Book Review: Building Wireless Sensor Networks By Robert Faludi

Building Wireless Sensor Networks is just what every wireless sensors enthusiast needs. It provides quick and practical guidance for building your very own wireless sensor networks using Zigbee.

I appreciate the well structured presentation of ideas as well as the very practical approach in creating projects while learning very important concepts. It is like a workbook and laboratory manual in one!

I particularly enjoyed how the author wrote the book in a conversational manner while maintaining the excitement for the reader.

The Appendix at the end of the book is very helpful in encouraging the reader to explore even further.

http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596807740

About the author:
Robert Faludi is an NYU Professor, SVA professor, and an expert consultant on commercial projects, including large-scale home energy monitoring. His work has appeared in The New York Times, CNet, Good Morning America, and elsewhere. He is a co-creator of the LilyPad XBee wearable radios, and Botanicalls, a system that allows thirsty plants to place phone calls for human help.


[Disclaimer: I got this book for free as part of the Oreilly blogger review program I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”]

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Book Review: The Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelly with Jonathan Littman

Tom Kelly of IDEO attempts to dissect the different personalities that make up an innovative organization.

Complete with vivid descriptions of each 'face' and reinforced by real life examples across industries, the book provides a glimpse of the inner workings of an innovative organization.

Although the book suggests that it is unlikely for an individual to have only one 'face', the author provides insights on how the other 'faces' may be developed.

Although a very good read, especially for those in R&D, some chapters can be quite long for the average reader.

About the author:
Tom Kelley is general manager of IDEO, the world's leading design consultancy specializing in product development and innovation. Working together with his brother, IDEO founder David Kelley, he has helped manage the firm, as it has grown from twenty designers to a staff of over three hundred. During that time, he has been responsible for diverse areas such as business development, marketing, human resources, and operations. Like everyone else at IDEO, he also occasionally gets down on his knees to cut foam core alongside IDEO clients and designers, as part of the firm's brainstorming and prototyping efforts.

Jonathan Littman is the author of The Fugitive Game and The Watchman and is a contributing writer for Red Herring magazine.

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