Mastering MATLAB 7 Review

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Mastering MATLAB 7 ReviewI have been using a copy of this reference since I got started with Matlab about a year and a half ago. It is very good for beginners who need to look up how to do general tasks such as write a function using variable arguments, perform plotting, or figure out how to shoe-horn a problem into Matlab that doesn't really seem to fit the Matlab paradigm of everything being a matrix. I also particularly like the chapter on using Matlab with Java. Of course, if you are a more advanced user, this book will seem too simplistic. Even now, though, it's the first book I go to when I have a question that does not involve one of the specialized Matlab toolboxes. The table of contents is not shown by Amazon, so I show it here for the purpose of completeness:
1 GETTING STARTED
Introduction; Typographical Conventions; What's New in MATLAB 7; What's in Mastering MATLAB 7
2 BASIC FEATURES
Simple Math; The MATLAB Workspace; About Variables; Comments, Punctuation, and Aborting Execution; Complex Numbers;Floating-Point Arithmetic;Mathematical Functions
3 THE MATLAB DESKTOP
MATLAB Windows; Managing the MATLAB Workspace; Memory Management; Number Display Formats; Keeping a Session Log;System Information; The MATLAB Search Path
4 SCRIPT M-FILES
Script M-file Use; Block Comments and Code Cells; Setting Execution Time; Startup and Finish
5 ARRAYS AND ARRAY OPERATIONS
Simple Arrays; Array Addressing or Indexing; Array Construction; Array Orientation; Scalar-Array Mathematics; Array-Array Mathematics; Standard Arrays; Array Manipulation; Array Sorting; Subarray Searching; Array Manipulation Functions; Array Size; Arrays and Memory Utilization
6 MULTIDIMENSIONAL ARRAYS
Array Construction; Array Mathematics and Manipulation; Array Size
7 NUMERIC DATA TYPES
Integer Data Types; Floating Point Data Types; Summary
8 CELL ARRAYS AND STRUCTURES
Cell Array Creation; Cell Array Manipulation; Retrieving Cell Array Content; Comma-Separated Lists; Cell Functions; Cell Arrays of Strings; Structure Creation; Structure Manipulation; Retrieving Structure Content; Comma-Separated Lists (Again); Structure Functions; Summary
9 CHARACTER STRINGS
String Construction; Numbers to Strings to Numbers; String Evaluation; String Functions; Cell Arrays of Strings; Searching Using Regular Expressions
10 RELATIONAL AND LOGICAL OPERATIONS
Relational Operators; Logical Operators; Operator Precedence; Relational and Logical Functions; NaNs and Empty Arrays
11 CONTROL FLOW
For Loops; While Loops; If-Else-End Constructions; Switch-Case Constructions; Try-Catch Blocks
12 FUNCTIONS
M-file Function Construction Rules; Input and Output Arguments; Function Workspaces; Functions and the MATLAB Search Path; Creating Your Own Toolbox; Command-Function Duality; Function Handles and Anonymous Functions; Nested Functions;
13 M-FILE DEBUGGING AND PROFILING
Debugging Tools; Syntax Checking and File Dependencies; Profiling M-files
14 FILE AND DIRECTORY MANAGEMENT
Native Data Files; Data Import and Export; Low-Level File I/O; Directory Management; FTP File Operations
15 SET, BIT, AND BASE FUNCTIONS
Set Functions; Bit Functions; Base Conversions
16 TIME COMPUTATIONS
Current Date and Time; Date Format Conversions; Date Functions; Timing Functions; Plot Labels
17 MATRIX ALGEBRA
Sets of Linear Equations; Matrix Functions; Special Matrices; Sparse Matrices; Sparse Matrix Functions
18 DATA ANALYSIS
Basic Statistical Analysis; Basic Data Analysis; Data Analysis and Statistical Functions
19 DATA INTERPOLATION
One-Dimensional Interpolation; Two-Dimensional Interpolation; Triangulation and Scattered Data; Summary
20 POLYNOMIALS
Roots; Multiplication; Addition; Division; Derivatives and Integrals; Evaluation; Rational Polynomials; Curve Fitting
21 CUBIC SPLINES
Basic Features; Piecewise Polynomials; Cubic Hermite Polynomials; Integration; Differentiation; Spline Interpolation on a Plane
22 FOURIER ANALYSIS
Discrete Fourier Transform; Fourier Series
23 OPTIMIZATION
Zero Finding; Minimization in One Dimension; Minimization in Higher Dimensions; Practical Issues
24 INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENTIATION
Integration; Differentiation
25 DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
IVP Format; ODE Suite Solvers; Basic Use; Setting Options; BVPs, PDEs and DDEs
26 TWO-DIMENSIONAL GRAPHICS
The plot Function; Linestyles, Markers, and Colors; Plot Grids, Axes Box, and Labels; Customizing Plot Axes; Multiple Plots; Multiple Figures; Subplots Interactive Plotting Tools; Screen Updates; Specialized 2-D Plots; Easy Plotting; Text Formatting; Summary
27 THREE-DIMENSIONAL GRAPHICS
Line Plots; Scalar Functions of Two Variables; Mesh Plots; Surface Plots; Mesh and Surface Plots of Irregular Data; Changing Viewpoints; Camera Control; Contour Plots; Specialized 3-D Plots; Volume Visualization; Easy Plotting; Summary
28 USING COLOR AND LIGHT
Understanding Colormaps; Using Colormaps; Displaying Colormaps; Creating and Altering Colormaps; Using Color to Describe a Fourth Dimension; Lighting Models; Summary
29 IMAGES, MOVIES, AND SOUND
Images; Image Formats; Image Files; Movies; Image Utilities; Sound; Summary
30 PRINTING AND EXPORTING GRAPHICS
Printing and Exporting Using Menus; Command Line Printing and Exporting; Printers and Export File Formats; PostScript Support; Choosing a Renderer; Handle Graphics Properties; Setting Defaults; Summary
31 HANDLE GRAPHICS
Objects; Object Handles;Object Properties; get and set; Finding Objects; Selecting Objects with the Mouse; Position and Units; Default Properties; Common Properties Plot Objects Group Objects; Annotation Axes; Linking Objects; New Plots; Rendering Speed; Callbacks; M-file Examples; Summary
32 GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES
What's a GUI?; Predefined Dialog Boxes; M-file Dialog Boxes; Dialog Box Summary; GUI Object Hierarchy; GUI Creation Fundamentals; GUI Object Size and Position; Capturing Mouse Actions; The Event Queue; Callback Programming M-file Examples; GUIDE; Summary
33 MATLAB CLASSES AND OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING
Overloading; Class Creation; Subscripts; Converter Functions; Precedence, Inheritance, and Aggregation
34 MATLAB PROGRAMMING INTERFACES
Accessing MATLAB Arrays; Calling C or FORTRAN from MATLAB; Calling MATLAB from C or FORTRAN; Exchanging Data with MAT-files; Shared Libraries; Serial Communications; Source Code Control Systems; Summary
35 EXTENDING MATLAB WITH JAVA
Java Overview; Java Classes; Java Objects; Java Methods; Object Properties; Data Exchange; Java Arrays; Java Functions; Examples; Summary
36 WINDOWS APPLICATION INTEGRATION
COM Objects: Client/Server Communication; Dynamic Data Exchange; MATLAB Notebook; MATLAB COM-related Toolboxes; Summary
37 GETTING HELP
Command Window Help; The Help Browser; Internet Resources; Mastering MATLAB 7 Help; Summary
38 EXAMPLES, EXAMPLES, EXAMPLES
Vectorization; JIT-Acceleration; Up-Down Sequence; Vandermonde Matrix; Repeated Value Creation and Counting; Differential Sums; Structure Manipulation; Inverse Interpolation; Polynomial Fitting; Nonlinear Curve Fitting; Picture-in-a-Picture Zoom
Mastering MATLAB 7 Overview This book covers all essential aspects of MATLAB presented within an easy-to-follow "learn while doing" tutorial format. Discussees all new features of the latest release of MATLAB. Discusses integration of MATLAB with C, FORTRAN, AND Java; increases MATLAB's power and flexibility in dealing with external algorithms, datasets, and operating system capabilities. Offers thorough coverage of indexing, vectorizing, and linear algebra. Features abundant examples throughout and includes a chapter that specifically covers extensive examples. Includes a comprehensive index. A useful reference for engineers or anyone who uses MATLAB.

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The Game Producer's Handbook Review

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The Game Producer's Handbook ReviewIf there were a Hitchhiker's Guide to game production, this would be it.
It's not easy to describe the work of a producer. In practical terms, the producer is the person ultimately responsible for the planning, development, and delivery of a game. Involved in all aspects of production, a producer holds the broadest possible view of a project, and orchestrates its unfolding at the highest level.
Yet producing is also much more than that. In many ways, producing is the most complex and versatile job in the entertainment industry, and those involved in production often claim that their jobs vary as much from day to day much as they do from project to project.
So how does one approach a field this large, this complex, and this rewarding? There's no single answer, but the The Game Producer's Handbook is a good place to start.
The Game Producer's Handbook is a comprehensive, pragmatic guide to the producer's role in game development. Drawing on his own experience as producer of the Myst franchise, Dan Irish presents a complete A-to-Z of game producing, focusing on the processes and practices that make for a successful producer and a smoothly-run production.
Welcome to the World of the Producer
The book opens with the legendary question: "What exactly does a producer do ?" Verdict

A producer and his or her team, says Irish, are responsible for ensuring that a game is developed to spec, on schedule, under budget, and at an acceptable level of quality. The producer is the central hub connecting the development team, the publisher, and the production staff - and by extension, any studio executives, contractors, marketing coordinators, or other parties who might get involved along the way.
This translates into a great many responsibilities over the course of a production cycle. From developing design documents to planning tools acquisitions, a producer must coordinate all major activities associated with a project, and balance a wide palette of tasks that can vary from the ordinary to the wholly unexpected.
Exploring these various areas of responsibility, and detailing the best practices for handling them, is the primary focus of this book.
The Biggest Job in the Industry
Using specific examples and techniques, Irish addresses every major aspect of production, supplementing the general discussion of each topic with sample documents, checklists, and professional testimony. The result is a comprehensive overview of all facets of a game producer's job.
Here is a general summary of the areas focused on in the book.
Best Practices. Generally speaking, the author outlines many of his best practices for game production - tips and tricks which help streamline a production and bring about efficiency and success. Examples include weekly leads meetings, conservative use of overtime, daily delta reporting, building slack into the schedule, and using postmortems to continually improve efficiency.
Design Documentation. Irish places great emphasis on the importance of creating clear and comprehensive design documents. Included are tips on creating a concise executive summary, delivering a clear and passionate presentation to a publisher, creating adequate technical documentation, and regularly revisiting all design documents over a game's life cycle.
Scheduling. Scheduling and resource allocation are in many ways the heart of a producer's job. The author discusses at length the processes that go into creating manageable schedules, setting realistic milestones, and tracking the interaction between human resources, production assets, and deadlines. Specific techniques for linking information via Microsoft Project and Microsoft Excel are also included.
Budgeting. The discussion on game development financials covers the management of global and departmental budgets, the differences between fixed and incidental costs, and the finer points of financial modeling, such as a Profit and Loss statement. Irish also offers techniques for identifying and managing calculated risk.
Legal. On the legal side of production, the book offers a wealth of information on working with contracts and outlines steps to ensure that all bases are covered when entering into a legally binding agreement with a third party. (A point-by-point explanation of a typical studio contract is especially useful for anyone involved in contract negotiation.) The author also offers pointers for working with contractors, attorneys, and unionized employees, including both SAG and non-SAG actors.
Audio Production. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of game development, the book addresses the various areas of audio production in which a producer might be involved. These include choosing music, interviewing and hiring composers, managing sound effects assets, and wrangling voiceover work, as well as licensing and/or developing a sound engine.
Tools. Since a producer is ultimately responsible for the tools that his or her team uses to make a game, the author includes an overview of some key applications used by a typical development house. These include programming tools such as OpenGL, CGI packages such as Maya, and industry-specific tools such as Valve's "Source" engine. The book also addresses the pros and cons of using a proprietary toolset.
QA. The QA process, though often relegated to a secondary position in the production pipeline, is emphasized as a critical component of the development process. The author discusses the importance of establishing an organized, methodical approach to QA, and encourages fixing issues as they arise rather than at the end of production. Irish also presents breakdowns of a typical QA hierarchy and of common QA practices.
Marketing. Lastly, Irish addresses the relationship between producer and marketing department, and the importance of factoring marketing needs into the budget and schedule. He discusses the merits of a strong demo, the importance of good screen shots, and the wisdom of planning for accessory products such as a soundtrack or a strategy guide.
The author also addresses the degree to which producers must understand the game industry per se in order to successfully manage a game's development. This includes the specific technological and financial constraints of today's market, as well as a discussion of the inherent challenges of straddling the fence between production and design.
An Indispensable Handbook
It's worth noting that this book has added relevance outside the game industry, particularly in animation production and digital filmmaking. Leveraging middleware or working with game testers are of course industry-specific considerations, but the general nature of production is the same throughout the entertainment industry, and the material in this book has much to offer for production professionals in related sectors.
Irish also recognizes that the manner in which a producer approaches his or her work impacts the quality of a production. At several points in the book, he examines the habits and attitudes that allow a producer to be successful, and ties these back to producing and production management.
If there's one genuine critique of this book, it's that the author over-emphasizes the degree to which his material applies to "producers." Irish does address the full scope of the production hierarchy, from Executive and Associate Producers down to PAs and Interns - but the general emphasis on the producer could lead less experienced readers to miss out on material that is applicable at levels of the command chain.
Yet overall, what Irish delivers is a great guidebook for professional game production, covering every major aspect of the field in enough detail to be useful and accessible, while paying fair due to the habits and behaviors that characterize a strong producer. Appropriate for experienced professionals and up-and-comers alike, The Game Producer's Handbook is an excellent text on the overall art and science of producing games, and the book is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in this topic.5 out of 5 stars
PROS
Outstanding all-around guide to the art and science of producing games.
Comprehensive yet specific approach addresses all areas of game production.
Author balances pragmatism and efficiency with passion and integrity.
CONS
Focus is largely on producers, but the material is applicable at all levels of production.
Book is conceptually well-organized, but needs clearer visual organization - e.g. clear indications of main sections and sub-sections.
Readers might benefit from a bundled CD-ROM containing sample documents and other digital resources.
The Game Producer's Handbook Overview"The Game Producer's Handbook" offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to succeed in the game industry, answering the question "what does it take to be a successful video game producer?" It is for those who yearn to achieve excellence in their work--individuals whose desire for excellence will define their careers in the entertainment software industry. It is for students who view the video game industry from the outside and want the knowledge and skills to succeed inside this burgeoning future of entertainment. Whatever their current role in the game industry, readers will be fascinated by this insider's glimpse into the role of Game Producer. They'll discover the reasoning behind some of the most common mistakes made in video game development. The author offers tips on how financial aspects of a project govern a producer's decisions and shows readers how to negotiate a good development deal that ensures a win-win situation for everyone. Readers will even learn how to produce an excellent soundtrack and will learn why the music is as important as the graphics.

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A Guide to MATLAB Object-Oriented Programming Review

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A Guide to MATLAB Object-Oriented Programming ReviewI agree with Dimitri. This book was published in 2007, but was written for Matlab 5 to 7.1. Matlab is now on 7.6 and uses a classdef .m file to create a class.
I had created some of my own classes from the Matlab help using classdef command and so was completely confused when I first started looking at the code in this book because it doesn't use classdef. Now I understand my confusion, the book is way out of date.A Guide to MATLAB Object-Oriented Programming OverviewA Guide to MATLAB Object-Oriented Programming is the first book to deliver broad coverage of the documented and undocumented object-oriented features of MATLAB. Unlike the typical approach of other resources, this guide explains why each feature is important, demonstrates how each feature is used, and promotes an understanding of the interactions between features.
Assuming an intermediate level of MATLAB programming knowledge, the book not only concentrates on MATLAB coding techniques but also discusses topics critical to general software development. It introduces fundamentals first before integrating these concepts into example applications. In the first section, the book discusses eight basic functions: constructor, subsref, subsasgn, display, struct, fieldnames, get, and set. Building on the previous section, it explores inheritance topics and presents the Class Wizard, a powerful MATLAB class generation tool. The final section delves into advanced strategies, including containers, static variables, and function fronts.
With more than 20 years of experience designing and implementing object-oriented software, the expert author has developed an accessible and comprehensive book that aids readers in creating effective object-oriented software using MATLAB.

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