Securing Information and Communications Systems: Principles, Technologies, and Applications (Information Security & Privacy) Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this as an additional reference book for a graduate class (cryptography) in Information Assurance particularly because our textbook is from 1996. This book presents the materials we cover in class in a much better format than the textbook (Schneier, Applied Cryptography) which keeps referring the reader to materials from other chapters so you are jumping all over the place). While Schneier is better for me since I do not have a heavy mathematics background, this book would be better for those students who do. I found it to present cryptographic mathematical principles more than a narrative explanation. So, if you can do the math, it is a good reference book.

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Slamming the door on security threats just got easier for IT professionals. This total resource on security design and operations puts today's most powerful tools and techniques at their command, providing the latest hands-on expertise on everything from access control to privacy enhancement. Written by an international team of experts, this one-stop reference maps out the latest user authentication methods, as well as authorization and access controls and their applications in today's database systems. The book addresses network security in depth, offering a fresh look at anti-intrusion approaches, intrusion detection systems, authentication and authorization infrastructures, identity certificates, smart cards, and tokens.

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Wondering Man, Money & Go(l)d Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the most engrossing book i've ever read. It has a simple story - don't expect a spicy plot or a super duper management theory. But this book gave me more insight than any other management book simply because i could relate to it...with the feelings and the insights of the author.

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Title: Wondering Man, Money & Go(l)d ISBN: 9781846930478:Description:Human civilization made progresses, historically, with each discovery of truth in its quest for The Truth over the years. And the author acknowledges all those contributions to human civilization as he sees himself as a global citizen of this world in its 21st century. Like Kurt Koffka, author of Principles of Gestalt Psychology (1935), the author had an introductory question ""When I first conceived the plan of writing this book I guessed, though I did not know, how much effort it would cost to carry it out, and what demands it would put on a potential reader. And I doubted, not rhetorically but very honestly and sincerely, whether such labour on the part of the author and the reader was justified. I was not so much troubled by the idea of writing another book on psychology in addition to the many books which have appeared during the last ten years, as by the idea of writing a book on psychology. Writing a book for publication is a social act. Is one justified in demanding co-operation of society for such an enterprise? What good can society, or a small fraction of it, at best derive from it? I tried to give an answer to this question, and when now, after having completed the book, I return to this first chapter, I find that the answer which then gave me sufficient courage to start on my long journey, has stayed with me to the end. I believed I had found a reason why a book on psychology might do some good." That was back in 1935, and the subject was psychology. Human mind has been wondering much before that, and it continues to wonder - as much as it ever did, if not more. Here the author is not that certain that Wondering Man, Money & Go(l)d would do some social good - he sincerely hopes it would, in the maddening global affairs of 2006 - by taking a stock of our individual lives and that of human civilization.About the Author:Born in India, the Author has helped multinationals and large Indian firms realize their dreams, in his small capacity, for twelve long years. The writer is presently pursuing his PHD from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.He understands yet challenges globalization. He lives on the leading edge, but that same edge is bleeding the soul out of mankind. This book is from one of us who's seen life from close - in its scarcity and in its abundance - and enjoyed every moment of it - in meaningful lasting joys and in silent cries in moments of planned slaughtering of mankind.

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The Werewolf's Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is really fun! A great book to gift to a friend. It's well written, clever and surprisingly chock full of fact.
It's also a good one to read on the bus, when you want the seat next to you to stay open and untaken. Especially if you read it at night, looking shifty and sweaty, with some claw marks put in the cover.

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Have you been attacked by a wolf-like creature in the last 30 days? Was it after the sun had set and under a full moon? If you answered, "yes" to both these questions, there's a very good chance that you were bitten by a werewolf. You now have less than a month before the full moon returns and with it your first transformation into a savage, bloodthirsty beast. Survival is an option, but first, know this:* Werewolves are real.* The majority of lycanthropes who do not have access to this book die during or shortly after their first transformations, generally due to heart failure, gunshot wounds, exposure, drowning or suicide. * Hollywood horror movies are NOT to be used as guides to living as a werewolf. Their goal is not to educate, but to entertain. As a result, they are largely ignorant of the realities of the condition.* Ignorance creates monsters; lycanthropy does not. * You are not a monster.The Werewolf's Guide to Life cuts through the fiction and guides you through your first transformation and beyond, offering indispensable advice on how to tell if you're really a werewolf, post-attack etiquette, breaking the news to your spouse, avoiding government abduction, and how to not just survive, but thrive. You cannot afford to not read this book. Your very life depends on it.

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People of the Central Intelligence Agency: Francis Gary Powers, Klaus Barbie, Tscherim Soobzokov, Bob Barr, William F. Buckley, Jr. Review

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(More customer reviews)I am in this book, but that is not saying a great deal since I came out from under cover with permission after Alvin Toffler built the chapter on "The Future of the Spy" around me, in War and Anti-War: Making Sense of Today's Global Chaos.
Based on the lack of authorship, details, and the kludge of names, I was tempted to give this a three but went to a four solely because it is probably a good illustration of the range of information about CIA officers that is online today AND the price is sensational. This is a very fairly priced book, and for that alone I do recommend its purchase.
What the book discloses is not to be confused with what is known about CIA officers by one and all--as long as CIA continues to operate out of official facilities, generally the only one being the US Embassy, it will continue to be an "open book" and the only people CIA is deceiving are the US public and the US Congress.
Not recommended for anyone other than a die-hard fan of books of, by, and for CIA matters. NameBase online is much more fun, and has the advantage of being able to produce relationship diagrams based on relationships in text, something I helped think about within CIA while managing Project GEORGE (Smiley) in the Office of Information Technology (OIT).
For over 300 books on US secret intelligence and secrecy that I have reviewed, visit Phi Beta Iota the Public Intelligence Blog and use the middle column to select
Intelligence (Government/Secret) (301) or Secrecy & Politics of Secrecy (46)
My own book on US intelligence, and its antidote, are below, and also free online.
On Intelligence: Spies and Secrecy in an Open World
INTELLIGENCE for EARTH: Clarity, Diversity, Integrity, & Sustainaabilty

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Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 187. Chapters: Francis Gary Powers, Klaus Barbie, Tscherim Soobzokov, Bob Barr, William F. Buckley, Jr., Raymond Allen Davis incident, Valerie Plame, Luis Posada Carriles, Carl E. Duckett, James Jesus Angleton, David Addington, Porter Goss, Samuel V. Wilson, E. Howard Hunt, Michael Scheuer, Larry C. Johnson, Paul R. Pillar, Aldrich Ames, Cofer Black, Mary McCarthy, Philip Agee, Arthur Stratton, Carmel Offie, William Sloane Coffin, William Harding Jackson, William A. Eddy, Robert Baer, Robert E. Cushman, Jr., Abdurahman Khadr, Arthur C. Lundahl, Richard M. Bissell, Jr., Rob Simmons, Charles E. Allen, Félix Rodríguez, Frank Sturgis, Theodore Shackley, William Francis Buckley, Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., Billy Waugh, Kenneth Pollack, Charles P. Cabell, Ishmael Jones, Frank Olson, Edwin P. Wilson, Stephen Kappes, Douglas Mackiernan, Frank Wisner, Kyle Foggo, Gary Berntsen, Jose Rodriguez, E. Michael Burke, Thomas Braden, Charles S. Whitehouse, Holden Roberto, Duane Clarridge, Jeffrey Alexander Sterling, Lyman Kirkpatrick, Tucker Gougelmann, Johnny Micheal Spann, James Marcinkowski, Ralph McGehee, Bernard Barker, Gerry Patrick Hemming, Lindsay Moran, David Atlee Phillips, Cord Meyer, Luis de Florez, Rick Francona, John Stockwell, Jack Hawkins, A. B. Krongard, Karl Koecher, Vincent Cannistraro, Edward Lee Howard, Kathleen Christison, Robert Seldon Lady, Philip Giraldi, James Pavitt, Ksawery Wyrożemski, Donald Kerr, Sidney Gottlieb, Flynt Leverett, Thomas G. Clines, Victor Marchetti, Robert David Steele, John T. Downey, John Kiriakou, Anthony Poshepny, John L. Helgerson, Leutrell Osborne, Howard Hart, Frederick H. Fleitz, Huntington D. Sheldon, Michael G. Vickers, Gerry Droller, Willem Smit, Douglas H. Paal, George Kisevalter, Archibald Bulloch Roosevelt, Jr., David Sánchez Morales, Robert Grenier, Milton Bearden, Ronald A. Marks, Edward Sch...

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Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles Review

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(More customer reviews)I don't usually get overly effusive in my book reviews, but d*mn, this was a fun book! I'm an urban fantasy junkie and have logged a lot of reading hours in that genre, and with every writer and his/her brother jumping into the field to take advantage of its current popularity, I've thrown a lot of books at the wall because they're not worth the paper they are printed on. "Hounded" is definitely one of those books that you place down carefully, and remember where you stored it in your bookcase because you know that you'll be re-reading it sooner or later. It's definitely a keeper!
Quick synopsis: Atticus O'Sullivan is a 2100-year old Druid, supposedly the last of his kind. His appearance is that of a 21 year old, good-looking Irish guy. He lives in Tempe AZ, and runs a New Age-y herbal and book store. He's got an enemy who is the Celtic god of love who wants a mystical sword that Atticus took from him in a battle centuries ago, and who also wants Atticus dead. Periodically, as the god has located Atticus, he sends minions after him to kill him. In this story, he has located Atticus again, and decides to kill him personally.
The usual urban fantasy suspects exist: the Tuatha De Danann, werewolves, vampires, witches, ghouls, gods, goddesses, demons, etc., though they are not "out" to the general human population. So far, this doesn't sound like anything special, does it? The key differences between this book and most of the others in this genre is that it is extremely well-written (and even though I was reading the Advance Reader's Edition, it didn't have the spelling errors that are so common now in books), the characters are fleshed-out and interesting, and most of all, there is a sense of humor and fun in this book. The plot has some nice twists and turns, and seemingly impossible things are given logical explanations so the reader doesn't get hung up on implausibilities. I'm sure there are going to be comparisons to the Harry Dresden series, and I would say that if you like that series you're going to like this one. I would say, though, that Atticus O'Sullivan doesn't have the nebbish quality that sometimes annoys me with Dresden. This is a character who has been alive for millennia and he has learned something over those years and retained life's lessons; I like that Mr. Hearne portrayed him that way - a very old soul in a young-appearing body, and someone who has kept pace with the culture in which he lives.
This book also has one of the best dog characters that I've every read - Oberon, Atticus' pet Irish Wolfhound. He and Atticus are able to communicate mentally and their conversations are hilarious:

"I knew I should have never let you watch the Wizard of Oz."


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The first novel in an original, back-to-back three-book series The Iron Druid Chronicles—introducing a cool, new, funny urban fantasy heroAtticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he's twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he's hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

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Wikipedia Reader's Guide: The Missing Manual Review

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(More customer reviews)I already had the "big book" on wikipedia.org, "Wikipedia: The Missing Manual", but I've found that some people won't collaborate on wikis when you have such a large book.
This new book "Wikipedia: Reader's Guide" is much smaller than I expected, but I'm very happy with it.
Despite the title of this book that implies that it's for readers, the pamphlet has two main sections: 1) for readers and 2) section II for elementary editing.
This book also covers some of the wikipedia sister projects such as wikiversity.org and wikibooks.org.
So, now our people know about the free, online wiki encyclopedia, wikipedia.org, but we're going to also benefit from the free textbooks at: wikibooks.org and the free lesson plans and lessons from wikiversity.org
About the MediaWiki Foundation: It just keeps getting better and better.

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Wikipedia Reader's Guide: The Missing Manual gives you the essential tools for getting the most out of Wikipedia. As a supplement to Wikipedia: The Missing Manual, this handbook provides a basic road map to the largest online collaborative encyclopedia. You'll learn the best ways to search Wikipedia for the information you need, how to navigate the encyclopedia by category, and what to do if you spot an error in an article.

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Writing in the Open: Using Wikis to Create Documentation Review

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(More customer reviews)Writing in the Open: Using Wikis to Create Documentation is part of a series of booklets produced by the Sun Technical Publications group. Others include Writing Tips for Nonnative English Speakers, Developing a Corporate Style Guide, and Constructing Lists and Procedures. Modestly produced and priced, these best practices guidelines offer excellent information, developed over the years by the Sun Technical Publications group. Let's hope that they become available again.
Meanwhile, the third edition (2010) of READ ME FIRST! A STYLE GUIDE FOR THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY (ISBN 978-0-13-705826-6) is an excellent reference. Chapter 7 includes information about writing tasks, procedures, and steps; chapter 16 discusses the use of wikis for documentation.

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Run Afoul (Wiki Coffin Mysteries 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)A 19thC U.S. (naval) Exploration Expedition has been having its difficulties... amongst them, the poisoning death of one of the scientists. Linguist and multi-talented aide and former NE whaler, Wiki Coffin, a half-Maori, half-American, has a penchant for finding the truth. He's had to before... and bears a certificate as a justice/deputy from Virginia to prove it. This time he has to deal with the odd politics of Rio de Janeiro, the U.S. Navy and some very eccentric scientists eager to follow their passions no matter what the cost. And he has to deal with his father, Captain William Coffin, who is in port on a trading run. I found the characters fascinating, the plot complex and dramatic, the historical and naval detail extremely convincing. And I'm definitely interested in reading more (there are two previous books in this series). Fans of naval adventures and Patrick O'Brian books should enjoy this, as well as those interested in mysteries set in this period.

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epreneur: From Wall Street to Wiki: Succeeding as a Crowdpreneur in the New Virtual Marketplace Review

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I liked this book. It's about how to succeed as a "crowdpreneur" in the New Virtual Marketplace. Said another way, it's about how to be a successful Internet-marketer using Web sites, blogs, and social networking sites online to effectively market your company and yourself. The book is comprised of seven chapters and three appendices as follows:
1. Introduction: What is the New Virtual Marketplace, and Why does it matter?
2. Step 1: The entrepreneurial lens
3. Step 2: Opportunities through innovation
4. Step 3: Feasibility analysis and the opportunity
5. Step 4: Developing an effective crowd-power business model
6. Step 5: Financing and growing the company
7. Conclusion: Succeeding as a crowdpreneur in the New Virtual Marketplace
A. Introduction to Crowdpreneur Networks, Inc.
B. Introduction to The Center for Entrepreneurial Lenders
C. Bibliography (pp. 229-245)
I suspect this book will be a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in Internet marketing. It is written from an entrepreneurial perspective. And it covers that material well. But it comes across as an advertising piece for the author's pet projects. Just look at A and B in the appendix and you can see point blank how much of an advertisement or marketing piece this book is.
But there is some good content between this book's covers. And C in the appendix is packed full of good resources for the reader to see or visit. So if you want to intergrate the Internet into your company or business plan, then consider giving this book read. 4 stars!

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The new virtual marketplace has arrived. Opportunities abound, and billions of dollars are springing into existence, from YouTube and MySpace to Facebook and Google. This is the age of e-Preneurs--those individuals who combine entrepreneurial skills with Web 2.0 savvy.Web 1.0 was an information highway, but Web 2.0 is all about social networking, community building, global interactivity and mass collaboration.And, after learning from the fateful dot.com bust, Wall Street is on the bandwagon--again.So what's the next big thing?The crowd-based creative fire that Wikipedia sparked has caught on beyond anyone's projections, and effect is increasing daily. The term "wiki"--a collaborative Website that can be edited by users--is increasingly part of modern vocabulary; the online crowd is becoming unstoppable.Tapping into this vast resource of wisdom and power goes under various names, such as crowd clout, crowd-sourcing, and crowd power. Today, the power of the crowd is used for everything from swapping photos, designing shoes, discovering pharmaceuticals, and developing software. In coming years, however, this global mass of humanity huddled around computers will shape policies, assist companies, and even affect countries as never before.That's where crowdpreneurs come in.People who utilize crowd power for the pursuit of innovation in the new virtual marketplace, crowdpreneurs are the entrepreneurial leaders of the online age.e-Preneur is the first book to survey, analyze, and make sense of the entire field of Web 2.0 crowd-power companies. This book shows how to succeed as a crowdpreneur in the new virtual marketplace by it explaining the principles of innovation, revenue models, and the process of going from idea to opportunity.Discover the power of mass collboration and online networking!

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