eBook Junk

C++ for Business Programmers (2nd Edition)

2008-07-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

This book provides a highly readable introduction to C++ programming for beginning business programmers. It guides readers through complete and clear descriptions of sample programs, with a wealth of exercises included along the way to help reinforce the important points of each chapter. Throughout the text, a strong emphasis is placed on business applications, rather than those in mathematics or computing. Part I (Basic C++) covers the procedural parts of C++. Part II (Object-Oriented Concepts and Programming) introduces object-oriented ideas through the built-in string class. Part III (Object-Oriented Programming) explores the essential object-oriented ideas through inheritance and polymorphism. For beginning programmers using C++ for business.

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C++ Demystified

2008-07-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

Minimal technical jargon, step-by-step discussions, and quizzes at the end of each chapter make this an easy-to-understand guide to C programming. Quickly learn what a programming language is and the anatomy of C , then jump right into creating your own programs with expert guidance. Discover functions, objects, compilers, linkers, and much more along the way. For the fast and easy way to understanding the fundamentals of C , this is the resource you need.

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C++ Cookbook

2008-07-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Despite its highly adaptable and flexible nature, C++ is also one of the more complex programming languages to learn. Once mastered, however, it can help you organize and process information with amazing efficiency and quickness. The C++ Cookbook will make your path to mastery much shorter. This practical, problem-solving guide is ideal if you're an engineer, programmer, or researcher writing an application for one of the legions of platforms on which C++ runs. The algorithms provided in C++ Cookbook will jump-start your development by giving you some basic building blocks that you don't have to develop on your own. Less a tutorial than a problem-solver, the book addresses many of the most common problems you're likely encounter--whether you've been programming in C++ for years or you're relatively new to the language. Here are just some of the time-consuming tasks this book contains practical solutions for: Reading the contents of a directory Creating a singleton class Date and time parsing/arithmetic String and text manipulation Working with files Parsing XML Using the standard containers Typical of O'Reilly's "Cookbook" series, C++ Cookbook is written in a straightforward format, featuring recipes that contain roblem statements and code solutions, and apply not to hypothetical situations, but those that you're likely to encounter. A detailed explanation then follows each recipe in order to show you how and why the solution works. This question-solution-discussion format is a proven teaching method, as any fan of the "Cookbook" series can attest to. This book will move quickly to the top of your list of essential C++ references.

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The Art of C++ (Paperback)

2008-07-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Learn how to apply C++ to a wide array of sophisticated applications. In his clear prose, C++ expert and the worldâ€™s leading programming author Herb Schildt, shares practical, high-powered applications of C++, revealing some of the most interesting features of the language in the process. â€œPure codeâ€ subsystems that can be adapted to your own programs, financial calculations, and file utilities are discussed. A C++ interpreter, an AI-based search engine, plus a Web-based example for those programmers who interface C++ with the Internet are also included. With downloadable code offered, this resource has something for every C++ developer.

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A Complete Guide to Programming in C++

2008-07-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

A well-written tutorial on the ANSI C++ language, suitable for either self-study or classroom work. from elementary language concepts to professional software development, with in-depth coverage of all the C++ language elements

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ASP.NET AT WORK

2008-07-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

ASP.NET provides developers with the functionality they need to create enterprise-level Web applications. This book clearly shows them how to use this framework to create the top ten enterprise applications that they will need for their organizations. To build these applications, Smith explains how to combine the functionality of ASP.NET with products and technologies such as VB.NET, C#, ADO.NET, SQL Server 2000, WAP, XML, HTML, JavaScript, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). The projects include an address book application, a contact manager application, advertising manager, online store, and a Web log analyzer.

Discover how to use ASP.NET to build, deploy, and run 10 distributed Web applications that can target any browser on any device ASP.NET provides developers with the functionality they need to create enterprise-level Web applications. This book clearly shows them how to use this framework to create the top ten enterprise applications that they will need for their organizations. To build these applications, Smith explains how to combine the functionality of ASP.NET with products and technologies such as VB.NET, C#, ADO.NET, SQL Server 2000, WAP, XML, HTML, JavaScript, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

The projects include an address book application, a contact manager application, advertising manager, online store, and a Web log analyzer CD-ROM includes the complete source code for the ten projects, additional resource links, corrections, and FAQs. Companion Web site features a working version of the ten projects built in the book. Microsoft Technologies .NET Platform: The next big overhaul to Microsoft’s technologies that will bring enterprise distributed computing to the next level by fully integrating the Internet into the development platform. This will allow interaction between any machine, on any platform, and on any device.

Discover how to use ASP.NET to build, deploy, and run 10 distributed Web applications that can target any browser on any device ASP.NET provides developers with the functionality they need to create enterprise-level Web applications. This book clearly shows them how to use this framework to create the top ten enterprise applications that they will need for their organizations.

TABLE OF CONTENT:
Project 01 - Building an Address Book.
Project 02 - Contact Manager Application.
Project 03 - Building the Calendar Application.
Project 04 - Building the Web Log Analyzer.
Project 05 - Building the ASP.NET Error Manager.
Project 06 - Building the Online Store Applicaion.
Project 07 - Teamwork Network: The Infrastructure.
Project 08 - Teamwork Network: Discussion Boards.
Project 09 - Teamwork Network: File Libraries.
Project 10 - Teamwork Network: Project Tracking.

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PROFESSIONAL ASP.NET 2.0 : SECURITY , MEMBERSHIP AND ROLE MANAGEMENT

2008-07-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Summary:* Now in its second version, ASP.NET has over one million programmers, and they all need to know how to use the new, tighter security model * Helps programmers build better sites, control user access, and interface securely with other parts of the Microsoft platform, such as Windows Server, Active Directory, LDAP, and SQL Server 2005 * Explains in depth all the security and user management functionality of ASP.NET 2.0, including many new built-in security functions that free the developer from hand-coding.

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ASP.NET WEBSITE PROGRAMMING

2008-07-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 0764543776

Author: Marco Bellinaso / Kevin Hoffman

Publisher: Wrox

Summary:ASP.NET Website Programming shows you how to build an interactive website from design to deployment. Packed with solutions to website programming problems, this book will have you building well-engineered, extendable ASP.NET websites quickly and easily. What you need to know This book is for developers who: Use ASP.NET and C# Use Visual Studioandreg; .NET Professional or above, or Visual C#andreg; .NET Standard Want to build content-based websites What you will learn from this book With ASP.NET Website Programming you will learn to: Provide flexible user accounts integrating with ASP.NET s built-in security Create fully featured discussion forums Generate revenue from advertising Build a web interface for managing the files on your site Add opinion polls, email newsletters, and news management Deploy the finished site on a live server Build modular websites using good, n-tier coding techniques

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ASP.NET KICK START

2008-07-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 0672324768

Title: ASP.NET Kick Start

Author: Stephen WaltherPublisher: Sams

Publication Date: 2002-12-16

Number Of Pages: 624

Average Amazon Rating: 4.5

Visual Studio .NET is the premier development environment for creating .NET applications. The environment includes specialized tools for working with databases, XML files, and XML Web services. Building applications with Visual Studio .NET is a very different experience than building ASP.NET applications with a standard text editor. Visual Studio .NET performs a lot of invisible work in the background, and the environment makes a number of assumptions about the best way to build applications.

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ASP.NET 2.0 MVP HACKS AND TIPS

2008-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

[*]This unique book offers readers invaluable information from the cream of the crop-Microsoft MVPs-who are now sharing undocumented hacks for the first time[*]Packed with superlative advice on ASP, Microsoft's popular technology for Web sites, this book will help readers become more productive developers, find solutions to problems they thought unsolvable, and develop better applications[*]During their many years of working with ASP.NET, Microsoft MVPs have answered thousands of questions, putting them in the distinctive position of knowing exactly what readers need to know[*]Many of the hacks will apply to multiple versions of ASP.NET, not just 2.0 but 1.0 and 1.1 as wellFrom the Back CoverAs Microsoft MVPs, this team of authors has witnessed first-hand the innumerable problems and challenges that even the most experienced developers regularly encounter. This project survival guide offers little-known solutions, undocumented features, tips, and tricks—otherwise known as hacks—that you can use to build and deliver real-life applications using ASP.NET.Written with the seasoned professional in mind, this book examines how some hacks ultimately become mainstream code or practices that are integrated into a product or process. You'll benefit from the extensive experience of the authors as they show you how to adapt various hacks to your specific application and business environment. Plus, in-depth discussions of the solutions prove to bea helpful way to learn more about the inner workings of ASP.NET 2.0.What you will learn from this book* Various hacks such as page templates, multiple forms, URL rewriting, and SQL cache dependencies* The many improvements in ASP.NET 2.0 that were originally hacks but are now part of the base product* How the many new built-in functions reduce the amount of code you need to write for the most common applicationsWho this book is forThis book is for experienced developers familiar with ASP.NET programming who are looking to take their skills from an "average" to "excellent" level.Wrox MVP Hacks and Tips provide unique and little-known solutions to complex programming challenges. Written by Microsoft MVPs—highly regarded independent technical experts nominated by their peers and selected by Microsoft—each title reveals the highest quality hacks that have been discovered through years of hands-on experience.

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ASP.NET 2.0 : STEP BY STEP

2008-07-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

# Publisher: Microsoft Press; Pap/Cdr edition (August 17, 2005)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0735622019
# ISBN-13: 978-0735622012

Book Description
The Web application infrastructure ASP.NET, introduced as part of version 1.0 of the Microsoft .NET Framework, provides the thin-client counterpart to Microsoft Windows® client development. With dramatic improvements in performance, productivity, and security features, Microsoft Visual Studio® 2005 and ASP.NET 2.0 deliver a simplified, high-performance, and powerful Web development experience. ASP.NET 2.0 features a new set of controls and infrastructure that simplify Web-based data access and include functionality that facilitates code reuse, visual consistency, and aesthetic appeal. Now you can teach yourself the essentials of working with ASP.NET 2.0 in the Visual Studio environment—one step at a time. With STEP BY STEP, you work at your own pace through hands-on, learn-by-doing exercises. Whether you’re a beginning programmer or new to this version of the technology, you’ll understand the core capabilities and fundamental techniques for ASP.NET 2.0. Each chapter puts you to work, showing you how, when, and why to use specific features of the ASP.NET 2.0 rapid application development environment and guiding you as you create actual components and working applications for the Web, including advanced features such as personalization.

From the Publisher
Key Book Benefits:
- Provides step-by-step guidance on how to use ASP.NET 2.0 with Visual Studio 2005 to create Web applications and services.
- Features easy-to-follow, logically planned lessons, with necessary data sets and additional code samples on the CD.
- STEP BY STEP is ideal for anyone with a fundamental understanding of computer programming.

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ASP.NET 2.0 UNLEASHED

2008-07-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

# Publisher: Sams; Har/Cdr edition (June 6, 2006)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0672328232
# ISBN-13: 978-0672328237

Book Description
ASP.NET 2.0 Unleashed is a revision of the best-selling ASP.NET Unleashed, by Microsoft Software Legend Stephen Walther. It covers virtually all features of ASP.NET 2.0 including more than 50 new controls, personalization, master pages, and web parts. All code samples are presented in VB and C#. Throughout the more than 2,000 pages, you will be shown how to develop state-of-the-art Web applications using Microsoft's latest development tools. This resource is guaranteed to be used as a reference guide over and over!

About the Author
Stephen Walther has taught workshops on building ASP.NET applications at NASA, Lockheed Martin, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. House of Representatives, Verizon and others. He got his start working with Active Server Pages by developing two large commercial Web sites. First, he created the Collegescape Web site, a Web site used by over 200 colleges, including Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, to accept admittance applications online. Next, he created the CityAuction Web site, and auction site used by both Snap! and CitySearch. He received his Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley.

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INTRODUCING MICROSOFT ASP.NET AJAX

2008-07-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

# Publisher: Microsoft Press (May 9, 2007)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0735624135
# ISBN-13: 978-0735624139

Book Description
Get an expert introduction to the new JavaScript enhancements(code-named "Atlas") for Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0. More than a basic AJAX(Asynchronous JavaScript And XML) script library, the Microsoftimplementation brings object orientation to JavaScript, together withenhanced client-side and server-side controls that greatly simplify codingwhile delivering enhanced Web experiences with any browser. Scheduled forrelease with the next version of Microsoft Visual Studio-, code named"Orcas," AJAX extensions and tools can be used by developers today. Thisbook offers expert insights direct from the Microsoft product team andnoted ASP authority Dino Esposito, as well as hands-on instruction andexamples of Web development with AJAX. This ideal reference will be updatedonline, keeping readers up to date with the evolving tool. The bookincludes code samples in ASP.NET 2.0 created using C# and JavaScript.

From the Publisher
Key Book Benefits:

-Provides coverage of both client-side and server-side development

-Covers ASP.NET AJAX 1.0, as released in January 2007

-Features Online Product Extensions for updated code samples during the continuing development process

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ASP.NET AJAX in Action

2008-07-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Alessandro Gallo, David Barkol, Rama Vavilala, Scott Guthrie, Bertrand Le Roy, "ASP.NET AJAX in Action"
Manning Publications | ISBN 1933988142 | August 15, 2007 | 600 Pages | PDF | 10.7MB

Ajax has revolutionized the way users interact with web pages today. Gone are frustrating page refreshes, lost scroll positions and intermittent interaction with a web site. Instead, we have a new generation of fast, rich, and more intuitive web applications. The ASP.NET AJAX framework puts the power of Ajax into the hands of web developers. ASP.NET AJAX, formerly called Atlas, is a new free framework from Microsoft designed to easily add Ajax features to ASP.NET applications. With this technology, ASP.NET developers can easily build more interactive and highly-personalized web applications that work across all most popular browsers.

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PROFESSIONAL ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX

2008-07-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to build more responsive web applications with richer UI elements? This detailed guide to the Microsoft AJAX Library shows you how to bring together ASP.NET 2.0 with an object-oriented approach to JavaScript development using this new framework from Microsoft. You'll gain an in-depth understanding of the ASP.NET AJAX architecture, including the server controls, client-side JavaScript library, and runtime environment. By following the numerous examples, you'll see how much your users benefit from this new class of web applications that manipulate the browser's DOM and communicate with the server to update the user's view of a page without waiting for the entire page to be refreshed.

Written by Microsoft's lead ASP.NET AJAX developer together with an in-the-field Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional), this book guides you through the core of the Microsoft AJAX Library and the controls you will use to leverage AJAX. It provides you with code samples to take advantage of some of the popular shared-source ASP.NET AJAX Toolkit controls and extensions. And you'll work through debugging functionality in Visual Studio® and the browser as well as methods for effective testing.

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The Lit Interior

2008-07-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

Presents an organised, comprehensive and easy to understand overview of the lighting design process. It covers every topic from the nature of light itself, through selecting the correct equipment, to preparing project plans and the finished design documents.

Using a dummy example the student is taken through an entire project step by step where the full range of alternatives and design processes are illustrated. The easy to read conversational tone makes the novice feel at home with complex technical concepts and provides an excellent introduction to all newcomers to the subject. The book is ideal for those working in architecture, electrical engineering and interior design who will one day design lighting systems for others to build.

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Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture

2008-07-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

In its broad coverage of architecture produced between 1900 and 2000, the Encyclopedia of 20th -century A rchitecture provides a three-volume, English-language reference work for scholars, professionals, students, and the general public seeking a basic understanding of interdependent topics that define the production of architecture in the developed cities, countries, and regions of the world. Seeking the breadth and diversity of any encyclopedic endeavor, the project extends its coverage beyond the conventional study of prominent architects and their buildings to address important related facets of 20th-century architectural production that motivate architects and their clients and give form and meaning to their buildings.

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Breast Cancer: Translational Therapeutic Strategies

2008-07-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

Ebook Title: Breast Cancer: Translational Therapeutic Strategies
Author: Gary H. Lyman, Harold J. Burstein
Publisher: Informa Healthcare; 1 edition (January 29, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0849374162
ISBN-13: 978-0849374166

EBook Description
Considering the impact of translational breakthroughs on the early detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of breast cancer, this all-encompassing guide collects cutting-edge research on the most promising strategies and agents likely to impact the management and long-term outcomes of women with breast cancer. This book will provide current information on rapidly evolving translational therapies, as well as improved strategies for the selection of patients for these treatments.

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Thyroid Cancer

2008-07-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ebook Title: Thyroid Cancer
Author: H.-J. Biersack, F. Grünwald
Publisher: Springer; 2nd ed. edition (August 5, 2005)
Hardcover: 363 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3540223096
ISBN-13: 978-3540223092

EBook Description
Thyroid Cancer describes all current diagnostic techniques, including FDG-PET and MRI. In recent years these modalities have documented hitherto hidden radioiodine-negative metastases, thus improving surgical therapy. The whole gamut of treatment, including surgery, radioiodine therapy, percutaneous radiation therapy and medical management, is covered. In some 10% of differentiated thyroid cancers, the well-known treatment tools of surgery and radioiodine therapy are not sufficient. New treatment modalities such as high-dose radioiodine therapy, redifferentiation therapy with retinoic acid and recombinant TSH are therefore highlighted. In a special section devoted to medullary thyroid cancer, new imaging procedures such as octreotide scintigraphy are described. The second edition includes two new chapters, on I-124 PET and dosimetry. Other chapters have been modified particularly in view of the new UICC classification, with special regard to the definition of T1 tumors.

Review From the New England Journal of Medicine, October 18, 2001
The use of imaging technology in the investigation of disorders of the head and neck has increased awareness of nodular thyroid disease in all areas of medicine. But are there enough important unanswered questions about thyroid cancer and has there been enough progress in the past decade to justify yet another textbook on the subject? The editors of Thyroid Cancer obviously believe so, and they have generally done an excellent job of putting together a concise book that highlights the advances and the controversies that surround them.

Tumors derived from thyroid epithelial cells are among the most common clinically recognized neoplasms. They include benign follicular adenomas, well-differentiated papillary or follicular carcinomas, poorly differentiated ``insular'' carcinomas, and dedifferentiated, or anaplastic, carcinomas. The spectrum ranges from benign occult papillary microcarcinomas to rapidly progressive anaplastic cancers. The changes in the epidemiology, classification, and worldwide pattern of detection of these thyroid neoplasms are sufficient to make this book a useful reference.

Unfortunately, the histology and molecular pathogenesis of nodular thyroid disease have been incorporated into one chapter, which does not provide enough detailed coverage of each subject. Our knowledge of the cause of thyroid cancer is just emerging, and there is increasing evidence that exposure to external radiation has a causative role; such exposure includes radiotherapy for cancers of the head and neck and treatment for acne and tonsillar disease. This is also observed in populations exposed to radioactive iodine fallout from nuclear disasters, most recently exemplified by the Chernobyl accident. Exposure to radioactivity there has had its highest impact in the young, and this is the subject of a separate chapter. Radiation has also been implicated in the RET-PTC gene rearrangement that is now considered to play a key part in the transformation of thyroid cells. The book also discusses the important role of dietary intake of iodine in the development of goiter and how iodine sufficiency may have contributed to the reduced incidence of follicular carcinomas.

The care of patients with tumors of thyroid follicular epithelium is well discussed. These tumors are generally amenable to surgical resection, but aggressive surgery is not usually indicated. The difficulty often lies in determining which patients should undergo surgery, when surgery should be performed in patients with uncertain diagnoses, and whether a complete thyroidectomy is needed, and the indications for prophylactic thyroidectomy in heritable diseases are detailed.

I highly recommend this book for trainees and practitioners in the fields of general medicine and surgery as well as specialists in endocrinology, oncology, and otolaryngology. Despite its compact size and relatively low price, it provides overviews of many highly relevant and common problems in the identification and care of patients with thyroid nodular disease.
--Shereen Ezzat, M.D. Copyright © 2001 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

EBook Info
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat, Bonn, Germany. Describes all current diagnostic techniques for thyroid cancer, including MRI and FDG-PET. Covers the entire gamut of treatment, including radioiodine therapy and surgery. Highlights new treatment modalities, and includes a special section on medullary thyroid cancer. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

2008-07-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ebook Title: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Author: Stephen R Covey
Publisher: Free Press; 15 Anv edition (November 9, 2004)
Paperback: 384 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743269519
ISBN-13: 978-0743269513
Ebook Description:
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity -- principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change was a groundbreaker when it was first published in 1990, and it continues to be a business bestseller with more than 10 million copies sold. Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges.

Before you can adopt the seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what Covey calls a "paradigm shift"--a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your "proactive muscles" (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more.

This isn't a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you'll want to study this book, not skim it. When you finish, you'll probably have Post-it notes or hand-written annotations in every chapter, and you'll feel like you've taken a powerful seminar by Covey. --Joan Price

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How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle - How the World's Smartest Company Selects the Most Creative Thinkers

2008-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ebook Title: How Would You Move Mount Fuji? Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle - How the World's Smartest Company Selects the Most Creative Thinkers
Author: William Poundstone
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (May 1, 2003)
Hardcover: 288 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316919160
ISBN-13: 978-0316919166
Ebook Description:
Microsoft's interview process is a notoriously grueling sequence of brain-busting questions that separate the most creative thinkers from the merely brilliant. So effective is their technique that other leading corporations-from the high-tech industry to consulting and financial services-are modeling their own hiring practices on Bill Gates' unique approach. How Would You Move Mount Fuji? reveals for the first time more than 35 of Microsoft's puzzles and riddles, such as: n Why does a mirror reverse right and left but not up and down? n If you could eliminate one U.S. state, which would it be? n How would you make an MM? n How many piano tuners are there in the world? And, for the first time, this book supplies answers and approaches using creative analytical thinking that works. Anyone in business, and everyone who wants to be, will find here a valuable new approach to hiring, identifying talent in an organization, and getting the job of a lifetime.

Anyone who's interviewed for a job at Microsoft is intimately familiar with questions like the one in this book's title. They've probably also pondered such problems as why are manhole covers round? how do they make M&Ms? what does all the ice in a hockey rink weigh? how many piano tuners are there in the world? Questions like these, which test problem-solving abilities, not specific competencies, are de rigueur at job interviews at Microsoft, other tech firms and on Wall Street. In this hybrid book-it's at once a study of corporate hiring, an assessment of IQ testing's value, a history of interviewing and a puzzle book-science writer Poundstone (Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos) explains the thinking behind this kind of interviewing. In straightforward prose, Poundstone describes the roots of logic questions in interviews (the approach appears to have had its modern beginnings at Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in 1957), drawing on the history of IQ testing in hiring interviews, psychological studies and interviews with Microsoft ex-interviewers and interviewees, makes a strong case for eliminating standard questions like "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" and replacing them with logic puzzles. Almost half of the book is devoted to an "answer" section, where Poundstone gives possible solutions to the brainteasers. Although it lacks a specific focus, this is a fun, revealing take on an unusual subject. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
William Poundstone is the bestselling author of eight books. He has written for the Economist, Esquire, Harper's, New York Times Book Review, and other publications. His science writing has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize. He lives in Los Angeles.

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Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy,

2008-07-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Ebook Title: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 30, 2007)
Paperback: 352 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143038419
ISBN-13: 978-0143038412
Ebook Description
This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls “Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister”) is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.

Ebook Review:
Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy's buffet of delights--the world's best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners--Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. "I came to Italy pinched and thin," she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise "betwixt and between" realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year's cultural and emotional tapestry--conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor--as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression. (Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This is a wonderful book, brilliant and personal, rich in spiritual insight. (Anne Lamott)

Gilbert’s prose is fueled by a mix of intelligence, wit and colloquial exuberance that is close to irresistible. (The New York Times Book Review)

An engaging, intelligent, and highly entertaining memoir. (Time)

A meditation on love in its many forms—love of food, language, humanity, God, and most meaningful for Gilbert, love of self. (Los Angeles Times)

This insightful, funny account of her travels reads like a mix of Susan Orlean and Frances Mayes. (Entertainment Weekly)

About the Author
Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of a story collection, Pilgrims (a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award); a novel, Stern Men; and The Last American Man (a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award).

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The Kite Runner

2008-07-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Ebook Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Riverhead Trade (April 27, 2004)
Paperback: 400 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1594480001
ISBN-13: 978-1594480003

Ebook Description:
The timely and critically acclaimed debut novel that's becoming a word-of-mouth phenomenon...

"Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan , the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him. The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of their lies. Written against a history that has not been told in fiction before, The KiteRunner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption."

Book Reviews:
In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.

The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")

Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. --Gisele Toueg --This text refers to the Paperback edition

Los Angeles Times, July 8, 2003
...explores issues of character and country, the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that narrative and history intersect

Washington Post, July 6, 2003
Intimate account of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation that requires no atlas or translation to engage and enlighten us

Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2003
Vivid picture of Afghanistan

"In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence -- forces that continue to threaten them even today.” -- New York Times

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Memoirs of a Geisha

2008-07-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ebook Title: Memoirs of a Geisha
Author: Arthur Golden
Publisher: Vintage (November 22, 2005)
Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400096898
ISBN-13: 978-1400096893

Ebook Description
According to Arthur Golden's absorbing first novel, the word "geisha" does not mean "prostitute," as Westerners ignorantly assume--it means "artisan" or "artist." To capture the geisha experience in the art of fiction, trained as long and hard as any geisha who must master the arts of music, dance, clever conversation, crafty battle with rival beauties, and cunning seduction of wealthy patrons. After earning degrees in Japanese art and history from Harvard and Columbia--and an M.A. in English--he met a man in Tokyo who was the illegitimate offspring of a renowned businessman and a geisha. This meeting inspired GoldenGolden to spend 10 years researching every detail of geisha culture, chiefly relying on the geisha Mineko Iwasaki, who spent years charming the very rich and famous.

The result is a novel with the broad social canvas (and love of coincidence) of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen's intense attention to the nuances of erotic maneuvering. Readers experience the entire life of a geisha, from her origins as an orphaned fishing-village girl in 1929 to her triumphant auction of her mizuage (virginity) for a record price as a teenager to her reminiscent old age as the distinguished mistress of the powerful patron of her dreams. We discover that a geisha is more analogous to a Western "trophy wife" than to a prostitute--and, as in Austen, flat-out prostitution and early death is a woman's alternative to the repressive, arcane system of courtship. In simple, elegant prose, Golden puts us right in the tearoom with the geisha; we are there as she gracefully fights for her life in a social situation where careers are made or destroyed by a witticism, a too-revealing (or not revealing enough) glimpse of flesh under the kimono, or a vicious rumor spread by a rival "as cruel as a spider."

Golden's web is finely woven, but his book has a serious flaw: the geisha's true romance rings hollow--the love of her life is a symbol, not a character. Her villainous geisha nemesis is sharply drawn, but she would be more so if we got a deeper peek into the cause of her motiveless malignity--the plight all geisha share. Still, Golden has won the triple crown of fiction: he has created a plausible female protagonist in a vivid, now-vanished world, and he gloriously captures Japanese culture by expressing his thoughts in authentic Eastern metaphors.

In this literary tour de force, novelist Arthur Golden enters a remote and shimmeringly exotic world. For the protagonist of this peerlessly observant first novel is Sayuri, one of Japan's most celebrated geisha, a woman who is both performer and courtesan, slave and goddess.

We follow Sayuri from her childhood in an impoverished fishing village, where in 1929, she is sold to a representative of a geisha house, who is drawn by the child's unusual blue-grey eyes. From there she is taken to Gion, the pleasure district of Kyoto. She is nine years old. In the years that follow, as she works to pay back the price of her purchase, Sayuri will be schooled in music and dance, learn to apply the geisha's elaborate makeup, wear elaborate kimono, and care for a coiffure so fragile that it requires a special pillow. She will also acquire a magnanimous tutor and a venomous rival. Surviving the intrigues of her trade and the upheavals of war, the resourceful Sayuri is a romantic heroine on the order of Jane Eyre and Scarlett O'Hara. And Memoirs of a Geisha is a triumphant work - suspenseful, and utterly persuasive. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Ebook Review
"Astonishing . . . breathtaking . . . You are seduced completely." —Washington Post Book World

"Captivating, minutely imagined . . . a novel that refuses to stay shut." —Newsweek

"A story with the social vibrancy and narrative sweep of a much-loved 19th century bildungsroman. . . . This is a high-wire act. . . . Rarely has a world so closed and foreign been evoked with such natural assurance." —The New Yorker

"A fisherman's daughter transforms herself into the confident consort of powerful men, but she soon finds herself feuding with a scheming competitor. The arcane lore fascinates: What does a geisha wear beneath her kimono? Who may remove it and what will it cost him? Golden, a Japanese scholar, offsets the detail with high-toned prose" --Entertainment Weekly

About the Author
Arthur Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980 he earned an M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. Following a summer at Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo, and, after returning to the United States, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. He resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.

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The Finite Element Method, Volume 2, Solid Mechanics, 5th Edition

2008-07-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ebook Title: The Finite Element Method, Volume 2, Solid Mechanics, 5th Edition Author: O. C. Zienkiewicz, R. L. Taylor
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 5 edition (September 21, 2000)
Hardcover: 384 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470395052
ISBN-13: 978-0470395059

Ebook Description
In the years since the fourth edition of this seminal work was published, active research has developed the Finite Element Method into the pre-eminent tool for the modeling of physical systems. Written by the pre-eminent professors in their fields, this new edition of the Finite Element Method maintains the comprehensive style of the earlier editions and authoritatively incorporates the latest developments of this dynamic field. Expanded to three volumes the book now covers the basis of the method and its application to advanced solid mechanics and also advanced fluid dynamics. Volume Two: Solid and Structural Mechanics is intended for readers studying structural mechanics at a higher level. Although it is an ideal companion volume to Volume One: The Basis, this advanced text also functions as a "stand-alone" volume, accessible to those who have been introduced to the Finite Element Method through a different route. Volume 2 of the Finite Element Method provides a complete introduction to the method and is essential reading for undergraduates, postgraduates and professional engineers. Volume 3 covers the whole range of fluid dynamics and is ideal reading for postgraduate students and professional engineers working in this discipline.

From the Back Cover:
*Coverage of the concepts necessary to model behaviour, such as viscoelasticity, plasticity and creep, as well as shells and plates.
*Up-to-date coverage of new linked interpolation methods for shell and plate formations.
*New material on non-linear geometry, stability and buckling of structures and large deformations.

Ebook Review
"...the publication of the first edition was an epoch making event...it is written by...the greatest theorist of the subject. If you are serious about finite elements, this is a book that you simply cannot afford to be without." -- International Journal of Numerical Methods in Engineering.

"..the pre-eminent reference work on finite element analysis." -- Applied Mechanical Review

"...a very good book...presentation is first class...will be of great assistance to all engineers and scientists interested in the method...a very commendable piece of work." -- Journal of the British Society for Strain Measurement.

About the Author
Professor O C Zienkiewicz : Unesco Professor of Numerical Methods in Engineering, International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Barcelona, Spain. Previously Director of the Institute of Numerical Methods in Engineering, University of Wales, Swansea.
Professor R L Taylor : Professor in the Graduate School, Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, USA.

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