Scott Thompson Books

This book has quite good coverage of topics and simple to follow.
References and follow-up/conclusion were useful.

I've maybe three or four books on the subject of software security and this is the best so far. Very concise and well organized and covers just about every facet of software vulnerabilities that I've ever heard of. Very helpful too because at the end of each chapter it gives detailed advice on how to avoid the vulnerability that they dicussed. Also, the CD comes with some nice tools and source code. I definately learned a lot from this book and highly recommend it to both web application and desktop application developers.

Every month, hundreds of security vulnerabilities and warnings are announced. Although they cover a wide set of products and programs, the underlying reason for them is generally the same: insecurely written software. When software is written in insecure code (which includes most software programs written today), serious security flaws are inevitable.

The Software Vulnerability Guide was written to help software developers acquire the methods necessary to write secure code and find existing problems in current software. After making a persuasive case for secure code in part one, the book progresses into the areas that are crucial to writing secure software.

Part two of the book covers system-level attacks and details important topics such as passwords, scripts and macros, and dynamic linking and loading (DLL). Part three plunges into attacks on the software, exploring heady concepts such as buffer overflows, format-string vulnerabilities, and integer overflow vulnerabilities. Most of these attacks have been known for decades but are only receiving wide-scale attention now.

Further chapters delve into securing data and Web servers. For each of the vulnerabilities mentioned, the authors describe how they occur and how to prevent them.

An enclosed CD-ROM contains software examples described in the text, plus various open-source security software testing tools, including Ethereal, Nessus, and Nmap. Any business serious about writing secure software should ensure that all of its code writers receive a copy of this book

Herbert H. Thompson and Scott G. Chase's Software Vulnerability Guide comes from a security director and a security architect, drawing upon their combined expertise to consider techniques developers need to use to produce secure code in modern software. Developers and testers receive both tools and assessments of tools designed to help recognize and prevent common vulnerabilties in source code. Commentary and code examples pack a guide which includes a CD-ROM with source code and many tools described within.

If you consider yourself a solid developer but know you probably don't give the security of your software/databases as much attention as you should, then you need to get your hands on The Software Vulnerability Guide.

Unlike a lot of other security books, this one isn't full of a bunch of vagure generalities. It gives you solid details on some of the most common (and perhaps some less common) holes that exist in the software you just released. The information contained in each useful chapter is easily digestable by beginners.

Buy the book and spare yourself the embarrassment from some twenty something who stole some script off the web and deleted all the data in your intranet application.
[...]

wonderfull book, full of information and details. i flew in right seat as plane captain/aircrew in Navy JD-1 '51-53 towing targets for Navy
fighters, F4U Corsairs, F9F panther jets and PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers and Navy ships at sea. Greatest time in my life. I have been collecting Invader books, photos and details for a long time and this book is a welcome addition. Sadly none of the 140 JD-1 Navy invaders survived the scrappers torch. But, i have my books and memories.

I found this book to be precisely accurate. A must read for anyone interested in these beautiful airplanes. Thompsons' work amazes me everytime. Check out his other great books, including Final Cut, B-25 Mitchell in Civil Service, and B-17 in Blue. You will not be disappointed.

wonderfull book, full of information and details. i flew in right seat as plane captain/aircrew in Navy JD-1 '51-53 towing targets for Navy
fighters, F4U Corsairs, F9F panther jets and PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers and Navy ships at sea. Greatest time in my life. I have been collecting Invader books, photos and details for a long time and this book is a welcome addition. Sadly none of the 140 JD-1 Navy invaders survived the scrappers torch. But, i have my books and memories.

Having flown and owned an On Mark executive conversion A-26B, I found Scott Thompson's book to be very accurate and informative. A great historical and insightful work about a truly significant aircraft.

I've participated in several Companions in Christ classes, and I can't recommend them highly enough. What I liked best about the class that this workbook is for was that it gave me the chance to explore spiritual exercises I would not normally have thought "were for me." This included several methods of reading scripture, several methods of relating scripture to my own life, and several methods of prayer. I decided at the beginning of the class that as an act of faith I would do anything asked of me in a daily exercise, whether it seemed to be "me" or not; that I would treat each as a learning experience and that I would get more out of it by putting more into it. I am glad I did this, for the class was a very rich experience, and four years after I first took the class, I am still enriched by things I tried for the first time as an exercise from this book.

I am sure it would be possible to have a not-great Companions class, but all three of the ones I've taken at my Episcopal church have been personally fulfilling and also have brought about much deeper relationships among the people who have participated.

Wonderful and balanced book. Great inspirational quotes from the best!! Good solid Christian teaching and formation.

If you are looking for a way to bridge the gap between church and world, this is the course to use. Approaching the Christian tradition as spirituality, Companions in Christ uses daily Bible reflection and simple, but profound journal questions and a weekly small group meeting to build community.

I've been consulting for over 5 years with Access in all it's iterations except 1.0 and I must say that this is the best book on intermediate topics that I have found. There is no "fluff" like in books from other publishers (especially Queue in my opinion). This book is concise with real world examples for real world issues. When I first opened this book and read a bit I realized this book was written by consultants/developers who have gotten there hands dirty and not "feel good" academics who have never written a line of code for a company. Keep this one handy if you're the Access guru at your firm.

I've created basic database structures and applications for about five years and pledged never to go past writing macros, because I didn't want to be forced to learn VBA. I run a realty and mortgage office and just couldn't spare the time. Now that Outlook and the Office suite is becoming more familiar with my crew and now that we've joined a WAN and some B2B data sharing, the basic stuff just didn't fill the bill. I've bought quite a few books on Access recently (not to mention dozens from the past few years) and have found this one to be one of the best in its presentation and content.

It gave me some real insight on how I should be considering networking and upsizing. I answered more questions I had after spending 12 hours with the book, than I had spent searching the net or reading the other books for several months. I even read though the code and understood it, and contrary to the warnings the presentation still flowed well. I still know little VBA and am now going back to get a Wrox book on Beginnng Access 2000 VBA.

Concise, very detailed, stuffed full of info and reference. I'm a Wrox fan now.

Professional Access 2000 Programming is a combination of a training book to heighten your programming skills, and a reference work that will give you a complete overview of Access 2000 and it's related programming environment. It's written in the traditional Wrox style that is so easy to read and usable for developers.

One thing I do miss, is the usual Wrox opening statement where it is described whom the book is written for and if any previous programming skills are assumed. It's not until chapter 3 that you find out VB or VBA programming experience is assumed to make use of the chapter. Don't start on this book without any knowledge of VBA, since it is used in most of the coding examples. If you don't know VBA check out the following books: ISBN 0782123244, ISBN 1861001762 and ISBN 0735605920. An understanding of ADO would also improve on the usability of the book.

To make use of the books fullest potential, have a design plan of your database next to it and make notes or check for errors in your design when you go through the chapters. This helped me to improve on the design of my database.

Not essential, but it would have been nice if the sample code used in the book had been made available to the reader. At one place in the book the author even writes that the sample code is available from Wrox' website, but as of today it is not.

This book has given me the skills and confidence to start working on client/server solutions and integrating SQL server. It breaks down the entire complexity surrounding Access 2000 and database development to sizeable blocks and tools that I can piece together according to programming and design goals. A must have for any Access programmer on his way to become a true professional.

I am from Thailand and a native Thai.
I read his book; he is my professor.
I am impressed with his idea- the so " socratic idea".
I love his book and everyone should buy it.

I was unfamiliar with the trends in African and Southeast Asian development before reading this book ... the title and subject seemed interesting. However, during the course of my reading it, I have grown significantly more knowledgable about how "3rd world" nations are on their own tracts to develop and enter the ranks of "modern societies".

He begins with a short history of both African and Asain developments, the key players, and background that sets each region up before they take charge of their own destinies. From there, he investigates the cultural, economic, environmental, and international pressures that disseminate one economy from another, as well as invesitgating the ultimate consequences of this growth.

This book is well-written, interesting evenfor a non political science or economics major, and thought-provoking to the core. I highly recommend this book to any who would be interested in learning more about modern development in differing regions of the world.

This book is wonderful for anyone considering detoxing. It is VERY practical, telling you how to maximize your cleansing results without depriving yourself. For example, when discussing these that should be reduced/cut out before starting a detox, smoking is mentioned. It lets you know that for the best results, smoking should cease, but if you are unable to handle this, it gives alternatives that gradually reduce the smoking and load on your body. There are a variety of plans: 30 day make over, 9 day intensive, weekend energizer, mono-diet, etc. Color pictures are included also. Also, focuses on detoxing your life. Ways to calm and replenish the spirit (like mediatation) and detoxing your home environment. The diet was easy to follow and has been a life style change to me. The book was infomative and helpful, and I am better for it

This is a very easy to read book on demistifying detox. I like the pictures and colors. I recommend this to someone who is new to detoxing or someone who wants user friendly instructions. It is a simple book for those on the go who don't always have time for themselves.

all sorts of post-war B-17's - from crop dusters to gas stations to heavily modified B-17's. A Must have for the B-17 fan.

There have been many books published on the legendary B-17 bomber. But most of them cover the combat history of the plane, devoting only a chapter or less to the post war use of the planes and to the surviving aircraft. "Final Cut", on the other hand, is different. The book focuses solely on the non-combat use of the fortress, in roles Boeing designers never imagined the aircraft would do. Uses of the planes in the military such as target drones, air sea rescue and experimental work are shown. Civil uses include fire bombers, air mapping and transports (One plane even served with the CIA). There is also coverage of the planes that weren't so lucky and even discussion of Hollywood movies featuring B-17s such as "Twelve O'Clock High" and "The Best Years of Our Lives".

But where this book really shines is in the survivors. There are a few pages devoted to each survivor, with text and photographs explaining about the individual plane. The text of each section details the plane's use during and after its military service and eventual concludes with its current whereabouts and condition. The photographs help cover the lives of planes such as "Memphis Belle", "Shoo Shoo Baby", "Sentimental Journey", "Nine O Nine" and "Fuddy Duddy". Overall, a great source for millitary and avation buffs alike.

Weapons of Modest Destruction


Stop me if you've heard this one. Two lawyers, a bear, and a duck walk into a bar... Wait, the legal department has just handed me a memo. It seems that jokes about lawyers are out. Lawyers don't think they're funny, and no one else thinks they're jokes. I'm also required to write the following before getting to the meat of the column:

Misuse of the weapons featured in this column could result in serious injury or death. The author, publisher, and distributor of this column disclaims any liability from damage or injuries of any nature that a reader or user of the information may incur. Moreover, it is the reader's responsibility to comply with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations pertaining to possession, carrying, and/or use of said weapons. This column is for academic study only.

Highland Knife Fighting by Christopher Scott Thompson: This book traces the historical roots of the dirk and provides step-by-step instructions and photos to show how the Highlanders used the knife. Also included are exercises and drills, including the advanced quick draw drill. Remember, there can be only one...

Tomahawks, Traditional to Tactical by David Grant: Soldiers and woodsmen have armed themselves with the tomahawk. Its design is simple and extremely effective at both close range and throwing ranges. It doubles as a field tool, is durable, easily repaired, and available without a permit or license. The book includes an instructive chapter on choosing the best tomahawk for your needs. You say you have an axe to grind???

The Sling, for Sport and Survival by Cliff Savage: The sling is the ultimate lightweight weapon. It is silent, compact, inexpensive, and ammunition is free. This handy book shows how to make and use slings, and is great for survivalists and weapon enthusiasts. Now, I wonder what Goliath is doing today???

Blowguns, the Breath of Death by Michael D. Janich: The blowgun may be the perfect weapon, capable of delivering a variety of projectiles accurately and silently in an inexpensive package. This book includes how to make your own, where to acquire modern blowguns and projectiles; how to shoot a blowgun; how to maintain and store your blowgun. And everyone said I was just full of hot air???

Bowie And Big-Knife Fighting System by Dwight C. McLemore: This well-known fighting arts instructor, bladesman, and Bowie aficionado provides insight into Jim Bowie, the Bowie knife, and the fighting systems associated historically with both. Contains great illustrations and practical training drills. I say walk softly and carry a large knife...

The New Bullwhip Book by Andrew Conway: Ever want to run away and join the circus? This book introduces you to whip basics, parts of the whip, the different types available, as well as the three basic cracks, and step-by-step instructions on how to master them. I say whip it. Whip it good...

Flashlight Fighting by Phil Elmore: A simple flashlight can be a potent weapon if wielded properly, and it's still legal to own one. You might think you are in trouble if the only weapon in a self-defense scenario is a flashlight, but a short length of rigid material can target soft body parts, joints, and other vital areas. Martial artist Phil Elmore shows how to choose a suitable flashlight, deploy it quickly, and use it to disable an attacker who thought you were unarmed. Better be sure those batteries are ever ready...

From the dawn of humanity, weapons and tools have been a crucial part of human development. A weapon is a tool used to injure, incapacitate or even kill, but it is just that, a tool. Tools shape both our physical and mental worlds. The knife is the most ancient weapon in our arsenal, and a versatile tool. Extend it, and it's a sword, extend and curve the blade, and it's a sickle. Tools help feed us, shelter us, defend us and assure our survival. Mankind has always relied upon his wits, the opposable thumb, and the mastery of tools. Mmmm, perhaps our greatest tool is really knowledge...

author of "Hobo Finds A Home" and editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

"Highland Knife Fighting with the Dirk and Sgian" is both a fun-to-read and instructional book about a unique style of knife-fighting. Numerous photos (with the instructors in Highland kilt) show how to use the dirk in the Highland fighting style.

The book consists of the following chapters:

1. The Dirk in Gaelic Society
2. Mastering the Dirk
3. Guards
4. Responding to an Attack
5. Throws from Highland Wrestling
6. Bone-Breaking
7. Knife Against Knife
8. Going on the Offensive
9. The Dirk Dance Positions
10. Exercises and Drills
Appendix 1-3
Glossary
About the Authors

The techniques of Highland Knife Fighting work best with a large knife (the Dirk), but the book also considers the Sgain Dubh as a hidden back-up to the Dirk.

As a student of knife fighting you can learn some basic techniques from this book. A student of Gaelic Society can learn a fun bit of history from this book as well.

More information about this style of fighting can be found from the Cateran Society.

Overall a great book !!!

This book is very informative and I really enjoyed reading the detailed descriptions of what the ledger drawings are believed to illustrate. There was one error (a typo?) regarding the year that Agent Charles Warner lost his position as agent (page 3 states 1881 and page 4 states 1882). Overall, this book gave me an appreciation for the perceptive eye that the Native chroniclers possessed. In a way, it helps give credence to their oral history.
Highly recommended.

For anyone who likes the history of Native American Culture or military history, this book is an interesting find. The pictures found in the "cash book" by Mr. Thompson in 1990 illustrate a hidden viewpoint of the Nez Perce War. An unknown Indian warrior who traveled with the Nez Perce during their flight from the U.S. Army recorded some brilliant pictures in full color. These pictures, preserved by Indian Agent Charles Warner, are first shown to the public in this book. The pictures are not only full of cultural symbolism, but also portray historical figures. If you have interest in what happened in America's wars with the Indians, Chief Joseph, or the Pacific Northwest this book is worth looking into. I think that it is interesting just to see the pictures. Although the book is an academic publication with footnotes and all, it is well written and reads easily.

This book was delivered before the expected due date and was in great condition and a lot cheaper than the college book stores.