A comprehensive course in modern AI topics. While the book is dense with information, the authors provide clear explanations that will be easily picke...moreA comprehensive course in modern AI topics. While the book is dense with information, the authors provide clear explanations that will be easily picked up by the careful reader. An excellent companion to an undergraduate course in artificial intelligence.(less)
Overall I enjoyed the book, though sometimes I felt that I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story, and therefore it took quite a bit of patie...moreOverall I enjoyed the book, though sometimes I felt that I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story, and therefore it took quite a bit of patience to get through the first third or so of the book. Once I finally got into it, however, the characters became alive and I was glad to continue reading.(less)
This series is a real page turner, could not put them down! I usually don't go for books like this (more of a future sci-fi reader), but I really enjo...moreThis series is a real page turner, could not put them down! I usually don't go for books like this (more of a future sci-fi reader), but I really enjoyed reading the entire Children of the Earth series. Jean Auel has a fun, accessible, and most of all enjoyable style of writing that turns this idea into a story, an adventure, and a little piece of ourselves.(less)
In On Intelligence, Jeff Hawkins presents a clear picture for a new model of intelligence based on patterns and experience. Jeff complains that the fi...moreIn On Intelligence, Jeff Hawkins presents a clear picture for a new model of intelligence based on patterns and experience. Jeff complains that the field of neuroscience is overflowing with experimental data, but lacks an encompassing theory of intelligence to make sense of it all. Not being a neuroscientist, I cannot speak to the quality of the material presented from a scientific point of view, however I can say that the book is well written with many examples that opens Jeff's ideas up to a large audience including those with no background in science what-so-ever. It's a thought provoking tour of the basics of a compelling theory of how the brain does what it does.(less)
This is an excellent book on programming language concepts, with clear language and explanations. It's chapters interleave between programming languag...moreThis is an excellent book on programming language concepts, with clear language and explanations. It's chapters interleave between programming language topics and an introduction to three major languages: ML, Java, and Prolog, through which the author teaches the fundamentals of three major programming paradigms (functional, object-oriented, and logic programming). It might seem that the amount of material in this book would make it difficult to consume, but the writing style is so clear that one can easily consume the entire book, with a substantial amount of learning, during a single 10 week college course. Motivated readers could do it in much less. This speaks to the clarity of the book, and the authors ability to cut to the chase, rather than to any lack in the material presented. There were a few discussions towards the end which could have used better setup, but overall the book deserves 5 stars.(less)
This book is packed with great information, and gets right down to business from the start. Each chapter is centered around a short essay, with a list...moreThis book is packed with great information, and gets right down to business from the start. Each chapter is centered around a short essay, with a list of vocabulary, Kanji, and grammar items (actually more like expressions, the book assumes you've learned most or all the basic grammar) to accompany the piece. The format is terse, giving the student a large amount of room with which to mold the book to their own method of study. While it's definitely suited for study as part of a Japanese language course, highly motivated independent readers will no doubt find it an excellent resource for independent study too. The book can be a bit unforgiving for readers with only a moderate proficiency, however, so most readers will should have at least some mastery of the Genki II or Yookoso: Continuing with Contemporary Japanese level material, and indeed language studies in general, before attempting this course.(less)
A wonderful textbook for Japanese instruction. The examples are very clear and the book is organized in such a way as to make the content fairly easy...moreA wonderful textbook for Japanese instruction. The examples are very clear and the book is organized in such a way as to make the content fairly easy to digest. Overall I believe the book could use a few more examples to illustrate the nuances of a particular grammar item, which is the one way in which I feel Yookoso (An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese and Continuing with Contemporary Japanese) is sometimes better. Other than that, however, Genki is a delight to read and study.(less)
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