The bird on the cover of Cassandra: The Definitive Guide is a Paradise flycatcher. Part of the family of monarch flycatchers (Monarchidae), Paradise flycatchers are passerine (perching) insectivores. They’re the most widely distributed of the monarch flycatchers and can be found from sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia and on many Pacific islands. While most species are resident, others, including the Japanese Paradise flycatcher and the Satin flycatcher, are migratory. Most species of Paradise flycatcher are sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females look different. Females of most species tend to be less brilliantly colored than their male counterparts, which are also characterized by long tail feathers that vary in length according to species. For example, the male Asian Paradise flycatcher’s tail streamers can be approximately 15 inches long. Female flycatchers are believed to select their mate based on tail length. Paradise flycatchers are monogamous, which makes their distinctive coloring and plumage unusual, as this form of sexual display is usually reserved for nonmonogamous species. Because they’re so widely distributed, Paradise flycatchers can be found in a variety of habitats, including savannas, bamboo groves, rain forests, deciduous forests, and even cultivated gardens. Most species catch their food on the wing, thanks in part to their quick reflexes and sharp eyesight. The cover image is from Cassell’s Natural History, Vol. IV. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSansMonoCondensed.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
#Ebook Deal/Day: JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Ed - $19.99 (Save 50%) w/code DDJS6
The animal on the cover of JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, sixth edition, is a Javan rhinoceros. All five species of rhinoceros are distinguished by their large size, thick armor-like skin, three-toed feet, and single or double snout horn. The Javan rhinoceros, along with the Sumatran rhinoceros, is one of two forest-dwelling species. The Javan rhinoceros is similar in appearance to the Indian rhinoceros, but smaller and with certain distinguishing characteristics (primarily skin texture).
Rhinoceroses are often depicted standing up to their snouts in water or mud. In fact, they can frequently be found just like that. When not resting in a river, rhinos will dig deep pits in which to wallow. Both of these resting places provide a couple of advantages. First, they give the animal relief from the tropical heat and protection from blood-sucking flies. (The mud that the wallow leaves on the skin of the rhinoceros also provides some protection from flies.) Second, mud wallows and river water help support the considerable weight of these huge animals, thereby relieving the strain on their legs and backs.
Folklore has long held that the horn of the rhinoceros possesses magical and aphrodisiac powers, and that humans who gain possession of the horns will also gain those powers. This is one of the reasons why rhinos are a prime target of poachers. All species of rhinoceros are in danger, and the Javan rhino population is the most precarious. Fewer than 100 of these animals are still living. At one time, Javan rhinos could be found throughout southeastern Asia, but they are now believed to exist only in Indonesia and Vietnam.
The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSans Mono Condensed.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
eBook Review: The Site Owner’s Guide to SEO for Content Writing by Alan Bleiweiss
Many of the recommendations found in the eBook come from a combination of SEO best practices and User Experience best practices:
Where a recommendation carries less value for SEO, it carries that much more value for usability.
The guide clearly outlines the whole keyword selection and content creation processes:
Keyword research: Start by creating a seed list (be sure to consider the different segments of your audience);Expand the list with help of keyword research tools;Creating a clear content structure: Breaking content into categories;Creating consistent title tag structureCreating clear meta tag structure;Building the organized subheading structure, etc(Internal) Content linking strategies and approaches: Linking back to your own content;Giving outbound links to trusted sources.Enriching content with additional phrases, media content as well as re-packaging content in other formats.
Apart from outlining the step-by-step process the guide also provides some very actionable and in-depth advice on very questionable issues:
Which are preferred title-tag separators and why;How to link from main navigation or footer;How to identify your brand through your content;Which keyword frequency to stick to when creating content, as well as many other interesting points content creators always need help with.Most importantly, the guide encourages you to get creative and write content for your users because…
SEO in 2011 is an art form as much as it is a science.
The eBook costs just $9.95 and you can buy it here.
Ann Smarty is the Editor of Search Engine Journal. Ann's expertise in blogging and tools serve as a base for her writing, tutorials and her guest blogging project, MyBlogGuest.com
Friday, April 15, 2011
Global 360 Announces Exclusive eBook Version of Insider’s Guide to BPM: 7 Steps to Process Mastery
New eBook features instructional guide and templates for business managers and process professionals focused on changing how work gets done
Dallas, TX (Vocus/PRWEB) March 29, 2011
Global 360, a leading provider of process and case management solutions, today announced that the popular book The Insider’s Guide to BPM: 7 Steps to Process Mastery is now available as an eBook series with a new instructional guide and templates that accompany each section. The free eBook series shows business managers and process professionals how to successfully design, implement and manage processes by incorporating the needs of the people involved in them, specifically developers, knowledge workers, managers, and customers.
eBook author Terry Schurter, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Advisors, International Process and Performance Institute, said “Unlike other books written about BPM, this eBook addresses the missing link in most process initiatives - the perspectives of all people involved in the process. This is critical because a poorly constructed process will result in ongoing frustration for participants and will most likely result in users finding workarounds for a process that didn’t take their needs in to the design.”
eBook series readers will learn how Global 360 customers Acerta, Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation and Revlon increased efficiency, productivity and revenue while reducing operational costs by following the seven steps to process mastery:
1.????Understand and Embrace your Goal
2.????Build an Elegant Design
3.????Improve Personal Productivity
4.????Orchestrate for Real Time Demand
5.????Keep your Process in Tune
6.????Create Transparency
7.????Design, Manage and Deliver the Customer Experience
Deborah Rosen, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Global 360, said “The eBook series delves deeply into crucial areas of process success that haven’t been heretofore addressed by the BPM community. Readers will learn practical ways to address the unique challenges of the people doing the work in process as well as learn the fundamentals of Persona-based BPM – the modern approach to successful BPM projects.”
Visit http://www.Global360.com/GuidetoBPM to receive the eBook series and view videos of Terry Schurter explaining each of the seven steps to process mastery.
About Global 360
With more than 2,000 customers in 70 countries, Global 360, Inc. is a leading provider of process and case management solutions. Global 360 is headquartered in Texas with operations in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South Africa. For more information, call 1-214-520-1660 or visit the company web site at http://www.Global360.com.
Connect with Global 360 online:
Twitter
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# # #
Kim Malseed
Global 360
703-470-2913
Email Information
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Practical Paleo Nutrition Guide Book
This 80-page book is perfect to help you with a 30 Day Paleo Challenge. If you've been following a Paleo Diet for a while now but still have questions or are looking for ways to make life easier with some handy tools, this book is a fantastic resource.
Check it out!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
3D for iPhone Apps with Blender and SIO2: Your Guide to Creating 3D Games and More with Open-Source Software
What a combination-using free, open-source Blender software and the SI02 game engine to create very cool 3D characters and games for the very hot devices of the moment, the iPhone and iPod Touch. Whether you're coming to this as an iPhone developer or as a Blender artist, this book is for you. Learn how to create 3D content using Blender's WYSIWYG approach, find helpful information on Xcode and other iPhone SDK topics, master physical collisions, and acquire the skills you need to bridge both worlds with fun, compelling content.
- Shows you what you need to know to use Blender software, the SI02 game engine, and iPhone SDK to create interactive 3D content for the iPhone and iPod Touch
- Walks you through a series of tutorials that you can use as starting points for your own creations
- Provides enough information on the iPhone software developer kit (SDK) to get you started quickly
- Covers Blender's physics simulation library, Bullet, and Blender's robust collision functionality
Bridge the exciting worlds of Blender and iPhone app development in an easy-to-follow pipeline with this one-of-a-kind guide.
Price: $39.99
Monday, February 14, 2011
iPhone Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide (Big Nerd Ranch Guides)
- Dynamic interfaces with animation
- Using the camera and photo library
- User location and mapping services
- Accessing accelerometer data
- Handling multi-touch gestures
- Navigation and tabbed applications
- Tables and creating custom rows
- Multiple ways of storing and loading data: archiving, Core Data, SQLite
- Communicating with web services
- ALocalization/Internationalization
Price: $49.99