Networks Books

This book is excellent. Complete focus on outdoor wireless networks. Primary focus is 802.11-based bridging and outdoor end-user-to-AP connectivity, but information, advice and site survey content is absolutely applicable to WiMax-based networks as well. If you want to learn anything about outdoor wireless bridging site readiness and design, this book is a solid reference. Solid editing job as well with very little fluff. Highly recommended.

Maybe just a tad bit too technical for a neewbie like me. Lots of great info.

This book is a very good reference and starting point to examine the Wireless ISP business. The only problem I have with this book is that it is outdated. I knew that before I bought it. I recommend this book and it is easy to follow along.

Great Book. The autor balances theory and practice perfectly. I just build a WISP from the scratch. I wouldn't be able to do this as fast and good as I did without the help of Mr. Unger's book.

As an owner of a mid sized WISP, the author has captured the real life problem we experience both from a strategic and field perspective. From antenna alternatives, pros and cons of varying polarization, business issues to consider and multitudes of other factors that must be balanced to support a customer service organization delivering wireless internet services. Thanks! My entire staff was required to read this book cover to cover.

I work extensively with video equipment that uses ATM directly as the means to transport the video between multiple TV stations. A majority of my work is configuring the equipment to work correctly with the ATM network.

This book offered a very good explanation of the ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL). In particular, it described AAL1 in detail which my equipment relies on. This book was better that other texts that focus more on the layers beneath AAL.

This is the best book I have read on this topic so far.

If you want to have an overview rather than dig into the details about ATM network, this may be your best choice so far.

Covers the topics in a straight forward explanation. The use of diagrams are very helpful. As questions came up in my mind while reading, the answers came up in the next pages. The only comment I have would have been to have a follow through for addition of new standards, such as AAL2.

The number of topics this book hits (although not in-depth or thorough) in 200 pages is quite amazing. I have plenty of reference books on the subject that don't even introduce some of the basic topics that are covered in this book.

TMN, ILMI, CAC, MPOA, LANE, RSVP, IPOA, IISP, PNNI, etc -- they're all introduced (and I do mean just introduced). Ibe is a good technical writer who uses concise, easy to understand language. There are several diagrams that illustrate points that are difficult to visualize and the topics are discussed immediately (you don't have to scan around several different pages to get the gist of something).

I am a programmer writing ATM DSL test automations, so I'm someone who often has to deal in-depth with the many different sectors of ATM technology. Since I have to jump topic to topic within the technology, I find myself having to "remind" myself how something fits in the whole picture. I do this with Ibe's book, so it's definately on my shelf -- but it doesn't gather dust b/c people are always borrowing it!

For someone new to ATM but not a technophile, this book should wet your appetite to get to the more robust (and dry) reference books.

Note: This book is for general introduction/understanding -- not as a reference tool.

One of the best books on taking an outside look into how we do business, live and experience the world as people, not just consumers.Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out

I have read tons of books on business practice and ethos. Rushkoff brought a great mix of theory and practical examples that are working in the real world of business. This book is the business version of "positive psychology", which advises that we develop our strengths and most problems will self correct. In this case it is, pursue your deepest values and you won't have to spend all your resources on marketing. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is involved in an organization at any level. I am a pastor of a church and it has provided many thought provoking concepts to explore in our context.

I'll admit, it took me awhile to really get into this book. Once I got through the first couple of chapters of "Get Back in the Box" though, I couldn't wait to read more of it.

The author, Douglas Rushkoff, feels that we're in the midst of a renaissance in creativity and collaboration. As he puts it, "genuine creativity is a result not of out-of-the-box thinking, but of true expertise." Here's a great example he used partway through the book: The person that decided (years ago) to put a VCR and TV into one device wasn't really innovating. The person who came up with TiVo, on the other hand, was a genius and someone who truly had a handle on people's viewing habits.

He's got an entire chapter on what he refers to as "social currency." The retailers featured as noteworthy examples in this chapter include B&N ("the store is a social hub"), Guitar Center ("it's a place to try out pretty much any piece of musical instrument there is--and to play on it for hours") and the Apple Store (described as "a little cathedral"). I tend to think Starbucks fits the mold as well. In fact, this chapter got me wondering about what would happen if Starbucks and Apple ever decided to create some co-branded shops...

Here are a few of the other interesting tidbits I highlighted throughout this book:

** ...customers don't want to communicate with brands anymore...they want to communicate through them...

** Although we claim we want more leisure time, we are much more likely to find an opportunity for genuinely fulfilling engagement and learning at work.

** It's about learning to tinker, to tweak, and to test the most basic, underlying assumptions of one's core business or technology.

** (Regarding focus groups...) In the vast majority of the dozens of groups I've observed or led, the purpose was less to glean new insights than to confirm the insights already held.

This turned out to be a very enjoyable book with all sorts of great observations.

A great book. Reading this was like a breath of fresh air and really changed my thinking about technology, innovation, design and the hope for creating a livable world.

Where to start...

I rated this 4 stars; 5 stars for being thought provoking and reinforcing my notions of what businesses should be concerned with, and 3 stars for the authors glaring examples of old-renaissance ideas/execution that didn't/don't work, yet providing nothing more than hindsight.

I agree with the previous post that the first half of the book was better than the second half. There are so many examples that are counter to the authors examples, but I'll give a few here.

First, in the absense of fullfilment opportunity exists. While Wal-Mart may be an evil company for some of its practices it also provides people in developing countries with a job, where none may have existed before. If you have no food and someone gives you a scrap then you at least survive to move onto a larger portion. If those who are employed at Wal-Mart cannot find another job that pays more than minimum wage then I would suggest going to a library and start learning...it has free internet access...

Second, many of the arguments made throughout the book are based on a circular reference that is incapable of breaking down, when in fact it would break down. If a=b=c=d...y=z and z=a then for values of a-z that fluctuate so does the continuum. Every example given in the book relating to whatever currency units are give follows the same principle: that at some point, hidden beneath the guise of logic and play, energy will need to be expended that is not optimally or even close to optimally what any person would normally do in search of or in realizing the new renaissance. This breaks the whole model and I suppose it also degrades innovation at the same time.

Third, open-source software, though trendy, has limitations. Imagine a world where function a is performed via single open-source project composing of a single developer, then fast-foward t years where function a is now performed by 1000 different projects each with 1000 developers (who share the same egos), in the meantime you have some number of function a demand satisfied by 1000 projects so a/1000. All of the sudden you have function b that people just though of at t+1 days, but only a small portion like 1% of function a projects are compatible...but the developers of function a projects not wanting their egos to be crushed realize this and perhaps migrate over to the small % of function a projects that are compatible...leaving the other 99% of function a projects to be picked up by some developer(s), whos egos aren't as big, to try and work something out with function b compatibility. Now you have function a compatible projects with a huge number of developers wanting to make their mark with function b, but the 99% of the people who utilize function a and now function b must switch to projects that are fully compatible and relearn, etc. The point is that people want recognition, however good or bad that may be, but it's the truth...even authors put their name, photo, etc.

Fourth, I agree that understanding your "core competencies" are very important and understanding the "source code" and "patterns" is nice, but what really got me was how high people must be in order to realize that this is the path to eternal bliss or "play." I mean who in their right mind would choose to clean out a septic tank as a way of "playing" or even perform surgery on someone's brain...just for fun, when you know that someone's life depended on whether you were qualified or not. If you aren't qualified then doesn't that introduce a classe system of sorts? Who would regulate this...would this person think that telling someone they are incompetent was "playing?" It's clear that any system which qualifies someone as being able to perform a specific action, no matter how much fun they might have, is clearly old renaissance and the illusion of new renaissance is just that (not in entirety, but practicality).

Fifth, while some people prefer to solve challenging problems, others would rather just sit around surfing, etc. What do we do with those people? Where would they get their surfboards, wax, wetsuits, food? I'll tell you who...the people that have enough resources at their disposal to just sit back and ponder how the old renaissance is coming to an end in favor of the new renaissance.

Sixth, peoples faith often becomes a paramount influence in the actions they undertake. Some are at extreme ends and radicalize what is otherwise a very moral and just view of how things should be. These radicals often carry out actions against others because their convictions are so strong and so outside of the middle that even if the middle moves it will not be enough so enough will be "encouraged." This artificial skewing leads to others ultimately forgoing "play" in order to build a counter-trend necessary to prevent skewing that is non-organic. In the end you have a reduction in pure innovation (good) and an increase in pure existence. I'm guessing that the author was too busy contemplating whether or not we could he didn't think whether or not we should...

Seven, the book discusses how currency became the demise of society as it pertains to interest, greed, etc. However, in the Paypal example he exalts that business for being upstanding and trying this new thing, but it ultimately fails because of the banks...yada, yada, yada. Anyways, Paypal was earning interest on the float vs. charging money for its service. How is that new renaissance? If we take the banks out of the equation so that interest is no longer accrued then who pays for the hosting, data, maybe it's those people who like to play in data centers. But then, who builds the steel racks, elevated floors, servers, ethernet cables, routers, switches, supplies power, constructs the building, stays up all night trying to figure out why no interest is being accrued :)

Well, that was more of a rant than anything else. I'm glad this book cemented my ideas about open-source software and about how so many company executives are in such disrepair. Innovation...hmmm...whenever I have a bug in software I usually just open a debugging program that I purchased and print-out the portion of code via a printer, utilizing a driver, written by some person of gets off on that sorta thing...but would they do it for free if there other needs weren't being met...I don't think so.

There's a reason why doctors get paid so much money, there's are reason why people do jobs they wouldn't otherwise do, there's a reason why the new renaissance only exists in the imagination of Gene Roddenberry. The have's and the have not's exist today, and perhaps in the 21st century we can combat much of this gap; however, until everyone is content with their existence and opportunity for existence then we will not reach the new renaissance. Indeed, it will only exist where truly innovative ideas take place...our isolated dreams...

Learn how to tune a network for optimum performance. Distinguish if the problem is at the datalink layer or the network layer. Highly recommend this book, two thumbs up!!!

If you purchase one book on ethernet technologies this is it. Some of my co-workers are CCIE's and thought this is a great book. Lays the foundation to build upon when you get into Catalyst 5500 and 8500 where both layer 2 and 3 are combined. When troubleshooting you know where to begin. Would also recommend "Internetworking with TCP" Volumne I by Douglas E. Comer. Both are great foundation books, meaning they don't dive into any Cisco, Bay, 3com IOS issues. Only the methods of how the protocols operate.

This book covers all flavors of ethernet technologies 10/100 1000. Packet level detail explanations of how data is traversed across the datalink layer of the OSI model. If your not familiar with terms such as these or preamble, 802.2, LLC2, 802.3 and 802.5 YOU NEED THIS BOOK!

Check the CCIE written blueprint for confirmation. But this book is good preparation for the ethernet sections of the exam. Cleared up alot of questions I had regarding understanding packets. Could also be used as a reference when preparing for the CLSC 1.0 examination. This book sits on my desk next to my TCP/IP books from Comer and Stevens, which are used by all the CCIE's in my office. It's noticeable when an author has experience with the topic of the book, opposed to an editor who is unfamiliar with the subject matter. Saves you alot of time of packing the book back up and shipping it back to Amazon!

Cleared up alot of questions I had regarding layer two technologies. 10mb, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet are explained in detail. Some books I have read skipped some of the material presented in this book. Just my luck it was the very material that was asked on my CCIE written examination. Where was this book two years ago? You guys have it made, all you have to do is know where to look. Back then there was no place to look, except Cisco.

I also recommend, "Routing TCP/IP" isbn: 1-57870-041-8, author: Jeff Doyle

I found that this book had a great many resources online for finding physicians within particular specialties (i.e. one site for radiology doctors, one site for cardiology doctors, etc), but did not have mention of any sites that put all specialties and regions together. One such site to find a doctor is http://www.appointmentnet.com, or even WebMD... although Appointment Net has the easiest search for finding doctors, and even allows you to make appointments and renew prescriptions online.

The web is like the Tower of Babble - jammed with information but difficult to sort out. This book is an invaluable guide to the many, often confusing, sources of online health information. Buy it. Use it. Profit from it.

I found this book to be extremely valuable. Not only does it immeasurably help you to research healthcare and related issues, but it is an excellent reference for understanding how to research healthcare providers. My wife and I will keep this on our short list of resources for good living.

When I was diagnosed with cancer three years ago and spent a lot of time researching the disease and its treatment, "Healthcare Online" was exactly the kind of book I needed but didn't have. It's clear and easy-to-use, though quite sophsticated in its research assistance, and very, very helpful in providing ways to separate out the valid information from the misleading or phony stuff. In the areas I researched intensively, it lists all the sources I eventually found for myself, plus some very useful sites I never discovered. I often counsel newly-diagnosed individuals with my disease and now will pass on this book as a gold mine for their own inquiries.

Healthcare for Dummies validates the Internet as a research tool. It provides qualified healthcare sources with which to help ourselves, our families and friends.
I needed immediate information to help my mother cope with my Father who has Alzheimer's. I not only found organizations with information on Alzheimer's, but sources for my Mother (the caregiver) to contact for guidance and assistance.
Healthcare is rarely one issue. This guide can assist in the search for information on conditions, treatments as well as insurance and life stage issues -- all available on the Internet.

"How to Do Everything in HTML" does exactly what it says. It simply takes a beginner (like me) and shows how to use basic programming to do what you want rather than what you can figure out.

This is THE book I would recommend to someone who wants to know what HTML is and does but lacks prior computer programming experience. Even those familiar with other computer languages such as C++ or java will find the user-friendly approach by Pence a joy over most technical books.

If a beginner's book is what you want, here it is!

I think this book was more advanced than I was able to handle, considering I was a beginner computer user. Nevertheless, when I
e-mailed the author 3-4 times, he was always professional, courteous, and willing to help. It's a great book and has an author who stands behind his product. If you are into web-page design, this book is definitely worth its money.

I was completely inexperienced and without HTML knowledge. I ordered this book from amazon.com and suddenly I have one of the best and prettiest websites ever. This book teaches you everything. I didn't even read it page by page. I just looked up what I was looking for or what I wanted to do on my website, used the codes and wa-la, instant beautiful results. This book saves you time and gives you precisely what you are looking for. Recommended 100%.

Written for beginners, this book provides a solid foundation in how to write your own HTML (not how to use a WYSIWIG editor, such as FrontPage). Written in friendly, easy-to-understand language, the author progresses from chapter to chapter in a logical step-by-step fashion. What he doesn't cover in any given chapter is easily referenced in the Appendices, or in the many website links he provides. This book completely demystifies HTML.

However, what I found confusing when learning HTML is when and where to apply the all the different attributes (such as background color, font styles, text & image positioning and so forth). What I learned after having done a fair amount of web development is that cascading style sheets (CSS) are the way to go. This is explained in ch. 10. The reader of this book may wish to jump to this chapter at the beginning and be ahead of the game.

I took a course on HTML that lasted 4 months, and I thought I knew HTML after that. Two years after that I read this book, and in the month it took me to read it and summarize it, I learned more than what I did in that course. Not only does it teach you almost everything you need to know about HTML in an easy-to-follow way, but it also gets into other subjects like CSS, JavaScript and XML. Great book!

Forty years of heterosexual living did not prepare me for the dilemma of discerning IS IT A DATE OR JUST COFFEE when I started dating women. Well, perhaps dating was too strong a word since it always seems to turn out to be coffee. When straight gals meet straight guys, they know what to expect. With gay-gal dating, they seem to be showering together before reaching a consensus as to whether or not they are friends or something more. Fortunately, Mo Brownsey takes some of the confusion out gay-gal dating with her wonderful book.

From being single, relationships, breakups and mourning, Brownsey covers it all. Need help identifying the dreaded lesbian bed death? Not sure if it's lust or love? Considering multiple partner relationships? Mo supplies the answers along with tongue-in-cheek comedy that will keep you howling with laughter no matter where you are concerning gay-gal relationships. I admit to suffering from STD myself (Sexually Transmitted Denial). For gals like me who find themselves in the midst of redefining their sexuality, and refuse to take the whole dating thing too seriously, Mo Brownsey's book is the definitive answer for the basics of gay-gal dating. Her comedic approach to relationships, breakups, recovery and sex is an indispensable guide for those new to this lifestyle as well as gay-gals who've always know that they weren't straight but love a good laugh. Indeed, straight or lesbian, all women will find themselves in this remarkably astute book. IS IT A DATE OR JUST COFFEE earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.

First of all, I would just like to say that the REAL cover of this book is much more appealing. Softer colors and an oh-so-hot photo of the author sipping coffee while gently tensing her gym biceps. That image alone should make you want to buy this book. However, there is much much more to be gleaned from actually reading it. Ms. Brownsey's advice is sage, her tone witty and her anecdotes are like a page from all our lives. A great X-mas gift for your single lesbian friends.

Mo has struck a chord with me in this deliriously funny take on lesbian dating, sex and romance! If you've gotten too serious about it all, be sure to buy this book and read it. Especially recommended for the newly single!

Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW-C
http://www.coachsappho.com

A step by step guide to "gay girls" dating, sex and romance. Just broke up or got dumped? You need this book, because good advice is better served with a side dish of laughs.

Mo Brownsey, long time comedian and lesbian studies college professor writes a humor filled book, packed with information lesbian and bisexual women really need. Speaking from vast experience, she starts right out with sage `after-breakup' advice: Take her number off the speed dial! Then deftly covers: baby dykes (yes, they're too young for you), on-line dating (why it frequently doesn't work), the L-word (love), polyamory (not for Mo) and a host of other topics.

Brownsey is the kind of friend who'd not only grab you by the lapels and exclaim, "Snap out of it!" But she'd explain how over pizza until you felt better. If don't have a friend like that, get this book.

"Is It A Date Or Just Coffee" was a hilarious trip through the confusing and sometimes neurotic gay girl dating scene. Mo uses her singular gift of humor to make the lesbian dating game less awkward and daunting. With chapters like "Blind Date: Think Hunters and Ducks" you know your in for a comic treat! I laughed and cried with Mo over the dating disasters and triumphs. An absoulte must for the newly "out" - it will help calm your nerves.

This book is a great book for people of all experiences in Network Marketing. The stories and the information are not only inspirational but educational.

Like John Milton Fog I am a professional network marketer and I believe that "Readers are Leaders" and that's what I'm always looking for - Leaders. In Network Marketing you have to give first -- then you receive! Sign up for the www.TwentyDollarRetirementPlan.com and I will have BORDERS send you a FREE copy of It's Time...For Network Marketing. Learn from 52 of the best Networkers in America. Buy the book or get if FREE from me. Either way - you win.

I truly believe this is a must read for anyone looking to make a difference in their lives and others. John Milton Fogg has assembled a remarkable group of people to tell the story of this industry. Anyone who reads this will find something and/or someone they can relate to. It is in the top four of my favorite books to read and one I will reread often.

This book is a gift from John Milton Fogg. It has all of the best in the business in one book. If you do not understand or learn MLM after reading this book, you had better find another career. It is fabulous. The information that I got from this book is the best upline any networker could possibly have. It is more like an encyclopedia of network marketing. Anything you want to find out is right in the book. I highly recommend it for any newby or someone that is just plain lost about how to do MLM. It is like a menu of delicious entres. Just chose what can work for you. It satisfied my appetite.

If the general public would read, or even scan the stories in this book, it would change the reputation of Network Marketing. It makes so much sense. The problem is, most people just don't know how to run a business and so they never see success in Network Marketing or any other business.

I personally know several of the authors and they really are "the real deal". I enjoyed reading their stories in addition to the Big Names in NWM world. We need more true stories of successful Network Marketers. We don't need more "Experts" who have never been successful marketers.

In "Make Your Contacts Count," Lynne Waymon and Anne Baber have created a networking bible for today's professionals - in any profession or life stage. Reading chapter after chapter, I was able to identify both short and long term strategies to build and nurture my network. In addition, I was struck by the number of practical, simple tips which can be easily learned and practiced in all my interactions - professional and personal. The book provides current real life examples, as well as theory behind authors' recommendations. As a baby boomer with over 30 years of professional experience, networking was something for sales and marketing types. Professionals in private practice or business - lawyers, accountants, consultants - called it rainmaking. For most of us, it was something we only thought about when we were job searching. While job searching is addressed in one chapter, the book is really about how to build relationships - six stages described and how to strengthen. I'm convinced ..... networking is the essential career survival tactic and a core competency for today's leaders.

As a career counselor, I spend a lot of time and energy persuading clients to network who are not naturally good at it. Now I can make better use of my time by recommending this book. There is something for everyone's risk level. No reader can walk away unchanged after perusing this book.

This new edition of Making Your Contacts Count hits the bullseye. The authors state that networking is the essential professional competency in today's business world. Clearly, this book is the essential guide to ramping up your networking skills. Making Your Contacts Count provides substantial practical actions. For instance, strategic advice like how to plan your "agenda" for conversations is interspersed with tips like how to remember names(ex. repeat the first name and introduce that person to someone else..it works!) In our study of organizational success, Shaping Your HR Role: Succeeding in Today's Organizations we found that effective networking was a tactic often used by those who achieve results. I recommend this guide to all people who need to influence others in today's complex organizations.

I just finished reading "Make Your Contacts Count, Networking Know-How for Business and Career Success," by Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon and it is a must-read for anyone who wants to be successful in the business world.

"Contacts Count," gives you all the tools you need in an easy-to-use manner to get out there and become successful in the business networking arena.

I have already started using some of the techniques that Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon share in their book and I am finding that it is easier to describe my business and my value to others.

If you keep showing up to business networking events and leaving empty-handed and non-connected, buy this book, read it and start implementing the many practical ways to connect with others, build lasting business and personal relationships and watch your business grow!

Meeting and keeping a network of contacts to further a career is a basic tip for any upward-bound businessperson - but few titles spell out exactly how to achieve this goal. MAKE YOUR CONTACTS COUNT: NETWORKING KNOW-HOW FOR BUSINESS AND CAREER SUCCESS offers business libraries and upward-bound career seekers step-by-step tips for creating, cultivating and using networking opportunities. From professional memberships and networking events to checklists and questionnaires for fine tuning, this updated edition offers new case studies and expanded advice on how to use business networks. A 'must' for any library catering to business readers.

First let me say that this book is very well written and easy to understand. It gives the reader wonderful info on MP3's and other music file formats as well as the comparsion from the standard CD format vs. MP3 format. Before reading this book, I had well above average knowledge of the various types of music files, playlist, jukeboxes, and MP3 and WMA and other music file formats. However, it did fill in some gaps that I had overlooked and I learned even more after reading the book. This is a very good reference book for the beginner. However, since it was written several years ago, it only touches on WMA's. Not that this book was written with more info on MP3 formats. Today we have in many Internet online stores the WMA/DRM (protected music). These types of music files need a newer MP3/WMA/DRM player that will handle the WMA/DRM music file format downloads, which many online music stores have. This is a great book, however, a bit historic. The MP3 players as described in this book (available at that time) came with only 64 meg flash drives and 64 meg flash cards. Now the norm is at least a 1 GIG flash player, and many MP3 players today have huge hard drives. However, this book still has good overall BASIC information. I highly recommend this book to a beginner just learning about MP3 music.

MP3's have become one of the hottest new things on the 'Net, to the delight of music lovers everywhere and most likely to the chagrin of the music industry. This book covers a wide variety of topics regarding MP3's, starting off with a brief description of how mp3's came to be, where to find and download mp3's, Internet radio stations, etc. The chapter on digital music and copyright law also contains useful information on just what it and is not legal with regards to having and/or downloading mp3's.

It also tells you what software and hardware is the best for playing mp3's and "ripping" your own mp3's. The descriptions of the software and hardware you can use are quite good. Next are three chapters describing in detail digital audio, along with MPEG audio. Then comes the section any mp3 "ripper" will be most interested in, ie converting music into mp3 form, by first converting it into a .wav format, then into mp3 and finally recording your own CD's.

The book's final chapters are a 'tutorial" on various mp3 software ripper programs like Audio Catalyst and Cool Edit. There's also some info about using WinAmp, which is one of the more popular mp3 players (and the one I use). There's also further information about related web sites, other books, even a glossary.

The future still looks bright for mp3. Not only is it a way for music lovers to download their favorite songs, it also is a way for new artists to "break through" by offering their music on various web sites in the form of mp3s.

This book offers quite a bit of good information about the MP3 phenemenon.

This is an outstanding book on Internet and personal computer audio with emphasis on the MP3 audio-encoding format. It covers the whole range of online audio from the Internet or CDs as well as streaming audio.

Starting with an overview of digital music and the Internet, the book explains why there's so much excitement over MP3 and online audio, discusses how to find music on the web, and reviews Internet Radio. The authors include the best discussion of digital music and copyright law I've seen anywhere.

The chapters on how to prepare your computer for digital audio discuss everything from what software is needed to what to watch for in selecting the best computer hardware, from CD drives, speakers, sound cards, and the cables that connect these things together or with your home entertainment system.

The portion of the book on understanding digital audio contains one of the best overall discussions of how sound and digital audio technology works anywhere. Especially valuable is the discussion of the tradeoffs involved in different selections of parameters in digital audio, such as bit-rates and sampling rates.

The book wraps-up with several excellent tutorials for basic computer tasks used for digital audio. In addition, there are tutorials for common tasks using several popular computer audio software programs.

Bruce Fries is a technology consultant & writer and an Associate member of the Audio Engineering Society. He also is the founder of TeamCom, a new media publishing company. Marty Fries is an audio engineer, technology consultant, and blues pianist. His audio engineering work includes designing and building studio sound equipment systems.

This is the best-written and edited book I've read on Internet audio and streaming audio to date. It's easy to read and explains complicated terms and concepts in terms anyone who can use a computer can understand.

Throughout the book are excellent links to additional resources, as well as an extensive index of websites on the topic of Internet audio. While the focus is on MP3 and audio files (vice streaming audio), much of the information applies to Internet radio as well.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in working with MP3 audio files, whether beginner or experienced "ripper." I also highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in how to improve the recording, playing, or streaming of audio files from their computer. Finally, I recommend this book for anyone concerned about what is and what isn't legal in working with digital audio files.

Review by Mike Powers, Internet Radio Guide, October 1999

I'm the author of the MP3 and Internet Audio Handbook and I've just finished a new book, Digital Audio Essentials, that has approximately twice as much information plus detailed chapters on editing audio, digitizing vintage records, and setting up an Internet radio station. It covers both Macs and PCs and has instructions for using iTunes, Musicmatch Jukebox, Media Jukebox, Sound Forge, and Peak.

... This book by Bruce and Marty Fries covers THE FOREST and THE TREES - concerning all things about MP3 music technology - equally well! In other words, you will no longer be lost in THE FOREST about all things MP3 because of THE TREES! The authors cover the OVERVIEW (The Forest) of all things MP3 just as well as they cover all the minor DETAILS (The Trees). ... The authors make EXCELLENT teachers: they KNOW their subject well, and they know how to PRESENT it to you so that you NEVER get lost or feel left behind! The book is VERY well ORGANIZED. It is layed-out logically and flows from one chapter to the next in a natural and easy-to-follow way. Reading this book is NOT HARD, and because it is so easy to understand, you will learn faster!

... I can't say that I knew NOTHING about MP3 music and technology BEFORE I read this book, but after having read it I feel like I REALLY understand everything I need to know to make the right choices about how to record, play, and listen to music in the MP3 format. Most importantly, the authors do not only tell you ABOUT MP3 technology, they tell you HOW to use it, DO things with it, and WHERE to go on the world wide web to get more INFO on whatever you might be interested in concerning all things MP3. The book is packed to the gills on almost every page - cover-to-cover - with web site URL addresses where the reader can further their search for information about MP3 technology!

... The book is VERY thorough and detailed, with an easy-to-follow lay-out, easy-to-read text and design, and very helpful photographs and illustrations that make it almost impossible to NOT "get it"! After reading this book, if you don't know just about EVERYTHING concerning MP3, you just were not paying attention - because the authors have left NO STONE UNTURNED! ... The only regret I had was that they wrote the book (as they themselves confessed up-front!) for the IBM-compatible, PC crowd - and I am driving an APPLE iMac computer!!! ... I recently wrote to the authors about this, and they said that they are working right now on a revised edition that will have more information in the HOW TO SECTIONS for people using APPLE computers. This will be a welcome relief!

... Even so, there is a lot of helpful mention of places and products that concern the MAC CROWD (of which I'm one! : ), and they DO agree that the SOUNDJAM MP software by Cassidy & Greene "is one of the best for the Mac." (page 69). So, even if you're a Mac-man like me, you really can't go wrong reading this book because it covers all the bases. It's MORE than just an introduction. It's a great REFERENCE book to keep by your computer at all times - whether you're a consumer interested in LISTENING to MP3s or a musician who is interested in CREATING MP3s in order to upload onto musical web sites, over the Internet, on the world wide web so that ANYONE in the world can listen to and/or purchase one's music! ... My hat is off to the authors for a job well done! ALSO: this book is FUN to read! ..