Books with author Robert Curley

An updated edition of what many consider the “bible of high-end audio” In this newly revised and updated fifth edition, Robert Harley, editor in chief of the Absolute Sound magazine, tells you everything you need to know about buying and enjoying high-quality hi-fi. With this book, discover how to get the best sound for your money, how to identify the weak links in your system and upgrade where it will do the most good, how to set up and tweak your system for maximum performance, and how to become a more perceptive and appreciative listener. Just a few of the secrets you will learn cover high-end sound on a budget, how to do it cheap and still do it right; five system set-up mistakes and how to avoid them; how to make your speakers sound up to 50% better, at no cost; how to choose and set up a computer-based music system; how to find the one speaker in 50 worth owning; and why all 100-watt amplifiers don't sound the same. Since the first edition's publication in 1994, The Complete Guide to High-End Audio has been considered the essential reference on high-quality music reproduction, with more than 150,000 copies sold in five languages.

How to make and play games in an above and In-ground swimming pool. I show you how easy and inexpensive it is to make a water-ball, goal post, bases, net and basket for both above and in ground pools. The games in this book were written with all combination of age groups in mind. I have add suggestions and options to the games and races to make them equally challenging for the individual or teams as possible. This book will stimulate your imagination and even turn your ever day use and parties in to a splashing success.

Although conflict was once restricted to land, the introduction of warships and planes eventually expanded the theater of war to include both water and sky. New combat strategies emerged with these changing technologies and dramatically impacted such events as the First World War. This comprehensive volume examines the various crafts that have shifted the front lines of war to previously unimagined heights and depths and the tactics that have accompanied these developments.

Even as airlines provide faster means of travel, ships and boats remain as important as ever in transporting passengers and cargo across the world’s bodies of water. While ship design has become increasingly sophisticated with time, everything including the luxury liners, warships, and sailboats of today owe much to the watercraft that facilitated travel, trade, and war among ancient cultures. This detailed volume examines the development of the different types of water vehicles and the design of related structures, including docks and quays.

The ingenuity evidenced during the Renaissance was not just limited to the fine arts. A number of scientists and inventors also made astonishing breakthroughs in astronomy, medicine, physics, and more. Readers examine the scientific revolution, profiling Isaac Newton, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo, and many other great thinkers who transformed the scientific and mechanical worlds.

In an age where near-instantaneous communication is available through all manners of portable and pocket-sized devices, it is easy to overlook the genesis of telecommunication instrumentationthe telephone. Since Alexander Graham Bell patented the first phone in the 1800s, the telephone has undergone numerous changes to its look and functionality. This detailed volume examines the development of the telephone and related technologies, including everything from the transistor to fax machines, smart phones, and VoIP technology.

War, while often gruesome and devastating, can also be viewed as a science or art, involving the translation of theory into practice. Even as weapons grow in sophistication over time, war has always involved careful calculations and balancing the interests of the involved party with effective combat techniques against an enemy. This absorbing volume examines the evolution of the strategies, tactics, and logistics employed in various wars and conflicts, from ancient times to the present-day.

With their potential to wreak massive or total devastation, nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons have dramatically escalated the stakes of war. As stockpiles of such weapons continue to grow around the world, especially in the years since the Second World War, countries have recognized the need to check their powers. This detailed volume examines various weapons of mass destruction and the science behind them, their effects on conflict, and the various arms control treaties and agreements that have been introduced to help curb the possibility of overwhelming loss.

The idea of espionage might immediately bring to mind images of danger, state secrets, and cutting-edge technologies. While these can be elements of intelligence operations, they do not provide a complete picture. There are numerous methods intelligence agencies, such as the CIA, might employ to gather information, and any number of threats that might be examined given the political climate of the day. This compelling volume examines the models intelligence agencies around the world have used both in the past and present, notable individuals, and the intelligence priorities of the Middle East and East Asia, two of the most politically volatile regions in recent history.

Long before they took to the sea and air, warring factions engaged in land-based conflicts that involved close-range combat with rudimentary defenses and weapons. As civilizations have advanced, so too have their military strategies, tactics, and weaponry. Eventually this led to the development of sophisticated land fortifications, arms, artillery, and missile systems in use today by ground troops. This insightful volume examines the evolution of warfare on land around the world, as well as the impact of new technologies on the nature of war.