Ever look at a really cool effect in your favorite game and wonder "How in the world did they do that?" This book teaches you the skills that you need to create effects that are just as awesome as the ones that first amazed you. New to DirectX? Don't worry! There are plenty of tips that will bring you up to speed quickly. Already an experienced programmer? Get ready to create some amazing effects that will get people hooked on your game! An entire section on 2D special effects shows you how to use your 3D card for effects like transitions and image warping. If it's 3D effects that you're after, this book has everything that you need to create cool effects like explosions, water, and magic spells. "Special Effects Game Programming with DirectX" is the next step in transforming your game from an application to an experience.

Boeings 377 is arguably the definitive design among the great propliners of the 1950s, being the most statesmanlike of them all. The Stratocruiser story is not a straightforward one, but this history reveals every aspect of the aircraftfrom its evolution and design to its productiona and serviceand includes complete details of operators and technical specifications.

* Travel to Eastern Europe is booming-international arrivals to Eastern Europe have increased by an average of 3.9 percent each year since 2004
* Destinations covered in this guide are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Moscow & St. Petersburg, Slovakia, Slovenia,and Kaliningrad
* According to a May 2006 Euromonitor article, Poland has the most visitors (15 million in 2005), with Hungary close behind
* The fastest growing destination in Europe is Bulgaria; inbound tourists increased 17 percent between 2004 and 2005
* Low cost airlines continue to add more routes to and within Eastern Europe

With more than 500 entries (including up-to-date information on such high profile cases as Martha Stewart and Enron), the Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime gathers history, definitions, examples, investigation, prosecution, assessments, challenges, and projections into one definitive reference work on the topic. The Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime is edited to incorporate information about a variety of white-collar crimes, and provides examples of persons, statutes, companies, and convictions. Each entry offers a thorough and thoughtful summary of the topic. Rather than a simple definition, users are given a satisfying and sophisticated synopsis with references for further study. Articles consider all aspects of white-collar and corporate crime, including: * Law: describes specific elements of corporate law and the various illegal acts to which they apply * Individuals: brief biographical sketches, primarily focused on how they relate to the study of white-collar crime * Events: criminal events include descriptions of specific cases of white-collar crime, both past and current The Encyclopedia was developed primarily for college, public, and high school libraries. Post-graduate academics, law firms, and corporations will also find this a valuable addition to their libraries.

Biometric user authentication techniques evoke an enormous interest by science, industry and society. Scientists and developers constantly pursue technology for automated determination or confirmation of the identity of subjects based on measurements of physiological or behavioral traits of humans. Biometric User Authentication for IT Security: From Fundamentals to Handwriting conveys general principals of passive (physiological traits such as fingerprint, iris, face) and active (learned and trained behavior such as voice, handwriting and gait) biometric recognition techniques to the reader. Unlike other publications in this area that concentrate on passive schemes, this professional book reflects a more comprehensive analysis of one particular active biometric technique: handwriting. Aspects that are thoroughly discussed include sensor characteristic dependency, attack scenarios, and the generation of cryptographic keys from handwriting.

The Encyclopedia of Portal Technologies and Applications offers complete coverage of the nature, characteristics, advantages, limitations, design, and evolution of Web portals. Other topics include semantic portals, philosophical portal issues, and personal portals. This authoritative encyclopedia encompasses the economics of setting up and using personal portals, knowledge management, strategic planning, user acceptance, security and the law. State-of-the-art portal technology and applications are also described in the Encyclopedia of Portal Technologies and Applications. This comprehensive reference source contains more than 200 articles from academics, experts, and practitioners from around the world. It covers technical characteristics of portals and portal applications in a wide range of areas from business to science and will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Pragmatic Software Testing: Becoming an Effective and Efficient Test Professional
Wiley / February 20, 2007 | 366 pages | ISBN: 0470127902 | CHM | 4Mb

A hands-on guide to testing techniques that deliver reliable software and systems. Testing even a simple system can quickly turn into a potentially infinite task. Faced with tight costs and schedules, testers need to have a toolkit of practical techniques combined with hands-on experience and the right strategies in order to complete a successful project. World-renowned testing expert Rex Black provides you with the proven methods and concepts that test professionals must know. He presents you with the fundamental techniques for testing and clearly shows you how to select and apply successful strategies to test a system with budget and time constraints.

The average person's attention span lasts about 30 seconds. That means first and immediate impressions count, and big. In this modern-day update of Dale Carnegie's classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, former fashion photographer Nicholas Boothman instructs you in how to mold those 30 seconds to your greatest advantage and connect with others at business and social functions.

A fascinating insider's look at the evolution of the Xbox 360 and Microsoft's ambitious gamble to become a leading force in the multi-billion dollar video game industry. Through extensive interviews and unprecedented access, San Jose Mercury News Technology and Gaming Writer Dean Takahashi takes you behind the scenes as he reveals… The birth of the machine as seen through the eyes of the Xbox 360 engineers who designed it… Blow-by-blow coverage of the heated internal debates as senior Microsoft executives battle to define the future of the Xbox brand… The strategic chess moves as Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and company take risk after risk, trying to outmaneuver their archrivals for the brass ring: dominance of the incredibly lucrative video game market… Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, the entire Microsoft Xbox 360 team, and the industry's most celebrated game developers – all of the major players are included in this captivating story.

The Sicilian defence is the most popular opening at club level and the great mass of theory is a daunting prospect for the tournament player having to face it. This book seeks to offer a complete repertoire against every variation of the defence, together with an alternative line for White where the recommended move leads to particularly sharp play. Thus, players of different styles should be able to face the Sicilian with confidence. By basing the material on 31 key selected games, the author develops an understanding of the attacking plans for White and the importance of different move orders. Grandmaster John Nunn is a member of the English Olympiad team. He is author of "The Benoni for the Tournament Player" and co-author of "Sicilian Defence: Najdorf Variation". This is a Batsford Chess Book; the adviser is R.G.Wade and the Technical Editor is P.A.Lamford

I think this is a good book. I think some of the people who write these reviews are not the intended audience. I don't think this book was written for expert players. It's written for people who are beginners and want to start playing the game without being crushed in the opening. This book won't cause you win every game. I don't think that's possible with a 24 hour repertiore. However, it will give you some good ideas to think about and will get through most games with a playable position. Most opening books have a ton of variations and very little explanation. Purdy is a great chess teacher and explains all the main ideas. It's true that these openings may not be the best according to modern theory. However, this book was intended as 24 hour repertiore for players rated 1900 and under. I think it's good in that respect.

After the immense success of the first two editions, the chess world has been anticipating the next instalment with baited breath… and now the wait is over! Once again this is a fully revised edition of John Watson's classic Play the French, providing Black with a complete repertoire in the French Defence, one of the most strategically and dynamically complex opening systems. As is typical with his books, Watson often arms the reader with not one, but a choice of two and sometimes three lines against every main variation. Watson also presents a thorough grounding on the positional and tactical aspects of the opening and outlines the typical plans for both White and Black. This is particularly welcome for those newcomers wishing to add the French Defence to their openings armoury. Last, but not least, hardened French Defence devotees will find plenty of original analysis and suggestions to sink their teeth into.

With an innovative and exciting approach to origami, POLYHEDRON ORIGAMI FOR BEGINNERS provides simple instructions for recreating the intricate mathematical world of the many-sided solid figure. This book is a comprehensive collection of polyhedron origami from tetrahedron to icosahedron. Each solid object is formed from simple folded units. Each process is illustrated with clear step-by-step diagrams for beginners. Start with simple works such as tiles, bricks, prisms, pyramids, cubes and then follow the advanced courses, which include regular polyhedrons, tetrahedrons, octahedrons, dodecahedrons, and so on. A variety of stars, flutter wheels and windmills are also presented as applications. It is not an easy task to make many units, but the joy and gratification are great when the works are completed. They reward the effort.

Superb guide to neglected area of chess. Two formidable grandmasters cover attacking the king, defense, importance of pawn structure, analysis, much more. Authoritative introduction by Harry Golombek. Belongs in the library of every serious chess enthusiast. Indexes of players and middle-game themes.