3 Weeks to Startup Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Start a business in 3 weeks? What about all the details, the research, the website, the legalities, the planning?
As a consultant who works with business owners on startup and finance issues, I already knew it was possible to quickly launch a business. I've done it several times myself and have helped consulting clients do the same. What I didn't have was a comprehensive, step-by-step manual that I could hand to new clients to get them up to speed on, well, SPEED.
I often use the following Anita Brookner quote regarding the usual tortoise approach to starting a business to give clients an idea of what I'm talking about:
In real life, it is the hare who wins. Every time. Look around you.
And in any case it is my contention that Aesop was writing for the
tortoise market. Hares have no time to read. They are too busy
winning the game.
If you are looking to start a business that will require financing from banks or venture capitalists, three weeks won't be enough time. Most businesses don't start out that way, though. They start as tiny enterprises with no employees and they grow from there.
3 Weeks to Startup is a comprehensive resource covering all the nuts and bolts details you need to attend to in getting your business off the ground. It takes you through a three week schedule of very specific activities you'll need to think about and do. From defining what you want in the business to who your customer is to legal issues to marketing and sales, this is a terrific guide for new and experienced business owners.
Since my consulting practice focuses on cash flow, I was especially pleased to see an easy to follow explanation of the financial side of business and a very practical approach to thinking about and managing cash flow.
The authors' writing style is very readable. The book contains no theory, it's all application and practical, realistic tasks to get your product or service to market quickly without sacrificing any of the important details. The authors also include a large number of additional resources.
This book is particularly a must-read for new business owners who have the feeling that they "don't know what they don't know." It's also valuable for experienced business owners who want to quickly launch a new venture.


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Fast-Track Your Success
Three weeks? Can you really start a business in three weeks?
Yes, you can.
Tim Berry, business planning expert and principal author of Business Plan Pro, the country's bestselling business plan software, and Sabrina Parsons, co-founder of Palo Alto Software UK, unveil a new, more innovative business landscape and show you how to streamline your startup using the fastest resource in the world-the internet.
Eliminate the exhausting, time-consuming legwork involved in traditional startup plans, and instead fast track your business using a wealth of online tools and services. Berry and Parsons help you build your business step by step, including establishing your business plan, making your business legal, financing your venture, hiring your staff and more-using online tools and resources at every stage.
Discover how easy it is to reach your dream of opening your own business faster than you ever thought possible. Let the countdown begin-you're just 3 weeks away from opening the doors to your new business!

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The Other 80 Percent: Turning Your Church's Spectators into Active Participants (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)In a typical church 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work, but that does not mean that all of your focus should be on the 20 percent, according to Scott Thuma and Warren Bird in this book. In business you can often maximize profits by concentrating your energies on the top 20 percent of your clients, but the biblical standard for kingdom ventures if different.
The authors' research reveals that the general trend to lack of participation in the life of a church is attributable to a number of causes:
*Individualism and consumerism have infected the sheep and made them less willing to follow.
*Some Christians have experienced disappointment with the church as they know it, and now want a life of faith apart from the church.
*Church leaders are partly to blame for setting expectations to low and exercising leadership poorly.
*The problem is partly an organizational one, requiring rethinking of the activities of volunteering and committee work.
*The problem is also a spiritual problem, arising from a lack of understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
The book goes on to describe the characteristics of the committed 20 percent and the characteristics of the less-committed 80 percent. Because the causes of non-involvement are complex and differ from church to church, the authors advocate creating a listening team to listen to the 80 percent and a learning team to learn from them. They then suggest a range of ways, starting with prayer, in which you can seek to address the problems and reach towards spiritual maturity for 100 percent of your congregation.
I found the book very helpful, and highly recommend it to all church leaders.

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A research-based approach to developing more active and involved congregations
In this practical resource, well-known and respected researcher Scott Thumma and professional co-writer Warren Bird draw upon new and heretofore unpublished research across a broad range of Protestant churches of all sizes and show how to create more active members. Offers solid information of what church leaders need to know about the factors and practices that create church members who are more actively and passionately involved in their congregations.
Offers a first of its kind resource for developing engaged congregations
Lead author Scott Thumma is a noted researcher and writer on congregational studies
Warren Bird is coauthor of Culture Shift and Viral Churches

This book offers advice for moving church members from being spectators to living a life of discipleship and faith.

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HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Mobile Development For Dummies Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If it were 2002, this book perhaps would be a fit. Great introduction of HTML 5 and CSS3 (and I mean Introduction). For a book just coming out: No mention of jquery, or any other framework that, yes are surfacing, but been around long enough for the author to know about them. Not even Dreamweaver's Jquery Mobile upgrade. Ordered several books this was the last to come. Like I said, the design elements are fitting for old school design. Sending back tomorrow?

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Learn to build and optimize attractive, functional web sites for smartphones
Today, mobile devices outnumber desktop and laptop computers three to one. Skill in developing web sites that work on mobile devices is in demand, and this friendly, step-by-step guide shows how to build and optimize sites using HTML5 and other standard web development tools.Building web sites that work for all types of smartphones and tablets, including iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and BlackBerry devices is a skill much in demand as mobile devices outpace both desktop and laptop computers, and this book gets you started.
Guides you through creating and optimizing mobile sites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Covers HTML5, WebKit extensions, platform variations, accommodating different browsers, security issues, and making mobile sites richer with Flash, graphics, and video
Includes code for differences in mobile app design and navigation, including touch devices

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Mobile Web Development For Dummies makes it easy to start developing great sites for mobile devices.

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The Amazement Revolution: Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer (and Employee) Experience Review

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(More customer reviews)Really didn't like the book. It's easy to say do all these great things, it's another matter to know how to implement the strategies. The author focused on the results (which are obvious) rather than the process (much harder). Also, the style of the book was really hard to follow. Overall, to me this was a waste of my money compared to other books I've read on the subject of delivering "Amazing" to the customer.

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From the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller...Customer service isn't a department--it's a philosophy that includes every person and aspect of the best and brightest companies.In a tough, competitive, and price-sensitive economy, customer service is one of the most essential tools to separate your business from the competition. In this sequel to the bestseller The Cult of the Customer, Shep Hyken delivers seven powerful strategies that any organization can implement to create greater customer and employee loyalty:
Membership: What if you treated the people you serve like members instead of customers?
Serious FUN: What if your employees felt a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment that made them loyal to you and your customers?
Partnership: What if your customers thought of you as a partner rather than just another vendor?
Hiring: What if you could implement innovative hiring processes to support your customer-service mission?
The After-Experience: What if you could create a memorable, positive experience after someone did business with you?
Community: What if you could create a community of evangelists--loyal customers who brag about you to their friends and associates?
Walking the Walk: What if every person in your company didn't just deliver, but lived and breathed your vision for amazing customer service?
Hyken shares more than one hundred insightful examples from fifty role-model companies that prove these strategies can and should be implemented immediately--by any organization, large or small.Corporate and industry clients from all over the world have tapped into the simple and direct strategies of Shep Hyken. Now you can use his advice to build a successful, customer-focused organization and start your own Amazement Revolution!#11 New York Times Bestseller#3 Wall Street Journal Bestseller#1 USA Today Bestseller

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Maximizing Lead Generation: The Complete Guide for B2B Marketers (Que Biz-Tech) Review

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(More customer reviews)In the last 10 years, the Internet and Social Media have altered the marketing landscape. However, some things remain the same, including the reality that lead generation is how a company motivates prospective customers to make a purchase.
In her engaging, almost conversational style, Ruth Stevens provides a clear definition for what is and isn't a lead. She explains the science behind lead generation and outlines clear steps that any marketer can follow.
Rather than inundate the reader with endless case studies, those chosen are targeted to showcase how a company used a specific concept to achieve success. The samples of what made a specific campaign work are both interesting and informative.
Once she demonstrates the necessity to plan a lead-generation campaign, Stevens provides information on the tools a marketer needs in his or her arsenal of tools in order to achieve success.
In our ADD-world, Stevens promotes use of lead-generation basics such as databases and paying attention to best practices to develop the most effective plan. She provides ample charts and tables the reader can replicate to measure the cost, effectiveness and rationalization for each metric or media chosen. One of my favorite points at this junction is that Stevens does not advocate any one metric or media choice as the Holy Grail; instead, she clearly delineates the uses and best use for a plethora of choices.
Embracing the changing vista in marketing, Stevens explains how to use content as a valuable source of advice to entice potential customers to raise their hand. She demystifies the landing page and promotes the use of several to extend your reach and attract a broader range of leads.
She then explains how to measure the potential of the lead and provides clear steps on nurturing the lead throughout the buying process. She goes so far as to offer three easy steps for lead qualification success.
For a thin book (just under 200 pages), the subject of lead generation is dissected and diced so that both the neophyte and expert will find something new and exciting. By embracing how the Internet has changed marketing, Stevens demonstrates how certain social networking tools can be used to help develop prospective leads. What I specifically enjoyed at this junction was the clear explanation for what social media tools could and can't offer you lead generation efforts.



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The Hands-On, Up-to-the-Minute Guide to Generating Better-Qualified, Quicker-to-Close B2B Leads!Lead generation is "Job One": B2B marketers' single most important objective. Maximizing Lead Generation brings together everything you need to know to do it right. Fast-paced and 100% practical, it will help you achieve outstanding results in any B2B marketplace—from enterprise technology to industrial equipment to professional services.World-renowned expert Ruth P. Stevens helps you bring science and systematization to all facets of lead generation, building on process, best practices, continuous testing, and ongoing improvement. You'll learn how to maximize the value of tried-and-true B2B tools and the newest social, web, and search technologies. Stevens offers indispensable insights for the entire lead lifecycle, including qualification, nurturing, measurement, and tracking. Organized for clarity, usability, and speed, this book will help you supercharge salesforce productivity—and company profits.You'll Learn How To:• Develop and refine rules that consistently lead to higher-quality leads• Gain deeper insights into your customers and their buying processes• Build sophisticated, accurate marketing databases• Identify the media most likely to work for you• Execute highly effective campaigns• Drive huge ROI improvements• Use BANT and other qualification criteria• Apply new "nurturing" techniques to convert "duds" into "diamonds"• Track results and quantify the business value of campaigns• Utilize best practices content marketing and marketing automation• Integrate continuous improvement into lead generation• Discover 10 trends that will transform the way you prospect

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Clear Blogging: How People Blogging Are Changing the World and How You Can Join Them Review

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(More customer reviews)At my place of employment, I'm getting more and more questions about blogging. What exactly is it, how do you do it, what do I need to know, and can I blog within the company? If I had my way, I'd buy about 25 copies of Clear Blogging: How People Blogging Are Changing the World and How You Can Join Them by Bob Walsh and start handing them out. This is a perfect mix of details, concepts, and guidelines, all packaged up in a very readable (and enjoyable) format. I even picked up a few gems myself...
Content:
Part 1 - Revolution in Progress - Please Make Noise!: Why Blog?; Hooking into the Blogosphere; Getting Started
Part 2 - Building Your Blog: What Do Good Blogs Share?; Building Your Personal Blog; Professionally Blogging, Blogging Professionally; Building Your Company Blog
Part 3 - Secrets of Influential Bloggers: Power Tools for Bloggers; Successful Blogging; The New Fourth Estate; Adding Podcasting to Your Blog; Monetizing Your Blog for Fun and Profit; Building Readership
Part 4 - Blogging Towards the Future: Blogging from the New Front Lines; Welcome to Your Future;
Index
From the technical perspective, he covers how to start a blog in a few of the mainstream offerings... Blogger, Windows Live Spaces, and TypePad. Keeping in mind that these packages can change on a weekly basis, he is clear and concise on how to create the blog and post content. Even if things change, the concepts are pretty much the same, and you can follow along. But fortunately, he doesn't spend a lot of time on the "follow the menus" material. It's the other stuff that is so elusive to explain to newcomers. What makes a good blog? Who's going to read it? What do I write about? And of course, can I make lots of money at this? :) Parts 1 and 2 are the foundations for just about every question I've been asked lately, and Walsh covers it all with a flair. If you could convince rookie bloggers to read and understand things such as voice, audience, and consistency, the long-term success rate of their blogging would rise dramatically. I've made a number of the mistakes that Walsh cautions against, and it would have saved me a few hairs had I known this all three years ago. And if you're not a newbie blogger? Part 3 goes into what I call "power blogger" mode, and discusses more advanced topics like how a blog can generate income, and how you can add podcasts to your blogging repertoire. You don't *have* to do all these things, but they are directions that are worth considering. Again, reading this first before diving in could mean the difference between stepping up to the next level and alienating your audience.
There were a few things that drew me to this book. One is the writing style. I enjoy conversational writing that isn't afraid to have fun and be a little edgy. He definitely fits that criteria, and he's not afraid to offer up his own opinions alongside the facts. The second thing involves the interviews. There are a number of question/answer sessions with big name bloggers, those who have defined the field and who are leading the pack. Learning from them what works and what doesn't is invaluable towards improving your own writing. And finally, each chapter ends with a "Your Action Task" section. It's the "call to action" to actually take the next steps to apply the chapter's material and do it yourself. That focus on practicality and "do it now" drives the reader along and should make for some successful blogging efforts.
If you've been getting the blogging questions coming your way because people know you do that blogging thing, point them towards this book. Between your explanations and the material here, there shouldn't be much left over that your questioner doesn't understand. And I'll venture to guess they'll even have fun getting there...

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Almost overnight, blogging has become a social, political, and business force to be reckoned with. Your fellow students, workers, and competitors are joining the blogosphereand making money, influencing elections, getting hired, growing market share, and having fun-to the tune of 8,000 new bloggers a day.

Clear Blogging sets out to answer in non-technical terms what blogging has to offer, and why and how you should blog. If you've never read a blog, but you keep hearing that term on the news, Clear Blogging will show you why blogging has shaken up mainstream media, and how a blogger can end up on CNN. If you're just starting to read blogs, Clear Blogging is your native guide to the blogosphere, covering how to get the best, most interesting information with the least amount of time and effort. The main course of Clear Blogging shows what you stand to gain from blogging, and how you can go from your first post to being welcomed aboard the blogospheres A-list.

Whether you're already blogging or you're considering it, you'll want to get a copy of this book because it

Covers how blogging can improve your job prospects, professional practice, business revenue, company reputation, and the world you live in
Includes over 50 interviews with successful bloggers who are influencing products, policy makers, potential employers, and millions of the general publicall while earning an online reputation and real profits
Shows you how to apply the best practices of news gathering to build your blogs reputation and brand
Is heavy on the specific benefits of blogging and light on the technological aspects

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Hacker's Challenge 3: 20 Brand New Forensic Scenarios & Solutions (Hacking Exposed) (v. 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been looking for a resource that would be useful as a recommendation to the students in my wireless training classes. There've been plenty teaching wireless security and penetration philosophically, but I wanted a practical - get your hands dirty - approach. It's here! Hackers Challenge 3 contains a great "case study" of a hack attack on a wireless network and gives you the insights you need to analyze such an attack.
In addition, you get information related to other newer attacks like phishing, VoIP vulnerabilities and social engineering. This is a great book and MUST be in every security technician's library.
Tom Carpenter, Author: Wireless@ Certification Official Study Guide, CWSP Certification Official Study Guide, and Foundations of Effectiveness.

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The stories about phishing attacks against banks are so true-to-life, it's chilling." --Joel Dubin, CISSP, Microsoft MVP in Security

Every day, hackers are devising new ways to break into your network. Do you have what it takes to stop them? Find out in Hacker's Challenge 3. Inside, top-tier security experts offer 20 brand-new, real-world network security incidents to test your computer forensics and response skills. All the latest hot-button topics are covered, including phishing and pharming scams, internal corporate hacking, Cisco IOS, wireless, iSCSI storage, VoIP, Windows, Mac OS X, and UNIX/Linux hacks, and much more. Each challenge includes a detailed explanation of the incident--how the break-in was detected, evidence and clues, technical background such as log files and network maps, and a series of questions for you to solve. In Part II, you'll get a detailed analysis of how the experts solved each incident.

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Understand Google and WIN: Easy Approaches for Reaching More Customers by Getting Your Website to Page One of the Search Engines Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Happiness is when reality meets or exceeds expectations. This book did neither.
It's a short book that could have been a short magazine article. The big print and extra space between the lines just takes up space to justify creating a book where an article would have sufficed. Most pages repeat the same message over and over using a different combination of the words. I didn't need to read the book to convince me of the need and value of earning top position in a Google search. I did want to see specific steps how to accomplish that goal. I was disappointed.
I boiled useful content from the entire book into about 2 pages of specific tips. We will try them and see if the author redeems herself. At the end of the day, if one tip helps us create more business, it will be worth the purchase price. But I cannot recommend this book.

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Successful offline businesses must be able to attract the right clients and convince them to buy, either by having the right product or by having a great sales process.On the other hand, on the internet, people see what the search engines show them.Every business wants to be on the coveted page one search results.How do you make sure the people who need your services will find you online?This book will show you in simple terms what Google and the other search engines are looking for when it comes to websites.Understand Google and WIN gives the reader a complete approach to getting ranked highly, complete with screen shots and step-by-step instructions.

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Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst "Best" Practices of Business Today Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are fan of previous books in this type of "go against the grain" leadership genre - books like "First, Break All the Rules," "Made to Stick," "Predictably Irrational," "Slack," "The Starfish and the Spider," "Leaders," or "Stewardship," or even "Working with Emotional Intelligence" - you will not find much new here. Or at least I didn't.
If you are a big fan of benchmarking and going out to find "best practices" and then figuring out your strategy, basing your plans on what everyone else is doing versus what of that you can afford, this is THE book for you. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure you're going to be reading this review as another "best practices" book probably came out while I was writing this review and like moths to the flame, you've headed away to that glittering, glowing jewel....
For there rest of us, here is the ground that Susan Scott covers:
1. Moving away from 360-degree anonymous feedback to "365" days a year of face-to-face feedback
2. Hiring for smarts and emotional intelligence rather than just smarts
3. Modeling accountability and responsibility, not just putting them in a corporate ethics "agreement" required of all employees to sign
4. Moving away from employee "team-building" to actually being involved and supportive with your colleagues and your teams
5. Focusing on collaborating with your customers to create new products, better service, and better profits
6. Being transparent - not just in your decision-making and policies, but in getting feedback and input from your employees and your customers to acknowledge mistakes, change strategic directions, and so on
As you can see, if you're familiar with the list of books I noted at the beginning of this review, then "Fierce Leadership" is really just a regurgitation of those themes with Ms. Scott's personal take on them, her experiences, and her suggestions on steps to take in order adopt these themes.
And it is the latter that I believe is the real strength of this book - and where Ms. Scott shines - her step-by-step exercises and activities. There is little doubt that, for instance, by following her advice in Chapter 2 on hiring for smarts and emotional intelligence, you should get better employees and be a better leader.
I caution you to remember that 9 times out of 10, putting all of this into play is not just up to you. There's a whole host of other folks who are involved in implementing any one of these themes. And that's where we should all be cognizant that Ms. Scott is also a consultant, and can conveniently be brought in to help you get everyone in your organization on board.
Don't let this latter point detract from the book - just recognize that adopting these themes will require you to go against the grain, something that takes more than 306 pages of common sense.
To summarize, if you are unfamiliar with the list of resources I cited at the beginning of this review, then get "Fierce Leadership" - it will get you thinking in a new direction. If you've read many or all of the above, you'll not find much new here but may see Ms. Scott's book as a well-needed reinforcement on your journey to better business practices, better leadership, and better profit.

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Internet Marketing Start to Finish: Drive measurable, repeatable online sales with search marketing, usability, CRM, and analytics (Que Biz-Tech) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have worked in the silo of public relations (P.R.), which used to be separate from marketing.
In many respects that separation is archaic. P.R. and marketing now overlap and co-exist online within
social media websites and communities. I received a review copy of this book and, as non-technical
P.R. professional, I found this book an eye-opener.
Authors Catherine Juon, Dunrie Greiling and Catherine Buerkle are coaches experienced
in dealing with novice and experienced marketers, and they address their readers' concerns
systematically and with clarity.
The authors write in plain, accessible English in order to help readers judge the maturity
of their current online marketing plan. They offer solid methodology for measuring the value of a
program in order to improve it. They also detail simple ways to get significant improvements.
If you're interested in developing and/or refining an Internet marketing plan, Internet Marketing,
Start to Finish provides deep, personal coaching on how to weave together the elements
of a successful web-based plan.


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This book is designed to help your company view Internet marketing strategically, bring together marketing, sales and operations functions that were previously separate and siloed, and systematically capture and apply data to drive dramatic improvements in performance. Drawing on their extensive experience with enterprise clients, Catherine Juon and Dunrie Greiling show you how to implement a more iterative, measurable, and repeatable approach to Internet marketing, gain better information about which online strategies are working best, deliver better-qualified leads to sales, build an "online sales engine" to track every customer relationship from the very outset - and, above all, grow profits. Rather than covering individual Internet marketing tools in isolation, they show you how to integrate the full strategic toolkit: social media, pay-per-click, Google AdWords, SEO, site usability, Google Analytics, audience analysis, CRM, lead generation, site navigation optimization, and more. You'll learn how to use metrics and data analysis far more effectively to inform adjustments in both long-term strategy and short-term tactics. Along the way, the authors offer you new solutions to challenges discussed in no other book - including the challenges of marketing, advertising, and pricing when Google flattens all channels and geographies into a single gigantic marketplace.

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The Laptop Repair Workbook: An Introduction to Troubleshooting and Repairing Laptop Computers Review

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(More customer reviews)I just finished reading this book, cover to cover. Just couldn't stop reading it, as Morris keeps it interesting. Moreover, it's an amazing resource for laptop troubleshooting and repair. In fact, the best I've ever read. Much better then Mueller's in terms of troubleshooting and the depth and scope of repairs - and it only has 191 pages. Armed with this book and the laptop's service manual, you are set to attack most of the problems you'll run into with laptops. Like Morris says in the front of the book, you'll notice we don't talk about the razzle-dazzle technology of computer components in this book." It's about fixing them and getting them back into working order. I highly recommend this book.

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This book will help you troubleshoot your laptop problem and take the most cost effective approach to repairing it, getting it repaired, or replacing it. But the troubleshooting process depends on your observations of the symptoms and your willingness to keep your mind open to solutions other than your first impression, or those suggested by friends who say they had "exactly the same problem." If the laptop is still usable but acts up, pay close attention to when and where it acts up, whether the problem always occurs after the laptop has been moved, or shut-down for the night, or running all day. Even the weather plays a part in troubleshooting some problems, so try to read through all of the general troubleshooting sections, just to get a feel for the things that go wrong with different components. If it doesn't make you into a laptop hypochondriac, it will make you a stronger diagnostician.You may notice we don't talk about the razzle-dazzle technology of computer components in this book. The reason is simple. You can't upgrade or repair your laptop by using the latest technology available, nor can you save money by repairing it with older technology rescued from a random laptop at the recycling center. You have to use the exact parts your laptop was engineered to work with. Hard drives and memory are the only replaceable parts that are often compatible between models of a similar vintage. For some readers, the lack of an illustrated discussion on how hard drives store data bits will take some fun out of the book, but that knowledge can't help you when it comes to troubleshooting. There are plenty of books with beautiful color illustrations that try to explain basic computer technology, but they do so at the expense of helping you solve real laptop problems.Two final notes about using this workbook. First, if your laptop is in warranty, it doesn't make any sense to take it apart in hopes of fixing something yourself. This book can still help you troubleshoot the problem to determine if it's a software setting or incorrect use, which may save you sending the laptop out for repair. Second, feel free to cut out the twelve flowcharts in the second half of the book and staple them together. This will save on page flipping as you read the expanded explanations of the decision symbols. It's a workbook, not English literature.The Laptop Repair Workbook includes twelve full page troubleshooting flowcharts for laptop hardware troubleshooting and explanatory text for every decision point. The book begins with an introduction to basic laptop terminology, troubleshooting procedures, and cost decisions. Supplementary illustrated tests and procedures are available on the publisher's website and an ebook version is also available direct from the publisher.

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How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, I am NOT car-free. I'll admit that up front. But I would LIKE to be and this book has convinced me that I'd save a TON of money if I were able to reduce or eliminate my dependence on our car.
The author saved about 40K or more in 4 years of living without a car. To say he did not EVER USE a car, however, would not be totally true. He bumped up against reality sometime and had to rent a car on occasion...but mostly he made do by bicycling, walking or using public transportation or taxis.
"Wait", you might say, "Take a taxi? Aren't they expensive?" Not as part of an overall plan that allows one to stop paying for auto insurance, car maintenance, buying a car, etc.
The author makes a convincing argument and I have cut down on my use of our auto as a result, walking as much as possible. I'd do away with it forever if we had reliable public transportation and if our kids weren't involved in activities that were out of the public transportation loop, sometimes out of the city.
But I still have hope of living "car free" and I am aiming for a life where using our car isn't necessary, in a town with good public transportation and mild winters...someday. In the meantime, this book has given me a road map (pun intended) for a simpler, less auto-dependent lifestyle.


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You don'¬?t need to own a car to live well in America. In fact, you'¬?d probably be better off without one. In this groundbreaking guide, award-winning journalist Chris Balish exposes the true costs of car ownership and shows how car-free living can put anyone on the path to financial freedom. Using the book'¬?s car cost worksheet, first figure out how much owning a car really costs-you'¬?ll be surprised. Then, see how easy it is to transition to a car-free or car-lite lifestyle using Chris'¬?s strategies for commuting, running errands, taking trips, dating, socializing, and more. You'¬?ll also find hundreds of tips and success stories from car-free people in cities and suburbs across America. Without car payments, rising gas prices, and traffic jams to worry about, you'¬?ll have more money and leisure time to spend as you choose. Discover why getting rid of your car may be the soundest and sanest lifestyle change you can make.ReviewsView a video clip from NBC's Today Show: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25609661/"Chris Balish offers a mix of the practical-a worksheet to figure out a car's total cost and impact-as well as the horrifying: The average American walks just 300 yards a day."-Sierra Magazine "If ever there was a practical inducement to get out of the car trap, this is it. For the multitude of Americans stuck in traffic and spending thousands of dollars a year on their cars, Chris'¬?s lively and pragmatic step-by-step solutions provide a way out."-Jane Holtz Kay, author of Asphalt Nation"Chris Balish's book can help environmentally conscious Americans live their values. If you're concerned about pollution and global warming, follow the program in these pages. There can be life without a car. And a good life at that!"-Ed Begley, Jr., actor and environmental activist"[Chris Balish's] prescriptions are feasible and most important, reasonable."-San Antonio Express News"Even if living car-free or car-lite isn't foryou, you'll still learn a lot from this book. I did."-Michelle Singletary, Washington PostListen to Chris Balish talk about living car-free in Los Angeles on NPR's Morning Edition.

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Consumerology: The Market Research Myth, the Truth About Consumers, and the Psychology of Shopping Review

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(More customer reviews)If you let market research dictate your business decisions, consumer behavior expert Philip Graves thinks you're making a big mistake. Market research, he says, can't predict customers' buying decisions because it focuses on the wrong criteria - a conscious-mind, logical thinking process. But consumers almost never make buying decisions like that, although they'll insist they do. Instead, they make choices, quickly and efficiently, with their unconscious minds. Business owners who understand this and who apply Graves's criteria to their research will gain valuable insights into what their customers really think and want. While just about anyone who shops can enjoy this entertaining, informative book, getAbstract believes it will help business owners and marketers - if not to read their customers' minds, then at least to understand them better.

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Market research is a myth. Philip Graves, one of the world's leading experts in consumer behaviour, reveals why the findings obtained from most market research are completely unreliable. Whether it is company executives seeking to define their corporate strategy or politicians wanting to understand the electorate, the idea that questions answered on a questionnaire or discussed in a focus group can provide useful insights on which to base business decisions is the cause of product failures, political blunders and wasted billions.Consumer.ology exposes some of the most expensive examples of research-driven thinking clouding judgement, experience and evidence – from New Coke to General Motors, from Mattel to the Millennium Dome – and instances of success through ignoring market research, such as Baileys and Dr Who. It also shows organisations the tools they should be using if they want to understand their customers.Using his unique AFECT approach, a set of five criteria to evaluate the reliability of any consumer insight, Graves asserts that it's time for a fresh approach that embraces this new understanding of human behaviour. Along the way, he reveals why the current practice of market research is a false science, why we often don't buy what we say we will, and how to understand consumers better than they do themselves. After reading Consumer.ology business leaders and politicians will never look at market research in the same way again.

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Mobile Home Wealth: How to Make Money Buying, Selling and Renting Mobile Homes Review

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(More customer reviews)This book has everything but the kitchen sink! I have been to two seminars costing over $350 each and they didn't cover half the stuff this book does. The home work he gives you at the end of every chapter goes a long way in getting you started. I read the book cover to cover the first time. Then I help a friend who went chapter by chapter doing the home work the second. By the time he was done with the book the second time (5 months ago), he had everything in place and have been purchasing one mobile home a month ever since to great success, with a positive cash flow after expenses of $1,500 a month so far and plans to keep going.

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For years, mobile homes have been the butt of jokes-and definitely under the radar of most real estate investors. Yet for a small but growing group of savvy investors, they have become a tremendous asset. Written by one of the top professionals in the business, Mobile Home Wealth is an easy-to-understand book that can guide you to one of the most lucrative investments in real estate.

The author begins by presenting the basic principles and practices of real estate investing. He then applies these principles to mobile homes, covering every step of the investment process from choosing a home to financing the purchase, negotiating the price, improving the property, and selling or renting for maximum gains. Whether you are looking for a smart addition to your portfolio or searching for a new and different business, this book will forever change the way you view mobile homes.

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AN Optimist's Tour of the Future: One Curious Man Sets Out to Answer "What's Next?" Review

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(More customer reviews)I really enjoyed this book! It is very readable and offers a very informative look at some of the most important future technologies. It's based on the author's travels and interviews with the top people in the various fields. I find it interesting and surprising that a professional comedian would write such an insightful book on these subjects.
The book looks at genetics/biotech engineering, robotics and artificial intelligence, transhumanism (merging people and machines), nanotechnology, the commercial space program and technology to battle climate change. The last part of the book focuses on how all this might affect people, society and culture. As the title suggests the book has a generally optimistic take on these technologies, but it does offer some balance, and the author keeps up his sense of humor (British humor) even when writing about existential treats from things like engineered viruses or nanotechnology grey goo.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to get an idea of what might be coming in the next few decades. The book didn't talk alot about the economics of all this, and one thing I wonder about is unemployment from advanced robots and artificial intelligence. For more on that also check out The Lights in the Tunnel: Automation, Accelerating Technology and the Economy of the Future, which is also an easy and informative read and talks about many of the same technologies more from an economic point of view.
If you really want to delve into the technology and especially transhumanism there is also Ray Kurzweil's (who was interviewed in this book) classic, The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (but that is a much more challenging and technical read that this book).

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In the tradition of Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, a smart and entertaining guide to the future of civilization When unexpectedly confronted with his own mortality, Mark Stevenson-a writer, deep-thinker, and stand-up comedian-began to ponder what the future holds for our species. "The past is a foreign country," writes Stevenson. "By my analysis it's a bit like France-in that I've been to parts of it and eaten some nice food there. But the future? The future is an unknown territory-and there isn't a guidebook." Thus, his ambition was born. Stevenson set out simply, asking, "What's next?" and then traveled the globe in pursuit of the answers. Along the way, he visited the Australian outback to visit the farmers who can save us from climate change, met a robot with mood swings, and talked to the Spaniard who's putting a hotel in space. While some might be overwhelmed, or even dismayed by the looming realities of genome sequencing, synthetic biology, a nuclear renaissance, and carbon scrubbing, Stevenson remains, well, optimistic. Drawing on his singular humor and storytelling to break down these sometimes complicated discoveries, An Optimist's Tour of the Future paints a wonderfully readable, and completely enthralling portrait of where we'll be when we grow up- and why it's not so scary.

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Inside Cyber Warfare: Mapping the Cyber Underworld Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book trying to further my understanding of Cyber Warfare and how it has become integral force multiplier/enabler in today's digital battlefield. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that this book was basically a regurgitation of what is available on the Internet with a little "googling". The book itself is tiresome to read and feels like you are just trying to weed through so much "chaff" as you attempt to find something compelling to take away. Granted, I think if you have done no initial reading on the subject and it is totally new to you- this book may be a good primer. Seriously though, if you are a student that wants to gain a better understanding of how cyberspace plays a role in a geo-political strategic context- this is not the book for you. If Jeffrey Carr is an expert in Cyber Warfare- he needs to way up the ante on another book and make it more than just a conglomeration of articles that are pretty much freely available on the Internet.

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What people are saying about Inside Cyber Warfare "The necessary handbook for the 21st century." --Lewis Shepherd, Chief Tech Officer and Senior Fellow, Microsoft Institute for Advanced Technology in Governments "A must-read for policy makers and leaders who need to understand the big-picture landscape of cyber war." --Jim Stogdill, CTO, Mission Services Accenture

You may have heard about "cyber warfare" in the news, but do you really know what it is? This book provides fascinating and disturbing details on how nations, groups, and individuals throughout the world are using the Internet as an attack platform to gain military, political, and economic advantages over their adversaries. You'll learn how sophisticated hackers working on behalf of states or organized crime patiently play a high-stakes game that could target anyone, regardless of affiliation or nationality.

Inside Cyber Warfare goes beyond the headlines of attention-grabbing DDoS attacks and takes a deep look inside multiple cyber-conflicts that occurred from 2002 through summer 2009.

Learn how cyber attacks are waged in open conflicts, including recent hostilities between Russia and Georgia, and Israel and Palestine
Discover why Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, Vkontakte, and other sites on the social web are mined by the intelligence services of many nations
Read about China's commitment to penetrate the networks of its technologically superior adversaries as a matter of national survival
Find out why many attacks originate from servers in the United States, and who's responsible
Learn how hackers are "weaponizing" malware to attack vulnerabilities at the application level

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Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a software contractor looking at incorporating. I had looked at LLC options, but some clients require incorporating, so that was ruled out. My best route seemed to be S-Corp. This book answered most of my questions. The "Incorporating Your Business, for Dummies" was pretty good, but not as good as this book. This book has a lot of details and laid some of my worries to rest. It will also save money with your professional team (attorney, accountant) by answering simple, but essential, questions. Definitely worth the money.

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Be your own boss -- easily, efficiently and successfully -- with this bestseller!Whether you're an independent contractor, freelancer, or consultant, it all adds up to the same thing: You need to be more aware of laws and taxes than the average person.Fortunately, Working for Yourself provides all the information you need to stay on top of it all. An independent contractor himself, Stephen Fishman shows you everything you need to know to:
meet business start-up requirements
pick a business structure
set up home or outside offices
obtain permits and licenses
price your services or products
comply with strict IRS rules
establish sound business relationships
avoid unfair contracts
draft good agreements
keep good records
get paid in full and on time
and much, much more The 8th edition is completely revised to provide the up-to-date information you need, including the most current tax rates and legal rules for contractors. Whether you already work for yourself or are thinking about making the move, Working for Yourself will help make sure you do it right.

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