Computing Recent Picks
April 2009
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.
Ubuntu kung fu : tips, tricks, hints, and hacks, by Keir Thomas. (2008)"Ubuntu builds on a solid base of Debian Linux to create an award-winning operating system that's light-years ahead of its competitors. Ubuntu consistently tops lists of the most popular Linuxes amongst professionals and enthusiasts; Dell recently embraced Ubuntu in its product lines after a user survey indicated overwhelming public support. Ubuntu Kung Fu provides hints, hacks, tweaks and tricks for every level of user.... Written with the migrating Windows or Mac OS X user in mind, Ubuntu Kung Fu avoids the usual Linux/Unix folklore that can send most of us to sleep. The tips have one aim--to produce results as quickly as possible, in an environment where the reader can polish their skills as they read. This is the Linux book for the rest of us." (Amazon)
Killer Web content : make the sale, deliver the service, build the brand, by Gerry McGovern. (2006)
"On the Internet, if you're not read, you're dead. Written by an internationally-acclaimed specialist in this field, Killer Web Content gives you the strategies and practical techniques you need to get the very best out of your Web content. Accessible, concise and practical, it will make your website really work for you. This book helps readers to: * provide visitors to their website with the right content at just the right time * write compelling Web content that users really respond to and want more of * make sure their website has the best possible chance of getting into the first page of search results * understand the benefits of blogs, RSS, and e-mail newsletters. Web content is an increasingly important asset. It helps sell products and deliver services. From travel companies to software companies, from universities to governments, it's something that has to be got right. " (Amazon)
Wikipatterns : [a practical guide to improving productivity and collaboration in your organization], by Stewart Mader. (2008)
"This book: provides practical, proven advice for encouraging adoption of your wiki project and growing it into a useful collaboration tool or vibrant online community; Gives wiki users a toolbox of thriving wiki patterns, which enable newcomers to avoid making common mistakes or fumbling around for the solutions to the same problems as their predecessors; Explains the major stages of wiki adoption and explores patterns that apply to each stage; Presents concrete, proven examples of techniques that have helped people grow vibrant collaborative communities and change the way they work for the better; Reviews the overall process, including setting up initial content, encouraging people to contribute, dealing with disruptive elements, fixing typos and broken links, making sure pages are in their correct categories, and more." (Amazon)
Click : what we do online and why it matters, by Bill Tancer. (2009)
"In one short decade, the internet has become a critical part of our everyday lives. In this timely new book, internet data analysis expert Bill Tancer makes sense of why this is, and reveals what our internet usage says about us and our future... because asking people what they do is never as reliable as watching what they do. Did the online community really "create" the Arctic Monkeys? Can we really predict the next winner of Strictly Come Dancing? Who are the new winners and losers in the world of MySpace, YouTube, Facebook and online poker? In Click, Bill Tancer takes us behind the scenes into the massive database of online intelligence to reveal the naked truth about how we use the web, navigate to sites and search for information; he describes in unmatched detail explanations about our lives, our interests, our thoughts, our fears and our dreams. As online directories replace the yellow pages, search engines replace traditional research and news sites replace newsprint, we live in an age in which we've come to rely tremendously on the internet for many purposes.Through our usage, we leave behind an amazing trail of information about ourselves - our "clickstream" - and the direction in which we are headed that Click exposes and explains here for the first time." (Amazon)
15 minutes of fame : becoming a star in the YouTube revolution, by Frederick Levy. (2008)
"Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has been a hub for users to upload and share their most interesting, intimate, exciting or embarrassing moments with viewers all over the world. But how does one take advantage of YouTube's far-reaching resources and get video seen? Here, Hollywood producer Frederick Levy addresses the interests and needs of the casual YouTube user as well as the serious web enthusiasts and video-makers who are looking to explore YouTube and its social networking aspects in greater depth." (Amazon)
Ruby pocket reference, by Michael Fitzgerald.
Agile web development with Rails, by Dave Thomas, David Heinemeier Hansson.
Hacking exposed Web 2.0 : Web 2.0 security secrets and solutions, by Rich Cannings, Himanshu Dwivedi, Zane Lackey.
Adobe AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) with AJAX, by Larry Ullman.
Read the latest computer articles online for free!
Remove unwanted programs from your PC by Nick Peers : Computer Act!ve. March 5, 2009.
What's Old Is New Again: by Barbara Robertson, (Cover Story) Computer Graphics World. (Glendale) Jan 2009. Vol. 32, Iss. 1; pg. 8, 9 pgs.
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