author: Dave Thomas
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: programming
review:
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author: Claire North
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:
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How do microwave ovens cook food, and why does metal sometimes cause sparks in a microwave? How does an iPod use numbers to represent music? How do CDs and DVDs use light to convey information, and why are they so colorful? How can a CT or MRI image show a cross-sectional view of a person without actually entering the body? Why do golf balls have dimples? How does a pitcher make a curveball curve and knuckleball jitter about in an erratic manner? Why is the sun red at sunrise and sunset? How does a fluorescent lamp produce visible light? You don't need a science or engineering background to understand How Everything Works, all you need is an active curiosity about the extraordinary world all around you.]]>
author: Louis A. Bloomfield
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2008/01/01
date added: 2019/06/30
shelves: science
review:
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author: Antoine de Saint-Exup茅ry
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1943
rating: 5
read at: 2007/02/01
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: fiction
review:
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Hard times come upon Wang Lung and his family when flood and drought force them to seek work in the city. The working people riot, breaking into the homes of the rich and forcing them to flee. When Wang Lung shows mercy to one noble and is rewarded, he begins to rise in the world, even as the House of Hwang falls.]]>
author: Pearl S. Buck
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1931
rating: 5
read at: 2006/11/01
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: fiction
review:
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author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:
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author: Richard Dawkins
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1976
rating: 5
read at: 2007/11/01
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: science
review:
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author: Lonely Planet
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2006/08/01
date added: 2017/03/03
shelves: random
review:
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A quarter of a century later, in a world shaped by what's now known as "Haden's syndrome," rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran agent Leslie Vann. The two of them are assigned what appears to be a Haden-related murder at the Watergate Hotel, with a suspect who is an "integrator" - someone who can let the locked in borrow their bodies for a time. If the Integrator was carrying a Haden client, then naming the suspect for the murder becomes that much more complicated.
But "complicated" doesn't begin to describe it. As Shane and Vann began to unravel the threads of the murder, it becomes clear that the real mystery - and the real crime - is bigger than anyone could have imagined. The world of the locked in is changing, and with the change comes opportunities that the ambitious will seize at any cost. The investigation that began as a murder case takes Shane and Vann from the halls of corporate power to the virtual spaces of the locked in, and to the very heart of an emerging, surprising new human culture. It's nothing you could have expected.]]>
author: John Scalzi
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/07/27
shelves: to-read
review:
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Now, he鈥檚 sure he鈥檒l be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he鈥檚 alive鈥攁nd even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won鈥檛 have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old 鈥渉uman error鈥� are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn鈥檛 ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills 鈥� and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit 鈥� he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
]]>
author: Andy Weir
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/07/27
shelves:
review:
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The second section is a reference to core concepts and APIs that shows you how to perform real programming work in the Java environment.
Get up to speed on language details, including Java 8 changes
Learn object-oriented programming, using basic Java syntax
Explore generics, enumerations, annotations, and lambda expressions
Understand basic techniques used in object-oriented design
Examine concurrency and memory, and how they鈥檙e intertwined
Work with Java collections and handle common data formats
Delve into Java鈥檚 latest I/O APIs, including asynchronous channels
Use Nashorn to execute JavaScript on the Java Virtual Machine
Become familiar with development tools in OpenJDK]]>
author: Benjamin J. Evans
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2015/05/31
date added: 2015/05/31
shelves:
review:
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Learn the semantics of powerful concepts like forking, signals, file descriptors, daemon processes, and more.
With the included appendices you'll learn how popular Ruby projects are using these concepts to drive thousands of applications. These take the concepts presented and put them in a real-world context.
There are lots of great resources available on this topic for free on the web, so why does this book exist? This book is a short, to-the-point introduction written specifically for the modern web developer. All of the examples in the book are written in Ruby, no C programming required. Even though it's Ruby, anyone with experience in a high-level language should feel right at home.]]>
author: Jesse Storimer
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2014/12/02
date added: 2014/12/18
shelves:
review:
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I did a lot of web programming before I had enough knowledge to dig in and figure this stuff out.
I knew that other developers had a better grasp on the full stack than I did, but diving deep under the hood is one of the things that really made me a better developer all around.
I recently read a great thread that asked "What did the really successful programmers do differently?". This response really caught my
> Be ready, willing, & able to deep dive multiple levels at any time. You must know what's going on under the hood. There is a strong correlation between "number of levels of deepness understood" and "programming prowess".
In this book I'll teach you these fundamentals using Ruby. I'll start with the fundamentals that are portable to any environment. Then I'll show you the beautiful abstractions that Ruby has layered on top of them.
Learning this stuff doesn't just apply to Ruby, or any other language. Every modern programming language has support for networking. Every language has their own way of doing things. But all modern languages support the Berkeley Sockets API. Ruby is no exception. There's certainly plenty of syntactic sugar, but below the sugar you can use the same Sockets API that you would in C, Java, Python, whatever. This is portable knowledge that will serve you for many years to come.
What you'll
* The steps in the lifecycle of servers and clients.
* The various ways that we can read and write data in Ruby, and when they're appropriate.
* All the things you were never quite sure EOF, listen queues, TCPNODELAY, and tons more.
* The low level methods required for constructing sockets, as well as the syntactic sugar that Ruby provides.
* Known methods that will help you improve socket performance.
* Basics of SSL sockets.
* Should you write a lot of data at once or chunk it into smaller writes?
* Get comfortable with the socket programming API that's available in any modern programming language.
* More example code than you shake a stick at!
* A look at 6 different architecture patterns for building concurrency into your network programs.
* A closer look at a few different FTP and Redis.
* Multiplexing connections, non-blocking IO, socket timeouts, socket options, and more...]]>
author: Jesse Storimer
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2014/12/18
date added: 2014/12/18
shelves:
review:
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So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:
Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*
*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!]]>
author: Allie Brosh
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/11/03
shelves: to-read
review:
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A fun gift for barflies and a terrific treat for book clubs, Tequila Mockingbird is the ultimate cocktail book for the literary obsessed. Featuring 65 delicious drink recipes鈥攑aired with wry commentary on history's most beloved novels鈥攖he book also includes bar bites, drinking games, and whimsical illustrations throughout.
Even if you don't have a B.A. in English, tonight you're gonna drink like you do. Drinks include:
- The Pitcher of Dorian Grey Goose
- The Last of the Mojitos
- Love in the Time of Kahlua
- Romeo and Julep
- A Rum of One鈥檚 Own
- Are You There, God? It鈥檚 Me, Margarita
- Vermouth the Bell Tolls
and more!]]>
author: Tim Federle
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/11/03
shelves: to-read
review:
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He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters born of his fertile imagination: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were only part of his remarkable story.
This extraordinary biography--written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family--covers the full arc of Henson's all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in Washington D.C., New York, and London, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Jim Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives--including never-before-seen interviews, business documents, and Henson's private letters--Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson's contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson's non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth-as well as fascinating misfires like Henson's dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub or of staging an elaborate, all-puppet Broadway show.
An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose deal making prowess won him a reputation as "the new Walt Disney," and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson's intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing; his love of fast cars, high-stakes gambling, and expensive art; and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life-a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well-founded.
An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture-and continues to beguile audiences worldwide.]]>
author: Brian Jay Jones
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/11/03
shelves: to-read
review:
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On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless - mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky 12-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep."
Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted fans of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.]]>
author: Stephen King
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/11/03
shelves: to-read
review:
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Told with wit, dizzying imagination, and dark humour, Booker Prize-winning Margaret Atwood鈥檚 unpredictable, chilling and hilarious MaddAddam takes us further into a challenging dystopian world and holds up a skewed mirror to our own possible future.]]>
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/11/03
shelves: to-read
review:
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author: Brian Greene
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2008/09/01
date added: 2012/11/15
shelves: science
review:
Buzz: the arrow of time, special relativity, general relativity, invariance theory, Heisenberg's principle, quantum entanglement, S = k log W -- entropy, hairless black holes, quantum history, quantum interference, translational symmetry, cosmic microwave background radiation, the cosmic flow, the Higgs ocean, gravitons, the electroweak force, cosmic horizons, quantum jitters, vacuum fluctuations, Plank length and time, up- down- charm- strange- bottom- top-quarks, neutrinos, supersymmetric string theory, M-theory, p-branes, the braneworld scenario, the big splat, selectrons and squarks, quantum averaging, the holographic principle, loop quantum gravity, and zero-branes.
]]>
author: Walter Isaacson
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2012/01/01
date added: 2012/01/17
shelves: business
review:
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author: Justin Gehtland
name: Adrian
average rating: 2.98
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 2008/02/01
date added: 2012/01/17
shelves: programming
review:
old
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In Refactoring HTML, Elliotte Rusty Harold explains how to use refactoring to improve virtually any Web site or application. Writing for programmers and non-programmers alike, Harold shows how to refactor for better reliability, performance, usability, security, accessibility, compatibility, and even search engine placement. Step by step, he shows how to migrate obsolete code to today鈥檚 stable Web standards, including XHTML, CSS, and REST鈥攁nd eliminate chronic problems like presentation-based markup, stateful applications, and 鈥渢ag soup.鈥�
The book鈥檚 extensive catalog of detailed refactorings and practical 鈥渞ecipes for success鈥� are organized to help you find specific solutions fast, and get maximum benefit for minimum effort. Using this book, you can quickly improve site performance now鈥攁nd make your site far easier to enhance, maintain, and scale for years to come.
Topics covered include
鈥� Recognizing the 鈥渟mells鈥� of Web code that should be refactored
鈥� Transforming old HTML into well-formed, valid XHTML, one step at a time
鈥� Modernizing existing layouts with CSS
鈥� Updating old Web replacing POST with GET, replacing old contact forms, and refactoring JavaScript
鈥� Systematically refactoring content and links
鈥� Restructuring sites without changing the URLs your users rely upon
This book will be an indispensable resource for Web designers, developers, project managers, and anyone who maintains or updates existing sites. It will be especially helpful to Web professionals who learned HTML years ago, and want to refresh their knowledge with today鈥檚 standards-compliant best practices.
This book will be an indispensable resource for Web designers, developers, project managers, and anyone who maintains or updates existing sites. It will be especially helpful to Web professionals who learned HTML years ago, and want to refresh their knowledge with today鈥檚 standards-compliant best practices.]]>
author: Elliotte Rusty Harold
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2012/01/17
shelves: programming
review:
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author: Dan Wellman
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2012/01/17
shelves: programming
review:
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High Performance MySQL teaches you advanced techniques in depth so you can bring out MySQL's full power. Learn how to design schemas, indexes, queries and advanced MySQL features for maximum performance, and get detailed guidance for tuning your MySQL server, operating system, and hardware to their fullest potential. You'll also learn practical, safe, high-performance ways to scale your applications with replication, load balancing, high availability, and failover.
This second edition is completely revised and greatly expanded, with deeper coverage in all areas. Major additions include:
Emphasis throughout on both performance and reliability Thorough coverage of storage engines, including in-depth tuning and optimizations for the InnoDB storage engine Effects of new features in MySQL 5.0 and 5.1, including stored procedures, partitioned databases, triggers, and views A detailed discussion on how to build very large, highly scalable systems with MySQL New options for backups and replication Optimization of advanced querying features, such as full-text searches Four new appendicesThe book also includes chapters on benchmarking, profiling, backups, security, and tools and techniques to help you measure, monitor, and manage your MySQL installations.
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author: Baron Schwartz
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2008/11/01
date added: 2011/05/14
shelves: programming
review:
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MySQL Cookbook doesn't attempt to develop full-fledged, complex applications. Instead, it's intended to assist you in developing applications yourself by helping you get past problems that have you stumped.]]>
author: Paul DuBois
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: programming
review:
A little bland... ba-dump-bump-bing. It had some interesting ideas for monitoring server status programatically, views for summary tables, and gathering stats/logs with triggers. When I do more of those things in detail, I may glance at certain parts again. Available online at Safari Books. [Skimmed w/some reading]
]]>
author: Zak Greant
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2006
rating: 1
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: programming
review:
I didn't find this at all useful. Available online at Safari Books. [Cursory inspection]
]]>
"MySQL in a Nutshell" is the indispensable desktop reference to all MySQL functions. Programming language APIs for PHP, Perl, and C are covered, as well as all the popular MySQL utilities.
This invaluable resource clearly documents the details that experienced users need to take full advantage of this powerful database management system. Better yet, this wealth of information is packed into the concise, comprehensive, and extraordinarily easy-to-use format for which the in a Nutshell guides are renowned.
In addition to providing a thorough reference to MySQL statements and functions, the administrative utilities, and the most popular APIs, "MySQL in a Nutshell" includes several tutorial chapters to help newcomers get started. Moreover, each chapter covering an API begins with a brief tutorial so that, regardless of your level of experience in any given area, you will be able to understand and master unfamiliar territory.
"MySQL in a Nutshell" distills all the vital MySQL details you need on a daily basis into one convenient, well-organized book. It will save you hundreds of hours of tedious research or trial and error and put the facts you need to truly tap MySQL's capabilities at your fingertips.]]>
author: Russell J.T. Dyer
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: programming
review:
A bit outdated and thus lacking thorough coverage of MySQL 5.x. Good for new MySQL programmers, not so much for administration or optimization. Available online at Safari Books. [Cursory inspection]
]]>
author: Robert D. Schneider
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2007/12/25
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: programming
review:
Some great chapters on MySQL general server and storage engine optimization. Material is applicable to MySQL 4.1 and 5.x, although it doesn't cover all of 5.x's features. Intended for advanced admins/developers. Available online at Safari Books. [Read cover-to-cover]
]]>
David Flanagan, bestselling author of programming language "bibles" (including JavaScript: The Definitive Guide and Java in a Nutshell) and committer to the Ruby Subversion repository.
Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto, creator, designer and lead developer of Ruby and author of Ruby in a Nutshell, which has been expanded and revised to become this book.
why the lucky stiff, artist and Ruby programmer extraordinaire. This book begins with a quick-start tutorial to the language, and then explains the language in detail from the bottom up: from lexical and syntactic structure to datatypes to expressions and statements and on through methods, blocks, lambdas, closures, classes and modules.
The book also includes a long and thorough introduction to the rich API of the Ruby platform, demonstrating -- with heavily-commented example code -- Ruby's facilities for text processing, numeric manipulation, collections, input/output, networking, and concurrency. An entire chapter is devoted to Ruby's metaprogramming capabilities.
The Ruby Programming Language documents the Ruby language definitively but without the formality of a language specification. It is written for experienced programmers who are new to Ruby, and for current Ruby programmers who want to challenge their understanding and increase their mastery of the language.
]]>
Ruby is an easy language to program in, but it is not a simple language. This book is intended for experienced programmers who want to master Ruby. It is not a beginner's book, although it does take a bottoms up approach -- it is intended to be read in the order it is written. If you've got the capacity and willingness to read carefully and think through the examples, this book will reward you many times over with knowledge and insight.
]]>
author: David Flanagan
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2009/03/01
date added: 2009/03/22
shelves:
review:
This book provides comprehensive documentation of the Ruby programming language (1.8.x and 1.9.x) by the language's creator, Yukihiro Matsumoto, and David Flanagan (from Javascript: The Definitive Guide and Java in a Nutshell fame).
Ruby is an easy language to program in, but it is not a simple language. This book is intended for experienced programmers who want to master Ruby. It is not a beginner's book, although it does take a bottoms up approach -- it is intended to be read in the order it is written. If you've got the capacity and willingness to read carefully and think through the examples, this book will reward you many times over with knowledge and insight.
]]>
Robert Greene鈥檚 groundbreaking guides, The 48 Laws of Power , The Art of Seduction , and Mastery 聽espouse profound, timeless lessons from the events of history to help readers vanquish an enemy, ensnare an unsuspecting victim, or become the greatest in your field. In The 33 Strategies of War , Greene has crafted an important addition to this ruthless and unique series.
Spanning world civilizations, synthesizing dozens of political, philosophical, and religious texts and thousands of years of violent conflict, The 33 Strategies of War is a comprehensive guide to the subtle social game of everyday life informed by the most ingenious and effective military principles in war. Structured in Greene鈥檚 trademark style, The 33 Strategies of War is the I-Ching of conflict, the contemporary companion to Sun Tzu鈥檚 The Art of War .
Abundantly illustrated with examples from history, including the folly and genius of everyone from Napoleon to Margaret Thatcher, Shaka the Zulu to Lord Nelson, Hannibal to Ulysses S. Grant, as well as movie moguls, Samurai swordsmen, and diplomats, each of the thirty-three chapters outlines a strategy that will help you win life鈥檚 wars. Learn the offensive strategies that require you to maintain the initiative and negotiate from a position of strength, or the defensive strategies designed to help you respond to dangerous situations and avoid unwinnable wars. The great warriors of battlefields and drawing rooms alike demonstrate prudence, agility, balance, and calm, and a keen understanding that the rational, resourceful, and intuitive always defeat the panicked, the uncreative, and the stupid. An indispensable book, The 33 Strategies of War provides all the psychological ammunition you need to overcome patterns of failure and forever gain the upper hand.]]>
author: Robert Greene
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2008/11/01
date added: 2008/11/23
shelves: business
review:
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author: Daniel Lezano
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2008/10/01
date added: 2008/10/21
shelves: random
review:
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author: Jeanna N. Matthews
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2008/08/11
date added: 2008/08/11
shelves: programming
review:
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With Pro JavaScript Design Patterns, you'll start with the basics of objectoriented programming in JavaScript applicable to design patterns, including making JavaScript more expressive, inheritance, encapsulation, information hiding, and more. With that covered, you can kickstart your JavaScript development in the second part of the book, where you'll find detail on how to implement and take advantage of several design patterns in JavaScript, including composites, decorators, facades, adapters, and many more.
Each chapter is packed with realworld examples of how the design patterns are best used and expert advice on writing better code, as well as what to watch out for. Along the way you'll discover how to create your own libraries and APIs for even more efficient coding.Master the basics of objectoriented programming in JavaScript, as they apply to design patterns Apply design patterns to your kickstart your JavaScript development Work through several realworld examples What you'll learn How to apply objectoriented programming techniques in JavaScript How to take advantage of inheritance, interfaces, and encapsulation and information hiding to kickstart your JavaScript development How to implement several design patterns in your JavaScript projects, including factory, facade, bridge, composite, adapter, decorator, flyweight, proxy, command, observer, and chain of responsibility How to make your code easier to manage in a team environment, as well as on your own How to create your own libraries and APIs Who this book is for
This book will be an invaluable learning tool for any experienced JavaScript developer. Table of Contents Expressive JavaScript Interfaces Encapsulation and Information Hiding Inheritance The Singleton Pattern Chaining The Factory Pattern The Bridge Pattern The Composite Pattern The Facade Pattern The Adapter Pattern The Decorator Pattern The Flyweight Pattern The Proxy Pattern The Observer Pattern The Command Pattern The Chain of Responsibility Pattern]]>
author: Ross Harmes
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2008/07/17
date added: 2008/07/17
shelves: programming
review:
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author: Douglas Crockford
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2008/06/30
date added: 2008/06/30
shelves: programming
review:
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author: Kevin Marshall
name: Adrian
average rating: 2.74
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2008/02/01
date added: 2008/06/18
shelves: programming
review:
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Each pattern works reliably in all major browsers without the need for browser hacks.
The book's layout, with a pattern's example on the left page and its explanation on the right, makes it easy to find a pattern and study it without having to flip between pages. The book is also readable from cover to cover, with topics building carefully upon previous topics.
A software developer can use this book to learn CSS for the first time. A designer familiar with CSS can use this book to master CSS and XHTML. If you are completely new to coding or completely new to CSS and XHTML, you may want to read an introductory book on CSS and XHTML first.
You can interact with all the examples in the book at .]]>
author: Michael Bowers
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2008/06/11
shelves: programming
review:
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author: Hal Fulton
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2008/05/01
date added: 2008/05/01
shelves: programming
review:
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author: George Silberzahn
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2004
rating: 1
read at: 2007/12/01
date added: 2008/03/23
shelves: random
review:
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You'll learn how to:
Ruby is the fastest growing programming language today, and for good reason: Its elegant syntax and readable code make for prolific and happy programmers. But it can be difficult to understand and implement without a little help. Ruby by Example shows you how to take advantage of Ruby as you explore Ruby's fundamental concepts in action.]]>
author: Kevin Baird
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2008/03/06
date added: 2008/03/06
shelves: programming
review:
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This dictionary is simple and straightforward to you locate the word you need in the index, and are referred to the place in the main text where you will find the words that rhyme with it. Browse a little further and you will also find, near by, close rhymes and half rhymes for the word in
question. Words are organized according to their sound rather than alphabetically, which means you can find a rhyme to match a word as it is spoken, rather than how it is spelt.
Whether you're in search of a gluey Drambuie, pastrami with tsunami, or a Salt Lake City subcommittee, this dictionary will help to increase your vocabulary and will take your rhyming skills to a whole new level.]]>
author: Clive Upton
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2008/02/24
date added: 2008/02/24
shelves: random
review:
There is an exact rhyme for orange.
]]>
I particularly enjoyed some of the sidebar quips -- "Wilson says... Writing applications without tests makes you a bad person, incapable of love." -- although I don't necessarily agree with them all.
The chapters on controllers, routing, views are decent. I've read the ActionPack/ActiveSupport source and this is easier to digest (along with appendix A). The four chapters on ActiveRecord are as boring as, well, ActiveRecord. What can you do?
I find the code generated by Rails's Ajax helpers very ugly & obtrusive, so I skipped that chapter. Learn Javascript, or at least a decent JS library like jQuery or YUI. Actually, I've got nothing against Prototype or Mootools either, just the way Rails embeds it.
Similarly, skip the Testing chapter and jump straight to the one on RSpec.
Finally, the production configuration and deployment chapters, like much of the book, offer some good advice that will save you time. I've learned from experience and trial & error much of what Obie says here, and it would have been great to have this cheatsheet 6-8 months ago. Better late than never!]]>
author: Obie Fernandez
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2008/02/19
date added: 2008/02/24
shelves:
review:
It's better than Agile Web Development w/Rails (despite the grammatical error in the first sentence of the foreword -- don't judge it by that). It is also an intermediate to semi-advanced text, so don't expect a tutorial on how to build a shopping cart.
I particularly enjoyed some of the sidebar quips -- "Wilson says... Writing applications without tests makes you a bad person, incapable of love." -- although I don't necessarily agree with them all.
The chapters on controllers, routing, views are decent. I've read the ActionPack/ActiveSupport source and this is easier to digest (along with appendix A). The four chapters on ActiveRecord are as boring as, well, ActiveRecord. What can you do?
I find the code generated by Rails's Ajax helpers very ugly & obtrusive, so I skipped that chapter. Learn Javascript, or at least a decent JS library like jQuery or YUI. Actually, I've got nothing against Prototype or Mootools either, just the way Rails embeds it.
Similarly, skip the Testing chapter and jump straight to the one on RSpec.
Finally, the production configuration and deployment chapters, like much of the book, offer some good advice that will save you time. I've learned from experience and trial & error much of what Obie says here, and it would have been great to have this cheatsheet 6-8 months ago. Better late than never!
]]>
author: Andy Clarke
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2008/02/19
shelves: programming
review:
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Part I explains the core JavaScript language in detail. If you are new to JavaScript, it will teach you the language. If you are already a JavaScript programmer, Part I will sharpen your skills and deepen your understanding of the language.
Part II explains the scripting environment provided by web browsers, with a focus on DOM scripting with unobtrusive JavaScript. The broad and deep coverage of client-side JavaScript is illustrated with many sophisticated examples that demonstrate how to:
Part III is a complete reference for core JavaScript. It documents every class, object, constructor, method, function, property, and constant defined by JavaScript 1.5 and ECMAScript Version 3.
Part IV is a reference for client-side JavaScript, covering legacy web browser APIs, the standard Level 2 DOM API, and emerging standards such as the XMLHttpRequest object and the canvas tag.
More than 300,000 JavaScript programmers around the world have madethis their indispensable reference book for building JavaScript applications.
"A must-have reference for expert JavaScript programmers...well-organized and detailed."
-- Brendan Eich, creator of JavaScript]]>
author: David Flanagan
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2008/02/13
date added: 2008/01/03
shelves: programming
review:
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Sample ideas include:
* Writing a serial novel
* Conducting unnecessary experiments
* Creating your autobiography
* Public eavesdropping]]>
author: Margaret Mason
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.08
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2007/12/06
date added: 2007/05/09
shelves: random
review:
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* Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty
* Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
* Plan projects as well as get them unstuck
* Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
* Feel fine about what you're not doing
From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.]]>
author: David Allen
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2007/12/06
date added: 2007/05/09
shelves:
review:
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author: Jeremy D. Zawodny
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2007/01/29
shelves:
review:
This a decent book for admins -- well written and easy to read, much more so than the manual. However, it is dated and only covers versions of MySQL up to 4.1 -- too bad as everyone should be using 5.0 nowadays. A good starting point for replication, backups, and optimization. [Read cover-to-cover]
]]>
author: MySQL AB
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2007/01/28
shelves: programming
review:
This is actually the administration parts of the free MySQL 5.x PDF manual -- keep a local copy handy. As for MySQL knowledge, it contains it all; well-written, but quite dense. Especially good for administration (setup, logs, replication, optimization). Available online at mysql.com. [Read cover-to-cover, frequently referenced]
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- Apply the secrets of liquid, elastic, and hybrid layouts
- Create flickr-style image maps, remote rollovers, and other advanced CSS features
- Lay out forms using pure CSS
- Recognize common browser bugs, and how to fix them
While CSS is a relatively simple technology to learn, it is a difficult one to master. When you first start developing sites using CSS, you will come across all kinds of infuriating browser bugs and inconsistencies. It sometimes feels like there are a million and one different techniques to master, spread across a bewildering array of websites. The range of possibilities seems endless and makes for a steep and daunting learning curve. By bringing all of the latest tips, tricks, and techniques together in one handy reference, this book demystifies the secrets of CSS and makes the journey to CSS mastery as simple and painless as possible. While most books concentrate on basic skills, this one is different, assuming that you already know the basics and why you should be using CSS in your work, and concentrating mainly on advanced techniques. It begins with a brief recap of CSS fundamentals such as the importance of meaningful markup, how to structure and maintain your code, and how the CSS layout model really works. With the basics out of the way, each subsequent chapter details a particular aspect of CSS-based design. Through a series of easy-to-follow tutorials, you will learn practical CSS techniques you can immediately start using in your daily work. Browser inconsistencies are the thorn in most CSS developers' sides, so we have dedicated two whole chapters to CSS hacks, filters, and bug fixing, as well as looking at image replacement; professional link, form, and list styling; pure CSS layouts; and much more. All of these techniques are then put into practice in two beautifully designed case studies, written by two of the world's best CSS designers, Simon Collison and Cameron Moll.
Summary of Contents:
- Chapter 1: Setting the Foundations
- Chapter 2: Visual Formatting Model Recap
- Chapter 3: Background Images and Image Replacement
- Chapter 4: Styling Links
- Chapter 5: Styling Lists and Creating Nav Bars
- Chapter 6: Styling Forms and Data Tables
- Chapter 7: Layout
- Chapter 8: Hacks and Filters
- Chapter 9: Bugs and Bug Fixing
- Case Study 1: More Than Doodles
- Case Study 2: Tuscany Luxury Resorts]]>
author: Andy Budd
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2006/11/01
date added: 2007/01/23
shelves: programming
review:
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author: Mike Mason
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2006/06/01
date added: 2006/12/07
shelves: programming
review:
A decent Subversion reference, with a gentle introduction to version control. PDF available.
]]>
Douglas Coupland offers new ways of seeing and experiencing Canada-looking at how it feels to be a Canadian right now and speculating what it might feel like in the future. From collective memories, he locates objects like stubbie beer bottles and ookpiks, Kraft dinner and maple walnut ice cream. And with the same unique sensibility, he considers significant events and relevant issues, like the flq crisis, Canada's relationship with the United States, medicare and the landscape itself.
In the section humbly titled "Cheese," he "When you assemble them together, foods that feel intuitively Canadian look more like camping trip provisions than actual groceries...Canada is a cold and northern country...from a biological standpoint, it is imperative that Canadians stockpile concentrated forms of sugars, carbohydrates, fats and salt."
The 50 personal categories of the 30,000-word text are arranged alphabetically and matched with 100 illustrations (50 in colour)-new luscious photos taken by Coupland himself, images of Canadian ephemera and icons, historical photos and pictures from other quite startling sources. Included are photos of cultural installations created by Coupland himself.]]>
author: Douglas Coupland
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2006/09/01
date added: 2006/12/06
shelves: random
review:
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author: Jennifer Lisle
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.38
book published: 1994
rating: 2
read at: 2006/08/01
date added: 2006/12/06
shelves: random
review:
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This is a book about awareness. It鈥檚 about being 鈥渁wake鈥� and in touch with what is going on here and now. Practical and down-to-earth, it deals exclusively with the present, not with speculation, theory, or belief in some far off time and place. The teachings of the Buddha are plain and straightforward, and because they remain focused on the moment, they are just as relevant now as they have ever been. Buddhism Plain and 聽The Practice of Being Aware, Right Now, Every Day is the book for anyone wanting to discover, or rediscover, the essence of Buddhism.]]>
author: Steve Hagen
name: Adrian
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2006/01/01
date added: 2006/12/06
shelves: random
review:
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James Hamilton-Paterson's first novel, "Gerontius," won the Whitbread Award. He is an acclaimed author of nonfiction books, including "Seven-Tenths," "Three Miles Down," and "Playing with Water," He currently lives in Italy.]]>
author: James Hamilton-Paterson
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2006/08/01
date added: 2006/12/06
shelves:
review:
Funny and eloquent and completely pointless.
]]>
How fat do you have to be to become bulletproof?
Why do people have eyebrows?
Why do pineapples have spines?
How much does a head weigh?
What affects the color of earwax?
How quickly could I turn into a fossil?
Have you ever thought up a question so completely off-the-wall, so seemingly ridiculous, that you couldn't even find the courage to ask it? Maybe at the sports bar you were transported by the beauty of your beer to wonder, "How long could I live on beer alone?" Or, cycling through the park, you mused, "Did nature invent any wheels?" Or looking up at the night sky, you had a moment of angst, "What would happen if the moon suddenly disappeared -- if it were vaporized or stolen by aliens?"
Full of fun factlets, Does Anything Eat Wasps? is a runaway bestseller around the world. It celebrates the weird and wacky questions -- some trivial, some baffling, all unique -- and their multiple answers culled from "The Last Word," a long-running column in the internationally popular science magazine, New Scientist. Tackling the imponderables of everyday life, sparkling with humor, and bursting with delightful erudition, Does Anything Eat Wasps? is irresistibly entertaining and utterly engrossing.
So, go on. Put away your lab coat and your pencil -- science is fun again.]]>
author: New Scientist
name: Adrian
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2006/11/01
date added: 2006/12/06
shelves: random
review:
]]>