Active Books

Although the book is a fun and lively introduction of the art and style of comic book lettering, It is scattered and confusing, sometimes sacrificing its readability to its style. The irony of a book on lettering,which requires order, to have this chaotic a book on the subject is odd considering the expertise of the author on the subject. But the book is fun and does give decent instruction on the subject of comic book lettering. Very little is mentioned in the realm of digital lettering,(odd again considering that IS how comicraft exists.) Not a great introduction to the world of lettering...currently DC's book on lettering by Todd Klein is the best resource for digital lettering I have seen. and the best on hand lettering continues to be "how to draw and sell comic strips" by Alan Mackenzie. I would recommend this book to one who has already read these as it it a fine compliment to those

Look through some of the comics that you consider to have the best lettering and fonts, and you may find that a number of them have Richard Starkings or Comicraft in the credits. In this excellent guide, Starkings shares his digital lettering secrets with you - everything from constructing a standard word balloon to text manipulation in creating sound effects to varigating your word balloons based on what's being said. This is an exceptionally useful guide - although the techniques described herein will take some practice to get right. Additionally, to use this guide, you will have to have Adobe Illustrator (this is the standard upon which this book is based). If you've ever had any designs on creating your own comics and want to start lettering on the computer, this is the only book for you.

The book is good, but I'm only giving it 2 stars because the info I wanted out of it is available for free on Comicraft's website. Save your money.

I bought this book in the hopes of an analysis of form similar to Scott McCloud's works. This book was very dissappointing in that it offers some extremely basic information on lettering, was a very short book for its price and also it is SO busy trying to "wow" you with comic art, screentone, etc. that it often overpowers you. Other books, by comparison, are done in a comic format but manage to be far better designed than this one.

I respect the lettering talents and the work of Comicraft, but the delivery kills the message!

This book is well written, funny [at times..] and VERY informative!! This will put you on the right path to lettering comics.
I use this book as well as the recommened fonts to create my own comics!!! Worth EVERY Penny!!

This book was recommended to me by some people who are hard core touring cyclists. They loved this book. I am new to cycling and was just looking to buy my first bike. I was told it would have some useful information for me, but I found the book to be a little overhwelming. It would probably meet the needs of very serious bicycle enthusiasts, but for the casual reader it is just too much information to process.

Provided the information I needed to get started in Bicycling. It is well written and easy to understand.

Great book, very easy to understand and follow all the instructions and tips. Provides a lot of information to start in the wonderfull world of traveling by bike.

I just started this last night, I have road ridden on a mountain bike for years, on a bike that has been refit for me several times, this book is very helpful, I would like to ride more and this will help me try some different bikes. My local bike store is full of nice people,but since I am not a serious rider,and am a short heavy woman, they have little time to help me. this book fill that need.

This book is a fantastic reference for the cycling enthusiast. It quite thoroughly covers absolutely everything you can think of when it comes to cycling. I highly recommend it.

I read this book when it first came out. As someone who's familiar with Aspen's team, and who's been involved in mountain search and rescue in Colorado for many years, I found Hal's book to paint a pretty good picture of what it's like to be involved in mountain rescue work.

However, like a previous reviewer, I feel it's rather arrogant. Hal pumps-up Aspen's team while putting down other agencies, and I feel there are some questionable comments in the book related to this. There are many fine EMS agencies and rescue teams in Colorado (..and elsewhere) of the same caliber as Aspen's team. This book should have been more humble in that regard.

Otherwise, I recommend it for anyone interested in this topic.

The falling season is a tough book to review, since I am involved in SAR work, not in Colorado though. First off the author is an excellent writer and keeps the book moving along. He gets into the personalities of the team members and when you do SAR work you realize that it is the interrelationships of the team personal that make or breaks your team. I think Mr. Clifford does a good job in detailing the day to day nuances of the characters in the book.

I also think that he portrays a realistic look at the tensions that arise between the NEEDED paramilitary Sheriffs department and the free-spirited rescuers. The facts are that the SAR Teams are going to become more and more under the direct aegis of the Sheriff departments. That means more liability issues will be raised and in turn more Certifications will be needed to be a member of any SAR team. While this may be a noble objective it also had the direct dilemma of ostracizing the competent members on any SAR team. I have seen it happen, so sometimes the net result is a SAR team will lose some competent people only to be replaced by individuals that have passed the minimum sheriffs department certifications. While technically these individuals are qualified to perform a rescue they are as inept as any mountain neophyte is and in most cases a liability to the team. But this is the wave of the future and a reason why the author sees SAR teams being staffed only by paid people.

One caveat for the any Non SAR person. This book does glamorize the work and makes it seem as non-stop action. I understand that the book has to do this otherwise it would be a bore to read. But real SAR work can be tedious and hard, no limelight, many days spent traipsing through buckthorn or on the side of some rattlesnake-infested ridge. You will come home on many days, dirty and tired, with fresh scrapes on your hands and faces oozing blood, just wondering just why you were assigned to search that area? But in the end it's always worth it.

This book starts with a great, well painted rescue. Most of the remainder of the book then focuses on the egos and personal conflicts of the team and sheriff. "He said this and she said that and I said this." As a member of a busy SAR team, I was amazed at (and saddened by) how poorly the team and Sheriff got along. I also question the pseudo-conclusion that rescue teams will become paid services.

If you are looking for insight into the personal relationships the make up a rescue community, you will like this book.

in Search and Rescue and this could have been any SAR team, any County, USA. The general press gets us wrong every time but Hal got it right. Thank you for a sometimes tearful, often funny and believable read of one of the many sides of a multi-faceted SAR team. PS: the past pres. should get over it!

Tha Falling Season gives readers an inside look at the operations of one of America's best rescue teams, Aspen Mountain Rescue. This fast paced book also lets us inside the personal lives of several key team members and shows us the triumphs and conflict that inevitably exist in such groups. Truly an excellent book for anyone interested in search and rescue and outdoor sports or mountaineering.

The book has excellent applications for use in everyday problems where I work. I have used many of them in my re-design of my company's website. I only wish there was a better message board application, but that is only a small issue compared with all of the other great code contained inside.
Thanks for a great book, Greg. I am waiting on Instant ASP.NET version 2!

This is the book you need not only deploy apps quickly, but also to learn the .NET language more efficiently. I also own other books by Greg, Instant ASP Components (A Very Nice Book). The examples within this book (Instant ASP.NET applications) are well written and easy to tailor to your own applications needs.

I just wish I would have know that all of the examples use VB.NET to power the applications. It doesn't really matter if you already know VB, or if you want to. But if you are more familiar with C# make sure and buy a book that specifies the language.

This book comes with dozens of useful, not trivial applications for ASP.NET web applications. I enjoyed the book and each example made me sit down and learn more about ASP.NET. The entire book is well organized and keeps you hungry for the next example. The source practically ran right off the CD. I did have a little trouble with one or two examples, but there were dozens that required me to simply create the database table. I definately recommend this book to ASP.NET Developers.

If you want to learn to write spaghetti code buy the book. This book is really a regurgitation of the first one written for ASP. The author demonstrates very little knowledge of the new OBJECT ORIENTED language that VB.NET has become which s a far cry from ASP (Hint: The original book). Additionally, this so called application might be useful if you need a website with very few visitors certainly not enterprise strength or NTier. I feel this book WILL send those new to ASP.NET in the wrong path. Inline coding is out the window with .net.
If you are looking for a book that is enterprise strength (maybe not a starter), try ASP.NET Website Programming: Problem - Design - Solution
by Marco Bellinaso, Kevin Hoffman by Wrox. They have one for vb.net and another one for c#. I purchased both which allows me to compare languages as well.

I don't know anything about land navigation and hoped that this book would help me. But it does not explain many of the concepts, and it doesn't even have a glossary. It has a topographic map in the back, but it is hard to follow the references to it. I consider myself a reasonably intelligent guy, but I've had trouble learning from this book.

This updated second edition of LAND NAVIGATION HANDBOOK: THE SIERRA CLUB GUIDE TO MAP, COMPASS & GPS could also have appeared in either our Sports or Military columns, but deserves mention here to be sure the widest possible audience receives notice of the completely updated edition including new text by Clyde Soles. Here is a pocket-sized 'bible' of outdoors survival, providing basic keys on everything from using maps and compass to using an altimeter, navigating by kayak on lakes, understanding GPS navigation and how to choose and use a GPS unit, and even how to navigate by moon and sun alone. Photos, drawings, and a fold-out topographic map provide plenty of visual illustration and examples of the details and make for an invaluable instructional reference both in the field and for at-home study.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The second edition of Land Navigation Handbook (2005) is the best book I have read on the subject of navigation. The explanations and expert guidance on choosing and using a compass, the distinction between magnetic and true north, choosing and using a GPS unit, how GPS works and its limitations (not just for north America but for other parts of the world as well) are definitely worth reading. I have learned a lot from this book. The book is not for land navigation only, it is also an indispensable aid for marine navigation. I sincerely think every sailor should have one in his sailboat (it measures only 8" x 4.5" x 0.5") as a reference book.

There is too much information in this book, much more than what is needed for the average "away for the long weekend" traveller.
It covers all the info. you need to know, even though at times it assumes that the reader is already knowledgeable about the subject of navigation.

As a book that holds itself out to be a handbook as well as a guide to the subject of maps and compasses, it fell woefully short in instruction on either.

1) There was virtually no mention of terrain features. One of the most important things to understand on a topo map are the terrain features and how you can use them and the map alone to navigate a parcel of land if you know your terrain features well enough. This is a must for any book of land navigation.

2) Section, re-section and modified resection. While modified resection was briefly mentioned, the first two were not. These three methods of positioning must be understood to successfully find a particular position on the map.

3. The lensatic compass, while an old model, is still utilized because it is one of the most well designed models ever built. Why was it not mentioned in the section on compasses?

4. The section on maps had no reference to the Military Grid Reference System.

Those were the primary complains, but there was nothing of notable value, either.

The book is fairly short, extremely readable, and a good example of how NOT to do this sort of thing. The author wrote up a list of extreme sports events he wanted to experience, despite being a self-described "couch potato". Bane did several items on his "list" without anything like the proper training or preparation.

The short length of the book means that a disappointingly brief chapter covers each item on the list. There's not a lot of technical or "how to do it" information in here, though I doubt many will read this book for that. I admit I'd hoped for some discussion of the boring old administrative stuff involved in setting up adventures like these. There is some discussion of his internal mental experience, and a sort of rough-and-ready sports psychology.

I enjoyed the book, but it scared the bejeezus out of me that anyone would do these things this hastily! An entertaining read for armchair extreme sporters, but not much more than that.

Inspiring reading that makes you take a good hard look at your own list! If you can read this book without telling others about it and wondering exactly how crazy this guy is you should be signing up for your place in the Death valley Marathon!Personally I will stick to the local fun run!

Being your average, near-40, near-couch potato, I loved this book. I didn't know squat about any of the sports, so I enjoyed his descriptions of what they require and some of the main events.

Best of all, his writing style is seriously funny. I laughed out loud so many times that my wife wanted to read a few chapters just to see what was entertaining me so.

Once I was done reading the book I decided that it really was time for me to run that marathon I'd been talking about for the last 25 years. And you know what? I did it. Thanks Michael Bane.

Have you ever felt that there must be more out there than the rut or routine you are in? Ever wonder what it is like to complete something which really looks cool and exciting?

This book is the story of a "middle aged" man who decided to push himself over the edge, and to see what it was like out there. In a pizza den or a bar, Michael Bane scribbled a list of 13 extreme activities that he knew nothing about, but which he was determined to do.

Michael Bane takes the reader through THE LIST, through the emotions and feelings he encountered, through the sweat, the pain and the failure of achievment.

If you need some additional motivation or some get-up-an-go this would be the hassle free way of starting the discovery of what you, normal person, can achieve if you really want to.

On the other hand, for the couch potatoes, this would be a great way to experience a part of the Extreme Lifestyle, which you sometimes hear about, or see on TV!

I started reading "Over the Edge" the Saturday of Labor day weekend thinking that I would read it around the weekend activities and ended up not being able to put it down to the detriment of some activities. Bane draws you in and you become as obsessed with the LIST as he was.

From cave diving to climbing Mt Mckinley Bane weaves an autobiography that only someone that is partly crazy could write. But the more that I read the more I started to reevaluate my life. At 51 I am no longer young enough to punish my body like he did but he has motivated me to make my own list of things that I have wanted to do in the past and always found an excuse not to do.

Banes' book shows you that your only limited by your own limitations and that risk is relative to reward.

"Over the Edge" gives desk jockeys like myself a new insight into the meaning of Risk. After reading Banes' book you will look at risk with a whole new perspective.

A cross between story and philosophy "Over the Edge" should be read by anyone that wants to make a profound change in their life, be it loosing weight or starting the next billion dollar dotcom company.

The main theme of this dense book is the future of the asset management industry. Alexander M. Ineichen claims that the investment business has undergone a paradigm shift, away from buy-and-hold and toward absolute-return investing. He explores the origins and implications of this shift in considerable detail and enjoyable prose. But, beware, this is not a book for beginners or generalists. Even close students of finance may find it difficult to follow the author's argument through his many detours and tangents (interesting as they are). Ineichen is an ardent fan of high-risk, high-leverage hedge fund investing, so his book will be controversial in the post-subprime-crisis atmosphere, where that kind of investing has fallen from grace. Ineichen quotes John Maynard Keynes as saying, "When circumstances change, I change my view. What do you do?" Published in 2007, the book references the equity market bubble of 1995 to 2000 as the most recent instance of large-scale market inefficiency, but getAbstract wonders whether the author would change his view after the much more consequential financial collapse of 2008.

Personally, the trend identified by Alexander M. Ineichen resonates with what I am observing in today's environment. There is an asymmetric expectations of volatility in returns by investors today. We need to face up to reality. Long term investors are nice to have but they are the minority. Treasure them if you have them as clients. Good luck and God Bless!

Alexander M. Ineichen has written some excellent research on hedge funds. His pioneering work titled "In Search of Alpha" was brilliant.

However, this book does not match up to his previous work and honestly I was disappointed.

I was impressed with Ineichen's knowledge and writing skills in his first book, Absolute Returns. I had read many hedge fund books but Absolute Returns was clearly the most entertaining to read and one could learn tremendously from it.

Ineichen's charm and witty humour could be found in this book as well, and it made reading a technical book a breeze. Ineichen had convinced me that the success of investment management is to manage the portfolio risk actively. However, very little is written on how active risk management can be achieved. I was disappointed on this note.

Moreover, many parts of this book are repeated from the first book.

While I bought both his books, I think I will only keep his first.

This serious, yet engagingly-written book thinks in new ways about how value is added in the portfolio management process, how one might look more correctly at the job of the investment manager (with an intense light on those functions that deserve a high management fee, and those that do not). Ineichen examines in a very clear way the meaning of alpha (the value added by investment management) as the structural ability to provide non-linear -- asymmetric -- return patterns; ones where the risk of negative returns to the portfolio is less than the opportunity for positive ones. Written in an approachable style that nevertheless makes some very important contributions, often with a touch of humor. Valuable perspective for investment professionals and their clients.

The canyons of North America are among the most spectacular in the world, providing unlimited opportunities for hikers, photographers, climbers, and other modern day adventurers. John Annerino offers a thorough guide to the fundamentals of safe and well prepared canyon exploration. The natural history and earth science of canyon country, as well as expedition conditioning, preperation, and equipment are discussed in detail, as are potential hazards and how to avoid them. -The Adventurous Traveler

There are some great reviews of this book at Amazon. I love canyoneering. The book wasn't expensive through third parties (probably a sign of the poor quality). I decided to get it. It was a mistake. I don't understand why there are any good reviews of it.

With regard to the "how to" part of canyoneering it is a complete waste of time - poor or little information. For example, the author likes to use iodine tablets for water purification and promotes them over a purifier. However, Chlorine Dioxide (e.g., Aquamira) is more effective, leaves no taste, and is also lightweight - it isn't mentioned as a far superior alternative. Polyester isn't mentioned for clothing but polypropylene is. The book was published in 1999. These are just two of numerous such examples. Maybe the author hiked these canyons when he was a kid. This doesn't belong in a 1999 book.

With regard to the history, geology, etc. It is just all over the place with serial lists of factoids arrange without organization. As an example, the page on the geology of Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon has four paragraphs. The first doesn't mention either canyon. The second mentions Paria along with various other canyons as having a "dark side" in the second to last sentence (nothing to do with geology, just that they are prone to flash flooding). The third short paragraph is about slot canyons generally and doesn't mention either canyon. The fourth finally has something on Paria and Buckskin geology - the geological formations found in the area - so impressive.

I could go on, but this book isn't worth more effort.

This book is not a guide book or even a how to book but rather a hodgepodge of history, biology, geology ect. If you want to sit at home and read a little about the southwest this is your book, if you actually want to go out and explore get Canyoneering Arizona by Tyler Williams or any of the books by Michael R. Kelsey.

As a two year resident of Arizona, I have embraced the wonder of the Grand Canyon and it's tributaries. This book ties together its legend, geology, hydrology and the spritiual. It erodes the sandstone and runs with ancients. Mr.Annerino has obviously been there, lived it as few have and was profoundly influenced by. Way to go.

The book was interesting for somebody wanting to learn and become familiar with canyoneering and dessert hiking. However, in terms of providing practical data on good hikes, it is far behind any of Steve Allen's books. If you're new to this, then buy this and Steve's. If you've been there and done this, no need to reread the basics.

A couple of weeks back I ordered this book based on customer reviews and got a refund without any clear reason. When I called them they just said "We cannot find the book you ordered". I did not understand why this book is still there when they "can't find the book"!!!Essential ASP.NET with Examples in Visual Basic .NET

There are so many books out about ASP.NET it can be a very difficult task to choose one. To me there seems to be two types of books. One is the example intensive (at times over laden) book. The other is the "how it works" type of book. The market seems to be flooded with example intensive books, but appears light in the "how it works" type. This book is a fantastic "how it works" book. It has good examples but is not drowning in them. The book's strength is its explanations of ASP.NET core topics, and the little tips and tricks that readers will pick up along the way.

This book is well written and flows nicely. Without a doubt it is an excellent book for beginners and intermediate levels, but I would bet that even advanced users would pick up tips and tricks from the book.

Summary

Chapter 1: Architecture
This chapter explains the basic new architecture behind ASP.NET.
Compilation vs. Interpretation, Code-behind, new Page architecture, Shadow Copying, Directives, and new Intrinsic Objects (HttpRequest, HttpResponse, etc) are a few of the topics covered.

Chapter 2: Web Forms
This chapter is all about Web Forms. ViewState, HtmlControls,
WebControls, and Events are some of the items discussed. One section I liked the best was the "Day in the life of a page". It explained the step by step events that occur during a page's lifetime in a very clear and concise manner.

Chapter 3: Configuration
This is an excellent chapter that discusses the new XML based
configuration in ASP.NET. Web.Config, Machine.Config, and
configuration hierarchy are examined. processModel and other elements are also discussed.

Chapter 4: HTTP Pipeline
This chapter goes over the HTTP Pipeline, and all the actions that take place each time a requests comes in. It goes into great coverage of how that request is routed through the architecture. It also goes over Context, Applications, Custom Handlers, and a few other related topics. This is a great chapter.

Chapter 5: Diagnostics and Error Handling
This chapter shows us how to get out of the classic response.write method of debugging ASP apps by examining the new diagnostic and error handling capabilities of ASP.NET. Page Tracing, Application-level Tracing, Error Handling, and Unhandled Exceptions are all discussed.

Chapter 6: Validation
This is a chapter that explains form validation (client and server-side), validation control architecture, and the validation controls.

Chapter 7: Data Binding
This chapter starts by explaining the fundamentals of binding data to controls, and then goes into IDataReader Binding, DataSet Binding, and picking when to use a DataSet vs DataReader. The chapter ends by discussing templated controls (DataGrid, Repeater, and DataList).

Chapter 8: Custom Controls
This is the largest chapter of the book (69 pages). This chapter
covers custom control fundamentals, state management consideration when designing custom controls, composite controls, and user controls. Designer integration with VS.Net as well as validation and data binding within custom controls is also covered. This is an excellent chapter.

Chapter 9: Caching
This chapter discusses the new caching opportunities that exist in ASP.NET. Output caching and how it works is discussed. The
VaryByParam attribute is also examined, as well as page fragment
caching. The chapter also covers data caching, and consideration and guidelines for using it.

Chapter 10: State Management
Application state, session state, cookie state, and view state are all covered in this chapter. I think this is a great chapter because it discusses the pros and cons of each type of state, which will help developers be able to determine which type of state management would be best for their specific situation. Good discussion, with great insights.

Chapter 11: Security
A short chapter on security ends the book. Server and client

authentication start the chapter out, and then we go into ASP.NET security. The authentication and authentication elements in the web.config file are both discussed, as is role-based authentication. System identity is the last topic discussed.

I give this book a 9 out of 10. It would be a great addition to any developer's library. There is also another version of the book with examples in C# for you semicolon worshipers. Well done!

This book reads as if the author was writing personal notes to himself. Right off the bat, the text had a very esoteric and exclusive feel to it. I suppose it could be used as a reference, but for someone trying to expand their knowledge of the language, and especially for people trying to learn ASP.NET for the first time, I highly discourage this as your first purchase.

If you have experience with object-oriented software development, all you need do is read the Preface of this book and you know it's what you are looking for. The book is designed for the experienced Web developer. It's perfectly positioned for those who've been working up the asp.net learning curve for a year or so. If you're not looking for "here's a class, here's a variable, this is what they are for, etc." the book is for you. Clear simple examples walk you through the architecture with lots of astute reinforcing visual aids. Great explanations of event handling, data binding and state management - the nuts and bolts type stuff. I particularly like the insightful two book printing approach one for C# and one VB.NET - no filler here! If you're a bit new or fuzzy with asp.net prime yourself with a beginning type book first or get a beginning type book for reference while reading this one because it is not a beginners book. But don't be shy. The writing style is respectful of learning. I regard this as one of the better technical books. The author is a trainer for DevelopMentor - if you've ever taken one of their courses you know what I mean - it's defiantly a guerrilla of a book!

I have about 5 books (mostly ebook format) on ASP.Net from the step by step to advanced and Fritz's book is an eye opener. Most of the ASP.NET books fail to mention why some quirks/details with ASP.Net the way they are. EAN is like a pointer and half way through the book, I had so many 'aha' moments that I was left wondering WHO IS THIS guy? Don't expect explanations about variables and such (go refer ASP.Net Web Developers Gude pub. by Syngress) and thankfully so. You will have a better understanding of ASP.Net by the end of the book than syntax which you would be thankful for when you start writing ASP.Net applications in real world. I have yet to finish the book but I couldn't wait to put in my 2 cents about this book. A definite must on your bookshelf (www.safaribooksonline.com)!!!

The book is well organized and informative. Although I have not yet finished reading the entire book, the parts I have read were well written. There were numerous illustrations to help explain the text. The appendix lists other books and sources of related information.

I have been using a compass for many years but I always thought there was much more than I knew. I went to using GPS for all my navigation a few years ago. I purchased 3 books on compass usage a couple years ago after my wife and I broke my GPS during a snowstorm in the mountains of Colorado leaving us in a bad mess.
I quickly ran through the other 2, and although they were good they were not as complete as this one. I have carried it with me for 2 years now. I find that what I think I have learned is easily wrong when out in the field so I now carry it with me and practice the stuff I am unsure of. Some people think this book is wordy but I find it fascinating. I reread certain chapters over and over, finding I have glossed over something that is more important than I originally thought.
If you want to trust a compass this is the book for you, but plan on spending some time with it.
I am buying this book for my son-in law as he relies exclusively on a GPS.
I guess the only thing I disagree with is a statement that a compass almost never breaks, as I have several that have been retired over breakage. I carry 2-3 with me now as I guess I'm not disposed to trust any one navigational instrument.

For those looking for a concise guide to map and compass use, look elsewhere. This book is rambling and wordy.

The relaxed, conversational pace of this book may appeal to some readers. It strikes me otherwise, and feels wordy, and in places little more than fluff. If the writing were tighter, the details would stand out better. Those details are there and worth getting. It is a good introduction in that sense. For some readers this may be enough. If you are inclined to read more than one book on any subject you're interested in, then this may be helpful as one of the first books on navigation you might read. But it is unlikely it'd be your last.

Great book. Read it before I went on a backpacking trip to Colorado. It taught me a lot about map reading, how to use a compass, and also how to be more aware of my surroundings. I would suggest this book to anyone who backpacks or does day trips.