PDF Hacks - 100 Industrial Strength Tips and Tools by Sid Steward - Book Review

If you have ever downloaded free ebooks, product manuals, consumer guides, etc from the web you are aware of PDF files. These files owe much of their popularity to the fact that they can be read on any computer with the free Adobe reader. Also, most word processing programs have the capability of converting a document to PDF format with a mouse click. PDF is the acronym for Portable Document Format, a format created by Adobe Systems for document exchange. I was a passive use until I picked up a copy of "PDF Hacks" by Sid Steward. This book really opened by eyes to the many features of this tool.

The first to interest me was PDFtk, or PDF Tool Kit. This is a set of command line tools available for both windows and linux. With PDFtk the user can select specific pages of a document, rearrange them, combine with other books, and essentially create customized reference documents. As an example, I have the usual collection of ebooks on article writing. By combining my favorite pages from each, I had one handy reference source. I even added my own notes to various sections to tie the material together and document the tips and procedures I had discovered.

For some time I have been using the free open source program Inkscape to create vector graphics. Inkscape has many of the same features as Adobe Illustrator. Sid shows how to use pstoedit to create vector files and embed them in a document.

There is a section on adding web style navigation to your PDF document. Buttons can be used to link to online material. It is easy to style these buttons to get away from the usual gray institutional looking buttons.

Hack #66 shows how to copy protect the PDF document you have created. This is very important because of the ease with which documents are passed around on the web. It is very frustrating to spend a lot of time and research developing a commercial product that has real value for the reader only to find that is being distributed by others as a free document.

I knew that Visual basic could be used to access and manipulate PDFs. What I didn't know but learned in Hack #95 was that I could do the same thing with perl. Perl is free, well documented, and has an extensive support community. There are many available perl modules to simplify the code for any project.

PDF Hacks is a great book. Grab a copy and start creating your own books.

John Paige is a writer, researcher, and student of how technology can be used to enhance the quality of life

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Deal With Windows Error Messages

It is very common that many computer users have encountered and faced the problem which Windows error messages pop up repeatedly. It must lead to programs not to respond and the PC to slow down or freeze. It is more dangerous when you are operating your pc.

You can image that when you are either installing or uninstalling a program or hardware when windows errors occur and then changes occur in your windows registry that may not always be accurately reflected, thus creating numerous unused applications, incomplete commands, and broken drives. As we all know that windows registry is a very important database in which all programs that you use, including Windows itself, store an enormous volume of data.

Essentially, it represents your PC's unique configuration. So whenever you make a change to the control panel settings, file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected in the registry. In effect, windows registry monitors the way your entire system behaves, and unless you keep this registry clean and error-free, you will not get away from windows error messages. When you install and uninstall software, for example, you may make a change in your registry and even a very little registry change may lead to registry mangle.

So it is pretty obvious that without a clean and efficient registry, your windows operating system is vulnerable to corruption and crashing.

Therefore, you need to take corrective measures to optimize the performance of your PC by cleaning your windows registry.

The best way is to use a good Registry Cleaner to scan and fix your registry periodically. Of course,you can use regedit to clean your registry manually. But it is not suitable for most pc users. This is because only a technologically proficient person can manually edit the registry. It is a delicate and time-consuming process, and amateurs run the risk of permanently damaging their systems by trying to manually clean their windows registry.

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A Review - Adobe Photoshop CS One-on-One

As the title implies, Deke McClelland gives the reader a one-on-one approach to the wonders of Adobe Photoshop CS. The book provides a comprehensive walk through of the features of Photoshop in a classroom setting where the reader is the lone student and McClelland the teacher.

Deke McClelland is an Adobe Certified Expert and a member of the PhotoshopWorld Instructor Dream Team. He was inducted into the National Association of Photoshop Professionals' Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2002.

This full-color book includes two hours of video tutorials in CD. It features a step by step presentation of real-world projects that are sure to help the reader gain proficiency with Photoshop. The reader is give a rich amount of graphics theory, best practices, and tips for avoiding Photoshop disasters. McClelland's approach to learning Photoshop bridges the gap among available literature on the subject and provides a unique educational experience.

The book is created with the intention of making the seemingly monumental task of mastering Photoshop look like a walk in the park. Inside are twelve lessons, each made up of three to six exercises, illustrated with more than 600 photos, diagrams, and screen shots. Each book-based lesson comes with a corresponding video lesson, included on a companion CD. The exercises are project-based, culminating in real-world projects that readers can show off when they've finished.

The book also contains "Extra Credit" sections that show readers how to tap into Photoshop's powerful features to give their projects a professional polish. Multiple choice quizzes follow each lesson, providing a great teaching tool for educators and a way for new users to test their knowledge.

Rich with "Pearls of Wisdom" gained from McClelland's years of experience, "Photoshop CS One-on-One" is accessible to complete beginners while still offering tips and secrets that even the most experienced Photoshop users are unaware of. Readers are sure to find that the combination of step-by-step lessons and video introduction provide the best learning experience of any Photoshop resource on the market.

The exercises included with each lesson are interesting and fun to do. The end result is almost always something you can be proud to say you created.

Because of its comprehensive approach, understanding this book fully will take some time. Take it slowly and at your own pace. McClelland's wit, literary allusions and breezy writing style help turn a cumbersome, complicated and sometimes mysterious computer application into a user-friendly tool.

Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to Photoshop, do please browse for more information at our websites.

[http://www.infozabout.com]

[http://www.photoshopcs.infozabout.com]

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The Extreme Searcher's Internet Handbook - A Guide For The Serious Searcher by Randolph Hock

Looking for something on the Internet and need more than the results you find with a quick Google or Bing search? If so, this might be just the book you are looking for. "The Extreme Searcher's Internet Handbook: A Guide For The Serious Searcher" by Randolph Hock is touted as the essential guide for anyone who uses the internet for research - librarians, teachers, students, writers, business professionals, and others who need to search the web proficiently. The book provides strategies and tools (including search engines, portals, and social networks) for all major areas of internet content. The author explains how and when to go beyond the leading search engines and offers techniques for using Web 2.0 resources like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, and more.

Here is the really great thing about this book. Hock has organized it very well, so you can easily find what you are looking for, and the book is also written for everyone. Don't worry, you don't need to be a computer geek to understand this book. In fact, it is written for the non techie or geek, and for anyone who just wants to use the internet and web to locate information. Again, the book is organized well. It starts with a detailed table of contents, then a listing of the figures and tables in the book, a foreword and then introduction that includes a brief overview of the chapters and some advice on proceeding. There is also a page about the web page that accompanies this book that you will most likely want to check out. I'm planning on using it.

The book is divided into ten chapters that focus on the basics for the serious searcher; directories and portals; the basics about search engines; more specifics about search engines; discussion groups, forums, newsgroups, and their relatives; an internet reference shelf; sights and sounds, or how to find images, audio and video; news resources; finding products online, and your own place on the web, participating and publishing. All of these chapters contain many websites and a lot of practical information regarding finding what you are looking for. There are so many different places to look for things, and this guide really does help you figure out the best places to look for what you need. In the back, there is a list of all the sites covered in the book, and if you visit the accompanying website, the links are provided there.

Easy enough for the novice, but with ideas that even experts may not know about, this book contains the information to make anyone an advanced expert at finding things on the internet, or in other words, an extreme searcher.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a writer, speaker, and mediator who teaches how to live, take action, and get things done through the Warrior's Edge. He is an expert on conflict and mediates and teaches conflict resolution and negotiation. Additionally, he teaches physical conflict skills in his Hapkido and Self-Defense courses, lectures, and seminars. Alain is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks, the DVDs Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking series, and numerous articles and reviews. You can read more articles and reviews and see clips of his DVDs as well as much more at http://www.burrese.com/ and http://www.yourwarriorsedge.com/

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Computer Books Are Important to Have on Your Small Business Book Shelf

Computers are a way of life and yet two decades ago computers did not even exist, well, not personal computers like the type that every single person in America owns and has in their home or office. Sometimes keeping up with the technology is not easy at all.

There are always new words to learn with each new technology and it is as enough you have to learn a whole new language just to understand what those in the industry are talking about. There are always new buzzwords and you must learn at least some of these words otherwise you cannot comprehend what the computer experts are trying to explain to you.

It is for this reason that I'd like to recommend a very good book to you and one, which I believe you should have in your own personal library so that you do not get behind on computer vocabulary. The book is called;

"Computer; a dictionary of computer words of the English Language" (new Revised Edition) Trident Press international; Date: 2001.

So, you ask why did I like this book so much, well indeed, I'd like to explain just why this book is a must read and why it is my contention that you should own a copy to have in your own personal library at home or in the office. First, the back of this book has 120 pages labeled; An Introduction To Personal Computers.

While the first part of the book is a pocket dictionary with just about every single word that has to do with computers that was invented before the year 2000. No, words like; blog, blogger, blogging and social networking are not in it, but in a way that just proves the point of how fast the computer world moves and why you need to stay on top of it. So, please consider this.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

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The Minimum You Need to Know About Logic to Work in IT - Book Review

If you are an IT college student, you are likely being gypped. Logic is no longer taught and it really is something you need. According to Roland Hughes, in his book, "The Minimum You Need to Know About Logic to Work in IT," "Logic is the fundamental tool of IT."

This book has nothing to do with Leonard Nimoy and Spock's form of Logic, but I'll bet that character would have had knowledge of it! This is where you will be taught what you should still be getting from college professors. So, what's it all about? Yes, there are the basics of flowcharting and pseudocode, and there are chapters on fundamental data types, searching and sorting, decision order (with multiple exercises to work on), and even more on linked lists, hash, and relational databases. And what happens during a major disaster? Surviving the Fire is a must read chapter.

Hughes' familiar style permeates the book. His wit and humor make for interesting reading of what could be bone dry material. His decades of experience shine through, leaving readers thankful and wishing he were a college professor at their local university. If this is your first introduction to Roland Hughes, be sure to check out his other works, such as, "The Minimum You Need to Know to be an OpenVMS Application Developer," and "The Minimum You Need to Know About Java on OpenVMS." If you are going into the IT field, Roland Hughes should, and will, become a familiar name to you.

The Minimum You Need to Know About Logic to work in IT

By Roland Hughes

ISBN 0-9770866-2-3

Heather Froeschl is an author, award winning editor, and book reviewer, at http://www.quilldipper.com/ and http://www.bookideas.com/

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Recommended Reads - World of Warcraft

With the amount of lore within the World of Warcraft Series, great novels have been written to accompany and explain it. Here at My Norgannon we have decided to a quick review of some of these novels as we highly recommended that you look into reading some of them. These novels have been written with great detail. Whether you are the novice or the expert on the Warcraft Series, these books are for you.

The Original Series

1. Day of The Dragon by: Richard A Knaak

This novel takes place after the second war. The main plot line is the freeing of Dragonqueen Alexstraza from the Dragonmaw Clan. A Dalaran Mage Rhonin is in charge of freeing her. Rhonin along with the dragon mage Krasus. On their journey to rescue the Dragonqueen they are faced with many challenges along the way. They were attacked by a dragonmaw orc patrol along and faced many similar complecations. My Norgannon considers this a great read.

2. Lord of the Clans by: Christie Golden.

This novel is the story of the rise of Warchief Thrall after the collapse of the horde.

Back of Book Description.

Slave. Gladiator.Shaman. Warchief. The enigmatic orc known as Thrall has been all of these. Raised from infancy by cruel human masters who sought to mold him into their perfect pawn, Thrall was driven by both the savagery in his heart and the cunning of his upbringing to pursue a destiny he was only beginning to understand-to break his bondage and rediscover the ancient traditions of his people. Now the tumultuous tale of his life's journey-a saga of honor, hatred, and hope-can at last be told....

My Norgannon finds this book very interesting and recommend to anyone who is interested in the story behind the rise of Thrall.

3. The Last Guardian by: Jeff Grub

This novel is about Medivh's struggle between evil and good. As he is destined to be very powerful, his decisions can change the very face of Azeroth.

Back of Book Description

The Guardians of Trisfal: a line of champions imbued with godlike powers, each one through the ages charged with fighting a lonely secret war against the Burning Legion. Medivh was fated from birth to become the greatest and most powerful of this noble order. But from the beginning a darkness tainted his soul, corrupting his innocence and turning to evil the powers that should have fought for good. Torn by two destinies, Medivh's struggle against the malice within him became one with the fate of Azeroth itself...and changed the world forever.

War of the Ancients Series

This book series acts as a prequel to Warcraft games and other novels. These help players understand the lore of The World of Warcraft greatly and we highly recommend them. The three following novels are by the writer Richard A. Knaak.

1. The Well of Eternity

This novel takes place months after the Battle for Mount Hyjal. Three warriors from current times were sent back in time from a mysterious rift in the Kalimdor Mountians. These warriors have to convice the Queen to not cleanse Azeroth of the lesser races.

Back of Book Description

In the first chapter of this epic trilogy, the outcome of the historic War of the Ancients is forever altered by the arrival of three time-lost heroes: Krasus, the dragon mage whose great power and memories of the ancient conflict have inexplicably diminished; the human wizard Rhonin, whose thoughts are divided between his family and the seductive source of his now-growing power; and Broxigar, a weathered orc veteran who seeks a glorious death in combat. But unless these unlikely allies can convince the demigod, Cenarius, and the untrusting Night Elves of their queen's treachery, the Burning Legion's gateway into Azeroth will open anew. And this time -- the struggles of the past may well spill over into the future...

2. The Demon Soul

The Demon Soul is the story of the night elves defense of the Burning Legion from their lands. The Burning Legion's current attack led by Archimonde currently stands at the well of eternity. With the defense Malfurion Stormrage and the wizard Krasus lead the Night Elves against the onslaught of the Burning Legion. On their final stand a ancient power awakens and forges a weapon of unimaginable power. The Demon Soul has the power to drive the legion from Azerot completely but its use will cost more than anyone could have predicted.

3. The Great Sundering

As the last novel of the series, The Great Sundering describes the end of the War of the Ancients time line. This includes the Sundering of Azeroth into the two continents that exist today.

Back of Book Discription

The hour of wrath draws near...

The valiant night elves have been shattered by the loss of their beloved general. The black dragon, Neltharion, has claimed the Demon Soul and scattered the mighty dragonflights to the winds. Above all, the demonlord, Archimonde, has led the Burning Legion to the very brink of victory over Kalimdor. As the land and its denizens reel from this unstoppable evil, a terror beyond all reckoning draws ever nearer from the Well of Eternity's depths...

In the final, apocalyptic chapter of this epic trilogy, the dragon-mage Krasus and the young druid Malfurion must risk everything to save Azeroth from utter destruction. Banding together the dwarves, tauren and furbolg races, the heroes hope to spark an alliance to stand against the might of the Burning Legion. For if the Demon Soul should fall into the Legion's hands, all hope for the world will be lost. This then, is the hour... where past and future collide

The Authors who have written these books have put much time into them. We and My Norgannon suggest you all to read some or all of them. It would also be great to pass this information onto your friends as they can find much pleasure from reading them. As these books are numbered, they are not required to read all of them to understand the others. You can read any book from either series and have a good idea of whats going on.

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