Technical Book Club | Technical books, how-to guides, computer manuals, and cheat sheets

HTML5 Crash Course by Robin Dixon

If you keep up-to-date with the web design and the development world, you have probably heard of HTML5. Some of you have probably started working with it, and some of you probably know that you should start. Others might be complete beginners. Regardless of your experience level, the HTML5 Crash Course by Robin Dixon can help you get up and running in about 20 hours.

The book starts with plain old hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and HTML basics for the absolute beginner, or for someone who would like a fast refresher. I appreciated the list of all HTML tags; it’s a great reminder for tags I use less often. Cascading style sheets (CSS) and Javascript are mentioned, but are not the focus of this guide, so if you need more information on those topics, you’ll want to find additional resources.

An exciting, yet complex HTML5 tag is the canvas tag, which lets you display graphics, and code them so the user can manipulate. The book describes basic usage of this element. For more complex usage, you’ll want to find additional Javascript-oriented resources.

Geolocation is also covered. This tag can be used to create maps that are local to your site or applications user, and to find the location of nearby friends, or WiFi access points.

Form handling has improved in HTML5, so you can code your forms to be more interactive and user-friendly.

Audio and video handling have been enhanced, so when you use HTML5, you won’t need to embed another player, such as Flash. It sounds different browsers may be implementing these tags differently, so be aware of that if you use these tags.

Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web 4 in 24 Hours

An educational book by Morten Rand-Hendrickson

Web designers have a choice of many tools, from high-end DreamWeaver to no-frills Notepad. Hobbyist designers may find DreamWeaver too expensive and complex, whereas Notepad provides no HTML, CSS or design assistance whatsoever.

An intermediate choice of web design tool, especially for those with FrontPage experience, is Microsoft’s Expression Web. Although Expression Web is easy to use, it is always helpful to learn all an application can offer, to truly enjoy all its benefits.

If you decide you want to learn Expression Web, you may want to consider getting the book Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web 4 in 24 Hours by Morten Rand-Hendrickson.

The book covers simple tasks such as adding text, links and images, then moves along to advanced HTML coding, such as setting up tables, cascading style sheets (CSS), button, behaviors, frames, layers, templates, forms, Flash and Silverlight. It even describes working with PHP, a popular web scripting language.

The ever-boggling cross-browser issues are reviewed, so you can save yourself the embarrassment of publishing a site that doesn’t work in the major browsers. Speaking of publishing, that is another topic the book reviews.

The book has a special hour 25 bonus; search engine optimization, also known as SEO. Using appropriate SEO techniques will help your creation get the audience and attention it deserves.

As a less-experienced designer, if you’re unsure about investing in Expression Web, you may want to consider getting the book and then using a temporary trial version of the Expression Web software to see if this application will meet your web design needs.

Professional web design by Smashing Magazine

Naturally, web designers want to keep up on the latest trends and tips so they can produce the best results for their clients. The Internet is full of sites and blogs with this information, yet at times it is convenient to have this information in an easy-to-locate package.

Professional Web Design by Smashing Magazine is exactly that package. Its many chapters touch on many topics that will be dear to a designer’s heart. Its many visuals are stunning and inspirational. I felt ready to leap into my graphic and web design software and re-do my sites after perusing this book.

I hadn’t tackled much in the way of responsive design, so I especially appreciated those chapters. These days, our web designs can be accessed so many different ways, from a traditional desktop to a media tablet or smart phone. This trend won’t diminish; it’s likely that more devices may become web-enabled, so it just makes sense to start incorporating responsive design. The showcase of such designs gave plenty of ideas for use.

If you work on sites that try to persuade a visitor to action, you’ll enjoy the chapter on persuasion triggers. This chapter presents seven elements that can influence a user’s behavior and increase his or her commitment to your site, product or brand.

A chapter that is sure to resonate with designers who work by themselves is titled “Web Designers, Don’t Do It Alone.” Interacting with other designers, getting fresh perspectives and learning new skills will help us to evolve and become better at what we do. This chapter gives you actionable steps to finding other designers who can challenge you.

If you’re a web designer, what are some of your favorite sources of web design information? If you are a solo designer, how do you overcome some of the challenges of isolation?

Microsoft Excel: Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts

If you want to break into investment banking then you have to master Microsoft Excel. This is a technical skill that is highly in demand and matched with an undergraduate degree could make an investment banking analyst upwards of $60K a year. Furthermore, Microsoft Excel is great for financial analysts and other people in finance and even business in general.

When I look at a lot of jobs in finance, they ask to be proficient in Microsoft Excel with some good skills in formulas, macros, the VLookup function and the pivot tables and pivot charts. A pivot table and a pivot chart is a data summarization feature that is found in Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheets used in the business world. Being very good at pivot tables and pivot charts can save time and make you a very valuable employee and job applicant.

I would suggest buying these two books and referring back to them as and when needed. It should be a good investment as being very proficient in MS Excel can really take you places. The author of ‘Beginning PivotTables in Excel 2007: From Novice to Professional’, Debra Dalgleish, has a blog that is dedicated to Excel Pivot Tables that I greatly enjoy using and picking up new techniques and skills.

There are a lot of formulas, macros and great looking screenshots that aid in learning that are made use of in the book and in Dalgleish’s blog. Both the books are very comprehensive and have received high ratings by customers.

Linux for Dummies 9th Edition by Richard Blum

Although I suspect installing and using the Linux operating system is far too technical for my current skill level, I am fascinated by it. Maybe it’s the penguin mascot, or maybe that the operating system runs so many web servers. Because it was available to use free under the GNU General Public license, academic institutions, non-profits and small businesses could afford to set up web servers and web sites, so Linux fueled Internet growth. I sure appreciate that.

When I do take the plunge and play with Linux, I will look for guidance from experts. One obvious option is from the ever-popular Dummies series, in this case, Linux for Dummies 9th Edition by Richard Blum. In the best of the Dummies traditions, Linux for Dummies has the requisite cartoons to lighten your way as you work through the book. Too me, these are often my favorite parts.

The book explains the GNU licensing and covers the history of Linux, which was developed by a Finnish system engineering student named Linus Torvalds, who according to this book, still oversees what is added to the software’s kernel. But of course, it’s the technical stuff that we are really interested in.

The book discussed who to prep your computer for installing Linux, and covers several different types of installations.

Once you’ve installed, the book will walk you through the GNOME and KDE desktops. After that, you can explore the Linux filesystem. Then, my favorite chapter, browsing the Internet and emailing. There are also sections on OpenOffice, which is an open source office suite, ideal for those of us who can’t afford commercial products.

You can also learn about audio, video, graphics, Google gadgets and system administration.

Have you used Linux? If so, what did you think about it?

PHP and MySQL Web Development by Luke Welling and Laura Thomson

Web programming continues to be a strong sector from an employment perspective. If you currently are an application developer, or you’d like to transition into this field from something completely unrelated, you may want to pick up the book titled PHP and MySQL Web Development by Luke Welling and Laura Thomson to learn more about two popular web development technologies.

One of the beauties of both PHP, which is a server-sided scripting language, and MySQL, which is a database, is that both are free. You can code PHP using a simple text editor, but you’ll need to run it on a server that supports it. Note, you can install a web server and PHP on your local computer for learning.

This book is not just a listing of PHP functions; it is much more helpful than that. Even the early chapters of the book will lead you through developing real-life applications. Later chapters become increasingly interesting. You will learn how to create shopping carts, web forums, and content management systems, to name just a few options.

Something that is always of interest when creating sophisticated applications, especially e-commerce applications, is security. Several chapters are devoted to this topic, and you’ll want to be sure to understand this well.

The book also discusses planning large projects, which may be important if you work with other developers. It also review coding standards and best practices, which can make maintaining web code much easier.

If you diligently work through this book, you can easily create a solid portfolio that may help you change or enhance your career.

Mobile Design for iPad and iPhone by Smashing Magazine

Web designers and developers naturally must keep up with technology. Naturally, they must read numerous books and articles on designing for the increasing array of media devices, such as smart phones and media tablets.

This Smashing ebook, titled Mobile Design for iPad and iPhone, is one that both hobbyist and professional designers will find helpful. Through a series of articles, it walks the designer through various trends and design tips for both iPads and iPhones. It can also help designers avoid common mistakes as they move to working with devices. A crucial factor is understanding conventions that can increase apps usability, which this guide presents in detail.

To be effective, designs for iPads and iPhones must take in to account the constraints of these devices. The book details these constraints, and offers tips for working around them. It even includes a section on designing forms for mobile devices, which can be quite tricky to use on small screens.

Another helpful section is setting up Adobe Photoshop for both traditional web and iPhone development. Anyone who would like a tutorial on color management will appreciate this section.

Although hobbyists can benefit from this guide, it is also meant for professionals, and accordingly, it provides information on how to market iPhone or iPad applications. Interestingly enough, the marketing discussion begins with planning the app. This makes sense, because a designer who builds an app to meet users’s needs will find it easier to market that app. Marketing may conjure images of expenditures, but web designers on budgets will appreciate that the string of marketing tips don’t require any money.

Workflow Modeling by Alec Sharp and Patrick McDermott

Tools for process improvement and application development

Workflow process analysis is a field that can be rewarding to the right type of individual. To succeed in this field requires analytic ability, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively with clients and team members. If you are in this field and would like to improve your skills, or if you are considering entering it, you may wish to study the book “Workflow Modeling” by Alex Sharp and Patrick McDermott.

The book describes what processes are, and how to conduct initial assessments of current processes. Through examples, it shows various types of diagrams and the associated symbols used in workflow process modeling. The examples are real life, and not so dumbed-down as to be useless.

The work culture and environment in which a process takes place may be intangible and easy to overlook, yet taking into account these factors can affect the success of a workflow process analysis project. The book reviews these types of elements and how to apply them to your project.

As-is modeling techniques are reviewed, along with techniques for designing the future state. Data is key in many process analysis projects, and the book includes a chapter on modeling data.

Although process analysis differs from software requirements analysis, many process analysis projects also need to interact with systems. To meet the needs of understanding these interactions, the book provides information on use case scenario analysis, which may be used for the software development aspects.

Because of this interaction between workflow processes and systems, people who work in software development can also benefit from reading this book. They may better understand the thought process and work products of their process analyst team mates.

Build Your Own Wicked WordPress Themes

WordPress, the open source blogging platform that is increasingly being used for traditional websites is known for its themes. Yes, free themes are freely available, but many bloggers and website owners want customized themes. It’s possible to learn to make your own themes, and you can use them for your own sites, or you can start a business selling them.

If this sounds at all interesting to you, you may want to check out this book: Build Your Own Wicked WordPress Themes by Allan Cole, Raena Jackson Armitage, Brandon R Jones, and Jeffrey Way.

The book will introduce you to WordPress, and will guide you through planning your theme. You’ll learn to download a free theme, open it up, and modify its code. The book explores the essential concepts of solid design, and discusses advanced theme construction.

If you are interested in selling themes, the book details the options and functions that potential buyers are looking for, giving you a foundation for creating a theme that people will be interested in buying. Of course, you’ll want to support your customers, and the book also goes into how to test the theme to prevent problems for your buyers. Licensing usage is another topic you’ll want to understand, and this book will help with that also.

If you enjoy digging in to code and creating something attractive and useful, you may find that creating WordPress themes is a fun hobby. If you are more serious about it, starting a WordPress theme business can be a fun sideline. Regardless of your goals, the book Build Your Own Wicked WordPress Themes can help you learn more.

Jump Start a Career in Health IT

Information Technology (IT) professionals know they need to constant learn new skills to stay employable. Positions in IT tend to be in demand, yet the demand is often for a specific set of skills, and these skills sets change as rapidly as technology does.

One area that seems to be experiencing increased demand is health IT. US government regulations are stoking the need for healthcare organizations to use IT to improve patient care and safety.

High quality health IT is critical. People’s lives depend on software and systems working flawlessly, and it is also crucial that the systems are extremely secure to protect people’s health information. Understandably, healthcare organizations prefer to work with IT professionals who fully understand their needs and constraints.

If you are already an IT professional and you’d like to expand your employment opportunities, you may want to pick up the book Health IT JumpStart by Patrick Wilson and Scott McEvoy. The book will help you discover if this is a field you’re interested in. If you are interested, it will help you learn what you need to know in order to move into health IT. If you are already work in health IT, Health IT JumpStart might help you fill in any gaps in your knowledge.

Combining all the challenges of health care and IT, the field of health IT can be demanding, yet also very rewarding. As a health IT professional, you help to improve patient care, without being hands on. As with many such professions, however, it is not for everyone. Reviewing Health IT JumpStart may help you decide it this is the career for you.

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