Featured Books!

It's time to have some fun again. The Unbelievable Bubble Book takes you on an entertaining journey through the science of creating bubbles. But not just your average bubbles, we're talking bubbles up to 8 feet long and several feet in diameter! We started in the back yard and made a five foot bubble. It's floating along contracting and expanding, reflecting the sun, higher and higher till it's over the house. Next thing we hear are some of the neighbors who see this "thing" coming over our house. We all run to the front and the bubble is still doing its "dance" in the front yard before moving down the street and disappearing over a different house. Before we were done all of the kids and many of the parents in the neighborhood were in our yard. It was great fun. The book itself tells you how to mix the proper solution for creating the large bubbles. You also get a special "wand" designed for the task of making the bubbles. Following the directions and using the wand it took about 10 tries to make the bubble described above. There is a certain knack to releasing the bubble. I can't tell you how fun this is. Get a copy for yourself, read it, then play with the bubbles. It's fascinating stuff and you'll be glad you did. Then get a copy to share with someone else.
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We are all teachers. I don't mean just Al, Dan, Jim, and me. I include you, dear reader; I mean all of us. Employers teach employees, parents teach children, spouses teach each other, friends teach friends. This book is a quintessential handbook for teachers. It has a very specific goal: how to become a more effective teacher, thereby offering one's students more time for learning and less time wasted on conflicts, arguments, resistance, or plain old boredom. It is true that this book uses as its main context the teacher- student relationship, where the student is in elementary through high school. However, I personally find it to be an excellent guide to the universal skills of active listening, understanding and resolving problems and alternate points of view, and offering new content--be it the most efficient way to close a zip-lock baggie or the ideal way to debug an Excel macro--to an eager audience. Jim and I teach at seminars where there are several hundred people to engage and keep interested. On a different scale, we are often in situations where we're presenting a software engineering solution to a handful of project team members. The techniques I garnered from this book are of great help in all these situations.
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This is a book to read and share with others. Rather than bog you down in lots of technical jargon and theories, you'll experience a practical discussion of 14 motivation and working traits we all exhibit from time to time. Each is detailed along with how to *easily* notice them in yourself and others. I stress easily. You'll learn easy-to-spot styles of processing information and how to work with the different styles. In technical jargon these are called "Meta-Programs" and the book is a practical application of Roger Bailey's LAB (Language and Behavior) profile. Each style is discussed from various standpoints; how to recognize it and its application to education, hiring, marketing, and people management. The last category, people management, is covered from both the management and employee perspective, which is nice. You'll find all of the discussion easy to apply to relationships with spouses, friends, and family as well. I recommend this book for anyone who interacts with other people on a regular basis or just wants to improve their communication and understanding skills.
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The latest book from the publishers of TNPC hits the bookstores this month, T.J. Lee and Lee Hudspeth's Absolute Beginner's Guide to PC Upgrades. This time we've tackled the problem every PC user faces... do you upgrade your existing system or bite the bullet and buy a new one? And if the decision is to upgrade, how do you do it yourself? The good news is that you can successfully upgrade a variety of your computer's components and live to tell the tale. In this 578 page book from Lee and T.J. show you how to figure out when to upgrade and when it's time to get a new system. We cover a plethora of upgrades and walk you step by step through performing them yourself. We cover how to prepare a system for an upgrade, finding out the exact make and model of all your components, opening up a system, and more importantly all the tips and tricks you need to get the system put back together again in working condition.
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Java Examples in a Nutshell makes a very slick follow up to O'Reilly's "Java in a Nutshell" tome. The examples in this book provide much more depth to those in the earlier Java book. David Flanagan believes that people learn best by example and we heartily agree. As a teaching tool this book serves well and covers a very impressive range of Java topics; from Java Basics to Graphical User Interfaces to Servlets and much more. With 150 examples and close to 18,000 lines of code we found the book a handy addition to our reference library.
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This book carries the subtitle, "Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary." That's a long title, but would you pick the book up based on that? If you answered "no" then you would miss a thought-provoking journey through the Open Source movement. At its core the Open Source movement is the contrast between Centralized (the Cathedral) and de-centralized (the Bazaar) development. Dan first encountered this essay several years ago while surfing the Internet during lunch. The thoughts therein occupied his thinking for the rest of the day. Rather than just setting up an "us" (Open Source) vs. "them" (Microsoft) environment, Mr. Raymond details the differences. Make no mistake, he has a bias and it shows. Fortunately he does examine all sides of the issue and even admits that Open Source isn't always the perfect solution. What will you learn from this book? The real meaning of free software, some history, and the difference between hackers and crackers among other things. On a more practical level Dan picked up some thought-provoking and useable ideas on project management in the "Homesteading the Noosphere" essay. Don't skip the endnotes as they are full of helpful information. Throughout the book the essays are tied to cultural themes. This really helps keep the overall concepts in mind. For many the "Cathedral and the Bazaar" will present a new way of thinking about software in particular and intellectual property in general.
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(Since none of the TNPC staff has spent any length of time on a Macintosh computer we're grateful to TNPCer Fred Craven who graciously agreed to read and review this book for our Mac-based TNPC subscribers. -- Ed.)

Once upon a time I took trigonometry. But over time I forgot what I had once learned. Then later in life when I really need to perform a trig calculation what do I do? Well, I go back to my old textbook and find the page that shows me how to do it, and it all comes back. As a lifelong Apple computer user (that is, the life of Apple as I predate the company's origin by, er, a few years) I've never had an Apple computer textbook, I've just used Apple's computers. But occasionally I have wanted to understand exactly how something works in the system: why it does what it does. "Mac OS in a Nutshell" fills that missing textbook niche. Browsing through it, I found many assorted facts and bits of information, some of which I had learned but forgotten, and a lot that I should have learned but never did. I found it to be very comfortable reading, and often said out loud, "Oh, so that's what that's all about!" Despite the subtitle of the book, "A Power User's Quick Reference," I think advanced Mac users don't need this book, and probably won't want it because they "know that already." New Mac users, who have no computer experience, might find it to be just a little too much, without a corresponding instructor. But for the average Mac user (where I classify myself) it's a good resource to have hanging around, and for a PC user who is compelled to use a Mac it should help in the understanding of the logic and background of the Mac OS.
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If you're into Visual Basic and need to use the Windows API, this book rocks. Appleman wrote the book to give Visual Basic programmers the same level of documentation on the Windows API as was already available to C and C++ programmers. In his own words, "I designed this edition for programmers who are acquainted with Visual Basic but do not necessarily have any Windows API knowledge. As such it contains a fairly thorough windows primer that is based on the knowledge that you already have about Visual Basic. No knowledge of C or C++ is assumed--all of the code in the book is written in Visual Basic." He organized his book very intelligently. It is *not* a set of knee-jerk techniques and code samples. It is laid out so you'll get a good understanding of each self-contained subject area: an introduction, one or two sample programs, and a related Function Reference. The book includes a CD with the full text of the book, sample code, additional information, articles, and other items Appleman felt would be of interest to the reader. This is a classic.
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Originally printed in 1954 and now into its umpteen jillionth printing, this timeless classic was reminded to us by TNPCer Mike L. It's been said that there are "lies," "damned lies," and "statistics." This is the book that lays out how facts with figures can be used to pull the wool over your eyes and "prove" a totally biased point. Faster than a crooked roulette wheel Huff points out ways to warp the sample study, trick with the tabulation method, or intrigue with the interview technique. If you ever thought that statistics were being used to prove up is really down (and in an election year here in the USA who hasn't?) you'll get a lot out of this book.
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This is an expanded of edition of Ron White's classic book on how computers work. Updated, and expanded with incredible illustrations, the 5th Edition of How Computers Work will explain in clear concise prose how your computer does what it does. Tired of not knowing how the basic audio and graphics technologies work? This book will give even a complete beginner a solid understanding of what's going on inside the putty colored box. If you feel like your PC is a magic box of unfathomable mumbo jumbo this is a must have addition to your library. It covers the basic components of the PC plus the bewildering peripherals that you can hook up to your computer system. Comes with a multimedia tour of computers on CD-ROM. This is a great book!
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This isn't a book so much on how to do tricks but rather a book that interacts with you as you read it. The graphics are incredible and each page holds a new surprise. The pages of the book step you through several tricks with the results happening right on the page (you have to see it to believe it). Each page leads to the next with an interesting mix of magic, optical illusions, and little surprises. The book ends with a truly surprising finish on the last page. My wife went through the book with me the first time and enjoyed it. Unbeknownst to her I followed the reset instructions to alter some of the effects before showing the book to our son. She was just as surprised as he was at the outcomes of the same tricks she had just seen a few moments earlier. One tip, before going through the book with your children go through it once yourself and get all of the sliding panels, cardboard inserts, and moving parts working smoothly.
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This book grabbed me by the cerebrum and won't let go. I'm now starting my second reading, and hope to digest the bulk of Ferris' other work over the summer. Fellow cosmologists (amateur and professional alike), you will be inspired, challenged, and entertained by this marvelous work. Don't get me wrong, I am neither a physicist nor a practicing cosmologist, but oh how I long to walk that lofty path, if only in the shadows.
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What an inspiring book I found this to be. Originally published in 1993 I finally picked up a copy last week and found it fascinating, just over 300 pages in length with lots of full color illustrations. You'll also find pages out of many great thinkers' notebooks. People like Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, etc. While they didn't use Mind Maps explicitly the notes were interesting. I found it inspiring seeing these notes gathered together all in one place.

You might view this book as Applied Mind Mapping. There is instruction on Mind Mapping but the majority of the book is spent on practical application. How to apply Mind Maps to business meetings, presentations, family meetings, daily organizers, etc. Twelve specific areas are discussed and illustrated with colorful Mind Maps.

If you are looking for an introductory book you might be disappointed. On the other hand the best way to get started is to jump in and start making maps and this book gives you plenty of great start off points. Don't wait for the dogmatic step-by-step end all method of doing Mind Maps. Part of their appeal is how unique they are to *you*. Veteran Mind Mappers will pick this book up and find it comes complete with plenty of good Mind Mapping ideas.
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This book focuses on the core concepts of designing databases with Access, and the programming tasks relevant to that design process. Roman has done a good job organizing his book. It flows smoothly from a discussion of the entity-relationship model of a database to introductory relational theory, database design principles, queries, and programming. The latter topic includes a good overview of the Data Access Object (DAO) and Access object models, along with a primer on the Access programming language Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Since VBA is common to all the Office 2000 applications--Access, Excel, FrontPage, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word (even Project)--if you're new to VBA then what you learn here about its syntax and editing environment will apply to all these other applications too. A set of handy appendices provide the following: a reference to the DAO 3.0/3.5 object model, a discussion of the quotient (a specialized type of record selection technique), how to get the sample material and examples discussed in the book, and a "suggested reading" list. This book focuses on what you really need to know to develop with Access, not everything you could possibly know. And that's an important distinction.
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When we reviewed Ender's Game we had no idea that so many of our readers were science fiction fans. The TNPC Readers' Sci-Fi Recommended Book List is made up from the most often recommended books sent in by you, our readers. This is a great collection of the best in science fiction just in time for summer vacation.

Canned laughter, opera, fraternity hazing, G. Gordon Liddy, Jim Jones, missing wallets -- what do these things have in common? They are used as examples in this remarkably readable account of the methods others use to influence us. Six techniques are discussed with plenty of examples. Each is followed with practical ways to identify and protect yourself against these techniques. As you read this book your awareness of what's happening around you will increase. So buy this book, because you have better things to do with your time than being led down other people's garden paths. (This book is a perfect companion to S.I. Hayakawa's "Language in Thought and Action" recommended in TNPC #3.01.)
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If you use Microsoft's Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming language to manipulate Office 2000, or if you use Visual Basic to control Office 2000 applications programmatically, this book is for you. In fact, this tome ships for free with the (very expensive) Developer's Edition of Microsoft Office 2000. It weighs in at a hefty and informative 800 pages, plus a CD filled with tons of sample code. The sample code is neatly cross- referenced in the text of the book, right down to the corresponding folder and filename. Whether you are just getting your feet wet with the fine art of programming Office 2000, or are a veteran code warrior able to write a recursive function while daydreaming, there is material in this book you'll find useful. Let's see if I can pack it all into one sentence: coding conventions; a review of all the Office object models (including the "shared components" like FileSearch, Office Assistant, etc.); Automation; VBA language optimization; error handling/debugging; custom classes and objects; the Windows API; DLLs; add-ins (all flavors, including our favorite, the new COM add-in technology); the Web; custom help; database solutions and related issues; and security.
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What does Harry Potter, the fictional star of the hot new kids' book, have to do with computers? Nothing at all! But if the Pokemon craze caught you clueless and you have kids in your life, better catch up on this amazing series of books by J.K. Rowling. While the Harry Potter franchise is big now, it's nothing compared to what it's going to be. There are three books in the series currently in print (the first having spent 42 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list) with a promised total of seven. Book four (possibly titled "Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament") is due out in early July. Warner Brothers has purchased the movie rights (rumored to be trying to get Spielberg to direct) and is looking at a 2002 debut, Hasbro is doing the complete line of Harry Potter toys (due out this fall), there's a Saturday morning TV cartoon show due any minute, and I only wish I owned stock in the fair J.K. Rowling.

I've been reading the first book to my four kids and it holds them all in rapt attention (ages 4 through 12) as the story unfolds of an orphan boy who at age 12 finds out he is not only a wizard, but the famous heir to a magical family of wizards and witches. In the Sorcerer's Stone Harry is accepted into the most prestigious Wizarding school in England where he meets other young wizards and witches and begins his education in the magical arts. Needless to say there are adventures aplenty but what I found most interesting about all the Harry Potter books is that I never knew what would happen next. Something totally new and unexpected on every page made me think that either the author has an imagination to be envied or that children's tales in England are very different than those over here in the USA. I also like that each book, while part of a series, is a tale in and of itself without cliffhangers (I still remember how unhappy I was with the film "The Empire Strikes Back" and how long I had to wait for the ending).

Be warned that there is a growing controversy swirling around the Harry Potter books, with several conservative groups taking the position that these stories promote the "use of witchcraft" and occult activities. I did not find this to be so but opinions vary. I particularly like that the books lend themselves nicely to reading aloud (if you don't read to your kids, start soon) so as to let me give vent my repressed theatrical leanings.
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A massive doorstop of a book, weighing in at over sixteen hundred pages, this is probably the most definitive work on PC repair that I've ever come across. It covers every aspect of PC hardware down to the pin-outs of the various internal cables connecting the cards and devices. This tome's intended audience is Information Technology and techie types who really need a full- blown hardware reference book. If you've ever wondered how the Intel Socket 370 compared to the Super 7 processors from AMD, or how much faster RDRAM is over SDRAM, this is the book for you.
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This is the third book in the "Information Processing" trilogy recommended by Dan to anyone wanting to have more control over the information flowing into his or her life. The first book we recommended, "How To Read A Book" by Mortimer Adler (TNPC #2.25), details the different types of information you will encounter and how best to extract it from the written page. Next was "Language in Thought and Action" by S.I. Hayakawa (TNPC #3.01), which gives you practical insights into decoding information and getting at the truth in what you read. Now we come to Tony Buzan who gives you tools to integrate the approaches of the previous two books and brings you up to speed on optimal methods of note taking, studying, reading, and memory. Of particular interest in this volume is the "Organic Study Method" that shows you how to implement the optimum amount of study for maximum retention of your material.

It's surprisingly easy and takes much less time than you would imagine. Most reviewers focus on the Mind Map technique and miss more of the useful information in the book. If you are a student or your career involves rapidly changing information (technology, computers, the Internet), or you just like to surf the Web for information, these books will give you an edge and help you make the most of your time and your information. I've used them for 15 years and wish I'd found the 10 years earlier than that.
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Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa. This is a book that will actually change the way you process the information that you're bombarded with every day. Hayakawa's focus is on language and meaning, with examples from both blatant propaganda and the more subtle diversions used in advertising. But this book packs more than just descriptions of linguistic concepts; you'll learn how to decode the information coming at you in casual conversation, Madison Avenue ads, or for what passes these days as news reports. The flip side of this will be improvements in your own communication skills. "Language in Thought and Action" deserves a place next to "How to Read a Book" (featured in TNPC #2.25) as a valuable tool to help you decode the knowledge you need in our information-overloaded world.
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How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren. How interesting can a book entitled How to Read a Book be? It will prove to be one of the most useful books you'll ever read. What you'll discover between the covers of this classic tome is how to extract and learn the information from any book you pick up. I first read this book halfway through my university stay and it made a total difference in how I have approached learning since then. This is one book I put on the must-read list for anyone looking to get past the hype (or lack thereof) and get to the truth -- even in TNPC! If you do any reading in the course of your day you owe it to yourself to get a copy of this great book.
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Inventor by Tim Berners-Lee and Mark Fischetti. Here is the story of the Internet by the man who invented it. Though a bit dry at times, the story is fascinating and certainly has changed the way we communicate. One of the more interesting sections of the book is on Berners-Lee's view of the future of the World Wide Web. If you have more than a passing interest in the Internet or just want to learn about how the Web began this is the book for you.
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Search Engines: For the World Wide Web by Alfred Glossbrenner. This handy guide will take you through an easy to understand and visually appealing guide to Internet Search Engines. After laying the groundwork for successfully searching the Web you'll learn about six specific search engines and how to maximize your results. AltaVista, Excite, HotBot, Infoseek, Lycos, and Yahoo! are each given a thorough treatment that will have you separating the wheat from the chaff on your online searches in no time. More importantly you'll have learned the fundamentals to searching which can be applied to any search engine that you choose to use either now or in the future. If you've been stumped, overwhelmed, or just plain frustrated with your Internet searching, pick up this book and find the answers you've been looking for.
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Poor Richard's Guide to Internet Marketing and Promotions by Peter Kent and Tara Calishain. Subtitled "How to Promote Yourself, Your Business, Your Ideas Online," Peter and Tara take you step-by-step through the process of promoting yourself or your product online. Unlike many books of this type, the steps you find here are detailed and very practical. The authors write in a very easy to read style. Having two authors for this book makes for some interesting contrasts as they discuss which techniques were successful for each of them. Contrasting their successes this way helps point out that Web promotion and marketing are not a one size fits all proposition. If you are involved in promoting a Web site or are thinking of marketing a product on the Internet, get this book and have a proven road map to follow.
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The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks Jr. If you are interested in a definitive exposition on the wild and wooly subject of large-scale, complex software project management, search no further. Brooks' "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering Anniversary Edition" will revolutionize your thinking about these types of projects. If you think that your three or four-person development team isn't "large" and therefore won't benefit from Brooks' methodology, not so. His observations and techniques are wonderfully scalable. In fact, his techniques provide tremendous benefits regardless of the size of your coding shop.
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About Face by Alan Cooper. This book was released in 1995 and concerns itself with user interface design. On the whole the book is very readable and includes many examples of bad user interface design. I find that I can pick the book up, open it at random, and have several new thoughts flowing after reading just a few pages. As you read the book you can begin to understand how end users actually use software. Be careful though! The more you understand, the more impatient you will be with badly written and designed software applications. Unfortunately this is the type of book that appeals least to those who need it most.

While the book was written prior to the explosion of the Internet there is much here that can be applied to Web site design as well. Basically if you design user interfaces in any capacity or are interested in usability aspects of software you will find much food for thought here. I highly recommend this book.
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Perl CD Bookshelf by O'Reilly & Associates. Whether you are a beginning Perl programmer or a full-blown hacker, the Perl CD Bookshelf has something for you. You get a hardcopy of Perl in a Nutshell (654 pages) and a CD-ROM containing the full text of Perl in a Nutshell, Programming Perl, 2nd Edition, Perl Cookbook, Advanced Perl Programming, Learning Perl 2nd Edition, and Learning Perl on Win32 Systems. All of the books are fully cross-referenced and indexed including a master index for the entire library as well as a search engine for quickly gaining access to the entire contents of the CD-ROM. O'Reilly has done a very nice job formatting these books into HTML pages viewable from any Web browser.

Using the Perl CD Bookshelf library couldn't be easier, just insert the CD in your CD-ROM drive. The search engine is initialized and the master Table of Contents appears in your default Web browser. You'll quickly become accustomed to searching for an answer followed by a quick cut and paste of any sample code for testing. Also the combined master index helps you gain a broader perspective of the information available than when you are just looking in the individual books. I did find myself wishing the standard Perl documentation and FAQs had been included at times but overall I am very satisfied with this CD library
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Special Edition Using Office 2000 by Ed Bott and Woody Leonhard. This doorstop book weighs in at over 1400 pages and over 5 pounds. Covering Microsoft's flagship Office 2000 product this is a replacement for all the manuals that Microsoft no longer provides with its software. Covering the basics of each component found in Office this book is a valuable resource that anyone using Office day to day will appreciate.
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Special Edition Using Access 2000 by Roger Jennings. This is the soup to nuts Access 2000 extravaganza. Over 1200 pages of in-depth information on using this popular database product from Microsoft. Roger Jennings is one of the leading authors on Access and knows databases. He has done a fine job in making what is inherently a difficult subject actually readable where possible or at least digestible where not. He walks you though tables, database structure, the Jet engine, hooking into MSDE via ADP, the problems with DAP, Microsoft's fixation on the Web, and a host of other TLAs (three letter acronyms) in a tutorial/reference masterpiece that anyone planning on doing Access development will want to have on their shelf. At $31.99 on Amazon it's well worth the investment.
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The Unofficial Guide to PCs by T. J. Lee, Lee Hudspeth, and Dan Butler. Written by three of the same guys who bring you TNPC every two weeks, this book is for anyone that has to deal with setting up, maintaining, using, and otherwise having to cope with a personal computer on a day to day basis. From setting up a new PC only to find you need a missing cable at 9:00 PM on a Saturday night to trying to keep track of software versions, upgrades, fixes, and patches. What to do with that umpteen gigabyte hard drive. What's the best way back up your data, cope with the Internet, deal with peripherals (don't be fooled by common monitor scams), customize your Windows desktop, disaster recovery (and what you can do to minimize a disaster ahead of time), and much, much more! 512 pages to help you in your battle to get useful results out of your personal computer from the guys you can trust.
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Poor Richard's E-Mail Publishing by Chris Pirillo and Peter Kent. Subtitled "Creating Newsletters, Bulletins, Discussion Groups and Other Powerful Communications Tools"... Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome fame along with Poor Richard himself, Peter Kent, have put together a great book showing you how e-mail is used to disseminate information in electronic newsletters (just like TNPC), discussion groups, and news bulletins. If you've ever thought of creating a mailing list or just want to know more about what goes into creating an online newsletter, this is the book for you. Ah, you might even find a chapter about TNPC in this really outstanding tome.
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LINUX for Dummies by Jon "maddog" Hall. "LINUX for Dummies: Your First Aid Kit for Installing the LINUX. Operating System" is a great companion for those of you who want to experiment with this free OS that has the computer industry abuzz. This book comes complete with a CD that contains Red Hat 5.2 so you are ready to install as soon as you turn to page 1. If you've never touched LINUX before, this is a great starter book since it not only takes you through the install but shows you what to do once you get to that first prompt. Log in, user name, all the essentials are covered in this book as well as troubleshooting any problems you might encounter. This book has gotten some less than stellar remarks on Amazon but we don't agree, it's well worth the $20 we paid for our copy.
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Teach Yourself Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 by Patrick Grote. This is a great primer to get you up to speed on installing, managing, or troubleshooting Exchange Server in a hurry. Broken down into a series of tutorials, you tackle the management of Microsoft's messaging backend in digestible chunks. Patrick has made good use of screen shots and callouts focusing on the basics for each topic covered.
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The CDNow Story by Jason Olim. Subtitled "Rags to Riches on the Internet," this book traces the rapid growth of the online music store CDNow. Started by twin brothers Jason and Matthew Olim in their parents' basement, this book is an excellent chronicle of a true Internet success story. You'll not only read the story but learn from their mistakes. The lessons on applying the Internet to business are clear and many of the concepts carry over to any business. If you enjoy a good success story, pick up a copy of this book.
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How Computers Work by Ron White. By now you're probably aware that we like books that do a superior job of visually explaining their subject matter. This one is no exception. As you look at the pictures you can begin to understand the inner workings of your computer, presented in a way that is both interesting and useful. Fascinating stuff that you'll return to again and again. If you'd love to learn more about the inner workings of PC's this book will put you on the path to enlightenment.
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The Underground Guide to Telecommuting by Woody Leonhard (Addison-Wesley). Whether you are putting in a second phone line or outfitting your home office for full-time work you'll find plenty of tips, tricks, and just plain good advice along with a healthy dose of humor. This book focuses on telecommuting but the advice extends to anyone who works on a computer in their home. If you don't telecommute now you'll find helpful advice on how to get the ball rolling down at the office. This book has been out a while but has a wealth of practical, useful information.
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The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams, ISBN 0-88730-8589. Dilbert has leapt off the comic pages to his own television show! Get the book that defines what Dilbert is all about. Downsizing, re-engineering, rightsizing, reorgs, or Total Quality Management, whatever the inane, stupid, time-wasting process that's making you nuts, Dilbert has your only defense - laughter. In this classic book, Scott Adams launches a no-holds-barred attack on management fads, large organizations, pointless bureaucracy and sadistic rule-makers who glory in the total and absolute control of your paper clip supply. If you've ever had your paradigm shifted add this book to your reading list.
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Roger Jennings' Database Developer's Guide With Visual Basic 6 by Roger Jennings, ISBN 0-67231-0635. For the straight word on database development with VB you can't find a better source than this outstanding book by Roger Jennings. Find out what you need to know as a serious developer, from OLE DB and Active Data Objects, to hierarchical Recordsets. This is an amazing high-end book that covers advanced technical topics in a concise clear-cut manner. All client/server examples use SQL Server 7.0 with its native OLE DB provider. Definitely not for beginners but is a definite must-have for anyone developing databases that wants a comprehensive resource.
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Envisioning Information by Edward R. Tufte (Graphics Press), ISBN 0-96139-2118. In "Envisioning Information," Ed Tufte provides landmark follow up work to his Visual Display of Quantitative Information. This book is the definitive word on how information should be graphically presented. Rich with examples of some of the finest information presentations in the world, fully illustrated and with the concepts behind them discussed in detail. If you put information on paper, PowerPoint slides, flip-charts, Web pages or just scribble on cocktail napkins you must read this book. It's that good.
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The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay (Houghton Mifflin), ISBN 0-39593-8473. Just how does an electric can opener work? Get the straight scoop on how machines you use every day are able to do what they do. The first version of "The Way Things Work" was on the New York Times bestsellers list for 50 weeks. What does a carburetor, a fire extinguisher, and a toilet have in common? This book will inform you in a clear-cut, funny, and easy to understand way. From modems to meat grinders, zippers, rockets and egg beaters, you'll see what underlying principles govern the magic that makes things work. Magnetism, gears, and electricity are all explained. This book is a great book for any parent whose kid has ever asked, "How does that work?"
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The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman (Currency/Doubleday), ISBN 0-38526-7746. Ever wonder how the lowly paperclip came to be? Can you imagine spending your days working on the perfect functional design for... a door knob? This book is the definitive introduction to usability in design. Whether you drive nails, write software, or are just tired of spilling coffee from the office coffee pot you need this book. You will never look at the ordinary objects in your life the same way again. A fascinating read.
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The Mother of All Windows 98 Books by Woody Leonhard and Barry Simon (Addison Wesley), ISBN 0-20143-3125. At over 900 pages the highly anticipated successor to the best-selling Mother of All Windows 95 Books. Completely revamped for Windows 98 (using the released version, not betas), this up-to-date classic features invaluable tips, shortcuts, and clear explanations of Windows' ins and outs enabling readers to get a handle on the operating system, fine-tune it, and reap its maximum benefit.
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Perl Cookbook by Tom Christiansen & Nathan Torkington (O'Reilly), ISBN 1-56592-2433. The Perl Cookbook describes itself as "Neither a reference book nor a tutorial book" but rather a reference for other books. And it does this task very well. At 757 pages it's a large book with little padding. Each section starts with a discussion of the topic covered and ends with a full program. The individual recipes each have a clearly stated problem, code sample for solving the problem, and a discussion of the various issues involved in each individual problem. A refreshing change is the authors' willingness to discuss the problems with programming certain types of solutions rather than just throwing out a code snippet that doesn't really do what you expect it to do. An example is the discussion of verifying an email address. The fact is that you can't verify every email address with certainty. The authors discuss why and give you code to try the various alternatives. Several of these recipes have already made their way into the creation of this newsletter. You'll find lots of books talking about Perl, and this is one of the better ones. Very highly recommended. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 10.
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Poor Richard's Web Site by Peter Kent (Top Floor), ISBN 0-96610-3289. If you've ever wanted to build your own Web page but didn't have a clue about how to begin, or how to do it on a shoestring budget, you need to get this book. Author Peter Kent has done an amazing job mapping the ins and outs of assembling a Web site without going bust. Saving you money by the fistful and eliminating huge amounts of time and frustration, "Poor Richard's Web Site" (we *love* the subtitle "Geek-Free, Commonsense Advice on Building a Low-Cost Web Site") has more great ideas and tips than Ben Franklin had witty homilies. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 9.
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Woody Leonhard Teaches Microsoft Office by Woody Leonhard (MacMillian), ISBN 0-78971-7050. An introduction to Microsoft Office by best-selling author Woody Leonhard. If you're trying to get your feet wet with Microsoft's market leader software suite, this is the book that will get you up to speed in a hurry. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 8.
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The Underground Guide to Color Printers by M. David Stone (Addison-Wesley), ISBN 0201483785. A gem of buried treasure on everything you ever wanted to know about color printers. Probably the definitive work on color printers written in witty, concise, and understandable prose by one of the major computer writers in the business. If you have a color printer, are thinking about getting a color printer, or just want to know why things that look one way on your monitor screen look like they do when you print them you need this book. If you develop Web sites the color inserts are a must have as well. Learn about mixing colors, complimentary colors and just a ton of interesting and useful stuff. This book has been out for a while but it is a sleeper that packs incredible value. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 7.
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Outlook Annoyances by Leonhard, Hudspeth, & Lee (O'Reilly), ISBN 1-56592-384-7. Microsoft's premier and long-awaited PIM is now in its second version. In our estimation, Outlook 97 was more like a beta release, and Outlook 98 is really a version 1.0 product. In this book we show you why Outlook is a frustrating, annoying, yet incredibly useful piece of software. And we show you how to work around or avoid the vast majority of its annoying gotchas. Covers both Outlook 97 and 98. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 6.
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Windows 95 Annoyances by David Karp (O'Reilly), ISBN 1565922662. The premise of Windows 95 Annoyances is that Windows 95 and Windows NT are pretty dreadful until you've performed a healthy amount of customization work. If you're a long-time supporter of this premise, you'll appreciate this eclectic grab bag of techniques for fixing major weaknesses, curing minor annoyances, and boosting overall performance. This is the book that launched the Annoyances Series and it goes a long way to solving many of the problems Windows users encounter. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 4.
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Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit by Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft Press), ISBN 1572316446. Not satisfied with the manual that came with Windows 98? Here's 1750 pages of technical specs and other info straight from Microsoft. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 3.
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The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte (Graphics Press), ISBN 0-96139-210X. If you create charts or graphs in Excel, or any graphics or charting software whatsoever, or even if you draw pie charts on cave walls, GET THIS BOOK! No one should be allowed to click on a chart wizard button unless they've read this amazing book on the visual display of quantitative data. There is much more to charting than you might suspect. This book is an incredible resource. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 2.
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Also from Edward R. Tufte:
Envisioning Information (Graphics Press)
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Order from Amazon.com UK Visual Explanations : Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative (Graphics Press)
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Webmaster in a Nutshell (Deluxe Edition) by Spainbour & Quercia (O'Reilly), ISBN 1-56592-3057. The Deluxe Edition comes with a CD-ROM that contains the full text of HTML: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition, CGI Programming on the World Wide Web, and Programming Perl, 2nd Edition. This book is the single best investment that a beginner, seasoned, or veteran Webmaster can make. Featured in TNPC Volume 1, Issue 1.
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Books We've Written!

T.J. Lee and Lee Hudspeth's Absolute Beginner's Guide to PC Upgrades by T. J. Lee and Lee Hudspeth. The latest book from the publishers of TNPC hits the bookstores this month, "T.J. Lee and Lee Hudspeth's Absolute Beginner's Guide to PC Upgrades." This time we've tackled the problem every PC user faces... do you upgrade your existing system or bite the bullet and buy a new one? And if the decision is to upgrade, how do you do it yourself? The good news is that you can successfully upgrade a variety of your computer's components and live to tell the tale. In this 578 page book from Lee and T.J. show you how to figure out when to upgrade and when it's time to get a new system. We cover a plethora of upgrades and walk you step by step through performing them yourself. We cover how to prepare a system for an upgrade, finding out the exact make and model of all your components, opening up a system, and more importantly all the tips and tricks you need to get the system put back together again in working condition.
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The Unofficial Guide to PCs by T. J. Lee, Lee Hudspeth, and Dan Butler. Written by three of the same guys who bring you TNPC every two weeks, this book is for anyone that has to deal with setting up, maintaining, using, and otherwise having to cope with a personal computer on a day to day basis. From setting up a new PC only to find you need a missing cable at 9:00 PM on a Saturday night to trying to keep track of software versions, upgrades, fixes, and patches. What to do with that umpteen gigabyte hard drive. What's the best way back up your data, cope with the Internet, deal with peripherals (don't be fooled by common monitor scams), customize your Windows desktop, disaster recovery (and what you can do to minimize a disaster ahead of time), and much, much more! 512 pages to help you in your battle to get useful results out of your personal computer from the guys you can trust.
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