Book Review #30

Book #30 Java for Dummies
Aaron E. Walsh

This book is a blotch in the usually good "For Dummies" series. As I keep reading this book, I keep asking, where's the Java? I don't see any. Pages, after pages, I don't see Java. I keep seeing HTML. Then it hits me. This isn't "Java for Dummies". This book is "Applet for Dummies."

That's right. This is "Java" in the loosest sense of the word. The correct title would have been "Applets" or Java application inside Web browser. So, I reread the book again, and it's rather comprehensive in that regard. There's hardly any Java at all, so you need to learn Java development separately. You know what? Usually, such book will have its own applet development section. So, maybe this book is applet design? This book has a little about everything. I can't help to think that maybe a more focused subject regarding applets design would have been better. As it is, there's not enough meat in there to go deep. Good for survey, but not enough to understand everything.

Who will benefit from this book? If you're a Java Developer who never touched applets before, this may be a good book. But I say, odds are you can do better if you keep looking.

Book Review #29

Book #29 The Total Outdoorsman Manual
T. Edward Nickens et al

Published by Field and Stream, it is indeed an excellent book for outdoorsman. The book is filled with various tips for the outdoors, including hunting, fishing, camping, and survival. The hunting section is further divided into various animals. Dressings and cooking are explained as well. Priced at only $25 yet filled with almost 400 pages of picture-filled pages, this represent an excellent deal.

I'm really impressed with the wide variety of content. If there's anything I'd like to see more, it's camping. The camping section is rather minimal. Then again, Field & Stream denotes hunting and fishing. Camping is only enough to get you going and taken care of, but the priority is certainly in getting your animal bagged and back to camp. In that view, it succeeds admirably.

If you are a hunter, fisherman, or just someone who is contemplating whether or not to venture to the great outdoors, then this is a book worth a reading. Recommended.

Book Review #28

Learn to Play the Piano and Keyboard
Nick Freeth

Another book by Parragon Publishing, and hard to find author's name. Unfortunately, unlike the sushi book, this one is piano playing. Piano playing is somewhat a rather involved activity. Sure you have some good techniques explained there. Plenty of good pictures, too. But going from simple keyboarding to The Entertainer simply requires more practice than the pages provides. Worse, there's no chord chart at the end of the book the student can refer to. This book is not a tutorial book, or even an introductory one. It's a piano user guide. Here is the white key. Here is the black key, and here is the pedal. And not much after that. Not recommended.

Book Review #27

Home Buying for Dummies
Eric Tyson and Ray Brown

This book puts a clear vision for first time home buyer. Starting with, "which one is more expensive, rent or buy?" the authors give clear examples of advantages of renting vs. buying. Both views are fairly presented so that you can make a good decision. Of course, the book then proceeds on the assumption that you're buying your house.

A workbook is provided to tell you exactly what you can afford. Followed by mortages, insurance, and other headaches. In chapter 9, the book advises hiring an agent, even if you find the home yourself. Luckily for me, I did find a good agent. And so, I can recommend that you do so, as well. You still need to do your homework, and find out what the price range, neighborhood, and type of home you're looking for.

The last part of the book deals with forms. I can tell you that going through the process, there's quite a bit more paperwork than that. In the end, my agent got me a special loan processor, who is worth her fee, because the amount of work is equivalent to building up a big, thick, dictionary. I lost count of the number of signatures I had to sign.

If you ever wonder whether or not you should stop renting and buy a house for yourself, reading this book will get you ahead in your decision. Recommended.

Book Review #26

Sushi with Style
Ellen Brown

I think I have too many sushi book when I start buying them even though they're written by non-Japanese. Then again, the as long as the information presented is good, that's good enough for me. I think there must be something alluring for what is essentially a piece of raw meat stacked on top of rice.

The simpleton in me rebelled at the list of ingredients. Rice, vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, and maybe pickled ginger, is what I use for my sushi. Actually, soy sauce and hot sauce are optional, since I just use Sriracha. Of course, mine is not "authentic" Japanese sushi. No sushi that does not use authentic Japanese ingredients can be called authentic. Still, that just means that sushi recipes are pretty easy to do. It's hard to make a mistake when there's only a few ingredients, most of them uncooked.

I got the book in a kit, with bamboo mat and chopstick. Since I mostly make scattered sushi (in a bowl), as opposed to rolled sushi, the bamboo mat is mostly unused. Still, the recipe here are well done. Even if the illustrations are sometimes lacking, there's enough recipes there to try, and experiment. Some of the recipes employ easily found ingredients, and that's a plus.

If you ever wanted to know about sushi, but don't know where to start. This book and a sushi kit should get you going just fine.

Book Review #25

Damn! Why Didn't I write that?
Marc McCutcheon

This is mostly an inspirational books. There are tips and tricks along the way, but mostly it's the case of "this is how I did it, and how you can do it, too."

That, in itself, is not bad, depending on the execution. How is the execution? Very good, apparently. There's enough outlines in there to list the steps necessary for writing, researching, editing, dealing with publisher and so on. There's not a single checklist, or forms to the steps, but all the steps are there. I suggest that you take a piece of paper and write down the steps to publication yourself. Then hang that paper on the wall, where you can look at it, and do it.

The author does not hold back any secret, save for actual writing samples. However, he does reference enough published books, that you can go to the bookstore and read them for yourself. And the amazing thing is, most of the writings are rather normal. Certainly, there's nothing wrong with them. But there's nothing so brilliant about them either. Mostly, they flow. Like a good presenter would. Nothing earth-shattering. Just gentle words that flow.

And that is why I think I can do it, and so can you. If you are able to explain something clearly, and effortlessly, then you just may have a career as a writer. This book certainly inspired me to try. Highly recommended.

Musing Journal #8

On Being a Writer

So many people want to be a writer. Why not? After all, all you have to do is sit in coffee shop everyday for a couple hours writing and you're a writer. But is that a professional writer or a hobbyist?

Stephen King wrote that he maintains 4 pages per day work load. Sometimes it comes easy for him. Other times, not so easy. But he wrote those 4 pages every day.

If you consider that, considering standard submission formatting, each page would count for 250 words, then you understand that professional writers write 1000 words per day. That's every day.

One week, then, equals 7000 words. That's enough for a whole chapter (or two). One chapter per week means 50 chapters per year. Or about 2 books per year. 350,000 words per year or 175,000 words per book.

Of course, that's assuming Dictionary size book. Normal book length is only about 100,000 words give or take. So, if you are a real "professional" book writer, then you should be publishing 3 books per year.

That is what doing 1000 words per day will give you.

Consider that. 1000 words per day. Is that so hard? If you have jobs, and other responsibilities in life, then yes, it's hard. There are people who just cannot do that much work per day. However, there is a difference between a dedicated writer and a hobbyist. A dedicated writer, will write, at the very least, one page per day. And at the end of the year, they will have the next great American novel. Think about it: one page a day. 250 words per page, and you're a writer.

The most important thing is to make a schedule and keep at it. If you're doing it every day, fulfilling the minimum required word count, everyday, then you are a writer. If, on the other hand, you like to just chat, browse the internet, and maybe write something, then I'm afraid, you're not a writer.

Unless you are keeping up schedule, you're not a writer. A true writer will keep up his schedule every day. And to that end, I recommend Nanowrimo for every one who dreams of being a writer.

Nanowrimo basically forces you to write an average 1667 words per day. This, on the month where you are guaranteed to be busy, dealing with holiday activities. Having participated twice, I can tell you that it is not at all easy. Sometimes, I just have to force things out.

The neat thing about it is that at the end of the month, when I fall back to normal workload, my normal workload seems easy in comparison! So, yes, Nanowrimo was painful, but it's a good pain. Growing pains. Once I went through the exercise, my productivity improved. And so, I will keep on participating. I like to improve my productivity. And I am keeping up with my schedule. I am a writer!

Note: I have written 1896 words today, not including blog updates. :)

Book Review #24

The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

Reading that sentence does not in anyway prepare me for the wonderful world that J.R.R. Tolkien sets up for his story. And yet, that magnificent world, is far more present and impressive in his Lord of the Ring trilogy. The Hobbit is a prequel of sort of that one magnificent trilogy. In fact, there are two movies that I consider must see for nerds: Star Wars and Lord of the Ring trilogies. The Hobbit is part of that world, but there's no magic in it.

For sure there are dwarves, elves, and goblins. Of course, Gandalf the Wizard makes an appearance. Is that not magic? Yes, but not of the right kind. Let me explain. The magic here can be considered special effects. Something to dazzle the readers. However, in Lord of the Ring trilogies, the magic are more of "advance science" where it is used in daily life.

In terms of adventure, this one is full of it, more troubles than you can shake a stick at. In terms of heroic deeds, there's a plenty. In terms of story telling, this ranks very high, indeed. But true magic is lacking, and that is a pity. I think that the best parts are in the beginning of the story, where Bilbo Baggins and Gollum duels in riddles. The rest must follow, and though there are heroic deeds, that is more of a story-telling adventure, rather than character development.

Plenty of cleverness abound, and in no way this is a bad book. In fact, it is an excellent book. It's just that compared to the other masterpieces, that this one can be seen as anything less than perfect. Recommended.

Book Review #23

Modernist Cuisine at Home todo
Nathan Myhrvold et al

If you have ever seen the book Modernist Cuisine in the book store, then you know that the package isn't shaped like a book, but more like a big block of wood. And just as heavy. If the $450 purchase price does not scare you, you will find that it is the best, most comprehensive cooking book anywhere in the world. However, the problem is that the equipment list is so long, that most people would have no use for it. This version of the book (for at Home), I bought at 50% off during a new year sale.

And it is wonderful. The equipment list is also long, and the fact is, there are recipes in there that I will never ever cook. But that's not the aim of the book. The purpose of the book is to understand how the food cooks, and that's why there are illustrations on how the food cooking process happen inside the pot. By the way, these illustrations aren't handdrawn. They're photos. That's right. You can actually see how the food cooks inside the pot because they cut the pot in half! That's no mean feat when they're illustrating on cooking sous vide!

A lot of the cooking process can be summarized as cook low and slow. This holds true, especially for sous vide (under vacuum). However, the result is worth it. Unfortunately, precision is essential, so be prepared to invest in more hardware that is used only in cooking. It's not until after reading this book, that I'm persuaded to buy kitchen timer and thermometer, for example. Also, some of the hardware is industrial looking. Do you know they use a special sprayer for omellete? Sigh.

Anyway, the title may be "for home", and in most part, that's true. However, it's still too much for me. Is the book worth the purchase price? Production quality is top-notch, easily the best I've seen. Considering that I got it for 50% off, the answer is "Absolutely!". If you have to pay full price, then I can understand your reluctance. The best thing you can do is read it. Even if you're not a cooking afficiando, this book may just turn you into one. It did for me. :)

Book Review #22

Book #22 Programming Linux Games
John R. Hall

Programming Linux Games is an old, old book. In fact, it's obsolete. The reason is that SDL has evolved toward a better set, and some of the functions are deprecated. In addition, it uses plain old C language, that although a great language to use, it has been superceeded by C++, and Java, among other languages. Still, there's enough similarities between this book and current SDL that it's a great introduction to the process of SDL programming.

One of my most frustrating endeavor is finding the proper answer to my question regarding any graphic library: "How do you draw a point on screen?"

That one very simple question is frequently unanswered in great many graphical programming book. I know that's silly, but there you go. This book answers the question right away: Using surface.

"Each SDL_Surface structure contains a pixels member. This is a void * to the raw image, and we can write to it directly if we know the type of pixel that the surface is set up for."

And upon those two sentences, I bought the whole book!

It's a good book, marred only by the fact that it's so old, it's obsolete. However, reading this book followed by reading SDL man pages is infinitely preferable to just going straight on without guidance. The explanations are solid, and adapting the code to newer system is not a problem.

FYI, the ever popular PyGame extension for Python uses SDL for the base. SDL is a good graphic library to learn, especially if you're really interested in harnessing the speed and efficiency of C language.

For those of you still stuck with C programming, give this book a read. You just may like what you see.

Book Review #21

Japanese Cooking
Lulu Grimes

First of all, I'm not even sure "Lulu Grimes" is the author of the book. There's no name listed on the cover. The publisher is Parragon Publishing in UK. Printed in China. Produced by the Bridgewater Book Company, Ltd. With Home Economist Kate Moseley. I really don't know what to think of it. The photography, by David Jordan, seems good enough, but there's no blurbs or anything.

The recipe follows a simple procedure.
1. List the ingredients
2. Show one picture of the process
3. Show the text of the preparation process
4. Show a big picture of the finished product

In some cases, this shows the picture of a knife cutting meat, or ingredients being dumped into a pan. So, not much there. Regarding Japanese cooking, they're mostly pure ingredients. In some cases, one short ingredient list. One short preparation steps. Done.

That's my kind of cooking. It annoys me, though, that I can't find the name of the author of this book. Still, if simply prepared Japanese cooking is what you want, then this book is ideal.

By the way, if you haven't done so, try cutting meat in tiny little slices, and use chopstick to drop them into hot oil in a pan. Wait until cooked, and fish it out with the chopstick. Put it in plate. Simple. Quick. Convenient. Done.

Book Review #20

Chinese Cooking
Rose Cheng and Michelle Morris

I like this book because the book opens up with a short cultural lesson of Chinese cooking that is frequently missing in other cookbooks, and yet short enough as to concentrate on cooking, without being wordy or irrelevant. A philosophical overview maybe irrelevant to some, but I find that as I experiment with the recipe, these provide the guidance I need.

The tool section is short and to the point. Normally, a cook book would specify so many pots and pans, and so many utensil. This one specifies a few multi-purpose tools. I really appreciate that.

The problem comes when it comes to ingredients. Chinese ingredients are unique to chinese culture, and that's kind of hard to get in rural America. There's a big picture that helpfully shows the different kind of ingredients desired, but unless there's a good Asian store in your neighborhood, there's no getting them. I'd appreciate if the writer would write equivalent substitute to the ingredients. Alas, that information will not be found here.

The dishes are varied and good. My complain about them is the same complain about other recipes: They are all hard to make, requiring many different ingredients and spices, and frankly, a bother to do. I have no doubt that they are great tasting food. I find that I'm skimping all the different exotic ingredient, and substitute what is available locally. There's nothing to it. I appreciate the pictures of the food, and although mine is nowhere close to looking the same, it's good enough for me.

If you want a good survey of chinese food, and don't mind either going to Asian store and do a lot of work, or maybe converting it to using readily available local ingredient, then this is a good cook book to have.

Book Review #19

Debt Free Living
How to Get Out of Debt (and Stay Out)
Larry Burkett

I am rather ambivalent about this book. There is no doubt that the author is skilled, experience, and knows what he's talking about. However, I see a distinct lack of specific step-by-step in the book. It's closer to something that a wise grandparent would tell the young ones the pitfalls of money management. The book opens up with sample cases, three of them, and walked through their bad experiences. I think it's good that there are these cases, but I think they can be shorter. This long-drawn story-telling is closer to counseling, instead of lecturing. This is neither good or bad, but if you're deeply in debt and want to quickly get to the core solution, then this book will seem to be pandering.

50 pages later, on part two, we begin to see the basic principles of debt, as laid upon by the bible. We see time and again, the bible is brought forward as guidance regarding debt and borrowing. This may seem to be preaching to some people, but I don't see it as Christian-centric. The principles given forth are basic universal principles that everyone should adhere to. And it's only 10 pages. See how the core ideas of debt and borrowing are very simple and direct? Tales of woe has more pages than basic principles!

There are some forms to fill, but unfortunately, they are scattered throughout the book. There is no simple, "Here are the steps". So the reader will be forced to take their own paper and write their own form. This, itself, isn't bad, but despite long winded sample cases, there is no direct one-on-one relation for different cases. This is fine, if you're in counseling. The counselor can help you with your budget. But as a stand alone book, I'm afraid it's lacking.

Minimal debt treatment. Lots of stories. This is something that is closer to counseling than a genuine get out of debt book. If you really need to get out of debt, I suggest you keep looking. If you are already in the process of getting out of debt, and being discouraged because there's no progress, then give this book a try. You may just change your mind.

Book Review #18

RuleBook for argument
Anthony Weston

By chance, I picked this book up at a college bookstore. I was just shopping for the regular textbook, and I saw this little book. I was intrigued, and picked it up. In truth, I have learned all the rules described in the book, except I didn't have names to them. This book not only outlines the logic behind the rules, but also the fallacies that people use to fool you.

Nowadays, everytime somebody used any of the fallacies, instead of commenting and explaining their errors, which can take a while and may involve heated words, I simply say, for example, "ad populus" or "ad hominem" or "circular reasoning." And unless the other person corrects the error, I always leave the conversation. It has save me a lot of time in avoiding wasteful conversations with idiots.

The book was out of print for a while. I'm glad that the book has gone at least four printings, with the latest including a small treatment for the internet generation. I have since found that the wikipedia has a much more comprehensive set of logical rules and fallacies, but this book remains the gold standard not only in what it includes, but also what it excludes. It has that magic balance of not too much, not too little. Highly recommended.

Book Review #17

Book #17 Nasty People
Jay Carter

To call this little booklet a "seminal work in literature" maybe overselling it, but not by much.

I wonder what possesed me to pick up this little hardcover book dealing with one, just one, personality. And yet, as I read this book, I felt compelled to take it home with me, and I did. The fact that I can pick up this old book for $2.99 must have figured in the process. I read it, I took it home, and promptly forgot about it.

That is, until a few days later, when somebody who actually fit the description perfectly started berating me for parking at the same parking spot I've been parking for years. It's amazing as how perfect the description is. I use the techniques outlined in the book, and defused the person. The next day, I called the owner of the parking lot, explained the situation, and showed him the book. After the owner talked to the person, I showed him the pages where the characteristic matches. He was impressed. "You mean you pick this book just a few days ago?" Yup. Talk about lucky break!

So, I managed to solve the situation very well. I have since run across another person like that. In life, there are many such persons. Some are merely temporary. Others are more permanent. This book will not help such nasty person, called "invalidator", to lead a better life. But it will save you from grief whenever you meet with them. Highly recommended.

Book Review #16

American Bar Association: Legal Guide to Game Development
Ross Dannenberg (Editor)

I have always wanted to have my own video game development company. I just don't know how. All the books out there is simply a guide on how to build a generic business. That's not true. I found a book on how to run your own Food Truck. Somebody actually recommended a good book on video game company development. That book is out of print. This book is my substitute.

Unfortunately, it makes for a boring reading. I suppose lawyers are boring creatures. I understand the need for precise wording, but it's like, they have no imagination whatsoever. Oh, well. All the pertinent info are there. At least I think so, since I'm not a lawyer. The book does details the game development process from idea to implementation to execution. Of course, all the pertinent regulations are highlighted. The book does an admirable job explaining the laws as they affect the gaming development.

It has enough examples and exposition to make the issues clear to me. Well. It's just so boring, though. Of course, the value of this book isn't entertainment. It's legal advice, as close as you can get without actually consulting a lawyer. On that, the book succeeds. Give it a try. You may be surprised as just how many of those laws apply to a simple game development process.

Book Review #15

The Reluctant Entrepreneur
Michael Masterson

"Turning Dreams into Profits"

Ha! Right. If I have a nickel every time I hear that sales pitch...

Except in this case, he's right. One advice after another, and they're all good. I probably won't be able to follow them all, but I can imagine tripling my productivity if I can only follow half. The book pulls no punches. It's not exactly step-by-step to success, but it does follow a definite path toward success. Along the way, you are guided to question not only your commitment, but also those around you.

Some wise words are sprinkled in here and there, and I appreciate them. The truth is, after reading this book, I never want to put it down. Hard cover edition is notoriously expensive. I don't care. This one is a keeper!

Not everybody can be an entrepreneur, and if you don't want to be one, this book won't make you one, even if you follow all the steps. But if you truly want to be a successful entrepreneur, this book gives you a great head start.

Book Review 14

Book #14 Getting Started with Processing
Casey Reas and Ben Fry

First of all, I love the Processing language. It's fun, portable, and easy to learn. I abhor the name. Why? Because every time I google it, I never found it! Really, I think Proce55ing is better because when I google that, it goes right to the site!

So, having actually learned the language, why did I pick up the book? Because I love the language and I want as many people to use it as possible. The book is interesting because it is the first "Getting Started" book from O'Reilly that I found. And I found out that hand-drawn sketches makes perfectly usable illustrations, even when it can best served with computer graphic or CAD.

I find the book features just the right amount of personal touches for the artist in me, and yet not skimp on the technical side for the scientist in me. A rare treat that is yet to be duplicated from other "Getting Started" books.

The only complaint that I have is that the subject matter is too brief. It touches on other Processing usage, such as Arduino. However, I think that extra projects such as Arduino is best left to other "Getting Started" book. You can put a mention there, of course, but let's not dwell upon them.

All in all, a good book marred only by trying to be comprehensive in a small book. Highly recommended.

Book Review #13

Book #13 Successful Time Management for Dummies
Disk Zeller

The first thing I noted is that this is the "Portable Edition", whatever that means. Apparently there are more specific information on the full-size version, but as long as this is good, then I don't need the full size version, do I? The good news is, this is good, and I don't need the full size version. The bad news is, there remains some personalizations or customizations necessary. However, the basic ideas listed here are sound and is an excellent place to start.

The first chapter, although extremely brief, does touch all the bases needed to be covered. That's good. Too often, writers would wax poetics on how time management would save the day. I don't like that. Just tell me what I need to know, and we'll go from there!

The second chapter is the obligatory chapter about valuing your time. This is important. Too often, people are too focused on the dollars, but not the hours spent in getting those dollars. This, here, is a form of Return-Of-Investment calculation necessary in order to put a value of your time, and once you have successfully put a value to your time blocks, it's time to prioritize them. That's chapter 3. I really appreciate how this little book is organized! The book mentioned how difficult it is to adhere to the set schedule. The good news is, a little productivity goes a long way.

Let's put it this way. Supposed that you are only productive 20% per day. If you managed to increase productivity only by 10%, then you just increased your productivity by 50%! Of course, you get diminishing returns, but that only happens if you have some kind of schedule to begin with. If you haven't, then a little can go a long way, and this book tells you that. That makes me so happy! Truly, these are the most important points that you can make in teaching time management.

The author stumbles here with Chapter 4: Organizing your workspace. Although he recognized the difficulties of properly managing his workspace, the system that he presents is the old "Process a paper only once", which is the boon of professional organizers anywhere, and the doom of non-professional organizers everywhere. That is, the system is easier to say, that it is to do. There is nothing wrong in trying to achieve the ideal, but this is where personalization can work wonders for you. In my case, not only my work is varied (just look at this blog!), but also some of them requires some sizable materials. In the end, I put the filing cabinet next to boxes of projects, one box per project. It looks ugly, but it works. So, yes, read the chapter and follow it the best you can, but don't be afraid to personalize it to suit you.

Chapter 5 outlines various strategies for organizing your files. Just like Chapter 4, the information presented here is old-school. Well, as old school as new electronic gadgets can be. The importance of backup (safety redundancy) is missing, though. I know for certain that electronics can break, and papers can be eaten by your dog, so back up in as many places as possible. Make sure to restore the backups and check periodically. Also make sure that everything is sync. Personal note: The best device for organization is the old Palm Pilot/Handspring device. I'd be carrying it if I didn't run out of pockets!

Chapter 6 goes back to form, discussing the relevant issues is dealing with obstacles. This treatment is in fine form. It's obvious that the author speaks from experience, instead of rehashing old ideas. I'm happy to see it here.

Chapter 7 is the big deal for me. Procrastination. Over time, I managed to set up what I call "Productive Procrastination". That's not this chapter. This chapter deals with different solutions to get over procrastination. Although I'd probably fail with these methods, these are good methods to try nevertheless. Who knows? You may be better at it that I am. The information here is concise, useful, and comprehensive.

The rest of the book deals with little things that trips you, and little things that helps you. I find that the information presented here is perfect for the size of the book, and will gladly recommend this book to anyone who needs a little help organizing their time.

Book Review #12

Book #12 Simply Tai chi
Graham Bryant and Lorraine James

This is such a simple book that I got from a package. I believe it comes with DVD, although apparently I misplaced it. The good point is that it is clear, touches all the relevant points, and has good illustrations. The bad point is that the information presented is incomplete.

Half the book is dedicated for warming up and preparation. This is good. Most Tai Chi books just skipped between history and the forms. The activities here definitely helps in relaxation, necessary to do Tai Chi properly. The second half is dedicated to the forms, and here it fails. Not only there are only a pitiful few forms presented, but there is no sense of coherence. As this is personal, but I want to see feet weight distribution diagram to make it complete. There is no feet weight distribution diagram, nor there is some kind of directional marker. With the photograph shot at different angles, this can be confusing.

The book certainly simplifies Tai Chi so that it is accessible for everybody, and it certainly looks like fun. But I have to consider this to be an introduction to Tai Chi, as opposed to full formed Tai Chi.