Internet Books

You have to keep in mind that this is written by a real estate agent, so he really has an agent's best interests in mind, not yours as a buyer or seller. That said, the book does contain a complete survey of buying/selling homes (mostly buying, actually), assisted by online websites. I found the text too verbose, and I wonder if the publisher or author gets paid for the sites they recommend, for a lot of other useful sites aren't mentioned at all.

Over a year ago I borrowed this book from a friend, and read through it during the entire process of my first purchase of a house. It helped very easily to follow all that was happening, all the terminology, etc. and in some cases, to be ahead, and expect the next steps.

It was so helpful, that I decided to buy it for myself this year, as we're considering the sale of our place, and getting us a larger house.

If you're going to buy or sell a house, you have got to read it: it'll be of extreme help.

This book made my life so much easier by explaining in easy to follow steps how to do everything i needed to sell homes and purchase a new one. It is very thorough, covers all topics from A to z and the recommendations on web sites were right on. The author knows his stuff. This is the first Idiot's Guide book I've bought and I'm so glad i did.

I had to take the time to review this book because my husband and I almost lost our dream home. This superb book helped us save our transaction at the last minute and avoid a horrible lawsuit. Thank God a friend referred us to this book or we wouldn't be living in the perfect home for us. We were buying a home For Sale By Owner and were working with the most difficult seller imaginable. With the help of this guide we not only salvaged the deal, but got better terms and more repairs made to the home. Thank you so much to the author and publisher for writing this book-it's phenomenal. The negotiating chapter is worth thousands of dollars. And to all those buying or selling homes By Owner or even with Realtors-don't do anything until you buy this book. You will be so glad you did.

I got this book for my dad for Father's Day because he and my mother are planning on selling their home and buying a smaller home. the For Sale By Owner comments in some of the other reviews caught my eye because my parents want to sell their home themselves. I started looking through the guide out of curiosity and found myself reading more than half the book. Besides being informative and detailed, it's actually interesting and somewhat funny. i ended up giving it to my father early and he read the entire guide in two days. he said it was the first time he's ever read a how-to book from cover to cover and he's bought over 50! i recommend this book to all people who are planning on buying and selling a home in the future (which is just about everybody) because it is exceptionally clear, informative and jam-packed with advice, facts and data. And it makes a great gift. My dad loved it and is using it to get their home ready to sell By Owner.

I jumped into Cybergypsies with one quick bound..it grabbed me as its prisoner until the very end..Zany characters prance in and out to the click of the keyboard and the roar of the modem..I found myself being caught up in the frantic pace..neither here nor there..from one world to the next and back again in a split second.Jarley remains the true Hero!Bear his Alter ego! A wild burst of wind speeds the characters on into the nether world of the cyber addict. A delightful bit of intrigue worthy of Ian Fleming with all the wild hilarity of Kurt Vonnegut. A good read to the very end!

In the mid-'80s, Sinha, a London ad writer, became seriously addicted to the earliest and most fanatical internet outposts--multiuser games and bulletin boards frequented by hackers, virus makers, software pirates, dungeons and dragons role players and other "cybergypsies". How this nice married father of two with a new house in Sussex almost lost it all to his modem becomes an enchanting tale, full of jarring, hallucinatory, humorous blurrings between worldly and wired events. So many books have tried to capture the heady horizons and disappointing mirages of cyberspace; Sinha's beautifully written virtual travelogue actually does--at least one strange corner of it.

A strangely fascinating exploration of the dark side of cyberspace, where virus writers, porno peddlers, and fantasy game fanatics have created an anarchic subculture that blurs reality and imagination...Part Dante, part Bill Gates, part Jack Kerouac--however you categorize this bizarre book, it's worthy of attention.

This story lures you along a path of sheer escapism, and just as you are starting to relax in an imaginary world, drops you into some events that humans in very recent time have had to endure. Events that have been readily ignored by most of us in our "imaginary worlds", such as Bhopal and Kurdistan. So relax into the tale, and be prepared for a jolt.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, for two reasons. Firstly, I should declare a personal interest: I was a colleague of Mr Sinha's during the period in which the events (all true, I believe) described in the book took place. Secondly, as a person of similar mindset, The Cybergypsies helps me to keep uppermost in mind the importance of balance, perspective and 'all things in moderation'. It was a privilege to work with Mr Sinha, and a great pleasure to read his powerful, elegant, intelligent prose - without being seduced into buying something! I have no doubt that this book will become a legendary volume, describing the beginnings of the internet. Indra Sinha successfully illuminates the significant events of his lifetime, capturing the essence of net culture. He blends story, characters and background detail to spellbinding effect. The Cybergypsies is a page-turner that left me exhilerated, sated and wiser. Balu, you are indeed a love god. Bomshanka.

For those engineers who start their first embedded Linux project, this book is a must have. The book is not for those who want to understand how kernel runs but it gives you the most important concept and work flow to bring up the OS on your development board. The author also provides a useful further reading list in case you want to dig more. A very practical and clearly written book and I would recommend it to those who have solid experience in embedded development but just start to explore in Linux.

This book is very well organized, and provides a good level of detail of the topic. I do recommend it.

I am an experienced embedded developer that just inherited an embedded Linux-based project already in progress. As there happens to be no one else at my company with any embedded Linux experience, I automatically became the de-facto Linux expert and I needed to come up to speed on a lot of topics very quickly. I found this book to be an excellent survey of the must-know topics for the embedded Linux developer. It also contains many references to the most definitive sources of information on the various topics. Highly recommended for coming up to speed on embedded Linux.

Wow!
So far the book proves that embedding Linux while not easy can be fun and interesting. You never know what Tux will do during his startup sequences, even if you did indeed write the stuff the kernel is using for that series of startup steps.

This book, the CALAO SYSTEM USB-A9260 card, an eeePC and a cross over cable is all that you need to study embedded system everywhere (even along the Seine river in Paris - yes I did it !).
The chapters about the U-BOOT bootloader, the BUSYBOX embeded Linux and an extra piece of information on the JFFS2 file system are welcome. If the cross-development environment chapter had been about BUILDROOT, this book would have been THE BOOK for the present embedded Linux based systems designers.

Come on.... admit it. You've always wanted to jerk the chain of those spammers who try to get you to part with personal information so they can scam you out of thousands of hard-earned dollars (pounds, pesos, whatever). Bob Servant did just that in 2007 and turned the email exchanges into the book Delete This at Your Peril: One Man's Hilarious Exchanges with Internet Spammers. This was a funny read, gifted with Servant's bizarre sense of humor and the pathetic attempts of the scammers trying to get the information they're after.

Contents:
Introduction - Meet Bob Servant; Editor's Note - An Overview of Spam; Lions, Gold and Confusion; Bob and the Postie; Alexandra, Bob, and Champion; Uncle Bob's African Adventure; The Sea Could Not Take Him, No Woman Could Tame Him; From Lanzhou to Willy's Chinese Palace; Bobby and Benjamin are New Friends; Peter's Pots; Acknowledgments

Each chapter consists of the email exchanges between the scammers and Servant. The scams revolve around 419, local agents needed, and fake Russian brides. I wish the timestamps on the emails had been preserved, as it would have been fun to see how eager these people were to accomplish their goals. In nearly all cases, Servant is dealing with "English as second language" people, so right there you get a fair amount of amusement as they try to string together decent sentences. But the real joy is when Servant starts to lead them down the path of his fictional life in Broughty Ferry, Scotland. Actually, his life is real. It's just the incidents that are way out there. For instance... Lions, Gold and Confusion starts with a 419 scam. Servant tries to get his percentage of the take moved from 20% to 30%. Once he gets 30% through a series of exchanges, he goes for 40%. From there, he says he doesn't want the money in cash as he can't hide it from the taxman. Instead, he wants it in diamonds and gold so he can move it through pawn shops in Lochee. He then introduces the possibility of taking payment in livestock (like lions) for his neighbor's private zoo. We go back and forth on the detail of the "gold lions", only to have Servant insist that he meant *real* lions. Oh, then the lions have to talk... he'll only accept talking lions... or four lions, two leopards, one elephant, one alligator, two parrots, and one hedgehog...

I enjoyed this on a number of levels. For one, Servant's Scottish culture comes through strong in both text and situation. Having a few Scottish friends, I wasn't having a hard time seeing these crazy situations play out in my mind. Servant's fantasy lives are so far out there, that you wonder why *anyone* would maintain the email exchange past the first couple of volleys. I also got a kick out of seeing the spammers beg and plead for personal information, only to have Servant respond with another "day in the life" email, excuses as to why he can't comply just then, or something else completely out of the blue. The change in the spammer's tone from accommodating to *DO THIS NOW!* was almost a given every time. But actually, in a couple of exchanges, he calls them on the scam at the end and they actually 'fess up to it.

I wouldn't suggest that everyone start doing this to spammers, as there's always a chance that you could tick off someone or some group with the ability to do you physical harm. I think I'll just continue to delete them as they show up. But if you want to live vicariously through Servant, here's your chance to turn the tables.

While I have a really good anti-spam appliance, this e-mail was received today (other than removing some details and the headers, this is exactly as it was sent):

My Dear


I am Antony. I am contacting you to be my project partner and stand as my

late Father foreign manager for transfer of US$12 million with 50kg gold. This fund is in a bank in Indonesia.

into your account for investment I intend to do in your country.

Please reply urgent to my private email @hotmail.com.

Please call me on Tel +277986


Sincerely

Antony

After reading Delete This at Your Peril: One Man's Hilarious Exchanges with Internet Spammers, by Bob Servant, it took a lot of control for me not to engage "Antony" in a dialog. I don't think that I would be able to reply in a manner befitting Bob Servant, but it could be fun.

Contents:
Introduction: Meet Bob Servant
Editor's Note: An Overview of Spam
Chapter 1: Lions, Gold and Confusion
Chapter 2: Bob and the Postie
Chapter 3: Alexandra, Bob and Champion
Chapter 4: Uncle Bob's African Adventure
Chapter 5: The Could Not Take Him, No Woman Could Tame Him
Chapter 6: From Lanzhou to Willy's Chinese Palace
Chapter 7: Bobby and Benjamin are New Friends
Chapter 8: Peter's Pots
Acknowledgements

This is a short (176 pages), extremely funny book that I wished was longer. My family thought that I was mad, as I was literally laughing out loud while reading this book.

Bob Servant has a lot of time on his hands. What he does with that time is to engage internet spammers in dialog. They want his financial information (bank routing numbers or to wire money to them) and Bob wants . . . well, he wants some authentic African recipes for his new restaurant, talking lions, gardening pots, and his Russian bride to get a job at the local pub. Each keep asking him for his money, and Bob not only ignores them, but writes some of the funniest e-mails you will ever read. The spammers, driven by money, keep the e-mails coming, until they usually sign off with an expletive after a really over-the-top e-mail from Bob. Or, unbelievably, they confess that they are trying to scam Bob out of his money. But the exchanges are, quite simply, some of the best comedy I have read in a while. Bob, from Broughty Ferry, Scotland, spins his friends, footballers, and local sights into his e-mails, which adds color to the manic adventures. For example, one person asked for Bob's personal information, only to receive an e-mail detailing Bob's problems with his postman. Bob has taken to playing pranks on Trevor, the postman, going so far as to build a hide in his garden. From this vantage point, Bob either shoots Trevor with an air rifle or "[chucks] a firework at his head." The pranks escalate to point where Bob asks the spammer for legal assistance. Smelling more cash, the spammer provides Bob with free legal advice and then tries to collect.

Each chapter is a new exchange with a different spammer. After reading Chapter 1 (a typical 419 spam), I didn't think that the stories could get any better. I was wrong. I was only disappointed when I finished this book. I realize that 176 pages is short, but this is a book that I wanted to last longer. It was that good. Adding to the e-mail exchanges, Bob includes some pictures that he has passed off as of himself. How the spammers use those pictures in subsequent e-mails is hilarious. Thanks to anti-spam software and appliances, many of these types of e-mails never get to your Inbox. However, if you ever wanted to "get even" with spammers, live vicariously through Bob Servant. The ride is wild and extremely funny.

Every day
Jamming your In-Box
Is SPAM

This book
Is about one man
Who replied

Watch Bob
Spam the Spammers
For laughs


The paragraphs below use some of Bob's examples to give the reader a sense of this book, which is really quite clever if you like this sort of thing.

[Warning: Replying to spammers can cause spam mail to increase exponentially]


Greetings to you in the name of the Most High.

A business acquaintance of mine visited your fine country of Scotland recently and recommended you as a fine and honorable gentleman who can be entrusted with a matter of the highest confidentiality and importance.

He has assured me that you are an expert in business and trade, and that you may have purchased already four golden lions, two leopards and an alligator from the only son of His Excellency King Arawi of Togo. I hope that they are thriving and bringing you much joy.

First, I will introduce myself. I am a former citizen of a Soviet country, but through good fortune and most reputable mail order organization I was able to get married to a good man from Nigeria, who owns both a textile company and a pottery barn. I also obtained for myself a PhD doctorate in Business and Finance through correspondence with major unaccredited university in the United American States.

I am sad to say that my husband is now late due to assassination by his competitors, and I am left alone with his business affairs to handle. I will also tell you that due to his relatives in the government, my husband has been able to save a lot of money which is in an account in my name, and I trust you to keep this information in confidence. My friend Bob, I am a beautiful woman of only 25 years, and I am unable to do business here with the men in Nigeria. My late husband's lawyer cannot be trusted with such matters, and I am looking to you to help me transfer 32 million Sterling pounds to Scotland, where I understand you own a Cheeseburger Business and an African Café.

I would like for us to get better acquainted and maybe you would like to become my husband. I can cook genuine African dishes, especially yam potage, Isi Ewu and Afang soup, which I am sure your customers will enjoy. We can achieve many great things together, you and I.

My dear Bob, I am so excited about this venture between us that I can hardly wait for your soonest reply. Please also send me your photo and the name of your bank and account number so I can begin preparing to transfer the money.



Modesta Spamminovitch-Upayme



This is a quick and funny read, and heartily recommended to anyone who has e-mail.




Amanda Richards, July 19, 2008

I must confess to have on rare occasions engaged in what Bob Servant describes in this book. Responding to a spam e-mail message expressing interest in their "proposal" and then quickly cutting them off. It is one small way in which you can get back at the harassment and waste of time that the generators of such messages create.
However, Servant takes it to a new level, some of the messages he sends to the "mark" are so absurd that it is astonishing that they don't get the reverse scam sooner. It is also hilarious; Servant sends a message even more ridiculous than what the spammer sent him yet they respond in all seriousness, still trying to troll for the bank account information. The scams he deals with are:

*) Russian woman looking for romance
*) African trying to take wealth out of a country (three times)
*) Foreign company looking for a local agent to market their products (three times)
*) Company looking for people to work at home at a high salary

Servant has written a book containing actions that we all want to do, namely string along a scammer with your own scam, forcing them to waste their time and effort chasing an empty trail. It is a taste of their own medicine and sometimes they find it a rather bitter dose.

How many times have you read of, or thought of, leading scam artists on who want to use your bank account to deposit a cool 10 million dollars (and you get to keep 20 percent!) Bob Servant, a man with obviously TOO much time on his hands (well, he is semi-retired), not only has written back to countless Nigerian Bank Deposit scammers but has recorded the exchanges in a laugh-outloud book "Delete at Your Peril." I was hooting louding by the time I got through the Lions and Gold exchange.

If you want a laugh, this is a funny, funny book. Send email scams to Mr. Bob Servant of Scotland at your peril.

I got this book for Christmas and haven't put it down ever since. It really is an outstanding book, showcasing the talents of an international cross section of CG artists. The book is lavishly illustrated with screen grabs of some key steps in the creation of a piece, which greatly helps to understand the artists process/technique. This book, however, doesn't focus on specific techniques as much as on the thought process behind a piece. This book doesn't teach you how to create digital artwork, in fact most of the descriptions assume that you already have a good handle on 3D modeling/texturing/rendering concepts. This is not a tutorial. But the book includes enough information to provide insight into an artist's thinking process. If I may use a movie production analogy, this book is sort of the "behind the scenes" aspect of CG art creation.

The book is beautifully printed in color on good paper stock and the spine is stitched instead of just glued (which is the best way to bind a book).

CONS: There really are no serious downfalls with this book, however from an editorial stand point (I am not a expert at this but...) the book is full of typos and grammatical errors. It doesn't take an English teacher to see that the editors could have done a better job of proofreading and editing the book. I suspect the work was made more difficult given that for a lot of the artists, English was not their first language. However, I think this oversight keeps the book from being a perfect 10 and for a book written in English, this is almost inexcusable.

This is a great book, lots of artwork. Granted, about half of the artwork you could find with a quick google, but its nice to have something real that you can hold. Its also great for the upcoming digital arts apprentice like myself who wants to see how other people's art came to life.

I received this book as a Christmas present about 7 days ago, and havent put it down since. I find myself reading and re-reading the artists procedures and techniques, many of which I plan to try and incorporate into my own workflow. All of the images are masterpieces and have inspired me greatly. Anyone interesting in the realm of digital art, from seasoned artist to novice, should pick this book up for your personal library, you wont be sorry!

This book's 2d & 3d images are beautiful. If your looking for a book to use as inspiration or ref., then this is your book. If your looking for step by step processes on 3d & 2d digital art, then this isn't your book. Digital art masters is more on the theory side of explanations of why they created their art the way they did.

This book is a golden key. If u are an animator or a animation student, U have to read it. :) I bought it & LOVE it.

The book is well layed-out, and descriptions are clear and concise. The first 95 pages or so are relatively basic. I have used a crusty version of Homesite to create a few basic Websites in-the-past, so those first 95 pages didn't teach me anything that I didn't already know. Except perhaps for the design and paper and pencil preparation.

After page 95 (or so), you jump right into Dreamweaver and are instructed as to its' functions. The Webpage you're building is a basic HTML page, and does not use any server-side technology like ASP, or PHP, or CGI/Perl.

It too is well layed-out, and step-by-step. I only wished that a deeper discussion of CSS integration was employed.

So, for the beginner, or for someone who likes to paper & pencil prep, I'd have to say that this is a worthwhile buy.

For the more advanced user, I'd have to say that you may be better off with more of a reference-style tome.

All said, I do not regret the purchase.

This book takes you from web-site zero through building a basic client-side only web site using Dreamweaver 8.

My only critique is that it seemed like we didn't even get to actually using Dreamweaver 8 until about page 100. Before that was an intro to general web-site concepts and HTML.

Anyway, it's an attractive and informative book that is priced lower than most.

If you are looking for website building software, you might want to take a look at Dreamweaver 8: Design and Construction. This book educates the reader on the various aspects of Dreamweaver 8. It also shows the reader, step by step, how to build a website using this software. The author also includes all sort so tips, illustrations of what the reader will see as he or she builds their site, and helpful tech talk boxes that explain some of the more technical issues in an easy to understand way. Everything in this manual is suitable for those with little or no knowledge of website design or website design software.

I believe that the best way to choose website software is to understand what that particular program can do and how this may or may not suit your needs and your abilities. It doesn't help to buy software that can do seemingly magical things if you don't have a clue how to actually make it work. This book helps the reader understand the basics of the Dreamweaver 8 program with a taste of some of the more complex things that can be done.

This book is well written and laid out well (for the most part), but the lack of color really, really hurts this Dreamweaver 8 guide. Perhaps I am being a bit of a stickler, but a book in 2006 not only needs to have good content, but it need to also have a great layout as well. Deciding to go with 5 major colors (white, black, grey, blue, dark blue) not only makes the book seem dull and drab, it detracts from the reader the good content within.

For anyone that uses Dreamweaver 8 on a daily basis this is a great reference guide but the layout editor could have done a much better job. If you care about content more than pizzaz, I think you will be happy with this book

**** RECOMMENDED

Are you new to Dreamweaver 8? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Marc Campbell, has done an outstanding job of writing a book for people who are new to creating their own web sites from the ground up and all that it entails.

Campbell, begins by showing you how to devise your plan. Then, the author shows you how to develop a blueprint for your site. Next, he shows you how to add just about anything to the pages of your site. Finally, the author shows you how to take the working prototype that exists on your computer and publish it to the Web for all of the world to see.

This most excellent book serves an introduction to creating web sites using Macromedia Dreamweaver 8. More importantly, the focus throughout this book is that sound design and usability are inextricably linked.

This book was helpful in defining all the new technologies and illustrates many challenges businesses face integrating their initiatives online.

There are a lot of facets to running a business that not only must serve an online community but an offline customer base as well. Gutzman does a nice job highlighting the various sectors and the tools businesses must consider to address those needs. She provides examples and case studies. Good book, must read.

In the Preface, Gutzman explains that her book "is designed to tell you what the must-have technologies are for your Web site, with resources listing vendors for each technology. However, new vendors are entering the field daily. For example, for the technology I discuss in the Epiloque, alternative payment systems, I received three press releases in the week before the book went to the printer. In fact, this book has been difficult to write because I have never felt that any chapter was finished." Nor could one be. There are several reasons why I thus begin this brief commentary. First, to indicate that Gutzman focuses on "must-have technologies" rather than on, for example, specific strategies and tactics. Also, to indicate (as does she) how rapidly circumstances in the "digital arena" can change. Finally, to suggest that a Web site is never "finished." Gutzman organizes her material within five Parts: The E-Commerce Climate, Technologies for Driving Traffic, Technologies for Making Buying Easier, Technologies for Customer Service, and finally, Turnkey Growth. Of special interest to me are the various "Case Studies" of exemplar companies and technology applications. Also various "Profiles" such as those of "Net Perceptions", "Soliloquy" and "BroadVision", each of which briefly discusses specific functions, features, and benefits of specific technologies. As a non-technical person, I commend Gutzman on creating access for me to subjects which can sometimes be daunting, if not intimidating.

Gutzman's is a "three-pronged strategy" for meeting your demands: implement essential technologies, maintain a flexible business model, and outsource everything. Think of the material in her book as if it were on display in a store which you enter, tool box in hand. Roam the aisles. Examine various clusters of items. She is your expert advisor as well as the store's proprietress. (I strongly suspect that she had this metaphor in mind when writing the book.) Over time, all of your questions are answered. She helps you to make appropriate selections. In process, she has helped you to understand not only what you need and how to use it but also why you need it. Effective use of the 12 "must have" technologies will drive traffic to the Web site, create and sustain Web site functionality, and facilitate customer service which ensures that the Web site will be ETDBW (Easy to Do Business With). In the Epilogue, Gutzman adds another "must have" technology: alternative payment systems.

For whom will this book be most valuable? First, I highly recommend it to decision-makers in small-to-midsize organizations which already have or are now developing a Web site. The more they know and the more they understand, the better prepared they will be to select and then work with vendors. (NOTE: Reputable vendors will welcome such expertise because it enables them to accomplish more for their client and in less time. The same expertise will enable decision-makers to recognize disreputable vendors, either immediately or soon thereafter. That one benefit all by itself is worth at least ten times the cost of the book and probably a great deal more.) I also strongly recommend this book to decision-makers in larger organizations because, in the "digital arena", they will be expected (if not required) to gain a literacy in the technologies which Gutzman examines. Also, these same decision-makers will become progressively more involved in business initiatives (marketing, client relationships, strategic planning, market research, etc.) which the "must have" technologies support. Congratulations to Gutzman on a brilliant achievement.

Those businesses that make the best use of the best technologies available are the truly innovative and solid e-businesses. The most successful of these companies are the ones that recognize that a retail sale is still a very human activity and requires a mix of technology and personalization. Marketing and promotions are still required; however, the internet requires technology upgrades at a greater rate. There are still three keys of retail, and these objectives must be met properly utilizing the latest technologies in order to be successful:

· Attract customers
· Make shopping simple and easy
· Offer superior customer service

The author of this book lists twelve "must-have" technologies that will help to achieve the three listed objectives. The reader will learn about:

· Place websites high in the search engine
· Partner with aggregators
· Use targeted electronic direct mail
· Connect with customers on the go
· Install search tools to help buyers find what they want
· Make the site personal
· Adapt the site for global customers
· Give customers real-time inventory access
· Keep all information current by using a content management system (CMS)
· Use real-time presales chat and other online customer support
· Integrate on-line and offline customer support
· Realize and use the importance of alternate payment systems

The E-Commerce Arsenal surveys twelve technologies needed to prevail in the digital business world, from submitting a URL and web positioning to using targeted direct email. The case histories from other business experiences are particularly revealing, covering common problems and solutions.

This book gives practical, action oriented information for both developers and merchants, and explains it in an easily comprehendible way. The author does not dwell on theory or basics, but gives concrete insight into what's working and what's not from the first chapter - something I've found very valuable as one who has little time to read a book from cover to cover.

E-Wally and the Quest
by Judy Shasek, Wendy Anderson Schulz

E-Wally and the Quest is the first of three books a series titled ýThe Adventures of E-Wally.ý E-Wally, the 11 year old hero, lives and works in the ýLand of the Internet.ý His job is to speed along the wires and electronics to deliver e-mails around the world. While E-Wally is delivering the bits and bytes, and saving his beloved grandpa, the reader is learning about the enormity, complexity and impact of the Internet. The reader is also enjoying a story about good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, and standing up for oneýs own beliefs.

E-Wally and the Quest is a well-developed mystery with intriguing characters, an interesting plot and a setting that is modern and unique. Our hero, E-Wally is a combination of Harry Potter, Charlie Bucket and any child who loves his family. E-Wally is an adventurous boy who runs away from his home to find out why his beloved grandpa is in trouble. Along the way he has adventures with fuzzball routers, a real boy and the evil Olla-Brac, the ýKeeper of the Bugs.ý

The reader gets instantly involved in the story. The characters become real and their Quest becomes important. The underlying lessons in reading and technology add another piece of value to the book. Iým awaiting more adventures of E-Wally in the second book, E-Wally and the Renegades!

Eileen G. Cotton, Ph.D.
Author, Book2Web Series and The Online Classroom: Teaching with the Internet
Professor of Education

I read this book from beginning to end with no loss of interest. I could not believe how much I loved this book. I usually do not read books in less than a month, but this one was one I could not put down! If there is a sequal, I shall be the first in line to buy it!

E-Wally and the Quest is a thrilling adventure story set in the "Land of the Internet". The first in a planned series, it begins with E-Wally learning of a threat to his beloved grandfather. The e-people who deliver our e-mail messages live in misery under the rule of the evil King Henry and his bug infested crony, Olla Brac. It is up to our young hero to challenge the status quo and attempt to save the day. Along the way readers will learn a great deal about the history and workings of the Internet and its potential affect on our future.

E-Wally and the Quest is a children's book that should appeal to all ages. Not since an eleven-year old wizard joined our household, has a book enthralled all members of our home. As computer network engineers, my husband and I were excited to find a book that takes the complex and often confusing land of the Internet and makes it understandable to even the least technical reader. Our children, ages 7 and 9, have learned a great deal about what Mom and Dad do at work. This wonderful book opened a communication channel for our family and has been the catalyst for several lengthy conversations. Even a non-tech family should find a great deal for discussion as the book tackles such subjects as Internet ethics, fighting for a cause and helping your friends even when it is not easy to do so. As one friend suggested, "Maybe my kids can use it to explain the whole thing (Internet) to me".

While I would strongly encourage families to read E-Wally together, educators will also find this book an inspiring tool for the classroom.

E-Wally and the Quest is a delightful adventure blending the mysteries of the computer with childhood fantasies. The hero, E-Wally, lives in the computer delivering mail packages. But he is not the only one alive in the computer - both good and bad characters exist inside the network. When E-Wally needs help, he meets his real-life counterparts - schoolchildren using the computer for homework. We won't tell you if the good folks win this one. But the story is full of excitement and builds suspense appropriately for young children. E-Wally and the Quest leaves readers with the promise of more adventures to come. And we would welcome more additions to this new series.

This is a unique blend of technological information about the internet and a fun adventure, full of fantasy. Teachers might want to take a look at this book if they are doing a unit about computers and the Web. The book is full of the things kids enjoy in fiction--a touch of gross (slime) and more than a heaping handful of whimsy. There is a companion website for the book, too. Innovative fiction, and very, very fun!

This book is a must read for parents and for anyone working in local, state or federal law enforcement. It offers a clear understanding of how many sick people are out there and how our children are so vulnerable and easily exposed to these internet predators. The work of Good together with the FBI is extraordinary. Their efforts will not take all predators off the street, but with each one they send to jail, several of our children are saved from their lives and innocense being destroyed.

Hey Folks,
Mrs.Good takes you through her experiences with the sexual predators that she enounters in her great work as a civilian UC helping the FBI put these folks where they belong...in a cage away from our kids! This book discusses the many facets of this section of law enforcement and even brings you into a trial and shows you the sleazy attempt by a defense lawyer to get the predator from having to do the time for his, or her, crime. This is a great book to companinion "To catch a Predator" by Chris Hasen. These two books are must reads for anyone interested in this subject. God Bless you all, Doneaux.

This book was very informative and eye opening. I recommend it for anyone with a teenager that wants to know what to look for on the internet.

I have read this book, and found it very interesting! Repetitive it was NOT. There are ALOT of sick pediphiles out there, and this lets them know we have their number! This woman works at getting them off the internet, and it doesn't take over night, it's alot of making sure she has who she thinks she has. I think R. Stephanie Good is a "PLUS" to life, if only more people were more like her this world would be a better place.

The book exposes the real world we live in and the dangers it poses. The author does an excellent job of telling the stories and not getting into too much detail. We need more people willing to risk their own personal life to help others.

This book has helped me a lot for the TV commercial to be created in Flash..I thank the author of the book for this wonderfull help..

In order to use the examples in this book you will need a MacIntosh. You will also have buy quite a number of third-party plugins. If you own a Mac and have money for plugins than this is a very helpful book.

But look elsewhere if you only have a Windows computer and want to use only Flash for video work.

An excellent Flash book. It goes through every aspect of the production process, from writing the script to exporting to videotape. It tells you how to prepare your Flash animations the right way, and provides information on the correct project size, frame rate, title & action safe guides, etc. for broadcast. This information is invaluable if you ever intend to submit your Flash animation to a festival or studio, and you have to export your movie out to videotape. I also found the interviews with seasoned Flash animators to be very insightful. You will not regret buying this book.

If you're a traditional animator or a web-based flash animator (all levels), "Flash MX Design for TV and Video" IS the definitive guide to taking your flash animation to video, television and DVD. Not only is this book chock full of animation techniques, it also explores working with sound, flash video capabilities and limitations, visual storytelling and cross-purposing, the process of designing your project with a variety of delivery options in mind. This book is a must-have for every serious Flash Animator seeking to take their flash stories to the next level. We are proud to recommend it to our FlashTV members.

Nicholas Da Silva, ...

Its just a mater time before more quality content shifts from the workstations to the living rooms of the world. This is the definitive guide on bridging Flash content for the Web to Television. A truly indespensible reference for any Flash professional wanting to make the transition.
Janet Galore and Todd Kelsey lay it all out clearly and write in an easy to read style that doesn't skimp on details. The entire book is laden with terrific artwork and helpful screen grabs that support the text. Very undaunting for the visually inclined.
The sections on video exporting, and postproduction effects was particularly eye opening. this section alone cleared a lot uncertainty for me.
While this book won't make the reader a better Flash animator/designer, it most definately will make any level Animator or designer a more informed artist. It will open a lot of doors personaly and in the hands of a talented, creative person, change the ever evolving face of the Flash community indelibly.