Bryan Books

Yeah, neither do I. So if you want to spare yourself a couple hours of hearing big Bill yammer on, avoid this collection. Did I mention the cheezy musical fanfare all around Bill's voice on these cd's? It's like NFL films music run amuck for 2 straight hours. The pictures are good, but the book isn't much to read, and it's all so cluttered (does being hip and cool have to mean unreadable?) it made my skull ache.

I've been reading basketball books since I was a teenager and I have to rate this one as one of the best! It gives excellent insight on every memorable games and moments of american pro basketball from George Mikan to Vince Carter. The double CD is also superb with the live broadcast recordings. I recommend this to everyone who loves basketball.

If your looking for a book that has simply beautiful photographs about the NBA, it DOES'NT GET BETTER THAN THIS!!!! This book literally has hundreds of pictures ( big, small, colorful, black and white, etc. ) that chronolize the entire history of the NBA. It is perfectly decorated with big, sharp, bright, colorful pictures that strike the eyes as the pictures come to life with big, bold headlines and lettering that complimant the pictures. The pages are a smorgasborgh of important historical NBA moments and legendary players from the beginning up until the 2000 Lakers championship. These historical events are displayed in non - chronilogical order. You turn to a page to see the Showtime Lakers of the 80's, then you turn to the next page to see a huge picture of Jordan making a monster dunk. The next page after that, may be black and white pictures of the 60's Celtics. This book has words but it is basically for tantalizing the eyes with gorgeous photographs that cover memorable moments of the NBA. It will put a smile on your face as you relive these precious moments in this fun NBA scrapbook. The pictures you will see in this book are of the Boston Celtics (60's and 80's) ; the Lakers(60's 70's 80's and 2000) ; the Bulls ; The 76ers ; The New York Knicks(just to name a few), Magic Johnson, Micheal Jordan, Vince Carter, Larry Bird, Allen Iverson, Kobe and Shaq, Bob Cousey, George Miken, Dr J, Chamberlain, West, Gervin, Wilkins, Ewing, Auerbach, Russell, Barkley, Baylor, Havlicek, Drexler, Pippen, Malone and Stockton, etc., etc., etc.,. This is only a tiny piece of the pie. If you are a NBA fan looking for a fun little book with many beautifully photographed pictures, this would make the perfect gift. You will cherish this book!

If your looking for a book that has simply beautiful photographs about the NBA, it DOES'NT GET BETTER THAN THIS!!!! This book literally has hundreds of pictures ( big, small, colorful, black and white, etc. ) that chronolize the entire history of the NBA. It is perfectly decorated with big, sharp, bright, colorful pictures that strike the eyes as the pictures come to life with big, bold headlines and lettering that complimant the pictures. The pages are a smorgasborgh of important historical NBA moments and legendary players from the beginning up until the 2000 Lakers championship. These historical events are displayed in non - chronilogical order. You turn to a page to see the Showtime Lakers of the 80's, then you turn to the next page to see a huge picture of Jordan making a monster dunk. The next page after that, may be black and white pictures of the 60's Celtics. This book has words but it is basically for tantalizing the eyes with gorgeous photographs that cover memorable moments of the NBA. It will put a smile on your face as you relive these precious moments in this fun NBA scrapbook. The pictures you will see in this book are of the Boston Celtics (60's and 80's) ; the Lakers(60's 70's 80's and 2000) ; the Bulls ; The 76ers ; The New York Knicks(just to name a few), Magic Johnson, Micheal Jordan, Vince Carter, Larry Bird, Allen Iverson, Kobe and Shaq, Bob Cousey, George Miken, Dr J, Chamberlain, West, Gervin, Wilkins, Ewing, Auerbach, Russell, Barkley, Baylor, Havlicek, Drexler, Pippen, Malone and Stockton, etc., etc., etc.,. This is only a tiny piece of the pie. If you are a NBA fan looking for a fun little book with many beautifully photographed pictures, this would make the perfect gift. You will cherish this book!

Best collection of NBA action photos of any book I have found. 216 pages of excitement. The book also had two audio CDs that connected to 82 pages of the book with live original broadcasts and commentary from Michael Jordon, Karl Malone, Bill Walton and others. It's amazing to listen to the CDs as you enjoy the book. Each CD track number is noted on 82 pages of the 216 page book.

The award winning sports jounalist Bryan Burwell tells the legendary stories of the greatest moments in NBA history with 9 chapters with hundreds of photos and stats. Chapters include: Great Shots, Michael & The Jourdanaires, Great Moves, Great Duals, One-Man Show, Power Moments, Unusual Moments, Monumental Moments and Final Moments.

This was a great gift to myself and to give my Dad.

Ok, I'm not done yet with the book but after two chapters, I could already share with people something: this book is a solid introduction to the field of biocomputing. It cover many aspects in 10 differents chapters (database, data mining, collaboration, read the table of contents).

The autor is enthousiast about his field of research but he doesn't miss an important thing: criticism!! At the end of chapter, you have a small dose of concerns he have about biocomputing. Where we could make mystakes, what we should do?

I'm about to choose if I want to do my master degree in this discipline and this book is great to introduce me with a large perspective to this branch of science.

If you working in this industry, this book might be a little bit boring but even for me who work 5 years with computers networks and databases, both chapters about those technologies learned me something interesting so... I'm quite happy about my decision to acquire this book.

While the book does an adequate job of explaining the purpose to bioinformatics, it wasn't very technical. I had it as a text for a graduate course, and many of us whose background was in computing found a need to find outside references. It's not a bad book for some high level coverage, but it never seems to get to the meat of a subject in much depth or detail. It is more for someone interested in existing tools and databases, but not for a developer who wants to get started in this field. If you're in that category you may want to look at some other text books such as "Bioinformatics in the Post Genomic Era" by Augen or "Fundamental Concepts of Bioinformatics" by Krane and Raymer. Another potential source is Lesk's "Introduction to Bioinformatics" (a bit older, but it does talk about specific computational skills).

This book was a pleasant surprise. It's one of the few books on bioinformatics that I've read that doesn't assume the reader has a PhD in biochemistry or mathematics. It's a gentle but thorough introduction to many of the problems faced by life scientists who are trying to get a handle on this thing called bioinformatics. I've been working in the life sciences for years, and this is the first book I've read that explains how I can make use of the various search engines, genomic analysis tools, and the dozens of genomics databases worldwide in my day-to-day life.

I especially appreciate the author's frank analysis of the state of the art at the end of each chapter. He seems to put a balanced spin on the field, pointing out the vast potential of bioinformatics computing in practical medicine and materials synthesis, while grounding the reader in current political and economic realities that are limiting many aspects of the field.

I consider it a must read.

Dr, Beregeron ofers a sensible yet visionary exposition of the field. For me, the future direction of this field is most compelling. It is a primer that can be challenging to the most sophisticated afficionado, also.

Bergeron wrote this book such that if you have a computer background, you can relate to the topic at hand, and if you have a biology background, you can pick up the material quickly. He uses one to teach the other, and does so rather comprehensively. Major topics and areas of interests in bioinformatics are covered, such as:
* Databases
* Networks and the Internet
* Bioinformatics search engines
* Data mining techniques
* Statistics
* Pattern Matching
* Simulation techniques and modeling

Any of these topics deserve a volume of books dedicated to them, but the author gives the readers enough information that can be useful in determining where to go next. Even though the topics are mostly computing related, the author takes a great care at talking about these topics in the context of Bioinformatics. He even lists the specific applications of each topic at the beginning of each chapter to aid the reader in relating to the topic at hand. For example, after reading the chapter on modeling and simulation, you would know that modeling is used to determine the efficacy of drugs and to determine drug side effects during the drug discovery process.

Databases are probably one of the most important and well known tools in Bioinformatics. The enormous amount of data available for analysis requires large and fast databases. In fact, the amount of data in bioinformatics doubles every eighteen months, so databases and database design is an integral part of bioinformatics computing. In addition to the vast amount of raw data (sequence data and protein data for example) that is stores in databases, the analysis such as pattern matching, simulation and visualization of data requires constant access to databases. The author talks about what are know as primary databases, databases that are used to store raw data, and other value added databases, the one's that store analyzed and/or verified data. One thing that reader gets out databases is the realization of what the data life cycle is in the bioinformatics world, and how it affects all the application areas of bioinformatics.

The databases around the world are either somehow integrated together ease the task of data discovery and data mining. Due to the vast amount of information available, various data mining techniques have been developed over the years to assist in finding the data that a researcher is looking for. Tasks such as data enrichment, missing value analysis for sequence data, data characterization and data distribution analysis mark some of the tasks that data mining techniques needs to accomplish. A number of data mining techniques such as hidden Markov Models, Decision Trees, Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms are talked about and the pro's and con's of each one is discusses in detail. A bioinformatician needs to be at least aware of the various data mining techniques and should have an overview how they work and why they work in general.

After the data has been discovered, a method of visualization that can get the point across, per se, needs to be used. Visualization and simulation techniques are talked about to show the reader what a bioinformatician needs to do with the information found. There are a number of graphical tools available out there, some free and some not, that are used heavily in this business to aid the understanding of the vast amount of information that is available. Various modeling techniques are being used today to aid with the drug discovery process and figuring out the side effect of newly developed drugs. I would say that this area of bioinformatics will see the most growth in the coming years, and the author, Bryan Bergeron, does a great job discussing this topic.

Statistics is another technique used heavily in bioinformatics computing. Even though most of the statistical tools, Matlab and many others, have been used for a number of years, one must know the theory and reason behind using numerous statistical techniques in Bioinformatics. These techniques are integrated into bioinformatics search engines and the software applications for modeling and simulations, but one still needs to know how they work. Bioinformatics is a new field of study, and not by any means been perfected, so there are still a number research track and advancements that are still untapped, thus making the theory behind how some of the available tools work very important in this field.

Bryn Bergeron in Bioinformatics Computing gives the necessary background for anyone interested in the field of bioinformatics. After reading this book, a reader can get a good idea of which area s/he wants to pursue further. The topics are broken into logical units that can aid the reader in realizing what specific field of bioinformatics is more interesting than others.

Even if you don't decide to pickup one of many advanced books in this topic, you should know about an industry that is growing rapidly, and Bergeron's book can aid you to do just that.

I love 19th Century Baseball and this book is 19th Century. Mr. Salvatore makes this book wildly enjoyable to any fan of baseball history. At times the book shows a little "subject jumping," but all in all this book is fantastic.

Although it's not easy to criticize a book which the author says took four years of his life, and I believe him, shoppers should know that at times this book would be better titled "The Late 19th Century Including a Few Vignettes From the Life of John Montgomery Ward." Yes, this book is symptomatic of the modern trend to make them at least 25% longer than they need to be. The author thinks nothing of spending page after page describing oddities of Ward's hometown which really tells us nothing more about him than the single line "he grew up in the middle class of a small town in Pennsylvania" would have. The entire first chapter is devoted exclusively to speculations on various pictures of Ward without even putting the pictures next to them. There is at least one chapter which fails to mention Ward at all. The narrative wanders off the path often, even in the early going when the reader's attention is most at risk, and stays off for long periods of time. I would have much preferred it if this book had been one of those tall affairs with a great, wide margins and little info boxes along the side. Then one could read or not read the boxes at one's option. Or, it could have been a hypertext document and then if one wanted to read more on some of these topics, click and read more, but no reader should be forced to wade through some of this material, especially as some important details are buried in the middle of it, risking the skimming reader missing it. I suppose the fault is with the editor, but it's difficult to say as words like "faro" and "turnverein" are included without explanation -- maybe originally that wasn't the case. Please note that there are 32 pages of footnotes as well. On the other hand, entirely at the author's door are some very big questions left completely unfielded. Why is there no speculation, for example, about why Ward never participated in that most common of human activities, creating children? Also, in this connection, I am surprised that the possibility that he was tricked into his first marriage by a possible false pregnancy is never considered. His wife was after all an actress and must have been familiar with the trick from the Dramatic tradition. Another important issue: who was Ward actually? What were his politics? He seems a very unlikely revolutionary. Rather, like Aristophanes and W.S. Gilbert, he seems to criticize the system from the right, not because he fails to believe in it, but because he finds those in charge to be no-talent hacks and, significantly, because he can. His "revolution" seems to have been accomplished more by cleverness and opportunism than by principle and reality so naturally it was only a matter of time before the cards came crashing down. A little more of the author's or others' judgement on this would have been welcome, or even just a more inside look at how Ward went about his recruiting and alliance building, but all we get are two sentences. Other than these issues, I did enjoy the book quite a lot and although I cannot recommend it as highly as some others, I feel no doubt that on a research basis at least no stone has been left unturned. Certainly its topic is both rare and enjoyable.

Bryan Di Salvatore has captured the early history of baseball with his fascinating biography of baseball's early days. His profile of John Montgomery Ward, a pitcher and later an infielder, provides a detailed look at the evolution of baseball in its formative years. This was a time of numerous rules changes from underhand pitching, walks counting as hits, absence of a fixed pitching rubber, changing rules on how many balls it took to walk. The author meticulously but always in interesting prose tells us about the many battles between owners and players, the reserve clause, poor playing conditions. Ball players were lazy, overpaid, carousing drinkers(sound familiar) said the owners. Owners were greedy, interested in squeezing players for every nickel(sound familiar) said the players. Clearly the era evoked has many parallels to today except the average player salaries were clearly more in line with real wages. The average ball player made 3-5X the salary of the average working man. Generally the players were more accessible to the public although in one scene John Ward complains about the annoying fan groupies. For the baseball fan this book will clearly be educational and is well worth reading. Very few books describe the pre-1900 era and this book is a rare and thorough glimpse on the emerging popularity of baseball.

A Clever Base-Ballist: The Life And Times Of John Montgomery Ward is the riveting tale of John Montgomery Ward's life and historical baseball career, from his expulsion from Penn State University for stealing chickens, to pitching baseball's second perfect game in 1880, to becoming a member of the New York Giants. More than just a biography for baseball history buffs, A Clever Base-Ballist also paints a bright, engaging picture of American life at the turn of the century. For baseball enthusiasts and millennium enthusiasts alike, A Clever Base-Ballist does not disappoint!

Between 1878 and 1894 John Ward Montgomery amazed major league baseball fans on the field and exasperated owners off of it. As a pitcher for Providence, he won 87 games in the two seasons of 1879 and 1880. He also pitched only the second perfect game in National League history. He later moved to shortstop and led the New York Giants to pennants in 1888-1889. His natural leadership skills ensured he had a future as team captain and manager.

But Ward infuriated the owners by bucking their system of control over the players. The National League had established a "reserve clause" binding a player to his team for life by "reserving" his services for the next season even without a signed contract. While the contract and hence the player could be traded, a player could not unilaterally choose to play for another team. The manner in which owners erected this legal means of controlling players amounts to some of the most interesting sections of this book.

This infuriated Ward, who was also a lawyer; he believed players should be allowed to ply their trade wherever someone was willing to pay them. Accordingly, he organized the Brotherhood of National League Players in 1885 as a fraternal order not unlike the Grange and other secret societies of the Gilded Age. In effect, this was the first union of professional baseball players. When Ward learned in 1889 that the owners had established a fixed scale of salaries, setting the upper limit at $2,500 for each season, he led a walkout and established the Player's League controlled by ballplayers. It was a good idea but it failed after only a year because the competition ensured a financial disaster for both leagues.

Bryan Di Salvatore's fine book is largely the story of Ward's efforts to overcome the "plantation-style" rule of baseball owners. He was never able to do so, and he finally retired at age 34 after a 17 year career to lead a lucrative law practice. This is very much a "life and times" biography and one will learn much about the milieu of the latter nineteenth century as well as about Ward and his baseball career. Broadening the story helps significantly, as it places in context the larger owner/labor dynamics that have shaped Major League Baseball to the present.

My husband and I like to play computer video games. This was a necessary book since it gives us hints & help we would not have known to get us thru the levels.

The book provides plenty of information on defeating the enemies you encounter in Doom. You will find it very useful.

I especially liked abilility to find the storage cabinet code without reading the PDAs

This players guide is a must-have for Doom 3 fans, like myself. This guide contains the best information about the game that will help you fight your way through hell and back; full maps with the locations of all the key cards, items, secrets, weapons, and enemies, as well as the codes for all the storage lockers. This guide tells everything you need to know about the weapons, enemies, characters, and offers the absolute best strategy to playing the game. Because of the dark, mazy levels in Doom 3, it's rather easy to get lost. As a result, this guide certainly comes in handy to help find your way out of a certain level. I highly recommend this Official Game Guide for Doom 3; it's the best one out there!

This seems like a good guide for Doom 3. Of course all of the Prima's I have purchased are always good. Of course I am really bad when it comes to gaming. The Best way to describe my gaming is that I need a gaming eye dog to get me throught the games.

A great must have. I played doom3 for 3 months and decided I needed help, so I got "The Guide" and it was a big help. I didn't realize what I was missing!! Besides, it gave names to my enemies,told me about the weapons(which aren't quite the same as the "old doom") and told a story. I like it and think it was worth the money. I think the games should be sold with the book.
RC

The book appears to be an encyclopedia of horror films, however, the reviews include only films released from 1931-1939. It makes no sense why the 1940-1946 horror films are not included, which he calls the "Silver" age of horror. Senn's writing style is like that of a graduate student in film rather than a style that communicates chills and suspense. Senn biases his reviews of the film and actors based upon "academy award" potential rather than the atmosphere and mood. If you are a Bela Lugosi fan, you will be disappointed in the reviews like I was. He tries very hard to be "diplomatic" about Mr. Lugosi, however, none of Mr. Senn's top 10 list of best horror films include Bela Lugosi. Mr. Senn dismisses Lugosi films like "The Corpse Vanishes" because of the absence of 'film school etiquette'. I am a serious fan of the golden age of horror films and consider "The Corpse Vanishes" to be extremely atmospheric and haunting and one of my favorites. Senn has a strong bias towards Boris Karloff because of his "acting" abilities, e.g., the ability to play two parts in one film. I like Boris Karloff very much but have not found any of Karloff's films, with the exception of Frankenstein, that would rival a Lugosi film in terms of mood and atmosphere. Don't base your opinion on whether or not to buy a DVD format of the film based upon Senn's reviews.

A fan of Lugosi or Karloff? Find it in your budget to pick up this masterpiece. Bryan Senn is a young, inspired, well-read cinephile. His specialty is the 1930's. He's very good. He acknowledges his sources and blends them perfectly into this valuable tome. Interesting pictures and wonderful trivia abound. For example, did you know that, in 1932, Fay Wray was filming "King Kong" during the day, "The Most Dangerous Game" at night, and still going back to Warner Bros. studio for pick-ups on "Dr. X" all at the same time? This remarkable lady is still alive(around age 96). (I met her at a California film festival.) If old horror movies are your bag, are you in luck!

If your interested in 30's horror this is the one book that you must have. Senn provides full coverage of the genre in the 30's--in depth reviews of all the decade's major films and short reviews of films that are more marginal in importance (mostly mysteries with horror overtones).

Golden horrors has the best format of any film book I have ever read. for each major film covered, Senn provides seperate sections on plot summaries, the strengths of the film, its weaknesses, and its prodiuction history. This means you can skip over reading the plots of films you have already seen and get the historical and analytical meat.

Senn's taste is informed and almost always on target. He not only tells you what's good or bad about the film but why. There's no vague generalties about ambience or directorial skill--he explains with specifics how the director (or writer or cinematographer) achieved his effects.

The production histories are complete and usually very interesting.

The book also includes 10 best lists for 30's horror films by Senn and other writers. Finding out Ray Bradbury's top 10 picks will, I think, be of interest to most fans.

I can't recommend this book to highly. It's simply the best on the subject and nothing else is even a close second.

Senn's book is simply the best ever done on the classic (and otherwise) horror films of the thirties. It surpasses the coverage of the thirties in such recognized masterpieces as UNIVERSAL HORRORS, and it is hard to see how a book could offer better understanding of the films addressed. If Senn would do a similar job on the forties, he will go down as one of the great authors in the genre. He might anyway.

It was the era that started the horror film genre in America...the 1930's. It was the age that brought us groundbreaking films and made household names of people like Karloff and Lugosi. Author Bryan Senn gives fans of classic horror films the ultimate resource to these films. Over 500 pages which cover 46 classic films including "Frankenstein", "Dracula", "The Mummy", "White Zombie", "King Kong", "Mark of the Vampire", "The Black Cat", and lesser known films like "Murders in the Zoo", "Devil Doll", and "The Return of Doctor X". Senn doesn't just give a passing glance to these films. Each receives some 8 - 12 pages in the book. He starts with the full film credits, then provides a lengthy plot synopsis before launching into the real meat of each film as Senn provides a critical and knowledgeable analysis of each film's assets and liabilities and productions notes.

Senn rightfully points out milquetoast actor David Manners being a liability on three classic horror films: "Dracula", "The Mummy", and "The Black Cat", essentially playing the same dull, uninspiring romantic lead in each film. As if Manners' performance and his own utter disdain for the roles were not bad enough, there is the revelation that he earned four times as much for his role in "Dracula" as Bela Lugosi did. The production notes in Golden Horrors are perhaps the most interesting part of each film's coverage. Even a classic horror film like myself discovered lots of new bits of information about these films that I didn't know previously. For example, the Satanist character played by Karloff in the Black Cat was based on real-life Satanist and occultist Aleister Crowley. Senn is right on the money when he says that there has never been a film like "The Black Cat" in terms of it's mood and its grisly scenes of corpses floating in glass tubes. One can forget in this era of the shock film that "The Black Cat" was released back in 1934.

In "Mark of the Vampire" Bela Lugosi's Count Morla goes about with a bloody wound to the side of his temple. The original script of this Tod Browning film revealed that Morla had an incestuous relationship with his daughter Luna and then murdered her and committed suicide. This was dropped from the film as it would have never made it past the 30's censors, but it goes to show just how dark and ahead of its time the film was, despite the cop-out ending. In discussing "Bride of Frankenstein" we learn that 17 minutes were cut from the preview screenings to the theatrical release. Included in the cuts are Karl (Dwight Frye) murdering his wealthy parents and blaming the monster. Another interesting film that Senn looks at is the underrated "Dracula's Daughter". This was the last horror film made prior to the two year horror film hiatus/ban in 1936. The film was to have starred Lugosi reprising his role as Dracula but that was dropped. When we see Dracula in his casket, we are seeing a wax dummy of Lugosi. Interestingly, Universal still had paid Lugosi $4000 for the role he never played...far more than he earned when starring in "Dracula" in 1931.

Senn covers many more great films of the 1930's inclucing "The Ghoul", "The Old Dark House", "Mad Love", and "Werewolf of London", all aided by over 100 photographs. Nearly as interesting is the appendix of another 71 films that were borderline exclusions into the horror genre. Some of these films were new to me and although many are not available on DVD or VHS, I certainly intend to hunt down those that are. This may be the ultimate resource for fans of Golden Age horrors. You'll spend hours pouring over Senn's meticulous research and certainly learn a great deal about the films you've loved for so many years. Another fantastic offering from McFarland Books!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This is a very impressive book on finding security issues in software, especially because it really can serve as a book for almost all audiences. If you are not an expert, you can still gain a good understanding of what sorts of issues you need to be considering when writing secure software. At this level, it is valuable to know what a buffer overflow, format string attack or SQL injection are, for example, and how to prevent them. If you are interested in diving further into the details, this book will take you as far down as you are prepared for, including an exploration of buffer overflows at the machine register level. This is a great book to read through once, and then keep as a reference for when you need to review something you've covered, in greater detail.

Beside Bruce Schneier books, this is the second software security book that I am reading. The first being Building Secure Software: How to Avoid Security Problems the Right Way and I have prefered this one because it provides more concrete examples. The book consists of over 20 chapters covering different security areas. As a software developer, some chapters appeared less relevent and less interesting to me and I guess that it is because these chapters are geared principally toward testers. However, at least 2 chapters should be extremely interesting and valuable to developers like myself. It is the chapters that demonstrate with step by step tutorials how a hacker would do to exploit buffer overflow and format string problems. I was already familiar with buffer overflows and I had read a similar chapter about them in Building Secure Software: How to Avoid Security Problems the Right Way but the format string exploits were new to me. As expected since the book is published by Microsoft Press, the book has a strong bias torward Microsoft products (ie.: .NET and ActiveX controls security) but the presented topics are general enough to make this book very valuable even for users of other OSes and/or development tools.

I first have to admit to some bias - I wrote the forward, and work down the hall from Tom and Lawrence. So you may want to just read it yourself and see!

These guys really know their stuff. While few people have the fiendish mindset that the authors bring to finding security bugs, the techniques that they lay out in this book will help anyone get very close to the same results.

I've been wanting a book that helps testers as much as Writing Secure Code has helped developers, and it's finally here.

If you are looking for a great book to start / or to enhance your library on security this is the book. I was looking for a book that brought depth to the subject but didn't assume that I was an expert already. When I browsed this one in the bookstore, I was impressed that it started off with how you should think about testing your application and what the difference is when it comes to security testing. Funny thing now is that when ever I encounter a situation I think about how vulnerable. Believe me, thats pretty scary.

The authors proceeded to give a logical path for working toward looking at all the areas where an application might be open to an attack. The authors uses thread models to help flush out the design of an application and explains why they are valuable and how to use them. They then get into looking at entry points and point out areas where you might not realize that you have one. They continue with a discussion on how a malicious client and server could be use to comprise your security. Next they cover ways that someone could fool the user into giving up information such as with spoofing and information disclosure, They then get into discussions about techniques such as buffer overflows, stack and heap manipulation, format string attack and script attacks including XML issues. Along with this you'll find information on permissions, areas for denial of services as well as ActiveX attacks. Finally, you find a very good checklist for doing a systematic approach to checking your security. The topics are well written and provide plenty of examples as well as thoughts about how to deal with the topic.

Even if you don't read every chapter there is plenty of information for any particular area that you are interested in. It makes a great book to have on your shelve when you need to brush up or learn about a particular topic.

After reading the book, I contacted one of the authors and asked him to present to my team. Yes, I work at the same company but that didn't influence my decision to buy the book especially since it was my own money going to purchase the book. He consented to giving us a presentation and his talk has inspired my entire team to ask for a copy of his book. Being that I had already read about half of it, I knew what he was talking about so it reinforced my opinion of the book. I would say that is a pretty good indication of how good the book is when an entire team asked for a copy.

You won't be sorry if you purchase this book.

As with other reviewers of the book: in an attempt at full disclosure, I also work at Microsoft. I am a Test Lead in the Office organization.

One of the challenges that faces any quality assurance engineer or Test engineer, or whatever our industry has chosen to call us this year is that we are constantly tasked with trying to "test in security" or "find the flaws in the product" after it has already been coded. While this is clearly a PART of our jobs, it is by no means the most important part. This book addresses what I consider to be a much higher priority for the Test Org generally, and Test Engineers specifically: helping reduce security vulnerabilities before they are coded into the product to begin with: as features are being spec'd and as code is being designed.
This book is not a simple check-list testers can use to say "Yes, my feature is secure, Ship It". Rather, it helps place Test into the frame of mind of a hacker, it gives test a set of tools to help find security issues, it outlines an approach to software Test that will cause fewer security issues to be coded at all, let alone have to be fixed post code-complete (or in a Service Pack). Used in conjunction with other test books like _How to Break Software Security_ by James A. Whittaker, this book will help ship more secure products.
Incidentally, I expect hackers will be reading this book in an effort to better understand the science of hunting security bugs, as well as the tools we use to do so - so if you're not using it, I'd expect your attackers will be thankful...

This is a good crash course in the essentials of the Lorraine Campaigne, the "who, what, where, when and how." Unlike some books in the Osprey "Campaign" series, it is very readable. Unfortunately, like most books in this series, it is written in very broad strokes, without a lot of details to give the story some life and color. But the many photos and illustrations go a long way to compensate for this short-coming in the text, and anyway, what do you expect from a 65-page paperback? The maps are extremely helpful in understanding the tactical and strategic situation on the battlefield and in the sectors, but they sometimes take a while to parse out.

I bought this book to read on the airplane while flying to France for a visit in Lorraine. The book was an excellent summary of WWII progress in the area, including detailed maps and photographs of several towns I was visiting. Very well done.

As Osprey Campaign series books go this is one of the best. The focus of the book is the blunting of the Nazi counter offensive by the Patton's 3rd Army. It is laid out in the traditional Ospery style and as always gives the reader a broad overview of the campaign.

What makes this book better than most is that it does not get lost in the details of the military movements. It does a fine job of explaining the whys and the hows. Not an easy thing in the limited space avaliable. The most interesting part of the book focus on the German commanders, fresh from the Russian front, fighting the American military with the same Eastern font tactics. As explained, the American use of artilery and close air support made the tactics a disaster.

Steven J. Zaloga, the renowned expert on armored vehicles, has delivered a solid campaign synopsis of the battles fought in Lorraine between 5-29 September 1944. The campaign pitted General Patton's pursuing 3rd Army against the hastily-raised 5th Panzer Army under General Manteuffel and elements of the 1st Army. This campaign has received considerable attention in other far lengthier works, so this volume does not claim to break any new ground. However, it does offer a balanced account which covers all the key events and offers perspectives from both the American and German points of view.

As in all the Osprey Campaign series, the volume starts with a section on the opposing strategic plans. In assessing Allied strategy, Zaloga conforms to conventional wisdom in suggesting that if only Patton's 3rd Army in Lorraine had been accorded logistical priority in September 1944, then perhaps the year might have ended very differently. This is actually the voice of Patton glorifiers/Montgomery bashers. This conveniently ignores the logistic bottlenecks back at the beaches: even if Eisenhower had given Patton the bulk of available supplies, the Redball Express could not have supplied Patton very much further east at that time. The Allied armies were consuming vast quantities of fuel in their pursuit across France and they needed a deep-water port like Antwerp in September 1944 far more than a tenuous foothold across the Rhine. Finally, does anyone seriously believe that Patton's 3rd Army - which only had 8-10 divisions at the time - could have mounted a serious invasion of Germany with minimal support from the other Allied armies? Zaloga ignores the vast manpower and material resources that were still available to Hitler in September 1944. Despite widespread condemnation by many armchair strategists, Eisenhower's "Broad Front" strategy was the best course of action under the circumstances.

The section on commanders is a bit odd because the majority of the space is devoted to well-known higher-level commanders, including Hitler, Model, Bradley and Patton. The corps and below leaders who actually fought the battle are barely mentioned - the two US corps commanders receive one sentence each. Major General Wood, commander of the exemplary US 4th Armored Division, is barely mentioned anywhere in the text. Given the local nature of the armored battles in Lorraine, it is probably inappropriate to describe this series of actions as "Patton versus Manteuffel". These were battalion and brigade-level fights.

As expected from a technical expert, the sections on the opposing armies are quite good. In particular, Zaloga makes very good points about the US edge in battlefield communications. However, one major item lacking here is a discussion of tactical organizations: what did German armor battalions look like in comparison to their US counterparts, particularly in terms of scouting assets, support weapons and maintenance capability? As a former armor officer, I can attest that maintenance capability is much more critical in sustaining armored combat than is often appreciated. Unfortunately, Zaloga leaves this vital area blank and instead tells us that the Germans committed about 616 tanks and assault guns against 1,280 US tanks and tank destroyers.

The sections covering the actual campaign are quite good, starting with the destruction of the 106th Panzer Brigade on 8 September 1944 and progressing up to the final battles around Arracourt on 25-29 September. While the 3-D maps are quite good, the standard 2-D maps leave much to be desired since key phases of the battle are not depicted. There is no map depicting the German offensive that led up to the Arracourt battles, so it is difficult to determine how the Germans coordinated all their units. This tends to make it look like the panzer brigades were committed with support from other units.

The section on wargaming the battle is ridiculous as it usually is in Osprey books. With the availability of superb computer simulations of the Arracourt battles such as Talonsoft's WEST FRONT and OPERATIONAL ART OF WAR (which are never mentioned in this section on war gaming), it is absolutely ludicrous to read a discussion of a "war game" where the players "wear personal stereos, playing deafening music to recreate the effect of motor noise within the crew compartment. Players could also wear cardboard spectacles, with narrow slits to simulate the view through a periscope or vision port..." and so on. Please stop. Given the existence of Avalon Hill's SQUAD LEADER series and the Talonsoft products, which adequately cover the Arracourt battles, this section is a gross insult to serious wargamers.

Nevertheless, Zaloga's book is a useful campaign summary to keep on the bookshelf. Certainly the organization of the material is more interesting than the actual subject, for this overly-covered campaign was certainly not one of the epic struggles of the Second World War. The US 3rd Army was winded after a long pursuit and at the absolute limit of their logistical chain. Although beaten in Normandy, the Germans were starting to regroup but the Lorraine campaign offers one of the very few times in the Second World War that they fought poorly on the offense. Most of all, the strategic stakes were low in Lorraine. If the Germans won, they might have hurt 3rd Army a bit but they would probably only have bought themselves a few weeks respite. On the other hand, the US achieved a tactical victory but so what - the campaign still ended in stalemate for logistic reasons and the weather. This is a key factor ignored by Zaloga and most other writers on the Lorraine campaign: yes, the 3rd Army defeated the German spoiling attacks but how did this translate into a strategic success? The fact is that the strategic circumstances of September 1944 prohibited 3rd Army from inflicting a decisive defeat on the Whermacht, no matter how much tactical skill they demonstrated on the battlefield.

This little book gives an overview of a single campaign in France during 1944. It involved the liberation of the Lorraine area by Patton and his famous 4th Armored Division versus German armor expert von Manteuffel. The author, Steve Zaloga is a long-time student of armored combat in all areas. His expertise shows in this book as describing this campaign weaves the technical aspects of armor with the personalities of the commanders and the tactical situation. As with most Osprey "Campaign" series books there are chapters covering the larger picture, the opposing commanders, the forces involved and then looking at the actual campaign and significant engagements. At the end of the book are quick notes on touring the battlefield today and on creating wargame simiulations of the campaign. A quick and easy read, but packed with good historical information. Highly recommended for history buffs and armor fans.

In 1720, the pirate Captain Gabriel Drake is pardoned of all his crimes, but his Letter of Marque includes the stipulation that if he comes to London, his clemency is void and without further legal due course will pay the price. At about the same time, Jacquelyn Wren tries to get far away from her mother's courtesan lifestyle by rusticating as the chatelaine running the household of notorious seafaring Lord Gabriel Drake "the Dragon".

When Dragon comes home, Jacquelyn greets him by ambushing the pirate. However, Gabriel easily defeats the hooligan who attacked him and using his sword cuts open the covering of her bound breasts. Irate at his chatelaine's audacity and delighted with her boobs, Gabriel realizes he needs to keep Jacquelyn employed so that she can mentor him on joining high society and marry wealth. One kiss changes their bargain as neither expected the inferno that ignited. Fleeing for London, as she no longer can hide her desire, Gabriel risks incarceration and more to tell his chatelaine he wants to change her position to wife. However, when he is caught and jailed, Jacquelyn risks all to liberate her beloved.

This great Georgian romance is filled with bawdy humor mindful of Fielding's classic Tom Jones as the banter between the pirate and the courtesan's daughter is amusing and heated. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the Dragon becomes a landlubber lord in need of loot and never slows down until the final desperate daring deed. Except for the title, Emily Bryan provides a powerful historical as the adventures of the grounded pirate and the non-courtesan chatelaine will pleasure the fans.

Harriet Klausner

Gabriel Drake has abandoned his pirating ways and headed home to Dragon Caern Castle. Along the way he is ambushed and threatened by a young man named Jack. All too soon Gabriel sees though Jack¢s ruse. When Jacquelyn Wren¢s cover is blown she is forced to tell the new Lord of Dragon Caern Castle why she waylaid him. Gabriel¢s homecoming is marred by learning of the death of his father and brother and that someone is out to get him. He is now Lord and in need of a proper wife with a large dowry. Jacquelyn is stuck with the task of teaching Gabriel etiquette so he can find a wife while Gabriel¢s orphaned nieces run him and his faithful friend Meriwether crazy. There is nothing at all proper about the lustful feelings Gabriel stirs in Jacquelyn. Gabriel is intent on taking Jacquelyn to bed even as he prepares for marriage to someone else. Neither counted on falling in love or that Gabriel¢s enemies would find him and threaten to destroy all they hold dear.



Emily Bryan paints an accurate picture of an era where propriety and necessity rule over passion in Pleasuring The Pirate, while adding an extremely romantic and sensual storyline to go with it. I loved Gabriel from the moment he makes his appearance. He is witty and handsome, and all rogue. Jacquelyn is an endearing combination of sensuality, intelligence and insecurity. The children are absolutely precious and the way Gabriel interacts with them is even more so. There are many wonderful characters in Pleasuring The Pirate. It¢s a lovely story, one that every historical romance reader will love!

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Jacquelyn Wren is the daughter of a courtesan and the Chatelaine of Dragon's Caern, a woman without a real role in society but who feels responsibility towards the five young girls, daughter of the now dead Baron of Dragon's Caern. When she's informed that a new man is coming to take over Dragon's Caern and to turn out all the people who currently live there she agrees, rather improbably, to kill him. However, when Jacquelyn meets Captain Gabriel Drake on the road she discovers he is the son of the former Baron, a man that people thought dead, and that he has been living as a pirate for many years. Gabriel has been pardoned by the Keeper of the King's Privy Seal and wants to return home.

Gabriel understands that he needs to marry a rich woman because Dragon's Caern is almost penniless. However as he is trained in polite behaviour by Jacquelyn his thoughts turn to her. Is there any way that he can avoid having to marry a fish-faced gentry woman and to have Jacquelyn? Can he keep himself from being hanged as a former pirate? And what about the rumoured treasure at Dragon's Caern?

The first half of this book was pretty poor with the plot weak, the characterisation unlikely in places and the 'romance' feeling very unromantic. However, about halfway through the book hit its stride and there were subplots and machinations, as well as the introduction of interesting new characters such as Jacquelyn's mother. Most of the characters in this story are horribly stereotyped - the pirate's first mate who's always drunk, the evil land-grabbing baron, the hellion young girls, etc etc, but it definitely was a better read once the halfway point was reached. There was little originality in this story and far too many improbabilities in the plot but by the end it felt more like a romance and was a reasonable read.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

The only time I put the book down, was to run over to my computer and order Distracting the Duchess. I hadn't even gotten half way through Pleasuring the Pirate when I ordered the author's first book, I already knew I wanted to read more of Emily Bryan's writing.

After "Distracting the Duchess", I was really looking forward to Emily Bryan's next book, and was in no way disappointed. This author has done something quite rare: she's written modern versions of the romance novels I grew up reading and loving. I don't mean to say she's rewritten the same stories or stolen characters, but she's taken the things I liked so much -- interesting characters who have depth and courage, fun stories in locales I'd love to visit, and endings I don't really want to come but which are satisfying. I'm thinking of authors like Mary Stewart and Daphne duMaurier (showing my age, aren't I?!). Some modern authors seem to miss the point of romance novels, which is the connection between the two main characters, not just physical, although that's fun too, but the connection of the spirit. Bryan's books, with her humor and sensuality, stories with twists to them, and always secondary characters that beg for their own books, are among the best of the current crop of romance writers.

You know the story. Anyone who has even the vaguest notion of modern rock & roll music knows that Bryan Ferry & his band Roxy Music helped bring in the revolution. They've carved out a place for themselves in history right up there with Elvis Presley, The Beatles & Bob Dylan. I've never written a book review on Amazon, but here I am at 2 in the morning, doing this for the first time after finishing the book tonight. I write for one of the world's popular music magazines and host shows on FM radio as well, and it always fascinates me that when i'm interviewing some new big pop star or rock act of the moment - that most of them don't seem to have a clue as to who Roxy Music is...which is a shame. I always wished i had a book handy to give them along with a copy of my 'Street Life'(the greatest hits) cd that would educate them hopefully to make stronger and relevant music. And this book now fills that void.

The need to apotheosize good writing is hardly new - but Buckley calls for it once again with this new book. He talks to people far & wide inside this one - from fans to the session musicians to Bryan Ferry & the band members themselves; hanging on to every sound, word & thought that came out of the recording sessions. Surprisingly, we get a indepth and very fair look at Brian Eno's contribution to Roxy Music as well, something that till date was largely ignored by any other Roxy Music book out there. We learn that one of the many reasons their music was unique for it's time is that Ferry explored topics in his songs that were universal to the human experience. He had a unique, charming talent of being able to make anybody listen. The band in it's heyday- were constantly able to work and improve their craft, so they now have more classic songs than any active and relevant band that came out of that period. Perhaps even more interesting as Buckley's makes note of, is that very few rock bands have gone through as many successful changes as this band has image-wise and musically, only the Beatles come to mind, and this book charts all of those changes. From the heavy guitar and the odd electric tweaks(courtesy Brian Eno) on thier first album in 1972, to the blues tinged feel of 1979's Manifesto, to the dark haunting landscapes of their final album Avalon, - the band defines the word reinvention. There is no law ordering you to enjoy the music of Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music- but it's fiendishly difficult not to, and this book tries to explain why. The band actually turned 35 this year: that's over a quarter of a century of their rock n roll. A band, lest we forget, whose career has now exceeded that of even The Beatles.

During a decade in which disco, heavy-metal and bubble gum pop provided different forms of escape into fantasy, this band soared high, catapulting themselves to fame on the unrestrained energy of thier live shows, the evocative power of Ferry's songwriting, and the direct connection he forged with his listeners. After reading the book you come away with the understanding that this band is far far more than a passing phase or a part of 70's culture, it's a religion within itself. Without bands like them, it's likely that most of today's Top 40 sound would not exist. This book may not change music history, only time will tell us that, but it's good to know that Roxy Music is alive and well. I am a long time Roxy Music fan and have been since I was 7 years old.(I'm 25 now)From the very beginning, Roxy Music were an elitist band, and we learn from this book, quite proud of the fact. You had to be clever enough to get their references: if you weren't, tough luck. It'll be too bad if I'm the only one who reads this book, though. Too bad for you, I mean.

I first learned of the existence of this book from a passing reference in a Sunday New York Times Book Review magazine; it was given a left-handed compliment (something to the effect that should you want to know all the minute details of the band's history, it could be found in this book). That's pretty much the sum of it - this is a great book about one of the greatest (and most under-rated) bands in music history. However, the author does not ignore the members' flaws and shortcomings; this is a very objective look at a band who was responsible for its limited commercial success. However, Roxy's influence on contemporary music can not be denied, far ahead of its time.

I just finished reading this and was very impressed. The author gives the British perspective on the band. While the focus is on Ferry, the rest of the band is adequately covered. You can tell that he did a lot of research. I agree with much (but not all) of his musical critique. There is gossip and Bryan is disected a bit but you will still like him at the end. I am a fan of music books and a big fan of Roxy Music and this book is more than very adequate.

I am not through with the book yet (I am up to THE BRIDE STRIPPED BARE): this is very thorough and SLANTED - but that's okay. I purchased the entire Roxy/Bryan remasters and Buckley's harsh assessment of some of Ferry's solo work has made me play his solo recordings OVER and OVER and they only get better and better. He is a CRITIC so he is CRITICIZING - and a gushing book over the brilliance of Bryan would probably not work; I believe this author - being of course, very British, had his view which is what makes the reading so enjoyable. However as he states over and over - that Roxy/Bryan were too smart for the U.S, audience is so apparent I can almost shed Bryan's tears. If you have had the luck to see them live (especially their recent "reunion" tour of @ 3 years ago that was so amazing I can still lose my voice just thinking of the screaming) - you know the genius of these men (and their darling Roxy Tottsies).
A treasure.

This in-depth, enjoyable book took me back to the college days when my roommate converted me to being a life-long Roxy Music fan.

No mere recorder of events, author Buckley is a man with attitudes, and his views give this fun narrative its spark. He offers a coherent thesis of Roxy front man Bryan Ferry as a talented and innovative artist who remains dissatisfied and melancholy despite his talent and success. Buckley offers other controversial views: that none of Ferry's solo work matches his work with Roxy, that Roxy inaugurated "the true beginning of rock-as-art," that Ferry's cover improves on Dylan's song "A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall" (I disagree, but the debate is fun).

Buckley is also a master researcher. He appends an 11-page bibliography, which seems to include every press mention of Roxy and Ferry. Thus Buckley can reference in detail critical responses to the albums and tours. And Buckley willingly hands over big block quotations to some key figures, such as early Roxy guitarist David O'List and post-Eno keyboard man Eddie Jobson, who offer multiple and contrary versions of the carreer.

However, except for a 1999 interview (when Buckley was researching David Bowie), Buckley could not speak with Ferry. So he has to rely on Ferry's published interviews. And Buckley was unable to get many insights from Roxy mainstays Phil Manzanera and Andy MacKay. So while Buckley does a good job on the Eno-Roxy break-up, he cannot offer much insight on relationships among the bandsmen. What accounts for the striking long-term loyalty among Ferry, Mackay, and Manzanera, loyalty which survived the Eno crisis (Mackay had brought in Eno)? What accounts for drummer Paul Thompson's changing status with the band? Because these musicians are so reticent with writers, Buckley has to remain on the outside.

Someday, perhaps Ferry and Mackay and Manzanera will open up with a writer and allow an in-depth biography of the band. But even if they do, Buckley's book should remain a valuable resource in the history of rock.

I picked this up in a bargain bin thinking it was a pop science book. A few pages in, it became apparent that the book was a criticism of science's failure to provide a sense of comfort about the big issues ("what is our purpose in life" etc). The author compares science to olde time religion and comes to the conclusion that religion is a lie that makes people happy, whilst science is a truth that saddens.

While this may be an accurate description of the general metaphysical discomfort caused as religion loses ground, it seems a bit presumptuous to suggest we devalue truth and return to the dark ages. As some ancient Roman guy once said, "the desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise". Instead of seeking wonder, purpose and freedom in a godless universe, Appleyard invites us to throw in the towel. And that is what makes this book so morbidly interesting...

Bryan Appleyard's indictment of science as the "Frankenstiens Monster" of our day is well written and very inciteful. He explains very succinctly how various luminaries of the Enlightenment have tried to deal with science and its unwillingness to co-exist with other types of knowing about our world, and ourselves. The author places the major part of the blame on science's effectiveness at solving problems through its "handmaiden", technological development, and the awareness that modern man has of these solutions as universal in nature, rather than cultural. His argument relies heavily upon the evidence that the structure of our modern, liberal-democratic societies is due mainly to our underlying philosophical beliefs about reality as they have been formed by science in the modern era. He provides a well thought out argument for why we should put science back in the cultural box, so that it will be forced to co-exist with other forms of knowing, such as religious faith. He believes that most of us already do this to some extent, and that what needs to happen is we must simply become aware of why we do this, to counter the "appauling spiritual damage" that we have allowed science to wreak upon us. For those people out there who have always wanted an intellectual basis for their belief that there is meaning to our existence that science has no right to judge, I highly recommend this book. But beware! It is not light reading. You will probably have to read it at least three times over (as I did) in order to see the poignancy of his arguments clearly. (I would have given this book a five-star rating if the arguments could have been fully grasped by a single reading, but this is not the author's fault, it's the subject's.)

I found this book to give a spirited overview of the paradigms of modern science and the place of man's sense of self within these paradigms which is no place at all. However, I am not as pessimistic as Appleyard in that I believe science and spirit can be integrated. After readers get aroused by Appleyard they should read Ken Wilber's "The Marriage of Sense and Soul"and E.O. Wilson's "Consilience" for ideas on how these two apparently conflicting worldviews can be integrated. For example, Wilber suggests the method of science can be applied to both the subjective and objective domains of knowledge.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is the modernist or skeptic's assault on modernity in general and the regime of science specifically. As limited as this view must be relative to a traditional or symbolist perspective (i.e., from someone not using the methods criticized to criticize them), I have not read a more accessible book on the subject. If you want to know how much and in what ways our present time (as all times) are an 'Age' with peculiar blind spots, graces, and misconceptions, this is the place to start. Ignore the two reviews below that offer apologies for the regime and accuse Applyard of pessimism; the man who sees the train about to roll over him - rolling over him? - is not a pessimist. Guenon's The Reign of Quantity and Upton's System of AntiChrist are this book's betters but they assume much more on the reader's part; please find this book and delight in his illumination of the ideas that frame our shallow and narrow worldview in the present time. Then read Swift's Battle of the Books and see that this fight is an old one each person must come to terms with.

Science has been good to me.

Not only has it provided the tools to have a life that would have been unimaginable when I was born, but also the fruits of science helped save me when I had a surprising medical challenge. And it became a building block of a successful career.

But I have also been beset by nagging worries about the direction of the scientific enterprise and by the disinterest of most scientists in the implications of what we are doing.

In discussions with many prominent scientists, most go blank or shrug when asked about the philosophical underpinnings of science, or the practical implications of unfettered and unaccountable scientific experimentation.

Enter Bryan Appleyard's excellent book. Bryan is a journalist who writes mainly for the Sunday Times in London, though he has some other outlets: if you are interested, I subscribe to his wonderfully iconoclastic weblog - Thought Experiments - through mine: RichardGPettyMD.blogs. You will have to work out the final part of the address: this review will not allow me to post the whole link!

This is a b