Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Documentation Review

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(More customer reviews)Anne is a technical writer who has done a considerable amount of work with FLOSS Manuals in documenting the OLPC laptop, and is obviously well-versed in both open-source documentation and social media. The book is designed to give technical writers and other information developers an overview of the tools and techniques available now for documenting products and communicating with end-users through social media and other non-traditional methods.
As a technical writer and community manager, I am exactly the target market for this book, so it is no wonder that I think it is an excellent resource that is long overdue. What surprised me was the depth with which she covered her subjects, the extensive yet highly selective quality of references in the book, and the sheer number of strategies that I hadn't yet encountered even as a professional in this area.
The most important point Anne makes in the book is that documentation as we know it is changing dramatically. Practically all of the basic tenets of technical documentation are in question. Users depend far more often on advice from random strangers via mailing lists, community forums, and search engines than they do on the technical documentation that comes with the product. I have seen this to be true even for highly technical concepts and tools. This is not news to anyone who has ever used Google to find the answer to a technical question rather than looking in the docs, but it was fascinating to see that phenomenon addressed in such a way that my opinions of it were actually changed. Like many technical writers, I have a lingering fear that I will someday be obsolete and that my job of communicating technical issues to users of technology will be taken over by amateurs in ad-hoc communities. Anne gently reminds us that it is the quantity of information that is skyrocketing, not the quality, and that our jobs as technical communicators are more important than ever in making that information "findable", even if that means abandoning what we traditionally think of as documentation. What I took away from this aspect of the book was the overwhelming necessity to make human connections, even in technical documentation, an idea that resonates strongly with my own role as a community builder. Chapter 3 spells it out best as "Defining a Writer's Role with the Social Web".
The book catalogs the available tools and strategies from several different viewpoints based on documentation strategy---in other words, use cases---rather than simply providing an annotated list. Anne specifically points to references and in-the-trenches stories that underscore her points in a very effective way. The subject that brought me the most "aha!" moments was that of wikis. I use wikis on a daily basis, but there were certain aspects of them that I had overlooked. There were so many interesting references in all sections that I felt compelled to stop reading the book and follow them, which is not a criticism of the writing but rather of the sheer amount of information out there. The consistent, confident, professional tone kept me riveted to the book, but I am now going back over every page and following links.
I highly recommend this book to both technical communicators and those involved in social media and community. My copy is going straight to my boss' desk.

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Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Technical Documentation, industry expert Anne Gentle's new book, brings the tools of the Social Web to technical documentation. She looks at the most important Web 2.0 tools, including blogs, wikis, micro-blogging, and syndication, and shows how they can be used to foster conversations and a community with your customers.Through examples and her own hard-won experience with these technologies, Gentle provides practical guidance for technical communicators, marketers, and anyone who wants to use the Social Web to interact with customers.

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A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the best book I have read all year.
First of all, Dr. Ghaemi is a world-class psychiatrist; he is THE expert on issues of mood disorder (my wife is a psychiatrist and says that Dr. Ghaemi is the very best in the nation in his Continuing Medical Education teaching). So, he truly knows what he is writing about.
The structure of the book essentially follows the pattern of a chapter which describes the state-of-the-art in psychiatry as to a given diagnosis, followed by mini-biographies in two chapters of two historical figures who are exemplars of leadership with the particular diagnosis that Dr. Ghaemi has described. The manner in which he uses historical evidence to arrive at his diagnosis is seamless.
Among the historical figures profiled are Lincoln, General Sherman, Hitler, Gandhi, Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., FDR and JFK. There is a profile of Ted Turner, unusual because he is the only living example profiled (and the only non-political leader). Toward the end of the book there is extensive commentary about Nixon, Dubya, Tony Blair and some insights about Clinton, Truman, Eisenhower and even Newt Gingrich along the way.
I have read at least one biography of each figure he profiles (except for Ted Turner). I can vouch for the historical accuracy of Dr. Ghaemi's book in all regards except for two minor points about FDR: he was not a member of Woodrow Wilson's cabinet and he was not Secretary of the Navy (he was #2, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy).
The endnotes are also a magnificent treasure-trove of information.
Superb book, well-written by someone who knows his material.
I won't spoil your enjoyment with details about the profiles, but the essential thesis of the book is that we stigmatize mental illness but with the paradox that the very finest leaders in times of crisis or great challenge are mentally ill (sufficiently mentally ill to be great and effective leaders but not too much to have become incapacitated such as the monster Hitler).
Read. Enjoy. Benefit from this book.

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An investigation into the surprisingly deep correlation between mental illness and successful leadership, as seen through some of history's greatest politicians, generals, and businesspeople. In A First-Rate Madness, Nassir Ghaemi, who runs the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center, draws from the careers and personal plights of such notable leaders as Lincoln, Churchill, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., JFK, and others from the past two centuries to build an argument at once controversial and compelling: the very qualities that mark those with mood disorders- realism, empathy, resilience, and creativity-also make for the best leaders in times of crisis. By combining astute analysis of the historical evidence with the latest psychiatric research, Ghaemi demonstrates how these qualities have produced brilliant leadership under the toughest circumstances. Take realism, for instance: study after study has shown that those suffering depression are better than "normal" people at assessing current threats and predicting future outcomes. Looking at Lincoln and Churchill among others, Ghaemi shows how depressive realism helped these men tackle challenges both personal and national. Or consider creativity, a quality psychiatrists have studied extensively in relation to bipolar disorder. A First-Rate Madness shows how mania inspired General Sherman and Ted Turner to design and execute their most creative-and successful-strategies. Ghaemi's thesis is both robust and expansive; he even explains why eminently sane men like Neville Chamberlain and George W. Bush made such poor leaders. Though sane people are better shepherds in good times, sanity can be a severe liability in moments of crisis. A lifetime without the cyclical torment of mood disorders, Ghaemi explains, can leave one ill equipped to endure dire straits. He also clarifies which kinds of insanity-like psychosis-make for despotism and ineptitude, sometimes on a grand scale. Ghaemi's bold, authoritative analysis offers powerful new tools for determining who should lead us. But perhaps most profoundly, he encourages us to rethink our view of mental illness as a purely negative phenomenon. As A First-Rate Madness makes clear, the most common types of insanity can confer vital benefits on individuals and society at large-however high the price for those who endure these illnesses.

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The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology: Werewolves, Dragons, Skyfish, Lizard Men, and Other Fascinating Creatures Real and Mysterious Review

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(More customer reviews)Cryptozoology is the study of mythic and legendary creatures. The term was originated by French zoologist Bernard Heuvelman in the 1950s. "The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology: Werewolves, Dragons, Skyfish, Lizard Men, and Other Fascinating Creatures Real and Mysterious" is a 192-page compendium providing a brief history of cryptozoology and a wealth of descriptive information on creatures ranging from Mongolian Death Worms; Frogmen of Loveland; and Shadow People; to Dragons; the New Jersey Devil; and Werewolves. Informed and informative, "The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology: Werewolves, Dragons, Skyfish, Lizard Men, and Other Fascinating Creatures Real and Mysterious" is a highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Metaphysical Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


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The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology includes information, interviews, and stories about forty different cryptids seen in various places all over the world by credible eyewitnesses like policemen, rangers, and doctors. Readers will learn where and how to find flying humanoids, hairy humanoids, giants of all kinds including rabbits, bats and spiders, goblins, vampires, werewolves, demons, aliens and ghosts. In the third book of our Weiser Field Guides, Bella online paranormal editor, Deena West Budd, surveys the still-emerging field of cryptozoology--a term coined in the 1950s by a French zoologist named Bernard Heuvelmans--the study of "hidden" or "unknown" animals not recognized in standard zoology. From traditional cryptids like Big Foot, the Abonimable Snowman and Nessie, to mythical cryptids like unicorns, vampires, dragons, and werewolves, to lesser-known cryptids like bunyips (waterhorses), Encantado (Dolphin Men of Brazil), thunderbirds, mothmen, and chupacabra, these creatures are very much alive, says Budd, if beyond the realm of normal perception.The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology includes a brief history of the field of cryptozoology and surveys all the creatures for which any credible amount of research exists. Budd gives readers tips on how to spot these creatures, as well as cautionary advice on how to interact with them. Two dozen line drawings rendered from eye witness descriptions accompany the text.

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How Wikipedia Works: And How You Can Be a Part of It Review

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(More customer reviews)This book might also be titled "Wikipedia in Context". It tells in detail what Wikipedia is and what it is not; it even has a history of encyclopedias and talks about how Wikipedia fits into this tradition. It goes into detail on the culture and motivations of the people who work on Wikipedia. It covers the mission of the project and speculates on the global impact it will have someday.
There is an especially valuable chapter on "Understanding and Evaluating an Article" with a lot of good tips. Traditional encyclopedias are written by authorities in the field, but Wikipedia is written by a wide variety of authors, some experts, some amateurs, some fanatics, and some vandals. The appeal to authority doesn't work for Wikipedia.
There are real-life case studies scattered through the book about the internal workings of Wikipedia and its interaction with the real world. The most startling and sobering is the story of Turkish scholar Taner Akçam, who was detained at Montreal's Trudeau Airport by Canadian officials who had read in Wikipedia an incorrect report that he was a terrorist.
I only have a couple of gripes about this book. The screen shots highlight the relevant parts by graying everything else, which I like, but the gray is so dark it's hard to see the screen clearly and tell where you are. The index is lengthy but it was hard to find things in it; it seems to index only the main discussion of each topic and not any other references to it.
Compared to John Broughton's Wikipedia: The Missing Manual, this book is much broader and shallower. The Missing Manual is aimed at people who want to edit (add material and articles to) Wikipedia, and goes into great detail on both the mechanics of changing Wikipedia and the policies and customs that govern these changes. The present book has much useful material on these subjects, but it has just enough to get you started editing (roughly the middle third of the book deals with this). I have found both books extremely valuable, but they are aimed at different audiences and don't compete directly with each other. If you have a casual interest in Wikipedia, or are just getting started as an editor, "How Wikipedia Works" is the book for you. Beginning editors can also benefit from "Wikipedia: The Missing Manual" but may find the level of detail overwhelming; it is better for experienced editors.


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301 Ways to Use Social Media To Boost Your Marketing Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a good, practical introduction to the world of social media, and is loaded with a lot of step-by-step advice for those of us who are completely new to the area. Each tip is limited to a page, so it's easy to use this as a reference book to `dip' into whenever you can to get new ideas. One quibble is that I think she introduces too many of the different social sites in detail, without giving any sort of ranking. Obviously, someone can't really give full attention to all the sites, so some guidance on which to concentrate on would have been nice. This isn't the only social media marketing book you'll need if you are starting out -- the book really doesn't address how to develop an overall marketing strategy in the social media world. Consider this a companion piece to the other books that you'll need when you research and build your marketing. For more in-depth book reviews I've done, search for goldenrulecomics on the Squidoo website.


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Join the TubeMoguls, get Delicious, StumbleUponcustomers--and 298 more great tips!
MARKETINGThe time to start social media marketing was yesterday. Don't worry, though--this book will get you going today!301 Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Your Marketing is packed with quick "snapshot" lessons for spreading your message and building customers—with little effort and virtually no cost. Designed to help you take action right away, each tip is presented in a stand-alone format to help you focus on what you need to do--and only what you need to do.
301 Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Your Marketing provides simple strategies for capitalizing on the top social media platforms like:• BLOGS • MICROMEDIA • SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES • BOOKMARKING SITES • MULTIMEDIA SITES • REVIEW AND OPINION SITES • WIKIS
You'll own the crowds on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube--as well as on niche sites like Yelp, Ning, SmugMug, and Reddit. Potential customers are already having a conversation about your brand. Use 301 Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Your Marketing to grab them before your competitors can say "tweet"!

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You Have to Stop This (The Secret Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)My sister read this book and loved it so much. She read the previous books and this is one of her favorite series. "Here, you get to find out the Secret and what Cass, Max- Ernest, and Yo- Yoji do to find it, and protect it", said my sister. 5 stars!

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I always feared this day would come. A secret is meant to stay secret, after all. And now we've come to this: the fifth and final (I swear!) book in my saga of secrets.

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Erasing Hell: What God said about eternity, and the things we made up Review

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(More customer reviews)After watching the promotional video from David C. Cook Publishing I was excited to read a book by an author whom I deeply respect and even admire for their previous emotional & challenging works. After watching the video I expected Erasing Hell to be a exegetical and challenging study of the topic of hell from a Biblical perspective by an author passionate about the truth.
I had expectations when I started reading Erasing Hell. Were my expectations correct? Yes.
Francis Chan and co-author, Preston Sprinkle (whom Chan admits did . . . "the majority of the research" pg. 11) do a phenomenal job of examining the context of scripture and presenting the Biblical truth about the realities of hell. This book is a sobering reminder of how we as Western Christians and the Western church have watered down the language of hell to appeal to our own comfort, when in reality the words that Jesus and others used in the Bible are both intimidating and clear: Hell is a real place and many people will go there.
WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE
Maybe I missed the point but after watching the promotional video I was expecting Chan & Sprinkle to present their own Biblical study of hell, which they did, however I did not expect them to spend so much time challenging the book: Love Wins by Rob Bell. I am not 100% sure why I did not expect this from Chan, but regardless it was my expectation. In no way do they "bash" Bell or throw him under the bus like many other Evangelical authors, pastors and leaders have been doing over the past few months, but they definitively challenge quotes, thoughts and passages of scripture directly from Love Wins. Although this challenge does not overwhelm the entire book, in the seven chapters of Erasing Hell there are 87 footnotes, fourteen of these footnotes directly reference Love Wins, all within the first three chapters. The fact that Chan & Sprinkle have done this make the book relevant to it's counterpart and possibly irrelevant to the general population of readers. It makes me wonder if this book will be relevant in a few years when Love Wins fades off the bestsellers lists.
Another minor thing that bothered me was the cover. I know it sounds petty, and I might just be that in this scenario, but the fact that the cover of Erasing Hell resembles another book by Rob Bell, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, leaves me wondering why they choose the design they did. Maybe it was just happenstance but I wonder the context of why it was chosen.
Lastly, and more importantly the one thing I struggled with from Erasing Hell was the fact that the authors spent so much time emphasizing the context of scripture. Context can be a great thing, in fact it may just be the most important thing other than the words themselves, but when it came to the chapter titled: "Has Hell Changed? Or Have We?", the authors provide numerous references to first century authors yet they provide very little context to the passages they reference. At the end of the chapter I wrote: "I feel like I am supposed to take their word for it, but I know nothing about the context of the passages the authors quoted."
WHAT I LOVED
Maybe I shouldn't use the word love. It is too nice. Hell is not nice, and nobody, myself included should love a book that frames up the realities of what hell is about. After reading this book some may want to use words like: sobering, humbling, motivating and convicting. Chan & Sprinkle do a great job of intertwining truth and emotion. Some authors write only from an emotional perspective, others only from a knowledge-based point of view. Hell is difficult topic to wrestle with, but manipulating the conversation to make us feel comfortable is both irresponsible and selfish; however, so is forgetting that peoples lives are at stake. Chan and Sprinkle make this point clear on many occasions: "This is not one of those doctrines where you can toss in your two cents, shrug your shoulders, and move on. Too much is at stake. Too many people are at stake." Pg. 14/15
The one thing that I struggled with most from Rob Bell's book was context. The exegetical study of the passages of scripture seemed sloppy at best. Erasing Hell flips that on it's head. If context is everything, as one of my professors always pointed out, then Chan & Sprinkle have done the groundwork for the reader to lead them to a solid conclusion based upon research and Biblical truth. I am grateful to the authors for the sincere effort to present both sides of the argument in context.
After reading Erasing Hell, I am deeply challenged by the honesty, transparency, and conviction that Chan & Sprinkle write with. As a reader I am left wrestling with what I believe about hell and how far I am willing to go to know & share the truth. "Coming face-to-face with these passages on hell and asking these tough questions is a heart-wrenching process. It forces me (us) back to a sobering reality: this is not just about doctrine; it's about destinies." pg. 72
The reality that destinies are at stake makes my stomach turn. It turns Francis Chan's stomach and it should turn yours. Hell is tough to read about, study or talk about. However, we must read about it, talk about it and study it. I agree with the authors that hell is too important to get wrong, so if you have read Love Wins you MUST read this book. If you haven't read Love Wins but you are curious what the Bible says about hell, then I highly recommend you pick-up this dynamic book from Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle.
"While hell can be a paralyzing doctrine, it can also be an energizing one, for it magnifies the beauty of the cross." pg. 148

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How could a loving God send people to hell? Will people have a chance after they die to believe in Jesus and go to heaven?

With a humble respect for God's Word, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle address the deepest questions you have about eternal destiny. They've asked the same questions. Like you, sometimes they just don't want to believe in hell. But as they write, "We cannot afford to be wrong on this issue." This is not a book about who is saying what. It's a book about what God says. It's not a book about impersonal theological issues. It's a book about people who God loves. It's not a book about arguments, doctrine, or being right. It's a book about the character of God.

Erasing Hell will immerse you in the truth of Scripture as, together with the authors, you find not only the truth but the courage to live it out.

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Betrayal Review

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(More customer reviews)Alex and Kate were so happy, until Alex is accused of a heinous act on his best friends 12 year old. he is convicted,found guilty, sent to prison..He is innocent.. But when even greater tragedy strikes, Kate has no choice but to turn her grief into anger...
I absolutely loved this book.. I thought it was going to be another Sister Hood book, but this book was great I couldn't put it down, from start to finish.

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Kate and Alex Rocket are blessed with a wonderful marriage and a lovely home. Although Kate can't have children, she and Alex look upon Sara and Emily, daughters of their good friends Don and Debbie Winter, as part of their family. With one phone call, everything changes. Sara accuses Alex of a terrible act, opening up a vicious rift between the couples. Kate watches helplessly as her innocent husband is convicted and sent to prison. But when even greater tragedy strikes, Kate's grief turns to anger, and she discovers an inner strength and steel-edged resolve to clear her husband's name - and ruin those who destroyed their life together. But Kate's greatest challenge will be in avenging Alex without losing her chance at a new future - and a precious new love...

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Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques Review

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(More customer reviews)It is my pleasure to review another e-book from Packt Publishing called Moodle 1.9, Teaching Techniques by William Rice and Susan Smith Nash. This review is based entirely on my personal point of view. I am not an expert in Moodle. I undertook this project in order to learn more and improve my knowledge of the subject, both from an active learning perspective and from a future teaching perspective.
Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques was first published in January 2010. There are 11 chapters and at 216 pages, it makes for fairly compact reading. Who is the book aimed at? Well, the overview states that it is suitable for university and professional teachers. There is an assumption that you have knowledge of the Moodle platform's basic features, and that you have "some proficiency" with Moodle. This book is not intended to be used as a guide on how to use Moodle per se, but as the title suggests, it is a comprehensive guide on how to adapt the many and varied features of Moodle to customise and personalise your course design. One of the facets I liked about the book is that it guides you from the teacher's point of view and also gives you an insight into how the modules are viewed from a learner's point of view. Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques aims to show you how to get the best from Moodle and at the same time, shows you how to construct high-quality, durable and relevant courses, which will perfectly suit your students' needs.
The building blocks which permit you to shape and form your highly individualised courses are outlined clearly within the introductory chapter. The authors use excellent screenshots and diagrams to guide the reader through the process of the key tools within Moodle and provide an abundance of useful tips and advice. In particular, Chapter 2's focus on using the Forum as a key tool for organising all the instructional content, was very useful reading for me. Click on the link and you can download a free preview of Chapter 2, called "Instructional Material".
Chapter 4 on Assessment was enlightening. Students might be fearful of the terminology, but in Moodle, Assessment is much more than simply checking up on how you are getting on. This feature can boost a student's self confidence and can create independent learners. For example, Moodle provides ample opportunities for creating quizzes, which can be taken by students in short spells or specific timed slots in order to assess how they are doing. Good screenshots provide a useful guide to how to utilise Asessment to its maximum potential.
I enjoyed reading about the Wiki feature in Chapter 6. The authors outline the reasons why the Wiki is useful to achieve learning objectives. The ability to create individual student wikis is a welcome capability within the Moodle platform. I got a bit lost in some of the sections, however, and this is where some Moodle proficiency is assumed by the authors.
Useful tips and guidelines were given in Chapter 7 Glossary Solutions. I was particularly interested in the "schema" building involved in the Glossary function. Each course can only have a main glossary, but with many secondary glossaries. When a Glossary is created, a Database of individual entries is automatically created. Clear screenshots are provided to facilitate understanding and tips about including memory aids for the Glossary proved to be of a very helpful nature. One of the main advantages of including the Glossary in a course design is its constant presence on the sidebar. It can be made into an interactive activity and the "Random Glossary Block" feature is also useful. New information is updated every time students log on. As a student of Moodle learning myself, I find this constant update to be particularly beneficial as a means to keeping an eye on the "flow" of new information.
Great tips are given for how to maximise the Choice activity function. Polls and debates can be easily created to make a lively teaching aid. This function also makes choosing teams for activities much easier and also allows for feedback polls to ascertain whether the pace of a course is good for students.
The final chapter of Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques highlights the Portfolio Gallery solution. I really liked the notion of "dialogical imagination", which can ensue from "reaction videos" found in Youtube and often posted on FaceBook. Moodle now has an inbuilt facility to integrate social networking sites such as FaceBook and Twitter. RSS feeds can also be easily implemented as well. This all makes for a very powerful, engaging and highly interactive teaching and learning platform. Indeed, the terminology used is "ubiquitous learning"This chapter contains some excellent tips on how to engage students in creating exciting writing projects for an e-portfolio. A sample assignment on "My Hometown" is highlighted by the authors. I found the notion of a "capstone" experience or final project to be of great interest. The theme of collaboration plays a big role in motivating students to do their best.
At 216 pages, Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques makes for an easily managed read and offers some invaluable tips and insights into how to design a unique and personalised Moodle course to maximum effect. As a platform for teaching and learning, Moodle certainly satisfies the growing need for "ubiquitous learning", which comprises of e-learning, mobile learning and hybrid delivery, both synchronous and asynchronous. I certainly learned a lot from a fairly inexperienced Moodler's perspective, but I found some of the explanations were a bit too complex for my limited knowledge. This book should satisfy the more experienced Moodle user's quest for how to implement a successful and dynamic course design and indeed provides invaluable tips that can be applied immediately.


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This book contains clear guidance for all who want to put together effective online courses that motivate students and encourage dynamic learning. There are clear, step-by-step instructions with helpful screenshots and diagrams to guide you along the way. If you want to unleash your teaching talents and develop exciting, dynamic courses that really get students moving forward, then this book is for you. Experienced Moodlers who want to upgrade to Moodle 1.9 will find powerful insights into developing more successful and educational courses.

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The Gray Wolf Throne (A Seven Realms Novel) (Seven Realms (Trilogy)) Review

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(More customer reviews)Raisa, the would-be queen of the Fells is having a hard time getting home. Of course anyone could see how the constant assault of assassins would pose such difficultly. But Raisa is determined to ensure her place in the succession of the throne. Yet there are still quite a few factions that would love nothing better than to seat a more malleable queen in power and they're coming pretty bloody close to achieving that goal.
Their greatest obstacle is Han Alister. Despite his feelings of betrayal over Raisa's assumed identity, Han has managed to repeatedly save Raisa's life. Alister is doing more than playing the white knight, he's shaking things up at court applying his streetlord savvy to the high stakes games of royal politics.
Raisa is assembling a group of trusty advisers while Han is putting together a new crew. Both have different objectives. In the end will their desires heal the world or end up shattering it all over again.
The Gray Wolf Throne was a real joy to read. Raisa's and Han's separate journeys finally converge in romantic and spectacular fashion. You really get to see the glimpses of greatness Raisa showed in the previous books as a future ruler come to life. We also had a reality check in the problems facing the neglected kingdom. Everything seemed to be broken from the out of work peasants to the prejudices between wizards, valefolk, and the clans. Trouble's not just brewing within the Fells but outside them as well and it's only a matter of time before the fight ends up on Raisa's doorstep. We also get to see Han use his extensive knowledge base. Han's magical training serves him well in flashy displays, and physical attacks. He uses his etiquette lessons to navigate the nobility and play his wizard role. Alister's employs his street wise education to maneuver through politics and become a real player at court. All these things add up to an absolutely wonderful read. Cinda Williams Chima doesn't disappoint.
Full of action and intrigue The Gray Wolf Throne is like the Tudors and Game of Thrones for the younger fantasy fan sect.

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Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisa ana'Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And, as far as he's concerned, the princess's family killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfill his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen. Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that thethief-turned-wizard Han Alister can be trusted. She wants to believe it-he's saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely onherwits and her iron-hard will to survive-and even that might not be enough.The Gray Wolf Throneis an epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hand of fate.

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The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been eating the Engine 2 diet for five months. I've lost 35 LBS. My cholesterol dropped over 60 points. This was all after a meeting with a doctor who told me my cholesterol would only be slightly lowered by changing my diet.
I had the good fortune to get a head start on the rest of the world by meeting Rip in person. He is one of the good guys. I have shared countless 'plant-strong' meals with Rip over the last five months. He lives and breathes this diet every single day.
This is the first time in my life I have practiced any discipline with my diet. It's important to note changing my diet was not easy at first. The book remains an invaluable tool that guides me through the process of choosing the right ingredients at the grocery store - which is over half the battle. I have to set myself up for a win before the hunger sets in (rhyme). It also provides a nice array of fast recipes (tackle the lasagna later in the diet - it takes a bit of work).
Eating out is tough on this diet. You will find the vast majority of restaurants are not run by people who want you to live a long, healthy, balanced life (not yet anyway). I would suggest forgoing the restaurant scene while you find your bearings. I've certainly saved a fair amount of money cooking my own lunch and dinner - and it's not that I don't go out to eat - it's just less often.
Rip relates the detailed science behind this way of eating in terms all of us can understand. It's important to note he was raised in the household of a plant-devouring cardiologist - Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Rip's data and experience driven understanding of how our bodies react when fed a plant based diet is proof that this IS NOT another fools errand for all of us looking to lose weight and return our bodies to health. It is a diet of the truth. What would you expect from a firefighter?
Stick to it for 28 days. Get some blood work done before and after. I've been able to watch twenty or so men and women start the Engine 2 diet. I can say with certainty that the average person will see dramatic numbers change with their cholesterol. Everyone will lose weight. We will all feel better and ready to take on this new uncertain world.
Best of luck to everyone who wants to live a longer more comfortable life.

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Lose weight, lower cholesterol, significantly reduce the risk of disease, and become physically fit--in just 4 weeks. Professional athlete-turned-firefighter Rip Esselstyn is used to responding to emergencies. So, when he learned that some of his fellow Engine 2 firefighters in Austin, TX, were in dire physical condition-several had dangerously high cholesterol levels (the highest was 344!)-he sprang into action and created a life-saving plan for the firehouse. By following Rip's program, everyone lost weight (some more than 20 lbs.), lowered their cholesterol (Mr. 344's dropped to 196), and improved their overall health. Now, Rip outlines his proven plan in this book. With Rip as your expert coach and motivator, you'll transform your body and lifestyle in a month. His plant-powered eating plan is based on a diet of whole foods, including whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. This invaluable guide features:**Dozens of easy, mouthwatering recipes-from pancakes to pizza, Tex-Mex favorites to knockout chocolate desserts-that will keep you looking forward to every bite**Pantry-stocking tips will take the panic out of inevitable cravings and on-the-fly meals**Guidelines on menu choices that will allow you to eat out, wherever and whenever you want**Rip's simple, firefighter-inspired exercise program that will boost your metabolism and melt your fat away.Medically approved, easy-to-follow, and amazingly effective, this diet is designed for anyone who wants to make heroic strides in his or her health, weight, and well-being-all without heroic effort."I've known Rip for more than 20 years.In that time, he's been a greatmotivator for so many people. This terrific book will inspire all whoread it to change their lives and optimize their health."-Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, seven-time Tour de France champion "Want to be as strong as a Texas firefighter?Or as healthy as a professional triathlete?Then follow the wonderful advice of Rip Esselstyn, who is both.His book can save your life--whether you're a man or a woman.Highly recommended!"-Dean Ornish, M.D., Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Clinical Professor of Medicine, U of California SF,author, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease

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Scripting Your World: The Official Guide to Second Life Scripting Review

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(More customer reviews)Aesthetically, I personally found this book is very well laid out, colourful and easy on the eyes. It contains many screenshots and even explanatory diagrams. The structure allows the advanced LSL scripter to scan read to use the book as a decent reference and is complete with keyword indexes in the appendices. All levels of LSL scripters will enjoy the side notes on many pages that explain the aspects being discussed in more detail and gives build notes and useful tips.
The content of the book itself starts with a decent introduction to the LSL scripting language. It gives seasoned programmers the information they need to get started and yet at the same time provides detailed explanations of the syntax for beginners to begin to understand.
The book goes on to cover many various examples with detailed explanations, achieving what I feel is a nice balance with the amount of example code to theory. To take one chapter as an example, it explains the settings of vehicle parameters, handling input controls from the user and setting the position and rotation of the viewer's camera plus example code to get started with. It is enough to get going on scripting a vehicle in LSL. Advancements in this area would come from experimentation by the LSL scripter herself and by reading the book's tabulated explanations of all the vehicle parameters and functions. The side notes in this chapter include a useful time-saving warning when combining two of the mechanisms for moving objects and also a note on other scripts to look out for in world and even a link to a wiki that hosts complete sailboat scripts.
What I particularly enjoyed about the book was discovering how others have used LSL scripting. I'd fully expect this book to inspire the LSL scripter into creating something that they may not have tried without having had the book to explain the workflow to them.
Overall, a very respectable and professional book. I'm very pleased with the copy I have.


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Find complete information about Second Life scripting and gain access to more than 50 previously unpublished ready-to-use scripts in Scripting Your World: The Official Guide to Second Life Scripting. Learn how to script Second Life behaviors, grouped into categories like avatar movement, communications, prim and object control, automation, land control, combat, special effects, environment control and physics, and interacting with the world outside of Second Life. After you read this engaging book, you will possess a solid understanding Linden Scripting Language conventions.

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The 21st Century Elementary Library Media Program Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is full of wonderful suggestions on diverse components of the school library program. I learned so much! It was great to have samples of so many items such as newsletters, procedural documents and collaboration logs. The inclusion of lists of additional resources for things such as podcasting, wikis, and blogs was extremely helpful.

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The Submission: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)A nation's tragedy brings out the best and the worst in its citizens. Amy Waldman places her story at the center of America's tragedy, two years after the devastation. A contest for a 9/11 memorial where the World Trade Center once stood brings to a boil all the simmering hurt and mistrust and fear about the future. What is it that causes this firestorm of media distortion and political posturing? What revelation leads to threats and accusations and even violence? Just a name. The name of the contest winner.
"Mo" is as American as can be. He's an architect, born and raised in Virginia. His immigrant parents proudly gave him the name of a beloved prophet. Never would they have imagined that a few decades later that name would become like poison to many Americans. "Mo" is Mohammad Khan. A Muslim name. Suddenly his design, "The Garden," becomes suspect, and the selection committee backpedals on its decision.
This story felt so real that it sometimes made my heart ache for my country, my world, my species. How easily we let ourselves be distracted, led away from the harmony we say we want. When the media and special interest groups push our buttons, they can make us forget why we've come together and what we hoped to accomplish. The voices of reason and reconciliation are often the most gentle and the hardest to hear amid the din of controversy.
It's challenging to give a plausible ending to a novel with real-life parallels. This book poses more questions than it answers, which is as it should be. Given the complexity of the issues, I think Waldman found a strong and believable finish. Our hope for the younger generations is powerful. Those who are too young to remember September 11, 2001 and its aftermath may be our best chance for a balanced perspective and, ultimately, for healing.

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Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web 2.0: Technologies to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth Review

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(More customer reviews)Edit of 18 May to recommend Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies as a different book, with more practical tips and annecdotal support, but in no way does that reduce my appreciation for this book. Both are excellent, I think of them as truly complementary of one another.
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I *like* this book. Although I have years of exposure to advanced information technology and read everything by gurus like Paul Strasssman (cf. Information Productivity: Assessing Information Management Costs of U. S. Corporationsand Steve Arnold (Arnold IT, look for "Google 2.0: The Calculating Predator, not sold on Amazon), I learned stuff from this book, and I found it to be exactly right for getting an old-school CEO or other management skeptic "oriented."
In 268 well-organized and well-presented pages, the book covers:
+ Blogging
+ Social Networking
+ Video and Photo Sharing
+ Mobile Phones
+ Wikis
+ Maps
+ Virtual Worlds
Each chapter has extremely clear headlines, gray boxes, figures, and endnotes. To get a sense of the book and the online offerings that back it up, visit mobilizingyouth.org, just add the www.
A special value is short essays from top practitioners including Mitch Kapor whose essay, next to last, focuses on the coming convergence of virtual worlds and social networking. Visit BigPictureSmallWorld for a sense of the possibilities there--I have very deep admiration for Medard Gabel, who built the analog World Game with Buckminster Fuller, and I am so very eager to see him create EarthGame(TM) in which we all play ourselves and have access to all information in all languages all the time--at that point, we will end looting of our commonwealth, end corruption, and create invite wealth or as he puts it in the title of his new book, "Seven Billion Billionaires."
Most useful to me were the following:
+ Use all these tools internally to get a sense of them, before trying to do something with the broader online population
+ One billion people are connected, the rest are not, but what the billion do with their connections could impact on how quickly we get the other 5-6 billion connected and creating wealth
+ 55% of teens are active online, 80% of college students have a Facebook profile
+ Digg is an example of a global intelligence service in which every citizen is an intelligence consumer, collector, and producer
+ Cool examples that I will certainly look into include Care2, Causes, Hi5, and Gather
+ Politicians (including the three running for President now) simply do not get it. They are still using phone banks that call at all hours and spamming (Obama does less of it) instead of asking permission and then building on the relationship
+ I am very impressed by the natural manner in which the book communicates the relationship between having a good story with heroes, villians, and catalysts, and the sequence of fund-raising via text connection and follow-up. This book strikes me as both a very very good elementary text for digital immigrants (us old guys) and also a useful "once over" for the more experienced who may be overlooking a couple of pieces of the overall campaign.
+ The book emphasizes the many uses of the wiki, many of them internal, some external, but the most important being that wikis are a way of crowd sourcing. See the first book from Earth Intelligence Network, Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace (free at oss.net/CIB just add the www, but utterly lovely here at Amazon) and especially the later chapters on large scale collective and collaborative intelligence in action.
+ Tag clouds are vital, as is the selection of unique tags for clusters of informaiton you want to make easily available.
+ Virtual worlds are in their infancy, and when they finally develop, will be extraordinary as nuanced immersive learning environments (low cost low risk environmental, I would add).
The last essay from Katrin Verclas is great, and I selected the following quote with which to end this review--it captures the essence:
"Web 2.0 describes a participatory, bottom-up, decentralized world full of individual expression where people have direct access to one another and enjoy an unprecedented ability to organize, meet, and coordinate without centralized control or traditional hierarchies."
YES!
See also:
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter
Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People
The Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Today's Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition
The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
Spoiling for a Fight: Third-Party Politics in America

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Use new media to attract and mobilize young people!Explore and examine the gamut of new media and the ways in which it can be used to recruit, organize, and mobilize young people--who represent the majority of new media users. Answer the questions: What is it? How is it being used? How does it work? How to get started? You'll get concise descriptions, screenshots, case studies, resources, and best practices in language that is easy for non-technical people to understand. You'll also gain a sense of the technology--without requiring any downloads, software or plug-ins.
Includes a Foreword by Rock the Vote and contributions from Beth Kanter, Evan Williams, danah boyd, Fred Stutzman, Steve Grove, Jonah Sachs, Seth Godin, Zack Exley, Marty Kearns, Jason Fried, Mitch Kapor, and Katrin Verclas.
Chapters cover Blogging, Social Networking, Video and Photo Sharing, Mobile Phones, Wikis, Maps, Virtual Worlds.

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Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers (Web Technologies) Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the things I always hated about college was that the textbooks were usually really boring (even more boring than the professors, if you can believe that). But there was one textbook that I learned a lot from: Planning, Developing, and Marketing Successful Web Sites (Web Warrior Series) This was one of the few books I didn't sell back to the bookstore after the semester was done, and continued to reference during the early years of my career in Web development.
When I saw that Miletsky was publishing another textbook, I pre-ordered it, even though I'm long out of school and still resent the high price tag that they make students pay (I'd take a star off of my review for that, but I doubt it's the authors fault). I've already gotten my copy and read through most of it - it's actually worth the cost, and every bit as good as the textbook I used in college. And definitely better considering how much the Web has changed since then.
This book picks up long after its predecessor leaves off, detailing Web 2.0 tools and how to use them to market Web sites, get more traffic and introduce your products to different audiences. Although it might spend a little too much time discussing demographic breakdowns, the author does a great job in teaching marketing to non-marketing people. It's totally up to date, well written, clear, and packs a lot of great information into one book.
Once again, I plan to keep this book with me at work as a resource. I would recommend anybody who works in Web development or marketing not to be afraid of buying this just because you're not in school anymore. It's a really interesting read, and definitely worth the money.


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PRINCIPLES OF INTERNET MARKETING: NEW TOOLS AND METHODS FOR WEB DEVELOPERS helps readers understand the "why" behind the "how" of Web site development. It teaches the importance of the brand and how that relates to Web site development, the reasons sites are developed, how they build an audience, and most importantly, how companies use the Web to earn revenue and build recognition among their desired market. You will learn the strategies used to drive traffic to a site, the tools that are available to keep audiences coming back (with a focus on social media tools), and the role marketing plays in the building a successful Web site.

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The Power of Stars: How Celestial Observations Have Shaped Civilization Review

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(More customer reviews)The author's passion for astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology is evident throughout. And it is a beautiful book: illustrations and photographs decorate almost every page.
The book begins with what people can see in the sky unaided by telescopes. Penprase describes the movements of the moon, sun, planets and stars, and provides some excellent suggestions for home observations. This serves as the foundation for a survey of cosmology from around the world. Penprase weaves astronomy with anthropology to provide an entertaining overview of Indian, Chinese, Mayan, Incan, native American, Persian and European cosmologies.
From ancient cosmology, Penprase jumps to modern, scientific cosmology, starting with the history of time-keeping devices and observational instruments like telescopes. He provides brief biographies of the key figures who built modern astronomy and astrophysics, including Edwin Hubble and George Ellery Hale.
Finally, Penprase provides a census of the modern universe: stars, star clusters, normal galaxies, irregular galaxies and galaxy clusters. It leads into a discussion of dark matter and dark energy, and a brief history of the universe.
Penprase has written a very entertaining book without compromising or diluting technical details. Highly recommended!
Jeff Knowlton


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The "Power of Stars" fills a much needed niche in the literature, by providing a lively, richly illustrated survey of the human response to the sky across the centuries and across all cultures. The book covers all aspects of how civilizations studied and responded the sky. From the opening chapter, which gives a survey of visible phenomena from the sun, moon and planets, the book provides a multicultural perspective on the experience of the sky. The motions of the sun and moon across the sky and on the horizon were noticed by ancient people and the book describes their legends and skywatching practices. In Chapter 2, the book gives an overview of constellations from a wide variety of cultures, including the ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Hawaiian, Native American Chumash and Navajo tribes, the Inuit culture, and also covers the Southern skies, such as the Aboriginal Australians and the Incan cultures. In Chapter 3, Creation Stories from a wide variety of cultures are described, and in Chapter 4 their models of the universe or Cosmologies are described and illustrated. The wide variety of descriptions of the early universe, the the structure of the physical universe from ancient Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, Babylonian, Mayan and other cultures are explained and illustrated with original art. In Chapters 5 and 6 the evolution of timekeeping and calendars are described, including the dramatic stories of the Mayan 2012 cycle, the Harrison navigation clocks, and the development of modern atomic clocks and GPS systems. Chapter 7 describes "Celestial Architecture" where temples and buildings (Stonehenge, Newgrange, and also cathedrals) are aligned with the sun and stars. The remaining chapters turn a lens onto our own culture, and describe how our modern cities contain within them cosmological symbolism and alignments, and how ancient traditions and modern technology coexist in the 21st century. The last chapter also gives a history of the development of the Modern Big Bang cosmology, and some of the remaining "unanswered questions" to be studied and explored by future astronomers. The book provides a unique wide angle lens to the many ways that society understands and describes the stars, and in the process explores how that process reveals universal qualities of humankind.

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