Computing Recent Picks

November 2007

The underlined title links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Working with beats in Pro Tools : skill pack, by Andrew Hagerman. (2007)
"These days, manipulating and editing beats is one of the most important functions of a DAW, and it's one that Pro Tools excels at. "Working with Beats in Pro Tools: Skill Pack" teaches readers how to use the industry-leading beat manipulation tools Pro Tools software such as Beat Detective, the Beat Inspector, and Sound Replacer. It includes hands-on exercises to take readers from the novice stage to being able to perform advanced beat manipulation and editing. A key part of "Working with Beats in Pro Tools: Skill Pack" is the CD-ROM included with the book. It's full of sample content and examples that you will use to build a song and, in the process, learn all the beat manipulation tools of this dynamic and flexible software." (Synopsis Amazon.uk)

Linux kernel in a nutshell, by Greg Kroah-Hartman (2007)
"Written by a leading developer and maintainer of the Linux kernel, "Linux Kernel in a Nutshell" is a comprehensive overview of kernel configuration and building, a critical task for Linux users and administrators. No distribution can provide a Linux kernel that meets all users' needs. Computers big and small have special requirements that require reconfiguring and rebuilding the kernel. Whether you are trying to get sound, wireless support, and power management working on a laptop or incorporating enterprise features such as logical volume management on a large server, you can benefit from the insights in this book. "Linux Kernel in a Nutshell" covers the entire range of kernel tasks, starting with downloading the source and making sure that the kernel is in sync with the versions of the tools you need. " (Synopsis, Amazon.uk)

Web development solutions : Ajax, APIs, libraries, and hosted services made easy, by Christian Heilmann ; Mark Norman Francis. (2007)
"Building "Web 2.0"/Ajax" applications is all the rage right now, and there is a lot of complicated code involved, but a lot of budding web developers don't realize that most of the hard work is already done for them, and available on the Web, through JavaScript libraries to provide most of that Ajax/DOM Scripting functionality out of the box, Application programming interfaces (APIs,) and hosting services such as Flickr and YouTube to provide all they need to easily store and retrieve their media (be it images, video, or whatever.) All the developer needs to know is enough to successfully wire together all this functionality successfully and responsibly, and this book shows you how." (Synopsis, Amazon.uk)

Photoshop Elements drop dead fantasy techniques, by Derek Lea. (2006)
""Photoshop Elements Drop Dead Fantasy Techniques" is aimed at digital-imaging enthusiasts and users who already have a working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop Elements' tools and features, as well as a basic understanding of the fundamentals of digital imaging. In short, this title is for intermediate users who want to expand their knowledge of the program while at the same time creating fun and fantastic images... In addition to morphing figures into fantastical beings, readers will learn how to transform existing scenery and create fantastic and surreal environments." (Synopsis, Amazon.uk)

The art of flash animation : creative cartooning, by Mark Stephen Smith. (2007)
"There are a number of manuals available on Flash, but too many of them get bogged down in details about ActionScript or interactivity. Frustrated with wading through such information in other Flash manuals, author/illustrator Mark Stephen Smith set out to make the book he wished he had when he started learning Flash. This book is both a practical primer in the fundamentals of classical, hand-drawn 2D screen animation and a basic introduction to Flash's expert handling of recyclable symbols that make independent, web, and television animation both more affordable and more efficient. It is conveniently divided into two parts. Part I is for those who are new to the terms and techniques of hand-drawn animation, character design, and storyboards. Part II covers scanning and digitising artwork into Flash, as well as setting up scenes and symbols." (Synopsis, Amazon.uk)

Beyond bullet points : using Microsoft PowerPoint to create presentations that inform, motivate and inspire, by Cliff Atkinson. (2005)

Google Maps hacks, by Rich Gibson and Schuyler Erle. (2006)

Dreamweaver CS3 for Windows and Macintosh, by Tom Negrino, Dori Smith. (2007)

The Photoshop elements 5 book for digital photographers, by Scott Kelby. (2007)

Adobe Acrobat 8 for Windows and Macintosh, by John Deubert. (2007)

Teach yourself visually Adobe photoshop CS3, by Mike Woolridge, Linda Woolridge. (2007)

FileMaker 8 @work : projects and techniques to get the job done, by Jesse Feiler. (2006)

Read the latest PC World issues online for free!

Here is a link to an article from PC World - from the EBSCO database, part of mygateway.info. The link will take you to the full-text of the article, once you have entered your library card details.

PC World (US edition): Vista Resistance: Why XP Is Still So Strong. PC World, Nov2007, Vol. 25 Issue 11, p26-28, 3p .

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