Security Books

This is an EXCELLENT book about the inner workings and decision makeing process of the Bush Administration during Panama and Desert Shield/Storm.

It is easy to become jaded today about what our government is doing and why, but The Commanders, is one of the most engaging looks at your government coming together. For better or for worse, it is even more engaging since so many of the "players" in this book are in the forefront of our news today. One of Woodwards' best.

I bought this book on a Friday night and compulsively read the book until Sunday morning. The read is quick, and the parts about Panama are very fascinating. It's nice to read about something that doesn't involve the Middle East....oh wait a minute, the middle east is covered as is the military history of this period. Colin Powell is a hero and a great pragmatic man, which mkes me long for the pre-Clinton days. History would be much different if Goerge the 1st stayed in power just 4 more years. The bravery and pragmatism of the 1st Bush administration makes you wonder about this Bush administration.

Bob Woodword seems to have become the reporter of authority when it comes to writing what I have heard called "instant histories", that is, histories that will surely be expanded as perspective is gained on a given event, but ones that accurately record how people saw things at the time. In "The Commanders" Woodword gives blow by blow accounts of two major foreign policy crisis' which ultimately led to military action: the removal of Manuel Noriega from Panama and Operation Desert Storm. The book is a quick and absorbing read, focusing almost entirely on the relationhip between the military (Pentagon) and civilian (White House) leaderships, and how that relationship operates during a crisis.

I assume that many who read this book now look to widen their view of some of the key players in the current administration, namely Cheney, Powell, and Wolfowitz (though in much lesser role here) and now is as good a time as any to do so. My impression of Powell, while widened, remains consistent. He comes off as more hesitant to use force than others, very conscious of organization, very thorough, and very aware that words have power. Cheney, however, doesn't at all resemble his sinister caricature. He, too, is careful and analytical, often concerned with Bush "ratcheting up the rhetoric way too much," and, at one point, even recomending that Bush slow down and "wait for the UN." Whereas these two figures are painted as rivals within the "W" administration, they pictured as allies in the first Bush Administration.

Our problems with diplomacy are also present, though they are not the focus of the book. The presumed reaction from Latin America contrained our ability to craft a war plan in Panama, even though it was "anticipated that privately most of these governments would send back-channel word that they were nuetral or even pleased" that Noriega was removed, and it was certain that the Panamanian people hated their leadership (92% were ultimately in favor of Noriega's removal, according to Woodword). Also, many instances show Arab regimes begging for protection, though not wanting their populations to know about the American presence. At one point, the exiled Emir of Kuwait even refuses to meet with members of the US Senate. And of course, "The French were a problem and required a major effort". We will continue to have problems if governments, particualrly democratic ones, refuse to reveal to their publics what they see as in their own national interest. Ahh, the trials of a superpower!

If you are looking for an account of the diplomatic manuevering, the assembling of the coalition, or the national political debate preceeding either conflict; or you want an account of Gulf I itself, this is not your book. Taken for what it is, however, "The Commanders" is an excellent. There are a number of times where statements from this book could fit perfectly into the latest foray in Iraq, but I'll let you hunt for those.

Lastly, funniest line in the book: "the secure internal electronic-mail system, called E-mail, provided a means of quick nearly instantaneous communications by computer with the boss." Who knew only a decade ago that you needed someone to explain what an E-mail is?

This book starts at the beginning of the GHW Bush Administration and goes through to the very beginning of the Gulf War.
It's always a little difficult to know how accurate Woodward's recountings are of conversations and inner-thoughts of the most important people, but there are rarely serious complaints about the accuracy of his books - at least as far as I am aware. For the most part, the book comes from the perspective of Powell and Cheney, with important additions from other key folks at the Pentagon and White House.
The beauty of reading about the GHW Bush Administration is that one also learns about the GW Bush Administration, for many of the key players came back for an encore.

Woodward did a top notch job of discussing important issues in a way that appeals to the general reader. I hope he continues to do so with the GW Bush Administration; both "Bush at War" and "Plan of Attack" are fine books, but "The Commanders" is much better.

I highly recommend "Firewalls" by John Vacca. I found the book to be extremely helpfully in understanding the configuration and maintenance of firewalls as well as a great reference for the different types of security infrastructures that can be implemented using the technologies available today. "Firewalls" is an excellent knowledge base that I would recommend as a must read for anyone in the computer security and system administration fields.

I have witnessed the proliferation of data networks over last fifteen years during which time
network security has grown to multi-million dollar business. I have taught and consulted on
design and implementation of network security.In today's corporate and SOHO network, secuirty
is extremely critical to protect and safeguard data. Firewall technology provides a defense
mechanism against unautorized access to data networks. This textbook provides a comprehensive
treatment of firewall from introduction to management and advanced configuration. The appendix
has a list of current firewall vendors that should be of extreme helpful to any reader. I would
highly recommend this text to anyone before they decide to purchase firewall to secure their network.

This book covers firewall implementation, configuration and maintenance with excellent references and examples. John Vacca starts with installation and setup and then moves into implementing and maintance. Along the way many real life experiences are used as examples. Before you start or before you do any updateing on your firewall be sure to read this book.

Having worked in the computer network/security field for the last 16 years, I found this book to contain most everything you need to have a working knowledge of firewalls. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that needs to come up to speed quickly and/or needs a refresher course. I find myself now to be in the later category but I wished this book had been written when I was first starting out as it would have saved me a ton of time.

I fell into the category of "I know what a router is but I hope I never have to set one up." Our routers were handled by another talented memeber of our team. When she left, I gave it shot using some manuals we had from cisco and some other informatin passed down from project to project. Completely lost, I decided to start from the beginning. This text was just the ticket to get me started!

Would you go hiking without a map? Would you work on your car without a manual? Then why would you even think about going to the Middle East without this book? Poole once again sets the standard in the industry for explaining the tactics, history, and mindset of the Islamic Extremist. From military commander to field grunt to civilian contractor, if you're headed to a desert combat zone do yourself a favor and BUY this book! I also suggest you read this book with a highlighter in hand...but you may just end up highlighting everything. This book undoubtedly has saved lives and will save more in the future!

The book gives a good acccount of the various Islamic militant factions and their interactions. The opinions seemed a bit "armchair general" and opinionated at times, but they made several good points. I'd recommend the book although it had the following drawbacks for me:
-The insertion of outside material to back up the author's words made for a sometimes disjointed read
-The sprinkling of "God (Christian) & country", stereotyping, etc. seemed unnecessary
-20% of the material was a repetition/reiteration of a particular point (not sure if this was to beef up the number of pages or to compensate for a shakey arguement)

This book was kindly donated to my unit by the publishers when I was a Company Commander before I deployed. Everyone over here should read it. Regardless of how much money our government spends on high-tech equipment and contracts, until we gain a better understanding of our opponents sociological and theological motivations we will continue to waste a lot of our military resources. LTC Poole's emphasis on taking a humanistic approach and integrating our forces with the locals is sound, provided that the local forces are properly vetted and aren't infiltrated by insurgents.

Once again H. John Poole has pulled aside the Middle East veil of mystery to show us how the Muslim militants go about their business. Known as the "War on Terror" aka "4th Generation warfare", radical Muslim militants have worked out the ways to challenge the West collectively, on - and off the battlefield. Thus far, their efforts have cost the U.S.of A., not only lives, but billions of dollars, sowing anxiety and terror. How have they accomplished this with slender resources? Against the most technologically advanced armed forces in the world? Poole tells us how.
The book is divided into three parts:
The initial part updates the reader on the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan to the summer of 2005. How the Muslim militants have survived and continue to succeed against coalition armed forces without tactical victory, hi-tech resources or heavy arms; all the while they suffer heavy casualties and continue to burn through the resources - and resolve of the West - are addressed.
The next part examines, through the lense of ancient oriental texts on the principles of warfare, the stratagems employed by the militants. These are the most illuminating chapters: now the daily events in Iraq and Afghanistan make sense if one understands the militants' operational philosophy. Poole's explanations of tactical actions clarifies how these militants are playing "the Game" against coalition forces. What makes no sense militarily in Western understanding of warfare are perfectly acceptable to furthering these militants' ends.
The final section's chapters provide approaches to dealing with "4th Generation Warfare" situations, which Western military forces are more and more wont to encounter. Many of Poole's recommendations reflect the U.S. Marines' experience with the Combined Action Program (CAP)used in Vietnam during the 1960s. Essentially, special Marine units operated with Vietnamese local forces at the village level to root out and undermine the Viet Cong insurgency. He contrasts this approach to the reliance on hi-tech and heavy fire power, the preferred operational mode of U.S. forces. Further, Poole (pp 278-294) describes the changes in tactical philosophy that must come about if U.S. ground forces are to prevail against their current enemy. This, to my mind, is the best part of the book.
Poole's views on training and tactics in the last chapter, come closer to dealing with military cultural reform than in his previous wotks. While he addresses these subjects in other books, these last pages in MILITANT TRICKS come the furthest to combining these previous discussions into a coherent whole which reflects the grunt's eye-level ground view.
Hopefully, the powers-that-be are reading his works - effecting the necessary changes.

This is the best book I have read so far on where and who the real enemy is and who is behind and against the U.S. supporting democracy and the liberation of the people of Iraq.
Breaks down in detail who is Sunni and who is Shiite.
How they work and how they are fighting U.S. Forces together.
How the real enemy is Iran with many proxies to gain control of Iraq.
How the U.S. must change to deal with fighting in Irregular Warfare now and for decades to come.
How the enemy is capitalizing on U.S. democratically controlled Congress to gain victory.

Heading over to OIF II in a few months, active duty CDR O5 who will be working in support of the bravest of the brave (EOD Forces defeating IED's). This book was instrumental in developing a understanding of what is really going on.

I would recommend this book for all Officers and enlisted personnel heading to fight this fight from E1 up.

CDR Bill Noel (Navy EOD Officer)

I'm turning 38 next year, and I humbly admit that the whole idea of saving and investing only sank in a couple of years ago (this was when I made my first mutual fund investment, out of impulse!). I've learned about the Beauty of Compounding a long time ago, but I guess my brain wasn't wired enough to see its real-life application. I've had good jobs, and have made good income on the side, but I have never thought of consciously putting at least a dollar away for my future.

Then this book came up from the bargain bin of a local bookstore, and priced at half its retail amount. To me, however, it's been a lifesaver. I am far from being a teenager, but "The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens" contained all the basic information I needed when it came to the nuts and bolts of investing. All the way from saving that first dollar to trying out the stock market--it's all in the book. And the Gardners' writing style is casual and careful enough so as not to overwhelm.

It's not really 8 steps as the book cover presents. The first 8 go from saving and earning extra money all the way up to investing in funds, plus encouraging readers to form their own little "investment education groups." (A great way to spend weekend afternoons with friends--learn about investing instead of huddling around the videogame console.)

The additional steps in the book tackle the stock market, for those who want greater risk and potentially greater returns. Steps 9 to 15 cover choosing the right companies, the basics of looking through financial reports, how to monitor the bourses, and managing the portfolio.

Thanks to this book, I can more confidently begin my journey to a comfortable retirement--at 55!

(Oh, and let the teens read it, too.)

This is an excellent first book to give a teen who is not sure about investing as a good place to put his or her money. It is written with teens in mind and has tons of real-world examples to which teens can relate. It is a good start to get teens exciting about making their money work for them. I got it for my 16-year-old nephew who was skeptical, but is on board with taking control of his own financial future.

This book will basically focus on the way the stock market works and how to invest in it. It also tells you how much you can save in the future. It is the meat of the book when it comes to the stock market, but the book will also teach you the cost of bad habits such as smoking and the upsides of credit cards if used right. The book teaches you how to get your money's worth in the bank, teaching you everything from how they make money to what a cd is. The worst thing about this book that annoyed me so much, I took off a point, was that they try to write the book in a type of slang format. Going from saying the word dawg and writing rock lyrics about the book. This is very annoying, but the tips this book gives are just too valuble to detour you alway.

I recommend it to anyone of any age.

This books gives the true value of savings: a life worth dreamings about and investments we make for it to see it happen. This is a sweet and funny little book that makes money look exciting as a tool and token. I see this book as the clues to playing a cool video game. (More, like the hint book.) It's so casual that you think your reading Reader's Digest. You never feel confused! Math teacher's, parents, middle schoolers, high school students, college students, retirees: you'll love this book.

This book has reinforced what I have been preaching to my 17 year old for years......1) save and invest your money early, 2)live within your means as you get started in life (used vs new car), 3) attend the local university (keep student loans to minimum) and 4) practice a healthy lifestyle and you will soon learn that by the time you are 30 you will have more financial freedom and less debt than 90% of Americans.

I wish I had been taught the discipline for the first two items as it wasn't until age 40 that I reached financial freedom. Fortunately for him, he is a believer after reading this book. Maybe along the way he will guide others in the right direction.

Mr. Brookstein has written the the gold standard on small tech investing. Whether you are a novice investor or a 30-year pro, everyone will find great information with which to make smart decisions on nanotech investments. Excellent.

This is a great book for an introduction to nanotech companies and overall investing in small companies. It's very easy to read,not like a text book that you often find with technical books. Does not go into the details of the technology of nano but provides enough for you to get a surface level understanding to carry a sensible conversation about the subject.
I will highly recommend this book. It also has a nice touch by adding numerous contacts and websites in the appendix if you 'll want learn more about nanotech.

Book Review Nanotech Fortunes


This book:
1. Is strictly an investment book. There is no science presented.
2. Contains many insights into investing that make sense. This is 90% of the book.
3. Warns potential investors of the pitfalls in investing in nanotech companies. No hype here.
4. The Appendix is a great resource:
4.1 Famous people in the nanotech world: 36 are given brief introductions.
4.2 Interesting nanotech books for non-scientist investors: 8 are profiled.
4.3 Informative nanotech newsletters: 3 are profiled.
4.4 Nanotech websites: 10 are profiled.
4.5 Academic/Government labs: 12 are profiled.
4.6 Nano-conferences: 10 are profiled.
4.7 25 important "small tech" public companies are profiled.
4.8 5 smaller public companies are profiled.
4.9 33 private start-up companies are mentioned.
4.10 Several leading nanotech research universities are listed.
4.11 4 centers for nanotech are profiled.
4.12 4 books for non-scientists are profiled.
4.13 7 books are recommended for investors.
4.14 6 page glossary of nanotech terminology is provided.
4.15 6 page index is provided.

Darrell Brookstein's "Nanotech Fortunes" should be considered a "must read" for anyone interested in nanotechnology. General readers seeking to ascertain the staggering potential of nanotechnology will find this work useful, as will those who want to know how, when, and in what ways nanotechnology will affect large and small businesses. For those considering investing in nanotechnology, now or in the future, "Nanotechnology Fortunes" is simply invaluable.

Brookstein has a highly successful track record as a manager of brokerage hedge funds, venture capital ventures, and investment advisory firms. Since 1973, Brookstein has made a succession of shrewd, prudent, and insightful financial decisions that have immensely benefited those intelligent enough to follow his guidance. In particular, Brookstein oversaw a number of lucrative mining and natural gas investments for his clients, and correctly navigated the dot.com boom in the 1990's. His assertion that he tends to "read the tealeaves in advance of the crowd" is borne out by ample evidence. In "Nanotech Fortunes" Brookstein offers compelling evidence that the field of nanotechnology is poised for a boom in the near future. Unlike the dotcom bubble of the 1990's, the nanotech boom is based on a solid foundation of science, and a series of cascading nanotech booms will result in a staggeringly large net creation of wealth. When Brookstein claims that "the nanotechnology revolution will last decades and literally destroy untold businesses - disrupting and leapfrogging technologies that only a few years earlier, were considered cutting edge" he is not exaggerating. Indeed, Brookstein fastidiously avoids engaging in hyperbole or making unwarranted assumptions, and rigorously maintains a sober and lucid tone throughout the book.

Brookstein lays out a comprehensive course for navigating the perilous waters of nanotech investing. By combining experience, knowledge, and acumen honed over four decades of investing with the technical wisdom of a diverse group of highly regarded scientific experts, Brookstein has crafted a focused strategy that will avoid the pitfalls of more novice investors. Discerning which startup corporations are worthy of investment is a difficult task, and it is here that "Nanotech Fortunes" truly shines. Brookstein thoroughly yet concisely describes the myriad mistakes - ranging from miscalculating customer acquisition costs to funding researchers pet science projects - that beset nanotech startups. The author has compiled a series of metrics to judge which startups should thrive and outmaneuver their competition. Although no investing approach will result in a sustained 100% success rate, Brookstein's methods have consistently yielded substantial profits, and returns on his initial nanotech investments are already beginning to trickle in. Those wishing to understand, participate in, and benefit from the coming boom will want to carefully read "Nanotech Fortunes" sooner rather than later.

Darrell Brookstein is a managing director of The Nanotech Company, and runs [...] a website to which I have contributed articles and interviews.

Nanotech Fortunes: Make Yours In The Boom offers winning strategies by Darrell Brookstein in capitalizing on the business and investment opportunities in the new nanotech sciences. Individual chapters address all the diverse issues involved with this new and rapidly developing technology, including "Science Fiction vs. Science Fact", "How to Analyze Nanotech Companies like a Pro", "The Most Lucrative Nanotech Investments", "Trading Nanotech Stocks for Short- Term Profits", and "Six Steps to a Nanotech Fortune" and more. Of special note is the Appendix article "Tools Resources for Your Nanotech Fortune". If you are thinking about how to take advantage and participate in this newly emerging industry, then give a careful reading to the information, insights and advice that comprise Darrell Brookstein's Nanotech Fortunes!

Author Brian Bentley finally gives us insight into the world of a working Police Officer, without sugar coating or picturing us a glitzy world of glasmour of law enforcement. It really took me back as a law enforcement officer for a large public hospital with a Level One Trauma Center, which has to deal with the day to day hardship of what the "streets" brings into the hospital and tries to treat. I too found alot of comaparisons in my job and just changed the names of work colleagues and supervisors with his! His city government was not only like my city government, but add one more variable...an unappreciative hospital administration who should simply be managing medical care and research, and stay out of the business of police work. Many times they, along with the rest of the hospital support staff be it doctor, nurse, psychiatric staff, substance abuse counselors, all want a piece of the police department. And thinking after watching one episode of "Cops" think they know everything about police work! Should a new candidate dare read this book, it may in fact discourage him or her from pursuing law enforcement as a career. Sad that it maybe, at least Officer Bentley forwarned you before you signed on the dotted line! Law enforcement has it's rewards. But as Officer Bentley astutely puts it, it is "dog eat dog" and one has to do what he/she has to do to survive!

This is a very well written story of a cops everyday life in LA. Very sad that things have to be the way they are but he tells it like it really is. He is misjudged, mistreated and underrated which causes him to doubt himself and everyone else. He fights to stay true to all he believes and has been taught, but at times he is finding himself thinking and acting as the criminals do. Maybe that is how he survives.

Having grown up in S/C LA and also a retired Police Officer, this book give you the real world experience. This book will take you from one extreme to the other. You will laugh, cry and be very afraid. Because it is all so very true. Somebody needs to make this into a movie, Quick. Oprah needs to read this book

One Time is a hardcore and realistic look at the police. The author's writing style kept me interested and I am not a big reader. Since reading the book, I now look at police officers differently.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was very easy reading and went very quickly. While the author had some very interesting stories to tell, however, I think the publisher did him wrong for publishing it as is. There are a lot of editing mistakes and typos within the context that at times can make it somewhat difficult to follow. However, despite these mistakes, I highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in law enforcement, especially in L.A. I'm sure it would be an eye opener. I never realized how violent a city L.A. could be.

Easy to read and is a great supplement to understanding concepts in your training manuals. Definately buy this book.

Wow, what a great book. I had always heard how dry all the industry standard books were so I bought this one. It is a good value. I have a financial background and was able to read this entire book pretty fast. It is an easy read and borderline enjoyable believe it or not. Robert adds in plenty of humor and keeps the really dry stuff as "light" as possible. He also decodes a lot of the legal and sometimes cryptic wording of laws/regulations. This book would be particularly valuable to anyone new to the industry but I also highly recommend this book for people in the industry. Once I finished the book I immediately took a practice test and scored a 71%. Not bad for my first time and having only used this book. I plan to buy his book for the 66 once I pass the 7 of course... good luck!!

I have bought dozens of books from Amazon over the years, but never before took the time to actually do a review. I believe I owe it to the author and all the Series 7 hopefuls out there to do one this time.

Well, I walked out of the exam with 91% this morning. To put things in perspective:

1. Had I read ONLY this book, I don't believe I would have scored so well. I would have passed, but not with 91%.

2. Had I read only the "reference manual" that was loaned to me by my boss-to-be, I would have had a very, very difficult time assimilating the material.

My strategy was to begin with a very easy, relaxed, humorous, but very educational read of "Pass The 7". This gave me a very solid based with which to tackle the more comprehensive (and very unfriendly, if one can attribute such a trait to a book) "manual".

Solid buy.

I scored an 88 on the first attempt using this book and "Series 7 for Dummies" - the two most popular Series 7 books on Amazon. I have a month of work experience out of college and self-studied for 2 weeks.

Pass the 7 should have all the info that you need for the test. If you only want to use one book, this is a good choice, though I would recommend supplementing it with practice exams.

The language is laid back and easy to read. The author puts in humor and casual talk to lighten the mood. I found this to be annoying, as it served to make the book much longer than it needs to be. Just ignore the jokes and write down the details.

Using Pass The 7 and Series 7 For Dummies as my primary study material
I recieved an 88 on the exam. They say the average passing score is
73 so these books should help you get better than that. Good luck!

I have been wanting to get back into stock market investing since my 401k has languished along with the rest of the market for years. I wanted a complete investment "system" that was logical and reflected my views on well-reasoned investment fundamentals.

I found everything I was searching for in this book. There is a fine balance between being technical enough to accurately represent a stock's value and market conditions and readily understandable text. Mr. Van Knapp certainly achieved that for me.

I consider myself a "value" investor at heart and I needed a book that spoke to me on that level. I didn't want rosy predictions of how much money I would make. I'm realistic enough to know I'll make mistakes, but having the information in this book gives me the confidence to know when it's time to buy as well as sell. Mr. Van Knapp also includes two real-world portfolios in the text. These aren't hypothetical portfolios manipulated to illustrate his points. They are real-money ($50k and $40k) investments in actual stocks, with performance information as well as reasoned discussion on his criteria for making his purchases.

I will return to update this review when my portfolio has had time to accurately reflect my own approach, using Mr. Van Knapp's criteria. If you are looking for stock market investment advice, I would highly recommend this book in your library.

First, what this book is NOT:

A primer on asset allocation or asset classes other the individual stocks. If you only invest in bonds, cash, and mutual funds, this book is not for you.

What this book is:

A primer on evaluating stocks to consider buying. The author explains what types of companies to look for. The author discusses developing the comapny's story, how a company fits into megatrends, how to determine a dominant company, and how to evaluate the company's financials. He has developed a scoring system that is easy to understand and flexible, so an investor can tweak the system to their own values.

A primer on stock valuation, primarily using valuation ratios. Again, there is an easy to use scoring system.

A primer on managing your portfolio. Several stock types are discussed, including aggresive Type A stocks, momentum stocks, dividend stocks, blue chips, and EFTs. Concentration vs. diversification are discussed including a recommendation for a reasonable number of stocks to own. When to buy and sell, market timing (based on eight easy to find market indicators) and investing strategy are also discussed.

The author has invested in two real money portfolios, one aggresive, the other more conversative and dividend oriented. He discusses his actual results for the two portfolios and lessons learned. The portfolios were started in 2001 and 2002, hardly during a bull market, so the better than the market results are not simply a result of favorable market conditions.

The appendices include several forms recommended by the author: a stock rating form, company story questionnaire, a stock shopping list, a market timing outlook, and portfolio review.

For those who hate books that are basically sales pitches, this book thankfully has little. The author has a web site, but it is only mentioned a few times, and never pushed.

In all, a good stock picking book with an easy to understand system for evaluating potential companies, valuing their stocks, and managing a portfolio.

As an investor who believes in many of the valuation techniques of Buffett and Peter Lynch, I was constantly trying to find a way to properly grade a stock. Finally, someone tied all the important components together in an easy-to-use scoring system that takes all the emotion out of investing. David Van Knapp has written an understandable and extremely well detailed book that walks you through all the important points necessary to determine 1) If the stock is under or over valued, 2) Is the timing right to purchase it, and 3) When it's time to get out.

Since I began using Mr. Van Knapp's system, my returns have dramatically improved. Using his dividend strategy earlier this year during the exceptional market volatility we experienced, I outperformed the exchanges by 5%.

I would highly recommend this book to seasoned veterans and new investors alike as a staple for your library. Sensible Stock Investing is destined to be included with some of the great works of Graham, Lynch and Siegel.

Out of all the investment books I own, "Sensible Stock Investing" is the only book that has finally brought together an understanding of how, what, why, and when a stock should be considered for purchase. Not just a "stock screen evaluation", like so many books are, but an explanation of how various criteria is brought together and used to give an unbiased and "sensible" direction before making a commitment. This book has allowed me to feel confident, organized, and safer while having an intelligent control of what I analyze and compare. After scrambling in various directions through reading numerous books and newsletters, "Sensible Stock Investing" has provided me with all the tools necessary to establish an orderly and educated direction of investment choices based on knowledgeable, well-built groundwork. It is both exciting and liberating to finally learn how to approach investing based on my own calculated and informative decisions.

Mr. Van Knapp has written a book that allows a person to navigate technical information in a step by step process using an "Easy Rate System". It will allow you to compare a stock against its own strengths and weaknesses, and score it accordingly. The straight forward explanations of the figures used will give the reader an effortless understanding of these fundamentals. Knowing what information to look for and how to utilize it becomes a simple but thorough process.

"Sensible Stock Investing" also includes added information on different stock groupings and their level of volatility, how to evaluate the current condition or trend of the Market, managing your stocks and much more. Through this book, Mr. Van Knapp has succeeded in making the market place an enjoyable and less exasperating environment for everyone. A well earned five stars!

This book provides a cook book approach to evaluating stocks. The concept is good and the approach to applying the concept also good. The main problem with the book is that I do not believe it was edited. There are several glaring errors in the text and it is not very well written either. That being said, it still is worth buying for the concepts that the books presents. What the book really needed was a really good editor to tune it up.

The book has good facts on latest threats on cyberspace.
I admire the author's plot setting in how he tried to combine a real
life scenarios from a informative story line.

As a point of improvement, it would be great if he invested more on a more exciting story, so that an avid reader wont get sleepy in the middle of the book.

This book is an excellent quick read, with stories and information that will draw you in until you finish the book, and then scare the pants off you to the point that you never want to make another online purchase again.

The authors break each chapter up into three unique pieces which cover the topic for that chapter from three different angles. Being in the IT security field I am always interested to here compelling true stores on security breaches and security incidents. These stories were by no means a letdown to those interests. I was completely astonished to find how integrated the identity theft trade was with methamphetamine use and abuse. In addition, the book also does an excellent job of detailing out how banks and credit reporting agencies do and/or don't work with you if your identity does happen to become stolen.

I would highly recommend this book to every information security professional; online shopper; individual interested in the roots of phishing, computer viruses, and identity theft; and anyone responsible for the well being of a business, organization and/or its employees.

I highly recommend Zero Day Threat by Pulitzer Prize winner Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz. This is a must read for anyone who currently uses or contemplates using the internet. Ignoring the information in this exceptional book is like journeying to a foreign land without speaking the language or carrying a GPS. The risk may be as great as walking down a dark alley with all your earthly goods exposed to any predators waiting for an easy target. The book is interesting, informative and full of good advice. Not only will you understand why the internet has become a huge risk - you will learn how the organizations that you thought would protect you actually put you at risk! The book is loaded with practical recommendations that you can put into use right now that will help you practice safe computing and guard your identity and credit. Don't close the barn door after the crooks have escaped with your horse. Read this book now and avoid spending hundreds of hours, frustration and your money to fix a problem you could avoid. Better safe than sorry - and this is just the insurance you need.

Zero Day Threat: the Shocking Truth of How Banks and Credit Bureaus Help Cyber Crooks Steal Your Money and Identity is an interesting and eye-opening look at how banks and credit card companies make ID theft and fraud rather elementary. But with all that, this book must be read in the larger context of how today's society deals with, and is often oblivious to risk. When is comes to risk, American society tolerates tens of thousands of drunk-driving deaths, gives millions in federal tobacco subsidies, and is oblivious about near-epidemics such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. With all that, it is doubtful that the myriad horror stories Zero Day Threat details will persuade Congress or the other players to do anything to curtail the problem with identity theft and internet fraud.

The internet and web have indeed revolutionized society, and there is hardly an industry that has not been positively affected by the net. On the down side, the net is the new conduit for criminals. For example, in the few years before the web became ubiquitous, U.S. and international law enforcement nearly had a noose around the child pornography industry and brought it to a near standstill. After the web, authorities have given up hope that child pornography can ever be contained.

Similarly, white-collar crime and fraud has been exacerbated by the net. Zero Day Threat details the various loopholes that criminals use to carry out their attacks and crimes. Each of the book's 18 chapters is divided into 3 section, exploiters -- which details how the crime lords and their teams carry out the crimes, enablers -- which details the history and current practices of credit card companies, banks, credit bureaus, and data brokers, and expediters -- which recounts how technology and technologies enable these crimes. I found that the breaking up of the chapters into such triplets is occasionally confusing, and you are left wondering what story you are in.

The book is based on the premise that the payment industry, namely the credit card companies, banks, credit bureaus and data brokers have created an infrastructure that is pliable, nearly endlessly extendable, but paper-thin when it comes to security. The system is built for ease of access, ease of granting credit, but without a robust security infrastructure or privacy controls.

Consider that the PCI Security Standards Council was not created until late 2004, and that will give you an idea how security is anathema to the industry. The outgrowth of PCI is the PCI Data Security Standard which is the first uniformly created set of comprehensive security requirements for enhancing payment account data security. While the industry debates the efficacy of PCI, attackers are busy at work running innumerable fraudulent schemes.

The authors paint an honest appraisal of the lack of security in the industry and have their facts in order, although an occasional hyperbole does creep in, for instance when the authors repeatedly state that the hackers in question went weeks without sleep. But a huge error is where they state in chapter 11 that PCI is controversial, with some merchants complaining that it is too costly to implement. There is nothing controversial about PCI, and the security controls it requires are sorely needed. While merchants express their discontent about security and its associated costs, attackers steal from underneath them. The quicker the merchants get that they needed security, the quicker the attacks will stop. But as the book shows, that will not happen anytime soon.

Part of the reason why identity theft will not go away anytime soon is similar to the problem in the air traffic control industry, as detailed in Terminal Chaos: Why U.S. Air Travel Is Broken and How to Fix It. There are too many players in the game, all of which focus on their own interests, and no one wants to take responsibility for the problem. The fact that the Social Security number (SSN) is still used as a key personal identifier, combined with the ease at which an individual 's SSN can be obtained and misused should be enough to give anyone pause.

The primary purpose of a SSN has been to track individuals for taxation purposes. But in the last decade, the SSN has become a de facto national identification number. When established in the 1930s, the Social Security Administration meant for the SSN to be used as a way to track a person's earnings for Social Security benefits. Despite its narrowly intended purpose, the SSN is now used more for non-Social Security purposes, than for the reason it was created. Today, SSNs are used for identity verification, and are the de facto identifier for the credit and financial services industry. With SSNs being aggregated by the millions, they are the fodder for the stories in the book.

Book such as Silent Spring, which helped launch the environmental movement, and The Jungle, which exposed the corruption of the American meatpacking industry, were watershed books that changed America. While Zero Day Threat is not in the same category as either of these books, it is highly unlikely that the level of outrage it will create will be much, nor the indignation significant. Because as bad as identity theft is, and as much grief as it causes, there are far too many politicians, powerful companies, lobbyists and more that are in the way of any change.

Nonetheless, Zero Day is a most interesting look at the many players that work together to facilitate the countless identity theft rings. The book is an absorbing look at the many international players and their enablers involved. While identity theft is not going away anytime soon, Zero Day Threat details the problem, and shows what you can do to ensure that you are not a victim.

Excellent book re: the international scope of identity theft. From thief to enabler, the authors follow the chain of criminals from start to finish. You'll never feel as secure as you did before you read this book.

I give this book 4 stars because in chapter four, the review questions are for the wrong chapter...But this book really gets into the wireless side of Security. I have not taken this test but cannot wait. I have my CWNA cert and had to read the book about 4 time due to the fact that I don't work in the wireless field.

I enjoy reading these books by planent3 wireless I wish they authored other topics. Unlike the CWNA book, this book fouces alot on secuirty..well the cert is called Certified Wireless "SECURITY" Pro. I have read this book only twice and still feel that I should read it 2 more time before exam day.

The only thing is that many times this book "tells" you how to implement a solution; it doesn't show you how. Don't get me wrong this book is a great learning tool. I enjoy this books so well that I'm going to get my CWAP, after earning my CWSP.

Good luck , all and have fun with this stuff !

I was on the look out for a comprehensive book for wireless security, something which was vendor neutral and would cover a lot of wireless protocols and authentication solutions.
This book is packed with a wide range of wireless networking security protocols and solutions including 801.x, 802.11i, DES, 3DES, AES, WEP, WPA, TKIP, PPTP & IPSec VPNs, wireless VLANs, EAP, EAP-TLS, LEAP and EAP-TTLS.

So I got just the book I was looking for.

Niloufer Tamboly, CISSP

The Devinator does it again with a superbly written book. However, did anyone notice the review questions for Chapter4??
The chapter talked about DOS and the questions were about Encryption? Is this a typo or was that intentional?

I have read three other wireless security books and they all basically [stunk]. Some of them had three or four good chapters, but they also had a lot of "fluff" material and just did not cover the material in a logical manner. This is by far is best wireless security book published to date. Even more important than being a study guide, the book will become your permanent reference book when deploying solutions in the real world.

The book covers a wide range of wireless networking security solutions including 801.x, 802.11i, DES, 3DES, AES, WEP, WPA, TKIP, PPTP & IPSec VPNs, wireless VLANs, EAP, EAP-TLS, LEAP and EAP-TTLS. It covers numerous Layer 2, Layer 3 and even Layer 7 solutions.

The guide also has a great section on wireless security auditing tools. In addition there are several chapters that discuss the implementation of security policies and why corporations need wireless security policies in their company handbook.

Although this book is the best wireless security reference book available, I would still highly recommend that you take the CWSP class which is about 80% lab with about 35 hours hands-on with the equipment. The guy who writes the tests for Planet3Wireless is the Marquis de Sade of test creators. He is sadistic, but bottom line is that I was forced to learn and understand the material and concepts. Hands-on experience combined with intense self study from this study guide will enable you to pass the CWSP test.

But regardless of whether you plan on getting certified or not, this book will be your Wireless Security Bible.

I spent many, many hours going over the CWSP Official Study Guide. I feel like Devin Akin did an awesome job of authoring it. This book was developed to help people attain the Certified Wireless Security Professional certification but I use it whenever I need a definitive answer on questions related to wireless security.

A ton of research was put into making sure all types of wireless security products were covered and I think you'll benefit not only from the challenge of the CWSP exam but also from the knowledge you'll gain while studying for it. I can certainly vouch that undertaking this complex subject has definitely helped my career in the IT industry. Getting the CWNA and CWSP certifications could do the same for yours.