Internet Books

Technology affects art and the many changes in computer animation and effects means that the art world faces both new challenges and new innovations in 3D modeling. Surprisingly, Peter Ratner explains, the changes mean less technical challenges for artists with more ability to focus on creating art rather than deciphering computer systems - and the second edition of his Mastering 3D Animation is just the place to begin. Ratner is a professor of the topic at James Madison University - and the founder and head of the first computer animation program in Virginia, so his background lends particularly well to discussions. His paintings and computer graphics have received exhibition and acclaim - also a plus for artists seeking more than just a programmer's technical tips.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from its technical standpoint of working between the program and the supporting 3D theory/thought process that Mr. Ratner provides.

Finding that balance of an artist and technologist from where to launch one's vision and future visions of creativity starts with good knowledge. Ratner gives many facets of where to see this vision and tutorials to follow through with your own creative projects.

I commonly work with many high-end graphics programs, Lightwave 7.0 being my newest program on my plate. Peter Ratner's 3d book getting me from a begining user from just reading the index to a 3D artist ready to start the new facets of my own portfolio. Mastering 3D Animation helped quite a bit everything from the Modeling and subdivides to the theory/progress.

Joseph Arthur
Information Architects, Principal

Peter J. Ratner's second authoring effort, Mastering 3D Animation, is a 333-page softcover text that is a comprehensive, detailed and practical tutorial guide addressing nearly every aspect and segment of the 3D graphics genre. The book's 14 chapters-and accompanying follow-along CD for PC and Mac-speak to modeling (beginning and advanced), animation, special effects, lighting, surfacing techniques, facial animation, elements of action, figure movements and composition and cinematography. It's an exceptionally capable complement to Ratner's first book, 3-D Human Modeling and Animation. (Ratner currently is updating the latter text with a wholesale rewrite.)

Make no mistake: This is no cursory guide to constructing simple geometry, slapping on some stock textures, animating basic movements along spline paths and rendering to AVI while you're sipping on a latte, watching the Discovery Channel. A full-time professor in the 3D Computer Animation department of James Madison University and the program's founder, Ratner relies on the broad and substantial digital and conventional art experience that has rewarded him with artistic entries in more than 80 national and international juried exhibitions. Ratner is well-versed in most aspects of 3D art creation, choreography and cinematography. The results of his industry experience are a splendid collection of detailed and refined insights and experiences assimilated into a thorough tutorial guide. I have no doubt-as many experts agree-that Mastering 3D Animation is equipped to serve as a collegiate-level textbook for 3D computer animation curricula.

Spanning the many processes related to generating 3D digital art, Ratner illustrates his critical techniques with 658 black-and-white line drawings and grayscale screen captures. The images vary from basic and sketchy but illustrative black-only perspectives, steps and graphs to grayscale representations depicting character renderings, particle systems, height fields, geometric displacements, facial close-ups, rendered environments and more. Of particular interest to those having cinematography or traditional art backgrounds are the commentary, instructions and grayscale reproductions of painted and sketched art dating back multiple centuries.

Those attending to a more technical emphasis and interest are accommodated in every respect, however-minus superficial references to hardware specifications. Early on, Ratner clarifies his intentions in composing this text: "[The book's] purpose is not to create button pushers who can boast about megahertz, abundant RAM, big monitors and software with all kinds of bells and whistles. It is hoped that aspiring 3D artists will learn some valuable lessons from the great art geniuses that have preceded them." (Foreward/vii) Yes, Ratner does wane philosophical, at times, but his contemplative tendencies bring a refreshing and purist perspective to a field frequently inundated by overly technical meanderings and functionally pointless rambling. Thus, Ratner blends an in-depth artistic and technical knowledge with a practicality and philosophy altogether forming a well-rounded perspective-one catering to persons of various inclinations and backgrounds.

The companion CD contains 200-plus 3D models in a variety of formats: LightWave 3D's .lwo and .lws; Wavefront's .obj; Maya's .ml and the generic .dxf. Tutorial project files are archived in QuickTime (.mov) and JPEG (.jpg) formats, and Ratner also includes a Photoshop brush file (.abr) for creating "grime" textures.

As for the text's informational composition, chapters one and two explore the basics of 3D modeling-polygonal and spline-based (NURBS). Chapter 3 addresses basic 3D animation, while the fourth delves further into animation by considering the role of deformation tools: skeletons ("bones"); kinematics; lattice flexors, etc. In Chapter 5, Ratner explains special effects, including the use of spheres, particles, collision detection, voxels, fragments, displacement mapping and more. Part II of the text, Advanced 3D Modeling, begins with commentary about the human head's structure and composition, including muscles and bone. Ratner explains both the NURBS- and polygon- based methods for modeling the head. Special attention is allotted to features, such as the eyes, eyelids, eye sockets and ears. There's no lack of detail, here, and NURBS fans will experience a rare sensation-a feeling of belongingness.

The next two chapters, six and seven, are devoted to modeling the human figure. The latter stresses finishing-hair, eyelashes and clothing. Chapters 9 and 10 comprise Part III: Preparing for Animation. Lighting is the focus of Chapter 9, and Chapter 10-another that may appeal particularly to conventional artists-deals with surfacing techniques. The author goes beyond the typical texture map types-cylindrical, planar, spherical, cubic, etc.-and the use of photos to address alternative surfacing methods, such as transparency (alpha) and displacement maps. In short, Ratner extends well beyond the conventional surfacing methods most highly publicized, deeply exploring what might be categorized more aptly as upper-echelon trade tips than as common genre knowledge: creating sophisticated bump maps; using grayscale gradients in displacement; and more.

Part IV of the book, Character Animation Fundamentals, includes chapters 11-14: Expressing Emotion with Facial Animation (11); The Elements of Action (12); Movements of the Figure (13); Composition and Cinematography (14). Once again, the author uses an expansive knowledge of choreography and anatomy to help quantify how human emotions are exhibited: body posturing; eye wideness; lip contour; eyebrow position; even directional muscular pull. Each of these considerations can be projected in a 3D figure, and Ratner shows the reader how. "A muscle is composed of a bundle of fibers that work in mutual association to perform common duties," Ratner writes on Page 248. "... It is this combination of movements that results in the complicated harmony of the facial muscles."

The Elements of Action chapter confronts those issues pertinent to a convincing human portrayal by a mere collection of polygons or surfaced curved lines: timing; sound syncing; weight and recoil ("squash and stretch"); walk cycles and more. Chapter 13 addresses concerns complementary to those in the previous one, including body mass motion, pace and impact, equilibrium, action lines, rhythm and still more. The final score of this harmonized tutorial prose pursues line composition, spatial arrangement, blocking (proxy geometry) and all manner of photographic issues and techniques. The reader will learn practical cinematography terminology-camera techniques and movements, transitions, more-and the fundamental tenets of motion depiction utilized by artists centuries earlier.

Mastering 3D Animation is a wonderful book, full of useful information that you will refer to again and again. It covers many complicated issues in an easy-to-understand way so that beginners and advanced users alike can grasp the information. Definately a title that will remain in your library for years to come.

Although a nice book that goes into depth in areas that other modeling books haven't, the generalized, not-to-mention-one-specific-application approach the author has taken left me, a beginner, bewildered and drooling. Also, I think some of what isn't explained in detail was not explained purposely as it was difficult to put into words and considered common sense, which seems to be the case with several tutorials and books that I've read on modeling. I want to know things like: Once I have my splines slapped down in a front perspective, how do I push and pull them properly from other perspectives so they'll take shape, or When defining detail with polygons, how many should I tesselate, how can I manipulate them to look like a gradual bump for a muscle and not a sharp cornered cliff? To sum it up, the book was written for the more experienced and those who are very well aquainted with their software packages-I was expecting step-by-step modeling for newbies.

Covered everything I needed to know except for
some of the alphabet names. ie: CIC, ACD, Etc.
Well researched and written.

Pecar and Garbin have the rare ability to convey a complex technical subject in an easy to understand manner. The New Telecom Factbook can be read from cover to cover, piecemeal, or be used simply as a reference manual. This book weaves the confluence of Telecom Network Architecture, Technology, Regulation, and Services into a story of amazing clarity. If you need to rapidly come up to speed in Telecom, I highly recommend this book. If you are getting started in Optical Networking this book will be an important tool to help you place the optical build-out into perspective. I enjoyed reading this book and will refer to it often. -Brad Boersen, MIT System Design and Management Program

I found this book to be invaluable as a comprehensive source of information about telecommunications networks and related subjects. Unlike many other texts, this book does not assume that the reader is a consultant in the industry or has a strong engineering background. Even the choice of each chapter subject is carefully thought out so as to save the time and effort required of the businessperson who needs focused knowledge quickly. Pecar and Garbin do a great service by providing an outline, or basis for research of the expansive technologies and practical and historical approaches to the challenge of telecommunications. This book will see a lot of use in my office.. if I can keep it there.. It usually ends up in somebody elses!.

This insightful work brings the divergent worlds of voice and data together. It provides a clear view of converging information technologies and implications for business processes. The Factbook is an indispensable guide to sound management decision-making.

Our telecommunications group has adopted the Factbook as its principal desk reference. And when it's needed, it's needed badly, so we each have a copy.

The Factbook is our go-to survival tool in today's information network jungle!...

Pecar and Garbin have the rare ability to convey a complex technical subject in an easy to understand manner. The New Telecom Factbook can be read from cover to cover, piecemeal, or be used as a reference manual. This book weaves the confluence of Telecom Network Architecture, Technology, Regulation, and Services into a story of amazing clarity. If you need to rapidly come up to speed in Telecom, I highly recommend this book. If you are getting started in Optical Networking this book will be an important tool to help you place the current optical build-out into perspective. I will refer to this book often. -Brad Boersen, MIT System Design and Management Program

I bought this book for my husband. He uses it to help him with work. He is a Senior Software Engineer.

At the risk of adding one more gushing review to this excellent book - let me say that this book is very good for relatively non-technical folks also. I am working as a manager of a technical team and I used this book to come up on speed on the basics of software architecture. The material layout is very clear and consistent - it helped me to get through the basic concepts quickly and come back for a more detailed reading. The book helped me to ask the relevant questions and focus the team on the right sense of issues.

Only suggestion I have for a subsequent edition is to include one full blown case study.

Having been in the IT world for more than 25 years and studying this topic for many of those years I have found this book to be extremely accessible. I reference it often. I like the way it deals with real business world issues as opposed to on board jet navigation systems etc. I rate it right along with Craig Larman "Applying UML and Patterns".

It is a very thorough and well written book. Authors have introduced idea of perspectives (viewpoints related to cross-cutting concerns) and I totally agree with authors on benefits of using perspectives rather than treating them as viewpoints. My AD of new project is based on viewpoints and perspectives separation suggested by authors.

If you are a software architect or aspire to be one, you should read this book. Rozanski and Woods do an excellent job of explaining the whys and hows of creating software architectures. Their pragmatic, no-nonsense approach makes this book extremely readable. The book is divided into two main sections: an explanation of the viewpoints and perspectives concepts (208 pages) and a catalog of viewpoints and perspectives (195 pages). This makes the book a relatively quick read, but also very useful as a day-to-day reference. If only every software architect would read this book, we might not have as many software quality issues as we have today!

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.

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.

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.

This book is intended to read cover-to-cover, not really a browse to the topic you're looking for type of book. Still really good read, and after you have a great understanding on GA overall.

Like some of the other reviews I considered myself to be quite familiar with Google Analytics, and I was very impressed with Brian's book. I learned A LOT that will be very valuable to our company, many items I've already put into action. (ere's a list of what I learned http://blog.dogster.com/2008/09/25/get-more-out-of-google-analytics)

Brian also does a really good job of building up the what the tools are, why you want to use them and then how. It's a very modular book that doesn't force you to constantly refer to other sections. It builds well and give good examples w/o digressing into obscurities.

If you are using Google Analytics at all for your business, you'll want this book.

One of the few guides that covers the newer Google analytics ga.js code. I found chapter 11 an immeasurable help for guidance in monetizing a non-ecommerce website. Well laid out with useful screenshots and comprehensive scope, this is the one guide you will turn to everyday. I am always getting more ideas and finding different ways to get the most out of Google Analytics with the insights provided in this book.

This book is a MUST for anyone who is trying to use Google Analytics.

You will probably have to read through it more than once (at least I did) but that is because it was packed with information on how to best implement tracking, comprehend data and use it to improve your site with Google Analytics.

This is the long overdue "how to" guide for Google Analytics. You can get started tracking your web traffic without this book, to be sure. But, this book goes beyond the help section provided on the Google Analytics site. If you're trying to understand the web traffic on your site, try using Google Analytics. It's easy and free. This book will help you along. While the title describes the book as Advanced, it's not really that technical. Even the most technical sections are pretty easy to get through.

My book arrived 2 days earlier than expected.
That night I pretty much scanned it from cover to cover, stopping at the parts that caught my eye.
I bought two books, the other being "How To Build a Car PC". This book far exceeded the other one in knowledge, projects, etc.
My goal is to build the car PC, but I know nothing about car electronics, that's where this book came in, with tips on how to wire it, how to load balance the battery, so the PC doesn't crash on start up, etc.
If you are looking for info on Car PC's and OTHER hacks, this book will stear you in the right direction, if not give you all the info you need.
I loaned it to my neighbor who is a mechanic, and I still haven't gotten it back!!! (Little does he know, he's going to help me now)

This is not a book about how to hack the controllers in your car's engine to make it go fast, burn different fuel mixtures, etc. Just like the title says, it is about car computers-and this means everything from actual onboard computers, to audio and video configurations. Like the other books in the "Hack" series, this is not a long narrative about Car PCs, it is simply a book full of 75 projects arranged by topic. Some of the tamer projects include installing headrest video screens, listening to email on the road once you've rigged up your computer to receive free wi-fi, installing a back-up camera and screen, receiving satellite TV, and rigging a free GPS-based navi-system. Of course, since all this stuff is power-heavy, there's also a bunch of hacks on how to strengthen your car's electrical system. To give you an idea, one of the hacks shows how to install a heavier-duty alternator. Throughout the book there are plenty of instructive diagrams, cross references to other relevant hacks in the book, and lots of links to web addresses where further instruction and freeware can be found.
There are seven chapters in Car PC Hacks, each covering a different way to turn your car into a functioning computer with cupholders. Amazon does not show the complete list of hacks, so I do that here:
Chapter 1. Car Power Basics
1. Understand Car Electrical Systems
2. Prevent Electrical Fires
3. Gauge Your Wires
4. Connect Your Wires
5. Calculate Your Car's Battery Life
6. Upgrade Your Car Battery
7. Add New Power Connectors Throughout Your Car
8. Use a Huge Capacitor to Sustain Power
9. Upgrade Your Car's Alternator
10. Add a Second Car Battery
11. Put Home Power Outlets in Your Car
Chapter 2. Automotive Audio Entertainment
12. Get a Headful About Your Car Audio
13. Install a New Head Unit
14. Get Computer Audio into Your Head Unit
15. Amp Up Your Computer Audio
16. Make a Very Cheap AUX-in
17. Reduce Your Audio System's Noise
18. Control Your iPod with Your Car Stereo Knobs
19. Tune Your PC for Radio Reception
20. Record Radio Shows
21. Listen to Email, Weblogs, and RSS Feeds on the Road
22. Find Out What Was Playing on the Radio
Chapter 3. Automotive Video Entertainment
23. Understand Video Connectors
24. Choose Your Screens
25. Install a Headrest Screen
26. Install a VGA Touchscreen in Your Dashboard
27. Install a Sun Visor Screen
28. Install a Motorized Fold-out Screen
29. Install a Fold-Down Ceiling-Mounted Screen
30. Supersize Your Fold-Down LCD Screen
31. Turn Your Laptop into a Fold-Down or Dashboard Screen
32. Connect a Car PC to Your Factory Screen
33. Install a Rearview Mirror Screen and Camera
34. Boost Your Video Signal for Multiple Screens
35. Customize Each Passenger's Video
36. Tune in TV in the Car
37. Receive Satellite TV While Driving
38. Play DVDs with Your in-Car Computer
39. Put Multi-Channel DVD Surround Sound in Your Car
40. Install a Video Game Console Computer in Your Car
Chapter 4. In-Car Computers
41. Choose an in-Car PC Hardware Platform
42. Power Your Car PC
43. Start Up and Shut Down Your Car PC
44. Reduce the Boot Time of Your in-Car Computer
45. Keep Your Computer on During Engine Cranking
46. Turn On Your Car Computer Before You Start Your Car
47. Boot Your Car Computer on a Schedule
48. Choose an in-Car PC Software Platform
49. Install Windows on a CompactFlash Card
50. Power Your Portable Devices in the Car
51. Install USB Ports in Your Car
52. Build an in-Car PC
53. Build an in-Car Macintosh
54. Install a Mac Mini in Your Car
Chapter 5. Car PC Interface Options
55. Control Your Car PC with a Keyboard and Mouse
56. Control Your Car PC with a Handheld Remote
57. Control Your Car PC with a Touchscreen
58. Car-Enable Clunky Applications
59. Listen to What Your Car Computer Is Saying
60. Control Your Car PC with Voice Recognition
61. Find More Ways to Control Your in-Car Computer
Chapter 6. Wireless Connectivity and in-Car Internet
62. Get Online in Your Car
63. Make Your Mobile Phone Hands-Free with Your Car PC
64. Transfer Data to and from Your Car PC
65. View Real-Time Traffic Data on the Road
66. Videoconference from Your Car
67. Use GPS on Your Car PC
68. Find WiFi Hotspots on the Road
Chapter 7. In-Car Applications
69. Plug into Your Car's Built-in Computer
70. Put a Video Jukebox in Your Car Theater
71. Choose Your in-Car Navigation Software
72. Play Thousands of Games by Emulating Video Game Consoles
73. Use CENTRAFUSE as Your Car PC Frontend
74. Use Neocar Media Center as Your Car PC Frontend
75. Use FrodoPlayer as Your Car PC Frontend

This book gave a good introduction for CarPC newbie.
I'm coming from computer background but have no idea about car electricity, AC/DC, etc. The guide was comprehensive and very clear.

This book has almost everything you need to get started with hacking a car pc. Its great to have.

Car PC Hacks tells you how to install a computer and all sorts of cool tech in your car.

It includes 75 projects. Well, the first few are not really projects, but very helpful explanations of automotive electrical systems. I was most interested in the chapters on how to install LCD screens, how to integrate a computer in your car, and how to power everything from the car battery.

This book is obviously written by people who have installed a lot of computers in their own cars and used them for their own and their families' entertainment. It has just the information I needed to be able to do these projects. Excuse me, I'm going to geek my ride now.

The GlassHaus "Constructing Accessible Web Sites" book has been a great find. I began working to build sites and applications for use in Web browsers that had to be used by individuals with disabilities in 1997. Over these years I picked up a lot of hard won knowledge and experience, but have never run across a resource that fully backed what I had gathered. The GlasHaus Accessibility book not only echoes what I have learned, but has provided new insights to improve upon what I already have. The best part of this book is that I can point others to it and I am assured they will be able to build an accessible site or Web applications that can meet high standards.

Many folks think accessibility is a great inconvenience, but it takes a little thinking and planning to do it right from the beginning. Having a great resource at hand makes the process a cake walk. Not only are the processes and guides helpful for creating sites that are accessible for those that are disabled these steps outlined also make the information in the site future ready. Sites that are accessible are much easier to use with a handheld PDA device or from even a cell phone browser. Accessibility for everybody in more situations improves with structuring the information properly, which is all making Web enabled information really requires to get it ready to be consumed. Is your information ready to be consumed by everybody?

I don't usually come it the "lyrical type", but to find such a worthwhile book on such a worthwhile topic is a breath of fresh air!

Above all else, it offers practical advice on how to actually do the right thing. Unlike certain titles with animals on their covers, there's more here than just reams and reams of tables containing cut-and-pastes from the man pages on the subject.

It's also of a nice size. (I know that would be no recommendation, if the book didn't actually teach you anything, but it does - and you don't feel intimidated, like you can when you pick up some dirty great Red tome from a Certain OtherPublisher.) You feel as if the subject is managable. Knowable. It may be just me, but if a book is smaller than my own head, I generally feel that there's an outside chance I may be able to fit the contents inside my own skull!

I'll have to keep an eye open for these blue things... they're quite good.

Of the books and resources that I've read on accessible web sites, this is by far the best - especially from a UK perspective.

The main UK legislation that specifically mentions web sites and accessibility comes into force in October 2004 which, at the time of writing this, is still over two years away. This means that there isn't a great deal of information and certainly no legal cases that we can draw on from our country, so we have to look elsewhere to see what is happening.

This book benefits in that, although it does cover Section 508 and other already in place legislation, it also gives a great all round understanding of the topic, and is very easy to read. Having chapters written by different authors means that you get a far greater depth of experience and information, which can only benefit the reader.

If you're going to buy one book on accessible web sites, this should be at the top of your shopping list.

Two new words have joined the vocabulary of web designers in recent years - usability and accessibility. You will often come across them used in tandem.

Usability really became an issue when Jacob Nielsen infamously denounced Flash as 99% bad. Accessibility became a priority for web developers working on government projects after Section 508 was brought into law in the United States.

Accessibility became an issue in Australia during Maguire vs SOCOG in 1999, when a blind man filed a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) that neither Olympic Games tickets purchasing information nor the souvenir programme were available in Braille. Most importantly he alleged that the SOCOG website was not accessible, and to make it so would have been well within budget. SOCOG was found to have discriminated against the complainant and damages were awarded against the organization.

Accessibility is now a civil rights issue. It is also not that difficult to implement on a website, once you learn how it can be done. This excellent book, Constructing Accessible Web Sites, teaches you all that and more. It is the first on its subject, and will not be the last, but it is damned a good beginning.

All eight co-authors have been pioneers in the field of accessibility, and Glasshaus deserves praise for having assembled such a team. They cover more than website accessibility - their expertise extends to the accessibility of web design tools themselves. An apt reminder that the web is as much about reading as writing, for writers as much as readers, a real medium of two-way communication.

All websites can now be made accessible to varying degrees, even Flash websites since Flash MX, as Macromedia Senior Product Manager for Accessibility Bob Regan demonstrates in Chapter 10. So there are no excuses for failing to add increased accessibility, and usability for that matter, to that new project you are just about to commence.

Ensure you have a copy of Constructing Accessible Web Sites at hand when you begin. And also take a look at another equally essential reference on the subject due out any day now, Joe Clark's Building Accessible Websites. Accessibility is the newest and most necessary website building skill. There are no excuses now.

The GlassHaus "Constructing Accessible Web Sites" book has been a great find. I began working to build sites and applications for use in Web browsers that had to be used by individuals with disabilities in 1997. Over these years I picked up a lot of hard won knowledge and experience, but have never run across a resource that fully backed what I had gathered. The GlasHaus Accessibility book not only echoes what I have learned, but has provided new insights to improve upon what I already have. The best part of this book is that I can point others to it and I am assured they will be able to build an accessible site or Web applications that can meet high standards.

Many folks think accessibility is a great inconvenience, but it takes a little thinking and planning to do it right from the beginning. Having a great resource at hand makes the process a cake walk. Not only are the processes and guides helpful for creating sites that are accessible for those that are disabled these steps outlined also make the information in the site future ready. Sites that are accessible are much easier to use with a handheld PDA device or from even a cell phone browser. Accessibility for everybody in more situations improves with structuring the information properly, which is all making Web enabled information really requires to get it ready to be consumed. Is your information ready to be consumed by everybody?

If you are looking for a book to really understand the outgoing Net Revolution, don't look further. Martin takes you to the center of the digital movement in a cristal clear writing. This is a book to change the way we think, the way we live. The beggining of a personal revolution

An *EXCELLENT* book, written in a very easy-to-read style, that puts the Internet revolution in perspective. If you are a confirmed 'nethead, then this book is not for you - it is only telling you what you already know. If you don't "get it", and/or you are sceptical about the net, then GET THIS BOOK. It has changed our lives and will continue to change it for some time to come. Chuck uses real examples from real companies and people to drive home his points. Some of the links need to be updated on his website, but other than that, I highly recommend this. A good companion read would be James Martin's "Cybercorp"

In a domain positively viscous with lame literature, this book doesn't have any serious competition. It's very helpful at all levels, but its witty and humane approach is particularly good for business people moving onto the Web for the first time. Martin gives sound, detailed explanations of Web advertising, branding, business planning and building an on-line community by using the actual experiences of Net companies that are building today's new Internet economy

If you've been awake and actively using the net over the past few years, you probably already know just about everything in this book. Martin has very good insight into what the web can really be...beyond all the technology hoopla, building virtual communities, supplying appropriate content, making a corporate web site that is actually useful to consumers, etc.. A GREAT read for those trying to make sense of the web, understand how people use the web, and see how other companies have created successful enterprises or applications integrating the internet. The copy I got had some duplicate/missing pages in the introduction of the book.

This book is a "must read" for all company owners and managers involved in the corporate planning process. The Digital Estate digs into the successes and failures of pure on-line businesses and electronic efforts of other companies to define the principals of doing business today. This is not a "technology book" and is not targeted for "net heads" or persons already in the Internet business. It is a business book for executives that contrasts the "old way" and new methods that are transforming business thinking. It is a book for business heads that need a grounding in business on the Internet. Written in a clear and concise manner, sans hype and jargon, it is engrossing, clever and insightful. I can not over emphasize the importance of this book to all business executives.

This book is not for beginners, and contrary to the reputation of O'Reilly press, this is not for experts.

The book uses a simple way to discribe many cases of things going bad. But it stays on the superficial layer of the problems.

The paradigm it uses is describe the problem, ways to prevent it, and how to get off the hook. This may seem very tempting to read because of the easy way to analyse the content of the cases. I like the 3 step aproach, but I didn't see and substance of the way she explained and the conjectures of details each process entails.

The book in general is a simpleton... and its boring.

I was unable to find something I really needed from my usual sources, and turned to eBay for help. Sure enough, there it was! I was an eBay virgin, unsure and feeling very vulnerable. Should I try it?
This is exactly the point where "Don't Get Burned on eBay" comes in handy. Reading this book was like finding a good friend and a compass while wandering lost in the wilderness. I started out marking the impor-
tant points I came across but soon gave that up since there wasn't a lot that I didn't feel like underlining. It's crammed full of useful information.
One aspect that doesn't get enough play for the prospective reader in
my opinion is that the book not only tells you how to avoid the scams
and frauds, it also tells a newcomer how to buy and sell with the legiti-
mate people and do it right the first time. To me as a newbie, that was
just as important. And even if you read this and never do an eBay trans-
action, you will have likely learned something about mail-ordering from
anyone. This is a good reference that I will keep in my library.

I've been using eBay since 1999 as both a buyer and a seller. I was amazed at the amount of things I learned from this book. The policies at both eBay and PayPal have been updated significantly over time, and I'm sure like many other people, I was not aware of many of the changes. From tips on insurance and shipping to information on how to block and cancel bids, this book is valuable to any eBay seller. It also provides tons of information for buyers and sellers on how to avoid common scams associated with eBay. For example, I didn't realize that some people would actually switch a new item for an old and try to claim a return. I also didn't realize that eBay flat-out warns against using Western Union - and that even money orders are not secure in an age of easy counterfeiting.

The book is also filled with real stories of eBay snafus which clearly illustrate the author's points. In addition, the author's sense of humor makes the book a pleasure to read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is active in eBay - even if you don't read it cover-to-cover, it would act as a great reference guide.

This book should be mandatory reading for every person who buys OR sells on eBay. Both sides need to understand their rights and responsibilities clearly, and understand what exactly to do when things go wrong. In addition, both sides need to know common scams, common problems, the ins and outs of insurance and shipping, and common payment issues. This book covers every important issue clearly and concisely. EBay should give a copy to every new user, and give them a quiz before letting them bid or sell.

In addition to being clear, the author has a sense of humor, which makes this not only informative, but entertaining as well. The chapter layout makes it useful as a reference tool, to which the reader can turn when she has a question. The reader should read the whole book once, but afterwards, it is easily used to refer back to for specific questions or occurrences.

I'm a librarian in a university library, and I evaluate books all the time. For its purpose, this is one of the clearest and best I've seen.

Whether you've been using eBay for years or have been afraid to try it, lest you be ripped off, this book is an invaluable tool. Unlike other books that deal with online subjects, it's actually fun to read. The wit makes these tips and tales very easy to absorb and remember while bolstering your eBay confidence and savvy.

I've been using eBay since 1998 and I still picked up dozens of new things and now understand some of the more esoteric features of the site. When I lent the book to my mom, who has shyed from the site because she felt it was too risky, she proudly made two purchases using only the book as a guide. I wish all DIY and instruction style books were this much fun to read, I'd know how to do a lot more things if they were.

Working with Exchange everyday this is a book I recommend to any IT person wanting to know more about Exchange. This is the best Exchange book I have purchased so far. Don't pass this book up.

I purchased this book as a sys admin working with Exchange Server for the first time, and this book took an already complex product and made it more frustrating. I was looking for a book that would explain the capabilities of Exchange Server and how to configure it to exploit these capabilities. This book seems much more concerned with migration of existing enterprise messaging systems to Exchange and upgrading existing Exchange installations than actually setting up Exchange from scratch.

While I am sure that there is good info in this book that I will eventually use, I would definitely not recommend this book to someone who didn't know quite a bit about Exchange Server to begin with.

This book is giving you hundreds of useful and practical advises about Exchange administration & configuration. Jim Mc Bee knows what he is talking about. Remember there is NO reference book about Exchange but don't miss what is in this one.

I don't usually write reviews, but I had to for this book. The author not only knows his stuff, but is capable of putting his indepth knowledge in a very step 1,2,3 approach, something I have found to be an exception in alot of what I read. One think I have to note, I am the main systems person for a trading firm, and we are required to do message journaling (keeping all communications for three years). I have tried to find information on this topic and how to implement it on many message boards and other forums, as well as in documentation. Being that I did not know the actual term was "journaling" I found this impossible, and therefore, have been backing up every single mailbox, and that does not even "legally" do the trick. This one 2 page section on how to implement this makes this book worth more than money, because we are now legal. To the author, thank you for your help, and I look forward to anymore lit. that you produce!

I picked up this book by accident thinking it would be a good "starter" book. AKA - Having never used exchange server before, I wanted a basic book for setting up accounts, addresses, basic administration, etc. This is not that book at all. If you want a really low level book, look elsewhere. However, I quickly found out Exchange Server is intuative enough that it's easy to figure out the basics all on your own just from playing with it. Aside from that, I am greatly impressed with this book. It's solved every problem I've ran across, and more. The best thirty bucks you'll spend this year.