, the story was a mix of many different types of novels, including sci-fi, action, thriller, mystery, and a medical story, but it all was mashed together in a way that was coherent and fun. It is what it is and that is a good character driven comedy piece with a bunch of other stuff mixed in. I don't have anything that comes to mind to compare it to, nor would I want to. Mark Rayner has created a very unique novel with a very special flavor and vibe to it. Pick this up and when you need a good laugh, give Marvellous Hairy a read and let the laughs and smiles come on out. Here is a link to the book & some more info from Mark:
There's a free podcast and an excerpt linked off the book page, if people want to give it a try: [...] Also, my current preoccupation is Canada Reads, check it out!!
Here is the Amazon book link:
[...]

What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati's Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati's Store Tab on our blog?Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. [...]

Excellent
Marvellous Hairy is well worth the time investment.Not a terribly long book I found it grabbed me more as I got to know the characters and their dilemmas.Humor drives the book and mostly comes from the interaction of the colorful characters as they try to make sense of the world they live in.Modern issues such as abuse of corporate power, and out of control technology suddenly get you thinking about what you would do if faced with similiar scenarios.I found the ethical questions posed very interesting and Rayner leaves the reader to decide what actions make the most sense.Personally I'm looking forward to the next novel from Mr. Rayner.

Get Your Monkey On!
Mark A. Rayner is an author with a fantastical sense of humor and a dangerous imagination. Part big corporation take-down, part scientific bizarro experimentation, this novel is perfect for fans of the strange and unlikely!

Full of mayhem, madness, and monkey-business, Marvellous Hairy takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride through the many layered friendships of Nick, a man who is willing to sell his body to science for a couple of bucks; Max, a doctor who takes recreational drug use to the next level; Hot Helena, who works as a VP for Gargantuan Enterprises and it's slightly insane head honcho Ted; and our narrator Rob, BFF to Nick, our monkey man in the making.

Mix in some unauthorized highly secretive genetic manipulation, a ghost haunting, two kidnappings, and a pair of unstable drug dealers, and you now have a recipe for disaster.

While reading the proof for the novel, which was signed and sent to me by the author upon my request for review, I found myself overlooking the editing issues (hence the reason I noted it was a proof copy) and thoroughly enjoying the storyline.

The back cover blurb leads the reader to believe the novels sole plot is to follow Nick Motbot through his transformation from man into monkey, however there really is soooo much more to it than that.

Rob worked as a temp on a super secret scientific project involving a weather satellite at Gargantuan Enterprises, when he discovers his best friend Nick has signed on with the same company for some experimental testing. Concerned for his friends well-being, and increasingly strange behavior, Rob enlists the help of the company's VP of Marketing, and his old college buddy Helena, to root around and dig up information on the classified test.

The group of friends stumble upon some pretty unethical and downright scary stuff, and decide to take matters into their hands - Kidnap the CEO, publicize what they know to bring the company crashing down around his knees, and hopefully save their banana-loving, bow-legged, devolving buddy at the same time.

How can you NOT want to read this??

I want to just take a moment to clarify something:

The novel is marketed as "Literary Fiction" under the subcategory "Fabulist Satire" (as found on the back of the book), and I think it's for good reason. Readers who like straight up, no nonsense fiction may find themselves confused and frustrated with the crazy capers and high-jinx that populate this novel. Those readers who love to indulge in a good old medical mystery novel might find themselves tsk-ing and tut-ing over the numerous other story lines that flow throughout the book.


That being said, Rayner's novel is romping good fun, and begs you to pay more attention to your inner monkey and lizard - the normal animalistic parts of the human psyche that we force into submission! Everyone... It's time to "Release the Monkeys"!!!

3.5 stars (Strongly recommended for readers familiar with genre)

enjoyable journey
Marvellous Hariy was an enjoyable journey. Mark A. Rayner has created a world that Tom Stoppard would love to roam in. If you enjoy Neil Gaiman, you will enjoy this five act book with all the laughs of Christopher Moore. Check it out! ... Read more

Product Description
In the preface to his book -Fractals Everywhere- Michael Barnsley writes: -Fractal geometry will make you see everything differently. There is danger in reading further. You risk the loss of your childhood vision of clouds, forests, galaxies, leaves, feathers, flowers, rocks, mountains, torrents of water, carpets, bricks and much else besides. Never again will your interpretation of things be quite the same.- Fractals are shapes in which an identical motif repeats itself on an ever diminishing scale. A coastline, for instance, is a fractal, with each bay or headland having its own smaller bays and headlands--as is a tree with a trunk that separates into two smaller side branches, which in their turn separate into side branches that are smaller still. No longer  mathematical curiosities, fractals now are an important  topic of mathematical study with some applications in computer science. Starting at a level suitable for well-prepared high school students,  and using graphs and diagrams, we intend to give an introduction to the concepts. Produce fractal images is also fun. At the end we show some computer generated fractal images constructed using the Ultrafractal program ... Read more

Product Description
Applications of Fractals and Chaos presents new developmentsin this rapidlydeveloping subject area. The presentation ismore than merely theoretical,it specifically presentsparticular applications in a wide range of applicationsareas. Under the oceans, we consider the ways in whichsponges and corals grow; we look, too, at the stability ofshipson their surfaces. Land itself is modelled andapplications to art, medicineand camouflage are presented.Readers should find general interest in the range of areasconsidered and should also be able to discover methods ofvalue for their own specific areas of interest fromstudying the structure of related activities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting survey of the field
This book covers some of the many areas in which the study of fractals and/or chaos have found useful homes.It is written with the assumption of some level of scientific understanding on the part of the reader, but can serve as an interesting survey for someone who does not yet have the necessary scientific background and language. ... Read more

Product Description

The book fills a gap in the steadily expanding field of applying fractals to the earth science system. In this book the concept of fractal-scaling is applied to a variety of geophysical problems, illustrating what scaling laws really tell us and how they can used to solve various geophysical problems. Keeping in mind the broad range of readers interested in understanding earth’s nonlinear dynamics, the authors address diverse recent advances related to fractals and scaling. These include broad applications of fractal theory in potential field methods, electrical and electromagnetic methods, geothermics and seismology, written by a panel of internationally known earth scientists from around the globe.

Product Description
Fractal geometry, together with the broader fields of nonlinear dynamics and complexity, represented a large segment of modern science at the end of the 20th century. Penetration of the resulting new paradigms into practically all academic disciplines has confirmed the fundamental assertion of universal formalism common to a wide range of human endeavors.

This book contains an extended article by B B Mandelbrot, reviewing his contribution to fractal geometry and outlining some unsolved problems, with illustrations especially of finance and physics. It covers a range of multidisciplinary topics — from the biology of aging, through the self-similar shape of plants, image decompression and solar magnetic fields, to sound reflection in the street. The book is a treasure trove for innovative researchers working in fields related to fractal geometry. ... Read more

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'Interesting, informative, and clearly written. It is well andamply illustrated...The computer discs provide entertainingillustrationsand exercises...a good, solid presentation of a useful,interesting,ubiquitous subject.' --Mathematical ReviewsThe authorintegrates discussions of fractal geometry, surfacemodelingtechniques, and applications to real world problems toprovide acomprehensive, accessible overview of the field. His workwill equipresearchers with the basic tools for measurement andinterpretationof data, stimulating more work on these problems and,perhaps,leading to an understanding of the reasons that Nature hasadoptedthis geometry to shape much of our world. ... Read more

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Happy with vendor and product
The book was in very good condition, as stated by the vendor. It arrived promptly, and the vendor was also very helpful in seeking the companion diskette that comes with the book. This vendor earned my trust. ... Read more