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Resources - Book Bytes |
| by Stephen M.H. Braitman - NBMA Director of Communications Book Bytes announces new publications of interest to our members and community in multimedia, technology, business, and culture. First appearance of each Book Bytes column is in the NBMA email events newsletter. To subscribe, send a blank email message to: nbmaevents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you have a recommendation for review — and, especially, if you have published a book — send the information to . |
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April 2003 HOW TO DO EVERYTHING WITH MACROMEDIA CONTRIBUTE Doug Sahlin 375 pages, $24.99 McGraw-Hill/Osborne www.osborne.com Managing Web sites becomes less the exclusive territory of technicians and more regular business staff with tools like Contribute. Macromedia's powerful yet easy-to-use software allows for updating of content, shifting pagination, image editing, and most of the other critical updating functions needed to keep a Web site current. And, it doesn't require HTML knowledge. Doug Sahlin has chimed in with one of the first Contribute manuals, with basic information on creating new pages, working with hyperlinks, essential table management options, and, in short, all the basic needs to keeping customers happy with what they find at your URL. Macromedia hasn't put out a Macintosh OS version yet; so Contribute and this book are devoted solely to the current PC version. A+ TECHNICIAN'S ON-THE-JOB GUIDE TO WINDOWS XP Curt Simmons 553 pages, $39.99 McGraw-Hill/Osborne www.osborne.com MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP POWER PACK James Michael Stewart, Stu Sjouwerman, et al. 898 pages, $49.99 Que www.quepublishing.com Two new books tackle the ins and outs of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows XP, with different goals in mind. Curt Simmons gears his manual to someone who needs essential information on the critical functional and administrative tasks of managing Windows XP, perhaps someone new to the system, or going for certification to become a service provider. The presentation is given in big, clear chunks, with clarity in illustrations and system snapshots. The massive "Power Pack" version from Que uses the input from seven major authors and multiple contributors to present a virtual encyclopedia of the subject. If you're new to the system, the size and breadth of the book may be intimidating, though all ranges of expertise are accommodated in the explanations. Once initial fears have been allayed (and some facility with the system achieved), this is probably the ultimate resource you'll need. If you want a quick study, go with A+ TECHNICIAN'S. Otherwise, keep the POWER PACK on the shelf for deeper analysis. FROM AIRLINE RESERVATIONS TO SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: A History Of The Software Industry Martin Campbell-Kelly 372 pages, $29.95 MIT Press mitpress.mit.edu If you have sentimental recollections of ERMA, or were one of the first users of SABRE, or maybe were a System/360 evangelist, then this book is a trip down memory lane for you. For others, it's a necessary historical survey of about 50 years of progress in the technology that has affected all our lives. Campbell-Kelly is a British scholar who's not your usual dry academic; among the facts and statistics here are plenty of interesting anecdotes and drama. Quite amusing are the scattering of industry ads throughout the book, snapshots of the milestones of the era (SDC aggressively looking for programmers in 1956; the dynamo of VisiCalc). Microsoft, SAP, IBM, Nintendo, all the major and many minor players get their capsule histories, with the a larger implications of their groundbreaking innovations and business strategies. MAC OS X HACKS: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools Rael Dornfest and Kevin Hemenway 400 pages, $24.95 O'Reilly www.oreilly.com The third release in O'Reilly's Hacks Series carries the enthusiasm for novel solutions, short cuts, and dynamic leveraging to the Mac OS X. This should quickly become an essential guide to anyone who wants more power out of their computer, and more efficient ways to do repetitive chores. Chapters are devoted to the major functional categories, like Files, Multimedia, the Web, and Email. Within each are often revelatory descriptions of tips and techniques that make life so much easier. Examples: "Image conversion in a pinch" (from one format to another, without agony); "From slideshow to video presentation" (using all the "i" tools as a truly integrated suite); "Screensaver as desktop" (as the authors say, "some hacks are just too cool to bother rationalizing"). There's plenty of fun stuff here, but serious business and creative production answers take charge. SWITCHING TO THE MAC: The Missing Manual David Pogue 434 pages, $24.95 O'Reilly www.oreilly.com David Pogue enters the small but burgeoning field of PC-to-Mac conversion books. Now that the business application of the Mac OS X has been elevated in status by its excellent ability to function in a Windows-dominated world, more users are discovering the Macintosh advantage. Same goes for consumers entranced by all the "iApps" to take home movies, do slide shows, and download music for portability. But, of course, switching from Windows and the PC to the Mac is not necessarily a slam dunk, particularly if you've been trained in all the bad habits of clunky, inefficient, user-unfriendly interfaces and functions. Pogue charmingly, humorously guides the suffering users through the revelatory simplicities and power of the Mac OS. In fact, even if you're a Mac native, you could use his book to brush up on some of the essentials that may have passed you by. Don't assume you know everything about Sherlock, or email settings, or burning disk. CONSUMER GADGETS Nicholas D. Evans 250 pages, $19.95 Financial Times/Prentice Hall www.ft-ph.com One thing the world has been craving for is a FasTrak for fast food. Oops, it's already here. SpeedPass is being used at some drive-through McDonalds in the Chicago area. If you feel like you're being passed by the SpeedPass to technological innovation, then CONSUMER GADGETS is just the E-ticket to getting into the fast lane. Subtitled, "50 Ways To Have Fun And Simplify Your Life With Today's Technology," this is a quick but concentrated survey of all the devices and functions that are transforming consumer culture in the Western World. Here's the skinny on digital cameras that can also shoot movies; personal "vertical takeoff and landing" vehicles; house-cleaning robots; commercial-erasing real-time DVD recorders; virtual keyboards; omnipresent wireless connection devices; multiplayer online gaming; and too many other cool devices to list. Each chapter is devoted to a product in a category -- such as "Securing Internet Shopping: American Express Blue" or "In-Car Safety and Security: OnStar" -- with a basic format following "How It Works," "Benefits," "Features and Considerations," and, most valuable, "Contacts." HACKING EXPOSED: Network Security Secrets And Solutions, 4th edition Stuart McClure, Joel Scambray, and George Kurtz 738 pages, $49.99 McGraw-Hill/Osborne www.osborne.com I believe this is the first update of the essential network security handbook HACKING EXPOSED since 9/11 and it shows. The cover art is much more in-your-face, and the preface by McKesson Corporation security honcho Patrick Heim sternly warns of terrorist concerns for IT infrastructure. Fears real or imagined are dealt with exhaustively in this mighty tome and if you have any interface with the great unwashed public through an Internet connection, you shouldn't shy away from familiarizing yourself wih basic protections. New and updated sections here include more extensive wireless coverage, a Denial-of-Service primer, and a revamped Web section detailing new tricks such as "cross-site scripting, fuzzing, and SQL injection attacks." A very flashy DVD is included that showcases the "mind of the hacker" with strong visuals. LEARNING RED HAT LINUX, 3rd edition Bill McCarty 319 pages, $39.95 O'Reilly www.oreilly.com Another Bible's been released by O'Reilly. The 3rd edition of LEARNING RED HAT LINUX continues the tradition of savvy updates to beginning technical manuals. For new users of an open source development environment, Bill McCarty is surprising gentle and understanding, with just enough introductory material to make sense of the culture changes from Windows and Macintosh to the Linux paradigm shift. One particularly easy route is offered for those interested in setting up a network with Linux; the explanations of configuring a host and setting up a server make it seem so easy you'll wonder why you didn't implement earlier! Two CDs include the Publisher's Edition of Red Hat Linux. PRESENTING TO WIN: The Art Of Telling Your Story Jerry Weissman 257 pages, $24.95 Financial Times/Prentice Hall www.ft-ph.com Many consultants, contractors, and independent entrepreneurs have had it drilled into their heads over the past couple years that the essence of what they offer needs to be presented as an effective pitch to an increasingly skeptical audience. "Elevator speeches" become 30-second bytes of data intended to interest the listening into hearing more. With so much emphasis on the first audience grab, it's easy to remember that the whole story needs to be told with an equal amount of style and drama. Jerry Weissman, "the world's number one corporate presentations coach" (it says here), has put together a solid roadmap to effective presentations with analysis and tips for each part of the whole. These parts include the ability to compel audiences to willingly go along with you from point to point, avoiding boredom. Weissman's a strong advocate of the multimedia approach, so much time is spent looking at visual aids such as effective (and ineffective) charts and graphs. Theatricality of presentation is very important also, with discussions aimed at making logical connections between critical points and using contemporary references to keep things timely. Take this book seriously, and you'll be able to pitch a proposal to a multinational corporation, or convince the hiring manager that you're the one for the job. THE MACINTOSH iLIFE Jim Heid 193 pages, $29.99 Peachpit Press/Avondale Media www.peachpit.com www.avondalemedia.com For those who've got a package of Macintosh software at their disposal, including iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, and iDVD, but have never figured out how to use them effectively (maybe you're angry there's no decent user manual), THE MACINTOSH iLIFE is a colorful interactive method for getting introduced and comfortable with all the functions and opportunities these cutting-edge technologies offer. For instance, the opening of the book displays the ways you could use these products, such as becoming a digital DJ, or selling products, or producing a family history. There's plenty to read in the well-organized text, but the highlight of the package is the attached DVD which is just a groovy movie that shows you everything you need to know in ways that text just simply can't. |
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