[mdlug] President's Mail Bag
Raymond McLaughlin
driveray at ameritech.net
Wed Apr 30 04:21:12 EDT 2008
================================================================
O'Reilly News for User Group Members
April 29, 2008
================================================================
---------------------------------------------------------------
New Releases--Books, Short Cuts, and Rough Cuts
----------------------------------------------------------------
Get 35% off from O'Reilly, No Starch, Paraglyph, PC Publishing,
Pragmatic Bookshelf, Rocky Nook, SitePoint, or YoungJin books you
purchase directly from O'Reilly. Just use code DSUG when ordering online
or by phone 800-998-9938.
<http://www.oreilly.com/store/>
Free ground shipping on orders of $29.95 or more.
For more details, go to:
<http://www.oreilly.com/news/freeshipping_0703.html>
Did you know you can request a free book or PDF to review for your
group? Ask your group leader for more information.
For book review writing tips and suggestions, go to:
<http://ug.oreilly.com/bookreviews.html>
***Adobe AIR for JavaScript Developers Pocket Guide
ISBN 13: 9780596518370
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596518370/>
***Big Book of Apple Hacks
ISBN 13: 9780596529826
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596529826/>
***Fine Art Printing for Photographers, Second Edition (Rocky Nook)
ISBN 13: 9781933952314
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9781933952314/>
***Flex 3 Cookbook Rough Cut
ISBN 13: 9780596520885
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596529857/>
***FXRuby (Pragmatic Bookshelf)
ISBN 13: 9781934356074
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9781934356074/>
***Google Apps Hacks
ISBN 13: 9780596515881
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596515881/>
***Hackerteen
ISBN 13: 9780596516475
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596516475/>
***Harnessing Hibernate
ISBN 13: 9780596517724
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596517724/>
***Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments
ISBN 13: 9780596514921
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514921/>
***Java Power Tools
ISBN 13: 9780596527938
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527938/>
***Learning Flash Media Server 3
9780596515904
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596515904/>
***My New Mac (No Starch)
ISBN 13: 9781593271640
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9781593271640/>
***MySQL in a Nutshell, Second Edition
ISBN 13: 9780596514334
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514334/>
***Painting the Web
ISBN 13: 9780596515096
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596515096/>
***Photoshop CS3 Accelerated (Young Jin)
ISBN 13: 9788931434378
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9788931434378/>
***Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers
ISBN 13: 9780596529888
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596529888/>
***Programming Flex 3 Rough Cut
ISBN 13: 9780596516239
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596516215/>
***Programming Groovy (Pragmatic Bookshelf)
ISBN 13: 9781934356098
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9781934356098/>
***Subject To Change: Creating Great Products & Services for an Uncertain
World (Hard Cover)
ISBN 13: 9780596516833
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596516833/>
***Take Control of iWeb: iLife '08 (TidBITS)
ISBN 13: 9781933671376
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9781933671376/>
***Web 2.0 Mashups and Niche Aggregators
ISBN 13: 9780596514006
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514006/>
***Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide (Hard Cover)
ISBN 13: 9780596529963
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596529963/>
***MAKE Magazine Subscriptions
The annual subscription price for four issues is $34.95. When you
subscribe with this link, you'll get a free issue--one plus four
more for $34.95. So subscribe for yourself or friends with this
great offer for UG Members: five volumes for the cost of four.
Subscribe at:
<http://www.makezine.com/go/ugsub>
***Craft Magazine Subscriptions
The annual subscription price for four issues is $34.95. When you
subscribe with this link, you'll get a free issue--one plus
four more for $34.95. So subscribe for yourself or friends with this
great offer for UG Members: five volumes for the cost of four.
Subscribe at:
<http://www.craftzine.com/go/craftug>
================================================
Upcoming Events
================================================
For more events, please see:
<http://events.oreilly.com/>
***Harold Davis Hosts a Weekend Workshop on Night Photography--May 2-4
Author Harold Davis (Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital
Photographers) will be hosting a weekend workshop on night photography
in Berkeley, CA.
<http://www.digitalstop.com/workshops/#31>
***Maker Faire 2008, San Mateo, CA--May 3-4
A two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates arts, crafts,
engineering, and science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset.
It's for creative, resourceful people who like to tinker and love to
make things. We call them Makers.
<http://www.makerfaire.com/>
***Derrick Story at the Stanford/Palo Alto Macintosh User Group,
Palo Alto, CA--May 5
Author Derrick Story (The Digital Photography Companion, iPhoto 8: The
Missing Manual, and Digital Photography Hacks) presents iPhoto 8.
Please see the SLAC information page for details on access and security
at SLAC.
<http://www.pa-smug.org/calendar/calendar.html#jan>
***XTech 2008: The Web on the Move, Dublin, Ireland--May 6-9
Doug Crockford (JavaScript the Good Parts) Doug Tidwell (XSLT, 2nd Ed),
Eric van der Vlist (XML Schema) and Edd Dumbill (Mono) at XTech. XTech
is the premier European conference for developers, information designers
and managers working with web and standards-based technologies bringing
together the worlds of web development, open source, Web 2.0 and open
standards. The theme for this year's conference is "The Web on the
Move."
<http://2008.xtech.org/public/content/about>
***Pycon Italy, Florence, Italy--May 9-11
Alex Martelli (Python in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition) will give a talk at
Pycon Italy. This is the second Italian conference organized by a bunch
of Python enthusiasts and held in the beautiful city of Florence. Come
and see our latest publications at the O'Reilly booth.
<http://www.pycon.it/>
***Where 2.0, Burlingame, CA--May 12-14
The Where 2.0 Conference provides a unique environment for the business
community to interact with developers who are influencing location-aware
technology. In the O'Reilly tradition, leading trends will be presented
from the most innovative and interesting players in the realm of
geospace.
<http://en.oreilly.com/where2008/public/content/home>
***Ignite! Where 2.0, Burlingame, CA--May 12
Come join us for a night of fun as we take time out from Where 2.0 to
present ideas, share crazy projects, and hang out with the geek
community. You must have your Where Badge to enter.
<http://ignite.oreilly.com/go.html>
***Subject to Change Book Release Event, San Francisco, CA--May 13
Join O'Reilly Media & Adaptive Path as we celebrate the release of our
new book Subject To Change: Creating Great Products & Services for an
Uncertain World. The event starts at 6 PM for reception and mingling,
then onto a quick presentation, more mingling, and ending with a book
signing.
<http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/470796/>
***Python Author & Trainer Mark Lutz Leads 3-Day Seminar,
Longmont, Colorado--May 14-16
Python author and trainer Mark Lutz (Learning Python, Programming
Python, and Python Pocket Reference) will be teaching a 3-day Python
class.
<http://home.earthlink.net/~python-training/longmont-public-classes.htm>
***Dux Raymond Sy at the North Carolina PMI Chapter, Durham, NC--May 15
Author Dux Raymond SY (SharePoint for Project Managers) presents
"Enhancing Project Communication and Collaboration with a PMIS."
<http://ncpmi.org/index.cfm?page=viewEvent&EventID=36>
***Dru Lavigne at BSDCan 2008, Ottawa, ON--May 16-17
Dru Lavigne (BSD Hacks) will be giving a tutorial on system
administration, as well as manning the registration booth and proctoring
the BSDA exam. Keep an eye out for her!
<http://www.bsdcan.org/2008/>
***O'Reilly Authors at WebVisions, Portland, OR--May 22-23
David Verba (Subject To Change), Kevin Hoyt (Adobe Integrated Runtime
(AIR) for JavaScript Developers Pocket Guide), David McFarland
(Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual), Christopher Schmitt (CSS
Cookbook, Second Edition) are speakers at this year's event.
<http://www.webvisionsevent.com/>
***RailsConf, Portland, OR--May 29-Jun 1
The largest official conference dedicated to everything Ruby on Rails,
RailsConf incorporates keynotes, sessions, and tutorials to arm
participants with the knowledge and skills they need to capitalize on
the wealth of services and opportunities the Rails framework has to
offer.
<http://en.oreilly.com/rails2008/public/content/home>
***O'Reilly at BookExpo America, Los Angeles, CA--May 30-Jun 1
Stop by and say hi at our table in the International Rights Center at
this year's event.
<http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/>
***David Ascher and Brian King at eLiberatica--The benefits of Open and
Free Technologies, Bucharest, Romania--May 30-31
Authors David Ascher (Python Cookbook) and Brian King (Creating
Applications with Mozilla) will be talking at eLiberatica. Following the
huge public success of the first eLiberatica in 2007, this conference
will continue in the same tradition: to gather community and business
leaders around the world to talk about the hottest Open and Free
Technologies topics; you will hear from today's experts in various
fields of technical and business practice and become part of an event
that is far more than a simple conference. Come and see our latest
publications at the O'Reilly booth.
<http://www.eliberatica.ro/2008/index>
***Harold Davis at Book Passage in Corte Madera,
Corte Madera, CA--May 31
Author Harold Davis (Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital
Photographers) will be presenting "100 Views of the Golden Gate." He
will present images of the Golden Gate and sign copies of his book.
<http://www.bookpassage.com/>
================================================
Conference News
================================================
***Last Chance for Where 2.0 2008 Registration,
Burlingame, CA--May 12-14
At the O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference, we expose the tools pushing the
boundaries of the location frontier, track the emergence of new business
models and services, and spend time examining new sources of data and
the platforms for collecting them.
Use code "whr08usrg" when you register, and receive 15% off
the registration price.
To register for the conference, go to:
<https://en.oreilly.com/where2008/public/register>
****Registration for RailsConf 2008 is Open, Portland, OR--
May 29-June 1, 2008
Co-produced by Ruby Central and O'Reilly Media, RailsConf is "the" event
for the growing Rails Community--the largest official gathering
dedicated to everything Rails. If you're passionate about Rails and what
it helps you achieve--or if you're curious about how Rails can help you
create web applications better and faster--this conference is the place
to be.
Use code "rc08usrg" when you register, and receive 15% off
the registration price.
To register for the conference, go to:
<https://en.oreilly.com/rails2008/public/register>
****Graphing Social Patterns East Registration is Open, Washington,
DC--June 9-11
GSP is the premier conference for developers and marketers building and
distributing apps for MySpace, Facebook, OpenSocial, and other social
networking platforms. Over three days of tutorials, sessions, and
keynotes, participants will explore how to reach online communities
using new and established social networking platforms and applications.
Use code "gspe08usrg" when you register, and receive 15% off
the registration price.
To register for the conference, go to:
<https://en.oreilly.com/gspeast2008/public/register>
***Registration for Velocity is Open, Burlingame, CA--June 23-24
Velocity is designed to deliver the best information on building and
operating web sites that are fast, reliable, and always up. We're
bringing together people from around the world who are doing the best
performance work, to improve the experience of web users worldwide.
Pages will be faster. Sites will have higher up-time. Companies will
achieve more with less. The next cool startup will be able to more
quickly scale to serve a larger audience, globally. Velocity is the key
for crossing over from cool Web 2.0 features to sustainable web sites.
Use code "vel08usgr" when you register, and receive 15% off the
registration price. Early registration discount is available until May 5
To register for the conference, go to:
<https://en.oreilly.com/velocity2008/public/register>
***Registration for Ubuntu Live 2008 is Open, Portland, OR--July 21-22
Ubuntu Live is a vibrant and important gathering of IT professionals,
government and business leaders, educators, community leaders,
enterprise and business users. The conference brings together the people
who deploy and manage Ubuntu in organizations, companies offering
services and solutions based on Ubuntu, customers of those services,
users of Ubuntu, and the folks who build Ubuntu and other key open
source software.
Use code "ubu08usrg" when you register, and receive 15% off
the registration price. Early registration discount is available
until June 2.
To register for the conference, go to:
<https://en.oreilly.com/ubuntu2008/public/register>
***OSCON 2008 registration is Now Open, Portland, OR--July 21-25
Join over 2,500 open source developers, hackers, experts, IT managers,
and users at OSCON 2008. This year's convention will include 40
tutorials that go deep into open source technology and over 400 sessions
focusing on Administration, Business, Databases, Emerging Topics, Java,
Linux, Mobile, People, Perl, PHP, Programming, Python, Ruby, Security,
Web Applications, and much more.
Use code "os08usrg" when you register, and receive 15% off the
registration price. Early registration discount is available until
June 2.
To register for the conference, go to:
<https://en.oreilly.com/oscon2008/public/register>
================================================
O'Reilly School of Technology
================================================
***O'Reilly School of Technology Courses: UG Members Receive
a 30% Discount
O'Reilly School of Technology has opened its virtual doors with
educational offerings and certifications for IT students looking to
further their careers or to launch one. As an O'Reilly User Group
member, you save on all the courses in the following University of
Illinois Certificate Series:
-PHP/SQL Programming--New!
-Linux/Unix System Administration
-Web Programming
-Open Source Programming
-.NET Programming
-Client-Side Web Programming featuring AJAX
To redeem, use Promotion Code "ORALL1" good for a 30% discount,
in Step #2 of the enrollment process. Each course comes with a free
O'Reilly book and a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Register online:
<http://www.oreillyschool.com/?CMP=BAC-ostug>
(This discount is not combinable with other offers.)
================================================
News From O'Reilly & Beyond
================================================
---------------------
UG News
---------------------
***Maker Faire Coming up Soon--May 3 & 4 at the San Mateo Expo Center
"Combining old-fashioned crafters with forward-thinking technorati,
fashionistas, and mad scientists of all stripes, the Maker Faire is a
hands-on celebration of all things DIY brought to life by Make
magazine."--The Onion
<http://makerfaire.com/>
***Linux Pro Magazine Free Issue Offer
Linux Pro Magazine (known as Linux Magazine outside North America) is
offering a free issue to O'Reilly User Group newsletter readers. In
Linux Pro Magazine you will find the tools, tutorials, and reviews you
need to unlock the secrets of Linux. Each article is focused on
delivering the hands-on information you need in your daily Linux use.
As a bonus, each issue includes a DVD containing a full version of a
major Linux distribution.
Sign up for your free copy here:
<http://www.linuxpromagazine.com/oreilly>
***Adobe Lightroom Adventure contines in Tasmania
In April 2008, a group of internationally renowned photographers
traveled to the end of the world, literally, to the remote island of
Tasmania. Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, photographers will upload,
sort, keyword, adjust, and output their Raw images while still working
in the field. Read the stories, see the images, and watch the
photographers discuss this challenging assignment. Mikkel Aaland,
project director, will capture the lessons learned for his book on
Adobe Lightroom, scheduled to be published later this year.
<http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/adventure/>
Tourism Tasmania is offering a chance to win a trip for two to
Tasmania, Australia. Read more for details.
<http://xyzadventures.com/rules.php>
***New Publishers on Safari Books Online
We are pleased to announce the introduction of John Wiley & Sons content
to Safari Books Online. With the inclusion of Wiley content, Safari
Books Online is now the only source for online access to the world's top
four technology publishers. Pearson, John Wiley & Sons, O'Reilly Media,
and Microsoft Press represent 85% of the computer books sold at retail
in the U.S., according to Nielsen BookScan.
<http://safari.oreilly.com>
***TECHbash 2008 in Northeastern Pennsylvania on May 10
Join an estimated 300 Developers, IT Professionals, CIO's and Industry
Experts from Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and host-state,
Pennsylvania. This one day event brings together a broad spectrum of
Technology Professionals to network, knowledge share and discuss
existing technology solutions to business challenges, as well as preview
prerelease products on the bleeding edge.
This year, they've expanded to three tracks offering more presentations
and providing more content choices. The event opens with a keynote
presentation by Joe Stagner, Program Manager for Microsoft's Web Tools
and Platform Division.
<http://techbash.com/>
***Getting Started with Dreamweaver and CSS--A One-Day Web Publishing
Workshop from Mogo Seminars
Learn everything you need to know about building compelling websites
using Adobe Dreamweaver CS3! Whether you're totally new to building
websites, or migrating from GoLive or a previous version of Dreamweaver,
this fast-paced one-day seminar brings the entire workflow together--
from design and prototyping through development and testing--using
easy-to-understand examples from a designer's point of view. Most
importantly, you'll learn the key to cool, functional, and flexible web
layouts: CSS—how it works, and how you can use it to your advantage.
Cities and dates are 5/29 Los Angeles, CA, 6/4 New York, NY, 6/17
Washington, DC, 6/24 Chicago, IL, and 6/26 Boston, MA.
<http://www.mogoseminars.com/>
***Southwest Computer Conference, San Diego, CA--May 30-June 1
This conference is now open to all computer enthusiasts--not only
computer club members. You will have an opportunity to network with
other computer users who have similar interests: share ideas and
experiences as well as solutions to problems. Speak directly to the
vendors whose products you use or want to use. The $60 early-bird
registration closes May 1.
<http://www.theswcc.org/>
***MacVoices--Barbara Brundage Discusses Adobe Elements 6 for the Mac
Join Chuck Joiner and Barbara Brundage (Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac:
The Missing Manual) as they talk about why Elements 6 really does 90% of
what most photographers need, why Layers are and are not important in
Elements 6, and why the addition of Curves is such an important
addition. Barbara talks about her favorite features and provides some
tips for improving your photo editing.
<http://www.macvoices.com/wordpress/macvoices-875-barbara-brundage-discusses-adobe-elements-6/>
***DIY O'Reilly Gear
Create Your Own Calendar, Shirt, Notebook, Poster...In just three easy
steps you can create one of a kind calendars, greeting cards, keychains,
luggage tags, magnets, mousepads, mugs, notebooks, postcards, posters,
shirts, hoodies, and stickers adorned with your favorite O'Reilly
animals.
<http://www.qoop.com/photobooks/photofront/pub_store.php?pub_name=oreilly>
---------------------
Articles
---------------------
***Why should I upgrade to Office 2008 for Macintosh?
Author Jim Elferdink talks about what's new in Office 2008 for
Macintosh. If you're still using Office 2004, you'll find some great
reasons to upgrade. Jim also fills you in on some cool features that
Office for Windows can't match, and why you may not need to invest in
iWork.
<http://missingmanuals.com/office2008mac/why_upgrade.csp>
***Ruport: Business Reporting for Ruby
No one likes developing reporting tools for an application. But without
them, many applications are only half-done. Luckily, Ruby has a great
reporting infrastructure available to build on, and in this article,
you'll learn how to use it.
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/ruby/2008/04/08/ruport-business-reporting-for-ruby.html>
***The iPhone SDK: APIs Apple Didn't Want You to Know About
The iPhone has been a hot item ever since it came out, but running
non-Apple supplied software on it isn't easy. But the secrets to
building a successful toolchain to create iPhone applications can be
found right here.
<http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2008/03/25/the-apple-sdk-apis-apple-didnt-want-you-to-know-about.html>
***Step by Step: Using Samba to join a Windows Domain
Samba has made getting Linux and Windows systems talking to each other
much easier than it once was. But there are still some tasks that are
more than a little finicky. One of them is definitely joining a Samba
client to a domain-based Windows network. Luckily, now you'll have a
step by step guide to doing just that.
<http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2008/04/01/step-by-step-using-samba-to-join-a-windows-domain.html>
For more articles, go to:
<http://www.oreillynet.com/>
---------------------
Blogs
-------------------
***SpongeBob SquarePants Supports O'Reilly Research Finding
<http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2008/04/spongebob-squarepants-supports.html>
***Good Devices Gone Bad
<http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2008/03/good-device-gone-bad.html>
***Removing the Remains of the 15-day Trial
<http://blogs.oreilly.com/aperture/2008/04/removing-the-remains-of-the-15.html>
***Is the Closed Source Inevitable?
<http://www.oreillynet.com/onlamp/blog/2008/04/is_the_closed_source_inevitabl_1.html>
***My Transition to Using O'Reilly Safari Online Books Service
<http://www.marckboucher.com/random-thoughts/my-transition-to-using-oreilly-safari-online-books-service/>
***Making Connections With Hackerteen
<http://www.oreillynet.com/fyi/blog/2008/04/making_connections_with_hacker_1.html>
***Five Steps to Web 2.0
<http://www.oreillynet.com/fyi/blog/2008/04/five_steps_to_web_20.html>
****The Best ActionScript Book Ever Written
<http://theflashblog.com/?p=366>
***Unforgettable Tasmania--Leo Laporte reports on the latest Lightroom
Adventure
<http://leoville.com/2008/04/14/1466/>
***Looking for a Few Good SysAdmin Problems to Solve in Python
<http://www.oreillynet.com/onlamp/blog/2008/04/looking_for_a_few_good_sysadmi.html>
***How to Make Applets (and JavaFx) Viable
<http://www.oreillynet.com/onjava/blog/2008/04/how_to_make_applets_and_javafx.html>
***Web 2.0 Expo SF Launchpad: Six New Startup Stars
<http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2008/04/web2expo-sf-launchpad.html>
***Get Info on a Mac Without Logging in
<http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2008/04/get-info-on-a-mac-without-logg.html>
For more blogs, go to:
<http://www.oreillynet.com/blogs/>
Until next time--
Marsee Henon
================================================================
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA 95472
http://ug.oreilly.com/ http://ug.oreilly.com/creativemedia/
================================================================
More information about the mdlug
mailing list