If you care about your own civil liberties or have ever given even the slightest thought about how all the surveillance equipment we subject ourselves daily might be used against us, Little Brother might just be the best fiction book you read all year. Author Cory Doctorow paints a chilling picture of a near future where San Francisco's Bay Bridge is blown up by terrorists and the Federal government takes up residence in the Bay Area. Everything from traffic light cameras, to FastPass data, to BART fare passes is used to profile 'normal' behaviors and seek out those who deviate from normal. At the center are a group of hacker kids who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time on the day the bridge exploded. The kids want their city back and technology plays a central role in making that happen. On a few occasions Marcus, the 17-year-old main character, sounds a bit more like Cory Doctorow former European Director of the EFF than a teenager. Generally speaking the story flows smoothly weaving equal parts techno-thriller, online and hacker culture, and an applied lesson in technologies presented throughout the story. I'll be surprised if this doesn't turn up as a summer blockbuster in the next few years.
Like previous Doctorow offerings, you can download an ebook version of Little Brother for free. And of course, the print version of Little Brother is available on Amazon.
I see a ton of digital photography books every year. Most of them all cover the same information with slightly different wording. How Digital Photography Works offers something very different from the standard collection. Part instruction manual on using digital cameras and part detailed breakdown of how each part of a digital camera actually does what it does, How Digital Photography Works will leave you wiser for having spent the time reading it. All explanations are in plain English with some of the best diagrams I've ever seen on the topic of digital photography. Included in the book are detailed explanations of how a camera lens works, how digital cameras covert light into data, how digital cameras manipulate photos, how your software corrects photo mistakes, how digital prints are made, and how digital camera exposure works. There's some clever morphing explained and the process of restoring old prints with digital tools is detailed in a way that makes the solution seem reasonable. Unless you already studied photography intensively, I consider How Digital Photography Works to be a must have reference for those of us who want to enjoy taking pictures and also want to learn to make our pictures better.
Authors of science fiction have long envisioned a world inhabited by thinking machines. From the clunky humanoid robots of the silent film era to the sleek condescending omniscience of 2001’s HAL, the concept of artificial intelligence has both intrigued and frightened humanity. Mind Design II explores the real world scientific potential of artificial intelligence, and attempts to discover whether or not a machine can implement a theory of mind and intelligence. The book is a series of essays, ranging from an explanation of the Turing-Machine to discussions of connectionism, dynamical systems, and symbolic vs. nonsymbolic models of artificial intelligence. This is certainly not light reading, but is accessible and enlightening for those with an interest in A.I. [Mathew Brady]
Jeffrey Zeldman has written a guide for web designers who want to adhere to a strict interpretation of web standards. Gone from his philosophy are the cheap hacks and inefficient workarounds that have been a staple of web development for many years. Zeldman argues that HTML should be used as it was intended – for providing document structure – and not used as a way to force design. If Cascading Style Sheets are used to provide the design and styling, a web page can be designed that is not only more efficient, but also viewable by any web browser. The book includes a brief history of the web, documents the browser wars of the late nineties, and discusses the repercussions of proprietary HTML tags. Ultimately, the book’s main focus is an exploration of theoretical HTML and web standards, but also contains practical tips for building standards compliant web sites. For more information about Zeldman and web standards, visit his website at 
As an iPod owner and fan, I am continually searching for cool new ways to use my iPod. I thought I was pretty cutting edge using it for voice recording, photo storage, and viewing driving directions. After reading 
I've got several ideas kicking around in my head, just waiting to be developed into feature length movies. While I don't have access to big budget Hollywood producers capable of writing a fat movie check and turn me loose on a sound stage, I already own most of the hardware and software required to produce a movie. This book helps fill in the gaps about how to turn your idea into a feature length success, without needing a small fortune to get the job done. The original version of the book comes with a Kevin Smith endorsement. The book was re-released in 2000 to include information on using Digital Video and the Internet to further enhance the low budget experience. Digital Video software is even more affordable now than it was in 2000, and the movie making tips remain just as relevant. While I haven't made a feature length movie, the information Rick Schmidt provides in this book, certainly leads me to believe I could. Before you get started making movies, whether you're simply creating productions for family enjoyment or attempting to enter the Sundance Film Festival, this book is worth its weight in tips and information on avoiding common mistakes.
While the hacks concept has certainly morphed following the success of the original Google Hacks title, O'Reilly continues to cover topics in a way that puts a new spin on a topic or brings to light an under-represented topic. PDF Hacks falls into the latter category, providing important insight into the PDF publishing process, including many subtle tips and tricks vastly improving the process of taking text from Word, InDesign, Open Office, or even a simple text editor and converting to Portable Document Format. I thought I knew a ton about publishing documents in PDF format, until I read this book and realized I was doing a number of tasks in a very backward fashion. Hacks range in complexity from simple settings tweaks in Adobe Acrobat, creating Web forms designed to capture PDF data dynamically, PDF fax tricks, and even some Java programming code for outputting PDFs. A little something for all levels of PDF publishing. If you publish documents in the most widely distributed file format, PDF Hacks should be on your bookshelf.
File sharing is as old as the Internet. If you grew up trading taped copies of songs with your friends, it's even older. We all know a few things about file sharing. Finding the tools share files is as easy as a trip to your favorite download site. Of course, there's file sharing and then there's file sharing. Steal This File Sharing Book (STFSB) offers an overview of the topic, providing some history, pointing out the legal grey areas, listing the major methods for sharing files before digging into the meat of the subject, which is where the majority of the books pages are focused. The legal risks of sharing files are becoming obvious with the regular media coverage of RIAA John Doe lawsuits, but STFSB offers a clear outline of the legal ramifications, how to play within the rules of the system, and where you might get caught with your fingers in the digital cookie jar. Spyware and virus infections both frequently originate from contact with file sharing software and the greater community of file sharing users. STFSB offers key methods for protecting your PC from malicious software, as well as offering smart steps to keeping your data safe from prying eyes and evidence elimination strategies for people who prefer to keep their bits to themselves. STFSB could be seen as a tool for users who want to learn how to skirt the laws and enter into the dark underground of file sharing subversives, but I see it a different way. The book offers numerous pointers on ways to legal participate in file sharing, without ever venturing into the realm of legal question marks. It also clearly points out the various methods of file sharing that are clearly operating outside the boundaries of the law, giving you useful guidance in avoiding having your IP address show up in a John Doe lawsuit. And for fans of computer lore, this is a must have addition to your library, simply because it tells the story of file sharing, dating back to its BBS origins.
Keeping Windows XP free of excess junk, spyware, viruses, adware, and potentially bloating information left behind by no longer used files and applications can be a full time job if you let it. Allen Wyatt clearly outlines all the necessary tricks to eliminate system cruft, optimize performance, and protect your PC from malicious programs. Going far beyond the basics of running anti-spyware and antivirus applications, Wyatt points out the many niches of Windows XP where leftovers pile up, personal information gets left behind and data leaves a mess of your PC as cluttered as my physical desk is after my cats tear across the desktop. You'll learn the how and why of cleaning the Windows Registry, how to optimize networking, how to make XP SP2 security features work for you, and discover many of the troubleshooting areas where things are most likely to slow down. Clear, concise, and extremely relevant, Cleaning Windows XP for Dummies should be at the ready for every Windows XP owner. I picked up a few pointers just skimming through the book and managed to dig up several more useful tidbits after a more thorough examination. If you want to make sure your system is running at optimal speed, junk free and safe from potentially malicious apps, I highly recommend ordering a copy of this guide.
Dancing Barefoot contains a series of personal stories from Wil Wheaton, helping to fill in the gaps in his transition from teen idol star of Stand By Me and Star Trek TNG to Wil Wheaton, Internet personality and outstanding writer. Having already read Just A Geek, I can see why these stories didn't make the cut for Just A Geek, they don't quite fit the flow, but they certainly stand on their own to further reveal Wil's personality to the world at large. One of the things I most loved about Just A Geek is Wil's remarkable ability to put himself out there with emotionally charged intimate writing revealing the inner workings of his psyche. Wil has a distinctive voice that quickly turns the pages leaving me almost desperate to know what happens next. Dancing Barefoot is a quick read, with each of the 5 stories standing on their own as a small glimpse at the man behind Wil's curtain.
iLife '04 comes with deliciously polished editions of both iMovie and iDVD--complete with new tools, new techniques, and even new menus--and this witty, authoritative, updated guide to the software is really three books in one: it's the artistic filmmaking background people wish they had (including advice on lighting, sound, and composition as well as how to actually put all those buttons on the modern camcorder to use); it's the technical grounding and the tools and tricks people need to take advantage of each and every feature of iMovie; and it's the thorough iDVD guide to making Hollywood-style (and maybe even Hollywood-worthy) DVDs.
The Windows Media Resource Kit is quite possibly the single most useful book available on working with the WMA, WMV, and ASF formats. Starting with the basics of explaining the difference between streaming and downloading, the book immediately jumps into all the nitty-gritty details related to encoding audio and video files for streaming, the complex considerations for outfitting a streaming server, when to use unicast or multicast, creation of on-the-fly server side playlists, and some of the most comprehensive compression formulas available. While there are obviously competing alternatives to the Windows Media content delivery solutions, the Windows Media Resource Kit provides a compelling argument for why the Windows Media solution may be among the most effective available. Yes, Windows Media Player 10 is coming soon, but the information contained in this guide will be relevant for content delivery at least until the release of Longhorn (in other words, a long time). I hesitate to call this the bible of Windows Media content creation and management, but it comes close.
Part memoir of a man learning to fly, part search for success in the post dot.com economy, Life 2.0 takes a look at what and where success may be found in the new millennium. Through his travels by single engine plane, Forbes Publisher Rich Karlgaard navigates the new face of the American business climate. While the memoir occasionally gets in the way of the reporting, Karlgaard's voice is compelling and the success stories he finds are entrepreneurs uprooted from the hustle and bustle of major economic hubs planted firmly in Middle America, where they are finding greater happiness and financial success. I find the book of particular interest because Des Moines is among the many places listed in the book as potential boom towns. Of particular interest to anyone looking for a change of scenery is the list of 150 cheap places to live.
I'm not a Trekkie; never have been, never will be. I occasionally enjoy re-runs of TNG and classic Star Trek, but I don't closely follow the stories, so I never formulated a love or hate relationship with Wesley Crusher. I'm also not one of the zillions of readers who regularly follow Wil Wheaton's online adventures. I preface my review of Just A Geek with all the disclaimers, because I'm about to rave about how great the book is and I don't want to come off like some drooling fanboy (the term Wil uses to describe himself in his first encounter with William Shatner). What amazes me most about reading Just A Geek is I find myself wanting to know Wil Wheaton. The story is a memoir-style look at the life of a former child actor, turned Enterprise Ensign, turned struggling actor, turned outstanding writer. Wil opens the kimono, revealing an inner struggle to define himself when he no longer wants to be defined by Star Trek. For the readers of his blog, I'm sure this story is mostly known. For the rest of us, Wil takes us on an adventure through life as he lives it, learning Web programming, taking care of step kids, and struggling to pay the bills, just like everyone else in the world. Just A Geek is by far the most entertaining and unabashedly honest memoirs I've ever read. Wil Wheaton pulls no punches, creates a character you can't help but love (himself), and leaves you wanting to read more online.
Before I wised up and started selling my consumer gadgets on eBay as soon as I decided to upgrade, I was the proud owner of a Palm III. Thanks to major improvements, like rechargeable batteries, color screens, and more memory; I'm still a proud owner of a Palm III. I could sell the 
