Monday, March 19, 2012

Book Summary: Abundance - The Future Is Better Than You Think - By Peter Dimandis and Steven Kotler


Abraham Maslow defined the basic human hierarchy of needs as food, water and air and from there you move up to the top of the pyramid which is self-actualization. Image a world of clean abundant energy, clean abundant water, wellness instead of sick care, abundant food supply and medical treatment for all. Now imagine these things as self-sustaining systems and not charity.
Why is this important to me?
The major problems today are clean energy, clean water, health care, the environment and population growth which is why this book is important. Every year 11 million children around the world die from infectious diseases and other causes. Most of these could have been avoided with clean water. This statistic is horrible. The U.S. has spent over $1 Trillion dollars on wars to fight terrorism. The world water problem could have been solved for much less. People need to have a realistic perspective. Humans tend to think logically and linearly. Technological change happens exponentially. This is good news for us because all of these problems are solvable.

Funny Only: A Book Review of Drawing on the Funny Side of the Brain by Christopher Hart


Creating funny pictures for a living can be a lot of fun, but it can also be difficult. It's hard to make a joke that's funny in real life, also be funny when in a drawing. Artists such as cartoonists, comic book artists, or illustrators, will appreciate the tips, tricks and examples in the book, Drawing on the Funny Side of the Brain by Christopher Hart.
The book's premise is: How to come up with jokes for cartoons and comic strips. And it does just that. The author explains the difference between a hard and soft punch line, and shows multiple ways to take your jokes and turn them into cartoons, whether you use single or multiple panel gags. (A panel is the box you draw your cartoon in.)
He covers angles and direction and how to layout and design your strip the way a director would shoot a film. One section that is particularly interesting is how to create either a dramatic mood or a funny mood by the way you place the characters and objects in a scene. This is great information especially if you want to do comic strips with lots of drama and action.

Origami Book Reviews


There are a number of origami books available which provide beautiful pictures, easy to follow guides and design ideas for all your origami decoration occasions. Origami books range from beginner origami difficulty with simple creations to advanced and expert design books incorporating mathematics and intricate detail into origami decoration production. To decide which book is best for you, here are my recommendations for which origami book you should choose depending on your skill and experience level:
Beginner - For beginners, the best origami book to get you started is the Absolute Beginner's Origami book by Nick Robinson. If online articles or other books with complex diagrams and confusing fold lines have previously deterred you from making origami decorations, then this is definitely the book for you. Featuring colour photos and a simple three step system, Absolute Beginner's Origami teaches even the most amateur of origami decoration makers to make some fantastic sculptures and models. The book can be purchased from Amazon with 20% off it's retail price, and is a great start for origami beginners.

Best Photography Books


Most people regard books as a good companion. Whether you're an adult or student, you can find interesting books to satisfy your needs. These informative books are able to fill your mind with ideas and at times completely transform your way of life. Whether it is adventure, action, romance, art or photography, you can find books with any topics.
Many people are passionate about photography. A few of the titles for the well-known photography books are How to Shoot Great Photographs; An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide; The Digital Photography Handbook, just to name a few.
In most cases simple digital photography books can offer you a myriad of information that will help you to master this art, such as lighting effects and also how you can improve your images using both genuine and artificial lighting. You can find a wide variety of these books on the market to select from, but you have to determine whether or not you should rent from a library or purchase them.
These days, you can easily download these books from reputable websites. But before doing this, you should check the reviews and forums to see what other photographers have to say about these books. Forums will help you to solve problems, find discussions about specific equipments and also learn about where and when events are taking place.