Web Books

I have several books designed about creativity and this is the best one that I've read. It is filled with solid information, not gimmicks.

HOT-WIRING YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS: STRATEGIES FOR PRINT AND NEW MEDIA DESIGNERS tells how to recognize and believe in creativity, using inspiration past and present to evaluate work, develop new experimental applications for standard tasks, and more. Any designer who would streamline creativity and develop more efficient work habits will find HOT-WIRING YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS comes packed with tips on how to put into practice an array of creative techniques.

Being creative is very difficult for me. The movie actor and singer Judy Garland was called "one take Judy" because she could act a scene or record a song perfectly in one take. Creativity doesn't come that easily for me. Sometimes it becomes so difficult that I want to give up, close up Photoshop and just write computer programs for a living. Programming is comforting. There are rules to follow and as long as you don't break them, your program will work. But eventually, I find myself back into Photoshop trying again to be creative. If you want to be a professional artist, you need to be creative "on demand" and, to make things even more difficult, the project concept is usually not yours. So what do you do? I am always in search of that "secret" which will help me become and, even more importantly, stay creative. One thing that can help, until you find that magic pill, is to study how other artists are creative.

This book, by Curt Cloninger, has some very useful ideas for increasing your creativity. He uses quotes, tidbits and interviews to share his and other artists' creative process. He begins by breaking down the creative process into four steps; predesign, design, development and implementation. He discusses how each step is influenced by the needs of the artist and client. He then shows several ways to stay creative from brainstorming to using a set of cards by Peter Schmidt called Oblique Strategies: Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas.

Another source of creativity is what has been done before. Cloninger discusses how to recognize good design and ideas from history and how they might be applied to your current project. He then moves on to software and grids. He tells you not to be afraid to use these tools to free you to be more creative especially when you use the software in ways it was not originally designed for.

Next, he discusses five realms of design; media constraints, audience needs, client needs, professional ethics and aesthetics. Finally, he tells you it is OK to fail. According to Cloninger, failure is what leads to successful creativity.

Curt Cloninger is a successful artist, designer, author and instructor in Multimedia Arts & Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. His previous books include Fresh Styles for Web Designers: Eye Candy from the Underground. His artwork has been featured in popular publications such as How Design and FILE.

I was a seasoned HTML programmer a few years ago. Since then, I fell out of the craft and needed a book to start from the beginning so I wouldn't miss anything. This was that book. Examples, references, and meaningful information pertaining to the language. Recommended to anyone looking for a place to start on their own webspace.

Honestly, I just got the book today. But guess what, I've been glued to my desk for 5 hours by now... First of all, if you know what it feels like to have ALL of your questions answered regarding the webpage you're working on then you know how I feel right now. This book is every bit competent as it was written to be - an html "reference." I am no newbie in html but still, I like how the book organize and explain the syntax and methodology of this language. My favorite section of the book was on style sheets, not only did I learn quite a few new tricks (or maybe they were simply not listed in my other reference) but I also found the cross-browser reference very useful. This is a fantastic reference that's full of examples and thoughtful materials. Just so you know, my other reference is the well-know "html 4 for the world wide web" by Elizabeth Castro. I must say it is well deserved the praise and hypes because nothing I've seen can topper this champ for for it's purpose -- it'll get you started in no time. But trust me, after you start programming in html for a while, you'll need a more in-depth reference. well, look no further, this is IT. At first I was hesitated to buy this book because there's no review on it......now I'm just a happy reader.

This is the only book for HTML 4.01 needed. Written and arranged so that information is easily found and understood. An excellent, comprehensive resource for both novice and experienced alike as it touches on everything one would need to know, forms-tables-style sheets-deprecated's, etc.

It is really easy to comprehend. I am not an A student in my 8th grade classes but I can understand it without doughts. I look at HTML in a different way now that I now what they are used for.

this book is highly attractive from the start. It's organization makes it look like one of the easiest entry-level books, but it's challenging because it uses the notepad format for writing web pages. This is the best way to learn! This excellent book has a perfect pace; not too fast and not too slow. With easy-to-finish activities, it fits HTML classes into my BUSY schedule! I think this book is worth every penny of the price!

I'm taking an introductory course in HTML at the local technical college. The instructor is using this text. I'm most pleased with it. It's just challenging enough without overwhelming the student. The excercises are fun and practical. While most people these days use web tools like FrontPage 98, my company's computer specialist tells me that a basic knowledge of HTML "from scratch" (as provided by this book) will enable me to make much better use of web authoring tools than people without such training.

"I like the exercises very much. They appear to be at least as good as others I've seen, and in many cases better. The idea of a running theme is appealing"

"The most attractive feature of the author's approach is the smooth transition from basic HTML to more complex, powerful HTML. I believe Avila has struck the right balance between straightforward and fast-paced coverage. Most currrent HTML texts either never progress beyond a simple introduction, or they jump too quickly into the more complex aspects of HTML"

"Most HTML texts do not cover maps, applets and frames to the depth of this text"

I'm a software developer, and spent some time looking at beginner's HTML books recently because my dad asked for a recommendation. This book was my favorite of the ones I looked at.

This book is perfect for newcomers to HTML. The author focuses on all the right things, drawing special attention to common areas of confusion, such as: pairing of HTML begin/end tags; resizing images; alignment of text around images; and so on.

The book starts with super-simple samples. Note: unfortunately, there's a serious mistake in the very first HTML sample! Near the top of p. 28, where the sample has one line which says, "", cross out the "<>", so that it just says, "Hi, my name is Paul Meyers". But don't let this mistake worry you; it's the only one I saw in the book.

The author has a breezy, joking style which I think will work well for beginners, preventing them from being intimidated. But he knows what he's talking about.

This book does not talk at all about fancier stuff like Javascript, ActiveX, and so on. And I think that's a good thing. Those are deep subjects which shouldn't be discussed in a beginning book.

One other problem: The book frequently refers the reader to an accompanying web site, however, that web site is empty! As of this writing, the site says, "Under Construction." Hopefully they'll fix this soon.

As an update to an earlier review, the companion website for this book is online and up-to-date. The online support adds to an already tremendous resource.

This book is a can't miss for beginning web designers. The author's simple, step-by-step writing style makes web development possible for the most novice web user.

This book doesn't miss a thing. Filled with plenty of very explicit examples, Paul Meyers finds a way to bring a virtual instructor into your computer room.

This is a can't miss for the novice web designer!

The iFilm Internet Movie Guide by IFILM.com editor-in-chief Lew Harris is a trailblazing, comprehensive guide to the best films, film sites, review sites, celebrity shrines, and movie-related gossip on the Internet. Perhaps most unique of all, it reviews and directs websurfers to short films that are available 24 hours a day on the Internet for all to see, for free! An absolute "must" for movie buffs and have access to the Internet, The iFilm Internet Movie Guide may be the first book of its kind but it certainly won't be the last!

The best thing about this book is that it tips you off to sites you never knew existed and would have never found otherwise. I consider myself pretty web savvy, and yet I discovered sites that are fun and useful and whose existence was a pleasant surprise. Also, the book is very funny and has a great attitude.

I got this book as a gift from a friend. I had very low expectations. I pride myself on having a rather large list of entertainment url bookmarks. Boy, was I surprised!! And impressed. The book starts off with the best 50 short films to watch on the Web--for FREE. There are the best in animation, spoofs, sci-fi, celebrity stuff, comedy, drama etc. I especially liked the "underground" sites, hip review sites (rotten tomatos), Sexiest sites, and other movie stuff. The interviews were fairly irreverent and fun. There is even a professional Appendix of the best screenwriter sites, filmmaking sites, producing sites and other somewhat professional places to go. It is just my guess, but there are probably close to 500 or more legitmate entertainment sites described in this book--way more than I ever imagined or have time to fully check out. very browsable. Thanks for the gift--I've had hours of pleasure. Broadband makes this book much better

This is a really cool book that should be owned by every Trekker

I am a big fan of Star Trek and thought I knew most of the popular web sites but this book pointed the way to so many new fun & different sites I never knew existed!

This book is an essential resource for all Star Trek fans who can use the Internet.

Let me explain why. Search engines have many weaknesses. They only check for certain key words, and they rank order the output in very long lists. For specific details on one page inside of a site, search engines are usually unable to help you. But perhaps the biggest weakness is that you have to think of the right things to search for.

As much as I love Star Trek, I would never spend hours using 20 different search engines and every word I could think of to try to find the best sites. Also, I wouldn't want to plow through a lot of lousy sites. I would simply give up, and not go further. That would be a mistake.

Star Trek is so popular that there are many more sites and types of sites than you can possibly imagine, and certainly many more than I ever imagined. For example, the book lays out all of the cast and characters of all the series and movies. It turns out that you have many sites to choose from (both in the U.S. and in other countries) for each character and performer.

Let me share a story with you. I was sitting at a table in a large meeting room a few years ago with an empty seat next to me. Dinner was about to be served. A nice-looking gentleman asked me if the seat was taken, and I asked him to please sit down. About 2 and a half seconds later, I realized that this was George Takei (Sulu to Trekkers). Well, I had a tremendously enjoyable three hours talking with him about his acting career, his interests, and current projects. Mr. Takei proved to be highly intelligent, gracious, and a real pleasure to be with in person. Now, I have to assume that my other favorite actors and actresses from Star Trek are not going to make themselves available to me in this way, but I can now use this book to visit Web sites and have experiences that will be somewhat like my wonderful dinner with Mr. Takei. I hope you will enjoy those visits as much as I did mine with Mr. Takei.

After you visit the sites for the cast and characters, you can always go to the film and television series sites. From there, you can find the best discussion sites for your interests. You can further visit the best multimedia sites.

I didn't realize that there was original Star Trek art on-line, and look forward to examining it. You can also acquire lots of Star Trek software (for cursors, fonts, icons, screensavers and wallpaper), plus directions for how to save and use them.

If you like to collect characters, there's help for you, as well.

If you are into Star Trek games, there are sites to help you "solve" whatever is stalling your progress.

But if you are like me, you will be fascinated by the section that begins on page 179 on how to build your own Star Trek site. And with a better sense of what is and is not available now, you can create a better, more intersting site.

We all know that some sites on any subject contain objectionable material. The listing of all the sites in this book tells you wish ones to avoid for this reason. Also, if you are screening sites for your youngsters, you can use this to avoid sites with adult material on them. So your young Voyager fanatic can trek safely in Cyberspace with your help.

After you realize what is available on-line about Star Trek, I suggest that you plan a regular schedule of voyages to help increase your enjoyment. As you do, be sure to pay attention to the chronology of Stardates in this book to help you keep what you are viewing in order.

Star Trek is all about the idea that the only limitations are the ones that we accept in ourselves. I hope you will use your Internet voyages to reaffirm your faith in that belief. Also, ask yourself where you are limiting yourself today. And then begin to eliminate those limits.

Be unbounded in your mission (except by the Prime Directive)!

Contrary to other books, this one has none of the hype regarding Internet as a research tool. It points out strengths and weakeness on subject areas and provides useful exercises for practice. Covers all the important areas and tools. It is a must in any librarian, cybrarian and information specialist library.

Learn how people are taught to search and research the Internet effectively if you want the public to visit your website. Simple and easy-to-read and not in technical language; obviously written by people who teach the subject.This is an excellent supplement to articles and guidance material aimed at Internet marketing.

We presently teach the Internet in our InfoPaths: Pathways to Information programme. This is our information literacy programme to both the general public and librarians. The information in this book is presented in a simple and clear manner. We found the summary and screen dumps useful not to mention the step by step guide to doing hands-on exercises. Certainly the authors knew what every information specialist needed! This book has become our "bible" and has been referred to often. Highly recommended.

One of the best Internet books I've read. Has an amazing amount of information in it. Answered virtually all of my questions and lots I didn't even know I had. Every Internet user should have a copy of this book. Questions I couldn't even get an answer from my ISP were answered in this book.

The computer and Internet industry has grown at an amazing rate in recent years and there seems to be no letting up in the production of new computer and Internet products. New hardware and software is essential to keep in line with today's trends. As more people purchase these new products and log onto the Internet the need for professional technical support increases. Cheryl Kirk has written Internet & Web Answers! Certified Tech Support to offer readers many of the answers they need to succeed online.

     When we buy new equipment and software we usually receive a limited amount of complementary technical support for these items. Sometimes this brief period of time may be sufficient to handle the tough questions we face. Sometimes it is not. Furthermore, some companies do not offer toll-free telephone technical support. This can add up after a while. I know. I've been there. I've paid the bills. Internet & Web Answers! will answer over 400 of the! most commonly asked Internet and Web questions and save the time and additional expense we would otherwise incur.

     Readers will benefit from the expertise offered from the databases of Stream International, a leading third-party tech support organization. This book provides short, concise answers to questions such as: why doesn't my modem operate up to speed?; why do my Web pages look different on different computers?; what is a cookie?; what is a Trojan Horse? The book offers assistance with matters such as getting connected online, configuring e-mail, how to design, create, and upload files to AOL and CompuServe, designing Web pages, and more. Many notes, tips, tricks, and cautions are provided to make the reading this book an interesting experience.

     I wish this book had come out a few years ago. It would have saved me countless hours of frustration and a lot of money. While there is no better tech support option than speaking with live expert tech sup! port personnel, this book will help bridge the gap. In mos! t cases it will supply exactly the same answers that many ISP's and companies would provide. Save them and yourself some headaches by picking up this book today. If you can master the contents of this book you are well on the way to becoming an expert tech support person yourself. Perhaps someday people will start calling on you for help!

A must have resource book for Internet newbies and mid-level users

If your new to the internet or an expert, this book is a must-have! You will learn everything you need to know from this tiny GEM...'I kid you not. It's worth it's weight in Gold, so take a tip from one who has plundered every bookstore on the planet searching for the Holy Grail of Internet Tuition in book-form. Look no further, it's here! Angus Kennedy is nothing short of a genius, a real Net-Guru...'you could not wish for a better teacher, and this book is his best ever effort, in my opinion. It's dirt cheap too, so buy it! You can't do better than this! (George Blades).

If your new to the internet or an expert, this book is a must-have! You will learn everything you need to know from this tiny GEM...I kid you not. It's worth it's weight in Gold, so take a tip from one who has plundered every bookstore on the planet searching for the Holy Grail of Internet Tuition in book-form. Look no further, it's here! Angus Kennedy is is nothing short of a genius, a real Net-Guru...'you could not wish for a better teacher, and this book is his best ever effort, in my opinion. It's dirt cheap too, so buy it! You can't do better than this! (George Blades).

I bought this book originally, because it had a condensed version of writing a web page in 11 short pages!!!Yes, I couldn't believe it either-but the best thing was- I also got the most useful internet book I will ever own, and it doesn't weigh as much as a telephone book! It just fits into my pocket(what bliss).If its out there, it's in here! Thanks Angus.