It was a breakthrough guide in how to drive high quality and customer value, while maintaining a singular focus on agile delivery principles. Fast forward to 2013 and much has changed.Scrum and the other agile methods are dominating the mainstream and new success stories seem to be forthcoming daily. However, there are still challenges and many surround the Product Owner role: scaling Scrum, sustaining quality, delivering and measuring value, providing team leadership, being a part of organizational transformation, and simple survival are all still in play. In other words, the role is still just plain HARD. The Second Edition of Scrum Product Ownership is being delivered to help with today’s challenges. It has more practical advice, real-world tactics, and more stories. It provides a framework of ideas to help today's Product Owners and their teams to better “Deliver the Goods”. However, it remains true to its heritage of guiding you towards becoming a GREAT Product Owner…from the Inside Out.

    What's been lacking is the expertise to fuse them into solutions to real-world problems. These patterns are the intellectual mortar for J2EE software construction." —John Vlissides, co-author of Design Patterns, the "Gang of Four" book"The authors of Core J2EE Patterns have harvested a really useful set of patterns. They show how to apply these patterns and how to refactor your system to take advantage of them. It's just like having a team of experts sitting at your side."—Grady Booch, Chief Scientist, Rational Software Corporation "The authors do a great job describing useful patterns for application architectures. The section on refactoring is worth the price of the entire book!"—Craig McClanahan, Struts Lead Architect and Specification Lead for JavaServer Faces "Core J2EE Patterns is the gospel that should accompany every J2EE application server...Built upon the in-the-trenches expertise of its veteran architect authors, this volume unites the platform's many technologies and APIs in a way that application architects can use, and provides insightful answers to the whys, whens, and hows of the J2EE platform."—Sean Neville, JRun Enterprise Architect, MacromediaDevelopers often confuse learning the technology with learning to design with the technology. In this book, senior architects from the Sun Java Center share their cumulative design experience on Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) technology.The primary focus of the book is on patterns, best practices, design strategies, and proven solutions using the key J2EE technologies including JavaServer Pages(TM) (JSP(TM)), Servlets, Enterprise JavaBeans(TM) (EJB(TM)), and Java(TM) Message Service (JMS) APIs. The J2EE Pattern Catalog with 21 patterns and numerous strategies is presented to document and promote best practices for these technologies.Core J2EE Patterns, Second Edition offers the following: J2EE Pattern Catalog with 21 patterns—fully revised and newly documented patterns providing proven solutions for enterprise applications Design strategies for the presentation tier, business tier, and integration tier Coverage of servlets, JSP, EJB, JMS, and Web Services J2EE technology bad practices Refactorings to improve existing designs using patterns Fully illustrated with UML diagrams Extensive sample code for patterns, strategies, and refactorings

    Our increasingly complex world demands that we continuously learn from failures (and successes) in order to survive and thrive. And yet, our learning is too often undermined. We construct biased but comfortable stories, which often feature a simple, single "root cause"--a villain, someone to take the blame. Having done that, we short-circuit the possibility of developing any deeper understanding of the complex systems we work with. With this common approach, our systems will become more fragile and drift into failure. In this concise and entertaining book, I.T. veteran Dave Zwieback describes an incident that threatens the very existence of a large financial institution, and the counterintuitive steps its leadership took to stop the downward spiral. Their novel approach is grounded in proven concepts from complexity science, resilience engineering, human factors, cognitive science, and organizational psychology. It allows us to identify the underlying conditions for failure, and make our systems (and organizations) safer and more resilient.- Get a clear understanding of the downside of blame- Learn how to identify (and counteract) cognitive biases in groups- See how organizations can determine the real root cause of problems- Establish real accountability with your organization- Use the Learning Review Framework to fully learn from failures of complex systems- Find practical insights and tips for moving beyond blame in your own organization

    With astonishing and clarifying new details, he recounts the scary series of the close encounters that tested the limits of ordinary humans and powerful leaders alike. Ambinder explains how political leadership ultimately triumphed over misunderstandings, helping the two countries maintain a fragile peace.Ambinder provides a comprehensive and chilling account of the nuclear command and control process, from intelligence warnings to the composition of the nuclear codes themselves. And he affords glimpses into the secret world of a preemptive electronic attack that scared the Soviet Union into action. Ambinder’s account reads like a thriller, recounting the spy-versus-spy games that kept both countries—and the world—in check.From geopolitics in Moscow and Washington, to sweat-caked soldiers fighting in the trenches of the Cold War, to high-stakes war games across NATO and the Warsaw Pact, The Brink serves as the definitive intelligence, nuclear, and national security history of one of the most precarious times in recent memory.

    Recognized and respected throughout the world as the most influential leaders in the data warehousing industry, Ralph Kimball and the Kimball Group have written articles covering more than 250 topics that define the field of data warehousing. For the first time, the Kimball Group's incomparable advice, design tips, and best practices have been gathered in this remarkable collection of articles, which spans a decade of data warehousing innovation.Each group of articles is introduced with original commentaries that explain their role in the overall lifecycle methodology developed by the Kimball Group. These practical, hands-on articles are fully updated to reflect current practices and terminology and cover the complete lifecycle--including project planning, requirements gathering, dimensional modeling, ETL, and business intelligence and analytics.This easily referenced collection is nothing less than vital if you are involved with data warehousing or business intelligence in any capacity.

    Watch as Harry makes the gutsy bid for midtown Manhattan's famous GM building and put almost no money down, landing the billion-dollar transaction that made him the poster child for New York's real estate royalty. Listen in on the secret conversations, back-door deals, and blackmail that put Macklowe and his cronies on top—and set them up for an enormous fall. Vanity Fair contributing editor Vicky Ward skillfully paints the often scandalous picture of the giants who owned the New York skyline until their empires came crumbling down in the 2008 financial crisis. Based on more than 200 interviews with real estate moguls like Donald Trump, William Zeckendorf, Mort Zuckerman, and David Simon, Liar's Ball is the never-before-told story of the egomaniacal elites of New York City. Read about: The epic rise and fall of one of the richest American real estate barons Outlandish greed and cravings for power, attention, and love Relationships built and destroyed by vanity and gossip The bursting of the real estate bubble and its aftermath This is no fiction—this is a real life tale of extravagance, ambition, and power. Harry Macklowe ruthlessly clawed his way to the top with the help of his loyal followers, each grubbing for a piece of the real estate pie. Liar's Ball reveals their secrets and tells the tale of business as usual for this group—lying, backstabbing, and moving in for the kill when things look patchy. From the bestselling author of The Devil's Casino comes an expos??? on the real estate elite that you'll hardly believe.

    It begins with the basics--defining these proposals and why they are necessary--and coaches you through the entire proposal process. In this book, you'll learn how to establish outcome-based business objectives and maximize your success and commensurate fees.From bestselling author Alan Weiss, Million Dollar Consulting Proposals delivers step-by-step guidance on the essential element in creating a million dollar consultancy.Outlines the nine key components to a Million Dollar Consulting proposal structure Presents a dozen Golden Rules for presenting proposals Offers online samples, forms, and templates to maximize the effectiveness of these tools The New York Post calls bestselling author Alan Weiss one of the most highly regarded independent consultants in America. Alan Weiss's expert guidance can lead your consulting business to unprecedented success, and it all starts with a million dollar proposal.

    Born of a functional need rather than aesthetic ideal, golf range nets span spaghetti snack bars and a host of 70 other remarkable combinations are pictured and described in this quintessential glimpse of Tokyo's architectural grass roots.

    . . an excellent text for graduate courses on psychological assessment. It . . . familiarizes the student with the entire enterprise of clinical assessment and provides enough of a how-to guide for the student to carry out an assessment practicum." --Contemporary Psychology "For both practitioners and students of psychological assessment, the expanded and updated Handbook provides guidance to the selection, administration, evaluation, and interpretation of the most commonly used psychological tests." --Reference and Research Book News The updated and expanded fourth edition of the highly acclaimed classic text on psychological assessment The Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Fourth Edition presents a step-by-step guide on how to conduct a comprehensive psychological evaluation. It provides a complete review of the most commonly used assessment instruments and the most efficient methods for selecting and administering tests, evaluating data, and integrating results into a coherent, problem-solving report. Updated reviews and interpretive guidelines are included for the most frequently used assessment techniques, including structured and unstructured interviews, Wechlser intelligence scales (WAIS-III/WISC-III), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2/MMPI-A), Millon Multiaxial Clinical Inventory-III, California Psychological Inventory, Rorschach, Thematic Apperception Test, and frequently used instruments for neuropsychological screening (e.g., Bender Gestalt and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test). Each test is reviewed according to its history and development, psychometrics, administration, and interpretation of results. In addition, this revised and expanded Fourth Edition includes: * Completely updated research on all assessment techniques * A chapter on the Wechsler Memory Scales (WMS-III) * A new chapter on brief instruments for treatment planning, patient monitoring, and outcome assessment (Beck Depression Inventory-II, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Symptom Checklist-90-R) Organized according to the sequence psychologists follow when conducting an assessment, the Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Fourth Edition is a practical, valuable reference for clinical psychologists, therapists, school psychologists, and counselors.

    They inspire dreams. They represent freedom: from adults or adulthood, from duties and responsibilities, from an earthbound perspective. If we can't fly with the birds, at least we can nest with them. With lively writing and beautiful photographs, Treehouses paints a fascinating portrait of this ingenious branch of architecture. It provides a brief history of treehouses, from Caligula through the Medici to Queen Victoria. It shows how to design and build a treehouse, from picking the right tree to shingling the roof. And it tells the stories of dozens of treehouses and the people who built them, from simple platforms nailed together by kids to arboreal palaces constructed and lived in by grown-ups. The centerpiece of the book is a photo essay showing Pete Nelson building a spectacular octagonal treehouse thirty feet up an old-growth fir on Saltspring Island in British Columbia. With two hundred square feet of floor space, cedar paneling, and leaded French doors, the Saltspring treehouse is one of the finest specimens of the treehouse builder's art. Anyone who has ever built a treehouse, or dreamed of it, or read Swiss Family Robinson, will find Treehouses irresistible.

    His ruminations range from his obsession with theater to his concept of architecture as ritual. The illustrations--photographs, evocative images, as well as a set of drawings of Rossi's major architectural projects prepared particularly for this publication--were personally selected by the author to augment the text.

    However, large-scale agile development is difficult, and publicly available case studies have been scarce. Now, three agile pioneers at Hewlett-Packard present a candid, start-to-finish insider's look at how they've succeeded with agile in one of the company's most mission-critical software environments: firmware for HP LaserJet printers.This book tells the story of an extraordinary experiment and journey. Could agile principles be applied to re-architect an enormous legacy code base? Could agile enable both timely delivery and ongoing innovation? Could it really be applied to 400+ developers distributed across four states, three continents, and four business units? Could it go beyond delivering incremental gains, to meet the stretch goal of 10x developer productivity improvements?It could, and it did--but getting there was not easy.Writing for both managers and technologists, the authors candidly discuss both their successes and failures, presenting actionable lessons for other development organizations, as well as approaches that have proven themselves repeatedly in HP's challenging environment. They not only illuminate the potential benefits of agile in large-scale development, they also systematically show how these benefits can actually be achieved.Coverage includes: - Tightly linking agile methods and enterprise architecture with business objectives- Focusing agile practices on your worst development pain points to get the most bang for your buck- Abandoning classic agile methods that don't work at the largest scale- Employing agile methods to establish a new architecture- Using metrics as a "conversation starter" around agile process improvements- Leveraging continuous integration and quality systems to reduce costs, accelerate schedules, and automate the delivery pipeline- Taming the planning beast with "light-touch" agile planning and lightweight long-range forecasting- Implementing effective project management and ensuring accountability in large agile projects- Managing tradeoffs associated with key decisions about organizational structure- Overcoming U.S./India cultural differences that can complicate offshore development- Selecting tools to support quantum leaps in productivity in your organization- Using change management disciplines to support greater enterprise agility

    The book is divided into 3 categories—green, greener, greenest—and the homes featured vary in style, design, type of construction, and size. All of the homes included in Prefabulous and Sustainable have been customized to create a level of sustainability beyond the inherent qualities of prefab.Written in an easy to understand and approachable style, author Sheri Koones walks the readers through each of the homes, explaining the materials, strategies, and systems used to create a sustainable living environment. Photographs, captions, floor plans, and sidebars illustrate to readers that green living is not as complicated as one might think, and attainable for everyone. Also included is a resource guide, making this book a hand-on guide for homebuilders. Praise for Prefabulous + Sustainable “Authoritative and beautiful. Once again, Koones builds her case for pre-fab thoroughly, and presents it in a compelling, well-organized package.” —Allen Norwood, NAREE Book Competition Head Judge

    As the world’s population has grown, our cities have burgeoned, and their impact on the environment worsened. Meanwhile, from the isolated, gated communities within Houston and Los Angeles, to the millions of residents of Bombay living in squalor, the city has failed to serve its ideal function—as the cradle of civilization, the engine of culture, and the inspiration for community and citizenship. In Cities for a Small Planet, Sir Richard Rogers, one of the world’s leading architects and the designer of the Pompidou Center in Paris, demonstrates how future cities could provide the springboard for restoring humanity’s harmony with its environment.Rogers outlines the disastrous impact cities have had and will continue to have on our world, from waste-saturated Tokyo Bay, to the massive plumes of pollution caused by London’s traffic, to the depleted water resources of Mexico City. He traces these problems to the underlying social and cultural values that create them—unchecked commercial zeal, selfish individualism, and a lack of community. Bringing to bear concepts such as that of “open-minded” space—places within cities that serve multiple functions such as markets, parks, and sidewalk cafes—he explains how urban design can be used to give citizens a sense of shared experience. The city built with comfortable and safe public space can bring diverse groups together and breed a sense of tolerance, awareness, identity, and mutual respect. He calls for a new theoretical shift in the way cities do business and interact with the environment, arguing that many products come to market and are sold without figuring their social or environmental cost.Rogers goes on to describe the city of the future: one that is sustainable within its own environment; that can make a positive impact on its surroundings; that encourages communication among its citizens; that is compact and focused around neighborhoods; and that is beautiful, a city whose buildings and spaces spark the creative potential of its inhabitants.As our population grows larger, our planet grows smaller. Cities for a Small Planet is a passionate and eloquent blueprint for the cities we must create in response, cities that provide for the needs of both their residents and the earth on which they live.

    A selection from Geoffrey Jellicoe's "The Atlanta Historical Garden" is included.