LEGO Alpha Team
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM (09 November, 2000)
list price: $29.99
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Editorial Review

Alpha Team throws puzzle after puzzle at players, and challengesthem to guide a LEGO team through levels, rescue other LEGO team members, andopen the level gate. The puzzles take quite a bit of thinking, and require theuse of numerous devices, such as explosives and lasers.

Unfortunately, the graphics are quite small, and not very colorful--which isn'ta deal breaker, but does remove some of this title's shine. Also, after playersdesign a team member's path through a level, they're made to watch and see iftheir plan worked without interference.

Needless to say, this isn't the most intense game around, but it's a gooddiversion for puzzle lovers. --Robb Guido

Pros:

• Solid number of LEGO devices and specially skilled team members
• Well-designed puzzles

Cons:

• Small graphics, and excessive amount of auto-controlled action

... Read more

Reviews (6)

My son literally said this game is (...)
After we read the directions ect., my son, who is 8, went to his room to play this new game.In a matter of a few minutes he came to me to say that this was (...).I was offended by his review, but after he left for school, I tried it myself and have to agree.He enjoys Super Mario and Mario Tennis.

unberible!!!
terrible!! nintendo put zip efort into this game. do yourself a favor skip it!!!

unberible!!!
terrible!! nintendo put zip efort into this game. do yourself a favor skip it!!! ... Read more

Asin: B00004YOTI
Subjects:  1. Video Games    2. Nintendo Game Boy (Gameboy)    3. Action    4. Fantasy   

Three Ep's
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 January, 1999)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

Citing influences ranging from the decidedly serious Martin Sheen to the asinine Chevy Chase to funkmaster Bootsy Collins, the Beta Band is a delight. This aptly titled compilation of three separately released EPs is sure to leave music fans scratching their collective head while trying to define this Scottish band's intricate aural hodgepodge. The Beta Band makes a very distinct and exciting impression. There's the unusual coupling of acoustic guitar, horn, sampled beats, and a catchy refrain on "Dry the Rain"; the hypnotic instrumental "B+A"; and "She's the One," which opens with a chaotic, hippyish drum circle that segues first to an anthemic chorus and then to a highly processed breakdown complete with a Jew's harp. The Three EPs will dominate the CD player, becoming somewhat of an obsession, with each listen revealing some brilliant little nuance, quirk, or lyric. --Kerry Murphy ... Read more

Reviews (77)

enjoyable
I have no idea how I heard of the Beta Band or exactly why I purchased this CD in 2003, but I did and I'm glad.It is enjoyable.I like different - this is different.If you're one of those people who listens to Marilyn Manson one minute and old country the next, and a variety of things in between, then this will have a place in there somewhere, too.

I love you Beta Band
So the Beta Band broke up.This brings me deep sorrow, I tried to just brush it off, "hey, at least they left some great music for me to listen to, right?"Yes.That's correct.But still....I don't know how to explain it, but I thought it would make me feel better to write down how amazing they were in my eyes for a bunch of people I will never meet to read and not care.Or not even care enough to read.
So, High Fidelity.Best movie ever.Bar none.Top 5 Movies: 1) High Fidelity. 2) High Fidelity. 3) High Fidelity. 4) High Fidelity. 5) High Fidelity.That's the list.I said to myself, "that song by that one band was really sweet, yo"(I sometimes refer to myself as yo.)And then I downloaded it, Dry the Rain, I fell in love, downloaded Needles in my Eyes, I fell in love.I was not satisfied with my love triangle, so I purchased the Three EP's hoping for more greatness.I got it.I love it.Top 5 albums: just kidding.But it's definitely on there.Each song makes me feel different but at the same time they all make me feel happy.
-Dry the Rain - happy and all tingly inside.Kicks off the album perfectly.One of the best songs ever written.
-I Know - happy and nice and mellow.Super cool and seemingly effortless.It just flows through me.
-B+A - happy and groovin'.I said groovin'.Instrumental that builds and pleases.
-Dogs Got a Bone - happy and kinda sad.Excellent all the way through.The doo doos at the end are so wonderful I could just eat 'em up.
-Inner Meet Me - happy and spacey.Just a fun, sing-a-long track
-The House Song - happy and weird.Just a plain cool song.The rap makes me crack up each time I hear it.
-Monolith - ok, i lied.This song kinda sucks.Maybe I just don't get it, but it bores me so.15 minutes is too long, especially if nothing happens.Sorry.
-She's the One - happy and ... happy.I love the lyrics.Repitition just makes them better.Brilliant epic song.
-Push It Out - happy and sleepy.People who don't like this album usually cite this song.Those people suck.This song is pretty boring at first but it gets good, just put it on and drift away.
-It's Over - happy and in love.The whole thing makes me melt.The imagery.I am in love with this song and we will be wed one day.
-Dr. Baker - happy and nostalgic.Reminds me of A Day in the Life by ... what was their name again?Oh, the Beatles.Yes.This song is worthy of comparison.
-Needles in my Eyes - happy and relieved.The real reason I bought the album.The chorus is so good, I could die and be satisfied.Excellent closer.
Well, that made me feel better.If my review helps you on your way to buying the album, you will not regret it.If you do, then I give you my condolences.You sadden me.And then I listen to It's Over, which suddenly has new meaning, and i melt.I only wish I could have seen them live.Toodles.

Brilliantly twisted
Having listened to a great variety of music in the past few years, I think I can safely say that "The 3 EP's" is one of the most endlessly fascinating new finds I've stumbled upon lately.This collection of three separately released EP's (hence the title, heh) showcases a band that revels in eclecticism, adventurousness, and flat-out strangeness.Mutating frequently and unpredictably, these songs are generally built around the traditional rock-band lineup, but the Beta Band go well beyond facile classifications by embracing decidedly irregular song structures and incorporating found sounds ranging from piano to accordions to samples to God knows what else.All throughout, the band's obsession with detail is matched by a strong ear for melody.The opener "Dry The Rain" could actually make a decent single and perfectly exemplifies what this band is about, moving from twangy acoustic folk tune to upbeat horn-fueled anthem about halfway through."I Know" is a hypnotic, repetition-oriented instrumental featuring some mangled beats and snatches of guitar noise.Starting out as a droning piece of acidy pop, "B + A" suddenly shifts into overdrive and morphs into a monstrous rave-up complete with hand claps, crashing percussion, and even an "aaaah, aaaah" chant.Things get even more interesting with "Dog's Got a Bone," a gentle, non-rocking mood piece driven along by little more than quiet acoustic strumming, accordions, and sweet vocal harmonies."Inner Meet Me" actually manages to be catchy in its own unique way, with entrancing near-rapped vocals placed over a head-bobbing rhythm."Monolith" is a fifteen-plus minute epic of almost comical weirdness, seguing from one ambient passage to another with no apparent pattern.A clinic on how to do a lot with a little, "Push It Out" begins as an eerily minimal piece before becoming steadily more expansive as it adds a series of new sounds throughout its running time.In yet another odd move, "She's The One" could almost qualify as a ballad, aside from the fact that it's more than eight minutes long and its soft sound eventually gives way to quasi-psychedelic jamming and some Alvin and the Chipmunks-style chanting.The last three songs, "It's Over," "Dr. Baker," and "Needles In My Eyes," find the band moving in a somewhat more accessible direction, but there's still plenty of gonzo experimentation and and startlingly original craftsmanship to be found.As cohesive as it is diverse, and as fun as it is wacky, "The 3 EP's" is a modern-day classic not to be missed by those seeking something out of the ordinary. ... Read more

Asin: B00000HYSJ
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

The Best of Gamma
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 June, 1992)
list price: $13.98
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Reviews (22)

Not bad...
...its just TOO bad that Ronnie Montrose was a bit more experimental and a mighty risk-taker. Granted, this band had some commercial success to a degree, and Gamma's music is WELL worth hearing if you are into guitar rock, but had the band been a bit less experimental, Gamma might have become something HUGE. This CD has the best of the best by the band, and should please both Rock fans and fans of Montrose' experimental sides. Davie Pattison does a GREAT job on vocals here, and the band is tight and songs are well crafted, although a bit "thick" at times.Sadly, Montrose went though some hard times financially due to his pursuit to experiment, and Pattison has since been seen playing pubs that my band gigs at.

Check it out

Gamma - Best of Gamma
Great band, great music.I give it a 4 out of 5 only because it doesn't have "Solar Heat"/"Ready for Action" on this compilation.Not sure who made the brain-dead decision to not put this killer one-two punch off of their first album.Sort of like making a Van Halen best of and omitting "Eruption"/"You Really Got Me".Montrose rocks and this CD will allow you to rock as well.Get out the air guitar and wail.But make sure and buy their first album which has now been re-released on CD.

Excellent cd missing a couple of songs , however
This is an excellent collection of Gamma material. The only thing I can fault withit is that Mayday, Skin and Bone, Ready for Action, and Moving Violation should have been put on here. Having said that, however there aren't any weak tracks on the cd. My Favorites here are Mean Streak, Condition Yellow, Stanger, Figth to the finish, Thunder and Ligthening, and I wish I was. All in all a great package but since the first three cd's have been released you might want to consider picking up all three to get the tracks that aren't on this cd because they are worth the extra money, but if your just trying out Gamma for the first time you won't be disappointed with this cd. ... Read more

Asin: B000001OY3
Sales Rank: 14403
Subjects:  1. Arena Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock   

The Delta Force
Director: Menahem Golan
Average Customer Review:
DVD (30 July, 2002)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $13.46
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Editorial Review

This typical but well-made action movie, which spawned numerous sequels, means to combine the best elements of the disaster movie with the hard-boiled attributes of traditional action-adventures. When a plane is hijacked to the Middle East by Palestinian terrorists, the Pentagon calls into action the Delta Force, an elite squad of highly trained commandos led by tough guy mainstay Lee Marvin and karate-action-star Chuck Norris. Their mission is simple: to thwart the terrorists and rescue the hostages, and the plot concentrates largely on just that, as the team uses its experience and fighting skills to get the job done. Its sometimes preachy patriotic bent occasionally gets in the way of the action, and Norris is a one-dimensional figure who at times takes himself too seriously, but his rapport with easygoing veteran Marvin moves the film over some implausible rough spots. While not a groundbreaking contribution to the genre, Delta Force impresses with its straightforward tough-guy style. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned

Reviews (67)

STANDARD FORMULA BUT EXCITING ACTION FILM
Delta Force came out in 1986, not long after the Bombing of the marine barracks in Lebanon and the release of the hostages in Iran.These two events fuel the Delta Force about a passenger aircraft on its way to New York that is hi-jacked by Arab terrorists and diverted to Beirut.The cast looks like one of those big-budget, 1970's era disater films with Joey Bishop, Shelly Winters, Martin Balsam, Lanie Kazan, and George Kennedy all playing passengers on the flight.The terrorists are led by Robert Forster as Abdul.

With the hi-jacking, the Army puts the Delta Force to work to plan a rescue operation.Overseeing the command is Lee Marvin as Col. Alexander playing the grizzled veteran office not so different than the part he played in The Dirty Dozen.Chuck Norris Major Scott McCoy who is the leader of the team, called back into active action for the mission.The planned rescue mission is aborted when they soon learn that more terrorists boarded the plane when it stopped to re-fuel in Algeria.The terrorists are demanding Isreal release dozens of terrorists from prison or they will kill the hostages.They demonstrate their intentions by viciously beating and killing a young American naval diver as well as holding all the Jewish passengers separate from the rest.The women are eventually released but the men are taken to a prison once they land in Beirut and it's up to the Delta Force to rescue the hostages.

The stereotypes run hot and heavy in Delta Force on both the Arab and Jewish side.And not only that, but there's a German flight attendant who just CAN'T be the one to pick out the Jewish passengers due to her (evidently) instinctive guilt over the concentration camps and holocaust of WWII, and she courageously tries to help the American divers by telling them to hide their Naval ID cards.There's a lot of posturing speeches by both the terrorists and the hostages including George Kennedy who plays a Catholic priest and insists on being put with the Jewish men since Jesus was "King of the Jews".it's all pretty hokey but also great fun.Politcally correct?Maybe not but who gives a damn!It's really not unlike many WWII era war movies.The Delta Force is black and white and you know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are.Politics is not even worth mentioning.

Chuck Norris will never be considered a great actor but he also never tried to do too much.He played the strong, fairly silent type of hero perfectly, and with a strong sense of patriotism.The action scenes were very well done and you couldn't help but cheer when the hostages were rescued and the bad guys got theirs in the end.Cannon films churned out the action flicks in the 1980's and this was one of the best.

Deltoids Farce
This 1986 movie by action film producers Golan-Globus is a fictionalization (exploitation?) of an extremely brutal Middle Eastern hijacking of the period.

Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin of the Clenched Jaw School of Acting play the Delta Force commanders whose special team is dispatched to rescue the hostages. The flag-waving and jingo rhetoric rheostat is turned up to full in this picture which is unabashedly pro-American, pro-Israel, and pro-testosterone.

The acting is comic-book style and over the top, despite the fine, experienced cast. Joey Bishop, Lainie Kazan, Martin Balsam, Shelley Winters, and Susan Strasberg play the primary passenger roles (all Jewish), while German actress Hanna Schygulla does a turn as the Chief Flight Attendant who is forced to work with the terrorists who represent the "New World Revolutionary Organization." George Kennedy plays a Roman Catholic Priest with a social conscience who identifies himself with the Jews on board, "Just like Jesus Christ." Bo Svenson plays the Delta Commando whose bachelor party is cut short just in time for him to go off and be killed in action. Such are the plot dynamics of THE DELTA FORCE.

This film subsists completely on stock characters. Certain earlier reviewers decry the fact that the portrayals might give viewers the politically incorrect idea that all Arabs are horrible. I disagree. I think this film's point is that all TERRORISTS are horrible (the Algerians and some of the Lebanese are portrayed neutrally). This is an action-adventure movie, not Sociology 101.

Even granting the PC point, this film portrays it's American Jews as Lower-East Side, Holocaust-obsessed yentas. At least the Cannon Group gave them equal time.

The terrorists are all just as stereotypical: heartless brutes when in control and screaming, "We want to negotiate!" as they are being killed off. They threaten endlessly that their "friends in America" will strike a blow "one day...one day." Perhaps this movie is more realistic than it is given credit for, after all.

It's a fun movie, and the action scenes, once begun, never stop coming. Never meant to be taken seriously, THE DELTA FORCE is an action-adventure epic, not THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. So relax.

A big commercial success, THE DELTA FORCE spawned a whole line of sequels, but this one is the non plus ultra of its genre.

Enjoy it!

Good in it's day, inappropriot now
"Delta Force" stars Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as senior officers of the Army's special forces group.They are called into action when an American commercial airliner is hi-jacked by Middle Eastern terrorists."Delta Force" has spawned many sequals over the years, but this is by far the best.That is not, however, saying a lot.After recent events in America, this movie looks extreamly racist by depicting all Arabs as complicient in terrorism.I know that it was a completly different time when it was made, but you still can't ever forget current events.Taken as an action movie, it isn't bad, a lot of testosterone being splashed around, but that was a big thing in the 80s.The action scenes were very good, the best part of the movie.It looks like to me it was cast with two different movies in mind.The two tough guy leads (who work very well with and off each other) are Chuck Norris (who is actually at his best 'Norrisian' acting, just a notch above, say, David Hassolhoff, though not as bad as he would become on "Walker, Texas Ranger"), Lee Marvin (basiclly re doing his role from "The Dirty Dozen", but otherwise pretty spry for 80.Won't the Army let him retire?), and Bo Svenson (Svenson, well, you know what you're getting, at least he dosn't have that huge baseball bat this time) who are, for better or worse, action stars.And then you have the almost laughablecast of Goerge Kennedy (actually not too bad this time around, reminding me he was really good in "Cool Hand Luke") and Shelly Winters (guess they ignored the plane's weight limit) who are most known for their disaster movies.I wasn't sure if the Army was going to rescue them, or if a granade was going to go off while the plane was in flight.Anyway, this movie really suffers from post 9/11 American attitudes towards Middle Easterns right now, I think too many people are going to think that the cardboard villians are acurate portreyments of Arabs. ... Read more

Asin: 0792846850
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

Operation Epsilon: The Farm Hall Transcripts
by Charles, Sir Frank
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 November, 1993)
list price: $30.00
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Reviews (1)

Get the facts here!
For many years since the end of the WW2 there had been a rather controversial debate among the physicists and science researchers about the reasons why Germany did not or could not develope a nuclear bomb during the war. This was despite the fact that the Germans had a six-month head-start on uranium fission research, discovered in Otto Hahn's lab in 1938. This book (published in 1993) discloses the long classified transcripts of the conversations taken place among some ten leading German nuclear scientists (among them the brilliant Werner Heisenberg) who were detained after the war and held at the Farm Hall, England, while their conversations were overheard, transcribed, and translated without their own knowledge. This document is of great value to the readers and researchers who are enthusiastic about finding out the decisive scientific, political, andhistorical facts from the 20th century. ... Read more

Isbn: 0520084993
Sales Rank: 1000360
Subjects:  1. Germany    2. Godmanchester (England)    3. History    4. History: World    5. Intellectual life    6. Interviews    7. Physics    8. Science    9. Scientists   

Entrapment
Director: Jon Amiel
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (04 September, 2001)
list price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

Sean Connery plays a master thief thought to be long retired, while Catherine Zeta-Jones is his foil, a hotshot insurance investigator assigned to his case. They both have a little something to hold over each other's heads, until it turns out that Zeta-Jones is a professional art thief herself and is playing on both sides of the fence. At first they eye each other with mutual distrust until they team up for a job, which goes off without a hitch. Inevitably their prickly relationship begins to thaw somewhat, and the two become attracted to each other as they plan out the massive Y2K bank scam that is the movie's climax (complete with sequel-ready ending). Entrapment plays somewhat like a '70s caper movie revamped for the gadget-happy high-tech '90s. The plot takes a few too many labored twists and turns, and the chemistry between the two leads is nearly nonexistent, though both carry on gamely in their parts. On the other hand, there is some genuine suspense in many scenes as they go about their business, dripping with whiz-bang burglary devices. Zeta-Jones, of course, is drop-dead gorgeous, and Connery is as reliable as always in his role. The fairly flat editing and direction tends to drag the film down somewhat, but fans of caper movies, high-tech thrillers, and the two leads should find plenty to like in this film. --Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• NTSC

Reviews (171)

Doble trampa
Digamos que es un filme con suspenso fugaz, de traiciones y apariencias engañosas, lleno de chantajes y un romance poco seductor. Entrapment parece ser el título indicado para este largometraje, no sólo por la historia que promete entregar, sino porque el espectador sentirá que es víctima de una vil estratagema armada por sus productores.

Lamentablemente, no hay nada en esta cinta que tenga sentido: no lo tiene su historia, mucho menos los personajes. Sean Connery es Mac, un veterano ladrón internacional que al parecer, nunca ha sido arrestado. Catherine Zeta-Jones es Virginia "Gin" Baker, la investigadora de una compañía de seguros que quiere atraparlo y que incluso se le uniría para lograrlo.

De robo en robo, ambos se vigilarán, intrigados, sospechando cuándo será el momento de la traición. La víspera del fin de año, con la falla del milenio amenazando a los sistemas informáticos del mundo, será el escenario perfecto para dar el golpe final.

No hay ninguna razón para que Mac y Gin tengan que robar. No hay naciones en peligro al borde de una guerra, ningún ideal al estilo Robin Hood. La omisión de un motivo de peso es una falla inmensa del guión. ¿Cómo es posible, en una cinta donde los protagonistas son ladrones, que los mismos no tengan un motivo plausible para llevar a cabo sus fechorías? Tanta puerilidad hace lucir a Gin inestable mentalmente, y a Mac como un ser patético.

El reparto de apoyo, al igual que los protagonistas, está lleno de personajes poco desarrollados. Hay poca espontaneidad. Incluso el momento cumbre del robo en las Torres Petronas parece prefabricado. No hay sorpresas, todo es tristemente predecible.

El director Jon Amiel, cuyos trabajos previos incluyen Copycat y Sommersby, aunque le da al filme un estilo y sofisticación aceptables -ayudado por la presencia de Connery y Zeta-Jones-, no se preocupa lo suficiente en desarrollar la química entre sus protagonistas. Tan a la deriva son dejados Mac y Gin dentro de esta emboscada, que para el final de la película, no nos interesa saber cual será su destino. Lo único importante será huir de la sala de cine rápidamente, antes que se duerman todas nuestras neuronas. (1999).

One of the best !!!
I love this one. I watched it when I was eight. I still love it no matter what. One of the best flicks ever !

Never trust a naked woman
Cos lets face it, we all get what we want when we're naked! ;)

I don't really understand why there's some questionable reviews about this DVD, but everyone has their own opinion I guess. I found it to be quite a fast paced movie, although I'm not keen on Sean Connery (Mac). I don't like the spelling of the name :) and the only reason they had to bring in Catherine Zeta Jones (Gin) is because he's getting on a bit now! I'm always going to be a bit iffy about Catherine, as her accent is so WEIRD now, and she reverts back to her Welsh accent, particularly when she wants people to believe she's still the same little Welsh girl that starred in Darling Buds Of May. I don't think so! She keeps saying "combuder" instead of "computer". Watching her struggle with the name Kuala Lumpur in half-Welsh-half-American is genuinely funny.

Both actors do a great job of portraying their characters. Sean Connery does a brilliant eye roll a lot of the time, and is probably the only actor who can get away with saying "If I'm late, I'm dead".

The film is shot in Kuala Lumpur, what looks like Scotland, and London, I think. The Scotland scenery looks lovely, very peaceful and remote. The building used for exterior shots of Mac's safe house (Castle Duart on the Isle of Mull) is the ancestral home of the Chief of the Clan MacLean.

I love the whole stealing of precious items, it's so weird how much thought & work actually goes into it during the film. And you're always holding your breath, waiting for them to hit a laser, or for a security guard to spot them.

The finale to this, I will NEVER understand, no matter how many times I watch it! It's very subtle, highly original, and you're left guessing until the very last frame, and trying to search the screen! In this, there are double-crosses, triple-crosses and quadruple-crosses, enough to leave you spinning. Is he double-crossing her? Is she double-crossing him? Is Ving Rhames in this for anything other than hard cash, and lots of it? Considering he doesn't have much of a role, and he's not really who you think he is!

There's been a lot of comparisons to a movie called The Thomas Crown Affair. Sorry, but I haven't seen this, so I'm not likely to compare.

There's a lot of sexual chemistry between Catherine & Sean, although you'll be glad to hear, they never really get it on, and it's almost a paternal attraction on Sean's side.

Forget the negative reviews for this movie. You're not supposed to take this film at all seriously, you're supposed to be watching the pretty lady get herself into all kinds of positions (Michael Douglas must love that!) with some laser beams. ... Read more

Asin: 6305622825
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

ETA: A Future Tale
by Gillian DeArmond
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (30 June, 1998)
list price: $11.95 -- our price: $11.95
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Reviews (6)

An insightful and thought provoking book
ETA: A Future Tale is an adventure story with many twists and turns.Important spiritual messages are interwoven throughout the story.It explains the truth about extraterrestrial interaction with humans in a practical way, the future world awaiting mankind, solutions to pending earth changes and more. It would make an excellent movie. It is spiritually inspiring as well as informative. Anyone interested in what the future holds would love this book!

A highly recommended book of the future!
I would recommend this book to anyone who is ready to make a transformation on all levels.During my reading of ETA I felt a cellular change take place, an awakening of some kind.It was phenomenal!Only oneother time did this happen, when I read The Celestine Prophecy.

A story of the current evolution of spiritual humanity.
The spiritual evolution of humanity and the involvement of spiritual consciousness - not often are the workings of those who guide our spiritual evolution presented so simply and in such an easy to understand andsuccinctly put way. This is one of those delightful stories. In many waysit is a metaphor for a vast spiritual reality - the story of the greatevolution of spiritual humanity, as it is happening now. In reading thisstory, the task for the reader will be to look beyond the apparent detailsto the underlying concepts. Couched within the details and dialogue of thestory are numerous interrelated themes that revolve around how those ofhumanity who want it are being offered the opportunity to move towards thenext stage of evolution. Through this story, the seeds of these simple yetdeeply significant truths are being brought to fruition. ... Read more

Isbn: 0964010453
Sales Rank: 1487686
Subjects:  1. General    2. New Age / Parapsychology    3. Spiritual   

Theta Meditation System [2 Disc]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 May, 1999)
list price: $19.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Features

• Box set

Reviews (19)

Now Whole Family Uses It
I've been practicing yoga for about 5 years.I was just browsing at a bookstore looking for music to help me relax while doing yoga.I took a risk and bought the Meditative CD.I really enjoyed just listening to it.But on night I feel asleep with it on.I had the most restful sleep!My teenage daughter heard it an now plays it every night and morning.My son, who is on the autistic spectrum heard it playing in my daughter's room so I had to go buy another CD.From a layperson's point of view-there is something to these CD's that somehow enhance restfulness, creactivity, and health.My whole family has benefitted from listening to the tapes.My 8 year old nephew loves the Creative Mind System tape, too.If you're someone who is stressed I would recommend trying the CD's.Best wishes and health to all.

I LOVE THIS CD SET
I have been purchasing various meditation CD's for the past year or so, and I must say that this is one of the best CD sets I've gotten!

Although I've only been able to listen to them a few times so far, they've definately put me in a state of relaxation - In fact, I have fallen asleep each time I've listened to them (no small feat for me!) - Now I have to learn to stay awake while listening so that I can truely meditate with them.

I was pleasantly surprised by the sound of the music - I was a bit worried that it would be just some sort of buzzing or gongs - but it's truely beautiful music.

I encourage anyone interested in either meditating, or in finding a way to fall asleep without medication, to purchase these CD's - they are well worth the $!

Letyour mind wander ..
There is a scientific principle called entrainment. If two items are vibrating side by side at different speeds then the item that vibrates at the lower speed will adjust to vibrate at the same frequency as the other object.

Examples of this are swings in a playground that are swinging out of sync and adjust. Also, in a clock store you may notice the pendulum clocks of the same size swinging back and forth in unison.

Research has been done into the brainwaves of people in relaxed meditative states, such as yogis, swamis and creative people.Dr T has incorporated these brainwave patterns into his music to entrain your mind to reach the Theta state.

So, if you were to be subjected to these Theta waves which are embedded in the relaxing sounds, your mind will gradually reattune itself, so you can reach a similar state.This change is not permanent.Yet , the more you listen to it the more you will learn to attain these states yourself, effortlessly, and access a deeper part of self.

Dr Jeffrey Thompson has done extensive research into stress and the power of relaxing music and entrainment and has used that research to create pulses, chord patterns, sounds from nature such as sea, rainfall, bird songs, whales and dolphins. Sometimes these sounds are electronically changed to accelerate the mental response to get to the Theta state.

Theta is a state of mind associated with creativity, relaxation, and problem solving, and sleep.Have you ever been thinking about a problem and then you wake up in the middle of the night, with the solution, an aha moment.Well, you were probably in a Theta state.As you listen you may notice relaxing peaceful imagery flowing through your mind.

If you have never used this type of music before, don't you think you should give it a go. This program enables emotional clearing, problem solving, creative visualization, intuition and stress reduction, and insight. The accompanying booklet contains guided meditation and instruction to enhance the process.

If you are interested in this CD for emotional clearing, I highly recommend you look into EFT (emotional freedom technique) which is a simple and easy acupressure technique which can be done in about two minutes. Imagine easily letting go of phobias, stress, depression, trauma, forgiveness etc.You can download a free manual at emofree.com or buy various books on the subject at Amazon.

I highly recommend another of Dr T's products Awakened Mind system, which I find very good for creativity. You will be so glad to have that product.

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Asin: B00000IXS0
Sales Rank: 5119
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Meditation    3. New Age / Meditation    4. Pop   

Hip Bone Connection
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 August, 1999)
list price: $17.49 -- our price: $17.49
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Features

• Import

Reviews (2)

An exceptional sound, one of a kind.
Lead singer iOTA, is truly blessed, armed with a falsetto vocal, unique lyrics, and tunes to suit any mood, this album is a winner. From the beginnings of "Triblespoon" the first track you hear, instantly the listener is hooked in with feet tapping sounds coming out from the speakers. You can't help but to get up , dance and sing-a-long to this track. "Schitzo" and "friends" are a couple more vibrant songs to lift any grey cloud.
While songs like "bitter wine" , "cool", "don't come back" are laced with melancholy stories about relationships that are sung so delicately you can feel pure emotion. You become swept away.
This is a truly beautiful album, honest, down to earth, creative, full of energy. If you're looking for something different, with amazing talent and quality, then you must check this out, take the risk and get your hands on this album, you wont regret it.

Bravo Iota.
This albumn is a musical masterpiece. The overall balance that is achieved on this albumn is spectacular. I first heard iota after downloading one ofthe songs from Napster - and instantaneously had to purchase the entirealbumn. This magnum opus of an album is a credit to the band and clearlydemonstrates the immense talent and potential that Iota have. Song 1 -Triplespoon, with its mix of powerful vocals and sensual strings sets astrong tone for the remaining 10 songs that follow. A must for anyone whoclaims to enjoy music! Bravo Iota - Encore! ... Read more

Asin: B00003WG14
Sales Rank: 435455
Subjects:  1. Pop   

Kappa
by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, G. H. Healey, Geoffrey Bownas
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 November, 2000)
list price: $10.95 -- our price: $10.95
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Reviews (5)

Memorable satire
"Kappa" is a wonderful lampoon of Japanese society written by the gifted but troubled Akutagawa Ryunosuke.Even though nearly 80 years have passed since Kappa was written, the people and subjects that Akutagawa impales with his pen (religion, capitalism, literature, abortion, heredity, etc.) are no less pressing today, making Kappa nearly as easy to analyze and enjoy now as when it was written.

Akutagawa's writing style is a joy as always, and the plot is familiar to readers of Robinson Crusoe or Alice in Wonderland (Akutagawa finished translating Alice in Wonderland the same year he wrote Kappa).Adapting the tale to Japan, Akutagawa chooses to use an outsider to Kappaland in a role as a "specially protected person," much like foreigners were treated (and to a degree still are treated) in Japan.The reader is left with the question of whether Patient 23 is sane or not, and more importantly, has the world we live in gone mad?Despite the years that have passed since it was written, Kappa continues to be a fun and pertinent read.Reading Kappa, I am reminded of the great shame it is that the world lost as brilliant a writer as Akutagawa at such a young age.

The distorted mirror of Kappaland
"Kappa" is told from the point of view of Patient 23, an asylum inmate who tells of his incredible journey into the heart of Kappaland, peopled by the Kappa, the magical creatures of Japanese folklore.

In the tradition of "Gulliver's Travels," inside Kappaland, Akutagawa, author of "Rashomon" and "In the Grove," has created a twisted reflection of both his contemporary Japanese society and his own self-loathing.It has been a difficult tale to interpret in Japan, being hailed as either a children's story, a social satire or simply weird.Akutagawa himself feared insanity due to his mother's mental deterioration during his youth, and his own justified fear of the taint of madness in his blood.

Akutagawa's mental state when writing "Kappa" is important background, and the paperback edition comes with an extensive mini-biography of the famous author that is almost the size of the story itself.Akutagawa never wrote novels, and it is strange to see a single story packaged in one book.The introduction/biography is well written as well, and helps to reveal the story.

The writing in "Kappa" is sharp and quick-witted.The satire is equal parts clever and odd.Religion, marriage, arts and entertainment, all are in part skewered and skewed.The book is an incredibly fast read, and one that you will want to pass to your friends to read as well, so that you can see what someone else makes of it.

a book with a difference
"Kappa" is one of the best books of Akutagawa - one of the least appreciated authors of pre-war Japan. Kappa can be compared to only one book that I remember of and that is Karel Capek's award winning "War with the Newts". Kappa was ages ahead of its time especially considering the society in which Akutagawa was living in.
This is a story about interactions of a human being, whose sanity is in question, and the Kappas, some mythical creatures. This is a satire in the essence that Akutagawa draws critical picture of Japanese intellectual society and their egos and vanity. The Kappa society is an equitable representation of the human society with the same set of problems but different set of solutions. This is one of those books which is a must for a good collection. ... Read more

Isbn: 080483251X
Sales Rank: 601781
Subjects:  1. Asian - General    2. Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - General    5. Literary   

The Lambda Calculus (Studies in Logic & the Foundations of Mathematics)
by H.P. Barendregt
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 October, 1984)
list price: $100.00 -- our price: $100.00
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Reviews (4)

great book, but not available here
I have this book checked out from a university library, and it is quite wonderful.Despite the fact that Amazon continues to list it for sale, it is not currently available.

Self-contained Encyclopedia! All you need is your patience!
This encyclopedic monograph is now a classic of this field,
lambda-calculus, which is the theoretical basis of practical
functional programming languages such as Standard ML, CAML, Haskell etc.

This book itself is purely theoretical and principally aimed for researchers/students of its field.

This book is very comprehensive. In fact, this book successfully compiles almost all results on type-free lambda-calculus up to the time of its publication (early 1980's).

Surprisingly enough!, however, this very technical encyclopedic monograph is self-contained.

Proofs of all theorems/lemmata are given up to details except for cases that they are intentionally left for excercises.

Therefore, even a novice of its field can follow all of the proofs. The only one thing that such a novice must have is patience. His/her patience will surely be rewarded.

Backgrounds assumed in this encyclopedic monograph is the very beginning level understanding of mathematical logic. If you are not familiar with math logic, you can learn the necessary backgrounds with any introductory textbooks on math logic.

All more technical notions and notations are defined/explained in this book. Many interesting examples are given.

Exercises at the end of each charpter are very helpful and also are very interesting. The author clearly paid much attention and took care on the arrangement of exercises so that readers can tackle easier one at first. Moreover such carefully arranged exercises tell readers more. Readers will understand very delicate but important points during solving exercises by themselves. In other words, the last sentence means the following fact: imagine there are two intuitively similar notions
(it is often the case that very abstract theory has many such pairs of notions) that novices can confuse each other. Solving one exercise tell the novice that one notion is not implied from the other. Also solving another exercise tell vice-versa.

Indices and references are very useful. In fact, indices are carefully designed. Not only the index of technical terms, there are indices for symbols and authors (of references refered in the main text). References are very comprehensive.

There are very few typos (another surprising points! Math books almost always handreds of typos) except for misuses of type-faces which are clearly due to typesetting by the publisher.

This book, as I pointed before, is on pure math logic and its readership is clearly researchers/students of its field.

But, as a computer scientist, I recommend this book to all of the functional programmers, who, at least, are serious about the background of their profession.

If you read this book, you will understand that there is a very beautiful (though abstract) world of theories behind ML/Haskell programming.

If you are a student who wants study lambda-calculus, combinatory logic, type theory, constructive math, etc.,
then, this book is for you, too, of course.
This encyclopedia doubtlessly will give you the basis to become the researcher on such fields.

It's online
This is a great book. A must buy for all graduate students in computer science. Because the book is out of print, you can obtain it online at...... ... Read more

Isbn: 0444875085
Sales Rank: 255990
Subjects:  1. Lambda calculus    2. Logic    3. Mathematics    4. Reference    5. Science/Mathematics   

Mu Compilation
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (28 October, 1997)
list price: $21.98 -- our price: $21.98
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Reviews (4)

A forgotten classic and a forgotten classic guitarist.
I bought this CD based on the fact that Jeff Cotton was on it.Jeff, for those of you who don't know, was a member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, and was one of the guitarist on the classic Trout Mask Replica album.Back in those days Jeff was known as Antanne Jimmy Semens.I've always liked Jeff's style of bluesy slide guitar.This CD really highlights his talent, not only on guitar, but on bass clarinet as well.

When I first listened to it, a number of tracks reminder me of Beefheart's style of music.In recent years it was reported by former Magic Band memebers that they had as much to do with Beefheart's sound as Beefheart himself.It must be true.Jeff's beautiful slide work is all over this CD.A real lesson in slide guitar.The big surprise is Jeff's bass clarinet playing.In the Magic Band days it was Beefheart playing the bass clarinet (not so much playing it as blowing wildly into it to get whatever sounds he could).Here, Jeff shows that if anyone should have been playing bass clarinet in the Magic Band days, it should have been him.

The music is catchy, light, and yes, hippyish, but very enjoyable.Too bad there isn't more where this came from, and too bad that Jeff is no longer playing.

An Overlooked Gem
How did I miss these guys the first time around?The first album in this two album set is an unknown classic.It has everything - bits of sixties psychedelia, skewered blues, beefheart, even a little jazz.And it's all perfectly played, sung and arranged.The recording is also great -- it has that early '70's clarity. Kudos to Jeff Cotton - what an underrated guitar player.

An innovative blend of blues,rock,new age and a desert funk.
Perhaps,in 20/20 hindsight, it,s fair to say that Mu could have achieved greater commercial success sticking to their early more blues/rock driven sound.The songs on the first cd of this set are of great sound quality andshow the promise of a band just about ready to arrive.While the second cdof this set is more uniform in it's mellow,dreamy sound;the first cd showsthe bands unique ability of making music that is both innovative andversatile.I really like "Aint No Blues" with Larry Willeythumping his driving bass while crying a gospel felt poor black man'slament.Listen to Jeff Cotton chopping his way with some great bluesyguitar."Zappa seems to copy this style later while recording CrewSlut" Merrell Fankhouser's treatment of "Ballad Of BrotherLew" is also full of imagery, of inner-city violence and the bluesysadness of loss. "Nobody Want's to Shine" has a great bass leadintro and has a great sax solo by Jeff Cotton that shows this bandspromising "at the time '71" outlook.I also really like"Eternal Thirst" with a true desert sound that brings your mindto visualize the desolate yet peaceful journey.Randy Wimer is great inpounding out the driving backbeat to the chants and the transition is greatback into the verse.While their search for a new way of life in Hawaii canbe cheered,I sometimes wonder what could have been for these talentedmusicians.I really think their later sound misses the drive and bluesy-funkthat Larry Willey seemed to provide to their early sound. Larry did notmove with the band to Hawaii.With the new-age and ecclectic movements ofrecent years it shows that MU was simply ahead of their time. ... Read more

Asin: B000003H13
Sales Rank: 97505
Subjects:  1. Easy Listening    2. Pop    3. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    4. Psychedelic    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. Soft Rock