Editorial Review

From primordial nothingness to this very moment, Read more

Reviews (471)

The Joy of Educational Remediation
This is one of the books I wished someone would write.My knowledge of science past and present was wanting and yet there wasn't a single book written for (and by) someone in the same boat.Bill Bryson has written such a book and brillantly over-achieved in the process.In the spirit of full disclosure, I like nearly everything Mr. Bryson has written.He can be pedantic and peevish when describing the less than admirable characters and circumstances he encounters but he's always very funny.Having said that, this physically ponderous tome made me wonder whether he could sustain his humor while at the same time educating the reader over all those hundreds of pages.Miraculously, his choice of anecdotes and pacing is spot on.It is extremely readable and there are wonderful factoids and "ah ha" moments on nearly every page.Life is short and this book is not but it's absolutely worth the trade-off.

Fun and engaging history of modern science
Well written and fun to read.Bill Brysons style really creates a nice true story, complete with the quirks and oddities of the charecters depicted.Highly recomended if you are interested in the history of science, or if you just enjoy a fun and educational read.

A Good Read for the Basics
This is a good book.And, like all Bill Bryson's work, it is wonderfully written with such a sense of humor! Bryson is very good at finding facts as well as funny historical anecdotes and idiosyncrasies.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. Philosophy & Social Aspects    4. Popular works    5. Questions & Answers    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Trivia   

Reviews (17)

A really great way to know and understanding the people around you.
This book is wonderful. I thought I knew all of my firends, until this book...WOW! We laugh, cry, even argue but it's all in good clean fun. I love this book and I think that this is a GREAT way to get to know someone. Enjoy!

Great book
I have used this book for a long distance relationship, and this books is perfect for such relationship. This book really has some great questions to spark interesting conversations and answers. This is a truly great book if you're looking a book of questions.

Perfect
I absolutely love this book.Here's some basics:
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Subjects:  1. Human Sexuality    2. Humor    3. Questions & Answers    4. Reference    5. Communication    6. Questions and answers   

Reviews (23)

Exellent Book
Excellent as a textbook.I use it to teach a university-level management consulting class.Many of the relevant topics covered provide a very good basis for in-class discussion.It is well written and insightful, presenting an accurate portrayal of what it is to be a management consultant.I especially like the sections scripted by industry veterans.I recommend this book to anyone interested in or considering a career in management consulting.

useful
This is a useful guide, though can be a bit simplistic at times.Still, it is worth reading, particularly if you are very new to the industry.Also recommended for consulting careers are the Vault Guide to the Case Interview and the Vault Guide to the Top 50 Consulting Firms.

The Best Consulting Guidebook Out There!
I love this book.It is full of useful information that is highly relevant to the needs of someone looking to enter consulting and preparing for case interviews.Why would anyone buy Vault or Wetfeet, when they require you to buy multiple books to get the same information that this ONE book has?Also, the people who gave this book bad reviews obviously can't read.The guy from Scandinavia implies that these authors invented case interviews and are selling them as a good way to pick consultants - Wrong!Case interviews have been around forever, and these authors are trying to teach you how to deal with them (they didn't invent them!).The guy from Carlsbad, CA also mis-read this book by saying that these authors invented case questions.IGNORE their bad reviews - they obviously don't read properly.Buy this book for it's meaty content and easy-to-read style. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business Consulting    3. Business consultants    4. Business/Economics    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Management - General    7. Questions & Answers    8. Reference    9. Vocational guidance    10. Advice on careers & achieving success    11. Business & Economics / Management    12. Consultancy & grants for businesses    13. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (2)

Best Review
I DO NOT test well at all...and After failing the registry with a 73, I purchased this book, worked with it for 3 months, re-took the registry and made an 86! The online testing makes it so easy to work on the areas where you are weak.It's proven, the Lange Q&A-Radiography review book made the difference between pass and fail for me!Thank you D.A. Saia

The Review Book did help me.
This was an easy review to go over for exam preparation.I don't mean the questions were easy, I mean it was easy to read and understand.The questions were helpful, informative and tested my knowledge.This book is valuable along with the following which my friends and I used for studying for the ARRT exam and thay are sold on Amazon.
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Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - Radiologic & Ultrasound Technology    2. Examination Questions    3. Examinations, questions, etc    4. Medical    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Questions & Answers    7. Radiography    8. Radiography, Medical    9. Technology, Radiologic    10. Ultrasonography    11. Medical / Ultrasonography    12. Radiology   

Reviews (47)

Good book, but be cautious of the directives and recommendations
This is a fairly comprehensive book on how to start a consulting business.I followed the steps outlined in the book to start my own business, but some of the recommendations Mr. Weiss makes go a little overboard.For instance, do you really need a copy machine?Do you really need a postage meter?Spending money on these things will burn through your start-up funds quickly!
~~Boring~~
The content of this book is only common sense steps... and targeted for completely disorganized people. For those using their brain before acting, do not buy this book: you won't find any secret, nor precious tips. But if you're a teen and wonder how to start a consulting business in the future: it could be a good investment. I bought the ebook edition, at least I didn't waste paper... Alan Weiss should learn more Japanese, because the word "sogomi" (at page 8!) doesn't exist. This mistake gives you the level of this book.

I don't understand why this is a highly rated book
I didn't like the book. It doesn't have much to do with consulting. It is teaching about how to sell, how to register a company and similar pretty common stuff.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Consulting    4. Business consultants    5. Business/Economics    6. Consultants    7. Consulting    8. Handbooks, manuals, etc    9. Marketing    10. Questions & Answers    11. Business & Economics / Consulting    12. Consultancy & grants for businesses   

Reviews (4)

making sense of consulting
Peter Block's classic book's fieldbook and companion has an unusual structure and there lies it's USP. It looks at dilemmas and challenges that consultants face and also the tools that can be used. Bedtime stories Consultants read their Children
I have the 2nd edition of Block's "Flawless" and find it an essential reference, true to its reputation. Disappointingly in this Companion many of the authors seem to treat the readers as a captive audience - at the level of first year college students. For example - a diatribe on Romeo and Juliet as an illustration of human diversity, or three pages of "my worse experiences" one of which transpired to be freezing on stage and losing the point. These type of chapters annoyed me and distracted me from some of the worthy contributions. So much so that I returned the book to the bookshop and asked for my money back - the first time I have done so in 30 years of buying management books. In my opinion this book is a dud riding on the coat tails of the previous 'flawless' success.

Roadmap to consulting in the 21st century
This book deserves to be among the TOP 10 of business books of 2001. If you work as a consultant and want to learn your customers how to fish (in stead of giving them fish), BUY this book!If you have consultants walking around in your organisation, make sure they apply these principles!Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Consulting    4. Business consultants    5. Business/Economics    6. Consultants    7. Consulting    8. Questions & Answers    9. Business & Economics / Consulting    10. Consultancy & grants for businesses    11. Personnel & human resources management   

Reviews (3)

Nice add-on
This is a cute little book that wasn't exactly what I was looking for but I did find useful.

It's useful, but it's not all you need
You can practice waiting for a train, bus, etc.It's not enough for anything, but it's a useful practice.
Great Study Tool
When I saw this book, I wasn't quite sure about it but figured I would try it.I used it to prepare for my CAPM exam and found it to be an invaluable tool to test my knowledge of the PMBOK.Using this guide in conjunction with reading the PMBOK really helped ensure my success on the CAPM exam.I have since recommended it to others as part of their study.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Project Management    3. Questions & Answers    4. Reference   

Subjects:  1. Civil Service    2. Fire Science    3. Professional - General    4. Study Aids    5. Study Guides    6. Test Prep    7. Reference / Questions & Answers    8. Study & learning skills   

Reviews (5)

The Founders in Action Today by Brookhiser
We'll never know for sure what the founders would have done in a
Unfulfilled promise
Sadly, the promise of the premise of this book was not kept. Instead of thoughtful consideration of the many questions asked, the author merely regurgitated a lot of well-known history.I was disappointed both in the book and in the author, who has written better works. The book itself is not worth the price...but the idea is worthy of stimulating some of one's own thoughtful answers.

What Would the Founders Do?
A neon sign advertising "Premium Beer" illuminates the window of a contemporary pub, a television plays above the bartender's head, and exit signs radiate the room. The bar is occupied by six gentlemen brilliantly dressed in eighteenth century attire. They raise their drinks as if to toast a job well done. A glance at the faces of these individuals reveals something unusual. This is not a costume party. The six patrons are the founders of the United States of America - George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton - who have traveled through time to do more than enjoy the cocktails of the twenty-first century. They are here to answer the questions that plague America over two hundred years after its origin.
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Subjects:  1. Contemporary Politics    2. General    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. History    5. History & Theory - General    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Political History    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Questions & Answers    11. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    12. USA    13. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (10)

Updated classic--Inadequate Value for the Money
It's hard to give the appropriate number of stars to this edition.On the one hand, this is one of the classics of the field, and deservedly so.In it's first edition, this may have been the first great book on testing, and there is something about the "first great book" on any topic that makes it a lasting value decades later: DeMarco on Structured Analysis, Brooks on the wicked complexity of software project management, Booch on object-oriented design, K&R on C.And so I think it goes with The Art of Software Testing.It's a short book, and full of good ideas that will stay with you.
Excellent value for money
This book is expensive, however it is well worth its price. A top 10 book for IT professionnals.

The Bible of Software Testing
This should be the first book anyone should read about software testing. Having read it, all other books become mostly immaterial. To put it in another way, if there is ONE book you should read about software testing, then this should be the ONE. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Data Processing    2. Computer Programs Testing    3. Computer software    4. Computers - Languages / Programming    5. Debugging in computer science    6. General    7. Programming - General    8. Questions & Answers    9. Reference    10. Science    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Testing    13. Applications of Computing    14. Reference / Questions & Answers   

Reviews (12)

Challenging and relevant
The basic analysis is correct.For some time the conditions of information-overload, de-legitimation of authoritative sources, lack of acceptibility of grand stories about reality or human history, has resulted in a condition of dislocation/disorientation, reaction, and disempowerment that is very confusing, and very bound up in abusive power structures, the confusions of language and over-loaded symbols and games of language, and struggle to communicate.
Consider Lyotard's Intentions
In this short piece, Jean-Francois Lyotard frames postmodernity as a radical crisis of legitimacy undermining classical and modern "grand narratives." He does this, interestingly, by turning to Wittgensteinian philosophy of language, which posits language as a public and structured game. Consequently, for Lyotard, if the master narratives of science, politics, or theory itself communicate effectively, it is because they are operative and performative language games, not because they have recourse to some ultimate truth.
Provacative and significant work
I'm mostly taking it upon myself to write this review in response to much of the negative criticism it's been getting here. First, Lyotard's claim that metanarratives have been dismantled is an observation of the world he sees around him, NOT a political tactic that he's endorsing. The elements of specialization and performativity that function as tiny legitmating narratives are what have done this, and Lyotard feels that something should be done IN RESPONSE to it. In fact, what he says we should use as the major political touchstone in the somewhat fractured environment is in some sense a metanarrative: justice.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Civilization, Modern    3. Epistemology    4. History & Surveys - Modern    5. Knowledge, Theory of    6. Philosophy    7. Postmodernism    8. Questions & Answers    9. Epistemology, theory of knowledge   

Reviews (9)

Feldman does it again!
As a kid, asking inumerable "stupid" questions was sure to get a weary "Go look it up" from a parent. Unfortunately, as a kid, I didn't have the innumerable resources at the fingertips of the Imponderables crew. As always, David Feldman and his team of information hunters have compiled questions from all over, some of which kept me going until I read the answer!
Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know..And Then Some
Do Penguins Have Knees? is a great book with a great concept.It answers all of life's little imponderables that you always wanted to know the answer to but never knew who to ask.The questions range from, "Why do cats like to be scratched behind the ears?" to "How did they keep beer cold in the Old West?".In the back of the book are Frustables (Imponderables that have not been solved), a Frustable update (new answers to old Frustables), an index to this book, and an index to all of the other Imponderables book.Why someone would put all of that in a book beats me.You look at the big book only to find that 1/3 is spent on things other than Imponderables (such as the complete index to all of the books, which I think is a stupid idea).The only flaw in this book is that there might even be too much information.They give you the answer and they keep rambling on. Some of the answers took up 2-3 pages when they had answered the Imponderable on the first page.Also, all of the names and places where they come from, for example: Bob Smith from the University of Learning Things in Yourtown, USA, seemed to clutter up the page and take away from the answer.I think this book had a great concept, but with a poor format.

Pondering the Imponderables
The author has a good formula going here.He takes an offbeat question and consults various experts, coming up with a plausible answer.Most of these I never would have thought to ask, but I still found myself intrigued by the answers.
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Subjects:  1. Curiosities & Wonders    2. General    3. Humor    4. Questions & Answers    5. Questions and answers    6. Reference    7. Games / Trivia   

Editorial Review

You'll find everything you forgot from school--as well asplenty you never even learned--in this all-purpose reference book, aninstant classic when it first appeared in 1987. The updated versiontakes a whirlwind tour through 12 different disciplines, from Americanstudies to philosophy to world history. Along the way, Judy Jones andWilliam Wilson provide a plethora of useful information, from the plotof Read more

Reviews (59)

More Here Than You Can Ever Know
No, you probably didn't learn all of these 3,684 tidbits. If you had you would have been an excellent player of 'Trivial Persuit' but your brain would probably have been fried.
Study this curricum and have fun doing so!
I just finished the taped version of AN INCOMPLETE EDUATION
A Great Book
This book can be viewed as either a repository of interesting knowledge or as a way to one up people in conversation at cocktail parties.There are chapters to correspond with the major departments in a liberal arts college (art, literature, economics, etc.)This is a guide to everything that you learned in college and forgot (or everything you should have learned but skipped out on).If you are still in high school, read this book--you will be able to easily impress your teachers with college-level knowledge.I cannot wait for the new edition to be released! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education (General)    2. Encyclopedias    3. Encyclopedias and dictionaries    4. Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc    5. Questions & Answers    6. Reference    7. Reference / Encyclopedias   

Reviews (1)

Fire Fighter I & II (Exam Prep) (Exam Prep (Jones & Bartlett Publishers))
I recently bought this book to prepare myself for the Florida State Fire fighter equivalency written exam. I have to say it was helpful in, helping me find my weaknesses, but very few questions that were on my exam were in this book. It has been 7 years since I had went through fire school, so I had forgot alot. Overall, the book did help, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs to find their weaknesses. The book has great references for a number of books, so you can look up the questions you get wrong and review the parts you are weak in.
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Subjects:  1. Civil Service    2. Fire Science    3. General    4. Study Aids    5. Study Guides    6. Test Prep    7. Explosives technology & pyrotechnics    8. Reference / Questions & Answers    9. Study & learning skills   

Reviews (10)

A JEWEL
Perfect book. Nice and small. You can buy it cheap too, it's old. But it's full of the meat and potatoes, no fluffy Java source code. Sure, it uses Pascal, but it's not that hard to understand Pascal code even if you never programmed in Pascal (me neither). What matters is the discussions behind the scenes. It covers the whole range of what you should know and it's concise. They don't write books like this anymore.

A classic text book on Data Structures.
I believe two books make a classic collection in data structures - one was the data structures book by sartaj sahni (his first edition book many years ago - I haven't looked at his recent books).That was the book I had to study when I was an undergrad student.Now I was entrusted with the task of teaching Data Structures and after looking at several books, this is the one I chose (may be because it comes most close to the style of teaching using psuedo-pascal that I grew up with).
thank god I didn't buy it!
This is a very bad written book in my opinion!It tries to explain algorithms using PASCAL language or something like this... I have seen many better books for algorithms and data structure!Read more

Subjects:  1. Algorithms (Computer Programming)    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computer algorithms    4. Computers    5. Computers - Languages / Programming    6. Data Structures    7. Data structures (Computer scie    8. Data structures (Computer science)    9. Programming - General    10. Programming - Systems Analysis & Design    11. Programming Languages - General    12. Questions & Answers    13. Computers / Programming / Systems Analysis & Design    14. Databases & data structures    15. Mathematical theory of computation   

Reviews (6)

Questions and Answers to Help You Pass the Real Estate Appraisal Exams
Excellent review for taking the Real Estate Appraisal Exam, it covers all topics at the proper degree of difficulty.

I TOO USED MR. TIRONE'S HP-12C BOOK TO STUDY FOR THE EXAM
I purchased as much material as I could to help me through the appraisal certification exams, especially so to help me through the books I had to buy! It semed that I kept getting deeper and deeper with each book I purchased, the reviewed book included. I then saw one of my classmate's book on the HP12C, written by a Mr. John A. Tirone from Michigan. I purchased this book and used it to supplement the calculations in Mr. Fisher's questions and answers book as well as his Income Property Appraisal book. I used Mr. John A. Tirone's HP-12C Book to get me through th
I used Professional real Estate Propblem Solving using the HP 12C to get me through this confusing book as well as help me get through "G1" and "G2" appraisal's computations materials. What stumped me was the lack of clarity in the Fihser Tosh book as far as computations. for coverage of the HP12C it was a lifesaver to have Mr. Tirone's HP-12C real estate book. Mr. Tirone was helpful as several in our class called him for help while trying to absorb the confusing aspects of the Fisher/Tosh book. Mr. Tirone should write a book like Questions and Answers... or team up with the likes of the authors of the reviewed book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Examinations, questions, etc    3. General    4. Questions & Answers    5. Real Estate - Sales    6. Real property    7. Reference    8. Valuation    9. Examinations & assessment    10. House & Home / General    11. Property & real estate   

Reviews (17)

Tells you everything it could
I read this book while going through the application process for the Peace Corps, and then found a copy of it in my host country while serving. Several other volunteers and I sat down and read pieces out loud to each other, expecting a good laugh, and were surprised at how good we still found it. It is very thorough and very accurate. As to one reviewer's note that it left them with unanswered questions - well, you must understand, even within one host country, people have very different experiences, and the Peace Corps is in about 80 countries. What this book doesn't tell you, you can't - and don't need to - know beforehand. Read it, pack lightly, and go with an open mind.

Great Information
I am considering joining the Peace Corps and this book provided me with all the information and answered so many of the questions about joining. Is very honest and straight forward about consequences and advantages. Awesome insight! Recommend this book highly for anyone curious to know the real truths behind joining the Peace Corps.

A Great Help
I have dreamt of the Peace Corps for years now, and since college graduation is nearing, I read this book.It's put in a simple question and answer format, so you can skip to or refer back to a specific concern of yours.He brought up questions I hadn't even thought of, and now Peace Corps life is a lot clearer to me.So clear, I might not even go anymore!The only thing I didn't like about this book was that he says "you will feel this way or that way" and "this is what will happen;" I wish he would have told about his experience more than telling me what I will experience, as if we all go through the same thing.I would have also liked to hear more about specific projects.I very much appreciated that he gave the up side and the down side; it's not just an advertisement for the Peace Corps.I also like that in the end there are references for other volunteer abroad opportunities, as I'm looking for something with a shorter commitment.This advice can be applied to programs other than the Peace Corps, and my copy is now full of highlights and dog-eared pages.I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about the Peace Corps. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Handbooks & Manuals    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Peace Corps (U.S.)    4. Questions & Answers    5. Reference    6. Sociology    7. Volunteer Work   

Reviews (7)

Valuable Book

Awesome for Actionable Purchase
This book led me to synergist my P2P bottom-line best practices, to synergize both inside and outside the box, to leverage a value-added, results-driven mindset for their B2B core competencies in which their historical trends have led me to conclude that by doubling or even tripling their efforts of efficiency on the office front, it will yield a new entity of massive synergistic proportions.
A Good Thought Jogger
Silberman has brought together 45 different tools to help the consultant carry out a variety of projects. The book is probably due for a new edition, but many of the tools are as relevant now as they were when the book was published.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Consulting    4. Business consultants    5. Business/Economics    6. Consulting    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Human Resources & Personnel Management    9. Questions & Answers    10. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    11. Consultancy & grants for businesses    12. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (6)

A little racy
I would give this 5 stars, except that I was a bit surprised when I read some entries pertaining to sex. There is another version of Zobmondo that is supposed to be dirty, so I guess I figured this version would be clean. All in all, it's a great way to encourage the art of discussion, even if it encourages a discussion of the merits of eating live rodents' body parts.

Zobmondo!Great Campfire discussions!
I got this book from my querky sister...Now I'm the querky sister!What great entertainment this turned out with our weenend camping trips.Makes for great discussions and very thought provoking.Interestingly enough, although conversations about the choices were loud and long, no one got angry or upset, just good laughs and a lot of fun. (could even fun for kids when some censorship is used!ha!) Recommend this book for anyone who likes to entertain -- just as fun as MAD-LIBs but without the pencils.

Pretty cool
...It's definetly better to ask the questions to your friends, you get a much better response. Read more

Subjects:  1. Curiosities and wonders    2. Games    3. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    4. Games/Puzzles    5. General    6. Humor    7. Questions & Answers    8. Games / General    9. Indoor games    10. Puzzles & quizzes   

Reviews (4)

Foremost book in the field
I had the previous version of this book as my text at USC. This version is a huge improvement over the last one. This one covers all the new advances and adds emphasis on the use of coding to communications channels. A complaint I had of the last version was that it under-emphasized coding gains and Eb/N0 vs. BER performance figures. This book has overcome many of those difficulties. It is still a bit ponderous in places but then it is the only book that covers the material in this much detail, truly a Bible of the field. It is a great graduate level text and a must-have book for any comm engineer. Charan Langton complextoreal.com

very useful for both beginners and experts
a very detailed book for getting into Galois field arithmetics, cyclic codes, convolutional codes, ... As a very beginner I had no big problems understanding the content. I am not the type of guy who could understandjust by reading the theory - this book gives a lot of very useful examples,so you could call it fun reading it!

Excellent applications-based approach to Error Correction
Lin and Costello produced an excellent text which is targeted towardsengineers as opposed to mathematicians. The mathematics behind errorcorrection can be extremely intensive and, with other texts, I quicklybecome lost in complex proofs. Lin and Costello present error correction inmethod, with plenty of good examples, which those who need to know how toapply it can understand and the gory details of the theory are not asimportant. I used this book as my introduction to error correction and itcontinues to be a great reference book. The only drawback in it is since itwas published in '82, it stops at convolutional coding and does not covertrellis-coded modulation or turbo codes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - General Information    2. Computers - General Information    3. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    4. Error-correcting codes (Inform    5. General    6. Information Theory    7. Questions & Answers    8. Science/Mathematics    9. History of ideas, intellectual history    10. Technology / Telecommunications