Generics and the greatly expanded collection libraries have tremendously increased the power of Java 5 and Java 6. But they have also confused many developers who haven't known how to take advantage of these new features.Java Generics and Collections covers everything from the most basic uses of generics to the strangest corner cases. It teaches you everything you need to know about the collections libraries, so you'll always know which collection is appropriate for any given task, and how to use it.Topics covered include:• Fundamentals of generics: type parameters and generic methods• Other new features: boxing and unboxing, foreach loops, varargs• Subtyping and wildcards• Evolution not revolution: generic libraries with legacy clients and generic clients with legacy libraries• Generics and reflection• Design patterns for generics• Sets, Queues, Lists, Maps, and their implementations• Concurrent programming and thread safety with collections• Performance implications of different collectionsGenerics and the new collection libraries they inspired take Java to a new level. If you want to take your software development practice to a new level, this book is essential reading.Philip Wadler is Professor of Theoretical Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh, where his research focuses on the design of programming languages. He is a co-designer of GJ, work that became the basis for generics in Sun's Java 5.0.Maurice Naftalin is Technical Director at Morningside Light Ltd., a software consultancy in the United Kingdom. He has most recently served as an architect and mentor at NSB Retail Systems plc, and as the leader of the client development team of a major UK government social service system."A brilliant exposition of generics. By far the best book on the topic, it provides a crystal clear tutorial that starts with the basics and ends leaving the reader with a deep understanding of both the use and design of generics." Gilad Bracha, Java Generics Lead, Sun Microsystems

    Presentation software is one of the few tools that requires professionals to think visually on an almost daily basis. But unlike verbal skills, effective visual expression is not easy, natural, or actively taught in schools or business training programs. slide:ology fills that void.Written by Nancy Duarte, President and CEO of Duarte Design, the firm that created the presentation for Al Gore's Oscar-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, this book is full of practical approaches to visual story development that can be applied by anyone. The book combines conceptual thinking and inspirational design, with insightful case studies from the world's leading brands. With slide:ology you'll learn to:Connect with specific audiencesTurn ideas into informative graphicsUse sketching and diagramming techniques effectivelyCreate graphics that enable audiences to process information easilyDevelop truly influential presentationsUtilize presentation technology to your advantageMillions of presentations and billions of slides have been produced -- and most of them miss the mark. slide:ology will challenge your traditional approach to creating slides by teaching you how to be a visual thinker. And it will help your career by creating momentum for your cause.--back cover

    But the state-of-the-art has moved forward dramatically since Meyers last updated this book in 1997. (For instance, there s now STL. Design patterns. Even new functionality being added through TR1 and Boost.) So Meyers has done a top-to-bottom rewrite, identifying the 55 most valuable techniques you need now to be exceptionally effective with C++. Over half of this edition s content is new. Templates broadly impact C++ development, and you ll find them everywhere. There s extensive coverage of multithreaded systems. There s an entirely new chapter on resource management. You ll find substantial new coverage of exceptions. Much is gained, but nothing s lost: You ll find the same depth of practical insight that first made Effective C++ a classic all those years ago. Bill Camarda, from the July 2005 href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/newslet... Only

    Inspired by forensic psychology methods, you'll learn strategies to predict the future of your codebase, assess refactoring direction, and understand how your team influences the design. With its unique blend of forensic psychology and code analysis, this book arms you with the strategies you need, no matter what programming language you use.Software is a living entity that's constantly changing. To understand software systems, we need to know where they came from and how they evolved. By mining commit data and analyzing the history of your code, you can start fixes ahead of time to eliminate broken designs, maintenance issues, and team productivity bottlenecks. In this book, you'll learn forensic psychology techniques to successfully maintain your software. You'll create a geographic profile from your commit data to find hotspots, and apply temporal coupling concepts to uncover hidden relationships between unrelated areas in your code. You'll also measure the effectiveness of your code improvements. You'll learn how to apply these techniques on projects both large and small. For small projects, you'll get new insights into your design and how well the code fits your ideas. For large projects, you'll identify the good and the fragile parts.Large-scale development is also a social activity, and the team's dynamics influence code quality. That's why this book shows you how to uncover social biases when analyzing the evolution of your system. You'll use commit messages as eyewitness accounts to what is really happening in your code. Finally, you'll put it all together by tracking organizational problems in the code and finding out how to fix them. Come join the hunt for better code!

    It's the expertise you need when your start-up gets an unexpected spike in web traffic, or when a new feature causes your mature application to fail. In this collection of essays and interviews, web veterans such as Theo Schlossnagle, Baron Schwartz, and Alistair Croll offer insights into this evolving field. You'll learn stories from the trenches--from builders of some of the biggest sites on the Web--on what's necessary to help a site thrive.Learn the skills needed in web operations, and why they're gained through experience rather than schoolingUnderstand why it's important to gather metrics from both your application and infrastructureConsider common approaches to database architectures and the pitfalls that come with increasing scaleLearn how to handle the human side of outages and degradationsFind out how one company avoided disaster after a huge traffic delugeDiscover what went wrong after a problem occurs, and how to prevent it from happening againContributors include:John AllspawHeather ChampMichael ChristianRichard CookAlistair CrollPatrick DeboisEric FlorenzanoPaul HammondJustin HuffAdam JacobJacob LoomisMatt MassieBrian MoonAnoop NagwaniSean PowerEric RiesTheo SchlossnagleBaron SchwartzAndrew Shafer

    Cracking the Sales Management Code reveals that science and gives practical steps to identify the metrics you must measure to manage toward success."--Arthur Dorfman, National Vice President, SAP"Cracking the Sales Management Code is a must-read for anyone who wants to bring his or her sales management team into the 21st century."--Mike Nathe, Senior Vice President, Essilor Laboratories of America"The authors correctly assert that the proliferation of management reporting has created a false sense of control for sales executives. Real control is derived from clear direction to the field--and this book tells how do to that in an easy-to-understand, actionable manner."--Michael R. Jenkins, Signature Client Vice President, AT&T Global Enterprise Solutions"There are things that can be managed in a sales force, and there are things that cannot. Too often sales management doesn't see the difference. This book is invaluable because it reveals the manageable activities that actually drive sales results."--John Davis, Vice President, St. Jude Medical"Cracking the Sales Management Code is one of the most important resources available on effective sales management. . . . It should be required reading for every sales leader."--Bob Kelly, Chairman, The Sales Management Association "A must-read for managers who want to have a greater impact on sales force performance."--James Lattin, Robert A. Magowan Professor of Marketing, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University"This book offers a solution to close the gap between sales processes and business results. It shows a new way to think critically about the strategies and tactics necessary to move a sales team from good to great!"--Anita Abjornson, Sales Management Effectiveness, Abbott LaboratoriesAbout the Book: There are literally thousands of books on selling, coaching, and leadership, but what about the particulars of managing a sales force? Where are the frameworks, metrics, and best practices to help you succeed?Based on extensive research into how world-class companies measure and manage their sales forces, Cracking the Sales Management Code is the first operating manual for sales management. In it you will discover:The five critical processes that drive sales performanceHow to choose the right processes for your own teamThe three levels of sales metrics you must collectWhich metrics you can "manage" and which ones you can'tHow to prioritize conflicting sales objectivesHow to align seller activities with business resultsHow to use CRM to improve the impact of coachingAs Neil Rackham writes in the foreword: "There's an acute shortage of good books on the specifics of sales management. Cracking the Sales Management Code is about the practical specifics of sales management in the new era, and it fills a void."Cracking the Sales Management Code fills that void by providing foundational knowledge about how the sales force works. It reveals the gears and levers that actually control sales results. It adds clarity to things that you intuitively know and provides insight into things that you don't. It will change the way you manage your sellers from day to day, as well as the results you get from year to year.

    Each lesson is followed by list of key concepts and sample questions to help you study for your ITIL(R) Foundation certification exam. Chapter review questions, modeled after the real exam questions, reinforce your learning for each unit.Written by an ITIL(R) Expert trainer who has taught thousands of students and hundreds of organizations, "Foundations of IT Service Management with ITIL(R) 2011" provides a reader with the introduction to this approach to IT services without the expense of a formal classroom course. While the focus is primarily on providing information required to pass the ITIL(R) Foundations exam, this book goes beyond those basics to also provide a real understanding of ITIL(R) to further your knowledge and abilities as a valuable part of IT/business alignment. Using a case-study approach, real issues are discussed that represents challenges experienced by almost every IT organization.Everyone prepares for the ITIL(R) Foundation certification exam in different ways. Accompanying the book are numerous study aids to support your study preparation on the supporting web site. Whether you are new to IT or a seasoned professional, this book is one you need to aid in your quest for certification.Included in your purchase is access to the online study resources including:- Exercise guide- Audio "learn while you drive" reviews- Sample exams- Exam syllabus- PDF version of the "100 ITIL Exam Questions" bookCompanies in all industries are requiring ITIL(R) Foundation as a minimum requirement for their staff. Whether you are entering IT for the first time or switching jobs, ITIL(R) Foundation certification is a step toward your desired career.

    The PADI Open Water Diver course leads to two possible certifications: PADI SCUBA Diver and PADI Open Water Diver. This book covers basic diving certification topics and techniques including:Choosing, using, maintaining, and storing equipment.Basic training, from pool to open waterDiving physiology, including buoyancy, behavior of gases, the bends, and hypothermia.Dive planning, including decompression dives.Safety and first aid.

    In this thought-provoking book, authors Jonathan Shariat and Cynthia Savard Saucier explain how poorly designed products can anger, sadden, exclude, and even kill people who use them. The designers responsible certainly didn't intend harm, so what can you do to avoid making similar mistakes?Tragic Design examines real case studies that show how certain design choices adversely affected users, and includes in-depth interviews with authorities in the design industry. Pick up this book and learn how you can be an agent of change in the design community and at your company.You'll explore:Designs that can kill, including the bad interface that doomed a young cancer patientDesigns that anger, through impolite technology and dark patternsHow design can inadvertently cause emotional painDesigns that exclude people through lack of accessibility, diversity, and justiceHow to advocate for ethical design when it isn't easy to do soTools and techniques that can help you avoid harmful design decisionsInspiring professionals who use design to improve our world

    Domain modeling is a technique for creating a conceptual map of a problem space such as a business system or a scientific application, so that the developer can write the software more efficiently. The domain model doesn't present a solution to the problem, but instead describes the attributes, roles, and relationships of the entities involved, along with the constraints of the system.Reactive application design, which uses functional programming principles along with asynchronous non-blocking communication, promises to be a potent pattern for developing performant systems that are relatively easy to manage, maintain and evolve. Typically we call such models "reactive" because they are more responsive both to user requests and to system loads. But designing and implementing such models requires a different way of thinking. Because the core behaviors are implemented using pure functions, you can reason about the domain model just like mathematics, so your model becomes verifiable and robust.Functional and Reactive Domain Modeling teaches you how to think of the domain model in terms of pure functions and how to compose them to build larger abstractions. You will start with the basics of functional programming and gradually progress to the advanced concepts and patterns that you need to know to implement complex domain models. The book demonstrates how advanced FP patterns like algebraic data types, typeclass based design, and isolation of side-effects can make your model compose for readability and verifiability.On the subject of reactive modeling, the book focuses on higher order concurrency patterns like actors and futures. It uses the Akka framework as the reference implementation and demonstrates how advanced architectural patterns like event sourcing and CQRS can be put to great use in implementing scalable models. You will learn techniques that are radically different from the standard RDBMS based applications that are based on mutation of records. You'll also pick up important patterns like using asynchronous messaging for interaction based on non blocking concurrency and model persistence, which delivers the speed of in-memory processing along with suitable guarantees of reliability.

    Tomorrow try something new. Use the Pomodoro Technique to work in focused sprints throughout the day. In Pomodoro Technique Illustrated, Staffan N teberg shows you how to organize your work to accomplish more in less time. There's no need for expensive software or fancy planners. You can get started with nothing more than a piece of paper, a pencil, and a kitchen timer. You have so much you need to accomplish today. Your list is a mile long and you find yourself getting interrupted every other minute. You'd like to tell everyone to leave you alone, but most of the interruptions are coming from you! You think of a phone call you need to make or a web site you need to check and before you know it you're answering email, checking twitter, and finding a million other things to occupy your time. You need to focus---really focus. The Pomodoro Technique puts you back in charge of your day. You'll apply successful techniques from software engineering to identify what you should be doing today and to help you achieve your goals. Your mind won't wander when it is fully engaged in short bursts of focused activity. Learn to work less and accomplish more using nothing more than paper, pencil, and a simple kitchen timer. Set the timer and start on your next Pomodoro. When the bell rings take a break. This personal approach to timeboxing is at the core of the Pomodoro technique and this book is filled with advice on how get started and how to tailor it to your own needs.

    Whether you're new to Java programming and need something to bridge the gap between theory-laden reference manuals and real-world programs or you're a seasoned Java programmer looking for a new perspective or a different problem-solving context, this book will help you make the most of your Java knowledge. Packed with hundreds of tried-and-true Java recipes covering all of the major APIs from the 1.4 version of Java, this book also offers significant first-look recipes for the most important features of the new 1.5 version, which is in beta release. You get practical solutions to everyday problems, and each is followed by a detailed, ultimately useful explanation of how and why the technology works. Java Cookbook, 2nd Edition includes code segments covering many specialized APIs--like those for working with Struts, Ant and other new popular Open Source tools. It also includes expanded Mac OS X Panther coverage and serves as a great launching point for Java developers who want to get started in areas outside of their specialization. In this major revision, you'll find succinct pieces of code that can be easily incorporated into other programs. Focusing on what's useful or tricky--or what's useful and tricky--Java Cookbook, 2nd Edition is the most practical Java programming book on the market.

    Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.--back cover

    Deep inside, we sense that more is possible. We long for soulful workplaces, for authenticity, community, passion, and purpose.In this groundbreaking book, the author shows that every time, in the past, when humanity has shifted to a new stage of consciousness, it has achieved extraordinary breakthroughs in collaboration. A new shift in consciousness is currently underway. Could it help us invent a more soulful and purposeful way to run our businesses and nonprofits, schools and hospitals?A few pioneers have already cracked the code and they show us, in practical detail, how it can be done. Leaders, founders, coaches, and consultants will find this work a joyful handbook, full of insights, examples, and inspiring stories.ADVANCE PRAISE"Congratulations on a spectacular treatise! This is truly pioneering work. In terms of integral sophistication, there is simply nothing like it out there."--Ken Wilber, from the Foreword"The most exciting book I've read in years on organization design and leadership models."--Jenny Wade, Ph.D., Author of Changes of Mind"A book like Reinventing Organizations only comes along once in a decade. Sweeping and brilliant in scope, it is the Good To Great for a more enlightened age. What it reveals about the organizational model of the future is exhilarating and deeply hopeful."--Norman Wolfe, Author of The Living Organization"A comprehensive, highly practical account of the emergent worldview in business. Everything you need to know about building a new paradigm organization!"--Richard Barrett, Chairman and Founder, Barrett Values Center"Frederic Laloux has done business people and professionals everywhere a signal service. He has discovered a better future for organizations by describing, in useful detail, the unusual best practices of today."--Bill Torbert, Author of Action Inquiry"As the rate of change escalates exponentially, the old ways of organizing and educating, which were designed for efficiency and repetition, are dying. Frederic Laloux is one of the few management leaders exploring what comes next. It's deeply different."--Bill Drayton, Founder, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

    In this insightful book, leading advocate Jeff Gothelf teaches you valuable Lean UX principles, tactics, and techniques from the ground up—how to rapidly experiment with design ideas, validate them with real users, and continually adjust your design based on what you learn.Inspired by Lean and Agile development theories, Lean UX lets you focus on the actual experience being designed, rather than deliverables. This book shows you how to collaborate closely with other members of the product team, and gather feedback early and often. You’ll learn how to drive the design in short, iterative cycles to assess what works best for the business and the user. Lean UX shows you how to make this change—for the better.Frame a vision of the problem you’re solving and focus your team on the right outcomesBring the designers’ toolkit to the rest of your product teamShare your insights with your team much earlier in the processCreate Minimum Viable Products to determine which ideas are validIncorporate the voice of the customer throughout the project cycleMake your team more productive: combine Lean UX with Agile’s Scrum frameworkUnderstand the organizational shifts necessary to integrate Lean UXLean UX received the 2013 Jolt Award from Dr. Dobb's Journal as the best book of the year. The publication's panel of judges chose five notable books, published during a 12-month period ending June 30, that every serious programmer should read.