Product Description

Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the net – presentationzen.com – shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making “slide presentations” in today-s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #508 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780321525659
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
“Please don’t buy this book! Once people start making better presentations, mine won’t look so good. (But if you truly want to learn what works and how to do it right, Garr is the man to learn from.)”
Seth Godin
Speaker and Blogger
Author, Meatball Sundae

“Garr is a beacon of hope for frustrated audiences everywhere. His design philosophy and fundamental principles bring life to messages and can invigorate careers. His principles of simplicity are as much a journey of the soul as they are restraint of the mouse.”
Nancy Duarte
CEO, Duarte Design

“Presentation Zen is just fantastic. Best of all it’s not another recipe book about “how to make slides” — this is about re-imagining how your entire presentation will work together as a persuasive and integrated show, from conception through delivery. Awesome.”
Merlin Mann
43folders.com

About the Author
Garr Reynolds is an internationally acclaimed communications expert, and the creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the net: presentationzen.com. A soughtafter speaker and consultant, his clients include many in the Fortune 500. A writer, designer, and musician, he currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Management at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Garr is a former corporate trainer for Sumitomo Electric, and once worked in Cupertino, California as the Manager for Worldwide User Group Relations at Apple, Inc. A longtime student of the Zen arts and resident of Japan, he currently lives in Osaka where he is Director of Design Matters Japan.

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Customer Reviews

This should be required reading for all presenters…
This is everything that I want my presentations to be when I’m up on stage… Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds. This will make you rethink everything you’ve known (and likely done) about how a presentation should be designed.

Contents:
Introduction: Presenting in Today’s World
Preparation: Creativity, Limitations, and Constraints; Planning Analog; Crafting the Story
Design: Simplicity – Why It Matters; Presentation Design – Principles and Techniques; Sample Slides
Delivery: The Art of Being Completely Present; Connecting With an Audience
The Next Step: The Journey Begins
Photo Credits; Index

There’s so much good stuff here that it’s hard to figure out where to begin. Reynolds advocates for a departure from the ordinary style of presentation involving PowerPoint. You’ve all sat through those (or given them)… Pages of slides, chock full of text, gratuitous use of special effects, etc. Presentation Zen is more about simplicity and storytelling. Your slides should support *you*, the speaker. If someone can get all the information from your slides, why do they need you? Your slides should not overwhelm the audience, but should draw their attention to the point that you are making in your talk. Couple this approach with the ability to tell stories rather than recite facts, and you can put together presentations that will be appreciated, remembered, and best of all, acted upon.

He also gets into how best to design appealing and arresting slides. Reynolds uses sites like iStockPhoto to avoid the overused and cheesy clipart that comes part and parcel with PowerPoint. And rather than just pasting a graphic on the screen under some text, the graphic *becomes* the slide, and the minimal text is positioned on the graphic in such a way that the slide becomes a work of art. Since I do technical presentations, my first objection was that this doesn’t give the listener anything to take away in terms of content. But rather than make your slides the take-away, Reynolds suggests that you put together a separate “handout” document that can be given out after the talk (or downloaded). That document can contain the details and facts that you present, without overwhelming the listener during the actual talk. It’s a simple concept, but not one that I’ve seen done often.

The bad thing about a book like this is it points out just how bad I actually am at presenting. The good thing is that it challenges me (as well as shows me) to get a whole lot better. This should be required reading for anyone before they start to put together anything in PowerPoint…

Lacking Gravitas
Like many others, I have grown (very) weary of the so-called “death by PowerPoint” culture which saturates the IT sector in which I work. I would gladly substitute every minute of mindless suffering sitting through too many presentations by sales persons and various “engineers” with 150% more time at the Dentist’s. Much as I hate visiting my Dentist, at least I’ll be healthier afterwards.

Also like many others, I wager, I found out about Presentation Zen the book from Presentation Zen the blog of which I am a fan. I am sorry to report that I am a bigger fan of the blog than I am of the book. First, the good.

The book itself is pleasing with good binding and great color. It’s easy to read with clear type and an attractive layout. Chapter heading and sub-headings are clear and the flow of the book’s content is harmonious. The reader can tell that good quality work went into the typesetting and publishing–kudos to New Riders.

How about content? Well here a few shortcomings appear and although not enough to dismiss the book outright are enough to cause me wonder. At 230 odd pages, the first impression as I flipped through is how “light” it is, literally and metaphorically. There is a surprising amount of white space and while that’s understandable from a design perspective, from a reader’s however, it falls short of fulfilling the promise of content a similarly priced book should deliver on.

Focused reading reveals surprisingly little that is original. I stopped counting at 12 the number of books by other authors referenced and quoted from; and while that isn’t a crime per se, it’s certainly a shortcoming. At best, it looks like Reynolds did a great job of editing, creating a pastiche of content from other authors and the reader might as well do the same thing: amass a large enough library and perform the acquisition of knowledge himself. That, at least, comes with the advantage that reader will be getting it wholesale from the source instead of the Presentation Zen précis.

There is some practical and usable advice (start with analog brainstorming then proceed to the digital, keep the lights on, use a remote) but it’s inadequately fleshed out. This information is better presented and with a heightened emphasis on practicality in other books–Beyond Bullet Points by Cliff Atkinson comes to mind, one of the many cited as reference for further instruction.

A possible defense to the accusation of being light is that Reynolds’ wrote the book, as the subtitle hints, as more of a philosophical treatise on presentation design. Fine, but even then, it’s still light on those points as well. Reynolds is content to regurgitate some Japanese aphorisms and quotes from various personages that, while certainly inspirational, possess little value beyond that. The book ends up reading like a “pop psychology” cheer leading tome than what it means to be: a book instructing on presenting information to an audience.

Some of the subtext I noticed from reading is that Reynolds is a dye in the wool fan of Apple products with little if any regard for PC and PC software (from Windows to PowerPoint) including them as an afterthought, perhaps to sell more books. There is also a subtle but discernable thread of condescension toward American society–the number of “fat” Americans appearing in example slides started getting a little tired after a while. I don’t know if this was purposeful and I doubt it, but nevertheless it’s there.

The latter section of the book truly runs out of steam replete as it is with examples (with little to no analysis of them) filling page after page of slideware. It peters out with some feel-good advice from the author about creativity, etc. in what felt like padding.

In summary, Presentation Zen owes its existence (with apologies to Isaac Newton) to standing on the shoulders of giants on which it stands. Amazon has it for sale at a great price so definitely get it from here. Otherwise, there’s no way I see of plunking down full price for this book at your local bookstore.

Useful but disappointing
I found Presentation Zen disappointing. It seemed to violate in writing style many of the principles it seeks to correct in slide design, reading more like a meandering conversation over drinks than a well-laid-out, step-by-step primer. For example, the book was frustratingly repetitive, with even the simplest points restated through multiple chapters (really, how many times do you have to suggest using post-it notes?). Some central points came and went quietly in sidebars, and others completely lacked explanation or justification (i.e. the rule for using six words maximum per slide). Every time I thought I was about to discover a new and enlightening concrete principle of visual design with valid reasoning, it seemed the point from the previous chapter was repeated instead. Moreover, exceptions or alternate approaches also weren’t considered, such as times when using a whopping seven words on a slide might be useful, or when more complex slide builds and transitions could help an audience grasp a concept. In addition, many of the points made in the book, such as the value of “taking risks,” seemed obvious and trite.

Overall, like many tedious slide shows I’ve endured, I felt the book could have been half as long and made its points with the same clarity, and would have showed more respect for the reader’s time. To its credit, it does offer some useful ideas on slide design, and some excellent graphic examples. It’s also visually appealing, with beautiful slide reprints, tons of “good” and “bad” examples to learn from, and cleanly-designed pages. Still, I’d trade the appealing design for tighter, more solid, more useful content.

Buy Now!!!

Product Description

Cascading Style Sheets can turn humdrum websites into highly-functional, professional-looking destinations, but many designers merely treat CSS as window-dressing to spruce up their site’s appearance. You can tap into the real power of this tool with CSS: The Missing Manual. This second edition combines crystal-clear explanations, real-world examples, and dozens of step-by-step tutorials to show you how to design sites with CSS that work consistently across browsers. Witty and entertaining, this second edition gives you up-to-the-minute pro techniques. You’ll learn how to:

• Create HTML that’s simpler, uses less code, is search-engine friendly, and works well with CSS
• Style text by changing fonts, colors, font sizes, and adding borders
• Turn simple HTML links into complex and attractive navigation bars — complete with rollover effects
• Create effective photo galleries and special effects, including drop shadows
• Get up to speed on CSS 3 properties that work in the latest browser versions
• Build complex layouts using CSS, including multi-column designs
• Style web pages for printing

With CSS: The Missing Manual, Second Edition, you’ll find all-new online tutorial pages, expanded CSS 3 coverage, and broad support for Firebox, Safari, and other major web browsers, including Internet Explorer 8. Learn how to use CSS effectively to build new websites, or refurbish old sites that are due for an upgrade.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1017 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 558 pages

Review
“Almost 500 pages of CSS help, with more than 100 pages of practical tutorials to guide you through the process of implementing and refining CSS to save you many a wasted hour. At GBP25, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better guide to designing with CSS.” .NET, February 2007

About the Author
David Sawyer McFarland is president of Sawyer McFarland Media, Inc., a Web development and training company in Portland, Oregon. He’s been building websites since 1995, when he designed an online magazine for communication professionals. He’s served as webmaster at the University of California at Berkeley and the Berkeley Multimedia Research Center, and oversaw a complete CSS-driven redesign of Macworld.com. David is also a writer, trainer, and teaches in the Portland State University multimedia program. He wrote the bestselling Missing Manual titles on Adobe Dreamweaver, CSS, and JavaScript.

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Customer Reviews

For the Beginner — Approved by an Expert
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Consider this a “getting started the right way with HTML and CSS” book. As such, it does a marvelous job.

I had a chance to get this beginner’s book — even though my bosses have been grossly overpaying me for years if I really were a beginner! Too many beginner books tend to over-simplify, which becomes a barrier to the more complex issues that a serious beginner will meet down the line. That is not the case here.

Step by step (sometimes even telling you what and when to click!) the book will take you through the basics of creating stylesheets for HTML. You will move from text format basics to moderately advanced layout issues and even print media stylesheets.

The text of the book itself is formatted in an interesting way that is easy to read and makes points clear. There are lots of images and diagrams. I liked the way many of the illustrations jutted out into the outer margin. The effect was a vivid enhancement and the book is bound in a way that lets it sit flat, making it easier to read while keying.

The author also performs a service by introducing, when appropriate, advanced issues and controversies that will surely interest the type of person motivated to go on in this field. The book includes appendices with a CSS Property Reference; CSS in Dreamweaver; and extended CSS Resources.
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Excellent book for newbies and intermediate coders alike…
I’ve read and reviewed a number of books on Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and I’ve learned something from them all. But for whatever reason, this one showed up at just the right time and has me inspired and motivated on a new project… CSS: The Missing Manual by David Sawyer McFarland.

Contents:
Part 1 – CSS Basics: Rethinking HTML for CSS; Creating Styles and Style Sheets; Selector Basics – Identifying What to Style; Saving Time with Inheritance; Managing Multiple Styles – The Cascade
Part 2 – Applied CSS: Formatting Text; Margins, Padding, and Borders; Adding Graphics to Web Pages; Sprucing Up Your Site’s Navigation; Formatting Tables and Forms
Part 3 – CSS Page Layout: Building Float-Based Layouts; Positioning Elements on a Web Page
Part 4 – Advanced CSS: CSS for the Printed Page; Improving Your CSS Habits
Part 5 – Appendixes: CSS Property Reference; CSS in Dreamweaver 8; CSS Resources; Index

From the newbie perspective, this book works well. The first part of the book lays out the case for using CSS instead of pure HTML to format your pages and gain control of the style. It takes a subject that can be a bit intimidating and makes it very approachable. From there, you get a section on how exactly CSS works. This is much easier to digest than some of the more formal reference manuals I’ve seen in the past, and there’s not as much focus on the minutia of every little variant that can happen. This is the material you’ll use 95% of the time. Part 3 is where I started to get excited. I’ve been doing CSS for a while now, but over time I’ve built up designs that “work” but that could be done much better with what I’ve learned of late. I noticed a number of items that I want to try out on a new project I’m about to start, and I have a feeling that I’ll be in a much better situation style-wise on this application than any of the other ones I support. Same with part 4 and the chapter on improving your CSS habits. I was/am guilty of a number of these things, and this information will go a long way towards making me a better CSS junkie (and will make anyone following after me much happier in terms of support).

I think what worked so well for me here was the consistent use of a single “site” for examples and illustrations. The CosmoFarmer site gave the information a thread to hang on to throughout the chapters, and progressions were logical. I appreciated the tutorials at the end of the chapter so that you could try out the new skills. But what I *really* liked were the references to other sites where you could get more information, as well as clarification on what browsers don’t do things according to specs, and how to work around these bugs.

Armed with this book, a newbie would be able to become competent in CSS. And if you’ve been doing CSS for awhile, there’s a strong chance that McFarland will deliver some nuggets that will take you to the next level. I know that’ll be the situation in my case…

Excellent book on CSS
The problem with many of the CSS books that I have read is that most of them just reiterate the CSS specification. While this is useful knowledge, it doesn’t cover what you need to know to build robust web applications that work consistently across the myriad of browsers on the internet.

This book covers the usual stuff with CSS: styles, precedence rules (the cascade), text and fonts, padding and spacing, the box model, positioning, tables, etc. It also goes into detail about how to apply this knowledge.

Some of the stuff that is included:
- building tabs with the Sliding Doors technique
- Entire chapter related to IE6 and how it diverges from the spec, and work-arounds (aka hacks) that can be used to correct these problems. Other browsers such as Opera and Safari are also covered throughout the book.
- Entire chapter related to floats and using these to create column-based layous. Work-arounds to problems and unexpected behavior are also covered.
- Entire chapter related to forms and how to use CSS for layout

The book is well edited and contains some really good graphics to explain the layout and positioning. Each chapter has a tutorial to help you work through the techniques.

Buy Now!!!

Product Description

ARE YOU READY FOR AN AMAZING NEW VERSION OF THE PHOTOSHOP BOOK THAT BREAKS ALL THE RULES?
Scott Kelby, the best-selling Photoshop author in the world today, once again takes this book to a whole new level as he uncovers the latest, most important, and most exciting new Adobe Photoshop CS4 techniques for digital photographers. This major update to his award-winning, record-breaking book does something for digital photographers that’s never been done before—it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure it out on your own. Instead, Scott shows you step-by-step the exact techniques used by today’s cutting-edge digital photographers, and best of all, he shows you flat-out exactly which settings to use, when to use them, and why. That’s why the previous editions of this book are widely used as the official study guide in photography courses at colleges and universities around the world.

LEARN HOW THE PROS DO IT
Each year Scott trains thousands of professional photographers how to use Photoshop, and almost without exception they have the same questions, the same problems, and the same challenges—and that’s exactly what he covers in this book. You’ll learn:

• The sharpening techniques the pros really use.
• The pros’ tricks for fixing the most common digital photo problems fast!
• The step-by-step setup for getting what comes out of your printer to match exactly what you see onscreen.
• A whole chapter on how to process HDR (High Dynamic Range) images.
• How to master new CS4 interface and workflow features.
• How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat.
• How to process RAW digital camera images (plus how to take advantage of all the new Camera Raw features in CS4!).
• How to add real automation to your work.
• How to show your work like a pro!
• A host of shortcuts, workarounds, and slick “insider” tricks to send your productivity through the roof!

Plus, Scott included a special bonus chapter with his own CS4 workflow, from start to finish. If you’re a digital photographer, and you’re ready to learn the “tricks of the trade”—the same ones that today’s leading pros use to correct, edit, sharpen, retouch, and present their work—then you’re holding the book that will do just that.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #566 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780321580092
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Scott Kelby is Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User magazine, President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Training Director for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour, and one of the leading seminar instructors in the country today. Scott is an award-winning author of more than 50 books on Photoshop, digital imaging, and technology, and for four years straight he has been the world’s #1 best-selling author of all computer and technology books. His other titles include Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks, The Photoshop Channels Book, Photoshop Classic Effects, and The Digital Photography Book, vols. 1 & 2. His easygoing, plain-English, step-by-step style of teaching makes learning Photoshop easy and fun.

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Customer Reviews

Just what I needed
If you’re like me, when you sit down to process photos you don’t really have the time to explore options and try out new techniques. You just have time to do the work. Though my byline above IDs me as a book author, I also do color correction for the photos in my books, and have done commercial photo retouching since those dark days in darkrooms. I learned Photoshop on version 1.0 (we upgraded from Digital Darkroom, anyone else remember that?), and since that time haven’t kept up much with all the new improvements. I just get photos in and need to get them out. Quickly.

Anyway, I haven’t bought a Photoshop book in years. I saw the other good reviews this book is getting and thought I’d give it a try.

And boy am I glad I did!

There are four chapters here I’m going to use a lot:

CHAPTER 6 is filled with shortcuts, tips and tricks. Many other books are too, yes, but this one has a straightforward presentation filled with doses of humor. (Whereas many software guides are about as interesting as a dead fish, this one is filled with a lively, witty writing style that nevertheless gets its points across cleanly.)

CHAPTER 7 is all about color correction, which is my main concern. A section called “The trick pros use to make color correction simple” is nice to know. It suggests using black, gray and white cards in your photo, and the Curves adjustment in Photoshop to almost automatically correct the color.

CHAPTER 10 focuses (sorry, bad pun) on problematic photos. Included are:
a. Fixing color in indoor shots
b. When your subject is in the shadows
c. 15-second fix for under- or overexposed photos
d. Dodging and burning in CS4
e. Instant red-eye removal
f. Fixing reflections in glasses
g. The CS4 secret to fixing group shots
h. Having Photoshop extend your depth of field
i. The fastest way to resize brushes ever (plus you can change their hardness, too)

CHAPTER 13 finally explained the configuration of color space to me in a way I, after all these years, now understand. There is also both the lame way and the correct way to calibrate your monitor.

Also covered thoroughly: Bridge, Camera Raw, black and white photography, HDR, special effects and sharpening.

With crisp text, clear descriptions, a pleasing layout and great organization, this is a book I’ll be using every day. What a resource!

The author has written two other books, both of which our company uses often:
The Digital Photography Book
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

Good Step-by-Step Guide
Scott Kelby has never tried to make his guide the biggest or most comprehensive book on Photoshop. His focus is to identify those tasks most useful to digital photographers and give step-by-step explanations to get them done. Most of the information is presented in a very task-oriented approach. The emphasis is squarely placed on giving you the tools to get things done quickly and efficiently. As such, I consistently find it a useful reference book as I edit photos.

The topics covered are varied and generally right in the sweet spot of what will be most useful. There is quite a lot of material on how to use the Raw File conversion utility because in many ways this is the foundation of everything that you will do with an image (assuming you shoot in Raw). Other topics that every photographer should be interested in that are well covered include color management and sharpening. Of course, there are many other chapters covering material almost as essential as what I’ve already mentioned.

For those who own the prior version for CS3, this is no mere reprint of old material with a few new pages to cover the CS4 features. Mr. Kelby is diligent enough to make each guide better than the last and offers new photos and examples with each new edition. I applaud this effort, because it certainly isn’t duplicated by all of his competitors in the field.

In the past, my biggest criticism of Scott Kelby’s books has always been his use of humor that takes over certain segments of the book. But I finally realized that he limits the would-be stand up comedy act to his chapter introductions and explicitly tells readers in the introduction to skip this material if they want to, because it has no relevance to the process of learning Photoshop. While I would prefer chapter introductions that give a quick context and introduction for the material, it’s probably not the end of the world for those of us who don’t find him funny to just skip these sections and let him have his fun.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Mr. Kelby has done an excellent job organizing and presenting a useful guide to Photoshop CS4 and I commend him for that. While I’d still prefer he soften the comedic approach, this is an excellent text that will prove its value again and again to CS4 users.

Not what I expected
This book was recommended to me by the instructor of the beginning photoshop class that I’m taking. For someone who has NEVER used photoshop, I don’t think this is as user friendly as I needed it to be. The three stars are primarily due to the lack of foundational language that I needed to guide me through the process. I’ve found another publication that has met my CS4 needs in a way I hoped this book would have. I’m hoping that after I’ve built a solid foundation of knowledge with photoshop that I’ll be able to pick this book up again and work its magic. I would not recommend this book for the beginner unless that beginner has a strong tech background. This book seems more in line with those who have worked with the process for a while and feel quite secure with their knowledge of photoshop.

Buy Now!!!

Product Description

Sams Teach Yourself  Adobe® Flash® CS4 Professional in 24 Hours

Phillip Kerman

Lynn Beighley

Now in Full Color

In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, you can learn how to design, create, and deploy high-impact graphics and animation with Adobe Flash CS4 Professional.

Using this book’s straightforward, step-by-step approach, you’ll master the skills and technologies you need, from creating interactivity and animation to optimizing and publishing your Flash movies on the Web.

Each lesson builds on what you’ve already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success!

Full-color figures and clear step-by-step instructions visually show you how to use Flash.

Quizzes and Exercises at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge.

Notes, Tips, and Cautions provide related information, advice, and warnings.

Learn how to…

• Make the most of the updated Flash interface, including its new Motion tools
• Draw and paint original art in Flash
• Use layers and the Library to efficiently organize your content
• Build animations using shape tweening, Flash CS4’s new motion tweening, and advanced inverse kinematics
• Create special effects with shapes, filters, and the new Deco Tool
• Add interactivity to your Flash movies
• Integrate a wide spectrum of audio and video content
• Use ready-built components to create sophisticated content without programming
• Get started with ActionScript 3
• Publish your movies to the Web
• Design modular Flash sites that load quickly and perform well

Phillip Kerman is an internationally recognized expert on the use of the Web and multimedia for training and entertainment. He has frequently presented at Macromedia and Adobe user conferences, and has taught Flash and other Adobe Web development technologies to working web professionals worldwide.

Lynn Beighley, a freelance web programmer and designer, has written several Flash, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop books and training CDs. She has worked at Los Alamos National Labs, Palm, and Yahoo! Her dynamic Flash advertisements have appeared on Yahoo!’s home page.

Free Access to Online Learning Lab

Register your book at informit.com/register for free, exclusive access to the Online Learning Lab to supplement this book’s lessons:

• Video walkthroughs to show you how to complete the step-by-step examples in the book
• Fast and fun online quizzes to test your understanding of each lesson
• Updates or corrections as they become available

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92285 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 504 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780672330414
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Product Description

This valuable reference—in full color—explains the major new release of Silverlight 3 which is dramatically improved over previous versions and makes the development of powerful Rich Interactive Applications (RIAs) achievable for everyone. Packed with examples and written by a highly-seasoned team of developers and designers, this book guides you through the languages, tools, and techniques that are used to build applications on the Silverlight 3 platform (Build 40522). Each chapter provides a mini-tutorial on the respective topic, and the examples serve to both educate and inspire you. The information in this book is structured to help prepare you for the real-world challenges you may face when building applications on the Silverlight platform. By the end of the book, you’ll have gained a thorough understanding of how Silverlight applications are architected, developed, and designed.

This book covers:

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14828 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

From the Back Cover

Silverlight 3 is dramatically improved over previous versions and makes the development of rich interactive applications (RIAs) more achievable for everyone. Packed with examples and written by a team of seasoned developers and designers, this full-color tutorial demonstrates exactly what Silverlight 3 offers for building RIAs that combine animation, graphics, audio, and video.

With a focus on the capabilities provided by the Silverlight 3platform (Build 40522), this book introduces you to the languages, tools, and techniques needed to build applications on the platform. You’ll begin with an overview of Silverlight and move on to topic-by-topic coverage of this new platform’s capabilities, including new APIs, objects, services, and concepts. Each chapter provides a mini-tutorial on each topic, and the examples serve to both educate and inspire you. The information in this book is structured to help prepare you for the real-world challenges you may face when building applications on the Silverlight platform.

With this resource, you’ll gain a thorough understanding of how Silverlight applications are architected, developed, and designed.

What you will learn from this book

• Ways to create holistic Silverlight applications (not just multimedia glitz)
• How to solve real-world problems you may face when building your Silverlight applications
• Ways to use controls, work with text, lay out views, style applications, use graphics, work with audio, and more
• The basics of using designer and developer tools with Silverlight (including Expression Blend and Visual Studio®)
• How to use XAML in Silverlight for event handling
• Transforming text with render transforms

Who this book is for

This book is for .NET developers who want to learn how to create practical Silverlight 3 applications.

Wrox Programmer’s References are designed to give the experienced developer straight facts on a new technology, without hype or unnecessary explanations. They deliver hard information with plenty of practical examples to help you apply new tools to your development projects today.

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Customer Reviews

Waste of Money
I knew I was in trouble when I found myself in chapter 5 – Controls and had not read anything of value up to that point, only to find that the authors didn’t find controls important enough to cover in detail. The entire Chapter is 15 pages long. This would be fine in a book that is not claiming to be a reference, but in a reference I expected detailed coverage of every control available.

I find the chapters are filled with scattered information and there is no real logical flow to them. None of them go into any depth, and they remain at surface level coverage of the material.

One of the reasons I bought the book is it says in several places that Silverlight 3 includes new functionality to build line-of-business applications, but they never cover line-of-business applications.

Validation, which is new functionality, is cover in two pages with a goofy example that doesn’t work in the downloadable code. They didn’t provide a way for the control to lose focus, so it never validates. This is how most of the functionality topics are covered.

There is a lot of filler chatter that adds no value. It is presented in a format that makes it look valuable, but just isn’t.

The appendixes are filled with worthless overviews of the available api’s.

All in all I deeply regret buying this book. I should have been more patient and waited for Matthew MacDonald’s Silverlight 3.0 book, which I am going to have to buy now anyway.

no depth for a reference
I’m a little disappointed with the lack of depth…. Localization is treated in a couple of pages, you’re better off reading the online msdn resources, and the chapter on services and sockets it’s like an instruction list. It was useful reading in chapter 16 the browser/silverlight interaction, and user control in chapter 17, but still very brisk.

The problem with the book is that it targets multiple audiences, the xaml designer and the developer, with a bias towards the designer as I find a better coverage in UI chapters. It covers a common range of scenarios, which is useful to get started, but if you want to understand some of the more developer-related topics you need to look elsewhere.

Good Silverlight 3 Primer to Start
The print format of this book is better than before, pages are smooth and
print stands out against bright white backgroung making each page easier to
read. Illustration are in full color, making comparing an illustration to a
screen display better.
Each chapter brings detailed information as to why, with code for comparing
what it looks like as well as useful for starting points when working with
silverlight projects. This book was contributed to by five different
authors, and as such you get a good view of ways to build Silverlight 3
applications with the 2 primary tools, Visual Studio 2008 and Expression
Blend. One feature which is a plus is the Appendices covering the libraries
used in Silverlight development. Many of the entries not only give basic
information, but illustration of the concept and code samples to assist in
the understanding of the reference. Silverlight 3 is a vehicle for creating
user interfaces that are more visually appealing, and the format,
illustration and samples chosen for this book reflects well on that point.
I had hoped to see more on .Net RIA Services for use with Silverlight 3, but
I suppose the book was printed before that part of the technology was ready.

Over all a good book for a ASP.Net developers to use to build your
Silverlight 3 knowledge.

Buy Now!!!

Product Description

Now an HBO original series, True Blood-the New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series continues.

Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps-and nothing about weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works-and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.

But there’s a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780441017157
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse braces herself for trouble when another group of supernatural beings goes public in her disjointed eighth adventure (after 2008′s From Dead to Worse). Following the vampires’ lead, the shape-shifters decide to step out of the woodwork and announce their existence to the world. While the initial reveal goes smoothly, the brutal crucifixion of a young werepanther behind the local bar makes Sookie wonder if the people of Bon Temps, La., are as tolerant as she thought. Meanwhile, the FBI is asking questions about Sookie’s uncanny ability to locate survivors after an explosion, and trouble is brewing among the secretive fae. Harris tries to cram too much into a single story, and even die-hard fans of Sookie’s adventures in print and on HBO’s True Blood will complain about the plot gaps. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The Louisiana town of Bon Temps—along with the rest of the world—is about to be rocked with some big supernatural news: like the vampires before them, the Were people—humans with the ability to change into animals—are about to reveal themselves to humanity. Psychic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse is apprehensive about the revelation, given the way some people in the small town revile anyone with extraordinary powers, including Sookie herself. While the initial announcement seems to go over smoothly with most people, tragedy strikes when Sookie’s brother Jason’s estranged wife, a werepanther, is found murdered and nailed up on a cross. Jason is the prime suspect, but Sookie has even bigger problems to deal with when she learns that a vicious fairy prince is determined to kill her. Darker and more ominous than earlier entries in the series, Harris’ latest raises the stakes (pun intended) for lovable heroine Sookie and comes up a winner. With HBO’s True Blood, a series based on Sookie’s adventures, renewed for a second season, expect demand for this latest gripping installment. –Kristine Huntley

About the Author
Charlaine Harris writes both fantasies and mysteries.

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Customer Reviews

A disappointing outing for Sookie fans, and what is with the continuity errors?
Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries was such a fun and creatively written series for a while. But the humor and wit that characterized the first four or five books seems to have completely run out by this ninth book, leaving with the reader a disconnected palette of characters, and a hectic pace in which the author seems to have been determined to get in every minor character at the expense of any clarity or reflection by the major characters.

The characters, including Sookie herself, seem to be in a fog in this book, and to be speaking out of character. Even big scary vampire Eric, always one of the most fun to read, just seems off. (Spoiler: he is willing to discuss his painful personal history out in the open in a public place, his bar???) Tossed off personal revelations are never absorbed by the characters and never revisited. The pace of the book is such that it is actually counterproductive in terms of feeling any empathy for the central characters.

Readers should be forewarned about the tremendous violence in the book. (Spoiler: Are the multiple deaths of pregnant women just a heavy-handed device signaling lost promise or hope? Maybe they are the stunted hopes for this book?)

The dragging issue of suitor resolution and the lack of development, if not regression, of Sookie’s character on the issue of relationships is disappointing. As a reader who has followed the series for some time, I’m virtually at the point where I no longer care who she ends up with. Not a good place for an author to be finding herself with her readers. Does she really intend to make her readers NOT care about her heroine or give the impression that her heroine is incapable of evolving?

The number of continuity errors for a book with this sales base is truly astonishing. From the fact that Eric no longer remembers that Sookie was never paid for her work in book 7, to the fact that Sookie doesn’t remember her grandfather and great-uncle were twins, to the fact that Claude and Claudine’s deceased sister was Claudia and not Claudette, to the fact that Chow and not Clancy killed Hallow the witch’s representative back in book 4, to the fact that Eric says he `remembers’ but seems to have forgotten what he remembers at a rather delicate moment. The writing, continuity wise, or even factwise, seems not to have been proofread at all!

The book reads like a rough draft and has a sense of disconnectedness that is disheartening in comparison to others in the series. Was the goal just to get this one knocked out before the new season of True Blood? Did the publisher and editor think the series fans wouldn’t notice? It reads, frankly, like a sellout. And as a reader of the series, I’m seriously hoping this isn’t the next Anita Blake series in terms of steady deterioration of quality and content. This book makes me wonder. The editor seems to have done Ms. Harris a great injustice by letting it go out in such disconnected form and with so many continuity errors.

Let’s hope that Book 10 gets Sookie Stackhouse back on course.

Beyond Disappointing…I feel so let down, I think I’m depressed
I wanted to give the book atleast three stars bc i love the series so much, but I have to agree with the majority of the negative reviews on this one and say,”what happened?”. The last book, from dead to worse, was so detailed and long, it was wonderful! I felt like I was reading a short hand version, or an extremely edited down piece that had to fit into a certain number of words. If CH had kept the same story line for this book and just given us the plot detail and character depth evidenced in the last book, this book would have been simply phenomenal! As a fan, I find that not only disappointing, but extremely frustrating.

ARGH!***BEWARE***THERE BE SPOILERS HERE**********************************

OK, so the two stars were basically for giving us atleast SOME progression with the whole Eric/Sookie relationship, although it still basically went NOWHERE. So he tricks her into what is basically a vampire form of marriage and she barely reacts – she had more of a hissy fit when he yelled at her for dancing with barry bellhop in rhodes! She blames her lack of anger on her blood bond, but she also states that she hasn’t seen him for months and that should lessen a little over time…it just seemed weird. And as neat as that story line is, it wasn’t even addressed or reacted to by anyone (except sam, but barely). I mean, come on! I don’t know why it matters though, bc I figure in the next book she will find something to be mad at him for and he will be on the outs like bill, quinn, and everyone else she get’s involved with – I just feel like the whole Eric thing has been building up over so many books that there should be more time devoted to finally developing that before it get’s ruined for further plot development – we’ve been “teased” enough. Give us something more than a few scenes!

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this book, for me, was sookie’s lack of initiative in seeking supe support and protection for herself! Especially after the last book ended recapping her strong favor with the vamps and weres! It was ridiculous that she knew she was being targeted to be killed (or worse), actually ends up killing a fairy sent to kill her, and she takes days to ask for any real assistance or call in her supe markers with the vamps or Alcide. When she finally does ask for help, it’s lame coverage that falls through and she doesn’t ask for back up? The coverage doesn’t tell their bosses that they have left her unprotected? She doesn’t want to worry her friends, who could help her, or at the very least be warned that being around sookie can be dangerous,so she doesn’t tell them? She doesn’t tell her brother that he is also a potential target, until after that fairies approach him?!

And why does Eric leave her bed, knowing the issue of her safety is unresolved? Yeah, he suggested maybe she stay at his place, but the whole issue of her safey is sidetracked by “what are you looking for in this relationship”, vs. “hey, killer fairies are out to get my lover whom i’ve just officially claimed in the supe community, even tried to murder her today, and I’m out the door with a ‘see ya soon’?” That doesn’t seem at all like Eric. Mister, possessive vampire guy who always sends Bubba over the moment he has ANY concerns?! I mean really he had Pam DATE Sookie’s roommate Amelia, just to get Pam even closer to protect Sookie, but he leaves her completely unprotected after knowing a fairy tried to KILL her?? Why would he leave w/o having her safety arranged for? Why the heck hasn’t Niall arranged safety for her from the beginning, or even after the first attempt on her life? Why doesn’t Claudine, who shows up when sookie falls asleep at the wheel of a car, show up when faries are trying to kill her? What the heck? And why, in God’s name, would you be out running errands when you need a body gaurd bc killer fairies are out to assassinate you – do you really need to go to the post office that badly? Come on!

Also, the violence. Torture? Killing pregnant women? That added nothing to the story and was simply disturbing and unecessary. The characters she killed off – why? And more detail was given to sookie’s reaction to octavia leaving than to the second pregnant woman’s murder, which was just completely a waste – what a loss of a great character under such horrible circumstances.

And then, to top it all off, the whole amazing world of fae is just closed down in the end anyway, after all that – what a waste of plot and characters. I’m hoping that’s not the case, and more will be done with it in the next book? Honestly, I would have loved it if Sookie had called in her marks almost immediately and all her supe friends & fairy family took the threat serioulsy, but were simply smacked down by how ruthless the fairies were, resulting in Eric becomming uber protective and rallying all the supes to work and fight together against the faires as a common threat to their common bond, our gal sookie! Yeah!! Atleast there would have been more action and the character deaths would have felt justified!

Quinn is in one scene and then is gone for the rest of the book – why bother? Heck, how bout if he had found out that Sookie was in trouble and insisted on staying to gaurd her regardless of Eric – the guy’s a weretiger and a pit fighter trying to prove himself! That would have been kinda cool, and interesting from a love triangle point of view too!

We were told Hunter was in this book – what, one mention in a phone call? And then sookie just assumes the kid’s not a target bc she THINKS Niall doesn’t know about him? Give the kid’s dad a warning, something, “get the kid away for awhile, be careful, look out for bad guys, stock up on lemon juice” – something!

Ok, obviously I found this book frustrating and I think my review has turned into more of a cathartic threapeutic venting session than a commentary. I’m not giving up on sookie, just hoping this is an anomaly, and hoping for more of CH’s great writing in the future (please). Although, if the book continues to average 4 out of 5 stars (geez, are we reading the same book here people?), I can’t believe that would give the author any incentive to give us better in the future! Why put more work into something when the readers are 4/5 happy with less?

This is such a wonderful series, I’d hate for it to deterioate!

Disappointed and left feeling very cynical….
Okay, it may not be the best literature out there, but as a writing student in college, I started reading this series because of the TV series True Blood and thought that the author had developed some really cool characters and an interesting world that made a statement about minorities and tolerance. Everything that I have learned about analyzing books leads me to think that she is heading toward a certain ending with the plan to make a big statement about accepting each other’s differences and trying to be tolerant of others’ differences. And then she wrote this book.

I really don’t know what happened with this book, but I’m sure glad that I waited to get it from the library instead of paying $16 plus shipping for it on a student income. I was shocked by how poorly constructed the storyline was, shocked by the badly developed mystery (which still makes absolutely no sense to me) and left with many questions about what it means to have an editor in this genre of fiction.

The best book in the series, “All Together Dead”, in which the heroine of the series actually starts to make something of herself, both career-wise and maturity-wise, now seems like it was eons ago. I read the present book twice and am struck by the fact that the character of Sookie Stackhouse has not just stagnated but devolved in her author’s present effort. And she’s not a teenager maturing slowly, or a family person going through some mid-life crisis. She was growing and now she’s just stunted and unlikeable.

This book had just a shocking number of continuity errors and sections of it read like the outline of what happened rather than the flushed out version of what happened. I just simply don’t even want to imagine ever having an editor who would hang me out to dry the way this author’s editor evidently did. I read through so many of the negative reviews before posting this one, precisely because I wanted to see if anybody else had the same take. Has this author EVER had so many negative reviews? Is anyone at Ace/Penguin taking notes?

All of the characters sound off in this book. I felt like I was watching them through frosted glass and just seeing the general outlines of their characters. Confused and whiny telepath? Check. Wounded, but hopeful Southern gentleman vampire? Check. Tall, blond vampire who’s great in bed? Check. Rash, and poorly considered when it comes to communication weretiger? Check (albeit so briefly you wonder if it was just a sop to the were fans). Confused, hesitant but by turns supportive shapeshifter boss? Check. Violence? Check. Poorly plotted fairy chaos? Check. More violence, almost all of it against helpless pregnant women? Why not? Check. General chaos to compete with the multiple plots of the TV show? Check. No one learning anything about any of it, other than the supernatural world is really violent, even though the author previously wanted to assure us that they were all just a different version of the humans? Check.

This book is bare bones and poorly written. It has none of the humor and spark of others in the series. Sure there are about 150 five star reviews here. How many Ace/Penguin editorial assistants posted those reviews I wonder? This book and its many five star reviews have turned me into a totally cynical writing student. Get a big enough publisher and you can pull the wool over anyone’s eyes at least once or twice and still make a mint. Wouldn’t it just be easier to help your author write a good book?

Buy Now!!!

Product Description

After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit, Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal. But her boyfriend Quinn is among the missing. And things are changing, whether the weres and vamps in her corner of Louisiana like it or not. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death…and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood ceases flowing, her world will be forever altered.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780441017010
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Harris outdoes herself in this pivotal eighth Sookie Stackhouse novel (after 2007′s All Together Dead), packing the story full of romantic tension and supernatural action. Having barely survived a catastrophic vampire hotel explosion, Sookie’s back at work in Bon Temps, La., serving vintage blood and waiting tables at Merlotte’s, a vampire bar. Participating in a friend’s wedding and fending off the advances of her vampire ex-lover, Bill, and her blood-bonded pal, Eric, leaves Sookie chafing over the recent lack of communication from Quinn, her weretiger boyfriend. When a violent Were power struggle erupts as Vegas vampires attempt to take over Louisiana from disgraced queen Sophie-Anne, Sookie dives into the middle of it, determined to help her shape-changing, blood-drinking friends. Harris provides many fun twists, most significantly Sookie’s meeting with her fae great-grandfather, Niall Brigant, which paves the way for a shock ending that will delight longtime fans. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
“With…an audacious wink of her eye, Harris creates a world that is both a weird possibility and a wild ride.”
—ANNISTON (AL) STAR

“[An] increasingly riotous series.”
—DALLAS MORNING NEWS

About the Author
Charlaine Harris writes both fantasy and mysteries. She is an avid reader and spends a huge amount of time watching fast-pitch softball.

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Customer Reviews

More like a series of vignettes than a novel to me, but I enjoyed the various parts (3.5 stars)
I honestly am such a fan of Charlaine Harris that I’d go just about anywhere she’d take me. “From Dead to Worse” wasn’t quite all over the map, but there wasn’t as much of a central them in this book as there was in her usual entries in this series.

We went from weddings, to family revelations, to were-wars–and there was so much more. While the varying parts were interesting and many did tie together, there wasn’t the overall unity in this book I have expected from the series.

The beginning chapter where Sookie served as the bridesmaid for Halleigh’s wedding was a spinoff from Ms. Harris’ short story in an anthology collection, “My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding.” I’m wondering if the rest isn’t bits and pieces that have just needed resolving for some time.

I think you will see some answers to some interesting questions you’ve had as readers all along–like where did Sookie get her gift, what makes her different? And there are a few other surprises in store.

Interesting, in part, not as cohesive and riveting as her usual offerings are in a whole. “From Dead to Worse” is still very much worth the read if you are a die-hard Sookie fan like I am, but this is honestly the first of the series I can’t simply rave about.

Rebecca Kyle, May 2008

from dead to worse
Let me start out by saying how much I love the Southern Vampire Mysteries. I was super excited for this book, yet I feel very let down after finishing. But I’ll start with the positives. The characters were great. Bon Temps was great. I love immersing myself into Sookie’s little corner of the world so much that I’ve read most books in this series at least twice. All of the characters were true to themselves; no one did anything out of the ordinary. No, the characters weren’t the problem.

The problem with “From Dead to Worse” was the plot, specifically that there wasn’t much of one. It seemed like there was a cameo from every character we have come to know. From Alcide & Sam to Amelia & Eric, they all came back to tie up some loose ends. There was no pacing or buildup to anything special, which brings me to another point. Isn’t this series called the Southern Vampire MYSTERIES? Where was the mystery? Charlaine Harris is at her best when she writes mysteries as evidenced by her other series, so this book just seemed meandering & lost.

There were several plot lines that all seemed to get the same page amount as the other. There was no big story here. First, we start with a revelation about Sookie’s family & her ties to the fairy world. Then, we move to the Shreveport werewolves who are having loyalty problems with their pack. That storyline is tied up in roughly 70 or so pages, & we turn the page to the vampires. Again, 70 or so pages are spent with Eric & Bill before we are thrust into the lives of Jason & Crystal. Finally, we end with Amelia & Bob.

I am upset with “From Dead to Worse” only because I love this series so much. I realize that many fans will feel differently, but I have tried to be as objective as possible. If this were my first book in the series, I would have put it down halfway through. I’ll still continue to buy the new books in hardback, but I really hope that the next Sookie book has a little more bite.

From Dead to Worse
No question, From Dead to Worse is a bridge book in the Southern Vampire series. I am one fan who thinks that is just peachy keen fine. I thought this was an excellent book, very engaging, by which I mean I read it all in one sitting, no stopping. While it’s true that this book is episodic in nature, my feeling is that going along with the characters on these episodes is high entertainment. As I get older, I find it becomes harder to concentrate, and that Charlaine Harris continues to hold my attention eight books into this series is just wonderful. The truth is, if you are going to read this series, you need to start with the first book. Read them in order, and don’t start with this one, because you need to know all the back story to fully appreciate how far the characters have come. (And can I just say: Sookie needs a vacation! Ms. Harris, send her off to a beautiful island where she can relax, forget her cares for a while, sip some rum punch on nice beach, and maybe go limbo-ing with some nice fella who doesn’t want anything more than the pleasure of her company.)

I think this book is for the fans who have fallen in love with these characters. We’ve spent the last year since the release of All Together Dead wondering what was going to happen next, and musing about the paths the characters would take. From Dead to Worse tells us some great stories, fills in some of the personal details we’ve all been aching to know, and sets the stage for what will be I hope many more books to come. I think From Dead to Worse was fabulous. Brava, Ms. Harris!

Buy Now!!!

Product Description

With Professional Adobe Flex 3, put your prior experience with Flash, ActionScript and XML-based languages to good use and learn how to use the Flex 3 platform to create Rich Internet Applications and AIR applications. Understand the potential of the Flex 3 platform through practical examples and hands-on advice on topics like desktop deployment, developing applications in MXML, creating custom flex components, charting, targeting AIR, and data interconnectivity.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49791 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1488 pages

From the Back Cover
In recent years, Flex has become the leader in rich Internet application (RIA) development technologies based on the Flash platform, and excitement continues to build around the potential of what Flex 3 has to offer. This comprehensive, in-depth resource provides you with the foundations of Flex 3 and shows how you can maximize your use of Flex 3 to create unique experiences on the Internet and the desktop.

The team of authors distinguishes the relationships between various aspects of Flex 3 and the Flash platform, while also offering extensive coverage of client-side Flex applications development and development best practices. They explain what Flex® Builder can do, how to develop simple Flex 3 applications, and ways to use the Flex 3 framework classes and components. You’ll also take a look at more advanced topics such as data integration, architectural frameworks, and advanced tools.

Packed with detailed examples throughout, this authoritative guide will get you up and running with Flex 3 quickly, regardless of your level of Flex experience.

What you will learn from this book

• Techniques for skinning and styling Flex 3 components
• Ways to integrate Flash-built assets into Flex 3 applications
• Various components in the Flex 3 framework that manipulate or display data in the application
• The Cairngorm micro-architecture framework
• Best practices for building efficient, high-performance Flex 3 applications
• Components of the Flex 3 toolset, including the debugger, profiler, unit testing framework, logging framework, and automation framework
• Ways to migrate to Flex from other languages

Who this book is for

This book is for programmers and developers who are looking to leverage the Flex 3 platform to create RIAs. Experience with Flash, ActionScript, and an XML-based language is assumed.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

About the Author
Joseph Balderson has been fascinated by computers and programming since picking up LEGOs and disassembling nearly every appliance he could find as a child, progressing on to electronics, microcontrollers, and robotics as a teen. This interest took a detour in his college years, when he attended art school and studied poetry, philosophy, and graphic design. When he discovered Flash 4 in 1999, Joseph found his true vocation, one that would allow him to combine his passions for art and science, design, and programming under one roof.

Peter Ent is a Computer Scientist at Adobe, working with the LiveCycle team. Prior to this, Peter worked for Adobe Customer Care as a Flex support engineer and then as a technical account manager. Before joining Adobe, Peter worked in the financial services industry at State Street and Fidelity Investments. He also has experience at two startups, building software applications doing imaging and molecular modeling. Peter holds a BS in Computer Science from Syracuse University.

Jun Heider is a senior developer and technical trainer with RealEyes Media, an Adobe partner company based in Denver, Colorado, with a focus in rich Internet applications. Jun graduated from Regis University with a BS in Computer Networking and has a number of technical certifications.

Todd Prekaski has been building software since 1993 (not including his youthful days programming an Apple IIc and TRS-80). He’s been leading application development and strategy for Web-based startups and Fortune 100/500 enterprises ever since, using a panoply of technologies and platform, including Java, .NET, and LAMP. Todd is currently the chief technical architect at Beacon Street Software, based in Boston, Massachusetts. Occasionally, his thoughts show up in his blog at www.simplifiedchaos.com.

Tom Sugden is a technical architect for Adobe Professional Services. His interest in computers began in the 1980s, programming sport simulators and beep-music on the ZX Spectrum 48k. When the keyboard broke from too much Dailey Thompson, Tom upgraded to the Commodore Amiga and continued to create amateur games (but with multi-channel sound) in AMOS, before dabbling in the black art of Assembly language.

Andrew Trice is the principal architect for Flex and AIR for Cynergy Systems, based in Washington, DC. He specializes in data visualization, client/server architectures, object-oriented principles, and rich application development. He has been developing for the Web for more than a decade, with more than eight years in development for the Flash platform. Andrew has developed with Flex since version 1.5, and thrives off the creativity and rich experience that the Flex/Flash platform enables. Andrew is also a regular author for Adobe Devnet and other industry weblogs. He is known not only for Flex expertise but is also a Microsoft Certified Application Developer and possesses a wide range of knowledge regarding relational databases, AJAX/JavaScript, ColdFusion, .NET, and Java-based Web applications.

David Hassoun is the founder of RealEyes Media, LLC, a digital media firm based in Colorado that focuses on interactive motion media and advanced Flash and Flex platform applications. David has always had a passion for motion media, the power of video, and the challenges of usability and interactivity. David is an Adobe Certified Master Instructor, teaches advanced RIA classes at the University of Denver, serves as the Rocky Mountain Adobe user group manager, and has taught and developed advanced Flash and Flex application courses. As a consultant or while employed with other firms, he has worked for a wide range of companies such as American Express, Chase Manhattan, Qwest, Boeing, Macromedia, Adobe, the U.S. Air Force, Bechtel/Bettis, and many more. David regularly performs advanced code and technical best practices reviews, and has provided directional advice for international industry leaders over the past years — including many technical, courseware, and application reviews as an industry expert.

Joe Berkovitz is president of Noteflight LLC, maker of the world’s first online music notation editor, and is a senior software architect with consulting shop Infrared5. With almost three decades of designing and building world-class software, Joe brings creativity and discipline to his work in Flash and Flex. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and is the originator of the popular MVCS architecture for complex Flex applications. Joe has published several ambitious open-source projects, most recently the Moccasin graphical editing framework and Flexcover, a code coverage tool for AS3. Joe is an active pianist and composer, and performs frequently in the Boston area.

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Customer Reviews

Solid Flex 3 Training
As usual, Wrox sets the standard among self-study books, this time for Flex 3. A multitude of bite-sized exercises steps the reader through all the fundamentals of this exciting (and complex) RIA development tool.
I personally much prefer this to the “build-one-giant-project” approach used by Adobe’s “Training from the Source” book, for example.

The one area I have found lacking so far has been regarding PHP database integration. The authors cover only RESTful web services with the Zend Framework. I would have preferred seeing some examples using the popular AMFPHP and WebORB technologies as well. (Installing the Zend Framework on a Linux server seems quite a bit more involved than these other approaches, perhaps especially so for shared server users, who may rarely if ever deal with Apache configuration issues.)

For more PHP data integration options, and an encyclopedic coverage of Flex, also check out the “Flex 3 Bible”, and for some good overall tips and tricks, in addition I recommend “Flex 3 Cookbook”.

Solid – Something for Every Skill Level
Generally, something that does many things well, doesn’t do any one thing great….

This book does many things great.

How did the publisher do this? Well, by making the book 1300 pages and having 8 authors. I think of this book not as ‘one big book’ but more as a few smaller ones put together.

Even though I am an experienced developer, I enjoyed the ‘intro’ to AS and Flex bits. This is accomplished by having an easy reading – cut to the chase attitude. There are plenty of ‘advanced’ topics as well, and those are easy and straightforward as well.

Honestly, I don’t know what else to say about this book. It’s comprehensive, easy to read and is exploding with insight. Just check out the Table Of Contents and you’ll see what I mean – really, check it out. Perhaps you will be surprised as I was at the range of topics it hits: from memory management with Eclipse to integration with REST/Zend, even Blaze/LCDS and FlexUint….sheesh, what doesn’t it cover.

Hmm I should probably mention a weakness it has…..ahhhh… the book is heavy…? Seriously tho, I haven’t had the time to read the whole thing ( did I mention it’s 1300 pages ). I’m sure it has shortcomings, but over the last few weeks nothing has stood out to me as yet.

A Must Have
If you are a professional Flex developer or someone just starting out, and you are looking for one book, this is the one. This is one of those books that you can read (and reference) over and over and learn something new each time you pick it up.

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Product Description

In this book, you’ll learn:

• How to create effective animations using the new Motion Editor and animation tools
• How to use the new 3D features to animate objects in 3D space
• Best-practice tips and techniques from some of the top Flash practitioners on the planet
• How to create captioned video and full-screen video, and deploy HD video using Flash
• Techniques for using the Flash UI components as well as XML documents to create stunning,interactive presentations

If you’re a Flash designer looking for a solid overview of Flash CS4, this book is for you. Through the use of solid and practical exercises, you will soon master the fundamentals of this latest edition of the Adobe Flash authoring tool. Using a series of carefully developed tutorials, you will be led from basic Flash CS4 techniques to the point where you can create animations, MP3 players, and customized Flash video players in no time. Each chapter focuses on a major aspect of Flash, and then lets you take the reins in a “Your Turn” exercise to create something amazing with what you’ve learned.

This book focuses on the core skill set you need to feel at home with Flash CS4, and also introduces you to some of the biggest names in today’s Flash community through interviews and actual “How To” examples, so you can learn from the masters. You will start by studying the Flash CS4 interface, and while you’re at it, you’ll be guided toward mastery of the fundamentals, such as movieclips, text, and graphics, which will lead you into some of the more fascinating aspects of Flash, including audio, video, animation, and 3D transformations.

By the time you finish, you will have created an MP3 player and a Flash video player, been introduced to the basics of ActionScript 3.0, learned how to combine Flash with XML, styled Flash text with CSS, created animated scenes, and worked your way through a host of additional projects. All of these exercises are designed to give you the knowledge necessary to master Flash CS4 from the ground up. If you’re already a seasoned Flash designer, this book will get you up to speed with the latest version in relatively short order.

This book covers all of the new Flash CS4 features, such as the new animation and 3D tools, the new Adobe Media Encoder, and a pair of the coolest new additions to the Tools panel: a Spray Brush tool and a Deco tool.

You can discover more about this book, download source code, and more at the book’s companion website: www.foundationflashcs4.com.

Summary of Contents

• Chapter 1: Learning the Flash CS4 Professional Interface
• Chapter 2: Creating Artwork in Flash
• Chapter 3: Symbols and Libraries
• Chapter 4: Actionscript Basics
• Chapter 5: Audio
• Chapter 6: Text
• Chapter 7: Animation
• Chapter 8: Animation, Part 2
• Chapter 9: Flash Gets a Third Dimension
• Chapter 10: Video
• Chapter 11: Building Interfaces With the UI Components
• Chapter 12: CSS
• Chapter 13: XML (Dynamic Data)
• Chapter 14: Building Stuff
• Chapter 15: Optimizing and Publishing Flash Movies

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34747 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 650 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781430210931
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Tom is currently Professor of Interactive Media in the School of Media Studies at Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Toronto, Canada. He has written 4 previous books on Macromedia technologies, and many articles for numerous magazines and web sites, including the MX Developers Journal, Community MX, and Computer arts. Lastly, he has spoken at over 20 conferences internationally, including FITC, MX North, Digital Design World, TODCON, and SparkEurope.

David is a career multimedia programmer/designer whose portfolio includes NASA, Adobe, and major US automotive and boat manufacturers. He likes anaglyph 3D photography, finely crafted wooden game boards, Library of Congress field recordings, and Turkish coffee. David is self-taught and gets a kick out of sharing \”aha!\” moments with others through consultation, mentoring, and regular contributions to the Adobe Flash and ActionScript forums. He is a resident author at Community MX, a web development training site geared toward Adobe products. David lives in Virginia with his amazing wife, Dawn, and his beguiling daughter, Meridian.

Product Description

The bestselling author of Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, and Under the Banner of Heaven delivers a stunning, eloquent account of a remarkable young man’s haunting journey.

Like the men whose epic stories Jon Krakauer has told in his previous bestsellers, Pat Tillman was an irrepressible individualist and iconoclast. In May 2002, Tillman walked away from his $3.6 million NFL contract to enlist in the United States Army. He was deeply troubled by 9/11, and he felt a strong moral obligation to join the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Two years later, he died on a desolate hillside in southeastern Afghanistan.

Though obvious to most of the two dozen soldiers on the scene that a ranger in Tillman’s own platoon had fired the fatal shots, the Army aggressively maneuvered to keep this information from Tillman’s wife, other family members, and the American public for five weeks following his death. During this time, President Bush repeatedly invoked Tillman’s name to promote his administration’s foreign policy. Long after Tillman’s nationally televised memorial service, the Army grudgingly notified his closest relatives that he had “probably” been killed by friendly fire while it continued to dissemble about the details of his death and who was responsible.

In Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer draws on Tillman’s journals and letters, interviews with his wife and friends, conversations with the soldiers who served alongside him, and extensive research on the ground in Afghanistan to render an intricate mosaic of this driven, complex, and uncommonly compelling figure as well as the definitive account of the events and actions that led to his death. Before he enlisted in the army, Tillman was familiar to sports aficionados as an undersized, overachieving Arizona Cardinals safety whose virtuosity in the defensive backfield was spellbinding. With his shoulder-length hair, outspoken views, and boundless intellectual curiosity, Tillman was considered a maverick. America was fascinated when he traded the bright lights and riches of the NFL for boot camp and a buzz cut. Sent first to Iraq—a war he would openly declare was “illegal as hell” —and eventually to Afghanistan, Tillman was driven by complicated, emotionally charged, sometimes contradictory notions of duty, honor, justice, patriotism, and masculine pride, and he was determined to serve his entire three-year commitment. But on April 22, 2004, his life would end in a barrage of bullets fired by his fellow soldiers.

Krakauer chronicles Tillman’s riveting, tragic odyssey in engrossing detail highlighting his remarkable character and personality while closely examining the murky, heartbreaking circumstances of his death. Infused with the power and authenticity readers have come to expect from Krakauer’s storytelling, Where Men Win Glory exposes shattering truths about men and war.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-15
• Released on: 2009-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

About the Author
JON KRAKAUER is the author of Eiger Dreams, Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, and Under the Banner of Heaven and is the editor of the Modern Library Exploration series.

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