Law of the Super Searchers: The Online Secrets of Top Legal Researchers (Super Searchers Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book should appeal to: 1) software developers and usability testers, to learn from experiences with well-established proprietary and newer web-based interfaces to highly structured databases (billions, literally, of pages in Lexis and WestLaw); 2) content developers, web trainers and educators in all fields who wrestle with quality issues of web content; 3) observers of how professional communities use the web, as organized associations and for bottom-up information sharing; 4) amateur and semi-pro searchers who want to get tips from real pros trained in library and information science, as well as specific legal contents and methods.
Warning to workplace cynics: this is a no-Dilbert zone.
Example interview topics include: (software/usability) how are browser bookmarks used? are any web utilities widely adopted? (content/training) when is the web a trustworthy source of information? which comes first, in what circumstances: the web or fee-based services?
(community organizers) how do websites evolve to so well serve diverse professionals using cooperative and volunteer labor? (amateurs/semi-pros) how do people who search for a living in a rapid turn-around environment organize their work? (cynics) are there really people who still have long-lasting careers and love their work? how do they survive the nutty managers, mindless meetings, and constant change of fads?
Expanding the series and theme of "super searcher" books, this set of interviews goes more deeply into the technical aspects of legal research without losing the non-legal reader in either the terms of the field or the names of the content providers. My only complaint was the frequent reference to "stock techniques taught in legal research" which might have been better defined or compared, but I loved the phrase "build a search".

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Presented by a symposium of experts in the field, here is detailed information on how to approach, analyze, and carry through a legal research project. This book skips the rudimentary introduction to research on the Web and focuses on topics of practical concern to practicing lawyers and legal research professionals. These topics include documenting the search, organizing a strategy, what to consider before logging on, and efficient ways to build a search. Much more than just an appendix of soon-to-be-obsolete Web sites and links, this book offers fundamental strategies for modern law research by taking advantage of the wealth of information available online.

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The Original Revolution: Essays on Christian Pacifism (Christian Peace Shelf Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)John Howard Yoder's collection of essays in "The Original Revolution" approaches the topic of religious pacifism on many fronts. It is a disjointed grouping, a fact which Yoder readily admits in his introduction, but it thereby allows for a fuller treatment of his convictions.
OVERVIEW: The book is divided into two sections. The first deals with Biblical perspectives of war and peace. From the political options which the inauguration of Jesus' kingdom might have taken to Yoder's discussion of the continuity of the Bible's teachings on war from the Old Testament to the New, this section remains firmly rooted in the Biblical witness and delves deeply into the world of the text.
The second section then deals with the ramifications of the first. Once the church has accepted a nonresistant Jesus, what will she do with him? Yoder suggests that we should proudly claim the position of Jesus, not because it is efficacious, but because it is obedient to Jesus' witness. The claim that "Jesus is Lord" is also the claim that "we are not." As such, it is no longer our place to see that history works out in the way we see fit (the self-conception of Christianity since Constantine), but rather simple obedience to Jesus, and thereby, a forceful proclamation of his gospel, his revolution.
"The Original Revolution" provides a vision of Yoder's view on pacifism, from its origin to its manifestation. It challenged my traditional views on war and led to greater reflection on the claim not only of Jesus' teaching, but also of his life.

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Network Security Architectures Review

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(More customer reviews)Welcome to the twenty-first century in the world of computers and networking. With more issues occurring that have negative affects on the environment that information technologists work in, the knowledge of information security is slowly becoming critical. Sean Convery presents a detailed guide into the world of designing a secure network environment. Within "Network Security Architecture", Sean delves into the whys, the hows, and most importantly the cause and effect. As you examine the table of contents alone, it becomes clear that he has spent a great deal of time researching and detailing numerous different components of a network environment that have to be examined and considered for proper network security.
A close look at the book's table of contents will point out different areas that any Network Engineering individual from the Junior Administrator to the Senior Architect needs to be knowledgeable in. Sean examines policy, threats and the technologies available, he details how to harden devices and describes items that need to be considered in designing either new networks or enhancing existing ones. For these reasons alone this book is necessary for anyone that manages any portion of a computer network. This book offers far more than an education of network security. It is clearly designed not only to educate individuals, but provide a single reference for all network security areas as well.
Like many Cisco Press books, "Network Security Architectures" chapters are divided into three sections --: an introduction, the body, and finally a summary. It is these summary sections that help the most. In For example, in Chapter 6 on pages 262 thru 264, the concept of Design Consideration is summarized with charts. Where individual summaries appear light or limited, the book enhances the information covered in a section called "Applied Knowledge". This section helps individuals quickly implement what is covered in extreme detail in the chapter. Don't just look at the summary and applied knowledge sections, because this would not do all the hard work Sean placed in the book justice. For instance, in Chapter 5 on Hardening Devices, Sean provides clear examples on how to configure devices for security and hardening. This topic alone has not similarly covered since O'Reilly's book on "Hardening Cisco Routers" and that one did not go to the level of how to configure the devices fully.
As anyone that is familiar with Cisco Technology and Cisco Systems knows, they routinely publish various "SAFE" documents on topics. This book takes input from those documents, combining them with other both real world examples and theory to provide a greater combined presentation. Like any Cisco documentation this book can either be read in its entirety from cover to cover or only the sections that are needed now. But as you read the book you will realize that while "SAFE" documents focus on key issues, this book details not only the issues and the possible alternatives, but provides reasoning for implementing the recommendations in clear English. Convery's book is both an excellent resource and a great guide. Its ability to present both the Cisco and the real world philosophy on network architecture is critical for all that work in this arena.
As I mentioned previously Convery, uses the Cisco "SAFE" documents as guide points, but those are only detailed references. His book takes them to the next logical level and as such I could spend hours and pages detailing all the other reasons someone should acquiring a copy of this book, but the key reason I believe is that it is a clear consolidated source to design, implement and support a secure and highly available network. But the simple fact is in this day and age with more and more Viruses, Worms, Trojan horses, Network Probe attacks and numerous other problems in the growing Internet can anyone not afford to plan a "SMART" and "SAFE" network architecture? That is the real question that should drive someone to consider this book for there library and refer to it on a regular basis. I know I have already.
I highly recommend this excellent reference book for networking and security practitioners in any size environment. The investment will save time and money, even if only a few of the recommendations are implemented. You will find yourself referring to it frequently.

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MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-646): Windows Server Administration Review

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(More customer reviews)This edition is useless for the new 70-646 exam. Microsoft Training and Certification has already stated that the second edition with the new content is due out July of 2011; although, they are currently testing using the 2008R2 content. Do not waste your money. I've tested twice using this self study including a completely different set of questions from MeasureUp and have failed the test twice. I have scored average 95% for ten certification modes on this book and the MeasureUp tests.

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Internet Management (Best Practices) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want to understand the internet this book is for you. Doesn't go into great detail but explains complex systems succinctly and clearly. Especially good for someone who wants to understand the internet beyond just URL's, what's a server and WWW. A bit pricey but it's directnes more than makes up for that. Finally a thick internet book that actually needed to be thick.

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Internet Management is an encyclopedia of Internet management know-how. Over the course of 50 chapters, experts provide advice on everything from choosing the right Web database to finding a reliable Web consultant, and the implications of using CGI to the pros and cons of using GIF. And throughout, coverage is supplemented with helpful examples, fascinating and instructive case studies, and hundreds ofillustrations.

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Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance Review

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(More customer reviews)A great guide for building, accelerating or transforming your organization's Web 2.0 strategy.
Don't miss out on the social media revolution sweeping the corporate world.
There are great case studies along with tips to build your Web 2.0 strategy.
It's a bible for Web 2.0 at the workplace!

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Big Java: Programming and Practice Review

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(More customer reviews)When I bought this book, I was unaware that it was written with the intention of being a class textbook for learning not just Java, but also the basics of computer science. Even so, this is an excellent Java book that will serve the reader well.
First, this book is extremely well organized. The table of contents lays out the biggest points of each chapter without cluttering. In turn, each chapter has its own table of contents, outlining more minor points. Things that relate directly to Java and the targeted course are outlined in black, while other topics such as coding suggestions, historical notes and bits of trivia are outlined in blue. This makes navigation through the book very easy and straightforward.
As any textbook has, this one has plenty of practice exercises. These exercises are very relevant to the topics covered and offer the reader some practice. If you buy this book and are turned off by the idea of doing a bunch of exercises, well, don't do them. Then again, practice does make perfect...
Many people like Java books that plunge right into graphics programming. I don't. This book does cover basic graphics and applet programming fairly early on (chapter 4), and that is not much to my personal preference. But, it's relevant in relation to the information in surrounding chapters.
The book even comes with a style guide, which is very nice when you would like some idea of coding standards. Perhaps you will adopt the author's suggestions, perhaps not. Either way, it's an excellent place to start.
This book covers some advanced topics, including XML, JSP, servlets, and relational database interfacing. The coverage is clear and occurs later in the book after the building blocks are out of the way.
There are some errors in the book. HOWEVER, there is an errata page, at the author's web site, that addresses the problems and gives very clear corrections. Most programming books seem to have errors in them, and this one is no exception. The fact that there is a very easily accessible path to get the updates (at no extra cost) is a big plus.
Before I got this book, I was using "Thinking in Java" (Eckel) as my primary book for learning Java. Big Java has taken TIJ's place. I heartily recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn the Java language.

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Offers an in-depth look into how Java relates to such technologies as searching, sorting, data structures, multithreading, networking, database connectivity, XML, and Java Server PagesPart I deals with fundamental principles of programming and problem solvingPart II introduces advanced concepts of the Java programmingReaders will find highlighted concepts and capsule introductions into advanced topics of computer sciencePerfect reading material for anyone interested in learning or reinforcing introductory programming concepts and who wants to take advantage of the exciting attributes of the Java language

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