4 comments about Voyager's Grand Tour: To the Outer Planets and Beyond (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight Series).

1. This book is a scientific history of the Voyager 1 and 2 missions, with in-depth coverage of the technological development of the spacecraft, the scientists and engineers involved, and budgetary and political concerns. This history stretches back for decades, culminating in the launch of the two vessels in 1977 and their exploration of the outer planets, and their current wanderings at the edges of interstellar space. Note that actual planetary science covering our new knowledge of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and their many moons is found in other books, even though that knowledge was provided by the Voyager vessels. Here the authors betray their weaknesses in planetary astronomy with very rushed coverage of those matters, which only appear in the final third of the book anyway. Meanwhile some of the technical and budgetary coverage gets quite tedious, although such scientific history is meant to be the focus of the book. But as a whole this volume does give a very in-depth history of mankind's most far-reaching scientific achievement, as we have realized the dream of extending human knowledge through and beyond our solar system. [~doomsdayer520~]



2. "Voyager's Grand Tour: To the Outer Planets and Beyond," is an excellent book that tells the fascinating story of an overwhelmingly significant pair of probes that went to the outer planets of the Solar System, one of which is still providing scientific data as it reaches our heliopause.

   The Voyager project was one of the most important in the history of NASA and the first to visit the outer planets of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It originated during the early 1960s when astronomers realized that once every 176 years both the Earth and all the giant planets of the Solar System gather on one side of the Sun. This geometric line-up made possible close up observation of all the planets in the outer solar system (with the exception of Pluto) in a single flight, the "Grand Tour." The flyby of each planet would bend the spacecraft's flight path and increase its velocity enough to deliver it to the next destination. This would occur through a complicated process known as "gravity assist," something like a slingshot effect, whereby the flight time to Neptune could be reduced from 30 to 12 years. NASA launched these missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida: Voyager 2 lifting off on August 20, 1977, with Voyager 1 entered space on a faster, shorter trajectory on September 5, 1977. These spacecraft would take a spectacular windshield tour of the outer Solar System gas giant planets.

   The scientific results of the Voyager mission were astounding, essentially rewriting the textbooks on the Solar System. Over a period of more than a decade the probes explored all the giant outer planets, 48 of their moons, and the unique systems of rings and magnetic fields that those planets possess. The two spacecraft returned to Earth information that revolutionized the science of planetary astronomy, helping to resolve some key questions while raising intriguing new ones about the origin and evolution of the planets in this Solar System. The two Voyagers took well over 100,000 images of the outer planets, rings, and satellites, as well as millions of magnetic, chemical spectra, and radiation measurements. They discovered rings around Jupiter, volcanoes on Io, ice on Europa, shepherding satellites in Saturn's rings, new moons around Uranus and Neptune, and geysers on Triton. The last imaging sequence was Voyager 1's portrait of most of the Solar System, showing Earth and six other planets as sparks in a dark sky lit by a single bright star, the Sun.

   Perhaps a personal anecdote is in order here. When Voyager reached Jupiter in 1979 I was a starving graduate student working on a Ph.D. in the history of the American West. Like everyone, I saw the images that came back to Earth and was truly impressed. When I filed my income tax form the next year I included a little note, which I'm sure made the clerk at the IRS chuckle, that stated that I wanted all of my tax money paid that year to go to NASA because of what it had accomplished with Voyager. Perhaps it was silly gesture but it points up the impressive nature of the scientific return.

   This book makes clear that Voyager was an early step in humanity's exploratory journey extending not only to the outer planets but also beyond the Solar System. It is a scintillating portrait of a critical program and a must read for all interested in the history of space exploration.

   Highly recommended!




3. This is a superb history of the voyager project. Well written with plenty of illustrations. It's a must for anyone interested in the accomplishments of remote exploration of the outer planets. One note however. A previous reviewer faulted the authors for not being knowledgeable about planetary astronomy. Ronald Schorn, the co-author, was once head of planetary astronomy for NASA. He's treated this subject exhaustively in his previous book, "Planetary Astronomy: From Ancient Times to the Third Millenium." Obviously the author didn't wish to rehash what he had already published.



4. The book describes the events leading up to the mision, as well as the preparations and the mision itself, in great detail. The scientific results of the expedition are also presented in a clear way. What in my opinion would have made this a "great" book, rather than a just a "good" book would have been better writing and handling of the story. Some parts which should have carried a lot of suspense and emotion (such as, for example, the launch of the Voyager probes, and the fears of a rocket failure that would have made all the efforts wasted) are handled in such a mundane way that it's almost boring. I continually felt that sections that would have been gripping were just "one more paragraph".
   
   There are also several editing mistakes, repeated words, mistaken sentences, and even repeated concepts and anecdotes. All in all, I got what I wanted (the story of Voyager and it's discoveries), but I'd have liked better writing.

3 comments about Wave-Finder Surf Guide Indonesia.

1. This is the most comprehensive guide to surf spots in Indonesia of the 3 or 4 that you can get, as of September 2005. This one has more spots, more info on each spot, and better general information (eg best tides, maps, swell direction, seasonal winds, access, prices, surf camps, transport issues etc). It also fits neatly in you pocket for travelling ease, but unfortunately, to keep prices down it is not the most robust little booklet (my pages fell out after just 2 weeks in Indo).
   
   Other surf guides for Indo include 'Surfing Indonesia Action Guide 2002/3' which has only one page on anything east of Sumba, only a few pages on Sumba itself, and nothing at all on Southern Sumatra, the Banyaks, and very little on the Mentawais. This guide has around 10 spots on Sumba alone, several spots on Rote and Sabu islands (east of Sumba), a handful of spots in Southern Sumatra, numerous Mentawai spots, but only short descriptions on the Banyaks and Simeuleu islands. 'Indo surf and Lingo' by Peter Neely has even less on some of the more out-of the-way-places, although the well-known spots it does describe have very good info (particularly Bali). World Stormrider Guides Volumes 1 and 2 is probably the second best buy for Indo surf information, with reasonably comprehensive information on a number of Indo areas, but these volumes are pricey, and the information is spread over 2 volumes (volume 3 out in 2007), and they are bulky books to travel with.
   
   There is a continuing general need for a comprehensive guide to Indonesian surfing, (which this Wavefinder Guide partly fulfils), as more and more spots are being discovered all the time. Part of the reason there isn't more available info is that there is always a bit of a war going on over whether to reveal new spots. In this guide for example, the authors note that they were tempted to put in some other little known gems, but didn't out of respect for those who spent months travelling throughout remote Indonesia finding them. And this guide still has MORE spots than any of the others. (Note also that surf operators don't always want any OTHER spots known, so they can get your money rather than someone else-which is partly why the Mentawais are now getting so crowded-there are other waves nearby on the Telos, and southern Sumatra that are just as/nearly as good).
   
   I am of the view that spots should be documented, published, and responsibly developed, which is pretty much what this guide is about, but I'd still like more info on eg Simeuleu, the Banyaks (eg "seek this spot out for yourself"), and northern and southern Sumatra in particular. There is also mention of several islands in this guide which just say they are very hard to get to, but have no info on the actual surf, (eg Engano Island).
   
   Anyone who has been out at Uluwatu on Bali in recent years will realise just how crowded this place has become, but there are numerous other lefts in Indo in the same class as Uluwatu, but which are only just being revealed and/or developed (eg Nembrala on Rote, Nihiwatu on Sumba-with a new resort, several in Southern Sumatra, Asu in the Hinakos, and Mengkudu in Sumba-also with a new resort). Even the Mentawais are now getting crowded. However, at least in my view, the more that become known, the less crowd pressures in all of them. There are literally hundreds of world class waves in Indo (some still not known/discovered-particularly in remote Sumatra). These, developed responsibly, will spread the crowds out, I should think. Mainland Sumatra is one place in particular that is going to open up further, because its cheap and there are very good waves-in fact there are oodles of coastline just waiting to be discovered/revealed, where you won't have to deal with crowds. This guide has some info on these, particulary in the Krui area, but not really enough (however other guides have none or barely any).
   
   One thing that many guides don't have enough of, is spot or area consistency ratings. One of the reasons places like G-Land are so good is that it breaks almost every day. There is a big difference between turning up a spot like that for a week or 3, and one which gets very good but only breaks once in a blue moon. Both the World Stormrider Guides volumes 1 and 2, and this Wavefinder guide, have at least some info on spot or coastline/island consistency per month, but in my view, not really enough. (eg There are some spot consistency descriptions, but not always, and no actual symbol for spot consistency. eg How often do the better breaks on the Banyaks get good, or the right on Mengkudu Island? Doesn't say.)
   
   One final point, there are some omissions on some spots wind or other information (in particular some with world class quality) (possibly deliberately).
   
   Despite the above criticisms, this is the best guide I could find as at September 2005, and I found it extremely useful whilst travelling through Indo.



2. Book seems to have alot of info (I am going next spring) The first book fell apart. I sent it back Amazon and got another copy and it fell apart also. This is kind of frustrating for a book that I had planned to travel with. I have a copy of the central america book and it seems fine.



3. The info in here is unparalleled. Several times on my indo trip people asked to borrow my little book because it has the low down on what conditions a spot is good in and what to expect experience wise.
   
   Unfortunately, this book has a SERIOUS flaw. It falls apart. I've seen 3 or 4 copies, all of which are missing pages. They just don't stay in. I had my book for about 2 weeks and the back sections started falling out. Then you either lose them or they get jumbled and you can't find the spot you're looking for. Futhermore, as they start falling out it only gets easier for other pages to come out. Frustrating.

1 comments about Festival and Special Event Management (Wiley Australia Tourism).

1. Although this book refers only to Australian festivals and events, it's loaded with management lessons, concepts and strategies that are universal. This is the best book I've been able to find on a subject that is scarcely written about (referring to large festivals). Thank you Johnny Allen, William O'Toole, Ian Mcdonnel and Robert Harris for sharing your knowledge.

   Jason Bosch
   Director of ArgusFest

No comments about New Zealand: Continent in a Nutshell.

No comments about Pocket Map and Guide Sydney (EYEWITNESS POCKET MAP & GUIDE).

5 comments about Malinche's Conquest.

1. I really enjoyed reading this book. I have since bought several copies for friends and family members. It is a wonderful look at the way that society views one of the most important women in the Americas in the past 500 years. People are quick to judge her as a traitor or whore, but after reading more about her life as a slave and the conditions around her, I feel that she was an incredible survivor who became the mother of a new generation of people. This book which chronicles Anna Lanyon's journey through Mexico to discover who Malinche was, inspired me to learn more about the Conquest and Mexico's history, as well as more about who the flesh and blood woman "Malinche" might have been. I have since read, "La Malinche in Mexican Literature - From History to Myth", and "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico" by Bernal Diaz. I recommend it highly.



2. For a brief moment in the 16th century, a teenage slave was the most influential woman in the world. Malinche, to use one of her many names, was the translator and go-between in perhaps the pivotal cultural drama of the last millennium - the moment when the Old World represented by Hernan Cortes, conquered the New World in the form of Montezuma's Mexico.

   Anna Lanyon, an Australian backpacker, stumbled onto the story of Malinche while travelling in Mexico in the 1970s. Intrigued, she returned home, studied Spanish and Portugese to literary translation level, and revisited Mexico in search of this enigmatic woman.

   So few are the clues, and often so contradictory, that Lanyon works like an archeologist with a soft-haired brush to bring Malinche's life into relief from its bedrock of myth.

   In official Mexican history, Malinche is the "betrayer". Her name forms the root of a modern-day word for traitor. Lanyon finds a teenager blessed with intelligence, intuition and a sharp instinct for survival. Her options were few. Given as a sexual slave to the conquistadors, Malinche became Cortes's concubine, adviser, and mother of his first child. She died in obscurity, probably before she was 30.

   But those close to her admired her. Lanyon makes the point often forgotten in facile renderings of the conquest: to vast numbers of people in what now is Mexico, Montezuma's "Aztecs" (more accurately, the Culua-Mexicans) were the feared and hated enemy. Malinche was therefore not a betrayer so much as a warrior, within her own context. But even more than that, she was a woman, condemned to slavery as a child, "assigned" to alien men when not yet 20, who simply did the best she could.

   While the full personality of Malinche may be irretrievable from what history has left us, Lanyon does great work in debunking many of the myths about her and in exploring how national myths come about. And tantalisingly an impression emerges of this accidental figure of history: a woman we would like to have known, a woman from the lowest rungs who took a hand, for better or worse, in changing the world.




3. Not only was it great to find a book on Malinche, but also a book that looks at her in a light other than as the evil betrayer we all thought she was. I started the book thinking "How could she have done that?" and ended up feeling sorry for her predicament in life. Or at least understanding why she made the choices she did. This book wasn't just a defense of her actions, but it explained why she became the enemy she has become and who and why made her that way. She was used while she was alive for political purposes and she was manipulated and used for political purposes hundreds of years after her death also.



4. In a world of information technology and instant gratification, I admit I skim over books to grasp only the information I need in the least amount of time. In looking for information on Malinche, I didn't think that I was interested in reading about the author's journey in piecing the puzzle together. I just wanted her to get to the point!

   I was so wrong! Beautiful story, priceless information, and a rare balance of sensitivity to the subject while maintaining objectivity.

   Highly recommended, especially to Latina women.

   Thank you, Ms. Lanyon, for your priceless contribution to history.




5. This is a very good read. For anyone interested in history, interested in learning about a remarkable woman, interested in just good writing, try this book. Lanyon covers it all including Malinche's seminal importance to Mexican history. The author also explores the development of Malinche as traitor, an idea that many are now taking another look at. It began in the 1800's with an elitist nationalist movement that needed a scapegoat to rally round. At any rate, Malinche's life is one that even the most jaded can marvel at.

No comments about Pocket Map and Guide Melbourne (EYEWITNESS POCKET MAP & GUIDE).

3 comments about Australia & New Zealand on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet).

1. I bought this book 2 months ago while planing a trip to OZ & NZ later on this year.
   It is well orgenized (the TOC is region based) and drills down in each area to its unique and famous places.
   The book has just the right quantity of information regarding each item with a veriety of maps and side trip activities.
   It contains a lot of usefull data about both countries and you can defenetly see the it was written by backpackers.
   Reading the book has contributed me a lot in the planing fase of the trip, hopefully i'll be able to compliment it more after i'll return.



2. It's a great book. It is very complete and very accurate, most of the times.
   I didn't gave it 5 stars because sometimes it isn't very easy to find the information.
   
   I recommend it.



3. I bought this book to help plan a month and a half long trip to New Zealand and Australia staying mostly in hostels. I cannot recommend this book for a reliable source of information for hostels or restaurants. Most restaurants I have tried to find no longer exist. The hostel and attraction prices are wrong (of course these are subject to change), however, the recommended hostels have been hit or miss. There have been some good ones as recommended by the book (Sydney Central YHA, Old Countryhouse in Christchurch, NZ) but there have been some disgustingly unclean (Bondi Beach YHA) and unlivable (Global Palace) recommended highly by this book. I think that a better source of information would be customer reviews on the internet.

No comments about New Zealand (Country Guide).

1 comments about New Zealand - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!).

1. I just recently finished reading this little book, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't know much about NZ. It is indeed a "quick guide" but it has a surprising amount of information packed into a few pages. My only "complaint" is that the author doesn't mention any negatives--I'm willing to believe it's a wonderful place, but there must be SOMETHING less than fabulous about it. All in all, it was worth the purchase.