Recently in Book Reviews Category

Currently listening to a great book: Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk.  Very inspiring listen...  I would recommend getting this audio book--Gary goes off script often and gives good insight that is not in the book.

Found this interesting site about The Art of Deception (John Wiley & Sons, 2002)—apparently, the first chapter was thrown out of the book during publication by the editors.  This book is a very good read—but, I actually found this missing chapter the most interesting. 

When famed hacker Kevin Mitnick wrote his book on computer security, The Art of Deception (John Wiley & Sons, 2002), the first chapter was autobiographical in nature. It was included in the advance galleys that were sent to reviewers, but when the book itself came out, that chapter was not included.

Someone posted it to Usenet, and "Kevin's Story" has spread from there. Mitnick has confirmed to Wired News that this is the lost first chapter.

The Memory Hole > The Missing Chapter from The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick.

I recently read Take Back Your Life by Sally McGhee.  Very interesting book with many wonderful ideas on how to utilize Microsoft Outlook in day to day business.  I would highly recommend this book!

I frequent many blogs... One of my all time favorites is Life Beyond Code by Rajesh Setty. Rajesh has a book out called Beyond Code. I would highly recommend it to any person in the IT industry. In his book, Rajesh Setty provides a recipe for technology professionals to rise above the commodity crowd and become remarkable. Here is a description from Amazon.com:

Through his work with hundreds of technology professionals, Rajesh Setty has had a bird’s eye view of careers that soared and careers that stalled. In the IT arena, Setty noted that while some people succeeded beyond imagination, most people seemed to get stuck about ten or fifteen years into their careers. After careful observation, interviews and insights, Setty realized that the top performers in the IT services industry definitely had a different set of standard practices for distinguishing themselves. To share their secrets, Setty created Beyond Code.

Todd Lammle is probably by far one of the best authors when it comes to Cisco study guides and training materials. In his latest book, CCNA FastPASS, Todd gives the reader the information needed to pass the new Cisco CCNA exam. Using real lab practice and real world examples--he covers all of the objectives of the exam and then some. His writing style is unlike most technical authors--he keeps the terminology easy by giving thorough explanations and writes in a tone that can sometimes be comical. This book has one of the best explanations for IP Subnetting that I have ever read. One of the best features of this book is the lab examples. Todd uses a consistent lab setup--which allows the user to follow along with either real Cisco equipment or with router simulator software. The review questions in the book are excellent and help nail the objectives of the Cisco 640-801 exam. Definitely a book the student should pick up before heading to the testing center.

Recently, I reviewed a book by Todd Lammle--CCNA FASTPass. This book was intended more as an overview/review of the information needed to pass the Cisco CCNA Exam. The other book that I would use in conjunction with the CCNA FASTPass text would be the CCNA Study Guide, Fourth Edition. Todd writes in the same pleasant style as he does in the CCNA FASTPass book--but in this work, he assumes the reader is new to Cisco router and switch technologies. This #1 best-selling study guide starts with the absolute fundamentals and works its way up to the level needed to pass the Cisco CCNA Exam. With over 600 pages of information, the author leaves no stone unturned. The book is accompanied by a CD with very useful software. Included are: Test engine with hundreds of questions, Simulation Test Software, Electronic Flash Cards (for PC, Handheld PC or Palm) and the entire book in PDF version. Students could easily self-study this book along with the CCNA FASTPass, and pass the Cisco CCNA Exam. The only other item I would add to these two books would be a simulated practice exam by either Transcender or Boson Software.

Windows NT/2000 Thin Client Solutions by Todd Mather's was released in 2000, but the theory and thin client network design are still relevant and appropriate. Todd Mather's does a wonderful job taking the reader through Microsoft Terminal Server and Citrix MetaFrame network design and implementation. This book is packed with outstanding information with over 700 pages. I particularly like the sections "An Overview of Terminal Server and MetaFrame" and "Planning a Terminal Server Implementation". This book is also packed with many schematics and illustrations to better explain this complicated subject. I would highly recommend this book to anyone responsible for managing or designing a thin client network.