Share Your Story: Blogging with MSN® Spaces Review

Share Your Story: Blogging with MSNĀ® Spaces
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I've been blogging since long before the practice became known as "blog," and I've tried many different blog servers. By far I like the new MSN Spaces the most because it really is colorful and easy to use, and gives you lots of storage. This book is a good book to introduce people unfamiliar with blogs to creating their own blogs. It has lots of cool examples. Next to my first edition of "eBay for dummies," this is another really useful book even for an Internet veteran like myself.

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What's your story? Get creative and tell the world with MSN Spaces! This fun and colorful book guides you through the basics of creating your own personal blog in no time. Whether tales from a recent adventure, your life history, views on hot topics, or anything else you want to share-learn how to make the Web your space.

Learn how to:

Set up your own space in 10 minutes or less
Write and publish your blog-no HTML required!
Share favorite photos in albums and slide shows
Create any list you can dream up-books, movies, rants, raves
Add instant messaging, music, and video to your space
Syndicate your space and build and build an enthusiastic following
Get tips for creating great content and design


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Win Win Marketing: The Essential Guide to Increasing Profits, Getting New Customers and Growing Your Business in Today's Markets Review

Win Win Marketing: The Essential Guide to Increasing Profits, Getting New Customers and Growing Your Business in Today's Markets
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I read a lot of marketing books, and I appreciated the customer centric approach to this marketing guide. It fits with my own business philosophy. I like the idea of spending my effort and time on marketing activities that will help the consumer and grow the business for the long term. The fact that there are a lot of practical ideas to implement makes this more than just another theoretical discussion on marketing. I was able to really get stuck in on applying the ideas and making a difference. This is a must read for anyone who is trying to grow their business.

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The Win Win Marketing approach is a timely guide forbuilding a business in today's market. The book is immediately applicable andpragmatic and will help businesses both large and small achieve long-termgrowth by doing what's best for the customer. Experienced business people and new comers alike will learn:
Easy and affordable ways to increase profits andget new customers.
How to best use the Internet through goodwebsite design, SEO, social media and more.
To get more out of existing customers and developnew revenue streams.
How to encourage referrals, get good press andcreate effective advertising.
The secrets of highly successful marketers.
In a series of quick, practical and easy to implementstrategies, Foxwell breaks down marketing into activities that are sure to helpany business succeed.

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A Semantic Web Primer (Cooperative Information Systems) Review

A Semantic Web Primer (Cooperative Information Systems)
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Readers will need a basic understanding of formal logic in order to get the most from this book. Also realize that some material, such as the discussion and presentation of monotonic and non-monotonic rules are still hotly contested in the semantic web community.
This book starts out with an excellent introduction in Chapter 1, titled "The Semantic Web Vision". It next begins building towards the basic elements of a semantic web by starting in familiar territory - structured web documents in XML. Many readers will be intimately familiar with this material, but I recommend reading it because the authors lay a solid foundation for subsequent chapters here.
The components and concepts of the topic are then covered in chapters devoted to:
- Describing Web Resources in RDF, which includes basic ideas, XML-based syntax, schema, and querying.
- Web Ontology Language (OWL), which introduces the OWL language, examples and future extensions. Appendix A contains Abstract OWL syntax, which augments this chapter.
- Logic and Inference, covers monotonic and non-monotonic rules, syntax, rule mark-up in XML and examples. This chapter will require an understanding of formal logic, and I also recommend additional research on the web regarding the debate about using non-monotonic rules, which has highly vocal proponents and detractors.
- Applications, a chapter of case studies from real companies, including Audi, and material on how semantic web concepts can be applied to E-learning, web services and other scenarios.
- Ontology Engineering (ontology is synonymous with taxonomy) using manual and semi-automatic methods. There is also an excellent discussion about reuse.
The web site that supports this book is rich in content that will not only augment the book, but greatly expand it. Each chapter has an associated page on the site containing PowerPoint presentations, PDF documents, and other material. The site also has a section for errata, problems and quizs if you are basing a course on this book, and additional links to resources related to the material in the book.

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The development of the Semantic Web, with machine-readable content, has the potential to revolutionize the World Wide Web and its use. A Semantic Web Primer provides an introduction and guide to this emerging field, describing its key ideas, languages, and technologies. Suitable for use as a textbook or for self-study by professionals, it concentrates on undergraduate-level fundamental concepts and techniques that will enable readers to proceed with building applications on their own. It includes exercises, project descriptions, and annotated references to relevant online materials. A Semantic Web Primer is the only available book on the Semantic Web to include a systematic treatment of the different languages (XML, RDF, OWL, and rules) and technologies (explicit metadata, ontologies, and logic and inference) that are central to Semantic Web development. The book also examines such crucial related topics as ontology engineering and application scenarios.After an introductory chapter, topics covered in succeeding chapters include XML and related technologies that support semantic interoperability; RDF and RDF Schema, the standard data model for machine-processable semantics; and OWL, the W3C-approved standard for a Web ontology language more extensive than RDF Schema; rules, both monotonic and nonmonotonic, in the framework of the Semantic Web; selected application domains and how the Semantic Web would benefit them; the development of ontology-based systems; and current debates on key issues and predictions for the future.

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Managing Risk in Communication Encounters: Strategies for the Workplace Review

Managing Risk in Communication Encounters: Strategies for the Workplace
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This book is a power-pack of sensible ideas and brilliant insights presented in a easy-to-understand format. Great for group discussion.

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This book focuses on the types of risky interactions that threaten identities, relationships, and sometimes careers, including voicing dissent, repairing broken relationships, managing privacy, responding to harassment, offering criticism, and communicating emotion. Each chapter is grounded in real-life organizational scenarios, includes recent research, applies a standard theoretical framework, and illustrates a full range of communicative tactics and discourse practices. Throughout the book, authors Vincent R. Waldron and Jeffrey W. Kassing provide examples to spur thinking, raise questions, and help readers understand how organizations benefit when employees communicate in ways that manage risk.

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Easywebsite101: Step-By-Step Web Design & SEO By A High Ranking Retail Website Owner Review

Easywebsite101: Step-By-Step Web Design and SEO By A High Ranking Retail Website Owner
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I would of saved money if this book exsisted a long time ago. I wasted over 10K on not needed seo and web designers who do not know my business better than me. Now I am in complete control of my site and how to attract paying customers. Thanks mike for sharing.

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SEO & Web Design book written by an ACTUAL HIGH RANKING SMALL BUSINESS RETAIL WEBSITE OWNER (with proof)!! --- Easywebsite101 shows you step by step how to create and optimize your own website so that it ranks high in the Google, Yahoo and all other search engines like my own retail website. --- Unlike all other SEO & web design books, Easywebsite101 shows you actual examples that you can check right now. If you go to my website at Easywebsite101.com, you will see videos that show how small business websites rank high in the natural search results of Google, Yahoo, etc. for dozens of main keywords. --- Easywebsite101 works in simple and small steps. (1) First, I explain to you the "Why" and "What" using high ranking websites as example. (2) Next, I show you which buttons to press and how to do it. I wrote the book as if I sat beside you and show you everything in very small steps. (3) Finally, I show you how to manage your own website so that it stays high in the search engines without spending any money on PPC's or SEO crooks. --- Most SEO companies and books are either banned by the search engines or are so useless that they need to rely on PPC's to rank high. After wasting over 5 years and thousands of dollars, I taught myself how to have a high ranking website in the natural search results on Google, Yahoo and elsewhere. For the last couple of years, I have been sharing my simple techniques with others and it is their and my own successes that has inspired me to write my book. If you are serious about creating and optimizing your own website, watch the videos in my website and check the results for yourself. Unlike all of the so-called "SEO Experts", I actually do have a high ranking retail website and I can prove it!!

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Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design Review

Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design
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From 9 to 5 (well, a "little" after 5 most days), I am an Application Development Manager in my company. In my years doing this, I have read a lot of books on the topic of Web and User Experience Design. So far, only a handful stand out above "Designing the Obvious" by Robert Hoekman Jr. and even some of those, he takes his hat off to (such as the case of "Don't Make Me Think", for instance).
Hoekman proposes the "unthinkable" for those entrenched into rusty web design practices, but when you step back and reconsider the experiences you've had, his framework makes perfect sense. Here are a couple of thoughts he brings to the table, to give you an idea:
-Design an application that does one thing, and does it very well. For every additional feature, there is more to learn, more to tweak and configure, more to customize, more to read about in the help document, and more that can go wrong.
-People (users) don't always make the right choices. They make comfortable choices... they make choices they know how to make. To deal with this, he supports Goal-Directed (also called Activity-Centered) Design, as opposed to Human-Centered Design.
Web Design anathema? Violation of User Interface "basics"? Maybe it sounds so at first, but if you read through his arguments, you will find them very compelling and may end up (like myself) reconsidering some of your initial assumptions.
One of the reasons why his proposal resonated so much with me is because throughout the book, Hoekman introduces concepts that are not familiar in the Web space, borrowing them from long-established best practices in manufacturing (where I worked the first four years of my professional life), such as:
-Kaizen: improving things constantly, in little tiny ways that add up to gigantic results.
-Poka-Yoke: software "devices" meant to prevent user errors from occurring.
-Pareto (80/20 rule): Good, clean Web application design means that 80 percent of an application's usefulness comes from 20 percent of its features.
For longtime professionals and newcomers into the field of User Experience Design, Hoekman's book has turned into an absolute must read.

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Designing the Obvious belongs in thetoolbox of every person charged with the design and development ofWeb-based software, from the CEO to the programming team. Designing theObvious explores the character traits of great Web applications anduses them as guiding principles of application design so the end resultof every project instills customer satisfaction and loyalty. Theseprinciples include building only whats necessary, getting users up tospeed quickly, preventing and handling errors, and designing for theactivity. Designing the Obvious does not offer aone-size-fits-all development process--in fact, it lets you usewhatever process you like. Instead, it offers practical advice abouthow to achieve the qualities of great Web-based applications andconsistently and successfully reproduce them.


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Patterns for Computer-Mediated Interaction (Wiley Software Patterns Series) Review

Patterns for Computer-Mediated Interaction (Wiley Software Patterns Series)
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Whenever I get a new book to review, I always approach it with a mixture of anticipation, curiosity, and dread, especially given the increasing number of books about patterns and, in this case, the size -- 581 pages! When I finally found a small window and sat down with "Patterns for Computer-Mediated Interaction," I was intending to hurriedly skim as much of the text as possible to get an idea of what it was like. Several hours later, I was hooked. What a surprise this book is! Yes, it's topical. The patterns are about developing software to allow people to have the best interaction experience possible. That is where the world is headed, no doubt! The patterns in this book, however, are not just about the technical aspects of these systems, the authors also address the "socio-technical" issues that are important for the people-side of this domain. What was especially interesting to me, as a long-time "patterns fan," was the intriguing and enlightening discussion of pattern languages and the close examination of the pattern language of Christopher Alexander. I've read many essays on this topic but this presentation was very special. I learned a lot. You can't ask for more than that. I can recommend this book whole-heartedly, not only for developers in this domain but also for anyone who wants to study a model pattern language and learn more about patterns and how they work together to solve problems. Two thumbs up!


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Written by well-respected experts, this how-to guide provides patterns for the design of human computer human interaction (HCHI). An increasing number of applications are currently designed for use by more than one user, eg: multi-player games, interactive web sites, mobile phones, collaborative learning systems, interactive workspaces and smart environments. In these areas there is a shift from (HCI) human computer interaction to (HCHI) human computer human interaction. The role of patterns in this movement is twofold: 1st – patterns focus on the human user of the system; 2nd – patterns assist developers in the development process of groupware applications.

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Facebook Marketing For Dummies Review

Facebook Marketing For Dummies
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I normally adore Dummies books. I have several of them on my shelves. Facebook Marketing for Dummies is the first in the Dummies series that I did NOT like enthusiastically. I really feel this book is not up to the Dummies standard of helpfulness.
First, this book is supposed to be about MARKETING - but over half the book is about the very basics of Facebook. There are plenty of other books out there on how to use Facebook - including one by the Dummies group! It seems silly for this book on marketing to rehash the existing information and spend so much time on things covered elsewhere. It means that only a small portion of what remains is actually helpful information on Marketing.
They cover a few basics about the areas of Facebook to use for marketing - how a fan page is better than a regular "personal" account because a person can only have 5,000 friends while a fan page is completely unlimited. Fan pages are also "anonymous" - while a group makes it clear which person is the administrator, with a fan page the administrator is private. So you can run a fan page for your company or project without worrying about people tracking down and bugging your personal account.
But in terms of actual MARKETING information, the pickings are very slim. They tell you to post relevant info onto your account. Was anyone really going to post a lot of IRrelevant information? They say to post enough to keep people interested, but not so much that you bombard your users with too many messages. But they don't provide any examples or information to help newbies get a feel for which numbers fall into which ranges! They tell you not to use a "hard sell" and turn off people - but again, no examples, no further information.
In terms of drawing in visitors, they focus primarily on paying Facebook to use their ad system, and that's about it. They mention putting a Facebook tag in your email and on your site, and again, that's it. That's all you are learning about marketing your Facebook fan page?
There's an entire section on pushing contests - about how you can do them with random winners, or with the judging of submissions, and how this is great for traffic building. But NOWHERE in that entire section do they even mention legalities of doing all of this! How about the legalities of taking personal information from winners who are under the age of 13? How about the legalities of having a winner who hails from South Africa or other countries which have strict rules about entering online contests? Some countries have quite serious penalties for companies who offer contests and sweepstakes to "their residents" without doing legal paperwork first! It was completely shocking to me that a book in the Dummies series would offer seriously flawed legal advice like this.
In their "why do marketing on Facebook" section, one of their top ten reasons is "to run promotions for fans". This doesn't make sense to me. This is one of the things you use Facebook FOR but it's not a reason TO have a Facebook account. Reasons are things like "to get a higher ranking in Google" or "to get free word-of-mouth mentions by people in Facebook's network". It's as if they ran out of real reasons and they had to stick something in there to fill out the top 10 list.
When they finally hit issues which ARE important in Facebook marketing - like dealing with irate fans posting on your public business area, there is hardly a few lines dedicated to the topic. If anything, this is the sort of thing that the book should be covering in great detail.
And how about their commandment of "don't drink and Facebook"?? I run a wine site! My wine site page is ALL about drinking wine, and that is what all the members do. Many of them come online when they're drinking wine and we discuss what we're drinking. If what the book was trying to say is "don't post when you're drunk" then that is a COMPLETELY different issue and one they should have been more clear about.
I just can't state how disappointed I was with this book. Looking at other reviews on Amazon, it seems like half of them were primarily swayed by a "$50 Facebook ad credit" they got - but I don't see that credit ANYWHERE in my book. I even went back and re-read the entire Marketing chapter to see if I missed it somewhere. I still can't find a free credit. If it's in here somewhere, they didn't make it very obvious.
Not recommended. You could get far more out of their regular Marketing book, and simply apply that great knowledge to the Facebook world.
UPDATE: I talked directly with the "Dummies" publishers. The book currently DOES NOT HAVE ANY GIFT AD CREDIT. So if you are buying the book based on those "ad credit" promotions on Amazon, you will NOT GET IT.

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Discover how to leverage the power of the Facebook community to achieve your business marketing goals
Facebook boasts an extremely devoted user base, with more than 65 billion page visits per month. With Facebook, an organization can market and promote their brand, products, or services via the network's built-in components of profile pages, polls, community building, advertising, word-of-mouth marketing, and business applications. This insightful resource focuses on the strategies, tactics, and techniques necessary to lead your organization into the world of Facebook marketing.
Packed with vital real-world case studies, the book serves as a must-have guide for the most reliable, responsible, and ethical business and marketing practices with Facebook.
A helpful reference that discusses essential strategies, tactics, and techniques for excelling in the world of Facebook marketing
Examines setting up a business profile page, hosting an event on Facebook, and tracking your return-on-investment
Shares strategies for successful Facebook advertising campaigns
Demonstrates how to create widgets and Facebook applications

Face it: this essential book contains everything you need to know for your foray into Facebook marketing.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

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Dissecting the Hack: The F0rb1dd3n Network Review

Dissecting the Hack: The F0rb1dd3n Network
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Let me get this out of the way: If books could be reviewed as "first effort" this would be a five/five. For a really ambitious book out of the gate it does a decent job of hitting tons of domains from multiple angles to inform, excite, and influence the thought processes of the reader.
To be even more honest had I thumbed through this book before buying it I would not have bought it. A lot of alarms can go off when you see pictures of vendor equipment, tables of network services, and a touch of conspiracy theory in places. Not that those things are inherently bad but it's only a 400 page tome so that's a lot of real estate to be worried about misusing. The authors use those pages as well as can be expected and in a way that even the most jaded readers should be able to ~respect~ if not always appreciate.
I'm not being hard on this book, trust me. It's now the third book, along with Silence on the Wire, and Anderson's Security Engineering, I expect all newer ITSec professionals to read early and often. I don't judge a non-textbook by the accuracy or timeliness of every statement. Or the quality of the story telling or case studied. I judge these types of books by their ability to affect ~thought processes~, ~perspective~, and ~risk analysis~... and I think this book is a winner on all three counts. It is all about influencing thought, not hand-feeding PRECISE EXACTING and ultimately useless step-by-step hacks.
Solid 4/4.5 star on any scale and a 5/5 for a new set of authors. I hope the editors and publisher give them the opportunity to add about 120/150 pages and build a community. One last note, the books and resources noted within this book are good stand-up lists and should not be overlooked either. The single paragraph stories from the web or people profiles are not to be skipped over.

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Dissecting the Hackis one heck of a ride! Hackers, IT professionals, and Infosec aficionados will find a gripping story that takes the reader on a global trip through the world of computer security exploits. One half massive case study, one half technical manual, Dissecting the Hack has it all - learn all about hacking tools and techniques and how to defend your network against threats.

Yes, the security threats are real - read more about the tactics that you see executed throughout the story in the second half of the book where you will learn to recon, scan, explore, exploit and expunge with the tools and techniques shown in the story. Every hack is real and can be used by you once you have the knowledge within this book!

Utilizes actual hacking and security tools in its story- helps to familiarize a newbie with the many devices and their code
Introduces basic hacking techniques in real life context for ease of learning
Presented in the words of the hacker/security pro, effortlessly envelops the beginner in the language of the hack


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Digital Dharma: A User's Guide to Expanding Consciousness in the Infosphere Review

Digital Dharma: A User's Guide to Expanding Consciousness in the Infosphere
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As a teacher of middle schoolers, I am amazed when watching kids use their cell-phones and other assorted gizmos. Teenagers, more than most of us, have an insatiable need to connect with others--literally and virtually--it is a constant in their lives. Steven's book helped me put their behavior (as well as my own and others) into a much larger frame--one that connects the deepest human needs (and the ancient ways of meeting these) with today's technology.
An acknowledgement, I am Steven's sister-in-law!

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Digital Dharma has something for everyone. It is for technology experts and yoga fanatics alike. Whether you're simply seeking the spiritual, already practicing a spiritual tradition, or a Body-Mind-Spirit reader with ambivalent feelings about your computer and cell phone, this book will guide you on the path toward a new consciousness. Similarly, novices of the digital world, media junkies, and technology "utopians" who understand at some level there is much yet to be learned from the Infosphere, will all find intriguing, useful material here.

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AdvancED Flex Application Development: Building Rich Media X Review

AdvancED Flex Application Development: Building Rich Media X
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Is it worth buying? Yes, I think so. It's got something for everyone. But especially if you manage a user's group, are dealing with aggregating media and content, or doing something that relies on advertising and traffic. While they do not cover eCommerce in this book specifically, this is a really plus if you are building an eCommerce site in Flex. It outlines how to enhance a Flex-based online store. It covers SEO, OpenAds, and how to monetize your site. That information alone is worth the price of the book. RIAs are great, RIAs that make business better are a real step beyond.

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Adobe's Flex (currently in version 2 with version 3 following at the end of the year) is one of today's hottest technologies for building web applications, and this unique book provides a practical guide to planning and building a professional Flex application from start to finish (the application is Rich Media X, a popular Adobe user group community/social networking site.)Written by some of the world's foremost Flex experts, AdvancED Flex Application Development provides step-by-step instructions to implementing all the most essential web 2.0 application features. It is one of the first professional level Flex books available, and one of the first to feature PHP/MySQL integration with Flex, a very sought after skill. It will also be one of the first books available to support Flex 3.

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Secrets for Successful Social Media Marketing Review

Secrets for Successful Social Media Marketing
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As a small business owner, I really needed help in understanding how Social Media could take me to the next level in my marketing. I found that nearly all of my questions were answered in this book. The author is not only incredibly knowledgeable but also a very good writer. He will keep you entertained while educating you - no easy task! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to succesfully promote their business through social media.

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Secrets for Successful Social Media Marketing is a marketing veterans look at the phenomenon of Internet marketing and social media. John Hope-Johnstone writes about key secrets that successfulmarketers are presently using to increase brand awareness.Review by Amy Porterfield: www.amyportefield.com Social Media Coach and strategist and co-author of Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies. : "John Hope-Johnstone has penned a great book about the successful use of social media for the marketing of organizations and personal brands. He has surrounded his own knowledge as a veteran marketer with concepts from many of the top social media coaches and authors of today. It is a valuable addition to your social media library and well worth a good read."

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Windows XP : Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks Review

Windows XP : Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks
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I just received my copy of "Windows XP: Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks" and I can honestly say that I have never learned so much, so fast. I've been using XP for about a year now, and consider myself comfortable with it. But I always felt there were some things that were right within my grasp to do, but I couldn't figure them out intiutively. Well, this book has them all. Want to organize your documents or photos better? Configure XP to work as you want it to? This book has it. It's organized in a logical manner, unlike Windows XP Hacks. Finally, I just love the "Visual" approach. It's much easier to see what I am doing, rather than reading about it. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to get the most out of XP, fast and easy.

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You already know Windows XP basics. Now you'd like to go beyond, with shortcuts, tricks, and tips that let you work smarter and faster. And because you learn more easily when someone shows you how, this is the book for you. Inside, you'll find clear, illustrated instructions for 100 tasks that reveal cool secrets, teach timesaving tricks, and explain great tips guaranteed to make you more productive with Windows XP.

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JavaScript Bible Review

JavaScript Bible
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I have a few javascript books already, but they are out of date. I bought this book, which claims to be published in 2007, to learn to be more DOM and W3C compliant. However, from reading this book so far, I find that the material in it are as outdated as my older books. For example, the book still encourages the use of the "innerHTML" method, which is neither a W3C recommendation, nor is it encouraged anymore. Furthermore, the book shows you to convert a "number" type to a string by doing this:
var num = 100;
num = "" + num;
That's just silly. What happened to the toString() method? How about doing this?
var num = 100;
num = num.toString();
Also the book doesn't encourage separation of structure from functionality. The book's examples have javascript all mixed together with the markup. This is clearly not the modern, correct, and recommended way to script a web page.
So far, these are the gripes I have about this book... and I'm only on chapter 6. It makes me feel like I don't want to finish this book, because I might adopt these outdated methods of scripting.
I do not recommend this book.

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Make your Web pages stand out above the noise with JavaScript and the expert instruction in this much-anticipated update to the bestselling JavaScript Bible. With renowned JavaScript expert Danny Goodman at your side, you'll get a thorough grounding in JavaScript basics, see how it fits with current Web browsers, and find all the soup-to-nuts detail you'll need. Whether you're a veteran programmer or just starting out, this is the JavaScript book Web developers turn to again and again.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

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Naked Employee, The: How Technology Is Compromising Workplace Privacy Review

Naked Employee, The: How Technology Is Compromising Workplace Privacy
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A few months ago, I applied for an adjunct position -- teaching one course, online from my home computer. To my amazement, the private "alternative" university demanded a background check. I said thanks but no thanks -- and only now do I understand what happened.
Lane, author of Naked Employee, explains that companies fear risks associated with loose cannon employees, although he doesn't use those words. They risk embarrassment, lawsuits and more. And now, when it's so easy to order background checks, why take those risks?
If you resist, says Lane, prospective employers won't think you're principled; they'll think you're hiding something. After all, background checks revealed that fifty percent of resumes submitted to a major search firm included falsified information, ranging from imaginary degrees to exaggerated responsibilities.
Once you're hired, you can be subjected to physical exams and ongoing surveillance. Lane reviews the relative invasiveness of hair, blood and urine tests. Uniforms can be equipped with devices to prevent theft and track your whereabouts. Personal phone calls can be monitored long enough to discover they're personal -- a good two to three minutes.
As I read this book, I grew more and more horrified. Lane stays focused on what's happening today, only briefly suggesting ways to frame the problem on a broader scale. For instance, at the very end of the book, he notes that providing health insurance gives employers a solid basis for questioning employee lifestyles, on and off the job.
In a much earlier book, JobShift, WIlliam Bridges called for individuals to become independent contractors rather than employees. He argued that separating health insurance from employment would protect our privacy as well as our physical health. A paradigm shift, requiring major changes in infrastructure, would be required to alter our relationship with our employers, careers and jobs.
Thus the employment relationship has become decidedly lopsided. In return for invasion of privacy, the employer offers no long-term guarantees of employment. And in at least one non-traditional "university," the background checks have become a substitute for hiring: the "dean" didn't know anything about what was being taught -- just checked off boxes. I wonder how prevalent this trend has become.

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Market Models: A Guide to Financial Data Analysis Review

Market Models: A Guide to Financial Data Analysis
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If you are looking for detailed rigorous mathematical development then look elsewhere, that is not the reason to purchase this book. It is targeted towards application and there it excels. I have not seen any other book on this topic that so effectively presents a level-headed applied approach that keeps the basic assumptions of the models firmly in sight.
What tool fits when is nicely discussed.

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Market Models provides an authoritative and up-to-date treatment of the use of market data to develop models for financial analysis. Written by a leading figure in the field of financial data analysis, this book is the first of its kind to address the vital techniques required for model selection and development. Model developers are faced with many decisions, about the pricing, the data, the statistical methodology and the calibration and testing of the model prior to implementation. It is important to make the right choices and Carol Alexander's clear exposition provides valuable insights at every stage.In each of the 13 Chapters, Market Models presents real world illustrations to motivate theoretical developments. The accompanying CD contains spreadsheets with data and programs; this enables you to implement and adapt many of the examples. The pricing of options using normal mixture density functions to model returns; the use of Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the VaR of an options portfolio; modifying the covariance VaR to allow for fat-tailed P&L distributions; the calculation of implied, EWMA and 'historic' volatilities; GARCH volatility term structure forecasting; principal components analysis; and many more are all included.Carol Alexander brings many new insights to the pricing and hedging of options with her understanding of volatility and correlation, and the uncertainty which surrounds these key determinants of option portfolio risk. Modelling the market risk of portfolios is covered where the main focus is on a linear algebraic approach; the covariance matrix and principal component analysis are developed as key tools for the analysis of financial systems. The traditional time series econometric approach is also explained with coverage ranging from the application cointegration to long-short equity hedge funds, to high-frequency data prediction using neural networks and nearest neighbour algorithms.Throughout this text the emphasis is on understanding concepts and implementing solutions. It has been designed to be accessible to a very wide audience: the coverage is comprehensive and complete and the technical appendix makes the book largely self-contained.Market Models: A Guide to Financial Data Analysis is the ideal reference for all those involved in market risk measurement, quantitative trading and investment analysis.

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Spatial Analysis in Epidemiology Review

Spatial Analysis in Epidemiology
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This book includes more types of spatial analyses than I have previously seen under one roof, so to speak. However, it does not cover any analyses in detail, nor does it provide any worked examples! As a consequence, this book is not appropriate for those who are new to spatial stats or who need some practical experience with them. For practitioners who are already familiar with basic spatial analyses (e.g. Moran's I, semivariance), then the book offers some related methods and does a nice job of concisely summarizing and comparing different tests.

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This book provides a practical, comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the use of spatial statistics in epidemiology - the study of the incidence and distribution of diseases. Used appropriately, spatial analytical methods in conjunction with GIS and remotely sensed data can provide significant insights into the biological patterns and processes that underlie disease transmission. In turn, these can be used to understand and predict disease prevalence. This user-friendly text brings together the specialised and widely-dispersed literature on spatial analysis to make these methodological tools accessible to epidemiologists for the first time.With its focus on application rather than theory, Spatial Analysis in Epidemiology includes a wide range of examples taken from both medical (human) and veterinary (animal) disciplines, and describes both infectious diseases and non-infectious conditions. Furthermore, it provides worked examples of methodologies using a single data set from the same disease example throughout, and is structured to follow the logical sequence of description of spatial data, visualisation, exploration, modelling and decision support. This accessible text is aimed at graduate students and researchers dealing with spatial data in the fields of epidemiology (both medical and veterinary), ecology, zoology and parasitology, environmental science, geography and statistics

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